News Story not available This story has been published on: 2022-10-22. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. This story is no longer available on our site. Catalina Maria Saldana, age 50, passed away Sunday, March 13, 2016 surrounded by loved ones in her hometown of St. Helena after an 18 year battle with cancer. She was born September 8, 1965 in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico to Jose Guadalupe and Amelia (De Luna) Saldana. From the young age of 12, while studying at the Catholic Parochial School in St. Helena, Catalina began teaching religious education to the children of the community. During this time, however, many health issues began to arise. After graduating from Justin Sienna High School, Catalina continued her education at the California State University, Sacramento where she obtained a Bachelors degree as well as her teaching credentials. She was the first in her family to attend college, paving the way for later youth. As a teacher, she influenced the lives of so many students. During her 12 years teaching at Westwood Elementary (now known as Napa Valley Language Academy), she was one of only two bilingual teachers in the district. Catalina taught bilingual kindergarten for five years and second grade immersion classes for seven years. These were the first immersion classes ever taught in the district, really introducing bilingual immersion classes to the Napa Valley. During her time here, Catalina was first diagnosed with cancer. Beating it once, she was in remission for seven years. When the cancer returned, Catalina was unable to continue working in the classroom, but she never let being ill limit her. She began working from home, translating written material for the St. Helena school district. Her passion for teaching provided her with the strength to continue sharing her gift. As her cancer returned for a third time, Catalina became bedridden and focused more on her relationship with God. At this time she became very active within the Hispanic Catholic community of the St. John the Baptist Parish in Napa. She was a part of many prayer groups and introduced new resources to the church, which helped strengthen the foundation of faith for many. During her many years with this disease, Catalina faced it all with bravery and survived by the love of her 16-year-old daughter, Jacqueline Saldana-Pimentel. With the support of her parents and siblings, Jose Guadalupe Saldana Jr, Manuel Saldana, and Teresa Garcia she was able to live her life and share her values with her daughter, 10 nieces and nephews, and one great-nephew. The impact she created will last a lifetime and she will be remembered and loved always. Services for Catalina Saldana are as follows: Sunday 3/20/2016; viewing at 4pm followed by a rosary at 5pm at St. Helena Catholic Church. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Helena Catholic Church on Monday, March 21, 2016 at 11:00am. Immediately after, her burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery, 2121 Spring St, St. Helena. A reception celebrating her life will proceed at the St. Helena Catholic School Hall at 1255 Oak Ave, St. Helena. Catalinas family would like to thank everyone for their love and support. Funeral services will be provided by Claffey and Rota Funeral Home. Memories and notes of sympathy may be shared at claffeyandrota.com. Let me first give gratitude to all the journalists at the Register for their persistence and fortitude. However, I do believe many articles are biased, meaning pro-growth. A recent write up about the Walt Ranch to me was not fair investigative journalism ("EIR for Walt Ranch addresses water runoff, tree loss," March 16). For instance, it failed to address the dire fact that the Halls want to deforest tens of thousands of trees (mostly oaks) although they profess they are preserving more than 212,800. (Each tree uprooted during climate change is one tree too many.) The most pressing issue is not what is preserved, but what is destroyed. Call me angry or indignant, but as a fourth-generation female rancher and neighbor to the Hall property, I and my extended family that has worked the land and know its fragile rich beauty and biodiversity, feel we have been somehow forgotten in the complexity of all of it. I, as a mother, wife, and daughter, remember many summers of little or no water. (The east side of the valley is not as lush as the west, which is inundated by vineyards and those vineyards are steadily marching to the much drier east.) At one time, I had three children in cloth diapers and had to purchase bottles from Safeway for our well dried up in summer. My life (I say in all humility) has been rugged at best. But given that I was raised by strong ranch women, I endured and still endure because I had to do so as to protect the thousand-plus familial lovely wild acreage I lived and live upon. Incidentally, we received a letter dated Oct. 27, 2014 from Craig Hall that stated: "The agricultural preserve rights for our property includes the right to build 35 wineries, 35 recreational vehicle parks, 35 campgrounds, 35 hunting lodges, and other developments." There is this rather exclusive mentality that I can do anything I want on my property. But what about we? Our actions affect all that surround us. As a generational rancher, I have been instructed to be aware of my neighbors concerns for they affect all of us. Unfortunately, it seems we live in a me mentality, e.g.. selfies, see-me-Facebook, etc. Greed trumps moral leadership; control equals power. Perhaps I am a Cassandra with my fair warnings, for there is indeed a war in this valley; a land war, a water war. I come from a mother-tigress personage that implies at its very core nature's protection. You see, I would fight fiercely if anyone tries hurt the beauty and dignity of any one of my children. This goes for protecting this lovely great fragile valley that has enriched me and still enriches me daily. I invoke all of you to re-read the story of Platos cave. How many are enchained by their common complacency? This has, and never was, my own way of gracious simple living. Granted I do have my own peccadilos; I am not without sin so pardon me if you will; however, why I beg you, do those who buy up remaining Napa land want to, in essence, control it instead of let nature just be? Why dont those who buy up property walk and work the land, rejoice and study closely its nascent fauna and flora-- rejoice in the coyotes' wail at evening, rejoice in the dawns mating owls calling? Again, forgive me. I am humbled to say that one of my lovely sons (who grew up on the land) is a Cal Tech physicist who earned his doctorate, but returns to his home to chart the ranchs fauna and wild grasses on his morn to dusk hikes. This kind of diligence and wisdom is sorely lacking. We live in an era when children are nature deprived; that is, they would rather stay inside with their TVs, their iPhones, their computer games. This is a very sobering reality. Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, recently decried that we need poets to save the world. As the former poet laureate of Napa Valley, I harken you to hear me. As a former professor of English literature and creative writing in the city, I hearken you. Listen to natureit is quietly whispering in its eternal rich beauty, in its silent, necessary and ample prayer. In addition to writing and reading and ranching, I am on the board of the MFA in creative writing at St. Marys College in Moraga. I am also on their board of environmental literacy. Perhaps this gives me a modicum of credibility. Oh, how I want this valley to remain in Gods pristine innocence and abundance, its pure wild light, but I am afraid. Afraid as are my neighbors on Monticello Road, in Circle Oaks, in Capell Valley, Wooden Valley, the eastern hills, and beyond. Call me Cassandra, Pandora, Medea, Eurydice. If I am a warning, a siren of the hills, yes, then so be. Leonore Wilson Napa Featuring the Rob Garcia 4: Rob Garcia (drums & compositions),(tenor saxophone),(piano),(bass), with special guests(tenor saxophone),(vocals) & Brendan Burke (spoken word)CD Release Concerts/Celebrations:Wed, 4/6- Taller de Musicos, Gijon, SpainThurs, 4/7- Bilbaina, Bilboa, SpainSat, 4/9- Sunset, Girona, SpainSun, 4/10- Jamboree, Barcelona, SpainFri, 4/15- Miranda Jazz, Miranda De Ebro, SpainSun, 4/17- Vortex, LondonMon, 4/18- Ronnie Scott's, LondonWed, 4/27- Smalls Jazz Club, NYCThurs, 5/12- Threes Brewing, BrooklynSat, 6/11- The Rex, TorontoA major force on the Brooklyn jazz scene..." Ron Netsky, The Rochester City PaperThe Rob Garcia 4 is a working group that has been, among the vanguard of modern jazz" since 2009. Garcia has led them through performances at major venues and festivals around the world, such as Smalls Jazz Club, The Kitano, The Cornelia Street Cafe, Firehouse 12, Brooklyn Jazz Wide Open, The Rex (Toronto), Jamboree (Barcelona), The Toronto Jazz Festival, The Kingston Jazz Festival (Canada) and the Ottawa International Jazz Festival. The group has released three critically acclaimed albums on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records, Perennial (2009), The Drop and the Ocean (2011), and The Passion Of Color (2014), and is now poised to release their compelling fourth album, Finding Love In An Oligarchy On A Dying Planet, available on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records on April 29, 2016, featuring(tenor saxophone),(piano) and(bass), and special guests, jazz legend, vocalist, and actor, musician and activist Brendan Burke.The title of the album is not necessarily meant to be a protest nor a solution, but essentially an expression and blunt statement of what I (and many others) encounter and perceive on a daily basis. 'Finding Love' refers to the personal endeavors which I am extremely fortunate to regularly engage in, such as playing, practicing and writing music, having a family, raising children, spending time with friends, etc. I also read the news and it affects me.... human suffering throughout the world caused by greed for money and power, racism, the disregard for human life, war, shootings, terrorism and people's reactions to it, how the planet is becoming less fit for human life (as well as many other species). I donate money to good causes, occasionally go to a rally, sign and promote petitions, but I feel pretty powerless against all the injustices going on. At the very least, this title suggests an acknowledgement, in no uncertain terms, of the society and world we currently live in", said Garcia.Finding Love In An Oligarchy On A Dying Planet is also an album born from musicians with exceptional convictions. Rob Garcia's drumming and composing are once again fully realized and assured, both in the execution of his distinctive concept, and in his lovely, singular sound, clearly evident on the two solo drum pieces, Act Local #1" and Act Local #2", and present throughout the entire album. Noah Preminger is not so quietly becoming a major contributor to the art and legacy of the tenor saxophone. Two highlights for him are the tracks, Terror, Fear and Media", and Greenland is Turning Green" (playing on this tune alongside special guest Joe Lovano). Pianist Gary Versace is a first-call musician in many circles, and his playing on Finding Love... is nothing short of superlative, with every track a highlight. Bassist Masa Kamaguchi is the bedrock, delivering uber-creative support and interaction, allowing the others to soar. The traditional American folk song Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier" features his unique approach to the double bass.The album opens with Stephen Foster's American classic, Beautiful Dreamer" as an ode to the importance of dreaming of a better world". People Are Everything" features vocalist Kate McGarry beautifully delivering Garcia's lyrics and melody. The song addresses inequality, hypocrisy and the suggestion of our oneness. Terror, Fear and Media" is a high-energy barnburner featuring stop time solos by Preminger and Garcia as well as a tremendous piano solo by Versace. Tenor sax legend Joe Lovano enters the album with his heart-felt interpretation of Garcia's ballad Precious Lives". Mac N Cheese" offers a departure from the rest of the album by featuring actor, musician and activist Brendan Burke and his original spoken words. The Journey Is The Destination" features both special guests Lovano and McGarry. Garcia wrote this song 10 years prior, but a recording of it was never previously released. Greenland Is Turning Green" features both tenor saxophonists Lovano and Preminger with a contrapuntal melody and compelling solos. The traditional American folk song Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier" features bassist Masa Kamaguchi. The album takes the listener on a musical journey commenting on the time and world we live in.Rob Garcia's musical relationships are important to him, and the longevity and camaraderie that he shares with these musicians contribute mightily to the refinement one can hear on Finding Love In An Oligarchy On A Dying Planet. Garcia first met Joe Lovano while attending NYU. In 2007, Garcia formed Connection Works, and Lovano agreed to be part of the advisory board. Lovano recently performed with WORKS (the resident ensemble of Connection Works) at the Lake George Jazz Festival. This musical relationship has been growing over the past several years and naturally led to recording together. Noah Preminger and Garcia have been playing together in the Rob Garcia 4 as well as other projects since 2009 when they first played together in John McNeil's group. Garcia and Masa Kamaguchi have played on and off since the late 1990s. Preminger, Kamaguchi and Garcia also perform as a collective trio. They have toured Europe a number of times, and released an album on entitled Background Music. Garcia has always been a big fan of Gary Versace's playing since working together in various projects over the years, and was very happy to reconnect for this recording. Garcia met Kate McGarry a few years ago when she performed with John Hollenbeck's Large Ensemble at a concert produced by Connection Works. He loves her singing and ability to authentically communicate lyrics. Garcia has been good friends with actor, musician and activist Brendan Burke since high school in Pelham, NY. I'm so thrilled to have Brendan, one of my oldest and best friends, take part in this project. He nailed it!", said Garcia.Tracks:1-Beautiful Dreamer2-People Are Everything3-Terror, Fear and Media4-Precious Life5-Mac n Cheese (Bank Fees, Dead Bees, Killing Trees, Shooting Sprees, War Thieves, Mac n Cheese)6-Act Local #17-Finding Love In An Oligarchy On A Dying Planet8-The Journey Is The Destination9-Guns Make Killing Easy10-Greenland Is Turning Green11-Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier12-Whatever Gets You By13-Act Local #2 Lithuanian President Nauseda is named most popular politician in country Charles III will embark on longest tour of world in history of royal family Deputy Director of Institute of Oriental Studies of RAS: Baku's goal is that Karabakh has no Armenian population Hurricane Roslyn in Pacific Ocean intensifies to third category Italy's new prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, begins forming government U.S. Treasury Department records budget deficit of over $429 billion in September Why does Baku need aggravation on border with Armenia? Skakov assesses likelihood of new aggression Iranian Foreign Minister: I had important meeting with Pashinyan in Armenia Johnson spotted in economy class on flight from Dominican Republic to Britain Armenian PM and European Parliament Resident Rapporteur for Armenia discuss Karabakh situation Authorities in Kherson urge residents to immediately leave city Russian expert: Baku's attempts to open corridor by force will cause negative response not only from IRI or Russian Telegraph: Britain to send about 60 old tanks to NATO base in Germany for exercises Artak Beglaryan: You will see me in new position Netanyahu: Iran nuclear deal could bring Russia 'hundreds of billions' Russia and Turkey begin to develop gas hub project PM Pashinyan discusses agenda of bilateral relations with Iranian FM Anna Hakobyan meets Armenians in Paris Sargsyan: Recognition of Artsakh people's right for self-determination must be reflected in legal documents Italy's first female prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, sworn in Private jet goes missing off coast of Costa Rica Times of India: India tests nuclear-capable Agni Prime missile Spiegel: German Foreign Minister and Defense Minister ask to allocate 2.2 billion for military aid to Kiev Deputy PM of Armenia and Head of Sharjah Heritage Institute discuss strengthening of Armenian-Emirati relations Biden allows participation in U.S. presidential election in 2024 Secretary of Security Council of Armenia and representatives of AIISA discuss security issues Kakhovka reservoir increases water discharges in case of possible destruction of HPP Pashinian's spouse: Yesterday at Elysee Palace I was received by dear Brigitte Macron At least 15 people killed in bus-truck collision in India Explosion at Uzbek Defense Ministry depot injures 16 people Armenian NA Speaker receives Iranian FM: Tehran opposes obstacles on border with friendly Armenia President Harutyunyan receives group of members of Union of Artsakh Reserve Officers NGO Newspaper: Armenia restores diplomatic ties with Hungary? China hit by 5.5 magnitude earthquake Armenian Defense Ministry denies Azerbaijani report on shelling, calling it disinformation Blinken: Moscow is not interested in stopping aggression against Ukraine Japan and U.S. will hold joint military exercises France withdraws from Energy Charter Treaty CNN: White House is in talks with Elon Musk to create satellite Internet service Starlink in Iran Baku outraged by Iran's statements and frightened by IRGC military exercises Who are main beneficiaries of 'Zangezur' corridor?: Another anonymous article by 'Haykakan Zhamanak' newspaper Ankara decides to stand up for Riyadh amid deteriorating relations between Saudi Arabia and U.S. French Foreign Minister considers it vital to keep lines of communication with Russia open Pentagon refuses to give details of conversation between Austin and Shoigu Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin: Head of Caucasus Muslims Department again made slanderous and false statements Erdogan denies using chemical weapons against Kurds and threatens those who dare to talk about it Saudi Arabia and China will strengthen their ties in energy sector Governor of Gegharkunik province receives representatives of OSCE fact-finding mission Penny Mordaunt runs for Prime Minister of Great Britain Sweden expects ratification of NATO membership application by Hungary and Turkey to be completed soon European Union will allocate 1.5 billion euros per month to Kiev in 2023 An Israeli-built flight school opened in Greece Russian Railways is negotiating with Azerbaijan and Iran to launch the Rasht-Astara route Overchuk: Construction of road through Meghri, whose sovereignty is not in question, depends on Armenia's position Armenian Defense Minister's working visit to India is over Hungary will not agree to limit prices for imported gas Iranian Foreign Minister: Iran considers Armenia one of most important transit countries Naribekyan participates in meeting of secretaries general of PACE parliaments Delegation from United Arab Emirates visits Armenia at invitation of head of MONKS: Two agreements signed Dollar, euro drop in Armenia Iran consul general in Armenias Kapan: We do not accept any change of borders Baza: Mobile military registration and enlistment offices will be removed on Russian-Georgian border Iranian Consul: Countries of region do not need presence of foreign armed forces Armenia FM: Iran consulate general in Kapan will be important for regional security Iranian Consul General advises Kapan residents not to worry anymore: Iran is here for Armenian people FM reaffirms Armenia plan to open consulate general in Irans Tabriz Turkey to open consulate in occupied Armenian Shushi city of Artsakh Turkish Ministry of Finance: Ankara can buy Russian oil without Western funding Armenia Security Council chief briefs European Parliament rapporteur on recent Azerbaijan military aggression British bookmakers name favorite for post of prime minister Erdogan: Armenia-Azerbaijan relations progress will contribute to Armenia-Turkey relations normalization Iranian Consulate General opens in Kapan Erdogan: Turkey is looking for alternative to American F-16 fighters Iran consul general: We are here for Armenian people Turkey FM slams OSCE decision to send needs assessment mission to Armenia Peskov reacts to Erdogan's words about Putin's softening on Ukraine negotiations European Parliament rapporteur on Armenia visits Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan European Parliament rapporteur on Armenia to legislature speaker: Attack was from Azerbaijan, naturally Armenia President to EEU PMs: We will manage to take another confident step by respecting mutual interests EUSR Toivo Klaars exclusive interview with NEWS.am on EU Monitoring mission,Nagorno Karabakh future and violence videos Explosions rock Ukraines Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia President meets with newly formed Artsakh Public Council members Armenia PM: We need understanding in price horizon, at least in medium term Lawyer: 20 of fallen solders parents detained from Yerevan military pantheon are recognized as injured party PM: Armenia trade with other EEU countries increased by 74% France region to provide 300,000 to Armenias Syunik Province affected by Azerbaijan military aggression Eurasian Intergovernmental Council extended meeting underway in Yerevan MOD: Armenia did not fire at Azerbaijan positions, vehicle MPs in Strasbourg, present threatening dangers: Armenia has powerful support in European Parliament Years first snow falls in Armenias Shirak Province World oil prices on the rise Newspaper: Russia dismisses Armenia PM's news on Karabakh Russia PM in Yerevan, to discuss with EEU colleagues single oil, natural gas markets formation Newspaper: Why is Iran in hurry to open consulate in Armenias Syunik Province? France, Spain, Portugal agree to build Barcelona-Marseille natural gas pipeline Admiral: U.S. should now prepare for Chinese 'invasion' of Taiwan Harutyunyan: I cannot imagine Artsakh's future without presence of Russia Harutyunyan: Without questioning path of our independence, we must meet with Baku Prime Minister of Finland does not think that Hungary and Turkey will block country's application for NATO membership Iranian FM: U.S. made hasty statements in connection with protests Library Service Center: By the Numbers The 55,000-square-foot facility has room to expand, accommodating an additional archive module. The archive module will house around 95 percent of Georgia Techs and much of Emorys library collections. Once ingest is completed this summer, it will hold more than 2 million volumes, with the capacity to house about 4 million volumes. Books are stored on 32-foot-tall shelves, which are accessed by specialized Raymond forklifts. To steady forklifts and shelving, the LSC is built on a super-flat slab, meaning that the grade varies less than the thickness of a nickel over 10 feet. For optimal, long-term preservation, the archive module is kept at a steady 50 degrees Fahrenheit and 30 percent relative humidity. For fire suppression, the building is equipped with sprinkler heads that can deliver 25 gallons of water per minute; a 157,000-gallon water tank helps feed the system. Book requests will be delivered to campus locations twice daily, with mediated service available for rush/on-demand delivery. Electronic delivery of scanned materials is also available. The state-of-the-art Library Service Center (LSC), created by Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology to house a shared collection amassing millions of books and other materials, formally opened Thursday after a joint dedication ceremony. Stretching across 4.6 acres near the back of Emorys Briarcliff Property, the climate-controlled 55,000-square-foot facility was developed to create a seamless, unified collection of materials that will be available to faculty, staff and students at both campuses. The LSC will house around 95 percent of Georgia Techs collections and much of Emory's collections, with projections of reaching more than 2 million volumes by this summer. Items will be available for delivery to the main campuses at both universities. Developed in collaboration between Emory and Georgia Tech, the joint project marks the latest chapter in a longstanding public-private partnership between the Atlanta-based institutions and offers advantages for both universities. Not only will the LSC provide optimal conditions for the secure, long-term preservation and storage of books and related materials including film and microform collections it brings key content from two major research university libraries under one roof, expanding access to a broad range of resources and freeing up campus spaces. Partnership serves both universities Speaking at the March 17 dedication ceremony, Emory President James W. Wagner praised the institutional partnership that gave rise to the project, noting that the new facility will benefit both Emory and Georgia Tech in ways and with economies that neither partner could have achieved alone. He noted that it was on Emorys Briarcliff Property that the universities joined forces more than 15 years ago to create EmTech, originally a biotechnology business incubation initiative to provide infrastructure for biotech start-ups. Our collaborations are broad, deep and multiple, growing largely out of the ways in which our institutions complement each other, Wagner said. EmTech now is the working name under which the Library Service Center is now incorporated. Georgia Tech President G.P. Bud Peterson described the new facility as the next chapter in the evolution of what libraries and information centers will be at each of our institutions, and it will help define the library of the 21st century. Investments like this insure that the library will continue to be a crucial part of each of our institutions and more importantly a crucial part of the educational experience, he said. Expressing appreciation for both the institutional collaboration and a personal friendship with Wagner, who leaves Emory later this year, Peterson noted that this partnership will miss you, but it will continue. And this facility will help ensure that it continues. New direction for academic libraries Shared library service centers mark a new direction for higher education, and a partnership model now growing in popularity. During Thursdays dedication, Catherine Murray-Rust, vice provost for learning excellence and dean of libraries at Georgia Tech, observed that there are now more than 40 such shared facilities across the country, adding that this is surely the most technologically advanced and the most beautiful of them all. This building is a symbol of a remarkable collaboration between two complementary institutions of higher education and it represents a new level of research library cooperation in the United States, she said. Emory and Georgia Tech librarians and staff continue to work together to create one collection for the benefit of both, she added. There are many other libraries that have tried and failed to do what we have done and we hope that through our efforts we can encourage our library colleagues around the United States to improve access to collections and services through deeper collaboration. The LSC dedication culminates four years of project development, drawing upon the expertise and staffs of both universities. Each institution contributed equally to the facility's construction and will continue equal support for operations funding. With libraries that feature complementary strengths, only about 17 percent of the Georgia Tech and Emory collections overlap, which means that "together we have an exceptional collection that benefits both campuses," explains Yolanda Cooper, university librarian at Emory. "Our goal is to leverage the services we can provide across both institutions, enhancing our ability to meet the changing needs of users and to develop new resources and tools for use in research, teaching and learning." Benefits for Emory Library users include: Posted by Mark Williams | May 20, 2015 Ever wonder what new pickup truck gets sold the fastest after just one year of ownership? According to a new survey by iSeeCars.com, an average of 2.7 percent of model-year 2014 new cars were sold after just one year of ownership, but there were seven vehicles with much higher percentages and one of those was a pickup truck. The auto research website analyzed 5 million model-year 2014 vehicles sold between September 2013 and March 2014, then checked back one year later to see what percentage of those vehicles were sold as used. The results put the Nissan Frontier in the No. 7 slot with 6.9 percent of all 2014 Frontiers sold as used after just one year. That's about 2.6 times higher than the average rate. Although the survey is not in-depth enough to reveal the reasons for selling the vehicles after just one year of ownership, the report can be seen as good news, bad news. For consumers it means good news: Those looking for a decent midsize pickup should be able to find bargains on the Frontier because of competition between sellers. However, this could be seen as bad news for Nissan because it seems that fewer buyers are happy with its small truck offering. Some sources say we are at least two years away from seeing a next-generation U.S. Frontier because Nissan is focusing on the upcoming Titan redesign. Cars.com photo by Evan Sears After 450 border pillars were found missing along Indias open border with Nepal near Bihars east and west Champaran districts, the Sashastra Seema Bal (an armed border force) is moving to plug the gap. New pillars would be erected soon. The SSB, under the supervision and monitoring of officials of the Survey of India and Nepal Armed forces, are busy constructing the new pillars along the officially demarcated line. During our ongoing survey that began last year, 450 border pillars were found missing with few of them badly damaged in the 'no-man's land' along the border of two neighbouring countries, Manjul Mamgai, an official of the Survey of India told IANS. There is a 18.2 metre "no-mans land" between the two countries. But at several places, land grabbers have encroached on it. "After the survey, the SSB will clear the encroachers from the area along the border Mamgai said. Mamgai, who is heading a team of surveyors from Dehradun, and is in Champaran at present said over telephone that new pillars would be erected soon. In all, 1870 border pillars were erected stretching to 180 km from Gandak baraj in West Champaran to Ghorasans Jamunia in East Champaran nearly 85 years ago. It is serious work with responsibility because missing border pillars have already caused anxiety for concerned officials on both side of the border. The Survey of India is identifying the exact location of the pillars. Mamgai alo blamed natures fury, apart from land grabbers and encroachers on both sides for the plight. Some border pillars were washed away by heavy floods and others became victim of the changing route of rivers," Mamgai said. He said officials of both countries are meeting at Birganj in Nepal on March 21 to look at the issues arising out of the missing pillars and the need to replace them. Last year it was agreed to install global positioning system (GPS) in the pillars. According to the agreement, the two countries would set up 83 control points in their vicinity across the 1,880-km border and install the GPS system in all the 8,553 boundary pillars along the border. This will ensure timely replacement of pillars if they are damaged by a natural disaster or human intervention. According to a confidential report sent by the field formations of security agencies to the Ministry of Home Affairs, a total of 1,451 border pillars were "missing" while 1,282 had been "damaged" along the Indo-Nepal border. According to official reports of the Survey of India, 1931 pillars were erected after an agreement between the two neighbours. An SSB official said the pillars are the only symbolic security structures along the fence-less border of India and Nepal which is notorious for smuggling. Bihar shares a large part of its border with Nepal, including 10 trade transit points. (Imran Khan can be contacted at imran.k@ians.in) --Indo-Asian News Service ik/hs/bg ( 496 Words) 2016-03-19-16:59:32 (IANS) New Delhi, Mar 19 (ANI-NewsVoir): BUSY Infotech Private Limited, developer of BUSY; India`s leading business accounting software for SMEs with over 6, 00,000 users in over 20 countries, announced the launch of its new avatar BUSY 16. The all new BUSY 16 encompasses plethora of new features that includes customer management features like enquiries management, customer support management and other power features like scheme management (FMCG / Retail), indent management and party dashboard designed to enhance the business management capabilities of SMEs, thus helping them grow their business to the next level. In BUSY 16, user can now manage both enquiry management (pre-sales) and support management (post-sales) processes efficiently. Enquiry management helps users to keep track of calls received for product enquiry and record further actions taken on them including details of executives who have handled the call. Support management helps keep record of support provided to the existing customers via any medium, i.e. phone call, SMS, Email, online support and so on. Major highlight of the support feature is that a User can effortlessly track complete warranty and AMC details of product sold to the customers. With BUSY 16, user can easily create and implement any type of scheme in BUSY such as buy two get one free, extra discount for purchase more than a specified quantity and so on. Schemes can be applied for a given date range like festivals or for a given time period like happy hours. Purchase Indent feature helps manufacturing units plan their material requisition properly. For other companies, this feature helps in tracking the consumables required in various departments and their delivery afterwards. BUSY 16 comes with a powerful party dashboard, which displays various details of a party on a single screen. Details such as party balance, address details, last transactions, pending bills, pending orders, pending warranties/AMC and a lot of other information can be configured easily to suit user's requirement. This party dashboard can be invoked at the time of data entry and helps user in taking smart business decisions. It comes in three editions with each edition addressing needs of a specific target group within MSMEs. Basic edition for traders and distributors requiring basic features, standard edition for traders, retailers and manufacturers requiring basic feature plus manufacturing and trading excise and enterprise edition packed with complete business management solutions, essential for smooth functioning of small and medium enterprises. Speaking on the occasion Dinesh Kumar Gupta, Managing Director, Busy Infotech Pvt. Ltd says, "In today's fast-paced and highly competitive business scenario, companies critically need to integrate people, information and processes in order to run their businesses effectively and efficiently." "They also need to collate, analyse and interpret various streams of organizational data in order to gain meaningful insights into their operations across diverse functions. BUSY 16 - The complete business management software for SMEs, enable you to overcome such business challenges," Gupta added. "BUSY 16 is a sought-after business solution across geographies, industry verticals and customer segments like FMCG, retail, manufacturing, distribution and service. With small and medium enterprises as its customer base, BUSY takes pride in offering comprehensive and leading-edge business solutions to augment your business growth." he further added. (ANI-NewsVoir) Netflix has picked up Paramount Pictures domestic rights to The Little Prince, the new animated film which is based on the 1943 book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, reports hollywoodreporter.com. The studio had originally slated the movie to open in US theatres, but then pulled it off on Friday itself. It is now expected to premiere on the streaming service later this year. The film, directed by Mark Osborne, an Oscar nominee for Kung Fu Panda has grossed $100 million internationally (excluding Britain, Australia, Scandinavia and Spain), where it was handled by various distributors. It was awarded Frances Cesar Award for Best Animated film last month. The Little Prince combines 3D computer animation and stop-motion, and has a voice cast that includes actors Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, Marion Cotillard, James Franco and Benicio del Toro. --Indo-Asian News Service ks/rb ( 181 Words) 2016-03-19-04:39:31 (IANS) The Prime Minister will give away Krishi Karman Awards to states and progressive farmers who have made outstanding contribution in the field of agriculture and he will also visit the theme pavilion and address farmers. According to reports, the national fair will have separate workshops on key schemes like Pradhan Mantri Fasal Beema Yojana, e-agriculture marketing, integrated farming system, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojana, soil health and livestock issues. There will be live demonstration of agriculture and horticultural crops, animal husbandry, innovative technologies and farm mechanization in big plots. Both public and private companies will display their farm inputs and technologies in over 500 stalls. (ANI) The meeting, which is being held in the midst of Assembly Elections in five states, will place a special focus on how to publicise the different pro-poor and pro-farmer schemes of the Modi Government among the masses. The current political situation, especially the raging debate on nationalism triggered by the JNU Afzal Guru event, will also occupy a fair part of deliberations at the party executive meeting, to be held at NDMC convention centre here, according to sources. The participants will also deliberate on how the benefits of the schemes announced in the General Budget should reach the common man and the people at the grassroots level, a party official said. The Assembly elections in four states-Assam, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala and in Union Territory of Puducherry will be held from from April 4 to May 16. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Union Budget for 2016-17 has announced increased spending on sectors like agriculture and infrastructure and pro-farmer and pro-poor schemes. The party's national office bearers meeting will continue till 1500 hrs, while Mr Shah will deliver his presidential address at around 1730 hrs. The party will adopt two resolutions during the two day meetone on the political and economic situation and the other on the economic situation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be addressing the valedictory session at the National Executive meet tomorrow. UNI NY NAZ AE 0845 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-644061.Xml Microsoft Corp apologized for hiring dancers dressed as skimpily-clad schoolgirls for its Game Developer Conference (GDC) afterparty in San Francisco on Thursday night, responding to media reports citing attendees' pictures on Twitter and Instagram."It has come to my attention that at Xbox-hosted events at GDC this past week, we represented Xbox and Microsoft in a way that was absolutely not consistent or aligned to our values," Microsoft's head of Xbox Phil Spencer said in a statement. (http:it.ly/1RpW21b)"That was unequivocally wrong and will not be tolerated," Spencer said.Photos purportedly from the party surfaced on Twitter and Instagram, with many users expressing their anger at Microsoft's actions."I like dancing, I like talking to devs. But not at this #GDC16 party. Thanks for pushing me out of this party, Microsoft," Tin Man Games editor Kamina Vincent tweeted. (http:it.ly/21zQbpo)Microsoft had hosted a "Women in Gaming" luncheon at the GDC earlier that day. (http:it.ly/1RrOW66)Spencer added that the matter would be dealt with internally.Technology companies been facing intense scrutiny over diversity and compensation equity issues.Many big firms say there is a dearth of qualified women to hire, but many critics say the firms are not doing enough to attract and retain women. REUTERS PS PR0413 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0137-644258.Xml As there was no fresh contact with militants, search operation launched in the frontier district of Kupwara on March 17 night, ended last evening, a Defence Ministry spokesman said here this morning. The operation ended last evening as there was no report of presence of any more militant at Waderbala, Handwara, in the frontier district of Kupwara, Col N N Joshi told UNI. He said two unidentified foreign militants were killed in the operation which was launched by the troops of Rashitriya Rifles (RR) and Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police on March 17 night following the presence of militants there. Two AK-47 rifles, 6 AK-magazines, 4 UBGL, 46 AK-rounds, two wireless sets, 2 maps, 2 pouches and a diary were recovered from the encounter site. However, he said routine search operations in the woods and other areas will continue. Braving harsh weather conditions due to fresh snowfall and other odds, security forces remained on high alert to foil any infiltration attempt by militants from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), where a large number of militants are waiting at launch pads to sneak into this side.UNI BAS ASM AE RAI1038 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-644316.Xml Reacting sharply over political crisis in Uttarakhand, the Congress--whosegovernment is facing threat in the state, today said the BJP has resorted to horse trading and unfair means for toppling the rival party-led governments ''buying disgruntled and power hungry legislators''. Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh told media persons here that a team of the ruling BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party president Amit Shah, is haunting potential places with 'a shopping list' of such MLAs who are devoid of ideology and commitment to Congress". Over some names like former Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bhuguna and Minister Harak SinghRawat, the senior Congress leader said, "Yes they are of that class and they are at the "radar of the shopping team of the BJP". He declined question about fate of the Harish Rawat-led Congress Government in that state sayingparty state unit incharge Ambika Soni can only reply to this query. Another party spokesman and AICC Media Department incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala said, this is a conspiracy of toppling democratically elected Governments in states, being hatched by theModi-Shah duo and that is a blot on the democratic face of this country.''UNI SS AE 1350 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0089-644606.Xml The court had earlier reserved its order on Geelani. A magisterial court had on February 19 dismissed the bail plea of Geelani, who was arrested on February 16. A case was lodged against Geelani and other unnamed persons with regard to an event held at the Press Club of India on February 10 during which a group had allegedly raised slogans in support of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. The police had claimed to have registered the FIR taking suo motu cognisance of media clips of the incident. Following registration of the FIR, the police questioned DU professor Ali Javed, a Press Club member who had booked the hall for the event, for two days. (ANI) Saying the BJP is proving to be the most corrupt party, Kejriwal tweeted: "Brazen horse trading-first Arunachal now Uttarakhand. BJP proving to be most corrupt, deshdrohi and power hungry party." The Congress-led Uttarakhand government plunged into political uncertainty late Friday as nine of its legislators joined ranks with the principal opposition BJP. The Harish Rawat-led government ended up with a red face as it got merely 32 votes in favour against the 36 required for the Finance Bill to be passed. --Indo-Asian News Service gt/sd/rd ( 118 Words) 2016-03-19-14:19:31 (IANS) The Left Front government in Tripura has announced to achieve open defecation free status for all the 1,118 villages of the sate under Swachh Bharat Mission in the coming financial year. Talking to the media Finance Minister Tapan Chakraborty said the state budget has made adequate allocation to ensure the open defecation free villages within a year, which was targeted in 2015-16. He said last year the state government had decided to declare 491 villages in both tribal and non-tribal localities as open defecation free by providing 92,047 individual household latrines. "So far 40,642 household latrines have already been built and remaining 78,574 household latrines are in progress. The state has also undertaken task to replace defunct toilets for a total of 83,916 in current financial year," Chakraborty stated. He pointed out that in the current financial year it is proposed to declare 627 villages as open defecation free by providing 2,41,004 individual household latrines to ensure that all 1,118 villages can be declared as open defecation free villages in the state. The state government has also targeted to build 58 sanitary complexes in the crowded places while adequate public toilets have been decided to construct in all the town and cities of the state, in all the schools and Anganwadi centres, he added.UNI BB PL AY AE AN1427 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-644573.Xml In order to check anti-social elements, the Additional District Magistrate, Sivasagar of Assam has informed that night curfew from dusk-to-dawn had been reinforced in the 5 km belt of Assam side bordering Nagaland. Assam goes to assembly polls next month. According to official sources today the order said Section 144 CrPC had been promulgated in the area from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM in the areas of Assam side thereby prohibiting movement of any person, group of persons or vehicular traffic in the 5 km belt in Assam side of Sivasagar district bordering Nagaland. However, Magistrate, Security Personnel and Officers deployed on duty are exempted from the preview of this prohibitory order. The order will come into force with immediate effect and shall remain in force for a period of 60 days, the report said. UNI AS PL SW AN1436 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-644633.Xml Nagaland Governor P B Acharya has called upon the students to cultivate entrepreneurial skills in order to become job givers instead of seekers. Addressing the opening session of two-day Techno Cultural Festival -- Ekarikthin, 2016 -- at National Institute of Technology (NIT) Nagaland at Dimapur yesterday, Mr Acharya expressed happiness at being part of the event and said it was a great opportunity to meet the young people, who would make Nagaland wealthy and prosperous in future days.Lauding spirit of Nagaland youths, the governor said if given an opportunity they could do extremely good anywhere. "We have to make Nagaland a golden Nagaland," he said, adding that in order to achieve that it was important to acquire skill-based education. Stressing on education beyond academic knowledge, the governor appreciated the organisers for holding the event to share and showcase the talents. He added that knowledge was not only to empower oneself, but to empower the society. Meanwhile, making a remark on the Naga peace talks, Mr Acharya said it was not for the "undergrounds" and Central Interlocutor R N Ravi to work for peace alone, but all sections of the society to be supportive. He said that unless people shared the same thought and struck the iron when it was hot, Nagaland would not achieve peace. UNI AS PL SW NS1422 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-644640.Xml Police said that acting on a tip-off that Langa Yadav had come to his house at Rampur village, a raid was conducted there by a joint team of Special Task Force (STF) and local police, leading to his arrest in wee hours. Langa was wanted in connection with several cases of loot, murder, extortion and dacoity, police said, adding that Bihar government had announced a reward of Rs 50,000 on giving any clue, leading to his arrest. The arrested criminal was being interrogated.UNI XC KKS PL SW AN1446 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-644646.Xml Joshi was on Friday sent to judicial custody for 14 days. Meanwhile, the ruling Congress in Uttarakhand and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) exchanged verbal volleys over Joshi's arrest. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Friday asserted that there was no 'political conspiracy' behind Joshi's arrest. Shaktiman's left hind leg was amputated by veterinary doctors yesterday after it suffered multiple fractures during a BJP protest earlier this week. The horse was allegedly beaten with sticks by Joshi and his associates. An initial assessment by doctors raised hopes that Shaktiman would not lose its leg. However, the worst was confirmed Thursday as it had to be amputated to stop gangrene from spreading to other parts of its body. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called upon all stakeholders, including farmers, States and the Union Government to resolve to double the peasants' income by 2022.Sharing his vision for Indian agriculture with farmers at the Krishi Unnati Mela (agriculture development fair) here, the Prime Minister said this task may be challenging, but there can be no doubt that this is an objective worth aiming for.The Prime Minister described the fair as a platform, that could rewrite India's destiny. He said the country's future had to be built on the growth of agriculture, and the prosperity of its farmers and villages. In this context, he mentioned the recent Union Budget, and said it would have a far-reaching impact on these sectors.Mr Modi emphasised that the next revolution in Indian agriculture had to be built on technology and modernisation; and the eastern part of India had maximum potential to achieve it. The Government is working towards this goal, he added.Mr Modi explained how the reduction of input costs was the first element towards raising farm incomes. He said the Soil Health Card scheme and the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (Prime Minister agriculture irrigation scheme) are important steps towards reducing input costs.The Prime Minister called for raising farm incomes through diversification in farming activities. He said that along with crop growing, the ryots could opt for timber plantation along the edges of their fields; and also begin animal husbandry. Diversification in farming activity will reduce the risk associated with agriculture, Mr Modi added.The Prime Minister explained the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (Prime Minister crop insurance scheme), and said it had been evolved after wide ranging consultations. He said the scheme is characterised by minimum premium, and maximum security.Earlier, Mr Modi visited the exhibition pavilions, and was given an overview of best practices and techniques followed by various institutions and agriculture entrepreneurs; latest agriculture equipment, and milch cattle.The Prime Minister gave away the Krishi Karman Awards for 2014-15 to States and farmers. He also launched a mobile application for farmers Kisan Suvidha, which will provide information to peasants on subjects such as weather, market prices, seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and agriculture machinery.UNI PRA RJ SW 1648 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0384-645004.Xml : Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Dev Vrat today inaugurated a two-day National Symposium on Organic Farming organised by National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) here. Speaking on the occasion, the Governor explained his own experiences on organic and chemical free farming on his own farm in Haryana. He also explained how he has evolved breed of cows which were giving 10 to 45 ltrs per day. Mr Vrat emphasized the need for looking at the cow more as an economic source for health and wealth of our people. This is because due to genetic factors, Indian cow milk is found to be endowed with unique properties that promote health. Cows yield more economic benefits in addition to their milk. Use of cow dung and urine in measured proportions have capacity to enrich the soil without destroying earth worms and other biological strengths in the soil, he reasoned.. The governor has emphasised on the benefits of chemical free food. The direct benefit of consuming such food is evident in reduced medical bills. He has also pointed the farmers' problems generally due to dependency on market for their seeds, pesticides and fertilizers. The Governor suggested that farmers go for Zero Budget Farming without buying any inputs by adopting organic farming techniques. He has given an example of his residence in Haryana, which is supported by 200 acres of farm. The farm has its own floor mill and all food requirements are met from this farm. The Governor has commended Ekalavya Foundation to farmers at various places to learn from their best practices under the guidance of agriculture scientists and government officials.UNI VV KVV ADB 1555 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-644814.Xml : The main opposition YSR Congress Party will boycott the Andhra Pradesh Assembly session when it takes up debate on the suspended YSRCP MLA R.K.Roja in the House on Monday next, party chief and the leader of the opposition, Y.S.Jaganmohan Reddy said today. Going hammer and tongues against TDP for pursuing its "vindictive and undemocratic policies", Mr Jaganmohan said they were denied permission even to express protest on the Roja issue and "we will boycott the session when it takes up the same for discussion, as the State had already made its stand on judiciary very clear and there is no truth in the Speaker telling that the suspension was an unanimous as our members had protested against the decision." Talking to newspersons here, Mr Jaganmohan said the "Chief Minister has been misusing the office of the Speaker on the suspension of Ms Roja, issue as well as shielding the eight defected legislators from being disqualified. The YSRCP legislators staged a dharna after walking out of the Assembly in protest against "gagging their voice and not allowing them to vent their protests. Mr Jaganmohan said the Speaker telling that the suspension was an unanimous decision has no truth in it, as the entire YSRCP Party MLAs had raised their voice and protested against the decision.When the contempt issue was coming up for discussion on Monday, the House opted to discuss the issue and the party members will boycott the session and attend the court as the Government had made it clear that legislature is supreme and need not heed to any advise of the judiciary, he reasoned. Mr Jaganmohan charged that the ruling party has scant respect for the judiciary and, hence, the House bringing up the issue for a discussion on Monday, which is grossly unfair. The YSRCP members will attend the court on March 21, instead of assembly, as the TDP has started denigrating dignity of the court. The YSRCP chief alleged that women were not paid due respects. For instance, when a woman MLA belonging to the party went to the House with a letter from the court, the officials had misbehaved with her and bluntly informed her that they have orders from the Speaker not to allow her inside the House, Mr Jaganmohan criticised, adding, this was unconstitutional and a blot on democracy. Mr Jaganmohan also alleged that when the TDP lured eight MLAs, who won on YSR Congress ticket, the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, had misused the office of the Speaker and made all out efforts to shield the defectors from disqualification. He said a true leader should be endowed with character and credibility. Mr Naidu became characterless when he usurped power and party from the late TDP chief and the former chief minister N.T. Rama Rao, Mr Jaganmohan ridiculed, adding, Rama Rao's credibility is paling into insignificance when Mr Naidu is failing miserably to fulfill his mentor's poll promises. When asked about the issue being referred to Privileges Committee, Mr Jaganmohan said; "the committee is filled with TDP leaders and they have a majority and we cannot expect any justice. We have notices citing the unparliamentary language used by the Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues on various occasions but those notices were not taken up even once. Now since they are being criticised the issue is being referred to the Committee".UNI SMS KVV VS 1650 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-644893.Xml Governor McCrory addresses supporters at Jordan Lake State Park surrounded by members of the North Carolina National Guard, students and state park officials. Jordan Lake State Park will receive $3 million from Connect NC. Governor McCrory addresses supporters at North Carolina A&T University surrounded by public safety and education leaders. NC A&T will receive $90 million for an engineering facility from Connect NC. Raleigh, N.C. Governor Pat McCrory is touring the state today to thank the people of North Carolina and celebrate the passage of the $2 billion Connect NC bond proposal. The governor made stops at Jordan Lake State Park and North Carolina A&T University and will visit Central Piedmont Community College later today.Governor McCrory said.The governor extended thanks to the General Assembly, the bipartisan Connect NC Committe and the people of North Carolina for making Connect NC possible.The Connect NC bond will invest $980 million into the state's 17 universities. The vast majority of these improvements will build facilities that will improve teaching and research in the science, technology, engineering and medical fields. An additional $350 million will go to the community colleges, primarily for new construction, repairs and renovations on its 58 campuses.Another $309.5 million will be awarded to smaller cities and towns to build and repair water and sewer systems. These investments are crucial to retaining and attracting new jobs outside of the state's metro areas.Agriculture and consumers will benefit from Connect NC. Approximately $94 million will be spent to construct a new Agriculture and Consumer Sciences Lab for veterinary, food, drug and motor fuel testing. An additional $85 million will go toward a new Plant Sciences Research Complex at NC State University.The National Guard will receive $70 million to rehabilitate Regional Readiness Centers in Burke and Wilkes counties as well as construct a new readiness center on Guilford County. Another $9 million will go toward the competition of the Samarcand Corrections and Law Enforcement Training Center in Moore County.To improve North Carolina's quality of life as well as help preserve the state's environment and natural beauty, the Connect NC bond will invest $75 million into our state parks. An additional $25 million will go the North Carolina Zoo for upgrades to service support facilities, trails and exhibits. its long-term growth.Governor McCrory said.For highlights from G overnor McCrory's visit to Jordan Lake , click here or the image below.For a complete Connect NC project list, click here For a Connect NC project list by region, click here Crystal Feldman Appealing to the lawyers to commit in the effort for cheap and speedy justice, Chief Justice of India (CJI) T S Thakur today said a better coordination is required between the bar and the bench so that the peoples' problems are addressed.Inaugurating the new building of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High court here and claiming that this new building is better than any other judicial building of the world, Justice Thakur claimed that the building and the facilities here are better than the Royal court of Justice of London and Supreme court of USA in Washington and even of the Supreme Court permises in New Delhi."I appeal to the Bar that if they agree then during the summer vacation I will ask the chief justice of Allahabad High court to hear the cases in which both sides of lawyers agree to expedite it," he suggested while adding that after getting such a magnificent building, now people would expect faster and affordable justice from the judiciary. There are around 9 lakh cases pending in the Allahabad High court while out of the total vacancies of 160 judges, there are just 71 judges working. The CJI, moving from the tradition of giving speech in English, spoke in Urdu saying," I am in the city of Adaab and Adeeb and hence it would be better to address in Urdu." He further said that," I also decided to speak in Urdu after the Allahabad HC chief justice Dr. D Y Chandrachud, spoke in Urdu."Describing in detail about the new high court permises, Justice Thakur said this building is a mixture of old traditional culture with modern facilities to expedite the judicial process. He also said that due to his effort Supreme Court got a Bar room after 67 years this month. "It is our duty to deliver and give justice to the people as Rs 1300 crore has been spent for this new building which is the money of the tax payers," he said. Stating his 'relationship' with Lucknow, the CJI said his father passed his LLB from Lucknow while he also wishes to practise in this new court building if permitted after retirement from the post.Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik advocated for cheap and faster justice claiming that the Allahabad High Court has earned name of giving historicial judgements." Our motto should be to giving faster and affordable justice and to ensure that rule of law is established in the society," he added.However, the Governor questioned on the delay and cost over run on this building." The over all cost of the building was Rs 770 crore in 2010 when the work started but due to delay the cost has now touched Rs 1386 crores, which is Rs 615 crores escalation on the cost," he said.He also stressed the need for a better coordination between the Bar and the Bench and demanded that the vacancies of judges should be fulfilled." new building would serve no purpose if all the court rooms are not used due to shortage of judges," he said adding that the new building should also have a name.The inaugural function was also attended by West Bengal Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Supreme Court judge R K Agarwal, Oudh Bar Association president H J Parihar and chief justice of Allahabad High Court Dr D Y Chandrachud.MORE UNI MB ADG SB1640 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-644706.Xml : Organ recipients expressed heartfelt gratitude to the organ donors' families, whose generous decision to donate the organs of their loved ones gave them a new lease of life. Apollo Hospital hosted a unique 'Organ Recipients' Carnival & Thanks Giving' on the eve of 'World Happiness Day' today. Around 15 organ recipients and their families were participated in the programme. Speaking on the occasion, Apollo Hospitals Joint Managing Director Ms Sangita Reddy said, the organ recipients and their families have a constant desire to express their gratitude to the donor families for their munificence, because the cure of organ failure is through organ transplantation. This World Happiness Day celebration is a small effort from Apollo Hospitals in collaboration with Jeevandan to provide a forum to the recipient and families to express their gratitude to the donor families and an assurance to those families that their gesture has been instrumental in spreading happiness in the lives of so many. We have to acknowledge Jeevandan for its tremendous contribution in this success. But there is need to raise awareness about the beauty and joy of organ donation. Every donor's family gets immense happiness of knowing that their loved one is living through four others. Till date only 10,000 people registered for organ donation through Jeevandan, by next year we should have at least one lakh registered to donate organs, more and more people should come forward to bridge the gap of organ requirement, Ms Reddy said. She herself signed and handed over the Organ Donation Registration form to Swarnalatha on the occasion. She regretted that 45 per cent of those waiting for liver transplantation pass away even before they get a liver. Today Apollo runs one of the largest organ transplant programs in the world and has teams and infrastructure producing results on par with the best in the world, Ms Sangita Reddy said. Dr G Swarnalatha, Incharge, Jeevandan said, fortunate to see so many organ recipients at one place and being happy, this is a great motivation to those in the waiting list. Jeevandan has made study progress, since its inception in 2013, we got 204 donations of which 41 were in 2013, 51 in 2014 and 89 in 2015. We had done 199 liver transplants, 357 kidney transplants, 19 heart transplants and 3 lung transplants through Jeevandan. More should come forward for donations and several lives could be saved. The All India organ donation rate is 0.5 per million population. Telangana ranks number two in donations after Tamilnadu with 1.7 per million and Hyderabad 8 per million population. If we continue at this rate we can be number one. Off the five lakh accidents, 60 per cent are brain deaths and only 10 per cent of them are coming forward to donate organs, therefore there much greater scope. We look forward to a day when there is no waiting list for organ transplantation. We are conducting CMEs and Counsellors' training to raise the number of Organ donations. Apollo has made tremendous contribution to Jeevandan by being in the forefront in organ donations, she added.UNI VV KVV VS 1745 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-645026.Xml Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik today alleged that BJP in Goa has been increasingly becoming an 'anti-Goan' party. He said in a statement here, ''As it appears, the party is against directing the private sector companies to recruit Goans, as employees in their units, with some of its own MLAs, shockingly, openly revolting against the stand of the government in the state yesterday.'' Mr Naik further said that although MLAs were free to express their views and need not toe the government line in the matter of private resolutions, five members of the ruling party opposed government's stand on a vital issue like reservation in jobs for locals, amounting to a moral defeat of the government. People expected the government not to allow any private industrial unit to set up their business in the state, unless they entered into an agreement with the state government, agreeing in writing, to recruit a certain percentage of Goans as their employees, he opined. The government should not hide behind the pretext that there was no law that mandated the government to do so, since, it was the agreement between the government and entrepreneurs will decide the matter, Mr Naik said, adding, that Congress opposed the establishment of Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Goa, even after they werenotified, basically because the promoters were not committing themselves to giving jobs to Goans, and also, harboured a malafide intention to use a substantial portion of allotted land, which, they were successful in getting from the state government by misrepresenting about their genuine needs. ''The promoters have dragged the government of Goa to the Supreme Court, where the matter is pending since the last more than five years,'' the MP said. Mr Naik alleged that the state government's anti-Goan approach had been exposed on many other issues, like special status, separate cadre of All India Services and Def Expo among others.UNI AKM SS RJ GC1718 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0171-644954.Xml Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly Narasingha Mishra today expressed regret for stalling the business of the House yesterday over the summon reportedly issued by the police to opposition chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati. Speaker Niranjan Pujari adjourned the House thrice from 1033 hrs till 1700 hrs after the Congress members, protesting against the police action, rushed to the well and disrupted the proceedings of the issue. Raising the issue during zero hour, Mr Mishra said the opposition Congress protested as the Speaker did not agree to their demand to raise the issue. He said the protest was made based on "incorrect" media report. Mr Mishra said valuable time of the House was wasted due to the protest by the Congress members and expressed his regret for the incident. UNI BD DP PL SW AN1721 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0211-645011.Xml Rawat, who had earlier this afternoon said that he would tender his resignation if he was not able to prove majority, would be meeting the top Congress leadership in New Delhi tomorrow to apprise them about the current political crisis. Attempting to downplay the political crisis in the state, the Chief Minister also emphasized that his main priority was the welfare of Uttarakhand. The Congress Government in Uttarakhand is presently in crisis as nine party MLAs, including a minister, joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party last night. A three-member BJP delegation met the Uttarakhand Governor last night and demanded the dismissal of the Harish Rawat-led government while stating that it was in a minority. The BJP staked claim to form the government with the support of the rebel Congress MLAs.(ANI) District Sessions Judge V J Anilkumar, today heard the arguments of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Prosecutor S Krishnakumar and Jayarajan's counsel K Viswan , and posted the pronouncement of the final verdict for March 21. Meanwhile, the CBI counsel produced the case diary containing seven volumes before the court. Mr Jayarajan filed the bail plea on March 14 and the court directed CBI's counsel to file its counter in response to the bail plea on March 15. Mr Jayajan's counsel K Viswan said the CBI interrogation in Manoj murder case was completed during the three days questioning at Central prison and collected the evidence materials in this regard last week. Mr Viswan said the court should consider the case of his client on a humanitarian ground owing to his illness, as he is a heart-patient. The court heard the argument Mr Viswan for about 90 minutes. CBI Prosecutor said his agency slapped UAPA charges on conspiracy angle against Mr Jayarajan in this case. He is a top political leader and would influence the witness, if court allows bail to the 63-year-old Mr Jayarajan, he reasoned. The CBI Prosecutor said that the CPI(M) leader had surrendered before the Court on February 12, after the Kerala High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea. The court sent him to judicial custody till March 11 and extended it till April eight. UNI AK KVV VS 1810 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0324-644934.Xml The victim has been identified as Bijay Das who was later referred to Ranchi for better medical aid. Police said that the incident took place last night when Das was shot by two bike borne miscreants who also looted Rs 9,500 from him. Miffed over the incident, locals today blocked traffic movement on the Panki-Daltonganj main road for more than two hours. The blockade was lifted after intervention of the local administration. Meanwhile, DSP PR Barwar said raids were being conducted to nab the culprits. UNI XC-AK AKM SB VN1900 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-645324.Xml A defence spokesperson said here today that based on specific information on movement of an NDFB (S) cadre, a team of Indian Army and Baksa police launched the joint operation and nabbed a cadre of NDFB (S) yesterday. The cadre hase been identified as Daithun Boro who had underwent training in the 41st batch in Bhutan and was actively involved in extortion, arms smuggling and other nefarious and anti-national activities. One 7.65mm pistol along with four live rounds of 7.65mm, one No 36 hand grenade, four live rounds of AK-47, eight live rounds of 9mm, two leaves of extortion pads and one mobile phone were recovered from the apprehended cadre. UNI SG AKM SB VN1857 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-645358.Xml : Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth(SBV) here today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Partners Medical International(PMI) , founded by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), the two oldest and largest teaching hospitals of Harvard Medical Schoo to achieve academic excellence , innovation and leadership in Medical education and healthcare. A MOU was signed in this regard by M K Rajagopalan, Chairman of Sri Balaji Educational and Charitable Public trust, the promoters of Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth and Professor Gilbert H Mudge , Chief Executive Officer and President of PMI and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical school at the premises of SBV. The partnership would be for a period of five years , through which SBV will benefit from working relationships with clinical institutions within partners Healthcare , one of the largest medical systems in USA. PMI and SBV would focus on developing an innovative SBV curriculum for undergraduate medical education within the overall guidelines of Medical Council of India . The good practices from PMI would be adopted in imparting education, said Prof Ananthakrishnan, Dead Research and Allied Health Sciences , SBV. More UNI PAB KVV VS 1920 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-645384.Xml No farmer in the state had committed suicide due to crop loss or loan overburden, Mr Mishra said while replying to a debate in the Odisha Assembly on the admissibility of an adjournment motion on "farmers suicide and helplessness of the state government". Making statement on behalf of the agriculture minister Pradip Maharathi, Mr Mishra said allegation of as many as 175 farmers including 26 in Baragarh district have committed suicide in the state during the current year but these unfortunate incidents did not occur due to issues related to crop loss. The farmers suicide cases, the minister said were jointly probed by the district collectors and the Superintendents of Police who attributed them due to some other reasons. Quoting the national crime report bureau, the minister said while 102 people deployed in agriculture related work have committed suicide in Odisha, 4004 in Maharashtra, 632 in Andhra Pradesh, 768 in Karnataka, 755 in Chhattisgarh, 600 in Gujarat and 1198 in Madhya Pradesh during 2014. Mr Mishra said the government was fully concerned about the development of farmers and has taken several steps such as formation of a separate agriculture cabinet, a special budget for agriculture, agriculture policy and launched farmers welfare scheme for the health insurance of the farmers. The minister said the government has taken several steps after the weather department predicted 5 to 7 per cent less rainfall in 2015 due to the effect of El Nino.MORE UNI BD-DP AKM SB GC1935 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-645377.Xml Sheriff's offices are not county agencies, so sheriffs can fire employees at will, court says Public policy and free speech claims Not a county program "After considering these statutory and decisional factors, we conclude that, by standing in the elected sheriff's shoes, a deputy sheriff fills a role in which loyalty to the elected sheriff is necessary to ensure that the sheriff's policies are carried out." Other fired employees RALEIGH In a dispute pitting political speech against the authority of public agencies, in January the N.C. Supreme Court ruled that a sheriff could fire a deputy for refusing to make a contribution to the sheriff's re-election campaign.In a separate opinion, the court refused to determine whether non-deputy employees of a sheriff's department also could be fired for not supporting the sheriff's re-election.Terri Young was hired by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office as a deputy in 1990 and had worked her way up to captain by 2010. In June 2009, Daniel Bailey, the sheriff at the time, sent a letter to all deputies seeking contributions for his 2010 reelection campaign. Young didn't make a donation. Soon after Bailey's 2010 re-election, Young lost her job. Young sued, claiming that Bailey fired her because she did not donate to his campaign and that her termination violated state public policy and her free speech rights under the N.C. Constitution.The N.C. Court of Appeals, following court precedents, issued a unanimous ruling against Young, but the N.C. Supreme Court accepted Young's request to hear the case.Before the Supreme Court, Young repeated her claims that her discharge violated both public policy and her free speech rights.North Carolina is an employment-at-will state, meaning that employers generally can let employees go at any time for any reason. There are a number of exceptions to this, including that a discharge may not violate the state's public policy. The General Assembly has established a public policy that county employees should not be subject to certain types of political coercion, as Young argued was her situation: She said she lost her job because she did not make a contribution to her boss's campaign.The Supreme Court held that employees working for a sheriff are not county employees, even though sheriff's offices get their funding from county taxes.The court noted that the office of sheriff is defined in the state constitution, the General Assembly has recognized the unique nature of the position, and only a sheriff has the statutory authority to hire and fire employees.wrote Justice Robert Edmunds for the high court.Young also argued that her discharge violated her free speech rights under the N.C. Constitution. The N.C. Supreme Court has held that free speech rights under the state constitution are very similar to those protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.The U.S. Supreme Court has held thatThis protection is not absolute, and does not apply ifwrote Edmunds in rejecting Young's claim.At the same time, the Supreme Court considered appeals from several other employees fired by Bailey, including Ivan McLaughlin. McLaughlin was not a sworn law enforcement officer, making his free speech argument different than Young's.The justices rejected McLaughlin's claim for a separate reason. McLaughlin was terminated for violating departmental policies, so even though (like Young) he did not contribute to Bailey's campaign, McLaughlin's firing was backed up by a departmental review. The justices left for another day to decide whether non-deputy employees of a sheriff may be fired for their political speech.The case involving Young is, (355PA14-2). The justices' determination on McLaughlin's claim is in a separate opinion,, (163A15). He was 91. Born in 1925, Mr Sahu had represented the Chhatrapur Assembly constituency as the CPI candidate twice in 1977 and 1981. He was the chairman of the state control committee at the time of his death. His body was brought here today and kept at Bhagawati Bhawan, the CPI state headquarter to help the party activists pay their last homage to the great leader. CPI general secretary Sudhakar Reddy and CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury who came here to attend a rally organised by the left parties paid their floral tribute to the leader. CPI state secretary Dibakar Nayak, CPI-M state secretray Ali Kishore Patnaik and many other left party leaders also paid their last tribute to the leader. Later his mortal remains were consigned to flames at swargadwar in Puri.UNI BD AKM SB VN2028 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-645542.Xml Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy wrote a letter to Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani urging to conduct the CBSE maths examination again. In his letter, the Chief Minister alleged that the questions prepared for the recently conducted examination was based on text books printed by private parties. Even brilliant students could not answer the questions properly putting them under pressure affecting their performances in other examinations also, he added. Under this situation, the Centre should take steps to conduct the exam again, he said.UNI DS PY 2142 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-645688.Xml The Archbishop and the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman today expressed their profound grief over death of four Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa Sisters), one among whom was from India, in Yemen recently. In a statement issued on behalf of Archdiocese of Goa and Daman here , Diocesan Centre for Social Communications Director Fr Olavo Caiado said invited formally by the Government of Yemen, the sisters wererendering yeoman service, taking care of lepers and the elderly. ''We pray that God may grant them eternal rest. The Church in Goa also prays for the release and safe return of Fr Tom Uzhunnalil, SDB, another son of our country, whose whereabouts are not known. The Salesians of Don Bosco had completed 25 years of their presence and service in Yemen in the year 2012,'' he said. ''We pray that peace may soon return to the war-torn region of the Middle East and Northern Africa, from where hordes of refugees are thronging onto the shores of Europe, abandoning their lands which they owned and tilled for many generations. The Bishops in those regions are expressing anguish that populations there do nothave another option but to leave the land of their ancestors. We earnestly pray that good sense prevails and peace is restored in that region,'' the statement said.UNI AKM HK2123 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0171-645683.Xml Conveying his heartfelt condolences to the union minister over telephone, the Governor expressed deep grief and shock on the sudden demise. The Governor prayed to the Almighty God to give the bereaved family enough strength and courage to bear the irreparable loss and for eternal peace of the departed soul. In another message, the Chief Minister has condoled the sudden and untimely demise of younger brother of Kiren Rijiju. In his condolence message to the union minister, the chief minister express shock and deep sorrow in the immature demise of his younger brother and prayed to almighty to bestow enough strength to the bereaved family members to bear this irreparable loss and also for the eternal peace of the departed soul. UNI PB AKM SB VN2151 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-645581.Xml Thousands of people across the country joined the global community by switching off extra lights in private and government buildings on Saturday evening to mark Earth Hour 2016. In Mumbai several government and private buildings, public landmarks as well as common citizens contributed to 'cooling' the Earth by switching off lights for an hour between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. Those who participated included several celebrities, film and television stars, industrialists and common people in the global initiative of the WWF which turns 10 this year. This year, the WWF is also promoting 'clean and green country' with multiple solar energy reforms following the Paris Climate Conference in December 2015. Mumbai-based NGO Young Environmentalists organised a cyclothon at daybreak on Saturday and closed with a carnival at Bandra's coastal Carter Road where solar and paper lanterns were distributed to slum kids from Dharavi. Reports of lights being switched off were received from other major cities in Maharashtra like Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Nashik. Elsewhere in the country, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh supported the Earth Hour campaign by switching off the lights of his official residence Oakover in Shimla. He also appealed to residents, educational and other institutions and organisations to ensure switching off of non-essential lights for one hour. The lights of British-era buildings, including the neo-Gothic Christ Church, located on the historic Ridge were also switched off to mark the occasion. In Chennai, Col. Sanath Gopinath, head of the Tamil Nadu state office of the WWF, told IANS: "This time we decided to reach out to young people directly. "We did not approach any government organisation. The idea is to create awareness in the minds of young people. He said that from March 14 onwards, they have been visiting various colleges in and around Chennai and have spoken to college students on climate change. "We also took with us Tiffany Maria Brar, a blind social activist running an NGO in Thiruvananthapuram to all the colleges to address the students," he said. --Indo-Asian News Service qn-vg-vj/pm/bg ( 350 Words) 2016-03-19-22:07:41 (IANS) Additional District and Session Judge Satyendra Kumar Thakur sentenced four members of a family to rigorous life imprisonment after they were found guilty in a dowry related death case. According to the prosecution, a newly wed woman Suruchi Devi was burnt alive by the in-laws under Kudhni police station area in Muzaffarpur district in June 2011. Husband and three members of in-laws family of the deceased were made accused in the case, who were convicted by the court. In a another case of kidnapping, additional district and session judge Prabhakar Mishra sentenced three people to rigorous life imprisonment after they were found guilty of kidnapping of 15 year old boy on May 27, 1999, who has not been traced as yet. According to the prosecution, all the three convicts were involved in kidnapping of 15 year old son of one Ram Iqbal Gupta on May 27, 1999 from Kanti police station area in Muzaffarpur district. UNI XC-KKS AKM SB VN210 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-645693.Xml Officials confirmed that the lion has been confiscated and the temple in Xi'an city is under probe, the People's Daily reported. It is reported that the temple was given two sick baby lions in 2010. One of them died and the other remained in the temple until recently. --Indo-Asian News Service ksk ( 90 Words) 2016-03-19-09:53:32 (IANS) Speaking at a press meet, Pokharel said international dignitaries, including the UN Secretary General, would be invited for the upcoming International Buddhist Conference. The three-day conference beginning on May 19 is being held on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti, the birthday of Lord Buddha, reports Himalayan Times. He also reminded the assistance that the UN provided during the peace process in Nepal. Earlier, the UN Secretary General had inquired about the development of Lumbini and the Lumbini master plan. (ANI) US President Barack Obama has congratulated Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and French President Francois Hollande on the arrest of Salah Abdeslam, the prime suspect in the deadly Paris terror attacks. Abdeslam was captured in a police raid in Brussels. Four months on the run as Europe's most wanted man, he was shot in the leg during the raid following which he was captured. He will be thoroughly interrogated by the police as investigations in the case take a strong turn. A statement released by the White House said the President commended the work of Belgian security services and noted that this significant arrest was the result of hard work and close cooperation between Belgian and French law enforcement authorities. Reiterating that the United States stands together with both the countries in shared struggle against the scourge of terrorism, Obama pledged full cooperation and support in degrading and destroying the ISIL. Abdeslam's hideout came as a surprise as despite one of Europe's biggest manhunts following the Paris attacks, he returned home in Molenbeek, where his parents still live. He managed to stay hidden in the area, which is viewed by the police as a centre of recruitment and planning for jihadi terrorism. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel had in a hastily arranged joint press conference with the French president, Francois Hollande announced that three suspects were detained in total. Hollande said Abdeslam would be quickly extradited to France, adding that the investigation was ongoing because the network was "very large in Belgium, France and other European countries". Meanwhile, the investigators will now have to determine Abdeslam's role in the coordinated attacks that saw suicide bombers blow themselves up near the national stadium, gunmen open fire on bars and restaurants, and gunmen open fire with Kalashnikovs at a rock gig at the Bataclan concert hall. At least 130 people were killed in the deadly Paris attack last November. (ANI) Iran wants to discuss greater economic cooperation with neighbouring Turkey and regional crisis in talks in Istanbul today, Tehran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by Iranian state media.Zarif arrived in Istanbul, where he is due to meet with President Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.Turkey's foreign ministry has said the aim of talks will be "current regional and international developments" as well as bilateral relations between the two countries.Zarif suggested that business would be high on the agenda."We are seeking the best possible level of economic cooperation with Turkey after the nuclear deal," he told reporters in Istanbul.After the lifting of international sanctions this year following a deal with Western powers to curb its nuclear programme, Iran has become the biggest economy to rejoin the global trading system since the Soviet Union broke up more than two decades ago.Gains by reformist candidates in Iranian elections last month have also opened the way for changes to economic policy that will boost foreign investment and trade with the West, businessmen and analysts have said.While Iran and Turkey back opposing sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen, their economic interdependence has kept relations broadly on track."As two neighbours and Muslim countries, Iran and Turkey enjoy many commonalities ... The leaders of Iran and Turkey seriously want to further develop economic ties," Zarif told Iran's state news agency IRNA in Istanbul."We face common regional threats and of course have different views regarding some issues that should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations."Iran has been a strong strategic ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the start of the uprising against him, while Turkey has been one of his fiercest critics, supporting his opponents and giving refuge to rebel fighters.Meeting in Tehran earlier this month, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Davutoglu agreed they must cooperate to end sectarian strife, including support for a fragile Syrian ceasefire. REUTERS RJ NS1612 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-644907.Xml 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. A Boeing 737-800 passenger jet operated by low cost airline FlyDubai crashed while attempting to land in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday, killing all 62 passengers, including two Indians. The flight was en route from Dubai and had been circling the airport for up to two hours after an initial aborted landing attempt, according to Russian news reports. There were high winds in the area at the time. The plane was coming in for a second attempt to land at 3.a.m when it plunged to the ground and burst into flames. The crash occurred inside the airports perimeter, about 250 metres short of the runway. Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup said the two Indians who appear on a list put out by the Russian authorities are Anju Kathirvel Aiyappan and Mohan Shyam. According to Flydubai -- an Emirati budget airline with a new fleet of planes that started flying in mid-2009 -- the jet was carrying 55 passengers -- 33 women, 18 men, four children -- and seven crew members, CNN reported. Initial reports suggested that all passengers on board were Russians; however, the Emergencies Ministry later confirmed that 11 foreigners were on board, including all the crew members. FlyDubai said the passengers included 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbekistani. While we are still awaiting final confirmation, it is with great sadness that we report we believe there are no survivors, FlyDubai said on the airlines Facebook page. Speaking about the incident, FlyDubai chief executive Ghaith al-Ghaith said: Our primary concern is for the families of the passengers and crew who were on board. Everyone at FlyDubai is in deep shock and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved. We dont yet know all the details of the accident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish the cause, he said. The airport will remain closed until Sunday, and medics and psychologists were on standby to assist family members, the Emergencies Ministry said. About 700 people were involved in the rescue operation. The crash site was 243 metres from the airport runway, it mentioned. Al-Ghaith has excluded the possibility of a terror act on the ill-fated flight FZ981. No distress signal was issued by the pilots either, he said. Al-Ghaith insisted that the captain, Aristos Socratous, was a highly experienced pilot with over 5,700 flight hours and that the plane was new. Manufactured in 2011, the aircraft passed its latest maintenance on January 21, 2016. "The aircraft hit the ground and broke into pieces," the Investigative Committee of Russia said on its website. The plane's flight path, as tracked by Flight Radar 24, showed the plane made a number of turns near the Rostov-on-Don airport prior to the final landing. The Russian Investigative Committee launched an investigation, and was considering three potential causes, state-run Ria Novosti news agency reported. "Different versions of the incident are being investigated, including crew error, technical failure, bad weather and other factors," it quoted committee chief Vladimir Markin as saying. Spokesman for the southern bureau of Russias Investigative Committee, Oksana Kovrizhnaya, has put forward two versions of the crash: Pilot error in deteriorating weather conditions or a technical failure, she said. Both FZ981 flight data recorders have been recovered from the crash site. Experts were evaluating whether any data can be retrieved from them, said Vladimir Markin. The cockpit voice recorder was found in the morning and the parametric recorder was recovered later in the day. According to investigative committee experts who examined the flight recorders, the black boxes are in a "normal condition", Oksana Kovrizhnaya said, adding that the data would be extracted as soon as possible. The Russian government has announced a compensation of $15,000 to the family of each deceased. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the relatives and loved ones of the victims. The Russian president feels deeply for all those who lost their loved ones in the Boeing 737 crash in Rostov-on-Don, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Saturday, stressing that the president has made it a priority to provide all possible assistance to the relatives of the victims. The government-owned FlyDubai, a no-frills sister airlines to Emirates, was established in March 2008. The airline had a strong safety record, but one of its planes was hit by a bullet as it landed in Baghdad airport in January 2015, prompting multiple airlines to suspend flights to the Iraqi capital. No one was hurt. The last major aviation disaster involving Russia was on October 31 last year, when a Russian airliner blew up in the air over Egypts Sinai peninsula, killing all 224 aboard. Investigators determined it was destroyed by a bomb. --Indo-Asian News Service ahm/bg ( 801 Words) 2016-03-19-18:37:31 (IANS) During a meeting with Russian Foreign Minster Sergei Lavrov, the two sides are expected to exchange views on bilateral cooperation and current hot global issues, Xinhua cited the ministry as saying in a statement. The ministry enumerated a bunch of sanctions Washington imposed on Moscow in March 2014, when Russia took over the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine, saying that the Russia-US relations remain complicated. However, the Russian side voiced the hope for improvement of bilateral ties during Kerry's upcoming visit. "We hope that the visit of the US Secretary of State to Russia -- the third in less than one year -- will contribute to the normalisation of the Russian-American relation," said the statement. The ministry confirmed that the Syria crisis will be high on the agenda during Kerry's visit, adding that the crisis in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East and North Africa will also be discussed. On Wednesday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kerry was under consideration during the latter's visit to Moscow. Kerry came to Russia in May and December in the past year. --Indo-Asian News Service py/bg ( 222 Words) 2016-03-19-19:43:31 (IANS) Cairo (AFP) - A mortar attack on a checkpoint in Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula killed 13 policemen on Saturday, the interior ministry said in a statement. The Islamic State group (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack, but said in a statement that it had deployed a suicide bomber who blew up a car at the checkpoint, which jihadists then raided. Security officials said five attackers were killed in clashes near the checkpoint after the attack. The attack was the deadliest in months in Sinai, where IS's Egyptian branch is waging an insurgency that has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers. The interior ministry said the attack took place at a checkpoint near El-Arish, the provincial capital of North Sinai. "A mortar round was fired at the Safa checkpoint... which resulted in the martyrdom of 13 policemen," the ministry statement said. IS said a suicide bomber, identified by the nom de guerre "Abu Al-Qaaqaa the Egyptian", blew up a car packed with explosives at the checkpoint. "This was followed by the storming of the checkpoint," it said in a statement posted on social media. Sinai, a sparsely populated peninsula bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip, has for years been a haven for Islamist militants. After Egypt's military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, the jihadists launched an insurgency that has persisted despite a massive army campaign. The militants have also attacked tourists. The jihadist group claimed responsibility for bombing a Russian airliner in October, killing all 224 people on board, minutes after it took off from a south Sinai beach resort. The group said it had smuggled explosives packed into a soda can on to the airplane. That attack prompted Russia to suspend all flights to Egypt, and has lost the country hundreds of millions of dollars in tourism revenues. The jihadists claimed that they carried out Saturday's Sinai attack to avenge "insults to Muslim women at checkpoints". Story continues They had claimed other attacks were revenge for a bloody crackdown on Morsi's Islamist supporters, which left hundreds of protesters dead after his overthrow. Since pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq, in November 2014, the Sinai branch's attacks have grown more sophisticated. But an apparent attempt to capture a town in Sinai last July was met with air strikes that forced the militants to flee. The military says it has killed more than 1,000 militants, occasionally publishing pictures of their bodies. The claims are difficult to verify, with reporters having little access to the north of the peninsula. It has also become increasingly difficult to verify military casualties, especially after the passage of a law that bans media reporting that contradicts official tolls. Riyadh (AFP) - At least 19 pilgrims died, all of them Egyptian, and 22 were injured early on Saturday when their bus overturned in western Saudi Arabia, authorities in both countries said. The tourism ministry in Cairo said 19 Egyptian pilgrims and a child were killed and 15 were injured in the accident. "Nineteen people were killed when the bus carrying them turned over on the Hijra road" between the coastal city of Jeddah and the holy city of Medina, Saudi Red Crescent spokesman Khaled Ben Messaed al-Sihli said. "All the bus passengers have the same nationality of an Arab country except the driver who is Asian," he said. Another 22 people were injured including some who were badly hurt, Sihli added. Millions of Muslims visit Saudi Arabia each year for the year-round umra minor pilgrimage and the annual hajj pilgrimage. Jordan said on Wednesday that 14 pilgrims died and another 36 were injured in another bus accident in southern Jordan near the Saudi border. The country's civil protection service said the driver lost control of the vehicle which turned over 320 kilometres (about 200 miles) southeast of Amman. A stampede during the hajj last September killed about 2,300 foreign pilgrims, according to data from foreign officials. MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Investigative Committee of Russia said all 62 people on board a plane operated by Dubai-based carrier Flydubai died when the jet attempted to land at Russia's Rostov-on-Don. "The aircraft hit the ground and broke into pieces," the Committee said in a statement on its website. "According to preliminary data, there were 55 passengers aboard and 7 crew members. They all died." Earlier, Rostov's emergency ministry said there were 61 people aboard. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Michael Perry) Paris (AFP) - The arrest of Salah Abdeslam, the last major suspect wanted in connection with the November jihadist attacks in Paris, has dealt a "major blow" to the Islamic State group in Europe, a French minister said Saturday. "The operations of the past week have enabled us to incapacitate several individuals who are clearly extremely dangerous and totally determined," Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said. "We will win the war against terrorism by acting without truce or let-up," he said. Abdeslam, Europe's most wanted man who was captured in Brussels' gritty Molenbeek neighbourhood on Friday, allegedly helped plan the November 13 attacks in Paris claimed by IS in which 130 people were killed. Cazeneuve was speaking after President Francois Hollande led a "defence council" with key cabinet ministers and security officials to follow up on Abdeslam's arrest. He praised the Belgian authorities for their "flawless" commitment to capturing Abdeslam as well as the "good cooperation" between France and Belgium in the operation. A French judge placed Abdeslam under a European arrest warrant on November 24, which will facilitate his transfer to France. Abdeslam, a former small-time criminal, is believed to be the last surviving member of the 10-man jihadist team that carried out the attacks on Paris's Bataclan concert hall as well as restaurants, bars and the Stade de France stadium. The ringleader of the attacks, IS member Abdelhamid Abaaoud, and attacker Bilal Hadfi, both dead, also had links to Molenbeek, which has been seen as a hotbed of Islamist radicalism for decades. In the wider campaign against terrorism, Cazeneuve noted that since the start of the year, 74 people "with ties to terrorist activities have been arrested (in France), of whom 37 have been charged and 28 are in custody". "In the face of a threat level that remains extremely high, (these results) are encouragement to pursue our efforts nonstop," he said. Brussels (AFP) - The family of key Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam, arrested after being wounded in a dramatic raid in central Brussels, is relieved that he is at least safe, his brother's lawyer said Saturday. "Mohamed Abdeslam, who I have just talked to, asked me to say... in the name of the family, that there is a sense of relief," Nathalie Gallant told RTBF television. "Firstly, because Salah was taken alive -- the family had hoped for that. Relief too that finally the manhunt is over because you must understand the family has been under constant pressure for the past four months," Gallant said. Salah Abdeslam, 26, was taken from a Brussels hospital early Saturday to appear before an examining magistrate in connection with his role in the November 13 attacks claimed by the Islamic State group and which left 130 dead in Paris. French President Francois Hollande said Friday he would press for Abdeslam to be transferred as quickly as possible to Paris. Abdeslam was arrested Friday in Brussels' gritty Molenbeek neighbourhood, home to a large, mostly North African community and where the family has lived for many years. One of his brothers, Brahim, blew himself up in the Paris attacks and was buried Thursday in a Brussels cemetery where another brother, Mohamed, led the funeral cortege. Mohamed told reporters at the ceremony: "You can watch and write your stories but please, out of respect, no photographs." Gallant also acts for Abid Aberkan, who was arrested Friday for sheltering Salah Abdeslam in Molenbeek and charged with "participating in a terrorist group" and hiding a fugitive. Paris (AFP) - French Justice Minister Jean-Jacques Urvoas said Saturday that Belgium will hand over top Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam to France in no more than three months. "The definitive decision... should be taken within 60 days of his arrest or 90 days if he lodges an appeal," Urvoas said in a statement. Abdeslam's lawyer Sven Mary said in Brussels that he would fight his extradition to France, arguing that "there is still a Belgian investigation that should be carried out." The French justice ministry said that 90 days was the maximum amount of time it would take for Abdeslam's transfer. An investigating judge has formally charged Abdeslam with "participation in terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation," a Belgian prosecutors statement said. Abdeslam's opposition to his extradition could delay but not prevent his handover to the French authorities on a European Arrest Warrant, which the European Union introduced specifically to speed up extradition cases, legal experts said. Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins confirmed to a news conference in Paris that Abdeslam's refusal "does not paralyse but leads to a longer process. The decision... in any case will happen within 90 days." ALGIERS (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's North Africa branch has claimed responsibility for Friday's rocket-propelled grenade attack on an Algerian gas plant operated by Norway's Statoil and BP as part of its "war on the Crusader interests everywhere". The attack caused no casualties or damage but forced the facility to be closed as a precaution, though state energy company Sonatrach said Algeria's gas production had not been affected. "This operation has destroyed your claims to have defeated 'terrorism' as you like to describe it," the Islamist militant group said in a statement directed at the Algerian government and Western oil companies. "Even if your Western masters believed you were in control previously, how will you justify your position now?" Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has claimed several attacks across the region recently, including an assault on a resort in Ivory Coast on Sunday that killed 18 people it said was revenge for a French offensive against Islamist militants in the Sahel. Algeria, emerging from its own 1990s war with Islamist fighters that killed 200,000, has become an important partner in the Western campaign against Islamist militancy. The OPEC nation is also a major gas supplier to Europe. Attacks in the North African country are rarer since it ended its civil war, but al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and fighters allied with Islamic State are still active, mostly in the remote south and mountains east of Algiers. Algeria's oil and gas infrastructure is heavily protected by the army especially since the 2013 Islamist militant attack on the In Amenas gas plant, also operated by BP and Statoil, during which 40 oil workers were killed. (Reporting by Ali Abdelaty; Writing by Ahmed Aboulenein and Patrick Markey; Editing by Toby Chopra) Algiers (AFP) - Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika called Saturday for people to be vigilant because of violence in neighbouring countries and after rockets hit a desert gas plant run by foreign energy giants. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said it was behind Friday's attack on the plant operated by Britain's BP, Norway's Statoil and Algerian company Sonatrach. Algerians "more than ever must be united, be vigilant and mobilise to safeguard the integrity of our state which shares borders with many countries shaken by violent crises," Bouteflika said, referring to Libya and Tunisia. Friday's attack was the most serious since other Al-Qaeda-linked militants stormed a complex in Algeria's remote east in 2013 and began a four-day siege that left dozens dead. The defence ministry said on Friday two homemade rockets crashed near a guard post of a Sonatrach facility in Krechba, 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) south of Algiers, without causing casualties or damage. Bouteflika's comments came in a message distributed by the APS news agency marking the anniversary of the March 19, 1962 ceasefire that ended the 1954-1962 war of independence. In recent months Algeria has expressed concern about unrest in neighbouring Libya, where chaos has allowed the rise of jihadist Islamic State group. Northeastern Algeria borders Tunisia, which was hit in 2015 by three deadly attacks claimed by IS and also on March 7 by jihadist attacks in Ben Guerdane near the Tunisian border with Libya. Algerian army chief General Ahmed Gaid Salah has also urged increased vigilance because of the security situation in the region. Donald Trump supporters point and scream at an anti-Trump demonstrator during a campaign rally in Fountain Hills, Ariz., March 19, 2016. (Photo: Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters) For months, anti-Trump protesters have been a constant fixture at the Republican presidential frontrunners campaign rallies. Often they are individuals or small groups that are loudly and at times forcibly ejected as soon as theyre identified as subversives. More recently, however, Trumps events have started to draw protesters by the hundreds and even thousands. So many showed up to a rally in Chicago ahead of the Illinois primary last week that Trump was forced to back out despite assurances from the Chicago police that they had the situation under control. Perhaps bolstered by Chicago, the anti-Trump protests have continued to escalate as Marco Rubios departure from the race seems only to have helped pave Trumps path to the Republican nomination. On Friday, Trump supporters were met by hundreds of protesters chanting slogans like Dump Trump outside a rally in Salt Lake City. The next day, demonstrators shut down a highway leading to the Phoenix suburb where the businessman was slated to speak at a rally alongside controversial local Sheriff Joe Arpaio one of multiple campaign events on the candidates schedule in Arizona. Trump, who launched his candidacy with vicious attacks against Mexican immigrants and big promises to build a huge wall between the U.S. and Mexico, is currently leading the polls in the border state, which will hold its Democratic and Republican primary elections on Tuesday. SLIDESHOW: Anti-Trump protests across the country >>> At the same time, thousands gathered outside Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan to protest the acerbic real estate mogul-turned-politician in his hometown. Though New Yorkers wont cast their primary votes until April 19, more than 5,000 people RSVPd to a Facebook invitation for Saturdays New York protest, which stated that Trumps policies threaten many of us in the Black, Latino, LGBTQIA+, Muslim, and other communities. These policies and type of speech has no place in this country, and certainly does not have a place in the city that Trump grew his empire in a city known as a melting pot and home for many of the same people Trump continues to wage war on. Story continues In addition to the highway demonstration and protests in New York City, things appeared to turn ugly at a campaign event in Tucson. A video posted to social media on Saturday night purported to show Trumps campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and another man grabbing the collar of an anti-Trump protester. Lewandowski had been under fire after allegedly getting overly physical with former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields. Fields, who has since resigned from the news outlet, has filed suit against Lewandowski while Trumps campaign denies the claim. The anti-Trump movement is picking up speed beyond the picket lines as well. No sooner had Rubio announced he was dropping out of the race following his devastating loss in Florida last week than Ted Cruz began actively courting his former rivals supporters by positioning himself as the the one candidate who can beat Donald Trump. While its unclear how many Rubio backers are actually running into Cruzs open arms, the tea party Texans pitch appears to be working on some of the establishment Republicans, from whom Cruz distanced himself in order to bolster his political career. Former presidential candidate, and newly outspoken Trump opponent Mitt Romney announced this week that he plans to vote for Cruz in Utahs caucuses Tuesday. Even Lindsey Graham, one of Cruzs most vocal enemies in the Senate, has reluctantly thrown his support behind Cruz in a desperate effort to stop Trump. As far as Trumps concerned, this is a fools errand. Not just undeterred but apparently emboldened by his critics, Trump continues to plow through the primaries with supporters following his lead. VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria's Green Party on Saturday called on an Austrian lawmaker to resign after he compared refugees to "Neanderthals who trample under foot the rights of women". In remarks in parliament this week which he reiterated later in a statement, Robert Lugar said most refugees and migrants arriving in Austria were "uneducated, religiously blinded, fanatical (and) impossible to integrate. Austria has mainly served as a conduit into Germany for refugees and migrants from the Middle East and Africa but has absorbed a similar number of asylum seekers relative to its much smaller population. It has angered other European Union states by setting a cap on the number of asylum seekers it accepts - a step Brussels said was unlawful. The coalition government has adopted tough rhetoric on migrants as the far-right Freedom Party attracts more than 30 percent approval ratings in voter surveys, about 10 percentage points ahead of each of the ruling centrist coalition parties. Lugar is chairman of the Team Stronach parliamentary group, founded in 2012 by Frank Stronach, an Austrian-Canadian businessman who has criticized the euro and has called for a simpler tax system and a shrunken public sector. "Now we bring such Neanderthals here who thank God had been extinct in our country," he said. In the last parliamentary elections in 2013, Team Stronach got around 5.7 percent of the votes, but it now barely registers in opinion polls. "Not only is your speech explicitly discriminatory, but it also endangers the safety of all who live and reside in this country," several opposition Green politicians said in an open letter. (Reporting By Shadia Nasralla; Editing by Ros Russell) Bruges (Belgium) (AFP) - Europe's most wanted man arrived Saturday afternoon under heavy police escort at a maximum security prison on the outskirts of the scenic Belgian city of Bruges, pending his upcoming extradition procedure to France. Since 1991, the modern Bruges penitentiary complex has housed some of Belgium's most dangerous suspects including Mehdi Nemmouche, who carried out a fatal attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels in 2014. Abdeslam, who arrived in a yellow ambulance flanked by powerful high-speed police vehicles, was to be met by senior prison officials before being taken to the prison's ultra-guarded "Individual and Special Safety" wing, Belgian prisons spokeswoman Kathleen Van De Vijver told AFP. Built in 2008, the wing was built for house "people who pose an escape risk and those with behavioural problems in the normal prison," Van De Vijver said. The unit is strictly guarded and all cells have double doors. All furniture like beds are bolted to the floor and television sets are housed behind plexiglas. Cells are controlled daily for foreign objects that could pose a danger to prisoners. The prison is being guarded by warders specially trained for the job, Van De Vijver said. "Each prisoner has a different daily routine, depending on the specific nature of his dossier," she told the Flemish daily De Standaard. Built in a cross-shape, the prison can accommodate 504 men and 94 women, with mothers allowed to keep their children until age three. It hosts both accused and convicted prisoners and boasts a special medical centre. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A pair of bald eagles known as "Mr President" and "the First Lady" welcomed their first eaglet on Friday in Washington's National Arboretum. An "eagle cam" provided live footage of the first bald eagles to nest since 1947 in the Arboretum, a park-like conservatory in northeast Washington. The first egg was laid on Feb. 10 and the other on Feb. 14. The first egg hatched early on Friday and the other is expected to hatch soon. The pair built their nest in a tulip poplar tree in 2015. The federally protected bird, or Haliaeetus leucocephalus, is featured on currency and in the presidential seal, and was adopted as the national U.S. bird symbol in 1782. The bald eagle almost disappeared from the United States decades ago, but habitat protection and the banning of the pesticide DDT led to its recovery. The bird was removed from the federal endangered species list in 2007. (Reporting by Kia Johnson; Writing by Ian Simpson; Editing by Bernadette Baum) Bang & Olufsen, the Danish maker of upmarket sound systems and televisions, said on Friday it had entered a partnership with LG Electronics to outsource its production of televisions. The struggling Danish firm, which said in November it was in talks with a potential buyer, said the deal "will address Bang & Olufsen's key challenges related to scale and complexity". "Bang & Olufsen's total production is around 30,000 TVs per year... By comparison, LG sells 40 million TVs per year," chief executive Tue Mantoni told AFP. Working with the South Korean company would allow the Danish firm to leverage its economies of scale while remaining a niche, luxury brand, he said. "We will work with them on innovation and technology in some of the areas where it's important to be bigger," he said. The group, which also makes sleekly designed speakers, soundsystems and headphones, said it would now focus on its core know-how in design and acoustics. The move would result in annual savings of between 150 and 200 million kroner ($23 million-$30 million, 20-27 million euros), and would bring it closer to a seven percent margin target for earnings before interest and taxes, it said. The partnership's first TV using organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays -- screens that deliver a more vivid picture quality and consume less electricity -- is expected to be launched next year. The agreement gives the Danish firm "a good possibility to establish a profitable and competitive production of TVs," Sydbank analyst Morten Imsgard wrote in a note to investors. "The deal gives Bang & Olufsen far better conditions to survive as an independent company," he said. In February, LG unveiled its first modular smartphone, the G5, which came with a sound system developed by Bang & Olufsen. Shares in the Danish company soared in November after it said it was in talks over a potential takeover offer. Story continues On Friday it said that the talks were continuing but that no binding offer had been made. Founded in 1925, the Copenhagen-based company has posted annual losses over the past three fiscal years as more people listen to music on their mobile devices and after failing to attract younger consumers. In a bid to attact more young people, it launched the B&O Play brand in 2012 with the aim of selling headphones and portable speakers to "design-conscious urbanites with an active lifestyle." Vermont senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders abruptly ended an interview with 12 News Phoenix in Arizona. Sanders and reporter Brahm Resnik were discussing Jane Sanders, the senators wife, and her impromptu meeting with the controversial sheriff of Maricopa County, Joe Arpaio. It happened when Mrs. Sanders was trying to visit Tent City, an outdoor jail conceived of by Sheriff Arpaio, where inmates are housed in tents. It has been criticized as inhumane by the Sanders campaign. Let me just tell you something: What Joe Arpaio is doing is an outrage, Sanders said. My wife went to look at the so-called Tent City, which is something that should not exist. The fact that he crashed her meeting is, to me, very, very wrong, not something he should have done. Suddenly, Sanders ended the interview, saying, Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Resnik attempted to ask Sanders if he would be willing to stand as a vice presidential candidate alongside former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the current frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Sanders didnt answer and just stood by the side. So, what hastened Sanderss exit? It wasnt the question about Sheriff Arpaio. It wasnt the question about being a possible vice presidential candidate. It was just about timing. As Resnik explained, Sanders said my allotted four minutes were up, and so he walked away. Twitter Turns 10: CEO Talks Censorship, Trump, Kim K. and More on Today: Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Khail Anonymous, on Twitter. A Good Week for the Front-Runners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton forged ahead of their respective fields following Tuesdays elections when Trump swept three states and Clinton took four. Marco Rubios loss in his home state of Florida led to this exit. With the Republican race down to three candidates, Molly details why John Kasich, who emerged as the victor in Ohio, is still in the running. James Fallows explores with readers the arguments for and against Trump. And Clare looks at the Sanders campaign, which refuses to call it quits despite a weak showing. Russia Pulls Out of Syria On Monday, Vladimir Putin directed Russian troops to withdraw, stating, I think that the task given to the ministry of defense has been mainly accomplished. Robert Coalson tallied reactions from Russia. Kathy looked back at the Syrian conflict on its fifth anniversary. And Emily assembled striking photographs of a Swedish ski resort that plays host to refugees from Syria and elsewhere. Minority Leader Harry Reid meets Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. (Gary Cameron / Reuters) Greeting Garland Recommended: How America's Largest Employer Persuades Its Workers Not to Unionize President Obama announced his Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, who was immediately met by a Senate blockade. David Graham explores how prosecuting the Oklahoma City bombing shaped Garland. And Jeffrey Rosen argues that his nomination is a victory for judicial restraint. Office Space Etsy announced it will offer both men and women 26 weeks of paid parental leave, Bourree reported. Olga dissected the cultural norms around crying at work and covered how racial segregation is making people sickliterally. Meanwhile, Joe examined the worlds most mysterious demographic: people who actually enjoy their commute. Yes, such beings exist. Eleven Things You Shouldnt Miss Story continues P.S. Hey D.C. readers! Setting out to see the Cherry Blossoms? Andrews tracker will guide you to the nearest tree. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. NEW YORK (Reuters) - A top BlackRock Inc fund manager said his team cut its exposure to preferred stocks to a "historical" low of 5 percent on fears that market volatility could spill into the asset class. "We continued to reduce the fund's allocation to preferred stocks based on the view that market volatility would spill over to the asset class, which had initially outperformed during the broader market selloff," said Michael Fredericks, who manages the $12 billion BlackRock Multi-Asset Income Fund , in a monthly letter distributed Friday. The letter described the current 5 percent allocation to preferred stocks as a "historical" low for the eight-year old fund, which has carried as much as 11 percent exposure to the asset. The fund currently has a one-year return, through Thursday, of negative 2.3 percent, Lipper said. Sao Paulo (AFP) - Brazil's ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva rallied supporters against an opposition "coup" targeting his successor Dilma Rousseff, before being undercut by a high court judge who barred him from a government position. It was supposed to be the day the two leftists showed their Workers' Party still retains the support that made it the dominant force in Brazilian politics the last 13 years. But the reeling South American giant's Congress and Supreme Court proved uncooperative. First an impeachment committee in the lower house held its inaugural session on whether to recommend removing Rousseff from office. Then a Supreme Court judge blocked Lula's appointment as presidential chief of staff, sending a corruption case against him back to criminal court. The judge's decision came just after Lula addressed tens of thousands of supporters in the country's largest city, Sao Paulo. Waving the red flags of the Workers' Party, the sea of demonstrators welcomed Lula with thunderous cheers when he was hoisted onto a parked truck to address the crowd. But the ruling party's nationwide show of force drew less than one-tenth as many people as huge protests Sunday calling for Rousseff's ouster, according to police estimates that put the turnout at 267,000 in 55 cities across Brazil. The president's camp put the figure much higher, at 1.2 million -- still below the three million police counted Sunday. Lashed by a deep recession, an explosive corruption scandal, impeachment proceedings and massive protests, Rousseff is facing speculation she will not survive her second term. Her move to make her embattled mentor her chief of staff has triggered outrage among opponents, who filed some 50 court cases challenging the nomination over allegations that Lula was seeking ministerial immunity to avoid arrest in the spiraling scandal centered on state oil company Petrobras. Supreme Court judge Gilmar Mendes blocked the appointment until the full court can rule on its legality, barring Lula from starting work and sending his case back to crusading anti-corruption judge Sergio Moro. Story continues Moro, the head of the Petrobras probe, caused an uproar this week when he leaked a wire-tapped phone call between Rousseff and Lula suggesting she appointed him to protect him from arrest with ministerial immunity. The president told Lula she was sending him a document with his official ministerial appointment, to be used only "if necessary." Lula, who stepped down in 2011 after presiding over a watershed economic boom, is charged with accepting a luxury apartment and a country home as bribes from construction companies implicated in a multi-billion-dollar corruption scam at state oil company Petrobras. He denies involvement. - 'Right-wing coup' - Rousseff accuses her enemies of mounting a "coup" against her. Lula, speaking at the rally, told supporters "We won't accept a coup in this country." "It's absurd what they're doing to Lula, an attack on a person who has done so much for this country and its neediest people," said 53-year-old housewife Maria do Carmo Zafonatto in Sao Paulo, where Lula launched his political career as a union leader in the 1980s. "This is a coup by the right. That's why I'm here, to defend democracy." Maria Cicera Salles, a 60-year-old government worker, said "rich people" fear Lula. "They want to get rid of him because they're afraid he'll run (for president) in 2018 and win. They're massacring him. It's a crime," she told AFP. No clashes were reported at the demos, which had raised fears of violence in a climate of soaring tensions. On Friday morning, riot police in Sao Paulo fired stun grenades and water cannon to disperse some 150 anti-government protesters who had been camped out for nearly two days. The ongoing protests come against the backdrop of new impeachment proceedings against Rousseff. The newly installed congressional impeachment committee said it expected to reach a decision within a month on whether to recommend removing the president. Its recommendation will then pass to the full chamber, where a vote by two-thirds of the 513 lawmakers would trigger an impeachment trial in the Senate. Rousseff is accused of manipulating the government's accounts to boost public spending during her 2014 re-election campaign, and again in 2015 to mask a deep recession. Recent polls show Rousseff's popularity rating is down to about 10 percent, and 60 percent of Brazilians would support her impeachment. Pristina (AFP) - Britain's Prince Charles on Saturday paid tribute to those missing since the 1998-1999 Kosovo war and to NATO-led peacekeepers killed there, on the last leg of a week-long Balkans tour. Accompanied by his wife Camilla, Charles laid a wreath at the monument to missing persons and joined a memorial ceremony also attended by Kosovo's outgoing president Atifete Jahjaga. Honouring themes of peace and reconciliation, Charles and Camilla began their tour in Croatia and visited Serbia and Montenegro, before the final stop in Kosovo. The 1990s Balkan wars claimed more than 130,000 lives and displaced millions of people. More than 13,000 people were killed in Kosovo, where pro-independence ethnic Albanian guerrillas fought the Serbian forces of late strongman Slobodan Milosevic. Serbian troops were eventually forced to leave the former province by a three-month NATO-led air campaign aimed at stopping Milosevic regime's brutal crackdown against ethnic Albanian civilians. At a brief emotional meeting with a group of relatives who welcomed the British royal couple carrying pictures of their missing loved ones, Charles was asked to help increase international pressure on Serbia to reveal what it might know about the fate of the missing. Almost 17 years after the war in Kosovo some 1,600 people, mostly ethnic Albanians, have still been unaccounted for. Charles also visited the headquarters of the NATO-led peacekeeping force, where he took part in a ceremony at the monument for more than 100 international soldiers killed on the mission in Kosovo. Camilla and Jahjaga also met with some of estimated 20,000 survivors of sexual violence. Almost a decade after the war Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia, which opposed the move and still considers the territory as its southern province. Great Britain was among the first countries to recognise Kosovo as an independent state, along with the United States and most of the European Union's 28 member states. Later on Saturday Charles was to visit Kosovo's second largest town of Prizren, where he would attend an interfaith conference at the very end of the regional tour. Beirut (AFP) - British journalist John Cantlie, who is being held prisoner by the Islamic State group, appeared in a new video released Saturday supposedly filmed in the jihadists' Iraqi stronghold of Mosul. In the latest instalment in a series of propaganda videos released by IS, Cantlie speaks to the camera in the style of a news report. It is unclear when it was shot, but Cantlie last appeared in an IS video in early 2015. In Saturday's video, a gaunt-looking Cantlie says he is in Mosul, IS' main city in northern Iraq. Dressed in black and squinting in the sunshine, he is seen standing in front of a metal shack he describes as a media kiosk that distributes IS pamphlets, which was destroyed in an air strike by a US-led coalition. Speaking in English with Arabic subtitles, as in previous clips of the same style, Cantlie criticises and derides the US-led campaign launched in 2014 against IS. He was kidnapped along with journalist James Foley in November 2012 in Syria while covering the war there. Foley then became the first of several hostages to be slain by the jihadists. Media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders has condemned IS for its "cowardly" use of a hostage in a forced role to push the jihadists' propaganda. SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - An official at a Singapore company at the heart of a $30 million U.S. Navy corruption scandal was sentenced Friday to five years and three months in prison, and ordered to pay $35 million in restitution to the U.S. government. Alex Wisidagama, 42, was sentenced in federal court in San Diego after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to submit false bills to the Navy. Wisidagama, a citizen of Singapore, worked for his cousin Leonard Glenn Francis's company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, as its global manager for government contracts. The company held more than $200 million in contracts for ship husbandry and maintenance for the Seventh Fleet in Asian Pacific ports. In January 2015, Francis pleaded guilty to bribing Navy officers with cash, prostitutes, luxury travel and high-end electronics for inside information, including ship scheduling, and to steer business to his company. The bribery scandal reached high into the Navy's ranks and resulted in the censure of three now-retired admirals, who allegedly sought or accepted meals and gifts. Eight Navy officers and a civilian employed by the Navy have been charged criminally in the conspiracy and all but one have pleaded guilty. Wisidagama admitted that he overbilled the Navy for millions of dollars worth of fuel, goods and port tariffs, according to court records. He is the third defendant to be sentenced in the fraud prosecutions. His cousin, whose nickname is "Fat Leonard," remains in custody and is cooperating with prosecutors and Navy investigators in the ongoing probe. (Reporting by Marty Graham; Editing by Sharon Bernstein and Leslie Adler) London (AFP) - Prime Minister David Cameron was forced to reshuffle his government Saturday after a top eurosceptic's surprise resignation over benefit cuts sent shock waves through his campaign to keep Britain in the EU. Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of Cameron's Conservatives and key figure on its right wing, quit as Work and Pensions Secretary Friday with a scathing letter lambasting cuts to benefits for disabled people announced in this week's budget. Duncan Smith's decision after nearly six years in the job has delivered perhaps the biggest blow to Cameron since his re-election last year, with just three months to go until the referendum on EU membership on June 23. In his resignation letter, Duncan Smith questioned whether Cameron was honouring his slogan that Britons were "all in this together", despite deep austerity cuts including 1.3 billion (1.2 billion euros, $1.4 billion) in annual cuts to disability welfare. "I hope as the government goes forward you can look again at the balance of the cuts you have insisted upon and wonder if enough has been done to ensure 'we are all in this together'," Duncan Smith wrote. In response, Cameron said he was "puzzled" by Duncan Smith's resignation as he had agreed the cuts a week ago before Downing Street subsequently decided Friday to revise them in the face of opposition. As Cameron appointed Stephen Crabb, the pro-EU former Welsh Secretary, to replace Duncan Smith Saturday, commentators questioned how much of a part Europe had also played in his resignation. Matthew d'Ancona in the Guardian noted that, while Duncan Smith had long had tense relations with Cameron and his finance minister George Osborne over welfare, the reasons for his resignation were "much messier". "Duncan Smith was always unlikely to survive a post-referendum reshuffle, assuming the remainers triumphed on 23 June," d'Ancona wrote. Story continues "Instead, he has taken control of his destiny and left government at a time and in a manner of his own choosing." - 'Sleepless nights' for Cameron - D'Ancona added, one month after London Mayor Boris Johnson sided with the Leave camp against Cameron, those in favour of Brexit again had "the initiative, the energy, the sheer bloody audacity". "It is this, rather than welfare reform, that should be giving Cameron sleepless nights," he wrote. "The unity of the party is already under strain," added Paul Goodman, editor of Conservative Home, a commentary site popular with party grassroots, wrote. "Duncan Smith's walkout makes it less likely that it will hold together after the referendum." The minister's announcement came hours after the Treasury signalled a humiliating climbdown over the plans to change to the assessment criteria for welfare to the disabled. A former army officer often referred to by his three initials, "IDS" is one of six senior ministers who last month broke ranks with Cameron to back a British withdrawal from the European Union in the referendum. Duncan Smith was not speaking to media on Saturday but was due to appear on BBC television's main weekend political interview programme on Sunday. The main opposition Labour party called for the immediate reversal of what it said were "cruel" cuts to disability personal independence payment (PIP). Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, of the Scottish National Party, added on Twitter: "IDS resignation may be more about EU than his conscience - but he has struck a fatal blow to #PIP cuts and that's a good thing. "David_Cameron must now reverse the #PIP cuts immediately." Brazzaville (AFP) - Congo presidential candidate general Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko told AFP Saturday he had received a fresh police summons to report to authorities on the eve of the election, slamming what he termed a bid to torpedo his hopes of standing. The former army chief is running against incumbent President Denis Sassou Nguesso and faced police questioning last month after a video emerged on the Internet allegedly implicating him in an attempted coup. Mokoko's campaign organisers have dismissed as fake the video, taken sometime in the early 2000s and which appeared shortly after he held his first campaign rally on February 13. Congo's military chief from 1987 to 1993, Mokoko is currently special representative of the African Union Commission in the neighbouring Central African Republic. A police source confirmed that "a summons has indeed been sent to the general," inviting him to present himself for an interview "upon reception". Mokoko, who Saturday turned 69, was a longtime ally of Nguesso but on February 3 he announced his resignation as the president's advisor on peace and security, a post he had held since 2005. On February 8 he then announced plans to run against his former boss for the presidency. By Aaron Ross BRAZZAVILLE (Reuters) - Soldiers in Democratic Republic of Congo's army have taken part in at least three deadly attacks on civilians and turned a blind eye to other assaults carried out by rebels, a former U.N. investigator said in a report released on Friday. Spokesmen for Congo's government and army did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the allegations by the Congo Research Group at New York University, headed by Jason Stearns. More than 500 people have died in a wave of machete attacks and other raids in Congo's east since Oct. 2014, rights groups say. The government has blamed most of them on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan Islamist group that has operated in eastern Congo since the 1990s. But Stearns said witnesses and other evidence showed soldiers had participated in at least three attacks near the town of Beni between Oct. 2014 and March 2015. "We have collected matching testimonies on the involvement of (army) soldiers in certain massacres and also several general testimonies of (army) officers that confirm this complicity," the report said. The soldiers' motives were not clear, the report added, but it said there was evidence of past collaboration between army officers and the ADF in timber trafficking. Ethnic rivalries could also be involved in some cases, it said. Two colonels were convicted by a military court in Nov. 2014 in connection with the assassination of the commander of operations against the ADF near Beni earlier that year. Millions died between 1996 and 2003 in regional conflicts in Congo's east, mostly from hunger and disease. Dozens of armed groups continue to prey upon the local population and exploit the area's natural resources. The report said the repeated failure by army units, sometimes stationed close to the attack, to respond promptly suggested some officers had given orders not to intervene. The failure to respond to attacks was noted by a parliamentary mission report in Nov. 2014 and a report by the current U.N. panel of experts in Congo last year. "If you ask questions to understand why, they whip you," one noncommissioned officer told researchers about orders not to intervene. Stearns is a former coordinator of the U.N. panel of experts in Congo. (Reporting By Aaron Ross; Editing by Edward McAllister and Andrew Heavens) A nascent effort to organize a third-party bid by a conservative candidate as an alternative to Donald Trump appears to have been put on the back burner at least until the Republican National Convention, according to a statement from the organizers. Activist and pundit Erick Erickson, who has feuded with Trump since the billionaires first debate performance in August, helped to organize a meeting of long-time conservative donors and grassroots organizers in Washington yesterday. Related: The GOPs House of Cards Plots and Conspires to Keep Trump from Victory Erickson, who hosts a radio show, and founded the popular conservative blog RedState, was the most visible of the group of organizers, which also included former George W. Bush adviser Bill Wichterman and South Dakota businessman Bob Fischer. On his show Wednesday, Erickson had argued passionately for a third party run against Trump, in which Republicans unhappy with The Donald could offer a true conservative alternative. His point, boiled down to its essence, was that if Trump is the Republican nominee, he will lose to Hillary Clinton, and in doing so will drag down-ballot Republicans, from US Senators to candidates for the local school board, to defeat with him. This will happen, he said, because a large number of Republicans who simply refuse to vote for Trump wont show up at the polls at all in November, depriving other Republican candidates of their votes. Therefore, he argued, it is essential for conservatives worried about preserving the party below the level of the president to offer Republicans repelled by Trump a conservative alternative who could attract them to the polls. He dismissed arguments that running a third party candidate would help the likely Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, by arguing that Clinton is bound to win with or without a third party. Related: Trump to GOP Im Calling the Shots Now But after the meeting, Erickson published a statement from the participants on his new website TheResurgent.com that suggested the others in the meeting werent quite ready to make the leap to a third party yet. The statement included a vague call for a unity ticket and for all former candidates who have won delegates to encourage their supporters to stay with them on the first ballot, until the majority of delegates are released from the requirement that they vote for the candidate to whom they were originally bound. Story continues We call for a unity ticket that unites the Republican Party, The statement said. If that unity ticket is unable to get 1,237 delegates prior to the convention, we recognize that it took Abraham Lincoln three ballots at the Republican convention in 1860 to become the partys nominee and if it is good enough for Lincoln, that process should be good enough for all the candidates without threats of riots. (This was a reference to Trumps warning that there could be riots if he is denied the nomination after winning a plurality of the delegates.) We encourage all former Republican candidates not currently supporting Trump to unite against him and encourage all candidates to hold their delegates on the first ballot. Lastly, we intend to keep our options open as to other avenues to oppose Donald Trump. Our multiple decades of work in the conservative movement for free markets, limited government, national defense, religious liberty, life, and marriage are about ideas, not necessarily parties. Related: Is This the GOP Plan to Deny Trump the Nomination? Later, in an interview with Fox News, Erickson said that the consensus at the meeting was first to try to persuade the remaining two candidates, Florida Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, to join forces. There's a strong coalition looking at going to the existing candidates, Cruz and Kasich, saying you need to cut a deal and find a unity ticket within the Republican Party, he said. The final fallback option would be a third party, but the consensus is everyone would rather settle this on the convention floor. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Since moving to Singapore, I have noticed how part of the national persona involves having quite spirited opinions about where to find the best of any particular dish as well as regular food snapping (that is taking pics of your meal!) is a standard pastime. That said, at the risk of sounding cynical, with so much choice available, it is easy to see it all as same-same until a Sassy Mama work dinner found us all crowded around a whitewashed table at Crab in da Bag. Crab in da Bag is one of the East Coasts newest restaurant additions, and is bursting with delicious seafood, a super relaxed atmosphere, and all at wallet friendly prices too! And the best bit? You eat everything with your hands! The brainchild of former film producer A P Tan, Crab In Da Bag is nothing I have ever experienced before! The concept is a relatively simple one put your bib on and dig in! The crowd pleasing Louisiana-inspired Caboodle Boil is exactly as the name suggests it includes just about EVERY type of seafood item from their menu. Cooked in a titanic aluminum pot, the Southern Louisiana specialty is literally spilled onto your table, ready for you to dig in! The rest of the menu is up to you to season as you like, theres garlic butter (yes please!), ultimate curry (a must-try signature curry mix) or Crab in da Bags Caboodle Mix a secret combination of local and Louisiana spices (how could we refuse?). The Caboodle Boil3 So what did we Sassy Mamas dine on? We started with Crinkled Cauliflower (interesting!), Crispy Chewy Baby Squids (we loved the balance between the crispy and chewy), Louisiana Garlic Shrimps (to die for!), and Frizzled Silver Fish (my personal favourite). This was followed by the main event Crab in da Bags famous Caboodle Boil. Three words OH MY GOODNESS! It was so good and lip-smacking delicious I struggled to contain myself! King Crab Legs, Sri Lankan Crabs, yabbies, prawns, sausages, corn and potatoes were all competing for our culinary attention, and lets just say its going to take quite a few 10km runs to work off this meal! Story continues Somersby Garlic Prawns But what inspired the extremely congenial Ms. Tan to bring this unique concept dining experience to our little red dot? She explained she just wanted to see people reconnect over good makan and engage in real conversation with each other Forget your phones and devices and just concentrate on the people you are with if only for a meal! (they even provide little boxes to store your beloved phone in so you wont be inclined to use it whilst you are there!). Will this Mama be back? Absolutely! In fact, Im just putting together my guest list now Crab in da Bag Block D, #01-25 Big Splash, 902 East Coast Parkway, Singapore 449875 Tel: (+65) 6440 0083 Facebook page Opening hours Monday closed Tuesday to Friday 4pm-12am Saturday to Sunday 12pm-12am The post Crab in da Bag: eat-with-your-hands seafood on the East Coast appeared first on Sassy Mama Singapore. Miami (AFP) - Cubans rescued at sea off Florida say nine others died trying to reach the United States in a makeshift boat, the Coast Guard said. The 18 survivors, plucked from the waters west of Marco Island by a cruise ship, claimed they left Cuba 22 days ago and that their colleagues perished at sea during the dangerous crossing of the Florida Straits, the Coast Guard said in a statement. Word of the deaths comes as US President Barack Obama prepares to head to Cuba Sunday for a historic visit highlighting the restoration of relations between Havana and Washington. Obama will become the first sitting US president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge arrived on a battleship in 1928. Amid the US-Cuba diplomatic thaw, migrants from the communist-ruled island have voiced concerns it will prompt Washington to drop its "wet foot, dry foot" policy of automatically giving residency to Cubans who make it onto US soil. The Coast Guard's Capt. Mark Gordon urged people not to make the journey, saying tragedy was all too common for those attempting to cross the 90 mile (150 kilometer) Florida Straits with no safety or navigation equipment. "Immigration policies have not changed and we urge people not to take to the ocean in unseaworthy vessels," he said. "It is illegal and extremely dangerous." Those rescued were to be taken to the cruise ship's next port of call in Cozumel, Mexico. Czech director Jan Nemec, who took a prominent part in the new wave of Czechoslovak cinema in the 1960s, died Friday in Prague. He was 79. The local newspaper Dnes reported the filmmaker's passing, attributing the information to his wife Iva Ruszelakova. The cause of death was not revealed. Nemec came to the limelight in the 1960s, when the new wave of Czechoslovak cinema emerged, signifying a radical departure from the socialist realism genre imposed by the Communist rulers. The movement's other prominent members were Milos Forman and Vera Chytilova. Nemec's 1964 feature debut Demanty noci (Diamonds of the Night), centered on two boys escaping from a transport to a Nazi death camp, brought the helmer the grand prix of the Mannheim film festival. The director's next feature, O slavnosti a hostech (Report on the Party and Guests), a political thriller that satirized the totalitarian rule, was banned by Communist censors. When the Soviets invaded Prague in 1968, he smuggled footage of the invasion out of the country and used it for the documentary Oratorio for Prague. Subsequently banned from making films, Nemec emigrated in 1974 and worked in France, Germany, Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S. He returned to Czechoslovakia in 1989 and continued to make films, also teaching directing at FAMU film school. Before his death, Nemec worked on an autobiographical feature titled Vlk z Kralovskych Vinohrad (Kralovskych Vinohrad Wolf). Read More: Czech Animator Zdenek Smetana Dies at 90 By Lisa Maria Garza DALLAS (Reuters) - The two young daughters of Ukrainian pianist Vadym Kholodenko were found murdered inside their home in a Fort Worth, Texas, suburb, and his estranged wife sustained multiple stab wounds in the incident, local police said on Friday. Police in Benbrook said Kholodenko, 29, is not considered a suspect in the deaths of his daughters, Nika, 5, and Michela, 1, who were discovered in their bedrooms early on Thursday. Their mother, 31-year-old Sofya Tsygankova, underwent surgery at a local hospital, police said. She will be held for mental evaluation once she recovers from her physical injuries, police Commander David Babcock said. Babcock told a news conference the police do not see any immediate threat to the community and are not actively searching for a suspect. Kholodenko had an appointment to pick up the children on Thursday morning from his estranged wife's home, he said. "Once he arrived there, he found the mother in an extreme state of distress and discovered the children in their state," Babcock said. "He has been cooperative in this investigation. He is not considered a suspect at this time." Police previously said there were no signs of forced entry into the home and that they were investigating the case as a double homicide. A cause of death had not been determined as of Friday morning. Police said the children had not been stabbed. "The loss of my children will be with me forever. But I would like to say that I feel the support of the Fort Worth community and all people who are sending me messages all over the world," Kholodenko said in a statement on Friday evening. "Wherever I go after this tragedy, my heart will stay with the people here of Fort Worth and my daughters will rest in this soil," he added. In 2013, he won the gold medal in the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He was scheduled to have three shows with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra over the weekend, and a replacement has been named for him, the orchestra said. Story continues Kholodenko and Tsygankova married in 2010, but filed for divorce last November, according to court records obtained by local media. Police were called to this residence twice in 2014 for undisclosed reasons, Babcock said. (Reporting by Lisa Maria Garza and Jon Herskovitz; Editing by G Crosse and Sandra Maler) Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - A Brazilian senator charged in an explosive corruption scandal said Saturday that President Dilma Rousseff knew everything about the embezzlement scheme at state oil company Petrobras and directly benefited from it. "Dilma inherited and benefited directly from this system, which financed her election campaigns" in 2010 and 2014, said Delcidio Amaral, the former Senate leader of the ruling Workers' Party, in an interview with weekly magazine Veja. Amaral said the leftist president's predecessor and mentor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva -- who faces corruption charges in the scandal -- "directed the scheme" of bribes paid out to politicians and parties. "Dilma also knew everything. The difference is she pretended like she didn't have anything to do with it," he told Veja. "Lula directly negotiated the appointment of Petrobras's directors with the different parties in Congress and knew exactly what the parties did with the directorships, mainly in terms of financing their campaigns." Investigators say Petrobras executives colluded with construction companies to overbill the company by billions of dollars over the course of a decade, paying bribes to politicians and parties to keep the system going. Rousseff and Lula "systematically obstructed justice" to protect themselves from anti-corruption investigators, Amaral said. It is the latest damaging allegation from the senator, who on Tuesday accused Rousseff of trying to buy his silence when he was detained in the Petrobras case. He made the accusation as part of a plea bargain in return for a lighter sentence. The latest twist in the Petrobras saga closes out a rough week for Rousseff. The president is fighting impeachment proceedings, mass protests and a firestorm over her move to name Lula as her chief of staff -- a move blocked by a Supreme Court judge over allegations she is trying to shield him from arrest by giving him ministerial immunity. Dakar (AFP) - The World Health Organization (WHO) has dispatched a team to Cape Verde to monitor a Zika virus outbreak following the west African archipelago's first recorded microcephaly case. The WHO said in a statement released Friday it was sending a team of epidemiologists, maternal health specialists and communication staff at the request of the government. "WHO is sending a team to Cabo Verde (Cape Verde), with joint participation of experts from WHO AFRO and the Institut Pasteur, Dakar," it said, referring to a Senegal-based infectious disease centre. It follows Cape Verde's announcement on Tuesday of the first appearance of microcephaly on the islands, a severe deformation of the brains of infants whose link with the mosquito-borne Zika virus is under close study. Cape Verde recorded 33 suspected cases of Zika in the first week of March alone, and has registered almost 7,500 cases since October 21 last year, according to WHO figures. Zika usually causes mild symptoms in adults, with a low fever, headaches and joint pain. But its quick spread has caused alarm due to an observed association with microcephaly and Guillain-Barre, a rare condition in which the body's immune system attacks a part of the nervous system that controls muscle strength. "Investigations are underway to determine if this case of microcephaly is linked to Cabo Verde's outbreak of Zika virus," the WHO statement said. There is currently no vaccine for the virus. Brazil has been hardest hit by Zika, with some 1.5 million people infected and 745 confirmed cases of microcephaly in children born to women infected with the virus while pregnant. Affected countries are focusing on wiping out mosquito populations in an effort to curb its spread. The number of babies with the condition has surged since a Zika outbreak sweeping Latin America was detected last year. All told, some 40 countries have reported transmission within their borders since then. When Nest Labs wants to increase profitability, it's up to Tejash Patel to help figure out how. Has the engineering department at the maker of smart thermostats, security cameras and other devices for the home put in features that don't address customer needs? Should the global supply manager negotiate better prices on certain parts? To find answers, Patel, a business operations systems manager in Nest's supply chain arm, analyzes data and meets frequently with the operations, engineering and marketing departments. "You can really have an impact on how the company operates," says Patel, 34. "You're not just sitting behind your computer not ever talking to anyone." It's a rare kid who dreams of working in supply chain management, a field where responsibilities typically divide into four parts: plan, source, make and deliver the product. Patel certainly didn't. He grew up intrigued by the computers his father, an engineer, brought home, and he studied computer science at the University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign. But demand for MBAs to fill these functions has been growing along with the geographical reach and complexity of supply and distribution channels, say b-school placement professionals. Companies focus on finding cost savings in their supply chain to avoid raising prices, says Dean Vera, director of the MBA Office of Career Management and assistant dean at the business school of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey--Newark and New Brunswick. Consulting firms also are looking for supply chain experts. Patel didn't know much about the field until he entered it. After college, he worked for several years in software development and as an information technology consultant. Eventually, tired of "clients in random cities with small problems," he headed to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, thinking that perhaps he would target Silicon Valley. Story continues A summer internship at Nest in Palo Alto, where a major project involved analyzing data and developing insights that would help upper management make strategic decisions, led to his current job after graduation in 2015. [Determine if an MBA in supply chain management fits your career goals.] He's glad that it offers the best of both worlds. There's a technical component; one responsibility is to supervise software developers creating the tools used to analyze data. And, he says, you can "touch different areas of the business that you don't often get to in other roles." Other areas are also heating up in MBA hiring. -- Market researcher: To help them beat the competition, companies need people who can analyze numbers and point to the next profitable niche. Expert projections put job growth in this field at 19 percent over the next 10 years or much faster than average. Market research analysts at the upper end of the pay scale can command a salary nearing $120,000. -- Technology product manager : New tech products constantly are debuting, and that spurs demand for tech-savvy brand managers. Unlike a product manager for a leading toothpaste, say, who can be effective at the job without ever having formulated toothpaste, technology brand managers are expected to be very familiar with a product's inner workings. Among 2015 MBA grads of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management, the mean salary for this type of job was $124,927, with a $25,265 signing bonus. [Dive into job rates and starting salaries for MBA grads.] -- Leader-in-training : Leadership development programs that rotate employees through company departments were among the first budget items cut during the financial downturn. Now they are being reinstated by employers in need of new managers to take over the business. Much of the action is in the manufacturing sector, experts say, where the workforce is older. A Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management report puts the average base salary around $120,000. This story is excerpted from the U.S. News "Best Graduate Schools 2017" guidebook, which features in-depth articles, rankings and data. Istanbul (AFP) - A suicide blast ripped through a top shopping district in Istanbul, killing at least four people and injuring dozens, the second attack in the heart of Turkey's major cities in a week. The sixth major bombing since July targeted Istiklal Caddesi, a bustling pedestrian street usually thronged with shoppers, tourists and buskers but which was still relatively quiet when the bomber struck at around 11:00 am (0900 GMT). Turkish media said three Israelis and one Iranian were killed, while two of the Israelis were also named by Washington as US citizens. CCTV footage circulated by Turkish media showed the alleged bomber wearing a long coat approaching a small group of people outside a local government building directly before the blast. Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said the building appeared to be the intended target, and a Western diplomatic source said the attacker may also have had tourists in his sights. A waiter working in a nearby restaurant, who only gave his first name, Mustafa, told AFP he heard "a loud explosion". "When I came out, people were running in every direction, but I ran towards the blast site to see what happened," he said, describing scenes of "carnage" with "people lying all about". No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but pro-government media blamed it on the Islamic State (IS) group, which has been accused of several attacks in Turkey including a deadly suicide bombing near the Blue Mosque in January. Several media outlets named the alleged perpetrator of Saturday's attack as Savas Yildiz, a 33-year-old Turkish radical. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed to track down those responsible, while NATO allies the US and Europe said they stood by Turkey. "We will fight with determination and perseverance until all forms of terrorism are eradicated," Davutoglu said. - 'Unqualified support' - Deputy health minister Ahmet Baha Otuken named an Israeli woman, Simha Demri, as one of the victims. Story continues The CNN-Turk channel said 31-year-old Iranian Ali Rza Khalman was killed along with two other Israelis -- Yonathan Suher, 40 and Avraham Goldman, 70. They were also named as US citizens by the State Department. Of the 36 injured, Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said 12 were foreigners. Six were Israelis, two were Irish and the four others from Germany, Iceland, Iran and Dubai, his office said. Turkey is on a knife-edge after five major bombings that have killed over 200 people since July, three of which have been blamed on IS while Kurdish groups have been accused of carrying out the others. Embarrassed by accusations of security lapses, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at journalists, activists and intellectuals who criticise his renewed battle against the Kurds, calling them "accomplices" of terror. Deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters he expected "unqualified support from those who call themselves Turkey's friends" -- apparently referencing recent criticism of Erdogan in Europe. US State Department spokesman John Kirby condemned the attack, saying: "The United States stands in solidarity with our NATO ally Turkey in combating the common threat of terrorism." United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon called for the perpetrators of "this appalling violence" to be brought to justice, while a European Union spokesperson sent a message of "continuing solidarity and support to Turkey". - German, US warnings - Turks are reeling from the increased frequency of the terror attacks that risk dealing a knockout blow to the country's vital tourism trade. The radical Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) claimed responsibility for last weekend's attack on a busy transport hub in Ankara that killed 35 people. TAK, which also claimed a February suicide bombing targeting troops in Ankara that killed 29 people, has ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) against which the Turkish army is fighting in a major offensive. IS was blamed for three of the previous five attacks, including an attack on a peace rally in Ankara in October that claimed 103 lives. On Thursday, Germany had closed its embassy in Ankara and consulate in Istanbul, citing "very serious" indications of planned attacks. The US embassy in Ankara had also warned its citizens in Turkey to avoid public gatherings ahead of Kurdish Nevruz (New Year) celebrations on Sunday and Monday, a rallying point in the past for pro-Kurdish protests. In July, the PKK resumed its three-decade-long insurgency against the Turkish state following the collapse of a shaky two-year ceasefire. The conflict has claimed some 40,000 lives. HOUSTON (Reuters) - Union workers at Exxon Mobil Corp's Baytown, Texas, refinery will vote next week on a contract extension offer from the company, the president of the United Steelworkers union local said on Friday. The extension offer fails to meet the pattern agreed to by USW oil workers in late 2014, Steelworkers Local 13-2001 President Ricky Brooks said. "We're working to vote it down," said Brooks. An Exxon spokesman declined to discuss the Baytown refinery negotiations. Between February and June in 2015 more than 6,000 workers at 15 plants including 12 refineries accounting for one-fifth of national capacity walked off their jobs to win a contract that conformed to USW pattern. While a national agreement was reached by the USW and refinery owners in early March, strikes continued at some plants into the summer over local issues. Exxon workers have several local issues they want to raise with the company before finishing talks, Brooks said. Approval of the extension offer would cut off talks. The current contract does not expire until mid-May and both sides have to observe a 60-day labor peace period before a strike could begin. The 560,500 barrel per day (bpd) Baytown refinery is the second-largest in the United States and the company's largest in the nation. (Reporting by Erwin Seba; editing by Grant McCool) By Matthew Miller and Paul Carsten BEIJING (Reuters) - Facebook's co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg met China's propaganda tsar Liu Yunshan in Beijing on Saturday as part of a charm offensive in one of the few markets where the social network cannot be accessed. The rare meeting, reported by China's state news agency Xinhua, suggests warming relations between Facebook and the Chinese government, even as Beijing steps up censorship of and control over the Internet. Liu, who sits on the Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee which is the apex of power in China, praised Facebook's technology and management methods, Xinhua said. Zuckerberg was in Beijing for the China Development Forum, a government-sponsored conference bringing together top business executives and the country's ruling elite. China "hopes (Facebook) can strengthen exchanges, share experiences and improve mutual understanding with China's Internet companies", Xinhua quoted Liu as telling Zuckerberg. Earlier this year, Beijing introduced new rules on online publication, which analysts say may place further curbs on foreign internet businesses trying to operate in China. Online content publishers should "promote core socialist values" and spread ideas, morals and knowledge that improve the quality of the nation and promote economic development. Foreign companies in China, especially in media, face political pressure from a range of regulations. The country's military newspaper calls the Internet the most important front in an ideological battle against "Western anti-China forces". China, the world's second largest economy, has the biggest Internet population, numbering almost 700 million people. On Friday, Zuckerberg posted an image of himself running through smog in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, past the portrait of the late Chairman Mao Zedong hanging over the Forbidden City. The 31-year-old has achieved celebrity status in China, one of the few markets where Facebook and other foreign Internet platforms, including Alphabet Inc's Google services and Twitter Inc, are not available due to tight government controls. He has long sought to improve his company's relationship with the Chinese authorities, and now sits on the advisory board of the School of Economics and Management at China's elite Tsinghua University. Zuckerberg began his remarks to the forum in Mandarin, speaking about the promise of artificial intelligence, particularly devices such as self-driving cars and medical diagnostics. He sidestepped sensitive issues, talking instead about technology and his family. "The one thing I am extremely optimistic about for China is the emphasis on engineering," Zuckerberg said. He did not respond to a question from Reuters about Facebook's plans to do business in China. During the forum, Alibaba Group Holdings's Executive Chairman Jack Ma praised Zuckerberg, saying he respected Chinese culture and ran a "great company". "He respects the Chinese and Oriental culture by instinct," Ma said. "Not because he wants to make money." (Additional reporting by Shao Xiaoyi, Shu Zhang and Benjamin Kang Lim; Editing by Tom Hogue and Alexander Smith) (Reuters) - The father of a U.S. Air Force airman who helped to thwart a train attack in France was one of three men indicted on Friday in a Sacramento federal court on fraud and arson charges, according to local media and court documents. Brian Stone, 57, indicted on 13 counts of mail and wire fraud, is accused of helping Jamal Shehadeh with insurance claims after the second man allegedly had fires set at six commercial properties from December 2009 to September 2013 in Sacramento and Carmichael, California, court documents showed. The Sacramento Bee newspaper reported that Stone is the father of U.S. Air Force airman Spencer Stone. Spencer Stone and his two friends subdued a gunman on a high-speed train bound for Paris in August last year, winning accolades from the presidents of France and the United States. Spencer Stone told the Sacramento Bee he did not know about the allegations against his father and declined to comment on the case. Brian Stone's attorney told Reuters he had no comment on the indictment. Shehadeh, 57, was indicted on 52 counts of mail and wire fraud, seven counts of arson and one count of money laundering. Saber Shehadeh, 73, was charged with three counts of mail fraud, according to court documents. Saber Shehadeh is a relative of Jamal Shehadeh, the Bee reported. After fires were set at commercial properties, the three submitted insurance claims that contained false statements about the incidents and businesses. They received more than $1.5 million in insurance money, according to a U.S. Department of Justice statement. All three men were denied bail on Friday, according to court documents. The mail and wire fraud charges carry a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The arson charges carry a five to 20-year prison sentence and a maximum fine of $250,000. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Tom Hogue and Alexander Smith) Yahoo Finance sat down with former-NSA and CIA head General Michael Hayden to discuss terrorism threats and the stand-off between the FBI and Apple (AAPL) in the San Bernadino iPhone standoff. But Hayden said that while a lot of our energy has been focused on immediate threats, we have lost sight of key long-term issues, notably China. The managing of the emergence of a new global power is the most serious challenge for American diplomacy and statecraft that we face, he said. As presidential candidate Donald Trump has riled up voters in calling out free trade deals with China and Mexico, Hayden said this rhetoric and discussion are worrisome. Its a tremendous danger. We are a very competitive society. Look at our numbers globally in terms of what our economy is doing. We are actually pretty healthy. This is not Weimar America. Were actually being fairly successful because we are open to global trade. I know it raises all sorts of issues in fairness and we ought to do a better job at accommodating some of the ill effects of global trade." He emphasized that global trade benefits the U.S. and tariff proposals would be detrimental to our economy. So when you talk about slopping on tarriffs that look a bit like Smoot Hawley back in the '20s that everyone agrees deepened the Great Depression, its really scary stuff. The United States and China, the worlds second-largest economy, are more co-dependent than ever before in history. I dont know of another example in history when the economies of the emerging and status quo power have been so deeply intertwined as the American and the Chinese economies. Officer Allen Lee Jacobs is pictured in this undated handout photo provided by the Greenville Police Department in South Carolina. REUTERS/Greenville Police Department/Handout via Reuters (Reuters) - A self-described gang member killed a South Carolina police officer on Friday, then called his own mother before turning the gun on himself, police said. The suspect committed suicide moments after firing on officers who were trying to serve him with an arrest warrant at a house in Greenville, South Carolina, Greenville Police Chief Ken Miller told reporters. The department identified the slain officer as Allen Lee Jacobs, 28, an Army veteran who served in Iraq before joining the force in 2011. "We lose, we hurt, we ache," Miller said. "In an instant, lives can change forever." Jacobs, whose job was to investigate gang activity, was among several serving the warrant targeting a man police said was a known and self-described gang member, Miller said. The man ran down the street and the officers chased him until the man opened fire, hitting Jacobs several times, Miller said. The suspect then ran a short distance, called his mother, and shot himself to death, Miller said. He had no further details on the man's phone conversation. Jacobs, a father of two boys, was expecting a baby girl with his wife in July. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital, the department said. (Reporting by Karen Brooks in Fort Worth, Texas and Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by James Dalgleish and Michael Perry) Indian Wells (United States) (AFP) - Serena Williams advanced to her first Indian Wells final since 2001, describing it as a landmark achievement which will finally put to rest one of the most "awful" moments of her career. "After the last final I had here, I never pictured myself being back," Williams said Friday. "Definitely didn't think I would be in another final here, ever. "I think it's kind of cool that I can really close the door by being in the final again." The American veteran overpowered Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 7-6 (7/1) in the semi-finals Friday. She turned on the heat against Radwanska late in the second set, winning 11 of the final 12 points of the match to book her spot in Sunday's final. Williams advances to face 2012 Indian Wells champion Victoria Azarenka who defeated 18th seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova 7-6 (7/1), 1-6, 6-2 in the other semi-final. Williams has a chance to become the first three-time winner in women's singles at Indian Wells, a feat she failed to achieve last year when she pulled out of her semi-final match with a knee injury. Last year's semi-final withdrawal cut short the 21-time Grand Slam winner's first Indian Wells campaign since 2001, when spectators booed her during the final and jeered her sister, Venus, and father Richard Williams after the pair arrived to watch the match. Richard Williams alleges he heard racial comments. That scene sparked a lengthy boycott by both Williams sisters as Serena returned in 2015 and Venus made her long-awaited return this year, losing to a qualifier in her opening match. - 'Awful, awful, awful' - "It was an awful, awful, awful experience," said Williams, who beat Kim Clijsters in three sets in that 2001 final. "I only got through it through prayer. I just remember saying, 'Just help me get through this. I don't even want to win.' "I believe I lost the first set maybe. And then somehow I was holding the trophy after that. That's all I'm going to say about that." Story continues Williams, who has heard cheers throughout this week's matches, envisions a warm response from the crowd on Sunday. "I can only hope that it will be really positive. That's all I can hope for," she said. Williams likes to refer to her ability to muster the strength to hit winning shots on key points in the match as her "inner tiger". "She was there. She didn't come out," Williams said of her erratic play on Friday. "She was just quiet, but she was quiet winning points. She won 11 points in a row (at the beginning of the second set). She was there." At 34 years, six months Williams is the oldest women's finalist in Indian Wells' history, beating the record of Martina Navratilova who was one month younger when she won the crown in 1991. "I guess, that's awesome to be the grandma in the tournament," Williams quipped. Williams, who also won in 1999, had to dig deep in the final two games of the match after world number three Radwanska broke her in the 11th game of the second set to take a 6-5 lead. Radwanska was playing so well in the middle of the second set that it appeared for a while they were going to need a third. Williams pulled it off despite making 29 unforced errors and six double faults. She also blasted 41 winners compared to just 18 for Radwanska. Lesbos (Greece) (AFP) - Flimsy boats packed with migrants continued to land in Greece from Turkey on Sunday despite the start of a landmark deal between the European Union and Ankara to stem the massive influx. Under the controversial deal, which came into force at midnight, all migrants landing on the Greek islands face being sent back to Turkey. And in a grim start to an agreement designed to stop people from making a journey fraught with danger, two little girls were found drowned and two Syrian refugees died of heart attacks after the crossing. Nine more died and hundreds were rescued off Libya, the Red Crescent said, as fears grow that the shutdown of the Greek route could encourage more people to attempt the even riskier Mediterranean crossing to Italy. On the Greek island of Lesbos, police said some 800 migrants had arrived by midday despite the EU-Turkey deal formally coming into effect. Officials said it would take time to start sending people back, as Greece awaits thousands of European staff needed to take on the daunting task of mass repatriation. The SOMP agency coordinating Athens' response to the crisis insisted however that those arriving from Sunday faced certain return to Turkey. "They will not be able to leave the islands, and we are awaiting the arrival of international experts who will launch procedures for them to be sent back," the agency said. The European Commission has said the agreement, which has faced international criticism, will require the mobilisation of some 4,000 police, security staff and other personnel. France and Germany have offered to send up to 600 police and asylum experts, while Romania said Sunday that it would send 70. - Thousands protest across Europe - Under the deal, for every Syrian among those sent back from Greece to Turkey, the EU will resettle one Syrian from the Turkish refugee camps where nearly three million people are living after fleeing their country's brutal civil war. Story continues The EU will also speed up talks on Ankara's bid to join the 28-nation bloc, double refugee aid to six billion euros ($6.8 billion), and give visa-free travel to Turks in Europe's Schengen passport-free zone by June. The aim is to cut off a route that enabled 850,000 people to pour into Europe last year, fleeing conflict and misery in the Middle East and elsewhere. But Amnesty International has called the deal a "historic blow to human rights," and on Saturday thousands of people marched in European cities including London, Athens, Barcelona and Amsterdam in protest. On Lesbos, Gatan, a Syrian who had just arrived with his wife and two children, said he chose to ignore warnings about the deal. "In Turkey they told us not to go to Greece, that we risk arrest," he told AFP. But he added: "We could not stay in Turkey. We want to go to Germany or France." - 'Treated like animals' - Realistically, migrants will likely not start being returned to Turkey until April 4, according to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a key backer of the scheme. EU officials have stressed that each application for asylum will be treated individually, with full rights of appeal and proper oversight. The deal also plans major aid for Greece, a country now struggling not only with a debt crisis but with some 47,500 migrants stranded on its territory. On the Macedonian border alone, 12,000 people are stuck in dire conditions, after a string of border closures on the Balkan migrant route that has left Athens dealing with a huge bottleneck. The charity Doctors Without Borders said 33 migrants had been treated Sunday for injuries inflicted by Macedonian police as they tried to slip across the shuttered border with Greece. In Turkey, around 200 migrants were caught off the coast and turned back as they tried to reach Greece before the deadline, a Turkish coastguard official said. They were detained on a ship for 36 hours and were being held in a pen in the port of Dikili, where they pressed against the metal gates, chanting "We want to go! We don't want to stay!" "We were treated like animals on the big ship. They gave us no food or water," a 19-year-old Syrian told AFP. Melbourne (AFP) - Indonesian rookie Rio Haryanto had a troubled start to his Formula One career, crashing in the pit lane and receiving a three-place grid penalty from Australian Grand Prix stewards on Saturday. Haryanto, his country's first-ever F1 driver, suffered the indignity of crashing before he even got on to the track for final practice in Melbourne, an accident which means he will start Sunday's race in last place. Haryanto headed out of the Manor Racing team garage but collided with the Haas driver Romain Grosjean. Engineers had to disentangle the chassis of the two cars before they were forced back into the garage for repairs. The Indonesian appeared at fault as he ventured out of his garage into the pit lane and nudged Grosjean's passing car, damaging his front wing. The stewards blamed Haryanto for the mishap and gave him a three-place grid penalty, saying he "did not pay attention to the approaching car (of Grosjean) that was in the fast lane". The Indonesian, who was second-slowest in qualifying but is now demoted to last on the grid, also picked up two penalty points. "Sorry guys," Haryanto was heard to say to his hard-pressed support team as his car was pushed back. Haas said their engineers had to replace the floor on Grosjean's car following the incident and it cost him half of final practice. Haryanto's day got no better when he was the second driver knocked out in qualifying. The 23-year-old F1 driver only secured a seat in Manor Racing after he managed to pay 15 million euros (about $16.62 million) to join the British F1 racing team, according to local media. Melissa Rauch is a "boss ass bitch," and now she has her own track to prove it. The Big Bang Theory actress recorded a new song for The Bronze, in which she stars as Hope Ann Gregory, a foul-mouthed former Olympic gymnastic bronze medalist whose celebrity status in her small town is challenged when a younger athlete begins to take center stage. Gary Cole, Thomas Middleditch and Cecily Strong also star in the R-rated comedy, which marks the directorial debut of Bryan Buckley. Rauch and her husband (the couple also penned the script together) wrote her verses in the song "F That!" which plays over the end credits. With a strong Ohio accent, Rauch as Hope drops a ton of F-bombs and punchlines while rapping about her gymnastics skills, her hometown fame and how she's "a fing role model, it's a shit ton of pressure." "I'm a boss ass bitch, check the resume, son / I brought the bronze home, homie, what the fhave you done?" she raps throughout the track, which also includes Cole calling her in the background. "I'll wait." Read More: Melissa Rauch Talks Female Antiheroes and "Beautiful" Gymnastics Sex of 'The Bronze' (Q&A) The track also features the group Pretty Taking All Fades. "When they saw the movie to get their approval for their song 'Boss Ass Bitch,' they asked to do an original song as well," Rauch tells The Hollywood Reporter. "Hope rapping was an afterthought we added it at the very last minute before Sundance. I'm so excited that we were able to do it." Sony Pictures Classics releases The Bronze on March 18. Listen to the song below (NSFW). Herbert Hoover is a name that lives in infamy in America, forever tied to a stubborn, detached leader unable to combat the worst economic calamity in the nations history. In Belgium, however, Hoover is synonymous with hero, a stubborn, detached leader who kept millions of Belgians from starving during their countrys darkest hour. It was a century ago on Oct. 22, 1914, that the newly minted Commission for Relief in Belgium (CRB), headed by the future U.S. president, embarked on an urgent and unparalleled humanitarian relief effort. If nothing changed, millions of Belgians had two weeks to live. When German forces stormed the independent kingdom of Belgium in August 1914 at the start of World War I, they destroyed the prosperous nations villages and factories, and seized land and livestock for their invading troops. By October, with the Germans refusing to feed the besieged civilians and Great Britains naval blockade choking off imports to a country that relied on them for 70 percent of its food, the situation was beyond dire. If nothing changed, millions of Belgians had two weeks to live. And so began what remains the most impressive philanthropic undertaking in history: the U.S.-led effort to save an entire nation, in the midst of war, from almost certain starvation. The Belgian relief missions organizing force and its lifeblood the man whom thousands of unpaid volunteers would idolize as their Chief was not a world leader or even a government official. He was a private U.S. citizen, a Stanford-educated mining engineer and businessman living in London who was known for his short fuse and icy temperament. Just making money isnt enough, Herbert Hoover confided to a friend that August, on the eve of his 40th birthday. For the son of Iowa Quakers who had been orphaned at a young age, work had always been his life, and he had accumulated more than $4 million supervising mining projects across the globe. But Hoover was hungry to enter public life and get into the big game. He was preparing to enter the newspaper business in California, when the war broke out in Europe. Story continues When thousands of his fellow countrymen were stranded in Europe at the start of the war, Hoover helped to organize a relief effort in London, and his remarkable efficiency in doing so made a big impression on U.S. officials. And when next asked to take the reins of the CRB in October, Hoover set straight to work. The CRB was backed quietly by a U.S. government wishing to remain neutral in the conflict and was staffed mostly with American volunteers including more than a dozen American Rhodes scholars who interrupted their studies in Oxford to work for Hoover but was its own private relief organization. It would become, as one British official put it, a piratical state organized for benevolence, with Hoover as its benign dictator. Herbert Hoover and Kitty Dalton of the Knights of Columbus inspect supplies that will be sent to starving European Children by the European Relief Council. Herbert Hoover (far right) and Kitty Dalton of the Knights of Columbus inspect supplies that will be sent by the European Relief Council in 1921. Source: Corbis Even the astounding numbers accompanying Hoovers efforts cannot truly capture the scale of the endeavor and the magnitude of the competence required to pull it off. To sustain the millions of Belgians on at least 1,800 calories per day, Hoover needed to raise $12 million per month, plus another $10 million to maintain the supply lines, including 60 cargo ships and 400 barges, needed to acquire and deliver tens of thousands of pounds of food from all over the world rice from Rangoon, wheat from America, beans from Manchuria. To do so, Hoover not only led an unprecedented marketing campaign to raise funds from private donors and millions of citizens but also shook down governments on all sides of the conflict. The daring CRB chairman routinely placed large supply orders costing more than five times his cash on hand; he commandeered railways, factories, warehouses and canal boats; and he resuscitated several Belgian industries, such as lacemaking, to keep the nations economy afloat. But just as impressive as the sheer scale of the operation was the context in which it was accomplished. In order to get the food shipments through the U-boat- and mine-infested English Channel and up the canals to Belgium, Hoover had to secure the cooperation of the combatants. He likened the task to trying to feed a hungry kitten by means of a 40-foot bamboo pole, said kitten being confined in a barred cage with two hungry lions. The unflappable Hoover repeatedly met with both German and British representatives, and for days on end deployed arguments, veiled threats, deception and outright lies to cajole both governments into doing the right thing. He convinced the Germans that if Belgium starved, an outraged America would surely enter the war; he convinced the British that if Belgium starved, an alienated America would surely remain on the sidelines. In almost three years, Hoover and the CRB delivered 2.5 million tons of food to Belgian and French tables. True to his Quaker upbringing and rather joyless personality, Hoover remained distant, even avoiding encounters with the very Belgians he was helping. But time and again, as U-boats took down his ships and leaders like Winston Churchill berated him, Hoover persevered and Belgium, and later occupied France, ate. Few ordinary Belgians and Frenchmen, says biographer Eugene Lyons in Herbert Hoover, knew by how thin a margin they were rescued again and again from the lingering death of starvation. In almost three years, Hoover and the CRB delivered 2.5 million tons of food to Belgian and French tables, feeding up to 9 million people each day, every day. President Woodrow Wilson and his War Council, including Herbert Hoover (back row, far left). President Woodrow Wilson (front row, center) and his War Council, including future President Herbert Hoover (back row, far left), in 1918. Source: Corbis The entire effort cost nearly a billion dollars, yet not a penny was lost to fraud, and since Hoover and his associates performed their Herculean labors for free, there were virtually no administrative costs. These days, even the most efficient charity will spend about 20 percent of its funds on overhead expenses; the CRBs total overhead came to 0.43 percent. At the conclusion of the war, the CRB even had a surplus of roughly $35 million, which it distributed to Belgian educational institutions. In the press, Hoover played down his crucial role in the effort, and his name was never mentioned in the German-censored Belgian media, but every man, woman and child in Belgium knew who had saved them. After the war, King Albert named Hoover the one and still only Friend of the Belgian People, and he was given a Belgian passport marked perpetual. Today, Hoover streets, squares and libraries dot the country. The CRB would serve as a model for all future relief efforts and organizations. But Hoovers mercurial nature, boorish reputation and poor communication skills would prove far less effective in shaping economic policy and helping shepherd the American people through their own hardship during the Great Depression. Still, by 1923, when Hoover had completed almost a decade of relief work with the CRB and other postwar relief organizations, over 80 million people, including thousands of Germans, had received food from sources that Hoover administered. How many other U.S. presidents can say that? Related Articles DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland's Green party may be prepared to back a minority government led by one of the country's two major parties, its leader said on Saturday, although he noted that neither would be able to govern without the other's consent. Prime Minister Enda Kenny's Fine Gael party won an election last month but fell well short of a majority and was left without natural coalition partners in a fractured parliament. Second-placed Fianna Fail is its only realistic option for forming a government, but the two are historic rivals and many in both parties are strongly resistant to a tie-up. The two parties have not discussed the prospect of an alliance but have each sought support from smaller parties and independents who acknowledge they cannot put either into power alone but may be willing to support an eventual deal. "If there is to be a minority government that in any way has a chance of working, there has to be a wide contribution in it," Eamon Ryan, leader of the Green Party, which has two seats in the 157-seat chamber, told national broadcaster RTE. "(But) the pure maths of it is that it would still require Fianna Fail, in effect, to sign off on it or Fine Gael to sign off on a Fianna Fail minority, although that looks less likely." The Greens, junior partner in the 2007-2011 government, are the only party not to have ruled out supporting a Fine Gael or Fianna Fail government. Both parties have also held talks with 13 independents, according to one of the lawmakers present. If Kenny wins their support ahead of the next vote to elect a prime minister, expected on April 6, his depleted party of 50 deputies would still be well short of the 79 needed for a majority. That would leave it reliant on fellow center-right party Fianna Fail, which holds 43 seats. "You have to have an agreement between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail if it is to be a minority government but do we want to let the two main parties head off in their own direction while we shout across the corridors," said independent lawmaker Michael Fitzmaurice, part of the six-member Independent Alliance group. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Catherine Evans) By Frank Jack Daniel HAVANA (Reuters) - Fluttering U.S. flags, fixed-up roads and fresh paint on colonial buildings convey the optimism in Havana ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's historic visit this weekend, but rising inequality sours the mood for some of the city's poor. The White House says the first such trip by a U.S. president since Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution is a step toward better lives for Cuban people suffering under a U.S. embargo. The Obama policy has specifically targeted Cuba's small but growing private sector with measures such as allowing sales of farm and construction equipment for non-state enterprises. Private-sector workers already enjoy advantages over those at the bottom of the income ladder, who must survive on meager state salaries and rations. These low-paid workers feel left behind as prices rise, and see Obama's visit as far removed from their difficult lives. "He'll come, take a ride in a vintage car and smoke a cigar - then he's gone," said Alberto Hernandez, a Afro-Cuban street sweeper, whose salary of 240 Cuban pesos a month, about $10, makes it hard to afford basics like toothpaste, he said. Like many in Cuba, Hernandez remembers the most prosperous era to be the 1980s, when the Soviet Union still funded the Communist-led island. In contrast, even fervent supporters of Obama in the city see the ongoing U.S. embargo as a leading cause of poverty. Low wages are not new to Cuba, and they are augmented by heavily-subsidised food, along with free healthcare and other government handouts, but the contrast with a relatively successful new middle class is stark. "This is one of the biggest challenges for the state - to control inequality," said Cuban sociologist Aurelio Alonso. "It must allow inequality to grow as little as possible." There are no available figures for Cuban wealth distribution, but the gap between rich and poor is visibly far narrower than in most other parts of Latin America, with most of the island's nouveau-riche living modestly by global standards. The Cuban government under President Raul Castro has already responded to one of the causes of discontent - rising food prices, blamed partly on economic reforms that gave the private sector a bigger role in food distribution. In a partial rollback, some of Havana's neighborhood markets have given up on cooperatives with which they had struck deals and reverted to a state-run model with fixed prices. Most of the winners, created by Obama's looser restrictions on Cuban-Americans sending dollars to relatives and Cuba's cautious opening to private enterprise, are white Cubans. Their exile families are more firmly established in the United States than Afro-Cubans. Yolanda Sanchez, an Afro-Cuban, lives in a damp, windowless room, in a maze-like building of tiny apartments, some exposed to the elements by cracks in the ceiling. The decrepit former newspaper office is two blocks from streets painted and resurfaced ahead of Obama's visit. "That is just a facade," Sanchez said, adding that she had lived in the supposedly temporary accommodation, provided by the state, for 12 years waiting for a proper home. "For us nothing is repaired." Her son, a former public sector physiotherapist now trying his luck with a cycle-taxi, was more vehement. "The change is not for the people, it's for government officials and their children," he said, asking not to be named. Not all poor public sector workers feel the same. Weighing vegetables for customers at a sun-dappled market nearby, Raymundo Goulet Odelin said profits of rapprochement with the United States would be seen in the long term. "Change doesn't happen overnight, my grandchildren will benefit from this," he said. "This makes us happy. We've been enemies for 50 years, and really we're not anyone's enemies." (Editing by Nick Zieminski) Lyon (AFP) - Interpol on Saturday urged "extra vigilance at border controls" the day after the arrest of top Paris attacks fugitive Salah Abdeslam in Belgium. "The capture of the 26-year-old Belgian-born French national... may encourage any accomplices to attempt to flee Europe, or elsewhere," the world police body warned its 190 member countries. In a statement, Interpol drew particular attention to a blank Syrian passport that was found outside the Stade de France stadium, one of the targets of the November 13 attacks that claimed 130 lives. The body based in Lyon, France, said the passport had been recorded in Interpol's Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database in April 2014, adding that it was part of a batch of 1,452 stolen blank passports. "An advisory sent to all member countries... recommends enhanced checks at control points, particularly against" the SLTD database, it said. The SLTD was created in 2002 after the September 11 attacks in the United States. The database "holds details of some 250,000 stolen and lost Syrian and Iraqi passports, of which more than 190,000 were reported stolen as blank," Interpol said. "Whilst it is too soon to speculate in which direction the investigation will proceed, anyone linked to Abdeslam will be concerned that their location could be revealed and attempt to run to try and avoid detection," said Interpol Secretary General Juergen Stock. Belgium is to be congratulated on the arrest of Salah Abdeslam, but this is just one piece in a larger puzzle, he said. Interpol said its global database on "foreign terrorist fighters" contains information on some 6,000 individuals provided by more than 50 countries. By David Dolan ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif joined his Turkish hosts in Istanbul on Saturday in condemning a suicide bombing by suspected Kurdish militants in a main shopping district that killed five people. Zarif, on a visit to bolster bilateral trade and discuss political differences over the war in neighboring Syria, said the bombing - which also injured 36 people - "displays the ugly face of terrorism". Iran has been a strong strategic ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the start of the uprising against him, while Turkey has been one of his fiercest critics, supporting his opponents and giving refuge to rebel fighters. While Ankara and Tehran remain divided over the conflict in Syria, Zarif and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu said both sides wanted to mend a relationship that could help establishment of peace and stability in the Middle East. Turkey's foreign ministry has said the aim of the talks during Zarif's visit will be "current regional and international developments" as well as relations between the two countries. Zarif suggested business would be high on the agenda. "We are seeking the best possible level of economic cooperation with Turkey after the nuclear deal," he told reporters in Istanbul. After the lifting of international sanctions this year following a deal with Western powers to curb its nuclear program, Iran has become the biggest economy to rejoin the global trading system since the Soviet Union broke up more than two decades ago. Gains by moderate allies of pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani in Iran's last month crucial elections have raised hopes for boosting foreign investment in Iran, a country with 80 million people and some of the world's biggest oil and gas reserves. "Iran and Turkey enjoy many commonalities ... The leaders of Iran and Turkey seriously want to further develop economic ties," Zarif told Iran's state news agency IRNA in Istanbul. "We face common regional threats and of course have different views regarding some issues that should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations." At a news conference after meeting Cavusoglu, Zarif said Syria's national unity and territorial integrity had to be respected. "We strongly believe that as neighbors of Syria, Iran and Turkey can work together to bring peace to Syria. We are ready to help people in Syria to decide about their country's fate," Zarif said. Hopes of a breakthrough at the Syria peace talks in Geneva remain slim despite a more than two-week-old "cessation of hostilities" and Russia's pulling out some of its forces. Assad's government has ruled out the idea of a federal system in Syria after a Russian official said that could be a possible model. Turkey, whose conflict with the Kurdish PKK has escalated in recent months, has ruled out the declaration of a federal region in Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Syria. Cavusoglu said the Syrian Kurdish PYD party, which Turkey sees as an extension of the PKK, and the affiliated Syrian Kurdish YPG militia had "shown their real faces". "They want to divide Syria. With Iran, we support the territorial integrity of Syria," he told the news conference. Zarif is also due to meet with President Tayyip Erdogan, and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu during his visit. (Additional reporting by Tulay Karadeniz and Parisa Hafezi in Ankara; Writing by David Dolan and Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Tom Heneghan) The OZY Top 25: Each week we share an irresistible vacation hideaway, chosen by OZY staff. Sometimes escapism smells like horse shit. Sometimes fudge. When you get off the ferry at Mackinac Island (pronounced MACK-ih-naw), your nose will treat you to a rather odd mixture of the two. But dont let that stop you. Youll find plenty of other things to distract you on this majestic island near Michigans Upper Peninsula that is both lost in time and located far enough off the beaten track that Google Maps still needs to be badgered to give you directions. One thing you will not be distracted by: a car horn. Thats because all motorized vehicles have been banned here since 1896 rather forward-thinking when you consider the fact that Michigans favorite son, Henry Ford, did not introduce the Model T until 1908. All visitors to the island, located near where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meet, must therefore walk, cycle or take a horse-drawn taxi. Hence the horse shit. The island brings together the feel of a bygone era like no other U.S. tourist destination. But whether its enjoying a moonlit carriage ride, an 8-mile pedal around the islands perimeter or just ambling on foot between the fudge shops lining Main Street, finding alternative transport was never so much fun. Sure, the island has its modern trappings, from the souvenir shops to the blueberry cheesecake-flavored fudge, but the former fur trading post with its grand Victorian houses and inns, its lighthouses, colonial fort and pristine forests brings together the feel of a bygone era like no other U.S. tourist destination, including costume-clad Colonial Williamsburg. The big difference is that Mackinac Island is not a museum, says Peter Payette, news director at Interlochen Public Radio. It is real. The inhabitants live there and do not take off costumes and go home at night. Of course, you can dress up yourself, and, in some cases, you will have to. Those visiting the islands crown jewel, the romantic 390-room Grand Hotel, with its spectacular Grand Dining Room and the worlds longest porch, must wear evening wear after 6:30 p.m. Nonguests of the hotel can pay $10 to gain admission to the hotel and explore its grounds. If you can afford to splurge, get a room (about $300 to $800). Story continues Several dishes available at The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Several dishes available at Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Source: Katie Mollon/CC A swelling tide of tourists is both the islands lifeblood and a constant source of challenges. Some occasional tensions flare between its 500-plus full-time residents, the million or so fudgies (local slang for tourists) that visit each summer and the thousands of temporary workers brought in to look after them. And, says Payette, Mackinac must constantly walk the line between preserving the historical character of the island and the financial incentive for building new developments to cash in on that character. You wont need a time machine to get to Mackinac, but Northern Michigans not exactly a Delta Air Lines hub. Most people park their motorized vehicles in Mackinaw City or St. Ignace and take a $25 ferry. So, this summer, pack your bike shorts and necktie, dress or pantsuit and make your way up north, as they say in Michigan. Then hop a ferry and dont stop until you smell the freedom. Related Articles Jerusalem (AFP) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on Saturday he had no evidence that a deadly suicide bombing in central Istanbul had targeted Israelis. Turkish media reported earlier that three Israelis and one Iranian were killed in Saturday morning's blast. "We don't have any confirmation that the attack targeted Israelis," Netanyahu told reporters at the foreign ministry. He added that on Sunday Israel would update its travel advice for Turkey, which hundreds of thousands of Israelis visit each year. He had not been in touch with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he said, but Israel was "in touch with Turkish authorities". Israeli foreign ministry director general Dore Gold cancelled a trip to the United States to travel to Istanbul on Sunday, the ministry said. On Saturday, Israel sent two planes to Turkey to bring home citizens wounded in the bombing, the emergency medical service said. "The aim of the operation is to repatriate wounded Israelis as fast as possible," a Magen David Adom spokesperson said. A foreign ministry spokesman said at least 11 Israelis were wounded in the attack, including two who were in a grave condition. Broadcaster CNN-Turk named the Israelis reported killed as Simha Siman Demri, 60, Yonathan Suher, 40 and Avraham Goldman, 70. Turkey's deputy health minister had earlier named Simha Demri as one of the four people killed in the attack that also wounded 36 people. The attack targeted Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrian thoroughfare that is usually crowded but was still relatively quiet when the bomber struck at around 11:00 am (0900 GMT). No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but pro-government newspapers blamed it on the Islamic State (IS) group. MILAN/TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Italy's coast guard said more than 900 migrants were rescued in four separate operations in the Strait of Sicily on Saturday, while Libyan authorities said they had rescued nearly 600 migrants from four boats, one of which sank. A spokesman for Libyan naval forces, Ayoub Qassem, said the bodies of four dead women had been recovered, and some migrants were still missing. Italian emergency services recovered one corpse during their rescue operations. Now into the second year of its worst migration crisis since World War Two, Europe has seen more than 1.2 million people arrive since the beginning of 2015, most of them from Africa and the Middle East. Italy's coast guard has continued to pick up migrants in trouble in the stretch of water between its southern coast and North Africa, although most people seeking a better life in Europe have taken less dangerous routes to Greece. Libya has been in turmoil, and smuggling networks that send migrants across the Mediterranean towards Europe are deeply embedded there. The EU has warned that Libya could be the source of a new escalation of Europe's migration crisis. Those rescued off the coast of western Libya on Saturday included migrants from sub-Saharan African countries and from Bangladesh, Qassem said. More than 550 other migrants had been rescued in other operations between Wednesday and Friday, and 17 saved on Thursday had been seriously injured when their boat caught fire, he said. The Italian coast guard said it had rescued 378 migrants in two separate operations on Saturday. Another 112 migrants were picked up by a vessel operated for the European Union border agency Frontex and another 420 people by a ship under the EU's EUNAVFOR mission in the Mediterranean. The coast guard gave no details on the nationalities of the victim or those rescued. (Reporting by Agnieszka Flak in Milan and Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli; Editing by Catherine Evans and Franklin Paul) Liverpool (AFP) - Alex Iwobi scored his first Arsenal goal as Arsene Wenger's side won 2-0 at Everton on Saturday to keep alive their outside chance of competing for the Premier League title. Arsenal won for only the second time in nine games and the first time in four attempts in the league as they moved to within eight points of Leicester City before the leaders' game at Crystal Palace. After a difficult week in which they had gone out of the FA Cup to Watford and the Champions League to Barcelona, prompting some supporters to call for Wenger to go, the Gunners gave the perfect response. Victory also took them four points clear of fourth-place Manchester City, who host Manchester United on Sunday, tightening their grip on a Champions League berth. Having lost only once to Everton in their previous 17 league meetings, Arsenal could hardly have picked better opponents against whom to try and launch a late-season rally. They seized the opportunity in impressive style thanks to an early Danny Welbeck goal and Iwobi's cool finish, which gave the 19-year-old Nigeria international a goal on his first Premier League start. Everton should have been on a high from their FA Cup quarter-final win over Chelsea last weekend and started brightly, with Seamus Coleman poking a shot against the outside of the post from a James McCarthy corner. But within a minute Arsenal had done likewise at the other end as an attempted clearance from Muhamed Besic cannoned off Welbeck and thudded against the woodwork. That set the tone for a sustained spell of Arsenal attacking either side of the opening goal from Welbeck, which came with seven minutes on the clock. - Worst home defence - It was classic Arsenal as Alexis Sanchez played a neat one-two with Mesut Ozil before slipping the ball through for Welbeck to round Joel Robles and roll home his fourth goal of an injury-hit season. Everton's back line struggled to cope with the movement and passing of the visitors, who had chances to double their lead through Iwobi, the nephew of former Nigeria international Jay-Jay Okacha, and the lively Ozil. Story continues The Merseysiders, who have struggled at home all season with just four league wins at Goodison, were fortunate not to concede a penalty 11 minutes before the break as Besic and Ramiro Funes Mori both clipped Sanchez without winning the ball. But they still went into half-time 2-0 down thanks to the brilliance of Iwobi. The academy graduate showed great pace and composure to sprint onto Hector Bellerin's ball over the top before sliding the ball under Robles, justifying his inclusion ahead of Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud. Everton manager Roberto Martinez sent on England international defender John Stones at the start of the second half in a re-shuffled formation, but it did little to stem the tide as Arsenal continued to dominate. Stones got away with a mistake by robbing Welbeck at the last minute, but despite living dangerously throughout, the worst home defence in the Premier League did not concede again. Everton almost pulled a goal back through a Phil Jagielka header and a fierce Tom Cleverley shot, which was blocked by Gabriel. But they were isolated threats and Arsenal barely had to break sweat in sealing a timely victory. MOSCOW (AP) Vladimir Putin's spokesman is criticizing an online ad from Donald Trump portraying the Russian president as one of America's toughest opponents. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov is denouncing what he calls the "demonization" of Russia during U.S. elections. The video features Putin and what appears to be a fighter for the Islamic State group. It says that "when it comes to facing our toughest opponents, the Democrats have the perfect answer," then cuts to footage of Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton barking like a dog a clip from earlier this year. Peskov said Thursday he's seen the video, but doesn't know if Putin has. The spokesman said "we regard it negatively" and complained that "the demonization of Russia and everything connected to Russia is, unfortunately, an obligatory part of an American election campaign." Read More: Donald Trump Debuts Attack Ad Aimed at Hillary Clinton By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libya's eastern government said on Friday moves to impose a new U.N.-backed unity cabinet on the country without a vote of approval by the eastern parliament risked deepening the nation's crisis. The unity government-in-waiting has called for an immediate transfer of power, and its prime minister said in an interview broadcast on Thursday that it would move to Tripoli from Tunis in the "next few days". Since 2014 Libya has had rival parliaments and governments, one set based in Tripoli and the other in the east. Both are backed by loose alliances of former rebels and armed brigades which emerged amid the chaos that followed the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi five years ago. Western governments have been pushing for the unity government to start work, saying it holds the best hope for ending Libya's turmoil and tackling the growing threat posed by Islamic State militants. The eastern government said in a statement on Friday that while it supported the unity cabinet, any attempt to impose it represented an "abuse of Libyan sovereignty and a lack of respect for the democratic process". "It will deepen the Libyan crisis and the economic situation, increase division, and shatter the political accord built on consensus," it said. It also warned local and international parties to work with the new government only after parliament gave its approval. In eastern Benghazi on Friday, at least 500 people turned out at a demonstration against the new government and in support of the army, which has made major advances against Islamist groups in the city in recent weeks. One reason for deadlock over the unity government is the demand from some in the east that the army there and its commander, Khalifa Haftar, should not be sidelined in a political transition. The internationally-recognised eastern parliament has repeatedly failed to vote to approve the unity government, but a majority of its members signed a statement of support last month. The United States and European powers cited that statement when they declared on Sunday that the unity cabinet was the "only legitimate government in Libya". French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he had told Libyan Prime Minister-designate Fayez Seraj at a meeting in Tunis on Friday that France was "ready to offer help for the security of the government". But a Western diplomat said there was no immediate plan for foreign military advisors to help the new government set up in Tripoli. The unity government and the Tunis-based presidential council that appointed it have faced stiff opposition from hardliners on both sides of Libya's political divide. On Tuesday, the prime minister of the government based in Tripoli warned the unity cabinet not to move there. On Thursday, one of the many armed factions in the capital, the Libya Revolutionaries, said it was prepared for a "long war" in Tripoli if other groups tried to protect the unity government. (Additional reporting by John Irish in Tunis; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Andrew Roche and Catherine Evans) The wax figures of Lee Kuan Yew and his wife Kwa Geok Choo will be on display at the courtyard outside Madame Tussauds Singapore on Sentosa from 23 to 27 March. Photo: Madame Tussauds Singapore Wednesday (23 March) is the death anniversary of Singapores first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who died at the age of 91. Various groups have organised events to mark the date. Here are some events that will be taking place which members of the public can attend. 1. Remembrance sites Location: Duxton Plain Park, Istana Park, Parliament House When: 19 March to 27 March The three sites, chosen for their strong links to Lee, will feature panels of significant moments in the former prime ministers life. 2. Remembering Lee Kuan Yew Location: Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park River Plains, Promenade When: 19 March, 4pm to 9.30pm A celebration of Lees life and achievements, with pictorial exhibitions, multicutural performances, interactive fringe activities, and planting of Mempat trees. Lee started the movement to make Singapore a green city with the planting of a Mempat tree at Farrer Cirus in 1963. Lees son, Singapores current prime minister and Member of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC, Lee Hsien Loong, is the guest of honour for the event. 3. Remembrance service Location: Tanjong Pagar Community Club When: 23 March, 6.30pm to 9.30pm A remembrance service for Lee where residents of Tanjong Pagar, including two young children, will gather to share their thoughts on Lee. 4. Opening of Orchid Pavilion Location: Tanjong Pagar Plaza When: 19 March, 4.30pm to 9.30pm Orchids named after Lee and his wife, Kwa Geok Choo, will be on display. Advisors and residents of Tanjong Pagar will also plant seven Mempat trees. 5. Punggol Waterway Day Location: Punggol Waterway Park When: 20 March, 7.30am to 10am Water activities, such as kayaking, which celebrate Lees contributions to making Singapore self-sufficient in water. Other activities include Zumba, K-Pop fitness, brisk-walking and qigong. Story continues A commemorative informational display at Duxton Plain Park. Photo: Safhras Khan/Yahoo Singapore 6. Silent Candlelight Rally Location: Padang When: 23 March, 6.30pm to 8pm Organised by a Facebook group of Peoples Action Party supporters, participants will be given electric candles to form a ribbon image on the Padang. 7. Brisk walk and family carnival Location: Sembawang Park When: 20 March, 7.30am to 10.30am This event will be held to celebrate Lees commitment to a healthy lifestyle and family. 8. NUS Harmonica Orchestra Concert Location: Victoria Concert Hall When: 25 March, 7.30pm The National University of Singapore Harmonica Orchestra will commemorate the first anniversary of Lees death. The Orchestra will also celebrate Singapores success and future. 9. Display of Madame Tussauds wax figures of Lee Kuan Yew and Kwa Geok Choo Location: Courtyard outside Madame Tussauds Singapore, Sentosa, Imbiah Lookout When: 23 - 27 March, Photo opportunity from 10am to 7.30pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10am to 9pm on Friday to Sunday Madame Tussauds Singapore will be displaying the wax figures of Lee Kuan Yew and his wife, Kwa Geok Choo, at the courtyard outside its Sentosa premises for public viewing. Visitors can sign a Book of Memories about Lee. 10. Art installation of Lee Kuan Yew portrait Location: The Red Box, Somerset When: 20 March A portrait of Lee Kuan Yew made up of 4,877 Singapore flag erasers will be unveiled at the Red Box. The guest of honour at the unveiling is Lee Suan Yew, the late Lees brother. God created men, goes the famous frontier saying, Colonel Colt made them equal. So how did one man, even a legendary arms-maker, accomplish a task generally reserved for constitutions, wars and philosophers? Well, the saying itself says it all: truly sensational PR. If the name Samuel Colt, born 200 years ago on July 19, 1814, has become synonymous with guns, its no accident. It was precisely his intention. The bearded industrialist may not have invented the revolver whose design he perfected, but he was a pioneer in everything from production lines to political lobbying to mass marketing and celebrity endorsements, and, more than any other man, he is responsible for fanning the flames of Americas passion for privately owned firearms. Like many top American entrepreneurs , Colt eschewed traditional pathways to success, like attending college or rising through the company ranks, in favor of convincing wealthy friends and family members to capitalize his 22-year-olds dreams. After a brief stint at Amherst Academy went up in smoke thanks to a pyrotechnic prank, the audacious Hartford, Conn., native was sent by his father on the 1830s equivalent of an unpaid internship: a job on a cargo ship bound for India. The husky, fast-talking industrialist from Connecticut, Jack Kelly writes in The Invention of the Revolver , embodied every European stereotype of the American: He was charming and abrasive, self-made and overbearing as imaginative as he was mercenary, an opportunist, a liar, and a genius. During the lengthy boat ride, Colt whittled a revolving pistol prototype out of wood, and after a spell as a traveling showman touting the benefits of laughing gas, the young huckster persuaded his family and friends to give him the $230,000 he needed to give the gunmaking business a shot. Colt capitalized on Americans romanticized view of the rugged frontier. He was also relentless. Colts quarter-million-dollar venture, indeed his first three ventures, all went under. While the revolver provided a pivotal new advantage to American soldiers and settlers the ability to fire five to six shots without reloading, a task that required 20 seconds with single-shot firearms its $50 price tag (equivalent to $3,000 today) was prohibitive for the average buyer. Story continues Riding to Colts rescue was the savior of many a weapons manufacturer: the federal government. Colts revolvers were held in such esteem by Captain Sam Walker and his Texas Rangers during the Seminole War that when the Mexican-American War flared up in the 1840s, Walker helped convince the U.S. War Department to order 1,000 revolvers from Colt to keep the various warlike tribes of Indians and marauding Mexicans in subjection. Colt was back in business with a new appreciation for both combat testimonials and government largesse. The budding industrialist may have despised the federal hand that first fed him To be under the pay and patronage of Government is to stagnate ambition, he once said but in a few years he was writing the book on political lobbying, running up gigantic liquor tabs entertaining politicians and military officers, while earning celebrity endorsements from the likes of Sam Houston, the Republic of Texass former president. portrait of Samuel Colt Mad Man at Arms Source: Matthew Brady And trailblazer that he was, Colt did not stop at U.S. politicians. He bestowed complementary arms on world leaders from Czar Nicholas of Russia to the king of Siam, and won endorsements from the likes of Giuseppe Garibaldi and Brigham Young. But Colt saved his most effective marketing ploys for convincing average Americans to pay a months wage for a device that required frequent maintenance and was known to malfunction. Colt capitalized on Americans romanticized view of the rugged frontier to sell pocket revolvers and other pistols mostly to those who, like himself, lived in Eastern towns and cities . And to do so, Colt deployed a marketing and sales arsenal unlike any before. He created a national network of sales reps, ran ads in newspapers with artwork by famous Western artist and adventurer George Catlin and even paid United States Magazine to run a 29-page illustrated spread profiling his factory, which used interchangeable parts and mass-production techniques more than half a century before Henry Fords first Model T rolled off an assembly line. Colt was also well ahead of his time in giving his products patriotic names like the Colt Navy Revolver, and, long before the iPod and iPhone, he was whetting consumer appetites with slightly modified models with customizable elements. He even coined the expression new and improved, and got himself an honorary military commission and title of colonel to further boost marketing efforts. Gold Gun in wooden box with purple velvet interior Colt gave a custom-engraved and gold-inlaid revolver to Abdulmecid I, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire. By the start of the U.S. Civil War in 1861, Colonel Colts revolvers were perhaps the best-known firearm in the world, and when he died a year later from rheumatic fever at the age of 47, he was one of the wealthiest men in the country. Yet Colt would not live to see the explosion in private gun ownership following the war nor the triumph of the iconic Colt .45 Peacemaker, the gun that won the West and was used by every gunslinger from Jesse James to Billy the Kid to Wyatt Earp. But if he had, you can bet there would have been some endorsement deals and free product coming their way. Related Articles Over its 10-year history, Twitter has marked numerous world events and created its own unique moments. Here are a few key milestones in Twitter history: March 2006: Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey (@jack) sent the first tweet, an automated message saying "just setting up my twttr." That same day, he sent the first live tweet, "inviting coworkers." April 2008: US university student James Buck (@jamesbuck) got off a one-word tweet "Arrested" after being taken into custody by Egyptian authorities at an anti-government protest in that country. In what is seen as an early demonstration of the power of Twitter to rally people to a cause, the resulting outcry prompted authorities to quickly restore his liberty. He proclaimed his release in a tweet reading "Free." January 2009: "There's a plane in the Hudson. I'm on the ferry going to pick up the people. Crazy." Latvian-American Janis Kums (@jkrums) delivers news of a US Airways jet that crash-landed on the Hudson River in New York, breaking the story ahead of mainstream media outlets. May 2009: The first tweet from space from astronaut Mike Massimino (@astro_mike): "From orbit: Launch was awesome!! I am feeling great, working hard, & enjoying the magnificent views, the adventure of a lifetime has begun!" 2011: The #ArabSpring hashtag takes hold on Twitter, underscoring the importance of the messaging platform in pro-democracy uprisings starting in Tunisia. May 2011: "Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event)." IT consultant Sohaib Athar (@ReallyVirtual) unknowingly tweets about US Navy Seals raiding a nearby home in Pakistan where Osama bin Laden was hiding. Bin Laden was killed during the operation. November 2012: President Barack Obama (@BarackObama) tweets "Four more years" to proclaim his re-election victory along with a picture of him and his wife, Michelle, hugging. The post was the most shared tweet at that time. Story continues December 2012: Pope Benedict XVI launched the first papal Twitter account (@pontifex), which was continued by his successor, Pope Francis. The first message was "Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart." March 2014: A picture tweeted live from the Oscars ceremony by Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) with Jennifer Lawrence, Brad Pitt and taken by Bradley Cooper is retweeted more than three million times, a record: "If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscars" June 2014: The Central Intelligence Agency (@cia) shows a sense of humor: "We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet." June 2015: Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) makes her new transgender identity public: "I'm so happy after such a long struggle to be living my true self. Welcome to the world Caitlyn. Can't wait for you to get to know her/me." The message is retweeted more than 250,000 times. By Noah Barkin BERLIN (Reuters) - For months, Germany's Angela Merkel has pleaded with her critics, at home and abroad, to give her just a little more time to forge a common European response to the refugee crisis. On Friday, she got just that: a reprieve in the form of a far-reaching cooperation deal between the European Union and Turkey which, if successful, could turn the chaotic flood of migrants onto Europe's southern shores into an orderly, manageable stream. "Today shows that Europe will manage it," she told a news conference. "It shows we are capable of reaching common European solutions and managing complex tasks." But in winning the backing of skeptical EU partners for the agreement, the German chancellor may also have expended some of the last political capital left after her months-long struggle to avert a Europe of closed borders, fences and walls. The agreement, hammered out between EU leaders and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Brussels, is highly complex and will only deliver on its promise if the EU, Turkey and Greece can overcome years of mistrust and work in lockstep in the weeks ahead. It foresees Ankara taking back all illegal migrants who make it across the Aegean Sea to Greece. In return, the EU would take on an equal number of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and give the Turks billions of euros in new funds, visa-free travel rights and accelerated EU membership negotiations. In the longer run, it hinges on European states agreeing to accept quotas of refugees from Turkey, something Germany's European partners have shown little appetite for, despite optimistic talk from Berlin about a "coalition of the willing". So although the deal represents a triumph of sorts for Merkel, who pushed it through by sheer force of will in a testament to her enduring influence in Brussels, it is a victory that could easily blow up in her face. "Let me be clear that I don't have any illusions about what we agreed today," Merkel said at the end of the two-day EU summit. "There will be setbacks. There are big logistical challenges that we need to overcome." DEEPLY SKEPTICAL The deal comes at a time when patience with Merkel's refugee strategy is wearing thin in European capitals as well as towns and cities across Germany. Half a year ago she agreed to suspend EU rules and open German borders to thousands of migrants camped out in Hungary, telling skeptical countrymen that Germany was strong enough to handle the influx. Her moral stance won praise at home and abroad. But Germany's "Willkommenskultur", or welcoming culture, has since faded, with doubts growing after a spate of sexual assaults on women in Cologne on New Year's Eve that police blamed on foreigners. Merkel's popularity has also taken a hit as she rebuffed calls to impose a formal cap on the number of migrants entering Germany and condemned countries along the Balkan route from Greece that shut their borders, leaving thousands stranded. Strong gains for the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in three German state elections last Sunday stunned her conservative party. That increased pressure on the 61-year-old German leader, who celebrated a decade in office last November, to bed down the deal with Davutoglu, the outlines of which she sprung on surprised EU partners earlier this month. Opinion polls show that many Germans, even if they are willing to give the deal a chance, are deeply skeptical it can work. A survey for public broadcaster ZDF on Friday showed that 79 percent of Germans doubt whether Turkey can be relied upon to hold up its end of the bargain. Like her abrupt decision to phase out nuclear energy in 2011, betting on Turkey represents a major reversal for Merkel, who has long opposed Ankara's bid to join the EU and has had a rocky relationship with President Tayyip Erdogan for years. "I don't know how this Turkey deal will work," said a senior lawmaker from Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), who requested anonymity because of a reluctance to criticize the chancellor publicly. "The other states are not on our side. That is our problem. They feel duped by Germany." CSU BACKLASH At home, Merkel's Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), are now waging an open war of words against her. On Friday, Hans-Peter Friedrich, a leading CSU lawmaker and former interior minister, called on Twitter for all CDU members who sympathized with Merkel's refugee policies to leave her party and join the left-leaning Social Democrats and Greens. The deal with Turkey is unlikely to silence the CSU critics. But the shutting of borders along the Balkan route from Greece to central Europe has slowed the flood of migrants entering Germany to a trickle, buying her time to try to make Friday's agreement work. Perhaps reflecting the recent drop in arrivals, the ZDF poll showed that 53 percent of Germans approved of her refugee policy, up from 47 percent the month before. Merkel's own popularity rating also bounced back in the survey. But as German newspaper Die Zeit wrote this week, her room for maneuver is getting ever smaller. "The longer Merkel sticks to her stance, the more compromises she has to make ... and the bigger the questions and contradictions surrounding her policies become," the weekly wrote. (Additional reporting by Paul Carrel; Writing by Noah Barkin; Editing by Paul Taylor and Pravin Char) Los Angeles (AFP) - Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, who met with drug baron Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman alongside Sean Penn in October, said she is angry with the US star for using the opportunity for his own glory. Del Castillo has been in the spotlight since it was revealed that she arranged the meeting between herself, Guzman and Penn, which occurred three months before the Sinaloa drug cartel leader's capture. The 43-year-old actress, who has dual US-Mexican citizenship, shared her version of the events in an interview aired Friday on ABC News from her home in Los Angeles, in her first televised appearance since her link to the drug kingpin was revealed. "El Chapo," one of the world's most wanted men, had long held the notion of making a film about himself and urged his lawyers to contact Del Castillo, whose performance as a drug lord in the telenovela "La Reina del Sur" ("Queen of the South") had caught his attention. Wanting to carry out the project, Del Castillo said that she thought adding a Hollywood star such as Oscar-winning Penn to the mix would give her "more credibility," but that in the end she felt betrayed. "I think he was never interested in the movie," she said, but instead used the meeting as fodder for his article in Rolling Stone magazine, a much mocked 10,000-word piece about their adventure. Asked whether she was angry with Penn, Del Castillo responded: "Yes, a little bit, I am." The actress said she had agreed to embark on the movie because "I'm not gonna wait for Steven Spielberg to call me, you know?" "Life goes really fast and of course I'm in my 40s, so it doesn't get any easier. But I need to start with a big project so I can grab attention from the big people in Hollywood," she said. Asked whether she or Guzman were trying to seduce each other -- the two had exchanged text messages in which "El Chapo" promised to take good care of her -- Del Castillo responded that he may have had a crush on her TV character. Story continues "I think he's maybe an admirer? I don't know. I'm -- okay, maybe, yes. I don't know, we'll have to ask him," she finally said. Del Castillo said she had no intention to accept a penny from Guzman for the project. Since the scandal broke, she has not set foot in Mexico but is still in touch with Guzman about the film project through lawyers, which she said he has agreed to go forward with. "It will be my call and everything will be on my control, for sure," she said. Mexican authorities said they tracked text messages between the actress and drug lord, which facilitated his eventual arrest at the beginning of the year. Milan (AFP) - Belgium midfielder Radja Nainggolan struck six minutes from time as Roma maintained their bid for Champions League football with a 1-1 home draw with Inter Milan that ended their bid for nine consecutive league wins. Roma's eight-game winning streak has put Luciano Spalletti's men right back in contention for a top three finish as leaders Juventus and Napoli continue their duel for top spot in Serie A. But Spalletti was forced to think on his feet after Roma, with a five-point lead on both Inter and Fiorentina at the start of the day, failed to conjure a first-half opener and conceded to Ivan Perisic's 53rd minute strike. The goal sparked Roberto Mancini's visitors into life but Roma finally awoke from their slumber to level in the 84th minute when Nainggolan pounced on Edin Dzeko's mis-hit shot to slam the ball past Samir Handanovic. Roma remain in third place but are now seven points behind Juventus ahead of their city derby with Torino on Sunday, when Napoli, three points behind the champions in second, host Genoa. By the end, the glass was half-full for Spalletti, who told Sky Sport: "Inter put us in a position of having to defend for a while, they scored and then the lads responded in great fashion. "But we were losing possession far too much early on and, for the amount of effort we put in, we didn't fully into our stride and play our usual game. "It's a fair result for us, we can't complain." Inter moved one place up to fourth at the expense of Fiorentina and although 'La Viola' will benefit most from Saturday's Stadio Olimpico draw if they win at relegation-haunted Frosinone on Sunday to close the gap on Roma to three points, Mancini was upbeat. Because Inter beat Roma 1-0 earlier this season, the Nerazzurri would be given the nod if they and Roma both finish level on points in third place. "For the Champions League, if we finish level on points with Roma we can go through because we have the advantage in our head-to-head games," Mancini told Mediaset Story continues Inter's last league win at Roma was in October 2008, and their task was made harder by the absence of both key strikers, Stevan Jovetic and Mauro Icardi. They lived dangerously in the opening minutes when Diego Perotti, playing up front in place of benched Dzeko, was allowed to fire a first-timer just over from Stephan El Shaarawy's cutback. But Perisic threatened twice in the first half, when Mohamed Salah rounded Handanovic to fire into the net, but he was correctly ruled offside. Spalletti upped the stakes when he replaced Seydou Keita with Dzeko just before the hour, but minutes later the Bosnian flashed just over after being sent through on to Salah's chip. Dzeko grappled with Joao Miranda to get his head to Florenzi's cross into the box but met stiff resistance from the Brazilian, who was lucky to escape conceding a penalty soon after when Dzeko's header came off his arm. When asked to react to the incident, Mancini was curt: "I'd have to take his arm off. I've yet to see a player who jumps keeping his arms down." But when Florenzi gave possession away cheaply to Ljajic during a sloppy effort to play the ball out, the Bosnian ran in to set up Eder, only for the ball to ricochet off the Italy striker. At the other end Salah held off his marker on the turn but drove straight at Handanovic. Roma had the edge and and their efforts were repaid when Nainggolan set up Dzeko to his right on the edge of the area. The Bosnian made only faint contact, instead rolling the ball into Nainggolan's path for the Belgian to smash past the Inter 'keeper. Mancini battened down the hatches, Felipe Melo replacing attacking midfielder Ljajic and Roma were unlucky in the dying minutes when Salah's ferocious angled drive came off the shoulder of Dzeko yards from goal. Port Harcourt (Nigeria) (AFP) - Nigeria's electoral body INEC on Saturday cancelled a re-run of disputed elections in six local government areas in the volatile southern oil-rich Rivers state because of irregularities. The re-run for seats in the Rivers state assembly and the national assembly in Abuja became necessary after court rulings on challenges to the initial results of last year elections. Rivers electoral commissioner Aneidi Ikoiwak told reporters in Port Harcourt, the state capital, that polls were suspended in Gokana, Khana, Andoni, Bonny, Eleme and Tai due to "irregularities" during Saturday's voting. The elections went ahead in the remaining 17 of 23 local government areas going to the polls. The official said some party agents had attacked electoral officials after accusing them of using fake election materials for the vote. "This allegation is untrue. All election materials used by INEC are genuine. A new date will be announced for the election," he said. Local media said the polls were marred by violence in some areas, with at least four people being killed, but the police said nobody had died. "There were some skirmishes here and there and we have contained the situation. At least 12 suspects are in our custody," state police spokesman Ahmad Muhammad told AFP. Rivers state has long been a flashpoint for political violence with the two leading parties - the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) trading blame. PDP controls the oil-rich state but the APC-led central government in Abuja seeks to oust it from power. Tight security had been ordered for Saturday's polls, including movement restrictions and a ban on speedboats. On Thursday, the military said suspected sea pirates killed two soldiers in a gun battle, as tensions rose ahead of Saturday's polls. Dozens of people were killed in the run-up to last year's general election in the state condemned by local and international observers as marred by violence and irregularities. Rivers and the Niger Delta region were plagued in the 2000s by rebels who attacked oil pipelines and kidnapped workers as part of a campaign for a fairer share of crude revenues. Pakistan has awarded a Christian man from a troubled tribal region citizenship in a first for a non-Muslim, officials and his family said Saturday. Sheharyar Masih, a resident of the northwestern Khyber region bordering Afghanistan, had recently applied for citizenship after turning 18. "Sheharyar has officially been awarded citizenship and he now enjoys all rights that citizens of tribal regions enjoy," senior local official Nasir Khan told AFP. Sheharyar's father Arshad Masih said he hoped the decision would encourage the roughly 50,000 people from religious minorities in the region to apply for citizenship. Most of those people are Sikh followed by Christian and Hindu, he said. "My son will now have an opportunity to apply for government jobs or to start his own business," Arshad said, adding that minorities without domicile status did not enjoy equal rights. His son's was the first case under the recently announced policy, Arshad said. "All non-Muslims in (the tribal regions) can apply for citizenship and I may also do the same," he added. Like other minorities, Sheharyar was previously living in Khyber on a "residential certificate". Discrimination and violence against religious minorities is commonplace in Pakistan, where Muslims account for more than 90 percent of the population. Christians make up around 1.6 percent of Pakistan's overwhelmingly Muslim population, with large settlements across major cities and around 60,000 in the capital, Islamabad. Khyber is one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal regions, which have been facing the brunt of over a decade-old war against terrorism. The military began the regional offensive in 2014 in a bid to wipe out militant bases, carrying out air strikes and using artillery, mortars and ground troops. Havana (AFP) - The last time a US president visited Cuba -- way back in 1928 -- he got a rock stars welcome and his delegation drank Havana dry. Is a repeat impossible when President Barack Obama lands Sunday? Don't bet on it. Nine decades, one Cold War, and a whole lot of bitterness later after Calvin Coolidge's now forgotten trip to Havana, the atmosphere around Obama's visit feels surprisingly similar. Obama, like Coolidge, is a lameduck president seeking to leave a big foreign policy mark in his last year in office by ending a standoff between Washington and communist Havana that dates back to Fidel Castro's 1959 ouster of the US-backed government of Fulgencio Batista. When Coolidge -- or "Silent Cal," as the famously untalkative occupant of the White House is known -- came to Havana, he was also on a peace mission. In his case, it was to dampen regional anger over US policy in Latin America. Coolidge arrived on the battleship USS Texas, at the head of a convoy including a cruiser and three destroyers. Photos published at the time in the Cuban newspaper Bohemia show Cubans packing the seafront and streets. "The crowds were tremendous and enthusiastic," wrote Beverly Smith Jr, a New York Herald Tribune reporter, who penned a tell-all version of events 30 years later in the Saturday Evening Post. As his motorcade wound past cheering crowds "blowing kisses and throwing flowers," the austere Coolidge removed his hat, Smith wrote. The president even found himself bowing to a "bevy of highly painted young ladies" and their "madam" pursuing international relations of a rather different kind. Unlike Coolidge, Obama will arrive in Havana by air. But the presidential motorcade accompanying Obama's armored limo the "Beast" will still make an arresting, even shocking sight in a city that for decades has prepared for possible war with its giant neighbor. And the welcome is gearing up to be just as lively. Old Havana is crawling with workers painting and cleaning and polishing, while ordinary Cubans are excited to see history made. Story continues "It should have happened a long time ago," said builder Sergio Fundora, 52, during a break in the frantic restoration project. - Dipsomaniacs and diplomacy - Smith described the press corps and officials, freed from the miseries of the US alcohol ban known as Prohibition, going on a drinking spree. "Quite a party of us trooped off," he said. But "Silent Cal" stuck to soft drinks, leading to a near diplomatic crisis when a waiter appeared at a reception with a "big tray of delicate, crystal cocktail glasses, each sparkling to the brim with a daquiri -- rum, fresh lime juice and sugar, well shaken," Smith wrote. It took "a masterpiece of evasive action" for Coolidge to dodge the waiter. Today, with the gradual dismantlement of the US economic embargo and rise in tourists to Cuba, Havana is rapidly regaining its reputation as a party city. In bars like El Floridita, one of the oldest in Havana, the daquiris are flowing and almost everybody on the barstools is foreign. Bartender William Arias, 52, said it was "entirely possible" that the Coolidge delegation had been there, too. "In those times, Americans who came to drink came to this bar," he said. Obama's drinking plans sound rather Coolidge-like so far. "Hopefully, I will have time to enjoy a cup of Cuban coffee," Obama wrote to 76-year-old Cuban Ileana Yarza this week in a symbolic renewal of postal services between the two countries. But history might well repeat itself in the rush to stock up on rum for the journey home. US law still restricts travelers from Cuba to $100 worth of alcohol or tobacco. That's not enough for a box of cigars -- but you can buy a shelf load of $7 bottles of rum. The problem, points out an advice column this month in The Washington Post, is that airline weight restrictions might force you "to choose between your rum or your clothes." It's a dilemma that the 1928 Americans -- informed they could discreetly bring back booze from Cuba to Prohibition America -- would have sympathized with. Smith wanted to take six half-gallon jars of Bacardi, but they wouldn't fit in his suitcase, leaving the journalist facing the choice described by the Post today. How did he decide? "I emptied out most of the clothes," Smith wrote. More than 100 cases of Zika virus have been confirmed in the United States, a new report finds. The 116 residents who have now tested positive for the virus include one infant who was born with severe microcephaly, according to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All 116 cases of Zika were confirmed by lab tests at the CDC. The report includes all Zika cases reported between Jan. 1, 2015, and Feb. 26, 2016, but more than three-quarters of the patients reported that their illness began in 2016, according to the report released today (March 18). The patients ranged in age from the newborn infant with microcephaly, up to 81 years old, the report said. [Zika Virus News: Complete Coverage Of The Outbreak] Ten percent of the patients were children and adolescents younger than 18, and 65 percent of the cases were in females, according to the report. The patients were residents of 33 states and Washington, D.C., and all had reported either recently traveling to areas with the Zika virus or having sexual contact with such a traveler, according to the CDC. Specifically, 110 patients had traveled to areas with Zika, including the mother of the infant born with microcephaly, who reported being infected with the virus in Brazil during her first trimester, according to the report. In the other five cases, the patients became infected through sexual activity with a person who became infected while traveling. The most common countries visited by the patients were Haiti, El Salvador, Colombia, Honduras and Guatemala, the CDC reported. To date, there have been no reports of people contracting Zika from a mosquito bite in the U.S., although officials have said that a small number of such cases are expected to occur. Officials have warned that Zika has been found in the semen of infected men, and that men who travel to regions where the virus is spreading and have pregnant partners should use condoms or abstain from sex until the baby is born. Story continues The patients in the report said they became ill between 37 days before returning to the U.S. and 11 days after returning to the U.S., according to the report. Although the Zika virus usually causes no symptoms or mild symptoms in adults, health officials are concerned about the link between infection during pregnancy and microcephaly in infants. Microcephaly is a condition where babies may be born with an abnormally small head and cognitive impairments. All 115 patients (not including the newborn) reported clinical symptoms of Zika, including the mother of the infant born with microcephaly, according to the CDC. The most common symptoms were rash (113 of the patients), fever (94 of the patients) and joint pain (76 of the patients), according to the report. Other symptoms included headache, muscle pain and conjunctivitis (pink eye). Nearly all of the patients reported experiencing two or more of the symptoms, and over two-thirds of the patients reported experiencing three or more, according to the report. Four patients were hospitalized, but no deaths occurred, according to the report. The CDC has warned that the number of cases among travelers will likely continue to increase, and that this could lead to local transmission. Follow Sara G. Miller on Twitter @SaraGMiller. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science. Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Brussels (AFP) - Top Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam, Europe's most wanted man, was wounded and captured in a dramatic raid by armed police in the Belgian capital. Abdeslam, 26, and four other suspects were arrested in the gritty Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek, where the Franco-Moroccan allegedly helped plan the November 13 attacks in which 130 people were killed and 350 injured. Abdeslam was lightly wounded in the leg during the raid, prosecutors said. "The battle against terrorism does not end tonight, even though this is a victory," French President Francois Hollande told a news conference in Brussels with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel. "I think of the victims of November 13, because Salah Abdeslam was directly linked to the preparation, the organisation and unfortunately the perpetration of these attacks." Hollande, whose embattled presidency will be defined by his response to the worst terror attacks on French soil, said Paris would request Abdeslam's extradition from Belgium "as rapidly as possible". "Our fight is not over, and tomorrow morning, in the light of the information that has been given to me, I will chair a meeting of the defence council," Hollande said. The meeting will bring together ministers and senior officials in charge of security. Michel, who rushed out of an EU summit for a crisis meeting with Hollande, said Abdeslam's capture was "extremely important in the battle for democracy against this abominable form of extremism". Also arrested was a man known by the fake name Amine Choukri, who also used a false Syrian name Monir Ahmed Alaaj. Abdeslam and Choukri were fingerprinted by police in Germany on October 5, a month before the terror assault. Choukri could also be a Soufiane Kayal who was pulled over by police on the Austrian border with Hungary in September, again with Abdeslam. The only man known for sure to be still be on the run is Mohamed Abrini, who was filmed with Abdeslam two days before the attacks at a petrol station on a motorway close to Paris. Story continues - Last survivor - Former small-time criminal Abdeslam is believed to be the last surviving member of the 10-man jihadist team that carried out attacks on the Bataclan rock venue, restaurants, bars and the Stade de France stadium. He apparently fled by car to his hometown Brussels the day after the rampage, having refused to blow himself up, and is believed to have spent much if not all of the subsequent four months in the city. Prosecutors said special forces raided a house in Molenbeek on Friday because of evidence found in an operation in Brussels on Tuesday, in which a Paris-linked suspect died in a gun battle with police and two other people escaped. One of Abdeslam's fingerprints was found at the scene of Tuesday's raid, sparking the huge manhunt that led to his capture. A witness told AFP the operation began at around 1530 GMT when dozens of police cars swooped into the run-down Molenbeek neighbourhood. "I heard about three or four shots fired, but they were muffled, as if taking place indoors," said Karim, a charity employee who lives in the largely Muslim Molenbeek. Footage on Belgian media appeared to show a white-hooded Abdeslam being dragged to a waiting police car by armed special forces officers. Belgium has been at the centre of the investigation into the Paris attacks almost from day one, and has been accused of blunders that let the perpetrators slip under the radar. "Either Salah Abdeslam is very clever, or the Belgian services are stupid, which is more likely," said French lawmaker Alain Marsaud, a member of an ongoing parliamentary inquiry into possible security failings over the November attacks. - Paris network 'much wider' - With Belgium having arrested a series of people over links with Abdeslam, Hollande said many more were involved in the Paris attacks than originally believed. Investigators believe Abdeslam rented rooms in the Paris area to be used by the attackers and also hired one of the cars in which he drove the suicide bombers to the Stade de France. He was then supposed to blow himself up but apparently backed out, and an explosives-filled suicide vest was later found in Paris in an area where mobile phone signals indicated he had been. Police believe he fled across the border the next morning. Several people have been arrested on suspicion of helping him and his fingerprints were found in December at different Brussels apartments. The ringleader of the attacks, IS member Abdelhamid Abaaoud, and attacker Bilal Hadfi, both dead, also had links to Molenbeek, a largely immigrant district that has been a hotbed of Islamist violence for decades. Abdeslam and his brother, who blew himself up during the Paris assault, had run a bar in the area until it was shut down by the authorities a few weeks before the attacks. Belgian authorities have meanwhile identified the man killed in the raid on Tuesday linked to Abdeslam as Algerian national Mohamed Belkaid, 35, who was living illegally in Belgium. He was reportedly on a list of IS fighters leaked last week as a volunteer to commit a suicide bomb attack. Prosecutors also said he was wanted in connection with the November attacks. Brussels (AFP) - Key Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam will fight his extradition to France from Belgium where he was formally charged Saturday with "terrorist murder" after his dramatic capture in central Brussels. French President Francois Hollande said shortly after Abdeslam's arrest Friday that he wanted to see him transferred to France as quickly as possible to face prosecution for the deadly attacks claimed by the Islamic State group. "I can already tell you that we will oppose his extradition," Abdeslam's lawyer Sven Mary told reporters at federal police headquarters in Brussels. Legal experts said this could delay but not prevent his handover to the French authorities on a European Arrest Warrant which the European Union introduced specifically to speed up extradition cases. An investigating judge formally charged Abdeslam with "participation in terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation," a prosecutors statement said. Abdeslam's arrest in the gritty Molenbeek neighbourhood was hailed by European and US leaders, while French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said it dealt a "major blow" to IS jihadists operating in Europe. The 26-year-old Abdeslam, who had been on the run for four months, and an alleged accomplice who was captured with him were initially taken to a Brussels hospital for treatment for gunshot injuries sustained in the police raid. In Paris, Hollande met Saturday with key cabinet ministers and security officials to discuss the next steps in the probe into the November 13 attacks that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds more. "The operations of the past week have enabled us to incapacitate several individuals who are clearly extremely dangerous and totally determined," Cazeneuve said after the meeting. The aim was now "to review operations that are under way and the fight against terrorist groups in France and Europe," a member of Hollande's entourage said. Story continues Hollande, who was in Brussels for an EU summit when the raid took place, described Abdeslam as "directly linked to the preparation, the organisation and, unfortunately, the perpetration of these attacks". Abdeslam's capture was hailed by the Belgian press as restoring the country's honour, tarnished by perceived intelligence and police blunders before and after the attacks, which appear increasingly to have been planned and coordinated in Brussels. - Last surviving attacker - Former small-time criminal Abdeslam is believed to be the last surviving member of the 10-man jihadist team that carried out the attacks on the Bataclan concert venue, restaurants, bars and the Stade de France stadium. He apparently fled by car to Brussels the day after the rampage, and is believed to have spent much if not all of the subsequent four months in and around the city. Prosecutors said special forces raided a house in Molenbeek on Friday because of evidence found in an operation elsewhere in Brussels on Tuesday, in which another Paris-linked suspect died in a gun battle. Two other suspects escaped amid intense speculation that one of them might have been Abdeslam. One of Abdeslam's fingerprints was found at the scene of Tuesday's raid, which resulted in the second operation which led to his capture. - 'Sense of relief' - Investigators believe Abdeslam rented rooms in the Paris area to be used by the attackers and also hired one of the cars in which he drove the suicide bombers to the Stade de France. He was then supposed to blow himself up but apparently backed out and an explosives-filled suicide vest was later found in Paris in an area where mobile phone signals indicated he had been. Police believe he fled across the border the next morning. Several people have been arrested on suspicion of helping him and his fingerprints were found in December at different Brussels apartments. The ringleader of the attacks, IS member Abdelhamid Abaaoud, and attacker Bilal Hadfi, both dead, also had links to Molenbeek, which has been seen as a hotbed of Islamist radicalism for decades. Abdeslam and his brother Brahim, who blew himself up during the Paris assault, had run a bar in the area until it was shut down by the authorities a few weeks before the attacks. Brahim Abdeslam was buried discreetly in a Brussels cemetery on Thursday. Abdeslam's family feels a "sense of relief" over his arrest because he was captured alive and pressure to help find him is lifted, a family lawyer said. Interpol on Saturday urged "extra vigilance at border controls" to ensure that any Abdeslam accomplice does not try to flee Europe. By Anca Ulea and John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - Parisians expressed relief on Saturday after Belgian police arrested Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in November's Islamic State attacks on Paris, in what France's interior minister called a blow to the militant group. Abdeslam, 26, the first suspected active participant taken alive, was questioned by police on Saturday after spending the night in hospital with a slight leg wound and will be presented to magistrates later in the day. He was captured after a shootout in Brussels on Friday afternoon during a raid on an apartment in Abdeslam's home neighborhood of Molenbeek. "Currently in police custody with four individuals, Abdeslam will have to answer to French justice for his acts," Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said after an emergency cabinet meeting in Paris. "It is an important blow to the terrorist organization Daesh in Europe," he said, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the attacks that killed 130 people. On Saturday, a trickle of people came to a makeshift memorial in Paris that has engulfed the monument at Place de la Republique, near the scene of much of the bloodshed, to pay their respects to the victims. "When we see the horrible things that took place here in our city, it's really a relief," said Emilien Bouthillier, who works in the neighborhood where many of the attacks took place. "I can't wait for Belgium to transfer and return him to France so he can be tried the way he should be so justice will be served. That way, I hope, these horrors won't be reproduced ever again." Another Parisian, Thomas Primet, said he felt the need to come back to Republique to pay tribute to the victims. "It means one less terrorist at large. And of course, knowing he needs to be punished in order, not to avenge, but to bring justice for all these deaths," he said. Abdeslam's elder brother, a Brussels barkeeper who shared a chequered history of drugs and petty crime, blew himself up outside a Parisian cafe on Nov. 13, but the role of the younger man in the killings is unclear. Michaela Illikova from the Czech Republic, who was in Paris for business, said she saw Abdeslam's capture as an opportunity for France to turn the page. "I'm more thinking about all those guys who are suffering, sleeping in Paris' streets. I think it's much more important, at least for us, who are not so influenced by the attacks. I think the humanity behind all that is really much bigger than this," she said. (Additional reporting by Morade Azzouz; Editing by Tom Heneghan) Paris (AFP) - A shelter for homeless people and refugees in Paris's poshest district? To residents, the very idea is enough to raise the hackles on their fur coats. They fear a planned centre on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne, a forested area west of Paris, will turn their beloved woods into a sprawling refugee camp like the notorious "Jungle" in northern Calais. With all emergency shelters currently full to bursting, and increasing numbers of migrants arriving in Paris, the city is determined to find new ways to house those left out on the street. Local government officials have argued that the chic 16th arrondissement -- a Parisian version of New York's Upper East Side -- is not pulling its weight, as not one of the capital's 78 homeless accommodation centres is in the district. Their answer: six pre-fabricated wooden structures in the 16th that will house 200 homeless people. "People in this neighbourhood are outraged," said Bernadette, watching her toddler grandson play in a quiet park near the proposed development, as a few bored-looking ponies stood waiting for rides. "There are not a lot of jobs for people like that. Where will they do their shopping?" said Bernadette, who owns a restaurant nearby. "The supermarkets here are unaffordable, even the Moroccan grocer is too expensive. Obviously people are also afraid they will come closer to the residential area, this park, that they won't have work and will just squat here." - 'Caviar protests' - The project has sparked outrage in the calm, residential area with its elegant buildings overlooked by the distant Eiffel Tower. On Monday, angry residents launched a barrage of profanities at officials attending a town hall meeting that had to be cut short as it descended into chaos. "The people of the 16th are known for sitting on their asses, watching TV and eating caviar, but they will defend their interests like anyone else," said the mayor of the district, Claude Goasguen, from the opposition Republicans party who has led the charge against the centre. Story continues The outcry "shocked" Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who weighed in, saying the centre -- set to open in June -- was "essential so that populations in difficulty are not only housed in working-class neighbourhoods." Aside from Paris's increasing homeless population, hundreds of north African migrants set up a camp under a bridge which was cleared out last June, and the city has had to find places for them in emergency shelters. "Everyone is saying they are going to rebuild a Calais and they will stay here and never leave," said Bernadette. Thousands of migrants fleeing poverty and war in the Middle East and North Africa have gathered in Calais in grim conditions, trying to reach Britain on lorries crossing the Channel. However, in reality France has been affected far less by Europe's refugee crisis than other countries. Nearly 80,000 people applied for asylum in France in 2015. In contrast, more than one million people arrived in Germany last year. Faced with growing anger, authorities have insisted the centre will not be dedicated to migrants, but for those who phone an emergency number used by homeless people seeking a bed. But in reality, many homeless in Paris are asylum-seekers. And the proposal approved by Paris' city council describes the project as necessary to "meet the needs of the homeless and migrants." - Stigmatise the bourgeoisie - Brigitte Andre, 60, who was Nordic walking with a friend, lives opposite the proposed site, which is next to a municipal swimming pool and not far from a horse-racing track. She is worried about the impact on the forest, security, and she is angry that residents were not consulted. "They mustn't stigmatise us by saying the bourgeoisie don't want this. It is a lot more complicated," she said. "We have friends who live (in the north). One must not turn a blind eye, Calais is a devastated city," she said. Paris authorities have dismissed concerns over the environmental impact, saying the structures will be placed on the edge of the woods and not inside it. Once a hunting ground for France's kings, the Bois du Boulogne, with its idyllic lakes and jogging paths, also conceals one of the city's red light districts. But not all in the area oppose the project. "Why not? It must just not be too big (and) impact the atmosphere and also the architecture, because this is a beautiful neighbourhood. It must not be something like Calais," said Elena Lambin, 28. The tumult in the 16th has amused average Parisians who have mercilessly mocked their wealthier neighbours on Twitter. "I remind all the homeless that to fit in in the 16th, your sweater should not go around your waist, but around your shoulders," read one tweet. Beirut (AFP) - A wave of Russian air strikes killed at least 39 civilians on Saturday in Raqa, the main stronghold of the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria, a monitoring group said. At least five children and seven women were among the dead in IS's de facto capital in the north of the war-ravaged country, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It said the attacking aircraft were Russian. Five members of IS's self-styled police force were also killed and 60 people were wounded, some critically, according to the monitor, which relies on a network of sources on the ground. The air raids came a day after 16 civilians were killed in strikes on the same city. "What is clear is that their goal is to try to paralyse IS and to stop it from deploying reinforcements from Raqa to the Palmyra area," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. IS seized Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Pearl of the Desert", last May. In September, satellite images confirmed that Palmyra's famed Temple of Bel had been targeted by IS as part of a campaign to destroy pre-Islamic monuments, tombs and statues it considers idolatrous. UN experts said the main building of the temple as well as a row of columns had been destroyed. In recent weeks, Syrian troops backed by the Russian air force have been pressing an advance to try to reclaim the ancient city. - 18 IS fighters killed - On Saturday alone, at least 18 IS fighters were killed in at least 70 strikes on the Palmyra area, the Observatory said, as clashes pitted loyalist troops against jihadists on the ground. Russia, a key backer of the Syrian regime, on Monday ordered the withdrawal of most of its armed forces from Syria, but continues to strike jihadist targets, particularly around Palmyra. Senior Russian commander Sergei Rudskoi on Friday said Russian jets were flying around two dozen bombing sorties daily to back up the Syrian government's bid to recapture Palmyra. Story continues "Government troops and patriotic forces with the support of the Russian air force are carrying out a large-scale operation to liberate Palmyra," he told journalists in Moscow. Roughly 1,800 Syrian civilians including more than 400 children have been killed in Russian air strikes since Moscow launched its aerial campaign on September 30, according to the Observatory. Moscow has denied claims that its air force has repeatedly hit civilian and non-jihadist rebel targets. More than 270,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests. An unprecedented ceasefire negotiated by Russia and the United States has largely held since February 27 but the truce does not apply to jihadists. UN mediator Staffan de Mistura has urged Damascus to make concrete proposals in the coming days on a political transition, following a week of peace talks in Geneva. But a source close to the regime said Saturday there had been "no progress" at the meetings and criticised the UN envoy for putting pressure on the Syrian government. It's official: The hoodie is back. Designers (specifically Demna Gvasalia of Vetements) most recently gave their blessing to the lazy person's uniform staple by sending high-fashion hoodies down the runways at Paris Fashion Week. But Rami Malek and Michael B. Jordan, who were both featured on covers of THR's 25 Most Powerful Stylists issue alongside their image-makers, are way ahead of the trend. Not only do both of the actors play hoodie lovers in their most recent gigs (Malek as Elliot in Mr. Robot and Jordan as Adonis in Creed), but they've been known to take them off set, too. "I'm that guy," said Jordan, noting that he may or may not have taken a few of his Creed hoodies from the set. "If I wore it for three or four months and I get attached to it, it's coming home with me." Malek, too, has a special attachment to the hoodie he wears on the show mainly because it was his own personal piece to begin with. "It's something I've had in my closet for a while," said the actor of the infamous black hoodie. "It's the liner of a jacket. They called the designer, B:Scott, and he ended up making about 20 more but nothing feels as good as the original." See More: Power Stylists: Amy Schumer, Brie Larson, Michael B. Jordan Pose With Their Imagemakers (Photos) Watch the guys chat about their hoodie love below. They once helped conceive of one of the most notoriously inhumane prisons in U.S. history, but you wouldnt know it based on what a group of Quakers did in Washington, D.C., this week. More than 400 college students passed up partying to spend their spring break pressing members of Congress to reform the criminal justice system. The trip to lobby for the passage of the Senates Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, as well as the House Recidivism Risk Reduction Act, was organized and partially funded by the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker advocacy group. Mass incarceration really resonates with a lot of young people around the country, Jim Cason, FCNLs associate executive secretary for strategic advocacy, told TakePart. Were about getting young people engaged in the political process, and particularly in listening and advocating in conversations with people with whom they might not agree on all issues. Roughly 25 percent of the student participants are Quakers, according to Carson, and for more than two-thirds of the participants, it was their first time in Washington lobbying. I want Congress to unlock justice because I know too many of my friends whove been locked up for petty crimes that just dont matter, Aurelio Anderson, a recent college graduate and a Quaker from Tallahassee, Florida, explained in a video produced by the group. Also known as Friends, Quakers are known for pacifismopposing slavery, the death penalty, and war. But the religions leaders in the 18th and 19th centuries also had a hand in creating a notoriously overcrowded, filthy, and damaging U.S. prison system that Quakers nationwide are now working to reform. Quakers advocated for a system that was more than punitiveone that emphasized rehabilitation. Yet, in doing so, they pioneered the concept of solitary confinement, and in 1829 designed one of the countrys darkest penal spaces: the Eastern State Penitentiary. Story continues Today, the prison is a designated National Historic Landmark and has been transformed into a public museum. Yet, the Philadelphia prison was designed to be so miserable that prisoners would want to better themselves. Let the avenue to this house be rendered difficult and gloomy by mountains and morasses, wrote Quaker reformer Benjamin Rush of his vision for the penitentiary in 1787. Let the doors be of iron, and let the grating, occasioned by opening and shutting them, be increased by an echo that shall deeply pierce the soul. Each inmate was confined in a tiny cell with only a Bible to read, isolated from human contact. The prison, recognizable for its panopticon design featuring a central observation tower from which spokes housing isolation cells radiated, became a model for hundreds of other global prisons. The idea was that you would sit there and meditate on your sins, Ruth Flower, associate executive secretary for the FCNLs legislative program, told TakePart. Rehabilitation fits with the deep Quaker belief that everybody has the capacity to change and growwhich is why things like life without parole and the death penalty are contrary to our beliefs. But the Quakers plan was flawed. Mental illness, exacerbated or provoked by total isolation, created a harsh and violent environment. The Quakers were quick to acknowledge their failed experiment and start advocating for change. By 1913, the prison had abandoned the solitary confinement systembut the practice remains widespread in the U.S. today. Theres a continuing openness to learning new things, and its in character for [Quakers] to change and evolve, Flower said. To stick with something we did so long ago is very arcane. Flower, who has been working on criminal justice reform and the abolishment of solitary confinement with her Quaker meeting group for decades, is hopeful that Congress will pass the bills lobbied for by the students this week. That openness [to change] is not in character for Congress, and weve really been celebrating that Congress is taking another look at this issue, she said. Theres a lot more consideration of what actually works and what improves peoples lives, and thats really worth celebrating. Im hoping these bills will pass. Sign the Petition: Tell U.S. Attorney General Holder to Protect Children from Rape in Adult Jails and Prisons Related stories on TakePart: Supreme Court Smoke Signals: Three Justices Aim to Take On Solitary Confinement Pastors Are Speaking Out Against Abuse in Private Prisons We're One Step Closer to Ending Solitary Confinement for Youths Original article from TakePart New York - Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of the British rock band The Who were on hand for the opening on Friday of a special social area at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for teens and young adults suffering from the illness. Called The Lounge, the new space was developed by Teen Cancer America, a nonprofit organization co-founded by the two rock stars. The charity works with hospitals to develop state-of-the-art facilities to give teens suffering from cancer a place to meet, spend time together and stay connected. "The music business was founded with the support of teenagers, well it was in my day," Daltrey told a press conference. "And this is a good way of giving back." New York (AFP) - The small town of Bogata, Romania on Saturday rejoiced in an unlikely surge of tourism interest after rapper Snoop Dogg mistakenly tagged the village on Instagram. The California hip-hop great posted a selfie of himself on the photo-sharing site after a recent show in Bogota, Colombia but inadvertently checked himself in as being in the Romanian city, population 2,000. In a textbook case of social media savvy, Romanian entrepreneurs quickly established an English-language website, "www.visitbogata.com," that featured pictures of rolling green hills and promised -- in a touch of Snoop Dogg's verse -- "the chillest weekend you could imagine." The town thanked Snopp Dogg on Facebook on Saturday and said that Bogata in Romanian means "the rich one." "And you'll see it's definitely rich in beautiful sights and amazing food," it said. "We are eagerly awaiting your arrival. You would have a really chill time, for sure!" The tourism website also boasted that visitors would be well connected online in a snide reference to left-wing US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who recently criticized US infrastructure investment by saying that people in the Romanian capital Bucharest had faster Internet than most Americans, an indirect slight that did not sit well in the southeastern European country. One person apparently persuaded by the tourism campaign was Snoop Dogg himself, who, to paraphrase his most famous song, now knows Bogata's name. In a new Instagram post late Friday, the rapper and noted marijuana enthusiast showed himself smoking a joint and endorsed the hashtag campaign #VisitBogata. "Shoutout to my romanian fans, tha boss dogg comm thru real soon !!!" MOSCOW (Reuters) - The ceasefire in Syria is broadly holding but the United States should be doing more to support it, Russia's Defence Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. The ministry said Russian monitors had registered no violations of the ceasefire involving the use of heavy weapons within the last 24 hours. "On the whole the ceasefire regime between government troops and opposition forces on the territory of Syria is being observed," the statement said. But it said that, within the last 24 hours, opposition fighters in the Homs region had opened fire on government posts, killing one soldier. The ceasefire took effect three weeks ago, reducing violence but not halting the fighting as peace talks take place in Geneva. It does not al Qaeda or Islamic State militants. Russia has been pulling out its attack aircraft after announcing a partial withdrawal from Syria, where its air campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad has turned fighting in his favor. The Russian statement criticized the United States for what is said was Washington's failure to restrain rebel fighters. "In contrast to the American side, officers of the Russian (monitoring) Centre are in the provinces and on the ground to restrain potential violations of the ceasefire," it said. Russia had yet to receive a reply from Washington to its proposals for organizing monitoring of the ceasefire, it added. "We consider that this delay in accepting the document in question is unacceptable, because it leads to new civilian casualties," the statement said. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly and Jason Bush; Editing by Tom Heneghan) Washington (AFP) - Russia did carry out air strikes in Syria this week, a US military spokesman said, hours after asserting the opposite. "While we've seen no Russian air strikes in the northern areas of Syria this week, it appears the Russians have conducted some air strikes after all in southern Syria in the vicinity of Palmyra in support of the Syrian regime," US Central Command spokesman Colonel Patrick Ryder told AFP. Earlier, in a telephone briefing with reporters, Ryder had said that most if not all Russian warplanes have been withdrawn from Syria, adding that Russia has staged no air strikes during the past week. That US military assessment contradicted assertions by the Russian military that its jets were flying as many as 25 sorties a day in support of a Syrian government offensive to recapture the ancient city of Palmyra from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. Ryder said during the call earlier that some bombardments had taken place in the Palmyra region but that they were believed to have been fired by Russian artillery. The spokesman told AFP that what he briefed earlier in the day was the latest he had available at the time, adding that he received some updated information late in the afternoon. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday announced a partial withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria, where they have been backing Moscow's close ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The first Russian aircraft returned Tuesday to a hero's welcome. "We assessed that the majority if not all of their strike aircraft have left," Ryder told reporters earlier. The US military, which was taken by surprise by the development, has remained skeptical of Putin's intentions. On Thursday, a Baghdad-based US military spokesman, Colonel Steve Warren, said there had been little change in Russian troop deployments on the ground. There has been little movement of Russian ground forces, Ryder said earlier, adding that Moscow has kept combat helicopters and some transport planes in Syria. Story continues Russia intervened militarily in the Syrian civil war on September 30 at Assad's request, deploying about 50 combat aircraft. It also sent more than 4,000 ground troops, artillery, tanks and about 30 combat helicopters. The Russians have directed their operations mainly against Western-backed anti-government rebels while a US-led coalition has been waging an air campaign against the IS group. By Lidia Kelly and William Maclean MOSCOW/DUBAI (Reuters) - All 62 people aboard a passenger jet flying from Dubai to southern Russia were killed when their plane crashed on its second attempt to land at Rostov-on-Don airport on Saturday, Russian officials said. Russia's emergencies ministry said the aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 operated by Dubai-based budget carrier Flydubai, crashed at 0340 (0040 GMT). Most of those on board were Russian. "The aircraft hit the ground and broke into pieces," the Investigative Committee of Russia said in a statement on its website. "There were 55 passengers aboard and seven crew members. They all died." Both of the plane's flight recorders have been recovered undamaged, the committee said in a statement. According to the independent U.S.-based Flight Safety Foundation, there was strong wind at the airport with a speed of 43 kilometres per hour, with gusts up to 69 kilometres, but visibility was reasonable. "Different versions of what happened are being looked into, including crew error, a technical failure and bad weather conditions," the committee said. It said the plane was in a mid-air holding pattern for more than two hours. The crash occurred more than two hours after the plane, flight number FZ981, was scheduled to land. Russia's Interfax news agency cited a source in the emergency services as saying the pilot changed his mind about landing on the approach to the airport. "For an unknown reason, several minutes before the landing, the pilot reconsidered and decided to make another circuit, but wasn't able to," Interfax quoted the source as saying. Flydubai's CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith told a news conference in the Gulf Arab emirate that it was "too early" to determine the cause of the crash. "We will have information about the circumstances of the incident and the black box in the future, and an investigation is being conducted in cooperation with the Russian authorities and we are waiting to see the results," Ghaith said. ALERT Security officials in the Middle East are on heightened alert for militant threats to aviation following the Islamic State claim of responsibility for downing a Russian passenger plane over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula in late October, in which all 224 people on board died. Sergei Melnichenko, head of Aviation Safety consultancy in Moscow, said so far little pointed to an act of terrorism. "Nothing points to that," Melnichenko said. "But nothing can be fully ruled out until a complete decryption of the flight recorders is done." According to the flight tracker Flightradar24, an Aeroflot flight SU1166 from Moscow made three landing attempts in Rostov before being diverted. It landed at 2315 GMT in Russia's Krasnodar. A source familiar with the investigation told Reuters that there was no weather-related ban on landing at the airport. "We consider all possible causes, but no one is even talking now about the possibility of a terrorist attack," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. Dubai's civil aviation authority said it was sending an investigative team to Russia, president Ismail al Hosani told reporters. Under international aviation rules, the investigation will be led by Russia's air crash safety investigation agency with representatives from the United States, where the jet was made and the United Arab Emirates where the airline is based. Boeing will be appointed as technical advisers to the U.S. investigation team. INTERNATIONAL CREW, MOSTLY RUSSIAN PASSENGERS The Flydubai airline had a clean safety record before the accident. It started flying in June 2009, with a fleet of new Boeing 737s, one of the world's most widely flown planes. It suffered an incident when one of its planes was shot at while landing at Baghdad airport on Jan. 27, 2015. The aircraft that crashed was just over five years old. The Flydubai plane came down inside the airport's perimeter, about 250 metres (yards) short of the start of the runway. The plane's wing hit the ground on its second attempt to land and burst into flames, the Rostov region's emergency ministry said in a statement. But Russian news agencies cited a source in the emergency services saying that the plane fell vertically and hit the ground on its nose. Grainy pictures from a security camera pointing towards the airport, which were broadcast on Russian television, showed a large explosion at ground level, with flames and sparks leaping high into the air. Ghaith of Flydubai said that he had no information to indicate that the pilot had issued a distress call. Both the pilot and co-pilot had over 5,000 hours of flight experience each, he said. There was one Russian among the seven-person crew, the Russian emergency ministry said in a statement. The pilot was Cypriot, the co-pilot and another crew member Spanish and the other three were from Seychelles, Colombia and Kyrgyzstan. Flydubai said in a statement that there were 44 Russians among the 55 passengers, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbek. Four children were among the dead. Russian agencies cited Rostov's government representative as saying that the remains of those killed had been taken to a local morgue and families would able to identify them on Sunday. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered assistance to be given to the relatives of those killed. "The head of state said that now the main thing is to work with the families and the loved ones of those who had died," the Kremlin said in a statement on its website. (Additional reporting by Noah Browning, Christian Lowe, Tim Hepher, Sam Wilkin, Ali Abdelaty, Jason Bush and Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Lidia Kelly and Noah Browning; Editing by Tom Heneghan and Ros Russell) Moscow (AFP) - Sales of the doping drug meldonium have more than doubled in Russia since the nation's tennis star, Maria Sharapova, admitted to taking the substance, according to a survey published on Friday. Russian pharmaceutical outlets sold 78,300 boxes of meldonium between March 7-13, 220 percent more than in the previous week, according to a survey by DSM Group, which tracks the pharmaceutical sector. The Soviet-era drug was thrust into the spotlight on March 7, when Sharapova said she had tested positive at the Australian Open. Sharapova maintained she took it for health reasons, and not as a performance enhancer, and was unaware it had been banned by doping watchdogs. The drug, manufactured in Latvia, dates from the Soviet Union in the 1970s. It is used to treat ischaemia, a lack of blood flow to parts of the body. The increase in blood flow it produces could improve endurance and recovery time after exercise. "The doping scandal was a very good advertising boost for meldonium, enabling it to be introduced to a much broader public," DSM Group's chief executive, Sergei Shulyak, said in a statement. "People felt that if Sharapova used the medication, that meant it really helped." Shulyak said patients fearing that demand for the drug would cause its price to rocket had also been stockpiling the medicine. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on March 11 it had recorded 99 positive tests for meldonium since January 1. WADA moved meldonium from its "monitored" to "prohibited" list at the start of 2016 "because of evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance." BEIRUT (Reuters) - Russian warplanes carried out dozens of air strikes in and around the historic Syrian city of Palmyra on Saturday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. It said some 70 raids had hit the city and its immediate vicinity, with no immediate reports of casualties. Palmyra has been under the control of Islamic State since the group seized it in May. Syrian government forces and their allies are aiming to recapture the city. Russia has said that the conditions have been created for a complete defeat of IS in Palmyra, and is continuing air strikes on IS targets despite having begun a withdrawal of its forces from the country. (Reporting by John Davison; Editing by Toby Chopra) Brussels (AFP) - The arrest of Europe's most wanted man Salah Abdeslam may be a "major blow" to jihadist networks but the four-month manhunt also highlights serious failures which need to be fixed, commentators and officials said Saturday. "From Molenbeek to Molenbeek," ran the headline in Le Soir, neatly summing up Abdeslam's trajectory from the gritty Brussels neighbourhood he called home to the November 13 attacks in Paris which claimed 130 lives, and then back again, to his dramatic capture Friday. "This spectacular arrest allows Belgium to dust off its pride," editor in chief Beatrice Delvaux wrote in Le Soir daily. "It has to be said that Belgium's reputation was at rock bottom with Abdeslam on the run, not only a security threat but also a direct challenge to the authorities," Delvaux said. For other commentators, however, the fact it took four months to track Abdeslam down to Molenbeek, just 500 metres (0.3 miles) from the family home showed the authorities were not up to the job. "This long escapade is not a great success for the Belgian intelligence services," French lawmaker Alain Marsaud said. "Either Salah Abdeslam is very clever, or the Belgian authorities services are stupid, which is more likely," said Marsaud, a member of an ongoing French parliamentary inquiry into possible security failings over the November attacks. Belgian Federal Prosecutor Frederic van Leeuw hit back Saturday, saying "the dossier was a huge puzzle which had to be put together patiently piece by piece." He told Belgian television station RTBF the investigation was also made more "complicated by outside pressure, at the French political level, which of course I understand because there were so many victims." - Trail runs hot, cold - Abdeslam fled Paris immediately after the attacks, slipping back to Brussels where investigators now believe he remained, rather than disappearing overseas as many had initially thought. Story continues In December, they found his fingerprints in another Brussels apartment and searches turned up tantalising evidence that their quarry might not be so far away. Then on Tuesday, they picked up the trail again during a raid on a house in the Forest area of the capital where investigators found his fingerprints. Police shot dead one man in that raid but two others escaped despite a huge security operation amid speculation -- denied -- that one of them might have been Abdeslam. The authorities said initially they were simply carrying out a routine search in Forest and were not expecting to come across any jihadists. But chief prosecutor Van Leeuw said Saturday that "they were not in Forest by accident. It's not just any team that was there, it was the police anti-terrorist unit." Then the authorities got a lucky break when they intercepted a "desperate" phone call by Abdeslam to relatives in Molenbeek seeking refuge, police sources said. Another source close to the investigation said police were also tipped off by someone who told them they had been contacted by a man claiming to be Abdeslam looking for help. - Support network - "There are questions because he kept to a rather small area in Brussels," said Louis Caprioli, former head of the French anti-terrorist Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DST). "It raises questions about how the Belgian police monitored movements in the area. Was it enough? Did they have enough informants and contacts? I'm not sure," Caprioli said. He added: "To be on the run for four months, he clearly benefitted from several support networks." Abdeslam had "friends in the criminal world, among Islamic radicals, then there's his childhood friends in the neighbourhood," said Caprioli. "It's a big job. Perhaps Belgian law enforcement might be a bit off the pace but at the same time they had to deal with a large population (in Molenbeek), part of which is radicalised. It's not easy to get access." Prosecutor Van Leeuw noted that nearly 100,000 people live in Molenbeek "and then you have 10 individuals who are able to do these things." "Locking down an entire neighbourhood to search every home with a fine-tooth comb, I think, is just not consistent with democracy and our values," he said. Dakar (AFP) - Senegal holds a referendum Sunday on sweeping constitutional reforms, including cutting the presidential term from seven to five years. Why is it controversial and what will the result mean for the country? Why does the president want to reduce his own term limit? Senegal's leader Macky Sall was elected in 2012 partly on a platform to reduce the presidential mandate from seven years to five. His predecessor Abdoulaye Wade conceded defeat after pushing the nation into crisis with a controversial third term bid. In March last year, Sall had said reducing his own mandate would set an example within Africa, where many leaders cling to power beyond their allotted term. But Senegal's top court rejected his proposal this February, triggering a referendum that would allow the reforms to come into force once Sall leaves office in 2019 -- in the event of a "Yes" vote, that is. Who are the 'No' camp? Opposition parties and several civil society groups are urging Senegalese to vote "No", saying Sall reneged on his promise to leave office early and criticising the referendum as a cop-out. The "No" camp has clashed sometimes violently with "Yes" supporters in a week of campaigning, with both sides alleging corruption, spreading misinformation and influence peddling against the other. "No" activists accuse the government of misusing state funds to finance its campaign, which has seen giant "Yes" posters appear on billboards across the country. How did the debate get so personal? The referendum has become a Yes/No vote on Sall's popularity, eclipsing more than a dozen other proposed points of reform to the constitution. Sall has been accused of everything from secretly manoeuvring for a third term to using the referendum as Trojan horse for gay marriage. Homosexuality is stigmatised and widely reviled in Senegal. The president has responded to such attacks by describing them as evidence the "No" campaign has nothing of substance left to say. Story continues "They aren't exactly criticising my economic record," Sall quipped during the campaign. What are the other proposed reforms? The other proposals include a more defined role for the leader of the opposition, including the right to be consulted on matters of national security. Independent candidates would be allowed to run in local elections for the first time, giving civil society groups a stronger platform. Another reform states that "natural resources belong to the people", meaning that Senegalese would have the right to the proceeds of commodities or fossil fuel deposits extracted within the country enshrined in law. Finally, the reforms propose the establishment of an advisory council to consider decentralisation and the reinforcement of checks and balances on the executive by parliament and the constitutional court. What happens next? Voting begins at 0800 GMT and ends at 1800 GMT on Sunday for up to five million Senegalese, though technical problems with producing voter ID cards will prevent 200,000 from exercising their democratic rights. Partial results are expected to emerge a few hours later. Simon Pegg could be the next big star to join the cast of Steven Spielberg's upcoming movie "Ready Player One". The UK actor is currently in talks to join Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke and Ben Mendelsohn in the sci-fi film's line-up, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Pegg is in discussions to play the role of Orgen Morrow, the co-creator of Oasis, the virtual world in which the story takes place. Adapted from Ernest Cline's novel, "Ready Player One" tells the tale of a treasure hunt played out between ruthless enemies. Soledad OBriens first visit to Cuba was in 1998, when she covered Pope John Paul IIs historic trip there for NBC News. Shes been back many times since, but this time she wont be covering the event, but moderating separate panels with President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on their historic visit. The White House tapped OBrien, whose familys roots are in Cuba, to moderate two events: First, a morning panel on Monday with the first lady with Cuban teenage girls, some of whom have studied in the United States. The students also will take questions submitted by American students to Discovery Education. Later in the day, OBrien will moderate a panel with President Obama and entrepreneurs, in which Americans who have started their own business will share advice to their Cuban counterparts. OBrien started her own media company, Starfish Media Group, in 2013, after a tenure at CNN and NBC News. OBrien says that this trip will be really interesting, especially since I am not covering it as a news reporter. I will be there as an entrepreneur. She said that she travels to Cuba every two years to visit family. Her mother grew up in poverty and left Cuba in the 1950s, before Fidel Castro came to power. She used to say that under Batista, he would do more than kill you. He would make sure that your family didnt have any food, OBrien said. Her mother finally got to return with OBrien on a trip to Cuba about 10 years ago. She thought it was great to be back, OBrien says of her mother, now in her 80s. But it was very emotionally challenging. Many of her relatives had passed away as Cuba was isolated from the U.S. This trip, OBrien is bringing her 15-year-old and 14-year-old daughters and 11-year-old twin boys, the first time they will be there to meet their relatives and get a sense of what life is like for Cuban teenagers. When Obama announced in December, 2014 that the U.S. would restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba, OBrien wrote in an op-ed for CNN.com, I had grown up rootless, disconnected from our family, unable to see firsthand what my mothers country had become. The politics of the embargo alarmed me on both sides, even though I had no dog in that fight. The poverty astounded me, the restrictions, how people suffered a universal lack of opportunity. Yet I longed to remove the mystery surrounding the place and people my mother left behind. Now, perhaps, I can. Story continues The boycott, she wrote, was punishing for the Cuban people. She says that she is hopeful that the new engagement will expand the ties between the two countries, and that the U.S. can play a role in leading by example. She says that when it comes to free speech, I think that clearly in Cuba it is going to be a process. When it comes to a free press, I hope we are able to show the value of that. Related stories Tom Rothman Confirmed to National Council on the Arts The Rolling Stones to Play Free Concert in Cuba President Obama to Ellen DeGeneres: Washington Is 'Depressing' (Watch) JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) said on Friday it could strike at Sibanye Gold if the firm does not sign a wage agreement with the worker's group. In November, Sibanye said it would not hold further wage talks with the AMCU over wages, saying its members should accept a pay agreement signed with other unions. AMCU members had voted in October to strike in the gold sector, including at Sibanye, but agreed not to down tools immediately pending talks with the gold producer. Sibanye has said the workers were unlikely to engage in work stoppages. The union also said it was against plans by Sibanye to cut more than 500 jobs at its recently acquired platinum mines. The Competition Tribunal on Thursday approved Sibanye Gold's plan to acquire Anglo American Platinum's labour-intensive and costly Rustenburg mines and Aquarius Platinum. Sibanye had pushed for some layoffs to be allowed, mostly head office positions, and the company said the Competition Tribunal seemed to accept that. Sibanye officials were not available to comment. The AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa told a media briefing that the union will constantly fight retrenchments as sinking metal prices and soaring costs have triggered a fresh wave of layoffs across the South African mining industry. "We gave Sibanye our position, we're still waiting for their response. They know it clearly that if they are not responding favourably they will get their 48 hour strike notice," Mathunjwa told reporters. About 250 jobs will be lost at the Rustenburg Platinum mines, while 14 jobs are expected to be shed at Aquarius Platinum mine, said Competition Tribunal spokesperson Chantelle Benjamin in a statement. Further 260 jobs are expected to be cut should Sibanye combine all its mining operations and head offices with the target companies, causing an overlap of important positions. Job losses are a thorny issue in South Africa, where the unemployment rate is around 25 percent. AMCU's arch rival, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), said in February that more than 36,000 jobs could be lost in the embattled industry over the next three months, around 7 percent of the roughly 500,000-strong labour force. (Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by James Macharia) Rian Johnson hasn't finished directing Star Wars: Episode VIII, but he's already being sued over the film. Agent Brian Dreyfuss is suing Johnson for breach of implied contract, claiming the director is refusing to pay him his 10 percent commission, according to the complaint filed Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Producer Ram Bergman is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit. Dreyfuss claims Bergman "orchestrated much of Johnson's business life" and "adopted a course of conduct to marginalize Dreyfuss and limit his influence." According to the complaint, Dreyfuss began representing Johnson early in his career and helped him land writing and directing projects including Looper and Breaking Bad that launched him into the spotlight. Dreyfuss claims in 2002 he agreed to represent Johnson in exchange for 10 percent commission on any and all projects he facilitated, including "renewals and/or options that are exercised or contracts that have been renewed." The suit claims Johnson agreed to pay that commission whether or not the employment contracts were procured as a result of Dreyfuss' efforts and whether or not the employment continued after the end of their agreement. Read More: 'Looper' Director Rian Johnson on Reuniting With Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tackling Time Travel and His Love of 'Inception' (Q&A) Johnson brought on CAA as a co-agency in 2011, which was part of Bergman's plan to shut Dreyfuss out, according to the complaint. The crux of the complaint is the spring of 2014. Dreyfuss claims in January of that year, the head of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, contacted him to ask about Johnson's interest in future film projects. Kennedy and Johnson had met in 2012, thanks to Dreyfuss, the suit claims. Johnson turned down the meeting, saying he wanted to focus on his own projects and didn't want to consider outside source material, according to Dreyfuss. Story continues A few months later, Johnson fired Dreyfuss "because he could not justify paying Plaintiff 10% when he was already paying other percentages." Dreyfuss says he offered to take a reduced commission to continue their working relationship and eventually Johnson admitted he just wanted to pursue other opportunities. Dreyfuss "alleges that Bergman used his extensive influence on and over Johnson to convince him to forestall any pursuit of the opportunities with Lucasfilm, in particular the Star Wars Projects, until after Johnson terminated Plaintiff as his representative." Dreyfuss is suing for not only damages, but also a declaration from the court that Johnson is required to pay him 10 percent of all commissionable projects, including Star Wars. Reps for Johnson and Bergman have not yet responded to requests for comment. Read More: A History of 'Star Wars' Legal Wars: 'Battlestar Galactica,' 'Star Trek' and Ronald Reagan (Reuters) - A suburban Chicago policeman was shot and suffered life-threatening injuries on Saturday, and the shooter was killed by police in a confrontation during an investigation of a break-in at a vacant home, the police department said. The officer was taken to a local hospital and then airlifted to the Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to a post on the Park Forest Police Department Facebook page. A tweet from the police department said the officer was in critical condition. Park Forest is about 30 miles (48 km) south of Chicago. Police did not identify the officer or the shooter. But local media reports, citing Park Forest Mayor John A. Ostenburg, named the officer as Tim Jones. Officers were called to look into a break-in at a vacant residence at 5:40 a.m. on Saturday and found a stolen vehicle at that location. Police surrounded the home. As a man exited the residence, officers attempted to detain him, but the man pulled out a gun and began exchanging gunfire with officers, the Facebook post said. (Reporting by Justin Madden in Chicago; Editing by Fiona Ortiz) SYDNEY (Reuters) - Cities on Australia's east coast were among the first in the world to turn lights out on Saturday for the 10th annual Earth Hour, a global lights out event designed to highlight the threat from climate change. The Sydney Opera House, normally brightly lit, switched off its lights at 8:30 p.m. (0930 GMT), along with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and dozens more buildings across the city and Australia. More than 350 landmark buildings across the world including the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building and Taipei 101 will follow suit. This year's theme is a celebration of "Places We Love," such as beaches, forests, reefs, snow-capped mountains and rivers which could be at risk from climate change. Organizers hope this year's Earth Hour can tap a "new momentum" in climate action following world leaders' Paris agreement in December. That agreement set a course for global carbon emissions reduction to a net zero by 2100, shifting from fossil fuels in favor of greener energies such as solar and wind power. Average global temperatures last month were 1.35 degree Celsius (2.4 Fahrenheit) above normal for February, the biggest temperature excess recorded for any month against a baseline of 1951-80, according to NASA data released last weekend. Earth Hour Global executive director Siddarth Das, said in a statement that the world is at a "climate crossroads". "From living rooms to classrooms and conference rooms, people are demanding climate action," he said. "Earth Hour reminds us that while people are on the frontline of climate change, they are also our first line of defense. Our actions today, as individuals and the global community, have the power to transform what the world will look like for generations to come." Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007 as an initiative of conservation group WWF and went global in 2008, attracting 50 million people, organizers say. This year organizers say events will be held in 178 countries and territories. (Reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Michael Perry) Earlier this week, just ahead of making the first visit by a sitting American president to Cuba in 88 years, Barack Obama cultivated a very special pen pal. Sitting at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office, he wrote a note to Ileana Yarza, a 76-year-old retired economist in Cuba who had sent him several letters over the years, often arguing for the lifting the U.S. embargo against her country, a blockade that has been in place most of her adult life. In her latest message, Yarza described the embargo as a black page on American history and geopolitics, invited the president and the first lady for Cuban coffee at her home in Havana during their visit next week, and expressed her eagerness to meet a charming president whose open smile wins hearts. Obama responded, in a letter that was then loaded onto the first flight transporting direct mail from the United States to Cuba since the 1960sone consequence of the recent restoration of U.S.-Cuban diplomatic and commercial relations. (Like all things U.S.-Cuban, this subject is contentious: Theres debate over when precisely postal service was suspended. Some claim the suspension resulted from a raft of U.S. measures to isolate Cuba in the early 1960s, while others say it stemmed from a letter bomb sent from New York to Cuba in 1968. Before this week, mail was typically routed through third-party countries like Canada and Mexico.) Dear Ileana: Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate your support over the years, and I hope this notewhich will reach you by way of the first direct mail flight between the United States and Cuba in over 50 yearsserves as a reminder of a bright new chapter in the relationship between our two nations. I am looking forward to visiting Havana to foster this relationship and highlight our shared valuesand, hopefully, I will have time to enjoy a cup of Cuban coffee. Sincerely, Barack Obama Story continues For a letter 50 years in the making, Obamas is rather underwhelming and formulaic (and sooo noncommittalhopefully, I will have time to enjoy a cup of Cuban coffee should give Ileana no assurance that hell be enjoying that cafecito with her). But its historic nonetheless. Recommended: What Bernie Sanders Knows About Nordic Countries That Hillary Clinton Doesn't Its also a poignant reminder of the extent to which the dysfunctional U.S.-Cuban relationship has been mothballed all these years, and must still be modernized. Note that the White House is trumpeting its first direct-mail letter, not its first Snapchat, to the Cuban people. Pictures like the one above, of Yarza holding a print-out of Obamas message as she awaited opening the real thing, only underscored the disconnect between the state of bilateral communications and communication technologies, between 90 miles of separation and 56 years of stubborn isolation. Fidels letter to FDR (National Archives) Poignant too is the fact that Yarza wrote her letters in the first place. She learned her English in American-run schools, the Associated Press reports, before Fidel Castros 1959 revolution tore the intimate ties between Cuba and the U.S. asunder. Fidel himself wrote a letter to the United States in 1940, around the time that Ileana Yarza was born. He addressed it to, of all people, the president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Identifying himself as a 12-year-old Cuban with bad English (he may actually have been 14), he asked FDR for a $10 bill and offered to provide access to his countrys iron mines to help construct American ships. Heres what the future Cuban president and American archenemy said, in part (misspellings included): Mr. Franklin Roosvelt, President of the United States. My good friend Roosvelt: I dont know very English, but I know as much as write to you. I like to hear the radio, and I am very happy, because I heard in it, that you will be President for a new (periodo) I am twelve years old. I am a boy but I think very much but I do not think that I am writing to the President of the United States. If you like, give me a ten dollars bill green american, in the letter, because never, I have not seen a ten dollars bill green american and I would like to have one of them. I dont know very English but I know very much Spanish and I suppose you dont know very Spanish but you know very English because you are American but I am not American. (Thank you very much) Good by. Your friend, Fidel Castro If you want iron to make your ships I will show to you the bigest (minas) of iron of the land. They are in Mayari, Oriente Cuba. Fidel never received a personal response from the U.S. president, let alone $10 (he did get a reply from the U.S. embassy). His correspondence with America, you might say, was only just beginning, and would soon take a much darker tone. Seventy-six years later, Fidels country will be receiving the U.S. president himself. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. By Daniel Flynn and Anthony Boadle SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - A top judge in Brazil ruled on Friday that Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva should be stripped of a ministerial role so he can be investigated for graft, minutes after the ex-president rallied tens of thousands of supporters behind embattled President Dilma Rousseff. In a move likely to inflame tensions between the judiciary and Brazil's leftist government, Supreme Court justice Gilmar Mendes said Rousseff's decision to name Lula her chief of staff appeared designed to shelter him from prosecutors' charges of money laundering. Lula's appointment on Wednesday, which sparked protests in several cities, means only the Supreme Court can investigate him, placing him beyond the reach of a crusading judge heading Brazil's biggest ever graft probe into corruption at state oil company Petrobras. "It would be plausible to conclude that the appointment and subsequent swearing-in could constitute fraud of the Constitution," Mendes said in his ruling. His decision to suspend Lula from ministerial office can be appealed before a plenary session of the court. The opposition branded Rousseff's appointment of her charismatic political mentor as a desperate bid to shore up support in her Workers Party against impeachment proceedings, which picked up speed in Congress on Friday, as well as a means of protecting him from prosecutors. At a rally in Sao Paulo's central Paulista Avenue, tens of thousands of Workers' Party supporters cheered Lula as he promised that his return to government would bring a greater emphasis on returning the recession-striken economy to growth and creating jobs. "We have a long time before 2018 to turn around the fortunes of this country," Lula said, referring to the next presidential elections, for which he has suggested he could be a candidate. "There will not be a coup." Pollster Datafolha estimated some 95,000 people took part in the Sao Paulo demonstration. Tens of thousands more participated in pro-government protests in Rio de Janeiro, while police said more than 5,000 joined a rally in the capital Brasilia in front of Congress. Hours earlier, riot police had fired water cannon and tear gas to disperse anti-government protesters who had blocked the same central Sao Paulo thoroughfare since Wednesday, when demonstrations erupted against Lula's appointment as minister. CLOCKING TICKING ON IMPEACHMENT In the lower house of Congress, opposition parties hurried along impeachment proceedings against Rousseff by holding a session on Friday, when lawmakers are usually away from the capital. The president has 10 sessions in the lower house to present her defense and the decision to hold a session on Friday meant the clock has started on those, even though the special impeachment committee did not meet. The case against her centers on allegations that Rousseff broke budget rules to boost spending as she campaigned for re-election in 2014. Lula and Rousseff both deny any wrongdoing. Antonio Imbassahy, the leader of the opposition Social Democratic Party of Brazil (PSDB) in the lower house, said the committee could present its findings by mid-April. Committee chairman Rogerio Rosso, of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) that forms part of Rousseff's coalition, said the committee was balanced between lawmakers for and against unseating the president, but recent political events would influence their decisions. On Sunday, more than 1 million people poured into the streets of several cities to demand Rousseff's departure, the biggest in a wave of protests calling for her resignation. "The large street demonstrations are echoing here," he told local television. "Political instability is growing." Rousseff's main coalition party, the fractious Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), has brought forward to March 29 a meeting of its executive to decide whether to break with her government and seek her impeachment. The PMDB's leader, Vice President Michel Temer, would become Brazil's acting president if the lower house votes to impeach Rousseff and the Senate agrees to start a trial. Many party insiders expect it to back impeachment. "The PMDB's hurry is based on the will of the people," a party leader, Wellington Moreira Franco, said on Twitter. "On Tuesday the 29th, the party will decide to break away." The party is considering expelling Mauro Lopes, a PMDB lawmaker who became Rousseff's civil aviation minister on Thursday, despite a party ban on taking up new posts in her administration. Rousseff appointed Lula, who remains one of Brazil's most influential politicians six years after leaving office, in an attempt to fight impeachment and win back working-class supporters amid the worst economic recession in decades. But his appointment has been overshadowed by taped telephone conversations between Rousseff and Lula that were released by a crusading anti-corruption judge who said they showed the pair discussing how to interfere with his Petrobras probe. The release of the recordings has inflamed tensions that were already running high between the judiciary and government. "This was illegal," Rousseff told a rally on Friday. "Only the Supreme Court has the authority to wiretap a president." (Additional reporting by Guillermo Parra-Bernal, Brad Haynes, Eduardo Simoes and Tatiana Bautzer in Sao Paulo, Maria Carolinea Marcello in Brasilia, and Pedro Fonseca in Rio de Janeiro; Editing by Frances Kerry, Bernard Orr) Youngstown (United States) (AFP) - Agence France-Presse is running a weekly series of reporters' blogs taking readers behind the scenes of the 2016 US election for a look at the events and attitudes shaping the White House race. The latest contribution comes from Ohio, the crucial Midwest swing state that voted this week in the first series of winner-take-all contests. The Republican frontrunner Donald Trump flew in for several tense rallies that highlighted the potential entanglements of protesting -- and covering -- the brash billionaire on the campaign trail. - Jeers at journalists - Just seconds after bounding onstage at his rally in Cleveland, Donald Trump had his crowd booing and howling in unison -- not at likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and not at his Republican presidential rivals either. They were booing the US media. "Very dishonest people, I have to tell you that," Trump told supporters. Three days later in Miami, he railed against the "disgusting reporters" covering his campaign. Covering Trump is without doubt the most colorful political reporting assignment to be had today in the United States, which is currently picking which Democrat and Republican will go head to head in November's presidential election. As followers of breaking news, the media must keep its collective eye on Trump, whose unfiltered bluster and volatile campaign stops -- punctuated by occasional violent clashes between his supporters and protesters -- often dominate headlines. But it is an assignment bristling with uncertainties, as Trump trash-talks reporters to their faces and gets his staff and the masses to follow suit. Anger has reached alarming levels at some Trump events. Last Saturday near Dayton, a protester jumped a barrier and rushed the stage as Trump was speaking. The man was tackled by Secret Service agents and taken away. At a rally in an airport hangar near Youngstown, Ohio, Trump disparaged the reporters who cover the celebrity billionaire -- and who have blessed him with wall-to-wall coverage for months -- as "the most dishonest people on Earth." Story continues He pointed to the television cameras packed on the press riser. "The worst. True. True. So true," he said. The crowd, mostly white males, turned en masse to the press pen and jeered. Some raised their fists, while others waved vulgar anti-Hillary Clinton signs in front of the cameras. I looked around at my media colleagues. A few shook their heads and others muttered under their breath, but most carried on with their work, outwardly unperturbed by the metaphorical pitchforks raised at them. It highlights one of the contradictions of reporting the Donald Trump experience: covering perhaps the singular master media manipulator of the 21st century, who rips reporters one day but calls into morning talk shows the next, while enduring scathing verbal takedowns from the very celebrity billionaire at the center of the story. The press -- a mini army of broadcast networks, cable news channels, the wires, national daily newspapers and online media outlets -- have followed his every move and word since he announced his insurgent campaign last June. Yet their jobs on the Trump trail have become increasingly precarious, particularly in recent weeks, corresponding to heightened tensions at the rallies including in Chicago, where violent clashes between supporters and protesters forced Trump to cancel an event. I have not been the direct target of anti-media invective, although several people at Trump campaign stops have hurled unprompted vitriol at news reporters doing their jobs. "You're a bitch!" a man yelled to journalists in the press pen at a February rally, NBC reporter Katy Tur described in a tweet. I witnessed plenty of hostility at Trump's Ohio rallies this past week, including from Trump supporters who accused the press of undercutting his message or glomming on to the prospect of the Republican establishment plotting to derail the 69-year-old real estate mogul's march to the nomination. But for the most part, despite their beef with "mainstream media," most Trump supporters appeared more than happy to speak to a reporter when I approached them in the rallies. - The aggravator - "Yeah, he aggravates them a little bit," 70-year-old Royce Audia told me, referring to how Trump tends to stir up his supporters who vent frustration at protesters and the press, as she awaited the candidate in Youngstown. Many in the crowd were eager to display their shirts with off-color slogans, one of which had an image of President Barack Obama above the words "100 percent douchebag." At the rally in Cleveland, a handful of Trump fans castigated reporters as they filmed protesters who peacefully held up anti-Trump signs, under the watchful eye of horse-mounted police. But the anger was aimed mostly at the protesters, many of them African-Americans. "You want free health care? Join the military!" I watched one man snipe repeatedly at protesters. "Get the hell out!" yelled a man in a black sport jacket with a shirt underneath that depicted Clinton as a garish Joker, Batman's villainous foe. Earlier inside the rally, some attendees got into shoving matches with protesters near the press pen. Photographers leaned over the railing to capture the disturbance, drawing cat calls from attendees. The press has felt the physical wrath of Team Trump as well. Late last month at a rally in Virginia, an award-winning photographer for Time was slammed onto a table and then the ground by a Secret Service agent as he sought to take photographs of protesters being removed from the event. Last week as Trump fielded questions while leaving a Florida news conference, his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski allegedly grabbed a female reporter, Michelle Fields of the conservative site Breitbart News, so hard that it left bruises on her arm. The incident, one of the more chilling examples of manhandling of the media as they seek to cover the Republican frontrunner, has been vehemently denied by Lewandowski and Trump. "@MichelleFields you are totally delusional. I never touched you," Lewandowski posted on Twitter. "As a matter of fact, I have never even met you." Despite the clashes, threats and the ominous turn at recent Trump events, just as many journalists -- if not more -- are likely to attend Trump's next rally as he upends US politics and races toward the Republican nomination. By Alana Wise WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fox News on Friday issued a harsh condemnation to Donald Trump in defense of one of the network's most popular reporters, calling the Republican front-runner's "obsession" unfit for a presidential candidate. "Donald Trump's vitriolic attacks against Megyn Kelly and his extreme, sick obsession with her is beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate," the conservative cable news network wrote in a statement. "Megyn is an exemplary journalist and one of the leading anchors in America were extremely proud of her phenomenal work and continue to fully support her throughout every day of Trumps endless barrage of crude and sexist verbal assaults." The statement from Fox, which is part of the Rupert Murdoch-controlled Twenty-First Century Fox Inc, comes in response to a recent onslaught of negative comments from Trump to Kelly, resparking a months-long feud between the two. The quarrel began in August when, during a Fox News-hosted Republican debate, Trump blasted Kelly over questions she posed to him regarding his history with women, including his references to some women he didn't like as "dogs" and "fat pigs." Trump upped the ante shortly thereafter, saying that Kelly had become so incensed, "you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her - wherever," which many viewed as Trump insinuating that Kelly was menstruating. The Trump campaign later issued a statement saying that by "her wherever," Trump meant Kelly's nose. Still, the damage had been done, and the relationship between the billionaire businessman and the longtime Fox News anchor has remained strained. Beginning Tuesday, Trump took to Twitter to blast Kelly, tweeting and retweeting a series of messages referring to her as "Crazy Megyn," and calling for supporters to boycott her weeknight news program, "The Kelly File." "Everybody should boycott the @megynkelly show. Never worth watching. Always a hit on Trump! She is sick, & the most overrated person on tv," Trump tweeted on Friday. Fox News responded by saying: "As the mother of three young children, with a successful law career and the second highest rated show in cable news, its especially deplorable for (Kelly)to be repeatedly abused just for doing her job. The Trump campaign stood by the negative tweets, calling Kelly "highly overrated" in a statement, and accusing her of biased reporting. "Unlike Megyn Kelly, who resorts to putting out statements via FOX News, Mr. Trump will continue to defend himself against the inordinate amount of unfair and inaccurate coverage he receives on her second-rate show each night," the campaign said. (Reporting by Alana Wise; Editing by Leslie Adler) Tunis (AFP) - Tunisian authorities said two "terrorists" were killed Saturday close to the southern town of Ben Guerdane near the border with Libya where jihadists mounted a deadly assault earlier this month. Four people were also wounded in clashes -- three civilians and a member of the security forces, the sources said. "During security and military operations in Ben Guerdane, security forces and the army killed two terrorists holed up in a house... in the vicinity of the town," the defence and interior ministries said in a joint statement. It described "an exchange of fire between terrorists and security forces who were preparing to search the house," adding that three civilians were wounded by shrapnel and a member of the National Guard was wounded in the foot. On March 7, dozens of jihadists mounted a dawn assault on security installations in Ben Guerdane, which is near the border with unrest-plagued Libya. Thirteen members of the security forces and seven civilians were killed in those attacks, according to official figures. There was no claim of responsibility for the March 7 attacks, but the authorities blamed them on the Islamic State group (IS). In the west, meanwhile, the army fought militants in clashes that left a soldier wounded, the defence ministry said. "A soldier was wounded during an exchange of fire Saturday morning between army units and a terrorist group at Jabal Samama" in the Kasserine region, Lieutenant Colonel Belhassen Oueslati told AFP. Separately, the interior ministry said three gunmen had opened fire overnight on a police outpost along the border with Algeria. "There was an exchange of fire between security forces at the post and terrorists before the attackers fled," a ministry statement said, adding that no one was injured. Tunisia has failed to curb a rise in extremism since the 2011 revolution that ousted longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Last year, IS claimed attacks on the Bardo museum in Tunis and a popular resort hotel, killing 59 tourists in total, and the suicide bombing of a bus that killed 12 presidential guards. Thousands of Tunisians have signed up to fight abroad with extremist groups. As Twitter marks its 10th birthday Monday, it is somewhat of an awkward child -- having become a powerful communication tool but still struggling to win users and reach profitability. Since making a star-quality entrance a decade ago, Twitter has become a must-have tool for journalists, activists and celebrities but has struggled to show it can expand beyond its devoted "twitterati" to become a mainstream hit. While Internet lovers might have trouble envisioning life without Twitter, the San Francisco-based company has seen its stock tank, a chief executive leave, and its staff cut. Twitter's woes include a slump in its stock price to all-time lows this year -- down nearly half from its 2013 stock market debut -- and ongoing losses, even as its revenue grows. Twitter's base of monthly active users remained stuck at 320 million at the end of 2015. While that is a big accomplishment, Twitter has failed to keep pace with fast-growing rivals and to expand beyond its base. The troubles have forced Twitter to bring back co-founder Jack Dorsey as chief executive, but that has not stemmed rumors about a possible buyout or merger. "It's not dead yet," independent analyst Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group said of Twitter. "Watching all the metrics, you see they are not getting a lot worse but they don't seem to be getting better either." Some analysts believe Twitter's true value is being demonstrated in the US presidential race, especially by the Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump. "Eight weeks ago I would have said the days of Twitter are over; I don't say that anymore," Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry told AFP. - Twitter has 'legs' - The analyst said Trump has shown how potent Twitter can be for those who embrace it. "I think that probably the worst for Twitter is over," Chowdhry said. "This platform has legs." Chowdhry said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also used Twitter effectively to win his campaign and Tesla founder Elon Musk has been shaking up the auto sector with the help of the messaging platform. Story continues Twitter and other social media have been important tools in movements such as the Arab Spring, and in protests in Turkey, where the government has sought to ban it. An advantage of Twitter is that it lets users "amplify" messages with tweets that echo on the Internet, and assess public sentiment in real-time by getting quick feedback. Trump has boosted the number of his followers to nearly seven million, and has managed to beat rivals with a campaign largely based around Twitter. "I am pretty sure most of his followers are not on Twitter, but they know what he is saying on Twitter," analyst Omar Akhtar of the technology research firm Altimeter Group, said of Trump. "The Twitter effect cannot be ignored. Twitter has a life beyond its platform, the trouble is it doesn't know how to monetize that part." The research firm eMarketer lowered its revenue estimates for Twitter this month, saying its "monetization" efforts -- the selling of advertising or "promoted tweets" for those who use the platform without logging in -- are falling short. "Events like the US election and Summer Olympics this year may prove pivotal to the success of this strategy," said eMarketer's Martin Utreras. - Change brings risk - Twitter bears the weight of being measured against Internet titans such as Facebook, which is only a few years older but has eclipsed the billion-user mark. Flight VC partner Lou Kerner, whose investor group watches emerging companies, said Twitter has done "an amazing job" creating a new communication medium but appears to have leveled off instead of becoming ubiquitous. "Like any other company, Twitter is judged on growth," Kerner said. "They have stagnated." Even more troubling, Kerner noted, is that engagement at Twitter has been ebbing in an indication that "people have tired of it." While Facebook has evolved with new features, Twitter has changed little since it began, according to Kerner. "In order to reignite engagement, they would have to make profound changes to what they do," he said. "The problem is, you can't make a make a massive change without a massive risk." Some say Twitter has become a victim of its own success -- it has become so cluttered with information that it becomes hard to navigate. "Twitter is still incredibly relevant when it comes to major cultural events, major news events, the kinds of things people are discussing around the world," said Debra Aho Williamson of eMarketer. "But anyone who follows just a couple of hundred people can easily be overwhelmed by the amount of information. It becomes work rather than fun." Dorsey currently is managing two firms, Twitter and mobile payments startup Square -- both multibillion dollar companies struggling to achieve profitability. Dorsey said Twitter priorities for this year include making it more intuitive to use; live-streaming video, and making it safer for people to freely express themselves on the platform. Twitter recently revamped its timeline, allowing the "best" tweets to rise to the top, despite warnings of a revolt from members loyal to the real-time flow of the messaging platform. "If you look at the 10 years as a whole, you will see that Twitter really has revolutionized the way we communicate," Akhtar said. "To me, it is a utility like electricity or the phone -- it is really part of everyday life." By Nick Tattersall and Ayla Jean Yackley ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed four people on Saturday in a busy shopping district in the heart of Istanbul, pushing the death toll from four separate suicide attacks in Turkey this year to more than 80. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the blast was "inhumane" and would not stop Turkey, which has been targeted by Kurdish and Islamic State militants, from fighting "centers of terrorism". Israel said two of its citizens died in the attack, Washington said two Americans had been killed and a Turkish official said one victim was Iranian, suggesting that some of the dead may have had dual nationality. The blast, which also wounded at least 36 people, was a few hundred meters from an area where police buses are often stationed. It sent panicked shoppers scurrying into alleys off Istiklal Street, a long pedestrian avenue lined with international stores and foreign consulates. "There is information that it is an attack carried out by an ISIS member, but this is preliminary information, we are still checking it," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters, using another name for Islamic State. He said a third Israeli may have died. Israel also said 11 of its citizens had been wounded while Ireland said "a number" of Irish were hurt. The attack will raise further questions about the ability of NATO member Turkey to protect itself against a spillover of violence from the war in neighboring Syria. Turkey is battling a widening Kurdish insurgency in its southeast, which it sees as fueled by the territorial gains of Kurdish militia fighters in northern Syria, and has also blamed some of the recent bombings on Islamic State militants who crossed from its southern neighbor. "No center of terrorism will reach its aim with such monstrous attacks," Davutoglu said in a written statement. "Our struggle will continue with the same resolution and determination until terrorism ends completely." THREE SUSPECTS Germany had shut its diplomatic missions and schools on Thursday, citing a specific threat. U.S. and other European embassies had warned their citizens to be vigilant ahead of Newroz celebrations this weekend, a spring festival largely marked by Kurds that has turned violent in the past. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Two senior officials said the attack could have been carried out by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), fighting for Kurdish autonomy in the southeast, or by an Islamic State militant. A PKK offshoot claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings in the capital Ankara over the past month which killed 66 people. Islamic State was blamed for a suicide bombing in Istanbul in January which killed at least 12 German tourists. One of the officials said Saturday's bomber, who also died in the blast, had planned to hit a more crowded location but was deterred by the police presence. "The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the target point because they were scared of the police," the official said, declining to be named as the investigation is ongoing. Another official said investigations were focusing on three possible suspects, all of them male and two of them from the southern city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border. There was no further confirmation of this. Armed police sealed off the shopping street where half a dozen ambulances gathered. Forensic teams in white suits searched for evidence as police helicopters buzzed overhead. "I saw a body on the street. No one was treating him but then I saw someone who appeared to be a regular citizen trying to do something to the body. That was enough for me and I turned and went back," one resident told Reuters. Istiklal Street, usually thronged with shoppers at weekends, was quieter than normal as more people are staying home after a series of deadly bombings. Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said 36 people had been wounded, seven of them in serious condition. At least 24 of the wounded were foreigners, according to Istanbul's governor. INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION Turkey is still in shock from a suicide car bombing last Sunday at a crowded transport hub in the capital Ankara which killed 37 people and a similar bombing in Ankara last month in which 29 died. A PKK offshoot claimed responsibility for both. The latest attack brought widespread condemnation. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on an official visit to Istanbul, said it showed "the ugly face of terrorism". France condemned it as "despicable and cowardly". NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg described it as "another terrorist outrage against innocent civilians", while the U.S. State Department said it was the latest "indefensible violence targeting innocent people throughout Turkey". The Kurdish-rooted opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) condemned the bombing. The PKK's umbrella group said it opposed targeting civilians and condemned attacks on them. A 2-1/2-year PKK ceasefire collapsed last July, triggering the worst violence in the southeast since the 1990s. Hundreds have since died. Separately, a police officer and a soldier died in clashes with militants in the southeastern city of Nusaybin, security sources said. In its armed campaign in Turkey, the PKK has historically struck directly at the security forces but recent bombings suggest it could be shifting tactics. At the height of the PKK insurgency in the 1990s, the Newroz festival often saw clashes between Kurdish protesters and security forces. (Additional reporting by Orhan Coskun, Asli Kandemir, Humeyra Pamuk, Daren Butler, Parisa Hafezi in Turkey, John Irish in Paris, Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem, Hans-Edzard Busemann in Berlin and Idrees Ali in Washington; Padraic Halpin in Dublin; writing by David Dolan and Nick Tattersall; editing by David Clarke) UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Friday "strongly condemned" and "expressed grave concern" over North Korea's recent ballistic missile launches, saying the action was unacceptable and clearly violated U.N. resolutions. North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile which flew about 800 km (500 miles) before hitting the sea, South Korea's military said on Friday, as the isolated state stepped up its defiance of tough new U.N. and U.S. sanctions. North Korea also fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea earlier in March. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Sandra Maler) By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Marine who was part of the coalition fighting Islamic State was killed in a rocket attack by the militant group in northern Iraq, the Pentagon said in a statement on Saturday. It was the second combat death of an American service member in Iraq since the start of the campaign to fight the militant Islamic State group. The Marine, who was providing force protection fire, died in the rocket attack at a base near Makhmur, a town between the cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said. Cook did not identify the Marine who had been killed. He said several other Marines had been wounded and were being treated for injuries. A U.S. defense official said two rockets had been fired. One did not cause any damage. In October, Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler, 39, of Roland, Oklahoma, became the first American to die in combat in Iraq since 2011 when he was killed during an overnight mission to rescue hostages held by Islamic State militants. Earlier this year U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that a new U.S. force of special operations troops had arrived in Iraq and was preparing to work with Iraqi forces to go after Islamic State targets. While that force was expected to number only about 200, its deployment marked the latest expansion of U.S. military pressure on Islamic State. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; editing by David Clarke, Franklin Paul and David Gregorio) UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States supports Morocco's autonomy plan for the disputed territory of Western Sahara, considering it both credible and realistic, the U.S. mission to the United Nations said on Saturday. The announcement on Twitter comes amid an escalating spat between Rabat and the United Nations. Morocco accused U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last week of no longer being neutral in the conflict, criticizing his use of the word "occupation" to describe Morocco's annexation of the region at the center of a struggle since 1975, when it took over from colonial power Spain. This week Morocco ordered the United Nations to withdraw 84 international civilian personnel from its peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, MINURSO. It said this was a response to Ban's "unacceptable" remarks. "We consider Morocco autonomy plan serious, realistic, credible," U.S. mission spokesman Kurtis Cooper said on his Twitter feed. "We continue to support the U.N.-led process to bring about a peaceful, sustainable, and mutually-agreed solution to conflict in Western Sahara." He added that the United States continues to support the work of MINURSO in Western Sahara. The controversy over Ban's comments is Morocco's worst dispute with the United Nations since 1991, when the U.N. brokered a ceasefire to end a war over the Western Sahara and established the mission. Earlier this month, Ban visited refugee camps in southern Algeria for the Sahrawi people, who say Western Sahara belongs to them and fought a war against Morocco until the 1991 ceasefire. Their Polisario Front wants a referendum, including over the question of independence, but Rabat says it will only grant semi-autonomy. Ban's spokesman said on Friday that he was disappointed by the U.N. Security Council's failure to take a strong stand in the dispute between him and Morocco over Western Sahara and would raise it with council members soon. Diplomats said the council members that argued against a strong statement of support of Ban and in favor of countries dealing with the issue bilaterally included Morocco's traditional ally France along with Spain, Egypt and Senegal. Council statements need to be unanimous. France has offered to mediate between Ban and Morocco. The Polisario's U.N. representative Ahmed Boukhari told reporters on Thursday that Morocco's goal was to shut down MINURSO, which he said "would mean the shortest way to the resumption of war." Ban has said he wants to restart stalled negotiations between Morocco and Polisario Front. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Tom Heneghan) Sanaa (AFP) - UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed arrived Saturday in Yemen's rebel-held capital to try to restart peace talks between Iran-backed insurgents and the internationally recognised government. The Mauritanian diplomat met Ali Hajar, a foreign affairs representative of the Huthi rebels, Sanaa airport director Khaled al-Shayef told AFP. It came a day after the UN envoy held talks in Riyadh with Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. Yemen's Saba news agency said Ould Cheikh Ahmed met Hadi to relaunch "efforts to reestablish peace in Yemen". "All doors are open to reach peace based on (UN) Security Council resolutions," Hadi was quoted as saying. Yemen has been gripped by violence since September 2014, when the Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who had long complained of marginalisation, stormed Sanaa and forced the internationally recognised government to flee south. A Saudi-led coalition began bombing raids on Huthi positions across Yemen in March 2015 but the insurgents still control parts of the country including the capital. Hadi's government has declared the southern city of Aden to be the country's provisional capital. The year-long coalition campaign has faced criticism over civilian casualties. The UN said Friday that Saudi-led raids are responsible for the vast majority of the estimated 3,200 civilian deaths in the Yemen war. This week coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri told AFP that the alliance was at "the end of the major combat phase", raising hopes of a possible relaunch of peace talks. Previous UN-sponsored negotiations between rebels and government officials failed to reach a breakthrough, and the most recent round ended in acrimony in December. Hadi's government insists that the Huthis must abide by UN Security Council resolution 2216, which states the rebels must withdraw from seized territories and disarm, before peace talks can progress. The World Health Organization says fighting in Yemen has killed more than 6,200 people over the past year and the United Nations has warned of an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe. Washington (AFP) - The United States strongly condemned a suicide bombing that killed four people in central Istanbul on Saturday, calling it a "vicious terrorist attack" and vowing to stand by Turkey. "The United States stands in solidarity with our NATO ally Turkey in combating the common threat of terrorism," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. "This vicious attack is the latest in a series of indefensible violence targeting innocent people throughout Turkey -- Turkish citizens and international visitors alike." The sixth major attack in Turkey since July, the bombing targeted Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrian thoroughfare on the European side of Istanbul that is usually thronged with shoppers and strollers but was still relatively quiet when the bomber struck around 11:00 am (0900 GMT). The attack also injured dozens, less than a week after a suicide bombing by Kurdish rebels left 35 dead in Ankara. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the latest attack, which left an Israeli national among the four dead. "We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those killed and our hopes for a quick recovery for those wounded," Kirby said. "We will remain in close touch with Turkish authorities during the investigation." "These acts of terrorism only reinforce our determination to support all those across the region working to promote peace and reconciliation." Baghdad (AFP) - The Islamic State group killed a US marine in a rocket attack in northern Iraq Saturday, the Pentagon said, only the second American combat death in the fight against the jihadists. "Earlier today a US Marine providing force protection fire support at a recently established coalition fire base near Makhmur in northern Iraq was killed after coming under ISIL (IS) rocket fire," a statement said. Makhmur is a district around 70 kilometres (45 miles) southeast of the main IS hub of Mosul and 280 kilometres (170 miles) north of Baghdad. It lies within territory controlled by the autonomous northern region of Kurdistan, but Baghdad has recently been deploying federal forces there to prepare for an offensive against Mosul. "Several other Marines were wounded and they are being treated for their varying injuries," the Pentagon said. The 60-nation coalition battling IS in Iraq and Syria had previously announced a death as a result of "enemy action" but not specified the casualty's nationality. The IS-affiliated Amaq news agency published a report claiming the attack was carried out by IS. "An American soldier was killed today, Saturday, due to bombing carried out by fighters of the Islamic State on Makhmur district," it said. It said the marine was killed when two medium-range Grad rockets were fired on a village called Krasur. The Pentagon said the death was the second since the start in the summer of 2014 of Operation Inherent Resolve against IS and its self-proclaimed "caliphate". The coalition's main role in the war against IS has been to provide air support, with close to 10,000 strikes destroying or damaging more than 16,000 targets since the summer of 2014. But the United States and some of its leading partners in the coalition such as France, Britain, Australia and Italy also have significant contingents deployed on the ground Iraq. Their official role is to train and advise local Iraqi forces. A member of the Special Operations forces was killed in October last year during a joint raid with Kurdish forces against IS in the Iraqi city of Hawijah, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Makhmur. A Canadian sergeant serving in the coalition in northern Iraq was accidentally shot dead by a Kurdish sniper who had mistaken him for an enemy target in March 2015. Washington (AFP) - The United States views a deal by Turkish and EU leaders to curb the influx of migrants into Europe as an "important step," the State Department said. Under the deal all migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey as early as Sunday will be turned back. "We strongly endorse action to shut down the illegal smuggling operations that prey on and exploit vulnerable migrants," State Department spokesman John Kirby said Friday in a statement. "We commend language in the agreement affirming that all refugees deserve access to protection and which makes clear the agreement will be implemented in full accordance with EU and international law." The European and Turkish leaders warned that a Herculean task lay ahead to implement the accord, which was agreed Friday. Under the deal, Turkey extracted a string of political and financial concessions in exchange for becoming a bulwark against the flow of desperate humanity heading to Europe from Syria and elsewhere. EU president Donald Tusk said that all "irregular" migrants would be returned to Turkey from Sunday. For every Syrian refugee expelled, the EU would resettle one directly from Turkey. "We commend Turkish efforts to date in generously hosting more than 2.7 million refugees from Syria," Kirby said. "The United States views as an important step the agreement reached today between the EU and Turkey on responding to the unprecedented flow of refugees and migrants in the region," he added. However, the United Nations and rights groups fear the deal could violate international law that forbids the mass deportation of refugees. Rights watchdogs said they would monitor closely to ensure that those seeking asylum are protected. Apart from shutting down illegal smuggling, Kirby said other key actions must include "rapid registration and processing of asylum claims, humane handling of migrant returns, quick provision of promised support to Greece and Turkey, and solidarity among EU member states in meeting their commitments." "The United States stands ready to increase our support to affected countries and to help other nations neighboring Syria," Kirby said, adding that the United States will convene a President's Summit on Refugees in New York on September 20. Around 4,000 people including women and children have drowned crossing the Aegean Sea in flimsy smugglers' boats, including 400 this year alone. Paris (AFP) - Victims of the November jihadist attacks in Paris and their relatives have expressed relief over the arrest of top fugitive Salah Abdeslam, saying they were glad he was captured alive to face justice. "There can be a real trial with someone who was clearly involved in the attacks," said Georges Salines, head of one of the victims' groups that formed after the November 13 attacks that claimed 130 lives and injured hundreds. Salines is a doctor whose daughter was killed at the Bataclan concert hall along with 89 others attending a concert by the US group Eagles of Death Metal. "We're glad (Abdeslam) didn't go... to Syria to be killed by an American drone," said Aurelia Gilbert, an employee of the Bataclan and a member of Salines's group 13 Novembre: Fraternite et Verite (November 13: Fraternity and Truth). "We are a democracy and there will be a trial," she said. "Before, we only had underlings" facing justice, Gilbert added. "Now we have someone who was there. The victims of the (cafe) terraces and their relatives will have someone to judge." The jihadist rampage targeted a string of restaurants and cafes as well as the Bataclan and the national Stade de France stadium. "At least there's someone alive who was prepared to follow through (on a suicide mission)," said Sylvie, who was injured outside the Stade de France. "Maybe we will finally be able to learn more about it." Evidence suggests that Abdeslam, who is believed to have played a key logistical role in the attacks, backed out of detonating his suicide vest. Abdeslam's brother Brahim blew himself up at a restaurant during the bloodbath. Caroline Langlade, the vice president of another victims group, Life for Paris, said Abdeslam's trial would provide a chance "to try to understand what might be going on in the heads of these French and Belgian young people who are radicalised." Langlade was among the concertgoers at the Bataclan on the fateful night. French President Francois Hollande is to meet with the victims' groups on Monday, an aide said Saturday. Could the impacts of climate change include environmental feedbacks that intensify its effects? New research from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire adds to a growing body of evidence that in the Arctic, at least, such feedback loops are a real consequence of the worlds continued reliance on fossil fuels. Ecologist Julia Bradley-Cook and her team took samples of western Greenland tundra soil that grows grass and shrubs back to the lab and tested how increases in both temperature and moisture would affect the release of carbon dioxide. They found that both types of soils released significantly more CO2 as they got warmer and wetter. Grass soils released up to twice as much carbon than the shrub soils as heat and moisture increased. I think about it as if youre pouring Red Bull on the soils, said Bradley-Cook, who led the study as part of completing her Ph.D. at Dartmouth. As you ramp up temperatures, youre giving the microorganisms in the soils all this energy, in an accelerated way. The grass soils are more sensitive to that Red Bull than the shrub soils. RELATED: Arctic Offshore Oil Drilling Is Back in Play The grass and shrub soils are relatively on the lower side, in terms of temperature sensitivity, than some of the permafrost soils in Alaska and in Russia, which comprise a much larger land area of the Arctic than Greenland, she noted. The big picture is that there is twice as much carbon stored in Arctic soils as there is in the atmosphere, Bradley-Cook said. Whats going to happen to that carbon that built up in soils over millennia under the conditions of rapid climate change? GRID-Arendal, a Norwegian research center affiliated with the United Nations Environment Programme, estimates that Arctic soils hold about 1.8 trillion tons of carbon. Bradley-Cook acknowledged that her research, which was published in the journal Climate Change Responses, looked solely at how much and the rate at which CO2 was leaving the soil and did not measure how much was being stored at the same time. Story continues So the question of how much carbon Arctic soils are releasing compared to how much theyre sequestering from the atmosphere remains open. But there is warming in the Arctic already, Bradley-Cook said. We are observing changes in permafrost depthsso, the thawing of permafrost. That would introduce new carbon into the atmosphere from those soils. Scientists have been warning the public in recent months that climate change is accelerating. In February, temperatures across the Arctic soared as much as 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit above the 1951 to 1980 average, according to the Colorado-based National Snow and Ice Data Centerblowing away the maximum warming target of 3.6 degrees (2 degrees Celsius) that nations agreed to in last years Paris climate accord. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed on Thursday that Februarys global temperatures set a new heat-increase record by departing 2.18 degrees (1.21 degrees Celsius) from historic norms. Sign the Petition: Stand With the President! Support a Climate Agenda Focused on Solutions Related stories on TakePart: How Race Can Change Opinions on Climate Politics Watch 25 Years of Arctic Sea Ice Melt in 64 Seconds Scientists Find a Toxic Threat Lurking Under the Melting Arctic Original article from TakePart Lindsay Lohan took Parent Trap fans back nearly two decades in an Instagram video on Friday. The redhead actress had some fun with social media app Dubsmash when she mimed lines from a classic scene in the 1998 Disney update of the 1961 original. "Actually, we're all quite fine in here, unless Hallie Parker knows something we don't know," Lohan mouthed to looped audio of her British character, Annie James. In the film, James invites the camp counselors into her cabin to discover the booby traps and pranks Hallie Parker set up in her room overnight. Lohan played both James and Parker in the remake, which also featured Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson and grossed $66 million. Watch the video below. A video posted by Lindsay Lohan (@lindsaylohan) on Mar 17, 2016 at 10:04pm PDT Watch the original scene at 2:43 below. See More: Lindsay Lohan Through the Years Istanbul explosion REUTERS/Ismail Coskun/Ihlas News Agency WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A suicide bombing in Istanbul on Saturday killed two American citizens, the White House said in a statement. "We are in close touch with Turkish authorities and reaffirm our commitment to work together withTurkey to confront the evil of terrorism," White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. A suicide bomber killed two Israelis and two other people in a busy shopping district in the heart of Istanbul, the fourth such attack in Turkey so far this year. (Editing by David Gregorio) NOW WATCH: The weird economic reason drug cartel members get head-to-toe tattoos See Also: The iPhone 5c that belonged to San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook is susceptible to certain malicious attacks that could get the FBI what it wants: unrestricted access to a device that might hold some evidence linking the shooter to other potential suspects. The NSA has been conspicuously absent from the Apple vs. FBI battle, AND MANY HAVE WONDERED whether the NSA can indeed break into the handset... AS WELL AS why its not doing it to help in this particular investigation. Even Apple indirectly acknowledged that the NSA might have what it takes to crack any iPhones, by grilling the FBI on the reason it didnt explain why the NSAs resources arent being used. However, even if the NSA has powerful tools to crack iPhones, its probably for the best it doesnt use them on this particular device. DONT MISS: 5 free apps for iPhone and Android that will actually change your life Talking to security experts, including former NSA employees who now work in the private sector, Forbes explains that NSA hackers may have a treasure trove of zero-day attacks that could be used to effectively render the iPhone 5c defenseless. Zero-days, or bugs that are unknown to the manufacturer and can be used to inject malicious code into a computer or smartphone, are either discovered by the NSA or purchased from intrepid third-party companies. These software tools are hard to come by, and Apple would patch the security holes they take advantage of the minute theyre disclosed. In fact, it's these security holes that can be used to jailbreak devices. Dave Aitel, former NSA research scientist and CEO of security firm Immunity, believes that asking Apple to create a backdoor into the iPhone is far worse than asking for NSAs help to decrypt it. He thinks other intelligence agencies should assist in the investigation, including national and international ones, and treat this threat as an attack coming from the outside. This is about dealing with a terrorist threat [where] youd normally cooperate with foreign nations as well. It shouldnt just be limited to the NSA The Chinese have no problem probably helping us. Could be the Germans next time, Aitel said. Story continues His company does take part in the zero-day vulnerability market, and he advocates that the San Bernardino shooting proves the strategic value of investing in your zero-days, solving hard policy problems. The zero-days needed to crack this iPhone would have to fool the device into thinking its running software signed by Apple. Exploits targeting a USB driver that manages communications between the iPhone and PC, exploits that would retrieve the encryption keys from the device, or exploits in the baseband chip that handles the cellular connection are some potential avenues the NSA might have at its disposal, according to experts. The agency could also physically remove the iPhone memory chip, as was proposed in the past, and poke through it with a laser to expose a portion that contains the required key data. However, this kind of hardware hack is dangerous as it can destroy the memory chip. Even so, while the NSA might have the capacity to perform any of this iOS software and hardware tricks and probably even others that are more advanced there might be little strategic value for the agency to waste them on this iPhone. Farooks iPhone 5c was not his main smartphone and people believe that the device doesnt contain much information. The man destroyed other smartphones that could have contained sensitive data. But once the NSA exploits the security holes it knows about, Apple will likely patch them since this case is so public. Losing [zero-days like that] is so damaging, former NSA computer scientist and co-founder of security firm Carbon Black told Forbes. I dont believe the NSA would think that this one case would be that valuable especially when Apple already provided the iCloud data. He continued, I dont doubt that capabilities exist I just feel like in this situation it isnt something that the U.S. governments national security mission would want to potentially burn. Related stories Yup, the $400 iPhone SE is just as powerful as the $650 iPhone 6s and $700 Galaxy S7 Today's best paid iPhone and iPad apps on sale for free Apple's new 9.7-inch iPad Pro is the company's last chance to save the iPad line More from BGR: 15 paid iPhone apps on sale for free today This article was originally published on BGR.com Doha (AFP) - World champion Jorge Lorenzo grabbed pole position for Sunday's season-opening Qatar Grand Prix in an all-Spanish, front-row lockout as speculation grew over his future with the Yamaha team. It was a record 62nd career pole for the three-time champion and 36th in the elite category as Spain swept the top three places on the grid under the floodlights of the Losail circuit. Two-time world champion Marc Marquez, on a Honda, was second fastest, with the highly-rated Maverick Vinales in third on a Suzuki. Lorenzo clocked a best time of 1min 54.543sec as he sets his sights on a first podium finish in the Gulf state since 2013. "It's not bad to have this record for most pole positions on the first weekend of the championship," said the 28-year-old. "Today it has been quite difficult to keep calm and try not to crash, because sometimes you have a good feeling with one rear tyre and you put in another and you have a different feeling." Marquez timed 1min 54.634sec but considered himself unfortunate not to have taken pole when he appeared to have beaten Lorenzo's time after the chequered flag had fallen. "At first I thought I had taken pole, but when I got back the team told me that the chequered flag had already been shown before I began my lap," said Marquez, 23. "On the display I saw 1min 54.2ses and thought it was the pole time, but it didnt count." Vinales clocked 1min 54.693sec on his final lap as he grabbed a second career first row start after making his maiden appearance on the front line at the Catalan Grand Prix last season. Andrea Iannone of Ducati, who had dominated practice on Friday, was fourth fastest with nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi in fifth. The 37-year-old Rossi had earlier in the day signed a two-year extension to his deal with Yamaha. Rossi returned to the Japanese team in 2013 after two unsuccessful years at Ducati and the Italian finished runner-up behind team-mate Lorenzo last season. Story continues Rossi's new deal will see him remain part of the Yamaha line-up until 2018, raising questions over the future of Lorenzo who is out of contract at the end of this season. "I am very satisfied with this decision, because it has always been my plan to compete in motorsports for as long as I can be competitive and find it enjoyable at the same time," Rossi said in a statement. "Ever since I returned to Yamaha in 2013 I have felt like I am home again and this showed in the results. I get great enjoyment out of working with my crew and the rest of the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team." It's understood that Lorenzo was also offered a new deal three weeks ago but has yet to make up his mind which could be encouraging for Ducati who are believed to be interesting the Spanish rider. Before Saturday's action got underway a minute's silence was held in memory of 49-year-old Tunisian Taoufik Gattouchi who was killed in a support race on Friday. (Reuters) - A New York state man and woman alleged to have produced pornography using a 16-month-old baby were ordered held without bail on Saturday, authorities said. The suspects - Jason Kopp, 40, of Liverpool, and Emily Oberst, 23, of Syracuse - were arrested by FBI agents on Friday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for New York's Northern District said in a statement. They were charged with making and distributing child pornography involving the infant, it said. U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Baxter ordered them held without bail. Kopp and Oberst were arrested after agents searched their homes and seized evidence, the statement said. (Reporting by Ian Simpson) Father of 5 died a heros death Martin, a security officer who lived in Roy Joseph Street, San Fernando was killed while fighting off three bandits at his workplace in Claxton Bay. Newsday understands at about 4 am yesterday, Martin was on duty at a building in Claxton Bay when three masked men stormed in. Martin, along with two other security officers, were held at gunpoint and tied up. The men took the security guards cellphones. Martin managed to untie himself and went after the bandits. He was shot three times in the head. Martins niece Elizabeth Sankar, said Martin died the way he lived like a hero. He could never see something wrong happening and not want to step in, Sankar said. He would always play the hero. Sankar told reporters that Martin was a father of five and a family-oriented man. She added that news of the way he died came as an absolute shock to her. She noted that he was totally devoted to his home and his five children. When I got the call my hands began to shake. It is really something else when it (crime) hits your home. His wife Roxanne Jonathan said he never complained about anyone threatening him and believes that his murder stemmed from a robbery gone wrong. She lamented that their five children are barely able to cope with the shock and pain of their fathers death. He dont lime. He dont lime or drink; he dont be in anything as far as I know. He was just (concerned about) home and work, Jonathan said. Police officials have recorded Martins murder as the 105th for the year. Up to press time, no arrest had been made and investigations are continuing. Curepe mans throat slit Cassie was found on Thursday night in Curepe with his throat slit. Police say they received a report that at about 11.40 pm on Thursday, of a body lying on the corner of Knowles and Rapsey streets in Curepe. When they arrived they found Cassie lying in a pool of blood with a large wound across his throat. The police said they dont think it is a robbery, because the killer or killers didnt take anything from him, said the victims younger brother, who asked not to be identified. So that means it has to be some kind of wickedness. I dont know if he had something (a disagreement) with somebody, but he was not a fighter to trouble people. His brother said that Cassie was a jack of all trades and liked to drink and lime. He was a drinker, not a fighter, the brother said. He was like any typical Trinidadian, he liked to party and when he drank he didnt get on bad, he got loose. But lately he was coming home and looking for family. The brother noted that since Cassie had no children and was not married, he depended on his relatives for comfort and companionship. He even stayed with his little brother in Bushe Street, Curepe for a few years. The relative recalled that the last time he saw Cassie alive was the day before, as he had come to wash clothes at his house. Police officers are trying to find a motive to the killing, which brings the murder toll to 104. No arrest has been made and investigations are continuing WOMAN FREED OF RAPE Reshmi Dipnarine, 29, of Calcutta Settlement in Freeport, commented yesterday after walking out of the San Fernando courthouse a free woman, having attended court sessions on more than 40 occasions over the past seven years, that there was no evidence to support the states allegation that she had forced a 17-year-old youth, to have sex with her. Before laying of the charge against Dipnarine who is a self-employed mother of a sixyear- old boy, only men in the local jurisdiction have been charged with rape which is defined as an act of forced sexual intercourse. The accused woman was charged and prosecuted under the Sexual Offences Act, by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, on two counts of having sexual intercourse with the youth, without his consent. The charges alleged that the the assault took place in Claxton Bay on March 30 and April 4, 2008. The charge, which was laid by Police Constable Harripersad of the St Margarets Police Station led to Deputy Chief Magistrate Wellington beginning a Preliminary Inquiry (PI). The charge was laid under Section (4) (1) of the Sexual Offences Act, which states that a person commits the offence of rape when (he) has sexual intercourse with another person without the consent of the complainant; where he knows that the complainant does not consent to the intercourse or he is reckless as to whether the complainant consents. The word (he) used in the Act also includes she which facilitated the charging of Dipnarine on the allegation that the 17-year-old boy had refused consent. A State attorney prosecuted the matter on behalf of the police, in which the onus was on the prosecution to prove from the 17-yearold youths evidence, that the Dipnarine had sex with him without his consent, or, that during the act, he had objected. The State called the mother of the youth, the police complainant, and the youth himself, who all gave evidence before Wellington during the inquiry. Yesterday, attorney Dexter Bailey who represented Dipnarine, made a no-case submission before Deputy Chief Magistrate Wellington after the State closed its case. He argued that based on the evidence of the male victim, the issue of consent did not arise. The attorney submitted that a prima facie case had not been made out for a judge and a jury to consider the charges in a trial in the High Courts. In fact, attorney Bailey submitted, it was dangerous to send such a tenuous case to trial. Wellington agreed with Bailey and told Dipnarine, who had been on $80,000 bail, to stand. The magistrate then said that the no-case submission was being upheld by the court and she was free to go. Outside the court, attorney Bailey said that the charge against Dipnarine had been a very traumatic experience, adding that it was the first time she had had any brush with the law. Dipnarine freely gave a comment to Newsday that she was happy it was all over. I know Im the first person, as a woman, charged with this. But there was no evidence. As my lawyer said, it was not true. I attended court over 40 times. I was locked up and I lost my reputation. I also could not find a job and my character was all over, Dipnarine said. Eden Teesdale a mother of three The body, whose head is still missing, was identified as that of Eden Nekeisha Teesdale, 26. Teesdale who was a cleaner who lived at the Housing Development Corporations (HDC) Building H in Embacadere, San Fernando was identified via her fingerprints. Police said that in 2012, she applied for a certificate of character from the police, for a job at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) in Mt Hope. She was hired but was forced to quit a year ago after giving birth to her son Hezekiah. The name of her first born daughter Amyh, was tattooed on Teesdales arm along with Leo (her Horoscope sign) and Empress. Relatives said that Teesdale had three children by three different fathers and prior to her murder, was in a common-law relationship with a man from the Embacadere area. They claimed jealously could have played a part in her murder. Relatives said that Teesdale maintained a cordial relationship with her many boyfriends, including one who often visited the HDC apartment she shared with her brother, begging her not to leave him. He is married and was angry that she wanted to end their relationship, cousin Aneesa Williams said. He was pissed because he said he had left his wife for her. Relatives said she had told the man she was a nurse in the hospital when she was really a cleaner. She used to dress like a nurse. Let police know somebody have to pay for that, we not taking that so, cried another cousin Tenika Doyle. A police report stated that officers of the Manzanilla Police Station were alerted to the discovery of the dismembered body by a fisherman who reported to have observed what appeared to be a foot protruding from a barrel. Yesterday, relatives admitted to being numbed by the news that it was Teesdale whose headless body was retrieved from the barrel. Williams admitted that her cousin lived a wild life. The only problem with Eden was men, Williams said. She was a pretty girl who attracted a lot of men. She was independent, she was a flirt and also broke a lot of hearts. Teesdales eldest daughter Amyh, five, lives with her great aunt Erica Williams. Her second child is Cymh, four, who lives with her (Cymh) father. Third child Hezekiah lived with her (Teesdale). Marlene absent from Parliament Mc Donalds name was not among those who had yesterday sought and obtained leave of absence from the sitting. There have been reports that Mc Donald may be under pressure to resign her seat, though PNM General Secretary Ashton Ford declined comment on this matter. The PNMs General Council is expected to meet today. Mc Donald - as a deputy political leader and MP - is a member of the Council. Ford said the matter could be raised at the meeting. Mitchell yesterday said he is passionate about serving the country and will use his zest for project management in his new portfolio. I am certainly up to the task, the new minister said in an interview with Newsday. I am committed completely to serving the people of Trinidad and Tobago. I am passionate about that. These responsibilities I take quite seriously. The Minister said he was humbled to have been assigned to the Housing Ministry by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve my country in any position the honorable Prime Minister sees fit, Mitchell said. Its humbling to have earned the Prime Ministers confidence to serve in the capacity of Minister of Housing. Asked what qualifications he might have for the portfolio, Mitchell said, What specific, unique qualifications do you think are needed? Im a qualified attorney. I have a passion for projects and project management. Mitchell said he would move into his new office by next week Police to probe Calabar Foundation cheques On Thursday, Williams sent a letter to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley indicating that a criminal investigation has been launched into the Calabar Foundation. Newsday understands that the police team consisting of officers from the Fraud Squad and Anti- Corruption Bureau, and legal officers from the Police Services legal department will form the new unit to conduct the investigation. Mc Donald, her spouse Michael Carew, his brother Lennox as well as officials of the Ministry of Community Development are expected to be interviewed. Bank records will also be sought. The Calabar Foundation was incorporated August 24, 2010. Two cheques were issued by McDonald, who was then Minister of Community Development, one cheque was issued on May 12, 2010 and collected on May 12, 2010. Another in the sum of $375,000 and one for $200,000 were issued but the requests were made on April 27 and May 4, 2010. The cheques were deposited to the Calabar Foundation via a Royal Ban of Trinidad and Tobago (RBTT) account on September 9, 2010. The money was made available to the Calabar Foundation before the company was incorporated, and the cash was supposed to be used to build a community centre in the Laventille area. No such community centre was ever built and it remained unclear yesterday if the cheques were ever cashed by members of the Calabar Foundation. Yesterday Head of Fixin TT Kirk Waithe said he was pleased to learn that the police had launched a criminal investigation into the Calabar Foundation and said that he had provided several documents to the police for this criminal probe to take place. He said that the documents were made available to him and a team of persons interested in stamping out corruption in Trinidad and Tobago. Waithe said that he had also written to the Clerk of the House, Jason Elcock requesting information on the salaries and staff of people employed in 40 constituencies. We hope that when we get the information there will be nothing ontoward found, good or bad will be made available to the media and by extension to the public. Levy on OAS hinders highway completion The sombre prediction was made by OWTU worker representative, Muhammed Hosein, who, in a telephone interview, also stated that approximately 860 of the 930 in-house workers had received retrenchment letters and that the union was working with the Brazilian contractor on severance packages owed to workers. He however noted that the levying process was ongoing at the company as a local contractor has seized over 40 pieces of heavy machinery, including excavators, bulldozers and trucks on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, the same contractor came back and took more machinery and some of the other contractors are currently before the court acquiring legal documents to come in and seize equipment to the value of what the company is owning them, he said. Asked about OAS intention to pull out by May 2016, Hosein said NIDCO should dispatch inspectors to see whether the amount of work done by OAS was comparable to the monies which were paid out to the company. And if not, NIDCO would have to seize the security bond, which is valued at 520 million dollars to ensure that whichever contractor comes into the project to complete the work that OAS was supposed to complete, is paid, he said. And regarding the future of the retrenched workers, he said no indication had been made by the incoming contractors on whether they would be rehired to work on the project. To our knowledge, the contractors who will be coming in, we have no indication as yet to see if any of them have intentions to absorb at least the unified work force which is about 290-300 of the 860 workers that was retrenched, he said. Asked about the highways completion timeline, Hosein said, They would need at least one maybe two years to complete the work. The main piece of work that would be a very long undertaking is from Paria Suites to Anand Low Price, the foreshore piece at Mosquito Creek. We have met about three major setbacks at that piece, the settlement process has failed in a couple areas, he pointed out. And they need to acquire the armour rock to put into the sea and as we know that contractors are owed money so nobody is going to supply them with material until these debts are cleared, he added. Ministry launches National Retrenchment Register Database In addition, on Tuesday, 5th April, the Labour Ministry will host a Jobs Expo at the National Energy Skills Centre (NESC) in Couva where retrenched workers will get to meet employers who are seeking more staff. Baptiste-Primus was asked to respond to reports that State entity, the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) intended to retrench 600 staff on Monday (March 21). You are sharing news with me, the minister told the reporter. I have not heard such information. So let me verify that. Also allow me to verify, IF the information you are sharing is correct, the terms under which such separation is to take place and I certainly will have a comment on it a little later on. Newsday contacted WASA about the rumour and was this was not true. Asked what might have led to such a rumour being circulated, the WASA official said, A small number of persons engaged on short term projects, that came to an end effective January 31st, February 29th and March 21st 2016 respectively. AG: PM acted decisively Indicating Rowleys actions send a clear signal to all elected MPs about proper conduct, Al Rawi said, This matter is prescribed by the rules of Parliament. The rules of Parliament are pellucidly clear and as the Prime Minister has put it in the public domain, each minister is responsible for his or her own actions. Disclosing that he spoke with McDonald and expressing his hope she would have, the opportunity to exonerate herself, Al Rawi said there was no reason why McDonald would not continue to discharge her duty as an MP. On whether McDonald should resign as an MP, Al Rawi replied, Thats a matter I will have to look a bit deeper into. I personally have not reviewed where these prescriptions in the Parliament are anchored. The AG did not see the PNM losing any support in Port-of-Spain South as a result of McDonald no longer being in Cabinet. Rowley overrules Camille on ArcellorMittal issue During Prime Ministers Questions, Rowley was asked by Couva South MP Rudy Indarsingh who asked whether the National Tripartite Advisory Council (NTAC) would consider the question of the purchase of the company. The answer is no, Rowley said. On Tuesday, Robinson-Regis, the new chairman of the Council, said the matter would be one of several issues which could come before the Council. There is no shortage of issues to place on the table for discussion, she said at a function held at the Diplomatic Centre, St Anns. Some are already in the public domain and others may be simmering beneath the surface. Some are of recent vintage and others buried deeply in the bosoms of those gathered here today. She continued, The issue, for example, of a minimum wage versus a living wage; the issue of privatisation versus State ownership; the issue of the role of the Industrial Court and the most recent issue: should the State purchase the assets and, lest we forget, the debts of Arcelor Mittal? Rowley said there is as yet no position on whether the State will purchase the company. In relation to the La Brea Mitsubishi / Massy project, the Prime Minister said, there are discussions taking place at the level of the energy sub-committee where there are two or three weighty matters. He said a revision position on the project may be available sometime in the not too distant future. Opposition Leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar if the project was at a standstill or if any work was taking place. Rowley said the last administration turned the sod on the project, but the nature of the project, is only now being discussed. We expect that we are close to an agreement on discussing the terms of the project, Rowley said, saying there was recklessness under the last administration. He could give no time-line for the completion of these discussions. Ashton: Marlene resigned, not fired She resigned, Ford told Newsday. Asked whether he thought Mc Donald should also resign as an MP, he said, Nah I dont want to comment. The PNMs General Council is due to meet today at 2pm at Balisier House. The party is expected to hold a press conference at 5pm. It is likely the Mc Donald issue will be raised. All MPs are, ex officio, members of the PNM General Council. Mc Donald is also a PNM deputy political leader. Questioned on reports that there may be pressure on Mc Donald to give up her deputy leadership post, Ford said, I cannot speak for the people I dont want to comment on this matter. Mc Donald did not answer calls yesterday. She was absent from Parliament. Opposition Leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar yesterday said her party will caucus on the issue of whether it will proceed with a motion of censure against Mc Donald. Tabaquite MP Dr Suruj Rambachan expressed the view that Mc Donald should resign as an MP AG: Billions in national security assets Recalling that the PP established the National Operations Centre (NOC) by Cabinet minute dated March 12, 2014, Al Rawi said the NOCs functions includede intelligence and tactical response to support law enforcement, Al Rawi said the SSA Bill would park the NOC and the now defunct National Security Training Agency (NSTA), under the careful supervision of an SSA structure which allows for parliamentary scrutiny. Reiterating that the legislation would widen the scope of the SSA to deal with a wider range of criminal offences than it currently does, the AG said the Bill also allows for the Auditor-General to examine the agency and reports on its finances would be laid in Parliament. Al Rawi said this was, a move into transparency where there was darkness before. Saying this legislation was one of several anti-crime initiatives which Government was taking to fry the big fish, Al Rawi said the Financial Intelligence Unit indicated in its 2015 report that there were over $3.7 billion in suspicion activity reports in 2011 to 2015. He indicated that while the Opposition criticises Government about crime, the detection and conviction of gang related crimes under the former Patrick Manning administration was 49 percent. Al Rawi added this figure dropped to three percent under the PP. Responding to Al Rawi, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar reiterated that her administrations controversial decision to appoint Reshmi Ramnarine as SSA Director was, a tremendous mistake, She added, We apologise. Today we are here, we are probably paying for that. Do not let the same thing happen to you. While saying the Opposition was prepared to support the bill and proposed it be sent to a joint select committee, Persad-Bissessar said the Opposition remained concerned about the process for selecting the SSAs Director, the number of staff needed to run the expanded agency and the security of the databases of persons who it will gather intelligence on. She asked whether closed conversations on social media between Government and Opposition members could be tapped and exposed. Persad-Bissessar also asked whether the conversations of media personnel with their sources on social media could also be compromised. She also expressed her horror at the murder of a woman, whose body was cut into pieces and stuffed into a barrel that was dumped into the Mitan River in Manzanilla earlier this week. National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, speaking after Persad-Bissessar, welcomed the former prime ministers statement that the approach to the legislation should be non-partisan. What you need to know about the Octagon Art Festival on Sunday in Ames news The replacement of Justice Scalia will have far-reaching impacts on our country for a generation. The American people have already begun voting on who the next President will be, and their voice should continue to be reflected in a process that will have lasting implications on our nation. The U.S. Senate should exercise its constitutional powers by not confirming a new Supreme Court justice until the American people elect a new President and have their voices heard. I will oppose any hearing or votes for President Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont. Regarding the nomination of Merrick Garland to the United States Supreme Court What would your boss do if you refused to do your job? Then, what would happen if after refusing to do it, you proudly proclaimed it on email, social media and to anyone who would listen? That's exactly what Montana Sen. Steve Daines did Wednesday after President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. Daines' constitutional oath the same one he swore upon a Bible to uphold obligates him to consider Garland. It doesn't mean that he has to vote in favor of any candidate. But, at the very least, Daines should thoughtfully consider Garland's judicial record. To refuse to do that makes Daines nothing more than a partisan shill who is putting his own political interests above his constitutional duty. So, the next time Daines invokes the Constitution, ask him why he only wants to uphold those parts he agrees with. This shouldn't be a pick-and-choose what laws we like, especially when it comes to the cornerstone of our legal system, the Constitution. Actions like this make us believe his loyalty is more to the Republican leadership of the Senate than to the Constitution. Daines seemed oddly and proudly defiant Wednesday, boasting that he's not going to consider the nominee. Why brag that you're not going to uphold a promise to do your job? Again, the answer to that is probably found in politics: This will play well with a riled-up base, but it's pandering and a dereliction of duties. If Daines breaks his oath and refuses to do his job, how else is he selling Montana short? If he's willing to compromise on the Constitution, is there anything that we can count on him for? Nowhere does it say that the President cannot or should not nominate justices if they are within a year of leaving office. In fact, the whole point of the Constitution and our republic is a smooth, continuous form of government and seamless transitions of power. Daines, who crows often about making Washington work better, is intentionally sabotaging the system, making it work worse. In short, Daines is choosing to become part of the problem, and it's shameful. If Garland's record and background make him unfit or unqualified to serve, then Daines should argue that. But, he'll also have to explain why Garland's confirmation was supported by Republicans and his record seems moderate. Daines and the Republicans have also loved to talk about presidential overreach when it comes to Obama. But, by stonewalling a Supreme Court justice nominee, it is they who have tried to curtail the powers of the presidency by not even considering the nominee. That seems like overreach. 'Lasting implications' We cannot imagine what Justice Antonin Scalia's successor will see. Since we do not know, we must trust the process. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated William O. Douglas in 1939, he likely did not imagine Douglas would serve for more than 35 years. Roosevelt couldn't have conceived the cases that Douglas would see, including desegregation in the South, abortion and leaked government papers about the Vietnam War. Daines would have you believe that things are different or they've changed as if no other justice who has served has had "far-reaching" impact. Voters' voices Daines says we are already voting for the next president. It's not true. We're choosing political candidates. There's a big difference ask Mitt Romney, John McCain, John Kerry and Al Gore. Not even the nomination process is finalized. Daines' excuses aren't just weak; they're inaccurate. Sen. Daines, it's ridiculous that we have to beg you to do your job. MDWS Intensifies Efforts with States to Implement 'Swachh Bharat' Mission New Delhi, Sat, 19 Mar 2016 NI Wire The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has accelerated its efforts on coordinating with States to achieve an open-defecation free status for all districts in the country. This is a part of the Ministrys activities under the Swachh Bharat Mission, a flagship programme of the Honble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi. Through the programme, the government is aiming to achieve an Open-Defecation Free (ODF) India by October 2nd, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Under this accelerated effort, the Minister of State, Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministry, Shri Ram Kripal Yadav, launched the Water Week in Mohali, Punjab earlier this week. On the occasion, the Minister praised the work being done by Punjab State Government with peoples involvement in ensuring an Open Defecation Free (ODF) Punjab. The Minister praised the State government for ensuring that its efforts were reaching the actual beneficiaries on the ground in a transparent manner. The Minister especially lauded the involvement of school children in the efforts 11 lakh school children across 13000 schools have been reached out to in Punjab alone, and made Swachhta Doots. Shri SS Rakhra, Minister of Rural Development and Panchayat, Punjab Government, was also present at the event. In the third edition of a series of meetings that the Ministry is holding with State Governments to support implementation in the field, the Secretary, Shri Parameswaran Iyer, today met the Chief Minister of Telangana and Chief Secretaries of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, in Hyderabad. The Ministry also reached out to District Collectors of the two States via video conferencing to understand issues on the ground and to discover how the Union Government can help the States achieve the goal of an ODF India by 2019. The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri N Chandrababu Naidu, appreciated the Union Government's step of reaching out to support the States and expressed his governments commitment to making at least 3 districts in Andhra Pradesh ODF by the end of the year. He also said that he was keen to push for bulk water supply in the State. The Chief Secretary of Telangana, Dr Rajiv Sharma, in another meeting, also assured the Secretary of Telanganas commitment to have 3 ODF districts by the end of the year. The Secretary lauded this resolve of both States and assured the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Chief Secretary of Telangana of the Ministrys support in making this happen. The senior officers and District Collectors of the two States held a vibrant and participative discussion with the Ministry, and shared ground level initiatives undertaken by them to realize the vision of the Swachh Bharat Mission. They also shared issues like dysfunctional toilets, delayed transfer of funds, and raised the need for capacity building support from the Centre. The Ministry took serious note of these issues and assured the Collectors that they will receive full support from the Centre in resolving them on high priority. The Secretary emphasized at the meeting that while the government provides an incentive of Rs 12,000 for each toilet constructed by a BPL family, Swachh Bharat Mission is not just about construction of toilets. It is about making our villages and toilets open-defecation free, he said, for which we need to trigger behaviour change in the people. He shared that, to this end, the Ministry is looking to develop a Coalition of Partners, including participation from the public sector, private sector, and developmental agencies, to provide broad-based capacity building support to the States. He also emphasized that the district is a critical unit of action in this programme, and encouraged the District Collectors to lead the programme proactively to ensure success. At present 10 districts in India are ODF and the idea is to scale up this number through the leadership of Collectors, he said, encouraging them to integrate Swachh Bharat Mission with other developmental programmes of the government. It was also agreed that the focus of the programme should be reoriented more towards collective behaviour change. To this effect, it was also suggested that the Gram Panchayats and Self Help Groups at the village level should be more actively involved. It was also agreed that Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Prior to this, over the past 2 weeks, meetings were also held with the State Governments of Gujarat and Bihar at the Chief minister and Chief Secretary level, and the Ministry received an extremely positive response from both the States as the issues of water and sanitation are priority areas for both the States, and critical components of their service delivery at the rural level. Source: PIB Buy Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in India New Delhi, Sat, 19 Mar 2016 NI Wire Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge is available in India and now you can buy it from local stores. This phone is also available on Samsung's official website and Flipkart. Recently released phone comes with glass and metal design. Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge is the flagship phones from mobile phone giant Samsung and new phone comes with the external storage memory card. Price of Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in India Samsung Galaxy S7 price: Galaxy S7 is a 5.1-inch phone and its price is India is around Rs.48,900 Samsung Galaxy Edge Price: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is 5.5-inch S7 phone and its prices is around Rs.56,900 in India. Now you can purchase these phones online on Samsung's official website and Flipkart. These phones are also available in the stores around the India. Samsung is also offering a free Gear VR with the phones to the purchasers who pre-booked this phones March 8- 17. Both these phones comes in glass and metal design which makes these phone really good looking. Samsung Galaxy S7 is a 2.5D glass phone while S7 Edge comes with the screen that curves at both sides. Both these phone comes with external microSD card support which is one of the most sought feature of Samsung Galaxy series phones. Now you have better option to store more data. Battery: Samsung Galaxy S7 comes with 3,000mAh battery while 3,600mAh battery is installed in Galaxy S7 Edge. Both these phones supports quick charging. Camera Specification: Both these models of phone comes with 12-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front camera. Share The Next Generation Communications Community had what to say the least was an interesting and diverse week. From optical breakthroughs (see feature below on major announcement from community host Nokia (News - Alert)) to infrastructure transformation enabling components to the cloud and wireless there is plenty of food for thought. This includes shared insights and reports that readers should find valuable. News As noted we did have an interesting contribution this week from special guest Tom Loozen, Global Managing Director, Accentures (News - Alert) Communications Industry Group. In the posting, What is Telecom Provider's Role in Digital Economy?, the good news for incumbents is that Loozen believes that if they operate with a fully transformed digital core they will be able to capitalize on market disruption. In other industry news of note: In front of this next weeks OFC annual gathering of the optical community it was not surprising to see a few announcements. One that caught our eye was the announcement by Socionext, a developer of system-on-chip networking hardware, who revealed its latest transceiver, the MB8AJ2060. The reason it is of note is that it achieves the companys goal of transmitting 100 Gbps data speed over a single wavelength. With so much attention on all of the momentum behind the cloud, enabling service providers as well as enterprises to have more visibility for monitoring IaaS has become a priority. The unified cloud monitoring tool from Unigma gives service providers that visibility. Keeping track of the explosion of network traffic, particularly on mobile networks, is important for those doing planning. Nokia, with its MBiT Index helps keep track, and its recent release of the one for India shows that 2015 was a banner year for growth of 3G data traffic, which will extend and intensify as the 4G LTE (News - Alert) footprint in that country get more widely deployed. Features As noted above, and speaking of 100G, community host Nokia had a major and impressive announcement this week. It revealed a significant expansion of its Nokia 1830 PSS portfolio with three new capabilities designed to give service providers more agility, capacity and a better programmable way for them to Internet with user data centers at the speeds they require now and going forward. Our hosts, also recently announced, and demonstrated at Mobile World Congress (News - Alert), their FastMile solution for bringing ultra-broadband services to rural and other hard to reach places. FastMile is a unique end-to-end, spectrum optimization solutionthat includes the network infrastructure and end user equipment, but also a smart phone application portfolio for consumers and operator Point of Sale locations to ease and speed the deployment of broadband to end users. It offers operators a cost-effective way to achieve the goal of universal access in sparsely populated rural areas. Another of this weeks features looked at the benefits of TWDM-PON unbundling for infrastructure sharing and use for wholesale services. And, in the second in two-part series we highlighted seven recommendations for smartly and cost-effectively deploying small cells. Weekend Reading Dont forget to make full use of the community home page for links to constantly up-dated news, whitepapers, videos, podcasts and case studies. This includes new additions from TechZine, including: RAN virtualization: Real-world successes Cyber security in the IoT smart home and city Finally, dont overlook links to outstanding resources such as the Digital Ideas section which contains a series of informative podcasts, along with links to eBooks and blogs. Paul March indicated on the NASA Spaceflight forum that NASA Eagleworks is getting another EMDrive paper through peer review. Paul March also endorsed the technical information and insights of forum member Rodal on the topic of EMdrive. Rodal indicates the differences in dielectric materials and other nuances of interpreting the known results. A radio frequency (RF) resonant cavity thruster is a proposed new type of electromagnetic thruster. Unlike conventional electromagnetic thrusters, a resonant cavity thruster would use no reaction mass, and emit no directional radiation. A few variations on such thrusters have been proposed. Aerospace engineer Roger Shawyer designed the EmDrive in 2001, and has persistently promoted the idea since then through his company, Satellite Propulsion Research. Chemical engineer Guido Fetta designed the Cannae Drive, based on similar principles. If they are found to work as claimed, providing thrust without consuming a propellant would have important applications to all areas of propulsion. Some independent teams of scientists, notably a team at Xians Northwestern Polytechnical University (NWPU), one at NASAs Eagleworks laboratories, and another at the Dresden University of Technology in Germany, have built prototypes of these designs. The NWPU team reported a small but significant thrust; NASA Eagleworks reported a much smaller thrust than the NWPU team; and the Dresden team reported a small thrust, but within experimental error. In 2014 and 2015, the NASA Eagleworks research group at Johnson Space Center tested models of both the EmDrive and Cannae drive. They reported observing a small net thrust from both, at low power levels. NASAs first tests of this tapered RF resonant cavity were conducted at very low power (2% of Shawyers 2002 experiment and 0.7% of the Chinese 2010 experiment), but a net mean thrust over five runs was measured at 91.2 N at 17 W of input power. A net peak thrust was recorded at 116 N (about 0.0004 ounces, or approximately the same weight as a grain of rice) at the same power level. The experiment was criticized for not having been conducted under vacuum, which would have eliminated thermal air currents. Six months later, early 2015, Paul March from Eagleworks made new results public, claiming positive experimental force measurements with a torsional pendulum in a hard vacuum: about 50 N with 50 W of input power at 5.010^6 torr, and new null-thrust tests. The new RF power amplifiers were said to be made for hard vacuum, but still fail rapidly due to internal corona discharges, with not enough funding to replace or upgrade them, so measurements are still scarce and need improvement before a new report can be published. Glenn Research Center offered to replicate the experiment in a hard vacuum if Eagleworks manages to reach 100 N of thrust, because the GRC thrust stand cannot measure forces lower than 50 N. Eagleworks later announced a plan to upgrade their equipment to higher power levels, use vacuum-capable RF amplifiers with power ranges of up to 125 W, and to design a new tapered cavity analytically determined to be in the 0.1 N/kW range. The test article will be subjected to independent verification and validation at Glenn Research Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Previously Paul March discussed possibly scaling the Emdrive to 2000 Newtons Paul March provides updates on the EMdrive and Cannae drive experiments at Eagleworks NASA. If one envisions the quantum vacuum (Q-V) as a semi-virtual electrical plasma as Dr. White does, that would imply that the Poynting power flow vector would entrain the Q-V plasma and send it on its way toward the pillbox end of the cavity and then out of the cavity, the back-reaction on the cavity should be in the opposite direction towards the RF feed end of the Cannae test article, but the observed thrust vector is opposite to that surmise, i.e. toward the shorter RF sense antenna end of the cavity per the attached slide. Now Per the newly authored Q-V plasma simulation code that Dr. White just finished, the equal bidirectional Q-V plasma flow for the Cannae cavity comes from the high-Q pancake section with a Q of ~9,000 for the un-slotted version of the cavity. However due to the high E-field region created n the throat of the RF feed, this cylindrically shaped high E-field volume acts as an obstruction to the Q-V plasma flow. This E-field obstruction created in the PTFE cylinder then accelerates the Q-V plasma around it in a Bernoulli like effect that accelerates the Q-V plasma flow coming from the main pillbox cavity. This unbalanced and accelerated Q-V plasma flow that goes away from the large pill box cavity in the direction of the RF input section is what generates the NET thrust in our model. Next, using this new Q-V plasma simulation tool that utilizes the instantaneous E&M fields from COMSOL for one complete RF cycle in 5 degree increments as its input file, we are now seeing why we need the PTFE or HDPE dielectrics in the frustum while using near pure sine wave power levels below ~100W in the ~2.0 GHz frequency range to generate detectable thrust, and why Shawyer and the Chinese didnt while pumping 80W to 2,500W using magnetron RF sources. We think the reasons are two fold. The first is that Shawyer and the Chinese both used magnetron RF sources for their experiments. An RF source that generates large AM, FM and PM modulation of the carrier wave with typical FM modulation bandwidth on the order of at least +/-20 MHz. (These time rate to change of energy modulations increase the Q-V density in our model.) The second reason we found running these 3D Q-V plasma simulations for the EMPTY copper frustum, was that increasing the input power tends to focus the Q-V plasma flow from near omnidirectional from the frustum at low powers, to a much more jet like beam at higher powers measured in kW to tens of kW-rf. In fact the simulation for the 100W run predicted only ~50uN for our pure RF system with dielectric, while the 10kW run predicted a thrust level of ~6.0 Newton without a dielectric in the cavity. And at 100kW-rf it was now up to ~1300 Newton, but the input power to thrust production nonlinearity was starting to taper off around 50kW. Of course these Q-V plasma thrust predictions are based on the Q-V not being immutable and non-degradable, a feature we admit is not widely accepted by the mainstream physics community, at least at the moment. Due to the above non-linear thrust scaling with input power predictions, we have started the build up of a 100W-to-1,200W waveguide magnetron RF power system that will drive one of our aluminum RF frustum cavities. Initially the test rig will follow Shawyers first generation test rig that used a tetter-totter balance system in air only to see if we can generate similar thrust levels that Shawyer reported using a hermetic sealed box, which were in the ~16 to 300 milli-Newton range dependent on the Q-Factor of the frustum. The other EMdrive experiment status Shawyer experiments in ambient air (as well as newer superconducting designs) are now kept under a shroud of secrecy. Chinese mid-to-high power experimental results (~ 2000 W) in ambient air are on the contrary regularly published in academic journals, but are still uncertain because Pr. Juan Yang is not able to share additional data, and spurious causes like air currents are not ruled-out. There is information from Paul March on the testing of the controversial EMDrive at NASA Eagleworks. Paul commented on the NASA spaceflight forum. Not Found The requested URL was not found on this server. Apache Server Port 80 We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Dont expect the Republican Convention to dramatically rebuke primary voters. Photo: ABC Photo Archives When we first heard talk of a brokered or contested convention during the 2016 invisible primary, it was just a quadrennial amusement, mostly associated with the sheer size of the early GOP presidential field. Wouldnt it be cool, pundits thought, if none of these jokers can get a majority and we get to see a real convention instead of an infomercial? As the GOP field was quickly winnowed, a whole new and more serious rationale for a contested convention came into view: a convention with no putative nominee running the show, and moreover, with an opposition still fighting to stop the front-runner. Suddenly, a knowledge of the usually boring and not terribly significant convention rules and procedures became a very valuable commodity in Beltway chatter, and all sorts of lurid scenarios blossomed in the fevered imaginations of would-be brokers and their journalistic fans. Initially, the vision was of a convention with big, brawling, unlimited deliberative powers that could do any damn thing it wanted, particularly after the legal obligation to follow primary and caucus results was impatiently sloughed off at the end of a pro forma first ballot. So party elites didnt want Donald Trump as the nominee? No problem, so long as he didnt come to Cleveland with a majority of delegates bound to him. And even then, maybe the elites could manipulate the rules and disappear that majority! Anything seemed possible: A Romney nomination! A Paul Ryan nomination! A heroic effort by the partys wise leaders to turn a general-election disaster into one long snake dance to the White House! But as the reality of a contested convention has drawn nearer, in a context where it would likely involve Donald Trump as the favorite of a plurality but not a majority of delegates, the willingness of party elites to pull off some backstage coup in Cleveland has notably abated. Earlier this week, House Speaker Paul Ryan, who would under normal procedures chair the convention, came very close to a Sherman statement (named after William Tecumseh Shermans 1884 disclaimer that I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected), ruling out not only himself but any other dark horse nominee who did not compete in the primaries: Ive been really clear about this, he said. If you want to be president, you should run for president. We should select our nominee from among the people who are running for president. Clear and simple. So no, I am not going to be the president. I am not going to be the nominee. He added, I am not going to become the president through Cleveland. Now today a new report from NBC based on interviews with members of the RNC Rules Committee showed horror at the idea of a dark horse spreading rapidly among these ultra-insiders: Ridiculous not happening, said one Rules Committee member, asked about the prospect of candidates getting on the ballot who did not run this year. Theres no way in hell that any of these candidates who have worked this hard and spent this much money are going to say, OK, now, for the good of the party, Ill sit down and lets bring back Mitt Romney, said the insider. Thats a fantasy world theres zero chance of that happening. Another committee member said creating a path for a new candidate would lead to a party meltdown Indeed, most of the 19 Rules Committee members reached by MSNBC opposed any rule enabling new candidates to run at the convention. Only three backed a rule allowing new candidates to run. So if its considered an outrageous offense to primary voters to bypass all of the candidates theyve voted for, you have to figure at some point it could prove toxic to elevate a candidate who has been regularly defeated as well. And that could become a fatal problem for John Kasich, who is extremely likely to arrive in Cleveland in third place in pledged delegates. Is the convention really going to nominate the left-most (as perceived, anyway) candidate in the whole field after hes lost 35 or 40 or so primaries and caucuses? Its hard to imagine any degree of late-primary momentum thats going to make that look any more acceptable than a Ryan or Romney nomination on a second or third ballot. So the GOP lurches toward a convention where the only feasible outcomes are probably going to be a Donald Trump or (if he can finish a close second while denying Trump a majority) a Ted Cruz nomination. This will make some Republican Establishment types crazy. But even party elites now seem to understand that this is the wrong year to assert their power to overrule the GOP rank and file. And so, to take in vain the name of the political-science tome that is going to need a revised edition after this cycle ends, the party may decide it has no power to decide at all. Planned Parenthood supporters making some reasonable demands. Photo: Stephen Brashear/Getty Images Its a tried and true tactic of conservative lawmakers hellbent on defunding Planned Parenthood in their state to provide lists of other, non-abortion-providing places where women can receive the healthcare services, like pap smears, breast exams, STI treament, or family planning. But just as tried and true is the fact that these lists, by and large, are filled with professionals, like optometrists, who have nothing to do with womens health. Florida is the latest state attempting to pull funding from Planned Parenthood, passing a bill in the legislature that would ban state agencies from contracting or working with any organization or center that provides abortions for anything beyond extreme circumstances (rape, incest, or risking the health of the mother). Governor Rick Scott has to decide whether he will make like John Kasich and sign it into law. As expected, the bills proponents trotted out their requisite list of alternate qualified healthcare centers during hearings. And as one might guess, the list provides some unlikely sources for womens healthcare, like podiatrists, optometrists, the Salvation Army, 67 schools ranging from elementary to high schools, and dentists. Presumably Florida lawmakers know that vagina dentata is a myth, and the only thing womens reproductive health and womens teeth have in common is, well, being part of a woman. Russia has announced an imminent withdrawal of its forces from Syria, and while this is easy media bait, it doesnt mean much. When Russia talks of withdrawing its forces, its talking about those that were involved in the support to the Assad regime beginning in late September. Keep in mind that Russia has major military bases in Syriaat Tartus and Latakia. It maintains this force and all the air support this suggests. The announcement of a withdrawal Kurdish Peshmerga forces, Shi'ite militias and Iraq's army are reportedly preparing to launch a joint offensive against the Islamic State (ISIS) in and around the oil-rich region of Kirkuk in the disputed territories of Northern Iraq. The joint operation is hoping to get closer to Mosul, which is the largest city in Iraq still held by ISIS. Last month, Peshmerga forces retook a small crude oil station near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk which Islamic State insurgents seized. State-run North Oil said that the militants had seized a crude oil separation unit in Khabbaz on Saturday morning and that 15 oil workers are still missing. Khabbaz is a small oilfield southwest of Kirkuk with a maximum production capacity of 15,000 BPD. This all comes, as we noted last week, as the Iraqi Kurds make a subtle play for control of Kirkuk, by supporting the local governments move to separate from the central oil company and launch their own oil company. Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict Kurdish Peshmerga forces, Shi'ite militias and Iraq's army are reportedly preparing to launch a joint offensive against the Islamic State (ISIS) in and around the oil-rich region of Kirkuk in the disputed territories of Northern Iraq. The joint operation is hoping to get closer to Mosul, which is the largest city in Iraq still held by ISIS. Last month, Peshmerga forces retook a small crude oil station near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk which Islamic State insurgents seized. State-run North Oil said that the militants had seized a crude oil separation unit in Khabbaz on Saturday morning and that 15 oil workers are still missing. Khabbaz is a small oilfield southwest of Kirkuk with a maximum production capacity of 15,000 BPD. This all comes, as we noted last week, as the Iraqi Kurds make a subtle play for control of Kirkuk, by supporting the local governments move to separate from the central oil company and launch their own oil company. Russia has announced an imminent withdrawal of its forces from Syria, and while this is easy media bait, it doesnt mean much. When Russia talks of withdrawing its forces, its talking about those that were involved in the support to the Assad regime beginning in late September. Keep in mind that Russia has major military bases in Syriaat Tartus and Latakia. It maintains this force and all the air support this suggests. The announcement of a withdrawal is really just Putins way of hitting the point home that its worked to push back ISIS and that Assad has been somewhat stabilized militarily. The Russians arent leaving Syria. They are there to say. Soon enough theyll be exploring, in earnest, Syrias portion of the oil-rich Levant Basin. Discovery & Development Kosmos Energy has made a gas discovery at its Ahmeyim-2 appraisal well in the offshore area of Mauritania and Senegal. The welllocated in Mauritanian watersencountered 78 meters of net gas pay in two quality reservoirs. This is the basin-opening Tortue-1 discovery well, which was drilled to 5,200 meters. This discovery apparently means that there are enough gas resources in the Tortue West structure to develop and LNG projectall on its own. Now Kosmos plans to drill the first of three independent oil tests in its blocks offshore Mauritania and Senegal. Offshore Senegal, Kosmos will be drilling the Teranga-1 well in the Cavar Offshore Profond Block. Another discovery in Kenya by UK-based Tullow Oil suggests significant promise even outside the prolific South Lokichar Basin where Tullow made the original massive find that put Kenya on the energy map and paved the way for the country to begin an East African oil giant. The find was made in the Kerio Valley Basin in Kenyas Great Rift Valley region. According to Tullow, its the most significant find to date outside Lokichar. We dont have any exact estimates here, and testing is ongoing for commercial viability. In 2012, Tullow discovered 600 million barrels of oil in Turkanas South Lokichar Basin. Italian Eni has launched production at the giant Goliat offshore platform in the Arctic, off Norways northern coast. It will need oil prices at $100 per barrel to break even most likely, so this is a long-term game and the production life is said to be around 15 years. Shell has launched oil production from its deep-water Parque das Conchas development in Brazil's Campos Basin, where the production is expected to add up to 20,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day at peak. Shell operates the field with a 50 percent interest, while India-based ONGC and QPI have 27 percent and 23 percent stakes, respectively. Shell and Chevron have shut in production at a UK North Sea platform due to a problem with the Lomond export pipeline. French Total SA will not go through with shale operations in southeastern France, despite the change that it would have been re-awarded the Montelimar permit after a legal battle. The current oil price environment has rendered this option unattractive to Total. The Montelimar permit covers over 4,300 square kilometers and five departments in France. Regulations & Litigation The Obama administration is reversing a 2015 proposal to allow oil and gas companies to drill in the Atlantic Ocean off four southeastern states. The opposition from the coastal communities of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia has been too stiff to go forward with this, and there has apparently also been opposition from within the Pentagon for national security reasons. The leases would have been offered up from 2017. The decision calls for closing the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to future development through 2022. The British government has abolished the petroleum revenue tax in an attempt to help out the flailing oil and gas industry. The tax was 35 percent. It will also be reducing the supplementary charge on oil and gas profits from 20 percent to 10 percent. Both moves are being backdated to the beginning of 2016. Great news for the industry, which saw shares in oil companies jump on the announcement. BP shares rose 3.5 percent on the day, and Shell rose 3.1 percent. Kuwaits acting Finance Minister has unveiled government plans to raise money amid falling oil prices by taxing company profits and privatizing airports, ports and even some facilities that belong to the state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. A value-added tax (VAT) will be introduced in 2018, but no timelines were offered up for the remainder of the plans revealed. Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and Greeces Hellenic Petroleum S.A. have signed an agreement to resume oil sales to Greece, finalizing a deal for up to 60,000 barrels per day of Iranian crude oil to Greece. That volume could increase to 150,000 bpd eventually. The first shipment is scheduled to arrive in Greece by the end of March. Between 2010 and 2012, Greece paid out up to $6 billion for Iranian oil. Sanctions put an end to that, but Hellenic Petroleum apparently still owes Iran $755 million from that period. Russian Rosneft has reached a preliminary agreement to acquire 49 percent in Indias largest oil refiner, Essar Oil. If the deal goes through, crude deliveries would begin this year. Essar operates the Vadinar refinery in Gujarat, the second largest private refinery in India, with a capacity of 20 million tons per year. This deal is said to be worth around $2.4 billion. It still needs regulatory approval, but if it gets it we could be looking at Rosneft supplying 100 million tons to Essar over a 10-year period. Marathon Oil is looking to sell its assets in Wyoming and quit the state as it divests its non-core. Most of Marathons Wyoming production is centered around older fields in the Big Horn and Wind River basins that produce a heavy variety of sour crude. In February, Marathon said it would sell up to $1 billion in assets this year. Marathon posted a $2.2 billion loss for 2015. Anadarko Petroleum also recently reduced its presence in Wyoming. Were looking at another oil and gas licensing round in Norway now, which will include blocks in the Arctic Barents Sea. Applications will be accepted until September, and licenses will be awarded early next year. Some 32 blocks in the Barents Sea and 24 blocks in the Norwegian Sea are up for grabs, most of them mature. In last year's mature areas licensing round, Norway handed out 56 licenses to 36 companies. Analysts are predicting a 40% drop in oil and gas investment in Norway from 2014 to 2017. In one of the biggest oil and gas news stories of the week, Saudi Aramco and Shell have announced they will divide the assets of their Motiva Enterprises joint venture, handing over complete control of the largest U.S. refinery to the downstream affiliate of Saudi Aramco. This JV was formed in 1998. Shell and Aramco have had a 50/50 stake in it since 2002. Its not going to sit well with some, particularly with the folks at the Pentagon who are concerned with national security. It means the Saudis get full control of a key refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, along with 26 distribution terminals. Under this divorce, Shell gets total ownership of refineries in Norco and Convent, Louisiana, and 9 distribution terminals. This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source. Reprinted from Consortium News With high symbolism Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting Crimea "to check on the construction of the Kerch Strait Bridge, which will link the Crimean peninsula and continental Russia," the Kremlin announced on Thursday. As the Russians like to say, "It is no accident" that he chose today -- marking the second anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea three weeks after the U.S.-sponsored coup in Kiev on Feb. 22, 2014, and just days after a referendum in which Crimean voters approved leaving Ukraine and re-joining Russia by a 96 percent majority. The 12-mile bridge is a concrete metaphor, so to speak, for the re-joining of Crimea and Russia. When completed (the target is December 2018), it will be the longest bridge in Russia. Yet, the Obama administration continues to decry the political reunion between Crimea and Russia, a relationship that dates back to the Eighteenth Century. Instead, the West has accused Russia of violating its pledge in the 1994 Budapest agreement -- signed by Ukraine, Russia, Great Britain and the U.S. -- "to respect the independence and sovereignty and existing borders of Ukraine," in exchange for Ukraine surrendering its Soviet-era nuclear weapons. Did Moscow violate the Budapest agreement when it annexed Crimea? A fair reading of the text yields a Yes to that question. Of course, there were extenuating circumstances, including alarm among Crimeans over what the unconstitutional ouster of Ukraine's president might mean for them, as well as Moscow's not unfounded nightmare of NATO taking over Russia's major, and only warm-water, naval base at Sevastopol in Crimea. But what is seldom pointed out is that the other parties, including the United States, seem to have been guilty, too, in promoting a coup d'etat removing the democratically elected president and essentially disenfranchising millions of ethnic Russian Ukrainians who had voted for President Viktor Yanukovych. In such a context, it takes a markedly one-dimensional view to place blame solely on Russia for violating the Budapest agreement. Did the Western-orchestrated coup in Kiev violate the undertaking "to respect the independence and sovereignty" of Ukraine? How about the pledge in the Budapest agreement "to refrain from economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interest the exercise by the Ukraine of the rights inherent in its sovereignty." Political and economic interference were rife in the months before the February 2014 coup. [See Consortiumnews.com's " Who Violated Ukraine's Sovereignty? "] Did Ukrainian President Yanukovych expect to be overthrown if he opted for Moscow's economic offer, and not Europe's? Hard to tell. But if the putsch came as a total surprise, he sorely underestimated what $5 billion in "democracy promotion" by Washington can buy. After Yanukovych turned down the European Community's blandishments, seeing deep disadvantages for Ukraine, American neoconservatives like National Endowment for Democracy President Carl Gershman and Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Victoria Nuland pulled out all the stops to enable Ukraine to fulfill what Nuland called its "European aspirations." "The revolution will not be televised," or so the saying goes. But the Feb. 22, 2014 putsch in Kiev was YouTube-ized two-and-a-half weeks in advance. Recall Nuland's amateurish, boorish -- not to mention irresponsible -- use of an open telephone line to plot regime change in Ukraine with fellow neocon, U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, during an intercepted conversation posted on YouTube on Feb. 4. Nuland tells Pyatt, "Yats is the guy. He's got the economic experience, the governing experience. He's the guy you know. ... He has warned there is an urgent need for unpopular cutting of subsidies and social payments before Ukraine can improve." Arseniy Yatsenyuk (aka "Yats") was quickly named prime minister of the coup regime, which was immediately given diplomatic recognition by Washington. Since then, he has made a royal mess of things. Ukraine is an economic basket case, and "Yats" barely survived a parliamentary vote of no confidence and is widely believed to be on his way out. Did Moscow's strong reaction to the coup, to the danger of NATO setting up shop next door in Ukraine come as a surprise to Nuland and other advisers? If so, she ought to get new advisers, and quickly. That Russia would not let Crimea become a NATO base should have been a no-brainer. Nuland may have seen the coup as creating a win-win situation. If Putin acted decisively, it would be all the easier to demonize him, denounce "Russian aggression," and put a halt to the kind of rapprochement between President Barack Obama and Putin that thwarted neocon plans for shock and awe against Syria in late summer 2013. However, if Putin acquiesced to the Ukrainian coup and accepted the dangers it posed to Russia, eventual membership for Ukraine in NATO might become more than a pipedream. (This is a reprint from NewsBred). You have read about this "hit-man" in NewsBred this week itself. Mr. Harsh Mander is forcing upon a discussion on himself again with his column in Hindustan Times today (March 16, 2016). The thrust of Mander's argument is that terrorists and those who cause communal riots must be treated as guilty of similar crime. Both spread panic, if not divisions in the society. The second point he makes at the end of his piece is that most communal riots in independent India have been caused by Hindus--by inference they must thus also be treated as terrorists. (By equating terrorists with Hindus it's Ghulam Nabi Azad in a different garb, i.e. ISIS is RSS jibe). It's a long and rather boring piece but you kept up with his terrorists vs communal rioters theme for hundreds of words, knowing that the thrust of his "bite" would make an appearance at some stage. Presto, lo and behold, right at the end of his piece he did drop his guard: "A majority of those charged with terror crimes are religious minorities. While a majority of those charged with communal crimes are from the majority Hindu community, its victims are mostly religious minorities"" Mander's entire premise is wrong. Terrorists and communal rioters aren't the same thing. Terrorists take innocent lives without any provocation. Communal rioters take innocent lives at a perceived provocation. A community has hurt your religious feelings and say raped your women--it thus must be avenged with. A terrorist who drops a bomb in a mall or blows up a train has no such specific provocation. There is another distinction: communal riots are largely local in character. Terrorism is a global phenomenon. If men from Algeria cause killings in Paris, it isn't because they don't like the lovers at the bridge on river Seine which they cross every day on way to work. Terrorism is also often cold-blooded--and planned months in advance. Communal riots are usually a burst of emotional upheavals which mostly finish in a week or two. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Lindsay Roth and Kelly Sebetka spoke with members and friends of the Green Party of Philadelphia (GPOP) at Green Night Out on March 12. Discussing "Sex and Public Policy," Roth told her audience, "Legislators in Harrisburg design new bills without consulting the people who will be affected, especially sex workers." Roth is executive director of Project SAFE , an all-volunteer organization providing advocacy and support for women working in street economies, including sex workers. Sebetka is a volunteer with Project SAFE. There are four legal models for controlling sex work, according to Roth: criminalization (like Pennsylvania), partial criminalization (like Sweden), legalization (like part of Nevada), and decriminalization (like New Zealand). Most sex-worker-rights activists endorse decriminalization, which has been shown to work. Green Party members present were critical of their party's support for partial criminalization of sex work, and they agreed to seek a change in the Green Party platform. Roth and Sebetka also discussed a bill under consideration in Harrisburg. Senate Bill (SB) 851, also known as, 'Safe Harbor' legislation, according to Roth, "needs a lot of work before it will actually serve the interests of young people. We worry that poorly written legislation, like this, will blur the line between the criminal justice and social service systems. Law enforcement officers are not trained to provide services to youth. This legislation should require that youth survivors of the sex trade be included in the training of law enforcement officers." "At-risk youth should be formally included in the development of this legislation," said Sebetka, "to protect the priorities of those most impacted. There should also be a non-discrimination clause that will insure LGBTQ youth not only have access to critical services," Sebetka continued, "but also that those services are safe, welcoming, and tailored to meet the needs of all youth." Green Night Out is a quarterly Green Party gathering which is open to the public. Green Night Out is held at Su Xing House in center-city Philadelphia. The diners discuss politics while they enjoy a Chinese feast. The Green Party is an independent political party founded on the four pillars of nonviolence, grassroots democracy, ecological wisdom and social justice. For information about the next Green Night Out, please telephone 215-843-4256. Monte Dvorak was with the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1970. He had worked and been raised on a farm and ranched. This is part of his Vietnam story. For the complete interview, please go to billingsgazette.com/Vietnam. Dvorak did basic training at Fort Lewis, Wash. Then, he went to Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland and went into track and mobile mechanics. He did maintenance on howitzers, and was trained on replacing parts on armored personnel carriers. Dvorak: "All of us had to qualify with the M-14. It rained a lot in Fort Lewis. On that last day, when we had to qualify, it was pouring. We wiped it off our eyes so that we can see the targets. I'm thinking, 'I don't want to take basic over if I flunk this.' I did the best I could. Evidentally, I did superb because I got 'expert' on it. After the fact, they came up to me and said, 'What would you be interested in?' And I told them I wanted to be a mechanic. At that time, they were starting snipers more and more. They said, 'Your score shows you hit them and the conditions were terrible.' I said, 'Well, I hunted all my life growing up on the farm. As a kid, I had a gun when I was tall enough to walk.' He said, 'Would you like to become a sniper?' I didn't even know what a sniper was. He said, 'They go out and shoot the enemy and you'd be in an elite group.' I said, 'I joined to be a mechanic and I am going to stay a mechanic.' He said, 'If you change your mind ... let us know.'" Dvorak landed in Long Binh in Vietnam at night. Dvorak: "When we landed, they told us don't hurry, but get off in a timely manner because they had been getting mortared. When we stopped, there was a lot of trees and bunkers. As soon as we got off, we ran to the bunkers. At that time, the mortars started coming in." Gazette: So one hour, you're on a plane, heading to Vietnam. The next hour, you're taking shelter in a bunker in Vietnam. Dvorak: "Then it sunk in: This is real... As we were flying, everyone is talking, bullshitting and telling stories. As soon as we took off from the Philippines (to Vietnam), it was deadly quiet." Dvorak went to the First Infantry Division at Phu Loi with the artillery. He was on what is referred to as "Thunder Road." Gazette: What's it like there? Dvorak: "There's a lot of jungle. You can't see from here to 100 yards in front of you. You can't see the trees for the forest. It's kind of eerie. As soon as we got off the plane, the smell, if it was the smudge pots or what, but there was a mildewy, smoky smell. Even after I was out of the service for years, it seemed like my nose would just (smell) it." He was part of the group that kept the road open, safe for travel from the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army, near Loc Ninh close to the Cambodian border. Dvorak: "There was a rubber tree plantation (close to the next town) and I didn't know it at the time, but found out that it was a big place for the NVA and they used it as a fortification and then they spread out... They would move us every so often, but the 155-mm had to be set to fire. They could fire moving, but they had to be set because they rocked big time. We protected each other as we went because they next base could cover us as we went." Gazette: What's going out with the company like? Dvorak: "We're all bright green. Here comes the rookies. The camaraderie was unbelievable and everybody knew that you depended on each other to make it day to day, hour to hour, whatever it come down to. We wanted to see everybody make it home or make it back to 'The World' as we called it." Gazette: When you were out there on the firebases, were you worried about being overrun because you were so close to the border? Dvorak: "Yes. Our lieutenants would keep us informed as to what was going on in the other parts of Vietnam. The one time it was Special Forces got overrun not too far away from Loc Ninh and we had just left Loc Ninh. ... And it was like, 'You're kidding me.' It was a daily thing that you never knew. We'd hear from the lieutenants that they were getting information that there was a regiment of NVA coming through. All hell could break loose at any time." Gazette: When they said things like that what did you do? Dvorak: "Being a mechanic, they said, you just mechanicked. Well, first off, whether you're a cook or whatever, you're first infantry. We packed our rifle with us all the time. We had our bandoleers with extra ammunition and our clips and everything. We always kept everything clean because you didn't know from one day to the next. When it was dry season, it was dusty. It was terrible. It was a rifle, don't call it a gun. Keep it clean. We found a good use for prophylactics put them on the end so that dust and the rain out of the barrel. It was a good way to keep the barrel clean, because when it was raining, it was pouring. It was splashing through water no matter whether you were in the rice paddies or in the compound. Vice-versa with the dry, that dust would boil up." Gazette: Where was your fire powered aimed? Dvorak: "Mostly we were firing into the jungle, supporting the infantry. To this day, when I hear a helicopter oh my God. We'd see a column of five or six helicopters and we'd be alert that something was coming down because they were infantry and they'd be dropped down and then pretty soon, we'd start getting the call." Gazette: What was the feeling like when you started firing the guns? Dvorak: "You hope you don't get a short round so that you're not killing your own people. Get the coordinates right. The ones in the field, they took a helluva lot more than us. It was our duty to protect them when all hell broke loose. If we didn't do our job, lives could be lost. It was gratifying, it was kind of ... you hoped they all would come out and we kept going the best they could." Gazette: How often were your guns targets for the enemy?" Dvorak: "The NVA came in and we did have several firefights with them. We had two guys killed and they were with the infantry... We were fortunate enough that we didn't get overrun. It wasn't real common, but you never knew how things might happen. I just remember that night that we got the news that they figured a regiment of NVA were coming through and we thought, 'Holy crap.' There was no sleep that night. It was scary. We all thought about what could happen. Our guns and then the infantry -- they had twin 40s and quad 50s. I was put in charge of the machine guns. The big guns were able to fire point blank. If they came -- and they come in bunches -- but we never did run into a regiment size. They must have passed." Gazette: What happens on a night like that? Dvorak: "They said just keep your eyes open and watch for satchel charges because they'd try to sneak up to the perimeter and cut the perimeter wire and get inside. That was their main objective. Of course, we had concertina wire around, but they were good. With all the tunnels, it was unbelievable. I didn't realize it until after the war that there was so much tunnel work. A friend I went to school with was a tunnel rat. He got killed. ... But they had been fighting with the French. I never was in them, but after the fact, I thought, 'No wonder nobody was there and the next thing you know, they were there.'" Gazette: What was a firefight like? Dvorak: "First, we're told we're getting enemy movement outside the wire. So, be on the lookout for anything. In daytime, you may see them move in the brush... It was very scary (at night). If we needed, we could shoot up flares. That would give us an advantage so that we could see them." Gazette: Were there happy memories from Vietnam? Dvorak: "Oh yeah. I just remember after the monsoon got over, it was such a relief. I remember laying out on one of the APCs and looking up at the sky and it was clear. The world is here  all around us." Six months into his tour of duty, Dvorak was injured. Dvorak: "I had a torsion bar break and hit my hand. I was med-evaced out. It just about tore off my hand. I was two weeks from going to Australia. When it first happened, and it broke. I looked down and said, 'Oh shit.' I could see through my hand. That's how hard it hit. It shattered all my bones. I went to the medic ... and they called a helicopter. I went to Long Binh and spent a few nights there and kept it so I wouldn't bleed to death. They sent me to Cam Rahn Bay, and I spent a few weeks there and then went to Japan and sent me home. I thought, 'They'll sew me up, and I'll be back in action.' And that was my end of Vietnam." He spent a year recuperating and having surgeries to repair his hand. Dvorak: "I was proud that I served and I did what was right and be treated like you're a wacko. That's what I felt. I didn't want to wear anything with Vietnam on it, or saying I'm a Vietnam vet. I felt so uncomfortable. So, I just for years I didn't wear anything." Gazette: It's not been something you've talked about? Dvorak: "Not so much. My wife said, 'Well, why don't you want to talk about it?' I said, 'Well, I don't have nothing to say.'" Gazette: Did Vietnam change you or influence your life? Let's start with some classic Russian politics. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov is drawing up Russia's economic strategy for 2016, including the government budget. Siluanov -- essentially a liberal, in favor of foreign investment -- will present his proposals to the Kremlin by the end of this month. So far, nothing spectacular. But then, a few days ago, Kommersant leaked that Russia's Security Council asked presidential aide Sergei Glazyev to come up with a separate economic strategy, to be presented to the council this week. This is not exactly a novelty, as the Russian Security Council in the past has asked small strategy groups for their economic assessment. The Security Council is led by Nikolai Patrushev, the former head of the Federal Security Service. He and Siluanov are not exactly on the same wavelength. And here's where the plot thickens. Glazyev, a brilliant economist, is a Russian nationalist -- sanctioned personally by the US. Glazyev is arguably going no holds barred. He is in favor of barring Russian companies from using foreign currency (which makes sense); taxing the conversion of rubles to foreign currencies (same); banning foreign loans to Russian firms (depending if they are not in US dollars or euro); and -- the smoking gun -- requiring Russian companies that have Western loans to default. Predictably, some sectors of US "Think Tankland" went bonkers, stating with utmost certainty that "the Russian energy sector would not be able to find much financing without connections to the West." Nonsense. Russian firms would easily find financing from Chinese, Japanese or South Korean sources. Whatever measure of attention Glazyev will get inside the Kremlin, the whole episode already means that Moscow harbors no illusions in the near future regarding the exceptionalists (one just has to look at the presidential candidates, from "El Trumpissimo" to "The Hillarator"); as Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov recently put it, "[we] should expect toughening of the sanctions pressure." Once thing though is absolutely certain; Moscow won't bend over backwards to "pacify" Washington. One might be tempted to see Glazyev drawing up plans to return to some sort of Tsarist self-sufficiency while cutting off ties with the West. Assuming some version of that would be approved by the Kremlin, what's certain is that it may turn into a huge blow the EU might not recover from. Imagine Russia defaulting on all its foreign debt -- over $700 billion -- on which Western sanctions have raised extra, punitive costs in terms of repayment. The default would be payback for the twin Western manipulation of oil prices and the ruble. The manipulation involved unleashing on the oil market over five million barrels a day of excess reserve production that were held back by a few usual suspects, plus derivative manipulation at the NYMEX, crashing the price. Then, the derivative manipulation of the ruble crashed the currency. Almost all imports to Russia were virtually blocked -- as oil and natural gas exports remained constant. In the long run though, this should create a significant balance of trade surplus for Russia; a very positive factor for long-term growth of Russia's domestic industry. Vladimir Yakunin, the former head of Russian Railways, now out due to a reshuffle, recently told AP in no uncertain terms how the aim of US sanctions was to cut off Russia economically from Europe. Sanctions, coupled with speculation on oil and the ruble, pushed the Russian economy into recession in 2015. Yakunin, like most of the economic/business elite, expect Russia's economic troubles to last at least until 2017. Currently the only products that the West needs from Russia are oil and natural gas. A possible Russian default on its debt would have no effect on that demand in the short-term; and most probably in the long-term as well, unless it would contribute to a new financial crisis in the West, something that nearly happened in 1998. We all remember August 1998, when a Russian default shook the entire Western financial system to the core. If a Russian default is now the object of serious consideration by the highest powers that be -- and that includes, of course, the FSB, SVR, GRU -- then the specter of The Mother of All Financial Crisis in the West is back. And for the EU, that would be fatal. Enter Iran. The lifting of sanctions on Iran -- arguably by early 2016 -- ultimately has nothing to do with the nuclear dossier. It's a "Pipelineistan Great Game," as in having everything to do with oil and natural gas. Articles Listed By Date List By Popularity Search Title Date Between Any 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Any 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 and Any 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Any 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Page 1 of 9 First Last Back Next 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 View All SHARE BREAKING NEWS: #TrumpTheFraud Smears FBI Director Comey For Not Playing Politics Over The Clinton Emails The big breaking news, assuming we did not know it already, is that #TrumpTheFraud has nothing but contempt for a fair justice system, now irresponsibly accusing FBI Director James Comey of running a "rigged" investigation. We're actually surprised he didn't call him a stupid loser, the way he talks about everyone else. Wednesday, July 6, 2016The big breaking news, assuming we did not know it already, is that #TrumpTheFraud has nothing but contempt for a fair justice system, now irresponsibly accusing FBI Director James Comey of running a "rigged" investigation. We're actually surprised he didn't call him a stupid loser, the way he talks about everyone else. (2 comments) SHARE #TrumpTheFraud Lambasts TPP, And The DNC Can't Make Up Its Mind? Are You Kidding Us?? The Democrats are up against a babbling policy idiot, who has offended just about everyone but white male supremacists. There should not even BE any toss up battleground states at this point. But these are the very states most likely to go Brexit on one issue . . . rejecting the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership). Monday, July 4, 2016The Democrats are up against a babbling policy idiot, who has offended just about everyone but white male supremacists. There should not even BE any toss up battleground states at this point. But these are the very states most likely to go Brexit on one issue . . . rejecting the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership). (3 comments) SHARE It's Not President Obama's Democratic Party Anymore It's not President Obama's Democratic party anymore. He's not running for office this November and there will be another nominee. Indeed, under his "leadership" of not "allowing" what the people really want he has converted about the biggest congressional majorities the Democrats ever had into about the smallest minorities. Sunday, July 3, 2016It's not President Obama's Democratic party anymore. He's not running for office this November and there will be another nominee. Indeed, under his "leadership" of not "allowing" what the people really want he has converted about the biggest congressional majorities the Democrats ever had into about the smallest minorities. SHARE Keep Opposing It: Why The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Is So Bad, For Those Who Are Asking As long as we have been fighting the TPP, the corporate interests pushing it have never relented either, and only need one moment of inattentiveness or complacency on our part to do their dirty work. Most troubling is the fact that the Democratic party platform has now given a green light blessing for its members of Congress to go rogue in defiance of the clear will of the people. Wednesday, June 29, 2016As long as we have been fighting the TPP, the corporate interests pushing it have never relented either, and only need one moment of inattentiveness or complacency on our part to do their dirty work. Most troubling is the fact that the Democratic party platform has now given a green light blessing for its members of Congress to go rogue in defiance of the clear will of the people. (10 comments) SHARE If You Are Not Angry About The Democratic Platform TPP Scam You Are Not Paying Attention We are not demanding that Hillary Clinton adopt Bernie's position on this. NO . . . we are demanding she adopt her OWN stated position on this, or at least what she led us to believe. Tuesday, June 28, 2016We are not demanding that Hillary Clinton adopt Bernie's position on this. NO . . . we are demanding she adopt her OWN stated position on this, or at least what she led us to believe. (5 comments) SHARE OUTRAGEOUS! DNC Platform Refuses To Take A Stand On TPP. Tell Them Off! The snaky language they voted through for the platform says that there are "a diversity of views" in the Democratic party on the TPP. Given that every Democratic candidate for president SAYS they oppose it, the only diversity we can see is between the bought off paid off corporate creeps and their supposed constituents. Sunday, June 26, 2016The snaky language they voted through for the platform says that there are "a diversity of views" in the Democratic party on the TPP. Given that every Democratic candidate for president SAYS they oppose it, the only diversity we can see is between the bought off paid off corporate creeps and their supposed constituents. (13 comments) SHARE What If The "Good" Guy With A Gun Turns Out To Be A Bad Guy? Today we will address with systematic logic the "good guy with a gun" theory which is the NRA's knee jerk answer to every latest mass assault weapon massacre. What's wrong with it? Tuesday, June 14, 2016Today we will address with systematic logic the "good guy with a gun" theory which is the NRA's knee jerk answer to every latest mass assault weapon massacre. What's wrong with it? (2 comments) SHARE #TrumpTheFraud's Big Real Estate Success Secret . . . Tax Fraud, And More On The Big Negative Branding Initiative The mission is to replace ALL references to his name in all your tweets and other social media messages with the hashtag #TrumpTheFraud. It's time to define him for what he really is. Thursday, June 2, 2016The mission is to replace ALL references to his name in all your tweets and other social media messages with the hashtag #TrumpTheFraud. It's time to define him for what he really is. (9 comments) SHARE Stephen Hawking Can't Explain #TrumpTheFraud, But We Can, A MILLION Twitter Impressions Already, And More We just launched this counter-branding initiative the other day, and already YOU are generating a MILLION impressions on Twitter a day. Not only is it working, it is working big time. Alll you simply need to do is SUBSTITUTE #TrumpTheFraud for any other reference you make to his name, just as you see us doing here. Wednesday, June 1, 2016We just launched this counter-branding initiative the other day, and already YOU are generating a MILLION impressions on Twitter a day. Not only is it working, it is working big time. Alll you simply need to do is SUBSTITUTE #TrumpTheFraud for any other reference you make to his name, just as you see us doing here. (2 comments) SHARE The Hysterical Right Wing Lies About The Clinton Email Server Right wingers have never let facts get in the way of a hysterical, hot-headed rant. Since the release of the OIG report, they have been in overdrive trumping up the most outrageous and reckless lies we, as server programmers, have ever heard. Monday, May 30, 2016Right wingers have never let facts get in the way of a hysterical, hot-headed rant. Since the release of the OIG report, they have been in overdrive trumping up the most outrageous and reckless lies we, as server programmers, have ever heard. (35 comments) SHARE The Despicable False Narrative Of Violence In NV We're being bombarded with a conspiratorial narrative that there was some orgy of violence, and we'll give you two wild guesses about why. It is the corporate media, and those in the Clinton camp, spinning the narrative to try to take down Bernie Sanders, who cannot condemn violence enough times, and in enough different ways, to even be heard once. Thursday, May 19, 2016We're being bombarded with a conspiratorial narrative that there was some orgy of violence, and we'll give you two wild guesses about why. It is the corporate media, and those in the Clinton camp, spinning the narrative to try to take down Bernie Sanders, who cannot condemn violence enough times, and in enough different ways, to even be heard once. (2 comments) SHARE Share EVERY Day To Win Bernie's Share And Tell The DNC #beFair More than 5,000 of your fellow engaged citizens have already spoken out to demand proportional representation for Bernie delegates on the all the Democratic convention committees. Join us in demanding that the DNC #beFair Monday, May 9, 2016More than 5,000 of your fellow engaged citizens have already spoken out to demand proportional representation for Bernie delegates on the all the Democratic convention committees. Join us in demanding that the DNC #beFair (4 comments) SHARE A Call For The Ultimate Unity Ticket, Political Reality On The Democratic Side If you are selected as the Democratic presidential nominee, we call on you, Hillary Clinton, to select Bernie Sanders as your VP pick, a true, joint unity ticket. This is what it means to "listen to the people." Tuesday, April 26, 2016If you are selected as the Democratic presidential nominee, we call on you, Hillary Clinton, to select Bernie Sanders as your VP pick, a true, joint unity ticket. This is what it means to "listen to the people." (3 comments) SHARE Key Strategy: What Bernie Supporters Need To Do Now, And A Message For Clinton Supporters As Well In the aftermath of the sweep last Tuesday, there has been some talk this week in the mainstream media that Bernie Sanders supporters should stand down and now rally behind Clinton. This is the world's worst possible idea, and would hurt Clinton most of all. Friday, March 18, 2016In the aftermath of the sweep last Tuesday, there has been some talk this week in the mainstream media that Bernie Sanders supporters should stand down and now rally behind Clinton. This is the world's worst possible idea, and would hurt Clinton most of all. SHARE Bombshell Revelation From Benghazi Committee, And It's Not One The Republicans Wanted It seems that among other things on Hillary Clinton's email server, she inherited former Secretary of State Colin Powell's email files. And tucked away in there was a memo for a secret summit documenting that Blair had some great PR ideas about how they were going to sell the war they were going to launch regardless. And this was all a full year before they broke all the pottery in stock at the Middle Eastern Pottery Barn. Monday, October 26, 2015It seems that among other things on Hillary Clinton's email server, she inherited former Secretary of State Colin Powell's email files. And tucked away in there was a memo for a secret summit documenting that Blair had some great PR ideas about how they were going to sell the war they were going to launch regardless. And this was all a full year before they broke all the pottery in stock at the Middle Eastern Pottery Barn. (27 comments) SHARE A Bold Proposal For Comprehensive Gun Regulation From most of our timid politicians we've heard much hand wringing after one gun massacre after another, from some various constructive proposals, but no actual comprehensive plan frankly from anyone. After much input from our participants, here's our own proposal in the form of an action page, which no law-abiding gun owner should have any objection to, though it is bold, and novel in a number of aspects. Tuesday, October 6, 2015From most of our timid politicians we've heard much hand wringing after one gun massacre after another, from some various constructive proposals, but no actual comprehensive plan frankly from anyone. After much input from our participants, here's our own proposal in the form of an action page, which no law-abiding gun owner should have any objection to, though it is bold, and novel in a number of aspects. (3 comments) SHARE The Dangerous Folly Of Campaign Finance Reform Legislation Now We've gotten multiple mail solicitations in the last couple days for some petition calling for "comprehensive" campaign finance reform OR constitutional amendment to "reverse" McCutcheon, with the emphasis on the former. The problem is that the Supreme Court has made itself perfectly clear. Any attempt to undo what they are doing, and they will strike DOWN your comprehensive campaign finance reform just as comprehensively. Friday, April 11, 2014We've gotten multiple mail solicitations in the last couple days for some petition calling for "comprehensive" campaign finance reform OR constitutional amendment to "reverse" McCutcheon, with the emphasis on the former. The problem is that the Supreme Court has made itself perfectly clear. Any attempt to undo what they are doing, and they will strike DOWN your comprehensive campaign finance reform just as comprehensively. (39 comments) SHARE Who Will Save The Democrats From Themselves? Last week Nate Silver gave his assessment that the Democrats had a 60% chance of losing the Senate in the next election. Considering the fact that Democratic leaders were bragging last time about how Silver always got it right, this is an ominous sign. The one and only hope the Democrats have is to put everything behind a constitutional amendment to reverse the Citizens United corporate personhood decision. Sunday, March 30, 2014Last week Nate Silver gave his assessment that the Democrats had a 60% chance of losing the Senate in the next election. Considering the fact that Democratic leaders were bragging last time about how Silver always got it right, this is an ominous sign. The one and only hope the Democrats have is to put everything behind a constitutional amendment to reverse the Citizens United corporate personhood decision. SHARE Easy Write A Letter To The Editor Protesting Trans Pacific Partnership They are trying in the secret Trans Pacific Partnership to give corporations veto power over the national laws of any country on pollution, labor, privacy and everything else? But with this new easy write a letter to your newspaper editor we can create the publicity to stop them. Wednesday, January 8, 2014They are trying in the secret Trans Pacific Partnership to give corporations veto power over the national laws of any country on pollution, labor, privacy and everything else? But with this new easy write a letter to your newspaper editor we can create the publicity to stop them. SHARE Stop The Shutdown Merry-Go-Round When the latest shutdown started, Michelle Bachmann was quoted as saying the Republicans had never been merrier. We, the people of the United States, are not merry. The shutdown merry-go-round must stop. Monday, October 14, 2013When the latest shutdown started, Michelle Bachmann was quoted as saying the Republicans had never been merrier. We, the people of the United States, are not merry. The shutdown merry-go-round must stop. Page 1 of 9 First Last Back Next 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 View All Sleuthing in the Digital Age Unraveling the Mystery of Two 1890s Richmond District Houses by John Freeman I always perk up when someone says they have old photos from San Francisco that need location identification. Sometimes Im lucky and know the site; other times there is too little to go on. A grouping of contemporary photos, like in an album, adds more clues to find locations. I recently was presented with a series of photos in two albums that became one of the more challenging and fun projects I have attempted. This is a detective story of sleuthing collaboration, combining old research skills and new digital technology mixed with a good dose of luck. In late October 2011, Craig Bryan in Northridge, California, contacted the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society by email, hoping to find help figuring out the background and maybe the creator of two albums he found a couple of years ago in a corner of a prop-shop liquidation sale in Los Angeles. The secretary of the Society forwarded the email with its four photos to me to see if I wanted to get involved. The photos showed two identical houses, a street view taken from the porch of one of the houses, a burned-out brick building suggesting the 1906 fire, and a cable car passing along a street. Not much to go on, but I bit and contacted Craig to see what else he had that led him to think the albums originated in San Francisco. Craig sent me four other scans at higher resolution and another variation of the street seen from a front porch. I immediately recognized a beach scene below the ornate 1896 Cliff House and a view that sure looked like a family swimming outing inside Sutro Baths, so there was no doubt that the photos had a San Francisco connection. One scanned photo in this group really grabbed my attention. It was another street scene, but with a very institutional-looking building on the right. The building looked as if it might be the original French Hospital. I had a dedication brochure from the hospitals opening in 1895 and it had a photo that matched the album photo! The mystery photographer had taken a picture of the hospital sometime between 1895 and 1906. After the 1906 earthquake, significant structural damage to the brick building had to be repaired, followed by some changes to the facade, including a distinctive mansard roof on the administration building. I had a location, Sixth Avenue and Point Lobos Avenue (Geary Street was not extended past Presidio Avenue until after 1909), but what was the occasion that caused all those men to congregate around, drawing the attention of the photographer? Closer examination shows an American flag draped over the facade of one of the buildings. Camp Merritt, the main part of the temporary camp for army volunteers awaiting transport to the Philippines in the Spanish-American War, was from First to Fifth Avenues, Point Lobos to Fulton Street. These men in uniform were only in the Richmond District camp from May to August, 1898. The celebration must have been Fourth of July, 1898. If the photographer was taking a picture of the Independence Day celebration, he might have lived close by. I studied the view of the two houses and the intersection seen from the porch more closely. The two identical houses had no visible numbers or other clues to location, except that they were on a slight hill. The intersection, however, did yield a few clues. There were two windmills, and behind the trees on the right was a long white building with a Gothic window and a cross on the peak of the roof. There was only one church near Point Lobos Avenue in 1898, the original Star of the Sea, which faced Eighth Avenue (right behind the nave of the current church today). I had a photo of that church in my files and brought it up. I made another match, and since the cross would have been at the rear of the church, the two identical houses would be on the south side of Point Lobos Avenue. I next turned to the 1899-1900 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map to find a footprint of two identical houses. I compared footprints on the west side of the 400 block of Tenth Avenue, since that was the only street on a grade with the south side of Point Lobos Avenue that could match the view of the south side and back of Star of the Sea Church. I found my match easily at 425 and 427 Tenth Avenue and contacted Craig to share my excitement. Knowing the address in 1899 was great, so I made a check of the microfilm at the San Francisco Public Library of the 1900 census, by blocks, figuring it would yield the residents name. The only writing in either album gave the names of two children, a girl named Marian, born in 1891, and her brother George born in 1893. By 1900, there would have to be two children, ages seven and nine, to match the family living at either of these addresses. The census match didnt work, because the data at the time of the census showed that each resident had children with different first names and the wrong ages. We were stopped cold. I knew that the reverse-directories in History Center of the San Francisco Public Library didnt start until the mid-1920s, so how could we find out who lived in one of these houses in 1898? I consulted with a researcher friend, and he told me about a website where you can download an entire city directory as a PDF file, then do a digital search by address. The 1898 city directory was nearly 2,000 pages and would take about a half hour to load, but Craig gladly took on the task. A few hours later, he had the name that might match: "Low George P., propr. and pub. Journal of Electricity" A search of an online ancestry program told us George lived at 315 Cherry Street at the time of the 1900 census, and besides his wife, he had two children, ages nine and seven, named Marian and George! We had found the family in the photographs; now we had to see if the houses were still on Tenth Avenue. The early years of house numbering often used one number per family dwelling, but as the outer neighborhoods expanded in the early twentieth century, the popularity of duplexes and triplexes changed the numbering system. I figured that 425 and 427 might change by the next Sanborn map in 1913, but when I searched near mid-block, I couldnt find the characteristic footprint of the buildings found in the 1899 map. I rejected Craigs suggestion that the 1906 earthquake could have destroyed these two substantial-looking houses, because the serious quake damage in the Richmond District had only been to brick structures or chimneys. Maybe a house fire destroyed the building? I got my next break when a friend sent me a supplementary Sanborn map of the block dated 1905 that showed the original building footprints, but with addresses of 447 and 449. With a hint of the new addresses, I did a contemporary Google street search for these addresses. There were two buildings I had looked at and rejected in my earlier search because they bore no resemblance to the peak-roofed dwellings of the 1898 photo. But with close examination, I saw what I had missed small architectural trim features that had been retained when the buildings were converted from single-family homes to flats or duplexes nearly a century ago, in the style of the early 1910s. I found building permits showing that 447 had become 447/449 Tenth Avenue when it was remodeled in 1911 and 449 became 451/453 when it was remodeled in 1913. The remodeled building footprints did show up on the 1913 Sanborn map, but were so radically altered, I had missed them. Craig and I continued pursuing George P. Low, and found that he was a respected electrical engineer who had supervised the electrical system of the Midwinter Fair in Golden Gate Park in 1894, and had signed off on the last phase of the electrical work of the City Hall in 1899. He had written briefly for the Morning Call years earlier, and in 1895 he founded the Journal of Electricity, Power and Gas, listing his office as 427 Tenth Avenue by 1897. Like so much of this story, a lot of luck went along with skill in uncovering the details. The location of the houses was moderately easy, but finding the name of the man who made the album was a bigger challenge. George Perley Low had only lived on Tenth Avenue for about a year and a half before moving to Cherry Street, then Mill Valley where he died in 1909. But he was a professional person whose career as an electrical engineer was noted in the press when he gave lectures or supervised building projects. The journal he founded and edited has been digitized by the San Francisco Public Library and recently became available online. The albums were rescued by Craig Bryan just before being tossed in the dumpster. Craig became obsessed with finding out who had photographed and composed these albums, and contacted a local historical society 350 miles away, whose secretary passed the challenge on to me. Most of the albums contained baby pictures, parlor views and family outings. There was no writing except to identify the children when they were infants. Only a few of the photos had distinguishing characteristics that could be used to identify time and place, but the sum of the parts aided the search. Only a few years ago, solving this mystery would have been impossible without at least a family name, but digital technology continues to make more and more archival items not only available, but also accessible by computer without leaving home. Special thanks to the staff of the San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library for help and suggestions; to researchers Peter Field and Frank Sternad for advice and research solutions; and to Craig Bryan for salvaging important photos of the Richmond District, and for collaboration and tenacity to solve the puzzle of who composed the albums and trace their journey to Los Angeles. Contribute your own stories about western neighborhoods places! PM chaired special meeting ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a special meeting on issues related to the military on Friday. It was one of those rare meetings that exclusively discussed military affairs. Most previous meetings featuring the prime minister and the army chief have been about national security matters, even though this one too was described by the Prime Ministers Office as a meeting on security. The meeting also stuck out from past interactions in the sense that Gen Sharif was only accompanied by ISI chief Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar. In the past, the military delegation has been much larger. From the governments side, National Security Adviser retired Lt Gen Nasser Khan Janjua, who has been a key aide on security, was conspicuously missing. Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry, who have been a regular feature in security meetings in the past, were also absent as they were on their way back home from the Saarc foreign ministers meeting in Nepal. This prompted speculations that the agenda of the meeting was special. The PM Office in a brief statement said: Matters related to external and internal security were discussed during the meeting. The only agenda item specified in the press release was the review of progress of the ongoing military operation. Some might say it takes a rare breed to survive the Alaska wilderness. The discovery of a possible new species of hybrid butterfly from the state's interior is proving that theory correct. Belonging to a group known as the Arctics, the Tanana Arctic, Oeneis tanana, is the first new butterfly species described from the Last Frontier in 28 years and may be its only endemic butterfly. University of Florida lepidopterist Andrew Warren suggests the butterfly could be the result of a rare and unlikely hybridization between two related species, both specially adapted for the harsh arctic climate, perhaps before the last ice age. Details of the finding are available online today in the Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera. Digging deeper into the Tanana Arctic's origins may reveal secrets about the geological history of arctic North America and the evolution of hybrid species, said Warren, who led the new study. "Hybrid species demonstrate that animals evolved in a way that people haven't really thought about much before, although the phenomenon is fairly well studied in plants," said Warren, senior collections manager at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the UF campus. "Scientists who study plants and fish have suggested that unglaciated parts of ancient Alaska known as Beringia, including the strip of land that once connected Asia and what's now Alaska, served as a refuge where plants and animals waited out the last ice age and then moved eastward or southward from there. This is potentially a supporting piece of evidence for that." The new butterfly lives in the spruce and aspen forests of the Tanana-Yukon River Basin, most or all of which was never glaciated during the last ice age, about 28,000 to 14,000 years ago. Study researchers suggest that sometime in the past, two related species, the Chryxus Arctic, O. chryxus, and the White-veined Arctic, O. bore, may have mated and their hybrid offspring subsequently evolved into the Tanana Arctic. Then, during the coldest part of the last ice age, the Tanana Arctic and White-veined Arctic apparently remained in Beringia while the Chryxus Arctic was pushed south into the Rocky Mountains. This would mean all three species were once present in Beringia before the last ice age, Warren said. For more than 60 years the Tanana Arctic hid beneath scientists' noses incognito as its very similar relative the Chryxus Arctic, until Warren noticed its distinct characteristics while curating collections at the McGuire Center. In addition to expanded white specks on the underside of its penny-colored wings giving it a 'frosted' appearance, the Tanana Arctic is larger and darker than the Chryxus Arctic. It also has a unique DNA sequence, which is nearly identical to those found in nearby populations of White-veined Arctics, further supporting the hypothesis the new species may be a hybrid, Warren said. "Once we sequence the genome, we'll be able to say whether any special traits helped the butterfly survive in harsh environments," he said. "This study is just the first of what will undoubtedly be many on this cool butterfly." Warren said more field research is needed to investigate whether the Tanana Arctic also exists further east into the Yukon. Other species of Arctics are found in places like Russia and Siberia. The group is known for living in environments too cold and extreme for most other butterflies, and they survive in part thanks to a natural antifreeze their bodies produce. Because butterflies react extremely quickly to climate change, the new butterfly could serve as an early warning indicator of environmental changes in the relatively untouched areas of Alaska where the Tanana Arctic flutters. "This butterfly has apparently lived in the Tanana River valley for so long that if it ever moves out, we'll be able to say 'Wow, there are some changes happening,'" Warren said. "This is a region where the permafrost is already melting and the climate is changing." Warren plans to go back to the Yukon-Tanana basins next year in search of the Tanana Arctic. He hopes fieldwork in this rugged environment will result in fresh specimens to fully sequence the species' genome, which will reveal the butterfly's genetic history, including if it is truly a hybrid. "New butterflies are not discovered very often in the U.S. because our fauna is relatively well-known," Warren said. "There are around 825 species recorded from the U.S. and Canada. But with the complex geography in the western U.S., there are still going to be some surprises." Explore further Researchers breed Arctic cod; species vulnerable to warming Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser Girish Budhwar, 54, died early in the morning on March 16, 2016. When cancer attacked Girish, it had no idea of the fight it was to have. Girish spent over 20 years beating back every assault cancer had to offer, and did it with grace and dignity. A memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m. today, March 19, at Bismarck Funeral Home. Girish was born in Bikaner, India to Krishan and Pushpa Budhwar, on Jan. 9, 1962. He moved to Africa with his family as a young boy, and lived in Kenya and Tanzania. From Africa, Girish immigrated first to Winnipeg, Canada, where he received his undergraduate degree at The University of Manitoba, and later to Fargo, where he was in a doctoral program in mathematics at North Dakota State University, he discovered he had cancer while at NDSU. Girish moved to Bismarck, after his initial battle with cancer, and spent the rest of his life in Bismarck. Girish spent nearly 20 years working as an analyst at the Capital Building, first at the Department of Human Services, and later at the Department of Public Instruction. One of his proudest accomplishments was being the lead analyst on the team that revised the Foundation Aid Payments for public education in North Dakota. Girish will be cherished by those who knew him. He proved a person doesnt have to seek attention to get attention. His journey through life was quiet and dignified. He had a quick wit, talked of all subjects, and was endlessly curious. He loved Hollywood films, Perry Mason mysteries, and having a Misto while reading at Starbucks after work. In Africa, Girish attended Catholic and Muslim schools. Girish was Hindu but had knowledge of and respect for all cultures and religions. His deep understanding of and acceptance for people of all races and beliefs is a lesson to learn from Girish that would serve us all well. Girish is survived by Rajesh and Manjula Budhwar, his brother and sister-in-law, and their two sons, Sandeep and Param. He was preceded in death by his parents. Family was vital to Girish and the week before he died, he had a final visit with Rajesh and Manjula who traveled from Toronto, Canada. Girish is also survived by many friends scattered around the world. Go to www.bismarckfuneralhome.com to sign the online guest book or to share memories with the family. MERIDIAN, Mississippi -- George County's Brandy Nicole Williams has once again been found guilty for her role in the 2010 death of Sheriff Garry Welford. Williams and her boyfriend, Christopher Lee Baxter, were convicted in 2012 of capital murder, and each was sentenced to life without parole. The popular sheriff was struck and killed by the dating couple during a high-speed pursuit. Williams was just 18 at the time of the killing. In December 2014, the state Court of Appeals overturned Williams' conviction and ordered a new trial, which took place in Meridian this week. The Appeals Court found that Williams' trial judge erred in preventing the jury from hearing a statement that Baxter gave to law enforcement officers that implicated him in the crime. This time, jurors got to hear Baxter's recorded statement. Baxter was also called to the stand, as he was during Williams' first trial, but he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights and refused to testify yet again. On Friday, Williams was again found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to a lifetime behind bars, again without the possibility of parole. The sentence was handed down by Special Appointed Judge Richard McKenzie. The decision was turned over to the jury just before 1 p.m., and they returned with a verdict before 2:30 p.m. "Garry Welford dedicated his life to public service, and he lost his life while serving and protecting the citizens of George County," District Attorney Tony Lawrence said. "The emotion of losing a public servant weighs heavily on all those involved," he said. "His absence will never be filled, but I hope the verdict today will bring some sense of justice to the Welford family and the George County community." The state presented 22 witnesses during Williams' second trial. During Williams and Baxter's original trials, the state fleshed out the following sequence of events from July 19, 2010, to July 22, 2010: On July 19, 2010, testimony revealed, Baxter failed to appear for a sentencing on two drug charges for which he expected to receive three years in prison. That day, a judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest. Garry Welford Deputies attempted to locate Baxter, but they had no luck. On July 21, a deputy saw Williams driving her father's maroon Z71 in Lucedale near Scott Road and Miss. 63. He also saw what appeared to be a person hiding in the passenger seat. The deputy knew of the warrant and knew Williams and Baxter were dating, so he suspected Baxter was in the passenger seat. He followed the truck west on Scott Road. At the intersection of Scott Road and Miss. 26, he said the truck began to flee, running vehicles off the road. The deputy then engaged his blue lights and siren and began a pursuit. The driver of the Z71 led authorities on a 16.8-mile, high-speed chase down two-lane country roads in west George County, state prosecutors said. At the intersection of Howard and Bexley roads, the sheriff and other deputies gathered to attempt to stop the truck. That's when, a few minutes later, the truck struck the sheriff, pushed him across Bexley Road, and left him lying in a ditch with dozens of injuries. The sheriff was later pronounced dead at the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile. Williams and Baxter continued north after the impact but wrecked the truck a short distance away, near a bridge on Bexley Road. The couple then fled on foot and spent the night in a trailer. They were located there the next morning and taken into custody. "July 21, 2010, is a day that will never be forgotten by the Welford family and the George County community," Assistant District Attorney Cherie Wade said after the verdict. "I commend those who worked tirelessly to help us achieve the result today," she said. "I hope this verdict shows the law enforcement community that we will stand with those who put their lives on the line each day to protect us." Even if Anthony had a year to analyze and dissect each piece...(he couldn't tell if it would)... stand the harsh light of public exposure. WUWT insider Willis Eschenbach tells you all you need to know about Anthony Watts and his blog, WattsUpWithThat (WUWT). As part of his scathing commentary , Wondering Willis accuses Anthony Watts of being clueless about the blog articles he posts. To paraphrase: Click here to read more. An Akufo-Addo government, he said will reverse the decline in the countrys support for agriculture, which has been one of the greatest deficiencies of the Mahama-led administration. He made the assurance when he met cashew farmers in the Jaman North constituency, in the Brong Ahafo Region, on Friday, March 19, 2016, campaigning ahead of this year's election. His comments follows recent ban on cashew to foreign markets by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah. Tons of cashew nuts are getting rotten in the Brong Ahafo Region as cashew buyers are unable to export nuts to foreign markets due to an export ban placed on the commodity by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI). The ban was enforced as part of measures to improve local processing of cashew which is expected to create jobs and add value to agricultural products before exports. However, buyers of the produce say, out of the 950,000 bags of cashew produced in the country, factories in the country have the capacity to process only 35,000 bags of cashew leaving over 900,000 bags worth millions of cedis to rot. The Customs equipment is to help the laboratory authorities conduct effective inspection and verification of goods. The EU Ambassador to Ghana, Mr William Hanna, presenting the equipment in Accra, said Customs were a major stakeholder in the chain of quality of foods to be consumed locally or exported. He said both customs authorities and the importing and exporting community had shared responsibility to maximise compliance with national and international laws and regulation. He indicated that by verifying the compliance with quality standards of the products passing through the airport, the Union was permitting Ghana to take part in the international fresh fruit and vegetable trade. The EU Ambassador said the TRAQE programme supported Ghanaian public authorities to facilitate trade, therefore, the right equipment must be available to test the products that entered or left Ghana. He said the EU was committed to working with the Management of the Customs laboratory to facilitate trade relations in Ghana. The EU, he said, was also working with the Government to remove the recent ban on the exportation of fruits and vegetables to the EU market. The Acting Commissioner of the Customs Division, Mr Kuudamnuru John Vianney,commended the EU for the support to the country in trade facilitation. He said the equipment would help the laboratory to check the safety of items and to protect the citizenry. The Division, he said, would construct a new Customs laboratory to enhance their operations. He appealed to the EU to provide training for personnel who would be manning the equipment to help improve revenue mobilisation. He clarified that Bishop Obinim has a different calling and must thus be allowed to operate the best way he knows how. Obinim is not part of that groupso if you are ask the government to come and regulate, it is very, very, bad. People want Obinim to do things that they are doing but his calling is different, he said during a panel discussion on Joy FM. Who are you to say that you are the custodian of the bible and the papas of land so whatever you say should be what people should accept? he asked. The founder of the International Godsway Church has been criticised for comments he made against the First Vice President of the GPCC, Rt. Rev. Sam Korankye Ankrah. Bishop Obinim had earlier claimed that he could metamorphose into any animal including a snake to unleash terror on his enemies. His declaration instigated a response from the GPCCs Rev. Ankrah who stated that Bishop Obinim was using magic. However, Mr. Kyei Mensah said persons who choose to worship with Bishop Daniel Obinim are not stupid as alluded by Rev. Ankrah. According to him, the church has well educated individuals and persons of high standing in the Ghanaian society and such persons are thus, very discerning. Korankye Ankrah said that the members of Obinims church are not discerning and that is very, very insulting, he fumed, adding that every Ghanaian has the freedom of association but the Pentecostal churches want to lord their principles over others. According to him, Parliamentary proceedings and procedures are sometimes very strangeif you are not used to Parliamentary procedure, sometimes you may take offense at the behaviour of some MPs. President Mahama on Thursday paid an official visit to the Scotland where he was scheduled to meet the first minister and the presiding officer at the Scottish Parliament. The planned meeting was however, cancelled ahead of his visit. He was also billed to address the Scottish MPs but the oppositions MPs said the address undermines the safety of the Scottish Parliament for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. They said: We believe that the Scottish parliament should be a place where everyone can feel safe. Yet the invitation to President John Dramani Mahama to address MPs can only undermine this, given his full support for the horrific discriminatory laws towards the LGBT community in his country. After he was introduced, Mahama received muted applause from the Holyrood chamber as he listened to FMQs on Thursday morning. Many have criticised the seating area the President and his entourage were given during his visit to the Scottish Parliament and have called for his handlers to properly scrutinize invitations the President receives from foreign nations Contributing to a panel discussion on Joy FM, the Deputy Minister remarked that what happened in Scotland may not be unusual in the way and manner people have interpreted it. This follows the inauguration of a modern Police Station within of the premises of Parliament House to strengthen security presence in and around the State House. The Speaker of Parliament, Edrwad Doe Adjaho during the inauguration indicated that the increased security at the premises was in response to the recent wave of terrorist attacks which have hit the sub-region in recent times. He thus appealed to the public to corporate with Police personnel who will be stationed at the post. In an interview on Citi FM, Kate Addo explained the security checks one would have to go through before gaining access. Now, before you enter Parliament, there is a Police post, your vehicle will be searched. If you do not have a vehicle and you are coming in, you will go through a certain amount of security checks, she said. Once you dont come in with any offensive weapon or once you come in the appropriate attire which is either national or formal, you shouldnt have any problem accessing the Parliamentary building, she added. The new security measures, she said is also to prevent loitering in and around the Parliament House. Deputy Communications Minister, Felix Kwakye Ofosu said the NPPs campaign of falsehood against the NDC will not succeed. The reason why he has concocted that lie is that when we launched the green book and he saw the achievements sector by sector that we had rolled out, he saw a potent threat in there; in that their campaign of falsehood that we had borrowed money and done nothing was going to be decimated so now he needed to shift the goal post by misleading the public, he said on Accra-based Joy FM. Last month, the NPP flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo presented his True State of the Nation Address and said government has increased the nations debt stock from GHC 9.5 billion in 2008 to about GHC 99 billion as at 2016. According to him, the NDC government in dollar terms has borrowed some US$37 billion in 7 years. The Vice Presidential candidate of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia later this week addressed the students of the Jasikan College of Education in the Volta Region and said the President does not know how much his government has borrowed. Mr. Kwakye Ofosu in response said the NPPs calculation that the nations debt stock is $37 billion is a malicious lie which simply doesnt make sense. He [Dr. Bawumia] dabbles in what we call a fallacious appeal to authority I am a Phd holder, I was a deputy governor of the Bank of Ghana so if I say this it must be true, he added. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Abiodun Osifo, on Saturday disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). He said the suspect was hiding at the back of the gate, immediately he saw the victim gained entrance at her residence, he brought out his gun and shot at her from behind. Osifo said that the suspect has been on the wanted list of the Nigeria police, as he described him as a serial killer, who must face the consequence of his actions. The police spokesman said the force has extended its drag-net across the state in order to bring the suspect to book. Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! The Chairman, NMA National Committee on Dental Health, Dr Clement Onwube, said this while addressing a press conference in Jalingo on Saturday as part activities marking the 2016 World Oral Health Day. According to Onwube, mouth diseases are among the most common chronic diseases worldwide, with more than 90 per cent of the population at risk. He also said records from the World Dental Federation had shown that oral diseases affect more than 3.9 billion people worldwide while between 60 per cent and 90 per cent of children have tooth decay. Untreated tooth decay, he said, was the most prevalent condition among 291 diseases studied in the global burden of disease study. ` Since the treatment of oral diseases has remained extremely costly, greater awareness on prevention can have a positive impact on the economic burden, he said. Buratai, who said this during his visit to a military tactical operational base, near Otukpo in Benue, expressed confidence that the mayhem would be contained. ``The crisis here is unfortunate, the farmers and herdsmen fighting must not be condoned. I have heard from the commander about the existence of criminal elements who engage in cattle rustling. ``We have observed the deployment of troops on ground, we are adjusting our troops deployment to take care of the flashpoints and likely areas where the criminals are hiding, he said. Buratai said measures had been adopted to ensure that the clashes did not repeat and the people return to their settlements. He, however, noted that the troops were cooperating with other security agencies to restore peace and order in the area. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Army chief met with operation commanders on measures adopted to contain the crisis in the area. The FRSC Sector Commander in the state, Mr Crawford Oti, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Jos. He said that the motorists were convicted in mobile courts on three routes within the Jos-Bukuru metropolis. He added that the commission deployed the mobile courts as a strategy to ensure that only qualified drivers and road worthy vehicles ply the roads. ''We actually apprehended 67 offenders, but the court discharged 13 of them while the remaining 54 were convicted. ''Most of them were convicted over driver's licence violation, overloading, mechanically deficient vehicles, use of phones while driving, obstruction and seat belt violation. ''Some were equally convicted for using worn out tyres, number plate as well as lack of fire extinguishers and caution signs. ''Others were arrested for lane indiscipline, over speeding and windscreen and vehicle licence violation. ''So many vehicles will be on the highways during this Easter celebration and one of the best ways to tackle some of these violations and reduce crashes is through the mobile court to ensure hitch-free celebration, '' he said. Oyebade, who disclosed this at a news briefing in Kaduna, said 38 of the bandits had been arrested by soldiers and handed over to the police for prosecution. According to him, 6, 009 animals were recovered during the operation code named `Sharan Daji', while 49 bandits' camps were destroyed. The GOC explained that the operation was targeted at cattle rustlers and armed bandits terrorising communities in Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna, as well as Niger States. "In Niger, the 31 Artillery Brigade which covers the axis are deployed as a blocking force to intercept escaping cattle rustlers and bandits while also conducting fighting patrol around Pandogari-Kusherki, Gidigori and Pandogari-Mai Kujeri roads which serves as escape routes for the bandits. In Kaduna state, 465 recovered animals, 16 bandits arrested, nine bandits killed, seven weapons recovered and eight camps destroyed. In Zamfara state, 1,443 animals were recovered, 19 bandits arrested, 13 bandits killed, eight weapons recovered and 20 camps destroyed. In Katsina/Kano States, 4, 101 animals recovered, four bandits arrested, 13 bandits killed, 21 assorted guns, including three AK 47 Rifles, local weapons and bows and arrows and 10 and 11 camps destroyed in Katsina and Kano respectively, he said He said during the course of the various operations, the military lost one Sgt Nansel Dangnap of 2 Battalion, while three soldiers sustained varying degrees of injuries. The GOC said a number of terrorists fleeing from the North East were also arrested. He warned organizations and groups in the zone to desist from any act capable of causing breakdown of law and order, stressing that under my watch any act that threatens the rule of law will not be tolerated.'' Valeant Bonds: How Could a Late Filing Lead to Default? Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (VRX) is now officially in breach of a covenant in its bond documents requiring it to file financial documents on time. Does that mean there is an event of default? Not yet, explains Covenant Review, an independent credit research firm, in a series of answers to some of the most common questions investors are asking. In simple terms, it has 60 days grace period to file the late statements before it is considered an event of default. At that point, if bondholders controlling 25% of the principal decide to accelerate payment of the bonds in that series, it has to pay up in full. Here are the far more detailed questions and answers from the FAQ (which covers several more scenarios): Question: Does a breach of the Reports covenant of each series of Valeant Bonds mean that there is an Event of Default under those Valeant Bonds? No. A breach (or default) under the Reports covenant of any series of Valeant Bonds does not become an Event of Default until (1) the required notice has been given by at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the bonds of such series and (2) the 60-day grace period has elapsed without the Company curing the breach under the applicable Valeant Bonds. Question: If 25% in aggregate principal amount of one series of Valeant Bonds sends notice to the Company of a breach under that series of Valeant Bonds, would that suffice as the required notice under the other series of Valeant Bonds? No. The Company or Opco, as the case may be, must generally receive notice from at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the applicable series of Valeant Bonds in order for the required notice to be given under that series of bonds Question: If 25% in aggregate principal amount of one series of Valeant Bonds sends notice to the Company of a breach of the Reports covenant under that series of Valeant Bonds, and that breach becomes an Event of Default after the 60-day grace period expires, does that mean that the applicable series of Valeant Bonds is due and payable? No. If a breach of the Reports covenant under a series of Valeant Bonds ripens into an Event of Default after the 60-day grace period elapses, 25% in aggregate principal amount of that series is generally required to accelerate that series. Correction: This post was corrected to indicate that the bonds may be payable in full if holders of 25% of the principal decide to accelerate that series. Confirming the attack to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau, Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Sanusi Amiru, said the incident was a reprisal attack by the gunmen on Thursday. According to the police spokesman, six of those killed were members of the community, while the other three were members of the gang gunned down by the villagers. He said that a team of armed policemen have been able to restore peace to the affected area, while a combined team of security men were on the trail of the gunmen. An eye witness, Sule Musa, told NAN in the village that the gunmen had earlier on the fateful day invaded the community. He said they were chased out by the villagers, who shot and killed three members of the gang. "If you go to various churches and mosques, youll still find people saying, we are suffering but we should endure because the result will come, he said. The Majority Leader of the Senate made this revelation in a recent interview with Daily Trust. 'This government is in power as a result of the majority support, which are the masses who do not have access to even being surveyed...Yes, things are difficult, Nigerians are going through difficult times, but they are the support base of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and have not lost faith in this government,' he said. Speaking further, he said, 'If you say the popularity of government has gone down from those youve access to get their responses, well, I agree with that, but the majority of Nigerians, who are the poor, still have faith in this government, and that is the most important thing. Yes, people are going through hard times but the government is working; working in the sense that its still focused on the three key issues that it came in with, and is still focused to address.' He also said, 'One is security, and youll agree that it is not only in the Northeast in terms of winning the war against insurgency and specifically Boko Haram, the government is fighting other wars in terms of kidnapping, armed robbery and vandalization of pipelines. 'The bunkering of our crude oil has gone down, but nobody is talking about that. The vandalization of oil pipelines you will now only hear intermittently, which is normal in every society. The militancy in the Niger Delta has gone down tremendously. 'Even the so-called Biafra struggle is personalized and centered on Kanu, and when Kanu was arrested - and he is presently going through trial - it went down. So, government is working in the area of security. In a report by Vanguard Newspaper, an agent of the political party, who was identified as Tambari Ntoti, has been shot dead during the Federal and State Assembly election rerun in Rivers State. Confirming the death of Ntoti and acknowledging his position as the PDP agent representing Nonwa In Tai Local Government Area, Ward 3, the PDP via its Twitter handle alleged that the killing of Ntoti was masterminded by the All Progressive Congress. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the situation was due to screening which the voters were being subjected to various security check points around the city. Some of the voters who were seen returning to their homes told NAN they were not prepared to go through the rigours of raising their hands and being frisked ``just because we came out to vote. They said that it was their right to vote but not under such stringent condition. ``I wanted to go and vote out of my own will but I will not allow myself to be subjected to raising hands, one of the voters, who declined introduction, said. The development was critical at the polling units in Ward 2, Rumudara in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area where the voters were discouraged by the security post at Artillery junction, Aba Road. However, polling which commenced in most areas more than two hours later than scheduled time of 8 a.m. due to late arrival of electoral officials and materials, was still ongoing. In some centres, including those in Ward 8 in Oyigbo West and Ward 16 in Obio/Akpor, the officials arrived at between 9.30 a.m. and 10.30 a.m. The exercise is peaceful as there is adequate presence of security personnel, and card readers deployed at the centres were functioning properly. A voter in Ward 8, Mr Chuks Obi, told NAN commended the security arrangement for the election, saying that he was encouraged to come out and vote by the "tight security." According to him, in spite anticipated violence, the security presence in the state gave me the courage to come out to exercise my voting right. Obi said that although the local government area had no history of violence, ``I heard that 6, 000 policemen were deployed to the state to provide security for the election. The doll, which is custom made to suit the needs of its owner, is delivered wrapped up like a mummy in a wooden style box that looks set for 6-feet below. The doll also comes wearing a black dress like it is mourning. I don't understand what could be going on in the mind of anyone that purchases such a doll, but I imagine it must be very twisted. Weighing just 25kg and measuring 2ft 4inches tall, the sex robot was invented by Chinese company ShengYi and has just been released into the market at a 770 price tag. So much money for rubbish, if you ask me. The dolls are available in a variety of hair colors, skin colors and eye colors which buyers can select online. They are also designed like robots, marketed to be small, and are marketed for men. According to Mirror UK, these sadistic robotic sex dolls that look like children are created in Guangdong, China. The company that makes them also says that it can ship the dolls and their wooden boxes in just five days. "This silicon small sex dolls is our unique design on market in 2016, sex dolls with hot Japanese pure girl, female real sex doll robot for man (sic). We can provide video of real sex doll for your reference. Replaceable head European and Japanese face style, there are 10 New Arrival face types for your choice, available for different size body. Replaceable head European and Japanese face style, there are 10 New Arrival face types for your choice, available for different size body," says the company's website. "This operation has destroyed your claims to have defeated 'terrorism' as you like to describe it. Even if your Western masters believed you were in control previously, how will you justify your position now?" the Islamist militant group said in a statement directed at the Algerian government and Western oil companies. Is It a Felony to Hit or Assault a Nurse? Caring for those in need can be a dangerous proposition. According to one recent study, almost 80 percent of nurses reported they were attacked while on the job in the past year. And health care workers overall are subject to more workplace violence and missed more work due to workplace assaults than any other profession. Assaulting anyone is a crime, but assaulting certain people can mean increased criminal charges and penalties. Do these protections apply to nurses? Statutory Protections for Medical Professionals As Lisa Wolf -- registered nurse and research director for the Emergency Nurses Association -- told Scientific American, "There is a top-to-bottom cultural assumption that violence is part of the job. It goes from the bedside up to the judicial system." And some states are trying to address the danger to nurses with specific statutes designating penalties for assaulting nurses. A majority of states have criminal statutes specifically addressing assaults on emergency medical providers, and 32 (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin) make it a felony to assault a health care worker or emergency medical personnel. An Ounce of Prevention... Additionally, seven states (California, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington) require health care employers to implement workplace violence prevention programs. These training programs are aimed at nurses and medical staff, teaching them how to recognize and respond to potentially violent situations, hopefully deescalating dangerous assaults before they occur. Any assault can become a felony under certain circumstances, and felony assault can be punished by long prison terms and hefty fines. Hopefully these laws can serve as another deterrent to people thinking about assaulting nurses. Scientific American also reported that over half the physical assaults on nurses go unreported. Maybe knowing there are enhanced penalties for perpetrators will encourage more nurses to come forward to protect themselves. Related Resources: A police officer in Buffalo was assaulted by an escaped robbery suspect, who then stole a transport vehicle and led officers on a chase in Muscatine County before being captured again. Barry P. Bennett, Jr., was being transported on Friday night to the Country Oaks treatment facility in Davenport. He had been arrested after a robbery report was received from the 11800 block of South Utah Avenue, Buffalo, according to Buffalo police. The vehicle was being driven by an officer from the Muscatine County Sheriffs department. Police report that Bennett broke out the rear window of the vehicle to escape and entered the front seat to assault the officer, causing minor injury. Bennett then gained control of the vehicle keys, and drove the vehicle through Muscatine County with pursuit from several officers. The chase ended in the 1900 block of Highway 38, in Muscatine County. Pursuing officers were from the Muscatine County Sheriffs Department, the Muscatine Police Department and the Iowa State Patrol. Bennett has been charged with robbery, eluding police, assault of a jail officer with injury, operating while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license, police reported. --Deirdre Cox Baker, Quad-City Times WASHINGTON -- What accounted for Vladimir Putin's surprise decision Monday to start pulling Russian forces from Syria? Is it possible that he spent last weekend reading Jeffrey Goldberg's piece in The Atlantic and decided that President Obama was right about the Syria mess, and that he should quit before he got any deeper in the quagmire? Goldberg's account of how Obama fell out of love with the Arabs has inspired much commentary. But here are a few brief thoughts, occasioned in part by Putin's adoption of what in the Vietnam era was known as the "Aiken strategy" -- named after Sen. George Aiken, R-Vt., who said in 1966 that the United States should declare victory and redeploy its forces -- but which we now might rechristen the "Goldberg variation." -- Goldberg's piece is authoritative and compelling. But it illustrates why presidents usually save such explanations for their memoirs. Such candor is destabilizing: Friends and foes discover what the president really thinks, a matter usually shrouded by constructive ambiguity. We may have imagined Obama's growing disdain for the Arabs, his skepticism bordering on contempt for the foreign policy establishment and his "fatalistic" view about the limits of U.S. power. Now, in "The Obama Doctrine," we have chapter and verse. When Obama visits Saudi Arabia this spring, will it help that we now know that Obama sardonically told the Australian prime minister "it's complicated" when asked whether the Saudis are America's friends? Ditto Goldberg's revelation that "in private" (ha!) Obama said of the Saudis' suppression of women's rights that "a country cannot function in the modern world when it is repressing half its population." Maybe it will be beneficial for Obama to have been so open. Mutual hypocrisy has been one of the historic weaknesses of the U.S.-Saudi relationship. But this is the opposite of the Brent Scowcroft-style quiet diplomacy that Obama supposedly values. -- Obama's tone throughout the article is supremely self-confident and also weirdly defensive; a reader senses that he has been waiting to tell off the foreign policy establishment since 2009, when he feels he got pushed into adding 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan despite his better judgment. His message, basically, is: I'm right, and you're not listening. You might think, with a metastasizing Syria crisis that has claimed 300,000 lives, has wrecked that country and threatens European stability, that Obama might have second thoughts about the wisdom of his policy. Not so. Goldberg writes: "As he comes to the end of his presidency, Obama believes he has done his country a large favor by keeping it out of the [Syria] maelstrom -- and he believes, I suspect, that historians will one day judge him wise for having done so." It's hard to know what would have been the right decisions in Syria. But how can this be an outcome in which the president takes such pride? -- In such a comprehensive piece, there were two topics that were oddly minimized, since both were priorities for Obama from the day he took office. The first was Obama's drive to achieve the nuclear agreement with Iran -- a goal to which he subordinated many other Middle East objectives. In online postings about the Goldberg article, Jay Solomon of The Wall Street Journal and Dennis Ross, a former senior administration official, have both argued that Obama didn't militarily enforce his "red line" against Syrian use of chemical weapons in part because he didn't want to derail the Iran talks. Obama low-keys his expectations for the Iran deal these days, beyond its specific limits on Iran's nuclear program. But I suspect he views it as a fundamentally important strategic opening in the Middle East that could lead to eventual balance between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Sunni and Shiite, mending the feud that is ripping the Middle East apart. Personally, I think he's right to see this as the potential start of a new security architecture. Maybe he's saving that theme for his memoirs. The second missing element is what I've described as Obama's "cosmic bet" in 2011 on Islamist democratic parties, including the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the Justice and Development Party (AKP), a Muslim Brotherhood clone, in Turkey. Obama treated Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the instruments of democratic change. That was an understandable decision, but we can see now that it was a very bad mistake. It spun the Arab Spring in a dangerous direction from which it never recovered. Whatever else might be said about the coup that installed Abdel Fatah al-Sissi as president in Egypt, it probably prevented an Egyptian-Turkish Muslim Brotherhood alliance that would have been catastrophic. Goldberg doesn't really address this strand of policy. -- The overarching question in "The Obama Doctrine" is whether Obama was right to reduce America's "overextension" in the Middle East, as White House aide Ben Rhodes puts it. Obama reasoned that the Middle East "is no longer terribly important to American interests," that there's "little an American president can do to make it a better place" and that American meddling leads to the deaths of our soldiers and "the eventual hemorrhaging of U.S. credibility and power." Obama was wrong on all three, in my view: The Middle East does matter; the United States can help, and not doing so hurts our global standing. But even if he's right, he needs to reckon better with one clear lesson of his presidency: As the United States stepped back in the Middle East, others stepped forward. Russia has moved into the vacuum left by retreating American power; so has Iran; so has Saudi Arabia; so has the Islamic State. Is the United States better off in a world where these other powers advanced as we stepped back? I don't think so. South Dakota is home to more than 72,000 veterans who have bravely and selflessly served our country. Making sure each veteran is cared for and receives top-notch health care has been a priority for me while working in the Senate. While there are many problems plaguing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), addressing mental health reform is among the most important. According to the VA, 10 to 20 percent of veterans returning from Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and more than 150,000 veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD in the last 15 years. Many returning veterans struggle with the invisible wounds of war long after they leave the battlefield. While the most recent available numbers on veterans suicide have shown improvement in recent years, even one veteran taking his or her life due to the mental and physical stresses caused by service to this nation is one too many. Physical injuries can be seen and treated, but too many veterans are suffering in silence from mental health issues that are often not visible on the surface. Early last year, Republicans and Democrats in Congress came together to pass the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act. It was one of the first bills I cosponsored as a senator, and it was signed into law by the president. This law focuses on establishing programs to help veterans with PTSD and bring more mental health care specialists into VA facilities. Still, there is much more that needs to be done to take care of our nations heroes once they return home. The Department of Health and Human Services says that surveillance is the first step in solving the problem of suicide at large. Accurate surveillance must then be followed by identifying risk and protective factors, which is followed by intervention strategies. Currently, there is no nationwide surveillance system in place to monitor suicide among all veterans. With the majority of veterans not enrolled in Veterans Health Administration, accurate data is hard to find. While the VA has done a decent job gleaning data from the National Death Index and developing data sharing agreements with all 50 states, surveillance still needs to be a top priority. Many veterans today do not have access to mental health services when they need it most. I hear from veterans all across South Dakota who have trouble getting appointments at VA facilities. In fact, about 60 percent of my offices casework stems from veterans requesting help. When a veteran is struggling with PTSD and seeks mental health help from his or her VA provider but is forced to wait weeks to see a doctor, we have a major problem. I am committed to working with my colleagues on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee as well as VA Secretary Robert McDonald to address these critical issues. The VA and our committee are committed to addressing the heartbreaking issue of veteran suicide and making sure each and every veteran gets the care he or she deserves. Why Even a Small Business Needs an HR Department You have a small business and you would like to see it grow. When you think of growth, however, and the direction you want to take, it does not include hiring a human resources manager or team. But an article in Slate says that, in fact, HR is exactly what you need. Why? Mainly for regulatory compliance issues, but also to recruit talent. Let's take a look at what HR can do for you. Changing Directions Small businesses don't have all of the same compliance requirements as very big ones but they certainly have some. The longer you go it on your own, the more likely it is you will find yourself in trouble down the line for failing to comply with the legal requirements for your business. "There's so much regulation that companies don't know about, which is an HR issue," Margaret Spence -- president and CEO of Douglas Claims and Risk Consultants Inc. and a member of an advisory board to the Society for Human Resource Management -- told Slate. "Small companies tend to make more mistakes when it comes to federal compliance than a large company might make, and you find that they're ill-prepared for the consequences." Your business may be small but you have some pretty tall orders. You must comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration's safety requirements, as well as ensuring that all Americans with Disabilities Acts accommodations are available. Even a business with as few as 15 employees needs to be aware of these rules. States also have individual requirements. As Spence explained by way of example, in Florida an employer must have a workers' compensation insurance policy once there are four employees. "How do you know that," she asked rhetorically, providing an answer, "You need an HR person to tell you." What Else? A human resources manager or team can also be an added benefit by bringing you the human resources you need. If you have someone whose job it is to recruit talent and ensure you stay within employment rules, chances are good they'll do a better job of finding talented additions for your team than you would be. After all, you are very busy. Talk to a Lawyer If you are unsure whether you are in compliance or whether you need or can afford to hire more people, speak to a lawyer. Counsel can advise you on the law in your state, any regulations you may have been ignoring, and even on the value of a human resources team. Get guidance. Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Google+. Related Resources: Sagarmatha Network Pvt. Ltd. is the organization dedicated in the field of printing, publishing service since 2001. As part of media, we've been publishing Review Nepal, an English medium weekly registered at District Administration Office (DAO) Kathmandu with registration number 130-162-163 and reviewnepal.com as an online digital newspaper, with registration number 849-075-076 at Department of Informational and Broadcasting (DIB) from Kathmandu, Nepal since 2003. [Text of Alert for Dr Jana from HRDA] Human Rights Defenders Alert - India National Coordination Office 6, Vallabai Road, Chokkikulam, Madurai 625 002. Tamil Nadu, INDIA Tel: +91-9994368540 Email: hrda.india@gmail.com 17 March, 2016 Shri A. K. Parashar National Focal Point - Human Rights Defenders & Joint Registrar National Human Rights Commission Manav Adhikar Bhawan, Block-C, GPO Complex, INA, New Delhi a 110 023 Email: hrd-nhrc@nic.in Dear Sir, Sub: HRD Alert a India - Urgent Appeal for Action a Chhattisgarh a Human rights defender Dr. Saibal Jana, chief physician of Shaheed Hospital at Dalli Rajhara, Chhattisgarh, arrested by Chhattisgarh police from Additional Session Judge Court premises in Durg, Chhattisgarh - Regarding Dear Sir, Greetings from Human Rights Defenders Alert - India! HRD Alert - India is a forum of Human Rights Defenders for Human Rights Defenders. It endeavors to initiate actions on behalf of Human Rights Defenders under threat or with security concerns. We are writing to express our grave concern regarding the arrest of human rights defender Dr. Saibal Jana, chief physician of Shaheed Hospital at Dalli Rajhara by the Chhattisgarh police. Dr. Jana has been charged under sections 147,148,149,333 &152 of Indian Penal Code. PC. The latest arrest of Dr. Saibal Jana in Chhattisgarh has only brought to the fore the extremely precarious condition of social activists, lawyers, journalists and human rights defenders in the state who are regularly harassed, intimidated, attacked and falsely implicated for raising their voices against human rights abuses. Source of Information on the Incident: The Coordinator of HRDA for the East of India Media Reports Status of Human Rights Defenders: Dr Saibal Jana is a chief physician at Shaheed Hospital in Dalli Rajhara city in district Balod of Chhattisgarh. The hospital was founded by Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha, led by Late Shankar Guha Niyogi and run by money collected from the workers of the area. Dr. Jena, along with Dr. Ashis Kundu came to Dalli Rajhara in 1977, soon after he passed out from the National Medical College, Kolkata. They along with Dr. Vinayak Sen opted to live among the mineworkers. Dr. Jana along with Dr. Binayak Sen and Dr. Asish Kundu has been instrumental in setting up the Shaheed Hospital. At the time of the struggle of mine workers, Dr. Jana was a member of the central decision making committee of the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha, a political platform organising industrial and mine workers, agricultural workers and adivasis of the region. Dr Jana has served the people of Chhattisgarh selflessly for over three decades. The Perpetrators: Chhattisgarh police of Durg district Date of Incident: 17th March, 2016. Place of Incident: Additional Session Judge Court premises, Durg city, district Durg, Chhattisgarh Incident detail: According to sources, Dr. Saibal Jana along with four other persons appeared before the chief judicial magistrate (CJM), Durg on March 16, 2016, in connection with a warrant that was issued almost 24 years back. They approached the court with the genuine assumption that they would be given regular bail as many others had already been released at different point of time. But the CJM rejected the bail application and asked them to file the appeal on March 17, 2016, before the Additional Session Judge in Durg city. The Additional Session Judge granted bail to four others but kept Dr. Janaas matter under consideration and sent him in judicial custody. Dr. Saibla Janaas arrest came in a case that happened way back on July 1, 1992, when he along with the staff and ambulance of Shaheed Hospital were present at the site of the agitation providing medical assistance to trade union activists of the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha who were injured in police action. The agitating mine workers were demanding equal pay for all, for same kind of work before Bhilai Industrial Area. The agitators went on to the nearby railway track and tried to block the movement of the trains. The police resorted to firing which resulted in the deaths of some of the workers. Police lodged criminal cases against 54 persons in 1992. Among them, 49 persons were set free from the charges at different point of time. Dr. Saibal Jana was among the 5 persons who were left out after their anticipatory bail applications were rejected at the Jabalpur High Court in 1992-93. After his arrest Dr. Jana has been charged under sections 147,148,149,333 &152 of IPC. He was immediately taken to the Durg District Government hospital for check-up where he got admitted under judicial custody. On March 18, 2016 morning he was referred to Apollo Hospital, Durg due to health complications. HRDA a India believes that the arrest of Dr. Saibla Jana proves that the action is clearly motivated by the vested political and ideological interests to target anyone who stands up for the democratic rights of workers, farmers, tribals and ordinary Indian citizens. The arrest of a person of the public stature like Dr. Saibal Jana after a gap of 24 years in a case of an old warrant is a great travesty of Indian justice system. Appeal: We, therefore urge you to immediately take necessary steps and ensure that this Honable Commission to urgently order: a immediate, thorough, transparent, effective and impartial investigation into the above-mentioned incident involving the arrest and detention of a reputed human rights defender Dr. Saibal Jana led by the investigation wing of the NHRC; a Immediate action on the perpetrators, in this case police officers of district Durg, Chhattisgarh for the arrest, detention and harassment of human rights defender and using all provisions of law to ensure that the defender is immediately released on bail and all cases against him are withdrawn and he is not harassed, ill-treated and falsely implicated by the police in future; a The granting and release on bail of Dr. Saibal Jana on his own bond and not insisting on sureties since he is a person of social repute in the state and give this assurance to the NHRC of India in writing immediately and urgently; a The immediate appointment of a competent senior lawyer practicing on the criminal side in Durg District of Chhattisgarh to defend the HRD Dr. Saibal Jana in this cases registered against him at state cost with the counsel so appointed reporting to this Honable Commission in periodic intervals as determined by the Honable Commission on the development in the cases; a Guaranteeing in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Dr. Sailbal Jana, who is still under risk of further reprisals from the perpetrators and give this assurance to the NHRC of India in writing immediately and urgently, especially because the growing trend of arbitrary and unwarranted restrictions on the basic freedoms supplemented with the impunity of the security forces threatens the very foundations of democracy; a The provision of reparation, compensation, apology to the defender for the psychological sufferings he is undergoing because of the ill treatment and detention and provide a re-assurance of not engaging in such acts against HRDs such as Dr. Sailbal Jana; a An end to all acts of attack and harassment against all human rights defenders like Dr. Sailbal Jana in the State of Chhattisgarh to ensure that in all circumstances they carry out their activities as defenders of human rights without fear of reprisals, and free of all restrictions including police and judicial harassment; a Takes steps to conform to the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, especially: Article 1, which states that aeveryone has the right, individually and in iassociation with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels; Article 12.2, which provides that a"the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declarationa ; a Recommend urgently and speedily during the pendency of this complaint, the SHRC in Chhattisgarh to also take necessary steps to establish a state focal point for HRDs in order to ensure that HRDs have a new protection mechanism in their own state; a Recommend urgently and speedily during the pendency of this complaint, the NHRC to convene a meeting of all state human rights institutions in the state [the SHRC, the SCW, the SCPCR, the SCM, the SIC, State Commissioner for PWDs, etc.] to ensure that a coordinated strategy is developed within the State of Chhattisgarh for the protection of the rights of human rights defenders; a Recommend urgently and speedily during the pendency of this complaint, the State Government of Chhattisgarh in collaboration with the NHRC Focal Point on HRDs and the SHRC Chhattisgarh to provide sensitization training to law enforcement and security forces on the role and activities of human rights defenders as a matter of priority, with technical advice and assistance from relevant United Nations entities, NGOs and other partners; a Recommend urgently and speedily during the pendency of this complaint, the State Government of Chhattisgarh in collaboration with the SHRC, Chhattisgarh to publicly acknowledge the importance and legitimacy of the work of human rights defenders, i.e. anyone who, aindividually and in association with others, ... promote[s] and ... strive[s] for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levelsa (Art.1 of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders); a More generally, ensures in all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with international human rights instruments ratified by India is strictly adhered to in the state of Chhattisgarh. Looking forward to your immediate action in this regard, Yours sincerely, (Henri Tiphagne) Honorary National Working Secretary = = = [Text of Petition] Release Dr Saibal Jana Immediately! To Dr Raman Singh, Chief Minister, Chhattisgarh We the undersigned, call for the immediate release of Dr.Saibal Jana, the well known public health doctor and one of the founders of the famous Shaheed Hospital in Chhattisgarh. He has been arrested by the police on March 16, 2016 in a case related to the police firing on agitating workers of the Bhilai Industrial Area on 1 July, 1992. Dr Jana was, on that day, among the team of doctors providing medical assistance to trade union activists of the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha who were injured. We believe that Dr Janaas arrest in this case, after a gap of 24 years, is motivated by sheer vendetta against him by your government, that has an ideological hatred of anyone who stands up for the democratic rights of workers, farmers and ordinary Indian citizens. Dr Jana has served the people of Chhattisgarh selflessly for over three decades and deserves to be given a national award for his service to humanity. Instead the BJP government in Chhattisgarh is persecuting him, which is a matter of shame for all those who believe in the rule of law, fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution and even basic human decency. All cases against Dr Jana should be withdrawn and he should be released with an apology. Yours sincerely Sign here to endorse the above petition Making the (Trumpian?) case for winning the drug war via full legalization | Main | "Voices on Innocence" March 19, 2016 Judge Richard Posner takes notable shots at "the legal profession in all three of its major branches" In the Winter 2016 issue of The Green Bag, US Circuit Judge Richard Posner has this notable new article titled "What Is Obviously Wrong With the Federal Judiciary, Yet Eminently Curable, Part I." Like so much of Judge Posner's work, the piece is a fascinating read, and these introductory passages should whet everyone's appetite for what is here and to follow: In the present article, however, and its sequel (Part II, to be published in the next issue of this journal), I try to retreat some distance from controversy by confining my discussion to those features of the federal judicial process that are at once demonstrably unsound and readily corrigible without need for federal legislation or radical changes in legal doctrines or practices. That is not to say that anything I criticize will be changed, however convincing my critique. For law is wedded to the past as no other profession is. You dont hear doctors bragging about thirteenth-century medicine, but you hear lawyers bragging about the thirteenth-century Magna Carta (without even understanding it they think it guaranteed the ancient liberties of the English, whereas in fact it guaranteed just the rights of barons, and in any event was soon annulled, later restored, and eventually demoted to the purely symbolic). Another way to characterize the legal profession in all three of its major branches the academy, the judiciary, and the bar is that it is complacent, self-satisfied. Chief Justice Roberts in his annual reports likes to describe the American legal system as the envy of the world. Nonsense. The system has proved itself ineffectual in dealing with a host of problems, ranging from providing useful (as distinct from abstract theoretical) legal training at bearable cost to curbing crime and meting out rational punishment, providing representation for and protection of the vast number of Americans who are impecunious or commercially unsophisticated (so prey to sharpies), incorporating the insights of the social and natural sciences (with the notable exception of economics, however), curbing incompetent regulatory agencies such as the immigration and social security disability agencies, and limiting the role of partisan politics in the appointment of judges. The system is also immensely costly (more than $400 billion a year), with its million lawyers, many overpaid, many deficient in training and experience, some of questionable ethics. I focus on the three principal phases of the federal judicial process: trials, intermediate appeals, and decisions by the Supreme Court. But much that Ill be saying is applicable to state judiciaries as well, all of which (so far as I know) have a tripartite structure (trial court, intermediate appellate court, supreme court) similar to that of their federal counterpart. I may have some comments in a later post about what Judge Posner has to say in this article about the judicary's failings at "curbing crime and meting out rational punishment." March 19, 2016 at 09:43 AM | Permalink Comments Re Nonsense or BF* * Bovine Fornicating Feces Kindly, NMIL Posted by: Docile Jim Brady the Nemo Me Impune Lacessit in Oregon | Mar 19, 2016 3:13:40 PM It just occurred to me after reading this post that Posner is the judicial version of Trump: loudmouthed, arrogant, and usually wrong. Impressive not because of anything interesting, novel, or creative he has to say but simply by the sheer torrid of the ink flood that flows from the font. I give Posner this--he has energy--even if it is only the energy to manage a bevy of ghostwriters, clerks, and other assorted hangers on. I guess it it really is true, it is not what you do with it but the size that counts. I've never seen a picture but I assume his hands are really really YUUUGE. Posted by: Daniel | Mar 19, 2016 9:59:55 PM During my years of experience, the system is also immensely costly (more than $400 billion a year), with its million lawyers, many overpaid, many deficient in training and experience, some of questionable ethics is the truest statement ever made.Many community residents do not realize the costs, fraud of their local judiciary system to the people. Where does all those fines disappear to, while the tax payer pays for the public employee and their benefits? Posted by: LC in Texas | Mar 20, 2016 2:00:00 PM Post a comment 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. The year is off to a slow start in Oakland, and in this case that's a very good thing. The city is experiencing a drop in violent crimes the likes of which it hasn't seen for years. So reports the Chronicle, which notes that there have been seven killings this year less than half of the 18 recorded at the same time last year (and the year before). And this news comes on the heels of a report on SF crime that shows property crimes here are now rising way faster than in Oakland, with violent crime staying totally flat in SF year over year. The decreased murder rate, coupled with drops overall in violent crimes like rape and aggravated assault, are not being attributed to what some see as the rapid gentrification of the East Bay city, but rather an increased police force (now at 740 officers) and the willingness of the population to assist the police in solving crimes. Looking back, I dont think weve ever started a year out like this, Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent told the paper. People are helping our investigations more and more. We get video from residents and business owners, and theres more interest in lowering crime and a heavier police presence all these things together are making a difference. Also getting credit is Oakland's Ceasefire program, "a data-driven violence-reduction strategy coordinating law enforcement, social services, and the community to reduce gang/group-related homicides and shootings." Its very, very difficult to prevent the dispute that leads to that first shooting," Whent explained, "but knowing the groups, their leaders and where they hang out has helped us to stop the other ones. Reducing retaliation shootings is where weve been most successful. It's obviously only March, and seven murders is still too many, but the relatively calm start to the year has some holding out hope that the Oakland is headed in the right direction at least when it comes to violent crime. Related: Oakland Police Department's Radios Keep Failing (Like, All Of Them At Once) Put on your pearls and clutch hard: Starbucks has come under fire after being accused of under filling their lattes in an effort to save money on milk, as KQED reports. The class action suit, filed by one San Diego resident and one San Francisco resident, claims the coffee giant "cheats purchasers by providing less fluid ounces in their lattes than represented." In fact, the suit accuses the coffee chain of under filling by approximately twenty-five percent, be it Tall, Grande, or Venti. The suit goes on to say that Starbucks gets away with this by topping off the lattes with a "quarter-inch of foam," which is technically still milk, but whatever. Starbucks claims the suit is without merit, adding, "If a customer is unhappy with their beverage preparation, then we are happy to remake it to their satisfaction." But for some, litigiousness comes easier than having to say "no foam, fill to the top." The lawsuit seeks more than $5 million dollars in damages. Far more egregious, however, is the accusation that Starbucks also cheats customers out of espresso pulls. Robert King of Auburn, California says he's been short-changed on his espresso drinks numerous times, and now he wants the company to do something about it. "I order a double-shot of Espresso and only get one-and-a-half ounces, says King. "This is not an isolated case. It has happened at all the Starbucks Ive gone to from Grass Valley all the way down to Elk Grove, and its always short." Not cool, Starbucks. Not cool. This isn't the first time the food and beverage industry has tried to deprive us of tastiness. If you recall, Subway got caught in a foot-long Grindr-esuqe lie, which advertised a full 12-inches but only delivered a meager 11. Report below: IDOMENI, Greece | As other children play among the tents of a rain-soaked refugee camp in northern Greece, 8-year-old Shaharzad Hassan sits quietly with her spiral notepad and a set of cheap marker pens. The events in her life over the past 18 months have left her in little mood for fun. She prefers to draw. Sitting on the floor of a large tent crammed with 30 other families, she produces pictures of death in her hometown of Aleppo, Syria, and her harrowing journey to Europe. Her father, Mohammed Hassan, sits with his daughter in the pink hoodie and explains one of her drawings. It shows dead people and Islamic State fighters dressed in black, shooting. "She saw them with her own eyes, with their black uniforms and beards," he says. More than half of the refugees reaching Greece daily are fleeing civil war in Syria. But more than 40,000 people are now stranded in Greece after Austria and the Balkan countries north of Greece began imposing border restrictions last month. Shaharzad, her family and 14,000 others are camped out at Idomeni, on the Greek-Macedonian border a sprawling, muddy assortment of tents where no one has crossed the border legally for days and conditions have deteriorated following days of torrential rain. One of Shaharzad's drawings, inspired by conditions at the camp, shows refugees waiting in long lines for food and other essentials. It is called "Famine 2016." "Here is a drawing of the famine. This is the bread truck that is distributing to the people, and the cameramen filming the people. And here are the tents with the burning fires (to stay warm)," her father says. Hassan, a Syrian Kurd who worked as a taxi driver in Aleppo, sold his cab and moved to the nearby Syrian town of Afrin on the Turkish border, but decided to move on to Europe to try to join relatives in Germany after his money ran out. One of Shaharzad's drawings is of her crossing to Greece, where she witnessed a rescue by the Greek coast guard after another vessel sank in the eastern Aegean Sea. "This drawing shows the journey from Turkey to Greece ... and a sinking boat and a Greek ship saving the people from the sea," her father said. Usefulness Content Freshness "Ultimate Guide to Local Business Marketing" is a detailed reference guide to strategies and mindset tailored to the local business who can't afford a marketing company but needs marketing success as if they hired one. If you buy something through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more. Local marketing and marketing on Google arent a good combination, if you dont know what you are doing or why you are doing it. The Ultimate Guide to Local Business Marketing (Ultimate Series) positions itself as a resource that can guide frustrated business owners in the specific steps they need to take to get more reliable results when they place their bids on Google or Facebook. What is the Book About Ultimate Guide to Local Business Marketing (Ultimate Series) presents its promise to readers in the first few pages: to double or triple business income in a relatively short time using specific advertising techniques in Google. The books claim to fame comes from its focus on the crucial 20 percent (out of the famous Paretos rule) that will drive that increase in income. Authors Perry Marshall and Talor Zamir argue that business owners focus erroneously on the wrong things when planning local marketing campaigns. Instead of trying to copy marketing firms or the latest marketing trend, local businesses should model the Yellow Pages. Why? The book argues that Google functions in the same role as the Yellow Pages did in the past. When a person wanted a plumber, handyman or lawyer, they looked that business up in the phonebook. The Yellow Pages model also highlights another feature of local marketing, the keyword. Unlike the advice often given of focusing on the long tail keyword, Marshall and Zamir argue that businesses should focus on establishing a place in a common niche that your potential audience might actually use. In other words, dont focus on keywords with a rare chance of discovery. Focus on keywords that your audience will actually use and that will establish your unique expertise. This ensures you get the best bang for your marketing buck. One other area that the authors of Ultimate Guide to Local Business Marketing disagree with conventional wisdom is on the idea of putting SEO first in a marketing campaign. This, according to the authors, is backward. SEO is long-term and ultimately out of your control. A better approach is to focus on specific techniques (AdWords, PPC, and remarketing, etc.) and using those techniques to build a strong SEO campaign in the long-run. The books two authors have more than a little experience in the marketing world between them. Marshall (www.perrymarshall.com) (@PerryMarshall) is a business consultant and author with expertise in online marketing, specifically AdWords and PPC. Zamir (www.talorzamir.com) (@TalorZamir) is a business consultant, entrepreneur and speaker with experience in online marketing and entrepreneurship. What Was Best About This Book The best part of the book was the in-depth Google Adwords advice provided by the authors. The authors provide experience-guided insights into the tiniest of details about Google advertising with excellent real-life illustrations of actual campaigns. Another equally positive feature of the book is the divergence in ideas from traditional marketing advice. Marshall and Zamir challenge readers to confront the marketing advice that may not be targeted toward a local audience. The book empowers small business owners to proactively control their online marketing in a way that speaks to their customers without the need for an expensive marketing firm. What Could Have Been Done Differently Ultimate Guide to Local Business Marketing can serve as an excellent reference guide to any business owner who wants to optimize their Google Adwords or PPC account. The only problem with that reference guide is the organization, particularly for newbies. If you are new to Google Adwords, it may be hard to figure out exactly where to start using this book and how to progress to the level where you can actually use the book as a reference. Why Read This Book on Local Business Marketing The Ultimate Guide to Local Business Marketing is a perfect book for any manager or business owner in the same situation as Paul Downs, writer of Boss Life: Surviving My Own Small Business. In that book, Downs poured money into Google Adwords without really understanding what was happening. He knew that certain tricks could help over the short-term, but never really understood how to make those shortcuts into lasting success. Ultimate Guide to Local Business Marketing provides a plethora of avenues and examples that readers can review to adapt their strategies in a proactive way. Get discounts and special offers on new and classic business books with an Audible Premium Plus membership. Learn more and sign up for an account today. There are many fitness goals out there that we desire. Some of us want to be leaner and others wish to put on muscle mass. The thing is, for you to achieve your fitness goals, you need to GREENBELT, Md. (March 18, 2016)U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte sentenced Jamaar Davon Brandon, age 24, of Waldorf, today to eight years in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for distribution of child pornography. Judge Messitte also ordered that upon his release from prison Brandon must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Kevin Perkins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Charles County Sheriff Troy Berry; and Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.According to his plea agreement, from at least October 2012 through at least June 2015, Brandon used email, cloud storage programs, file sharing programs, internet chat messaging, smartphone messaging applications and other internet-based programs to distribute and receive child pornography.On October 18, 2012, a website reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that one of its users, later identified as Brandon, had uploaded suspected child pornography to the website. A law enforcement review confirmed that a number of the files contained child pornography. A state search warrant was executed at Brandon's residence and seized among other items, Brandon's laptop. A forensic review of the laptop found approximately 700 digital files of interest, the majority of which were confirmed to be child pornography and child erotica. some of which portrayed sadistic and masochistic conduct and other depictions of violence. Three of the digital files were videos registered with the NCMEC Child Victim Identification Program, meaning the identities of the child victims portrayed in the videos have been confirmed by law enforcement.On January 13, 2015, a cloud storage service website reported to NCMEC that 70 digital video files of suspected child pornography had been uploaded to Brandon's account. After confirming that certain of the files contained child pornography, federal law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Brandon's residence. On June 23, 2015, the federal search warrant was executed at Brandon's residence and digital media and electronics were seized. After waiving his rights, Brandon was interviewed by federal agents and admitted that he downloaded and shared child pornography via the internet using a variety of mediums, including email and cell phone messaging applications. The digital media seized during the search contained more than 1,350 images depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. In addition, a review of Brandon's email and online storage accounts confirmed that Brandon had uploaded and distributed image and video files containing child pornography. Some of the videos and images involved toddler-aged and prepubescent females and some portrayed sadistic and masochistic conduct and other depictions of violence.This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "resources" tab on the left of the page.United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Maryland State Police and Charles County Sheriff's Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Wine and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristi N. O'Malley, who are prosecuting the case. LEONARDTOWN, Md. Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: http://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at http://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at http://so.md/expungeme. (March 19, 2016)The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office today released the following incident and arrest reports.VICE/NARCOTICS LOCATE AND ARREST WANTED SUSPECT : Vice/Narcotics detectives were contacted by the King George Sheriff's Office who were seeking assistance in locating and apprehendingSilcott was wanted by King George authorities for intent to conceal his identity. Members of the Narcotics Division conducted surveillance and apprehended Silcott at his place of employment in Mechanicsville. He was transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center and he is currently awaiting extradition proceedings. Pursuant to his arrest, Silcott was found in possession of evidentiary items related to alleged criminal activity in King George.03-14-2016 ASSAULT: Deputy S. Kerby responded to the 24000 block of Barnsby Lane in Hollywood for the report of an argument. The victim alleged the suspect,, threw a cell phone which cut the victim's ear. There were visible signs of injury. Medlin was placed under arrest for Assault in the First Degree. CASE# 1389-1603-14-2016 POSSESSION: Deputy M. Pleisse responded to the District Court House in Leonardtown for the report of a subject found to be in the possession of a controlled dangerous substance. After setting off the alarms, security performed a search which revealed the suspect,, was in possession of suspected marijuana and paraphernalia. Prior to being placed under arrest, Deputy Pleisse searched his pockets and found a small baggie containing pills of suspected oxycodone. Berry was charged with CDS Possession: Paraphernalia and CDS Possession - Not Marijuana: Oxycodone. CASE# 13817-1603-05-2016 ASSAULT ON LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Deputy M. Pleisse responded to the 28000 block of Woodburn Hill Road in Mechanicsville for a welfare check on an individual. Officers from the Maryland State Police and the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office responded to the investigation. The suspect,, slammed the door on a trooper's finger while he tried to make contact with Beale. He was transported to MedStar St. Mary's Hospital for evaluation before being placed under arrest. Beale was charged with Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer. CASE# 14025-1603-16-2016 SECOND DEGREE ESCAPE: Suspect, was arrested for violating the terms of her pre-trial release by violating a protective order. Medlin was placed under arrest for Escape 2nd Degree, Condition of Release. CASE# 14153-16SUSPECT WANTED FOR VIOLATING TERMS OF PRE-TRIAL RELEASE: Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) are requesting the public's assistance in locating the suspect,, who is currently wanted for Escape, stemming from his violation of conditions of his pre-trial confinement.On March 19, Eckloff violated the conditions of his pre-trial release, as ordered by Circuit Court Judge Karen Abrams, by fleeing an in-patient rehabilitation facility. Eckloff had been released from the St. Mary's County Detention Center under the conditions following his arrest by CID detectives in December for charges including Armed Robbery and Assault 1st Degree.Detectives are asking anyone with information about this crime to contact Detective Cory Ellis at 301-475-4200, ext. *8125 or via email Cory.Ellis@stmarysmd.com. Callers may also call Crime Solvers at 301-475-3333 (callers can remain anonymous, or text a tip to "TIP239" plus your message to "CRIMES" (274637).BREAKING AND ENTERING TO A MOTOR VEHICLE: Unknown suspect(s) entered a motor vehicle and stole handicap placards in the 28000 block of Thompson Corner Road in Mechanicsville. Dep. Holdsworth is investigating the case. CASE# 14187-15BREAKING AND ENTERING TO A MOTOR VEHICLE: Unknown suspect(s) attempted to enter two motor vehicles in the parking lot of White Marsh Elementary School. Dep. Bare is investigating the case. CASE# 14200-16BURGLARY: Unknown suspect(s) entered a residence and stole property in the 44000 block of Tall Timber Road in Tall Timbers. DFC Potter is investigating the case. CASE# 14226-16COUNTERFEIT: Unknown suspect(s) attempted to purchase merchandise with counterfeit money at the Hollywood Burchmart. DFC. Flerlage is investigating the case. CASE# 14483-16COUNTERFEIT: Unknown suspect(s) attempted to pass a counterfeit bill at the Hollywood Burchmart. Cpl. Knott is investigating the case. CASE# 14580-16COUNTERFEIT: Unknown suspect(s) made a purchase with a counterfeit bill in Leonardtown. The same suspect returned later that day and made another purchase using a different counterfeit bill. Dep. Roszell is investigating the case. CASE# 14582-16BREAKING AND ENTERING TO A MOTOR VEHICLE: Unknown suspect(s) entered a vehicle and stole handicap placards. The case remains under investigation. CASE# 14049-16 Earth from Space: Yuma, Arizona. ESA This false-colour Sentinel-2A image captured on 20 August 2015 takes us to the city of Yuma in the United States, in southwestern Arizona. Visible in the image in scattered greys, Yuma is home to some 90 000 people. Situated along the Colorado River, the Mexican frontier lies just west of it and California lies to the north. The fence forming the border is visible as a fine and perfectly straight line, running from left to right through the image between the irrigation canal and the irrigated fields west of the city. Just north of the canal, a small square marks a water reservoir for irrigating the fields in this highly arid region. Founded in 1854, Yuma is the centre of large irrigation districts that converted parts of the desert into rich farmland. It is considered to be the winter vegetable capital of the US because it has some of the most fertile soil in the country, stemming from sediments deposited by the Colorado River over thousands of years. These lay the foundation for making it the third most productive in the entire US for vegetables. It is also known for wheat two thirds is exported, mainly to Italy for producing premium pasta. The false-colour bands render the farmed fields in varying shades of browns and red. The circular features are created by centre-pivot irrigation, while rectangular fields use different irrigation methods that deliver the water along straight lines. The shades of red indicate how sensitive the multispectral instrument on Sentinel-2A is to differences in chlorophyll content, providing key information on vegetation health. Also visible in the image are the Yuma International Airport just south of town, and parts of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge to the east, which protects the desert bighorn sheep, while offering hiking and camping in the rugged wilderness. Sentinel-2A has been in orbit since 23 June 2015 as a polar-orbiting, high-resolution satellite for land monitoring, providing imagery of vegetation, soil and water cover, inland waterways and coastal areas. Download the full high resolution image. China and Saudi Arabia recently joined in as well. In January, the People's Republic settled a deal with Djibouti over the establishment of military logistical facilities, China's first ever overseas military base. Djibouti's geographical location is arguably what attracts foreign powers most. For one, being situated just beside the maritime chokepoint of Bab el-Mandab, Djibouti is a key node in the Gulf of Aden-Suez Canal, The Diplomat reported. This trade route is crucial to the world economy as 20,000 ships, and 20 percent of global exports go through it yearly. In addition, the route is a conduit for the world's hydrocarbons trade, with almost 10 percent of the world's oil exports negotiating the Bab el-Mandab. The Gulf of Aden-Suez Canal trade route is particularly important to the two Asian powers interested in Djibouti: China and Japan. Out of the 20,000-odd ships that ply the route yearly, a good 10 percent are Japanese. Similarly, China's trade with the EU amounts to $1 billion daily, most of which is seaborne and therefore has to use the Gulf of Aden-Suez Canal route, the publication explained. However, he said that the ceasefire regime has been generally holding in Syria. Kuralenko added that there have been no ceasefire violations involving heavy weapons in Syria in the past 24 hours. He added that armed groups shell populated areas, but the Syrian army does not open fire in return. Russia sent its proposals to the United States on the control of the ceasefire regime on Febuary 25, however, has not received an answer so far, Kuralenko said. "We have sent our proposals on how to organize control of the ceasefire regime violations to the US side on February 25, but has received no response yet." It is unacceptable to delay the adoption of a document on the monitoring of ceasefire violations in Syria as it leads to civilian deaths, he said. "We believe that delaying the adoption of this document is unacceptable because it leads to new victims among the civilian population", Kuralenko emphasized. According to Izvestia, the upgraded machine will be equipped with the 2A46M5 125-mm smoothbore gun as well as the new Sosna-U sighting system paired with the 1A40-4 fire-control system. The tank will also receive a new ballistic computer to increase accuracy. What is more important, the T-72B3M will be equipped with an independent panoramic sight for the tanks commander, with its own thermal imaging device. The tanks will also get the new Relikt explosive reactive armor. It will replace the old Kontakt-5 system and is expected to be two times more effective. "Its not clear if the Russians are modifying the vehicles passive armor package but it would make sense it they did. Further, while some sources suggest that the T-73B3M might be equipped with the Arena-E active protection system, its not clear that the production variant does," Majumdar wrote. Furthermore, the upgraded version will be powered with the new V-92S2F engine and deliver 1,130 hp. It will replace the old 780-hp diesel engine. The new engine is paired with an automatic transmission system and improved drivetrain to improve the tanks mobility. According to the newspaper, the first shipment of 32 tanks will be delivered to the military in 2016. Currently, the ground forces have over 500 less capable T-72B3s in service. "Potentially, the new upgrade could be exported to the numerous T-72 operators around the world," the analyst noted. "It is unlikely that, given the bitter domestic political divisions in the United States, it may be possible to find the common ground that would give Obama the votes he needs for this." Obama will travel to Cuba on Sunday for a two-day visit in the wake of his US-Cuba normalization policy he announced in December 2014. Obama will be the first sitting US president to go to Cuba since Calvin Coolidge, 88 years ago in 1928. "Let's make this clear. The embargo, imposed during the Cold War when Cuba was allied to the Soviet Union, today makes absolutely no sense. It is an empty political gesture." The rest of the world does not participate in the embargo and every other country trades freely with Cuba, except the United States, he observed. "Yet, this policy is still there because for decades no US administration wanted to act against the wishes of a sizable community of Cuban emigres, located mostly in Miami and Southern Florida." However, Schirach noted that the venerable embargo had several holes. "Cuban emigres and other Americans routinely travel back to Cuba on several daily charter flights. Money is sent from America to Cuba. And, finally, some loopholes have been created. Today 6.6 percent of Cuban imports come from the United States, mostly agricultural products." Schirach also pointed out that bilateral diplomatic relations had been re-established and would soon be followed by regularly scheduled flights and ferry services. "It would make perfect sense to do away with this ancient political relic of the Cold War and start doing business with Cuba normally, just as the United States conducts business with other countries." However, the economic benefits and impact on the United States of improved ties with Cuba would be peripheral, Schirach predicted. "I would not exaggerate the business opportunities created by an impoverished population of a little over 11 million, with a per capita GDP of only $ 6.000 a year, and therefore very little discretionary income," he cautioned. Due to power shortages, Crimean hospitals and kindergartens had to use diesel electric generators. At the same time, residential areas suffered rolling power cuts. The situation improved several weeks after when an energy bridge to Crimea was launched. Kiev offered help to Crimea in the form a contract on energy supplies. The document designated Crimea as part of Ukraine. According to a poll, 93 percent of Crimean residents refused to accept the offer. In early-December, power supplies to Crimea were fully restored by Russia. According to estimates, Ukraine lost $1 million a day during the "energy blockade." Depression Having realized the fault of bargaining attempts, the Ukrainian government abandoned its policy of blockades. On February 16, 2016, the Ukrainian parliament passed a law to rename 70 residential areas in Crimea. Some Ukrainian politicians have realized that Crimea is unlikely to return to Ukraine. "Weve lost Crimea Its impossible to get it back," former president Leonid Kuchma admitted. Another former Ukrainian leader Leonid Kravchuk said that returning Crimea to its previous is an impossible goal to achieve. Acceptance While in their rhetoric Ukrainian officials still pledge to get Crimea back, de-facto they are ready to admit that now Crimea is a full-fledged Russian region rather than an "occupied territory." For example, Ukrainian goods are still supplied to Crimea as usual and Ukrainian citizens are ready to visit the peninsula despite numerous logistic difficulties. Recently, a scandal broke out in Ukraine. Students at the Kiev National Medical University received pass cards with a map of Ukraine printed without Crimea. According to British Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski, the certain results Russia achieved in its Syrian campaign will help the West and NATO revise their stance on working with Russia. "Russia has decided to take this risk by intervening in the conflict in Syria. And it would appear it has really paid off. Russian activity in Syria has been a catalyst for bringing about a cessation to the appalling tragedy that has unfolded in that country over the last five years," he told RT. The politician expressed hopes that now the West would understand the necessity to cooperate with Russia to fight terrorism as well as other issues. Blot, a close friend and former adviser to ex-French President Nicolas Sarkozy, presented his new book in Moscow called "Putin's Russia," in which among other things he discusses that people in Europe have a prejudiced view of Russia. One of Blot's objectives in the book is to shatter myths about Russia and explain to Europeans that the country is no longer the Soviet Union. The renowned French politician added that around 40 percent of French citizens have a positive view of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Most of them are young people who actively use the Internet to form their own opinions about Russia and its leader, different from those told by mainstream French media, Blot explained. "An arc of crisis stretches along the shores of the Indian Ocean, with fragile social and political structures in a region of vital importance to us threatened with fragmentation. The resulting political chaos could well be filled by elements hostile to our values and sympathetic to our adversaries," Brzezinski said in his speech in 1978; the adversaries he referred to were the Soviets. To accomplish the objectives of Operation Cyclone, Washington enlisted the help of the Pakistan leadership and the country's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Pakistan's dictator, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, proved to be a valuable asset for the US. A number of Islamist training schools for the Mujahedeen had been organized in the territory of Pakistan, directed by CIA, MI6 and SAS and funded by the US and Saudi Arabia. It is no secret that the fundamentalist Taliban movement the US' decades-long headache traces its origin to these Pakistan-based Mujahedeen entities. Remarkably, in 1980, infamous Osama bin Laden arrived from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan and joined the movement. Ronald Reagan's Stingers as Game Changer Carter's successor, US President Ronald Reagan significantly boosted the US military assistance to the Afghani and Pakistani Islamists. It was President Reagan who met with the Afghani Mujahedeen in the Oval Office and ordered to deliver 1,000 new FIM-92 Stingers to the Islamist militants between 1986 and 1987. "Beginning in 1985, the CIA supplied mujahedeen rebels with extensive satellite reconnaissance data of Soviet targets on the Afghan battlefield, plans for military operations based on the satellite intelligence, intercepts of Soviet communications, secret communications networks for the rebels, delayed timing devices for tons of C-4 plastic explosives for urban sabotage and sophisticated guerrilla attacks, long-range sniper rifles, a targeting device for mortars that was linked to a US Navy satellite, wire-guided anti-tank missiles, and other equipment," prominent US journalist Steve Coll wrote in his 1992 article for The Washington Post. But that is not all. In 1984, CIA director William Casey came up with the plan to take the Afghan war into USSR territory. Casey planned to launch subversive operations in the Soviet Union's predominantly Muslim southern republics. The CIA's covert operation dealt a heavy blow to the Soviet military campaign in Afghanistan, Washington's goals were met, the rest is history. Lessons Unlearnt He noted that a greater US intervention kicked off a year ago could lead to the Syrian "opposition" gaining an upper hand. Such an outcome would result in a vicious circle of hostilities. In contrast the entire sequence of the Kremlin's moves has helped to create "the necessary hurting stalemate to make possible a negotiated settlement." Much in the same vein the Russian pullout was evaluated by Professor Stephen F. Cohen in one of his interviews on The John Batchelor Show. Vladimir Putin fights to get negotiations, Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies at New York University and Princeton University pointed out, adding that Russia does not fight like the US "it does not fight to overwhelm unconditional surrender." "Russia does not begin wars, it ends wars," the US academic stressed. However, against all evidence, the Pentagon continues to look for some "hidden agenda" behind the Kremlin's move. "It's difficult to know what the Russians' intentions are. We were not expecting this announcement in the first place, so as we compare their words to their actions, we'll have to wait to see what develops," Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren told Reuters on March 16. Some US military analysts went even so far as to suggest that there is no withdrawal of Russian military forces from Syria at all. First of all, Erdogan has demonstrated his contempt by sending Turkish Prime Premier Davutoglu to negotiations instead of attending them himself, the newspaper wrote. Moreover, he openly criticized the EU in his recent statement, saying that Turkey deals with the terrorism in a "more human" way than European countries. "The fight against terrorism in Turkey is much more human than in England, France or the United States. Our methods are much more compatible with the law than their methods," Erdogan said. "The United States should recognize and accept this, and while it may be hard for some in Washington to imagine work with Moscow when interests overlap," he stresses. Accusations that Russia was targeting anti-Assad rebels rather than Daesh in the course of the joint Russo-Syrian military campaign, did not stand up to careful scrutiny. Citing investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, Lieven noted that the Western military and intelligence communities view Russia's strategy of fighting jihadism and at the same time keeping parts of the Assad government as "the best course of action." Indeed, in his article for London Review of Books Hersh narrates that back in 2013, US military chiefs warned President Obama that by toppling Assad, Washington would pave the way for the Islamist advance toward Damascus. "A highly classified assessment, put together by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, then led by General Martin Dempsey, forecast that the fall of the Assad regime would lead to chaos and, potentially, to Syria's takeover by jihadi extremists, much as was then happening in Libya," Hersh unveiled. Four of the horses rescued from the devastating barn fire at the South Florida Trotting Center have returned home. Celebrity Lover, Celebrity Tsipras, Celebrity Artemis and Celebrity Lambo were all released from Reid & Associates Equine Hospital late Friday afternoon. All four of the horses suffered burns on their backs and some on their necks and rumps from the March 16 barn fire, which claimed the lives of 12 horses. Seven of the injured horses remain at the hospital in Loxahatchee and it is not clear when they will be released. As the returning horses were removed from their trailer, all had visible burn injuries. Each will need to be monitored over the next several weeks for upper respiratory and lung issues, and the horses may require hyperbaric oxygen treatments, said Sam Stathis, owner of the four horses and the owner of the South Florida Trotting Center. Theyre not in extreme danger, but [theres] caution that theyre not out of the woods with the respiratory issues, he said. They need 24-hour-a-day care. We thought it better that they live on the farm and we hand walk them so they dont get psychological issues. Theyve been through enough. Stathis said veterinarians will come to the center each day to tend to the recovering animals. Stathis lost one of his own horses, but had four survive. He said he's taking responsibility for all horses in the barn that burned. Im ecstatic that the first four horses have returned to the farm, Stathis said. And we are doing everything possible to insure that the remaining seven will come home too. I cant wait for that day to come. (With files from Stathis Enterprises) Two horses, born exactly 25 years ago today, about 10 miles apart. Same sire, same bloodline cross. Both double millionaires, both O'Brien Award winners, both in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. On March 19, 1991, two sons of Balanced Image -- Glorys Comet and Goodtimes -- were born in Ontario. Glorys Comet, from the Dream Of Glory mare Lou Macs Glory in Caledon, Ont. In nearby Inglewood, Dream Of Glory mare Goodtime Kathy foaled Goodtimes. The two trotters first raced against each other at Barrie Raceway in September 1993 as two-year-olds and would be familiar foes over the next nine seasons. The only horse to defeat Moni Maker -- the richest trotter in the world and North Americas Horse of the Year in 1998 -- was a trotter affectionately known as 'Punky' by his owner/breeder George Peters of Brylin Stables. Glorys Comets feats were considerable. His accomplishments were marked by his longevity and earnings of more than $2 million in a 10-year career that concluded after his 12-year-old season. Glorys Comet was the first Standardbred in Canadian history to trot a 1:54 mile, setting a trotting record of 1:53.4. As he aged he added further laurels when he became the richest Canadian-bred Standardbred, passing No Sex Please ($1.8 million) in October 1999. A year later he became the first Canadian-bred and sired harness horse to eclipse $2 million in lifetime earnings. Glorys Comet won 56 races during his illustrious career, including 53 sub-2:00 miles against the best horses in Canada and the United States. He earned more than $100,000 in seven of his 10 racing seasons and also held track records at Mohawk and Woodbine simultaneously. Trained by Peters, he received an OBrien Award in 1997 and 1998 as Canadas Older Trotting Horse champion. He was also recognized for his achievements south of the border with a Dan Patch Award as Older Trotter of the Year for 1998, which was his best season. He raced every month of the year and finished first, second or third in 24 of 31 races for over $720,000. He raced against and beat some of the worlds top trotters, including Magician, Fools Goal, SJs Photo, Wesgate Crown, and of course, Moni Maker. His best race of the year was his dramatic last to first place sweep in the Trotting Classic at Mohawk, which was characteristic of his durability, a toughness that saw him endure many first over trips. His stakes victories included the Maple Leaf Trot, Horsemens Series Trot, Simcoe, Titan Cup, Cutler Memorial and the Trotting Classic as well as many OSS events. He was retired to Brylin Stables farm in Erin in 2002. George Peters told Trot Insider that Glorys Comet is still patrolling a paddock and enjoying retirement outside Ayr, Ont. "He's on a farm owned by David and Helen Lee, and he's got his brother with him -- Brylin Image. They just hang out together, I think they've been there about 12 years...we've had different horses turned out there over the years, but he's the boss." Peters notes that Glorys Comet doesn't get around as well as he used to but he's still the boss in his domain and "pushes everybody around." Goodtimes retired as a world champion in 2003, the richest Canadian-bred trotter in history with 50 victories and career earnings of $2.2 million -- surpassing Glorys Comet. At age eight (in 1999) he finally earned his first OBrien Award as Canadas Older Trotting Horse of the Year. It wasnt that Goodtimes did not deserve recognition for his years of challenging the best horses of his era. But it seemed at times that his career nemesis, Glorys Comet, would always be in the field of starters, and at the top of his game. Goodtimes passed the $1 million mark in earnings in 1998 on a night he finished second to Glorys Comet. Dave Wall, who drove Goodtimes more than 100 times, said: Theyve raced against each other many times before. If hes on his game, he wins, and if were at our best, we beat him. Purchased for $19,000 at the CSHS yearling sales by Bax, who sold a half interest to John & Barbara Cooper, Goodtimes earned many positive accolades during his 11-year career. He was productive at ages two and three, winning stakes races, and at four won the Horsemens Trot final and finished third in the Breeders Crown. Over the years he set a Breeders Crown record with five appearances. He was sidelined at five with a cracked pastern but showed no ill effects when he returned to the track. His accomplishments as an aged trotter included winning the Frank Ryan Memorial at Rideau Carleton three times, the Maple Leaf Trot, Classic Series Trot and the Trotting Classic. In winning his third Ryan Memorial he trotted to his lifetime record of 1:53.3, a world record on a five-eighths mile track. Goodtimes popularity transcended the track. In retirement he was engaged as an 'ambassador' for harness racing at numerous equine events, including appearances at Ontario Sires Stakes races and participation in a demonstration at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto. Now residing at the old farm where his Hall of Fame sire once stood, Goodtimes is surrounded by a number of potential future stars at the former Campbellville-area Glengate Farms property. That acreage, now owned by the Bax family, is home of former trotting titans Define The World and Goodtimes, who is turned out with a number of yearlings and hopefully "passing on some knowledge" said Matt Bax with a laugh. Matt, who is maintaining the Ontario side of the stable while John heads up the warmer Florida arm, notes that Goodtimes is still doing well despite his advanced age. "The mares and Define The World are on one side and he's on the other side with the yearlings...when it warms up, he's out in the field. The barn, they're able to go inside/outside whenever they want. He's the boss and gets the most feed, and that's not the worst thing in the world. "The one stretch of track is near his paddock, it might be 30 or 40 feet away. Every once in a while you catch him keeping his eye on everyone." (with files from the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame) Gary Maciejewski, a longtime horseman who was employed as a paddock security guard at Miami Valley Raceway, passed away suddenly this morning (March 18). Maciejewski, age 67, was born in Toledo, but migrated to Lebanon before securing his driver/trainer license in 1985. Maciejewski only used his drivers license on 15 occasions at Ohio county fairs over the years, with his lone win coming in 1998. As a trainer, he enjoyed considerable success with 89 registered wins from 871 lifetime starts. At the time of his passing, he owned one horse, Atoka Millionaire, who has been entrusted to his longtime friend Roy Wilson since the beginning of the year. A security guard at Lebanon Raceway prior to the opening of Miami Valley, Maciejewski has checked horses in at the MVG paddock entrance since the tracks inception in 2014. Maciejewski was his jovial self, busy checking in horses at Miami Valleys qualifying races on Wednesday afternoon, and was reportedly readying for work at MVG today when he collapsed. UPDATE A Celebration Of Life for Gary Maciejewski, who passed away suddenly last Friday at the age of 67, will be held this Thursday (March 24) from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the race office building on the Warren County Fairgrounds, home of old Lebanon Raceway. A longtime harness horseman, as well as a paddock security guard at nearby Miami Valley Raceway, Maciejewski was born in Toledo but migrated to Lebanon after receiving his driver-trainer license from the USTA in 1985. From just 15 sporadic county fair sulky starts, Gary guided one winner in 1998. As a trainer, he enjoyed considerable success harnessing 89 winners in 871 starts for total earnings of $281,366. His lone horse at the time of his passing was Atoka Millionaire, who has been trained and driven to 11 victories over the past two years by close friend Roy Wilson. Maciejewski was liked by all who came in contact with him over the years. His friendly demeanor and constant smile were perfect for his role as greeter, checking horses in and out of the Miami Valley Raceway paddock every day since the track opened in January of 2014. Previously, he was the gate guard at Lebanon Raceway congenially greeting owners, trainers, drivers and caretakers as they entered the backstretch area. The family invites all of Garys friends to gather Thursday and bring a favourite Gary Maciejewski story to share prior to a short memorial service. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Wounded Warrior Fund, a favourite cause of Maciejewski. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Gary Maciejewski. (With files from Miami Valley Raceway) Trot Insider has learned that Irene Turenne (nee Nantel) of Le Gardeur, Que., former Standardbred owner and the wife of trainer Real Turenne, passed away on Thursday, March 17 at the age of 79. Irene Turenne was the mother of the late driver Serge Turenne (Linda Belanger). She is survived by grandchildren Eric and Jessica Turenne, great-granddaughter Lianne Turenne, her brother, sisters, relatives and friends. Visitation will be held at the Charles Rajotte Funeral Complex in Repentigny on Monday, March 21 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The funeral will take place on Monday, March 21 at 8:30 p.m. at the Chapel at the Complex in Repentigny. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Irene Turenne. ATOP HAGER MOUNTAIN, Ore. There is something about splitting wood on the top of a mountain during winter and carrying the logs into a lookout cabin for the evenings fire that feels perfectly removed from the modern era. No electricity, running water or flushing toilet are here. No cell phone service or Internet connection or passable road can be found. There is only a glowing sunset across a horizon dotted with the Cascade Range volcanoes to the west and the sweep of high desert to the east, viewed from a 14-by-14-foot glass house where Im sipping tea and preparing a dinner of pesto, pasta and chicken. For the past three years, Ive been on a quest to spend a night at each of Oregons mountaintop lookouts, and this night its Hager Mountain Lookout. One of four lookouts open for rental during winter, Hager Mountain is remote, difficult to reach and a journey back in time. For water, you melt snow. For warmth, you make a fire. For epic views, just look up from your bed. In late February, I headed southeast to this little-known mountain on the edge of Oregons desert, near the unincorporated town of Silver Lake and northeast of Klamath Falls. The trip is not easy. You must climb 4 miles and 2,200 feet while carrying a pack with all your food and gear to the top of the 7,188-foot mountain. Yet the challenge is part of the appeal. It was a hard haul up the trail, but the boys endured it with positive attitudes, wrote Phil Avery and Dan Frye, a pair of fathers who stayed at the lookout with their 8- and 10-year-old sons in February and wrote down their experiences in a journal at the cabin. We made snow forts and sledded down the ranger road while at the lookout. Overall, it was a great father and son bonding experience. I hope we have more weekends like this that the boys will cherish and pass to their kids. Planning, journey and climb The biggest hurdle to spending a night at Hager Mountain Lookout isnt actually the steep climb but rather just reserving a night. Despite its remote location, the lookout is popular, and getting a night requires logging onto Recreation.Gov six months in advance to claim the dates you want. I reserved a night in late February and hit the road early, beginning a drive that takes about four and a half hours from Salem. The drive takes you over Santiam Pass, through Central Oregon and southeast of La Pine on whats known as the Oregon Outback Scenic Byway. The byway showcases a sagebrush landscape home to ancient volcanoes, alkaline lakes and rocks inscribed with petroglyphs from Native Americans thousands of years old. In Silver Lake, I turned south and headed into Fremont-Winema National Forest. From the road, Hager Mountain is impossible to miss. A silicic lava dome that rises high above everything else in sight it looks similar to Black Butte near Sisters Hager Mountain was formed some 5.9 million years ago from basalt lava flows. I parked at Hager Mountain Trailhead and stepped into the cool, sunny morning. There wasnt much snow at the trailhead (about 5,100 feet), so I strapped my snowshoes onto a pack filled with water, food and extra clothing and began the climb. The first part features old-growth ponderosa pine forest. These bright-orange trees, cracked with black veins, are a sure way of knowing youre on the east side of the Cascades. The first view of the lookout came after a mile, and it was a bit disheartening. It was way off in the distance, at a summit that seemed far away. After about 1.5 miles, I reached deep snow and put on my snowshoes. From here, blue diamonds marked the route through the forest. In the final 2 miles, the route broke out of the forest into open, grassy plains around the mountains summit. Views to the west took in numerous Cascade Range peaks. Mount McLoughlin, Bailey, Thielsen, Crater Lake, Diamond Peak and the Three Sisters were all visible at different points. The final push is the most difficult, straight up the mountain in places and along steep ridgelines at other moments. Finally, as my legs began contemplating rebellion, I reached Hager Mountain Lookout, stepped inside and flopped on the bed. Night in the sky My favorite part of staying at a mountaintop lookout is the small chores. That might sound odd, but theres a simple pleasure in splitting wood, washing dishes and melting snow for water while a panoramic view spreads out below your feet. I would have loved to work a season at a lookout, and doing the chores gives you the illusion of making that dream come true, if only for a moment. The lookout, which is staffed during the summer by the Forest Service, is well-stocked. There are three bunks, a stove, fireplace, propane-power lights and a random assortment of foods. There was a refrigerator as well, but it didnt appear to be working. The most striking thing about the view from Hager Mountain Lookout is the contrast between Cascadian and high desert geography. A forest of green trees rolls eastward from the Cascades before stopping dead at the beginning of the high desert, where a rolling brown landscape of buttes, mesas and canyons extends to the horizon. The evening sunset was beautiful bright yellows, pinks and finally red lighting up the stringy clouds on the western horizon. After the sunset, theres not much to do except read and enjoy the rich canopy of stars overhead, including the streak of the Milky Way. After stargazing, I spent some time reading notes left by past visitors. It gives you a sense of the people whove come before, the kindred spirits who seek out remote cabins on mountaintops. The people before me were a group of four with pretty interesting nicknames Mama Buttons, A-Rod, Big-E and Dillweed. A-Rod was just about to have his first child. Their favorite activity was sledding down the steep mountainsides and hurting themselves. Sledding optimal but ramp at road base gave the ribs a rough time, they wrote. Some entries spoke of the weather. Endured three straight days of wind warnings! Great times! wrote S & M. The magic of being disconnected from the modern world works differently for each person who visits Hager Mountain Lookout. For some, its a way to disconnect from the modern world. For others, its a way to connect with their children and inspire the next generation of outdoors lovers. A Kelso citizens group staged its own version of To Catch a Predator on Thursday, which ended with the arrest of a man accused of attempting to meet a minor girl for sex at Tam OShanter Park. Superior Court Judge Gary Bashor ruled Friday there was probable cause to charge Adam Andrew Olson, 36, of Castle Rock, with communicating with a minor for immoral purposes by electronic means and second-degree attempted rape of a child. Bashor set Olsons bail at $50,000 and scheduled another court appearance for March 15. The arrest was set up by members of Volunteer Kelso, a group that does various community service projects. Curtis Hart, 36, of Kelso, said he posted an ad on a social media site called Whisper pretending to be a 14-year-old girl who wanted to have some fun with an older man. In a couple of minutes, a bunch of men started messaging, Hart said outside the Hall of Justice Friday. About 20 of the men sending messages were from Cowlitz County, he said. One was in California. One of them was Olson, who sent a photo, Hart said. I went to junior high school with this guy, he said. It made me sick. Posing as the girl, Hart agreed to meet Olson at Tam OShanter Park around 9 p.m Thursday. When Olson arrived, Hart and several companions surrounded him. The confrontation was captured by one of the group members on video. According to a court document, Olson called 911 at 9:23 p.m. wanting to turn himself in. Kelso police responded to the park and arrested him. Hart appeared at Olsons court hearing wearing a yellow Libertarian T-shirt. Im a Libertarian activist, he said, with plans to run for the 20th District seat in the state Legislature this year. We dont think its necessary to sit around and wait for the government to fix things, he said, adding that police may not have time to set up stings like this one. Hart said Kelso police officers told us we could end up getting shot but you could end up getting shot by some psycho anywhere. Kelso Police Chief Andy Hamilton declined to comment on the case. hidden The Karnataka government would set up four technology business incubators across the state in 2016-17, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Friday. "The incubators will be set up in the areas of Internet of Things (IoT), Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) robotics, 3D printing, nanotechnology, medical devices, health technology and clean technology," he said while presenting the budget. Referring to the start-up policy framed to encourage innovation and building an eco-system for growth of start-ups in IT, biotech, ESDM and other knowledge sectors, he said state-run Keonics would set up the incubators and common instrumentation facilities in Bengaluru and in the IT parks of Shivamogga, Bagalkote and Kalaburgi. "Ten incubators will also be set up in post-graduate and professional institutes across the state under the new age incubation network. An incubator will come at Bagalkote for research and development in biotech start-ups," he said. The budget has also proposed to set up centres of excellence and finishing schools in IT, electronics and animation sectors on the lines of Biotechnology Finishing Schools (BTFS) across the state. "The Rs.56 crore Bengaluru bio-innovation centre ha been commissioned to provide access to high-end instrumentation and laboratory facilities to micro, small and medium enterprises," Siddaramaiah said. The state government has also set up the Karnataka Semiconductor Venture Fund with Rs.100 crore corpus to provide venture capital to chip companies. "The Karnataka Geographic Information System (K-GIS) has been set up to use spatial technologies in decision-making and planning," he said. The budget has proposed to allot Rs.222 crore to the department of IT, BIT and S&T in the ensuing fiscal. IANS Khaleda reveals Vision-2030 plan BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Saturday unveiled her parties Vision-2030 plan to turn the country into higher middle income one if her party returns to power. Addressing the inaugural session of her parties 6th national council at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh she elaborated the vision-2030 outline for 30 minutes. Khaleda said her party drafted the Vision-2030 plan which will be presented before the countrymen very soon. At the very beginning of her speech, Khaleda recalled the outstanding contributions of the countrys great national leaders Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Haque, Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to make the country independent. Khaleda said her party will introduce bicameral parliament and the countrys intellectuals and experts on different sectors will be made members of the upper house to ensure countrys development. She also said if voted to power her party will take well-sought out and creative plan to elevate the countrys economic growth to double digit. She said her party will introduce a positive quality in the country coming out of the current politics of vengeance, confrontation and annihilation. Earlier, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia inaugurated her partys sixth national council amid a festive atmosphere in the city on Saturday morning. Khaleda, the widow of party founder Ziaur Rahman, opened the council by hoisting the national flag at 10:48 am at Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh. She also released a bunch of balloons and pigeons. Around 30,000 grassroots level leaders, councillors, and 8,000 delegates of BNP gathered at the council venue which was decked out with flags, streamers and flowers, posters containing council theme, slogans and logo. Leaders of different political parties, business and professional bodies, foreign diplomats and intellectuals attended the inaugural ceremony.-- Dhaka, Mar 19 (UNB) Internship of 13th batch students begins Chittagong Bureau : The internship of the 13th batch students of Azizur Rahman Homeopathic Medical college & Hospital begins at college premises on March 15 last . Rector of the college Principal Dr.Abdul Karim inaugurated the internship as chief guest duly presided by the Acting Principal Dr.Ferdousi Begum. The Rector of the college Dr. Abdul Karim in his inaugural address of the interneeship said Homeo practice is a service based great profession and called upon the students to devote themselves in this profession duly imbued with the ideals of the father of Homeopath science Dr.Samuel Hanneyman. Among others, Prof Dr Debrath Bhattachariya, Prof. Dr. Omar Faruk, Prof. Dr. Giasuddin Ahmed, Prof. Dr.Ayesha Begum, Lecturers Dr. Alauddin, Dr. Abdul Jalil, Dr. Joyshree Sarkar spoke on the occasion. Senior Medical officer of the hospital Dr. Eskander conducted the inaugural session of the internship. Registration certificates of the Bangladesh Homeopathic Board were distributed among the internee doctors in the session, a college sources said. Robi Dhonnobad Programme brings special offer Economic Reporter : Robi high value customers under Dhonnobad programme can now enjoy exquisite food and world-class hospitality at the Radisson Blu Chittagong Bay View. Robi has signed an agreement with Radisson Blu Chittagong Bay View recently at the Chittagong Radisson Blu. Robi's Vice President, Customer Retention, Rafiqul Hoque and Radisson Blu Chittagong's General Manager, Sikko Geir signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations. Radisson's Asst. Director Sales, Jason Salgado; Chief Accountant, Kamruzzaman Mridha and Robi's Regional Manager, Chittagong Metro, Mohammad Ashraful Kabir were also present on the occasion. This exclusive agreement allows Platinum Ace and Platinum customers to enjoy Buy 1 Get 1 offer on breakfast and dinner at the Xchange restaurant along with 10% discount at Bornil restaurant for all Robi customers. Robi subscribers can type CAT and send SMS to 1213 to know their category under the 'Dhonnobad' programme. These offers can only be availed from the Radisson Blu Chittagong Bay View located at Chittagong. Drug dealers clash in city shows police aversion to halt the trade A REPORT in a daily on Friday said at least 30 people were injured in a clash between two groups of drug traders at Mohammadpur Geneva Camp over who will control the area. Its clash is related to selling drugs in which another group should not claim shame in local market. They pelted brick chips and used sticks in the turf war in the heart of the city not far from Mohammadpur Police Station. Drug dealers are desperate warlords where police are onlookers because they benefit from the trade. So it appears that they are uncontrollable when the drug menace is spreading and destroying our youths. It is escalating crimes and violence in the society derailing young people from schools to become burden on the families. Bangladesh has become a regular route of drugs trafficking as the number of drug users is surging in the younger generation. As per some estimate drug addicts now run over 50 lakh in the country with an average age is 22. Students are mostly falling victims to drug abuse, which eventually lowers their standards of education and attendance at schools and colleges. Most young people are becoming drug addicts from despair and frustration for failure at schools or in getting jobs for economic insolvency. A number of other reasons include poverty, easy access to drugs, dejection in love and mental stress due to family problems. Local dealers sell opium ganja, sleeping pills, Yaba and phesendyl to overcome stress. Research finds that in capital Dhaka 79.4 percent users are male and 20.6 percent are female. Another study shows 64.8 percent drug users are unmarried, 56.1 percent are either students or unemployed, and 95.4 percent.Bangladesh's border with India and Myanmar has become porous and inaccessible where both weapons and drugs are traded with almost no obstructions. Myanmar supplies Yaba while phesendyl producing plants on the Indian side of Bangladesh border is supply the liquid drug without much impediments as border guards on both sides are extending helping hands for their own financial benefits. It appears that drug dealers are active at all level of the society and since it is a highly profitable business that makes some people rich overnight the trafficking and its distribution are spreading almost unabated in the capital and other towns and cities. Powerful persons and members of law enforcing agencies are also involved and their involvement has made it difficult to stop the trade. The fight at Mohammadpur in the city showed that the drug trade has developed on the very nose of the police and other law enforcers. It can only be stopped if politicians take the commitment and police take active interest to stop it. People must get back their snatched rights: Khaleda BNP's 6th national council held BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia along with senior leaders of the party seen on the dais (left) for its 6th National Council-2016 at the IEB auditorium. The session was inaugurated (right) with the release of balloons at the venue on Saturday. Ehsanul Haque Jasim :With the aim to return to 'positive politics', the BNP has held its long-awaited sixth triennial national council amid mass enthusiasm among the party men, more than six years after the previous one.Held at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in the capital city on Saturday, the council was completed in two sessions-- inaugural session and the indoor session. The inaugural session was held in the morning, while the indoor session was held in the afternoon. Speaking at the inaugural session, BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia has unveiled her party's 'Vision-2030 Plan' to turn the country into a 'rainbow nation' if her party returns to power. Making Bangladesh a higher middle-income country by 2030, the party wants to create a political culture where all people of varying opinions can coexist peacefully.In her written speech, Khaleda Zia elaborated outline of the 'Vision 2030', and said that they would seek opinions of the countrymen in this regard very soon before finalising the draft. She said that their future election manifesto would be based on this outline. At the beginning of her speech, she recalled the outstanding contributions of the country's great national leaders Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Haque, Husein Shaheed Suhrawardy, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to make the country independent. She also recalled the role of Ziaur Rahman in the politics and development of the country. The BNP Chief also renewed her call for a dialogue, saying that the nation must explore and find ways and process through discussions. She said that the BNP and almost all other political parties want a democratic and representative government. A fair, peaceful and inclusive election is necessary as soon as possible for it, she added. The former premier in her 111-minute speech also depicted 'misrule and misdeeds' of the current government. She said that the countrymen want to come out from the situation. Alleging that the people's democratic rights have been snatched by the Awami League government, she called upon the people to rise and unite to get back their snatched rights.In her 30-minute elaboration of the 'Vision 2030', Khaleda Zia said that they would introduce 'Bicameral Parliament'. Intellectuals, educationalists, representatives from different communities, marginal groups and talented people from different professions will be made members in the upper chamber of the Parliament. The post and office of an Ombudsman will be activated to ensure administrative transparency and accountability. Khaleda Zia said that if voted to power her party would take creative plan and well thought-out policies to elevate the country's economic growth to double digit. She promised that they would introduce a positive quality in the country's politics coming out of the current political culture of vengeance, confrontation and annihilation. "We want to combine 3 Gs, which are good politics, good governance and good government," she said.Talking about her arch-rival Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, the BNP chief said that in recent years, people felt it quite well that the absolute executive authority of the prime minister has given rise to a despotic and authoritarian rule. "BNP will ensure a balance in the executive authority by enacting necessary constitutional amendments," she said. Assuring that her party will not allow any terrorist and separatist activities in the country, Khaleda Zia said that their party would work together with the international community to contain terrorism and militancy.Delivering the welcome speech, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir observed that the future action plan for the BNP should be for the party, movement and election. He urged the party leaders and activists to remain alert about the infiltrators from the government. Earlier, Khaleda Zia inaugurated the council in the morning by hoisting the national flag. She also released a bunch of balloons and pigeons. The national anthem, party song and council theme song were also played in the inaugural ceremony where all central leaders of the party were present. The inaugural session started through recitation of verses from the Holy Quran.The slogan of the council was "Corruption and Misrule will Surely Come to an End, Bangladesh will be of Democracy". The theme was 'We will must Free Democracy'.Mirza Fakhrul placed the party's report, while the party's joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi placed the obituary motion. The motion was adopted in the council. Names of late president Zillur Rahman, Awami League leaders and lawmakers including Baby Moudud and Social welfare minister Syed Mohsin Ali were also included in the obituary motion. Around 30,000 grassroots level leaders and councillors, and 8,000 delegates of the BNP gathered at the council venue which was decked out with flags, streamers and flowers, posters containing council theme, slogans and logo. The BNP also used a portion of the Suhrawardy Udyan for the council, but huge number of the leaders and workers of the party were spread from Kakrail to Shahbagh intersection during the council. Leaders of different political parties, business and professional bodies, foreign diplomats and intellectuals attended the inaugural session. Politicians from some foreign countries, including the UK and the USA, also joined it.British Labour Party MP Simon Danczuk and European Parliament's former MP and Liberal Democrat Party member Phil Bennion and US Democratic Party's Chicago councillor Alderman Joe Moore also spoke at the council wishing its success.Indian ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) greeted the BNP wishing the council a success. Vijay Jolly, a member of the BJP's national executive committee and ex-convener of the party's foreign cell, in a video message made the wishes. The video message was shown on a big scene.In the video message, Vijay Jolly said, "On the sixth political convention of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, I from India, from the BJP and from all citizens of India do convey one good wish to Begum Khaleda Zia for the success and survival of democracy in Bangladesh." 'Gold standard' security at HSIA! Deal with British Co Monday Kazi Zahidul Hasan : The government will enhance security at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka in line with global best practices to prevent harm to aircraft, passengers, and crew, as well as support national security and counter-terrorism policy, officials said. Under the move, it (government) will sign a deal with a British company to review and enhance security at the HSIA. "The government has decided to appoint a British company to improve HSIA's security system and a deal in this connection will be signed by March 21," Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon told The New Nation on Saturday night. He said, the deal will be signed on Monday after completing all formalities including TPP (Technical Project Proposal). When asked, the minister, however, declined to disclose name of the company. "Airport security is very important and we want to approach the problem holistically in line with global best practices," said the Minister adding, "The British Company will be assigned for HSIA's security up-gradation and it will also impart training to security officials". Earlier, a high-powered steering committee held a meeting yesterday morning at the CAAB office to select a company for the job. A senior CAAB official, preferring anonymity, told The New Nation on Saturday evening that a UK company 'Redline Assured Security' is expected to get the contract for security screening at HSIA for two years at a cost of Tk 75 crore. "The UK Company will assess aviation security in Bangladesh, make review of security and safety procedures, equipment and impart necessary training", he said. When asked, he said, the British Company was chosen for their specific expertise in aviation security. "It will then make recommendations to the government to ensure airport security is world-class 'gold standard', and work alongside the government to support the implementation of the recommendations, additional training of security personnel as well as conducting ongoing and regular assessments, he said. The CAAB official further said that the Company will also identify airport security loopholes and recommend installation of hi-tech equipments for screening air passengers, luggage and freight, explosives, weapons and smuggled goods. "Advanced imaging technologies are in work at the HSIA but they are not adequate. The Airport Security should be improved with installation of adequate hi-tech screening equipments which have been at work in all airports in developed countries," he noted. The CAAB official said that there are security loopholes at sensitive areas in airports, including airport ramp, operational spaces and cargo area where authorized people are allowed to enter. "But they are entering in these spaces without proper security check up," he said, adding, "Security screening can be made more efficient by detecting the people and objects that are threats for aviation safety in the country." Earlier, Redline and Restrata, two British Company, have primarily been selected for the job to improve airport security from a list of four foreign security companies suggested by the British High Commissioner Alison Blake during a meeting with government high-ups. The meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office on March 13. IGP for int'l agencies help if needed Staff Reporter : Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque has said if needed, necessary help would be sought from the international agencies dealing with money laundering, for unveiling the clue to the $101 million cyber heist at Bangladesh Bank account with US Federal Reserve Bank. He said this during a question-answer session on Saturday at the city's Shaheed Police Smriti College, during its annual prize giving ceremony. The IGP said till now they have contacted the relevant countries, namely the United States, Philippines and Sri Lanka, through various regional offices of Interpol. All the information regarding the heist has been sent to Interpol, so they can take necessary steps, he said. He also informed that if needed, the investigation team will visit the concerned countries to have more details. Shahidul Hoque also said that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has contacted them and has expressed their willingness to talk to the investigation team. The meeting between officials of the FBI and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is slated to be held on Sunday. The hackers swindled out the amount from the Bangladesh Bank's account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York last month. The sensational heist surfaced after a Philippines newspaper published a report on it. The CID was given the onus of investigation into the incident after the central bank filed a case with Motijheel Police Station in the city last week, nearly 40 days after the theft occurred. RCBC pins down manager Internal report says Deguito got help from co-workers Staff Reporter : Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) branch manager Maia Santos-Deguito-gatekeeper of the $81-million dirty money that slipped into the country-expected the big inflow and facilitated its speedy withdrawal, apparently with some help from her own branch, according to an internal report submitted by the bank head office to authorities recently. In a timeline submitted to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) dated March 14, the RCBC report suggested that Deguito had vouched for the transaction, hastily processed the withdrawal of the money while intimating to other staff members in the branch on Jupiter Street in Makati City that she feared for her life and for her family, reports Philippine Daily Inquirer. On Feb. 5 or the day the $81 million was wired to the accounts of Jessie Christopher Lagrosas ($30 million), Alfred Vergara ($19.999 million), Enrico Vasquez ($25 million) and Michael Cruz ($6 million), Deguito "facilitated the opening of the account of businessman William S. Go DBA Centurytex Trading at Jupiter BC," said the report submitted to the AMLC. This was the same account that Go vehemently denied, instead pointing to Deguito as part of the money laundering conspiracy. Go claimed that Deguito had admitted to him that she had opened the account herself and offered P10 million if he would go along with the scheme, allegations that Deguito denied. The $81 million was credited to the four accounts via a straight-through-process after the transactions passed validation criteria. On the same day, a cash withdrawal from Lagrosas' account amounting to $22.73 million was made and deposited in the newly opened Go account. "William Go" transferred a total of $14.7 million to the account of remittance firm Philrem. The report noted that all debit documents-Lagrosas' withdrawal slip, fund transfer forms and managers check applications of "William Go"-had no signatures of clients. A hold-out order on all four accounts and the Go account was posted at 6:45 p.m. to 7:04 p.m. " A series of phone calls among district sales head Nestor Pineda, regional sales head Briggite Capina, Jupiter BM (business manager) Maia Deguito and outgoing RBG (retail banking group) head Raul Tan transpired. "In these conversations, Deguito assured (us) that the clients were long-standing clients of hers, and she expected these funds since last year and the documents were in order," the report said. The hold-out order was lifted by the bank past 7 p.m. that Friday, after which the bank paused for a long weekend break. The following Monday (Feb. 8) was a nonworking holiday in observance of the Chinese Lunar New Year. Message from Bangladesh By Feb. 9, RCBC received a message from Bangladesh Bank requesting a stop in payment and to freeze the beneficiaries' accounts for proper investigation. That same day, withdrawals from the four accounts totaling $58.15 million were processed by the Jupiter branch. Before lunchtime, RCBC Settlements Department sent four e-mails to the Jupiter branch on the recall of the funds. rcbc-0316"However, BM (branch manager) Maia showed him the Feb. 5 e-mail of Ms Capina that [the] accounts were OK to credit. Meanwhile, all the withdrawals and fund transfers were being processed by CSA (customer service assistant) teller Reymart Marbella and approved/overridden by SCRO (senior customer relationship officer) Angela Torres," the report said. The assistance given by Marbella and Torres has been seen as an indication that apart from Deguito, the entire branch may have been compromised. Withdraw rather than die "In subsequent interviews, both CSH (customer service head) and SCRO said that BM Deguito told them that she would rather process withdrawals 'kaysa mamatay siya at ang pamilya niya' (instead of she and her family being killed)," the report said. Deguito herself facilitated the opening of the four US dollar accounts that received the suspicious remittance, which turned out be part of large funds stolen by computer hackers from the account of Bank of Bangladesh with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. She claims having done due diligence on these customers in line with mandatory know-your-client rule, but except for the William Go account, the addresses have turned out to be fictitious. The AMLC itself, in a separate filing with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday, noted that these names may only be aliases. Around 3:31 p.m. on Feb. 9, RCBC was able to freeze what remained of the balance in the four accounts amounting to around $68,000. In the following days, RCBC filed a STR or (suspicious transaction report) and tried to view the CCTV footage but found that the video was not working at the branch during the days in question. Deguito was placed on preventive suspension by Feb. 16. On Feb. 17, RCBC decided not to allow the further opening of new accounts by Philrem or WeRQuick, the remittance firm that converted the money from the consolidated account of William Go into pesos and transferred them to the ultimate beneficiaries. "Instruction was given by the audit committee not to deal with PhilRem," the report said. By March 1, the suspected accounts were ordered frozen by the AMLC. BB fund heist: Philippines bank manager 'not telling the truth' Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila : Maia Santos-Deguito, branch manager of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) on Jupiter Street, Makati, is not telling investigators the truth behind the money laundering of US$81 million that has once again put the Philippines on the map of notorious countries. To top it all, Deguito's lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, a publicity hound, is muddling the investigation by accusing the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) of negligence or a cover-up. What?! Such a preposterous accusation by a supposedly brilliant lawyer is turning the investigation into a comedy of errors. How did the AMLC engage in a cover-up or become negligent in one of the world's biggest bank heists in recent memory? But the public knows where Topacio is coming from since a lawyer must come up with all kinds of strategy - even an out-of-this world scenario - to get his client in a criminal case out of jail. Based on reports that have come out, Deguito seems to have taken part in the theft of $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank. Deguito is biding time, apparently cooking up a good defense, by invoking before probers at the Senate blue ribbon committee her right against self-incrimination. All she could tell committee members is that she would tell everything in a closed-door session. If she's innocent, she would not invoke her right against self-incrimination, a refuge of people under investigation who are withholding information. If she's innocent, she would tell everything she knows. Deguito's nemesis is Romualdo Agarrado, her former subordinate at the RCBC-Jupiter branch, who says she withdrew P20 million from an apparently fictitious account of businessman William Go and loaded the cash in her car.Go has denied he has an account in the RCBC-Jupiter branch and said his signature was forged. Deguito will surely go to jail no matter how good her lawyer is. Deguito has also implicated Chinese-Filipino businessman Kim Wong in the money laundering. She said the four people who opened accounts in her bank and withdrew most of the stolen money were introduced to her by Wong. The four depositors can no longer be located. Granting Wong introduced the four depositors to Deguito, so what? Wong is a big-time junket operator who hosts high rollers from China. Even if part of the amount ended up with the Chinese players who were Wong's guests, how could he have known if it came from a questionable source? 2 SWIFT engineers launch probe into BB money heist Two engineers of the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) have started investigation into their own system in the Bangladesh Bank. Bangladesh Bank's spokesman and executive director Subhankar Saha informed about the SWIFT engineers' arrival in Dhaka and the launching of their investigation. "Two SWIFT engineers arrived in Dhaka two or three days back and started their jobnow examining their systems with the central bank," he told UNB. SWIFT is a Belgium-based telecommunication organisation which provides a network enabling financial institutions worldwide to send and receive information about financial transactions in a secure, standardised and reliable environment. As a member of the SWIFT society, Bangladesh Bank uses their service to send and receive money to and from international banks, including the US Fed in New York. "Actually, SWIFT officials have come in the interest of our both sides. They always maintain relations with the BB," Saha added. He further said a CID team also visited the Bangladesh Bank on Saturday morning and stayed there for a few hours as part of their ongoing investigation. Earlier last month, hackers swindled out over $100 million from the Bangladesh Bank's account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The sensational heist surfaced after a Philippines newspaper published a report on it. The CID was given the onus of investigation into the incident after the central bank filed a case with Motijheel Police Station in the city on Tuesday, 40 days after the theft had occurred. Following the cyber heist, Dr Atiur Rahman resigned as the Governor of Bangladesh Bank. The government also removed two deputy governors from the central bank following the incident. Immediately after Aiur's resignation, the government appointed former finance secretary Fazle Kabir as new governor. Bangladesh Bank sources said the new governor is scheduled to take over charge on Sunday. Foreign visits to know truth about bank robbery is misleading Finance Minister AMA Muhith said Bangladesh Bank Governor was forced to resign for failure to run the central bank following the stealing of US$ 101 million from its New York account. But the Governor's claim that he was most successful Governor and the Prime Minister's praise of his 'courage to resign on moral ground' was uncalled for a humble person to say the least.After such an internationally disgraceful failure as the Governor of the central bank of Bangladesh to claim that he resigned as a hero was most irresponsible claim. Now we have to know for whom who are protecting him for his success.There is a growing number of people who believe that like the Governor the Finance Minister should also quit to allow the rebuilding of the country's collapsed banking and financial sector.Finance Minister Muhith in an interview with a Bengali daily said in the latest heist at central bank, its officials are involved. He further said the success of Governor Atiur Rahman during his tenure can be mainly attributed as a political slogan monger instead of showing professional competence to discipline the banking sector. He passed more time taking international tours while neglecting the hard-core duty that caused the security loopholes without effective oversight from the top. The Finance Minister has also blamed the Governor for failing to take actions against BASIC Bank and Hallmark group which had stolen money from Sonali Bank. He says nothing new and everything was known to others. Only the Finance Minister is pretending not knowing and doing anything to stop him.But it is a shame that he had to retract from the truth he said about the just resigned Governor of the central bank. The Central Bank heist case shows no difference in the way the Governor has been allowed to escape from the accountability regime while some other senior officers lost their job as a result of his overall failure.The Finance Minister made it clear that the money lost can hardly be retrieved. But multiple investigations by police and other intelligence agencies are underway to identify the culprits. This is the answer for protecting the thieves of public money and no Finance Minister is needed for making stealing public money easy.Meanwhile, investigators of the central bank heist have already drawn up plan to visit USA, Philippines and Sri Lanka to identify culprits. Initial investigation showed hackers had installed advanced malware in at least 32 computers at Bangladesh Bank and tested its functioning on January 24 and 29 before they finally carried out their operation. To find culprits, such expensive foreign trips are unnecessary.The place of bank robbery is Bangladesh, people involved in the theft are in Bangladesh and the proposed foreign trips are sheer wastage of more public money. 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Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Pre-purchase property inspection is a relatively new thing in the United Kingdom. Its not something that most people have heard about, but it has become increasingly popular over the last few years with the rise in property prices and increased demand for high quality homes. What are the benefits of pre-purchase building inspection? What can you expect to find out when you pay someone else to inspect your home before you buy it? And what should you look for during an inspection? Many people want to know if theyre buying a house thats been well maintained or if its had any serious problems. If youve found a place on the market that seems attractive, but then discover some issues after moving in, you may not be as excited about buying it as you thought you were. Its important to do your due diligence when looking at properties. A lot goes into making a property appealing to potential buyers, from the landscaping to the flooring to the kitchen appliances. The same applies when inspecting a property there are many things that need checking over to make sure everything is running smoothly. Here are some of the benefits of performing a pre-purchase inspection: You get to see exactly what will happen to your money When you go shopping for a new car, youll probably be shown several different models. You might even be shown one that looks like a great value, but doesnt fit around all of the extra features that you want. When it comes time to actually buy the vehicle, however, you wont have seen how your money will be spent on it once you drive it off the showroom floor. Likewise, when you shop for a new home, you dont really know what youre getting yourself into until you move in. In order to get a feel for whether the home youre considering is what you want, you normally have to spend quite a bit of time inside it. This allows you to learn more about everything that youre going to be spending your hard-earned cash on. A pre-purchase building inspection gives you much the same kind of experience without having to spend thousands of dollars. Since youre paying for the service, you can expect to see exactly what youre paying for, instead of just seeing a vague idea of what you might end up with. You find out about potential major repairs Some buildings are very expensive to maintain, which means that owners often neglect them for the sake of saving money. While youre paying for a building inspection, youre also paying for a professional who knows how to spot signs of trouble and repair work that needs doing. If you notice that a particular area of your new home needs fixing right away, you can call in an expert to take care of it quickly. If you find that theres something wrong with your boiler, you wont have to wait weeks for a plumber to come over and fix it. Instead, youll have access to a solution immediately. You can save hundreds of pounds by finding out about potential problems early on One of the biggest expenses when you first buy a home is the cost of moving in. Many people dont realize this until its too late. Buying a home involves not only paying for the actual house, but also for moving costs, furniture, and other items that have to be moved along with the home. Having a good idea ahead of time of what youre likely to encounter can help you avoid these kinds of costs. If you know youll need to replace the plumbing system, for example, youll be able to put together a budget for the expense and plan accordingly. You can protect your investment by finding out if the homes been well cared for While there are plenty of people who think that houses always look better when theyre newly built, youd be surprised at how well maintained older residences can still look nice. Sometimes, though, those homes need some additional maintenance to keep them looking their best. This could involve repairs that arent so noticeable or small improvements that you wouldnt consider otherwise. Even worse, some houses have fallen into disrepair without anyone noticing. This is why having a professional perform a building inspection prior to purchasing a home is such a big benefit. Not only will it give you insight into the state of the property, but it will also give you peace of mind knowing youre not getting taken advantage of. As long as youre aware of the potential pitfalls, youll have less reason to worry about the state of your new home. You can use information gathered during a building inspection to negotiate a lower price If youre worried about buying a home because you suspect that it may need extensive renovation work, you may already have a rough idea of how much work youll need to do to bring it up to scratch. That knowledge can come in handy if you decide to buy the home. You can use all of the details that you gather during a building inspection to present a realistic picture of what the home is worth to prospective buyers. If a potential buyer thinks that the home is worth more than what you paid for it, you can try negotiating a lower price. You can sell your home faster and for more money If you decide to list your home on the market soon after buying it, youll need to price it accurately in order to attract buyers. But if youve already done a thorough building inspection, youll know exactly what work is needed and what the current market conditions are. In other words, youll be able to make a more accurate estimate of the amount of money youve invested in the home and how much its worth. If you find that youre selling your house for close to its full market value, you can use this information to convince the potential buyer that your home is worth the asking price. Even if youre planning to stay in the home for a while before you decide to sell, the fact that you did a thorough building inspection will give you more confidence when listing it. Prospective buyers will know exactly what theyre paying for. Your home will hold its value longer As mentioned earlier, the value of a home depends heavily upon the condition of the building itself. If your home is in bad shape, potential buyers wont be interested in buying it. On the other hand, if youve performed a thorough building inspection and know what sort of repairs are necessary, you can offer your prospective buyer a compelling reason to invest in your property. When you buy a home, youre essentially agreeing to have it inspected periodically to ensure that it stays in top shape. Not only does this allow you to avoid expensive repairs down the road, but it can also increase the value of your home. You can make smart decisions about property investments Buying real estate isnt as simple as just driving a couple of minutes to pick up a house. There are lots of considerations involved, ranging from location to cost. The same is true when youre investing in property. If you find a house that meets all of your requirements, youll want to make sure that you have a solid understanding of where it stands with regards to the rest of the market. If you havent spent enough time researching the area, you could inadvertently end up with a bad deal. There are lots of resources available online that can help you determine the overall level of competition in your area. They can also help you figure out if there are any properties that meet your requirements that you didnt know about. If you own rental property, you can use the information to identify tenants who might cause damage If you own rental property and youve noticed that certain tenants consistently cause damage, you can use the results of a building inspection to identify them. You can then contact them directly to let them know that youre watching them closely and that you dont appreciate the problem theyre causing. They might start taking better care of their homes, which would be good news for everyone. It could also be the case that youll find out that theyre responsible for previous damages that werent caught during a previous visit. You can make smarter decisions about hiring contractors If youve hired contractors to build or repair your home, you might want to ask them for references. However, unless you perform a thorough building inspection, you might not know exactly what to look for. For instance, maybe you only checked the roof for leaks or the walls for cracks. You might not have looked underneath the foundation for anything that could cause a future issue. By performing a building inspection, you can ensure that you hire reputable contractors who will be trustworthy with your money. You can avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition Of course, the main benefit of structural inspections perth is that it helps you avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition. Before you make the decision to buy a home, you should do whatever you can to find out about the state of the building. You can also ask your realtor about what sorts of inspections are typically recommended. Some agents say that its standard practice to check the heating system, the roof, the electrical wiring, and the floors. Others will tell you that they recommend that you check the entire structure. Either way, if you choose to hire an inspector, youll find out exactly what needs to be fixed and how much it will cost to do so. As a result, it can be concluded that a pre-purchase building inspection is highly important for the buyers because it provides transparency regarding the current conditions of the structure. Additionally, the building owner is made aware of any upgrades or repairs that are required, which could lead to a fair deal throughout the purchasing and selling process. The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now. Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market. In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender. India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex. Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted. But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted? Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner. If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems. I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now. I want more variation in masturbation I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own. If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end. What is sex toys for Indian? Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation. It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms. They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable. Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner. The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner. It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past. In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping. Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order. In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing. Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome. Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own. But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance. More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around. Sextoy situation in India Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years. In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India. Mumbai Kolkata Bangalore Delhi Chennai Hyderabad These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India. In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well. If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too. If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it. What are Sextoys for beginner? Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms. Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy. I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion. I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy. If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma. Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it. Advantages of using sextoy for Indians There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways. Can have stimulating sex Can develop new sexual zones If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern. However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways. You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation. Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever. There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure. This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it. When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems. It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms). For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles [Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou... Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India. Sextoy for beginner men in India So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners. For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men! The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men Masturbator Cock rings Love Doll Sex Lubricants Toys for the prostate Lets check each one in detail. Masturbator The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products. It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands. Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands. They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.) Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much. Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! ! Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa SEXToys India PR (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018 Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood. If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ... [For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien... Cock Ring A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis. It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow. It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber. In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection. Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction. It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it. Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time. Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function. Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy. You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect. [Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat... Love Doll Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex. There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women. Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price. The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true. You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste. There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice. You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls. If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to... Sex lubricants Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules. It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution. Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse. There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent. Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent. If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here. What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many... Toys for the Prostate Another sextoy for men is prostate toys. The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line. Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men. Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men. What is the prostate? The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm. You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus. By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms. Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.) The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation. Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure. sextoy for beinner women in India The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy. The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy. Vibrator. Dildo Electric Masserger Lets check out what each one is in detail. If you want to check out womens toys, click here. [BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm... Vibrators A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator. Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy. It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy. Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women. For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators. Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex. Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself. This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual. Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men. When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons. Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most... Dildo A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis. It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass. A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it. They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well. It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device. A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo. Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands. For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis. This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one. To learn more about dildo, please click here. What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th... Electric Masserger A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores. It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low. Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels. Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation. It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure. For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm. It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out. If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager? To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here. What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th... How to choose a sextoy for Indian Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one. Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points: Does the size fit you (the partner)? Does the size fit you (your partner)? Is the environment able to produce sound without problems? Price range First of all, the choice of size is quite important. Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women. For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage. Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems. Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise. If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level. Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it. Finally, there is the price range. The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest. Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy. Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy? I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance. For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics. If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out. How to buy sextoys in India The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping. For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below. Sextoy is one of them. Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping. SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India. They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry. Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card. To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy. ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal. Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on. Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture. Cautions for Indians using sextoy When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind Keep sex toys clean Watch out for electrical leakage Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone. Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there. It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case. In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness. Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful. If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it. You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly. Summary What did you think? In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India. The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future. As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values. However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health. If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try? Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women. I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The bill on approving an amendment to the convention "On Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials" was discussed at a plenary session of the Azerbaijani parliament March 18. The convention was adopted in 1966, Ziyafat Asgarov, first vice-speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament, said. The world countries have begun joining this convention since 1980. He said that Azerbaijan joined the convention in 2003. "The convention was amended in 2005, he said. Therefore, we must ratify this amendment." In his turn, Azerbaijani MP Azay Guliyev said that the fourth Nuclear Security Summit will be held in the US in the coming days. "As it is known, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has been invited for the summit by the US counterpart Barack Obama, he said. I believe that Azerbaijan will contribute to this summit by ratifying the amendment to this convention. The MPs positively assessed Azerbaijan's ratification of the amendment to the mentioned convention. The amendment to the convention was ratified by the Azerbaijani parliament following the discussions. Armenias criminal military and political leadership is responsible for the escalation of tensions on the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops, Azerbaijani defense minister, colonel general Zakir Hasanov said, the countrys defense ministry told Trend March 18. He made the remarks in Baku during a meeting with the delegation led by Gunther Bachler, special representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus. The Azerbaijani minister also talked about the military and political situation in the region, Armenias occupation of Azerbaijani lands. Armenias criminal and terrorist leadership carried out state-level genocide against Azerbaijani civilians, Hasanov said. The only way to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in line with the principles and norms of international law is the withdrawal of the occupying Armenian forces from Azerbaijans territories, according to the minister. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Gunther Bachler, in his turn, spoke about the priorities of the German OSCE Chairmanship. He added that special attention is paid to the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict which threatens peace and stability in the region. In addition, the sides discussed the prospects of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the OSCE, as well as several issues of mutual interest at the meeting. Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev has expressed condolences to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over heavy loss of life in a crash of a Boeing 737-800 passenger plane at Rostov-on-Don airport. "I was deeply saddened by the news of heavy loss of life in a crash of a Boeing 737-800 passenger plane at Rostov-on-Don airport. On behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf, I extend my deepest condolences to you, families and relatives of those who died and the whole people of Russia". National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has reported a net profit of KD282.2 million ($929.7 million) for 2015, up 7.8 per cent over KD261.8 million ($862.6 million) the year before. As at year-end 2015, NBKs group total assets reached KD23.6 billion ($77.8 billion) up 8.3 per cent compared to year-end 2014, while total shareholders equity increased by 3.8 per cent to KD2.6 billion ($8.6 billion). Announcing the results at the annual General Assembly meeting, chairman Nasser Al Sayer said the results reaffirm the banks well established and solid financial position and its leadership in the Kuwaiti banking sector. "2015 was a year of deliverables for NBK. We saw a confirmation of our earlier view that Kuwait is moving into a new era of economic development. Activity is picking up as the government continues to deliver on the awarding and execution of mega projects," stated Al Sayer. "This has reflected positively on the growth trends of NBKs operating income. During the year, several multi-billion dollar development projects have been awarded where NBK played a major role in their financing. With the size of our balance sheet, our regional & international presence and relationships, we are the largest beneficiary of the growing government expenditure, leveraging the high growth opportunity in the project finance business," he added. According to him, NBK continued its strategy to strengthen its position in Mena markets with a particular focus on the GCC markets that are characterised by their strong economic scope and promising growth opportunities. Isam Al Sager, the group chief executive said NBK continued to achieve a strong performance in 2015 thanks to the banks financial resilience, clear strategy, conservative culture, and high professional standards. The net profit once again confirms the superiority of the banks conservative strategy, prudent risk management and commitment to the highest standards. Strong growth across business lines proved the effectiveness of the Banks sound and solid leadership," he added. In parallel with its regional strategy, NBK continued to reap the benefits from its acquisition of 58.4 per cent of Boubyan Bank. A fundamental change in Boubyan Bank has been witnessed in growth and profitability trends, continuously increasing its market share since its acquisition by NBK. NBK will continue its strategy to support Boubyan Bank by providing the bank with expertise and guidance. NBK is fully committed to the independence of the two banks according to the provisions of Sharia law, said Al Sager. The General Assembly gave approval to NBK to increase its authorised capital from KD504 million to KD600 million ($1.67 billion to $1.99 billion). The approved increase in authorized capital gives NBK the flexibility to increase its paid-in-capital at a later stage, if needed. "This will allow the bank to better manage the timing of any potential increase in paid-in-capital to continue capturing growth opportunities, especially in Kuwait as the governments capital spending plan remains intact," he added. The AGM also saw the board approve cash dividends equivalent to 30 per cent of the nominal value of the share (30 fils per share) to the shareholders of the bank. The AGM also approved the distribution of bonus shares of 5 per cent (5 shares for every 100 shares) to the shareholders as of the last working day prior to the day of the share price adjustment.-TradeArabia News Service Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), has joined hands with the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence (DCCE) to launch a key initiative to neutralise all carbon emissions during Earth Hour today (March 19). This will be achieved by adopting the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) across all Dewa projects based on the Kyoto protocol, which is directly linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said a senior official. Earth Hour is being organised by Dewa in partnership with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and the Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS) in association with the World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF, and in co-operation with Dubai Properties Group. The Dubai utility aims to reduce carbon emissions by scheduling the event to take place during the time period in which people would usually be travelling in carbon-emitting vehicles, such as planes or cars, resulting in a zero-carbon emissions. On the new initiative, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, the vice-chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, and managing director and chief executive of Dewa, said: "Our commitment to reducing carbon emissions has been adopted as part of our environmental strategy, which focuses on limiting emissions, and providing a clean environment for the people of Dubai." Dewa, he stated, strives to achieve its vision of becoming a sustainable innovative world-class utility. It has become a regional pioneer for protecting natural resources and reducing carbon emissions using the CDM, to provide a better future, for generations to come," he added. Waleed Salman, the chairman of DCCE, said: "We support Dewas strategy to improve environmental preservation, and limit carbon emissions. This strategy features a framework to improve local energy projects, in line with the Dubai Sustainable Development Strategy." "We also exert all efforts to enhance, support and organise carbon neutral Earth Hour activities. We are committed to developing this partnership to organise further activities in the future," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Renowned Bollywood actress and film producer Raveena Tandon visited Thumbay Hospital, Fujairah to endorse the hospitals campaign Promoting Safe Motherhood on Saturday. Hundreds of patients and visitors rushed to catch a glimpse of the star, as she formally launched the campaign, said a statement from Thumbay Group. Raveena was given a warm welcome at the hospital by the members of the hospital management. Accompanied by them, she toured the hospitals facilities and interacted with the staff, patients and visitors and obliged autographs. The celebrity was all praise for the advanced facilities of the hospital. She also awarded prizes to the winners of the lucky draw held in connection with Promoting Safe Motherhood. Thumbay Group said it delivers healthcare services at four hospitals in the country including Ajman, Dubai, Sharjah and Fujairah besides a 25-chair dental hospital in Dubai and five clinics in the emirates.-TradeArabia News Service China-based Sinosteel Company has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) to implement alumina, aluminium and power house plans, said a report. The production plan capacity for Alumina Powder Company is 1.6 million tonnes, for aluminium ingot is 350,000 tonnes and for combined cycle power house plant is 1000 MW, added the Iran Daily News report, citing IRNA. Both companies have appointed an urgent work group to provide implementation steps of this MoU and aim at implementing the second phase of the plan with two-fold increase in capacity, said the report. The president of Sinosteel expressed his interest in boosting cooperation with Iran in post-sanction era. Referring to direct financing and investment of these three projects, Huang Tianwen said that the company cooperated with big Iranian steel companies previously and are trying to develop relations now. Mahdi Karbasian, IMIDROs chairman of the board of executive directors also welcomed Sinosteel's investment in Iran and requested for implementing these plans in accordance with up-to-date environmental standards and technologies. Karbasian added that Chinese banks' support for these plans would be regarded as a factor of timely implementation of plans and fulfillment of commitments, added the report. Five people including a suicide bomber were killed and 36 wounded in an attack on a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul on Saturday, in the fourth suicide bombing to hit Turkey this year. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on part of Istiklal Street, a long pedestrian street lined with global shops and foreign consulates, a few hundred metres from an area where police buses are often parked. Two Turkish officials told Reuters evidence suggested the attacker was likely from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or the Islamic State militant group. Nato member Turkey faces security threats from both the PKK in the mainly Kurdish southeast and has also been a target for Islamist militants. One of the official said the bomber had planned to hit a more crowded spot. "The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the targeted point because they were scared of the police," the official said, declining to be named because the investigation is ongoing. Armed police sealed off the shopping street where half a dozen ambulances had gathered. Forensic teams in white suits scoured the area for evidence. Police helicopters buzzed overhead and panicked shoppers fled the area, ducking down narrow sidestreets. "My local shopkeeper told me someone had blown himself up and I walked towards the end of the street," one neighbourhood resident told Reuters. "I saw a body on the street. No one was treating him but then I saw someone who appeared to be a regular citizen trying to do something to the body. That was enough for me and I turned and went back." Istiklal Street, usually thronged with shoppers on weekends, was quieter than normal before the blast as more people are staying home after a series of deadly bombings. Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu confirmed that 36 people had been wounded and seven of those were in serious condition. Twelve of the wounded were foreigners, he said. Israel's foreign ministry confirmed some of its citizens were among the wounded. Broadcaster NTV said six of the wounded were Israeli tourists and two others were from Iceland. "We as a nation are unfortunately now face to face with a situation of unlimited, immeasurable acts that are inhumane, defy human values and are treacherous," Muezzinoglu said. A suicide car bombing in the capital Ankara killed 37 people this month. A similar bombing in Ankara last month killed 29 people. A Kurdish militant group has claimed responsibility for both of those bombings. In January, a suicide bomber killed around 10 people, most of them German tourists, in Istanbul's historic heart, an attack the government blamed on Islamic State. The attack brought swift condemnation from around the globe. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was on an official visit to Istanbul, described the bombing as an attack that showed "the ugly face of terrorism". France condemned the attack as "despicable and cowardly". Germany, which this week shut its embassy, consulate and schools in Ankara and Istanbul over security fears, urged tourists in Istanbul to stay in their hotels. Turkey's Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a Kurdish-rooted opposition party, condemned the bombing. "Just as in the Ankara attack, this is a terrorist act that directly targets civilians," the HDP said in an e-mailed statement. "Whoever carried out this attack, it is unacceptable and inexcusable." Turkey is fighting Islamic State in neighbouring Syria and Iraq. It is also battling PKK militants in its southeast, where a 2-1/2-year ceasefire collapsed last July, triggering the worst violence since the 1990s. In its armed campaign in Turkey, the PKK has historically struck directly at the security forces and says that it does not target civilians. However, the recent bombings suggest it could be shifting tactics. The PKK is looking to carry out attacks aggressively during the Newroz spring holiday around March 21, the official said. Newroz is largely celebrated by Kurds in Turkey and has in past years seen violent clashes between demonstrators and the security forces.-Reuters Bahrain's Civil Defence personnel safely evacuated around 300 people, including 24 children as a fire broke out at The Domain Hotel and Spa in capital Manama. The fire broke out at 12.30pm on the 28th floor and soon soon the floor was engulfed in thick smoke, according to the Ministry of Interior. Seven fire engines were pressed into service to battle the blaze, which forced an emergency evacuation of guests and hotel staff, the ministry said in its twitter account. On information, the Civil Defence teams rushed to spot within no time and prevented the fire from spreading into nearby rooms, it stated citing the deputy general director of Civil Defence. The initial investigations pointed towards short circuit as the likely cause. No injuries were reported, it added. Leading Italian brand for womenswear and accessories Stefanel has announced the opening of its first mono-brand store at one of the largest shopping destinations in the world, The Dubai Mall. Located in the heart of the prestigious Downtown Dubai, the mall attracts an average of 80 million visitors a year, and it has been selected by Stefanel as a strategic location for brand development in the region. The new store has been launched in partnership with Paris Gallery Group of Companies, a company specialized in the retail and distribution of luxury brands and franchising of high-end fashion brands in the Middle East. It features a commercial area of 150 sq. m. with two windows arranged on a single floor, dedicated to Stefanel womenswear and accessories. The Middle East will take an increasing importance for Stefanel. The Italian brand is planning to create a capsule collection dedicated to the local market and is developing an opening plan in the area that includes a second opening in the UAE - Abu Dhabi - and entry into neighbouring countries with high potential such as Kuwait and Iran. Stefanel made its debut in the Middle East region in 2014 when the brand opened two stores in Saudi Arabia at Al Khobar and captal Riyadh, with a total retail area of 210 sq m. With the opening of the Dubai Mall, the flagship stores in the area go up to three, a number expected to double within 2017.-TradeArabia News Service Photos on display The Casper Photography Association is participating in an exhibit of photography at the Nicolaysen Art Museum through April 10. Members are sharing with the public some of their best photographs. They range from scenic to abstract to portraits and more. This years participants are Lyn Clark, Sam Sherman, Harry Buhler, Peter Ashbaugh, Marlene Sandri Ashbaugh, Nancy Patrick, Lolena Shambaugh, Dennis Shambaugh, Frank Neville, Rob Corbin, Jess Burgardt, Rose Fry, Sue Regennas, Neil Current and Bruce Nichols. The purpose of the Casper Photography Association is to further members knowledge and enjoyment of photography by sharing important concepts, new developments and personal experiences and by encouraging participation in group photographic activities. The Casper Photography Association meets the first Monday of each month unless that Monday falls on a holiday, then it will be the following Monday. The meeting time is 7:30 p.m. at the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Building, 2211 King Blvd. Come through the east door. The public is welcome. Sam Sherman 265-8437 Civil Air Patrol meets Civil Air Patrol meets from 7 to 9 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month at Casper National Guard Armory, 5905 CY Ave. For more information, call 259-0855. Spring for Casper Charla Would you like to practice conversational Spanish or help others learn? Come and join the Casper Charla! Te gustaria platicar en espanol? Ven y charla con nosotros! Todos son bienvenidos! Come and join us from 5 to 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month this spring. We meet at a different Mexican restaurant and partake in food, drink and conversation. All levels of Spanish are welcome, from beginning to native speakers. Nos reunimos los miercoles en varios restaurantes mexicanos en Casper. Ven por una copa, un antojito o simplemente una charlita. Wednesdays: Don Juans, April 13: Guadalajara, May 11: La Cocina. For more information, call Eric Atkins at 268-3116 or Joanne Theobald at 268-2255. CAP Cadets meet Civil Air Patrol Cadets (ages 12-18) meet from 7 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday at Casper National Guard Armory, 5905 CY Ave. For more information, call 259-0855. NARFE meets Casper Chapter #358 of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) will have a business meeting at noon on Tuesday, March 22, 2016. The meeting will be held in the meeting room at the Casper Senior Center at 1831 East 4th Street. Our guest speaker will be Lyle Myler with the Bureau of Reclamation Casper Area Office. He will be making a presentation on the reservoir storage, present and forecast, for BR dams on the North Platte River in Wyoming. Caps 4 Kids Wednesday Do you knit or crochet? If so, we welcome you to attend our next gathering on Wednesday, March 23, 2016, at the Central Wyoming Senior Center, 1831 East 4th Street in Casper. We make stocking caps for the young and not-so-young of Wyoming. Patterns are available, or bring your own favorite design. Yarn is provided. In the latter months fo 2015, over 2,000 caps were delivered to schools, charities, Veterans, and others in the community. We meet the fourth Wednesday of the months from January through October, from 1 to 2:30 or 3 p.m., depending on each persons schedule. Please contact the Senior Center at 265-4678 if you need additional information. History buffs meet March 24 This months Natrona County Historical Society meeting will be at 7 p.m., on Thursday, March 24, at the Oil & Gas Building. Our speaker will be Peggy Brooker, talking about the National Historic District in Casper, plus two more Districts that will soon come to fruition! Peggy Brooker has been the coordinator of the Casper Historic Preservation Commission since 1989. She is a graduate of Colorado State University with a degree in education and has worked for Kirkwood Oil and Gas since 1987. She has acquired numerous grants from the State Historic Preservation Office and completed many projects supporting history in Casper including interpretive signage, tour brochures, and many National Register nominations. She is also a member of the Natrona County Historical Society. Gold prospectors meet Wednesday The Casper Chapter of the Gold Prospectors Association of America will hold its March meeting at 7 p.m., on March 23, at the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Building, 2211 King Blvd. Enter through the east door. Our speaker this month will be Karl Osvald, senior geologist with the BLMs Wyoming State Offices reservoir management group. His presentation is Meteorites: Starry Messengers, Poor Mans Space Program or Prospectors El Dorado? Everyone is invited, so come early to ensure a seat. For more information about GPAA or the Casper chapter, or about prospecting in general, call Rick Messina at 234-0244. Easter egg hunt March 26 Easter Egg Hunt at 11 a.m., on Saturday, March 26, in the City Park across from the Elks Lodge. For ages 1 or walking to 12 years of age. Bring all the kiddos down for a fun-filled time of finding eggs and getting prizes. For more information, call 234-4839. Easter Brunch at Elks Easter Brunch at the Elks from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 27. Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, french toast, fried potatoes, baked ham, baron of beef, mashed potatoes with brown gravy, hard boiled eggs, vegetable tray, tossed salad, fruit salad, crepes, coffee, tea and juice. Cost is adults $12, children 6 to 12 $6, 5 and under free with a paying adult. Please make reservations for parties larger than six people! Open to the public. For more information, call 234-4839. Petroleum ladies meet March 29 The Ladies of the Petroleum Club will hold a luncheon at 12:30 p.m., on March 29 in the Banquet Room. Cyd Grieve, Casper College instructor, will present a program about Ella Watson (Cattle Kate), who was accused of cattle rustling and was hanged on July 20, 1889, the only woman to be hanged in Wyoming. Grieve received a masters degree in social history from the University of Glasgow in Scotland after graduating from the University of Wyoming. The telephone committee will call for reservations. If you have not been called and wish to attend, please contact Metta Martin at 235-1044 or Mary Walford at 237-8191. Flycasters host banquet The Wyoming Flycasters will be holding their 41st Annual Spring Banquet on Sunday, April 3. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a cash bar, raffles, and silent auction. Tickets are $35 per person. Each ticket sold will be automatically entered into the grand door prize drawing of a float trip from one of our generous donors. A portion of this years proceeds will go towards Project Healing Waters, a potential new youth fishing program, and our many conservation efforts. Auction and raffle items include, but are not limited to- rood and reel sets, guns, art work, and a vacation home rental for house in Costa Rica, just blocks from the beach! To buy your tickets, please call Cheryl at 267-1903. Tickets are also available downtown at the Ugly Bug Fly Shop. Raffle tickets for the firearms can be purchased by calling Cheryl Wilson at 267-1903 as well. Need not be present to win. Auto club meets Members of the Oil Capitol Auto Club are reminded and encouraged to attend the April 6 Memorial Day Car Show meeting to be held at Stan and Judys house. The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. as usual. All members and interested parties are urged to attend as volunteers are always welcome, as are committee heads. For any questions or further information please contact Jerry Barton at 251-1377. NARFE social set Casper Chapter #358 of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) will have a no-host Social Meeting on April 26, 2016 at noon. The meeting will be held in the meeting room at the Casper Senior Center at 1831 West 4th Street. Dems hold county convention April 9 The Natrona County Democratic Convention to choose our presidential candidate is to be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 9, at the Gateway Building at Casper College. To be eligible, voters must be registered as a Democrat by March 25. Attendees can preregister for the convention at wyodems.org and can contact Eric Nelson (ericnelsonwyo@gmail.com) or Brett Governanti (bgovernanti@gmail.com) for more information. Boy Scout, Cub Scout meetings The River Bend District Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs in Casper are always eager to accept new members. Boys may join at any time of the year. Following is a list of Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops that meet weekly in Casper, along with leader names, phone numbers, meeting places and meeting times. Cub Scout Packs: Monday, 6 p.m., First Christian Church, Pack 1013, Scott Hawley, 258-4572 Tuesday, 6 p.m., First United Methodist Church, Pack 1121, Lindy Schweda, 315-2390 Tuesday, 5 p.m., St. Marks Episcopal Church, Pack 1094, Sarah Ann Feeney, 267-4505 Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., Elks Lodge, Pack 1167, Eric Nelson, 333-2796 Thursday, 7 p.m., Our Saviours Lutheran Church, Pack 1030, Brian Bridges, 262-5226 Thursday, 7 p.m., Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, Pack 1002, Tom McCarthy, 277-1420 Boy Scout Troops: Monday, 7 p.m., First Christian Church, Troop 1013, Steven Hollister, 337-1197 Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., St. Marks Episcopal Church, Troop 1094, Gregg Novotny, 215-4490 Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Elks Lodge, Troop 1167, Adam Sievers, 333-4575 Tuesday, 7 p.m., Christ United Methodist Church, Troop 1060, Nancy Engstrom, 237-2205 Information provided by Sarah (Sally) Binkley, 250-7290. The Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps members are in Mesquite, Texas, this weekend, hearing for the first time from staff about the reasoning and strategy behind the 10-minute performance they will be undertaking this summer. Hero, is the theme of the performance, because, as director Fred Morris explained, there is no one on the field or in the stands who cant relate to this. More than 400 teens and young adults auditioned to be a Trooper this year, and the 150 slots are all but filled and tuition is paid months before the group hits the road on its grinding 12-week marathon. The 2016 show will have a different emphasis with each musical number, and each of the four portions will honor someone who has overcome or succumbed to a challenge. The first group honored will be military, active and veteran, as the music performed is Walking with Heroes. People living with HIV/AIDS, as well as those who work with them, will also be honored. It will be a particularly poignant moment for the drum corps activity nationwide, Morris predicts. The activity has lost several well-known and well-loved people to this disease, Morris said. And so everyone will join us in paying tribute to them. An original piece by Troopers music arranger Robert Smith will honor first responders, including firefighters and police. We know what theyve gone through, and we honor them with this very, very powerful music, Morris said. Coldplays Fix You will be the final and most emotional portion of the show, honoring breast cancer survivors and mourning those who have died from the disease. We will be using the Color Guard to portray each of these different groups, Morris said, and there will be no doubt who it is that we are honoring. The Troopers will hold preseason camp once again in Indiana and will participate in the Indianapolis 500 kickoff festivities on Memorial Day weekend. They will have two Wyoming appearances this summer July 8 at Natrona County High School in Casper for Drums Along the Rockies, and in the Laramie Jubilee Days Parade on the morning of July 9. The Casper show will feature the Cavaliers of Rosemont, Illinois. It will be the suburban Chicago groups first visit to Casper since 1977. Many former Troopers and Cavaliers have friendships spanning more than 40 years, and Morris expects a reunion of those veterans to be significant in size. While the performance corps is full, Morris is seeking adult assistance throughout the summer, most specifically to drive vehicles for periods of time, as well as to cook during Finals Week in August in Indiana. To volunteer, visit the Troopers website at troopersdrumcorps.org and click on the volunteer link. Liz Cheney and her parents are headed to another out-of-state fundraising event for her U.S. House campaign, this one Washington, with many prominent Republicans in attendance. Politico reports the event will be held Wednesday at the Capitol Hill Club. Former Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne, will attend. People who contribute $5,400 to Liz Cheney, a Republican who moved to Wilson in 2012, will have a private dinner after a reception. Cheneys campaign manager, Bill Novotny, said in an email she is raising money inside and outside the state. At this crucial moment in our states history, Liz is committed to raising and spending what it takes to ensure that Wyoming has a proven constitutional conservative with deep local roots representing us in the House of Representatives, he said. Lizs supporters are hosting fundraisers for her in Casper, Cheyenne and Cody in the next few weeks, and we are honored to have received donations from every county in Wyoming. We look forward to having all fundraising information for every candidate in this race available when our first quarter fundraising report is filed on April 15. The D.C. event is at least the second in which Cheney has left the state in solicitation of campaign cash. On Feb. 22, she visited Chicago at a fundraiser hosted by the owners of the Chicago Cubs. On March 29, she and Dick Cheney are scheduled to visit Denver. John Meena, one of the Cheneys 11 opponents in the race, questioned why she has to leave Wyoming. I would say its counterintuitive to go out of the state of Wyoming to request money to represent Wyomingites, said Meena, an independent. It doesnt follow any rational thought pattern in my mind. Politico is reporting that numerous other influential people will join the Cheneys at the Washington fundraiser, including former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former U.S. Rep. Bill Paxon of New York, former White House chief of staff Josh Bolten and Republican consultant Mary Matalin, who campaigned with Cheney in 2013 during her short-lived challenge to U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi. Novotny added that a number of Wyomingites are hosting the event: Paul and Judy Cali from Cody and Randall Luthi from Freedom. On April 15, when the first round of campaign finance reports is due, Meena does not plan to file a report. There will be no money to show, he said. What I plan on doing is not fundraising one penny, he said. I dont think anyone should give me one penny. Its representing your state. You dont need money to represent something you love. You just have to love it, care for it. Instead, Meena plans to campaign through social media and talking to people over the phone, he said. He doesnt plan to spend much of his own money, either. Meena, who lives near Buford, is a database administrator and accountant for the Wyoming School Facilities Department. Im just your average American. I dont have any money, he said. Darin Smith is one of the 10 Republicans in the race. The Cheyenne attorney who works on humanitarian issues for the Christian Broadcasting Network said Friday afternoon he absolutely does not plan to leave the state to raise money for his campaign. However, I know people around the country, and if these individuals (outside Wyoming) choose to contribute to my campaign, I will not turn it down, he said. When it comes to air quality, children have the most to gain and the most to lose. Children face different risks from air pollutants than adults: They breathe faster, taking more air into their lungs as compared with adults; spend more time outdoors; and their lungs, nervous endocrine and immune systems are still developing. Outdoor air pollution is linked to a host of respiratory problems in children, including coughing, wheezing, more frequent respiratory illnesses, and asthma. Nearly 10 percent of children in Wyoming suffer from asthma, and it is well understood that poor air quality is a trigger for asthma exacerbation. Those of us who advocate for healthy kids should take interest in Wyomings statewide proposal to strengthen controls on oil and gas emissions. Wyomings proposal has important health implications and arguably impacts kids more than nearly any other group in the state. With one important caveat the failure to comprehensively address leaks the proposal is a good start in addressing the health risks associated with oil and gas emissions and a step forward in protecting childrens health. The proposal would reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds, which include gases recognized as hazardous air pollutants. Among these are benzene and formaldehyde, both recognized as known human carcinogens, and ethylbenzene, considered a probable carcinogen. VOCs are also precursors to the formation of ozone when they react with nitrogen oxides in the presence of sunlight. By limiting emissions of VOCs, Wyomings oil and gas proposal will reduce the amount of ozone formed in the air and, consequently, the incidence of ozone-related health effects, including asthma attacks, hospital admissions, and premature deaths. There is plenty of data on how air pollution negatively impacts childrens health. In the prenatal period, poor air quality contributes to miscarriage, prematurity and low birth weight and can be compared to the effects of second-hand tobacco smoke. Countries with poor air quality have higher infant death rates. Children who live with polluted air have more upper respiratory tract infections and higher rates of asthma. These asthmatics have more serious asthma symptoms than those who have asthma in areas with better air quality thus requiring more medication and the resulting side effects. These problems persist into adulthood and result in increased illness throughout life and decreased life expectancy. The good news is that studies have also shown that interventions produce improvements in health. Reducing VOCs and related air pollutants from oil and gas operations can be expected to improve outdoor air quality, reduce cancer risks from air toxins, and reduce the health effects associated with ozone. Curtailing oil and gas emissions will particularly reduce the exposure to those most vulnerable. The link between respiratory health and air quality is beyond dispute. This is why Wyomings proposal creating statewide controls on oil and gas industrial air emissions will only fully protect our citizenry if it addresses all significant sources of air pollution, including leak emissions. Unintentional leaks from oil and gas equipment are the second-largest source of air pollution from these industrial operations, according to the industrys own data. To achieve full potential in protecting children (and the health of the public at large), the proposal must address leak emissions from industrial equipment. These emissions add up to a significant amount of harmful air pollution and there are achievable and cost-effective measures to detect and repair leaks. In fact, oil and gas operators are already complying with quarterly leak detection and repair protocol elsewhere in the state. Omitting this important provision from the statewide proposal undermines the health benefits that could otherwise be achieved. Limiting methane waste makes sense from a business perspective, too since every captured molecule is one that can be sold to the benefit of the industry, mineral holders and the state. Improving air quality also saves money by reducing hospital admissions, emergency room visits and missed school and work. In developing a Wyoming-made strategy for addressing industrial emissions from our oil and gas sector, our state has a tremendous opportunity to better protect children, and all Wyoming citizens. The statewide proposal, provided it appropriately addresses leak emissions, can achieve that result and help bring our children a healthier world. A former preschool in central Tucson is getting a grown-up makeover really grown-up. The 5,900-square-foot facility, where the sound of pitter-patter once could be heard, soon will echo with the recalls of remember whens. The Regency Senior Club, an adult day health-care center, is under construction at Campbell Plaza, near Campbell Avenue and Glenn Street. The center will enter the market with a niche that is dramatically underserved, given the demographics of Pima County, experts say. Until Regency opens, only three facilities in Tucson offer care for seniors by the hour or by the day. It can really make a difference in helping the care recipient stay in the home longer, said Sandy Davenport, a caregiver specialist with the Pima Council on Aging. A day health-care facility is intended for seniors who are not able to go to a senior center for shared meals, for example. These centers also offer caregivers the chance to go out to lunch, run an errand or just take a break. Its a wonderful kind of program, Davenport said. It stimulates the brain, reduces isolation and prompts social interaction, because a lot of times people are sitting at home in front of the television. THE PERSONAL SIDE That was exactly the motive for starting the senior club, owner Elaine Wozniak said. A geriatric nurse practitioner, Wozniak got the idea when she visited her father at such a facility in New Jersey. I see this not only from the business side but from the personal side, she said. Although the center wont be completed until summer, Wozniak is already getting a lot of queries about the service, especially from assisted-living homes. Often the adult kids arent ready to put mom or dad in a home and just seek a break a few hours a day or a few days a week, which assisted-living homes dont offer. Among the services offered at the Regency club will be meals catered by the Viscount Suite Hotel served on dinner plates and with cloth napkins. They wont be eating out of Styrofoam, Wozniak said. The center will have a one-sink salon, shower and hygiene services, vaccines, mobile podiatry and ear wax removal clinics. It will accept clients ages 60 and up with dementia or other health issues, and also will host a monthly caretaker-support group. At capacity, which is 101 customers, Wozniak plans to hire 29 employees and knows exactly who she wants on her team. Ive seen and worked with the people I want, who dont see this as a job but a labor of love. she said. My God-given gift is my love of the elderly. TEAM EFFORT Fulfilling the dream of opening the Regency club entailed a tough, two-year journey for Wozniak. Lenders closed the door on me, she said. Then she was referred to a commercial broker whose father had Alzheimers disease. I fell in love with what her goal was for our community, said Lori Casey, with Oxford Realty. This one really struck a chord because I know the need, and seeing Elaine interact with older patients she just has a natural gift. You cant just train someone to do that. Casey connected Wozniak with Mike Hanley, president of the Bank of Tucson. They met for more than two hours. Wozniak showed him her business plan and the services she wanted to provide at the club. He totally believed in this, he was so enthused, Wozniak said. Now, hes my mentor. Hanley advised against hiring a chef and retrofitting the kitchen. Instead, he connected her with Viscount Suites to arrange catering. He also connected her with Caldwell Construction, which is overseeing the remodeling of the former preschool. Im so proud of her and what were doing, said Hanley, who considers himself a team member. Im thrilled to be part of it from the financing side and also because of what we can do for Tucsons elderly population. Originally, Wozniak was looking at a site in Oro Valley, but Hanley advised against it. I sat down with her and explained the illogic of going way out there, Hanley said. This is something for working people who are likely coming into town. Being way out there would take her off the grid. The scarcity of day health-care centers for seniors was surprising to Hanley. I think we can easily put up four or five more in the Tucson area, he said. If you look at the proliferation of hospices and assisted-living facilities, its a closet industry. ITS A CLUB The Regency center is being set up as a members club. The three levels of membership each include perks, such as ear-wax removal or free haircuts. The gold membership, for people who attend five days a week, is $250 a year. The silver membership, for attendance three or four days a week, is $500 a year. The bronze membership, for attendance one or two days a week, is $750 a year The daily stay must be at least 4 hours and the hourly rate with membership is $13.50. A separate, non-member hourly rate is being calculated. Members will get first priority. Arizona Long Term Care, the Veterans Administration and private long-term-care insurance pays for daycare services. Medicare does not. The Regency Club will be open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The hours will evolve as clients tell us they need an earlier drop-off or later pickup, Wozniak said. Transportation services will be added as the club membership grows, she said. Her goal is to have 40 members preregistered by the time it opens this summer. PHOENIX College graduates are gems when it comes to any states economy, and a recent study shows Arizona is not succeeding at keeping its treasure. The Phoenix area ranks as the worst large metro area in the U.S. for retaining grads from two- and four-year colleges and universities, according to new data from the Brookings Institutions Metropolitan Policy Program, as provided to and mapped by CityLab. Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale retains 36.3 percent of grads from both two- and four-year institutions, and just 18 percent of grads from four-year institutions. (Tucson wasnt ranked in the study.) Compare that brain drain with the best: The Detroit area retains 77.7 percent of its two- and four-year grads, likely thanks to the proximity of colleges, CityLab wrote. And to file under not surprised: The New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island area retain 71.1 percent of its grads from four-year institutions. Whos doing better than Phoenix, and why? After Detroit, the areas that keep the most two- and four-year grads are Houston, New York, Seattle and Atlanta. Among areas that keep the most grads from four-year institutions, New York is followed by Riverside, California; Detroit, Houston and San Jose. Large metros like these benefit from an array of employment opportunities, as well as large concentrations of young grads and other amenities, CityLab wrote. On the worst lists, Phoenix is accompanied by Providence, Rhode Island; Hartford, Connecticut; Austin, Texas; and Rochester, New York; for two- and four-year grads. What does this mean? Each Arizona college graduate contributes $660,000 to the state economy over his or her lifetime through increased earnings, paying more in taxes and depending less on social services, according to a study released in January. That study, commissioned by the non-profit College Success Arizona, says increasing the number of college graduates will be essential to the states economic competitiveness. For years, Arizona has lagged the national average in percentage of adults with college degrees, with 37 percent of adults having at least an associates degree, compared with 40 percent nationally. Q: I was married to my husband for over 30 years. He was an old-fashioned man who said that a womans place is in the home, so he never let me get an outside job. Therefore, I have no Social Security of my own. On the other hand, he was a doctor, and made a very nice living. Im sure he will be due a comfortable Social Security retirement benefit. About two years ago, he dumped me and married one of his young nurses. At least our divorce decree left me with our house and a little bit of money. I am about to turn 62. He is 66. I am trying to decide if I should file for my share of his Social Security now, or if I should wait until I am older and get a higher rate. My husband wont tell me if he has applied for Social Security and/or how much he is due. So I called the Social Security help line and was told that the law prevented them from telling me what I am due on his Social Security account. How can I make a decision if I dont have all the facts? A: First I am going to give you a ballpark estimate of what you might be due on Dr. Wonderfuls Social Security account. Then I will help you get more precise information from your Social Security office. Because your ex was a doctor, lets assume he paid the maximum amount into Social Security all his life, meaning he will likely qualify for a very high monthly Social Security benefit. That rate is currently in the $2,600 range. At age 62, youd be due about a third of that, or around $870 per month. If you wait until you are 66 years old to file, then you would get a 50 percent rate, or $1,300. But you should be able to get precise figures from the Social Security Administration. You said you tried but were told they couldnt share that information with you. Im afraid you talked to a bit of an overzealous Social Security clerk who is taking the laws about privacy of Social Security records a little too literally. I recall my first few days as a trainee with SSA many years ago. One of the first things drilled into our heads was that something called The Privacy Act prevented us from disclosing any information about anyones Social Security record to anyone else other than the record holder him/herself. Almost all Americans agree that the law makes sense. You certainly dont want the government sharing earnings or benefit information from your Social Security files with other people. And other people means everyone including spouses. This isnt much of an issue for most married couples. For example, I know my wifes Social Security benefit and she knows what I am getting. Thats because we share that information with each other. And if we werent that kind of a sharing couple, I would not be able to call SSA to find out what she is getting and she would not be able to call SSA to find out what I am getting. However, as you are experiencing, this spirit of sharing sometimes goes out the window with a divorce. And if your husband wont tell you anything about his Social Security affairs, where can you get the information you need to decide when to file for your share of his Social Security? The answer is from a more informed and reliable clerk at your local Social Security office. They will NOT be able to tell you if your husband has applied for Security benefits or how much he is getting (or what he is potentially due). But they can tell you how much you would be eligible for on his account. In order to get that information, youre going to have to prove to them that you are who you say you are and that you are potentially due divorced wifes benefits on his account. So you will need your own ID, and you will have to show them a marriage certificate and divorce papers. And it will greatly help if you have your exs Social Security number. Some readers may have heard rumors that recent changes in the law prevent a divorced woman from getting Social Security benefits on an ex-husbands Social Security record until he has actually filed for benefits himself. But that is not true. A divorced woman can file for Social Security benefits on her exs account even if he has not actually filed himself. He has to be at least 62 years old and potentially eligible for Social Security benefits, but he does not have to be an actual Social Security beneficiary. Q: My husband and I divorced after a 20-year marriage when we were in our 40s. At the time, Social Security was the farthest thing from my mind, so I gave away my rights to his Social Security by signing the divorce papers. Now Im 63 and about to retire and thinking about Social Security. My ex died several years ago. He was married to a woman who is in her 40s. I never remarried. Is there anything I can do to get that Social Security exclusion clause removed from our divorce papers so I might be able to get his Social Security? A: You dont have to change anything with respect to your divorce papers. If your husband, or his lawyer, included a clause in the divorce decree to the effect that you are not entitled to any of his Social Security (which, by the way, is a fairly common practice), you can laugh all the way to the bank! That is an absolutely worthless legal prank. Or to put that another way, federal law trumps anything a lawyer might scribble into a divorce decree. And federal law says that if you were married to him for at least 10 years, and are currently unmarried, and meet a few other eligibility requirements, then you are due benefits on his Social Security record. And youd have the same options any other widow has. By that I mean you could apply for reduced widows benefits on his record now and then at 66, switch to 100 percent from your own Social Security retirement account. Or wait until 70 and get 132 percent. So you should call Social Security at 800-772-1213 and make an appointment to file for divorced widows benefits. Palm Sunday to mark church merger Grace St. Pauls Episcopal Church, 2331 E. Adams St., is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the merger of Grace and St. Pauls Episcopal churches at its 10 a.m. service on Palm Sunday, March 20. On March 24, 1991, worshippers walked from St. Pauls on North Vine Avenue and East Speedway to the churchs current location, according to press materials. For information, call 327-6857 or visit gsptucson.org Purim show to spoof Book of Mormon Temple Emanu-Els Purim Extravaganza is a musical titled The Book of Esther. The G-rated musical, inspired by Broadways The Book of Mormon, will begin 10 a.m. Sunday, March 20. A carnival will follow the performance, according to press materials. The performance is free, but carnival wristbands cost $20 for the first with food and $15 for each additional wristband with food, or $15 for the first wristband without food and $10 for each additional wristband without food. Temple Emanu-El, 225 N. Country Club Road, will also host a Purim Pizza Party and Megillah Reading 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, March 23. Pizza is $5 for adults, $2 for kids ages 5 to 12. To make reservations for either event, call 327-4501. For information visit tetucson.org. All-night Inferno reading at St. Philips Starting at 9 p.m. Thursday, March 24, St. Philips in the Hills Episcopal Church, 4440 N. Campbell Ave., will host an all-night reading of Dantes Inferno. The Maundy Thursday tradition is a reminder of the request of Jesus to his followers that they remain awake with him the night before his crucifixion, according to press materials. Readings will take place in 30-minute intervals, include silent meditation and music and conclude at 10 a.m. Friday, March 25. For information, visit stphilipstucson.org or call 299-6421. Pantano to hold day of Easter activities The New Life Celebration at Pantano Christian Church, 1755 S. Houghton Road, includes egg hunts, train rides and a petting zoo, among other activities. The free event is 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 26. Food will be available for purchase. Three Mexican nationals were arrested and an assault rifle seized on Thursday on the Tohono O'odham Nation near Casa Grande. The men were taken into custody, along with the weapon, cell phones and two-way radios in a desert area near Quijotoa, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release. Agents searched the location by helicopter from Air and Marine Operations after they took a man into custody for entering the country illegally. The man told authorities that he escaped from armed men who where holding him captive about 30 miles north of the international border, officials said. Agents searched an area where they believed the man had been held, and encountered the other two men. Police are investigating a Thursday night confrontation at a north-side trailer park, where a man was shot to death while wielding a machete, authorities said. The dead man was identified as Ricardo Navarette-Torres, 30, said Sgt. Pete Dugan, a Tucson Police Department spokesman, on Friday night. At about 11 p.m., Tucson police responded to a shooting in the 3300 block of North Romero Road, where they located a man who had been shot. Officers provided first aid until members of the Tucson Fire Department arrived and took over, but the man was pronounced deceased at the scene, said Tucson Police spokeswoman, Sgt. Kimberly Bay. The shooter stayed at the scene and was taken into custody without incident. Detectives learned that a man and woman were driving to a a residence in the trailer park, when a man holding a machete approached them near the northern driveway. A confrontation took place at the vehicle and the man who was driving pulled out a gun, shooting the man who was holding the machete, Bay said. No one else was injured in the altercation. Neither of the vehicle's occupants knew the man. Two people were killed in a four-vehicle collision on eastbound Interstate 10 early this morning, authorities said. Shortly after 4 a.m., Northwest Fire District responded to a crash between the Avra Valley and Twin Peaks exits, finding seven victims and four heavily-damaged vehicles at the scene, said department spokesman, Capt. Brian Keeley. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene and one was transported to the hospital. Four people were evaluated by paramedics, but declined to go to the hospital for treatment, Keeley said. Investigators learned that the two deceased individuals were the sole occupants of the two vehicles involved in the first crash. The other two cars and their occupants were involved in a second collision that happened shortly after, Keeley said. As city leaders try to find ways to fill a $25 million budget hole, one revenue proposal to come up has been reinstituting a tax on advertising. But the discussion has brought up issues of tax equity, fairness and logistical questions about how to collect it. Theres a variety of reasons why its not a good idea, said Ed Ackerley of Ackerley Advertising. Among those, Ackerley said, a tax could discourage advertising and damage businesses. Advertising is the fuel of the free-enterprise system, he said. Ackerley used the analogy of pouring water onto a pile of charcoal in a grill then attempting to light those coals to have a barbecue. It defeats the purpose of what you are trying to do, which is generate sales taxes, he said. City Finance Director Joyce Garland provided a written description of how an advertising tax could be administered in the city. In general, advertising would be taxed at 2 percent. City officials estimate the tax could generate $1 million annually. The estimates are based on the citys past history with the tax, which was in place until 1991. Advertising tax is due by the business engaging in the business of local advertising by billboards, direct mail, radio, television, or by any other means, Garland wrote. The tax would be assessed to businesses operating within the city limits. Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik said that brings up tax equity issues. It directly and specifically targets our local businesses, places a new bureaucratic reporting burden on them and taxes the engine we need to get to a healthy generator of sales tax revenue, Kozachik said. He also questioned how a tax would be charged. For instance, what if a national chain restaurant bought advertising on a television station operating within the city limits? Documents Garland provided explained a generalized advertisement for a national restaurant would not be taxed, but if it specified a location within the city its advertisement would be taxable. Ackerley said such a system would penalize local business by forcing them to pay a tax thats not charged in neighboring towns or forcing them to buy advertising with companies outside of the city limits. In some instances, he added, a media company selling advertisements could be reaching the same audience as a company operating within the city limits. The burden falls on the small-business person working in the community, he said. Another potential issue Ackerley sees with the proposal is a conflict with First Amendment protections. Ackerley said such a tax would put the government in a position if taxing protected expression. All of these concerns could be premature, according Tucson City Councilman Paul Cunningham. Its not going forward, Cunningham said. Rather than industry-specific new sales taxes, Cunningham said the council should look toward larger reforms in how it generates taxes and spends money. Were going to put it on the ballot and ask what kind of city people want, he said. Specifically, Cunningham said he wants voters to get the chance to vote on a sales tax that would specify exactly where the money gets spent for police, parks, roads or other needs. Talking about an advertising tax, he said, is a waste of time. Tuition and fees at the University of Arizona would rise by 3.2 percent for state residents and by 7.2 percent for nonresidents next school year under a proposal released Friday. But most current students wouldnt be affected because their rates were set in years past and locked in under the UAs guaranteed tuition plan. Those who didnt sign up for guaranteed tuition about one in five undergraduates would see their rates rise by 2.8 percent for state residents and 5.8 percent for nonresidents. More than three-quarters of undergraduate students at the University of Arizona will see zero increase in what they pay to attend, President Ann Weaver Hart said in a statement on the schools website. The tuition proposals were developed with extensive input from UA student leaders, Hart said. Under the proposal: An incoming freshman who lives in Arizona would face a total annual tab of $11,769 in tuition and mandatory fees, an increase of $366. The total for nonresidents will rise by $2,337 to $34,967. Graduate students would pay 2.8 percent more if they live in Arizona and 5.8 percent more if they dont. The increase adds up to an extra $355 for residents and $1,765 more for nonresidents. Students at the UAs Sierra Vista campus would see their total rise by 2.9 percent to $8,803 for residents. Nonresidents would pay 5.9 percent more for a total of $31,265. The Arizona Board of Regents will hold an interactive online tuition hearing March 29 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. In Tucson, the hearing is at Gallagher Theater in the UA Student Union. At the Sierra Vista campus, the hearing is in Academic Technical Building B153. The regents also are taking comments by email at tuition@azregents.edu The board is to vote on tuition proposals for all three state universities at its April 7 meeting on the UA campus. TUSD is looking to replace out-of-date math textbooks for the districts 47,000-plus students an undertaking that would cost millions of dollars. Given that state funding for those kind of purchases has been gutted, the Tucson Unified School District is considering free research-based materials created in part by the New York State Education Department. The Eureka Math curriculum has yet to go before the TUSD Governing Board for approval. It contains lessons and assessments that are aligned with Arizonas new standards, which cannot be said about many of the materials used by students and teachers today. Though there are essential math lessons that will always remain the same, the way students are expected to learn and teachers are expected to teach has changed, said Heidi Aranda, TUSDs senior program coordinator for K-12 mathematics. In the past, the U.S. curriculum has been known for being a mile wide and an inch deep we taught everything every year, and what you find with the new standards is more of a focus at each grade level, she said. For example, fractions previously were taught starting in kindergarten but that concept is now concentrated in third through fifth grades, Aranda said. The age of TUSD math textbooks varies by grade. Middle-schoolers are using books that are seven years old while elementary schools have books that are six years old. The district purchased new books for the high schools in 2013, thinking they were aligned to the new state standards. But thats not the case. Even at the elementary school level, different campuses have materials by different textbook companies. That means even though all schools are required to follow curriculum that maps out what students should be learning and when that should occur, it varies by school. That inconsistency could make it tough for a student who moves to a new school within the district. It is unclear whether TUSD would print the books in their entirety for each student. At a minimum, TUSD would give access to all the lessons so teachers can make copies for class use, Aranda said. Other school districts, like Sunnyside, have turned to free open source materials as a way to provide students with up-to-date resources. Sunnyside uses EngageNY, free math and language arts materials available online through the New York State Education Department, and it is planning to use more open educational resources as they are vetted by district curriculum staff and teachers. The Vail School District reported that it used to spend $500,000 a year on textbooks but has since cut that amount down to $20,000 by utilizing teacher-created resources or from the Internet. The lesson plans are uploaded into the districts Beyond Textbooks program, which school districts and charters in Arizona, California, Wyoming, Idaho and Kentucky, subscribe to and help populate. Beyond the fact that a full K-12 textbook adoption is cost prohibitive, TUSD Superintendent H.T. Sanchez is hesitant to commit limited funds to textbooks at a time when the state standards are being adjusted. We could purchase books over two or three years but by the time were done the standards could be different, he said. And what would we defer to do that? The same source of funding dedicated to repairing tattered roofs is the same source we use for textbooks. The nations first Air Force One, which sat abandoned in the Arizona desert for more than a decade, is almost ready to take flight again. Columbine II, a Lockheed VC-121 Constellation 48-610, which once flew President Dwight D. Eisenhower to his destinations, received a VIP farewell reception Friday night. Among the attendees was Mary Jean Eisenhower, who was born in Washington, D.C., during her grandfathers first term as president. She was christened in the Blue Room of the White House and grew up in nearby Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in a home with property abutting the Eisenhower Farm, where President Eisenhower eventually retired. I remember sitting with the pilots and jabbering, she said as she walked through the aircraft at Marana Regional Airport. This is like going through a time warp. Eisenhower said she was about 5 years old when she got to fly on the presidential plane. She pointed to where Secret Service agents used to sit. Im am very happy its going to be restored, she said. Dynamic Aviation Inc., of Bridgewater, Virginia, bought Columbine II last year, and has a team of mechanics working to get it flight-ready for a trip to Virginia. Company founder Karl D. Stoltzfus Sr. plans to restore the plane to the exact shape it was in when Eisenhower flew in it. As he walked through the plane with Mary Jean Eisenhower, Stoltzfus told of his plan for the restoration. Those buttons that your grandfather pushed are the original ones, he said, pointing to a communications console at what once was the presidents desk. He said the sideways sofas and swivel chairs will be reinstalled. Oh, I remember the swivel seats, Eisenhower said. I made myself sick on one. Eisenhower is the CEO of People to People International, which her grandfather founded in 1956. LOST TO HISTORY FOR A TIME Columbine II became the first Air Force One after a near-collision over New York City in 1953. With President Eisenhower on board, Columbine II identified as Air Force 8610 almost crashed with a commercial plane also numbered 8610. The Federal Aviation Administration then designated the call sign Air Force One for any aircraft the president of the United States was aboard. Columbine II was retired in 1968 and flown to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. When the plane was stripped of its identity, it was also fitted with mismatched landing gear and mistakenly sold in a 1970 surplus auction. Mel Christler unwittingly purchased Columbine II, along with four other decrepit planes. He planned to use the fleet as crop-dusters. A decade later, after Christler had stripped the plane to a shell, he got a call from Robert Mikesh, curator of the Smithsonian Institution, who had uncovered the planes history. Christler tried to restore the original Air Force One to its former glory. By 1990, he had refurbished the plane to flying condition, and flew it to Abilene, Kansas, Eisenhowers hometown, to join the centennial celebration of the communitys favorite son. After that, the plane moved from home to home across the Southwest, until it reached Marana Regional Airport, where it has been since 2005. Once Columbine II leaves the desert and gets its restoration in Virginia, the new owners plan to take the aircraft on air show circuits. An exact date of departure has not been set. Stoltzfus said when it does take off, it will land every few hours for a checkup. An airplane like this tells you when its ready to fly, he said. You dont tell it. Organizers of a neighborhood festival on Tucsons west side want the city to issue a special event liquor license for next month, even though the group still owes it more than $10,000 for last years party. Fiesta Grande of Barrio Hollywood plans to hold its annual street fair and neighborhood party April 9 and 10. The group that organizes the event has more than $10,600 in unpaid invoices pending with the city, records show. My understanding is they are going to get it paid, Tucson City Manager Mike Ortega said. Ortega said he met with the events organizers, a group called Fiesta Grande of Hollywood Inc., and came away confident they can make good on the past bill. He said organizers confirmed a plan was in place to pay the past-due amount and any new charges associated with this years party shortly after the event. Arizona Corporation Commission records show Fiesta Grande of Hollywoods officers are Margaret McKenna, Armida McKenna and Vivian Guevara. Margaret McKenna is a longtime resident of the Barrio Hollywood and former president of the neighborhood association. Requests for comment from the group on the outstanding balance were not answered. Organizers of the event hired off-duty Tucson police officers to provide security at last years event, which also required some work from the citys Parks and Recreation Department. Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik questioned whether the council should provide similar support for the event this year. It doesnt matter which event it is, if you dont pay your bills from the previous year, you shouldnt get a permit for using taxpayer resources until youre either current on your bill or have worked out a plan with the city to get there, Kozachik said. The city requires permits for special events when road closures are needed and alcohol is served. Event coordinators can hire off-duty police officers for security. The Tucson Police Department website notes that rates for off-duty officers vary from $40 to $75 per hour for each officer. Additional charges are assessed if police vehicles are used. Any payment not received by the City within 30 days of initial billing is delinquent and will accrue interest at the rate of 10 percent per annum, the contract for off-duty police provided on the TPD website says. Tucson City Councilwoman Regina Romero said the city needs to be paid for services provided. But, I have no doubt that these bills will paid, Romero said. She said the city still should approve the Fiesta Grande liquor license so this years event can go forward, but would like to see a policy in place to ensure groups holding events dont fall into arrears. Moving forward, I think events like this one in particular that sells liquor for fundraising should pay their bills by the end of the fiscal year or before the next years event, Romero said. Donald Trump has wrapped up his Tucson rally, ending his speech at about 4:10 p.m. by telling a crowd of about 5,000 that they will always remember this day and that they will say the votes they cast for him Tuesday will be their greatest votes ever. He took the stage at about 3:30 p.m. at the Tucson Convention Center, and was repeatedly interrupted by protesters before they were escorted out by police and security. Trump called a protester a "real disgusting guy" and complained they are "taking away our First Amendment rights." The removal of that man temporarily halted the rally action, and the crowd started chanting "USA! USA!" "Get them out of here, get them out of here," Trump said, saying protesters are bad people who would burn the American flag. At one point, someone kicked a protester in the crowd. The crowd was estimated at 5,000, but Trump said some 2,500 more were waiting to get in. He predicted that if Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz or John Kasich came to Tucson, there would be less than 200 people. Trump turned immediately to the border issue, saying as he often does, "We are going to build that way, and Mexico is going to pay for that wall." He estimated the cost at $10 billion. Later in his speech, he pointed to a "Latino Loves Trump" sign, started shouting he loves the woman and asked her to give him the sign. After the woman posed with Trump, he gives her sign back. He said he will unify this country; then waited as more protesters are escorted away. Daniela Munoz Alvarez and Veronica Encinias, a Pueblo High teacher, said they were escorted out of the rally by police and security. They were kicked out because they caring protest signs. It's a private event, they were told. Trump railed repeatedly against Cruz, calling him a liar and a Canadian; and blasted Kasich for voting for NAFTA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. "I made billions of money working with China," Trump boasted. He said trade will improve under his watch. He told the crowd the way he runs his businesses is how the entire country should be run. He will make Apple build its products in the U.S., he said, and added that he will build new infrastructure, new roads as well as 300-mile-an-hour trains. "I will knock hell out of ISIS," he said. He also read from the lyrics of Al Wilson's "The Snake" to explain terrorism in the U.S. He said he will do "numbers" on the trade deal with Iran. "You will be sooo proud of me." Turning to health care, he said he will get rid of ObamaCare, calling it a disaster, and that he will replace it with something that is "so much better." The crowd roared as Trump promised to defend Second Amendment rights. *** The audience applauded wildly as Arpaio previously took the stage. "I didn't think anyone likes me in Tucson," Arpaio quipped. The sheriff said he arrested protesters at Trump's rally in Fountain Hills earlier today, and that he will "pay a visit" to protesters outside the TCC. Former Gov. Jan Brewer has spoken, saying the federal government has failed us miserably. " "He is going to build that wall," Brewer says of Trump. "He is going to restructure the tax structure for you and I." Brewer, author of "Scorpions for Breakfast," says "the establishment" must be reminded that Trump has 2 million more votes than the nearest candidate. State Treasurer Jeff DeWit took the stage before her, praising the audience and calling the people outside "jerks" who have a "First Amendment right to be stupid." The crowd is booing at the mention of President Obama, as a speaker says he will be forced to give the keys to the White House to Trump in January. Earlier, protesters moved to the door at the Tucson Convention Center, where a long line of people waited to get into the rally. They got into each other's faces somewhat, but police kept things under control. The line of Trump supporters stretched around the center, and almost doubled in length between noon and 1 p.m. today. Brewer, a Trump supporter, tweeted a photo of herself in front of Trump's plane at about 1:30 p.m., saying it was about to depart Phoenix for Tucson. Trump himself tweeted a photo of his Phoenix-area rally earlier in the day and wrote, "Thank you Arizona." As they waited in Tucson, peddlers sold a wide variety of Trump campaign merchandise outside the Convention Center, while Trump supporters put finishing touches on their signs. One mom drew an anti-Common Core education message on her 6-year-old daughter's tee-shirt. One small group of silent protesters stood under a tree nearby and a second group gathered in the parking lot. About 1:45 p.m., a more vocal protest erupted, with people yelling "Trump is a racist and so are his supporters." At one point, a man began yelling angrily at a news reporter. Later, inside, he appeared to get in a scuffle, Earlier today, demonstrators matched through a crowd that gathered at the edge of a park in a Phoenix suburb as a Trump campaign rally was set to begin, The Associated Press reported. The protesters, who earlier Saturday had blocked the main highway leading to the event, were outside the perimeter set up by the Secret Service around the main rally site but still surrounded by thousands of Trump backers. Trump's motorcade arrived just as the demonstrators weaved through the crowd. He was set to speak there alongside Arizona's contentious Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The demonstrators were barely visible behind the Trump supporters, who waved signs saying "Hillary for Prison" referring to Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and "Joe for VP," referring to Arpaio. The Republican front-runner is among several presidential candidates visiting Arizona in advance of Tuesday's presidential preference election in the state. Bernie Sanders was in Tucson Friday night and Bill Clinton will campaign for Hillary Clinton here on Sunday. Bernie Sanders has wrapped up his hour-long campaign speech before a crowd of more than 5,000 tonight at the Tucson Convention Center, telling them: "Now is that moment when we look around us and say we can do much, much better." Taking the stage shortly after 7:30 p.m., Sanders began by saying he thinks he can defeat fellow Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in Arizona's presidential preference election on Tuesday. He launched into his regular themes, saying his campaign is supported by working families, not by Wall Street. Sanders joked he is willing to release all of the speeches he gave to Wall Street "zero" as he pushes Clinton to release transcripts of her speeches. He said her SuperPac has taken millions from Wall Street. Many in the crowd booed at any mention of Clinton. Democracy is not about billionaires buying elections, Sanders said, vowing to overturn the Citizens United court ruling. Sanders says he is proud of his support from younger votes, and jokingly tells them not to trust anyone under 30. Sanders warned of a "rigged economy" and said this generation will have a worse standard of living than their parents. He railed against the Walton family that owns Walmart to get their workers off of welfare and pay them a living wage. On the topic of student debt, he asked: "Why are we punishing people for what we want them to do?" Student debt levels are a crisis, he said, and says he would allow the refinancing of that debt at the lowest rates possible. He said there are "cowardly" state legislatures and governors trying to suppress the vote. "We should make it easier to participate in the election process, not harder," he said, urging a large voter turnout Tuesday to help him win. Focusing on what he calls a broken criminal justice system, he said he will invest in jobs and education rather than jails. "I think we are tired of seeing unarmed people being shot," Sanders went on, saying we need to demilitarize local police departments. "One out of five people who go to a doctor and get a prescription, can't afford to get it filled that's crazy," he said, turning to health care issues. "Health care is a right, not a privilege," he said. Talking next about energy issues, Sanders railed against energy companies and said Arizona should lead the U.S. in solar. He will push for "greener" solutions, he said. Lamenting the failure to protect the residents of Flint, Michigan, from lead-tainted water, he suggested a public works program to rebuild the U.S. Before Sanders took the stage, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva introduced him, getting the crowd to boo at his mention of Republican front-runner Donald Trump. Grijalva, a Tucson Democrat, told the crowd Trump "will bring hate to Tucson." Trump will hold a rally at the Tucson Convention Center at 2 p.m. Saturday. Later in the night, Grijalva urged any protesters at Trump's rally here Saturday to use restraint. Clinton has not scheduled a Tucson visit in advance of Tuesday's election, but former President Bill Clinton will campaign in Tucson Sunday on her behalf. "This campaign as far from over, my friends," Grijalva, an early endorser of Sanders, also told the Tucson audience. Sanders' fans started arriving early this afternoon, long before the doors opened. American Idol finalist Crystal Bowersox warmed up the crowd, singing the Star-Spangled Banner. Citing time constraints, Sanders cancelled all planned media interviews tonight in Tucson. A gathering of anime fans called Con Nichiwa also at the TCC is resulting in an eclectic mix of people in downtown Tucson this evening. The TCC also is where the Tucson Symphony Orchestra performs the popular choral work "Carmina Burana" in the Music Hall tonight. The Sanders rally was first-come, first-served as will be his rally in Phoenix on Saturday, March 19, where doors will open at 5 p.m. at Arizona State Fairgrounds, Agriculture Center, 1826 W McDowell Road. The candidate spoke earlier this week to about 7,000 people at the Phoenix Convention Center. Sanders also campaigned in Flagstaff this week. When Sanders visited Tucson last October, some 11,000 supporters overwhelmed Reid Park and lined up beyond the barriers of the amphitheater. Follow tonight's event live below: Bernie Sanders told close to 7,000 people at a rally in Tucson Friday night that he thinks he can defeat fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton in Arizonas presidential preference election on Tuesday. Suggesting his supporters should consider dragging their friends and loved ones to the polls, Sanders said his campaign does better in states with large voter turnouts. The Vermont senator said there are cowardly state legislatures and governors trying to suppress the vote. We should make it easier to participate in the election process, not harder, he said. Taking the stage at the Tucson Convention Center shortly after 7:30 p.m., Sanders launched into his regular themes in a familiar hourlong stump speech, saying his campaign is supported by working families, not by Wall Street. Sanders joked he is willing to release all of the speeches he gave to Wall Street zero as he pushes Clinton to release transcripts of her speeches. He said her super PAC has taken millions from Wall Street. Many in the crowd booed at any mention of Clinton, the former secretary of state. She has not scheduled a Tucson visit in advance of Tuesdays election, but former President Bill Clinton will campaign in Tucson on Sunday on her behalf. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. and he is expected to speak at 2:30 p.m. at Sunnyside High School, 1725 E. Bilby Road. Democracy is not about billionaires buying elections, Sanders told his TCC audience, vowing to overturn the Citizens United high-court ruling that has drastically reshaped campaign finance laws. Sanders said hes proud of his support from younger voters, and jokingly tells them not to trust anyone under 30. He warned of a rigged economy and said this generation will have a worse standard of living than their parents. He railed against the Walton family that owns Walmart to get their workers off of welfare and to pay them a living wage. On the topic of student debt, he asked: Why are we punishing people for what we want them to do? Student debt levels are a crisis, he said, adding that he would allow the refinancing of that debt at the lowest rates possible. Focusing on what he calls a broken criminal justice system, he said he will invest in jobs and education rather than jails. I think we are tired of seeing unarmed people being shot, Sanders went on, saying we need to demilitarize local police departments. Next, he was on to health-care issues. One out of five people who go to a doctor and get a prescription, cant afford to get it filled thats crazy, he said. Health care is a right, not a privilege. Turning to energy issues, Sanders complained about energy companies and said Arizona should lead the U.S. in solar energy. He will push for greener solutions, he said. Lamenting the failure to protect the residents of Flint, Michigan, from lead-tainted water, he suggested a public works program to rebuild the United States. Now is that moment when we look around us and say we can do much, much better, he said. Before Sanders took the stage, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva introduced him, getting the crowd to boo at his mention of businessman Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner. Grijalva, a Tucson Democrat, told the crowd Trump will bring hate to Tucson. Trump will hold a rally at the Tucson Convention Center at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 19 the time has changed since earlier announcements. Later in the night, Grijalva urged any protesters planning to attend Trumps rally here to use restraint. (Saturday) we are also celebrating Cesar Chavez day, Grijalva said, reminding any protesters to honor Chavezs legacy by being peaceful. I dont think the people that will be here to oppose Trump and they have every right to be here they are not going to be the instigators of anything, he said. This campaign is far from over, my friends, Grijalva, an early endorser of Sanders, told the Tucson audience. Sanders fans started arriving early Friday, long before the doors opened. Alice Ritter, who attended the rally as part of a group called Veterans for Peace, said Sanders is a candidate she can believe in. I like the way he talks straight, said Ritter, who taught school in Vermont before she joined the Air Force. Mark Blake, who thumbed through a novel as he waited for the candidates entrance, said Sanders reminds him of Robert Kennedy. A loyal Democrat, Blake said he always votes. I havent missed my chance to vote yet, he said. Citing time constraints, Sanders canceled all planned media interviews Friday night in Tucson. He will campaign in Phoenix on Saturday, March 19, and has also campaigned this week in Flagstaff and at the Phoenix Convention Center. Trump will campaign in Fountain Hills in the Phoenix area on Saturday before coming to Tucson. When Sanders visited Tucson last October, some 11,000 supporters overwhelmed Reid Park and lined up beyond the barriers of the amphitheater there. Donald Trump will hold a rally Saturday at the Tucson Convention Center, city officials said late Thursday. Doors open at noon, three hours before Trump is set to speak. To RSVP, go to TrumpTucson.Eventbrite.com The Republican front-runner is among several presidential candidates visiting Arizona in advance of Tuesday's presidential preference election in the state. Democrat Bernie Sanders will hold a Tucson Convention Center rally tonight; to reserve tickets, see go to bit.ly/1R24Fgq. Republican Ted Cruz will tour the border area at Douglas this afternoon, but does not plan any public events there. OPINION: "While it is important to take on cutting edge programs for an institution, Best Practices would dictate a thorough analysis of the costs of a new program versus the proven effectiveness of that new program. After all, these are taxpayer funds we are dealing with," writes Nick Pierson, candidate for the Pima Community College Governing Board. Israel investment Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation Thursday that forbids state and local governments from doing business with firms that wont do business in Israel. HB 2617 specifically says public agencies cannot enter into contracts with any company unless the deal includes written certification that the company is not currently engaged in, and agrees for the duration of the contract to not engage in, a boycott of Israel. It also requires the state treasurer and pension systems to sell off holdings in such companies. The measure is aimed at companies that want to pressure the Israeli government to withdraw from the West Bank and Gaza. Gubernatorial press aide Annie Dockendorff said her boss wants no part of that. Photo radar Gov. Doug Ducey will have to decide whether to remove the last two speed cameras on state highways. On a 16-14 vote the Senate approved SB 1241, which bans local governments from putting photo enforcement onto any state-maintained road. There are only two sets of cameras left: one on U.S. 60, better known as Grand Avenue, in El Mirage, and the other on Arizona 260 in Star Valley. Sen. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, said the automatic nature of photo enforcement makes it unfair. She cited the testimony of a woman who talked of her citation on Grand Avenue who said she feared she was about to be rear-ended. She had to speed up and, right then, flash, said Lesko. The senator said if there had been a police officer on the scene, her constituent could have explained the situation and perhaps escaped the ticket. Sen. Steve Pierce, R-Prescott, opposed the measure. He said the two companies that operate these machines Redflex Traffic Systems and American Traffic Solutions are good for the states economy because they have employees and pay taxes. The legislation does not affect speed and red-light cameras operated by local governments on their own roads. Public records Without debate the state House gave preliminary approval to legislation designed to let public officials and agencies deny requests for records. State law requires public records be open to inspection by any person during normal business hours. SB 1282 permits a request to be denied if it is unduly burdensome or harassing. The legislation, which requires a final House vote before going to the governor, also allows a public official to require someone making a request to identify the records with reasonable particularity. That is designed to preclude fishing expeditions. Guns in bars Former police officers will be entitled to bring their firearms into bars under the terms of legislation given preliminary Senate approval. Current law limits that right to police officers or a member of a sheriffs volunteer posse while on duty. HB 2030 adds retired peace officers who have been certified as being firearms proficient. A separate 2009 law permits those who have a concealed-carry permit to have their sidearms with them if there is not a no guns sign at the door and they agree not to drink. Batteries Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation removing any caps on what consumers can be charged in deposits for their car, truck and boat batteries. State law requires battery sellers to accept used batteries, a move designed to keep them out of landfills. But if the buyer does not have a used battery, the law requires the seller to charge a deposit. Help India! New Delhi : The two-day BJP national executive beginning on Saturday will discuss the current political scenario, including the debate on nationalism, while special focus is expected for the partys preparations in four major states going to the polls in April-May. The meeting, the first since Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah assumed office for a full three-year term earlier this year, will begin with his speech and will culminate with an address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Support TwoCircles Of the poll-bound states, BJP has high stakes in Assam where it is making a serious bid to come to power. It is also seeking to improve its performance in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The party is expected to comment in its political resolution on AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisis refusal to say Bharat Mata Ki Jai. The political resolution will include the recent incidents of JNU and the issue of Owaisis refusal to say Bharat Mata Ki Jai among others, a BJP leader told IANS. BJP and some opposition parties including Congress have sparred over the central governments actions concerning the Jawaharlal University and Hyderabad University. BJP had attacked Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi over his visit to JNU following arrest of its student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar on charges of sedition over alleged anti-India slogans raised at an event to mark the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Gandhi had hit back, saying he does not need lessons in nationalism from BJP. The national executive will have a special session to discuss partys preparations in Uttar Pradesh, which will go to the polls in 2017. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is expected to speak on the budget and highlight its key features for dissemination among people. The party will also adopt an economic resolution. The budget presented is pro-poor and pro-village. So all the members would be asked to take this budget to common people, a party leader said. Help India! New Delhi : Renowned lawyer and activist Amal Clooney on Friday asserted that minority voice should always be protected in a society advocating a free speech. The minority voice is the one you should always protect a society that advocates a free speech. Countries must allow criticism of its rulers, governments and religion, Clooney said addressing a session at India Today Conclave. Support TwoCircles Locking up a dissenter will not stifle dissent. In fact it will fester it further. For India. using sedition law against students would be a step in the wrong direction, she added. Clooney added that sedition is an anachronistic crime but it is unfortunate if a country starts using it more actively. I hope we could have a healthy debate on the freedom of speech in India since it is well placed for such discussion, Clooney said insisting free speech is not only a human right but also an essence of being human. Clooney is a British-Lebanese lawyer, who has fought the case of Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, in his fight against extradition. She has also represented the Canadian-Egyptian journalist Mohamed Fahmy who was jailed during the Arab Spring for expressing dissent against the then Egyptian government. She is married to popular Hollywood actor George Clooney. Help India! By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net Ranchi: In a gruesome attack on minorities in Jharkhand, two Muslim men were beaten and hanged to death by unknown assailants in Jhabbar village of Latehar District. According to the initial Police investigation, the two people were on their way to a Friday market with buffaloes. Support TwoCircles The unfortunate incident is being seen by many as linked to the surging beef-related attacks across India.The Superintendent of Police Latehar, Anoop Birthare, was quoted by newspapers as saying that the two of themidentified as Muhammad Mazloom and Azad Khanwere subjected to extreme brutality. Photo For Representational Purpose Only (Courtesy: rediff.com) An FIR has been lodged against unknown persons for the murder. While the probe is on, it is yet to be investigated if this was a case of business rivalry, or cattle loot, or something else. The sight suggested that the two of them were subjected to extreme levels of brutality. It means that the assailants were moved by extreme hatred, the SP was quoted in a report. The two had their hands tied together behind and their mouth stuffed with a cloth. According to some reports published on newspapers, the local residents have claimed that the assailants were Hindu radicals who with the intention of freeing the buffaloes, tortured and killed two persons The hanging of two mens sparked protests by locals on Friday, which turned violent when police tried to take down the bodies. Locals resorted to stone pelting at officials who had arrived in the morning to manage the situation and ensure that it does not take communal turn. One Police Officer and six cops were injured during the stone pelting. The Police retaliated by resorting to aerial firing and baton charge. We held a peace committee meeting in the evening. We have assured villagers of a speedy investigation. They in turn have assured us that peace would prevail in the area. The manner of killing is serious and there will be no laxity in the investigation, Palamu DIG Saket Kumar Singh was quoted by Indian Express. The incident has sent shockwaves across the countries and angered netizens, who went to social networking website, Facebook to vent out their anger. This is just barbaric. There are some ministers in Modi cabinet who stoking the fire and the Hindu right fringe is trying to impose their ideology. People who are stoking this ideological fire should be held responsible for these two murders, wrote Jasvinder Singh Bajwa on Facebook. Another netizen, Yashwinder Singh, wrote, My head is down with shame and shame. How is it different from ISIS ideology! Help India! By Shamsul Islam Support TwoCircles While speaking at RSS headquarter, Resham Bagh, Nagpur in the 3rd week of March Mohan Bhagwat, the RSS chief declared: Now the time has come when we have to tell the new generation to chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai (hail mother India). It should be real, spontaneous and part of all-round development of the youth.[i] Bhagwat while demanding chanting of Bharat Mata Ki Jai also stated that this was necessitated as some forces are telling the youth not to say Bharat Mata Ki Jai. Asaduddin Owaisi, true to his and AIMIMs historic role in keeping Hindutva organization like RSS/Shiv Sena in news and help them in their polarizing game instead of challenging their credentials about loyalty to our democratic-secular polity in a speech at Latur, Maharashtra, reacted by declaring, he will not chant Bharat Mata ki Jai even if a knife is put to his throat,[ii] prompting Shiv Sena and other Hindutva organizations to tell him on Monday that he should go to Pakistan. Though he raised a pertinent question that nowhere in the Constitution it says that one should say: Bharat Mata ki Jai but instead of challenging the Hindutva credentials of commitment to a democratic-secular Indian polity, he had fallen into the Hindutva trap. It is true that RSS inimical to present India has been adding more and more conditions for Indian nationality. It was not long ago that beef eating was made a condition for denying Indian nationality. Owaisis genuine reaction should have been to demand proof from RSS about its loyalty towards a democratic-secular India but he chose to be as illogical as Bhagwat and, in fact, facilitated RSS in turning a debate between Hindutva and secular India into a Hindu vs. Muslim issue. It is as true as the sun light that Bharat Mata of RSS is not which came into being on August 15, 1947. Bharat Mata ki Jai in fact, is the slogan with which RSS oath (pratigya) ends. It is mandatory for all members of RSS to take this oath once a year. It is to be noted that in the functioning of RSS this oath apart from prayer (prarthana) are the two texts which express total commitment to the building and nurturing a Hindu Rashtra (nation). As we will see in the following original texts of both, Motherland is referred as Land of Hindus and it is for building a Hindu Rashtra that RSS members have girded up our loins. Moreover, one becomes a member of RSS to achieve all round greatness of Bharatvarsha by fostering the growth of my sacred Hindu religion, Hindu society, and Hindu culture. Prayer: Affectionate Motherland, I eternally bow to you/O Land of Hindus, you have reared me in comfort/O Sacred Land, the Great Creator of Good, may this body of mine be dedicated to you/I again and again bow before You/O God Almighty, we the integral part of the Hindu Rashtra salute you in reverence/For Your cause have we girded up our loins/Give us Your Blessings for its accomplishment.[iii] Oath: Before the all powerful God and my ancestors, I most solemnly take this oath, that I become a member of the RSS in order to achieve all round greatness of Bharatvarsha by fostering the growth of my sacred Hindu religion, Hindu society, and Hindu culture. I shall perform the work of the Sangh honestly, disinterestedly, with my heart and soul, and I shall adhere to this goal all my life. Bharat Mata Ki Jai.[iv] Thus according to RSS sacred documents all members are committed not to a democratic-secular Indian polity created by the Constituent Assembly but building a Hindu Rashtra like Muslim Rashtra of Pakistan. RSS has always been steadfast in its opposition to India which came into being on August 15, 1947. When Indians were celebrating Independence of a democratic-secular nation, it was RSS which denigrated it and all other symbols defining it. Just a day before the Independence of India, the English organ of the RSS, Organizer (August 14, 1947) openly denigrated the choice of the Tri-colour as the National Flag in the following words: The people who have come to power by the kick of fate may give in our hands the Tricolour but it never be respected and owned by Hindus. The word three is in itself an evil, and a flag having three colours will certainly produce a very bad psychological effect and is injurious to a country. The same issue of Organizer went on to reject in totality, a composite and democratic India using following harsh words in an editorial, Whither India: Let us no longer allow ourselves to be influenced by false notions of nationhood. Much of the mental confusion and the present and future troubles can be removed by the ready recognition of the simple fact that in Hindusthan only the Hindus form the nation and the national structure must be built on that safe and sound foundation [] the nation itself must be built up of Hindus, on Hindu traditions, culture, ideas and aspirations. Democracy and egalitarianism are the two important pillars of Indian polity. Both have always been on the firing line of the RSS. The RSS Guru Golwalkar, the most prominent ideologue and 2nd supremo of the RSS decreed as early as 1940 to abandon democracy. Guru Golwalkar while addressing the 1350 top level cadres of the RSS at its headquarters at Nagpur in 1940 declared: The RSS inspired by one flag, one leader and one ideology is lighting the flame of Hindutva in each and every corner of this great land.[v] This slogan of one flag, one leader and one ideology was directly borrowed from the programmes of the Nazi and Fascist Parties of Europe. RSS and other Hindutva organization make no mistake in equating Hinduism with Casteism. They oppose an egalitarian India which promises to provide social, political and economic equality and discard Casteism. For them Manusmriti which decrees lower Castes and women a sub-human life should be the constitution of Hindu Rashtra and not the democratic-secular Constitution. When Indian Constituent Assembly adopted a democratic-Secular Constitution under the guidance of Dr. BR Ambedkar. VD Savarkar as an icon of Hindutva politics declared: Manusmriti is that scripture which is most worship-able after Vedas for our Hindu Nation and which from ancient times has become the basis of our culture-customs, thought and practice. This book for centuries has codified the spiritual and divine march of our nation. Even today the rules which are followed by crores of Hindus in their lives and practice are based on Manusmriti. Today Manusmriti is Hindu Law.[vi] The democratic-secular Indian Constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949, RSS English organ, Organizer in an editorial on November 30, 1949, complained: But in our constitution there is no mention of the unique constitutional development in ancient Bharat. Manus Laws were written long before Lycurgus of Sparta or Solon of Persia. To this day his laws as enunciated in the Manusmriti excite the admiration of the world and elicit spontaneous obedience and conformity. But to our constitutional pundits that means nothing. Opposition by the RSS to an egalitarian Constitution of India was the outcome of its eternal belief in Casteism. Golwalkar as 2nd supremo of RSS declared that Casteism was synonymous with Hindu nation. According to him, the Hindu people are none else but: the Virat Purusha, the Almighty manifesting himself [according to purusha sukta] sun and moon are his eyes, the stars and the skies are created from his nabhi [navel] and Brahmin is the head, Kshatriya the hands, Vaishya the thighs and Shudra the feet. This means that the people who have this fourfold arrangement, i.e., the Hindu People, is [sic] our God. This supreme vision of Godhead is the very core of our concept of nation and has permeated our thinking and given rise to various unique concepts of our cultural heritage.[Italics as in the original][vii] It is to be noted that according to Manusmriti (chapter 1 and verse 91), One occupation only the lord prescribed to the Sudras, to serve meekly even these (other) three castes.[viii] It is unfortunate that our ignorance (specially the ignorance of the parliamentary parties opposed to Hindutva) about the anti-national, anti-egalitarian and dehumanised ideological moorings of the RSS has provided RSS and its supporters enough space to confuse the nationalist and patriotic Indian discourse. An organization which is fully committed to overthrow a democratic-secular polity is allowed to rule India. It presents the most lethal danger to our nation and unless patriotic Indians rise up to unmask and challenge its criminal designs we will not need any foreign criminal gang to undo India. Hindutva organizations are surely working over-time to fulfil this unholy task but patriotic people of India, loyal to a democratic-secular polity and with sound knowledge of the nefarious designs of RSS will not let them succeed. Notes: [i]The Indian Express, March 3, 2016. [ii]http://www.thehindu.com/news/i-wont-say-bharat-mata-ki-jai-owaisi-to-bhagwat/article8352064.ece [iii] RSS, Shakha Darshikha, Gyan Ganga, Jaipur, 1997, p. 1. [iv]Ibid, p. 66. [v]MS Golwalkar, Shri Guruji Samagar Darshan (collected works of Golwalkar in Hindi), Bhartiya Vichar Sadhna, Nagpur, nd, vol. I, p. 11. [vi]VD Savarkar, Women in Manusmriti in Savarkar Samagar (collection of Savarkars writings in Hindi), vol. 4, Prabhat, Delhi, p. 416. [vii] MS Golwalkar, Bunch of Thoughts, Sahitya Sindhu, Bangalore, 1996, pp. 36-37. [viii] This selection of Manu Code is from F. Max Muller, Laws of Manu (Delhi: LP Publications, 1996; first published in 1886). Shamsul Islam is a former professor of Delhi University. He can be reached at [email protected] Michelle Obama has stepped into the limelight herself for once to release a single in aid of charity, enlisting the assistance of noted musicians such as Kelly Clarkson and Kelly Rowland to add their sparkle to her ambitious project. Missy Elliott also features among many others on the track entitled This is for My Girls. No ambitions for presidency herself Americas First Lady is a devoted backer of her husband Baracks efforts whilst in the White House, yet the 52-year-old lawyer and writer clearly also has ambitions of her own. However, she made it categorically clear at the recent South by Southwest Music Festival that she has no intention of following her husbands political career in the future and mimicking Hilary Clintons current campaign for presidency. One of her main reasons seems to be the welfare of her teenage daughters, Sasha and Malia who will have already endured eight years of high profile attention as a result of their fathers high profile position. Promoting education campaign The festival also afforded Obama an opportunity to speak earnestly about girls education and empowerment alongside Grammy winners Queen Latifah and Elliott, a topic close to her heart as a mother herself. She has been actively promoting her 'Let Girls Learn' initiative, a campaign seeking to prompt the leaders of the world to improve education opportunities for the estimated 62 million girls worldwide who do not currently attend school. But it wasnt all rhetoric at the festival as Obama found the time to break into an impromptu chorus of the Boyz II Men hit It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday at the end of the discussion. Her involvement on the charity track ably demonstrates an avowed intention to utilise her position of strength to boost a worthy cause. Drawing on the noted writing talents of Diane Warren, she hopes to raise precious funds for her initiative, besides raising awareness and encouraging change for the better in the future. Noted songwriter Warren has a proven pedigree with tracks such as I Dont Want to Miss a Thing Aerosmiths unforgettable power ballad from the blockbuster film Armageddon - and Toni Braxtons smash hit Un-Break My Heart among her credits. Her CV reads like a whos who of popular music, having worked with Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera and Cher during her writing career. Sadly, for those hoping to hear more of Obamas singing talents on the charity single they will be left disappointed, as she does not feature on the track herself. UK & Ireland PokerNews Round-Up: Big Wins for Ludovic Geilich and James Akenhead March 19 2016 Matthew Pitt Editor It has been a big week for British poker players, thanks to them securing victories in both the live and online poker worlds, and the UK & Ireland PokerNews Round-Up has all of the details. James Akenhead, a former World Series of Poker November Nine member, took a couple of years away from poker to focus on business ventures, but recently returned and picked up where he left off, going deep in major live tournaments. In late 2015, Akenhead finished third in the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour Grand Final for 72,500 and followed that result up with another third-place finish a week later, this time in the 2,150 Eureka Prague turbo tournament for 31,780. A trio of cashes at the European Poker Tour Dublin festival set Akenhead up for him winning the 2016 partypoker World Poker Tour Vienna Warm-Up for 65,000. Another talented pro doing well for himself in the live arena this week was Ludovic Geilich, who is everyone's favorite hyper-aggressive Scotsman. Geilich has been spending some time in the United States and it looks set to be a profitable trip seeing how he won the $1,600 Wynn Classic for a $150,622 addition to his bankroll. There were sizable scores for Jamie O'Connor and Phil Mighall online, too. O'Connor was part of a five-way chop in the partypoker Powerfest Week 3 Main Event, a result that banked him $51,329, while Mighall won a $100,000 guaranteed event for $45,141.25 before going on and securing an additional $11,676.60 by finishing fourth in the $100,000 Baby Whale tournament at 888poker. Find out more on these wins in the UK & Ireland edition of the Sunday Briefing. Those big cash hauls of O'Connor and Mighall saw them shoot up the UK & Ireland online poker rankings where several players climbed to career highs. There was some industry-related news breaking this week, too. First, Unibet revealed its financial figures, which showed record revenues, but a slump in those revenues attributed to its standalone poker client. Secondly, both Ladbrokes and William Hill saw their shares recover after rumored additional heavy taxes on gambling companies being put into place after the UK's budget turned out to be exactly that, rumors. Finally for this week, our UK & Ireland PokerNews editor interviewed award-winning poker bot creator Noam Brown and quizzed him about how the bot works, how it would perform online, and more. Click this link to read the full piece. Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Loading... Checking your browser before accessing the website. This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly. Please wait a few seconds. HCM CITY (VNS) M_Services JSC, the company that sells MoMo or Mobile Money service, has raised US$25 million from Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) and $3 million from global investment bank Goldman Sachs. But the company has not divulged how much stake it has sold to them or the price of the shares. Pham Thanh uc, the companys CEO, said We are very pleased to announce Standard Chartered Private Equity has become MoMos strategic investor together with our existing shareholder and strategic investor Goldman Sachs, who previously invested $5.75m in our company in 2013 and also participated in this round of equity financing. We will accelerate MoMos rapid growth by continuing to invest in the launching of new products and services, expanding bank and merchant connectivity, and extending the nationwide installation of MoMo point-of-sale terminals at retail outlets. MoMo is Viet Nams leading mobile e-wallet and over-the-counter remittance and payment platform, processing millions of transactions for a customer base of over 2.5 million. Bert Kwan, head of ASEAN at SCPE, will join the companys as a director. VNS Severe drought in the Mekong Delta has badly affected agriculture and aquaculture, threatening a scarcity of raw materials for seafood exports. Photo tinmoitruong.vn HCM City Severe drought in the Mekong Delta has badly affected agriculture and aquaculture, threatening a scarcity of raw materials for seafood exports. Shrimp farmers in Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang and Kien Giang provinces are nervous as their shrimp keep dying because of drought and saltwater intrusion up rivers. Shrimp farming is so risky, Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper quoted Le Minh Hung, a farmer in Binh ai District, Ben Tre, as saying. I have spent VN70 million (US$3,100) on two hectares of shrimp within a month but now they are all dead. Nguyen Van Dai, deputy chairman of My Long Nam Commune in Tra Vinhs Cau Ngang District, lamented: Shrimp farming in our commune is facing a very serious challenge. This year, farmers have just farmed 300ha out of a total of 910ha of shrimp, but 25 per cent of the shrimp have died of disease. Tran Quang Cui, deputy director of the Kien Giang Province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said, Before the bad weather arrived, the department sent workers to measure salinity and it was over 30 per cent. We couldnt feed shrimp at that time. We should wait for rain to feed the shrimp. Oysters in the delta have also been decimated by the heat, high salinity and pollution. Oysters have started dying in our commune, and we have to harvest now to avoid [further] loss, Khong Van Lenh of Bao Thuan commune in Ben Tres Ba Tri District, said. The severe weather is worrying seafood exporters since the farming area has been significantly reduced, and they are finding it very hard to source shrimp. The bad weather will reduce fisheries production and so exports will fall, said Ngo Thanh Linh, general secretary of the Ca Mau Province Seafood Processing and Exporting Association. He expected processing plants to run at only 5060 per cent capacity and the provinces exports to be around only US$1 billion against a target of US$1.2 billion.The drought and salinity have also hit catfish farming, which was already in a bad state due to long-term low prices. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, fisheries exports to date this year have risen 8.2 per cent to US$1.1 billion, but the years target of US$7.1 billion will be hard to achieve. Agriculture Minister Cao uc Phat has instructed related authorities to monitor and support agriculture to mitigate the effects of the severe drought and saline intrusion in the delta. Seafood exports play a very important role in the national economy, and therefore this year the project to restructure the seafood industry based on sustainable development will be carried out. -- VNS Real estate developers raised these concerns after the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) announced additional tariffs to be levied on imported steel products as of Tuesday. Photo vov HA NOI (Biz Hub) The cost of building houses is expected to increase due to the recent rise in steel prices, which will in turn likely cause a spike in home purchase prices. Real estate developers raised these concerns after the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) announced additional tariffs to be levied on imported steel products as of Tuesday. This is a temporary safeguard measure against inexpensive imports that were said to be threatening the domestic industry. Under the new decision, the import tax imposed on steel billets would increase from 10 per cent to 23.3 per cent while the tax imposed on long steel products would rise to 14.2 per cent from below 5 per cent. With the new tariff, steel prices are expected to increase by three per cent. Nguyen The iep, deputy chairman of the Ha Noi Real Estate Club, said the prices of steel and cement account for 40 per cent of a real estate projects construction costs, and thus the hike in steel prices will definitely lead to a surge in house prices. Property developers whose projects are in the first stage of construction would be the most affected, iep said. Nguyen Viet Hai, general director of the VIC Investment Joint Stock Company, said that over the past few days, the company had to purchase steel at higher prices. Steel is the most important material for construction projects, and the hike in building costs would force investors to adjust prices for the final products to gain profits, Hai said. However, housing developers are unsure how long the price hike will last. Hai said that decisive factors involving house prices were not only materials, but also labour costs and demand. In addition, the safeguard measure will only be in effect until October. When prices increase, demand might fall because people tend to wait until prices drop, he said. Economic expert Ngo Tri Long said the rise in house prices is predictable, but how long the steel price hike would affect the market is hard to say because it depends on the relationship between supply and demand. VNS An employee checks motorbike brakes at the Vinh Phuc-based Nissin Viet Nam. Japanese companies want to cooperate with Vietnamese businesses to increase the ratio of material supplied by Vietnamese firms. VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam HCM CITY (VNS) The HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (HEPZA) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) organised a business-matching session on Thursday to connect Japanese firms and Vietnamese suppliers. The meeting explored cooperation of companies operating in supporting industries. About 120 Vietnamese companies, 60 Japanese enterprises operating in Viet Nam, and 23 Japanese firms looking for suppliers participated. Japanese companies want to cooperate with Vietnamese firms to increase the ratio of materials supplied by Vietnamese firms. Success could help Japanese companies reduce production costs. The local content ratio of products made by Japanese manufacturers in Viet Nam last year was 32.1 per cent. This is more than the 26.2 per cent in the Philippines, but less than the 65 per cent in China, 56 per cent in Thailand, and 41 per cent in Indonesia, according to JETRO. Tran Le Diem Chau, deputy chief of HEPZAs investment office, said that 17 export processing and industrial zones in the city attracted 1,387 projects, with total registered capital of around US$9 billion. Of those projects, 559 are foreign investment projects with total investment capital of around $5.4 billion. According to Nguyen Tuan, vice director of the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre, the development of supporting industries is essential for economic development. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has an approved support industry master plan, which includes goals through the year 2030. Viet Nam will focus on: metal parts and components, plastic-rubber, electrical-electronics, textile-footwear, and high technology to support the industrial sector. VNS Sudden changes would affect the real estate market by tightening loan sources and conditions, Phan added. Photo thebank.vn HA NOI (VNS) A road map is needed for the adjustment of Circular No 36 because the real estate market has just recovered and shows no signs of a bubble, said Vu Quang Phan, deputy director of the house and real estate management department under the Ministry of Construction. Property experts and enterprises gathered in a workshop to discuss the amendment draft of Circular No 36 early this week. In a draft document from the central bank that had been circulated for public opinion, the risk ratio of receivable lending for real estate and securities would be raised from 150 per cent as stipulated in Circular No 36 to 250 per cent. The maximum ratio of short-term funds used for medium- and long- term loans would be reduced from 60 per cent to 40 per cent. The amendment of Circular No 36 aims to stabilise the property market and prevent and control risks of credit institutions lending activities. Sudden changes would affect the real estate market by tightening loan sources and conditions, Phan added. Agreeing with the opinion, Bui Quang Tin from the Banking University of HCM City, said that sudden changes would influence both banks and enterprises. According to statistics from the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV), the use of short-term capital for medium- and long-term loans of joint stock commercial banks was 33.36 per cent and 36.9 per cent, respectively, as of December 31 last year. SBV also reported that the rate rapidly increased in the first months of this year to nearly 40 per cent at many commercial banks. Therefore, if the rate was reduced to 40 per cent from 60 per cent as stated in the draft, it was clear that banks would not lend more, Tin said. If policies are continuously changed, one of the most concerning problems will be the impact on business plans of banks and enterprises, he said, adding that a stronger amendment would affect the stable development of the property market in the future. inh Duy Trinh, director general of the Ban Viet Land Corporation, told the Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam (Viet Nam Economic Times), that the amendment draft was stirring up concerns on property credit tightening, while most of the capital sources for property were funds borrowed from banks and money mobilised from customers. If the decision to limit the capital supply for the property market and change the risk ratio from 150 per cent to 250 per cent goes into effect, many projects will be paralysed, which would be a hard hit to a property market that had just recovered, Trinh said. However, inh The Hien, an economic expert, said that the tightening of lending sources would help enterprises balance their supply with real demand. The amendment would be able to screen participants, as weak property enterprises would be eliminated, he added. Home buyers can find higher quality homes from investors that have good financial potential and governance experience, Hien told cafef.vn. VNS HA NOI (VNS) FPT Securities Company (FPTS) will finalise whether to trade shares in the unlisted market UpCoM or list them on the local bourse at the annual shareholder meeting on March 22. FPTS planned to list its shares last year but then cancelled it after seeing the down trend in the market. With nearly 100,000 investor accounts, FPTS was one of the local securities companies with the best electronic transactions and services such as EzOpen, EzTrade, EzTransfer, and EzAdvance. With the advantage of technology, FPTS also provided public enterprises with an online general shareholder meeting and online shareholder management. In 2015, FPTS reached VN260 billion in revenue and VN164 billion in profits. VNS HA NOI (VNS) Hai Ha Confectionery JSC (HHC) planned to issue 8.12 million shares worth VN10,000 (US45 cents) each between Q2 and Q3 in order to double the current charter capital. HHC said it offered the shares to its existing shareholders at VN11,000 (US49 cents) each at the ratio 1:1, adding that the remaining shares not bought by the shareholders would be sold to other investors at prices not lower than VN 11,000 each. After the sale, HHC will spend VN90 billion (US$4.04 million) on a new confectionery plant spanning more than 48,000sq.m in VSIP Bac Ninh Industrial Zone. Last year HHC earned VN781 billion (US$35.04 million) in revenue and VN34 billion (US$1.53 million) in profit. HHC planned for VND800 billion (US$35.89 million) in revenue this year and a 10 per cent dividend on the new charter capital. The company will hold its general shareholders meeting on March 26. On March 18, HHC closed at VN31,000 (US$1.39) in the unlisted market on HNX. VNS The local emergencies ministry confirmed that all 62 people on board were killed. Photo AFP/Russia Emergency Ministry ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia A flydubai passenger jet crashed in southern Russia early Saturday, killing all 62 people on board as it tried to land in bad weather in the city of Rostov-on-Don, officials said. The plane, which came from Dubai, was making its second attempt to land when it missed the runway, erupting in a huge fireball as it crashed, leaving debris scattered across a wide area. "flydubai regrets to confirm that flight FZ981 crashed on landing and that fatalities have been confirmed as a result of this tragic accident," an airline statement said. Russias Investigative Committee confirmed that all 62 people on board were killed. "There were 55 passengers and seven crew members on board. They are all dead," investigators said. The plane, which had left Dubai at 1820 GMT, crashed at 0050 GMT, the airline said, identifying the passengers as 44 Russian nationals, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbek national. Among them were 33 women, 18 men and four children. "We are currently contacting relatives of the passengers and crew who were on board and we are offering any help we can to those affected," it said. Footage shown on local media showed a huge fireball engulfing a wide area after the plane went down. The authorities took more than an hour to get the blaze under control, the emergencies ministry said. The ministry said more than 700 rescuers and 100 vehicles were combing the area in driving wind and snow where the wreckage was strewn, with investigators confirming one of the planes black boxes had been retrieved. An AFP journalist at the scene said police had sealed off the airports perimeter and relatives of the victims had been taken to the arrivals hall. Broke into several pieces Investigators said the plane had "skimmed the ground and broke into several pieces", with fragments of the Boeing 737 reportedly scattered up to 1.5 kilometres from the crash site. A strong wind warning was in place and it was raining hard at the time of the crash. Russian outlet LifeNews said the plane had been circling the area trying to land for two hours because of the poor weather. President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the families of the victims after being briefed on the crash by his transport and emergency situations ministers, the Kremlin said. Other flights were diverted to Krasnodar airport, 300 kilometres south of Rostov-on-Don. Following the crash, a criminal investigation was opened to determine whether any safety regulations were violated and if negligence played any part in the disaster. "Different versions for what happened are being worked through, among them a mistake made by the crew of the plane, a technical problem onboard, difficult weather conditions and other factors," Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin told Russian news agencies. Strong safety record The airline, which is based in the United Arab Emirates, said it had put its "emergency response" procedures into action and that it would be "working closely with all the authorities involved" in a statement posted on its website, which had been changed to a sombre black-and-grey colour scheme. Boeing said it was aware of the incident. "Were aware of reports coming out of Russia and our team is currently gathering more details," the plane manufacturer said on Twitter. A no-frills budget carrier which is a sister firm to Emirates Airlines, flydubai is government-owned and was set up in March 2008. Based at Dubai airport, the airline has a strong safety record, but one of its planes was hit by a bullet as it landed in Baghdad airport in January 2015, prompting multiple companies to suspend flights to the Iraqi capital. No one was hurt. The last major aviation tragedy involving Russia was in October last year, when a passenger jet on its way from Egypts Sharm el-Sheikh resort to Saint Petersburg was brought down by a bomb in the Sinai Peninsula. All 224 people on board, the vast majority of them Russian, were killed. The Egyptian branch of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. AFP Business people complete procedures at the Quang Tri Province Department of Tax. Peoples courts at all levels have been making strong efforts to improve justice administrative procedures, said an expert. VNA/VNS Photo Hoang Hung HCM CITY Peoples courts at all levels have been making strong efforts to improve justice administrative procedures, said Chief Judge of the Supreme Peoples Court Truong Hoa Binh. The Chief Judge delivered the comment during a teleconference reviewing justice administrative procedure reform at Peoples courts nationwide, held yesterday in HCM City. The reform work focused on simplifying the process of receiving and dealing with petitions, notices of appeal, and documents sent by procuracy agencies. The new justice administration model, which was first implemented on trial at courts in Vinh Long, Thua Thien-Hue, and Hung Yen Province in 2010, has been expanded to courts nationwide. The model is a one-stop-shop justice administrative procedure. Binh affirmed that the model of one-stop-shop justice procedure has improved the operation quality of courts. The one-door process of receiving documents and petitions has also helped to reduce time in dealing with cases as well as conveniently making statistics of lawsuits, Binh told the conference. The one-door procedure has also helped chief judges easily supervise progress of cases, he said. Courts need to further push the reform process and focus on enhancing the responsibilities of court staff, Binh told the conference. Courts should also use more advanced technology to improve their operations, he said. The chief judge also called for the e-court model to be put into operation by 2020. Ung Thi Xuan Huong, chief judge of HCM Citys Peoples Court, said the Supreme Peoples Court should grant finance and equipment to courts so they can carry out justice administration reforms. Many participants in the teleconference said that the Supreme Court should establish a common apparatus from the central to local-level courts. The conference was also a venue for chief judges of provincial Peoples courts to share lessons during implementation of the reform. VNS National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung (right) received President of the French National Assembly Claude Bartolone in Ha Noi yesterday. VNA/VNS Photo Nhan Sang HA NOI (VNS) Vietnamese and French legislature leaders have pledged their utmost efforts to bring legislative ties between the two countries to a new height by facilitating high-level visits. National Assembly (NA) Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung and President of the French National Assembly Claude Bartolone made the promise during their talks in Ha Noi yesterday, which took place right after a welcoming ceremony. NA Chairman Hung thanked the French NA for its support in attaining global economic integration, bilateral collaboration and Viet NamEU ties, saying that it was decisive for the two countries development. The Vietnamese legislature is aligning its legal regulations with the 2013 Constitution, including those involving the economy, trade and investment. The Vietnamese law always protects the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors, including those from France, according to the chairman. He also proposed increased co-ordination across transport, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and science, as well as education, health care and personnel training, thereby raising mutual understanding between the two peoples. According to Hung, both sides should heed national defence-security links to maintain peace and security in the region and the world. To deepen the bilateral strategic partnership, the top Vietnamese legislator said the ruling Parties, NAs, Governments, Joint Committees, and especially businesses and localities, should strengthen exchanges and form partnerships in their strongest fields. Bartolone hoped that the Party, NA and Government of Viet Nam would continue reinforcing political and diplomatic bilateral ties, including their socio-economic and cultural aspects. He also agreed to his hosts proposal to assist Viet Nam in ensuring maritime security and protesting militarisation in the East Sea. The French NA leader described respect for international law as crucial to preventing maritime trade losses in the East Sea as well as reducing undesired tension, and informed his host that the French legislature recently approved a cooperation agreement between Viet Nam and the European Union. Energy, water and pollution treatment are among Frances strengths and the country is willing to partner with Viet Nam in these fields. France will promote bilateral personnel training and stands ready to assist Viet Nam in medical technology transfer and French language training, making it easier for Vietnamese students to pursue education in the country. In the afternoon, Chairman Hung hosted a banquet for President Bartolone and his entourage. Hope for more cooperation On the same day, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted President of the National Assembly of France Claude Bartolone. Believing the visit will greatly contribute to the countrys strategic partnership, Phuc highlighted the sound relationship between Viet Nam and France and called it a foundation to capitalise on their potential and advantages. He said he hoped they would intensify co-operation across the board and reinforce the strategic partnership in a results-oriented fashion. As France is a big European investor in Viet Nam, the Deputy PM confirmed that the Vietnamese Government was ready to provide the best possible conditions for the two countries businesses to access each others markets, particularly for French investment in Viet Nam. He asked France to speed up some investment projects and continue the provision of official development assistance to Viet Nam. He said he hoped France would help tighten the Southeast Asian countrys connections with the European Union (EU). French NA President Bartolone voiced his belief that bilateral ties would be consolidated on the basis of their long-standing friendship, with the same sentiments applying to Viet Nams relations with the EU. He noted a great number of French enterprises investments in Viet Nam and asked the local Government to streamline procedures to facilitate their operations. In addition, both sides boasted great potential in various spheres such as energy and the environment, and France was willing to co-operate with Viet Nam in those areas, the guest added. Business ties President of the French National Assembly Claude Bartolone said that during his ongoing visit, he wants to hold exchanges with Vietnamese agencies to determine ways to increase the investment of French businesses in Viet Nam. The visit also aims to balance the bilateral trade deficit, which is leaning towards the European country, he said at a press conference in Ha Noi yesterday. Bartolone noted that a number of French businesses are making effective investments in Viet Nam in the fields of goods distribution, medicine and transport. He said he hoped there would be more opportunities for French enterprises to invest in Viet Nam, especially in their strengths, such as high technology, energy-saving measures and the environment. The French National Assembly ratified the Viet Nam-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) on Thursday, he noted. Bartolone said he was pleased to visit Viet Nam following high-level delegation exchanges between the two nations. He said that before the visit, he met with French President Francois Hollande, who expressed wishes to visit Viet Nam in the latter half of 2016. The French NA leader added that he was happy that the visit would fall on International Francophone Day on Sunday. He stressed that Viet Nam was a significant member of the Francophone movement, saying that over 7,000 Vietnamese students were pursuing an education in France, while an increasing number of French students were studying in Viet Nam. The visit was also a chance for him to study regional issues, including those relating to the East Sea, he said, reiterating Frances viewpoint of supporting the respect for international law, especially those set by the United Nations, to ensure navigation and aviation freedom in the region. The French top legislator witnessed a signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on receiving French volunteers at Viet Nams general education institutions. The MoU inked between Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Vinh Hien and French Ambassador to Viet Nam Jean Noel Poirier aims to build a bilateral co-operation framework to support the teaching and learning of French in Viet Nam. VNS The two sides have approved a plan to implement the ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity 2016-2020, as they look towards the 25-year celebration of their dialogue ties in 2017. VNA/VNS Photo Thong Nhat HA NOI (VNS) As the coordinator of ASEAN-India relations, Viet Nam will do its utmost to increase the co-operation between the two sides, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung said. He spoke at the 18th ASEAN-India Senior Officials Meeting (SOM), which was held in Ha Noi yesterday and Thursday. Trung and his Indian counterpart, Preeti Saran, co-chaired the event for the first time since Viet Nam took charge as coordinator of ASEAN-India relations from August 2015 to August 2018. As a strategic partner of ASEAN, India is actively implementing its Act East policy, which aims to enhance relations with Southeast Asian countries as a top priority. The two sides have approved a plan to implement the ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity 2016-2020, as they look towards the 25-year celebration of their dialogue ties in 2017. The two nations bilateral relations have developed in three areas: politics and security, economics, and culture and society, contributing to the ASEAN Communitys establishment in 2015 and an increase in regional connectivity. Two-way trade reached US$74.3 billion in 2013-14, and it is expected to hit $200 billion by 2025 as a result of the effective implementation of bilateral free trade agreements on goods, services and investment. ASEAN hailed India for its soon-to-be implemented US$1-billion credit package to facilitate infrastructure and digital connectivity with the ASEAN bloc. The two sides agreed to co-operate in their fields of strength, such as information technology, space technology, bio-technology, new material technology, the environment, and pharmaceutical manufacturing and processing. They also voiced their deep concerns over the complicated developments in the East Sea, stressing the need to exercise restraint and obey international law, and they expressed hope that a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) will soon be reached. Participants talked about combating cross-border challenges such as terrorism, cyber security and climate change. "Viet Nam will act as a bridge to connect ASEAN and India and expand collaboration, especially in promoting regional connectivity and developing small- and medium-sized enterprises, the digital economy and high technology," Trung said. He said India and Viet Nam shared many cultural and historical similarities. He suggested the two sides forge closer ties for peace, security and development, thus helping ASEAN promote its central role in the region. Regarding the East Sea issues, Trung highlighted the maintenance of peace, stability and navigational safety as a common concern of all nations in and out of the region, including India. He said he hoped India would make more active contributions and enhance co-operation with ASEAN to deal with any disputes via peaceful means. VNS General o Ba Ty, Chief of the General Staff of the Viet Nam Peoples Army and Deputy Defence Minister meets with Admiral Scott Swift, Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, in Ha Noi yesterday. VNA/VNS Photo Hoang Pha HA NOI (VNS) General o Ba Ty, Chief of the General Staff of the Viet Nam Peoples Army and Deputy Defence Minister, hosted a reception for Admiral Scott Swift, Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, in Ha Noi yesterday. Speaking at the meeting, General Ty said Viet Nam treasured its comprehensive relations with the US, particularly in naval activities. The US Navy had supported the Viet Nam Peoples Navy in training for the detection and removal of unexploded underwater ordnance left from previous wars, Ty said. Ty said he hoped the two naval forces would further cement ties based on equality and mutual respect for the benefit of each nation, and regional peace and stability. For his part, Admiral Swift stated that the potential for cooperation between the two countries navies remained largely untapped, affirming that he would work to translate such potential into reality. The commander also agreed that the territorial dispute in the East Sea of Viet Nam should be settled peacefully with respect for international laws, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). He said he would continue contributing to ensuring safety and security in the East Sea, and towards regional and global stability in general. VNS Patients receive medicines at a hospital. The health ministry has instructed hospitals nationwide to use antibiotics with more restraint in a bid to prevent growing resistance to the drugs. Photo baodansinh.vn HA NOI The health ministry has instructed hospitals nationwide to use antibiotics with more restraint in a bid to prevent growing resistance to the drugs. The move comes as most health examination and treatment facilities are starting to acknowledge the increasing bacterial resistance to many types of drugs, according to Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen. A dossier providing guidance on the use of antibiotics, issued by the ministry, will be delivered to and applied in all hospitals nationwide to help reduce the inappropriate use of antibiotics, reduce their unexpected impact, improve overall healthcare quality, avoid resistance to antibiotics and reduce treatment costs for patients, she said. The ministry required hospitals to set up a task force to supervise the use of antibiotics in hospitals and keep a close watch on drug resistance to common viruses. Members of these task forces will also be responsible for producing and executing an annual plan for antibiotic usage management in hospitals; inspecting, supervising and applying intervention measures; and assessing and reporting the use of antibiotics and level of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance has become a global issue, particularly in developing countries, including Viet Nam. Estimates suggest thousands of people die as a result of drug resistance each year around the world, and hundreds of billions of US dollars are spent on drug resistance treatment. It is estimated that in half of all cases, antibiotics are prescribed for conditions caused by viruses, where they have no effect, according to Marc Sprenger, Director of the WHOs secretariat for antimicrobial resistance. The widespread purchase and sale of antibiotics without a doctors prescription was also blamed for the increasing resistance to the drug in Viet Nam. According to a report released by the ministry in 2014, 90 per cent of antibiotics had been sold to people without a prescription. The study revealed that 88 per cent of drug stores in urban areas and 91 per cent of stores in rural areas had sold antibiotics to people without a prescription. The three most popular types of antibiotics are ampicillin, cephalexin and azithromycin. The ministry set up a National Steering Committee on Surveillance to monitor drug resistance in 2014. - VNS Viet Nams first set of surrogate twins were born on Wednesday at Tu Du Obstetrics Hospital in HCM City, weighing 2.15 kilogrammes and 1.9 kilogrammes. The twins parents are a married couple from the central province of Khanh Hoa. The surrogate mother is a relative of the couple, a requirement stipulated by law. As of January 2016, the hospital had received 33 applications for surrogacy. Of these, 19 were approved. 16 of them have undergone the procedure. Tu Du Hospital is one of three hospitals in Viet Nam that is allowed to conduct the procedure, under a Government decree issued in January 2015. VNA/VNS Photo Phuong Vy Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Viet Tien told Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper about the review of the law on surrogate pregnancies one year after it took effect. More than 10 children have been born thanks to the new law. However, several issues required amendments to the law to meet the legitimate demands of couples who cannot have children of their own. For example, only couples without children are currently eligible under the law. However, there are couples who have children that were disabled during medical intervention at birth, not because of hereditary diseases or genetics. Some women suffer injuries during birth that leave them infertile. In such cases, it is legitimate for couples to have more children using surrogacy. I think it is humanitarian to modify the regulations to meet the legitimate desires of such couples. Is the surrogacy technique difficult and can it be carried out at obstetric centres? Couples need the option of surrogacy because some women, for health reasons, are physically incapable of having children. For example, women who have ovaries but were born without a womb or have a damaged womb. In other cases, women suffer from severe diseases relating to blood pressure, heart or liver disease, which puts them at increased risk during the surrogacy process. Therefore, the surrogacy process is not like other reproductive support techniques. It requires highly skilled techniques and should not be carried out by untrained practitioners at unlicensed healthcare establishments. Do you think an illegal surrogacy market exists? I can confirm that there have been illegal cases of surrogacy where people failed to complete the necessary legal procedures. But I am sure there are not many cases like this, and those that choose the illegal route face great risks. People are not allowed to go it alone and absolutely should not take that path. Hiring a stranger for a commercial purpose will result in bad consequences if the case is unsuccessful. Even if it succeeds, there are additional problems such as surrogate mothers asking for more money, causing trouble and even demanding the return of their child. This is because cases of illegal surrogacy are not certified by the legal authorities and lack a legal basis. An important thing that couples intending to use illegal surrogacy services should remember is that such unlicensed health establishments will not be good and the chance of unpredictable accidents is high. I admit that surrogacy procedures are quite complicated, but the more complicated they are, the fewer cases of surrogacy for commercial purposes there will be. Do you think strict regulations on surrogacy procedures will help prevent surrogacy for financial gain? I think with strict regulations on surrogacy, it will be more difficult to carry out surrogacy for commercial purposes. For eligible couples, both sides (the intending couple and the surrogate mother) have to sign a civil contract drawn up by lawyers. In particularly, in addition to specific regulations, they have to be certified to have a close kinship, and are allowed to engage in surrogacy only once. These regulations create barriers to prevent surrogacy for financial gain. Some couples could not find any surrogate mothers as regulated by law. Does the law need to be modified to allow such couples a chance to experience parenthood? I still do not believe that. There is nothing to prevent people who are willing to be surrogate mothers, like those who voluntarily donate internal organs. However, if we are not careful, we could introduce a loophole that would allow some people to commercialise surrogacy. Therefore, I still do not think it a good idea to amend the law to help those who cannot find eligible surrogates as regulated. Which hospitals are allowed to carry out surrogacy? In the first period, only three hospitals are allowed to carry out surrogacy procedures for humanitarian purposes, including the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Ha Noi, the General Hospital in Hue City , and the Tu Du Obstetrics Hospital in HCM City . After one year of implementing the law, the Ministry of Health will review the results and allow other healthcare establishments to carry out surrogacy. VNS President Truong Tan Sang meets residents of Loc An Commune of Loc Ninh district in the southern Binh Phuoc Province yesterday. VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Khang HA NOI President Truong Tan Sang yesterday asked residents of Loc An Commune of Loc Ninh district in the southern Binh Phuoc Province to employ high technology for agricultural production in order to minimise the dependence on weather conditions. He noted that it is also local authorities responsibility to usher in socio-economic development and promote better living conditions. He spoke with provincial leaders and local residents during his visit to the province yesterday. Speaking to the president, Binh Phuoc Province authorities asked the Government to support the creation of a national electricity network programme for the provinces rural areas. Authorities said the ongoing severe drought has caused huge water shortages in local reservoirs, adding that the agriculture sector needs timely plans to support local residents. In order to increase the provinces GDP from 6.5 to 7 percent, local authorities said they hope the Government would start the border patrol path early at a cost of VND630 billion (US$28 million) and increase investment capital for bordering economic zones. They also called for upgrades to irrigation systems to ensure an ample water supply for agricultural production. President Sang asked relevant ministries and sectors to study these requests in order to facilitate development in the province while avoiding the creation of more ODA loans or burdens on the State budget. He also said the province should be aware of the integration process and of its own potential and strengths in order to take advantage of opportunities that the process would bring in the future. - VNS Zelenskys diplomacy masterclass outpacing dour, grey Putin in battle for hearts and minds When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 this year, there was no room for jokes or play acting, and Zelensky needed to step up. He did. Megyn Kelly fires up at Meghan Markle over her deceptive nature Sky News Australia contributor Megyn Kelly has slammed Meghan Markle over her "abject dishonesty" after the Duchess of Sussex took a swipe at Deal or No Deal in her latest podcast episode which featured Paris Hilton. Boris Johnsons dad tight-lipped on sons potential return Speculation has begun on who could replace Liz Truss in the wake of her resignation, with her predecessor Boris Johnson expected to stand for the Conservative leadership again. 10. The Civil War Divide Sets The Avengers Up For Failure In Part 1 The Russo Brothers have promised that Captain America: Civil War is going to be a massively significant movie in the wider context of the MCU, setting the wheels in motion for 2018 and 2019's epic Infinity War saga in a number of crucial ways. From introducing awesome new heroes to possibly killing off beloved characters, establishing more villains and deepening the psychology of The Avengers overall, Civil War has the potential to be the most mature and thoughtful MCU movie yet, and is sure to make the two-year wait for Infinity War's first instalment nothing short of agonising. While we'll have new movies starring Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, Thor and Black Panther to keep us going until then, it's Civil War that's likely going to be best remembered when Phase Three's grand finale rolls around, and here's why...Civil War will of course see the Avengers get split down the middle, with Iron Man leading one team against another led by Captain America. Whoever wins, it's hugely unlikely that the movie will conclude with the Avengers all back together and made up, and the Russos have stated in interviews that the condition of the heroes at Civil War's conclusion will play directly into Infinity War. As such, don't be surprised if this results in the two teams attempting to take on Thanos separately in Part 1, leading to two distinct set-pieces where the teams are defeated as Thanos gets his hands on the Infinity Gauntlet. Only after being beaten down (and possibly suffering some fatalities among the ranks) will the two factions team up and revolve their differences, presumably in Part 2. And so, we can observe how the seeds for the entire narrative through-line of Infinity War will be sewn in Civil War: this isn't going to be a contrived feud cooked up for this one single movie, but rather one that infuses the MCU with anxiety and tension for years to come. Hulk Hogan, the former WWF/E champion, wrestling legend, and American Icon, has come out victorious in his lawsuit against Gawker Media. And it's his biggest win in years - a legal leg drop for the ages. The lawsuit originated over Gawker Media's posting of a sex tape, filmed without Hogan's knowledge by his friend and radio DJ Bubba the Love Sponge, on their website back in 2012. The tape depicted Hogan having sex with Bubba's wife, something all parties consented to. Hogan (real name Terry Bollea) sued for damages, stating that while he didn't have an issue with Gawker discussing the existence of the tape, he drew the line when an actual clip of it was posted. The jury trial lasted two weeks, during which Hogan (real name Terry Bollea) claimed he suffered emotional distress from the posting and contended it was a violation of his privacy. He was suing for $100 million dollars. Friday, a St. Petersburg, Florida jury gave him the $100 million and an additional $15 million beyond that, including a full $55 million for economic injuries and another $60 million for emotional distress. The lawsuit, which singled out Gawker Founder Nick Denton for an interview in which he stated "privacy invasion has a positive effect on society," was in the end decided by a jury of four women and two men, who deliberated for six hours before returning their decision. Hogan's lawyer, David Houston, issued a brief statement outside the courtroom, saying "Mr. Bollea is exceptionally happy. This is not only his victory today, but also anyone else who's been victimized by tabloid journalism." The Hulkster himself took to Twitter, posting simply: https://twitter.com/HulkHogan/status/710988297284292608 The trial isn't yet over - Hogan's legal team will be seeking legal damages on top of Friday's award. Gawker, meanwhile, has promised to appeal, claiming it's a free speech matter. What leg they have to stand on remains to be seen, especially as public sentiment against invasion of privacy and sex tape leaks continues to shift, and more and more jurisdictions enact laws against the posting of intimate videos and images without the consent of all parties. Appeals courts may have little love for Gawker's antics. In the meantime, by Florida law they will be required to post bond for $50 million dollars of the judgement. Will the win help Hogan in eventually finding his way back to the WWE? The Gawker post in a sense set off years of turmoil of Hogan, including an extortion attempt and a snippet of video showing him using the N-word. While Hogan has said he won't be back for this year's WrestleMania, it seems nearly unthinkable that the WWE will keep him out of the fold for long. 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3D printed dresses are not the only additively manufactured wearables turning heads at this years international fashion weeks, as Canadian design trio Daniel Christian Tang have demonstrated with their most recent 3D printed jewelry collection, which graced the runways at at David Pecaut Square just a day ago during Toronto Fashion Week. The collection, called Icon, was inspired by iconic architectural styles and buildings that have marked the young trio of designers, who themselves come from the field of architecture. Among the designs is a recognizable homage to the Beijing National Stadium, better known as the Birds Nest, which was designed by architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in collaboration with renowned artist Ai Weiwei. DCTs founders, architects Heng Tang and Mario Christian Lavorato and structural engineer Luca Daniel Lavorato, started the 3D printed jewelry brand after Tang and Mario Christian realized they could put their architectural modeling skills towards designing womens jewelry. Since its founding, the company has gone on to become Canadas leading 3D printed luxury jewelry maker. 3D printing has begun to revolutionize fashion industries all over the world, said Tang. In New York, London, Tokyo, youre starting to see the infiltration of the traditional runway space. We realized that, as far as Toronto goes, were the only ones doing this, and we really wanted to put our name on that innovation as fast as we could. Icon, consisting of five stunning statement pieces and other intricate accents, showcases the parallels that exist between design fields such as fashion and architecture. As Mario Christian explains: If you kind of look at the careers of the biggest architects, they begin to straddle this line of architecture and product design in everything from furniture to jewelry to even toasters. Its a really interesting space to start out in architecture and then kind of find your way in a design path that you never know where youre going to end up. Daniel Christian Tangs design process involves using architectural modeling software and mathematical plugins to create their uniquely intricate 3D printed jewelry designs. As they are a luxury jewelry brand, DCT additively manufactures their designs on a high-resolution SLS wax 3D printer, which they then mold and cast with precious metals such as silver and gold. The design trio is also known for its commercially available 3D printed jewelry collections, including Hive, Wavemaker, Grid, Diamond, and Flow. The pieces, each only reproduced about 50 times to ensure a level of exclusivity, can be ordered through the companys website or at Canadas leading high-end department store Holt Renfrew. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: birthstonesjewellery wrote at 4/3/2016 8:57:42 AM:Interesting 3D jewelleryJohn Smithies wrote at 3/19/2016 7:37:30 PM:Those look like the collars someone in a Saw movie would wear. The number of presidential candidates has been steadily winnowing down in recent weeks as they suffer defeats in the primaries and caucuses, and so too their tax plans have been falling by the wayside. The tax attorneys at Withers Bergman have been keeping an eye on the various candidates tax plans, comparing the ones who are still left in the race for now. Generally each candidate thats left has somewhat of a unique approach in many ways, said Withers Bergman partner Patrick Cox. For [Bernie] Sanders, its an across-the-board rate increase for the wealthy. Its going to go up to around the 54 percent range, a significant increase from the 39.6 percent on ordinary income that currently exists. My general theme with respect to Sanders is sort of soak the rich. Sanders rival for the Democratic nomination is Hillary Clinton. Her big marquee thing is the five-year holding period introduction of a sort of tiered holding period for capital gains, said Cox. On the Republican side, the leading candidate is Donald Trump. Trump gets rid of the estate tax, which I think lowers rates generally on people, said Cox. When you score his plan, it ends up looking like its the most beneficial for the wealthy. Senator Ted Cruzs tax plan is perhaps the most idiosyncratic. Cruz changes everything, in that he introduces a business transfer tax, said Cox. It gets rid of the corporate income tax. Everyone is reducing the corporate income tax rate, except for Sanders, some modestly, some completely. But Cruz completely gets rid of it and replaces it with a business transfer tax. The other major thing about Cruz is that he gets rid of the personal portion of the payroll tax and introduces a flat tax for individual taxpayers. Bill Kambas, a partner and regional group leader for the personal income tax group at Withers Bergman, believes the Democratic candidates tax plans could add more complexity to the tax code. Looking at the Clinton Sanders side of things, what were seeing is maintenance of the complexity here in the U.S., if not increased complexity due to trying to carve out loopholes, or as Bernie Sanders is doing, creating numerous brackets well in excess of what we currently have, he said. One thing were hearing from potential investors who are considering moving to the U.S. or just making investments here is that theyre concerned about making moves due to the complexity in the tax code. Thats a variable that we always keep in mind. The Republicans, in contrast, are talking about reducing the complexity of the tax code. In Cruzs case, he has called for abolishing the IRS and making the tax preparation process so simple that taxpayers could file their taxes on a postcard. The Trump and Cruz side of things has got the attraction of greatly simplifying the tax code, if not potentially being executed through a complete overhaul of the tax code, said Kambas. For example, both of them are saying, as is Sanders, they dont like deferral. We have a whole bunch of tax rules relating to controlled foreign corporations that allow for deferral of income, or at least the deferral of some income. By getting rid of that, it significantly changes the face of tax policy and the way global corporations are going to operate here in the U.S. Taxation of flow-through entities could also change with some of the candidates. Trump seems to be recommending a 15 percent tax on flow-through entities, which exists in other countries but has never existed here, said Kambas. Flow-through entities like partnerships have not been subject to income tax, but rather that tax is borne by the partners. Trump is essentially saying were going to tax all entities at this 15 percent rate. The distinction between having the corporate versus flow-through tax programs or regimes in the U.S. has led to a lot of complexity, both domestically as well as internationally. Having these blanket rules, while it has the benefit of simplicity, also will fundamentally change the landscape of choice of business entity and operational entities for both domestic and international clients. Ohio Governor John Kasichs tax plan aims to lower the top tax rate for individuals from 39.6 to 28 percent, and cut long-term capital gains tax rates to 15 percent, eliminate the estate tax, lower the top business tax rates from 35 to 25 percent and double the research and development tax credit for small businesses, according to the Associated Press. Neither Cox nor Kampas has closely studied Kasichs plan and couldnt comment on it. Both Clinton and Sanders are calling for taxes on financial trading. Sanders wants a 0.5 percent tax on stock trades, a 0.1 percent tax on bond trades, and a 0.005 percent tax on derivatives trades, while Clinton is calling for a tax only on high-frequency trading. Cox argues Clintons plan would add to the complexity of capital gains taxation. In addition to the five different holding periods for capital gains, now you can hold it for a year and sell it, and you get the preferred capital gains rate, said Cox. Under her program, you are talking about holding it for two, three, four or five years to get the beneficial holding period. What are people going to do? Theyre not going to sell their stock, and so theres no tax. How much is that going to chill the sale of stock? Her proposal adds a whole other layer of complexity. He believes it would provide more work for tax attorneys like him along with accountants, people who work for banks and brokerage firms, and administrators who will need to keep track of all their clients different holding periods. The other thing to emphasize is that shes got this 4.5 percent surtax on income over $5 million, said Cox. She also lowers the exempted amount for estates, so she rolls back those benefits for wealthy people and thereby increases estate taxation on wealthy people and raises the rate to 45 percent. Cox believes Senator Marco Rubios tax plan was the most balanced, even though Rubio dropped out of the race after losing the Florida primary to Trump. Its too bad, he said. Rubio seemed to be in the middle. A roundup of recent expansions, additions, new services and other news from firms across the country. COLORADO Grant Thornton LLP has relocated its Denver office from 707 17th Street to a 13,277-square-foot space in CenturyLink/Transamerica Building at 1801 California Street. The total space leased is 13,277 square feet. The new space was designed with a focus on better space utilization. All workspaces have access to natural light as well as modern conference and team rooms, which include the most current AV and video conferencing capabilities. INDIANA Illinois-based Sikich LLP has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Indiana by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. MAINE A group of BerryDunn employees recently participated in the fourth Annual WinterKids Downhill 24, a 24-hour team relay ski race at Sugarloaf Ski Resort that supports WinterKids, a nonprofit whose mission is to help kids develop healthy lifelong habits through outdoor winter activities. The BerryDunn Debit to Society team collectively completed 104 runs at Sugarloaf to raise money. Over the past four years, Winterkids has raised over $367,000, helping the organization provide fun winter activity to more than 100,000 Maine kids. The BerryDunn skiers included: Lisa Trundy-Whitten, Seth Webber, Clifford Abbott, Kristin Sims-Kastelein, Ethan Wiley, and Ben Halloran, along with special guest skiers Cliff Abbott III, Aaron Cannan and Sam Lowry, Keller Sims-Henry and Miles Sims-Henry. NEW JERSEY Nisivoccia LLP, Mount Arlington, was named an honoree for the 2016 SCARC Foundation Honors Leadership Awards Celebration, held on March 10. The celebration recognizes companies and individuals for their philanthropic activities and their support of the local community. NEW YORK Freed Maxick, Buffalo, participated in Launch NYs monthly TwitterChat, on the topic of Tax Tips for Startups. Ernst & Young and EMC have formed a strategic alliance to bring clients tools and service offerings, including Isolated Recovery, which can protect critical company data from cyber-attacks; hybrid cloud enablement services; data center network virtualization and segmentation services; analytics services; sector-focused governance, risk and compliance offerings; and more. Send your firm announcements to AcToday@SourceMedia.com. TeraReach, a unique outreach marketing firm that helps brands leverage the voice of the influential crowd in the online domain, has announced its launch and the inception of its new strategy led development centre in Delhi. The company has already closed over three hundred online outreach campaigns within a span of a year and is realizing scale so far despite being in the stealth mode. With the clutter of the conversations happening on social media, there is a necessity for brands to do more than just advertising or daily posts and tweets. Brands have started leveraging the voice of the influencers, be it a social media celeb or a real-life Bollywood star, adding more voices to amplify their messaging and campaigns onto web 2.0.Outreach marketing is in its early stages and the need for agility and scale in the space led to the commencement of TeraReach!, says B. Praanesh, CEO & Co Founder, TeraReach. With a strong strategy team and a robust engineering team, the company has been successfully designing and delivering campaigns behind the scenes for brands such as Samsung, Flipkart, Hyundai, Tropicana Slice, Intex, and may more, together with brand strategy teams and agency partners. While execution is the strenuous task in an outreach campaign, we have been able to work on parallel campaigns without breaking a sweat with the help of technology. With time, our key focus has shifted from execution to ideation, thanks to automation of campaign management and measurement. Were happy to say that this has successfully helped us move beyond excel sheets, says Pramod Arora, Business Head, TeraReach. The homegrown automation platform puts the company a step ahead, removing the worries of the tedious and iterative tasks that require precision. TeraReachs techies are working on getting the platform ready for a global stage and the enterprise version is expected to be in the market very soon. Practo, worlds leading healthcare platform, today announced its entry into Brazil, the largest market in Latin America and the 5th largest economy in the world. Practo will start with Sao Paulo and will bring two of its award winning products - Practo Search and Practo Ray to the market. They will be available in Portuguese and English to ensure consumers and healthcare professionals in Brazil can leverage both with ease. Practo Search enables consumers to search through its verified database of doctors and find the one thats right for them. Consumers can search using doctors name, specialization, symptoms as well as insurance they accept. Once they get results, consumers can click through the Practo Profile for each professional or establishment to read more details including years of experience, qualifications, affiliations and specializations as well as see clinic photos and get GPS co-ordinates of location for easy turn-by-turn navigation right from within the Practo App or on the web. One of the most helpful features of Practo Search is Practo Feedback, where verified consumers can provide feedback about their experience with the healthcare provider. This feedback is visible to other consumers and helps them make better, more informed decisions about who they choose to visit. At launch, Practo will enable residents of Sao Paulo with the highest quality database of doctors in the country. Through Practos app and website, consumers will be able to search through over 5500+ verified doctors which covers nearly 50% of all clinics in Sao Paulo. Practos goal is to list all healthcare professionals in Brazil. To make sure the data is reliable, Practos own team combs through every street to collect and verify information of healthcare professionals, for free. Practo verifies and lists doctors for free and does not charge consumers or doctors to find/book/receive appointments. Going forward, Practo will continue to add more doctors on the platform in Sao Paulo itself as well as expand its coverage to the broader Sao Paulo area. In the second half of 2016 Practo plans to expand to Rio de Janeiro and eventually to all large cities in Brazil. Additionally, Practo will also expand its consumer offering to cover more healthcare segments such as wellness, fitness, preventive and curative segments as well. Consumers will be able to access all Practo offerings through the Practo app a single go-to resource for their healthcare and wellness requirements. Practo is also launching Practo Ray the cloud based practice management solution of choice for doctors and clinics around the world managing millions of patients every year. It simplifies and automates practice management so doctors can focus on what they do best - treating and caring for their patients. Practo Ray helps simplify scheduling, calendaring as well as billing and inventory management for doctors. It also helps create digital health care records and prescriptions so consumers always have their healthcare history available to them - right inside the app. Practo Ray will be available in Brazil at a subscription of 750 BRL per month. Practo is fundamentally disrupting healthcare by combining its strong B2B software products such as Practo Ray that is tightly integrated with its much loved consumer offerings like Practo Search creating the worlds first and only healthcare hyperloop connecting the entire healthcare ecosystem and helping millions of consumers make better healthcare decisions every month. Practo is currently in 15 countries and over 50+ cities around the world. it currently lists over 200,000 doctors, 10,000 hospitals, 8000 diagnostic centers and over 4000 wellness centers globally and receives over 10M searches a month across its website and apps. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to serve millions of consumers in Brazil and simplify healthcare experience for doctors and consumers simultaneously. Over the next few months we will expand our coverage and product lines to enable consumers to make better healthcare decisions and live healthier lives. - Shashank ND, Founder & CEO, Practo. Updates from Other International Markets Singapore: Practo is the market leader and lists over 6,000 doctors in Singapore which is around 80% coverage. Our appointment booking has grown 3.5x in the last 2 quarters and will continue to grow even faster. Over 1M people in Singapore have used Practo (~20% of population) which is a huge validation of the value we provide to both consumers and doctors. Indonesia: Practo provides the largest database for doctors in Indonesia. Consumers have access to over 6000 verified doctors in over 75% of all clinics across Jakarta DKI. Since October our search volume has grown over 20 times and makes us by far the largest healthcare platform in the region. We are working aggressively to cover more areas in Indonesia including broader Jakarta Raya area covering Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi regions Practo will expand its consumer offering to cover more healthcare segments such as hospitals, wellness, fitness, as well as online consultation product as well Philippines: Practo has over over 11,000 doctors across all 17 cities in the Greater Manila area which is over 70% of all doctors and makes it the largest doctor database in the country. Since October 2015 our user base in Philippines has grown over 4x and appointments booked on the platform have grown 25x highlighting the fact that more and more consumers are returning to Practo to book more appointments. In Philippines as well we will expand to completely cover Cebu, Cavite and Batangas region as well as expand product lines to cover more healthcare segments across wellness, fitness, medicine, preventive and curative as well to ensure that consumers have a single app they need for all their healthcare requirements. Senior leaders kicked off the Air Forces Sexual Assault Prevention and Response #notjustApril campaign March 17 during an event at the Pentagon.The secretary, chief of staff and chief master sgt. of the Air Force joined other Airmen to read testimonies from sexual assault survivors and discussed Airmens roles in supporting sexual assault survivors and preventing this crime.The event promoting the #notjustApril campaign came in front of the Defense Departments official recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April to highlight the importance of Airmens engagement all year.Using the Air Force core values as the foundation for her comments, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said integrity is imperative in this issue and the Air Force needs to look in the mirror and accept the fact that there is a problem.I think its getting better, James said. However, we need to look at ourselves and our shortcomings and identify ways we can continue to improve.James went on to say that Airmens service before self is not only answering the nations call to serve, but also the call to serve each other.Survivors of sexual assault deserve the support of the institutional Air Force, but they also deserve the support of their peers and their wingmen, James said. Wingmen play a vital role in building and restoring units climate and in supporting victims in their recovery.James challenged leaders from commanders to frontline supervisors to demonstrate excellence by setting a professional atmosphere, enforcing the standards of conduct, and being prepared to walk the walk.Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III spoke about members of one Air Force active duty, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, officer, enlisted and civilian Airmen who stand side by side and shoulder to shoulder to provide whatever is needed to prevent sexual assault.We have lots of numbers in the business, as we track different things, Welsh said. I would offer to you that the only number that really matters is one. One victim, one criminal, one event, one life shattered, one family shattered, one unit forever affected now multiply that one person by all the lives that they touch and then multiply that number by 2,400. Thats the impact.Welsh also said that prevention starts with averting one sexual assault, and it must continue one by one until all are stopped.Its about one and the only number more significant than that one is zero, Welsh said. When we get there, we will celebrate and we will work harder the next day to make sure it stays there.Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody said that in his time as the highest ranking enlisted member in the Air Force, he has evolved how he looks at sexual assault prevention after hearing a friends story.His friends daughter was excited about joining the Air Force, but as she was getting ready to leave home, she told her father she was afraid of being raped. When her father asked why, she confided she had been sexually assaulted at a high school party after having a drink. Despite their great relationship, she had been ashamed to tell her father before because he had warned her not to drink and how to dress, and she blamed herself.Thats when Cody realized he had often said the same things to his daughter.I wasnt helping her be any safer, Cody said. I was really just building up an environment where if something happened she couldnt feel she could come to me because I had already told her it was her fault every single time I watched her walk out that door.Cody said the experience changed his dialogue with his daughter and helped him better understand prevention. They began talking about the wingmen she was going out with and who would have her back.You are going to go out, you are going to experience life, Cody said. Our Airmen have to trust each other enough so they know we will always be there for each other. Were never ever going to blame them for something horrific thats happening. We are just going to be there to try and help them. We can never rewind the clock, but we can be there to support them. Reserve Command wins AF production of year Air Force Reserve Commands video production Winning Your Wings II earned top honors as the Production of the Year in the 2015 Air Force Visual Information Products Awards. Brig. Gen. Kathleen Cook, director, Air Force Public Affairs, made the announcement March 18. The video, produced by AFRC Public Affairs and the 4th Combat Camera Squadron, March Air Reserve Base, California, also won in the Public Information/Internal Category. This is another great example of how Citizen Airmen have proven to the country the ability to transform ideas of whats possible into mission complete, said Col. Bruce Bender, AFRC director of Public Affairs. Congratulations to our AFRC PA and Combat Camera team for bringing home the gold. Winners, by category are: Recruitment 1st: 17th STS Recruiting, Air Force Public Affairs Agency Operating Location-H 2nd: AFLCMC - Today's Talent Ensures Tomorrow's Air Superiority, 88th Air Base Wing, Air Combat Command 3rd: Are You Ready for the Challenge, 20th Fighter Wing, Air Combat Command Documentary: 1st: 25th Anniversary of AFSOC, Air Force Public Affairs Agency Operating Location-H 2nd: SICOFAA, Air Force Public Affairs Agency Operating Location-H 3rd: 45 Years and Counting, 460th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command Training: 1st: A Critical Role, Air Force Public Affairs Agency Operating Location-H 2nd: Air Superiority, 42nd Air Base Wing, Air Education & Training Command 3rd: Ali & Josh Hobson, Air Force Public Affairs Agency Operating Location-H Public Information/Internal: 1st: Winning Your Wings II, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command 2nd: Team Hill F-35 Mission Video, Air Force Public Affairs Agency Operating Location-H 3rd: CENTCOM Mission Video, Air Force Public Affairs Agency Operating Location-H: Production of the Year: Winning Your Wings II, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command. All 12 products will go forward to represent the Air Force in the Department of Defense competition hosted by the Defense Media Activity. Shaktimaan, the police horse, whose left rear leg gets amputated after being attacked by Uttarkhand BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi, has fortunately found a friend in the United States who will donate a prosthetic limb in order to make him stand again. Indeed, it was a cruel incidence. The horse fell down after the BJPs Missouri MLA Ganesh Joshi did a frontal attack on it with a lathi and Bora pulled up its reins from one side. However more than pulling the rein, it was the hitting on the leg by the MLA has resulted in the loss of the innocent horses leg. Will the MLA be a role model for the people he is representing or will they regard him who brought shame on their behalf? The innocent horse has lost his leg, will the aggressor be held responsible? The world is waiting and watching. No animal activists came forward to save horse but to save the BJP MLA from the crime he committed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, the assurance was given that the horse will not lose its hind, and now it is amputated. BJP supporters are mercilessly shielding its MLA. The video graphics clearly show the heartless MLA, repeatedly hitting the leg of the horse. People burn police jeeps & vehicles, during agitations and go scot-free! In the same way, this MLA too will come out free. Will his party suspend his basic membership of party and from the assembly with a jail-term for the crime? In India, real Freedom is enjoyed only by the politicians and the vulgar rich. In spite of this tragedy, no BJP leader or supporter condemned the act of its MLA. The only person who has condemned him and asked for his immediate expulsion is Maneka Gandhi, who is known as animal activist. After her intervention, Joshi was arrested and been booked under IPC Section 429 (killing, maiming or rendering useless animals of value including a horse), which would result in up to five years in jail. On Thursday night, it took two hours for the doctors to get Shaktimaans leg amputated, which according to them is successful. The horses amputation surgery took place two days after his fractures were fixed by external fixation by a group of 10 doctors six from Pantnagar and four district veterinary officers. Jamie Won of Maya Foundation, who owns a non-profitable animal rescue centre in the United States, told that she has contacted one of her friend who would get a leg donated for Shaktimaan. It is ridiculous and very cruel act. Saffron party, whose he is a member, should get him arrested, punished and sacked from the party. It is really pity that an innocent animal was hit for no reason. Moreover, the question arises here is why the state government has ordered police force with horse to be deployed? In fact, it is the state government which is too responsible for the injury caused to the horse. When mob controlling is a severing issue then why to involve animal to control them? This is an act of cruelty towards both the animal and human being. The lesson we learnt from this incidence is that, our politicians neither care for human or animal lives nor do they care for the law. By Dan Olmsted I see that Jason Chaffetzs House Oversight Committee is mugging for the cameras again I mean, standing up for the common man who has been lead-poisoned in Flint, Michigan. A few weeks ago they were bouncing bank shots off consensus candidate for Most Hated Human Martin Shkreli, he of the million-percent drug markup and lopsided grin while taking the Fifth Amendment. With the addition of a twirly mustache, hed be the perfect person to tie the damsel on the railroad track (that would be Snidely Whiplash for cartoon newcomers). First of all, let him take the Fifth in peace. Thats what its there for, and he is kinda under indictment at the moment, after all. Second, its been pointed out before that Shkreli is a great distraction from the real misdeeds of pharma (including, I would argue, triggering the autism epidemic via vaccines). In the same way, screaming at people about the lead in Flint is the perfect foil when the bigger issue is the toxic poisoning of America by special interests that fund an obeisant governing class. Exhibit A, of course, is Congress itself -- and the governments own vaccine mandates, its cover-up court and its flabbergasting insistence that flu shots containing industrial-waste-grade mercury are just fine for pregnant women and for infants. Elijah Cummings, Democrat of Maryland who was having a go at Michigans governor this week over Flint, used to care about that, too, as you might recall. In November 2012 he played to the crowd of parents and told the CDCs Coleen Boyle: There's something wrong with this picture. When you've got this combination of shots, and you go from 1-in-10,000 to 1-in-88, it seems to me somebody would say, 'Wait a minute. Let's put the brakes on this,'" he said. "I wish you could see the people behind you. There are grown men crying behind you... Let's err on the side of keeping children safe, even if we have to do a pause and give children one shot per day." Playing to the audience seems to be a Cummings specialty. He told Shkrelli: "You can look away if you like, but you should see the faces of the people you affect," Cummings said. "You are known as one of the bad boys of pharma." Congress has more to answer for than Shkreli does when it comes to pharma whoredom, and more to answer for than Michigans governor when it comes to the toxification of America. Like answering for its own creation, the ill-advised vaccine court and compensation scheme (and I do mean scheme), and its own massive failure in not revisiting its catastrophic consequences (the autism epidemic). Talk about an Oversight! Like answering for making it impossible to negotiate drug rates for Medicare and tossing another trillion dollars their way. Like answering for crashing through the revolving door faster than Julie Gerberding. (See Billy Tauzin, former head of PhMRA. Wikipedia: Two months before resigning as chair of the committee which oversees the drug industry, Tauzin had played a key role in shepherding through Congress the Medicare Prescription Drug Bill.) Now, as Anne Dachel has reported, Tony Muhammad of the Nation of Islam tried to raise the William Thompson CDC whistleblower issue with Cummings. Youd think Cummings, after saying somethings wrong with this picture of multiple vaccines and a soaring autism rate, would take the logical next step and demand Thompson himself be called as a witness. (Even if Chaffetz said no, the public stink would be progress). Instead, Cummings told Muhammad before hanging up, he is pro-vaccine despite all the ersatz empathy for the audience. And Chaffetz, I happen to know, has chit-chatted with a who's who of autism advocates including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who you think might get a little professional courtesy from both sides of the aisle. People are tired of lawmakers in high dudgeon who promptly forget what theyre angry about until the next chance to act tough presents itself. I thought it was just me, but people are starting to notice. Im really glad these lawmakers took their moment in the sun to look so tough, Mika Brzezinski scoffed on Morning Joe Friday, speaking of the Flint session. I dont want to ever hear those people again. Im so sick of Washington. And you wonder why Congress has an 11 percent approval rating? said Steven Rattner. No, actually, you dont. -- Dan Olmsted is Editor of Age of Autism. Police Discuss Refugee Issues With Assyrians in Australia Fairfield Advance March 18, 2016 RAFAH, Gaza Strip Many questions are circulating in Gaza about Al-Sabireen Movement for Supporting Palestine - HESN (Movement of Those Who Endure with Patience), whose activities and slogans have been increasing in the Gaza Strip. The movement is mainly concentrated in northern and central Gaza and in al-Shujaiyya neighborhood. Al-Sabireens activities are mainly security-oriented due to constant concerns about Israel targeting the movements members composed of youth who have split from the Islamic Jihad movement. Meanwhile, a number of researchers and Salafi clerics have been accusing the movement of having Shiite affiliations and of being funded by Iran. Al-Sabireen Movement, which was established on May 25, 2014, came under the spotlight on Feb. 19 when Gazans woke up to the news of a bombing by an explosive device in the vicinity of the house of the secretary-general of Harakat Al-Sabireen, Hisham Salem, who survived the explosion. Although no one claimed responsibility for the bombing, the movement accused Israel in a statement issued on that same day. Al-Monitor tried to communicate with Salem, who is also the movements official media spokesperson, to no avail. Al-Monitor then met with one of the movements activists in the city of Rafah, named Mohammad Harb, 40. He was one of the fighters in the ranks of the Islamic Jihad movement alongside Salem, before the latter defected with two other of his comrades to establish Al-Sabireen Movement in the Gaza Strip. Harb told Al-Monitor that Al-Sabireen was first announced as a reformative current in 2010 within the Islamic Jihad, calling for the revival of the ideology of Fathi Shakaki (1981-1995), founder of the Islamic Jihad in Palestine. Shakaki called for an Islamist revolution and expressed his admiration of the Islamic Revolution of Iran in his book titled Khomeini: The Islamic solution and the alternative. Back then, the current demanded administrative reforms, in terms of organizational structure and decision-making mechanisms within the Islamic Jihad, according to Harb, but the Islamic Jihad was not able to contain this new current and became unwilling to have it a part of it. Thus, the reformative current, which is funded by Iran, defected and formed its own movement calling it Al-Sabireen [the patient] for the Victory of Palestine. Observers following up on the movements positions can clearly see that these positions are in line with the positions of both the Syrian and Iranian regimes. Such positions, with Irans financial aid, led to claims by some Salafi jihadist groups in Sunni majority Gaza that Al-Sabireen Movement is a religious one that seeks to create a Shiite entity in the Gaza Strip that would be an extension of Irans influence in the region, along the lines of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Ansar Allah [Houthis] in Yemen. All these groups have Shiite backgrounds, are active in various Arab countries, and are funded and supported by Iran. Harb, for his part, believes the claims promoted by these Salafi groups are baseless allegations and an attempt to replicate the sectarian conflicts prevailing in the Arab region [in Gaza]. Harb does not believe that the movement has any sectarian affiliation, as Al-Sabireen Movement is supporting these [Iranian-funded] groups in their stance and hostility against Israel. Harb refused to reveal the number of the movements members as he considered this to be confidential information that Al-Sabireen would rather not disclose to the media. Although Al-Sabireen was established during Hamas control over the Gaza Strip, the relationship between the two parties is ambiguous. On July 6, 2015, press sources reported that a decision was issued by Hamas leadership to ban and dissolve the movement after long internal deliberations within Hamas, especially after there had been evidence of Al-Sabireens involvement in acts against the ideology and methodology of the people of Gaza, according to the press sources. However, a few hours following the issuance of these reports, Salem denied receiving any notification to dissolve the movement. In the same vein, Harb pointed that he had been detained by the Hamas-affiliated security forces for criticizing the movements management of Gaza and for discussing the problems of Gazans on his Facebook page. I was interrogated about my relationship with Al-Sabireen Movement, he said. Al-Sabireen has been accused by Salafi activists of being a Shiite movement created by Iran in the Gaza Strip to replace the Islamic Jihad and Hamas. However, Harb believes these accusations to be unjust and unfounded, as the movement is a newly founded Islamic movement seeking to fight against Israel, alongside Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, he said. Mustafa Ibrahim, a researcher in Palestinian movements affairs, told Al-Monitor, Al-Sabireen Movement does not pose any ideological threat to Hamas, although some support it and join its ranks as being a Palestinian resistance movement. According to Ibrahim, Al-Sabireen Movement is a Palestinian resistance movement with a Shiite background. Hamas approach to the movement is based on the latters commitment to fight Israel in line with Hamas visions. Should Al-Sabireen fail to adhere to these visions, Hamas could resort to force to compel it to do so. It is difficult to know what the future holds for Al-Sabireen without taking into account the sharp polarization prevailing in the Arab region between the two main axes leading the current phase and headed by Saudi Arabia and Iran. This situation has directly affected the Palestinian organizations, and the disagreements between Al-Sabireen Movement and the Salafi groups opposing it are nothing but a reflection of this polarization in Gaza. The existence of Al-Sabireen Movement is thus directly linked to the achievements Iran and its allies may achieve in the region. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is seeking help in identifying the body of a man found near the Alabama/Georgia line on Thursday. According to a news release, the body was found on U.S. 78 about 7 p.m. two to three miles from the state line in Haralson County, which borders Cleburne County in Alabama. The body is described as being between 40 to 50 years of age, 5 feet 10 to 6 feet tall, medium to heavy build with short dark colored hair. Authorities believe the man had been deceased for about two to three days before he was discovered. Authorities believe the man was killed in another location and taken to that area. A photo has been released of a tattoo on the man's body. Anyone with information is asked to call the Haralson County Sheriff's Office at (770) 646-2011 or (706) 624-1424. The name of a Georgia man killed in a Friday afternoon wreck near the Etowah-Calhoun County line has been released. Etowah County Coroner Michael Head said Anthony Ramone James, 29, of College Park, Ga., was killed in the wreck that occurred about 12:27 p.m. on Alabama 77 near Louise Avenue in Southside. The wreck involved a Honda Accord and an 18-wheeler heading north on Alabama 77. The truck slid down the highway, touching guardrails on both sides, until it came to a rest, he said. It took approximately 90 minutes to extract the truck's driver. Traffic was rerouted on Alabama 77 for several hours as the truck was removed from the roadway. The accident is still under investigation. Nineteen faith-based organizations, civil rights groups, and others Friday night asked a judge for permission to file a brief supporting dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Alabama's governor to stop the federal government from placing refugees in the state. The groups contend in their request that the court orders sought by Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley "would effectuate state discrimination against lawfully admitted refugees on the basis of alienage and national origin" in violation of the U.S. Constitution. "The State's lawsuit constitutes a transparent effort to have this Court effectuate its policy of unlawfully excluding refugees, particularly those of Syrian national origin, from resettling in Alabama," the proposed brief states. "The relief sought by the State conflicts with the mandate of the Equal Protection Clause and its lawsuit should be dismissed on that basis." Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge John Ott in Birmingham is currently assigned the case. Groups and individuals wanting to file the amici curiae - or friend of the court - brief are: Adelante Alabama Worker Center, Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, Inc., Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice, American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama, American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, Birmingham Islamic Society, CAIR-AL, Center for New Community, Ellin Jimmerson, Greater Birmingham Ministries, Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, The Love Law Firm, LLC, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, National Immigration Law Center, National Lawyers Guild, Pamela Long, Rubio Law Firm, P.C., Southeast Immigrant Rights Network, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. The proposed brief supports the March 8 request by U.S. Department of Justice attorneys to dismiss Bentley's lawsuit. Lawyers for the state on Jan. 7 filed suit in federal court in Birmingham seeking to force the federal government to follow the Refugee Act of 1980, and "consult with the state regarding the placement of refugees before those refugees are placed within its borders." Gov. Bentley explained his reasons for suing the federal government this way: "We decided to file this lawsuit because of the frustration that we have suffered related to the fact that the federal government has not responded at all to us as a state dealing with the refugee resettlement. They have not done what we have asked them to do: give us pre-entry information on individuals as they come into the state, not only as far as numbers but as far as individuals and names of individuals so that we would know who we were dealing with if they were being resettled into Alabama." Bentley has said he thinks the federal government is intentionally circumventing and disregarding states' wishes. In their request for dismissal DOJ attorneys says the state's claims are not supported by law because none of the statutes on which the complaint relies require the federal government to consult states before resettling refugees, they argue. As part of the lawsuit, the state is seeking not only additional information on the refugees who have been resettled in Alabama or could be resettled but also their medical histories. And perhaps most importantly, the lawsuit seeks the federal courts order "a certification by the (U.S) secretary of state or the relevant federal official with knowledge ... that those refugees pose no security risk." In the motion to dismiss, the DOJ attorneys write that the Refugee Act of 1980 requires federal authorities to consult regularly with states on the "sponsorship process" and "the intended distribution of refugees among the states." They are not required to provide information about individual refugees. Bentley in mid-November made national news when he said Alabama would oppose refugees from war-torn Syria. The governor acted just days after attacks in Paris by terrorists killed 130 people and injured another 300 and after reports that one of the terrorists had gained entry into France by posing as a Syrian refugee. Bentley's decision to try to close Alabama to Syrian refugees triggered similar efforts by about 30 other governors - most of them Republicans - and led to action in Congress which acted to ask President Obama to slow down the process of admitting Syrian refugees into the country until more steps were taken to vet refugees. Obama has said the U.S. will admit 10,000 Syrian refugees over the course of this year and has strongly criticized governors and others for opposing the humanitarian effort to help people, particularly children, who have suffered during that nation's bloody civil war. Refugee agencies have said that the United States already has one of the most thorough systems of background checks in the world that refugees must go through before gaining entry into the U.S. Texas has already filed suit against the federal government seeking to stop Syrian refugees from coming into that state. Unlike Alabama, which has so far seen no Syrian refugees resettled in the state, Texas has. A Jefferson County grand jury will review the case of a Birmingham man charged in the New Year's Day shooting death of his fiancee. At the end of a Friday preliminary hearing Jefferson County Circuit Judge Teresa Pulliam said she found probable cause for the murder charge against Antwan E. Scott and forwarded the case to a grand jury for review and possible indictment. Scott, 32, is charged with murder in the Jan. 1 shooting death of Tiffany Nolan, 32, during a domestic dispute. It was Birmingham's first homicide of the year. Scott is free on bond. The shooting happened at 2:30 a.m. on New Year's Day in the 3600 block of Pine Avenue in Southwest Birmingham. Birmingham Police Homicide Detective Kyle Johnson testified under questioning by Deputy Jefferson County District Attorney Carl Randall that when police arrived at the scene they found Nolan on the floor of the house and the pistol on the dining room table not far from her body. Scott's mother and stepfather were at the house with him when police arrived but were not there for the shooting, he said. Nolan died from a single gunshot to the back of her head, Johnson said. Multiple shell casings were found inside the house, including on a love seat that also had been shot, he said. Nolan and Scott were engaged, Johnson said. Scott had called 911 after the shooting, Johnson said. Scott told a dispatcher that he and Nolan were struggling over a gun and it went off, the detective said. But he also told the dispatcher that she had put the gun to her head, didn't think it was loaded, and it went off, Johnson said. Scott's attorney, Mark Polson, provided a draft of the transcript from his office of the 911 tape. The dispatcher asked Scott about his statement that Nolan thought the gun was not loaded and she put it to her head. Scott replied she thought it wasn't loaded and then says "what is was we were struggling over the gun." Scott then tells the dispatcher "not a struggle, it was like we were in an argument" with her telling him to leave and Scott telling her not to leave. He then tells the dispatcher that they had been shooting in the back yard (for New Year's). The dispatcher then asks him "so you were trying to take the gun from her?" Scott replies "Yeah, we...we...we... actually fighting over the gun. I ain't gonna lie. We actually fighting over the gun. The gun went off." According to the coroner's report provided by Polson the bullet wound entrance was to the left side of the back of Nolan's head. Polson said that the gunshot wound is consistent with Scott's version of what happened. Scott declined to talk to police after the shooting. Polson also asked Johnson about a woman who had been charged in an attack on Nolan. Johnson said that he had reached out to the woman but the interview never took place and her attorney said she wouldn't be making a statement. Johnson, however, said the other woman was not looked at as a suspect. During the 911 call the dispatcher asks about a voice in the background and Scott never answers, Johnson testified. The door of the house also appeared to have been recently forced open, he said. Later, while Scott is still on the phone with the dispatcher and his mother arrives, Scott could be heard to say "Momma, I F'd up," Johnson said. The body of missing fisherman Jeremiah Sanders, 26, was found on Saturday afternoon on the Colbert County side of the Tennessee River, not far from McFarland Park, the coroner confirmed to AL.com. Colbert County Coroner Carlton Utley said he believes Sanders and his brother, Jacob, who was recovered on Tuesday, died from an accidental drowning. Autopsies will be performed on both men per the request of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. The brothers had been missing for more than two weeks, since they didn't return from a March 2 fishing trip on Florence Harbor. The body of Jacob Cody Sanders, 24, was located by fisherman and later recovered from the waters of Pickwick Lake near Pride Landing on Tuesday morning. This statement was shared today by friends of Jeremiah Sanders: "Jeremiah's body had finally been found. Thank you for you prayers and thoughts and please continue to keep donating to help Brittney's mourning process be just a tiny bit easier. You will be missed Jeremiah Jimmy Sanders!" Jacob Sanders was the bassist for popular indie rock band the Velcro Pygmies. Jeremiah Sanders was the general manager of Ricatoni's Italian Grill in Florence. The Velcro Pygmies posted this message on its Facebook page today after the news of the recovery broke: "Both our boys are home. Peace at last." Both our boys are home. Peace at last. Posted by The Velcro Pygmies on Saturday, March 19, 2016 Divers, marine police officers and searchers from multiple agencies spent more than two weeks searching for the missing brothers. The brothers' bass boat was found overturned and trapped under Singing River Bridge the morning of March 3. Searchers have been working every day since to bring the brothers, both well-known in the Shoals, home. Support for the Sanders family and the band has been overwhelming on social media. Funds are being raised to help support Jeremiah Sanders' wife Brittney on Gofundme. Ricatoni's Italian Grill has been raising money for the family through bake sales. One person was killed early Saturday morning when a vehicle collided with a utility pole in Dothan. The driver of the car was killed, Dothan police say. The passenger of the car was transported to an unspecified hospital with life-threatening injuries. The crash occurred at around 3 a.m. near the intersection of Ross Clark Circle and South Park Avenue. The black car was traveling westbound on Ross Clark Circle towards Hartford Highway. The driver lost control of the vehicle causing the vehicle to go right off the roadway and collide with a utility pole. The name of the victim isn't being released until next of kin can be notified. The investigation is ongoing. An American service member was killed by indirect rocket fire in Iraq, according to Pentagon officials and media reports. The incident occurred at a base at Makhmur in northern Iraq, a Department of Defense official told CNN. U.S. personnel use the base to conduct advise and assist activities with Iraqi troops. The service member was serving as force security at the base when the rocket attack occurred. Several other U.S. service personnel were injured. The identity of the service member has not been released pending notification of family but was confirmed by a spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, the name of U.S. operations in Iraq. I'm saddened to announce that today we lost a coalition service member in Iraq. On behalf of @CJTFOIR, I express our sincerest condolences. OIR Spokesperson (@OIRSpox) March 19, 2016 The last U.S. service member killed in Iraq due to enemy actions was Army Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler of Oklahoma who died in October during a rescue mission. Kempton.png Aleeza Kempton (Gofundme) The beloved dog of a Troy University student involved in a serious car crash two weeks ago has been found, according to reports. Bentley, a 5-year-old golden retriever mix, went missing on March 5 in the crash on Coffee County 189 in the Perry Store community. The dog's owner, Aleeza Kempton, a senior who was set to graduate in May, suffered brain trauma, a cracked pelvis and a compression injury to her spine. She was traveling home to Florida for spring break at the time of the crash. On Friday evening, Dothan First reported Wade Brown and his family were able to catch Bentley on Thursday night after spotting him several times. According to the report, Bentley is in good condition but is being treated for ticks and minor digestion problems at Walker Veterinary Services in Opp. Kempton is recovering from her injuries and able to walk with the use of a walker. She was being moved this week to an inpatient rehabilitation center in Florida that specializes in severe traumatic brain injury therapy. This week Kempton was able to meet a man who called 911 after seeing the crash and helped save her life. Friends and family are raising money for Kempton's continuing medical care through a Gofundme campaign. Updates on her condition are also being shared on the page. A Tennessee lawmaker said ISIS should be allowed to recruit on college campuses in the state. Rep. Martin Daniel, R-Knoxville, provided the statement in response to a question on Wednesday by another lawmaker about his "Tennessee Student Free Speech Protection Act" bill, which he introduced this week, the Tennessean reported. The legislation "would direct schools to observe freedom of speech on campus," he said. Free speech has been restricted on college campuses due to policies that require students to submit an application in order to pass out literature or those that prohibit disruptions on campuses, Daniel said. Rep. John DeBerry Jr., D-Memphis, asked Daniel if ISIS should be able to stands on university campuses and "recruit for ISIS," the Nashville-based newspaper reported. "Yes," Daniel replied. "So long as it doesn't disrupt the proceedings on that campus. Yes sir. They can recruit people for any other organization or any other cause. I think it's just part of being exposed to differing viewpoints." DeBerry said the world is different now from the 1960s, which was an era of protest and time of change. "There are young people who are not ready yet -- they're half-baked, half-cooked -- who are recruited to work against their own parents, their own nation, and I would be concerned as a parent and as a citizen," DeBerry said. "Free speech is one thing; being stupid is another." ADDITION Belgium Paris Attacks In this framegrab taken from VTM, armed police officers escort Salah Abdeslam to a police vehicle during a raid in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels, Belgium, Friday, March 18, 2016. (VTM via AP) BRUSSELS -- Salah Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's Paris attacks, was charged with "terrorist murder" on Saturday by Belgian authorities and his lawyer vowed to fight any attempt to extradite him to France to stand trial for the slaughter of 130 people. After being on the run for four months, Abdeslam, 26, was shot in the leg and captured Friday along with a suspected accomplice in a massive Belgian police raid in Brussels. Three others were also detained, but two were released on Saturday. "I can tell you that he is collaborating with Belgian justice and that we will refuse the extradition to France," said Sven Mary, Abdeslam's lawyer. He said Abdeslam met with a Belgian investigating magistrate Saturday but had to be questioned lying down due to his leg wound. Abdeslam, Brussels native, is accused of playing a key role in the deadly Nov. 13 attacks on a rock concert, cafes and a stadium that left Paris reeling. Mary told The Associated Press that Abdeslam "doesn't deny he was in Paris." In an initial step which may see him extradited to France later, Belgium authorities on Saturday officially charged him and an alleged accomplice who has used two aliases "with participation in terrorist murder" and in "the activities of a terrorist organization." Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, said he hopes Abdeslam can be brought to France to face justice. He spoke after French President Francois Hollande held an emergency security meeting in Paris. Hollande has warned that more arrests will come as authorities try to dismantle a network involved in the attacks, which authorities say is much larger than originally suspected. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Paris carnage. Cazeneuve called Abdeslam's arrest a "major blow" to the Islamic State group in Europe, but warned the threat of new attacks remains "extremely high." Abdeslam will now have to appear before a pretrial court, which will decide whether he stays in jail for up to another month. "If he starts talking, then I presume it will mean he stays longer in Belgium," federal prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt told the AP. But whether he fights extradition or not, "sooner or later he will be extradited to France." Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told a news conference Saturday that his government has no "political objection" to handing Abdeslam over to the French, but wants to fully respect Belgian judicial procedures, which "can take at least a couple of weeks." Michel declared "the fight is not over" against terrorism. Two other people believed linked to the attacks are still being sought, including fellow Molenbeek resident Mohamed Abrini and a man known under the alias of Soufiane Kayal. French and Belgian anti-terrorism prosecutors had planned a teleconference call Saturday to discuss Abdeslam's extradition, among other items. Hollande said Friday he was sure "the French judicial authorities will send an extradition request very soon" and that "the Belgian authorities will answer it as favorably as possible, as soon as possible." Abdeslam is a childhood friend of the suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks. Investigators believe Abdeslam drove a car carrying gunmen who took part in the shootings, rented rooms for them and shopped for detonators. Most of the Paris attackers died on the night of the attacks, including Abdeslam's brother Brahim, who blew himself up. After the bloodbath, Salah Abdeslam evaded a dragnet to return to Brussels. He was believed to have slipped through police fingers multiple times despite an international manhunt. Abdeslam and four other suspects were detained in Friday's raid, including three members of a family that sheltered him. Abdeslam was not armed but did not immediately obey orders when confronted by police, Van der Sypt said. Belgian prosecutors said they were not sure of the identity of the presumed accomplice arrested with Abdeslam. They said he is believed to have used fake Syrian and Belgian documents in two different names. It was possible that Abdeslam had spent weeks or even months in the Molenbeek apartment, according to Van der Sypt. Abdeslam's exact role in the attacks has never been clearly spelled out. The car he drove was abandoned in northern Paris, and his mobile phone and an explosive vest he may have had were later found in the Paris suburb of Montrouge, raising the possibility that he had aborted his mission. Samia Maktouf, a French lawyer for several survivors and relatives of the Paris attack victims, urged an immediate extradition for him. "Apart from his (medical) condition, I don't see what might delay his extradition," she told the AP. For her clients, "relief is mingled with bitterness" because some suspects are still on the run and belong to a sprawling, organized terror network that has yet to be stopped, Maktouf said. "Our young people found death for no reason. Today, their families have empty chairs next to them, they have a phone that doesn't ring any longer," she said. Spring breakers gather behind the Flora-Bama Lounge and Package on the Alabama side in Orange Beach, Ala., on Saturday March 19, 2016. Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon says his city has no plans do to the same.. (Brian Kelly/bkelly@al.com)(Brian Kelly/bkelly@al.com A day after Gulf Shores banned alcohol on its beaches during spring break, Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon says his city has no plans do to the same, at least not yet. "We are going to keep an arrow in our quiver if we need it," he told AL.com today. "We don't want to go that far if we don't have to." The Gulf Shores City Council unanimously passed an ordinance on Friday to prohibit the possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages along the entire Gulf beaches within city limits. The ban is in effect through April 17. Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft has said excessive alcohol consumption was becoming a problem in the city. Due to excessive violence last year, Panama City Beach banned alcohol on the beach during spring break. The city saw a dramatic drop in spring breakers this year as a result. Kennon has said that the Orange Beach City Council would support an alcohol ban, if it came to that. As of right now, though, the mayor doesn't think it's warranted. Kennon says Orange Beach doesn't have the public beaches like its neighboring city. "We don't have a city beach," he said. "We don't have a hangout right in the middle of our downtown recruiting college age kids to hang out." The coastline in Orange Beach is private property, or its state property where alcohol is already banned, Kennon said. Kennon added that condo owners do a good job at keeping out underage renters, and the beach has a heavy police presence already. Despite this, the mayor says there's been 320-plus arrests since spring break started about two weeks ago, and 80 percent of those arrests are for underage drinking. Kennon said Orange Beach welcomes families and those who are going to "behave" and not break the law. "They know not to come to Orange Beach and break the law because there is zero tolerance," Kennon said. "If you break the law, you are doing to jail." A bill to do away with marriage licenses in Alabama is intended to standardize and streamline the practice statewide for all couples, the sponsor of the legislation said Friday. The proposal would abolish state-issued marriage licenses received from county probate offices and instead require couples to file a form recording their marriage. "Basically it's to calm these troubled waters that we're in," said the bill's sponsor Rep. Greg Albritton, R-Bay Minette. "Things have been confusing and in an uproar, and lots of constitutional arguments have been going on for the last few years. What this bill will do is resolve any and all of those issues, I believe." However, opponents say the bill is unnecessary and even detrimental. "I see no benefit, and I see it as a very narrow-minded reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding same-sex marriages," Montgomery County Probate Judge Steven Reed said. "I think it's unfortunate that this is taking up time in the legislature when there are many more pressing issues for this state to be working out." Brian Huff, an attorney and former family court judge, said the legislation is political, not practical. "I think the legislation that's been dropped this year is nothing more than legalizing bigotry," he said. "That's all it does - it allows people who want to discriminate against same-sex couples to do so, and it gives them a legal basis for doing it." Albritton first put forth the bill in 2015, when it passed easily in the Senate but died in the House of Representatives during the legislature's second special session. He calls it an "even-handed, fair-minded" proposal that offers consistency for probate offices that have received conflicting information. (File photo | Sharon Steinmann) The version of the bill proposed this year includes several changes, some based on feedback and concerns that arose last year. The language about marriage contracts has been removed, and it sets up a procedure to establish a marriage, like filing affidavits proving someone is not already married, Albritton said. If the bill passes, Alabamians seeking to get married would follow a streamlined process of preparing marriage documents that are then presented to and recorded by probate court officials. "It simply eliminates the requirement for a license so that neither the probate court nor the state will be the governing body of telling who can marry whom," Albritton said. He says the proposal is not so different from the current system, in that a license doesn't make a marriage. The procedure is simpler than it may first appear and could cut costs for probate offices, he said. The legislature's fiscal analysis says the bill also could cut nearly $2 million annually from the state's Domestic Violence Fund. That issue was an unintended consequence that Albritton plans to fix with an amendment maintaining funding. Albritton's bill passed the Senate on Tuesday and now moves to the House, where he hopes it will be in a committee as early as next week. Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville, sponsored the bill in the House in 2015 and is sponsoring it again this session. In September, he told AL.com that the intent of the bill was to address some problems that have arisen since the U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, which prompted some probate judges not to issue marriage licenses at all. The accusation that the bill is a kneejerk response to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that legalized same-sex marriage is baseless, Albritton said. "We developed this bill before that decision was rendered," he said. "I first filed it before the decision was made or implemented. I saw that there were difficulties, troubles out there. I'm just trying to find a solution... I'm trying to hit the middle of the road." Reed argues the bill leaves many questions unanswered, from how divorce proceedings are handled to how important information is supposed to be verified by government officials. "What does it do to the state of Alabama? It makes Alabama an outlier again, and not in a good way," Reed said. "I don't think it's a good idea, and to be honest I think this is a reaction to the same-sex marriage issue. I don't understand the lawmakers repeating history here, the implications that will be drawn across the country for why this bill was passed." Under the current procedure, a couple applies for a marriage license through the probate court, where officials verify their age, identity and other required information. The new system would relegate probate officials to mere record-keepers who accept and file submitted contracts, he said. "I can see no way that this makes things easier, from a record-keeping standpoint or from a verification standpoint," he said. Reed said he doesn't see how the new system of filing a contract would be enforced. The changeover would remove oversight from the current system and put the onus on probate clerks to verify that people are who they say they are. Reed believes the proposal sounds similar to Alabama's current statute outlining common law marriage, which does not require a license or a ceremony. Other concerns have arisen that Alabama marriages, under the proposed system, would not be recognized elsewhere in the country. That argument has "no foundation," Albritton said, because the procedure would be similar to how the federal government and military have been treating marriages for years. Reed said he isn't sure the issue of marriage recognition between states is so easily resolved. "If there's not a uniform way for this to happen, I'm not sure how a contract would be viewed if a person were to move to Georgia, for example," Reed said. "I just don't know how the contract would be accepted given that all the other states issue licenses." If a same-sex couple applies for a marriage license, a probate judge can issue that license but, until it is completed by a priest, minister, judge or other officiant, they aren't married. Huff says the proposal effectively requires every couple seeking to get married to complete a prenuptial agreement. That could make the process more expensive if attorneys are involved in drafting those documents, or more prone to error if individuals draft the documents themselves. Many of the potential effects won't be clear until the final version of the bill has been reviewed, Huff said. Depending on what that looks like, it could change divorce law, prompt challenges that result in lengthy appeals and result in costly implementation of the new procedure. "Why cause all these problems if the current system isn't broken?" Huff asked. "This bill exists for no reason other than to make it clear that the state legislature doesn't agree with same-sex marriage." drug arrests.jpg Sedric Brown and Alexandria Kelly (Saraland police) A Mobile County pair were arrested on multiple charges Friday after police found crack, marijuana and firearms at their Citronelle residence. Saraland Police Department Narcotics Unit and Mobile County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Unit executed a search warrant at a residence in Citronelle on Friday. They found an unspecified amount of crack-cocaine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a firearm inside, according to Saraland police. At least one child was inside the residence. Sedric Brown, 35, of Citronelle was arrested and charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, two counts of chemical endangerment of a child, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana second degree. Alexandria Kelly, 29, of Citronelle was arrested and charged with possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, two counts of chemical endangerment of a child, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana second degree. Citronelle Police Department also assisted with the execution of the search warrant. The investigation is ongoing. Among the hundreds of family members and close friends of the University of South Alabama College of Medicine's 73 senior medical students gathered on Friday morning for the annual Match Day ceremony, perhaps no one was more proud of the moment than Karen Braswell. As coordinator of clinical education for the medical school, Braswell works closely with third-year and fourth-year students -- "When they start touching patients," she said -- helping with everything from orientation to scheduling to rotations and more. Braswell, who is responsible for planning Match Day, considers the students to be "her babies." They're all around the same age her son, Josh, was when he died in a car accident in 2003. "They're my purpose," she said, as she mingled with as many of them as possible before the ceremony began at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center, meeting parents, giving hugs and posing for photos. Anticipation was palpable in the Upper Concourse Grand Ballroom as the students and their families sat at round tables of 10. On Match Day, medical students across North America find out where they'll go next to complete their training. Sealed envelopes were handed out, and some students held them up to the light, hoping to get a peek at the results -- but they could not be opened until precisely 11 a.m. At the tinkling of a bell, most of the students tore into their envelopes. Around the room came a smattering of claps and cheers, then shouts of excitement as they learned where the National Residency Matching Program had matched them. In the Match Day process, each student interviews with different residency programs and ranks them in order of preference. In turn, the training programs rank the students. The matches are on a mutual liking for one another. As Justin Freeney from Andalusia opened his envelope, his mother held her iPhone in front of him so that his sister, Tiffany Freeney, a second-year student at UAB, could watch. A big smile crossed his face as he read the contents. On one side of him, his mother wiped away her tears; on the other, his father gave Tiffany a thumbs-up through the screen. Freeney, who majored in chemical engineering at Auburn University, matched in anesthesiology at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. "I couldn't be happier," he said. Soon, the students were called one by one to the stage. There, he or she dropped $5 into a bowl -- a tradition in which the last student to be summoned wins it all. Each then proceeded to the microphone to tell his or her specialty and place of residence, and pinned a map of the U.S. with his or her destination. Most had already opened their envelopes by then, but a few chose to open them, with shaking hands and trembling voices, on stage. One was Gretchen Vandiver of Cullman. "I matched in pediatrics, and I'm about to find out where," she said. "This is the bravest thing I've ever done." She then announced that she'll go to Greenville Health Systems at the University of South Carolina in Greenville, and smiled all the way back to her table, obviously pleased. Two brothers from Mobile, James Sahawneh and Timothy Sahawneh -- James is two years older -- both graduated from Davidson High School, the University of South Alabama and, soon, the USA College of Medicine. Both brothers matched in surgery, James at USA and Timothy in general surgery at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tenn. The Sahawnehs have two uncles who are physicians in Mobile. "They were definitely an inspiration," said Timothy. Another Davidson graduate, Jay Patel, also attended USA as an undergrad before medical school. Patel, who matched in general surgery at Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia, S.C., said he was born in South Carolina before moving to Mobile with his family when he was a child. "The whole thing is exciting," he said of Match Day. "You have no idea where you're going to go." Madelyn King, who graduated from St. Paul's Episcopal High School in Mobile, matched in dermatology at University Hospitals in Jackson, Miss. She said she went to medical school with an open mind, "then realized how much I loved dermatology." Her specialty is extremely competitive, with only 112 spaces nationwide. "I've looked forward to Match Day for four years," she said. "It's the best day." Karen Braswell's radiant face showed that she agreed. After her son died in 2003, she went into a severe depression, she said. Ten years ago, she started working at USA. "This whole thing has been life-saving for me," she said of her work with medical students. Josh had graduated with honors from the University of Mobile's nursing school just a month before his death. "Now, I have a way to reach out and help other students," she said. "It's so exciting to have some little part in a young person's life. I'll never leave this job." For a list of the students, their specialties and residency programs, click here. Georgians shocked by release of videos exposing sex lives of leading politicians, amid warnings that more are to come. What surprised everybody was the quality of the recording. Links sent as messages by anonymous Facebook accounts on Friday March 11 to members of the Georgian media opened up a video of a former government minister, recognisable to everyone, having extra-marital sex in high definition. Despite an apparent effort by the authorities to block YouTube, the damage was done. The file had been replicated, and the footage went viral. Soon it was followed by another video the following Monday of an apparently unidentified personality (though many Georgians have their suspicions), engaged in a sexual activity. This one was accompanied by a threat: There are many more of these videos of politicians and the elite who sold out their homeland. We call on you to leave your current positions, otherwise everyone will know about your sexual immoralities, orientations and drug-addictions. Serving ministers, a party leader, and a well known journalist were named and warned: You have until March 31 to leave politics or we will upload new films in order to clear you out of the political arena. Most media outlets in Georgia chose not to name those featured in the videos, but the implicated journalist, a political talkshow host, tried to level with the blackmailers live on daytime TV: I am Inga Grigolia woman, daughter, mother and friend. I have a wonderful boyfriend and I have sex, she said. I promise you who are threatening me with making public my private life and demanding me to leave the country, that I will sacrifice myself to defend my rights and the rights of others and I will do everything to send those who have filmed and released these videos to jail for many years. Eka Gigauri, head of the civil rights and policy advocacy group, Transparency International Georgia, says the blackmailing scandal had been anticipated. Everybody expected it would happen that these types of videos would be released before the elections and would be about the private lives of active individuals, political party members, especially from the opposition, Gigauri said. Georgias political leadership has been quick to condemn the leaks. Sex and having a sex life are nothing to be ashamed of, President Giorgi Margvelashvili said in a statement. I address those dark forces, who intend to blackmail our population and our society: we will find each of you and you will not be able to frighten and terrorise people. Five people have subsequently been arrested in connection with possessing, or intending to share sex tapes. Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has promised that those responsible will be punished in an exemplary manner, and the interior ministry and intelligence services will help investigate the case. But Gigauri says the government has failed to investigate the very same intelligence services who, under the previous government, secretly filmed well known personalities and politicians. In 2012, the Ministry of Interior informed the public they had actually found an archive in the ministry which consisted of 24,000 videos, hundreds of hours of material, Gigauri said. Do you still have cameras there? As a civil society leader, Gigauri was invited to join a special commission established to oversee the destruction of around 100 hours of the most intimate material while retaining part of the archive as evidence. One expectation that the public had was for this commission to talk about the scope of the surveillance, the method the previous government used, the people standing behind it, and the targets, she said. The commission decided not to do this, because if they would talk about the whole system, then they should condemn it and not use it in the future. But apparently they felt it was a very powerful mechanism in their hands. In hotels there were deluxe rooms, suites where they had cameras and when important people went there the hotel administration would put them in these rooms and they were recorded there. So my question was: Do you still have cameras there? You should take them out!' Mikhail Saaskashvili, who led Georgia after the so-called Rose Revolution of 2003, is well known for having eliminated petty corruption in Georgias police force, a first for a post-Soviet country. READ MORE: Why Georgians in a remote valley are joining ISIL But he also strengthened the secret services, who under his leadership carried out systematic and comprehensive secret surveillance of politicians and other well-known figures. Saakashvilis government was defeated in elections in 2012 by a coalition of parties led by the former prime minister and billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, and since then the intelligence services in Georgia may have become even more powerful. In 2015, the State Security Agency separated from the Ministry of Interior. The then-interior minister, Vakhtang Gomelauri, a former bodyguard of Ivanishvili, transferred to head the agency. Before this months sex tape scandal, several prominent figures had already complained about being threatened with the release of compromising videos. A group of NGOs including Transparency International started a campaign in 2014 called This Affects You They are Still Listening, calling for an end to unchecked surveillance by law enforcement agencies in Georgia, including access to all Georgian telephone and email communications. But the government has so far resisted curbing the powers of the intelligence services. And until more arrests are made, or details emerge about those who record and leak sex tapes in Georgia, the link between the security services and the current blackmailing of Georgian politicians and journalists will remain a mystery. The first parliamentary elections in four years are expected this October, and the release of more scandalous videos is anticipated. They have already proved to be a very effective weapon in Georgian politics. Secretly filmed abuse of prisoners in Georgias penal system ultimately toppled Saakashvilis ruling UNM party in 2012. Gigauri believes that the sex videos may be a dangerous attempt to channel the election campaign towards a discourse on morality. Somebody tries to kidnap the fair and free elections in this country because they want to evaluate people according to their private lives and not according to their decisions or activities in the political arena, she said. I dont think it is in the interest of the government, but it is the responsibility of the government. So we should really point fingers at them, because this was their obligation to defend the public from this kind of thing. And they never did this. Like much else in this US election cycle, an annual meeting of the AIPAC lobby has become all about Donald Trump. New York, United States Under normal circumstances, the absence of both the US president and Israels prime minister from the annual gathering of a major pro-Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, would cast a pall over the event. But 2016 is not an ordinary year. Instead of those two leaders, the spotlight turns to the leading candidates in the presidential election race: Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton and her most likely Republican adversary, Donald Trump. This years conference takes place amid an unpredictable and contentious US presidential election, Jonathan Cristol, a scholar with the World Policy Institute, a New York-based think-tank, told Al Jazeera. Id expect very close scrutiny of every utterance from the White House hopefuls, especially the wildcard candidate Donald Trump. Thanks to her career in Congress and as secretary of state, Clinton is a known quantity. She has regularly asserted support for Israels security and argued for US military intervention overseas, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya. Trump is more inscrutable. He departs from the Republican playbook by vowing to be a neutral broker between Israelis and Palestinians and expressing isolationist tendencies, including his criticism of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The way Trump tells it, an Israel-Palestine accord is the toughest deal in the world to strike and only ace negotiators, like him, should try. Even his experience in property deals might not be enough, he admitted. After those comments, Trump was attacked by Republican rivals Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio who has since dropped out of the race who follow their partys steadfast line on Israel. Later, Trump shifted gears, citing his pro-Israel record and saying that Jerusalem should be Israels capital. For Cristol, Trumps policy on Israel is all hot air. Trump doesnt actually know anything about the issues, he said. He could promise one thing one minute and something totally different the next. You wont find much support at AIPAC for a figure that sows racial division and is seemingly loath to deny support from white nationalists. The celebrity property mogul gets a mixed response from American Jews. One group of left-leaning rabbis, alarmed by his rabble-rousing nationalism and attacks on Mexicans and Muslims, will protest at the AIPAC conference, which runs in Washington from March 20-22. But parts of the Jewish Republican establishment may be warming to Trump. Sheldon Adelson, a Las Vegas casino magnate and pro-Israel political financier, said he may be willing to back his fellow businessman. Why not? he reportedly said. The key issue is whether Donald Trump will continue advancing his idiosyncratic position, former State Department adviser Aaron Miller told Al Jazeera. I dont know what Trump is going to do. Weve never seen a candidate like him. AIPAC takes place during a lull in US-Israeli relations. Clinton knows the Israelis extremely well US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have a famously testy relationship, which has yet to recover from last years row over a US-led international nuclear deal with Iran. They are still negotiating how much the US will give Israel once their current military deal, worth about $3bn a year, expires in 2018. Israel wants as much as $5bn annually; talks could drag on after Obama leaves office in January 2017. Obama will travel to Cuba on Monday and leave Vice President Joe Biden to attend AIPAC. Netanyahu will address the crowd of scholars, congressmen and Israel-backers via satellite. READ MORE: US election snapshot: Inside a Donald Trump rally According to Yousef Munayyer, director of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Trumps rise is awkward for Netanyahu, who sacrificed bipartisan support for Israel by wooing Republicans and blasting Obamas Iran deal. The Republican Party that Netanyahu invested so much in, cultivating a bulwark of pro-Israel sentiment in US domestic politics, has been turned on its head, Munayyer told Al Jazeera. Hes left with a party led by Trump and the Democrats, who he has spent the past eight years diminishing. Trumps unpredictability may make Clinton a better candidate in the eyes of Israels leaders. According to Miller, from the Wilson Centre think-tank, the former First Lady offers smoother US-Israeli relations than Obama. She knows the Israelis extremely well and shell probably be much less willing to pick unproductive fights with Israel, Miller said. Hillary will be predictable. Shes a Clinton and has tremendous sensibility and sensitivity towards Israeli issues. READ MORE: Why women should support Sanders not Clinton During her time in Congress and at the US State Department, Clinton has helped defend Israel at the UN Security Council, denounced the Palestinian group Hamas and argued for Israels use of military force in Gaza. She does, however, criticise Israeli settlement-building on Palestinian land and supports the Iran deal that riles Netanyahu. If elected president, she would deepen Americas unshakeable commitment to Israels security and invite Netanyahu to the White House in her first month in office for talks, she told a think-tank in September. Shell likely get the most rousing applause of any candidate at AIPAC, Cristol told Al Jazeera. Subtly, or perhaps not-so-subtly, she will imply that she will enjoy a much better relationship with Netanyahu than does Obama. Bernie Sanders and the Jewish establishment Clintons rival for the Democratic nomination, Bernie Sanders, will not be attending the conference. The 75-year-old Jewish socialist has won fans among younger voters as well as Arab and Muslim Americans. He cant be a socialist on one hand, talking about the fair treatment of all humans, and then justify Israels treatment and occupation of Palestinians, Zead Ramadan, a Palestinian-American New Yorker told Al Jazeera. Some 5,000 people, including the Pink Floyd musician Roger Waters, have signed a petition urging Sanders to shun AIPAC, which organisers have branded a gathering for Islamophobes, anti-immigrant activists and religious extremists. Ted Cruz and Ohio governor John Kasich, who both seek the Republican nomination and are due to address AIPAC. They are both Israel supporters, but neither has shown that they can derail Trumps bid for the nomination. Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, an umbrella group, says too much emphasis is placed on the animus between Obama and Netanyahu. US public support for Israel is strong. Last months Gallup survey found that 62 percent of Americans sympathised more with Israelis, while 15 percent favoured Palestinians. Republican voters are more avowedly pro-Israel than Democrats. Congress is overwhelmingly pro-Israel, the American people are overwhelmingly pro-Israel today, and want to see Israel supported, Hoenlein told Al Jazeera. They recognise the common values and interests that go deeper than any particular administration or any individual. Follow James Reinl on Twitter: @jamesreinl Democracy is the best friend of women, argues Aminata Toure, a former justice minister and prime minister of Senegal, who advises the current President, Macky Sall. Toure is an example of a particularly successful Senegalese woman who worked for the United Nations for many years before entering politics. In a meeting at her stately residence in Dakar, the capital, she describes how in her youth only five or six women served in parliament. Now there are 65, which is 43 percent of the parliament. This is greatly due to a law passed in 2010 that mandated political parties to have gender parity in their election slates. Senegal now has the third highest percentage of women in parliament in Africa, after Rwanda, which passed a similar law in 2003, and Seychelles. Of the top 10 countries in the world with the highest percentage of women in parliament, four of them are in Africa, two are in Europe, and four in Latin America. Senegal stands out as being the only Muslim country with such a high percentage of women in politics. It is also part of a growing trend in the world to have gender parity or quotas for women in parliament. In a meeting with Toure she explained that these kinds of laws build on existing advances in universal education for women. One of the best achievements of Senegal was improving the status of women and girls. We still have challenges in rural areas, she says. We have a long tradition of valuing girls schools and that started early. She argues that the countrys unique culture of having Sufi religious brotherhoods has provided an open-minded basis for encouraging women. Amsatou Sow Sidibe, a former presidential candidate in Senegal who wants to be the first female president of the country, says that a lack of discrimination against women can be good for the stability of a country, and that women play a special role in peacemaking. They need to be at the highest level for decisions; that is important. Like Toure, she argues that the lack of education in rural areas still poses a hurdle for womens success. According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, there are 74 countries that now have different types of quotas to ensure that women are represented in parliament. The inclusion of more women in parliaments is a good first step, but if there is a paucity of women in a decision-making capacity, these laws are only a mirage of a step forward. by This includes traditionally conservative countries such as Afghanistan, where the law requires 68 of the seats in Wolesi Jirga, or the lower house of parliament, to be women. There are currently 69 women out of 249 members. Similarly, Iraq requires a quarter of seats to be for women, and Saudi Arabia reserves 20 percent of the seats in its consultative council for women after a recent reform. More efforts needed Despite the widespread advances in womens representation in parliaments around the world, these gains remain largely superficial in many countries where systematic male domination of political structures and society remains entrenched. Even throughout societies in which progress has been made, many hurdles remain. In the US, the toxic campaign of Donald Trump has revealed disturbingly sexist comments. Even where women rose to the highest leadership positions, such as Indias Indira Gandhi or Pakistans Benazir Bhutto who were prime ministers in the 1980s, ingrained misogynist attitudes remained, and they have not been sharply reduced in the recent decades. Quotas for women in parliaments are a top-down approach to empowerment, like having boardroom quotas to get companies to have more women overseeing corporate governance. These policies have to be paired with empowering women at the bottom of the pyramid, which means education, particularly among the poor and non-elite sectors. OPINION: Overlooked plight of women and children refugees It means targeting advances in fields that are male-dominated. For instance, diversifying other branches of government besides parliament by encouraging recruitment of women in the civil service and in male-dominated sections of that service such as the diplomatic corps. Parties forced to fill out quotas of women will sometimes skirt the spirit of the law by appointing unqualified token female candidates or stuffing their ranks with nepotistic choices, so that male-dominated structures are perpetuated through family control. The inclusion of more women in parliaments is therefore a good first step, but if there is a paucity of women in a decision-making capacity, these laws are only a mirage of a step forward. The real test is creating a strong foundation for womens empowerment, such as educational access, and reducing discrimination. That means that those women in politics who have been empowered through quotas have to be involved in reinforcing those gains through indigenous and self-sustaining growth in womens rights, and in reducing sexist views of women or laws that discriminate. This is precisely what was lacking in the examples of Gandhi and Bhutto. There was no long-term structural change on the grassroots level, only a marginal improvement for elite women. Women in politics serve as role models for younger women. When there is a critical mass of them, and they are visibly playing leadership roles, a cycle of progress should set in. Senegals experiment, as well as other global trends, is worth watching and learning from to ensure fundamental changes for women. Seth J Frantzman is a Jerusalem-based commentator on Middle East politics and has lectured in American studies at Al-Quds University. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Russian officials say plane carrying 62 passengers and crew crashed on landing in city of Rostov-on-Don. At least 62 passengers and crew have died after a FlyDubai plane crashed during an attempted landing in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Russian officials said. A Russian investigative committee confirmed in a statement that all the people on board the plane, travelling from Dubai, were killed in the crash on Saturday morning. The aircraft hit the ground and broke into pieces, the committee said on its website. According to preliminary data, there were 55 passengers aboard and seven crew members. They all died. In a statement published on Twitter, the Dubai Media Office said 44 of the passengers were Russian, eight were Ukrainian, two were Indian and one was from Uzbekistan. READ MORE: Paris fugitive arrested and Saturdays other top stories on Al Jazeera The plane was believed to be a Boeing 737 operated by Emirati airline FlyDubai, a budget airline with a new fleet of planes that started flying in mid-2009. Russias state-run RT network tweeted a clip of what appeared to be a large explosion. In a statement, Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive of FlyDubai, said, We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the passengers and crew. Everyone at FlyDubai is in deep shock and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved. We dont yet know all the details of the accident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish the cause. We are making every effort to care for those affected and will provide assistance to the loved ones of those on board. OPINION: Is it still safe to fly? Boeing tweeted that it was gathering more information. Speaking at a media-friendly photo opportunity in occupied East Jerusalem this month, Israeli Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog declared the need for a disengagement between Israelis and the Palestinians, not by withdrawing from the territories, but by separating us physically. Two months earlier, Herzog had announced a new plan to separate from as many Palestinians as possible, as fast as possible, describing the two-state solution as impossible under current conditions. The opposition leaders proposal: to complete the separation wall around so-called settlement blocs in the West Bank, and to cut off major Palestinian neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem from the rest of the city. The Labor Party has officially approved the plan. But is this approach really new? Not according to Diana Buttu, a lawyer and former adviser to Palestine Liberation Organization negotiators, who described the current proposals as Kadima part two a reference to the party founded by Ariel Sharon before the 2005 Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip. OPINION: Netanyahu, Herzog and the future of Israel Indeed, there are similarities between the discourse and proposals being advanced by Herzog today, and the platform on which Ehud Olmert won the 2006 election for Kadima. Back then, the Israeli government looked set to follow up the withdrawal from Gaza with a wider, unilateral removal of isolated settlers in the West Bank, and a consolidation of settlements included within the separation wall. This is simply rehashing Labor slogans from the 1990s, when [former Prime Minister] Ehud Barak used the electoral slogan, Us here, them over there, with the addition of the apartheid wall and a revamping of Kadimas plan, Buttu told Al Jazeera. The Israeli centre is gradually gravitating towards unilateralism again, simply because it is politically cheaper and easier to carry out - even if the results are as disastrous as they were in Gaza. by Noam Sheizaf, Israeli journalist Meanwhile, another recent initiative the brainchild of former Labor and Kadima minister Haim Ramon calls for 28 Palestinian villages in occupied East Jerusalem to be walled off and handed over to the Palestinian Authority, their 200,000 inhabitants stripped of permanent residency. Its impossible to expel Arabs, but its possible to build a wall, Ramon said last week. According to Israeli commentator Akiva Eldar, the Labor Partys new platform is a direct adoption of this plan, known as Saving Jewish Jerusalem. Advocates of Israeli unilateral separation moves can also be found at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies; it was at one of the think-tanks conferences that Herzog announced his new plan in January. While the notion of unilateral separation may not be original, is it plausible? From the point of view of the Israeli public, Herzogs plan would be a hard sell. For Orly Noy, a left-leaning editor at Israeli news site Local Call, Herzogs plan amounts to little more than political posturing. It is a PR move, he said. For Israeli politicians to talk about Jerusalem is to show that youre dealing with the big issues. Israeli journalist Noam Sheizaf believes Herzogs plan is closer to a trial balloon than to an actual working plan at the moment. Right now, there is not a strong incentive to do anything on the Israeli side, Sheizaf told Al Jazeera. Should violence continue and intensify, however, people will start searching for new ideas, and this plan might actually have its moment. For Sheizaf, the Israeli centre is gradually gravitating towards unilateralism again, simply because it is politically cheaper and easier to carry out even if the results are as disastrous as they were in Gaza. The Gaza precedent overshadows any suggestions of new unilateral withdrawals. The concept became a very negative one in the collective Israeli memory, Noy told Al Jazeera. Without coordination with the Palestinians, no wall is going to provide security. It is unclear which settlement blocs areas where multiple settlements have been established in close proximity to one another, often clustered around one major colony Herzog intends to keep. On the campaign trail in March 2015, he named Gush Etzion, Maaleh Adumim and Ariel. Other observers have identified a further three or four. READ MORE: How settlement businesses sustain Israeli occupation Another major problem facing the proponents of unilateral separation is that the settler population outside the separation wall stands at more than 80,000 and is rising. If the Ariel settlement bloc, which lies deep inside the occupied West Bank, is included, the figure reaches 100,000. Relocation would be a colossal undertaking, and tens of thousands of people would probably have to be forcibly removed. Moves along the lines of what Herzogs Labor Party is now promoting would also face significant opposition in the international community, and would not end Israels status as an occupying power in the West Bank. For Palestinians, the old-new suggestions of Israeli unilateralism are unacceptable. It is absolutely illegal under international law, and it is vital that such plans are not viewed as temporary, Buttu said. All of this is designed to cement Israels presence in the West Bank, and legitimate the wall and settlements. Herzog, meanwhile, is facing internal opposition within a Labor Party that, as part of the Zionist Camp or going it alone, looks a long way from power, let alone from implementing a separation plan. When faced with a choice between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and an imitation brand, most Israelis seem to prefer the original. At the moment, an alternative to Netanyahu, who recently completed a combined total of 10 years as Israels prime minister, looks most likely to emerge from the right or centre-right. But regardless of who forms the next Israeli government, a large-scale unilateral withdrawal is unlikely to be on the cards. The right would object to concessions to terrorists, while the left would stress the need to negotiate with a Palestinian partner. The status quo shows no signs of changing any time soon. Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists summit in Antalya showed solidarity with Turkey against attacks. Conservatives and Reformists, the third largest parliamentary group in the European parliament, has vowed strong cooperation with Turkey in fighting attacks on its soil. The pledge was made at the second summit of the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR), which was held in Antalya, Turkey, on Saturday. Overshadowed by a suicide blast in Istanbul on the same day, the summit was opened by Daniel Hannan, secretary-general of AECR, who highlighted the security threats facing Turkey after the attack on Saturday as well as attacks in November, January and last week. Hannan stressed that the problem could not be solved with security measures alone, but through enhancing the principles of the rule of law, personal liberty, open competition, national sovereignty, mainstream free-market, parliamentary supremacy, and religious pluralism. Syed Kamall, chairman of Britains ECR Group, echoed the major challenges faced by Turkey and the important role played by Ankara in helping to solve global crises such as the refugee issue and contributing to the ongoing debate about the future of secular Muslim countries. The debate over the rise of terrorism, the effects of Arab Spring, the situation in Syria and the refugee crisis will certainly make the next few years challenging both politically and economically for Turkey, Kamall told the gathering. In the face of those challenges we believe it is more important than ever to hold fast to the values that have worked in the past: pluralism, respect for minorities, and a liberal market economy that spreads wealth to everyone. Threats and challenges Having held a first summit in November in Tunisia, the Antalya gathering sought to continue spreading the values of centre-right political parties in Muslim-majority countries. Some 200 parliamentarians, party leaders, ministers, academics and policy experts, as well as at least 30 mainstream centre-right parties from around the word, took part in the meeting to promote what AECR called a shared belief in free nations, free peoples and free markets. Suay Alpay, Turkeys deputy minister for defence, outlined the major security challenges facing the frontline NATO state, and urged global cooperation and coordination to face threats and restore stability to the region. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Alpay accused Russia of playing a negative role in the region and feeding what he called extremism and radicalism. READ MORE: Ankara bombing: Kurdish group TAK claims responsibility Turkey, Iran and Russia should play the role of balancing actors in maintaining the regions stability, he said. Russia, unfortunately, is destroying this balancing act because of its military actions against Syrian legitimate opposition groups. Russia, therefore, has created a situation where terrorist and radical groups gained more grounds. Refugee crisis The participants paid tribute to Turkey for providing housing and sanctuary for 2.8 million Syrian and Iraqi refugees. They also agreed that dealing with refugee flows into Turkey and Europe was complex. Some advocated that asylum seekers should not have freedom to move around Europe, but should be made to apply for asylum in the first safe country they reach. A left-wing member of the European Parliament from Ireland, Martina Anderson, told Al Jazeera that left-wing parties in Europe profoundly disagree with many of the parties that make up the AECR and called for talks on issues of mutual concern, such as the refugee crisis. European countries were giving wildly different signals to those fleeing war and persecution, she said. People expect the countries of the EU to work together to resolve the crisis. All member states are and should be bound by international law with regard to the treatment of refugees, she said. What is very disappointing is that EU leaders seem all too willing to accept and even encourage this violation of international law. We bring a message of hope and progressive change to people. We work in the democratic institutions, seeking to improve them, seeking to hold the powerful to account. And we work with people and communities, standing alongside them in their daily struggles and encouraging them to work for a fairer and more equal society. A Supreme Court judge in Brazil has suspended former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvas appointment to a cabinet post amid a corruption probe, calling it a clear attempt to help him get around his legal woes. Brazil faces a serious political crisis and massive protests over President Dilma Rousseffs administrations attempt to appoint Lula as chief of staff. Justice Gilmar Mendes said on Friday that Rousseffs decision to employ Lula was a clear attempt to prevent him from being arrested on corruption charges. The goal of the falsity is clear: prevent the carrying out of preventive arrest order against Lula being considered by a lower court, Mendes wrote in her ruling. The judges decision was expected to stoke already high tensions and came shortly after tens of thousands of supporters of Brazils center-left government rallied to back Lula and his successor, Rousseff. Anti-government protests over the weekend brought an estimated three million people on to the streets in nationwide. Petrobas kickback scheme Two weeks ago, Lula was brought in for questioning in a sprawling investigation into an alleged kickback scheme in the state oil company Petrobras. If he becomes a cabinet minister, he can only be prosecuted with the approval of the Supreme Court. Mendes decision leaves Lula, and Latin Americas largest nation, in limbo. The government is expected to appeal against the decision, which will eventually have to be decided by the full court. However, with Holy Week next week, it could be some time before the full court meets. Earlier on Friday, an appeals court slapped down a separate attempt to keep Lula from returning to the government while tens of thousands of his supporters rallied to back an embattled government facing a host of crises. Lula was sworn in as chief aide to Rousseff on Thursday, a post that will let the politician help the president battle an impeachment effort and one that also makes it harder to investigate any possible links to a corruption scandal at the state oil company. Tens of thousands of supporters of Lula, who was one of the worlds most famous leaders as president from 2003 to 2010, gathered in rallies across Brazil, particularly in the industrial south, where the former factory worker has his base. Many wore red T-shirts and caps and frequently chanted, Lula, the minister of hope. READ MORE: Brazil waters of March While Rousseffs opponents accuse her of trying to help Lula avoid legal woes, her supporters have a different take. They say the 70-year-old Lula, known for his ability to build consensus, could save Rousseffs job and help bring the economy back from the abyss. Rousseff, with approval ratings in the single digits, is fighting against attempts to remove her over allegations of fiscal mismanagement unrelated to the Petrobras case. The move towards impeachment advanced this week as the lower house established a special commission on the matter. Both Rousseff and Lula have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. At least 13 troops dead after mortar attack claimed by ISIL on security checkpoint near city of El Arish. At least 13 Egyptian policemen have been killed in the Sinai Peninsula after an armed group fired a mortar at a security checkpoint in the city of Arish, security and medical sources said. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) claimed responsibility for Saturdays attack on several websites, with later confirmation from Egyptian state media. Ambulances were subjected to heavy gunfire as they attempted to reach the wounded, the security and medical sources said. Witnesses reported hearing a massive explosion and said the citys entrances and exits had been closed off by security forces. Security sources said government forces were later able to kill five of the fighters who carried out the attack. Egypt is battling an armed campaign that gained pace after its military overthrew President Mohamed Morsi. The campaign, mounted by ISILs Egyptian branch in Sinai Province, has killed hundreds of soldiers and police and has also targeted Western interests within the country. ISIL controls large parts of Iraq and Syria and has a presence in Libya, which borders Egypt. Jewish presidential hopeful is the only candidate who decided not to appear at the AIPAC event next week. US presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders is the only candidate for the countrys top post who has decided to not take part in next weeks conference for the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC. In a letter to Robert Cohen, the chief of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, on Friday Sanders, the first Jew to ever win a presidential primary in the US, expressed regret that he could not conduct a speech at the event due to his busy campaign schedule. Obviously, issues impacting Israel and the Middle East are of utmost importance to me, to our country and to the world, he said. Unfortunately, I am going to be travelling throughout the West and the campaign schedule that we have prevents me from attending. Sanders decision came after more than 18,000 people signed petitions calling for Sanders to turn down AIPACs invitation to join the conference. A statement posted on the two petitions, both launched by Max Blumenthal a prominent activist and author who opposes Israels occupation of Palestinian territories said that Sanders does not belong in the conference, which it said features Islamophobes, anti-immigrant activists and religious extremists. AIPAC, considered the main arm of the pro-Israel lobby in the US, has been accused of promoting discriminatory and harsh policies against Palestinian civilians. READ MORE: Why Muslim Americans should vote for Bernie Sanders Meanwhile, Sanders has called for equality between Palestinian and Israeli communities. I will make every single effort to bring rational people on both sides together, so that hopefully we can have a level playing field, the United States treating everybody in that region equally, he said. Paris attacks suspect, referred to as Europes most wanted man, formally charged with terrorist murder. Paris attacks prime suspect Salah Abdeslam will fight extradition to France, his lawyer said, as he and a second man were formally charged with involvement in terrorist murder. The other man was identified by Belgian prosecutors as Monir Ahmed Alaaj, alias Amine Choukri both names that investigators have said appear on fake documents. A third man detained on Friday in the same house, named as Abid A, was charged with being a member of a terrorist organisation and aiding and abetting criminals. A woman detainee, Djemila M, was charged with aiding and abetting but released, the prosecutors said in a statement. A second woman was released without charge. Abdeslams lawyer, Sven Mary, told journalists that he was cooperating with police but would resist attempts to extradite him to France. France is asking for his extradition. I can tell you that we will refuse the extradition to France, Mary said. READ MORE: Hollande calls Paris attacks an act of war Earlier on Saturday, Abdeslam and an accomplice were treated at a hospital for gunshot wounds sustained during their arrest. Key Paris attacks suspect Abdeslam in police custody Abdeslam, 26, fled Paris immediately after the attacks in November, slipping back to his home city of Brussels. Belgiums Prime Minister Charles Michel said the extradition of Europes most wanted man to France could take several weeks. Michel told the Reuters news agency that the speed of any extradition relied in part on the suspects willingness. Meanwhile, Interpol urged extra vigilance at border controls the day after the arrest of Abdeslam. The capture of the 26-year-old Belgian-born French national may encourage any accomplices to attempt to flee Europe, or elsewhere, the world police body warned its 190 member countries. French judges could file an extradition request as early as this weekend. A 2002 European agreement speeds up the process, particularly for grave crimes, and families of victims and survivors want him to face justice in France. A success against terrorism Al Jazeeras Jacky Rowland, reporting from Brussels, said the proceedings against Abdeslam were expected to begin before Sunday. The actual process of removing him from Belgian territory to French territory could take up to two weeks, Rowland said, adding that French investigators will be very keen to start interviewing him about other possible suspects. Hollande said in Brussels on Friday that he was sure the Belgian authorities will answer [an extradition request] as favourably as possible, as soon as possible. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and Hollande confirmed the arrest at a press conference in Brussels on Friday. It was a success against terrorism, said Michel, as he congratulated the security forces who carried out the raid. The four-month manhunt for Abdeslam came to an end in the Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek with the suspect shot in the leg, according to Ahmed El Khannous, the neighbourhoods deputy mayor. Four other people, including members of a family who harboured Abdeslam, were also arrested, said Belgian federal prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt. Footage showed heavily armed police dragging a man whose face was covered by a white hood into the street and bundling him into the back of a waiting unmarked car. It was not clear from the pictures if the man was Abdeslam. Abdeslam, a French national, was born in Brussels and once lived in the city. READ MORE: A message from Molenbeek We are not terrorists He is suspected of renting the car that delivered attackers to the Bataclan concert hall where more than 80 people were killed. He fled the city after the attacks, which were claimed by ISIL. Hours later, he was stopped and questioned by police at the French-Belgian border before he was allowed through. Abdeslams older brother was among the suicide bombers who killed themselves during the rampage. The younger Abdeslam was driven back to Brussels from Paris hours later. Nigeria is on top of its security problems and Boko Haram has been hobbled ahead of elections in the oil-rich River State region, according to Information Minister Lai Mohammed. Mohammed said the army had significantly reduced Boko Harams ability to carry out big attacks, just days after a suspected suicide attack by the group on a mosque left 22 worshippers dead in the northeastern Maiduguri city. The government is on top of the situation in terms of security and I think Nigeria has done really well, Mohammed said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday. The Boko Haram insurgency has been massively decimated to the extent that it is no longer in the position to carry out spectacular attacks. Referring to the attack in Maiduguri, Mohammed said there was a difference between lone-wolf attacks and large-scale ones. Before these villagers [in Maiduguri] were under the control of Boko Haram insurgents today they have been dislodged. Now theyre attacking soft targets, which is what happens with a insurgency on its way out. Oil crisis Mohammed also told Al Jazeera that his government saw the current low oil prices as an opportunity to diversify its economy. Nigeria has proven oil reserves of more than 37 billion barrels and a daily output of more than two million, according to OPEC. In February, it entered talks with the World Bank for a loan to shore up its finances after oil prices fell to below $30 a barrel. The current price of per barrel stands at just above $40, still significantly lower than average prices in 2014 of above $110. Mohammed became information minister after President Muhammadu Buhari won elections last year. At least five killed and 36 wounded on popular Istiklal street, a major thoroughfare in the Turkish citys centre. An explosion believed to have been caused by a suicide bomber has hit the popular Istiklal Street in central Istanbuls Taksim square area. Government officials said at least five people were killed and 36 were injured seven seriously in Saturday mornings explosion. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that at least two Israeli nationals were killed in the blast. Two American nationals have also been killed, while Iran said that one of its citizens had also died. Attacks top European centre-rightists meeting in Turkey It was not immediately clear if the two Americans had dual citizenship or were additional deaths. The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms todays terrorist attack in Istanbul, Turkey, National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. The suspected suicide bomber is also believed to have been killed. Twenty-four foreign citizens were among the wounded, including 11 Israelis. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the blast was inhumane and would not stop Turkey, which has been targeted by Kurdish rebels and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) in recent months, from fighting centres of terrorism. Footage from the scene showed police and emergency services cordoning off the street, which has been completely cleared of people. Witnesses told Al Jazeera that hundreds of people ran in panic away from the site of the explosion, moments after the incident. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Istiklal street is a long pedestrian thoroughfare that winds its way through the Beyoglu neighbourhood from Taksim Square. It is rimmed by hundreds of shops and would have been filled with pedestrians at the time of the explosion. Al Jazeeras Jamal Elshayyal said the explosion was the equivalent of a bomb going off in Oxford Street in London or Fifth Avenue in New York. The explosion came with Turkey on edge after two recent suicide bomb attacks in the capital, Ankara, which were claimed by a Kurdish group which is an off-shoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. Turkey has been fighting on multiple fronts. As part of a US-led coalition, it is battling ISIL, also known as ISIS, which has seized territory in neighbouring Syria and Iraq. It is also battling the PKK in its southeast, where a two-and-a-half-year ceasefire collapsed last July, prompting the worst violence since the 1990s. Turkey sees the unrest in its largely Kurdish southeast as deeply linked to events in northern Syria, where the Kurdish YPG militia has seized territory as it fights both ISIL and rebels battling President Bashar al-Assad. ISIL has carried out at least four bomb attacks on Turkey since June 2015, including a suicide bombing which killed 10 German tourists in central Istanbul in January. At least 19 Egyptians killed when their bus overturned in Saudi Arabia, between two cities considered holy to Muslims. At least 19 Egyptians were killed when their bus overturned in Saudi Arabia, officials said. Red Crescent spokesman Khaled al-Sahli said the crash took place early on Saturday on a highway linking the two Saudi holy cities of Medina and Mecca. At least 22 people were injured, he said. An official with the Egyptian foreign ministry, Hisham al-Naqeeb, told the MENA news agency that the bus was carrying 44 Egyptians. He said the bodies of the dead were transferred to different hospitals in the city of Medina. Nawaf al-Mohammad, chief of the Medina traffic department, told Saudi online newspaper Sabq that the driver of the vehicle may have fallen asleep. The pilgrims were on their way to Medina, about 400km from Mecca, according to the official. The accident came a day after at least 14 Palestinian pilgrims en route to Mecca died in a bus crash in southern Jordannear the Saudi border. UN human rights chief is looking into the possible commission of crimes by Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen may be responsible for international crimes, a category that includes war crimes and crimes against humanity, the top UN human rights official has said. Zeid Raad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, condemned an air strike in Yemen this week and added that the coalition was responsible for twice as many civilian casualties as all other forces put together. Today we want to give the ability to encourage and relaunch again the talks to come up with a political solution. by Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asseri, coalition spokesman More than 6,000 people have been killed since the coalition campaign began a year ago to fight Iranian-allied Houthis and forces loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh and to restore the president they ousted, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asseri said on Friday that major combat operations were less extensive than earlier in the war and there were good signs the UN might soon restart peace talks between warring Yemeni factions. Houthi officials travelled to Saudi Arabia this month for secret talks on the conflict that led to a pause in fighting on the border, a main battlefront of the war, and a prisoner exchange. Asseri said that despite those positive signs, any formal peace talks would have to be carried out by Hadis internationally-recognised government, not by Saudi Arabia, and under a UN umbrella. Tuesdays strike near Mustaba in the northwest hit an outdoor market and killed more than 100 people, a provincial health director and a UN official in Sanaa said, making it one of the worst attacks in the war. These awful incidents continue to occur with unacceptable regularity. In addition, despite public promises to investigate such incidents, we have yet to see progress in any such investigations, Zeid said in a statement. We are possibly looking at the commission of international crimes by members of the coalition. International crimes includes war crimes, crimes against humanity and grave violations of human rights. Saudi Arabia enjoys diplomatic backing and military help from the United States and other Western powers for its campaign in Yemen. Asseri urged the UN not to collect its information from those, like the provincial health director, employed by the Houthi-controlled administration in Sanaa. We use the information coming from the [pro-Hadi] Yemeni army because they are on the ground. The attack was under the control of the Yemeni army. It gave the target, Asseri told the Reuters news agency. He forwarded a graphic prepared by Hadis government that said the target of the air strike was a military area where Houthi forces had gathered and that they deceived people by saying it was a market. A statement issued on Friday by Hadis government said that it had formed a committee to look into the bombing and whether it was the result of an air strike or of shelling by the Houthis, whom it accused of often blaming the coalition for attacks they carried out themselves. Children among the dead Zeids staff who visited the site of Tuesdays strike and interviewed witnesses at al-Khamees market found no evidence of any armed confrontation or significant military objects in the area at the time of the attack, he said. Coalition strikes have hit markets, hospitals, clinics, schools, factories, wedding parties and hundreds of private residences, he added. There were 24 children among the 106 reported dead at Mustaba. Zeid also condemned indiscriminate ground attacks carried out by the Houthis and their allies which have killed civilians, saying these may also amount to international crimes. Asseri told Reuters: Today, we have less of what in military science we call major combat, where we use a lot of forces. Today, most of the forces are in the phase of stabilising, he said, adding that military operations continued, particularly near Sanaa. The pause in fighting on the border, and the breaking of a Houthi siege on the city of Taiz in the south, both mediated with the help of local tribes, was part of a wider effort to reinvigorate the political process, he said. When you increase the political process you decrease the military one to give the opportunity to talk. Today we want to give the ability to encourage and relaunch again the talks to come up with a political solution. Shia cleric has been rallying supporters to put pressure on PM al-Abadi to act against corruption. Iraqs Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is putting pressure on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to carry out reforms to fight corruption. Sadr has managed to rally a huge number of angry Iraqi protesters who are demanding Abadi introduce reforms to put an end to corruption. Last month, Sadr demanded Iraqi politicians be replaced with technocrats and the countrys powerful Shia militias be incorporated into the ministries of defence and interior. In the following weeks he called on his supporters to take to the streets, and each Friday their numbers grew. While Iraqs political leadership has proposed multiple reform plans, some echoing Sadrs own demands, progress in parliament has been slow. So, how far will Sadr go to push for change? And is this only about fighting corruption? Presenter: Mike Hanna Guests: Renad Mansour Fellow at the Iraq Institute for Strategic Studies. Saad Jawad Professor of political science at the London School of Economics. We look at the media coverage of the political crisis in Brazil; plus, the friends and foes of South Africas president. A few years ago, Brazil enjoyed VIP treatment in news narratives: it was the rising star on the global stage, the B in BRICS, and the worlds new economic powerhouse. Fast-forward to today and its a completely different story as a political scandal threatens to bring down the countrys government. In the past week, millions of people have taken to the streets demanding the removal and impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff and her predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. In a two-year investigation called Operacao Lava Jato, or Operation Car Wash, prosecutors have uncovered what they say is a billion-dollar corruption scandal at the mammoth oil corporation Petrobras which dates back to Rousseffs time as chairwoman. With the scandal touching many people in Rousseffs inner circle, and growing anger following the release of tapped phone calls between Lula and Rousseff, her left-leaning Workers Party has complained that Brazils mainstream media monopolised by right-wing conglomerates is using the scandal as a means to pursue political objectives. Talking us through the Rousseff story and the medias role in Brazils political crisis are: Pepe Escobar, a journalist and author; Joao Feres, a media analyst; Chico Amaral, an executive editor at the O Globo newspaper; and Carolina Matos, a lecturer at City University, London. Other media stories on our radar this week: Six members of staff at US conservative news organisation Breitbart have resigned over an incident at a Trump rally; two Australian reporters have been deported and a leading news site has been shut down in Malaysia; and Israeli forces stormed the offices of Palestine Today, accusing the channel of broadcasting inflammatory material. Zumas friends and foes in South African media President Jacob Zuma generates a lot of bad press in South Africa but he isnt without allies in the media. Zumas backing from the state-owned South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and his cosy relationship with the Guptas, an influential family who own several businesses including the New Age newspaper, have helped counter criticism by opposition parties and other negative media coverage. But with local elections just around the corner and the ruling African National Congress partys appeal waning, controlling the media message is essential for Zuma now more than ever. The Listening Posts Nic Muirhead travelled to Cape Town to take a look at the complex relationship between Zuma, his government and news outlets in South Africa. Finally, he may be getting more coverage than any other presidential candidate in the US election race, but Donald Trump actively dislikes the media. We looked through footage of Trumps rallies and debates to put together a compilation of Trumps thoughts on the media in his own words. Photographer Ammar Abd Rabbo talks about documenting the Syrian war and everyday life in the war-torn city of Aleppo. Five years after the Syrian civil war began, images of bombings, destruction and suffering continue to dominate the coverage on television screens. I believe the people side will win the war. You can't do anything against people who dance and chant under the shelling.You can delay it ... but at the end of the day you know it's over. by Ammar Abd Rabbo, Syrian photographer Before the war, the ancient city of Aleppo was Syrias largest city and the countrys financial heart. Anti-government fighters partially controlled the city for some time, but have lost much of it after intense Russian air strikes in support of Syrian government forces. Once a bustling city of two million, Aleppo is now a war zone, mortared and shelled into oblivion a city under attack and under siege. Many have been killed and many more have fled. But what about those who have stayed? Those who are trapped inside? Away from the battlefront, what has life become for the people of Aleppo? This is what renowned Syrian photographer Ammar Abd Rabbo has tried to capture in his latest exhibition. Rabbo is one of the Arab worlds most prominent photographers. For the past 20 years, he has witnessed some of the most profound political changes in the Middle East and made intimate portraits of heads of states. From Libya, to Iraq, to Lebanon, his works have been published in the worlds most widely circulated publications, earning him numerous awards and accolades. Over the past few years, Ammar Abd Rabbo has travelled to Aleppo several times to bring back images snapshots of everyday life that not only remind us of the impact of the ongoing Syrian war, but also show the strength and resilience of the people of Aleppo. His photos show that life still goes on in war-torn Aleppo despite the war, destruction and devastation. It [Aleppo] used to be once a city where Christians, Muslims and Jews lived together, not always in love and harmony, but at least [they] lived together and built and created an amazing city. Today, it [the city] is wounded, its bleeding, but its still very lively, says Rabbo. Its shelling, its under terrible moments and violence, and still people send their kids to school. It says a lot about the resilience and the resistance of the people its a form of resistance to say school is important, says Rabbo and adds: The mindset has changed, the people have changed, but there is still hope. None of them think we wish we didnt do that, we wish we didnt shout, we wish we didnt demonstrate. You dont hear that at all. Syrian photographer Ammar Abd Rabbo talks to Al Jazeera about his work as war photographer, the challenges of documenting the Syrian war, and what everyday life is like for the children, merchants and soldiers of Aleppo. You can talk to Al Jazeera too. Join our Twitter conversation as we talk to world leaders and alternative voices shaping our times. You can also share your views and keep up to date with our latest interviews on Facebook. On the cover of his CD The Three Voices,looks as if he's going to do something crazy with his accordions. He is a giant behind the big city skyline, towering over tall buildings. It's sort of like a "Godzilla of the squeeze boxes" scene. But the accordionist doesn't look like he's bent on Godzillian destruction; he, in fact, looks as if his intention is the spreading of musical joy.Prieto is New York City-based nowhe teaches Master classes at Berklee College of Musicbut he has roots in Galacia. He has combined the sounds of Galacia with Celtic music, Brazilian moods, tango and classical music to create a brew that is distinctly and enthusiastically his own.His original tune, the frenetic "Chatting With Chris," opens the CD. It's a high energy quartet mash up, featuringon soprano saxophone, setting the studio on fire while Prieto fans the flames with the sweet sounds blowing off his accordion reeds. Prieto employs and almost Coltranian "sheets of sound" approach, whether in accompaniment or in his solo, in a song where both front players are tackling the task like they mean it."Michelangelo 70," from the pen of Tango legendit's one of only two non-Prieto tunes on the setbrings in an old world vibe. This is just drums/bass/accordion, and Prieto proves himself virtuosic, easing off a spirited solo to let drummerroll into a rumbling-tumbling solo of his own. Pianistsits in on three numbers, including the gorgeous and initially pensive "Games," that features a delicately compelling interplay between accordion and piano. Violinistjoins the party on "Papa Pin." The blend of voicesviolin, piano, saxophone and accordion, along with the rhythm sectionpaints a wondrous, diaphanous sonic wash.Prieto includes two tunes that feature his Tuvan singing, an art that originated in Mongolia, Siberia and Tuva, described as "the individual vibration control of the vocal chords." It is and eerie, haunting sound that blends well with the drone-like backing of the accordion, a sound of a netherworld, maybe the place from which Victor Prieto emerged to loom over the skyscrapers of the city. 2005 .. AR's Editor Joe Shea Talks About Elections On Iranian TV Bear Stearns Saved By Fed As Lehman Bros. Falters; Major Bank Failure Looms Over Wall Street, Sends Markets Into 200-Pt. Dive Lie Upon Lie Five Years Into the Iraq War The Administration Still Churns Out Lies by Randolph Holhut A Small Tragedy Even at 90, As Friends Turn Cool She Knows the Show Must Go On by Joyce Marcel I'll Take Me Imagine John Wayne or Arnold In Heels, Silk and a Girdle by Elizabeth Andrews Sen. Nelson Calls For New Fla. Primary; Gov Crist Backs 'Do-Over' Who'll Win? Ask Spock Spock.com Engine Predicts Winners By Site Searches; It Can be Wrong by Jay Bhatti Chatting Up The Cat God Gave Me Dominion Over Him But I Think He's a Non-Believer by Constance Daley Death of a Thug The Life and Horrors of Suharto by Andreas Harsono ___________________________ This Just In Sierra Club: McCain Ducked All 15 Key Votes On Green Laws (AR) A Work By AR's T.S. Kerrigan Is Chosen As 'Best Poem' By Wordpress Site Murder At Mile 63 The Deadly Assault and Bush Administration Cover-Up by S. Eben Kirkesby and Andreas Harsono 5427 14th St. West, Bradenton, FL 34207 $6.99 Fish Fridays! Manatee Co.'s Only 24-Hr. FREE Wi-Fi Paid Advertisement On Native Ground AFTER 5 YEARS, WE'RE STILL LIED TO ABOUT IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Next week is the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. And it is likely that sometime in the next couple of weeks, the 4,000th American soldier will die in Iraq. [MORE] Momentum OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - It's 1931, and a 14-year-old girl is standing alone on a stage. She's small and lively with dark curly hair, widespread hazel eyes, slender wrists and an open, eager face filled with the wonder of performing. Her name is Rose, and one day she will be my mother. But now she is performing an Eugene O'Neill monologue called "Before Breakfast" for a ladies' club in a wealthy suburb of Long Island. [MORE] One Woman's World COMFORTABLE WITH MYSELF by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I'm not sure but I think I may be socially incorrect. [MORE] On Native Ground ENOUGH FOR A WAR, NOT FOR A PEOPLE by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Last week, the National Governors Assn. met in Washington, D.C. One of the tasks the NGA had on its agenda was to ask President Bush to increase federal spending on roads, bridges and other public works projects as a way to stimulate the economy. He rejected their pleas out of hand, claiming that infrastructure projects wouldn't offer any short-term economic boost. [MORE] Brasch Words BEWARE THE SELF-REVERENTIAL PRESS by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Shortly before the primary votes this past week, Newsweek's Jonathan Alter called Sen. Barack Obama's surge to the Democratic nomination "inevitable." It also called for Hillary Clinton to "start her campaign for Senate majority leader." [MORE] Constance A CONVERSATION WITH MY CAT Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Normally, when the cat starts his evening rant of meowing continuously until he makes his point, I just take it as long as I can, pick him up, and put him in the garage for the night. He doesn't want to go, but the meowing stops and I don't care if he likes it or not. [MORE] Momentum OUT OF STRUGGLE, ART by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Here we are again at the crossroads of art and social change, having the opportunity to watch good and great films about the lives of women in support of the Women's Crisis Center. [MORE] Campaign 2008 HOW TO PREDICT SUPER TUESDAY II WINNERS? ONLINE SEARCH by Jay Bhatti NEW YORK, March 4, 2008, 7:00PM ET -- With the outcomes of the Texas, Vermont, Ohio and Rhode Island primaries to be decided tonight, how possible is it that online searching can predict who will win tonight's primaries? [MORE] One Woman's World DON'T VOTE; IT ENCOURAGES THEM by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Call me angry and disgusted but don't call me un-American because I won't be voting come November. [MORE] On Native Ground BUSH AND THE KEYBOARD COMMANDOS by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- As the days tick down toward the eventual departure of President George W. Bush from the White House, it's a hopeful sign that most Americans are no longer moved by his Administration's constant exploitation of terrorism for political gain. [MORE] Momentum WHICH AMERICA DO YOU LIVE IN? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- It's a little confusing. [MORE] Make My Dat THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] On Native Ground FIDEL RETIRES: NOW THE COLD WAR IS REALLY OVER by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Maybe now, we can finally say the Cold War is over. [MORE] Make My Dat THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] One Woman's World POLITICS IS NO PARTY by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Are you having a hard time focusing your eyes? Do you have faint red spots all over your body? Is there a ringing in your ears and do you see wavy lines when you look at your television set? Do your hands shake when you try to hold a cup of coffee? And have you recently been forgetting what day of the week it is - or what year? [MORE] Make My Day FOR BETTER OR WORSE ... A LOT WORSE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- "Marriage: It's Only Going to Get Worse." [MORE] Constance YOU CALL THESE RIGHTS? by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- When you express an opinion you hope to persuade others to your point of view. It doesn't always happen but still, opinion writers try. [MORE] Momentum THE BRIDGE WOMAN by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - Out there in America - yes, still - is a generation of women who were born in the 1940s, raised in the 1950s, and who came to radical consciousness in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I am one of them. Hillary Clinton is one of them. [MORE] On Native Ground OBAMA AND MY GENERATION by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- I originally planned on voting for Dennis Kucinich in the Vermont Primary on March 4. [MORE] The Willies: WARNING: THIS MEDICATION MAY MURDER YOUR FRIENDS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla. -- You've heard the warnings, haven't you? Stop Prozac and you may take a shotgun, an Uzi or an AK-47 and mow down your family and friends, or even a whole classroom full of your fellow students. You didn't? Well, that warning is not on the bottle, but like countless mass-murder incidents before it, Friday's shootings at Northern Illinois University, as well as the Virginia Tech shootings that killed 32 last year, was probably precipitated by the effect of stopping medications that suppress anger and other powerful emotions but do not relieve the underlying cause. Isn't it time we started warning people - or stopped prescribing these medicines? [MORE] One Woman's World DON'T KNOCK ON MY DOOR by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I wish I could feel delight in my poet's mansion being like Grand Central Station all the time, but I can't. And I wish my place was such a place that someone would one day write: "Her door was always open and she always made you feel all fuzzy and warm in her presence. She could make a cup of coffee seem like a banquet." [MORE] Reporting: Panama PANAMA'S VIOLENT LABOR UNREST INTENSIFIES Mark Scheinbaum PANAMA CITY, Panama, Feb, 15, 2008 -- After just one day of relative calm, wildcat construction strikes by some members of Panama's largest union flared up again Friday morning, four days after a police sniper shot one worker. More than 140 demonstrators have been injured and at least 500 arrested, authorities say. [MORE] Brasch Words TO STIMULATE ECONOMY, BUY A CHINESE-MADE U.S. FLAG by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Walking down Main Street, pushing a grocery cart loaded with clothes, toys, and appliances was Marshbaum. Fastened to the right front corner of the cart was an American flag tied onto a three-foot ruler. [MORE] Make My Day THE TOOTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- To commemorate the death of noted shark exploder Roy Scheider, and the "Jaws" movies that resulted in Erik never setting foot in the ocean again, we are reprinting this column from 2003. Shark Experts 0, Sharks 1 [MORE] Momentum THE WINTER OF MY DISCONTENT by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - As I write this, it's raining ice. Maybe a half a foot of snow and ice has already landed up here in the woods of Dummerston. Our cars are encased in it, and the door to the house is blocked. The satellite dish that brings in our Internet service quit about 20 minutes ago - frozen solid. [MORE] The Willies AMERICA TO HILLARY: GET OUT! by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 13, 2008 -- Sen. Hillary Clinton has adopted the Rudy Giuliani strategy, and it's working - for Sen. Barack Obama. It turns out to be the strategy all Democrats are seeking - an exit strategy. But it's not for Iraq. It's for her exit from the race for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. [MORE] Constance CONFESSIONS OF A DISAPPOINTED VOTER by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- A week ago at just about this time, I completed an article and was about to submit it as scheduled to The American Reporter. I was feeling rather elated, ready to show up on Super Tuesday morning, firmly touch the X next to Rudy Giuliani's name and get on with my day. He was my choice; he would get my vote. [MORE] Reporting: Florida SIERRA CLUB SET TO SUSPEND FLA. CHAPTER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 10, 2008 -- The national Sierra Club is set to suspend its Florida chapter after years of divisive infighting, the president of the national club told Florida members in a letter delivered to some this weekend. It is the first time in its 116-year history that such a step has been considered by the club, according to news reports. [MORE] One Woman's World PLANT A NEW WORLD THIS SPRING by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- For a little while, the men will just have to toss and turn in their fear-free-women beds. For a small space of time Hillary Clinton will just have to trudge on toward the White House without my faint applause in the background. [MORE] On Native Ground VERMONT AND THE 5 STAGES OF CONSERVATIVE GRIEF by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- First, Vermont tried to convince the nation to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. [MORE] Make My Day REBEL WITHOUT A TONGUE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Kids' brains work in amazing ways. At times, they can grasp complex concepts and make impressive discoveries. Other times, you have to wonder how we ever survived as a species. [MORE] The Willies FOR DEMOCRATS, NOW IT'S ABOUT RACE, INCOME AND GENDER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Feb. 6, 2008 -- It's not a good time to be a Democrat. As the Super Tuesday results demonstrated, the presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has divided the partly along clear racial, income and gender lines - the very distinctions the party has sought to erase in principle but has emphasized in its pursuit of diversity. [MORE] Momentum SUPER TUESDAY BLUES by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Super Tuesday has come and gone and I still can't get excited about the upcoming presidential elections. [MORE] The Willies ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY, YOUR PUSH IS NEEDED by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 5. 2008 -- I'm expecting a sea change tonight. I believe that for the first time in this nation's history we will once and forever banish racism as the deciding factor in the destiny of African-Americans, and indeed adopt diversity as our path to the future. [MORE] Campaign 2008 AT 88, EVERY VOTE REALLY COUNTS by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 5, 2008 -- Pearl Turner will caucus for Mitt Romney tonight in Denver. [MORE] One Woman's World STAND BY YOUR WOMAN by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- The black vote. The gay vote. The fundamentalist vote. The Hispanic vote. [MORE] An AR Special SUSPECTS IN BENAZIR ASSASSINATION HAVE TIES TO MUSHARRAF by Ahmar Mustikhan WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When Gordon Brown this past Monday feted coup-leader-turned-President Pervez Musharraf at 10 Downing Street, Britain's new prime minister probably didn't ask the Pakistani dictator a question that is now on many minds: Did you order the murder of Benazir Bhutto? [MORE] Momentum TO THE VERMONT DELEGATION: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR US LATELY? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. Back when President George W. Bush and Dick Vice President Dick Cheney were building up to their loathsome war in Iraq, very few people were brave enough to call the bullies' bluff. [MORE] On Native Ground IF BUSH HAS HIS WAY, WE'LL NEVER LEAVE IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. - In his final State of the Union address on Jan. 28, President Bush cautioned against accelerating U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, saying that it would endanger the process that has been made over the past year. [MORE] Campaign 2008 CLASH OF COMMENTS AND PROTESTORS AT CLINTON, OBAMA RALLIES IN DENVER by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 1, 2008 -- At least four presidential campaigns of both partiers rolled into in Denver this week ahead of the Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" primaries in 22 states, but it was the Democratic presidential contenders who drew the big crowds and duked it out Wednesday. If sheer numbers are any indication, Sen. Barack Obama - preceded by a buoyant and beautiful Caroline Kennedy - won the round handily. He is the overwhelming favorite to win the Colorado primary next Tuesday. [MORE] The Willies WHY THE FLORIDA PRIMARY STINKS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Jan. 30, 2008 -- I was with my wife and daughter driving the back way from Miami home to Bradenton when we stopped at a McDonald's in Clewiston, the only big town along the vast shore of Lake Okeechobee, the state's precious freshwater reservoir. The McDonald's had three televisions at a central seating area, each tuned to a different network, and our table was in front of CNN as the very first election results started to pour in around 7:30PM. With them, almost as counterpoint, suddenly came such an overwhelming odor of cow plop that my wife started to throw up as we all ran to the parking lot. [MORE] Passings: Suharto DEATH OF A KEMUSU THUG by Andreas Harsono JAKARTA - A few minutes after hearing that former president Suharto had died in his hospital bed, Marco, a militia leader in downtown Jakarta, raced to Suhartos house, wearing his jungle camouflage and began guarding the Suhartos residence on Cendana Street. [MORE] Constance I REMEMBER YOU by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.. -- It seems to be more often lately that the sentiment is spoken but it's always been out there: "You never get over the death of your child." This is true. But the heartfelt expressions come from some who cannot fathom the notion of losing a child; their own child is who is in their mind, not another mother's child. [MORE] , , , , . News / National by Stephen Jakes Chief Zihute, In Ward 30, Mashonaland East has reportedly challenged all the headmen to assume Zanu PF positions in order to address party politics in each an every gathering.Heal Zimbabwe Trust noted that Cheif Zihute made the remarks while addressing the traditional leaders in Murewa North on March 7 at Murewa Centre."At the meeting, he instructed all Headmen to assume positions of Zanu-PF village chairpersons. This meant that they are expected to address Zanu-PF issues at all gatherings," said the trust."Again in Murehwa North ward 1, Constable Mushonga from Murehwa Charge Office as well as Constable Hungwe from Madamombe police station moved around villages in Murehwa the whole of last week taking down names of all MDC-T party members. Constable Hungwe is stating that there is a "new law" that requires the database to be collected."The trust said this has left MDC party members in a state of fear as they do not know what exactly the names are being needed for. News / National by Stephen Jakes In Mashonaland West-Hurungwe a councillor has reportedly distributed food to Zanu PF members known to be loyal to the party amid outcry from the rest of the villagers.Heal Zimbabwe Trust reported that on 10 March 2016, at Deve Business Centre, Ward 24, Zanu PF Councillor Kuyerukana distributed maize and openly declared that only those people who had been loyal to Zanu PF particularly during last years' by elections would receive the maize."He gave the directive to Traditional leaders present that only Zanu PF supporters would receive the maize. He threatened villagers that those who remain defiant by continuing to support other political parties would starve due to hunger," said the trust. News / National by Stephen Jakes Harare Residents Trust has expressed concern that health services at local health centres are mostly deplorable yet it is common knowledge that Zimbabwe and the City of Harare in particular have some of the most competent health personnel.The trust said nurses and other medical teams in local health centres allegedly conduct private business at council health centres, and occasionally discriminate patients seeking treatment in terms of access to drugs."Patients are usually referred to Harare Hospital which is also overwhelmed. Consultation fees are beyond their reach," said the trust."The HRT shall put in place monitoring mechanisms at local level to ensure that the operations at local health centres are closely monitored in the interest of health for the residents."HRT said where cases of abuse of authority and health centre resources, it shall be the policy of the HRT to engage the City Health Department, the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, and other national bodies to improve service provision."It shall be the policy of the HRT to demand that planning of all new residential areas should reserve land for the construction of health centres to avoid a situation where some suburbs have no local health centres, forcing residents to seek treatment elsewhere," said the trust."Consultation fees at health centres should be within the reach of the majority in that particular community to ensure that the City of Harare health policies promote access to health for all citizens."The HRT said it shall engage ZESA on load shedding at health centres and shall also collaborate with such statutory bodies like the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) to safeguard the environment against illegal waste disposal and management. News / National by Stephen Jakes A political analyst Pedzisayi Ruhanya has said President Robert Mugabe faces serious threat from Manicaland considering the history of the area during the liberation struggle with Chief Rekayi Tangwena whose resistance is second to none.Ruhanya said Manicaland poses the greatest threat to Mugabe's power because of its position in the history of the liberation movement."On the peasant struggles the icon is Chief Rekayi Tangwena whose resistance is second to none in the history of the nation. On nationalism and the liberation war itself the leadership role and personal sacrifice of Hebert Chitepo has no match even in comparison with Mugabe himself."Ruhanya said quoting Wilbert Sadomba's article (2016) "Chitepo involved himself at the formative stages of the war, leaving his profession as Tanzania's first Director of Public Prosecution a position far greater than a mere teacher." News / National by Tendai Rupapa Chief magistrate Mr Mishrod Guvamombe has warned members of the public to desist from bribing judicial officers by taking advantage of their poor working conditions and low salaries.Mr Guvamombe said the officers, on their part, should not use the poor working condition as an excuse to engage in corruption.He said this during the swearing in ceremony of five magistrates Yeukai Dzuda, Elizabeth Magomore, Moreblessing Makati, Tracy Muzondo and Takunda Nyamandi at the Harare Magistrates' Courts yesterday."While it is appreciated that the conditions of service for magistrates are not the best, efforts are being made to continuously lobby the powers that be to improve them. I urge the magistrates to be patient and not to use the poor working conditions as an excuse to engage in corrupt activities. That is not acceptable," he said."In the same vein, we call upon the public to desist from bribing the magistrates. Those found wanting will be prosecuted."He said corruption had detrimental effects to the society and the justice delivery system as a whole."We implore our public to appreciate that magistrates are independent in their decision making. They are not influenced, controlled or directed by any force in that regard," he said.Mr Guvamombe said his office was open to complaints, which are legitimate, based on real issues and not those which are speculative. He said magistrates should live an honest life and refrain from befriending dubious characters adding that those of questionable character did not have space on the bench.The chief magistrate implored the new magistrates to stick to the principles and values that guided justice delivery.Speaking at the same event, Chief Law Officer Mr Tawanda Zvekare urged magistrates to shun corruption, saying that it could undermine justice delivery by denying victims and accused persons the right to a fair and impartial trial.He said corruption should be eradicated.The vice president of the Law Society of Zimbabwe, Mr Chaka Mashoko, urged the new magistrates to bring justice to the public without fear or favour."The magistrates' courts are the most accessible courts to the people and they should be able to inspire confidence in people that they dispense real and substantial justice. The profession does not tolerate corruption and indiscipline from its members," he said. News / National by Sukulwenkosi Dube ABOUT 502 Zimbabweans are being held in Botswana prisons for committing various crimes in the neighbouring country compared to only four Botswana nationals held in local prisons.The Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development responsible for Livestock, Paddy Zhanda, told villagers in Nxele area, Mangwe District on Thursday that Botswana had complained to the government over Zimbabweans entering the neighbouring country illegally to commit crimes.Zhanda, who is visiting villages situated along the Botswana-Zimbabwe border ahead of the June 1 deadline that will see the neighbouring country shooting stray cattle that enter that country, said a perimeter fence erected between the two countries had been vandalised by smugglers and other criminals who wanted to illegally enter Botswana."As I was inspecting what is supposed to be the perimeter fence, I was shocked by the number of holes I saw. These openings are created by criminals who use them as entry and exit points when committing crimes," he said."We have 502 Zimbabweans who are currently being held in Botswana prisons and yet we only have four Botswana nationals who are being held in our cells. There is a need for us to be disciplined as a nation and respect our neighbour's laws as we also expect them to observe ours."Zhanda said erecting a perimeter fence was not the solution but stabilising the country's economy would enable people to sustain their families.Recently, the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Obedingwa Mguni, who is also Mangwe MP, said a number of youths living in communities close to the border were dropping out of school and fleeing to the neighbouring country without travelling documents.He said after failing to secure employment, some of them turned to crime. News / National by Staff reporter In a rare moment of candour since he hounded former Vice President Joice Mujuru from Zanu-PF in late 2014, President Robert Mugabe yesterday gave a definitive reason why his former number two had been purged from the party.Speaking at a Zanu-PF rally at Chipadze Stadium in Bindura, the nonagenarian suggested that Mujuru had paid for the sins of her late husband, liberation struggle icon Solomon - who died in a mysterious fire in 2011 - accusing him of having worked to depose him from power in the disputed 2008 elections."Mujuru waiti vanhu havangatambudzike munyika muno nenyaya yemasanctions. Akupomera ini mhosva yemasanctions achiti saka Mugabe ngaabve pachigaro ndokufurirana naSimba Makoni kuita chiparty chavo Mavambo. Ndokufamba kumaprovince vachiti regai kuvhotera president . . .," Mugabe said. ("In 2008, Mujuru accused me of being the cause of the Western sanctions that were causing much pain to Zimbabweans, saying I must step down from power. He then connived with Simba Makoni to form Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn, going around the country and asking people not to vote for me").Mugabe said the campaign against him by the likes of Mujuru, resulted in the party losing the elections to MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who got 47 percent while Zanu-PF got 43 percent.The 92-year-old leader said he was only lucky because Tsvangirai did not get the required 50 percent plus one vote to assume leadership of the country.Mugabe also revealed that hardliners in Zanu-PF were working with external forces to remove him from power.During the address, Mugabe expressed both his frustration over increased calls for him to leave office, in the face of the ugly brawls that are ripping the former liberation movement apart.Mugabe sensationally claimed that some of the factional leaders are now approaching the Chinese in their bid to remove him from power."...saka ndipo patava kusiyana navamwe ipapa vanobva vaenda mberi mberi nekumaChina kuti takuda president mutsva (That is the main cause of our differences, as some are pushing further to an extent of approaching the Chinese telling them they now want a new leader)," Mugabe fumed.Mugabe said this after Mashonaland Central chairman Dickson Mafios also said the Chinese were meddling in Zanu-PF succession wars in the province."Tichavadzvanya mukaona vakuchema chema (We are going to deal with them)," he said.Since the brutal ouster of Mujuru late in 2014 over untested charges of plotting to remove Mugabe from power and assassinate him, the deadly ructions now pitting supporters of Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa against those of First Lady Grace Mugabe have worsened.During yesterday's address, Mugabe said Mujuru had approached traditional healers and faith healers in her bid to take over from him, yet she is a member of the Salvation Army Church."Hameno kuti-PFungwa yakazouya sei yekuti zvandava number two, ko iyo number one haigoneki here? (I wonder how the idea creeped into her mind after I appointed her VP, she started aiming to take my position)," he said.The increasingly-frail nonagenarian leader admitted that the former liberation movement was now sitting on a cliff edge."Hatina kusungana zvakakwana iye zvino (We are not united)," he said, applauding the women for remaining united.He urged party structures to "remain calm, disciplined, and united in the face of the multi-faceted challenges".Mugabe attacked former War Veterans minister Christopher Mutsvangwa, accusing him of influencing the youths to rebel against him. He criticised Mutsvangwa for pushing him to leave office on claims that he had overstayed.He, however, said it was only his Zanu-PF party's congress that would decide on whether he should continue as the leader or not."Kana muchida kuti vatungamiri vabve eh ndobva asi zvinouya nekuparty. Asi zvingakubatsirei here? (If you want me to leave, I will leave but that has to be done through proper party procedures, but to what end?)" he asked. He said he was going to meet with the war vets during the first week of April to deal with their grievances, including the issue of school fees for their children.Before his rally, Mugabe officially opened the Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University where he gave Zaoga land that they had been charged $2,3 million by the council for free."Saka iyo taitaura kare kuti mari iyoyo hamuibhadhare, makabhadhara kare neminamato, takabhadhara kare neropa, vakai vakai hamubise kana kobiri rokutenga, ndizvo zvatakarwira, ndozvatakafira. Nzvimbo ino ndanga ndichitoti idiki. Kana moda kuita vana agriculture . . . mining tokutsvagirai kwokuenda monoisa ikoko macampus akati kuti. (You are not going to pay money for this piece of land, you paid through your prayers, we liberated this country for you to get land. If you want to venture into agriculture . . . mining, tell us, we can give you more land to do what you want," Mugabe said.).He added, "...Council kana yanga ichitsvaga mari haiwani mari nemutovo iwoyo (Council will not make money through that means)," he said. News / Religion by Ndou Paul In our Religion Section of The Herald yesterday, we published a story about Fatima Zahra, the daughter of Prophet Mohammed, with an accompanying picture. It has been kindly brought to our attention that the Islamic faith does not allow the publication of images of the Prophet Mohammed and his close companions. We unreservedly apologise for the offence the publication could cause. The state controlled Herald newspaper on Friday apologised for publishing a picture of Fatima Zahra, the daughter of Prophet Mohammed.The Islamic faith disapprove any depiction/publication of prophets and their close ones. The disapproval extends to Jesus and Moses.Prohibitions against depicting the Prophet Mohammed may mystify manySome non-Muslims may not realise but the prohibition of depicting the Prophet Mohammed speaks to a central tenet of Islam: the worship of God alone.Nothing in the Quran, Islam's holy book, strictly bars portrayals of Mohammed. But the faith, like the Hebrew Bible's Ten Commandments, has long discouraged any graven images, scholars say, to avoid the temptation toward idol worship.Instead, the teaching about images comes from the hadith, a record of the sayings and actions of the Prophet Mohammed and his closest companions. According to the CNN, the hadith is considered secondary only to the Quran in terms of textual authority, but the sometimes contradictory accounts have led to centuries of debates within the umma, or global Muslim community.In its publication on Friday Zimbabwe's top state controlled newspaper wrote: Opinion / Columnist Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice activist and commentator, writer, and journalist. He writes in his personal capacity, and welcomes any feedback. Please feel free to call/WhatsApp: +263782283975, or email: tendaiandtinta.mbofana@gmail.com It is one thing for a government to fail to achieve or deliver what is expected of it, but it is clearly a different thing for a government to be downright cruel, heartless, and thieving - as this is what we clearly see in our own Zimbabwe government.If a government was to fail in its mandate of providing food, education, shelter, health, employment, and so forth, merely because of its incompetence, that would be understandable - so some extent.However, if a government fails to deliver on all these basic human needs and rights, due to that fact that it does not care at all about the people, and is deliberately misappropriating billions and billions of dollars for the leaders own obscenely lavish lifestyles, whilst its own population wallows in abject poverty - then that government should be stopped in its tracks.The Zimbabwean government has repeatedly proven that it has never failed to deliver solely because it can not perform, but that it takes Zimbabweans as idiots who can not think, and as such, spends most of its time amassing the nation's abundant wealth and resources for the leadership's own aggrandisement.How else can one explain how a country so endowed with vast mineral resources - that hover around 41, and still counting - can have a population that can not even afford to send its own children to the cheapest schools?As I write this article, numerous children are not going to school because their parents could not afford the most basic school fees.Despite the government's empty rhetoric about schools not being allowed to deny those who have not paid fees from attending classes, numerous children are roaming the streets, because they have been kicked out of for failure to pay fees.Those who are fortunate enough to attend school, still have to content with not learning much, as these schools do not have textbooks, and the already poor parents are expected to fork out more money to buy everything from textbooks, exercise books, manila sheets, markers, and so forth - all costing an arm and a leg.As such, what we witness in most Zimbabwean classrooms are pupils who just attend school for the sake of attending school, yet they do not learn much because they can not fully participate in any activities.Their parents back home are so poor that they can not even afford a descent meal, as a result these same children are further disadvantaged as they have to contend with going to school hungry.I will not even bother spending much time on the other issues affecting Zimbabweans, as these have been mentioned time and time again.The vast majority of the Zimbabwe population are out of work because of the government's pathetic economic policies and corruption, that have seen thousands and thousands of companies close.Most of those still at work are hardly paid, and are as good as being unemployed.Those that have lost their jobs, as a result of these company closures, have never been paid a single cent for all their decades - some even half a century - of employment at those firms.There are 4 million people who are facing starvation as a result of the Zimbabwe government's ill-planned and corruptly handled land reform programme.Government hospitals do not have any functional laboratories, as well as a lack of any meaningful medication, such that, the poor - who mostly rely on these government hospitals for treatment - find themselves been referred to private laboratories and pharmacies, whose exorbitant costs they can not possibly afford - which is why they had sought treatment at government hospitals in the first place.This has resulted in countless people, especially the elderly, dying in their homes, as they could not possibly afford treatment.Can the government seriously tell the nation that it can not afford all these things?Is the nation expected to believe that the situation is so terrible merely because the government had failed to deliver?Is this the result of mere incapability on the part of government?Is it a result of some devastating economic sanctions that were imposed on the country by the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), and their allies?Certainly not!If that were the case, all of us in this country should be feeling the pinch - including the ruling class.We should be seeing the President and his family seeking treatment at Parirenyatwa Hospital - and even complaining about the lack of medication or its unaffordability.If we were to see children of government ministers also failing to attend school because their patents can not afford it - then we would all agree that there was truly no money in Zimbabwe, and we would stand together with the government in our misery.However, that is not the case.In fact, the very opposite is true.Whilst the rest of us are complaining about suffering, the government's top officials are splashing wealth like there was no tomorrow.They are building mansions all over the country, whilst some are literally buying whole towns.Not to mention holidaying all over the world, at government's expense.Where is all that money coming from, if we are all living in a country that is supposedly going through hard times?Can everyone in government - from the President downwards account for every cent they have used, or that they possess?Then we hear about the over US$15 billion dollars from diamond sales that just vanishes into thin air.An amount of money (and this is a gross underestimate, as I believe that this is just but a tip of the iceberg) that could have easily covered all these needs that the people of Zimbabwe are lacking.Money that vanished under the watch of the government.This should be a clear signal to the people of Zimbabwe that its long overdue to go out there fulltime in mobilising the nation in rejecting this government in the next elections.We should all register to vote - no matter what we may think about the whole electoral system in Zimbabwe.Even those in the diaspora should register to vote, and make every arrangement to come home to vote in 2018 - as removing ZANU PF would be a national duty.I do not see this cowardly government allowing for the diaspora to vote in their respective countries, so this sacrifice has to be made for the good of the country.We, in Zimbabwe, need to go to all our relatives in both rural and urban areas, and make it our own national duty to educate them about the electoral system and debunk some of the threats and lies they have been subjected to by ZANU PF over the last decades.Let us educate and encourage them to be bold enough to reject ZANU PF in 2018, no matter what could be personally at stake.Rigging, or no rigging, we need to go en mass - more than in 2008 - to make it clear that we do not want ZANU PF anymore.Let every Zimbabwean know that time for myopic partisan allegiances and polarisation is over.We are all suffering as a nation, and if we do not stand together - and stop blindly supporting ZANU PF just because one has been supporting it for ages - then we are all doomed.What is the point of blindly supporting, or even doing ZANU PF's dirty work, whilst at the end of the day, all of us still suffer, and the only people who have benefitted are those at the top?Let us all now come together and think of our country and our long-term futures.It is pointless for one to continue supporting ZANU PF merely because at least today they gave you something to eat.What about tomorrow?Are we to be continual beggars, at the mercy of ZANU PF?Do we not all crave a prosperous Zimbabwe, where we are independent to make our own decent living, without waiting for crumbs from ZANU PF?A prosperous new Zimbabwe is good for everyone - including those that support ZANU PF today.What is needed now is to remove the biggest impediment to that prosperity, and that is ZANU PF.We need now to rally behind a leader who has been proven spotless.We, as a nation, need to remove our political blinkers for a while, and re-think our allegiances.We need to soberly identify a leader in our midst who had never been tainted by corruption, political intolerance and dictatorship.Never a leader who has shown any sign of craving power.We need to identify a leader who has a track record of sober-mindedness, humility and has never sought personal glory - who is known for calmness, but assertive, organised and goal-oriented.A leader who we will always hold accountable - and is willing to be held accountable, and genuinely open to criticism - who we will never build a personality cult around.We need a leader who understands the people's suffering, and suffers with them when times are genuinely hard.Once the nation identifies such a leader, we need to rally behind such a leader in 2018.That is the only hope that Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans have for a prosperous future.If we are continually impervious to change, and stubbornly stick to our currently chosen parties and leaders, without critically analysing them for any potential weaknesses for power, greed and corruption, then we are doomed to eternal poverty in Zimbabwe - what is call, 'shavi re urombo'. A COLD AND LONELY PLACEAIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has announced that it has filed yet another petition with the California Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH, or as it's more commonly known, Cal/OSHA), and according to AHF's press release on the matter, the agency is required to "report its decision no later than six months following the receipt of such proposal." "After taking a number of years to consider our original petition, I appreciate the board's commitment to revisiting this worker safety proposal in a more timely manner," said AHF president Michael Weinstein. "We look forward to the opportunity to reopen the discussion with OSHA as well as the industry and anticipate that the board will ultimately vote in favor of protecting the health of adult film workers in California." Actually, Cal/OSHA moved forward fairly quickly on AHF's previous petition, holding several exceptionally contentious public meetings over the course of the past six years to hear commentary from proponents and opponents of requiring the use of condoms in the production of explicit adult content. (The requirement for other "barrier protections" was not the subject of AHF's earlier petition.) But that's just the most recent example of AHF playing fast and loose with the truth; its new petition to the Cal/OSHA Standards Board and Division officers contains several more. For example, the petition states, "The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has documented an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases among workers in the adult film industry. It attributes the epidemic to a variety of high-risk acts that workers are required to engage in, including 'pervasive use of ejaculation into the mouth,' 'growing use of internal ejaculation with vaginal and anal sex,' 'multiple partners over short time periods,' and 'double-vaginal and double-anal sex' (Kim-Farley 2011). Most importantly, the Los Angeles County department of Public Health attributes the epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases in the adult film industry to a lack of condom use on set." There's just one problem: The Los Angeles Times reported on June 17, 2009, that the County Health Department had retracted its earlier claims of an "epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases," admitting that it had published incorrect figures regarding the number of HIV cases it had attributed to adult performers, while Dr. Sharon Mitchell, the head of AIM, the adult industry's then-primary STD testing facility, had reported that, "It's true, some of those numbers are from performers, but why those figures are so inaccurate is because they were double- and triple-counted. I mean, we report [positive results] almost immediately, because we have the advantage of early-detection testing, and our population comes in and they say, 'Oh, here are my partners,' and everyone's very voluntary in the industry ... But oftentimes, people get a little anxious and they want to get back to work faster, and we know that it takes five to six days for the medicine to work, but people will come back and test on the second, third, fourth and fifth day, so they're counting a lot of the same people for the same exact infection." In fact, there have been no on-set HIV infections within the adult performer community in California since 2004, and rates of other STD infections are substantially lower in the adult industry than in similarly-aged populations across the United States. "Incidences of infectious disease exposure and transmission are well-documented and occur with alarming regularity in the adult film industry," the petition goes on. "According to a study by Goldstein et al. (2011), between 2004 and 2007 there were 2,633 documented cases of chalmydia and/or gonorrhea among 1,849 adult film performers in Los Angeles County. Adult performers were found to be 64-times more at-risk for gonorrhea and 34-times more at-risk for chlamydia than the general Los Angeles County population. Compared to a similar age group, adult film performers were still found to be at greater risk: 18-times more at-risk for gonorrhea and 8.5-times more at-risk for chlamydia than 18-29 year olds in Los Angeles County (Goldstein et al. 2011). To add, Goldstein et al. found that a quarter of adult film performers experience a re-infection within one year." Besides the fact that Dr. Mitchell has already put the lie to the infection and re-infection rates quoted by the county, the "Goldstein et al." report was thoroughly debunked by Dr. Lawrence S. Mayer, a renown epidemiologist and biostatistician at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Medicine, who was commissioned by Dr. Mitchell to analyze the Goldstein et al. study. More analysis of that study can be found here. "Adult film industry representatives claim their self-regulated voluntary testing scheme prevents the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases among adult film performers," the petition continues. "However, according to a study by Rodriguez-Hart et al. (2012), 28 percent of adult film performers tested positive for gonorrhea and/or chlamydia and 23 percent of those infections would not have been detected through the adult film industry's current testing scheme." In fact, AVN looked closely at the "Rodriguez-Hart et al." study when it was first published on the website Sexually Transmitted Diseases, but clicking on the link to that article now brings the warning, "The Published Ahead-of-Print article you requested cannot be found. Most likely, the article has published to the print issue and certain information has changed. The article will again be available once the transition is complete." [Emphasis added.] We don't know what may have changed, but considering that the report was based in large part on the findings of Dr. Robert Rigg, owner of the West Oaks Urgent Care Center and an infamous character in the history of adult industry healthcare, who allegedly reported on just 168 "adult performers," at least 30 percent of whom hadn't made any sexually explicit content for more than 30 days, whatever may have changed can't affect the fact that the statistics that Rodriguez-Hart and her associates relied on were in fact unreliable. AVN's report on the study can be found here. "Lastly, according to a study published this year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, there is strong evidence that an adult performer became infected with HIV on set despite following the adult film industry's testing scheme (Wilken et al. 2016). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention argues it may in fact '... underestimate the extent of HIV transmission in this cluster.'" First of all, once again, AHF fails to mention that this alleged on-set HIV transmission actually occurred in Nevada rather than Cal/OSHA's area of jurisdiction, California. Beyond that, it is currently unknown whether the original HIV-infected performer actually followed the industry's testing protocols, since no documentation of the performer's alleged "industry protocol" test has yet been producedand if the performer had been tested with AHF's own approved protocol, the ELISA test, which test the industry discarded more than a dozen years ago as completely unreliable for adult industry work, that performer could very well have been infected and not know itand sadly, apparently no one on the set where the transmission took place inspected any performer's test results. Beyond AHF's inaccurate retelling of the history of HIV/STDs in the adult industry, the new petition also hopes to enact some interesting changes in the California Health Code. For example, part of AHF's proposed definition of "Adult Film" includes "the production fo [sic] any film, video, multimedia or other recorded representation of sexual intercourse in which the performers actually engage in oral, vaginal, or anal penetration, including but not limited to penetration by a penis, finger, or inanimate object." [Emphasis added.] Yes, that's right: AHF wants performers to wear condoms (or latex gloves) on their fingers and sex toys in adult content scenes. And as for its proposed "new section," "Adult Film Production," once again, AHF uses the weasel words "Engineering and work practice controls include, but are not limited to"meaning that once again, this isn't just about condoms, as AHF has often claimed, but could include dental dams, latex gloves, goggles, face shields and possibly even full-body coverings. But since Cal/OSHA is required to "report its decision no later than six months following the receipt of such proposal," we can't help but wonder if this new petition will lead to a new round of hearingsand maybe Cal/OSHA can bring back its recently retired chief inspector Deborah Gold, who made such a hit at the Standards Board meeting in Oakland last month, to chair them! The Executive Producer and Casting Director that launched the worldwide phenomena of Jersey Shore and Party Down South are about to attempt to recreate those successes with a new show, Beach House. Doron Ofir Casting and 495 Productions are raising the bar, and stocking it too, at a sizzling summer share. "Were looking for a handful of true hedonists to be the exclusive guests at the next great house based television series," the company said in a press release. "We are searching Florida statewide for the spiciest, hottest, wildest, sexiest, ripped bodies and beautiful faces to live together, love together and prove youre from the hottest state on earth, brazen and bare for the world to envy. "We are casting Floridians because they embody diversity and an international spirit of abandonment, which draws revelers to its shores for the freedom, music, clubs and the best beaches on earth, making it a world party destination," the release added. "Your life is a unique story waiting to be told; its explosive, exotic, sexy, undeniable, and we want to hear all about itif youre old enough to know better and young enough to not care. "If you appear to be in your mid-twenties to mid-thirties, confident, smoking hot and ready to be the next television legends then apply now." To apply, click beachhousecasting.com. Suicide Bombing On Busy Istanbul Street Kills At Least 4 Trending News: People Are Praying For The Victims Of The Latest Suicide Attack To Shock Turkey Why Is This Important? Because picture this happened on the busy street of a city near you. Long Story Short Istanbul has been rocked by its second major suicide bomb attack in 2016 and fourth if you count two other deadly attacks that hit the capital Ankara. At least four people are dead, 36 are injured, including two children and 12 foreign nationals. Long Story Many on Twitter are directing their thoughts and prayers towards the city that's known as the bridge between Europe and Asia, Istanbul, where at least 5 people have been killed in a suicide bombing attack. The terrorist attack occurred on one of Istanbul's busiest streets, Astiklal Avenue, which has boutiques, art galleries, theatres, cafes and foreign consulates a street that's an absolute must for anyone visiting the city (I personally trodded up and down it at least a dozen times when I travelled to the city last September). This picture broke my heart. For a minute just imagine-What if this was your country, your family?#PrayForTurkey ?ai pic.twitter.com/IiLhmML0Nn Nawaila Nashid (@NaniiNashid) March 19, 2016 At least 36 people have been injured including 12 foreign nationals, reports BBC News. In January, another suicide bombing in Istanbul killed 13 tourists and the country is still recovering from a traumatic attack in its capital Ankara on March 13 when 37 people were killed. This attack hasn't been claimed by any terrorist groups yet, but other attacks in Turkey have been carried out by the Islamic State and by different Kurdish rebel groups, the latter being amidst a decades-long fight against the government for sovereignty. A rogue Kurdish faction called the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) took responsibility for this week's Ankara bombing. PHOTOS: Kurdish TAK militant responsible for the #Ankara bombing March 13th pic.twitter.com/tLKgi9iPEL Conflict News (@Conflicts) March 17, 2016 Turkish officials told Reuters the suicide bomber in Istanbul detonated the bomb before reaching the main target "because they were scared by police." Security camera footage of the explosion has popped up online warning, it's pretty shocking. Own The Conversation Ask The Big Question If a Kurdish group takes responsibility, will this affect America's partnership with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters who have been doing the dirty work on the ground fighting off ISIS in Iraq and Syria? Disrupt Your Feed Should suicide bombings outside the "West" get as much media attention as, say, the Paris attacks, for instance? Drop This Fact Istanbul is a massive city with a population of 14 million. I saw in the news where Sgt. Bo Bergdalh was diagnosed with a mental illness/psychiatric disorder at the time he walked off his post in Afghanistan. In addition, if anyone had bothered to check the record before pouncing on him for "treason," Bergdalh was reportedly discharged from the Coast Guard prior to even joining the Army because of fitness for duty/psychological related issues. In other words, he should have never been placed in a stressful combat situation by the Army with the psychiatric issues he was suffering. Bergdahl was just trying to serve his country in the only way he knew how. The commander-in-chief, who usually knows a lot more than we do because of intelligence reports, did the absolute right thing and brought home a captive American soldier who clearly suffered from a psychiatric disorder at the time of his capture and suffered at the hands of the enemy for an additional five years. Shame on all hyper-partisan politicians and Obama-hating activist, including Donald Trump, who have rushed to judgment against the president and Sgt. Berhdalh in an attempt to gain political points without any concern for the actual facts. In doing so, they have hurt the country and have further hurt a suffering soldier. With these new revelations, all charges against Bergdalh should be swiftly dropped. It's the right thing to do. He has suffered enough. If they are not dropped because some higher ups and partisan politicians and presidential candidates like Trump keep politicizing it, the president should pardon him. Bravo again to President Obama for bringing Bergdahl home. Tim Gobble * * * All I have to say to the writer of this opinion post is where is Tim Gobble? What have you done with him? This is not the person I voted for, and for over the last eight months I've wondered the same thing each and every time "he" posts. Who are you and what have you done with Tim? Sue White * * * I have to agree with Sue White. Who is this man who says he's "Tim Gobble"? He certainly sounds nothing like the man people voted for or trusted. If Mr. Gobble had done a little additional research, he might have found that Berghdahl lasted a mere 26 days in the Coast Guard and had an "uncharacterized discharge," a generic term applied to someone who doesn't complete basic training. It also can be used to address other offenses outlined under fitness for duty, which frequently involve the use of drugs. Nowhere in Mr. Gobble's post does he mention the fact that after Berghdahl was released into the public and while he was still serving in active-duty status, he was found on a California pot farm during a raid. Although he was not the target of the raid and was not arrested, his mere presence there tells us that there may be some drug issues in his past. Knowing that he was still on active-duty status when he was caught at an illegal pot farm speaks volumes. With all due respect to Mr. Gobble, I think this says it best: Its infuriating and its not surprising, said Lt. Col. Michael Waltz, who was a commander of U.S. Army Special Forces when Sgt. Bergdahl went missing in 2009, Fox reported. We still have 12,000 U.S. soldiers serving in harms way in Afghanistan. Sgt. Bergdahl is still on active duty, and instead of doing what he should be doing, hes on leave on a pot farm while his fellow soldiers are still in harms way. Mya Lane Officials at Capital Toyota on Friday announced the 50th anniversary celebration for Capital Toyota, Tennessees first and Chattanoogas only Toyota dealer. In addition, the dealership officially cut the ribbon on Friday to signify the grand opening of the renovated dealership at 5808 Lee Highway. Capital Toyota has been at this same midtown location for its entire history. Capital Toyota first opened for business as a Toyota dealer in March 1966, and the dealership only sold 11 new vehicles the first nine months. Currently, Capital Toyota sells hundreds of new, certified and pre-owned vehicles each month, and has enjoyed growth over the years. Robert G. (Bob) McKamey, owner and president of Capital Toyota, said, Being Tennessees first Toyota dealer and being in business for 50 years has been so much fun and is still very exciting. It is a real tribute to our employees and to the community who have supported our brand over the years. We are very proud to be located in Chattanooga, my hometown. Mr. McKamey said he attributes the success of Capital Toyota to three key factors: (1) his family and the support they have provided over the years; (2) the loyal employees of Capital Toyota; and (3) the superior products manufactured by Toyota, the most admired automotive company in the world according to a recent issue of Fortune Magazine. Currently, Capital Toyota has nearly 200 employees with a total combined service at Capital Toyota of more than 1,150 years. Mr. McKamey said he is very proud of the loyalty, and several employees have more than 35 years of service with the company. Mr. McKamey said he is a firm believer that the success of any business is people, people, people, not the traditional location, location, location. The company boasts a complete automotive complex, offering a separate pre-owned center featuring a large number of certified vehicles; the largest collision center in Chattanooga; the largest parts department in the area; a detail center that in addition to cleaning Capitals vehicles, also details approximately 550 vehicles for individuals and other dealers each month; the areas top service department, plus the exclusive, award-winning Lexus of Chattanooga dealership. Mr. McKamey continued, I am proud of the many contributions that both my children make to our business. Both Karla and Jeff are active in our dealerships, and I have three grandchildren who are already expressing an interest in our business. It looks as if we will soon have three generations represented here. The McKamey family has always enjoyed helping many Chattanooga projects in giving back to the community that has given so much to Capital Toyota. These projects include the March of Dimes, the McKamey Animal Care and Adoption Center and many others. They believe that giving back to the community should be a goal for every company. For more information on Capital Toyota, visit capitaltoyota.net. The Chattanooga Area Food Bank in partnership with the Bright School, distributed a gallon of fresh milk to 225 East Side Elementary School students at risk of hunger. The gallon of milk was in addition to the regular 30 pounds of food each child receives monthly at the Food Banks East Side Elementary School mobile pantry. Milk is one of the items most sought after by Food Bank clients, yet there is a shortage at the Food Bank as, due to its perishable nature, it is rarely donated. Recognizing the need in our community for nutrientrich milk, the Bright School donated $900 to be used for milk distribution at East Side Elementary School and through other Food Bank programs. We started this partnership with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank so our students would become more aware of the needs in our community," said Head of School O.J. Morgan. "Working with the food bank puts a face on the problem of hunger and the constant need people have for food. Our students can see they have full pantries and refrigerators at home and understand that some people do not." There are over 67,000 kids in the Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia region who dont know where their next meal will come from. The hope is that this school mobile pantry at East Side Elementary and the Food Banks partnership with the Bright School will serve as a replicable model for future school mobile pantries. If 10,000 people gave a penny every day, it would build up, said fifth grader Stewart Hartman. It makes me think I could feed a whole family. Over the past year, the Bright School contributed to hunger relief efforts in the region by way of their partnership with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. Students, faculty and staff members volunteered time in November sorting food in the Food Bank warehouse. And over the past year, the Bright School led food drives that brought in enough food for the Food Bank to distribute over 1,600 meals throughout the community. Our school mobile pantries at East Side Elementary have been a phenomenal success thanks in large part to the schools committed faculty and staff, notes Christa Mannarino, Chattanooga Area Food Bank interim president. We are extremely grateful for the support of the Bright School, allowing us to provide a gallon of highly-desired fresh milk to students and their families. The Food Bank, in partnership with the faculty and administration of East Side Elementary, provides monthly mobile pantries at East Side Elementary all school year long. At each event, the Food Bank distributes 7,500 pounds of foodthe equivalent of 6,250 meals to hungry students and their families. According to officials at Erlanger Health System, the overall health of Sequatchie County residents has improved dramatically in Tennessees county health rankings since they opened the Sequatchie County Emergency Center in July 2014 and focused on population health with community-based health programs. Today, Sequatchie County ranks 63rd in overall health out of 95 counties, up from 74th in 2015 and 91st in 2014. After the 2010 closure of the countys only hospital, Sequatchie Countys health rankings sank to 91st out of 95 Tennessee counties. With no access to local healthcare services, the rural communitys 15,000 residents simply postponed or avoided making the 35-mile trip to Chattanooga for routine healthcare.But delayed care often resulted in acute emergencies requiring hospitalizations. By 2013, residents were twice as likely as residents of neighboring counties to be hospitalized."To make matters worse, the countys economy tanked after the hospital closed, and the rural community saw increases in unemployment, crime, and alcohol and drug abuse," officials said. "Moreover, elected officials faced a losing battle in luring new businesses to the area without the ability to offer local healthcare services. In 2013, elected officials in Sequatchie County approached Erlanger, the nations 7th largest public health system, about bringing health services to the community."After months of planning and negotiations, Erlanger developed a program, approved by the Center for Medicare Services and the State of Tennessee, that called for the opening of a 24/7 emergency facility in Dunlap, Tn., as an extension of Erlanger Bledsoe Hospital, a critical access hospital located 22 miles from the community in Pikeville, Tn., and plans for community-based health initiatives.In developing the program, we concentrated our efforts on the most effective ways to improve the health of the community, said Joseph M. Winick, FACHE, Erlanger senior vice president of Planning, Analytics & Business Development. Opening the emergency facility was only the first step to bring focus to the needs of community residents.Erlangers plan to revitalize the health of county residents included partnering with independent physicians, the health department, and others who serve the rural area to improve community health. Having a healthy community can curb the use of emergency medical services and help to reduce the cost of care, said Stephanie Boynton, CEO of Erlanger Bledsoe Hospital.After an investment of $250,000 each from the county and the U.S. Appalachian Regional Commission, Erlanger opened the Sequatchie County Emergency Center in July 2014. "The facility immediately fulfilled a need in the community," officials said. Within 10 hours of opening its doors, the center had treated 13 patients with medical emergencies, and one of those was flown by Life Force, Erlangers air ambulance service, to Erlangers main campus in Chattanooga. Today, healthcare challenges and collaborative solutions are discussed during quarterly roundtable meetings with elected officials. Local practitioners volunteer to speak about important health topics at the county commission meetings as part of Erlangers Health Notes, a program to promote awareness of community health issues. Erlanger specialists also meet with area practitioners to assure that specialty care is available and accessible. The Health Service and Development Agency for the State of Tennessee noted the Erlanger-Sequatchie County partnership is one of the most innovative programs ever developed in delivering healthcare to rural communities. Erlanger is working with the Southeast Area Development District to replicate the program in other rural counties, and has been asked to offer guidance to other states and counties on the development of similar programs. A Cleveland, Tn., man has been charged with selling heroin after a couple was found unconscious at the Speedway on Bonny Oaks Drive in Chattanooga. Agents said Curtis Allen Coleman, 40, had several prior drug felonies in Bradley County. A man and woman were found by Chattanooga Police passed out in a car at the Speedway parking lot on March 9. They were revived through the use of NARCAN, an opiod blocker. Both were transported to the Erlanger East Emergency Room. They later said they had purchased heroin from a man they knew as "C", which is the nickname for Coleman. They said they had traveled to Midnite Oil and paid Coleman $60 for the heroin. The man said he had bought heroin from Coleman on at least four occasions. Officers set up surveillance at the home of Coleman, who was described as "one of the Detroit boys who had moved to Cleveland, Tn., from Detroit, Mich. He was staying at the time at 3804 Youngstown Road in Chattanooga. Coleman and a white female left the residence and went to the KFC on Highway 58. Agents took him into custody there. Over two grams of heroin was found at the Youngstown Road residence. Coleman initially said he made some purchases of heroin from suppliers in Athens, Tn., and Kentucky and he gave some of it away. After agents said they had proof that he had been selling heroin, he admitted that he had been buying $150-$200 of heroin every month. He said he had 8-10 regular customers. He had sent a group text message to the customers giving out his new phone number. Ben Shapiro and others have written several well-reasoned and impassioned pieces explaining why they will not vote for Trump in the general election under any circumstances, and why conservatives should follow their example. Most of these arguments are well-taken... in the primary process, even in a brokered convention. But this anti-Trump conservative cannot abide this going into November against Hillary Clinton. Shapiro is concerned that conservatism itself may not survive a Trump presidency. Why? Will conservatives roll over and abandon their principles because they failed -- again -- to educate enough people in those principles in advance of this election season? Trump isn't the conservative candidate any more than Gerald Ford was, so be it. There is no doubt that a Trump presidency may tarnish the Republican brand and make it all the more challenging to elect Republicans in the future, something for which Mr. Shapiro expresses no sentimentality, but there is no reason that conservatism itself should be a casualty. To the contrary, a Trump candidacy and presidency is a teaching moment for conservatism. First, it is the price -- very high, but apparently necessary -- that conservatives have had to pay to break the monopoly power of the Republican Establishment and its perennial trail of anointed squishy, nice-guy Democrat-lite candidates, from Bob Dole to John McCain to Mitt Romney to Jeb! Second, it is an object lesson in how the presidency itself has metastasized into a Frankenstein's monster of tyrannical arbitrary power and cult of personality that the framers of the Constitution so rightly feared. Even if we get our guy in -- Cruz at this point -- we have an uphill battle to restore the institutional checks and balances of power, with the real focus being on the legislature. A Trump presidency may be no better or worse for the economy, the national debt, welfare dependency, health care, abortion, national defense, and/or fiscal responsibility than a Hillary presidency. But there are at least four things that I hold dear whose very survival is in far greater peril under Clinton than under Trump: 1. The First Amendment. 2. The Second Amendment. 3. Recognition of the international and domestic threat of radical Islam and Sharia law. 4. Howard Hyde. I have many reasons to fear for my own survival under a Clinton administration. One of them -- which I could never have imagined until recently, but which is now as real as it became in Australia a few years ago -- is what I should do if she should sic the EPA's SWAT team on my house to confiscate my guns (my heinous criminal record in the past 20 years: one 54-mph-in-a-40-mph zone and one overdue vehicle registration). If I were to surrender my freedom, my natural God-given right and social responsibility in that way, I will no longer be a man, no longer an American, but reduced to being a sitting duck for a home invader or a helpless bystander to the next San Bernardino Jihadi attack, none of which I can live with anymore. Speaking of principle, Mr. Shapiro, I might have to decide at that moment to die on my feet rather than live on my knees. And thanks to Firearm Salesman of the Century Barack Obama, I know for a fact that I speak for millions of American patriots, black, white, brown, yellow and red, in that. One school of thought has it that in order for the pendulum to swing back to conservatism and Liberty, we must allow the Left to do so much damage to the country that people will finally wake up to hold them accountable; and therefore it is a defensible strategy to hold out for a true conservative Republican candidate. Counting on this could be hazardous to our health. The fundamental transformation of American society from independent-minded frontiersmen and business owners to meek subjects to brain-dead wards of the state, is well advanced. There is no trampoline under us, ready to spring us back once we hit the magic low point. The rubber has rotted and crumbled; the springs have rusted and broken. There is nothing underneath us but the fire and brimstone of Hell, which is to say, the wretched earthly condition of that 80% of humanity that lives outside of the Anglosphere, constitutional law, and Capitalism. A Trump administration will be deeply flawed. But Hillary and her camp is at war with Americans who work, pay taxes, take their faith (especially Christian) seriously, speak their minds freely without deference to PC, raise their own children, keep and know how to use guns, and expect their private property and constitutional rights to be respected. There is no comparison. By all means, let's do everything we can to get a conservative into the White House. There is still time; the fat lady ain't sung yet. But come November, we will have to make choices from alternatives actually available to us, and survive to fight another day. Following his home-state defeat on March 15th -- the Ides of March -- the media largely spent the following day eulogizing Marco Rubios campaign. Ive read about a dozen articles, some more wistful than others, bidding it farewell. This, of course, marks the final demise of a candidacy which was already in hospice, and most of us that knew it were glad to see it out of its pain. This should have additionally been a fond farewell for John Kasichs presidential run, unless one wants to claim a noble victory in being mathematically eliminated from the presidency. If thats the watermark, then Jim Gilmore should have given a victory speech last night as well. Metaphorically, Kasichs campaign harkens to The Sixth Sense in that the protagonist doesnt know that hes dead. As his endgame is a brokered convention, look for Kasich to only drop out if one of the other candidates is on a clear and unstoppable path to cresting over 1,237. When disruption is the point, then only chase that which may be disrupted (thats my first-ever attempt at writing a proverb). Before long the media will be done circling those corpses and on to the next set of primaries; hoping to see another victim. After all, we are down to only two candidates in the Republican field which still have a chance to win the nomination outright, Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, and the former is about to have his own do or die moment. If Senator Cruz cant win big on March 22nd it likely only leaves two scenarios in play: an outright Trump win or a brokered convention. The sequence should be well-scripted for Cruz as the contests move to Arizona and Utah. However, as a Cruz supporter I dont believe that it is an exercise in the dramatic to call them Cruzs last stand. On March 22nd, Utah will offer 40 delegates in a similar caucus format to that previously seen in several states (winner-takes-all with more than 50% of the vote and a 15% minimum threshold for delegates otherwise). Arizona will offer 58 delegates on an outright winner-take-all basis. There is not yet any reliable polling in either state (the most-recent polls on RealClearPolitics have Ben Carson leading Arizona, for what its worth) but there is the potential that this scenario could play out as well as Cruz could hope. Arizona is a somewhat religious (about 50% evangelical or Catholic) and fairly conservative state, and Utah might be an even better fit for his mold. Plus, he has the backing of popular Utah Senator Mike Lee and was the first to begin making media purchases in the region. Of additional note, Arizona will be a closed primary and Utah will be semi-closed; allowing only Republican voters but also allowing registration on caucus night. Where Ted Cruz has been able to grab his wins, these have been the sorts of contests. More than any of this, however, on March 22nd Ted Cruz will finally have going for him the aforementioned, long-coveted elimination of Marco Rubio. We will now find out if this shift in the race has come too late. I would argue that, more than anything that Trump has done positively for himself, it has been Marco Rubio who has helped Donald Trump to get to where he is (and Ted Cruz to where he is). Enough has been written about the fact that I wont go into detail, but this would be a much different race if Marco Rubio had dropped out before March 15th. I presume that Donald Trump still would have won Florida and its 99 delegates. However, without splitting the vote yet again Ted Cruz would have assuredly won Missouri and may have also taken North Carolina or Illinois. These add to the long list of delegates gifted to The Donald by The Marco -- the price of his hubris -- along with victories-turned-losses for Cruz in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, a supermajority in Texas, and so-on through all of the greatest hits. This brings us back to Utah and Arizona. Ted Cruz finally has the two-man race he has been looking for or, at least, as close as he is ever going to get. While admittedly the Kasich campaign remains a spoiler there could be a delayed effect in its mobilizing as such. After all, the Ohio governor has little in place past his own state in either financing or infrastructure, including far less than Cruz or Trump in often-overrated PAC money. The governor will likely make a few campaign appearances in the Southwest while circling Wisconsin on his calendar. I argue (fear) that it may be too late for Cruz to get an outright delegate win. I dont deny the fact that Donald Trump has ever-so-slowly increased his share of the popular vote; an always-expected phenomenon as frontrunners tend to build momentum. Victory reinforces victory. On March 15th (the 3rd of how many Super Tuesdays?) Trump collected about 42% of the vote. Before that day he had only averaged about 37% -- talk about your mandates! This expansion of his own support may continue and, if it does, Trump will most certainly get to 1,237 and the nomination. Like Cruz, he also has a number of benefits in the upcoming contests including the endorsement of Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Still, this is Ted Cruzs last great opportunity. To achieve 50% of the vote in Utah and a majority in Arizona would serve to re-narrow the gap between the two candidates and bring Ted Cruz back to within about 150 delegates of the frontrunner. A big win would likely also give him real, true momentum for the first time in the race. Right or wrong, his previous victories have constantly been muted or overshadowed by other candidates (anecdotally, my wife had no idea that hed won eight contests). The Republican race for the nomination is not yet over. However, if Ted Cruz cant capitalize next week -- whether he continues running or not -- his campaign might be the next one to need an obituary. For Americans who favor Donald Trump, their choice can be summarized in two words: Trump Fights. We havent seen a fighting Republican since Newt Gingrich and the Contract with America. But weve seen plenty of abject surrenders covered by abject lies. The GOP establishment has enough cozy compromises running that they are shocked to see a fighting Republican. Actress Stacey Dash understands the Trump style because she grew up with it. Her blog post is cited by Breitbart, and its worth reading. According to Stacey Dash Donald Trump is not violent, hes street. Theres a lot of talk about Donald Trump being violent, condoning it, or at least inciting it. But this is a total misread of our next President. hes not violent, hes just street. He was born in Queens. growing up there in New York made me see the world in a certain way. Actions have consequences. Rude people are not tolerated. If you attack me, Ill come back at you twice at hard. Ms. Dash has a book coming out, called There Goes My Social Life: From Clueless to Conservative. Im going to read it. Stacey has a future in conservative politics. No wonder our Upper Manhattan pundits are climbing the walls. Everyday conservatives feel betrayed by enemies, foreign and domestic. They have seen Obama plant a legacy of contempt for the Republic, beginning with his Surrender Tour, all the way to last weeks Diktat against US oil exploration in the Atlantic. With leaders like Obama and Hillary you dont need enemies. They fill that role already. Trouble is, we also have deadly enemies Obama and Hillary will not name. Obamas deep bow to the previous Saudi King went very badly for the Kingdom, since Obama ended up handing nuclear power and 150 billion bucks to the thousand-year fanatical enemies of Arabia, the mullahs. Iran is only 50 miles away from Arabia, and they constantly threaten the Saudis with extermination. The US Navy used to be a reliable protector, but we have now essentially handed the Gulf to Iran. The Saudis now see their own Armageddon approaching fast. They are not happy with Obama. The trouble with Obama is that you cant even trust his symbolic surrenders. He may just shaft you anyway. Trump supporters suspect that Obamas mind is boiling with rage against this country. But its not just Obama: It is every socialist Democrat, including Bernie Sanders and Liz Fauxcahontas Warren. It always seems strange that so many Lefties sincerely hate this country. But I keep meeting them. It shows the power of indoctrination and self-delusion. We are no longer a country of free and open debate. Mass media turn human beings into cult robots. For decades all the public aggression has come from the Left, and the Trumpistas can see Trump fighting back. No other candidate has done that. And no, they dont care that Trump sounds over the top much of the time. They are angry enough to feel the same. Which does not mean, as the pussies of the media keep screaming, and Trump is a Nazi. Nazis killed people. Trump talks tough. There is a big, big difference. Shamefully, the conservative punditry has made no real effort to understand Trump supporters. National Review has even resorted to smears and panic-mongering. Breitbart just fell apart, for reasons that are not clear, but political fights likely played a role. Both NR and Breitbart are harming themselves at a time when they are most needed. The conservative base feels disgust, not just for Chamber of Commerce Republicans, but also with National Review pundits. NR has overreacted against Trump. Its not that they disagree with his proposals. Conservative critics are now calling his proposals more-or-less right, just not right enough. You cant win for losing. Obama and the Left follow the Alinsky war manual: Make the enemy stick with his own rules. It worked against Romney, who acted like a gentleman in gangsterland. As if Marquess of Queensberry rules ever worked against the Obamas of this world. Now Trump is turning Alinsky tactics against the Left, and they are screaming holy hell. Oddly enough, NR conservatives are trying to force losers rules on Donald Trump. This is not very smart, to say the least. But if you think Trump is an out-of-control maniac you havent been to Queens lately. After Obamas self-proclaimed surrender strategy in 2008, Russia expanded quickly into the Arctic and the Ukraine, China grabbed vast energy-rich regions of the South China Sea, and Iran is still trying to lock the Shiite Crescent around Israel, Arabia and the Sunni nations. Some peace-maker, right? As usual, Obama is helping our enemies. When Putin invaded Georgia, Ukraine, the Crimea and Syria, one after the other, our least qualified president in history did exactly nothing. Under Hillary and Obama, NATO committed unprovoked aggression against Libya, which posed no threat to anyone, leading to tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths that are still increasing today. ISIS is now said to be embedded in Libya. The only remaining question is whether the Libyan invasion was folly or criminal villainy. Like most of Obamas actions it was (and is) a fiasco. Trump supporters have a profound quarrel with the Left, and after decades of GOP defeatism and surrender theyve had it with the establishment. To them Trumps militant rhetoric is balm for the soul. Its what they have been wanting to hear all along. Contrary to media hysterics, his supporters dont think Trump was wrong to throw out trained agitators who infiltrated his rally in Chicago. It was the radical ruckusmakers and their media allies who tried to block his right to speak. It is worth watching the YouTube video. You might be surprised. Trump supporters tend to understand American power and prosperity: They are the kinds of people who built it. The outright destruction of our precious coal industry at the behest of delusional upper class enviros has troubled these people, whose jobs may depend on those historic engines of democracy, coal, steel, oil, gas, manufacturing, technology, agriculture, business. The fragile world of media and Hollywood would not exist without this bedrock. Domestically, Obama has shown endless contempt for public order, making Trump supporters feel personally endangered. Which is true, if they live in Baltimore or Ferguson or the Bronx, but not in Beverly Hills or Upper Manhattan. Obamas actions are not just racist, but also classist. He is an Arrugula Liberal. During Obamas two terms race relations have been stupidly damaged, to loud cheers from the Big Media. The Organs of Propaganda always believe themselves first. Obama is driven by a gut need to avenge long-ago sins like slavery, a fact that shows how deeply he is entangled in fantasy. Obamas crowd knows nothing about the real history of human slavery, but like Jerry Wright, they are still steeped in rage against perfectly innocent white folks who were born a hundred years after slavery was abolished in the United States and in British Colonies -- but not in Africa, Arabia, South America and Russia. The civil rights movement, which is no longer civil or about rights, consistently wipes those inconvenient facts from memory. Rage against America always takes over, which is why Leftist African-Americans fell for Stalin just like Leftist American Whites. Its not the sin that seems to matter; its the scapegoat of the hour. Obama and the Rad-Left have now brought legalized racism and gross gender bias back to our universities and colleges, and soon, into ObamaCare ,which provides for race and gender selection for medical schools. The Left always claims to love peace, but they always stir up trouble. This fact is not new, and can easily be found in Karl Marxs prescription for Revolutionary Terror. Every conservative no, every American should know about it, just as they know about Mein Kampf. In1848, Karl Marx wrote: there is only one means to shorten, simplify and concentrate the murderous death throes of the old society and the bloody birth pangs of the new, only one means revolutionary terrorism. No wonder Obama doesnt think Jihad aggression is a big deal. Marx was also a raving racist, but that part is ok by the Obama Left. We keep expecting intellectual consistency from the Left, and never get it. The Left does not train intellectual honesty. It is a war doctrine, like Jihad. That is why they are allied with each other. They have the same enemy, and that would be the civilized world. On his website, Sen. Bernie Sanders has a page dedicated entirely to "getting big money out of politics." Condemning the "disastrous" ruling in Citizens United and the wealthy elite for allegedly usurping the democratic process and stifling the voices of the ninety-nine percent, the Senator from Vermont begins by quoting Abraham Lincoln, saying that "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." I tip my hat to the former Burlington mayor; not only is he quoting one of America's greatest presidents, but he's addressing head on the very real issue of corruption in American politics. Beltway insiders have indeed benefited from wealthy special interests groups at the expense of the average voter, and consequentially, Washington has become largely unresponsive to the demands of the people. That said, Sanders's plan is both nocuous and shortsighted. Top-down campaign finance reform is a poor approach to eliminating corruption for two reasons. First, it's ineffective. As an example, the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, better known as the McCain-Feingold Act, was lauded by many as a much needed check on the use of soft money and issue advocacy ads in federal elections. Even prior to Citizens United's blow to McCain-Feingold, however, donors with deep pockets were hardly constrained in their ability to support the causes and candidates of their liking. They could have, for instance, skirted federal per-candidate and per-political party contribution limitations by establishing multiple political action committees. Or they could have supported a candidate indirectly through "527" groups, tax-exempt organizations that are partly political. They could have also used their vast business networks to fundraise on behalf of candidates, or donated to 501(c)(4) organizations that lobby sitting lawmakers on legislation significant to their interests. In other words, campaign finance reform is ineffective because it is essentially an unwinnable battle against human innovation and creativity. Second, Sanders's version of campaign finance reform is self-defeating. When lawmakers try to out-legislate human innovation, they engage in an embarrassing game of whack-a-mole. As innovation exploits loopholes, bureaucrats create new regulations aimed at correcting the perceived deficiency and eventually weave a web of complex election law of which the only consistent byproduct is increased transaction costs associated with running for office. Assume for a moment that no candidate is interested in gaming the system and that all instead are interested only in running an honest, law-abiding campaign. To do so in a system with heavy federal campaign finance regulation, the candidate will need to hire professionals, including lawyers and accountants; educate campaign staff; set up information systems to monitor compliance; and establish safeguards to prevent violations all in addition to running the campaign itself. An opportunistic executive on Wall Street will have easy access to these things; a middle-class concerned citizen on Main Street will not. Thus, the system will once again favor the wealthiest among us. In reality, there is only one virtually fool-proof way to combat corruption in Washington. Like any other human endeavor, the interaction between constituents and their elected officials is a function of basic economics. Unsavory though it may be, access to the power of lawmaking is a commodity, and influence is the currency. As power becomes more consolidated in a centralized government, the amount of meaningful access to that power (i.e., supply) necessarily decreases. As the "supply" decreases, the demand for access increases, driving up the "price" to a level affordable only to those with the most influence to peddle. Put simply, this is why your congressman does not return your phone calls unless you are, like, a big deal. If we want Washington to be truly responsive to our needs, we need to reduce the price of access to lawmakers by decentralizing government and dispersing power. By returning balance to the system, our institutions will be drastically more removed from the reach of corrupt special interests, and our nation will be conducive to more honest government. Until we reclaim the federalist republic originally envisioned by the Framers one that denies amalgamated power any sanctuary Washington's deafness to the needs of the people will continue, and even the most talented Gettysburg Address-wielding democratic socialist will be powerless to save us. Thomas Wheatley is a law student at George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Va. Email him at twheatl2@gmu.edu. In February of 2015, it became legal to grow and consume marijuana in Alaska. And, as has happened in Denver and Seattle, crime immediately began to increase after being stable or declining in the pre-legal pot era. According to the FBI's Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report for the first six months of 2015, the number of violent crimes in Anchorage (the only city reporting for Alaska) increased 34% compared to the same period in 2014. Murders were up 167%, and aggravated assaults increased 32% versus the first six months of 2014. The increase in violent crimes that occurred at the same time pot was legalized is striking. Between 2006 and 2014, the number of violent crimes was stable. Once marijuana legalization took place in early 2015, the crime rate went up dramatically. Note that the extrapolated data for 2015 is likely to be a reasonable approximation (full 2015 data will be released by the FBI later this year), perhaps even an underestimate. In 2014, there were 1,209 violent crimes during the first half of the year and 2,605 for the entire year meaning an extrapolation using the first six months of the year yields an annual estimate that is 93% of the actual value. One assumes that this approach should apply to 2015 as well. Channel 2 KTUU out of Anchorage reports that the 2015 "spike in Anchorage's murder rate along with other violent crime underscores why more patrol officers and detectives are needed on the streets, according to police, victims' advocates, union officials and city promoters." More police are needed, along with a repeal of Alaska's legal marijuana experiment. The relatively small tax revenues from legalized weed do not come close to offsetting the corresponding economic and social costs. In the investigation of Hillary Clintons misuse of classified material, FBI Director James Comey holds the trump card, so to speak. He may already have sufficient evidence to indict her, and for obstruction of justice as well as funneling classified material to her Foundation. Loretta Lynch cannot let herself into the J. Edgar Hoover building late one night and stuff the evidence into her stockings. But she can delay the issuing of the indictment until after November. That is, unless Comey threatens to resign and testify before Congress. If he tells her he will be joined by new Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and several of the six Executive Assistant Directors who oversee field operations, Lynch will have no choice but to impanel a grand jury. Comey is a George W. Bush appointee, a registered Republican who contributed to the McCain and Romney campaigns. In a famous incident, he rushed to John Ashcrofts bedside at George Washington U. Hospital to stiffen Ashcrofts resistance to White House pressure to authorize certain provisions of the new NSA program. Hes gone on record as saying that the Dept. of Justice has to be seen as the good guys, and not as either this administration or that administration. But if Donald Trump is the nominee and Lynch drags her feet, will Comey take the initiative? Trump cultists close their eyes to the extent to which the Donald is loathed by constituencies across the spectrum of the GOP: conservatives, libertarians, moderates. Its not Trump versus the Establishment. Its Trump versus evangelicals, Catholics, and all others who are appalled by his un-Christian behavior -- the braggadocio, the insults, the incitement to violence. Trump is the Establishment. He supports rebound amnesty (well let the good ones back in), socialized medicine (well take care of everyone) and is clueless about Islam. Well stop Muslim immigration until we figure out whats going on. He recently assigned this task to Anderson Cooper, of all people: You're going to have to figure that out. OK? You'll get another Pulitzer, right? But you'll have to figure that out. How about reading Andrew McCarthy or Frank Gaffney? Islam, by the way, does not hate us, though a disturbingly high percentage of U.S. Muslims appear to. Twenty-five percent in a recent survey agree that violence against Americans here in the U.S. can be justified as part of the global jihad. But 51% believe Muslims should have the right to be governed by sharia law. Only 39% think they should be subject to American laws and courts. Dhimmi Don is with them. He castigated Pam Geller for inciting the faithful by exercising her right of free speech. In addition to his other virtues, Trump is incoherent. He is unable to explain his budget except to say, Larry Kudlow loves it. (Better Larry than Jim Cramer, but still not very informative.) Donalds not going to touch entitlements: well do it all by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse and tougher negotiations with drug companies over Medicaid drug payments. Hes unable to explain his health care policy except to say, well eliminate the lines around the states. James Comey is an intelligent guy and a practicing Catholic. Do you think he supports Trump? Do you think hes not appalled at the prospect of a Trump Presidency? Of course if John Kasich joins Marco Rubio in dropping out, and both endorse and campaign for Ted Cruz, Trump may not win another primary. (Those millions of Dems and Independents supposedly flocking to the polls in open primaries have never given Trump close to 50% of the vote, something every successful candidate has achieved multiple times by this point.) But its asking a lot of politician to do a selfless thing. Ted Cruz will eviscerate Hillary in the debates. Donald will have to depend on The National Enquirer (Madame Secretary in Bed with Muslim Sisterhood) and the FBI. But Comeys help may not be forthcoming if Trumps the nominee. According to media reports, the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan wants to enact a bylaw making it illegal to engage in activities such as gossiping, rumor mongering, shunning, and ostracizing: A list of repeated and unprovoked behaviour that would be prohibited under a proposed City of Saskatoon anti-bullying bylaw: Taunting, tormenting, name-calling, ridiculing, insulting, mocking, directing slurs toward another person... Kicking, pushing, hair pulling, pinching... Shunning, ostracizing, excluding another person, gossiping or rumour mongering. Repeated gossiping in public about another person could soon become illegal in Saskatoon... The law as written would apply to obvious public places like parks and streets, but also to private establishments like bars and restaurants... The proposed bylaw would apply to people 12 years of age and older. Fines for a first offence could be as high as $300. Fines for subsequent offences could be as high as $2,500... The bylaw also prohibits aiding or encouraging bullying in public places. Unless section 2, Part 1 (Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms) of the Canadian Constitution has become of no practical effect, it is difficult to see how such a bylaw could hold up to any meaningful judicial review: Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms: (a) freedom of conscience and religion; (b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; (c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and (d) freedom of association. The freedoms of opinion and expression and association specifically preclude any restrictions against accurate statements or reasonable opinions (as could invariably fall under gossiping or rumour mongering, insulting, mocking, etc. -- depending on the content of the communications), as well as laws against shunning, ostracizing, or excluding another person. How to reliably enforce such laws, outside of their inherent unconstitutionality, at an acceptable standard of proof is another major question. Furthermore, it would seem that a bylaw against kicking, pushing, hair pulling, pinching would cover activities that already fall under assault in the Criminal Code. The City of Saskatoon is no stranger to bizarre ideas arising from its freak show of municipal governance. In 2004, the city's mayor was named Canada's craziest mayor for a range of unusual activities, including a suggestion that the city build a Simpsons Dome over the downtown. Then, in 2013, the city proposed heated sidewalks in the downtown area to melt snow and ice over the winter. Of course, municipal officials cited Reykjavik, Iceland as inspiration for their heated sidewalk idea -- apparently overlooking the basic climate fact that the average low temperature during January in Reykjavik is just below freezing at -3 degrees Celcius, whereas in Saskatoon it is -21 degrees Celcius. Wind chills in Saskatoon during the winter can, and do, reach -60 degrees Celcius. One would think that the city of Saskatoon would have more serious subjects to contemplate rather than building a Simpsons Dome and heated sidewalks and banning gossiping. Statistics Canada's database shows the city as having a total crime rate 54% above the Canadian average, a violent crime rate 27% above the national average, and a property crime rate 51% above the national average. Among all Canadian cities, Saskatoon has the second highest rate of total crime, the highest rate of all Criminal Code violations (excluding traffic), the second highest violent crime rate, the third highest rate of property crime, and the highest rate of prostitution (the rate is 50% higher than the second-place city, Halifax). The city also has the highest crime severity index in the nation and the second highest violent crime severity index. And it is worried about gossiping? Add to that the fact that in 2014 -- the latest year of available data -- the province's real per capita GDP growth rate was the third lowest among all Canadian provinces, and that in the past 12 months the city's unemployment rate has increased dramatically. One would think the city's leadership team would have more important issues to be concerned about, rather than making it an international laughingstock -- which only serves to further harm its economy by scaring away new businesses and tourists. Recently, Britains The Economist magazine began a piece with One of the perks of getting old is that you are allowed to talk nonsense about the young. Since I am old, I shall claim my perk. What bothers me the most is that most young Americans do not share President Abraham Lincolns belief, expressed in an 1862 message to Congress, that America is the last best hope of earth. In fairness, given the sorry state of history instruction in this country, manny of them probably never heard of Lincolns phrase. My other impressions have to do with: (1) the failure of young Americans to live by basic economic principles, (2) their apparent unconcern about our open southern borders, (3) the unanticipated consequences of an all-volunteer military, (4) their general silence about rogue states and terrorist entities, (5) their belief that the Roman proverb He who wishes peace should prepare for war is bad advice, (6) their embrace of the notion that the United States is historys most imperialistic country, and (7) their addiction to diversity and rejection of the melting pot. America is not the worlds worst imperialist. After World War Two, when it was briefly the worlds only nuclear power, it absorbed no ones territory. And on July 4, 1946, it granted full independence to the Philippines. I am troubled that the young do not relate to military service. After Vietnam, the country decided to do away with the undemocratic draft. That was a huge mistake because in a democracy all classes and regions should share the responsibility of fighting and dying for the country. If we returned to a compulsory draft, our wars would personally impact everyone, including the President and his children, members of the House and Senate and their children, and the nations other elites and their children. But no matter which segments of society we send to war, we rarely follow Napoleons admonition: If you start to take Vienna, take Vienna. Instead, we are fed phrases like leading from behind. Nor do we ever hear General George Pattons line, Americans play to win all the time. Our leaders rarely utter the word victory or cite Winston Churchills wonderful words about it: Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival. President Ronald Reagan made the point another way: Heres my strategy during the Cold War: We win, they lose. Instead, our young increasingly believe that waging war with overwhelming, winning force the politically correct term is disproportionate force is immoral. The facts are that the United States beat the Mexicans in 1848 and the Spaniards in 1898 with disproportionate force. The Allies liberated North Africa, Italy, France, the Low Countries, and Germany in the 1940s with disproportionate force. The Soviets expelled the Germans from Russia in 1945 with disproportionate force. The Americans overwhelmed the Japanese in 1945 with disproportionate force. I know of no country that has defeated an enemy with underwhelming force. As for the youngs unreality of economics, the generations born after me dont seem to be worried about the crisis awaiting them if they continue to ignore economic truths. A high-school version of Economics 101 might help, but can we find enough teachers to teach the course properly, since most of them ignore the underfunded public pension schemes in their cities and states? As for our borders, the Center for Immigration Studies and the Pew Research Center have calculated that 2.5 million foreigners have illegally come to the United States under President Barack Obamas watch, with 790,000 rushing in since 2013. Since illegal immigration was higher under President George W. Bush, one has to assume that young Americans in both parties arent upset about the situation on our borders. Richard N. Haas has observed that the world is not self-organizing; no invisible hand creates order in the geopolitical marketplace. It takes the guiding hand of the US to galvanize world action. His observation was true when President Theodore Roosevelt brokered the peace treaty that ended the 1904 Russo-Japanese War. It was true during the two world wars. It was true 25 years ago when the Americans created and led the coalition that forced Iraqs Saddam Hussein to withdraw his troops from Kuwait. And it is true today. There are about 200 sovereign states in the world. None of them has the will and wherewithal to do what America does, and does so well, for instance our ability to project military power to any part of the planet quickly and effectively. So I offer this advice to our younger people. Despite what your left-wing professors may say, absorb into your perception of the world Lincolns observation that America is still the last best hope of earth. Is he chicken? Is he afraid? His people will make excuses: it's the smart thing to do. What if he accidentally flubs and stops momentum? Why take the chance? I don't buy it. He exited Fox's forthcoming debate, formerly scheduled for next week, because he fears that Cruz, who is in second place in the GOP presidential race, will beat him. That's the way it looks. In schoolyard terms, he's running from a one-on-one, a mano-a-mano. That's not the way to win respect especially from the tough, politically incorrect base that seems to make up much of his support. I'm surprised they aren't making a fuss. If Trump is going to kick butt in Washington and make America great again, what's he doing backing down from mild-mannered Ted Cruz? Cruz isn't Hulk Hogan. He isn't Albert Einstein. The problem is, Cruz knows conservatism, has lived it, and has put his political life on the line for it. He's also a champion debater, a lawyer who has argued in front of the Supreme Court, and a man who speaks from the heart because he believes what he's saying. Trump certainly speaks from the heart. But he doesn't know the issues like Cruz? At best, he's learning. Whatever the reason, he won't meet Cruz on the playing field. He's backed out, canceled his appearance on what was to be the next Fox debate. This lack of courage on Trump's part is a travesty. It's a disservice to the very people he hopes to win and lead. Fear of making a wrong move on the debate stage is not the way a potential president of the United States should be thinking. America has a crucial election next November. For eight years the Obama administration has undermined Republican and conservative positions. The U.S. military is weaker than it has been in decades. The U.S. faces gathering enemies in militant Islam, a resurgent Russia, and belligerents in China and North Korea to name the worst. The national debt is out of control and threatening to undermine any prosperity still remaining. The nation almost approaches civil war on many social and political issues. Republican leadership has done little to stop this decline. Now the base has a chance in Trump and Cruz to change things. But how can they without knowing the differences between the two candidates? The media won't show them. They are consumed by the horse race. They also have their bias and agenda. The only way Republicans will know how to vote is for the two of them to step on the stage and make their cases and interrogate each other. If Donald Trump won't debate Cruz one-one, Republican voters should take the cue. He's afraid. He doesn't have the answers. He's not who his supporters think he is. On the other hand, if he does debate, it shows he thinks more of the country than just his own fate. That's what America deserves in a candidate. It has it in Cruz, who will debate Trump anywhere, any time. Does it have it in Trump. Does Trump care about the country? Or only himself? This is the most crucial question at this point in the Republican debate. Voters deserve to know. On March 8, 1857, women garment workers marched and picketed the streets of New York City demanding shorter work days, more pay, and equal rights for women. Then, in 1908, women in the needle trades took to the streets again, demanding the right to vote and calling for an end to sweatshops and child labor. Years later, March 8 was proclaimed International Womens Day, and March was designated Womens History Month--a time to recognize and celebrate outstanding reformers in womens rights, theology, and social issues. This month, I celebrate and honor the remarkable women--past and presentwho have trodden the path before me, and whose vision and commitment have resulted in positive contributions to the world, benefiting me, my daughters, and all women. I pay special tribute to one such reformer, inducted into the National Womens Hall of Fame in 1995 and included on Smithsonians 100 Most Significant Americans of all Time--one of only three women on that list honored as renowned spiritual and religious leaders. Her name is Mary Baker Eddy, and in the latter half of the 19th Century, she discovered and founded Christian Science, proclaiming everyones right to freedom as a child of God--freedom not only from oppressive human laws, but from all suffering, including sin and sickness. This discovery was born of her lifelong study of the Scriptures, which gave her a deep trust in the Divine and sustained her during very difficult experiences--chronic ill health, the loss of several loved ones, separation from her child, and the desertion of a husband. At a low point she had a terrible accident and was not expected to recover from her injuries. She sent for her Bible, where she read and pondered one of Jesus healings and was quickly healed -- much to the amazement of her friends sitting in the parlor awaiting her passing. From that experience and deep research of the Bible for three years following, she wrote about, practiced, and taught the divine Principle and rules of Christian Science healing, based on her understanding of God as Love, realized in Jesus teachings. In subsequent years she lived an active, healthy life, devoting herself to sharing her discovery, healing and teaching others how to heal through Christian prayer. At a time when there was a definite bias against women concerning equal opportunities to higher education, Eddy founded and presided over the Massachusetts Metaphysical College. And when women were not allowed in the pulpit--when St. Pauls instruction to the Corinthians that women keep silent in the church was taken literally--Eddy lectured to huge audiences of spiritual seekers and served as pastor to The Mother Church, preaching God as both Father and Mother. She also wrote extensively, publishing 16 books and countless articles. Her primary work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, has sold over 10 million copies and was voted in 1996 by the National Womens Book Association as one of 75 books by women whose words have changed the world. Over one hundred years after it was published, the ideas found within its pages still continue to provide inspiration and healing to all who read it. In 1908, the very year other women were demonstrating for equality, Mary Baker Eddy demonstrated her understanding of Gods equal love for all humanity when she established The Christian Science Monitor, a Pulitzer Prize-winning international daily newspaper, with a mission to injure no man, but to bless all mankind. The Monitor is still a highly-regarded publication in print and online today. Eddys love for and unique contribution to mankind may be summed up in this quote from Science and Health: One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations; constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfils the Scripture, Love thy neighbor as thyself, annihilates pagan and Christian idolatry, -- whatever is wrong in social, civil, criminal, political, and religious codes; equalizes the sexes; annuls the curse on man, and leaves nothing that can sin, suffer, be punished or destroyed. (Debra Chew writes about the connection between thought, spirituality and wellness from a Christian Science perspective. She has been published in USA Today, chattanoogan.com, Knoxville News Sentinel, UK Health Triangle Magazine, Jackson Sun Health Magazine, and in the Memphis Commercial Appeal. She is the media and legislative liaison for Christian Science in Tennessee.) The 600MHz spectrum auction later this month is set to be a big one. And were seeing more and more companies looking to get in on the auction, than ever before. A big part of this is due to the fact that there are new rules in place for the auction which benefit companies that have little to no spectrum. Which is why we are seeing companies like Dish Network, Comcast and other cable companies jumping in. The FCC released a list of about 104 applicants for the spectrum auction, which is starting on March 29th. Currently there are 69 complete applications and 35 incomplete applications. Many companies are bidding under a different name, which is usually one of their subsidies. For example, Comcast will be bidding in this years auction under the name CC Wireless Investment. Notable names include, Verizon, T-Mobile, US Cellular and C Spire Wireless have completed their applications. While AT&T and Bluegrass Wireless have not yet completed their applications, but they should before the deadline. Advertisement Now Sprint had stated they werent going to be bidding in this years auction, and they arent listed here. So it seems they indeed arent taking part in it. However, SoftBank said they might be taking part in it, but at this point they are not listed as an applicant. Dish Network is also missing from the list. A bit surprising considering Dish had been going to just about every spectrum auction and buying up some spectrum. In the AWS-3 auction last year, Dish bid with a designated entity Northstar Wireless and SNR Wireless, are bot missing. But, there is a ParkerB.com Wireless company listed which is registered to Dishs Denver address. Which would indicate that Dish is in fact looking for more spectrum. The auction starts on March 29th, and itll likely be a few weeks before we learn who won, and who got what in terms of spectrum licenses. T-Mobile is looking to pick up a big chunk of the 600MHz spectrum, as they want to pair it with their existing 700MHz spectrum they picked up from Verizon and a slew of other regional carriers. The 600MHz spectrum likely wont be used by these carriers for months and maybe even a year. As these things take quite a bit of time. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Cleveland State Community College is hosting a variety of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Camps this summer including Beginner, Intermediate and Advance Lego Robotic Camps, Bio-Chemistry Camp and a Culinary Arts Camps, for both main course cuisine and pastry arts. Camps offered on the main campus in Cleveland are as follows: The Bio-Chemistry Camp will be held on July 18-22 from 9 a.m. 3 p.m. for rising 6-8 graders. Participants will spend a week in a lab setting performing experiments and learning techniques from local industry experts. This camp is perfect for students who are eager to learn more about biotechnology and chemistry, or who are interested in pursuing a science degree or career. This week of camp will expose students to demonstrations, experiments, and knowledge that cannot be learned in a classroom. The cost of this camp is $225 and includes a T-shirt, lunch and material fees. The Culinary Arts CampMain Course Cuisine will be held on June 13-17 from 9 a.m. 3 p.m. for rising 6-8 graders. Participants will learn culinary arts by discovering the chemistry, methodology and cooking styles that create great food. Participants will learn from a professional chef with over 30 years of experience in the industry. In one week, campers will plan and prepare a wide variety of delicious meals, learn various prep and cooking techniques, practice food safety, determine a budget and serve a complete made-from-scratch meal. The cost of this camp is $215 and includes an apron, chef hat, lunch and materials fee. This class is not recommended for children with food allergies or food sensitivities. The Culinary Arts CampPastry Arts will be held on July 25-29 from 9 a.m. 3 p.m. Participants will learn cutting and knife techniques, food sanitation and equipment safety, cooking methods for baking, pairing of foods and flavors, food preparation and presentation. The cost of this camp is $215 and includes an apron, chef hat, lunch and materials fee. This class is not recommended for children with food allergies or food sensitivities. There will also be three Lego Robotics camps on the main campus during the week of July 18-22Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. These camps are scheduled from 9 a.m. 3 p.m. and the cost is $125 each. This includes a T-shirt and lunch. The STEM Summer Camp features Lego Education NXT robot sets that students will build. At the end of the camp, participants will be able to identify robotic parts and components; understand assembly processes, sensors, and movement of basic robotics basic movement and sensor application programs; understand advanced programming concepts and commands; apply and utilize creative applications for robotics and identify industrial robotic applications. There will also be Beginner Lego Robotics camps at the Athens Center on June 6-10 from 9 a.m. 3 p.m. and on June 20-24 at the Vonore Center, also from 9 a.m. 3 p.m. These camps are for rising 3-5 graders, and the cost is $125 and includes a T-shirt and lunch. Our STEM program has been a great success over the past three years, stated Lee Ann Lowe, Continuing Education Coordinator. Building on that success, we continue to offer the STEM Summer Enrichment program for the summer of 2016. For more information on the upcoming STEM Camps, visit the website at mycs.cc/stem or contact Ms. Lowe at (423) 473-2270 or email her at llowe@clevelandstatecc.edu. Yesterday the Generalitat and Catalan not-for-profit organizations were left gobsmacked when Spains Supreme Court ruled in favor of the State in a conflict over the 0.7% of income tax revenue earmarked for charities and social purposes. It was a historic claim by Catalan NGOs, who were calling for the money collected in Catalonia by this means to be divided solely among the organizations that operate in Catalonia, as social welfare is a devolved regional power. Last year, for example, 57.6 million euros were collected in Catalonia via the income tax, but only 31.1 million were transferred back by the Spanish central government. It is easy to imagine what it would mean to be able to share the 26.5 million difference among Catalan organizations such as Arrels (Roots) or the Casal dels Infants (Children's Home) of the Raval. Before yesterday, Spains Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court had ruled in favor of Catalonia on 13 occasions. How can this change be explained? It is the result of a legal maneuver by the Spanish government, which passed a decree that changed the concept of social welfare for another, more generic one that allowed it to argue before the Supreme Court that the power now rests with the State and not with the autonomous communities. It is one of the Spanish government's classic ways of proceeding: when it runs up against the justice system, which it has no qualms ignoring if necessary, it is not too late to change the law and tailor it to their own ends. This conduct is sneaky and disloyal and, in this case, it especially harms Catalonia, the autonomous community with most charities and NGOs. But this does not seem to concern the State, on the contrary. What is especially sad is that, in this battle, Catalan organizations have not received the support of Spains NGOs which will benefit if the system for distributing the resources is centralized and yesterday they applauded the decision of the Supreme Court. Once again, it is clear that the State, even in areas such as social organizations, prioritizes political criteria and its unitary philosophy above common sense and the principles of efficiency and subsidiarity. FZ981 was en route from Dubai and crashed during a landing attempt after an earlier go-around. The flight was carrying 55 passengers including 33 women, 18 men four children and seven crew. According to statements from the scene of the crash, air-traffic control and local emergency services confirmed that the Boeing 737-800 jet crashed near the runway during poor visibility weather conditions. The crash site is believed to be some 50-100metres to the left of the runway approach. A fire that broke out on impact was quickly extinguished reports say. The accident happened at 0050 GMT, according to the statement. The plane had left Dubai at 1820 GMT,(22.20 local time). Flight tracking devices showed the aircraft had made an initial approach and entered the hold before being cleared to land. According to sources at the airport the weather conditions featured high winds with wintery rain and snow flurries. The aircraft crew abandoned the initial landing and climbed out making two orbits and a wide turn before re-establishing itself on the beacon to carry out the second landing attempt. Arabian Aerospace editor, Alan Peaford, speaking to Sky News this morning said: This is a terrible tragedy for everyone involved with FlyDubai and of course our thoughts are with the family and the crew. Air crash investigators from the GCAA and the officials from Flydubai, manufacturer Boeing and the engine maker CFM will be on their way to Rostov-on-Don as quickly as possible to work with the Russian investigators. What we do know is that Flydubai has a modern fleet, it has highly competent and well trained pilots and has a world-class management team that follows rigorous safety standards. Earlier this month the airline was awarded its IOSA certificate from IATA having achieved the top standards required in the rigerous safety audit. This is the first major incident involving the UAE airlines. Rostov-on-Don airport is closed with inbound flights being getting rerouted to Krasnodar A statement on theFlydubai website confirmed the incident said the airline is investigating further details and will publish an update once more information is available. An initial statement said: "Flydubai regrets to confirm that flight FZ981 crashed on landing and that fatalities have been confirmed as a result of this tragic accident. The aircraft departed from Dubai International (DXB) at 18:20 GMT bound for Rostov on Don (ROV). The accident occurred in Rostov on Don at approximately 00:50 GMT. We are doing all we can to gather information as quickly as possible. At this moment our thoughts and prayers are with our passengers and our crew who were on board the aircraft. We will do everything we can to help those who have been affected by this accident. We are putting our emergency response in place and we will be working closely with all the authorities involved. We will share as much information as possible just as soon as we can and we will provide updated information on a regular basis. For any concerned friends or family: + 44203 4508 853 or +9714 293 4100 Reports on Russian TV have said that all 55 passengers are believed to be Russian. The names and nationalities of the crew have not been revealed at this stage. Russias emergencies ministry has opened up a hotline and reports say a team of psychologists are supporting the grieving relatives. At a press conference in Russia, the regulator said it has launched a probe into the incident with preliminary data indicating that the plane disintegrated and caught fire upon touching the ground. Reports from that event claim the debris were spread across the area of several kilometers. Industry analyst Saj Ahmad commenting on the crash this morning said: "It's too early to finger-point the exact cause for the crash, but early indications point to a crash landing in poor weather. "The 737-800 has one of the best safety records of any airliner, and Flydubai is one of the world's youngest, astute and safest operators of the type. Both the airline, Boeing and CFM International, alone with the relevant authorities will move quickly to determine the cause of the accident. Initial reports of a bad weather landing on its second attempt seem to be consistent with a crash short of the runway, but it'll be a while before we know the exact sequences of events that led to this accident. "The 737-800 involved (A6-FDN) was delivered in 2011 and had its last major C-check on 21 January 2016. By any metric, this is a very young airplane. A 737 takes off or lands somewhere in the world every 3 seconds. So you can see how versatile and widely used it is across the globe - from full service airlines, low cost airlines to corporate jet usage. Put simply, the 737 family is one of the safest airplanes you could ever hope to fly. Its evolution on a technical, engineering and safety basis is beyond amazing and that jets like this simply do not fall out of the sky without a darn good reason. "The 737-800 that is part of the flydubai fleet has a dispatch reliability rate of 99.77% and flydubai's fleet operates with a daily utilisation rate of about 14 hours - one of the highest of any 737 operator. Its frankly impossible to find a better airplane anywhere in the industry to even come close to this engineering perfection. That's why flydubai chose this airplane and in 2013 ordered up to 100 new 737 MAX 8s to augment its fleet growth and expansion plans and has opined about taking more of them as it eventually moves to Dubai World Central / Al Maktoum International Airport." Ahmad added: "Like the airplane, flydubai has a fantastic safety record. This crash is its first and until then, the airline has operated under the strictest safety regime employed by the UAE. It was quick to pull out of places like Syria when the civil war there started, and took precautions when one of its 737s was shot at on arrival in Baghdad. "Flydubai has an immensely robust brand image and they will get through this devastating tragedy and the way that they are helping all the affected victims' friends and family has gone a long way to providing some comfort for such an awful event.' The approach by the Flydubai B737 before the crash, captured by Flightradar 24 China and Germany are planning a huge trade and logistics park in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The Urumqi Economic and Technological Development Zone and German Duisport Group sign a memorandum on March 17, 2016, in Urumqi City of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. [Photo: people.cn] Urumqi Economic and Technological Development Zone (UETDZ) and the port of Duisburg will build a trade and logistics park close to Urumqi West Railway Station with a core area of 2.2 square kilometers, extending to a potential full area of 120 square kilometers, according to the memorandum signed on Thursday. A newly established company, Xinjiang International Railway Port Limited Liability Company with a registered capital of 200 million yuan (31 million U.S. dollars), will be responsible for the operation of the park. The Port of Duisburg, considered the world's largest inland port, will hold 20 percent of the company. The UETDZ and associates will hold the remaining 80 percent stake. A weekly cargo train service will open in the first half of this year between Duisburg and Urumqi, according to the agreement. Cargo will then take only 12 days from Xinjiang to Germany, rather than the current 45 days by sea, said UETDZ official Liu Shaohua. The park, close to Urumqi high-speed rail terminal and airport, will integrate railways, highways and air transit, said Chen Gang, head of the UETDZ committee. The annual rail cargo is expected to reach 20 million tonnes in 2020 and 50 million tonnes in the long term, said Chen. The plan will make Xinjiang part of the European logistical network and bring Sino-Europe trade to a new level. China's trade with the EU dropped by 7.2 percent in 2015, but Duisburg expects extensive cooperation with Xinjiang in trade and logistics, said Erich Staake, chairman of Duisport Group. Le CBD, cette molecule active du cannabis a aujourdhui le vent en poupe. Et cela est en grande partie du au fait quil permet... by Mathias Hariyadi Fr. Harry Sulistyo and Fr. Steve Winarto have involved young people from all cultures to write and produce three musical performances. The most recent was staged in the prestigious theater Ciputra Jakarta Art-preneur: "The Church has the duty to reach out to everyone, even the most distant." Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Communicating the Catholic faith through the arts, so that even the most distant from the Christian sentiments can be touched by the announcement. This has prompted two priests of the Archdiocese of Jakarta in Indonesia to promote cultural activities open to all within the Catholic community. Fr. Harry Sulistyo and Fr. Steve Winarto work in the "Great Jakarta" area which includes the capital and the districts of Tangerang and Bakasi, where there is a mixture of many different races, languages and cultures. Fr. Sulistyo, Chinese by birth, is the head of the Commission for Social Communications of the Archdiocese of Jakarta, Fr. Winarto instead pastor of the church of St. Gabriel Pulogebang in Bekasi (25 km east of the capital). Together, the two religious have produced and staged three musicals in the last three years: Selubung Perempuan (The veil of the woman), Nada untuk Asa (Song for Asa), which also became a movie, and Opera Dolorosa: Kemanusiaan of Titik Nadir (Opera Dolorosa: The risk to humanity). A few days ago, Opera Dolorosa - written by Fr. Sulistyo along with novelist Ita Sembiring - was staged in the prestigious theater Ciputra Jakarta Art-preneur, arousing the enthusiasm of the spectators came from all over the archdiocese. The two priests told AsiaNews that by involving young people from different cultures and faiths, they want to present the Christian faith, but also preserve the great values on which Indonesia is founded, the Pancasila [the five pillars of the Constitution ed]. Fr. Sulistyo explains that art is a perfect medium to do this, and "it is urgent to create inter-religious communities of different ethnic groups among young people". According to the priest, there are many good reasons to work together with non-Catholics: "We have a lot in common: the mission of building the nation with pride and commitment to create a more humane society". Fr. Winarto, musical director of the show, is of the same opinion. He believes the Church must come out of itself to meet the people in their living environment: "There are people who are in very different places in society and the Church must go out to meet them and welcome them. It is only within this plural society that we can experience the 'core' of being Indonesian: Unity in Diversity ". by Weena Kowitwanij Cardinal of Bangkok to the faithful: "The life and example of Saint Joseph show us the way to grow as fathers, whether family or spiritual fathers, in the path of justice, of goodness and virtue. And these are the paths for the growth of every human being ". Ayutthaya relaunches evangelization of Thailand. Bangkok (AsiaNews) - The life and example of Saint Joseph "show us the way to grow as fathers, whether family or spiritual fathers, in the path of justice, of goodness and virtue. And these are the paths for the growth of every human being , said Card. Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanit, Archbishop of Bangkok, this morning as he opened the Holy Door in the church dedicated to Saint Joseph in Ayutthaya. The ceremony was rich in meaning, because this church is the cradle of the evangelization of Thailand. This is the third Holy Door to be opened in the country, after those of Assumption Cathedral capital and in St. Peter's in Nakhon Pathom. Also attending were the Bishop Emeritus, Msgr.Joseph Sangval Surasarang and more than 30 priests, diocesan and religious. Thousands of faithful also took part in the Mass. Card. Kovithavanij invited those present to open their hearts to receive God's mercy: "If we are touched by this mercy, we can change our hearts and bring His love to our brothers and sisters who want to meet Him. Catholics need a change of heart, a change of life. The opening of the Holy Door makes this change easier. Let us welcome and forgive and thus receive forgiveness. Ayutthaya is considered the "cradle" of the Thai Church, since it was here that three missionaries of the Paris Foreign Missions (MEP) in 1666 had permission from the King of Siam Narai the Great to build a church and a school. Bishop Lambert de la Motte, along with Fr. Jean De Bourges and Fr. Dedier, impressed the king so much that he gave them the land on which the " Saint Josephs Field " was built. Here they the first 1,500 Siamese were converted and the evangelization of the country began.Cardinal of Bangkok to the faithful: "The life and example of Saint Joseph show us the way to grow as fathers, whether family or spiritual fathers, in the path of justice, of goodness and virtue. And these are the paths for the growth of every human being ". Ayutthaya relaunches evangelization of Thailand. Messages You have no messages L'ancien top Nikki DuBose a decide de rompre le silence sur ce qu'elle a vecu pendant se carriere de mannequin. La jeune femme de 30 ans devoile "le cote obscur" du monde de la mode, et a notamment revele avoir ete agressee sexuellement pendant ces annees. Temoigner pour mettre en garde et eviter que d'autres ne soient confrontees a ca. Tel est le but de Nikki DuBose, ancien top model de 30 ans qui raconte son histoire dans le cadre du projet Real Women Real Stories. Dans une video de quelques minutes postee cette semaine sur les reseaux sociaux, la jeune femme revient sur son parcours de top qui a a debute a l'age de 15 ans et a dure plusieurs annees. Des annees qui representent pour elle une periode tres sombre. Depression, troubles alimentaires, automutilation... Elle ne cache rien. "Pendant ma carriere de mannequin, j'ai fait avec mes problemes mentaux, et je pensais que je n'avais pas de voix, pas de poids, pas de valeur", explique-t-elle dans un texte accompagnant la video. Dans la sequence filmee, elle ose aborder les agressions sexuelles qu'elle a subies. "Le directeur de mon agence m'a mis la pression a plusieurs reprises pour que je couche avec lui", declare-t-elle "Quand je le faisais, je travaillais beaucoup. Mais quand je ne voulais pas, je n'avais plus rien." La suite apres cette publicite This is Nikki DuBose, she is a woman, and she was raped by a p... My name is Nikki DuBose. I'm a former #model, commercial #actress and host turned #author, speaker and mental health advocate, and for most of my life I remained silent. Silent about being physically abused as a child. Silent about being sexually victimized, having eating disorders, depression, body dysmorphic disorder, self-harming, and watching my mother drink herself to her actual death as a result of being a #victim of domestic violence.The things I talk about in Real Women Real Stories filming project are brief. Real Women Real Stories by Matan Uziel brings awareness to critical issues that millions of #women face every day. As a result of many different factors, however, many of them will never come forward to get the help they need - they will remain silent, like I did for so long. I hope that because I shared a bit of my story through Real Women Real Stories, others will have the courage to use their voices, too. I won't stay silent anymore.During my career as a #fashion and #swimsuit model, I carried all of my mental health issues with me, and believed that I had no voice, no worth, no value. I landed in a career that oftentimes mirrored my childhood - it was psychologically damaging. Many of the agents, clients, casting directors and photographers would tell me that I was beautiful one minute, then put me down the next and tell me that I needed to lose inches and pounds in order to secure jobs. And I heard that nearly every day for years; after a while, it took a toll on my overall health. After struggling with #bulimia nervosa I stopped eating altogether and developed #anorexia nervosa in an effort to please my superiors, look "good enough" for the industry and earn as much money as I could.Then there were the other looming issues that no one seemed to want to talk about - the pressure to sleep around in order to "boost" your public profile and get better bookings, and the sexual #harassment that circled around. Some #photographers were a bit creepy on shoots, but most were professional and I always felt in control. However, the unwanted advances came from the director of my agency. There was flirting, invites to "model dinners" which involved select models, the director, his friends and the owner of the agency, and then I was asked back to the director's house on multiple occasions. He had a girlfriend - also another model - and he was always booking her on long shoots far away. I always wondered if she knew about his ways.At the time I felt pressured to do what I did, and to not use my voice. Now things are different because I've dealt with the issues from my childhood and know how to say "NO." However back then I was a people-pleaser and felt that I had to give in to pressures because I had no self-esteem. I was so used to being abused and letting others control me that I allowed those situations to continue. And letting others abuse me eventually got me into serious trouble.All of this led to being drugged and raped. Raped by a photographer at a lunch that was organized by the director of my agency. Where did this rape occur? At the director's very own house in #Miami. Later, when I confronted the director about what had happened, I was shot down and made to feel as though I was crazy.Unfortunately, this is such a common occurrence: Victim is raped. Perpetrator gets away and walks around in society, unscathed. #Society tends to blame or not believe the victim, therefore allowing the cycle of abuse to continue. And this attitude trickles into many areas - child #abuse, sexual victimization, eating disorders, the modeling industry, rape, on and on. We, as a society have an issue with denial. Yes, it is true that victims must learn to use their voices and the importance of personal responsibility, however difficult. However, society must also take responsibility and learn that: No one deserves to be raped, no one deserves to be abused, even if someone is naked, drunk, that is not an invitation for another person to violate their personal space. We have a responsibility as a society and as individuals, to love one another.In my upcoming memoir, Washed Away: From Darkness to Light, I detail my full story, and how I was able to recover from abuse, #rape, eating disorders, the darker side of the modeling industry, and so much more. Be brave, be strong, use your voice.TRIGGER WARNING: if you are affected by this film please visit www.rainn.org or www.myneda.org where you can find support. Poste par Real Women Real Stories sur mardi 15 mars 2016 Nikki DuBose se souvient egalement qu'un jour, lors d'un dejeuner organise par son directeur, elle a ete droguee puis violee par un photographe. "J'etais completement traumatisee", poursuit-elle. Lorsqu'elle s'est presentee devant le directeur pour lui expliquer ce qu'il s'etait passe, celui-ci l'a tout simplement qualifiee de folle. "Malheureusement, c'est quelque chose de normal" Mal dans sa peau et dans sa tete, la jeune femme a longtemps du lutter contre l'anorexie. "Personne ne s'inquietait de ma sante mentale ou physique. J'avais juste la pression d'etre toujours plus maigre. Je pesais seulement 41 kilos (...) et eux ils me disaient 'tu es incroyable', tu es la plus belle fille qu'on ait jamais vue' " Capture d'ecran Nikki DuBose "Faites-vous entendre" Reduite au silence pendant de nombreuses annees, Nikki ne veut desormais plus se taire. Elle espere que son temoignage trouvera un echo et incite les personnes qui, comme elle, ont ete abusees, d'oser parler pour que plus jamais cela ne se produise. "Oui, c'est vrai que les victimes doivent apprendre a utiliser leur voix et comprendre qu'elles ont la responsabilite de parler, meme si c'est difficile. Mais la societe doit aussi prendre ses responsabilites et apprendre ca : Personne ne merite d'etre violee, personne ne merite d'etre agressee, meme si elle est nue, saoule, ce n'est pas une invitation." Elle conclut le texte accompagnant la sequence par ces mots : "Soyez courageuse. Soyez forte. Faites-vous entendre." La suite apres cette publicite Ces mannequins qui revolutionnent le monde de la mode avec leurs formes : Voir aussi : Ces mannequins revolutionnent le monde de la mode avec leurs formes @Instagram Ces mannequins grande taille qui revolutionnent le monde de la mode A lire aussi > Temoignage : Victoire Macon Dauxerre, ex-mannequin revenu de l'enfer de l'anorexie > Leomie Anderson, le mannequin qui denonce le racisme dans la mode > Des victimes de viol posent en Une d'un magazine israelien pour briser le silence Pour ne rien manquer de l'actualite, abonnez-vous a notre newsletter buzz Senate Republican leaders tried to shut down talk of a lame-duck vote to put Merrick Garland on the U.S. Supreme Court after cracks appeared in what has been a nearly unified front to block any nominee by President Barack Obama. A day after Orrin Hatch of Utah, the longest-serving Senate Republican, told reporters he was open to considering Garland after the November election, the number two Republican in the Senate, John Cornyn of Texas, went to the floor to say he opposed the idea. Cornyn said that would violate the "principle" Republicans say they are standing for. "If you believe in the principle that the American peoples voice ought to be heard, it makes no sense to have an election and then to do it and not honor their selection," Cornyn said. Flash Salah Abdeslam, a suspect in the Paris attacks in November of last year and the most wanted man in Europe, was arrested Friday in Belgium, Belgian federal police have confirmed. Abdeslam was taken to Saint-Pierre University Hospital in Brussels to be treated for a gunshot injury to his leg, according to Belgian national television station RTBF. The police operation was still ongoing and two strong explosions were heard on Friday night, a Xinhua reporter witnessed at the scene in the Brussels municipality of Molenbeek. Abdeslam was arrested along with another suspect earlier this afternoon during the large-scale police operation. Friday's operation follows a raid on Tuesday in the Brussels district of Forest in which one suspect was killed. Abdeslam's fingerprints were later found in the raided apartment. He was believed to have been hiding there for several months. So far, all indications are that he was one of the two suspects who managed to escape after the police action on Tuesday. Abdeslam is suspected of involvement in attacks in Paris as having provided logistics for the other attackers. The attacks killed 130 people at multiple locations in Paris on Nov. 13. In the aftermath of the Paris attacks, two people thought to be accomplices of Abdeslam exfiltrated him from France to Belgium. They were checked several times by police but were not apprehended as the name of Abdeslam had not yet been connected to the events in Paris. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and French President Francois Hollande made a joint press conference Friday night following the arrest of Abdeslam. An extradition request from the French judicial authorities was introduced. At the press conference, Hollande and Michel hailed the Franco-Belgian cooperation that led to the arrest of Abdeslam. Hollande said he "had confidence in the successful completion of the extradition request." "Abdeslam was in Paris on Nov. 13 and participated in the attacks. All those who have contributed will be arrested," insisted Hollande. "Everywhere in Belgium and France, the level of terrorist threat is very high," he added. Michel said, "The battle against terrorism will not stop tonight even if it is a victory." Regarding the alert level in Belgium, the head of Belgian government explained that the threat will be reassessed in the coming hours. "We will see in the next few hours if the OCAM, the Threat Analysis and Coordination Body in Belgium, sets a new recommendation to the level of threat," said Michel. Other operations within the framework of the Franco-Belgian investigation is currently underway in a commune of Molenbeek in Brussels. Melbourne criminal lawyer Joseph "Pino" Acquaro was gunned down in what was believed to be a professional hit this week.He was shot as he walked to his car on a Brunswick East street, after he had shut his gelataria and cafe at around 12:40 for the evening. His body was found by a rubbish truck driver who called emergency services at around 3am.Acquaro, who represented a number prominent crime figures, was allegedly wanted dead by the Calabrian mafia after severing ties with many of his former Calabrian mafia clients. Professor George Williams AO has been appointed dean of the University Of New South Wales Faculty Of Law.Williams, will begin the role in June, taking over from Professor David Dixon who will retire after 10 years in the job.A focus of my work over many years has been to communicate about the law and to seek law reform that benefits the community. Law schools must do more of this. I want to see UNSW Law make a difference to the quality of people's lives, Williams said of his new role.Finally, lawyers from community legal centres all around Australia met members of parliament this week calling for urgent action after being faced with a 30 per cent cut to Commonwealth funding next year.Recent figures revealed that CLCs are already turning away more than 160,000 people each year due to a lack of resources.Community Legal Centres do a range of different work and the top area where we provide the most amount of work is in family violence and family law, campaign spokesperson and NACLC chairperson Rosslyn Monro told Australasian Lawyer.Were potentially turning away those people. Likely to be badged Kodiaq, the large SUV from Skoda will borrow its engines from the Superb, and will pave the way for more SUV models. The Skoda Kodiaq SUV will be unveiled at the Paris motor show 2016, the brand has confirmed, before going on sale in international markets early next year. Although stopping short of confirming the cars name which has already been trademarked by Skoda and references the Kodiak Alaskan bear new Skoda boss Bernhard Maier said: Skoda will be launching a new, large SUV this autumn, thereby strengthening the brands position in this important vehicle segment. The Kodiaq's exterior design was officially previewed by the VisionS concept in Geneva, but will be slightly toned down for production. Key elements, including the prominent front grille and lighting arrangement, are likely to reach production relatively unchanged. The interior of the VisionS will however see considerable changes, with the SUV likely to get seven seats and a more pared down centre console. While it's already known that the core of the Kodiaq's engine range will be taken from the Superb, a plug-in hybrid model is also planned, though it will not be part of the launch range. That's because Skoda will launch its first plug-in hybrid model as a variant of the Superb by around 2019. The new SUV is expected to become a big seller for the company, introducing new customers to the brand and paving the way for future SUV models. It will also introduce a fresh design language which will be seen on all future cars from the brand. A rakish five-door coupe-like SUV is said to follow the Kodiaq, as well as a performance version with sportier styling, which could carry the vRS badge. The SUV-coupe, a rival to the likes of the Mercedes GLC Coupe, is currently only slated for China but is likely to come head to Europe as well. Another crossover-style car with "SUV elements" is also in development for the Chinese market and will arrive in 2018. Maier also said that we might imagine there will be further models in the SUV family. Skoda is also known to be working on a bespoke electric vehicle for launch around 2020/21, and although the shape of that model is currently undecided, an SUV or crossover body style appears to be the strong choice. Darren Moss (Autocar UK) I know we're not supposed to call it a Citroen, but those engineers, designers and assemblers didn't just come out from nowhere. They were originally working for Citroen, right? In any case, the DS3 belonged to the double-chevron brand when it came out way back in 2009.In 2015, it got new headlights, now joined by a redesigned grille and some other cool features. A few years ago, Citroen engineers were desperate for a fight with the Renault Clio RS and Fiat 500 Abarth. They were allowed to make something called a DS3 Racing. After a while, a convertible version also came along, and they said, "We are only going to make a few of these, it's a limited production car."However, 2016 brings yet another batch of hot DS3 Cabrio. It's called "Performance" now and looks so good that I want to have an adulterous affair with it.Although it's fast, this isn't a true hot hatch. It won't compete with the MINI John Cooper Works or participate in drag races against the Clio RS 220 Trophy. Instead, it's more of a fashion statement, like one of those snug-fitting shirts for buff men that moisturize and pluck their eyebrows.The engine is still a 1.6-liter turbo. Output has jumped slightly to 208 PS and a very respectable 300 Nm (221 lb-ft). But the really cool part is that it comes fitted with a Torsen limited-slip differential in standard, along with a six-speed manual transmission with shorter gear ratios. So it's basically the same powertrain as in the Peugeot 208 GTi 30th Anniversary Edition.These details were never officially discussed in a press release, but the configurator was launched earlier this week and let us play with the DS3 Performance. In France, you can have it as a coupe from 27,950. Meanwhile, the Cabrio Performance is... a little more, 30,450. CFRP The second body style of the 2017 5 Series range has been featured on our website before in the form of spyshots , but this time, we have a video of the prototype being driven in winter conditions somewhere in Sweden.The video was provided to us by our friends at SB-Medien, who have also supplied us with a set of spyshots of the same prototype.The upcoming 5 Series will be based on a new platform, dubbed 35up by the guys at BMW. It will feature moreparts, just like the ongoing 7 Series. Eventually, the 35up platform will come to the 3 Series as well. The benefits of the new architecture include improved body rigidity and lower weight.Some company insiders have previously revealed that the 5 Series will lose up to 100 kilograms (220 pounds) thanks to the new platform. The improvement will lower fuel consumption and emissions, while also enhancing handling.Naturally, BMW will also work on the suspension, steering, and drivetrain of the 5 Series. A hybrid version could also come to the Touring body style, while the sedan will surely receive one.The 2017 BMW 5 Series will have four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines, in both gasoline and diesel versions. Like the previous prototypes spotted by spy photographers, the car you can see in the video below features a layer of camouflage. The intricate pattern used by BMW makes it hard to see the lines of the body, as the design of a new vehicle is one of the elements a carmaker tries to conceal for as long as possible.The vehicle in the clip below is not driven hard, as engineers are driving on public roads and cannot push these cars to the limit. Furthermore, the snow on Swedish roads in this period makes driving fast even more challenging. After all, these engineers must bring the prototypes back in one piece and fully functional for their colleagues to perform other tests on them. The story goes far beyond the usual way in which Porsche commercials keep you on your toes, simply thanks to the fact that we're dealing with more than a series of ads here. As the German automaker announced on its YouTube channel three weeks ago, the company will release a new 911 R driving lesson every Friday.After having asked the public to submit applications, Porsche selected two lucky participants who are now receiving one-on-one tuition from works driver Patrick Long.It all started with the obvious seating position lesson, and given the carbon fiber bucket seats of the R, the episode was nothing short of a delight. Next up, Porsche took the two participants to its Weissach testing facility, where Patrick tought them how to correct both understeer and oversteer For today's lesson, the Porsche factory driver brings the heel-and-toe shifting technique under the spotlight. Yes, the 911 R's Sport Mode does include an automatic throttle blip function for downshifts, but this only allowed the two pupils to observe the difference between their own stunts and the way in which the car itself handles the job.Truth be told, an encounter with such a heel-and-toe robot generally makes one realize he or she needs to work on the rev-matching skills - since daily driving doesn't require such sharp moves, many drivers fall into a comfort zone that sees them being helpless when sporty A to B transportation is required.You can check out the lesson below, grab your car keys and practice the technique yourself. However, do keep in mind not to attempt such stunts while in traffic. We're basically talking about the motorsports incarnation of the 911 GT3 RS here, with Zuffenhausen having introduced the racecar last fall.Porsche hasn't wasted any time when it came to testing their new track material, with the carmaker not even waiting for the official opening of the 2016 Nurburgring and quietly unleashing the 4.0-liter beast on the 'Ring, as we recently showed you. We'll remind you the German track now has a layout sporting a few differences aimed at improving safety, one that hasn't been officially introduced yet.As we mentioned in the intro, Patrick Long takes us through the major updates brought by the 991 generation - the last GT3 R used the 997 platform.Porsche followers may have noticed the automaker is aiming to build a cult around Patrick. After having attempted a similar stunt with Mark Webber last year, the focus is now on Long.For instance, Patrick is also the host of a performance driving tuition series Porsche has launched on YouTube. The shenanigan sees the 911 R, the latest iteration of the Neunelfer, being put to good use as the racing driver initiates a pair of amateurs in the art of manhandling a car. It's all happening with small steps, as Porsche releases a new episode each Friday.While Sebring's gates opened on March 16, the endurance challenge itself is set to take place on Sunday, March 19. So if you haven't booked some of your spare time to watch the race, you can still do it. The 2015 Fleet Safety Award winner, Chad Fay of Centuri Construction Group, accepts the award from Pam Sederholm, executive director of AALA. Photo by Chris Wolski The organizers of the 2016 Fleet Safety Conference are now accepting nominations for the 2016 Fleet Safety Award. The award, which is presented during the conference, will honor a fleet or risk manager whose leadership and innovation have enhanced the safety of fleet drivers and the general public. Nominations should include measurable results. To access a nomination form, click here. Candidates working with light- and medium-duty fleets are eligible. Nominations close April 22. Previous winners include, Sandra Lee, director of worldwide fleet for Johnson & Johnson; Kristin ODriscoll, fleet manager for Baxter Healthcare; and Chad Fay, director of Fleet Operations for Centuri Construction Group. The American Automotive Leasing Association (AALA) and Automotive Fleet magazine produce the Fleet Safety Conference, now in its fifth year, which will be held in Schaumburg, Ill., July 18-20. A panel of industry leaders will evaluate the nominations to determine the winner. The award will be presented July 15 at the conference. For more details about the conference, click here. The South Africa Department of Transport has invited all transport stakeholders to contribute to the formulation of a road safety strategy for 2016 to 2020, according to a report by Engineering News. Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said the strategy would serve as a blueprint for all road safety interventions that needed to be implemented to create safer roads, according to the report. South Africa has made some progress in reducing road traffic fatalities, dropping from 15,419 in 2006 to 12,702 as of 2014. However, Peters pointed out that the decrease was not at the rate required for South Africa to realistically meet the international aspirational goals set out by the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 to achieve a 50% reduction by 2020, according to the report. 19 March 2016 10:23 (UTC+04:00) By Nazrin Gadimova ISESCO Director General, Dr Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri has called upon UN Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon to enforce Security Council resolutions condemning Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and other lands of Azerbaijan and demanding its immediate cessation. Altwaijri pointed out that the list of UN resolutions concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, four passed in 1993 by the UN Security Council (822, 583, 874, 884) and one ratified by the UN General Assembly in its 62nd session in 2008 (62/243), have been pending on improper grounds, the official website of ISESCO reports. The ISESCO Director General expressed surprise at how this very serious conflict threatening to undermine peace in this part of the world is not high on the agenda of the UN chief. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict evolved in 1988 as a result of Armenian aggressive policy towards neighboring Azerbaijan. As a result of a bloody war, Armenia occupied 20 percent of the Azerbaijani territories. Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal. It is indeed strange, Dr Altwaijri went on, the UN Secretary General has never visited any of the refugee camps housing over a million people displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh who have lost their homes, mosques and cultural heritage. This and the long-standing, just Palestinian issue deserve to be treated in earnest by the UN and its Secretary General, Dr Altwaijri concluded, reaffirming ISESCOs support to Azerbaijan and the State of Palestine to recover their usurped territories and so end this very real occupation being ignored by the Secretary General. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the Karabakh war. The bloody war left 700,000 civilians from Nagorno-Karabakh and the regions adjoining it, as well as the regions bordering Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, without homes. They are temporarily settled in more than 1,600 settlements across 62 cities and regions of Azerbaijan. Moreover, 250,000 Azerbaijanis were expelled from Armenia and became refugees due to Armenia's ethnic cleansing policy after the emergence of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan. -- Nazrin Gadimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @NazrinGadimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Flash Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha Friday said he was happy to see China release water to help alleviate drought in Thailand, noting the water supply has already reached northern Thailand. Thailand is suffering the worst drought in two decades, with water levels in the country's big dams at their lowest since 1994, and drought disaster zones have been declared in 46 districts of 12 provinces. While visiting drought-hit Udontani Province in northern Thailand, the prime minister hailed China's decision to discharge water from a dam to the lower reaches of the Mekong River to help alleviate drought conditions in Southeast Asia. Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Lu Kang announced in a regular news briefing on Tuesday that China will release emergency water supply from Jinghong Hydropower Station in southwest China's Yunnan Province to downstream Mekong River from March 15 to April 10. Mekong River originates in China and runs through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is known as Lancang in the Chinese stretch. China and the five countries along the Mekong are friendly neighbors and assistance like this is natural, Lu said. Since late 2015, countries along the Lancang-Mekong River have suffered from drought to varying extents due to the impact of the El Nino phenomenon, the spokesperson said, adding the situation has worsened recently and threatens people's livelihoods. "In order to accommodate the concerns of countries at the lower reach of the Mekong River, the Chinese government decides to overcome its own difficulties to offer emergency water flows," Lu said. He said water resources cooperation is an important component of the cooperation mechanism being worked on by China and other Mekong River countries. "China is willing to enhance coordination and practical cooperation with related countries in accordance with the mechanism in water resources management and disaster response to benefit the people in the region," the spokesperson said. 19 March 2016 22:50 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev has expressed condolences to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over heavy loss of life in a crash of a Boeing 737-800 passenger plane at Rostov-on-Don airport. "I was deeply saddened by the news of heavy loss of life in a crash of a Boeing 737-800 passenger plane at Rostov-on-Don airport. On behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf, I extend my deepest condolences to you, families and relatives of those who died and the whole people of Russia". 19 March 2016 22:53 (UTC+04:00) There are no Azerbaijani citizens among those killed and injured in Istanbuls explosion, Azerbaijans diplomatic missions in Turkey told Trend March 19. Azerbaijans embassy in Ankara and Consulate General in Istanbul are in contact with Turkeys law enforcement bodies to find out whether there are Azerbaijani citizens among those killed and injured, the diplomatic missions told Trend. An explosion occurred in Istiglal Avenue in Istanbuls center on March 19. Turkish authorities have officially confirmed that it was a terrorist attack, The death toll as a result of the terrorist attack has reached five, Kanal7 TV channel reported. A total of 38 people were injured as a result of the explosion. 19 March 2016 22:54 (UTC+04:00) The fiscal and foreign policy, economic policy and reforms ensure the sustainability of Azerbaijans economy, the countrys Finance Minister Samir Sharifov said March 19. He made the remarks during the presentation of bonds of the Southern Gas Corridor closed joint-stock company to the UK and US investors. The minister briefed the investors about the Southern Gas Corridor project, Azerbaijans economy and the influence of lower prices on world crude markets on Azerbaijans economy. He also talked about the measures taken by the government to mitigate the impact of lower prices for energy resources on the countrys economy. The UK and US investors showed interest in the Southern Gas Corridor bonds valued at $1 billion. The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority energy projects for EU. It envisages the transportation of gas from the Caspian Sea region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey. At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijans Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage. As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans-Adriatic Pipeline. 19 March 2016 22:52 (UTC+04:00) 17:42 (GMT+4) Turkeys Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has chaired a meeting in Istanbuls Dolmabahce palace to discuss the terrorist attack in Beyoglu district, Anadolu agency reported. The meeting was attended by deputies of the prime minister Yalcin Akdogan and Togrul Turkes, deputy chairman of the Justice and Development Party Omer Celik, deputy interior minister Sebahattin Ozturk, deputy health minister Eyup Gumus, Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin and head of Istanbul police Mustafa Caliskan. 16:15 (GMT+4) The terrorists targeted foreign tourists and the explosion occurred in the place where usually many foreign tourists, Kanal7 TV channel reported. Reportedly, Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) stands behind the terrorist attack, according to the preliminary data. Earlier on March 19, it was reported that six PKK members, who can be the would-be suicide bombers, are wanted by the Turkish police. The wanted PKK members are: Ali Haydar Kales, Aysel Ozlu, Havva Custan, Emrah Erdogan, Taner Yesilbas and Mehmet Erbey. 15:32 (GMT+4) Twelve foreigners were injured as a result of the terrorist attack in Istanbul, Turkeys Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said. The total number of injured as a result of the terrorist attack has reached 38, TRT Haber TV channel reported. 15:16 (GMT+4) Turkeys Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu didnt rule out that another terrorist attack can be committed during the day, TRT Haber TV channel reported. 14:51 (GMT+4) Terrorist attacks wont stop Turkeys fight against terrorism, TRT Haber TV channel reported citing the countrys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Turkey will continue fighting terrorism, he added. 14:31 (GMT+4) The death toll as a result of the terrorist attack in Istanbul has reached five, Kanal7 TV channel reported. Reportedly, three of the injured are Israeli citizens. 14:26(GMT+4)Turkeys deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus has commented on the terrorist attack in Istanbul, noting that the terrorists wont achieve their goals. The goal of the terrorists is to isolate Turkey from the whole world, he said. 14:22 (GMT+4) Turkey has banned the release of unofficial information about the explosion in Istanbul, HaberTurk TV channel reported. 14:11 (GMT+4) Turkeys authorities have officially confirmed that the explosion in Istanbul was a terrorist attack, TRT Haber TV channel reported. 14:03 (GMT+4) The bomb of the suicide bomber exploded before the planned time, CNN Turk reported. Currently, the four dead and over 20 injured are being identified. 13:56 (GMT+4) Currently, all roads have been closed on Istiglal avenue in Istanbuls center where the explosion occurred, CNN Turk reported. Police have arrived at the scene. The countrys authorities havent yet officially confirmed the terrorist attack. 13:39(GMT+4) A suicide bomber blew himself up in Istanbul, according to CNN Turk TV channel. 13:30 (GMT+4) An explosion has occurred in Turkeys Istanbul city, leaving two dead and seven more injured, Milliyet newspaper reported March 19. 3.0 ( - - ): editor [at] bahrainmirror.com Bakersfield, CA (93308) Today Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 74F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 50F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. The evening began with concerns from a neighboring farmer about the possibility of stray voltage. The meeting ended with the Dunn County Board of Supervisors approving rezoning an 11.4-acre parcel in the Town of Dunn from agricultural to light industrial in order to allow construction of a commercial solar array. On Monday at 5:30 p.m., the countys Board of Adjustment will hold a hearing at the Dunn County Government Center (800 Wilson Ave., Menomonie) to decide whether to grant a special exception permit to allow the construction and operation of a solar farm. The land on 370th Avenue, just east of County Highway Y, is owned by Lyle Christianson, who will lease it to Chicago-based SoCore Energy to build a solar farm. Concerns, support At Wednesday nights county board meeting, farmer Doug Mensing told the supervisors that he lives next to the proposed solar farm and rented land from Christianson. Im not against green energy; Im against where its going, Mensing said. Im worried about stray voltage issues. ... To me, this thing should be postponed a while until questions are answered. Six other people, however, came out in favor of the project. Among them was Ed Hartung, representing Dunn Energy Cooperative board of directors. About 1.1 megawatts of power will be produced and transmitted to a Dairyland Power substation across the road. Hartung is among those who has already signed up to invest in some of the electrical output that will be made available to co-op members. People like the idea of a product thats produced locally that leaves a smaller footprint and would be very competitive with our other electrical sources, he said. Jim Hathaway, DEC manager, spoke to Mensings concerns about stray voltage, pointing out that its an issue of distribution. Noting that its been a number of years since the co-op has had to deal with stray voltage issues, he explained, The lower voltage wires coming into the home or farm maybe are not adequate for the loads that ground. In the case of SoCore Energys project, the fact that the output from the the array of around 4,000 solar panels will go directly to the nearby substation will reduce the amount of electricity from other power plants that currently comes in on existing transmission lines. The wires arent going to be undersized, Hathaway said. If anything, theyre going to be oversized to address the possibility of the future expansion of this solar facility. Two of the speakers during the public comments portion of the meeting have their own home solar installations. Seven years ago, John Thomas and his family invested their own 10-kilowatt photovoltaic array on their home next to the former Creamery Restaurant in Downsville. About SoCores solar farm, Thomas said, I think it makes sense for Dunn County first and the state of Wisconsin to head in the direction of renewable energy as much as they can and as fast as they can. Jim Erdman of Menomonie has more than 30 years of experience with solar electricity. He shared knowledge from an electrical engineer he knows who said that if properly wired, a property will not have problems with stray voltage. I guess I feel that the problems expressed tonight are just a matter of lack of knowing enough about stray voltage, Erdman said. A retired K-9 officer has opened a new training school for dogs in Brooksville. John Gore has decades of law enforcement experience handling and training dogs. He spent 20 years with the Brooksville Police Department and the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. "I love dogs," he said. "What else is there? There is nothing but dogs." Now he's sharing that expertise with dogs and their owners. Dogs have been a huge part of his life for a long time, and Gore really knows his stuff when it comes to training them.. "Attention to detail is one of the major things we look at," he said. Gore started a dog training school called New Sentry K9 Services. Because of his background, it's not your average dog training school. He has a lot of specific knowledge and expertise. Everything is covered from guard dog training and tracking to obedience and more. "When I retired, I said, I don't want to quit. I need something to do," said Gore. One woman who brought her dog to a training session says the program is helpful and it helped get her dog on the right track. "I think it does help because they have a lot of discipline, the officers do, and they do it properly," said Joan Smith. Gore is a certified trainer through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. A man died at a hospital Saturday after he broke into a Port Richey home and was subsequently shot by a stun gun, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. It happened early Saturday morning at a home along Dresden Lane. Investigators said Torrey Robinson, 35, broke in through a window and suffered several cuts. Emily Facer who lives in the home with her boyfriend and his mother woke up when she heard a crash in the home. "I start hearing some yelling, (and) that's when I got out of bed and I saw some man I don't know in my home trying to get into my boyfriend's mother's room," Facer said. Facer's boyfriend, Thomas Fagan, said Robinson was at his mother's bedroom door. "(He was) trying to reach his hand in the cat door," Fagan said. "Trying to bang on the door to get in there. And there's blood everywhere." Added Facer: "The way he was acting. I have never witnessed anything like that. He was wailing, punching, kicking, everything. Crawling on the floor." Fagan tried to get Robinson off his mother's door, but he backed off when Robinson turned toward him. "I didn't want to attack him or anything," Fagan said, noting he was unsure if Robinson was armed or if he was hurt. No one in the home except for Robinson was injured. Deputies said Robinson most likely cut himself when he climbed through the broken kitchen window. Sheriff Chris Nocco said that when his deputies arrived, they saw Robinson's blood all over the place. "They're thinking, If we put handcuffs on him right now, all it's going to do is cause more damage to this individual," Nocco said. Nocco said deputies called Fire Rescue and tried to keep Robinson calm. "Prior to Fire Rescue arriving, several times he tried to get up," Nocco said. "One time in an aggressive manner. At one point, he tried to throw nails at the deputies and they did deploy the Taser." Nocco said his deputies used their stun gun a few times on Robinson during a period of 11 minutes. The Sheriff's Office could not definitively say how many times they used the Taser. "The Taser incident was not in rapid succession," Nocco said. "This was over an 11-minute episode in the house, so they kept trying to calm him down." Fagan witnessed deputies use the stun gun on Robinson. "It didn't seem to affect him at all," Fagan said. "After the tasing, it didn't bother him." Robinson became unconscious and Fire Rescue tried to revive him. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died. The Sheriff's Office said Robinson lived in a home on the same street and has two young children. "I'm angry my house got broken into, but those things can be replaced," Facer said. "I can replace my coffee pot, I can replace the window, I can clean the blood off the floors, but I can't replace somebodys father. So it's very sad to see them go through that." Deputies said they did find drug paraphernalia in Robinson's home including a white substance but they will have to wait for an autopsy to know if Robinson was under the influence. Deputies were wearing their body cameras and it did record the event, Nocco said. However, citing a state law that does not allow body camera video of a person's death to be released to the public, the sheriff said the State Attorney's Office will determine if any part of the video can be released. LAKE HALLIE You took the common contribution and converted it to your own personal pleasure. Justice will largely be restored through punishment ... the proverbial pound of flesh. Judge Jon Theisen used those remarks in sentencing Kay Onarheim, former deputy treasurer of Eau Claire County, to 13 years in prison on March 3. I found Judge Theisens quote about the pound of flesh revealing. As a student he earned his Master of Library Science from the University of Pittsburgh. As such I am sure that Judge Theisen knows those words from Shakespeares play, The Merchant of Venice. Yet I am curious if he remembers the person taking the pound of flesh was a man named Shylock, a Jew from a man named Antonio, who is a Christian. Antonio is saved in the end by Portia, who states the law: But wait a moment. Theres something else. This contract doesnt give you any blood at all. The words expressly specify a pound of flesh. So take your penalty of a pound of flesh, but if you shed one drop of Christian blood when you cut it, the state of Venice will confiscate your land and property under Venetian law. I am not saying that Mr. Lokken and Ms. Onarheim were the victims of injustice. I am saying that the judge in the case crossed over the line from an impartial jurist to a victim who indeed was out for the pound of flesh. Many people probably do not understand that in all probability Lokken and Onerheim were bonded employees, which means the county took out insurance so if an employee or employees ran off with county money there would be no loss to the public treasury. I am not saying, no harm, no foul, but all of the story must come out. Many of you are by now saying that Andersen as a public employee is covering up the wrongdoings of other public employees. I am not saying that at all. What I am saying is that the same measure of justice must be served on both public and private-sector employees. For if Judge Theisen is saying a pound of flesh is required, then lets go looking for a few pounds. The Wisconsin Economic Development Agency certainly has had its money issues with fishy loans and questionable ethics, but so far nothing has been done to that agency. The too-big-to-fail banks which crashed the economy are still up and running, rescued by the American taxpayer. No leader of those banks is wearing day-glow orange or pink. Dont get me started on multiple-offense drunk drivers. In speaking with folks connected to the criminal justice system, many feel that Ms. Onarheim and Mr. Lokken probably should have been given some prison time, put on probation and told to set up a payment plan for paying back the money. Those folks also believe that what Onerheim and Lokken indeed received was debtors prison. Under the terms of their sentencing they will never be able to pay back much restitution. Dont be surprised if they are both required to be resentenced. As I talk to many local people I never get a sense of what people believe is justice. Justice is defined in the dictionary as the condition of being morally correct or fair, or the system of laws by which people are judged and punished. I am no better than anyone else. I have an event in my life that I want justice done and I will never get it. I feel that my specific instructions were ignored in a situation that led to the death of a loved one. Due to the laws of Wisconsin, I will never receive justice, so I must live day to day with that fact. I wonder if Judge Theisen remembers one of the worlds greatest examples of English literature, also from Shakespeares, The Merchant of Venice. I bet you do when you read part of it: The quality of mercy is not straind, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven, Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes: The Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1 We were required to read The Merchant of Venice in eighth-grade English class. Our school days are gone, but the lessons learned live on. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The discovery of skeletal remains in a field in south Houston could mean investigators discovered the final resting place of a Galveston teenager who disappeared almost two decades ago, or it could signal the start of an entirely new homicide investigation. It all depends on the forensics, Houston police said Friday as searchers continued carefully excavating a scrubby horse pasture along East Orem near Hobby Airport. "Right now, we have no clue who this person is," said Richard Martinez, a detective with the Houston Police Department's homicide division. Harris County medical examiners will analyze the remains, police said, and should be able to say if they are that of Jessica Cain, 17, who vanished without a trace on Aug. 17, 1997, while driving home after a high school musical cast party at a restaurant in Clear Lake. Only her truck, with her purse locked inside, was ever found, on the shoulder of Interstate 45 on the route to her Tiki Island home. But, Martinez said, the spot where the remains were discovered is "basically the same area" where convicted kidnapper William Lewis Reece, 54, was recently seen in the company of law enforcement officers. After weeks of searching the field, about 2:30 p.m. Friday a backhoe operator at the site signaled the discovery of the apparent remains. An anthropologist and other analysts with the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences were called to the scene. "Right now, they're in the process of recovering those remains," Martinez said. "There is enough there to know that it's a body." He said the remains were found at least four feet below the surface. Heavy thunderstorms blew through the area while investigators continued the excavation. "If it rains too hard and fills up with water, you have to let it subside and then start over," Martinez said. The cause of death and the identity won't be known until after a forensics examination. Martinez said there appeared to be enough to make a DNA confirmation. "If it is not Jessica Cain, we have to find out who it is," he said. The investigation will become a Houston police case regardless of the identity because the remains were discovered within their jurisdiction. But Martinez said the department will work with other law enforcement agencies if it does turn out to be Jessica Cain. Police said Reece was not at the site on Friday. He was serving a 60-year prison sentence for a 1998 aggravated kidnapping when police in mid-February brought him in shackles to Galveston County for interviews. Since then, Reece had been seen pacing the pasture, seeming to point out the spots where the searchers should focus. He also is identified by police as the prime suspect in the August 1997 kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Laura Smither, who vanished from her Friendswood neighborhood while jogging. Houston police could not estimate how long it would take for medical examiners to determine the identity of the skeletal remains. Chronicle reporter St. John Barned-Smith contributed to this report. Stay in the know with Becker's Hospital Review's weekly roundup of the nation's biggest healthcare news. Here's what you need to know this week. 1. 5 things to know about Obama's SCOTUS nominee and its healthcare implications President Barack Obama Wednesday nominated Merrick Garland, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Chief Judge Garland has more years of experience as a federal judge than any current member of the high court, according to The New York Times, and generally garners bipartisan support. Even Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) this week told conservative media outlet NewsMax, "[Obama] could easily name Merrick Garland, who is a fine man." 2. Study: Trump's healthcare plan would cause 21M to lose coverage A new analysis of Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump's healthcare reform plan shows it would nearly double the number of Americans without health insurance. Mr. Trump's plan, "Healthcare Reform to Make America Great Again," has two major components. First, Mr. Trump wants to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with several new policies. Second, he wants to convert Medicaid to a block grant program. 3. CMS, CDC to add 5,000+ ICD-10 codes in FY 2017 Healthcare providers will soon have thousands of new codes to contest with, as CMS and the CDC will add 1,900 diagnosis codes and 3,651 hospital inpatient procedure codes to the ICD-10 coding system for fiscal year 2017. 4. AMA, physicians to Florida AG: Stop the Humana-Aetna merger Together with the American Medical Association, two Florida organizations the Florida Medical Association and the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association asked Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to block the proposed merger between Humana and Aetna. 5. Antitrust committee will scrutinize mergers 'very, very carefully' During a two-hour hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, antitrust regulators vowed to closely analyze healthcare's two biggest mergers: the one between Aetna and Humana and the one between Anthem and Cigna, according to Insider Louisville. 6. 3 employees fired following death of woman forced out of hospital Three medical professionals at Blountstown, Fla.-based Calhoun Liberty Hospital were fired for the way they handled the case of Barbara Dawson, a 57-year-old woman who died after being forcibly removed from the hospital last December. 7. South Carolina health system cuts 400 jobs to stem losses Greenville (S.C.) Health System plans to eliminate more than 400 positions after suffering a $16 million shortfall in the first quarter of the fiscal year, according to The State. 8. 1,200 RNs at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles begin walkout Registered nurses at KaiserPermanenteLos AngelesMedicalCenter, represented by the California Nurses Association, began a seven-day strike March 15 to push for their first contract as union members, according to a report published by the Los Angeles Daily News. 9. Emory University Hospital treating US physician assistant with confirmed Lassa fever EmoryUniversityHospital in Atlanta is currently treating a patient with Lassa fever, as confirmed by the CDC. CNN reports the patient is an American physician assistant who was working with a missionary organization in Togo, a small country in Africa. 10. Patient care at Broward Health is 'hanging by a thread' amid administrative chaos Complaints of administrative chaos that threaten patient care led the board of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Broward Health to demote its interim CEO, according to the Sun Sentinel. 11. Kansas hospital to lose Medicare funding over EMTALA violation Newman Regional Health, a critical access hospital in Emporia, Kan., will lose its Medicare funding April 5, according to The Emporia Gazette. Julie Brookhart, public affairs specialist for CMS' Kansas City Regional Office, said the hospital violated the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act by failing to arrange an appropriate transfer for a patient with an emergency medical condition that was not stable. A wave of undocumented immigrants in medical school are nearing graduation and hoping for residencies in top schools. But could the government prohibit them from becoming full-fledged physicians? A recent article in STAT explored the issue. In 2012, President Barack Obama passed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA which gave certain undocumented students the right to obtain two-year work permits. But DACA may not always be around it could be terminated before President Obama's tenure is up or after a new president is elected. Through DACA and President Obama's initiatives, medical schools were allowed to accept undocumented immigrants. There are currently 61 out of the accredited 145 medical schools including Maywood, Ill.-based Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago and the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of CaliforniaLos Angeles that accept DACA students. Through DACA, medical students aren't eligible for financial aid. But the Association of American Medical Colleges gives students financial assistance during the application process. In addition, the AAMC trains medical schools and residency programs involved in DACA. "We felt that it was absolutely the right thing to do to increase diversity," said Geoff Young, AAMC's senior director of student affairs and programs, according to the report. Other recently enacted policies have also helped DACA students. In February, the Veterans Health Administration started giving residency students the opportunity to train in its clinics and hospitals. Still, DACA's termination could put an end to such successes. Next month, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a case that hopes to stop President Obama from expanding DACA. And after November, the newly elected president could overrule DACA. Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson has launched an antitrust review of St. Cloud (Minn.) Medical Group's proposed merger with St. Cloud-based CentraCare, according to the Star Tribune. St. Cloud Medical Group officials said the transaction makes sense because CentraCare operates the only hospital in St. Cloud. However, Ms. Swanson is concerned about the impact on competition. "Our review to date has identified concerns about the adverse impact of the acquisition on competition in the primary care market in central Minnesota," Ms. Swanson said, according to the report. Ms. Swanson has asked the organizations to push back the closing date for the transaction until late April. In a statement, CentraCare said a definite closing date for the transaction has not been set. More articles on healthcare industry transactions: 6 recent hospital transactions and partnerships Group Health approves $1.8B acquisition by Kaiser Henry Ford Health System to expand Michigan footprint From a Texas hospital suffering a setback in its lawsuit against a major insurer over network exclusion to a California hospital agreeing to pay $7.5 million to settle a data breach class-action case, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines. 1. Judge tosses Southcoast's 'sham' lawsuit against Steward Boston-based Steward Health Care and New Bedford, Mass.-based Southcoast Health System are involved in a bitter struggle over market share, and Southcoast suffered a setback in the battle this week. 2. Owner of 2 Miami clinics sentenced to 7 years for fraud Carlos Medina, owner of two medical clinics in the Miami area, was sentenced to 82 months in prison for his role in a Medicare fraud scheme. 3. Texas hospital suffers major setback in lawsuit against BCBS over PPO exclusion East Texas Medical Center in Tyler suffered a disappointment in its lawsuit against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas the largest health insurer in the state. 4. NJ physician gets 3 years for $280k fraud scheme Albert Ades, MD, of Englewood, N.J., was sentenced to 37 months in prison for defrauding Medicare, Medicaid and private payers of $280,000 by submitting claims for office visits that never occurred. 5. Chicago health system analyst faces felony for jamming cell phones on trains Undercover officers arrested Dennis Nicholl, a financial analyst at Chicago-based University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System, for allegedly using an illegal device to jam passengers' cell phone calls on public transit trains in Chicago. 6. Anesthesiologist sues Stamford Hospital for sex discrimination: 5 things to know Seventeen months after she was terminated from her position, a former Stamford (Conn.) Hospital anesthesiologist filed a lawsuit against her former employer for discrimination and sexual harassment. 7. Excela Health sues county over taxes on surgical center Excela Health, a nonprofit health system based in Greensburg, Pa., is suing Westmoreland County after it denied Excela's request to extend tax-exempt status to one of its ambulatory surgical centers. 8. St. Joseph Health to pay $7.5M settlement to patients affected by 2012 data breach Irvine, Calif.-based St. Joseph Health finalized a class-action lawsuit settlement for a 2012 data breach. More articles on health law: Ex-CFO of troubled Florida hospital files lawsuit over CEO's harassment, threats NJ physician allegedly took bribes in $100M fraud scheme Missouri hospital to pay physician $751k in wrongful termination suit The Florida Attorney General's Office has demanded Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Broward Health pay more than $5.3 million for alleged violations of Stark Law and Florida's Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act. The Attorney General's Office claims Broward had improper financial relationships with physicians, and that the system submitted claims to the Florida Medicaid program for services rendered by those physicians. In a statement issued to Becker's, Broward said the settlement demand represents a state claim related to a settlement it inked with the federal government last year. In September 2015, Broward agreed to pay $69.5 million to settle allegations it provided compensation to nine employed physicians that exceeded the fair market value of their services. Michael Reilly, MD, the whistle-blower in the case, alleged the health system carefully tracked the value of physician referrals and pressured physicians to increase referral volume when they lagged. Broward couldn't discuss specifics, but the letter from the Attorney General's Office indicated the state claim is focused on the same nine physician employment contracts that were at issue in the federal settlement. The attorney general's settlement demand is the latest in a string of troubles for Broward. The system was thrown into the spotlight in January when the its late president and CEO Nabil El Sanadi, MD, was found dead in his condominium from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Subsequently, a private investigator came forward, claiming Dr. El Sanadi had hired him last spring for an investigation into Broward that led to FBI involvement. In February, Broward's former compliance director said he was fired for bringing attention to illegal activities at the health system. Earlier this month, complaints of administrative chaos that threaten patient care led the board to demote its interim CEO. More articles on Stark Law: California hospital to pay $3.2M to resolve Stark Law allegations 3 Stark Law changes healthcare providers should note Why it takes 60 minutes or less to find a Stark Law violation at a hospital Carlos Medina, owner of two medical clinics in the Miami area, has received a prison sentence just shy of 7 years 82 months, precisely for his role in a Medicare fraud scheme, according to the Department of Justice. Mr. Medina owned Doral (Fla.) Community Clinic and Advanced Medical of Doral. He and medical professionals at the clinics allegedly accepted cash kickbacks in exchange for prescriptions for home healthcare services. The kickbacks ranged from $100 to $200. The scheme, which lasted less than two years, cost Medicare more than $3 million. Mr. Medina pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud in January. In addition to his prison sentence, Mr. Medina was ordered to forfeit nearly $3.1 million. More articles on healthcare industry lawsuits: Texas hospital suffers major setback in lawsuit against BCBS over PPO exclusion 8 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements Ex-CFO of troubled Florida hospital files lawsuit over CEO's harassment, threats The U.S. Supreme Court March 23 will hear a fourth challenge of the Affordable Care Act, one that focuses on a controversial mandate that employer-sponsored health plans cover contraceptives and the opt-out that allows women to obtain contraception coverage elsewhere. This case Zubik v. Burwell consolidates seven separate cases in which the plaintiffs claim the contraceptive coverage mandate violates their religious freedom. In many ways, Zubik v. Burwell is very similar to its precursor, the highly-publicized Hobby Lobby case, in which the high court ruled to allow businesses owned by a small group of religious individuals or families to seek exemptions from the contraception mandate. To make sense of these two cases and their significance Becker's Hospital Review deferred to Amy Gordon, co-chair of the Health and Welfare Plan Affinity Group at Chicago-based law firm McDermott Will & Emery. Ms. Gordon, who advises employers on insurance benefits and other regulations, has closely followed the two cases. "The main issue here would be that depending on who you work for may dictate whether or not you are entitled to no cost contraceptive options," Ms. Gordon says. Based on her expertise, we outline five things healthcare leaders should know about the latest chapter in the political fight over the ACA, religion and birth control. 1. Key issue in Zubik v. Burwell "The key issue in Zubik v. Burwell is whether HHS' guidelines under the ACA's contraceptive-coverage mandate requirements and its accommodation violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 by forcing religious nonprofits to act in violation of their religious beliefs," according to an analysis by Ms. Gordon. This law keeps the government from putting a "substantial burden" on the ability to exercise religious beliefs unless it has a "compelling interest" to do so, in which case it is allowed to impose such burdens if it uses "the least restrictive means," according to SCOTUSblog. In this case, the compelling interest is free access to contraceptives. Houses of worship are exempt from the contraception mandate, though it may not include some of those religious organizations' nonprofit institutions. For-profit businesses are not exempt, but this too was challenged in the highly-publicized Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores case. The result of this case was an accommodation that allows a company to notify the government it religiously objects to providing its female employees with contraceptives, and the government must ensure those employees can access those forms of birth control at no cost, according to SCOTUSblog. 2. Significance of the Supreme Court's decision Ms. Gordon laid out what is at stake in the Zubik case, "The outcome of this decision should hopefully answer three questions first, do HHS' guidelines satisfy the RFRA's test for overriding religious objections; second, do HHS' guidelines advance a compelling government interest; and third, is the government using the least restrictive means to advance that interest?" Some unusual decisions were made in the lower courts in this case, Ms. Gordon says, noting specifically one case involving Wheaton College. The school argued it didn't want to fill out the forms to put the accommodation in place because it felt it was a violation of its religious freedom, according to Ms. Gordon. The lower court agreed with the college, but this was the only instance. "More have been in line with the idea that filling out the form is not an unreasonable request," Ms. Gordon said in an interview. This question whether making organizations fill out the paperwork is the least restrictive means for the government to help women access contraceptives at no cost illustrates what is at issue in the case. 3. Zubik v. Burwell though the lens of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby In the Hobby Lobby case "The court relied solely on RFRA for its conclusion that the contraception mandate violated plaintiffs' religious freedom. The actual decision did not limit the ruling to the four contraceptive devices originally at issue with Hobby Lobby, but was broader and applied to the entire contraception mandate," reads Ms. Gordon's analysis. In its decision, the court sided with Hobby Lobby that the mandate imposed a substantial burden on their right to exercise religion. It came to this conclusion by looking at the three potential choices Hobby Lobby had under the law, according to Ms. Gordon. "First, they could violate their religious belief that life begins at conception by providing the contraceptive devices at issue. Second, they could exclude the objectionable contraceptive devices from their group health coverage, in which case they would have to pay an ACA penalty equal to $100 per day per affected individual (or approximately $475 million per year in Hobby Lobby's case). Third, they could stop providing group health coverage to their employees altogether," she wrote. In this third alternative, the company would have been subject to $26 million per year in penalties. Thus the court ruled the options were all a substantial burden on the company. 4. Difference between the cases "The most glaring difference is the plaintiffs in this case are both religious employers eligible for the exemption and religiously-affiliated nonprofits eligible for the accommodation," Ms. Gordon said in an interview. Hobby Lobby involved closely-held for-profit entities. The Hobby Lobby decision also did not answer the question of whether the mandate furthered a compelling governmental interest, which will be at issue in this case, according to Ms. Gordon. 5. How Justice Scalia's absence could impact the outcome This case marks the first ACA challenge in the high court since Justice Antonin Scalia's death. "Since Justice Scalia sided with Hobby Lobby, his absence in Zubik v. Burwell will add an interesting dynamic to the outcome of this case," Ms. Gordon wrote in her analysis. Adding to that, she says, "Justice John Roberts was the swing vote in Hobby Lobby and some people seem to think that based on his brief in that case he may find this accommodation to be very reasonable and not in violation of RFRA." More articles on legal and regulatory issues: S.C. woman arrested for impersonating nurse to obtain drugs Excela Health sues county over taxes on surgical center Michigan governor signs bill to curb prescription drug waste: 3 things to know A driver crashed his vehicle into the emergency department at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, N.C., early Thursday morning, killing a patient in the ER waiting room, according to a WNCN news report. A preliminary investigation showed the driver, William Linton Spellman, 59, of Bethel, N.C., was on his way to Vidant Medical Center when he likely experienced a medical emergency that caused him to crash into the hospital's ER. The incident occurred just after 1:30 a.m. Thursday. Three people in the ER lobby were injured. Horace Batchelor, 69, of Roanoke Rapids, N.C., sustained the most serious injuries and died Thursday afternoon. Mr. Spellman, the driver of the vehicle, remains hospitalized. To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below Lizzie Hamilton was presented with a special long service award after 100 years of service to the Church (PA/Church of Scotland) A woman who first attended a church Sunday school at the age of three in 1916 has been recognised for 100 years of service. Lizzie Hamilton has been closely associated with the same church family in East Ayrshire ever since being taken as a youngster by her parents. The 103-year-old was described as "remarkable" for dedicating her time over a century as she was presented with a special long service award. She said she was "thrilled to bits" when the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland gave her a certificate during a service to mark the 150th anniversary of Old Cumnock Old Church where she is a member. The Right Rev Dr Angus Morrison said it was an "absolute delight" to meet Mrs Hamilton as she was introduced to the youngest member of the congregation Beth Cowan - who is a century younger than her. Dr Morrison said: "Lizzie has a warm smile and is still deeply interested in and fully engaged with the life of the church. "I found this remarkable lady quite inspirational and thank God for all the devoted service she has rendered across a century." Affectionately nicknamed "Mrs Kirk" by her late husband Tommy, Mrs Hamilton still attends services every Sunday with her daughter Davina Dury. "I was thrilled to bits when the Moderator presented me with my long service certificate - it was so unexpected," she said. "I am so used to giving out to people, not accepting things. "I am from an ordinary family and we have always been Church of Scotland. It is just what you did in those days but it has been very good for my life and enabled me to help people." Mrs Hamilton, who worked as a cook at Barony power station until she retired at 60, was first taken to the local Kirk in the nearby village of Lugar by her parents David and Agnes, and later moved to her current church in 1936. The two congregations have been officially linked since 1989. She started up a local branch of The Women's Guild in 1945 with her mother - an organisation the centenarian was heavily involved in until 1972, serving as secretary and president. The Rev John Paterson, who has been minister since 1994, said: "Having Lizzie and Beth together today indicates that the Church is still reaching out, informing and supporting people of all ages and there is place for every person. "Lizzie is a marvellous woman and an inspiration that her faith, not just church attendance, has enabled her to do what she has done within the wider community." Fans at the MTV Crashes concert at Ebrington Square, Londonderry, in 2014 MTV is expected to return to Belfast this autumn to put on a mini-festival, this newspaper can reveal. Belfast City Council is in negotiations with the broadcaster about bringing MTV Unleashed to the city. The event, which is also known as MTV Crashes, attracts big-name artists. MTV has already announced Crashes will be returning to Coventry on May 27 and 28 and to Plymouth on July 28 and 29. Negotiations with Belfast are continuing, but it is expected that the event will take place in September. Rudimental, Jess Glynne and Example are among the acts confirmed for the Plymouth gigs. Full details of the event are expected to be heard at the council's strategic policy and resources (SPR) meeting next Tuesday. It is also expected to be on the agenda on the March meeting of the full council. The schedule for the SPR committee meeting published on the council's website has blocked the details of the event. However, the minutes of a meeting of the council's budget and transformation panel, which took place on March 10, record that councillors were updated on the proposed financial arrangements for the MTV event, which are set to be presented to the strategic policy and resources committee at its March meeting. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Britney Spears arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Host Miley Cyrus speaks at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Host Miley Cyrus speaks at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 30: (L-R) Model Stella Maxwell, designer Jeremy Scott and Korean pop star CL attends the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) Getty Images LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 30: Model Stella Maxwell attends the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) Getty Images LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 30: Designer Jeremy Scott and model Stella Maxwell attend the Jeremy Scott and adidas Originals VMA's After Party with Spirits Sponsored By Svedka Vodka at Union Station on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for adidas Originals) Getty Images for adidas Original LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 30: Model Stella Maxwell attends the Jeremy Scott and adidas Originals VMA's After Party with Spirits Sponsored By Svedka Vodka at Union Station on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for adidas Originals) Getty Images for adidas Original LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 30: Host Miley Cyrus attends the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) Getty Images LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 30: (L-R) Model Stella Maxwell, fashion designer Jeremy Scott and singer Chaelin Lee aka CL attend the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images) Getty Images LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 30: Host Miley Cyrus attends the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) Getty Images Miley Cyrus poses in the press room at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP Kanye West accepts the video vanguard award at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Miley Cyrus, right, performs at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Taylor Swift, right, embraces Kanye West after presenting him with the video vanguard award at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Miley Cyrus performs at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Miley Cyrus performs at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Host Miley Cyrus appears at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Taylor Swift presents the video vanguard award to Kanye West at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Host Miley Cyrus speaks at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Taylor Swift arrives on the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA), August 30, 2015 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTONMARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Kanye West accepts the video vanguard award at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP TV personality Kim Kardashian and Singer Kanye West arrive on the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA), August 30, 2015 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTONMARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Taylor Swift, left, and Nicki Minaj perform at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Miley Cyrus passes a lit joint to a photographer in the press room at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP Taylor Swift arrives on the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA), August 30, 2015 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTONMARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Bruno Mars, left, and Mark Ronson accept the award for male video of the year for Uptown Funk at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Taylor Swift, left, and Nicki Minaj perform at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Justin Bieber performs at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Justin Bieber performs at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Host Miley Cyrus speaks at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Presenter Rebel Wilson, right, dances with Nicki Minaj as Minaj arrives on stage to accept the award for hip-hop video of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Brooklyn Beckham arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Britney Spears arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Helen Lasichanh, left, and Pharrell Williams arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Britney Spears arrives on stage to present the award for male video of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Host Miley Cyrus speaks at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Kim Kardashian, left, and Kanye West arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Miley Cyrus arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Nicki Minaj accepts the award for hip-hop video of the year for Anaconda at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Host Miley Cyrus appears at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) Matt Sayles/Invision/AP Cara Delevingne arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Taylor Swift poses for photographers as she arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Britney Spears arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) The minutes also record that the council expects that hosting the event will put Belfast on the world stage. "The members discussed the importance of such an event to Belfast, given that the city would again be showcased to a worldwide audience," the minutes read. "They also noted that it is key to the council's commitment to the animation of the city and the hosting of international events." SDLP councillor Declan Boyle, chair of the budget and transformation panel, said the council was always on the lookout for events to bring to Belfast that will benefit the city. "Big events are fantastic for Belfast," he added. "They bring a lot of people in. The footage goes out worldwide and brings people to the city. "We have found in the past that major events have been very useful in terms of emphasising the message that Belfast is a great place to visit. They really showcase the city." MTV Crashes took place in Londonderry in 2014. The broadcaster is also set to return to Derry later this year, for the MTV Club event at Ebrington Barracks. MTV hosted its European Music Awards in Belfast in 2011, with the show including performances from Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Coldplay and Justin Bieber. It was reported that some one billion people across the world watched it on TV and it generated 22m for the city. Nina Stibbe's collection of letters to her sister became a surprise bestseller when it was published as Love, Nina in 2013, but it almost didn't happen. The book, which follows Nina's life in the 1980s as nanny to London Review of Books editor Mary-Kay Wilmers's two children, faced Wilmers's initial reaction which was: "Christ, no, don't publish!" It has now been transformed into a five-part BBC drama starring Helena Bonham Carter - although Wilmers, whom she portrays, still had her reservations. "I could sense that she probably felt a bit ambivalent about being played," Bonham Carter concedes. "Although I did say I would only do it if I got her blessing, and if I could keep the swearing in. I got the first, but I didn't really get the second!" Wilmers needn't have worried though, because, in addition to being portrayed by the twice-Oscar-nominated Bonham Carter, the story has been adapted by Nick Hornby, making his first foray into TV after his own Oscar nomination for the Brooklyn screenplay. Bonham Carter has form for playing real people, having starred as Enid Blyton, Elizabeth Taylor, and even TV chef Nigel Slater's stepmother, on the small screen, but with Wilmers the only one on that list still around to pass comment, the role required handling with care, as well as a name-change from Mary-Kay to Georgia. "I met Mary-Kay and said: 'Well, what shall we call us?' I'd said to her by then, 'whoever I come up with won't be an impersonation of you, because now we're renamed, that liberates us'. She is quite a reserved character, and she is an editor, she retreats, she is somebody who likes putting other people on show rather than herself." That's certainly about to change with Love, Nina, but Bonham Carter says she's well placed to portray the reputedly formidable editor. "Somebody I met 18 months ago said, 'you should play Mary-Kay!'," she recalls. "Really, I had never heard of her because I hadn't read the book. Well, when I got to know Mary-Kay and read up on it there is a lot that we share. We come from a very similar extraction, from my mum's side, Jewish-European. "Her mother was Russian and her father American but she was brought up in Belgium, and my mother is French so we had the same upbringing where, at home, French and English were interchangeable within a sentence, a patchwork." The two women share more than a Francophile upbringing, with Bonham Carter pointing out Wilmers's marriage to Stephen Frears as a parallel to her own recently ended relationship with Tim Burton. "We are both divorced from film directors, both with two children. I could relate a bit to it because Sam Frears is disabled and my father was very disabled so there was a sympathy there." Mary's eldest son, Sam, lives with a rare, debilitating condition, familial dysautonomia [FD], or Riley-Day syndrome, while Bonham Carter's father uses a wheelchair following a stroke. Her reference to film directors could indicate a tricky subject considering the endless tabloid speculation around the 13-year relationship with Burton that ended amicably in 2014. Bonham Carter recently put paid to reports that the couple had always lived separately in adjoining houses by calling it "a load of myth", but one director she is happy to discuss is the BBC's choice to take charge of Love, Nina. "SJ was the big pull," she says of SJ Clarkson, the director who recently took charge of dark Netflix comic-book series Jessica Jones. "We got on very well and we had the same taste. So when she had been approached, I knew that she would have the right aesthetic and I would be in the right hands. SJ is a visionary, so I just thought that she would capture the world that Nina has written." That world is one where Alan Bennett often popped round for tea and Jonathan Miller lent out his saw; a literary "who's who" of the 1980s set around Wilmers's kitchen table. Stibbe, a 20-year-old newly arrived in London from Leicester, hadn't heard of any of them, and, while the book is littered with lightly-dropped names, you won't hear many of them in the TV version because, as with Wilmers, identities have been changed. "Everything morphed, like a domino effect," Bonham Carter says. "Everyone had the normal names, then Alan Bennett suddenly said he didn't want to be represented on telly. So they had to come up with another character, a playwright called Malcolm, so he comes to visit for dinner instead of Alan. I don't know what it was, but it was a tear-up basically, so [we thought] let's just change everybody's name so no one can come and sue us!" So you may not get to see another take on one of the world's most impersonated writers (the ever-excellent Jason Watkins plays his stand-in, Malcolm), but one name that hasn't changed is Nina's. Game of Thrones' Faye Marsay plays the young nanny and, as Bonham Carter flicks through images from filming on her phone ("there she is knackered, there she is asleep") it becomes apparent that the younger woman had to suffer for her art. "What I did was I rolled out of bed, rolled into the car and rolled into the make-up chair," Bonham Carter admits. "Faye was amazing. She was The Waif in Game of Thrones on the Monday and on Tuesday she started this. "So she was practically dead from day one and hypothermic because Nina said that she was barefoot. Then I asked Mary and Sam the other day, 'was she barefoot?'. They said, 'once or twice but not for six weeks'!" In addition to working with Marsay, Bonham Carter was surrounded by the actors playing her children and their friends, and while she dismisses the old adage that you should never work with children, she says she wasn't afraid to keep them in line. "Well, of course they're not your children so you forget to look at them sometimes. But then again you forget to look at your own children," she admits. "The things is, with film, you're always asked to look at people because of eye lines and everything, but the fact is with a family and me, a lot of the time you're never looking at the person. You hold somebody and you touch somebody - that physicality. They were very good though, they were very easy and they had a lot of energy. "I was quite disciplined. I suppose because I have got kids I could be quite abrupt with them without hurting them. Because we had to concentrate. It was very important. "The trouble is, when you're acting with kids, it's not the acting on screen, it's just before. And what happens is they're farting around and they're fine, but basically your concentration is thrown and you can't do it because they're chatting about anything but the scene and you're desperately trying to work out where you come from or what you're supposed to be concentrating on. That is where you have to protect yourself and try to get them to start listening." She praises her young co-stars' talent though, even if she does remain cautious about developing close bonds with the children with whom she works. "Sometimes you do [make] some friendships, but it is such a gypsy-like existence and then you go off to your own family or your very busy life," she says. "I think that a lot of the time what can be tricky is if you get too close to someone on the film and then they expect that friendship to extend and I can't because I have my own children and a legion of friends who I let down daily anyway. I have a waiting list of friends who I should look after, so you have to be careful what you invite." Bonham Carter was a 17-year-old schoolgirl in 1983, when the show is set. As she reminisces over the music she listened to (Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour, but also Supertramp and Talking Heads) she admits to a fondness for the period, but says she was never a letter-writer like Nina. "It's a practically extinct form isn't it? It's terrible," she says. "I write very few. I'm not very social-media savvy. I have never tweeted; I wouldn't know how to tweet. I don't have the time. I find my life is interrupted enough by every text, every email. "Everybody requires some kind of connection and I feel like I can't do anything. "I had a lot of nostalgia for the Eighties and I was lucky because I had a happy childhood, but I think I would have loved the fact that we could just sit and not answer the phone," she admits. She goes on to bemoan today's "always on" culture ("we haven't got any stillness any more") and the permanent presence of smartphones, admitting that Love, Nina represented a golden opportunity to film close to home and maintain a normal life, even if, thanks again to Alan Bennett, it didn't quite work out that way. "In my head, when they asked me to do it, I thought, 'oh, Gloucester Crescent, that's half a mile away from me, I could do the school pick-up, just dribble out of bed, it's fine!' But, very quickly, they said, 'well, we can't film in Gloucester Crescent because of The Lady in the Van', the bane of our lives! So we were banned from Gloucester Crescent, so suddenly it was Islington, so okay, that's not far. Then, they said, 'we can't film in the house, it's not big enough for the equipment'. Oh yeah, Doh! You'd have thought by now they'd have worked that one out. So the set, the kitchen, it was like being in Big Brother, you just wanted to get out. Four or five weeks round the kitchen table was in Stratford, not so local!" Still, it did allow Bonham Carter to go home after work every day, and, while her next projects include more real life alongside Vera Farmiga in 55 Steps and a reprisal of the Red Queen in the Tim Burton-produced Alice Through the Looking Glass (her Steve McQueen-directed HBO series Codes of Conduct has reportedly been shelved), she says that quality is one of the main deciding factors when it comes to taking any job. "Practically one of the first things, apart from the quality of the script, is if it demands any time away from the kids," she says. "It limits the choices. I haven't been away from them for more than two weeks since they were born so that is over 12 years. I don't know if they're any better for it." This, coupled with the brilliance of the original book, made for one of Bonham Carter's most personally satisfying projects to date. "I read it quickly and I found it enchanting," she says. "I thought, 'well, this just makes me happy'. If we can do this on the telly... if telly is happy-making then it is worth making." Love, Nina will begin on BBC One in April The three pillars of a successful restaurant food, service and environment are all equal in importance. Some hardcore foodies tell you that the rickety chair, draughty room and poor lighting are tolerable when the food and service are excellent. Others will argue that a comfortable, well-lit room and a good server can outgun mediocre food any day. But heres the news: all three are equal in importance and the slightest diminution of quality in any one factor will result in an overall fail. This is why good restaurants are good. A new restaurant in Stranmillis, Latitude, gets it almost right. The quality of food and service is striking. I had the best grilled lamb chop (it said chop on the menu, but it was actually a chump steak) here since Muddlers Club. But Latitudes interior is eye-popping and troubling. There are no draughts and its warm, but I cannot live with the zebra-print wallpaper, the clumsy spiritual grace of a very large womans face taken straight from the pages of a 1970s jewellery catalogue, or the blue, back-lit bar. Another issue here is the menu. Ahmit Ricky Rekhi, the chef patron, is clearly talented and knows a thing or two about Middle Eastern cooking. The generous chump steak, which had been treated in some kind of mildly spiced marinade, was outstanding, succulent and memorable. An accompanying side of creamed spinach was just as exciting and full of tangy versus soft flavours. Server Sebastian had been very specific as to how I wanted it cooked. I had said charred and pink. Thats exactly what arrived, tender, salty, sweet, just what you might come across in a much more expensive Lebanese restaurant. Accompanied by some new, curried potatoes, the dish, at 13.50, is remarkable value for money. The two teens dipped into the danger zone that these restaurant menus alert you to. What I mean is: when I see a large, A3, laminated menu, which features Caesar salad, calamari, seafood linguine, chicken tikka chilli masala and sirloin steaks, I immediately brace myself for non-descript, conveyor belt food which vaguely matches the expectation we have of what the dishes should look like. If the restaurateur cannot make up his, or her, mind what kind of food theyre putting on the table, then its bound to be a mishmash. Restaurants which have menus like these think they are taking the safe option: take a look at the most popular dishes in Northern Ireland, lump them all together and you cant miss. Wrong. With the exception of Latitude, these places dont usually deliver quality on any of them. The chicken tikka masala, however, was as powerful, deep and fresh as the Khyber Tandoori up in Carryduff. Good flavours with plenty of tender chunks of chicken and quality basmati rice with saffron, it withstood the closest scrutiny from Teen 2 who is an expert. Teen One is a lover of the bland and her chicken supreme with cream sauce and mashed potato passed her own mysterious tests and examinations. I dont know what this says for Rickys cooking, but it must have been very bland to secure her approval. An apple and berry crumble, with the lightest, crumbliest crumbs on top, was excellent although ruined by a custard which was crazily salty. Im not entirely sure if Sebastian understood my quiet comment about it when I paid the bill, but lets hope Ricky tastes it the next time before he puts it out. Latitude is a good restaurant which could be brilliant. Strip out the zebra print and that awful painting, change the blue lighting behind the bar and go all-out Middle Eastern instead of this pussy-footing about with Western, or Far Eastern, dishes. Belfast would love a Lebanese culinary experience where lamb and chicken are marinated and spiced, where vegetables, flat breads, things made from olives and chickpeas and gorgeous wines all join to become a party. Byblos in Brunswick Square is the best weve got, but heres a chef who can upgrade the experience to fine dining, but appears to have chosen not to. The bill: Chicken supreme 12.50 Chicken tikka masala 9.95 Lamb 13.50 Skinny fries 2.90 Spinach 2.90 Crumble 4.50 Cokes (x2) 5.00 Sparkling water (x2) 4.00 Total 67.15 Adrian Ismay (left) with Paul Parks, former offender and Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Winner and Probation Board of Northern Ireland project worker, with Alan Jamison, governor of Hydebank YOC, in 1999 The family of prison officer Adrian Ismay are facing further agony following demands from the bombing suspect for new medical evidence about the cause of death. A lawyer for alleged killer Christopher Alphonsos Robinson, who was a St John Ambulance volunteer with Mr Ismay, has requested that a second post-mortem examination be carried out on the body of the 52-year-old father-of-three. He has also demanded a review of the medical care Mr Ismay received after the booby trap bomb exploded under his van. Mr Ismay died on Tuesday of a heart-attack triggered by a blood clot, 11 days after he was injured in the dissident republican attack. Following his death, the PSNI upgraded their investigation to a murder inquiry. Yesterday, Robinson, who was initially charged with attempted murder, was brought back before Belfast Magistrates Court and charged with murder. His lawyer told the court there were issues in regard to the cause of Mr Ismay's death. He said he had requested a second post-mortem examination, to be carried out by Glasgow University pathologist Dr Marjorie Turner. The lawyer added that he also wanted a review of Mr Ismay's treatment both in hospital and as an outpatient. DUP Policing Board member Jonathan Craig last night said that he was "dismayed by this unexpected development". "This man is entitled to a robust defence, but the unexpected consequence of this is that the knife is being twisted for Mr Ismay's family," he added. This will be causing further heartache for them. "A bomb was put under Mr Ismay's van. This wasn't an attempt to cause him a few injuries, whoever did this wanted him dead. "As I said, those accused of criminal offences have a right to challenge the case against them, but many will feel very uncomfortable at attempts to question the health professionals over their level of care to Mr Ismay." According to friends of Mr Ismay, he had known 45-year-old Dunmurry man Robinson for a number of years through volunteer work. They said that Mr Ismay had trained Robinson in essential life-saving skills and that he had thought "highly" of him. "Adrian spoke very highly of Chris," a friend added. "He talked about how Chris was good with patients and the elderly." There was a heavy police presence at Laganside Courthouse yesterday when Robinson was produced. He refused to stand up in the dock as the murder charge was read to him. He also refused to reply when asked if he understood the charge against him. Robinson is further charged with possessing an improvised explosive device with intent to endanger life. Mr Ismay suffered leg injuries after the bomb partially detonated under the van he was driving near the Woodstock Road in east Belfast on March 4. Dissident republican group, the New IRA, said it was responsible. Mr Ismay was discharged from hospital but subsequently died of a heart attack. A post-mortem examination was said to have confirmed the cardiac failure was linked to the injuries he suffered. In court yesterday, a detective sergeant said the new charge of murder was based on preliminary pathology findings. The court was told that the heart attack was connected to a blood clot following explosion injuries to Mr Ismay's legs. Robinson was remanded in custody to reappear before the court via videolink on April 1. A silent vigil organised by trade unions is to be held for Mr Ismay on Tuesday at Belfast City Hall at 1pm to demonstrate opposition to the dissident republican killing. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions said the silent vigil would also provide an opportunity to show solidarity with Mr Ismay's family and other prison officers in Northern Ireland. Peter Bunting, the assistant general secretary of the trade union body, added: "All workers across the communities that make up Northern Ireland must unite to ensure that our peace process will not be derailed." The Attorney General for Northern Ireland has said he believes the Easter Rising of 1916 was "profoundly wrong." John Larkin, a practising Catholic, said the rebellion "lacked any democratic or constitutional legitimacy" and did not pass the test for a just war. The comments were made for a new magazine, 1916-2016: The Rising & The Somme, which looks at the past century of Irish history from new points of view. Other prominent figures from Northern Ireland giving their views on 1916 include the First and Deputy First Minister, as well as former SDLP Lord Mayor of Belfast Nichola Mallon. In his comments, Mr Larkin wrote: "Looking at 1916, you have individuals of huge moral worth - individuals capable of huge self-sacrifice - doing some things that were profoundly wrong. "The Easter Rising wasn't justified in any way of the traditional just war criteria - there was no mandate for it." Mr Larkin also pointed to the many innocent casualties in Dublin, many of whom were children. "The 1916 rising was a product of a secret revolutionary society, and an adventure that lacked any democratic or constitutional legitimacy," he wrote. Mr Larkin also told how he could remember reading an article about Patrick Pearse, one of the leaders of the rebellion. The article stated: "It was a goodly thing to see arms in Irish hands. We may make mistakes in the beginning and shoot the wrong people, but bloodshed is a cleansing and a sanctifying thing." Mr Larkin said that his father had warned him about the "genuinely horrific nature of such sentiments." First Minister Arlene Foster, meanwhile, said she would mark the historical significance of the 1916 rebellion, but she could not commemorate it. "For those of us living in Northern Ireland, the Easter Rising was used in a very negative way to justify a campaign of terrorism against fellow Irish people," she wrote. "It's obviously for me a very negative event and something that was a very violent attack. "Commemoration is a completely different issue because then you are giving some legitimacy to what happened at that time. For those of us who lived in Northern Ireland in the '70s, '80s and '90s, it certainly is not something I would be able to do." Martin McGuinness said he had "tremendous admiration" for those who fought in the uprising, which he said could be justified by the circumstances at the time, although he stressed it could not be an excuse for violence today. Mr McGuinness wrote that to "make an argument for another campaign of a military nature is something I would totally reject". Nichola Mallon, meanwhile, wrote that she wanted 2016 to be a personal "year of education". "I want to learn from what went before," she said. "Importantly, we need to look at what we have in common, which we are getting better at." The former town hall building in historic Hillsborough is to be demolished and nine apartments built in its place. The plan has sparked concerns that the redevelopment of the site could detract from the appearance of the Georgian village. But the architect behind the project has promised that it will be sympathetic to its surroundings. The town hall and former council offices in the square are built in a Georgian style but actually only date back to the 1960s and are not listed. Last October the Belfast Telegraph reported that the building had gone on the market for 500,000. The offices were formerly used by Lisburn City Council, but it merged with Castlereagh as part of the reform of Northern Ireland's local government structures. A planning application to demolish the town hall and construct a new four-storey building with nine apartments and lower ground car parking has been lodged by Mervyn Kennedy of MG Kennedy Developments. Last night the Ulster Architectural Heritage Association warned redevelopment proposals needed to be appropriate to the Conservation Area of the Co Down village. Chief executive Nikki McVeigh said: "Hillsborough is one of our best preserved towns and the historic town centre is protected as a whole through its Conservation Area status. "The former town hall is located within the Conservation Area, in proximity to a number of important buildings which benefit from the additional protection of listing. "While not listed, the existing former town hall, dating back to the 1960s, may be seen to make an acceptable contribution to Hillsborough. "Any proposals for its redevelopment should be appropriate and sympathetic to the Conservation Area and the setting of the listed buildings nearby. "In particular, the scale, form and detailing of any new development must be sympathetic to its historic surroundings and not be detrimental to the overall character of the conservation area." Read more Read More Local business owner Derek Patterson said stringent conditions had been put in place for a previous application to redevelop the site. "Provided that the same applies to the new owner of the development, then it should be in keeping with the village," he said. "We don't want some modern monstrosity - it needs to be sympathetic and in character with the village." He said the town hall building was built on the site of the original Grand Hotel, which burned down during the Second World War in a blaze started by a smouldering cigarette belonging to one of the American soldiers who was sleeping there. Mr Patterson said an important aspect is that there needs to be at least 18 car parking spaces to serve a building with nine apartments. "I don't think the building was worth keeping, to be honest," he added. The Saintfield-based architect of the planned development, William Shannon, said the new design will be based on what has already been approved in the previous application. He said the existing town hall was a 1960s pastiche. "Quite a bit of work had been done previously on the scheme. The client felt the best way forward was to go with what had already been approved for the site," he said. Mr Shannon said the style will be traditional, with brick construction and pitched roofs, based on the previous application which was in sympathy with the three-storey terraced buildings on the other side of the square. "What was clear from the file in the previous approval was that they wanted it to be sympathetic with that block," he said. "There will be sufficient car parking to satisfy the needs for Transport NI." Ukip's only Assembly member has announced his intention to leave Stormont. David McNarry (67) will remain as leader of Ukip in Northern Ireland but does not plan to run again. The Strangford MLA suggested in an interview with this newspaper this year that he would like to stand in west Belfast as a unionist unity candidate. However the other unionist parties did not support him. Announcing his intentions, Mr McNarry told Sinn Fein to abandon its dream of a united Ireland. "As I leave the scene of active service as an elected representative after 15 productive years, it is clear that a united Ireland is but a mere bad dream for those who have pursued it through violence," he said. "It is about time, therefore, that Sinn Fein and their fellow travellers associated with the flag of convenience called 'dissidents' parted company with the united Ireland mantra. "Under no circumstances can the peace be attributed to those who reaped murder and mayhem on all society. It is insulting to hear Sinn Fein claiming a pivotal role in the peace-making." Mr McNarry also criticised the DUP and Sinn Fein's partnership in government, and made a final call for the Executive to transform from a mandatory to a voluntary coalition. "Together they have cobbled a joint Fresh Start manifesto, making me and others pose the obvious question, how many starts do they need?" he asked. "No more, as far as I am concerned. "Politics in Northern Ireland comes of age when the forming of a voluntary coalition becomes a reality. It's called growing up and it's time it happened." Mr McNarry was first elected to the Assembly in 2003 as a UUP representative. He left the party in 2012 following a row with then-leader Tom Elliott. Prior to that, he served as a councillor in Newtownards and a special adviser to former first minister David Trimble. Ukip will run Stephen Crosby as its candidate in Strangford in May. Major concerns over workload pressures and a staffing crisis led to the move, taken at a Local Medical Committee meeting Doctors in Northern Ireland are to be canvassed about mass resignations if the Government fails to negotiate a rescue package for struggling family GPs within six months. Major concerns over workload pressures and a staffing crisis led to the move, taken at a Local Medical Committee meeting. It was also agreed that the committee should consider balloting members on what work or services must cease to reduce workloads to ensure safe, sustainable care. The committee backed calls for a public petition and campaign to urge the Assembly and Health Minister Simon Hamilton to develop an emergency package of measures to save general practice. Tom Black, chair of the BMA's Northern Ireland General Practitioners Committee, said general practice was "in crisis". "We have an increasing number of patients, the lowest number of GPs per head of population and the lowest funding of any of the four UK countries," he added. "GP practices are struggling to meet the needs of patients. Without the right level of funding, the situation will just get worse. "Submitting undated resignations would be a drastic step, and it is not something we want to do, but we can no longer continue under this level of pressure." A DHSSPS spokeswoman said the department was aware of the potential resignations. "Although GPs are private contractors, the department has been working closely with the Health and Social Care Board, GP representatives and other primary care providers in implementing initiatives to ensure the resilience of general practice," she added. "Action has already been taken to address the workload pressure, including reducing bureaucracy to allow GPs to spend more time with their patients. "In December, the Health Minister announced a five-year strategy to put almost 300 pharmacists in GP practices by 2021, relieving pressure on GPs. An investment of up to 1.2m to increase the number of GP trainees to 85 per year from August 2016 was also announced in January 2016. "In October 2015, the minister also initiated a working group to consider how to address the pressures to ensure that GPs are able to meet the challenge of rising demand, and this working group will report shortly," she added. A former doctor who got into financial difficulty and fleeced an elderly patient with Alzheimer's of 10,000 has besmirched her reputation, a court has heard. Michelle Mellotte pleaded guilty to a single charge of fraud by abuse of position. At Omagh Crown Court, sitting in Dungannon, the prosecution said that the Co Fermanagh ex-GP went to the wealthy patient's home where she said she needed to borrow money. A cheque of 10,000 was handed to her with a written agreement that she would repay the money. However, the 61-year-old, of Bannagh Road, Kesh, failed to give the cash back for over a year. The former medic accepted that she was occupying a position in which she was expected to safeguard the financial interests of the pensioner but dishonestly abused it to obtain the 10,000 from him. The offence was committed over a period from January 30, 2010, until April 22, 2011, against Michael McGrory, who died in December 2012. Crown prosecutor Sam Magee told the court that the defendant took the money as a loan from Mr McGrory, who was in his late 70s or early 80s. "The victim was vulnerable and was in ailing mental and physical health and was suffering from Alzheimer's disease at the time," he added. "He lived in a remote area in Co Fermanagh, he was not married and he had no children. "He was a man of means after inheriting a substantial amount of money from his cousin in 1997. However, he lived a humble life." Dr Mellotte noticed that his health was deteriorating, his memory was fading and that he was forgetting to take his medication, the court heard. She was said to have been so concerned that she moved him into the village of Ederney, where he could be cared for better. The victim moved into the property in 2005 and Dr Mellotte helped him with his care needs and medication. Mr Magee told Judge Stephen Fowler QC that in February 2010 she called to his home and spoke to his home help, Rosemary McElhill. Dr Mellotte told the home help that she needed to speak to Mr McGrory as she was in a "bit of a diff". The prosecutor said: "She said that she wanted to borrow money. A cheque was produced for 10,000. "She wrote an agreement on the back of the cheque that on 'February, 2, 2010, she would pay him back in the summer of 2010'. "This was witnessed by home help. "Dr Mellotte was said to have been in significant financial difficulty and the bank had contacted her to say she was in debt." The money was placed into her bank account and paid to various people. The court heard that at the end of the summer none of the money had been paid back, nor had there been any attempts to renegotiate the terms. In Easter of 2011, over a year after she got the cheque, the home help asked her why she had not repaid the money as agreed. However, Dr Mellotte told her "not to worry about it" and that she would pay it back. She also told Ms McElhill that she had reprioritised the money, meaning that she had "put it on the long finger". Mr Magee added: "This was an arrangement which from the outset can be described as being dishonest. "It must have been plainly obvious to her that others would have regard to her conduct as being dishonest." The prosecutor described the arrangement as "improper" between a general practitioner and a vulnerable patient and it was also a "breach of trust". It was not until November 2011 that she finally made a repayment of 5,400, and the rest was repaid later. By this stage she had been suspended from her practice because the General Medical Council (GMC) and the PSNI had launched an investigation into the loan. During a police interview she said that she repaid the money because it would look stupid if she had not paid it back when she appeared before the GMC. Defence barrister Gary McHugh said that no loss was caused to Mr McGrory or his estate. "It's quite clear he maintained a close relationship with Dr Mellotte, she went out of her way to help him and went above and beyond the duty of a GP," he added. "She was the person who told social services about his position, about his needs to get other benefits. If he was alive today we would not be here - he would not have made a compliant." The court was told that Dr Mellotte suffered from depression before and after the incident and was on antidepressants. "It seems she has allowed her finances to get on top of her," Mr McHugh said. The lawyer added that ahead of the GMC hearing into her professional misconduct, she had "voluntarily erased" herself from the medical register and had not practised for five years. "She has given four decades of her life to serve her patients," he said. "Her reputation as a GP has been besmirched. That's a very heavy burden." He added that she was not "lining her coffers" and was not enjoying a holiday to the Bahamas or "shopping for expensive handbags and shoes". He said she used the money to pay people back. Rector Stephanie Woods, from the Church of Ireland in Lisbellaw, told Judge Fowler that she had known Dr Mellotte for 14 years after she had cared for her ill father. She described her as an "exceptional person" who went above and beyond her duty. Former parish priest in Ederney Fr Brendan Gallagher also took to the witness box and said that the doctor went out of her way to help her patients. The case was adjourned until April 4 for sentencing. It used to be a prominent civic building which was once besieged by loyalists protesting about the Hillsborough Agreement, but now the old council offices in the Co Down village which gave the 1985 accord its name are at the centre of a disagreement. Residents in historic Hillsborough are divided over plans to demolish the derelict landmark at the heart of its square and replace it with nine new luxury apartments. The distinctive red brick building, which is unmissable at the top of the village, has fallen into disrepair and went on the market for half a million pounds in October last year. The building has now been sold by property firm OKT on the instructions of administrators on behalf of Mangan Developments Ltd. A planning application has been lodged to construct new apartments in the wake of the proposed demolition of the building, which looks older than it is but which is definitely over the hill in Hillsborough. The space was once occupied by a hotel but it was destroyed in an accidental fire during the Second World War when it was a base for American soldiers. In its place in 1964 came a Georgian-style building designed for the old Hillsborough rural district council, which was succeeded in time by a new body covering Lisburn as well. Thirty years ago, after Margaret Thatcher and Garrett Fitzgerald signed the Hillsborough Agreement - later rebranded the Anglo Irish Agreement - loyalists protested in the village. Read more Read More All the area's civic business was transferred in 2001 to new council offices at Lagan Valley Island in Lisburn and although the Hillsborough premises were abandoned, they weren't designated as a listed building despite two surveys. Yesterday, the former council HQ was decidedly the worse for wear with bricked up windows, rusting drainpipes and a crumbling flagpole where a Union flag once flew. Colourful pictures of famous places associated with Hillsborough have been put up on a fence surrounding the offices but they still couldn't take the bad look off the old building in the village square. Architectural gems abound in the area, including stylish homes and the old courthouse, plus two unoccupied sentry boxes outside Hillsborough Castle, the Queen's residence in Northern Ireland. By comparison, the old council offices are the poor relation and inside the tourist centre in the former courthouse there's nothing to inform the visitor about the history of the run-down building just across the square. There's no mention of it at all in a booklet lauding the finest treasures that Hillsborough has to offer. In a nearby off-licence, the assistant manager Suzanne Brown said the recent appearance of the 'sold' sign on the old offices had generated a lot of debate. "People are keen to find out exactly what's planned for the building. There are lots of rumours doing the rounds but we know nothing for sure." A customer said: "People are worried that whatever comes along will reduce the number of parking spaces and they're already like hens' teeth. There's speculation that plans to bring more visitors and cruise ship passengers to Hillsborough in the midst of new developments with the castle, the fort and the courthouse could have a significant impact on parking in the village." The parking situation was also a concern for Hillsborough pub and restaurant owner Derek Patterson, whose Plough Inn has been a regular haunt for Secretaries of State such as Mo Mowlam and their guests across the square at the castle, which is home to government ministers when the Queen isn't around. Mr Patterson said: "A new development would definitely look better than the derelict facade that is there now, but the stringent planning criteria which were laid down in the past must still be applied so that we get a classical Georgian look about the new facade in keeping with the rest of Hillsborough. "But we must also have parking for the nine residents, which would mean an underground facility because there is nowhere else for them to go. The apartments would have a catastrophic effect on the village if adequate parking wasn't provided." One woman from Belfast said: "If they were going to build social housing on the site I would be less worried about them knocking down such a lovely old building, but I suspect that's not going to happen and we'll see fancy apartments springing up." A mother and daughter from Portstewart had the same sort of reservations, especially as they have seen the impact of the apartment boom in their own town. Penny Spence said: "I can't imagine the planners would allow just any old apartments to go up here. They would have to be in harmony with the rest of the village." Her mother Jean Wallace said she would be sad to see the offices disappearing, adding: "It's an extremely attractive building with a fine location." Tammy Harty from Armagh, a city which is one of the architectural jewels in Northern Ireland's crown, said: "A new housing development behind the old council offices is beautiful. If something like that went up, no one could really complain." Her friend Lois Rutherford from Annahilt said it was a pity the old building had been allowed to get into such a sorry state. "Unfortunately, they haven't looked after its upkeep so it probably should be replaced if it's all done tastefully." A Lisburn woman, who wouldn't give her name, said she was angry at the way the historic face of Hillsborough was changing. "It's very sad that they would want to bulldoze a very special building like that, but I've seen a slow and steady decline here. They've flattened a number of significant houses at the other end of the village." The Ulster Architectural Heritage Society said of the building: "It lies within the Hillsborough Conservation Area, in proximity to a number of important buildings which benefit from the protection of listing. "The existing building may be seen to make an acceptable contribution to Hillsborough. Any proposals to alter or replace the building should be appropriate and sympathetic to the Conservation Area and the setting of the listed buildings nearby." The clean-up in the Holylands area of Belfast on Fridaymorning The clean-up in the Holylands area of Belfast on Friday morning The First and Deputy First Ministers have pledged to work to prevent another episode of mass disorder in the Holylands on St Patrick's Day. The student-dominated area of south Belfast has hit the headlines every St Patrick's Day for more than decade as drunken youths run amok, effectively closing the streets down. Eleven people were arrested in Belfast this St Patrick's Day. Three people have been charged following serious disorder in the Holylands overnight between Wednesday and Thursday. Bottles were thrown at ambulances and one ambulance was blocked from passing along a street while a police officer was hit on the shoulder with a bottle while responding to reports of a drunken crowd damaging property and throwing missiles in Agincourt Avenue. Local residents have expressed their despair at the scenes of disorder which have blighted the area every St Patrick's Day for around 14 years. Ray Farley, the chairman of the Holyland Regeneration Association, said the situation cannot go on and revealed he is seeking meetings with Stormont ministers about it. First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness were travelling home from a trade mission in the United States yesterday. A spokesman for the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister said they are prepared to work with everyone to stop a similar situation happening again. "We condemn the disorderly behaviour of some people in the Holylands in recent days which has been very disruptive to local residents," he said. "It is not acceptable and we are prepared to work with everyone involved, including the residents and all the respective organisations and agencies, to prevent a similar situation happening again." Police arrested 11 people throughout St Patrick's Day in Belfast city centre and the Holylands area for a range of public order offences. It is believed that two of them are students - one enrolled at Queen's University and one at Ulster University. Queen's University has confirmed that one of those arrested is enrolled there and Ulster University has confirmed that another of those held is a student there. A spokeswoman for Belfast Metropolitan College told the Belfast Telegraph that none of its students were involved. PSNI Belfast Commander, Chief Superintendent Chris Noble, said police along with partner agencies will review all of the planning for St Patrick's Day and take away whatever lessons there are to improve the experience in future for residents and visitors alike. SDLP MLA Claire Hanna said anti-social behaviour zones should be considered in the area in the future. She has also queried whether legislation around drinking should be changed and said CCTV should be used to identify those breaking the law. "Clearly the legislation around street drinking isn't fit for purpose. Greater powers for police and council workers to confiscate alcohol need to be put in place," she said. "It would also be appropriate to use CCTV to assist in the prosecution of anyone engaging in criminality. "There can be no excuses made for those who set out to harm police and damage property." Ms Hanna also voiced concern about how many people live in some of the houses in the Holylands area. "In the medium term, we need to address the density of houses in multiple occupation in the area," she said. Northern Ireland's Secretary of State has less than a week to provide a sworn document in a legal action over the alleged internment and torture of a group of men more than 40 years ago, a High Court judge has ordered. With lawyers for the so-called Hooded Men threatening possible contempt proceedings over any further delays in the case, Mr Justice Maguire set a March 24 deadline for Theresa Villiers to file an affidavit. He said: "We have reached a position in this case where the limits of the court's tolerance have been arrived at." The UK Government, police and the Department of Justice at Stormont are all facing a legal challenge over the failure to investigate torture claims. The case involves 14 men arrested at the height of the Troubles and interned without trial back in 1971. They said they were subjected to constant loud static noise, deprived of sleep, food and water, forced to stand in a stress position and beaten if they fell. The men were hooded and thrown to the ground from helicopters taking them to an interrogation centre, according to their case. Despite being at near ground level, they had been told they were hundreds of feet in the air. In 1978 the European Court of Human Rights held that the UK had carried out inhuman and degrading treatment - but fell short of making a finding of torture. Eight of those taking legal action were in court yesterday as their lawyers accused the Government of unacceptable delays. Hugh Southey QC told the judge: "There are at the back of the court eight men who, if the allegations contained in the claim are correct, are victims of one of the most serious human rights violations the State can commit; that the State at a high level decided to authorise torture." Tony McGleenan QC, for the Secretary of State and Chief Constable, stressed the scale of the task undertaken to analyse historic allegations. He confirmed a draft affidavit has been prepared but was yet to be cleared, citing Ms Villiers' other duties, including her trip to the US. Richard Sinclair, from Coleraine, arranged deals on the dark web and set up a distribution system in which couriers unwittingly delivered drugs, all without leaving his home A man on benefits ran a drugs empire with a 200,000 turnover from his bedroom as an experiment, a court has heard. Richard Sinclair, from Coleraine, arranged deals on the dark web and set up a distribution system in which couriers unwittingly delivered drugs, all without leaving his home. Police investigating an operation in which some consignments were hidden in jigsaw puzzles also discovered hundreds of thousands of pounds going into a gambling account. With Sinclair said to have made full admissions, he sought bail to spend time with his elderly grandmother before facing what his lawyer described as inevitable custodial sentence. His application was refused, however, after authorities raised fears he would reoffend. The 33-year-old was arrested after police seized ecstasy pills, herbal cannabis and diazepam tablets worth an estimated 100,000 during raids at his home on Cranagh Road, Coleraine, and at a co-accused's address in east Belfast last August. Sinclair was charged with conspiracy to supply and possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply, and transferring criminal property. Prosecution counsel said the officers who raided his home discovered him in a bedroom destroying evidence on an encrypted memory stick. Hundreds of drugs transactions were said to be displayed on a nearby computer when detectives entered the premises. Customer names, email and delivery addresses, types of drugs, quantities, purchases and sales believed to be in excess of 204,000 were retrieved, the court heard. Two sealed packages addressed to his co-accused contained DVD boxes with 1,500 in cash in each. Three other packages had 60g of suspected MDMA powder. As the searches were being carried out, police were alerted to a parcel addressed to Sinclair being left at a courier depot in Belfast. It contained two jigsaw puzzles with a total of 3,000 MDMA and other psychedelic pills with a potential street value of 40,000, according to the prosecution barrister. She said the racket involved online buying and selling of drugs via the dark net with the electronic currency Bitcoin. The drugs were then sent in the post. The court heard claims that Sinclair planned to start selling up to 1,000 ecstasy tablets a week to a select list of around a dozen customers. Examination of his bank account revealed more than 287,000 had been paid in over the previous three years, with 236,000 going out to a bookmaker's betting account. "At the time of his arrest he was in receipt of benefits and a carer's allowance (for his grandmother)," the prosecutor said. Michael Boyd, defending, said Sinclair has accepted that he faces a lengthy prison sentence for what he described as "running a small drugs empire". "He admitted everything to police, he didn't remain silent or invent some cock and bull story," the barrister added. "This started off as some sort of experiment and somehow (developed) to the extent that he was receiving significant sums of money for running this operation from a family bedroom in Coleraine, never venturing outside or interacting face-to-face with anyone." Refusing the bail application, Mr Justice Stephens said: "The applicant, whilst on benefits, ran a sophisticated, computer-based operation as a drugs wholesaler with complete disregard for the pain and damage done to individuals and families." Martin McGuinness and Arlene Foster have both revealed the role that faith plays in their lives Martin McGuinness has told how he bonded with the late Ian Paisley over their shared Christian faith. However, comments made by the Deputy First Minister that he is a "very broad-minded Christian" and a "practising Catholic" have been slammed by a victim of the Troubles. Mr McGuinness was speaking to Premier, Britain's largest Christian broadcaster and publisher, about his religious beliefs. Ann Travers, whose sister Mary was murdered by the Provos, said she was "flabbergasted" to hear Mr McGuinness, a former IRA commander, call himself a practising Catholic. During the official launch of its Northern Ireland media and resources centre at Stormont last night, Premier presented the interview with the Deputy First Minister alongside a separate one with First Minister Arlene Foster. The Sinn Fein man said: "I was a very young man when the conflict began. I was very much involved in participating in the civil rights protests. "What motivated me to join the IRA was what was happening on the streets of Derry, the poverty the people were enduring, the lack of jobs, the discrimination, the inequality. And, of course, the response of the British State and from the unionist administration at Stormont to the protests." Mr McGuinness described how his family were devout and prayed every night. "My parents were very religious. My mother came from Co Donegal to work in the shirt factory in Derry when she met my father. "They were two very religious people. My father was a foundry worker and was a daily Mass attender, as was my mother. "We were a family that said the Rosary every night of our lives. We got down on our knees around eight or nine o'clock and said the rosary before we went to bed." He added: "I would describe myself as a practising Catholic. This is only my opinion, others may disagree. "I believe if there is a God out there that there is only one God. I believe that something created this beautiful place, this beautiful planet. It's just so extraordinary in the universe that I can come to no other conclusion. "But I am influenced by Jesus Christ. He was someone who, if the history books are as accurate as people claim them to be, was someone who was very special. "I'm prepared to accept he was the Son of God. I do believe that there's a God out there and I do believe he was the Son of God. I would described myself as a very broad-minded Christian." Mr McGuinness also spoke about his relationship with former First Minister Mr Paisley. "As a young man on the streets of Derry I saw Ian Paisley as an immortal opponent of everything to do with equality, justice, fairness and respect for Irishness. "To find myself sitting down with Ian Paisley, as I did in 2007, for Ian to say to me we can rule ourselves. That was a big culture shock for me. "People were amazed that not only he and I could develop a working relationship, we actually developed a friendship. "I went to see him before he died. I have a very close relationship with his wife Eileen and his family. I treasure that friendship. We were part of a very extraordinary part of the peace process and one of the parts I am most proud of." Mr McGuinness said his faith was important in finding "common ground" with Mr Paisley during the peace process. But Ms Travers said: "I am amazed and flabbergasted that he calls himself a practising Catholic. "If he was he would know that nobody has the right to take a human life." Mary Travers was shot dead in Belfast in 1984. The target of the ambush was their father Tom, a resident magistrate. He was wounded but survived. Ann said: "He should tell the police and all the families that lost loved ones anything he knows about the Troubles. "I do, however, welcome that he calls himself a Christian. I urge him to uphold all the true values of a Christian and recognise his fellow human beings by telling the police all that he knows." During her interview, Mrs Foster gave details of the attack on her RUC officer father on January 4, 1979. She also pointed to The Bible telling people to pray for their enemies. "That's what The Bible tells us to do," said the First Minister. "We have to pray for our enemies as well as our friends in the hope that they will seek forgiveness and seek the proper way. "When we are in church and praying for political leaders we have to pray for all political leaders, and I think that's the absolutely right think to do." The First Minister also made reference to how important Jesus and the "afterlife" was. She said: "No matter what we do in this life, if we don't know Him as our own and personal saviour, then we won't see Heaven, as we are told in The Bible. "I hope (as First Minister) I contribute to Northern Ireland in a positive way now and in the future, but it's the afterlife and our relationship with Christ that is important." David Cameron has said he is "puzzled and disappointed" after Iain Duncan Smith dramatically quit the Cabinet and launched an all-out attack on the "indefensible" Budget. In a brutal parting shot, the Work and Pensions Secretary complained that cuts to disabled benefits in George Osborne's financial package were "politically driven" and suggested the Chancellor had abandoned the austerity principle of "all in this together". "I have for some time and rather reluctantly come to believe that the latest changes to benefits to the disabled and the context in which they've been made are a compromise too far," Mr Duncan Smith wrote in his resignation letter. "While they are defensible in narrow terms, given the continuing deficit, they are not defensible in the way they were placed within a Budget that benefits higher earning taxpayers. They should have instead been part of a wider process to engage others in finding the best way to better focus resources on those most in need. "I am unable to watch passively whilst certain policies are enacted in order to meet the fiscal self-imposed restraints that I believe are more and more perceived as distinctly political rather than in the national economic interest." Mr Duncan Smith has been at loggerheads with Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne over whether Britain should stay in the EU, joining a handful of other Cabinet ministers in calling for Brexit. But his letter to the Prime Minister indicated that the row over cuts to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) had been the last straw. Read more Read More His announcement came hours after the Treasury signalled a humiliating climbdown over the plans to change PIP assessment criteria, which were expected to slash around 1.3 billion a year off the cost. Government sources said they wanted to kick the proposals - initially announced by the Department for Work and Pensions last week - "into the long grass" and were not "wedded" to the savings figures featured in the Budget. Mr Osborne has also retreated on two other Budget issues that ran into strong opposition from Tory backbenchers - promising legislation next week to abolish the so-called "tampon tax" and ruling out higher VAT on solar panels and energy efficiency equipment. In his letter responding to Mr Duncan Smith, Mr Cameron wrote: "I regret that you have chosen to step down from the Government at this moment. "Together we designed the Personal Independence Payment to support the most vulnerable and to give disabled people more independence. We all agreed that the increased resources being spent on disabled people should be properly managed and focused on those who need it most. Read more Read More "That is why we collectively agreed - you, No 10 and the Treasury - proposals which you and your department then announced a week ago. Today we agreed not to proceed with the policies in their current form and instead to work together to get these policies right over the coming months. "In the light of this, I am puzzled and disappointed that you have chosen to resign." Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democrat chief Tim Farron have demanded that Mr Osborne follow Mr Duncan Smith's example and resign. "The Budget has exposed George Osborne's record of profound unfairness and economic failure. Not only must the cuts to support for disabled people be abandoned, but the Government must change economic course," Mr Corbyn said. "The Chancellor has failed the British people. He should follow the honourable course taken by Iain Duncan Smith and resign." Read more Read More Mr Duncan Smith said he was "incredibly proud" of the welfare reforms he had overseen over the past five years. "Throughout these years, because of the perilous public finances we inherited from the last Labour administration, difficult cuts have been necessary," he said. "I have found some of these cuts easier to justify than others but, aware of the economic situation and determined to be a team player, I have accepted their necessity. "You are aware that I believe the cuts would have been even fairer to younger families and people of working age if we had been willing to reduce some of the benefits given to better-off pensioners but I have attempted to work within the constraints that you and the Chancellor set." Mr Duncan Smith, who said he was resigning with "enormous regret", delivered a withering assessment of Mr Osborne's fiscal rules - which include an overall cap on welfare spending, cutting debt as a proportion of GDP every year, and recording an absolute surplus by 2020. The Chancellor has already breached the welfare cap and confirmed in Wednesday's Budget that he would break the debt rule. Mr Duncan Smith wrote. "Too often my team and I have been pressured in the immediate run-up to a Budget or fiscal event to deliver yet more reductions to the working age benefit bill. "There has been too much emphasis on money-saving exercises and not enough awareness from the Treasury, in particular, that the Government's vision of a new welfare-to-work system could not be repeatedly salami-sliced." In the most cutting passage, Mr Duncan Smith cited a phrase often used by Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne, stating: "I hope as the Government goes forward you can look again ... at the balance of the cuts you have insisted upon and wonder if enough has been done to ensure 'we are all in this together'." Tory MP and fellow Brexit campaigner Peter Bone said: "IDS has always been a man of conviction! Tonight, yet again he put the country first." Andrew Percy, who led a Conservative backbench revolt against the PIP cuts, wrote on Twitter: "Credit to IDS. I'll say no more tonight but all is not as it has seemed in the past few days." Tory backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg said that Mr Duncan Smith had been "as important a welfare secretary as I can think of" and it was a blow for the Government to lose such a "substantial figure". But a number of Labour MPs insisted Mr Duncan Smith's departure was driven by the EU referendum battle. Former frontbencher Chuka Umunna said: "IDS resigning has everything to do with the EU and nothing to do with welfare - why wait this long after causing misery to so many to resign?" Participants take part in the St Patrick's Day parade on the streets of Dublin. Joanne ORiordan, 19, Ireland's most high-profile campaigner for disabled rights and this year's grand marshal of the St. Patrick's Day parade greets spectators on O'Connell Street, Dublin Hundreds of thousands of people have flocked to cities, towns and villages throughout Ireland to celebrate St Patrick's Day. With fine weather across the country, many colourful parades basked in the spring sunshine, adding to the festive atmosphere on the national day of celebration. More than half a million revellers turned central Dublin into a sea of green for the largest parade. Thousands of performers and outsized puppets, including elephants and rabbits, snaked their way along the 2.5km route from Parnell Square across the Liffey to St Patrick's Cathedral over several hours in the afternoon. Disability rights campaigner Joanne O'Riordan, 19, led the parade - the youngest ever Grand Marshal. Berkeley police and fire departments, who travelled from California in the US to honour the victims and survivors of the Berkeley balcony collapse, were cheered along the route. The second largest gathering was in Limerick. More than 80,000 onlookers packed the city's streets to watch Grand Marshal and local actor Myles Breen lead the parade from Pery Square. The Fanzini Brothers and Jedward made guest appearances among the throng of performers. In Belfast, thousands turned out to see Lord Mayor Arder Carson lead a colourful Rainbow-themed carnival from City Hall to Custom House Square. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 Thousands enjoy the open air concert at Custom House Square. St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 Brian McFadden entertains the Thousands in the open air concert at Custom House Square. St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 Thousands enjoy the open air concert at Custom House Square. St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press The Belfast parade departed from city hall at noon and is making its way to Custom House Square for a free concert. Charlie Bradley (9), Courtney Dempsey (8), Nellie-Rose Bradley (4), Stephen Dempsey (9) and Ruairi Bradley (7). Press Eye - Belfast - Norther Mandatory Credit - Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye Thursday 17th March 2016 St Patrick's Day celebrations take place across Northern Ireland. Thousands of people are attending St Patrick's Day parades and festivities in towns and cities across Northern Ireland. The Belfast parade departed from city hall at noon and is making its way to Custom House Square for a free concert. Nuala and Brendan Loughran with Reilly. Press Eye - Belfast - Norther Mandatory Credit - Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye Thursday 17th March 2016 St Patrick's Day celebrations take place across Northern Ireland. Thousands of people are attending St Patrick's Day parades and festivities in towns and cities across Northern Ireland. The Belfast parade departed from city hall at noon and is making its way to Custom House Square for a free concert. Cloughfin Pipe Band. Press Eye - Belfast - Norther Mandatory Credit - Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye Thursday 17th March 2016 St Patrick's Day celebrations take place across Northern Ireland. Thousands of people are attending St Patrick's Day parades and festivities in towns and cities across Northern Ireland. The Belfast parade departed from city hall at noon and is making its way to Custom House Square for a free concert. Cloughfin Pipe Band. Press Eye - Belfast - Norther Mandatory Credit - Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye Thursday 17th March 2016 St Patrick's Day celebrations take place across Northern Ireland. Thousands of people are attending St Patrick's Day parades and festivities in towns and cities across Northern Ireland. The Belfast parade departed from city hall at noon and is making its way to Custom House Square for a free concert. Cora (4) and Ruby (2) Harmon. Press Eye - Belfast - Norther Mandatory Credit - Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye Thursday 17th March 2016 St Patrick's Day celebrations take place across Northern Ireland. Thousands of people are attending St Patrick's Day parades and festivities in towns and cities across Northern Ireland. The Belfast parade departed from city hall at noon and is making its way to Custom House Square for a free concert. Little Connloadh Mahoney (2). Press Eye - Belfast - Norther Mandatory Credit - Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye Thursday 17th March 2016 St Patrick's Day celebrations take place across Northern Ireland. Thousands of people are attending St Patrick's Day parades and festivities in towns and cities across Northern Ireland. The Belfast parade departed from city hall at noon and is making its way to Custom House Square for a free concert. Claire Kearns wishing everyone a very Happy St Patrick's Day. Press Eye - Belfast - Norther Mandatory Credit - Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye Thursday 17th March 2016 St Patrick's Day celebrations take place across Northern Ireland. Thousands of people are attending St Patrick's Day parades and festivities in towns and cities across Northern Ireland. The Belfast parade departed from city hall at noon and is making its way to Custom House Square for a free concert. Emma (8) and Katie (9) McDonnell. Press Eye - Belfast - Norther Mandatory Credit - Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye Thursday 17th March 2016 St Patrick's Day celebrations take place across Northern Ireland. Thousands of people are attending St Patrick's Day parades and festivities in towns and cities across Northern Ireland. The Belfast parade departed from city hall at noon and is making its way to Custom House Square for a free concert. Press Eye - Belfast - Norther Mandatory Credit - Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye Thursday 17th March 2016 St Patrick's Day celebrations take place across Northern Ireland. Thousands of people are attending St Patrick's Day parades and festivities in towns and cities across Northern Ireland. The Belfast parade departed from city hall at noon and is making its way to Custom House Square for a free concert. Lord Mayor Arder Carson. Press Eye - Belfast - Norther Mandatory Credit - Picture by Freddie Parkinson/Press Eye Thursday 17th March 2016 St Patrick's Day celebrations take place across Northern Ireland. Thousands of people are attending St Patrick's Day parades and festivities in towns and cities across Northern Ireland. The Belfast parade departed from city hall at noon and is making its way to Custom House Square for a free concert. Cloughfin Pipe Band. Press Eye - Belfast - Norther Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press Pacemaker press 17/03/2016 The Annual St Patricks day parade makes it's way through Belfast City centre on route to Custom house square. St Patricks day or "The feast of St Patrick" is held on the 17th of March which is thought to be the date St Patrick died. It is a celebration of christianity in Ireland. Picture Mark Marlow/pacemaker press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp PACEMAKER BELFAST 17/3/2016 Thousands enjoy the open air concert at Custom House Square. St Patrick's day celebrations in Belfast city centre this afternoon. Thousands lined the route from Belfast City Hall to Custom House Square where an open air concert will take place. Community groups from across the cultural spectrum took part, while former X Factor winner Ben Haenow and ex-Westlife member Brian McFadden headlined a free concert at Custom House Square. A 50,000-strong crowd cheered on Cork's main spectacle. Instead of a Grand Marshal, the city's parade was led by actors playing the seven signatories of the 1916 Proclamation of Independence. Another 30,000 people made their way into Galway city centre, where the theme of the day was 1916 and the city's bid for the 2020 European Capital of Culture. While parades and celebrations took place around the world, even some in space were celebrating Ireland's national holiday. British astronaut Tim Peake tweeted a picture of Ireland from the International Space Station, where he is working for six months. "The Emerald Isle looking lush and green from space...Happy #StPatricksDay to all down there!" he said. Kate bought a gift for each of her children from the shop The charity, which has three hospices in Cambridge, Norfolk and Ipswich, offers support to more than 700 children, young people and family members. Kate delivered her first public speech as the Duchess of Cambridge when she opened the charity's Treehouse hospice in Ipswich. EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. One hospice is just over 20 miles from the home she shares with her husband and children at Anmer Hall The shop in Holt will support the East Anglia's Children's Hospices The Duchess of Cambridge talks to wellwishers as she arrives to open a new charity shop for the East Anglia's Children's Hospices in Holt, Norfolk. An 11-year-old girl stole the show as she took the Duchess of Cambridge on an impromptu tour of a new charity shop. Kate was visiting the new East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH) store in Holt, Norfolk, on Friday. She met Rebekah Hughes, who has the rare Dravet Syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy, inside the shop. After asking what her favourite item was, Kate was led by the hand by Rebekah to a display of handbags and jewellery. Rebekah explained that her favourite item was a silver Gant handbag, to which Kate replied: "We better put a reserved sticker on that." The girl then asked Kate which her favourite was and Kate chose a 1 penguin brooch. She added: "There are so many wonderful things." Kate then helped Rebekah put a bracelet on her watching mother, Annabel Hughes, 44, from Aylsham, Norfolk. Mrs Hughes said: "I'll have to buy her the handbag now or I won't hear the end of it. "I think Kate got off lightly - Rebekah has a way of taking over and she's lucky she didn't have her trying on outfits in the changing room. "She was brilliant with Rebekah and it was a really special moment." Afterwards Kate selected a book, Fireman Sam's Favourite Tales, as a present for Prince George and a Beatrix Potter Tom Kitten figurine for Princess Charlotte. She explained Fireman Sam was George's favourite character as she handed over 10 in cash for the gifts. Sarah Throssell, who served her, said: "She seemed really pleased with the finds." During the visit, Kate, who is royal patron of EACH, helped volunteers sort clothes in a back room. She revealed her frustration with security tags as she helped attach one to a garment, saying: "I always wondered how you get them on because they're a nightmare to get off." Chatting to Linda Gidley, who has been a volunteer in the charity's Long Stratton store f or 15 years, the Duchess said she liked to buy cook books in charity shops. "They're the ones I always look out for," she said. Kate also met Chloe Baird, a 15-year-old who has been receiving support from EACH at its Norfolk hospice since 2009. EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. Its services include specialist nursing care and therapy and counselling. The charity, which has three hospices in Cambridge, Norfolk and Ipswich, offers support to more than 700 children, young people and family members. The new shop, which is a little over 20 miles (32km) from Kate's home at Anmer Hall, will form part of EACH's network of 21 charity retail outlets. French president Francois Hollande said he was sure the Belgian authorities would respond to the extradition request as quickly and as favourably as possible (AP) The top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks had planned to be a suicide bomber at France's main stadium but backed out at the last minute, according to prosecutors. Salah Abdeslam was arrested on Friday in a police raid in Brussels and questioned on Saturday by Belgian authorities. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Abdeslam told Belgian investigators he abandoned his suicide vest on November 13 after he drove other attackers to Paris for the attacks. Mr Molins did not say whether Abdeslam explained his reasoning for abandoning the attack. In all, 130 people were killed at several venues around Paris. Belgian authorities have officially charged Abdeslam and another man who was using two aliases "with participation in terrorist murder" and in the activities of a terrorist organisation. The French Justice Ministry says a new European arrest warrant has been issued against Abdeslam to speed extradition. The ministry gave Belgian authorities a maximum deadline of two months (or three if he appeals) to move Abdeslam to French soil. A first arrest warrant was initially handed out to the French national following November's deadly attacks but this new warrant incorporates new charges that came from the four-month-old investigation into the attacks. Three other suspects were also picked up during Friday's police raid in Brussels that finally nabbed Abdeslam after his four-month fugitive run. The prosecutor's office also charged one of them with "participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation and the hiding of criminals". Two others who had been implicated in sheltering Abdeslam were released on Saturday by police, even though one of them was charged with hiding criminals. Police officers guard an entrance of a school during a raid in Brussels yesterday Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam has been wounded and captured in a huge anti-terror operation in Brussels after four months on the run. Belgian prime minister Charles Michel confirmed the news at a press conference alongside French president Francois Hollande hours after heavily-armed officers stormed a building in the city's Molenbeek district. He said that two other men were also held in the operation in a part of the Belgian capital some of the Paris attackers, including suspected ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud, were from. Mr Hollande congratulated the Belgian authorities and said moves would start to extradite Abdeslam, who was born in Brussels, back to France. He said: "I have a special thought for the victims of the attacks on November 13 in Paris, because SA is directly connected to the preparation, organisation and... the perpetration of these attacks. "I also think of the families who have been looking forward to these arrests, whether from close range or long distance, who are connected to that abomination." Belgian migration minister Theo Francken confirmed the arrest earlier yesterday, tweeting: "We've got him." Mr Michel left the EU-Turkey migrant crisis summit amid reports of the raid. TV footage showed armed officers descending on the area and gunshots and explosions were reported. Fire engines and ambulances were seen driving into the gated complex, which remains under armed police guard, and a helicopter hovered overhead. Members of the public also began to gather at the scene. Local media said police, who were joined at the scene by the army, appeared to use grenades while eyewitness reports suggested white smoke could be seen coming from a property. At least 10 gunshots were reportedly heard. The news came after the Belgian authorities said a man shot dead earlier this week was probably an accomplice of Abdeslam. Fingerprints found at the address where Algerian national Mohamed Belkaid was killed suggest Abdeslam had been there too. Two men escaped from the apartment during the gunfight with police and one of them is now thought to have been Abdeslam (26) who fled from Paris after the terror attacks in November which killed 130 people. The tragic death this week of prison officer Adrian Ismay is a reminder of the dark stain of violence that has disfigured our history since the Easter Rising of 1916. Mr Ismay died some 11 days after republican dissidents placed a bomb under his car. In the week running up to the 1916 centenary of the Rising, yet another innocent death gives us all cause to think about the difference between the myths and the realities of our violent history. Due to the fluctuations of the Easter calendar, next weekend's commemoration of the Rising is not an accurate dateline centenary of the event which began on April 10, 1916, and not March 28. In most countries the commemoration of a founding 'revolution' adheres strictly to the exact date on which it occurred but in Ireland, this coming Easter has been hijacked by Church and state in the Republic to fit in with the Easter Rising of 1916. Many people are therefore entitled to ask why the commemoration of an armed insurrection in Dublin a century ago should have been allowed to coincide with the Easter of 2016, when the most important commemoration is that of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Perhaps it is only citizens of Northern Ireland who can ask such awkward questions at a time when the Church of Ireland is also playing its part in the Republic's 1916 commemorations in Dublin, though the Anglicans could not easily opt out of such a national event in a society of which they are a part. The republican insurrection in 1916, as all reputable historians agree, was an absolute shambles, which became a nationalist historical icon only because the British, in the throes of a perilous First World War, reacted fiercely to the rebellion and executed the ringleaders. From such an inauspicious start in 1916, the myth of the rebels' 'fight for freedom' grew apace. This bloodshed continued throughout the Irish civil war, and the Ireland which emerged from this became an economic and social backwater for decades, under the baleful influence of Eamon de Valera. In the post-Second World War period, both parts of the island emerged from their economic isolation but, just as Northern Ireland looked like consolidating its recovery, we were plunged back into more than four decades of bloody conflict. So, what has this century of so-called "freedom" achieved? Ironically, this 'freedom', which republicans will commemorate next weekend, has led to a situation where the Irish Republic is still a major trading partner of the UK, and desperately needs it to stay in the European Union. This so-called "freedom" has also led to the continued imprisonment of the north in sick cycles of violence, and conflict about national identity, which have not yet been solved. Some "freedom". In the coming days, and next weekend, I will sit lightly on the predictable rhetoric from north and south about the 'heroes' of 1916 and the commemoration of Irish republicanism, which has been reinvented and polished to mean something entirely different from the botched Rising which occurred so long ago. I will also think of the late Adrian Ismay and his family, and of all the victims of violence and their families on all sides, who have suffered so much in the long and dark aftermath of an Irish insurrection which had, and still has, nothing to do with the real meaning of Easter, and its life-enhancing message for all of us. It looks like you have reached this page in error ... The content you are looking for has either moved, or if you typed in the address there might have been a mistake. If you believe there has been a technical error please let us know. Most Popular Destinations Amazon India Fashion Week 2016 A/W: EKA's Full Circle. Full Stop Fashion Denise Eka's Autumn Winter 2016 line is a typical earthly collection. The experiment with metallic surfaces, polka dots and sharp stripes is much loved by the designer, which is why the name of the line goes as:"Full Circle. Full Stop". Sassy, cute and trendy, this fresh collection is all about the designer's artistic inspirations, her textile innovations and more. Designer of EKA, Rina Singh brings to light some of her best creativity as she expresses that this line explores design with an intention. If you take a look at the models on the ramp you will see that they are wearing dramatic stripes, circles, polka prints, chambray textures in wool and silk-linen blends, linen with strong interwoven metallic stripes combined with herringbone lustrous surfaces which are inspired by the artworks. Looking closely at the work on each of the ensembles, the polka block prints comes in a mix of metallic and matte colours on chambray linens, merino wool, silks, blends of wool, linen and cottons, broad and narrow stripes with zari inserts, boiled merino wool in heavy twill patterns and jacquard polka dots that are blurred and without a boundary are some of the textiles used. Lastly as according to the designer, the use of metallics in the artworks of Alfonso Artiaco and John Paul Phillips inspires the layered opulence. So, take a look at this glorious collection of EKA's Full Circle. Full Stop at the AIFWAW 2016: Maroon Robe the maroon robe over the simple dress looks wonderful. We love the look. Checkered Looks Blue scarfs, checkered looks and more were seen in this collection. Polka Dotted The polka dotted scarf looks fabulous with this bold outfit. A nice welcome to the season. Satin Jumpers The calf length brown satin jumper and the matching coat was a fresh view. Stripes Are In The stripes dress and the trench coat to match is something you should miss to own this season. Greys Are Here The grey coat and the black capris go well for the winter. It is time to own a bag too. Polka Dotted Dresses We simply love this combination of the polka dotted dress and the over powering coat to match. Truly A Full Stop The dots on this dress and the fabric looks wow. Can't wait to see a celeb wear this style. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 19/03/2016 (2408 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Internal reports have offered a glimpse inside the frightening rollover of an ambulance late last year that injured a nurse. Brandon Fire and Emergency Services Deputy Chief Scott McDonald said that as far as he knows, he isnt aware of another rollover involving an ambulance operated by his department. I dont ever remember this occurring with one of our ambulances I would consider this more of a significant event than anything thats happened before, McDonald said. Supplied Pictured here is the ambulance that rolled on the Trans-Canada Highway in November 2015. A nurse was seriously injured in the crash. The Brandon Sun recently obtained reports that finally provide details into the incident. Prairie Mountain Health provided few details immediately following the crash. However, The Brandon Sun recently obtained copies of investigation reports from Prairie Mountain Health and Brandon Fire and Emergency Services through the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. They provide further details of the events surrounding the Nov. 19, 2015, early morning crash along the Trans-Canada Highway that sent a nurse to hospital with a broken leg after she was pinned by equipment that broke loose in the back of the ambulance. Reports state the rollover happened during a non-emergency transfer of a patient between the Brandon Regional Health Centre and Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg. Two BFES paramedics one of them the driver were in the drivers compartment of the ambulance. The patient was on a secured stretcher in the rear of the ambulance. Two nurses from Prairie Mountain Health were in the back of the ambulance to attend to the patient. One was in the captains chair directly behind the main stretcher, and the other in a fold-down jump seat near the passenger-side door. Shortly after the incident, RCMP informed The Brandon Sun that the patient was pregnant, although police didnt know why she was being transported in the first place. However, police were able to report that the pregnant woman was in good condition following the rollover. The accident reports, parts of which were redacted over privacy concerns, dont specify why the transfer was made other than it was the result of Brandons policy presumably that of the hospital or health authority. PMH says the decision to transfer a patient is a medical one based on their condition at the time and is arranged between sending and receiving staff. A BFES report provides the following detailed account of what happened: In the day leading up to the transfer, paramedics were aware of warnings of high wind and possible blowing snow for southwest Manitoba and parts of the province near Winnipeg. Lifeflight was contacted, but the decision was made to transport the patient by ground ambulance. Reports would later note that the high winds could have posed a problem for a flight. The ambulance left Brandon around 2 a.m. and, heading east along the Trans-Canada, paramedics noted it was very windy with blowing snow at times. At Carberry, the blowing snow worsened, but the roads were relatively bare and dry. The paramedics switched drivers at Highway 16, as per the policy to avoid driver fatigue. In this case, the paramedics were in the middle of a 14-hour night shift that started on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. and was to end at 8 a.m. While the highways passing lane was snow-covered at times and there were strong gusts, the main lane was dry. Paramedics believed it was safe to continue to Winnipeg. About 3:30 a.m., a few kilometres west of Elie, the ambulance hit black ice and slid sideways. The driver did her best to recover, but couldnt. The ambulance spun 360 degrees, caught the shoulder, rolled twice and landed on its side in the ditch. The paramedics werent injured. One called dispatch to notify them of the crash. One of the paramedics also crawled into the back of the ambulance to help the patient and nurses. During the rollover, an isolate (child incubator) and the patients stretcher, which had been fixed to the floor by brackets, broke free. The patient was still strapped into the upside-down stretcher with the isolate on top of her. The paramedics freed her and she appeared uninjured. One nurse wasnt hurt, but the other had multiple injuries, which RCMP say consisted of cuts to her face, a cracked rib and a broken leg. She had been trapped between the stretcher and the isolate, but managed to free herself. RCMP said it took 25 minutes for another ambulance to arrive at the scene. The injured nurse was taken to hospital in Portage la Prairie, while the second nurse and patient continued to Winnipeg in another ambulance. The paramedics were treated in Brandon because they were exposed to the patients blood when her IV was dislodged. While McDonald said privacy concerns prevented him from stating whether that exposure caused any health issues, he noted both paramedics are back at work. The accident was reviewed by BFES, Prairie Mountain Health, the City of Brandon, Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health, and the Vehicle and Equipment Management Agency. Nowhere in the reports does it say medical staff did anything wrong, although RCMP note that the injured nurse was the only person not secured with a seatbelt. One of the review recommendations is to reinforce the use of seatbelts among staff. One of the major questions raised by the review was about why the equipment broke loose. McDonald said further investigation would need to be done to determine why that was the case, and whether its an issue. The PMH report notes that the patient and nurse who were taken to Winnipeg following the crash hadnt been medically cleared before continuing on. As to the decision of staff to carry on with the trip despite poor weather, McDonald said road conditions are monitored and dispatch provides updates. There are no plans to change policy surrounding poor weather and ambulance transfers. The roads were all open and they were driveable, McDonald said. It was just unfortunate at that point they hit some, for lack of a better term I guess, black ice. PMH responded: To our knowledge, at the time of departure from Brandon Regional Health Centre, there was not any inclement weather conditions that would have precluded transfer at that time. RCMP say their investigation is now complete and no charges were warranted given that extreme road and weather conditions were to blame. A spokesperson for Workplace Safety and Health said no issues were identified with the ambulance or driver involved. No orders of any sort were issued and the file is closed. ihitchen@brandonsun.com Twitter: @IanHitchen Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 19/03/2016 (2408 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A girl who assaulted group home staff and a fellow resident has been sentenced to probation and community service work. Previously, at the girls bail hearing, the case prompted a judge to comment on the right of group home workers to be protected from assaults by troubled young residents. During the girls sentencing this week, her lawyer, Andrew Synyshyn, said he and his young client agree with to those comments, even though the workers jobs come with inherent dangers. File Brandon court house At no point in time were we suggesting that that was not the case, Synyshyn said of the workers right to safety even as they work with youth with emotional, mental health and behavioural difficulties. Everybody deserves to be safe in their employment. The girls case is the latest to highlight assaults and threats made against staff by young residents at Specialized Foster Homes, a series of group homes for troubled youth run under the direction of Dakota Ojibway Child and Family Services. The teen, who cant be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, pleaded guilty to three assault charges and one count of uttering threats. One assault charge and two for uttering threats were dropped. Crown attorney Kaley Tschetter said that in May 2015, the girl approached a female worker at her home who was sitting on the couch and ordered her to start cleaning the home. When the worker tried to walk away, the girl hurled a piece of toast at her. In June 2015, the same girl threatened to cut another resident in her sleep and decapitate her before holding her down and scratching her face. At least one witness indicated that the girl punched the victim in the face before they were separated by staff. In February 2016, the girl made derogatory comments about a workers weight and made oinking sounds at her. She then threatened to attack the worker, and said shed make sure the same thing happened to that employee as happened to another SFH employee who was hospitalized by two other girls in May 2013. Synyshyn remarked that staff are now quick to call police when dealing with the girl. So when she shoved another worker onto a couch earlier this month, she wound up in jail and stayed there until sentencing on Thursday. The charges she pleaded guilty to relate to aggression against one resident and three workers. Regarding the assault on the fellow resident, Synyshyn said his young client had felt bullied. Based on a joint recommendation from Synyshyn and Tschetter, Judge John Combs imposed two years probation with 40 hours of community service work. People that are trying to assist you should not have to put up with that kind of conduct, Combs told the girl. Earlier this year, a boy received house arrest for crimes that included assaulting and threatening to rape an SFH worker. Another girl also received time served of 14 days and probation for a series of assaults on SFH staff and one resident. ihitchen@brandonsun.com Twitter: @IanHitchen Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/03/2016 (2409 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. CALGARY The federal government has fleshed out how it proposes to measure upstream greenhouse gas emissions resulting from new resource projects. Ottawa announced in January that federal project reviews will take into account the broader climate impacts of projects like pipelines and liquefied natural gas facilities. A notice in the Canada Gazette sets out the Environment Departments proposed methodology for coming up with estimates and interested parties have 30 days to comment. The approach is two-pronged. The first part of the analysis would measure emissions associated with producing the oil and gas that would fill pipelines or plants under review. The second part would discuss a variety of market scenarios, examining the conditions under which the emissions could occur anyway if the project werent built. Erin Flanagan, director of federal policy at the Pembina Institute environmental think-tank, said the government is asking the right questions and shes pleased to see emissions from gas venting and flaring taken into account. I think that theyre getting a lot of it right, she said. But Flanagan said shed like more clarity about how projects reviewed under the new rules would fit into the context of Canadas current goal of reducing its emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. Can we have the infrastructure conversation divorced from a conversation about our targets? asked Flanagan. Kathryn Harrison, a professor of political science at the University of British Columbia, said there are many unanswered questions that make it impossible to tell whether any given project would get the thumbs-up under the new rules. Firstly, there is a lot of variation amongst oil and gas operators when it comes to their emissions performance. Its not clear how specific how those emissions factors will be to a particular operation and to a particular operator, she said. She also wonders which production forecasts the analysis would use. If a forecast doesnt take into account what would need to happen in order to limit global warming to 2 Celsius above pre-industrial levels then theres a hypocrisy built into the test from the get-go. Harrison adds pipeline projects are built to operate for several decades, so its important for the analysis to look at a long time horizon. The problem is were approving projects now that will last for decades when weve only got an emissions target less than 15 years out. Follow @LaurenKrugel on Twitter Already have an account? Log in here Brandon Universitys Daryle McCannell will be inducted into the Bemidji State University Professional Hall Of Fame. We need your support! Local journalism needs your support! As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Starting at $4.99/month you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website. or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527. Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community! According to state law, fines, penalties, and license money shall be appropriated exclusively to the use and support of the common schools ... . An exception is fines for overloaded vehicles. Seventy-five percent of those funds go to state highways; 25 percent go to the county general fund where the fine or penalty is paid. Fifty percent of money forfeited or seized in enforcing drug laws goes to counties for drug enforcement. Vehicles seized in drug law cases may be used by law enforcement agencies or sold with the proceeds going to schools. County Court Traffic Sentences Antonio Ruiz-Guerrero, 33, 1215 Third St., no operator's license, $75 fine and $48 court costs. Jesus De La Cruz, 25, Schuyler, no operator's license, $75 fine and $48 court costs. Lazaro Arrazcaeta, 50, Madison, speeding, 49 mph in a 35 mph zone, $75 fine and $48 court costs. Nicolasa Morales-Lucas, 38, 1603 11th St., No. 2, failure to yield right of way and no operator's license, $100 fines and $48 court costs. Ricky Hellbusch, 5722428 385th St., improper passing, $25 fine and $48 court costs. John Faltys, 59, 426 Road 1, speeding, 75 mph in a 60 mph zone, $75 fine and $48 court costs. Jenifer Putnam, 42, Pender, speeding, 69 mph in a 55 mph zone, $75 fine and $48 court costs. Kelley Robin, 28, Lincoln, speeding, 80 mph in a 65 mph zone, $75 fine and $48 court costs. Karla Maldonado, 42, Carriage House Estates, No. 83, no operator's license, $50 fine and $48 court costs. Rene Sanchez, 25, 3460 53rd Ave., No. 11, speeding, 74 mph in a 55 mph zone, $125 fine and $48 court costs. Jasmine Hamilton, 29, Schuyler, stop sign violation, $75 fine and $48 court costs. Paul Carswell, 27, West Glade, Kansas, truck route violation, $100 fine and $48 court costs. Thomas Hastreiter, 72, Humphrey, over axle weight, two counts, $175 fines and $48 court costs. Tristan Bender, 31, 4418 23rd St., speeding, 75 mph in a 60 mph zone, $75 fine and $48 court costs. Chris Winckler, 58, Lake Montezuma, Arizona, following too close, $50 fine and $48 court costs. Jacob Schaefer, 27, 2728 31st St., speeding, 74 mph in a 60 mph zone, $75 fine and $48 court costs. Dennis Dannelly, 61, Wayne, speeding, 86 mph in a 60 mph zone, and passing in the same direction, $225 fines and $48 court cost. Kyle Mundorf, 31, Norfolk, traffic signal violation, $75 fine and $48 court costs. Scott Lauterbach, 43, 3110 38th St., child passenger restraint violation, $25 fine and $48 court costs. Criminal Sentences Mahmud Kebeto, 27, Schuyler, driving under suspension, $75 fine and $48 court costs. Daniel Reynosa, 23, Carriage House Estates, No. 81, driving under suspension, $75 fine and $49 court costs. Ronald Stewart, 37, 1372 32nd Ave., attempted tampering with a witness and three protection order violations, 120 days in jail and $49 court cots. Jeremy Taylor, 34, 1471 25th Ave., theft-unlawful taking $0-$500, 15 days in jail and $49 court costs. Toi Bess, 28, Omaha, assault of an official with a bodily fluid, 60 days in jail, credit for 27 days already served, and $49 court costs; theft-unlawful taking $500-$1,500, 180 days in jail, credit for 32 days already served, and $49 court costs. Daniel Mauricio, 34, 2122 Ninth St., domestic assault, $50f fine and $49 court costs. David Spaulding, 27, Lincoln, driving under the influence, six months probation, $500 fine, operator's license revoked for 60 days and $49 court costs. Edgardo Lara, 40, Schuyler, driving under the influence-.15+, two days in jail, credit for one days already served, $500 fine, operator's license revoked for one year and $49 court costs. Kylee Bartak, 24, 2481 E. Fifth Ave., No. 3, no proof of insurance, $50 fine and $49 court costs. Amanda McCloske, 20, Schuyler, minor in possession of alcohol-under 19, $250 fine and $49 court costs. District Court Sentences Steven Petrihos, 23, 276 S. Seventh Ave., third-degree assault, 10 months probation, $236.14 restitution and $49 court costs. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 19/03/2016 (2408 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Progressive Conservative Leader Brian Pallister announced a cut in Brandon yesterday, promising to reduce ambulance fees in the province by half in his first year, if elected. Standing near the Brandon No. 1 Fire Hall, Pallister said Manitobans are paying too much in ambulance fees. Seniors and other patients needing care should expect a paramedic at their door, not a $500 bill in the mail, said Pallister, who was introduced by Brandon East candidate Len Isleifson. Bruce Bumstead/The Brandon Sun Manitoba PC leader Brian Pallister join local candidates Len Isleifson and Reg Helwer, as well as Arthur/Virden candidate Doyle Piwniuk, to announce his party's 50 percent reduction in ambulance fees proposal across the street from the Brandon Fire Hall No. 1, on Friday. Thats just wrong. Pallister said Manitoba has the highest fees in the country, referencing a CBC Marketplace story from February that states ambulance fees range from $45 in Ontario to more than $500 in parts of Manitoba. Prairie Mountain Health has the highest flat rate in Canada at $530, a Tory press release said. Its unacceptable, Pallister said. Pallister was joined by incumbent Progressive Conservative candidates Reg Helwer (Brandon West), Doyle Piwniuk (Arthur-Virden) and Blaine Pedersen (Midland), as well as NDP incumbent Drew Caldwell (Brandon East). Pallister said the NDP has created a two-tier health-care system in Manitoba those who can afford ambulance bills and those who cannot. The Tories have heard reports from seniors who have chosen to walk to ERs and rural families who have chosen to take their family members to the hospital in order to avoid bills, according to Pallister. We have to get these costs down and improve health-care access for all, he said. Earlier in the day, Pallister said it would cost approximately $11 million to reduce fees by 50 per cent for everyone. On Thursday, Liberal Leader Rana Bokhari said a Liberal government will spend at least $1.5 million a year to provide free ambulance service for seniors making less than $20,000 a year. Pallister called that system three-tiered health care a tier thats free for a small group, while some can afford it and others cannot. He said the Tories will roll out more health-care announcements as the campaign progresses. His trip to Westman included stops in Dauphin and Swan River later in the day. Those two constituencies, along with Brandon East, are considered the primary battlegrounds in Westman. Theyre really important constituencies and what we need is a government that cares about the whole province and demonstrates better ideas, and implements those ideas, Pallister said. ctweed@brandonsun.com Twitter: @CharlesTweed Enda Kenny could offer a five year deal to Independents and smaller parties, in an attempt to form a rainbow government. It is reported that it will be a five year deal that would remain in effect even if Mr Kenny himself was not Fine Gael leader or Taoiseach. Supermac's will appeal the European ruling that it is not allowed to trade under its current name in Europe. The company lost a court battle to sell using the Supermac's brand in Europe, partly because of its similarity to McDonalds. At least 39 people have died and many more were injured after air strikes on the northern Syrian city of Raqqa as the campaign against the Islamic State (IS) stronghold was stepped up. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said five children and seven women were among those killed as the air raids hit several areas in the city, which has been held by the extremists since 2013. It was not immediately clear what country's warplanes carried out the air strikes. The anti-IS activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently said the air strikes were by Russian jets, adding that they left 43 civilians dead and about 50 others wounded. A third opposition monitoring group, the Local Coordination Committees, said the air raids were carried out by Syrian government warplanes, adding that dozens were killed or wounded. The three groups said the air raids struck near the national hospital, a former army base and other neighbourhoods. Russia has been conducting air raids in Syria since September 30, even though Russia this week drew down its military presence in Syria after president Vladimir Putin ordered a partial pullout of Russian aircraft and forces from Syria, in support of indirect peace talks in Geneva. On Thursday, Mr Putin said Moscow would keep enough forces in Syria to continue the fight against IS, the Nusra Front and other extremist organisations. IS is not included in the truce that was brokered by Russia and the US that went into effect on February 27 and led to a drop of violence in Syria. The air raids come at a time when IS has lost large swathes of territory in northern Syria, including in Raqqa province, in battles with the US-backed predominantly Kurdish Syria Democratic Forces. To the south, Syrian troops are on the offensive in an attempt to capture the ancient town of Palmyra, which has been under IS control since May. The Observatory and the LCC reported air strikes on the town that is home to some of the world's most precious archaeological sites. Several of those sites have already been damaged or destroyed by the extremists. The Observatory said seven IS fighters were killed in the air strikes on Palmyra on Saturday. IS, which in June 2014 declared a caliphate in areas it controls in Syria and Iraq, has been under pressure in Iraq as well over the past few months. The US estimates that as of February, IS is fielding 19,000 to 25,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria - down from an estimated 20,000 to 31,500 frontline fighters - a number that was based on intelligence reports from May to August 2014. A US official said the decrease reflects the combined effects of battlefield deaths, desertions, internal disciplinary actions, recruiting shortfalls and difficulties that foreign fighters face travelling to Syria. Syria's five-year civil war has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced half the country's population. The lawyer for a missing Chinese journalist said his family has no way of finding him after police and airline officials rejected inquiries over his whereabouts. Jia Jia, who has been linked by media reports to an anonymous online petition calling for the resignation of Chinese president Xi Jinping, disappeared on Tuesday from Beijing airport on his way to Hong Kong. Four Britons have been detained in Kenya on suspicion of terror offences after taking pictures in an airport, according to reports. The men were arrested in Nairobi and taken for questioning after sparking the terror alert on March 12, The Sun said. A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are in contact with Kenyan authorities following the arrest of four British nationals and are ready to provide consular assistance." The men, named as Ian Glover, 46, Steve Gibson, 60, Eddie Swift and Paul Abbott, both 47, are said to have been taking photos of planes taking off at Nairobi's Wilson Airport while they sat in a bar. It is understood they thought they had been granted permission from airport officials, but were arrested by police. The four appeared in court on Monday and were remanded in custody for a week charged with using a mobile phone app to monitor flights and trespassing, The Sun said. Mr Swift's brother, Peter, told the newspaper: "Eddie and his mates are just chaps who like taking pictures of planes. It's a very worrying time." He added: "It's blindingly obvious they weren't doing anyone any harm and weren't plotting anything. None of them would harm a fly." The four men were on a plane-spotting trip to Africa and posted photos from their holiday on Facebook, visiting Ethiopia before arriving at Kenya. The men have pursued their hobby all over the world. Photos on Mr Abbott's page show trips to Europe, South America, Japan, the Middle East and former Soviet countries. A comment on Mr Gibson's Facebook page - with a photo apparently showing Mr Glover at a secret air base in Ukraine - suggested he had been arrested on a previous trip. The Star, a Kenyan newspaper, said the four men were held in custody after appearing in court on Monday to allow prosecutors time to complete their investigations as their cameras had been confiscated. They were charged on Wednesday with taking photos at an airport without authority and did not enter a plea. Prosecutors were given five days to prepare their case, the paper said. Update 8.11pm: The Irish ambassador to Turkey, Brendan Ward, has confirmed that an Irish-Algerian family were injured in today's explosion in Instanbul. The two parents and three children were injured while in the city on a short holiday. They are being treated for their injuries in hospital and are expected to be discharged and are due to leave Istanbul on a flight tonight. Update 3.50pm: Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Minister Flanagan expressed his "horror and sadness" as it was confirmed that two Irish people have been injured in a suicide bomb attack in Turkey. "I am deeply saddened by today's horrific bomb attack in central Istanbul," he said. "I have spoken to ambassador Brendan Ward in Turkey and can confirm that we are aware of a number of Irish citizens among the injured. An embassy official is on the ground in Istanbul to provide consular assistance." Anyone concerned about an Irish citizen is urged to call 01 408 2000 or the embassy in the Turkish capital Ankara on 0090 312 459 1000. Update 1.42am Acting Minister Flanagan said he was deeply saddened by this morning's attack in central Istanbul. Turkey's Health Minister confirmed that two Irish citizens were among the 37 people injured in the blast. Four people were killed when the bomb detonated in a shopping district popular with tourists. Seven people are said to be seriously injured. The Department of Foreign Affairs has updated its travel advice for Irish citizens, saying the threat of further terrorism remains very high. Update 10.52am Five people have been killed and at least 20 injured in explosion on Istanbul's main pedestrian shopping street. Update 9.53am Several people have been injured after an explosion caused by a suspected suicide bombing on Istanbul's main pedestrian shopping street. News reports have said at least five people were hurt in the blast on Istiklal Street. The state-run Anadolu Agency reports that ambulances were responding to the explosion on the thoroughfare, which is home to cafes, restaurants and foreign consulate buildings. NTV television said the explosion occurred outside a shopping mall. Turkey is on edge following two recent suicide bomb attacks in the capital Ankara, which were claimed by a Kurdish militant group, an off-shoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkey had heightened security in Ankara and Istanbul in the run-up to the Kurdish spring festival on March 21. Officials in Merrick County on Friday made a second discovery of dead birds dumped in a ditch and this time it included sandhill crane carcasses. State Conservation Officer Tim Williams was already helping the Merrick County Sheriffs Office investigate the estimated 150 dead snow and blue geese, found Monday near the Platte River, when he received a tip about another dumpsite a couple of miles away. There, he found 10 more geese and three sandhill cranes, which had been butchered for their breast meat. Snow geese are in season, and there is no daily bag limit, but its never legal to kill a sandhill crane in Nebraska, he said. The majority of the geese found Monday had their breast meat removed, though most still had their legs and some of the birds had not been cleaned at all. That could lead to a charge of wanton waste on top of potential littering violations, Williams said. The dead cranes could also carry criminal charges, but until authorities identify who killed the geese, they wont know if those birds were killed illegally or with a permit. And so far, officers have no suspects, Williams said, and no real motive. Until we get some good solid leads, and without interviewing suspects, I dont want to speculate," he said. Officers dont have any evidence linking the two dumpsites. But Fridays discovery, near Stolley Park Road and Second Road, is just about 2 miles from where the geese were found Monday, at Third and Bismark. Both areas are near the river just east of Grand Island. Merrick County Sheriff John Westman has heard of hunters killing but not eating snow geese before. But I have never, since Ive been here, I have not seen them dumped like that," he said. PARIS: Former world number one Simona Halep said Friday she will fight until the end to prove she did not... LINCOLN Two Nebraska lawmakers stormed out of a committee voting session and another promised a filibuster Friday after the panel advanced a bill that would protect state funding for faith-based child placement groups that refuse to work with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender foster parents. The Judiciary Committee voted 5-3 to send the measure to the full Legislature, where it faces three rounds of votes. Gov. Pete Ricketts hasn't said whether he'll sign it, but his administration has supported the effort, saying the state's expanding foster case population can't afford to lose any foster-care services. Faith-based organizations serve about 17 percent of Nebraska's foster children. But opponents say the sweeping religious exemption would allow discrimination in Nebraska's foster care system and could prompt costly lawsuits and threaten federal funding. Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln said the policy's backers want to deny foster parenting opportunities to people like her son, who is gay. "They do not care about whether I get to be a grandmother," Pansing Brooks said after the vote. "This kind of policy continues to encourage bright, fabulous people to just move away from Nebraska." She and fellow Lincoln Sen. Adam Morfeld abruptly left the committee room after the vote. Another opponent, Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, told fellow committee members he would try to derail the proposal in the full Legislature. Sen. Mark Kolterman of Seward has said he introduced the bill to ensure Nebraska keeps a strong network of child placement agencies, some of which are religious and oppose same-sex marriage. The legislation also would prevent the state from taking "adverse action" against a group because of sincerely held religious beliefs. Kolterman said he was disappointed by the criticism of the bill, arguing that it doesn't deny anyone the opportunity to serve as a foster or adoptive parent because the state also offers secular child placement services. "If there is anything remotely positive about these attacks, it is only that they illustrate and highlight the critical need" for the blll, he said. Some Christian agencies testified in February that they might be forced to choose between their religious beliefs and state funding after a Nebraska judge struck down the state's ban on same-sex foster parents last year. Others say they want to limit their focus to specific religious groups. Bill Williams, who leads the child placement agency Compass, said Friday that his Kearney-based organization concentrates on people with an Orthodox Christian faith. Compass trains new foster parents and helps them meet the state's qualifications to serve. Williams noted that the process of becoming a foster parent is intensely personal and intrusive. Parents undergo a battery of tests and must open their homes to case workers, attorneys and child advocates while working with the state. "I've had families come to me and say they wouldn't become foster parents if we weren't a faith-based agency," Williams said. "We can relate to them at their deepest level of faith." The Department of Health and Human Services, which is part of Ricketts' administration, has spoken in support of the bill. The department contracts with 36 private agencies to recruit, train and license foster homes. Ten of those are faith-based groups. The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska warned on Friday that the bill could not only expose the state to civil rights lawsuit, but also jeopardize as much as $30 million in federal funding. The bill "does nothing to address the needs of Nebraska's vulnerable children languishing in the child welfare system," said Danielle Conrad, the group's executive director. "It is simply a license to discriminate for government contractors who want their religious beliefs to come ahead of the best interests of our children." BRUSSELS: EU leaders will debate how to handle Europes energy shock Thursday, with capitals at loggerheads over... Canberrans came out in force to demand an end to the cycle of family violence at the second Tara's Walk for Change. Friday's showers gave way to clear skies on Saturday morning, ideal for the four-kilometre walk in memory of 28-year-old mother of three Tara Costigan, who was murdered in her Calwell home in February last year. Australian of the Year Lieutenant General David Morrison (retired) joined Ms Costigan's uncle, and chief executive of the foundation bearing her name, Michael Costigan in leading about 1000 people around the Lake Burley Griffin shoreline. Supporters started at the Patrick White Lawns between the lake's edge and the National Library of Australia, before walking through Lennox Gardens and back along the shoreline to the starting point. Britain: As they grapple with shrinking profitability and the threat of a British exit from the European Union, Britain's banks also face another challenge: slippery banknotes. Lenders from HSBC Holdings to Royal Bank of Scotland are working to upgrade or replace thousands of cash machines before the Bank of England starts to switch paper money with notes made of sophisticated polymers later this year. While the plastic notes have many advantages, they can be "too slippery" for older machines using friction to count bills, Andy Mattes, chief executive officer of ATM manufacturer Diebold, said in an interview in London. All aflutter: Thousands of cash machines in the UK need to be upgraded before the switch to polymer bills later this year. Credit:Bloomberg Britain's central bank is seeking to follow nations from Canada to Australia in adopting the plastic bills, which are tougher to forge, more durable and collect less dirt than paper money. Using the new bills, which are also about 15 per cent smaller, can be difficult for older rollers and counting machines to hold on to and dish out accurately, so banks are taking steps to prevent machines doling out too many bills or too few. "Every bank has a polymer note project team working right now," said Diebold's Mattes. Britain already has one of the more "mature" fleets of ATMs, and introducing polymer notes will probably accelerate efforts to replace older machines, he added. The Sunday Age has won two honours in the state's top journalism awards, the Melbourne Press Club Quills. Editor Duska Sulicich won the award for three best headlines at the presentation dinner in Melbourne on Friday night. Meredith O'Shea's image from the Reclaim Australia rally was highly commended in the Quill awards. Credit:Meredith O'Shea The judges said each of the headlines in Sulicich's entry used play on words to great effect. "'The Elephant in the Womb' works on many levels: pregnancy, US abortion debate, Republican party symbol and sounds good if read out aloud," they said. On the face of it the figures are startling: almost 25 per cent of adults, 10 per cent four to fiveyear-olds and 19 per cent 10 to 11-year-olds in England are obese, with significant numbers also being overweight. Treating obesity and its consequences alone currently costs the country's medical services more than 5 billion ($10 billion) every year. Sugar: too much of a sweet thing. And on the face of it, the UK's response this week appears decisive a new sugar tax that will see drinks with more than eight grams of sugar per 100 millilitres taxed at a higher rate than drinks with less than five grams of sugar per 100 millilitres. The plan will raise more than 520 million or more than $1 billion with manufacturers paying the tax. Seattle: Police have released photos that for the first time show the shotgun investigators say Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain used to kill himself. The release reportedly is in response to a public-records request from the news media for evidence to dispel conspiracies surrounding the rock legend's death. The five images, posted on the Police Department's blotter and taken last June, show cold-case Detective Michael Ciesynski holding the firearm that first responders found across the 27-year-old Nirvana frontman's body in his Seattle garage on April 8, 1994. Seattle police made the evidence public after CBS News said it requested the images to help quell a conspiracy theory that the gun "had been melted down in a supposed SPD cover-up of a potential murder." Prince Harry has said he hopes Diana, Princess of Wales is "looking down with tears in her eyes" and believes she would be "longing" for him to have children. In one of his most emotional interviews to date, the Prince told ABC television's Good Morning America program that he thought about his mother every day and hoped she would be "proud" of him. Prince Harry, left, with ABC's Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts during the exclusive interview. Credit:Chris Jelf He also said he hoped he was a "fun uncle" to Prince George and Princess Charlotte and that he "can't wait for the day" he has children of his own. In the murky world of federal politics, it doesn't get much murkier than preselection. So it was in the fight for Goldstein, the safe Liberal seat in Melbourne held by outgoing trade minister Andrew Robb. Former human rights commissioner Tim Wilson gambled his $400,000 a year job to punt on a career in Canberra, and on Saturday won pre-selection in Goldstein Tim Wilson had to overcome a dirty tricks campaign to win preselection in Goldstein. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen After a close head-to-head fight, Mr Wilson won Andrew Robb's seat and beat popular local candidate Denis Dragovic by just two votes out of the more than 400 cast. Mr Wilson also beat lawyer Georgina Downer, the daughter of former foreign minister Alexander Downer, on the way. Children who don't attend playgroup are twice as likely to be developmentally behind those who do by the time they start school, new research shows. Using data from the Australian Early Development Census, researchers from the Telethon Kids Institute found that, after controlling for demographic and socio-economic factors, children who didn't attend playgroup were more than twice as likely to struggle with literacy, numeracy, communications skills and general knowledge when they reach kindergarten. Taking turns: Four-year-olds Addison Cameron, left, and Zarah Ransom at the Balcombe Heights Playgroup. in Sydney Credit:Michele Mossop This was a bigger difference than that observed in children's social skills and emotional maturity. "Given that playgroups involve play-based activities, the biggest impacts on children's development might be expected in their social skills," researchers said. Playgroups NSW chief executive Karen Bevan suggested the lightly structured nature of playgroups spurred children's creativity, which fostered learning and development. A man who threatened to set fire to an apartment block in Yagoona, in Sydney's south-west, has been arrested. The man, described by witnesses as being of Asian appearance and in his late 60s, barricaded himself in a granny flat in the Hume Highway complex and doused himself in petrol, apparently intending to set himself alight. A man is taken into custody during a police operation at an apartment complex in Yagoona. Credit:Daniel Munoz He was detained after police knocked down a rolling garage door to gain entry to the building. A witness, Gary Dring, said: "They bashed in the roller door and he was straight in the paddy wagon." A judge's decision to suspend a two-year jail sentence for a man who ignored the plight of a toddler who died a "lonely, painful death" seems manifestly unjust, according to Bravehearts' research director Carol Ronken. Bravehearts has written to Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath asking her to appeal the sentence given last week to Christopher Arthur Neville Kent, 47, for the manslaughter of Kyhesha-Lee Joughin. Toddler Kyhesha-Lee Joughin. Credit:Facebook Kent pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Tuesday after already serving 19 months in custody. On Saturday, a spokesman for the attorney-general said the minister was not considering an appeal at this stage because of on-going matters in relation to the case. It was not just Lord Mayor Graham Quirk's victory on Saturday night that had Liberal National Party members and supporters genuinely shocked. It was the sheer scale of it. Lord Mayor Graham Quirk stops for a selfie on election night. Credit:Glenn Hunt The polls leading up to Saturday's Brisbane City Council election along with the feeling on the ground pointed to a tight race between the Quirk-led LNP and Rod Harding-led Labor campaigns. Instead it was a massacre and Labor must surely be left wondering just what went wrong. A body believed to be that of a cyclist missing in Toohey State Forest has been found by police. Police and SES crews had launched extensive searches for the man, scouring a 35 square kilometre area. Peter Jacobson, 42, mssing with his dog in Toohey State Forest. Credit:QPS Peter Jacobson, 42, failed to return home after telling his wife on Friday afternoon that he was going for one of his regular rides through Toohey State Forest on Brisbane's southside about 5.30pm. A police statement said initial investigations incidated that Mr Jacobson had a cycling accident. An Australian-raised father deported to live alone in Chile late last year has been reunited with his partner and two youngest children, at least temporarily. But Rachel Delucia's impending return to Brisbane, along with their two children, has her concerned about Ricardo Bolvaran's wellbeing in their absence, as he lived alone in a land that was foreign to him. Father-of-three Mr Bolvaran was born in Chile but escaped the brutal Pinochet regime with his family when he was a year old. As such, Australia was the only home he ever knew. It was in Australia that Mr Bolvaran fell into the wrong crowd, racking up a petty criminal rap sheet that included drug possession and stealing. "Rocket, Rocket, Rocket," his supporters chanted as Labor's Rod Harding arrived to vote at Oakleigh State School at Ashgrove. After casting his vote - he voted for Rod Harding - he told journalists he remained confident. Lord Mayor Graham Quirk voting with his wife Anne at Warrigal Road State School. Credit:Glenn Hunt "Today is the day we find out, " he told waiting journalists. "This is the most important election of the last couple of decades and Brisbane faces a big choice," Mr Harding said. Albany has won the Heritage and Culture award in this year's national Tidy Towns awards. The overall national winner was Triabunna in Tasmania. Albany's beauty and heritage has been recognised in this year's Tidy Towns Awards. However the judges thought Albany deserved the Heritage and Culture award because of its efforts to reflect its European and indigenous history. Competition judge Jill Grant said Albany's port and streetscape reflected its history as a city at the centre of commercial life in the region since it was established. A dangerous storm warning for Perth has been cancelled - after an earlier lightning show and advice of severe thunderstorms. The warning, originally issued late morning and reissued during the afternoon, alerted residents in an area bounded by Lancelin to Northam to Perth and back along the coast to Lancelin about weather with the potential to cause damage to houses and flash flooding. Lightning over Perth. Credit:Dennis Tan But it was cancelled on Saturday evening, although a warning was still in place for the Goldfields Midlands and Great Southern regions. Earlier in the day, various degrees of rainfall were recorded in Perth and surrounding areas - from a paltry 1.2 millimetres in the city, to 5.6 millimetres in Bickley and 35 millimetres at the Pearce air base. Police raids on houses in Kalumburu have uncovered drugs, guns and cash. Police say the raids were carried out on homes in King Edward Street by local officers who were assisted by officers from Kununurra. Some of the items seized during the Kalumburu raid. Credit:WA Police They found 187 grams of cannabis, $745 cash, two rifles, ammunition, stolen property and smoking implements. Three men aged 71, 24 and 18 were arrested. The two younger men were charged with drug offences while the 71-year-old was charged with a firearm offence. The Arson Squad is investigating a suspicious fire at a car yard on Albany Highway in Victoria Park. Firefighters were called to the scene just before 4am on Saturday. The damage bill is estimated at $100,000. Police believe that a man broke in to the yard and set fire to two wheelie bins. The flames then spread to a wash bay which was badly damaged. Brussels: The European Union and Turkey set aside growing tensions by reaching an agreement to control the flow of refugees through the Aegean Sea, in a large-scale people-moving operation that was immediately denounced as impractical and legally suspect. Syrian refugees who make it to Greece will be sent back to Turkey and others will be shipped from Turkish camps to Europe under a deal that risks being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of humanity on the run. A child of a migrant family walks holding a doll in the makeshift refugee camp at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, on Thursday. Credit:Vadim Ghirda Greece's struggle to process asylum applications and the threat that human traffickers will find other weak points in Europe's porous borders also loomed as major obstacles to making the deal work. Failure to contain the flow will test the sustainability of the EU's passport-free travel area and will put further pressure on member states already being assailed by a wave of populist sentiment stoked by anti-immigration political parties. "I have no illusions that further setbacks will still go with what we've decided today," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters on Friday after the EU-Turkey summit in Brussels. "There are enormous logistical challenges that we have to tackle. But I believe that we've come to an accord that entails an element of irreversibility." When Donald Trump came along disenfranchised Middle America thought "That's my guy". Credit:Patrick Semansky By contrast, Senator Cruz, who has done well in caucus states, is seeking to get his supporters elected as delegates who are nominally pledged to Mr Trump, but who would desert him after the first ballot. "The Cruz campaign has been organised down to the district and county levels all the way across the country," said Saul Anuzis, a former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party who has participated in meetings for the Cruz campaign about delegate selection. "You're dealing with people who are party activists. They will trump the Trump loyalists in winning delegate slots." Donald Trump's rapid rise has sent the Republican Party into a panic. Credit:Andrew Harrer The Trump campaign seems to have recently awakened to this possibility. Friday, it announced a new "delegate selection team" of four people, led by Ed Brookover, a former campaign manager for Ben Carson with long experience as a Republican operative. Mr Brookover said the campaign is working to get Trump supporters selected as delegates, including in Georgia, building on state operations in place during primaries and caucuses. "The good news is, in going through my review of Mr. Trump's operations in these states, these folks have not dropped the ball," he said. A handful of states and territories give candidates a direct say in naming delegates, but 44 states do not, and those account for about 73 per cent of all delegates, according to Benjamin Ginsberg, who was the national counsel to Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign. "It's this under-the-radar competition and exercise of massive proportions that campaigns really need to be doing," Mr Ginsberg said. He recalled attending several state conventions four years ago where Romney supporters were "rolled" by delegates loyal to Representative Ron Paul of Texas, embarrassing Mr Romney with a protest at the national convention. Ohio is one of the few states that allow candidates to submit their own list of delegates. Many others hold state conventions to elect them, and in some cases executive committees of the state party pick delegates, often from a list of donors or party stalwarts. John Yob, a Republican strategist who was Rick Santorum's national convention director in 2012, coined a name for delegates pledged to one candidate but quietly sympathetic to another: "supporters in name only". "There is almost 100 per cent certainty there will be people elected" as delegates in states across the country, he said, "that do not support the candidate they say" they back. "The ultimate nominee will likely be determined in the convention because of the strength of the ground games at state conventions across the country," he added. Another complication for Mr Trump is that party activists, who have historically dominated the state conventions where delegates are elected, tend to favour people with ties to the party establishment. Mr Trump's powerfully insurgent campaign has been anti-establishment since Day 1, and he has attracted few endorsements from Republican leaders. He faces the challenge of getting his outsider troops to attend arcane, lengthy and often boring meetings. Mr Trump, who on Tuesday won decisively in Florida, the largest of five states that voted, still has the most likely path to a majority of delegates among the three remaining Republicans. But as the race moves to the west and north-east, and with many states awarding most delegates based on votes by congressional district, Senator Cruz and Mr Kasich may be able to hold back Mr Trump in Indiana, Wisconsin, Washington, New York and California. If Mr Trump continues to pick up delegates at the rate he has won them so far, he will finish with about 1148, which is 89 short of the majority needed to lock up the nomination. Senator Cruz's path to a majority is harder: at his current pace, he would fall 559 short of a majority. Mr Kasich, who has no mathematical path to a first-ballot victory in Cleveland, is preparing for a convention-floor fight. He announced late on Tuesday that he had hired a new adviser, Stu Spencer, who in 1976 helped President Gerald Ford secure the nomination over Ronald Reagan, the last time no candidate arrived at a Republican convention with a majority. The most recent conventions that went into multiple ballots were even longer ago: when the Democrats met in 1952, and the Republicans in 1948. London: British Prime Minister David Cameron will postpone publication of the Iraq war inquiry report until after the European Union referendum, leading to accusations that he is deliberately delaying controversial announcements. Senior government sources confirmed that it is likely to be published after the June 23 vote, even though it will be handed to ministers next month. Mr Cameron had previously suggested he wanted to publish the report, which is expected to heavily criticise senior political figures, within two weeks of receiving it. Lambs to the slaugher: David Cameron has delayed publication of the Iraq war report. Credit:Getty Images The prospect of a further delay was denounced on Friday by families who lost loved ones in the conflict. The report of the six-year-long Chilcot inquiry has been repeatedly delayed after those criticised within it were given the right of reply, a process known as Maxwellisation. Plans for to build a nuclear power station at Hinkley Point near Burnham-On-Sea appear to be back on track after the French Government promised to financially back firm EDF Energy. French economy minister Emmanuel Macron has promised a bailout for the company this week. During a visit to a nuclear power station in Civaux, midwestern France, he told journalists that the Government would recapitalise EDF if there was a need. He added: If you believe in nuclear, you cannot say that you will not participate in the biggest nuclear project in the world. Not doing Hinkley Point would be a mistake. It comes just days after EDF chairman Jean-Bernard Levy said the project could not go ahead without the intervention of the French Government. EDF Energy will be giving evidence to the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee next Wednesday to give an update on the situation to ministers. The new 18billion nuclear plant will provide electricity for five million homes and created more than 25,000 jobs in the region. A campaign has been launched this week to encourage voters in the Burnham-On-Sea area to register to vote ahead of Mays elections. As a national advertising campaign is launched across England to encourage voter registration ahead of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections, Sedgemoor District Council is encouraging local people to sign up. On Thursday 5th May, 2016, voters will go to the polls to elect a Police and Crime Commissioner. Registering now for the elections in May will also mean voters are registered in good time before the referendum on the UKs membership of the European Union on 23 June, 2016. The Electoral Commission today launched its national voter registration campaign to remind people to register by the deadline of Monday 18 April, 2016. In England advertising will appear across TV and online on demand video services. This is in addition to the work that is already being carried out across England by the Commission and partner organisations, which started earlier this year. Louise Potter, Electoral Registration Officer for Sedgemoor said: Time is running out to make sure you can take part in these elections, so Id encourage everyone in Sedgemoor to register now if you have not done so already. Our message is simple: you cant vote, if you are not registered by 18th April. It is easy and only takes a few minutes online to register see www.avonpccelection2016.org.uk/register-to-vote After a surge in sales in the south and west, air conditioner (AC) makers are preparing for a hot summer in the north. Rising temperatures in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Telangana pushed up sales by up to 25 per cent for major manufacturers such as Daikin, Blue Star, Carrier-Midea and Voltas between January and mid-March. This has given hope to the sector, hit by a mild summer last year. According to B Thiagarajan, president of Blue Stars AC and refrigeration business, they expect 25 per cent growth in 2016-17. The south accounts for 29 per cent of sales, the north for 37 per cent, the west for 22 per cent and the east follows with 12 per cent. This year, the industry has witnessed an early onslaught of summers, right from the middle of February. While the entire country witnessed a relatively warm February, in March we see a lot of traction in South India. We see the momentum continuing with a buoyant April and May, Pradeep Bakshi, president & chief operating officer, Voltas Limited said. According to P Vijay babu, business head (AC), LG India, they are expecting a double digit growth from the northern region. LG is the second largest AC maker in the country after Voltas. Other major players like Daikin, Carrier-Midea, Videocon and Godrej too are expecting sales to grow by 15 to 30 percent this year. Daikin, Carrier-Midea, Videocon and Godrej expect sales to grow by 15-30 per cent. Dealers have been demanding products such as ACs. Typically, February-March is when we place the products in the market. Weve had to rush that process to meet demand this year, said Anirudh Dhoot, director, Videocon Industries. AC sales are driven by higher temperature and intermittent rain in the north this month can play spoilsport. Industry executives are betting on a weather prediction of above-normal heat after Holi. The Rs 10,000-crore industry grew by 10 per cent last year, compared to the over-20 per cent it had expected. The summer season, 50-60 per cent of yearly sales, saw volume growth in single digits. Sale of ACs in India is much lower than in major Asian economies such as Japan and China, at four million units a year. Its penetration in Indian households remains low at three per cent, compared to an average of 60 per cent among major economies, an EY report stated. All signs seem to suggest that the summer this year will be better than last year. Generally, summer (comes) in the first week of March; this year, it kicked in earlier, said Kamal Nandi, executive vice-president, Godrej Appliances. KEEPING IT COOL AC sales surge early in February, March 2016 in south & west India due to higher temperatures Last year 4 million ACs sold, but penetration remains low at 3% compared to global average of 60% Industry grew 10%, less than 20% growth projected Milder summer played spoilsport but festive season saved the day for the industry Sales expected to clock Rs 23,100 crore by 2020 from Rs 10,000 crore in 2015 Source: Industry Europe's leading aircraft maintenance training center is setting up a training facility in Hyderabad to train technicians and other experts required in this field, adding to the budding ecosystem of aerospace industry here. Based in Bordeaux, France, Europe's biggest hub of aerospace industry, this training organisation today signed an MoU with Telangana government for this purpose. The government would provide accommodation for the upcoming training facility apart from bearing the cost of trainers in the initial period. Industry minister Jupally Krishna Rao said the government's objective was to produce at least 1,000 technicians and other specialists required in Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul(MRO) activity. "The facility will be located in the Begumpet airport(the old operational airport). Airports Authority of India(AAI) has in principle agreed to give Air India's hangar to run the training center," Arvind Kumar, secretary, industries department said. It may be recalled that Pratt and Whitney, a unit of United Technologies, had already established a training center at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport last year, providing training to its employees, aircraft engineers and technicians on current and new engine models. The city houses two MROs run by Air India and GMR at the international airport. Hyderabad, which was also chosen as a permanent venue for the biennial India Aviation Show, has become home for some successful collaborations in aerospace manufacturing forged by Tata Advanced Systems with US-based leading global helicopter maker Sikorsky and aerospace and defence major and Lockheed Martin. Latest addition being the Tata Advanced Systems's joint venture with US aircraft maker Boeing, announced in November, 2015, to manufacture aero-structures for the company's commercial and military aircraft. These global collaborations coupled with the a large presence of public sector aerospace and defence establishment and a mature ancillary base grew around it has created a new buz with people seeing the city as a potential aerospace manufacturing hub in the country. The Hyderabad training facility marks Aerocampus Aquitaine's first ever entry into India. This is just a beginning of collaborations proposed under the framework of the sister city agreement signed between Hyderabad and Bordeaux Metropolis, a cluster of 28 cities in France, according to the French representatives. Jerome Verschave, general manager of said their training not only aimed at creating highly skilled workers but also highly responsible technicians considering the nature of aerospace industry. Starting with an intake of about 300 students in lower level technician courses, the center would eventually introduce several advanced courses required for the industry to take the total strength to 2,000 people, according to Arvind Kumar. Though all of the facility would only offer paid courses, the state government would like to finance students in lower level technician courses. Students from Telangana would be given first preference, he added. According to Arvind Kumar, Telangana government's aerospace policy was based on three components, namely training of manpower, promotimg research and development and facilitate startup ecosystem in aerospace sector. The pharmaceutical manufacturers in South India are approaching the Madras High court against the Union Health Ministry's ban of 344 fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs. The Federation of South Indian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (FOSIPMA), a federation of pharmaceutical manufacturers of all the southern states, has filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court and some other associations are waiting for the result of this petition before moving ahead with their petitions. Interestingly, the Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association (TNCDA), an association which claims a strength of 30,000 pharmacy retail members in the state, is also planning to move the High Court this week, seeking stay on the ban to make the process of returning the existing stock to the manufacturer easy. The association said that it welcomes the ban and it has been a decision long pending. According to reports, the All Kerala Chemists and Druggists Association (AKCDA) has already received an order from the Kerala High Court issuing a stay on the ban for two weeks. FOSIPMA, which filed the writ petition on Friday, alleged that the decision to ban 344 drugs has been taken without proper study and consideration, seeking the Court to revoke the ban and also issue a stay for immediate relief. "All the manufacturers are going to be affected because of the ban. It should also be considered that many of these medicines has been in the market for several decades and no patient has been affected because of them," said B Sethuraman, president, FOSIPMA. He added that the doctor now have to write several number of medicines instead of one earlier and in many instances, it could create difficulty to the patient. J Jayaseelan, chairman for Indian Dru Manufacturers Association (IDMA) State Board for Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry also said that the association is watching the situation and may move to the court depending upon the developments. "Government's order to ban 344 FDCs enbloc is arbitrary and unfair. Even though vague show causes notices without details were received in some cases, no opportunity for personal hearing has been given to any manufacturer. The many issues raised by manufacturers in reply to show cause notices have also not been answered by the Govt. and it is clear that Govt. has not applied its mind to merits of each case when issuing the enbloc order barring 344 FDCs in one go," said S V Veerramani, national president, IDMA. The TNCDA, on the other side, feels that while the ban is a right move and has been long pending, it did not give enough time for the retailer to deal with the stock they have with them. "We have to find out all the brands which comes under the FDC ban and inform our 30,000 or above retailers so that they can return the stocks to the company and get the credit issued from the wholesaler," said S Ramachandran, president, TNCDA. There would be several brands with the same combination. He added that there could be around 200 such different products stocked in a small pharmacy and the number could go up if it is in larger cities. He said that around 15 including domestic and multinational majors have conveyed in writing that they will take back the stocks from the retail outlets and give them credit. The association has already made a list of 4,000 medicines which come under the FDC list, however, has to finalise it in the wake of several getting stay order on the ban from various courts. The retailers are also not sure whether they can sell the drugs though there is a stay on the ban and have stopped selling the products from the last three to four days. The pharmacists also require time to spread awareness among the customers, for medicines which has to be consumed for lifestyle disease like diabetes. The patients has to go back to the doctors and get a new prescribed, before changing the . Prolonged slowdown in the corporate sector and the rising bad loans has forced banks to squeeze funding to micro, small and medium enterprises. As a result these small businesses are increasingly turning to online platforms to raise funds. These online portals works in the space of peer-to-peer lending (P2PL) arrangements, which allows an individual to lend money to other unrelated individuals without assistance from any financial intermediary. "We have seen more demand coming in from the SME and the MSME sector, especially the ones that are new in the space because they find it difficult to get loan from the banks as they may not have the required income/bank documents etc in place, as a result we have seen an increased demand from this segment," said Vaibhav Pandey, CEO of i2ifunding.com. As per the Reserve Bank of India data, credit to small industries between January 23, 2015-January 22, 2016 grew at 2.4% as compared to 12.7% a year ago. In the same period, bank credit to medium enterprises degrew by 7.1% compared to a growth of 0.7% a year ago. According to RBI guidelines, micro and small enterprises are those in which the loan size is up to Rs 5 crore. Shankar Vaddadi, Founder, i-lend.in, another P2P lending platform also terms the SME and MSME category as a "massive segment." "Since it is very difficult to get an unsecured loan for either first time borrower or people who may not have all the required documents needed by a bank. These people come on to the online platform and avail credit with ease." Pandey also added that with the demand ha also been increasingly coming from the new players entering the e-commerce segment. "E-commerce has been a big driver. This is because on one hand we have new players from that segment scouting for funds. And on the other hand because several small entrepreneurs are getting to sell their products online which in turn are leading to an increased demand for capital for which they are coming to us." This comes at a time when the Reserve Bank of India is looking at ways to regulate this sector. Currently, it does not come under the ambit of the banking regulator. However, considering that this sector has been gaining momentum in the last couple of years, RBI is now looking at monitoring this sector. Several online portals have sprung up in India to facilitate such lending and some have also secured private funding from investors, but it is still at a nascent stage compared with countries such as the US and China. Tata Steel is in discussion with foreign companies for investments up to Rs 20,000 crore in heavy industries over the next five years at its Special Economic Zone (SEZ) project at Gopalpur in Odisha, Tata Steel SEZ Managing Director Arun Misra told PTI in Singapore on Friday. "We are currently in discussions with 13 to 14 different investors. Talks are at various levels," he said at the Emerging India Forum 2016 in Singapore. The investment will be in defence, metal downstream and electronics as well as chemicals and pharmaceuticals among others, Misra, who is marketing the Gopalpur SEZ as a gateway to the South East Asian markets, said. Tata Steel is the anchor tenant for the multi-product 2,970-acre SEZ at Gopalpur in Odisha. The UK-based Midget Corporations is setting up an assembly plant for "unmanned aerial vehicle targets" which are used by army for firing practices. Singapore consultant Subrana Jurong has completed the SEZ's masterplan with all land cleared for leasing within the 30 square km boundary. "All master-planning has been done, the entire area has been cleared, there is no encumbrance," Misra said. Basic utilities and road infrastructure has already been built in early development of the zone which has Tata Steel's ferrochrome plant. The Gopalpur SEZ, just off the National Highway 5, will be based on a Singapore model for industrial development which offers land parcels of various sizes for industries, he said. Tata Steel SEZ will invest between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,500 crore by 2020 in the Gopalpur SEZ, for which a Tata Power power plant proposal is also on the drawing board. The company is also discussing a possible investment in expansion of Gopalpur port, about five kms away from the zone. "We want to show that if you plan well and provide infrastructure, SEZ can be successful," Misra added. A light breeze is enough to send up clouds of dust, even without the numerous trucks and motorcycles passing by. The landscape is a light brown for as far as the eye can see, with an under-construction flyover blocking the view every now and then. But for the faint odour that wafts in, this could well be a scene from the Sangam in Allahabad, complete with sandy beaches, sundry temporary stalls and an equal amount of garbage. This large piece of land, close to 1,000 acres, that is a part of the Yamuna's floodplain in New Delhi, witnessed Art of Living's World Culture Festival last week. I am not alone in using the Sangam allegory: on March 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that the festival is the Kumbh Mela of culture". Art of Living's spiritual leader, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, faced the ire of activists and the National Green Tribunal for environmental violations that would occur when an event of this scale - the festival is said to have seen 3.5 million footfalls - is hosted in an ecologically sensitive region. While the tribunal suggested that a damage of up to Rs 120 crore has been done to the land, it slapped a fine of Rs 5 crore on Art of Living as "environmental compensation". Though Art of Living has insisted the event would in no way impact the river or the floodplain, the scale of the event tells a different story. The long walk to the seven-acre main stage is made longer by the countless potholes. The three-day festival, which started on March 11, saw heavy rains on the first day of the event, making the entire area slushy. As I make my way in two days after the event, the soil feels soft under my feet, almost like quicksand. I pass by shrubs and small trees that look positively desolate. According to local residents, the entire walkway from the entrance was populated with shrubs and trees. A part of the walkway bears evidence of concrete, while the rest is sandy in parts and slushy in others. At the central location, countless workers are busy dismantling the large stage and various other tin sheds. Juice boxes and upturned food trays add colour to the land, which is now green with endless rolls of carpets instead of grass. Where the carpets are rolled, long black polythene sheets, used to shield the carpets and their occupants from water and rain, flutter about. Workers from BVG, the company contracted to manage housekeeping and cleaning, take a break on a few chairs. Over 100 BVG's employees have been tasked with cleanliness, according to Ravi Shankar, the project lead at the venue. He adds that several Art of Living volunteers have helped them collect garbage. In a press release, Art of Living said its volunteers have been working round the clock for the cleanup. The contractors, though, say that the volunteers usually come in by 10 am and leave by 4 pm. I visit the venue on two separate days at different times of the day and can still not spot any Art of Living volunteer. Ready for the challenge BVG workers have bigger woes. "If it were up to us, we would have completed the cleaning in about 10 days. These large installations are delaying our work," says the spiritual leader's namesake, pointing towards the shed that was used to serve meals to the guests. Several tiny meal tickets lay strewn about, many of them embedded in the soft soil. While surface garbage may be easier to target, it is the waste that has sunken into the soil that will be hard to extract. The workers, though, seem unfazed by such questions. "We will handle everything," they say with confidence. Photo: Dalip Kumar Closer to the stage, the extent of work and the scale of operations appear more daunting. The scene looks like the construction site of a large infrastructure project. Standing at the centre, the stage is a replica of what the ghats of Varanasi look like from a boat on the Ganga. A few local residents are finding a way to climb their way to the top. "Who knows when we'll get to see the Yamuna from such a vantage point again?" one of them laughs. While all of them agree that there used to be a lot of vegetation on this brown land, there is also a strange sense of pride in their voice. "Whatever you may say, we cannot doubt that this Baba has made India famous." None of them knows what his name is or what Art of Living does. A group of workers is busy stacking chairs and sofas and loading them onto one of the many trucks that are parked near the stage. Another group is working with hammers to dismantle the stage. I spot a few of them looking intently at the sky. Following their gaze, I see the large lamp posts that were installed for the event, with men on long ladders unhooking the heavy floodlights - not a single one of them is wearing a hard-hat. A five-member crew from the District Disaster Management Authority has arrived at the venue for a recce. While one of the officials tells me that he is primarily here to survey the garbage disposal, he does seem perturbed by the lack of protective gear for the workers. "Largely, I feel, a lot of the area is clean and no apparent damage, at least cleanliness-wise, has been done to this land," he says. On the ecology front, though, he is reluctant to comment. "The Yamuna looks as it did before, so at least they didn't dump the garbage there." But there's more to the damage than cleaning the river. Vimlendu Jha, environmental activist and executive director at NGO Swechha, says the worry for ecology does not stem from a "romantic notion of a blue river", but is an issue of basic survival. Photo: Dalip Kumar As I make my way towards one of the contractors for the tents, the distinct stench of a public urinal assaults my nostrils. As I peer further, I see a row of portable toilets that are lined together far away from the stage. The dignitaries and guests of honour were clearly insulated from such harsh realities, the odour from the Yamuna included. The contractors tell me that close to 1,000 people across various agencies and departments are involved in the cleanup and that it would take close to a month to dismantle all installations. The Delhi Development Authority, to whom the land belongs, has given no clear deadline for the handover of the land, according to them. As I return for a second visit two days later, there seems to be an improvement in the level of dirt strewn about. Trucks from SPML, a Delhi-based infrastructure company that has been engaged by Art of Living for waste disposal, are loading the garbage and ferrying it out. The landscape is now more black than green (most of the carpets have been rolled away) and there are fewer sofas in sight. The roof of the dinner shed has been uninstalled, though the structure remains. The dismantling of the stage, too, appears to have seen some progress. Where there were human footprints in the mud, there are now tyre-tracks from the various vehicles that have been moving several heavy goods out of the floodplain. As Jha says, the human imprint on the floodplain is now unmistakable. "Delhi gets 20 per cent of its drinking water from this area. If we are not careful, we will have another Chennai-like situation on our hands." For now, the 7-acre podium seems to have taken centre-stage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday once again reiterated his government's commitment to double farmers' income by 2022, saying that though the task is challenging but it can be done through cooperation from all stakeholders, including farmers, states and the Union government. He said even as the Opposition is doubting his claim, farmers' income can be doubled by diversification in agriculture and reducing the input costs. Addressing a mega farmers fair, "Krishik Unnati Mela", which is expected to be attended by nearly 100,000 farmers from across the country over the next three days at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi, the Prime Minister said his government has started various measures that will reduce input costs on fertilisers, water for irrigation, and ensure better marketing of farmer produce. "We along with the state governments and all others should work together to realise this dream," Modi said. As per the latest government data, the all-India average monthly income of agricultural households during the crop year July 2012-June 2013 was an estimated Rs 6,426. Chief ministers of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Meghalaya also participated in the inaugural session. Modi said the Union Budget of 2016-17 is dedicated to farmers and rural poor, and such has been its appreciation all round that even our detractors are being forced to applaud it. Attacking opposition parties for claiming that all projects and programmes started when they were in power, the Prime Minister said: "You would be surprised to know that as many as 90 projects that are full of water, dams for example, have been built, but there is no way to provide water to farmers." He added: "Now, my government is working to provide water from these projects and once it is completed, around 8 million hectares of area will get water. And, once the water reaches there, you all can think how much that land will give us back." Modi also spoke of funds from the MNREGA programme to be utilised this summer for creation of assets, such as ponds to conserve water. "About MNREGA, many discussions take place, but no asset has been created. This government is emphasising... during this summer in every village, one task that should be completed through MNREGA is desilting of ponds, deepening of ponds and the creation of new ones. In this Budget, the government has aimed for 500,000 ponds," he said. For a good part, the Prime Minister emphasised on micro and drip irrigation as well as liquid fertilisers to reduce cost of production and raise farmers' income level. "Water harvesting is of as much importance as water conservation. We do not have the right to waste water. Per drop more crop is how we can do that," Modi said. He said through use of modern and new technologies, it has been proved that traditional water guzzling plants such as sugarcane and paddy can be grown in areas where micro-irrigation systems is dominant. The Prime Minister asked farmers to continue with their regular farming activity, but also told them to adopt animal husbandry, grow timber and go for value addition and processing. "Food processing is the best way to increase the farmers' income," Modi suggested. He also said that till now Indian agriculture was obsessed with growth rates, but no more, we need an integrated approach to solve the problems of the farming sector. He said purchasing power in rural India needs to be raised and it can be done only through improving economic activity. Talking about the newly launched Prime Minister's Crop Insurance Scheme, Modi said the scheme provides for record low premiums while at the same time ensuring maximum coverage. "For the first time, even post-harvest losses and even pre-harvest damage is covered under this insurance scheme," the Prime Minister said. He even gave a clarion call for a second green revolution in eastern states, which have adequate water and fertile land, through adoption of modern technologies. Putting a premium on water conservation to raise farm productivity and income, Modi said the government has identified 90 stuck irrigation projects that can irrigate 8 million hectares. The government is spending Rs 20,000 crore to boost irrigation projects. Adults, even in their 30s and 40s, might raise their risk of stroke by six-fold every time they use cocaine, a recent US study suggests. Based on a comparison of younger victims of a first stroke, using cocaine in the 24 hours before the event raised the risk substantially - up to eight-fold when the drug was smoked in "crack" form, researchers found. "Among other factors, we know that cocaine causes rapid increase in blood pressure and also can cause cardiac problems that can lead to stroke," said senior author Steven J Kittner of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs Maryland Health Care System in Baltimore. The researchers analysed data from a study that took place between 1992 and 2008, identifying more than 1,000 cases of ischemic stroke in people ages 15 to 49 years from hospitals in the Baltimore/ Washington DC area. Ischemic stroke is caused by the blockage of a blood vessel in or leading to the brain, often by a blood clot, and is the most common kind of stroke. The researchers matched these stroke cases to 1,152 similar people who had not suffered a stroke. Participants were asked to recall whether they had ever used drugs, pills or medications for nonmedical or recreational reasons or to get high. The stroke victims were more likely than the comparison group to be tobacco smokers and to have a history of diabetes and high blood pressure. History of cocaine use was similar in both groups, with 28 per cent of stroke victims and 26 per cent of the comparison group saying they had used the drug at some time in their lives. A history of ever use was not linked to increased stroke risk, the researchers report in the journal Stroke. People who said they had used cocaine over the previous day were more than six times as likely to have suffered a stroke as people who reported never having used cocaine. That result did not change much even after researchers adjusted for tobacco smoking and alcohol use. Only 26 people reported cocaine use within 24 hours of their stroke, and 14 said they had used within six hours of the event, researchers note. Roughly 10 to 20 young people per 100,000 suffer an ischemic stroke, and risk is much higher for African Americans than for Caucasian people, Kittner said. No observational study like this one can "prove" causation, but a strong case can be made that using cocaine does cause stroke, based on the totality of evidence, he told Reuters Health by e-mail. But this study is very important for clinical practice, said Antonio Siniscalci of Annunziata Hospital in Cosenza, Italy, who was not part of the new study. In particular, smoking crack cocaine seems to be associated with stroke, whereas cocaine hydrochloride causes mainly bleeding of the brain, Siniscalci told Reuters. "It is reasonable to screen young patients, particularly men, for drug use when they present with cryptogenic stroke," or stroke of unknown origin, he said. "Unfortunately, this is not likely to be a deterrent for addicted users or even for most considering first use," Kittner said. "However, it is possible that a small percent of potential users could be deterred." The Real Estate Regulator Bill, 2016 is being hailed as a much-needed step to reform the real estate sector, besides being a shining example of cooperation between the government and the Opposition in Parliament. But while the Bill addresses the builder-buyer spectrum, it leaves out the red-tapism that developers have to work around. Sushil Syal, MD and CEO of Bharti Realty, speaks to Manavi Kapur about the various challenges that lie ahead. Edited excerpts: How effective do you think the Bill would be in regulating the real estate sector? The basic thrust of this Bill is to regulate the delivery of projects to home buyers. In terms of pricing, which is governed by circle rates, it will be difficult to monitor. Currently, one of the biggest woes of home buyers is the timely delivery of houses and this Bill provides them a legal safeguard for their investment. In its current form, the Bill addresses the builder-buyer spectrum, which is a welcome step, especially with regards to adding an element of transparency to the status of government approvals. But the Bill does not address any of the challenges that real estate developers face while being players in the realty sector. Would this Bill increase bureaucratic hurdles for developers? Builders would certainly face more red-tapeism now, especially when it comes to procuring relevant approvals. Developers have been demanding a single-window clearance from the government for a very long time now, but unfortunately, this Bill does not address that. And since the implementation of the Bill is up to the states, it leaves builders with greater chances of being harassed because of more bureaucratic procedures than before. Globally, the real estate business is also a regional one, especially because land laws are specific to each state and region. For those developers who want to diversify, an added layer of the regulator will make it that much harder. The Bill also does not tackle the issue of defaulting buyers. There is a large investment that goes into a real estate project and without a financial recovery plan, it may make projects unviable. Is the 70 per cent escrow stipulation for developers justified? In the case of developers who operate in regions with low land prices, a 70 per cent escrow rule will not be very difficult to manage. But other mature real estate markets, especially hubs within cities that have high land prices, will make a project unfeasible with a 70 per cent escrow. For example, if the land price per square foot in South Delhi is Rs 30,000 and the selling price is at Rs 50,000, keeping 70 per cent of the project value in escrow will put a huge burden on the developer. Ideally, the escrow stipulation should have been linked to market prices and should have been made region-specific. Without this Bill too, the government has certain regulations in place for developers to secure the interest of home buyers. What changes now? So far, there wasn't complete transparency as far as government approvals were concerned and there were instances when projects were sold without adequate clearances. But now, buyers will invest in real estate projects with greater confidence. The key, though, lies in the enforcement of these rules. Each state will need to set up an agency to ensure that this Bill does what it is supposed to. There will be more clarity once the states come up with a plan to implement this Bill, which means that it will be some time before its effects become visible. Some of world's top auditing firms, including Price Waterhouse, Grant Thornton, Deloitte LLP and Walker Chandiok & Co, are under scrutiny with a slew of regulators seeking answers on their valuation, auditing and due diligence of UB Group companies over the last few years. Deloitte LLP conducted the financial and tax due diligence for Diageo of United Spirits Ltd (USL) which led to the $2.1 billion acquisition of the company, but could not detect the problems in annual accounts. These accounts, in turn, were prepared by PW, which was the auditor for USL between 2010 and 2011, and later by Walker & Chandiok & Co. The accounts were disputed by Diageo in April 2015 after it found a Rs 2,100 crore hole and sought Vijay Mallya's ouster from the USL board. Questions have also been raised by lenders on what basis Grant Thornton valued the Kingfisher brand at Rs 4,100 crore. This is now being probed by the Serious Fraud Investigation office (SFIO). When contacted, a Grant Thornton spokesperson said the firm fully stood by its brand valuation report on Kingfisher. "We believe it was appropriate in the context of when it was done and the purpose for which it was done," the spokesperson said. PW declined comment but an external spokesperson said the firm had not received any communication from either the Securities and Exchange Board of India or the Enforcement Directorate. "Deloitte does not comment on client confidential matters," its spokesperson said. Diageo had invested in USL after the British company was given express representations that all of the receivables from Mallya entities were recoverable in full. The fund diversion worth Rs 2,100 crore from USL was later raised when KPMG, the new auditor appointed by Diageo, discovered discrepancies when it was finalising USL's 2014 accounts. All the three years' accounts will now have to be re-stated, according to listing norms. In the same year, the new USL management called in PW UK for a forensic audit of the previous three years (which included auditing by its own India unit) and passed on the reports to the regulators including the Sebi, the ministry of corporate affairs and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. The ICAI, sources said, had asked both PW and Walker Chandiok to explain the discrepancy. An ED official said it was surprising that none of the auditors or valuers for Diageo raised flags over the accounts manipulation or the Rs 4,000 crore diversion by USL to the British Virgin Islands in 2007. While the auditors of USL are in the dock for cooking accounts, another marquee auditing firm -- Grant Thornton is under investigation by the SFIO for its Rs 4,100 crore brand valuation of Kingfisher Airlines. It was based on this brand valuation in 2011 that Mallya raised Rs 9,100 crore from government-owned banks by offering the brand as collateral. The lenders are now holding a dud Kingfisher brand, which is finding no takers. Sources in the ICAI said it was a redux of the Satyam scam, when some of the world's top auditors overvalued assets before the Maytas and Satyam merger, which led to the unravelling of the scam. In the Satyam case, the ICAI had debarred two auditors from Price Waterhouse who were found guilty of professional misconduct. S Gopalakrishnan and T Srinivas were struck off the ICAI's rolls and fined Rs 5 lakh each. A Central Bureau of Investigation court later convicted them of fraud. Hours after his release from Tihar jail in a sedition case, JNU student Umar Khalid today said he has no regrets of being jailed and was rather proud of being booked under the said charges. "We have no regrets of being jailed in this particular case. We are in fact proud of the fact that we have been booked under sedition, a law under which activists like Arundhati Roy and Binayak Sen were booked. "Our names have been added to the list of those who have been jailed for raising their voices," he told a gathering at the varsity. In a 35-minute speech, Umar said: "I am not ashamed that I was in jail. Criminals are those who are in power, those in jail are the ones who raise their voice." ALSO READ: JNU students Umar Khalid, Anirban get six-month interim bail in sedition case "I also don't think that freedom of expression is in danger. It only belongs to those in power. People like (Pravin) Togadia and Yogi Adityanath have all the freedom of expression," he said. Umar claimed that he was being labelled a terrorist because of Islam, which, he said, he did not practice. "I never followed Islam but I was called Islamist terrorist. It was not just my trial but entire Muslim community's trial. But I want to ask what if I was practising Muslim? What if I came from Azamgarh and wore a skull cap? That will be enough to give me a terrorist certificate", he said. Khalid, who was welcomed at the gathering by JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and his 6-year-old sister Sara, said, "Those who are raising concerns about wastage of taxpayers' money, we want to tell them we are not going to go back to studies now that we are back from jail. By jailing us you have given bigger responsibilities on our shoulders and we will fulfill that by fighting." Umar, and Anirban Bhattacharya, arrested last month on charges of sedition for their involvement in a controversial event organised to protest hanging of Afzal Guru, were today granted interim bail for six months by a Delhi court on ground of parity with Kanhaiya. Kanhaiya, who was also arrested on charges of sedition in connection with the February 9 event at the JNU, was granted bail earlier this month. "I was linked with Jaish-e-Mohammad, I was accused of eloping to Kashmir or Pakistan while I was sitting at the university administration block, I was declared a traitor to the nation by virtue of birth. "We are still in a better position as we were not killed in an encounter or tortured in custody and our houses were not burnt. Usually that's the fate of those who raise their voices," Khalid said. "We do condemn 'bharat ki barbadi' (India will be destroyed) slogans but our slogan is 'Sangh ki barbadi tak jung rahegi' (fight till sangh is destroyed). There can't be peace without justice and where there is RSS can't be justice," he said. Amid shouting of 'aazaadi' slogans, Anirban recalled his experiences in jail and how authorities were more appalled at him being an "anti-national". "They said Khalid sahab to we understand, but you being a Bhattacharya how can you be anti- I had no answers and I am still clueless about what transpired in the last one month," he said. "I did not feel bad about being in jail but the day Kanhaiya came back to campus I missed being here," he said. Supplementation of Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) omega-3 fatty acids, the kind found in fish, has been linked to the reduction in major depressive disorder (MDD), scientists say. According to the World Health Organisation, depression is a major cause of disease burden worldwide, affecting an estimated 350 million people, researchers said. A new analysis supports the link between intake of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids, the kind found in fish, and reduction in MDD, they said. "This new meta-analysis nuances earlier research on the importance of long chain omega-3s in MDD," said the study's lead author RJT Mocking, from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The meta-analysis includes 13 studies with 1,233 participants and, according to researchers, showed a benefit for EPA and DHA comparable to effects reported in meta-analyses of antidepressants. The effect was greater in studies supplementing higher doses of EPA and performed in patients already on antidepressants. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, in 2014, an estimated 15.7 million adults aged 18 or older in the US had at least one major depressive episode in the past year. The study was published in the journal Translational Psychiatry. Striking workers of Tata Motors held a protest dharna in front of the Chharodi railway station opposite the entry road to Tata Motors Sanand factory. However, the event turned out to be a muted affair with only 300 protestors indulging in sloganeering. As per the sources, about 90 workers have broken away from the group over the past few days and joined work. Read more from our special coverage on "SANAND" Gujarat govt soon to recognise union at Tata Motors Sanand It is learnt that about 100 to 150 police officials were present at the Sanand-Viramgam highway since morning. A handful of trade union leaders were also waiting nearby. About 100 odd workers came in around 11:30 am and congregated at the Chharodi railway station right off the highway. Some sloganeering and a couple of speeches later (during which the police waited patiently and was seen urging the workers to wind up the process), the workers, whose numbers by the time had swelled to around 300, were asked to board the police vans and were taken away. The protesting Workers did not have permission to hold the protest at Sanand. To the police and administration's relief protesting Workers on their part did not try to disrupt the traffic on the highway. Striking workers at Tata Motors' Sanand plant staging a protest at Sanand (Pic: Yasin D) Sources close to the development said, "Workers are now more open to resume work, just that the demand for taking back those suspended has to be met. Around 90 workers, however, have already joined back during the past few weeks." Sagar Rabari, secretary Gujarat Khedut Samaj that has pledged support to the Tata workers along with 22 other trade unions, said, "Farmers were not involved in today's action. We did not get police permission, and hence we did not wish to scale up the event." Farmers movement leader Lalji Desai whose Jameen Adhikar Andolan Gujarat (JAAG) had mobilised farmers from 44 villages against the proposed Mandal Special Investment Region (SIR), was present in Sanand today. He, however, added that some farmer leaders were present in today's movement, though not farmers themselves in large numbers. Workers feel that holding such protests would build the pressure against the company as well as the state government and are hopeful that they would soon yield to the workers' demands. Rabari said, "We have maintained from the very beginning that the demand of re-instating the 28 suspended workers is non-negotiable. However, it now seems that there could be a positive outcome soon." He, however, added that another protest dharna is planned in front of the deputy collector's office on March 28, for which they plan to mobilise the farmers as well. At the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad convocation function, Arundhati Bhattacharya, chairperson of the State Bank of India (SBI) said that in current time role of have changed and now a bank is not only a bank but it has become a guide in our lives. The world has changed, we dont need a book keeper, its all done by machines. today have become your investment consultants. They have become your guide of life and this transition is huge, said Bhattacharya. Read more from our special coverage on "ARUNDHATI BHATTACHARYA" We tried our best to recover money from Vijay Mallya: Arundhati Bhattacharya Now are more technology driven and in which requirement of accountants and book keepers are very less. Advising the students who completed their courses from IIM-A she said that try to be an employer instead of being an employee as every month millions of people are added who are looking for jobs. Bhattacharya said, Every month India adds one million people for jobs, and in this condition you must be employers, dont look only for employment because you are gifted enough to have been admitted to have been in this prestigious institute. Talking about the challenges, she mentioned that there are several challenges that you will have to face in coming time such as urbanisation, water, energy, terrorism and many others but it is one side of coin. During the event, IIM-A's interim chairman Pankaj Patel who is also the chairman and managing director of Cadila Healthcare said, The students of IIMA are known to be keen explorers, seeking opportunities for intellectual and social development. Many of our past students have gone on to become great contributors across global communities and I am sure all of you will also join these ranks. The Prime Ministers Jan Suraksha insurance schemes have seen a number of claim rejections owing to fraudulent claims. Data show that out of the 25,398 claims filed with insurance companies, 800 were rejected for fraud. Launched in May 2015, the Jan Suraksha schemes, which include Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Suraksha Bima Yojana, extend the benefits of life and general insurance to policyholders. There is also a pension scheme called Atal Pension Yojana that is part of the Jan Suraksha schemes. According to insurance officials, fraudulent claims include policies being bought for dead people or for conditions that are pre-existent leading to death. People in rural areas are not aware that proper documents are required to process claims, said an official with a large life insurer. Hence, they are taking the help of agents, some of whom are fraudsters who make use of the policy and take the claims. The plans have a cover of Rs 2 lakh each, with a premium of only Rs 12 a year for accident insurance and Rs 330 for the life product. Not all insurance companies in the private sector have become a part of this scheme because the cover cost is low though servicing costs are high. It does not get business sense in the current premium rates, said a senior official of a private life insurance company. Insurance companies have said that while these schemes have enabled them to get business volumes owing to low premiums, pricing might not be sustainable in the long run. And, if premiums are increased, renewals might be a concern. There are also concerns about the renewal rates since there have been cases of people not even knowing that their account has been debited for the policy. Since the premium is low and some policyholders may not even have realised that their account has been debited, these policies might not be renewed in the next financial year, said the head of underwriting at a mid-size private insurer. Only some bank branches would handle claims, unlike in the case of other policies for which any branch can be approached. A public sector bank official said banks would have to keep some personnel ready to take care of claims. As on March 16, a total of 29.5 million policies have been sold under the Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and 93.9 million policies have been sold under Suraksha Bima Yojana. Here, State Bank of India leads in selling the most number of policies in both life cover and accident insurance cover. From the next financial year, when the policy are renewed, there might be a revision in premiums based on claims data, said a senior executive with a life insurer. PLUGGING LOOPHOLES Report of ASSOCHAM stating that Wheat Production in the Country this year is likely to be lower is Factually Incorrect- Radha Mohan Singh . Union Agriculture and farmers Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh today said here said that todays report of ASSOCHAM stating that wheat production in the country this year is likely to be lower by 1.5 crore tonne is factually incorrect. In 2015-16, wheat production in the country is estimated at 93.82 million tonnes (2nd Advance Estimate). The recent untimely rains and hailstorm in some parts of the country have caused some damage but, as per present assessment, production of wheat in the country would still be around 92-93 million tonne which is substantially higher than the wheat production of 86.53 million tonnes during 2014-15". . . Shri Singh said that the present stock of wheat with the Food Corporation of India is higher than the stocking norms. Against the stocking norm of 7.6 million tonnes as on 1st April, 2016, the present stock of wheat in the central pool is 13.5 million tonne. During the last one year FCI has sold 7 million tonnes of wheat through open market operations. For the past some time, the market response to the tenders floated by FCI has been weak which implies that there is no shortage of wheat in the country at present. . . Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister informed that during the last one year international price of wheat have been subdued. In order to protect the interests of farmers, Government of India, imposed 25 per cent import duty on wheat. He further said that the harvesting of wheat has started. With a target of 30.5 million tonne, FCI has already started procurement activity. . . Shri Singh said that at this juncture, such incorrect information is being publicized with a view to compel government to reduce import duty on wheat. Lower import duty on wheat would lead to a fall in wheat price in the domestic market and farmers will incur heavy loss while traders will purchase from farmers at lowered price. . . Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister said that the Government is keeping a close watch on prices, particularly prices of food items and will make all efforts to keep food prices under control. . . SS/CP . The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today called upon all stakeholders, including farmers, States and the Union Government to resolve to double farmers' income by 2022. . . Sharing his vision for Indian agriculture, with farmers at the Krishi Unnati Mela in New Delhi today, the Prime Minister said that while this task may be challenging, there can be no doubt that this is an objective worth aiming for. . . The Prime Minister described the Krishi Unnati Mela as a platform that could rewrite India's destiny. He said India's future had to be built on the growth of agriculture, and the prosperity of its farmers and its villages. In this context, he mentioned the recent Union Budget, and said it would have a far-reaching impact on these sectors. . . Shri Narendra Modi emphasized that the next revolution in Indian agriculture had to be built on technology and modernization; and the eastern part of India had maximum potential to achieve it. The Government is working towards this goal, he added. . . The Prime Minister explained how the reduction of input costs was the first element towards raising farm incomes. He said that the Soil Health Card scheme, and the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana are important steps towards reducing input costs. . . The Prime Minister called for raising farm incomes through diversification in farming activities. He said that along with crop growing, farmers could opt for timber plantation along the edges of their fields; and also begin animal husbandry. He said diversification in farming activity will reduce the risk associated with agriculture. . . The Prime Minister explained the benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, and said it had been evolved after wide-ranging consultations. He said that the scheme is characterized by minimum premium, and maximum security. . . Earlier, the Prime Minister visited the exhibition pavilions, and was given an overview of best practices and techniques followed by various institutions and agriculture entrepreneurs; latest agriculture equipment, and milch cattle. . . The Prime Minister gave away the Krishi Karman Awards for 2014-15 to States and farmers. He also launched a mobile application for farmers "Kisan Suvidha." This will provide information to farmers on subjects such as weather, market prices, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and agriculture machinery. . . The Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) and Health & Family Welfare Shri Shripad Yesso Naik today inaugurated the National Arogya Fair at Auto Cluster Development & Research Institute (ACDRI), PCMC, Chinchwad,Pune. The Fair has been organized by AYUSH Ministry in collaboration with the State Government of Maharashtra and Indian Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO). The fair will continue till 22nd March, 2016. . . Speaking at the inauguration, Shri Shripad Naik said that AYUSH is a very important sector and it should be propagated worldwide. To popularize AYUSH system of medicine across the world, the AYUSH Ministry is entering into an agreement with the World Health Organization for global positioning of AYUSH, Shri Naik disclosed. The Minister further explained that MOUs have already been signed with several countries for bilateral cooperation in the field of traditional medicine. In view of the suggestions received, the National Health Policy would be reviewed in the next 6 months to incorporate this aspect of propagation of AYUSH, the Minister explained. Shri Shripad Naik said that India is entering into a very important partnership with the United States for research in AYUSH for treatment of cancer. . . Shri Anil Shirole ,MP; Shri Ajit Sharan Ayush Secretary ; Shri Shailesh Gujar from Ayurveda Vikas Parishad; Shri A. K. Vashisth, General Manager India Trade Promotion Organization were also present at the function. Students of Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga demonstrated yoga asanas at the event. . . The Arogya Fair aims to create awareness among the members of the public about the efficiency of the AYUSH Systems, their cost-effectiveness and the availability of herbs and plants used for prevention and treatment of common ailments at their door steps through various mass-media channels to achieve the objective of Health for All. . . The Arogya Fair is showcasing sectors like Ayurveda, Sidha, Naturopathy, Yoga, Unani, Homeopathy and other recognized traditional healthcare systems. Institutions, Companies associated with these areas of healthcare including Insurance, Health Tourism, Lab Equipment and Machinery, Research Institutes, Hospitals, Naturopathy Centres are taking part in the event. There is no entry fee for visiting the Fair. . . Central Research Councils/National Institute in the AYUSH Systems of Medicine along with the National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPB), IMPCL (Indian Medicines Pharmaceutical Corporations Limited) and Private AYUSH Industries are showcasing their strengths in the realm of Research, Education and Development of Products to promote healthcare through AYUSH Systems. . . This AROGYA Fair has attracted importance as it would involve participation of International delegates. . . The Ministry of AYUSH has been organizing AROGYA, Comprehensive National Level Fair on AYURVEDA, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy in the major capital cities in India since 2001 to promote awareness and showcase development in the various AYUSH Systems. . . The fairs organized in various cities has so far received a good response. AROGYA Fair provides an all-encompassing platform to all AYUSH stakeholders to come together to project all facts related to AYUSH. . . Five people, including a suicide bomber, were killed and 36 wounded in a suspected attack by Kurdish militants on a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul on Saturday. The fourth suicide bombing in Turkey this year hit part of Istiklal Street, a long pedestrian zone lined with global brand name shops and foreign consulates, just a few hundred metres from an area where police buses are usually parked. Preliminary findings indicate that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (or an affiliate carried out the attack, a senior Turkish official said. The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the targeted point because they were scared of the police, the official said, adding the bomber had planned to hit a more crowded spot. Istiklal Street, usually thronged with shoppers on weekends, was quieter than normal before the blast as more people are staying home after a series of deadly bombings. Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu confirmed that 36 people had been wounded and seven of those were in serious condition. Twelve of the wounded were foreigners, he said. Israels foreign ministry confirmed some of its citizens were among the wounded. We as a nation are unfortunately now face to face with a situation of unlimited, immeasurable acts that are inhumane, defy human values and are treacherous, Muezzinoglu said. US President Barack Obama has congratulated Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and French President Francois Hollande on the arrest of Salah Abdeslam, the prime suspect in the deadly Paris terror attacks. Abdeslam was captured in a police raid in Brussels. Four months on the run as Europe's most wanted man, he was shot in the leg during the raid following which he was captured. He will be thoroughly interrogated by the police as investigations in the case take a strong turn. A statement released by the White House said the President commended the work of Belgian security services and noted that this significant arrest was the result of hard work and close cooperation between Belgian and French law enforcement authorities. Reiterating that the United States stands together with both the countries in shared struggle against the scourge of terrorism, Obama pledged full cooperation and support in degrading and destroying the ISIL. Abdeslam's hideout came as a surprise as despite one of Europe's biggest manhunts following the Paris attacks, he returned home in Molenbeek, where his parents still live. He managed to stay hidden in the area, which is viewed by the police as a centre of recruitment and planning for jihadi terrorism. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel had in a hastily arranged joint press conference with the French president, Francois Hollande announced that three suspects were detained in total. Hollande said Abdeslam would be quickly extradited to France, adding that the investigation was ongoing because the network was "very large in Belgium, France and other European countries". Meanwhile, the investigators will now have to determine Abdeslam's role in the coordinated attacks that saw suicide bombers blow themselves up near the national stadium, gunmen open fire on bars and restaurants, and gunmen open fire with Kalashnikovs at a rock gig at the Bataclan concert hall. At least 130 people were killed in the deadly last November. 62 people -- 55 passengers, seven crew members -- were killed on Saturday when a passenger jet crashed in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, media reports said. Flydubai flight FZ981 was en route from Dubai and crashed while trying to land, RT News reported. Initial reports put the toll at 61 people with six crew members. "During the landing approach a Boeing-737 crashed. It had 55 passengers on board. All of them died," a regional official told TASS news agency. Air-traffic control and local emergency services confirmed the crash. "According to preliminary data, the jet crashed in poor visibility conditions, some 50-100 metres left of the runway," a source said. Russia's Investigative Committee has launched a probe into the incident with preliminary data indicating that the plane disintegrated and caught fire upon touching the ground. Reports indicated that the debris were spread across several kilometres. Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that all passengers on board were Russians, while the flight crew consisted of foreigners. The airport has closed until further notice due to which at least six flights were delayed, two of which were supposed to leave for St. Petersburg, while the were due to arrive in Moscow. The inbound flights are getting rerouted to Krasnodar. Flydubai confirmed the crash saying, "We are investigating further details and will publish an update once more information is available," the airline added. Hackers who stole $101 million from Bangladesh's central bank stalked its computer systems for almost two weeks beforehand, according to an interim investigation report seen by Bloomberg. Prepared for Bangladesh Bank by cyber security firms FireEye Inc and World Informatix, the assessment offers a tantalising glimpse into how cyber criminals can use banks' own systems against them. The cyber companies say the thieves deployed malware on servers housed at the central bank to make payments seem genuine. The report cast the unidentified hackers as a sophisticated group who sought to ... The retired wrestler Hulk Hogan was awarded $115 million in damages on Friday by a Florida jury in an invasion of privacy case against Gawker.com over its publication of a sex tape - an astounding figure that tops the $100 million he had asked for, that will probably grow before the trial concludes, and that could send a cautionary signal to online publishers despite the likelihood of an appeal by Gawker. The wrestler, known in court by his legal name, Terry G Bollea, sobbed as the verdict was announced in late afternoon, according to people in the courtroom. Bollea's team said the verdict represented "a statement as to the public's disgust with the invasion of privacy disguised as journalism," adding: "The verdict says, 'No more.' " The damages awarded to Bollea on Friday were compensatory: $55 million for economic harm and $60 million for emotional distress. Punitive damages will be established separately, which raises the prospect that Gawker will have to submit to a detailed examination of its finances in court. Gawker's founder, Nick Denton, said in his own statement that the jury did not hear all the facts. "We feel very positive about the appeal that we have already begun preparing, as we expect to win this case ultimately," he said. At issue in the case, in Pinellas County Circuit Court, was a grainy black-and-white tape made in the mid-2000s, which showed Bollea having sex with the wife of a friend of his at the time, Todd Clem, a radio shock jock who had legally changed his name to Bubba the Love Sponge Clem. Gawker posted an excerpt in a 2012 post by Albert J Daulerio, the site's former editor in chief, that mused on the appeal of celebrity sex tapes. The case represented a peculiar clash of worlds, and it was a surreal spectacle. Bollea explained his relationship with Clem, and the ways in which Clem had encouraged him to sleep with his wife. 2016 The New York Times News Three months since the US lifted a 40-year ban on oil exports, American crude is flowing to virtually every corner of the market and reshaping the world's energy map. Overseas sales, which started on December 31 with a small cargo aboard the Theo T tanker, have been picking up speed. Oil companies, including Exxon Mobil Corp and China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, have joined independent traders such as Vitol Group and Trafigura Pte in exporting American crude. The "growing volumes of exports" from the US are now "spooking the markets", Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst ... The Securities and Exchange Board of Indias (SEBI) circular to issued on March 18, 2016 raises the bar on disclosure and increases transparency across the value chainboth with respect to fund houses and distributors. Here are a few ways in which investors stand to benefit from the regulators communique. Compare current value with cost of purchase: At present the consolidated account statement (CAS) provides the names of the schemes, the number of units held, and their market value. Now the document will also tell how much has been invested to date in each scheme. Investors will be able to tell at a glance how much money they have put in, and how much those investments are worth today. Financial experts, however, warn against investors misconstruing this information. Suppose that you have done an SIP of Rs 5,000 for 12 months and you find that the current worth of your investments is Rs 63,000. Some investors may think that their investments have appreciated by only 5%. But your actual appreciation would be higher since you put in money at different points of time: a part 12 months ago, another part 11 months ago, and so on. In case of long-term investments like equities and balanced funds, if the current value of investments is lower than the total sum invested even after a year or two, which is quite possible during a bear market, investors may want to exit the investment, whereas they actually need to continue with their SIPs to benefit from a downturn. Such information should be accompanied by an educational statement from the fund house that investors should stick to their investments in long-term, equity-oriented products, says Vishal Dhawan, chief financial planner, Plan Ahead Wealth Advisors. Know the fee you are paying to distributor and fund house: The half-yearly CAS will henceforth provide the investor information on the actual commission paid by the AMC to distributors (in absolute rupee terms) during the past six months against his total investment in each scheme. Besides direct monetary payments, fund houses will also have to include information on payments made as gifts or rewards, trips, event sponsorship, etc. The average total expense ratio for the half-year period will also have to be revealed. At one place the investor will be able to see how much he has invested, how much he is paying the fund house for managing his money, and how much he has paid to the distributor for his services. Some financial advisors feel that making this information available will curb mis-selling. Now that information on distribution commission will be available upfront to investors, distributors will think twice before selling unsuitable products to investors only for the higher cuts they offer, says Ankur Kapur, founder, ankurkapur.in. Again, the risk in such disclosures is that when returns are negative in a particular year, some investors may feel that they shouldnt be paying such charges to the fund house and the distributor, and may want to exit. Investors must understand the long-term benefits of volatile products like equities and not compare them to products like bank fixed deposits where the returns are linear but lower, says Dhawan. Take informed decisions with more information: The scheme information document and the key information memorandum (KIM) will now contain the following information: tenure of fund manager, schemes top 10 sector and stock holdings, expense ratio of underlying scheme in fund-of-funds, turnover ratio, and impact of expense ratio. Most investors are focused only on the outcome, that is, the returns. Information like this will help them lift the hood and understand the mechanics of how work, says Dhawan. While it is a positive move on the part of the regulator to make all this information available, investors need to interpret it correctly (see box). Moreover, they need to compare information about a particular fund against the average level for that category. For instance, it is not enough to know a funds expense ratio. An investor needs to compare it with the category average to be able to say whether the fund is expensive or cheap. Such information is usually available on the web sites of fund rating agencies. It will be easier for financial advisors to discuss with their clients the risks in a fund, whereas currently choices are made mostly on the basis of returns, says Kapur. Shorter, more readable SID and KIM: Consolidated SIDs are voluminous documents. SID and KIM for individual funds will make these documents shorter and more readable. Lowering the risk of defaults: Currently, balance sheets of many corporates are heavily leveraged and the risk of defaults and downgrades is growing. A couple of fund houses have already suffered on this count. The regulator wants fund houses to develop their own independent capability for assessing the risk of lending to corporates, instead of relying on a third party. Reveal soft dollar arrangements: While has not banned soft dollar arrangements, it has stipulated that they should only be entered into if they are in the investors interest. It has also made it mandatory that all such arrangements should be disclosed. What these five parameters mean for you * Top 10 holdings: Which were the fund managers top sector and stock bets? And did they translate into alpha? * Expense ratio of FoFs: You pay two layers of cost in a fund-of-funds. Is it worthwhile? * Turnover ratio: Higher turnover generates higher costs, so be wary of it. Tells you whether a fund manager picks stocks based on careful research, or indulges in short-term trading and rides momentum. * Total expense ratio: Total fee you pay to fund house. Lower is better, unless higher cost is justified by higher return. * Fund managers tenure: If the returns of the fund are high, but the fund manager who generated them is no longer at the helm, the track record loses much of its meaning. A joint team of Indian Army and police has apprehended a NDFB (S) terrorist from Anand Bazar village in Baksa. One 7.65 mm pistol along with four live rounds of 7.65mm, one No 36 hand grenade, four live rounds of AK-47 ,eight live rounds of 9mm, two leafs of extortion pads and one mobile phone were recovered from the apprehended cadre. Based on specific information on movement of an NDFB (S) cadre, a team of Indian Army and Baksa Police yesterday launched a joint operation and nabbed the cadre. The cadre, who has been identified as Daithun Boro, underwent training in the 41st batch in Bhutan. He was actively involved in extortion, arms smuggling and other nefarious anti- activities. The apprehended cadre has been handed over to police in Tamulpur. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on Saturday expressed his confidence saying that the party is ready for elections and forming government in while stating that Chief Minister Harish Rawat has no majority in the state now. "35 MLAs have come to Delhi who will meet BJP President today. Also, they will go to the President if need arises. We have told the Governor that we have the majority and asked him to allow us to form the government there. The Governor said that he would ask for a report from the government and consider the matter. We are ready for election and forming government. We will wait for the Governor's reply," Vijayvargiya told ANI. He also alleged that the government in has fallen due to Congress' internal rift. "I believe Harish Rawat ji has no majority in Uttarakhand. He has no right to be in power now. We have requested the Governor to dismiss the minority government," he added. Further training his guns on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for terming the BJP as 'power hungry' and alleging it of involving in 'brazen horse trading' in Uttarakhand, Vijayvargiya said that there was no need for Arvind Kejriwal's 'proof' letter. "We have started our journey from Bharatiya Jana Sangh and it's been only one-two years that the Arvind Kejriwal Government has been formed. He and his party are in an immature stage, so these kinds of statements do not affect the BJP," he said. Earlier, the BJP said that it would stake claim for the formation of a government in the state as Chief Minister Harish Rawat-led government was in minority. After urging Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul to dismiss the incumbent Harish Rawat-led Congress Government, Twenty six BJP MLAs, along with nine rebel Congress MLAs reached Delhi last night. In the 70-member Uttarakhand Assembly, the ruling Congress has 36 MLAs, while it has the support of three Independents, two Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and one Uttarakhand Kranti Dal MLAs. Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended his condolences to the families of 62 people killed in the Boeing 737-800 crash, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. FlyDubai Boeing 737-800 from Dubai crashed landed amid poor weather conditions at the Rostov-on-Don Airport (ROV), killing 62 people onboard. "Rostov-on-Don Governor Vasily Golubev and Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov reported to Putin about the search operations being conducted at the crash site. The head of state noted that the main thing now is working with the families and friends of the victims," the foreign media quoted Peskov as saying. He added that Puchkov, Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov, head of Russia's civil aviation regulator Rosaviatsia Alexander Neradko and presidential envoy to the Southern Federal District Vladimir Ustinov had been sent to the crash site. As per latest reports, the victims include 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one person from Uzbekistan. Flydubai flight FZ981, which was flying from Dubai to southern Russia, crashed while landing. CCTV camera footage posted on YouTube claimed to have captured the moment of the explosion. However, its authenticity could not be immediately verified. Kabul is set to host the g7 + Group meeting next week which is aimed at creating joint strategy among developing countries to help improve their economic, political and security situation, said officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). The MoFA officials made the statement on Thursday and said the donor countries are expected to renew their commitments to developing countries, including Afghanistan. Wahidullah Waisi, Economic Relations Director at MoFA, said the session will be held on March 23 in Kabul. "This is not a session; it is a process which will work on plans and programs for effective overcoming of problems in the country," Tolo News quoted him as saying. Meanwhile, officials from Industries Association remained doubtful about the outcome believing that it will not reduce unemployment in the country. The present g7+ members include Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti , Liberia, South Sudan , Sierra Leone and East Timor, who are the founding members, together with Burundi , Central African Republic , Chad, Comoros, Cote d' Ivoire, Guinea , Guinea -Bissau , Papua New Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe , Solomon Islands , Somalia , Togo and Yemen. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Finance has signed a new project to support the Government of Nepal in strengthening its national capacities to access, manage, deploy and monitor climate finance received from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). This project is part of a larger green climate fund readiness programme, with a total allocation of 1.5 million dollars that is being implemented in partnership with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), reports eKantipur. The 'Green Climate Fund Readiness Programme for Nepal' funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), will enable Nepal to effectively access funds from the GCF, the largest global climate financing mechanism. Nepal is the fourth most vulnerable country in terms of climate-related risks. The project is expected to help Nepal effectively mobilise resources and respond to challenges presented by climate change. A major tragedy was averted as the timely and swift action by the Indian Coast Guard, ensured the rescue of eight crew members from a sinking dhow off Beypore in Kerala early Saturday morning. Dhow MSV Selva Matha which was operating between Beypore and Lakshadweep with 8 crew members on board, sunk around 2 am today. Acting swiftly the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Mumbai, immediately diverted tanker MV Hafnia Asia for rescue since it was in the vicinity and also diverted ICGS Abhinav in the area. The crew was successfully rescued and handed over to the ICGS Abhinav at 7 am. All the crew members are safe and healthy and are being brought to Kochi. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) will convene its 19th Grand National Convention at Palamunai today. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will be the chief guest on the occasion while Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will take part as a special guest at the convention, reports Lanka Page. The event will be presided over by SLMC leader and Minister City Planning and Water Supply Rauff Hakeem. Leader of Opposition R. Sampanthan, dignitaries from Diplomatic Missions, members of the civil society organizations, representatives from the public and private sectors institutions and think tanks besides others have been invited for the event. SLMCs' Deputy Ministers, MPs, representatives in local government bodies, office bearers and general members of the party and well-wishers will also take part. The SLMC convention is held annually for not only forging public relations but also for adopting its party platform for representation of a people's voice in a plural representative democracy. Punjab suffered huge losses in the decade-long militancy in the 1980s. However, the appeared to have splintered and eventually faded away by the mid-1990s. Punjab suffered heavy losses both in terms of social and financial means. "Punjab has suffered a lot due to internal terrorism. There was a great loss both in terms of physical and financial. Punjab still has the hundreds of crores of rupees in debt. Along with the accused, many other innocent people lost their lives," said Col (Retd.) Kuldip Singh, state president, SEWA. The recent terrorist attacks in Dinanagar and Pathankot areas of Punjab indicate help from an insider in carrying out the same. "The two terror strikes at Dinanagar and Pathankot show a strong possibility of some inner hand from Punjab. Especially, terrorists in the Pathankot attack came a night before and they stayed here which means someone must have given them shelter," he added. Former Vice-Chairperson of Commission for Minorities Bawa Singh said there is a very small chance of another Khalistan or terrorist movement originating in Punjab. "I do not completely rule out the possibility, but even if it happens, it will be on a very small scale," he added. The had garnered enough support from the Sikh Diaspora in Britain, the U.S. and Canada. Paramjit Singh Pamma, a Khalistani militant, walked free after remaining in detention for nearly two months after the Portugal Government turned down India's plea to extradite him. Before his arrest by the Portugal Police on December 18, 2015, Pamma was living in the UK after being granted political asylum in 2000. However, experts feel his release would hardly affect the dwindling support for Khalistan. "The release of Paramjit Singh Pamma won't affect Punjab. The reason being the money which he used to give to the organization here does not exist now. The organization needs to be created once again and for that reason he needs to hire people and Pakistan may help him in this. If this will happen then there are chances of any otherwise no such movement can come again," said Col (Retd.) Kuldip Singh. Khalistan-led militancy that peaked in late 1970s and 1980s claimed hundreds of lives. The increased vigilance by security forces and the confidence building measures adopted by the Sikh community helped in rooting out the Khalistan movement. Punjab suffered huge losses in the decade-long militancy in the 1980s. However, the Khalistan movement appeared to have splintered and eventually faded away by the mid-1990s. Punjab suffered heavy losses both in terms of social and financial means. "Punjab has suffered a lot due to internal terrorism. There was a great loss both in terms of physical and financial. Punjab still has the hundreds of crores of rupees in debt. Along with the accused, many other innocent people lost their lives," said Col (Retd.) Kuldip Singh, state president, SEWA. The recent terrorist attacks in Dinanagar and Pathankot areas of Punjab indicate help from an insider in carrying out the same. "The two terror strikes at Dinanagar and Pathankot show a strong possibility of some inner hand from Punjab. Especially, terrorists in the Pathankot attack came a night before and they stayed here which means someone must have given them shelter," he added. Former vice chairperson of Commission for Minorities Bawa Singh said there is a very small chance of another Khalistan or terrorist movement originating in Punjab. "I do not completely rule out the possibility, but even if it happens, it will be on a very small scale," he added. The Khalistan movement had garnered enough support from the Sikh Diaspora in Britain, the U.S. and Canada. Paramjit Singh Pamma, a Khalistani militant, walked free after remaining in detention for nearly two months after the Portugal Government turned down India's plea to extradite him. Before his arrest by the Portugal Police on December 18, 2015, Pamma was living in the UK after being granted political asylum in 2000. However, experts feel his release would hardly affect the dwindling support for Khalistan. "The release of Paramjit Singh Pamma won't affect Punjab. The reason being the money which he used to give to the organization here does not exist now. The organization needs to be created once again and for that reason he needs to hire people and Pakistan may help him in this. If this will happen then there are chances of any Khalistan movement otherwise no such movement can come again," said Col (Retd.) Kuldip Singh. Khalistan-led militancy that peaked in late 1970s and 1980s claimed hundreds of lives. The increased vigilance by security forces and the confidence building measures adopted by the Sikh community helped in rooting out the Khalistan movement. A Jat delegation is presently holding parleys with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar over the reservation issue. The delegation, which consists of Union Minister Sanjeev Baliyan and various senior Jat leaders, are meeting Khattar at the Haryana Bhawan here. A meeting between Jat organisations and Haryana Chief Secretary D.S. Dhesi and Director General of Police Yash Pal Singal in Chandigarh yesterday ended on a positive note, with the Jats agreeing to give the government time till April 3 to get a reservation Bill passed during the ongoing Assembly session that ends on March 31. The Jat leaders had convened a meeting on March 14 and had handed the government a 72-hour ultimatum to fulfill seven demands. Keeping in view the sensitivity of the issue, the state government had on Friday morning blocked Internet and bulk message services in Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonipat. They were restored in the evening. The Haryana Government has stepped up security in many towns as the deadline issued by the Jat community to accept their demand for quotas ended yesterday. Uttarakhand Governor Dr. Krishna Kant Paul on Saturday wrote to Chief Minister Harish Rawat, asking him to prove majority in the House by March 28. Rawat, who had earlier this afternoon said that he would tender his resignation if he was not able to prove majority, would be meeting the top Congress leadership in New Delhi tomorrow to apprise them about the current political crisis. Attempting to downplay the political crisis in the state, the Chief Minister also emphasized that his main priority was the welfare of Uttarakhand. The Congress Government in Uttarakhand is presently in crisis as nine party MLAs, including a minister, joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party last night. A three-member BJP delegation met the Uttarakhand Governor last night and demanded the dismissal of the Harish Rawat-led government while stating that it was in a minority. The BJP staked claim to form the government with the support of the rebel Congress MLAs. With the Congress government in crisis in after nine party MLAs, including a minister, joined hands with the opposition BJP overnight, Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Saturday asserted that the welfare of the state was his priority and added that he would tender his resignation if he was not able to prove majority. The Chief Minister stated that the rebel MLAs should have spoken to the Speaker or the Governor separately before taking such a colossal step but added that he was ready to give time to the deflecting MLAs to accept their mistake and apologise for their actions. "Around four to five rebel MLAs are in touch with us now and I am giving them a chance to accept their mistakes. Their conduct was wrong and if they won't accept it then action will be taken. So far, five of them have contacted me," Rawat said. Adding that the Congress in the state was ready to prove majority in the House, he said that the ruckus created by the BJP after the adjournment was completely wrong and those who supported it were equally guilty. Lashing out at the BJP leaders for 'misusing the central machinery', he stated that the Opposition was making desperate attempts to get rid of the Congress government in the state. "Their schemes will fail for sure. I will prove my majority on the floor of the House. I am a democratic individual and the moment I lose my majority, I will offer my resignation. The BJP is flustered right now keeping 2019 in mind, which is why they are attacking our government," Rawat said. Issuing a challenge to the rebel MLAs, he dared them to prove their majority in the House and not 'run' to New Delhi. Meanwhile, following the massive upheaval, the Congress alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah, who are drunk with power, are using sinister means to destabilise elected governments. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told ANI that the duo of Prime Minister Modi and the BJP president have now become infamous for forcible evacuation of elected governments in this country. "First, elected governments are destabilised by a sinister conspiracy and then they are sought to be unseated without the will of people. First Arunachal and now .Modi ji and Amit Shah ji are trying to destablise Opposition's government, particularly Congress Party's government," Surjewala said. As many as 26 BJP MLAs and nine rebel Congress legislators arrived in the national capital last night in their bid to topple the Harish Rawat-led Congress Government in . A three-member delegation, comprising senior BJP leader Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Uttarakhand in-charge Shyam Jaju and party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya met Uttarakhand Governor K. K. Paul last night and demanded the dismissal of the Harish Rawat-led government while stating that it was in a minority. The BJP staked claim to form the government with the support of the rebel Congress MLAs. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. With Neuson Hydrotec GmbH ISGEC Heavy Engineering has signed four Technical Co-operation Agreements with Neuson Hydrotec GmbH, GaisbergerstraBe 52, 4030 Linz, Austria for manufacture, sale and supply of following items, jointly for India: (i) Nosing Press Plant; (ii) Forging Plant; (iii) Forging Complex Press; and (iv) Straightening Press. 2. The Technical Co-operation Agreement in respect of Nosing Press Plant came into effect on 16 March 2016. The remaining agreements will come into effect once these are approved by the Board of Directors in the next meeting. Powered by Capital Market - Live News SGB to be issued on 29 March 2016 During the third tranche of the Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) scheme from 8th March, 2016 to 14th March, 2016, as per initial figures, more than 64,000 applications have been received for a total subscription of 1128 Kilograms of gold amounting to Rs. 329 crore. The actual figure may vary as comprehensive information from all the authorized receiving agencies is under compilation. These Bonds will be issued on March 29, 2016. The top receiving agencies in terms of subscription amount are SBI, Bank of India, Indian Bank, ICICI Bank, Punjab and Sind Bank, HDFC Bank, Canara Bank, Andhra Bank, PNB, Union Bank of India and Central Bank of India. The trend during the Third Tranche of SGB shows that the scheme is gradually picking-up amongst the investors with increase in awareness and more clarity about the provisions of the scheme. The Third Tranche of SGB was kept open from 8th to 14th March, 2016. A Review Meeting through video conferencing was held with the Banks in national Capital by Shri Shaktikanta Das, Secretary, Economic Affairs before the opening of the issue. To increase the awareness amongst potential depositors, the Government had also launched the media campaign through AIR, FM radio, Print media, Mobile SMS, facebook and twitter. It may be recalled that during the First Tranche of SGB issued in November 2015, 62169 applications were accepted for a total subscription of 915.953 Kilograms of gold amounting to Rs 246.20 crore by the Banks and Post Offices. In the Second Tranche of SGB from 18th January, 2016 to 22nd January, 2016, approximately 3.16 lakh applications were accepted for a total subscription of 2872.3 Kilograms of gold amounting to Rs 746.80 Cr crore by the Banks. Earlier, the Government of India had launched the Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) Scheme on 5th November, 2015. The objective of the scheme is to reduce the demand for physical gold and shift a part of the domestic savings used for purchase of gold, into financial savings. Sovereign Gold Bonds are issued on behalf of Government of India in tranches by RBI, from time to time, on payment of the required amount in rupees. The Bonds are denominated in grams of gold and are restricted for sale to resident Indian entities including individuals, HUFs, trusts, Universities, charitable institutions. Minimum permissible investment is two grams of gold, value of which is to be paid in rupees. The maximum amount which could be subscribed is 500 grams per person per financial year. Government has fixed the rate of interest on gold bonds for the year 2015-16 as 2.75 % per annum, payable on half yearly basis. The tenor of the Bond is for a period of 8 years with exit option from 5th year onwards. On maturity, the investor will get the equivalent rupee value of the quantum of gold invested at the then prevailing price of gold. Exemption, from capital gains is available at redemption. Powered by Capital Market - Live News At least 19 Arab pilgrims were killed and 22 injured on Saturday in a bus accident on a road linking Saudi Arabia's holy cities Makkah and Madina. Initial reports said that the bus driver fell asleep and lost control of the vehicle, Xinhua reported. All the pilgrims were of the same Arab nationality, the exact country unknown, while the driver was an Asian. Deaths of pilgrims in accidents occur frequently in Saudi Arabia which has high traffic fatalities, mainly because of over speeding and reckless driving. According to a report published on Arab News last year, at least one traffic accident occurs in the kingdom every minute. Saudi Arabia witnesses up to 7,000 deaths and over 39,000 injuries per year. After 450 border pillars were found missing along India's open border with Nepal near Bihar's east and west Champaran districts, the Sashastra Seema Bal (an armed border force) is moving to plug the gap. New pillars would be erected soon. The SSB, under the supervision and monitoring of officials of the Survey of India and Nepal Armed forces, are busy constructing the new pillars along the officially demarcated line. "During our ongoing survey that began last year, 450 border pillars were found missing with few of them badly damaged in the 'no-man's land' along the border of two neighbouring countries," Manjul Mamgai, an official of the Survey of India told IANS. There is a 18.2 metre "no-man's land" between the two countries. But at several places, land grabbers have encroached on it. "After the survey, the SSB will clear the encroachers from the area along the border" Mamgai said. Mamgai, who is heading a team of surveyors from Dehradun, and is in Champaran at present said over telephone that new pillars would be erected soon. In all, 1870 border pillars were erected stretching to 180 km from Gandak baraj in West Champaran to Ghorasan's Jamunia in East Champaran nearly 85 years ago. "It is serious work with responsibility because missing border pillars have already caused anxiety for concerned officials on both side of the border. The Survey of India is identifying the exact location of the pillars. Mamgai alo blamed nature's fury, apart from land grabbers and encroachers on both sides for the plight. "Some border pillars were washed away by heavy floods and others became victim of the changing route of rivers," Mamgai said. He said officials of both countries are meeting at Birganj in Nepal on March 21 to look at the issues arising out of the missing pillars and the need to replace them. Last year it was agreed to install global positioning system (GPS) in the pillars. According to the agreement, the two countries would set up 83 control points in their vicinity across the 1,880-km border and install the GPS system in all the 8,553 boundary pillars along the border. This will ensure timely replacement of pillars if they are damaged by a natural disaster or human intervention. According to a confidential report sent by the field formations of security agencies to the Ministry of Home Affairs, a total of 1,451 border pillars were "missing" while 1,282 had been "damaged" along the border. According to official reports of the Survey of India, 1931 pillars were erected after an agreement between the two neighbours. An SSB official said the pillars are the only symbolic security structures along the fence-less border of India and Nepal which is notorious for smuggling. Bihar shares a large part of its border with Nepal, including 10 trade transit points. All 55 passengers on board a plane, flying from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don city in Russia, were killed after the aircraft crashed at the city airport, officials said on Saturday. The plane, a Boeing 737, missed the runway due to poor visibility, which led to the crash, Xinhua news agency reported quoting officials. At least 61 people were killed on Saturday when a passenger jet crashed in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, media reports said. Flydubai flight FZ981 was en route from Dubai and crashed while trying to land, RT News reported. Air-traffic control and local emergency services confirmed that the Boeing 737-800 jet crashed near the runway during a second approach in conditions of poor visibility killing all 61 on board -- 55 passengers, six crew members. "During the landing approach a Boeing-737 crashed. It had 55 passengers on board. All of them died," a regional official told TASS news agency. CCTV camera footage posted on YouTube claimed to have captured the moment of the explosion as the aircraft impacted the ground. However, its authenticity could not be immediately verified. Emergency crews have already put out the fire, according to an airport source. The airport has closed until further notice. Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has praised his "Sultan" co-star Anushka Sharma's talent. "She (Anushka) is good. It's good to work with people, especially with talented people," Salman told reporters here when asked about his experience of working with the "PK" actress. This will be the first time Salman and Anushka will be seen sharing screen space together. Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, "Sultan" will see Salman Khan in the role of a wrestler, and he has also gained weight for his character. Even Anushka has undergone rigorous training for six weeks for her role as a wrestler in "Sultan". Asked how's the shoot going for "Sultan", the "Wanted" actor said: "A lot of hard work involved...one of the most difficult till now." The film, produced by Aditya Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner, is slated to release on July 8. Salman was here to perform at the second edition of the Times of India Film Awards at the Dubai International Stadium. The audience was left spellbound as the "Dabangg" star shook a leg on numbers like "Aaj ki party", "Love me", "Jalwa", "Ole Ole", "Main khiladi tu anari" and "Hero". Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday hailed the Russian and Iranian role in countering terrorism, according to state news agency SANA. "The supportive stance of friendly countries, mainly Russia and Iran, alongside Syria militarily and politically have effectively contributed in enhancing the steadfastness of the Syrians in the war against terrorism," Assad said. The Syrian president also said that the victory of the Syrians in the war on terror will positively reflect on the world. Iran and Russia have been the crucial allies of the Syrian government throughout the long-running conflict in Syria. The Syrian army has made notable gains in recent months, advancing deeper into main rebel strongholds in the northern province of Aleppo and the countryside of the coastal city of Latakia. BJP MP from Baghpat had allegedly concealed information about unpaid dues to the city collector in his election affidavit, an RTI activist said here on Saturday. As per a reply under RTI received by Anil Galgali, Singh, a former Mumbai police commissioner of the Indian Police Service, had reportedly withheld information about unpaid dues of a penalty of Rs.48,420 imposed on him by Mumbai Suburban District collectorate in January 2013. "The penalty was for renting out his flat in Patliputra Society, Andheri without taking proper permission from the collector as required under the laws," Galgali said. This is because the building is constructed on government subsidised land meant for housing top government officials, mandating permission from the collector after paying the prescribed fees. "The collectorate had served a notice on January 28, 2013 to Singh, who was Mumbai Police Commissioner at that time, but he chose to ignore it and even the subsequent reminders," Galgali added. Later, Singh, 60, -- who earlier served as Nagpur and Pune police commissioner -- quit the coveted post (of Mumbai Police Commissioner) to contest the Lok Sabha elections on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket and won the Baghpat seat in Uttar Pradesh. It has now come to light that Singh -- who defeated Baghpat strongman, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh in the polls -- reportedly failed to mention this outstanding 'government dues' in his election affidavit as required by the EC rules. According to EC provisions, a candidate is bound to reveal details of his criminal conviction, pending cases, assets, government liabilities and educational qualifications in the affidavit filed before the Election Officer. The relevant EC Rule 4 (3) prescribes that the candidate reveal -- 'Laibilities if any, particularly whether there are any old dues of any financial institution or government dues', Galgali explained. Interestingly, in June 2014, Singh faced major embarrassment when police busted an alleged prostitution racket being run from his 10th floor flat which was leased out to a private company. Now, Galgali has written to the EC, Lok Sabha Speaker and Prime Minister's Office demanding that Singh be stripped of his Lok Sabha membership for violating and defying EC rules. The MP could not be immediately contacted. The BJP on Saturday rubbished the allegation of horse trading in Uttarakhand where nine Congress legislators have revolted against Chief Minister Harish Rawat. The party also challenged Rawat to prove his majority in the house. "Allegations of horse trading are ridiculous. The legislators of Congress have revolted against the functioning of Rawat and his dictatorial attitude," BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya told reporters here. He also said the Congress leaders, who have revolted against the chief minister are not those who can be bought for money. "Vijay Bahuguna is among the rebel Congress leaders. He was chief minister of the state. What does Congress want to say? Do they mean Vijay Bahuguna is salable (bikau maal)," he said. Vijayvargiya also challenged Rawat to prove his majority if he claims so. "If voting could have taken place in assembly yesterday (Friday), he would have known his strength. I challenge him to prove his majority on any forum." He also said the anti defamation law against the rebel Congress leaders would not stand because the BJP had already moved a no confidence motion against the speaker. Viyajvargiya also claimed to have the support of 35 legislators."We have support of 35 MLAs and are waiting for the Governor's response." Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday criticised the BJP for what he described as "brazen horse trading" in Uttarakhand. Saying the BJP is proving to be the most corrupt party, Kejriwal tweeted: "Brazen horse trading-first Arunachal now Uttarakhand. BJP proving to be most corrupt, deshdrohi and power hungry party." The Congress-led Uttarakhand government plunged into political uncertainty late Friday as nine of its legislators joined ranks with the principal opposition BJP. The Harish Rawat-led government ended up with a red face as it got merely 32 votes in favour against the 36 required for the Finance Bill to be passed. Annual spending on research and development (R&D) in Britain has reached an all-time high, exceeding more than $44 billion, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Businesses in Britain were the biggest performers in R&D of any sector. In 2014, they accounted for 65 percent of the total spend at $29 billion, a 6 percent increase over the previous year, ONS said on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported. But even with the new record, Britain's R&D spending as a percentage of GDP is 1.67 percent. This is against an EU average of 2.03 percent and an EU target of 3 percent of GDP. Finland (3.17 percent) tops the Euro table having already exceeded, along with Sweden (3.16 percent) and Denmark (3.08 percent) the EU target. Currently, Britain is in 11th place in the list of GDP spend on R&D in EU countries, behind its industrial rivals such as Germany (2.84 percent) and France (2.26 percent). Romania rounds up the list spending 0.38 percent of its GDP on R&D. Within the business sector, the pharmaceutical industry was the biggest spender on research at $5.64 billion followed by computer programming and information services ($3.48 billion), the auto industry $3.33 billion, and aerospace at spent, $2.5 billion. The higher education sector, which includes universities and higher education institutes, was the second biggest spender on research, accounting for 26 percent of the total or $11.4 billion. Across Britain the South East and East of England, continued to dominate R&D activity accounting for 39 percent of total R& D expenditure ($17.2 billion). A Buddhist temple in China's Shaanxi province, was fined 3,000 yuan ($463) for the illegal possession of a lion within its premises, the media reported on Saturday. Officials confirmed that the lion has been confiscated and the temple in Xi'an city is under probe, the People's Daily reported. It is reported that the temple was given two sick baby lions in 2010. One of them died and the other remained in the temple until recently. Few people will have any objections to chanting "Bharat Mata ki Jai (Glory to Mother India)", but are unlikely to accept the idea of being compelled to say it. They may still do so out of fear, but that can hardly be the kind of patriotism which the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat had in mind when he said that the new generation had to be taught to hail Mother India. His directive, however, was promptly taken up by the Maharashtra legislators, including those belonging to the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), who decided to expel a Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) MLA for refusing to chant the slogan. It is now obvious that the catchphrase has become the latest test after the focus on beef by the BJP and the Sangh Parivar to judge a person's patriotism. If the ostensibly "secular" parties like the Congress and the NCP joined the saffron brotherhood in Maharashtra to ascertain a person's loyalty, the reason is a pusillanimous disinclination to be branded as unpatriotic by the gung-ho saffron brigade. It will not be easy for the Congress to get over its cowardly faus pas in Maharashtra, which has starkly exposed its secular pretensions. There is little doubt that Rahul Gandhi's bluster will lose much of its thrust in the coming days. As past-masters in playing a win-win game with the concept of nationalism, the Hindutva warriors must be delighted with the new card handed to them by their mentor in Nagpur. They undoubtedly believe that it can be used to corner their political opponents and bring them in line with saffron xenophobia. It will take considerable political courage and intellectual virtuosity for the Left-Liberals to challenge the BJP's latest divisive manoeuvre. The "old" Nehruvian Congress might have been able to point to the fascistic tactics guiding the BJP and the parivar, but not the present self-serving and intellectually vacuous dispensation. Yet, the arguments against the latest saffron offensive are obvious. There are already symbols which represent the country such as the tricolour and the national anthem. A respectful attitude towards these emblems is enough to testify to person's loyalty. There is no need to add a slogan and that, too, by a quasi-political outfit like the RSS whose contribution to the independence movement was nil. Besides, the danger of vigilantism inherent in making a slogan obligatory for a person to prove his patriotism is obvious. There may be occasions as in Mumbai some years ago when the Shiv Sena used to accost people in the streets and ask them to speak in Marathi. Those who fumbled were beaten up. Not surprisingly, the Sena now favours the revocation of the citizenship and voting rights of those who refuse to pay obeisance to Mother India. For the saffron camp, a major purpose behind the coinage of the slogan is to needle the Muslims, who are unwilling to bow their heads to any entity other than Allah. This is the reason why they do not say Vande Mataram since Mother India in the song is not a human parent but a divine being. Their objection is understandable, since for devout Muslims divinity resides only in Allah. The Congress appreciated this reservation in its days of prime, but not today when it is clearly ignorant of such religious-cultural sensitivities, as the senior general secretary, Digvijay Singh's naive query: "What is wrong with saying Bharat Mata ki Jai?" suggests. The BJP, on the other hand, knows perfectly well why the Muslims are willing to say Jai Hind or Jai Bharat, but not the RSS chief's preferred slogan. Its objective is to provoke the followers of the "religion of peace" -- to quote a view expressed by Narendra Modi at a Sufi conclave in Delhi -- which is unlikely to be widely endorsed by his party. Ever since the BJP secured a majority in the Lok Sabha, it has been trying relentlessly to push its Hindutva agenda. At first, the hardliners organised the 'ghar wapsi' and love jihad campaigns. Then they turned to assaulting and even killing suspected beef-eaters. The 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' gambit is their latest ploy, which includes a threat by a BJP member to cut off MIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi's tongue for refusing to chant the slogan. The BJP and the RSS apparently believe that their slogan follows naturally from the government's penchant for applying the sedition charge against opponents ranging from Hardik Patel in Gujarat to Kanhaiya Kumar in Delhi. But since the sedition law has been deemed "defective" by the Law Commission, the saffron brigade apparently wants to fall back on the Mother India tag to brand what it once called non-nationalists as being less than reliable. The energy and inventiveness which it has been displaying in this respect cannot but divert attention from the government's development plank. But is the government prepared to put the record straight? (Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at amulyaganguli@gmail.com ) Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur on Saturday called for judicial services to the people must be expedited and if needed, he was receptive to the idea of courts working in the summers to clear the backlog. In case the chief justices of the high courts make a request for this, I will be happy to consider it, he said. The CJI, who was here to inaugurate the new building of Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, said the prime motive of the legal fraternity, including lawyers and judges, should be speedy trials and prompt justice to the people. Referring to complaints from various sections over the tardy judicial process, he said while lawyers complain that judges do not come on time and the judges say that the lawyers take date after date, and thus cases are dragged endlessly. Congratulating the people of the state capital on getting the sprawing new campus of the HC, he said the Rs.1,300 crore campus was the best and most well-equipped in the world and expressed hope that people will benefit from it. Terming corruption as a "tax on common people", Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan on Saturday said the malady has stood in the way of his country's progress. "Corruption is a tax on ordinary people. Corruption makes the poor poorer, makes the rich richer, it finishes merit system, and destroys institutions. "The Third World is the Third World because of corruption. And corruption breeds when there is no political governance. When governance is okay, then that ends corruption," Imran told Bengali news channel ABP Ananda. He said to usher in prosperity, corruption has to be booted out. "When corruption is booted out, then we get good governance, and it leads to prosperity. If we are to usher in prosperity, we have to boot out corruption." Arguing that prosperous countries had the least corruption, he referred to countries like Switzerland and New Zealand. "These countries don't have abundant resources, but because they have a clean government, they are prosperous." "In contrast, look at Nigeria, Pakistan. We (Pakistan) have plentiful of resources, we have a vibrant population, but we are held back by corruption. We cannot move forward," he said. Asked for his prescription to root out corruption, Imran said asset declaration was a must. "If that happens, then whatever assets they don't declare, if that is caught, then the conclusion one can draw is they have either evaded tax or earned the money through illegal ways. This will contain corruption." Three Expedition 47 crew members docked safely at the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday where they will continue key research that advances NASA's Journey to deep space missions including Mars. NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, launched aboard a Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, orbited Earth four times and docked at the station. Williams became the first American to become a three-time, long-term resident of the orbiting laboratory. The arrival of Williams, Ovchinin and Skripochka returns the station's crew complement to six. The three join commander Tim Kopra of NASA and flight engineers Tim Peake of ESA (European Space Agency) and Yuri Malenchenko of Roscosmos. The Expedition 47 crew members will spend five months conducting more than 250 science investigation in fields that benefit all of humanity, such as biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences and technology development, the US space agency said in a statement. Investigations arriving on Orbital ATK's fifth NASA-contracted commercial resupply mission in late March will include a study of realistic fire scenarios on a spacecraft, enable the first space-based observations of meteors entering Earth's atmosphere from space. It will also explore how regolith or soil, behaves and moves in microgravity, test a gecko-inspired adhesive gripping device that can stick on command in the harsh environment of space and add a new 3D printer for use on station. Expedition 47 crew members also are expected to receive the first expandable habitat, which will allow NASA its first test of an innovative habitat concept that can support astronauts who live and work in the harsh environment of space. The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is an experimental expandable module scheduled for delivery on SpaceX's eighth NASA-contracted cargo resupply mission this spring. Although astronauts will not live in BEAM, it will be attached to the space station, expanded and tested for a minimum two-year demonstration, and crew members will enter periodically to evaluate performance of the habitat. NASA is considering the use of expandable habitats to support crew members traveling to an asteroid, Mars and other destinations. An expandable habitat such as BEAM takes up less room on a rocket, while allowing additional volume for living and working in space. The crew members also are scheduled to receive one Russian Progress resupply mission delivering about three tonnes of food, fuel, supplies and research. During his six-month mission, Williams will become the American record holder for cumulative days in space -- 534 -- surpassing Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly, who wrapped up his one-year mission on March 1. Williams will take command of the station on June 4 for Expedition 48. Williams, Ovchinin and Skripochka will remain aboard the station until early September 2016. Kopra, Peake and Malenchenko will return to Earth on June 5. Anita Dongre has roped in Kareena Kapoor Khan as a muse for her brand AND, and the ace fashion designer says celebrities add star power to the brand, but fashion doesn't need a "Bollywood face" to work. "Celebrities are a vehicle to communicate the brand message. We are mindful of the celebrities we collaborate with, mindful of their reach, aura and the value that they will add to the brand. Having said that, I don't think that fashion cannot work without a Bollywood face," Dongre told IANS. The designer, who is not only a celebrated name in the Indian fashion industry but also successful entrepreneur, thanks to her brand AND Design India Pvt Ltd, added that Kareena was an apt choice as she fits the needs of the brand "effortlessly". "AND is an on-trend brand with global styles that has made international fashion accessible to Indian women. The brand perfectly complements the lifestyle of today's woman, who juggles so many roles, helping her be her confident best. I've chosen Kareena as the muse since she carries AND stylishly and effortlessly." And how Kareena's as a face will help AND, a brand that is already doing so wonderfully well? Dongre said: "AND has got great expansion plans and she is in line with our growth strategy." Even though Indian handlooms have got spotlight and efforts are made to revive the craft, Dongre, who has always stressed on the importance of the glorious craftsmanship in India and also has a label dedicated to Indian crafts, handlooms and textiles - Grassroots, asserts "handloom industry is dying every day and some of our best craftsmen who have been weaving magic are giving up on this craft". "The sorry fact is that this is a tradition which lives by passing on its legacy and wisdom from father to son, down generations. Today, the children are not taking up the tradition as they do not see monetary value in this art form, and are switching to more rewarding professions in computers, BPOs, etc. "The aim is to spotlight our weaving tradition and bring it centre stage so that it finds pride of place in contemporary India and in global platforms," she said. The designer, who also shared her journey of taking Indian crafts to global consumers with her Grassroot initiative at a conference at the Harvard Business School in Boston last month, said that while the industry is doing their bit to revive the Indian crafts, fashion-conscious people from around the world should also pitch in. "When industry leaders partner and collaborate with the weavers, we will appeal to the fashion conscious in India and globally, and help revive this glorious tradition. This will give the much needed pride and dignity that our weavers so deserve and ensure fair wages and create better livelihoods for them, thus ensuring the legacy continues with the younger generation wanting to follow in their forefather's footsteps," she said. Coming up with more suggestions, Dongre asserts that "the big point is to ensure the weavers are the heroes of this project. The focal point has to be the weaver and sustaining the craft of handloom in Varanasi". "I would propose the entire grant from the government is spent intelligently and judiciously. The challenge lies in making this happen as soon as possible and moving on this on a war footing," she said. Turning to nature to seek inspiration, Dongre showcased her wearable, sustainable and functional collection titled "Earth Song", under the brand "Grassroot", at the ongoing Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) Autumn-Winter 2016 here. A fire broke out here on Saturday at the eighth floor of Indira Bhawan building that houses dozens of Uttar Pradesh government offices, police said. According to police, many files and furniture were gutted in the blaze at the 11-storey building. It took three fire tenders an hour to douse the fire. But no body was injured. The fire was noticed by some employees while coming to office. At least five people were killed and 36 injured in a suicide bombing that hit Turkey's central Istanbul on Saturday. The attack took place in front of the local governor's office in Beyoglu, Hurriyat Daily News quoted Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin as saying. Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said 36 people, including 12 foreign nationals and a child, were injured. As many as seven of the injured were in critical condition. Three Israeli citizens were among the injured, Dogan News Agency reported. Israel's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said Israeli citizens were injured, but could not confirm the exact number. The surrounding areas were cordoned off. Germany, which kept its embassy in Ankara and consulate in Istanbul closed on March 17 and March 18 following an intelligence input of a terror attack threat, warned its citizens in Istanbul after the attack to stay in their hotels and follow the media for security updates. The attack in Istanbul came six days after a suicide bomb attack in Ankara killed 37 people. The attack in Ankara was claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), a terror group linked to the outlawed PKK. At least four people were killed and one injured in an explosion in Vietnam's capital Hanoi on Saturday. According to the Vietnamese central government's online newspaper, the explosion took place in Ha Dong district, Xinhua reported. The explosion left a crater one metre deep and four square metres in area, said the report. Three people were killed on the spot while the fourth died on the way to hospital. Many houses in the area were impacted while six motorbikes were burnt and one car was damaged by the explosion, said the report. Police was investigating the cause of the explosion. Meanwhile, the media reported that two people were seen trying to cut an oxygen cylinder which probably caused the accident. "Why is it that subsidies going to the well-off are portrayed in a positive manner? Let me give you an example. The total revenue loss from incentives to corporate tax payers was over Rs.62,000 crore... I must confess I am surprised by the way words are used by experts on this matter. When a benefit is given to farmers or to the poor, experts and government officers normally call it a subsidy. However, I find that if a benefit is given to industry or commerce, it is usually an incentive or a subvention." -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, February 15, 2016, Delhi. So effective have some incentives been that companies making larger profits are now paying a lower rate of effective tax, reveals my analysis of national tax data over five years, specifically, the Statement of Revenue Impact of Tax Incentives under the Central Tax System. Effective tax rate is the tax rate actually paid by companies on profits, calculated as tax actually paid divided by profits before tax. For instance, the effective tax rate for a company making a profit up to Rs.1 crore was 29.37 percent; while the corporate tax rate was 22.88 percent for those with profits greater than Rs.500 crore in 2014-15. This means companies making smaller profits are competing in an unequal environment against bigger companies with substantial taxation benefits, with the gap in effective tax rates widening over the years. In 2014-15, as many as 43.6 percent Indian companies made losses, 3 percent companies made no profit and 47.4 percent of the companies made profits up to Rs.1 crore, the data for 2014-15 show. Less than 6 percent of India's companies recorded profits in excess of Rs.1 crore, according to the data. In addition, the proportion of loss-making companies has grown between 2010-11 and 2014-15. Tax rates can even drop from 21.94 percent to 1.53 percent. As many as 52,911 companies made profits in 2014-15 and had nil effective tax rates or, in some cases, even below. This happened because government incentives led to large declines in the effective tax rates for financial-leasing, sugar, cement, steel, mining contractors, power and energy, consultancy and paper companies. In addition, the companies also used an accounting trick called as accelerated depreciation that allows for greater deduction in the price of an asset during its earlier years to reduce their effective tax rates. Effective corporate tax rates for these industries were slashed from 2010-11. Consider finance-leasing companies, which provide assets (equipment, vehicle, software) on lease. Their effective tax rate fell from 21.94 percent in 2010-11 to 1.53 percent in 2014-15. Similarly, the effective tax rate of consultancy services declined from 34.29 percent in 2012-13 (the peak value over the last five years) to 15.88 percent in 2014-15. Tax rates are generally kept low when the government wants to increase supply and overall industry size or when the government wants to support industries in difficulty. Many industries have passed those support phases. In 2015-16, India is expected to have produced excess sugar for its sixth consecutive year. Similarly, a global slowdown has led to an oversupply of cement. Yet, these industries have benefitted from falling effective-tax rates. Had the effective-tax rates on some of such industries been the same as the 2010-11 rates, additional cumulative tax collected over the last four years from them would have totalled Rs.39,000 crore. This is based on an assumption that the tax rates would have had no impact on the profits before tax. Public companies paid higher effective tax rates (25.03 percent) than private companies (23.36 percent) in 2014-15. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in his budget speech last February, said the government would phase out tax exemptions and deductions, a move that would bring clarity to the tax regime. While effective tax rates rose between 2012-13 and 2014-15, many exemptions remain, especially for larger companies. For instance, corporates have a statutory tax rate of 33.84 percent, which they must pay on profits. However, the effective tax rate in 2014-15 was 24.67 percent. Although this rate is higher than it was in 2013-14 (23.22 percent), incentives to companies still cost the government thousands of crores. The government provided the corporate sector Rs.65,067 crore in tax breaks or exemptions in 2014-15 and is expected to forego Rs.68,710 crore in 2015-16. Compare this with the money set aside for agriculture and farmers' welfare, Rs.35,984 crore, and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Rs.38,500 crore. (In arrangement with IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven, non-profit, public interest journalism platform. Rohit Parakh is a social investor based in London and supports a number of India-centric development initiatives in policymaking, governance, alternate media and social enterprise. The views expressed are those of IndiaSpend. Parakh can be reached out at rohit.2691@gmail.com) Thousands of people across the country joined the global community by switching off extra lights in private and government buildings on Saturday evening to mark Earth Hour 2016. In Mumbai several government and private buildings, public landmarks as well as common citizens contributed to 'cooling' the Earth by switching off lights for an hour between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. Those who participated included several celebrities, film and television stars, industrialists and common people in the global initiative of the WWF which turns 10 this year. This year, the WWF is also promoting 'clean and green country' with multiple solar energy reforms following the Paris Climate Conference in December 2015. Mumbai-based NGO Young Environmentalists organised a cyclothon at daybreak on Saturday and closed with a carnival at Bandra's coastal Carter Road where solar and paper lanterns were distributed to slum kids from Dharavi. Reports of lights being switched off were received from other major cities in Maharashtra like Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Nashik. Elsewhere in the country, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh supported the Earth Hour campaign by switching off the lights of his official residence Oakover in Shimla. He also appealed to residents, educational and other institutions and organisations to ensure switching off of non-essential lights for one hour. The lights of British-era buildings, including the neo-Gothic Christ Church, located on the historic Ridge were also switched off to mark the occasion. In Chennai, Col. Sanath Gopinath, head of the Tamil Nadu state office of the WWF, told IANS: "This time we decided to reach out to young people directly. "We did not approach any government organisation. The idea is to create awareness in the minds of young people. He said that from March 14 onwards, they have been visiting various colleges in and around Chennai and have spoken to college students on climate change. "We also took with us Tiffany Maria Brar, a blind social activist running an NGO in Thiruvananthapuram to all the colleges to address the students," he said. Whether it's in the US or in India -- African-American model Rhyan Atrice, whose stint with the Indian fashion industry began just a few weeks ago, is used to "looking different", and says it's "beautiful". Atrice, who has described his stay in India as a "fun vacation", said his complexion has never been a hindrance for him in any part of the world -- and feels the Indian ramp will get unique faces when it opens up to diversity. "I grew up in light-skinned America so I have always been around people who didn't look like me. Hence it's not different to be at some place (like in India), where everyone looks different from me," Atrice told IANS during an interaction post his ramp walk for designer Divyam Mehta at Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) Autumn-Winter 2016. "To be specific, I have lived in Georgia, New York, Los Angeles... And a majority of people who I have lived around, didn't look like me. But I feel that it's beautiful to be different. It's like having hazelnut chocolate which is warm and gorgeous... and if I am in America, it's like having chocolate over creme," quipped the tall, dark and handsome model. Atrice feels that "the world is tired of seeing same things". "It's okay to be ordinary, but it is also nice and beautiful to recognise something different," stressed the 25-year-old, for whom modelling was a passion-driven choice. It is a "personal tragedy" that brought Atrice to India. "I am from America and I was doing great, but a personal tragedy happened. And then I decided that I want to do things that make me happy and the one thing that makes me happy is modelling. I have been a very successful individual outside of the fashion world, but I never had the opportunity to just pursue my dreams. "So, I started writing a few emails and an agent named Rajan Kapoor from modelling agency StrawberriFox asked me if I would like to join his agency in India, and I decided to come. From thereon, it has been an amazing experience," he said. Describing his India experience as a "fun vacation", he shared that he is "enjoying the life that I always wanted". "It's India and it's beautiful. India is the most enchanting place I have been to in a very long time," Atrice said, adding that he would love to continue his stint here. "I have a visa for 12 months, so I can be here for a whole year. I plan to go to Mumbai, I want to see Taj Mahal and want to have fun. I also want to continue to work with Divyam Mehta and with other designers with whom I get an opportunity to work with," he said. While the Indian fashion industry has been welcoming a lot of foreign models, to many Indian models, it seems as a threat. However, Atrice prefers to see the brighter side of things. "I think the beautiful thing about the fashion world is that you can be unique and it doesn't force you to be different. Also, if there is a complaint about models from other countries coming here, it would be same if you lived in Paris or America. "Just open up and create a more worldwide atmosphere or diversity. I think that will benefit the industry as in that way, people will get unique faces and they will have unique models from different background coming to India," he said on a positive note. Summing up his tryst with "beautiful and lovely India", Atrice said: "It's nice to be around smiling faces." (Nivedita can be contacted at Nivedita.s@ians.in) Jackie Chan will be shooting for his upcoming Indo-Chinese film "Kung Fu Yoga" in India, says Bollywood actor Sonu Sood, who will be seen sharing screen space with the legendary actor for the first time. "Jackie (Chan) will be coming to India and will be coming to India on the 21st (of March)...He will be staying for 15 days. Jackie will be staying in Jaipur," Sonu told reporters here on the red carpet event for the Times Of India Film Awards (TOIFA) 2016 on Friday. The "Dabangg" star says he will join the martial arts movie star, who will be shooting a schedule in India and then will be proceeding to Beijing. "I am going to join him next week in India and then we are going to Beijing...October release. Fingers crossed." said an elated Sonu, who looked dapper in suit by Delhi based designers Bharat and Reshma. Sonu, who was last seen on the silver screen in the 2015 film "Gabbar Is Back", says the "Rush Hour" actor is one of the "most humble and hardworking actor". "He is one of the most humble actors I have ever come across. He is very hardworking..." Sonu said. "Kung Fu Yoga" is a part of the three-film agreement signed between the two countries during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India. The film also stars actress Amyra Dastur. It is reported that the Hindi film stars have performed some adrenalin-pumping action sequences for the movie. Directed by Stanley Tong, the action comedy film is also shot here and Iceland, where Jackie got Amyra a farewell cake, as a warm goodbye gesture from him. This is not the first time "The Legend of Drunken Master" star will be visiting India. He paid a visit to the country in 2013 and earlier has even collaborated with India Bollywood beauty Mallika Sherawat in his 2005 film "The Myth". (The writer's visit is at the invitation of TOIFA organisers. Durga Chakravarty can be contacted at durga.c@ians.in) Kazakhs are set to choose a new parliament after six political parties vying for seats in the lower house ended their election campaigns on Saturday. Some 10 million voters will cast their ballot on Sunday in early legislative elections in which president Nursultan Nazabayev's ruling Nur Otan party is expected to maintain its overwhelming majority, EFE news reported. Up for grabs are 98 seats in the 107-seat lower house of parliament, or Mazhilis, that are to be filled by candidates chosen by popular vote to serve a five-year term. The remaining nine seats are delegated to the chamber from the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, a constitutional body made up of representatives from the nation's over 100 ethnic groups. Voters will also cast their ballots for local government bodies, or Maslikhats. Nazarbayev, who won early presidential elections by a landslide 11 months ago, set the March 20 election date a week after lawmakers voted on January 13 to dissolve the Mazhilis and hold a snap election due to the difficult economic situation in the oil-rich Central Asian nation, which has been hard hit by the plunge in global crude prices. Six parties are fielding a total of 234 candidates approved by the country's Central Election Commission. More than 800 international and 10,000 local election observers will be making the rounds to ensure fair elections at 9,840 polling stations across the world's ninth-largest country. A couple from near Perumbavoor in Kerala was among the 62 people killed on Saturday in a plane crash in Russia's Rostov-on-Don city, officials said. The FlyDubai Boeing 737-800 from Dubai missed the runway as it attempted to land at 3.50 a.m. The couple -- Shyam Mohan and his wife K.A. Anju, both aged 27 -- worked in an ayurvedic resort in Russia and had left from here on Thursday. C.V. Issac, a resident of Vengoal in Perumbavoor, who reached the home of the Mohans told IANS it was around 2 p.m. that they got the tragic news of the air crash. "Both of them are trained ayurveda nurses and their marriage took place here on November 2, 2014. It was their first visit (to Kerala) after they both went to Russia. They were here for a month and they left for Dubai from here on Thursday afternoon," said Issac. Anju has been working in Russia since 2011 and it was after their marriage in 2014 that Mohan also joined her. Local legislator Saju Paul told IANS that Mohan's residence was in his constituency and he was reaching there soon. "His father is a carpenter and Mohan was the mainstay of his family, so was Anju, whose father passed away," the legislator said. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told IANS that he spoke to Mohan's father and has assured all help to see how best the state government can help the grieving families. "I will speak to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj seeking her help to see what can be done," added Chandy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for raising farm income through diversification in farming activities and urged all stakeholders, including states, to take a resolve to double the income of farmers by 2022. Addressing farmers at the Krishi Unnati Mela here, he said the task of doubling farm income may be challenging but was a worthy objective. Calling to "raise farm incomes through diversification in farming activities", he said farmers could also opt for timber plantation along the edges of their fields and begin animal husbandry. Diversification in farming activity will reduce the risk associated with agriculture, he added. Modi said India's future had to be built on the growth of agriculture and prosperity of its farmers and its villages and the union budget presented last month would have a far-reaching impact on these sectors. He said the next revolution in Indian agriculture had to be built on technology and modernisation and the eastern part of India had the maximum potential to achieve it. "The government is working towards this goal," he said. Modi said reduction of input costs was the first element towards raising farm incomes and said the Soil Health Card scheme, and the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana were steps in this direction. Modi also explained the benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, and said it had been evolved after wide ranging consultations. He said the scheme was characterized by minimum premium and maximum security. On the occasion, the prime minister gave away the Krishi Karman Awards for 2014-15 to states and farmers. He also launched a mobile app "Kisan Suvidha" for farmers. The mobile app will provide information to farmers on subjects such as weather, market prices, seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and agriculture machinery. The animated film "The Little Prince", which had been scheduled for a March 18 release in theatres, will now go to streaming service Netflix instead at a later date. Netflix has picked up Paramount Pictures' domestic rights to "The Little Prince", the new animated film which is based on the 1943 book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, reports hollywoodreporter.com. The studio had originally slated the movie to open in US theatres, but then pulled it off on Friday itself. It is now expected to premiere on the streaming service later this year. The film, directed by Mark Osborne, an Oscar nominee for "Kung Fu Panda" has grossed $100 million internationally (excluding Britain, Australia, Scandinavia and Spain), where it was handled by various distributors. It was awarded France's Cesar Award for Best Animated film last month. "The Little Prince" combines 3D computer animation and stop-motion, and has a voice cast that includes actors Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, Marion Cotillard, James Franco and Benicio del Toro. US President Barack Obama congratulated Belgium and France on the arrest of Paris attack suspect Salah Abdeslam, a statement said. Obama on Friday called Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and French President Francois Hollande, sending his congratulation on the arrest, Xinhua quoted the White House as saying. "The president commended the work of Belgian security services and noted that this significant arrest was the result of hard work and close cooperation between Belgian and French law enforcement authorities," the statement said. Obama also reiterated that the US "stands together" with Belgium and France in the fight against terrorism, and to degrade and destroy the Islamic States (IS) terrorist group. Abdeslam is suspected of providing logistics last November for other attackers in Paris, who killed 130 people at multiple locations. The IS has claimed responsibility for the attacks. A total of 251,624 Pakistani nationals were repatriated to the country from abroad during the tenure of the present government, a media report said on Saturday. According to Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, 45,008 were brought to the country between June 1 and Dec 31, 2013, 78,409 in 2014 and 116,165 last year, Dawn online reported. In the past few months, 12,022 were repatriated from all over the world. According to official documents, 120,393 persons were sent back from Saudi Arabia, 38,097 from Iran, 23,330 from the United Arab Emirates, 5,400 from Britain, 358 from the US, 11,248 from Oman, 9,789 from Malaysia and 6,976 from Greece during the two and a half years. Another 4,304 were repatriated from Turkey, 1,275 from South Africa, 493 from Qatar, 485 from France, 198 from Canada, 99 from Australia, 91 from Bangladesh, 115 from China, 64 from Japan, 30 from Afghanistan and 27 from India. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi should "invest their time and capital in dialogue", said an influential daily which described as history-making the imminent trip by a Pakistani investigation team to India. An editorial "Pakistan-India peace process" in the Dawn on Saturday said that the imminent trip by a Pakistani investigation team to India is "both necessary and history-making". The Pathankot air force base attack in India in early January was a grim episode that could have yet again derailed dialogue between Pakistan and India, it added. The daily gave credit to the governments of Modi and Sharif that the "Pathankot attack did not cause the rupture that it could have and both governments have kept the channels of communication open". Yet, nearly three months will have passed since the attack by the time the Pakistani investigation team arrives in India later this month. It noted that the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue both countries so boldly agreed to late last year has all but stalled. "It is time for that process to begin and, therefore, it is disappointing that a meeting on the sidelines of a Saarc summit in Nepal between Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj did not go far beyond talk of the Pathankot probe." The daily said that resumption of dialogue - or, technically, the start of the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue - hinges on two things. In administrative terms, the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan must meet to determine a schedule for meetings of the various dialogue sub-groups and determine how a first round of talks will move ahead. "So far, the two governments appear reluctant to announce a date for the foreign secretaries' meeting, suggesting a link to progress on the Pakistani side of the Pathankot investigation. "In political terms, Modi and Sharif will need to invest their time and capital in dialogue - both to ensure that it restarts and, subsequently, to nudge bureaucratic negotiations towards results. Thus far, both leaders have only demonstrated a willingness to take risks in meeting each other - but not the willingness or confidence to actually move dialogue forward. That must change." The editorial went on to say that necessary and welcome as prime ministerial interactions are, they must go beyond tentative ideas. "When Modi and Sharif next meet, the emphasis must be on substance. Regional hopes for peace could soon turn to a familiar disillusionment if the two prime ministers reduce their meetings to desultory photo ops. "Perhaps what India needs to recognise is that dialogue should not hinge on any single issue, especially if that issue is a militant attack meant to derail dialogue." The daily stressed that the threat in the region can only be combated by joint action by Pakistan and India - and dialogue alone offers the opportunity to create a robust framework for joint action against militancy and . "Yet, Pakistan needs to acknowledge the centrality of to India's concerns about its relationship with Pakistan. The recent sharing of intelligence with the Indian national security adviser by Pakistan was a positive step. Faster action on the Pathankot and Mumbai attacks would send a stronger signal yet." A Boeing 737-800 passenger jet operated by low cost airline FlyDubai crashed while attempting to land in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday, killing all 62 passengers, including two Indians. The flight was en route from Dubai and had been circling the airport for up to two hours after an initial aborted landing attempt, according to Russian news reports. There were high winds in the area at the time. The plane was coming in for a second attempt to land at 3.a.m when it plunged to the ground and burst into flames. The crash occurred inside the airport's perimeter, about 250 metres short of the runway. Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup said the two Indians who appear on a list put out by the Russian authorities are Anju Kathirvel Aiyappan and Mohan Shyam. According to Flydubai -- an Emirati budget airline with a new fleet of planes that started flying in mid-2009 -- the jet was carrying 55 passengers -- 33 women, 18 men, four children -- and seven crew members, CNN reported. Initial reports suggested that all passengers on board were Russians; however, the Emergencies Ministry later confirmed that 11 foreigners were on board, including all the crew members. FlyDubai said the passengers included 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbekistani. "While we are still awaiting final confirmation, it is with great sadness that we report we believe there are no survivors," FlyDubai said on the airline's Facebook page. Speaking about the incident, FlyDubai chief executive Ghaith al-Ghaith said: "Our primary concern is for the families of the passengers and crew who were on board. "Everyone at FlyDubai is in deep shock and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved. We don't yet know all the details of the accident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish the cause," he said. The airport will remain closed until Sunday, and medics and psychologists were on standby to assist family members, the Emergencies Ministry said. About 700 people were involved in the rescue operation. The crash site was 243 metres from the airport runway, it mentioned. Al-Ghaith has excluded the possibility of a terror act on the ill-fated flight FZ981. No distress signal was issued by the pilots either, he said. Al-Ghaith insisted that the captain, Aristos Socratous, was a highly experienced pilot with over 5,700 flight hours and that the plane was new. Manufactured in 2011, the aircraft passed its latest maintenance on January 21, 2016. "The aircraft hit the ground and broke into pieces," the Investigative Committee of Russia said on its website. The plane's flight path, as tracked by Flight Radar 24, showed the plane made a number of turns near the Rostov-on-Don airport prior to the final landing. The Russian Investigative Committee launched an investigation, and was considering three potential causes, state-run Ria Novosti news agency reported. "Different versions of the incident are being investigated, including crew error, technical failure, bad weather and other factors," it quoted committee chief Vladimir Markin as saying. Spokesman for the southern bureau of Russia's Investigative Committee, Oksana Kovrizhnaya, has put forward two versions of the crash: "Pilot error in deteriorating weather conditions or a technical failure," she said. Both FZ981 flight data recorders have been recovered from the crash site. Experts were evaluating whether any data can be retrieved from them, said Vladimir Markin. The cockpit voice recorder was found in the morning and the parametric recorder was recovered later in the day. According to investigative committee experts who examined the flight recorders, the black boxes are in a "normal condition", Oksana Kovrizhnaya said, adding that the data would be extracted as soon as possible. The Russian government has announced a compensation of $15,000 to the family of each deceased. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the relatives and loved ones of the victims. "The Russian president feels deeply for all those who lost their loved ones in the Boeing 737 crash in Rostov-on-Don," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Saturday, stressing that the president has made it a priority to provide all possible assistance to the relatives of the victims. The government-owned FlyDubai, a no-frills sister airlines to Emirates, was established in March 2008. The airline had a strong safety record, but one of its planes was hit by a bullet as it landed in Baghdad airport in January 2015, prompting multiple airlines to suspend flights to the Iraqi capital. No one was hurt. The last major aviation disaster involving Russia was on October 31 last year, when a Russian airliner blew up in the air over Egypt's Sinai peninsula, killing all 224 aboard. Investigators determined it was destroyed by a bomb. President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday extended his greetings to the people of Tunisia on their National Day. In a message to Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, Mukherjee said: "I admire the significant progress made by the government and leadership of Tunisia in the transition towards an enduring democracy. Relations between our two countries are close and friendly." He also appreciated Tunisian foreign minister's participation in the 3rd India - Africa Forum Summit in October 2015 and his interaction with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at Manama in Bahrain during the first India-Arab Ministerial meet on January 24, 2016. "I am confident that these bonds of friendship and cooperation will be further strengthened and diversified in the coming years to the mutual benefit of our two countries. I take this opportunity to extend my best wishes for the progress and prosperity of the people of Tunisia," the president said. The national day of the north African nation is celebrated on March 20. The country achieved independence from France in 1956 and became a republic in 1957. British royal Prince Harry arrived in Nepal on Saturday for a five-day official visit. Leading a 30-member delegation, Prince Harry arrived to represent the British government to mark the 200th anniversary of Nepal-Britain relations, Xinhua reported. Prince Harry landed at the Tribhuwan International Airport on a Qatar Airways flight. He was welcomed by Kunti Shah, state minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development. This is the first official visit by the 31-year-old Prince to the quake-ravaged Himalayan country. Security in the capital was tightened before Prince Harry's arrival. He is accompanied by British State Foreign Secretary Hugo Swire. Prince Harry will meet Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli later on Saturday and attend a reception hosted by the Nepalese government. He is scheduled to meet President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Sunday. During the five-day stay, Prince Harry will visit the earthquake affected areas in the capital city and interact with displaced families living in temporary settlements. Prince Harry is reported to have huge admiration for the resilience of the people of this country, particularly their response to the earthquakes of April and May last year. The Republican establishment intensified efforts to stop Donald Trump from winning the party nomination with its 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney calling for a strategic vote against him only to have the billionaire firing back. Romney, who unsuccessfully challenged President Barack Obama four years back, wrote on Friday in a Facebook post that he plans to vote on Tuesday for Trump's closest rival Texas senator Ted Cruz in party caucuses in Utah, where he lives. He also called on Ohio Governor John Kasich, for whom he campaigned before the Ohio primary this week, to step aside to give Republicans a better chance to block Trump's bid for the nomination. "Today, there is a contest between Trumpism and Republicanism," Romney wrote. "Through the calculated statements of its leader, Trumpism has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence. I am repulsed by each and every one of these. "The only path that remains to nominate a Republican rather than Trump is to have an open convention," he wrote. "At this stage, the only way we can reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many of the remaining nominating elections as possible." There is no love lost between the Republican establishment and Cruz, who once called the Republican Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, a liar on the Senate floor, but apparently it now looks at him as a known devil and thus a lesser evil than Trump. Reacting to Romney's post, Trump took to Twitter to mock the former former Massachusetts governor - and Cruz. Asserting that Romney's support for Cruz was good for his campaign Trump tweeted: "Failed presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the man who 'choked' and let us all down, is now endorsing Lyin' Ted Cruz. This is good for me!" "Going to Salt Lake City, Utah, for a big rally. Lyin' Ted Cruz should not be allowed to win there - Mormons don't like LIARS! I beat Hillary," he added. Later appealing to the state's majority Mormon population at the rally, he even questioned whether Romney truly represented their faith. "Do I love the Mormons? I have many friends that live in Salt Lake City -- and by the way, Mitt Romney is not one of them," Trump said to applause from his supporters. "Are you sure he's a Mormon? Are we sure?" Cruz, who has in the past dubbed Romney as a seriously flawed messenger against Obama in 2012 and characterized him as part of the Republican Party's "mushy middle" quickly thanked him for the support in a tweet Friday afternoon. But the Kasich campaign reacted sharply with his chief strategist, John Weaver, tweeting: "Good to know Ted Cruz is the establishment, K-Street backed candidate. #HelloStatusQuo." Meanwhile, conservative news channel Fox News too joined the war against Trump alleging the real estate mogul has an 'extreme, sick obsession' with its anchor Megyn Kelly. "Donald Trump's vitriolic attacks against Megyn Kelly and his extreme, sick obsession with her is beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate who wants to occupy the highest office in the land," the network said in its statement. The sharply worded response came Friday evening after Trump took his attacks against Kelly to a new level, referring to her as "sick", "crazy" and "overrated." Trump also called for his supporters to boycott her Fox News show, saying she was obsessed with criticizing him. Trump has been having a running feud with Kelly since last August, when he complained that she had treated him unfairly during the first Republican presidential debate. But it was unclear what precipitated his latest attack. (Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) US Secretary of State John Kerry will pay a two-day visit to Russia on Wednesday, the country's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. During a meeting with Russian Foreign Minster Sergei Lavrov, the two sides are expected to exchange views on bilateral cooperation and current hot global issues, Xinhua cited the ministry as saying in a statement. The ministry enumerated a bunch of sanctions Washington imposed on Moscow in March 2014, when Russia took over the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine, saying that the Russia-US relations remain complicated. However, the Russian side voiced the hope for improvement of bilateral ties during Kerry's upcoming visit. "We hope that the visit of the US Secretary of State to Russia -- the third in less than one year -- will contribute to the normalisation of the Russian-American relation," said the statement. The ministry confirmed that the Syria crisis will be high on the agenda during Kerry's visit, adding that the crisis in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East and North Africa will also be discussed. On Wednesday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kerry was under consideration during the latter's visit to Moscow. Kerry came to Russia in May and December in the past year. Russian authorities said its warplanes carried out up to 25 air strikes around the Syrian city of Palmyra targeting the Islamic State (IS) who captured the ancient city last May, the media reported on Saturday. The strikes come after the Russian defence ministry on Tuesday announced that its airbase in Syria was preparing aircraft to return home following a surprise withdrawal order by President Vladimir Putin on Monday, BBC reported. However, US officials said Russia staged no air strikes in Syria in the past week. US Central Command spokesman Patrick Ryder said there were some bombardments in the Palmyra region but that they were thought to be made by Russian artillery. Russia had withdrawn most if not all of its strike aircraft and there had been little movement of its ground forces, Ryder said. Meanwhile, IS claimed on Friday that it had killed five Russian soldiers in fighting around Palmyra in recent days. Russia has not commented on the claim and there is no independent verification. A soldier is missing after an avalanche hit an army post on Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kargil on Thursday and search operations are on, an army official said. "A natural avalanche triggered by a mild earthquake hit an army post located at an altitude of 17,500 feet in Kargil sector at about 10.45 p.m. on March 17 and two soldiers who were on surveillance duty were washed away," army's Northern Command spokesman Col. S.D.Goswami told IANS. "Immediate rescue operations were launched in which one soldier could be rescued, while the second soldier is still missing. "The rescued soldier is medically stable and is recovering. Rescue operations to rescue the missing soldier are currently on in spite of the adverse weather conditions," he added. Three legislators of the opposition BJP in Bihar on Saturday said they would return the costly gifts they accepted along with ruling legislators. There has been a lot of criticism after the education department gifted microwave ovens to all legislators of both the assembly and legislative council, with the common people saying this comes at a time when thousands of teachers were awaiting payment of salaries since months. Three CPI-ML legislators, however, refused to accept the gifts. A day after BJP legislators accepted the gifts like microwave ovens, airbags and briefcases, former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday said in a tweet: "Lakhs of school teachers are without salary for 4 months, Prem Kumar, Mangal Pandey and myself will return gifts like micro over back to government." Prem Kumar is Leader of Opposition in the assembly, while Mangal Pandey is the BJP state president. Modi and Pandey are members of the legislative council. Without naming Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav, Sushil Modi said the state government gave a "ridiculous justification" that the legislators were "poor" and will "use the microwave ovens to taste the mid-day meals". In fact, the legislators are being paid Rs.1.5 lakh per month, he said. Education Minister Ashok Choudhary downplayed the issue, saying it was a small gift for the legislators. "This is not the first time that legislators have been gifted during the budget session. There is nothing new in it," he said. He said the microwave ovens cost the education department Rs.11,125 each. "It's just a matter of Rs.30 lakh." The animal husbandry department gifted trolley bags to all legislators, while the urban development department gave expensive watches. Previously, other departments have also gifted costly items like mobile phones to legislators as a goodwill gesture. The BJP has 53 legislators in the 243-member assembly. Its allies LJP, RLSP and HAM have five legislators. At least 62 people including two Indian nationals were killed on Saturday when a passenger jet crashed while attempting to land in Russia's Rostov-on-Don city, media reports said. The FlyDubai Boeing 737-800, coming from Dubai, missed the runway as it attempted to land at 3.50 a.m. Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup said the two Indians that appear on a list put out by the Russian authorities are Anju Kathirvel Aiyappan and Mohan Shyam. According to Flydubai -- an Emirati budget airline with a new fleet of planes that started flying in mid-2009 -- the jet was carrying 55 passengers -- 33 women, 18 men, four children -- and seven crew members, CNN reported. "The nationalities of the deceased passengers include 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbekistani," it said. Flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said: "We don't yet know all the details of the accident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish the cause. We are making every effort to care for those affected and will provide assistance to the loved ones of those on board." The airport will remain closed until Sunday, and medics and psychologists are on standby to assist family members, the emergencies ministry said. About 700 people are involved in the rescue operation. The crash site is 243 metres from the airport runway, it said. The ministry said investigators had ruled out terrorism as a cause of the crash at this stage and weather conditions were most-likely responsible. The plane's pilot circled the airport, waiting for the weather to clear before making a second attempt to land, but the aircraft's tail had clipped the runway, it said. "The aircraft hit the ground and broke into pieces," the Investigative Committee of Russia said on its website. Russian state media reported winds of 97 kph at the time of the crash. A storm warning was declared in Rostov-on-Don on Friday. The plane's flight path, as tracked by Flight Radar 24, showed the plane made a number of turns near the Rostov-on-Don airport prior to the final landing. The Russian Investigative Committee has launched an investigation, and is considering three potential causes, state-run Ria Novosti news agency reported. "Different versions of the incident are being investigated, including crew error, technical failure, bad weather and other factors," it quoted committee chief Vladimir Markin as saying. Emergency staff have found one of the plane's two flight recorders and were searching for the second. The Russian government has announced a compensation of one million rubles ($15,000) to the families. Sunday has been declared a day of mourning in the Rostov region. --Indo-Asian News Servicve ksk/hs UN chief Ban Ki-moon will leave New York next week for a visit to Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia in the build-up to a high-level meeting on global responsibility sharing for Syrian refugees on March 30 in Geneva, a UN spokesman said here. The UN secretary-general will make the upcoming visit alongside the president of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported. The secretary-general and the president of the World Bank Group will start their visit in Lebanon on Thursday, he said. Accompanied by Ahmad Mohamed Ali Al-Madani, president of the Islamic Development Bank, they will meet the president of the Council of Ministers of Lebanon, Tammam Salam, as well as with several other senior officials, the spokesman said. "They will also visit communities hosting Syrian and Palestinian refugees to reiterate their long-term support to the country and discuss new approaches to building resilience and assisting national systems," Dujarric said. On March 27, Ban and Kim will travel to Jordan, he said. "They will meet with His Majesty King Abdullah II, as well as other members of the government, and visit the Zaatari refugee camp. They will also participate jointly in an open discussion with Jordanian youth." On March 28, Ban and Kim will leave Jordan for Tunisia, where they will meet with President Beji Caid Essebsi and other senior officials, and pay respect to the victims of terrorism, he said. "The secretary-general will also attend a national conference on employment, hosted by the president," Dujarric said. On March 30, Ban will be in Geneva to open the high-level meeting on global responsibility sharing for Syrian Refugees, he said. UN Secretary General urged North Korea to comply with UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and to halt inflammatory and escalatory actions. Stephane Dujarric, UN Secretary General's spokesperson, told a daily briefing on Friday that "the situation on the Korean peninsula including the latest ballistic missile launches is deeply troubling", Xinhua news agency reported. "We once again urged the DPRK (North Korea) to comply with its obligations, including relevant Security Council resolutions and halt these inflammatory and escalatory actions," said Dujarric. North Korea fired a medium-range ballistic missile into its eastern waters earlier on Thursday, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported. The missile launch was seen as a show of force and anger at the ongoing joint military exercises between South Korea and the US, as well as the tougher-than-ever sanctions on North Korea. Diplomats said the US plans to raise the issue of North Korea missile launch at a Security Council meeting later on Friday. Earlier this month, the 15-nation Council adopted a resolution to impose a new raft of sanctions on North Korea to curb its nuclear and missile programs. Uttar Pradesh is set to prioritise government jobs for acid attack survivors, an official said on Saturday. As a pilot project, the victims would be given priority in the Women's Welfare department. They will be given jobs at Rani Laxmibai Aasha Jyoti Centres. "The idea is to assimilate these victims by providing them better job opportunities," said principal secretary (Women Welfare) Renuka Kumar. The state government has opened 11 Rani Laxmi Bai Aasha Jyoti Centres in the state and efforts are underway to get 28 posts created in each centre. The centres operating in Lucknow, Agra, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Meerut, Allahabad, Ghaziabad, Noida, Kanpur, Varanasi and Kannauj are likely to have counsellors, store keepers, computer operators and other staff. In these posts, the victims would be given priority as per their educational qualifications. Uttarkhand Governor K.K. Paul on Saturday asked Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove his majority in the assembly while accepting his recommendation to dismis rebel minister Harak Singh Rawat. Harak Singh Rawat held the agriculture portfolio. Paul asked the chief minister to prove his majority in the assembly by March 28. while Harish Rawat asserted he had a majority and would prove it on the floor of the house. He also said that five of the rebel Congress legislators were in touch with him and in case, they regretted having revolted against the party, they might be pardoned by the high command. In a swift political drama in the hill state on Friday evening, nine of the ruling party legislators had walked into the camp of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and demanded a vote division on the budget, a demand rejected by the speaker. The Congress has accused the BJP national leadership of trying to topple the Congress government, a charge denied by the BJP which has sought the dismissal of the "minority" government. Assembly polls are due in the state early next year. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday criticised Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for what he described as "brazen horse trading" in Uttarakhand. Saying the BJP is proving to be the most corrupt party, Kejriwal tweeted: "Brazen horse trading-first Arunachal now Uttarakhand. BJP proving to be most corrupt, deshdrohi and power hungry party." The Congress-led Uttarakhand government plunged into political uncertainty late Friday as nine of its legislators joined ranks with the principal opposition BJP. The Harish Rawat-led government ended up with a red face as it got merely 32 votes in favour against the 36 required for the Finance Bill to be passed. Andhra Pradesh assembly was adjourned twice on Saturday as opposition YSR Congress Party stalled the proceedings, demanding that its legislator R.K. Roja be allowed to attend the session. The members of the lone opposition party, who were clad in black dresses as a mark of protest, wanted Speaker K. Sivaprasad Rao to respect the court order, which stayed Roja's suspension from the house for one year. Raising slogans against the TDP government, YSRCP members did not allow the speaker to conduct the business. Amid pandemonium, the speaker adjourned the house for 10 minutes. When the house re-assembled, YSRCP continued its protest, forcing the speaker to adjourn the house again. Roja sat on a silent protest since morning at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the assembly premises. Some other members of YSRCP were also seated with her to show solidarity. The High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad for the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, had on Thursday stayed the operation of the speaker's order for Roja's suspension. The actress-turned-politician, however, was stopped from entering the assembly on Friday. The state government filed a petition in the High Court, challenging the single judge's interim order. A division bench will hear the appeal on Monday. The government's action in not allowing Roja to attend the current budget session triggered strong protest from the opposition party, which lodged a complaint with Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan. The actress-turned-politician, who represents Nagari constituency in Chittoor district, was suspended from the assembly during the winter session for one year for allegedly using "abusive" language against members of ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) including Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. On a petition by Roja, challenging her suspension, Justice Ramalingeswara Rao passed interim orders on Thursday. However, the TDP government decided not to implement the order and challenge it before the division bench. The speaker on Friday announced that the house will debate the court order in Roja's case. He said the copies of the court order will be circulated to all members and suggested that they go through it. He said the discussion on the issue will be taken up on Monday. Multiple terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13 left 130 dead, 350 injured. Earlier, on October 31, a Russian passenger plane with 224 on board was blown up by a terrorist bomb over Egypt. The world reeled in shock and yearned for concerted international action to fight Islamic State, or Isis - the latest, deadliest and most powerful avatar of ever-evolving terrorism in West Asia which now had the trappings of a terrorist state. Jandhyala B G Tilak, vice-chancellor (in-charge) of the National University of Educational Planning and Administration, tells Aditi Phadnis what has changed in the higher education space in India, the pros and cons of students going abroad for higher studies and the implications of the Budget proposals focusing on education In the wake of student unrest at the Hyderabad Central University, the University of Allahabad, the Aligarh Muslim University and the Jawaharlal Nehru University, has a review of the role and powers of the vice-chancellor become necessary? Given my limited knowledge of these specific cases but for media reports, let me concentrate on the issue rather than on the cases. It is always a challenge to administer university campuses for they are different from corporate houses or manufacturing units. The controversial cultural event organised by "Sri Sri" Ravi Shankar's Art of Living Foundation (AOL) on the Yamuna floodplains last week highlighted the resurrection of political patronage of that unique Indian institution: the "god-man". Not since the days of Indira Gandhi's yoga mentor, Dhirendra Brahmachari, has this hybrid temporal/spiritual institution acquired such overt support from the political establishment. With sadhus and sadhvis figuring among the ruling party's members of Parliament and some in ministerial berths, the rise of the "god-men" is inevitable within a ruling regime with a specific cultural agenda. The competition in the health insurance space is making the companies work harder to attract customers. This means better options for you at competitive prices. Over the years, insurers have added features such as cashless service, maternity cover, restore benefit, free checkups and wellness solutions. Recently, we are witnessing the advent of what can be called the generation five of health insurance products (See table: Getting better with time) with better features and options. Let's see if they are worth paying for. Air ambulance: The need for this service is becoming a necessity in cities owing to rising traffic congestion and in smaller towns where this would come handy for those seeking a quick access to good tertiary-care hospitals. Independent service providers as well as hospitals like Fortis, Apollo and Max offer air ambulance service. However, the cost of this can be daunting at Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh per flying hour. Insurers have recently started covering this service in their policies. Products that provide this cover include Bajaj Healthcare Supreme, National Parivar Mediclaim Plus and Star Comprehensive. Better cover for maternity expenses: With more women, especially in tier one cities, focusing on their careers, the child bearing age has increased from the late twenties and early thirties to the late thirties. While this has its advantages as women are more financially secure, the probability of complications such as infertility, miscarriage, increased chance of cesarean (C-Section) surgery and health complications in the newborn have increased significantly. Insurance companies are introducing new plans that cover infertility treatment, provide higher coverage on maternity expenses including complications, and pre- and post-natal care, hospitalisation expenses for a newborn from day one, and expenses for all the necessary vaccinations for the baby. Products that provide this cover include Bajaj Healthcare Supreme and infertility treatment expenses by National Parivar Plus. Treatment abroad: Though the best of facilities and professionals are available in the country, when a family member is affected by a serious illness it is natural for the family to look for best-in-class treatment across the world, especially in the developed nations that have the best and latest healthcare infrastructure. Hence, insurance plans have started covering expenses for treatment abroad in select countries for a limited list of ailments, mostly critical illnesses. However, such benefits are usually available only in the insurer's higher sum insured plans (Rs 25 lakh and above). Products that provide this cover include Religare Care (Rs 50 and 60 lakh cover) and Cigna Pro Health Plus Prime. Organ donation is no more a rare treatment carried out by a few hospitals. There's a significant rise in the number of transplants every year. Insurance plans that covers transplants also provide cover on hospitalisation expenses incurred while harvesting the organ from the donor's body. Organ donation can cost anywhere from Rs 1 lakh for a cornea transplant to Rs 28 lakh for a liver transplant (See table: Cost of transplants). While organ transplant was covered earlier, those plans had limits. The newer ones have done away with limits and cover organ transplant up to the sum insured. Companies that provide this cover include Apollo Munich Easy Health Premium, L&T Medi Prime, Star Comprehensive, and Max Bupa Heartbeat. Cover for physiotherapy: Professionals and salaried class people in tier one cities are exposed to excessive sitting and use of electronic gadgets. This has given rise to a set of ailments that can be treated by physiotherapy without being hospitalised. Insurance companies have recently introduced new products that provide a separate cover for physiotherapy expenses. Bajaj Healthcare Supreme is one product that provides this cover. Bariatric surgery: Owing to a sedentary lifestyle, obesity is a rising medical concern that cuts across the urban-rural divide. Contrary to popular belief, bariatric surgery can be a life-saving procedure for the obese. Long-term studies have proven that bariatric surgery helps patients recover from diabetes, reduces risk of cardio-vascular ailments, and also reduces mortality by 25-40 per cent. Till recently, most insurance companies did not cover bariatric surgery as it was considered more a cosmetic than a medical procedure. Recently Star Health Comprehensive has started providing this cover. Cashless OPD: Though more than 40 per cent of the lifetime healthcare expenses of an average middle-class individual are outpatient expenses, coverage on these routine expenses like doctor's consultations, pharmacy and diagnostic tests have always been missing in mediclaim. In the second half of 2015, there have been product launches with OPD covers on reimbursement basis. By the end of 2016, there could be a set of new comprehensive produts as well as standalone OPD plans that will provide cashless treatment at a wide network of diagnostic centres and pharmacies through the use of technology, including magnetic strip cards and mobile apps. Products that provide this cover include Star Health Comprehensive, Bajaj Healthcare Supreme, National Parivar Plus (add-on), Cigna Pro Health Plus Prime. Should you buy them? If you find these benefits attractive and would like to explore the option of buying or switching to one of them, it is imperative to consider a few things before you make the change. Buy a comprehensive cover with a large sum insured at one go. The health insurance solution you are subscribing to is a cover for lifetime healthcare expenses. The freedom to make upgrades and changes in existing plans will become restricted as the insured grow older. Therefore, opt for a plan that offers the core benefits you believe will finance your healthcare needs for the next 25-40 years, and beyond retirement. More importantly, sift the long term benefits from the frills and the feel-good or good-to-have benefits that you may not really use. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Saturday told a meeting of the party's National Executive that while criticism of the BJP, the government and its leadership was permissible, no criticism of the nation will be tolerated. The BJP national executive, only the second since the party won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, began here on Saturday. In his speech, Shah appealed to party leaders to take the message of the Narendra Modi government to the people that it was pro-farmer and pro-poor. He also asked them to tell people that the Congress party was putting obstacles in the path of development and its demands for amendments to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) were unworkable. While Shah showcased some of the farmer and poor friendly steps announced in the Budget, a significant part of his speech focused on the events at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and the issue of nationalism. The BJP president tried to draw a parallel between those students who allegedly raised anti-national slogans and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi. He said the Congress leader on his visit to JNU defended the "anti-national" slogans as freedom of expression. He said Congress and the Left parties had no moral right to teach the Narendra Modi government lessons on freedom of expression since a Congress party government had imposed the Emergency on the country when press freedom was curbed while the Left parties idolize such leaders as China's Mao Zedong and Joseph Stalin of the former Soviet Union. Shah, who was elected the party president for a three year term in January, wondered why there should be protests about raising of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' slogans, when these were part of the independence movement. "Blatant anti-national activities are taking place in the pretext of freedom of expression," he said. The BJP president said that while criticism of the party, the government and its leadership was permissible, criticism of the nation cannot be tolerated. The BJP president also spoke of attacks on BJP workers in Kerala and West Bengal. "The more they (the Left parties) oppress us, the more we will increase our strength there," he said, adding that the BJP will contest both Kerala and Bengal as a "serious political player". He also announced that the party will celebrate the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, the last Sikh guru; the 125th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar and centenary years of Jan Sangh icons Deen Dayal Upadhyay and Nanaji Deshmukh. The decision to celebrate Guru Gobind Singh's birth anniversary coincides with Punjab going for assembly elections in early 2017. He said the Modi government represents corruption free, dynasty free government, which has provided democratic leadership and hope and stability to the nation. Governor Krishna Kant Paul today asked Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove his majority on the floor of the state Assembly by March 28 as the political crisis escalated with BJP, claiming the support of rebel Congress MLAs, stepped up efforts to form its government. On his part, Rawat asserted that he was ready to prove his majority in the Assembly. The Governor's directive is being seen as a breather to Rawat with as many as nine party MLAs raising a banner of revolt against his government and BJP claiming that his government had been reduced to a minority in the state Assembly. While BJP claims the support of 35 MLAs including nine rebel Congress legislators, Rawat says he still enjoys a majority in the 70-member House as none of the so-called rebel MLAs has quit the party. He also said that five of the rebels were in touch with him. In New Delhi, union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a briefing that it the BJP cannot be held responsible if the Congress party cannot manage its government. On a day of claims and counter-claims by BJP and the Congress, Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal said the "anti-defection law is in place and whoever is found guilty of violating it will have to be acted against". "All Congress MLAs voted with the government when the previous bill was passed in the Assembly and nobody had challenged the bill. Even the BJP accepts the voice vote," he said. Asked about BJP's no-confidence notice against him, Kunjwal said,"We will see when it comes in the Assembly. Members of the legislative Assembly will discuss and decide if the no-confidence notice is valid or not". Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah of destabilising state governments. "After Arunachal Pradesh, it is Uttarakhand," Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala Surjewala said. In Dehradun, BJP intensified efforts to dislodge the Rawat government, claiming it has majority in Assembly and should be invited to form the government as the incumbent Congress dispensation has been reduced to a minority. "The Harish Rawat government has lost majority. Today BJP has the numbers with the support of rebel Congress MLAs to form a new government in Uttarakhand," Shyam Jaju, the state in-charge of BJP, told PTI. A Russian rocket lifted off from the Baikonur space base, carrying three crew to the International Space Station, including a US grandfather who is poised to enter the record books. The rocket took off yesterday in windy conditions from Russia's space base in Kazakhstan at 2126 GMT. The trio comprise Russians Oleg Skriprochka and Alexey Ovchinin, and US grandfather of three, Jeff Williams, a veteran of long-duration space missions. "The Soyuz rocket took off successfully," the Russian space agency Roskosmos said in a statement, adding that the crewship was scheduled to dock with the orbital outpost at 0311 GMT today. The craft is decorated with a portrait of the first man in space, Soviet hero Yuri Gagarin, whose pioneering orbital flight was made nearly 55 years ago, on April 12 1961. By the end of his half-year trip aboard the ISS, Williams "will become the American with the most cumulative days in space -- 534," NASA says. The previous US record was set by astronaut Scott Kelly earlier this year. Kelly, 52, spent nearly a year in space and returned to Earth earlier this month with a total of 520 days in space, as part of an experiment to test the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the body and mind ahead of a potential future mission to Mars. The all-time record for cumulative days spent in space is held by Russian cosmonaut Genny Padalka, who racked up 879 days over his career and wrapped up his final mission in September 2015. Williams has so far notched up over 362 days in space, including three spacewalks. His previous missions were flown aboard the space shuttle Atlantis in 2000, as well as a trip in 2006 when the station was far smaller -- with only two modules and three crew members. In 2009 and 2010, Williams served as a flight engineer for three months and later commanded the ISS for the remainder of his half-year mission. Williams, Skripochka and Ovchinin will join US astronaut Tim Kopra, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and the European Space Agency's British astronaut Tim Peake at the ISS to continue Expedition 47. The ISS has been orbiting the Earth at roughly 28,000 kilometres per hour since 1998 and has been continuously occupied since the first expedition in November 2000. North Korea's latest missile tests were in "flagrant" violation of UN resolutions banning such launches, the US envoy has said ahead of urgent talks at the Security Council. The United States called for consultations after North Korea test-fired two medium-range ballistic missiles that US Ambassador Samantha Power said showed Pyongyang's defiance of the Security Council. "In further defiance, North Korea last night carried out additional launches using proscribed ballistic missile technology -- flagrant violations that the Security Council will hold urgent consultations to discuss," Power yesterday told an event on North Korean women held at the US mission. Two weeks ago, the Security Council imposed its toughest sanctions on North Korea to date after Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test and fired a rocket that was widely seen as a disguised ballistic missile test. Japan's UN Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa called the latest missile launches "very, very unfortunate." "We hope the Security Council will be united to tell the DPRK" to change its policy, he said. The 15-member council was expected to agree on a statement condemning the latest launches during its closed-door meeting later yesterday, diplomats said. British Deputy UN Ambassador Peter Wilson said "this is exactly the sort of thing that they should not be doing." "What we see yet again is the North Koreans defying the will of the international community and the Security Council," he said. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the firing of the two missiles was "deeply troubling" and urged Pyongyang to halt "these inflammatory and escalatory actions," his spokesman said. Ban called on North Korea to comply with UN resolutions that bar the country from developing missile technology. During her remarks, Power took an apparent swipe at China, saying it would be "absurd" to disassociate North Korea's dismal rights situation from its military ambitions. China has opposed discussion in the Security Council of North Korea's rights record, arguing that the forum for this was the Human Rights Council in Geneva. "Many of North Korea's systematic human rights violations deliberately underwrite the government's nuclear program, including the forced labour carried out by tens of thousands of women and children," said Power. The US and the Philippines have announced five locations where American forces will have access under a new defence pact, including one facing disputed islands in the South China Sea. The announcement came at strategic talks in Washington yesterday, where the allies reiterated their opposition to the militarisation of outposts in those waters, where six Asian governments have competing claims. China has built artificial islands with airstrips and military facilities as it asserts its claim to virtually all the South China Sea, including land features claimed by the Philippines. Another of the five Philippine military bases where the US will have access is on southern Mindanao island, where the US is concerned about the presence of Muslim extremist groups. The 10-year defence pact was signed by US and Philippine officials in 2014, but it only got the green light this January after the Philippine Supreme Court ruled it was constitutional. It is a key part of the Obama administration effort to reassert its presence in Asia. Philip Goldberg, the US ambassador to the Philippines, said the pact would allow the US to rotate more forces and military assets through that country on a basis of mutual agreement with Manila. It can also conduct construction and position supplies, including for humanitarian relief. Goldberg said the US is not establishing its own bases as it had in the Philippines until 1992. They were closed amid a tide of Philippine nationalism. Senior US defence official Amy Searight said Defence Secretary Ash Carter would travel to the Philippines in April to discuss implementation of the pact. Goldberg said he could not set a date for when US forces would be deployed but he expected movement of supplies and personnel to begin "very soon." US Defence Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino said the Philippines was a "reliable partner" and was looking forward to working with the US to develop the agreed-upon locations. The implementation of the defence pact comes at a time of heightened tension in the South China Sea and will be opposed by China, which views the increased US presence in the region as an attempt at containment. The locations are at Antonio Bautista Air Base on western Palawan island, which faces the hotly disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea; Lumbia Air Base on southern Mindanao island; Basa Air Base and Fort Magsaysay, north of the capital, Manila; and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base on Cebu. US officials say the pact will also enable it help train the Philippines' military but isn't aimed at China. The move underscores Monsanto's unabated expansion drive after Switzerland's Syngenta AG rejected its takeover approaches last year and agreed earlier this year to be acquired by ChemChina for $43 billion. It also illustrates Monsanto's determination to further consolidate its industry, as the global seed and crop protection market continues to suffer from high inventories and low prices for agricultural commodities. Monsanto executives met in Chicago recently to discuss the company's interest in Bayer's agricultural assets, the sources said this week. Monsanto sees valuable synergies between its seed business and the crop protection assets of Bayer, the sources added. Among the possibilities discussed were an outright acquisition of the crop science unit and a joint venture or other type of partnership between the two companies, the sources said. These talks were preliminary, and another meeting between the two sides has been scheduled for April, the sources added. Bayer has been holding the talks with Monsanto to probe its interest, the sources said. The German company currently has no plans to actively pursue a sale of its crop science division, the sources added. The sources asked not to be identified because the discussions were confidential. Monsanto and Bayer declined to comment. Bayer's crop science division has businesses in seeds, crop protection and non-agricultural pest control. It had sales of 10.4 billion euros ($11.7 billion) in 2015 and posted adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization of 2.42 billion euros. Bayer is the second biggest player in crop chemicals, with an 18 percent market share, just behind Syngenta, which has a 19 percent share. Monsanto is a leader in seeds, with a 26 percent market share, followed by Dupont The World Health Organization has suspended the approval of tuberculosis drugs made by India's Svizera Labs, a major supplier to developing countries, following an investigation into standards. The United Nations agency, which acts as a drug watchdog in markets lacking robust local regulation, said on Friday it had suspended all TB products made at Svizera's Mumbai site because manufacturing standards and quality management were unreliable. It also said independent experts should retest batches of medicine already on the market and it might be necessary to recall supplies, depending on the outcome of those tests. The move is a fresh blow for India's pharmaceuticals industry, which supplies cheap generic medicines to countries worldwide but has been tarnished by a series of quality problems in recent years, denting confidence in its products. The had previously issued a warning letter to Mumbai-based Svizera Labs, part of Maneesh Pharmaceuticals, in September 2015, after finding dirty surfaces, black mould in a cleaning area, low hygiene standards and inadequate record-keeping. The latest "notice of suspension" letter was posted on the WHO's website 15 days after being sent to the company. It highlighted several complaints about the quality of certain drug batches. Boudewijn Ploos van Amstel, managing director of Svizera Europe, said the company disagreed with the assessment, adding that the had ignored information from the company showing that Svizera's operations were up to standard. "The letter of suspension is very misleading," he told Reuters by telephone from the Netherlands. The plays a critical role in monitoring drug quality in poorer countries through its Prequalification of Medicines Programme, which ensures that treatments supplied by U.N. agencies such as UNICEF are of acceptable quality. The programme is also used by governments to guide the bulk purchase of medicines. NRL dispatches rail consignment of high speed diesel to Bangladesh The goodwill rail rake consignment for supply of 2200 MT (2700 KL) HSD of BS III Grade with 350 PPM sulphur content The goodwill rail rake consignment for supply of 2200 MT (2700 KL) HSD of BS III Grade with 350 PPM sulphur content Numaligarh Refineries Ltd (NRL) on March 17, 2016 dispatched a rail rake consignment carrying high speed diesel (Gasoil) from its Siliguri marketing terminal to Parbatipur storage depot of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) in Bangladesh. From Siliguri, the 42 wagons (each with a capacity of 64 KL) rail consignment will travel over 516 kms (253 km in India and 263 km in Bangladesh) on the existing railway line and reach Parbatipur on March 19, 2016. The goodwill rail rake consignment for supply of 2200 MT (2700 KL) HSD of BS III Grade with 350 PPM sulphur content is an outcome of the discussion between the two governments. During the successful visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh in June 2015, both India and Bangladesh welcomed the sale-purchase agreement signed between NRL and BPC for construction of a pipeline from Siliguri to Parbatipur for supply of HSD to Bangladesh. It was agreed to jointly work towards implementation of this Indo-Bangla Friendship Pipeline, a 135 kms pipeline project (5 km in India and 130 km in Bangladesh) with a capacity to carry 1 MMTPA from Siliguri terminal to Parbatipur depot of BPC. The export of petroleum products from India to Bangladesh is also in line with the Neighbourhood First Policy of Government of India to boost bilateral trade between the two countries and sub-regional cooperation with in SAARC. Presently, Bangladesh meets its requirement of petroleum products through imports at Chittagong port. The products are subsequently transported to the rest of the country using river route. Once the NRL refinery expansion from present 3 MMTPA to 9 MMTPA is complete, India will be in a position to export petroleum products on a regular and long term basis to Bangladesh. Prior to the construction of the pipeline, the rail rake mode of transportation of product from Siliguri to Parbatipur is also an effective mode of transport with minimum loss and pollution. BS B2B Bureau Chinese e-commerce major Alibaba Group is planning to enter India this year and is looking at opportunities to build the business organically or through other means. "We are planning to enter the e-commerce business in India in 2016. We have been exploring very carefully the e-commerce opportunity in this country, which we think is very exciting on the backdrop of Digital India," Alibaba Group President J Michael Evans said here. The company said it is evaluating all opportunities to build the business organically or look at any other thing that might come along. Evans, who along with Alibaba Group's Global Managing Director K Guru Gowrappan met Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today, said the company plans to come here and work to serve both customers, consumers and small businesses because that is the history and the DNA of Alibaba. "We have investments in both payments and e-commerce already and we will over the course of next year will figure about exactly what our strategy is," Evans said. Alibaba has made investments in Paytm and Snapdeal. Speaking about the meeting, Prasad said: "We hope Alibaba will come and have a good footprint in India, including the expanding business of ecommerce (for which) they are exploring the possibility. I have said very clearly that Alibaba is quite free to come and expand its footprint in India." Sources who were privy to the meeting said Alibaba is very keen to come to India in a very big way, particularly in the e-commerce segment. The company is exploring the potential whether to go on their own or set up shop with someone else. "I explained to them that e-commerce is a rising phenomenon in India with a growth rate of over 60 per cent," Prasad said. In November 2014, Alibaba founder Jack Ma, who was on his first visit to India, said he would "invest more in India, work with Indian entrepreneurs and Indian technologists to improve the relationship between the two nations". Ma, one of the richest persons in China with a fortune of about USD 24 billion, founded Alibaba in 1999 in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang province. Meanwhile, Prasad also met Asia-Pacific head of Amazon Web Services (Public sector) Peter Moore, who discussed the company's plans to launch a dedicated cloud region in India later this year. 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Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe FILE PHOTO As the first woman to serve as Utahs commissioner of agriculture and food, LuAnn Adams is busy. Over 200 employees from eight state divisions report to her. She is the states seventh agricultural commissioner. In late-2013 she left her role on the Box Elder County Commission when Governor Gary Herbert appointed her to replace Leonard Blackham who retired after nine years. She and her husband, Bob, operate a large cattle ranch and dry farm in Promontory near the ATK Aerospace Systems and the historic Golden Spike railroad. When she took over the department there was a high interest in farming and food production and that interest continues. This week, for the second year, she challenged Utah farmers and ranchers to again celebrate National Agriculture Day (Tuesday, March 15) by taking a snapshot of their farm or ranch, to document the many aspects of Utah agriculture. We are getting more and more urban and people are not realizing where their food is coming from, she told Cache Valley Daily on Tuesday. So we just wanted them to snap a picture and describe what they are doing on their ranches and farms. I think it is good for Utah consumers to connect with the farmers and ranchers that are raising food for us. The governor called her to this new responsibility from her extensive background not only in ranching but also public service. For 16 years Adams was a recorder-clerk and surveyor in Box Elder County before her three years on the Box Elder County Commission. She became acquainted with Herbert while, as Lt. Governor, he was responsible for statewide elections. They worked together during a time Box Elder County was trying out new voting machines. She said one of the challenges serving as commissioner is preserving land for agriculture. We are working right now with Utah County to come up with a toolbox of ideas on how local and state government and landowners might be able to preserve agricultural land for the next generation. Ag water is going to be a big issue, too. This year we hit 3 million population and by 2050 Utah is projected to grow to 5.5 million. Keeping enough Ag water and land in face of that growth will be a challenge. She said an Envision Utah Values Survey last year reflected favorably on agriculture, with 74 percent of those polled indicating it was critical to Utahs future. Utahns want to know where their food comes from, said Adams. There are 18,000 farms and ranches in Utah. They want to buy from a Utah farmer or rancher. In fact, About 1,800 of Utahs agricultural operations, 10 percent, currently sell directly to consumers. SHARE GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Elaine Dellinger (back row from left), Shelia Thomas, Cole Ramirez (front row from left) and Alex Villarreal GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Norma Tristan (from left), Dwana Duncan, Julie Putnam, Kerry Williams, Tiffany Valls, Susan Elzner and Kathy Keating GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Kyler Carpenter (from left), Mason Yoakum and Layton Carpenter GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES Andrew Sanudio (from left), Oscar Cavazos and Cameron Cabrera The Corpus Christi Independent School District hosted groundbreaking ceremonies for two new elementary schools March 7. The future Calk/Wilson Elementary School, on Ft. Worth Street, will serve 900 students when it is complete. It is being built at the site of the existing Wilson Elementary School. The district is constructing a new building for Los Encinos Elementary School, which serves 750 students on Frio Street. The new school is located next to the existing Los Encinos Elementary School. Contributed photo Lillian Riojas (left) and Meredith Morrill SHARE Contributed Photo GROW Local South Texas held the annual Farm to Table Dinner on Saturday, March 5, 2016, at the Art Center of Corpus Christi. Contributed Photo Ashley Wilson and Debbie Noble Contributed photo Stephanie Gasca (left) and Kirsten Busig volunteer at the GROW Local South Texas Farm to Table Dinner on Saturday, March 5, 2016, at the Art Center of Corpus Christi. Contributed photo Veronica Heistermann (left) and Roy Heistermann GROW Local South Texas hosted its Fourth Annual Farm to Table Dinner, a four-course feast including as much locally-grown and produced food as possible, March 5 at the Art Center of Corpus Christi. Ingredients for the dinner were provided by 28 local food producers, including shrimpers and bakers, while six local chefs prepared the food. With rare exception, almost everything served was grown or raised within a 200-mile radius. Locally-produced beer and wine was donated by Lazy Beach Brewing and Vino Mio Wine Bar, respectively. Local musician Michael Perez entertained the diners. GROW Local South Texas aims to increase local food production, to increase the connection between producers and consumers, to celebrate the bounty of local food, and to have a positive, healthy community experience. COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES Kathy Hanlon from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution pins the society's Medal of Honor on Gen. Marc Cisneros on Friday, March 18, 2016, during a ceremony at First Christian Church. COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES Kathy Hanlon from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution pins the society's Medal of Honor on Gen. Marc Cisneros on Friday, March 18, 2016, during a ceremony at First Christian Church. SHARE CALLER-TIMES FILE Gen. Marc Cisneros (from left) speaks with Mary King and Corpus Christi Mayor Betty Turner in 1990. COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES Gen. Marc Cisneros gives a speech after accepting the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution's Medal of Honor during a ceremony Friday, March 18, 2016, at First Christian Church. COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold speaks Friday, March 18, 2016, during a ceremony at First Christian Church where the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution awarded Gen. Marc Cisneros the society's Medal of Honor. COURTNEY SACCO/CALLER-TIMES State Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa (right) jokes during a ceremony Friday, March 18, 2016, at First Christian Church in which the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution awarded Gen. Marc Cisneros (right) with its Medal of Honor. By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times When Kitty Angell first began learning about Gen. Marc Cisneros, she did not realize how much he meant to South Texas and the rest of the country. "I had no idea I had discovered such a national hero," said Angell, the regent of the Corpus Christi Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Cisneros, a 76-year-old native of Premont, was surrounded by friends and family as he received the society's Medal of Honor for his military service Friday at First Christian Church. "Being honored by a group who are descendants of people who were willing to fight for principle means a lot to me as a soldier," Cisneros told the Caller-Times on Thursday. "At this stage in my life it's something I'm grateful for." Cisneros was commander of the Army South when Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega sought sanctuary in the Vatican Embassy in Panama City at the end of 1989. Rather than invade the embassy, an act prohibited by a treaty with the Vatican, Cisneros resorted to other means to retrieve Noriega. U.S. soldiers stood outside the embassy, blasting rock music in an attempt to lure Noriega out and keep the media from eavesdropping on negotiations, according to a previous Caller-Times story. After 10 days of negotiations between Cisneros and the Vatican ambassador, Noriega surrendered peacefully to the United States. "It was an exciting time but a very difficult time," Cisneros said, adding that he and his family faced death threats from Noriega and his soldiers after the Army invaded Panama. "It was poetic justice that I was the one who captured him." When Cisneros retired from serving the Army, he continued a different kind of mission at home. After serving as the president of Texas A&M University-Kingsville from 1998-2001, he was recruited to be the CEO of the Kenedy Memorial Foundation, a major charity group that allocates grants to Catholic schools and various outreach programs. "What they've done for South Texas is nothing short of incredible," Angell said. "He works constantly to help the downtrodden and the poor to give them a hand up." Cisneros received letters of endorsements from Bishop Michael Mulvey, philanthropist Gloria Hicks, state Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, and attorney Jorge Rangel favoring him for the award. Several elected officials were in attendance, including Hunter, state Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen, U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, and mayor pro tem Rudy Garza. Cisneros said he appreciated the support from the veterans in the crowd and was proud that the society would honor a 10th generation South Texan. "I always remember my roots," he said. SHARE Whitmire Watson Capriglione Fallon As the nation celebrates Sunshine Week, a week highlighting the importance of open government, it is a good time to reflect on lawmakers in Texas who are helping to improve transparency and protect the state's strong Public Information Act. Todd Hunter Topping our list is Corpus Christi's own Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, chairman of the House Calendars Committee, who for years has been a champion of free speech, free press, and transparency. Rep. Hunter was named Open Government Lawmaker of the Year in 2013 by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. Among Chairman Hunter's more notable recent transparency successes was his push in the 2013 legislative session to ensure passage of a bill that codifies the fact that if a government official conducts public business on a private communication device or personal account, the communication is still subject to the Public Information Act. That bill also requires contracts between vendors and government entities to include a provision that makes the information created or exchanged in the contract open to the public. Hunter also worked with fellow legislators last year to pass a bill protecting the news media's reporting on whistleblower accusations. Pat Fallon In a huge step for making government meetings more accessible to all citizens, Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Frisco, authored and obtained passage last year of a bill that requires certain governmental meetings to be recorded and posted online. HB 283, which ultimately had four joint authors and more than 50 co-authors, requires certain governmental bodies including school districts with more than 10,000 enrolled students and municipalities with a population of 50,000 or higher to make video and audio recordings of their regular meetings and make those recordings available in an archive online. John Whitmire Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, closed an important open-government loophole in the 2015 legislative session by passing a bill ensuring that police departments at private universities are subject to the same public information laws as other law enforcement agencies across the state. There had been an increasing problem with private university police refusing to release information that otherwise should be public. For instance, a campus police officer from the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio shot and killed a student during a traffic stop which occurred off campus. The university initially refused to release recordings related to the shooting. In a Houston case that drew Sen. Whitmire's attention and raised his ire, a Rice University police officer beat a man who was suspected of stealing a bicycle, and the campus police department refused open records requests. Whitmire authored and obtained passage of SB 308, which went into effect in September of last year and provides that a campus police department at a private university is a governmental body for the purposes of the state's public information act. The law passed with little resistance, and now campus police at private colleges are subject to the same open records laws as other police agencies. According to the Student Press Law Center, Texas is one of only three states in the nation that hold private university police departments accountable in this manner. Giovanni Capriglione Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, succeeded in getting a measure through the state Legislature last year that requires governmental entities to disclose parties that benefit financially from government contracts. The information will be listed on the Texas Ethics Commission website in a searchable database. The TEC has implemented the filing system and the database, and you can now learn, for example, who has a controlling interest in the company that is involved with the city of Corpus Christi's McGee Beach Breakwater Study. Kirk Watson Not all efforts have been met with open arms, but the commitment to open government is still worth noting and appreciating. Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, brought forward several lobbying reform bills last year which would have improved transparency and closed loopholes related to lobbying dinners. The bills unfortunately did not pass. However, the push for better ethics transparency is far from over. Expect ethics reform, and related transparency efforts that help keep government officials accountable, to be a hot issue in the 2017 legislative session. SHARE Lionel Lopez Cemetery brings school segregation to mind First of all I want to thank Michael Gibson (KIII-TV) for breaking the story of the cemetery in Normanna. Also Natalia Contreras (Caller-Times) with the follow up story. The San Domingo Cemetery even has a Spanish name, how insane is that? It wasn't too long ago when I was going to grade school in Chapman Ranch. It was called "Santa Cruz School." It was segregated. All Mexican children went to this school and all the Anglo children were bused to another school. The irony of this was that we were brought up together, all lived in the same neighborhood and played together. Because the two custodians were also bus drivers we, the Mexican children, had to help clean the school. Our school didn't have indoor plumbing like the "other school." Another issue was nuns from Holy Family Church came three times a week to teach religious instruction. This was also a must, even if we didn't want to. It felt like these nuns must have trained with the Army Rangers. They were there just before school let out and bus service didn't run till classes were over, to make sure all of us attended. No choice there. I thought conditions would change for us. I hoped the nuns would help in some way to make conditions better but nothing changed until desegregation. This is when Chapman Ranch owners began remodeling the school. We got our indoor plumbing and a gym. They even installed a sidewalk between schools. I could go on and on. There are so many memories but I think I have made my point. I will never forget and Chapman Ranch to my knowledge has never offered an apology. This is why when I heard the story about Normanna it really hit hard. Yes, I will never forget, but I can forgive! Jim Stanley is a Texas Master Naturalist and the author of the books Hill Country Landowners Guide and A Beginners Handbook for Rural Texas Landowners: How to Live in the Country Without Spoiling It. He can be reached at jstmn@ktc.com. Previous columns can be seen at www.hillcountrynaturalist.org. AC Service Tech Commercial & Residential Full time with benefits Apply at 2521 Antelope St An EEO/AA Employer MF/Disability/Veteran 4535 SPID STE #1 between Everhart/Weber 14,000 sf, 29 ft. ceilings sprinkler sys, SPID signage www.owens-brothers.com 361-906-0033 $ The Price Is Right $ CASH$$ For Your HOME Richard Serna Real Estate,Inc 993-8288 or 765-7425 in one lot for sale. Great investment, need work. Asking $68,900 firm. 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How many people does it take to play a piano? Up to 11, if you're talking about the version in the Nishi building foyer where Antonio Fernandez happily approached observers to ask them to play their part in adding to the sound. The man who spent 36 years of his life in the disciplined role of a soldier said he was "not a particularly diligent student" after he learnt he had been named the Australian National University's Alumnus of the Year, but his interest in literature and history had not dimmed since his four years on campus in the 1970s. "This proposal seeks to keep as much of the existing tree-scape in tact as possible, particularly those heritage-listed trees. Several trees on the site have come to the end of their lives and, as a result, extensive space has been allocated in this proposal for the planting of new trees to renew the original landscape scheme and recognise the historic plantings of the site. We will have as minimal impact on the trees as we can and ensure there is space to replant and that landscaping is enhanced." "The incumbent was the first to bring in a more Western-style campaign to our democracy, more charming and charismatic, and whoever we elect is now the face of our struggle, and I think that's why a lot of people have supported him because we want him to represent us internationally," he said. The value of digital technologies would boom and nearly 67,000 extra IT jobs will be filled in Australia by 2020, but women and older workers remain under-represented in the occupations, a new national report has found. [Your Business Name] Contact Info Phone: Fax: Email: Web: CAPITOLHILLCUBANS.COM Business Overview Geographic Area Line of Business Brands We Carry Products and Services Discounts Offered Additional Information Business Hours Timezone We Accept Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. Hrithik had sent Kangana a legal notice after she referred to him as her 'silly ex' in public. Kangana retaliated by filing a 21-page reply, charging Hrithik with intimidation and threat. Mumbai: After their spat made headlines,both Kangana Ranaut and Hrithik Roshan today said there is a need for a closure to the matter which has turned "ugly". "It has all gone ugly. Their (from Hrithik's side) statement is subdued... he (Hrithik) is deviating from the matter. We are waiting for their next move. But we want the matter to end soon," Kangana's lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee told PTI. Read: Hrithik Roshan is trying to gain public sympathy: Kangana Ranaut's lawyer Hrithik and his lawyer Dipesh Mehta seemed to have extended an olive branch. "We would just request the police to speed up the matter (with regard to fake email account in Hrithik's name). We hope it will end soon," Mehta told PTI. Read: It was a breach of ethics to reveal the contents of legal notice, says Hrithik Roshan Both Hrithik and Kangana are out of Mumbai and are busy with their work commitments. The 'Queen' actress is busy shooting in Arunachal Pradesh for 'Rangoon' that stars Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan in the lead. The 'Krrish 3' star is also busy shooting for an ad film abroad. Read: Hrithik popped the question to Kangana in Paris way back in 2014 "Kangana has not done anything wrong. She is a strong girl. She is cut off from all this as she is busy with work. She is getting stressed out and wants to move on," a source said. Last evening, the 42-year-old actor finally decided to break his silence on the matter. He insists that email address (hroshan@email.com) said to be his did not belong to him. Without naming Kangana, he said he has no connection with her. While Kangana Ranaut's lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee retaliated, terming Hrithik's statement "an effort to get public sympathy". New Delhi: Sanjay Dutt may have walked out of jail last month after being in and out for the past 23 years but the Bollywood star says the feeling of freedom is yet to sink in. The 56-year-old actor, who was convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, served a 42-month sentence at Pune's Yerwada jail. He was released on February 25, 103 days ahead of his prison term. "I was in solitary confinement. It will take a bit longer for me to feel free. The feeling of freedom is yet to sink in. I have been in and out of jail for the last 23 years. There were so many restrictions, permissions to be take. I am getting used to live life like a free man. The feeling is yet to hit me. They imprison you mentally more than physically. They tell you what to do and what not do in prison," Dutt said at an event. He said contrary to people's perception he did not receive any special treatment during his jail term and was given the same food to eat and same clothes as any other inmate. "I did not get any VIP treatment. In fact I was treated worse than normal inmates as everyone thought I was getting special treatment. The worse thing about jail was the food, it was terrible and not edible at all." The 'Munnabhai' star said the sentence and the imprisonment always haunted him and his family. He assured that he loves his country and is a patriot. "It has haunted me all these years. It has haunted my family and especially my father. I am a patriot, my family is a patriot. I cannot think of harming my country. It did affect me a lot. But I thank people that they didn't lose their faith in me and believed in me," he said. The actor said his father actor-politician Sunil Dutt, believed in him and before he passed away he had told him that he was proud of his son. "I don't think I let my father down. He knew I was not a terrorist. Before he died he told me that he was proud of me." Dutt said other than the day the weapons were found in his house, he has no regrets about anything as he has learnt the valuable lesson of not being brash. I don't have any regrets. I have learnt a lot in these years. It has taught me not to be brash. I have learnt to respect the law about our country and also have learnt about it. I think every citizen should know about the law of the country. But yes I do regret the day those weapons came into my house." The actor also opened up about his drug problem which he said began after the death of his mother, actress Nargis Dutt. "I am quite a shy person in real life. I got into the habit of drugs after my mother died and then it became chronic. I have done every drug there is. My dad didn't understand what was wrong with me, he is from Punjab. But then one day I couldn't handle anymore and my dad took me to hospital. From there I went to a rehab in the US. And it has been 40 years since that incident and I haven't looked back," he said. What local media are reporting as being the long-wheelbase Mercedes-Maybach version of the W213 E-Class, has been nabbed on Chinese roads. Rather than a standalone brand, Mercedes is using Maybach as an upper-luxury variant body style of existing cars, such as the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class revealed last year. It will be joined by E-Class and GLS SUV brothers- the latter expected to cross swords with the likes of Bentley Bentayga, BMW X7 as well as Rolls Royces SUV in the upper reaches of that market. The E-Class Maybach, meanwhile is expected to gain 20mm of wheelbase, an extra rear quarter window like its big bro and a similar cabin incorporating four individual seats in lieu of a rear bench. According to the source, Chinas Auto.qq, the Maybach E-Class will add 20cm (7.8-inches) of length, while the stylistically similar E Class L will add around 14cm (5.5-in). Extended wheelbase sedans are big-business in China, with lengthened versions of even junior executive sedans such as BMW 3-series and Volvo S60 available. In a phenomenon unique to China, sales of the longer versions dwarf the regular cars to such an extent, nearly all prestige automakers are fielding lengthened versions of their small, medium and larger vehicles. The Mercedes-Maybach E-Class is expected to be available in other markets, while the E-Class L is expected to remain a China-only proposition. By Mitchell Jones Photo Gallery Judging by the sheer volume of Russian Dash Cam footage featured here on Carscoops and the internet at large, you could be forgiven for thinking they are the only ones who partake in road rage and lunacy on camera. Not so, it would seem. This crude portrait footage of a 2014 incident in the Sydney Suburb of Newtown shows a post- punchup incident, where the driver of the D20 Nissan Navara reverses onto the other side of the road, and actively rams the Holden Captiva owned by the other person, several times in a fit of rage. The owner of the Captiva, Rahul watches on filming while his Captiva is pummeled multiple times and the Navara driver attempts a getaway through the tight street, before meeting with another Korean-sourced Holden; a Viva (Daewoo Lacetti, Suzuki Forenza) which is then pushed back until it hits a building. This guy obviously felt like playing real life GTA. Check out the video below to get a taste of down-under carnage. By Mitchell Jones VIDEO (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = //connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, script, facebook-jssdk)); As it turns out, Jeep is going to bring not one, but two new versions of the Grand Cherokee in New York, with the second model to be the premium Summit. Evidently, the American company wants to offer a more upmarket experience with the Grand Cherokee Summit, bringing their new model closer to more expensive SUVs like the Range Rover. On the outside, the posh Grand Cherokee now features a new front grille, LED fog lamps, an updated front bumper, a set of 20in polished alloy wheels and plenty of satin chrome trimmings to complete the new look. Inside, the seats are dressed in what looks like a dove-color leather with dark pipping, while the dashboard, center console and door panels are all trimmed in leather too, showcasing the determination of Jeep to offer a true premium version of the Grand Cherokee. Expect the levels of equipment for the new Summit to include all the bells and whistles Jeep can throw in it, including a full array of active safety electronic systems. We will know more once the car will be officially revealed at the New York Auto Show, next to the Trailhawk edition that we first saw on Thursday night. PHOTO GALLERY Photo: Contributed - Valeriy Kachaev a You may have decided that you want to purchase a home, but maybe, for one reason or another, you dont feel as though you can do it. There could be some bruising on your credit that you need to repair (a discharged bankruptcy or consumer proposal), lack of down payment funds, lower income due to maternity/paternity income, recently self-employed, or unexpected job change. There can be many reasons why you arent able to purchase now, or qualify for a mortgage. A rent-to-own program could be the perfect solution to owning a home, and for building up your own personal wealth. Having a team to assist you through all the steps required in a rent-to-own program is very important. That team should include an experienced mortgage broker, a reputable rent-to-own company, an experienced real estate professional, a real estate lawyer, and a property investor. They will support your efforts to become a property owner through the program. They will walk you through, step by step, to ensure that this is the right option for you. Before you enter into a rent-to-own agreement, information will be obtained to ensure that you qualify to enter into the agreement now, as a tenant. You will also be provided with a full picture of what you need to do to qualify for the mortgage at the end of the agreement, e.g. fix any credit issues, income clarification, and so on. There should be a detailed action plan in place to cover the entire term of your agreement. You will be working on any issues identified in step one, so that you continue to qualify for the mortgage financing at the end of the agreement. There should be regular check-ups by the mortgage broker to check that you are on track with the action plan, to ensure that you are a strong candidate to qualify at the end of the agreement. Four months before you are due to take over your rent-to-own is the time to secure a mortgage rate guarantee for you with one of the lenders that offer financing for buyers at the end of their rent-to-own program. You will need support to walk you through the entire process, step by step, right up to your funding date, to ensure that you close the purchase and become a home owner. A brief overview of how this type of agreements works You would be entering into an agreement in which an initial deposit, generally between 3% to 10%, and a monthly payment (above your normal rent payment), acts as an accumulated down payment over the course of the contract term (one, two or three years). You would then use this accumulation of funds as the required down payment for the home purchase at the end of the contract. You agree to purchase the home after a term of two or three years, depending on your agreement, at the pre-agreed purchase price. The key to a successful rent-to-own program is working with experienced professionals, and doing the critical first step of a detailed analysis to make sure this type of program is suitable for your circumstances. Questions or comments: [email protected] This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Photo: Contributed - Fraser Institute By Charles Lammam Canada's personal income taxes on highly skilled workers now among the highest in industrialized world Rising federal and provincial personal income tax rates on highly skilled, educated workers (such as entrepreneurs, business professionals, engineers, and doctors) are hurting Canadas economic competitiveness. A new study published by the Fraser Institute, finds that Canadas top combined federal and provincial tax rate, which is 53.5 per cent (using Ontarios provincial rate) now ranks as the sixth highest among 34 industrialized countries and second highest among G7 countries. That's behind only France (based on 2014 figures, the latest year of available international data), according to the study, Canadas Rising Personal Tax Rates and Falling Tax Competitiveness. Next weeks federal budget offers the Liberal government an opportunity to put in place policies that match their rhetoric about the importance of policies that attract and retain highly skilled workers, entrepreneurs, and investors. Competitive personal income tax rates are critical to fostering a positive economic climate but recent tax increases, federally and in many Canadian provinces, harm our ability to attract skilled workers and in fact discourage Canadians from realizing their full potential. For example, this year, Canadas Liberal government introduced a new income-tax bracket, increasing the top federal tax rate to 33 per cent from 29 per cent. This increase in the federal tax rate comes on top of numerous recent increases to top rates in Ontario, Alberta and other provinces. Among the provinces, Nova Scotia has the highest combined top personal income tax rate at 54 per cent, followed by Ontario (53.5 per cent) and Quebec (53.3 per cent). Currently, six of 10 provinces have a top combined federal-provincial rate above 50 per cent. "A highly skilled worker in Ontario can now lose more than 50 cents of every additional dollar they earn in labour income hardly an attractive environment for highly skilled workers and entrepreneurs, said Ben Eisen, co-author and associate director of provincial prosperity studies at the Fraser Institute. With the new top federal tax rate, some provinces, namely British Columbia and New Brunswick, have started to reduce their top rate to counteract the effect on their tax competitiveness. The study also notes that Canadas top tax rates often apply to lower levels of income than is the case in other countries, which further erodes the countrys tax competitiveness. In comparisons at multiple income levels, Canadas personal income tax rates are decidedly uncompetitive compared to those in the U.S., putting Canada at a real disadvantage in attracting and retaining skilled and mobile workers. Charles Lammam, director of fiscal studies at the Fraser Institute. Photo: Contributed - BC Government - Flickr On the heels of sweeping changes to B.C.'s liquor laws comes a new idea. Designated public drinking areas. During a news conference Friday, Premier Christy Clark admitted the province is looking into the idea. Under current laws, cities can designate certain public drinking areas, but must receive permission from the province to do so. However, there is no evidence a request of that kind has ever been made to the province. In a story filed for CTV Vancouver, Clark said the province is just trying to get rid of red tape. Cities are more than capable of being able to make these decisions without the province rubber-stamping it," said the premier. Temporary permits are available for public drinking in designated areas for concerts, festivals and special events in B.C. Clark said the province has been consulting with cities and police forces to gather information on a potential change in legislation. with files from CTV Vancouver Photo: Contributed A West Kelowna winery is on top of the world. Kalala Organic Estate Winery's Chardonnay was named best in the world at the Chardonnay du Monde competition in France. Kalala has placed in the Top 10 twice before (2010 and 2014), but this year marks its biggest win yet. Of 782 wines from 39 countries, Kalala's 2013 Chardonnay Icewine received the highest number of points in the prestigious competition. This is a great honour, not only for us, but for Canada and the Okanagan, said Kalala owner and viticulturist Karnail Singh Sidhu. This is a very competitive competition, so it is wonderful to be recognized at this level, among some of the best winemakers in the world. The competition included 300 international judges, with a strict focus on quality. A total of 259 medals were awarded to participants, including 63 gold and 196 silver. Our 2013 Chardonnay Icewine uses certified organic grapes that were grown in West Kelowna at the Catana vineyard, said Sidhu, who has more than 20 years of experience in organic agriculture. Awards like this one continue to put both Kalala and the Okanagan on the global map. The Okanagan is still a young wine region, but through these competitions, we are able to share our success and incredible wines with the world. The winery produced 1,220 litres of the vintage, which underwent a slower, 68-day fermentation and partial barrel aging. Kalala is located on West Kelowna's Upper Bench and was founded in 2006. The vineyards were deemed certified organic in September 2010. A Dubai airliner with 62 people on board nosedived and exploded in a giant fireball early Saturday while trying to land in strong winds in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, killing all aboard, officials said. Russia's Emergencies Ministry said the Boeing 737-800 operated by FlyDubai was carrying 55 passengers, most of them Russians, and seven crew members of various nationalities. FlyDubai confirmed that there were no survivors and said four children were among those killed. The powerful explosion pulverized the plane but investigators quickly recovered both flight recorders. The cause of the crash wasn't immediately known, but officials and experts pointed at a sudden gust of wind as a possible reason. "Our primary concern is for the families of the passengers and crew who were on board. Everyone at FlyDubai is in deep shock and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved," said CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith. He said that pilots, who were from Cyprus and Spain, hadn't issued any distress signal before the crash. They had 5,965 and 5,769 hours of flying time respectively, making them "quite experienced," al-Ghaith added. The cabin crew included two Russians and citizens of Seychelles, Colombia and Kyrgyzstan. Al-Ghaith said the plane was produced in 2011 and underwent a detailed maintenance inspection known as a C check in January. Rostov regional Gov. Vasily Golubev said that "by all appearances, the cause of the air crash was the strongly gusting wind, approaching a hurricane level." According to the weather data reported by Russian state television, winds at ground level weren't dangerously strong at the moment of the crash, but at an altitude of 500 metres and higher they reached a near-hurricane speed of around 30 metres per second (67 mph). Ian Petchenik, a spokesman for the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, told The Associated Press that the plane missed its approach then entered a holding pattern. According to Flightradar24, the plane circled for about two hours before making another landing attempt. It said a Russian Aeroflot plane scheduled to land around the same time made three landing attempts but then diverted to another airport. According to its data, the Dubai plane began climbing again after a go-around when it suddenly started to fall with vertical speed of up to 6,400 metres per minute (21,000 feet/min). The closed-circuit TV footage showed the plane going down in a steep angle and exploding. Al-Ghaith said the plane attempted to land in line with established procedures. "As far as we know the airport was open and we were good to operate," he said, adding that they couldn't have landed without air traffic controllers' permission. Al-Ghaith said the pilots hadn't issued any distress call and hadn't attempted to divert to an alternate airport. Viktor Gorbachev, director of the Russian airports association, said the airport in Rostov-on-Don has modern equipment to deal with adverse weather. Several planes had landed in Rostov-on-Don shortly before the Dubai airliner was scheduled to touch down, but other flights later were diverted. "It was an uncontrollable fall," said Sergei Kruglikov, a veteran Russian pilot, said on Russian state television. He said that a sudden change in wind speed and direction could have caused the wings to abruptly lose their lifting power. He said that the pilots would have understood seconds before the crash that they were going to die, but "passengers and the cabin crew likely didn't realize they were facing imminent death." Pilot Vitaly Sokolovsky told Rossiya 24 television that a sudden gust of wind could be particularly dangerous at low altitude while the plane was flying slowly at low power and the pilot was throttling up the engines to make another run. President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to the victims' families and top Russian Cabinet officials flew to the crash site to oversee the investigation. Emirati authorities including the president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, sent condolences to Putin, and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as the Emirates' vice-president and prime minister, expressed his regrets on his official Twitter feed. In a statement expressing "shock and grief," Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades confirmed that the pilot was a Cypriot national, Aristos Socratous from Limassol. Officials said the plane and bodies of the victims were torn into small pieces by the powerful blast, making identification difficult Investigators said they were working on the plane's cockpit conversation recorder and another one recording parameters of the flight. It was FlyDubai's first crash since the budget carrier began operating in 2009. It was launched in 2008 by the government of Dubai, the Gulf commercial hub that is part of the seven-state United Arab Emirates federation. The carrier has been flying to Rostov-on-Don since 2013. Photo: The Canadian Press While the rest of her subjects call Queen Elizabeth II "Your majesty," her great-grandson knows her as "Gan-Gan." The Duchess of Cambridge reveals that tidbit in a television documentary celebrating the queen's 90th birthday to be broadcast on Britain's ITV channel over Easter. In her first solo interview since marrying Prince William in 2011, the former Kate Middleton says the Queen is a doting great-grandmother to Prince George and Princess Charlotte and "she always leaves a little gift or something in their room when we go and stay." "Our Queen at Ninety" also features interviews with the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry. The queen turns 90 on April 21, but her official party will take place in June with a celebration in London. Mumbai: The internet was buzzing with news of Kapil Sharma getting a wax statue at Madame Tussauds after a series of pictures surfaced online. However, turns out that the news is false as Madame Tussauds team has confirmed that they currently dont have any plans to make a figure of Kapli Sharma. Reports also state that in early 2017, Delhi will have the newest Madame Tussauds wax attraction. The following pictures went viral on social media on Friday suggesting that Kapil would be the first Indian television star to get his wax statue at Madame Tussauds. However, we wonder what these pictures were all about! More exclusive pics from JW Marriott Juhu " Congrats Kapil Sharma " #ProudFanclub #MadameTussauds pic.twitter.com/QbdBesbRf5 Kapil Sharma FC (@KapilFans) March 18, 2016 Bollywood celebrities who have wax statues include Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and Madhuri Dixit. CDC adds Cuba to interim travel guidance related to Zika virus Media Statement For Immediate Release: Saturday, March 19, 2016 Contact: Media Relations, (404) 639-3286 CDC is working with other public health officials to monitor for ongoing Zika virus transmission. Today, CDC posted a Zika virus travel notice for Cuba. CDC has issued travel notices (level 2, practice enhanced precautions) for people traveling to destinations with Zika. For a full list of affected countries/regions, visit http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/zika-travel-information. As more information becomes available, CDC travel notices will be updated. Travelers to areas with cases of Zika virus infection are at risk of being infected with the Zika virus. Mosquitoes that spread Zika are aggressive daytime biters. They also bite at night. There is no vaccine or medicine for Zika virus. The best way to avoid Zika virus infection is to prevent mosquito bites. Some travelers to areas with Zika will become infected while traveling but will not become sick until they return home and they might not have any symptoms. To help stop the spread of Zika, travelers should use insect repellent for three weeks after travel to prevent mosquito bites. Some people who are infected do not have any symptoms. People who do have symptoms have reported fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. The sickness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon and the number of deaths is low. Travelers to areas with Zika should monitor for symptoms or sickness upon return. If they become sick, they should tell their healthcare professional when and where they have traveled. CDC has received reports of Zika virus being spread by sexual contact with sick returning travelers. Until more is known, CDC continues to recommend that pregnant women and women trying to become pregnant take the following precautions. Pregnant women Should not travel to any area with Zika. If you must travel to or live in one of these areas, talk to your healthcare provider first and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites. If you have a male partner who lives in or has traveled to an area with Zika, either use condoms, the right way, every time you have sex or do not have sex during your pregnancy. Women trying to get pregnant Before you or your male partner travel, talk to your healthcare provider about your plans to become pregnant and the risk of Zika virus infection. You and your male partner should strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites. Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) has been reported in patients with probable Zika virus infection in several countries. Research efforts underway will also examine the link between Zika and GBS. For more information on Zika, visit www.cdc.gov/zika . ### U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESexternal icon Director Madhur Bhandarkar and son of late Lata Mohan, Amit are shocked by reports of a sequel to their Tabu-starrer 'Chandni Bar'. Mumbai: It was only a few days back that it was learnt that Madhur Bhandarkar's gritty drama, 'Chandni Bar' is gearing up for a reel life comeback. Harish Kotian and Sandeep Choudhary recently announced the sequel- 'Chandni Bar 2 Ruby Bar'. However, director Madhur Bhandarkar and late Lata Mohan's son Amit are shocked by reports of a sequel to their Tabu-starrer. Amit claims to hold the copyrights of the film and has gone ahead to file a complaint at the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association. In his letter, Amit claims that he has IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) of the film and nobody can use parts of film or title without their consent. He added that it is a copyright and trademark violation as they have gone ahead without his permission. On the other hand, producer and director of the second part, who had earlier reported to have confirmed that they are making a sequel to Chandni Bar are now refuting any such claims. They are adamant that their film Chandni Bar 2 Ruby Bar is not a sequel. Shah Rukh Khan also slammed the reports of him starring in Aanand's next as a dwarf. Mumbai: Bollywood's King Khan, Shah Rukh Khan has confirmed that he is in talks with Aanand L Rai, Imtiaz Ali and five other directors for their upcoming projects. The 50-year-old actor, however, said he will be able to divulge more details only by June-July, when he starts working on the new movies. When asked if he is playing a dwarf in Rais next, Shah Rukh said, Who reported this? I will tell you when I will do it. I am talking to Aanand and Imtiaz and five other directors. I will start new films in June-July after I complete last portions of Raees and will talk about them then. It has also been reported that he will play a Sikh character in Imtiazs film. Shah Rukh, meanwhile, will be seen playing a bootlegger in Rahul Dholakias 'Raees'. The 'Dilwale' actor praised his co-stars from the film, including Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Mahira Khan. 'Raees' is little more in the real zone. It has a greatteam, you have Mahira, Nawazuddin and Zeeshan Ayyub. We have really fine actors. I am really impressed by the quality of the actors we have in the film and hopefully they will help me improve my performance, he said on the sidelines of the second Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA). The actors next project is Gauri Shindes yet-untitled film co-starring Alia Bhatt. Talking about the 'Highway' actress, Shah Rukh said, She is beautiful. I dont think she is in awe of me. I have seen her since childhood. Shah Rukh is gearing up for release of 'Fan', which has been directed by Maneesh Sharma. It will arrive in theatres on April 15. Missed Delivery? If missed delivery or wet paper please call our office 909-628-5501 ext 110 Leave a detailed message with name, address, and phone number. Readers must call before 1 p.m. on Saturday. Re-deliveries are available for Chino residents until 1 p.m. Saturdays. Click Here A wear has occurred due to repeated injuries at the same spot on his leg for the last few years. Mumbai: Bollywoods King Khan, who had been suffering from repeated pain and swelling on his knee for the last several months, wants to take some time off to rest and recover from his broken patella While talking to media, the actor, who is currently in Dubai to attend an award show, was asked about his onstage performance, to which SRK replied, I was supposed to do something else but Ive been a little injured and I want to finish this work and get some time off. Ive got a broken patella. I have changed it a little and hopefully, I will simple it out soon. The actor, who previously sustained an injury on his knee while shooting for Farah Khans Happy New Year, suffered another injury on his leg while shooting for his film Fan. SRK underwent an arthroscopic surgery on his left knee at Breach Candy hospital last year. The surgery occurred due to a wear of his patella (knee cap) that made moving his leg difficult for the actor. The wear occurred due to repeated injuries at the same spot on his leg for the last few years. Now the actor wishes to wrap up his work and take some time off. Well, we hope that SRK gets well soon. After his much-publicised break up with Katrina, Ranbir Kapoor has been keeping a low profile. It is a known fact that Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif have officially called it quits and that they aren't living together anymore. After his much-publicised break up with Katrina, Ranbir has been keeping a low profile. In an interesting turn of events, Deepika Padukone paid a visit to her ex-boyfriend last evening. This came at a time when her current boyfriend Ranveer Singh is away in Dubai for an award ceremony. Exclusive: Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor visit a clinic together According to a report in Spotboye, Ranbir's ex-flame Deepika dropped by the actor's house in Bandra. The two proceeded to head to the terrace and caught up with each other's lives. Even though the two broke up years ago, they still share a strong bond with each other on-screen and off-screen. Read: Katrina Kaif blames Deepika Padukone for her break-up with Ranbir Kapoor? Deepika, who has been shooting for 'xXx: The Return of Xander Cage', for the past month, returned home two days back. Deepika will only be home for a short while before she heads out to Sri Lanka for her friend's wedding. Meanwhile On work front, Ranbir is currently juggling between two projects- 'Jagga Jasoos' and 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'. He will soon begin shooting for Ayan Mukerjis film and Sanjay Dutt biopic. On the other hand, Deepika is yet to sign any Bollywood projects. Overcoming healthcare barriers for LGB and transgender people will take a multipronged approach that includes educating healthcare providers. (Representative Photo) People who are lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) are more likely to run into obstacles when trying to get healthcare than their straight peers, according to a number of new studies. "I think we know or at least weve suspected that LGBT people have had trouble reaching healthcare broadly," said Dr. Mitchell Lunn of the University of California, San Francisco, an expert on sexual and gender minority health who was not involved with the new studies. Investigators from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) write in the American Journal of Public Health that researchers have in the past that significant barriers made it hard for LGB people to get healthcare. Those barriers include lack of insurance coverage and few culturally competent providers. For one of the new studies released this week, James Dahlhamer of the CDC and colleagues analyzed data from the 2013 National Health Interview Survey, collected from 521 gay or lesbian people, 215 bisexual people and 25,149 straight people. Compared to their straight counterparts, LGB people were more likely to delay or not receive care due to costs. Bisexual people were also more likely to delay care for reasons other than costs. Gay and bisexual men were more likely than their straight peers to report trouble finding healthcare providers. Also, bisexual women were more likely than gay and lesbian women to report three of the five barriers to care the researchers asked about on the survey. Based on their findings, the researchers call for "sustained research on health care access among LGB adults." In a separate report in the same journal, researchers from Sweden say health disparities between LGB people and their straight peers may be a result of unequal distribution of health-protective resources like knowledge, prestige, power and supportive social connections. Richard Branstrom of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and colleagues examined Swedish illness data collected from 2001 to 2011 on 66,604 straight people and 1,654 LGB people. They compared illnesses in LGB people and their straight counterparts in relation to how preventable the diseases were. For example, high-preventable diseases included pneumonia, flu, accidents and liver disease. Low-preventable diseases included pancreatic cancer, heart muscle disease, and multiple sclerosis. Overall, there was no difference between LGB and straight people when it came to low-preventable diseases. However, gay and bisexual men were 48 percent more likely than straight men to have a high-preventable illness. Similarly, lesbian and bisexual women were 64 percent more likely than straight women to have highly preventable illnesses. The researchers say their findings support the "fundamental cause theory," which says disparities between advantaged and disadvantaged groups will be greater for preventable conditions than non-preventable conditions. Overcoming healthcare barriers for LGB and transgender people will take a multipronged approach that includes educating healthcare providers and everyone involved with the healthcare system, said Lunn. Also important, he said, is better data collection from the LGBT community. "I think that information will help us develop some targeted public health interventions to help change access," Lunn said. "A lot of people focus on disease for public health approaches, but hopefully we can improve access to healthcare." Fried cow's brains might not be to everyone's taste, but more people may sample the Florentine specialty now. (Photo: Pixabay) Fried cow's brains might not be to everyone's taste, but more people may sample the Florentine specialty now that Italy's art capital has ordered food outlets in the city center to sell mostly local produce. Florence is the latest Italian tourist destination to adopt the mantra "you are what you eat", and is requiring shops and restaurants to make sure that 70 percent of their food comes from the surrounding region. "We are seeing an unstoppable distortion in our cultural heritage, of which food is a part," Mayor Dario Nardella wrote on his Facebook page. "A restaurant opens every week in Florence, not to mention minimarkets and Asiamarkets," he said, apparently referring to food and drink shops often run by immigrants and open all hours. Promoting a short supply chain and seasonal eating has been fashionable in Italy for years, promoted by the Slow Food movement and upmarket food hall chain Eataly. But now local governments are turning up the heat. Last month for example, Verona Mayor Flavio Tosi said he would not allow new kebab shops to open in the historic center of the city where William Shakespeare set "Romeo and Juliet". These measures have prompted a mixed reaction among Italy's legion of gastronomic pundits and business people, some noting that local products could also be of low quality while others said the move would help defend local biodiversity. Nardella's drive in Florence appeared even simpler, though: to offer good local food and less junk to the city's crowds of visitors. "Where once there were artisans' workshops, historic cafes, cinemas and old taverns, now fast food, pizzerias and low-grade restaurants have opened, ready to snare the first unsuspecting tourist," he said. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions Opponents have accused Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of seeking to stoke religious tensions in order to polarise voters ahead of crucial state assembly elections in five states in next two months. (Representational photo: AFP) New Delhi: Police have arrested five suspects in the hanging to death of two Muslim cattle traders in Jharkhand, in an incident that led to violent protests in the state, amid reports that the attackers were Hindu vigilantes. Read: Two Muslim cattle traders assaulted, hanged in Jharkhand The bodies of the two cattle traders were found hanging from a tree in Jharkhand's Latehar district on Friday, stoking violence that injured six policemen. Mazlum Ansari, 32, and Imteyaz Khan, the 13-year-old son of another cattle trader, were residents of Balumath, 110 km (70 miles) from Ranchi, it said. The area saw clashes between Hindus and Muslims over the eating of beef three months ago. "Police have arrested five persons and are looking for others involved in the incident," Latehar police chief Anoop Birtharay said by telephone. "So far we have not found any affiliation of these persons with any Hindu radical group. We are still examining," he said. Opponents have accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of seeking to stoke religious tensions in order to polarise voters ahead of crucial state assembly elections in five states in next two months. "This horrible incident is a result of the sustained communal campaign conducted by the Hindutva outfits," a statement issued by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said. Despite protests by the local people, the police and the BJP state government in Jharkhand have failed to protect minorities engaged in this trade, the CPI(M) statement said. A BJP state leader in Jharkhand condemned the killings. "This is an unfortunate incident. Our government will take strong action against the culprits," said Ashok Kumar, secretary of the BJP's Jharkhand unit. Attacks on cattle traders, who are typically from the Muslim minority that makes up 14 percent of India's population, have been reported from several parts of India recently. Last September a man in Uttar Pradesh's Dadri village was lynched for allegedly eating beef. The couple had differences and Triveni had deserted Kumar recently and was living separately in a rented house. (Photo: Pixabay) Bengaluru: Jeevan Bhima Nagar police have arrested a 30-year-old tailor, who allegedly murdered his wife and buried the body in a cattle shed, suspecting that she was having an affair with his friend. The accused has been identified as Anil Kumar, a resident of Jigani. Police said that Kumar was married to Triveni two years ago. The couple had differences and Triveni had deserted Kumar recently and was living separately in a rented house in J B Nagar. Kumars friend Mohan came in contact with her and both were reportedly close. Kumar suspected that they were having an affair. Further, Triveni was preparing to divorce Kumar and planning to claim alimony. Kumar, who learnt about this, was furious and hatched a plot to murder his wife. In March first week, he took her to home town Sakkarappalli in Tamil Nadu, making her believe that his ancestral property was being partitioned. When they reached there, he allegedly smothered her to death and buried the body in a cattle shed in his house and returned to the city, the police said. As Triveni went missing, her relatives filed a missing complaint with the J B Nagar police. As we learnt about the marital discord, Kumars role was suspected. When he was interrogated, he confessed to the murder, the police added. A police team went to Sakkarappalli along with the accused on Thursday night and exhumed the body of Triveni. Further investigations are on. CM Chandrababu Naidu asked all the MLAs to speak in the Assembly on Rojas suspension issue on Monday. Hyderabad: AP Cabinet on Friday gave its green signal to fill up the 1,000 teaching posts in the states universities. The Cabinet also decided to cancel allotment of more than 1,000 acres of bauxite land in Visakhapatnam district to the Jindal group. The Cabinet directed officials to ensure that there was no drinking water problem in towns and rural areas. It said officials should speed up the arrangements for the forthcoming Krishna pushkaralu. Regarding YSRC MLA R.K. Rojas suspension issue, the Assembly would take a decision. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu asked all the MLAs to speak in the Assembly on this issue on Monday. The Cabinet welcomed the Supreme Court verdict on the higher education council. Bail was set at $1 million Saturday for a south suburban man accused of waiting hours before seeking treatment for a toddler fatally scalded during a bath. Cook County Judge Maria Ciesel-Kuriakos set bail for Gregory D. Miles, of 1600 Astor St. in Calumet City, in the March 16, 2016, death of his stepson, Noah Rudder, which was ruled a homicide. The 17-month-old boy died after he suffered third-degree burns during a bath at the home Miles shared with the boy's mother in Calumet City. Miles, prosecutors said, saw the boy's burn injuries, but instead of calling 911, searched the Internet on how to treat burns and bought ointment at a drugstore. Miles, 30, is charged with first-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and endangering the life of a child. He has three other children. Miles' parents were present for the hearing. His next appearance is set for March 22 in Markham. Miles' attorney Brian S. Shields called his client "an exemplary father," adding that the boy's mother had previously complained to her landlord that water in the building wildly fluctuated from cold to hot. He also said any statement he made to authorities came after he was in police custody for 48 hours. Shields said he planned to file a motion to quash the statement. Illinois Department of Child and Family Services is investigating the stepfather for abuse and neglect. Officials did not have any prior contact with the family. Advertisement "There's no evidence of intent" for the murder charge, he said. PHOENIX Protesters blocked a main highway leading into the Phoenix suburb where Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump staged a campaign rally Saturday alongside Arizona's contentious sheriff, Joe Arpaio. Tempers flared at the rally itself, following the violence that marred Trump's canceled event in Chicago a week earlier and with none of the candidate's usual goading of protesters from the stage. Advertisement VIOLENCE at another Donald Trump rally, this time in Tucson, AZ. Man hits and kicks protester: pic.twitter.com/7FWuSeE0Jt Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) March 19, 2016 For hours, about two dozen protesters parked their cars in the middle of the main road to the event, unfurling banners reading "Dump Trump" and "Must Stop Trump," and chanting "Trump is hate." Traffic was backed up for miles, with drivers honking in fury. The road was eventually cleared, and protesters marched down the highway to the rally site, weaving between Trump supporters who booed and jeered them. Advertisement Trump supporter Geroy Morgan, 62, made it to the rally but was furious at the demonstrators, some of whom still stood around after the event ended. "We come here, the silent majority, to express our opinions," Morgan said. "They don't have any permits or rights." Trump and Arpaio have formed a political alliance in recent months, and the billionaire hopes Arizona can serve as a model for how he could win in November. The tough-talking lawman is sheriff of Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and nearly two-thirds of Arizona's population. He forced inmates to wear pink underwear and live outside in tents during triple-digit heat. The sheriff has endorsed Trump and introduced him at the rally. In Fountain Hills, thousands gathered for the outdoor rally in the suburb where Arpaio lives. Officers with the sheriff's department were posted throughout the park, on rooftops and on patrol. Officers wearing bulletproof vests stood alongside a Humvee with a gun turret on top. Trump told the crowd that he is "winning by massive landslides" and vowed to rebuild the military and build a border wall with Mexico. He drew cheers from the crowd when he vowed to protect the Second Amendment which for pro-gun Arizona is a particularly important issue. He never acknowledged the earlier blockade or the protesters in the crowd. Trump supporters waved signs saying "Hillary for Prison" referring to Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and "Joe for VP," a reference to Arpaio. One man standing near the megaphone yelled to the protesters, "if you don't like America, go back to the country you came from." One of the protesters responded: "Go back to Europe." Advertisement Trump supporter David Nelson, 62, had to walk about 4 miles to the rally because demonstrators had blocked the road. "You don't see me at Bernie's disrupting their crowd," he said, referring to Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, who was campaigning on the Arizona-Mexico border on Saturday. "I give them respect." Arizona votes Tuesday in a winner-take-all Republican primary as well as a Democratic race. Salvador Reza, a member of the Tonatierra Barrio Defense Committees, stands outside the Phoenix Convention Center where Fox News host Sean Hannity was set to interview Donald Trump in Phoenix on March 19, 2016. (Ryan VanVelzer / AP) Some had feared that the event in Fountain Hills could devolve into violence reminiscent of last week's Trump rally in Chicago, which was canceled over safety concerns. The cancellation sparked isolated physical confrontations between Trump supporters and protesters. Confrontations involving protesters, Trump supporters and police have become standard at Trump rallies across the country. And Trump has incorporated reactions to them into his usual campaign speech. Later Saturday in Tucson, about 100 people are gathering outside the venue where Trump was scheduled to speak. Dozens of those protesters made their way into the rally site, among them, a person wearing a Klu Klux Klan hood and a group of people carrying signs for the "Black Lives Matters" movement who interrupted Trump as he spoke. In typical form, Trump kicked the protesters out, but urged the crowd of about 1,000 people to be nice to them. Advertisement Earlier in the day, about 50 protesters gathered outside the Phoenix Convention Center where Fox News host Sean Hannity was set to interview Trump. They held signs, played music and made speeches, calling Trump "despicable" and "a fascist." One of them, Salvador Reza, said: "He's working to create division." Trump supporters trickled through protesters and security to attend many wearing red, white and blue. Jason Kitson, 41, of Phoenix, said Trump's hard-line stance on immigration is what's needed in Arizona to prevent cross-border drug and human smuggling. Kitson said the wall Trump vows to build along the Mexican border may or may not be realistic, but it "is getting people's attention." Several thousand miles away in New York, demonstrators also took to the streets to protest the Republican presidential hopeful. The protesters gathered Saturday in Manhattan's Columbus Circle, across from Central Park, with a heavy police presence. Demonstrators chanted: "Donald Trump, go away, racist, sexist, anti-gay." Advertisement They marched across south Central Park to Trump Tower, the Fifth Avenue skyscraper where Trump lives. Then they marched back to Columbus Circle for a rally. Associated Press Lucknow: Noting that people's aspiration for justice has increased, Chief Justice of India T S Thakur on Saturday suggested hearing and finalisation of cases during the summer holidays, if counsel of both the sides were willing. "There is a request that though the courts will be having summer holiday, if the counsel of both parties are willing to take up cases, I will request the chief justice of the high courts to list the cases for hearing request is also to the judges to hear and finalise them," he said. Speaking at the inauguration of the new red and pink sandstone building of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court spread over 40.2 acres here, Thakur noted the sprawling new building was the best gift to the judicial system by the government. "I am in the habit of visiting courts both in the country and outside and no building, be it the one in London or Washington, is anywhere in comparison to this.It is a matter of pride that the judicial system has got this outstanding gift from the government. "A heavy sum of Rs 1,300 crore of the taxpayers money has gone into it and you cannot have any complaint that there is dearth of anything required for providing justice," he said. The CJI, who recently visited Allahabad to take part in the 150 years celebration of the high court there, said something big should be done this year so that when the festivities come to a close, all could proudly say that so many cases have been settled. "I will request that in the functions that you are having for the 150 years celebrations, you decide that something great is done and at the valedictory event you can proudly say that so many thousands or lakhs of cases have been finalised," he said. In a lighter vein, the CJI noted that the new building of the Lucknow bench was far better than the Supreme Court building and had there been any scope, he would have got it exchanged. Underlining the lack of facilities at the apex court, Thakur said the SC building got a bar room only two weeks ago with the shifting of the record room and people were still working there. Recalling his association with Lucknow, the CJI said he was awarded a doctor of law degree in the city and his father also studied law here. "Hence, I can proudly say that I am a product of this city," he said. Eulogising the rich traditions and language of the city, Thakur said if the Constitution permitted, he would have gone back to practise in Lucknow. Governors of West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court, DY Chandrachud and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav were present on the occasion. The Oudh Bar Association which had earlier given a call to boycott the inaugural function alleging that the bar was not being given due representation in the ceremony, withdrew its call and attended the function. In his address, President of the Oudh Bar Association, H G S Parihar underlined the need for instilling confidence between the bar and the bench. He said that lawyers cannot be controlled by the stick of contempt of court and suggested that before punishing them, the bar should be called to explain the mistakes to the counsels. It's impossible to read State's Attorney Anita Alvarez's defeat in Tuesday's primary election as anything but a brutal rebuke of her handling of the Laquan McDonald case. Throughout the campaign, Alvarez's opponents had hammered her relentlessly for taking more than a year to charge a white Chicago police officer with murder after he shot the black teenager 16 times. Alvarez insisted she had pursued the case with vigor, that she would change little or nothing if she had it to do over. Advertisement Voters clearly wanted someone else to finish the job. They picked challenger Kim Foxx over Alvarez by almost 30 percentage points. Alvarez is still the prosecutor Foxx faces Republican Christopher Pfannkuche in the Nov. 8 general election but there's little chance the McDonald case will be resolved before the office changes hands. Advertisement Chicago can't wait. Alvarez should ask a judge to turn the case over to a special prosecutor who can steer it through these months of transition and beyond. The lasting uproar over McDonald's death is more than a community's rage over the shooting of a young black man by a cop whose disciplinary record should have served as a warning. It's about a longstanding distrust of the criminal justice system, a long history of cops covering for cops while the political class looks the other way. Alvarez is a casualty of that backlash. She owes her defeat to the overwhelming public perception that she dragged her feet rather than file charges against a police officer. Within days of the shooting, she'd obtained the police dashboard camera video that showed McDonald walking briskly away from police when he was gunned down by Officer Jason Van Dyke on Oct. 20, 2014. She also possessed written statements from other officers at the scene that were soundly contradicted by the video. Thirteen months passed before a judge ordered the video released to the public and Alvarez hurriedly charged Van Dyke with first-degree murder. She blamed the delay on federal prosecutors, whose parallel investigation of the McDonald shooting is still inching along. To be clear: The U.S. attorney is involved because Alvarez whistled him in, so no, she wasn't trying to sweep the case under the rug. But we might still be waiting for charges Van Dyke might still be collecting a paycheck if the video hadn't been shaken loose. Voters found that lack of urgency unforgivable. A coalition of attorneys, elected officials and civic leaders blames a political alliance between Alvarez and the Fraternal Order of Police, which worked to get her elected in 2008 and 2012. In February, the coalition petitioned a judge to assign a special prosecutor to handle the Van Dyke case and to investigate whether the other officers at the scene lied about what happened. The petition says Alvarez rarely charges police officers "who kill citizens under questionable circumstances" and that she fumbles the cases she pursues. It says Alvarez "has cast her lot with the FOP" and "lacks the independence and prosecutorial zeal to effectively represent the people." Alvarez retorted that she found it "more than a little coincidental" that there were so many Foxx supporters behind the petition. She denied any conflict of interest and said she intended to keep doing her job. And then she lost it. Advertisement You'd think that would be a game-changer, but no. Two days after the election, the parties were in court to argue not over whether a special prosecutor should be assigned, but over which judge should make that call the chief judge of the criminal division or the judge assigned to preside over Van Dyke's trial. (Answer: the trial judge.) They'll appear Wednesday before Judge Vincent Gaughan, who's handling a similar but not identical petition filed by the Rev. Jesse Jackson. That one asks for a special prosecutor for the Van Dyke trial but doesn't address investigating the other officers. How long will the back-and-forth take before those questions are resolved? It's been too long already. The clock is ticking on Alvarez's tenure. It's time for her to take the high road. Instead of fighting those who want to disqualify her, she should join them in asking the judge to assign a special prosecutor. Her refusal to let go prolongs the case unnecessarily and reinforces the perception that she's been stalling all along. It further impairs confidence in a criminal justice system that is struggling desperately to right itself. Voters have made it clear that they don't trust Alvarez to prosecute this case. She should respect their wishes, and hand it off. The Aurora Election Commission, with offices on Galena Boulevard, has come under fire following Tuesday's primary election. (Steve Lord, The Beacon-News) There's nothing like another election to reignite one of Aurora's longest-running political issues the Aurora Election Commission. Questions about the commission's efficiency, both in counting and reporting votes and in its finances, have smoldered for years, like a tire fire that never quite goes out. Advertisement Another flare-up came this week after observers said the commission failed to post its primary election results on its website until the middle of the day on Wednesday. Mayor Tom Weisner took the commission to task for that, and added in financial concerns he said the city has with the Election Commission's operations. The mayor called the commission's Election Day performance an "abysmal failure," and said it's "but the most recent example of the general incompetence of the Commission Board, as well as the staff and the board attorney, who are collectively and individually wasting local tax dollars." Advertisement Pat Bond, Election Commission attorney, however, disputes the claim people that election results were not posted Tuesday night. He said the first returns were posted online at 8:30 p.m. and updated every 15 minutes. The results were posted to a new website for Liberty Services, the company that handles returns for the commission. The link was on the Election Commission website, Bond said, but so was the old link. Bond said there might have been some confusion, but the information was available. "It's unfortunate the mayor didn't contact us, we could have directed him to the link," Bond said. "But he chose to contact the press." If the situation sounds familiar to Aurorans, that's because it is. After an election eight years ago, Weisner issued a press release criticizing the commission, calling for its elimination. About 17 years ago, the Kane County Board passed a resolution supporting elimination of the election commission after a county-sponsored report indicated the Kane County Clerk's office could add the city's precincts into its fold at a much lower cost. The resolution was symbolic, since the commission's future must be decided by a referendum. And 30 years ago, Aurorans participated in just such a referendum asking if the election commission should be eliminated. About 59 percent supported keeping it, led by a push from Aurora Republican precinct committeemen. After Weisner's comments this month, social media has raged for several days with discussions about how a petition drive for a referendum could be started. Advertisement Other voices joined the mayor's, such as that of Kendall County Board member Scott Gryder. The city of Aurora boundaries lop over into a small part of Kendall County, so there are three precincts there handled by the Election Commission. The GOP primary race in the Kendall County Board's 2nd District appears it will be decided by 17 votes, according to still-unofficial totals, and that margin came in those three precincts. In Kendall County, incumbent Board member Dan Koukol beat challenger Diane Selmer by 10 votes. But Selmer beat Koukol in the three Aurora precincts by 27 votes. The candidates, however, did not know that until the Election Commission posted the last of the three Kendall precincts Wednesday morning. "When they were not on the website, I phoned the Election Commission office and received no answer," Gryder wrote to Weisner in an email supporting the mayor's position. "These candidates were left in limbo until Wednesday morning." Gryder also pointed out that eliminating redundant government has gained traction statewide lately, and people and officials are looking for greater efficiency from government. Advertisement "There is no reason that the County Clerks could not handle the elections for the city of Aurora and do so in an efficient, cost effective manner," he said. Weisner also criticized the Election Commission for some financial failings, such as not filing audits with the city for 2014 and 2015, and providing "agenda-supporting" documents to the city, as required in a memorandum of agreement the city and Election Commission agreed to in 2014. That memorandum was brokered by the 16th Circuit Chief Judge, who not only appoints Election Commission board members, but oversees their operations. Election Commission attorney Bond said financial and business items have been running well between and commission and the city since the 2014 memorandum. He said the commission has been providing the necessary documents to the city every month. That memorandum came about because of disputes between both sides that carried on between 2010 and 2014. The memorandum also created a schedule whereby the city would pay the money it gives to help fund the Election Commission on a quarterly basis. "Since the memorandum was executed, there have been no problems," Bond said. Advertisement It remains to be seen if citizens will mount a petition drive to get another referendum on the ballot regarding the Election Commission. The City Council in 2010 authorized a referendum question, but the Election Commission declined to certify it for the ballot because it was worded incorrectly. According to state statute, the wording for the question should read: "Shall the city election law be rejected?" To eliminate the Election Commission, a voter must vote "yes" to that question. Bond said the Election Commission has been running election for years without major incidents. "We stick to running elections, that's all we do," he said. "It's disappointing this discussion is resurfacing." slord@tribpub.com BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi has been arrested for allegedly assaulting police horse Shaktiman. (Photo: PTI/DC) Dehradun: The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Court in Dhakrani on Saturday rejected the bail plea of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ganesh Joshi, who is presently in jail for allegedly injuring a police horse. Joshi was on Friday sent to judicial custody for 14 days. Meanwhile, the ruling Congress in Uttarakhand and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) exchanged verbal volleys over Joshi's arrest. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Friday asserted that there was no 'political conspiracy' behind Joshi's arrest. Shaktiman's left hind leg was amputated by veterinary doctors yesterday after it suffered multiple fractures during a BJP protest earlier this week. The horse was allegedly beaten with sticks by Joshi and his associates. An initial assessment by doctors raised hopes that Shaktiman would not lose its leg. However, the worst was confirmed Thursday as it had to be amputated to stop gangrene from spreading to other parts of its body. There's a chance for parents and community members to weigh in on a controversial application for a new charter for the Thea Bowman Leadership Academy in Gary on Tuesday. The Indiana State Charter School Board is holding a 5:30 p.m. public hearing at Thea Bowman's elementary campus, 975 W. 6th Ave. Advertisement In January, charter authorizer Ball State University pulled the charter, citing governance and financial issues. Thea Bowman officials disputed the non-renewal reasoning, but decided not to appeal. Six of its eight school board members resigned earlier this month. Now, the Drexel Foundation, which holds the school's charter, is asking the Indiana Charter School Board to become its charter authorizer. Thea Bowman, which opened in 2003, maintains two campuses. It built a junior-senior-high school for grades 7-12 at 3401 W. 5th Ave. and it rents space for its elementary at 975 W. 6th Ave. Its enrollment is about 1,300 students. Advertisement Thea Bowman's bid for a new authorizer is being seen as the first test of a "charter shopping" law passed by state lawmakers last year. The bill requires Ball State, as Thea Bowman's authorizer, to speak with the Indiana Charter School Board about issues it encountered with the school. In addition, a bill passed in 2013 requires the State Board of Education to approve a change in sponsor, if the charter has been non-renewed. The yanking of the charter has led to a divide among parents and fostered the creation of new parent group that wants to gain the charter. Adding to the turmoil, a lender called in the loan on the 2009 junior-senior high school after the charter non-renewal. Sentiment from all sides of the debate is likely to spill out Tuesday. Keisha White, president of the Bowman school board, says the issues can be confusing but she feels parents have a good grasp of what's ahead. "It's a very detailed process, but I think now they've heard the message," she said Friday. "It was very hard for some of us to wrap our arms around it." She said parents just wanted an answer, as they look to next year and where to send their children. Robert Marra, director of Ball State's Office of Charter Schools, said if the new parent group gains control of the charter, Ball State would grant the new group a provisional charter and keep the school open. Advertisement Marra said lingering governance issues, including the lack of term limits for long-serving school board members, led to the school's non-renewal. Marra also pointed to financial problems with the school's Title 1 program that raised red flags. He said a state site visit found that one-third of the teachers weren't licensed, equipment was missing, and there were record keeping problems in the special education department. Last month, UMB Bank, which holds the bonds for the junior-senior high school, said the Drexel Foundation violated the 2009 loan agreement and the loan will be in default if the charter is lost. "The next step is foreclosure," said Marra. "They have 30 days to produce a charter or they go into foreclosure. The bond company has a legal right to the building." Like traditional public schools, charters receive state money based on student enrollment. White says Thea Bowman has suffered enrollment declines in recent years, leading school officials to make cost-cutting moves. She said the school couldn't afford a full-time education manager. "We had lost students, enrollment is flaky right now. We had to concede on some things and that was the management company. We were able to save the school $500,000 and give teachers a pay increase. We wanted to improve the culture and climate for our teachers and students." Marra said the changes led to micro-managing, but White denied the charge. Advertisement "The governance wanted to manage and that's real dangerous," said Marra. "There are Title I documents with Keisha White listed as superintendent." Marra said Thea Bowman's enrollment decrease parallels its academic decline. "They've flat lined," he said. The school has received a state grade of D for the past three years, falling from a C. The school still maintains a solid state graduation rate of 95 percent for 2015 and nearly all its third-graders passed the I-READ statewide test. ccarlson@post-trib.com Twitter:@ccwriterPT Angella Meeks sat just a couple feet away from where her brother shot and killed their mother before taking his own life. It's not that she was oblivious to the horrific circumstances surrounding that site in the family's Merrillville home. Nor was she being nonchalant about a murder-suicide incident that turned the family dining room into a bloody crime scene. Advertisement She is simply determined to find a new normalcy in her life since losing her mother, Olga Meeks, her brother, Eric Meeks, and her father, John Meeks, whose 6-foot 3-inch body was found in the garage. On Feb. 20, Eric first shot and killed his father, who died with mechanic tools still in his hands, his family said. Eric then killed his mother and wrapped his arms around her body before killing himself. Their bodies were found intertwined when police and two family members arrived later that weekend during a routine welfare request. Advertisement "What they found was truly horrible, but I don't want this home to become only a memory of death. It would only add to the continuing stigma of mental illness," said Angella, who was raised in the home. "It's not just a home where three tragic deaths took place," she said, motioning to that site near the dining room, ripped apart by crime scene investigators. "No, we lived here. We laughed here. We argued here. We shared life here." "We don't want to base a whole lifetime of memories in this home on one horrible day," she said. Angella, 42, who lives in Novato, Calif., invited me into her family's home to share her grief, her confusion, her guilt and her concerns about the stigma of mental illness. "My brother had mental illness and my parents were in denial about it. They felt ashamed about it," she said. "I want to be clear and honest about this horrific incident so other families can learn from our failings. All of us failed here, not just Eric, not just my parents." Eric showed obvious signs of mental illness early in his life, his family recalled. He had an eerie calmness, with flashes of eccentric behavior that were often masked by his brilliant mind. "He was very, very smart and he was extremely logical," said Eric's aunt, Gisela "Gi Gi" Baker, of Westville. "Almost too logical," Angella added. "He was very black and white with things." Advertisement She believes her brother's final actions may have been premeditated, rather than he snapped or suffered from a spontaneous meltdown. During our 90-minute conversation, Angella learned from her aunt that Eric made a rare effort to spend time with his elderly grandmother at a LaPorte nursing home. "They danced to Mexican music," Baker said with a smile. Angella couldn't share a similar smile. She had just realized that Eric may have been saying goodbye in his own way. Then again, he also ordered a new set of contact lenses and his apartment showed no signs of saying goodbye forever. "As if there would be another day," she said. "But there wasn't." Angella said she always has had concerns about her little brother taking his life. In some odd way, she was mentally prepared for it. "But not for this," she said, nodding again to that site in the dining room. Advertisement "I think my brother thought that taking his own life without also taking our parents' lives would have crushed them, if that makes sense," Angella said. "He knew my mother would have been a broken woman if he committed suicide. And my father would have been wracked by guilt for not getting Eric the help he badly needed." "By doing something so tragic, Eric sent a multi-layered statement, I believe," she said. Eric, a Merrillville High School graduate, once attended Indiana University in Bloomington, where he first tried to take his life, she said. He jumped from a building, several floors high, landing on a soft awning that broke his fall. During his recovery, Eric told his parents he was experimenting with prescription medication. They readily believed him. "They wanted to believe him," Angella said. "We later learned that he was hearing command voices in his head telling him to jump." More than once he left the oven's gas turned on in his family home, she said. One such incident prompted Angella to insist her brother seek professional treatment. Advertisement "He was diagnosed with schizophrenia, with a narcissistic personality disorder," Angella said. "But we never talked about Eric's mental illness. We never once had a family conversation about it." Their father harbored antiquated images of men in white coats dragging Eric away in a straitjacket and locking him into a white, padded room. "My dad just couldn't wrap his mind around Eric's mental illness," Angella said. "And my mother couldn't do anything about it so she tried to escape from it." Before finding his own home in a residential facility in Hobart operated by Regional Mental Health Center, Eric lived in his parent's basement. "Just moping along," his sister said. After moving away, his life seemed to pick up. He landed two jobs, met new friends, lost 70 pounds, drove his own car and found a new purpose in life. Advertisement "I was so happy for him," Baker said. "We were so proud of him," Angella said. Something somewhere went terribly wrong. No one knows why. No one will ever know. "My theory is that Eric was waiting for a failure to happen, to give him reason to do the unthinkable," Angella said. "He was ashamed of his mental illness. How could he not be? That's how my family treated his disease." Before the incident, the family heard that Eric was talking about going to a shooting range. "We couldn't understand that," Baker said. Advertisement "It was a red flag for me, but my mother assured me that it was nothing," Angella said through tears. "And I believed her. I had no idea that my family was still unaware of his illness. We all dropped the ball, including me." Merrillville police are still investigating the case, and how Eric got possession of the gun he used, found at the scene. The Meeks family investigation is a tougher task, putting together a puzzle that will never be completed. "There was no one thing that led to Eric's final actions," Angella said. "His life was a slow train wreck. We're all grieving in our own ways." After the funerals, Eric's older sister, Cynthia Meeks, returned to her home in Washington State. Other family members wander in and out of the family's home, where Angella is staying while going through her parent's possessions. Each one has bittersweet memories of their 43-year marriage. "My mom touched the lives of a lot of children," said Angella, whose mother worked as a reading specialist at Miller Elementary School in town. "I'm willing to reach out to them if they want me to talk to her students. We need to discuss this issue, not sweep it under the rug." Advertisement Post Tribune Twice-weekly News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday > "It's too for late for my family," she said, trying to keep her composure. "But it doesn't have to be too late for other families." "What happened can't be for nothing," she said, staring at three white candles on the dining room table, each one labeled, "John," "Olga" and "Eric." "Someone left them for us," Angella said. "The outpouring of support has been remarkable." "My family wants me to candy-coat what happened, like my parents did for years about Eric, but look how that turned out," Angella said, motioning again toward the site where her brother killed her mother. "We can't be delusional like my brother. I mean his wi-fi name was bulletproof." jdavich@post-trib.com Advertisement Twitter @jdavich New Delhi: A fresh sedition case was filed against Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar by a right-wing activist on Saturday, for allegedly 'disrespecting' the Indian Army. A Bajrang Dal activist from Bulandshahr filed the case against the student leader, accusing him of making anti-national statements during a speech he delivered on International Womens Day on March 8th. Read: JNU students served show cause notices say don't have faith in enquiry On International Women's Day, JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar made some highly insensitive remarks against the brave soldiers of the Indian Army. In an attempt to vilify the forces, he claimed that our soldiers rape women and commit atrocities in Kashmir and the North East. Hemant Singh, a Bajrang Dal activist was quoted in a report. However, the activist claims that the UP police refused to register his complaint and he had to approach the court for initiating action against Kanhaiya. Hemant claims he has also submitted video clips of Kanhaiya making false statements as proof. The Bulandshahr Session Court in Uttar Pradesh will take up the matter for hearing on March 28th. Kanhaiya who was earlier arrested on charges of sedition was released from Tihar jail on March 3. The Delhi Court granted him interim bail for six months on the condition that he would co-operate with police in the probe against him. You are here: Home China COSCO Shipping Corp. Ltd. and Brazilian miner Vale on Friday signed an agreement on iron ore shipping, the latest cooperation between the two companies. COSCO's subsidiary China Ore Shipping will ship around 16 million tonnes of iron ore for Vale annually for the next 27 years. China COSCO Shipping Corporation is a new company formed by the restructuring of China's top two shipping firms, officially established in February. By amalgamating COSCO and China Shipping, the new conglomerate has the world's largest total shipping capacity and the fourth biggest container fleet. Virgin Atlantic released a statement after the investigation of an alleged "racist" attack on a Virgin flight on Friday night amid different witnesses accounts. A Chinese woman surnamed Yu previously told China.org.cn about her horrifying experience as the victim of an alleged "racist" attack. A white man accosted her, saying, "you f*cking Chinese pig" and repeatedly cursed as she was looking for headphone in other seats on a Virgin Atlantic flight VS250 from London to Shanghai on March 1. She also accused the flight attendants of ignoring her and threatening to remove her from the plane. Virgin Atlantics official microblog account on Weibo.com released a Chinese statement late on Friday night, saying they are sorry for the incident and have completed a thorough investigation, gathering information from passengers and flight attendants. "There was an altercation between two customers on board the flight. The altercation resulted in both individuals becoming upset and distressed. Upon noticing the argument, our cabin crew did their best to resolve the situation for all customers. " The statement added, "We want to reiterate that Virgin Atlantic does not tolerate any form of racism." Sir Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Atlantic, also wrote on the Virgin website and his Twitter account in both Chinese and English that he was saddened that "some of our customers and crew had an unpleasant experience on a recent Virgin Atlantic flight from London to Shanghai." A representative from Virgin Atlantics customer relations office said they couldnt disclose to the alleged victim Ms. Yu any medical conditions that the male passenger might have had. But Branson included, in the official statement, that the male customer has "Parkinson's disease" and went on to say that "we also take a zero tolerance approach to discrimination against anybody due to a disability." Yu, however, had no chance at that time to know that the man had any medical condition. Stacy Yan, also a passenger on that plane who witnessed the incident, said, "I can confirm the white man cursed the girl rudely, using many 'F' words. And I never heard the girl used any dirty words. This was all so sudden, and we were scared. Soon, the cabin crew got involved, so we didn't intervene. We only comforted the girl later." Catherine Jones, a witness and passenger on that flight, posted on the shanghaiist.com that she was on this flight sitting behind the man who allegedly insulted her, "and I can tell you that this is NOT how it went down." "She wasn't looking for her headphones, she was trying to change seats before the flight took off and he told her not to. After an initial exchange, they started arguing and it was more of a 'did you hear what he said/she said to me' situation, and she was swearing at him too," she wrote. She also admitted that he was acting aggressively, "He did come across quite aggressively in his manner but never looked as if he was going to be violent. It's just his voice was quite deep and he was a large man. And she gave back by yelling and shouting down the cabin." Luckily, the airline staff got involved. After the plane took off, "he slept right through the flight and never even left his seat which was at least 10 rows behind her." Jones said she can't confirm he wasn't racist "because I didn't hear everything," but it was his fault for arguing over nothing. However, Stacy Yan said at that time that when they boarded the plane, half of the seats were empty. Even the cabin crew asked the passengers whether they would like to change seats. "This is very normal, even foreigners do this." She remembers that Ms. Yu went to other seats but didn't know exactly why. At that time, it was nearly one hour away from the time when the flight actually took off. Yu said again on her microblog account on Weibo.com that she was looking for headphones, due to the fact that she didn't have any in her original seat. Another Weibo user named "Fishkeyia", who put up her boarding pass of the flight to verify she was the indeed another witness and passenger, gave a mostly similar testimony about how scary and aggressive the man was and that there were lots of empty seats. "I didn't find that the girl said or did anything wrong. No matter whether she was looking for headphones or trying to change seats, she didn't deserve the dirty words from the man," she said. The Facebook accounts of both Virgin Atlantic and Richard Branson have been inundated with thousands of comments from Chinese netizens venting their anger at the alleged treatment. Over 32 million users read about the issue on the Chinese microblog site Weibo.com after the incident received wide media exposure yesterday. Yu, the alleged victim, said to China.org.cn that it is now inconvenient for her to respond to the results found by the Virgin investigation, and that she will soon release a statement through her attorney. Flash Authorized by the central government, the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government signed a mutually visa-free agreement with the government of the Republic of Belarus on Friday. The deal was inked by Chan Hoi Fan, secretary for Administration and Justice, and Burya Viktor, the ambassador of the Republic of Belarus in Beijing. The agreement assures that Macao residents holding valid passports or valid travel permits issued by the SAR government will be exempted from visa requirements when entering the Republic of Belarus for a stay of maximum 30 days. The effective date will be announced later. A total of 122 countries or regions have agreed to grant visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to the passport holders issued by Macao SAR, while 13 countries have agreed to grant to the Macao SAR Travel Permit holders visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to their regions. Flash China on Friday urged Japan to teach the "right concept of history" after Tokyo authorized a new edition of high school textbooks that show Japanese sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands. "The crux of the matter is whether Japan has a correct view and attitude towards its history of invasion," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang, responding to the Japanese government's approval of the textbooks Friday. Lu told a daily press briefing that it is an indisputable fact that China has sovereignty over the Diaoyu and adjacent islands. The stance is clear and consistent. He said Japan should face up to history, teach facts to the young generation and regain the trust of its neighbors and the international community with concrete actions. Flash A TV grab taken on March 19, 2016 shows the scene near the airport in Rostov-on-Don, where the Flydubai Flight 981 crashed, in southwestern Russia. A Boeing 737 passenger plane from Dubai crashed early Saturday at the destination airport in southwestern Russia, with all the some 60 people on board feared to have been killed, emergencies authorities and local media reports said. (Xinhua) A Boeing 737-800 passenger plane en route from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Rostov-on-Don in Russia's southwestern Rostov region, crashed on Saturday at the city airport, killing all 62 people onboard, said the Investigative Committee of Russia. The short- to medium- range airliner, with 55 passengers and seven crew members onboard, fell near the left of the runway while making a second landing attempt amid poor visibility conditions caused by heavy rain at about 03:50 Moscow time (0050 GMT), the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing unnamed emergencies source. The plane was of the Dubai Aviation Corporation, or Flydubai, which has confirmed the crash on its Facebook page, while saying it is unable to provide more specific details at this moment. Preliminary number indicated that those killed included 33 women, 18 men and four children, the company said, adding that the aircraft departed Dubai International airport at 1820 GMT on Friday and was due to arrive at 2240 GMT at the night. Most of the victims were Russian nationals, the authorities said. The Chinese embassy said initial information showed that no Chinese was on the plane. Five foreigners are among those killed, including three Ukrainians, one Indian and one Uzbekistan citizen, RIA Novosti said, quoting Viktor Yatsutsenko, head of the National Crisis Management Center of the Russian Emergencies Ministry. Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended condolences to families of victims. An investigation into "the violation of transport rules and the operation of air transport" has been launched by Russia's Investigative Committee. A tail-strike could have been the likely cause of the accident, RIA Novosti said, citing unnamed emergencies source. Boeing said it stands ready to provide technical assistance upon the request of government agencies conducting the investigation, according to its website. In the wake of the crash, the Rostov-on-Don airport has been closed, and inbound flights are being redirected to other destinations. Governor of the Rostov region Vasily Golubev said the airport is to resume operation no earlier than 24 hours. Founded in 2008 by the Dubai government, Flydubai is the city's first low-cost airline, according to its website. Flash With the inaugural Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) leaders' meeting scheduled to open next week in China, Cambodia said the LMC is important for all Lancang-Mekong countries to maintain regional peace and stability and to boost economic development. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is due to meet with the leaders from the Mekong River countries -- Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam -- on March 23 in Sanya in southern China's Hainan province. In a written response to Xinhua's questions by the Cambodian Foreign Ministry's Mekong (River) Department recently, the department said the LMC would contribute to ASEAN integration and ASEAN Community building and achieve its objectives through three cooperation pillars, namely political and security issues, economic and sustainable development, and social, cultural and people-to-people exchanges. "The LMC mechanism will reinforce and enhance ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership, Greater Mekong Sub-region, ASEAN-Mekong Basin Development Cooperation, and synergy between China's Belt and Road initiative and LMC activities and projects in five priority areas," the foreign ministry said. The five areas are connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources, agriculture and poverty alleviation, it added. The department said the current key challenges for the LMC are an increasing downward trend of the global and regional economy, poverty reduction, development gaps, water resources management, and non-traditional security threats such as terrorism, natural disasters, climate change, environmental problems, and pandemics. "To deal with those challenges, the LMC shall promote high-level exchanges, dialogue and cooperation to enhance mutual trust and understanding and implement the Cooperation Initiative on Poverty Reduction in East Asia," it said. The LMC needs to deepen law enforcement and security cooperation through information exchange, capacity building, and coordination of joint operations, establish a center in China for LMC water resources cooperation, and strengthen cooperation against non-traditional security threats, the department said. According to the ministry, China is the key partner with the Mekong countries to implement the vision of the LMC. Commenting on the upcoming LMC leaders' meeting, the ministry's department said the summit will be held under the theme: "Shared River-Shared Future", and Cambodia will focus on domestic and regional infrastructure and logistics for connectivity, growth and development, poverty reduction, climate change, as well as environmental problems. Besides, Cambodia will concentrate on production capacity cooperation, ASEAN connectivity, as well as cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation. It said that Cambodia will benefit greatly from the LMC mechanism since it will help Cambodia boost economic and social development, support Cambodia's Industrial Development Policy 2015-2025, enhance connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources, agriculture and poverty reduction. The LMC mechanism will also help Cambodia strengthen cooperation in public health, particularly in the areas of epidemic monitoring, joint prevention, and increase cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation, it added. Flash Fifteen years after a landmark document to combat racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia was adopted in Durban, South Africa, the UN chief is still concerned that the political will that existed then is under threat. "The collective determination that enabled such a far-reaching agreement is being undermined by political expediency," warned UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Friday at a meeting of the UN General Assembly to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. March 21, the date of this annual observance, is the anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre of peaceful demonstrators in South Africa in 1960. "I draw encouragement by how far we have come since that tragedy," Ban said. "But we have much distance still to travel in our work for equality for all." For this year's observance, the global community is commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. Adopted by consensus at the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, these texts remain the most comprehensive framework for international, regional and national actions against racism. "The international community acknowledged in Durban that no country could claim to be free of racism. This remains the case today," Ban said, noting that the world has "undoubtedly come a long way" in ensuring equal rights and non-discrimination. The secretary-general recalled that member states have adopted or amended legislation to guard against racial discrimination. An International Decade for People of African Descent was proclaimed by the General Assembly and will continue through the year 2024. Civil society organizations worldwide working on racism are increasingly active and vocal. "Yet the persistence of racism indicates that we have not yet done enough," Ban said. "I am deeply alarmed by a surge of intolerance, racist views and hate-driven violence around the world. Racial profiling and violence against certain communities is on the rise." "Economic hardship and political opportunism are triggering increased hostility towards minorities," he said. "This is being manifested most directly in anti-refugee, anti-migrant and, in particular, anti-Muslim bigotry, attacks and violence." The secretary-general said extreme right-wing political parties "are fomenting divisiveness and dangerous myths." "Even once-centrist parties have hardened their views; once-moderate countries are seeing xenophobia rise sharply; and once-sober voices have exploited fears in a dangerous echo of the darkest chapters of the last century," he noted. "In these tumultuous times, we must stand up for rights and dignity for all, and for diversity and pluralism," he urged. "We must speak out against anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim bigotry and other forms of hate. An assault on one minority community is an attack on all." In his speech, the UN chief also reminded member states that by implementing the Durban agreements "we can uplift not only those who suffer most profoundly but humanity as a whole." Echoing this message was the UN high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, who said it is urgent that States honour the commitments made at Durban, and their obligations under international human rights law. He warned that one of the most alarming challenges is the resurgence of racial discrimination and xenophobia in Europe and elsewhere, warning that migrants are "becoming scapegoats for deeper problems." "Now more than ever, States must focus their attention on fulfilling their obligation to protect the most vulnerable sectors in society," he told delegates in the General Assembly Hall. "We must be vigilant, to ensure that the stress of factors such as rising unemployment is not displaced into racist harassment, abuse, discrimination and attacks," he said, adding "We must not condone the manipulation of such sentiments for political gain, or their manifestation in official policies." You are here: Home Flash Russia will start shipping President-S airborne optical and electronic defense systems to Egypt in a few weeks, the system's producer said Friday. "Deliveries will start in the near future, and we are talking literally about a few weeks," the Tass news agency quoted Igor Nasenkov, first deputy CEO of the Radio-Electronic Technologies Concern (KRET), as saying. KRET, a subsidiary of Russian state technology corporation Rostec, announced the signing of the contract with Egypt last December, without specifying its details. Nasenkov said then KRET was not the contract holder in the deal with Egypt. President-S is designed for individual protection of airplanes and helicopters from land and sea-based antiaircraft missile attacks, KRET said on its website. After detecting and tracking missiles, the onboard system directs a coded laser beam at the missiles' multi-spectral optical seeker and electronically jams the missiles' guidance system, disrupting their tracking abilities and steering them away from the aircraft. President-S system has already been installed on airplanes used by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Il-76 military transport airplanes, as well as Ka-52 and Mi-28 combat helicopters and Mi-26 heavy transport and assault helicopters, KRET said. In November of 2015, KRET said it was also in talks to supply President-S systems to Algeria. New Delhi: Bollywood actor Anupam Kher, who has been critical of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students in wake of the sedition row, questioned how can one who 'speaks ill' of the country be celebrated as if he was an Olympic medal winner. Kher, who was at JNU campus for screening of his movie 'Buddha in a traffic jam' on Friday, made a reference of JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar saying, "He is out on bail, he hasn't come back with a medal from Olympics that he should be accorded such huge welcome." Read: JNU row: Delhi HC grants 6 months interim bail to Kanhaiya Kumar "One who talks ill of the country, how can he be celebrated as hero? Has he got an Olympic medal? He is out on bail. He is not Sachin, Saina or Hanumanathappa," he said, without naming Kanhaiya or others. "He said that he comes from a poor family but my question is what did you contribute to remove their poverty? My father's salary was Rs 90 when I got my first scholarship of Rs 200 and I had sent Rs 110 to my family. What did you do," he asked. The screening of Kher's film went on amid shouting of slogans by Left-affiliated groups who gave him a thumbs down. Read: Watch: 'War has just begun,' says Umar Khalid after his release Kher had earlier alleged that JNU refused to screen his film considering the present atmosphere at the campus, a charge denied by the university. Further attacking Kanhaiya, Kher asked, "You talk about everything that according to you is wrong in the country. But what did you contribute to nation other than your criticism? Read: Delhi court grants interim bail to JNU students Umar, Anirban "Let's not talk about what is not working in the country but what is happening in the country. You are here to study and not do politics and even if you are doing it, don't do any politics against the country," he said. "I also heard someone saying that he wants freedom in India and not from India. If the country is your home than how is freedom in or from is different," he asked. Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kher said, "It is after years that we have got such a good prime minister. We are also trying to get you all back on road to revolution and patriotism." Read: I don't mind being called a 'chamcha' of PM: Anupam Kher Referring to himself as a true Indian he said, "The India in me will always be alive. I am not old. I am like our country who will get younger with times." Flash Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday accused European countries of backing the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) outlawed by Turkey. In a televised speech marking the 101st anniversary of the Gallipoli Battle in Turkey's western city of Canakkale, the president criticized Belgium for allowing PKK supporters to pitch tents behind the European Council building in Brussels prior to a summit between the European Union and Turkey. "This is called surrendering to terrorism," he said, warning that there is no reason to believe that a bomb that exploded in Ankara, Turkey's capital, will not explode in Brussels. "Despite this clear reality, European countries are paying no attention, as if dancing in a minefield," the Turkish leader said. "You can never know when you are stepping on a mine, but it is clear that this is an inevitable end." A car laden with explosives exploded on Sunday at the heart of Ankara, killing 37 people. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, a radical Kurdish group linked to PKK, has claimed responsibility, as it had for another car bombing that killed 29 in the capital in February. Turkish security forces have been fighting against PKK militants in the country's southeast since July last year, where the group is seeking to establish an autonomous region. The PKK has been listed as a terrorist group as well by the EU and the United States. The EU-Turkey summit was aiming to flesh out a deal seeking to stem the flow of migrants into European countries via Turkey. Sinotruk produces high-quality vehicles for domestic and foreign markets. [Photo provided to China Daily] China National Heavy Duty Truck Group, also known as Sinotruk, achieved double-digit growth in exports last year, in contrast to the slump in sales for most truck manufacturers across China. "Sinotruk's competitiveness in international markets is taking shape after years of development and sales of heavy-duty trucks in China have garnered strong support from overseas markets," said Ma Chunji, chairman of the Shandong-based company. "The future of Sinotruk depends on how far it can go in implementing the internationalization strategy." Chinese truck manufacturers, due to the sluggish global economic recovery and shrinking demand in the market, experienced a drop last year of 27 to 30 percent in sales from the previous year, with approximately 500,000 to 550,000 heavy-duty trucks sold. Sinotruk, on the other hand, saw a 12.5-percent increase in complete vehicle exports and provided 31,000 trucks to foreign countries, making it the largest exporter of heavy trucks in China for 11 straight years, according to the General Administration of Customs. The company sold 158,000 vehicles in 2015, including nearly 100,000 heavy-duty trucks, and generated revenue of more than 61 billion yuan ($9.35 billion). It has a nearly 18 percent of the heavy-truck market share in China, up more than 1.6 percent from 2014. Sinotruk produced China's first heavy-duty truck in 1960, four years after the company was founded. The country's largest truck manufacturer by revenue switched to an international outlook in 2004 at a time when China was rarely exporting vehicles, let alone heavy-duty trucks. It soon created the international brand Sinotruk and in a bid to narrow the gap with foreign competitors, it introduced technologies from Austria. It also began cooperating with the Volvo Car Group that year. In 2009, Sinotruk established a long-term partnership with German truck maker MAN, from whom the Chinese company obtained a range of advanced technologies, including engine technologies. In January 2013, the Sitrak series of heavy trucks, jointly developed by Sinotruk and MAN, were launched. As a result of the cooperation, Sinotruk has introduced advanced technologies and manufacturing processes. It has also gained a better understanding about standards and quality management, said Yun Qingtian, Sinotruk's general quality engineer. The company develops new products in strict accordance with the system established by its German partner and tests each auto part. Indigenous innovation is also a major priority for the company. It has invested 20 billion yuan in technological upgrades and product development in a bid to raise the standard of its products to rival those from the world's leading truck makers. The Airbus facility in Tianjin is the companys only aircraft fi nal assembly line outside Europe. [JIA LEI / FOR CHINA DAILY] Foreign investment switches to advanced manufacturing and services Foreign companies, instead of investing in traditional manufacturing industries, such as machinery, steel and automobiles, as they used to, are now concentrating on China's advanced manufacturing and service sectors. Denis Depoux, vice-president of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants for Asia, said China's growth will be less capital-intensive and investment-driven, which also means that government decision-makers will increasingly evaluate projects based on their economic, environmental and operational efficiency. "Overall, the modernization of the Chinese industrial base will gradually improve the ability for foreign companies to market high value-added products and services in China while creating new competition," said Depoux. Last month, Germany's Siemens AG opened its first innovation center for intelligent manufacturing in Qingdao, Shandong province, to enhance innovation in the fields of robotics, modern logistics, big data, information security and smart cities. Zhu Xiaoxun, head of Siemens Corporate Technology China, said the center will bring advanced digitalization and automation technologies to China's manufacturing industry and create innovation platforms that integrate both the virtual and real worlds and transform concepts into solutions with partners in China. "China's surging wealth and ongoing urbanization process have put traditional labor-intensive industries under huge pressure in terms of technological upgrading, recruitment and high employee turnover," he said. Siemens will increase investment in research and development by 300 million euros ($332 million) to a total of 4.8 billion euros globally this year, and will deploy more resources and technologies in the Pearl River Delta region in Guangdong province, one of China's traditional manufacturing bases. Its expansion plan will include building a rail equipment manufacturing base in Jiangmen, as well as introducing more advanced factory equipment and traffic control systems, green building construction and management processes, and smart grid and electric vehicle manufacturing equipment at its facilities in the Hengqin New Area of Zhuhai. Eager to grab more market share, US aircraft maker Boeing Co plans to build a completion center for the B737 in China after breaking a record in the Chinese market in 2015with the delivery of 200 aircraft, which accounted for 55 percent of the market's new aircraft deliveries for the year. Airbus, Boeing's major rival, delivered 160 aircraft to China last year, the sixth year in a row the European aircraft maker's deliveries to China exceeded 100. The company operates its only aircraft final assembly line outside Europe in Tianjin, a port city in North China. With the service sector accounting for 50.5 percent of China's GDP in 2015, it has also become a hot destination for foreign investment over the past five years. Home Credit Group, a consumer finance provider from the Czech Republic that entered China in 2007, now has registered capital of 3.3 billion yuan ($507 million) in the country. It has a presence in more than 260 cities in 24 provinces and municipalities, and last year had more than 33,000 employees in China. "I have full confidence in the Chinese economy. Compared with the rest of the world, for example, Europe, China has achieved significant economic growth," said Jiri Smejc, chairman and CEO of Home Credit. "China's economy is restructuring from one driven by investment to one that is driven by consumption," said Smejc. The company will increase the number of products available for loans and accelerate the development of its online business in China to further diversify its operations this year. Editor's note: The China Development Forum 2016 is being held in Beijing from Saturday through Monday. The annual large-scale, high-profile international conference serves as an important platform for the Chinese government to carry out candid exchanges and discussions with global business elites, leaders of international organizations, as well renowned scholars from China and abroad. China Daily reporter Zheng Yangpeng interviewed Lu Mai, secretary-general of the China Development Research Foundation, about what will be discussed at this year's forum. Lu Mai, secretary-general of the China Development Research Foundation The theme of this year's forum is "China in the New Five-Year Plan". This year is the start of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), why is it so significant? The 13th Five-Year Plan is a period of great significance for China, as it is striving to achieve its goal of building a moderately well-off society in all aspects by 2020 and implementing a comprehensive reform agenda that includes economic, political, cultural and social reforms. These reforms have to be coordinated, and the complexity and challenges involved should not be underestimated. This is the first year of the plan, and a good beginning is essential to carry it out successfully. The 13th Five-Year Plan is not only a domestic focus, it is also being widely watched by the international community. We chose this theme because after this year's sessions of the of the country's top legislative and consultative bodies, the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, set out the road map for this year, we hope to develop the details through an exchange of views between domestic and overseas delegates that can provide intelligent support for reform. How many foreign guests have been invited? Every year we invite entrepreneurs from the world's top corporations, leaders of the international organizations and renowned scholars to participate. This year the number of foreign participants will exceed 130. There are also 300 foreign observers. This year, we have invited more leaders from innovation-oriented companies, multilateral development banks, as well as more academic leaders and representatives from world's top think tanks. What is this year's agenda? We have innovated our agenda this year, so a broader range of issues, such as the Belt and Road Initiative, supply-side reform, volatility in financial markets, new Internet business and aerospace technology, will be discussed. The forum will open with a one-day summit, during which 30 seminars will be held, to which all the delegates are invited to attend. Then there will be a "small scale and high-profile" meeting over the next day and a half. We are also offering 200 venues for local governments to seek cooperation opportunities with multinationals, and three additional closed-door meetings. CDF highlights 2000: China's 2010 Goals, Policy and Perspective 2001: The Role of Government in a Rapidly Globalizing Economy 2002: China after WTO Accession 2003: China: Building an All-round Well-Off Society 2004: China: Toward Balanced Development 2005 China in the World Economy 2006: China: Promoting Economic Development and Social Harmony 2007: China: Toward New Models of Economic Growth 2008: China Toward 2020: Development Goals and Policy Options 2009: China's Development and Reform Amid the Global Financial Crisis 2010: China and the World Economy: Growth, Restructuring and Cooperation 2011: The Ongoing Transformation of China's Growth Pattern 2012: China and the World: Macroeconomic stabilization and Economic Restructuring 2013: China: Deepening Reform and Opening-Up for a Well-Off Society 2014: China: Comprehensively Deepening Reform 2015: China: The New Normal Economy 2016: China's New Five-Year Plan: Five Years to Shape the Future Li Wei, president of the Development Research Center of the State Council.[Photo/Xinhua] Editor's note: Li Wei, president of the Development Research Center of the State Council, shared his insights on the current economic challenges China faces and the strategies to overcome them with China Daily reporter Zheng Yangpeng. Although China's economic growth has slowed, its growth rate is still high compared with the rest of the world. In 2015, the Chinese economy expanded by 6.9 percent, or more than $700 billion, equivalent to the total GDP of Turkey the world's 18th-largest economy. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's growth contributed 25.8 percent of the world's economic growth last year, 1.1 percentage points higher than that of the United States. India's economy grew faster than China, but its contribution to the world economy is less than one-ninth that of China. Meanwhile, China's imports of commodities are still growing. Imports of crude oil, for example, grew by 27 million metric tons, the exchange rate of the renminbi remained stable, and foreign direct investment and Chinese outbound direct investment grew steadily. China undoubtedly remains a major driver of the global economy. So why is China blamed for other countries' woes? Facing the sluggish growth of the global economy, many countries have pinned their hopes of recovery on China. The larger their hopes are, the more concerns they have about the Chinese economy. This is natural. Of course it is possible that some countries hope we will repeat the actions of 2009, rolling out massive stimulus measures so they can benefit from it. Whatever the motives for their blaming China for their woes, the most effective solution is to strengthen communication and guide people in other countries to look closer and longer at China so they can better understand it. We should share with them our confidence in China's economic fundamentals and our ability to manage the economy. Many observers think that to ensure growth of between 6.5 and 7 percent over the next five years, China will have to resort to stimulus, which could intensify the imbalances in the economy. How do you evaluate the growth range set by the government? China has the conditions to achieve an average growth rate of 6.5 percent over the next five years. Its level of savings is relatively high, it still has plenty of room to catch up in technology, and, although the working-age population is declining, the quality of the workforce is improving due to the expansion of tertiary education. Whether we can transform that potential into reality depends on our ability to macro-manage. If we get the direction, the intensity and the pace of our macro-management policy right, and if it is well coordinated with other policies, such as industrial policy and structural reform, we can reduce the high corporate leverage and achieve a new equilibrium. The central government's push for supply-side reform has been widely lauded, but it has also faced some doubts. Some economists think the biggest challenge at present is weak aggregate demand, and they have called for more emphasis on demand-side management. What do you think? The largest problem now is not the weak aggregate demand, but that supply doesn't match the changing demand. On the one hand, there is overcapacity in the traditional industries, especially the heavy industries, and the pace of reducing the overcapacity is slow. On the other hand, consumer demand is becoming increasingly diverse and services-oriented. There is rapidly growing demand in areas such as healthcare, senior care, leisure and culture. Chinese consumers spent more than $200 billion overseas last year, which illustrates that our supply can't meet the demand. Of course, we'll keep the demand-side modestly expansionary in order to create an accommodative environment for supply-side reform. Is it possible to reduce the tax burden on businesses and reduce the fees they pay? Tax cuts will reduce government revenues, how will the conflict between the reduced income for governments and their bigger spending responsibilities be reconciled? How do you view the international warning line of a 3 percent fiscal-to-GDP ratio? China has the room to cut the taxes and fees for businesses. China's tax system is dominated by indirect taxes, which enterprises can transfer to consumers. If the tax burden on enterprises is modestly lowered, they will have more room for new investments and the taxable base will be enlarged. There is also a lot of room to cut the administrative fees charged companies, which are even higher than taxes in some localities. We could also reduce enterprises' social security payments. That said, businesses cannot rely on cuts in the taxes and fees they pay. The deciding factor remains their individual innovation. The 3 percent red line was proposed by the European Union in 1991 and has been credited with maintaining a country's fiscal prudence. But in practice there should be some flexibility. In recent years, not many Western nations have adhered to the line. For China, 2016 is the first year of its 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) and greater fiscal policy support is required. An appropriate increase in the deficit ratio is both conducive to the plan and necessary. But we could not rely on this for too long. Some local officials complain that there are too many directives from Beijing that they don't have enough time to implement them fully. There also seems to be too much talk about reforms and not enough implementation. How can Beijing give local officials more room and more incentives to advance reforms? These opinions are not completely true. Actually many reforms are on track. However, many have yet to be completed and the public have yet to feel their effects. But when implementing reforms, we should be alert to local officials' anxieties and exhaustion. Reforms need to be practical and an oversight mechanism for their implementation needs to be established. The central government should grant more authorization to local governments to encourage them to innovate, and an evaluation mechanism needs to be established that tolerates mistakes and failures. With more than two years of development, the Belt and Road Initiative has proved to be a practical tool for driving the growth of both Chinese and global companies, said business leaders. The initiative, proposed by the Chinese government in 2013, envisages a Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road covering about 4.4 billion people in more than 60 countries and regions in Asia, Africa and Europe. Klemens Brunner, senior vice-president of Lumileds Automotive Lighting, a Sino-Dutch joint venture, said his company has increased its exports to markets such as Indonesia, India and Thailand from its plants in Shanghai and Hubei province. It also plans to ship products from these plants to European markets. Lumileds represents the former LED components and automotive lighting business unit of the Netherlands-based company Royal Philips. A consortium led by China's GO Scale Capital acquired an 80.1 percent stake in the unit in 2015. Philips retains the remaining 19.9 percent equity. "If you look at the world's market environment, the Belt and Road Initiative is a great opportunity to enlarge our sales channels," said Brunner. "It will not only boost the size of the automobile market in China, but also help ship more products to various destinations throughout the world." The company plans to expand capacity and accelerate the localization of its automobile lighting products with these plants. It has operations in more than 30 countries and has about 8,300 employees worldwide. Eager to diversify their sales channels, multinationals such as Maersk Line, Siemens, DHL, UPS, Volkswagen, Samsung, Air Liquide and Bridgestone have either deployed resources in China or formed new partnerships with Chinese companies to enhance their market presence in economies along the two trading routes. "Some countries along the routes, such as Germany, France, Singapore and Malaysia, already have better infrastructure and industrial foundations to fuel their growth. But for some of the others, developing infrastructure and service remains crucial," said Ge Xiangyang, an investment lawyer at the Beijing office of Hong Kong-based global law firm Mayer Brown JSM. His firm also formed a partnership last year with Jingtian & Gongcheng Attorneys at Law, headquartered in Beijing, to assist Chinese companies to carry out mergers and acquisitions along the routes, especially in Africa. Thanks to the initiative, China so far has established 75 overseas economic and trade cooperation zones in 35 countries and regions, according to the Ministry of Commerce. The stand of Changyu Pioneer Wine Co Ltd at an industry expo in Yantai, Shandong province. [JU CHUANJIANG / CHINA DAILY] Yantai Changyu Pioneer Wine Co Ltd, one of China's largest wineries, has started selling its signature Noble Dragon brand in Spain, the first Chinese wine to hit the market. Made with a mix of Cabernet Gernischt and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, it will retail for 10 euros ($11.3). The wine will be available in large food stores and restaurants across the country. Changyu, based in Yantai, Shandong province, has been actively looking at expanding its market presence in Europe with the purchase of local players and their distribution channels. Last December, it completed the acquisition of a majority stake in Spanish wine company Marques del Atrio for an undisclosed amount. Changyu currently sells Noble Dragon in about 3,000 supermarkets across Europe, a number that the company expects to increase with the help of the distribution channels of the Spanish winery. "It is a great opportunity for us to introduce this wine in Spain, where there are currently 300,000 Chinese residents and many restaurants specialized in Asian cuisine", explained Jesus Rivero, chief executive at Marques del Atrio. The company, with over a hundred years of history, has a very strong distribution system in Europe and has cooperation agreements with several large European supermarket chains such as France's Carrefour SA and Britain's Tesco PLC to sell its products. Changyu, which makes over 90 percent of its sales in the domestic market, wants to increase overseas sales of its Chinese and international brands to 30 percent by 2020, General Manager Sun Jian told Reuters during the Noble Dragon launch in Madrid. Manuel Sanchez Monasterio, member of the ESADE China Europe Club, an association of Chinese companies investing in Europe promoted by Spanish business school ESADE, says he expects similar cross-selling strategies like this to happen in the future. "It makes sense that Spanish distributors are introducing Chinese food products to cover specific market segments", added Senchez. BEIJING - China COSCO Shipping Corp Ltd and Brazilian miner Vale on Friday signed an agreement on iron ore shipping, the latest cooperation between the two companies. COSCO's subsidiary China Ore Shipping will ship around 16 million tons of iron ore for Vale annually for the next 27 years. China COSCO Shipping Corporation is a new company formed by the restructuring of China's top two shipping firms, officially established in February. By amalgamating COSCO and China Shipping, the new conglomerate has the world's largest total shipping capacity and the fourth biggest container fleet. URUMQI - China and Germany are planning a huge trade and logistics park in Urumqi, capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Urumqi Economic and Technological Development Zone (UETDZ) and the port of Duisburg will build a trade and logistics park close to Urumqi West Railway Station with a core area of 2.2 square kilometers, extending to a potential full area of 120 square kilometers, according to the memorandum signed on Thursday. A newly established company, Xinjiang International Railway Port Limited Liability Company with a registered capital of 200 million yuan ($31 million), will be responsible for the operation of the park. The Port of Duisburg, considered the world's largest inland port, will hold 20 percent of the company. The UETDZ and associates will hold the remaining 80 percent stake. A weekly cargo train service will open in the first half of this year between Duisburg and Urumqi, according to the agreement. Cargo will then take only 12 days from Xinjiang to Germany, rather than the current 45 days by sea, said UETDZ official Liu Shaohua. The park, close to Urumqi high-speed rail terminal and airport, will integrate railways, highways and air transit, said Chen Gang, head of the UETDZ committee. The annual rail cargo is expected to reach 20 million tons in 2020 and 50 million tons in the long term, said Chen. The plan will make Xinjiang part of the European logistical network and bring Sino-Europe trade to a new level. China's trade with the EU dropped by 7.2 percent in 2015, but Duisburg expects extensive cooperation with Xinjiang in trade and logistics, said Erich Staake, chairman of Duisport Group. There is no reason why China cannot have better urban-planning, said a Singaporean scholar at the China Development Forum on Saturday. The government has strengthened coordination at all levels and has more land resources for infrastructure development, said Liu Thai Ker, chairman of the Center for Liveable Cities (CLC) under Singapore's Ministry of National Development. Liu said policymakers should plan more carefully and devise urban layout with a long-term view, adding that despite the fast-changing global environment, people's needs remain much the same. Addressing cap on population in some of the country's mega-sized cities, Ni Hong, vice-minister of housing and urban-rural development, said such policies are temporary, as some cities have outgrown their capacity, adding that he hopes local governments will adopt more suitable measures in the future. The China Development Forum is held on Mar 19-21 this year at the Diaoyutai Guesthouse in Beijing, under the principle of "Engaging with the world for the common prosperity". Initiated in 2000, the forum aims to provide a discussion platform for business elites from home and abroad, Nobel laureates and leaders of international organizations. The replies by students do not have any explanation of "why disciplinary action should not be taken against them". (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: JNU students who have been served show cause notices in connection with the controversial Afzal Guru event row, replied on Friday saying that they do not have "faith" in the enquiry. "How can we reply to a show cause where there is no show crime? We all have sent token replies to the show cause notices saying that we reject this biased enquiry and we do not accept its findings," former JNUSU president Ashutosh Kumar who has been found "guilty of inciting communal violence on campus" said. The replies by students do not have any explanation of "why disciplinary action should not be taken against them". "We have just been told we are guilty but who will explain our offence. I have been found guilty of disrupting communal harmony. For what? The probe report does not reflect anything," he said. Anant Prakash, former JNUSU vice president said, "They have called me guilty of what is considered an offence by VC. Will they explain what the offence is? The panel is headed by a person with right-wing affiliations. It had announced our suspension without even hearing our side. The enquiry is a sham and its findings are spurious." Aishwarya Adhikari, one of the suspended students, had also been served a show-cause but her name doesn't figure in the report, has also raised her concern in the response. "My academics suffered for a complete month. I am guilty also and my name is not in report. Who is going to answer for that? I have raised these concerns in my response which is more of a series of questions rather than response". Besides, the individual token replies JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar has sent a collective reply as well on behalf of the students. Earlier, they had decided not to reply the notices in connection with the controversial February 9 event, terming the findings of the probe committee report as "spurious". The students had also passed a resolution in this regard at a council meeting. Show cause notices were issued to 21 students on March 14, after a high level committee of the university found them "guilty" of "violating university norms and discipline rules", asking them to explain why disciplinary action should not be initiated against them. The administration had communicated to the students that if they did not reply to the show cause notice, "It would be assumed that they had not anything to say in the matter and the office will proceed further in the matter". Introduction China has lowered this year's growth target to the range of 6.5 to 7 percent amid supply-side structural reforms. Following the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), business elites home and abroad, Nobel laureates and leaders of international organizations will gather in Beijing once again to discuss the new Five-Year Plan. Initiated in 2000, the China Development Forum, will be held on Mar 19-21 this year at the Diaoyutai Guesthouse in Beijing. The forum under the principle of "Engaging with the world for the common prosperity" has played a big role in China's policy exchange and collaborations with the world. Li Bingbing, who was born in a small town in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, has helped launch several campaigns with the UN and by herself in China. Hu Haidan / China Daily A Chinese star uses her rising global profile to fight for endangered animals, Zhang Yuwei reports in New York. Li Bingbing is one of the most popular superstars in China, but the actress in the latest Transformers film likes to speak humbly of her roots - which, she says, have given her a strong awareness about nature and the environment. "I was born in a small town in Heilongjiang, where my life then was very simple and everyone around me was very thrifty," Li says. Wuchang, Li's hometown, is in a county in Harbin of Northeast China. Much media focus has been on how this small-town girl rose to become one of China's best-known stars, who recently made her name in Hollywood by playing alongside Mark Wahlberg in Transformers: Age of Extinction. Li appreciates her small town, not so much in contrast with where she is today but because of the influence of the place and its people. It's a love of nature and the environment, she says. "I would feel guilty to waste anything; it's just a habit which has helped form my awareness of environmental protection," says Li. "That awareness has been in my DNA since I was young." Workers at the production line of Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co Ltd in Hefei, capital of Anhui province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] China announced GDP growth target of at least 6.5% during the 13th Five-Year Plan in 2016-2020 and 6.5%-7.0% for 2016 at the National People's Congress. Some Western economists claim such targets cannot be achieved. In fact, analysis of supply-side factors, which will primarily be relied on to achieve this goal, shows clearly why China can achieve its 6.5% minimum growth target. Current international economic trends, particularly trade, are undoubtedly unfavourable owing to slow growth in the advanced economies. Slow trade growth negatively affects China's supply side by limiting its ability to benefit from international division of labour. In the next period, China will consequently have to rely primarily on domestic supply-side factors to achieve its growth targets. Data on global growth in turn shows clearly which are the most powerful economic supply-side forces and why these can successfully allow China to achieve its targets. To understand the fundamental reason China can achieve its economic goals the starting point is that an economy's growth rate is strictly determined by the percentage of fixed investment in GDP divided by what is known as the Incremental Capital Output Ratio (ICOR) the latter being a measure of the efficiency of investment, and equal to the percentage of GDP that has to be invested for the economy to grow by 1%. For China the latest internationally comparable World Bank data for these, for 2014, showed that Chinas percentage of fixed investment in GDP was 44.3% and its incremental capital output ratio was 6.1. China's GDP growth rate was therefore 7.3%. Since 2014 the percentage of fixed investment in Chinas GDP has fallen, probably to around 42-43% of GDP, which will be assumed to show why China can achieve its 6.5% growth target. Supply-side factors may then be divided into the rate of fixed investment and those which determine the efficiency of that investment (ICOR). The most powerful supply-side factor for all countries studied is what is known technically as 'intermediate products' one industry's inputs into another which reflect increasing division of labour throughout the economy's supply chain. In the US, the world's most advanced economy, 52% of economic growth is due to growth in such intermediate products. Growth of intermediate products is also crucial for understanding the role of innovation. Innovation is not just a few 'big bang' inventions. As an economy is an interconnected network it can only be as strong as its major weakest links. For example, merely installing the most modern machinery in a factory will not yield optimal results if there is not an adequate supply of component parts, if there is not sufficiently skilled labour, if the logistics system does not efficiently take products to and from the factory etc. Given the economy's interconnectedness every part must function efficiently for successful operation. China has therefore stressed applying innovation across the entire economy. Such a supply-side division of labour requires a multitude of factors ranging from infrastructure to product standardisation all of which China has to develop further for its supply-side to function efficiently. The second most powerful supply side factor is fixed investment which is above all required to incorporate technological upgrading. Leaving aside intermediate products, internationally fixed investment accounts for 61% of economic growth. The third most powerful supply-side factor is growth in quantity and quality of labour accounting for 29% of GDP growth globally. Given Chinas working age population is not expanding, improvements in education and skill are a decisive factor in this area. Other inputs (scale of production, individual entrepreneurship etc) account for an average 10 percent of growth globally. These are technically termed Total Factor Productivity (TFP) and contribute to China's supply side development. Taking these factors together shows why China's 6.5% growth rate is entirely realistic and why the claims of Western critics are erroneous. Given the fundamental ratios already outlined then for Chinas economic growth rate to fall below 6.5%, from its 6.9% level in 2015, one or both of two things would necessarily have to occur. Either Chinas ICOR, its efficiency of investment, would have to deteriorate substantially, or the percentage of fixed investment in Chinas GDP would have to decline in a major way. Without one or both of these occurring it is simply numerically impossible for China's growth rate to fall significantly. Those critics claiming that China's economy will not meet its 6.5% growth target, and who either do not explain why China's level of investment or its efficiency of investment are going to drastically decline, are engaging in economic 'hot air' unwarranted claims without any serious factual basis. Given China's current investment level and the efficiency of that investment there is no reason why it will not achieve its 6.5% growth rate. The author is a Senior Fellow at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China. SONG CHEN/CHINA DAILY More than just for pack of 'shrill voices' The relevance of March 8 is now lost on many, feminists say A topic to gain mild traction on Chinese social media earlier in the month was "Happy 3.8". While some women and men simply posted greetings on International Women's Day, a good number of related messages came from vendors of clothing, makeup and confectionery. March 8 seemed like a good day for business. Born out of movements against injustice more than a century ago, the day's original meaning is now lost on many, feminists from China and abroad, say. A world day for men is also celebrated each year since the 1990s. But Nov 19 isn't as marked in significance. "For feminists or women (in China) who understand the history of March 8, the day is a symbol of women's rights, of equal rights, but for most others it is commercializeda day to do some shopping," says Feng Yuan, co-founder of Equality, a Chinese NGO. Similar inferences can be drawn about other countries while searching the Web. At a time when the world is stunned by reports of brutality against women by militants of the Islamic State and Boko Haram, in Syria and Nigeria respectively, and when gender discrimination exists in violent and non-violent forms elsewhere, Women's Day cannot be seen just as a milestone for the "sisterhood of shrill voices", feminists say. And, the political label that was used against 19th-century feminists in the West hasn't gone away. In large parts of the world, the feminist stereotype even today is of an angry middle-class woman with a high-pitched voice. But men alone aren't promoting that image. "Many women in Australia don't want to call themselves feminists because they think it's a dirty word, it shows aggressive behavior, but these are the very same women who have reaped the rewards of the feminist movement," Australian scholar Clare Wright told her audience at the Bookworm Literary Festival in Beijing last weekend. In his March 8 interactions with some deputies to the National People's Congress in Beijing, President Xi Jinping said that China needed the contributions of women more so now. Harry Porter actress Emma Watson told a gender-arts forum in New York that if women do not continue to struggle for equal rights and opportunities, it would take decades before the pay gap based on gender is bridged. Making her statement on that day, Ranjeet Rajan, a federal lawmaker in New Delhi, rode on a Harley Davidson to parliament. GENEVA - UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe on Friday said China's performance in the field of AIDS prevention and treatment had been one of the best in the world, adding that China was expected to become the next country to completely wipe out mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of the disease. Sidibe on Friday signed here with Xinhua News Agency President Cai Mingzhao a new strategic cooperation memorandum, the two sides pledging to strengthen cooperation in areas such as social media so as to jointly contribute to the fight against AIDS. China's crucial role in prevention and treatment innovations was particularly lauded by the UNAIDS head who believed that China would become the organization's most important partner in the next 15 years, contributing even more to the global goal of ending the AIDS pandemic. He also said China was currently running the world's largest methadone addicts intervention among drug users. In the past few years, HIV prevalence in intravenous drug users in China has dropped by 90 percent. Cai reminded that UNAIDS was one of the first UN agencies to establish a strategic cooperation with Xinhua. Since the two sides signed the first memorandum of strategic cooperation in 2011, both organizations had conducted fruitful cooperation initiatives, he said, adding that the new agreement signed today had built on the initial partnership and added new content as well as a defined format of cooperation in view of working together towards ending AIDS by 2030. Cai said Xinhua, as China's state news agency, was willing to use to its advantage all media forms to cooperate with UNAIDS to fight for dignity and human health. According to the latest report of the Geneva-based organization, some 30 million people around the world had avoided new HIV infections while AIDS-related deaths had decreased by nearly 800 million. The UN agency said if this trend continued, the 2030 target to eliminate AIDS would be reached. The UN General Assembly will convene a high-level meeting on HIV-AIDS from June 8 to 10 at the UN headquarters in New York so as to review the progress achieved in realizing the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV-AIDS and the 2006 and 2011 Political Declarations on HIV/AIDS. Jeffrey Kang, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Cogobuy and IngDan delivers a speech at China Insights Forum held in Shenzhen on Friday. [Zheng Erqi/chinadaily.com.cn] In the face of the country's urgent need for industrial transformation, Chinese manufacturing should hold a global vision as it upgrades from "Made in China" to "Made by China", and seize the opportunity to go global, economists and industry insiders urged at the China Insights Forum. The transformation of manufacturing will be a new driving force for China's economic development, the economists said at the forum themed Implications of China's Economic Restructuring: From "Made in China" to "Made by China". Organized by China Daily and co-hosted by IngDan, the forum was held in Shenzhen IngDan Space on March 18. The forum came amid a crucial time for China, as 2016 marks the starting year of the 13th Five-Year Plan, as well as the first stage of the "Made-in-China 2025" strategy initiated by Premier Li Keqiang to transform China into a smart and innovative world manufacturing power by 2025. Manufacturing transformation is also the focal point of the just-concluded "Two Sessions" - National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Premier Li set the acceleration of manufacturing upgrade as a task in his 2016 Report on the Work of the Government at the "Two Sessions". Xu Hongcai, director of economic research at China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said China's economic development is resilient, with the manufacturing industry as a significant driving force. "The most important thing is that our manufacturing is complete, and this is quite unique," he said, noting China's manufacturing industry should go abroad. Xu urged Chinese corporations to export our manufacturing industry abroad to help developing countries form a "complete industrial chain", but not just build infrastructures. "China has such capability... It will inject new energy into the global economy," he added. China's manufacturers should aim to become "global corporations", said Wang Zhile, research fellow of Chinese Academy of International Trade & Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce and director general of Beijing New Century Academy on Transnational Corporations. Ownership of overseas capital and the ratio of international staff are crucial criteria of "global corporations," Wang pointed out. Wang said a few Chinese companies are growing into that stage, mainly through mergers and acquisitions overseas in recent years. He raised Geely, China's automaker which has purchased Sweden's Volvo a few years ago, as a typical example of China's global corporations. Arktek is expected to help solve a major health problem for less-developed parts of Africa Aucma, one of China's largest refrigeration equipment suppliers, is planning to expand its business map to Africa. But the product it primarily want to promote is not a refrigerator, but a portable vaccines storage device called Arktek. "This super-insulated device uses only ice - no propane, batteries, electricity, solar panels, or other power source at the point of use," says Ren Yizhao, chief product officer of Aucma. A medical worker shows the vaccines stored in the Arktek at a health post in Ethiopia. Photos Provided to China Daily In basic terms, Arktek is a dumbbell-shaped barrel surrounded by eight ice blocks. It has excellent sealing performance that can maintain the inner temperature at 10 C or below for 50 to 60 days with an outside temperature of up to 43 C without extra energy support, the company says. "The ice blocks need to be refrozen only every 50 days in a low-temperature refrigerator (of about -20 C), which is available at many local hospitals," Ren says. Arktek is capable of storing 5.4 liters of vaccines, which can meet the needs of a village of 6,000 people for a year, based on a birth rate of 24 percent, or 24 births per 1,000 people. Moreover, the device, 52.5 centimeters long and 74.7 cm high, and weighing 26.5 kilograms, can be easily carried by donkeys - a popular means of conveyance in many African countries. Most vaccine storage devices sold in the global market need both a stable power supply and well-trained technical staff for the maintenance of easily damaged parts, Ren says. "Arktek overcomes two major obstacles for vaccine delivery in Africa unstable power supply and a lack of professionals for device maintenance," Ren says. "It doesn't have any components that can be easily damaged, and has a simple but effective design." An estimated 1.5 million children under 5 years old die each year globally - one every 20 seconds - from illnesses such as diarrhea and pneumonia that often can be prevented with vaccines, according to the World Health Organization. Despite immunization being one of the greatest success stories in modern medicine, one in five children worldwide remain unprotected, without access to even the most basic vaccines globally. Some of the biggest challenges come from difficulties in delivering interventions like vaccines. "Especially in sub-Saharan Africa, the great challenges exist in vaccine delivery instead of purchasing," says Mark Suzman, president of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's global policy, advocacy and country programs. As one of the biggest private foundations supporting health development in Africa, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has being working through their partners in more than 45 countries in Africa to provide over $600 million in grants across Africa last year alone. In the past 15 years, the foundation has had some significant achievements, including having helped 7.3 million people access antiretroviral treatment for HIV/AIDS, tested and treated 12.3 million people for tuberculosis, and distributed 450 million mosquito nets to protect families against malaria. Suzman says vaccines have to be kept under recommended storage conditions that guarantee their quality during production, storage, handling, transportation and use. Extensive measures are put in place to avoid exposure of the product to inappropriate temperatures. Almost all vaccines are licensed for storage and distribution within a temperature-controlled supply chain of between 2 C and 8 C, according to WHO. However, keeping vaccines within this range is extremely difficult in countries with limited cold chain and ice pack production capacity, according to Robert Scherpbier, an official with the United Nations Children's Fund China Office. "Immunization rates are lowest in rural areas, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where poor infrastructure and unreliable power means life-saving vaccines are often spoiled or out of stock," Scherpbier says. Many a troubling story is told of a mother traveling with her young child for miles on foot, only to be turned away at a health post that has run out of vaccines, he says. In recent years, the Gates Foundation had supported a number of Chinese products that show great potential for tackling development challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. Aucma is one of those Chinese companies that have received funds from the Gates Foundation. In 2013, Aucma produced its first 30 Arkteks and tested them at several clinics in Africa, including Senegal, Ethiopia and Nigeria, without cost. At the beginning of the one-year test, Ren says, local people were curious about the device and couldn't believe it would work without a power supply. "When our test ended in June last year, many local people tried to persuade us to leave the device with them. Thanks to Arktek, vaccination became available to the newborn living far from clinics. Doctors can take the device on a donkey and provide services to infants at their homes." Early this year, Arktek gained WHO's prequalification for meeting global standards of quality, safety and efficacy. Three hundred devices have been sold in Nepal, India and Africa - with about 200 of them going to Africa. The devices currently are being sold to several international NGOs, and not to the public. Ren declined to give the price. Arktek is one of China's innovations providing cheap but effective health solutions to African people in recent years. The ShangRing, a male circumcision device named after its Chinese inventor, is another made-in-China device expected to play a significant role in preventing HIV transmission, especially in Africa. The device, consisting of two concentric rings, earned WHO prequalification in June. Clinical trials started in 2008 in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia showed that the ShangRing reduces the procedure time from 30 minutes before to about three to five minutes, with less bleeding and almost no infection after the surgery. "The ShangRing's success in Africa will be a strong encouragement to Chinese innovation," says Shang Jianzhong, inventor of the device. "To me, this can also be called win-win cooperation. The idea was born in China, succeeded in Africa and will benefit the whole world." yangwanli@chinadaily.com.cn 24-karat-gold chocolate Oscars are displayed at the 88th Academy Awards Governors Ball Press Preview in Los Angeles, United States, on Feb. 18, 2016. The 88th Academy Awards ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Feb. 28. [Photo/Xinhua] At the 88th Academy Awards ceremony on Feb 28, host Chris Rock brought three Asian children dressed as "bankers" from PricewaterhouseCoopers on stage. "They sent us their most dedicated, accurate and hard-working representatives ...," he said. "If anybody's upset about that joke, just tweet about it on your phone that was also made by these kids." The three children might not have expected their first (and possibly last) appearance at the American razzmatazz to be remembered as a joke by the audience, including Academy chief Dawn Hudson. In her belated apology, only after receiving a joint complaint by 25 Asian American Academy members, Hudson wrote: "It pains us that any aspect of the show was considered offensive, and I apologize for any hurt the skits caused." She also said Oscar telecasts would be more culturally sensitive. Hudson's conciliatory lines two weeks later show how far the "so white" Oscar is from true diversity that it claims to promote, and how far removed she is from feeling sorry for hurting "sensitive" Asians. Perhaps what pains her is that some people consider some aspects of the Oscar ceremony offensive. Had not the 25 Asian American Academy members complained about the skit, the Oscar gala would have been another reinforcement of racial stereotype against Asians. The history of unfair treatment of Asians in the US may not be as long as the racist discrimination against blacks, but it is still long. Asian Americans, especially Indians and Chinese, make great efforts to gain higher studies and work hard to improve their lives. New immigrants strive harder for a better life, and 2014 data show 66 percent of Asian Americans are new immigrants, markedly higher than the 8 percent whites, 8 percent blacks and 37 percent Hispanics. Not surprisingly, the number of Asian immigrants to the US jumped after World War II, a period when the social attitudes of Americans was being shaped. This trend is expected to continue in the first half of this century, and a Pew Research Center study shows the percentage of Asians in the US' total population will rocket from 6 percent last year to 14 percent by 2065, more than the 13 percent blacks. In the 1960s, during the peak of the civil rights movement, the whites labeled Asians "model citizens" to portray the US as an inclusive society. US immigration officials clear Asians for citizenship because they consider them hardworking, not because they treat them as equals. Last month, Chinese American policeman Peter Liang was found guilty on five counts after "accidentally" shooting a black, whereas more than 100 white policemen have been declared innocent in similar cases over the years. The widespread protests by Asians that followed should remind the US government that Asians have become more conscious about their rights and how to protect them in their pursuit of fair treatment. As for the child labor Chris Rock hinted at, the US media, if not the political and racial prejudice and pride sown in journalists' minds by American exclusivity, should take the main blame as they have been projecting a highly subjective image of Asian countries, especially China. Ironically, child laborers used to be common in the textile factories and hosieries run by colonial capitalists from the West in the foreign concessions in China's coastal cities from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Today, migrant workers working for US-brand smartphone companies are in their best working age and no different from most young people in the US working to give a better life to their families and to realize their own dreams. To some extent, Chris Rock, with his tasteless and offensive skits, can be seen as one of the victims of the US media's biased reports about Asian countries. Talking with some US citizens visiting China for the first time, I have realized their knowledge about the world's second-largest economy is trapped in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) period. It's high time such people gave up their arrogance, removed their blindfold and discovered an open and fast-developing China and the real Asia. The writer is a senior writer with China Daily. liyang@chinadaily.com.cn Migrants wade across a river near the Greek-Macedonian border, west of the the village of Idomeni, Greece, March 14, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] The mass of humanity fleeing war-torn Syria and other Middle East countries in search of shelter in European countries is looking, literally, into a dark tunnel without even a hint of the proverbial light at the end. The adult refugees, perhaps, can fathom why they are being punished; some even might be blaming it on fate. Not the children, who like their peers anywhere in the world, enjoyed the comfort of home, and the affection of their parents until the mindless mayhem orchestrated by the knowledge-driven, justice-obsessed, self-appointed guardians of democracy descended on them. The curse of this pantheon of living gods fell on these children like fire from the heavens, leaving them no option but to keep moving in search of an ever-evasive roof over their head. Now the watchdogs of democracy are out to broker a deal. The European Union leaders claim to be on the verge of finding a "unified solution to the refugee crisis" with their fellow NATO member Turkey - they expect a decision on Friday. As the EU and Turkish leaders meet, however, the roads from one EU country to another, supposed to be open "highways", remain closed to the hungry, desperate men, women and children forced to become refugees through no fault of their own. If you thought all the EU countries have a similar solution in mind and, hence, are holding talks with Turkey, then the news coming out of Europe has to be hogwash. Bulgaria says an EU-Turkey deal on "one in, one out" - which will, for every Syrian refugee settled in Europe, see one Syrian refugee returned to Turkey from the Greek islands - could make it the next transit country for thousands more refugees arriving in Europe. The chinks in the EU's economic and social armor were exposed by the sovereign debt crisis. The worst to suffer from the chasm in the EU was Greece. It was left to lick its economic wounds for itself. The refugee crisis has widened that chasm. That is precisely why the EU-Turkey deal should not be likened to "providence tempers the wind to the shorn lamb". The shorn lamb, that is to say Greece, will have to ward off the cold, biting winds on its own. It is already overwhelmed by the influx of refugees, not least because of its appalling economic state (thanks to EU bosses), and has no way of blocking the flow of refuges like other EU countries have done, for they come from the sea. Most of the 28 EU countries heartily backed the US plans for Libya, Syria and other Middle East countries by default, because they are part of NATO as well, "inspired" and enthused as they were by the "Arab Spring". Had they resisted the US and NATO moves, the Middle East would have been different today. To begin with, the civil war in Syria would not have dragged on and the Islamic State would not have emerged as a pulverizing threat - and thousands of people would not have fled the country for the "safety" of Europe. And what do US politicians, the "guardian angels" of peace and democracy who are so adept at creating socio-political messes and humanitarian crises without having any intention of clearing them up, do? They build more castles in the air, debate and dissect the US presidential race, praise one candidate and lambast another, and its president blames the imbroglio in Libya on European heads of state. Looking for inward-looking, exclusivist leaders? Look no further than American politicians. Lest we forget, the Barack Obama administration has declared the Islamic State is "guilty of genocide for the wanton killing of Christians, Yazidis and Shiite Muslims". As if that will stop the IS from perpetrating more atrocities. A recent CNN report said the cost of rebuilding Syria, according to moderate estimates, would be $300 billion. So that is what the intervention in Syria and other Middle East countries was all about. Shock doctrine, as Naomi Klein has put it, or creative destruction. Peace and democracy are just a ruse. Refuges, indeed humanity, can go to ... The author is a senior editor with China Daily. oprana@hotmail.com Huawei Technologies will open a new office in Bellevue, Washington, this month and hire as many as 100 workers at the location. Huawei Technologies North America's research and development office will be staffed by up to 100 workers by 2017, according to William Plummer, vice-president of external affairs. The North American unit of the Chinese telecommunications giant currently has a small office in Kirkland, Washington. Its North American website and LinkedIn page both had open positions for the Bellevue location. Bellevue is about 12 miles east of Seattle. The office building, the Plaza Center Bellevue, is located in the heart of Bellevue's business district. Huawei's lease is for 11,000 square feet on the fifth floor. Grant Yerke, a senior vice-president at Broderick Group, a Bellevue real estate company, said it is not enough space for 100 employees, but the company may have an option to expand. The Greater Seattle area is a hot spot for tech companies, not only because it is the home to Microsoft, T-Mobile and Expedia, but also for its healthy ecosystem, the talent pool for tech company development, and its lower costs compared with Silicon Valley in Northern California. In 2010, Facebook opened its first engineering office outside of Silicon Valley in Seattle. Google is expanding its existing Kirkland campus, significantly boosting its presence in the Seattle region. "I believe Huawei chose the area because it is the center of the development of cloud computing technology," said Zhaohui Tang, CEO of adSage, a Chinese digital advertising technology company that also has an office in Bellevue. "A big benefit is that the city is filled with skilled programmers and developers who have expertise in the cloud and all its capabilities," said Bill Liu. He is president of the Association of Technology and Innovation, an organization that promotes entrepreneurship, technical leadership and technical exchange between China and the US. "The city is excited Huawei has chosen Bellevue as the site for their new R&D center," said James Henderson, economic development director for Bellevue, in an article on Geekwire.com. Huawei grew its shipments by nearly 45 percent in 2015 and is one of the world's top smartphone makers. The company is engaged in some 100 research projects with more than 50 universities in the United States. More than 70,000 of Huawei's 150,000 global employees work in R&D. At CES 2016, Huawei said it expects to surpass Apple in the next two to three years, and then pass Samsung by 2021, ultimately becoming the world's largest smartphone manufacturer. Huawei Technologies Co Ltd is based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. Founded in 1988 by Ren Zhengfei, it is the largest telecommunications-equipment maker in the world. lindadeng@chinadailyusa.com Following the directions of the Supreme Court, Army took up the Pathribal 'fake' encounter case from the civil court in 2012, but later closed the in January 2014 asserting that the evidence recorded couldn't establish a prime-facie case against any of the accused. (Representationa photo: AP) Srinagar: An amalgam of Kashmiri Sikhs on Saturday demanded a re-investigation into the March 2000 massacre of 35 members of the minority community in the village of Chattisinghpora outside the southern town of Anantnag. A local woman had also died of cardiac arrest on seeing piles of bullet-riddled corpses of the victims, raising the toll to 36. The authorities had blamed the gory incident on separatist militants, whom the Army and J&K police later claimed to have killed in an encounter five days later in Anantnags Pathribal area. But the CBI, in its 2006 charge sheet, said that all five slain foreign militants were unarmed civilians picked up from different areas of the district, and described the encounter as 'fake'. Following the directions of the Supreme Court, Army took up the Pathribal 'fake' encounter case from the civil court in 2012, but later closed the in January 2014 asserting that the evidence recorded couldn't establish a prime-facie case against any of the accused. Even after the lapse of 16 years the people of Jammu and Kashmir particularly the Sikhs of the Valley are still waiting for the justice to be delivered. We urge the State and Central governments to identify the real perpetrators, arrest them and then bring them to justice, said Jagmohan Singh Raina, chairman of All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) in a signed statement here. He said, Truth must come out as to who killed innocent Sikh villagers. That is very important in order to rebuild peoples trust and faith in inquiries ordered by governments from time to time. He also reiterated that the families of those slain should be compensated. In spite of their loved ones falling prey to violence in such gory fashion the families of these Sikhs not only chose to stay back in the Valley but also worked towards strengthening the feeling of communal harmony, Raina said. The APSCC leader said that many questions regarding the encounter remain unanswered. Police had claimed that nearly 20 militants carried out the massacre at Chattisinghpora and later said five of them were killed which was proved wrong. The question being asked by many in Kashmir even today is whether the security officials really knew who killed the innocent Sikhs of Chattisinghpora, he said, demanding a fresh probe into the killings. Though the then Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah, had promised that the killers would not be spared, justice continues to be denied to the victims families, Raina said. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea launches a long range rocket launched into the air in this file still image taken from KRT video footage, released by Yonhap on February 7, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] The Foreign Ministry called on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to comply with United Nations Security Council resolutions after the DPRK launched a missile on Friday. "There are definite stipulations in the UN Security Council resolutions concerning the issue of the DPRK launching ballistic missiles. China urges the DPRK to implement these resolutions," ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a news conference on Friday. "We hope all parties will stay calm and refrain from taking actions that may increase tensions on the peninsula," he said. Yonhap News Agency quoted the Republic of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying that on Friday morning, the DPRK launched a ballistic missile that flew about 800 kilometers before falling into waters off the DPRK's east coast. "The missile dropped into waters within the Japanese Air Defense Identification Zone," the agency quoted the Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying. The Joint Chiefs said the military's radar detected a suspected second missile launched from the same area, but lost track of it. The launch came several days after the DPRK's leader, Kim Jong-un, was reported to have said that the DPRK would soon conduct tests including launches of missiles that can carry nuclear warheads. On March 2, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution that the DPRK "shall not conduct any further launches that use ballistic missile technology, nuclear tests, or any other provocation", after the Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test in January and launched a satellite in February. The nuclear test in January led to mounting tension in the peninsula, with the United States considering the deployment of an advanced missile defense system in the ROK and the ongoing joint drills between the US and the ROK. Yu Shaohua, a researcher of Korean Peninsula studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said the DPRK's move is "very dangerous". "China is concerned that as the situation on the peninsula is extremely tense, any move by any party that makes the tension flare could bring unpredictable outcomes," she said. The international community should not only warn the DPRK, but also call for the US and the ROK to maintain calm and restrained, she said. A Virgin Atlantic passenger plane flies in the sky in Shanghai on March 15, 2015. [Photo/IC] British airline Virgin Atlantic said it was investigating a reported incident on a recent flight from London to Shanghai in which a Chinese woman said she was abused by a fellow passenger in racist and vitriolic language and then ignored by a flight attendant. The report of the incident went viral on Chinese social media. By Friday, about 16 million users had followed the issue on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter. As of 7 pm on Friday, Virgin Atlantic's Facebook account was filled with comments from Chinese users demanding an apology. Carly O'Donnell, a spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic, said in the statement on Friday: "We deeply regret the unpleasant experience our customer had on this flight. We have fully investigated this incident ... which resulted in both individuals becoming upset and distressed. ... We would like to reiterate that Virgin Atlantic takes a zero tolerance approach to racism." Richard Branson, founder of the carrier, tweeted: "Really sorry to hear about an alleged incident on flight VS250. We do not tolerate abuse and Virgin Atlantic are investigating." In her post on Chinese social media, Chinese passenger Liu Wei claimed a Caucasian male passenger insulted her after boarding the flight VS250 on March 1. "He kept saying the 'F' word with his finger pointing at me when I asked him to apologize," Liu said in her post. Liu said the flight attendants did not blame the man, but instead said she had to stop arguing or get off the plane. Yan Xiaomian, a graduate student in East China Normal University, who sat near Liu on the plane, witnessed the incident. "The Caucasian man was scary and emotional," Yan said. Other passengers, including a Caucasian couple, reportedly stood up for Liu, but were threatened by the man. Yan said Liu tried to talk to the attendants for an explanation and resolution, but didn't get helpful response. "Eventually, a Chinese flight attendant helped Liu move to another cabin, and that was already more than two hours after the incident," said Yan. The carrier said it is continuing its investigation of the incident. Paul Rodgers and Mick Ralphs (Credit: Larry Marano)Bad Company will be short one founding member when the band hits the road this May with Joe Walsh, as guitarist Mick Ralphs has decided not to join the group on the trek. In his place, ex-Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson will step in. "I've decided to sit this upcoming U.S. tour out," the 71-year-old Ralphs says in a statement. "The travel required to do these dates is something I'm just not feeling up for at the moment. I'm glad the band found Rich to take my place for this run, I'm sure he'll be great. See you all again soon." In his message, Ralphs also sends out "much love" to his Bad Company band mates Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke, as well as sending "love to all our fans for supporting us over the years." Robinson, who will be releasing a new solo album titled Flux in June, adds, "I'm excited to be joining Bad Company as their special guest on tour this summer. One of my favorite bands growing up was Free. I've been a big fan of Paul Rodgers and his work throughout his career -- from Bad Company and beyond -- and Simon Kirke is one of my all-time favorite drummers. To be able to play with Paul and Simon is such an honor." Rodgers and Kirke were in Free together before Bad Company formed, while Ralphs was a founding member of Mott the Hoople in addition to Band Company. Incidentally, Robinson and Rodgers actually performed together this past November, during a Jimmy Page tribute event held at the EMP Museum in Seattle. As previously reported, Bad Company and Walsh's joint U.S. trek, called the One Hell of a Night Tour, runs from a May 12 concert in Dallas through a July 3 show in Nashville. Bad Company also recently added a September 5 headlining date in Murphys, California, following their tour with the longtime Eagles guitarist. Here are all of Bad Company's upcoming tour dates; all are with Walsh unless otherwise noted: 5/12 -- Dallas, TX, Gexa Energy Pavilion 5/15 -- Morrison, CO, Red Rocks Amphitheatre 5/17 -- Concord, CA, Concord Pavilion 5/18 -- Chula Vista, CA, Sleep Train Amphitheater 5/20 -- Inglewood, CA, The Forum 5/22 -- Phoenix, AZ, Ak-Chin Pavilion 5/24 -- The Woodlands, TX, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 5/26 -- New Orleans, LA, Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square 5/28 -- Tampa, FL, MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre 5/29 -- West Palm Beach, FL, Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre 6/7 -- Darien Lake, NY, Darien Lake Performing Arts Center 6/9 -- Mansfield, MA, Xfinity Center 6/11 -- Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Arts Center 6/12 -- Camden, NJ, BB&T Pavilion 6/14 -- Wantagh, NY, Nikon at Jones Beach Theater 6/16 -- Noblesville, IN, Klipsch Music Center 6/18 -- Maryland Heights, MO, Hollywood Casino Amphitheater 6/20 -- Kansas City, MO, Starlight Theatre 6/22 -- Clarkson, MI, DTE Energy Music Theatre 6/23 -- Chicago, IL, FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island 6/25 -- Hinckley, MN, Grand Casino Hinckley Amphitheater* 6/26 -- Cuyahoga Falls, OH, Blossom Music Center 6/28 -- Pittsburgh, PA, First Niagara Pavilion 6/30 -- Charlotte, NC, PNC Music Pavilion 7/1 -- Atlanta, GA, Chastain Park Amphitheatre 7/3 -- Nashville, TN, Carl Black Chevy Woods Amphitheatre at Fontanel 9/5 -- Murphys, CA, Ironstone Amphitheatre* * = Bad Company only. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, who also holds the finance portfolio, presented the state budget on Friday. Siddaramaiah's budget has received mixed reactions. Following are the reactions on Karnataka Budget 2016. Bengaluru gets something at last: Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Manipal Global Education The State budget has for the first time recognised the importance of urban areas and Bengaluru. The increased allocation and projects augurs well for the state. The increased allocations for the social sectors and for projects in deprived areas is a good move. Tax buoyancy at a time when states are seeing a slowdown demonstrates good fiscal management and the importance of Bengaluru. Generous allocation: GK Karanth, Professor, ISEC I am especially happy about the new focus on vocational training. It indicates opening up of higher education and addresses the need for interdisciplinary knowledge. The budget does lack provisions for ad hoc faculty in government colleges, he added, because they are seen as transit lounges, really, with everybody waiting for the next promotion or transfer Special grant good for Bengaluru: Satish BN, executive director (South) Knight Frank (India) Pvt. Ltd The special grant of Rs 5,000 crore for Bengaluru augurs well for the city, which is presently riddled with infrastructure woes, impacting the growth of real estate. The grant will help decongest these bottlenecks and evolve a comprehensive road network and an efficient transportation system. Besides, the improvement of civic environment through allocating funds for waste management and storm water drain are welcome initiatives. Not enough funds for lakes: RK Misra I am happy with the allocation of funds for white topping of selected important city roads covering nearly 300 km that will include all major roads and majority of arterial roads. This initiative will solve the problem of potholes. Also, extending TenderSURE to stretches in the old city and new business district areas will make city more walkable. Overall, the budget has looked at key areas. But the only disappointment is lack of a bigger allocation for development of lakes, like Bellandur and Varthur lakes. Only Rs 100 crore has been given for the rejuvenation of all lakes across the city. But Varthur Lake needs Rs 150 crore and Bellandur Lake Rs 250 crore. If he addresses this issue through supplementary grants, then probably we could see both lakes revived during his tenure A good job: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw This is a pretty balanced budget and both rural and urban woes have been taken care of. I am pleased to see a slew of measures for infrastructure development in the city, which means that Bengaluru development has been focused on. I am happy to note that they have built a structure for the industry and the government is really keen to look at investments from investors. They have pushed in money for lake development. Although not adequate, it is a start. It is good to note that the government has looked at signal-free corridors and other infrastructure needs which we have been recommending. The government has done a good job, given the constraints. The BBMP has also been strengthened in terms of funding hence the key needs of the city have been looked into. City given attention: V Ravichandar I am happy with the budgetary allocation and it is great to see that the city is getting the importance it deserves. The money allocated for the city is good and the message it sends is that Brand Bengaluru needs to succeed, because if the city fails, then the state too fails. Our city is the gateway of change for the entire state. If you look at the direction of the spend, then you would notice that transport, roads, garbage management, stormwater management, commuter rail and lakes have been given importance, which is good. Emphasis has been laid on roads, and it is good to see that there would be 15-20% increase in public transport. But the state needs to embrace the public transport as a solution more holistically as it has a big role to play in development. Money has been allocated for garbage management, but we would like to know where the money is being spent. However, the allocation for the same problem highlights the fact that the key issue still remains to be resolved. Disappointment for farmers: Chamarasa Mali Patil, president, KRajya Raitha Sangha and Haseeru Sene We are very disappointed with the Budget. The CM has not bothered to come out with new programmes despite staggered agricultural growth, drought and farmer suicides. No morale boosting steps have been mentioned in the budget. The agriculture sector has got nearly Rs 2,000 crore less than the funds earmarked for the development of Bengaluru. This shows Mr Siddaramaiah's scant respect for agriculture It is directionless: BJP leader Jagadish Shettar This is a most disappointing budget from a person who has presented his 11th budget. His budget is directionless as it does not speak of any welfare measure for farmers who are in distress in the state. More than 1,000 farmers have committed suicide so far in the state in the last six months but he just does not refer to any concrete policy about such severity. The state is facing severe drought, but he has not allocated enough funds for even supply of water. How can any sane person term this a people's budget? Only tall claims, nothing else: JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy The budget is disappointing for the poor, middle classes and farmers. Only tall claims have been made for the betterment of the farming community but there is no mention about the steps being taken by Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah. It is disappointing because Mr Siddaramaiah who presented his 11th budget has no new idea to offer to this section of society. He said, he will give clean water to Bengaluru, but now he his planning to supply sewage. (Photo : Getty Images) U.S. Navy Chief Admiral John Richardson claims a Chinese ship has been spotted near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Advertisement U.S. Navy Chief Admiral John Richardson on Thursday said the United States has noted Chinese activities near the disputed Scarborough Shoal - a reef that China seized from the Philippines nearly four years ago. "I think we see some surface ship activity and those sorts of things, survey type of activity, going on. That's an area of concern ... a next possible area of reclamation," Richardson said. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The U.S. Navy Chief said he is not sure whether a pending case filed by the Philippines in the International Court of Arbitration in the Hague against China triggered off the latest activities by Beijing. Richardson told Reuters that America is yet to finalize concrete action against China's latest move. However, Richardson confirmed that the United States plans to continue with its freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea in order to keep up the pressure on China. China's Foreign Ministry spoke person Lu kang described America's latest accusation as "hypocritical," adding that the United States must not accuse Beijing of militarizing the South China Sea when it blatantly carries out its own naval patrols in the region. "This is really laughable and preposterous," Lu kang said. Meanwhile, the Philippines Foreign Ministry claims that it is yet to receive any report of Chinese activities in Scarborough Shoal. The energy rich South China Sea is one of the most highly disputed territories in the world. China and several neighboring countries including Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam are involved in a contest for the area. The South China Sea has proven oil reserves of 7.7 billion barrels and is home to vast amount of marine biodiversity. Advertisement TagsSouth China Sea, china, Philippines (Photo : Getty Images) A picture of China's Central Bank. China is keenly implementing the latest United Nations-backed sanctions against North Korea despite the potential economic loss Beijing may incur. Advertisement Beijing has started implementing a new, strict United Nations Security Council resolution against North Korea. As per the resolution, China has instructed banks, ports, shipping and trading companies not to transact business with Pyongyang. Adam Szubin, the US Treasury Department undersecretary, said China is taking the implementation of the sanctions seriously and has been taking steps to follow the UN resolution against North Korea to the letter. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Szubin said the sanctions were not merely adding more North Korean companies on the sanctions list or blacklisting individuals suspected of funding Pyongyang's nuclear programme. Money flow The undersecretary said the new sanctions zero in on cutting the money flow to Pyongyang to prevent it from further financing its nuclear programme. "The new UN resolution targets every major aspect of North Korea's access to international shipping, international trade and international banking to develop for its missile and illicit nuclear programme, " Szubin said. Cheng Xiaohe, the People's University international relations expert, said economic trade between China and North Korea reached $6.39 billion in 2014. Chinese companies With the new sanctions, Chinese companies are going to take the hit where it hurts, said Cheng. "At the same time as we protect our national security interests, we must be prepared to sacrifice some of our own economic interests in order to accurately target North Korea with sanctions," he said. Political observers say that while the US has few economic trade ties with Pyongyang to sever, China stand to lose economically with its implementation of the UN sanctions. Impact Analysts said whether the impact of international sanctions against North Korea will work or fail depend to a large degree on how strictly China implements them. "I know from my meetings here in Beijing that my counterparts have very much taken the resolution to heart," Szubin said. Szubin visited Beijing this week to meet with his Chinese counterparts to discuss the new UN resolution. Decision-making calculus According to the secretary, the new sanctions will 'hit hard enough to change Pyongyang's decision-making calculus.' Analysts say that although Beijing appears committed, the new sanctions puts it in a tough spot both economically and politically. Advertisement TagsUnited Nations resolution, economic sanctions, North Korea, economic loss, international sanctions, $6.39 billion, china Activists to Hold Prayer Vigil and Demonstration at the White House in Support of Cuban Church and Religious Freedom Contact: Rev. Patrick Mahoney, 540-538-4741 WASHINGTON, March 19, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- President Obama to become the first American President to visit the nation of Cuba in almost 80 years on March 20-21. The prayer vigil will be on Sunday, March 20, at 3:00 p.m. in front of the White House. (Pennsylvania Ave. NW side.) The activists will call upon President Obama to speak out publicly against the Castro government's policy of religious persecution against Christians along with the crushing human rights and free speech of political dissidents. Leaders call it very troubling that President Obama is more interesting in releasing terrorists from Cuban prisons that human rights activists and faith leaders from Cuban jails. The Obama Administration cannot move forward with the normalization of relations with Cuba while these gross violations of human rights and religious freedom are taking place. Rev. Patrick Mahoney, Pastor of Church on the Hill and Director of the Christian Defense Coalition both based in Washington, D.C., has a long history of standing for religious freedom and human rights in the nation of Cuba. While serving as a pastor in south Florida, he was a vocal opponent of the Castro regime and led demonstrations in our nation's capital against the return of Elian Gonzalez. Rev. Mahoney states; "It is very troubling and disturbing that President Obama is more interested in releasing terrorists from Cuban prisons than he is for publicly working to release Christians, political dissidents and human rights activists from Cuban jails. "In the past two years, 100 churches have been demolished in Cuba with over 2,000 shut down. There has also been increased persecution on political dissidents and critics of the Castro government. President Obama needs to be reminded, as he shakes the hand of Castro and other Cuban leaders, he is shaking the hands of leaders who have brutalized their citizens, killed those who disagreed with them, crushed human rights and persecuted the Cuban church and religious freedom. "We are not interested in President Obama having 'private' meetings with leaders on these matters. He must address them publicly. The Obama Administration also cannot move forward to normalize relations with Cuba while these gross violations of human rights and religious freedoms are still in place. "We will continue to pray for our brothers and sisters and stand in solidarity with them in their desire to freely and openly worship God." Cassadra Collins, Communications Director for Hillside Mission Organization based in Richmond, Virginia; adds; "Hillside Missions Organization is a Christian non-profit organization partnering with works in over 30 countries around the world. "In response to the ongoing persecution of church communities in Cuba, Hillside Missions Organization is joining Reverend Patrick Mahoney to pray for Christians around Cuba. Because we love God, we care about believers around the world and we advocate on their behalf when they experience unjust treatment. The ongoing repression of Christianity, closure of churches, and arrests of pastors in Cuba demands a response from us. "Hillside Missions is praying for the reopening of churches and for Cuban Christians to have the freedom to meet and worship freely. We urge Christian communities around America to join us in prayer for Cuban Christians, and to advocate for religious freedom in Cuba." For more information on interviews please contact Rev. Patrick Mahoney at 540.538.4741 Share Tweet Georgian Patriarch (Ilia II) Gives Blessing to World Congress of Families X -- Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia (May 15-18) Contact: Larry Jacobs, World Congress of Families, 815-997-7106, media@worldcongress.org ROCKFORD, Ill., March 19, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Patriarch Ilia II, head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, who has been called "the most trusted man in Georgia," gave his blessing to World Congress of Families and will give the keynote address at World Congress of Families X Civilization at The Crossroads: The Natural Family as the Bulwark of Freedom and Human Values -- in Tbilisi (May 15-18, 2016, www.worldcongress.ge). In addition to confirming his participation and blessing of World Congress of Families X, the Patriarch indicated that he "would pray to God that it may become a display of peace and love, of Christian values and culture." Georgia is one of the oldest Christian countries in the world. Ilia II Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia has been the nation's spiritual leader for more than four decades. A Georgian poll, reported by CNN in 2010, found that the Patriarch had the highest approval rating of any public figure in the nation (94%). Born Irakli Shiolashvili, Ilia II was crowned "His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia" in 1977, when Georgia was part of the Soviet Union. Soviet authorities had persecuted Christians and shot many of the Orthodox Church's spiritual leaders for decades. Most Christian churches had been closed or were destroyed by the Soviets. In response, the Patriarch helped lead a spiritual revival of culture, faith, and family in Georgia to transcend and overcome the political oppression and all of the wars during the last four decades. Patriarch Ilia has taken an unwavering stand for children, mothers, fathers, and the natural family. To combat Georgia's low birthrate, in late 2007, the Patriarch announced that he would personally baptize and be the godfather of any child born to a family that already had at least two children. This has resulted in a mini-baby boom. Mass baptism ceremonies are conducted four times a year and Patriarch Ilia now has more than 19,000 godchildren. World Congress of Families Manager Larry Jacobs said: "We are honored and humbled to have the Patriarch's blessing and participation in World Congress of Families X. Patriarch Ilia represents the Christian virtues of faith, beauty, truth, and goodness in Georgia that the World Congress of Families stands for throughout the world by defending the natural family as the fundamental and only sustainable unit of society and defending the sanctity of dignity of all human life from conception to natural death." WCF X will also show a beautifully crafted UK documentary on Patriarch Ilia titled: The Patriarch - The Most Trusted Man in the Caucasus. The synopsis of the movie reads: "As the Orthodox world's longest serving leader for over 40 years the Patriarch has led Georgia through the Soviet oppression, civil wars and its emergence as an independent nation on the world scene. For most Georgians he embodies Georgia's cultural identity - both secular and religious. The Patriarch's interests range far beyond the church. He is a gifted artist, a respected social thinker and an accomplished composer of sacred music. He established the internationally renowned Patriarch's Choir which today tours the world singing Georgian music and revived the ancient Georgian tradition of the polyphonic sacral chant. His moral authority provides a stark contrast to the corruption that is rife in the region." Tbilisi 2016 will be the first World Congress of Families in the Eurasian and Caucasus region (on the Old Silk Road to China) and the first in an Orthodox country. WCF X conferences and concerts will be held in multiple venues in Tbilisi including the opening ceremony in Tbilisi's State Philharmonic Concert Hall and the closing ceremony in the historic Rustaveli National Theatre. WCF X will work toward uniting global leaders to defend family and faith and to developing a pro-family agenda for Europe and the World. To register and reserve your tickets for World Congress of Families X go to: www.eventbrite.com/e/world-congress-of-families-x-tbilisi-republic-of-georgia-may-15-18-2016-tickets-22669828066?aff=es2 . For more information on World Congress of Families X, visit the Congress website: www.worldcongress.ge. The World Congress of Families unites leaders worldwide in defense of family, faith, and freedom. WCF is headquartered in the heartland of America (Rockford, Illinois) and is an international human rights non-governmental and non-religious organization (NGO) with special consultative status at the United Nations (UN). The World Congress of Families provides sound scholarship, effective strategies, and educational events to unite an international coalition of leaders to affirm the natural family as the fundamental unit of society and to defend the sanctity and dignity of all human life, thus renewing a sustainable and free society. The WCF global coalition of pro-life and pro-family organizations, scholars, leaders, activists and people of faith and goodwill from more than 80 countries who seek to affirm and advocate for the natural family as the only fundamental and sustainable unit of ordered liberty and civil society (as affirmed in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948). The WCF was co-founded in 1995 by Dr. Allan C. Carlson to dialogue and restore family, faith, and freedom among Western and Eastern cultures and civilizations following the collapse of the Soviet Union. To date, there have been more than 50 WCF regional conferences and summits on five continents and eight official World Congresses of Families - Prague (1997), Geneva (1999), Mexico City (2004), Warsaw (2007), Amsterdam (2009), Madrid (2012) Sydney (2013) and Salt Lake City. World Congress of Families IX was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, October 27-30, 2015 (www.wcf9.org) and attracted over 3,300 delegates from more than 60 countries. WCF regional events are also scheduled for Barbados (April 8-9) and Salta, Argentina (June 14-15). Future regional conferences in Africa and the Balkans and other locations are being planned. Visit www.worldcongress.org for updates and news. Share Tweet Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Friday quashed a case against India Cements Ltd MD N. Srinivasan, registered by the CBI in connection with illegal investments case of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. The CBI had filed a chargesheet against Mr Srinivasan alleging that he had entered into a criminal conspiracy with the other accused in the case to avail undue benefits like land and water allotments for his cement plants from the then AP government. The CBI alleged that in lieu of this, Srinivasan invested Rs 140 crore in Bharati Cements, Carmel Asia and Jagathi Publications owned by Mr Reddy. Aggrieved by the charges, Mr Srinivasan moved the quash petition. Allowing the petition, Justice B. Siva Shankar Rao found that the material placed by the CBI failed to prove that Mr Srinivasan entered into a criminal conspiracy in his individual capacity. Judicial officers meeting in Hyderabad Ch. Manavendranath Roy, Registrar-General of the Hyderabad High Court on Friday said to ensure speedy justice to all litigants, effective usage of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms, the Hyderabad High Court would be holding a two-day state-level judicial officers conference in Hyderabad on March 19 and 20. Supreme Court judge Justice Anil R. Dave will inaugurate the conferen-ce. Justices Dipak Misra and N.V. Ramana, Supreme Court judges, and Chief Ministers of TS and AP, K. Chandrasekhar Rao and N. Chandrababu Naidu respectively, will participate. Justice J. Chelameswar, SC Judge, will deliver the valedictory address on March 20. He said that the state level conference used to be held once every three years, but was now being held after a gap of 10 years. home US Christian prayer website shut down by Washington state attorney general; Ordered to re-pay millions in prayer fees An online Christian prayer site has been shut down by the Washington Attorney General, and the founder has been ordered to return the millions of dollars collected from consumers for prayers. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Seattle resident Benjamin Rogovy's Christian Prayer Center has violated the state's Consumer Protection Act by using deception to collect money for prayers. Rogovy has been ordered to return almost US$7.75 million to the 165,000 customers who paid for his services from 2011 to 2015, according to the Inquisitr. In a news release, Ferguson said he will not tolerate of "unlawful businesses" who take advantage of people's faith or need in order to make money. The Christian Prayer Center reportedly accepted prayer requests and told consumers that the request would be distributed to thousands of Christians. Customers were required to register on the website, fill up a prayer survey, and pay a fee which costs US$9 to US$35. Rogovy used false testimonials and fictitious religious leaders to convince customers to pay to have their request sent, the Associated Press reports. Many customers had agreed to a nonrefundable monthly credit card charge without their knowledge. It was only when the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in Seattle began receiving multiple calls from angry consumers who wanted a refund that they found out about the company's operation. An investigation was launched an they were able to trace several of Rogovy's websites which also offer bogus services. On Wednesday, a closed message was posted on the Christian Prayer Center. "We thank you for all the prayers, and we cherish the opportunity to have created a place where Christians could meet to support each other," the message said. Another online company called The Christian National Church, which is also owned by Rogovy, was also shut down by authorities. The said website sold online ordination services but also used false testimonials to lure in customers. The Washington Attorney General's office will continue accepting complaints against the Christian Prayer Service until June 12. Those who paid for prayer services from Jul. 1, 2011 to June 30, 2015 will receive a refund from the company. By Apr. 8, affected customers will be able to receive instructions via email on how to file a complaint and claim their refund. Army chief admits U.S. could face defeat in war against Russia, China, Iran and North Korea Although known to have powerful and highly sophisticated weapons that could potentially wipe out humanity, America could face defeat in a global war against Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, according to U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley. Military officials recently testified before a House Armed Services Committee hearing about the United States' ability to fight a war with the global powers like Russia, stating that years of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have constrained budgets while troop cuts have had cumulative effects on the service. Milley told the committee that the United States could take on terror groups like the Islamic State (ISIS) but that he is not sure about America's four major potential foes, according to Associated Press. "(The Army) is not at the levels that can execute satisfactorily ... in terms of time, cost in terms of casualties or cost in terms of military objectives," Milley said. Air Force Secretary Deborah James also said she had requested for additional funds because the U.S. Air Force is currently not "sufficiently ready" for fighting against a country like Russia. "Money is helpful for readiness but freeing up the time of our people to go and do this training is equally important," James said, according to Newsmax. Air Force officials earlier cautioned that they are facing a shortage of more than 500 fighter pilots, adding that this gap could widen to more than 800 by 2022 unless it is filled up, according to reports. In the fiscal 2017 budget, the Army reportedly requested $148 billion, a slight increase from the $146.9 billion budget for 2016. The sharp increase in military spending started after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, reports said. Despite the budget hike, the size of the U.S. Army is still expected to drop to 460,000 active duty soldiers in 2017 from the current 475,000, military officials said. Earlier, Air Force General Philip Breedlove, NATO supreme allied commander and head of U.S. European Command said Russia posed a "long-term" existential threat to the United States. Christian couples: 5 ways to communicate better Many of us are curious, desperate even, to know the secret to long-lasting love. What is it that helps couples remain happy and healthy together over time? We all have our ideas about why certain relationships work and why others don't and one ingredient that comes to mind when we think about the successful bond between two people is communication. Good communication tops the list as the key factor time and time again in responses provided by everyone from researchers and relationship experts to couples whose unions have stood the test of time and those whose haven't. So how can we develop the communication skills necessary for building better relationships? We communicate with more than our words. Our body language, how we prioritise our responsibilities and what we devote our attention to all play a part in how we convey messages and emotions to one another. But the words we speak often have the most powerful impact on those they're directed to. "Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark," James 3:5. Only say it if you mean it... Telling someone you forgive them when you're still holding a grudge can lead to a pattern of indirect hostility. Researchers have found that this can be harmful to relationships and cause them to deteriorate. In a similar way, saying "I love you" when you're not ready to commit to the meaning behind those words can lead to a break down of trust, among other things. Successful communication isn't about telling your partner what they want to hear, it's about being honest. ...And make sure you say it if you do "Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones," (Proverbs 16:24). Sometimes we try to avoid vocalising our reconciliation because we know that both parties have moved beyond the incident but the words we withhold can have as big an impact as the ones we do say. Voice your forgiveness for your partner if you do truly forgive them for something you fought about previously, and let them know you love them. Equally, tell them you're sorry if you know you need to apologise for any wrongdoings or something you said or did that hurt them. Don't shy away from difficult issues It's impossible to have a deep and authentic relationship with your partner if you only ever talk about the good stuff. Nothing should be out of bounds but we should be considerate and compassionate in our approach to conversations about sensitive subjects. Written words count too The words we say can be misinterpreted and this prospect is even easier when we interact with our partners over text, email or social media. Just as our audible words have lasting effects, so too do the words we use when communicating to our other half or about them. Thinking carefully about how we phrase what we want to say and considering whether it's something better said in person can help avoid unnecessary conflict. Don't forget to listen Listening isn't simply about waiting for your turn and thinking about what you can say to counter their argument or express your own opinion. Take time to understand where your partner is coming from so that your response shows concern and empathy. Reacting by asking further questions instead of jumping straight in with a formulated reply will enable you to better comprehend what your partner is feeling. As we read in James 1:19, "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." Iain Duncan Smith: Did the Christian minister's crusade against poverty do more harm than good? Make no mistake, this is a political earthquake. Iain Duncan Smith, the former leader of the Conservative Party, the redoubtably tough former army officer and champion of the party rank and file, has resigned. Not because the measures announced in this week's budget were too soft, though. Because they were too harsh. This is nothing short of astonishing. Since being deposed as leader in 2003, IDS has reinvented himself as a champion of welfare reform with the hope of reducing so-called 'welfare dependency' and an alleged culture of entitlement. Many of us suspected that alongside this aim, Duncan Smith was aiming (alongside Osborne, Cameron and the rest) to radically reshape the British state making it significantly smaller in the process. That he has now resigned, ostensibly because that reshaping of the state has brought consequences with which he disagrees, is vastly significant. It is the biggest show of dissent from a senior government minister since Clare Short and Robin Cook's resignations over Tony Blair's atrocious invasion of Iraq. It's the biggest show of disunity on the Tory benches since John Major's government was riven with splits over Europe 25 years ago, or even since the Westland affair which forced Margaret Thatcher and Michel Heseltine into opposite trenches. There are two fascinating and related issues here. The first is why, exactly, IDS has resigned (and why now?) and the second is to do with the moral, or even spiritual nature of his mission and front bench career. Duncan Smith is a committed Catholic. While he hasn't exactly worn it on his sleeve, it's well-known his faith is integral to his view of the world. His determination to crusade against the evil he perceived in the social security system meant that unlike many former party leaders (Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg for example) IDS retuned to the front bench. When the coalition government was formed in 2010, he became the Work and Pensions Secretary, working alongside Lib Dem Steve Webb also a Christian. Duncan Smith's Damascene conversion came years earlier, though. On a visit to a Glasgow council estate, he is said to have realised his future a battle to eradicate poverty, while also reshaping the welfare state. Not for him simply the lassez faire economic policies of Osborne and Cameron. Instead, he approached reform of the benefits system with a missionary zeal seemingly believing that he was on a moral mission like his forbears Shaftesbury and Wilberforce high-minded concepts coursing through his rhetoric. He set up a think tank the Centre For Social Justice. It was staffed by committed Christians like Tim Montgomerie, founder of the Conservative Christian Fellowship who went on to become IDS' Chief of Staff, Philippa Stroud (who went on to become one of his special advisers) and Christian Guy (now an adviser to the Prime Minister). The CSJ was only step one, though. Once in possession of the ministerial brief, IDS began radical reforms. He introduced Universal Credit an attempt to simplify the benefits system something even his ideological critics admitted would be a good idea. Yet its implementation has been lamentable. He imposed a benefit cap a popular policy with tabloid editors which meant a squeeze in living standards for families with few other options. His reforms to benefits for disabled people were the most controversial. Chronically ill and disabled people were made to prove they weren't fit to work. The department looked to slash costs and far, far too often, with the work outsourced to private company ATOS, awful decisions were made. Herein lies the contradiction of Duncan Smith. I firmly believe he wanted to do the right thing and saw reducing benefits as a vital contribution to the common good. Yet he pig-headedly refused to acknowledge when the consequences of the changes proved disastrous especially for vulnerable groups. That he has finally, belatedly, spoken out about the consequences of cuts on disabled people this week is welcome, but for many it is simply too little, too late. IDS was pictured punching the air when the Chancellor announced an increase to the minimum wage (incorrectly branded as a 'living wage'). His ideology is a good one in theory. We would all like to see a high wage, low welfare economy. The problem came when he tried to implement the low welfare part in isolation. An economy where zero-hours contracts are normalised, where five million people are paid less than the genuine Living Wage, where support for vulnerable people's services is already being slashed, means that only half the bargain is delivered we get the low welfare economy, but the high wages don't follow. We find ourselves in 2016, with food banks proliferating, disability charities castigating the government's approach, homelessness on the rise, child poverty set to increase all while Osborne has repeatedly missed his borrowing targets. The government has failed not only on its own terms, but also on Christian terms as well. A Christian ethic of government asks, 'What did you do for the least of these?' While Duncan Smith's intentions may have been good, the outcomes were dangerously close to failing this test. He now appears to have realised this. Osborne's ideological fervour to shrink the state and give tax cuts to swing voters has proved too much IDS has stepped away. He is now free to speak out against government policy and campaign for the UK to leave the EU from the backbenches. I suspect he will also take some time to consider the mission he has embarked upon over the last decade. Has welfare dependency been reduced sufficiently to say 'job done?' At what cost? What now for communities which have suffered swingeing cuts (overwhelmingly in areas which don't vote Conservative). These aren't just questions for Duncan Smith to ask himself, but also for another committed Christian, his successor as Work and Pensions Secretary, Stephen Crabb. Leading Conservative Christians regret resignation of Iain Duncan Smith The Prime Minister is "puzzled and disappointed" by the resignation of Iain Duncan Smith. The Work and Pensions Secretary resigned from the Cabinet because disability benefit cuts were a "compromise too far", according to his resignation letter where he accused Chancellor George Osborne of abandoning the "all in this together" principle in the budget. David Cameron, a practising Christian, replied that the controversial cut in the budget had been agreed collectively. "I regret that you have chosen to step down from the Government at this moment," he said. "We all agreed that the increased resources being spent on disabled people should be properly managed and focused on those who need it most." He continued: "That is why we collectively agreed - you, No 10 and the Treasury - proposals which you and your department then announced a week ago. Today we agreed not to proceed with the policies in their current form and instead to work together to get these policies right over the coming months. In the light of this, I am puzzled and disappointed that you have chosen to resign." The Treasury has indicated it is to do a U-turn over the proposed cuts to the disability benefits. Former Government minister Ann Widdecombe, who served in John Major's government as Under-Secretary of State for Social Security in the 1990s, and who now heads the Christian Brexit campaign Christians for Britain, told Christian Today it was a "pity" he had gone. Widdecombe, who like Duncan Smith is a committed Catholic, said: "Iain has been at the forefront of bringing sense and restraint to the welfare budget. It is a pity he will not be able to go on doing so. It is particularly regrettable given that the Government was clearly about to change course anyway. "Presumably we shall now be seeing a lot more of him in the Brexit campaign. He's always been very opposed to further integration into Europe and was always camped in the opposition lobby during the Maastricht debates." She said she hoped Duncan Smith's replacement, Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb, a member of the Conservative Christian Fellowship, will "not be afraid to do what is necessary to the inflated welfare budget." Adrian Hilton, Christian blogger and founder of Christians for Britain, defended Duncan Smith: "Iain Duncan Smith is a rare political animal: he means what he says, says what he means, and has always developed policy out of the deepest of his Christian convictions. People may not agree with him, but they're never left in any doubt about his passion for welfare reform, or his compassion for the poorest and most vulnerable in society. He is an undoubted loss to the Government." He said he was wary of anyone superficially spinning his resignation as a "Europe" matter. "It may be a convenient deflection from George Osborne's flaws and failings, but as long as the Conservative Party is content to cut welfare on the appliances which permit disabled people to go to the toilet, while simultaneously easing the tax burden on the better off, it is hard not to hear the 'nasty' refrain echoing down the decades of David Cameron's political legacy." Paul Morrison, of the Joint Public Issues Team, which represents the Baptist Union, the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church and the Church of Scotland on justice and other political issues, wrote: "There have been celebrations in some places and tears in others." He called for "truly radical welfare reform" and a change in the way claimaints are thought of: "We believe that all are made in God's image and that all should be treated with dignity and respect regardless of financial status. Needing support from the benefit system should not mean you are treated with suspicion and should not mean it is assumed you need harsh threats before you will behave reasonably." Streatham Labour MP Chuka Umunna, who has spoken of how his politics are shaped by Christianity, tweeted: IDS resigning has everything to do with the EU and nothing to do with welfare - why wait this long after causing misery to so many to resign Chuka Umunna (@ChukaUmunna) March 18, 2016 Money expert Martin Lewis tweeted: Ian Duncan Smith has resigned over pressure to cut benefits. Bravo - a good stand to make. Hope it's really about that not EU referendum. Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) March 18, 2016 Baroness Stroud, a leading Conservative and evangelical Christian who heads the Centre for Social Justice, founded by Duncan Smith, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Iain came into government in order to deliver a social justice agenda, a reform agenda of the welfare state. He always used to say to me, 'I'm here in order to deliver reform and to protect the poorest'. Yesterday he felt that he could no longer protect the poorest." Labour's Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell tweeted: Pope to visit Armenia after angering Turkey with genocide remark Pope Francis plans to visit Armenia in June, the Vatican said on Friday, a trip that could upset Turkey if he again describes the century-old massacres of Christian Armenians as a genocide. The Vatican spokesman said Francis would visit Armenia, for several days, most likely at the end of June, but the exact dates had not yet been set. The pope triggered a row with Turkey almost a year ago when he said the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians in World War One was "the first genocide of the 20th century", days before commemorations to mark the centennial of the massacres. Muslim Turkey recalled its ambassador to the Vatican in protest and he stayed away for 10 months - a very long absence in diplomatic terms. Turkey accepts that many Christian Armenians were killed in clashes with Ottoman soldiers when Armenians lived in the empire ruled from Istanbul, but denies hundreds of thousands were killed and that this amounted to genocide. An overwhelming majority of Turks reject the accusation of genocide. The issue continues to thwart efforts to re-open diplomatic ties with neighboring Armenia, and their 300-km (190-mile) border has been closed for two decades. Pope John Paul visited Armenia in 2001. Throw away your strongholds - they are nothing but trouble Any number of things can exercise a strong hold over us and that to varying degrees of intensity, which can become mentally imprisoning, distorting of personality, distracting and weakening. Examples of strongholds include pride, selfishness, fear, guilt, alcohol, drugs, gambling, addiction, gossiping, meddling in the affairs of others, criticism and fault-finding, and thoughts about our own future (including death). But God says: "I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 11). Other strongholds may include power, hobbies, lust & sex -> opposite (heterosexual) or same (homosexual), money, possessions and self-indulgence, hypochondria, travel (including cruising), to name but a few. Ultimately, all wrongdoing in the world can be tracked back to pride and/or selfishness, but overlaying mental illness or/and demon possession can enormously complicate a situation which may call for experienced professional help. Man says: 'I've lived a good life: haven't hurt anyone: pay my taxes but you know what, we all fudge a bit here and a bit there don't we? Everyone does it....don't they? Want to see what I nicked from work the other day? Strongholds can bring deep unhappiness and sadness. An old friend in strong denial and unwilling to seek help, seems to be under a very powerful stronghold called narcissism -> self-absorption, self-obsession, self-centredness. This is seriously affecting the long marriage and family relationships with spouse, adult children and grandchildren, and appears to be a form of mental illness. The other marriage partner is distressed but powerless to break that strong hold. Prayer is certainly availed of. What God says. "EVERYTHING in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from [our heavenly] Father but from the world." (1st John chapter 2 verse 16: emphasis added). Man may say: Ouw, did you see her? Gee I'd like to........Yep, this is our 3rd Winnebago: the other 2 were smaller but this one's got all the bells and whistles, everything that opens and shuts. We'll keep it 'till they bring out a bigger one..'. God says: "Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death...ruthless men gain only wealth." (Proverbs chapter 11 verses 4 & 16). Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint." (Proverbs chapter 23:verse 4). Or s/he says: John, when was it; our 3rd or 4th trip to Paris? You know...that cute little restaurant in the Latin Quarter, where I found that....?. Jane, was it when we were in Mexico last August, or was it our last time in Argentina when.....? God says: "you were [at one time spiritually] dead in your...sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of the world...[at one time all of us were] gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts." (Ephesians chapter 2 verses 1 & 3). And man may say: 'I admit I drink too much. When I was ill-health retired the psychologist said I was alcohol dependent. But I'm not an alcoholic. I just like a drink.' God says: "let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light. Let us behave decently...not in...drunkenness, not in sexual immorality...not in dissension and jealousy...Rather, clothe yourself with the LORD Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." (Romans chapter 13 verses 12-14). Meaningless life followed by numb extinction? What happens when I die? Is there 'pie in the sky when I die', or does numb extinction follow meaningless life? Jesus (who has the "power of an indestructible life") came to "free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (Hebrews chapter 7 verse 16, and then chapter 2 verse 15). Human wants...never completely satisfied. My high school economics teacher regularly used to say: 'human wants are innumerable, ever changing, and never completely satisfied'. How right he was. "Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. People who want to get rich fall into temptation...For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." (1st Timothy chapter 6 verses 6-10). "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." (Philippians chapter 4 verses 11-13) Let your true stronghold be the truth of God's Word. Gavin Lawrie is a retired Barrister and Solicitor from Tweed Heads NSW and author of the book 'THE EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION: Uncovering The Faulty Science Of Dawkins' Attack On Creationism." He is married to Jan with two adult children and they are grand parents. Gavin Lawrie's previous articles may be viewed athttp://www.pressserviceinternational.org/gavin-lawrie.html This article appears courtesy of Christian Today Australia. Trump turns defeat into victory: Kasich's Ohio win keeps GOP opposition splintered Donald Trump is using simple mathematics to his advantage as he continues to make giant strides towards the Republican presidential nomination, USA Today reported. On Tuesday, in a classic case of irony, Trump won by losing, according to Sam Wang, a Princeton neuroscientist who has gained reputation since 2004 for having predicted U.S. presidential elections based on math, including coming within one electoral vote short of the exact 2008 presidential election results. Trump lost to Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the latter's home state but won the primaries in five other territoriesFlorida, North Carolina, Illinois, Missouri, and Northern Marianas. Wang explained the Trump gambit this way: Kasich's victory in Ohio kept the governor in the race, keeping his rivals splintered and preventing Texas Sen. Ted Cruz from maximising his electoral strength. Wang said that based on numbers, Trump fares better in a three-way race than in a head-to-head duel with Cruz. As such, those who voted for Kasich in Ohio, "indirectly" voted to support Trump, he added. The poll expert noted that Trump's unpopularity ratingminus-30 or more in some pollswould make it hard for him to get a majority of delegates in a head-to-head duel with Cruz, he said. "Trump is pretty unpopular," Wang said. "He's less popular than Ted Cruz." If Kasich did not win Ohio, the governor would have quit the race. With Sen. Marco Rubio having also dropped out of the contest, Cruz would be in a position to better challenge Trump, one-on-one, since the votes, intended for Kasich and Rubio, or at least some huge chunks of them, were expected to go to Cruz. If Kasich truly wanted to stop Trump, he should stop campaigning in some states to allow Cruz to win and pick up the delegates in those states, Wang said. Politically that might sound absurd, but mathematically, it isn't, the numbers expert said. As it is, Wang put Trump's odds of getting the GOP nomination at 90 percent. However, Wang said if Trump vs. Clinton materialises in November, the odds for Trump remain unclear. Nevertheless, Wang said Clinton has the edge in the general election based on an economy that's not in recession and President Barack Obama's improving approval rating. "The better the approval rating, the better position the president's party is in," Wang said. YSR Congress Party members stage a sit-in at the assembly premises after one of their MLAs RK Roja, whose suspension has been stayed by HC, was stopped from entering the legislative asembly building in Hyderabad. (Photo: PTI) Hyderabad: Suspended YSR Congress MLA Roja was rushed to a hospital on Saturday after her health weakened during a protest outside the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. The MLA was protesting for a second day in a row against the ruling party for not allowing her to enter the Assembly. Roja, the MLA from Nagari in Chittoor district, was suspended for a year during the winter session of the AP Assembly in December last year for allegedly using unparliamentary and abusive language against certain members of the ruling Telugu Desam, including Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. She had obtained an interim order from the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad against her suspension but the Legislature Secretary challenged the single judge's order before a division bench and she was prevented from entering the Assembly. YSR Congress MLAs on Saturday came to the House wearing black clothes in protest against the treatment meted out to Roja. Read: Roja denied entry in House; YSRC MLAs don black in protest Inside the House, the YSRC members stormed the Speaker's podium raising slogans like 'we want justice', causing a din. The Question Hour continued for about half an hour amid the din but as the Opposition continued with their sloganeering, Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao adjourned the proceedings for ten minutes. The ruling Telugu Desam, which took this as a prestige issue, was determined not to let Roja into the House. The Speaker on Friday had said it was for the House to take a decision on whether or not to allow Roja inside as it was the same House that voted for her year-long suspension during the winter session in December last. He posted the matter for Monday. As Roja walked into the Assembly premises along with fellow women MLAs of YSRC, the marshals stopped her from proceeding beyond the Gate. Roja picked up an argument with the marshals demanding that they show written orders denying her entry into the House. The other YSRC members, however, went into the House in their black dresses and protested. After the proceedings were adjourned for ten minutes, the YSRC members staged a sit-in protest near inner gate of the Assembly in solidarity with Roja. Probe is being carried out to see if it was a case of business rivalry or a cattle loot (Photo: DC) Ranchi: In another shocking incident, two Muslim men, who were on their way to a Friday market with eight buffaloes, were tortured and hanged to death in Jharkhand, according to reports. Muhammad Majloom, 35, and Azad Khan, 15, were allegedly hanged from a tree after being tortured in Jhabbar village of Latehar district near Ranchi on Friday. The two had their hands tied together behind their backs and their mouth was closed with a cloth. Locals claimed the assailants were Hindu radicals. An FIR has been lodged against unknown persons for the murder. While the probe is on, it is yet to be investigated if this was a case of business rivalry or a cattle loot or something else, Latehar Superintendent of Police, Anoop Birthare was quoted in a report. "The sight suggested that the two of them were subjected to extreme levels of brutality. It means that the assailants were moved by extreme hatred," the police officer was quoted as saying. The event comes months after the Dadri lynching where a man was murdered for consuming beef. New Delhi: In an attempt to stop Urdu writers from writing books on anti-government issues, National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), which operates under the Human Resource Development Ministry, has introduced a form that requires an author to declare annually that the content of his or her book wouldnt be against the government, according to a report in The Indian Express. The aforementioned form has been given to several authors over the past few months. The form not only demands the compliance of the author to the conditions mentioned but also asks them to provide signatures of two other witnesses. Director of NCUPL Irteza Karim said, The step has been undertaken in order to protect the interest of the government. An author who seeks financial aid from the government shouldnt pen down things that would go against the latter. Further, being a government organisation, it is the responsibility of NCUPL to protect the interest of the government." The decision to introduce this form was taken a year ago in a meeting which was also joined by members of the HRD ministry. The Home Ministry has also been apprised of this newfound development. The director also pointed out that it was difficult for the organization to leaf through each and every page of a book, therefore, the form would in a way lessen the responsibilities of the organisation. In case an author fails to adhere to the terms and conditions mentioned in the form, he or she will be penalized by NCUPL, Karim added. The form was introduced following a seething controversy over a book on Abul Kalam Azaad last year. The book disseminated misinformation which could have taken an ugly turn as Azad is a national figure. However, the move has been severely criticised by authors. The form not only muzzles dissent but also curbs free flow of ideas which does not go hand in hand with ideologies borne by the government of the day, said a professor at the Calcutta University. Besides, authors also believe that the form will give a legal backing to the government to crack down on dissent, which at times might not be governed by proper rhyme and reason. Harris County medical examiners on Friday identified two people fatally shot by Houston police during what authorities said was a robbery of a north-side furniture store. Scott Bennett, 29, and Christopher Nelms, 30, were killed about 6:45 p.m. Thursday outside a strip shopping center in the 11300 block of the North Freeway, officials said. Dehradun: Uttarakhand Governor Krishna Kant Paul on Saturday asked Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove majority on the floor of the state Assembly by March 28 in the wake of the political crisis triggered by a rebellion in the ruling Congress. In a letter to Rawat, the governor has asked him to prove his majority in the state Assembly by March 28, a top Raj Bhavan official said. The letter has been dispatched to the Chief Minister who also has an appointment with the Governor this evening, he said. The governor's directive is being viewed as a breather to Rawat government which is in the middle of a constitutional crisis with as many as nine party MLAs raising a banner of revolt against it and opposition BJP claiming that his government had been reduced to a minority in the assembly. Accusing BJP of misrepresenting facts, Chief Minister Harish Rawat claimed earlier in the afternoon that he still enjoys a majority in the Uttarakhand Assembly and was ready to prove it on the floor of the House. Read: Uttarakhand crisis: 26 BJP MLAs, 9 rebel Congress MLAs fly to Delhi "Those who are saying they have support of 35 MLAs are misrepresenting facts. I am confident that I still have a majority in the Assembly and can prove it on the floor of the House," he told reporters after emerging from a meeting with Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal. Read: Uttarakhand government in crisis as 9 MLAs rebel "Around four to five rebel MLAs are in touch with us now and I am giving them a chance to accept their mistakes. Their conduct was wrong and if they won't accept it then action will be taken. So far, five of them have contacted me," Rawat said. Adding that the Congress in the state was ready to prove majority in the House, he said that the ruckus created by the BJP after the adjournment was completely wrong and those who supported it were equally guilty. Lashing out at the BJP leaders for 'misusing the central machinery', he stated that the Opposition was making desperate attempts to get rid of the Congress government in the state. Read: Ready to present MLAs before President, says BJP "Their schemes will fail for sure. I will prove my majority on the floor of the House. I am a democratic individual and the moment I lose my majority, I will offer my resignation. The BJP is flustered right now keeping 2019 in mind, which is why they are attacking our government," Rawat said. Issuing a challenge to the rebel MLAs, he dared them to prove their majority in the House and not 'run' to New Delhi. The Congress Government in Uttarakhand is presently in crisis as nine party MLAs, including a minister, joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party last night. A three-member BJP delegation met the Uttarakhand Governor last night and demanded the dismissal of the Harish Rawat-led government while stating that it was in a minority. There have been claims and counter claims by both sides about enjoying a majority in the Assembly. While BJP claims the support of 35 MLAs including nine rebel Congress legislators, Chief Minister Harish Rawat says he still enjoys a majority in the 70-member House as none of the so-called rebel MLAs has quit the party or the CLP. 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. I will prove my majority on the floor of the House, says Chief Minister Harish Rawat. (Photo: PTI) Dehradun: Accusing BJP of misrepresenting facts, Chief Minister Harish Rawat Saturday claimed he still enjoys a majority in the Uttarakhand Assembly and was ready to prove it on the floor of the House. "Those who are saying they have support of 35 MLAs are misrepresenting facts. I am confident that I still have a majority in the Assembly and can prove it on the floor of the House," he told reporters after emerging from a meeting with Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal. "Around four to five rebel MLAs are in touch with us now and I am giving them a chance to accept their mistakes. Their conduct was wrong and if they won't accept it then action will be taken. So far, five of them have contacted me," Rawat said. Read: Uttarakhand crisis: 26 BJP MLAs, 9 rebel Congress MLAs fly to Delhi Adding that the Congress in the state was ready to prove majority in the House, he said that the ruckus created by the BJP after the adjournment was completely wrong and those who supported it were equally guilty. Lashing out at the BJP leaders for 'misusing the central machinery', he stated that the Opposition was making desperate attempts to get rid of the Congress government in the state. Read: Uttarakhand government in crisis as 9 MLAs rebel "Their schemes will fail for sure. I will prove my majority on the floor of the House. I am a democratic individual and the moment I lose my majority, I will offer my resignation. The BJP is flustered right now keeping 2019 in mind, which is why they are attacking our government," Rawat said. Issuing a challenge to the rebel MLAs, he dared them to prove their majority in the House and not 'run' to New Delhi. Read: Ready to present MLAs before President, says BJP Meanwhile, following the massive upheaval, the Congress alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah, who are drunk with power, are using sinister means to destabilise elected governments. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that the duo of Prime Minister Modi and the BJP president have now become infamous for forcible evacuation of elected governments in this country. "First, elected governments are destabilised by a sinister conspiracy and then they are sought to be unseated without the will of people. First Arunachal and now Uttarakhand.Modi ji and Amit Shah ji are trying to destablise Opposition's government, particularly Congress Party's government," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said. As many as 26 BJP MLAs and nine rebel Congress legislators arrived in the national capital last night in their bid to topple the Harish Rawat-led Congress Government in Uttarakhand. A three-member delegation, comprising senior BJP leader Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Uttarakhand in-charge Shyam Jaju and party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya met Uttarakhand Governor K. K. Paul last night and demanded the dismissal of the Harish Rawat-led government while stating that it was in a minority. The BJP staked claim to form the government with the support of the rebel Congress MLAs. New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, who were released from jail after being granted an interim bail by a Delhi Court, arrived at the varsity campus on Friday amid rousing welcome. Both Khalid and Anirban were slapped with charges of sedition for holding pro-Afzal Guru event at the university campus on February 9 and shouting alleged anti-national slogans. Read: Delhi court grants interim bail to JNU students Umar, Anirban Students across the campus celebrated the duos release after a month long imprisonment. Slogans of 'Aazadi' reverberated across the varsity's sprawling campus. The Patiala House Court, which had reserved its order on their bail pleas on Wednesday, asked the duo to furnish a bail bond of Rs 25,000 each. The Court further directed the JNU students to not leave Delhi without its permission during the period of interim bail. Further, it also directed them to make themselves available before the Investigating Officer when required for the purpose of investigation. Read: Criticism of govt not sedition, says counsel of Umar, Anirban The energy across the campus got further catapulted to a notch higher when Khalid gave a power packed speech before the varsity students. Being irked at the Central Governments dictatorial attitude, he said that the Centre is on a persistent witch-hunt to muzzle dissent. Further, he added that the story doesnt end here; their release is just the beginning of a war. The Government and the RSS thought they could break us. But such colonial charges pressed against us wont deter us from carrying forward our agenda. I have no shame to say that JNU selflessly raises the plight of farmers, labourers, adivasis, Muslims, Dalits, he reiterated. Read: Fresh poster issues death threat to Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid Criticizing the way he was branded a terrorist just because of his religious faith, Khalid said, "I did not project myself as a practicing Muslim, but I was treated like an Islamist terrorist." Censuring the present day government's anti-labour, anti-poor and anti-dalit stances, he said that it wouldnt be able to breed its selfish agenda for a long time as masses are rising against its dictatorial policies. Earlier, a high-level internal committee of the JNU had found 21 students guilty of holding a controversial event on the campus last month, which had led to the custody of JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others. Read: JNU students Umar Khalid, Anirban surrender before Delhi police The committee has reportedly suggested that Kanhaiya, along with four other students, be rusticated from the varsity. The committee, in its unanimous report submitted to Vice-Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar, has accused the students of violating university norms and rules by organising an event in the memory of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. eighth blackbird Reveal April Performances at Big Ears Festival Grammy-winning sextet eighth blackbird have announced a second concert at this year's Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN. The Chicagoan contemporary classical group will be joined by special guests for their April 1 performance on the festival's "The Sanctuary" stage. Alongside other of the festival's performances from artists such as Andrew Bird and Yo La Tengo, eighth blackbird's first set will actually be earlier that day. The group will present a special collaboration with Bryce Dessner (The National) and Bonnie "Prince" Billy at 7:00 p.m. at the Tennessee Theatre, followed by the aforementioned "The Sanctuary" headlining performance at 10:00 p.m. (along with the unannounced "special surprise guests"). Big Ears has been a Knoxville staple since its first festival in 2009. Combining music, art and film, the celebration is one of the most unique events in the country. As described on the festival's website, eighth blackbird is an established and diverse addition to the concert lineup: "eighth blackbird's 'super-musicians' (Los Angeles Times) combine the finesse of a string quartet, the energy of a rock band, and the audacity of a storefront theater company. The Chicago-based, four-time Grammy Award-winning sextet celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2016: two decades spent performing for audiences across the country and around the world with impeccable precision and a signature style." The unique art music combo have been entertaining audiences since 1996, initially forming at university and participating in numerous high-profile albums and collaborations since (including the Grammy-winning Filament album and performances with Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche). As former flautist Tim Munro explained to the UMS Lobby, the band initially came together at the behest of an experimental conductor seeking to explore and challenge the "new music" genre: "To speak about the instrumentation first, eighth blackbird was sort of a put-together group. At the Oberlin conservatory, this conductor, Jim Weiss, put the group together to play more challenging repertoire, stuff that isn't normally covered in the run of conservatory conductor. And this instrumentation seemed like the perfect kaleidoscope in everything." Should you find yourself in Tennessee this April Fools' Day, don't miss these eagerly anticipated performances from eighth blackbird and their assortment of high-caliber musical guests. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Tagseighth blackbird, Big Ears Festival, Big Ears Music Festival Jazz Great Pat Metheny to Release Two New Albums May 6th 2015 was a banner year for jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. The highlight was his stint as Musician-in-Residence at the Detroit Jazz Festival. In an effort to keep his string of good luck going, Metheny is putting the finishing touches on two new albums, The Unity Sessions and Cuong Vu Meets Pat Metheny. Both are scheduled to drop on May 6th. Both albums will feature long time collaborators of the 61 year old Metheny. According to Downbeat online, "The Unity Sessions is taken from a filmed performance with the Pat Metheny Unity Group (drummer Anonio Sanchez, saxophonist Chris Potter, bassist Ben Williams, multi-instrumentalist Giulio Carmassi) that was recently released on DVD. The set comprises 13 songs by Metheny, including one he co-wrote with Ornette Coleman, and a well-known standard by Ray Noble." The song Metheny co-wrote with the late, great Ornette Coleman will no doubt be of special interest to numerous Jazz afficiandos. On the Cuong Vu Meets Pat Metheny release, Downbeat has this to say, "...the guitarist joins a trio led by longtime Pat Metheny Group trumpeter Cuong Vu. (Other members of the trio include Stomu Takeishi on bass and Ted Poor on drums.) The album consists of five tunes written by Vu plus one by Metheny and one by Andrew D'Angelo. " Pat Metheny has separated himself in his visionary approach to the sound that he creates. Not content with rehashing past licks, Metheny continues to expand on his repotoire while searching for new horizons. According to his record company, NoneSuch's website, "Over the course of more than three decades, guitarist Pat Metheny has set himself apart from the jazz mainstream, expanding and blurring boundaries and musical styles. His record-setting body of work includes 20 Grammy Awards in 12 separate categories; a series of influential trio recordings; award-winning solo albums; scores for hit Hollywood motion pictures; and collaborations and duets with major artists like Ornette Coleman, Steve Reich, Charlie Haden, Brad Mehldau, and many others. His band the Pat Metheny Group, founded in 1977, is the only ensemble in history to win Grammys for seven consecutive releases." 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsPat Metheny, Jazz Guitarist, New Albums, May 6th, Cuong Vu Meets Pat Metheny, The Unity Sessions Something Rotten John Cariani Talks Almost, Maine Beating Shakespeare John Carianis character Nigel Bottom in Something Rotten might be losing to Shakespeare eight times a week, but Carianis 1996 play Almost, Maine has actually beaten the Bard. Almost, Maine has officially been produced more in North American high school's than any of Shakespeares plays. Now the Bottom actor is opening up about topping Shakespeare. Recently, John Cariani spoke to Playbill about how his taking Shakespeare to school, saying: Its crazy! And kind of unimaginable. Its a surreal and excellent life-imitating-art or art-imitating-life kind of thing. Its funny, Horatio tells Hamlet, There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Thats how I describe the trajectory of Almost, Maine. I never imagined this to be its path. I was a kid when I wrote it, and its taken such a long time for it to catch on! Cariani went on to theorize about what makes Almost, Maine so successful, adding: Many people have told me its because when it opened Off-Broadway in 2006, the kind of humor that was in vogue was a bit snarky, ironic, self-aware. Maybe the world is a little more ready for open-hearted and earnest comedy now. What do you think about Almost, Maine beating out Shakespeare? Have you gotten the chance to see or perform in Almost, Maine? Let us know your thoughts on and experience with the show. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsSomething Rotten, John Cariani, Almost Maine, Beating, Shakespeare CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Canton man wanted for murder after a body was found inside his home has been arrested, police said. On Saturday morning, Canton police confirmed that Lance Levi Rankin, 36, is in police custody; but officers did not have any details surrounding the arrest. Canton and Jackson Township police were searching for Rankin after police executing a search warrant found a body inside a home in the 200 block of Worley Avenue NW where Rankin lives Friday night. Police will release the name of the victim after family has been notified, Canton police Capt. Jack Angelo said in a press release. Like Chanda Neely on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter: police tape.jpg Canton murder suspect Lance Levi Rankin led authorities on a chase on Interstate 77, and crashed into an Ohio State Highway Patrol cruiser, police said. (File photo) CANTON -- A murder suspect led authorities on a chase on Interstate 77, and crashed into an Ohio State Highway Patrol cruiser, police said. Lance Levi Rankin, 36, was treated for minor injuries and transported to the Stark County Jail, according to a Canton Police Department news release. The chase happened sometime over night, police said Saturday morning. No officers were injured. The cruiser sustained considerable damage, according to police. Canton and Jackson Township police were searching for Rankin after police executing a search warrant found a body inside a home in the 200 block of Worley Avenue NW where Rankin lives Friday night. Police will release the name of the victim after family has been notified, Capt. Jack Angelo said in a press release. Like Chanda Neely on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter: MORELAND HILLS, Ohio -- Police were still tracking a possible suspect overnight in a Friday afternoon robbery of the Sunoco gas station at SOM Center Road and Chagrin Boulevard, after abandoning a car pursuit for safety reasons. The robbery occurred shortly before 3 p.m. (May 18) at the recently-reopened Moreland Hills Sunoco, where the suspect came in and bought a bag of chips, and when the clerk opened the cash drawer to make change, he grabbed it, demanding that she hand it over to him. "A small struggle ensued and the suspect began pushing the attendant into another room at which time she began screaming," Moreland Hills Police Chief Kevin Wyant stated in a Friday night press release. The suspect then ran out with an undetermined amount of cash got into his vehicle and fled south on SOM Center (Route 91). Wyant noted that the suspect did not brandish a firearm, but held his hand in his coat pocket as if he had one, according to the victim, who was not injured. A description of the suspect and his vehicle was broadcast over the police radio, at which point a patrol officer in Orange attempted to stop a driver and vehicle that appeared to be a match. But the suspect fled and the officer abandoned the pursuit over concerns for the safety of other motorists. "At this time,no further information is being released due to our ongoing investigation," Wyant stated. FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio -- Video surveillance cameras captured three unidentified people using a Fairview Park robbery victim's credit card at a Cleveland business less than an hour after the robbery, police said. They were not able to use the card. Fairview Park police said three men robbed a woman outside her apartment in the 20000 block of Lorain Road on Sunday night. The woman suffered minor injuries during a struggle. The victim told police the men approached her just before 8 p.m. as she got out of her car. They told her that they had guns, and demanded her purse and keys, according to police. Three people entered a convenience store at East 79th Street and Cedar Avenue in Cleveland at 8:45 p.m. Sunday, according to a time stamp on the surveillance camera. Police did not release the name of the Cleveland business. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Fairview Park Police Department at 440-333-1234. Like Chanda Neely on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter: CHENNAI: Holding a victim of motor accident (claimant) guilty of contributory negligence for not wearing helmet while riding a two-wheeler, the Madras high court has reduced Rs 50,000 from the total compensation of Rs 35.50 lakh awarded to him by the tribunal. Passing orders on an appeal from National Insurance Company against the Tribunals compensation, a Division Bench comprising Justices R. Sudhakar and S. Vaidyanathan said, This court, without interfering with the compensation awarded by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal under each head, by reducing Rs 50,000 from the total compensation for the contributory negligence of the claimant and also for violation of Motor Vehicles Rules in respect of not wearing the helmet while riding two wheeler, modifies the compensation to Rs 35 lakh from Rs 35.50 lakh. According to Maniraj, on November 16, 2007, around 9 am while he was riding a two-wheeler and crossing the GST road from Chitlapakkam to enter MEPZ here, a car, driven in a rash and negligent manner, dashed his two-wheeler and he suffered grievous injuries. At the time of accident, he was General Manager-Operations in Twinstar Metal Products Pvt.Ltd, MEPZ. The doctor assessed total and permanent disability of 100 per cent. The doctor also assessed that the claimant was not able to speak, not able to take food and was now in a vegetative condition, he added and claimed Rs 48 lakh as compensation. The tribunal awarded Rs 35.50 lakh as compensation. Aggrieved, the insurance company filed the present appeal. Insurance company contended that the driver of the car was driving his vehicle at a moderate speed but the injured scooter rider had suddenly crossed the road resulting in the accident. The two-wheeler rider was not wearing a helmet. The Bench said, We are of the view that only due to the failure of the claimant to wear helmet, such grievous injuries were caused. On such reasoning, we are inclined to interfere with the award of the Tribunal and reduce a sum of `50,000 from the total compensation granted to the claimant. Arrest of naval ships as security for foreign arbitral proceedings - An update 18 March 2016 Now is an opportune time to review the efficacy of surrogate ship arrests. The Commonwealth has recently released its Defence White Paper, billed as the most comprehensive regeneration of the Australian naval forces since WWII. Australia proposes investing 25% of its Defence capital expenditure to 2025/26 in its maritime capabilities. The expanded capabilities include the commissioning a fleet of 12 new offshore patrol vessels to replace the existing 13 Armidale Class patrol boats. Will these new builds provide renewed scope for surrogate ship arrests under the Admiralty Act 1988 (Cth) (AA)? Surrogate ship arrests was examined by the Federal Court of Australia in Virtu Fast Ferries Ltd v The Ship "Cape Leveque" [2015] FCA 324 and [2015] FCAFC 58. The case considered: (a) whether a partly constructed hull is a "ship" under AA, (b) who "owns" a partly constructed hull for purposes of surrogate ship arrests, and (c) the immunity of government ships from in rem proceedings under s 8(2) AA. Austal Shipyards allegedly defectively designed and constructed a ferry for a disgruntled owner, who commenced arbitral proceedings in London against Austal (as the "Relevant Person" under AA) seeking damages under the shipbuilding contract. As security for the London arbitral proceedings, the ferry owner also issued in rem proceedings against a patrol vessel that was being constructed in WA by Austal for the Australian government. The patrol boat was arrested as a surrogate of the ferry under s19 AA. The only nexus between the ferry and the partially constructed patrol boat was the relevant person, Austal. Both at first instance and on appeal, the in rem proceedings were set aside, albeit for different reasons. Download PDF Relatives of the crash victims mourn at the airport in Rostov-on-Don. All 62 people on board Flydubai flight TZ981 were killed when the plane crash-landed and burst into flames. A passenger jet run by Flydubai under the code FZ981 has crash-landed at Rostov-on-Don airport in southern Russia, killing all 55 passengers and seven crew members on board. The Investigative Committee of Russia said in a statement on its website that all 62 people on board the plane died when it "hit the ground and broke into pieces." The reason for the crash was as yet unclear. The Boeing 737-800 was en route from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don, a port city close to the border with Ukraine, when it missed the runway amid heavy rain, English-language state news agency Sputnik reported, citing Russian-language state agency RIA Novosti. According to various reports, the plane was making its second or third attempt to land in high winds when the tip of a wing hit the ground about 250 meters short of the runway, causing it to catch fire. In a statement on Saturday, Boeing said that it would create a team that would serve as "technical advisor" to Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), and would operate under the auspices of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. "In accordance with the international protocol governing aviation accident investigations, all inquiries about the investigation must be directed to the IAC," Boeing's statement read. Russian news site RT.com published a grainy security-camera video that it said showed the crash. The black-and-while footage from a camera apparently pointing toward the runway from across a street showed a bright light speeding toward the ground, then a large explosion, followed by flames. Interfax reported that one of the flight recorders had since been recovered from the crash site. The news agency cited sources with knowledge of radio exchanges with the plane as saying there had been no emergency reported from on board prior to the crash. The Investigative Committee said on its website that its experts were looking into possible causes of the crash, including crew error, technical problems and bad weather. A committee representative, Oksana Kovrizhnaya, told Russia's Interfax news agency that "we are looking into two main theories for the plane crash...pilot error in connection with deteriorating weather conditions or a technical error," according to a Reuters report. The plane's pilot was from Cyprus, Interfax reported, adding that crew members were from Russia, Spain, Greece, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan and the Seychelles. Flydubai is a low-cost airline owned by the Dubai Government. The carrier said in a statement that the passenger group was made up of 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbekistani; 33 women, 18 men and four children. Its emergency response team was heading to Rostov-on-Don, with chief executive Ghaith Al Ghaith leading the response to the accident, it said. "Everyone at flydubai is in deep shock and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved," the CEO said in the statement. "We don't yet know all the details of the accident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish the cause." In January 2015 Flydubai hit the headlines after one of its planes came under first while landing at Baghdad airport. There were no fatalities. Reuters reported that President Vladimir Putin said that assisting the relatives of the victims was the country's top priority. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. Dubbed the "macaronut" by some, the colorful treat has been featured widely on television, food blogs and Instagram, promotion that has helped the dessert go viral. To encourage the news to spread faster, Payard sent free samples to online influencers. Enter Payard's latest invention: the already buzzed-about Macaron Donut, which he will officially launch Sunday at his NYC patisserie locations for $5 each. "You have to reinvent yourself," said French pastry chef Francois Payard. Known better for his desserts, one well-known pastry chef thinks he's also cracked the recipe for something else in New York's cut-throat food scene: survival. Macaron Donut also known as the Macaronut! "That's the best free press. All those foodie accounts, they all were infatuated with it," said Kaylee Dopkins, Payard's executive assistant. So what is the macaronut? It's a strawberries and cream ganache sandwiched between a pink macaron shell top made from almond flour and a strawberry dough bottom and confetti sprinkles. This is not Payard's first foray into food mash-ups and creative treats. During the summer, the shop typically sells thousands of macaron ice cream bars. He also sells macaron kits. Read More Ex-NFL player: Shoppers, you're getting ripped off To create the Macaron Donut, the team paid attention to hybrids food trends that have done well in NYC namely bagels and doughnuts. Think Dominique Ansel's cronut or Macaron Parlour's cheese Cheeto-flavored macarons. "It sounds so gross, but I found myself first in line for it," Dopkins said. With the macaron donut, the chef says the intent was to be a little more "childish" and incorporate flavors and components his customers might have grown up with, like strawberries and cream. Read More How one woman succeeded in a 'man's' business Once the idea was conceived, the actual recipe took weeks of tweaking. A macaron the size of the Macaron Donut, which is about three inches wide, would be too sweet to savor. That made the team experiment with different types of dough that would resemble a doughnut. Despite Payard's success, the path to creating new ways appeal to the American sweet tooth, has always been a complicated process for him. "To tell you the truth, I don't eat too many crazy things," he said. "When you're French, everything you do has to be a brand name." The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is one of New York's most famous institutions. Founded 145 years ago, moviegoers may recognize it as the setting of "Night at the Museum" and its sequels. While the dinosaurs don't actually come alive there, the museum has recently embraced digital technology to breathe new life into its attractions, which includes a plan to construct a $325 million science center close to Central Park in New York City. "Using technology permeates every aspect of what we do," AMNH president Ellen Futter told CNBC's "On the Money" in an interview. Ellen Futter has been at the helm of the museum for over two decades. When she took over in the early '90s, she recognized a lot needed to be done. However, there was one project in particular that needed urgent attention. "You know, when I first got there, I was worried about getting the museum air-conditioned," Futter said. Since then, the museum has not only added air conditioning, but Wi-Fi throughout all the buildings, in addition to 21st century technology to million year-old artifacts. It's also attracted a lot more people, with crowds swelling from 3 million to 5 million per year. Read MoreStep on the gas! Oregon museum's a shrine to speed There is no uniform law on this issue (Representational Image) New Delhi: Inter-continental abduction of children by parents is now a contemporary legal issue which baffles and mesmerises legal systems of nations, whose conflicting positions prevent the return of children to the country of their habitual residence. Solace can be found only in countries which are signatories to The Hague Convention on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, 1980. But what happens to those aggrieved parents whose countries are not a part of this global conglomerate of like-minded nations which honour each others laws. No global family law governs them. Confronted with this legal problem, the newly constituted Law Commission of India, headed by Justice B.S. Chauhan, will examine multiple issues involved in inter-country and inter-parental child removal among families locked in disputes. The commission is expected to consider whether recommendations should be made for enacting a suitable law and for signing the Hague Convention on child abduction. This problem is peculiar among non-resident Indians. Whenever there is problem in the marriage, either the mother or the father secretly abducts the child/children and returns to India resulting in legal battle thereafter for custody of the child/children. There is no uniform law on this issue and the Supreme Court and different high courts have given conflicting orders keeping in mind the facts and circumstances of the case on hand. According to advocate Anil Malhotra, dealing in inter-country family disputes, no global family law governs these issues. According to him, defiant stands in different courts of such jurisdictions create deadlocks. In a population of over 1.2 billion Indians, about 30 million are NRIs living across 180 countries who, by migrating to different jurisdictions, have generated a new crop of spouse related inter parental child removal and international family disputes. He is of the view that with the increasing number of non-resident Indians and multiple problems arising leading to family conflicts, inter parental child removal to and from India now needs to be resolved on an international platform. Want that book you're reading or rather hearing to go viral? Audible's got you covered. In March, Amazon's audio book arm released 'Clips', a function that allows listeners the option to save and share quotes or passages from their favorite audio books. By giving audio books the Vine or Instagram video treatment, Audible is trying to promote a more personal user experience, and is hoping to generate more book purchases through social media sharing of snippets. Just this week, Audible added a new feature that lets listeners recommend audiobooks instantly via e-mail, text or messenger. Listeners can send their personal library recommendations to an unlimited number of phone contacts. The first title can be redeemed for free by the recipient. Audible's new functionality arrives at a time when savvy users consume voracious amounts of music and video which frequently go viral on social media. Clips is an attempt to combine the emerging medium of audio with book geeks' love of the written word but adding a 21st century dimension to it. Read MoreBook sales fall but we love to listen Clips are "a way to put more books into people's conversations and easily demonstrate how dynamic and entertaining a book can be when performed," Beth Anderson, Audible's executive vice president and publisher, told CNBC in an interview this week. "Our customers are voracious readers and thinkers about books. Functionality that allows them to save a clip and make notes on it, or share clips with friends, is another example of transformative technology that will make the Audible experience more meaningful for our listeners," she added. During election cycles, isidewith.com has become a frequent destination for incorrigible political junkies, many of which use the site's quiz to gauge their philosophical barometer, and identify which politician is best representative of key issues. According to the site, nearly 35 million voters have taken its ubiquitous (and extensive) test that frequently makes the rounds on social media. Count Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico who's competing alongside more than a dozen other candidates to be the standard bearer for the Libertarian Party in 2016, among that number. When the ex-Republican and self-made millionaire took the quiz, which gives a percentage value of which candidate is most compatible with a voter's beliefs, it generated a rather surprising result. "The candidate that most paired up with my beliefs is (Vermont Sen.) Bernie Sanders at 73 percent," the 2012 Libertarian candidate told CNBC in a phone interview this week from New Mexico. Currently the sole challenger to former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination, Sanders a self-described socialist frequently excoriates big business and income inequality, and endorses a plan that combines lavish social spending with large tax hikes. The nonpartisan Tax Foundation recently estimated Sanders' budget blueprint would slice both growth and job creation. Johnson, however, explained the convergence between his views and Sanders' had its limits. Read MoreVoters don't pick nominee, we do: GOP official "I get the allure on the social side and dropping bombs on inequality, but when it comes to being capitalist obviously Bernie and I are 180 degrees on that test," Johnson added. The New Mexico native pointed out that in 2012, he was iside.com's top vote getter in terms of key philosophical issues that Americans held dear a point that leads him to believe that U.S. voters are more open to voting for an independent candidate than polls and prior voting patterns might suggest. There may be some truth to that, as recent figures have shown that voters are abandoning both parties in droves: Independents are currently the largest growing group, according to Pew Research. Still, most independents tend to cast their votes overwhelmingly for the two major parties, raising the question of why it's been so difficult for alternative candidates to get a breakthrough. "I do believe that the vast majority of the people in this country are libertarian; they just don't know it yet," Johnson saidnot entirely dissimilar to the epiphany, Susana Martinez the current governor of New Mexico, once said she had on the way to becoming a Republican. Martinez, the first Latina and woman to hold the office, told the 2012 GOP convention that she was a Democrat for years until an encounter with Republicans prompted her to declare to her husband "I'll be damned, we're Republicans." Johnson told CNBC that amid dissatisfaction with current GOP front-runner Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Clinton, the public was eager for an alternative. "It's a process to where you've got all this buzz over a third party," Johnson told CNBC. Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse and former GOP nominee Mitt Romney have both hinted at voting independent in the general election, Johnson said, "but what they haven't said is that third party is Libertarian. I think that is coming." Hulk Hogan Getty Images The retired wrestler Hulk Hogan was awarded $115 million in damages on Friday by a Florida jury in an invasion of privacy case against Gawker.com over its publication of a sex tape an astounding figure that tops the $100 million he had asked for, that will probably grow before the trial concludes, and that could send a cautionary signal to online publishers despite the likelihood of an appeal by Gawker. The wrestler, known in court by his legal name, Terry G. Bollea, sobbed as the verdict was announced in late afternoon, according to people in the courtroom. The jury had considered the case for about six hours. The damages awarded to Mr. Bollea on Friday were compensatory: $55 million for economic harm and $60 million for emotional distress. Punitive damages will be established separately, which raises the prospect that Gawker will have to submit to a detailed examination of its finances in court so the jury can assess the scale of the damages. Mr. Bollea's team said the verdict represented "a statement as to the public's disgust with the invasion of privacy disguised as journalism," adding: "The verdict says, 'No more.' " Gawker's founder, Nick Denton, said in his own statement that the jury did not hear all the facts. "We feel very positive about the appeal that we have already begun preparing, as we expect to win this case ultimately," he said. The meaning of the verdict will not be clear for some time. But the perception that a Manhattan media company, noted for its wry tone and its insistence that nearly any topic is fair game, was brought low by a celebrity fighting for privacy is most likely to resonate widely across the industry. Read more from The New York Times: Trump has 'Sick Obsession' with Kelly, Fox News says Texas Abortion Law has Women Waiting Longer, and Paying More Apple Sees Taking a Stand for Privacy as Crucial to Its Brand At issue in the case, in Pinellas County Circuit Court, was a grainy black-and-white tape made in the mid-2000s, which showed Mr. Bollea having sex with the wife of a friend of his at the time, Todd Clem, a radio shock jock who had legally changed his name to Bubba the Love Sponge Clem. Gawker posted a brief excerpt in a 2012 post by Albert J. Daulerio, the site's former editor in chief, that mused on the appeal of celebrity sex tapes. The case represented a peculiar clash of worlds, and it was a surreal spectacle. Mr. Bollea explained his relationship with Mr. Clem, and the ways in which Mr. Clem had encouraged him to sleep with his wife. He also drew a distinction between himself and Hulk Hogan, who he suggested were separate personas. Hulk Hogan Getty Images Mr. Daulerio, who was named in the suit along with Mr. Denton, decided to joke about child pornography in his deposition, which shocked the court. And the jurors had to try and make sense of it all. Mr. Bollea's lawyers said that the publication of the video was a gratuitous invasion of privacy, and had no news value. One of them, Kenneth G. Turkel, took particular aim at the contention that Gawker's posting of the video was an act of journalism and was therefore protected under the First Amendment. He described the publication as "morbid and sensational prying." He maintained that had the site's editors been operating under the rules of professional journalism, they would have contacted Mr. Bollea to ask his permission to publish the video, or at least to warn him that they were going to do so. In any case, Mr. Turkel said, it served only as fodder for readers' clicks and a source for advertising revenue, Mr. Turkel said. Gawker had argued that its posting of a brief excerpt of the tape was protected by the Constitution, and that Mr. Bollea had given up his right to privacy by talking often in public about his sex life. "He has chosen to seek the spotlight," a lawyer for Gawker, Michael Sullivan, said. "He has consistently chosen to put his private life out there." In his closing statement for the defense, Mr. Sullivan insisted that uncovering the sometimes less-than-laudatory activities of public figures "is what journalists do, and at the end of the day it's what we want journalists to do." After accounts of the video and images from it surfaced online but several months before Mr. Daulerio's 2012 post Mr. Bollea addressed it in an appearance on a television show run by the website TMZ and in other interviews. "The public discussion was already going on," Mr. Sullivan said. watch now U.S. citizens who owe money to the tax man might soon be barred from flying out of the country or even out of town. Two separate federal government policies are converging to make traveling difficult for travelers in the unspecified future. Buried in December's Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act is a provision that gives the IRS the right to have the State Department deny or revoke the passport of a taxpayer that has a delinquent federal tax bill of at least $50,000. Meanwhile, another law is currently being implemented that may mean tax delinquents flying domestically could get caught up in the IRS dragnet: REAL ID the antiterrorism measure that sets minimum standards for states that issue licenses and state identification. Read MoreREAL ID may pose real travel headaches next year The Department of Homeland Security has set Jan. 22, 2018, as the deadline for which all states must comply with REAL ID requirements. After that date, travelers from any states with non-compliant IDs including Minnesota, Missouri, Washington and American Samoa would need a U.S. passport for domestic or international air travel. Several other states like New York and Louisiana, have been granted extensions until REAL ID comes into full effect on October 2020. "For those travelers denied passports [by the FAST Act] in states that do not issue REAL ID compliant driver's license, their options will be very limited for providing acceptable documentation for air travel," said Andrew Meehan, policy director of the advocacy group Keeping Identities Safe. The details are in the "Revocation or Denial of Passport in Case of Certain Delinquencies" section of the FAST Act. In essence, a U.S. citizen would be in danger of having a passport request or renewal denied or having their passport revoked entirely if they have a cumulative federal tax bill over $50,000, including penalties and interest. Such a scenario also includes the IRS having filed a notice of lien against that individual, or if the agency has filed a notice of levy to seize property to satisfy a debt. Chennai: The Principal Sessions Court in Chennai has summoned TNCC president, E.V.K.S. Elangovan and DMK organising secretary R.S. Bharahi to appear before the court in two separate defamation petitions filed by Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa for making defamatory statements against the state. City public prosecutor M.L. Jegan filed the petitions on behalf of Chief Minister. In November last year, E.V.K.S. Elangovan, in a meeting organised at Valluvar Kottam, Nungambakkam, seeking prohibition in the state, spoke against the government for running Tasmac outlets. In his speech, Elangovan also condemned the government. Similarly, R.S. Bharathi, organising secretary, DMK, in a meeting held in Velacherry on November 2, last year, condemned the government. According to Jegan both the speeches were malicious and made with an intention of causing damage to the government. Hence, separate complaints filed before the court against them recently. When the matters came up for hearing on Friday, Principal Sessions Judge P. Rajamanickam summoned EVKS Elangovan to appear before the court on June 8 and R.S. Bharathi on June 9. Chennai: Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) on Saturday joined the DMK-led front to fight the May 16 Assembly election in Tamil Nadu which already has Congress and Indian Union Muslim League on board. "We fought 2014 Parliamentary polls only as part of the DMK front, now for the Assembly election too we will be part of the same front," MMK chief M H Jawahirullah told reporters here after meeting DMK treasurer M K Stalin at his residence. He also wanted parties like the DMDK and G K Vasan-led Tamil Manila Congress to join the DMK front. "MMK functionaries expressed their desire to be part of the DMK front and we have happily accepted it, other issues like allocation of seats and (identifying) constituencies will be decided later and announced," Stalin said. MMK opened its account in the Assembly with two seats in 2011 after aligning with the AIADMK. It however, switched to the DMK front for the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 and drew a blank. Meanwhile, Social Democratic Party of India State leaders called on Karunanidhi here and said that they had expressed their desire to be part of the DMK front and expressed hope that the combine would emerge victorious in the election. Tamil Nadu Congress President EVKS Elangovan, meanwhile, told reporters here that the AICC would announce a panel of functionaries to hold talks with DMK on seat sharing. He said seat sharing talks would begin with DMK soon after the announcement of the panel. Who stood out most in Boone County football during 2022 regular season Here are some of our superlatives for Boone County football players at the end of the regular season. New Delhi: After urging Uttarakhand Governor KK Paul to dismiss the incumbent Harish Rawat-led Congress Government, 26 BJP MLAs, along with nine rebel Congress MLAs, left for Delhi in a 72-seater chartered flight. They are likely to meet Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah in the national capital. BJP leader Ajay Bhatt said that they would stake claim to form a government after the Governor dismisses the present government. "We have 35 MLAs and Congress has 32 MLAs. When the voting took place, our 26 and 9 Congress MLAs voted, while three were absent. Out of the three, one of our MLAs was arrested, so we have clear majority... We have not staked a claim yet. Let this government be dismissed first," he said. Read: Uttarakhand government in crisis as 9 MLAs rebel Echoing similar views, BJP leader Shyam Jaju said, "We have requested the Governor to immediately dismiss the government. We have 35 MLAs, 9 from Congress and 26 from BJP." In the 70-member Uttarakhand Assembly, the ruling Congress has 36 MLAs, while it has support of three Independents, two Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and one Uttarakhand Kranti Dal MLAs. Read: Ready to present MLAs before President, says BJP If the BJP claim is to be believed, after nine rebel MLAs break away from the Congress, the ruling party will be reduced to 27; and if they join the BJP in its quest, their number will reach 35 BJP 26 and nine Congress rebels. Also read: Uttarakhand crisis: 26 BJP MLAs, 9 rebel Congress MLAs fly to Delhi Besides 26, BJP has two more MLAs Ganesh Joshi, who has been arrested by police in connection with the attack on a police horse and Bhim Lal Arya, who was suspended. The development came in the wake of an upheaval in the ruling government as nine MLAs of the ruling party revolted against the leadership of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat. Despite the seething tension, the beleaguered chief minister Harish Rawat said on Friday night that he has 'full majority' and warned of disciplinary action against the rebels. "We have full majority. All our members are intact. The figures being touted are totally wrong," he said. He said that in case if some Congress MLAs are being 'lured' by BJP, the party would take cognizance of it and actions will be taken against them adhering to the policies of the party. Rawat said the party would find out who the rebel Congress MLAs were, so far, only one MLAs name has come to the fore. A three-member BJP delegation, comprising former chief minister and MP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, BJP in-charge of Uttarakhand Shyam Jaju and general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya met Governor K K Paul on Friday night and said the Harish Rawat government was in a minority and sought its dismissal. According to Raj Bhavan sources, BJP staked claim to form the government with the support of the rebel Congress MLAs. Later, the Chief Minister accused the opposition of horse-trading and dared it to move a no-confidence motion. "We have full majority. If opposition has any doubt over our majority, it should give no confidence motion and we are ready to prove our majority on the floor, he said. "The top brass of BJP and RSS were seen here and also in the House. I thought they were here to pacify the BJP MLAs who were agitated after one of their MLAs broke a leg of a horse, but now, I doubt that they might be involved in some horse-trading," Rawat said. The flu is here, and it's sending more Memphians than usual to the ER health I had always hoped the city would be able to find the money to restore the old Central Police headquarters at 128 Adams Ave. so the Memphis Police Department could move back in. I spent many hours there early in my reporting career, working the night police beat, on weekends and subbing for the regular police reporter when he was off. Shortly after the police strike ended in 1978, I became the full-time police reporter, spending six hours a day (or more), Monday through Friday, roaming the gigantic building's hallways, gathering information about crimes, covering court hearings, reporting on the inner workings and politics within the department's administration, until 1982. I was still police reporter when the department grudgingly moved into the Criminal Justice Center. In an email comment on The Commercial Appeal's editorial Thursday on the possible sale of the old building to companies interested in turning it into a hotel, local CrimeStoppers head E. Winslow 'Buddy' Chapman wrote: "The move was VERY grudgingly and regretted GREATLY!!" He was police director when all of this was taking place. Some police officials have always hoped to move back into 128 Adams, but since that is not going to happen, there is a potential salve. The city bought the state office building on the Civic Center Plaza on the north end of the Main Street Mall after it was vacated by the state. Plans still are in the works for central police operations to move there from the CJC. The CJC, to me, never had that feeling of an old-time police headquarters that atmosphere you perceive from watching an old black-and-white crime movie. And, reporters had a lot more access to police commanders and police records than they do now. For most of my long tenure on the police beat, the old city jail was in operation. In a little hallway between the building's main concourse and the turnkey's entrance, a handwritten ledger was kept, listing who had been arrested, the time and the charge. Reviewing that ledger taught me a lasting life lesson: You never definitely can say what a person will not do, but you can say that an act does not sound like something that a person would do. That realization hit me on a Sunday afternoon when I saw the name of an acquaintance's father on the ledger, who had lectured us about the dangers of smoking marijuana. He and some friends had been arrested on suspicion of doing that. It was not uncommon to see the names of people I knew and well-known folks from the business and government arenas on the ledger or arrest tickets. The press room in the old building was on the second floor. One of the key pieces of furniture was an abandoned couch that a reporter for the old Memphis Press-Scimitar and one of my CA colleagues found while they were returning from lunch. I had full access to un-redacted police offense reports, arrest tickets and traffic accident reports, which was a great help in writing stories. As a result, I frequently talked to crime victims or survivors and family members of those slain or critically injured. The experience gave me a unique look at human nature under extreme stress, and at citizens and police officers who amazingly reacted heroically to dangerous situations. I could talk to squad commanders and, depending on the commander, the detectives. The deputy directors, deputy chiefs and chief inspectors were welcoming, although a deputy director once told me that he thought I had too much access. And, Chapman's openness toward the news media was a great help. Before the General Sessions Criminal Courts were created in 1982, the eight City Court divisions heard both city violations and state misdemeanors. Division 8 was the DUI court and the other divisions rotated felony preliminary hearings, which could be very entertaining. I was present when Judge Albert Boyd leaped off the bench to help subdue an out-of-control defendant. I remember talking to a very young lawyer, Bernice Donald, outside the back entrance of the building one evening after most people had gone home. She asked me if I thought she could beat Boyd for one of the new General Sessions Criminal Court judgeships. I did not think so, I told her. Was I wrong. She did indeed beat Boyd and other candidates for the seat in 1982, becoming the first African-American female judge in the history of Tennessee. She went on to become a U.S. bankruptcy judge, a U.S. district judge and now serves on the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. She has been mentioned as a possible U.S. Supreme Court justice nominee someday. These days, the open access journalists had to the Police Department at 128 Adams is long gone. When the department moved to the CJC, open access to the police brass ended, although we still had access to the detective squads and records. Information mostly is now filtered through a department spokesperson, and it is pretty skimpy. As a result, our crime reporters no longer are stationed at the CJC most of the day. No one expects that access to return, even if the department moves into the old state office building. But, I'm glad to see that 128 Adams might have a new life. It was where I hit my stride as a reporter. It has been a waste to have it vacant for more than 30 years. It may not be as horrifying as Dr. Frankenstein's monster, but the super-conservative Tennessee legislature, which Republican Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey had a major hand in creating, can be quite menacing at times. This is a group that routinely takes its cues from its most outspoken and unapologetic leader on everything from bashing President Obama to calling for the firing of a vice chancellor of diversity at the state's flagship university all while continuing to flood every nook and cranny of Tennessee with more guns. In 2013, Ramsey, an ardent user of social media, tweeted on the anniversary of 9/11 that Obama was trying to "ally with al Qaeda in Syria's civil war." A year later, Republican state Rep. Sheila Butt went even further on Facebook, comparing Obama to Adolf Hitler simply because the president was 45 minutes late for a press conference. Late last year, Ramsey went ballistic after Rickey Hall, the vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion at UT Knoxville, posted an ill-advised message cautioning university personnel against turning holiday gatherings into "a Christmas party in disguise." The indignant speaker said Hall, who is African-American, should be fired. Ramsey also thought Hall's $175,000 salary was excessive and he threatened to cut funding for the diversity office. Naturally, other GOP lawmakers piled on as well. And let's not forget Ramsey's crusade in 2014 to defeat three Democratic appointees to the state Supreme Court because, in his view, they were far too liberal for Tennessee. The effort failed miserably, but Ramsey earned national attention as a conservative purist. No wonder the General Assembly was named last week as the most conservative legislature in the nation by the American Conservative Union. Speaker Ramsey, from head to boots, is the chief architect of it all. But now, after 24 years in the legislature and nearly 10 years as Senate speaker and lieutenant governor the first Republican to hold those positions in 140 years Ramsey is walking away. He will not seek re-election to another term this fall. His reasons are personal rather than political. They are also honorable. He wants to spend more time with his family, including grandchildren who are growing up faster than he can pass a gun bill. Ramsey's retirement announcement last week was followed by effusive bipartisan accolades for a guy who was the key to turning a legislature long dominated by Democrats into a Republican supermajority. It's no secret that Ramsey never had any love for Memphis, and the feeling was always mutual. Yet, Sen. Lee Harris of Memphis, the Senate minority leader and one of only five Democrats left in the upper chamber, called Ramsey "a true statesman and, really, a role model on authenticity in public life." High praise for sure, and politically expedient as well. The truth is, Ramsey has been a powerful and effective leader for the causes in which he believes, from anti-abortion to pro-guns. To his credit, he opposed the effort to allow people to go armed in public even without a handgun-carry permit. But once the straight shooter from Blountville in upper East Tennessee brings down the gavel on his last session, he will leave a legislature that is arguably more conservative and less compromising than even he imagined. It is also a legislature that often is out of control. That creates a challenge for Ramsey's successor, particularly if it's Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris of Collierville. For the moment, Norris is not talking about his interest in the job. But he has to be considered a leading candidate. The problem is, I don't believe that Norris, deep down, is nearly as conservative as many of his legislative colleagues. Plus, he lives in Shelby County and, as far as I know, has not sworn a blood oath to hate Memphis. That alone may disqualify him for the job. But that's a topic for another day. Right now, it's appropriate to pay homage to Speaker Ramsey, who more than anyone set the tone for right-wing conservative politics to thrive in Tennessee for years to come. And who helped create the rampaging behemoth that is our General Assembly. Dr. Frankenstein would be proud. Casa Perez is one of many businesses on Summer reflecting the Mid-South's diversity. Long considered a crossroads for black and white America, Greater Memphis now has more than 1,550 firms owned by people of Hispanic, Asian or Middle Eastern heritage. (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal) Burglars broke into the used-car lot on Lamar Avenue. They yanked catalytic converters off a half-dozen vehicles and got away in the night. Its happened before. Fayez Elkhayyat, who not long ago raised his children in Palestine, expects it will happen again. Here they steal. The police dont do nothing, Elkhayyat said. Theres too much going on for them. There arent enough police in Memphis. Despite the crime, the stubborn car dealer is staying. It is still a good place for business, said Elkhayyat, who opened Trust One Auto Sales & Service in 2010. Whats happening on this stretch of Lamar east of Airways points out the quiet change in the commercial face of Memphis. More than 1,500 men and women of Asian, Hispanic and Middle Eastern descent now own businesses in nine-county metropolitan Memphis, chiefly in the big city of 645,000 population. Even as America debates the Syrian refugee crisis, it is clear these entrepreneurs -- recent immigrants and Memphians who have lived here for years -- now outnumber black-owned firms and have helped shore up the tax base in faded neighborhoods like Elkhayyats, while recasting Memphis with an international air. Theres quite a diversity in occupations and professions of people who have moved to Memphis, said Dr. Mohammed Moinuddin, an Indian radiologist who settled here in 1995 and estimates 1,000 Indian and Pakistani medical professionals now practice in the city. Long regarded as a crossroads for black and white America, Memphis has seldom looked abroad. Memphians instead focus inward, talk of improving schools, fixing old neighborhoods, solving crime, ramping up entrepreneurs. Just last week the Greater Memphis Chamber announced a new diversity contracting program aimed at women and black Memphians. Yet quietly, with no planning, the number of Asian, Hispanic and Middle Eastern entrepreneurs has surpassed African American firms in metro Memphis during the last decade. Everyone wants to come to the U.S., Elkhayatt said. Theres work, more money, freedom. In a region where almost half the 1.3 million residents are African American, the total number of black-owned firms slipped 6 percent between 2002 and 2012, and white ownership declined even more, especially as the 2008 global financial crash wiped out jobs, consumer spending and bank lending. While the crash struck the city hard, anyone driving the streets can see Memphis hasnt dried up. Jordanian gas station operators, Indian wholesalers, Thai restaurateurs and Taiwanese jewelers lease and own scores of buildings on streets such as Cleveland, Park and Summer. Even as the total number of firms declined by almost 1,200 between 2007 and 2012 in the metro area, led by a nearly 9 percent drop in white-owned firms, the number of Asian and Hispanic businesses that employ at least one worker surged 63 percent to about 1,550, a gain of nearly 600 firms, the U.S. Census Bureaus American Factfinder reports show. A firm is an establishment whose owners race could be identified when the Census Bureau conducted its regular survey of business ownership in America. Firms do not include companies such as International Paper owned by many shareholders. Whats missing from the 1,550 number are the Muslims. American Factfinder did not show Middle Eastern, Arab or African entrepreneurs for those years, although Saleh Al-Dabashi, Muslim Society of Memphis president, estimates about 11 percent of the societys 15,000 members are entrepreneurs and professionals. If you go to almost any gas station or convenience store, its going to be a Muslim owner, said Al-Dabashi, himself a Flash Mart owner. He notes the recent inflow of immigrants prompted the Muslim Society to open a small school teaching the English language and American values, particularly for women coming from nations such as Saudi Arabia, for example, which long prohibited women from driving cars. They have the right to know what this country is about and that they have freedoms here they didnt have back home, he said. What is happening here reflects Americas changing population. In nearly all of the countrys 30 largest cities, white firms have declined in number since the 2008 crash. Yet the decline was masked as the share of ethnic firms increased. Many cities now have more firms than a few years ago, says the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute, noting the shift corresponds with the inflow of families coming from throughout the world. Nearly a third of metro New York and metro Los Angeles residents are immigrants, compared to 13.3 percent in Atlanta and 7.4 percent in Nashville, while in Greater Memphis, one of every 20 residents is an immigrant, part of a population of 67,000 immigrants living in the metro area, a Migration Policy Institute study estimates. White-owned firms remain the most abundant in metro Memphis, totaling 12,792 in 2012, compared to 993 black, 253 Hispanic and 1,295 Asian firms employing one or more workers, American Factfinder reports. The survey found 248 Chinese firms, 65 Filipino, 50 Vietnamese and counted 634 Indian firms as Asian. Indian firms averaged $1.5 million in annual sales, compared to $1.3 million at Hispanic firms, $757,000 at black firms and $3.5 million at white firms. The population shift unsettled some Americans. About 27 million immigrants entered the nation between 1990 and 2010, bringing the foreign-born population to about 40 million, the highest level in U.S. history, the U.S. Census Bureau reports. Loud complaints about immigrants, often linked to the Republican Partys conservative tea-party movement, have tended to focus on undocumented laborers, particularly the more than 12 million Latinos who entered the United States after 2000. But recent efforts by the Obama administration to both let undocumented workers stay permanently and resettle refugees of Syrias civil war have spread concerns beyond the tea party. Last month, a resolution passed the Tennessee state senate on a 27-5 vote ordering a legal challenge to the federal refugee resettlement program. Led by state Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, the resolution contends the program would force Tennessee to spend tax money on refugees without the legislative approval mandated in the state Constitution. The resolution is scheduled for review Tuesday in the House State Government Committee. Just what a Syrian refugee inflow would mean for Memphis, if it happens, isnt clear. Eight years after the financial crash, thousands of vacant homes still line the citys old neighborhoods, a reason investors can buy $15,000 houses, make repairs and reprice the houses at $50,000, said Steve Lockwood, head of the Frayser Community Development Corp. Memphis housing, whether priced at $15,000 or $50,000, remains one of the countrys biggest bargains in part because vacant housing remains so abundant. No population surge pushed up prices. Looking for lower taxes, better schools, less crime, many middle- and working-class families of all colors moved out of the city. Immigrants moved in, a slow and steady revolution, particularly among Muslims. Rather than come directly from abroad, a major share of Muslim immigrants moved here from Buffalo, Detroit, Los Angeles or New York, drawn by family and friends who helped them resettle and find jobs, said Saleh Al-Dabashi, the Muslim Society of Memphis president. If you dont know anybody you dont want to come to Memphis, said Al-Dabashi, who entered the United States at Los Angeles more than a decade ago and later followed family to Memphis. Los Angeles is considered an attractive entry point because social agencies immigration centers ease the process of assimilation, he said. While the Memphis housing market clearly could absorb more people, whats not clear is whether a large influx of refugees would overwhelm social agencies and municipal services. Cynthia Braden, a former U.S. Army contractor in Afghanistan and Latin America, contends most Syrians would adjust rapidly in Memphis without straining social services. Syrians are educated people. Listen to them in the television interviews, she said about refugees in camps abroad talking to TV news crews. They all speak good English. Braden, who now lives in Midtown, once lived in war zones, advising American military officers on rebuilding stable communities in Afghanistan. A wave of immigrants can help Memphis rebuild, said Braden, who has written Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, telling him: City leadership simply needs to support the advantages of globalization, rather suffer from the disadvantages of this new economy. Immigration can be like economic development for Memphis, said Braden, a 1999 University of Memphis graduate. The people coming out of Syria are doctors, teachers, students, merchants. They could help the city. SHARE Samson Charrow "S.C." Toe By John Beifuss of The Commercial Appeal Samson Charrow "S.C." Toe is the new Youth Symphony Conductor for the Memphis Youth Symphony Program, an independent nonprofit arts organization that this year is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Toe officially will take the podium when the Youth Symphony's 2016-2017 season begins in the fall. He will be introduced at 6 p.m. April 24 when the Youth Symphony joins the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in its annual "Side-by-Side" concert, which will be held at the West Memphis Performing Arts Center at 501 W. Broadway in West Memphis. The Youth Symphony Program consists of four performance groups. The Youth Symphony, a full orchestra, is the premier ensemble of the bunch. Originally from Canton, Ohio, Toe came to Memphis just two years ago to serve as director of music ministries at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 480 S. Highland. The Youth Symphony position is not a full-time job, and Toe will continue his work at the church. The Youth Symphony Program provides a performance home for many of the top young musicians in the Memphis region. About 200 students representing close to 50 middle schools and high schools in the Mid-South currently participate. By Yolanda Jones of The Commercial Appeal Former Memphis police officer Joshua Barnes dated his girlfriend for two years. The couple were planning to marry when the woman ended the relationship in August 2015, saying that Barnes was becoming increasingly "aggressive." Five months later, on Jan. 4, the DeSoto County woman applied for a restraining order against Barnes after she told Memphis Internal Affairs investigators that he vandalized her car, contacted her incessantly and placed tracking devices on her phone and car. But the day before the Jan. 14 hearing for the protection order, Barnes, 28, was arrested and charged with stalking the 29-year-old woman. And on Feb. 23, he was arrested a second time and charged with violating an order of protection, contempt of court and violating bail conditions after police said he went to his ex-girlfriend's job and shattered the windshield of her Toyota Prius. He is free after paying $2,000 bond and will be back in court on the charges April 19. Lauren Fuchs, the attorney representing Barnes, said she could not comment on a pending case. The Commercial Appeal reviewed Barnes' police personnel and internal affairs records. The records detail a series of stalking incidents involving his ex-girlfriend that led to several violations of department policies, including lying to investigators. Barnes' former girlfriend reported that three months after she ended their engagement the harassment and stalking began. On Oct. 21, 2015 and Oct. 23, 2015, the front tires of her car were punctured. That same day, Oct. 23, Barnes sent the woman flowers at work even though she had told him not to "text, call, email or contact her or her family." Three days later, on Oct. 26 her co-worker saw a man fitting Barnes's description in front of the woman's car. And on Oct. 29, the woman found a typewritten note on her car threatening her if she did not "stay away from" Barnes. Later that day she filed a harassment report against Barnes with Southaven Police Department. The next day, she went to MPD's internal affairs office on Union Extended to file a complaint there as well, but Barnes was there waiting on her, according to an arrest affidavit. He was told to leave, the affidavit said, but instead parked his car across the street and waited. The harassment continued. The woman took her car to be serviced and a tracking device was found underneath her car, according to an arrest affidavit. The woman also found a tracking app on her phone. Barnes was suspended in November, and in an interview with MPD investigators, police say Barnes admitted puncturing his girlfriend's car tires because he wanted her to call him so he could "be her savior." The woman found more notes on her car on Dec. 29 and Dec. 31 calling her derogatory names and "doughnut chaser." Barnes told investigators that he was having trouble dealing with the breakup and wanted to get her back. He blamed his actions on medication he was taking for depression and anxiety. He said he lied about the earlier harassment of his ex-girlfriend because he said he didn't want it to hurt his career. Barnes returned to work in January, but was placed on non-enforcement duty at the Real Time Crime Center where he was not allowed to carry his police-issued gun. Soon, however, his fellow officers reported being uncomfortable around him, especially when he brought his personal Glock 9mm gun to work on Jan. 2. One officer said Barnes was "obsessed" with his ex-girlfriend and talked about her constantly. "Officer Barnes was acting weird all night talking about guns and looking at maps on his laptop," the officer wrote to their supervisor. "I don't feel safe around him because his actions do not reflect that of a stable officer." Two weeks later, Barnes resigned from the police department on Jan. 15 two days after he was arrested the first time for stalking and the day he was scheduled to have an administrative hearing about violating the department's personal conduct policies. In his handwritten resignation letter, Barnes wrote, "I have appreciated the opportunities given to me at this department, but I am looking to travel a different path." Stalking is a form of domestic violence, says Deborah Clubb, executive director of the Memphis Area Women's Council. "It is constantly, constantly terrorizing someone. You are not laying a finger on them, so why is this domestic violence? It is because it is ruining someone's capacity to live their lives and feel safe and secure anywhere because they don't know when they look up and there you are." According to the National Center for Women and Policing, at least 40 percent of families of police officers experience domestic violence, compared to 10 percent of families in the general population. Clubb said that the laws involving stalking in Tennessee have been made tougher over the years. State Rep. Jim Coley, R-Bartlett and Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville have introduced a bill to amend the stalking law, including adding sending mail, emails, text messages and posts to social media as an example of "unconsented contact." "To have made stalking more of a chargeable offense, more of a prosecutable offense is real, real important, and I think it can also include the harassing element through phones, through texting," Clubb said. "This is important because for some, it becomes this lifelong terrorizing that they have to live through and with." March 16, 2016 - Jerry Browning trims his lawn on Woodmark Drive in a section of Memphis recently annexed from Shelby County. The neighborhood in one of the annexed areas named in a state bill that would let voters hold a referendum to break away from the city. Browning, who has lived on Woodmark since 1988 says he thinks it's only fair that he and his neighbors get to vote to decide on annexation even though he is presently on the fence about what his decision would be. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal) By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal Jerry Browning moved to South Cordova 27 years ago for the peace and quiet of living in what he said was then "the country." But in recent weeks, he's had little peace in his three-bedroom home on Woodmark knowing that he may soon have to vote on whether to reverse the city's forced annexation of the area in 2012 which, along with other potential de-annexations, could financially cripple a city where his son works as a police officer. "I'm sitting on the fence on it," said Browning, a retired Memphis City Schools teacher. "I want to see what it entails, what the costs are going to be." He added: "I kind of understand that concept of, as goes Memphis, so goes all of us." The state Senate could vote Monday on a bill that would let 10 percent of residents in areas annexed since 1998 in five cities, including Memphis, petition for a referendum on de-annexation. The House approved the companion bill in a 68-25 vote March 14. If the bill passes, Browning is one an estimated 111,228 residents who could vote to leave the city during the next three years. The move could drastically reduce their property tax bills, although they would still be required to pay down debt the city took on since their annexations. The county may also raise its tax rate. State lawmakers have moved quickly to pass the bill which will cost the city at least $27.8 million in annual taxes if all 10 eligible residential areas de-annex despite vocal opposition from Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, among others. Strickland has warned of dire consequences from de-annexations, including decreased economic development, less money to meet city obligations and needs, and a property tax rate hike of between 30 and 70 cents an increase of $75 to $175 a year for houses appraised at $100,000. There's also talk of combining Memphis police and the Shelby County Sheriff's Office or selling Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division, and Strickland has said consolidation of city and county governments could be considered. In a news conference Friday in front of City Hall, a group of community leaders and elected officials called on legislators to delay a vote on the bill to allow time to consider its impact on the city. Lee Harris, the leader of the Senate Democrats, said he didn't know how the Senate would vote and declined to talk about parliamentary strategies for defeating the bill. Harris said he doesn't expect to get an Attorney General's opinion on the constitutionality of the bill before the vote, but said the bill's sponsors are retroactively punishing the city for lawful annexations. City Council member Berlin Boyd, who was at the conference, said there's talk that senators could allow areas annexed as far back as 1990 to petition to de-annex. He said $115 million was a "low ball" estimate for how much the city could lose in annual revenue in that case. This past week, Strickland indicated he could be open to changing the bill to allow South Cordova and Southwind/Windyke to de-annex if the other areas of Memphis stayed, but Rep. Joe Towns Jr. said the city lawfully annexed those areas and the others, and shouldn't give them up so easily. The city is crunching numbers to calculate the impact of de-annexations on citizens and the city. Chief Financial Officer Brian Collins said the calculation is "fantastically complicated." "The math around this is going to take months to figure out," he said. Citizens who vote to de-annex would pay a third of their current taxes or less, depending on when they were annexed and how much money the city borrowed since then, Collins said. Areas annexed earlier would pay more so Hickory Hill, which was annexed in December 1998, making it the oldest eligible residential area, would pay more than South Cordova, which joined the city in July 2012. The amount they pay would decrease every year as the debt is paid off over 30 years. If all 10 eligible areas vote to de-annex, the city would lose more than 2/3 of its revenue from those areas instead of collecting $27.75 million a year, it would collect less than $9.25 million, and that amount would gradually evaporate over 30 years. Browning said he may have to choose between doing the right thing for the region and the right thing for South Cordova, which he said hadn't received the streetlights and paving the city promised and, because of cuts to police, had decreased police presence. "At least we get a vote, a say-so now," Browning said. "No one ever asked us before. They just took us in." But other Memphis homeowners said if de-annexation has to be done, it should be done with more thought. Russ Brasfield, a homeowner in East Memphis and project manager for engineering and architectural firm Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon, said de-annexation would be "absolutely unfair" to the homeowners left inside the city limits. "Regardless of how unfair the original annexation may or may not have been, what's done is done," he said. "Going back on something like this is tragic, unconstitutional and ignorant, and of course financially unsound." The bottom line For houses appraised at the following values, heres the potential increase in city property taxes if some parts of the city are allowed to de-annex, according to figures by Mayor Jim Strickland: $50,000: $425 becomes $463-$513 $100,000: $850 becomes $925-$1,025 $150,000: $1,275 becomes $1,388-$1,537 $200,000: $1,700 becomes $1,850-$2,050 $300,000: $2,550 becomes $2,775-$3,075 If residents are de-annexed, theyll continue to pay county taxes, which could possibly increase as well. Water from the Memphis Sands aquifer sees daylight for the first time since being pumped from the deep below Memphis as it runs through a series of aerators to add oxygen back into the water and help remove carbon dioxide. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal) By Tom Charlier of The Commercial Appeal The city of Memphis, its utility and state of Tennessee all defendants in a water-stealing lawsuit filed by Mississippi have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out the suit, saying no state can claim ownership of any part of the aquifer at the center of the litigation until the resource has been equitably allocated. The U.S. Department of Justice, through Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr., joined the city, the Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division and state in filing motions seeking dismissal of the suit. Mississippi's response to the motions is due March 28. The litigation is rooted in Mississippi's claim that Memphis, Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division and Tennessee have been "forcibly" taking its water through excessive pumping from an aquifer underlying both states. The utility, by pumping some 140 million gallons a day from the Memphis Sand aquifer, has created low spots in the water table called cones of depression that cause water from beneath Mississippi to flow across state lines into Tennessee, the suit claims. Mississippi seeks restitution for the estimated $615 million worth of water it says has been stolen since 1985. The suit also demands a halt to the pumping practices that have redirected the flow of aquifer water a move that could force Memphis to use the Mississippi River for at least some of its drinking supply. In their motions seeking dismissal, the defendants cite case law in which the Supreme Court rejected the notion that a state can own the water beneath its soil. The Memphis Sand is an interstate resource, they say, and as such, a formal process in which the aquifer is equitably apportioned among states must be conducted before any state can claim its water is being stolen. "For over a century, the Supreme Court has resolved disputes between states over the use of shared, interstate resources by applying the doctrine of equitable apportionment," the motion by the city and MLGW states. Mississippi is trying to avoid equitable apportionment because it hasn't shown any "real and substantial damages" from the pumping, the motion says, and because under the doctrine the state can't recover "retrospective" damages. "Mississippi is attempting to create a novel cause of action as a means to extract money damages from Defendants," the motion states. The water battle dates back to 2005, when Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood filed suit against Memphis and MLGW in federal court in Oxford, Mississippi, seeking up to $1.3 billion in damages. In February 2008, U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson ruled that his court lacked jurisdiction because Tennessee must be included as a "necessary and indispensable party" to the litigation. And in a dispute between states, the Supreme Court automatically becomes the arbiter, he said. Davidson's ruling was upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and in January 2010, the Supreme Court denied Mississippi's motion to overturn the appellate ruling and rejected the state's motion to file a new suit. After Mississippi added Tennessee as a defendant, the Supreme Court last June granted the state's request to file a new complaint. The court has appointed a Special Master, Eugene Siler Jr., a former judge on the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, to oversee the case. Regardless of the outcome, the litigation already is costing MLGW ratepayers and Tennessee taxpayers significant sums of money. The utility's 2016 budget projected legal costs rising 36 percent, from $3.275 million to $4.475 million, to cover expenses related to the suit. MLGW's water rates were increased 22 percent this year, in part, because of the litigation costs. By Richard Locker of The Commercial Appeal NASHVILLE As the controversial municipal de-annexation bill heads for a scheduled vote in the state Senate Monday, one of the five cities left in the bill may get a reprieve courtesy of the Senate's most powerful member. Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey has filed an amendment that would remove Kingsport from the bill, which allows residents of areas annexed into five Tennessee towns and cities since 1998 to petition and then vote to de-annex their areas from their cities. Kingsport is in Ramsey's Northeast Tennessee district. Another city nearby but not in his district Johnson City was amended out just before the bill passed the House of Representatives last Monday. If the Senate approves the Kingsport amendment, citizens could initiate de-annexation petitions and referendums only in Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga and tiny Cornersville (pop. 1,191) in Marshall County south of Nashville. The legislation is opposed by officials of Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga three of the state's four largest cities but none more so than Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, who has warned that the city could lose up to 111,000 residents if all 10 areas of Memphis eligible to de-annex nder the bill's provisions follow through with leaving the city. Ramsey, R-Blountville, questioned the bill's fairness on March 10 and specifically cited Kingsport's annexation of the large Colonial Heights community into the city. He said that before Colonial Heights was annexed, it had "raw sewers running into the streets" and that Kingsport made improvements and delivered other municipal services there as promised. He also told reporters at that time that the bill offers "false hope" to residents who want to de-annex because the bill requires that the property tax bills of de-annexed property continue to include a pro-rata share of the city's general obligation debt. State Comptroller Justin Wilson encouraged sponsors of the bill to include that provision to protect the cities' credit and bond ratings. Ramsey's amendment removes Kingsport because, unlike the four cities left in the bill, it has a municipal school district. "The prospect of de-annexation presents a unique set of challenges for cities with municipal school districts," Ramsey's spokesman, Adam Kleinheider, said Saturday. "Municipal school districts funded by municipal property tax dollars make strategic zoning decisions and significant brick and mortar investments that cannot easily be undone. "De-annexation in cities with municipal school districts causes a rapid shift of students from the city school district to the county school district, resulting in overwhelming and ultimately insurmountable fiscal and logistical challenges. In the best interest of the these school systems and the children educated in them, Lt. Governor Ramsey believes the best course of action is to exempt such cities from the bill." But critics of the bill argue that limiting the bill's application to only a few cities makes it violate state constitutional requirements that state laws generally apply statewide unless the General Assembly finds a valid public purpose for limiting it to specific locations. The bill's chief House sponsor, Rep. Mike Carter, R-Ooltewah, said he attempted to do that by including language in the bill declaring that the "General Assembly finds the citizens in the affected cities have experienced the most egregious forms of annexation and have no other reasonable course to redress their grievances other than to petition for a vote" to de-annex. When Memphis lawmakers sought to amend the "most egregious" language from the bill in the House on Monday, Carter persuaded a majority of the House to table the amendment because, he said, removing the language would render the bill "patently unconstitutional." Senate Minority Leader Lee Harris, D-Memphis, has asked the state attorney general for an advisory opinion on the constitutionality of the bill. Attorney General Herbert Slatery's spokesman acknowledged receipt of Harris' request on Friday and that the request is under review but declined to say whether a response might be issued before Monday afternoon's Senate action. Whatever the attorney general opines, the issue may be headed for a court battle if the bill is approved, and the removal of another city from a bill that was originally filed in 2015 to apply statewide would likely make a legal challenge easier. Carter acknowledged during Monday's House debate that Johnson City's removal from the bill resulted from the Johnson City Commission's expedited vote four days earlier to de-annex 69 parcels of property in the Gray community, annexed in 2012, from its borders. The property owners had opposed the annexation. Kingsport officials told Ramsey and other state lawmakers from the region that the city had spent over $50 million over the last 10 years extending city services to newly annexed areas, including fire stations, water and sewer lines and road improvements, according to the Kingsport Times-News. Hyderabad: Speaking to the media outside Raj Bhavan, YSRC chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said, When the court has permitted Roja to attend Assembly, the Speaker, who has been conducting hi-mself out and out like a TD leader, and the CM, displayed their arrogance by rejecting the judiciary and calling themse-lves supreme, which is undemocratic, and their decision of not honoring the court verdict will be challenged and a contempt of court petition will be filed on Monday. Coming down heavily on the Assembly chief marshal, Mr Reddy said his behavior was unruly and his conduct questionable. The CM and Speaker are trying to impress that they are be-yond the courts. This only shows their arrogance and their defiance of judiciary. It will be taken up in the right forum and an agitation path will be worked out to highlight the injustice me-ted out to Roja, he said. Ms Roja said, People who do not respect the Constitution do not resp-ect courts as the provis-ions of the law are made in Parliament itself. Meanwhile, Ms Narmada, counsel appearing for Ms Roja on Friday informed Justice A. Ramalingeswara Rao that her client was not allowed to enter into Assembly premises on Friday morning despite the court order. The judge told her to make a mention on Monday. Associated Press files A U.S. Customs image shows Tashfeen Malik (left) and her husband, Syed Farook, who killed 14 people in California last year, at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. An iPhone used by Farook is at the center of a battle between Apple and the FBI. SHARE By Michael Collins of The Commercial Appeal WASHINGTON U.S. Rep. Phil Roe can understand why the FBI might want to access the data stored on an iPhone used by one of the perpetrators of the San Bernardino terrorist attacks that killed 14 people and seriously wounded another 22. But forcing the phone's developer, the tech giant Apple, to unlock the phone for investigators troubles the Johnson City Republican. "I have concerns that requiring a private company in this case Apple to hack into their products and turn information over to the government sets a dangerous precedent and could threaten the privacy of American citizens if this ability was abused in the future," Roe said. U.S. Sen. Bob Corker also is torn between the privacy vs. national security issues raised by the debate. "Given the ways in which Americans use and store digital information, it is important consumers receive a strong level of security from the products they purchase," the Chattanooga Republican said. "However, law enforcement has an obligation to protect the American people, and it is important that they have access to the evidence they need when they have obtained a warrant that complies with our Constitution. It's critical that we get this right, both from a public safety and a security perspective, and it is something our courts and Congress must balance." On Tuesday, lawyers for Apple and the U.S. Department of Justice will face off again in a federal court in California over whether the company should be forced to help unlock an iPhone for law-enforcement officers investigating the San Bernardino shooting. Apple is challenging a federal magistrate judge's order that the company develop software to bypass the security measure on the iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook. Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, opened fire last December at a training event and holiday party for the county health department where he worked as a health inspector. Both suspects were later killed in a shootout with police. Apple has refused to comply with the court order, arguing that forcing it to develop software to unlock the phone is an illegal and unprecedented move that could jeopardize the privacy of millions of iPhone users around the world. The Justice Department counters that its request is limited just to Farook's phone, which it says may contain evidence in the shooting. Investigators believe the phone may shed light on the gunman's motivations and could help them determine if anyone else was involved by giving them access to his contacts. Apple has said Congress should settle the issue. But members of Tennessee's congressional delegation seem conflicted over how it should be resolved. "This is a complicated issue, and a vitally important one," said U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Memphis Democrat. "My hope is, working together, we can figure out a middle ground that would serve both our need for security as well as privacy." U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Maryville Republican, also expressed hope that some middle ground could be found. "We must find a solution that allows law enforcement to find out what is on a terrorist's phone without setting a precedent that threatens the privacy of law-abiding Americans," he said. U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., a Knoxville Republican, said the government has always had the authority to compel companies and citizens to turn over information relevant to a criminal investigation. "We should not do anything to aid or protect any terrorist," he said, "but we certainly should not sacrifice the privacy rights of every law-abiding citizen in the process." Michael Collins is The Commercial Appeal's Washington correspondent. His weekly Tennessee in D.C. column highlights Volunteer State lawmakers, causes and connections. Contact him at 202-408-2711 or michael.collins@jmg.com A man and woman comfort one another by a makeshift memorial outside the Armed Forces Career Center, Friday, July 17, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Counterterrorism investigators are trying to figure out why a 24-year-old Kuwait-born man, who by accounts lived a typical life in suburban America, attacked the career center and a Navy-Marine training center a few miles away in a shooting rampage that killed four Marines. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski) SHARE By Michael Collins of The Commercial Appeal WASHINGTON Congress members from Tennessee and Georgia have asked the Navy to name a ship the USS Chattanooga in honor of five servicemen killed in a terrorist attack in the East Tennessee city last summer. In a letter to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, the lawmakers said Friday that naming an "appropriate naval vessel" after the city in which the servicemen were killed would be a way to honor their sacrifice. "In the wake of this tragedy, we believe that it is appropriate for the U.S. Navy to honor the legacy of those who lost their lives," the lawmakers wrote. The letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, both Tennessee Republicans; U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, a Republican who represents Chattanooga and the surrounding area; and U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, R-Georgia A lone gunman opened fire last July on a U.S. Military Recruiting Station and a Navy and Marine Corps Operational Support Center in Chattanooga. Killed in the attacks were Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan, Staff Sgt. David Wyatt, Sgt. Carson Holmquist, Lance Cpl. Squire "Skip" Wells and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith. The shooter, Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, was killed in a gunfight with police. All five of the slain servicemen were awarded the Purple Heart last December because the attacker was found to be inspired by propaganda from a foreign terrorist organization. The Chattanooga City Council and the Tennessee General Assembly have passed separate resolutions supporting the naming of the next eligible Navy ship in honor of the fallen servicemen. The Commercial Appeal Files March 19, 1952 A small amphibian cabin plane parked on the cobblestones at the foot of Union Avenue on March 19, 1952, wasn't competing with the autos for parking spaces. Owned by W.L. Gatz Jr., a cotton farmer from Paragould, Arkansas, it sank at anchorage on the Wolf River near Jefferson several nights ago, was raised and taken to the foot of Union to dry out. Mr. Gatz had flown to Memphis to attend a ginners meeting. SHARE March 19 25 years ago: 1991 Nike Inc. has bounced Converse Inc. as the official footwear sponsor for Memphis-based Universal Cheerleaders Association, the association announced Monday. That means about 100,000 high school and college cheerleaders trained this year by the Universal Cheerleaders Association around the nation will see association staff wearing Nike shoes and clothing, according to Jeff Webb, president of the association. Nike, which has two distribution facilities in Memphis, will be the brand sold by the association's affiliate, Varsity Spirit Fashions Inc. 50 years ago: 1966 UNIVERSITY, Miss. Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D, N.Y.), smiling, affable, and out to make a good impression won frequent applause and three standing ovations on the University of Mississippi campus Friday. His three-hour stay ended in seeming victory for both Kennedy and the students and faculty of the university, who put their best foot forward to welcome the man who has been a figure of controversy since the riot-marked admission of Negro James Meredith to Ole Miss while Kennedy was attorney general. 75 years ago: 1941 A seven-million-dollar plant for making wing and body parts of twin-motored bombers will be established immediately at the Fisher Tennessee Division, General Motors Corporation plant on North Second at Wolf River. 100 years ago: 1916 The City of Memphis put the proposition of culverting Bayou Gayoso from Concord to Jackson Avenue squarely up to the owners of property which the bayou touches. 125 years ago: 1891 NASHVILLE The Senate spent the greater part of today discussing the bill to remove the state penitentiary from Nashville. Mr. Rivers compared the main prison to the Black Hole of Calcutta. SHARE The economic investment would be significant, but the payoff would be considerable if plans for a Downtown grocery store materialize. The store would fill a need that exists among Downtown's growing residential population as well as public housing clients at Foote Homes. Both are hungry, if readers will forgive the pun, for a convenient place to shop for a wide selection of unprocessed fruits and vegetables, and not just when the farmers market is open. And Memphis could always use another place that breaks down socioeconomic boundaries that mask our common interests. Getting rid of a food desert makes a great selling point for the southern sector of Downtown, as well as the nearby public housing project and Memphis Housing Authority's redeveloped former Cleaborn Homes to the east. All-purpose grocery stores have been missing from that area for a long time. Meanwhile, more than 500 new apartments have come on line in the southern area of Downtown since 2013, and pending projects including Central Station redevelopment will push the net gain, according to a recent Commercial Appeal article, to about 680 new rental units by next fall. Residents could also soon be able to enjoy a movie theater, a neighborhood bar and hangout, and a U-Haul rental and storage facility. It's the kind of thing developers of South Bluffs had in mind. Memphis also is moving forward to address the problem of food deserts, recognizing the well-documented link between obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and other conditions caused by the reliance on processed food high in fat content, salt and sugar available in convenience stores. Various efforts are under way to at least bring attention to, if not remedy, the problem of food deserts. In Raleigh, for example, a mobile pantry hosted by the Mid-South Food Bank recently provided rice, strawberries, red apples, lettuce and other hard-to-get essentials to about 500 families. In Binghamton, plans for a new supermarket at the intersection of Sam Cooper Boulevard and Tillman Street have been announced. A new grocery store could come to the south end of Downtown as part of the $279 million "South City" redevelopment plan, which also includes an early childhood education center, a family resources center, small business- and microloans, blight removal and public transit improvements, city Housing & Community Development Director Paul Young told the City Council last week. Funding sources would include city and federal governments and a grocery store chain to be determined. There is no question that a grocery store is long overdue for the Foote Homes area. It's perhaps not easy for outsiders to appreciate the obstacles to healthy eating that exist in isolated low-income neighborhoods, where many residents don't have access to private transportation and public transit is inadequate to their needs. The South City plan would help break those barriers down. SHARE Germantown officials and residents have a reputation for having exacting requirements about issues ranging from signage to zoning to the delivery of city services. They do not settle for "this is the best we can do," and are willing to pay more for quality services. Their "great deal of frustration and angst," as Alderman Forrest Owens described it, over unsatisfactory trash collection resulted in the suburb recently signing a contract with a new garbage collector, who will begin work July 1. In all likelihood, the new $3.9 million, five-year contract with Waste Pro of Tennessee will result in residents paying more a month for trash collection services. But they have shown over the years they are willing to pay more to get what they want. They complained about the service, and their elected officials responded. Many of us tend to roll our eyes at Germantown's quest to be the best at everything. However, when you think about it, isn't that how it is supposed to work? There is nothing wrong with residents expecting quality services for the taxes and fees they pay. And there certainly is nothing wrong with residents expecting their elected officials to respond swiftly to their complaints. Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, who took office Jan. 1, has said he wants to make delivering basic services "brilliantly" a hallmark of his administration while dealing with troubling budget issues and not raising property taxes. Tuesday, a new plan was presented to Memphis City Council members that could help Solid Waste Management make up an annual revenue shortfall of $4 million to $5 million, and avoid a controversial outsourcing battle. Public Works Director Robert Knecht said he will flesh out the plan in a council committee meeting in two weeks, but that the plan includes a proposal for a "shared savings model" that would set aside the savings created from collection changes. The city's expenses of about $61 million are currently outpacing its revenues of about $56 million, he said. Savings, he said, could be created by, among other things, alternative service delivery models for garbage collections. But here is the question: Savings are great, but will the changes and savings work in tandem to improve service? The Commercial Appeal occasionally receives letters to the editor complaining about trash collection by city sanitation crews and the crews of the private contractors that collect garbage for the city in some parts of Memphis. Included in those complaints is anger over slow responses by city officials to their concerns. Germantown is not Memphis. The areawide footprint of the affluent suburb of some 40,000 residents is not as spread out (17.6 square miles) as Memphis. It is not an exaggeration to say that residents who live in homes and condos with a median value of $260,738, according to census figures, can be hyper- fastidious about making sure their neighborhoods are maintained. Memphis, with some 650,000 residents, is spread out over 279.3 square miles. It is dealing with a 30 percent poverty rate and too many blighted neighborhoods. It can be argued that this is an apples-and-oranges comparison, but it is an apples-to-apples comparison to say that the affluent Germantown residents and all Memphians, affluent to poor, want quality delivery of services for the taxes and fees they pay. SHARE By Charles Madigan There is no end to the cluelessness of those who are doing whatever they can to "stop" Donald Trump. Now the blabbering seems to be centering on stopping him at the Republican convention in Cleveland. It's a dramatic battle plan. Get past the first ballot and then stick someone else in there who is more acceptable. Here is a reality check on those thoughts. If you succeed and do, indeed, stop Trump, prepare to kiss about 40 percent of your voting base goodbye, especially the ones who have been angry about orders from Washington for a decade now. I pulled that 40 percent from the clear blue sky. It could be bigger than that. The hierarchy's definition of acceptable obviously doesn't work for much of the Republican primary electorate. Any way you measure it, it spells a Republican loss to whomever the Democrats nominate. It doesn't matter who that Democrat is. Why? It's a process. Picking a presidential candidate involves moving through a series of gates that lead to choosing convention delegates. It starts with a withering scrutiny expressed in various primary elections. Ask Marco Rubio about that. Wet kisses from the hierarchy landed upon him at one point, and then, he couldn't get a date with anyone and dropped out, again with a speech that seemed just a little too long for such a big loser. The same holds true for the rest of them. The Republicans inside the Beltway once believed they had the greatest collection of candidates ever, a thought that evaporated the minute Trump, like a velociraptor that had been hiding in waiting in some dark, abandoned casino basement, emerged and started eating them alive. Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, read the whole list at one time and think about what their departure meant. None of them could roll up enough support to stop a man with no real organization, not much of a staff, borrowed money from his own bank account, no government experience, indescribable hair and an attitude that is so New York it makes you wince. That guy's freakin' winning, to put it politely. But here is the reality. If the Republican hierarchy keeps pushing the idea that Trump is not a legitimate candidate, it risks having its whole castle go collapsing into a heap. There would be an angry mob out front with torches and pitchforks wearing "Make America Great Again" hats. And the throngs would be right. How dare the hierarchy try to undermine so openly the will of the people. Generally, hierarchies do things like this behind closed doors, where they can chuckle and clap and cheer and not embarrass themselves or put anything at risk. They would do whatever the Koch brothers or any of the other bankrollers wanted, the people be damned. But now we are in a world of transparency, perhaps unintentionally. The man rolls up votes in bigger batches than anyone else. That is how you define "victor" in a primary campaign, the person with the most votes wins. Building a 10-foot-high wall around Cleveland isn't going to change that. All it would do is keep out the people who are at the very heart of the Republican electorate, those voters out in the country who are so angry at the "system" they would turn to an arrogant, vulgar billionaire with a steaming baaaaditude instead of the usual collection of GOP candidates. Look at where the leadership is standing. It can turn its affections toward Ted Cruz, who has said many, many times that he doesn't want them, or it can turn its affections to John Kasich, who, so far, is president only of Ohio. Hillary Clinton, with all her blemishes and Band-Aids and her now skinny, rambling campaigner husband who won't shut up, is looking better and better, even for Republicans. I think the hierarchy knows that, which is why it is acting so blindly against its own interests. Charles Madigan is a professor at Roosevelt University. He wrote this for the Chicago Tribune. Is it compulsory for every citizen of India to chant Bharat Mata ki Jai? Obviously it is not. As Asaduddin Owaisi, the ebullient and often provocative leader of the All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), says, this is not a condition called for in the Constitution. In that narrow, technical sense he is right. Yet, it is not the language and precise wording of that sentiment that is the only issue of relevance here. The Constitution obligates every citizen (We, the People of India) to a certain commitment to India the nation, the country, the collective, the Republic, the civilisation, call it what you will, of which that Constitution is an embodiment. Some choose to express that commitment by using Bharat Mata ki Jai, a simple yet evocative phrase that has resonance for many thousands and millions of Indians and goes back to the freedom movement and the larger enterprise of nation-building under the Mahatma. Others may prefer Vande Mataram or use the Urdu Madre Vatan instead. Still others may offer their Salaam to Sar Zameen-e-Hindustan, or use the pithy coinage of Subhas Chandra Bose: Jai Hind. A younger generation may get goose pimples listening to A.R. Rahmans electrifying Maa tujhe salaam composed and sung for the 50th anniversary of Independence in 1997. There could be those who may not use any of these terms at all but still show their commitment to India and the Constitution by simply and silently doing what they do best working hard, paying taxes and living honest lives. Each one is free to choose. Having said that, while that commitment to India and its Constitution may not expressly demand that one stand up each morning and chant Bharat Mata ki Jai or any of the other phrases mentioned above does it give anyone the right to deliberately mock those for whom such an expression is dear, revered and deeply felt? That is the key question, the answer to which must put Mr Owaisi in the dock. He has been egregiously offensive and has manufactured and instigated a controversy where none existed, as well as sought to design a denominational quarrel on an issue that doesnt bother most ordinary Muslims at all. His unstated implication, that to have citizens who may be Muslim say Bharat Mata ki Jai is an insidious attempt to force idol worship on them, is so ridiculous that even many of his co-religionists have been left exasperated. Just what is a Muslim issue that is, a concern that genuinely affects religious sensibilities of Muslims and interrupts the manner in which they practice their faith? Let us go back 25 years, to the spring and early summer of 1991. India was preparing for a mid-term election, in the aftermath of the Mandal Commission announcement, the rath yatra and the Congress decision to withdraw support to Chandra Shekhars short-lived government. It was a pulsating political season that saw a genuine ideological contest between very different concepts of India and of nationhood. In the midst of all this, a Janata Dal politician among the Asaduddin Owaisis of his age, if you get my drift began a campaign to have the film Hum banned. A film that in effect began the second phase of Amitabh Bachchans career putting him in senior roles, rather than as the proverbial Angry Young Man Hum had just been released and featured a popular and catchy song Jumma chumma de de The song sequence had the hero serenading the woman he was wooing she was called Jumma and asking her for a kiss, as she had apparently promised, on Jumma (Friday). Jumma or Friday is sacred in Islam and is the day of congregational prayer. According to that Janata Dal politician of 1991, the song was deeply offensive to Muslims and had caused outrage and anger in the community. As such it needed to be banned or acted upon in some manner by the government. His claim was absolute nonsense. This writer lived in Calcutta (now Kolkata) at the time, in a neighbourhood that had a substantial Muslim population. There were Muslims from a variety of social strata, ranging from the local paanwallah to a distinguished professor of history at the University of Calcutta. The song was frequently heard in the neighbourhood (as were other popular songs of the period) and there was so sense of anger or outrage. There is little reason to believe it was different in other mohallas elsewhere in the country. As can be expected, the silly controversy lasted only a few days. It gave the politician in question his 15 minutes of fame and then had him quietly moving on. A film song and a slogan offering salutations to and expressing empathy with India are very different. It is not the intention to either compare these or place them on the same pedestal, not at all. However, the point remains that Muslim leaders like Mr Owaisi do the Indian Muslim enormous injustice by resorting to such gimmicks. In that he has been as dishonest as his Janata Dal predecessor of 1991. Mr Owaisi is an articulate man and a frequent face on news television. Frankly, though, the national media tends to treat him with kid gloves. The inability to interrogate him or ask him harder questions has been disappointing. This may be due to absence of desire, or perhaps to an individual mediapersons inadequate engagement with history outside of a quick Google search. Consider the contradiction. Mr Owaisi attacks the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Hindu Right, accusing it of forcing its ideology on others. His intellectual auxiliaries make references to 70 or 80-year-old quotes of RSS personalities, which may appear angular and unacceptable in a contemporary context, and ask whether the current leadership of the RSS and the Bharatiya Janata Party believes in them. Fair enough. Has anyone cared to ask Mr Owaisi whether he subscribes to the letter and text of Qasim Razvi, the founder of the MIM and commander of the Razakar militia, who can only politely be described as a bigot and a religious fanatic? Could Mr Owaisi tell us if he is willing to repudiate Qasim Razvi? The response would be revealing. The author is senior fellow, Observer Research Foundation. He can be reached at malikashok@gmail.com 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. Charles Moore succeeds in his Daily Telegraph column today in simultaneously scragging George Osborne while also supporting the Governments proposed changes to the Personal Independence Payment, PIP. Moore argues succintly that PIP works on a points system for aids and appliances; that the courts have widened the definition of these to the point where someone who has to sit on a bed to put on his socks is now legally empowered to claim the bed as an appliance; that this has contributed to the tripling of the number of aids and appliances claimed in 18 months, and that more control has to be exercised or that way lies ruin. Iain Duncan Smith presumably agrees, since he issued plans last Friday for the reform of PIP which is paid to people of working age. It was these proposals which the Chancellor cited during his Budget speech, carefully referencing Duncan Smiths publication of them. Downing Street is already briefing that it is a nonsense for Duncan Smith to resign in protest against proposals which he himself promoted, and which will be watered-down anyway. In a narrow sense, this is right. But in a broader one, it misses the point a massive one which has been gathering for years like a great stormcloud, has been growling and rumbling ominously away, and has now burst into the thunder and lightning of Duncan Smiths spectacular departure. ConservativeHome has long warned about it. Duncan Smiths resignation letter references it indeed, puts it right at the centre of his reason for quitting. Too often my team and I have been pressured in the immediate run-up to a Budgetto deliver yet more reductions to the working age benefit bill, he writes. In other words, there is only so much protection of older richer retired people at the expense of younger poorer working ones that social justice can bear. We have long made exactly this case, suggesting that the winter fuel allowance, free bus passes, free TV licences, the triple locking of pensions and the ring-fencing of NHS spending are now a hook on which the Government is impaled and from which it needs an Affordability Commission to wriggle free. Duncan Smiths letter goes on to make a further charge. The PIP proposals, he writes, are not defensible in the way they were placed within a Budget that benefits higher earning taxpayers. He is thus suggesting today what we wrote two days ago in the Budgets aftermath namely, that the income tax cuts it contained had less to do with sustaining recovery (let alone hitting Osbornes own surplus target) than creating a feelgood factor for the EU referendum. Certain policies, he adds, are more and more perceived as distinctly political rather than in the national economic interest. This is a brimstone missile aimed directly at the Chancellors character and conduct. The response from Downing Street will be that Duncan Smiths resignation is really all about the EU referendum that even the freedom to campaign as he wishes was not enough to satisfy his passion for Brexit. It is doubtless true that the Prime Ministers propagandising for Remain, which at times has cut corners when it comes to the truth, has angered Duncan Smith. But this resignation looks to be less about Europe than about social justice. Duncan Smiths appointment was risky from the first. His relationship with Osborne went wrong very quickly. David Cameron tried to move him from Work and Pensions to Justice, but Duncan Smith stood his ground and dug in. Paradoxically, this man of the Right has looked lonelier in Cabinet since the Liberal Democrats left it. So unhelpful to Gove over schools, they were often sympathetic to Duncan Smith over welfare, agreeing that too much was being asked of poorer working people and too little of richer retired ones. But however different they may be in many respects, the two men are alike in one. They have both been reforming giants twin stars of that last Government. This zinger of a resignation is an even bigger event, in terms of its implications for the Conservative Party, than Boris Johnson coming out for Brexit. Boris was careful to praise the character of Cameron. Duncan Smith has damned, more or less explicitly, that of Osborne and, by extension, held the Prime Minister responsible for backing up his Chancellor. The unity of the Party is already under strain. Duncan Smiths walkout makes it less likely that it will hold together after the referendum. If Britain votes to leave the EU, I suspect he will be back in government immediately. If it votes to stay, he will be a haunting presence, a rallying-point for protest and, not least, a voice for social justice. The quiet man has roared, and the echo is reverberating. It may start an avalanche. The Treasury and Downing Street narrative of events is that Iain Duncan Smith produced proposals to reform the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) last Friday; that George Osborne took them on into the Budget; that Duncan Smith having heard the Budget proposals in Cabinet was aware of them in advance; that it is a nonsense for him to have resigned over plans that he himself published; that these will, in any event, be reconsidered, so vulnerable people will be protected and that Duncan Smiths resignation is less about welfare reform than the EU referendum. The former Work and Pensions Secretary has deliberately picked his moment to hit the embattled Chancellor as hard as possible. Unsurprisingly, the Duncan Smith story is utterly different. According to this version, the only reason why the PIP proposals were produced in the first place was because the Treasury insisted on having them or else having other plans from the Work and Pensions Department to find equivalent savings. The prime driver for this Treasury demand, according to Duncan Smiths friends, is the welfare cap and, more generally, Osbornes targets. The Budget revealed that the Chancellor will miss his debt target this year. He is in danger of missing his surplus target at the end of this Parliament. And he has already breached his own welfare cap once last autumn. With spending for richer older people protected in other words, NHS spending ring-fenced, the state pension triple locked and free bus passes, TV licences and the winter fuel payment guaranteed the Chancellors only means of not busting that welfare cap twice is to bear down even harder on benefits paid to people who are below state pension age. These include PIP. Duncan Smiths friends insist that the PIP proposals or, to be more specific, the Government response to an earlier consultation about them invited responses from people who might be affected and from the interest and lobby groups who campaign on disability. They say that Duncan Smith only published them for fear of having other benefit reductions imposed on his department if he didnt and that he also spotted the danger of producing firm recommendations before the Budget. They go on to say that this delicate compomise might have worked had the Treasury they claim not aggressively briefed the Daily Telegraph last Friday that the PIP proposals were hard rather that soft in other words, that these would definitely find the required 1 billion or so of welfare savings, irrespective of what those affected by the proposal or the lobby and interest groups might say. They add that Duncan Smith did not endorse this interpretation of the plans in Cabinet, and that Osborne duly ploughed on to mention the PIP savings in his Budget speech on Wednesday, covering his back by referring to Duncan Smiths authorship of the consultation response the previous Friday. By that evening, they claim, Osborne realised that a political storm was brewing. He then rang Duncan Smith to try to find a way of calming it. Duncan Smith replied that he had warned against producing any PIP proposals pre-Budget, and complained about the assertive Treasury briefing to the Telegraph the previous Friday. It will not have been the breeziest of conversations. As Mark Wallace reported on this site on Thursday, Osborne then hinted publicly that the plans might be watered down or at least was believed to have done so. Nicky Morgan then picked up this ball and ran with it on the BBCs Question Time that evening. Cue panic in Downing Street and the Treasury. Was that 1 billion saving going to found or not? Which came first voter opinion (and backbench protest) or deficit reduction? What should the line be? At this point, Duncan Smiths friends say, Downing Street made it clear that the saving would somehow be found. And it was this which apparently tipped him into resignation. The core of Duncan Smiths case is that he strived for a week to square accomodating the Treasury, shielding the Government from a repeat of the tax credits disaster, and striking a balance between finding PIP savings and protecting vulnerable people. And only yesterday did he come to realise that, since the Prime Minister himself is insistent on finding that 1 billion or so, his first aim is incompatible with his second and third. Those friends claim that they have written evidence that Cameron himself ordered the savings in the first place. So Duncan Smith resigned furious, too, at being briefed against as responsible for the debacle. Do I hear you say that he should have quit sooner? Perhaps: but then neither of us are Cabinet Ministers struggling to reconcile collective loyalty with personal conviction. Osborne, Duncan Smith and Cameron have woven a knotty tapestry between them, but several threads in it shine out clearly even to the most confused. First, the Chancellors need to get the deficit down has a new urgency, given the Office of Budget Responsibilitys new gloom. Second, with richer retired people relatively protected from reductions in the rate of spending, the welfare axe must fall further on poorer working ones if the welfare cap is not to be breached. Third and as this site has long argued this protection is distorting spending priorities, blighting both economic effiency and social justice, and is ultimately unsustainable. Something had to give. In the short-term, it has been Duncan Smith. In the medium-term, it may be Osborne, whose future leadership prospects are being harmed by his support for Remain, gathering economic clouds, and the running out of luck and time that eventually overtakes long-serving Chancellors. The resignation also adds to the cocktail of events threatening Camerons position even if Remain wins in July: the loss of some two in five Conservative MPs to Leave, the manoeuvrings of Boris Johnson, the departure from Camerons inner circle of Michael Gove, and the backing of Brexit by two out of three party members. The longer-term implications for the Party of this cocktail of economic hazard and constitutional difference are baleful. In my view, Duncan Smiths resignation was not directly connected with the EU referendum, but there is an indirect link. Among so many Conservative MPs and members, debating Britains EU membership is rather like drinking too much alcohol. Cups and mugs are drained, tongues are loosened, old resentments come to the surface, things are said that would have been better unsaid, tempers are lost: in vino veritas. In more normal times, Osborne and Duncan Smith might have lurched on together to the next lamp post, as they have done so often before. But these are not normal times. We are not a happy family. The Illegal Arrest Of Debaranjan Sarangi By Biswapriya Kanungo & Trijeeb Nanda 19 March, 2016 Countercurrents.org Debaranjan Sarangi The extent of dissent permitted is the best parameter to judge the democraticness of a country. But the government enslaved by neo-liberal ideology treats dissent as the devil. Extra-judicial execution, implication in false and fabricated cases, illegal arrest and detention has become an integral part of governance for silencing any kind of dissent. The poor tribals of Odisha fighting for their land and life and the poor human rights activists supporting their fights are the perpetual victims of this technique of governance. In the early morning of 18th March 2016, Debaranjan Sarangi, a Human Rights Activist, was picked up by plainclothes police from the Kucheipadar village of Rayagada District, Odisha. Debaranjan was in Kucheipadar to attain a funeral ceremony of one of his friends father. The police claims of arresting Debaranjan while executing a non-bailable warrant issued by the court of JMFC, Kashipur, in pursuance of a criminal case registered in the Tikri police station of Raygada District in 2005. Everyone including his advocate was clueless about the whereabouts of Debaranjan, till he was produced before the court of JMFC, Kashipur, in the evening. Without considering his bail application the court extended his remand till 22nd March 2016. Debaranjan is a friend of poor, dalit, tribal and many ongoing human rights struggles within and outside Odisha. He is well known as a writer, filmmaker, and human rights activists. He has consistently criticized and exposed policies of destructive development, rampant mining practices, displacement, police impunity, the ugly politics of Hindutva and recently issues of farmers suicide in Odisha. Debaranjan was also a part of Prakrutika Sampad Surakhya Parisad (PSSP), which strongly resisted against the operation of mining by Utkal Aluminium International Limited (UAIL) in Kashipur. For which probably this case was labeled against him by the state police as a gift for supporting the cause of innocent adivasi. We condemn this illegitimate attempt of state to silence the voice of an activist. We also condemned the issue of Non-bailable Warrant (NBW) by the court and the execution of the same by the police. Right to life and liberty is a non-derogable fundamental right guaranteed under the Indian constitution, the deprivation of which must be in accordance with due process of law (Art.21). Further as per the apex court, for deprivation of liberty the due process of law requires both the procedure as well as the law to be just, fair and reasonable (Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India). In the instant case, the issue of NBW by the concern judicial magistrate is not in consonance with the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court (SC). In Inder Mohan Goswami & Anr. Vs. State of Uttaranchal while dealing with the question:- how and when warrants should be issued by the Court? The top court held that: Non-bailable warrant should be issued to bring a person to court when summons or bailable warrants would be unlikely to have the desired result. This could be when: it is reasonable to believe that the person will not voluntarily appear in court; or the police authorities are unable to find the person to serve him with a summon, or it is considered that the person could harm someone if not placed into custody immediately Again in Raghuvansh Dewanchand Bhasin vs State Of Maharashtra & Anr the SC issued guidilines on issuance of NBW, this inter alia says; The Courts should not give a long time for return or execution of warrants, as experience has shown that warrants are prone to misuse if they remain in control of executing agencies for long. In this decade-old case the only non-bailable charge labeled against Debaranjan is under Section.506 of IPC. Furthermore, he was never informed about the submission of charg-sheet in the case, no notice for appearance by police or court was served to him on any earlier occasion. Furthermore, since Debaranjan is a socially active person and a law abiding citizens the court could have issued a bailable warrant against him. In addition to this, even the procedure followed by the police is also unjust, unfair and unreasonable. The SC Directives issued in D.K Basu v State of West Bengal (AIR 1997 SC 610), which was later incorporated in Criminal Procedure Code, inter alia requires that: the police personnel carrying out arrest must bear accurate, visible and clear identification/ name tags with their designation. The arrest memo must be attested by the family members or a respectable person of the locality, which should be counter-signed by the accused. The arrested person is entitled to inform a person interested in his welfare about his arrest and to meet an advocate during interrogation. The SC has further directed that departmental action and contempt of court proceeding should be initiated against those who failed to follow above-mentioned directives. In the instant case, the police came in plain clothes, neither with uniform nor any name tag with the designation. The relatives or family members were also not informed; even he was not given any opportunity to meet his advocate. Hence, we demand appropriate action against the police personnel for violating the safeguards for arrest and the rights of Debaranjan. Biswapriya Kanungo, Advocate and Human Right Activist Trijeeb Nanda, Research Fellow at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai (trijeebkumar89@gmail.com) Microsoft Corp apologized for hiring dancers dressed as skimpily-clad schoolgirls for its Game Developer Conference (GDC) afterparty in San Francisco on Thursday night, responding to media reports citing attendees' pictures on Twitter and Instagram. "It has come to my attention that at Xbox-hosted events at GDC this past week, we represented Xbox and Microsoft in a way that was absolutely not consistent or aligned to our values," Microsoft's head of Xbox Phil Spencer said in a statement. "That was unequivocally wrong and will not be tolerated," Spencer said. Photo credit: Henning Ludvigsen, Instagram Photos purportedly from the party surfaced on Twitter and Instagram, with many users expressing their anger at Microsoft's actions. "I like dancing, I like talking to devs. But not at this #GDC16 party. Thanks for pushing me out of this party, Microsoft," Tin Man Games editor Kamina Vincent tweeted. Microsoft had hosted a "Women in Gaming" luncheon at the GDC earlier that day. Spencer added that the matter would be dealt with internally. Technology companies been facing intense scrutiny over diversity and compensation equity issues. Many big firms say there is a dearth of qualified women to hire, but many critics say the firms are not doing enough to attract and retain women. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Bail To Umar Khalid And Anirban Welcome, But Questions On Justice Remain By Samar 19 March, 2016 Countercurrents.org The bail finally granted to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya is welcome. Despite the media gaze, it took almost a month for the students, who are accused of sedition on flimsy grounds, to be released. This showcases the nature of Indian Magistracy, and yet the repeated rejection of their bail plea would not shock anyone for whom the Indian judicial system is old hat. Curtailing arbitrary use and abuse of police detention powers may be the raison d'etre of magistracy in a rule of law jurisdiction, but the Indian Magistracy does not bother about such trifles, operating as it does within a parallel universe, where the rule of law is an empty mantra. Bail, not jail, until absolutely necessary, to stop the accused from committing another offence, or tampering with evidence, or intimidating witnesses in the ongoing case, is a concept that may find favour and unanimity in an accountable and mature justice system. In India, where status is quo, the Magistracy is far more united in preserving impunity and non-transparency. Jail is the default factory setting, and the privilege of bail is granted to ensure some remain more equal than others. But, how could this be so? Lets track back. In common law, which the Indian judicial system descends from, the idea of magistracy emerged entwined with the idea of citizenship and the rule of law. The magistracy grew to fill the need for an institution to stop arbitrarily curtailment of citizen freedoms via detention. The celebrated Magna Carta recognised a free mans right to justice and fair trial as early as in 1215: No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land. The phrase Except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land deserves special attention. Whatever legal trickery the prosecution may employ, condemning someone to serve time in jail as an undertrial cannot qualify as a lawful judgment, can it? And, yet here rests India, and its majestic Magistracy, ensuring that 68% of all its inmates lodged in jails are under-trials,as per the latest data released by the Republics official crime records keeper, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Before we turn to consider the horrendous implications of this statistics, lets dwell on the related raw numbers some more. The total inmates in Indian jails, as on 31 December 2014, were 4,18,536. Of these, only 1,31,517 (31.4%) were convicts. The remaining 2,82,879 (67.6% of total jail inmates) were under-trials. And of these under-trials,over 40% are jailed for more than six months and 65% for more than three months before being granted bail. And, this disturbing reality has been trending! Records show the percentage of under-trial prisoners languishing in jail for over three months has risen from 62.1% in 2013 to 65.2% in 2014. In 2014, around 34.8% of under-trials were detained for up to 3 months, while 3,540 of them (1.3 %) were made to rot in jails for more than 5 years. But thats not all. A total of 13,95,121 under-trials were released in 2014, i.e. after being acquitted or after having already served, as under-trials, the sentence awarded to them. In other words, a huge number of under-trials serve the maximum sentence possible for their alleged crimes, irrespective of being found guilt or not guilty by the courts final judgment. So, the gargantuan backlog and its implications is not the only farcical nightmare in statistics inhabited by the Indian Magistracy. The rank injustice meted to citizens in this under-trial injustice system rubbishes the most basic rights of all people who reside in the Republic. Justice delayed is justice denied may be an active rule of law maxim in the rest of the world; in the worlds largest democracy,it is not even a hollow mantra; it is the darkest of humour. And while splashing in this well of black humor, let us peer out and consider the words of eminent Jurists and legal theorists A.V. Dicey and William Blackstone. Dicey termed all arrests illegal until proven otherwise and placed the burden of proving its legality with the arresting authority. He said: "The right to personal liberty as understood in England means in substance a person's right not to be subjected to imprisonment, arrest, or other physical coercion in any manner that does not admit of legal justification. That anybody should suffer physical restraint is in England prima facie illegal and can be justified (speaking in very general terms) on two grounds only, that is to say, either because the prisoner or person suffering restraint is accused of some offence and must be brought before the courts to stand his trial, or because he has been duly convicted of some offence and must suffer punishment for it". While Blackstone offered his wisdom in the following words: All presumptive evidence of felony should be admitted cautiously; for the law holds it better that ten guilty persons escape, than that one innocent party suffer. Emotions aside, what do these words evoke? They offer a clear understanding that our Magistrates, who trace their legal lineage from the common law heritage of Dicey and Blackstone, are jailing citizens by rote without even assessing the legality or illegality of the arrest. They are overseeing tremendous injustice by not fulfilling the most basic responsibility, the responsibility for which their gowns and tie-wigs are respected. Like automatons they keep jailing those devoid of political and economic power as ours jails get more and more overcrowded with more and more and under-trials sent on judicial remand, and with these under-trials then often being housed along with hardened criminals, punished and condemned without their guilt ascertained or the legality of their arrest questioned. But, leave aside wise white men in England, our Magistracy just loves ignoring the Guidelines and Judgments of our own Supreme Court as well. In its Guidelines, our apex Court encourages bail, not jail, for all but the most hardened criminals. The Indian Supreme Court offers adjudication on bail pleas in two broad categories: first, in alleged crimes carrying a maximum sentence of 7 years or less, where it has mostly encouraged bail over detention; second, in alleged crimes carrying a sentence of over 7 years and extendable up to life imprisonment and death sentence, where it has again allowed for bail, save for two clearly conditions, stated in Section 437 in The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. The Section 437 denies bail in two circumstances: a) if there appear reasonable grounds for believing that the accused are guilty of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life, and b) if such offence is a cognizable offence and the accused have been previously convicted of an offence punishable with death, imprisonment for life, or imprisonment for seven years or more, or they have been previously convicted on two or more occasions of a non-bailable and cognizable offence. But what Dicey, Blackstone, Supreme Court Guidelines, or Criminal Procedure Code ever came in the way of an Indian Magistrate who is expert and deciding on bail or jail on the basis of the power of the person standing before the court. Now, consider the case of the JNU students accused of sedition, a crime in the second category, i.e. one punishable with over seven years in prison. Even a cursory look at the case demonstrates they cannot be denied bail under Section 437. First and foremost, the investigations so far have shown up no evidence to prove the police allegations that the students shouted anti-India slogans, and this is corroborated by the Universitys own enquiry. Secondly, even if they did shout anti-India slogans, the Supreme Court of India has repeatedly held that shouting anti-India slogans does not amount to sedition by itself. It can only be considered seditious if it is accompanied by incitement to violence or with engagement in violence. The most notable of these decisions arrived in Balwant Singh and Anr vs. State of Punjab (Criminal Appeal 266 of 1985). A charge of sedition was slapped on the accused in that case for a similar offence, i.e. of shouting slogans against India and shouting Khalistan Zindabaad(Long live Khalistan) and Raj Karega Khalsa (Khalsa will rule now onwards). The Court dismissed the charges arguing the following: It appears to us that the raising some slogan only a couple of times by the two lonesome appellants, which neither evoked any response nor any reaction from anyone in the public can neither attract the provisions of Section 124A or Section 153A IPC. Some more overt act was required to bring home the charge to the two appellants, who are Government servants. The police officials exhibited lack of maturity and more of sensitivity in arresting the appellants for raising the slogans - which arrest and act the casual raising of one or two slogans could have created a law and order situation, keeping in view the tense situation prevailing on the date of the assassination of Smt. Indira Gandhi. In situations like that, over sensitiveness sometimes is counterproductive and can result is inviting trouble. Raising of some lonesome slogans, a couple of times by two individuals, without anything more, did not constitute any threat to the Government of India as by law established not could the same give rise to feelings of enmity or hatred among different communities or religious or other groups. In this context, clearly, the alleged JNU student sloganeering was not coupled with incitement or violence, and was therefore not seditious. Thirdly, the Delhi Police is yet to find the actual persons who shouted the slogans, and they have interrogated the two students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya already. Finally, and bizarrely, in denying bail to the students for this long, till today, the learned judges seem to have failed to take notice of the Delhi High Court granting bail to Kanhaiya Kumar, their co-accused who is the President of the JNU Students Union. If this is the state of affairs in a case under sustained public scrutiny, one can surmise the fate of citizens enmeshed in other cases, especially the poor and marginalised, who often struggle to even get representation, forget about media attention. The only temporary respite from the injustice by rote practised by the Indian magistracy if is the Supreme Court were to take notice and action, hauling up magistrates, who have become inclined to sending citizens to both police and judicial remand without any deliberation. Devising guidelines to record the reasons for denial of bail in detail could be a start. The Court could do this in the way it disallowed blind arrests in alleged crimes carrying a sentence of seven years or less in Arnesh Kumar vs State of Bihar &Anr on (Criminal appeal no. 1277 of 2014). The Order prohibited arrest of the accused in such cases without the arresting authority going through a nine-point checklist, and even then only after a magistrate is satisfied with the investigation officers justification for the detention. The Order also instructed the magistrate, in turn, to put on record reasons for the same, and held that failing to do so will invite departmental action and amount to contempt of court for the investigating officer. The Supreme Court of India may do justice a service if it were to issue such a guideline to stop magistrates from denying bail and sending the accused to jail, even after the police remand is over. If this doesnt work, it is only a radical re-engineering of Indias entire criminal justice system that can change India from a no bail, jail republic for the majority, to a jurisdiction that ensures a common citizen justice and freedom by default. And, we cant leave such an important task to anyone else. We have to rebuild the system we wish to inhabit. Until we do so, we are but doomed so suffer what we have inherited in all its hair-brained whimsy. Samar is Programme Coordinator - Right to Food Programme Asian Legal Resource Centre / Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong ABVP Attacks Lecture On Bhagat Singh By Prof. Chaman Lal By Vidya 19 March, 2016 Countercurrents.org On the 18th of March, Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch a student organization in Delhi University and Aahwan: Ek Janwadi Sanskritik Muhim a cultural organization, organized a talk and discussion with Prof. ChamanLal on The Life and Writings of Bhagat Singh. Dr. Vikas Gupta of the History Department in DU introduced it and facilitated the discussion. This event was organized in the Main Gate of the Arts Faculty of DU after several attempts to book a venue inside Arts Faculty failed. We had hoped to organize a discussion on the life of a revolutionary and the relevance of his message today to the students of the university. The talk was scheduled to begin at 12 pm. At the same time, another cultural organization, namely Sangwari, came to the area outside the Main Gate to perform a play (nukkad-natak) on the JNU issue. Though this play disrupted our talk, since they were not permitted to perform in the Law Faculty, we agreed and asked our speaker and discussant to wait till the end of the performance. Minutes into the play, the ABVP goons disrupted the performance. At first, it wasnt clear if the fracas was part of the play or not. But as soon as we realized that 15 or so members of ABVP had taken over, all those who had gathered there intervened to stop the hooliganism of these goons. It is important to state here that during the entire time, around 60 to 70 police officers and constables were mute spectators. These ABVP goons started sloganeering and those performing the play dispersed when they realized that they would not be able to perform. Meanwhile, we were waiting to resume the talk by Prof. ChamanLal. It was at this time, an ABVP goon upturned our table and tried to tear the posters of Bhagat Singh we had displayed. We confronted him about this. Instantly we found ourselves surrounded by the police force along with the ABVP. Instead of stopping these goons who were relentlessly sloganeering, verbally abusing and pushing those participating in the talk, the police surrounded us. When we reminded the police SHO that she had given us permission to conduct the programme and the police presence had been deployed in such absurdly large numbers for this very reason, she merely replied that the ABVP had the right to be here and sloganeer even if it disrupted our programme and that she cannot intervene. After that, we reorganized, resisted and pushed back the goons. The police surrounded us but did not stop the ABVP. Prof. ChamanLal,after being introduced by Dr. Vikas Gupta, began his talk. He started by highlighting the lack of democratic space in the university and how Bhagat Singh would have viewed those disrupting such programmes as stooges of colonial and imperialist powers. He invoked the words of Bhagat Singh to reiterate the meaning of fighting for the country. The ABVP goons who had beensloganeering now openly threatened Prof. ChamanLal and all those who had gathered jobhagatsingh ki raah chalega, who afzalki maut marega, desh ke gaddaronko, golimaaro saalonko... Prof. ChamanLal responded with slogans of inquilabzindabad. Once again, this time the police took exception to this and the SHO directly confronted Prof. ChamanLal and told him to mind what he says. This entire time, the 15 or so goons had free rein to threaten the audience gathered for the event. A leader of ABVP, threatened two women with these words tukahaanpadtihai, main jaantahun, tumhedekhlenge. When the rest of us asked him if this threat applied to all of us, he turned to the SHO and told her, humechodddijiyeihnpe, theekkardenge. Everyone who had gathered to hear Prof. ChamanLal formed a human barrier around him. We took on those who tried to attack him and strongly resisted this assault on democratic space in the university. Despite this vicious assault, we firmly stood our ground and ensured that the programme continued. The affront to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev by the ABVP and such right wing forces besides being appalling is entirely unsurprising.But we are appalled at the extent of police and intelligence bureaus complicity with the ABVP and strongly condemn the tactics of intimidation unleashed on us in the name of deshbhakti. Dr. Vikas Gupta reminded us that the country that Bhagat Singh envisioned was not the one being endorsed by these false nationalists. Bhagat Singh, an avowed atheist, would have firmly stood against the Hindu Rashtra these goons repeatedly invoked. He reminded us the need stand withBhagat Singh for what he stood for rather than let him be appropriated by the Hindutva fascists. It is to the credit of those who stood firm in the face of such fascist assaults as they witnessed fascism and its blind mass appeal in the countrys largest university. Every day it is clear that a united struggle against such forces is not just conceivable but absolutely essential for the azaadi we all hold dear. Let us unite against those who are so afraid of Bhagat Singhs views that to hear the foremost scholar on the revolutionary martyr speak in Delhi University is deemed anti-national. It is time for us to remember the words of Bhagat Singh when he says, The sword of revolution is sharpened on the whetting-stone of ideas. To associate wrong ideas with our names is out and out injustice. SHARE Photos by DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS St. Mary's Medical Center By John Martin of the Courier and Press The region's two biggest health care providers are in the midst of a building spree, spurred by an aging, unhealthy population and the need to stay competitive with one another. Top brass at Deaconess Health System and St. Mary's Health System said their various construction projects are driven by need. Neither would use the term "hospital war," which was stated publicly during a recent gathering of local Realtors and community leaders. Both companies, though, agreed that heated-up competition among them should be good for consumers. And while striving to promote their own brands, St. Mary's and Deaconess officials also were quick to point out instances where they collaborate. Each hospital will be a key player in new Downtown medical campus, and each cited their shared goal to improve community wellness. Deaconess CEO Linda White said competition among health care providers isn't a new or unusual concept, and it advances three goals which comprise what the Institute for Healthcare Improvement calls the "Triple Aim." "We want to give patients the best very experience," White said. "We want to help the population get healthier, and we all want to lower the costs. Competition impacts each of one of those three legs of the stool." Both companies are striving to adapt to new models of health care delivery, said Keith Jewell, president of St. Mary's. He likened the industry trend to that of in-home movie viewing, explaining that visiting a primary care provider is still too much like going to a video rental store rather than digitally streaming a film. "Anybody who is working with people to help journey with them and partner with them and keep them healthy for life, they are going to be part of this health care space," Jewell said. "And so, I think all of us are trying to transform ourselves in a way that gives us an opportunity to be Netflix and not Blockbuster." The world is going more digital in some respects, but there's also no denying a local health care brick-and-mortar blitz is ongoing. Deaconess and St. Mary's are seeking consumer loyalty in Evansville and Henderson, as well as in nearby rural communities throughout Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois. St. Mary's is expanding its Evansville footprint with a pair of endeavors a West Side complex off Rosenberger Avenue that's now under construction, and a complex near North Junior-Senior High School, where ground will be broken in April. The new West Side Crossing will cover 25,000 square feet with room for eight primary care physicians, specialist positions with lab and testing services and an urgent care and pharmacy. The planned North Side complex is to be a bit larger. Deaconess, meanwhile, has a new physician office facility on the horizon in Henderson. It will be on Barret Boulevard, overlooking the U.S. 41 and U.S. 60 East cloverleaf, and White said it is a partnership with Methodist Hospital, with both companies having doctors there. It is to offer an urgent care and lab services, and specialty and primary care physicians. Deaconess has not yet released a time frame. Meanwhile, Owensboro Health is also expanding into the Henderson market with a new facility that will be located near the U.S. 60 cloverleaf there. F.C. Tucker Commercial President Ken Newcomb considers the wave of medical construction, both underway and still to come, to be unprecedented. It was Newcomb who made the "hospital war" observation during February's annual State of Real Estate program, conducted by F.C. Tucker. "We're so far ahead of anything that's been done in this area by leaps and downs," he said. "The med school is going to play a huge, important role in it. (The hospital companies) are going to benefit from retention, being able to hire nurses and staff and everything that's going to be offered at the medical school." Because of the aging population, "we see a lot of the hospitals focusing on orthopedic and the dementia type operations," Newcomb said. "10,000 people a day are turning 65. I've never seen anything remotely close to this type of expansion and services offered. It used to be, you went to hospitals St. Mary's, Deaconess, or back in the day, Welborn but there were no outpatient clinics, dementia care areas, truly orthopedic hospitals. I'm looking at this as being a great expansion." Another factor is driving the boom in outpatient facilities, Jewell said: Expansion of health insurance coverage under the federal Affordable Care Act and the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) 2.0. Those laws, Jewell said, will increase the delivery of primary and preventive care and hold down emergency room visits, which are "arguably the highest cost and the least relational of all the points of access we have." "We'll have hopefully healthier patients who need less acute inpatient care," Jewell said. "So, big inpatient towers are going to be less needed in the future. More outpatient primary and preventive health care resources are going to be needed. And so in that regard, both Deaconess and St. Mary's are trying to create a network of geographically distributed health care locations that bring services closer to customers ... If you're going to do something primary and preventive, you want it to be close." Deaconess considers its service area to be within a 70-mile radius from Evansville, and it is establishing preventive care clinics, often in cooperation with other providers, in communities such as Petersburg, Princeton and Reo, Indiana, and Morganfield, Kentucky. "Those small areas cannot have every specialty that we in Evansville can support," White said. "We're not trying to put any small physician practice or any hospital out of business. But when they have a need for another level of service, we want them to automatically think of Deaconess. That's why we are very involved in outreach." Deaconess has invested more in office space outside of Vanderburgh County than St. Mary's, although St. Mary's officials spoke of numerous physician-sharing partnerships with health providers outside Vanderburgh, including with Owensboro Health. While much of the building boom involves outpatient service, Deaconess also has announced plans to build a third tower at Deaconess Gateway Hospital. Gateway, at Lloyd Expressway and Interstate 69, opened in 2006 as a 100-bed hospital. "We were certain it would be very successful, but the success exceeded our expectations," White said. A second tower opened in October 2010, with another 100 beds. According to White, that still hasn't been enough, due to aging baby boomers and patient referral patterns. "As we studied the data, since about 2012, we kept saying, goodness, what are we going to do," White said. "We had more patients than we could handle while also maintaining a full census at the main campus (Virginia and Mary streets)." Deaconess had long planned to add second and third towers at Gateway, but White said demands have accelerated the schedule. Construction is to start in 2017 on the addition, which to include 64 inpatient beds with capability for more, a physician office building and parking garage. The average inpatient hospital stay is four days. White said that has gone down, due growth of inpatient services over the years, but because of a combination of other factors, "we still need beds." They compete, sure. But CEOs at Deaconess and St. Mary's emphasized areas of collaboration and mutual interest. Executives at each location noted they view the same statistics about local, state, and regional health. Many of those are dismal. The hospitals and Welborn Baptist Foundation work jointly on a community health needs assessment. "The state of Indiana falls short, from Evansville to Indianapolis to Fort Wayne," Jewell said. "Indiana ranks 41st, 42nd in overall health. We are too heavy, we smoke too much, we don't take great care of ourselves. This is not a phenomenon that is unique to Evansville. Having said that, Evansville probably is a little less healthy than the central part of the state. We can know that because Evansville health care utilization is growing at double the rate of elsewhere in the state ... We we have to change this paradigm." Mental health treatment is another area of need, White added. "We can never underestimate the importance of mental health to help the people in our community, whether it be depression, drug abuse, alcohol abuse," White said. "We had a young heroin overdose patient come into our emergency department just last week ... We have not seen much of that ... but still, that is not a good sign." The prime current example of local hospital collaboration is the medical campus to be built in Downtown Evansville. It will house Indiana University, the University of Southern Indiana and the University of Evansville health education programs and is to open in late 2017. Officials hope to have Ivy Tech Community Programs there eventually. St. Mary's, Deaconess, Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes and Memorial Hospital in Jasper will offer residency and training opportunities to the students. The parties had their most recent meeting earlier this month. "That's a big one," White said. We've been working on this for a number of years. We are going to start off with family medicine and internal medicine as the two initial residencies. That is the thought as of today. That's what we're working on, and it's pretty historic for four competing hospitals to come together." Deaconess and Memorial are working on what White called a "rural track" for some medical residents that will involve one year of training at Deaconess followed by two years in Jasper. Jewell said now that the medical campus is reality, "We have an even greater responsibility to keep those doctors in the community ... Physicians who get their training in a community tend to stay." St. Mary's, according to Jewell, has recruited 40 new physicians in the last 18 months and intends to bring in 50 more in the next 18 months. However, local ties make recruiting far easier. "We're hiring a new cardiologist who doesn't finish his fellowship until June 2017, but he has already signed with us because he's from Jasper, his wife is from the area and he wants to be here," Jewell said. "It was a much easier sell to get folks from this area, and the medical school will be wonderful for that." White described this region as an "excellent place to practice medicine." "Both St. Mary's and Deaconess are doing OK financially, so that we can get the tools and equipment and resources necessary for physicians to practice as they wish," she said. "We're holding our own. In other parts of the country, there are hospitals really struggling because of their payer mix, their volume, because they haven't invested in technology and reinvested in their plant and equipment. Fortunately, both St. Mary's and Deaconess have thought about the future because our job is to take care of this community." SHARE Jessica Durkin / Special to The Courier & Press St. Mary's Catholic Church, Downtown Evansville By Megan Erbacher of the Courier and Press It's not "us against the church," according to John Radez. But faced with what some members described as an "impossible choice," the Rainbow Catholics in Christ (RCC) are searching for a new meeting place after calling St. Mary's Catholic Church in Downtown Evansville home for the past 12 years. RCC acting secretary Bill Muller wrote an email in February to RCC members notifying them they could no longer utilize the church. "We are so sorry to inform you that after extensive discussion Father (Gordon) Mann and Deacon (Ed) Wilkerson determined that the Rainbow Catholics in Christ Ministry is no longer welcome to exist at Sts. Mary and John Parish. Father Mann said we are not operating in compliance with the Roman Catholic Church rules." RCC members describe the group as an LGBTQ support group also open to friends and family members. They meet once a month for fellowship and informative presentations, and traditionally start and end the meetings in prayer. This year's agenda lists presentation topics including LGBTQ advocacy; fairness in employment and housing; and human sexuality and spirituality. According to Radez, a member of the group, the RCC leadership team was told by the Rev. Gordon Mann, pastor of Sts. Mary and John Parish, that they would not be allowed to meet at the church unless the format of the group changed. A suggestion was made to change to the Courage/Encourage format. Established in 1980 in New York City, Courage's website describes it as Catholics who "experience same-sex attractions and who are committed to helping one another to live chaste lives marked by prayer, fellowship and mutual support." Courage has five goals and 12 steps modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous and aims to help members "grow in self-understanding and holiness." Encourage was founded in 1992 for parents, family members and friends of the LGBTQ community. Mann declined to comment on the situation. "You know, I'm not going to comment, at all," he said. Catholic Diocese of Evansville spokesman Tim Lilley responded with a statement: "The Church's respect for the dignity of every person as created in the image of God has remained consistent throughout time. Outreach to people across society including the LGBT community here in the Tri-State and across the world continues to be founded in that respect for the sacredness of every person. All are welcome." The statement also referenced a December 2013 Indiana bishops pastoral statement on the church's position on marriage being "the union of one man and one woman a natural institution established by God." The statement concluded by noting the church will "continue to reach out to all, and to respect the dignity of all." Listed under new business in Feb. 22 pastoral meeting minutes, parish pastoral council member David Nelson addressed RCC's departure which, according to those minutes, happened during a team meeting in mid-February. "The team presented their program calendar for 2016, and after review and discussion, it was determined that speakers/topics proposed were contrary to the mission of the supportive role of the group, and instead the group had become political in nature," the minutes stated. "Its politics could not be supported by a nonprofit entity, nor did they coincide with the teachings of the Catholic church." Mann suggested RCC members research Courage/Encourage to learn more, but members disagreed and "the meeting abruptly ended." Meeting minutes later noted that Mann, after discussing it with the diocese, declared that Courage/Encourage is "not the right program for Sts. Mary and John at this time." However, Mann said the parish must ensure Catholics of any orientation feel welcome. "The Catholic church supports people with same-sex attraction and does not consider them second-class citizens," the meeting minutes read. RCC members said they have endured scrutiny since the Rev. Steven Lintzenich retired in early 2014 after serving as St. Mary's pastor for about 30 years. For example, group members looking at the church website noticed the "T" standing for transgender had been removed from the group's mission statement that had been posted on St. Mary's Catholic Church's website. The group never authorized such a move. CANVASS PODCAST: Does our community protect LGBT? NEXT STEPS After the dismissal in early February, about 25 RCC members met at Evansville Central Library to discuss next steps. A majority agreed the group needs to continue. The group had a regular meeting Thursday evening at St. Lucas United Church of Christ with Rev. Phil Hoy as guest speaker. Rev. Lynn Martin, pastor of St. Lucas UCC, said it was a natural instinct to offer free space for the group's meetings. Martin, who has been at the Protestant church for 11 years, said many groups outside of the church use their space. "We feel the space needs to serve others," he said, "especially to welcome groups that are oppressed or under represented." Martin has known Wally Paynter, Tri-State Alliance president and current acting RCC leader, for many years and helped with Tri-State Alliance initiatives. In the past, Martin has been a guest speaker at RCC meetings. Late fall 2014, Martin said St. Lucas UCC declared they were open and affirming, meaning everyone of any sexual orientation is welcome and accepted. He said the church lives by Luke 6:35: "Give without expecting a return." Martin said the church wants to be a "safe haven" for the LGBTQ community. "It's our way of fulfilling the mission of Jesus, if he were here," he said. Paynter, who has been involved with RCC since the beginning, said he is leading the group through the transition because the leadership team has shifted as a "direct result" of what's happened at St. Mary's. Paynter has presented at RCC meetings on topics such as working with LGBT youth, HIV issues and acceptance in the Tri-State and community. While the group doesn't always agree on everything, Paynter said it's a "good, eclectic group of people and probably more friends and family of LGBT individuals." If the format of the group changed, Paynter said he feels it would shift from support to "spiritual and psychological harm." "I feel like people just really feel hurt, torn down," he said. "Something that was so vital to who they were as Catholics and as individuals and to have that group treated in this way I think people need time to heal." A new home could go a long way in doing just that, said Kelley Coures. As a Jew, Coures said he didn't want to comment on someone else's religion, but the City of Evansville's Department of Metropolitan Development executive director said he always had "warm feelings" toward St. Mary's. Coures presented at RCC over the years on topics including LGBT history locally and in the U.S., and LGBT individuals in film. He hopes the group continues its work. "My mother always said, 'If somebody doesn't want you, you move on and find somebody who wants you,' " he said. "The group has an option to go and find a place that wants them and will celebrate them. They have an opportunity to grow into something else, but I'd hate for them to lose their Catholic identity." With many mixed emotions, RCC members are considering a new, permanent meeting place. And contemplating a name change. Radez isn't mad. He's disappointed and hurt. Being raised Catholic, Radez was drawn to St. Mary's about six years ago because of the parish's well-known progressive and ecumenical reputation. "My issue is not so much confrontational with the church or anything," Radez said. "Mine is more disappointment. The church is missing an opportunity to minister to people who need it. By pushing people away from the table, marginalizing people, the church is missing a golden opportunity to minister. ... Which is completely contradictory to what Christ would have done. He invited all of the sinners to the table." SHARE By Thomas B. Langhorne of the Courier and Press Meting out justice in Vanderburgh County Superior and Circuit courts costs local taxpayers about $7 million annually but it's not just pay and benefits for 100-plus employees. It's also hundreds of much smaller expenditures that keep the courts system humming on the ground level, where probation officers, bailiffs, court reporters and other workers perform tasks outside the spotlight of a courtroom. It's $12.18 to buy straws for drug tests and $11.75 for sterile gloves for the same testing. It's $93.50 for a battery for a court transport car. Eleven bucks and 34 cents to pay for lunch during a trip to Owensboro, Ky., to pick up a runaway juvenile. Those are among reimbursements to Superior and Circuit Court employees from 2013 to 2015 the Courier & Press obtained via Indiana's Access to Public Records Act. The reimbursements do not reflect the state's contributions to judicial operations, among which are the vast majority of Circuit and Superior court judges' $137,062 salaries. The county kicks in $5,000 for each of the systems' eight judges. "All the activities that take place in this building, from buying toner and paper for printers to paying salaries for court staff my court reporter, my bailiff all paid by the county," said Superior Court Judge Wayne Trockman. A portion of local taxpayers' expenses for court operations are paid in reimbursement for the costs of judges and magistrates attending judicial conferences typically held in Indianapolis, French Lick or Fort Wayne. Trockman said the Indiana Judicial Center, a state agency, pays most of the expenses lodging, mileage at a government rate, a per diem of $26 a day for meals for the fall judicial conference, for which attendance is required. The rest is paid out of the taxpayer-funded travel budget for Trockman's court. But attendance at the spring conference is not required, so the state doesn't ante up. If a judge wants to attend Trockman said he will this year travel and hotel costs are borne by county taxpayers. Superior Court Judge Robert Pigman's reimbursement for accommodations for three nights at the 2013 spring judicial conference in Indianapolis came in at $325. Many courts-related expenses to taxpayers are incurred behind the scenes in some cases, far behind the scenes. Among the items budgeted for Superior Court last year were $2,500 for "pauper transcripts," copies of court hearing transcripts for inmates seeking to challenge their convictions. But that money was not spent. This year, $1,000 is budgeted. Another $44,000 was spent last year for law books, which are updated annually as statutes change and new case law is created. This year, $42,000 is budgeted. With 62 full-time and 11 part-time employees not including judges, who are state employees Superior Court is larger than any agency of county government. The county spent nearly $6 million in payroll and property tax proceeds on total Superior Court operations last year. Circuit Court, with 22 full-time employees funded by local tax dollars, is a much smaller operation. A relatively small $1,500 went for travel, with other expenses including $12,000 for psychological evaluations and $49,400 for law books. One expense was $9,490 for food for juries. The amount spent in 2013 was $11,600. The corresponding figure in 2014 was $10,110. This year, $10,000 is budgeted. Vanderburgh County Circuit Court spent nearly $1.3 million in all last year from tax proceeds. A shift? The 2014 Indiana Judicial Service Report, issued in October by the Supreme Court, pegged the total cost to operate Indiana's court system at slightly more than $459.5 million. Totals for 2015 are not yet available. The state's share was almost $141.5 million, while counties spent almost $299 million. The court system also generated $173.6 million in revenue for state and local governments. Noting those return revenues and the use of grants and user fees to pay some expenses, Vanderburgh Circuit Judge David Kiely said it is appropriate that county government shoulder the bulk of the load. "We do handle legal issues that arise within Vanderburgh County," Kiely said, ticking off a lengthy list that included serious crimes, traffic tickets, property and commercial transactions and adoption, child support and probate matters. "I think (Vanderburgh County budget-writers) give us what they can," the judge said. Kiely added that in other counties where judicial officers and elected officials may not have such good relationships, another idea has taken hold in recent years. A raft of judicial and academic studies have explored the idea of shifting the state's trial courts from local to state funding. Randall T. Shepard, who served as chief justice of the Indiana Supreme Court from 1987 until 2012, said one issue is "the ability and willingness of local counties to appropriate funds." "On protection of abused and neglected children, for example, Evansville had one of the first CASA (court appointed special advocates) programs in Indiana," Shepard wrote by email last week. "Child advocates, the county government, and local charities were willing to finance it. At least early on, that didn't occur in most places, so children in distress often didn't have someone to speak for their interests." Counties also have provided various levels of publicly funded public defense for poor people charged with crimes, Shepard wrote. They have shown great interest in adopting modern court technology in some cases and not-so-great interest in others. Shepard, a former Vanderburgh County Superior Court judge, praised the General Assembly for committing tens of millions of dollars, at the judiciary's request, to such initiatives. Taking it all the way total state funding of courts would not add all that much, percentage-wise, to the state's entire budget, Shepard wrote. But it wouldn't be that easy. "The total of the judicial system's expenses is equivalent to just 1 or 2 percent of the state's biennial budget, and a substantial part of those expenses are offset by filing fees and the like," he wrote. "Still, jumping all the way to full state financing in one leap isn't any easier in this field than it would be to make substantial, quick shifts anywhere else. What I expect is that the Legislature will decide over time to cover various elements of court operations where it's apparent that a respectable commitment can produce some demonstrable improvements." The effect of such a funding shift on local taxpayers would be difficult to calculate in advance. They would still contribute to statewide court operations through income and sales taxes, with no guarantee that local property taxes would drop. Vanderburgh County government would no longer be obligated to provide roughly $7 million for local court operations, but county budget-writers also would have no shortage of demands for the newly available money. James Raben, the County Council's longtime finance chairman, said council members likely would want to spend some of the theoretical $7 million windfall on badly needed road projects but not all of it. "It would be nice to have the freedom to take on and do some additional projects, but I would say 'shame on us' if we have an opportunity to scale it back and we don't," Raben said. Dallas: Two young daughters of Ukrainian pianist Vadym Kholodenko were found murdered inside their home in a Fort Worth, Texas, suburb, and his estranged wife sustained multiple stab wounds in the incident, local police said on Friday. Police in Benbrook said Kholodenko, 29, is not considered a suspect in the deaths of his daughters, Nika, 5, and Michela, 1, who were discovered in their bedrooms early on Thursday. Their mother, 31-year-old Sofya Tsygankova, underwent surgery at a local hospital, police said. She will be held for mental evaluation once she recovers from her physical injuries, police Commander David Babcock said. Babcock told a news conference that the police do not see any immediate threat to the community and are not actively searching for a suspect. Kholodenko had an appointment to pick up the children on Thursday morning from his estranged wife's home. "Once he arrived there, he found the mother in an extreme state of distress and discovered the children in their state," Babcock said. "He has been cooperative in this investigation. He is not considered a suspect at this time." Police previously said there were no signs of forced entry into the home and that they were investigating the case as a double homicide. A cause of death had not been determined as of Friday morning. Police said the children had not been stabbed. Vadym Kholodenko has so far not made any comment to the media about the incident. In 2013, he won the gold medal in the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He was scheduled to have three shows with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra over the weekend, and a replacement has been named for him, the orchestra said. Kholodenko and Tsygankova married in 2010, but filed for divorce last November, according to court records obtained by local media. Police were called to this residence twice in 2014 for undisclosed reasons, Babcock said. SHARE In 2008, Barack Obama bent over backward to defuse suspicions from gun owners and their chief lobbying group, the National Rifle Association. "I believe in the Second Amendment," he assured one audience. "I will not take your shotgun away. I will not take your rifle away. I won't take your handgun away." A lot of good it did him. The NRA ran ads saying he "would be the most anti-gun president in American history." Four years later, with that fear unrealized, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre warned that Obama was plotting "to ensure re-election by lulling gun owners to sleep" so he could then "erase" the Second Amendment. That, of course, also didn't happen. Back in 2008, running against Obama, Hillary Clinton also tried to make nice with the gun-rights crowd, fondly recalling that she had learned to shoot as a child. But Obama's experience then and since proved there is nothing a Democratic presidential nominee can say or do to appease NRA sympathizers. So Clinton is taking a different approach this time. She's endorsed the gun control measures sought in vain by Obama after the Sandy Hook massacre, including universal background checks. She's slammed Bernie Sanders for supporting legislation passed in 2005 giving firearms manufacturers protection from some lawsuits. Clinton's message to the gun lobby is: Bring it on. That shift is notable particularly because of her husband's experience in the White House challenging the NRA. After winning passage of a federal ban on assault weapons, Bill Clinton saw his party wiped out in the 1994 elections, giving Republicans control of the House for the first time in 40 years. Democrats suffered a net loss of 54 seats; the then-president attributed 20 of those defeats to the gun issue. He also blamed that issue for Al Gore's narrow loss to George W. Bush in 2000. "I think the NRA had enough votes in New Hampshire, in Arkansas, maybe in Tennessee and in Missouri, to beat us," Bill Clinton said later. What's changed? Some states with lots of gun owners who once were up for grabs, like Arkansas and Tennessee, now appear out of reach for Democrats. Nationally, public opinion is on Clinton's side: Not only do 89 percent of Americans support universal background checks, so do 87 percent of Republicans and 84 percent of voters in households with guns. On top of that, it's become clear that the NRA will do everything it can to defeat any Democratic nominee. Clinton clearly figures that these days, trying to get along with the NRA won't win her any votes, and challenging it may. Changing demographics also matter. As Ronald Brownstein wrote in The Atlantic, "Since 2000, Democrats have grown far less dependent on the blue-collar whites who are the most resistant to gun control measures, and have replaced them with growing groups like people of color and college-educated white women more open to the idea." Clinton also thinks the issue can help fend off her primary opponent, because of his vote on a 2005 bill that substantially protected gunmakers, sellers and trade groups against lawsuits. Most Democrats favor greater regulation of firearms, and she can claim to speak for them better than Sanders does. In their debates, Clinton has used the issue to put him on the defensive. There are risks in her forthright stance. If she gets the nomination, she could turn out gun owners who might otherwise stay home on Election Day, in states where the contest is close. If a Republican is elected, the gun lobby will be able to claim credit. If not, though, the NRA is likely to face a president who is not on its side and has no reason to fear it. This editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune. UPDATE: The obvious friction between Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo continued when asked about 2017 contracts. Lorenzo commented that Rossi's decision to re-sign was easier since he had no other options. Rossi responded to rumours that Lorenzo may leave Yamaha for Ducati by saying 'changing bikes takes balls, so he will remain'. Just hours after re-signing for Movistar Yamaha, Valentino Rossi found himself tangling with team-mate and reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo. The pair crossed paths during final practice for this weekend's Qatar season-opener, Rossi immediately gesturing his frustration to Lorenzo at being held up. The arm-waving then continued at the end of the session, as they lined-up to do a practice start. "He exited from the pit without looking at the track and when he arrived at the first corner he tried to slow down, but he was on the line," Rossi explained. "The problem is that I say 'why?' and I expect 'sorry', but he [look] to me like 'what you f**king want?' "Then when we try the practice start I go to him again, but anyway..." Speaking in the earlier press conference, Lorenzo - who is yet to accept his new Yamaha contract offer - said he was confused as to why Rossi appeared so agitated by the incident: "In my opinion he had no reason to complain. Everyone knows when you exit the pits you cannot stop [completely] to let them past. The only thing you can do is stay on the white line. I cannot be in the gravel. What can I do? If he is still angry with me I don't know the reason, you have to ask him." But Rossi still clearly remembers when the roles were reversed at Misano last season. "The problem is that this situation happened exactly the same in Misano qualifying, where I did the same mistake. He was very angry with me after and in the end they gave me one [penalty] point. But they don't give to him one point. "I don't go to Race Direction to say 'one point', but I saw [race director] Mike Webb here [in the paddock] so I said, 'why one point to me and not to him!' I don't know why, but it is not a big problem." That penalty point went on to have major implications for Rossi's 2015 title hopes since, when he later received three penalty points for the incident with Marc Marquez at Sepang, it triggered a back of the grid start for the Valencia finale. "Anyway, I am already f**ked [about] last year! Unfortunately, it won't change the situation," Rossi laughed. While Lorenzo went on to claim pole position for Sunday's race, Rossi qualified in fifth place, albeit just 0.272s slower. "Top five is not so bad. I can do better because it is slow close, but anyway I'm happy because from the second row if you have good pace you can have a good race," Rossi said. "But like during practice a lot of riders have a good pace, so will be hard. But I think today Marquez demonstrated that he is a little bit faster. He has a better pace. So if I look just at FP4 he is the faster, but also Lorenzo for sure and I hope me, Vinales, the Ducatis so it will be interesting." Reflecting on the surprise early announcement of his new two-year Yamaha deal, the Italian star added: "I spoke with Yamaha after the test. They said they are very happy if I continue. In my mind I want to continue. The contract was more-or-less ready and so we said 'why wait!'" Rossi, who won last year's Qatar race and went on to lead the points until the final round in Valencia, said he is 90% certain it will be his last MotoGP contract. While Rossi - who believes Marquez assisted Lorenzo last year - says his relationship with the Honda rider will never be the same, The Doctor had claimed there would be no problem continuing to work with Lorenzo to improve the Yamaha. New York: A facial analysis of Twitter users by researchers has shown that while US president nominee Hillary Clinton enjoys substantial female support among politicians, there is good evidence that her support among average Democratic women has fallen sharply. Researchers from University of Rochester in the US analysed the Twitter follower demographics of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. At that time, researchers noted that Trump had seven million followers and Clinton 5.7 million. They studied both candidates' followers, their user names, geographical information and each follower's number of followers to determine their influence, 'MIT Technological Review' reported. In particular, they look at each user's picture and use a machine-learning programme to determine whether it shows a male or female and to identify that person's ethnicity. Researchers found that while Clinton enjoys substantial female support among politicians, there is good evidence that her support among average Democratic women has fallen sharply. However, this does not seem to have influenced the gender balance among her supporters on Twitter - women make up 45 per cent of her followers, they said. Trump, however, has an almost identical level of support at 45 per cent. "Apparently Trump's feud with Megyn Kelly has not alienated female voters," said Yu Wang from University of Rochester. Clinton's supporters are more likely to be African-American or Hispanic than Trump's, who are more likely to be white, researchers said. Trump has more very young followers, although many of them do not appear to be old enough to vote. Clinton has a stronger presence among the 18 to 40 age group, they said. Sussex News Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Sorry... ..An error has occured: If you have any queries about this error, try emailing feedback@mirror.co.uk and we'll do what we can to help you. ZID:308457493 An uptick in cyberattacks and greater awareness about government surveillance have prompted calls for tighter security on the Internet, and a big part of that is encrypting the traffic that flows to and from websites. Google, Facebook and Microsoft are among the many companies that have been pushing for wider use of SSL/TLS (Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security) encryption, though it can be tricky and expensive to implement. Here's the basics of what you need to know. What is SSL/TLS? It's a protocol originally developed in part by Netscape in the 1990s, to ensure the authenticity of websites and allow data to be exchanged securely with end users. It creates an encrypted connection using public key cryptography, typically indicated by "https" and a padlock appearing in the URL window of a browser. [ ALSO: 10 security technologies destined for the dustbin ] Why is it important? Data exchanged using only http can be intercepted by hackers. Data can be collected or tampered with, creating privacy and security risks for users. Nearly all reputable banks and e-commerce sites use SSL/TLS these days, but many smaller websites still do not. Is it hard to set up? SSL/TLS is known to be finicky and difficult to implement, especially for very large websites. Organizations known as Certification Authorities (CAs) sell different types of digital certificates used for authenticating websites. Depending on the type of certificate, CAs will verify that the entity requesting one is legitimate, to guard against fraudulent sites. But the certificates can be expensive, and critics say the cost and complexity are off-putting. Certificates also expire, and it's important that IT admins know when they have to be renewed. Are there any weaknesses? In short, many. Cybersecurity experts have devised numerous attacks over the years that compromised SSL/TLS connections. Also, software vulnerabilities such as Heartbleed have been found in OpenSSL, a widely used SSL application. CAs have occasionally been hacked, with attackers creating certificates for websites that are used for phishing. In a 2011, cryptographer Moxie Marlinspike outlined the many weaknesses in the CA system and the complexities of finding a replacement. "It's amazing that SSL has endured for as long as it has in contrast to a number of other protocols from the same vintage," Marlinspike wrote. More than 600 CAs issue or sell SSL/TLS certificates; some of the larger players include Verisign and Comodo. What's being done about the problems? A project called Let's Encrypt, launched last year, issues free, domain-validated digital certificates as part of a movement to spur wider use of encryption on the web. Bugs in SSL/TLS are patched when new attacks are discovered, but there's not really a viable replacement for the whole system at this point. Changing it would require agreement from the whole industry, and that's unlikely anytime soon. For now, protecting private SSL/TLS keys is probably the most important task, and a variety of hardware security modules on the market can securely manage those digital keys. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BRIDGEPORT For the past several months, Tamara Riveras full-time job as a project manager for a commercial real estate firm has been all but eclipsed by her part-time job of school shopping for her soon-to-be kindergartner. The process, to put it bluntly, has been nerve-wracking. Going online. Doing her homework. Going on tours. Filling out applications. Making deadlines. Then its a waiting game, Rivera said. You try for as many chances as you can, Rivera said. You cant put all your eggs in one basket. At the end of the day, you hope he gets into at least one. Her son Kayden Loyolas name has been submitted to three city magnet schools, a regional magnet school and a public charter school. More Information A public school choice road map in Bridgeport School point-of-entry slots, 2016 deadline School grades slots deadline Six to Six Interdistrict Magnet School PK-3 40 March 4 Multicultural Magnet School K 48 March 18 High Horizons Magnet School K 48 March 18 Park City Magnet School K 48 March 18 Classical Studies Magnet Academy K 48 March 18 Discovery Interdistrict Magnet School PK-3 45 March 18 Achievement First Bridgeport K 90 April 1 New Beginnings Family Academy PK-3 60 April 8 Open Choice (suburban districts) varies 30 March 15 See More Collapse Her backup plan, should the computerized-lottery gods not be on her side, will be to enroll Kayden in a Fairfield parochial school where there is rolling admission. She has an application in for that, as well. The one school not on Riveras list is Hall the neighborhood school a few blocks from her house on Kent Avenue. For us, we knew regular Bridgeport schools were not going to be an option, Rivera said. The quality, she maintains, is just not there. Rivera is not alone. Heading into the March 18 deadline to submit applications for the citys five magnet schools, there were more than 6,700 applications just through grade eight, according to city school officials. Of those, about 2,000 are for kindergarten. Officials could not say how many children that represents. Many parents apply to multiple schools. Fingers crossed, Rivera said. Numbers game The number of public school choices in the city has increased in recent years with the addition of new schools and seats but so too has the demand. There are 1,750 kindergarten students enrolled in district public schools; 240 are in city magnet schools. Some say part of the increase is due to an easier online application process introduced three years ago. Others say its because a growing number of parents are demanding a better education for their children. The whole entire district should be filled with intradistrict magnet schools, Dasha Spell, a parent leader at Classical Studies Magnet Academy, said. She has no complaints about her daughters school. We won a spot and it was a blessing, Spell said. But in some schools, Spell fears students are set up for failure. Public school choice came to Connecticut in 1969 as a way to reduce racial and ethnic isolation. Today, more than 50,000 students statewide attend a school choice program, as opposed to neighborhood school. There are magnet schools that pull students from within district boundaries and across them. And there are charter schools that operate independent of local control, as well as an Open Choice program that allows urban students to fill available seats in suburban districts. Open Choice allows, on a space-available basis, urban students to attend public schools in nearby suburban towns, and suburban students to attend public schools in a nearby urban district. There are two kinds of magnet schools. Interdistrict magnet schools, designed to reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation, attract students by offering a themed program in the arts, sciences and even trades, and are usually open to students within a certain geographic area. Intradistrict magnet schools, usually created by local school districts, are open only to students within that district. There are about 2,225 elementary students enrolled in the citys magnet schools. Charter schools are public schools funded by the state that run independent of local school board control. This year, there are 205 Bridgeport students attending schools in the suburbs through Open Choice. There are generally only 30 openings a year across all grades for an applicant pool of more than 600. Bridgeport has six charter schools, two that reach down to kindergarten or preschool. As of today, we have 447 applications across all grades, Pre-K through eight, said Ronelle Swaggerty, chief executive officer at New Beginnings Family Academy Charter School. There are 118 applications for 60 preschool slots, which is the main point of entry into the school. In kindergarten, where there are no expected slots, 146 applications have been submitted. That is also the case at the citys two interdistrict elementary magnet schools Six to Six and Discovery. Discovery has 45 openings for the 3-year-olds class, 30 percent of which are reserved for students in suburban communities and no vacancies in kindergarten. Six to Six will take 40 of the 3-year-olds in the fall half from Bridgeport. There are 1,165 applications; 381 for preschool and 309 for kindergarten. We usually accept some kindergarten students each year, said Chris Labelle, the associate director for Cooperative Education Services, which runs the Six to Six magnet school. Golden ticket Rivera, who moved to the city from Stamford five years ago with her husband, a Bridgeport firefighter, wishes regular public schools were a good option. One hundred percent. That would be the way to go, she said. Public schools should be a great option with a nice level of diversity. Kids from all walks of life. But she has read rating sites online that give Bridgeport public schools a 2 out of 10. For her, that is unacceptable. So she applied to Discovery, her first choice even though there are no kindergarten openings, and to Park City Magnet School because she has a young cousin there who is excelling. On a recent tour at Park City, Rivera and Kayden were guided by two eighth-grade ambassadors who took them through classrooms and the library where Kayden became fascinated with a locked treasure chest. Rivera, meanwhile, asked if kindergartners get nap times and how much technology there is available to them. The reason I really liked Discovery is that they taught children in a fun way and they are very big on technology, Rivera said. In this day and age everything is about technology. She was happy to hear Park City, through a grant, was getting Apple iPads for all students. She was less happy to learn there are just 48 openings for kindergarten students in the fall. So she also has applied at Achievement First Bridgeport, a charter school located on Stillman Avenue. A March 9 information session at Achievement First was so packed, extra chairs had to be brought into the all-purpose room. Latoya Pettway, sitting on the side with two daughters, Jorney, 5, and Londyn, 4, strained to hear as Principal Christine Pares talked about the schools high expectations. I am looking for a really strong education, said Pettway as the tour began and Jorney bounded up a staircase. Pettway grew up in Bridgeport and went to city schools until her parents moved to Stratford. Its not that I am not happy, Pettway said of her older daughters kindergarten experience at Barnum School. But I have a little cousin who started from Achievement First and I am impressed with his vocabulary. I am a big believer in education. Applications at the school, already have surpassed last years 270 applications for 90 kindergarten seats. That schools application period closes April 1. Treat an admittance notification letter as if it was a golden ticket, parents at the open house were advised. Like Rivera, Pettway has both of her daughters names in the lotteries of multiple schools. Some of the schools have sibling policies, increasing the chances if one gets in, the other will, too. Equal shot There are separate applications for all but the district-run magnet schools, but Labelle, of Six to Six doesnt think its a terribly confusing process. We try to be transparent, Labelle said. Its straightforward, but at the same time a very emotional thing for families. People care very deeply. They want to get their children into a certain school for a variety of reasons. The best he can do, he said, is to give everyone an equal shot. One thing Labelle says the school does to keep it fair is to throw out the waiting list every year and start fresh. If we didnt, new families to the region would never get in, Labelle said. Within the Bridgeport school district, there is no big advertising campaign for choice slots; rather notices are sent home and information distributed at parent meetings and online. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A popular program that has provided tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies to candidates for Connecticut office is fighting for its survival in the states deteriorating fiscal environment. The goal of the Citizens Election Program is to wean candidates off special interest money and free them from the time suck of fundraising. It came into existence a decade ago following the resignation and imprisonment of Gov. John G. Rowland for accepting bribes from state contractors. But with the state saddled with a billion-dollar budget deficit, Republican lawmakers last week called for a $2.2 million cut to a program that critics say is a form of political welfare. Its the latest threat to the publicly funded elections in the state, which survived an attempt late last year by majority Democrats to suspend the program for 2016. Another casualty of the budget crisis is the state Elections Enforcement Commission, which oversees the program and was given a $50,000 haircut last week by Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. More Information Getting funding Senate House General Election $95,710 $28,150 Primary $39,410 $11,260 Must raise $15,000 $5,000 Contributors* 300+ 150+ Senate vs. House funding Office General Election Primary Must raise Contributors* Senate $95,710 $39,410 $15,000 300+ House $28,150 $11,260 $5,000 150+ Senate candidates can receive $95,710 for the general election $39,410 for a primary if they raise $15,000 from at least 300 contributors in their districts. House candidates are eligible for $28,150 for the general election and $11,260 for the primary if they raise $5,000 from at least 150 contributors in their city or town. See More Collapse Are we a target? Of course, said Michael Brandi, the commissions executive director. Were waiting to see like everyone else. Were hoping the Legislature continues to recognize the value of Connecticuts highly successful public financing program, as they did in December. A spokesman for Malloy, who shared $6.5 million with Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman for their 2014 re-election from the program, declined to comment. Call for cuts In contrast to 2014, when a record $33.4 million was disbursed to 287 candidates, there are no statewide races for governor or other constitutional offices in 2016. The state is expected to pay out $10 million to $12 million this election cycle, which will feature 151 House and 36 Senate races. The programs oversight agency is forecasting a participation rate of at least 80 percent, continuing its upward trajectory. Republicans want to reduce the amounts of the grants that candidates are eligible for, especially those running in uncontested races. They say it makes no sense for taxpayers to subsidize those candidates who are assured of victory. You should have plenty of time on your hands to go out and raise a few thousand bucks to put some basic literature out there on yourself, but it shouldnt be coming from the state, said Republican Sen. L. Scott Frantz, who represents Greenwich and parts of Stamford and New Canaan. The program already includes a provision for cutting grants by 30 percent for unopposed candidates in the general election. Frantz has never participated in the program, which he said was undermined by a tidal wave of spending by shadow groups and party vessels in 2014. I thought it was very effective up until the last election, when we started to see federal money and outside money coming directly into the campaigns, Frantz said. That wasnt supposed to be. Money and influence Good government groups such as Common Cause Connecticut say the program isnt perfect, but it beats the alternative. When big money starts pouring into the state and decisions about policy get made, theyre very different than people who are elected with public financing, said Cheri Quickmire, the groups executive director. This year, Senate candidates can receive $95,710 for the general election and $39,410 for a primary if they raise $15,000 from at least 300 contributors in their districts. House candidates are eligible for $28,150 for the general election and $11,260 for the primary if they raise $5,000 from at least 150 contributors in their city or town. I believe its not the perfect panacea for everything, but it keeps everything on even keel, said Sen. Ed Gomes, D-Bridgeport, who has relied on the program and has been a staunch defender of it. Its better having it, than not. Gomes acknowledged that the program could be a target during budget negotiations. Nowadays, I say, what is an easy target? Everything is, Gomes said. Blunting special interests Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said the program has improved transparency and curtailed the power of special interests. All we have to do is look at how things work in Congress and the constant fundraising, Duff said. While the high participation rate could work in the programs favor, Duff cautioned: never say never. At this point, I think everything is on the table, Duff said. Its a little difficult to cut CEP at this point when there are so many candidates that have indicated that theyre going to participate in the program. In 2014, candidates returned $1.3 million of the $33.4 million in grants paid out by the state. Public funding participants are eligible for additional funds if their opponent opts out of the program, which some critics say is a major disincentive to self-funded candidates or those who raise contributions independently. It makes no sense at all for you not to participate, said state Sen. Michael McLachlan, R-Danbury. Listen, Im a reluctant participant because thats the rules. Ive always said Im not comfortable with taxpayer-funded campaigns. neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy Fairfield Notre Dame High School will host a prom dress sale from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, April 8. Admission to the event for buyers and sellers is $5 to benefit the Notre Dame High School Parent Association. Parents get in for free. Students who want to buy or sell gently used dresses must register for the event at: https://promdresssale.splashthat.com/. Parents are asked to attend the event with their daughters. Dresses must be clean, stain and tear free and brought to the school in a plastic or garment bag long enough to cover the entire dress. Shorter, semi-formal dresses such as homecoming dresses are acceptable to bring as well and there is no limit on the number of dresses students can bring. Mail questions to ndparentassociation@gmail.com. Notre Dame is located at 220 Jefferson St. MILFORD A Milford woman has filed a lawsuit claiming that she had to undergo two surgeries on the same day after a surgeon-in-training operated on the wrong body part and then lied about why a second operation was needed. Deborah Craven, 60, was admitted to Yale-New Haven Hospital on May 18, 2015, to undergo removal of a painful and potentially cancerous lesion found on one of her ribs, said her attorney, Joel T. Faxon. Craven was under the care of Dr. Anthony Kim, an attending physician, and his thoracic surgery trainee and fellow, Dr. Ricardo Quarrie, a recent graduate of Ohio State University School of Medicines residency program in general surgery. Quarrie was added to the team for training purposes without Cravens knowledge, her lawyer said. Rradiologists had properly marked the site where the lesion was located by placing metallic coils into Cravens 8th rib and injecting a marking dye into her skin, Faxon said in a prepared statement. Craven then underwent the procedure where the wrong rib was removed and, upon awakening, was in immediate pain that persisted into the night, the lawyer wrote. Hospital staff ordered an X-ray that revealed the metal markers were still in place in Cravens rib and that the surgery had been performed on the 7th rib, rather than the 8th, despite it being redundantly marked and identified by radiology. After realizing a substantial portion of the wrong rib had been removed, Quarrie tried to cover up the mistake by stating that not enough rib had been removed and that an immediate repeat surgery was required, the lawsuit alleges. The fact that the surgical team operated on the wrong rib despite a clear indication of the proper site is, of course, negligent, Faxon said. But the fact that a cardio-thoracic surgeon in training would make the outrageous claim that not enough rib had been taken really takes this to another level of culpability. The lawyer said Craven would not have sued if she hadnt been lied to. As the old adage goes, the cover up is worse than the crime, her lawyer said. The surgical team at Yale has yet to take responsibility for its wrongdoing, so now it will be up to a New Haven jury to hold them accountable. Yale-New Haven Hospital spokesman Mark DAntonio, however, said the hospital has acknowledged the error and reported it to the state Department of Public Health. Yale-New Haven Hospital and Yale Medical Group are committed to providing the safest and highest quality of care possible, DAntonio said. However, even in the best organizations medical errors may occur. When they do, our goal is to acknowledge them, learn from them, and ensure that we minimize any chance that they ever occur again. With respect to the case of Ms. Craven, DAntonio said, we recognized that an error was made, we informed and apologized to the patient, and we immediately reported it to the Department of Public Health. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the firing of the two missiles was deeply troubling and urged Pyongyang to halt these inflammatory and escalatory actions, his spokesman said. (Photo: AP) United Nations: The UN Security Council on Friday strongly condemned North Korea over its ballistic missile launches and demanded Pyongyang to refrain from further violations of UN resolutions. Backed by China, Pyongyang's ally, the council said in a unanimous statement "all these launches were unacceptable" and "constituted a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions." The statement was adopted during a closed-door meeting called by the United States after North Korea test-fired two medium-range ballistic missiles, the latest in a string of provocative acts from the reclusive regime. Read: N Korea nuclear test site ready for new tests: US think tank Council members "strongly condemned and expressed grave concern at the ballistic missile launches" and declared that North Korea "shall refrain from further actions in violation" of UN resolutions. Two weeks ago, the Security Council imposed its toughest sanctions to date on North Korea after Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test and fired a rocket that was widely seen as a disguised ballistic missile test. US Ambassador Samantha Power said the latest missile launches underscored the importance of implementing the new sanctions resolution, which targets North Korea's mining, trade and financial sectors. "If anybody on the council needed a reminder of why that resolution is so important (...) the North Korean regime just provided another one," Power said. The launches came a day after US President Barack Obama signed an order implementing the tough sanctions outlined in the recent UN resolution, as well as new unilateral US measures. Read: N Koreas missile tests flagrant violation of UN resolutions: US Japan's UN Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa called the latest missile launches "very, very unfortunate" and said Pyongyang had not received "the message" from the council. British Deputy UN Ambassador Peter Wilson said "this is exactly the sort of thing that they should not be doing." "What we see yet again is the North Koreans defying the will of the international community and the Security Council," he said. North Korea escalates UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the firing of the two missiles was "deeply troubling" and urged Pyongyang to halt "these inflammatory and escalatory actions," his spokesman said. Ban called on North Korea to comply with UN resolutions that bar the country from developing missile technology. During remarks at an event with North Korean women at the US mission, Power took an apparent swipe at China, saying it would be "absurd" to disassociate North Korea's dismal rights situation from its military ambitions. "Many of North Korea's systematic human rights violations deliberately underwrite the government's nuclear program, including the forced labor carried out by tens of thousands of women and children," said Power. China has opposed discussion in the Security Council of North Korea's rights record, arguing that the forum for this was the Human Rights Council in Geneva. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said China, Pyongyang's main trading partner and benefactor, could "do a lot more" to get North Korea to change course. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un this week ordered multiple ballistic missile launches and a nuclear warhead test, sparking fresh concerns about the regime's intransigeance. North Korea could carry out another nuclear test at any time, a US think tank has suggested, after analysing satellite imagery from Pyongyang's main testing site. Activity at the Punggye-ri underground facility suggested the North was maintaining tunnels as well as cleaning up after its detonation in January, the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University said on Friday. "It is highly likely that (the) site is capable of supporting additional tests at any time," it said on its closely watched 38North website. South Korean military officials said two missiles were launched on Friday from Sukchon in the country's southwest. US defence officials said they believed Pyongyang fired medium-range Rodong missiles from road-mobile launch vehicles. The Rodong is a scaled-up Scud variant with a maximum range of around 1,300 kilometres (800 miles). A Rodong test is more provocative, given its greater range, which makes it capable of hitting most of Japan. South Korea's defence ministry said Friday's launches were clearly the result of Kim's order. "North Korea appears to be speeding up test launches to advance its nuclear capabilities," said ministry spokesman Moon Sang-Gyun. North Korea has been hit by five sets of UN sanctions since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. The 2016 Presidential campaign is shaping up to be a race for the ages. Its like an alternate political universe where you can self-describe as a socialist or spout sexist comments and somehow manage to improve your standing. And after the latest round of primaries on March 15, it appears its only going to get more interesting. Traditional ideas of how to attract voters have been thrown out the window this election season, but certain principles remain: The stories candidates tell and the content they share has a powerful impact on the momentum of their campaigns. Content marketing has, and will continue to, play a critical role in how candidates engage with voters, and ultimately in who gets elected. Why content marketing matters in politics. Content marketing has erupted in the brand world over the past few years and is now a cornerstone of the modern marketing arsenal because it helps brands cultivate relatable personalities and build trust. Just as brands need to attract and engage consumers, so do political candidates need to attract and engage voters. The fact is that political figures are brands. Throughout American history, voters have demonstrated that they respond to candidates who have a compelling story, and who voters like and believe understands them. Voters dont just want to hear about politics and ideology -- they want interesting, emotional and authentic content from candidates. This is particularly true for Millennials, who have consistently shown that stories matter to them when making decisions. In 2016, Millennials caught up to, and now equal, baby boomers in potential voting power. By 2020, the Millennial voting base will surpass boomers. Any candidate that hopes to win the Millennial vote, and the nations, has to excel at content marketing. Accordingly, political ad spending on TV will total $4.4 billion and online ads will account for another $1 billion this election cycle. In addition, every candidate is active on social media, which allows them to control the stories they tell and the perceptions they evoke (as opposed to relinquishing control to the media). Lets take a look at the content marketing strategies of this elections leading candidates, and predict who will win based on that alone. The Democrats Hillary Clinton: 717K Instagram followers, 5.2M Twitter followers. Hillary Clinton won big in the Super Tuesday primaries, moving closer to clinching the Democratic nomination. She beat Sanders in every state, even if only by a slim margin in some, and now stands at nearly half the delegates needed to secure herself as her partys Presidential nominee. Yet, despite her lead and momentum, Clintons content and campaign is not without its flaws. Hillary Clintons political achilles heel is her relatability. She is the most experienced candidate in the running, with stints in the Senate and as Secretary of State. She is also known for her pragmatism and is more moderate than Bernie Sanders on most issues, which has traditionally been important for Democratic candidates to get elected. However, polls have shown that she has a likability problem. To mitigate this problem, the Clinton campaign has made a concerted effort to cultivate an everywo/man persona (a la Taylor Swift). She actively uses social media platforms to relate to fans. Photos of Clinton ordering at Chipotle and a Pinterest page with granddaughter gift ideas aspire to show voters that shes just like us. The Clinton campaign also shares quotes from strong women who support her, such as Rosa Parks, Shirley Chisholm, and Mae Jemison, which position her as a modern day activist in a long line of powerful women. However, other content marketing efforts have met with mixed results, especially those aimed at connecting with minority voters. Tactics like unveiling a Kwanzaa logo and publishing a blog post titled, 7 Things Hillary Clinton has in common with your abuela received backlash for seeming to pander, thereby undermining her bid for authenticity. According to Emarsys, 20 percent of Americans believe Hillary has the most effective marketing campaign. In spite of her hit-or-miss likability, her success points to a recognition that she is the Democratic candidate with the best chance of beating Trump, should he win the nomination, in the Presidential race. Bernie Sanders: 616K Instagram followers, 1.26M Twitter followers. Although he failed to win any Su[per Tuesday primaries outright, Sanders had a strong showing in most states, which points to passion and popularity he has cultivated. Most importantly, he appeals strongly to millennials, which have become a powerful voting base as we previously noted. Of all the candidates in the running this year, Sanders is the most authentic and relatable, and that has been a key driver of his unexpected and meteoric rise. A study by George Washington University and Zignal Labs revealed that Bernie Sanders is the only candidate whose echo across the Internet has grown since the announcement that he was running for president. The term echo is used because the message originates with the candidate themselves and echos across the web, and all the content surrounding the Sanders campaign does originate with Bernie himself. He has said that he plays a very, very active role in creating content. As a former journalist, Sanders clearly relishes writing and often publishes his thoughts and ideas in posts of varying lengths. By creating his own content, he conveys a strong voice and nothing feels forced. He is, above all, authentic, and as a result, highly appealing to authenticity-loving millennials. On Instagram, Sanders features pictures of his supporters with their own quotes as the caption, followed by #HumansForBernie. These images feature a diverse group of individuals and position Bernie as a candidate who genuinely embraces diversity (as opposed to doing it for political gain). The main image on his website is Sanders with a closed fist raised in the air, which sends a powerful message of Sanders-as-revolutionary. Many Instagram photos show Sanders speaking in front of large crowds, which again displays the powerful message of no one thought we could get here, but we did. Emarsys reveals that 21 percent of of Americans think Sanders has the most effective marketing campaign. Despite his relatable, authentic brand and his cult-like following, his ideological followers still represent a relatively narrow segment of the voting base, which has hindered his ability to overtake Clinton. Uncle Bernie may have strong content, but he likely doesnt have enough moderacy to win the nomination. Related: Equity Crowdfunding's Unlikely Proof of Concept: Bernie Sanders Marco Rubio: 109K Instagram followers, 1.3M Twitter followers. After being crushed in nearly every state and an embarrassing loss to Trump in Tuesdays primaries in his home state of Florida, Marco Rubio dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination. Lets look at how his content marketing and social media strategy evolved up until this point, and may have contributed to his demise in the voting booth. Rubios campaign was heavily focused on social media, with him choosing to run his own accounts and post content himself, as opposed to having someone from his team put out content. Rubios Instagram is filled with imagery that portrays him as a warm and kind-hearted person, often posting pictures of him helping the elderly, playing with children and smiling at his supporters. However, where his strategy significantly differed from competitors is in the way he used humor to poke fun at the ridiculousness the presidential race. Earlier this year, Rubio put out a video series with the hashtag rubiocrimespree, which aimed to make fun of the Washington Post story about him getting caught drinking as an 18-year old. While many people would be defensive about a story like that, Rubios reaction demonstrated his creative approach to making light of the media hype. But as Trump surged ahead in previous primaries, most of Rubios written content shifted to focus solely on hindering Trumps attacks. He posted an aggressive amount of content highlighting Trumps failures, including posts about his shiftiness, vulgarity and flop at starting a university. By turning the spotlight, even in a negative way, back on Trump, Rubio failed to continue positioning himself as the ideal candidate. He lost the tone and humor that drew his followers in the first place. Instead of being viewed as the would-be Republican nominee, he wound up looking like a man running scared -- and fatefully so. John Kasich: 19.1K Instagram followers, 222K Twitter followers. After appearing to be losing steam in recent weeks, March 15 was a big day for Ohio Governor John Kasich. Many thought that hed be out of the race by today, but he surprised those folks -- probably including Trump --when he won Ohio and now is the only candidate that has gained any sort of ground against Trump. Given the stark contrast between Kasich and Trumps voices and content, it seems as if the sudden, albeit small, surge for Kasich is a knee-jerk reaction to Trump within the Republican voting base. Lets examine further. Out of all the candidates, John Kasich probably has the least interest in developing his own content strategy, which contrasts highly with the Trump marketing machine. Kasichs blog primarily stands as a podium for announcing high-profile endorsers and syndicating news stories that hes recently been featured in. Furthermore, his campaign updates are cold, impersonal and written in the third-person. Unlike some of his opponents who ooze personality in their content strategy, Kasich is blind to the importance of publishing authentic and meaningful content. Most of the pictures posted onto his Instagram lack emotion and depth, with the same monotonous picture of people standing with their backs turned at his town hall meetings. Additionally, Kasichs tweets focus on urging people to donate to his campaign, rather than projecting his leadership and stances. That's in stark contrast with Trump, who spews his opinions constantly and has loudly proclaimed he does not need campaign donations. John Kasichs content marketing is a fairly accurate representation of his campaign and candidacy. Despite being a nice, likeable guy with strong qualifications, he is failing to wow todays voters and comes off looking a little out-of-date, and impersonal -- the exact opposite of a questionably qualified, polarizing and viscerally-reactive Trump. Bearing this in mind, one could make a case that the pendulum might be swinging back to the other extreme, from the loud-mouth to the almost boring. Related: The Lesson Managers Can Learn From Bernie Sanders' Success Ted Cruz: 42.7K Instagram followers, 906K Twitter followers. Seemingly the only remaining legitimate competition for Trump -- outside of Kasichs big win in Ohio -- Cruzs political engine is starting to stall. Though he is still the closest candidate to Trump in the voting booths, Cruz failed to gain any ground in Tuesdays primaries, which points to trouble for him in the road ahead. Unlike his Republican peers, Ted Cruzs content strategy is strongly geared towards publishing op-eds, with regular contributed pieces being published in WSJ, Washington Post, National Review and many other publications. His commentary tends to be long and provides thoughtful analysis on his strategy and vision, emphasizing his experience and his stance on nine specific issues (all things competitors lack). Furthermore, Cruzs social media game reflects his personal values and beliefs as a leader. Many of the pictures posted to his Instagram account signal his strong religious views and attitude towards the second amendment with images of him praying with his family before debates and exercising his gun rights. These types of images help to provide a personal view into the candidate, while also effectively showcasing his most important stances. Despite reflecting the traditional values and core tenets of his party with his content, Cruz is lacking the emotional pull that Trump brings to the table. The Emarsys study reveals that 1 out of 10 Americans believe Ted Cruz is the top candidate when it comes to marketing themselves -- however, this will likely not be enough for him to successfully hinder Trumps momentum. Donald Trump: 897K Instagram followers, 5.81M Twitter followers. Trump basically ran away with Tuesdays primaries, getting ever-closer to clinching the nomination for his party. In an election filled with unpredictable people and moments, Trumps success in the voting booth is becoming less of a surprise by the day. He is a marketing mastermind. Trumps campaign provides bold, no-apologies content. He created a brand long before his run for President, and hes capitalizing on his name recognition. Trump is notorious for his willingness to say things that are considered offensive. While often rude, he has remained consistent in his no-holds-barred approach to politics. The Trump campaign is loud, unapologetic and relentlessly self-promotional (like him). According to Forbes, Donald Trumps strategy for success is pretty simple: He wants to be hated. Trump doesnt care if you love him or hate him. He appeals to many Republicans who appreciate his distinct lack of political polish. They feel he is telling it like it is, and thus more trustworthy than the typical pandering, flip-flopping insider politician. Many find Trump to be rude and cringe-worthy (only 17.5 percent of millennials view him favorably), but either way, he elicits a strong reaction from the public, and that can be better than no reaction at all. As former President Bill Clinton said on Stephen Colbert, Hes a master brander, and hes the most interesting character out there. Related: Donald Trump Can Get Away With It, But You Can't The Trump campaign has also struck a chord with the slogan Make America Great Again. Website visitors are immediately greeted with the slogan, and the site is filled with bold content -- all caps and a lot of dark red graphics. There is no blog, but there is a section for media and press releases. The main page of the website features Trumps live Twitter feed. Most of the images the Trump campaign shares are pretty generic, unlike Clinton, except for the smattering of celebrity endorsement photos, like Willie Robertson of Duck Dynasty and Jesse James of West Coast Choppers. The Emarsys study found that a good portion of Americans (37 percent) think Donald Trump is the candidate conducting the best marketing campaign. He may be the truest example of the old adage, Any publicity is good publicity. Primary time. Policies, plans and opinions aside, if the power of content marketing outweighs all others, I predict Trump will win the Republican nomination, and possibly even the Presidency. He crushes every other candidate in terms of his social media presence and following. The next closest candidate on any platform is Hillary Clinton, and she has half-a-million fewer Twitter followers than Trump. He is also the most recognizable of all the candidates. His brand is clearly defined and projected consistently, and for many voters, conveys authenticity. November is still eight months away, but Trump is winning the social media contest. Related: Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has ordered an imminent nuclear warhead explosion test and multiple ballistic missile launches, Pyongyang's state media said this week. (Photo: AFP) Seoul: North Korea could carry out another nuclear test at any time, a US think tank has suggested, after analysing satellite imagery from Pyongyang's main testing site. Activity at the Punggye-ri underground facility suggested the North was maintaining tunnels as well as cleaning up after its internationally condemned detonation in January, the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University said on Friday. "It is highly likely that (the) site is capable of supporting additional tests at any time," it said on its closely watched 38 North website. Satellite images taken this month supported theories that there were unused test chambers at the site and showed activity around the main support area, with numerous vehicle tracks and footpaths visible, it said. At one entrance to the test tunnels, snow had been cleared, indicating that they were at the very least being maintained for future tests, the think tank said. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has ordered an imminent nuclear warhead explosion test and multiple ballistic missile launches, Pyongyang's state media said this week, ratcheting up Pyongyang's face-off with the international community just days after being slapped with tough UN sanctions. The North carried out its fourth nuclear test on January 6, followed a month later by a long-range rocket launch, apparently a disguised ballistic missile test. 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. Sign up now to receive the latest Hurricane Ian updates via text Belkaid told the extremists he had traveled throughout Europe - including to Spain, Germany and France - and listed his residence as Sweden. (Photo: Representational Image/AFP) Paris: The Algerian gunman newly linked to the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris after being killed by police joined the Islamic State group in 2014 and told the extremists he wanted to die as a suicide bomber, bypassing the choice to be a fighter. Previously unknown to authorities, Mohamed Belkaid was shot to death on Tuesday in a raid that led to the arrest of fugitive Salah Abdeslam, who is thought to have escaped the apartment while Belkaid fired the Kalashnikov assault rifle later found near his body. According to exclusive documents given to The Associated Press by the Syrian opposition news site Zaman al-Wasl, Belkaid told the extremists he had traveled throughout Europe - including to Spain, Germany and France - and listed his residence as Sweden. He provided a passport to the group and a phone number for a close relative, which on Friday rang as a non-functioning line. In the document, he said he had no experience as a jihadi and no one to vouch for him as he crossed the border on April 19, 2014. Islamic State prizes the growth of its networks abroad, and having a sponsor is seen as both a sign of credibility and a way to measure the extent of its reach. Belkaid listed his occupation as a candy maker. German intelligence authorities say they also have a copy of some of the same documents as the Syrian opposition site, and that they are believed to be authentic. Belkaid's "application" to the Islamic State group and his subsequent ties to the Nov. 13 attackers, many of whom met and trained together in Syria, highlights the difficulty in uncovering the extent of the plot that led to 130 deaths in Paris. French President Francois Hollande said Friday that more people were involved in the attacks than initially thought, and predicted more arrests would follow that of Abdeslam and four others. On Friday, Belgian prosecutors said Belkaid was "most probably" an accomplice of Abdeslam and had been using a fake Belgian ID card in the name of Samid Bouzid. A man using that ID was one of two men seen with Abdeslam in a rental car on the Hungarian-Austrian border in September. The same fake ID was used on Nov. 17 to transfer 750 euros to the cousin of Abdelhamid Abbaoud, the suspected ringleader of the attack. Both Hasna Ait Boulahcen and Abbaoud died in a police siege of the apartment paid for by that transfer, which was destroyed by a suicide attacker holed up with the two. Belkaid was killed Tuesday by a police sniper in Brussels. A Kalashnikov assault rifle was found by his body, as well as a book on Salafism, an ultraconservative strain of Islam. Elsewhere in the apartment, police found an Islamic State banner as well as 11 Kalashnikov loaders and a large quantity of ammunition, the prosecutor said. Brussels: The top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, captured in Belgium after four months on the run, will now face police questioning and a fast-track effort to extradite him to France. Salah Abdeslam, a French national, is subject to a European arrest warrant issued by France. He was seized Friday in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek and hospitalized after being shot in the leg. His capture brought relief to people who have seen his "wanted" poster all over two countries for months. But French President Francois Hollande warned that more arrests will come as authorities try to dismantle a network involved in the attacks that is much larger than originally suspected. Hollande is holding an emergency defense meeting in Paris on Saturday. Families of victims and survivors want Abdeslam to face justice in France for the Nov. 13 attacks on a rock concert, stadium and cafes, which killed 130 victims and several attackers. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility. Once doctors consider Abdeslam fit to face questioning, he will be interrogated by Belgian investigators, possibly in the presence of French investigators. He may be assisted by his Belgian lawyer, identified by Belgian daily Le Soir as Sven Mary. French anti-terrorist judges could file an extradition request as early as this weekend with Belgian prosecutors. French and Belgian anti-terrorism prosecutors plan a teleconference call Saturday during which matters including Abdeslam's extradition will be discussed, Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office spokesman Thierry Werts said. A 2002 agreement among European Union member states speeds up the extradition process, making it a purely judicial process and removing any political aspect. For especially grave crimes, such as terrorist acts, the procedure goes even faster. Hollande, speaking Friday next to Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel, said in Brussels he was sure "the French judicial authorities will send an extradition request very soon" and that "the Belgian authorities will answer it as favorably as possible, as soon as possible." The shared French language between France and Belgium will help make the process even smoother. Abdeslam could appeal the extradition, but under the European principle of mutual recognition of judicial decisions, that would only give him a short respite. Samia Maktouf, a French lawyer for several survivors and relatives of Paris attack victims, is urging immediate extradition. "Apart from his (medical) condition, I don't see what might delay his extradition," she told The Associated Press. Survivors and victims' families "relief is mingled with bitterness" because some suspects are still on the run and belong to an organized and sprawling network that has yet to be stopped, Maktouf said. "Our young people found death for no reason. Today, their families have empty chairs next to them, they have a phone that doesn't ring any longer," she said. Abdeslam, 26, is a childhood friend of the suspected ringleader of the attacks. Investigators believe Abdeslam drove a car carrying a group of gunmen who took part in the shootings, rented rooms and shopped for detonators. Most of the Paris attackers died on the night of the attacks, including Abdeslam's brother Brahim, who blew himself up. After the bloodbath, Salah Abdeslam evaded a dragnet to return to Brussels. He was believed to have slipped through police fingers multiple times despite an international manhunt. At one point, Belgian authorities locked down their capital for several days but failed to find him. Abdeslam and four other suspects were detained in Friday's raid, including three members of a family that sheltered him. Abdeslam was not armed but did not immediately obey orders when confronted by police, Belgian prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt said. It was possible he had spent days, weeks or months in the apartment, according to Van der Sypt. Two other people believed linked to the attacks were still being sought, including fellow Molenbeek resident Mohamed Abrini and a man known under the alias of Soufiane Kayal. Abdeslam's role in the attacks has never been clearly spelled out. The car he drove was abandoned in northern Paris, and his mobile phone and an explosive vest he may have had were later found in the Paris suburb of Montrouge, raising the possibility that he aborted his mission. The London Stock Exchange for 215 years the cornerstone of Britains free-trading economy will fall into German hands unless urgent action is taken. On Wednesday, when Britains attention was focused on the Budget, the board of the Stock Exchange announced a deal to merge this historic institution with its rival in Frankfurt, the Deutsche Boerse. If the 21billion merger goes through, the Germans will have the upper hand. The new organisation will be run by the head of the Frankfurt exchange, whose shareholders will control 54.4 per cent of the stock, and report its profits in euros. The London Stock Exchange for 215 years the cornerstone of Britains free-trading economy will fall into German hands unless urgent action is taken Senior UK business figures well aware that Germany is envious of Londons status as financial capital of Europe have condemned the plans. John Longworth, who was forced out as director of the British Chambers of Commerce for backing Brexit, asked the obvious question: Can you imagine Germany selling BMW to Britain? No, we cannot. Germany and France automatically block foreign takeovers of their own precious national assets. Britain, in contrast, has a dismal track record of surrendering key industries to overseas conglomerates. Our energy supplies, for example, are now effectively controlled by the French government, which runs the electricity giant EDF. Look at the chaos that has produced! The London Stock Exchange is the emblem of Britains dynamic, free-market capitalism. As such, it is resented by the sclerotic, risk-averse countries of continental Europe. Indeed, the DNA of the British and German economies are totally different and there have to be profound questions as to whether this merger would work. How interesting, then, that no major British politician has drawn attention to an issue of such importance to our future.Given how much is at stake, this is nothing short of shameful. Could it be that the Government is embarrassed by the fact that this merger shows the Germans are not worried by the prospect of Britain leaving Europe? A disturbing deal Turkey and the EU yesterday reached an agreement meaning that, from midnight tonight, all migrants arriving in Greece will if all goes to plan be sent back to the Turkish mainland. Meanwhile, Turkeys application to join the EU is back on the agenda, though negotiations may proceed more slowly than President Erdogan had hoped. A more immediate consequence of the deal, however, is that 77million Turks will soon be free to visit most EU countries without a visa. These countries do not include Britain, which is not part of the Schengen area of free travel. But we know from bitter experience that the EUs grand schemes have a habit of spinning out of control. It would be foolish to conclude that UK borders will not be put under further stress. Turkey and the EU yesterday reached an agreement meaning that, from midnight tonight, all migrants arriving in Greece will if all goes to plan be sent back to the Turkish mainland Put simply, European ministers have been forced by the migrant crisis to accept measures that will further increase the movement of peoples from east to west. As Max Hastings writes on these pages, that is a disturbing prospect. Bastion of bias BBC coverage of the EU referendum has, on the whole, been admirably even-handed. But there is an exception: Newsnight, BBC2s flagship current affairs programme. A media watchdog has found that, in 40 editions of the show up to last weekend, 25 guests were in the remain camp while only 14 supported Brexit. A husband and wife dance duo who starred in a Justin Bieber video and on The Ellen Show have become an online sensation once again with their distinctive choreography. Keone, 27, and Mari, 30, Madrid's dance to Cups (also known as Pitch Perfect's When I'm Gone) by Anna Kendrick has more than 3.5 million views on Facebook and more than 3.8 million views on YouTube. The dance features the couple from San Diego in perfect sync with Mari on the floor dancing on her knees and Keone on his feet before pulling his wife up to standing where the dance continues in their trademark style. In sync: Keone and Mari Madrid, dancing together to Cups (Pitch Perfect's When I'm Gone) by Anna Kendrick left and right, has been watched millions of times online Perfection: The dance, in which Keone and Mari, pictured left and right, they are totally synchronized, has been watched more than 3.5 million views on Facebook and more than 3.8million views on YouTube Cups is an adaptation of the Carter Family song When I'm Gone from 1931. More recently it featured in the 2012 film Pitch Perfect covered by Anna Kendrick and was performed by Keone and Mari at Urban Dance Camp. The couple, who got married in 2012, first met at Keone's dance company in San Diego. They performed on The Ellen Show in 2013 and last year played the couple in Justin's Love Yourself video which since it's release in November has been watched on YouTube nearly 430million times. In their latest dance video, released last month, they unveiled a 'dual dance music video' that has to be watched across two screens. Mari said in an interview last year that the couple do not exclusively dance with each other. In love: The couple, pictured above hand-in-hand, got married in 2012 after they first met at Keone's dance company in San Diego Happy family: The couple, pictured above at Christmas with their dog, avoided sexual contact for three-and-a-half years before they were married 'We're not just dancing together - we have a life outside too,' she told Dance Magazine. 'A general person will be like, "Oh yeah, the married couple that dances!" Its an easy thing for people to connect with.' The couple have opened a private studio in San Diego called Building Block that aims to provide 'personal training for dancers,' Keone said. Ultimately, he said, they want to dance for 'as long as our bodies allow'. Adding: 'Even if that just means dancing together in our living room.' Writing about their marriage, Mari revealed how she converted from atheism to Christianity and how they pursued a non-sexual relationship for three-and-a-half years before getting married. Writing on her blog, she said: 'Its crazy to think, youre sharing so much time with your favorite person in the world, traveling with them, getting to know them so well, but also knowing that you cant have that physically romantic part yet. Individuals: As well as enjoying dancing together the couple, pictured together left and Keone pictured alone right, also pursue their own projects, said Mari in an interview Couples: Mari and Keone, pictured in the foreground, are highly sought after dancers, teachers and choreographers Popular: The Justin Bieber video featuring the dance stars, above playing a couple, has been watched nearly 430million times 'We stayed in so many hotel rooms alone, but kissed each other good night without going any further, and could sleep knowing that we were saving something beautiful for the right time. 'Keone and I waited about three-and-a-half years with holding hands and pecks, but while still building ourselves to get ready to be married.' She added: 'I think where it starts is respecting what marriage is. Just at a base level, its sharing your life with someone. 'Every day, every moment; a promise to sacrifice whatever is needed for the commitment you made to them. Shes been written off as a marriage-wrecking minx. Shes nearly died giving birth to her daughter. And shes survived a decade of Britains Got Talent and one date with Simon Cowell. How does Amanda Holden do it? Im tougher than I look... I definitely see myself in the Barbara Windsor mould. Naughty, cheeky, but underneath all of it, I promise, Im a good girl,' said Amanda Holden How on earth has Amanda Holden survived in the cut-throat arena of Simon Cowells Saturday-night television empire? Unlike Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne, Dermot OLeary, Kate Thornton, Kelly Brook and Michael McIntyre (to name but a few), she has not faced the ignominy of opening up a newspaper to find herself slashed from her job overnight. But if she needed any reminders about how precarious her position is, the very week we meet, theres a stream of new victims as Nick Grimshaw, Caroline Flack and Olly Murs are all given the chop by the The X Factors Dark Lord. Holden, 45, shrugs: Its more of a surprise to me than anyone else that after ten years Im still here. She is not kidding. Even Holden herself known largely for her outrageously flirty behaviour and barely- there dresses had little faith in lasting for more than one series of Britains Got Talent, which returns next month. I went into it thinking it would be one show and that was it. I never expected to love it as much as I do. But her risque attire, flirtatious behaviour and that very filthy laugh have made her a vital part of the success of Britains Got Talent. Simon (Cowell) always tells people he hired me because he fancied me but thats absolute nonsense. He doesnt go for blondes,' said Amanda Unlike The X Factor, which has seen its ratings fall from 14 to seven million viewers, BGT has continued to rise, last year finishing with its highest ever audience of 13.4 million. Beyond her red heels, perfectly sculpted blonde hair and the barrage of saucy jokes, there are far more impressive reasons Holden has prospered. In a surprising and candid interview, she reveals how it was Cowell who turned her image round from scarlet woman to National Treasure, why her first marriage, to Les Dennis, was always doomed, how she buried her feud with Piers Morgan and survived a heartbreaking baby tragedy. She also makes a startling revelation about what she is (and isnt) wearing on her very unorthodox journey to work. Holden is happy to play up to the image of the telly blonde. I definitely see myself in the Barbara Windsor mould, she says. Naughty, cheeky, but underneath all of it, I promise, Im a good girl. She is unrepentant about showing off parts of her anatomy in dresses that often cause hosts Ant and Dec to blush. I honestly dont give a monkeys, she says. It gives people something to talk about but if I worked in a bank Id be wearing tight skirts and high heels because thats just who I am. Holden first became a household name for all the wrong reasons. She hit the front pages when she married comedian Les Dennis in 1995, when she was just 24 and he was 42. I had a terrible image, and while it didnt stop me working as an actress, BGT (Britain's Got Talent) completely changed that,' said Amanda Their marriage ended two years after the star of Cutting It and Wild At Heart had an affair in 2000 with actor Neil Morrissey. All of a sudden I was seen as this nasty little minx, a marriage wrecker, she says. I didnt know how to handle it. 'I married Les after my first relationship ended. I was very young and he always told me Id leave him. And then that happened with Neil. 'It was a really difficult time. I was caught. It was awful for everyone involved and the fact it was all over the papers every day made things incredibly messy. It was BGT that was to turn her image around. But ironically, when Cowell offered her the job in 2007, her only concern was the fact that one of her co-judges was Piers Morgan, who had exposed the story of her affair during his time as editor of the Daily Mirror. Simon called me and asked me to be a judge on the show, she says. I think his original choice had dropped out and all I could think about was facing Piers Morgan. I saw him as the man who had ruined me. We met before the show and I told him he owed me an apology. But he told me I should thank him because if it wasnt for him my marriage wouldnt have ended and I wouldnt be married to my husband. Holden met record producer and property developer Chris Hughes in 2003. She gave birth to their first child, Lexi, in 2006. Morgan and Holden are now very close friends, and she, Dennis and Morrissey have remained on good terms which says much about the way she deals with a problem. 'Simon always tells me he is responsible for making people like me. Of course I hate him saying that, but its true,' said Amanda (pictured with her then co-judges Piers Morgan and Cowell on Britain's Got Talent) You have to face up to things, accept who you are and what you have done and just get on as best you can. 'The reason why I will be forever loyal to and forever friends with Simon is that by him giving me that job on Britains Got Talent, I got to be myself on television and people could judge who I was and make their minds up for themselves. I had a terrible image, and while it didnt stop me working as an actress, BGT completely changed that. 'Simon always tells me he is responsible for making people like me. Of course I hate him saying that, but its true. Simon always tells people he hired me because he fancied me but thats absolute nonsense. He doesnt go for blondes. (Unlike Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Dannii Minogue, Nicole Scherzinger and Alesha Dixon, she is the only blonde in the Cowell coterie Rita Ora is a natural brunette). A very long time ago, when we were both single, we went out on a date but I pre-ordered a cab to come and get me at 10.30pm, which made him laugh and he never forgot that. For a woman who describes herself as unbelievably lucky, Holden has had some incredibly bleak moments. In her autobiography, No Holding Back, she revealed that she was sexually assaulted by a celebrity (she wont name him) after her marriage to Les Dennis disintegrated. Apart from that one incident, Ive always been able to handle things. Ive definitely had my bottom patted or been called doll in the past but chose not to be offended by it. It was different times and we have to understand that. Darker days were to come, as in the midst of filming BGT in 2011 she gave birth to her stillborn son, Theo, at seven months. It is something she still finds hard to talk about. Her smile cracks as she recounts how she was told he had died in my tummy. The following year she almost died giving birth to her third child, Hollie, due to a ruptured artery that caused an instant haemorrhage. Despite the fact that she flat-lined for 40 seconds and remained in intensive care for a week, she was soon back on the panel of BGT, something that caused outrage from thousands on social media who thought she was putting her career before her family. It is the only period in her life where she sought therapy, after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Amanda met record producer and property developer Chris Hughes in 2003. She gave birth to their first child, Lexi, in 2006 A lot of people didnt understand it but I had to work to get my life back together. People thought I shouldnt have gone back to work. 'My primal instinct was that I didnt want Lexi to know anything was wrong with me, I didnt want my child to be frightened. I went back to the show when Hollie was just a few days old and had my mum with us 24/7. 'One of the most incredible things about BGT is that weve all been through tough things and I knew I could rely on them [the other BGT judges] for support. I knew they would understand. Simon, David [Walliams] and Alesha knew they couldnt come over and be too kind to me, because I would fall to pieces. They just knew exactly how to keep me holding together. They all sent flowers to my room, said the right thing, squeezed my hand. A few days in, Simon said something to me and I replied: Im the only person who would come back from a coma to do your show. Thats when he said I was made out of steel, though hes now upgraded that to titanium. In the business shes known as the one who remembers the name of the gaffers and runners on every show she works on. Her best friends include the actress Sarah Parish, who she starred alongside in Cutting It, and her mentor remains Caroline Quentin, who she met in 1998 on the BBC comedy Kiss Me Kate. But shes savvy enough to know where to draw a line on celebrity gossip and shes never been drawn into feuding with her peers. When Alesha came on the panel in 2012, everyone assumed wed be rivals. Simon loves to stir things up among the judges he loves a bit of a catfight. But I told him that wasnt ever going to happen. I wasnt going to be played off against another woman. 'Before Alesha joined we went out for lunch and talked for hours. I have two daughters. I am a womans woman. I dont want my daughters to see women on television being bitchy to each other, being mean. I dont think people want to see that in their living rooms. Having been the subject of a tabloid scandal herself, Holden also knows when to be discreet. Ask her what she thinks of Cheryls new romance with 1Ds Liam Payne, she smiles: Cheryls absolutely lovely and I hope shes happy, but Im not a friend of hers. 'One of the most incredible things about BGT is that weve all been through tough things and I knew I could rely on them for support,' said Amanda (pictured with co-judges David Walliams, Alesha Dixon and Simon Cowell) She has a gift for reinvention. Shes gone from TV actress (Wild At Heart remains one of ITVs biggest dramas) to stage (she was nominated for an Olivier award for Thoroughly Modern Millie) and received rave reviews for her role as Princess Fiona in Shrek. But its clear from her conversation, which is peppered with references to her husband and two girls, that her family is at the centre of her life. It grounds her in unusual ways as she reveals that, unlike Cowell with his chauffeur-driven limousines and private jets, she prefers to get around by motorbike taxi, because it cuts down on any travel time. Yet no one would notice as one of the biggest stars of British TV weaves through the London traffic, clinging to the back of a rider. Im usually in a onesie with no make-up on and a helmet. In the winter I wear tons of layers to keep warm. I have my clothes in the studio to change into. I just have to get on, hang on to the rider and then Im home. All I ever want to do is get back to my kids, and you can whiz through the traffic on the back of the bike and cut the time to less than half. The real key to Holden is her tough working-class background. I was born a survivor, she says, and in that way Im exactly like Simon. 'If bad things happen, you get up, you dust yourself down and you smile. Im tough because Ive always had to be. Brought up with her younger sister, Debbie, by her mother, Judith, after her natural father walked out (her stepfather, Les, is the man she calls her father), she grew up in a small village in Hampshire surrounded by strong women. We had no money when we were growing up we were always absolutely brassic. I remember when my mum was on her own and she used to take me and my sister fruit-picking. 'We were tiny but we helped, eating half of them, picking half of them. It was instilled in me to work. I have vivid memories of all of us my mum, my aunt and my nana, Ethel, always laughing. 'I learned how to flirt by watching my nana who is still pinching mens bottoms at the age of 95. She always told me the truth. Even now, if she sees me wearing something or doing something she doesnt like shell send me an email except she calls emails iPads telling me off. Holden turns down work in order to be a mother. She has a nanny but she and her husband take care of most of the childcare. I do school runs, Monkey Music, swimming, everything I can, she says. I work for my kids they have a nice life and Im thrilled to be able to give that to them. But I also expect them to have a good work ethic and good manners in return. 'My girls would tell you Im strict. But Im just like my mum was with me. She is also fiercely protective of her children. She took legal action to stop pictures of Lexi, being used in the press after she dressed up for a school event as Cindy Crawford. Her husband accidentally captioned a picture as Pretty Woman and uploaded it onto her Twitter account. A year on it is still not something she will discuss. If Cowell ever does decide to swing his axe, Holden has got other tricks up her sleeve. She plans to bring the musical Stepping Out to the West End, starring herself and a group of friends including Sarah Parish, Angela Griffin and Nicola Stephenson. Its also great to remind people this is what I can do. Holden has never been anyones dumb blonde. This is a woman who is a natural-born survivor. She is in it for the long haul. At the height of the khadi movement, when Mahatma Gandhi exhorted everyone to boycott foreign clothes, Kasturba, his wife, complained that she found it difficult to wear a khadi sari and cook as it was too heavy to do home chores. When Gandhi heard this, he got extremely annoyed and asked her not to cook at all, for he would not eat food prepared by her while wearing 'unholy' foreign cloth. Mahatma Gandhi with his wife Kasturba pictured in Abotabad Peshawar in October 1938. In the latest biography of India's most famous son, it's revealed that he would hit his wife in private while advocating peace and pacifism in public This incident, quoted from Pramod Kapoor's latest book, Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography, brings to the fore a side of the Mahatma which is generally overlooked in favour of his otherwise liberal persona wherein he is seen as encouraging women to come out of their homes and participate in India's freedom struggle. The same Gandhi, who would otherwise exhort us not to resort to violence even when provoked viciously, would slap his wife and then remark how he 'learnt the first lesson of ahimsa (compassion) from her silent tears'. This dichotomy is also evident from Harilal's 14-page letter to Gandhi, his father, wherein he indicts the Mahatma of dealing with him and his family members 'just as a ringmaster in a circus treats animals in his charge'. Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography, by Pramod Kapoor, adds some shade to the image of Gandhi as a champion of peace by revealing his personal life was filled with conflict and he ruled over his family like a 'circus ringmaster' Kapoor concedes this when he writes that Gandhi 'could be extremely dictatorial when dealing with his closest relatives or his followers. In contrast he would often give in to his adversaries in seeking peaceful resolutions.' Maybe this was because Gandhi, to use the Naipaulian terminology, was a 'bits-and-pieces man' who adopted things from sources as different as his mother's love for fasting and Tolstoy's religious belief to Ruskin's idea of labour, South Africa's jail code. It was this tendency to pick up things, particularly from 'foreign' sources, that made Sri Aurobindo call Gandhi 'a European in an Indian body.' Interestingly, these characteristics of Gandhi have made him every biographer's delight, for the latter can pick up whatever he wants to and create a Mahatma of his own. But, the very same features have also made him a biographer's nemesis, as none of the accounts can ever be comprehensive or all-encompassing. The Mahatma, to be fair to him, was a product of his space and time. The same Gandhi, who would otherwise exhort us not to resort to violence even when provoked viciously, would slap his wife He had an ordinary childhood. So much so that Joseph Lelyveld leaves out Gandhi's childhood and student years while writing his biography Great Soul, a decision he made because he believed that the 23-year-old law clerk who arrived in South Africa in 1893 had little in him of the man he would finally become. He reached South Africa with the pride and prejudice of a Bania and that was evident in the manner he fought his apartheid battle in South Africa. Despite Ramachandra Guha's valiant efforts to project Gandhi as 'apartheid's first opponents' in his biography on the Mahatma, the man in reality was upset with the British policy in South Africa to place Indians 'on the same level as the Natives', whom he disdainfully called kafirs. Gandhi's worldview is best manifested in Hind Swaraj which, according to Kapoor, the Mahatma considered his best book 'and 40 years later he would present it to Jawaharlal Nehru, saying that it contained blueprint for the Indian Republic'. According to biographers, Gandhi was influenced by many western philosophies, adopting things from 'foreign sources' as different as his mother's love for fasting and Tolstoy's religious belief to Ruskin's idea of labour, South Africa's jail code Interestingly, Hind Swaraj disapproved of the Western civilisation to the extent of desiring the 'natural destruction' of the 'railways, telegraphs, hospitals, lawyers, doctors.' Life magazine photographer Margaret Bourke-White recalls how she was once denied permission to photograph Gandhi by one of his secretaries, just because she didn't know how to spin the charkha, which he thought was the 'most delicate, intricate and marvellous instrument'. Now, this worldview is antithesis of everything Nehruvian, which regards industrialisation as a key to India's salvation. Their differences were kept under wraps during the heady days of the freedom struggle, but once Independence was in sight the contradiction came out in the open. Gandhi then became a liability and was mostly ignored by those in the corridors of power. Prof Markand Paranjape exposes this palpable unconcern for the Mahatma in his book, The Death and Afterlife of Mahatma Gandhi, wherein he exposes how the government of the day did little to protect Gandhi despite being aware of the conspiracy to kill him. On the day Gandhi was assassinated, only one assistant sub-inspector, two head constables, and 16 foot constables were deployed to ensure his safety. If analysed closely, Gandhi's was truly the chronicle of a death foretold. Maybe he had outlived his utility, especially in the eyes of the top Congress leaders who were weary of some of his demands - from dissolving the Congress to bending backwards to please Pakistan. With the Congress now in power, the differences between the Gandhi thought and the Nehruvian order were too obvious to ignore. Who knows Gandhi would have started his satyagraha in free India against Nehru and what better a site than the Bhakra Nangal dam? Gandhi, post 98 volumes of the 'Collected Works', hundreds of biographies and one tell-all memoir in My Experiments With Truth, is still in search of his James Boswell. JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, who is at the centre of a raging storm over nationalism versus anti-nationalism, said that he is willing to take responsibility for not stopping the anti-India slogans on the campus but claimed that he was as guilty as the government. 'My responsibility is being fixed but what about the responsibility of home minister who referred to a fake twitter handle,' Kanhaiya said while speaking at the India Today Conclave on Friday. Kanhaiya Kumar, president of the JNU Students' Union during a discussion on 'Campus on Fire : Why Are Students So Angry?' at the India Today Conclave 2016 in New Delhi on March 18 The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president was referring to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh linking the Afzal Guru event to Jaish-e-Mohammed chief on the basis of a fake tweet. 'Responsibility should also be fixed for the police and the administration,' he said. Kanhaiya was part of a fiery debate: 'Campus on fire. Why are students so angry?' The poster for the India Today Conclave event in New Delhi which has hosted a number of debates on the state of the nation He was joined by JNUSU vice-president and Left student leader Shehla Rashid, JNUSU joint secretary Saurabh Sharma and ABVP's Saket Bahuguna. Others on the panel were Vikas Urs, secretary student's association of FTII, and Mahamedha Nagar, vice president Miranda House. Charged with sedition and out on interim bail, Kanhaiya condemned the anti-India sloganeering on university campus on February 9 at an event to mark the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru as he denied being present when the slogans were shouted. Speaking strongly in favour of free speech, Shehla Rashid, first Kashmiri woman to be part of JNU's student body, said dissenting voices should not be muzzled with sedition cases. Speaking about the anti-national debate raging across the country, Kanhaiya said the word 'national' is not used in the Constitution. 'There is no doubt that Kashmir is an integral part of India. And since Kashmiris are Indians, we can always discuss their issues. We are against capital punishment. Even if my ABVP friends are hanged I will oppose it,' he said. The arguments presented by the speakers drew instant reactions from the audience. As Kanhaiya defended his actions stating that he was not present at the event where anti-India slogans were raised, Kanhaiya claims he wasn't there when anti-India slogans were raised in JNU Saurabh Sharma his rival from the students union accused him of shouting slogans like bandook ki nok pe lenge azadi (we will snatch freedom at gunpoint) and of being part of the anti-national movement. 'It is only after being arrested that they are talking about the Constitution,' Sharma said making a fiery onslaught on Kanhaiya and Shehla. Reacting on the charge, Kanhaiya said if there is any proof of him shouting anti-India slogans it should be handed over to the courts. Saket Bahuguna, also representing ABVP, accused the Left student leaders and some faculty members in JNU of supporting Maoists and other separatist movements in the country. Shehla Rashid countered the BJP-affiliated ABVP members on the panel reflecting her experiences as a Kashmiri. 'I don't feel discriminated in JNU. I am only looked at as a political activist not a Kashmiri,' she said. When Kanhiaya was asked if he raised slogans against the Indian Army's alleged atrocities in Kashmir, Kanhaiya was backed by Shehla who said, 'It pains me to say, but it is a fact that there are allegations against the Army of raping women in Kashmir. 'But we are not able to do much about them because of the impunity Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) provides the soldiers.' Umar and Anirban reach JNU Students' Union after bail JNUSU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya walked out of Tihar Jail on Friday, more than three weeks after their arrest on sedition charges in connection with the Afzal Guru event organised in JNU. They were greeted outside the jail by a group of JNU students. Both Umar and Anirban were released from jail number three around 8.30pm , a Tihar Jail official said. After being released, the duo reached JNU campus where they addressed the students. JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar with Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya celebrates later's release at JNU Campus in New Delhi Earlier in the day Umar and Anirban were granted interim bail for six months by a Delhi court on the grounds of parity with JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar. The bail bonds were furnished for Rs 25,000 Professor Rajat Datta and Professor Sangeeta Dasgupta from the centre of Historical studies took the surety for Umar and Anirban respectively. The matter that was heard by a special court judge Reetesh Singh who in the order said that, besides the ground of parity, nothing had been brought on record by the prosecution that could indicate that the two are likely to abscond from the jurisdiction of court. The court noted that keeping in view the allegations against the accused, the question arises as to whether the present accused can claim any parity with co-accused Kanhaiya Kumar who has been granted bail. Referring to the status report filed by Delhi Police before the high court while opposing Kanhaiya's bail plea, the judge said.' The allegations against the present accused (Umar and Anirban) are similar to the allegations made with respect to Kanhaiya in the status report submitted before the high court during consideration of his bail application,' the court said. His life mirrors the script of a Bollywood potboiler. From drug addiction to doing action films, from Khalnayak to Munnabhai, from superstardom to jail, he has been through it all. In his first interview after getting released from Punes Yerawada jail after five long years, actor Sanjay Dutt said at the India Today Conclave 2016 that his freedom has not yet sunk in, because it's not five but 23 years since the case started. Sanjay Dutt opened up about drugs, rehab, jail and what he has learnt from it all It will take time, he said. I saw some policemen back there while coming on stage and got scared, he said. Jail is a place where you are not just physically imprisoned, your mind is also kept locked up. You cant do what you want to do. Even for the smallest thing you have to seek permission, he said. Dutt spoke at length about the pitiable conditions in Indian prisons, which are as they were during the British rule, where inmates have to sit down on the floor when the Superintendent walks by, and where 300 share the space meant for 50. My day would start at 6 am. I would wake up and think about my wife and kids and cry. I was in solitary confinement for security reasons. But over time, I started to exercise and read. They would not give me weights to exercise. They said I would kill myself if they did. So I used bed sheets for isometrics and filled buckets with water to use them as dumbbells, said Dutt, who went in at 110 kg and came out 40 kg lighter. If you want to lose weight you should go to jail, he quipped. The food was terrible, he said. Dutt said he also read the Puranas in jail, and feels he's become a half pandit now. The actor shared insights into what jail life is really like. 'If you want to lose weight, you should go to jail. The food was terrible,' said Sanjay Dutt Talking about the immediate need for jail reforms, Dutt said he got close to some fellow inmates, especially young boys, with whom he spent time discussing scripts for the radio sessions. Speaking from the heart, Dutt spoke about the difficult phase in his life when he got into drugs. He said that back in the day he tried every drug in the prescription. He spoke about the time when he was high on LSD, and imagined a wick on his fathers head while they were talking. To put out the imaginary wick that was melting Sunil Dutt's face, Dutt jumped on to his father! His father wouldnt understand what was happening, as Dutt would be asleep most of the time due to the drugs he was taking. "I would sleep at the dinner table, until I told my father I needed help. Dutt was checked into a rehab in the US. Ive been clean 40 years. Theres no high as the one you get from life. Talking about the day he got weapons into his house (from a producer friend, he said, not naming the person), Dutt said he regretted that day and said hed always taken decisions from his heart. Advising everyone to use 50 per cent of their heart and 50 per cent of their head while making decisions, Dutt said hes become a better human being over the years, but hes also a little clever now. So what else has he learnt from his time in jail? I learnt not to be brash and that it is important to know the law of the land so that you do not commit such mistakes, he said. So what does the future hold? Dutt said he has three films coming up. One with Siddharth Anand, one with Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and another Munnabhai franchise. Dutt said hes also enjoying his time with the kids, Iqra and Shahraan, and attending their school functions. Slowly but surely, bank customers are waking up to the benefits of switching accounts. A recent report confirmed as much, indicating that 2.5million switches have been made since the current account switch service was launched by banks and building societies in 2013 to quicken up the process. Under the services terms, switches should take no longer than seven working days to complete, with all direct debits and incoming payments (salary, for example) moving across seamlessly. Any glitches result in a full refund of interest and charges. Happier customers: It is the challenger banks new and old that are providing the best service A whole raft of new challenger banks have used the freeing up of the current account market to entice customers with the big five banks (Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Santander and Royal Bank of Scotland) to move away. They have been successful. One reason is because of a commitment to customer service, something which the traditional banks constantly fail to deliver on. Fairer Finance, a company set up by former financial journalist James Daley to rank financial providers according to how they treat customers, has just come up with its latest fairness tables for current account providers. The rankings take into account a number of key factors, including how complaints are handled; how trustworthy customers think their bank is; and how happy they are to be with the financial institution. The results confirm that it is the challenger banks new and old that are providing the best service. First Direct leads the way, followed by Cumberland Building Society, Metro Bank, and building societies Nationwide and Norwich & Peterborough. In total, 22 current account providers are analysed. It will not surprise you to learn that the big banks bar Lloyds are to be found in the lower reaches of the league table HSBC (16th), Barclays (17th), Santander (18th), NatWest (19th) and Royal Bank of Scotland (21st). Daley hopes that by publishing the rankings, the renegades will be pressured into upping their game. Anyone looking to switch account should use the table in assessing which institution to turn to. Urgent matter: Pensions Minister Baroness Altmann is being urged to allow women nearing state pension age to access their pension early in return for a lower weekly payment for the duration of their retirement In all the hoo-ha over the implications of last weeks Budget, it is easy to overlook an important report produced by the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee. A report that could determine how women will fare financially in retirement. It relates to changes in state pension age and, in particular, the information void that many women born in the 1950s have suffered from at the hands of the Department for Work and Pensions. Women used to be able to draw their state pension from age 60. But Government changes in 1995 and 2011 have pushed this back. The result is that by 2020, women will not receive a state pension until age 66. Unfortunately, many women were not told about these changes or were informed too late. The result is that they face hardship while waiting for their state pension to kick in. Two weeks ago, The Mail on Sundays star columnist Peter Hitchens highlighted the financially devastating impact of this delay on 61-year-old Kate. With no husband or partner to support her, and with little prospect of getting a job, she has no choice but to batten down the hatches until she is allowed to receive her state pension. The Work and Pensions Committee, chaired by the eminently sensible Frank Field, believes there is a solution for the likes of Kate. It lies in the Government allowing women of her age to access their pension early in return for a lower weekly payment for the duration of their retirement. The proposal would be cost neutral so George Osborne wouldnt get his knickers in a twist. It also makes great sense. Baroness Altmann, Pensions Minister, should consider it as a matter of urgency. Its fair and fairness used to be Altmanns middle name before she became blinded by the bright lights of political power. Last Tuesday, I was due to meet with a representative from the Money Advice Service, launched five years ago by the Government to provide free financial information to the public. It was cancelled at short notice. On Wednesday, I understood why as it was confirmed that MAS was being disbanded as part of an overhaul of all financial guidance services. As well as MAS, there is Pension Wise and The Pensions Advisory Service. Experts are concerned the insurance industry faces too many challenges to be attractive to investors Annual results have boosted the share prices of L&G, Prudential and Standard Life over recent weeks, but some experts are concerned the industry faces too many challenges to be attractive to investors. While the financial crisis brings banking stocks to mind, the insurance industry also faced its fair share of woe in the aftermath of the global meltdown. Between February 2007 and March 2009, Legal & Generals share price collapsed from 1.65 to just 23p. Increased regulation over the insurance industry has also added to costs, while a flood of money from quantitative easing has reduced the returns on the safe-haven assets such as gilts and bonds, which they invest their cash in to make sure they can meet their obligations. Meanwhile, the introduction of pension freedoms last April saw demand for annuities a big part of many insurers business nosedive. On top of that, insurance premium tax was increased from 6 per cent to 9.5 per cent in November, pushing up the cost of policies and making it harder to win customers with cheap deals. IPT will increase again to 10 per cent later this year. But is there light at the end of the tunnel for these firms, or are the headwinds too strong to overcome? Today, L&Gs share price has more than recovered, standing at 238p. Analysts were disappointed with its solvency when it posted its annual report last week but profits up 10 per cent and a dividend hike of 19 per cent were enough to allay many concerns. Earlier this month, Prudential reported strong results with a dividend increase of 5 per cent and a special dividend announced, and in February Standard Life also upped its dividend as it revealed that profits had risen and inflows into its funds had increased. Tom Becket, chief investment officer at Psigma, says: Its a complicated picture for insurers, at the moment. A lot of different factors are pushing and pulling on their businesses all at once. Since the financial crisis, investing in insurers has been seen as an easy way to access the financial sector without taking on the risk of banks. But banks have now faced a lot of their problems and are set to pay dividends again. Meanwhile, with so many challenges, you have to question whether insurers will be able to keep growing their own dividends. Helal Miah, investment research analyst at The Share Centre, likes Prudential. The company has around a third of its business in Asia, where demographics make for good prospects. A flood of money from quantitative easing has reduced the returns on the safe-haven assets such as gilts and bonds, which insurers invest their cash in to make sure they can meet their obligations He says: Populations are rising and ageing, and incomes are increasing, and that means more people start to look at life and insurance products. 'Middle-class Asian consumers will start to think more about how to protect themselves in old age, as we do in the UK and the US. In the UK, the Pru has partnerships with banks, which help its sales. One major negative for the firm, however, has been its asset management arm M&G that saw savers pull almost 11billion out of its funds in 2015. Miah also rates Aviva, which seems to be on a better footing after restructuring and selling some of its poorly performing European business. The company recently acquired smaller firm Friends Life, and its integration has been faster than expected. Investing in individual shares is, of course, risky. Darius McDermott, director at FundCalibre, likes the Polar Capital Global Insurance fund, which invests in around 35 different insurance businesses. Its biggest investments include insurer Chubb, underwriting business Validus and catastrophe reinsurers RenaissanceRe. Some 47 per cent of its cash is in US companies. It has returned 8 per cent over the past 12 months, and 41 per cent over the past three years. McDermott, director at Fund Calibre, says: I like this fund because the managers have an intimate knowledge of the market, having worked in it for the past 17 years. Other funds invest in big insurance firms but do not have all of their money concentrated in a single industry. Impatient: Sir Richard Branson accused MPs of putting their own ambitions ahead of the country Sir Richard Branson has attacked short-sighted politicians for delaying the decision to build a third runway at Heathrow. The founder of Virgin Atlantic accused MPs of putting their own ambitions ahead of the country. In what will be seen as a thinly veiled attack on London mayor Boris Johnson, the billionaire said: Britain and London is being held back massively, and sadly one or two politicians are doing what is right for themselves rather than whats right for the country, in my opinion. 'They should be bold and brave on big infrastructure decisions. His comments could also be seen as a swipe at the candidates seeking to succeed Johnson Conservative Zac Goldsmith and Sadiq Khan for Labour who are both campaigning against Heathrows expansion. The debate over expanding the UKs airport capacity has been a long-running row. Airline bosses and big business have slammed a succession of governments for failing to address the issue of airport expansion. It was hoped the publication last year of the report on the UKs airport capacity by Sir Howard Davies, which recommended building at Heathrow rather than expanding Gatwick, would solve the crisis. The arrests came as Turkish airforce planes continued to bomb outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) hideouts in mountains across the Iraqi border. (Photo: AFP) Ankara: A Turkish court detained five people overnight on suspicion of links to a March 13 suicide bombing in Ankara that killed 35, the Anatolia news agency reported. The arrests came just hours before another suicide attack in a busy Istanbul shopping street, which killed five and wounded 20, the city governor said. It was not immediately clear whether the bomber, who was also killed, was listed among the dead. The five people arrested overnight stand accused of "an attack on Turkish unity and on the Turkish people," Anatolia said, citing an Ankara court, which ordered the detentions. The arrests came as Turkish airforce planes continued to bomb outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) hideouts in mountains across the Iraqi border, an army statement said. The army said 30 planes took part in the bombings, which hit the area around Sinat and Haftanin and Gara. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), a radical Kurdish group with ties to the PKK, claimed responsibility for the March 13 blast. Turkish officials accuse the group of being a front for attacks by the PKK, which is listed as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies and which launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984 targeting greater autonomy for Kurds. The group has support bases inside northern Iraq. Greek entrepreneur, Stelios Haji-Ioannou this week published a letter warning Fastjet could go bust The bitter row between Fastjet and investor Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has exploded into the open and could now end up in court. The Greek entrepreneur, who has a 12.6 per cent stake in the budget airline, this week published a letter warning that the company could go bust. Fastjet hit back yesterday, accusing Haji-Ioannou of 'wholly inappropriate' meddling and threatened to sue him and his investment group EasyGroup over the damage caused. The billionaire responded by accusing the Africa-focused carrier of 'trying to cover the matter in a veil of secrecy'. And in another dramatic development, Tim Ingram, EasyGroup's representative on the Fastjet board, resigned. Fastjet shares fell another 17 per cent or 6.12p to 30.12p yesterday. Referring to Haji-Ioannou's decision to make his concerns about the health of the company public, Fastjet said it 'cannot understand why EasyGroup has published this particular letter without first raising its concerns with the company'. It went on: 'The board considers the publication of this letter as wholly inappropriate and is taking legal advice on the matter. The company holds EasyGroup responsible for any damage caused to the business by the publication of this letter.' The low-cost carrier has struggled after telling investors earlier this month that earnings would be well 'below market expectations' its third profit warning in less than a year and that it would slump into the red. Haji-Ioannou has been unhappy with its performance and Fastjet bowed to shareholder demands calling for the immediate dismissal of chief executive and founder Ed Winter days ago. Winter had announced in January he would step down, but only when a replacement is found. At present the airline is being run by executive chairman Colin Child. Operating from Tanzania and Zimbabwe, Fastjet has been undercutting larger carriers. But it has struggled in the face of tough conditions in Tanzania, where most of its fleet is deployed. Haji-Ioannou is concerned that the company stopped publishing passenger numbers four months ago, which he says could be in breach of its licensing agreement with EasyGroup. The French government is expected to agree the terms for a bailout for EDF this weekend so the energy firm can go ahead and start building the 18 billion nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset. EDF might sell part of its stake in Frances equivalent of the National Grid called RTE to state-owned bank Caisse des Depots et Consignations with EDF keeping at least 51 per cent. A second option is for the French government, which already owns 85 per cent of EDF, to take future dividends in shares rather than cash. This is very likely, according to sources close to the company. On the drawing board: An artist's impression of the EDF nuclear power station at Hinkley Point It is not thought that CGC would take a stake in Hinkley Point as suggested in some quarters since EDF is already majority-owned by the French state. It has been claimed that France might subsidise the price of power generated by EDFs French nuclear operations in the same way that the UKs contracts for difference operate with an agreement for the energy giant to be paid a minimum price for electricity generated however this is seen as unlikely. Under a deal agreed with the British Government, EDF will receive 92.50 per megawatt hour for 35 years for electricity generated from Hinkley Point, which will account for 7 per cent of the UKs electricity. This is almost triple the current wholesale price of electricity though this also includes clean-up and decommissioning costs. The political repercussions of the deal which will see EDF awarded as much as 1 billion a year funded by higher electricity bills has led to a clamour on both sides of the English Channel for the entire deal to be cancelled. However, both the British and the French governments are committed to the deal. Last week EDFs chief executive Jean-Bernard Levy wrote to staff to tell them he would not go ahead with the project without more help from the French state. The letter is likely to have been agreed with the French government and is seen as an attempt to placate French unions which are against Hinkley Point because of job fears. EDF employs 220,000 people in France but is facing a huge bill to replace ageing nuclear power plants there in 15 years. There have been reports that the French government may inject cash into EDF through French bank BNP Paribas. The bank has declined to comment. A married South Carolina police officer and decorated army war veteran was shot and killed on Friday by a suspect who later killed himself, police said. Police said Greenville Officer Allen Lee Jacobs was with several officers who were trying to conduct a field interview with Deontea Perry Mackey, identified as a self-admitted gang member, at 12.20pm. Greenville Police Chief Ken Miller told a news conference that 17-year-old Mackey saw the officers, ran from them and opened fire, hitting Jacobs multiple times. Police said Greenville Police Officer Allen Lee Jacobs, 28, (left) was fatally shot by suspect Deontea Perry Mackey, 17, (right) on Friday in South Carolina during a foot chase, police said Officers patrolling the Nicholtown Community had seen Mackey and wanted to speak with him about a weapon, according to Greenville Online. Miller told a news conference that shortly after the officers approached Mackey, he ran from them towards the Swamp Rabbit Trail and a foot chase ensued. As Jacobs rounded a corner, Mackey opened fire, hitting the 28-year-old officer several times, according to Miller. Jacobs was reportedly wearing a bullet-proof vest and his weapon was still holstered. Police said at this time it is believed none of the officers returned fire. Miller said Jacobs, a four-and-a-half-year veteran of the police department, was transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital with life-threatening injuries where he was pronounced dead. 'Our officers who were here on the scene and to assist performed CPR on our officer and the CPR was unsuccessful,' Miller said. Police said Jacobs was with several officers who were trying to conduct a field interview with Mackey, identified as a self-admitted gang member, at 12.20pm on Friday before a foot chase ensued (scene pictured) As Jacobs rounded a corner, Mackey opened fire, hitting the officer several times, according to police According to Miller, Mackey called his mother before he fatally shot himself near the Swamp Rabbit Trail as officers closed in on him. The chief said two officers witnessed that shooting. Miller refused to identify the gang Mackey was a member of and only stated the gang is 'known and established' in the community, according to Greenville Online. Jacobs was married and the father of two young boys, according to police. His wife is pregnant with the couple's third child, a baby girl, due to be born in July. Before he joined the police department in August 2011, he served in the United States Army and was a decorated Iraq war veteran. He received several medals and commendations for his service. Last August, he was promoted to the rank of Police Officer III and in addition to serving on the Community Response Team he also served as a member of the S.W.A.T. team. 'When you lose an officer the community loses an officer,' Miller said. A fund has since been setup at a TD bank to help the family of Officer Jacobs 'I have come to know this officer and his work ethic and have found him to be an extraordinary person and officer and contributed to the police mission. 'He was as dedicated as anyone could be dedicated.' A fund has since been setup at a TD bank to help the family of Officer Jacobs. Greenville police said donations can be made at any branch by specifying that it is for Officer Allen Jacobs' family. The pair along with a team of Syrian vigilantes then led the alleged paedophile to officers Sedo, a Kurdish tailor from Aleppo, said: People wanted to kill him but we needed to let the police take care of this Advertisement The Syrian have-a-go heroes who frogmarched a suspected paedophile to police in the squalid Idomeni migrant camp have told MailOnline how they took action after hearing the screams of a seven-year-old girl he is accused of trying to rape. The men rushed to secluded woodland behind a row of temporary toilets as the girls father shouted hes trying to rape my daughter. They got there to find the Afghan refugee with the girl in a state of undress. Scroll down for video Dldar Sedo (left), 24, and Mohammed Al-Mulhem (right), 26, both from Syria, detained a man and took him to the police over the alleged sexual assault of a seven-year-old at the Idomeni camp in northern Greece The pair tried to keep him out of reach from the baying mob as they 'wanted the police to deal with it' Mr Al-Mulhem and Mr Sedo (both circled) led the alleged rapist, believed to be from Afghanistan, to the police The have-a-go heroes who saved the seven-year-old girl (from left): Mr Sedo, Mr Al-Ahmad and Mr Al-Mulhem First on the scene was Bashar Al-Ali, 29, a chef from Deir ez-Zuor, Syria, who was sitting drinking coffee outside a makeshift cafe when he saw the alleged paedophile leading a seven-year-old girl by the hand. The Afghan man took her behind the toilets and then she started to scream, he told MailOnline. I ran over and saw that he was trying to remove her T-shirt and trousers. I grabbed him and started kicking him. Dldar Sedo, 24, a Kurdish tailor from Aleppo, added: We all heard the screams. People wanted to kill him but we said no, its not our job to kill him. We are in a civilised country and we need to let the police take care of this. I felt angry because the girl was my nationality, added father-of-one Mohammed Al-Mulhem, 26, from ISIS-infested Deir ez-Zuor in Syria. I travelled from Syria with a group of friends and relatives, and Im always the man who protects them. We didnt let anyone beat him or kick him. Mr Sedo, pictured with Mohammed Al-Ahmad, 19, from Syria (both circled), heard a father shout hes trying to rape my daughter and rushed to help Mr Al-Mulhem and Mr Sedo were supported by a group of Syrian vigilantes living in a nearby abandoned building (pictured), who keep watch in five-man teams 24-hours-a-day to protect the community from violence The men, who sleep 10 to a room, have formed a neighbourhood watch under the command of Ali Sheikh, 35, a bus driver known as the Boss Abdul Mohammed, 26 (centre) from Syria, with friends, was part of the vigilante gang who helped detain the alleged assailant In a sequence of extraordinary photographs, Mr Sedo and Mr Al-Mulhem can be seen leading efforts to bring the alleged paedophile to justice as they kept him out of reach of the baying mob after Thursdays incident. They are pictured working together to lead the man a mile through the camp, while other migrants attempt to beat him, and into the hands of the Greek police. Speaking for the first time to MailOnline, Mr Sedo said: To tell you the truth, we didnt see it happen. We couldnt be sure whether it was a real crime or if it was invented by her father to get revenge on someone, for example. Mr Sheikh, pictured, told MailOnline he organised a team 'because there are no police in Idomeni to look after the refugees' So we took control and protected the man from being beaten up, but at the same time we didnt let him go. We wanted the police to deal with it. The incident happened behind a block of temporary toilets in the south of the camp, near where the friends tents are pitched. The pair was supported by a group of Syrian vigilantes living in a nearby abandoned building, who keep watch in five-man teams 24-hours-a-day to protect the community from violence. The men, who sleep 10 to a room, have formed a neighbourhood watch under the command of Ali Sheikh, 35, a bus driver known as the Boss. When they heard the shouts and screams nearby, they instinctively rushed to help. Witness Bashar Al Ali, 29, a chef from Deir ez-Zuor, Syria, pictured where the alleged rape took place Pictured: The toilets, behind where the alleged assault took place. 'The Afghan man took her behind the toilets and then she started to scream, Mr Al Ali told MailOnline This is the first serious problem weve had, Mr Sheikh told MailOnline. But this is why I have organised them into a team, because there is no police in Idomeni to look after the refugees, only to stop us crossing the border. Abdul Mohammad, 26, a member of the vigilante team, said: We saw people running over there from all over, so we got up and ran with them. 'The girl wasnt saying anything, she was just crying. The man was saying again and again, it wasnt me, it wasnt me, and trying to get away. We knew that if we didnt take him to the police, hed do it again and again. We are like a police force between friends. We will be watching even more carefully from now on. He deserved to be kicked. He deserved to have his legs broken. Otherwise he will do it again and people will think its OK to behave however you want in Idomeni Mohammad Al-Ahmad, 19 Mohammad, 27, a DJ specialising in American country music and traditional folk songs from Chefchaouen in northern Morocco, was next to arrive. I was dozing in the abandoned house when I heard screams, he told MailOnline. It was the sound of a girl crying. At first I thought it was a father beating a child but then I realised it was something serious. I shouted to my friends and ran towards the noise. 'When I saw what was going on, I grabbed the attacker to stop him from running away. As the commotion started to attract attention, the crowd became more and more violent. Syrian Mohammad Al-Ahmad, 19, was one of those who believed the man deserved a beating. He was Afghan and we are Syrian, so that made me really angry, he told MailOnline. He deserved to be kicked. He deserved to have his legs broken. Otherwise he will do it again and people will think its OK to behave however you want in Idomeni. That was when Mr Sedo and Mr Al-Mulhem arrived, in response to the girls fathers calls for help. There followed a few minutes of tension when the alleged paedophiles fellow Afghans appeared on the scene and tried to defend him from the Syrians. There have been many fights between Afghans and Syrians, said Mr Sedo, whose wife is three months pregnant with their first child. Mohammad (centre), 27, from Chefchaouen in northern Morocco, said he was 'dozing' in a house but heard screams and 'grabbed the attacker to stop him running away' Humanitarian workers have described the conditions at the Idomeni camp as 'desperate', which has been made much worse by recent spells of heavy rain There was going to be serious trouble, so we took control and explained what was going on. When the Afghans understood that this guy was a suspected paedophile, they let us take him to the police. Advertisement The Queens incredible bond with her great-grandchildren Prince George and Princess Charlotte has been revealed by the Duchess of Cambridge in her first ever solo interview. Kate said the Queen was really thrilled when told the newest member of the Royal Family was a little girl and baby Charlottes older brother, two-year-old George, affectionately calls his great-grandmother Gan-Gan, the Duchess said in a landmark interview to mark the Queens 90th birthday next month. The Queen leaves little gifts for the young Cambridge siblings whenever they come to stay, Kate added in an interview for a two-hour portrait of Her Majesty to be broadcast on ITV on Easter Sunday. Scroll down for video 'She's the Queen to us but to George she's Gan-Gan': Her majesty the Queen with Charles, William, Kate and George and Harry at last years Trooping the Colour A candid new documentary featuring more royals than ever before reveals some never before seen insights into the Queen's life as she reaches her 90th birthday. The Duchess of Cambridge reveals that her son Prince George calls the Queen Gan-Gan Our Queen At Ninety, is an historic two-hour ITV documentary which will be broadcast for the first time on Easter Sunday. The fascinating programme includes contributions from more members of the Royal Family than any royal documentary ever made. In it, the Duchess reveals that two-year-old Prince George has a special name for his great-grandmother. He calls her Gan-Gan, she says, adding that Gan-Gan is particularly attentive whenever the younger Cambridges are staying with her. She always leaves a little gift or something in their room when we stay. And that just shows, I think, her love for her family. Monarchy has always been a family concern and in May 2015 the Queen's fourth greatgrandchild was born - Charlotte, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The Duchess also explains how excited the Queen was by the arrival of Princess Charlotte. Its very special having a new little girl. I feel very, very lucky that George has got a little sister. 'The Queen was really thrilled that it was a little girl and I think as soon as we came back here, to Kensington, she was one of our first visitors. The Queen exerts a subtle but steady influence as she trains a new royal generation the third time she has done so in her long reign said the makers of the film, including the Mails Robert Hardman, who between them interviewed 11 members of the Royal Family. The Queen joins the rest of the Royal Family - including a distracted Prince George - outside the church after Princess Charlotte's christening In her first solo interview, the Duchess says that the Queen gave her gentle guidance towards being in the public eye after she married William The Queen's sense of humour shines through in the documentary, seen here making the Duchess Of Cambridge laugh If royal duties are challenging for those who grew up in the fold, the Queen understands that its harder still for those who are new to walkabouts and state occasions. One person with fresh memories of all that is the newest recruit to the royal frontline. I think there is a real art to walkabouts, says the Duchess of Cambridge, smiling as she adds, Everyone teases me in the family that I spend far too long chatting. So Ive still got to learn a little bit more and pick up a few more tips. The Duchess explained how the Queen has gone out of her way to help her adjust to life in the family spotlight since she married Prince William in 2011. Shes been very generous, she says. I feel shes been a gentle guidance really for me. One day still sticks out in the Duchesss mind 8 March, 2012. It was Day One of the Queens Diamond Jubilee tour of the United Kingdom. And the Duchess was minus her husband on duty with the RAF in the Falkland Islands as she joined the Queen and Prince Philip in the East Midlands. The most memorable engagement for me, I suppose, was an away-day to Leicester. I went without William so I was rather apprehensive about that, says the Duchess, in conversation with the director of the programme at Kensington Palace. While describing herself as a very small element in such an important day for the Queen, the Duchess says that the Queen was very supportive. The fact she took the time to make sure that I was happy and looked after me shows just how caring she is. Our Queen At Ninety airs on Easter Sunday, 27 March, at 8pm on ITV. Advertisement The Queen has been an inspiration to people across the world and in a new documentary, viewers will see how she has also guided and encouraged not just a nation, but successive royal generations. In a series of poignant interviews in the film Our Queen At Ninety, several members of the Royal family have given candid interviews about Her Majesty, offering an insight into her work and the remarkable story of her life. Her grandchildren have also opened up not only about their grandmother, but also the Duke of Edinburgh, who Princess Eugenie describes as 'incredible'. Scroll down for video Princess Eugenie of York: The Princess said: I think Grandpa is incredible. He is strong and consistent. Hes been there all these years, and I think hes the rock for all of us' The Duke's marriage to the Queen is the longest of any British sovereign. Pictured, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Balmoral in 1972 The Duke's marriage to the Queen is the longest of any British sovereign. Princess Eugenie said: I think Grandpa is incredible. He is strong and consistent. Hes been there all these years, and I think hes the rock for all of us. Meanwhile summer at Balmoral, in the Scottish Highlands, is a place as dear to the Royal family as anywhere on Earth. As the Queen once explained, Balmoral is a place for hibernating, and for truly being herself. On the joys of Balmoral, Princess Eugenie said: Its the most beautiful place on earth. I think Granny is the most happy there. I think she really, really loves the Highlands. Why? Walks, picnics, dogs a lot of dogs, theres always dogs and people coming in and out all the time. Its a lovely base for Granny and Grandpa, for us to come and see them up there; where you just have room to breathe and run. Summer at Balmoral, in the Scottish Highlands, is a place as dear to the Royal family as anywhere on Earth, Here, Baby Prince Andrew perches on Prince Philip's lap during a picnic on the grounds of Balmoral Castle. Looking on are Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, and Princess Anne The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Princess Anne at Balmoral Castle during the Royal Family's annual summer holiday in August 1972 Like the Queen, all the family love the fun and drama of the local Highland Games, the Braemar Gathering. The Queen feels a deep sense of belonging in the Highlands, a place where the locals are not just neighbours, but where many are old friends. The Duke of York is always tickled by the way in which the Queen seems to know more about whats happening on Deeside than anyone else. Her intelligence network of whos done what, whats happened, whos ill, whos died, whos had a birth is extraordinary, he laughs. How she finds out is a mystery. Prince Charles, the longest-serving heir to the throne in history, told the programme: I was saying to my mother the other day, Do you realise that when you reach 90, I shall have known you for 68 years. 'She had to laugh a little bit. He added: When you think that all these years the Queen has been on throne, that in itself is a huge achievement, coping with so many different challenges and complications and always being there really in that remarkable way steadfast. The makers of the film, including the Mails Robert Hardman, between them interviewed 11 members of the Royal Family. Our Queen At Ninety airs on Easter Sunday, 27 March, at 8pm on ITV. In a series of poignant interviews in the film Our Queen At Ninety, several members of the Royal family have given candid interviews about Her Majesty, offering an insight into her work and the remarkable story of her life. Left, Princess Beatrice of York and right, The Duke of York Last week in Washington, I met an old friend who is one of the smartest strategy wonks I know. His business is crystal ball-gazing. During our conversation, he offered some speculations about what could happen to our world over the next decade or two which made my hair stand on end. He predicts that the seismic turbulence in the Middle East will continue, and indeed worsen, unless or until the West is willing to commit stabilisation forces to the region. He calculates that an army of the order of magnitude of 450,000 men would be necessary, to have any chance of success. As mass migration pressures on Europe grow, a Washington think-tank predicts that it will take an army of 450,000 to have any chance of ending the seismic turbulence in the Middle East. Riot police stand guard in front of a migrant reception centre in Roszke, Hungary, September 2015 Claimed that war within our continent is not impossible before the middle of the century. Migrants warming on a fire beside railroad tracks in the Idomeni refugee camp at the Greek-Macedonia border on March 18 In the absence of such an effort for which he admits the political will does not exist on either side of the Atlantic, and is unlikely to do so in the future he believes that the tidal wave of migration to Europe from the Middle East and Africa will continue, with consequences much greater and graver than any national leader has yet acknowledged. He suggested that war within our continent is not impossible before the middle of the century, as southern European nations are swamped by incomers, and Greece stands first in line to become a failed state. We can defer for a moment the question of whether my friends most frightening scenarios are likely to be fulfilled. What was sobering about our conversation is that here was an uncommonly well-informed man who believes that the earthquakes shaking the Middle East, together with the scale of economic migration from Africa, could undo all our comfortable assumptions about the stability of the society in which we live, including our confidence that Europe has turned its back on war for ever. The most obvious lesson of history is that events and threats always take us by surprise. Consider the shocks we have experienced in modern times. Almost nobody expected the Irish Troubles; the Argentine invasion of the Falklands; the collapse of the Soviet Union; the dramatic rise of Muslim extremism; the 9/11 attacks in New York and 7/7 bombings in London; the global banking disaster of 2007-8; the break up of the Middle East that began with the 2003 Iraq invasion. I never cease to be amazed by the continuing willingness of institutions all over the world to pay fat fees for speeches from the American academic Francis Fukuyama, who in 1992 published a ridiculous best-seller entitled The End Of History, which proclaimed that liberal democracy and free-market capitalism were now triumphant and unassailable, having shown their superiority to all alternatives. The most obvious lesson of history is that events and threats always take us by surprise. A refugee (centre) is hit with a belt by a man as he is dragged by fellow refugees to the police, accusing him of abusing a young girl, at a makeshift camp at the Greek-Macedonian border near the village of Idomeni, Refugees react during a protest asking for the opening of borders at a makeshift camp at the Greek-Macedonian border near the village of Idomeni, Greece, March 18 Tens of millions of people in Africa, too, aspire to move to Europe in search of a better life, and huge numbers are already crossing the Mediterranean via Libya, Algeria and Tunisia Everything that has happened since shows that Fukuyama was as wrong as could be. Across large swathes of the globe, authoritarian regimes flourish like the green bay tree. Democracy has never looked rockier, even in the United States. My think-tank friend in Washington observed last week: Democracy only works where there is a broad consensus about the distribution of wealth and power. And it is because this consensus faces unprecedented stresses in consequence of migration in Europe, that he believes some factions may resort to violence, even outright war. It seems foolish to dismiss this warning out of hand. The threat posed by mass population movement is huge and intractable, and it is hard to have much faith in the deal struck yesterday between the EU and Turkey which seeks to halt the huge numbers reaching the shores of Greece. What it will actually mean is that 77 million Turks will have the right to travel all the way to Calais unhindered should they so wish. Tens of millions of people in Africa, too, aspire to move to Europe in search of a better life, and huge numbers are already crossing the Mediterranean via Libya, Algeria and Tunisia. The entire Middle East is in a ferment, and it is impossible to see any reason why peace should be restored any time soon. This week, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russias forces are beginning to withdraw from Syria, where their aircraft have been conducting a murderous bombing campaign against rebels fighting the Kremlins client, President Bashir Assad. The entire Middle East is in a ferment, and it is impossible to see any reason why peace should be restored any time soon There are signs that the Kurds and Iraqis are making headway in the struggle against Islamic State which, sooner or later, will probably collapse. Children play on a pile of gravel at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, March 18 Western governments are pondering the implications of this surprise move. British analysts think Putin judges that his air strikes have put Assad in a position to negotiate from relative strength. Yet whether he stays in power or goes, it is hard to believe that Syria will again function as a single state. Most likely it will fragment as Libya has fragmented, with rival factions continuing to contest territory. There are no good guys in Syria, which makes it hard to anticipate an end to the violence which has driven millions to quit their homes. There are signs that the Kurds and Iraqis are making headway in the struggle against Islamic State which, sooner or later, will probably collapse. Yet such is the fervour of Muslim extremism across the region that some successor movement is sure to arise, with terrorist branches making mayhem in the West. For their part, the U.S. and European governments are doing their best to avert a military showdown between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Max Hastings Meanwhile, the Saudis and Iranians are fiercely fighting each other through proxy forces in Yemen, while Turkeys stability is under threat from millions of Syrian refugees on its soil, from Kurdish separatist violence, and from the erratic governance of its own despotic leader, President Erdogan. Arguably the most sinister symptom of this vast regions troubles is the flight of money. I attended a bankers meeting this week at which much of the gossip was about the desperate flight of the rich, together with their money, from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and in lesser degree the UAE. Many of those able to liquidate assets and move them to Europe or America are doing so. They fear for the stability of local regimes, and also anticipate more inter-state wars. Strife will continue, and spread across the Middle East. There is no single, over-arching course of action open to the U.S. or Nato governments that can resolve this alarming state of affairs. It can only be addressed piecemeal, through local diplomatic initiatives and modest military assistance. For instance, though the West cannot promise the Kurds the independent state they crave in northern Iraq, it can at least provide them with sufficient military aid to resist ISIS, while at the same time seeking to persuade the Turks to stop bombing Kurdish forces. For their part, the U.S. and European governments are doing their best to avert a military showdown between Iran and Saudi Arabia. They must also face up to the need to bargain with Russia for a dirty deal that will at least curb the violence in Syria, and drive back the forces of ISIS, even if the odious Assad continues for a time to crow on his dunghill. Strife will continue, and spread across the Middle East. Migrants are escorted by police through fields towards a holding camp in the village of Dobova on October 26, 2015 in Rigonce, Slovenia The people on these odysseys are driven by motivations and passions more intense than most of us can imagine None of this amounts to a solution, which does not exist, but it may at least help to contain the chain of crises. We should recognise that the old state borders of most of the embattled countries, notably including Iraq and Libya, are almost certainly defunct. They will fragment into statelets dominated by the local tribe or warlord. Moreover, it is hard to see any course of action that can stem the flow of migrants to the West, the foremost concern for most of the people who inhabit our continent. Only a proportion of the incomers are fleeing from the immediate consequences of violence. A far larger number, according to every survey conducted in Europe, come from places where there is no war. They simply seek better lives. Mass migration now poses the gravest threat to Europes stability and tranquillity since the end of the Cold War, and arguably since 1945. Max Hastings The physical difficulties of preventing them from coming are immense. When they are plucked from sinking boats in the Mediterranean, human rights law and the cynical attitude of North African governments make it almost impossible to return them to their ports of embarkation. The people on these odysseys are driven by motivations and passions more intense than most of us can imagine. They see our societies offering a wealth and security unimaginable in their homelands. They embrace the most desperate dangers to reach our shores. At present, the governments of Europe have no credible and coherent policies for checking or halting the flood, beyond creating some frail fences on the Eastern margins. Mass migration now poses the gravest threat to Europes stability and tranquillity since the end of the Cold War, and arguably since 1945. Unless it is checked, over the coming decades it promises to change the character and make-up of all our societies on a scale to make past immigration seem trivial. One policy to which David Camerons government is rightly committed is to work to ameliorate the conditions of refugees and economic migrants in their own countries, or at least nearby. Britain is a generous donor to the UNs international refugee programmes. It would be naive to imagine that aid alone can stem the migration tide, but it can help. Mass migration now poses the gravest threat to Europes stability and tranquillity since the end of the Cold War, and arguably since 1945. Migrants sit on a rescue boat during a rescue operation of migrants by Italian Navy vessels in this March 18 Those of us bitterly critical of Camerons insistence on ring-fencing the foreign aid budget might feel better if our money was directed squarely and explicitly to countries from which the principal refugee flow is coming, both in Africa and the Middle East. Of course, the West cannot aspire to enable Nigerians, Ethiopians or Afghans to enjoy the standard of living that exists in west London. But we must do everything in our power to diminish the incentives for migration. Fences and border controls at Calais will not suffice. None of the answers is easy. This crisis can only grow in the months and years ahead. Leaving the EU may well help Britain to control its borders, but will not alone solve this historic problem. The principal charge against Europes leaders today is that none of them, including David Cameron, has begun to come clean with us about the enormity of the challenge. Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared a towering figure until August, when she made her disastrous unilateral commitment to open her countrys doors. None of the answers is easy. This crisis can only grow in the months and years ahead. Leaving the EU may well help Britain to control its borders, but will not alone solve this historic problem We must do everything in our power to diminish the incentives for migration. Fences and border controls at Calais will not suffice Today some EU members, especially in the east, are striving to reverse the consequences of this policy, and to stem the flow. They are achieving only limited success: it is frightening to behold the numbers of newcomers pouring into Greece and Italy. I have no doubt that after reading all this, a spokesman for the compassion industry would demand: where is your human sympathy for the millions suffering terribly in their own societies? Fair enough. My words sound harsh. But I would in turn ask that spokesman: where should human sympathy stop? We are witnessing the beginning and it is only the beginning of a game-changing shift of populations, which if it continues unchecked will over the next half-century change all our societies for ever. But the men say they would be willing to meet again In it, he meets Black Lives Matter activists who disapprove of his methods Chicago blues musician Daryl Davis claims to have convinced 25 members of the Ku Klux Klan to leave the racist organization with little more than friendly conversation. But, as seen in the new documentary Accidental Courtesy, which made its world premier at SXSW festival this week, he doesn't have quite the same rapport with some members of the Black Lives Matter movement. The film follows Davis and his associates - some of whom appear clothed in KKK robes and hats - as he talks about his mission to win over entrenched racists. 'I try to bring out the humanity in people,' he told The Daily Beast on Wednesday. 'We all are human beings at the end of the day.' Scroll down for video Odd friends: Daryl Davis (left) has been meeting and befriending members of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups since 1983, when he bonded with a Klansman in a bar over the muisic of Jerry Lee Lewis Friendship: Davis, seen here hugging a Klansman in ceremonial robes, claims to have persuaded 25 people to leave the KKK In 1983, Davis was had just finished a Country and Western set in an all-white lounge when a white man approached and said that he'd never seen a black man play as well as Jerry Lee Lewis before. Davis told the man he used to be friends with Lewis, and that the white star had been taught by black musicians. 'He was fascinated,' Davis told Guardian Liberty Voice, 'but he didnt believe me. Then, he told me he was a Klansman.' The two struck up an unlikely friendship that led to the man leaving the Klan - and giving Davis the contact information for Roger Kelly, an 'Imperial Wizard' and the KKK's leader in Maryland. Davis then met up with Kelly and began a friendship that ultimately saw leaving the Klan too. Kelly gave Davis his Klan robes when he quit the group - one of around 20 that Davis has kept to this day, and a testament to his outreach program. 'Youre going to be on one side, somebodys going to be on the other side,' Davis told an audience at an SXSW screening, The Daily Beast reported. 'Invite those people to the table. Sit down and talk. Because when two enemies are talking, theyre not fighting. 'They may be yelling and screaming or pounding the table, but at least theyre talking, theyre not fighting.' Gift: Many of the ex-Klansmen give their robes to Davis upon leaving the group, as an acknowledgement of the journey he took them on Film: A new film, Accidental Courtesy, follows Davis as he meets with former and present members of the KKK and other white supremacist groups, disarming them with polite conversation Accidental Courtesy features a number of interviews between Davis and both former and current members of white supremacist groups, as he challenges them with measured questioning and genial conversation. At one point in the film, white separatist and National Socialist Movement chairman Jeff Schoep bonds with Davis over the origins of rock 'n' roll and peanut butter. So it's a surprise that the most heated moment in the film comes when Davis sits down to talk with two members of the Black Lives Matter movement who object to his methods. Kwame Rose, a college dropout whose impassioned takedown of Geraldo Rivera and Fox News went viral last year, and Tariq Toure, a poet and activist, met up with Davis for the documentary in a Baltimore bar. But things descended into name-calling during the heated debate, wrote The Daily Beast, when the duo questioned why Davis put so much effort into converting white people away from racist groups and - they said - less effort into directly improving the situation for black people. 'What does that do for people?' Rose says in the film. 'Infiltrating the Klan aint freeing your people. 'Befriending a white person who doesnt have to go through the struggles of you, me thats not an accomplishment. Thats a new friend. Thats somebody you can call.' 'And this is coming from a dropout,' Davis replies cattily. Rose counters that Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were dropouts who were successful; Davies says the same is true of Monica Lewinsky, and adds: 'Maybe you could give Obama a b****** and make a lot of money too.' At that point the pair leave Davies, and Black Lives Matter organizer JC Faulk steps in to complain about his tone. 'Just like the young man said to you, you could have done a whole lot more work in the black community from the '90s to now to move our people forward rather than coming in here trying to uplift somebody because you got a hood off of their head,' he says. 'I dont give a s*** about you, or your KKK hoods! Dont come to Baltimore doing this s*** again. Dont come back here.' Objections: Kwame Rose (pictured, center, being arrested for protesting in Baltimore in September 2015), a Black Lives Matter activist, objects to Davis's methods, saying he doesn't help black people directly Insults: Davis, who has collected fascist memorabilia from his ex-Klan friends, says that Rose is 'stupid,' while Rose says that Davis 'tries to mask his blackness by befriending white supremacists' Davies told an SXSW audience that the three men, and an unnamed fourth person, returned to the scene to fight him - although this footage was not shown in the film. 'Its when the talking ceases that the ground becomes fertile for violence. You saw the violence almost erupt when the talking ceased,' he said, according to The Daily Beast. 'We got a little loud, sure. The film did not show you that [the Black Lives Matter activists] came over to the table and it almost erupted in a fisticuffs... I didnt want to stand up because I didnt want to fight.' In a Q&A session, several audience members complained that Davis was more courteous towards the Klan members than he was with Rose and Toure. 'You only saw a snippet of what went on that day,' he told them, and went on to refer to Rose as outright 'stupid,' when compared with the merely 'ignorant' Klansman. 'For me, an ignorant person is someone who makes the wrong decision or a bad choice because he or she does not have the proper facts... A stupid person is someone who has the facts, who has the proper information, and still makes the wrong decision. The facts were not coming out of [Rose's] mouth.' Speaking to The Daily Beast after the screening, Davis defended his remarks, likening Rose and Toure's reaction to the way the Mafia and the Klan punish those who 'turn on their group.' 'Kwame Rose feels that I sold out my own race, he said. 'Not that he would kill me. Hes not the Mafia! But he feels that Im a race traitor.' He added that they called him 'all kinds of names,' including Uncle Tom. 'They could not see any value to what I was doing, which is fine,' he added. 'We all want the same thing, ultimately. But the only use for white people that [Rose] has is for those white people that would help him further his cause, or the black cause. I have use for everybody.' Independence: Rose, seen here being arrested for protesting again in December 2015, says that he wants to build 'independent black institutions that operate outside the confines of white supremacy' Systems: Davis said that 'the system... was created by white supremacists. It was created by men... So you have to change the minds of men... That's what Im working on' Rose, who has been arrested while protesting in Baltimore on multiple occasions, told The Daily Beast that the conversation was 'portrayed accurately' in the film. However, he said, that he didn't think others were as fully 'woke' - a term meaning aware of social issues and injustices - as himself, implying that Davis was one such person. 'I dont think Daryl has internalized his blackness, how he fits into society as a black man fully, or what that means,' he said. 'I think how he tries to mask his blackness is by befriending white supremacists and getting them to adapt to this idea that were one human race.' 'Im not a black supremacist,' he added, denying claims that Davis had made. 'I dont believe that the black race is better than any race. I dont think well ever have an independent black nation in this world. 'But there is nothing wrong with building independent black institutions that operate outside of the confines of white supremacy, that address the needs of black people in this country.' Davis told The Daily Beast that Rose misunderstood his intentions with approaching Klansmen. 'He accused me of not working to change the system, the system of white supremacy, the system that oppresses black people,' he said. 'So my comeback to that is, look: The system didnt disappear. It was created by white supremacists. It was created by men. 'So you have to change the minds of men. Theyre the ones who have to change the system. You change those minds. That's what Im working on.' Both both Rose and Davis have expressed a willingness to meet again, and Davis says such conversations are essential to his work: 'Its hard to come together [with other races],' he said, 'when I cant come together with my own.' A father has slammed budget airline Jetstar for charging $390 to get his family home after an encounter with a stonefish left his seven-year-old daughter in hospital and unable to catch her flight. Chris Mawn and his family were due to fly back to Sydney from Queensland's Sunshine Coast on January 19, when his daughter Gracie was hospitalised after stepping on the venomous fish at Golden Beach. Mr Mawn told Daily Mail Australia he flew home with his son while his wife stayed with their daughter in Caloundra Hospital. 'Gracie screamed with pain and then quickly became faint and unresponsive and lost all her colour. We quickly realised it was likely a stonefish or similar sting,' Mr Mawn said. Gracie, 7, pictured in hospital after being stung by a stonefish at Golden Beach in northern Queensland The sea creature Gracie was stung by: Stonefish are the most venomous of all fishes. They are found throughout shallow coastal waters of the northern half of Australia Before flying back home with his son, Mr Mawn returned to his friend Jose's house to reschedule their flights for the next day after a Jetstar employee told him over the phone that the $550 cost of rescheduling the two flights would be refunded on 'compassionate grounds'. Despite promising to refund the fees if supplied a letter from the hospital, which Mr Mawn did, a few weeks later he received an email saying he would only be refunded $160. The airline has since refused to refund the entire amount in an email that said, 'While I understand that you're requesting a refund of the full amount, I'm afraid that this is not a situation where we can assist.' The family originally spent about $900 on the four return flights. They were then hit with a second fee of $550 for just two people one-way. 'It just seems deeply uncompassionate and almost looking to monetise the situation,' Mr Mawn said. 'I feel as though they don't represent the compassion and caring nature of other Australian organisations.' Chris Mawn's has slammed budget airline Jetstar for charging $390 to get his family home In happier times: Gracie, 7, was unable to catch her flight home after being hospitalised for a stonefish sting Gracie (pictured) in a wheelchair after being admitted from hospital following her Stonefish encounter He said he didn't understand why the airline had not explained that booking two new fares would have cost substantially less, about $80 each. Mr Mawn said he felt that Jetstar was not clear with what was refunded. 'They suggested all $550 would be refunded. If we knew this wasn't the case, we would have just booked with another airline or even with Jetstar online and paid only $80 or so dollars each ($160).' 'This would have been cheaper, but they told us as long as we had a letter we would get our money back.' Chris Mawn and his family ride a boat on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland Mr Mawn said he will never be travelling with Jetstar again after the incident. 'They are just interested in making money off a bad situation, where it would have been zero to little cost to Jetstar,' he said. 'I asked them to justify or itemise the costs but are refusing to do so. The customer relations team also take weeks to respond.' Gracie and her family playing in the sand at Golden Beach before she was stung by a stonefish A warning sign for stonefish in Shark Bay, Western Australia Jetstar later defended its handling of the case. 'We understand some passengers may need to change their flights and have a compassionate policy which applies to a range of scenarios,' a spokeswoman said. 'In this case, on their initial call our team advised the customers they would be provided with a refund of the change fee applied to their new booking if they provided a doctor's certificate.' Mr Mawn said the hospital staff acknowledged there had been a number of Stonefish stings in recent weeks. Notorious Melbourne underworld figure Mick Gatto is stepping in to mediate a dispute between a major bank and dissatisfied franchisees. Gatto, 60, is negotiating on behalf of a number of former Bank of Queensland (BoQ) franchisees who say they were kicked out of their branches and unfairly compensated. Former BoQ franchisee Sean Van Cuylenberg enlisted the help of Gatto Corporate Solutions when he was edged out of one of his two franchisees in Melbourne's east in 2014, the ABC reported. Melbourne underworld figure Mick Gatto is stepping in to mediate a dispute between dissatisfied former franchisees from the Bank of Queensland The former BoQ franchisees say their branches were unfairly closed down and they were not given appropriate compensation Debt collecting and mediation company Gatto Corporate Solutions have stepped in to negotiate on behalf of a number of former franchisees. Pictured is Gatto with an associate after he was acquitted of murder in 2005 The debt collecting company, run by Gatto and associate Anthony Swords, bought out a share of Mr Van Cuylenberg's second branch last year to work their way into negotiations with the bank. But the bank responded by closing the branch down, reasoning that the move was a breach of their franchise agreement. Mr Van Cuylenberg was paid $265,000 in compensation for his losses - but claims the figure owed by the bank to cover his outstanding debts stands at $1.5 million. 'We were actually the pioneers that built the Bank of Queensland brand in Victoria,' he said. 'And for us to be treated the way we have been is absolutely pathetic.' Since helping out with Mr Van Cuylenberg's case, Mr Swords said a number of other former BoQ franchisees had reached out to Gatto Corporate Solutions for help. The Bank of Queensland rapidly expanded their business interstate across the last ten years, with a number of franchises popping up - unusual for the financial sector. But since reporting a $17.1 million loss in 2011, a number of branches have been under pressure. Former BoQ franchisee Sean Van Cuylenberg (pictured) has enlisted the help of Gatto Corporate Solutions. He claims he is owed $1.5 million in compensation from the bank But the Bank of Queensland say his branch was closed down for breaking the bank's risk and compliance rules In a statement, the Bank of Queensland told ABC's 7.30 that Mr Van Cuylenberg had lost his branch for breaking the bank's risk and compliance rules. 'We are satisfied the actions we have taken in relation to this small minority of former owner managers leave our branch network in a far stronger position,' the statement said. Gatto is no stranger to controversy. In 2005 he was acquitted of murdering Melbourne hitman Andrew 'Benji' Veniamin, an associate of slain gangland head Carl Williams. The jury ruled that he had acted in self-defense when he shot Mr Veniamin twice in the neck and once in the head at a Carlton restaurant in 2004. Gatto was acquitted of murdering Melbourne hitman Andrew Veniamin in 2005, an associate of slain gangland head Carl Williams (pictured) People flee the scene of an explosion on the pedestrian Istiklal avenue in Istanbul. (Photo: AFP) Istanbul: A suicide attacker detonated a bomb on Istanbul's main pedestrian shopping street on Saturday, killing five people, the city's governor said. Twenty other people were injured in the attack. The attacker was among the dead. Governor Vasip Sahin said the explosion occurred outside a local government office on Istiklal Street, which is also home to cafes, restaurants and foreign consulate buildings. Sahin said one of wounded victims died in hospital. The private Dogan news agency said at least three of the injured are Israeli nationals. Police sealed off the area and a forensic team was at the scene. Turkey was already on edge following two recent suicide car bomb attacks in the capital, Ankara, which were claimed by a Kurdish militant group, which is an off-shoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. The most recent attack, on March 13, targeted a line of bus stops on Ankara's busiest street and killed 37 including two bombers. "It was one loud explosion," said Muhammed Fatur, a Syrian who works at a butcher shop near the scene of Saturday's explosion. "Police came to the scene and sealed off the area." Turkey had heightened security in Ankara and Istanbul in the run-up to a Kurdish spring festival of Newroz on March 21, which Kurds in Turkey traditionally use to assert their ethnic identity and demand greater rights. A premature twin girl born with skin so thin her organs were visible and her eyes and ears had not formed is now a happy, healthy five-year-old starting school. Lily Cobbing was the same length of a ballpoint pen when she and her sister, Summer Cobbing, were born at just 27 weeks in an Adelaide hospital in June 2010. Although the odds were stacked against her, Lily fought hard to survive and is now a lively, energetic child who loves to play outside with her sister, their mother Michelle Roberts-Cobbing told Daily Mail Australia. Lily Cobbing (left) and her twin sister, Summer Cobbing (right), were born at just 27 weeks in an Adelaide hospital in June 2010 Lily (pictured) weighed only 390 grams and was the same size as a ballpoint pen when she was born Although the odds were stacked against her, Lily (left) fought hard to survive and is now a lively, energetic child who loves to play outside with her sister (right) Lily weighed just 390 grams when she was born and Summer weighed twice as much at 840 grams. Lily was tiny, tiny, Ms Roberts-Cobbing said. Her ears were like little dried apricots, her tummy was so see through you could see her organs and her eyes were still shut for a few more weeks. Ms Roberts-Cobbing was receiving daily ultrasounds and closely monitored throughout her pregnancy but was stunned when her doctor told her on June 9, 2010, that the babies were coming today. Doctors knew Lily was not doing well and decided the girls needed to arrive three months early by caesarean, she said. 'Lily (pictured) was tiny, tiny, her mother Michelle Roberts-Cobbing told Daily Mail Australia Her ears were like little dried apricots, her tummy was so see through you could see her organs and her eyes were still shut for a few more weeks. They monitor it all so closely if Lily had passed away in the womb, Summer would have had a stroke and die as well, Ms Roberts-Cobbing said. There were tears. It was scary but you just do what you have to do for them. Both of the girls were breathing when they were born but were put on ventilators immediately and taken to the hospitals neonatal intensive care unit. When they were pulling Lily out, she grabbed on to the doctors glove and it snapped back on his hand and he said thats a good sign shes a fighter, Ms Roberts-Cobbing said. Four weeks later, Lilys health began failing and the doctors told Ms Roberts-Cobbing and her husband to prepare for the worst. Lily and Summer pictured here with their parents Michelle and Michael, are now happy and healthy Ms Roberts-Cobbing was receiving daily ultrasounds and closely monitored throughout her pregnancy because of Lily's (left) failing health They monitor it all so closely if Lily (left) had passed away in the womb, Summer (right) would have had a stroke and die as well, Ms Roberts-Cobbing said The parents picked up Summer out of her hospital crib and placed her with Lily, hoping it would help both of their daughters to be close together like in the womb. Lily snuggled into Summer and Summer snuggled into Lily, she said. After a few more ups and downs, the Cobbings were able to bring Summer home after three months and Lily when she was eight months old. She had problems with her heart and chronic lung disease and got a staph infection she came home and was on oxygen until she was two-and-a-half years old, Ms Roberts-Cobbing said. Both of the girls were breathing when they were born but were put on ventilators immediately and taken to the hospitals neonatal intensive car unit The now almost six-year-old twins are close friends as well as sisters but have very different personalities Until Lily turns eight, the family will not know the lasting affects her premature birth will have on her lungs, but Ms Roberts-Cobbing said it is a miracle they came out relatively unscathed. The now almost six-year-old twins are close friends as well as sisters but have very different personalities, she said. Summer is dramatic and Lily is very laid back and goes with the flow. They love all the little girlie things and Lily loves Star Wars and Chewbacca. Were just so proud of them. The young girls were delivered three months early after doctors discovered Lily, left was not coping in the womb Designer hats off to entrepreneur Natalie Massenet. The Net- a-Porter founder celebrated being made a Dame by dressing as a princess, complete with tiara, for a glamorous girls' night out at Mark's Club in Mayfair this week. Massenet, 50, was joined by model Laura Bailey, stylist Caroline Sieber and make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury. Natalie Massenet, 50, (second from right) was joined by model Laura Bailey, stylist Caroline Sieber and make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury 'Celebrating my gorgeous friend becoming a Dame,' wrote Tilbury, after Massenet received the honour for her contribution to the British economy. Natalie admitted she cried when Prince Charles bestowed the insignia on her last month. Cigar merchants have been confusing David Dimbleby with Sir David Attenborough (pictured) David Dimbleby and Sir David Attenborough are both famous names at the BBC, with famous brothers, too. So it must be difficult for shop assistants to ask their names when they should know who they are. But it seems staff at cigar merchants Dunhill's in St James's are having a problem distinguishing between the two white-haired presenters. Dimbleby, 77, accosted Attenborough, 89, after a memorial service this week for Sportsview presenter Peter Dimmock at St Bride's in Fleet Street. He said he'd been receiving bills for Attenborough's cigars. 'They should know him, he's the one in shorts!' joked the Question Time presenter, referring to Attenborough's fondness for knee-length khakis. Zara Phillips and pregnant F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham were pictured attending Cheltenham racecourse together Zara Phillips and pregnant F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham showed the boob-baring Cheltenham chavs what to wear on an elegant outing to day four of the jump-racing festival. Pinkham, 37, needed extra support from the Queen's granddaughter as she counts down to the birth of her second child with businessman husband Owain Walbyoff in June. Natalie tragically miscarried the baby's twin in the early stages of pregnancy, leaving the TV star distraught. No doubt keen equestrian Zara, 34, has plenty of racing and maternity tips. Fans can't keep paws off Ronnie They are not your typical groupies. Ronnie Wood, 68, who is on tour with the Rolling Stones, took a break from his band to cuddle some cubs. 'Visiting a sanctuary for rescued animals in Mexico: wonderful and magic,' he wrote alongside this picture of a lion and tiger, which he posted on social media. The sanctuary aims to make people 'think twice before eating meat'. Presumably, Ronnie didn't let on that ex-Stones bassist Bill Wyman owns a restaurant famed for its burgers. Ronnie Wood, 68, who is on tour with the Rolling Stones, took a break from his band to cuddle some cubs The Prince of Wales has a rival at the easel. The Duchess of York has taken up watercolour painting. 'I am actually quite good at art,' Fergie tells me at the Children In Crisis auction in Mayfair. 'I paint watercolours in my spare time at home. It's a nice way to relax. It's very soothing. It's good to have hobbies these days that don't always involve looking at a screen. When you paint watercolours, you can really focus on the world around you. People need to create more from within themselves that they can then share with others, rather than taking from others for their own gain.' You can quote me on that I was at dinner with my daughter the other day, and having some trouble deciding what to eat. She said: Dad, youre a rock star. You can have whatever you want. Brian May How erudite. Sir Roger Moores elegant riposte to a Twitter user who called him a hypocritical old fart for speaking out against Top Gears use of the Cenotaph as a prop Once, I was having a Dutch cap [contraceptive device] fitted and the nurse said: I know you, dont I? I said: No! Actress Julie Walters on the downsides of fame People are scared of me but only until they get to know me. The tampon tax will be abolished by the summer, George Osborne announced last night. The Chancellor said that legislation for a zero rate of VAT on womens sanitary products will be introduced next week as part of the Finance Bill. The move came after David Cameron was forced to beg EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker for permission to reduce the rate from the current 5 per cent minimum allowed under Brussels rules. The prime minister had to use a European summit on the migrant crisis to plead for help on reducing British rates on female sanitary products. The Chancellor said that legislation for a zero rate of VAT on womens sanitary products will be introduced next week as part of the Finance Bill (file image) The issue has proved highly embarrassing for the Prime Minister and the Chancellor as they try to convince voters to remain in the EU. Last night Mr Cameron claimed: It shows that when we fight for things in Europe, we can get things done. The Finance Bill, which implements the Budget, will be introduced in the Commons next week and will come into force when the Queen gives it her royal assent. This is likely to happen by the time the Commons goes off for its summer recess in July. The Chancellor hailed the announcement as a major victory for fairness and said it proved the value of having a seat at Europes top table. EU leaders, meeting in Brussels, agreed a deal on Thursday night to allow the UK to scrap the tampon tax. Eurosceptic backbench MPs have been threatening a rebellion over the tax, currently at the lowest rate allowed by EU law, following the Budget. Mr Osborne said: Weve used our seat at the top table in Europe to secure what the British public has demanded common sense on VAT and an end to the tampon tax. I said last year we were committed to getting the EU rules changed, and until that happened we would use the money raised to fund womens health and support charities. That means 17million for good causes and now were acting to ensure that women see the difference at the till. Chancellor George Osborne (pictured) hailed the announcement as a major victory for fairness and said it proved the value of having a seat at Europes top table Sanitary products sold in the UK incur VAT at a rate of 5 per cent the lowest allowed under VAT law by the EU. On Thursday night EU leaders said reforms would be unveiled next week that will allow the UK to change its rate. In a joint statement, they said that their proposals would provide the option to member states of VAT zero rating for sanitary products. Eurosceptic MPs said the row highlighted the extent to which Brussels is able to overrule British sovereignty. Campaigners have fought for years for the tampon tax to be removed, arguing sanitary products are a necessity not a luxury and should therefore not attract VAT. More than 300,000 people have signed a petition calling on the government to act. Last night Mr Cameron, in Brussels, said: The key breakthrough, which is being able to have flexibility on zero rates, has come about. I was glad I was able to get agreement from 27 other countries and the European Commission. He added: It shows that when we fight for things in Europe, we can get things done. The European Commission said it was working on two options that would allow its member states to have greater flexibility over the setting of VAT rates. EU VAT rules are not imposed by the European Commission, a spokesman said, adding: They are decided on and agreed unanimously by member states. Zero rates are an exception and run against generally accepted VAT principles. One can't be too careful when it comes to influencing the future of this green and pleasant land in Europe. I can reveal that Her Majesty the Queen's Lord-Lieutenants the sovereign's anointed representatives in each county in the UK have been told to hold their tongues on whether Britain should remain in the EU ahead of the June referendum. As an extra precaution, they are also under instruction from the Association of Lord-Lieutenants to remain silent 'even in what appear to be private settings'. While Lord-Lieutenants are not supposed to be involved in politics anyway, it is thought highly unusual for them to have to be reminded of their neutral role. Her Majesty the Queen's Lord-Lieutenants have been told to hold their tongues on whether Britain should remain in the EU ahead of the June referendum Then again, Europe is a rather touchy subject at the Palace after the recent contentious reports that the Queen allegedly 'backs Brexit'. The 98 Lord-Lieutenants and their deputies (30 to 40 per county) are appointed by the Queen 'on the advice of the Prime Minister', so the pro-Europe PM would be appalled by any insurrection in the ranks. When John Longworth, the head of another politically neutral body, the British Chambers of Commerce, backed Brexit this month, he was forced to fall on his sword within days. The 'draft advice' was sent out by the Association of Lord-Lieutenants. A spokesman says: 'This was in response to requests from Lord-Lieutenants: nobody outside the Association asked us to issue it. 'The advice was as follows. It would be inappropriate for 'the Lieutenancy', locally or nationally, to be thought to have any collective view on the referendum or the EU. 'Lord-Lieutenants and (other than in exceptional circumstances) Vice Lord-Lieutenants should avoid campaigning in any way or expressing any views on the referendum or the EU in public, and they are also encouraged to be cautious about doing so even in what appear to be private settings. 'A Deputy Lieutenant wishing to express a view, or to campaign, should exercise caution and do so only in a private capacity, not as a DL or under a 'party political' label.' The Committee of Regional Chairmen will be invited to approve the advice next Tuesday. Arrogant Jezza, by his own uncle You can't choose your relatives and Jeremy Clarkson's uncle by marriage, Maurice Headland, is no fan of his 'arrogant' nephew. Headland, 82, has known the former Top Gear host all Jeremy's life, after marrying Clarkson's aunt Zoe in 1958. Unlike Jeremy's 'lovely' travelling salesman father Eddie Maurice's late wife's brother Headland tells me he has disliked Jeremy's character since he was a baby. Jeremy Clarkson does have one redeeming feature, though, according to his uncle: he is 'good at his job' 'I have always known him to be the most arrogant, self-opinionated individual you could meet,' he says. 'I can't believe Eddie raised a son like that.' Clarkson does have one redeeming feature, though, according to his uncle: he is 'good at his job'. He adds: 'Jeremy was wrong to punch the BBC producer Oisin Tymon but, after a 12-hour working day, one could sympathise to a certain extent on returning to the hotel at eight at night to be faced only with a cold dinner.' Eton College's wardrobe chief will be paid up to 29,000 a year to assist on between 11 and 20 'well-funded' stage productions The class of Eton-schooled thespians crowding our stages and screens has 'nothing to do with where they come from', claims actor Sir Michael Gambon. But Eton's new vacancy for a 'wardrobe and make-up supervisor' would suggest its 36,000-per-annum playing fields are not as level as Gambon thinks. Eton's wardrobe chief will be paid up to 29,000 a year to assist on between 11 and 20 'well-funded' stage productions. The Duchess of Cambridge has previously attended the Hurlingham Club for pilates classes The Duchess of Cambridge should be on her guard next time she visits Fulham's Hurlingham Club. A resident mating peacock has taken to attacking cars when he mistakes his reflection in the bodywork for a would-be suitor. 'As well as fluttering his eyelids more shamelessly than usual at his peahen, he is prone to puff out his chest and see off any perceived challengers at any opportunity,' warns a notice. We recommend members and guests with clean, polished and therefore shiny cars might consider parking away from the paddock, particularly during daylight hours. Regrettably, the club is unable to provide any compensation for peacock damage.' The family of slaughtered schoolgirl Masa Vukotic say her killer should spend the rest of his life behind bars. Sean Price was handed down a life prison sentence with a record non-parole period of 38 years for the ruthless stabbing murder of the 17-year-old near her Melbourne home last year. The convicted rapist and murderer will be 70 years old when he can first apply for parole in 2053. But family members were not pleased with the ruling in Victorian Supreme Court on Friday morning. Scroll down for video Sean Price pleaded guilty to rape, robbery, attempted theft and stabbing Ms Vutokic 49 times. He was given a life prison sentence with a non-parole period of 38 years But the family of Masa Vukotic (pictured with mother Natasa) say the killer should be locked up for life Masa's father Slabvoljub stood silently on Friday and stared at Price as he was led from the courtroom by authorities A postmortem found Price was stabbed Ms Vukotic 49 times during the frenzied assault. Price told police he killed her because she was 'dressed like a yuppie' 'He got out of jail and it didn't take him long to do this, why risk him again?' a family source said, according to the Herald Sun. 'It is disgusting that with this sentence he will be set free once again. How many chances can he get?' Justice Lex Lasry handed down the prison sentence in front of Ms Vutokic's devastated family - who sat in the crowded courtroom to hear the verdict. It was the first time Masa's mother Natasa had come face-to-face with her daughter's killer. She was loudly sobbing throughout the sentencing. Masa's father Slabvoljub had laid eyes on Price many time in earlier hearings, but he stood silently on Friday and stared the 32-year-old down as he was led from the courtroom by authorities. The father of murdered teen Slabvoljub Vukotic (right) arrives for a pre-sentencing hearing in Melbourne in December Justice Lasry said immediate prospects for any form of rehabilitation were 'bleak at best, if not non-existent' Justice Lasry said Price 'should never have been left in a position' to be let out into the community without supervision in the first place Justice Lasry lamented the 'catastrophic example of mismanagement' that allowed Price to be living in the community in the first place. 'You should never have been left in a position where you could so easily commit these offences as you roamed around the metropolitan area of Melbourne unrestrained and unaccountable,' he said. But for a successful appeal in the Victorian County Court for a series of violent assaults, Price wouldn't even have been in the community to carry out the murder. On March 17 last year, Price armed himself with a knife, had the foresight to put a clean T-shirt into his bag and set off in search of someone 'affluent' to kill. Ms Vukotic, an aspiring lawyer, was walking in a park near her Doncaster home when Price saw her. He later told police: 'I was looking, looking and I just thought, f**k this, this is the moment. This one just ended up being the one, I just f***n' had to kill her, man.' He stabbed Ms Vukotic, an aspiring lawyer, 49 times, aiming for her 'lethal regions'. Price told police he 'just f***n' had to kill' the teenage girl, after seeing her dressed 'liked a yuppy' Ms Vukotic had begged for her life, but Price showed her no mercy After seeing media coverage of the murder, Price realised it would only be a matter of time before he was arrested. Two days later he attacked a woman at her work, driven by the need for some form of sexual gratification before being arrested. 'I thought, you know, what man? I'm going to jail forever. I need to bust a nut,' Price told police. 'I'm never getting out, I'm just going to go take some chick and seize her.' The woman fought back as Price choked and raped her, but he escaped, leaving her with psychological and emotional damage. Price covered his face with a black hoodie while he was escorted into court for his sentencing on Friday Price had prior convictions including sex offences against seven girls and women aged between 13 and 45 Today, the Mail and one of the worlds biggest, most respected publishers launch a search for the UKs brightest new literary talent Could you be the next Paula Hawkins, author of last years hugely successful The Girl On The Train, or the worlds best-selling thriller writer James Patterson? Many of us may dream of writing a bestseller, but getting a novel published in todays competitive book market is a daunting prospect. Until now. Today, the Mail and one of the worlds biggest, most respected publishers launch a search for the UKs brightest new literary talent and the prize is every authors fantasy. The winner of our competition will receive a 20,000 advance fee, the services of a top literary agent and guaranteed publication by Penguin Random House UK. Your story can be a romance, a thriller, a sci-fi adventure, a contemporary tale or an historical one, as long as it is aimed at adults (not children) and is previously unpublished. Entrants must never have had a novel published before (in any format, including ebook or self-published) and must be 16 or over but dont worry, theres no upper age limit! And we dont need the finished novel just the first 5,000 words plus a 600-word synopsis of the complete work. But before you send anything, read the advice from the experts. Literary agent Luigi Bonomi, who receives thousands of unsolicited manuscripts every year, explains how to make yours stand out. And Selina Walker, one of publishings most respected editors, tells you the vital elements that a successful novel must have. They will judge the competition, along with best-selling crime writer Simon Kernick and The Daily Mails Literary Editor, Sandra Parsons. And finally, to help you get started, two internationally famous authors explain how they did it and give advice on how you can do it, too. BEGIN THAT FIRST PAGE WITH A GREAT SENTENCE Our winning novelist will be taken on by Luigi Bonomi (pictured), whose agency represents best-selling writers Josephine Cox and Simon Kernick Our winning novelist will be taken on by Luigi Bonomi, whose agency represents best-selling writers Josephine Cox and Simon Kernick. He says: Most literary agents receive around 5,000 manuscripts a year from aspiring authors, and each year probably end up taking on only around five or six. So how do we decide what to take on and what to reject? It all hangs on that first page. If the first page is well written, captivating, intriguing, with promise of a great plot to come, then the agent will continue reading. After just a few pages, they will get a sense of whether this is a story for them. Begin with a great sentence that pulls readers right in. I was immediately struck by the first line of Seth Patricks novel Reviver: Sometimes Jonah Miller hated talking to the dead. Similarly, in Matt Hiltons debut thriller Dead Mens Dust, the first paragraph ends with the line: Civilisation shares one undeniable truth: the scream of a victim sounds the same the world over. LUIGI BONOMI'S TOP TIPS Begin with a great sentence that pulls readers right in Open mid-scene. This allows you to pull the reader straight into the heart of the story Describe your plot in a synopsis. All novels need a beginning, a middle and an end Finally, make your manuscript legible Advertisement More recently, I was intrigued by the original opening of Annabel Kantarias psychological suspense novel Coming Home: I was making bechamel sauce for a lasagne when I found out that my father had died. Open mid-scene. This allows you to pull the reader straight into the heart of the story. You can always go back later to what happened before this scene, but this way you are immediately immersed in the story. Describe your plot in a synopsis. All novels need a beginning, a middle and an end. Make sure you describe your plot in a simple 2-3 page synopsis, around 600 words, setting out exactly what happens so an agent knows what to look forward to. Finally, make your manuscript legible. Lines should be double-spaced and use spell check to make sure there are no mistakes on those crucial first few pages. Remember that agents and editors really are desperate to find the next bestseller. When they open the first page of what could be the novel that they have been waiting for all year, their hearts begin to beat just that little bit faster. By the time they have got to the end of your first chapter they should be reaching for their keyboard, ready to email you their enthusiasm. Selina Walker is Publisher of Century and Arrow at Penguin Random House UK HAVE CHARACTERS YOU CARE ABOUT Selina Walker is Publisher of Century and Arrow at Penguin Random House UK. She says: As an editor, Im often asked what sorts of books I am looking for, and my answer is invariably the same. Whether its crime or fantasy or womens fiction, I am looking for one thing: someone who knows how to tell a story. It should be a story that asks questions of the reader; that takes us from our known world and plunges us into another; it should be filled with believable characters who we care about; and it should have a narrative with a beginning, middle and an end that draws all the different strands together in a satisfying way. Is finding a story like this an easy task? Well, no but when you do come across one that pulls you in and keeps you turning the pages, its the best feeling in the world. I remember when I read the initial draft of S.J. Watsons Before I Go To Sleep being so gripped that I forgot I was having lunch with a colleague. Recently, I read the first draft of Harlan Cobens new novel, Fool Me Once, overnight in a sort of reading fugue. This is a thriller that quite early on asks a single dramatic question: if you think your husband is dead (and you were with him when he was murdered), why can you now see him on the nanny cam in your daughters bedroom? Impossible to put down, you just have to find out what happens next. For me, though, the best part of all is when a new book lands on my desk. I will pick it up, maybe re-read that all-important first chapter, keep it on my desk and look at it for a few hours before sending it off to its rightful parent, the author, so it can begin its journey into a world of discovery and delight. A FEW TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED Write something every day. It can be anything: a sort of diary, a description of something youve noticed, or how someone makes you feel. You can write a little or a lot it doesnt matter as long as you get into the routine of regularly putting words on paper or a screen. Once you have your idea for a story, write yourself a rough outline. You will need to work out who your characters are, what type of journey youre taking them on, whats going to kick their story into gear (your opening), and how its going to end. You might decide youre going to write yourself a detailed chapter by chapter outline, or you might be one of those writers who prefers flying blind. But youll find you will need some sort of a plan or you might lose yourself along the way. As soon as you have this sorted, start writing, and do not stop! Try to resist the temptation to self-edit until you get to the end. No matter how awful your story feels or how clunky your prose-style, it doesnt matter as you will be the only person who sees it. Above all, remember youre not a proper author till you have nailed this all-important first draft (a friend of mine whos just finished his first novel said this was the best writing advice anyone has given him). Think about where you feel comfortable writing, and also where you have your best ideas. Some authors work their plots out as they walk or work out. I know one who works in a cafe as she likes to be surrounded by the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Another crime-writing friend of mine writes in a little white cell with no windows, no pictures and no distractions of any kind. Work out what works best for you, and stick to it! Youll know youre on the right track when your characters start talking to you. They may even tell you what they want to do, which may not be quite what you intended for them. If this happens, my advice is to listen to them. It means that something interesting is starting to happen ... And finally, if you get stuck, think about changing not what you write but how you write it. I find writing straight on to a screen can be a bit paralysing; it makes me feel shy somehow. As soon as I write in longhand on paper (in my favourite blue pen), I loosen up. In short, dont be afraid to play some mind games with yourself: relax with your chosen medium and try and be a little more experimental. You never know what is going to happen . . . Advertisement Above all, good luck with your writing. Have fun. And get started! James Patterson writes detective thrillers and has sold over 300 million books and one million ebooks KEEP ATTENTION WITH SURPRISES James Patterson writes detective thrillers and has sold over 300 million books and one million ebooks. His first novel, The Thomas Berryman Number, was published in 1976 when he was 26. He says: When I was studying English at university I worked in a hospital, and the only thing that got me through the long night shifts was reading. I started scribbling down ideas for my own stories and thats when I first thought that maybe I could become a writer. I went into advertising, but I was always writing in my spare time. I wrote my first mystery novel, The Thomas Berryman Number, when I was 26. It was turned down by, I dont know, thirty or more publishers. Then it was bought and went on to win the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Obviously, and I know this from experience, perseverance is key to making it as a writer. You have to be able to accept rejection and keep going. If you know that its what you want to do, then you need to make it happen. No one else will make it happen for you. In my novels its all about the story. I dont try to be a great prose stylist; I try to be a great storyteller. I like to imagine the reader is sitting opposite me and Im telling the story directly to them. I dont want that person to get up until Im finished. I want to keep their attention with continual surprises and twists so theyre not bored for a single moment. For me the hardest part of writing a novel is the ending. Youve invested your time and energy into building suspense, getting the reader emotionally involved with the characters and with the story itself, so if the ending is unsatisfactory its massively disappointing. Expectation has been built up through the course of the novel and you need to deliver a conclusion that fulfils it. If you can do that, youll have a satisfied reader. Truth or Die by James Patterson is out now published by Arrow at 7.99 Lisa Jewell has written 13 Sunday Times womens fiction bestsellers WRITE WHAT'S IN YOUR HEART Lisa Jewell has written 13 Sunday Times womens fiction bestsellers. Her first novel, Ralphs Party, was published in 1998, when she was 30. She says: Back in 1995, when I was a 27-year-old receptionist at a shirt-making company in Battersea, I was halfway through a creative writing course at an adult education college but still a million miles away from thinking seriously about attempting a novel. Novels, I thought, were for serious people with big life stories, not girls around town whod barely started out. Later that year, however, I lost my job and shortly afterwards I read the novel High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. Suddenly, here was someone writing in a very familiar voice, about very familiar things. And with the words of someone on my creative writing course if you wrote a book, Id want to read it still echoing in my head and a small redundancy payment to tide me over for a few weeks, I finally gave myself permission to start a book. I wrote just three chapters to start with and sent them to ten agents. I received nine rejection letter in quick succession, but then the tenth letter arrived and it was an agent wanting to see the complete book. That changed everything. I moved in with my boyfriend to save on rent, took a part-time job and began writing two-and-a-half days a week. A friend in Australia read my daily output and cheered me on and, by the end of 1996, Id written the first draft. Id been too embarrassed to tell the interested agent that Id only actually written three chapters, so she was taken somewhat by surprise by a young woman in a furry coat clutching a jiffy bag on her doorstep nearly 12 months after writing to me. She snatched the packet from me and said: I hope theres return postage in there? before closing the door firmly in my face. Three days later she phoned me at work. Shed read it, her assistant had read it and it was really rather good. She brought me in for a face-to-face meeting and started using terms like bidding war and film rights. Half an hour later I was standing at a bus stop wondering if I was part of some elaborate scam. Just write whats in your head and whats in your heart and give the reader a reason to keep turning the pages, whether its love for your characters or a need to find out what happened ten years ago or what happens next Lisa Jewell The book required substantial rewriting which took another three months and then, true to her word, my agent sent it out to publishers for a bidding war. Penguin offered a six-figure sum for two novels and my career as a published author was off the blocks. Ralphs Party, my first novel, sold 250,000 copies in its first year of publication and was the highest selling debut novel of 1998. There are fewer fairy tales in publishing these days, but theres still some magic left and dreams can come true. Dont write for the publishers and dont try to second guess the market; its elusive and impossible to pin down. Just write whats in your head and whats in your heart and give the reader a reason to keep turning the pages, whether its love for your characters or a need to find out what happened ten years ago or what happens next. And dont worry if it sometimes feels impossible. Its supposed to feel that way. Lisas novel, The Girls, will be published in paperback on May 5 A former Tory MP hopes to hear next week that he will face no charges over claims that he was part of a VIP paedophile ring that murdered three boys. For more than a year, Harvey Proctor, 69, has denied allegations of serial murder and abuse made against him and other high-profile figures by a suspected serial fantasist known as Nick. Sources close to Operation Midland, the discredited Metropolitan Police investigation into the alleged VIP murder plot, said there would be significant developments in the case as early as Monday. Former Tory MP Harvey Proctor has been told he will not face any charges in connection with an alleged VIP child sex abuse ring as a result of claims made by a serial fantasist known only as 'Nick' Proctor, pictured, who was investigated as part of Operation Midland, will be officially cleared next week It is understood that a senior officer will update Mr Proctors solicitor early next week on the bungled 15-month investigation, during which the former MP has been interviewed under caution and his home raided by police. Last night there was mounting speculation that the Met is finally about to clear Mr Proctor of the murder and sex abuse allegations. This will leave the force facing difficult questions over why it took Nicks claims so seriously in the first place. Operation Midland, which has involved 27 officers and cost more than 2million, has uncovered no evidence to substantiate claims that senior politicians and defence chiefs had been part of a murderous paedophile ring. The main witness, Nick, has been discredited as a fantasist and critics have called for him and anyone who encouraged him to make false allegations to be prosecuted for perverting the course of justice. Once Operation Midland is dramatically scaled down or closed, the Met is likely to issue a lengthy statement trying to defend it. Nick claims to have witnessed the murder of three boys by a gang including former prime minister Edward Heath, the late former home secretary Leon Brittan and a string of ex-spymasters. Proctor, pictured here in 1988, opened up two shops selling luxury shirts, was a Tory MP for ten years He also alleged he was abused by Britains most distinguished living soldier, Field Marshal Lord Bramall, 92, whose home was raided while his wife Avril was dying of Alzheimers disease. He was then interviewed under caution. Ten months later in January, Lord Bramall, a former head of the Army, was told he would face no charges a development Lady Bramall did not live to see. Met chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has repeatedly refused to apologise to the D-Day veteran. Last month, as Sir Bernard tried to justify the raid involving 22 officers, he was told he would only get a further 12 months in his job. He had been hoping to receive a three-year extension to his current five-year contract. Home Secretary Theresa Mays decision weakened his authority and led one critic to brand him a lame-duck commissioner effectively on probation. Home Office sources believe he will leave later this year. Amid widespread criticism, Sir Bernard set up an independent inquiry into his forces handling of historical sexual allegations against public figures, to be led by retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques. However, much of the report will be kept secret, with only key findings made public. Operation Midland detectives are standing by Nick, despite failing to find evidence to support criminal charges against any suspects. They now accept that Mr Proctor will not be charged as there is no evidence against him. He is the only living suspect in the inquiry but a file will not be submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service. A Florida man was awarded $1.16million by a jury on Thursday, nearly four years after a rotted city-owned oak tree toppled on to his vehicle while he was driving. Trino Valdez, suffered a broken vertebra in his neck after the tree crushed his Ford Explorer in Orlando in November 2012. Firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life and a chainsaw to free Valdez from his SUV. The 52-year-old electrician then sued Orlando for negligence, claiming the city had ignored a 2007 forester's report that the tree was rotted. Trino Valdez was awarded $1.16million by a jury on Thursday, nearly four years after a rotted city-owned tree crushed his Ford Explorer while he was driving in Orlando After the incident (pictured), Valdez sued Orlando for negligence, claiming the city had ignored a 2007 forester's report that the tree was rotted 'I was just driving, and then I was under a tree,' he told lawyers in a sworn statement, according to the Orlando Sentinel. 'I never saw it coming.' Valdez was driving to Howard Middle School to turn in a form required for him to chaperon a trip to Walt Disney World with his stepdaughter's class when the incident occurred. He required neck and back surgeries, racking up more than $500,000 in medical bills. 'He sustained a cervical fusion, a lumbar fusion, carpal tunnel surgery,' Valdez's attorney Matt Morgan told FOX 35. Veteran arborist, Joseph Samnik, testified during the civil trial the the laurel oak was inspected in 2007. It had been deemed a 'priority 2 removal', according to Click Orlando. The tree had been placed on the city's removal list because it 'was rotted to the core', Samnik said. Valdez suffered a broken vertebra in his neck when the tree crushed his car, and racked up more than $500,000 in medical bills He added that the tree had a limb hanging over Orlando's Robinson Street, but also posed danger to Dickson Azalea Park - an urban park with picnic areas - where it stood. The jury awarded Valdez $515,000 for past medical expenses, $300,000 for pain and suffering, and $350,000 for future pain and suffering, Orlando Sentinel reported. For now, however, Valdez will only receive $200,000 under state sovereign immunity laws. The city is shielded from paying more than $200,000 a 'claims bill' is approved by the Legislature approves and signed by the governor. The city has not reached a decision on whether it will appeal, Orlando spokeswoman Cassandra Lafser said. The shopping capital of Britain is Milton Keynes, official figures suggest The shopping capital of Britain is Milton Keynes, official figures suggest. Ranked by the share of its workers who are employed in shops, supermarkets and department stores, or the warehouses feeding them, the Buckinghamshire new town has a greater reliance on retail than any other town in the country. Once famous for concrete cows, it can now boast the greatest dependence on retail therapy, according to an analysis of the most specialist towns in the country published by the Office for National Statistics. The lists show that Sutton Coldfield is the most notable dormitory town, with more than a third of its working population commuting to jobs elsewhere during the day. Cambridge, by contrast, has more commuters pouring in during the day than anywhere else outside London. More than half its workers come in from homes outside the city. The city with the greatest share of financial or professional workers outside London is St Albans in Hertfordshire, while some Northern towns continue to defy a rustbelt reputation by retaining major manufacturing industries. Scunthorpe is recorded as having nearly a quarter of its working population in manufacturing although pressures on the steel industry is likely to have reduced the share since the ONS collected its figures. While Oxford and Cambridge predictably have the highest share of students, the town with the lowest proportion of students in the country is Bracknell in Berkshire, the analysis said. But Bracknells limited attraction to students has not made it the town with the least academically-qualified residents. The accolade with for the town with the most residents qualified from the university of life rather than a teaching institution is West Bromwich, where only just over one in eight of the population has a degree-level education. Once famous for concrete cows, Milton Keynes can now boast the greatest dependence on retail therapy, according to an analysis of the most specialist towns in the country published by the Office for National Statistics The figures were gathered by the ONS as a comparison of towns and cities outside London from figures provided by the 2011 census. They give, a report said, a useful underlying snapshot of the differences The figures were gathered by the ONS as a comparison of towns and cities outside London from figures provided by the 2011 census. They give, a report said, a useful underlying snapshot of the differences. Although there will have been some changes since 2011, the main differences between towns and cities are unlikely to have changed significantly, it said. The report said the five towns most heavily dependent on shopping all have more than one in five of their workers in the retail trade. After Milton Keynes comes another new town, Harlow in Essex, then Oldham, within convenient commuting distance of Manchester, then Lincoln and Weston-Super-Mare. The most professional towns after St Albans are Reading, Woking and Cambridge. Some 27.5 per cent of workers in St Albans count as professional, financial or information workers, above the 27.1 per cent recorded in London. More than a third of the countrys commuters, just under half a million, travel to work in London, the report said. The aircraft was attempting to gain altitude when it flew into clouds and plummeted to the ground from 4,000 feet Advertisement The pilot of the FlyDubai jet which crashed in Russia killing all 62 people on board ignored weather warnings from Air Traffic Control about deadly turbulence and windshear on the approach to the runway. Pilot Aristos Sokratous, 37, from Cyprus was at the controls of the Boeing 737-800 when it crashed just short of the runway in Rostov-on-Don in Russia. Sokratous was on his final flight for the airline as he was due to join Ryanair based in his native Cyprus so he could live with his pregnant wife. Scroll down for more video Flight FZ981 was circling Rostov-on-Don airport for two hours before Captain Aristos Sokratous made his second fatal landing attempt The aircraft was making its second attempt to land at the airport at Rostov-on-Don, pictured, when it lost control and crashed Wreckage was strewn across the runway after the Boeing 737-800 careered into the ground during the early hours of the morning Aristos Sokratous, left, captain of the doomed jet was on his final flight for FlyDubai and was about to move to Ireland with his pregnant wife, he died alongside his first officer Alejandro Alava, 37, right, from Spain who was in charge of radio communication The body of one of the passengers was placed into a bag on the runway as dogs and officials were used to search the rest of the scene 62 people on board the aircraft died after a FlyDubai passenger jet smashed into the ground while attempting to land at a Russian airport. Above, rescuers from the Emergency Ministry were spotted searching through the wreckage on Saturday morning CCTV footage located across from the airport shows the area was quiet just moments before the aircraft impacted the ground In one frame, a light can be seen behind the treeline at the very moment the aircraft hits the ground killing all 62 people on board This is believed to be the moment the crash happened as the plane came in to land at Rostov-on-Don airport in Russia early on Saturday As the remaining fuel on board the aircraft ignites, the CCTV screen is lit up by the glow of the flames as the jet disintegrates As the aircraft made its final approach it passed through several layers of cloud when the crew decided to abandon the attempt and 'go around' while 5.6km from the runway at a height of 1,550 feet. The aircraft tried to climb to 8,000 feet when it plummeted to the ground moments later as it passed though a layer of cumulonimbus cloud which can contain extreme weather conditions Sokratous, 37, had 5,900 hours experience as a pilot. It is understood he was at the controls of the aircraft, while is Spanish first officer Alejandro Alava, 37, who had 5,700 hours flight time, was in charge of keeping in contact with Air Traffic Control. According to data released by FlightRadar 24, the aircraft was due to take off at 17.45GMT from Dubai on schedule and was due to arrive in Rostov-on-Don at 22.20. However, he was delayed and only left the runway at 18.37, almost an hour behind schedule. The aircraft began its approach to the airport at 22:39 and aborts the landing attempt 6.7km from the runway at height of 1,725 feet. At the time, visibility was only 4,200 metres with cloud down to 1,600 feet. The aircraft climbed without incident to 8,000 feet and heads north east to the airport to wait for the weather conditions on the ground to improve. He was warned about severe turbulence and windshear on his approach to the airport. At 22.54, a Sukhoi Superjet from Moscow made the first of three attempts to land before diverting to Krasnodar half an hour later. At 23.20GMT the FlyDubai aircraft, which was flying at 15,000 feet in a holding pattern, was due to depart from Rostov on its return trip to the Middle East. An hour later, the aircraft leaves the holding pattern and prepares for a second attempt to land. The aircraft had been in the air almost six hours on what was normally a four hour flight. WHY ARE CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS SO DANGEROUS TO AIRCRAFT? Pilots are warned to avoid cumulonimbus cloud formations as they can endanger the safety of the aircraft. Cb clouds can contain areas of severe turbulence which can throw a passenger jet around with strong up and downdrafts. At lower levels, windshear can cause violent surface winds which change direction and strength, which can be deadly for aircraft on take off or landing. Cb systems can also cause in-flight icing which changes the aerodynamics of the aircraft and may cause it to stall. The clouds can also cause electrical disturbance, creating St Elmo's Fire and effecting the aircraft's systems. *Source Skybrary.areo Advertisement At 00:36GMT the jet was 16km from the runway on its final approach to the runway. During the final approach the co-pilot told controllers: 'In case of go-around we are going to go to flight level EIGHT ZERO,' meaning they would climb to 8,000 feet. The co-pilot then told ATC: 'Rostov Tower, this is 981, we are established on the localiser on runway TWO TWO.' As the aircraft passed through the clouds at 1,800 feet the crew decided to abandon their second landing attempt, some 5,600 metres from the airport, when they should have been able to see the runway. The aircraft then made its final transmission: 'Going around, 981, bye bye.' According to the Aviation Safety Network, four minutes later, the crew decide to abort when they are 5.6km from the runway at a height of 1,550 feet. At the time the visibility was approximately 6km and there was scattered cloud at 1,800 feet. The weather forecast from the airport said it was raining. The aircraft increased its altitude to a maximum of 3,975 feet, passing through some cumulonimbus clouds at 3,330 feet. An international flight safety resource Skybrary, which is supported by the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation warns pilots about entering cumulonimbus clouds, especially during take off and landing. The organisation warns: 'Flight into a Cb is highly dangerous. The only sensible defence against the hazards associated with a Cb is therefore to avoid flying into one in the first place. 'If the Cb cell is situated over the destination aerodrome, then the pilot would be well advised to hold off or divert rather than attempt a landing.' Pilots are advised that the cloud formations can contain severe turbulence, cause in-flight icing and even disturb the electrical equipment on board the aircraft. Cb cells can also contain hail which has in the past damaged aircraft. Also they contain extreme weather. It has emerged the jet's pilot Sokratous was on his final flight for DubaiAir before joining Ryanair, who also have a fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The Cyrpus Mail reported Sokratous was planning to return to home because his wife was due to give birth to their first child within a few weeks. A friend said he was due to soon start working for Ryanair out of their Cyprus base, despite a drop in wages, because he wanted to be near his wife. Sokratous was promoted to captain 18 months ago, according to the friend. He had previously worked for Helios Airways, the Cypriot airline that shut down following a crash in 2005. Relatives were pictured sobbing at the airport as FlyDubai began to contact families about the crash, which took the lives of four children The aircraft was predominantly carrying Russian passengers, although eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one person from Uzbekistan were also on board. Above, a relative waits for information at the airport on Saturday morning One of the victims was Valentyna Somina, 67, who was flying back to Ukraine after a week's holiday in Dubai. A family member said: 'They have confirmed that she, and all the passengers, did pass away. They have said they will be getting back in touch with us. They called three times to confirm her name but thats it. They have just passed it to their managers and thats it. They really havent got their priorities straight. Its a great loss for us and it doesnt seem like they care. It would be nice to go there and be there, which is what were going to do next. We have booked flights to Moscow. But its going to be another 24 hours or so until we can be at the site. And there were only 55 passengers so you would have thought they would be able to support us. Theyve offered no support. Weve had no emotional support or counselling, no support in terms of travel and getting to the site of the crash. Theyve told us nothing about what to do now or what comes next. They havent even told us how long it will be before they get back to us with more information. If they had told us it would be a week even, I wouldnt mind, but they have told us nothing. Its not right. Valentyna Somina, 67, from Ukraine, pictured, was returning from a holiday in Dubai to visit family when she died in the crash People in St Petersburg have been holding a vigil for the victims of the tragic crash which claimed the lives of 62 people on board Relatives of the victims have complained they have not been given enough information about what has happened yet She was travelling alone, and was planning to travel back to Ukraine. So we didnt have anyone from the family to meet her there because she wasnt stopping over there and did the journey often and was capable of doing it alone. Even when we get there, we have been given no guidance about what we should do. And thats just us contacting them through the website. FLIGHT FZ981'S FINAL JOURNEY TIME COUNTDOWN TO DISASTER 17:45 Flight FZ981 due to take off from Dubai 18:37 Aircraft takes off almost an hour late 22:20 Scheduled arrival time in Rostov-on-Don 22:23 Flight S71159 from Moscow lands safely 22:28 U62758 from Khudzhand lands safely 22:39 FZ981 begins first approach 22:42 Aborts 6.7km from the runway at 1,725 feet 22:49 FZ981 climbs to 8,000 feet and begins circling 22:54 SU1166 attempts first approach 23:07 SU1166 aborts second approach 23:17 SU1166 aborts third approach 23:20 SU1166 diverts to Krasnodar 23:20 FZ981's scheduled departure time to Dubai 00:28 FZ981 prepares for second approach 00:40 Aborts 1,550 feet 5.6km from runway 00:41 FZ981 explodes after falling from 3,975 feet. Source: Aviation Safety Network We have spoken to numerous people, but they are all just the same. They are like robots, and after 16 hours of calling we have had zero guidance or anything. Its rude and upsetting to be honest. Our only option is to fly to Moscow and then get internal flights from there, and drive to the place where it happened. Were just going there with a bunch of cash because its not about the money now, its about getting there by whatever means possible and its about making peace with whats happened. They dont want to help us. Its not fair for them to street people like this. The thing that really p****** me off is that they sent a recovery flight this morning to pick up the tourists left stranded because the plane crash. So they are only concerned about their customers, but dont want to help the families of their victims. Its really not fair. Officials have been forced to bring in dogs to search for remains at the FlyDubai crash site after the plane was obliterated as it tried to land in 'hurricane-force winds'. Four children were among the 62 people killed when Flight FZ981 plummeted to the ground at Rostov-on-Don airport around 4am Moscow time. The plane was carrying 55 passengers and seven crew members from Dubai when it crashed as it attempted to land for a second time in bad weather conditions. Vasily Golubev, the governor of the Rostov region, this afternoon revealed that the plane crashed around 800ft short of the runway. He added: 'By all appearances, the cause of the air crash was the strongly gusting wind, approaching a hurricane level.' His comments came after officials revealed the plane went up in flames after its tail hit the runway and disintegrated. Pilot error or a technological failure are thought to be the two other main causes being investigated. Emergency services were this morning at the airport attempting to clear up the debris from the Boeing 737. Photographs showed officials standing in thick fog and rain as they scoured the crash site using dogs in a desperate bid to find remains. Meanwhile, relatives were pictured sobbing at the airport as FlyDubai began to contact families about the crash. A statement from the aircraft said: 'We are currently contacting relatives of the passengers and crew who were on board and we are offering any help we can to those affected.' Nicos Anastasiade, president of Cyprus, also paid tribute to 35-year-old Mr Sokratous, who appears to have got married just last August. Another girl covered her face with her hands as she cried while waited at the airport following the crash on Saturday morning A man reads the passengers' list of the FlyDubai jet that crashed in the early hours of Saturday morning as he waits for news at the airport He said: 'Especially to those close to Aristos Sokratous, the President of the Republic expresses his deepest condolences, and his support towards them.' FlyDubai would not release any other information about the pilot on Saturday afternoon but his Facebook page suggested he trained at Oxford Aviation Academy in Kidlington, Oxfordshire and liked rock music. It comes as YouTube footage released this morning appears to show a fireball as the aircraft crashes into the ground. The grainy black and white footage allegedly shows the plane plummeting towards the ground before a large fireball spreads through the nearby trees. Smoke can be seen rising into the dark sky as cars drive past the burning wreckage. A seven-minute recording allegedly from traffic control tapes on Saturday morning appeared to show the pilots chatting normally to officials as they discussed the weather. In a conversation that switches between English and Russian, they can be heard asking if there are any changes in conditions and receive regular updates from the ground. Although they do not seem to panic at any point, their voices can be heard becoming more agitated as the plane descends to an altitude of around 2,000ft. FlyDubai confirmed it was investigating the incident with officials on scene 'trying to establish the facts'. Emergency services were at the airport early on Saturday morning as they attempted to clear up the debris from the Boeing 737 Law enforcement officers with a police service dog at the crash site of the FlyDubai Boeing 737 on Saturday afternoon Shocking photographs taken of the scene on Saturday morning showed how the plane had been obliterated in the crash The plane appears to have disintegrated after hitting the ground, with a piece of the fuselage scattered across the crash site The crash site was covered in a thin blanket of snow on Saturday afternoon as rescuers continued to search for bodies The crash site was left muddy and wet after a night of bad weather, which had not cleared in the morning as officials tried to search through the wreckage Up to 80 people are thought to have been deployed to the scene as they desperately try and search the wreckage Russian Emergency Situations Ministry employees and police officers are pictured on their way to the plane crash Footage from aircraft data website FlightRadar 24 shows the aircraft made one attempt to land before it declared a missed approach and circled the airport for a second attempt FROM THE SHARM EL-SHEIKH CRASH TO SEVERAL FAILED LANDINGS: HOW RUSSIAN AVIATION HAS BEEN TAINTED BY A NUMBER OF MAJOR CRASHES This morning's crash will be added to a long list of tragedies that have tainted Russian aviation. There have been more than 10 major plane crashes in the last ten years, with around 1,000 passengers dying as a result of them. They include: May 3 2006: An A-320 of the Armenian airline Armavia crashes into the Black Sea while trying to land in the Russian resort city of Sochi in rough weather, killing all 113 people on board. July 9 2006: At least 124 people die when an Airbus A-310 of the Russian company S7 skids off the runway in the Siberian city of Irkutsk and bursts into flames. September 14 2008: Eighty-eight people are killed when a Boeing 737-500 flying from Moscow crashes as it prepares to land in the Russian city of Perm. April 10 2010: A Polish government plane carrying president Lech Kaczynski and 95 others crashes while attempting to land in Smolensk; all die. Warsaw and Moscow continue to dispute whether the crew ignored poor weather conditions or if air-traffic controllers gave poor guidance. June 20 2011: Forty-seven people die when a Tu-134 crashes on a motorway in heavy fog while trying to land in Petrozavodsk. October 31 2015: An onboard bomb destroys a Metrojet airliner soon after taking off from Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort. All 244 people on board die. Advertisement A statement released on Saturday morning added: 'Chief Executive Officer Ghaith Al Ghaith, with the support of the full management team, is leading our response to the accident. 'At this stage the focus of our efforts is on establishing the facts around the incident and providing all possible support to the authorities. Our emergency response team are now en-route to Rostov-on-Don.' Mr Ghaith later added: 'I would like to express the devastation we all feel in relation to this mornings tragic event in Rostov-on-Don. Our primary concern is for the passengers and crew involved at this tragic time. 'Everyone in our company is in deep shock and our hearts go out to all the loved ones of those involved.' Footage from aircraft data website FlightRadar 24 shows the aircraft made one attempt to land before it declared a missed approach and circled the airport for a second attempt. Russian officials confirmed: 'According to preliminary data, the Boeing 738 crashed in poor visibility conditions, some 50 to 100m left of the runway.' FlyDubai had confirmed in an earlier statement that the flight crashed 'on landing and that fatalities have been confirmed as a result of this tragic accident.' They added: 'We are doing all we can to gather information as quickly as possible. 'At this moment our thoughts and prayers are with our passengers and our crew who were on board the aircraft. We will do everything we can to help those who have been affected by this accident. The parents of one of the flight attendants, Laura Patricia de la Cruz from Colombia confirmed their daughter had been living in the UAE with her husband for three years. Her father, Wulfram de la Cruz said he and his wife will be travelling from their home in the town of Sabanalarga in a few days to help with the identification of his daughter's remains. Passengers and residents lay flowers outside the airport on Saturday morning as they paid respects to those who lost their lives Huge bouquets of red, yellow and white flowers were left on a table at the doors of the airport while other people lit candles 'We are putting our emergency response in place and we will be working closely with all the authorities involved. 'We will share as much information as possible just as soon as we can and we will provide updated information on a regular basis.' Boeing also issued a statement about Flight FZ981 in the early hours of Saturday morning. It said: 'Boeing's thoughts and prayers are with those on board FlyDubai flight FZ981 and their families and friends. 'Boeing stands ready to provide technical assistance upon the request of government agencies conducting the investigation. 'In accordance with the international protocol governing aviation accident investigations, all inquiries about the investigation must be directed to investigating authorities.' Roughly 80 rescuers were deployed to the site of the crash overnight and terrorism as a cause of the crash at this stage has been ruled out, according to CNN. Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov told media during a press conference that the plane crashed at 8.50pm ET, which is 3.50am Moscow time. Pictured above are emergency vehicles at the scene of the crash The passenger jet was believed to be flying in poor visibility during the landing attempts. Pictured above are emergency vehicles at the scene of the crash Emergency crews worked at the crash scene (above) overnight in a bid to extinguish the fire. They were successful and by first light the plane was no longer alight Governor of Rostov region Vasily Golubev (above) talks to the media in a terminal of Rostov-on-Don airport about the plane crash. He was quoted by Russian news agencies as telling local journalists that the plane crashed about 250 metres (800 feet) short of the runway Emergency services staff organizes measures in connection with the crash of Fly Dubai Flight FZ981 in Rostov-on-Don airport The Russian Investigation Committee has launched a preliminary investigation into the accident. The budget carrier FlyDubai launched in 2009, with a network of up to 90 destinations. They operate more than 1,700 flights each week. Its Facebook page says: 'From our hub in Dubai, we strive to remove barriers to travel and enhance connectivity between different cultures across our ever-expanding network. Lahore: A Pakistani man, who had filed a petition to stop former dictator Pervez Musharraf from leaving Pakistan, has been slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 by the High Court here which said the plea was for cheap publicity. Lahore High Court Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah took up Syed Iqtidar Haider's application on Friday and asked the applicant to apprise the court as to how implementation of the Constitution could be sought through a civil miscellaneous application. Haider, who also holds the US nationality, filed a civil miscellaneous application in a pending main petition on Thursday, a day before 72-year-old Musharraf left for Dubai. The petition sought stopping Musharraf from going abroad and deletion of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL). The applicant failed to give a satisfactory answer to the court's query. Justice Shah observed that the applicant used to file petitions against different personalities for cheap publicity only. He said the court would not encourage such frivolous and unnecessary litigation. The judge dismissed the application and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him. The petitioner had pleaded before the LHC that Gen Musharraf is facing a treason case under Article 6 of the Constitution for clamping emergency in the country on November 3, 2007, and being a 'suspected traitor' he should not be allowed to leave the Pakistan (on the pretext of getting medical treatment). He asked the court to intervene alleging that the Nawaz Sharif-led government has struck a deal with Musharraf, and therefore, is not going to stop him from proceeding abroad. He requested the court to place Musharraf on the ECL again and to stop the former ruler from leaving country till the court decision in the treason case against him. On March 16, a five-member bench of Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali while hearing a pending federal government appeal against a 2014 Sindh High Court order removing Musharraf's name from the ECL, upheld the ruling. Following the court decision, the federal government deleted the name of Musharraf and allowed him to go abroad for his treatment. Musharraf is said to have had fractured his vertebra. He has reached Dubai from where he will leave for the United States for his medical treatment. "After undergoing the treatment in the US, I will return to Pakistan. I will love my country and I am afraid of facing courts in fake cases against me," Musharraf said after reaching Dubai. Delay: David Cameron has been accused of deliberately delaying the reports publication The publication of the long-awaited Chilcot inquiry is to be delayed until after the EU referendum, it was reported last night. David Camerons decision to postpone the report into the Iraq War sparked accusations that he was deliberately deferring controversial announcements. The delay comes despite the fact that ministers will be given the report expected to condemn senior political figures next month. Government sources told The Daily Telegraph it was unlikely to be published until after the June 23 vote. The PM had suggested his plans were to publish the report within two weeks of receiving it. Reg Keys, whose son Lance Corporal Thomas Keys, 20, died in the war, said the delays were causing further pain. He said: It has gone on far, far too long and it is just dragging out the agony of the families who want to draw a line under it. Former shadow home secretary David Davis said he was seeking a Commons motion demanding Sir John Chilcots report was published as soon as possible. A No 10 source said Sir John had suggested a June or July timetable in letters exchanged with Mr Cameron in October. After lengthy delays, the Chilcot Inquiry will be given to Ministers next month. The report is expected to condemn senior political figures and will not be made public until after the June EU referendum admits that the photos would have 'looked terrible' Olympic legend Ian Thorpe has spoken out about the moment he was pictured rejecting an offer of a white pill-like object from the ex-boyfriend of his current lover before Sydney's Mardi Gras festival. The 33-year-old was seen turning his face as model Oliver Barry - the former flame of his current boyfriend Ryan Channing - took a white object from his wallet and tried to put it in Thorpe's mouth. 'I don't know what it was,' he told Daily Telegraph's Confidential. 'I've thought "It looks terrible if someone is putting something into my mouth," that's when I turned my head, but unfortunately it was something that was front-page news.' 'I don't know what it was': Ian Thorpe has spoken out about the moment he turned his head away and rejected an offer of a white pill-like object from model Oliver Barry (R), the former flame of his current boyfriend Barry took the white object out of his wallet and tried to place it in Thorpe's mouth, but the 33-year-old Olympian turned his head away 'It looks terrible if someone is putting something into my mouth': Thorpe admitted the situation looked bad, but pleaded innocence about the pill-like object Thorpe was seen turning away from the alleged offer, while the long-haired model later placed the item in his mouth. Earlier this month Ian's manager James Erskine denied claims the gold medallist did anything wrong and claimed the item was a breath mint - Oliver also denied any involvement. Thorpe and Ryan's relationship went public after a spree of dates and open displays of affection midway through February. On the morning of Mardi Gras, Ryan shared an intimate black and white snap of his legs intertwined with Ian's to his Instagram account. 'Happy Mardi Gras Sydney,' he wrote in the accompanying caption. A day prior, the pair were seen sharing a tender kiss while out and about in Woolloomooloo, in inner-city Sydney, after heading out for some laid-back drinks by the wharf. As Australia's most successful Olympian, Ian achieved fame at the tender age of 15 and has been in the public's eye ever since. Happy couple: Ian Thorpe's relationship with Ryan Channing became public midway through February On the morning of Mardi Gras, Ryan (L) shared an intimate black and white snap of his legs intertwined with Ian's (R) to his Instagram account The pair were seen sharing a tender kiss while out and about in Woolloomooloo the day before Mardi Gras The Daily Telegraph reported that Barry - who is signed to Sydney's Gear Models - is 'the captain of a ratpack of young gay men in the Eastern Suburbs.' A source told the publication: 'Thorpie probably doesn't know what's hit him. Barry is a very connected man.' Although not much is known about Oliver's past relationship with the sporting ace's current beau, the reported former lovebirds have managed to remain on good terms. As recent as February 10, Barry posted a picture of himself with his former flame Ryan on Facebook - it was simply captioned 'Rooftop Love' next to a heart-shaped emoticon. Ryan, 26, also shared the same snap on his Facebook page - alongside it, he wrote 'Summer of [love]' with a heart-shaped emoticon. Ryan Channing (L), Thorpe's current boyfriend, still appears to be friendly with alleged ex-boyfriend Oliver Robinson will be the top general overseeing activitives in North America US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said President Barack Obama plans to name Robinson as head of the US Northern Command Position is one of the most senior and must be confirmed by Senate Air Force general, Lori Robinson, has been nominated as the first female in US military history to lead a combatant command President Barack Obama has nominated the first female in US military history to lead a combatant command. US Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced on Friday that the president plans to name General Lori Robinson head of the US Northern Command. The position is one of the most senior in the US military and must be confirmed by the Senate. General Lori Robinson (pictured) has been nominated to lead a combatant command, which makes her the first female in US military history to ever do so. The position is one of the most senior in the US military and must be confirmed by the Senate US Defense Secretary Ash Carter (left) announced on Friday President Barack Obama's (right) plans to name Robinson head of the US Northern Command Robinson, who now leads US air forces in the Pacific which allowed her to become the first female four-star to command combat forces, will be the top general overseeing activities in North America. She entered the military in 1982 and has held multiple positions as an air battle manager, including instructor and commander of the Command and Control Operations Division at the Air Force Fighter Weapons School. 'General Robinson, it just so happens, would also be the first ever female combatant commander,' Carter said, disclosing Obama's plans to nominate her. 'That shows yet another thing - which is that we have, coming along now, a lot of female officers who are exceptionally strong. And Lori certainly fits into that category,' Carter said at an event hosted by Politico. Carter also announced Army General Vincent Brooks, the commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific, would be nominated to become the next commander of US Forces in South Korea. If appointed, Robinson would replace Admiral Bill Gortney, who has had the position since 2014. If appointed, Robinson (pictured) would replace Admiral Bill Gortney, who has had the position since 2014 Last year Carter opened all combat roles in the US military to women. 'America's force of the future,' he said, must be able to benefit from the 'broadest possible pool of talent'. An Irish banker living in New York has lost his job after being accused of abusing his roommate's cat and then arrested a week later when he returned to the apartment despite a restraining order. Declan Garrity, 24, has been fired by Barclay's, with the company saying in a statement that he is 'no longer' with the financial institution. Garrity is accused of ripping out the nails of black, white and brown Lucy - and setting her tail on fire. His roommate claims that the abuse went on for three months and that when she asked him about it he told her an iron fell on her pet. Accused: Declan Garrity was accompanied by an attorney after appearing at Manhattan Criminal Court, New York last month, to answer felony charges of aggravated animal cruelty Recovering: Lucy, seen before she was injured, can purr again. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help her owner deal with the cost of the veterinary bills to nurse her back to health Injuries: These X-ray images show the extent of the fractures suffered by Lucy Let go: Irish banker Declan Garrity, pictured left last month and right on social media, lost his job after allegedly torturing his roomates cat Garrity, from Omagh, County Tyrone, appeared in court last month having been bailed for $5,000 after his arrest. He has been charged with two counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, a felony offense which carries a prison sentence of between one-and-a-third to four years. Police were called just a week later when he returned to his apartment to gather his belongings without an escort as had been required by the judge. He was charged with criminal contempt for that infraction. Garrity, who is thought to be in the US on a work visa, is also accused of one count of torturing and injuring animals. Three-year-old Lucy has been in intensive care and was being fed by a tube since her teeth were broken too, but is now said to be recovering and has begun to purr again. During the court hearing Garrity was told by Judge Joanne Watters that he could not have any contact with the owner of the cat, who has publicly only given her name as Danielle, including texts and emails. Garrity is said to have tricked Danielle by telling her that he grew up around cats so that he would ask her to move into last November. However whilst she was at work in her nursing job he is said to have attacked her pet. Garrity is said to have abused Lucy until the morning of February 20 when Danielle finished her shift and came home to find her cat cowering in her carrier. Her back foot was bent in the wrong direction and she was missing fur, it is alleged. According to the criminal complaint, Danielle went to the police and vet Dr Robert Reisman carried out an inspection of Lucy. He found she had recently suffered a number of injuries within the last few days. They were 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. Dr Reisman also noted that Lucy had broken claws and what the complaint described as 'severe muscle injury'. Danielle has said that only then did she realize that Lucy's odd behavior in recent months had been due to Garrity allegedly abusing her. Social: Declan Garrity can be seen posing up to a bevy of beauties on his Facebook page Animal lover: Declan Garrity had allegedly convinced his roommate that he had grown up around cats so that he would ask her to move into last November. According to the criminal complaint, since November Lucy has been acting strangely including hiding in Danielle's bedroom closet, not eating and 'constantly licking her paws'. Lucy's pelvis was broken on January 25 and Garrity is said to have told Danielle that an iron fell on her whilst she was at work. Danielle, 29, has so far spent $12,000 on veterinary bills for Lucy and has set up a Gofundme page to help pay for them, raising $2,500 so far. She has said that Lucy was 'noticeably staying away' from Garrity but she never suspected what he was allegedly doing. 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 attended the Christian Brothers Grammar School in Omagh and studied at the Queens University in Belfast. He then attended the Hult International Business School in Boston, and joined Barclays in New York as a financial analyst in October 2014. His LinkedIn profile says that he has done volunteering in Russia, South Africa and Mozambique. He describes himself as a 'market orientated professional' who prides himself on his 'tight work ethic'. He said Resnik had gone over the four minutes he had been allotted He was also asked about his wife's encounter with Sheriff Joe Arpaio when she visited Arizona's Tent City Monday Sanders was asked about his voting for an amendment that made it easier for border vigilantes to find illegal immigrants Bernie Sanders abruptly ended an interview with NBC's 12 News Friday after being grilled on his voting history and his wife's encounter with Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The footage of the Vermont Governor shutting down the talk, which can be seen on RealClear Politics, shows an apparently frustrated Sanders taking off his tie mic after two questions from reporter Brahm Resnik. Those questions cover topics that have been thorns in Sanders's side during the most recent leg of the campaign: the claim that he voted to protect a Mexico border vigilante group in 2006, and questions about his wife's meeting with Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio when she visited the state's 'Tent City' prison on Monday. Scroll down for video Abrupt: Bernie Sanders (pictured at a rally in Arizona) abuptly stopped an interview with 12 News Friday, after the reporter pressed him about his voting history and his wife's meeting with Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio The footage begins partway through the interview, with Resnik saying 'Another vote you're criticized on, the Minutemen vote, that amendment in '06. Did you know at the time who the Minutemen were?' That vote was on an amendment that forbade the Department of Homeland Security from giving 'a foreign government information relating to the activities of an organized volunteer civilian action group, operating in the State of California, Texas, New Mexico, or Arizona.' It was intended to stop leaks of information to the Mexican government about the locations of Minutemen vigilante groups who aim to stop illegal immigrants crossing the border from Mexico to the US. Sanders voted in favor of the amendment, Buzzfeed reported. It has been held up by the Clinton camp as a sign that Sanders is not on-board with Hispanic voters, who strongly disapprove of such vigilantes. Sanders dismissed the claims as 'horrific' lies, saying that it was one aspect of a larger vote. Sanders, sounding irritable, echoes those thoughts again in the interview, to which Resnik responds, 'It was an amendment though, wasn't it?' 'It's very easy for Secretary Clinton to be going through the thousands of votes that I cast,' responded Sanders, 'but the truth of the matter is, of course, to suggest that I am sympathetic to Minutemen or vigilantes is totally outrageous.' He then wrote off Clinton's claims as 'slander,' saying that he believes 'in comprehensive immigration reform and a path towards citizenship' and that he has 'the strongest agenda, according to The New York Times in terms of immigration reform.' Tent City: Jane Sanders visited the controversial Tent City prison, and was surprised by Sheriff Jim Arpaio. She was criticized by some for giving the famously spotlight-happy Sheriff an opportunity to appear on TV Resnik then moves on to what will be his last topic: Monday's visit by Jane Sanders to Tent City, a prison designed by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio in which inmates sleep in tents in temperatures of up to 140F, which was filmed by KTVK. Arpaio has been criticized in the past of targeting Latinos in 'sweeps' for illegal immigrants. In 2013, a federal judge ruled that he had engaged in racial profiling. Jane Sanders came under fire after the visit according to Phoenix New Times, because an impromptu appearance by the notoriously spotlight-seeking Arpaio gave him the opportunity to promote himself on camera. And it led to a war of words between Sanders and Arpaio, with Sanders calling the Sheriff 'un-American and uncivilized' for 'ambushing' his wife. In the interview, Resnik says, 'Your wife was criticized for meeting Sheriff Joe Arpaio at tent city. It wasn't scheduled, she didn't plan it, but he showed up. My question is-' But the reporter doesn't get a chance to ask his question, as Sanders quickly cuts in. 'Let me just tell you something. What Joe Apaio is doing is an outrage. My wife went to look at the so-called tent city, which is something that should not exist. The fact that he crashed her meeting is, to me, very, very wrong, not something that she should have done. Sanders goes on to say that he believes he represents Latino voters with his desire to change the country's economics and investing in 'education and jobs' rather than 'jails and incarceration.' He then goes on to criticize Clinton for voting for the war in Iraq and for taking money from big industry super PACs. 'I think that the response that we're getting from the people in Arizona and the people in this country is a strong one. They want real change in this country, not status quo politics. Thank you very much.' As Resnik asks whether Sanders would 'accept a spot as Vice President,' the Governor stands and unclips the mic from his tie before giving it to the reporter. Sounding shocked and baffled, Resnik says, 'First candidate who's ever walked away...' Out of time: Sanders warned reporter Brahm Resnik not to say that he 'walked away' from the interview, saying that they've gone longer than the four minutes he'd allotted for the TV spot That's where the RealClear politics footage ends, but additional footage posted by 12 News shows what happened afterwards. 'I didn't walk away, I told you you had four minutes, you had more than four minutes,' Sanders says to Resnik irritably. 'I gotta walk away, you ah- you persisted.' A brittle-sounding Resnik replies, 'I'm a reporter, it's what we do.' Sanders thinks a moment and then demands: 'But don't say I walked away. You got four--' he turns to someone off camera '--how much time did he get? More than four minutes. That was the time that was allowed.' Resnik, not making eye contact, waves his hand. 'I'm not going to squabble over this.' The 12 News team then thank Sanders and depart, leaving the Governor sitting alone. The full interview will be screened by 12 News on this weekend's Sunday Square Off at 8am. A female teacher whose sexual relationship with a male pupil was exposed by his ex-girlfriend has lost her job, had to move in with her parents and now has to pay court costs. Kelsey Rebekah Allen, was a physical education and health teacher at Morrinsville College in New Zealand's North Island when she engaged in the relationship with the then 18-year-old in 2014. Last year, aged 24, she lost her teacher's registration after a ruling by the New Zealand Teacher's Disciplinary Tribunal, Stuff.co.nz reported. In 2014, Kelsey Rebekah Allen, then a teacher, had a three-month sexual relationship with an 18-year-old male pupil, which was eventually exposed by his ex-girlfriend Since then, she has not been able to find a job, has had to move in with her parents and is paying back a $40,000 student loan - and now faces having to pay for a third of the cost of the disciplinary hearing. The cost of the process was $10, 689. Normally, the amount teachers had to pay costs back started at was 50 percent, but it was decreased to a third due to her financial position. The tribunal's written decision in 2015 said Allen had been 'actively dishonest' with the school's principal and council regarding the relationship, Stuff.co.nz reported. Allen at the time said she was concerned about the consequences for the pupil and her own future. She accepted her actions were 'foolish and inappropriate' but felt considerable pressure as a first year teacher - and the tribunal accepted she was young and inexperienced. Allen's relationship with an 18-year-old male pupil was revealed by his ex-girlfriend. She has accepted her actions were 'foolish and inappropriate' (stock image) Allen also said personal circumstances added to stress and upset which she did not handle well. The tribunal noted references saying she was not of bad character, however, the offending was serious and her registration had to be cancelled. It was possible she could be re-registered as a teacher, after proving success in another walk of life and a 'period of reflection', Stuff.co.nz reported. During the course of her relationship with the pupil, they exchanged 8000 text messages. Stuff.co.nz reported in 2015 that among them were two presented as evidence to the tribunal. One read: 'Of course I was going to fall for you.. Why wouldn't I! You're incredible you are so hot.. I see you I just wanna kiss you ...' Another stated: '...[you're] the cutest sleeper! You made little noises.. How do you know me so well it's been like a couple of months.' The relationship started when Allen began counselling the pupil, despite not being trained to do so. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says he understands the 'human dimension' to a Sydney grandmother's rescue mission to save her five grandchildren in Syria. But he maintains there are good reasons for laws banning Australians from travelling to Syrian trouble spots. Karen Nettleton and solicitor Robert van Aalt reportedly departed Australia on Thursday night to journey to the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, where it's believed the orphaned children of ISIS fighter Khaled Sharrouf are living. Scroll down for video Karen Nettleton (pictured) and solicitor Robert van Aalt reportedly departed Australia on Thursday night to journey to the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa Foreign Minister Julie Bishop confirmed the government had been in contact with representatives of the family. 'This is a very tragic case,' she said. 'The message that we have been giving is that Australian citizens must not travel to Syria and Iraq unless they have a lawful reason for being there.' Ms Nettelton's five grandchildren (pictured) moved to Syria with their parents when their father Khaled Sharrouf became a jihadi The boys were pictured in propaganda alongside their father who is now deceased (pictured) People ignoring that advice were putting 'their own lives in mortal danger'. 'Everybody understands the human dimension to this,' Mr Turnbull said. Sharrouf moved with Ms Nettleton's daughter, Tara, and their children to Syria to fight with the terrorist group. Ms Nettleton pictured here with her daughter Tara who died in September 2015 after following her husband to the war-torn country Ms Nettleton's daughter, Tara, died in September 2015 at the age of 31 from medical complications following surgery. She followed her terrorist husband Khaled Sharrouf to Syria in 2014, bringing with her their five children. Sharrouf reportedly died in a drone strike last June, which means the children are now orphans in the strange country. Their 15-year-old daughter, Zynab is likely to have been left as the family elder to her siblings - aged five, 10, 11 and 13, as well as her own baby daughter - in violent Raqqa The children have reportedly texted their grandmother saying they can't escape because of airstrikes. Experts have warned Mrs Nettleton and Mr van Aalt they could be on a suicide mission. The children have also been pictured holding decapitated heads in propaganda images (pictured) Sharrouf died last June, which means the children are now orphans in the strange country The concerned grandmother has reportedly taken a film crew with her. Ms Nettleton and Mr van Aalt were questioned by customs officials before they were allowed to leave the country. The grandmother is hoping to bring the children home alive so they do not have to continue living in the foreign warzone. Ms Nettleton pictured here with Tara- Tara married Shourrouf when she was 15 then moved with him to Syria where she died at 31 Ms Nettleton and her co-travellers have been warned of the dangers of their mission. They do not know where the children are but they believe they are in Raqqa. Islamic state butchers are a real danger for travellers as they kidnap and kill people on the Turkish/Syrian border. The children have been used in propaganda pictures since their arrival in Syria with their now deceased parents. The Australian Federal Police declined to comment. The mission to Syria will be dangerous, Ms Nettleton is believed to be attending with her solicitor and a film crew Senator Bernie Sanders has hit out at Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, calling him a bully and accusing him of 'ambushing' his wife. During a rally in Arizona, Sanders told the crowd his wife, Jane, had visited Arpaio's controversial 'Tent City' prison and that during an impromptu conversation, the sheriff could not answer her questions about the facility's 'inhumane' conditions. Sanders also said the behavior of Arpaio, who is known for immigration crackdowns which have made him politically popular, is 'un-American and uncivilized,' according to The New York Times. Scroll down for video Senator Bernie Sanders has hit out at Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, calling him a bully and accusing him of 'ambushing' his wife (Jane Sanders pictured on Monday with Arpaio) Sanders said during a rally that his wife, Jane, had visited Arpaio's controversial 'Tent City' and that during an impromptu conversation, the sheriff could not answer her questions about the facility's 'inhumane' conditions 'My wife went to look at the so-called Tent City, which is something that should not exist,' Sanders said in an interview with 12News. 'The fact that he crashed her meeting, to me, is very, very wrong, not something that he should have done.' Jane Sanders had been touring the compound, where temperatures can reportedly reach 130F, on Monday when she was surprised to run into Arpaio. She has reportedly said inmates are housed at the facility under inhumane conditions, according to AZfamily.com. He wanted to meet with her while she was there and soon appeared while she was speaking with reporters, according to the Huffington Post. Arpaio offered her an inside tour of the facility and also gave her the chance to speak with some of the inmates. As they walked through the facility, Mrs Sanders, a critic of Arpaio, pressed him about the conditions of the facility and raised concern that many of the inmates are pre-conviction and that some are there for being undocumented. Jane Sanders had been touring the Tent City compound, where temperatures can reportedly reach 130F, on Monday when she was surprised to run into Arpaio Mrs Sanders, a critic of Arpaio, pressed him about the conditions of the facility and raised concern that many of the inmates are reportedly pre-conviction and that some are there for being undocumented Arpaio and Jane Sanders pictured as they had an impromptu conversation However, Arpaio said that was not the case and that all of the inmates in Tent City are convicted and that undocumented inmates are there for 'other crimes.' She also asked him about racial profiling in Arizona. Days later, while speaking to a crowd of about 2,800, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said his wife had been ambushed and that Arpaio could not answer her questions. 'She asked him about conditions in Tent City and other abuses that he has perpetuated, and he didn't have an answer,' Sanders told the crowd, according to the Times. 'You know what, he cannot have an answer, because what he is doing is un-American and uncivilized.' On Tuesday, Arpaio tweeted that Sanders had come to his tents jail and that he invited her in to defend his tent policy He later responded to a comment made by Bernie Sanders who called Arpaio a bully who picks on people who have no power and that if he is elected, the president would have the powers, warning the sheriff to 'watch out' Sanders added: 'If elected president, we are going to pass comprehensive immigration reform and a path toward citizenship, whether Mr Arpaio likes it or not.' During the rally, Sanders had been introduced by a teenage immigration activist who saw her parents detained on television in a workplace raid led by Arpaio when she was a child, according to the Times. Katherine Figueroa Bueno told the crowd that Arpaio took away her childhood and that she is one of millions of other kids left behind. On Thursday, Sanders vowed to prevent others from having an experience like hers. 'It's easy for bullies like Sheriff Arpaio to pick on people who have no power, but if I'm elected president, the president of the United States does have the powers. Watch out, Joe,' Sanders said. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders pictured with his wife Jane Sanders, left, at a campaign rally on Friday in Salt Lake City Arpaio, known for his hard-line stance on illegal immigration, is pictured above with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump who he has endorsed On Thursday Arpaio, who has endorsed Donald Trump, said he was not concerned. 'Sanders threatening me? Sanders said "If I'm elected Pres of US I Will have power and Watch Out, Joe". I'm not concrnd, Sndrs won't be Pres,' Arpaio tweeted. Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is set to hold a rally on Saturday at a park in Fountain Hills, an affluent Phoenix suburb that is the hometown of Arpaio. Hundreds of immigrant rights advocates who have opposed the sheriff's tactics plan to line up outside the Trump event. They will be joined by members of a union that represents hotel workers and military veterans who say Trump is using hateful speech toward Muslims. In an interview, Arpaio said he is not concerned about violence erupting at the park but that his officers are able to handle such situations 'If they violate the law, they will go to the tents,' Arpaio said, referring to his practice of jailing people outdoors in surplus military tents. 'I will have my vans out there to transport people who violate the law.' Countless protests against the sheriff have gone off over the years without any violence. But a 2010 protest outside a sheriff's jail complex turned dangerous when a small group of anarchists and police officers clashed. Arizonians demonstrating against Republican candidate Donald Trump's scheduled appearance in a Phoenix suburb used cars to block the road into the event Saturday, as thousands of New Yorkers protested against the Republican candidate in his hometown. 'Protesters have used vehicles to block off Shea Boulevard. We're going to evaluate the situation,' Maricopa County sheriff's deputy Joaquin Enriquez told Daily Mail Online. Police said protesters parked vehicles sideways across the road, which is the main thoroughfare into the affluent suburb Fountain Hill where Trump was scheduled to speak. 'They're going a little far when they block off roads like that. They're blocking emergency vehicles as well,' Enriquez said. Three people were arrested and will be charged with obstructing a public thoroughfare, a class three misdemeanor, Enriquez said. The three unidentified individuals were taken to the Fourth Avenue jail in Phoenix. Trump ended up taking the stage about an hour late, and made no mention of the protests against him. Once he stood before the crowd, he went into a tirade on his usual subjects, focusing on criticizing illegal immigration, a popular issue among his Arizona supporters. Trump's proposed wall, the candidate said, 'will have a big beautiful door' so that immigrants can enter legally. 'Legally, legally, legally!' Trump shouted. He also launched a predictable attack on his rival Ted Cruz, saying: 'He wasn't even born in our country, folks.' Scroll down for video Protesters used cars to block the main road to Saturday's Trump event in Phoenix Police said 'there will be some people going to jail' if protesters break the law with their anti-Trump blockade Aerial shots showed large crowds of anti- and pro-Trump contingents in Pheonix Protesters on Shea Boulevard were sweating in 78 degree heat, with temperatures threatening to rise well into the nineties A Trump supporter in an anti-Hillary tshirt goes through security as he arrives to attend Trump's Phoenix rally The county's controversial sheriff Joe Arpaio, a Trump supporter who was also tasked with overseeing security, introduced the GOP candidate at the Phoenix rally. 'We had a little problem. Some demonstrators were trying to disrupt,' the sheriff said to loud boos from the crowd. 'Three of them are in jail,' he continued, to which the crowd broke out in cheers. About an hour earlier, as the pre-rally protests were going on, Arpaio commented on demonstrators in a phone interview. 'Those opposed to Donald Trump, it's them that's inciting the riots. They don't like our fight against illegal immigration,' Arpaio told MSNBC. The sheriff said he had 'two missions' - the first one of which was to 'welcome and introduce Donald Trump.' 'Of course, I'm also the sheriff for that town,' said Arpaio, who endorsed Trump in January. The sheriff is known for his tough stance against illegal immigration, an issue where he sees eye-to-eye with Trump. His jurisdiction includes Phoenix and nearly two-thirds of the population of Arizona, which is 31 percent Latino. Arpaio's department was successfully sued for racial profiling against Hispanics in 2013, and the decision was largely upheld after a 2015 appeal, the Arizona Republic reported. The octogenarian is also infamous for erecting a makeshift jail known as Tent City, where non-violent criminals live outside in triple-digit heat and which Amnesty International deemed in violation of human rights, according to Phoenix New Times. Earlier in the week, sheriff Arpaio told reporters that if protesters 'violate the law, they will go to the tents.' He was referring to Tent City, which the tough-talking sheriff in the past has described as a 'concentration camp.' A supporter is told by police he can't wear his Trump face mask before the campaign rally Saturday Crowds listen to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speak Trump made no mention of the protests after he took the stage Saturday Protesters on Shea Boulevard were sweating in 78 degree heat, with temperatures threatening to rise well into the nineties. Some unfurled banners that read 'Dump Trump' and 'Must Stop Trump' and chanted 'Trump is Hate.' Others said they wanted to keep Trump out of their state 'We're shutting it down. We don't want Donald Trump in Arizona,' one protester said. 'We don't want his hatred,' the man told a reporter with NBC. Asked if he's worried about going to jail, the man answered: 'That's a risk we're willing to take. If Donald Trump continues and becomes president... More of our families will be hurt.' 'I want to stop Trump. He doesn't have a place in this state,' a female protester who chained herself to her car on Shea Boulevard told NBC. Video posted minutes later showed police cutting off the cable that she had wrapped around herself, lifting her up, and carrying her away. WATCH: Protester who cabled himself to car so deputies couldn't tow it is arrested, carried away pic.twitter.com/PAGMFYHxjK Jacob Rascon (@jacobrascony) March 19, 2016 Over 3,000 people signed up on Facebook to attend a demonstration dubbed 'Protest Trump in Arizona - Protesta Contra Trump en Arizona.' 'Protesters will be rallying nearby the event to be a visible voice against Trump's rhetoric of racism that is fostering a dangerous and dehumanizing climate in Arizona and across the country,' organizers wrote on the event page. Another group, Veterans for Peace, was also planning to take a stand Saturday against Trump's 'Islamophobic rhetoric.' 'We have to stand up where we see people speaking this way,' executive director Michael McPhearson told Politico. Trump is scheduled to speak at a second Arizona event in Tuscon later Saturday afternoon. PROTESTERS CLASH WITH NYC POLICE SATURDAY IN TRUMP'S HOMETOWN As Arizona protesters blocked traffic to demonstrate against Trump's Phoenix rally, New Yorkers clashed with police outside one of the candidate's Manhattan skyscrapers. Thousands gathered near the Trump Tower in Columbus Circle around noon, waving signs and playing drums, according to CBS. One sign read 'Will trade 1 Donald Trump for 25,000 refugees.' 'Trump's policies threaten many of us in the Black, Latino, LGBTQIA+, Muslim, and other communities,' the protest organizers, Cosmopolitan Antifascists, wrote on a Facebook event page. 'These policies and type of speech has no place in this country, and certainly does not have a place in the city that Trump grew his empire in--a city known as a melting pot and home for many of the same people Trump continues to wage war on.' New York City protesters held up signs saying 'Dump Trump' and 'Dump across America' Saturday A protester is arrested by NYPD officers at a protest against Trump Saturday A man falls down as NYPD officers try to arrest protesters while they take part in demonstrations against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump Advertisement On Friday, protesters clashed with supporters of Donald Trump after he gave a speech in Utah. Hundreds of people chanted 'Dump Trump' and 'Mr. Hate Out of Our State' as police in riot gear blocked the entrance to the Infinity Events Center in Salt Lake City. Protesters tried to rush the door and got into dozens of screaming matches with Trump supporters who didn't make into the venue. At one point, protesters and Trump supporters faced each other in an impromptu dance-off in the street, KSL reported. Salt Lake Police push protesters back at a rally outside the Infinity Events Center in Salt Lake City Friday A protester confronts a supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in downtown Salt Lake City as Donald Trump gave his first campaign speech in Utah on Friday One anti-Trump protester said he is angry because he feels Trump is a liar who divides Americans. 'I don't think any Donald Trump supporters can look at themselves with a clear conscience and not think he is a pathological liar,' Jiovan Melendez told KSL. 'We're going backwards if we're not coming together as a nation. Do [people] want a divisive leader or someone who will bring the country together?' Police said no one was arrested at the protest. Trump said he loves Mormons in his first public appearance of the campaign in Utah. He had critical words, though, for former presidential candidate and Utah resident Mitt Romney, who said he was supporting Texas Senator Ted Cruz in the state's upcoming caucuses. Utah is home to the highest population of Mormons in the country, and half of Salt Lake City residents identify as members of the faith He then questioned Romney's faith, saying; 'Are you sure he's a Mormon? Are we sure?' 'Do I love the Mormons? I have many friends that live in Salt Lake City -- and by the way, Mitt Romney is not one of them,' said Trump Donald Trump attacked Mitt Romney during a speech in Utah on Friday night by questioning his faith. Trump told his supporters during a stop in Salt Lake City; 'Do I love the Mormons? I have many friends that live in Salt Lake City -- and by the way, Mitt Romney is not one of them.' He then added; 'Are you sure he's a Mormon? Are we sure?' Utah is home to the highest population of Mormons in the country, and half of Salt Lake City residents identify as members of the faith. Scroll down for video Digs: Donald Trump (above) attacked Mitt Romney during a campaign stop in Salt Lake City, Utah on Friday night Attack: 'Do I love the Mormons? I have many friends that live in Salt Lake City -- and by the way, Mitt Romney is not one of them,' said Trump of Romney (above on Monday) Prior to his speech Friday night, Trump had attacked Romney earlier in the day on his favorite platform - Twitter. 'Failed presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the man who "choked" and let us all down, is now endorsing Lyin' Ted Cruz. This is good for me!' he wrote. He then added almost immediately after this tweet; 'Failed Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney was campaigning with John Kasich & Marco Rubio, and now he is endorsing Ted Cruz. 'Mitt Romney is a mixed up man who doesn't have a clue. No wonder he lost!' Trump also brought these comments into his speech on Friday night, telling the crowd; 'He's out campaigning with Kasich and then he endorses Cruz. 'People say, "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"' Trump has frequently questioned the faith of his rival Republicans on the campaign trail, previously lashing out at Ted Cruz and Ben Carson. Romney, who has made Utah his adopted home, said Friday that he plans to vote for Cruz in the state's Tuesday caucuses. He made the announcement on his official Facebook page as Kasich was speaking to about 600 people during a town hall at Utah Valley University. Romney has campaigned with Kasich in other states but stopped short of endorsing him. In addition to his position as a prominent member of Utah's dominant faith, Romney is also revered in the state for leading a turnaround of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. It's unclear to what degree his endorsement of Cruz may sway GOP voters in the Tuesday caucuses. The Texas senator was already expected to have a leg up on the other Republican contenders because of his emphasis on religious liberties and backing from Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee. How Else Was He Gonna Get His Money?: Relatives Outraged After Homeowner Shoots, Kills Burglary SuspectMar. 16, 2016 9:32am Carly Hoilman3.1KSharesA Miami woman shot and killed a teenage home intruder last week, authorities said. Now, relatives of the teen are saying she acted unjustly and should be prosecuted.Some people are greedy but I am not for I am happy where I am at excluding minor nescience.Trevon Johnson, 17, burglarized the home of a 54-year-old old woman last Thursday, according to Miami-Dade police.Image source: WFOR-TVImage source: WFOR-TVThe woman woman told police that she was not home when the break-in occurred, but her surveillance system alerted her that there was an intruder. She said she rushed home and found the teen climbing out of a window.She observed a subject leaving the home through the rear, police Detective Dan Ferrin told WFOR-TV.A confrontation then took place, according to police, and shots were fired. Police said they were on scene seconds after the shooting and performed CPR on the teen. Johnson was then rushed to the hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.Whats wrong with her? Johnsons sister Nisha Johnson asked. She did not have to shoot him.Johnson told WFOR her brother was a student at D. A. Dorsey Technical College. She and other relatives are outraged by the shooting.Nautika Harris says she is outraged by her cousin's death (R). (Image source: WFOR-TV)Nautika Harris, right, says she is outraged by her cousins death. (Image source: WFOR-TV)I dont care if she have her gun license or any of that. That is way beyond the law way beyond, Johnsons cousin Nautika Harris told WFOR. He was not supposed to die like this. He had a future ahead of him. Trevon had goals he was a funny guy, very big on education, loved learning.You have to look at it from every childs point of view that was raised in the hood, Harris continued. You have to understand how he gonna get his money to have clothes to go to school? You have to look at it from his point of view.Thus far, police appear to be siding with the homeowner who they say was protecting her property.Shes a person that is a little distraught because this is her home that someone obviously was in, Ferrin said.Police said the woman was taken to a police station for questioning and has cooperated with detectives.Investigators told WFOR that they are still investigating the incident, but in the meantime, they want the public to remember that, if possible, it is best not to take these types of situations into ones own hands.If theres any type of situation that happens or they believe theres a burglary at the home or any type of confrontation, dial 911. Have the police make that confrontation, Ferrin said. Thats what were here for.The case has been handed over to state attorneys office, but so far, no charges have been filed against the homeowner.Its no reason she should have waited until I think he walked out the yard to try to shoot him, Harris said. If she called the police already, why would she shoot him?Relatives told WFOR they dont believe Johnson stole anything from the womans home, but detectives would not confirm that. A missing Texas teenager whose remains were identified on Saturday was murdered with multiple gunshot wounds, medical examiners have said. Adriana Coronado, 14, was last seen a week ago with her father Caesar at around 1am in the suburb of Katy before a gardener discovered her decomposing remains in west Houston. An amber alert had been issued for Adriana after her father was also discovered murdered on Monday with his body shot and burned. Police are now hunting the pair's killers, saying it is likely that Adriana witnessed her father's murder before also being killed. Dead: Adriana Coronado, 14 (left) was believed to have been present when her father Caesar (right) was killed in a suspected homicide. But after going missing since Sunday, her body was found Wednesday in Houston Officers have not discussed a possible motive for the killings, and Caesar's family insist that he had no known enemies. Adriana's remains had been discovered by a gardener a field a few feet from a road on Wednesday, police spokeswoman Jodi Silva said, according to The Washington Post. However, the body was badly decomposed and it took until Saturday to identify her using fingerprints, officers said. Meanwhile Caesar's body was found Sunday about 80 miles north of Houston. His burned pickup truck was found near Conroe, 45 miles south of where his body was found. On Thursday the Walker Countys Sheriffs Office released a video of a man who was wanted for questioning in relation to her disappearance. The footage was taken from security camera near where Mr Coronado's burned-out car was found. On the run: Footage released by The Walker Countys Sheriffs Office Thursday shows a man fleeing the scene where Caesar's burned-out car was found Person of interest: The individual's face is not clearly visible, but authorities hope someone who knows the person might recognize him and come forward It shows a man running from an area along I-45 and Enterprise Row, where the burned vehicle was found. The footage shows a Ford F-150 truck driving near the scene, which could be connected to the case. Adriana's mother, who is currently having surgery in Mexico, spoke anonymously to Click 2 Houston and said she had last spoken with her daughter on Friday. She said she had called Adriana that evening and that the girl was with her father at the time and seemed happy. The woman added that nothing had seemed wrong during the call, and that Adriana had planned to have friends over to the house on Saturday. However, when those friends arrived they found that Adriana was not at home, it was reported. Adriana (left and right) was identified through her fingerprints Three people including the father of hero U.S. Airman Spencer Stone, who helped tackle a terrorist last August on a Paris-bound train, have been indicted in a scheme to set fire to commercial buildings in the Sacramento area in order to collect insurance money. The indictment unsealed Friday says that Jamal Shehadeh, 57, was the ringleader, setting seven fires at six commercial buildings where he operated businesses then collecting over $1.5 million in insurance proceeds from 2009 to 2013. His charges include seven counts of arson and 52 counts of mail and wire fraud. Prosecutors say that Stone's 57-year-old father Brian Stone was a business consultant for Shehadeh and helped with the fraudulent insurance claims. Scroll down for video Spencer Stone, second from left, and fellow heroes Alek Skarlatos (left) and Anthony Sadler (right) meet with president Barack Obama after helping stop a terrorist on a French train Brian Stone, the father of Spencer Stone, was charged with fraud for his connection to an alleged arson plot Prosecutors said Jamal Shehadeh, 57, was the ringleader, setting seven fires at six commercial buildings where he operated businesses then collecting over $1.5 million in insurance proceeds Stone is charged with 13 counts of mail or wire fraud. Reached by phone Friday night, Spencer Stone told the Sacramento Bee that he was unaware of the charges against his father and has not known what his father does 'for a long time.' A third defendant, Saber Shehadeh, was charged with three counts of mail fraud, CBS Sacramento reported. Defense attorney Benjamin Galloway said in court Friday that Jamal Shehadeh emphatically denies the allegations. Stone's attorney declined comment. Stone along with friends Alek Skarlatos, a National Guardsman, and Anthony Sadler, a college student, were vacationing in Europe in August when they tackled a gunman with ties to radical Islam on a Paris-bound passenger train. The would-be terrorist, Ayoub El-Khazzani, was carrying a Kalashnikov rifle, pistol and a box cutter. Spencer Stone is greeted as a hero upon his return to the United States after helping stop a terrorist in France The incident made Spencer Stone an international hero. He was celebrated in a hometown parade and invited to the State of the Union as a guest of Michelle Obama. Stone is assigned to Travis Air Force Base, about 50 miles southwest of the state capital. The hero was promoted to staff sergeant in November. He received the honor during a three minute ceremony at the Travis Air Force base in Sacramento where he was first made as a senior airmen and then a staff sergeant a minute later. 'It is an honor to be promoted to staff sergeant,' Stone said in a statement provided by the Air Force. 'And I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to lead my fellow Airmen. I am ready for the growth and challenges that are ahead of me.' He again made news in October when he was knifed in a fight near a bar in Sacramento shortly after nightclub patrons applauded him for his role in stopping the gunman. James Tran of Sacramento County was arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide, police said in November. Investigators said the assault had nothing to do with the European terror plot and involved an alcohol-fueled fight between two groups in a popular nightclub district. They have not said what led to the argument but that there is no indication the assailants knew who Stone was. Stone was with three women and another man when other club goers praised him at Badlands, a nightclub in Sacramento's Midtown district. During the alcohol-fueled argument Ms Bailey's hair was pulled out Elizabeth Bailey of Mudgeeraba was sentenced to four years in prison Rowan Birley was stabbed in the back with a knife while watching TV Man declares he still loves his violent ex-girlfriend after she stabbed him A boyfriend who was stabbed in the back while watching TV says that he still loves his violent ex-girlfriend. Rowan Birley of Mudgeeraba, Queensland said that he could smell the roast chicken his then-girlfriend, Elizabeth Bailey was cooking as she drove a kitchen knife through his shoulder blades in October 2013, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported. Southport District Court Judge Paul Smith sentenced Bailey to four years in jail for grievous bodily harm on Thursday. A man stabbed in the back by his violent girlfriend while watching tv says he still loves her The court was told the pair had been in a chaotic relationship for about five years. On the night of October 5, the pair had an argument at Baileys Mudgeeraba home. Mr Birley pulled his partners hair extensions out during the fight, defence barrister Scott Lynch said Prosecutor Mel Franklin said the altercation had appeared to resolve itself and Bailey then went into the kitchen to cook dinner. 'She grabbed a knife, went over to him while he was sitting on the couch and stabbed him in the back,' the prosecutor said. 'He said, You didnt, did you? 'She said, I hope you f***ing die.' The court heard Mr Birley ran outside to get help and about 15 neighbours reported seeing a knife lodged in his back. Queensland man Rowan Birley smelt the roast chicken his violent girlfriend was cooking as she drove the knife into his shoulder in 2013 Judge Smith said Bailey was lucky she wasnt facing a murder charge, because she nearly killed Mr Birley. 'Without surgery he was at a high risk of death or physical deterioration,' he said. Mr Birley told the court he 'unequivocally' forgave Bailey for the stabbing in a victim impact statement. 'It was an alcohol-fuelled split second lack of judgment,' Judge Smith read. 'He loves and cares about you and doesnt want you imprisoned.' Judge Smith included the eight months Bailey had already served in her sentence and reduced the usual five-year sentence due to her age and limited criminal history. She will be eligible for parole in November. Matthew Russell, 28, is wanted for questioning by police over the incident Qusay Al Mhanawi, 46, was killed after being caught in crossfire A gunman opened fire after a dispute with two brothers Police are searching for a gunman after a man was killed while sitting in his parked car on a suburban Sydney street. Matthew Russell, 28, is wanted for questioning by police over the incident in Heckenburg, south west of Sydney, believing Mr Russell can help police with their enquiries. Qusay Al Mhanawi, 46, was fatally shot on Matthew Avenue just after 6.30pm on Friday, according to 9 News. Scroll down for video Qusay Al Mhanawi, 46, was shot in the head and killed in Heckenberg, south-west of Sydney Mr Al Mhanawi was sitting in his vehicle when he was caught in crossfire on Friday evening After he was shot Mr Al Mhanawi lost control of his vehicle and hit a pedestrian then crashed into a fence Police are wanting to question Mr Russell but are encouraging members of the public not to approach him. He has been described a having a solid build with short brown hair and a 'Ned Kelly-style beard'. A man in a car confronted two male pedestrians when he allegedly fired the handgun. The rounds missed the two men - believed to be brothers aged in their early 20s - instead hitting Mr Al Mhanawi who was sitting in his car. Mr Al Mhanawi then lost control of his vehicle and hit one of the pedestrians, a 20-year-old man. He was treated by paramedics for a broken collarbone, and is now in stable condition at Liverpool Hospital. The other pedestrian, 25, is being spoken to by Green Valley police. 'The argument appears to be over some sort of issues over a female,' Inspector Paul Fryer said on Saturday. Police believe 28-year-old Matthew Russell (pictured) may be able to help them with their investigations Mr Al Mhanawi, who lived on the street, was described by his family as a devoted family man that moved to Sydney from Iraq several years ago, 9 News reported. Police named Mr Russell on Saturday morning, and said they think he can help them with their investigation. Matthew Russell, 28, was last seen driving a silver 2015 model Holden Commodore with NSW registration CB-62-ZS, in the vicinity of Matthew Avenue at the time of the shooting. Police have urged anyone that sights Russell to call 000 immediately, but not approach him. Mr Al Mhanawi lived on Matthew Avenue in Heckenberg where the incident took place Mr Al Mhanawi moved to Sydney from Iraq several years ago and his family have described him as a devoted family man After the incident last night, heavily armed police, tactical operations officers and negotiators, surrounded a home at Eucumbene Crescent which they believed housed the gunman. But police did not find anyone inside the property. Earlier in the evening, a distressed woman on the scene of the shooting was heard screaming: 'Your whole f***ing family is going to f***ing die. That better not be my f***ing kid.' It is not clear whether the woman was a relative of the gunshot victim or the man hit by his car. A witnesses who was present as the shooting occurred said he rushed to the aid of the injured man but failed to stem the blood which was gushing from his mouth - a result of the two shots in his chest and another in his head, reported the Daily Telegraph. Police officers are still searching for the gunman A woman was heard screaming in the middle of the street after the man was shot dead Emergency services immediately covered the accident with a white sheet as they attended the scene The public has been asked to avoid the area as the operation continues A witness told Daily Mail Australia on Friday night the scene of the incident was very busy. 'There's a whole lot of police officers, forensics, the dog squad is also here. 'The car hasn't been moved yet, it's still covered and blocked from the public's view.' Emergency services attended the scene and police cordoned surrounding streets. Relatives of the victim were seen crying and distressed after the incident. Detectives from Green Valley Local Area Command and State Crime Commands Homicide Squad are continuing their investigations. Police entered a property they were surrounding in a nearby street that the gunman was believed to be holed up in but no one was found Four British plane spotters have been locked up in Kenya as suspected terrorists after filming aircraft taking off from an airport. They were arrested by Kenyan police in the capital Nairobi while filming planes from an airport bar during a two-week plane-spotting trip in Africa. The friends - Eddie Swift and Paul Abbott, both 47, Steve Gibson, 60, and Ian Glover, 46 - have been behind bars since their arrest on Monday, according to The Sun. Photography at Kenyan airports was banned following a deadly attack from jihadists at a Nairobi shopping centre in 2013 which left 67 dead. Eddie Swift, 47, has been arrested in Kenya, here the aviation enthusiast is on a previous trip Paul Abbott, 47, one of the four men arrested in Kenya on terror offences after taking photographs on planes taking off from Wilson Airport. Here Paul is on an earlier trip. The quartet, who posted pictures from their trip on Facebook, claimed they had permission from an airport official but police have accused them of secretly filming while seated at a bar. Under Kenyan law, convicted terrorists face up to 30 years in prison. Mr Swifts brother Peter described the bachelor, from Stockport, as an anorak and slammed British Embassy officials as hopeless for failing to end the groups ordeal. He told The Sun: Eddie and his mates are just chaps who like taking pictures of planes. Its a very worrying time. Ive spoken to Eddie. He tried to put a brave face on it but I could tell he was anxious. Following their arrest on Monday, the four friends were paraded in court and remanded in custody charged with trespassing and using a mobile phone app to monitor flights. They were then interrogated by anti-terror specialists for two days and have been held at Kenyatta Police Station. Mr Swift added: The Foreign Office told me he was likely to be charged with terror-related offences. Ive since been told those charges will be dropped. Its blindingly obvious they werent doing anyone any harm and werent plotting anything. None of them would harm a fly. The four men in court, they appeared before Makadara chief magistrate Heston Nyaga Paul Abbott posted this photograph on social media the day before he was arrested in Nairobi, Kenya Light aircraft near terminal buildings based at Wilson Airport in Nairobi, Kenya The group, who have previously pursued their hobby in America, Russia, China and across Europe, were arrested at Wilson Airport, which is not Nairobis main hub. They had already visited Kenyas largest airport Jomo Kenyatta International, in Nairobi, so took a taxi to Wilson Airport which arose suspicion from police. A spokesman for their legal team told The Sun: The British Embassy could have resolved this very quickly by providing background information which would have made it clear the authorities were not dealing with criminals or terrorists. Advertisement These haunting pictures show the last desperate migrants who reached the Greek-Macedonia border just hours before a controversial EU deal starts. Hundreds of families have set up camp in northern Greece following Macedonia's refusal to open its border to migrants. Tents daubed with 'open the border' have been erected in the middle of a miles-long train track as hundreds wait surrounded by mud and litter. While they are stranded in northern Greece, they will not be subject to the new EU agreement, which comes into force tomorrow and will see some migrants sent back to Turkey in a 'one in, one out' scheme. Any migrant arriving in Greece from March 20 will be given a swift individual interview to determine whether they will be allowed to remain or sent back, with deportations starting on April 4. Scroll down for video These harrowing pictures show the last desperate migrants who reached the Greek-Macedonia border just hours before a controversial EU deal starts The decision by Macedonia to close its border to migrants last week followed the lead taken by neighbouring countries and effectively sealed the main migration route that has been used by hundreds of thousands of migrants to reach countries in western Europe The latest pictures, which show thousands of tents at the Idomeni refugee camp, emerged as officials announced that migrants arriving in Greece could be sent back to Turkey from tomorrow after a proposed 'one in, one out' scheme won the approval of EU leaders in Brussels Today's pictures, taken at Idomeni refugee camp, emerged after EU leaders accepted the new deal following less than an hour of discussions. The prime ministers of Finland and the Czech Republic yesterday tweeted from inside the European Council negotiations to announce that the 28 leaders had given their approval to the arrangement. But David Cameron faces a Tory backlash over the high price of the deal, which includes billions of pounds in aid and the fast-tracking of Turkeys application to join the EU. It will also involve a controversial swap arrangement that, in return for those sent back from Greece to Turkey, will see the EU allow in an equal number of Syrian refugees from camps in Turkey although Mr Cameron insisted none would come to Britain. Tents daubed with 'open the border' have been erected in the middle of a miles-long train track as hundreds of families wait on the border surrounded by mud and litter. Above, migrants gather round a fire as a chat sat in the middle of the train tracks begins to cry Any migrant arriving in Greece from March 20 will be given a swift individual interview to determine whether they will be allowed to remain or sent back to Turkey. Above, a young boy peers out of a muddy tent at the makeshift camp Another young boy wades through a puddle while carrying plastic bags. Macedonia has refused to open its border to migrants since last week A Greek policeman looks at Macedonian police officers closing the border gate after a train passed. The country closed the border earlier this week A young girl grins as she races along the concrete just metres away from the tents while clutching a Disney doll Even as they agreed the deal, Turkish officials said they had intercepted 3,000 migrants trying to make the crossing to the Greek island of Lesbos. A spokesman for European Council president Donald Tusk said that the agreement made clear that any removals would have to be 'in full compliance with international and EU law' and that there would be no 'collective expulsions'. He added: 'The cut-off date is March 20 - that is on Sunday. All migrants arriving after that cut-off date will be returned after individual assessment.' The agreement received backing from the United States, who said it was an 'important step' in the bid to curb the influx of migrants arriving in Europe through Greece. John Kirby, a state department spokesman, said: 'We strongly endorse action to shut down the illegal smuggling operations that prey on and exploit vulnerable migrants. A group of children play on an abandoned wagon at the makeshift camp of the Greek-Macedonian border as they wait to see what will happen A man dressed in a thick black jacket and jeans boils potatoes next to the barbed-wire border fence at the makeshift camp Two men try to keep warm while dressed in hats and jackets as they poke a small fire next to a train track at the camp A mother and her son walk through the maze of tents on the Greek-Macedonia border on Saturday morning as the sun rises People walk among tents pitched at the Idomeni refugee camp, with humanitarian workers concerned about the poor conditions Two children play with the lining of their tent as they pass the time at the border camp, which has swelled as thousands of migrants attempt to find a way through Europe Two girls clutching dolls - including what appears to be a Minnie Mouse teddy bear - wait outside a tent just metres away from the tracks A child plays in a puddle as others gather round the tents at the camp. Greece claimed key details still needed to be worked out in how the later arriving migrants will be returned Some people in the camp were pictured carrying out key tasks such as collecting firewood from near a train station on the Macedonian border Families used the border fence to dry and hang their washing as they waited at the makeshift camp. They do not know when they will be able to move One of the migrant's tents is caught in a gust of wind as others sit next to a train track as they wait to be moved from the Macedonian border 'We commend language in the agreement affirming that all refugees deserve access to protection and which makes clear the agreement will be implemented in full accordance with EU and international law.' But on Saturday morning, government officials in Greece signaled that implementation of a migration agreement could only be implemented gradually. They claimed key details still needed to be worked out including how migrants newly arriving from Turkey will be processed and returned. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met with ministers and senior officials involved in the agreement hours after the deal was reached in Brussels. Advertisement A photographer has embarked on a mission to take portraits of 12,000 animals who could disappear soon - but his real challenge might be to get his fidgety models to cooperate. Joel Sartore, who has contributed to National Geographic for more than 20 years, wants to create a record of the endangered species and encourage the world to preserve them. His photos are featured in the April issue of National Geographic magazine. He has snapped more than 5,600 animals since his Photo Ark project began ten years ago. Sartore won't stop until he gets all 12,000 of them, which might take up to 25 years in total. The animals come from captive species, meaning they're born in conservation facilities such as reservations and zoos instead of the wild. Scroll down for video Photographer Joel Sartore, who has contributed to National Geographic for more than 20 years, wants to create a record of the endangered species and encourage the world to preserve them. Pictured, a Bornean orangutan and a Bornean-Sumatran orangutan cross at Houston Zoo, Texas Sartore's Photo Ark project focuses on captive species, meaning they're born in conservation facilities such as zoos and reservations instead of the wild. Pictured, a green tree python (left) at Riverside Discovery Center, Nebraska, and a four-toed hedgehog (right) at Sedgwick County Zoo, Kansas Sartore began the Photo Ark project in 2006 after his wife Kathy was diagnosed with breast cancer, prompting him to work closer to home. His first shoot took place at the Lincoln Children's Zoo, in Nebraska, during which Sartore requested 'a white background and an animal that would sit still', National Geographic wrote. That day, Sartore took pictures of a naked mole rat, a small rodent with large teeth - and a far from the most exotic species he had encountered in the wild. But taking pictures of lesser-known captive species has now become Sartore's bread and butter. 'I get most excited when I do little critters like this,' he told National Geographic, 'because nobody's ever going to give them the time of day.' And just because they're humble species doesn't mean they can't act like divas on set. These fennec foxes, pictured at the Saint Louis Zoo, Missouri, are one of more than 5,600 species that Sartore has snapped so far. He wants to include 12,000 in total Sartore's photos come from the April issue of National Geographic magazine (pictured). He told the magazine he wouldn't stop working on the project 'until he dies or his knees give out' A behind-the-scenes video shows how difficult it can be to photograph rare animals at times. Pictured, a Chinese flying frog (left) at Phoenix Zoo, Arizona, and a black and rufous elephant shrew at Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska Sartore began working on the Photo Ark project in 2006 after his wife Kathy was diagnosed with breast cancer, prompting him to work from home. Pictured, a North American porcupine at Great Plains Zoo, South Dakota A behind-the-scenes video reveals the challenges of Sartore's work as he tries to get snakes, birds, invertebrates and various critters to cooperate. It shows an eagle wreaking havoc among the set, knocking down a black background as it flaps its large wings at Raptor Recovery Nebraska, a conversation organization for predatory birds in Elmwood. Next, Sartore can be seen driving in the snow to Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. A brief time-lapse shows the amount of work that goes on before the animal even arrives as five men team up to put together the simple set with lights and a white background. Then, the real animal antics begin as a fidgety toad refuses to stand still in front of the camera. A snake takes it to the next level by crawling directly into Sartore's camera. Taking pictures of birds turns out to be quite the challenge as they need to be extending their wings at just the right time to capture their beauty. And the armadillo is so determined to explore as much of the set as possible that it ends up wandering off the white background, back onto the ground. Tempting a turtle with a big leaf of lettuce seems like a good idea - but might result in some unexpected mess. And some might just make off with the entire background itself. Sartore told National Geographic he won't stop chasing each captive species 'until he dies or his knees give out'. And if he can't see the project through its end, his son Cole, 18, will. The first animal Sartore photographed for the series was a naked mole rat at the Lincoln Children's Zoo, Nebraska (left). Also pictured is an Asian garden dormouse at Philadelphia Zoo (right) Sartore wants to encourage the world to preserve the species with his photos. Pictured, a Schmidt's red-tailed monkey at Houston Zoo, Texas It might take Sartore as much as 25 years to finish the series and include all 12,000 captive species in the Photo Ark. Pictured, a giant panda at Zoo Atlanta, Georgia A female bald eagle recuperating after being rescued last Saturday in Wyoming is a whopping 34 years old. BAEA 3.12.16's senior status makes her the one of the oldest known members of her species in the wild, according to the Teton Raptor Center (TRC). The center, located in Wilson, said on Facebook Wednesday: 'To our knowledge, this bird is the second oldest living wild Bald Eagle that is confirmed. 'A band on her left leg indicates that she was banded in Wyoming as a nestling in 1982, making this eagle 34 years old!' Scroll down for video A female bald eagle recuperating after being rescued last Saturday in Wyoming is a whopping 34 years old It continued: 'She was rescued near the National Elk Refuge on March 12th by TRC staff. 'We learned today that a 35 year old Bald Eagle was found alive in MD and now lives in captivity. 'The oldest Bald Eagle ever recovered was 38 years old and found in Henrietta, NY after he was struck and killed by a vehicle.' TRC said on its website two people called the center concerning the wounded bird in a backyard. It said: 'TRC staff members noticed a metal band on this patient's left leg shortly after arrival at the scene. 'Researchers put metal bands with unique codes on many different species of birds to gather scientific data on migration, nesting habits, and age.' TRC said: 'To our knowledge, her band confirms that she is the second oldest wild bald eagle on record in North America.' Teton Raptor Center (TRC) in Wilson said on Facebook Wednesday: 'To our knowledge, this bird is the second oldest living wild Bald Eagle that is confirmed' According to TRC, the bird was probably hit on Highway 89 by a vehicle. It said: 'Although she was covered in blood on her feet, wings, and beak, x-rays revealed no broken bones. 'She has multiple abrasions from road rash, a lot of bruising throughout her body, and a significant amount of swelling.' In a Wednesday update, TRC said on its website BAEA 3.12.16 is getting better. It said: 'After spending a few days in our oxygen chamber, we have now moved her out into a different enclosure. 'Much of her initial swelling has subsided, and her road rash wounds are all headed towards recovery.' On Thursday, TRC said on Facebook: 'Last night, she squawked for the first time and today, she ate an entire trout completely on her own.' The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall emotionally embraced Kosovan people on a tour in the country's capital today after hearing harrowing stories of disappeared relatives from families affected by the conflict in 1999. Elvane Dana, 55, told Charles how her 16 and 18-year-old sons along with 10 other members of her family were taken - and that only eight had returned. Her sons were last seen in their home in Gjakova, in the southwest of the country, on May 10, 1999, and almost 17 years later are still unaccounted for. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall emotionally embraced Kosovan people on a tour in the country's capital today Charles and Camilla heard from relatives of some of the 1,668 people still missing while in Pristina Families told the royal couple harrowing stories of how their relatives had disappeared in the conflict in 1999 On hearing her story, the Prince leaned in to give her a hug, having been visibly moved by the plight of the families. Taking a deep breath, and holding back tears, Ms Dana said: 'I am so honoured. I have a special respect for the UK and we need all the help we can get. 'I am touched the Prince took the time to hear my story and that he so lovingly hugged me.' The royal couple heard from relatives of some of the 1,668 people still missing when he attended a meeting at the offices of President Atifete Jahjaga. They were in Pristina for the last leg of their tour of the Balkans, a region torn apart by the conflict during which 4,500 people disappeared. The couple were on the last leg of their tour of the Balkans, a region torn apart by the conflict during which 4,500 people disappeared More than 1,600 people, both Kosovans and Serbs are missing after the bloody conflict The royal couple moved along a line of locals who told heartbreaking stories of missing family members The Prince and the Duchess greeted crowds of adoring well-wishers after laying a bunch of white roses at a memorial for the missing The Prince and the Duchess greeted crowds of adoring well-wishers after laying a bunch of white roses at a memorial for the missing. More than 1,600 people, both Kosovans and Serbs are missing after the bloody conflict. The royal couple moved along the line of locals, embracing a number of other women with similar heartbreaking stories to Ms Dana's. Earlier, the couple met representatives from the Red Cross and the European Union who are aiding Kosovo in its attempts to identify victims and investigate mass graves. During her meeting with Charles and Camilla, Ms Jahjaga awarded the Prince the Order for Peace, Democracy and Humanism. The gold medallion and certificate were presented to Charles for his 'lifelong contribution to supporting peace, harmony and better understanding between people in Kosovo and beyond'. Receiving the honour, he said: 'Thank you very much - I shall treasure it. How wonderful, I am deeply touched.' The Prince and Duchess met representatives from the Red Cross and the European Union who are aiding Kosovo in its attempts to identify victims and investigate mass graves He is also under constant Drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman (pictured) has gained weight and is reading self-help books in prison Drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman is getting some self-help advice and gaining a bit of weight in prison under his new, tighter-security regime. Since he was recaptured in January and sent to Altiplano prison, Guzman has read the classic 'Don Quixote'. He's no longer allowed to watch television, so instead, the world's most notorious drug lord is turning to books. He's also reading a Spanish-language version of 'The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?' by Rick Warren, a California-based evangelical pastor. The self-help book contains quotes that might pertain to Guzman, like 'a pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life' and 'we are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it'. Guzman, who tunneled out of Altiplano prison last July - the same prison he's being held in - now has two guards standing outside his cell watching him every minute of the day. An official said Guzman has gained a small amount of weight and lowered his blood pressure since he was taken back to the prison. Welcome back: World-renowned Mexican journalist Carlos Loret de Mola claims this is the first picture of Mexican drug lord 'El Chapo' in his cell at Altiplano prison where he escaped six months ago El Chapo is said to be reading books like 'A Purpose Driven Life' and 'Don Quixote' in Altiplano (pictured) The drug lord escaped from the prison before, but now has intense security watching his every move at all hours Guzman is given a dog whose only job is to test his food before he eats it to make sure it's not poisoned. In an interview with Borderland Beat, a blog covering narco-related news, the prison's director, Marissa Quintanilla, said inmates are serves a variety of 'nutritious' food, which include pizza and fried chicken. Before he escaped, Guzman was allowed a four-hour conjugal visit every nine days. In addition, the officials said, he was supplied with Viagra. But Guzman hasn't been given Viagra since he was recaptured and returned to the prison on January 8. Nor has he received any conjugal visits. He only applied for permission to renew them this week. According to Borderland Beat, a blog documenting narco-related news, this is the menu inside the prison, which has contributed to his weight gain Marissa Quintanilla, the prison's director, said inmates are serves a variety of 'nutritious' food, which include pizza and fried chicken (stock images) He is under constant observation from a ceiling-mounted camera which - unlike the one in the cell from which he escaped - has no blind spots. Guzman's associates tunneled him out of prison through the thin concrete floor of his shower stall last July in a spot which surveillance cameras were not designed to reach. The floors of the prison's top-security cells have since been reinforced with a 16-inch bed of concrete with a double layer of rebar. The description of his post-escape prison life comes from a federal official who was not authorized to be quoted by name under official policy. The official and a colleague granted the exclusive interview to The Associated Press following a spate of complaints by Guzman's lawyers and relatives, saying his health was suffering in prison and that he couldn't sleep. El Chapo, who escaped from this prison cell in July 2015. Now that he's back, he hasn't been lucky with the ladies. The first time around he hand numerous conjugal visits, but hasn't had a single one this time Romney offers vote, little else, to Cruz in Republican election battle Republican Mitt Romney said on Friday he would vote for U.S. Senator Ted Cruz in Utah's presidential nominating contest, but the party's 2012 election standard-bearer stopped short of an official endorsement as he urged voters to deny the nomination to front-runner Donald Trump. Republican Mitt Romney said on Friday he would vote for U.S. Senator Ted Cruz in Utah's presidential nominating contest, but the party's 2012 election standard-bearer stopped short of an official endorsement as he urged voters to deny the nomination to front-runner Donald Trump. In a Facebook post, Romney said a vote for Cruz in Utah's caucus on Tuesday was the best way to prevent Trump from locking down the nomination, which would give opponents a chance to select another candidate at the party's July convention. "The only way we can reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many of the remaining nominating elections as possible," Romney wrote. Romney did not offer any praise for Cruz, who emerged as a favourite of the party's most ardent conservatives after clashing with party leaders in Washington. Romney did not say whether or not he would campaign with Cruz, a first-term senator from Texas. Trump responded quickly. "Mitt Romney is a mixed up man who doesn't have a clue. No wonder he lost!" he wrote on Twitter. Cruz, acknowledging the tepid nature of Romney's support, said the pledged vote enforces the idea that his campaign is the only one that can beat Trump, likening a vote for Ohio Governor John Kasich, the third remaining Republican contender, to tacit support for Trump. "In my book, when someone says Im voting for you, and I encourage everyone else to vote for you, thats pretty darn good," Cruz, a self-styled Washington outsider, told reporters in Arizona. "And Ill take that and take that happily." Arizona also holds its nominating contest on Tuesday. "As Mitt Romney observed today, if you want to beat Donald Trump, Cruz is the only campaign that can do it. Thats why hes voting for me in Utah," Cruz said. Duncan Smith described the cuts to disability as 'a compromise too far' Opposition leader said that George Osborne was the real problem Jeremy Corbyn said that Mr Duncan Smith had 'done the right thing' Jeremy Corbyn has waded in on the row surrounding Iain Duncan Smith quitting the Cabinet - as he questioned where the former minister's conscience had been for the last six years. The Labour leader said that Mr Duncan Smith had 'done the right thing' by resigning as the Work and Pensions Secretary. However, he added: 'I wonder where his conscience has been hiding for the past six years.' Scroll down for video Jeremy Corbyn welcomed the news that former Work and Pensions Secretary Mr Duncan Smith has quit Iain Duncan Smith (pictured arriving at a pre-Budget meeting on Wednesday) has reportedly resigned from the Cabinet in protest over the disability benefit cuts In an interview with Sky News, Corbyn said: 'I think he [Duncan Smith] has done the right thing to resign, because after all this is a man who has presided over some fairly appalling policies but this latest example of cutting the Personal Independence Payments [PIPs] of a very large number of people ... is shocking.' However, he said that he didn't think Mr Duncan Smith was the party's biggest issue. Corbyn said: 'He has resigned but I really think the problem is the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.' Mr Corbyn described the cuts to disability payments as 'shameful' and vowed to raise the issue in Parliament next week. 'We have got to defend the principle of Personal Independence Payments at at least the current level and not enable them to take it away from a large number of people,' he told Sky. When asked if he thought Mr Duncan Smith had found his conscience, he replied: 'He has taken so much away from people with disabilities and he has suddenly found a conscience now - I wonder where that conscience has been hiding for the past six years.' He added: 'The first thing [new Work and Pensions Secretary] Stephen Crabb has got to do is guarantee a complete reinstatement of PIPs and reinstatement of the independent living fund, and an examination of the appalling way in which people with disabilities go through this availability-for-work tests.' Corbyn's interview comes after it was revealed that, Prime Minister David Cameron had been left 'puzzled and disappointed' by Iain Duncan Smith's sensational resignation from the Cabinet. In a scathing attack on Chancellor George Osborne, Mr Duncan Smith said slashing benefits was 'not defensible' alongside the tax breaks for the wealthy announced in this week's Budget. He said the cuts were 'politically driven' and suggested the Chancellor had abandoned the austerity principle of 'all in this together'. Iain Duncan Smith (pictured last month, second right) has been at the forefront of the Vote Leave campaign, calling for the UK to leave the EU Prime Minister David Cameron said he was 'puzzled and disappointed' at the resignation in his response to Mr Duncan Smith Eurosceptic Mr Duncan Smith has been at loggerheads with the Prime Minister over whether Britain should leave the EU But in a response late last night, Mr Cameron said he was disappointed at the departure after claiming the proposals were 'collectively agreed' on by the secretary, Treasury and 10 Downing Street. Stephen Crabb, MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire and Secretary of State for Wales, has been chosen as Mr Duncan Smith's successor. Mr Crabb posted on Twitter: 'A privilege to be appointed new Work & Pensions Secretary this morning. Looking forward to working with my new team. 'Thanks & very best wishes to the whole team @walesoffice for their support during my time as Welsh Sec.' Mr Cairns said: 'I am privileged to accept the role as Secretary of State for Wales and look forward to being a strong voice at the Cabinet table to make sure that economic growth is felt across all parts of Wales.' In a letter to Downing Street, Mr Duncan Smith wrote: 'I am unable to watch passively whilst certain policies are enacted in order to meet the fiscal self-imposed restraints that I believe are more and more perceived as distinctly political rather than in the national economic interest.' Mr Duncan Smith has been at loggerheads with Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne over whether Britain should stay in the EU, joining a handful of other Cabinet ministers in calling for Brexit. But his letter to the Prime Minister indicated that the row over cuts to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) had been the last straw. Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb has been appointed as Mr Duncan Smith's replacement as Work and Pensions Secretary The former Tory leader and standard-bearer for the Eurosceptic Right of the party admitted he wanted to cut benefits enjoyed by wealthy pensioners, but these plans were blocked by the Chancellor and the Prime Minister. 'While they are defensible in narrow terms, given the continuing deficit, they are not defensible in the way they were placed within a Budget that benefits higher earning taxpayers. 'They should have instead been part of a wider process to engage others in finding the best way to better focus resources on those most in need,' he wrote. In a swipe at Mr Cameron, Mr Duncan Smith also said he would have preferred cuts to benefits for well-off pensioners - rather than deep cuts to those of working age. 'They (the cuts) are not defensible in the way they were placed within a Budget that benefits higher earning taxpayers.' The resignation follows six years of tension and wrangling between the two men at the top table of Government. Mr Duncan Smith believed the Chancellor was too sly and devious in the way he went about balancing the nation's books. The Chancellor infamously suggested Mr Duncan Smith was not bright enough to run his vast, complex department. Last night's shock announcement will be seen as an act of revenge which could destroy Mr Osborne's leadership hopes. Mr Duncan Smith slammed George Osborne for delivering a Budget that protects higher earning taxpayers but does little to support those in need. The Work and Pensions Secretary criticised the Chancellor for the pressure to cut benefits particularly before Budgets. 'Too often my team and I have been pressured in the immediate run up to a Budget or fiscal event to deliver yet more reductions to the working age benefit bill. 'There has been too much emphasis on money saving exercises and not enough awareness from the Treasury, in particular, that the government's vision of a new welfare-to-work system could not be repeatedly salami-sliced,' he wrote. 'PUZZLED AND DISAPPOINTED': DAVID CAMERON'S RESPONSE Thank you for your letter this evening. We are all very proud of the welfare reforms which this Government has delivered over the last six years, and in which you have played an important part. As a Government, we have done a huge amount to get people into work, reduce unemployment and promote social justice. There are now more people in work than ever before in our country's history, with 2.4 million more jobs created since 2010. I regret that you have chosen to step down from the Government at this moment. Together we designed the Personal Independence Payment to support the most vulnerable and to give disabled people more independence. We all agreed that the increased resources being spent on disabled people should be properly managed and focused on those who need it most. That is why we collectively agreed you, No 10 and the Treasury proposals which you and your Department then announced a week ago. Today we agreed not to proceed with the policies in their current form and instead to work together to get these policies right over the coming months. In the light of this, I am puzzled and disappointed that you have chosen to resign. You leave the Government with my thanks and best wishes. While we are on different sides in the vital debate about the future of Britain's relations with Europe, the Government will, of course, continue with its policy of welfare reform, matched by our commitment to social justice, to improving the life chances of the most disadvantaged people in our country, and to ensuring that those who most need help and protection continue to receive it. Advertisement In a statement, Mr Duncan Smith (pictured leaving the first weekly Cabinet meeting of the new government in May 2015), described the cuts as being 'a compromise too far' The Work and Pensions Secretary branded cuts to benefits for the disabled in George Osborne's Budget, announced on Wednesday, as 'indefensible' Priti Patel (pictured left, leaving Downing Street after the Budget) had been tipped to replace IDS David Cameron questioned Iain Duncan Smith's decision to resign when the disability benefits policy had been collectively agreed upon In a prickly reply to Mr Duncan Smith's resignation letter, David Cameron wrote he was 'puzzled and disappointed' by his shock decision to resign Mr Duncan Smith wrote that he felt 'incredibly proud' of the welfare reforms introduced after the past five year. 'Those reforms have helped to generate record rates of employment and in particular a substantial reduction in workless households. 'Throughout these years, because of the perilous public finances we inherited from the last Labour administration, difficult cuts have been necessary. 'I have found some of these cuts easier to justify than others but aware of the economic situation and determined to be a team player I have accepted their necessity.' EVENTS LEADING TO IAIN DUNCAN SMITH'S RESIGNATION December 10, 2015 Government consultation on the plans to cut disability benefits first published on the Government website. March 11 Government consultation on the plans to cut disability benefits ended. March 12 Department of Work and Pensions announced the planned changes to the formula used by the government to calculate the daily living component of PIP. March 16 George Osborne confirmed the plan in the Budget. March 17 MP Andrew Percy launched the Tory rebellion, telling Mr Osborne he should have raised petrol duty to cover the cost protecting PIP. March 17 - Tory mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith fired as patron of his local disability charity after he voted for cuts to disability benefits. March 18 David Cameron paves the way for a U-turn over planned cuts to disability benefits, at a press conference in Brussels. March 18 George Osborne said he will consult with disability charities to make sure planned changes are 'absolutely right'. March 18 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said his party would force a Commons vote with a view to force the Government to abandon the plans. March 18 Iain Duncan Smith quits. January 2017 Planned changes to the disability benefits set to come into effect. Advertisement Hinting at the growing divide within the Cabinet, Mr Duncan Smith ended his resignation note, saying he had been left wondering 'if enough has been done to ensure 'we are all in this together'. Yesterday the government committed a u-turn, saying it had been 'kicked into the long grass' following a furious reaction from backbenchers. Amid bitter Government infighting, the Treasury ditched controversial plans to slash benefits for the disabled, which rebel Tory MPs had threatened to defeat. Downing Street had earlier insisted the government is committed to pushing ahead with the controversial 1.3billion cut to 'personal independent payments', saying it was essential to curb the 'ballooning' welfare bill. Treasury sources appeared to blame Mr Duncan Smith for the fiasco, suggesting that they were not responsible for the policy in the Chancellor's Budget. In a prickly reply to Mr Duncan Smith's resignation letter, David Cameron wrote he was 'puzzled and disappointed' by his shock decision to resign. 'I regret that you have chosen to step down from the Government at this moment. 'Together we designed the personal Independence Payment to support the most vulnerable and to give disabled people more independence,' he wrote David Cameron questioned Iain Duncan Smith's decision to resign when the policy had been collectively agreed upon. 'We all agreed that the increased resources being spent on disabled people should be properly managed and focused on those who need it most. 'That is why we collectively agreed - you, No 10 and the Treasury - proposals which you and your Department then announced a week ago.' 'You leave the Government with my thanks and best wsihes. While we are on different sides in the vital debate about the future of Britain's relations with Europe, the Government will, of course, continue with its policy of welfare reform,' he wrote. The Chancellor was also forced to abandon plans to increase the VAT on solar panels in the face of another Tory rebellion. It evoked memories of the disastrous 2012 'omnishambles Budget' when Mr Osborne was forced to reverse a string of controversial measures, including a so-called 'pasty tax'. Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, the Prime Minister said it was 'important' to 'protect the most vulnerable people in our country'. Tory MPs were openly revolting at plans to slash 1.2billion from Personal Independence Payments (PIP) by removing weekly payments from people who need 'aids and appliances' to help them dress and use the toilet. David Cameron (pictured at the European Summit today) insisted that the government would 'get this right' following a backlash over the cuts Last night, Nicky Morgan (pictured right, on Wednesday) signalled the likliehood of a U-turn when she said the reforms were merely a 'suggestion' despite being a key part of the Budget Labour has demanded the Government abandon the plans and promised to force a Commons vote with a view to causing an embarrassing defeat. David Cameron insisted that the government would 'get this right' following a backlash over the cuts. 'We will always protect the most vulnerable people in our country and make sure they get the help they need. 'We are going to discuss what we've put forward with the disability charities and others, as the Chancellor said today, and make sure that we get this right. It's important,' he said. Andrew Percy, another Tory MP, said the government which has a working majority of just 17 would face defeat in the Commons if it tried to push through the changes to disability benefits. Sarah Wollaston, the Conservative chairman of the Commons health committee, said the plan did not have the support of the Tory backbenches and that a rethink by ministers was 'highly likely'. 'I don't think they will need to force a vote,' she said. 'I think it's very clear that this isn't the mood of the Commons and I think that the Government is likely to take stock and start again.' Last night, Mrs Morgan signalled the U-turn when she said the reforms were merely a 'suggestion' despite being a key part of the Budget. Speaking on BBC Question Time, she said: 'It is something that has been put forward, there has been a review, there has been a suggestion, we are not ready to bring the legislation forward.' An aide to Mr Duncan Smith, Mrs Morgan said her comments do not 'tally with what we and Downing Street are saying'. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for the Chancellor (pictured delivering the Budget) to follow in the footsteps of Iain Duncan Smith and resign Mr Corbyn (pictured during PM questions on Wednesday) said the Budget had exposed George Osborne's record of 'profound unfairness and economic failure' Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for International Development Diane Abbott celebrated Iain Duncan Smith's resignation, describing it as the 'first big scalp of the Corbyn era' The BBC was also told Mrs Morgan did not 'seem to understand' the proposals. Speaking this morning, Tim Roache, GMB general secretary, said the resignation was 'better late than never' He said: 'It's a shame that it's taken Iain Duncan Smith six years to get his head round the fact that the Government is benefiting the richest, rather than working people, let alone the disabled. But, better late than never.' Mark Serwotka, leader of the Public and Commercial Services union, said: 'This will be almost universally welcomed, particularly by DWP staff and the millions of people who rely on our social security system. 'Duncan Smith has presided over years of suffering and surely ranks as the most hated Work and Pensions Secretary in living memory, epitomising Tory arrogance and indifference to the effect of brutal cuts. 'His legacy must not be years more of the same. We must continue to fight to reverse the damage he has done.' Defence secretary Michael Fallon echoed Mr Cameron's reaction to Mr Duncan Smith's departure, but added he was not angry. 'I am disappointed. IDS has been a big part of our reforms since he took on the job six years ago ... that welfare reform programme will go on,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'There will be a new Work and Pensions Secretary appointed later today and the programme will continue.' Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, pictured, said he was also 'disappointed' at Mr Duncan Smith's departure Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, pictured, said Mr Duncan Smith's resignation was 'a great loss for the Government' Mr Fallon appeared to accept that Mr Duncan Smith's departure was due to the PIP row. 'He has gone I think because of the way in which the PIP issue has unfolded,' he said. However, told that the Government had been 'giving way' on that argument, Mr Fallon replied: 'Yes, that is the slight puzzle about all this. 'The decision was taken yesterday that more time was needed to get these proposals, which came from his department, to get them into better shape. 'So it is a bit of a puzzle as to why he has chosen to go now but you must ask him that.' Mr Fallon said it was 'not necessarily the case' that disabled people would lose out from the PIP changes. 'On disability benefits, the budget has been increasing, spending has been going up every year. These were a set of proposals designed to ensure that we were spending most of it on the people who really needed it most.' Baroness Stroud, a former adviser to Mr Duncan Smith, said he had been responsible 'behind the scenes' for forcing the U-turn on the PIP policy. However, she suggested the DWP would still have to find savings of an equivalent size, and were restrained from targeting universal benefits or pensioner benefits. 'It was Iain behind the scenes saying 'this is not okay, this is a step too far' that has caused them to be kicked into the long grass,' she told Today. 'The other thing you have to be aware of is, the way the Treasury score these savings, is that 1.3 billion is now still sitting on the DWP's balance sheet and unless Iain was going to be able to go for further savings from pensioners and universal benefits, they would be coming back for more from the same benefits, from the ESA (Employment and Support Allowance), disability benefit, JSA (Jobseeker's Allowance), all of these for vulnerable people.' Lady Stroud said: 'I think there are always judgment calls to be made. But at this point in time he felt that the balance of this particular package was not right. 'That it was not appropriate to be giving away tax incentives to the middle classes, freezing fuel duties and protecting universal benefits and pensioner benefits at a time at which you are also making cuts to disability benefits.' Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg reflected on Mr Duncan Smith's shock decision to resign. 'It's a great loss to the government. Iain Duncan Smith has been one of the most important figures over the last six years,' he said. 'His reforms to welfare have been some of the best work that the government has done. 'It's very bad news for the government to lose as substantial a figure as Iain Duncan Smith who has made welfare reform his life's work,' he said. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for the Chancellor to follow in the footsteps of Iain Duncan Smith and resign. 'The Chancellor has failed the British people. He should follow the honourable course taken by Iain Duncan Smith and resign. The resignation of Iain Duncan Smith reveals a government in disarray and a Chancellor who has lost the credibility to manage the economy in the interests of the majority of our people,' he wrote. Mr Corbyn said the Budget had exposed George Osborne's record of 'profound unfairness and economic failure.' 'Not only must the cuts to support for disabled people be abandoned, but the government must change economic course,' he claimed. 'A compromise too far:' Iain Duncan Smith's stinging resignation letter in full Iain Duncan Smith, pictured on Wednesday, tendered his resignation from Cabinet this evening I am incredibly proud of the welfare reforms that the Government has delivered over the last five years. Those reforms have helped to generate record rates of employment and in particular a substantial reduction in workless households. As you know, the advancement of social justice was my driving reason for becoming part of your ministerial team and I continue to be grateful to you for giving me the opportunity to serve. You have appointed good colleagues to my department who I have enjoyed working with. It has been a particular privilege to work with excellent civil servants and the outstanding Lord Freud and other ministers including my present team, throughout all of my time that the Department of Work and Pensions. I truly believe that we have made changes that will greatly improve the life chances of the most disadvantaged people in this country and increase their opportunities to thrive. A nation's commitment to the least advantaged should include the provision of a generous safety-net but it should also include incentive structures and practical assistance programmes to help them live independently of the state. Together, we've made enormous strides towards building a system of social security that gets the balance right between state-help and self-help. Throughout these years, because of the perilous public finances we inherited from the last Labour administration, difficult cuts have been necessary. I have found some of these cuts easier to justify than others but aware of the economic situation and determined to be a team player I have accepted their necessity. You are aware that I believe the cuts would have been even fairer to younger families and people of working age if we had been willing to reduce some of the benefits given to better-off pensioners but I have attempted to work within the constraints that you and the Chancellor set. Hinting at the growing divide within the Cabinet, Mr Duncan Smith ended his resignation note, saying he had been left wondering 'if enough has been done to ensure 'we are all in this together' I have for some time and rather reluctantly come to the believe that the latest changes to benefits for the disabled and the context in which they've been made are, a compromise too far. While defensible in narrow terms, given the continuing deficit, they are not defensible in the way they were placed within a Budget that benefits higher earning taxpayers. They should have instead been part of a wider process to engage others in finding the best way to better focus recourses on those most in need. I am unable to watch passively whilst certain policies are enacted in order to meet the fiscal self imposed restraints that I believe are more and more received as distinctly political rather than in the national economic interest. Too often my team and I have been pressured in the immediate run up to a Budget or fiscal event to deliver yet more reductions to the working age benefit bill. There has been too much emphasis on money saving exercises and not enough awareness from the Treasury, in particular, that the government's vision of a new welfare-to-work system could not be repeatedly salami-sliced. It is therefore with enormous regret that I have decided to resign. You should be very proud of what this government has done on deficit reduction, corporate competitiveness, education reforms and devolution of power. I hope as the government goes forward you can look again, however, at the balance of the cuts you have insisted upon and wonder if enough has been done to ensure 'we are all in this together'. in Europe, including in Paris, Athens and Vienna Advertisement Clashes have broken out between police and protesters in central London as thousands filled the streets of the capital city to march in solidarity with the refugees desperate to enter Europe. Placard-waving protesters with masks and scarves covering their faces crushed against makeshift police barricades in the city, as skirmishes erupted among the crowd. As protesters squared up to police the luvvies were also out in force, with mayoral candidate George Galloway addressing the 15,000-strong crowd, along with Diane Abbott and Vanessa Redgrave. Scroll down for video Protesters waving placards clash with police at a pro-migration demonstration in central London, at the Anti-Racism Day organised by Stand Up To Racism Skirmishes broke out between demonstrations with masks and scarves covering their faces, and makeshift police barricades at Piccadilly Circus The Refugees Welcome march came as part of Stand Up To Racisms Anti-Racism Day, which saw numerous pro-refugee demonstrations held in major cities across Europe, such as Paris, Athens and Vienna. Many among the crowd waved banners bearing anti-racism slogans such as 'Refugees Welcome: Open the borders, Fight racism and Islamophobia', and 'No to Islamophobia. No to war'. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has added his name to those supporting the protests, according to the campaign group. The London march began in Portland Place, before moving on to a rally in Trafalgar Square. Meanwhile, around up to 5,000 people attended a march in Glasgow. Europe faces its biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War, and some of the responses have been shocking, said Patrick Harvie MSP, co-convener of the Scottish Greens, in support of the Glasgow rally. Several demonstrators at today's London march wore their hoods and scarves tied up tight around their faces so they could remain anonymous Several protesters could be seen shouting at a makeshift police barricade in central London, while one was calmed down by a police officer Around 15,000 people took to the streets of London for the Refugees Welcome march today, speaking out in support of welcoming refugees Mr Galloway (centre) who attended the protest is currently standing to be London Mayor as a representative of the Respect party Numerous pro-refugee marches were held today across Europe as part of Stand Up To Racism's Anti-Racism Day. Pictured, demonstrators hold placards during a refugees welcome march in London, March 19 Estimates put the crowd at around 15,000, as organisers shifted the anti-racism message of the Stand Up To Racism day to focus specifically on welcoming refugees into Europe There are those who seem happy to allow desperate people to drown in the Mediterranean and we see fences and walls being put up to deny fellow human beings safety. By contrast, here in Scotland, we have seen an outpouring of compassion from people saying refugees are welcome. Organisers of the Stand Up To Racism event said it opposed racism, fascism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. 'The appalling treatment of refugees across Europe and the staggering rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes must be challenged,' wrote protest organisers online. 'Lets send a message that drives back the tide of racism, fascism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and the scapegoating of migrants and refugees we say refugees welcome here and yes to diversity.' A heavy police presence was felt throughout the march to prevent further clashes as members of the right-wing nationalist 'Britain First' group also turned out to demonstrate against Stand Up To Racism's event. Members of the anti-migration group also waved Union Jacks and clutched banners, with messages including 'No benefits for migrants!' and 'Veterans before migrants!' Members of the right wing nationalist 'Britain First' group protest as tens of thousands of people march through central London during a 'Refugees Welcome' protest in London Members of the right-wing nationalist 'Britain First' group waved Union Jacks and anti-migration banners as they turned out to demonstrate against the Stand Up To Racism event Many could be seen running chaotically through the streets of the capital while grinning and brandishing 'Refugees Welcome' slogans and signs Academy Award winning actress Vanessa Redgrave (left) spoke at the rally in London's Trafalgar Square, and (right) one protester with pro-refugee placards attached to her walking frame A band of brightly-painted musicians joined the thousands-strong crowd marching down Regent Street towards Trafalgar Square It comes just the day after the EU agreed a deal with Turkey to return all refugees who arrive in the Greek islands from March 20. Any migrant arriving in Greece from tomorrow will be given a swift individual interview to determine whether they will be allowed to remain or sent back to Turkey under the scheme. But David Cameron faces a Tory backlash over the high price of the deal, which includes billions of pounds in aid and the fast-tracking of Turkeys application to join the EU. It will also involve a controversial swap arrangement that, in return for those sent back from Greece to Turkey, will see the EU allow in an equal number of Syrian refugees from camps in Turkey. Campaigners from Stand Up to Racism protest through Regent Street in London, over the response to the refugee crisis from the government, to mark UN anti-racism day A protester at today's London march brandishes a colourful banner with the words 'Fight racism! Fight imperialism! Fight Britain's racist immigration laws!' Many protesters held up signs demonstrating the inclusivity ethos of the Refugees Welcome protest, which focused this year on welcoming refugees into Europe Many among the crowd clutched banners with pro-refugee, anti-racist slogans such as 'Refugees welcome. Open the borders. Fight racism and Islamophobia' and 'No to Islamophobia. No to war' Some of those in the 15,000-strong crowds of demonstrators running through the streets with banners bearing anti-racism messages Campaigners estimated that up to 15,000 people attended the march, which weaved its way through the heart of Westminster Organisers said: 'Lets send a message that drives back the tide of racism, fascism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and the scapegoating of migrants and refugees we say refugees welcome here and yes to diversity' Campaigners from Stand Up to Racism protest through Trafalgar Square in London, over the response to the refugee crisis from the government Texas police have found human remains in the search for a missing teen who vanished 19 years ago after a convicted kidnapper led them to the spot. Officers announced the discovery on Friday and are now excavating the remains which they believe could belong to Jessica Cain, 17, who was last seen leaving a dinner with friends in 1997. Investigators were led to the spot by William Reece, 56, who was questioned by police at the time of Cain's disappearance but was never charged. Reece is already serving time for kidnapping another teenager, Sandra Sapaugh, the same year Cain vanished and has been linked to at least two additional disappearances. 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 Speaking about the latest discovery, Houston Homicide Detective Richard Martinez told KHOU.com: 'If it's not Jessica Cain, then we have to find out who it is. 'There's enough there to know that it's a body, so they still have to keep digging and meticulously get every bone they can,'. 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. The remains were found around 2.30pm on Friday. A backhoe operator though he saw remains and an anthropologist later confirmed they belonged to a human. Martinez said the remains were found about four feet in the ground. Heavy digging equipment was brought in to help look for the remains of Cain in a vacant lot on East Orem Drive, near Houston, three weeks ago, KHOU.com 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. William Reece, 56, a suspect in Cain's disappearance who is serving a 60-year jail term for another kidnapping However, the site is just three miles from Reece's old address, where police records show he was arrested for the disappearance of Sapaugh. 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 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 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. 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 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 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. 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. According to law enforcement sources who spoke to ABC 13, Reece is cooperating with authorities over Cain's disappearance in the hopes that he will be able to stay in jail in Texas, rather than being moved to another state. A female driver in Canada has been ticketed for distracted driving 14 times, according to law enforcement. Now, authorities have asked that she be kept from driving. Richmond Royal Canadian Mounted Police tweeted March 10: '#Distracted driver nearly collided with @RichmondRCMP officer. 'Shocked to find these 12 priors #LeaveYourPhoneAlone.' Included in the post was a photo showing twelve violations for using an electronic device while driving. The woman 'nearly collided with' a Mountie, Richmond Royal Canadian Mounted Police said March 10. Richmond RCMP said authorities discovered 12 priors for using an electronic device while driving On Wednesday, Vancouver Police tweeted: 'Ticket #14 for this distracted driver courtesy of #VPD. 'Officer has requested driver be prohibited from driving.' Included in the post was the earlier Richmond RCMP tweet. Richmond RCMP replied to the VPD's tweet, writing Wednesday: '(Forehead slap). We have done the same at our point. '#LeaveYourPhoneAlone is not a difficult concept...' Vancouver police on March 16 tweeted the woman received her 14th ticket Richmond RCMP replied to the VPD's tweet, writing Wednesday: '(Forehead slap). We have done the same at our point. '#LeaveYourPhoneAlone is not a difficult concept...' Sgt. Randy Fincham told News 1130: 'This is a driver who does have a Bluetooth system in the car but is choosing to text and drive at the same time, which is extremely risky behaviour. 'Unfortunately, we are dealing with a driver who simply isnt getting the message that distracted driving is risking people's lives and has killed people.' Fincham told News 1130 that 'with the hopes that once [the driving history is] looked at, that driver quite possibly could [lose] their license or have their license suspended.' In British Columbia three demerit points and a $167 fine ($128.34 US) come with a distracted driving infraction (file photograph) According to Global News, the driver is in her forties. The Ministry of Public Safety told the news outlet: 'It is understandable that the public is concerned about a single driver having so many distracted driving infractions. 'We are well aware of the situation and as frustrated as everyone else. 'We all are working to fix the distracted driving problem in this province. 'It's important to note that the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles has authority to prohibit a person from driving if, in his opinion, the driver has an unsatisfactory driving record meaning it is in the public interest to prohibit. 'This would be decided after a thorough review of a driving record, however, a decision would not be made public for privacy reasons.' Russian ex-foreign minister Igor Ivanov warns Europe is closer to nuclear than during the 1980s The threat of nuclear war has been brought much closer thanks to the stand-off in Ukraine warns a former Russian foreign minister. Igor Ivanov, who served from 1998 to 2004 and now leads a government backed think-tank, said on Saturday: 'The risk of confrontation with the use of nuclear weapons in Europe is higher than in the 1980s.' He said the East versus West altercation over the Ukraine crisis has meant the risk of nuclear warfare is growing despite countries cutting their arsenals. Speaking at an event in Brussels with the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Poland, Mr Ivanov said: 'We have less nuclear warheads, but the risk of them being used is growing.' His comments will alarm European and NATO diplomats who are looking for a peaceful solution to end the conflict in Ukraine, which has claimed over 9,000 lives since April 2014. Mr Ivanov said there is little chance of a broad reconciliation between the parties, and blamed a missile defence shield the United States is creating in Europe for raising the stakes. Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg has warned Russia about intimidating its neighbours by speaking about the threat of nuclear weapons. But the ex-minister said: 'It can be assured that once the U.S. deploys its missile defence system in Poland, Russia would respond by deploying its own missile defence system in Kaliningrad,' referring to a Russian territory in the Baltics. 'The paths of Europe and Russia are seriously diverging and will remain so for a long time ... probably for decades to come,' he added, before claiming it was Russia's destiny to be a leader in greater Eurasia from Belarus to the Chinese border. Nuclear war threat: Mr Ivanov said the threat has increased due to the East-West stand-off in Ukraine Both Russia and the United States account for around 90 per cent of the global stock of nuclear weapons, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. They are estimated to have around 7,000 warheads each. Mr Ivanov's comments come as militarisation in Europe increased today due to the migration crisis. Armoured personnel were seen patrolling along the Hungarian-Serbian border blocking the main path of migrants looking to leave the Middle East and enter the EU. Militarisation in Europe: Today armoured personnel of the Hungarian Army patrolled a temporary border fence along the Hungarian-Serbian border The final conversation between pilots of a Russian plane that crashed this morning has revealed their concerns over the weather. A seven-minute recording, allegedly taken from air traffic control tapes, appeared to show the pilots chatting normally to officials as they asked if the weather was better as they made their approach to Rostov-on-Don airport. Four children were among the 62 people killed when FlyDubai Flight FZ981 plummeted to the ground at around 4am Moscow time. Cypriot Aristos Sokratous, left, pilot of the FlyDubai flight, and co-pilot Spaniard Alejandro Alava Cruz, can be heard talking to air traffic controllers about the weather ahead of the crash in Russia Police officers have been searching through the wreckage the airport site with sniffer dogs, pictured The pilots are asked repeatedly about their visibility and can be heard saying it is around 5km. The aircraft was piloted by Cypriot Aristos Sokratous and co-pilot Spaniard Alejandro Alava Cruz. In a conversation that switches between English and Russian, they can be heard asking if there are any changes in conditions and receive regular updates from the ground. Although they do not seem to panic at any point, their voices can be heard becoming more agitated as the plane descends to an altitude of around 2,000ft. The flight was predominantly carrying Russian passengers, although eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one person from Uzbekistan were also on board. It went up in flames after its tail hit the runway and disintegrated. Pilot error or a technological failure were thought to be the two other main causes being investigated. Nicos Anastasiade, president of Cyprus, paid tribute to 35-year-old Mr Sokratous, who appears to have got married just last August. The plane went up in flames after the tail hit the runway, pictured, and disintegrated with an investigation into the cause ongoing Emergency services have been at the airport all day, with 'hurricane' strength winds blamed for the incident He said: 'Especially to those close to Aristos Sokratous, the President of the Republic expresses his deepest condolences, and his support towards them.' FlyDubai would not release any other information about the pilot on Saturday afternoon but his Facebook page suggested he trained at Oxford Aviation Academy in Kidlington, Oxfordshire and liked rock music. A statement from the airline said: 'We are currently contacting relatives of the passengers and crew who were on board and we are offering any help we can to those affected.' Officials have been forced to bring in dogs to search for remains at the FlyDubai crash site after the plane was obliterated as it tried to land in 'hurricane-force winds'. The plane was carrying 55 passengers and seven crew members from Dubai when it crashed as it attempted to land for a second time in bad weather conditions. Vasily Golubev, the governor of the Rostov region, this afternoon revealed that the plane crashed around 800ft short of the runway. Controversial Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio says he looks forward to 'wearing two hats' during Donald Trump's Saturday rally in Maricopa County as a participant on stage and as head of security for the event. 'Here I'm gonna be kinda wearing two hats in charge of the security there in the town and also participating, I would imagine, with Trump in the rally, so it makes it interesting,' Arpaio said in an interview Thursday. '[It's] going to be a lot of fun taking care of business there,' the sheriff, who is known for his hardline rhetoric on Latino immigration and who endorsed Trump in January, told Politico. In this Jan. 26, 2016, photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is joined by Maricopa County, Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio at a campaign event at the Roundhouse Gymnasium in Marshalltown, Iowa. Trump hopes to win Arizona's primary Tuesday with the help of his fellow immigration hardliner Arpaio, 83, who, like Trump, has a penchant for populist showmanship, has been re-elected sheriff five times since first taking office in 1993. His jurisdiction includes Phoenix and nearly two-thirds of the population of Arizona, which is 31 percent Latino. Arpaio's department was successfully sued for racial profiling against Hispanics in 2013, and the decision was largely upheld after a 2015 appeal, the Arizona Republic reported. The octogenarian is also infamous for erecting a makeshift jail known as Tent City, where non-violent criminals live outside in triple-digit heat and which Amnesty International deemed in violation of human rights, according to Phoenix New Times. At a 2008 event, Arpaio referred to Tent City as a 'concentration camp.' Video courtesy of Shaun Attwood In Arpaio's Tent City jail, inmates languish in outdoor facilities where summer temperatures sometimes reach triple-digits Arpaio said he's expecting protests at Saturday's rally in Fountain Hills, an affluent Phoenix suburb. 'If they violate the law, they will go to the tents,' Arpaio told reporters earlier this week. 'I will have my vans out there to transport people who violate the law.' A spokesperson for the sheriff's office confirmed to Daily Mail Online that Arpaio is going to be speaking at the Trump event at Fountain Park. Trump re-tweeted this picture of Arpaio Saturday 'He's the sheriff and the sheriff's office is the law enforcement agency' that will oversee security at the Fountain Park event, the spokesperson said. 'He's speaking [at the Trump rally] as sheriff - that's what he does,' the spokesperson said. At least one protest rally is planned for Saturday's event, with over 3,000 people signing up on Facebook to attend a demonstration dubbed 'Protest Trump in Arizona - Protesta Contra Trump en Arizona.' 'Protesters will be rallying nearby the event to be a visible voice against Trump's rhetoric of racism that is fostering a dangerous and dehumanizing climate in Arizona and across the country,' organizers wrote on the event page. Another group, Veterans for Peace, was also planning to take a stand Saturday against Trump's 'Islamophobic rhetoric.' 'We have to stand up where we see people speaking this way,' executive director Michael McPhearson told Politico. Trump is scheduled to speak at a second Arizona event in Tuscon later Saturday afternoon. Arizona residents will vote Tuesday in a winner-take-all Republican primary as well as a Democratic race. On Thursday, Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders lashed out at Arpaio after a visit by Sanders' wife to the sheriff's Tent City jail. 'What Joe Arpaio is doing is an outrage,' Sanders told NBC 12 News. 'My wife went to look at the so-called tent city, which is something that should not exists. The fact that he crashed her meeting, to me, is very, very wrong. Not something that he should have done.' Air Cadets are to have their flying squadrons halved, it has been revealed. The organisation's Ambassador is Carol Vorderman Thousands of young people with flying aspirations may have their dreams dashed in plans to cut half the country's Air Cadet squadrons, it has been revealed. Many of the country's would-be pilots will now have to travel hundreds of miles to get their first taste of flying. 14 out of the country's 26 volunteer glider squadrons are being disbanded in order to save money, reported The Telegraph. There are currently around 40,000 air cadets, with around a third of the RAF passing through its ranks Former well-known cadets include Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, the new Chief of the Defence Staff, and Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, the new Chief of the Air Staff. Although the RAF has denied that the disbanding of squadrons is a cost-cutting exercise, volunteers have warned that it will be impossible to give cadets the same amount of flying under changes. This will see the overall glider fleet fall from 146 to 88. Former RAF officer Andrew Brookes said: 'It's an air training corps, not a ground training corps, and to that extent you have to get people airborne. If you take a lot of that away, you undermine the whole point.' Former pilot Sir Gerald Howarth MP, whose local cadet squadron in Aldershot is set to close, said: 'The reason why young people like joining the Air Cadets is they get the opportunity to fly. If you reduce the number of bases, you make it more and more difficult for young people, particularly those from disadvantaged homes to access the flying opportunities. 'We have the best pilots in the world, but its the ability to fly that sets them apart. The RAF needs to be able to continue to draw on the widest possible pool.' The Duchess of Cambridge serves as patron of the Air Cadets and attended a thanksgiving service to celebrate their 75th anniversary in February And aerospace analyst Howard Wheeldon, who began his aeronautical career as a cadet, said: 'The word heartbroken easily springs to mind and use of that word is hardly surprising when one realises the impact this announcement has on so many volunteers and, indeed, the air cadets that they serve so brilliantly. 'These guys and girls have been responsible for introducing literally tens of thousands of cadets to gliding over the decades and they deserve very much better than being dumped like this.' Julian Brazier, reserves minister, said: 'Air Cadet gliding was paused in 2014 due to aircraft safety concerns, resulting in a period of reduced opportunities for our Cadets to fly. The recently announced reorganisation of Air Cadet aviation will offer gliding again across the UK, alongside a substantial uplift in powered air experience flights and simulators. I am hugely grateful to all those in the Air Cadet organisation for their continued commitment and patience on this matter.' He said that an audit of Air Cadet planes had shown that some were not air-worthy, but that the number of tutor planes would be rising from 45 to 70. The Duchess of Cambridge is the patron of the Air Cadets, and attended a thanksgiving service to celebrate their 75th anniversary in February. Carol Vorderman serves as their ambassador. Can a noninvasive treatment ease the symptoms of autism? For one autistic man, undergoing transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, allowed him to pick up on a full range of emotional cues - but John Elder Robison's newfound perception came at a price. Robison, 58, participated in an experimental study at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts and detailed the dissolution of his marriage in his new book, Switched On: A Memoir of Brain Change and Emotional Awakening. TMS, which was approved by the FDA for major depressive disorders in 2007, utilizes electric currents running through a paddle placed near the scalp to produce a magnetic field that stimulates certain regions of the brain. Scroll down for video John Elder Robison, 58, (left), has autism and found it difficult to pick up on other people's nonverbal cues. After going through transcranial magnetic stimulation treatments, he was overwhelmed by emotional signals, which he details in his new book (right) TMS utilizes electric currents running through a paddle placed near the scalp (pictured) to produce a magnetic field that stimulates targeted regions of the brain In a post written by Robison for the New York Times, he explains his life before and after the treatment. He wrote: 'Because Im autistic, I have always been oblivious to unspoken cues from other people. My wife, my son and my friends liked my unflappable demeanor and my predictable behavior.' After just one TMS session in 2008, however, Robison likened his experience to seeing color for the first time after living in a black and white world. After 50 years of making the most of his emotional limitations, Robsion was overwhelmed by the extent to which other people seemed scared, nasty and nasty. While he once served as a rock for his wife who suffered from chronic depression, Robison was suddenly incapable of maintaining his detached and steadfast support. He wrote: 'After the TMS, I felt the full force of her sadness, and the weight of it dragged me under. Normally people change in a marriage, over time. What happens when one person changes overnight?' He was divorced within a year, but Robison eventually remarried, rekindled his relationship with his son, and saw marked improvements in his ability to engage with strangers and new friends. After just one TMS session in 2008, however, Robison likened his experience to seeing color for the first time after living in a black and white world. But neurobiologist Michael Platt said it's too early to conclude TMS is an effective treatment Will Robeson is an autistic boy who first received TMS treatments at the age of eight at the University of Louisville He had a limited vocabulary, and his grandfather Tom Robeson said the treatments calmed Will, made him interested in other people, and alleviated his repetitive behavior. A mother of a 17-year-old autistic boy also noticed positive changes after her son signed on for TMS treatment. WHAT IS AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER? Autism Spectrum Disorder can cause a wide range of symptoms, which are often grouped into two main categories. Autistic people often experience problems with social interaction and communication. This includes difficulty understanding and being aware of other people's emotions. They may also experience problems taking part in, or starting, conversations. Patterns of thought are another key area. Autistic people experience restricted and repetitive patterns of thought or physical movement, such as hand tapping or twisting. They may become upset if these set routines are disrupted. It's estimated about 1 in every 100 people in the UK has ASD. More boys are diagnosed than girls. There's no cure for ASD, but a range of educational and behavioral support programs can help people with the condition. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement She detailed the ways in which he would turn his body towards her when she spoke, and maintained an 'appropriate distance' while they walked. After four months where he received treatments twice a week, his mother said nearly all signs of her son's autism disappeared. The mother, Kim Hollingsworth Taylor, told Newsweek: 'It seemed like the stimulation turned down the static for him. I told him how different he was and he said, "Its like theres more of me here now."' While these anecdotes show promising results, others aren't entirely convinced. Michael Platt, a neurobiologist at the University of Pennsylvania, warned against the excitement of a few positive results. He told Newsweek: 'Theres tremendous excitement at the potential to have something thats noninvasive, non-drug-based, with potentially fewer side effects. 'But the fact of the matter is we dont understand very much about how it works.' TMS was initially developed in the 1990s, and the FDA approved the treatment for people with severe depression in 2007. In TMS, electric currents run through a paddle held on or near the head, creating a magnetic field that stimulates nerve cells in the brain. Compared to electroconvulsive therapy, researchers who administer TMS can better target specific parts of the brain. The treatment is also painless and considered more mild, although side effects can include headaches and even seizures. Iran is to build a statue of the US sailors it captured in its territorial waters earlier this year as a tourist attraction, a senior Revolutionary Guard officer has said. The news is likely to cause outrage in the US and play into the hands of Republicans who opposed President Obama's nuclear agreement with Iran and lifting of US sanctions in January. Commander Ali Fadavi, the head of the Guard's naval forces, said the monument would capture the moment the Americans surrendered to Iranian forces. Iran is to build a statue of the US sailors it captured (pictured) in its territorial waters earlier this year as a tourist attraction, a senior Revolutionary Guard officer has said The 10 American sailors (pictured) were accused of 'snooping' and surrendered to Iranian troops in January. They were released 16 hours later after being questioned 'There are very many photographs of the major incident of arresting US Marines in the Persian Gulf in the media and we intend to build a symbol out of them inside one of our naval monuments,' he told Iran's Defense Press news agency. It is expected the statue will built on Kharg, a small Iranian island in the Persian Gulf close to where the servicemen were captured, the Telegraph reported. The planned monument could feature on the Rahian-e-Nour, a pro-regime pilgrimage, which promotes the country's military and takes in historical points from the Iran-Iraq war. The 10 American sailors were accused of 'snooping' on Iran and surrendered to the revolutionary guard on January 12 before being taken into custody and then released 16 hours hours later. One of the two small patrol boats reportedly suffered mechanical issues and drifted into Iranian waters and the sailors and boats were seized. The detainees spent the night at an Iranian base on Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf and were transferred to a US ship in the region. Leading General Ali Fadavi said the American boats showed 'unprofessional acts' for 40 minutes before being picked up by Iranian forces in the country's territorial waters. The two small American navy patrol boats which the sailors were captured on were displayed by the Iranians The sailors were given food and water by their captors and a sailor said they had been treated well on video He said at the time: 'US naval force and their frigate showed an unprofessional behavior and had air and naval moves for 40 minutes in the area. 'Certainly US presence in Persian Gulf and their passage has never been innocent and we do not deem their passage as innocent.' At the time Republicans, including presidential hopeful Donald Trump, lambasted President Obama over his policy towards Iran and are likely to be equally outraged at the Revolutionary Guard's latest plans. Mr Trump had aid: 'Those young people were on their hands and knees in a begging position with their hands up and thugs behind them with guns, and then we talk like it's OK. It's not OK. It's lack of respect.' The United States lifted most of its sanctions against Iran after a UN watchdog reported that Tehran had complied with a nuclear weapons deal in January - a move that was criticised by Republicans. Iran was under strict international sanctions since October 2007, although the Untied States had some form of economic restrictions on Tehran since 1979. A fetus is an organism. Organisms have two states: dead or alive. A fetus is an organism and it is a human being that is alive. An abortion causes the live fetus, which is a human being, to die. From a scientific perspective, it is as simple as that The biological concept of fertilization is not present in an egg in a frying pan because an unfertilized egg is not a chicken just as a human sperm or an egg is not a human being. Hens lay eggs every day, and the eggs are not chickens; women have about one million or so unfertilized eggs in their ovaries that are released and flushed out of their system each month if not fertilized, and the eggs are not human beings; and men produce sperm each day, and none of the sperm are human beings. Advertisement Nestled in New York's upscale Gramercy neighborhood, The Carlton Arms doesn't stand out. The red brick building has a small dull sign that shrinks into obscurity between diners, bars, and imposing glass structures. But inside, every inch of this nondescript building is an eclectic work of art; a rare relic of the citys bohemian past. The rooms are constantly being reimagined by artists who pay for their stay by transforming the interiors with collage, bubble wrap, glass mosaics, paper strips hanging from the ceiling, or even a giant gold mummy cemented into the wall. On Friday, the hotel opened its doors to unveil six newly-designed rooms. And if those crumbling walls could talk, they would have some stories to tell. The Carlton Arms, a 135-year-old building on East 25th Street, has played host to a pulsing underground scene of artists, vagabonds and junkies for more than 100 years The building doesn't stand out. Nestled in New York's upscale Gramercy neighborhood, it has a small dull sign that shrinks into obscurity between diners, bars, and imposing glass structures The building (right) was once a farmers inn with stables for horses, then later the go-to place for Irish immigrants to get a pint or 12 during the Prohibition Inside, every inch of this nondescript building is an eclectic work of art; a rare relic of the citys bohemian past Visitors walk upstairs into dark and blue lights, with makeshift lamps and posters cluttering the space. The tall thin building has 54 rooms spread across five narrow floors, each with their own style - some dark, some bright, some with pipes sticking out the ceiling and walls The 135-year-old building on East 25th Street has played host to a pulsing underground scene of artists, vagabonds and junkies for more than 100 years. It was once a farmers inn with stables for horses, then later the go-to place for Irish immigrants to get a pint or 12 during the Prohibition. In the 1950s, it became a hub for drag queens, prostitutes and drug addicts. The next few decades saw much of the same. The front desk is littered with trinkets, gum balls, paintings and velvet curtains In one red-and-black room an accordion player sat on a chair gyrating erratically as he slammed the keyboard with his fist next to a trumpet player sat on the floor Ive been here for 30 years! balked manager John Ogren (pictured speaking), adding: Oh but others have been here longer. People come to play and then they stay! Fairy lights hang down through the staircases, connecting every eclectic floor By the 1980s it was a vibrant but bleak scene, mainly acting as an SRO (single room occupancy) for addicts. Desperate to change the vibe, the new manager ended the SRO scheme and invited artist friends to paint it. It sparked a tradition, and wall murals like this on the stairs People mill about the cartoon-covered third floor during the hotel's 34th annual open house The beatnik cultures of East Village and Greenwich Village have been driven out by new developments and untenable rent. But according to Carltons managers, they have survived because their owners the Chu family - a stalwart of New Yorks real estate market and art scene - are fond of its kitsch character. Pictured: one of the corridors After decades of paint jobs, the walls are crusty; some have cracks and holes that give a glimpse into the old brick underneath. Between the dystopic paintings and murals, there are also magazine cut-outs, like in this shared bathroom (right) Like the storied Hotel Chelsea, musicians, artists, junkies, transvestites, madmen, ex-cons, pushers and hookers would flock through the unassuming front door to bed down and indulge, as one of the managers puts it. And by the 1980s it was a vibrant but bleak scene, mainly acting as an SRO (single room occupancy) for addicts. Desperate to change the vibe, the new manager ended the SRO scheme and invited a rabble of artist friends to give the place a lick of paint. Fast-forward three decades, it is now one of the only artist residency programs of its kind in the city - certainly a rarity in moneyed Manhattan. The beatnik cultures of East Village and Greenwich Village have been driven out by new developments and untenable rent. But according to Carltons managers, they have survived because their owners the Chu family - a stalwart of New Yorks real estate market and art scene - are fond of its kitsch character. This room was painted by visionary Baltimore-based artists Brian Dowdall and Alison Spiesman who wanted to create a 'mystic portal' One of the staircases (pictured) has bubble wrap covering the ceilings - and visitors are often seen trying to jump up to pop them The fifth floor is entirely painted in gold with paper-mache Egyptian sculptures sticking out of the walls, almost obstructing the tiny corridor This Egyptian sculpture sticks out of the walls between pipes and cracked paint This room by Swedish artists Linda Emily Al-GHussein and Fabian Olovson is a confused comment on the queer debate. The sculptures, collages, Tesla-technology and costumes are meant to inspire guests to become a lamp or walk the street as a potato' Transgender rockstar Venus De Mars (pictured) was stationed in her dark blue, Van Gogh-style room that she and her spouse Lynette have been working on since 2002 Venus, one of the regulars, said: I was out before it was ok to be out. It was a different time even 10, 15 years ago. And this place, these people, they have always been protective of the trans community, the gay community, every community' The tall thin building has 54 rooms spread across five narrow floors, each with their own style. The fifth floor is entirely painted in gold with paper-mache Egyptian sculptures sticking out of the walls, almost obstructing the tiny corridor. One staircase is covered with pictures of the moon landing. Another is entirely black and red, After decades of paint jobs, the walls are crusty; some have cracks and holes that give a glimpse into the old brick underneath. Despite the ever-changing decor, the building is virtually unchanged since it opened. Most rooms still have bells in a ceiling corner - a throwback to a pre-telephone culture when the hotelier would have to ring your room to get your attention. And though the hotel is open for visitors - for a modest $70-a-night - much of the regular rabble remain. Ive been here for 30 years! balked manager John Ogren, adding: Oh but others have been here longer. People come to play and then they stay! He gestures to people as they pass: Thats Christine (hi Christine!), thats Collette (its Collettes birthday!), and Hope wheres Hope? HOPE? Shell be around One of the mainstays includes Venus De Mars, a transgender rock musician and artist, who habitually drops by with her spouse Lynette, a poet. We get our pick of the rooms, Venus explained. Sometimes people are already staying there so it doesnt always work but this is home to us, these people are family, so it feels very welcoming. Transgender goddesses loom over the residents from the walls and ceilings of Venus's room German artist Ronny Lischinski invited visitors into his dark, mirrored chapel for drunken painters, inspired by his own tipple-fueled trip to America This is the bleak interior of Lischinski's drunken chapel In contrast with the other rooms, Lischinski's is barely painted but for the 'altar' by the sink Like the storied Hotel Chelsea, musicians, artists, junkies, transvestites, madmen, ex-cons, pushers and hookers would flock through the unassuming front door to bed down and indulge, as one of the managers puts it. Now people can stay here for $70-a-night Hope London, an American-born artist based in Scotland, plays music for visitors in her room, dedicated to the hotel's history London's room is eclectic, with paint-splattered walls, looming painted figures, and psychedelic patterns I was out before it was ok to be out. It was a different time even 10, 15 years ago. And this place, these people, they have always been protective of the trans community, the gay community, every community. Things are different now but this is still a special, unique, protected space. The Carlton Arms is often compared to Chelsea, which housed the stars of the beatnik and pop art community of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. But while Chelsea rocketed into the pages tourism pamphlets the Carlton Arms has bubbled under the mainstream radar. Aside from Banksy - who did a residency at Carlton before he/she/they became an eponymous street artist - the residents are an eclectic mash of unknown visionaries, Spanish painters, British illustrators, New York musicians Smaller scale. Its latest incarnation, bringing together six artists from around the world, was unveiled on Friday. Despite the ever-changing decor, the building is virtually unchanged since it opened. Most rooms still have bells in a ceiling corner - a throwback to a pre-telephone culture when the hotelier would have to ring your room to get your attention Some rooms are almost theatrical, like this one with fabric adorning the walls and dead thistles in an empty glass While Hotel Chelsea rocketed into the pages tourism pamphlets - eventually shuttering in 2011 - the Carlton Arms has bubbled under the mainstream radar This is the paint-splattered corridor on the first floor Steven Appleby, a cartoonist from England, created this calm, white-walled space with tongue-in-cheek stories and images seeping around the space Appleby is one of the six artists invited to stay for free in their room in exchange for painting it. The residency scheme has been running since the 80s Appleby described the strange experience of painting his delicate wiry figures and scenery onto walls that have been repainted countless times Appleby described the strange experience of painting his delicate wiry figures and scenery onto walls that have been repainted countless times Dozens of people weasled through the cramped corridors, starting at the front desk where a man with plastic cups handed out whatever drinks he felt like pouring. In one red-and-black room an accordion player sat on the floor gyrating erratically as he slammed the keyboard with his fist. Further along, Steven Appleby, a cartoonist from England, was stood in his room: a calm, white-walled space with tongue-in-cheek stories and images seeping around the space. In the closet, hes drawn skeletons. Upstairs, German artist Ronny Lischinski invited visitors into his dark, mirrored chapel for drunken painters, inspired by his own tipple-fueled trip to America. 'I've never been anywhere like this,' Appleby (pictured) told Daily Mail Online Its become a place where people can come and just play. Anyone is welcome - except for Donald Trump,' John Ogren (pictured) said to nods and claps from the crowd Nearby, Hope London, an American artist based in Scotland, was slamming a keyboard as people danced around her paint-splattered room (which allegedly once housed an insane suicidal resident), toasting vodka and screeching. Venus De Mars was stationed in her dark blue, Van Gogh-style room that she and Lynette have been working on since 2002. Theres been so many people that have contributed so much to this place, its something that just happened and who knew, manager John Ogren exclaimed as he tried to cram all the artists and visitors into the stairwell for a toast (an impossible idea but admirable attempt). Its become a place where people can come and just play. Whats most important is that people feel safe. Weve embraced the trans community, weve always embraced the trans community. Along with that - whoever you are - comes trouble. I know things Venus has gone through that breaks my heart. But this has always been a special place for everyone and as long as it stays open it will stay that way. A children's entertainer who raped a boy and indecently assaulted two others has been jailed for 14 years. Mark Richard Davis, 55, who used the stage name Mark Major, abused the youngsters after 'luring' them with his magic tricks and befriending their mothers. The former Scout leader, who lived in Cardiff before moving to Corby, Northamptonshire, was found guilty of 13 sex offences at Cardiff Crown Court. The crimes took place during the 1980s and 1990s but were only brought to light after the three victims, now in their 30s, came forward to police. Mark Richard Davis, 55, was sentenced to 14 years in jail after being convicted of 13 sex offences at Cardiff Crown Court A court heard Davis became a 'father figure' to young boys between the ages of nine and 14 who had an interest in acting, and 'wormed his way into their lives'. He promised them trips to London to visit the EastEnders set and gave them autographed pictures of celebrities. The court heard one of the victims suffered 'severe psychological harm' following the abuse, while another suffered from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Janet McDonald, prosecuting described Davis as a sexual predator who was 'clothed in an aura of respectability'. She said: 'Davis was nice to the boys and their mothers. He showed them tricks and autographs he had of famous people. 'It was subtle and gentle persuasion and grooming.' He was convicted of three counts of rape, nine of indecent assault and one count of taking an indecent photograph of a child. Judge Jonathan Furness QC sentenced Davis to 14 years in prison and said he would also be banned from ever working with children upon release. The offences took place during the 1980s and 1990s but were only brought to light after the three victims, now in their 30s, came forward to police He said: 'You enticed them with the lure of the theatre and the magic of your role as an entertainer. 'You befriended them and their families. They were vulnerable due to their circumstances. You were a father figure. 'They have experienced long-lasting effects through their lives and have suffered for many years because of the memories of your abuse. 'You haven't shown any remorse for your offending.' DI Dan Michel, from South Wales Police, said: 'The victims have shown tremendous courage to come forward and tell us about the abuse they suffered. 'Investigating sexual violence is a priority for South Wales Police and we always ensure appropriate victim support from the beginning of any investigation. 'Mark Richard Davis, also known as Mark Major, abused both his links to a number of youth organisations across the UK and his position of trust as a children's entertainer. 'The sentence handed down shows the seriousness of Davis' offences and the devastating effect he had on his victims. A coalition service member was killed on Saturday by enemy fire in northern Iraq, the Pentagon said in a statement. A U.S. official told The Associated Press the individual was an American Marine stationed at the Makhmour base outside the Islamic State group-held city of Mosul. His identity has not yet been released. The attack was an 'indirect fire attack,' specifically rockets, the official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorized to brief the media. 'It was a lucky strike by ISIS,' an official told Fox who also said that less than five others were injured and that they were being Iraqi army members stand guard at the entrance to the Nineveh Liberation Operations Command at Makhmour base, south of Mosul, Iraq. American soldiers are stationed in Iraq to help their military reclaim Mosul An Iraqi army officer in Makhmour said that the mortars landed at 8:20 a.m on Saturday. Two Iraqi commanders stationed at the base also reported a rocket attack Saturday, but denied anyone had been hurt or killed. The U.S.-led coalition has reported that the build-up of Iraqi troops at Makhmour in preparation for an assault on Mosul has brought a spike in the frequency of such indirect fire attacks. The Islamic State has been in control of Mosul since June 2014 and the American troops were stationed to help Iraqi and pershermga forces reclaim the city, according to the Washington Post. This is the second soldier who has been killed since combat operates began in the summer of 2014, according to Fox. Army Master Sgt Joshua Wheeler was killed during a hostage rescue in Iraq. Sergeant Timothy Gaughan, 47, drove Italo Franchi, 68, and footed the bill after the man's car got towed A Boston police officer rescued an elderly man who didn't see he had parked illegally after following his wife's ambulance. Sergeant Timothy Gaughan, 47, was out of his district when he heard Italo Franchi, 68, shouting: 'Officer, please, someone help me, sir.' Franchi had previously followed his wife's ambulance as she was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital on Wednesday, the Boston Herald reported. When he returned to retrieve his Nissan Murano, he saw that it had been towed and panicked. Franchi told the Boston Herald he felt as if he was going to have a heart attack. He moved to the US from Italy 49 years ago and was a construction worker until a disability prompted him to stop. That day, Franchi hadn't seen the sign forbidding parking between 3pm and 6pm. His car was towed within ten minutes according to his ticket. Gaughan told him to calm down and that he would help him. 'He was saying his car was missing. His wife was in the hospital,' Gaughan told WBZ-TV. 'He started getting very emotional, almost crying: "I don't know how to get back to her!"' The officer, who has spent 25 years in his division, found out Franchi's car had been taken to the transportation department in South Boston. 'I said: "Pal, its your lucky day. I work over there. Thats where Im going right now,"" Gaughan told WBZ-TV. He drove Franchi to the transportation department, where the Nissan Murano was parked. But in order to retrieve it, Franchi had to pay $99, which he didn't have on him. Franchi didn't see he was parking illegally after following the ambulance that took his wife to the Massachusetts General Hospital on Wednesday (file picture) Gaughan, who was planning on getting his own car fixed, had brought cash to pay for the job but the mechanic couldn't complete it, he told the Boston Herald. So he reached for his $100 bill and handed it to the clerk on behalf of Franchi. 'I said: "You know what, take it. Give him his claim check." He needed to focus on his loved one more than a parking ticket,' Gaughan told the Boston Herald. 'He just kept saying: "Thank you, thank you." I said: "Dont worry about it. This is an Easter gift. Happy Easter. Take care of your wife."' Franchi's son-in-law got in touch with Gaughan later asking how he could repay him. In what could be the ultimate sign of the nations growing diversity, Middle Englands favourite retailer has started selling burkinis. Marks & Spencer now stocks two styles of the full-length swimwear, which is designed to protect the modesty of Muslim women. The company explains that the 49.50 suit covers the whole body with the exception of the face, hands and feet, without compromising on style and boasts: Its lightweight so you can swim in comfort. Protecting modesty: The burkini on the Marks & Spencer website. There are two styles of the full-length swimwear available, at 49.50 M&S has stores in Dubai and perhaps surprisingly Libya, which have sold the three-piece sets for the past three years. But now they are available from the companys website in the UK and will soon be on sale at the companys flagship store in Marble Arch, Central London. As well as appealing to Muslim women in the UK, the designs may prove popular with women worried about the damage that exposure to the sun could do to the skin. After celebrity chef Nigella Lawson made headlines when she was pictured wearing a burkini on Australias Bondi Beach in 2011, she explained that she did not like having to reapply factor 50 sunscreen after swimming. I can see it looks odd but it is incredibly comfortable and theres no sun block and youre not getting a tan, she said. Modest wear has become an increasingly lucrative market in Britain, as the Muslim population grows. The first modest fashion store opened in a Bradford shopping mall earlier this year, while big-name labels such as Mango, Uniqlo and DKNY have released collections to coincide with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Meanwhile, H&M has featured a hijab-wearing model in its advertising for the first time. Taking the plunge: The Mail on Sunday's Rehema Figueiedo tries out the Marks & Spencer Burkini in London's Serpentine M&Ss new burkinis which comprise a head covering, long-sleeved tunic and trousers are available in blue with a floral print across the chest or black with a paisley pattern down one side. But the suits, which are part of the high street stores summer swimwear collection, proved controversial within days of going on sale. A backlash started on the Hot UK Deals website, after one user posted a link to a discount offer on the M&S designs. One commenter replied that it was unfair that women had to dress up like frogmen while men with uncontrollable sexual urges could go swimming in tiny Speedo trunks, while another claimed that the head-to-toe garment showed the oppression of women. Yet others said the criticism of burkinis represented insidious xenophobia and that women should be allowed to wear them if they feel comfortable. Some users predicted burkinis will become more popular because of increasing concerns about skin cancer, suggesting they should simply be known as solar suits to show that they are not just for the devoutly religious. Trump has approval from one the largest border control unions in America for his controversial statements on immigration. Local 2544 in Tucson, Arizona, praised Trump on Friday for being the 'only candidate' to support its mission. 'Mr. Trump is the only candidate that has publicly expressed his support of our mission and our agents. He has been an outspoken candidate on the need for a Secure Border and for this we are grateful,' said a statement from Art Del Cueto, president of Local 2544 of the National Border Patrol Council. Trump is pictured here visiting the U.S. and Mexico border over the summer. Trump has approval from one the largest border control unions in America for his controversial statements on immigration Protesters used cars to block the main road to Saturday's Trump event in Phoenix despite a public praise from a border control union in Phoenix, Arizona Trump sought an endorsement from the union on March 18, according to The Washington Examiner. While the union usually does not endorse candidates, it decided to publicly praise the billionaires outspokenness on issues like border control. Not all Arizonians feel the same way about Trump. Other natives of the state protesting against Republican candidate Donald Trump's scheduled appearance in a Phoenix suburb used cars to block the road into the event Saturday, as thousands of New Yorkers protested against the Republican candidate in his hometown. Trump may have border control's support but he certainly does not have that of prominent figures in Mexico. There is no way Mexico would fund Donald Trump's 'terrible' plan to build a wall along its border with the United States if the Republican front-runner wins the U.S. presidential election, the Mexican finance minister said earlier this month. Trump, the New York billionaire developer and former reality television star, sparked outrage in Mexico when he vowed to force Latin America's second largest economy to pay for a wall along the southern U.S. border to stem the flow of illegal immigration and drugs. Trump may have border control's support but he does not have Mexico's. The Mexican finance minister said earlier this month that he would not pay for Trump to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Pictured here is a protester Trump has accused Mexico of sending rapists and drug runners across the U.S. border and has vowed to increase fees on some Mexican visas and all border crossing cards as part of a broader plan to force Mexico to pay for the wall. Former conservative Mexican presidents Felipe Calderon and Vicente Fox have compared Trump to Adolf Hitler. Trump has built a strong lead in the race for the Republican nomination in part by taking a tough stance on immigration. He says Mexico is 'killing' the United States with cheap labor and has sent 'criminals' and 'rapists' across the border. He is also promising to build a huge border wall and proposed a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country. Furious David Cameron unleashed a four-letter rant at Iain Duncan Smith over his 'dishonorable' resignation, The Mail on Sunday has been told. Mr Cameron is said to have 'exploded with rage' when anti-EU rebel Mr Duncan Smith rejected repeated pleas not to walk out of the Government in a bitter row over disability benefits cuts. The animosity deepened last night after this newspaper obtained a letter which Mr Duncan Smith sent to MPs before he quit the Cabinet, endorsing the Budget reforms he now claims to oppose. Scroll down for video: Mr Cameron (left) is said to have 'exploded with rage' when anti-EU rebel Mr Duncan Smith (right) rejected repeated pleas not to walk out of the Government in a bitter row over disability benefits cuts Iain Duncan Smith (pictured arriving at a pre-Budget meeting last Wednesday) resigned from the Cabinet in protest over the disability benefit cuts Allies of Mr Cameron said the letter shows Mr Duncan Smith used the issue as a 'fraudulent' pretext to 'flounce out' and that he had been 'itching' to resign for months so that he can fully campaign for an 'Out' vote in the EU referendum. But friends of Mr Duncan Smith fought back, saying he had been ordered to write the letter by No 10. The Prime Minister reportedly called Mr Duncan Smith a 's***' in a heated 20-minute phone call after receiving his letter resigning as Work and Pensions Secretary early on Friday evening. There were two phone conversations between Mr Cameron and Mr Duncan Smith. The first, at 7pm, was polite, with the Prime Minister trying to persuade IDS to stay. It was during the second call shortly afterwards, when it became clear that Mr Duncan Smith was determined to quit, that the Prime Minister erupted. Mr Cameron, according to a source, 'threw his toys out of the pram' and called IDS 'dishonourable' and, later, the expletive. Mr Duncan Smith told him during the bad-tempered call: 'You have gone too far this time. You cannot expect me to put up with being undermined any longer.' A well-placed source said the Prime Minister replied: 'You s***!' Prime Minister David Cameron, pictured, said in a letter he was 'puzzled and disappointed' at the resignation in his response to Mr Duncan Smith In a statement, Mr Duncan Smith (pictured leaving the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new government in May 2015), described the cuts as being 'a compromise too far' Eurosceptic Mr Duncan Smith, left, has been at loggerheads with the Prime Minister, right, over whether Britain should leave the EU Mr Duncan Smith said Chancellor George Osborne's planned cuts to disability benefits were 'not defensible' in a Budget which was also benefiting higher-earning taxpayers. In his public response, Mr Cameron said that he was 'puzzled and disappointed' by the resignation. But the day after the Budget, Mr Duncan Smith had defended Mr Osborne's planned 1 billion cuts to Personal Independence Payments given to people who struggle to use the toilet or get dressed. In a letter to Tory MPs, he said the cuts were needed as 'this year we are spending around 50 billion on support for sick and disabled people, more than the entire 34 billion defence budget.' One Government source said: 'The disability benefits cut was Iain's idea and he was defending it as late as Thursday. He now claims to have resigned over it yet not once did he ask to meet the Prime Minister to discuss his supposed concerns.' And another insider said: 'Iain has dressed it up as a principled resignation: it is nothing of the sort. He has had a fit of the vapours over the referendum. He's been itching to resign for ages and has just flounced out'. A Cabinet source described the resignation as 'ludicrous.' Even one of Mr Cameron's most severe critics, Tory MP Nadine Dorries, declared yesterday that she was 'stunned' by Mr Duncan Smith's resignation, because he had put pressure on her to support cuts to disability benefits last month. 'If IDS has resigned because the cuts to disability benefit were a step too far, he should have done it before he whipped MPs through the voting lobby,' she said. 'If the real reason was the continual stream of spin, lies and fear emanating from No 10 in a desperate attempt to persuade the British public to vote to remain in the EU, then he should have had the courage of his convictions and said so'. The Work and Pensions Secretary branded cuts to benefits for the disabled in George Osborne's Budget, announced on Wednesday, as 'indefensible' David Cameron (pictured at the European Summit yesterday) insisted that the government would 'get this right' following a backlash over the cuts However an ally of Mr Duncan Smith say that he 'woke up on Friday morning resolved to resign' over the issue: although he had backed the changes in public, he had privately warned Mr Osborne that they would prove to be toxic. Then, when the furious public backlash started, he felt increasingly exposed. Critically, a friend of Mr Duncan Smith, said: 'The Dear Colleague letter [to fellow MPs] was written under orders. He was told, 'You have got to go out and sell this policy.' Mr Duncan Smith's Cabinet job was swiftly filled yesterday by rising star Stephen Crabb, who was promoted from Welsh Secretary. Crabb, 43, who has been tipped as a future leader, has the perfect back story for his new job: He was raised in a in Pembrokeshire council house by a single mother who was forced into welfare dependency after splitting from Crabb's violent father but she managed to rejoin the workforce by taking a training course. Employment Minister Priti Patel, who answered to Mr Duncan Smith, had been tipped for promotion in the next reshuffle but sources indicated that, as a fellow supporter of Brexit, it would have 'too dangerous' to move her to the Cabinet. Mr Crabb backs the 'In' camp. Junior Welsh Minister Alun Cairns replaced Mr Crabb at the Welsh Office. Mr Cameron's loss of temper on Friday is reminiscent of John Major's famous 'bastards' outburst against rebel anti-Brussels Ministers in his Cabinet in the 1990s. Another ally of Mr Duncan Smith said: 'Every third word was an expletive. Iain described it as a 'Soames-type outburst.' Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames, Winston Churchill's grandson, is renowned for his colourful invective. The extraordinary row between Mr Cameron and Mr Duncan Smith has led to fears that the Tories and the Government could be engulfed by further turmoil heaped on to divisions over the EU referendum. Even after former Tory leader Mr Duncan Smith's resignation, there remain six Cabinet members including Boris Johnson who have defied an increasingly exasperated Mr Cameron by campaigning for the UK to quit the EU. ONE DAY AFTER BUDGET, IDS LETTER SUPPORTING THE CUTS Iain Duncan Smith signed this so-called 'Dear Colleague' letter the term for correspondence sent to all Tory MPs on Thursday. It was 24 hours after George Osborne's Budget, and the day when the Chancellor was going on the airwaves to defend his measures. IDS makes no mention of his opposition to the disability cuts, which he would later cite as the reason for his resignation, bar an ambiguous line pledging to 'take this response forward'. On a second page, reproduced below, IDS explains changes to the Personal Independence Payment, with the paragraphs we have highlighted showing his defence of the shake-up. One of his arguments is that the benefit, intended to help people who struggle to use the toilet or get dressed, was being used for the unnecessary purchase of 'items like beds and chairs that people have already'. Why we are changing the Personal Independence Payment Our welfare reforms have helped more disabled people back into work so that they have the security of a job. And as we reform welfare, we are committed to protecting the most vulnerable in our society and targeting the extra support we are providing for disabled people on those who need it most. We introduced the Personal Independence Payment to help meet the extra costs that someone with a disability faces. IDS makes no mention of his opposition to the disability cuts We introduced the Personal Independence Payment to help meet theextra costs that someone with a disability faces. Recent legal judgements have broadened the scope of what is considered an 'aid and appliance' to include items like beds and chairs that people have in their homes already. The number of people who qualify for PIP solely due to aids and appliances which in many cases are provided by the NHS or local authorities has tripled in 18 months. Yet in 96% of these cases reviewed by health professionals, they found that the likely on-going extra costs of daily living due to their disability was low or even zero. And in his independent review Paul Gray recommended that 'the Department should review how aids and appliances are taken into account in PIP assessments against original policy intent'. That's why last year we brought forward a consultation to explore how best to take account of aids and appliances and help disabled people meet the extra costs of their disability. We have carefully considered the responses and are continuing to talk to disability groups and colleagues about the best way to do this before bringing forward legislation. No one currently on PIP will see any change until their next review. We are also providing support for disabled people through the mobility component of PIP, Employment and Support Allowance, local welfare provision, support through the NHS, adult social care, Access to Work and the Disabled Facilities Grant. Facts on disability and Personal Independence Payment spending Personal Independence Payment spending will rise in every year of this Parliament in real terms. This year we are spending around50 billion on support for sick and disabled people, more than the entire 34 billion Defence budget this year. We are spending more in real terms supporting disabled people in every year ofthis Parliament than the 42.6 billion Labourwas spending in 2010. Advertisement A Tory grandee said last night: 'The Conservative Party is becoming ungovernable. I can't see how Cameron and Osborne can unite it, regardless of the result of the referendum.' Downing Street went on the attack yesterday to try to limit the damage from the affair, sending Defence Secretary Michael Fallon on to the airwaves to say it was 'puzzling' that Mr Duncan Smith had resigned over proposals 'which came from his department'. Allies of IDS insists that the Treasury came up with the plan, which he objected to as Mr Osborne simultaneously handed Britain's richest earners a 523-a-year bonus though changes to the tax thresholds. No 10 knew Mr Duncan Smith was a high resignation risk: he and Mr Cameron had a blazing row in February, before the Prime Minister had negotiated his deal with Brussels returning powers to the UK. Mr Duncan Smith claimed that Mr Cameron and pro-Europe Ministers had broken a vow to stay silent until the deal was confirmed, openly campaigning to stay in the EU while rebels like him had been gagged. One source told The Mail on Sunday at the time: 'Iain was steaming. He told the PM he had broken his word and it was outrageous for him and other Ministers to promote the deal openly when dissidents like him had kept quiet as agreed'. At the time, Mr Duncan Smith had taken soundings over whether to walk out of the Cabinet. Fresh evidence of the long-running feud between Mr Duncan Smith and Mr Osborne is contained in a new book by former Liberal Democrat Minister David Laws, revealed in today's Mail on Sunday. David Cameron questioned Iain Duncan Smith's decision to resign when the disability benefits policy had been collectively agreed upon No 10 knew Mr Duncan Smith was a high resignation risk: he and Mr Cameron had a blazing row in February, before the Prime Minister had negotiated his deal with Brussels returning powers to the UK Laws discloses that Osborne and Cameron unsuccessfully tried to oust Duncan Smith from his Cabinet post as long as four years ago because they had little faith in his Universal Credits welfare shake-up. Osborne called the reforms a 'nightmare', says Laws. And Cameron complained: 'Unless it's got the letters 'UC' in it, Iain's just not interested.' The book also plunged Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne into a further row over figures because of their Election pledge to give the NHS an extra 8 billion to fill a 'black hole' in its budget. Mr Laws's book says Downing Street was told the health service needed 16 billion extra a year by 2020, but dismissed it as 'a joke.' The revelation comes after the Chancellor was accused of 'fiddling' the numbers in Wednesday's Budget. Last night, with the shock from Mr Duncan Smith's resignation still reverberating, his allies rallied to his case. Former Tory chairman David Davis said: 'Cameron and Osborne made Iain's position impossible. Iain was on a moral mission to help the disadvantaged: Osborne sees government as an excercise in book-keeping.' PATTEN'S EU TORPEDO FOR DUNCAN SMITH Former BBC chairman Chris Patten has accused Iain Duncan Smith of 'scaremongering' for claiming that staying in the EU increases the risk of a Paris-style terror attack in Britain. Pro-European Lord Patten mocks Mr Duncan Smith's claims, made earlier this year, in an article for The Tablet, a weekly Catholic publication. The former governor of Hong Kong writes: 'This campaign began with the self-styled 'quiet man' of British politics, Iain Duncan Smith, warning that if we remained an EU member we could expect a Paris-style terrorist attack in our own country.' Lord Patten then adds sarcastically: 'No attempt at scaremongering there, then! More recently, he dubbed a rather sober government document on the consequences of quitting the EU as a dodgy dossier before it was actually published.' Lord Patten condemns the arguments of Mr Duncan Smith and his fellow Brexit backers as irresponsible, saying: 'Be under no illusions. To quit the European Union would probably damage and perhaps in time destroy it. 'It would certainly damage the whole notion of the West: international cooperation under the rule of law, with reason, not prejudice, determining the way our societies develop and seek to cope with the predicaments that crowd in on us.' Advertisement And Ukip leader Nigel Farage said: 'Obviously there has been great personal antagonism between Osborne and IDS for a while now, but the main problem has been that, as a Brexit supporter, he has been forced by No 10 to campaign with one hand tied behind his back. He will now be free to say whatever he wants, which is a great boost for us'. Senior Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, a fellow 'Out' campaigner, denied suggestions that Mr Duncan Smith's resignation was connected to the EU referendum, as well as hitting out at Mr Cameron's 'presidential' style of government and taking a thinl veiled swipe at George Osborne for focusing on 'short-term, tactical advantage'. 'If we returned to Cabinet government, this state of affairs would be less likely,' he said. 'The resignation clearly has got nothing to with the European issue. Iain has made welfare reform his work not all politicians focus on short-term, tactical advantage in what they do.' But in a sign of mounting Tory divisions, Stevenage MP Stephen McPartland said it was 'disingenuous' to blame the Treasury for the welfare row, saying: 'I will not be shedding any tears for the evangelical, aggressive and routinely failing welfare reforms that were the personal fiefdom of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.' Meanwhile, former Tory deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft made clear his feelings by posting on Twitter the bookmakers' odds on the next Tory leader. Ms Patel issued a statement paying tribute to her former boss but making clear that she was happy to work alongside Mr Osborne. 'It has been a real privilege to work alongside the great social reformer, Iain Duncan Smith MP, during my time as Minister for Employment,' she said. 'Since coming to office in 2010, he has made a real difference to the life chances of people throughout the country by reforming the welfare system to ensure that work always pays. I look forward to continuing to play my part as Minister for Employment in transforming people's life chances by working closely with the incoming Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the Chancellor of the Exchequer'. It is believed Ms Credlin is eager to use her 'long memory' on the program Peta Credlin may be joining Sky News coverage of the federal election Tony Abbott's former chief of staff is in talks about new television program Peta Credlin is reportedly about to become a television commentator, a high-profile position that will send shivers down the spines of her political enemies. Ex-Prime Minister Tony Abbott's former chief of staff is reportedly eager to utilise her 'long memory' and 16-years of experience in federal politics to report on both sides of the upcoming election for Sky News. 'I bet those within the Coalition who have tried to make her the scapegoat for Abbott's removal will be regretting the ferocity of their attacks,' a Liberal said, according to The Daily Telegraph. Scroll down for video Tony Abbott's former chief of staff Peta Credlin is believed to be in the process of finalising her own television platform to become a federal election commentator 'She doesn't suffer fools lightly.' Labor leader Bill Shorten said Ms Credlin is a 'very strong warrior for her code' and was a 'formidable chief of staff' due to her loyalty to Mr Abbott. Earlier this month, political commentator Niki Savva penned a book titled The Road to Ruin, detailing the bizarre relationship between Mr Abbott and Ms Credlin, including their rumoured affair. Both Mr Abbott and Ms Credlin have denied any romantic involvement. 'Rightly or wrongly, the perception is that you are sleeping with your chief of staff. That's the perception, and you need to deal with it,' Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells told Mr Abbott, according to the book. It says Mr Abbott responded calmly and said the rumours were not true. Senator Fierravanti-Wells reportedly told Mr Abbott in February 2015 - on the eve of a leadership spill vote - that the perception of the affair was damaging him. Ms Savva said confronting the pair took a 'fair bit of courage'. 'It wasn't just those rumours, it was everything else to do with their behaviour,' she said. Peta Credlin is reportedly eager to utilise her 'long memory' and 16-years of experience in federal politics to report on both sides for Sky News Labor leader Bill Shorten said Ms Credlin is a 'very strong warrior for her code' and was a 'formidable chief of staff' due to her loyalty to Mr Abbott A number of former staff told Ms Savva they were concerned after Mr Abbott's wife Margie was taken off the guest list for an election party under Ms Credlin's orders 'Their behaviour, the way they ran the office, the way they ran the government, ultimately led to their downfall. 'Whatever she (Ms Credlin) thought should happen, she could get him to do and he was completely bound to her.' A number of former staff told Ms Savva they were concerned after Mr Abbott's wife Margie was taken off the guest list for an election party under Ms Credlin's orders, The Herald Sun reported. 'People in the inner circle reported that it was rare or exceptional for Credlin and Margie to be in the same room or at the same event together'. The book also reports Mr Abbott was seen by a Liberal MP giving Ms Credlin a 'slap on the bum,' and the pair are said to have had matching campaign luggage. The book recounts warnings to Mr Abbott that he would lose the prime ministership unless he dumped Ms Credlin. That never happened and he was toppled by Malcolm Turnbull. The book, released earlier this month, recounts warnings to Mr Abbott that he would lose the prime ministership unless he dumped Ms Credlin. That never happened and he was toppled by Malcolm Turnbull Political commentator Niki Savva penned a book titled The Road to Ruin, detailing the bizarre relationship between Mr Abbott and Ms Credlin 'I bet those within the Coalition who have tried to make her the scapegoat for Abbott's removal will be regretting the ferocity of their attacks,' a Liberal said A four-month-old baby girl has drowned while trying to get from Turkey to Greece after the boat she sank, Turkey's coastguard has reported. Today is the last day for refugees to arrive in Greece without being screened by authorities and potentially sent back to Turkey under the new EU deal, designed to stem the flow of migrants to Europe. Turkish news agency Anadolu Agency reported that the girl was travelling in a boat carrying 21 refugees - all of whom were rescued alive, but that her body was recovered. Abandoned: Turkish news agency Anadolu Agency reported that a four-month-old baby girl was travelling in a boat carrying 21 refugees - all of whom were rescued alive - apart from her According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 805 migrants drowned while trying to cross to Greece last year. The unidentified are buried in numbered graves in Izmir, Turkey The migrants were heading for the Greek island of Chios - just four miles from the Turkish resort town of Cesme. It comes as harrowing footage emerged of Turkey's coast guard appearing to attack a dinghy packed with approximately 40 migrants with sticks, as they attempted to get them to turn around. The film was published by Channel 4 news, who was embedded with MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) reporting on Turkey's increased response to stopping migrants crossing the Aegean Sea in the wake of the Brussels summit. Sunday marks the first day refugees will be screened in Greece on arrival and potentially returned to Turkey from April 4 as part of a new deal reached between the EU and Turkey in Brussels The footage shows the coast guards smaller inflatable boat approach the Syrian and Eritrean refugees who try to fend off the authorities with a life jacket. Channel Four reporter Alex Thomson said there were 20 men, five women and 15 children on board as the large coast guard vessel quickly circles the dinghy, its powerful motor causing a swell that threatens to capsize the boat. Of the more than 1 million refugees who arrived in the EU last year, more than 850,000 arrived by sea in Greece from Turkey, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). India Beaty, 25, was shot and killed by Virginia police after 'threatening' them with a fake handgun A young woman was shot and killed by police officers in Virginia on Saturday after she allegedly threatened them with what turned out to be a fake handgun. India Beaty, 25, was approached by police officers who were conducting a surveillance operation when they came across a fight in the parking lot, according to police. Investigators with the Norfolk Police Department's Vice and Narcotics Division said saw a woman involved in the altercation wave around what they believed was a handgun and threaten an unarmed man. The officers approached Beaty, who refused to comply with their demands and made a threatening motion with the handgun before the officers fatally shot her, the department said. An investigation determined that the handgun was a non-firing replica. The officers have been pulled from the field and placed on administrative duty until the investigation is complete. Names of the officers won't be released while the investigation is under way, according to the department. Cpl. Melinda Wray, a police spokeswoman, said she didn't know the races of the officers who were involved. Officers involved in the shooting as well as other eyewitnesses were at police headquarters Saturday morning to give their accounts, according to Wray. Beaty was pronounced dead at the scene. Beaty's family members told WAVY-TV that she was the mother-of-four. Officers approached Beaty, who refused to comply with their demands and made a threatening motion with the handgun (pictured) before the officers fatally shot her, the department said Norfolk Police Chief Michael Goldsmith said his thoughts and prayers are with Beaty's loved ones. 'Any loss of life is tragic,' Goldsmith said in a statement. 'This morning's events affect not only my officers and Ms. Beaty's family members, but our entire community,' he said. The Virginian-Pilot reported that it was the third police-involved shooting in Norfolk this year. Earlier this month, Norfolk police shot and killed Tyre Privott. The 25-year-old was a suspect in a killing and was confronted by police while walking in the road. Privott shot at police and an officer fired, striking and killing him, police said. Beaty (pictured) was pronounced dead at the scene. Her family members said that she was the mother-of-four Wielding blood-drenched chains with razor-sharp knives attached, a group of hardline Muslims flay the skin from their backs as a baying crowd looks on, chanting and beating their chests. With the force of each new sickening swing of the bladed instruments, more blood spatters through the air, landing on a plastic tarpaulin on the ground and even on the faces of some of the audience. This barbaric practice has been banned even in ultra-religious Iran by the supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei. However, these appalling scenes did not take place in Iran, Iraq or anywhere else in the Middle East but in suburban Britain, and partly on local council land. Gruesome: Images from the video show men whipping their backs, sending blood flying over the crowd The Idara-e-Jaaferiya mosque in Tooting, South London (pictured), where a breakaway group of 14 named individuals were banned from carrying out the practice A long-running legal battle over the ritual self-flagellation, known as zanjeer zani, came to a head in court last month when an order was granted banning a breakaway group of 14 named individuals from carrying out the practice within a mile of the Idara-e-Jaaferiya mosque in Tooting, South London. These graphic images from a video, discovered by The Mail on Sunday, show the event in 2013 when a violent confrontation between the different factions at the Shia mosque, which is directly opposite a church, led to the legal action. We've been trying to get this stopped for years According to the mosque authorities and their supporters, the breakaway group staged the blood-letting each year without permission. The eight-minute video shows a succession of men feverishly thrashing themselves over each shoulder in turn with the sharp whips, each of which carries five curved blades. Each man chants incessantly the name of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Mohammeds grandson. Hussein was killed in a 7th Century battle in Karbala, Iraq, and the zanjeer zani is a way of mourning the anniversary of his death, known as the Day of Ashurah. One man in the video, suffering the most severe injuries, appears to be senseless with pain, but when others move in to stop him inflicting more wounds, he fights them off and continues. In an earlier incident, a marquee was erected next to the mosque over some pay-and-display parking spaces, apparently with the permission of Wandsworth Council, where more flagellation took place. The practice is far from universal among Shias and has been the subject of heated debate throughout the Muslim world. Similar ceremonies continue in a handful of other Shia mosques around Britain. A man tries to stop a participant from inflicting more pain. Massoud Shadjareh, of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, has condemned the barbaric practice Massoud Shadjareh, of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, condemned it, saying: This is a barbaric practice and should not be allowed for all kinds of reasons, not least health-and-safety grounds because of the blood that is flying around and the danger of cross-infection from the implements. The committee running the mosque had been trying to get this stopped for years, but no one would help them, including the police and the council and the local MP Sadiq Khan, as they were always told it was on private premises and a religious matter. Everyone treats it with kid gloves because of the sensitivities. But the truth is there is no obligation upon Muslims to do this. In 2011, Wandsworth even let them erect a tent next to the mosque over council parking spaces. When the MoS visited the Idara-e-Jaaferiya mosque this weekend, two clerics, who did not want to be identified, said the zanjeer zani ritual took place in the main prayer hall of the mosque, but had now stopped. They confirmed that the footage was taken in the main prayer hall, used during large gatherings such as Friday prayers, and that the green carpet of the main hall had to be changed as it became contaminated with blood, despite the attempts to protect it with plastic sheets. One of the men named in the court documents, 47-year-old businessman Nadeem Abbas, defiantly predicted that others may well continue the rite when the Day of Ashura next comes around in October. Mr Abbas claimed the flagellation issue was being used as an excuse to silence those who criticised the way the mosque was being run. He said: This is a political dispute more than a religious one. They didnt like the fact we were handing out leaflets and questioning the committees decisions, so they chose flagellation as the way to ban us from the mosque, but now were allowed back in. Only the named people are banned from practising it in the mosque others may well take part next time the Day of Ashura comes around. This ritual is allowed in the Shia religion. Ive only done it myself when I was 18, but I respect other peoples right to do it. The marquee erected over the car park: A marquee was erected next to the mosque over some pay-and-display parking spaces, apparently with the permission of Wandsworth Council, where more flagellation took place Shias make up less than ten per cent of the worlds 1.5 billion Muslims. In Britain, the Shia population is believed to be about five per cent of Muslims, and the Idara-e-Jaaferiya mosque is mainly used by Shias from Pakistan. Self-flagellation is also a rarely observed Christian tradition. In the 13th Century, a group of Roman Catholics known as the Flagellants went to extreme ends. They were later condemned by Rome as a cult, but the practice continues among some Catholics in the Philippines and Mexico. Some members of the Catholic lay organisation Opus Dei also practise milder self-flagellation using a whip of knotted cords. A Wandsworth Council spokesman said: We would be concerned about the public-health implications if this form of worship were to take place, and if so, we would want to work with the local community, the police and other agencies to ensure that the risk to public health was minimised. The mosque authorities declined to comment. A Metropolitan Police spokesman could not immediately comment on the row, but added: The Met will always investigate any allegation of crime reported to us. Last night, Tooting MP Sadiq Khan, the Labour candidate in Mays London Mayoral election, condemned the practice. Quiet Man: IDS' ex-media director Nick Wood argues that he has set himself free to campaign with all his might on an issue dear to his heart 'Quiet man' was sick of being Osborne's cash cow... now he is unchained By Nick Wood, Iain Duncan Smith's ex-media director... who comes to praise The Quiet Man has certainly picked his moment. Two days after a Budget that raided his Department and three months before an epoch-making referendum on Britains relationship with Europe, Iain Duncan Smith has sensationally quit the Cabinet as Welfare Secretary. His departure certainly sets him free to campaign with all his might on an issue dear to his heart a British departure from the stifling embrace of Brussels and an escape to a new beginning as an independent country, free once more to make its way in the world. But that is not why IDS quit. He stepped down after nearly six years in one of the most punishing jobs in government because of profound disagreements with David Cameron and George Osborne about the pace and direction of his welfare reforms. The difference between Duncan Smith and the Prime Minister and his Chancellor is clear and simple. The former sees reforming our 100 billion-a-year welfare budget as a moral crusade. The men who run the Government, especially Osborne, see it as a way of saving precious cash. IDS believes the people at the bottom of the pile need help to rebuild what are often shattered lives. Put bluntly, they are on the scrapheap because life has either dealt them a rotten hand or because they have made some terrible choices in the way they live. Many are products of broken homes with feckless mothers and if they have one bullying or alcoholic fathers. They have been failed by sink schools, got themselves deep in debt and failed to hold down a job. They have fallen prey to welfare dependency the system that just about enables them to get by on state handouts and makes little attempt to encourage them to regain their self-respect and get themselves into work. As the founder of the think-tank the Centre for Social Justice, IDS identified the five pathways to poverty, arguing that if we really wanted to help the bottom 20 per cent and save taxpayers cash we had to close these roads to ruin. At the heart of this vision was restoring incentives to work. In seminal policy papers, the CSJ pointed out the horrendous disincentives to work for the poorest. Taking a job often meant that people were hardly better off than subsisting on welfare. This was because welfare benefits, such as the Jobseekers Allowance and housing benefit, were withdrawn at such a rapid rate when someone moved into a low-paid job that they hardly noticed any uplift in their overall earnings. His solution was universal credit a new simplified benefits system that is now being rolled out across the country. Under this system, benefits are withdrawn more slowly, meaning that by doing the right thing finding work the poorest in society see an improvement in their lives. Trouble was that Osborne, and to a lesser extent Cameron, did not see things the same way. IDS believes the people at the bottom of the pile need help to rebuild what are often shattered lives. Nick Wood, Iain Duncan Smith's ex-media director Osborne, in many ways a far more traditional and less visionary Tory than the Welfare Secretary, was much more concerned about counting the pennies. He also preferred to use old-time language, much of which resonated with the Conservative core vote. Shirkers were part of the Chancellors rhetoric as he tended to blame the poor for their lot rather than seek to rebuild their lives and put them on a route to recovery. Over the six years IDS has been at the DWP, there have been countless rows between him and the Chancellor. Part of the reason was this difference in outlook and part, the Treasurys distrust of IDSs Department and the universal credit system, which relies on the latest internet technology. Nor did the Treasury like the idea of a strong Minister, who it could not control, running a Department seen as low in the pecking order. The tensions between Osborne and IDS have been simmering for years. They came to a head last summer over the last Budget when the Chancellor drove through a plan for a 4.5 billion cut in tax credits despite Duncan Smiths opposition. Backbench Tory MPs put a stop to that but the whole thing blew up again before this Budget when the Chancellor sought to raid the DWP piggy bank, demanding an annual cut of 1 billion in payments to the disabled. IDS' ex-media director Nick Wood (right) and David Cameron's former speech writer Ian Birrell (left) voice their opinions on the truth behind his departure IDS wanted a long-term review of the 17 billion disability payments system but Osborne was insistent on an immediate slice of the action. Again, amazingly, the whole thing fell apart in his hands as Tory backbenchers, mindful that the Government has only an effective majority of 17, signalled that they would scupper the cutbacks. Of course, by then, IDS had had enough of being treated as the Governments cash cow, quitting after several acrimonious meetings with Cameron. Because Osborne and Cameron have ring-fenced large chunks of public spending, there is really only one high spending Department to go to when the money runs out as it surely has this year. Political factors also played a huge part in the IDS walkout. Cameron and Osborne are terrified of losing the Brexit vote on June 23. To that end, Osborne decided on a Budget designed to please Middle England, effectively raiding benefits for the disabled to pay for a cut in income tax for the middle classes and no rise in petrol duty, despite falling oil prices. The duopoly running the Government was determined to do nothing to upset Middle England in the run-up to the referendum for fear of losing their votes to those campaigning to leave the EU. Both men know that defeat in the vote will spell disaster for their careers, bringing Cameron down and denying Osborne his chance of entering No 10. The stakes could not be higher. They have always regarded IDS as a ticking time bomb. A former Guardsman, his public demeanour may be restrained. He is a throwback to an earlier time of conviction politics, epitomised by Margaret Thatcher on the Right and Michael Foot on the Left. He believes passionately in his mission to reform welfare and that Britain should regain its independence from foreign rule. Iain Duncan Smith unchained will prove a formidable champion for that cause in the weeks to come. Petulant: David Cameron's former speech writer Ian Birrell says he has no sympathy for IDS' stance A petulant, self-serving hypocrite - it's why IDS was worst Tory leader of them all By Ian Birrell, former speech writer to David Cameron... who buries him It is hard to remember a more bitter recent departure from Government, with a brutal exchange of letters underlining the depth of discontent on both sides. Iain Duncan Smiths note of Cabinet resignation was written to cause maximum discomfort. Then David Cameron hit back hard, stating his departing Work and Pensions Secretary had signed up to the controversial disability benefit cuts at the centre of the furore. I agree with key points made by Mr Duncan Smith. Last weeks Budget sent a terrible message to the country, with tax cuts for higher earners funded by slashing benefits for people with disabilities. And he is right to argue perks for wealthier pensioners such as free bus passes, prescriptions and television licences should have been targets for cuts before support for poorer and sicker people. But I have no sympathy for his stance. Indeed, it deserves to diminish further the standing of the worst Tory leader in modern history. For this was not a display of fine principle by a compassionate conservative, but a self-serving show of petulance and crude personal politics. If he was so alarmed by the idea of cutting disability funding while benefiting the better off, why did he only quit after the row over Personal Independence Payment (PIP) broke out rather than before the Budget when he might have stopped the move? Then why go when the Government was, rightly, making an unusually rapid reverse? And if this was such a concern, many might wonder why he remained so long in his well-paid post. After all, his Government lowered taxes for high earners and big businesses amid other measures inflicting pain on disabled people such as the bedroom tax and botched benefit assessments. But it goes further than this. Five years ago I was forced to write an article about how Mr Duncan Smiths department seemed to be deliberately demonising people with disabilities. As the parent of a daughter with profound disabilities, I could not ignore hate crime and abuse rising on the streets, amid a coarsening dialogue and changing climate for disabled people. Such things should trump any tribal loyalties. There was a constant drip of stories implying vast numbers of bogus disability claimants, benefits being doled out willy-nilly and taxpayers funding cars for thousands of children with minor behavioural disorders. Many seemed to emanate from the Department for Work and Pensions, which was also manipulating statistics to win support for its drive to cut costs and benefit theft. In fact, even after six years of Mr Duncan Smiths tenure in this Department, the Governments own data shows that errors by bureaucrats wasted more money from key disability benefit budgets than was lost to fraud or false claims. Ian Birrell asks why IDS only quit after the row over Personal Independence Payment (PIP) broke out rather than before the Budget when he might have stopped the move? Meanwhile, life remains tough for most people with disabilities, many of whom remain largely excluded from mainstream society. The statistics on everything from jobs to basic social interaction remain grim; some even die in hospitals from the blinkered attitudes that still blight society. Yes, there has been a slight upturn in employment. But I am afraid for most disabled people, the idea of Mr Duncan Smith as their doughty champion would induce only the most bitter laughter. It is always best to judge someone by their deeds, not their smooth and sensitive words especially in politics. There is urgent need to control public spending, eliminate waste and ensure benefits are targeted on those most in need. And the increasing spend on disability is worrying, but also a by-product of rising numbers in an ageing society amid medical advances that must be met. The Treasurys attempt to tweak PIP hit the wrong people. A previous Tory government recognised the need for targeted payments to help disabled people play a fuller role in society. This was not a display of fine principle by a compassionate conservative, but a self-serving show of petulance and crude personal politics. Ian Birrell, former speech writer for David Cameron Recipients have had their needs assessed. But the rising bills alarmed George Osborne especially after his imposition of an arbitrary welfare cap on overall spending, bust by his fiasco over cutting tax credits. Yet before his sudden conversion caused him to flounce out of office, Mr Duncan Smith signed up to the flawed PIP reform, promoted it and presented the consultation paper to Parliament just as he had pushed other attempts to save money in this area, such as scrapping a fund for people with severe disabilities. It appears the reality is that Mr Duncan Smith had become disenchanted and, according to sources, was looking for a way out. There are rumours he confirmed this at a private lunch last month, which would rather undermine his stated position. Westminster gossip suggested he might be dumped or moved after the Brexit ballot in June if the country voted to stay in, which should ensure Mr Cameron stays in Downing Street. Mr Osborne is rightly being criticised for the disability benefits disaster. Mr Duncan Smith, who has not always had the best relationship with the Chancellor, had cause to feel aggrieved if he felt he was being forced to take the flak after an embarrassing U-turn. Yet at the end of the day his sudden departure seems to be more about Tory feuding over Brexit and a fight for the soul of the party. If true, this makes Mr Duncan Smiths treatment of disabled people even worse, since they would have become just a prop for his political machinations. Some of his closest allies on the Right have long resented Camerons leadership. One told me they were preparing a challenge to be launched straight after polls closed last May if the Election led to a hung Parliament. This is a dangerous moment for the Party. Regardless of motives, Mr Duncan Smiths move underlines how the referendum on Europe threatens to blow open divisions that played a role in deposing the previous two Tory Prime Ministers. After six years in Government there are plenty of disgruntled figures with frustrated ambitions. And thanks to Boris Johnson, the Brexit debate has become a Tory leadership battle. Yet this is also a dangerous moment for the country. Not over the vote on Europe, which ultimately makes little real difference for Britain despite all the scaremongering on both sides. But because Labour has been taken over by a hard-Left cabal that would be disastrous if it ever won power. Stephen Crabbs promotion from Welsh Secretary to Government welfare supremo confirms his reputation as one of the Tories rising stars. It also means that the man overseeing the nations benefits system is someone who has had direct experience of it. As a schoolboy, Crabb was bullied because his mother, a single parent, could not afford a uniform for him. He played truant so he could go potato-picking to earn enough cash to buy a pair of trainers. Stephen Crabbs promotion from Welsh Secretary to Government welfare supremo confirms his reputation as one of the Tories rising stars When people talk about hard choices between heating or eating or buying clothes, I know what its like, he once told The Mail on Sunday. Crabbs mother Jacqui fled the family home in Wales for Scotland with her three sons after one violent row too many with her husband. One of his earliest memories was getting between my mother and father as he came at her with a knife terrifying. All a far cry, say friends, from the more comfortable early experiences of David Cameron and many of his Cabinet colleagues. But according to Westminster insiders, Crabbs gritty personal story makes him an ideal choice to argue the pros and cons of welfare reform. In an interview last month, Crabb said the welfare system had provided a genuine safety net at a time of crisis for his family, who eventually returned to his native Wales. Recalling how his mother had gone from a breakdown and welfare to standing on her own two feet, he said: Thats why I am so passionate about our welfare reforms. Shes a living example of welfare to work. State school-educated Crabb, 43, has also been a Tory working-class poster boy because of his trenchant criticisms of Labour-run Wales, branding the NHS there a shambles and also tearing into the partys record on education in his homeland. Thanks to his high profile, Crabb, elected MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire in 2005, was rewarded with a job in the Government Whips office in 2012, then had a brief stint as a junior Welsh Minister in 2014 before being promoted later that year to the Cabinet post of Welsh Secretary. Crabbs mother Jacqui (pictured, with Crabb as a boy) fled the family home in Wales for Scotland with her three sons after one violent row too many with her husband According to Westminster insiders, Crabbs (pictured with David Cameron at a sheep farm in North Wales last week) gritty personal story makes him an ideal choice to argue the pros and cons of welfare reform So impressed with Crabbs performances are some of his party colleagues that he has been tipped as a potential future Tory leader perhaps eclipsing the likes of Boris Johnson and George Osborne. Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson has said she would find it very hard to vote for anyone else. Others find him too mild-mannered, however, and say the top job would probably be a step too far. Crabb will also have to win over Eurosceptics in the party after coming out in favour of the UK staying in the EU a decision his French wife Beatrice may or may not have had a say on. Crabb has recalled how he met her while studying at Bristol University, saying: She was so beautiful, so far out of my league, I learned French. The couple have two children. Whatever else he achieves, the keen rugby-player has already notched up one notable achievement he is the first Conservative Cabinet minister for a century to sport a beard, something which caught the attention of the Prime Minister. She is forbidden from using the internet, has restricted access to medicines and must announce all relationships to police In 2013 she was jailed for dosing her latest partner with sedatives In 2005, she stole thousands from an internet date; he says she spiked him Black Widow: Melissa Ann Shepard (pictured), 80, has been released after drugging her partner with tranquilizers. He was the latest of at least three victims of the woman who has become known as 'the Internet Black Widow' She looks like a sweet old lady, but newly released ex-convict Melissa Ann Shepard - better known as the 'Internet Black Widow' - has a long criminal history and the Canadian police looking over her shoulder. On Friday Shepard finished serving almost three years in jail for poisoning her latest partner with sedatives, leaving him temporarily confined to a wheelchair on their 'honeymoon.' But her criminal record goes back to 1977 and includes convictions for fraud, poisoning and manslaughter. Prosecutor James Giacomantonio told Fox News, 'We believe that she poses a risk going forward to the particular group of elderly males that she has preyed on in the past.' Shepard (who was born Russell and has taken the names Friedrich, Weeks and Stewart from various marriages) is known to romance lonely, elderly men online before either drugging or stealing from them - or both. Consequently, Canadian police plan to use a 'peace bond' to limit her access to drugs, stop her from using anything that would allow her to access the internet, and force her to declare all relationships she enters. She must also let police photograph her if she changes her appearance, and allow them to explain her criminal history to any prospective partners, so they know what they're letting themselves in for. And what a history it is. Killed: Shepard (left) drugged her second husband, Gordon Stewart (right), before running him over twice with a car in 1992. She claimed he had been beating her and was convicted of manslaughter Fraud: Even before she killed Stewart, Shepard had been convicted more than 30 times for fraud. She would later go on to seek out lonely elderly men on the internet or in person, drugging and stealing from them Changes: Shepard (pictured left and right) has changed her hair color and appearance so often that she must now tell police whenever she does so in the future. She is also restricted from accessing medicine and the web Between 1977 and 1990 Shepard was convicted of more than 30 instances of fraud, but she didn't start earning her nickname until 1992. That's when she drugged her second husband, Gordon Stewart, and ran him over twice with a car. She claimed in her defense that he was trying to rape her and was convicted of manslaughter and imprisoned for six years, although she was released after only two. In a video interview from 1995 she described herself as a 'battered wife' and claimed that her husband had done jail time for beating her up, but that this was not admitted as evidence in her court trial. In 2001, at the age of 65, she married her third husband, Robert Friedrich, 83, whom she had met on a Christian dating site. She moved to Florida to be with him. He died 14 months later, leaving her thousands of dollars. His children claimed that she had poisoned him and won back $15,000 from her in a civil trial, but she was never charged with any crime. Three years later Alex Strategos, then 73, started dating Shepard after meeting her online. 'At first, I thought she seemed very nice,' Strategos told the BBC, describing her as a 'very classy lady.' Shepard moved down to his home in Florida to be with him, and over the one month that she stayed there he found himself hospitalized multiple times. His son suspected foul play after doctors found the tranquilizer benzodiazepine in his blood and notified the police. Strategos now says he believes she was dosing the ice cream that she gave him most nights. Victim: In 2013 Fred Weeks (pictured), then 75, became her latest victim. The two were 'married' in an unofficial ceremony before going on a honeymoon that would end with him hospitalized with tranquilizers and her in jail In court: Shepard has been prosecuted dozens of times, and police say she remains a risk to the public - especially to her preferred prey of elderly, lonely men Police couldn't connect Shepard to the drug, but around $18,000 was found missing from Strategos's bank account and she ultimately found herself sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to seven charges including forgery and theft. Shepard was deported and moved to Nova Scotia where, in 2013, she knocked on the door of her neighbor, 75-year-old Fred Weeks, and told him she was lonely and she'd heard he was lonely too. Weeks, who had lost his wife 18 months before, quickly 'married' Shepard in an unofficial ceremony and the two headed off to Newfoundland for their honeymoon, However, Shepard had started spiking Weeks with heavy doses of sedatives, and he found himself unable to drive properly. 'Shes too smooth of an actor, Weeks told The Globe and Mail. 'She kept me in the dark for a long time, telling me her stories. Everything was a story. Everything was a lie that she told me.' The next day he was restricted to a wheelchair, could not put his shoes on and had forgotten where his car keys were, but it wasn't until he was hospitalized after falling that drugs were found in his blood and police became involved. Shepard was initially charged with attempted murder, but was ultimately convicted on the lesser charge of 'administering a noxious substance,' netting her two years, nine months and ten days in prison. She was denied early parole due to risk of committing another crime. And now she has been released, despite police saying that she is 'a high risk to reoffend.' 'I don't think she should be released,' Alex Strategos told the BBC. 'I don't know what the judge had in his mind. 'What she was, she still is - she's the Black Widow. Some guys better watch out, that's all I can say.' Mr Russell has not been seen since the incident on Friday night Mr Russell's car was found at the Green Valley home on Saturday night His pregnant girlfriend, 20, faces the same charge after raids A man, 30, was charged for concealing a serious indictable offence Qusay Al Mhanawi, 46, was caught in the crossfire and died at the scene Two brothers had been arguing over a girlfriend when he opened fire Matthew Russell, 28, is suspected of the shooting death of a father A man, 30, has pointed his hand in the shape of a gun at reporters and shouted bang, bang after he was arrested and charged following the shooting death of a father, while the suspected gunman remains on the loose. The man also spat at reporters after he and pregnant girlfriend, 20, were charged for concealing a serious indictable offence after allegedly hiding the vehicle belonging to suspected gunman Matthew Russell, 28. Innocent father Qusay Al Mhanawi, 46, was shot dead on Friday night after a spray of bullets were fired, intended for two brothers in Heckenberg, south-west Sydney, Nine News reports. Scroll down for video Matthew Russell (pictured), 28, has not been seen since Friday when father-of-one, 46-year-old Qusay Al Mhanawi was shot dead Mr Al Mhanawi (pictured), 46, was shot dead in Heckenberg, south-west of Sydney, on Friday night at about 6.30pm Police raided the house of the man and girlfriend home in Green Valley on Saturday at about 9.30pm in their search for Mr Russell, 28. They allegedly found Mr Russells 2015 model silver Holden Commodore with number plates removed, and charged the couple. The man spat at reporters, and said: You mutt. As he drove away from the police station, he pointed his hand in the shape of a gun at reporters and yelled: Bang, bang. His girlfriend denied knowing Mr Russell or anything about his car. The man, 30, arrested and charged for concealing a serious indictable offence pointed his hand in the shape of a gun (pictured) at reporters and yelled: Bang, bang The 30-year-old man also spat at reporters and said, 'you mutt' as he left the police station His pregnant girlfriend (pictured), 20, was also charged with concealing a serious indictable offence. She denied knowing Mr Russell or anything about his car When reporters waited outside their home, the woman angrily asked: 'What are you doing here? What's it to you?' Mr Russell has still not been seen since he Mr Al Mhanawi on Friday with a handgun at about 6.30pm. Mr Al Mhanawi, a father-of-one, had been sitting in his car on the street outside his family home when he was hit by a spray of bullets intended for brothers Latu and Tyson Vakauta. They are understood to have been arguing on the footpath about a female. When Mr Al Mhanawi was shot in the head and chest, his car then struck one of the brothers, aged 20. The brother was treated by paramedics for a broken collarbone and has been in a stable condition at Liverpool Hospital. His 25-year-old brother has been speaking with Green Valley police. Mr Al Mhanawi died at the scene. His father, Jabbar Al Mhanawi, had watched from his house as his sons car was hit by bullets just metres away, Daily Telegraph reported. Police raided a house in Green Valley on Saturday at about 9.30pm in search of Mr Russell, 28 Police did not find Mr Russell during the raid, but allegedly discovered the silver Holden Commodore he used to flee the scene with number plates removed Police did not find Mr Russell at the address but arrested a man, 30, and his pregnant girlfriend, 20, at the scene and charged them with concealing a serious indictable offence When he reached the vehicle, blood was flowing from his son's injuries like 'water from a tap' as he held him with both hands while he died. Mr Al Mhanawi was described by his family as a devoted family man who moved to Sydney from Iraq several years ago. The man charged with concealing a serious indictable offence was refused bail and will appear at Liverpool Local Court on Monday on detention application charges. The woman was granted conditional bail and is expected to appear in court on Thursday. A witness told Daily Mail Australia on Friday night the scene of the incident had been chaotic. 'There's a whole lot of police officers, forensics, the dog squad is also here. 'The car hasn't been moved yet, it's still covered and blocked from the public's view.' Relatives of the victim were seen crying and distressed after the incident. Investigations are continuing. Mr Russell is described as having a solid build, short brown hair, and a 'Ned Kelly-styled beard'. Anyone who believes they may have seen Mr Russell are urged not to approach him but should dial Triple Zero (000). Mr Al Mhanawi was in his vehicle when he was caught in crossfire on Friday evening Mr Al Mhanawi (left) lived on Matthew Avenue in Heckenberg, where the incident took place Mr Al Mhanawi (far right) moved to Sydney from Iraq several years ago and has been described by relatives as a devoted family man Police officers were still searching for the gunman on Sunday after the shooting, which occurred on Friday evening Emergency services immediately covered Mr Al Mhanawi's car with a white sheet when they arrived at the scene Brothers Latu and Tyson Vakauta, who are understood to have been arguing on the footpath about a woman at the time of the shooting Surrounding streets were closed on Friday evening as emergency services and police attended the scene Early next week, Earth will have one of the closet encounters ever recorded with a passing comet. Two twin-like emerald comets will fly by the home planet at a safe distance, with the first occurring on Monday March 21, and the second passing by the following day. Nasa astronomers say these two objects will come 'remarkably close,' with the latter comet approaching 2.2 million miles from Earth, the third closest flyby in recorded history. Two twin-like emerald comets (shown as two green spots circled in red) will fly by the home planet at a safe distance, with the first occurring on Monday March 21, and the second passing by the following day THE EMERALD 'TWIN' COMETS The first comet to pass by is known as 252P/LINEAR. It is a 750-foot-large object, and will pass Earth at roughly 3.3 million miles away. A second comet, called P/2016 BA14, will fly by Earth at just 2.2 million miles, making this the third closest pass in recorded history. Comet P/2016 BA14 has a surprisingly similar orbit to the first comet, leading researchers to believe they may share a 'twin nature.' This second comet is about half the size of the first, and astronomers say it could be a fragment which split off at some point in 252P/LINEAR's past. Researchers will investigate this using observations from the Hubble Space Telescope and by NASAs Infrared Telescope Facility of comet P/2016 BA14. Advertisement The first comet to pass by is known as 252P/LINEAR. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) discovered the 750-foot-large object on April 7, 2000. They say it will pass Earth at roughly 3.3 million miles away. Another comet was discovered just a few months ago, spotted by researchers at the University of Hawaii's PanSTARRS telecope on Haleakala, on the island of Maui, on January 22, 2016. While it was initially thought to be an asteroid, the team at the University of Maryland and Lowell Observatory noticed its faint tail, using the Discovery Channel Telescope. This classified the object a comet, which has been called P/2016 BA14. The second comet will fly by Earth at just 2.2 million miles, with just two others coming closer in the planet's recorded history, comet D/1770 L1 (Lexell) in 1770 and comet C/1983 H1 (IRAS-Araki-Alcock) in 1983. Comet P/2016 BA14 has a surprisingly similar orbit to the first comet, which has led researchers to believe it may share a 'twin nature,' with comet 252P/LINEAR. This second comet is about half the size of the first, and astronomers say it could be a fragment which split off at some point in 252P/LINEAR's past. Comet 252P will pass Earth on March 21 at around 5:14 a.m. (PDT), and P/2016 will follow on March 22 at around 7:30 a.m. (PDT). An event like this isn't expected to occur again within our lifetime, but while the comets are considered close, you will still need a professional-grade telescope to catch a glimpse 'Comet P/2016 BA14 is possibly a fragment of 252P/LINEAR,' said Paul Chodas, manager of Nasa's Center of NEO Studies (CNEOS) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. 'We know comets are relatively fragile things, as in 1993 when comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 was discovered and its pieces linked to a flyby of Jupiter. 'Perhaps during a previous pass through the inner-solar system, or during a distant flyby of Jupiter, a chunk that we now know of as BA14 might have broken off of 252P.' Comet 252P will pass Earth on March 21 at around 5:14 a.m. (PDT), and P/2016 will follow on March 22 at around 7:30 a.m. (PDT). An event like this isn't expected to occur again within our lifetime, but while the comets are considered close, you will still need a professional-grade telescope to catch a glimpse. 'March 22 will be the closest comet P/2016 BA14 gets to us for at least the next 150 years,' said Chodas. UK tourists planning city breaks in Europe this spring will find the best bargains by heading east, new research has revealed. Following a drop in the value of the sterling, Eastern European cities now fill eight of the top 10 cheapest places to visit, according to a new study conducted by Post Office Travel Money. Warsaw in Poland ranked as the cheapest getaway city in Europe at 113 for 12 typical holiday expenses- including meals, two nights in a three star hotel, sightseeing and transport. Eighth-placed Prague remains best value for meals and drinks. At just under 32 for a three-course evening meal for two with a bottle of wine plus individual drinks including coffee, beer, Coca-Cola and a glass of wine The Polish capital's prices, which were calculated in the City Costs Barometer by Post Office Travel Money, are almost a third of the price tag in Europe's most expensive city, Stockholm, which totalled 325 for the equivalent items. The study was also transformed into an infographic which reveals the prices of airport transfers, travel cards, sightseeing buses, heritage attractions, museums and art galleries for each of the top 10 destinations. Despite registering a 15 per cent increase in costs, Vilnius in Lithuania, last year's top city, is a close runner-up in the survey with the equivalent items adding up to 115. Infographic reveals the prices of airport transfers, travel cards, sightseeing buses, heritage attractions, museums and art galleries for each of the top 10 destinations POST OFFICE 2016 CHEAP BREAKS 1. Warsaw, Poland - 113 2. Vilnius, Lithuania - 115 3. Budapest, Hungary - 123 4. Riga, Latvia - 132 5. Krakow, Poland - 133 6. Lisbon, Portugal - 135 7. Dubrovnik, Croatia - 137 8. Prague, Czech Republic - 141 9. Moscow, Russia - 146 10. Athens, Greece - 149 Advertisement The city came in ahead of third-placed Budapest - 123 - and fourth-placed Latvian capital Riga - 132. A second Polish city, Krakow moved up to fifth position, thanks to an 8.5 per cent price fall making the cost of the average items hit 133. A drop in the cost of hotel accommodation helped Lisbon move two places up the barometer into sixth position with an average price tag of 135. The drop made the Portuguese capital the cheapest city in western Europe as it overtakes Athens - 149 - which fell to 10th place. Soaring hotel prices account for a 28 per cent rise in the cost of a visit to Dublin which at 306 means it is now more than double the cost of a trip to Lisbon. Dublin is the most expensive of 21 eurozone cities surveyed. UK visitors will feel the pinch this year in cities including Barcelona, which is 15.2 per cent more expensive to visit than last year with the barometer totalling 280. The cost of a trip to Vienna rose 17.2 per cent to 217, Venice surged 17.5 per cent to 283 and Tallinn soared 21.6 per cent to 160 - the largest rise in Eastern Europe. In seventh place on the top cheapest places for 2016 is Dubrovnik where the low cost of hotel accommodation which is 41 for two nights in a three-star hotel for two people, has taken the Croatian city to the leader board on the back of a 2.3 per cent year-on-year price fall. In seventh place on the top cheapest places for 2016 is Dubrovnik, where the low cost of hotel accommodation for two nights in a three-star hotel has taken the Croatian city to the leader board BASIC COSTS IN POST OFFICE'S TOP 10 CHEAP CITIES Coffee Beer Cola Wine Three course meal for two with bottle of wine Two nights three star hotel for two adults Warsaw, Poland 1.90 1.52 1.14 2.28 28.49 54 Vilnius, Lithuania 1.18 1.42 1.42 2.05 38.62 50 Budapest, Hungary 1.21 1.48 0.94 1.21 29.44 43 Riga, Latvia 1.97 1.97 1.97 2.76 55.17 42 Krakow, Poland 0.95 1.33 0.95 1.90 42.73 58 Lisbon, Portugal 0.55 1.02 1.10 2.36 39.41 55 Dubrovnik, Croatia 0.87 1.63 1.63 3.26 35.01 41 Prague, Czech Republic 1.17 1.23 1.20 1.38 26.85 70 Moscow, Russia 2.03 2.67 1.71 3.95 42.70 57 Athens, Greece 1.58 2.76 1.58 3.55 31.53 63 Eighth-placed Prague remains best value for meals and drinks. At just under 32 for a three-course evening meal for two with a bottle of wine plus individual drinks including coffee, beer, Coca-Cola and a glass of wine, the Czech capital rates as cheapest for these staples. The collapse of the Russian ruble since 2014 has significantly reduced prices for UK tourists to destination and its total of 146 for 12 items has given Moscow a top 10 place in ninth position. Andrew Brown of Post Office Travel Money said: 'This year's higher prices make it doubly important for holidaymakers to do their homework and check costs for meals, drinks and sightseeing before booking, as these are items that most city break tourists will be paying for. 'Our research found wide variations in costs between cities and those people who are prepared to swap can make their pounds stretch further by choosing a cheaper capital like Warsaw in the east or Lisbon in the west. A Spanish hashtag #Viajosola (I travel alone) is sweeping the internet as thousands of women speak up to defend their choice of travelling solo, following the deaths of two Argentinian backpackers. The bodies of Marina Menegazzo, 21, and Maria Jose Coni, 22, were found dumped on an Ecuadorian beach in plastic bags last month. There was evidence to suggest they had been victims of extreme violence, having been robbed and killed while travelling through the South American country. Following their deaths, many questioned why the pair had been journeying around Ecuador by themselves - however others have taken to social media to defend them. Kristina Poljak, said: 'I travel alone because I can, I want and I will. The death of two innocent girls seems to put blame on all of us who are courageous enough to have done the same, but have been lucky enough to not have crossed paths with violence and trouble. I am saddened by the death of these two young women, we should all be more careful but also we shouldn't give up doing whatever it is we want.' Posting on Twitter, one user said: '#viajosola because my love for seeing the world and its cultures shouldn't be jeopardised by the fact that I am a woman' Rachelsierraart said: 'Let's not blame the victims. In regards to travelling alone, I have found that I rarely - if ever- was I alone. I was surrounded by friends and companions more than If I had planned my trip with friends. This is one of the beauties of backpacking and I will continue to travel, alone or otherwise #viajosola' Reacting to the deaths of Menegazzo and Coni, women took to social media to state that the women were not actually alone as they had each other but because a man was accompanying them society classed them as 'alone',Stuff.nz reported. A student named Guadalupe Acosta wrote a Facebook post, which has been shared more than than 731,000 times. In the status he highlighted the victim-blaming questions that have followed their deaths including 'What were they wearing?', 'Why do women travel alone?' and 'Why were they alone?' Writing from their perspective, he said: 'Today I was killed. But worse than death, was the humiliation that followed.' One woman, MerelyJenson, said: 'A woman should have the right to feel safe travelling alone #viajosola' Triangle279 said: 'I survived travelling abroad without men twice, once with my best girl friend and once by myself. And I find no reason to stop creating awesome experiences by solo travel #viajosola' #Viajosola is sweeping the internet as thousands of women speak out to defend their right to travel alone following the death of two young Argentinian backpackers Since their bodies have been found, female travellers have created the hashtag #Viajosola which is Spanish for 'I travel alone'. The movement is gaining traction on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as women across the world share the hashtag alongside images of their own solo journeys and post messages of solidarity encouraging independent travel. One woman, MerelyJenson, said: 'A woman should have the right to feel safe travelling alone #viajosola'. Lauren Stark said: '#Viajosola India 2016 - proud of all my fellow women with the travel bug' Taking to Instagram elinatervo said: '#Viajosola. I'm woman and I travel alone. #Freedom is to travel the world. Do not blame women, blame criminals!' Carmen Fazekas said: 'Backpacking and living in China by myself was one of the best experiences I've ever had. #Viajosola I wouldn't be me now if I had someone with me in my travels. Travelling and exploring by yourself lets you discover who you are or who you can be' Writing on Instagram, traveller Kristina Poljak, said: 'The death of two innocent girls seems to put blame on all of us who are courageous enough to have done the same, but have been lucky enough to not have crossed paths with violence and trouble. 'I am saddened by the death of these two young women, we should all be more careful but also we shouldn't give up doing whatever it is we want.' Adding her support on Instagram elinatervo said: '#Viajosola. I'm woman and I travel alone. #Freedom is to travel the world. Do not blame women, blame criminals!' Posting on Twitter, Twitterlessdad said: '#viajosola because my love for seeing the world and its cultures shouldn't be jeopardised by the fact that I am a woman.' An aeroplane passenger was caught attempting to carry 55 dead seahorses into Texas in his luggage. The man arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on a flight from Vietnam, where he declared he was not transporting any agriculture-related items. After an inspection it was found that the traveller was carrying more than the passenger baggage limit of four seahorses per person. Specialists discovered a soft drink bottle wrapped in a white bag with the dead seahorses submerged in liquid US Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists selected the man for an inspection following his claim that he was not carrying anything out of the ordinary. During the inspection of his luggage, the traveller admitted that he was bringing fish into the country. Specialists discovered a soft drink bottle wrapped in a white bag with the dead seahorses submerged in liquid. In a statement, CBP Port Director Charles Perez said: 'Customs and Border Protection along with our partners at the Fish and Wildlife Service are committed to interrupting the international trafficking of protected and endangered species.' During the inspection of his luggage, the traveller admitted that he was bringing fish into the country The seahorses, which are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) because they are over-harvested for aquarium trade, were seized. MailOnline Travel recently covered an incident which saw an aeroplane passenger carry an eight-and-half foot long snakeskin into New Zealand. The New Zealander arrived at Auckland Airport on a flight from Brazil, where he declared the biosecurity risk item, to security agents. He has already taken part in five Terminator films since 1984. And on Saturday, Arnold Schwarzenegger confirmed there'll be a sixth instalment in the sci-fi film franchise, which will see him reprise his iconic role. The 68-year-old announced the news, which is set to whip fan into a frenzy, during an interview with Channel Nine's breakfast show Weekend Today. Scroll down for video Coming soon: Arnold Schwarzenegger confirmed there will be a sixth in the upcoming future on Saturday 'I am looking forward to it, absolutely,' the Hollywood actor told entertainment guru Richard Wilkins about the upcoming movie, confirming he'll be back in the lead role. But while the actor revealed the news during the chat, he kept tight lipped on when fans could expect the movie to be released. As he quoted some of his most famous phrases from The Terminator franchise, as well as his other films, Arnold explained that his famous chat phases aren't always written into the scripts. Revealing nothing: While announcing the news on Channel Nine's Weekned Today, the 68-year-old kept tight lipped about when the sequel will be filmed and released Famous phrases: As he quoted some of his most famous lines from The Terminator franchise, and other films, Arnold explained that his famous chat phases aren't always written into the scripts 'A lot of them are on the page but then a lot of them were made up,' he explained. 'It's not so much what he [his characters] says but it is how he says it. That is what makes people want to repeat it and say it again and again'. While the Hollywood heavy-weight seemed interested in discussing his future projects, the former Californian Governor dodged questions about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. As Arnold opened up about replacing the politician on the American reality TV series Celebrity Apprentice, Richard asked if he felt like he had 'big shoes' to fill. On repeat! The actor admitted he thinks it's his accent, not so much the words that make people want him to repeat the famous catchphrases In an attempt to avoid the speaking about The Donald, Arnold directed his reply off-topic: It was terrific, it was a fun show to do because I admired the show a lot for years'. Earlier on Saturday, the award-winning actor's interview with Channel Seven's Weekend Sunrise aired, showing the Governator walk off-set when asked about Donald Trump. After reporter Angela Cox questioned him about his feelings towards the businessman and Presidential candidate, Arnold abruptly replied, 'This is an interview that I only do about fitness and health, not about politics or my relationships,' before leaving the room. They soaked up the last of the Australian summer rays over the past two weeks. But on Friday, model Elyse Taylor jetted back to America with her two-year-old daughter Lila Louise. As the pair lazed over their first-class seating they showed off large smiles while posing for selfies together. Scroll down for video Jet setting: Elyse Taylor jetted back to America with her two-year-old daughter Lila Louise on Friday after spending time in Australia The 29-year-old looked cosy as she dressed in a black sweater while her little mini-me sported a black and white stripped jumper. As her daughter rocked a tiny high ponytail with her short blonde hair, the model allowed hers to fall naturally beside her blemish free face. After the 23 hour flight to New York City, Elyse shared a black and white image of herself sitting back on a train as she made her way to her unknown awaiting destination. Fun and games: During the 23 hour flight the mother-daughter duo showed off their comedic side as they posed for multiple selfies together In the self-taken shot, she rugged up with a thick parka jacket while accessorising with a woolen scarf. She displayed a slight smirk for the camera as she plugged her earphones in to listen to some tunes for her journey. Alongside the image, she wrote: 'From The Plane To The Train...#FreePeople.' Bracing the cold: After the flight to New York City Elyse shared a black and white image of herself sitting back on a train as she made her way to her unknown awaiting destination Last week the model slipped into a black swimsuit and basked in the sunshine with her adorable mini-me daughter. Flashing a glimpse of her toned figure, Elyse cosied up to her cherubic daughter who was happily tucking into an ice-cream as they enjoyed time at Sydney's Balmoral Beach. Wearing a simple black one-piece swimsuit, Elyse showed off her slender figure, with her toned outstretched arm used to snap the selfie. Home: The duo's arrival back in America comes after they spent two weeks in her native country of Australia The model mum appeared to be make-up free for the outing and donned a wide brimmed hat to keep her face out of the sun. For the mother-daughter outing, Lila wore an adorable bright pink pineapple-printed rash vest and a hat a similar colour to her mother's one. With ice-cream dripping down her face, the toddler proudly held up the cone to show the camera. Earlier that week the she headed down to Tamarama Beach for a photo shoot for department store David Jones and flaunted her flawless physique. Beach babes: Last week the model slipped into a black swimsuit and basked in the sunshine with her adorable mini-me daughter She later took a night off her parenting duties and headed out to the exclusive Belvedere Vodka Mardi Gras party in Sydney's suburb of Paddington. First-time mum Elyse is besotted by her little girl, who she frequently shares photos of on social media. She is married to business partner Seth Campbell and Lila, who was born in 2014, is the couple's first child. The family are based in the U.S but lead a jet-setting life following Elyse's thriving modelling career and several brand commitments in Australia. As one of the most photographed women in the world, she is essentially a walking billboard. So it's hardly surprising Kim Kardashian chose to advertise her husband Kanye West's latest enterprise on Friday. The 35-year-old spent the day hanging out with Scott Disick driving around LA in his convertible Rolls Royce. See Kim Kardashian updates as she drives round LA promoting Kanye West's 'Pablo' store Family business! Kim Kardashian drove around LA on Friday with Scott Disick promoting Kanye West's 'Pablo' pop-up store in NY The mom-of-two was repping Yeezy's latest album The Life Of Pablo in a red windbreaker, with the name 'Pablo' emblazoned on the back four times. This also happened to be the name of the rapper's latest pop-up clothing store, which at the very same time was causing police to shut down an entire New York block, so large were the lines. Kim and her sister Kourtney's baby daddy were also filming for an upcoming episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians in the silver luxury auto. The pair eventually ended up at Kendall Jenner's apartment where they parked and went inside, as the cameras continued to roll. Got his back: The mom-of-two was repping Yeezy's latest album The Life Of Pablo in a red windbreaker, with the name 'Pablo' emblazoned on the back four times Popular: At the very same time, police were shutting down an entire New York block, so large were the lines at Kanye's new pop-up clothes store At work: Kim and her sister Kourtney's baby daddy were also filming for an upcoming episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians in the silver luxury auto. Visit: The pair eventually ended up at Kendall Jenner's apartment where they parked and went inside, as the cameras continued to roll Busy day: Kim stayed with Kendall, while Scott went on to hang out with his ex Kourtney and their children Kim was later spotted leaving her skincare haunt Epione Cosmetic Dermatology in Beverly Hills, with her little sis Kendall close on her tail. Kanye himself was another who missed the furor on the east coast, as he too was separately spotted in LA. The 38-year-old instead was working out at Equinox gym in West LA, accompanied by his muscular trainer, who carried a basketball under his arm. Missed it: Kanye himself was another who missed the furor on the east coast, as he was separately spotted working out at Equinox gym in West LA The usual: Kim was later spotted leaving her skincare haunt Epione Cosmetic Dermatology in Beverly Hills Me too: Her little sis Kendall was close on her tail Trooper: Kim kept on her Pablo jacket throughout the day Sulky: Kendall looked a little sullen in all green The musician-cum-designer was also representing, wearing a blue 'I Feel Like Pablo' hoodie after his two-hour session. Scott and ex Kourtney later brought their kids for a sneak peek at the not-yet-officially open Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios on Friday. 'A little Harry Potter magic,' the mom of three captioned a sweet snap of three-year-old daughter Penelope brandishing her wand at the interactive surroundings. She found fame on Nickelodeon show Unfabulous, but Emma Roberts was showing her love of Disney on Friday during a West Hollywood coffee run with her boyfriend Evan Peters. The 25-year-old wore a white T-shirt which had an image of Mickey Mouse with stars for eyes printed across it. Emma also sported a pair of tiny denim hotpants, which left her long and slender legs on show. Leggy lady: Emma Roberts looked fantastic during a coffee run with Evan Peters in West Hollywood on Friday The actress added some stylish spring accessories in the form of a white lace jacket, tan suede sandals with small heels and a gold handbag. Emma half-pulled back her ash blonde locks and wore a pair of vintage style black cat-eye sunglasses over her make-up free face. While the Scream Queens star sipped on an iced coffee, 29-year-old Evan stuck to water. The American Horror Story actor was dressed casually in a brown T-shirt, grey shorts and black and white trainers. Showing some skin: The actress sported a Mickey Mouse T-shirt with a pair of tiny denim hotpants and heels Casually clad: Meanwhile Emma's 29-year-old other half cut a scruffy figure in a brown T-shirt and grey shorts Evan is currently gearing up for the hotly anticipated new X-Men movie Apocalypse, which hits cinemas on May 27 and sees the rising star play Quicksilver. Meanwhile Emma will be returning to her role as murderous Queen Bee Chanel Oberlin in the second season of Scream Queens. Lea Michele, Abigail Breslin, Keke Palmer and Jamie Lee Curis will also be back for season two of the Fox horror/comedy, which will be set in a hospital. As well as working on a second season of Scream Queens, Emma has two movies due for release later this year. Always looking great: The 25-year-old showcased her cute style during a shopping trip on Wednesday She's back: Emma is reprising her role as the murderous Queen Bee Chanel Oberlin in season two of Scream Queens, which will be set in a hospital The niece of Julia Roberts appears opposite Kevin Spacey, Taron Egerton, Ansel Elgort and Suki Waterhouse in 1980s set Billionaire Boys Club, about a group of wealthy boys in LA who set up a get rich quick scam which turns deadly. She also stars in the upcoming thriller Nerve, due out in September, alongside the likes of Juliette Lewis and Dave Franco. Emma and Evan started dating in 2012 after meeting on set of Adult World, and they have also both appeared in American Horror Story. The couple got engaged in December 2013 but called off the engagement in June 2015, before rekindling their romance a couple of months later. After four years of marriage, new mother Morena Baccarin is now divorced from her estranged husband Austin Chick. E! reported that on Thursday morning, Morena was given a 'status only' judgement, making her divorce from Austin official. although the financial settlement remains pending. This comes just weeks after Morena and her boyfriend and Gotham co-star Ben McKenzie welcomed baby daughter Frances Laiz Setta Schenkkan together. Scroll down for video Finished! Morena Baccarin and Austin Chick's marriage is now officially over - here the former couple are pictured in Los Angeles in 2014 Though Morena and Austin's divorce is now official, the former couple's assets will be settled at a later date as they have been given a 'status only' dissolution of the marriage. Morena and Austin tied the knot in 2011 and welcomed a son named Julius in October 2013. Austin cited irreconcilable differences when he filed for divorce in July 2015. The former couple have joint custody of Julius, but the little boy spends most of his time with his mother, who is filming in New York City. New love: Morena and her boyfriend Ben McKenzie have recently welcomed a baby girl - here the couple are pictured at the Emmy Awards in September 2015 In November, Morena was ordered to pay Austin, a 44-year-old director, $23,000 a month in spousal and child support. Morena's estranged husband claimed in September that Morena told him she was three-and-a-half months pregnant. He stated in legal documents obtained by TMZ: 'This places the moment of conception right in the first week of June, 2015, the time she was telling me she wanted to work on our marriage and well before we stopped sharing a bed.' The way they were: The former couple posed up together at a Showtime event in West Hollywood in 2012 Meanwhile, Morena has claimed that they were talking about separating back in March of last year. In September, the Homeland star stated in divorce papers, according to TMZ: 'Today, I am in a new committed relationship. I am planning to re-marry. Also, I am 3 1/2 months pregnant.' Morena and Ben announced the birth of their daughter last week, revealing their daughter was born on March 2. History: Morena and Austin tied the knot in 2011 and welcomed a son named Julius in October 2013 Representatives for the pair told USA Today: 'Morena and Ben are so happy to welcome baby girl Frances Laiz Setta Schenkkan on March 2. All are happy and healthy and appreciate the well-wishes.' Frances has been given the maiden name of Brazilian-born Morena's mother Vera, Setta, while Schenkkan is Ben's surname, he uses his middle name McKenzie. The couple's 'Gotham' characters, James Gordon and Dr. Leslie Thompkins, are also expecting a baby together on-screen with Morena explaining that it was 'a total coincidence'. She just celebrated her 58th birthday last week. But Sharon Stone seemed as trim and youthful as ever as she made her way through LAX airport on Friday. The Basic Instinct star kept her look simple for her trip, donning a black turtleneck, jeans and brown suede booties. Carefree: Sharon Stone seemed as trim and youthful as ever as she made her way through LAX airport on Friday A pair of vintage-style shades finished off the relaxed outfit, while she let her short blonde locks wave freely. She kept a brown alligator skin tote looped over her right shoulder, and had one of her security staff wheel a smaller rolling bag ahead of her. The blonde beauty seemed to be in good spirits as she smiled to fans, although repeated questions about who she supports in the upcoming presidential election were simply ignored. Laid back look: The Basic Instinct star kept her look simple for her trip, donning a black turtleneck, jeans and brown suede booties Cool customer: A pair of vintage-style shades finished off the relaxed outfit, while she let her short blonde locks wave freely Before her departure, she did manage to post a flashback picture to Instagram for her almost 75,000 followers. In the image, the Total Recall actress appears unbelievably youthful as she relaxes on a beach in a brown sweater. She captioned the quote, '#FlashbackFriday to January 2012. @dior on the beach for @elle_russia. Ready for the #weekend!' Fresh-faced: Before her departure, she did manage to post a flashback picture to Instagram for her almost 75,000 followers Prior to catching her flight, the movie star had run some errands in Beverly Hills. She onc eagain defied her years in a Ralph Lauren dark green sweatshirt and white skinny jeans with an eye-catching pair of purple-framed sunglasses. The blonde stunner showed barely a wrinkle in her flawless complexion and could easily have passed for someone half her age. Looking good! Sharon just radiated youthfulness as she stepped out in Beverly hills before heading to the airport later in the day Perfection: She defied the years in a pair of white skinny jeans and dark green designer sweatshirt and rocked a pair of funky purple-framed sunglasses Single Sharon has said her six-year marriage to former San Francisco Chronicle executive editor Phil Bronstein is one of the reasons she has stayed unmarried since their divorce back in 2004. The actress said: 'Marriage was kind of a losing proposition for me.' The Agent X star was also wed to MacGyver producer Michael Greenburg from 1984 to 1990. The two also had a custody battle in 2003 over their adopted son Roan, who is now 15-years-old. After her split, the Sphere actress adopted Laird, 10, and Quinn, nine, on her own. They've been locked in a custody battle over their 15-year-old son Rocco for months. And Madonna is reportedly keen to hold 'peace talks' with her ex-husband Guy Ritchie in London next week when her mammoth Rebel Heart world tour comes to an end. The 57-year-old superstar is said to be planning to fly straight out to see Rocco, who has been living with his father in London since December. Scroll down for video Making amends: Madonna is allegedly trying to patch things up with her ex-husband Guy Ritchie and is said to be planning to visit his London home to see their 15-year-old son Rocco An insider told the Daily Mirror: 'Madonna is going to do whatever it takes to see Rocco. 'She wants to meet with Guy as well to sort out the situation once and for all.' Madonna is alleged to have told friends she is prepared to live in London for the time being in order to be close to her eldest son. 'If it means staying in London for a long period of time then she will.' Madonna has been on the road since last year and is currently in Australia until the tour draws to an end on March 20. See Madonna updates as she is set to hold peace talks with ex-husband Guy Ritchie' Family ties: The superstar has reportedly said she's happy to stay in London for an extended period of time in order to be close to her teenage son MailOnline has contacted Madonna's representatives for comment. Claims of an amicable reunion come after Guy celebrated his sixth anniversary as a couple with model wife Jacqui Ainsley last week. Jacqui shared a heartwarming tribute to the filmmaker - who she wed at their country estate in Wiltshire last summer - as the pair toasted their years together. The 34-year-old model uploaded a four-piece photo montage of herself cuddling up to her husband, with the images ranging from a romantic holiday memory to a cute kiss. Celebrations: Jacqui Ainsley revealed she was happier than ever with her husband Guy, sharing a cute collage of them together as they marked their sixth anniversary as a couple on Friday Jacqui captioned the shot: 'Happy 6th anniversary @guyritchie We got together six years ago today Love you more than ever #love'. The lovebirds - who have children Rafael, four, Rivka, three, and 20-month-old Levi together - were met with well-wishes and congratulations from fans, who branded them a 'gorgeous' couple. Jacqui also posted a picture of herself sitting on Guy's lap while in the editing room as he works on upcoming epic adventure Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur. 'On set with a very clever husband today #kingarthur #kort', she wrote. Inseparable: The 34-year-old model joined director Guy in the editing room as he worked on his upcoming film project, Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur The pair have been inseparable from their very first date and the brunette previously confessed she instinctively knew he would be the father of her children. She told ES magazine: 'I looked at him and thought, Youre the father of my kids. I had an absolute certainty that Ive never had about anything before.' 'That was it. I never stayed at my place again', the brunette beauty added. Mr. Right: Jacqui previously confessed she knew Guy was her soulmate from their very first date, while he was telling his friends, 'I think Ive found her' Jacqui - who previously had a two-year relationship with Pop Idol veteran Darius Danesh - immediately knew she'd found her soulmate, while Guy, 47, was telling his friends, 'I think Ive found her.' The couple's celebrations come in the midst of Guy's ongoing custody battle with his ex-wife Madonna over Rocco. A High Court judge has to decide whether English proceedings should draw to a close or whether he should make decisions about Rocco's welfare. Earlier this month he said it was 'highly unfortunate and deeply regrettable' that the 'unfortunate family dispute' between the parties had arisen. Legal battle: The couple's celebrations come in the midst of Guy's ongoing custody battle with his ex-wife Madonna over their 15-year-old son Rocco It was previously reported that Madonna, 57, had told friends she has 'lost the battle' and conceded her son did not want to live with her. The popstar, who is on tour in Australia, wants to continue with one set of proceedings in New York which are due to resume in June. Her behaviour has become increasingly erratic during her world tour, which has been overshadowed by the highly-publicised custody battle. The teenager had been living with his mother in New York after she divorced Guy in December 2008. But last December, while travelling through Europe with his mother on her Rebel Heart tour, he decided to stay with his father. With Rachel Zoe as their mum, it's evident where Skyler and Kai get their sense of style from. The adorable boys were seen putting on a cool yet casual display of fashion as they headed with their trendy mum to Jessica Biel's new kid-friendly restaurant, Au Fudge in Beverly Hills, California on Friday. Rachel, 44, looked every bit the glamorous working mum, as she wore a long over-sized black cape style sweater, with a pair of dramatic flared jeans reminiscent of the 70s era. Scroll down for video Mum knows best: Trendy Rachel Zoe and her equally stylish sons visited Jessica Biel's new child-friendly restaurant, Au Fudge in Beverly Hills, California on Friday Jazzing up the somewhat casual outfit, she sported an ornamental gold necklace which matched her long tousled blond tresses. The fashionista, whose desire to have kids was discussed in depth with her husband Rodger Berman in the 2008 reality series The Rachel Zoe Project, wore a pair of large black sunnies as she glanced around to ensure her children were protected from on-coming vehicles. Her eldest, soon to be five-year-old son Skyler Berman, looked every inch the mini style icon as he sunk his hands in to his pale green dungarees. Big brother: Soon to be 5-year-old Skyler Berman, looked every inch the mini style icon in pale green dungarees Adorable: The youngest member of the family looked absolutely darling as he clung on to a large brown bag The chic loose-fitting apparel seemed to be the perfect outfit choice for the glorious LA sunshine. A pair of brown sandals completed his level-headed pose, as his little mini-me brother Kaius 'Kai' Jagger Berman, two, tottered behind him. The youngest member of the family looked absolutely darling as he wore a wide brimmed beige hat along with a grey blazer, over an all black outfit. The toddler was clutching on to a large brown bag as his cherubic cheeks flushed a hint of red at his charming effort of strength. 70's chic: Rachel, 44, looked every bit the glamorous working mum, as she wore a long over-seized black cape style sweater, with a pair of dramatic flared jeans Details: Jazzing up the somewhat casual outfit, she adorned her collarbone with a hefty ornamental gold necklace which matched her long tousled blond tresses The fashion blogger who draws in 1.5million readers, recently spoke of the struggles of being a career women as well as a dedicated mother to ABC News. 'I think any mom will tell you that, the chaos is real, and the exhaustion is real, but every second is worth it. They constantly make me happy.' The blonde stylist of Nicole Richie, Miley Cyrus and Demi Moore has been enjoying some time off lately, after unveiling an impressive fall collection at New York Fashion Week last month. The snazzy dresser paved the mood for the night of her designing culmination in a silver fringe top layered over black bell-bottom trousers. Fringing: The designer showcased her Fall 2016 collection at NYFW last month in a silver fringe top layered over black bell-bottom trousers Proud husband: Her husband Rodger came out to support her hard work The collection displayed a mostly monochrome range of garments, incorporating both fringe and lace detailing 'I pulled a lot of references from iconic images of women from the Thirties, and also from the Nineties. It's that kind of modern, vintage glamour. But for today's women,' she said. Her husband Rodger came out to support her hard work and the duo were spotted enjoying celebratory kisses. She is already said to be earning $20,000 each month in child support. But it has now been claimed that Mel Gibson's ex Oskana Grigorieva is planning a fresh legal bid to have that sum increased by more than 400 percent. According to a report by TMZ, the 46 year-old will ask the family law judge to increase the Hollywood star's financial liability to more than $1 million every year for their six-year-old daughter Lucia. Scroll down for video Ker-ching! Mel Gibson's ex, Oskana Grigorieva, is said to be planning a fresh legal bid to have her $20,000 monthly chid support increased by more than 400 percent They claim she's justifying the eyebrow-raising plea by arguing that she needs security, yet 'can't point to any security risk involving [the] 6-year-old'. The gossip site also suggests 'she needs to support a lifestyle of vacations, travel, lodging and other items that make Mel look like mobile home material.' MailOnline have contacted representatives for Mel Gibson, but are yet to receive a response. Financial help: Mel already provides a hugely generous sum to his ex-partner, but she still wants more Plausible? She's justifying the eyebrow-raising plea by arguing she needs security, yet reportedly can't point to any security risk involving [the] 6-year-old' Lucia has been caught between her parents' bitter separation battle - in which they both once held restraining orders against each another. In June 2015 a Los Angeles court granted the Mad Max star permission to spend a month with Lucia in his homeland during pre-production for new film Hacksaw Ridge, which commenced filming in November. Ironically, despite her demands for money, it is understood that Oksana, 45, did not want their daughter to go and objected to her spending time overseas with her father. Daddy cool: Lucia has been caught between her parents' bitter separation battle - in which they both once held restraining orders against each another Oksana filed for bankruptcy less than four years after knocking back a reported $15m child custody settlement offer from the megarich actor, who is worth an estimated $425m. The hard-up Russian pianist made the move due to prohibitive legal debts said to be in the range of $250,000. Previous legal documents filed showed she is claiming she is so broke she has just $10 in cash to her name, and has $48,000 in assets. However, she also receives 2,500 each month from Timothy Dalton for their son, Alexander. Mel also boasts a brood of seven children with his former wife, Robyn. She recently revealed she quit modelling because she lost sight of what made her happy. But Cara Delevingne looked thrilled to be the main attraction as she attended the opening of Jonathan Yeo's Portraits exhibition at the Museum of National History in Frederiksborg Castle, Denmark, on Saturday. The Chanel muse was joined by girlfriend St. Vincent and the pair were sartorially in sync, having suited up for the occasion. Scroll down for video Showing their support: Cara Delevingne and girlfriend St. Vincent suited up as portraits of the model were unveiled at an exhibition in Denmark on Saturday Cara, 23, was suitably styled in a slim-fitting pinstripe trouser suit, comprising tailored trousers and a one-button blazer. She teamed it with a crisp white shirt and a pair of heeled ankle boots which further heightened her 5' 8" model figure. The Paper Towns actress extended her smart aesthetic to her hair and make-up, favouring muted make-up tones and scraping her long bronde locks into a high swinging ponytail. See Cara Delevingne news as she and St. Vincent attend opening of Jonathan Yeo Portraits The big reveal: Cara, 23, was pictured admiring a Groucho Marx-style image of herself as she attended Jonathan Yeo's Portraits exhibition at the Museum of National History in Frederiksborg Castle Gallery chic: The model turned actress was suitably styled for the outing, dressed in a slim-fitting pinstripe suit and a crisp white shirt Picture-perfect: The couple looked ultra smart in their choice of smart attire Digital Witness songstress St Vincent - real name Anne Erin Clark - mimicked Cara's androgynous look in a teal blouse and black blazer as she joined her long-time partner - along with her girlfriend's father Charles Delevingne - to celebrate the opening. Yeo described Cara as the 'perfect subject and muse,' ahead of the unveiling of the largest retrospective of his work, which explores the formation and exploitation of identity through social media. The model-cum-actress posed for the British artist six times over the last 15 months to help him create the 12 portraits, with nine of them going on display alongside some of the most acclaimed works from his 25-year career. Comical: The contemporary portraitist captured the model-cum-actress' humorous nature by likening her to late comedian, Groucho Taking no offence: Cara appeared to cherish the caricature-style painting, resting her head against it as photographer's at the event snapped away Playful: The Paper Towns actress maintained her sprightly demeanour as she fooled around with Yeo's frames Praise: Yeo described Cara as the 'perfect subject and muse,' ahead of the unveiling of the largest retrospective of his work The inspiration: The collection explores the formation and exploitation of identity through social media Selfie-obsessed: One of his masterpieces arguably takes precedent in his desire to capture the manipulation of social media as it shows Cara snapping a selfie Devoted: Cara posed for the British artist six times over the last 15 months to help him create the 12 portraits, with nine of them going on display alongside some of the most acclaimed works from his 25-year career Proud: The actress' father, Charles Delevingne, was also there to support the Suicide Squad star at the unveiling Speaking about his latest exhibition, Yeo explained: 'Just a few years ago everyone thought the camera had killed painting, but we are starting to see it has actually saved it. Thanks to camera phones, and social media such as Instagram, we are all starting to think like painters. 'The way we manipulate and read self-portrait images, or 'selfies', in the last five years has far more in common with the activity of the 16th-century portrait artists and audiences than any art movement since the birth of photography.' One of his masterpieces arguably takes precedent in his desire to capture the manipulation of social media as it shows Cara snapping a selfie. Impressive: Cara has now joined the ranks of Kevin Spacey, Nicole Kidman, Sienna Miller and David Cameron, who have all been depicted by the artist Fixated: One painting shows Cara looking raptly up into the distance wearing a goggle-style contraption The museum contains exhibits from around the world, from South America to Greenland, and is the largest of cultural history in Denmark One painting shows her holding up a mirror to her face, while another captures Cara looking raptly up into the distance wearing a goggle-style contraption. The contemporary portraitist has also depicted a number of prominent faces over the years, including House of Cards' Kevin Spacey, Nicole Kidman, an expectant Sienna Miller and British Prime Minister David Cameron. Alongside Cara, former Prime Minister of Denmark Helle Thorning-Schmidt was also gifted with her own portrait at the museum, which contains exhibits from around the world, from South America to Greenland, and is the largest museum of cultural history in Denmark. Guests at the exhibition included former Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition Neil Kinnock, whose son Stephen Kinnock is married to Thorning-Schmidt, and Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman. His vision: Speaking about his collection, Yeo said: 'Just a few years ago everyone thought the camera had killed painting, but we are starting to see it has actually saved it' Digital age: He added: 'The way we manipulate and read self-portrait images, or 'selfies', in the last five years has far more in common with the activity of the 16th-century portrait artists' Overjoyed: Alongside Cara, former Prime Minister of Denmark Helle Thorning-Schmidt was also gifted with her own portrait at the museum Art lovers: Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman attended the exhibition alongside film producer husband Kris Thykier Karlie Kloss add a touch of youthful style to her image on Friday when she departed Newark,New Jersey in denim dungarees. The supermodel was comfortable in trainers as she tried to pull a very large suitcase - no doubt full of outfit changes - through departures. Karlie, 23, who has just been named the face of Mango, seemed to have made a short visit to the States for work, where she claimed to have pulled three consecutive night shoots out of the bag. Scroll down for video Looking cute: Karlie Kloss teamed denim overalls with trainers and a cool bomber to depart New Jersey, New York on Friday Karlie has been non-stop, shooting right through the evening to capture the perfect shots for a new, undisclosed project. But the brunette seemed to hide her fatigue well as she exited again, peeping behind large shades as any good supermodel should. With her tall limbs, Karlie's denim overalls cut off just short of her ankles, and she certainly didn't need any heel height to look statuescue. Comfortable: She smiled as she darted through departures in trainers To top of her the casual day look, the Mango model added a Dolce & Gabanna bomber jacket and Stan Smith trainers. The star certainly left the city with a wide smile, no doubt thanks to the recent announcement that she will head up the high street fashion brand's new campaign. She will replace fellow Victoria's Secret model Kendall Jenner to model the afforable designs across the globe. Previously, Karlie has fronted campaigns for John Galliano, Elie Saab, Jean Paul Gaultier and Donna Karan, and she is regularly booked for the Fashion Week runways. On the new opportunity, she told i-D magazine: 'It's amazing. I love how the campaign captures the energy of the New Metallics collection. I love that Mango is a chic and classic brand with an iconic international presence. Its been a tremendously busy few months for the star since she walked in the Paris and Milan Fashion Week shows, plus she hosted the annual fundraiser, the Fashion Fund Fair, for the Naked Heart Foundation to mark an end to London Fashion Week. Obama's Cuba visit: will they party like it's 1928? The last time a US president visited Cuba -- way back in 1928 -- he got a rock stars welcome and his delegation drank Havana dry. Is a repeat impossible when President Barack Obama lands Sunday? Don't bet on it. Nine decades, one Cold War, and a whole lot of bitterness later after Calvin Coolidge's now forgotten trip to Havana, the atmosphere around Obama's visit feels surprisingly similar. US President Barack Obama, like president Calvin Coolidge in 1928, is a lameduck president seeking to leave a big foreign policy mark in his last year in office Yamil Lage (AFP/File) Obama, like Coolidge, is a lameduck president seeking to leave a big foreign policy mark in his last year in office by ending a standoff between Washington and communist Havana that dates back to Fidel Castro's 1959 ouster of the US-backed government of Fulgencio Batista. When Coolidge -- or "Silent Cal," as the famously untalkative occupant of the White House is known -- came to Havana, he was also on a peace mission. In his case, it was to dampen regional anger over US policy in Latin America. Coolidge arrived on the battleship USS Texas, at the head of a convoy including a cruiser and three destroyers. Photos published at the time in the Cuban newspaper Bohemia show Cubans packing the seafront and streets. "The crowds were tremendous and enthusiastic," wrote Beverly Smith Jr, a New York Herald Tribune reporter, who penned a tell-all version of events 30 years later in the Saturday Evening Post. As his motorcade wound past cheering crowds "blowing kisses and throwing flowers," the austere Coolidge removed his hat, Smith wrote. The president even found himself bowing to a "bevy of highly painted young ladies" and their "madam" pursuing international relations of a rather different kind. Unlike Coolidge, Obama will arrive in Havana by air. But the presidential motorcade accompanying Obama's armored limo the "Beast" will still make an arresting, even shocking sight in a city that for decades has prepared for possible war with its giant neighbor. And the welcome is gearing up to be just as lively. Old Havana is crawling with workers painting and cleaning and polishing, while ordinary Cubans are excited to see history made. "It should have happened a long time ago," said builder Sergio Fundora, 52, during a break in the frantic restoration project. - Dipsomaniacs and diplomacy - Smith described the press corps and officials, freed from the miseries of the US alcohol ban known as Prohibition, going on a drinking spree. "Quite a party of us trooped off," he said. But "Silent Cal" stuck to soft drinks, leading to a near diplomatic crisis when a waiter appeared at a reception with a "big tray of delicate, crystal cocktail glasses, each sparkling to the brim with a daquiri -- rum, fresh lime juice and sugar, well shaken," Smith wrote. It took "a masterpiece of evasive action" for Coolidge to dodge the waiter. Today, with the gradual dismantlement of the US economic embargo and rise in tourists to Cuba, Havana is rapidly regaining its reputation as a party city. In bars like El Floridita, one of the oldest in Havana, the daquiris are flowing and almost everybody on the barstools is foreign. Bartender William Arias, 52, said it was "entirely possible" that the Coolidge delegation had been there, too. "In those times, Americans who came to drink came to this bar," he said. Obama's drinking plans sound rather Coolidge-like so far. "Hopefully, I will have time to enjoy a cup of Cuban coffee," Obama wrote to 76-year-old Cuban Ileana Yarza this week in a symbolic renewal of postal services between the two countries. But history might well repeat itself in the rush to stock up on rum for the journey home. US law still restricts travelers from Cuba to $100 worth of alcohol or tobacco. That's not enough for a box of cigars -- but you can buy a shelf load of $7 bottles of rum. The problem, points out an advice column this month in The Washington Post, is that airline weight restrictions might force you "to choose between your rum or your clothes." It's a dilemma that the 1928 Americans -- informed they could discreetly bring back booze from Cuba to Prohibition America -- would have sympathized with. Smith wanted to take six half-gallon jars of Bacardi, but they wouldn't fit in his suitcase, leaving the journalist facing the choice described by the Post today. How did he decide? "I emptied out most of the clothes," Smith wrote. A tourist poses for pictures with US made vintage cars in Havana Yamil Lage (AFP/File) A guide gives instructions to tourists in Havana Yamil Lage (AFP/File) Iraq forces in major push against IS in Anbar Iraqi forces have launched a broad offensive to retake the city of Hit from the Islamic State group in the western province of Anbar, a top commander said Saturday. Led by the elite Counter-Terrorism Service, forces from the police, army and local tribal fighters were making a final push to retake Hit, 145 kilometres (90 miles) west of Baghdad. "They have begun a broad operation to liberate Hit and Kubaysa," Major General Ali Ibrahim Daboun, the head of the Al-Jazeera Operations Command, told AFP. After launching a final push against IS in Anbar provincial capital Ramadi late last year, Iraq's security forces established full control over the city last month Kubaysa is a smaller town a few miles west of Hit, a key hub along the Euphrates that the jihadists have controlled since October 2014. Daboun said Iraqi security forces and tribal fighters had retaken a cement plant west of Kubaysa and raised the Iraqi flag there. "Members of the terrorist Daesh (IS) gangs have fled back into the town centre," the head of the local council for Al-Baghdadi district, Malallah al-Obeidi, told AFP. Daboun said Iraqi aircraft and jets from the US-led international coalition were providing air support. Al-Asad military air base, which houses a large contingent of US and other foreign military advisers, lies around 35 kilometres northwest of Hit. Iraq's security forces launched a final push against IS in Anbar's provincial capital Ramadi late last year and established full control over the city last month. Aid agencies have voiced concern over the fate of an estimated 35,000 civilians who have fled Hit and its surroundings in the run-up to the latest military offensive. The International Committee of the Red Cross said late Friday that thousands of freshly displaced people were stranded in areas where very little assistance is available. The organisation said it was able to deliver aid for the first time on Friday to around 12,000 people west of Ramadi. "We don't know how they managed to survive. Repeated access is crucial in order to help the remaining thousands of people who urgently need humanitarian aid," said Katharina Ritz, head of the ICRC delegation in Iraq. 62 killed as flydubai 737 jet crashes in southern Russia A Boeing passenger jet operated by the flydubai budget airline crashed in southern Russia early Saturday, killing all 62 people on board as it tried to land in bad weather, officials said. The Boeing 737, which flew from Dubai to the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, was reportedly making its second attempt to land at 0050 GMT after circling for several hours. It missed the runway and erupted in a huge fireball as it crashed, leaving debris scattered across a wide area. An emergency rescuer walks through wreckage of the flydubai passenger jet which crashed, killing all 62 people on board as it tried to land in bad weather in the city of Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia on March 19, 2016 "My whole house shook. I looked out into the yard and the sky was all red -- it was a shade of red that I have never seen," eyewitness Yana, who lives near the airport, told AFP. Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed that all 55 passengers and seven crew members on board were killed. It launched a probe into whether technical problems, pilot error, poor weather or a combination of problems were behind the crash. Flydubai chairman Ghaith al-Ghaith expressed "devastation" over the disaster and sought to head off any "speculation" that the crash was the result of terrorism. "We do not yet know all the details of the incident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish precisely what happened," Ghaith said in statement. A no-frills budget carrier which is a sister firm to Emirates Airlines, flydubai is government-owned and was set up in March 2008. The passengers on board flight FZ981, which took off from Dubai at 1820 GMT Friday and had been due to land at 2240 GMT, included 44 Russian nationals, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbek, the airline said. They comprised 33 women, 18 men and four children. The company said the Cypriot pilot and Spanish co-pilot each had nearly 6,000 hours of flying experience. The five other crew members were from Spain, Russia, the Seychelles, Colombia and Kyrgyzstan. - 'Such a loss' - Inside the international terminal at Rostov-on-Don airport, local residents laid flowers in front of a list of the victims, as shocked relatives tried to digest the news. "I turned on the news and for some reason thought it was a terrorist attack but it turned out to have been here right at the airport," said bereaved relative Alexander Chistyakov. "My brother was fifteen years older than me. He was a succesful surgeon in the local hospital. It is such a loss." Footage aired on local media showed a huge fireball engulfing a wide area after the plane came down. The authorities took more than an hour to get the blaze under control, the emergencies ministry said. State media later showed pictures of rescue workers combing through scattered debris in the driving snow, with the emergencies ministry saying over 850 rescuers and 170 vehicles had been deployed. Investigators said the plane's two black boxes had been recovered. The plane had "skimmed the ground and broke into several pieces", according to the investigators, with fragments of the Boeing 737 reportedly scattered up to 1.5 kilometres (one mile) from the crash site. A strong wind warning was in place and it was raining hard at the time of the crash. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the families of the victims after being briefed on the crash by his transport and emergency situations ministers, the Kremlin said. The head of Russia's aviation agency said there was no doubt about the safety of the runway or facilities at Rostov-on-Don and brushed off any blame directed at the air traffic controllers. "In accordance with international flight rules the captain of the aircraft takes the decision to land," Alexandr Neradko was quoted as saying by Russian agencies. Flights were diverted to Krasnodar airport, 300 kilometres (180 miles) south of Rostov-on-Don, with officials saying the airport would stay closed until at least Monday. - Strong airline record - Following the crash, a criminal investigation was opened to determine whether any safety regulations were violated and if negligence played any part in the disaster. "Different versions for what happened are being worked through, among them a mistake made by the crew of the plane, a technical problem onboard, difficult weather conditions and other factors," Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said in a statement. Aircraft manufacturer Boeing said in a statement that it "stands ready to provide technical assistance upon the request of government agencies conducting the investigation." Based at Dubai airport, the low-cost airline has a strong safety record, although one of its planes was hit by a bullet as it landed in Baghdad airport in January 2015, prompting multiple companies to suspend flights to the Iraqi capital. No one was hurt in that incident. Russian airports have a patchy safety history with the fatal private jet crash in 2014 that killed Total oil giant's boss Christophe de Margerie on take-off in Moscow one of a string of incidents. The last major aviation tragedy involving Russia was in October last year, when a passenger jet on its way from Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort to Saint Petersburg was brought down by a bomb in the Sinai Peninsula. All 224 people on board, the vast majority of them Russian, were killed, with the Egyptian branch of the Islamic State group claiming responsibility for the attack. That incident saw Moscow stop flights to Egypt, cutting off one of the most popular holiday destinations for Russians. Moscow has also banned the sale of package tours to Turkey after Ankara shot down one of its jets in Syria in November. Fire engines at the airfield near the airplane crash site in Rostov-on-Don airport, southern Russia, in a photo released on March 19, 2016 Russia Emergency Ministry (RUSSIAN EMERGENCY MINISTRY/AFP) Russian emergency ministry rescuers working at the passengers' jet crash scene at the airport in Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia in a picture released on March 19, 2016 by Russia's Emergency Ministry A criminal investigation into the accident has been launched to determine whether any safety regulations were violated and if negligence played any part in the crash Sergei Venyavsky (AFP) The local emergencies ministry confirmed that all 62 people on board were killed Russia Emergency Ministry (RUSSIAN EMERGENCY MINISTRY HO/AFP) UN envoy visits Yemen for talks with rebels UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed arrived Saturday in Yemen's rebel-held capital to try to restart peace talks between Iran-backed insurgents and the internationally recognised government. The Mauritanian diplomat met Ali Hajar, a foreign affairs representative of the Huthi rebels, Sanaa airport director Khaled al-Shayef told AFP. It came a day after the UN envoy held talks in Riyadh with Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. The United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed speaks during a press conference ahead of his departure at Sanaa international airport on January 14, 2016 Mohammed Huwais (AFP/File) Yemen's Saba news agency said Ould Cheikh Ahmed met Hadi to relaunch "efforts to reestablish peace in Yemen". "All doors are open to reach peace based on (UN) Security Council resolutions," Hadi was quoted as saying. Yemen has been gripped by violence since September 2014, when the Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who had long complained of marginalisation, stormed Sanaa and forced the internationally recognised government to flee south. A Saudi-led coalition began bombing raids on Huthi positions across Yemen in March 2015 but the insurgents still control parts of the country including the capital. Hadi's government has declared the southern city of Aden to be the country's provisional capital. The year-long coalition campaign has faced criticism over civilian casualties. The UN said Friday that Saudi-led raids are responsible for the vast majority of the estimated 3,200 civilian deaths in the Yemen war. This week coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri told AFP that the alliance was at "the end of the major combat phase", raising hopes of a possible relaunch of peace talks. Previous UN-sponsored negotiations between rebels and government officials failed to reach a breakthrough, and the most recent round ended in acrimony in December. Hadi's government insists that the Huthis must abide by UN Security Council resolution 2216, which states the rebels must withdraw from seized territories and disarm, before peace talks can progress. NW Pakistan gives citizenship to first non-Muslim Pakistan has awarded a Christian man from a troubled tribal region citizenship in a first for a non-Muslim, officials and his family said Saturday. Sheharyar Masih, a resident of the northwestern Khyber region bordering Afghanistan, had recently applied for citizenship after turning 18. "Sheharyar has officially been awarded citizenship and he now enjoys all rights that citizens of tribal regions enjoy," senior local official Nasir Khan told AFP. Christians make up around 1.6 percent of Pakistan's overwhelmingly Muslim population, with large settlements across major cities and around 60,000 in the capital, Islamabad Rizwan Tabassum (AFP/File) Sheharyar's father Arshad Masih said he hoped the decision would encourage the roughly 50,000 people from religious minorities in the region to apply for citizenship. Most of those people are Sikh followed by Christian and Hindu, he said. "My son will now have an opportunity to apply for government jobs or to start his own business," Arshad said, adding that minorities without domicile status did not enjoy equal rights. His son's was the first case under the recently announced policy, Arshad said. "All non-Muslims in (the tribal regions) can apply for citizenship and I may also do the same," he added. Like other minorities, Sheharyar was previously living in Khyber on a "residential certificate". Discrimination and violence against religious minorities is commonplace in Pakistan, where Muslims account for more than 90 percent of the population. Christians make up around 1.6 percent of Pakistan's overwhelmingly Muslim population, with large settlements across major cities and around 60,000 in the capital, Islamabad. Khyber is one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal regions, which have been facing the brunt of over a decade-old war against terrorism. Fox denounces Trump 'sick obsession' with news anchor Kelly Fox News renewed its bitter dispute with Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, accusing him of harboring a "sick obsession" with prominent news anchor Megyn Kelly and waging a campaign of crude verbal abuse against her. The strongly worded riposte is the latest episode in a simmering, months-long feud between the influential television channel and Trump, who took time out of his schedule Thursday to fire off three tweets calling out "crazy" Kelly, America's most-watched female news anchor. "Donald Trump's vitriolic attacks against Megyn Kelly and his extreme, sick obsession with her is beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate who wants to occupy the highest office in the land," Fox News said in a statement Friday. Fox News host Megyn Kelly pictured during the Republican presidential debate sponsored by Fox at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa on January 28, 2016 Jim Watson (AFP/File) "Megyn is an exemplary journalist and one of the leading anchors in America -- were extremely proud of her phenomenal work and continue to fully support her throughout every day of Trumps endless barrage of crude and sexist verbal assaults." The row ignited in August when Kelly moderated the first debate of the presidential campaign cycle. The billionaire Trump, who is in pole position for the Republican nomination for the White House, reacted to tough questioning from Kelly by insinuating she treated him unfairly only because she was menstruating. "She gets out and she starts asking me all sorts of ridiculous questions," Trump told CNN after the debate. "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever." Trump this week again trained his sights on Kelly, whose prime-time show "The Kelly File" is the second-most watched program on American cable TV news. "Highly overrated & crazy @megynkelly is always complaining about Trump and yet she devotes her shows to me. Focus on others Megyn!" he tweeted. Trump, who has called for Muslims to be banned from entering the United States and painted Mexican migrants as rapists, regularly posts messages from others who denigrate Kelly, a former corporate litigator who joined Fox in 2004 as a television reporter. She went on to rise rapidly through the ranks at the station thanks to her good looks, fierce ambition and clear intelligence. "As the mother of three young children, with a successful law career and the second highest rated show in cable news, its especially deplorable for her to be repeatedly abused just for doing her job," Fox News said. Donald Trump reacted to tough questioning from Megyn Kelly by insinuating she treated him unfairly only because she was menstruating Jim Watson (AFP/File) IS jihadists kill US marine in Iraq rocket attack The Islamic State group killed a US marine in a rocket attack in northern Iraq Saturday, the Pentagon said, only the second American combat death in the fight against the jihadists. "Earlier today a US Marine providing force protection fire support at a recently established coalition fire base near Makhmur in northern Iraq was killed after coming under ISIL (IS) rocket fire," a statement said. Makhmur is a district around 70 kilometres (45 miles) southeast of the main IS hub of Mosul and 280 kilometres (170 miles) north of Baghdad. US soldiers hold a folded Stars and Stripes as they attend a naturalisation ceremony at al-Faw Palace in Baghdad's Camp Victory on November 11, 2010 Ali al-Saadi (AFP/File) It lies within territory controlled by the autonomous northern region of Kurdistan, but Baghdad has recently been deploying federal forces there to prepare for an offensive against Mosul. "Several other Marines were wounded and they are being treated for their varying injuries," the Pentagon said. The 60-nation coalition battling IS in Iraq and Syria had previously announced a death as a result of "enemy action" but not specified the casualty's nationality. The IS-affiliated Amaq news agency published a report claiming the attack was carried out by IS. "An American soldier was killed today, Saturday, due to bombing carried out by fighters of the Islamic State on Makhmur district," it said. It said the marine was killed when two medium-range Grad rockets were fired on a village called Krasur. The Pentagon said the death was the second since the start in the summer of 2014 of Operation Inherent Resolve against IS and its self-proclaimed "caliphate". The coalition's main role in the war against IS has been to provide air support, with close to 10,000 strikes destroying or damaging more than 16,000 targets since the summer of 2014. But the United States and some of its leading partners in the coalition such as France, Britain, Australia and Italy also have significant contingents deployed on the ground Iraq. Their official role is to train and advise local Iraqi forces. A member of the Special Operations forces was killed in October last year during a joint raid with Kurdish forces against IS in the Iraqi city of Hawijah, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Makhmur. Police arrested five suspects for allegedly lynching and killing two Muslim cow herders who were found hanging from a tree in central India, an official said Saturday. The bodies of two cattle traders were found hanging in Jharkhand's Latehar district early on Friday, triggering angry protests by villagers who injured several policemen and blocked roads over police inaction. Cow slaughter and the consumption of beef are banned in several states including Jharkhand in officially secular India Noah Seelam (AFP/File) "Five suspects have been arrested under several charges including murder. Three other suspects are on the run, but police will find them and makes arrests soon," Anil Kumar, a senior district administrator, told AFP. "The post-mortem reports indicate murder which stemmed from loot and robbery," he said. The victims, Mazlum Ansari and teenager Imteyaz Khan, were heading to an animal fair in a nearby district when they were allegedly lynched and hanged by a mob. The area saw clashes between Hindus and Muslims over eating beef three months ago, according to English daily Hindustan Times. But Kumar dismissed reports of communal disharmony, saying police had not found links to any Hindu right-wing groups so far. Cow slaughter and the consumption of beef are banned in several states including Jharkhand in officially secular India. But beef has become a religiously sensitive topic in the country, where the cow is described in scriptures as the "mother" of civilisation. The main players in the beef industry are Muslims, the country's largest religious minority, who make up some 13 percent of India's 1.25-billion population, and sometimes hostility brews between the two groups over meat issues. A spate of attacks on secular intellectuals and Muslims suspected of killing cows have heightened concerns of mounting intolerance under right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-year-old government. Congo candidate Mokoko 'receives police summons' on eve of poll Congo presidential candidate general Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko told AFP Saturday he had received a fresh police summons to report to authorities on the eve of the election, slamming what he termed a bid to torpedo his hopes of standing. The former army chief is running against incumbent President Denis Sassou Nguesso and faced police questioning last month after a video emerged on the Internet allegedly implicating him in an attempted coup. Mokoko's campaign organisers have dismissed as fake the video, taken sometime in the early 2000s and which appeared shortly after he held his first campaign rally on February 13. Congolese presidential candidate Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko speaks during an interview at his residence in Brazzaville on March 19, 2016 Eduardo Soteras (AFP) Congo's military chief from 1987 to 1993, Mokoko is currently special representative of the African Union Commission in the neighbouring Central African Republic. A police source confirmed that "a summons has indeed been sent to the general," inviting him to present himself for an interview "upon reception". Mokoko, who Saturday turned 69, was a longtime ally of Nguesso but on February 3 he announced his resignation as the president's advisor on peace and security, a post he had held since 2005. On February 8 he then announced plans to run against his former boss for the presidency. Tunisian forces kill 2 'terrorists' near border attack town Tunisian authorities said two "terrorists" were killed Saturday close to the southern town of Ben Guerdane near the border with Libya where jihadists mounted a deadly assault earlier this month. Four people were also wounded in clashes -- three civilians and a member of the security forces, the sources said. "During security and military operations in Ben Guerdane, security forces and the army killed two terrorists holed up in a house... in the vicinity of the town," the defence and interior ministries said in a joint statement. Tunisian special forces take part in a military operation against jihadists close to the southern town of Ben Guerdane, near the Libyan border on March 19, 2016 Fethi Belaid (AFP) It described "an exchange of fire between terrorists and security forces who were preparing to search the house," adding that three civilians were wounded by shrapnel and a member of the National Guard was wounded in the foot. On March 7, dozens of jihadists mounted a dawn assault on security installations in Ben Guerdane, which is near the border with unrest-plagued Libya. Thirteen members of the security forces and seven civilians were killed in those attacks, according to official figures. There was no claim of responsibility for the March 7 attacks, but the authorities blamed them on the Islamic State group (IS). In the west, meanwhile, the army fought militants in clashes that left a soldier wounded, the defence ministry said. "A soldier was wounded during an exchange of fire Saturday morning between army units and a terrorist group at Jabal Samama" in the Kasserine region, Lieutenant Colonel Belhassen Oueslati told AFP. Separately, the interior ministry said three gunmen had opened fire overnight on a police outpost along the border with Algeria. "There was an exchange of fire between security forces at the post and terrorists before the attackers fled," a ministry statement said, adding that no one was injured. Tunisia has failed to curb a rise in extremism since the 2011 revolution that ousted longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Last year, IS claimed attacks on the Bardo museum in Tunis and a popular resort hotel, killing 59 tourists in total, and the suicide bombing of a bus that killed 12 presidential guards. Oil imports from China down nearly half after tax changes Vietnam imported nearly 200,000 tonnes of oil products from China in the first two months of the year, down 41 percent year on year, according to Vietnam Customs data. The export value of Chinas oil products followed a similar trend with a 63 percent decrease to $186 million. From the beginning of 2016, import duties on oil products from China were higher than on those from members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations because of the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA). Specifically, a 15 percent tax on jet fuels and eight percent on diesel were applied to Chinas products, according to the ASEAN China Free Trade Agreement, while similar products from ASEAN members were exempt. The same rate of 20 percent was imposed on gasoline. Singapore remained the key supplier of Vietnams oil products with 836,000 tonnes for the January-February period, up 51 percent year on year. Malaysia also saw a significant hike in its volume of oil products imported into Vietnam, from 17,700 tonnes to 190,000 tonnes. For the first two months of 2016, Vietnam imported a total of 1.7 million tonnes of oil products, up 12.4 percent from the same period in 2015. WHO experts in Cape Verde to monitor Zika, microcephaly case The World Health Organization (WHO) has dispatched a team to Cape Verde to monitor a Zika virus outbreak following the west African archipelago's first recorded microcephaly case. The WHO said in a statement released Friday it was sending a team of epidemiologists, maternal health specialists and communication staff at the request of the government. "WHO is sending a team to Cabo Verde (Cape Verde), with joint participation of experts from WHO AFRO and the Institut Pasteur, Dakar," it said, referring to a Senegal-based infectious disease centre. The Zika virus is mainly spread via the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito Marvin Recinos (AFP/File) It follows Cape Verde's announcement on Tuesday of the first appearance of microcephaly on the islands, a severe deformation of the brains of infants whose link with the mosquito-borne Zika virus is under close study. Cape Verde recorded 33 suspected cases of Zika in the first week of March alone, and has registered almost 7,500 cases since October 21 last year, according to WHO figures. Zika usually causes mild symptoms in adults, with a low fever, headaches and joint pain. But its quick spread has caused alarm due to an observed association with microcephaly and Guillain-Barre, a rare condition in which the body's immune system attacks a part of the nervous system that controls muscle strength. "Investigations are underway to determine if this case of microcephaly is linked to Cabo Verde's outbreak of Zika virus," the WHO statement said. There is currently no vaccine for the virus. Brazil has been hardest hit by Zika, with some 1.5 million people infected and 745 confirmed cases of microcephaly in children born to women infected with the virus while pregnant. Affected countries are focusing on wiping out mosquito populations in an effort to curb its spread. The number of babies with the condition has surged since a Zika outbreak sweeping Latin America was detected last year. Netanyahu says no evidence Istanbul blast targeted Israelis Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on Saturday he had no evidence that a deadly suicide bombing in central Istanbul had targeted Israelis. Turkish media reported earlier that three Israelis and one Iranian were killed in Saturday morning's blast. "We don't have any confirmation that the attack targeted Israelis," Netanyahu told reporters at the foreign ministry. Turkish police push people away just after an explosion on the pedestrian Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016 Bulent Kilic (AFP) He added that on Sunday Israel would update its travel advice for Turkey, which hundreds of thousands of Israelis visit each year. He had not been in touch with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he said, but Israel was "in touch with Turkish authorities". Israeli foreign ministry director general Dore Gold cancelled a trip to the United States to travel to Istanbul on Sunday, the ministry said. On Saturday, Israel sent two planes to Turkey to bring home citizens wounded in the bombing, the emergency medical service said. "The aim of the operation is to repatriate wounded Israelis as fast as possible," a Magen David Adom spokesperson said. A foreign ministry spokesman said at least 11 Israelis were wounded in the attack, including two who were in a grave condition. Broadcaster CNN-Turk named the Israelis reported killed as Simha Siman Demri, 60, Yonathan Suher, 40 and Avraham Goldman, 70. Turkey's deputy health minister had earlier named Simha Demri as one of the four people killed in the attack that also wounded 36 people. The attack targeted Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrian thoroughfare that is usually crowded but was still relatively quiet when the bomber struck at around 11:00 am (0900 GMT). No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but pro-government newspapers blamed it on the Islamic State (IS) group. 13 Egypt policemen killed in Sinai attack claimed by IS A mortar attack on a checkpoint in Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula killed 13 policemen on Saturday, the interior ministry said in a statement. The Islamic State group (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack, but said in a statement that it had deployed a suicide bomber who blew up a car at the checkpoint, which jihadists then raided. Security officials said five attackers were killed in clashes near the checkpoint after the attack. Egyptian police inspect cars at a checkpoint in North Sinai on January 31, 2015 The attack was the deadliest in months in Sinai, where IS's Egyptian branch is waging an insurgency that has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers. The interior ministry said the attack took place at a checkpoint near El-Arish, the provincial capital of North Sinai. "A mortar round was fired at the Safa checkpoint... which resulted in the martyrdom of 13 policemen," the ministry statement said. IS said a suicide bomber, identified by the nom de guerre "Abu Al-Qaaqaa the Egyptian", blew up a car packed with explosives at the checkpoint. "This was followed by the storming of the checkpoint," it said in a statement posted on social media. Sinai, a sparsely populated peninsula bordering Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip, has for years been a haven for Islamist militants. After Egypt's military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, the jihadists launched an insurgency that has persisted despite a massive army campaign. The militants have also attacked tourists. The jihadist group claimed responsibility for bombing a Russian airliner in October, killing all 224 people on board, minutes after it took off from a south Sinai beach resort. The group said it had smuggled explosives packed into a soda can on to the airplane. That attack prompted Russia to suspend all flights to Egypt, and has lost the country hundreds of millions of dollars in tourism revenues. The jihadists claimed that they carried out Saturday's Sinai attack to avenge "insults to Muslim women at checkpoints". They had claimed other attacks were revenge for a bloody crackdown on Morsi's Islamist supporters, which left hundreds of protesters dead after his overthrow. Since pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq, in November 2014, the Sinai branch's attacks have grown more sophisticated. But an apparent attempt to capture a town in Sinai last July was met with air strikes that forced the militants to flee. The military says it has killed more than 1,000 militants, occasionally publishing pictures of their bodies. The claims are difficult to verify, with reporters having little access to the north of the peninsula. Mauritania expected to re-elect Aziz as president NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) Mauritanians voted Saturday to choose their next president, but the incumbent seems certain to retain power because of a boycott by major opposition parties. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who assumed power in a coup in 2008 and won elections a year later, has been a staunch ally of the West in facing the growing terror threat in West Africa. The National Forum for Democracy and Unity, a coalition of main opposition parties, decided to exclude themselves from the contest when the election date was chosen without their input. They complained that Aziz's control of state institutions would ensure his victory and described the vote as "grotesque theater." Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, center, speaks with media after he cast his ballot during elections held in the city of Nouakchott , Mauritania, Saturday, June 21, 2014. Mauritanians voted Saturday to choose their next president, but with the major opposition parties boycotting, the incumbent seems certain to hold on to power. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who assumed power in a coup in 2008 and won elections a year later, has been a staunch ally of the West in facing the growing terror threat in West Africa.(AP Photo/Ahmed Mohamed) Security forces guarded polling stations as voters cast their ballots amid mixed turnout. But in the capital city's poorer outskirts, which are Aziz strongholds, long lines formed. In some areas, so many people were still in line when polling stations were supposed to close that voting was extended. Aziz faces four candidates, one of whom is the descendent of slaves. Provisional results are expected overnight and official results Monday. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff vote will be held July 5. Aziz is from the country's ethnic Arab elite that long has dominated the ruling class, but his policies have made him popular among the poor black majority. "The important thing is to keep the state strong where citizens can freely express themselves and vote freely," said Mariam Mint Abdallah, a shopkeeper who was voting in an area north of the capital where Aziz himself voted Saturday. The next president will face huge challenges. Insecurity is growing in the Sahel, a band of countries including Mauritania south of the Sahara Desert. Islamic militants roam in its vast ungoverned spaces. Mauritania's neighbor Mali was overrun by al-Qaida-linked fighters in 2012, until a French-led intervention pushed them back. But the economy may pose an even greater hurdle. Mauritania is one of the world's poorest countries featuring great economic inequality with Arabs on top, blacks on the bottom. Even though illegal, slavery persists. "There are not going to be a big fixes to Mauritania's democratic process any time soon. And the much bigger challenges are those of economic growth, employment and youth employment," said Jennifer Cooke, director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. . How Chicago racked up a $662 million police misconduct bill CHICAGO (AP) In this city's troubled history of police misconduct, Eric Caine's case may be unrivaled: It took more than 25 years and $10 million to resolve. For decades, he maintained he didn't brutally kill an elderly couple. The police, he said, beat him into a false confession. Locked up at age 20, he was freed at 46, bewildered by a world he no longer recognized. Caine ultimately was declared innocent, sued the city and settled for $10 million. But victory brought him little peace. "They wouldn't give anybody that large amount of money if they didn't believe that person was wronged," he says. "But I also look at it as a way for them to just want me to go away. ... Nobody cares if I live or die." In this Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016 photo, Eric Caine sits in his restaurant, "Wingers USA" in Chicago. Caine was falsely imprisoned at the age of 20, but later freed at 46 for a double murder he didn't commit. He received a $10 million settlement from the city of Chicago. Chicago has racked up a $662 million bill to settle police misconduct cases since 2004, but few officers have been punished. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) Caine is just one example of huge police settlements that have tarnished the city in recent years. Among them: A one-time death row inmate beaten by police: $6.1 million. An unarmed man fatally shot by an officer: $4.1 million. And last year, the family of Laquan McDonald, the black teenager shot 16 times by a white officer, received $5 million. His death, captured in a shocking video, led to a murder charge against the officer, the police chief's firing and thunderous street protests with calls for Mayor Rahm Emanuel's resignation. Chicago has paid a staggering sum about $662 million on police misconduct since 2004, including judgments, settlements and outside legal fees, according to city records. The payouts, for everything from petty harassment to police torture, have brought more financial misery to a city already drowning in billions of dollars of pension debt. The Justice Department's recent decision to investigate the Chicago police fallout from the McDonald case has helped focus new attention on this agonizing history of misconduct and the surprising lack of consequences. Few officers accused of wrongdoing have been disciplined in recent years. So how did the city get to the point where a massive misconduct bill has almost become routine? And why has bad behavior gone unchecked? Alderman Howard Brookins Jr. offers one explanation. "If you were seen going after police, you were seen as being for crime," he says. "Nothing happened to the police officers even after they got a big judgment against them so it appeared to be like Monopoly money." Lawyer Jon Loevy noticed the same pattern while winning more than a dozen seven-figure misconduct verdicts over the last decade. Jurors, he says, concluded "police did reprehensible things" including framing people and shooting them without justification but he knows of no case where those officers were punished. "Not only was nobody disciplined, nobody was asked any questions," he says. "It was just back to work." Few accusations ever reach the punishment stage, according to the Invisible Institute, a nonprofit journalism organization, and the University of Chicago Law School's Mandel Legal Aid Clinic. They found that from March 2011 to September 2015, more than 28,500 citizen complaints of misconduct were filed against Chicago police officers, but less than 2 percent resulted in discipline. Both the police and the union representing rank-and-file officers say the numbers are misleading. Dean Angelo, president of the union, says criminals routinely file frivolous complaints to harass and discourage police from pursuing them. City officials also say many complaints are less serious an improperly issued ticket, for instance. The police, in a statement to The Associated Press, said allegations of misconduct led to 45 firings and 28 suspensions from 2011 through 2015 in a department of about 12,000. Some cases remain open. During that time, the city doled out tens of millions of dollars on misconduct claims. Only a small number are in the seven-figure range. Stephen Patton, corporation counsel, says his office has cut the number of outside lawyers, taken more cases to trial and since 2011, saved taxpayers at least $90 million by evaluating suits promptly and settling them, if appropriate. The cost of misconduct, though, extends beyond dollars and cents. It can also leave deep psychological scars. Ronald Kitchen, who said he was beaten into confessing to several murders, spent 21 years in prison, 13 of them on death row while seven men were executed. "You keep thinking ... 'Is that going to happen to me?'" he says. Kitchen, who was eventually exonerated, settled for $6.1 million. Martinez Sutton says the $4.5 million settlement his family received in the death of his 22-year-old sister, Rekia Boyd, "seems almost like hush money." Sutton has been agitating for the dismissal of Detective Dante Servin, who was off-duty when he killed Boyd in 2012. Servin fired several times while sitting in his car after arguing with a group of people. He said he feared for his life as a man pulled an object from his waistband. No gun was found. The man had a cellphone. Servin was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter last year. Both the Independent Police Review Authority and former superintendent have recommended his firing. The Chicago Police Board will decide. "It's a slap in the face to me," Sutton says. "You can give me money but you still can't get rid of this officer? It's not hate against the police department. It's hold accountable whoever commits the crimes." Chicago isn't the only city with these problems. But the lack of police accountability, a code of silence and racial tensions tend to be more entrenched than in other cities, says Craig Futterman, a University of Chicago law professor. "It's not that Chicago is overrun by bad or abusive police officers," he says, "... but here, a small percentage of officers has been allowed to abuse some of the most vulnerable Chicago residents with near impunity." More than 80 percent of officers have fewer than four complaints for the bulk of their careers, he says. The mayor recently formed a police task force that will create an early warning system to intervene with problem officers. The police statement also said that Interim Superintendent John Escalante is working with others "to review discipline histories, patterns of misconduct, settlements and other information to prioritize investigations and take action where necessary." No pattern of wrongdoing has been more damaging than the one involving former commander Jon Burge and dozens of fellow detectives. Scores of black men alleged that over nearly two decades, the officers beat them, played mock Russian roulette and subjected them to electric shocks to secure confessions. Burge cases including settlements and outside lawyers have cost the city more than $92 million, according to Flint Taylor, a lawyer who has spent decades fighting the former commander. Yet only Burge himself was ever charged, decades later for perjury in a lawsuit when he denied torture had occurred. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison. Some critics say the mayor's vows of reform and the federal probe give them hope this is a turning point. But Eric Caine, a victim in one Burge case, is skeptical. Five years after his release, he still struggles. "That 25 years was real hell to me," he says. "My sense of dignity, my sense of self-worth was destroyed all shattered, all gone. ... Every second, every minute of the day, I think about my mortality." He sees little change, noting that it took more than a year for officials to release the McDonald video. "The system is designed to protect itself," he says. "They continue to do the same thing over and over, instead of doing the right thing." ___ Sharon Cohen, a Chicago-based national writer, can be reached at scohen@ap.org. FILE - In this Thursday, March 17, 2011 file photo, Eric Caine, right, embraces attorney Frank Bednarz following Caine's release from the Menard Correctional Facility in Chester, Ill. Bendarz, investigator Eric Slosar, background, attorney Russell Ainsworth and Caine's girlfriend, Sara Bush, greeted him after over two decades in prison. Caine was first imprisoned on murder charges in 1986, which were dismissed by a court on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Sid Hastings, File) In this Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016 photo, Eric Caine poses in his restaurant, "Wingers USA" in Chicago. Caine was falsely imprisoned at the age of 20, but later freed at 46 for a double murder he didn't commit. He received a $10 million settlement from the city of Chicago. Chicago has racked up a $662 million bill to settle police misconduct cases since 2004, but few officers have been punished. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2008 file photo, former Chicago Police Department commander Jon Burge shields his eyes from the sun as he leaves the federal courthouse after he was released from custody in Tampa, Fla. The former high-ranking Chicago police official was arrested on charges he lied when he denied that he and detectives under his command tortured murder suspects, federal officials said. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius, File) FILE - In this June, 16, 2006 file photo, Kristin Roberts, left, holds a sign of Jon Burge as she and others stage a protest outside Cook County Courthouse in Chicago, demanding the release of a report on allegations that Chicago police tortured suspects. Allegations have swirled for years that officers under the command of Lt. Jon Burge in the Area 2 violent crime unit beat suspects, used electric shocks, played mock Russian roulette and started to smother a suspect with a typewriter cover to elicit confessions. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) FILE - In this May 6, 2015 file photo, men identified as victims of police torture under the command of retired Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge, stand to be recognized by the Chicago City Council city council in Chicago. The council approved a $5.5 million fund to compensate victims of police torture. Up to $100,000 would be given to each of dozens of men who claimed they were tortured by Burge's detective crew. Some victims spent decades in prison after confessing to crimes they did not commit. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2013 file photo, Stanley Wrice, center, who was convicted of rape and sentenced to 100 years in prison in 1982, is accompanied by his son-in-law, Cashell Lewis, left, and his attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, as he leaves the Pontiac Correctional Center in Pontiac, Ill. Wrice was released after serving more than 30 years in prison when a Cook County Judge overturned his conviction the day before and granted him a new trial. Wrice has claimed for decades he was beaten and coerced into confessing to the rape by Chicago police Area 2 detectives working for disgraced former Chicago police Lt. Jon Burge. (AP Photos/M. Spencer Green, File) FILE - In this April 20, 2015 file photo, Chicago Police Detective Dante Servin listens as Judge Dennis Porter reads his decision at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago on involuntary manslaughter charges in the March 2012 shooting death of Rekia Boyd. Porter ruled that prosecutors failed to prove Servin acted recklessly, by the legal definition. Demonstrators rallied later that night to protest the acquittal. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool) In this Friday, March 4, 2016 photo, Martinez Sutton wears a shirt comemmorating his sister, Rekia Boyd, 22, who was shot and killed in 2012 by a Chicago police officer. Sutton has been pushing for the firing of officer Dante Servin, who, while off-duty, was driving in an alley when he argued with a group of people. Servin fired several shots over his shoulder, striking a Boyd with a fatal head wound. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) In this March 4, 2016 photo, Martinez Sutton wears a shirt commemorating his sister, Rekia Boyd, 22, who was shot and killed in 2012 by a Chicago police officer. Sutton has been pushing for the firing of officer Dante Servin, who, while off-duty, was driving in an alley when he argued with a group of people. Servin fired several shots over his shoulder, striking a Boyd with a fatal head wound. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) In this July 19, 2006 file photo, Flint Taylor, of The People's Law Office, criticizes the contents of a special prosecutor's report authorized by the Criminal Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County into allegations of torture by members of the Chicago Police Department, during a news conference in Chicago. Special prosecutors investigating allegations that police tortured nearly 150 black suspects in the 1970s and '80s said they found evidence of abuse, but any crimes are now too old to prosecute. In all, Chicago has paid a staggering sum - about $662 million - on police misconduct since 2004, including judgments, settlements and outside legal fees, according to city records. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2015 file photo, Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke leaves the Cook County Jail after posting bond in Chicago. Van Dyke, was charged with murder in the 2014 shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File) FILE - In this Dec. 18, 2015 file photo, Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke arrives for a court hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago. Last year, the family of Laquan McDonald, the black teenager shot 16 times by Van Dyke, received $5 million from the city. His death, captured in a shocking video, led to a murder charge against Van Dyke, the police chiefs firing and thunderous street protests with calls for Mayor Rahm Emanuel's resignation. In all, Chicago has paid a staggering sum - about $662 million - on police misconduct since 2004, including judgments, settlements and outside legal fees, according to city records. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool) Seismologist Lucy Jones retiring from US Geological Survey PASADENA, Calif. (AP) Seismologist Lucy Jones, the face of earthquake science and safety in Southern California for many years, is retiring from the U.S. Geological Survey. Jones said in a Twitter posting Friday that she's leaving federal service but will keep her appointment at the California Institute of Technology, where she is a research associate. For years, Jones has been the scientist the public has turned to when the earth shakes, standing in front of news cameras at the Caltech seismology lab to explain magnitudes, faults and other details. FILE - This Jan. 28, 2013 file photo Seismologist, Dr. Lucy Jones, describes how an early warning system would provide advance warning of an earthquake, at a news conference at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif. Jones, the face of earthquake science and safety in Southern California, is retiring from the U.S. Geological Survey. Jones said in a Twitter posting Friday, March 18, that she's leaving federal service but will remain at the California Institute of Technology. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon,File) "When I give it a name, I give it a number, I give it a fault, it puts it back into a box and makes it less frightening," Jones told the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/1nUiMZr). "You feel better if somebody shows they understand what's going on." In her current role as USGS science adviser for risk reduction, Jones has also been highly visible in outreach efforts aimed at improving public readiness for quakes everything from crawling under tables during drills to advising government leaders on policy matters. The latter included recent work with the city of Los Angeles to address key vulnerabilities that could lead to catastrophic economic collapse in the event of a seismic disaster. Jones, 61, was born in Santa Monica and earned a doctorate in geophysics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981 after receiving a bachelor's degree in Chinese language and literature at Brown University in 1976. She and her husband, Caltech seismologist Egill Hauksson, raised two sons. In 1992, Jones memorably gave a televised news conference about the magnitude-7.3 Landers earthquake while holding one of her young sons. Jones will end her 33 years with the USGS on March 30. FILE - This Dec. 2003 file photo Seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones, holds a news conference in Pasadena, Calif, after a 6.5 earthquake hit central California, at the California Institute of Technology. Jones, the face of earthquake science and safety in Southern California, is retiring from the U.S. Geological Survey. Jones said in a Twitter posting Friday, March 18, that she's leaving federal service but will remain at the California Institute of Technology. (AP Photo/ Ann Johansson,File) Sei Young Kim makes 2 eagles, leads JTBC Founders Cup PHOENIX (AP) Sei Young Kim found the afternoon wind merely refreshing on a hot day at Desert Ridge. "It's OK," Kim said Friday after taking a two-stroke lead in the JTBC Founders Cup. "It's not confusing to me because, if I have a lot of options, I didn't think about it. I just see a target. It's simple." The 23-year-old South Korean player has made it look simple, following her opening 9-under 63 with a 66 to break the tournament 36-hole record at 15-under 129. "I feel not bad because, before the first round, I was like uncomfortable because I couldn't trust myself," Kim said. "But after this round, I got confidence." She made two eagles Friday. On the second, she hammered a 300-yard drive on the par-5 15th, hit a 165-yard, 5-iron approach that nearly bounced into the hole and made a 7-foot putt. "I wasn't missing the putt," Kim said. On the par-5 second, she ran in a 30-footer after holding the green from 200 yards with a cut 5-wood. "It was good work," Kim said. She won three times last season and was the LPGA Tour's rookie of the year. At No. 7 in the world, she's in position for the last of South Korea's four spots in the Rio Olympics. Brittany Lang was second after a 68, also in the breezy afternoon. "It was tough with the wind at times," Lang said. The 30-year-old former Duke player won the 2012 Manulife LPGA Classic in Canada for her lone tour title. "You just have to stay aggressive," Lang said. "The weather looks great. The course conditions are going to be great. You just have to take good shots, stay aggressive, and get a few putts to fall. Should be a fun weekend. There's going to be a lot of birdies made. Got to go for it all." Jacqui Concolino and Italy's Giulia Sergas were 12 under. Concolino shot a 64 to match 17-year-old U.S. Women's Amateur champion Hannah O'Sullivan for the best round of the day. Sergas had a 68. Sergas is working with Costantino Rocca. The former Italian star is with her in Arizona. "He's right there on my side, and I love it," Sergas said. "We started to work together in January. He's a wonderful person." The cut was at 3 under, one off the tour record set last year in the Manulife. Hall of Famer Karrie Webb, the 2011 and 2014 winner, dropped out along with second-ranked Inbee Park, Michelle Wie and Suzann Pettersen. Gerina Piller (68) and Eun-Hee Ji (67) were four strokes back at 11 under. Paula Creamer (65) was another shot behind along with Ryann O'Toole (66), Paula Reto (67), Minjee Lee (69) and Karine Icher (67). Creamer is working with instructor Gary Gilchrist after leaving longtime coach David Whelan. "I'm excited. I love what I'm doing," Creamer said. "I really believe in his philosophy of teaching me. I think he's brought the kid out of me, that's for sure." Stacy Lewis was 9 under after a 65. She won in 2013 and finished second the last two years. "It was the putter," Lewis said. "I made a little putter switch from yesterday." O'Sullivan was tied for 17th at 8 under. She also eagled the 15th, hitting a 3-wood into the light wind from 223 yards to 2 1/2 feet. "I had the opportunity to play in two LPGA majors last year and I made the cut in both of those," O'Sullivan said. "I just take what I can from both of those experiences and apply it to today." She's a high school senior in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler. "We're on spring break," O'Sullivan said. "I love school, but I'd rather be out here." Mi Hyang Lee followed her tournament-record 62 with a 75 to drop into a tie for 25th at 7 under. She's 2 over on her last 27 holes after playing her first nine Thursday in 9 under. Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak and top-ranked Lydia Ko also were 7 under. Pak shot a 68 a day after saying she will retire at the end of the season. Ko had a 67. Peru opens vote-buying probe against Keiko Fujimori LIMA, Peru (AP) Peru's electoral council said it was considering disqualifying front-runner Keiko Fujimori from next month's presidential election for improperly distributing cash at a campaign event, just over a week after it tossed her main rival from the race. In a resolution Friday, the council said there are sufficient grounds to open proceedings against Fujimori and gave her Popular Force party one working day to present counterarguments. The complaint against the daughter of jailed former strongman Alberto Fujimori stems from a Feb. 14 campaign event during which the candidate was present and money was awarded to the winners of a hip hop music contest. Peruvian law prohibits candidates from giving more than roughly $6 during campaign events. A demonstrator wearing a headband that reads in Spanish: "No to Keiko" holds up a photo of presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori at Plaza San Martin in downtown Lima, Peru, Tuesday, March 15, 2016. Peruvians poured into the streets for the second time in under a week to protest the presidential candidacy of the daughter of disgraced former leader Alberto Fujimori ahead of April 10 elections. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) The announcement by election officials came several days after hundreds of people marched in Lima to protest her candidacy. Some held signs reading "No More Fujimori" a reference to her father who was convicted of authorizing death squads and corruption during his decade-long rule in the 1990s. One of protesters' demands was that the electoral council also investigates the Fujimori campaign incident for possible vote-buying. Keiko Fujimori narrowly lost the 2011 presidential race to current President Ollanta Humala and she is now leading in polls ahead of Peru's April 10 vote. Earlier in the month, her main rival was disqualified from the race by electoral authorities in a ruling questioned by the European Union and Washington-based Organization of American States. It voided economist Julio Guzman's candidacy by a vote of 3-2, claiming the mechanism by which his party selected him violated its own internal rules. Guzman refused to accept the ruling, calling it "flagrantly illegal and unconstitutional" in a statement. Guzman had surged in opinion polls that show him preferred by about 17 percent of voters behind 35 percent for Fujimori. With no candidate expected to win the required majority of votes on April 10, Guzman would have likely faced Fujimori in a June 5 runoff. No other candidate has been polling above 10 percent including former two-time President Alan Garcia. The electoral council has also disqualified candidate Cesar Acuna for handing out cash at a campaign event. The Latest: Colombian flight attendant dies in Russian crash MOSCOW (AP) The Latest on the crash of the FlyDubai Boeing 737-800 in Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia (all times local): 10:20 p.m. The parents of flight attendant Laura Patricia de la Cruz confirm that the Colombian woman is among the 62 victims of the FlyDubai plane crash in southern Russia. A relative of the plane crash victim sobs as he is comforted by other relatives at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia Saturday, March 19, 2016. An airliner from Dubai crashed early Saturday while landing in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don in strong winds, Russian officials said. (AP Photo) Her father, Wulfram de la Cruz, tells local news media that she had been living in the UAE for three years with her husband, who is also a flight attendant. He said Saturday that he and his wife will be travelling from their home in the town of Sabanalarga in a few days to help with the identification of his daughter's remains. The crash Saturday in the city of Rostov-on-Don left a big crater in the airport's runway and pulverized the plane. All aboard were killed. ___ 8:45 p.m. A long-time friend of the Cypriot pilot of the crashed FlyDubai jet says the 38-year-old aviator was going to quit the airline after recently accepting a job with Ryanair in Cyprus. The friend told The Associated Press on Saturday that Aristos Socratous, whose wife will give birth to the couple's first child in a few weeks, wanted to raise his family in Cyprus despite a drop in his wages. The friend, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he didn't want to be named discussing his friend's personal matters, said Socratous was an experienced pilot who had no complaints about FlyDubai and was happy about being promoted to full captain a year and a half ago. Socratous had previously worked for Helios Airways, the Cypriot airline that shut down after a plane crash in 2005. Menelaos Hadjicostis in Brussels. __ 2:15 p.m. Emirati authorities including the president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, have sent their condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Emirati state news agency WAM reported. Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as the Emirates' vice president and prime minister, expressed his regrets on his official Twitter feed in Arabic, English and Russian. "I offer my condolences to the families of the passengers who lost their lives on board flight FZ981. This terrible tragedy grieves us all," Sheikh Mohammed wrote. "We mourn those lost, may their souls rest in peace. Our thoughts are with their loved ones at this time of sorrow and grief." ___ 1:55 p.m. FlyDubai Chief Executive Ghaith al-Ghaith says the crew included five men and two women. The pilots were from Cyprus and Spain, while the cabin crew included two Russians and citizens of Seychelles, Colombia and Kyrgyzstan. The pilot and co-pilot had 5,965 and 5,769 hours of flying time respectively, making them "quite experienced," al-Ghaith said. They were not identified by name. The plane itself was produced in 2011 and underwent a detailed maintenance inspection known as a C check in Jordan on January 21 of this year, the CEO said. He said he is personally leading the airline's accident response. The carrier has deployed a team to the site of the crash, and Emirati civil aviation investigators are also on their way. ___ 9:45 a.m. The Dubai Media Office says those killed in the crash of the FlyDubai airliner in Russia include 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one person from Uzbekistan. The media office offered condolences on behalf of the entire United Arab Emirates for those who lost loved ones. On Twitter, the office says the entire UAE, a federation of seven emirates, offered "its deepest condolences to the families of the victims & to the Russian government & people." Seven crew members were also among those killed in the crash at Rostov-on-Don. The Dubai Media Office works under Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as the UAE's prime minister. ___ 8:50 a.m. FlyDubai is saying there are no survivors from its plane crash in Russia. The budget carrier made the announcement in a statement released Saturday morning. It said: "While we are still awaiting final confirmation, it is with great sadness that we report we believe there are no survivors." It says of the 55 passengers on board, 33 were women, 18 men and four children. There were seven crew members at the time of the crash in Rostov-on-Don. The airline's CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith said in a statement: "Our primary concern is for the families of the passengers and crew who were on board. Everyone at FlyDubai is in deep shock and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved." ___ 8:20 a.m. Boeing Co. has offered condolences for those who died aboard a FlyDubai Boeing 737-800 airliner in Russia. The Chicago-based airline manufacturer issued the statement Saturday, hours after the crash in Rostov-on-Don killed all 55 passengers and six crew members. FlyDubai's fleet is dominated by relatively young Boeing 737-800 aircraft, the same model as the one that crashed. Boeing says it stands ready to provide technical assistance upon the request of government agencies conducting the investigation. It adds it won't be able to answer any questions regarding the flight "in accordance with the international protocol governing aviation accident investigations." ___ 7:25 a.m. FlyDubai, the budget carrier whose plane has crashed in Russia, is offering phone numbers for those affected by the disaster to call. The Dubai-based airline says those worried about their loved ones could call + 44 203 4508 853 or +971 4 293 4100. It earlier acknowledged its flight to Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia crashed early Saturday morning. The carrier has offered no preliminary cause for the crash. Russian officials say all 55 passengers and six crew aboard were killed. Winds were anywhere from 14 to 22 meters per second (30-50 miles per hour) at the time of the crash and that there was light rain. ___ 7:20 a.m. FlyDubai has acknowledged its flight to Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia has crashed with fatalities. In a statement, the budget carrier says it regrets to confirm that flight FZ981 crashed on landing and that fatalities have been confirmed. It adds: "We are doing all we can to gather information as quickly as possible. At this moment our thoughts and prayers are with our passengers and our crew who were on board the aircraft. We will do everything we can to help those who have been affected by this accident." The carrier offered no preliminary cause for the crash. Russian officials say the plane had 55 passengers and six crewmembers and that there were no survivors. Winds were anywhere from 14 to 22 meters per second (30-50 miles per hour) at the time of the crash and that there was light rain. ___ Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. ___ 7 a.m. A flight-tracking service says a FlyDubai plane that crashed in Russia made one failed landing before the disaster. Ian Petchenik, a spokesman for the website Flightradar24, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the Boeing 737-800 initially tried to land at Rostov on Don at 2231 GMT. Petchenik says: "Based on our data, what it looks like is the aircraft made an initial landing attempt." He said the plane then entered a holding pattern at 2327 GMT near the airport, then left the holding pattern to try and land again at 0028 GMT. The flight offered its last data at 0041 GMT and lost contact. Russian officials say the plane had 55 passengers and six crewmembers. Winds were anywhere from 14 to 22 meters per second (30-50 miles per hour) at the time of the crash and that there was light rain. ___ Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. ___ 6:55 a.m. Weather has been described as rough at the time a Boeing 737-800 with 61 passengers and crew crashed in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, killing all on board. Rostov-on-Don was blanketed in rain showers and weather forecasters said winds there reached up to 50 kilometers (31 miles) per hour on Saturday morning. FlightRadar24, a flight-tracking website, showed the FlyDubai flight made a series of loops near Rostov on Don while apparently waiting for permission to land. ___ 6:40 a.m. Russia's Emergencies Ministry official says all 55 passengers and six crew members aboard a Boeing 737-800 that crashed on landing at the airport in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don have been killed. Igor Odev, the head of the ministry's southern regional operations, provided the figure at a televised briefing on Saturday morning. The plane belonged to the budget carrier FlyDubai and was coming from Dubai when it crashed. Relatives of the plane crash victims mourn at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia Saturday, March 19, 2016. An airliner coming from Dubai crashed early Saturday while landing in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Russias Emergencies Ministry said. (AP Photo) Relatives of the plane crash victims comfort each other at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia Saturday, March 19, 2016. An airliner from Dubai crashed early Saturday while landing in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don in strong winds, Russian officials said. (AP Photo) A Russian Emergency Situations Ministry employee, left, tries to comfort a relative of the plane crash victims at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia Saturday, March 19, 2016. An airliner coming from Dubai crashed early Saturday while landing in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Russias Emergencies Ministry said. (AP Photo) All 62 aboard Dubai airliner killed in crash in south Russia MOSCOW (AP) A Dubai airliner with 62 people on board crashed and caught fire early Saturday while landing in strong winds in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, killing all aboard, officials said. A list published by Russia's Emergencies Ministry showed the Boeing 737-800 operated by FlyDubai was carrying 55 passengers, most of them Russian, and seven crew members, whose nationalities were not immediately known. The Emergencies Ministry said that all had been killed. It was the budget carrier's first crash since it began operations in 2009. In a statement, FlyDubai confirmed that Flight 981 crashed on landing and there were no survivors. Four children were among those killed, it said. This frame grab provided by Rostov-on-Don I General company from black and white CCTV footage shows road and behind line of trees fireball, believed to be a plane on fire, crashes to ground at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia Saturday, March 19, 2016. An airliner coming from Dubai crashed early Saturday while landing in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Russias Emergencies Ministry said. (Rostov-on-Don I General company via AP) "Our primary concern is for the families of the passengers and crew who were on board. Everyone at FlyDubai is in deep shock and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved," said CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith. Vasily Golubev, the governor of the Rostov region some 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, was quoted by Russian news agencies as telling local journalists that the plane crashed about 250 meters (800 feet) short of the runway. The cause of the crash was not immediately determined, but Golubev said: "By all appearances, the cause of the air crash was the strongly gusting wind, approaching a hurricane level." The Russian Emergencies Ministry said the plane clipped the ground with a wing and caught fire. According to the weather data reported by Russian state television, winds at the moment of the crash at an altitude of 500 meters (1,640 feet) and higher were around 30 meters per second (67 miles per hour). Ian Petchenik, a spokesman for the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, told The Associated Press that the plane missed its approach then entered a holding pattern. According to Flightradar24, the plane circled for about two hours before making another attempt to land. According to its data, the plane began climbing again after a go-around when it suddenly started to fall with vertical speed of up to 21,000 feet/min. The CCTV footage the plane going down in a steep angle and exploding in a giant fireball. Some Russian aviation experts said the steep descent appeared to indicate that the crash most probably have been caused by a gust of wind. "It was an uncontrollable fall," said Sergei Kruglikov, a veteran Russian pilot, said on Russian state television. He said that a sudden change in wind speed and direction could have caused the wings to abruptly lose their lifting power. Another seasoned pilot, Viktor Zabolotsky, said a gust of wind probably caused the airliner to lose speed and crash as the pilot was making an attempt to go round. President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to the victims' families and top Russian Cabinet officials flew to the crash site to oversee the investigation. Officials said the plane and bodies of the victims were pulverized by the powerful explosion, but investigators already have found one of the Boeing's flight recorders. FlyDubai was launched in 2008 by the government of Dubai, the Gulf commercial hub that is part of the seven-state United Arab Emirates federation. Its first flight took to the skies in 2009. It has been flying to Rostov-on-Don since 2013. It shares a chairman with Dubai's government-backed Emirates, the Middle East's biggest airline, though the two carriers operate independently and maintain separate operations from their bases at Dubai International Airport, the region's busiest airport. FlyDubai's fleet is dominated by relatively young 737-800 aircraft, like the one that crashed. The airline says it operates more than 1,400 flights a week. The airline has expanded rapidly in Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union. Dubai is a popular tourist destination for Russian visitors, who are attracted by its beaches, shopping malls and year-round sunshine. Many Russian expatriates live and work in Dubai, a city where foreigners outnumber locals more than 4-to-1. FlyDubai has a good safety record. In January 2015, one of its planes was struck on the fuselage by what appeared to small-arms fire shortly before it landed in Baghdad. That flight landed safely with no major injuries reported. On Oct. 31, a Russian airliner blew up in the air over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 aboard. Investigators determined it was destroyed by a bomb onboard. ___ Associated Press writers Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Adam Schreck and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. In this photo provided by Russian Emergency Situations Ministry, Russian emergency trucks are seen near the area of the plane crash at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia Saturday, March 19, 2016. An airliner with 61 people aboard coming from Dubai crashed early Saturday while landing in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Russias Emergencies Ministry said. (Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations via AP) Russian Emergency Situations Ministry employees and police officers are seen as they take a car to drive to the area of a plane crash at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia Saturday, March 19, 2016. An airliner with 61 people aboard coming from Dubai crashed early Saturday while landing in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Russias Emergencies Ministry said. (AP Photo) A Russian Emergency Situations Ministry employee, left, tries to comfort a relative of the plane crash victims at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia Saturday, March 19, 2016. An airliner coming from Dubai crashed early Saturday while landing in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Russias Emergencies Ministry said. (AP Photo) Relatives of the plane crash victims mourn at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia Saturday, March 19, 2016. An airliner coming from Dubai crashed early Saturday while landing in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Russias Emergencies Ministry said. (AP Photo) Relatives of the plane crash victims comfort each other at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia Saturday, March 19, 2016. An airliner from Dubai crashed early Saturday while landing in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don in strong winds, Russian officials said. (AP Photo) A Russian Emergency Situations Ministry employee, right, escorts a group of relatives of the plane crash victims at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia Saturday, March 19, 2016. An airliner from Dubai crashed early Saturday while landing in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don in strong winds, Russian officials said. (AP Photo) A relative of the plane crash victim sobs as he is comforted by other relatives at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia Saturday, March 19, 2016. An airliner from Dubai crashed early Saturday while landing in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don in strong winds, Russian officials said. (AP Photo) A Russian Emergency Situations Ministry employee, left, tries to comfort a relative of the plane crash victims at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia Saturday, March 19, 2016. An airliner from Dubai crashed early Saturday while landing in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don in strong winds, Russian officials said. (AP Photo) In this photo provided by vk.com/rostovnadonu, Russian emergency fire trucks are seen among the wreckage of a crashed plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport, about 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, Russia Saturday, March 19, 2016. A Dubai airliner crashed and caught fire early Saturday while landing in strong winds in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, officials said. (vk.com/rostovnadonu group via AP) The selection of a new President, Prime Minister and National Assembly Chairman has been brought forward three months earlier, and will now be decided during the 13th National Assemblys last session from March 21 to April 12. Chief of the National Asembly's board of secretaries Nguyen Hanh Phuc At a press conference to announce the final sessions agenda, deputy chief of the National Assemblys board of secretaries, Le Minh Thong, said one of the most important matters for it to decide was who will fill the three key leadership positions, deliberations for which will take more than half the sitting period. The selection of these positions was scheduled for the first meeting of the new National Assembly in July. By changing this to April, Vietnam hopes to shorten the power gap between the current leaders and their successors. Chief of the National Assemblys board of secretaries, Nguyen Hanh Phuc, said bringing the process forward was not unprecedented, as the 11th National Assembly had also selected new candidates for positions such as President, Prime Minister and National Assembly Chairman earlier than scheduled. Unlike normal meetings of previous National Assemblies, which elect and approve those filling the positions, the last meetings of the 13th National Assembly will also handle the process of vacating the current holders of these positions, Phuc explained. During the 12th National Congress held in January, the Central Committee recommended Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang for President, Vice Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc for Prime Minister and Vice Chairman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan for National Assembly Chairman. Other matters on the agenda for the 13th National Assembly's last meeting include reviews of socio-economic development and the state budget in 2015, performance reviews for senior office holders during their 2011-2016 tenure and development trajectories for 2016-2020. The session will also feature discussions on a number of bills and amendments. Arizona offers model for how Trump might win the White House PHOENIX (AP) Long before Donald Trump shook up presidential politics, there was Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Now the two are politically joined, and the Republican presidential front-runner can look to Arpaio's home state for a model on how he could win in November. The tough-talking lawman won six straight elections as sheriff of Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and nearly two-thirds of Arizona's population. He forced jail inmates to wear pink underwear and live outside in tents during triple-digit heat. He launched dragnets to round up people in the country illegally, and a judge ruled that his operations illegally targeted Latinos. Arpaio then launched an investigation that critics contend ended up targeting the judge. Through it all, Arpaio won re-election even as the number of Latinos in Arizona continued to rise, and his endorsement was hotly sought by Republicans who have thrived in the state despite its increasing diversity. GOP presidential candidates have also wooed Arpaio, who's become a national icon for opponents of illegal immigration. He endorsed Trump last year and introduced him at two Arizona rallies, and is scheduled to introduce Trump at a rally Saturday in the Phoenix suburb where the sheriff lives. FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2016, photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is joined by Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio as a campaign event at the Roundhouse Gymnasium in Marshalltown, Iowa. Before Trump, there was Arpaio roiling Arizona politics and the nation's immigration debate. Trump hopes to win Arizona's primary Tuesday with the help of his fellow immigration hardliner (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) Now, as Trump looks toward the general election, Arpaio and Arizona the next major state to vote in the presidential nominating contest show how conservative populists can thrive even in states with growing minority populations. Arizona votes Tuesday in a winner-take-all Republican primary as well as a Democratic race. "My secret weapon is just like Donald Trump: Go to the people," Arpaio said in an interview. He said he's done more than 4,000 TV interviews in his two decades as sheriff. If Trump wins the Republican nomination, he will face a daunting challenge for the November election: Given that minority voters strongly lean Democratic, he would probably have to win more white voters than any other presidential candidate in the modern age has done about two-thirds of them, should turnout and minority voting patterns track 2012 levels. In Arizona, though, Republicans like Arpaio have prospered by winning an increasing share of the white vote even as the number of Latinos in the state has risen from one-quarter of the state's population to 31 percent in 2014. A Democrat has not won a statewide election since 2004, and voters continue to register as Republicans faster than as Democrats or even independents. Francisco Heredia of Mi Familia Vota, which tries to increase Latino voting, said the principal political struggle is between the growing population of young Latinos and people in Arizona's retirement communities. Retirees are "squashing any kind of growth" for Latino political clout. Whites as a share of the electorate have slipped from about 80 percent in 2000 to the high 60s, Heredia said. That's not enough to swing statewide races, but it has made a difference on the margins. The city of Phoenix, for example, went from one Latino city council member in 2010 to three today. The disparity between the performance of Arizona Republicans and Democrats stems from increased illegal crossings of the Arizona-Mexico border more than a decade ago. Republicans had a long tradition of moderation on immigration in Arizona. Both U.S. senators once supported an immigration bill that would have legalized the status of many of the 11 million people here illegally, but they took an increasingly hardline approach in the 2000s. Arpaio and Jan Brewer, then the governor and now another Trump endorser, represented this hard line as people grew more concerned about the drug smugglers and human traffickers flowing into the state. "We had drop houses, we had running gun battles it was the Wild West," recalled Chuck Coughlin, a veteran Republican operative who was a Brewer adviser. "We all saw the handwriting on the wall on the immigration issue." The chaos on the southern border has dwindled significantly, and business groups have pushed for the state's Republicans to tone down their immigration rhetoric. But Republicans still have a lock on statewide offices. Part of the reason is that Democratic-leaning voters, including the state's many young Latinos, have sat out elections while Republicans have turned out reliably, said Bruce Merrill, a nonpartisan Arizona pollster. "The Democratic Party in Arizona continues to be very disorganized," Merrill said. Arpaio won his last election, in 2012, by 6 percentage points, his second-smallest smallest margin to date. He faces civil contempt charges over his department's defiance of orders to stop racial profiling. But Republicans still court his support and he remains very popular in conservative Maricopa County. "We have a real populist tradition here," said Coughlin, adding that he expects it will help Trump as it has Arpaio. Hillary Clinton's campaign has seized on the Trump-Arpaio parallel in a Spanish-language radio ad pitching Clinton as the best candidate to beat Trump. "Donald Trump is another Joe Arpaio. Period," says Rep. Ruben Gallego in the spot. Even Arpaio, 83, acknowledges the state is changing. "It's not as dominated by Republicans," he said. "You've got a lot of people moving in, a lot of independents." Northern black voters not as sold on Clinton as Southerners MILWAUKEE (AP) This month has brought a new challenge for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign: Black voters in Rust Belt states aren't as solidly behind her as they've been in the South. It led to the Democratic front-runner's surprise loss in Michigan, where about a third of black voters supported Bernie Sanders, and it nearly cost her Missouri, where African-Americans voted more like their counterparts across the Midwest than in the South. Now it could foreshadow vulnerability for Clinton in Wisconsin, the next Northern battleground primary. What's behind the trend? Exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks by Edison Research reveal a possible answer. Bradley Thurman, owner of Coffee Makes You Black, a well-known breakfast spot on Milwaukees predominantly African-American north side, talks Friday, March 18, 2016 in his Milwaukee shop. Thurman says he supports Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. in the upcoming Democratic primary in Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Greg Moore) Black voters up North have appeared more likely than black voters down South to say race relations in the U.S. have recently gotten worse. And while large majorities of African-Americans in both regions trust Clinton to handle the issue, those in the Midwest have been much more likely to say they trust Sanders. Rust Belt blacks live closer to some of the major racial conflicts of recent years the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; the police shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland, Ohio; and the tainted water crisis in heavily black Flint, Michigan. And they are well positioned to turn out and express their dismay at the polls. "Absolutely, there are enough to make a difference," said Bradley Thurman, 66, an African-American cafe owner in Milwaukee, noting that black support twice helped tip Wisconsin toward Barack Obama, even as many other races in the state have gone in favor of Republicans. Down South, Clinton has routinely picked up support from 8 in 10 black voters or more. But in areas farther north across the Midwest where manufacturing has contracted and factories have closed, support has been as low as Missouri's 67 percent. That primary election had been too close to call until Sanders conceded Thursday, giving Clinton a 1,531-vote win. About 7 in 10 black voters backed Clinton in Ohio and Illinois, less than in the South but not enough of a drop to deny her those states on a day when she also picked up victories in Florida and North Carolina. The tight vote in Missouri a swing state where residents have long debated whether they're Midwestern or Southern underscored feelings that could help keep Sanders afloat. "I didn't like the statement Clinton made calling our kids 'super predators,'" said Syreeta Myers, 42, who is black. Myers' only child, VonDerrit Myers, was killed in St. Louis in 2014 by a white police officer, two months after Brown was fatally shot in nearby Ferguson. She's been politically active ever since, attending rallies and marches. Myers said most of the people she knows are behind Sanders because of "what he said about stopping police from killing our children." Marquette University senior Nick Truog also sees race relations as an area where Sanders has an edge. "I saw online where someone said, 'I can't vote for Dr. King, so I'm going to vote for the guy who marched with him,'" said Truog, whose father is black and mother is white. Truog studies international affairs and political science in Milwaukee, a city that saw months of protests over the death of Dontre Hamilton, a black man killed by a white police officer in 2014. He said he backs Sanders, citing the candidate's positions on income inequality and student debt as factors. But Bobby Sanford, 42, who runs a small Milwaukee-area pest control business, doesn't like Sanders' idea of free college. "No," Sanford said. "We have to pay for that." Sanford, who is a black independent, remains undecided. "Honestly, I just don't like Clinton," he said. He said he's a fan of Republican front-runner Donald Trump's outspoken style but doesn't admire Trump enough to vote for him. "I don't think so, but I don't want to vote for Sanders, either," Sanford said. "I pay enough in taxes as it is." Similar dissatisfaction with the government comes up in Michigan. Exit poll figures show black voters there were somewhat less likely than those in Southern states where the question was posed to have positive feelings about the way the government is working. This also could hurt Clinton, who's seen as the establishment candidate. The data show that black support at the high levels Clinton has seen in the South probably would have flipped Michigan into the win column and added breathing room for her in Missouri. Overall, about 45 percent of whites have supported Clinton in the Midwest, making the minority vote a decisive factor. Black voters make up a smaller percentage of the Wisconsin Democratic electorate than other Rust Belt states. In 2008, about 8 percent of Wisconsin Democratic primary voters were black. By comparison, African-Americans made up about 21 percent of Democratic primary voters in both Michigan and Missouri this year. Still, Thurman, owner of Coffee Makes You Black, a well-known breakfast spot on Milwaukee's predominantly African-American north side, thinks it's enough. He supports Sanders because of the Vermont independent's bold proposals. "It's a lot of pie in the sky, but at least he's throwing it out there," Thurman said. His wife looked surprised when she heard his position. "We don't really discuss politics," said Laurie Thurman, who co-owns the shop. She's leaning toward Clinton because "she's been around." But the matter isn't decided, she said, and "maybe my husband can convince me." ___ Swanson reported from Washington. Follow Greg Moore at https://twitter.com/writingmoore. Prosecutor: Suspect backed out of being Paris suicide bomber BRUSSELS (AP) After a bullet in the leg ended his four-month flight from the law, Salah Abdeslam started a legal fight Saturday against his extradition from Belgium to France, where the president and the families of 130 victims want the top suspect in the Paris attacks to stand trial. In Paris, prosecutor Francois Molins said during an interrogation session on Saturday that Abdeslam told Belgian officials that he had "wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France" on Nov. 13 but that he backed out at the last minute. Molins did not say what caused the 26-year-old purportedly to change his mind. Abdeslam was shot Friday along with a suspected accomplice when they were captured by Belgian police during a massive anti-terror raid in Brussels. He was found at an apartment a mere 500 meters (yards) from his parents' home, where he grew up. A special forces police officer guards as a police convoy and ambulance thought to be carrying captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam arrives at the federal penitentiary in Bruges, Belgium, on Saturday, March 19, 2016. Salah Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's Paris attacks, was charged with terrorist murder on Saturday by Belgian authorities and his lawyer vowed to fight any attempt to extradite him to France to stand trial for the slaughter of 130 people. (AP Photo/Geoffroy Van der Hasselt) On Saturday, he was discharged from the St. Pierre hospital in Brussels, questioned by authorities lying down because of his gunshot wound, and then officially charged with "participation in terrorist murder" in the Nov. 13 Paris attacks. France quickly issued a new European arrest warrant with more charges to speed up his extradition to a June 18 deadline. French President Francois Hollande made it clear he wanted Abdeslam back in Paris, the city he fled after the November carnage. The suspect's Belgian lawyer made it clear he would fight extradition. Lawyer Sven Mary said since there was a criminal investigation in Brussels, "we don't need him in France. We need him in Belgium." He said any hasty extradition would be motivated by a sense of guilt since the attacks were prepared and coordinated in Belgium and several attackers came from Brussels. "Perhaps we should tone down our groveling to compensate for the sense of guilt we feel toward France," Mary said after he and Abdeslam met with a Belgian investigating magistrate. Abdeslam's capture in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek after four months on the run brought relief to people who have seen his "wanted" poster all over the two European countries for months. Hollande warned that more arrests will come as authorities try to dismantle a network involved in the attacks that they now say is much larger than originally suspected. The Islamic State group had claimed responsibility for the Paris carnage. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve called Abdeslam's arrest a "major blow" to the Islamic State group in Europe, but warned that the threat of new attacks remains "extremely high." Belgium's prime minister also said "the fight is not over." Molins, the Paris prosecutor, said Abdeslam is suspected not only of being a "key actor in the action" last November in the French capital but also of the logistical planning for the deadly attacks. He said French authorities suspect him of bringing numerous "terrorists" to Europe in the months leading up to the attacks and conducting multiples trips around Europe. Often using false identities, Abdeslam rented cars starting last July, Molins said, travelling north from Greece and Italy, hitting Hungary in August, Austria in September, and Germany and the Netherlands in October. Investigators believe Abdeslam drove a car carrying gunmen who took part in the Nov. 13 shootings, rented rooms for them and shopped for detonators. Most of the Paris attackers died on the night of the attacks, including Abdeslam's brother Brahim, who blew himself up. Abdeslam will appear before a pretrial court on Wednesday, which will decide whether he stays in jail for up to another month. "If he starts talking, then I presume it will mean he stays longer in Belgium," Belgian federal prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt told The Associated Press. A 2002 agreement among European Union nations speeds up the extradition process and for especially grave crimes such as terrorist acts the procedure goes even faster. "Firstly, the legality of the arrest warrant, the European arrest warrant, has to be checked carefully," said Mary, the defense lawyer. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told a news conference that his government has no "political objections" to handing Abdeslam over to the French, but wants to fully respect Belgian judicial procedures. Belgian prosecutors said they were not sure of the identity of the presumed accomplice arrested with Abdeslam and also charged with "terrorist murder." They said he is believed to have used fake Syrian and Belgian documents in two different names. Meanwhile, two others detained with Abdeslam were released on Saturday, while a third was charged with belonging to a terror group and hiding criminals. Two other people believed linked to the Paris attacks are still being sought, including fellow Molenbeek resident Mohamed Abrini and a man known under the alias of Soufiane Kayal. Samia Maktouf, a French lawyer for several survivors and relatives of Paris attack victims, urged Abdeslam's immediate extradition. "Apart from his (medical) condition, I don't see what might delay his extradition," she told the AP. After the bloodbath, Abdeslam evaded a huge French dragnet to return to Brussels. He was believed to have slipped through police fingers multiple times despite an international manhunt. At one point, Belgian authorities locked down their capital for several days in November but failed to find him. ___ Sylvie Corbet and Philippe Sotto in Paris and Mike Corder and Menelaos Hadjicostis in Brussels assisted. An police convoy, right, thought to be carrying captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam leaves the federal police headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Saturday, March 19, 2016. Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, was arrested after a four-month manhunt with a suspected accomplice and both men have been discharged from a hospital in Brussels and will now face official questioning and a fast-track extradition effort. Abdeslam and his companion were injured when they were captured by police. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) An police convoy thought to be carrying captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam leaves the federal police headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Saturday, March 19, 2016. Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, was arrested after a four-month manhunt with a suspected accomplice and both men have been discharged from a hospital in Brussels and will now face official questioning and a fast-track extradition effort. Abdeslam and his companion were injured when they were captured by police. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) Security forces guard the federal police headquarters, rear, where captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam appeared before a judge in Brussels, Belgium, Saturday, March 19, 2016. Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, was arrested after a four-month manhunt with a suspected accomplice and both men have been discharged from a hospital in Brussels and will now face official questioning and a fast-track extradition effort. Abdeslam and his companion were injured when they were captured by police. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) Sven Mary, lawyer for captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam, is surrounded by media as he leaves the federal police headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Saturday, March 19, 2016. Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, was arrested after a four-month manhunt with a suspected accomplice and both men have been discharged from a hospital in Brussels and will now face official questioning and a fast-track extradition effort. Abdeslam and his companion were injured when they were captured by police. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) Sven Mary, lawyer for captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam, is surrounded by media as he leaves the federal police headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Saturday, March 19, 2016. Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, was arrested after a four-month manhunt with a suspected accomplice and both men have been discharged from a hospital in Brussels and will now face official questioning and a fast-track extradition effort. Abdeslam and his companion were injured when they were captured by police. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) In this undated image released by the Belgian Federal Police an identity card listing a man as Samir Bouzid. On Friday, March 18, 2016 the Belgian prosecutors said Mohamed Belkaid was "most probably" an accomplice of Salah Abdeslam and had been using a fake Belgian ID card in the name of Samir Bouzid. A man using that ID was one of two men seen with Abdeslam in a rental car on the Hungarian-Austrian border in September. Mohamed Belkaid was killed by a police sniper in a raid on an apartment outside Brussels on Tuesday, March 15, 2016. (Belgian Federal Police via AP) A police convoy thought to be carrying captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam leaves the federal police headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Saturday, March 19, 2016. Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, was arrested after a four-month manhunt with a suspected accomplice and both men have been discharged from a hospital in Brussels and will now face official questioning and a fast-track extradition effort. Abdeslam and his companion were injured when they were captured by police. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) An police convoy thought to be carrying captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam leaves the federal police headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Saturday, March 19, 2016. Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, was arrested after a four-month manhunt with a suspected accomplice and both men have been discharged from a hospital in Brussels and will now face official questioning and a fast-track extradition effort. Abdeslam and his companion were injured when they were captured by police. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) Pharred, the owner of Boutique Salam, answers questions of journalist in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels, Belgium, Saturday, March 19, 2016, where fugitive Salah Abdeslam was arrested after a four-month manhunt. Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, and a suspected accomplice have been discharged from a hospital in Brussels and will now face official questioning and a fast-track extradition effort. Abdeslam and his companion were injured when they were captured by police. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) An police convoy, right, thought to be carrying captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam leaves the federal police headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Saturday, March 19, 2016. Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, was arrested after a four-month manhunt with a suspected accomplice and both men have been discharged from a hospital in Brussels and will now face official questioning and a fast-track extradition effort. Abdeslam and his companion were injured when they were captured by police. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) Sven Mary, lawyer for captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam, leaves the federal police headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Saturday, March 19, 2016. Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, was arrested after a four-month manhunt with a suspected accomplice and both men have been discharged from a hospital in Brussels and will now face official questioning and a fast-track extradition effort. Abdeslam and his companion were injured when they were captured by police. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) A police convoy thought to be carrying captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam leaves the federal police headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Saturday, March 19, 2016. Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, was arrested after a four-month manhunt with a suspected accomplice and both men have been discharged from a hospital in Brussels and will now face official questioning and a fast-track extradition effort. Abdeslam and his companion were injured when they were captured by police. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) A police convoy thought to be carrying captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam leaves the federal police headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Saturday, March 19, 2016. Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, was arrested after a four-month manhunt with a suspected accomplice and both men have been discharged from a hospital in Brussels and will now face official questioning and a fast-track extradition effort. Abdeslam and his companion were injured when they were captured by police. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) Sven Mary, lawyer for captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam, leaves the federal police headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Saturday, March 19, 2016. Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, was arrested after a four-month manhunt with a suspected accomplice and both men have been discharged from a hospital in Brussels and will now face official questioning and a fast-track extradition effort. Abdeslam and his companion were injured when they were captured by police. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) PICTURED: A selection of pictures from the past week Highlights from the weekly AP photo report, a gallery featuring a mix of front-page photography, the odd image you might have missed and lasting moments our editors think you should see. This week's gallery features union protesters throwing paint at police during clashes in Bogota, Colombia; a man sitting in a chair on the roof of his father's home as floodwaters ravaged Deweyville, Texas; and people surfing the Internet at a public Wi-Fi hotspot on a sidewalk in Havana, Cuba. ___ A Hanuman langur monkey looks through a glass enclosure, part of the new Land of the Lions display at the London Zoo, Thursday, March 17, 2016. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) This gallery contains photos published March 12-March 18, 2016. See the latest AP photo galleries: http://apne.ws/TXeCBN The Archive: Top photo highlights from previous weeks: http://apne.ws/13QUFKJ ___ Follow AP photographers on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP/lists/ap-photographers Follow AP Images on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Images Visit AP Images online: http://www.apimages.com http://www.apimages.com/ ___ This gallery was produced by Patrick Sison in New York. In this image made from video provided by VTM, police officers point their weapons during a raid as a man in a store watches in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels, Belgium, Friday, March 18, 2016. After a four-month manhunt across Europe and beyond, police on Friday captured Salah Abdeslam, the top fugitive in the Paris attacks in the same Brussels neighborhood where he grew up. (VTM via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT Splatters of paint thrown by protesters marks police shields during clashes in Bogota, Colombia on Thursday, March 17, 2016. The country's main union groups are protesting the economic policies of President Juan Manuel Santos' government, demanding higher wages and better health services. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Host Blake Shelton gets "slimed" at the Kids' Choice Awards in Inglewood, Calif., Saturday, March 12, 2016. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) A child blows confetti from her hands during a Carnival parade in the coastal city of Limassol, Cyprus, Sunday, March 13, 2016. The long-established festivities, which mark the start of the 40-day fasting period of Lent before the Orthodox Christian Easter, drew revelers from across the east Mediterranean island in the midst of the bailed-out country's recession. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) People surf the Internet at a public Wi-Fi hotspot on a sidewalk in downtown in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, March 16, 2016, next to a poster of revolutionary leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan) Jamie Holden Jr. sits in a chair on the roof of his father's home surrounded by floodwaters from the Sabine River in Deweyville, Texas on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. Holden moved his belongings onto the roof before water seeped inside. Swollen waterways have displaced thousands in Southeast Texas. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT A child looks up at a bird in a cage belonging to Syrian refugee Abdullah Koca, who fled Syria four years ago and has been living at the camp in Islahiye, Gaziantep province, southeastern Turkey, Wednesday, March 16, 2016. Nearly 300,000 are housed in 26 government-run camps similar to this one. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) A migrant cries as she crosses the river arm-in-arm with others, north of Idomeni, Greece, attempting to reach Macedonia on a route to bypass the border fence, Monday, March 14, 2016. Hundreds walked out of an overcrowded camp on the Greek-Macedonian border Monday, determined to use a dangerous crossing to head north. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) Belkaid was only recently linked to Paris attacks in which 130 people killed Raid led police to Abdeslam after his fingerprint was found in apartment Prosecutors said Mohamed Belkaid was using a fake Belgian ID under the name of Samir Bouzid The Algerian man shot dead by a police sniper in a raid in Brussels has been revealed as Mohamed Belkaid, who was reportedly helping Paris massacre suspect Salah Abdeslam to evade capture from police. Belkaid, who has only recently been linked to the Paris attacks, was killed in a raid on Tuesday in the Molenbeek neighborhood as he fired on police, while his accomplices fled. The raid led authorities to Europe's most wanted fugitive, after a fingerprint from Abdeslam was found in the apartment. Abdeslam, 26, was among the ISIS terror cell that massacred 130 at a rock concert, a football stadium and several cafes in November in Paris and was arrested yesterday nearby after being on the run for four months. In the apartment raided on Tuesday a Kalashnikov assault rifle was found by Belkaid's body, as well as a book on Salafism, an ultraconservative strain of Islam. Elsewhere police found an Islamic State banner as well as 11 Kalashnikov loaders and a large quantity of ammunition, Belgian prosecutors said. Prosecutors said Belkaid was 'most probably' an accomplice of Abdeslam and had been using a fake Belgian ID card in the name of Samir Bouzid. A man using that ID was one of two men seen with Abdeslam in a rental car on the Hungarian-Austrian border in September. The same fake ID was used on November 17 to transfer 750 euros to the cousin of Abdelhamid Abbaoud, the suspected ringleader of the attack. Both Hasna Ait Boulahcen and Abbaoud died in a police siege of the apartment paid for by that transfer, which was destroyed by a suicide attacker holed up with the two. Belkaid was killed in a police raid on an apartment in the Molenbeek neighbourhood of Brussels on Tuesday, from where Salah Abdeslam escaped through a skylight According to exclusive documents held by the Syrian opposition news site Zaman al-Wasl, Belkaid told the extremists he had traveled throughout Europe including to Spain, Germany and France and listed his residence as Sweden. He provided a passport to the group and a phone number for a close relative, which on Friday rang as a non-functioning line. In the document, he said he had no experience as a jihadi and no one to vouch for him as he crossed the border on April 19, 2014. ISIS prizes the growth of its networks abroad, and having a sponsor is seen as both a sign of credibility and a way to measure the extent of its reach. Belkaid listed his occupation as a candy maker. German intelligence authorities say they also have a copy of some of the same documents as the Syrian opposition site, and that they are believed to be authentic. Belkaid's 'application' to the Islamic State group and his subsequent ties to the November 13 attackers, many of whom met and trained together in Syria, highlights the difficulty in uncovering the extent of the plot that led to 130 deaths in Paris. Salah Abdeslam, 26, (left) was shot in the leg by police yesterday as he tried to flee from waiting terrorist police (right) Police remain at the scene of the arrest of Abdeslam in the run down district of the Belgian capital today In two years, Belkaid transformed from an aspiring jihadi into a Kalashnikov-toting fighter linked to a cell that carried out the deadliest attack in France since the Second World War. 'There was a certain organization that allowed the people at large to pass from hideout to hideout,' said Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office spokesman Thierry Werts. In a statement, the prosecutor's office said the investigation continues 'day and night.' Abdeslam was one of five suspects, including three that helped hide him from the police, to be arrested on a later raid on Friday, a French prosecutor has confirmed. He said numerous weapons and ammunition were discovered inside the besieged building. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel hailed the arrests as a 'success in the fight against terrorism' but serious questions will be asked as to how Abdeslam evaded the authorities for so long. French President Francois Hollande said that more people were involved in the attacks than initially thought, and predicted more arrests would follow that of Abdeslam and four others. In a further sign of the widening net, Interpol warned members to be vigilant for more accomplices fleeing now that Abdeslam is in custody and has information desperately sought by investigators trying to learn about the Paris attacks and head off new ones. France: Abdeslam abandoned plans to be Paris suicide bomber PARIS (AP) The Latest on the arrest of a key suspect in the Paris attacks (all times local): 7:05 p.m. The Paris prosecutor says Salah Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, had planned to be a suicide bomber at France's main stadium but backed out at the last minute. French President Francois Hollande speaks during a media conference at the Belgian prime ministers office in Brussels on Friday, March 18, 2016. Two French police officials have told The Associated Press that Salah Abdeslam, the main fugitive from Islamic extremist attacks in Paris in November, has been arrested in Belgium's capital after four months at large. He was arrested Friday in a major police operation in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek. (AP Photo/Thierry Monasse) Abdeslam was arrested Friday in a police raid in Brussels and questioned Saturday by Belgian authorities. Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters in Paris that Abdeslam told Belgian investigators that he abandoned his suicide vest the night of Nov. 13 after he drove other attackers to Paris for the attacks. Molins did not say whether Abdeslam explained his reasoning for abandoning the attack. In all, 130 people were killed at several venues around Paris on that night. ___ 6:35 p.m. The French Justice Ministry says a new European arrest warrant has been issued against Salah Abdeslam to speed extradition. In a statement Saturday, the ministry gave Belgian authorities a maximum deadline of two months (or three if he appeals) to move Abdeslam to French soil. A first arrest warrant was initially handed out to the French national following November's deadly attacks, but this new warrant incorporates new charges that came from the four-month-old investigation into the attacks. A European arrest warrant is effectively an extradition request. ___ 4:10 p.m. Belgian authorities have officially charged Paris suspect Salah Abdeslam and another man who was using two aliases "with participation in terrorist murder" and in the activities of a terrorist organization. Three other suspects were also picked up during Friday's police raid in Brussels that finally nabbed Abdeslam after his four-month fugitive run following the Nov. 13 attacks that left 130 people dead in Paris. The prosecutor's office also charged one of them with "participation in the activities of a terrorist organization and the hiding of criminals." Two others who had been implicated in sheltering Abdeslam were released Saturday by police, even though one of them was charged with hiding criminals. ___ 2:35 p.m. The lawyer for Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam says his client will fight efforts to extradite him to France. Lawyer Sven Mary says "we will refuse the extradition." The lawyer spoke to journalists after he and Abdeslam met Saturday with a Belgian investigating magistrate who will decide whether to issue a formal arrest warrant against Abdeslam. Belgian prosecutors said earlier they are confident the suspect will be extradited to France. Salah Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, was discharged from a hospital in Brussels after being wounded while being captured Friday by police. ___ 2:25 p.m. Interpol is calling on countries to be vigilant at their borders, saying accomplices of Salah Abdeslam may try to flee after his capture. In a statement Saturday, the international police agency recommended closer checks at frontiers, especially for stolen passports. Many of the Nov. 13 attackers and accomplices traveled on falsified or stolen documents. One of the Syrian passports used by a suicide bomber at the French national stadium had been listed by Interpol as among a batch of stolen blank passports. Belgian and French officials say they believe other accomplices could still be at large. ___ 11:05 a.m. Salah Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, and a suspected accomplice have been discharged from a hospital in Brussels and will now face official questioning and a fast-track extradition effort. Abdeslam and his companion were injured when they were captured by police. Yvan Mayeur, the Brussels mayor, announced on Twitter Saturday morning that "the two presumed terrorists" had been discharged from CHU St. Pierre hospital. ___ 10:30 a.m. French President Francois Hollande is holding an emergency security meeting after Belgian authorities detained the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks. He is meeting in the Elysee palace Saturday with top security officials, military chief, Prime minister and ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense, Interior and Justice. Hollande hailed Friday's arrest of Salah Abdeslam, who is suspected of driving attackers and other direct participation in the attacks and evaded police for four months. Speaking in Brussels hours after the police operation, he warned that "more arrests will come." He said authorities must continue hunting all those who organized or facilitated the attack. France remains under a state of emergency after the Nov. 13 attacks on a rock concert, cafes and a stadium, which claimed 130 victims ___ 8:45 a.m. The top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, captured in Belgium after four months on the run, will now face questioning by investigators and a fast-track effort to extradite him to France. Salah Abdeslam, a French national, is subject to a European arrest warrant issued by France. He was seized Friday in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek and hospitalized after being shot in the leg. Paris. PICTURED: Migrants continue to gather at closed border IDOMENI, Greece (AP) Hamo had already walked 17 kilometers (10 miles) that day, pushing his 8-year-old daughter, Sidra, in her wheelchair, when he stopped in a field to ask directions to the Idomeni refugee camp. Offered help to push the wheelchair, Hamo declined, adding, "I only want to go to Germany." The 36-year-old Iraqi, who is traveling with his wife, his disabled daughter and two more children, is one of the thousands heading northward through Greece, even though they know when they reach the border with Macedonia, it will almost certainly be shut. FILE - In this Thursday, March 3, 2016 file photo refugees look at the the border crossing in front to a wire fence that separates the Greek side from the Macedonian one at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni. The fields of Idomeni were never a proper border crossing between Greece and Macedonia. Its where the freight trains cross, and earlier in the crisis refugees and migrants traveling clandestinely through the Balkans used it as they followed the tracks _ on foot _ north toward central Europe. Soon it became a major staging point in the biggest mass movement of people the continent has seen since vast displaced populations were being repatriated in the bloody aftermath of World War II.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) The fields of Idomeni were never a proper border crossing between Greece and Macedonia. It's where the freight trains cross, and earlier in the crisis refugees and migrants traveling clandestinely through the Balkans used it as they followed the tracks on foot north toward central Europe. Soon it became a major staging point in the biggest mass movement of people the continent has seen since vast displaced populations were being repatriated after World War II. For many months, after Macedonia allowed the organized flow north by train, hundreds of thousands used it. Then Macedonia built a double fence protected by coils of razor wire and last month the flows slowed to a trickle. But people kept coming, hoping against hope to get through. This month, the gates closed, leaving about 14,000 refugees and migrants stuck on the Greek side, in an area that heavy rains quickly turned into a quagmire. At the tent city that has sprung up as more and more refugees become backed up there, refugees protest near the border fence, crying "open the border" or calling on German Chancellor Angela Merkel to help them. At the height of the protests, children have been forced to run to avoid tear gas fired by Macedonian police. Migrants arrive at Idomeni exhausted after the long trek on foot, and queue for hours to receive food. They sleep in flimsy tents or in the open. They wait near the border gate, hoping they will be lucky enough to be selected for admission. One Syrian woman was desperately looking for someone to give her clothes or food. Every person only has one thing in mind: when will the borders open? FILE - In this Tuesday, March 1, 2016 file photo, Hamo from Iraq pushes a wheelchair with his 8-year old disabled daughter Sidra through fields in their effort to arrive at the Greek border station of Idomeni. The fields of Idomeni were never a proper border crossing between Greece and Macedonia. Its where the freight trains cross, and earlier in the crisis refugees and migrants traveling clandestinely through the Balkans used it as they followed the tracks _ on foot _ north toward central Europe. Soon it became a major staging point in the biggest mass movement of people the continent has seen since vast displaced populations were being repatriated in the bloody aftermath of World War II. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) FILE - In this Saturday, March 5, 2016 file photo, children watch a cartoon movie in a field at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni as they wait to be allowed to cross into Macedonia and continue their trip to the north. The fields of Idomeni were never a proper border crossing between Greece and Macedonia. Its where the freight trains cross, and earlier in the crisis refugees and migrants traveling clandestinely through the Balkans used it as they followed the tracks _ on foot _ north toward central Europe. Soon it became a major staging point in the biggest mass movement of people the continent has seen since vast displaced populations were being repatriated in the bloody aftermath of World War II. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016 file photo, Syrian refugees stand in a queue to receive food distributed by a non-governmental organization at a refugee camp in the Greek-Macedonian border near the village of Idomeni. The fields of Idomeni were never a proper border crossing between Greece and Macedonia. Its where the freight trains cross, and earlier in the crisis refugees and migrants traveling clandestinely through the Balkans used it as they followed the tracks _ on foot _ north toward central Europe. Soon it became a major staging point in the biggest mass movement of people the continent has seen since vast displaced populations were being repatriated in the bloody aftermath of World War II.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) FILE - In this Friday, March 4, 2016 file photo, a man cooks food on a make shift fire during a rainfall in a camp where thousands of refugees wait to be allowed to cross the border into Macedonia in the northern Greek border station of Idomeni. The fields of Idomeni were never a proper border crossing between Greece and Macedonia. Its where the freight trains cross, and earlier in the crisis refugees and migrants traveling clandestinely through the Balkans used it as they followed the tracks _ on foot _ north toward central Europe. Soon it became a major staging point in the biggest mass movement of people the continent has seen since vast displaced populations were being repatriated in the bloody aftermath of World War II. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) FILE - In this Wednesday, March 2, 2016 file photo, a child crawls on a field that refugees have set up tents as they wait to be allowed to cross the border to Macedonia in the northern Greek border station of Idomeni. The fields of Idomeni were never a proper border crossing between Greece and Macedonia. Its where the freight trains cross, and earlier in the crisis refugees and migrants traveling clandestinely through the Balkans used it as they followed the tracks _ on foot _ north toward central Europe. Soon it became a major staging point in the biggest mass movement of people the continent has seen since vast displaced populations were being repatriated in the bloody aftermath of World War II.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) FILE - In this Wednesday, March 2, 2016 file photo, refugees warm up their selves near makeshift fires as they wait to be allowed to cross the border to Macedonia in the northern Greek border station of Idomeni. The fields of Idomeni were never a proper border crossing between Greece and Macedonia. Its where the freight trains cross, and earlier in the crisis refugees and migrants traveling clandestinely through the Balkans used it as they followed the tracks _ on foot _ north toward central Europe. Soon it became a major staging point in the biggest mass movement of people the continent has seen since vast displaced populations were being repatriated in the bloody aftermath of World War II. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) FILE - In this Thursday, March 3, 2016 file photo, a group of Afghan men pull branches off a tree to use them as firewood in a camp where thousands of migrants and refugees waiting to be allowed to cross the border into Macedonia in the northern Greek border station of Idomeni. The fields of Idomeni were never a proper border crossing between Greece and Macedonia. Its where the freight trains cross, and earlier in the crisis refugees and migrants traveling clandestinely through the Balkans used it as they followed the tracks _ on foot _ north toward central Europe. Soon it became a major staging point in the biggest mass movement of people the continent has seen since vast displaced populations were being repatriated in the bloody aftermath of World War II. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) FILE - In this Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016 file photo, a woman lies down in a tent in a refugee camp where thousands of people wait to be allowed to cross the border into Macedonia in the northern Greek border station of Idomeni. The fields of Idomeni were never a proper border crossing between Greece and Macedonia. Its where the freight trains cross, and earlier in the crisis refugees and migrants traveling clandestinely through the Balkans used it as they followed the tracks _ on foot _ north toward central Europe. Soon it became a major staging point in the biggest mass movement of people the continent has seen since vast displaced populations were being repatriated in the bloody aftermath of World War II. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) FILE - In this Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016 file photo, stranded Refugees from Syria are covered with blankets while waiting to be allowed to cross the Greek-Macedonian border near the northern Greek village of Idomeni. The fields of Idomeni were never a proper border crossing between Greece and Macedonia. Its where the freight trains cross, and earlier in the crisis refugees and migrants traveling clandestinely through the Balkans used it as they followed the tracks _ on foot _ north toward central Europe. Soon it became a major staging point in the biggest mass movement of people the continent has seen since vast displaced populations were being repatriated in the bloody aftermath of World War II. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) FILE - In this Tuesday, March 1, 2016 file photo, refugees charge their mobile phones with a generator as they wait to be allowed to cross the border to Macedonia in the northern Greek border station of Idomeni. The fields of Idomeni were never a proper border crossing between Greece and Macedonia. Its where the freight trains cross, and earlier in the crisis refugees and migrants traveling clandestinely through the Balkans used it as they followed the tracks _ on foot _ north toward central Europe. Soon it became a major staging point in the biggest mass movement of people the continent has seen since vast displaced populations were being repatriated in the bloody aftermath of World War II. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) FILE - In this Monday, Feb. 29, 2016 file photo. a father helps his 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. No arrests or injuries were reported.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) FILE - In this Tuesday, March, 1 2016 file photo, a Syrian man plays with his one-year-old child as refugees and migrants wait to be allowed to cross the border to Macedonia in the northern Greek border station of Idomeni. The fields of Idomeni were never a proper border crossing between Greece and Macedonia. Its where the freight trains cross, and earlier in the crisis refugees and migrants traveling clandestinely through the Balkans used it as they followed the tracks _ on foot _ north toward central Europe. Soon it became a major staging point in the biggest mass movement of people the continent has seen since vast displaced populations were being repatriated in the bloody aftermath of World War II. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) FILE - In this Monday, Feb. 29, 2016 file photo, refugees and migrants try to break down a border gate that separates Greece with Macedonia near the northern Greek village of Idomeni. The fields of Idomeni were never a proper border crossing between Greece and Macedonia. Its where the freight trains cross, and earlier in the crisis refugees and migrants traveling clandestinely through the Balkans used it as they followed the tracks _ on foot _ north toward central Europe. Soon it became a major staging point in the biggest mass movement of people the continent has seen since vast displaced populations were being repatriated in the bloody aftermath of World War II. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) FILE - In this Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 file photo, Syrian refugees warm themselves near a makeshift fire after arriving at the Greek border station of Idomeni. The fields of Idomeni were never a proper border crossing between Greece and Macedonia. Its where the freight trains cross, and earlier in the crisis refugees and migrants traveling clandestinely through the Balkans used it as they followed the tracks _ on foot _ north toward central Europe. Soon it became a major staging point in the biggest mass movement of people the continent has seen since vast displaced populations were being repatriated in the bloody aftermath of World War II.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) In Israel, new generation of ultra-Orthodox Jews integrating JERUSALEM (AP) A quiet revolution is arising inside the insular world of Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community chipping away at the ghetto walls its leaders have erected to protect against what they see as the dangers of secularism. More and more, young ultra-Orthodox insist they can continue to lead pious lives while also embracing technology, the modern workplace and their fellow Israelis. Experts have long warned that Israel faces long-term economic ruin if its fastest growing sector, known as the Haredim, continues to reject the mainstream education system, enjoy sweeping military draft exemptions, raise large families on taxpayer-funded handouts and devote themselves almost entirely to their cloistered world of scripture and study. The current call for reform, however, is coming from within a community long resistant to outside pressures to change. In this photo taken Tuesday, March 15, 2016, ultra-Orthodox Jewish men work at a high tech start-up in an office in Tel Aviv. More and more, young ultra-Orthodox insist they can continue to lead pious lives while also embracing technology, the modern workplace and their fellow Israelis. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty) Some are leaving ultra-Orthodoxy entirely one in 10 is moving on to more moderate Judaism or secular life. But others like Avigdor Rabinovitch, a single, 25-year-old political science student at The Open University, are building a grassroots movement that strives to transcend a life of poverty and isolation, and to redefine what it means to be an ultra-Orthodox Jew in Israel. "It's a new identity that I call 'Israeli Haredim,'" said Rabinovitch, who organizes events for like-minded reformers. "We're not trying to be like anyone else. We want to be ourselves but to open up to new worlds as well. We want to be involved and not just watch from the side." After generations have shunned military service, more young Haredim are looking to improve their future job prospects by joining combat and intelligence units that have been set up for them. According to the military, some 2,300 enlisted during the last draft year, up from 288 in 2007. Far more are enrolling in higher education as well. Where only a third of Haredi males had jobs as recently as 2003, the employment rate for Haredi males has now passed the 50 percent mark, according to Gilad Malach, a researcher from the Israel Democracy Institute who specializes in the community. Haredi women have traditionally been the primary breadwinners, and their employment rates are close to 75 percent, he said. "I think it is a historic change," Malach said. "In the past, in times of crisis, the Haredi world would deal by closing ranks and tightening the ghetto. But they realize that this just doesn't work anymore socially, culturally and financially." The Haredim Hebrew for "those who fear God" make up about 8 percent of Israel's 8.5 million residents. Many rabbis fear immersion in mainstream society will expose them to secularism and cut into the prayer and study. Leaders speak proudly of centuries-old traditions of learning that they believe have allowed the Jewish people to survive the Spanish Inquisition, European pogroms, the Holocaust and other tragedies. Study in Yeshiva seminaries, they say, is no less important than military strength in protecting the country from modern threats and no less valuable than advanced academic degrees. For decades, a string of secular-led Israeli governments have maintained the status quo, either because of their dependence on ultra-Orthodox political kingmakers or out of fear of an angry backlash from a sector that hasn't hesitated to block roads, clash with police or send tens of thousands of activists into the streets when ordered by their rabbis. Efforts to force them into the army and workplace have generally failed. Menachem Eliezer Moses, a Haredi lawmaker, said that, as individuals, ultra-Orthodox men can appeal to their rabbis for approval for military service, university studies and greater integration. But citing an ancient proverb, he said that as a rule religious study will always take precedence. "Studying Torah is a goal unto itself," he said. "You take an 18-year-old boy who has yet to fill himself with knowledge and transfer him to another entity that is a problem." But reform advocates say such extreme exclusion is a relatively new phenomenon that has only taken hold in Israel, harming the community and pushing observant Jews away. Their brethren in the diaspora typically work for a living and do commerce with non-Jews. "According to tradition, the ultra-Orthodox worked and we need to get back to that," said Moshe Friedman, a co-founder of KamaTech, a nonprofit that focuses on Haredi integration into Israel's booming high-tech industry. "The grassroots movement is ahead of the politicians on this but they will slowly catch up." High-tech is one of the areas where Haredim have thrived most. Their intense, methodical study of ancient religious texts has proven oddly applicable to computer programming. Friedman, 37, has fielded more than 5,000 Haredi requests for assistance and he's helped launch more than 220 Haredi-led startups. He comes from a long line of distinguished rabbis and was educated in the community's most prestigious yeshivas. While some in his circle have been baffled by his career path, he said his lineage and the fact he has maintained a strict Haredi lifestyle has given his cause credibility. "They know I am not out to destroy the Haredi world but to help it by providing people employment," Friedman said. "The main challenge is proving that you can do this and stay Haredi. If we can show that someone can go work at Google and stay Haredi, others will come." According to a recent survey of Israeli society, large gaps remain between the priorities of the ultra-Orthodox and others. The Pew Research Center found Haredim to be far less likely than others to value career goals. Some 68 percent of Haredim said being successful in a high-paying career was important to them, compared to roughly 90 percent of all other groups. Employment, though, is a far easier sell than military service or education reform. Draft exemptions go back to Israel's establishment in 1948, when the government allowed several hundred gifted students to pursue exclusive religious studies to help rebuild great schools of Jewish learning destroyed in the Holocaust. As ultra-Orthodox parties became power brokers, the numbers mounted, with thousands of young religious men evading the draft to pursue seminary studies while most other Jewish men are conscripted for three years of mandatory service. The exemptions have caused widespread resentment toward the ultra-Orthodox. Those who have joined still often face harassment, derision and insults from their own community. The current government has rolled back legislation that aimed to gradually incorporate the ultra-Orthodox into the military. Many see education reform as the toughest hurdle. Because of their high birth rates, more than a quarter of all Israeli first-graders are Haredim who study in independent school systems that focus primarily on religion while barely teaching math, science or English. The result: Graduates go on to shun the work world and collect welfare to help raise large families in poverty. Betzalel Cohen is the Haredi principal of Jerusalem's "Chachme Lev," one of just a handful of new "Yeshiva high schools" that combine religious study with a secular education that prepares students for the nationwide matriculation exams. He said not all Haredi youths will grow up to become rabbinic prodigies and the high percentage of dropouts from traditional Yeshivas requires the community to find a proper framework that prepares them for life and the workforce. "It's like sending everyone to medical school and saying all we need is doctors. All you will get is too many mediocre doctors and not enough jobs for them," he said. "I really think the future of the Haredi community depends on what we are doing ... I'm the biggest threat to the establishment because I am saying 'the emperor has no clothes' and I'm offering an alternative." ____ Follow Aron Heller on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aronhellerap In this photo taken Tuesday, March 15, 2016, Moshe Friedman, a co-founder of KamaTech company, speaks on the phone in an high tech start-up office in Tel Aviv, Israel. More and more, young ultra-Orthodox insist they can continue to lead pious lives while also embracing technology, the modern workplace and their fellow Israelis. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty) In this photo taken Tuesday, March 15, 2016. a teacher speaks to students during a class at the Yeshiva high school Chachme Lev in Jerusalem. More and more, young ultra-Orthodox insist they can continue to lead pious lives while also embracing technology, the modern workplace and their fellow Israelis. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty) In this photo taken Tuesday, March 15, 2016. a teacher asks a question during a class at the Yeshiva high school Chachme Lev in Jerusalem. More and more, young ultra-Orthodox insist they can continue to lead pious lives while also embracing technology, the modern workplace and their fellow Israelis. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty) Many at Guantanamo apparently not 'too dangerous' after all MIAMI (AP) In the last comprehensive review of prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. government decided nearly 50 were "too dangerous to transfer but not feasible for prosecution," leaving them in an open-ended legal limbo. Now it seems many may not be so dangerous after all. A review board that includes military and intelligence officials has been taking a hard look at these men and helping to steadily chip away at the list of indefinite detainees, who are a significant obstacle to President Barack Obama's push to shut down the detention center at the U.S. military base in Cuba. FILE - In this May 13, 2009 file photo reviewed by the U.S. military, the sun rises over the Guantanamo detention facility at dawn, at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba. In the last comprehensive review of prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. government decided nearly 50 were too dangerous to transfer but not feasible for prosecution, leaving them in an open-ended legal limbo. Now in 2016, it seems many may not be so dangerous after all. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File) The first 23 decisions announced by the Periodic Review Board as of this month have skewed heavily in favor of the prisoners. It has unanimously cleared 19 for release, and said five will continue to be held but will be re-evaluated again later. Some of the approved have already left Guantanamo while the rest are expected to depart over the summer. Lawyers for detainees welcomed the initial results, although they say the men shouldn't have been held without charge for so long in the first place. "These people have not been reviewed in over six years. They have changed, circumstances have changed, and they have needed a fresh look," said Pardiss Kebriaei, a lawyer for the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights who represented a prisoner cleared by the Periodic Review Board. The deliberations of the board are private. But David Glazier, a professor at Loyola Law School who has analyzed records of the proceedings released by the Pentagon, said the members appear to be treating past assessments of prisoners "with a healthier degree of skepticism" than officials did in the past. "If you just care about justice for human beings it's a little odd that it's taken 14 years to ask the questions in a hard enough way to discover that," said Glazier, a former Navy officer and expert in military law. Detainees approved for release by the board over the past two years have included a Saudi accused of being a bodyguard for Osama bin Laden who waged one of the longest hunger strikes while at Guantanamo and a Kuwaiti who was alleged to be a "spiritual adviser" to the al-Qaida leader, though he would only have been about 20 at the time. A Yemeni prisoner was cleared in January after authorities determined he was just a low-level jihadist fighter but had been mistaken for an al-Qaida facilitator or courier with a similar alias. In Congress, where there is strong opposition to closing the detention center, the administration is seen as moving too fast to release men some fear will resume the behavior that got them locked up in the first place. "The administration's mad rush to push detainees on allies and partners has to stop," Rep. Ed Royce, a California Republican who is chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said in January after 10 prisoners on the cleared list of 2010 were sent to Oman for resettlement. There are 91 men held at Guantanamo, down from nearly 250 when Obama assumed the presidency. Those left include 36 who are cleared for release if security conditions can be met in the countries where they will settle. Seven face trial by military commission, including five charged with planning and supporting the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001. Three others have been convicted. The Obama administration wants to close the detention center and hopes to overcome the opposition in Congress to moving any prisoners to the U.S. by bringing down the population at Guantanamo to what officials have called the "irreducible minimum." The administration says it has no plans to go further and turn the base itself over to Cuba a demand Obama is likely to hear during his visit to Havana starting Sunday. The January 2010 review designated 48 men for indefinite detention under the international law of war until the end of hostilities, a vague time frame in the war against terrorist groups such as al-Qaida. It also said 44 other detainees should be considered for prosecution. But few can now be tried due to court rulings that limited the jurisdiction of military commissions and the ban on sending them to the U.S., where they might otherwise be tried in federal court. Men from both categories are now eligible to go before the Periodic Review Board, including some not likely to be released. "There are people in the Guantanamo Bay detention facility who it is not safe to transfer ... They have to stay in U.S. detention," Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters last month. The board is made up of representatives of six agencies, including the Defense Department, Justice Department and Office of the Director of National Intelligence. They convene in Arlington, Virginia, while the detainee sits in a trailer on the base, one foot shackled to the floor. They communicate by video teleconference. Board members consider not just past allegations, but whether the detainee could pose a threat in the future, weighing such factors as his behavior while in custody and what he might do after Guantanamo, said David Remes, a Washington-based lawyer who has represented four detaineees cleared by the board. "These guys have been held at Guantanamo for 14 plus years, most of them. It's not that surprising that after all this time the board concludes that they are no longer significant threats," Remes said. The Director of National Intelligence reported this month that 5 percent of Guantanamo prisoners released since January 2009, when the U.S. began using the multi-agency screening process, have re-engaged in terrorism and 8 percent are suspected of it. That compares to 21 percent confirmed and 14 percent suspected under the earlier system. Typical of those cleared for release by the PRB is Ghaleb al-Bihani. Born in Saudi Arabia but a citizen of Yemen, he traveled to Afghanistan as a 22-year-old and trained at an al-Qaida camp. His lawyers told the board he worked as an assistant cook. When he appeared before the board, he assured the members he would lead a peaceful life, that all he wanted was to get out of Guantanamo, get an education and find a wife. He has studied English and Spanish while at Guantanamo and asked the board to send him to Europe, Latin America, Asia or Qatar. "I am against violence and I want to build a new life," he said, according to a transcript released by the Pentagon. He may get that chance. The Pentagon announced about a month after his hearing that he was cleared for release. But that was two years ago and his lawyer says his departure is long overdue. "Most of these men want to forget about this chapter, want to forget that Guantanamo ever happened to them," Kebriaei said. FILE - In this Dec. 6, 2006, file photo, reviewed by a U.S. Department of Defense official, a shackled detainee is transported away from his annual Administrative Review Board hearing with U.S. officials, in Camp Delta detention center at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba. In the last comprehensive review of prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. government decided nearly 50 were too dangerous to transfer but not feasible for prosecution, leaving them in an open-ended legal limbo. Now in 2016, it seems many may not be so dangerous after all. (AP Photo/Brennan Llinsley, File) Cuomo's 'Fight for $15' blurs lines between policy, politics ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) Andrew Cuomo may be driving the push for a $15 minimum wage in New York, but organized labor paid for the bus. The Democratic governor has traveled the state in a union-owned recreational vehicle to galvanize support for his proposal to enact a $15 minimum wage. He's featured in slick TV advertisements pushing the wage that look a lot like campaign ads. This past week he delivered yet another speech before thousands of workers gathered outside the Capitol, many of them bused in by unions. Bankrolled by the unions, Cuomo's campaign not only cements his ties to organized labor, but also burnishes his progressive political bona fides amid a national debate over the minimum wage and income inequality. In this Tuesday, March 15, 2016 photo, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo leaves a minimum wage rally at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, N.Y. Top lawmakers are now negotiating the minimum wage increase as part of the overall state budget deal. While the Assembly supports the increase to $15, Republicans in the state Senate have so far balked. (AP Photo/Mike Groll) Cuomo characterizes the proposal as an alternative to what is being offered by Republican presidential candidates such as Donald Trump, who he says has sought to capitalize on public anxiety over the economy. By being the first state to raise the minimum wage to $15, the governor said, New York can show the nation a more hopeful path. "People are angry. They're as angry in New York as they are in any other state," Cuomo said last week, following the Albany rally. "It's working families, the middle class, who are fundamentally frustrated with their economic circumstance. There is an economic insecurity that eats at the table with people every night." It's a sharp pivot from just last year, when Cuomo's administration dismissed New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's suggested $13 minimum wage as a "non-starter" with lawmakers. But this year an even bigger increase is his top priority in the Legislature, where it faces a critical test in coming weeks as lawmakers negotiate a state budget, a grand political deal that the governor hopes will include his wage hike. In a sign of its importance to Cuomo, he named the campaign for the wage hike after his father, the late Gov. Mario Cuomo. The proposal would gradually raise the wage from $9 an hour to $15 by the end of 2018 in New York City and by 2021 in the rest of the state. He has proposed $300 million in small business tax cuts to help businesses absorb the higher labor costs, a number that critics say is far too low. To the Republicans and small business owners who warn of devastating effects from such a sharp wage hike, Cuomo is seeking to capitalize on the national debate over the wage to endear himself to organized labor and liberal voters in New York and around the country. "He had problems with $12, $13, but now $15 is a great idea," said Greg Biryla, executive director of the group Unshackle Upstate, adding that he believes supporters settled on $15 because of how "Fight for $15" rolls off the tongue. "It's a political number, and anyone who thinks otherwise really isn't looking at the facts," said state Senate Deputy Majority Leader John DeFrancisco, a Syracuse Republican. "It's a political goal to garner support from the people that think this is a good idea." The Mario Cuomo Campaign for Economic Justice, the nonprofit created by labor unions to lobby for the $15 wage, is housed in the Manhattan headquarters of 1199 SEIU, the Service Employees International Union, the largest health care union in the nation. A financial disclosure filed with the state indicates that so far the campaign has spent $1.7 million on expenses including Cuomo's RV tour and advertisements. Cuomo has received more than $250,000 in campaign contributions from SEIU and the other unions supporting the Campaign for Economic Justice since 2008. The increase is popular with New York voters, two thirds of whom support Cuomo's plan, according to a Siena College poll released last month. Eighty percent of Democrats back the increase; 36 percent of Republicans do. Polls show similarly broad backing for Cuomo's other big priority of the year, a family leave proposal that would let workers take up to 12 weeks of paid time off to care for a new child or sick loved one. Cuomo may be hoping the wage fight helps him in two years when he's up for a third term or even in a possible White House run in 2020, according to Fordham University political scientist Christina Greer. Cuomo has long been socially progressive but fiscally centrist, focusing much of his early tenure as governor reining in state spending, imposing a property tax cap and cutting taxes. Liberal dissatisfaction with Cuomo prompted a surprisingly competitive primary challenge in 2014 from law professor Zephyr Teachout. "I'm not sure how deep those progressive roots are with the governor," Greer said. "It could be about 2018, or 2020. But in some ways it doesn't matter if his interest in this is genuine. Thousands and thousands of families are going to benefit if this passes." In this Tuesday, March 15, 2016 photo, the state Capitol provides a backdrop as supporters of a $15 minimum wage rally at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, N.Y. Supporters of Cuomo's plan to raise New York's minimum wage to $15 say they won't accept any legislative compromise that settles on a lower figure. (AP Photo/Mike Groll) In this Tuesday, March 15, 2016 photo, a recreational vehicle used by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his efforts to raise the minimum wage is parked near the state Capitol in Albany, N.Y. Supporters of Cuomo's plan to raise New York's minimum wage to $15 say they won't accept any legislative compromise that settles on a lower figure. (AP Photo/Mike Groll) 25 restaurants in five cities across Vietnam will take part in Gout de France, an event honoring French cuisine worldwide on March 21. The restaurants involved in the event were picked by a committee of international chefs and are among the most prestigious in the Southeast Asian country, said Emmanuel Ly-Batallan, Consul General of France. Anne-Cecile Degenne (center), chef at the Social Club restaurant in Ho Chi Minh city, talks about her preparation for the Gout de France event at a press conference at the Consulate General of France in Ho Chi Minh city on March 15. Photo: Thoai Tran Hanoi is home to 15 of the restaurants including Cafe du Lac, DC Bistro Boutique, La Badiane and Maison Vie, while there are six in Ho Chi Minh City, such as Annamite, Cobalt Restaurant and Social Club. There are two participating venues in Hoi An (Annam Restaurant and Faifo), and one each in Hue (Le Parfum) and Da Nang (Azure Beach Lounge). More than a thousand restaurants worldwide will also be part of the event on the same date. In Hanoi, French Ambassador to Vietnam Jean-Noel Poirier will welcome selected high school students and young people learning French to a special Gout de France dinner at the French Embassy. In Ho Chi Minh City, the highlight of the event will be a dinner prepared by two-Michelin-star chef Thierry Drapeau, to be held at the Consulate General of France with special guest Claude Bartolone, President of the National Assembly of France. Gout de France was organized for the first time in 2015 to honor French living, local produce and to promote France as a gastronomic destination after French cuisine was recognized as an "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO five years earlier. Please zoom in and out for viewing the location of the restaurants in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An. Britain's Prince Harry begins 5-day official trip to Nepal KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) Britain's Prince Harry began a five-day official trip to Nepal on Saturday, meeting with the prime minister and attending a ceremony to mark 200 years of relations between the two nations. Hundreds of people cheered as the 31-year-old prince came out of Kathmandu's airport. He later met with Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli at his official residence and attended a ceremony hosted by Nepal's government. During his trip, Harry will tour areas hit by last year's devastating earthquake and visit a camp for displaced quake survivors. People are hoping his visit will draw attention to Nepal's struggle to recover from the disaster. British Prince Harry arrives in Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, March 19, 2016. When Britain's Prince Harry visits Nepal this weekend, ordinary people hope his tour of earthquake-hit areas will draw attention to the country's struggle to recover from last year's disaster. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) The April 25, 2015, quake killed nearly 9,000 people, destroyed about 1 million homes and damaged many old temples, palaces and other old structures in Patan and Kathmandu, the capital. Nepalese authorities have been slow to push ahead with rebuilding efforts. The prince will also stay with a family that includes men who served in the British army's famed Gurkha regiments, the unit that Harry served with in Afghanistan. The Gurkhas have served in the British army for 200 years and have a reputation for being brave, tenacious fighters. Thousands of young Nepali men attempt to pass the grueling test to become a Gurkha, but only a few get through. Harry is the first British royal to visit Nepal since the monarchy was abolished in 2008 following street protests. Since then, the Himalayan country has turned into a republic, with a president chosen by a parliament. The prince will meet with President Bidhya Devi Bhandari during his trip. British Prince Harry waves hand while he arrives in Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, March 19, 2016. When Britain's Prince Harry visits Nepal this weekend, ordinary people hope his tour of earthquake-hit areas will draw attention to the country's struggle to recover from last year's disaster. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) British Prince Harry arrives in Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, March 19, 2016. When Britain's Prince Harry visits Nepal this weekend, ordinary people hope his tour of earthquake-hit areas will draw attention to the country's struggle to recover from last year's disaster. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) Voters in dark on key details of casino expansion referendum TRENTON, N.J. (AP) When New Jerseyans decide in November whether to approve two new casinos in the northern part of the state, they'll likely have only a vague notion of what they're voting on. Key details of a referendum authorized this week by the Legislature remain unresolved and appear likely to stay that way until after voters have had their say. Among them: how much the new casinos may generate in gambling winnings, how much they will pay in taxes, and even where the casinos will be located and who will own them. This March 9, 2016 photo shows a card game under way at the Tropicana casino in Atlantic City, N.J. When voters go to the polls in November to decide a statewide referendum on expanding casinos to the northern part of the state, they will likely only have a vague idea of what they're voting on as key details are not likely to be decided until after the referendum. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry) "These are questions that anyone would ask before they even begin debate," said Assemblyman Chris Brown, an Atlantic County Republican who tried unsuccessfully to derail the referendum that will appear on the November ballot. "What is the revenue? What is the tax rate? Who's going to pay for infrastructure improvements near these new casinos? I think these are all fair questions." But not many are likely to be answered before New Jerseyans enter the voting booth. Sen. Paul Sarlo, a Bergen County Democrat, said, "Many of your concerns will be addressed in enabling legislation that will come before this body once a referendum passes." In other words: Pass the law, and let us fill in the details afterward. Senate President Steve Sweeney, a southern New Jersey Democrat and likely candidate for governor next year, won't commit to settling key details of the plan for northern New Jersey casinos before voters go to the polls. "We might be able to," he said. "Listen, we're not trying to hide anything. We will do the enabling legislation soon; how soon, I don't know." Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, an Essex County Democrat and key backer of casino expansion, has said he thinks it should be done before the referendum so that voters understand what they're being asked to decide. Some key details that may or may not be settled before voters go to the polls: ___ WHERE? The referendum does not specify where the casinos would go, only that they be in separate counties at least 72 miles from Atlantic City. The most frequently mentioned locations are the East Rutherford Meadowlands, where racetrack operator Jeff Gural and Hard Rock International have proposed a casino, and in Jersey City, across the Hudson River from Manhattan, where footwear magnate Paul Fireman has proposed a casino costing as much as $4 billion or $5 billion. But vast other areas of the state remain eligible as well. ____ HOW MUCH? The biggest question is how much the new casinos are likely to earn and pay. And no one can answer that with any degree of certainty right now. Industry and Wall Street analysts have told The Associated Press the new casinos could be among the most successful in the country, as long as New York City doesn't allow a casino nearby shortly afterward. Gural estimates a Meadowlands casino would take in $800 million to $900 million a year from gamblers, ranking it among the most successful in the nation. Some analysts think a Meadowlands casino could exceed $1 billion in annual revenue, at least before it has a nearby competitor in northern New Jersey. But Brown cites a Wall Street study predicting the haul would be closer to $500 million a year. ____ THE TAX MAN Perhaps the most important decision for New Jersey officials and residents is the tax rate the casinos would pay. Gural has offered to pay 55 percent, but Sweeney has said that since a requirement that the casinos cost at least $1 billion apiece, the tax rate would have to be much lower than that in order to keep them from failing. The tax rate directly determines how much money will be sent to help compensate Atlantic City for the inevitable loss of business to new in-state competition; to tax relief and programs for senior citizens and the disabled, to the state's horse racing industry, and to municipalities and counties that host the casinos. Without reliable revenue estimates and a firm tax rate, no one can begin to accurately estimate how much any of those payments might be. Atlantic City's casinos currently pay an 8 percent tax and a 1.25 percent mandatory redevelopment payment on their revenues. "We're voting on something where there are more questions than answers," said Sen James Whelan, the former Democratic mayor of Atlantic City. ____ WHO? The bill gives owners of existing Atlantic City casinos first crack at the two new licenses. If they fail to apply within 60 days, the licenses would be thrown open to anyone. ___ Follow Wayne Parry at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC This March 9, 2016 photo shows stacks of chips at the Tropicana casino in Atlantic City, N.J. When voters go to the polls in November to decide a statewide referendum on expanding casinos to the northern part of the state, they will likely only have a vague idea of what they're voting on as key details are not likely to be decided until after the referendum. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry) This March 9, 2016 photo shows chips on a roulette table at the Tropicana casino in Atlantic City, N.J. When voters go to the polls in November to decide a statewide referendum on expanding casinos to the northern part of the state, they will likely only have a vague idea of what they're voting on as key details are not likely to be decided until after the referendum. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry) Europe's No. 1 fugitive managed to elude capture for months BRUSSELS (AP) As the net closed in around Salah Abdeslam, Europe's No. 1 fugitive was holed up in an apartment in the place he knows best, a Brussels neighborhood favored by several of the Paris attackers. Abdeslam's four months on the run ended Friday when he was shot in the leg and dragged away in a white hoodie during a massive police operation in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek. Authorities now need to piece together how the man who was at the Nov. 13 attacks that killed 130 people in Paris managed to evade authorities for so long. It appears, during the final stages at the very least, Abdeslam was hiding only 500 meters (yards) from his parents' home, the place where he grew up. Pharred, the owner of Boutique Salam, answers questions of journalist in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels, Belgium, Saturday, March 19, 2016, where fugitive Salah Abdeslam was arrested after a four-month manhunt. Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, and a suspected accomplice have been discharged from a hospital in Brussels and will now face official questioning and a fast-track extradition effort. Abdeslam and his companion were injured when they were captured by police. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) On Molenbeek's central square, a worker at a store selling Islamic headscarves and copies of the Quran said Saturday that Abdeslam's strategy of hiding in his old neighborhood was all the residents could talk about. "For four months, he basically disappeared into thin air. And now we learn he was right here," marveled the worker, who identified himself only as Pharred, saying he was fearful of talking about a police operation. It remains unclear exactly where Abdeslam spent his days while on the run and how he evaded police for so long. Four other suspects were detained in Friday's raid, including three members of a family that sheltered him. On Saturday, Belgian authorities charged Abdeslam and an alleged accomplice with "participation in terrorist murder." A third person detained Friday was charged with being in a terrorist group and hiding criminals, while two others who had been detained were released. The Belgian government said it realizes that support for Abdeslam may have been more widespread than initially thought. "I always said that at the beginning we thought it was several individuals. Today we have to recognize that the number of people who support him is higher," said Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon. "That doesn't mean that the entire community supports him. But the support is a lot higher than I had estimated at the beginning." The 26-year-old is suspected of being the logistics man for the gang of Islamic extremists who went on a rampage in Paris on Nov. 13, killing 130 people. Abdeslam is thought to have rented rooms, shopped for detonators and driven at least one of the killers from Brussels to Paris. His lawyer, Sven Mary, told the Associated Press that Abdeslam "doesn't deny he was in Paris." In Paris, prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters that, during an interrogation session on Saturday, Abdeslam told Belgian officials that he had "wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France" on Nov. 13 but that he backed out at the last minute. Molins did not say what caused the 26-year-old to purportedly change his mind. Possibly Abdeslam's closest brush with police came in the immediate aftermath of the Nov. 13 attacks, when he and contacts from Brussels were stopped at a French police checkpoint but let through. Since then, he has been only seen on wanted posters. It would not have been hard for him to disappear in Molenbeek's densely populated warren of narrow, cobbled streets and crumbling apartment blocks, where people with a Moroccan background form the vast majority of the population. "Probably he had contacts with other men to help him," Molenbeek Mayor Francoise Schepmans told The Associated Press. "But we have to wait. What's important now is that Salah Abdeslam has been arrested." Abdeslam is expected to be extradited to France after questioning in Belgium. But his lawyer, Sven Mary, told reporters Saturday that his client will fight extradition efforts, speaking after he and Abdeslam met with a Belgian investigating magistrate. France quickly issued a new European arrest warrant with more charges to speed up his extradition to a June 18 deadline. Meanwhile, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel warned that "the fight is not over" and his government announced the nation's terrorism alert level would remain unchanged at 3 on a 4-point scale. After the hours-long police raid on Friday, life sought to recapture a semblance of normality in Molenbeek on Saturday. A mother wearing a dark headscarf with a son in pink soccer cleats picked their way along the sidewalk past camera crews staked out in front of the house where Abdeslam was arrested. Its ground-floor windows were boarded up. A man in a nearby cafe drank coffee and read a French-language newspaper with the front-page headline: "Salah arrested. Mission accomplished." Some neighbors were clearly shaken at the fact that the young man with French nationality but close ties to Molenbeek had been living in their midst despite the huge police manhunt. "He was next to us, next to our kids. The most-wanted man was next to us day and night," said Lamia, a 29-year-old mother of two young girls, who also declined to give her family name. She said she regularly visits her grandmother, who lives on a street near Abdeslam's final bolt hole. "When things blew up, it was shaking at our place. We were crying, the children were crying. Honestly, it's a shock. He was two blocks away," she said. People pass a shop in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels, Belgium, Saturday, March 19, 2016, where fugitive Salah Abdeslam was arrested after a four-month manhunt. Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, and a suspected accomplice have been discharged from a hospital in Brussels and will now face official questioning and a fast-track extradition effort. Abdeslam and his companion were injured when they were captured by police.(AP Photo/Peter Dejong) Puerto Rico political leader calls for debt moratorium SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) The gubernatorial candidate for Puerto Rico's ruling Popular Democratic Party is calling for a five-year debt payment moratorium, saying it's needed to stabilize government operations and guarantee the delivery of essential services. Former Secretary of State David Bernier made the call Friday weeks after urging the administration to hasten the pace of debt restructuring talks with creditors, which have been dragging on since Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla announced last June the U.S. Commonwealth's nearly $70 billion debt is not payable. Arguing that a payment default is inevitable, Bernier said the Legislature should approve the moratorium in the "next few days" to avoid aggravating the consequences a default would have on government operations and the delivery of essential services "If there is no will among bondholders for this agreement, it has to be decreed through the legislative route. The country cannot continue waiting," Bernier said. "Each day that passes without declaring the moratorium is additional time it will cost us to regain our path of development and a greater loss of human capital through migration to the United States." Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico's sole Congressional representative and a potential rival of Bernier for the governorship, said that a unilateral moratorium is not realistic, warning it would lead to "endless litigation" and "perpetuate the adversarial relationship between the Puerto Rico government and its creditors." He said Congress should enact a law to encourage debt restructuring negotiations between Puerto Rico's debt-issuing entities and their creditors, with a mechanism for fair, equitable and binding agreements. Bernier also complained that Congress has failed to extend federal bankruptcy protections to commonwealth government entities and ignored proposals to help the island refinance its debt. Puerto Rico officials have previously warned of a debt moratorium if they can't reach a deal with creditors or Congress fails to grant federal bankruptcy powers. Dead Brussels gunman hoped for Islamic State suicide mission PARIS (AP) The Algerian gunman newly linked to the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris joined the Islamic State group in 2014 and told the extremists he wanted to die as a suicide bomber, bypassing the choice to be a fighter. He was instead shot to death by a police sniper in the raid that led authorities to Europe's most wanted fugitive. Previously unknown to authorities, Mohamed Belkaid died Tuesday in the apartment, firing on police while accomplices fled. Salah Abdeslam, the fugitive from the Nov. 13 attacks, had left behind a fingerprint. Belkaid's Kalashnikov assault rifle was found near his body along with an Islamic State flag. Police officers secure a street during a raid in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels, Belgium, Friday March 18, 2016. After an intense four-month manhunt across Europe and beyond, police on Friday captured Salah Abdeslam, the top fugitive in the Paris attacks in the same Brussels neighborhood where he grew up. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) According to documents given to The Associated Press by the Syrian opposition news site Zaman al-Wasl, Belkaid told the extremists he had traveled throughout Europe including to Spain, Germany and France and listed his residence as Sweden. He provided a passport to the group and a phone number for a close relative, which on Friday rang as a non-functioning line. Phone directories in Sweden have a man named Mohamed Aziz Belkaid listed in Marsta, a northern Stockholm suburb. Calls to the listed numbers were not answered and Swedish authorities could not be reached for comment. In the documents, he said he had no experience as a jihadi and no one to vouch for him as he crossed the border on April 19, 2014. Islamic State prizes the growth of its networks abroad, and having a sponsor is seen as both a sign of credibility and a way to measure the extent of its reach. Belkaid listed his occupation as a candy maker. German intelligence authorities say they also have a copy of some of the same documents as the Syrian opposition site, and that they are believed to be authentic. Belkaid's "application" to the Islamic State group and his subsequent ties to the Nov. 13 attackers, many of whom met and trained together in Syria, highlights the difficulty in uncovering the extent of the plot that led to 130 deaths in Paris. In two years, Belkaid transformed from an aspiring jihadi into a Kalashnikov-toting fighter linked to a cell that carried out the deadliest attack in France since World War II. "We know that there is a certain number of other people identified and at large who probably participated in the Paris attacks. There are others we think could go into action through the existence of other cells in Belgium or elsewhere in Europe. So the threat remains important and we're going to continue the investigations," said Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders. French President Francois Hollande said Friday that more people were involved in the attacks than initially thought, and predicted more arrests would follow that of Abdeslam and four others. In a further sign of the widening net, Interpol warned members to be vigilant for more accomplices fleeing now that Abdeslam is in custody and has information desperately sought by investigators trying to learn about the Nov. 13 attacks and head off new ones. Swedish media reported that Belkaid married a Swedish-born wife 16 years his elder and got his residency permit in 2011. Media also said he left Sweden in late 2013 or early 2014; she died later that year. Swedish media said the man had convictions for petty crimes, including thefts. On Friday, Belgian prosecutors said Belkaid was "most probably" an accomplice of Abdeslam and had been using a fake Belgian ID card in the name of Samir Bouzid. A man using that ID was one of two men seen with Abdeslam in a rental car on the Hungarian-Austrian border in September. The same fake ID was used on Nov. 17 to transfer 750 euros to the cousin of Abdelhamid Abbaoud, the suspected ringleader of the attack. Both Hasna Ait Boulahcen and Abbaoud died in a police siege of the apartment paid for by that transfer, which was destroyed by a suicide attacker holed up with the two. Belkaid was killed Tuesday by a police sniper in Brussels. A Kalashnikov assault rifle was found by his body, as well as a book on Salafism, an ultraconservative strain of Islam. Elsewhere in the apartment, police found an Islamic State banner as well as 11 Kalashnikov loaders and a large quantity of ammunition, the prosecutor said. ___ Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Raf Casert and John-Thor Dahlburg in Brussels contributed. ___ The Latest: Russia says US slow to agree on Syria monitoring BERIUT (AP) The Latest on the conflict in Syria (all times local): 6:30 p.m. The Russian Defense Ministry says the U.S. has dragged its feet on responding to Moscow's proposals on joint monitoring of a Syria cease-fire. Lt.-Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian Military General Staff, speaks to the media, with a map of the area around Palmyra seen in the background in Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 18, 2016. Russia's Defense Ministry says its warplanes in Syria are supporting the Syrian army's offensive on Palmyra. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) Lt. Gen. Sergei Kuralenko said Saturday that Russia proposed measures on controlling the truce on Feb. 25, but the U.S. hasn't answered yet, adding that further delays led to civilian casualties and were "inadmissible." Kuralenko said 67 civilians have been killed by militant fire in Aleppo alone since the truce started. The Russian and U.S.-brokered cease-fire that began on Feb. 27 has helped significantly reduce hostilities. The Islamic State group and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front have been excluded from the truce. President Vladimir Putin has recalled some Russian warplanes from Syria earlier this week, but said the air strikes against the IS and the Nusra Front will continue ___ 2:30 p.m. Opposition monitoring groups say airstrikes have killed and wounded dozens of people in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, the Islamic State group's de facto capital. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says 19 people were killed and some 60 wounded when the air raids hit several areas in the city, which has been held by the extremists since 2013. The Local Coordination Committees said the air raids were carried out by Syrian government warplanes, adding that dozens were killed or wounded. Both groups say Saturday's air raids struck near the national hospital, a former army base and other neighborhoods. The Latest: Barbour says he will back Republican nominee WASHINGTON (AP) The Latest on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign trip to Arizona (all times Eastern Standard Time): 7:45 p.m. Former Republican National Committee Chairman Haley Barbour says he has no plans to endorse any of the 2016 GOP candidates for president but that he will ultimately support the nominee. FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2016, photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is joined by Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio as a campaign event at the Roundhouse Gymnasium in Marshalltown, Iowa. Before Trump, there was Arpaio roiling Arizona politics and the nation's immigration debate. Trump hopes to win Arizona's primary Tuesday with the help of his fellow immigration hardliner (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) In an interview with The Associated Press, Barbour said Saturday that front-runner Donald Trump is best positioned to win a majority of the delegates ahead of the July convention, but added that there is "some chance that no one will win a majority in the primaries or caucuses." Barbour detailed the economic shortfalls of President Barack Obama's administration and said that he will ultimately support the Republican nominee because "who ever that is will be better than Hillary Clinton." ___ 6:55 p.m. Donald Trump says that he will act presidential if he is elected president, but that the job requires someone who is willing to fight. Speaking Saturday at a campaign rally in Tucson, Arizona, the billionaire businessman said he promised his daughter and wife that he would act more presidential. He immediately shifted gears pointing to former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney as a "stiff" and vowed to be tough if he is elected president. He then declared to the audience that he has fallen "in love" with a Latino woman who he called up on stage because she was holding a sign declaring that Latinos are with Trump. ___ 6:25 p.m. Donald Trump says protesters at his rally are "taking away our First Amendment rights" and vowed to take the country back if he's elected president. His comments at a campaign rally in Tucson prompted chants of "U.S.A.! U.S.A!" from the crowd. Trump accused Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton of sending the protesters, saying that he is the last person she wants to run against in the general election. A number of protesters interrupted his campaign speech at the rally. At first he dismissed them, and then he kicked them out. He called one protester, who wore the Klu Klux Klan hood, "disgusting." Another group, carrying a "Black Lives Matter" sign were kicked out. Earlier Saturday, protesters blocked a main highway leading to Trump's rally in a Phoenix suburb. ___ 6:20 p.m. Arizona's contentious Sheriff Joe Arpaio says his officers locked up protesters who blocked a main highway leading to a Donald Trump rally and "threw them in jail." Arpaio, addressing a crowd in Tucson, Arizona at Trump's third and final event Saturday, said he's impressed with Trump's assertive approach to campaigning, and said he's sure that Trump will deliver on his promises, particularly his vow to build a border wall with Mexico. Arpaio has endorsed Trump's bid for the White House and introduced him at events in Tucson and an earlier event in his home town of Fountain Hills, Arizona. ___ 5:45 p.m. About 100 people are gathering outside the Tuscon, Arizona venue where Donald Trump will hold a campaign rally. The event is Trump's third and final scheduled event in Arizona Saturday, each of which has been marked by protests. Earlier Saturday, protesters blocked the main highway leading to the Phoenix suburb where Trump appeared with Arizona's contentious Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Hundreds of people attended the earlier rally, which took place without incident. ___ 3:15 p.m. Several hundred demonstrators in New York City are continuing to protest Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump. The protesters gathered Saturday in Manhattan's Columbus Circle, across from Central Park, amid a heavy police presence. Demonstrators chanted: "Donald Trump, go away, racist, sexist, anti-gay." They marched across south Central Park to Trump Tower, the Fifth Avenue skyscraper where Trump lives. Then they marched back to Columbus Circle for a rally. The protest was largely peaceful though there was one tense moment when some protesters tried to break through a police barricade. Two protesters who walked in the street were arrested. Various groups including immigrants' rights activists and socialists organized the protest. One sign read "Love Trumps Hate." Another read, "Will trade 1 Donald Trump for 25,000 refugees." ___ 3:05 p.m. Thousands of people are gathered in a Phoenix suburb as Donald Trump delivers a campaign speech in the hometown of the state's contentious Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Demonstrators chanted "Stop the hate" at the Saturday rally in Fountain Hills, Arizona, as introduced Trump at the rally. The protesters were booed and jeered as they made their way through the crowd as a large group of officers with Arpaio's office made their way toward them. Trump supporters countered with chants of "Trump! Trump! Trump!" and "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" One Trump supporter yelled, "learn to speak English." "You can't even show your face," a Trump supporter yelled at a protester with a bandanna over her face. ___ 2:55 p.m. Demonstrators are marching through a crowd that gathered at the edge of a park in a Phoenix suburb as a Donald Trump campaign rally gets set to begin. The protesters, who earlier Saturday had blocked the main highway leading to the event, were outside the perimeter set up by the Secret Service around the main rally site but still surrounded by thousands of Trump backers. Trump's motorcade arrived just as the demonstrators weaved through the crowd. He's set to speak alongside Arizona's contentious Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The demonstrators were barely visible behind the Trump supporters, who waved signs saying "Hillary for Prison" referring to Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and "Joe for VP," referring to Arpaio. ___ 2:30 p.m. Ted Cruz is echoing a statement by former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney that voting for his rival John Kasich would inevitably lead to Donald Trump becoming this year's nominee. Cruz, speaking to reporters in Draper, Utah Saturday ahead of the state's caucuses, urged voters to instead vote for him since he said he's best-positioned to beat the GOP front-runner. Cruz also lashed out at Trump for questioning whether Mitt Romney is really a Mormon, calling it deplorable. Romney said Friday he would vote for Cruz in Tuesday's caucuses, saying in a Facebook statement that Trump "has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence." ___ 2:15 p.m. Vehicles on a highway outside Phoenix are now moving again after protesters denouncing Donald Trump's candidacy blocked the only major road leading to the site of the GOP front-runner's rally. Officers remained on both sides of the road Saturday to ensure the crowd of some two dozen protesters was dispersing. Dozens of people filed back to their vehicles. It was not clear how many were protesters and how many were merely spectators. The disruption occurred well after large crowds lined up to get into the Fountain Hills rally, where Trump is scheduled to speak alongside Arizona's revered Sheriff Joe Arpaio. ___ 1:20 p.m. Protesters are blocking a main highway leading into the Phoenix suburb where Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is set to hold a campaign rally. The protesters parked their cars in the middle of the road Saturday, unfurling banners with anti-Trump slogans and chanting "Trump is hate." The disruption caused a lengthy traffic backup, and drivers honked their horns in frustration. Maricopa County Sheriff Deputy Joaquin Enriquez said officers will ask the protesters to move and if they don't comply, they will forcibly remove them. The disruption occurred well after large crowds lined up to get into the Fountain Hills rally, where Trump is scheduled to speak alongside Arizona's revered Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Salvador Reza, a member of the Tonatierra Barrio Defense Committees, stands outside the Phoenix Convention Center where Fox News host Sean Hannity was set to interview Donald Trump in Phoenix Saturday, March 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Ryan VanVelzer) People go through security as the arrive to attend a campaign rally with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump om Saturday, March 19, 2016, in Fountain Hills, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York) A supporter is told by police he can't wear his Trump face mask before a campaign rally with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump Saturday, March 19, 2016, in Fountain Hills, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York) Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump hold up a sign as they wait for a campaign rally, Saturday, March 19, 2016, in Fountain Hills, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York) Search continues for Florida Panhandle boat crash victim DESTIN, Fla. (AP) Authorities are still searching for a woman missing after a boat crash claimed a man's life off the Florida Panhandle. Dive teams of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission searched Saturday afternoon for the woman, a day after the accident that also hospitalized five others. Agency spokeswoman Bekah Nelson said the woman's name isn't being released because her family hasn't been notified. Authorities say the boat was carrying about a dozen people when it crashed early Friday into a rocky outcropping. The 28-foot personal craft struck the East Jetty near Destin and capsized. The U.S. Coast Guard, other agencies and good Samaritans rescued 10 people. A dive team later Friday found the body of 22-year-old Avery Hatchet of Destin. Bernie Sanders quoted the Pope as he slammed Donald Trump's views on immigration during a speech from the US-Mexico border. Standing in front of the tall, steel fence that divides the two countries, the presidential hopeful vowed to keep immigrant families together during a visit to Arizona, which holds its primary next week. Sanders was accompanied by Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada and U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva. He started the day walking along a small street next to the Nogales-Morley Gate Port of Entry, where he spoke with two young immigrants about their struggles to obtain legal status in the United States. During a speech, he criticized President Obama's record on immigration, describing him as part of the 'deportation regime, and praised Pope Francis. He quoted the Catholic leader in saying that the solution is 'compassion not hatred. Good public policy, not bigotry.' 'I would hope that all of us are rightly appalled by the divisive, bigoted and xenophobic comments of people like Donald Trump,' he added. Bernie at the border: Sanders speaks near the U.S.-Mexico international border in Nogales, Arizona, A small group of people who identified themselves as deported U.S. military veterans stood on the Mexican side of the border fence cheering for Sanders. A lone man protested Sanders and followed his group around to several locations. Sanders vowed to expand two programs spearheaded by President Barack Obama which aim to protect immigrants from deportation. One, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, benefits youths who were brought to the country illegally as children. The other, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, would benefit parents whose children are U.S. citizens. The latter has not taken effect and is being argued in court. Sanders said he would fight to keep families together. 'I am shocked by the fear and shocked by the sadness that grips so many of them,' Sanders said. The Vermont senator has focused his campaign almost exclusively on Arizona in the past week as he looks to rebound from his resounding defeat last week to Clinton. Sanders and his wife Jane speak with a young immigrant named Julio Zuniga who told him about his struggles in this country after being brought here illegally by his family He drew a crowd of about 7,000 people in Tucson and followed that up with a visit to the Navajo Nation in what marks a rare visit by a White House candidate to the nation's largest Indian reservation. His pursuit of the Native American vote included a visit by his wife to a sacred Apache site near the site of a proposed copper mine that Sanders and tribes strenuously oppose. Late Saturday he held his fourth Arizona rally in the past five days, this time just outside of downtown Phoenix. Sanders is hoping for a win in Tuesday's Arizona primary to propel him through the next month when several states more favorable for him are due to vote. 'Please, on Tuesday, make sure that you, your friends, your family come out to vote,' he told the crowd. 'Let us see Arizona help lead a political revolution.' He has also sought the Latino vote in Arizona, aggressively challenging Arizona's contentious Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has endorsed Trump, in a speech for his harsh immigration tactics. 'It's easy for bullies like Sheriff Arpaio to pick on people who have no power,' Sanders said. 'If I am elected president the president of the United States does have power. So watch out, Joe.' Clinton is making her own last-minute push to win Arizona. Former President Bill Clinton is campaigning for his wife in the state on Sunday, and the former first lady and secretary of state has a rally Monday. She is running ads showing former Rep. Gabby Giffords voice her support for the candidate. She also has the support of most of the Democratic political establishment. Tunisia: New deaths in standoff near Libyan border TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) Tunisia's government says security forces have killed two gunmen hiding in a town near the Libyan border, where a manhunt followed an unusually violent attack earlier this month. Three civilians and a member of the national guard were wounded by shots fired by the gunmen in Saturday's standoff outside Ben Guerdane, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Seven civilians, 12 security forces and 49 assailants have been killed in the area since gunmen attacked Ben Guerdane on March 7, according to the government. The attack heightened international concerns about lawlessness in Libya, where Islamic State extremists are expanding. The European Commission and the International Energy Agency will address the impact of the energy crisis on SMEs in an online event on 21 October. Gibraltar first minister calls on Brexit Tory MPs 'to think very carefully' Gibraltar-loving Tory MPs have been accused by its chief minister of putting their Euroscepticism before his people's best interests by backing Brexit. In a sharp caution to long-term allies to think again, Fabian Picardo suggested it was not "compatible" to be a "real friend" of the overseas territory and vote to force it out of the EU against its will. He also accused the Government of leaving The Rock in the lurch by refusing to conduct any contingency planning in the event of a Leave vote in the referendum. Chief minister Fabian Picardo accused the Government of leaving Gibraltar in the lurch Mr Picardo is pushing to highlight to UK voters what he believes would be the disastrous consequences for his country of withdrawal from the EU, with Spain "ready to pounce". Its 22,000 residents - who are British citizens - have a vote in the referendum and are expected with few exceptions to back Remain amid fears Madrid could close its vital border as part of a new drive to reclaim sovereignty. The chief minister told the Press Association there was "no doubt that we would be worse off outside the European Union" and he was "not in the business of risking Gibraltar's continued economic prosperity". Tory MP Andrew Rosindell is among the most vocal defenders of the territory's right to remain part of the UK in the face of Spanish claims and a prominent member of the Conservative Friends of Gibraltar. But he is one of several members of the all-party group on Gibraltar - including its Tory chairman Jack Lopresti and Democratic Unionist Ian Paisley - who intend to back a Brexit on June 23. Mr Picardo questi oned their commitment, insisting vital help from the European Commission in forcing Madrid to respect free movement at the border "would go out of the window" if the Eurosceptics won the argument. "I'd say the majority of the group is in favour of staying in," he told PA. "But we do have people who are very good friends of Gibraltar and who have long argued that they would like to see the UK out of the European Union. "I ask them to think very carefully about what they are doing and how that could reflect on Gibraltar. To such a extent that I wonder if it is compatible to be in favour of Brexit and call yourself a real friend of Gibraltar. I say that advisedly. "I know that Andrew and others have been great friends of Gibraltar and I know that they feel great friends of Gibraltar. We consider them friends too. "But the consequences of Brexit are so potentially dangerous to Gibraltar and the risks to which we will be exposed are so huge that I think if you really put on your thinking cap for Gibraltar, you would only come to the conclusion that Brexit is an unnecessary risk to take. "They say that they are sure that the United Kingdom would defend Gibraltar etc etc. But it is difficult when you ask people 'how?' and to say more about what they would do, to see that they have no answers other than pure speculation." Mr Picardo said he was lobbying Europe minister David Lidington to drop a Whitehall ban on contingency planning to allow discussions on issues such as whether Gibraltar would be included in any post-Brexit trade deals. "The UK Government is not planning for an exit," Mr Picardo said. "I would certainly rather it was because frankly I think we need to be ready for all eventualities. "Their instructions are that they cannot at this stage explore what might happen in the event of an exit because the position of the Government is to support staying in." He said his government was looking at how to minimise the potential damage. "The fact that the result of the referendum is not in yet is not going to stop us trying to consider all of those issues," he continued. "Even if we are not issuing press releases on the subject at this stage, we need to understand what we could be able to do in the context of that new reality. "If the United Kingdom were negotiating a trade deal with China, why should Gibraltar be included with it if the rest of the overseas territories are not? Ditto the United States for example. "For Gibraltar you can take it as a given that we would find it very difficult indeed to negotiate bilateral trade deals with the United States or Canada or any other that the trading bloc of the UK might be able to do deals with. "Our current economic model is based on the ability to freely provide services in the single market. "Therefore the proposal to leave the single market, without clarity as to what access we might have or might be able to agree, is very worrying indeed. "It is all in the realms of speculation and that therefore involves risk and I am not in the business of risking Gibraltar's continued economic prosperity. "I have no doubt that we would be worse off outside the European Union because our current prosperity has demonstrated just what membership of the EU can mean." Mr Picardo said he feared pro-Brexit voters were more motivated to get to the ballot box and urged the Conservative and Labour leaderships to step up their efforts to enthuse others to turn up to tick the Remain box. "Those who want to remain within the European Union should exercise their right to vote because those who are going to vote for the United Kingdom to be outside the EU are certainly going to be ensuring that they have set aside June 23 as a day that they need to be involved in voting," he said. "I am convinced that with all parties demonstrating to their membership how important the European Union can be going forward, the result should be a clear majority for the 'in' campaign. "But the political leaders have a responsibility to make the argument. Iain Duncan Smith did right thing by resigning - Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Corbyn said Iain Duncan Smith has "done the right thing" by resigning as he called on Stephen Crabb to reinstate Personal Independence Payments. In an interview with Sky News, he welcomed the news Mr Duncan Smith has quit as former Work and Pensions Secretary and added: "I wonder where his conscience has been hiding for the past six years." "I think he (Duncan Smith) has done the right thing to resign, because after all this is a man who has presided over some fairly appalling policies but this latest example of cutting the Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) of a very large number of people ... is shocking," he added. Jeremy Corbyn welcomed the news that former Work and Pensions Secretary Mr Duncan Smith has quit "He has resigned but I really think the problem is the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne." Mr Corbyn described the cuts to disability payments as "shameful" and vowed to raise the issue in Parliament next week. "We have got to defend the principle of Personal Independence Payments at at least the current level and not enable them to take it away from a large number of people," he told Sky. When asked if he thought Mr Duncan Smith had found his conscience, he replied: "He has taken so much away from people with disabilities and he has suddenly found a conscience now - I wonder where that conscience has been hiding for the past six years." Salah Abdeslam 'backed out of stadium bombing' during Paris attacks The prime suspect over autumn's deadly Paris terror attacks had planned to kill himself in the atrocities but backed out at the last moment, prosecutors have revealed. Salah Abdeslam had intended to be a suicide bomber at the city's main sports stadium but pulled out at the last minute. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Abdeslam told Belgian investigators he abandoned his suicide vest on November 13 after driving other attackers to Paris for the attacks. Salah Abdeslam was captured in a huge anti-terror operation in Brussels The 26-year-old was captured during a major police operation in Brussels on Friday. He was shot in the leg during his arrest but was discharged from hospital on Saturday morning. No explanation has been given for why he abandoned his role in the attacks, which saw 130 people killed at several venues across the French capital. Abdeslam, a French national, is subject to a European arrest warrant issued by France, but his lawyer Sven Mary has said he will fight extradition. Belgian authorities have officially charged him and another man who was using two aliases "with participation in terrorist murder" and in the activities of a terrorist organisation. The country's prime minister Charles Michel confirmed that Abdeslam had been captured after heavily armed officers stormed a building in Brussels' Molenbeek district. He said two other men were also held in the operation in a part of the city that some of the Paris attackers, including suspected ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud, were from. Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, said the arrest was a "major blow" to Islamic State in Europe and said he hopes Abdeslam can be brought to France to face justice. But Interpol has urged countries to be vigilant with their border controls, warning his capture may encourage any of his accomplices still at large to try to flee Europe. Secretary General Jurgen Stock said: " Belgium is to be congratulated on the arrest of Salah Abdeslam, but this is just one piece in a larger puzzle. "Whilst it is too soon to speculate in which direction the investigation will proceed, anyone linked to Abdeslam will be concerned that their location could be revealed and attempt to run to try and avoid detection. "It is now vital that countries continue to co-operate and make thorough checks against the information available to them to avoid suspects slipping through the net." Irish citizens among the wounded in suicide bomb attack in Turkey "A number" of Irish citizens have been injured in a bomb attack in Turkey which killed five people and left dozens injured, the Irish government has confirmed. A suicide attacker detonated a bomb on Istanbul's main pedestrian shopping street outside a local government office on Saturday morning, the sixth such attack in the country over the past year. Among the dead were two Israelis and one Iranian citizen, officials said, killed as the bomb tore through a neighbourhood that is popular with tourists and home to cafes, restaurants and foreign consulates. Emergency services at the scene of the explosion (AP) Skin, the lead singer of English band Skunk Anansie, was inside a hotel near where the explosion occurred and said she was left "very shaken" after the building "shook like paper". She said: "Massive bomb blast outside our hotel, I'm OK, very shaken, people dead, awful scenes." Posting a picture of the city on her Facebook page, she added: "Beautiful Istanbul taken before the horrendous bomb blast that just went off outside our hotel. Many people injured, horrific scenes, building shook like paper. "My heart goes out to the innocent people and their families caught up in this evil situation. We are OK, very shaken, city is in lock-down, plain clothes police with guns everywhere, scary times." The Turkish government said 39 people were wounded, including 24 foreigners of whom two were Irish citizens. Irish minister for trade and foreign affairs Charlie Flanagan expressed his "horror and sadness" at the bombing, saying: "I am deeply saddened by today's horrific bomb attack in central Istanbul. "I have spoken to ambassador Brendan Ward in Turkey and can confirm that we are aware of a number of Irish citizens among the injured. An embassy official is on the ground in Istanbul to provide consular assistance." The country's prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu said: "Turkey has always said that terrorism has no religion, no language and no race and that terrorism has to be condemned no matter who the perpetrators are. "This sad event has shown once again how right our position is." No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion has fallen on Islamic State and Kurdish militants who have claimed two recent attacks in the Turkish capital Ankara. California man gives $2 million aluminum penny back to U.S. Mint By Marty Graham SAN DIEGO, March 17 (Reuters) - A San Diego man who inherited from his father a 1974 aluminum penny valued at $2 million has surrendered it to the U.S. Mint to settle a lawsuit over ownership of the rare coin, a federal prosecutor said on Thursday. Randall Lawrence, the son of a former Mint official, and Michael McConnell, the owner of a San Diego-area coin shop, sued the federal government in 2014 after it demanded the return of the penny. Lawrence and McConnell had planned to display the coin at shows across the country and then sell it through an auction house, which estimated it would bring up to $2 million. The pair turned it over to the Mint and relinquished all claims to ownership as part of a settlement, Laura Duffy, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California, said in a statement. The settlement "vindicates the government's position that items made at U.S. Mint facilities but not lawfully issued ... remain government property and are not souvenirs that government employees can merely remove and pass down to their heirs," Duffy said. She did not disclose further terms of the settlement. The aluminum cent was proposed to the U.S. Congress in 1973, at a time when copper prices had increased dramatically, according to the Smithsonian Institution. The Mint made about 1.6 million of the aluminum coins and distributed them to Congress in anticipation of approval. When lawmakers rejected it, the Mint reclaimed the aluminum cents and destroyed almost all of them, leaving one to the Smithsonian in Washington, where it remains. U.N. chief calls on North Korea to halt 'inflammatory' actions UNITED NATIONS, March 18 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday North Korea's missile launch was "deeply troubling" and called on Pyongyang to "halt these inflammatory and escalatory actions." North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile which flew about 800 km (500 miles) before hitting the sea off its east coast, South Korea's military said on Friday, as the isolated state stepped up its defiance of tough new U.N. and U.S. sanctions. Suicide bomber kills four, wounds 36 in Istanbul shopping district By Nick Tattersall and Ayla Jean Yackley ISTANBUL, March 19 (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed four people on Saturday in a busy shopping district in the heart of Istanbul, pushing the death toll from four separate suicide attacks in Turkey this year to more than 80. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the blast was "inhumane" and would not stop Turkey, which has been targeted by Kurdish and Islamic State militants, from fighting "centres of terrorism". Israel said two of its citizens died in the attack, Washington said two Americans had been killed and a Turkish official said one victim was Iranian, suggesting that some of the dead may have had dual nationality. The blast, which also wounded at least 36 people, was a few hundred metres from an area where police buses are often stationed. It sent panicked shoppers scurrying into alleys off Istiklal Street, a long pedestrian avenue lined with international stores and foreign consulates. "There is information that it is an attack carried out by an ISIS member, but this is preliminary information, we are still checking it," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters, using another name for Islamic State. He said a third Israeli may have died. Israel also said 11 of its citizens had been wounded while Ireland said "a number" of Irish were hurt. The attack will raise further questions about the ability of NATO member Turkey to protect itself against a spillover of violence from the war in neighbouring Syria. Turkey is battling a widening Kurdish insurgency in its southeast, which it sees as fuelled by the territorial gains of Kurdish militia fighters in northern Syria, and has also blamed some of the recent bombings on Islamic State militants who crossed from its southern neighbour. "No centre of terrorism will reach its aim with such monstrous attacks," Davutoglu said in a written statement. "Our struggle will continue with the same resolution and determination until terrorism ends completely." THREE SUSPECTS Germany had shut its diplomatic missions and schools on Thursday, citing a specific threat. U.S. and other European embassies had warned their citizens to be vigilant ahead of Newroz celebrations this weekend, a spring festival largely marked by Kurds that has turned violent in the past. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Two senior officials said the attack could have been carried out by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), fighting for Kurdish autonomy in the southeast, or by an Islamic State militant. A PKK offshoot claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings in the capital Ankara over the past month which killed 66 people. Islamic State was blamed for a suicide bombing in Istanbul in January which killed at least 12 German tourists. One of the officials said Saturday's bomber, who also died in the blast, had planned to hit a more crowded location but was deterred by the police presence. "The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the target point because they were scared of the police," the official said, declining to be named as the investigation is ongoing. Another official said investigations were focusing on three possible suspects, all of them male and two of them from the southern city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border. There was no further confirmation of this. Armed police sealed off the shopping street where half a dozen ambulances gathered. Forensic teams in white suits searched for evidence as police helicopters buzzed overhead. "I saw a body on the street. No one was treating him but then I saw someone who appeared to be a regular citizen trying to do something to the body. That was enough for me and I turned and went back," one resident told Reuters. Istiklal Street, usually thronged with shoppers at weekends, was quieter than normal as more people are staying home after a series of deadly bombings. Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said 36 people had been wounded, seven of them in serious condition. At least 24 of the wounded were foreigners, according to Istanbul's governor. INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION Turkey is still in shock from a suicide car bombing last Sunday at a crowded transport hub in the capital Ankara which killed 37 people and a similar bombing in Ankara last month in which 29 died. A PKK offshoot claimed responsibility for both. The latest attack brought widespread condemnation. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on an official visit to Istanbul, said it showed "the ugly face of terrorism". France condemned it as "despicable and cowardly". NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg described it as "another terrorist outrage against innocent civilians", while the U.S. State Department said it was the latest "indefensible violence targeting innocent people throughout Turkey". The Kurdish-rooted opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) condemned the bombing. The PKK's umbrella group said it opposed targeting civilians and condemned attacks on them. A 2-1/2-year PKK ceasefire collapsed last July, triggering the worst violence in the southeast since the 1990s. Hundreds have since died. Separately, a police officer and a soldier died in clashes with militants in the southeastern city of Nusaybin, security sources said. In its armed campaign in Turkey, the PKK has historically struck directly at the security forces but recent bombings suggest it could be shifting tactics. Vandersay replaces Malinga, Sri Lanka bolster spin attack NEW DELHI, March 19 (Reuters) - Leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who was dropped from Sri Lanka's World Twenty20 squad barely 24 hours before they left for India, was called up as Lasith Malinga's replacement on Saturday. Pace spearhead Malinga, who is nursing a knee injury, returned home without bowling a ball for the Sri Lankan team defending their title in India. With spinners playing decisive roles in the early matches of the tournament so far, Sri Lanka have decided to bolster a slow bowling department which already includes left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake. Vandersay, 26, has played three one-dayers and four Twenty20 Internationals. Tensions rise in Congo ahead of Sunday's presidential poll By Aaron Ross BRAZZAVILLE, March 19 (Reuters) - Tension rose in Congo Republic ahead of a presidential election on Sunday after the government ordered phone companies to suspend services for security reasons and police summoned the main opposition candidate for questioning. Opposition figures said the order on Saturday to phone companies MTN Congo and Airtel Congo to halt communications would impede the work of election monitors. "The state wants them to cut off communication on March 20 and 21 for reasons of security and public tranquillity," a government source told Reuters. There was no immediate comment from MTN. President Denis Sassou Nguesso is expected to extend his long rule in the oil-producing nation by defeating eight opponents, including retired General Jean-Marie Mokoko who is seen as the strongest challenger. Sassou Nguesso has led Congo Republic for 32 of the last 37 years and pushed through constitutional changes in October to remove term and age limits that would have prevented him from standing. He is expected to win given his entrenched control of state and local institutions and the media. Mokoko said he was summoned to the state security headquarters on Saturday as part of an investigation but refused to go. He told reporters at his house in Brazzaville that it was his sixth summons in the last month to answer questions about a 2007 video that recently resurfaced, in which he appears to discuss preparations for a coup. Mokoko said there was no serious coup plot and the issue was resolved years ago. "It's an abuse of power ... Maybe they will now take me by force. Let them do it," he said. Opposition candidates have previously said the government would shut down communications to prevent the circulation of polling data that contradicts official tallies. "Everything is being done so that the election is not transparent," said Joe Washington, president of the Ebina Foundation, an activist group. Dozens killed in air strikes on Syria's Raqqa -monitor, activists BEIRUT, March 19 (Reuters) - Dozens of people were killed in a series of air strikes on the city of Raqqa in northern Syria on Saturday, a monitoring group and activists said, as Damascus and Moscow waged attacks on areas controlled by Islamic State. A cessation of hostilities in Syria took effect three weeks ago, reducing violence but not halting the fighting as peace talks take place in Geneva. The deal does not include al Qaeda or Islamic State militants, whose de facto capital in Syria is Raqqa. Russia has been pulling out its attack aircraft after announcing a partial withdrawal from Syria, where its air campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad has turned fighting in his favour. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that at least 39 people had been killed and dozens more wounded in the raids on Raqqa. An activist group with sources in Raqqa, called Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently, said more than 40 had been killed, and that separate strikes hit areas in the north of Raqqa province. The Observatory said the dead included seven women and five children. It said it was not clear whether Syrian or Russian warplanes had conducted the air strikes. Separately, Russian warplanes hit the Islamic State-held historic city of Palmyra and its immediate vicinity with some 70 air strikes, the Observatory said, killing at least 18 Islamic State fighters. Government forces and their allies are aiming to capture Palmyra, some 200 km southwest of Raqqa and also held by Islamic State since May. (Toyota) Toyota will be introducing a new Prius model during the 2016 New York Auto Show. According to the company's press release, Toyota will be "rolling out the next mechanical marvel in the Prius lineup." While details for the upcoming model are still quite scant, Toyota has unveiled the first teaser image. The image showcases the new Prius' sleek silhouette and wraparound LED taillights. In terms of design, the new model may feature distinct design cues that will make it stand out from the 2016 Prius model. Aside from a striking design language, it is also expected that the new model will feature the latest and innovative technologies from Toyota. According to Green Car Reports, Toyota may be planning to release a plug-in hybrid version of the fourth-generation Prius sedan. Car enthusiasts have been looking forward to a new plug-in hybrid version of the Prius since its predecessor was released way back in 2012. Given today's plug-in hybrid models, the 2012 model's 11-mile electric range is already considered paltry. Thus, Toyota may plan to release an updated plug-in hybrid model in order to compete with the Chevrolet Volt, Hyundai Sonata, and the Kia Optima. The flexibility of Toyota's New Global Architecture platform will also allow for larger lithium-ion battery packs inside the upcoming model, which would help improve its electric driving range. There are also rumors suggesting that Toyota may introduce a new model name for its upcoming vehicle. It was reported last year that Toyota had trademarked the name "Prius Prime." Unfortunately, at this time, nothing has been confirmed by Toyota. Full details and technical information will most likely be revealed during the days leading up to its official debut at the 2016 New York Auto Show. Toyota will have a press conference on on March 23, Wednesday at 9:10 a.m. ET. The event will be streamed live at this link. Be sure to catch the presentation to learn more about Toyota's newest model joining the Prius lineup. Republican lawmakers to join Obama's Cuba visit By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) - A small group of Republican lawmakers will join President Barack Obama's historic trip to Cuba on Sunday, underlining growing divisions in the party over the future of the United States' trade embargo against the island nation. At least five Republicans, all known for favoring normal trade relations with Cuba, will make the trip, congressional sources and lawmakers told Reuters. Republican congressional leaders have made opposition to President Barack Obama's easing of the Cuban trade embargo a hallmark of their foreign policy. But an increasing number of party members, drawn by the economic benefits of scrapping the cold war-era embargo, are lining up to back the White House. "This is the right policy. He's done the right thing," said Republican Senator Jeff Flake, an outspoken proponent of closer ties with Cuba who is going to Havana. Besides Flake, Republicans making the trip include House of Representatives members Mark Sanford, Tom Emmer and Reid Ribble, as well as Senator Dean Heller, congressional sources and lawmakers said. All of the representatives confirmed their participation, except for Heller, whose office declined requests for comment. But other lawmakers confirmed his travel. Republicans backing Obama's policy cut against the grain of the party's establishment thinking that seeks to avoid giving Obama any kind of policy win, either domestically or internationally. Normalizing relations with Cuba would be a significant foreign policy legacy for Obama. Many Republicans see the embargo as contrary to their party's pro-business tenets and believe the government should not tell citizens where they can travel. "It's about Americans' freedom and embracing engagement rather than isolation as a way of changing other governments," Sanford said in a Facebook post explaining his decision to make the trip. At least 15 of the 54 Republicans in the Senate, mostly members from states like Kansas where agriculture is a significant industry, have publicly backed increased Cuban trade or fewer restrictions on travel. Supporters of Obama's policy say the total number of Republican supporters in the House and Senate reaches several dozen. Some members say they want to see how the election plays out before speaking publicly. The U.S. embargo on Cuba, first imposed in 1960, can be lifted only via a majority vote in Congress, which is now controlled by Republicans. COLD WAR RIVALS Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro shocked the world in December 2014 by abruptly announcing the Cold War adversaries would move to normalize relations after more than a half-century's estrangement. The news drew immediate condemnation in Congress, where a bloc of mostly Republican Cuban-American lawmakers has worked to keep tight restrictions on trade and travel with Cuba for years. Although polls show 72 percent of Americans want to abandon the embargo, the Republican party line has firmly supported the restrictions. Critics of Obama's policy say Cuba's government is still too repressive for the United States to ease restrictions. But this week businessman Donald Trump, who has questioned the embargo, easily won the Republican primary in Florida, defeating leading embargo advocate Senator Marco Rubio. Trump's victory countered the long-standing assumption that the state's Cuban exiles would defeat any anti-embargo candidate. A young generation of Cuban-Americans has warmed to Obama's engagement policy, with many excited about the chance to open businesses in their homeland. Ribble, a founder of the House Cuba Working Group who is going on the trip, represents Wisconsin, one of several states where farmers want the chance to sell to an island just 90 miles from the U.S. coast. "I was a suicide bomber": Paris suspect charged in Belgium By Alastair Macdonald and John Irish BRUSSELS/PARIS, March 19 (Reuters) - The prime surviving suspect for the Nov. 13 Paris attacks planned to blow himself up at a sports stadium with fellow Islamic State militants but changed his mind, he told Belgian investigators on Saturday. The admission by Salah Abdeslam came a day after he was shot in the leg and captured during a police raid in Brussels, ending an intensive four-month manhunt. "He wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France and ... backed out," said the lead French investigator, Francois Molins, quoting Abdeslam's statement to a magistrate in Brussels before he was transferred to a secure jail in Bruges. The gun and bomb attacks on the stadium, bars and a concert hall killed 130 people and marked the deadliest militant assault in Europe since 2004. Molins told reporters in Paris that people should treat with caution initial statements by the 26-year-old French national. But his capture and apparent urge to talk marked a major breakthrough for investigators after the trail had seemed to go cold. Abdeslam's lawyer said he admitted being in Paris during the attacks but gave no details. He told reporters his client, born and raised by Moroccan immigrants in Brussels, had cooperated with investigators but would fight extradition to France. Legal experts said his challenge was unlikely to succeed but would buy him weeks, possibly months, to prepare his defence. Belgian prosecutors charged Abdeslam and a man arrested with him with "participation in terrorist murder". Abdeslam's elder brother Brahim, with whom he used to run a bar, was among the suicide bombers. Salah's confession suggested he was the 10th man mentioned in an Islamic State claim of responsibility for the attacks, after which police found one suicide vest abandoned in garbage. Abdeslam's family, who had urged him to give himself up, said through their lawyer that they had a "sense of relief". Authorities hope the arrest may help disrupt other militant cells that Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said were certainly "out there" and planning further violence. French security services stepped up their measures at frontier crossings after a global warning from Interpol that other fugitives might try to move country. "We've won a battle against the forces of ignorance but the struggle isn't over," Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said. The case has raised tensions with France but Michel and French President Francois Hollande, who was in Brussels for an EU summit when Abdeslam was arrested, praised each other's security services. Hollande was attending an international soccer match at the Stade de France when the bombers struck. FLIGHT RISK A man using false papers in the names of Amine Choukri and Monir Ahmed Alaaj was also charged with terrorist murder. As Choukri, he was documented by German police in the city of Ulm in October when he was stopped in a car with Abdeslam. French prosecutor Molins said Abdeslam travelled widely to prepare the attacks. A third man in the house when the pair were arrested was charged with belonging to a terrorist organisation. He and a woman who was present were charged with concealing criminals. Police had sought Abdeslam since he called two acquaintances in Belgium in a panic, hours after the attacks, to have them collect him and bring him home. Suspected to be as far away as Syria, it seems he was in Brussels all or most of the time. Failure to complete his mission could have limited his access to any support from Syria-based Islamic State; the chief Belgian investigator on the case said he had instead relied on a network of friends, family and neighbours with whom he had a history of drug trafficking and petty crime. Security agencies' difficulties in penetrating some Muslim communities, particularly in pursuit of Belgium's unusually high number of citizens fighting in Syria, have been a key factor in the inquiry. PARIS RELIEF As Parisians, and families of the victims, voiced relief at the arrest, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said after an emergency cabinet meeting that a trial could answer questions for those who suffered in the attacks. "Abdeslam will have to answer to French justice for his acts," he said. "It is an important blow to the terrorist organisation Daesh (Islamic State) in Europe." A trickle of people came to a makeshift memorial in central Paris, near the scene of much of the bloodshed, to pay their respects. "It's really a relief," said Emilien Bouthillier, who works in the neighbourhood. "I can't wait for Belgium to transfer and return him to France so he can be tried the way he should be." Friday's armed swoop came after Abdeslam's fingerprints were found at an apartment following a bloody raid on Tuesday in which an Algerian was shot dead and police officers wounded. Later, local media said, a tip-off and a tapped telephone led police to a mobile phone number used by Abdeslam and, by triangulating the device's location, established where he was. U.S. supports Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara UNITED NATIONS, March 19 (Reuters) - The United States supports Morocco's autonomy plan for the disputed territory of Western Sahara, considering it both credible and realistic, the U.S. mission to the United Nations said on Saturday. The announcement on Twitter comes amid an escalating spat between Rabat and the United Nations. Morocco accused U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last week of no longer being neutral in the conflict, criticizing his use of the word "occupation" to describe Morocco's annexation of the region at the center of a struggle since 1975, when it took over from colonial power Spain. This week Morocco ordered the United Nations to withdraw 84 international civilian personnel from its peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, MINURSO. It said this was a response to Ban's "unacceptable" remarks. "We consider Morocco autonomy plan serious, realistic, credible," U.S. mission spokesman Kurtis Cooper said on his Twitter feed. "We continue to support the U.N.-led process to bring about a peaceful, sustainable, and mutually-agreed solution to conflict in Western Sahara." He added that the United States continues to support the work of MINURSO in Western Sahara. The controversy over Ban's comments is Morocco's worst dispute with the United Nations since 1991, when the U.N. brokered a ceasefire to end a war over the Western Sahara and established the mission. Earlier this month, Ban visited refugee camps in southern Algeria for the Sahrawi people, who say Western Sahara belongs to them and fought a war against Morocco until the 1991 ceasefire. Their Polisario Front wants a referendum, including over the question of independence, but Rabat says it will only grant semi-autonomy. Ban's spokesman said on Friday that he was disappointed by the U.N. Security Council's failure to take a strong stand in the dispute between him and Morocco over Western Sahara and would raise it with council members soon. Diplomats said the council members that argued against a strong statement of support of Ban and in favor of countries dealing with the issue bilaterally included Morocco's traditional ally France along with Spain, Egypt and Senegal. Council statements need to be unanimous. France has offered to mediate between Ban and Morocco. The Polisario's U.N. representative Ahmed Boukhari told reporters on Thursday that Morocco's goal was to shut down MINURSO, which he said "would mean the shortest way to the resumption of war." Bangladesh seeks FBI's help in investigating central bank heist By Serajul Quadir DHAKA, March 19 (Reuters) - Bangladesh has formally sought assistance from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to track down the cyber crooks who stole $81 million from its central bank's U.S. account, the interior minister said on Saturday. Unknown hackers breached the computer systems of Bangladesh Bank in early February and attempted to steal $951 million from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which it uses for international settlements. Some attempted transfers were blocked, but $81 million was transferred to accounts in the Philippines in one of the largest cyber heists in history. The central bank governor resigned on Tuesday, as details emerged in the Philippines that $30 million of the money was delivered in cash to a casino junket operator in Manila, while the rest went to two casinos. "We sought the FBI's assistance when a group of FBI met with me for investigating the central bank heist last month," Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told Reuters. An U.S. embassy official in Dhaka told Reuters Washington stood ready to assist the government of Bangladesh in its investigation. A senior police official involved in the investigation said that an FBI team was expected to visit the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police in Dhaka on Sunday. The CID was also coordinating with Interpol to track down the perpetrators. "We are trying to find out what type of security there was, what safety measures were taken, and how the thieves penetrated the fire wall," he said. The chief of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party said on Saturday that if elected her party would ensure real autonomy for the central bank. "There will be no interference or influence from the political party," Begum Khaleda Zia said at a party conference. A central bank official said two engineers from secure network operator SWIFT (the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) had started tests on Saturday. He said the system would be upgraded if needed. Five years ago this month, peaceful protestors gathered in the streets of Syrian cities calling for reform, for basic human rights, for jobs, for opportunity, for a future. Their peaceful protests were met with bullets and eventually with chemical weapons and barrel bombs and torture and starvation. Over the past five years, hundreds of thousands of Syrians have died and millions have fled the country and millions more have been displaced within Syrias borders. That's why the international community is united in its belief that the civil war in Syria must end. For more than two weeks now, said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, "we have been able to sustain . . . a cessation of hostilities." More peaceful conditions have made possible the delivery of emergency supplies to communities inside Syria, some of which have not seen assistance in years. Over 300 trucks have now provided aid to at least 150,000 people. That is about one third of the almost half million people who are living in absolutely besieged areas. Despite this progress, the U.S. remains deeply concerned about the Bashar al-Assad regime's practice of removing badly needed surgical kits from the those supplies. The International Syria Support Group continues to work with the United Nations to see that future requests for access are honored and that the humanitarian assistance is available specifically for East Ghouta, in Daraya, in Dier-ez-Zor, and throughout Syria. To end the unspeakable suffering and continued violence in Syria, the United States remains committed to working through the International Syria Support Group to reach a negotiated political transition, in accordance with the Geneva Communique of 2012. RAPHINE From Thursday night to Friday, a wildfire on Cellar Mountain grew by more than 100 acres. As of Friday afternoon, the fire covered more than 269 acres, compared with 150 on Thursday. U.S. Forest Service officials said theyre still investigating what ignited the fire, which is currently contained within Saint Marys Wilderness, approximately 10 miles east of Raphine. Right now, wind conditions are helping firefighters, as the blaze is burning from west to east, further into the wilderness and away from local homes and private property. More than 35 fire departments currently are working the fire, along with several contracted forestry agencies. When we have a fire this high in the mountain with an acreage estimate of over 269 acres, you cant fight it like you do a house fire, said Pete Irvine, trails and wilderness manager for the Forest Service. What we do is then try to drown it with water and establish control lines. That means we remove vegetation or the leaf litter and scrape that away because fire doesnt burn dirt. Irvine said the departments also might do some burning out. They also plan to take advantage of the existing trails in the area, using them as fire lines to monitor the blaze. The situation is made a bit trickier due to the location. With a wilderness area fire, there are certain protocols that have to be followed. There are special rules that apply, said Pat Sheridan, lead safety officer for the Forest Service. For example, [there are] no bulldozers [and] no landed helicopters. We have to have permission to use chainsaws. The main emphasis is to leave no evidence of man, even after the fire is contained. A wilderness area is a place set aside to help conserve public lands. A wilderness area is defined in the Wilderness Act of 1964 as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain. There cant be any permanent improvements or homes built in such areas. The fire was first reported at 3 p.m. Thursday. Firefighters started the containment early Friday morning and officials from the Forest Service said Fridays efforts were focused on scouting, establishing and improving containment lines, along with using the existing trails where possible. There also is a helicopter available for aerial reconnaissance and potential water drops. For the immediate future, sections of the Coal Road and Saint Marys Road have been closed. All trails within Saint Marys Wilderness are closed right now, as well as trailheads linked to those trails. While the investigation into the fire continues, Forest Service officials said that a fire of this caliber is usually manmade. While theres currently no danger to neighboring properties, firefighters caution that residents might smell smoke and that drivers might experience lower visibility over the next few days. Erica Haynes reports for The (Waynesboro) News Virginian. Peggy was born in Elko, Nevada June 20, 1923 to Horace and Alice Talbot. She was baptized Catholic and remained devout in her Catholic faith until her death. She graduated from Elko High School with the class of 1941. Peggy worked for the US Weather Bureau in Elko from 1942 to 1943, at which time she married George Moody, also of Elko, in Pueblo, CO, where he was serving in the US Army Air Force. Upon his discharge, they returned home to Elko until 1950 when they relocated to Hawthorne, Nevada. They resided there until his death in 1971. Three years later, she married Warren Scott of Elko, who was a lifelong friend of both her and George. She moved back to Elko where she made her home until his death in 1991. During her time in Hawthorne, she worked for State Farm Insurance under A.J. Park and later Bob Downs from 1958 to 1971. She then moved to Winnemucca to be closer to her daughter, Diane, and her family and she resided here until her death. Upon moving to Winnemucca, she joined St. Pauls Catholic Church where she made many wonderful friends. They adoringly nicknamed themselves The Early Morning Church Group. She cherished her relationship with each and every one of these friends. In Memoriam Opal Earlene Johnson Tipton July 9, 1943 March 8, 2016 Earlene went home to be with her father in heaven on March 8, 2016 after a long battle with cancer. She was surrounded by family at her home in Pleasant Valley, Nevada. Earlene was born in an old adobe home belonging to her grandparents Lon and Julia Johnson, in Duncan, Arizona, on July 9, 1943, to parents: Ray Ervin Johnson RE, a World War II vet and Gladys Gale Johnson. Earlene had a sister Carolene, born in 1947 and a brother Ricky, born in 1948. During her childhood the family moved to a lot of places like Oregon, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Earlene had a very close extended family during those days, spending a lot of time with her siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents whom she loved and revered. Earlene met Ivan while in High School in Duncan, Arizona. They married on September 6, 1960 in Lordsburg, New Mexico at ages 17 and 20. Their daughter Kim was born on February 11, 1961. Earlene and her sister Carolene attended beauty school in Safford in 1965. In 1968 Ivan, Earlene, and Kim moved to Green Valley, Arizona where they purchased a business to stable horses. Ivan worked for Duval Copper Mine and Earlene worked at Chez Josef beauty shop. In 1971 Earlene partnered up with friend Josie Lucio to own her own beauty shop named Salon De Belleza. She spent over 17 years working in her shop. In 1978 Earlene gave birth to a son, Dak, almost a full generation after her daughter was born. Mother and daughter were pregnant at the same time which led to her son and first granddaughter being almost the same age. In 1987 Ivan moved to Round Mountain, Nevada to work for the gold mine while Earlene stayed in Arizona to sell her shop and then joined Ivan in 1988. In 1989 she started working for the general store in Round Mountain, Nevada where they nick named her Erni which she used from then on. Earlene worked there for 10 years or so before moving to Reno where she ended up dealing cards. Ivan kept working in Round Mountain but they bought a home in Reno in 2004 and in 2006 Earlene retired and moved her mother Gladys from Arizona into their home in Reno to take care of her. In 2011 she moved to Pleasant Valley, Nevada to be closer to her children and grandchildren. When Ivan retired in 2012 he followed her. Sadly, Earlene lost both her brother and mother in 2011 to illness. Earlene was diagnosed with stomach cancer on October 20, 2014. She fought a valiant battle to stay here but succumbed to her illness on March 8, 2016. She is survived by her husband: Ivan A. Tipton, Pleasant Valley, Nevada, sister Carolene (Duane) Francom, Catalina, Arizona; daughter Kim (Marley) Elam, Spring Creek, Nevada; son Dak (Suzi) Tipton, Spring Creek, Nevada; grandchildren: Bria Elam, Green Valley, Arizona; Ashley (Michael) Sweeden, Spring Creek, Nevada; Chance (Serene) Elam, Spring Creek, Nevada, Heath Elam, Wells, Nevada; Jordan Tipton, Sparks, Nevada; Cody, Christian, and Brittany Madrid, Sparks, Nevada and great grandkids: PFC Melayna Elam-(Michael) Reyes of the United States Army; Noah and Lyah Sweeden; Octavia Elam, Spring Creek, Nevada and numerous nieces, nephews and extended family. Earlenes services will be held on April 2, 2016 at 10am at the Presbyterian Church in Lamoille, Nevada with a luncheon to follow at 11:30 at the Lamoille schoolhouse. Please call 775-388-4444 for details. Tito del Amo, pictured this month in his beach bar in Mojacar. FRANCISCO BONILLA Tito's is one of the most popular beach bars, or chiringuitos, in the Andalusian resort town of Mojacar, Almeria, complete with palm trees, a terrace with sea views, oriental fusion cuisine, and live music every Sunday. But few of the vacationing customers here know anything about the owner, an outgoing, silver-haired American who has still not lost his accent half a century after following his brother here. "Andre lives in the Philippines these days. The only thing he's interested in is windsurfing," says Tito del Amo, aged 75. The Del Amo brothers were born in Los Angeles at the height of World War II. After finishing their studies, in the mid-1960s they decided to return to the land of their ancestors. Andre arrived first, in 1963, and found a job working for US news wire United Press International (UPI) in Madrid, under the directorship of veteran newsman Harry Stathos. Two years later, Tito arrived. "As soon as I got here, the first thing Andre told me was that I had to see two places: Mojacar and Pamplona. We tried the former, and I fell in love at first sight," he says. And that was how the brothers became involved in the so-called Palomares nuclear incident. In the early hours of January 17, 1966, a B-52 belonging to the United States Strategic Air Command carrying four hydrogen bombs, each of them with a payload equivalent to 75 times the force that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, crashed into a KC-135 refueling plane over Almeria. The entire crew of the KC-135 died in the accident, while four of the B-52's crew of seven survived. Three of its bombs fell to earth, two of them suffering a conventional explosion that scattered radioactive material over a wide area around the tiny community of Palomares. The fourth bomb sank to the bottom of the sea. Andre del Amo in the 1960s. TITO DEL AMO The US Embassy in Madrid immediately informed the government of General Francisco Franco, contacting the deputy prime minister and the foreign minister, as well as the US ambassador to Spain, Angie Duke. The international news agencies picked up on the story simultaneously, telling the world about the incident, but without mentioning the nuclear aspect. Deputy premier Angel Munoz-Grandes began "coordinating" with the US authorities on how to handle the media. The Spanish Air Force Ministry at first avoided referring to the B-52, instead mentioning "a long-distance jet," adding that a search was underway for what it called "elements of a secret military nature." Franco had given instructions about what could and couldn't be said, vetoing any reference to nuclear weapons, as would later be confirmed by a recently declassified report by the US Department of State. Franco's main concern was to protect Spain's tourism industry, the number-one source of revenue for the military regime. But Washington was also interested in keeping the potentially devastating accident under wraps. According the US State Department, Duke was told to do everything possible to persuade the Spanish authorities to continue to allow US military aircraft to fly over Spanish territory, although a ban was enforced for five days after the incident. The State Department's position was to tell the press absolutely nothing about what had happened, according to the recently declassified report. Tito del Amo in the 1960s. TITO DEL AMO For a while, the strategy worked. On February 19, two days after the accident, the media began to lose interest, and the government and the US authorities heaved a collective sigh of relief. Angel Sagaz, the director general of North American affairs at Spain's Foreign Ministry, met with Duke to press upon her the impact of the Spanish public finding out that of the three bombs that fell on Almeria, one was still at the bottom of the Mediterranean. Spain's fears of anything leaking about the incident were such that the government told the US authorities that it did not want it to release a statement thanking Spain for its cooperation. Silence was the preferred option. But what the diplomats did not know was that Andre del Amo was on his way to Almeria with Leo White, correspondent for British red top the Daily Mirror. Colonel Barnett Young, the US Air Force's chief press officer warned them against sniffing around. "This is not the place for scandalous stories or crazy theories," he replied when asked if the B-52 might have been carrying nuclear weapons. According to Tito del Amo, his brother pulled off the scoop as he was about to begin the return journey back to Madrid. "As he was leaving Almeria, he came across a US military policeman who was looking for somebody to translate for him. He wanted local people to leave the area because of the radioactivity. Andre said nothing, and just translated. When he got to the car, he innocently asked if the authorities were worried about the bombs. The US military policeman told him everything." The next day, The New York Times published UPI's story, as well as confirming that there were nuclear weapons aboard, one of which was still missing, and describing in detail the huge operation underway to find it in the area around Palomares. Declassified US documents show that when Franco read UPI's story he was so angry that he ordered the news to be suppressed in Spain, as well as banning the distribution of foreign newspapers and magazines, and ordering Sagaz to protest in the strongest possible terms to Duke, even threatening "unilateral measures." In the telegram sent to Washington after the meeting with the US ambassador, Sagaz spoke of his "extreme concern," "an emergency," and a "crisis." The US ambassador also called Stathos, demanding that he reveal his sources, which in the story he had said were from within the US Embassy in Madrid. Stathos apologized for not running the story past Duke, and said that he had obtained the information elsewhere. The US government took 40 days to officially admit to the existence of the hydrogen bombs, despite mounting evidence. In doing so, it twisted the truth. Other declassified documents from the Atomic Energy Commission include references to efforts to align the different versions of events by the US authorities. These included a detailed questionnaire. The instructions were clear: refuse to answer any questions, distract attention and question the journalist's own sources. In answer to the question, "has the United States lost a hydrogen bomb?" the supposed answer was: "The US Defense Department has said that it is looking for classified material. For reasons of security, we cannot make further comments. We cannot deny or confirm that we are looking for a hydrogen bomb." A US Navy craft being loaded with barrels of contaminated sand on the beach at Palomares in 1966. TITO DEL AMO Should any journalists ask whether local people were at risk, the answer was: "I cannot talk in terms of numbers, because this is a classified matter. Do you know when something can be considered dangerous? What we can say is what we have already said: the experts have proved that this is not a danger to health." Perhaps because of the mounting problems with Franco's censors and the US Embassy, and also because no progress was being made in finding the fourth bomb, Stathos and the correspondent for the Associated Press, the other US news agency in Spain, suggested to Tito del Amo that he follow the story. "They weren't making much progress, so they hired me to keep an eye on things here. I lived nearby. They paid me 500 pesetas a day, which was a fortune in those days. I hired a Seat 600 and spent six weeks in Palomares," he says. Tito's job consisted of following the search for the bomb lying at the bottom of the sea, as well as the clean-up operation, sending any photographs and information he could find to Madrid. He took so many photographs that he had to travel to Murcia every two days to hand over the rolls of film to the engine driver of the Madrid train. "The whole thing was very difficult, because nobody wanted to say anything. For me it was just a job," remembers Tito, looking out over the Mediterranean just 18 kilometers from where the near-catastrophe took place. BJP in an attempt to woo voters will count on Modi government achievements for the forthcoming state assembly elections. Chennai: BJP on Friday said it will use Modi government's achievements in the economic sector as an "additional weapon" to fight the coming assembly polls in five states. BJP National Secretary H Raja said during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls "the only weapon we had in our side to face the polls was the expectations from (Narendra) Modi by people." "In the last 21 months, the benefits of Modi government's achievements, especially in the area of financial inclusion (by way of) schemes like Jan Dhan, Atal Pension yojana and Mudra Bank, have reached every individual and every household." "This is an additional weapon. We will use this as an election weapon," He said while apprising the reporters of the party's strategies to face the polls in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry. Raja slammed the CPI(M) for its alleged role in the recent attacks on workers of BJP, RSS and Youth Congress in Kerala and ruled out the possibility of joining any front that had the left party as a constituent since it was a "declared position" not to align with it. The Krechba gas facility was shut down as a safety precaution. (Photo: AP) Algiers, Algeria: Rockets on Friday struck an Algerian gas plant run by foreign energy giants in an attack claimed by Al-Qaeda, three years after a deadly hostage crisis at another facility in the country. There were no casualties reported in the attack on the plant operated by Britain's BP, Norway's Statoil and Algerian company Sonatrach. It was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) on its Telegram channel in a message saying that it comes within its "war on the interest of the Crusaders in every place," according to SITE Intelligence Group. Friday's attack was the most serious since other Al-Qaeda-linked militants stormed a complex in Algeria's remote east in 2013 and began a four-day siege that left dozens dead. The defence ministry said two homemade rockets crashed near a guard post of a Sonatrach facility in Krechba, 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) south of Algiers, without causing casualties or damage. "The rapid reaction of the army detachment tasked with protecting the site foiled this attempted terrorist attack," it said in an online statement, without elaborating. Statoil said the gas asset was hit by "explosive munitions fired from a distance" in the early morning attack. A processing facility was shut down "as a safety precaution", BP said. A plant employee who did not wish to be named told AFP that the site is surrounded by a security fence and soldiers are permanently on guard. "The rockets seem to have been fired from very far away," he said. Military personnel mobilised soon after the rocket fire to prevent the attackers gaining access to the facility, the employee added. Algeria's official news agency APS said "two terrorists fired homemade rockets on the gas plant in Krechba," using Algeria's official term for Islamist militants. A manhunt was launched to find the attackers, it said. 'Anti-Militant Operations' In 2013, a four-day siege and two rescue attempts by the Algerian army at a gas facility in In Amenas resulted in the deaths of nearly 40 foreign workers and 29 attackers. The assault which also targeted a site run by Sonatrach, BP and Statoil was claimed by Al-Qaeda-affiliated militants led by the notorious one-eyed Algerian jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a former AQIM chief. The attack prompted a widespread security review in the North African country, heavily reliant on income from gas exports. The head of Algeria's army last week called for increased vigilance following what he termed an "unprecedented deterioration" in security. Algeria has been on guard against jihadist attacks such as those experienced by its neighbours Libya and Tunisia, with local press reporting the deployment of tens of thousands of soldiers along its vast desert borders. On Monday, a security source said a militant leader who had joined IS was killed during an army operation west of Algiers. A brutal civil war in the 1990s between the government and Islamists killed 200,000 people. Despite adopting a peace and reconciliation charter in 2005 aimed at turning the page on the conflict, armed groups remain active in the centre and east of Algeria. A total of "157 terrorists, including 10 commanders" were killed or arrested in military operations last year, according to the defence ministry. Algeria, a member of the OPEC oil cartel, is one of the world's largest exporters of natural gas, with revenue from fossil fuels accounting for 95 percent of its exports. It has an estimated 16 billion cubic metres of conventional gas and 20 million cubic metres of non-conventional gas, according to Sonatrach figures. SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully Google Ad The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression Prince Harry landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on a Qatar Airways flight. (Photo: AP) Kathmandu: United Kingdom's Prince Harry on Saturday arrived in Kathmandu on a five-day official visit along with a team of 30 delegates, comprising officials, security personnel and journalists. He landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on a Qatar Airways flight at around 2:40 pm, reports The Himalayan Times. Prince Harry will be staying at the Soaltee Crowne Plaza in the capital. Prince Harry will attend a reception hosted by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa this evening. On his visit he will see earthquake recovery projects, Nepal's stunning landscape and pay a personal tribute to the Gurkhas #HarryinNepal Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 19, 2016 He will also call on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today. Prince Harry is scheduled to meet Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari tomorrow. The view welcoming Prince Harry on landing in Kathmandu to start his official tour of Nepal #HarryInNepal pic.twitter.com/nfnkGgthZR Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 19, 2016 He will also meet those affected by two devastating earthquakes, which struck Nepal in April and May 2015. On March 21, Prince Harry will travel to Bardiya National Park and Banke National Park. He will also visit the British Gurkha Camp in Pokhara, where he will commend the bravery of soldiers. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had to face the ordeal of the common man - power cut in peak summer. He had to face embarrassment when the Assembly hall plunged into darkness twice during the budget speech. The first interruption was brief, while the second one lasted for nearly three minutes. Power consumers in both urban and rural areas are putting up with no power, intermittent power supply, unscheduled load-shedding and substandard supply for hours. But when Siddaramaiah faced three minutes of darkness in the secretariat, which always gets high-quality continuous power, the government immediately ordered an enquiry to find out who were responsible. Probe ordered Energy Minister D K Shivakumar constituted a committee comprising Bengaluru Metropolitan Area Zone chief engineer Uday Kumar and Chief Electrical Inspectorate Basavaraj to probe the lapses. There were rumours that three to four engineers were suspended, but there was no confirmation. Shivakumar had recently got one man from Bellare of Sullia in Dakshina Kannada district arrested for calling him up to express his anger over frequent power cuts. While Bescom supplies power to the secretariat, management of power lines rests with PWDs electrical division. There are two expressways of power supply and generators to Vidhana Soudha, Vikasa Soudha, MS Building and VV Tower. At no point, there is total power snap to this cluster of buildings. As the power went off for the second time, he stopped reading. Rahukala effect You should not have started your speech during Rahukala (considered an inauspicious period), went one comment in the dark. One officer in the officials gallery handed out his mobile phone, switching on the torch, to one of the watch and ward staff, who held it on the budget document, so that the chief minister could continue reading. Siddaramaiah did not continue as the mikes were not working. Remarks from the opposition continued. It is an indication of what is going to happen in the government, said Govind Karjol of the BJP. Bring in the candles, said Basavaraj Bommai, another BJP member. Leader of the Opposition Jagadish Shettar told the chief minister, Do not look at us. Ask D K Shivakumar, who is sitting here. Siddaramaiah responded first by looking at the officials gallery and asking What is happening. He then told the members, It is a technical fault. This has nothing to do with any kala (time). Much to the relief of Siddaramaiah, the lights came back and he continued. A lawyer attempted self-immolation inside a courtroom at Rohini Courts Complex on Friday. Ravinder Dabas did not suffer burns, police said. On being questioned, Kanjhawala-resident Dabas told police that he was upset over no chamber being allotted to him at the court complex for at least three years. A case of attempt to suicide under section 309 of the Indian Penal Code has been filed against Dabas. The courtroom in which Dabas went was of a member of the courts chamber allotment committee. In 2014, Dabas and 20 other lawyers had also filed a case in Delhi High Court through senior advocate Ram Jethmalani. It was after an order rejected their applications saying that they were not primarily practicing at the Rohini court. On Friday, the incident occurred at around 11 am when Dabas went to courtroom 216. He was carrying kerosene in a bottle, and raised his issue there. Dabas claimed that the allotment committee was being unfair to him. Soon, Dabas poured kerosene on his gown and used a lighter to set the gown ablaze. Other lawyers and court staff rushed to douse the flames. They managed to remove Dabas gown due to which he escaped unhurt, said Vikramjit Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer). Police took Dabas to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital. He was discharged without any treatment. Dabas told police that he took the extreme step as he was fed up of his fight to get a chamber allotted. He claimed that he and many others who were senior and eligible, were overlooked during the process to allot chambers. Dabas claims that the allotment process at court complex started in 2013. The allotment committee favours several lawyers while the eligible are kept away. A list was issued in January mentioning us as eligible candidates, but I was never allotted a chamber, Dabas told media. Dabas claims that he fulfilled the criteria of ten cases and fifty appearances as mentioned in the application form. A contractual labourer at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, who was allegedly raped last year, now claims that she is being threatened by the family members of the accused. Sagar Rana, who worked as a clerk at IIMC, is currently out on bail. On Friday, a protest was held at IIMC over alleged police inaction over the womans complaint. She claims that Ranas family members have been threatening her despite Rana giving a statement in writing to police that he would not approach her. She claims that she was told to change her statement in the case at Patiala House courts. The woman now says that Ranas family members threatened her and her husband to withdraw the case. They have also been offered money for compromise in the case on several occasions. She had told police that Rana raped her in a servant quarter at IIMC. He allegedly filmed her and threatened to put the video on the Internet. She had approached police after revealing the incident to her husband, who also works as a contractual labourer at IIMC. A case under section 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code was filed with Vasant Kunj North police station in October 2015. Rana was arrested, but released on bail within days of the FIR. Delhi Police are set to acquire an improved version of OSINT, a technology through which they can track activities of internet users. A customised version of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is already being used by the special branch of Delhi Police, mainly to track chat rooms and social media to ascertain the type and size of public gatherings in Delhi. It does geographical analysis by finding out in which part of the city or state people are talking more about an incident. It also does sentiment analysis by finding out how many negative and positive comments or references an incident drew, said Garima Bhatnagar, Joint Commissioner of Police, Special Branch.After using it for six months, police officials said that the current technology is not very evolved and doesnt give specific inputs, thus creating the need to have an improved version. A much more sophisticated and advanced version of it is on the anvil and will be used by the Delhi Police soon, Bhatnagar added. Senior officials of Delhi Polices cyber cell and economic offense wing told Deccan Herald that the improved version of OSINT will not only gather intelligence collected from publicly available sources, but also provide structured and specific inputs. For example, it will provide aid to police in criminal profiling from the data available on web. Criminals, terrorists and anti social elements are using social media and other public platforms for conversations and to plan their activities, said a senior officer from Delhi Polices cyber crime department. It will analyse the data available on social media, blogs and other public forums to do sentiment analysis. It will help in proactive identification of any anti-social or criminal motives of a person or group of people, he added. Presently, police does not have any means to extract the content available on the web and convert it into meaningful data to identify criminals or trace their conversations. Police will be able to integrate raw data extracted from the internet with the existing databases for analysis. This will reduce the time needed to solve critical cases requiring a high level of technological expertise, a senior police officer added. Referring to to the CBI raids at Delhi Secretariat, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday and asked him to concentrate on governance, which is suffering badly under the NDA, rather than snooping on opponents. Kejriwal asked the Prime Minister to set up a team to inquire about him.PM shud concentrate on governance, which is suffering badly under NDA, rather than snooping on opponents. PM wants info abt me? Let PM set up a team. I will come n answer all their questions. I hv nothing to hide, he tweeted. Kejriwal also asked the PM to explain why the Central Bureau of Investigation reports to him. Can the Prime Minister explain this? CBI reports directly to him. What does PM want? he tweeted. Earlier in the day, Kejriwal met Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and discussed the better utilisation of Ring Rail for the convenience of people who travel on its circular network. It has good infrastructure which is not being utilised properly. We discussed that better facilities should be provided at Ring Rails all the 21 stations, Kejriwal said. Also, the stations close to Delhi Metro station can be given adequate last mile connectivity services, he added. Kejriwal and Prabhu also discussed the rehabilitation of jhuggis which are located on the railway land and the construction of foot-over bridges to ease traffic movement. Earlier this month, Kejriwal had alleged the CBI was summoning officials for questioning over phone without following the procedure. The CBI had refuted the allegations saying all necessary formalities were taken into consideration before approaching the officials. Kejriwals Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar is facing a corruption probe over alleged wrongdoings during pre-Aam Aadmi Party government years. CBI sources had said then the questioning of personal staff of the Chief Ministers Principal Secretary Kumar by the agency was approved by Kejriwal as mentioned in written correspondence with Delhi Secretariat. A few months ago, when the CBI raided Kumars office at the Secretariat on the allegations of corruption, it had sparked a controversy with Kejriwal claiming that the real target was him. Smart public toilets, sewage treatment plants, and water ATMs are some projects of the NDMC which will get a major push in the first phase of its smart city project. These projects have already received in principal approval of the NDMC at a recent council meeting. The respective Request for Proposals (RFP) will be floated soon. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has to contribute Rs 604.74 crore towards the cost of the project and the rest will be provided by the Union Urban Development Ministry, funds of the centrally sponsored schemes and through Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. The civic agency is currently working on a Special Purpose Vehicle, after which it will receive the funds. Meanwhile, it has already started rolling out projects which are set to benefit those living in slums the most. A tender for 105 Public Toilet Utilities (PTUs) had already been floated some time back and is about to close the tender now. Transforming public toilets into a smart public amenity was one of the areas highlighted by the civic body in its smart city proposal. There is a need to uplift the underprivileged sections in our jurisdiction and we are starting with water ATMs and smart toilets. These toilets will be operated on a pay and use basis. These will be connected via sensors to one maintenance server at NDMC for regular maintenance, an NDMC official said. The official said since maintenance of the existing toilets is a problem area, special attention will be given to this for the new toilets. According to the smart city proposal, there will be heavy penalty on the concessionaire if the facilities are not maintained properly. Similarly, 10 mini sewage treatment plants (STPs) having capacity between 100 to 500 KLD will come up in as many locations to treat waste. It was also decided to set up 67 water ATMs for providing safe drinking water at a nominal cost at JJ clusters. Our only criterion for inviting tenders for water ATMs is the cost. Since we dont want the public to pay much, so whoever bids the lowest, gets the contract, the official said. The projects are on PPP basis and the NDMC hopes to generate revenue by giving the operators space for advertising. Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal described her meeting with newly appointed Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma as very positive and productive. After the meeting to discuss key areas of cooperation between Delhi Police and the commission on women safety, Maliwal told reporters that the process of sharing data on crimes against women, which was not being made available during the tenure of B S Bassi, has already started. The Delhi Police Commissioner has assured full cooperation for the data demands of the Delhi Commission for Women. It is sad that we could not get some of the data earlier, but I am happy that the process has finally begun and the Delhi Police has assured close cooperation with the DCW, she said. Crime against womenAccording to preliminary information provided by the police, out of total cases of crime against women registered in 2014, so far only 50 per cent have been chargesheeted. It was suggested that the charge sheets be digitised and monitored closely and the police commissioner has directed the CAW cell of Delhi Police to formulate a plan for digitisation, she said. The chairperson said a project has been started on a pilot basis at the crime against women (CAW) cell of Delhi Police in Shahbad Dairy Police Station which is at number three in the list of police stations with most crimes against women. Researchers from the DCW are trying to analyse the extent of crimes against women and the police response to the same. More specifically, the researchers are also attempting to analyse police workload vis-a-vis the crime burden of the area, she said. The two also discussed the integration of 181 helpline with the 100 of police and creating a direct linkage between the Mahila Panchayat programme of DCW and the local police stations and beat officer. The commissioner has agreed to the participation of DCW representatives in monthly review meetings held in the Police Headquarters on crimes against women, the chairperson said. The White House today slammed Donald Trump for his threat of "riots" if he is denied the Republican presidential nomination, asserting that there can be no political justification for violence. It also disagreed with Trump being a "popular" candidate, arguing that Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton has received more votes than him and many Republicans have not voted for the real estate tycoon. "We would call on everyone to refrain from violence. And there's no political justification, no political dispute among citizens that would justify an act of violence. There's no denying that," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at his daily news conference. "That said, I don't think I would use the word 'popularity' when describing Trump. I think there are a significant number of Republicans, even people in his own party, who say that they would not vote for him. I noted that it was even the Wall Street Journal editorial board who observed that Secretary Clinton has got a million more votes than Trump has," he said. "So I recognise that's a fact that he does not enjoy seeing discussed particularly often, but it's true. It is why the President will be a forceful advocate in support of a Democratic nominee who emerges, because the stakes of the next election will be significant," he said. Earnest said the President will have a forceful case to make that the values and priorities that have been championed by Democrats on the campaign trail are critically important to the future success of the country, "particularly in the comparison to the rhetoric and values that are be espoused by a variety of Republican candidates, not just one." "The President, as he's said on a couple of occasions, is not concerned about the potential that Donald Trump is going to be elected President. He just doesn't think that's going to happen," Earnest said. Trump on Wednesday warned of riots if he is denied the Republican presidential nomination, after adding to his growing pile of primary wins but losing in the key state of Ohio. A Pakistani man, who had filed a petition to stop former dictator Pervez Musharraf from leaving Pakistan, has been slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 by the High Court here which said the plea was for cheap publicity. Lahore High Court Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah took up Syed Iqtidar Haider's application yesterday and asked the applicant to apprise the court as to how implementation of the Constitution could be sought through a civil miscellaneous application. Haider, who also holds the US nationality, filed a civil miscellaneous application in a pending main petition on Thursday, a day before 72-year-old Musharraf left for Dubai. The petition sought stopping Musharraf from going abroad and deletion of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL). The applicant failed to give a satisfactory answer to the court's query. Justice Shah observed that the applicant used to file petitions against different personalities for cheap publicity only. He said the court would not encourage such frivolous and unnecessary litigation. The judge dismissed the application and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him. The petitioner had pleaded before the LHC that Gen Musharraf is facing a treason case under Article 6 of the Constitution for clamping emergency in the country on November 3, 2007, and being a 'suspected traitor' he should not be allowed to leave the Pakistan (on the pretext of getting medical treatment). He asked the court to intervene alleging that the Nawaz Sharif-led government has struck a deal with Musharraf, and therefore, is not going to stop him from proceeding abroad. He requested the court to place Musharraf on the ECL again and to stop the former ruler from leaving country till the court decision in the treason case against him. On March 16, a five-member bench of Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali while hearing a pending federal government appeal against a 2014 Sindh High Court order removing Musharraf's name from the ECL, upheld the ruling. Following the court decision, the federal government deleted the name of Musharraf and allowed him to go abroad for his treatment. Musharraf is said to have had fractured his vertebra. He has reached Dubai from where he will leave for the United States for his medical treatment. "After undergoing the treatment in the US, I will return to Pakistan. I will love my country and I am afraid of facing courts in fake cases against me," Musharraf said after reaching Dubai. Photos of a purported 'beef party' at the Central Hindi Institute here surfaced on social media, triggering protests by right-wing groups and prompting authorities to launch an inquiry into the matter. Institute officials said that prima facie no evidence was found of any such party on campus after photos of the alleged beef party at the CHI hostel appeared online in the evening yesterday. Senior police officials and magistrate Rekha Chauhan also visited the CHI premises to inquire into the issue, which today led to a demonstration at the gates of CHI by a group of Bajrang Dal activists. Meanwhile, CHI Registrar Chandra Kant Tripathi said that an initial inquiry had yielded no evidence of any such party on the institute's campus. A CHI official added that non- vegetarian food is not served at their hostels. Students from many countries study Hindi at CHI, which is a premier institute under the Union HRD ministry for promoting and popularising Hindi globally. Quashing a case against 13 men who were arrested for allegedly indulging in obscene acts with women in a flat, the Bombay High Court has said any such action done in a private place is not a criminal offence under the Indian Penal Code. A division bench of Justices N H Patil and A M Badar was hearing a petition recently filed by the men seeking quashing of the FIR registered against them by Andheri Police in December last year under IPC section 294 (anyone indulging in an obscene act in any public place or sings or utters any obscene songs or words in any public place causing annoyance to others). According to police, on December 12, 2015, they received a complaint from a journalist about loud music emanating from a flat in the neighbourhood and that scantily dressed women were seen from the window dancing and men showering money at them. On perusal of the complaint, the police raided the flat and found six scantily dressed women who were dancing and 13 men consuming liquor in the flat. All the men were taken into custody and an FIR was registered against them. Petitioners' advocate Rajendra Shirodkar argued that the flat in question cannot be said to be a public place where anyone had access. The court accepted this argument and said, "Obscene act done in a private place or viewed in privacy is not covered by the provisions of section 294 of IPC. The flat in building owned by some private person meant for private use of such owner cannot be said to be a public place." "Section 294 of IPC is meant for punishing persons indulging in obscene act in any public place causing annoyance to others. As such, the places where such obscene act is committed needs to be a public place and meant for use of public at large. "Public must have free access to such place so as to call it a public place. The place where public have no right rather a lawful right to enter into, cannot be said to be a public place for invoking the penal provisions of section 294 of IPC," the court said. A suicide bombing rocked a major shopping street in Istanbul today, killing four people and wounding 20 others just six days after a deadly attack in Ankara, Turkish authorities said. The attack took place on Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrian street that was relatively quiet this morning but is usually thronged with shoppers, strollers and buskers later in the day. "This is a suicide attack, a terrorist attack," Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin told reporters at the scene, saying the bomber was also killed. Three of the wounded were in serious condition, he said. The bomb exploded near a shopping mall, but Sahin said the intended target was a local authority building in the Beyoglu neighbourhood, where Istiklal Caddesi is situated. The street, which adjoins Taksim Square in the European part of the city, was evacuated after the attack, an AFP journalist at the scene said. Armed police sealed off the area while a police helicopter hovered overhead. CCTV footage published online by Dogan news agency appeared to show the moment of the blast with a fireball erupting near a handful of passersby, sending them rushing for cover. Television images showed several ambulances ferrying the injured to hospital. Turkey, which has been rocked by five major bombings since July, had been on high alert for further attacks ahead of Kurdish New Year celebrations on Monday. A Kurdish rebel group, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), claimed responsibility for an attack on March 13 on a busy transport hub in Ankara that killed 35 people. TAK, which also claimed a similar car bombing in Ankara in mid February that killed 29 people, has ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) against which the Turkish army is waging a major military campaign. A court in Ankara yesterday evening remanded five people in custody on suspicion of links to last week's attack in the capital which was carried out by a 24-year-old female student named by TAK as Seher Cagla Demir. In a statement, TAK said the bombing aimed to avenge Kurds killed during a ongoing military offensive against the PKK in the majority Kurdish southeast and said it had not meant to target civilians. Yesterday, Turkish airforce planes continued to bomb PKK hideouts in mountains across the border in northern Iraq, an army statement said. During the week, the US embassy in Ankara had issued a warning to its citizens in Turkey to exercise caution ahead of the Kurdish Nevruz (New Year) celebrations, which have been a flashpoint for pro-Kurdish demonstrations in the past. The Islamic State jihadist group was blamed for three other large-scale attacks in recent months, including a suicide attack in January in Istanbul in which 12 German tourists were killed and an attack on a peace rally in Ankara in October that claimed 103 lives. Newly carved out state Telangana cannot claim "absolute" right over institutions merely because they are located in its capital Hyderabad which is being shared by Andhra Pradesh also, the Supreme Court has held. The verdict, having far-reaching consequences in matters relating to division of assets and liabilities between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana post 2014 bifurcation, has set aside a High Court verdict upholding freezing of bank accounts of Andhra Pradesh State Council (APSC) of Higher Education on the ground that now APSC assets belong to Telangana State Council (TSC) of Higher Education as it is located in Hyderabad. "In the instant case, the State of Telangana has claimed ownership over the entire funds and assets of the (erstwhile) APSC. This could surely not have been the intention of the legislature while enacting the Reorganisation Act, 2014. "The main thrust of the argument of both senior counsel appearing on behalf of State of Telangana, as well as the impugned judgment and order passed by the High Court is that the successor State of Andhra Pradesh has absolutely no right over the institutions in the city of Hyderabad, by virtue of the fact that Hyderabad falls in the successor State of Telangana. "We are wholly unable to agree with this contention advanced on behalf of the State of Telangana. If this contention is accepted, it would render Section 47 of the Act, which provides for apportionment of assets and liabilities among the successor States, useless and nugatory," a bench of justices V Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra said. Referring to the 2014 Reorganisation Act that had paved the way for creation of Telangana, it said that the issue of bifurcation of states is "both sensitive as well as tricky". "Adequate care has to be taken by the legislature while drafting legislations such as the Reorganisation Act, 2014 to ensure a smooth division of all assets, liabilities and funds between the states to make sure that the interests of the citizens living in these states are protected adequately. "Therefore, care must be taken to ensure that no discrimination is done against either of the successor state. Thus while interpreting statutes of such nature, the courts must ensure that all parts of the statute are given effect to," the bench said. The apex court, in its verdict, said, "the action of the Banks of freezing bank accounts of APSC is wholly untenable in law, which must be set aside. By no stretch of imagination can it be assumed that the complete takeover of assets of the erstwhile APSC by TSC, on the ground that the State institution happens to be in Hyderabad, which is now a part of Telangana, was what the legislature had in contemplation while enacting the Reorganisation Act, 2014." The APSC had moved the apex court against the high court judgment, passed on May 01, 2015, holding that the assets, properties and funds lying at the present location of the APSC now belong "exclusively to TSC. The Telangana government, on August 02, 2014, had created TSC to discharge the same functions for the state as was done by the APSC for Andhra Pradesh and got the bank accounts of APSC freezed on the ground that it is the successor body. The High Court held that TSC would be allowed to operate the bank accounts and the claim of APSC on those accounts was not "sustainable" since it was now located in Telangana. Taking note of the principle of territoriality, the High Court dismissed the plea of APSC. Setting aside the verdict, the apex court said, "It is natural that when an existing State if bifurcated to form two new States, there must be an equitable bifurcation of the assets and liabilities of the statutory bodies among the two successor States as well, to ensure welfare of the public at large residing within these territories," it further said. The court held that the action of freezing of the bank accounts of APSC was "bad in law' on account of the fact that what has been frozen is not just the pre bifurcation amount, but also the amounts collected by APSC for the period after the bifurcation in relation to the thirteen districts of the successor state of Andhra Pradesh. It said that APSC "must be allowed to operate their bank accounts in respect of thirteen districts which fall within State of Andhra Pradesh now, in which the amounts collected post the date of bifurcation have been deposited." If two successor states are unable to arrive at an agreement, the Central Government may constitute a committee, to arrive at the settlement in accordance with the Reorganisation Act within a period of two months from the day when representations are made before the Centre. His is one of the best rags-to-riches story and now actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui plans to publish a memoir that will chronicle his journey from a small village to Bollywood stardom. "I will try to be as honest as I can in the book but there will be a little fiction too. The main focus will be on my village from where I came out and established myself. All the ups and downs will be there," Siddiqui said about the upcoming book, which is being written by a former journalist. He has back-to-back releases but the actor hopes the book will be out by next year. Siddiqui, known for his powerful performances in films like "Gangs of Wasseypur", "Badlapur", "Manjhi" and "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", left his village in Muzaffarnagar for Delhi to try his luck in theatre. He also worked as a watchman for a brief period before joining NSD. The actor, 41, shifted to Mumbai in 2000 but success continued to elude him as he appeared in many blink-and-you-miss roles before finding a substantial part in Anurag Kashyap's "Black Friday". However, it was his role of a revenge-seeking son in Kashyap's "Wasseypur" that finally helped Siddiqui arrive on the scene. "Playing a gangster in 'Wasseypur' was my most challenging role," said Siddiqui on the sidelines of Spring Fever 2016. The actor is mostly known for his intense roles but he is looking forward to change that with his upcoming romantic drama. The yet-untitled film, directed by Sohail Khan, will see Siddiqui and the "Singh is Bliing" actress Amy Jackson teaming up for the first time. "It's a romantic film. I have just begun shooting for it. I have never done any love story. Since, I am doing it for the first time, I am excited about it. There will be romantic songs too but they will play in the background. We are yet to decide the film's title," he said. The "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" actor, 41, said the film has finally given him the opportunity to romance, something that was not offered to him earlier. "I never befriended a girl till my initial years in NSD. I tried a lot but I failed in it everytime, similar to my career. It was a huge culture shock for me to see girls smoking as I was from a conservative setup," the actor said. Besides the romantic film, he has also finished shooting "Te3N", with Amitabh Bachchan. "I am playing a priest in 'Te3N'," he said. Siddiqui, who has worked with Salman, Aamir and Shah Rukh Khan, said Bachchan is one of the most professional actors he has worked with. "Bachchan sahab is very professional on set. He comes with his line prepared. He also sits back and sees the end result unlike us, who go to the vanity to relax after giving a shot. Even Shah Rukh bhai is somewhat like him. But Salman bhai is different." He was recently embroiled in a controversy when a lady accused him of assaulting her over parking issue and filed an FIR against him. Siddiqui, however, claims that he was falsely implicated. "I have hired two bouncers after that incident. It was nothing of that sort as it was projected by that lady. She was shooting a video of mine and I just said 'What are you doing?'. But it was later presented in a different way. It had nothing to do with parking," he said. William Dalrymple is a writer, traveller and historian, and 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. His latest book, The Writers Eye, revolves around a collection of photographs. Curated by bestselling writer and Sensorium Festival co-founder Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi, The Writers Eye photograph exhibition opened at Sunaparanta, Goa Centre for the Arts, on March 18; and will be followed by shows at Vadehra Art Gallery in Delhi on March 29; and at the Grosvenor Gallery, London, in June. How did you start writing? My writing happened in college, and my first book came about when I was 21. I saw an announcement about a fund for research travel for the colleges medieval historians. I looked up in the library for the longest and most ambitious medieval journey I could think of following. So I applied for following the outward journey of Marco Polo, from Jerusalem to Kubla Khans Xanadu in Mongolia. The place names were the stuff of fantasy, and so, I felt sure, was the application. A month later, I received a letter and a cheque for the princely sum of 700. The expedition remains the most exhilarating I have ever undertaken: nothing I have done since, in half a lifetime of intense travel, has equalled the thrill of that 16,000-mile, three-month journey walking, hitchhiking and bussing across Asia. It was also a journey that, in a very real sense, changed my life forever. My first book, In Xanadu: A Quest, was the result. Youve written on the history of art in India and in other Asian countries; on religions, and on travel and history. Which topic fascinates you most? Among your own books, which is your personal favourite? Im a man of many talents (laughs) and interests. Archaeology, history, various art forms, travel and many other subjects fascinate me. What I enjoy most is testing my artistic talents. Artists have the freedom to move and play around; to try and test things. My most recent book, Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, is my favourite. It is about the First Anglo-Afghan War, which ended in Britains greatest military humiliation of the 19th century. Which has been your most challenging project? My biggest challenge has been raising funds for the Jaipur Literary festival. No doubt the festival has grown, and writers are ready to support and participate. But getting adequate sponsors is an ongoing challenge. The Writers Eye is your first book of photographs. Youve taken photographs since a young age, and your photographs have accompanied the text in several of your books. Apart from the convenience of your new Samsung Note, what made you return to photography in a major way? My wife is an artist, and has been an encouraging influence. The idea for this book began from a casual conversation with my friend Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi, who suggested an exhibition of my photographs. I posted some of these photos on Facebook and Instagram, and the response was great. The project took on a life of its own. Im a micro-manager for my books. But this book was not pre-planned. I was between books. These photographs are a record of my travels during that time. My camera phone freed me to just concentrate on the images. With it I could do things that were difficult with a big camera. With its complicated attachments, a big camera is too cumbersome and obtrusive. It makes you and your subjects self-conscious. The cell camera has this sneaky quality, letting it catch your subjects unawares. I captured whatever struck me, like the wild landscapes of Scotland; my home which I visit every year. These are random images from my travels, from Leh to Lindisafarne, from the Hindu Kush to the Lammermuirs across the rolling hills south of Sienna; some of the worlds most remote places, especially in Central Asia. Ill never forget the astonishing flight last year over the rib-cage of the Hindu Kush to Bamiyan, the dark slopes all etched in ice, each river valley white against the black granite of range after range of folding mountains. In the centre of the Pamirs, on the roof of the world mid-way from Kabul to Bamiyan, there are no signs of any habitation it is a clear, empty, silent landscape lined with frozen crevice-skeletons of unmelted snow. Certainly they have been inspired by the same travels and there are common themes Mughal architecture, the ruins of Afghanistan, the domes of Golconda but the photographs show, I think, a taste for the dark and remote, the moody and the atmospheric. My writing isnt bleak or dark at all. Im quite proud of the finished product. Do you have any advice for budding art photographers? Simply do it, go ahead and shoot what you like. Camera phones give you so much freedom. Photography should always be about the eye, not the equipment. It is the vision that counts, not the camera. The Internet is a democratic forum where you can post your photos and get spontaneous feedback. Have you considered writing fiction? No. Im clear about my choice to continue with non-fiction. My talents are not of a novelist, and Im happy with what I do. Im interested in the real word, in giving order to chaos in photographic images; of discovering and artistically conveying the threads that bind facts together. The opportunity for defence indigenisation in India offers low hanging fruits, but needs to incentivise private sector participation. In an interactive session organised by the Engineering India Foundation and ProSIM R&D on Saturday, participants including Tamilmani, Director General of Aero, and Shamasundar, MD, ProSIM R&D, discussed the various opportunities that India proposes in defence indigenisation. Streamlined mechanisms, where the private sector players are guaranteed of the returns on their investment in development of technology has to be ensured, said Shamasundar. He further said that India needs an agency like DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), which is responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military in the US. Appropriate partnerships, Tamilmani said, will help accomplish defence indigenisation. From the governments point of view, an investment of Rs 10,000 crore, over the next 10 years will be sufficient to create essential testing infrastructure in the aeronautical cluster, said Tamilmani. While the need has been realised, and initial steps have been taken, it will take a while for the ecosystem to respond, he said. The investment of Rs 350 crore in a 5,000 acre facility in Chitradurga, is one of the steps in the direction. The facility will be operational in 6 months, he added. Bankrupt businessman has an offer to government Crepson LLC Executive Director Arman Yeremyan, in spite of the difficulties in the business sector, wants to believe the recent speeches of Serzh Sargsyan, according to which a number of sectors must be regulated and controlled. The businessman addressed a letter to Serzh Sargsyan, in which he made an offer of cooperation to the Government by promising to make his investment in ensuring agricultural growth. Now the businessman is waiting for an answer: Not having the support of the state I have established business ties with Israel company and I will introduce its fertilizer in Armenia. It will boost the agriculture, he said in the interview with us. To remind, the director of the bankrupt company blames Arthur Gevorgyan, former head of Davitashen district and currently the NA lawmaker, for his current situation. In 2007 Arman Yeremyan established a retail shopping center of agricultural products in Davitashen. In 2008 I got acquainted with Arthur Gevorgyan, who leased areas. He offered me to build retail market with his friend Vachagan Manukyan. I was offered to make an investment, which would decrease during the rent payment, Arman Yeremyan told A1+. According to the words of Arman Yeremyan he invested about 12 million drams. He states that Arthur Gevorgyan violated the arrangement and demanded monthly 1 million drams as a rent without any legal documents. A young couple from Perumbavoor near Kochi were among the 62 people killed in an air crash in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, said official sources. Shyam Mohan (27) and wife Anju (27) were killed as FlyDubai flight FZ981 crashed during a second landing attempt in poor weather conditions. The couple took a connecting flight from Dubai to Russia where they had been living for more than a year. Shyam is from Vengola near Perumbavoor. The couple had left Kochi for Russia on Thursday after a month-long vacation in Shyams hometown. Anju was working as an Ayurveda therapist in Rostov-on-Don for about three years. She is from Panachiyam in Ernakulam district. Before marrying Anju, Shyam was employed in an IT company at Infopark, Kochi. We have received information about the victims and have also confirmed their identities. Shyam and Anju got married more than a year ago and soon moved together to Russia, Perumbavoor Circle Inspector S Mohammed Riaz told Deccan Herald. Shyams father Mohan and sister Saumya live in Vengola, he said. Shyams family has received communication from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) about the couples death, reports stated. Sources in the Non-Resident Keralite Affairs (NORKA) department said it has only received basic information about the incident. We are in touch with the MEA to get more details, R S Kannan, CEO of NORKA-ROOTS, the departments field agency, told Deccan Herald. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reminded BJP leaders that his government wont be able to fulfil its electoral promises until the party emerges stronger by beating rivals in every poll encounter. On the first day of the two-day BJP national executive meeting, Modi in his close-door outreach to party office bearers also had a specific message for the leaders which was to weekly interact and listen to workers and exploit social media to propagate and stay connected with the masses. As in every party meeting, this time too Modi again urged them to publicise NDA governments gamechanger scheme so that the BJP could extract political mileage out of the pro-people initiatives. Modi said the party needs to strengthen itself and then only the government will be strong, party sources revealed. Sources also added that Modi reiterated the importance of social media for marketing people welfare schemes and for publicising government works. Modi was huddled along with the BJP chief Amit Shah and other senior party leaders LK Advani, Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley for outlining political roadmap for the party in the poll-bound states. Party president Amit Shah too seconded Modis strategy in his inaugural speech, but strongly pitched the patriotism plank by insisting that the party will not budge on Oppositions criticism on stifling freedom of speech in the name of nationalism. The president said the BJP welcomes criticism of its leaders, party and government but not of the nation in the name of freedom of speech, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said while sharing salient points of Shahs speech. Singling out Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Shah again questioned him for not condemning anti-national slogans. He also accused Congress and Left of obstructing the development agenda of the government as in the case of the GST bill. He, however, did not criticise other opposition parties whose support are required for passing the crucial legislation. Though Shahs speech was silent on the political setbacks in Delhi and Bihar, Prasad said that the party will be a serious player in West Bengal, Kerala and Assam. Chief Justice of India (CJI) T S Thakur on Saturday asked the lawyers to help in delivering cheap and speedy justice to the people. Speaking after inaugurating the new building of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court here, the CJI also advocated hearing of the cases during the summer vacation to clear the backlog. He said that speedy justice could be delivered if the lawyers of the contesting parties cooperated. All associated with the judicial process should take a resolve to dispose off the cases quickly, the CJI said. Both the bar and the bench should together pay attention toward speedy delivery justice.....hearing of cases during the summer vacation will also help, he said. Doctors at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Nimhans) here have identified a new medical condition - Virtual Anxiety - a fallout of excessive use of social media. Virtual anxiety is comparable to social anxiety on an online platform, where the subjects suffer from excessive anxiety, fear and a feeling of being judged, say doctors. In Virtual Anxiety cases, the same symptoms as in social anxiety are observed and the sufferer is constantly hooked to social media. The victims feelings of being negatively judged and evaluated based on his/her social media appearance induces virtual anxiety, say researchers at Nimhans. Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, Additional Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, Nimhans told Deccan Herald that those with social anxiety try to avoid conversations with people or refrain from having social interactions. Similarly, those with the new form of anxiety tend to block people on social media or change their social media profiles very often. They usually look for acceptance, he says adding that if anyone talks against them or disagrees with them, they develop anxiety. They also change online profiles or move onto another social networking site to avoid the situation, said Dr Sharma. Dr Sharmas findings on Virtual Anxiety are to be published in the British Journal of Psychology. He heads the Services for Healthy Use of Technology Clinic (Shut Clinic), which caters to patients with technology and internet addiction. Dr Sharma said recently a 19-year-old patient from North India, Nishanth (name changed), presented symptoms of social anxiety along with the technology addiction. Having social anxiety, he had initially changed his education streams from agriculture to photography, and later to engineering. He was hooked to Facebook and took to it to manage his anxiety. JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Saturday accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress legislators from Kolar and Chikkaballapur of siphoning off money meant for the Yettinahole drinking water project. Addressing the JD(S) workers at the Palace Grounds, he said the government had claimed to have already spent Rs 1,800 crore on the project, but nothing had been done on ground. Except for the pipeline-laying work, nothing has happened. Where did all the money go? A chunk of this money appears to have reached the pockets of the chief minister and the Kolar legislators, he added. The Congress government has been looting money in the name of development, especially the irrigation and the drinking water projects. Siddaramaiah has weakened the Karnataka Lokayukta in order to protect himself and his tainted ministerial colleagues, he said. The money borrowed by the government for the sake of development is being misused. The same money will be used during elections in order to buy votes. This is precisely the reason why no development is happening in Bengaluru despite the government earmarking crores of rupees in the budget, he said. Kumaraswamy charged Siddaramaiah with completely neglecting the ailing agriculture sector in the 2016-17 budget and promised to waive off all kinds of farm loans if his party was voted to power in the 2018 Assembly elections. Father-son ready to give up party posts JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda and his son Kumaraswamy said they were ready to give up their party posts and hand them over to others if any leader comes forward to take up the responsibility. Members of my family are not after power. We are ready to make any sacrifice for the sake of the party. We are ready to give away the party positions if anybody is willing to lead it, Kumaraswamy said. Gowda said he will soon call a meeting of party legislators to iron out all differences. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat was on Saturday told by Governor K K Paul to prove majority on the floor of the Legislative Assembly by March 28. The directive came hours before Rawat met him as at least nine Congress legislators shifted allegiance to the BJP, plunging the four-year-old government into crisis. The rebels, led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and senior minister Harak Singh Rawat, were holed up at a luxury hotel in Gurgaon waiting for a meeting with the BJP central leadership. The Congress mounted efforts to woo the rebels back with the chief minister and the partys Uttarakhand unit chief Keshav Upadhyaya offering an olive branch to all of them, except Harak Singh Rawat. In the 71-member Assembly, which includes a nominated member, the Congress has 36 MLAs, the BJP 29, the BSP two, the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal one and three Independents. At least five rebel MLAs are in touch with me. We are ready to let bygones be bygones, the chief minister said expressing confidence over proving majority. He also claimed that some BJP MLAs were also in touch with him. Speaker Govind Kunjwal warned the rebels the anti-defection law is in place and whoever is guilty of violating it will have to be acted against. In Delhi, Congress leaders launched a scathing attack on the BJP for de-stabilising governments led by opposition parties. The Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo are going around with a shopping list of Congress MLAs. Congress leaders who are not committed to the party ideology are on their radar (sic), AICC general-secretary Digvijay Singh told reporters. BJP leaders dismissed the Congress accusations of trying to destabilise Uttarakhand government. As many as 35 MLAs, including nine Congress rebels, have come to Delhi. The Congress MLAs were unhappy with the state government and came to the BJP, BJP general-secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said. Meanwhile, in Dehradun, the chief minister chaired a meeting of the state Cabinet which recommended removal of Harak. The chief minister is expected to be in Delhi on Sunday to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the partys top leadership. As per the Hindu Endowment Act, non-Hindus should not take part in religious rituals. But there is no specific rule regarding invitations, he had said. Dakshina Kannada district in-charge Minister B Ramanatha Rai has said the row over printing deputy commissioner A B Ibrahims name in the invitation of the car festival should not be given a communal colour.Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Rai said Ibrahim held an official position as the deputy commissioner of a district and he should be treated so.A controversy has erupted after the invitation for the car festival of Sri Mahalngeshwara temple of Puttur had the name of Ibrahim printed on it, with Hindutva groups demanding removal of his name from the invitation. The groups had contended that they had no objection if the invite had just stated deputy commissioner, without mentioning his name.The Hindu activists had threatened to call for a Puttur bandh if Ibrahims name was not removed from the invite. The Puttur unit secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad has filed a writ petition in the High Court over the issue.The car festival is scheduled to be held from April 10 to 19. Rai said that it was not right to stoke communal feelings and disturb communal harmony in society.The deputy commissioner himself had, earlier, called the matter a non-issue, saying there had been no lapse in mentioning his name in the invite. Participants at a seminar organised by the All India Save Education Committee (AISEC) denounced what they called attempts by governments to interfere in educational institutions affairs. Speaking at the Save University, Save Democracy seminar attended by a number of academicians, education experts, authors and students, Prof JS Patil, former vice-chancellor of Karnataka Law University shared his experiences as a MPhil student at JNU. He said, I stand witness to the free atmosphere of ideological debates and student movements in JNU. Lecturers and students cherish an atmosphere of freedom of thought and speech. We should resist the destruction of democratic atmosphere in JNU, other central universities and condemn the authoritarian interference of the government in the internal affairs of universities. He said VCs were being appointed by corrupt means, endangering democracy. Such being the case, how can we expect that universities to uphold the aspirations of free education, democratic education, and quality of education? The senate, syndicate and academic council were in place to protect the democratic functioning of universities, but in 2000, with a change in bill, the senate was dissolved and the syndicate and academic councils were left powerless, thus officially killing the democratic atmosphere within universities, he said. Highlighting the deplorable condition of state universities, he said that only 3 to 4% of the state budget was for state universities and they are heavily dependent on state government for funds. Central universities, autonomous and private universities on the other hand are havens for the moneyed few, he said. Author Shashi Deshpande highlighted the importance of students having a right to an ideology of their own. The purpose of education is to create a student who can think on his own. There can be no human progress without disagreement and dissent. Hence that freedom cannot be sacrificed. We want men and women who can think, not mediocre yes men. To rebel is a part of being young. The rebels of today are the material with which the nation will be built, she said. SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Google Ad Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully Google Ad The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression According to the police, the incident took place at around 10.40 am in front of Jindal Public School on NH-4 near Nelamangala. Two employees of Gati Petrol Bunk in Madanayakanahalli Dodda Nagappa and Venkataramanaiah were on their way to the Chikkabidirakallu branch of Canara Bank on a bike at around 10 am to deposit the money, when they were attacked by the robbers, said the police. The four suspects followed the victims on two bikes and two of them deliberately rear-ended the bunk staffers two-wheeler from behind, knocking down Dodda Nagappa and Venkataramanaiah. Throw chilli powder Then the suspects threw chilli powder in the victims faces and attacked them with a lethal weapon, injuring Venkataramanaiah. They snatched the bag from him, joined their two other associates and fled, said the police. The police did not rule out the involvement of insiders in the incident. They said they would question every worker of the bunk and also obtain CCTV footage from nearby places to trace the suspects. Four men assaulted two employees of a petrol bunk and fled with their bag containing Rs 21.44 lakh in cash, at Madanayakanahalli on the outskirts of the City on Saturday morning. by Tad Lindley When the ocean liner Titanic left Queenstown, Ireland, she had about 2,224 souls aboard. Some were crew members (176 crew men did nothing, but keep shoveling coal 24 hours a day to power the steam engines), and the rest were passengers who had paid for a seat on the ship hoping to cross the Atlantic and arrive in New York City. As you may well know, on April 14, 1912, at 11:40 PM, the great ship struck an iceberg. Before the sun rose, the Titanic and over 1,200 men, women, and children lay in a watery grave over 2 miles beneath. Still others succumbed to hypothermia in the icy water, 333 having been recovered dead in their life jackets. First class on the Titanic By my rough financial calculation, a ticket for the finest cabins on the Titanic cost over $100,000 in current money. Some of the wealthiest people on the planet had booked passage on the ship and were enjoying the gym, the pool, the Turkish baths, and the lavish lifestyle of the first class portion of the ship. It was their intent to enjoy the absolute finest that money had to offer and so they did, until 11:40 PM on April 14, 1912. Second and third class For those who were not able to afford first class, there were cheaper accommodations available. Again, by my rough calculations, a cabin in steerage or third class could have been purchased for about $1200 modern dollars. Understand that everyone aboard would have preferred to be in first class, but the price was way too high. Swapping seats on the Titanic Anybody in third class would gladly have moved up to second or third class. It would have meant better food, more room, a cabin with a view, nicer bathrooms, better service, and greater respect from the crew. Unfortunately, the tragic truth is this, the best seats on the Titanic were not in first class with free access to a squash court, they were not the largest cabins with the fanciest decoration, nor they were to be found in the second class section, or even in steerage: the best seats on Titanic were in the life boats. 11:39 PM April 14, 1912 If the people on the Titanic could have seen into the future, passengers in First Class might have shouted down to the 3rd Class passengers on the poop deck, Hey, somebody come up and have my stateroom, its 249A. I wont be needing it! And after 11:00 PM they would have tossed the room keys down to somebody looking for a better seat on the Titanic, while they themselves climbed into a lifeboat and waited. This old world is winding up Whether anyone believes it or not, there is an 11:40 PM coming for this world. Jesus foretold of a day when he would return, indicating that just as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be, for as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Matthew 24:37-39) Just like on the Titanic, everything was full steam ahead. People never in their wildest imaginations thought that the last grains were falling in the hourglasses of their lives, and then, BOOM!, it was over just like that. And it will be the same for many of us. The trumpet will sound and the Lord will descend with a shout, and it will all be over. Switching seats Its nobodys intention to die lost and spend eternity in hell, and so we try to do better. We try for a better place in life. Now that marijuana is legal, a whole bunch of fellows that are overweight from drinking beer are going to switch to smoking dope. When the liquors stores get here, heroin addicts will try to ween off of that onto inexpensive, easy, and legal alcohol. Well go from cigarettes to snuff, from one failed relationship to the next, from pornographic magazines to pornographic internet. Well quit bingo, but then blow are kids PFDs in Vegas. Its like switching seats on the Titanic. Whats your seat number? The apostle, Paul, wrote a letter to the church in the town of Galatia. In it he told them, if you are living like this, all you did was change seats on the Titanic. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 NIV) The only safe seat on the Titanic The only people who benefited from changing seats on the Titanic were those who got a seat in the lifeboat. Unfortunately over two thirds of the people on board never made it into a lifeboat. Had they known, every lifeboat seat would have been taken by 10:00 PM that night. Let me ask you this. What seat are you in right now? If the Lord were to come in twenty minutes would you be saved? Are you in the life boat, or are you somewhere else in life? Have you gone through life switching seats on the Titanic, or are you in the lifeboat? In the famous words of John the Baptist, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand! (Matthew 3:2) Reverend Tad Lindley is a minister at the United Pentecostal Church in Bethel, Alaska. Share this: Tweet Email The late Barbara Joe of Alakanuk and Maryann Andrews of Emmonak shared the following advice during a gathering of women from the Lower Yukon in April 2012. These translations are by Alice Rearden, who also attended the gathering. We are grateful for what these women shared. Quyana! Ann Fienup-Riordan Yungcautnguuq nunam qainga tamarmi/The entire surface of the land is medicine Arnaucuaq/Barbara Joe: Naunranek kiagmi cumerrluteng. Naunraat taugaam neqekluki. Upnerkami iitarnek, iitarnek nerengnaurtukut, aanavut iitarcurnaurtuq. Tua llu makut greens at ataam naungata They would gather plants in the summer. Plants were their foods. In the spring, wed start eating iitat [lower part of tall cotton grass], our mother would go and gather iitat. Then when these greens grew, again Ellaita yungcautekellrit. Quagcit llu makut, cali quagcit gguq tua-i, itumqurluki akutauluteng assiqapigtut. Ones that they used as medicine. And these quagcit [sour dock], they say sour dock also, they cut them into pieces, and they are extremely tasty made into akutaq. Assiqapiggluteng. Tamakut naunraat wangkuta nangteqsuitevkallruitkut. They are very delicious. Those plants prevented us from being ill. Cali atsat uksumi angpartaqamegteki qusraqamta atsat juice aitnek unuakumi mercetnauraitkut. Caaskaq-llu muirpeknaku meqercetnauraitkut atsat egenritnek. Tamaa-i gguq tamakut yungcautnguut. Tamakut yungcautekngamegteki qaimeggnun, vitamin aliata, tamakut gguq, maa-i nutaan taringlaranka, naunraat -gguq tamakut neqkellrat kayunarquq vitamin alirlaata. Also, when they would open up salmonberries in winter, when wed have colds, they would have us drink berry juice in the morning. And not filling the cup full, they would let us drink a small amount of berry juice. They say those are medicine. Since those things were medicine to their bodies, since they have many vitamins, they say those ones, today Ive come to understand what theyre like, they say eating those berries makes one strong since they have many vitamins. Maa-i wangkurlumta maa-i tamakut neqkenriamteki kayuirucugtukut anglicautelput imutun wangkutnek aqvauqurciigaliamta. Today, we poor things today, since we no longer eat those things we were raised on, we tend to get weak because we cannot go and get them ourselves. Iitarnek tua-i nerevkarnauraitkut. Naunraat-llu picata tua-i naunraat enrillratnun cali neqekluki. Atsanek-llu ataam piurcata quagcit-llu, quagcinek cali neqengqercelluta. Tua-i-ll atsauciameng, napartamun atsanek, napartaq imirnauraat atsanek. Tamakut taugken quagcit cuyaitnek kipullguquurluki patuluki. Uquggluyuunateng-llu. They would let us eat iitat. And when plants grew, they would eat plants until they became hard. And when salmonberries were ready as well as sour dock, they also had us eat sour dock. And when they had picked a lot of salmonberries, they would fill a barrel with salmonberries. But the leaves of sour dock, they placed the sour dock leaves opposite each other and covered them [with berries]. And [the berries] never became moldy. Anglicautelteng, anguqallruaput ilaitni maani tamakut. Tamakut-gguq neqaita nangteqvakarcecuitellruit. Tua-i neqet anglicautelteng tamakut neqkurluki teggenrurtetuluteng. Those things they raised us on, some of us happened to catch those things. They say their foods prevented them from becoming ill all the time. They continually ate their foods and became elderly. Kapuukaraat-llu. Imkut arnaurluut-llu. Wangkuta arnaurlurtutullruukut. Nanvani cuyait tuarr imkut caiggluut, caiggluut tua-i cuyait nanvami. Tamakunek pissurnaurtukut. And kapuukaraat [buttercups] also. And those arnaurluut [wild rhubarb]. We used to eat arnaurluut. In lakes, their leaves look like caiggluk [wormwood] leaves in lakes. We would gather those. Nanirqun/Peter Black: Nasqupaguat-llu qaa? Nasqupaguat [nutty saw-wort] also? Arnaucuaq/Barbara Joe: Ii-i, nasqupaguat. Yes, nutty saw-wort. Tauyaaq/Maryann Andrews: Nasqupaguat imkut-llu aipait cali nasqupaguat, caneg ima piqerlaqait, mecuqelugat? Nasqupaguat and the others like those nasqupaguat, what do they call them again, mecuqelugat [sea lovage]? Arnaucuaq/Barbara Joe: Yaa, tamakunek neqengqerrluta. Ellaita yungcautekluki; neqeklallruamegteki egmiulluki neqketullruit, wangkutnun nerevkatullruit. Yes, those were our foods. They used them to heal themselves; since those were their foods, they continued to have us eat them. Atsat tua-i egenrit tangerpiit-llu egnengaqata iliikun qagertaqameng egnenglalriit; tamakut-llu egcuunaki. Wangkutnun tua-i nerevkaraqluki yungcautekevkarluki. Salmonberry juice, and when crowberries would get juice, as you know sometimes when they pop, they get juice; they didnt discard those either. They would have us eat them, they had us eat them for medicine. Wangkuta cuyakegglit taugaam imkut orange-anek kangelget, tamakut qeltaitnek tamuaguraqercetlallruitkut. Imkut cali nunapigmi ayut, ayut kangrit imkut mikcuaraat ayut kangrit teggurluteng, tamakunek cali nunapigmi cali tamuagurcetaqluta. Tamakut-llu gguq yungcautnguut ayut kangrit. Cali yuurqercetaqluta tamakunek. For us, the cuyakegglit [diamond leaf willow] that have orange tops, they used to have us chew on the membranes of those for a while. And those ayut [Labrador tea] on the tundra also, the small tops of Labrador tea that are hard, they used to have us chew on those on the tundra for a while. They say the tops of Labrador tea are also medicine. They also had us drink that kind of tea. Cali wangkuta young alriani maqiaqamta, maqivkarluta, ellaita maqisqelluta. Tua-llu maqirraarluta eleggluki. Maa-i church-amill aturlarait. Kinercirraarluki tamaku ayut eleggluki qaimtenun evcuarutekluki. Tua-i gguq essuircautnguut, assilriaruut. Qaivut-gguq wangkutnek ayunek piaqamteki caarrluput kataglaraput. And when we young ones would take baths, theyd have us take baths, theyd tell us to take baths. And after taking baths, they would burn them. They also use them in church today. After drying those pieces of Labrador tea, they would burn them and shake them over our bodies. They say they are essuircautet [those used to cleanse and purify], they are good. They say when we [cleanse] our bodies with ayut, we lose our impurities. Tauyaaq/Maryann Andrews: Ii-i, carrirluta. Yes, we cleanse ourselves. Arnaucuaq/Barbara Joe: Carrirluta, wangkutnek carrirluta. We cleanse ourselves, we cleanse ourselves. Assilriaruata. Assilriit taugaam feel-atuaput. Iliini-gguq taugaam yuum iliinek, qaill kiq tayima yuungami, feel-ayuitait-gguq ilaita yuut. Essuilkemeggnun-gguq taugaam, ca mana tamarmi, essuilngurmun yugmun, feel-atua-gguq tamana essuilnguum yuum. Its because they are good. We only feel ones that are good. They say sometimes, some people, Im not sure how theyre living to cause this, they say some people dont feel them. They say only people they consider to be pure, everything [traditional medicine], on a person who is pure, they say only a person who is pure feels that. Tauyaaq/Maryann Andrews: Yuilqumi, yuilquungermi camek pitangqertuq iinrumek. In the wilderness, even though its wilderness, there are different kinds of medicine. Arnaucuaq/Barbara Joe: Yaa, yungcautnguuq nunam qainga tamarmi. Yes, the entire surface of the land is medicine. Share this: Tweet Email 9-27-2022 at 19:25 M-5 was called to respond to a report of alcohol intoxication. 9-28-2022 at 04:42 M-5 was called to respond to a report of dizziness. 9-28-2022 at 07:49 M-5 was called to respond to a report of abdominal pain. 9-28-2022 at 10:29 M-5 was called to respond to a report of an obvious death. 9-28-2022 at 10:57 M-5 was called to respond to a report of nausea. 9-28-2022 at 12:56 M-5 was called to respond to a report of traumatic injury. 9-28-2022 at 14:19 M-5 was called to respond to a report of a stroke. 9-28-2022 at 16:11 M-5 was called to respond to a report of chest pain. 9-28-2022 at 16:33 M-5 was called to respond to a report of shortness of breath. 9-28-2022 at 19:18 M-5 was called to respond to a report of anxiety. 9-28-2022 at 20:23 M-5 assisted with transporting a patient from YKHC to a care facility. 9-29-2022 at 00:38 M-5 was called to respond to a report of abdominal pain. 9-29-2022 at 01:13 M-5 was called to respond to a report of traumatic injury. 9-29-2022 at 04:05 M-5 transported a patient from YKHC to a care facility. 9-29-2022 at 22:42 M-5 was called to respond to a report of abdominal pain. 10/7/2022 16:31 E4 responded to the report of a smell of fuel near Larson sub. 10/7/2022 17:56 M5 responded to a report of an intoxicated person. 10/7/2022 18:27 M5 responded to a report of an assault. 10/7/2022 19:37 M5 was canceled while en route to the sobering center. 10/7/2022 21:45 M5 responded to a report of an intoxicated person. Share this: Tweet Email Leonard Hicks of Trussville, Alabama is awaiting confirmation by the Bethel City Council to be the new Chief of Police for Bethel. His confirmation will take place during the Bethel City Councils September 13th, 2022 regular council meeting. The City of Bethel Chief of Police position has been vacant since April 2022. Recruitment for a new chief began in that same month. The most qualified candidate for the position was Leonard Hicks, bringing over 20 years experience in Law Enforcement, writes City Manager Peter Williams in Action Memorandum 22-26. Mr. Hicks most recently served as Lieutenant and Chief Investigator in the Criminal Investigations Division for the Moody Police Department in Moody, Alabama. He spent five days in Bethel shadowing the Interim Chief of Police Jesse Poole. A conditional offer of employment was issued. The annual total compensation for Mr. Hicks full time position is $130,786 with $10,000 relocation reimbursement. The City of Bethel will also provide temporary interim housing and use of a company vehicle from September 11th, 2022 for 60 days. Share this: Tweet Email by Beverly Hoffman The YK Lifesaver Endowment Fund continues to grow with recent contributions. In 2016 the Lifesavers received funds from Bethel Volunteers Emergency Services Association, the Bethel Lions Club, Calista Corporation, the Kuskokwim Ice Classic, the Annual Christmas Cookie Extravaganza, #bethelgives, the Langois Brinich Family, and contributions in memory of Gary Vanasse and Reed McWilliams along with several anonymous donations. Started 20 years ago to support a swimming pool/fitness center in Bethel, the Lifesaver Endowment Fund is now at $220,000. The fund housed under the Bethel Community Services Foundation umbrella is going into a third year of providing grants to the Yukon Kuskokwim Fitness Center Swim programs. In the last 2 years the fund has contributed more than $41,560 in grants to the YK Fitness Center. In 3 business plans prior to construction the Lifesavers fund was expected to contribute just $5,000 a year. The boost comes from how donations are divided and our community commitment to grow the fund. The YK Lifesavers, unless a donor requests a different allocation, puts half of any donation received into the Endowment Fund for continued growth and half goes to immediately support the YK Lifesavers-sponsored Swim Programs. Alternatively, some donors wish to have their entire contribution allocated to the endowment fund for growth and future spending, and others wish to have their contribution used immediately- the Lifesavers can accommodate each of these wishes. Every year the fund averages 5 years of its end-of-year balances, which have typically grown each year, and is able to contribute 5% of the value of the fund balance to swim programs. Funds in the endowed fund will ultimately grow, and over time will grant out more in interest than the value of the fund itself. For example, an individual may contribute $25 to the fund, and over the years, that $25 will remain permanently in the fund- but by BCSF giving out in grants just a portion of the interest it generates, over the decades to come that $25 will result in hundreds- perhaps even thousands- of dollars in future grant making. Organizers first tried to have a free swim session sign up but could see the fund would dry up too quickly, and decided to offer half price fees for those who couldnt afford to pay the full fee on the weekends. The Lifesavers are now celebrating the popularity of the half-price program. In the last 7 months hundreds of youth have benefited from the Lifesavers Fund through half price fees on the weekends, purchase of swim suits and trunks and swim lessons. Lifesaver monthly numbers for Friday, Saturdays and Sundays calculated by Stacey Reardon, the HealthFitness facility manager of the YKFC, are as follows: July 2016: 423 youth, 243 adults, 16 seniors, 9 swim suits August 2016: 647 youth ,144 adults 13 seniors, 2 military September 2016: 478 youth, 129 adults, 8 seniors October 2016: 441 youth, 165 adults, 12 seniors, 2 military November 2016: 402 youth, 193 adults, 15 seniors, 4 military December 2016: 340 youth, 165 adults, 4 military January 2017: 428 youth, 229 Adults, 27 seniors, 4 military Bethel Community Service Foundation Director Michelle DeWitt cautioned the Lifesavers recently, saying the popularity of the half price weekends last year and in early 2017 is causing a financial drain on funds available and we risk running out of the 2017 grant allocation too early in the year. As a result, the Lifesavers are planning to seek continued support from businesses and organizations to prevent that from happening. They will also post a sign at the customer service desk of the YK Fitness Center asking patrons of the pool to help stretch the 2017 grant allocation by paying the full price if they can afford it. Voluntary full-price payment for those who can afford it will ensure that our friends, family and neighbors who most need the financial assistance, can continue to use the pool at half-price throughout the year. Added community support has come through individual sponsorships from Cezary Maczynski, Nicholas Wasierski, Judy Wasierski, Ginny Thofner, Paula Schiefer and Marcia Coffey for beginning swim programs, a free teen swim sponsored by Drews Foundation on Wednesday evening and an end of the month free swim Saturdays for youth 12 and under by Angstman Law Office. If interested in supporting the Lifesaver efforts PLEASE consider pick click give to Kuimarvik (a Place to Swim) when filling out your PFD. Those donations will go to the Lifesavers. Individuals are asked to contact Beverly Hoffman with the Lifesavers at 543-3239 or [email protected] or Michelle DeWitt at Bethel Community Services Foundation at 543-1812, [email protected] or via the web at bcsfoundation.org. Share this: Tweet Email by Donlin Gold Staff For the 11th year in a row, Donlin Gold is pleased to support Bethel musher and former Iditarod Champion, Pete Kaiser, as he competes in the Iditarod this weekend. Donlin Gold is also a premier sponsor of the Iditarod, a dogsled race that is held during the first weekend in March. Donlin Gold supports the Iditarod because it brings out the best in Alaska. The bond between the communities that host this event, the mushers and dogs that compete, and the fans that cheer across our state is worthy of celebration and preservation, said Kristina Woolston, Donlin Gold External Affairs Manager. My success has been just one piece of a huge puzzle, and that whole puzzle revolves around all the support I have. My accomplishments would never have been possible with just myself and the dogs, said Pete Kaiser. The community support Ive had, my family standing behind me and everybody else that continues to motivate me has been a huge part of how this has all come together to help me win the Iditarod in 2019 and multiple Kuskokwim 300 titles in my home region. A key to a lot of that has been the support from Donlin Gold. The race will have a different look and feel this year, and we appreciate the countless individuals who are working hard to ensure COVID-19 protections are in place for the mushers, volunteers and checkpoint communities. Those who are familiar with the history of the Nome serum run of 1925 know the Iditarod embodies resiliency, trust and the true grit that it takes to run the race, said Woolston. We wish all of this years 47 mushers a safe and swift journey on Sunday. The 2021 Iditarod is scheduled to start on Sunday, March 7th and races 852 miles through harsh Alaskan terrain. Share this: Tweet Email by Calista Corporation Staff Calista Corporation owns Alaskas oldest heavy equipment dealerYukon Equipment, Inc.and behind the companys recent expansion in rural sales is Jeanie Gusty, a Yupik-speaking Calista Shareholder who grew up in tiny Stony River. Alaska has more than 200 tribes. Roughly 100 villages also formed a municipality. At least once a year, the tribes and small local governments get a call from Gusty. No one likes cold calls, so Gusty avoids wasting their time with sales blather. When Im calling a tribal government, I just ask if they are in the market for purchasing heavy equipment and if so, what are their needs. Villages routinely need a dump truck, excavator or water truck. In fact, Gusty says, If we had 20 dump trucks to sell right now, villages would buy all of them. Rural Childhood, Urban Adulthood As a young girl, Gusty enjoyed a rural lifestyle of hunting, fishing and camping with her parents and siblings in Stony River. Originally established as a trading post, Stony River is a Yupik and Athabascan community along the middle Kuskokwim River, roughly 185 miles northeast of Bethel. The current population is about 50 people and recent public school enrollment has hovered around a dozen students. After getting outside of her home village on high school tripsincluding to Washington, D.C.Gusty set a goal to move to the city after high school and made it happen. Gusty trained with Alaska Jobs Corp in Anchorage as an administrative assistant and initially worked in that role for Calista Corporation in Anchorage. In 2013, after six years away from Calista, she rejoined the Calista family of companies as executive assistant at Yukon Equipment. Calista has been a good organization to work for, Gusty says, noting the good benefits and supportive environment for employees. A Major Part of the Business Founded in 1945, Yukon Equipment became a Calista subsidiary in 2010, the same year Calista acquired the Brice companies specializing in construction. Yukon Equipment has three locations in AlaskaAnchorage, Fairbanks and Wasilla, and is the exclusive dealer in Alaska for a number of brands, including Case Construction. The company focuses on new and used construction equipment sales, rentals, repairs and service, and recently celebrated its 75th anniversary in business. Charles Klever joined Yukon Equipment as president in 2013 about a month before Gusty joined, and ever since, the two have worked together on presentations, reports, purchasing approvals and other business responsibilities. More recently, Klever was looking to expand Yukons customer base, including in rural Alaska, and Gusty volunteered to serve as the sales contact for villages. Klever gave the green light and Gusty began developing her sales routine and customer database. Its something that evolved over time and has become one of the major parts of the business, Klever says. A Win-Win-Win Rural equipment sales now represent over 30 percent of Yukon Equipments total equipment sales, and roughly 20 percent of company revenue so far this year, according to Klever. Its a win-win-win, he says. First, company revenue ultimately translates to revenue and other benefits for Calistas 35,000-plus Shareholders. Second, tribes and rural municipalities get special attention from an Alaska Native Shareholder who grew up in a village, speaks Yupik, and works to meet their unique purchasing needs. Third, Gusty is compensatedbeyond her executive assistant salaryfor securing those sales. There isnt a lot of ambiguity, and she is very straight forward. She develops a connection with the buyer, and optimizes the sale for them, so we can sell to them in the way they can buy, Klever says. This summer, for example, Gusty made final arrangements for a sale shes been working on with a village since last November. The village finally got its funding, and the equipment will go out on a barge in August, she said in July. Yukon Equipment website: https://yukoneq.com/ Rural Sales: Jeanie Gusty, 907-277-1541 or [email protected] Share this: Tweet Email The severe downturn in the oil and gas industry, combined with global economic pressures, led state economic analysts on Friday to caution Colorado lawmakers about the looming possibility of a recession. The warning represented a milestone, after years of positive news as the state surged out of the Great Recession, and further complicates the ongoing battle at the Capitol concerning the $27 billion state budget. Legislative Council economist Larson Silbaugh told lawmakers that the states economy expanded through the first half of 2015 but slowed toward the end, a trend that continued into this year as energy prices continued to decline. If weakness in natural resources, manufacturing and agricultural areas of the economy reach a critical mass, we have an increasing chance of a recession, Silbaugh said. The March revenue forecasts issued Friday serve as the benchmark for lawmakers as they craft next years state budget and represent a downward revision from Decembers projections. This is not a good sign, said Sen. Kent Lambert, a Colorado Springs Republican and budget writer. We need to look at this very closely because worse impacts may occur throughout 2016 and into 2017. Colorados weakening economy forced state lawmakers earlier this year to cut $100 million from the current budget and rely on reserves to fill the remaining $60 million gap. The deficit is projected to grow, the latest estimates show, and lawmakers will need to find $98 million to $111 million more to balance this years budget. You are basically in the same situation you were last time, but its actually a little bit worse, Natalie Mullis, the chief legislative economist, told lawmakers. The picture for the budget year that begins July 1 also looks dim, as the projected $10.5 billion of discretionary spending available may not cover the cost of services at the current level. My concern is that we may not have enough for those things that we believe are crucial K-12 education, higher education, transportation funding, said Rep. Dave Young, a Greeley Democrat and budget writer. I think we have put those areas of our budget in great risk over time, and the outcomes are not good for those sectors. A dueling forecast from Gov. John Hickenloopers office did not paint such a dire scene, citing a strong labor market and diversified economic activity. But the Democrats top economists still expressed concern. Although Colorados economy has been resilient during the deep contraction in oil and gas activity thus far, continued weakness in the industry may yet have larger adverse impacts on economic activity for the state, the forecast reads. The budget crunch will amplify the spending fight that is defining this legislative session. Hickenlooper and Democratic lawmakers want to make more room for state spending by exempting the hospital provider fee from the states revenue calculations. Democratic House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst said it would take the budget boot off our necks. But Republicans oppose the move and argue the state needs to better prioritize its spending to fit within its means. If the hospital provider fee is not reclassified, it will contribute to pushing the state over its TABOR spending caps and force taxpayer refunds in fiscal year 2016-17 between $60 million and $169 million. Republicans are defending the refunds, saying its good economic policy. If we are having a recession, its not the time to keep increasing taxes on taxpayers, Lambert said. The best economic development strategy you could have is to let the private sector keep some of the money that they earned. John Frank: 303-954-2409, jfrank@denverpost.com or @ByJohnFrank [It appears that U.S.-sponsored death squads have returned to Honduras, this time targeting environmental and indigenous-rights activists. Des] By Nina Lakhani 16 March 2016 MEXICO CITY (The Guardian) Another indigenous activist has been murdered in Honduras amid an escalating wave of repression against the relatives and colleagues of renowned campaigner Berta Caceres, who was murdered less than two weeks ago. Nelson Garcia, 38, an active member of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organisations of Honduras (Copinh) was killed on Tuesday after a violent eviction carried out by Honduran security forces in a nearby Lenca indigenous community. Garcia was shot dead in the face by unidentified gunmen as he returned to his family home in Rio Lindo, north-west Honduras about 100 miles south of La Esperanza where Caceres was murdered at home on 3 March. Garcia spent the morning with the Rio Chiquito community where more than one hundred police and military officers helped evict dozens of families from land which local politicians claim doesnt belong to them. Their simple timber houses and crops were destroyed using heavy machinery yesterday morning, according to Copinh. Caceres co-founded Copinh 22 years ago amid growing threats to Lenca territory from loggers, farmers and state-sponsored projects. Last year, the activist won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for her opposition to one of the regions biggest hydroelectric projects, a cascade of four dams in the Gualcarque river basin, including the Agua Zarca dam. The river is sacred to the Lenca people and the proposed dam would cut-off food and medicine supplies to nearby communities. Caceres was shot dead at her home after suffering years of intimidation and threats against her life linked to her activism. [] According to Copinh, eight of the organizations nine coordinators in La Esperanza have since been interrogated for up to 12 hours at a time on numerous occasions without being properly informed of the reasons for their questioning. Aureliano Molina, one of the groups leaders, was detained hours after the killing and released 48 hours later without charges. A few days later, several unidentified men driving cars without number plates circled Molinas home and tried to gain entry to conduct an illegal search. [ more ] Fellow Honduran activist Nelson Garcia murdered days after Berta Caceres 18 March 2016 (Democracy Now!) Another indigenous environmentalist has been murdered in Honduras, less than two weeks after the assassination of renowned activist Berta Caceres. Nelson Garcia was shot to death Tuesday after returning home from helping indigenous people who had been displaced in a mass eviction by Honduran security forces. Garcia was a member of COPINH, the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras, co-founded by Berta Caceres, who won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize last year for her decade-long fight against the Agua Zarca Dam, a project planned along a river sacred to the indigenous Lenca people. She was shot to death at her home on March 3. On Thursday, thousands converged in Tegucigalpa for the start of a mobilization to demand justice for Berta Caceres and an end to what they say is a culture of repression and impunity linked to the Honduran governments support for corporate interests. At the same time, hundreds of people, most of them women, gathered outside the Honduran Mission to the United Nations chanting Berta no se murio; se multiplico Berta didnt die; she multiplied. We speak with Caceress daughter, Bertha Zuniga Caceres, and with Lilian Esperanza Lopez Benitez, the financial coordinator of COPINH. AMY GOODMAN: We begin todays show in Honduras, where another indigenous environmentalist has been murdered, less than two weeks after the killing of renowned activist Berta Caceres. Nelson Garcia was shot to death Tuesday after returning home from helping indigenous people who had been displaced in a mass eviction by Honduran security forces. Garcia was a member of COPINH, the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras, co-founded by Berta Caceres. She won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize last year for her decade-long fight against the Agua Zarca Dam, a project planned along a river sacred to the indigenous Lenca people. She was shot to death at her home on March 3rd. In a statement, Honduran police said the two killings were unrelated. They called Nelson Garcias murder a, quote, isolated act. But Honduran activists disagree. On Thursday, thousands converged in Tegucigalpa for the start of a mobilization to demand justice for Berta Caceres and an end to what they say is a culture of repression and impunity linked to the Honduran governments support for corporate interests. Ten buses of indigenous and black Hondurans were reportedly stopped en route to the capital. Activists said some began walking toward Tegucigalpa after being forced to leave the buses. In the capital, demonstrators walked past the Mexican Embassy to show solidarity with Gustavo Castro Soto, the sole witness to Berta Caceress murder, who remains inside the embassy. After Caceres died in his arms at her home, Castro was interrogated and blocked from leaving Honduras to return to his native Mexico, even though he was accompanied by the Mexican ambassador and shot twice himself. One of Berta Caceres daughters, Olivia, spoke to Democracy Now! at the mobilization in Tegucigalpa. [] BERTHA ZUNIGA CACERES: [translated] Well, as soon as I found out about her assassination, I immediately thought, Who was really behind this? because we knew of the recurrent threats that she faced. And in the last week, there had been an escalation in threats. And this happened in the context of the struggle against this hydroelectric dam known as Agua Zarca. Weve always feared for her safety and for her life, because we knew that these threats included participation by or also came from the repressive forces in Honduras, that the police and the military had been safeguarding the facilities of the hydroelectric plant. And rather than seeing how to protect human rights, theyre always trying to figure out how to protect the interests of the private company. So we knew that there were big interests that wanted to bring an end to her life and the struggle of the organization, because the struggle was not only hers, it was the struggle of an entire people and also a struggle of the Honduran social movement. AMY GOODMAN: Just hours before Nelson Garcia was assassinatedand this was just a few days ago, and this is after Bertas assassinationmore than 60 members of Congress signed a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew calling for a review of U.S. security aid to Honduras and an independent investigation into the killing of Berta Caceres. They wrote in part, quote, We are profoundly saddened and angered by the brutal assassination of Berta Caceres, and appalled by our governments continuous assistance to Honduran security forces, so widely documented to be corrupt and dangerous. Where does that U.S. military aid go, Bertita? BERTHA ZUNIGA CACERES: [translated] I think that the military aid is like the classic form of aid that the United States has given to the Latin American region. In Honduras, it was bolstered as of the 2009 coup detat, which saw an increase in the national budget earmarked to security. But at the same time, they created special forces, supposedly, to watch out for security in the country. But quite to the contrary, what has happened has been an increase in insecurity, violence and repression, very much directed against the Honduran social movement. So I believe that the role of the security forces is extremely important when one looks at the barriers being put up to the Honduran social movement and to the exercise of human rights. Were also concerned that this is continuing, this cooperation, because it has shown that these security forces do not serve the purpose for which they were supposedly created. For the indigenous peoples, in particular, the presence of armed forces represents a great danger, because they have a different life of harmony, and this merely steps up conflicts within the communities. [more] 18 March 2016 (UN) An independent United Nations expert on the situation of human rights defenders today urged the Government of Honduras to take immediate and concrete actions, or risk turning the country into a lawless killing zone for human rights defenders. UN Special Rapporteur Michel Forsts appeal came after the killing of yet another outspoken leader of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations Honduras (COPINH), Nelson Garcia, reportedly occurred on 15 March. Earlier this month, Berta Caceres, COPINH founder, prominent indigenous leader and environmental and women human rights defender, was slain. Garcia was allegedly killed shortly after he had witnessed a forced eviction carried out by security forces in the Rio Lindo area, South of San Pedro Sula. This new tragedy points once again to major faults in the protection of rights defenders in the country, Mr. Forst said in a press release. Amid unrelenting attacks against environmental and indigenous defenders, it is high time the Honduran authorities take concrete steps to ensure safety for all human rights defenders in the country, and their families, he stressed, recalling States obligation to guarantee security and protection for all human rights defender or activists within its borders. I urge the Honduran Government to publicly condemn the assassination of Nelson Garcia and ensure an immediate, independent and impartial investigation into his death, he said. This cycle of violence will only stop when impunity is addressed and perpetrators of such attacks are put to justice. According to numerous reports received by the special rapporteur, Honduras has become one of the most dangerous countries in the world for human rights defenders, particularly those promoting rights related to environment and land issues. On 5 March, after the death of Berta Caceres, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights decided to call for precautionary measures for all members of COPINH as they were suffering an escalation of threats and harassment. However, this has regrettably not prevented Mr. Garcias murder, Mr. Forst concluded. Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work. Honduras risks becoming lawless killing zone for human rights defenders UN expert GENEVA, 10 March 2016 (UNHCR) The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst, today called upon the Government of Honduras to ensure the safety and protection of Gustavo Castro Soto, Mexican defender, who was hurt during the assassination of Berta Caceres. Honduran authorities prevented Mr. Castro Soto, founder of the organization Otros Mundos and defender of land and environmental rights, from leaving the country for Mexico. He is prevented from leaving Honduras for 30 days due to a migratory alert, but the grounds for this alert are yet to be confirmed. I urge the authorities of Honduras to guarantee that the life of Mr. Castro Soto is not put to risk and to allow his return to Mexico as soon as possible, expressed the Rapporteur, while noting the assistance provided to the defender by the Mexican Embassy in Tegucigalpa. It is high time that the Government of Honduras addressed the flagrant impunity of the increased number of executions of human rights defenders in the country, especially targeting those who defend environmental and land rights, Mr. Forst stressed. Additionally, the Special Rapporteur insisted that the Government of Honduras should make sure that an immediate, independent and impartial investigation takes place on the death of Berta Caceres. Bertas assassination is a tragic wake-up call for the State to prevent such murderous acts, protect defenders and bring the responsible criminals to justice, the Rapporteur noted. Gustavo should immediately be provided with effective protection and permitted to return to his country, he concluded, expressing deep concern for the safety of the Mexican defender while he remains in Honduras. The statement by Mr. Michel Forst has been endorsed by the UN Special Rapporteurs on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai; on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye and on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, John Knox. Mr. Michel Forst (France) was appointed by the Human Rights Council as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders in 2014. Michel Forst has extensive experience on human rights issues and particularly on the situation of human rights defenders. In particular, he was the Director General of Amnesty International (France) and Secretary General of the first World Summit on Human Rights Defenders in 1998. For more information, log on to: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/SRHRDefenders/Pages/SRHRDefendersIndex.aspx Read the Special Rapporteurs reports on the global threats facing human rights defenders, and on the situation of women human rights defenders: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/SRHRDefenders/Pages/AnnualReports.aspx The UN human rights experts are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights, is the general name of the independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the Human Rights Council that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity. Learn more, visit: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/Welcomepage.aspx UN Human Rights, country page Honduras: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/LACRegion/Pages/HNIndex.aspx For more information and media requests please contact Jamshid Gaziyev (+41 22 9179245 / eandvig@ohchr.org) For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts: Mr. Xabier Celaya Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org) Honduras: Another defender needs protection after Berta Caceress killing UN expert 8 March 2016 (Democracy Now!) Honduras is still reeling from last weeks assassination of Berta Caceres, one of the countrys most well-known environmental and indigenous leaders. She was gunned down in her home early Thursday, less than a year after she won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize. Caceres is at least the 110th environmental or land defender to be killed in Honduras since 2010 in the wake of a U.S.-supported coup. At the time of her assassination, Caceres was with Gustavo Castro Soto, another well-known environmental campaigner and coordinator of Friends of the Earth Mexico. He witnessed the shooting and sustained two bullet wounds. Now, human rights activists say the Honduran government is detaining Castro without cause and refusing him permission to return to his native Mexico. We speak with Beverly Bell, longtime colleague of both Castro and Caceres and coordinator of Other Worlds, a social and economic justice organization. AMY GOODMAN: Today is International Womens Day. And a shout-out to the students at P.S. 128 in Washington Heights, who have come to watch Democracy Now! today in our studios. This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. Im Amy Goodman, as we turn now to Honduras, which is still reeling from last weeks assassination of Berta Caceres, one of the countrys most well-known indigenous environmental leaders. She was gunned down in her home early Thursday, less than a year after she won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize. She is at least the 110th environmental or land defender to be killed in Honduras since 2010 in the wake of a U.S.-supported coup. Her death has sparked protests across the Americas. A demonstration is scheduled today outside the United Nations. At the time of her assassination, Berta was with another well-known environmental campaigner, Gustavo Castro Soto, coordinator of Friends of the Earth Mexico. He was shot twice in the attack. Over the weekend, Castro attempted to leave Honduras, but authorities blocked his exit, even though he was accompanied by the Mexican ambassador. Castro was eventually ordered to return to the town of La Esperanza, where Berta Caceres had been gunned down. Castro has been held there ever since for additional questioning, the Honduran government says. Well, for more, were giong to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where were joined by Beverly Bell, longtime friend of both Gustavo and Berta. Shes currently the coordinator of Other Worlds, a social and economic justice organization. Bell is an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. Welcome back to Democracy Now!, Beverly Bell. What is happening right now in the wake and the horror of the Berta Caceres assassination? Whats happening to Gustavo Castro Soto? BEVERLY BELL: Well, the first thing to point out is that Gustavo is not only the sole witness, he also was a target for assassination. He was, as you mentioned, Amy, shot twice. And in the one letter that he has been able to get out to a few of us, he said, They tried to assassinate me, and they are still trying to assassinate me. Gustavo feigned death after having been shot twice. The death squads, who were sent, we are certain, by the Honduran government, thought that he was dead. They left. Berta died in Gustavos arms. He was then immediately picked up for questioning. He is now in his fifth day of questioning. It reads like the worst horror movie you could ever imagine. Its just been crazy, where Gustavo was locked up in horrible conditions, horrible, denied food and drink and other things, which I have been asked not to report until he leaves the country, for his security. [more] Honduran Activist Berta Caceres Died in Gustavo Castro Sotos Arms; Now His Life is in Danger Live OSU updates: C.J. Stroud has three touchdowns | OSU 47, Iowa 10 The Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Iowa Hawkeyes at Ohio Stadium. Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Ozark will host a Worship Choir musical presentation Eyewitness to Easter on March 20 at 6 p.m. The church is located at 1971 Deese Road. For more information, call 334-774-5610. Balkum Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, 10014 County Road 53, Headland, will host its annual Missionary Day service on March 20 at 2:30 p.m. Speaker will be Evangelist Lillie Young. Women Made Whole ministry will meet March 21 from 7-8:30 p.m. at Comfort Suites, 1650 Westgate Parkway, in Dothan. The group is a ministry that encourages women and meets every other Monday. There is no charge to participate. The ministry is open to females of all ages, races and denominations. The group is currently following Beth Moore's Living Free devotional on the power of prayer. Learn more information on the ministrys local events via its Facebook page, Women Made Whole Dothan, or visit www.womenmadewhole.com. The Annual Abbeville Area Revival will be held March 21-25 at St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church, 120 Girard Ave., Abbeville, with services at 7 p.m. Guest evangelist for the week will be the Rev. Byron L. Broussard, pastor of Greater Rising Star Baptist Church of Atlanta. There will numerous guest churches each night of the revival, which is sponsored by Bethlehem Baptist Church, Mary Magdalene Baptist Church and St. Peter Baptist Church. Monday is Ladies Night, Tuesday is Mens Night and Wednesday through Friday is Youth in Worship. First United Methodist Church of Dothan will host a Holy Week luncheon on March 23 at 12 p.m. in the churchs fellowship hall. The speaker will be Dothan Mayor Mike Schmitz. Tickets are $7, and reservations and payments can be made at www.fumcdothan.org. Tickets are also available in the church office. The church is located at 1380 W. Main St. in Dothan. Parks Chapel AME Church, 1053 E. Selma St., Dothan, will hold Good Friday services at the church on March 25 at 12 p.m. Messages on The Seven Last Words of Christ will be delivered by ministers from the Wiregrass. The public is invited to attend. For more information, contact the church at 334-794-4811 or email parkschapelame@graceba.net. New Hope Baptist Church, 5711 County Road 114, Brundidge, will host the gospel singing group 11th Hour on March 25 at 7 p.m. No admission fee. An offering will be received. For more information, call 334-894-5892. The Carrying of the Cross will beheld on Good Friday, March 25. Participants will gather at the First United Methodist Church on West Main Street at 10 a.m., and the procession will leave at 10:30 a.m. and end at the Dothan Civic Center. At the civic center, there will be a service, featuring Walter Wilson in song and the Rev. Tom Anderson with the message. The Carrying of the Cross has been going on for 30-plus years. Every Christian of all denominations is invited to come and participate in the event. Dothan Tabernacle Church of God in Christ, 2867 Fortner St., Dothan, will hold a Good Friday Service on March 25 at 7 p.m. Guest speaker will be Evangelist Dorothy Brown of Eufaula. Call 334-791-2347 for more information. The congregations of Westview Heights United Methodist Church, St. Michaels Episcopal Church, and St. Johns Catholic Church in Ozark are sponsoring the outdoor service Way of the Cross on Good Friday, March 25, beginning at 12:30 p.m. in front of Westview Heights United Methodist Church on Camilla Avenue. Participants in the service will share in carrying the cross around the three churches through the 14 Stations of the Cross. They will walk four stations at Westview, and then go across Camilla Avenue to St. Johns for five stations, and then next door to St. Michaels for five more stations. The last station will be in front of St. Michaels, and the cross will be veiled in black. In case of rain, the service will be held inside Westview Heights United Methodist Church. Camilla Avenue is off of U.S. 231 in Ozark (the blinking light just south of the Wal-Mart stop light). Klondyke Gospel Music Center, located between Newton and Ozark at 3885 Highway 123 S., will host Redemption Calling from Fort Wayne, Indiana, March 25; Hart to Hart from Knoxville, Tennessee, March 26. Concerts start at 7 p.m. Admission is free; offering will be taken. For more information, call 334-405-1500. Grimes Gospel Lighthouse, 1512 County Road 25, Grimes, will host local talent on March 26 at 7 p.m. An offering will be taken. Call 334-983-4654 or 334-714-4658 for more information. Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Ozark will host Ozark's Annual Egglympics at Police Memorial Park on March 26 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Games, food, fellowship, a devotional and an Easter egg hunt will be featured. Attendees are asked to bring a covered dish to share. For more information, call the church office at 334-774-5610. New Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 2627 Kinsey Road, Dothan, will celebrate the fifth pastoral anniversary for the Rev. Norman Fryer and Sister Wanda Fryer on March 27. The Rev. Michael Thomas of St. Mathis Missionary Baptist Church in Cowarts will speak during an 11 a.m. service and Dr. Vincent T. Owens of Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in Dothan will speak at 2:30 p.m. Lunch will be served. New Hope Freewill Baptist Church, 3819 County Road 31, Abbeville, will celebrate its annual Womens Day on Sunday, March 27, beginning at 2 p.m. Pastor Lasagne Smith of Freemount AME Church, Bakerhill, will be the guest speaker. Worship music by Dynamic Praise of Abbeville. All churches are invited to attend. Dinner will be served. For more information, contact Catherine Long at 334-689-1092 or CathyLong72@yahoo.com. An Easter Sunrise Service in Slocomb will be held at the gazebo at Centennial Park on Easter morning, March 27. Music will start at 6 a.m. with a short message to follow. All congregations are invited to attend. Chairs are recommended for comfort. Churches that would like to participate in the music or liturgy should call Brother Brian Cowley at Slocomb First United Methodist Church at 334-655-7649 or 334-886-2897 or Agnes Windsor at 334-886-2205. An Easter Sunrise Service will be held at Landmark Park. The gates will open at 6 a.m., and the service will start at 6:30 a.m. Walter Wilson will be singing. The Rev. George Ellison will have the message for the Sunrise Service. Everyone is invited. Harvest Church will hold a community-wide Easter service on Sunday, March 27, with service times at 7:50 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Child care will be provided for all services. Harvest Church is located on Fortner Street between Honeysuckle Road and the Ross Clark Circle. For more information, call the church office at 334-702-6555, or go to www.HarvestDothan.com. Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Ozark will host an Easter Sunrise Service on March 27 at 6:30 a.m. followed by breakfast, Sunday school at 9:15 a.m. and morning worship at 10:30 a.m. A nursery is provided for all worship services. Ridgecrest Baptist Church is located at 1971 Deese Road. For more information, call 334-774-5610. Divine Deliverance Fellowship Ministries, 1518-C Andrews Ave., Ozark, will hold an Easter service and program on March 27. Sunday school will be 9:15-10:15 a.m. and the worship service will be at 10:30 a.m. For information, call 334-774-0544. Glory to Him Church will hold an Easter service on March 27 at 10 a.m. with special activities for children. The church is at 6193 Andrews Ave. in Ozark. For more information, call 334-774-7677. Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Church, 5 Piney Grove Church Road, Webb, will hold its annual spring revival March 28-30 with services at 7 p.m. Guest speaker will be Pastor Eric Griffin of Mount Olive Baptist Church in Abbeville. A Ladies Power Lunch will be held March 31 in the fellowship hall of First Baptist Church Enterprise from 12 to 1 p.m. The guest will be Kristy Mazariegos, who was on the mission field in Guatemala with her parents from ages 3 to 18. She came back to the United States to go to Judson College but returned to Guatemala after graduation to marry her high school sweetheart, Jorge, and they have been married for 22 years. The lunch is $6 and includes a meal and free child care. Make a reservation by calling Michele in the church office at 334-393-5683 by March 29. New Life Church, 964 N. Park Ave., Dothan, will host a weekend conference with British Evangelists Matthew and Becky Murray on April 1 at 7 p.m., April 2 at 6 p.m. and April 3 at 10 a.m. The Murrays have preached around the world, visiting nations such as Kenya, Sri Lanka and India. They have also ministered in cities throughout the United States including Mobile during the Bay of the Holy Spirit Revival. The Murrays are directors of One by One and pastors of Uttoxeter Pentecostal Church in Staffordshire, England. For more information, email newlifedothan@yahoo.com or call 334-792-5433. The Women's Ministry of Greater Beulah Baptist Church will sponsor its second Walk in Unity event on April 2 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. The walk will begin at Pioneer Park at the corner of North Foster and East Troy streets. After a prayer, a welcome from Dothan Mayor Mike Schmitz, and a balloon release, the walk will go down to St. Andrews Street and to the churchs Family Life Center. The walk will conclude with a praise rally and lunch. All women from the tri-state area are invited to join in. Cool Springs Baptist Church, 3004 County Road 708, Enterprise, will host Danny Funderburk (formally with The Cathedral Quartet) on April 2 at 6 p.m. No admission fee. An offering will be received. For more information, call 334-447-9114. 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. Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain. Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. 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Re: OMFG worst 2 days EVER! For them to give you money, a place to stay, etc? If you're an asylum seeker (and I think you'll have problems making that stick) then it's the Swiss authorities you should have contacted as soon as you arrived. https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home...sylgesuch.html Instead you rented a place and carried on like a normal person? Now you're out of money and the lease is up. What has any of this to do with the US? Even if you weren't (supposedly) claiming asylum, the fact you got yourself into money problems isn't the US government's responsibility, it's yours. If you wanted to claim asylum I would have thought Canada or the UK would have been a better option as English is the national language there, not here. The whole things sounds like a ploy for sympathy from EF members in hopes that someone will offer cash, a place to stay, etc. You need to explain: a) why you are seeking asylum and especially here of all places b) why you didn't claim asylum the minute you landed at the airport c) why you expect the US to do anything for someone who's claiming asylum in another country d) if you left the US two years ago to claim asylum where have you been for most of that time? Because it hasn't been here according to your first post back in February. Then you said you'd be here for at least 3 months, not that you've been here for 2 years. So is this a case of failed asylum seeking elsewhere and now you're trying it on in Switzerland? What sort of response do you expect from the US embassy?For them to give you money, a place to stay, etc? If you're an asylum seeker (and I think you'll have problems making that stick) then it's the Swiss authorities you should have contacted as soon as you arrived.Instead you rented a place and carried on like a normal person? Now you're out of money and the lease is up. What has any of this to do with the US? Even if you weren't (supposedly) claiming asylum, the fact you got yourself into money problems isn't the US government's responsibility, it's yours.If you wanted to claim asylum I would have thought Canada or the UK would have been a better option as English is the national language there, not here.The whole things sounds like a ploy for sympathy from EF members in hopes that someone will offer cash, a place to stay, etc.You need to explain:a) why you are seeking asylum and especially here of all placesb) why you didn't claim asylum the minute you landed at the airportc) why you expect the US to do anything for someone who's claiming asylum in another countryd) if you left the US two years ago to claim asylum where have you been for most of that time? Because it hasn't been here according to your first post back in February. Then you said you'd be here for at least 3 months, not that you've been here for 2 years. So is this a case of failed asylum seeking elsewhere and now you're trying it on in Switzerland? If anyone would lend me a tent. I'd give you a copy of my passport so you knew I wouldn't steal it. I'm sorry if my story seems general. It's just its painful to talk about and its personal. I've been a mess the last two days and really I don't have any specific expectations of anyone on here but if you could just please be mindful that Im going through something really painful in my life right now I would appreciate it. If you don't want to help me because you think I'm some sort of fraud that's okay but please try to be considerate of my feelings and just ignore me instead of saying things that might be hurtful. I would appreciate it more than you know. My spelling and grammar is hideous on my mobile. WOW! Last edited by 3Wishes; 19.03.2016 at 14:14 . Reason: merging consecutive replies Work Applications; Swiss ways? Hi all, Just have a question based on recent experiences job hunting. I got my last job the traditional way by sending cv and cover letter by email but recently I have taken the approach to cold call some companies as I am looking for a second, part time job. So far most of the companies have not seemed interested in discussing it over the phone - even agencies. One asked me to come in to meet them for an interview/discussion, but all others said they would like me to send cv first. In my home country and others I have lived in previously, it was perfectly fine and the done thing in fact to cold call ahead of sending cv, presuming you had seen the job advertised or were just speculating and interested in the company concerned. I am just wondering if this is in fact the Swiss way, even for part time style jobs, or have I maybe just been unlucky and the ones I called anomalies? Any other advice regarding applying directly, like by calling in in person, I would be really grateful for. Re: Terrorists in CH "After serving their sentences, it is unlikely the men will be sent back to Iraq, because Switzerland doesnt deport people back to countries where their lives could be in danger. However, some lawmakers are concerned about this policy." It's based on the UN idea of non- refoulement: http://www.unhcr.org/3ae68ccd10.html But in reading that, there can be exceptions if the person(s) pose a risk to the host country...so maybe the WSJ article is wrong. I hope so. From the WSJ article:"After serving their sentences, it is unlikely the men will be sent back to Iraq, because Switzerland doesnt deport people back to countries where their lives could be in danger. However, some lawmakers are concerned about this policy."It's based on the UN idea of non- refoulement:But in reading that, there can be exceptions if the person(s) pose a risk to the host country...so maybe the WSJ article is wrong.I hope so. He only returned to the canvas on General Hospital over the summer and has been convincingly troubled as Jake Spencer, but James Nigbor is officially out at the ABC soap, prompting rumors that the child roles on the show are soon going to be SORAS'd. His exit was confirmed on his Twitter account, which is run by his parents, who said he would always be their "Liason" baby-and they also thanked fans for their love and support, saying it all put a smile on their son's face after the news he had been cut from the show. This is for my son James. You will always be our Liason baby. Thank you to all the fans for loving my boy pic.twitter.com/BWD0lL8wvx James Nigbor (@JamesLNigbor) March 9, 2016 "This is for my son James," a tweet featuring a collage of photos of Nigbor in the role read. "You will always be our Liason baby. Thank you to all of the fans for loving my boy." The second tweet thanked the fans for their messages. Just wanted to say thank you for all the love for James. After the tears I showed him all your comments and the biggest smile emerged James Nigbor (@JamesLNigbor) March 9, 2016 "Just wanted to say thank you for all the love for James. After the tears I showed him all your comments and the biggest smile emerged," the tweet read. It is unclear if Nigbor is simply being replaced by another young actor, or if the character is going to be put through a rapid aging process (SORAS), which soaps have done numerous times over the years to give younger characters juicier and more adult-like storylines. It seems unlikely Jake is being taken off the canvas entirely since the character is still considered front-burner when it comes to the kid's storylines. Nigbor will last appear on screen March 29, according to reports. The possibility of a SORAS seems more likely with the recent aging of Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy), as well as the exits/recurring status drop of Brooklyn Rae Silzer (Emma Drake), who left with her parents for California back in February, and Nicholas Bechtel (Spencer Cassadine), who has been busy with other projects and hasn't been seen on screen much in the last few months. If a SORAS is being applied to all of the child characters, it could also mean some rapid aging for Jake's brothers, Cameron (currently portrayed by Michael Leone), Aiden (Jason David) and Danny (Braiden and Dylan Kazowski) as well, though their status' haven't been addressed. General Hospital airs Monday-Friday at 3 p.m. on ABC. Islam Slimani The Algerian youngster has been making quite a name for himself at Sporting CP, where he has racked up 24 goals in 38 matches this season. Standing at 6 foot and weighing in at a sturdy 84 kilos, he ticks all the boxes for the physical style of football S Foto:MIGUEL VIDALREUTERS Stevan Jovetic The Inter Milan strikers stock was sky high when he was at Fiorentina, but a disappointing spell with Manchester City brought his star crashing down to earth. Despite moving back to Serie A this time to Inter Milan the Montenegrin has yet to rediscov Foto:MIGUEL VIDALREUTERS Edinson Cavani The Uruguayan has long been earmarked for a move to the Spanish capital, however, signing him wouldnt come cheap (PSG paid Napoli 64 million euros for him) and thats without touching on his salary (according to reports in France he earns 10 million euro Foto:John SibleyREUTERS Diego Costa The most likely of the five candidate on this list. The club have made the Spanish-nationalised Brazilian their top target. Temper tantrums and lackluster performances have made Costa a bit of a laughing stock in the Premier League and he is clearly unha Foto:Phil NobleREUTERS The past 10 months have been something of a mix for Texton Property Fund, with the firms shopping in the UK contrasted by pieces of negative news, including a falling stock and a worryingly high churn rate at the top. Likewise, earnings numbers are mixed. Textons headline earnings per share plummeted 46% to 24.71c for the interim period to end-December, but the dividend declared came in at 51.52c per share, or an impressive 15.3% higher. Thats well behind Resilients 25.2% surge, but double Towers 7.6% increase in dividend per share for the same comparable period. Despite the difficult economic climate, the portfolio continues to perform well and we are committed to achieving double-digit distribution growth for the full year to 30 June 2016, Texton management said in a Sens announcement as it touched on prospects. The company is expected to continue to benefit from its offshore strategy via accretionary transactions and the softer rand. The group has come a long way since the asset-rich consortium, after which it is now named, bought JSE-listed Vunani Property Investment Fund for R117 million at the end of 2013. In August 2014, or nine months after the transaction, the company changed its name from Vunani Property Investment Fund to Texton. A series of deals followed helped in part by rights issues, including the one in October that was meant to raise up to R986 million. Key investors include Romeo Makhubelas Business Venture Investments, Luna Group, part of Christo Wieses empire, and Nedbank. Texton directors and associates own a quarter of the Reit. Its portfolio has grown to R5.9 billion, but the leadership feels the South African portion, spread across the countrys metros, should be revalued at the end of 2016. Investment Place and Edcon buildings are part of the portfolio. Britain, where Texton has struck back-to-back deals (giving it ownership of Parc Pensarn, Caterpillar, Broardstreet Mall and others) makes up 40% of the groups portfolio by value. Tenant mix at home includes government departments and listed firms. The group singles the purchase of the Golddurb building in Durban for growing its portfolio to 57 properties, with a total gross lettable area of 425 000 m. The inclusion of recently-snaffled British assets will extend GLA markedly. Texton is now under CEO Angelique de Rauville an erstwhile non-executive who replaced Rob Kane when he quit in June owing to added demands according to company chairman Dempsey Naidoo. Industry heavyweights Chick Legh and Thys van Heerden also serve, as non-executives, as is Property Sector Charter Council CEO Portia Tau-Sekati. After finding itself in acting mode for three months in the wake of Marelise de Langes exit, the firm hired Brigitte de Bruyn as its financial director in November. The new recruits are industry powerhouses with years of experience. Further, in an industry that tends to relegate women to lowly posts, Textons attitude is notable. Women, including Nosiphiwo Balfour and Kyansambo Vundla, occupy a third of its board seats. Formerly with Investec, De Rauvilles background is steeped in property, an industry where she has led businesses for two decades. De Bruyn is a chartered accountant whose previous stints took her to property firms Dipula, Hospitality and Sycoms asset manager Grapnel. As much as the arrival of highly qualified individuals and this months appointment of highly-respected businessman Patrick Ntshalintshali as a non-executive should be lauded, there is a real probability that the departures stunned investors given their quick succession. The fact that there was no clear succession plan did not do much to win the Reit fans either. The Naidoo-chaired board could draw some lessons from this episode. As for the interim dividend, decent as it may be, it failed to buoy the stock which has given up more than 10% since July 1. The share has given up ground since the results announcement on February 23, and has erased almost a quarter over the past 12 months to trade at 870c off the net asset value. Some would view that gap as an opportunity. The Reits share price puts its market cap at a negligible R3.4 billion, with PE ratio nearing 15. Notwithstanding a dispiriting counter or the institutional memory-threatening top-level traffic that saw nearly 10 directors arriving or departing since the beginning of June the owner of Greenstone Park and Linger Longer assets continues to expand its portfolio. December was a particularly busy month for De Rauville, De Bruyn and the rest of the team. Nic Morris, the new chief operating officer (whose predecessor Lyndon Kan was in and out in five weeks mid-2015), assumed the hot seat in January. First, the Reit announced the conclusion of its agreement to buy a high-quality A-Grade 272 260 square-feet distribution warehouse in Doncaster in Britain for 17 million at an acquisition yield of 6.45%. The conclusion of that deal further enhances Textons UK portfolio, which is in line with (its) stated strategy to achieve geographic diversification beyond South African borders, the Reit announced, citing its asset management companys fluency with the British market, coupled with attractive acquisition opportunities in that country. Three weeks later, as investors were preparing to see the back of 2015, Texton announced its purchase of a 1.62-hectare retail park in Camborne, a town in England, at an acquisition yield of 6.4%. The price tag came in at 9.9 million. Combined, these two assets fetched 26.9 million, or a tad less than R600 million, given the R22/ exchange rate. The applicable acquisition yields dont dazzle, no less for a Reit that pursues growth via yield-enhancing assets. Still, in a climate like this, not to mention the leases that span up to 15 years, they could be seen as a positive. The distribution warehouse building, which boasts a net annual income of 1.1 million (R23.8 million), is tenanted by global titan DHLs unit, while the retail park is described as a purpose-built, single-storey retail warehouse which is exclusively let to B&Q plc, a British multinational DIY and home improvement retailing company. Given last months announcement that the Reit has a solid pipeline of acquisitions, and that it will continue to focus on its strategy of growing while improving the overall quality of the portfolio, you can expect the De Rauville-led firm to keep them coming. Los Angeles, Calif., USA - Today at the 45th Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research, researcher Ricardo Teles, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA and The Forsyth Institute, Boston, Mass., USA, will present a study titled "Adjunctive Minocycline Microspheres Decrease Periodontal Pathogens around Implants with Peri-implantitis." The AADR Annual Meeting is being held in conjunction with the 40th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of adjunctive Minocycline HCl Microspheres (Arestin) with debridement alone on the levels of 40 subgingival bacterial species in the treatment of peri-implantitis. Reseachers recruited 208 subjects (from 11 centers in the USA) with at least 1 implant with peri-implantitis and randomized to receive either mechanical debridement alone (n=104) or mechanical debridement followed by Arestin (1 mg) (n=104) at baseline and day 90. After clinical examination, subgingival plaque samples from the deepest site of each qualifying implant were collected using paper points at baseline and 30 days post-baseline. Plaque samples were analyzed for the levels of 40 subgingival bacterial species using checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization technique. Clinical examinations were performed at baseline, 90 and 180 days. Significance of differences in changes in mean levels and proportions of subgingival species from baseline to 30 days was tested using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Significance of differences in change from baseline in subject-level average probing depth (mm) between treatment groups was tested using mixed models for repeated measures. The adjunctive use of Arestin resulted in statistically significantly (less than 0.01) greater reduction in the levels of 14 of the 40 subgingival species, including: A. gerencseriae, A. odontolyticus, A. actinomycetemcomitans, six members of the orange complex, all three red complex species, S. noxia and T. socranskii. In contrast, only six of the 40 species had changes in their proportions that were statistically significantly (less than 0.01) different between treatment groups. Clinically, a statistically significantly greater reduction (p=0.0035) in mean pocket depth in the Arestin group (-1.06 mm) compared to control (-0.78 mm) was observed at day 180. The use of adjunctive Arestin in the treatment of peri-implantitis resulted in significant additional reductions in the levels of multiple subgingival periodontal pathogens. Adjunctive Arestin resulted in greater peri-implant pocket depth reduction compared to mechanical debridement alone. This is a summary of oral presentation #0267, "Adjunctive Minocycline Microspheres Decrease Periodontal Pathogens around Implants with Peri-implantitis," which will be presented on Thursday, March 17, 2016, 12 p.m. - 12:15 p.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center, room #411. ### About the American Association for Dental Research The American Association for Dental Research (AADR), headquartered in Alexandria, Va., is a nonprofit organization with more than 3,700 members in the United States. Its mission is: (1) to advance research and increase knowledge for the improvement of oral health; (2) to support and represent the oral health research community; and (3) to facilitate the communication and application of research findings. AADR is the largest Division of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR). To learn more about the AADR, visit http://www.aadr.org. Los Angeles, Calif., USA - Today at the 45th Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research, researcher Robert Schroth, University of Manitoba, Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, will present a study titled "Microbiome Associated With Severe Caries in Canadian First Nations Children." The AADR Annual Meeting is being held in conjunction with the 40th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research. To determine the caries-associated microbiome among Canadian First Nations children with severe early childhood caries (S-ECC). Canadian First Nations children < 72 months of age with S-ECC or caries-free were recruited in Winnipeg. Children with S-ECC were recruited on the day of their dental surgery. Caries-free children were recruited from the community. Parents completed a questionnaire on general and dental health, diet, and demographics. Plaque and saliva samples were collected following set protocol. Microbiome analysis was conducted including Human Oral Microbe Identification using Next Generation Sequencing (HOMINGS). Data analysis included descriptive and bivariate analyses (Chi Square and t tests). A p value ? 0.05 was significant. Thirty children with S-ECC and 20 caries-free controls participated. The mean age was 40.711.7 months and 56% were male. There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to sex or age (p=0.20 and p=0.11, respectively). Children with S-ECC were weaned from the bottle at a later age than those caries-free (25.812.0 months vs. 17.98.9, p=0.28). There was no difference in daily snacking frequency between the groups (p=0.71). Microbiome analyses revealed no new unique pathogens. However, the abundance of S. mutans rDNA relative to total bacterial rDNA was significantly higher in children with S-ECC (5.99%7.01% vs. 0.21%0.28%, p<0.05). Meanwhile, compared to caries-free children, those with S-ECC displayed nearly a 3-fold decrease in Streptococcus sanguinis (a competitor of S. mutans), and a 3-fold increase in Veillonella spp (metabolically dependent on S. mutans) relative abundance. There was an increased abundance of S. mutans, as well as population shifts in oral microbial communities in children with S-ECC. Canadian First Nations children with S-ECC had significantly higher levels of cariogenic microorganisms than their caries-free counterparts, which might explain the high prevalence of S-ECC in Indigenous children. This is a summary of oral presentation #0876, "Microbiome Associated With Severe Caries in Canadian First Nations Children," which will be presented on Friday, March 18, 2016, 8:45 a.m. - 9 a.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center, room #404B. ### About the American Association for Dental Research The American Association for Dental Research (AADR), headquartered in Alexandria, Va., is a nonprofit organization with more than 3,700 members in the United States. Its mission is: (1) to advance research and increase knowledge for the improvement of oral health; (2) to support and represent the oral health research community; and (3) to facilitate the communication and application of research findings. AADR is the largest Division of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR). To learn more about the AADR, visit http://www.aadr.org. Los Angeles, Calif., USA - Today at the 45th Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research, researcher Margherita Fontana, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, USA, will present a study titled "Predicting Caries Risk at 30-months of age in Medical Settings." The AADR Annual Meeting is being held in conjunction with the 40th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research. In this study, researchers aimed to expand partnership with the medical community is a necessary strategy for reducing disparities in dental caries among young children and develop a caries risk tool to identify toddlers at risk of developing caries by age four through medical settings. A psychometrically defensible, 52-item caries risk questionnaire was completed by primary caregivers (PCG), while children received caries examinations using the ICDAS criteria, at baseline (child 123 months-of-age), and 18 months after (child 303 months-of-age). From three study sites, 1,056 children (out of 1,326 recruited) stratified by race/ethnicity and Medicaid status completed 18-month exams. Caries (dmft; d=ICDAS?3) was assessed and tested for association with each questionnaire item individually using generalized estimating equation models applied to logistic regression. The results determined that minority, Medicaid and rural children had higher caries rates at 30 months-of-age. Several questions were associated with cavitated caries at 30 months-of-age. This researcher was supported by NIH Grant Number U01 DE021412. This is a summary of oral presentation #0046, "Predicting Caries Risk at 30-months of age in Medical Settings," which will be presented on Wednesday, March 16, 2016, 3:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center, room #403A. ### About the American Association for Dental Research The American Association for Dental Research (AADR), headquartered in Alexandria, Va., is a nonprofit organization with more than 3,700 members in the United States. Its mission is: (1) to advance research and increase knowledge for the improvement of oral health; (2) to support and represent the oral health research community; and (3) to facilitate the communication and application of research findings. AADR is the largest Division of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR). To learn more about the AADR, visit http://www.aadr.org. Los Angeles, Calif., USA - Today at the 45th Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research, researcher Shihai Jia, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA, will present a study titled "Small Molecule Replacement Therapy to Rescue Craniofacial Defects." The AADR Annual Meeting is being held in conjunction with the 40th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research. PAX9 and MSX1 are known to be associated with human cleft palate and tooth agenesis. Mice lacking Pax9 or Msx1 die at birth with cleft palate and tooth developmental arrest at bud stage, and Pax9+/-;Msx1+/- gene in mutant mice have defects in incisor and the third molar development. In this study researchers explored the therapeutic use of small molecules to rescue the craniofacial defects by manipulating signaling pathway involved in craniofacial development. This translational study provides novel candidates for the therapeutic treatment of the patients with craniofacial defects. To increase Wnt signaling activities, the Dkk1 inhibitor WAY-262611 was injected into the tail vein of pregnant Pax9+/- mice, which had been mated with Pax9+/- or Msx1+/- males for Pax9-/- and Pax9+/-;Msx1+/- embryos, during the embryo developmental stage of palate and tooth formation. To modulate Eda/Edar signaling pathway, anti-Edar antibody was injected into the tail vein of pregnant Pax9+/- mice at embryonic day E9.5. The phenotypes were analyzed at E18.5 via whole mount view and HE stained sections. WAY-262611 treatment partially rescued palatal defects in Pax9-/- embryos, tooth buds advanced to the early cap stage compared with developmental arrest at bud without treatment. However, correction of the craniofacial defects did not prevent postnatal death of Pax9-/- pups. Similarly, Pax9-/- embryos treated by anti-Edar antibody had fused palate shelves with tooth buds advanced to the early cap stage. In addition, both of the treatments could restore the 3rd molar formation in Pax9+/-;Msx1+/- mice. Neither WAY-262611 nor Anti-Edar antibody had negative effects on the mother or control littermates. The small molecule WAY-262611 and anti-Edar antibody could rescue the craniofacial defects in Pax9-/- and Pax9+/-;Msx1+/- mice without any overt associated toxicities, suggesting that they have the potential to be used as safe therapeutic drugs for treating developmental abnormalities related to Wnt or Eda/Edar signaling deficiency. This is a summary of oral presentation #1497, "Small Molecule Replacement Therapy to Rescue Craniofacial Defects," which will be presented on Saturday, March 19, 2016, 8 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center, room #408B. ### About the American Association for Dental Research The American Association for Dental Research (AADR), headquartered in Alexandria, Va., is a nonprofit organization with more than 3,700 members in the United States. Its mission is: (1) to advance research and increase knowledge for the improvement of oral health; (2) to support and represent the oral health research community; and (3) to facilitate the communication and application of research findings. AADR is the largest Division of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR). To learn more about the AADR, visit http://www.aadr.org. Los Angeles, Calif., USA - Today at the 45th Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research, researcher Jeffrey Fellows, Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Portland, Oregon, USA, will present a study titled "The National Dental PBRN as a Learning Health System." The AADR Annual Meeting is being held in conjunction with the 40th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research. The Institute of Medicine has advanced the Learning Health System (LHS) as a strategy to transform health care delivery by leveraging data infrastructure to develop and apply new information within real-world clinical settings. A LHS achieves this goal through collaborative relationships between clinicians, researchers, IT staff, patients and other stakeholders. Organizations identify important clinical questions for study, collect and analyze relevant data, interpret and disseminate results, and implement practice change. This study describes the LHS and its correspondence with the National Dental Practice-Based Network's goals, structure and achievements. The Network is a consortium of more than 6,000 U.S. dental practitioners and researchers that conducts studies in dental offices on topics of importance to practitioners in order to advance scientific knowledge, and improve patient care and oral health. The Network developed collaborative processes to identify clinical questions for study, specify and collect relevant data, analyze study data and interpret results, and disseminate and implement findings. Since 2005, the Network has conducted more than 25 studies, published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and demonstrated practice change. The strengths of the Network include: collaborative relationships between practitioners, researchers and stakeholders; integration of practitioners in decisionmaking; focus on real world clinical questions; merging data from large numbers of patients and clinics; collaborative assessment study results and practice implications; and rapid dissemination to practitioners. Challenges include barriers to electronic records integration, finite resources, and integrating implementation science. At the conclusion of this study, the researchers determined that the key to success for the Network as a LHS is its ability to empower collaboration among practitioners, clinical researchers and other stakeholders, and to expand evidence and improve patient care. This research was supported by NIH grant U19-DE-22516. This is a summary of oral presentation #1490, "The National Dental PBRN as a Learning Health System," which will be presented on Saturday, March 19, 2016, 9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center, room #511BC. ### About the American Association for Dental Research The American Association for Dental Research (AADR), headquartered in Alexandria, Va., is a nonprofit organization with more than 3,700 members in the United States. Its mission is: (1) to advance research and increase knowledge for the improvement of oral health; (2) to support and represent the oral health research community; and (3) to facilitate the communication and application of research findings. AADR is the largest Division of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR). To learn more about the AADR, visit http://www.aadr.org. New Rochelle, NY, March 18, 2016 -- The historic climate agreement reached by more than 190 nations in December 2015 will require more than just the individual efforts of participating countries to meet their commitments to mitigate climate change. Too often overlooked is the crucial role the private sector, cities, states, regions, and societal groups are playing, and the major investments they are making to help ensure success of the Paris Agreement, as discussed in a Commentary published in Sustainability: The Journal of Record, a publication of Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free for download on the Sustainability website until April 18, 2016. Tom Kerr, Principal Climate Policy Officer, International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group, describes the types of monetary commitments -- totaling about $11 trillion -- that businesses, investors, cities and regions have made to help governments implement the Paris Agreement. These include switching to 100% renewable energy, "decarbonizing" investment portfolios, using internal carbon pricing, and supporting government pricing policies. With the support of some countries, the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, the World Bank, and others, "non-state actors" have been able to take an active role in developing and implementing international climate initiatives. Tim Kerr calls attention to some of these and emphasizes the importance of them being well designed and that they have accountability. The current lack of standardized monitoring, reporting, and verification procedures for commitments by non-state actors hampers adequate assessment and review. "Tom Kerr's view from the World Bank Group is crucial to heed as we look ahead from the discussions of the Paris Agreement to the actions needed to curb climate change," says Jamie Devereaux, Editor of Sustainability. "The Journal is proud to support his message of collaborative action and accountability." ### About the Journal Sustainability: The Journal of Record documents the implementation of sustainability programs in higher education and business, and provides the central forum for academic institutions, the business community, foundations, government agencies, and leaders of green-collar endeavors to share and learn about one another's progress and programs. It fosters collaborations among all stakeholders for attaining mutually supportive objectives. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Sustainability website. About the Publisher Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science, medicine, and law, including Environmental Justice, Industrial Biotechnology, and Environmental Engineering Science. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers) website. Photo for illustration. (Source: VNA) Vietnams exports to Mexico include telephone and spare parts; footwear, computer; telecom products and devices; seafood; garments and textiles; transport vehicles and spare parts; machinery and devices; coffee; sporting tools; plastic products; bags, purse, suitcase and umbrella; wooden furniture and products; rubber and other products. This year, Vietnams commodity imports from Mexico were valued at USD477.52 million (CIF price), reported the General Department of Customs of Vietnam. Major commodities imported from Mexico include computer, telecom products and components; machinery and spare parts; food for livestock and materials; iron and steel of all kinds, iron and steel waste materials. Mr. Hoang Tuan Viet, Vietnamese Commercial Counsellor in Mexico, said that the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement signing on February 4th, 2016, in which Vietnam and Mexico are two very active members, and the Mexican Exporters and Importers Associations launching a representative office in Vietnam, will help to boost the multilateral cooperative relations between Vietnam and Mexico in the near future, including trade exchange./. Suppose in the course of a pleasant conversation with a colleague you mentioned your vacation last year in Las Vegas. All of a sudden he starts ranting about Area 51 Vegas is only a few hours away, right? Did you see any lights in the sky? Any military vehicles heading north? You should stay at the Little ALeInn motel like he has six times. Youll see some funny stuff there. Youd probably back away slowly, smiling, wishing him a nice day. Thats the feeling I got after reading a couple recent reports on science news sites. While describing an impressive piece of research on the bacterial flagellum and its variants, New Scientist could no longer contain itself: Behold the only known example of a biological wheel. Loved by creationists, who falsely think they are examples of intelligent design [T]he diversity of the motors and the fact that they have evolved many times in different bacterial lineages, scuppers the creationist view that the machinery is irreducibly complex. Wow!!!! Did you see those lights in the sky??!!! Youd never guess from the breathless prose that the research paper (written by people whose work I commented on a few years ago) has nothing at all to do with irreducible complexity or intelligent design. Not only dont the phrases occur anywhere in the manuscript, the concepts dont show up either. The dusty-sounding title, Diverse high-torque bacterial flagellar motors assemble wider stator rings using a conserved protein scaffold, is apt for the work an elegant, largely descriptive study of the structures of modern flagella from a few different kinds of bacteria that shows some are wider and more powerful, others narrower and less powerful. It reports no experiments that test whether random mutation and natural selection could explain even the variations of the molecular machines, let alone what they all have in common, which is considerable: Despite differences in the organisms swimming ability, the flagellar motor is composed of a conserved core of ~20 structural proteins. The mechanism of flagellar motility is conserved, with torque generated by rotor and stator components. The paper does, however, show that if any one of dozens of proteins is knocked out, the ability of the cell to swim is lost, which of course is exactly what to expect from an irreducibly complex system. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) also lost it: [T]he bacterial flagellum has been at the center of the thinly veiled creationism movement called intelligent design. Subscribers to this belief system have erroneously postulated that the flagellar motor system is irreducibly complex and could not have come about through Darwinian evolutionary mechanisms. It is doubtful these findings will sway the opinion of its detractors, yet they do make it extremely more difficult for them to make their case. So, you see, those strange folks who think an extraordinarily sophisticated molecular machine points toward intelligent design will hold to their opinions no matter what. They cant be reasoned with, so you shouldnt even try. Well, its certainly clear that GEN and New Scientist have given up trying to reason on the subject. One crazy person is a coincidence. Two are a trend. Whats provoking some otherwise smart people into thinking this paper has anything at all to do with intelligent design, other than to reinforce its arguments? I think its the same general factors that are responsible for much craziness in our world: fear and ignorance. The magazine staff works for and writes for people who fear intelligent design either because they simply dont want it to be true or at least because they worry it will encourage the ignorant masses to question what theyve been taught about life. Whats more, if you go by what they write, these folks are utterly clueless about what modern ID proponents actually argue. They seem to have gotten what opinions they have from perusing a New York Times story, or from glancing at press releases from scientific societies denouncing ID. No one gives any hint of having read a book by an ID proponent, or even of visiting a reliable ID website such as this one. Then they wonder why informed people dont think their arguments are persuasive. Here are some elementary points they miss, put as simply as possible. Intelligent design is not about common ancestry. It doesnt matter to the ID argument whether life was originally breathed into a few forms or into one, as Darwin wrote, or even into many. Nor does it matter whether the exact same molecular machine occurs in all organisms or if elegant variations on the theme are found in each separate family or genus or species. It matters only whether the unabashedly purposeful structures can be seriously explained in real scientific detail as the result of unintelligent processes, as Darwinists have so far spectacularly failed to do, or whether intelligence was required to make them. Image: Warning sign, Area 51, by X51, [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons. I dont mean to slight theistic evolutionist Denis Lamoureux, but obviously when it comes to the topic, Whats Behind It All? God, Science, and the Universe, the sharpest contrast in tomorrows discussion at the University of Toronto will be between Stephen Meyer and Lawrence Krauss. (Remember to come back here to Evolution News and watch it live at 4 pm Pacific, 7 pm Eastern.) What should we expect from Krauss? Thoughtful reader Ryan takes issue with my characterization of the atheist cosmologist as, at least, open to fairly discussing competing ideas: I read your post about the Meyer vs. Krauss debate and wanted to offer a brief comment. You say this of Krauss: Theres much disagreement among these three pertaining to huge issues the origins of life, of the universe, the meaning of it all but to their credit they all agree that countervailing opinions deserve a hearing. Otherwise they wouldnt be doing this. I must say Im particularly impressed by Krausss willingness to talk. His intellectual partner Richard Dawkins would never have the guts to do this. . Now Krauss that guy has some courage. Good for him. Having watched Krauss in numerous debates, interviews, and on talk shows, I have to respectfully disagree with your assessment of him. Krauss does not appear to believe that countervailing opinions deserve a hearing. At least not a fair hearing. He seems to believe that they deserve only to be misrepresented and then mocked. Krauss seems to have no qualms about misrepresenting his sources in order to win an argument or make his opponent look foolish, even when his opponent is correct (for example, see the case I mentioned in that My Good Friend Meme article you wrote from a while back when he was debating W.L. Craig.) And finally, what perhaps shows most of all that he doesnt want other opinions to get a fair hearing is the fact that his go-to move in a debate or discussion is interruption on an almost unimaginable scale. He almost literally doesnt let his opponent get in a complete sentence, and certainly not a complete thought. The degree to which he interrupts his opponents borders on pathological, and the result is the other person can never properly present their case because they simply cant string two concepts together without being interrupted and brought down some tangent to answer one of Krausss misrepresentations. Say what you will about Dawkins, his cowardice and his lack of sophistication (the latter is a trait shared by Krauss), but at least when he was engaged in a debate with someone like John Lennox he would let his opponent speak. For this reason, Im really hoping that the debate has a formal structure rather than a back-and-forth discussion format. Prior to the debate, it wouldnt be a terrible idea for Steve Meyer to work a comment into his introduction about hoping that all participants can respectfully allow the others to make their points without interruption, or even better, that when people believe they have strong arguments they dont need to worry about letting their opponents speak and so dont need to interrupt, or something to that effect. Of course, he wouldnt need to mention Krauss by name, but if Krauss gets up to his usual antics, that introductory comment will offer the audience some lens through which they can see and understand that Krausss constant interruptions signal a weakness in his arguments, not a strength. (Im often surprised to find that audiences seem to think that interruption is sign of strength and intellectual dominance.) Alternatively, if Krauss starts constantly interrupting during the debate, Meyer could whip out this quote from John Locke: There cannot be greater rudeness than to interrupt another in the current of his discourse. Hi there, I hope you can help me. We posted off our spousal settlement visa application today. I am a UKC and my husband is a USC. I have 2 jobs to make up the financial requirement (category A) and submitted payslips for both jobs for 6 months as well as the relating bank statements. I got a letter from both of my employers stating that I work for them, how long, my job title, the amount earned that I'm relying on for my 6 months etc.....all the things asked for in the supporting documents info. However! My question relates to "original" payslips. Both payslips are what i get given by my employers. I don't print them myself or anything. My main job ones are printed and come on perforated sheets and my employer mentioned the payslips in the signed letter on letter headed paper. My second job are printed but the sheets aren't perforated. I think my employer just prints them out then cuts them up and gives them to us each month. They have all the relevant info on them regarding my tax, pay, NI, NI number, gross pay to date etc. They also have the name of the pub I work on them, and it is the name of the pub I work at that comes up on my bank statement for my payments. Neither payslips for either job feature a letter head, I don't think I've ever had a payslip with a letter head on any job i've done. However, I didn't get them stamped or signed by her as they are just what is given to me each month and I therefore considered them "original". She didn't actually mention the slips in her letter, just the gross figure I was paid over the period of time relied upon in the application (as well as all the other stuff I mentioned above). All of the payslips relate exactly to the figure going into the bank and I included a separate sheet with each job, the net and gross figure for each month and the totals and then the calculation for none salaried income to be super explicit that the 2 jobs come to well over the 18600 combined (just under 25k) I am just panicking as to what constitutes "original" payslips. She prints them and gives them to us each month in an envelope so i just took that to mean they would be fine but am suddenly panicking. Can anyone clarify this for me? Am terrified we will be refused over a really silly error by not getting her to sign each slip. She has signed the letter confirming I work for her on letterheaded pub stationery and it is her name that comes up on HMRC as my second employer. On the appendix 2 I showed both jobs. Her name is down as my employer and her address is the pub I work at. The name of the pub is on my payslips and as I mentioned it comes up every month when I get paid. Do you think I will have any issues?? Do you think they would ask for signed payslips if they weren't happy or just refuse. I really thought I had everything totally covered and I am terrified now. Any help much appreciated. Then she needs a Schengen visa for the first two, and Turkish visa. To apply for Schengen visa, and you are visiting more than one Schengen countries, you need to apply at the consulate of the country you will be staying the longest, or if of equal duration, the first country you will arrive at. As she is married to a British citizen, the visa should be issued free with a simpler procedure - look at the relevant embassy/consulate site. For Turkish visa, she needs to get an e-visa from the Turkish embassy site. I'm sure we had a thread/threads on this general subject but I can't find it/them even using the 'search' facility. Released, today, on DVD is Ocho Apellidos Catalanes (also known as Spanish Affair 2), the sequel to Ocho Apellidos Vascos. I have just finished watching it. To get the best enjoyment from this film, in my opinion, it is preferable to watch "Ocho Apellidos Vascos" first, to give the contexts for this film. It has subtitles for English and for Spanish hard-of-hearing but why not in Catalan which is not even offered as an audio option? It is disappointing that Judit does not get her man, with whom she is smitten, while he is so full of his own egotistical self that he doesn't seem to notice her. Both are films that contain Spanish humour. As in many Spanish films, in the leading roles are people who look like normal people not the results of four hours in make-up. Pedro Almodovar, it isn't, but nevertheless it is very enjoyable watching. Hello My dog developed canine diabetes in November 2015. I am looking for recommendations for a vet in Portugal who would have some experience of this condition and in its treatment. I live in the area about 40km east of Coimbra, but would consider travelling anywhere in Portugal to get treatment. My dog receives treatment from my regular vet in England, but we go to Portugal to spend the whole summer in our home from May until October, and we need regular insulin from that time onwards. My dog also has cataracts on his eyes as a consequence of the illness, and we are considering surgery to have those removed so he can see again. Having read some of these forums, I can see there are a lot of dog-lovers living in Portugal and if you ever have to travel to England with your dog, you will certainly have an encounter with a vet for the Pet Passport Scheme, so please feel free to let me have your recommendations. If there are any members whose dogs have diabetes, I would be particularly interested in hearing your experiences of treatments in Portugal. Diabetes is an awful illness in dogs: our dog spent last summer having a great time in Portugal, and when we returned to England, he was struck down by this condition. He's lost weight dramatically, lost his sight, and is on insulin twice per day. It can be managed but we're struggling at the moment, but we remain strong and determined to get this disease in check. If your dog starts to develop frequent and prolonged urination, excessive thirst and increased appetite, please see a vet immediately. Those symptoms do not necessarily indicate diabetes, but it could be a sign and prompt and early treatment helps your dog enormously. Many thanks for any advice/recommendations that any members can offer. Kind regards Lucas At the meeting with Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong, Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh informed the host about the outcomes of a working session between the two MoPIs earlier the same day. Photo:VNA He said that during the past years, the two ministries have cooperated closely, regularly exchanged experience, and jointly coordinated Vietnamese projects in Laos. The two MoPIs will tighten their connection in the time ahead to thoroughly manage and examine Vietnamese investments so as to remove ineffective projects and improve overall investment quality, he added. PM Thongsing Thammavong spoke highly of the fruitful cooperation between the ministries and described the partnership as a considerable contribution to Laoss economic development. He said he hopes that amidst the growing trend of integration in the region and the world, the ministries will work more closely to fulfill missions tasked by the countries Parties and States, thus helping to solidify the Vietnam Laos special relationship. The leader also took this occasion to thank Vietnamese businesses investing in Laos, affirming that Vietnamese firms have helped with his countrys economic growth. Also on March 18th, the Vietnamese delegation was welcomed by Lao Deputy PM Somsavad Lengsavath, who also lauded the affiliation between the MoPIs. The same day, the visiting officials and the Lao ministry, led by Minister Somdy Doungdy, had a working session during which they discussed very straightforwardly their attainments and failures. They agreed to strengthen collaboration, stringently monitor Vietnams investment projects in Laos, and determinedly remove ineffective projects. On late March 18th, Deputy PM Somsavad Lengsavath presented Laoss Issara Order (first class) for Minister Bui Quang Vinh. The order is a noble award of the Lao State to recognise the officials significant contributions to the countrys development as well as to bilateral relations./. While the two countries have a long history of scientific cooperation, its occurred between universities, government research institutes, non-profit medical research institutes and others without high level direction. The discussions focused on national priorities for science and research in each country. They are expected to lead to deeper and more strategic ties and made significant progress on advancing the vision of the Australia-Vietnam Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation signed in June 2013. Vietnam is one of 17 economies given a high priority for international collaboration under the Australian Governments National Innovation and Science Agenda. Photo: VNA Vietnams Vice Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Tran Quoc Khanh, and Vietnams Ambassador to Australia, Mr Luong Thanh Nghi, led a delegation from the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology. They met senior Australian Government officials and innovation and science representatives, led by Ms Sue Weston, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science. Areas of common interest discussed include marine science, public health, food security, the management of natural resources and the environment, agriculture and aquaculture. Other shared policy aims include greater industry investment in research and development, commercialisation of research outcomes, and tackling environmental challenges. Department officials will develop an action plan on agreed specific joint innovation and science priorities that will guide cooperation over the next two years and into the future. Cooperation between the two sides is supported by the Australian Government through official development assistance, the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research, the National Health and Medical Research Council and other funding agencies, scholarships and partnerships between universities and institutes. The Vietnamese delegation also visited Curtin University of Technology, the University of Western Australia, Murdoch University and the Australian National University; four universities with research strengths and infrastructure relevant to Vietnams science and technology priorities./. FarmandDairy.coms top stories this week were: After one of the donors for the new Columbiana County Fair grandstand backed out in January, another donor has stepped forward. The family of G. Allen Dickey, founder of D.W. Dickey and Son, and Hilltop Energy, announced its donation of $300,000 March 10. The donation is in the same amount as the original donor. The future of Ohios beef industry is very important to Licking County cattleman Dave Felumlee. Hes chairman of the Ohio Beef Expo Junior Show and has two children who show Angus cattle across the country. The Felumlee family farm started out as a dairy farm in the 1960s, but by 2001 had switched over to all beef. Today, hes focused on growing the Expo and instilling a sense of responsibility and commitment in the show cattle business. No matter how long youve been farming or what the size of your operation is, creating a business plan for your farm can help you envision your farm in the future. &nOnline columnist Ivory Harlow gives pointers for what information to include in your farms business plan, such as your farms mission and goals as well as financial and management components. She also offers online business plan tools to help you create your farms plan. If you had told the Hervey family 15 years ago that they would one day be known across North America as the top maple sugar producer in the world, they probably wouldnt have believed you. However, thats the honor the family carries today after it won first place at the 2015 North American Maple Syrup Council international conference. On their Brooke County, West Virginia, farm, the Herveys have upgraded their maple syrup-producing skills from 15 years ago. They once made maple syrup in the family kitchen, but today they make it in their newly-constructed sugar shack. When giant miscanthus made its Northeast Ohio debut in 2011, many farmers didnt know what it was. Ashtabula County Extension hosted a tour March 11 to explain what miscanthus is and how it can be used. The tall, grass plant is grown in areas of poor soil and is used for biofuel or in bio-based products. However, there isnt enough acreage in northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania, so Aloterra Energy uses miscanthus to create natural absorbents and bio-based packaging products. 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... A roadshow of hustings events, organised by NFU Scotland, will take place across the country ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary election on 5 May. Following a difficult year for the farming and crofting sector, the interests of rural affairs in an election campaign have never been clearer. And as agriculture, rural affairs, food and environment policy is devolved to the Scottish Parliament, this election is even more relevant to the agricultural sector, and the rural vote cannot be underestimated. Before last years General Election, over 300 members turned out to NFU Scotlands regional husting events to meet their candidates, and the Union is encouraging its members to take the time to meet and put questions to the candidates vying for their votes in this important election. NFU Scotland will shortly release a manifesto, detailing key policy headings it wishes to see Scottish parliamentarians address in the new parliament including a support system fit for the future, land reform and biodiversity, making markets work, telling Scotlands good food story, crofting and assistance in managing costs. NFU Scotlands Parliamentary Office Clare Slipper commented: This election brings agricultural politics into sharp focus, as it comes at an unprecedented time for our industry. Global forces added to the well-versed problems concerning delivery of support payments have combined to create a perfect storm. This was a key message that politicians took away from NFU Scotlands rally in parliament earlier this month. Now is the time for us to ask our politicians whether they can step up to the plate and fight for farming and crofting within the sea of other voices. Seventeen years on from the advent of devolution in Scotland, rural affairs and agricultural policy has become ingrained within Scottish political life, and NFU Scotland has enjoyed a good working relationship with MSPs across the political spectrum to further the interests of our wide membership. We look forward to continuing this close and very positive engagement in the new parliament, and to welcoming the candidates fighting for a seat at Holyrood at our roadshow of husting events so they can inform the members of their plans to take forward the interests rural Scotland. Regional hustings events will take place as follows. Unless otherwise state events start at 7.30pm: 25 March Orkney Ayre Hotel, Kirkwall 31 March Argyll and Islands Corran Halls, Oban 31 March Shetland Shetland Hotel, Lerwick 4 April Lothian and Borders Buccleuch Arms, St Boswells 11 April Forth & Clyde Radstone Hotel, Larkhall 12 April Ayrshire The Black Bull Hotel, Tarbolton 18 April East Central Huntingtower Hotel, Perth 20 April Highlands Dingwall Mart, Dingwall 19 April Dumfries and Galloway Douglas Arms, Castle Douglas 28 April at 7pm North East Kintore Arms, Inverurie Dylan O'Brien is in hospital after being injured while filming 'Maze Runner: The Death Cure' Dylan O'Brien The 24-year-old actor has reportedly been run over by a car while shooting scenes in Vancouver, Canada, and was rushed to hospital on Thursday (17.03.16) for medical treatment. 20th Century Fox said in a statement: "Dylan O'Brien was injured yesterday while filming Maze Runner: The Death Cure in Vancouver, Canada. He was immediately transferred to a local hospital for observation and treatment." And according to TMZ, Dylan may have suffered multiple broken bones after being struck down by the vehicle in the stunt sequence gone wrong. The former 'Teen Wolf' star is reprising his lead role as Thomas in the 2014 survival-action-thriller 'The Maze Runner' and 2015 sequel 'Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials'. However filming will now be "shut down" until further notice. They added: "Production on the film will be shut down while he recovers. Our thoughts go out to Dylan for a full and speedy recovery." Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Director: Ben Wheatley Rating: 3.5/5 High-Rise British filmmaker Ben Wheatley returns to the director's chair this week with High-Rise, which is an adaptation of the J.G. Ballard novel of the same name. The film sees Amy Jump on writing duties once again while Wheatley teams up with actor Tom Hiddleston for the first time. 1975. Two miles west of London, Dr. Robert Laing moves into his new apartment seeking soulless anonymity, only to find that the building's residents have no intention of leaving him alone. Resigned to the complex social dynamics unfolding around him, Laing bites the bullet and becomes neighbourly. As he struggles to establish his position, Laing's good manners and sanity disintegrate along with the building. The lights go out and the lifts fail but the party goes on. People are the problem. Booze is the currency. Sex is the panacea. Only much later, as he sits on his balcony eating the architect's dog, does Dr. Robert Laing finally feel at home... Hiddleston is one of the most in-demand actors around at the moment and it is great to see him tackling such an interesting and daring project - he has never starred in anything like this in his career so far. It is always good to see him back on the big screen. And High-Rise sees him deliver another terrific performance as he takes on the central role of Dr Robert Laing. There is something quite cold and calculated to his portrayal of this character - he is someone that you never quite warm to and yet you are totally intrigued and engrossed by. The character of Laing acts as a guide through the chaos of the high-rise and yet, he is a character that is compromised along the way. While the cast is loaded with talent, it is Hiddleston who truly shines from start to finish and it is his performance that further elevates a terrific screenplay. Writer Amy Jump has wonderfully captured the essence of the book in what is a dark humoured and, at times, a rather uncompromising look at human nature. This is a film that explores ideas of class war, social climbing, wanting to flaunt your success... all of which descends into madness, hate, and war. All of this is conveyed with a satirical edge and a bleakness that really is terrific. You can see that Wheatley has a high regard for the source material as he has crafted this film with such care and attention; it really is one of the best movies of his career to date. This is one of the most ambitious films of Wheatley's career to date and he really does pull it off as the visuals are just spectacular. High-Rise is a movie that I have been looking forward to for some time and it is a film that has not disappointed. Wheatley was the perfect choice to bring Ballard's vision to the big screen and, while staying faithful to the book, he has put his own unique stamp on the story and on these fascinating, interesting, and incredibly unlikeable characters. High-Rise is out now. by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is set to be one of the movie movies that you cannot miss next weekend and Toula and the rest of the Portokalos family are back - and more mayhem is heading our way. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 Hard to believe, but it was back in 2002 when the first film hit the big screen and went on to be a HUGE critical and commercial success - it remains the highest grossing romantic comedy of all time. Fourteen years on, Nia Vardalos is not only back in the central role of Toula, but she has, once again, penned the film's screenplay. Fast forward ten years and Toula and Ian's young daughter is a teenager and getting ready to go to college. We have some great new clips from the film for you to take a look at before it is released on Friday: There are plenty of familiar faces on the cast list as Vardalos reunites with John Corbett, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Gia Carides, and Joey Fatone. Elena Kampouris is a new addition as she is set to play Toula and Ian's daughter Paris. However, it is all change in the director's chair as Kirk Jones takes over the reins from Joel Zwick. Jones has brought us movies such as Nanny McPhee, and Everybody's Fine during his career and this is his first feature since What to Expect When You're Expecting back in 2012. The film reveals a Portokalos family secret that will bring the beloved characters back together for an even bigger and Greeker wedding. While Toula is struggling with the fact that her teenage daughter is starting to spread her wings. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is a movie that fans of the first film has been waiting for for many years. The whole cast has returned and it looks like it is going to be a whole lot of fun. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is released 25th March. by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The top suspect in last year's terrorist attacks in Paris was caught in Brussels on Friday in an armed police raid. Salah Abdeslam, 26, was wounded in the raid after being shot in the leg and was arrested in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek. Four other suspects were also arrested in the raid. The French national is suspected to have helped to plan the November 13 attacks in Paris that led to 130 deaths and left hundreds injured. French President Francois Hollande said the French authorities would send an extradition request to Belgium. 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. MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - A NASA Astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts have arrived at the International Space Station, the NASA said Saturday. The new crew included the U.S. astronaut Jeff Williams and Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka of Russia. They made the nearly six-hour flight in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft that blasted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. They reached the space station at 11.09 EDT or 0309 GMT, NASA said in a tv broadcast. With the arrival of the new members, the total strength of the crew at the ISS have doubled to six. The new group is set to spend about six months at the station. Williams, who is making his third expedition to the space station, is set to break the US record for cumulative days in space with his 534 days. The current record is held by Scott Kelly, who returned from his mission on March 1. 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. Aurora Flight Sciences, a Manassas, VA-based provider of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and autonomous flight technologies for military and commercial customers, received a strategic investment from Enlightenment Capital. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The company will use the funds to expand development and manufacturing scale. Led by John S. Langford, chairman, CEO and founder, Aurora Flight Sciences operates production plants in Bridgeport, WV and Columbus, MS; and a Research and Development Center in Cambridge, MA. The company recently was awarded Aurora an $89 million contract from DARPA to build a demonstrator aircraft for the agencys vertical take-off/land experimental plane (VTOL x-plane). In addition, under contract with both the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the company is developing an ultra-efficient future commercial aircraft design, known as D8. FinSMEs 19/03/2016 Bloomup, a Marseille, France-based cosmetics company, raised 3.5m in funding. ACG Management made the investment. The company will use the funds to expand operations. Co-founded in 2010 by Sophie Blin and Carol Ann Lovera, Bloomup has developed cosmetic products including Energie Fruit, a shower gel with innovative flavors like blackberry, wild mint, jojoba, vanilla lily, caramel, guarana or ginseng, Mon Petit Paradis, Dermtec Color for the French markets, as well as Physicians Formula, a makeup brand for USA, and Baby Foot, a product for feet for Japan. The products are available in all major retail supermarkets and drugstores and on the Web via BloomupShop. The company, which plans to reach a turnover of 5m in 2016, is also backed by Amundi, Paca Investment and Sofipaca. FinSMEs 19/03/2016 Venture capital firm Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP) was chosen by Israels National Innovation Authority (Office of the Chief Scientist) to operate a technological incubator in Jerusalem, Israel. The license was granted based on the firms experience running two such incubators, the predecessor incubator JVP Media Labs in Jerusalem and the JVP Cyber Labs in Beer Sheva. Led by a group including JVP, Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI), Reliance Industries (NSE: Reliance) and Yissum, the Research Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the JVP Labs Incubator will invest in startups in a variety of fields, among them enterprise software, media technologies, Internet of Things (IOT) and communications. Led bt Haim Kopans, the JVP Labs team looks at over 400 companies annually, and, following a rigorous screening process, chooses 0.5%-1% of the companies to participate in the incubator program and receive investment. The JVP Labs are located in the JVP Media Quarter, established by Erel Margalit in 2009, a hub of innovation with 200 dynamic entrepreneurs in business, social and cultural enterprises. The JVP Media Quarter hosts startups, the JVP funds, the Siftech Accelerator, a performing arts center Zappa Jerusalem in The Lab and social profit organization JVP Community (Bakehila). FinSMEs 19/03/2016 By Arjun Raj Gaind In his path-breaking book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell explains, It has always been the prime function of mythology to supply the symbols that carry the human spirit forward, in counteraction to those that tend to tie it back. In many ways, that was why the first super-heroes came into existence. As America struggled to cope with the economic hardships of the Great Depression, it was only natural that its citizens hungered for hope. It was to slake this very need that Jerry Siegel created Superman, perhaps the most iconic superhero of all. He was intended to be a symbol, a visitor from another planet who used his powers not for profit but to uphold moral values like truth, liberty and the pursuit of justice. And that was what has made him such an enduringly popular figure, not merely because he has abilities that far eclipse ordinary mortals, but because he represents something more than the mundane, an infinite possibility unfettered by the dusty restraints of reality. Comic books are more than pictures with words. They are the prism through which a society's myths are refracted, reflecting the transformation in the Zeitgeist of a people. Sadly, in India though, the superhero has always struggled to find his face, to cement his place. It is ironic but in a country of a billion people, the only semblance of popular culture that prospers is Hindi Cinema. There is lamentably little science fiction here, almost no epic fantasy. Perhaps the reason for that is because of the weight of mythology which permeates every facet of our lives. In a country where gods are omnipotent, omnipresent, what need is there for beings that fly, that fight crime, that leap tall buildings in a single bound? The earliest comic heroes in India were mainly imports like the Phantom, Mandrake, Garth, Tarzan and Flash Gordon, syndicated mainly by Indrajal comics. An exception was Bahadur, created by Aabid Surti in 1976, a hero who was not a super-human but rather a quintessential everyman, a son of the soil who fought the dreaded dacoits of Chambal while wearing a saffron kurta, accompanied by his buxom karate-chopping love interest Bela. By the advent of the 80s, the Indian super-hero world was booming. There were superman clones galore, from Diamond Comics' Fauladi Singh to the much loved Shaktiman on Doordarshan. For a brief while, even Amitabh Bachchan was the face behind a superhero, Supremo, who wore a silly mask and fought crime accompanied by his pet dolphin and falcon in the eponymously named series published by Star Comics, a subsidiary of India Book House. The next great leap forward came when Raj Comics was launched in 1986. It targeted mainly Hindi readers and some of its best known characters were Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruva and Doga. Nagraj's blood was filled with microscopic snakes instead of leucocytes gave him superhuman strength, venomous breath and instant healing powers, not to mention the capacity to fling snakes from his wrists, including laser snakes and explosive serpents! Doga on the other hand was darker, an Indian Batman, who shot down criminals while wearing a fearsome dog mask. For a brief while, Raj Comics enjoyed phenomenal popularity, selling thousand of copies each month, but sadly, this waned with the arrival of satellite TV, much to the dismay of their loyal fans. This lull lasted until 1998, when Gotham Comics was founded, which licensed many popular Marvel and DC Comics titles for local distribution. In 2004, Sharad Devarajan, one of the brains behind Gotham, teamed up with Marvel Comics to create an Indian version of Spider-Man, where a young boy named Pavitr Prabhakar is given the powers of a spider by a yogi. In 2006, Gotham Comics metamorphosed into Virgin Comics, and the Indian comic renaissance began in earnest. Over the next few years, under the guidance of Gautam Chopra and Devarajan, Virgin would publish such seminal titles as Devi, The Sadhu, Project: Kalki and Blade of the Warrior: Kshatriya, not to mention their tour de force, Ramayan 3392 AD, with the express purpose of bringing Indian mythology to a global audience. Sadly, with the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the resulting recession in the United States, the Virgin experiment fizzled prematurely, but not before it had catalyzed a creative spurt in India, spawning a new generation of writers and artists committed to creating original content. One of the most interesting of these was Vivek Goel, whose Holy Cow Comics entered the market with Ravanayan and Aghori, and who is presently poised on the brink of introducing Indian readers to an entire panoply of original characters later this year. Late in 2012, Chopra and Devarajan returned with Graphic India, hoping to resurrect their vision of innovating a new Indian mythology. This time around, they decided to focus on creating a more secular pantheon, not merely mythological, but a new generation of character driven stories inspired by Indian themes, intended to reflect the issues endemic to Contemporary India. The first of these heroes was Chakra the Invincible, created by the legendary Stan Lee. Raju Rai, a young boy from Mumbai, dons a suit that weaponises all seven chakras in his body and gives him fantastic powers. He decides to use these powers to be a superhero and vows to defend the city from a cavalcade of super-villains. Additionally, I had the pleasure of creating two unique superheroes for Graphic India. The first was The Mighty Yeti, where a teenager named Satya Nanda discovers that he is descended from the bloodline of Abominable Snowmen, and can thus turn into a giant furry creature with immense strength and a mystical third eye in the midst of his forehead that allows him to see magic. The other was Reincarnation Man, which narrates the saga of Raman Lamba, who dies while trying to save a young girl from kidnappers and is resurrected after being given a mysterious device called a Kaal-Chakra by a celestial being which lets him turn into any of his past incarnations and utilise their powers and abilities as if they were his own. Amongst the other interesting titles soon to be released by Graphic India are Avatarex, created by Grant Morrison, and Astra Force, where Amitabh Bachchan makes his grand return to the world of comics as a mythical superhero who is roused from hibernation by a pair of 8-year-old twins just in time to rescue the Earth from an intergalactic threat. Given what a bewildering, often quixotic place Modern India is, it is quite easy to dismiss comic books as little more than American-inspired fluff. Faced with a constant clash of ideologies, of tradition pitted against innovation, not to mention rampant poverty, overpopulation, communalism, endemic corruption and unchecked consumerism, critics are only too eager to dismiss superheroes as irrelevant. Ironically, it is these very things that make them so exigent. With Graphic India's exciting new pantheon and the relaunch of Raj Comics' iconic characters, soon to be rebooted and revamped by some of India's most accomplished talents; with a Bahadur movie poised to reach a screen near you and the advent of characters like Super Singh and Pakistan's Burka Avenger, it seems that Indian children will finally have a new breed of inspiring heroes to emulate. The Golden Age of the Indian comic book has begun to dawn at last, an epoch of homegrown Supermen and Wonder Women, symbols created to evoke and encourage hope, to remind the average Indian that corruption and apathy and violence and crime are not insurmountable, and that Tagore's heaven of freedom is still palpable, being awakened slowly but steadily, one pencil stroke at a time. Arjun Raj Gaind is the writer of graphic novels like Empire of Blood and Reincarnation Man by Shantanu Guha Ray When a friend from faraway Canada sent me clips of Timur Bekmambetovs Ben-Hur remake, I presumed its the trailer chopped into many parts and I was absolutely confident this would be eventually turn out to be dumb copy, classics are not mean to be made again. The original 1959 epic the second highest grossing movie that year after Gone With the Wind - by William Wyler, was adapted from Lew Wallaces 1880 epic, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, and picked up a record 11 Academy awards. There can never be any argument that the movies influence rages till date, the nine minute long chariot race among Hollywoods most significant sequences. It was culturally and historically a significant movie produced by Hollywood. Interestingly, there was a 1925 silent movie with the same name. But for this one, written by Keith R. Clarke and John Ridley, has Jack Huston as Ben Hur, shooting completed last year in Rome and special effects pushed in for almost six months. Strangely, it reminded me of the 2011 remake, Conan the Barbarian, the American sword and sorcery film based on the character Conan created in 1982 by Robert E. Howard. The 2011 version, which had Jason Momoa in the title role, tanked without notice it was the years biggest punching bag and was dubbed as 'A bagful of rotten potatoes'. I remember how publicists claimed the film was developed for a little over seven years by the Warner Brothers and that many directors had worked with actors, before the eventual release in August. The latest Ben-Hur remake will be released ironically this August and publicists are already on their job, trying hard to erase from memories of the original classic. I am not - for once - downplaying Jack Huston who was brilliant in Boardwalk Empire but he is not, can certainly not be Charlton Heston (strangely, their surnames almost match). But the producers want their quota of brain wash material to filter across the world and the social media - expectdly - has started humming. Thankfully, there are loads of critical remarks flowing all across the Big Apple over the need to make a remake because its about Gods and humans, not Star Wars, Chewbecca and R2-D2 robots. My fear stems from multiple reasons. The Conan remake has convinced me that multiple cameras, new costumes, shots from unusual angles and special effects cannot always replace classics fixed forever in my mind. Do we always need to remake classics and shove it down for todays audiences? Aren't we setting a wrong precedent by allowing remakes, what happens if this one succeeds? Then do we see thoughtless remakes of Sound of Music, Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, even Lawrence of Arabia? Someone needs to put a spanner here. I do not want to see what I saw in the trailer, Messala (Black Mirror's Toby Kebbell) screaming to Ben-Hur: "Are we having fun here, brother?" How unauthentic is that? And this is my biggest fear about the new Ben-Hur and what it would eventually offer to fans across the world. A top Hollywood portal, Gizmodo.com has already said the new version would be a collection of shrill, overwrought action scenes, basically a louder, dumber Gladiator. I sincerely hope the writer is right. Let the original Judah Ben-Hur and Messala retain their clothes, identities, love and fights. This week marks the 20th death anniversary of Krzysztof Kieslowski, one of the most influential contemporary filmmakers. Amongst the widely known alumni of Polands famed odz Film School, Kieslowski began as a documentary filmmaker but was best known for his two anthology films Decalogue (1989-90), a ten-part series based on the Ten Commandments, and Trois couleurs: Blue, Blanc, Rouge (1993-94) or Three Colors: Blue, White, Red, a trilogy inspired by the colours of the French flag symbolising ideas of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. In between his two greatest works Kieslowski also made The Double Life of Veronique (1991), a film that not only made him an international icon but also created an almost new language of cinema to depict the metaphysical side of human nature. Each of the 10 episodes of Decalogue in the series was an hour long but instead of setting the episodes in ancient times, Kieslowski and writer, Krzysztof Piesiewicz, transposed the Biblical teachings into modern times and focused on the residents of a Warsaw high rise in the late communist era. There is an interesting anecdote about how the idea of making Decalogue originated the two had met in the early 1980s and were working on a film, No End (1985), that looked at life under martial law and the script generated extreme reactions; the government found it unsympathetic, the Opposition felt it was compromised and the Catholic church called it immoral. This prompted an exasperated Piesiewicz to shout, Someone should make a film about the Ten Commandments. Using his unique symbolism, which was rooted in reality, Kieslowskis Decalogue took moral rules that have come to be seen as dated and presented the viewer with the concept that no one opinion could be the only idea of ones life. While Three Colors, specifically Red or The Double Life of Veronique might have come to be the favourites of many, in fact, it's Decalogue that gives the best insight into how cinema can transcend and a filmmaker, whose impact on the medium only gets greater with each passing year. Here are the 'Ten Kieslowskian Commandments' of art, storytelling, cinema, life and beyond Dont make a film for films sake In the book Kieslowski On Kieslowski the filmmaker said that the greatest sin a filmmaker could commit was to make a film because he wants to make it. Kieslowskis entire body of work is a testimony to show somebodys fate. The best instance of this comes in his interpretation of Decalogue Nine (Thou shalt not covet your neighbours wife) where the fate of a husband and wife comes to a head in an unusual manner. The man spies on his wife as he suspects of her having an affair, but what he sees is the wife breaking up with the lover and later he cant face her when she discovers him in the room. Give the viewers an opportunity to question themselves Unlike most filmmakers, especially when theyd have had something as complex as Biblical text to comprehend, Kieslowski never broke it down for the viewer. Even though the thought How do I live? is at the back of everything in the Decalogue and at places the narrative such as in Decalogue Two (You shall not utter the name of your God in vain) states the evident by pointedly asking that question too, Kieslowski doesnt conclude the obvious. Here a doctor resists playing God when a woman asks her if her sick husband will live or die: she is pregnant with another mans child and if her infertile husband is going to die she will have the baby or else have an abortion. Dont solve it, live with it Kieslowskis found his pessimism a virtue and anything he saw, including the future, was black. Experts such as Prof Tadeusz Miczka found Kieslowski treating plots in Decalogue as court files presenting two opposing attitudes towards life and living with moral choices. This is best seen in Decalogue Six (Thou shalt not commit adultery). Also, known as A Short Film About Love, a lonely teenage boy spies on a morally careless woman who lives across him and when the woman finds out that he is a peeping Tom she, unexpectedly enough, invites him over. Once together, she humiliates him for being sexually inexperienced and both lives change forever he ceases to believe in love while she finally understands what love truly means. A filmmaker is much more than his/her art On the one hand Kieslowski cant be comprehended without understanding the context (read Poland) in which he created cinema but on the other hand, personal vision makes his observations moral individuals striving in a sinful world transcend the geographical boundaries. Like his documentaries, Decalogue Five (Thou shalt not kill) displays this by presenting an amoral murderer but focusing on the defense attorney who is fighting his first major case and is opposed to the death penalty. Dramatise rather than just talk Kieslowski barely showed characters talking about specifics; instead, he pushed them to deal with real-life ethical challenges. In Decalogue One (You shall have no gods before me) a rational scientist after the death of his child due to his fault questions Gods existence. When an answer appears on his computer screen: I am here. he rebels against God but his agitation is paradoxical he wouldnt oppose if he already didnt believe. Its this brilliance that made Stanley Kubrick praise Kieslowskis very rare ability to dramatize their ideas rather than just talking about them. The film doesn't exist without a viewer Kieslowski felt that a film doesnt exist without a viewer and for him, telling a story that touched people was important. Yet as a former documentary filmmaker, he felt cheated while making features because everything was imagined. In Decalogue he found a balance by looking at life from fictions point of view by rarely illustrating the commandments, just using an interpretation (as in Decalogue One and Five), or modifying the traditional meaning (as in Decalogue Two and Eight) and never hid his skepticism from his audience. Give people the feeling they are not alone Although doused in pessimism, Kieslowskis Decalogue, as pointed out by Simon Hattenstone, camouflages big themes chance and fate, right and wrong, connecting and not connecting, belonging and not belonging in little, elliptical stories that more than anything convey the unknowability of life. Moreover, Kieslowskis imagery conveys humanism by seeking God and often finding him within mortals. Artists know, craftsmen doubt Post-Decalogue Kieslowski continued to believe that he wasnt an artist as an artist is someone who knows and saw himself as a craftsman, who, he believed shared doubts on life and art. Perhaps it was this notion that aided him to excel at showing gritty realism but also enjoy commercial success even with it came to something as metaphysical as The Double Life of Veronique, an exploration of the mysterious link between two identical woman one Polish and one French who have never met. Create experiences Kieslowski was more interested in creating experiences rather than making much of filmmakers being interlocutors of an exchange of ideas. He would rather show how a character has started noticing the mundane as opposed to more pressing matters, such as the growing grief for the loss of her family, by a close-up of a sugar cube soaking up coffee in Three Colors: Blue than falling down under the weight of talent or waxing eloquent on the importance of art in shaping a nations condition, which he never believed in beyond a point to begin with. Make it worth it A fifteen-year-old girl once came up to Kieslowski and said that after watching his films she realized that there is such a thing called soul. This is what made him believe that sacrificing money, energy, time and torturing ones self to make a film was worth it. On screen Kieslowski communicated this with the lead in Decalogue Three (Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy), an adulterous husband leaves his lover on a Christmas Eve as he realises the motive of his behaviour or the climax of Three Colors: Red where a spiritually isolated young woman makes a physically lonely older man realize that its okay to accept people the way they are rather than escape them. Two years before his untimely death Kieslowski had announced his retirement from films stating that he had enough. He even mused that he never really enjoyed filmmaking and never found his achievements interesting. But, he found the ways of achievement interesting and therein lies the essence of the filmmaker. Even after ceasing to make films, Kieslowski's philosophical investigations never stopped and he continued looking for truth in the basic values of life that he held over cinema. Almost mirroring one of the episodes from Decalogue, Kyrszstof Kieslowski died unexpectedly on 13 March 1996, during an open-heart surgery following a heart attack. As noted critic Aren Bergstrom observed, art-house films, and the ideas that drive them, are discussed more than viewed but Kieslowski is one such filmmaker where the alchemy of thought and emotion is seamless and as someone who could make films that were both philosophical quests as well as affecting dramas, he ought to be emulated more by the younger generation. Gautam Chintamani is the author of the best-selling Dark Star: The Loneliness of Being Rajesh Khanna (HarperCollins, 2014). He tweets @GChintamani Monsanto Co (MON.N), the world's largest seed producer, has approached Bayer AG (BAYGn.DE) to express interest in its crop science unit, including a potential acquisition worth more than $30 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The move underscores Monsanto's unabated expansion drive after Switzerland's Syngenta AG (SYNN.S) rejected its takeover approaches last year and agreed earlier this year to be acquired by ChemChina for $43 billion. It also illustrates Monsanto's determination to further consolidate its industry, as the global seed and crop protection market continues to suffer from high inventories and low prices for agricultural commodities. Monsanto executives met in Chicago recently to discuss the company's interest in Bayer's agricultural assets, the sources said this week. Monsanto sees valuable synergies between its seed business and the crop protection assets of Bayer, the sources added. Among the possibilities discussed were an outright acquisition of the crop science unit and a joint venture or other type of partnership between the two companies, the sources said. These talks were preliminary, and another meeting between the two sides has been scheduled for April, the sources added. Bayer has been holding the talks with Monsanto to probe its interest, the sources said. The German company currently has no plans to actively pursue a sale of its crop science division, the sources added. The sources asked not to be identified because the discussions were confidential. Monsanto and Bayer declined to comment. Bayers crop science division has businesses in seeds, crop protection and non-agricultural pest control. It had sales of 10.4 billion euros ($11.7 billion) in 2015 and posted adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization of 2.42 billion euros. Bayer is the second biggest player in crop chemicals, with an 18 percent market share, just behind Syngenta, which has a 19 percent share. Monsanto is a leader in seeds, with a 26 percent market share, followed by Dupont (DD.N), with 21 percent. DuPont agreed last year to merge with Dow Chemical (DOW.N). Bayer said last year it planned to keep its crop chemicals business, saying it was an "integral part" of the German healthcare group. It has said it aims to concentrate on its core brands in crop protection. It also wants to strengthen its position in its established crops - cotton, oilseed rape/canola, rice and vegetables and to establish competitive positions in soybeans and wheat. (Reporting by Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt and Mike Stone in New Orleans; Additional reporting by Maria Sheahan in Frankfurt and PJ Huffstutter in Chicago; Editing by Leslie Adler) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. New Delhi: Police arrested five suspects for allegedly lynching and killing two Muslim cow herders who were found hanging from a tree in central India, an official said Saturday. The bodies of two cattle traders were found hanging in Jharkhand's Latehar district early on Friday, triggering angry protests by villagers who injured several policemen and blocked roads over police inaction. "Five suspects have been arrested under several charges including murder. Three other suspects are on the run, but police will find them and make arrests soon," Anil Kumar, a senior district administrator, told AFP. "The post-mortem reports indicate murder which stemmed from loot and robbery," he said. The victims, Mazlum Ansari and teenager Imteyaz Khan, were heading to an animal fair in a nearby district when they were allegedly lynched and hanged by a mob. The area saw clashes between Hindus and Muslims over eating beef three months ago, according to English daily Hindustan Times. But Kumar dismissed reports of communal disharmony, saying police had not found links to any Hindu right-wing groups so far. Cow slaughter and the consumption of beef are banned in several states including Jharkhand in officially secular India. But beef has become a religiously sensitive topic in the country, where the cow is described in scriptures as the "mother" of civilisation. The main players in the beef industry are Muslims, the country's largest religious minority, who make up some 13 percent of India's 1.25-billion population, and sometimes hostility brews between the two groups over meat issues. A spate of attacks on secular intellectuals and Muslims suspected of killing cows have heightened concerns of mounting intolerance under right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-year-old government. In September, a Muslim man was dragged from his house in Uttar Pradesh state and beaten to death by a mob over rumours he had eaten beef a taboo in the Hindu-majority nation. AFP New Delhi: Hours after his release from Tihar jail in a sedition case, JNU student Umar Khalid today said he has no regrets of being jailed and was rather proud of being booked under the said charges. "We have no regrets of being jailed in this particular case. We are in fact proud of the fact that we have been booked under sedition, a law under which activists like Arundhati Roy and Binayak Sen were booked. "Our names have been added to the list of those who have been jailed for raising their voices," he told a gathering at the varsity. In a 35-minute speech, Umar said, "I am not ashamed that I was in jail. Criminals are those who are in power, those in jail are the ones who raise their voice." "I also don't think that freedom of expression is in danger. It only belongs to those in power. People like (Pravin) Togadia and Yogi Adityanath have all the freedom of expression," he said. Umar claimed that he was being labelled a terrorist because of Islam, which, he said, he did not practice. "I never followed Islam but I was called Islamist terrorist. It was not just my trial but entire Muslim community's trial. But I want to ask what if I was practising Muslim? What if I came from Azamgarh and wore a skull cap? That will be enough to give me a terrorist certificate", he said. Khalid, who was welcomed at the gathering by JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and his six-year-old sister Sara, said, "Those who are raising concerns about wastage of taxpayers' money, we want to tell them we are not going to go back to studies now that we are back from jail. By jailing us you have given bigger responsibilities on our shoulders and we will fulfill that by fighting." Umar, and Anirban Bhattacharya, arrested last month on charges of sedition for their involvement in a controversial event organised to protest hanging of Afzal Guru, were today granted interim bail for six months by a Delhi court on ground of parity with Kanhaiya. Kanhaiya, who was also arrested on charges of sedition in connection with the 9 February event at the JNU, was granted bail earlier this month. "I was linked with Jaish-e-Mohammad, I was accused of eloping to Kashmir or Pakistan while I was sitting at the university administration block, I was declared a traitor to the nation by virtue of birth. "We are still in a better position as we were not killed in an encounter or tortured in custody and our houses were not burnt. Usually that's the fate of those who raise their voices," Khalid said. "We do condemn 'Bharat ki barbadi' (India will be destroyed) slogans but our slogan is 'Sangh ki barbadi tak jung rahegi' (fight till RSS is destroyed). There can't be peace without justice and where there is RSS can't be justice," he said. Amid shouting of 'aazaadi' slogans, Anirban recalled his experiences in jail and how authorities were more appalled at him being an "anti-national". "They said Khalid sahab, we (can) understand, but you being a Bhattacharya how can you be anti-national? I had no answers and I am still clueless about what transpired in the last one month," he said. "I did not feel bad about being in jail but the day Kanhaiya came back to campus I missed being here," he said. PTI JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar wore it as a badge of great honour and Umar Khalid, who was released on Friday after spending 25 days in jail, flaunted it too. They flashed their jail sojourn as a medal of their rebellious-revolutionary zeal. Students of JNU once again gathered at the administrative block to celebrate the release of Umar and Anirban Bhattacharya from judicial custody on Friday evening. Chants of "lal salaam" were once again shouted at the highest pitch possible, and they reverberated in the campus. What differentiated Khalids speech from that of Kumar was the undiluted angst against government, and minimal attempt to create an alibi for himself by expressing his deep faith in the Constitution as Kanhaiya has been doing since 11 February and all the way to his recent speech at the India Today Conclave. In fact, a new slogan was coined by the JNUSU president: "Jai jawan, jai kisan, jai samvidhan" on 18 March. Speaking at the India Today Conclave on Friday, Kanhaiya said, "There is no doubt that Kashmir is an integral part of India. And since Kashmiris are Indians, we can always discuss their issues." If what a JNUSU councillor without any party affiliation said is to believed, this acceptance by Kanhaiya is new-found and very recent. This ideology of convenience and flip-flops that is intrinsic to a host of professional politicians is something that the JNUSU president has already mastered. While opposing Kanhaiya's bail petition on 2 March, additional solicitor-general (ASG) Tushar Mehta said that speech given by Kanhaiya on 11 February (in which he took a vow on the Constitution of India) was part of his strategy to create a defence. Ram Nayan Verma, a student of the School of Computational and Integrative Sciences at JNU, narrated the first council meeting, highlighting how Kanhaiya along with other Leftist students opposed a resolution to accept that Kashmir is an integral part of India. In the council meeting, every member has right to put forward a resolution which is debated and then put on vote. Just after the JNUSU election, at the very first meeting, I put forward a resolution that Kashmir is an integral part of India. The reason for putting forward this resolution was that a section of student here feels and tries to enforce this idea that Kashmir is not an integral part of India. They feel India has occupied Kashmir. This is an important assertion of the politics of some students here. I wanted to set the record straight and wanted to oppose it. All the Left parties opposed this resolution, including Shehla Rashid and Rama Naga both members of JNUSU. Kanhaiya being the president of the union has the only casting vote. It was a council meeting that continued for six hours till 2 am. Verma added, "They (left parties) may now assert that they believe in the Indian Constitution, but they have always favoured separatism in Kashmir which is a grave challenge to the constitutional spirit." While on one hand, Kanhaiya is putting the jawan on the same pedestal as the samvidhan, he never thought twice before accusing the same jawans of raping women in Kashmir in his speech on 8 March. The current discourse of JNU's Left largely seems to building on hyperbolic rhetoric, half-truths, misrepresented facts and jargon. Consider this: JNUSU vice-president Shehla, speaking at the India Today Conclave said that the bail order of Umar Khalid says that the section 124(a) sedition charge does not apply in his case. This statement was factually wrong. Reportedly no where judgement mentions this. Rather, in talking about section 124(a), the judgement discuss various punishments that the section attracts but states that it does not wish to delve further in this regard at this stage of the matter. It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover the Roorkee: The 'Make in India' vision is a priority for defence procurement but "operational readiness" is the military's primary task as "we don't want people to look at us with big eyes", Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said. "We need adequate equipment and that cannot change. Make in India is in its place, our military preparedness is paramount," he said speaking at a panel discussion on Make in India initiative in the defence sector on the opening day of the three-day technical festival, Cognizance 2016, of IIT Roorkee on Friday. "I would like to make it clear...Make in India is our priority for defence procurement...but the first priority cannot be forgotten, the primary task of our military, which is operational readiness...in view of our neighbours...so that no one can look at us with big eyes," he said. There have been calls for stepping up the country's defence preparedness after the terror attack on the Pathankot Air base and in Gurdaspur. Opposition Congress had in Parliament recently criticised the government for its handling of the Pathankot incident in which seven security personnel were killed. An IIT alumnus, Parrikar says a public life was something he never anticipated and he was pushed into the river of politics from behind but managed to "swim successfully". "When I came here, I was given this two-page prepared speech but then I thought since we are talking of 'Make in India', so I would have my own speech. So, guess I'll go my way, the IIT way, and talk directly the students," he said, to a loud cheer, as he spoke extempore. "It's almost like coming back to IIT-Bombay... I spent my B.Tech days at IIT and later also took up a PG course but never finished the M.Tech... But more than degree and I valued knowledge. I spent 6.5 years at IIT, I didn't spend 6.5 years for undergraduation... but I have a B.Tech degree, as my affidavit says, and not M.Tech... Someone, may file a case (against me)," he said, leaving the crowd in raptures. The minister was apparently making a reference to the row related to Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani's educational qualifications. On being a reluctant politician, he said, "Many IITians went to the US, the UK but I stuck here. Let me tell you I never anticipated joining politics. I was the one sitting by the side of the river and someone pushed me from behind into it. "But, I swam successfully, in that river and became chief minister of Goa and then the defence minister," he said, adding, "I was the general secretary of the mess and quite popular and thus got elected for three years. At least that proves that doing the mess management I learned to steer the state finances properly." Moving on to examinations, he said the current generation is "luckier" as far as engineering examinations are concerned. "Let me tell you, open book examination is the most difficult one. As you have to know where the answer lies, going through the book twice, thrice" as he asked students to inculcate, out-of-box thinking and contribute to the growth story of India. Before ending his speech, he recounted a humour-laden story of a French King and his court astrologer to reinforce his point about Make in India. PTI Hurtin each other, makin each other feel bad. I dont understand some of the things that mesmerise us and absorb our time and energy. For example, saying Bharat Mata Ki Jai is merely an extension of saluting the motherland Or in cases of certain other countries, the fatherland. It has nothing to do with religion, so why obfuscate the issue? Is it even an issue? What is wrong with people? Is this our problem of the day? Where is the deification? Open to correction but when did you last go and purchase or be gifted a statue of Bharat Mata? There are pictures that are superimposed on the map as artistic license and you dont want to espouse one, dont. It is still your motherland. Nothing changes that. But is it really an issue per se and does it deserve to be another scissor in the constant push to divide communities and generate misunderstanding? Even more depressing is when one of the most loving sentiments is made controversial. Truly, I have no problem uttering any salutation if I am so addressed. Take religion in itself without going into the semantics of it. In a world where we call ourselves a global village we lose nothing when we respond with Buddha namo or Salaam Aliakum or Sat Sri Akal. If I met a Zoarastrian and I said, Hamazor Hama Asho Bed, would I become a lesser person, diminish myself in any way? If I went to church and said Amen, so be it. The word mother is so beautiful and all encompassing. We are a nation that hurls it happily at anyone with a few silver streaks in their hair, not always to their liking. Mathaji and maaji is a word of endearment and respect that is second nature to Indians and to mess around with it is unseemly and only underscores one fact: there are some people only looking for an excuse to foment trouble. The issues have now become increasingly trivial and this waste of energy could be channelled for so much more meaningful activity. There is a growing suspicion that everyone with a mad hatter idea wants to air it in the hope of getting attention and basking in that 15 minutes of fame. Lets take it further. Does anyone in Ethiopia object to saying Widd Innat Ityopp'ya (March Forward, Dear Mother Ethiopia) or do they say it bursting with pride. South of the border they say, Sri Lanka Matha and no one falls apart. In Bangladesh who objects when they sing, In Spring, Oh mother mine, the fragrance from your mango-groves makes me wild with joy-Ah, what a thrill! If we start picking on these things where does it end? Dont watch Mother India, ban the book of that name by Catherine Mayo. Would you resist saying Mother Mary? Dont have Mothers day. You wish to speak of fertility dont use the term Earth Mother. Dont even say, the mother of all battles in case someone misunderstands. People die for their motherland. They play sport for it. They watch their flag go up and what greater glory than to have it whip in the breeze as a tribute to you. Our sweetest songs are those that speak of patriotic thoughts how we have intellectually curdled that word into a curse. Leave you with a few other thoughts: Mikhail Kalashnikov (inventor of the AK 47): I made it for my motherland. Vladimir Putin:I dont read books by people who have betrayed the Motherland. Oprah Winfrey: My first day in Chicago, September 4, 1983. I set foot in this city, and just walking down the street, it was like roots, like the motherland. I knew I belonged here. M.F.Hussein: India is my motherland. Catherine Helen Spence: As we grew to love South Australia, we felt that we were in an expanding society, still feeling the bond to the motherland, but eager to develop a perfect society, in the land of our adoption. Liu Yang; I am grateful to the motherland and the people. I feel honored to fly into space on behalf of hundreds of millions of female Chinese citizens. Having said all this, if it still floats your boat to find some virtue in resisting a salute to your country keep these words in mind: Breathes there a man with soul so dead Who never to himself has said, This is my own my native land, My motherland. It was in November 2015 that William Dalrymple had written the text for a collection of Steve McCurrys photographs on India. Less than four months later, Dalrymple has come out with his own book of photographs a suite of black and white images, published by HarperCollins, and titled The Writers Eye. The photographs are the results of the writer-historians travels over the past 18 months ranging from Leh to Lindisafarne, from the Hindu Kush to the Lammermuirs across the rolling hills south of Sienna, as he mentions in an introduction to The Writers Eye. While Dalrymple has been known over the past two decades for his books, like White Mughals, Nine Lives and City of Djinns, his foray into photography is not a departure from his oeuvre. Rather, it is a return to his roots. Dalrymples interest in photography began very early on at the age of seven, in fact, which was when he got his first camera, a tiny Kodak. The writer says that in a sense, photography was in his blood his great-great-aunt Julia Margaret Cameron was a noted photographer in the 19th century. Dalrymple has described sifting through the portraits she shot, as a child, and being impressed by them. But his own photographs as a young man were influenced by Don McCullin, Faye Godwin, Bill Brandt, and of course, Bruce Chatwin. (Theirs) were the images that influenced me, says Dalrymple. These dark, grainy, alienated landscapes. I do like these very black, anthracite skies; velvety landscapes. Dalrymple's photos are also being exhibited at Sunaparanta: Goa Centre for the Arts, the Vadehra Art Gallery in Delhi and in June, at the Grosvenor Gallery in London. He admits that photography engages a very different part of him, as compared to writing. When youre writing, youre thinking about something intensely. Its a very considered act. You edit, re-edit. Photography is about capturing something in the instant; if youre a second late, it passes. It doesnt come from an intellectual part of the brain With writing youre definitely out to say something. Its an intellectual act. Photography is far more instantaneous, spontaneous. Its a different process, Dalrymple says. While Dalrymple was shooting throughout his early adulthood (he saved up to buy a Contax 35 mm camera at the age of 15, and even developed his own photos in the darkroom), writing eventually took over photography as his primary creative outlet. Incidentally, it was a review for an exhibition of Faye Godwins photos that led Dalrymple, then a student at Cambridge, into journalism and writing. But now that he has returned to photography after so many years, he is still drawn to similar images. Im finding amazing continuities (between the photographs I took then and now), Dalrymple says. Its like rediscovering a part of me. Does that also mean hes now constantly looking at the world through a figurative lens, seeking out the perfect frame in every vista? Yes, when youre fixated by photography and are in the headlights of it, you do start looking at landscapes with a view to capturing photographs. Youre like a hunter in a way, on the lookout for prey, he says. His choice of camera now is his trusty Samsung cellphone, which he has previously said is much more convenient than lugging around a bulky SLR. Does that also mean making compromises in the kinds of photographs he wants to take? Dalrymple, who has been hanging up photographs all afternoon in preparation for his exhibition in Goa, says using a cellphone camera has had its benefits and disadvantages: You do lose things (image quality) which wouldnt happen if you were using a DSLR or large format camera. Im not using a wide angle lens. You cant work in low light, cant work at high speed but in a way, its good because you arent worrying about shutter speed. You always have your weapon with you. SLR images would have been sharper, larger, but there is an immediacy and suddenness to using a cellphone camera. Now that he has rediscovered it, Dalrymple doesnt seem to be in any hurry to put his photography on the backburner again. I should be working on my next big book a history of how the East India Company took over India. But for two weeks now Ive been travelling and my wife pointed out that Ive been taking more photographs than writing, he admits. So photography is going to be a wonderful distraction. By Ashok Row Kavi The Times of India headline stopped quite a few heartbeats on both sides of the political spectrum on 18 March. The article reported the RSS joint general-secretary Dattareya Hosabale as having said: (homosexuality) is not a crime as long as it does not affect the lives of others. Sexual preferences are personal issues. The right-wingers were left wringing their hands at this downfall of a citadel of conservative Hinduism whereas on the Left, opinions varied wildly. Some thought good sense was dawning while my friend Meena Seshu, who runs a prostitutes union in Sangli, sniggered that the bubble would burst, chortling with glee when a half-hearted turn-around was attempted by Hosabele. It was as if she were exercising her prophetic powers not knowing that advocacy by gay groups was working in fits and starts. Quite a few of these great activists actually cabals driven by agendas that are not the least bit 'revolutionary' have worked among themselves with Hindu-hate as the main pillar of their work. Few understood that activism means not working with the converted but trying to bring about a change of heart in the conservative camps. It was intriguing to see during the Delhi Pride Parade last year, an activist carrying a banner proclaiming Homos hate BJP not seeing the irony in how this was an antithesis to the inclusivity doctrine they shout from the rooftops otherwise. Besides openly propagating hate, a word they impute so easily to Hindutva groups. The fact is that hundreds of self-help groups of sexual minorities have been working ceaselessly since the overturning of the Delhi High Court judgment by the Supreme Court in November 2013 to change attitudes and sensitise hitherto stubborn populations on sex, sexuality and gender issues with simple narratives and what can be called jan-soonwayis (public hearings). One such jan-soonwayi was held by a large group of young homosexuals, bisexuals and transgendered youth called Yaariyan in Mumbai last year titled as an acceptance meet. This youth group of sexual minorities has over a 1,000 youngsters from sexual minorities and forms part of the bigger network called the Integrated Network of Sexual Minorities (INFOSEM) whose membership is now well over 200 community-based groups of homosexuals, bisexual women, hijras and transmen (female to male transgenders). What Yaariyan did was to specifically invite the city BJP chief Ashish Shelar as chief guest along with the Yogesh Pratap Singh, the retired cop, to the jan-soonwayi, to engage with lawyers, sexual counsellors and scores of parents, office and hostel mates of those belonging to the LGBT community. The meeting was explosive in the sense that Shelar tweeted that he was now against Section 377 and it needed to be immediately removed. Singh was so outraged by the cases of extortion, blackmail and sexual violence by the police that he asked LGBT members and NGOs to file cases against such police personnel. This is just one example of what LGBT groups have been doing throughout the country and the battle for sexual and gender rights has been taken right into the camp of the Sangh. In rural Madurai, for example, a young inter-sexed Hindu ex-monk Gopi Shankar, has been working with Hindu religious leaders, BJP and RSS leaders to sensitise them on issues of sexuality and gender. His books were released last year by Vanathi Srinivasan, of the Tamil Nadu BJP. On 6 March this year, Shankars organisation, Shrishti, launched its website in the presence of the central minister Pon Radhakrishnan and scores of RSS volunteers. In both Delhi and Kolkata, INFOSEM members have been getting in touch with Sangh leaders to reach out to the shakhas and sensitise them to sex, sexuality and gender issues. Akkai Padmashali, the brilliant transgendered communicator from Bangalore, has been reaching out to all Lok Sabha MPs in an effort to explain the issues of LGBT and there has been little resentment to her efforts in Delhi last year as she and her delegation from Karnataka reached out to each party MP across the political spectrum. Yet what saddens me is the low level of discussion on the transgender bill that followed the NALSA judgement offering a revolutionary new venture to free Male to Female (M2F) transgender, of whom hijras/aravani/kinnar are a visible segment, of stigma and discrimination. Hijras were called a sacred third gender and valourised as important augments of society even though they were reviled and marginalised in public and private spaces. Though the NALSA judgment called for affirmative action by reservations and special privileges for this highly visible sexual minority, precious little ground has been covered through any kind of government action. The Transgender Welfare Boards that came up in Tamil Nadu and announced in Maharashtra have hardly taken off the ground and remain paper dreams. However, the real tragedy is the visible exile of gay men even as they await the announcement of the five member constitutional bench that is to hear the curative petition admitted a month ago. Though there is legislative recognition and acceptance of transgender/hijra issues, the effort seems vto be to push gay mens issues deep into the societal matrix as a sexual preference, a wilful choice of a sexual behaviour that deserves to be corrected. The statement of Zeenat Shaukat Ali, the reformer Islamist scholar comes to mind: However reformist and progressive Islamist jurisprudence will be, Muslims will not accept homosexuality as a normative sexual orientation. And this is despite scholars agreeing that the Prophet himself never condemned either homosexuals or transgender; with much of the condemnation coming from questionable Hadiths referencing the story of Sodom and Gomorrah from the Old Testament. What the RSS needs to break with; and urgently so, is to recognise that homophobia is a Judeo-Christian concept that came in with the British. Despite more than 500 years of Islamist rule, not even the bigot Aurangazeb imposed laws against homosexuality. Section 377 was hatched in Britain where it came into British Criminal Law from the laws of the King James Bible. The king himself was brutally murdered for his homosexuality but thats another story. However, it is true that this law was imported wholesale into India by Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay who had scant regard for Hindu religion and tradition and who is reviled by the Sangh. How is it that the premier Hindu organisation is not sensitive to the fact that their homophobia can be directly attributed to a Christian law imposed surreptiously through a colonial law giver who should be contested by the Sangh? There is no doubt that unlike the Roman Catholic Church, the largest sect in Christianity, and the Islamists in India, the Sangh has come a long way from refusing to see homosexuality as a sin or a crime to something psychologically wrong in the homosexual personality. So my submission to the Sangh is: Youve come a long way. Now listen to the scientific evidence and make up your mind as true Hindus. The World Health Organisation has removed homosexuality from its list of mental diseases over two three decades ago. The Indian Psychiatrist Association has officially given a clarion call that homosexuality is a normal variant of human sexual behaviour. Except for a yoga teacher called Baba Ramdev, few Hindu religious leaders have actively campaigned in public for a defence of Section 377 so why not see the obvious and move forward? You have moved on gender issues and freed the temples for women and thus removed gender discrimination whereas no church or masjid will allow a woman to lead the congregation or even enter a mosque. Women priests are a long way off in the Catholic Church just to stress the point. And its time you moved on homosexuality too. A little ahead of the two-day national executive meet of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Delhi on Saturday, the Congress party launched a scathing attack on the Modi-government and has demanded sacking of one of its best performing ministersNitin Gadkari, whos the union minister for road transport and highways. Accusing Gadkari of crony capitalism for allotting a single bid contract to a company (IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd) close to his son in Zojilla tunnel project in Jammu and Kashmir, Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh raked up the old issue and has demanded sacking of the union minister from Prime Minister Narendra Modis cabinet. We demanded sacking of Gadkari for his involvement in corruption. Maintaining silence and not taking any action against his colleague despite having evidences show that PM Modi has been encouraging corruption. Weve raised this issue at different levels, even from the floor of the House, but the PM refused to respond, alleged Singh during a press conference on Saturday. This is a clear case of corruption at the highest level and I demand that Gadkari be sacked if the PM believes in controlling corruption in his government. But, by protecting his corrupt colleagues, Modi has proved himself as a good chowkidar (guard). Though the contract has been cancelled, Gadkari should be sacked. The government wont agree, but the cancellation of the contract proves that they have noted the charges I had brought in this case, he claimed. Its noteworthy that Gadkari cancelled the contract in March, claiming that he had no personal interest or association in the said contract. Re-telling the old story, Singh cited the murder of social activist Satish Shetty, who had exposed several cases of corruptions, including the alleged land scams of the Maharashtra-based IRB Group, of which IRB Infrastructure is a part. CBI should be given a free-hand to investigate the murder of Satish Shetty. Weve also demanded the Supreme Court to appoint a committee to monitor this case, Singh said. However, Gadkari and his ministry have been adjudged as one of the best performers in terms of deliverance in the Modi government. Gadkari had also proved his calibre during the Atal Behari Vajpayee government (NDA 1.0) and was the man behind the successful completion of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and it was his vision as advisor to the then PM Vajpayee that led to Golden Quadrilateral which in turn catapulted Indian economy. A flashback In January, the Congress had alleged corruption in a Rs 10,500-crore contract awarded by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd for construction of Zojila Pass tunnel project in Jammu and Kashmir. Digvijaya Singh wrote to the PM demanding that the matter be referred to the CBI. He had also met the central vigilance commissioner and sought action in the matter. Singh had then claimed that Gadkari had close links with the Mhaiskar familythe promoters of IRB group. In the past, they have invested crores in companies of Gadkari family and Nikhil Nitin Gadkari, son of Nitin Gadkari, was shareholder and promoter director in Ideal Energy Projects Ltd of IRB Group, Singh wrote in his letter to the PM. However, Gadkari denied the charge against him and on 2 March, he cancelled the contract without citing any reason. The contract was awarded to IRB infrastructure in January 2015 after it emerged as the sole bidder. The Zojila tunnel, the longest in Southeast Asia, is of great socio-economic importance to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The tunnel would be of strategic importance as it is located at an altitude of 3.528 metres between Srinagar and Leh. Congress leaders are 'on sale'. If Digvijaya Singh is to be believed, there are a few Congress leaders (including MLAs), who are 'on sale'. Responding to the ongoing crisis in Uttarakhand, he said, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have been moving around with a shopping list in hand and contacting those leaders (in Congress) including the former Uttarakhand chief minister, who are hungry for power and buying them to their side. These Congress leaders dont believe in Congress ideology and principle. In Uttarakhand, the Harish Rawat-led Congress government has lost support of its seven MLAs including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna. The BJP has claimed a majority to form a new government. BJP General Secretary and in-charge of Uttarakhand, Kailash Vijayvargiya told Firstpost, BJP is ready to form government in Uttarakhand and also ready for an election. Harish Rawat government has lost confidence of its MLAs. Weve urged the governor to immediately dissolve the present government. A serious existential crisis has suddenly emerged for Uttarakhand Congress Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Friday as the BJP staked claim to form a new government in the state with support from rebel Congress MLAs. The delegation even met Governor Krishan Kant Paul leaving no doubt their intentions. Ironically, it is a deja vu of what the Congress suffered in Arunachal Pradesh just a month ago where a group of rebel Congress MLAs joined hands with the BJP and formed a new government by ousting then chief minister Mukut Mithi. Among the rebel Congress MLAs in Uttarakhand are former chief minister Vijay Bhahuguna, Harak Singh Rawat, Amrita Rawat, Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion, Shaila Rani Rawat, Pradip Batra and Subodh Uniyal. If the governor agrees to the delegation's demands, then one of three things can happen: President's Rule can be imposed in the state (like it happened in Arunachal Pradesh), an alternate government can be formed or elections can be rescheduled from January 2017 to be held earlier. Interestingly, the rebel Congress MLAs chose the day of the passage of the annual budget by the state assembly to announce their defection. This initially resulted in the Rawat government's inability to pass the budget. Since the state can't run without authorisation by the assembly to take money out of Consolidated Fund of the state, a constitutional crisis was looming large on Congress government. However, on Friday, state Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal rejected the Opposition's demand for the division of votes. He announced passage of the budget by voice vote and adjournment of the House till 28 March before he left his chair in the midst of prevailing din. The Speaker was seen leaving his Chair and making an exit even as a mixed group of BJP and rebel Congress MLAs continued to sit on a dharna in the well clamouring for a division of votes on the budget which they said was their democratic right. BJP leader Umesh Agarwal alleged that denying the members the right to go for a division of votes on the budget was evasive tactics of the state government in the face of sure defeat. Anti-government and pro-BJP slogans were also heard in the Vidhan Sabha corridors with two sides challenging and abusing each other. There were also reports about security at the Raj Bhawan being tightened with BJP and disgruntled Congress MLAs headed there to contend that the ruling party had been reduced to a minority in the state Assembly. The strength of Uttarakhand Assembly is 71 (including one nominated member) and the Congress has a razor thin majority. The Congress has 36, the BJP has 29, Bahujan Samaj Party 2, Independent 3, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P) 1. The Congress leadership and chief minister had been generally dismissive about revolt by Vijay Bahuguna and others. Senior party leaders said the unrest was being used as a bargaining tactic. They claimed that Bahuguna wanted a Rajya Sabha berth, Harak Singh Rawat greater prominence. The Congress leaders also charged that BJP was playing dirty tricks for luring its MLAs. Though the BJP officially denies that it has anything to do with the internal dissensions within Congress ranks, some of its senior leaders including Kailash Vijavargiya and Shyam Jaju are camping in Dehradun. With inputs from agencies Dehradun/New Delhi: The Uttarakhand speaker has issued notices to the nine rebel Congress lawmakers who had met the governor on Saturday seeking dismissal of Chief Minister Harish Rawat. According to NDTV, Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal has asked the lawmakers why their assembly membership could not be terminated and have given them time till 6 March to respond. This comes after the political crisis in Uttarakhand took another turn on Saturday when Governor KK Paul gave Chief Minister Rawat a deadline of 28 March to prove majority in the state Assembly. Rawat's Congress government is in crisis as BJP is claiming the support of rebel Congress MLAs and stepping up efforts to dislodge Rawat from the chief ministerial post. A BJP-led delegation that included nine rebel Congress MLAs met Governor Paul on Friday and claimed that the party has a majority in Uttarakhand Assembly and should be invited to form the government as the incumbent Congress dispensation has been reduced to a minority. However, Rawat on Saturday claimed that he was ready to prove his majority in the Assembly. On a day of claims and counter-claims by BJP and the Congress, Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal said the "anti-defection law is in place and whoever is found guilty of violating it will have to be acted against". "All Congress MLAs voted with the government when the previous bill was passed in the Assembly and nobody had challenged the bill. Even the BJP accepts the voice vote," he said. Asked about BJP's no-confidence notice against him, Kunjwal said,"We will see when it comes in the Assembly. Members of the legislative Assembly will discuss and decide if the no-confidence notice is valid or not". Hitting back at the BJP, Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah of seeking to destabilise non-BJP governments through lure of money and political power. "The duo of Modi and Shah are infamous for forcible eviction of elected governments in this country. Elected government are being destabilised by a sinister conspiracy. After Arunachal Pradesh, it is Uttarakhand," Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala told reporters in New Delhi. In Dehradun, BJP intensified efforts to dislodge the Rawat government. "The Harish Rawat government has lost majority. Today BJP has the numbers with the support of rebel Congress MLAs to form a new government in Uttarakhand," Shyam Jaju, the state in-charge of BJP, told PTI. Jaju said the party is willing to present the MLAs whose support it enjoys before President Pranab Mukherjee and insisted that Rawat should immediately resign given the loss of majority. Nine rebel Congress MLAs have reached Delhi and are in touch with BJP leaders, he said. Accusing BJP of misrepresenting facts, Rawat asserted that he still enjoys a majority in the Uttarakhand Assembly and was ready to prove it on the floor of the House. "Those who are saying they have support of 35 MLAs are misrepresenting facts. I am confident that I still have a majority in the Assembly and can prove it on the floor of the House," he told reporters after emerging from a meeting with Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal. Rawat said that five of nine rebel Congress MLAs were in touch with him. The rebel MLAs included, Congress has a strength of 36 MLAs in the 70-member Assembly. The ruling party also has the support of six members of the Progressive Democratic Front. The BJP has 28 MLAs. Rawat rubbished BJP's claims that it had the support of 35 MLAs including nine rebel Congress MLAs. Rawat said at least five of those MLAs have made it clear that "they are still with the party and continue to be members of the Congress Legislature Party." He said the disgruntled MLAs should accept that they have made a mistake in backing BJP's bid at power. A three-member BJP delegation of former chief minister and MP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Jaju and general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya met Governor KK Paul on Friday night after the simmering discontent within a section of Congress legislature came to the fore. Amidst chaos in the Assembly, nine Congress rebels joined BJP in demanding a division of votes on the state's annual budget, which could have led to the government's fall. Rebel Congress MLAs seen raising anti-government slogans along with BJP were mostly those owing allegiance to former chief minister and MLA Vijay Bahuguna. The other eight were Harak Singh Rawat, Amrita Rawat, Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion, Shaila Rani Rawat, Pradip Batra, Subodh Uniyal, a confirmed Bahuguna loyalist, Shailendra Mohan Singhal and Umesh Sharma. Surjewala said BJP was resorting to such actions in the backdrop of poll debacle in Delhi followed by in Bihar which has "convinced" the ruling party at the Centre that it would not come to power in any state through popular vote. "Is this the Modi culture of politics of transparency and accountability to lure away legislators...bypassing all constitutional norms?" he said. Commenting on what transpired at his meeting with the Speaker, Rawat said he had gone to him to tender an apology as the Leader of the House for the "unparliamentary conduct of some party MLAs", who rushed into the well after adjournment of the day's proceedings and sat on a dharna along with BJP MLAs there. Admitting that Congress MLAs had flouted the party whip by sitting on a dharna along with opposition members, he said they were liable to be acted against in accordance with the Constitutional provisions. The chief minister said he was hurt by the behaviour of rebel party MLAs including Harak Singh Rawat and Vijay Bahuguna. "As far as Harak Singh is concerned, the less said the better. He is such a star of Uttarakhand's political firmament. If one or two more such wrestlers are born in the state, Uttarakhand of our dreams will never become a reality," he said. Rawat said he was shocked by Bahuguna's conduct in the House on Friday as he came from a family which always fought against communal forces. "Coming as it did from the son of Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna who always fought for secular values and stood against communal forces, Bahugunaji's behaviour was no less shocking," the chief minister said. PTI Kathmandu: Britain's Prince Harry arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday on his maiden visit to Nepal to mark the 200th anniversary of the bilateral ties and called on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to discuss cooperation between the two nations. Leading a 30-member delegation, Harry landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha on Saturday afternoon, representing the British government to mark the 200th anniversary of Nepal-Britain relations. The 31-year-old, accompanied by British Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire, was welcomed by Minister of State for Federal Affairs and Local Development Kunti Kumari Shahi. His five-day trip is aimed at supporting British interests in the region, according to a release by the UK Embassy in Kathmandu. This is the first time Harry is visiting Nepal. Queen Elizabeth had visited Nepal in 1961 and 1986. Prince Charles, late Princess Diana and Prince Philip have also visited Nepal. Harry called on Oli at his residence in Baluwatar and discussed Nepal-Britain bilateral cooperation. During his meeting with Oli, Harry praised the role played by Gorkha soldiers in the British Army and inquired about the conservation efforts made by Nepal in protecting endangered wild animals including tiger and one-horned rhino. "I am so grateful that I will have the opportunity to pay tribute to some of Nepal's most famous ambassadors, the Gorkhas, admired the world over for their fearsome bravery and courage but also for their humility and kindness," Harry said. He called on visitors around to world to visit the beautiful Himalayan nation saying, "I want to show all those people around the world who want to help that this is a country open for business so please come and visit again." "I look forward to exploring your landscapes, celebrating your culture, and I hope to make many new friends along the way." He also talked about last April's earthquake in the region, which claimed nearly 9,000 lives. "I pay my respects to those who perished and hope to do what I can to shine a spotlight on the resilience of the Nepali people," he said. Harry said Nepal holds a "special place in the imagination for so many people". Having served alongside Gorkhas in Afghanistan, Harry will visit the British Gorkha Camp in Pokhara, where he will commend the bravery and service to the Crown of an "exceptional group of soldiers". Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kamal Thapa hosted a reception in Harry's honour during the prince said he was "deeply honoured and excited to be here". Harry is scheduled to call on Nepal's first woman President Bidhya Devi Bhandari at the Presidential Office at Sheetal Niwas on Sunday. He will engage in various activities including observation of earthquake relief work during his stay in Nepal. He will interact with Gorkha families, enjoy rafting, watch sunrise over the Himalayas. PTI WASHINGTON Republican Mitt Romney said on Friday he would vote for U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in Utah's presidential nominating contest, but the party's 2012 election standard-bearer stopped short of an official endorsement as he urged voters to deny the nomination to front-runner Donald Trump. In a Facebook post, Romney said a vote for Cruz in Utah's caucus on Tuesday was the best way to prevent Trump from locking down the nomination, which would give opponents a chance to select another candidate at the party's July convention. "The only way we can reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many of the remaining nominating election as possible," Romney wrote. Romney did not offer any praise for Cruz, who emerged as a favourite of the party's most ardent conservatives after clashing with party leaders in Washington. Romney did not say whether or not he would campaign with Cruz. Trump responded quickly. "Mitt Romney is a mixed up man who doesn't have a clue. No wonder he lost!" he wrote on Twitter. The Cruz campaign did not immediately respond to the news. Romney has emerged as one of the most prominent critics of Trump, the businessman and former reality TV personality who has emerged as a surprise front-runner in the battle to secure the Republican nomination for the Nov. 8 election. Romney, who lost to Democratic President Barack Obama in 2012, called Trump a "fraud" and a dangerous demagogue who would lose to Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party front-runner, in November. "Today, there is a contest between Trumpism and Republicanism, Romney wrote, adding that Trump has encouraged racism, misogyny and violence. "I am repulsed by each and every one of these," he wrote. Trump has continued to notch victories in the state-by-state nominating process as Republicans have failed to unite behind Cruz or Ohio Governor John Kasich, the only other candidate left in the race. At this point, those who oppose Trump say their best bet at this point is to prevent him from securing the 1,237 delegates he needs before the convention in Cleveland. Cruz is unlikely to win the nomination outright as he would need to win 81 percent of the remaining delegates to reach a majority, according to the Cook Political Report. It is impossible for Kasich to reach 1,237 delegates, according to the nonpartisan election tracker. Romney said Kasich has a "solid record" as a governor and he would have voted for him in Ohio last Tuesday. Other Republican leaders have struggled to choose between Trump and Cruz. Cruz has won the endorsement of only two of his fellow Republican senators, for example, while only one has endorsed Trump. "If it was truly an anyone-but-Trump mindset that had taken hold, we would've seen a much more aggressive move to Cruz and we haven't," a senior Senate Republican aide told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "Most members truly dont know which one is worse." (Additional reporting by Alana Wise and Richard Cowan; editing by Grant McCool) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Washington: The Republican establishment has intensified efforts to stop Donald Trump from winning the party nomination, with its 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney calling for a strategic vote against him only to have the billionaire firing back. Romney, who unsuccessfully challenged President Barack Obama four years back, wrote on Friday in a Facebook post that he plans to vote on Tuesday for Trump's closest rival, Texas senator Ted Cruz, in party caucuses in Utah, where he lives. He also called on Ohio governor John Kasich, for whom he campaigned before the Ohio primary this week, to step aside to give Republicans a better chance to block Trump's bid for the nomination. "Today, there is a contest between Trumpism and Republicanism," Romney wrote. "Through the calculated statements of its leader, Trumpism has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence. I am repulsed by each and every one of these." "The only path that remains to nominate a Republican rather than Trump is to have an open convention. At this stage, the only way we can reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many of the remaining nominating elections as possible," he wrote. There is no love lost between the Republican establishment and Cruz, who once called Republican Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell a liar on the Senate floor, but apparently it now looks at him as a known devil and lesser of an evil than Trump. Reacting to Romney's post, Trump took to Twitter to mock the former former Massachusetts governor, and Cruz. Asserting that Romney's support for Cruz was good for his campaign, Trump tweeted: "Failed presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the man who 'choked' and let us all down, is now endorsing Lyin' Ted Cruz. This is good for me!" "Going to Salt Lake City, Utah, for a big rally. Lyin' Ted Cruz should not be allowed to win there Mormons don't like LIARS! I beat Hillary," he added. Later, appealing to the state's majority Mormon population at the rally, he even questioned whether Romney truly represented their faith. "Do I love the Mormons? I have many friends that live in Salt Lake City, and by the way, Mitt Romney is not one of them," Trump said to applause from his supporters. "Are you sure he's a Mormon? Are we sure?" Cruz, who dubbed Romney as a seriously flawed messenger against Obama in 2012, and characterised him as part of the Republican Party's "mushy middle" quickly thanked him for the support in a tweet on Friday afternoon. But, the Kasich campaign reacted sharply with chief strategist, John Weaver, tweeting: "Good to know Ted Cruz is the establishment, K-Street backed candidate. #HelloStatusQuo." Meanwhile, conservative news channel Fox News too joined the war against Trump, alleging the real estate mogul has an "extreme, sick obsession" with its anchor Megyn Kelly. "Donald Trump's vitriolic attacks against Megyn Kelly and his extreme, sick obsession with her is beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate who wants to occupy the highest office in the land," the network said in its statement. The sharply worded response came on Friday evening after Trump took his attacks against Kelly to a new level, referring to her as "sick", "crazy" and "overrated". Trump also called on his supporters to boycott her Fox News show, saying she was obsessed with criticising him. Trump has been having a running feud with Kelly since last August, when he complained that she had treated him unfairly during the first Republican presidential debate. But it was unclear what precipitated his latest attack. IANS Salah Abdeslam, the key suspect in the Paris attacks arrested on Friday, showed little sign of religious fervour before the assaults and was even known to enjoy a beer and a joint in the bar he ran with his brother in the Brussels district where he was captured. The 26-year-old Franco-Moroccan, whose brother Brahim blew himself up in the French capital during the November 13 attacks, is said to have fled into the arms of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria but he was eventually tracked down to Molenbeek, the immigrant neighbourhood where he had lived for years. But far from being religious fanatics, Salah and Brahim were known to enjoy a drink and some pot in Les Beguines, the bar they ran in Molenbeek. The bar was shut down two weeks before the Paris attacks after police said it was used "for the consumption of banned hallucinogenic substances". A Molenbeek resident, who identified himself only as Youssef, told AFP last year the brothers were "friends of ours, big smokers, big drinkers, but not radicals". Salah certainly knew radicals though, having come into contact with another Molenbeek resident, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who is believed to have been the mastermind of the Paris attacks. Salah was fired from his job as a technician on the Brussels trams for skipping work in 2011. Around the same time he was arrested for robbery along with Abaaoud. Salah also developed a taste for casinos, gambling in the Dutch city of Breda in June 2014 and in Brussels last year. But in 2015, in a possible phase of preparation for the Paris attacks, he criss-crossed Europe, visiting Greece in August, then Austria and Hungary, at a time when tens of thousands of migrants were transiting Europe from Syria and Iraq. A routine search in Brussels earlier in the week went wrong and four Belgian police were wounded in an exchange of fire. That led to Belgian police killing an Algerian, Mohamed Belkaid, an Algerian who had been with Salah in Austria in early September. Belgian prosecutors announced Friday that Salah's fingerprints were found in the apartment they had been searching. Several hours later, he was arrested with two other men after shots were fired and Abdeslam was hit in the leg. In charge of logistics It was not just his disappearance that made Salah the enigma of the Paris attacks. Prosecutors believe he was in charge of logistics for the attacks, which were planned in Brussels. Salah rented the cars that the IS team used to travel to Paris, and booked the apartment-hotel rooms where they stayed before launching the worst ever terror attacks on French soil. His brother Brahim, with whom he ran the Brussels bar, detonated his suicide vest in a bar in Paris on November 13, as at least eight other IS attackers were shooting and blowing up 130 people who had been enjoying a Friday night out in the French capital. It is possible Salah drove three suicide bombers to the Stade de France stadium and he appears to have also been in central Paris where his accomplices where carrying out their slaughter. But the evidence suggests he backed out of detonating his own suicide vest. An explosives vest was founded abandoned in a dustbin in a Paris suburb and although none of Salah's DNA was found on it, mobile phone data puts him in the area at the time. Before police were alerted to his possible involvement, Salah had been stopped three times by officers in France as he fled back to Belgium by car the day after the attacks. Two men with him in the vehicle, Hamza Attou and Mohammed Amri, are said to have been smoking marijuana but a policeman waved them on and Salah was able to remain on the run for 126 days. AFP Istanbul: A suicide bombing rocked a major shopping street in Istanbul on Saturday, killing four people and wounding 20 others just six days after a deadly attack in Ankara, Turkish authorities said. The attack took place on Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrian street that was relatively quiet Saturday morning but is usually thronged with shoppers, strollers and buskers later in the day. "This is a suicide attack, a terrorist attack," Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin told reporters at the scene, saying the bomber was also killed. Three of the wounded were in serious condition, he said. The bomb exploded near a shopping mall, but Sahin said the intended target was a local authority building in the Beyoglu neighbourhood, where Istiklal Caddesi is situated. The street, which adjoins Taksim Square in the European part of the city, was evacuated after the attack, an AFP journalist at the scene said. Armed police sealed off the area while a police helicopter hovered overhead. CCTV footage published online by Dogan news agency appeared to show the moment of the blast with a fireball erupting near a handful of passersby, sending them rushing for cover. Television images showed several ambulances ferrying the injured to hospital. Turkey, which has been rocked by five major bombings since July, had been on high alert for further attacks ahead of Kurdish New Year celebrations on Monday. A Kurdish rebel group, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), claimed responsibility for an attack on 13 March on a busy transport hub in Ankara that killed 35 people. TAK, which also claimed a similar car bombing in Ankara in mid February that killed 29 people, has ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) against which the Turkish army is waging a major military campaign. A court in Ankara on Friday evening remanded five people in custody on suspicion of links to last week's attack in the capital which was carried out by a 24-year-old female student named by TAK as Seher Cagla Demir. In a statement, TAK said the bombing aimed to avenge Kurds killed during a ongoing military offensive against the PKK in the majority Kurdish southeast and said it had not meant to target civilians. On Friday, Turkish airforce planes continued to bomb PKK hideouts in mountains across the border in northern Iraq, an army statement said. Kurdish New Year fears During the week, the US embassy in Ankara had issued a warning to its citizens in Turkey to exercise caution ahead of the Kurdish Nevruz (New Year) celebrations, which have been a flashpoint for pro-Kurdish demonstrations in the past. The Islamic State jihadist group was blamed for three other large-scale attacks in recent months, including a suicide attack in January in Istanbul in which 12 German tourists were killed and an attack on a peace rally in Ankara in October that claimed 103 lives. Germany closed its embassy in Ankara, its consulate in Istanbul and German schools in both cities on Thursday, following what Berlin called "very serious" indications of planned attacks against its missions. AFP By NR Mohanty Bernie Sanders has only an outside chance for a shot at the US presidency after the 15 March Super Tuesday Primaries, in which Hillary Clinton won a decisive victory and came closer to winning the Democratic party nomination. Sanders has to now win over 72 per cent of the delegates in the remaining primaries to be in the reckoning again but that is a tall order. It is turning out that Sanders' campaign is returning to same phase as the early months of last year, when it was more about a protest candidacy discussing issues rather than a serious campaign about electing a president. That time, Hillary Clinton was considered a shoo-in for the Democratic coronation. But, as months passed by and the issues Sanders raised caught the attention of a large number of Americans, his upstart campaign seemed to derail Clintons glide for a while. And as the intra-Democratic party contest enters the last leg, it is turning out that Sanders' effort to deny Hillary the nomination is most likely to fail. But why couldn't Sanders do an Obama on Clinton? Eight years ago, in 2008, Hillary was again a hot favourite to represent the Democratic Party in the Presidential race. Then a relatively unknown Barack Obama crossed her path and put an end to her White House dream. Obama could successfully project her as a lackey of the Republican cause because of her support for the disastrous Iraq war initiated by George Bush, the outgoing President, a Republican. Like Obama, Sanders too had opposed the motion for Iraq war in the Congress. Like Obama, and unlike Hillary, Sanders had opposed the tax cuts that President Bush had handed out to the rich billionaires. Sanders should be seen as closer to the spirit of the Democratic party than Hillary who had no qualms to accept the $225,000 speaking fee per hour from drug companies, fossil fuel industry and Wall Street chums. CEOs of these bodies loved Jeb Bush, George Bush's brother, who aspired to be the President in 2016, but failed to make the cut and had to leave the race. These CEOs have shifted their patronage to Hillary because of her long cozy relationship with big business and also because they want her to stop Bernie, their avowed enemy, from winning the race. Hillary Clinton should have been ideally a Republican candidate (she shares their pro-rich sentiment) to take on Donald Trump for party nomination. That would have made it an exciting contest between a patronage machine veteran and a political warhorse on the one hand and a billionaire beneficiary of crony capitalism but a political neophyte on the other. Sanders should have been a natural successor to Obama for the Democratic hot seat. But Sanders is not able to replicate the Obama phenomenon because he is too left of centre than Obama was, too far for the liking of the average, ill-informed, American citizen (many of whom have fallen for the antics of Donald Trump). Obama worked tenaciously for providing medicare to the destitute. His greatest legislative success has been the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare . But, unfortunately, it is not a resounding success because it is not an all-encompassing measure. Sanders pitches for a single-payer healthcare system that provides for universal medicare. Obama abandoned this as politically impractical, but Sanders believes that a resolute President can overcome the hurdles and make universal healthcare a reality. Sanders agrees with Obamas vision but questions the speed and potency of the implementation of that vision. It is not that Sanders is not familiar with the bottlenecks, political or otherwise, that mar the programme's implementation. His track record as Burlington mayor or as a Congressman and Senator tells us how he has (mostly) had his way while pursuing his dream with bulldog tenacity. In 1981, Sanders ran for mayor of Burlington as an independent and defeated the six-term Democratic Party incumbent just by ten votes in a four-cornered contest. When he took office, Burlingtons largest waterfront was an industrial wasteland. An influential local businessman, Tony Pomerleau, had got a sanction for a mega project that included a 150-room hotel, a 100-slip marina and 240 condominiums in 18-storeyed buildings. Sanders resolved to kill the plan and make the waterfront people-oriented and publicly-owned. He began a "Let us work together for the betterment of our town" campaign and sought everyones support. He met Pomerleau, a billionaire several times over and succeeded in convincing him to give up his private claim for public gain and to become a major stakeholder in the citys development programme. Pomerleau was moved by Sanders' concern for the common man and became his active collaborator to make the new vision of Burlington a success. By the end of his eight-year tenure as mayor, Burlingtons waterfront was bustling with activity it had a community boathouse, a sailing centre, a science centre, a fishing pier, an eight-mile bike path, acres of parkland and public beaches. It was public-owned and it had become a hub of public activity. This was not the sole achievement of the "socialist" mayor. During his tenure (1981-89), the city's largest housing development project became resident-owned and its largest supermarket became a consumer-owned co-operative. Sanders had created a separate Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO) to carry out his vision for affordable housing and greater community engagement in planning and job development. So successful was his mission that Sanders was re-elected three times by increasingly wide margins 52 per cent in 1983, 55 per cent in 1985 and 56 per cent in 1987. At the end of eight years, when Sanders chose to run for Congress, he won a spectacular mandate and his trusted lieutenant, Peter Clavelle, whom he had appointed as director of the highly successful CEDO, went on to become the mayor of Burlington for the next 14 years. The common man had clearly embraced Sanders as his saviour. Clavelle carried on that vision: Burligton today is widely heralded as an environmentally friendly, lively and livable city with a thriving economy and with one of the lowest joblessness rates in the country. Sanders has not been anti-business. He just wants businesses to be responsible towards the people. He showed in Burlington how it could be done. As a Congressman for 16 years and as senator for almost eight years, he has been instrumental in piloting bills and moving amendments to make policies pro-poor. In 2013, he proposed a legislation to break up "too-big-to-fail" banks which today have more assets and control more of the economy than before taxpayer bailed them out in 2008. Sanders has been critical of Obama's administration for its reluctance to prosecute the crooks of the Wall Street whose illegal activity brought the American economy to its knees. Sanders had delivered an eight-and-a-half-hour Senate floor speech against extending tax cuts for the rich. His efforts succeeded when in January 2013 a Senate majority ended Bush tax breaks for the wealthiest 1 per cent Americans. The American Democrats should have remembered the dictum, If you are beholden to bad money, you will not be a transformative leader, and made their choice. But clearly bad money and bad men are propping up Hillary. Bernie, who was never bought and who will probably never be bought, is losing the race. It is a loss for the American democracy which has missed out on a rare chance to have a transformative leader at its helm. United Nations: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday that he is deeply alarmed by the surge of intolerance and "hate-driven violence" across the world, calling on the international community to speak out against "anti-Muslim bigotry" and other forms of hate. Ban, addressing a General Assembly meeting to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, said racial profiling and violence against communities is on the rise and blamed "extreme right-wing" political parties for fomenting divisiveness and dangerous myths. "I am deeply alarmed by a surge of intolerance, racist views and hate-driven violence around the world. Economic hardship and political opportunism are triggering increased hostility towards minorities. This is being manifested most directly in anti-refugee, anti-migrant and, in particular, anti-Muslim bigotry, attacks and violence," he said. The UN Chief also voiced concern over extreme Right-wing political parties fomenting divisiveness and dangerous myths. "Even once-centrist parties have hardened their views; once-moderate countries are seeing xenophobia rise sharply; and once-sober voices have exploited fears in a dangerous echo of the darkest chapters of the last century. All of this increases the risk of societal fracture, instability and conflict," he said. Emphasising the need to stand up for rights and dignity for all "in these tumultuous times", Ban said the international community must speak out against "anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim bigotry and other forms of hate". "An assault on one minority community is an attack on all," he added. International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March, the anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre of peaceful demonstrators in South Africa in 1960. "I draw encouragement by how far we have come since that tragedy. But we have much distance still to travel in our work for equality for all," the UN chief said. For this year's observance, the global community is commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. Adopted by consensus at the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, these texts remain the most comprehensive framework for international, regional and national actions against racism. PTI 2000 - 2022 24 .- . focus-news.net, () . 24 . 24 . . 24 . Chinese smartphone makers have already disrupted the Indian smartphone market and now it looks like they want to shake the e-commerce scenario in the country as well. Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant is planning to enter the Indian e-commerce market, according to a latest report from PTI. Alibaba group president J Michael Evans told PTI after meeting Communications and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, We are planning to enter the e-commerce business in India in 2016. We have been exploring very carefully the e-commerce opportunity in this country, which we think is very exciting against the backdrop of Digital India. Evans further added that the company plans to come to India and work to serve both customers, consumers and small businesses because that is the history and the DNA of Alibaba. Alibaba said it is evaluating all opportunities to build the business organically. At the moment, it is not clear, how the company will enter India. It could come alone as an online marketplace player or enter e-commerce as a partner with another company. Last year, it was reported that Alibaba will set up a mobile and commerce start-up incubator in India. At present, foreign direct investment is not permitted in the e-commerce sector but there are no restrictions on foreign money in online marketplace. Alibaba already has a made a significant investment in e-commerce firms such as Snapdeal and Paytm in India. The Indian e-commerce market is said to be worth $38 billion by the end of 2016, a 67% jump from a year ago, as per Assocham. This is a good news for the Indian economy but the rate at which the Chinese companies are entering India is alarming. It looks like the land of Red Dragons is going to be an important part of the Indian marketplace in the long run. Samsung shot to the top of the DxOMark ratings last year which is one of the top sites for camera benchmarks. First with the S6 edge and later on with the S6 edge+. Shortly after, Sonys Xperia Z5 challenged the smartphone and finished with an equal score which resulted in a tied first place between both the smartphones. Now, Samsung has a new champion in the form of the Galaxy S7 Edge. Samsung smartphones such as the S6 edge and Note5 have a score of 86 which is still 2 points ahead of competitors such as Apple iPhone 6s Plus, Google Nexus 6P and Moto Droid Turbo 2. The first place was shared by Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ and Sony Xperia Z5, both with a score of 87 each until now. Samungs latest flagship scored 88 on the DxOmark tests and takes it to the top of the leaderboard. It got a score of 88 in both the photography and video charts as well. The primary reason for this is due to the autofocus system which is now faster than ever thanks to the DualPixel AF tracking which allows every single pixel on the sensor to be a tracking point. DxO claims that the smartphone has blazing fast autofocus both on photo as well as video. Low light performance also receives a big improvement thanks to the smaller Megapixel count while having a larger pixel size and keeping the sensor size the same. They also praise the devices ability to retain good amount of detail and colour as well as the exposure which is handled quite well. This score on DxOMark reassures consumers that the S7/ S7 Edge is indeed one of the best equipped smartphone cameras in the market right now. Source According to cannabis research firm ArcView Market Research, legal marijuana is the fastest growing industry in the United States, and it very well could keep this title, or stay very near the top in terms of growth for years to come. Marijuana's mammoth momentum The latest report from ArcView projects a compound annual growth rate for the legal marijuana industry of 30%. This would mean the estimated $5.4 billion in legal marijuana sales from 2015 could translate into north of $22 billion in legal sales by 2020, with or without federal legalization of the drug. This rapid growth is what's got the attention of select states and lawmakers, who see the money-making potential of this little green bud. Colorado, in only its second year of retailing recreational marijuana in pot shops, tallied $996 million in combined medical and recreational marijuana, up from $699 million in the prior-year period, as well as $135 million in taxes and license fees. Of this $135 million, at least $35 million has been earmarked for Colorado's education system. Some of the remaining revenue will more than likely be divvied out to law enforcement agencies and drug abuse programs within the state, too. Other states are seeing the tax revenue potential of marijuana and are considering putting its legalization to vote. Americans also have a generalized softening of opinion from the general public toward marijuana. In a nationwide Gallup poll conducted in the mid-1990s, just a quarter of respondents wanted to see marijuana legalized. By October 2015, this figure had jumped to 58%, tying an all-time high in this particular Gallup poll. Favorability toward legalization is even higher for medical marijuana, with a CBS News poll in April 2015 showing support at 84%. Needless to say, marijuana has a ton of wind in its sails at the moment. The key is whether or not it can keep up this momentum into and after the November elections. The three most critical marijuana battleground states According to various new sources and grassroots campaigns which are attempting to gather support for marijuana initiatives, we could have about one dozen states voting on whether or not they want to legalize marijuana, either medically, recreationally, or simultaneously medically and recreationally this November. While all state-level legalizations help the marijuana movement, three states in particular stand out as being critical to the marijuana movement's future. California California is arguably the biggest prize for the marijuana industry. California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana back in 1996, so it seems like a logical choice to put a recreational ballot initiative in front of voters this fall. Why didn't California join Colorado and Washington state in 2012 or Alaska and Oregon in 2014 with a marijuana ballot initiative? The answer is marijuana reform backers simply didn't feel they had enough public support and funding to mount a proper campaign. In fact, in 2014 the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform, which is comprised of the Drug Policy Alliance, Marijuana Majority, and California NORML, announced their decision in 2014 to wait until 2016 to make a run at recreational legalization. The CCPR noted its lack of financial backing and high-profile support at the time and opted to use the next couple of years to strength both. California by itself is one of the largest economies in the world, so gaining approval would be a monumental leap forward for the marijuana industry. Medical marijuana is already a $1 billion-plus business in California, so we can only presume that recreational marijuana would more than likely top $1 billion in sales annually as well, resulting in an estimated $519.3 million in sales and excise tax revenue per year. Ohio Ohio is an interesting case because it tried to become the first state ever to legalize medical and recreational marijuana at the same time in Nov. 2015. Usually, states will go the route of legalizing medical marijuana first to understand the ins and outs of the industry, analyze how societal factors might be affected, and develop the needed infrastructure should recreational marijuana ever make it onto the ballot. Ohio, though, was planning to upset this established order and go for the gold immediately. What actually occurred, though, was a brutal thumping of Issue 3, the dual-approval initiative. What went wrong? What I can say is it wasn't for lack of support for marijuana. Ohioans appear to support medical marijuana's legalization as much as anyone and are roughly evenly split when it comes to recreational marijuana. The problem with Issue 3 that residents of the state couldn't get over was the parsing out of just 10 growing licenses. These licenses would have restricted access to new growers for a number of years and created something of an oligopoly, which residents of the state didn't seem to care for. If the grassroots campaigns in Ohio can get another marijuana initiative on the ballot this year, and get it passed, it would potentially signify the importance of competition in the marijuana industry and a drive to lower prices in order to compete against the black market, and it would point to the importance of the small-business entrepreneur within the industry. Florida Finally, we have Florida, which will once again be a marijuana battleground state. For those who may not recall, Florida attempted to legalize medical marijuana in 2014. The final vote tallied 58% in favor and 42% against. In a majority of states this would have been more than enough to put medical marijuana in state-approved shops. However, in Florida a 60% "yes" vote was needed since it would have required an amendment to the state's constitution. Long story short, medical marijuana in Florida came oh so close, but ultimately failed to garner approval. Will a new medical marijuana initiative be back in 2016? I'd personally be surprised if there wasn't a marijuana initiative for Floridians to vote on in the upcoming election. The big question is whether this time will be the charm. Florida has a notably higher concentration of retirees than most states, and retirees tend to have a more negative view of marijuana than younger generations. However, we've also witnessed a softening view of marijuana as time has passed. Could this indeed be the year that Florida garners enough votes for approval? One thing to keep in mind While it's an exciting time for marijuana supporters, it's important for potential investors in the industry to understand that state-level legalizations may still not equate to success for publicly traded companies. Until the federal government alters its stance on marijuana, the industry will continue to play behind the eight-ball. Marijuana's current federal scheduling as an illicit substance places businesses at a major tax disadvantage, since normal business deductions can't be taken. It also stymies these companies' expansion efforts due to their inability to secure basic financial services such as checking accounts or lines of credit. Banks simply don't want to run the risk of getting on the federal government's bad side. The November elections could certainly shake things up, but until then marijuana remains a dangerous investment that may be best off avoided. Investing comes with its own set of terminology, and sometimes that lingo can overlap. While stocks, stakes, and shares can, in some situations, refer to the same thing, each term has its own distinct meaning. StocksWhen a company wants to raise capital, it can try borrowing money, or it can issue stocks. Stocks are securities that represent ownership in a corporation. When an investor buys a company's stock, that person is not lending the company money, but rather, is buying a percentage of ownership in that company. In exchange for purchasing stocks in a given company, stockholders have a claim on part of its earnings and assets. Some stocks pay quarterly or annual dividends, which are a portion of the issuing company's earnings. Investing in stocks can be profitable in two regards. Not only do you stand to possibly receive dividends, but if the company whose stock you own performs well and its stock price goes up, you could make money by selling that stock for a price that's higher than what you paid. Those who own stocks in a public company may be referred to as stockholders, stakeholders, and shareholders, and in reality, all three terms are correct. StakesIf you own stock in a given company, your stake represents the percentage of its stock that you own. You can, however, have a stake in a company even if you don't own shares of its stock. Bondholders, for example, are considered stakeholders in a company because they stand to benefit if the company performs well. Additionally, if you invest in a smaller, non-public company, you might receive a stake in the business in exchange for your investment. Let's say a company is looking to raise $50,000 in exchange for a 20% stake in its business. Investing $50,000 in that company could entitle you to 20% of that business's profits going forward. SharesWhen a company issues stock, each unit of stock is considered a share. One share of stock is therefore equal to one unit of ownership in a given company. Although the term "shares" generally refers to units of stock in a public company, it can also refer to other types of investments. For example, you might own shares of a mutual fund. In a publicly traded company, shareholders are always stakeholders, but stakeholders do not necessarily own shares of stock. Some companies also offer plans or incentives in which employees get a share of their profits. It's common among start-up companies to offer profit-sharing plans to attract talent, though some established companies engage in this practice as well. This article is part of The Motley Fool's Knowledge Center, which was created based on the collected wisdom of a fantastic community of investors. We'd love to hear your questions, thoughts, and opinions on the Knowledge Center in general or this page in particular. Your input will help us help the world invest, better! Email us atknowledgecenter@fool.com. Thanks -- and Fool on! The article The Difference Between Stocks, Stakes, and Shares originally appeared on Fool.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. Make no mistake -- investing can be risky. But it doesn't have to be too risky. Warren Buffett once said that rule No. 1 for investing is to "never lose money," with rule No. 2 being "never forget rule No. 1." Even Buffett hasn't been able to totally adhere to those rules in his investing career. There are some stocks that improve your chances of doing so, though. If you're a risk-averse investor, Buffett's own Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B), along with Iron Mountain (NYSE: IRM) and Waste Management (NYSE: WM), are top stocks to make solid returns over the long run. Berkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway's risk advantage stems from its diversification. It's not really just one company. Instead, more than 60 different companies fall under Berkshire's umbrella. These include insurers such as Geico and GenRe, retailers such as Borsheims Fine Jewelry and See's Candies, and manufacturers such as Benjamin Moore and Precision Castparts, in addition to companies in several other industries. Those are just the companies that are part of Berkshire. It also owns stakes in more than 40 publicly traded companies across multiple industries. Warren Buffett's strategy has certainly worked in the past for Berkshire Hathaway. The stock has generated compound annual returns of nearly 21% since 1965 -- more than doubling the return of the S&P 500 index during that period. Those gains aren't just a thing of the past: Berkshire stock has enjoyed a terrific year in 2017, with its share price up almost 21% year to date. Will Berkshire produce market-beating returns year in and year out? Probably not. Over the long run, though, the company's diversification and shrewd investing strategy should help investors abide by Buffett's top two rules more often than not. Iron Mountain Iron Mountain has a different kind of diversification. The records and data storage company counts more than 230,000 organizations as customers. That list includes around 95% of the Fortune 1,000. Aside from this huge customer base that continues to grow, Iron Mountain's business itself helps reduce risk for investors. The company provides services that will only increase in demand. Organizations continue to generate more records and data than ever before. They must retain these records and data for legal reasons. As a dominant player in the records and data storage market, Iron Mountain is often the first provider these customers turn to. When customers pick Iron Mountain, they tend to remain customers for quite a while. Half of the boxes stored in Iron Mountain's facilities have been there for 15 years. One-quarter of the boxes have been there for 22 years. That excellent customer retention stems from the simple fact that it's too much of a hassle for most customers to move their records somewhere else. There's also one other reason Iron Mountain is less risky than most stocks: its dividend. As a real estate investment trust (REIT), the company must return at least 90% of its earnings to shareholders in the form of dividends. Iron Mountain's dividend yield currently stands at 5.8%, giving shareholders a nice cushion even if the stock declines. No cushion has been needed in 2017, though. Iron Mountain stock is up 25% so far this year. Waste Management In a way, Waste Management's low risk level comes from the exact opposite reason than that of Iron Mountain. Instead of succeeding because customers need to hold on to records, Waste Management thrives because they need to discard them -- as well as lots of other things. Waste Management is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management environmental services in North America. The company owns or operates 248 landfill sites and manages 310 transfer stations that consolidate, compact, and transport waste. While Waste Management's business might not be the most glamorous, it's certainly lucrative. The company is on track to generate revenue of around $14.4 billion in 2017, with earnings of close to $1.4 billion. In the third quarter, Waste Management's management said its cash flow reached all-time high levels. More good news for investors is that Waste Management like to return some of that impressive cash flow to its shareholders. The company's dividend currently yields north of 2%. Future dividend increases seem likely. Some risks remain It should be noted that lower risk doesn't mean no risk. All three of these companies face some threats that could derail their stocks. Deteriorating economic conditions in the U.S. could cause problems for each of the stocks. Because Wall Street places a heavy emphasis on quarterly results, a significant earnings miss could make any of these stocks drop. Those risks are temporary in nature, though. Berkshire Hathaway, Iron Mountain, and Waste Management have solid business models and strong financial positions that should make them great -- and relatively low risk -- picks over the long run. 10 stocks we like better than Berkshire Hathaway (A shares)When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Berkshire Hathaway (A shares) wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of December 4, 2017 Keith Speights has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. SOURCE: PIXABAY. You may already know that there are 75.4 million baby boomers; but did you know that translates into 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day from now until 2029? Given that so many baby boomers are entering their golden years, let's learn what's in store for them when they hit retirement age. No. 1: Guessing gameAccording to a 2015 study by Transamerica, almost half of baby boomers are determining their retirement savings needs by guesswork. Only 11% actually used a retirement calculator to figure out what they really will need to sock away for their golden years. No. 2: Tight-lippedBaby boomers are pretty shy about opening up to their family and friends about money. According to Transamerica, only 9% of baby boomers frequently discuss money matters with the people closest to them. No. 3: Falling shortAlthough workplace savings plans have become pretty common, nearly 20% of baby boomers don't contribute to plans such as a 401(k).Even those baby boomers who are saving for retirement aren't socking enough money away. The median savings of a baby boomer is just $127,000. Given that experts recommend no more than 4% is withdrawn from retirement savings each year in retirement, that nest egg translates into less than $5,100 per year in retirement income. SOURCE: PIXABAY. No. 4: Social Security conundrumMillions of baby boomers will rely on Social Security income in retirement, but did you know that Social Security only replaces an average of about 40% of a recipient's pre-retirement income? On average, the retired worker is collecting just $1,341 per month from Social Security in 2016. No. 5: The un-"safety net"Although Social Security is supposed to provide a safety net for retirees, the sheer size of the baby-boom generation will deplete Social Security's Trust Fund in 2029, according to the Congressional Budget Office. If so, then the CBO estimates that all retiree benefits could be cut by 29% in 2030. No. 6: Antsy about the futureTransamerica's study finds that limited retirement savings and Social Security's uncertainty translates into just 13% of baby boomers being "very confident" that they'll be able to fully retire with a comfortable lifestyle. SOURCE: FLICKR USER TAXCREDITS.NET. No. 7: Revolutionizing retirementGiven that backdrop, more baby boomers expect to work beyond 65 than any previous generation. A whopping 65% of baby boomers expect to work past that magic mark, and more than half of baby boomers plan to keep on working in some capacity in retirement. No. 8: Finding that workDespite so many baby boomers wanting to work later in life, many employers haven't changed their policies in ways that could allow them to. For example, Transamerica notes that only 48% of employers surveyed allow employees to switch from full-time to part-time. No. 9: Bridging the gapBaby boomers face retirement challenges, but increases in savings now can still pay off big in retirement. For example, people over 50 can contribute an additional $6,000 catch-up contribution per year to their 401(k) plans. Do that every year for 15 years in something that earns a hypothetical 6%, and you can boost your retirement savings by an additional $139,658. The article 9 Baby Boomer Retirement Facts That Will Knock Your Socks Off originally appeared on Fool.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. Image source: Pixabay. When thinking of basic-needs goods and services, we often think of food, water, and electricity. However, it may be time to include cell phones in that discussion. According to a survey conducted by Pew Research and published in 2014, 90% of adults at the time owned a cell phone, including 64% who owned a smartphone. Presumably, this latter figure is even higher now. Of these cell phone owners, two-thirds checked their phone for messages and alerts even though they didn't notice it ringing or vibrating, and 44% admitted to sleeping with their phone next to their bed so they don't miss any calls or text messages. We love our mobile phones so much that cell phone saturation levels are well above 100% in the United States. Based on metrics provided by Strategy Analytics of the top eight wireless carriers in the United States, there were roughly 390 million subscribers as of the third quarter 2015. By comparison, there were only 322.8 million people in the U.S. at the beginning of the year. That works out to a wireless saturation rate of about 121%, mainly because people (and businesses) may have more than one line. However, don't think for a moment these high saturation levels mean the industry's growth prospects are stale. In fact, the emergence of faster, more consumer-friendly smartphones that are capable of holding more data are expected to drive data transmission and downloads over the next decade. Wireless data expansion presents a high-margin growth opportunity for wireless carriers like Verizon , AT&T , T-Mobile , and Sprint , and it gives investors high hopes for the future of the wireless industry. Image source: Flickr user Marjan Lazarevski. The importance of brand loyalty Figuring out which wireless carrier has the best growth prospects isn't as cut-and-dried as you might think. In order to provide some degree of differentiation, we'll turn our attention to Brand Keys' 21st annual Customer Loyalty Engagement Index. Brand Keys, a New York-based research company, interviewed more than 42,000 people to get to the heart of how engagement and loyalty affected their decision to stick with certain brands across dozens of categories (one being wireless providers). Customer loyalty can be a particularly attractive differentiating factor for wireless providers since customers who are more loyal tend to be less reliant on sales and one-time events to upgrade their device or data plan. Loyal customers also are more likely to tell friends and family about their positive experiences with a company. As a whole, people are likely to act on the recommendation of someone they know and/or love instead of just a random TV, print, radio, or online ad. Which wireless brand is tops in brand loyalty? Let's take a closer look. Image source: T-Mobile. Not feeling the loveAlthough T-Mobile and Sprint have been adding to their subscriber bases, a sign that the initiatives both companies have implemented are working, they still remain a distant third and fourth, respectively, behind the two telecom giants AT&T and Verizon. Why the struggles? Part of it could have to do with T-Mobile's and Sprint's comparably smaller advertising budget compared to Verizon and AT&T. The "bigger is better" strategy doesn't always work, but with substantially more cash flow, AT&T and Verizon can outspend T-Mobile and Sprint where it matters most. For example, The Wall Street Journal noted in July 2014 that through the first half of 2014, AT&T and Verizon had spent a combined $889 million in television ads. Comparatively, $1.77 billion was spent on television ads for the entire wireless category through the first six months of 2014. The digital impressions created by these ads have allowed the two sector giants to hold their edge. Image source: Sprint. T-Mobile and Sprint have also disappointed in independent service quality testing (although, let's be honest, the results can vary from one independent tester to the next). The latest RootMetrics survey on network performance in the second half of 2015, which was released in February, had T-Mobile in last place in terms of performance in both the 50 states category and 125-metros category. As its only consolation, Sprint was nearby, trailing AT&T and Verizon by a veritable mile. These studies can certainly influence consumer perception, and it looks as if T-Mobile and Sprint remain doomed to fight over the No. 3 spot in terms of subscribers and wireless brand loyalty. AT&T vs. Verizon: And the brand loyalty leader is...Deciphering which of the top two telecom giants is the leader in brand loyalty is really, really tough. In terms of postpaid churn rate, and RootMetrics' second-half performance scores, Verizon looks like it would take the nod. Then again, we know AT&T has mounted a voracious comeback after Verizon once held a dominant lead in cities capable of 4G LTE speeds. Ultimately, Brand Keys selected AT&T as its seventh consecutive brand loyalty title holder over Verizon. One reason AT&T retains its dominance in engaging and hanging onto its customer base has to do with its effective advertising. According to iSpot, an advertising analytics company, AT&T's ads in mid-October through mid-November, which focused on its supposedly stronger 4G LTE signal, generated a more powerful digital response than Verizon's ads, albeit not by a huge margin. Although these metrics could certainly change from one month to the next, it was interesting to discover that AT&T had nearly doubled Verizon in terms of commercials run over the aforementioned time period. It would appear AT&T is taking it to Verizon with aggressive advertising, and that the tactic is working. Image source: AT&T. I don't think you can discount the historical factor, here, either. AT&T was the first carrier to retail the iPhone, and it retained this title for four full years before Verizon entered the scene. If you've ever observed a gadget release from Apple, you're likely aware of how attached at the hip consumers are to their devices. As the most popular smartphone in the U.S., AT&T was given four years to build rapport with consumers -- rapport I believe carries over to this day. What has this brand loyalty done for AT&T? It's allowed the company to keep raising its dividend; a streak that's continued for 32 consecutive years, placing it among a rare group of dividend payers known as Dividend Aristocrats, which have raised their payouts in at least 25 straight years. The company's current yield of 5% is basically double the average for the S&P 500. The cash flow generated from new customer additions and high-margin data plan upgrades also allows for billions of dollars in network investments each year. With the exception of 2014, when AT&T generated $9.9 billion in free cash flow, it's generated between $13.3 billion and $19.7 billion in annual FCF since 2007. With such a loyal customer base on its side, AT&T might be company that long-term investors and income seekers should consider for their investment portfolios. The article Americans Are Most Loyal to This Wireless Brand originally appeared on Fool.com. Sean Williamshas no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen nameTMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle@TMFUltraLong.The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple. It also recommends Verizon Communications. 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. For many years, Costco Wholesale has stood out in the retail industry for its strong employee relations. Politicians -- especially Democrats -- have repeatedly praised Costco for paying better wages than other mass retailers like Wal-Mart . Yet it appears that even one of the most employee-friendly businesses in America is not immune to criticism. Costco is facing rising discontent over retirement benefits among its relatively small unionized workforce. The company will have to make tough choices in the near future as it tries to balance protecting the bottom line against maintaining its reputation as a labor-friendly employer. President Obama loves CostcoThe average employee at a Costco store makes more than $20/hour before overtime and benefits. Meanwhile, even after two major pay increases at Wal-Mart since the beginning of 2015, the average hourly wage for full-time workers there is $13.38/hour. And Costco just raised its starting wages earlier this month to ensure that it stays ahead of the pack. The average wage at Wal-Mart is $13.38/hour. Costco's generous pay won the company effusive praise from President Obama in his 2014 State of the Union address. High wages help to keep employees happy. On Glassdoor.com, which allows workers to rate their employers, Costco receives 3.9 out of five stars, whereas Wal-Mart gets just 3.1 out of five stars. Costco executives believe that keeping employees happy is worth the cost, as it leads to lower turnover, higher productivity, and better customer service. Thus, it's not surprising that Obama pointed to Costco as a model that other businesses should follow as he advocated for a higher minimum wage. The Teamsters rock the boatEven though most workers agree that Costco is a great place to work, some aren't happy with the company right now. The Teamsters union, which represents about 16,000 Costco employees, recently recommended that its members reject Costco's "last, best and final" contract offer. (Most of Costco's 200,000-plus employees are not unionized.) Today, the bulk of the union's members work at Costco locations in California. These workers have a union-administered defined benefit pension plan, and they want the company to make a higher contribution to the plan. The Teamsters union wants better retirement benefits for its members. Meanwhile, the 3,500 East Coast union members currently have a 401(k) defined contribution plan. However, the Teamsters want Costco to allow the East Coast union members to join the California workers' defined benefit plan. There's a reason why employers have shifted en masse over the past few decades from offering defined benefit plans to relying on 401(k) plans. Defined benefit plans give employees more security in retirement, but are very risky for the companies that sponsor them. If investment results are worse than expected, or retirees live longer than expected, a defined benefit plan sponsor can find itself on the hook for billions of dollars of unplanned contributions. Hoping for an amicable resolutionEven in expressing its opposition to Costco's contract offer, the Teamsters union noted that most aspects of the wage offer seemed fair. The union and its members recognize that, no matter what the outcome of this disagreement, Costco employees will be much better off than most retail workers in the U.S. However, if the company and the union have truly reached an impasse, this dispute could still escalate. Costco isn't used to disruptions like picketing workers, let alone a strike. Investors have to hope that the company will be able to placate the Teamsters eventually, without giving up too much in return. The article Even Costco Has Union Problems! originally appeared on Fool.com. Adam Levine-Weinberg has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Costco Wholesale. 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. A suicide bomber killed four people on Saturday in a busy shopping district in the heart of Istanbul, pushing the death toll from four separate suicide attacks in Turkey this year to more than 80. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the blast was "inhumane" and would not stop Turkey, which has been targeted by Kurdish and Islamic State militants, from fighting "centers of terrorism". Israel said two of its citizens died in the attack, Washington said two Americans had been killed and a Turkish official said one victim was Iranian, suggesting that some of the dead may have had dual nationality. The blast, which also wounded at least 36 people, was a few hundred meters from an area where police buses are often stationed. It sent panicked shoppers scurrying into alleys off Istiklal Street, a long pedestrian avenue lined with international stores and foreign consulates. "There is information that it is an attack carried out by an ISIS member, but this is preliminary information, we are still checking it," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters, using another name for Islamic State. He said a third Israeli may have died. Israel also said 11 of its citizens had been wounded while Ireland said "a number" of Irish were hurt. The attack will raise further questions about the ability of NATO member Turkey to protect itself against a spillover of violence from the war in neighboring Syria. Turkey is battling a widening Kurdish insurgency in its southeast, which it sees as fueled by the territorial gains of Kurdish militia fighters in northern Syria, and has also blamed some of the recent bombings on Islamic State militants who crossed from its southern neighbor. "No center of terrorism will reach its aim with such monstrous attacks," Davutoglu said in a written statement. "Our struggle will continue with the same resolution and determination until terrorism ends completely." THREE SUSPECTS Germany had shut its diplomatic missions and schools on Thursday, citing a specific threat. U.S. and other European embassies had warned their citizens to be vigilant ahead of Newroz celebrations this weekend, a spring festival largely marked by Kurds that has turned violent in the past. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Two senior officials said the attack could have been carried out by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), fighting for Kurdish autonomy in the southeast, or by an Islamic State militant. A PKK offshoot claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings in the capital Ankara over the past month which killed 66 people. Islamic State was blamed for a suicide bombing in Istanbul in January which killed at least 12 German tourists. One of the officials said Saturday's bomber, who also died in the blast, had planned to hit a more crowded location but was deterred by the police presence. "The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the target point because they were scared of the police," the official said, declining to be named as the investigation is ongoing. Another official said investigations were focusing on three possible suspects, all of them male and two of them from the southern city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border. There was no further confirmation of this. Armed police sealed off the shopping street where half a dozen ambulances gathered. Forensic teams in white suits searched for evidence as police helicopters buzzed overhead. "I saw a body on the street. No one was treating him but then I saw someone who appeared to be a regular citizen trying to do something to the body. That was enough for me and I turned and went back," one resident told Reuters. Istiklal Street, usually thronged with shoppers at weekends, was quieter than normal as more people are staying home after a series of deadly bombings. Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said 36 people had been wounded, seven of them in serious condition. At least 24 of the wounded were foreigners, according to Istanbul's governor. INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION Turkey is still in shock from a suicide car bombing last Sunday at a crowded transport hub in the capital Ankara which killed 37 people and a similar bombing in Ankara last month in which 29 died. A PKK offshoot claimed responsibility for both. The latest attack brought widespread condemnation. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on an official visit to Istanbul, said it showed "the ugly face of terrorism". France condemned it as "despicable and cowardly". NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg described it as "another terrorist outrage against innocent civilians", while the U.S. State Department said it was the latest "indefensible violence targeting innocent people throughout Turkey". The Kurdish-rooted opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) condemned the bombing. The PKK's umbrella group said it opposed targeting civilians and condemned attacks on them. A 2-1/2-year PKK ceasefire collapsed last July, triggering the worst violence in the southeast since the 1990s. Hundreds have since died. Separately, a police officer and a soldier died in clashes with militants in the southeastern city of Nusaybin, security sources said. In its armed campaign in Turkey, the PKK has historically struck directly at the security forces but recent bombings suggest it could be shifting tactics. At the height of the PKK insurgency in the 1990s, the Newroz festival often saw clashes between Kurdish protesters and security forces. (By Nick Tattersall and Ayla Jean Yackley; Additional reporting by Orhan Coskun, Asli Kandemir, Humeyra Pamuk, Daren Butler, Parisa Hafezi in Turkey, John Irish in Paris, Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem, Hans-Edzard Busemann in Berlin and Idrees Ali in Washington; Padraic Halpin in Dublin; writing by David Dolan and Nick Tattersall; editing by David Clarke) Image source:Flickr.Researchers atRoche Holdings/Genentech haveplenty to celebrate in 2016. No matter how you slice it, Swiss pharma Roche Holdings hasn't done that well in the market of late. Not unlike a proverbial piece of Swiss cheese, holes have appeared in Roche's stock performance. In fact,shares are down more than 10% year-to-date. But that doesn't mean the companyshould be written off. In fact, Roche's lackluster performance presents an intriguing contrast to the company's projected drug launches this year. Assuming FDA approvals come as planned, Roche should launch the top three--No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3--of the top ten drugs approved this year. At least, so say numbers released byresearch firm EvaluatePharma. Those numbersidentify 2016'stop ten new drugs in peak projected sales.Forecasts for thosenew drugstotal a combined$16.4 billion in peak annual revenue. AndRoche's slice of the pie? A hog-sized $6.6 billion, or 40%. 2016could also be a turning point inRoche's attempts to successfully diversify outside of cancer.Two of the three drugs are in Roche and its Silicon-based research arm Genentech's traditional turf: oncology. But the superstar of the pack is a breakthrough multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. I'll discuss what makes this drug so special in a moment, but, according to Evaluate, that drug, ocrelizumab, has the highest peak sales estimate of any drug likely to launch in 2016. Closely following ocrelizumab is Roche's late-to-the-party immuno-oncology drug, atezolizumab. Roche andare also partnered on leukemia treatment venetoclax. Roche isn't the only biopharma releasing major new drugs in2016. This year'scrop of blockbusters will likely includedrugs from Merck, Gilead Sciences, and Intercept Pharmaceuticals, but Roche leads the pack by an enormous amount. Assuming a positive outcome to regulatory filings and pivotal trial readouts (and this is biotech, so you never really know for sure until it happens), here's what could be in store with Roche'sthree drugs this year. What has the multiple sclerosis market excited about ocrelizumab is its success against primary progressive MS. Until orcrelizumab, no treatment in history has succeeded in a Phase IIItrialagainst this extremely debilitating form of MS. Ocrelizumab is also being positioned forrelapsing/remitting MS. Clinical trial data released in October showed that the treatment cut MS relapses by almost half compared with Merck's competing drug, Rebif. On a commercial basis, ocrelizumab's expanded label (to include both forms of MS) should greatly increase its revenue potential. While a conservative estimate of ocrelizumab's peak sales puts it at $2.7 billion, some see a peak sales potential for ocrelizumab in the neighborhood of $6 billion. That's certainly a long shot, but not out of the question, since it is based on a MS market that is now worth$19 billion growing at 5% annually, with ocrelizumab eventually reaching a 30% market share. Roche has stated plans for applying for regulatory approval for ocrelizumab in the first half of 2016. The drug's accelerated approval status means an expedited review, with the FDA likely to take action on the application within 6 months. While ocrelizumab's timeline depends on many variables, there is potential for sales to begin by year-end 2016. Roche's immuno-oncology drug atezolizumab follows ocrelizumab in blockbuster potential. Drugs such as atezolizumab (atezo) work by turning off cancer's ability to remain undetected by the immune system, and atezo has put up some impressive data in its clinical trials. For example, in its POPLAR trial against advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, atezo doubledthe likelihood of survival in patients taking the drug relative to placebo. Being first matters, however. The market already has powerful competitors for atezo in Merck's Keytruda and Bristol-Myers Squibb's Opdivo. On the other hand, both Keytruda and Opdivo are PD-1 treatments, and atezo works through another mechanism, PD-L1. Genentech researchers believe PD-L1 is a more significant engine in cancerthan PD-1. If they are correct, atezo will have a more long-lasting effect on stopping cancer growth, which would make the drug a potential first choice.Roche is driving some 36 studies toward making a broad case for atezo with the FDA. Encouraging datakeeps coming in. But investors should realize that how this drug will perform against competition from Keytruda and Opdivo is still very much an open question. A more immediate commercial advantage for atezo is that Roche has apowerful in-house diagnostic division providing tools that cantag patients likely to respond to the drug.Many cancer therapies are ineffective with a large percentage of patients, and by specifically identifying those cancer patients who shouldbenefit, Roche can personalize cancer treatment. That's a big plus with payers, who naturally want to conserve their money for therapies more likely to be effective. As personalized medicine becomes steadily more widespread, full-year sales for Roche's diagnostic division have grown--increasing 6% in 2015 to $10.7 billion. Atezo's breakthrough therapy designation gives it a solid chance of rolling out this year, but some industry watchers are deferring atezo's projected launch date until 2017. Calculating a launch date is an inexact science, so that's certainly possible. Roche's third blockbuster speeding toward FDA approval is AbbVie partnered venetoclax. The drug is targeted to treat a highly virulent form of leukemia (chronic lymphocytic leukemia), specifically in those patients with a mutation that makes the cancer more aggressive and often results in shortened survival.Late-stage trials are also ongoing in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, acute myeloid leukemia, and multiple myeloma. Roche has U.S. marketing rights to the drug, and FiercePharma estimates Roche's share of peak sales at $1.4 billion by 2020. The drug, which has already been fast-tracked for approval under the agency's breakthrough designation last May, scored a priority review from the FDA in January. Rocheexpects FDA clearance in 2016. While it seems likely these three drugs will make it through the FDA gauntlet successfully, the impact on Roche will be dulled somewhat by the pharma's size. The Swiss firm raked in $52.5 billion last year, making it one of the largest pharmas in the world by revenue. Withthat kind of revenue,the launch of new drugs simply doesn't haveas big an impact. Still, Roche has a current dividend yield of 3.3%, three major blockbusters on their way, and multiple other drugs in its pipeline that could be significant in the future. In addition, due to its lackluster share performance, Roche now trades at a trailing-12 month P/E of around 25.That's a pretty hefty discount from its peers, which largely trade around 30. Is Wall Street missing the boat on this stock, and some good surprisescould bein store for its investors?No guarantees, but it could certainly turn out that way. The article You'll Never Guess Which Pharma Likely Owns 40% of 2016's New Blockbusters originally appeared on Fool.com. Cheryl Swanson owns shares of Amgen. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Gilead Sciences. 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. In the name of the fight against smugglers and the preservation of human lives, European Union (EU) countries will not resettle Syrian refugees unless other refugees, Syrian or otherwise, first hire smugglers and risk their lives to reach the Greek islands. The EU and national actors missed yet another opportunity to announce concrete and substantial plans for proactively resettling (or at least relocating on a humanitarian and temporary basis) any sizeable number of Syrian refugees who are facing particular challenges in Turkey. What they agreed upon is instead a vague promise of resettling one Syrian refugee for each refugee who is deported back to Turkey from Greek islands. This might strike some as a disturbing paradox. As national and EU authorities know too well, alternative maritime routes, possibly involving the Adriatic Sea or the Black Sea, are also in the making. This is especially true given the militarized fortification of the Greece-Turkey and Bulgaria-Turkey land borders. It is also noteworthy that there is a cap on the maximum number of refugees to be resettled in EU countries this year according to this deal, with a target figure of 72,000 Syrian refugees to be distributed among EU countries. Such a figure, left to the presumed goodwill of individual governments, represents less than 3 percent of the Syrian refugee population currently hosted in Turkey. Additionally, it does not include Afghan and Iraqi refugees, among others, who instead continue to join Syrians in the maritime journey to Greek islands. And resettlements will be implemented only once irregular crossings between Turkey and the EU are ending or at least have been substantially and sustainably reduced, which risks serving as a pious procrastination to a never attainable future. As previously noted, it will be fundamental to monitor the legal, humanitarian, and logistical challenges that are embedded in the actual implementation of the agreement with Turkey. Greece, in particular, will continue to struggle with the needs and demands of the refugees who are already stranded on its soil, and who will continue to land on its islands. These include humanitarian needs, such as a dignified accommodation, but also legal needs. For the agreement excludes collective expulsions. In other words, each new arrivals asylum case will need to be assessed on an individual basis. For this to materialize, courts will need to be set up and staffed, and refugees will need to be held, most likely against their will, on Greek territory. Once again, a larger question has been unapologetically ignored by EU leaders: why, precisely, does the global responsibility for refugees need to remain so unequally distributed among Turkey (as well as Lebanon and Jordan) and EU countries? Secretary of State John Kerrys words Thursday could be harbingers of relief to the hundreds of thousands of Christians and Yazidis who have been marked for extermination by ISIS. In my judgment, (ISIS) is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control, he told a news conference. But words must be followed by action. Without doubt, current policy of degrading ISIS--not destroying the terrorists--will come too late for untold additional victims of their unspeakable barbarities. Clearly, a new coalition of the willing needs to be constituted to destroy the genocidal Caliphate, and to create safety zones for embattled minorities in Syria and Iraq. We can do the most good for Christian refugees. They will be the easiest to integrate within American communities. But there is something else the U.S. can do that wont place one American soldier in harms way: place Yazidis and Christians from the region at the front of the immigration line to the U.S. The remnants of historic Christian communities of the Middle East. Christians in Iraq and Syria have been suffering longer than other groups. In a region strewn with desperate people, their situation is more desperate. Christians and Yazidis have long been targeted by Muslim groups not only ISIS for ethnic cleansing. Churches have been burned, priests arrested. In the worst cases, Christians have been tortured, raped and even crucified. Mosul, which was home to a Christian population of 35,000 a decade ago, is now empty of Christians after an ISIS ultimatum that they either convert to Islam or be executed. In Syria, Gregoios III Laham, the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of the Church of Antioch wrote that entire villageshave been cleared of their Christian inhabitants. Unlike others, Middle East Christians have nowhere else to go, even if stability miraculously returns to the region. As a result of turmoil beyond their control, these Christians are the regions ultimate homeless. Should some sort of peace ever return, the likelihood is that maps will be redrawn, carving up the pie between larger ethnic groups. There will be no place for Christians or Yazidis among hostile Muslim populations. The animosity towards Christians in the Middle East is illustrated by a horrific incident off the coast of Italy. Last April, twelve Christian refugees who were attempting to cross the sea to Europe were thrown overboard by Muslim migrants onboard and drowned. We can do the most good for Christian refugees. They will be the easiest to integrate within American communities. For the most part, hundreds of thousands of Syrians who have reached Europe are young, male, and unskilled. Most know no European language, and have no experience with and no leanings towards Western cultures. European leaders now reluctantly admit that many of the new arrivals carry a good deal of anti-Western and anti-women baggage. When the Obama administration that it would accept additional refugees in 2015, the State Department provided a list of over 300 agencies in 190 locations that would assist on the local level. Of those agencies, no less than 215 are Christian. It makes sense to play to the strengths of those agencies. These refugees also represent a much smaller security challenge to U.S. authorities. Simply put, you will not find ISIS sleepers lurking among Christians or Yazidis. Tragically, U.S. policy has not taken into account the uniquely precarious situation of displaced Christians. The State Department has accepted refugees primarily from lists prepared by the Office of the UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR), which oversees the large camps to which refugees have flocked, and where they are registered. Endangered Christians, however, dont dare enter those camps. Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, said that a similar protocol in the UK inadvertently discriminates against the very Christian communities most victimised by the inhuman butchers of the so-called Islamic State. Christians are not to be found in the UN camps, because they have been attacked and targeted by Islamists and driven from them. Rather than receiving priority treatment, Christians and Yazidis are profoundly disadvantaged by current rules. U.S. missteps and missed opportunities in the region contributed to the crises in the region that disproportionately affected Christians and Yazidis. The Secretary of States statement Thursday certainly came in response to a House resolution passed unanimously on Monday explicitly calling ISISs campaign against Christians genocide. We all know the truth. Had America and its allies created safe zones in Syria, hundreds of thousands of Christians, Yazidis and Shiite Muslims might have lived. Our nation should therefore immediately open Americas doors to those people targeted by genocidal ISIS. Its the right thing for our nation to do. Charles Krauthammer told viewers Friday on Special Report with Bret Baier that when it comes to the battle for the GOP nomination the anti-establishment has won in the form of Cruz and Trump. Now the question is, which of the two will it be? Its not going to be Kasich, Krauthammer said. There is no way youre going to reach down to the third in line. When asked why Kasich was still campaigning for the nomination, Krauthammer said his efforts were either delusional or grandiose, one or the other. Krauthammer also theorized that if Kasich does well in the Northeast and Midwest portions of the United States and denies Trump victories in those areas, he could keep Trump from the nomination. In that case, if both Trump and Cruz make it to the GOP convention in Cleveland, Ohio in July without enough delegates to win, Krauthammer said either is likely to have a legitimate claim to the nomination. The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter. Its not always clear why -- Wand merchant Mr. Ollivander in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone All GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan wanted to do was lead the chambers Ways and Means Committee -- toil over the minutia of tax policy including inversions, corporate tax rate and arcane provisions in international trade agreements. But the universe often stores very different plans for all of us, drafting us for roles we didnt pursue. Former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., was supposed to succeed then-House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. And then Cantor unexpectedly lost his June, 2014 primary to fellow Virginia Republican Dave Brat. Then, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was in line to run the place once Boehner moved along. His bid for speaker imploded spectacularly. And so after weeks of pandemonium and a strong lobbying effort, the House elected Ryan as speaker last October, though Ryan initially had no interest in the opportunity and resisted entreaties to clasp the speakers gavel. Ryans has only served as speaker a short time. Yet an adjunct assignment attached to Ryans day job could very well etch his legacy in American political history. The speakers position entails a moonlighting gig as chairman of the 2016 Republican Convention. And that convocation, in Cleveland, could prove to be the most-rambunctious American political event in decades. Ryan said repeatedly he didnt learn that the speaker leads the convention until a week after he assumed his current assignment. So much for reading the fine print Boehner presided over the GOP convention in 2012 and as House minority leader in 2008. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., chaired Republican conventions in 2000 and 2004. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., led Republicans at their 1984, 1988 and 1992 assemblies. Upon seizing the speakers gavel, Ryan thought his biggest challenge would be handling the fractious House Freedom Caucus, approving a budget or eventually reforming the tax code. But the Cleveland convention could metastasize into an inferno. And it will fall to Ryan to spray foam on the embers to keep it from erupting. I think youd have riots, said GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump when asked if the nominating process devolves into a contested convention. Ryans already called out Trump for his comments on immigration, Muslims and appearing to disavow white supremacist David Duke. Ryan said he did not believe the furor would hit such a volume that hed have to disavow Trump. But this week, the speaker chastened the GOP frontrunner yet again. Nobody should say such things, said Ryan when asked about Trumps civil unrest prediction. To even address or hint (about) violence is unacceptable. So it falls to Ryan to keep order. Entertain and rule on parliamentary appeals. Consider amendment proposals governing the rules on the floor. Wrestle with delegate allocations. Perhaps the biggest challenge for Ryan will be to address such a potentially raucous scene in an unflappable manner that appears non-partisan and fair, even though various wings of the party may have daggers out for the speaker regardless what happens. At a February 25 press conference, Ryan indicated he wanted to stay above the fray and not get embroiled in the melee. NBCs Luke Russert asked if Ryan was studying Republican convention rules in anticipation of possible floor fights. I have not versed myself in it, said the Wisconsin Republican. I see this as more of a ceremonial role. But this week, Ryan changed that tune. I will obviously bone up on all the rules, Ryan said. My goal is to be dispassionate and to be Switzerland. To be neutral and dispassionate. Make sure that the rule of law prevails and to make sure that the delegates make their decision however the rules require them to do that. I will acquaint myself with these things at the right time. Why the change? (There is) the perception that this is more likely to be an open convention that we thought before, Ryan replied. Were getting our minds around the idea that (a contested convention) could very well become a reality. Therefore those of us who are involved in the convention need to respect that. At the convention, Ryans in charge of gaveling the sessions in and out. Ryan would preside during the roll call for the presidential and vice presidential nominees. Hell sign nominating documents. And the speaker must make decisions if key party leaders or delegations attempt to challenge rules, nominations or whos seated. You name it. Political conventions long ago shed their status as crucibles of democracy. Theyre now glorified, boozy trade shows. Capitol Hill interns and junior aides treat sneaking into convention parties and rock concerts as sport. There are fancy dinners. Certainly carousing. But the Cleveland convention could be a lot different. There was disquiet as recently as the 2012 Republican convention in Tampa. Presiding over the 2012 forum, John Boehner ignored howls from Texas delegates when they tried to challenge two rule changes. Delegates argued the alterations harmed then-GOP presidential candidate Texas Rep. Ron Paul. Paul backers protested and demanded a revote as Boehner gaveled the rules package to passage via a voice vote. However, the din practically made it impossible for Boehner to judge whether the yeas or nays were louder. A commotion then ensued on the floor with delegates chanting point or order, begging for recognition from Boehner. Boehner turned and left the stage. At another point, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus gaveled down an uprising from the Maine delegation. The party discovered an issue with the selection of delegates. Maine Republicans -- many of whom were committed to Paul -- werent seated at the convention. They then rebelled, chanting Seat Maine Now! There were threats of a floor fight. Some conventioneers described the process as a railroad. Such an unscripted moment hadnt unfolded at a political convention in years. One wonders how much script there will be in Cleveland. In a combustible political atmosphere like this, there will be trouble if the convention chairman and others make autocratic decisions and shut people out. A rhubarb in Cleveland could very well make Ryan wish he was simply back on Capitol Hill, managing House affairs. However, in this political cycle, the role of the speaker of the House could be problematic back in Washington, too. Article II, Section 1, Clause 3 of the Constitution and the 12th Amendment set the ground rules for settling disputes in the Electoral College when selecting the president. The race for president is pitched into the House of Representatives if theres a deadlock in the Electoral College with no candidate securing a majority of electoral votes. Only twice has the House picked a president in a contingent election: 1800 and 1824. Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams were the beneficiaries of the Houses action, becoming president. In 1824, Andrew Jackson won the popular vote and the most Electoral College votes in the general election. But Jackson didnt earn a clear majority in the college among four major candidates. One of the candidates was House Speaker Henry Clay of Kentucky, who placed fourth. Clay was clearly in charge when it came to the House. Under the 12th Amendment, members of the House vote not as individuals but as state delegations. The candidate who secures the most state delegations becomes president. It was argued that Clay engineered a pact to convince the state delegations to elect Adams over Jackson. Adams then selected Clay to be secretary of State. Jackson found the entire scene revolting. He denounced Clay for orchestrating a corrupt bargain for the presidency. Jackson then launched a four-year campaign aimed at taking out Adams. Jackson extracted his revenge in 1828, defeating Adams and becoming the first, true outsider president. Sometimes House elections for president take a while. In the 1800 presidential race, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied with 73 electoral votes. The sitting president, John Adams, garnered 65 electoral votes. The House -- meeting in what is now the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in the Capitol -- voted for eight days to select a president. Jefferson finally defeated Burr on the 36th ballot. Then, in a bizarre twist, the House tapped Burr as Jeffersons vice president. Think tensions were high? Jefferson picked Alexander Hamilton to be his treasury Secretary. Burr later shot and killed Hamilton in their famous duel. Consider that for a minute: The vice president of the United States -- who almost became president of the United States -- shot and killed the Treasury secretary of the man who defeated him in the House election to determine who was president. Who knows how this election will wind up. But Paul Ryan could sure have his hands full at the convention. Things usually disintegrate further if the election goes to the House of Representatives. There was a lot of chatter about Ryan running for president this cycle. As recently as Wednesday, Boehner advocated Republicans pick Ryan as its nominee if the party cant conclude things on the first ballot in Cleveland. Lets just put this thing to rest and move on, said Ryan on Thursday. I saw Boehner last night and I told him to knock it off. Its unknown if Ryan will ever run for president let alone become president. But one thing is clear: the speaker has a major role to play in the process. These are things Ryan didnt necessarily sign up for when he became speaker of the House. Remember, this is the guy who just wanted to chair the Ways and Means Committee. But, the wand chooses the wizard. The George W. Bush administration indirectly cooperated with a powerful Iranian spymaster in 2006 to unseat then-Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the former U.S. ambassador to Baghdad, Zalmay Khalilzad, said in an interview. The revelation offers a markedly different view of the Bush administrations relationship with Iran, a country Mr. Bush once denounced as part of a global axis of evil. Though never outwardly friendly, the administration at the time tacitly allowed Iranian influence to work in Washingtons favor. The American envoy and other U.S. officials believed then that Mr. Jaafari lacked the ability to tame sectarian tensions that ravaged Iraq following the overthrow in 2003 of Sunni strongman Saddam Hussein. Mr. Khalilzad said Iraqi politicians informed him that Tehran shared this sentiment and was dispatching the head of its overseas military unit, the Qods Force, to Baghdad to press Mr. Jaafari to step aside. That commander, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, is viewed by the Pentagon as perhaps the most powerful officer inside Irans military and intelligence services. He is also in charge of Irans overall policy toward Iraq. Mr. Khalilzad said he instructed U.S. and Iraqi forces that April to allow Gen. Soleimani to enter the American-controlled Green Zone to deliver the news to the Iraqi politician. Mr. Jaafari was replaced later that year by Nouri al-Maliki. He came to get rid of Jaafari in the spring of 2006, Mr. Khalilzad said. He thought we didnt know that he was making the trip to Baghdad. A senior Pentagon official who was based in Iraq at the time confirmed the diplomats account. Mr. Khalilzad later this month is releasing a memoir, The Envoy, that details his tours as the American ambassador to both Iraq and Afghanistan at the height of U.S. wars there. In the book, he also details other Bush administrations effort to cooperate with Iran in both countries, though with only limited success. The book doesnt reveal his decision to permit Gen. Soleimani to enter the Green Zone. Mr. Khalilzad, in the book and interview, said Tehran proved to be surprisingly helpful in the months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S., by assisting in installing Hamid Karzai as Afghanistans first president after the overthrow of the Taliban. The Bush administration and Iran also held secret meetings in early 2003 in Geneva in an effort to form a common approach to Iraq as the U.S. prepared to overthrow Mr. Hussien, he said. Mr. Khalilzad describes in his book the cat-and-mouse game the Americans played with Gen. Soleimani as the U.S. military occupation of Iraq stretched on. The general was the mastermind of Iranian efforts to train and equip Shiite militias that were attacking U.S. and coalition forces inside Iraq. Gen. Soleimani also told Iraqs former president, Jalal Talabani, that Mr. Khalilzad himself could become a target. I learned that Soleimani had been ranting about me, Mr. Khalilzad writes. Khalilzad is singularly the worst person in the world, he said, noting that he personally wanted to come to Iraq and kill this Khalilzad. The shared desire of both Washington and Tehran to unseat Mr. Jaafari in 2006 was a rare point of agreement between the two countries in Iraq. Mr. Khalilzad said that by the next year, he pressed American forces to step up efforts to arrest Iranian and Qods Force officers who were operating inside Iraq. He said he didnt rule out further talks with Tehran, but felt the U.S. needed to aggressively counter the Shiite militias that Iran had built up. Click for more from The Wall Street Journal. Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus is providing rare, Saturday testimony on Capitol Hill, talking privately with the Republican-led House committee investigating the fatal 2012 terror attacks in Benghazi, Libya. Petraeus was the CIA director at the time of the attacks and is testifying for the second time before the chambers Select Committee on Benghazi . He is expected to testify Saturday for three or four hours to tie up loose ends from his visit in early January, Fox News is told. The Sept. 11, 2012, terror attacks on a U.S. outpost in Benghazi killed U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, Foreign Service Officer Sean Smith and two CIA contractors. The selected committee was formed in 2014 to investigate the attacks including whether the Obama administration failed to provide adequate security for the outpost, who committed the strikes and if officials tried to mislead the public by suggesting an online, anti-Muslim video sparked the attacks. Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is now the 2016 Democratic presidential frontrunner, testified in October 2015 before the committee, which has so far interviewed at least 75 witnesses. She also tesified before Congress on the matter in 2013. Democrats and others argue the committees interviews, subpoena requests and other, related activities are largely wasting millions in taxpayer dollars and is essentially election-season theater to hurt Clintons campaign. One of the major sticking points in the Benghazi inquiry focuses on the public talking points that the CIA drafted, particularly the role then-Deputy CIA Director Mike Morell played in writing them. Petraeus testified about the attack before the House Intelligence Committee in 2012, about two months after the Benghazi attacks and shortly after revelations about his extra-marital affair with biographer Paula Broadwell. Petraeus resigned from the agency in the aftermath of the affair. No committee members are expected to attend the Saturday session, only its lawyers and staffers. Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report. Protesters in Arizona briefly blocked access to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trumps rally Saturday morning in Arizona, kicking off a full day of campaign events in the border state, which holds key primaries Tuesday. The protesters blocked a highway leading to Trumps outdoor rally in Fountain Hills, Arizona, near Scottsdale, before sheriff's deputies removed them and towed their vehicles. Were not going to let demonstrators intimidate this forum and this sheriff. Now were going to have a nice, nice rally for Donald Trump, said Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who led the effort to remove the demonstrators and who has endorsed the GOP front-runner. Arizona has long been ground-zero for the politically-charged illegal immigration debate, with roughly 368 miles of border with Mexico and more border fence than any other state. Roughly 30 percent of Arizonas population is Hispanic. And in 2010, the state passed one of the strictest anti-immigration laws in American history. So much crime and drugs passing through the border. You know what? Were going to build a wall, and were going to stop it, Trump said at the rally, returning to his early and oft-repeated campaign promise to build a wall along the southern border and have Mexico pay for it. Arpaio the self-described Americas toughest sheriff said at least 10,000 people were kept waiting in the Arizona heat for about an hour as a result of the roadblock, which resulted in three arrests. Trump supporters and protesters exchanged words at the rally, but there were no initial reports of physical violence. Trump, who early in his campaign visited the border, leads the GOP field in Arizona with 34 percent of the vote, followed by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 21 percent and Ohio Gov. John Kasich at 13 percent. Trump held a larger rally later Saturday at the Phoenix Convention Center. Trump said protesters at his rally are "taking away our First Amendment rights" and vowed to take the country back if he's elected president. He called one protester at his Phoenix rally, who wore the Klu Klux Klan hood, "disgusting." Another group, carrying a "Black Lives Matter" sign were also kicked out. The rallies and protest follow a local border patrol union of Friday supporting Trump. Local 2544 said Trump asked for the endorsement and that officials responded by saying he is the only 2016 White House candidate to publicly expressed his support of the Border Patrols mission and it agents and that he has been an outspoken candidate on the need for a secure border. However, Art Del Cueto, president of the Tucson-based union, made clear that he would adhere to the larger National Border Patrol Councils practice of not endorsing presidential candidates. The Supreme Court later upheld the most controversial part of Arizonas 2010 law -- commonly referred to S.B. 1070 and that allows police to try to determine the immigration status of anybody arrested or detained if they have reasonable suspicion the suspect is in the U.S. illegally. However, the law also sparked widespread opposition including businesses threatening to leave the state. Trump and Cruz essentially call for those living illegally in the United States to return to their home country, while Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders want to allow them to stay. Several thousand miles away in New York, demonstrators also took to the streets to protest the Republican presidential hopeful. The protesters gathered Saturday in Manhattan's Columbus Circle, across from Central Park, with a heavy police presence. Demonstrators chanted: "Donald Trump, go away, racist, sexist, anti-gay." They marched across south Central Park to Trump Tower, the Fifth Avenue skyscraper where Trump lives. Then they marched back to Columbus Circle for a rally. Appearances by top presidential advisers Susan Rice and Ben Rhodes before the House Benghazi committee earlier this year werent always a sure thing the testimony was only secured after a secret meeting in January between panel head Trey Gowdy and White House officials, a source tells Fox News. The source familiar with the negotiations said the White House originally said no to the request to have National Security Adviser Rice and deputy Rhodes speak to the committee probing the 2012 Benghazi attacks. But Gowdy, R-S.C., stepped in to personally negotiate for their appearances at the secret meeting, held late January in Charlotte, N.C., with members of the White House Counsels office. It was during that meeting, where both parties traveled outside of Washington, where the details were finalized and agreed to. Rice and Rhodes, considered central witnesses in the investigation particularly over their role in crafting the administrations faulty narrative blaming protests over an anti-Islam video, ended up testifying individually for four hours apiece. Asked Friday about the meeting that apparently led to that testimony, the White House did not respond directly. I will just say as a general matter that the White House and the administration has, despite what Republicans acknowledge is the pure political motivation of that committee, has sought to cooperate with them, only because they're a co-equal branch of government, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said, claiming the administration has cooperated with them repeatedly and provided them access to senior administration officials and access to thousands of pages of documents and emails and other materials. Fox News also has learned new details about the upcoming Saturday testimony of former CIA Director David Petraeus. After Petraeus testified in January behind closed doors, he agreed to a second session, which was described to Fox News as an opportunity to close the loop on several issues after new information came to light from the Rhodes and Rice testimony. The second session is expected to take place in a secure area of the Capitol at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday. Few members of the committee will be there, officials told Fox News. The meeting will mostly include counsel for the committee. Fox News Chad Pergram and Kevin Corke contributed to this report. Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk has become the most recent GOP Senate incumbent to have his reelection campaign ensnarled in the politics of replacing Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, breaking with Republican leadership on the issue. Kirk on Friday became the first Republican senator to call for a vote on President Obama's Supreme Court selection, appellate Judge Merrick Garland. "It's just man up and cast a vote," Kirk said. The first-term senator in 2010 narrowly won the Senate seat once held by then-Democratic Sen. Barack Obama. And he now faces a difficult general election challenge in the blue state from Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth, considering the Army veteran largely has the backing of Senate Democratic leadership. Washington Democrats have primarily targeted Kirk, along with fellow GOP Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Rob Portman of Ohio, and Pennsylvanias Pat Toomey in their efforts to take control of the upper chamber. Republicans have a 54-46 majority in the Senate and must defend incumbents in 24 of 34 races. Nathan L. Gonzales, editor and publisher of the nonpartisan Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, said earlier this month that the five targeted races along with GOP Sen. Marco Rubios open seat in Florida and Democrats having to defend Senate Minority Leader Harry Reids open seat in Nevada will likely determine which party controls the chamber next year. He also said Democratic strategists think Republicans' lack of action on Obamas Supreme Court nominee will give them a fresh issue, while Republican strategists believe the issue could energize their conservative base. The Senate majority is still firmly up for grabs, with a broad range of potential outcomes, Gonzales said. Even Iowa GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, a 35-year incumbent and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is facing stronger re-election headwinds because of the issue. He is backing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in saying Americans want to wait for the next president, who takes office in nine months, to nominate a replacement for the conservative-minded Scalia, who died in February. Democrats have now gotten a popular, statewide figure -- former Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge -- to run against Grassley, after basically conceding the race this fall in the conservative-leaning state. Tom Lopach, executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said Grassleys unprecedented obstruction of the constitution and flat out refusal to hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee are proof that hes simply spent too much time in Washington following his party at the expense of common sense. Meanwhile, at least one conservative group, the Judicial Crisis Network, is reportedly trying to protect vulnerable Senate Republicans by spending millions on attacks ads against Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, considered the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent, and Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virgina, and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota. Manchin and Heitkamp are considered vulnerable on the Supreme Court issue in their conservative-leaning states in their 2018 re-election bids, as reported first by Politico. Kirk said he believes McConnell won't relent, saying, "I don't see his view changing too much." Gonzales also said other states -- including Colorado, North Carolina, Missouri and Arizona -- could come into play as Democrats try to gain a net five Senate seats, based on top-of-the-ticket dynamics, particularly whether unpredictable GOP front-runner Donald Trump wins the party's nomination. A gigantic Burmese python stretching a record-setting 16 feet long and weighing 140 pounds was among the more than 2,000 pounds of snakes captured in southwest Florida over the past three months, the Bradenton Herald reported Friday. A team from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida has been fitting so-called male snitch snakes with tracking devices so that the biologists can study their habits and catch other slithery reptiles. Conservancy biologist Ian Bartoszek called the recent hauls jaw-dropping. There was no specific information immediately available as to the location of reptile that researchers said set a Sunshine State record. Its not like Im waving a flag and declaring victory, Bartoszek said. But we removed over 2,000 pounds of snakes from a fairly localized area. Through active searching and radio telemetry, one little snake busted up multiple breeding aggregations, he told the paper. The team tracked the snakes during their peak breeding season in February, when males would often lead the scientists to pregnant females with clutches of 24 eggs or more. Studying the record-setting python in the laboratory Thursday evening, Bartoszek remarked: It makes you wonderin the next ten years, what will we be dealing with? The gruesome discovery of an apparently slain dog on a California beach this week has stoked a social media outcry and demands that the killer be brought to justice. A team of Hawaiian canoe paddlers found the dog after first seeing a shovel standing upright in waist deep water off Marina del Rey. On closer inspection, the blade of the shovel was driven into the ocean floor, and the handle rose up through the dog's collar. "It appeared that someone used the shovel to force the dog under water and drown it," said FoxNews.com reporter Malia Zimmerman, a member of the 6-person canoe team. Zimmerman's Facebook post showing the dog stretched out on the beach drew widespread concern even as the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control on Thursday launched a criminal investigation into animal cruelty. The dogs Los Angeles County animal license was still attached to the dogs collar. It appeared to be a mixed breed. The license was traced to a Santa Barbara residence about two hours from the scene. The agency was closed Friday, but investigators were at Mother's Beach where the dog was found. A California prosecutor who learned of the animal cruelty case speculated that the dog may have been killed in retaliation against its owner, since the tag was present and the dog was left in the open. Hundreds of people have since shared and commented on the post, in hopes of finding the dog killer. An Illinois state lawmakers daughter has been charged in connection with a staple gun attack on one of her mothers political rivals, police said Friday. Jessica Soto and her boyfriend Bradley Fichter, both 26, of Chicago, were charged with three counts of aggravated battery in a March 6 attack on Robert Zwolinski, Reuters reported. Zwolinski was defeated by state Rep. Cynthia Soto, D-Chicago, in a primary election for the state's 4th District Tuesday. According to the Chicago Tribune, Jessica Soto and Fichter were stapling pro-Soto campaign flyers to a building when Zwolinski and his girlfriend drove by, got out of their car and approached them. An argument then ensued. Cook Couny prosecutors said Fichter punched Zwolinski in the eye and Soto joined in the squabble. Soto then allegedly used the staple gun on Zwolinski's face. The politician suffered multiple injuries. Frank Avila, the couples lawyer, accused Zwolinski of starting a fight with his clients and possibly putting a staple in his own head just for attention. He told Judge Maria Kuriakos Cecil that Zwolinksi is the one who should be facing charges. "Taking down somebody's sign and ripping it down is destruction of property," Avila argued. Politics is a contact sport. Apparently that's literally the case. pic.twitter.com/wIlFIP366W Robert Zwolinski (@BobZ_Chicago4th) March 7, 2016 Zwolinski posted photos on social media of a staple sticking out of his forehead, a bloodied head and a swollen nose apparently from the alleged attack. "The girl was yelling, while I was on the ground fighting the man off of me, 'This is Soto's territory! This isn't your territory,'" he said. Bond was set at $25,000 each and Soto and Fichter were both ordered not to go near Zwolinski, his girlfriend or his campaign headquarters. Click for more from Reuters. Click for more from The Chicago Tribune. Companies that operate ticket-generating red light cameras in Arizona may have to take an unusual step if they want to stay in business in the Grand Canyon State - register employees as private investigators. The camera companies, popular with revenue-seeking local governments but hated by motorists, are violating a state law that allows only police and licensed private investigators to use cameras to gather evidence for use in legal proceedings, officials said. There are exemptions to the law, but none that would cover the camera companies. The private investigator licensing statutes specifically exempt 11 categories of persons from its licensing requirements, reads part of an opinion issued by state Attorney General Mark Brnovich and provided to FoxNews.com. Photo enforcement system contractors, however, are not identified in the list of persons exempted from the private investigator licensing requirements. This would give us a lot more power then we have now. Our abilities were never about policing. Thats something we dont do now." Red-light camera company exec Exempt from the licensing rule are government employees, attorneys, collection agencies, and news media to name a few. Moving forward, third-party photo radar contractors will need to take the necessary steps to comply with the private investigator licensing statutes or seek an exemption from the legislature," Brnovich told FoxNews.com. The development is just the latest in the ongoing debate on the use of red-light and traffic cameras around the nation. Supporters contend they reduce serious accidents and discourage unsafe driving, but critics have questioned the cameras' constitutionality and whether revenue or public safety is the impetus. The number of state and local governments using cameras to nab motorists who run stoplights has fallen about 6 percent - to 508 - since 2012, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Seven states prohibit use of red-light cameras to issue citations to drivers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and several more, including Ohio and Florida, have been weighing prohibitions. Red light camera programs are typically operated by private companies that provides the equipment to municipalities and in some caases even send out the tickets, all for a cut of the revenue collected. Throughout the U.S. and even around the world, angry motorists have vandalized the cameras. The comapnies have also been accused of reducing the yellow light time in orderto catch more drivers. But some within the beleaguered industry found the Arizona ruling that employees of red light camera operators must register as private investigators curious. Is this really what the legislation wants? said one industry executive who spoke to FoxNews.com on the condition of anonymity. This would give us a lot more power then we have now. Our abilities were never about policing. Thats something we dont do now." Two of the companies that operate in Arizona, American Traffic Solutions and Redflex Traffic Systems, issued statements saying they will comply with the law. Since its formation, Redflex has, consistent with Arizona law, contracted with governmental entities throughout the state to provide its photo enforcement services, read a statement provided to Foxnews.com. The interpretation of Arizona law in the opinion of the Attorney General departs from prior interpretation of the same law and is contrary to the interpretation of every other state that has interpreted similar laws. Redflex is in the process of reviewing this new and different interpretation of the law. Redflex intends to continue to provide its photo enforcement services consistent with applicable law. Officials for ATG say that they will comply as well. For nearly 30 years our company has operated in the state of Arizona," read a statement from the company. If private investigator licenses are ultimately required by law then we will most certainly comply. Human remains found in a field in south Houston Friday may belong to a teenager who disappeared almost 20 years ago. Detectives were searching the field for the body of missing 17-year-old Jessica Cain after being directed there by a convicted kidnapper who is a suspect in the girls disappearance, Fox 26 Houston reports. The detectives wont know for sure if they have solved Cains disappearance until the remains are analyzed by the Harris County medical examiners office. Right now theyre in the process of recovering those remains, Houston homicide detective Richard Martinez told the Houston Chronicle. There is enough there to know that its a body. Investigators have been digging at the site for the past several weeks, Fox 26 reported. They brought with them William Reece, serving a 60-year prison for a 1997 kidnapping. Hes also charged in Oklahoma with a 1997 killing and is a person of interest in the 1997 disappearance of a Texas college student. Reece has seemed to suggest spots to dig, according to the Chronicle. Cain was on her way home on Aug. 17, 1997 when she disappeared. She was driving back to Galveston after a high school musical cast party, the Chronicle reported. Her truck was later found abandoned in the Houston area. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A South Carolina police officer was shot and killed Friday while pursuing a gang member who ended up shooting himself, authorities said. Greenville Police Officer Allen Jacobs, 28, and his partner were on patrol when they spotted Deontea Perry Mackey behind a house in Nicholtown and pulled over for a field interview, Police Chief Ken Miller said. Instead, Mackey bolted and led officers on a foot chase behind houses and through woods, according to Greenville Online. Miller said Jacobs kept pace with Mackey and about 20 seconds after they called the chase in on the radio, a second call came in of an officer down. Jacobs was struck multiple times, despite wearing a bulletproof vest. Officers who arrived on the scene gave Jacobs CPR before he was transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital where he later died, according to Greenville Online. Mackey continued running from the police, but was eventually cornered. Authorities said officers witnessed him calling his mother before turning the gun on himself. Miller said he was listed as a gang member in a national police data base, but wouldnt identify the gang. Jacobs, a decorated Iraq War veteran, leaves behind a pregnant wife and two young sons. He was the son of two teachers and a four-year veteran of the Greenville Police Department. According to WHNS-TV, Miller described Jacobs as an extraordinary person and officerHe was dedicated as anybody could be dedicated. Thats why he was out doing what he was doing today. This is everyones worst nightmare, Miller said. He was out doing our work. Hes a member of our community, and he was trying to keep us safe. Jacobs was a part of the police departments community outreach program and was working to identify and engage gang members within Nicholtown. An unidentified family friend of Mackey told WHNS-TV that he was a sweet son and a good kid. "I'm praying for him and also the officer that lost their life... It's crazy, so crazy that this happened, but you just have to trust in God and believe that he will work it out for you," she added. Police dont believe officers fired any shots. Jacobs firearm was still on his holster when officers arrived. An autopsy is scheduled for Saturday. Click for more from Greenville Online. Click for more from WHNS-TV. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is set to find out whether his brash demeanor will plague him in another Western state with a culture rooted in the Mormon faith that places a high value on manners and amiability. The brash businessman lost to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in Mormon-heavy Idaho last week, and indications are he may be headed for trouble in Utah where the religion's predominates and where Trump-basher Mitt Romney is revered. Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, says limited polling shows Trump running second to Cruz, but ahead of Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Perry says Cruz is the front runner to win in Utah, in part, because he's positioned to inherit voters who were leaning toward Sen. Marco Rubio. Supporters of Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump and protesters clashed after a rally in Utah on Friday. Crowds who chanted Donald Trump were met with Mr. Hate Out of Our State as police in riot gear blocked the entrance to the Infinity Event Center in Salt Lake City. Protesters tried to rush the door of the building and got into screaming matches with Trump supporters who were barred from entering the venue. According to KSTU-TV, people who were exiting the building were being pelted with rocks. Some protesters were seen tearing down a security tent that the U.S. Secret Service used to screen attendees before they entered the building. "Like I said, overall, you know our officers were on standby, we were just hoping everything was peaceful, and, no problems whatsoever, and fortunately it turned out just as we anticipated," Salt Lake City Police Det. Cody Lougy told KSTU-TV. Lougy told the Salt Lake Tribune that he didnt think anyone was arrested. According to the paper, the heated demonstrations outside the Infinity Event Center werent the only protests around the city. Tony Yapias, the director of Proyecto Latino, played a voice mail message over a loudspeaker he received Friday morning of someone telling him to leave the U.S. Yapias told the Tribune that Trumps rhetoric is playing a part in the increased tension drawn toward Latinos. He said the rally which was attended by about 150 people was to show that the Hispanic community in Utah will not back down from his hate speech. Some in the crowd were heard chanting Get out Trump in Spanish. Trump spoke to a crowd people in Salt Lake City and took a shot at former presidential candidate and Utah resident Mitt Romney, who said he was going to support Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the states caucuses. "Are you sure he's a Mormon? Are we sure?" he jokingly asked his crowd at the Infinity Event Center. Romney, who has made Utah his adopted home, said Friday that he plans to vote for Cruz in the state's Tuesday caucuses. He made the announcement on his official Facebook page as Kasich was speaking to about 600 people during a town hall at Utah Valley University. Romney has campaigned with Ohio Gov. John Kasich in other states but stopped short of endorsing him. In addition to his position as a prominent member of Utah's dominant faith, Romney is also revered in the state for leading a turnaround of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. It's unclear to what degree his endorsement of Cruz may sway GOP voters in the Tuesday caucuses. The Texas senator was already expected to have a leg up on the other Republican contenders because of his emphasis on religious liberties and backing from Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee. Fox News Peter Doocy and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Click for more from the Salt Lake Tribune. Click for more from KSTU-TV. The Algerian gunman newly linked to the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris after being killed by police joined the Islamic State group in 2014 and said he wanted to die as a suicide bomber, bypassing the choice to be a fighter. Previously unknown to authorities, Mohamed Belkaid was shot to death Tuesday in a raid that led to fugitive Salah Abdeslam. In exclusive documents given to The Associated Press by the Syrian opposition news site Zaman al-Wsl, Belkaid said he had traveled throughout Europe and had no experience as a jihadi as he crossed into Syria on April 19, 2014. On Friday, officials said Belkaid was "most probably" an Abdeslam accomplice whose fake Belgian ID was used to pay for the hideout of the Paris attack ringleader. An American Marine was killed and others seriously injured Saturday when a rocket fired by ISIS landed near his position in the town of Makhmur, 75 miles southeast of Mosul, a U.S. defense official told Fox News. The official did not want to give the exact number of wounded but said the number is less than five. They were flown to a hospital away from the base, the official said. "It was a lucky strike by ISIS," the official said.. The Pentagon is expected to make an announcement shortly. The US-led coalition fighting ISIS released a statement about the attack Saturday morning, but the nationality of the soldier was withheld. It said the soldier was killed by "enemy action," but was not more specific. The soldier is the second American killed fighting ISIS since combat operations began in August 2014. In October, a Delta Force master sergeant was killed during a daring hostage rescue in Iraq. The death of Army Master Sgt Joshua Wheeler was the first American casualty in Iraq since the withdrawal of US forces in 2011. There are roughly 3,700 US troops on the ground in Iraq advising the Iraqi Army. Earlier this month, a brigade from the 101st Airborne Division relieved a similar sized brigade from the 82nd Airborne Division. In December, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced the deployment of a 200-man special operations task force to Northern Iraq to begin kill/capture missions against the Islamic State. Last month, the assault force captured alive a mid-level ISIS operative tied to the group's chemical weapons program. After weeks of interrogation he was turned over to Iraqi forces. A US military spokesman said the US would still have access to question him further should the need arise. It was the second time in the past year US special operations forces have captured an ISIS operative from the battlefield. In May, a Delta Force team killed Abu Sayyaf and captured his wife Umm Sayyaf during a nighttime raid in Syria. The Justice Department recently charged Mrs. Sayyaf with conspiracy to kill a 26-year old American aide worker Kayla Mueller, who was held captive by the Sayyafs and later became a sex slave for ISIS emir, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Terror suspect Salah Abdeslam planned to blow himself up outside Frances national stadium during last years deadly attacks in Paris but backed out at the last minute, prosecutors said Saturday. Abdeslam was arrested Friday in a police raid in Brussels and questioned Saturday by Belgian authorities. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters in Paris that Abdeslam told Belgian investigators that he abandoned his suicide vest the night of Nov. 13 after he drove other attackers to Paris for the attacks. Molins did not say whether Abdeslam explained his reasoning for abandoning the attack. In all, 130 people were killed at several venues around Paris on that night. Two of the suicide attackers detonated vests loaded with explosives outside the stadium during a soccer match in front of a large crowd that included French president Francois Hollande. A third suicide attacker blew himself up at a nearby McDonalds. After being on the run for four months, Abdeslam, 26, was shot in the leg and captured Friday along with a suspected accomplice in a massive Belgian police raid in Brussels. Three others were also detained, but two were released on Saturday. Belgian authorities on Saturday officially charged Abdeslam and his alleged cohort, who was using two aliases, "with participation in terrorist murder" and in the activities of a terrorist organization. "Probably he had contacts with other men to help him," Molenbeek Mayor Francoise Schepmans told The Associated Press. "But we have to wait. What's important now is that Salah Abdeslam has been arrested." Meanwhile, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel warned that "the fight is not over" and his government announced the nation's terrorism alert level would remain unchanged at 3 on a 4-point scale. After the hours-long police raid on Friday, life sought to recapture a semblance of normality in Molenbeek on Saturday. A mother wearing a dark headscarf with a son in pink soccer cleats picked their way along the sidewalk past camera crews staked out in front of the house where Abdeslam was arrested. Its ground-floor windows were boarded up. A man in a nearby cafe drank coffee and read a French-language newspaper with the front-page headline: "Salah arrested. Mission accomplished." Some neighbors were clearly shaken at the fact that the young man with French nationality but close ties to Molenbeek had been living in their midst despite the huge police manhunt. "He was next to us, next to our kids. The most-wanted man was next to us day and night," said Lamia, a 29-year-old mother of two young girls, who also declined to give her family name. She said she regularly visits her grandmother, who lives on a street near Abdeslam's final bolt hole. "When things blew up, it was shaking at our place. We were crying, the children were crying. Honestly, it's a shock. He was two blocks away," she said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. As the net closed around Salah Abdeslam, Europe's No. 1 fugitive was holed up, apparently anonymous, in an apartment in the place he knows best, the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek, a locale favored by several Paris attackers. Abdeslam's four months on the run ended Friday when he was shot in the leg and dragged away in a white hoodie during a massive police operation in Brussels. Authorities now need to piece together how the man who was at the Nov. 13 attacks that killed 130 people in Paris managed to evade authorities for so long. It appears, during the final stages at the very least, Abdeslam was hiding only 500 meters (yards) from his parents' home, the place where he grew up. next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 Winds were gusting before dawn Saturday over the airport in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don when a plane carrying 62 people from a favorite Russian holiday destination decided to abort its landing. The timing was tricky. Two planes had landed just a few minutes before the FlyDubai plane aimed to touch down. On the other hand, a Russian Aeroflot plane scheduled to land around the same time tried to come down three times then diverted to another airport, according to Flightradar24, an aviation website. The FlyDubai pilots chose to put their Boeing 737-800 into a holding pattern, circling for two hours over the city located 37 miles from the Ukraine border. But when they did finally try to land, something went catastrophically wrong. Their plane plummeted to Earth and exploded in a huge fireball, killing everyone aboard. Grainy video footage, apparently from a security camera near the airport that was posted on Russian websites, showed a plane streaking toward the ground at a steep angle, then exploding. The powerful explosion left a big crater in the airport's runway and pulverized the plane, but investigators recovered both flight recorders. The cause of the crash wasn't immediately known, but officials and experts pointed at a sudden gust of wind as a possible reason. "By all appearances, the cause of the air crash was the strongly gusting wind, approaching a hurricane level," said Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region 600 miles south of Moscow. Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov said the recorders were being flown to Moscow late Saturday for examination by experts from Russia, the United Arab Emirates, France and the US; the US-made Boeing had French-made engines. It was FlyDubai's first crash since the budget carrier began operating in 2009. Its fleet consists of newer 737-800 aircraft like the one that crashed. The plane's 55 passengers, 44 of them Russian, ranged in age from 4 to 67; eight others were from Ukraine, two were from India and one from Uzbekistan. Its crew of seven was an ethnic melange -- two Spaniards and one person each from Cyprus, Colombia, Russia, the Seychelles and Kyrgyzstan. Dubai is a popular destination for Russian vacationers and many Russians work in the city. The carrier has been flying to Rostov-on-Don since 2013. According to weather data reported by Russian state television, when the FlyDubai plane first tried to land, the winds at ground level weren't dangerously strong, but at an altitude of 1,640 feet and higher they reached a near-hurricane speed of around 67 mph. Later, when the plane crashed, winds near the surface reached 49 mph and could have been even stronger at altitude. Ian Petchenik, a spokesman for the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, told The Associated Press that the FlyDubai plane missed its approach, then entered a holding pattern, circling for about two hours before making another landing attempt. FlyDubai CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith said the plane attempted to land in line with established procedures. He added the pilots had not issued any distress call and hadn't attempted to divert to an alternate airport. Russian news websites released a recording of what was said to be the final communications between the plane and air traffic controllers, in which the pilot repeatedly but calmly asks about weather conditions. Flightradar24's data indicated that the Dubai plane began climbing again after a go-around when it suddenly started to fall at a vertical speed of up to 240 mph. "It was an uncontrollable fall," veteran Russian pilot Sergei Kruglikov said on state television. He said a sudden change in wind speed and direction could have caused the wings to abruptly lose their lifting power. He said the pilots would have known seconds before the crash that they were going to die but the "passengers and the cabin crew likely didn't realize they were facing imminent death." Russian Pilot Vitaly Sokolovsky told Rossiya 24 television that a sudden gust of wind could be particularly dangerous at low altitude while the plane was flying slowly at low power and the pilot was throttling up the engines to make another landing attempt. The plane's captain, 38-year-old Cypriot Aristos Socratous, was happy working for FlyDubai but was planning to leave them for a job with Ryanair in Cyprus, a friend told The Associated Press. Socratous' wife is to give birth to the couple's first child in a few weeks and Socratous wanted to raise his family at home, the friend said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of situation. Al-Ghaith said the plane's two pilots -- from Cyprus and Spain -- had 5,965 and 5,769 hours of flying time respectively, making them "quite experienced." The plane was built in 2011 and underwent a detailed maintenance inspection in January, he added. "As far as we know, the airport was open and we were good to operate," al-Ghaith said, adding that the plane couldn't have landed without air traffic controllers' permission. Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to the victims' families and top Russian Cabinet officials flew to the crash site to oversee the investigation. Although the airport was closed to further flights, a steady trickle of local people came to the terminal Saturday to lay flowers and stuffed toys in memoriam. Relatives of the victims were kept far from any media. WASHINGTON Sen. Mark Kirk became the first Republican senator to break with party leaders and call for a vote on President Barack Obama's Supreme Court selection, saying Friday, "It's just man up and cast a vote." The statement by Kirk, who faces a difficult re-election battle this fall in Democratic-leaning Illinois, came two days after Obama nominated Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy created by the February death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Garland, a Chicago native, is chief judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Kirk's stance directly contradicts the path charted by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that most GOP senators have followed. McConnell has said for weeks that there will be no Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for any Obama nominee for the vacancy and no confirmation vote by the Senate. "Right, it's just man up and vote," Kirk said on the "'Big' John Howell" show on Chicago radio station WLS. "The tough thing about these senatorial jobs is you get yes or no votes. Your whole job is to either say yes or no and explain why." Kirk said he believes McConnell won't relent, saying, "I don't see his view changing too much." Kirk is being challenged in November by Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and is considered one of the GOP's most endangered incumbents. Illinois Democratic Party spokesman Sean Savett said Kirk should "publicly rebuke the strategy of the Republican majority leader he voted for, not predict the strategy's success." With presidential and congressional campaigns underway and the ideological balance of the 4-4 high court at stake, Democrats have attacked Republicans daily for refusing to consider a Scalia replacement. They say political pressure to relent will be especially intense on a half-dozen GOP senators like Kirk from swing or Democratic-leaning states facing November contests. Kirk and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, have previously said they favored Judiciary Committee hearings on Obama's pick. A small number of GOP senators have said they would be willing to meet with Garland. Democrats say they believe the number of Republicans wanting the confirmation process to proceed will only grow, a prospect that GOP leaders have disputed. WARSAW, PolandThe United States has long been an indispensable Polish allya friend in the struggle to overthrow communism and join NATO, a steady partner in times of tension with other European countries, the ultimate guarantor of security against Russia. But today ties between Warsaw and Washington are seeing new tensions that are unusual, perhaps unprecedented, in 27 years of Polands democracy. The reason is that the United States is exerting pressure on Poland to resolve a constitutional crisis considered a threat to the rule of law, something Polands nationalistic new leaders reject as an unwelcome violation of their national sovereignty. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia is among the five American senators, all members of the Senates Intelligence Committee, who will meet Polish President Andrzej Duda in Krakow today. While Dudas office says the discussions will focus mainly on security, its likely the constitutional crisis will also come up given the U.S. concerns over it. U.S. officials have been urging Polish leaders to resolve the crisis, mainly with a quiet form of democracy that does not embarrass the Poles and seeks to minimize any defensive reactions. Despite that cautious approach, Polish leaders have made their displeasure very clear. People who only built their state in the 18th century are going to tell us what democracy is? Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz said last weekend. Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski tried to do damage control, insisting Macierewicz was not referring to any specific country. Certainly there have been other tensions in recent years. Its a sore point that Poles still need visas to travel to the United States, unlike Western Europeans, despite their military contributions to the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Polish officials also felt betrayed when information began seeping out of Washington about the CIA prison that operated for several months in Poland starting in 2002, where suspects were abused. However, the current tensions are unusual since Poland is one of the most pro-U.S. countries in Europe. The other senators who will meet with the Polish president are Richard M. Burr, Republican from North Carolina; Dan Coats, Republican from Indiana; Angus King Jr., independent from Maine; and Barbara Mikulski, Democrat from Maryland. 1. Are the responses that have been observed in some blood cancer patients who receive T-cell therapies durable, and can they be repeated in more patients? Some of the greatest excitement in the immunotherapy field is coming from ongoing trials of patients own immune cells that are engineered with a cancer-targeting receptor to kill their cancer cells. In one such trial, led by researchers at Fred Hutch, patients T cells are programmed with synthetic receptors called CARs to kill blood cancers bearing a marker called CD19. Trial researchers have preliminarily reported high rates of complete remissions in patients with certain late-stage, CD19-positive blood cancers who had very few conventional treatment options available to them before they received the CAR T cells. The results are simply astounding, said study investigator Dr. Stanley Riddell in a video interview earlier this year. But its important to remember that these CAR T-cell trials are still ongoing, Riddell and other Fred Hutch experts said. One issue that still must be resolved is whether the patients with the most dramatic responses the far-flung tumors that disappear within weeks after a single infusion of T cells are still cancer-free months and years later. Obviously time will tell, Riddell said. He noted that while some patients have been in remission for well over a year, some of the patients on the trial have relapsed. The investigators now are studying their responses to figure out exactly why, information that they can then use to improve the CAR T-cell strategy. Riddell said that ultimately, the goal which is still years out is to launch trials of the experimental cells in patients with earlier-stage disease after the strategy has been thoroughly tested in late-stage patients with few other options. These patients cancers will have had less time to accumulate mutations that may enable them to escape the engineered T cells, he said. I think that were on the right track with CD19, he said. I dont think were there yet, but its promising. The Hutchs Dr. Aude Chapuis works on another T-cell therapy strategy, which involves inserting naturally occurring anti-cancer receptors into a patients T cells. Results from the groups latest trial of these cells in patients with a particular type of advanced leukemia have not been published yet, but Chapuis says preliminary results give her hope. Were certainly not there yet, but theres a huge potential for both kinds of T-cell immunotherapies, Chapuis said. Now we really have to find ways to broaden it to other patients. Chapuis listed several strategies, still being worked out in the lab, that may eventually translate into an improved clinical therapy, including engineering multiple types of immune cells (instead of one type of cell) to engage against cancer and treating patients with drugs designed to keep the engineered T cells active. Its also important to keep searching for new, possibly better, T-cell targets on cancer cells, several experts said. For example, lymphoma immunotherapy specialist Dr. Oliver Press is collaborating with the Hutchs Dr. Brian Till to develop CAR T cells that kill lymphoma cells bearing a marker called CD20; they hope to open a trial testing that therapy later this year. The field is also moving toward T-cell therapies that simultaneously target more than one cancer marker at a time, Press and other Fred Hutch experts said, which would make it more difficult for any cancer cells to escape T-cell attacks. 2. Can T-cell therapies be used against common solid tumors? The dramatic successes seen so far in T-cell therapy trials have been in certain blood cancer patients. But the cancers that kill the most people in the U.S. are solid tumors, according to the American Cancer Society: lung, breast, colorectal, pancreatic and prostate cancers. And solid tumors pose particular challenges for immunotherapies that arent factors in liquid tumors, where the cancer cells are in the bloodstream and more accessible to immune cells, several Hutch researchers said. There are a lot of factors within the tumor microenvironment that can shut down T cells, and these factors may not be the same for every solid tumor, said Dr. Ingunn Stromnes, an immunology research associate at Fred Hutch who is developing a T-cell therapy for pancreatic cancer. In the microscopic milieu of a pancreatic tumor, for example, Stromnes cited interference by other types of immune cells and immunosuppressive signals sent by cancer cells as factors that can block or dampen anti-cancer immune responses. One way to overcome this challenge is to engineer T cells to interpret shut down signals as stay awake signals, Stromnes said. She and collaborators are currently developing molecules to engineer into T cells that would do this, and she expects that within the year, preclinical testing will reveal a way to enhance the anti-cancer response. Finding the right targets for T-cell therapies is another big challenge. For example, last fall, Stromnes and her collaborators at Fred Hutch published results of a mouse study showing that T cells programmed to kill pancreatic cancer cells bearing a marker called mesothelin boosted survival by more than 75 percent a respectable number considering this cancer kills most of its human victims within five years of diagnosis. Were going to get T cells into the clinic as soon as possible by later this year, if all goes well, Stromnes said, because we think we have something thats going to work. New technologies now enable researchers to quickly and affordably sequence the genomes of individual tumors something that wasnt possible a decade ago. With efficient genomic sequencing, multiple groups across the Hutch and around the world are seeking T-cell targets in many tumor types. 3. Can we get targeted, immune-boosting drugs to work for more patients? Another emerging form of immunotherapy includes drugs known as immune checkpoint inhibitors, which block signals that tamp down T cells cancer-killing activity. In some patients, these drugs have proved extremely effective. The most famous example may be former President Jimmy Carter, whose treatment with a checkpoint inhibitor known as pembrolizumab (Keytruda) swiftly killed off melanoma that had spread to his brain and liver. However, these drugs only work in some patients. How can they be made to work for more people? The problem is that most cancers dont trigger much of an immune response to begin with, said Dr. Mary Nora Disis, a solid tumor immunotherapist at the University of Washington and Fred Hutch. And recent evidence shows that patients with existing anti-cancer immune responses have the best responses to treatment with these drugs. The solution in this case, Disis said, will be to find ways to stimulate an immune response within a tumor that can then be boosted with a checkpoint inhibitor. Some existing drugs could play this role, she said, such as certain chemotherapies that have immune-stimulating effects. We now need to go back and look at many things that have been shown to boost immunity and focus on how we can really integrate immune therapy now into standard of care, Disis said. Dr. Lee Cranmer, head of the Hutchs Bob and Eileen Gilman Family Sarcoma Research Program, pointed out that the opposite question is also relevant. Theres some people who dont derive significant benefit or only minimal benefit, and we dont want to be giving patients things with potential toxicities without being able to focus them better, said Cranmer, who has been active in clinical trials of checkpoint inhibitors. So one of our objectives [in the field] is taking something we already have and saying, OK, how can we focus [this treatment on those most likely to benefit], rather than saying OK, lets just throw this at you and see if it does something. 4. Can immunotherapy prevent cancer? For me," Disis said, "the biggest big hairy question is, How can we use the immune system to even prevent the development of cancer? And I think we can." But its a long-term goal, she added. Her group is one of a handful around the country developing preventive cancer vaccines. She and collaborators are currently testing a vaccine to prevent breast cancer in early phase clinical trials for women who are at risk of breast cancer relapse. The experimental vaccine is the first preventive vaccine to train the immune system against multiple cancer markers at once. In three to five years, Disis hopes, the vaccine will move into clinical use with women at high risk of developing breast cancer in the future. She said that to really make significant progress, the field needs a coordinated effort to characterize the genomic signatures and immune environments associated with precancerous growths such as polyps in the colon that are at risk of becoming cancerous. This effort would reveal targets for vaccines and strategies for using immune-boosting drugs to stop this process before cancer forms. Chrysler 300 Limousine 2015 Black 140-inch Now Custom Made By Los Angeles Dealer Los Angeles limousine company, American Limousine Sales, has announced the listing of a new fully customized black Chrysler 300. It is one of over 50 vehicles available on the online store, where visitors can also sell limousines or arrange for modifications to be made. -- Los Angeles limousine website American Limousine Sales has announced the listing of a new model they have made and customized themselves. It comes complete with a unique interior, dual alternators, upgraded suspension, and color changing mood lighting. It also has a custom bar with a champagne well and cup or glass holders, two ice bins and a surround sound speaker system. More information can be found on the American Limousine Sales website at: http://buylimos.co. American Limousine Sales is renowned for offering great deals on limousines and party buses, and offers customers a chance to buy or sell vehicles of their choice. Every vehicle listed on the website can be fully customized to each individual's liking, with a whole host of options available, including lighting changes that can be made, TV installations, and a suite of other features that can turn the vehicle into whatever the customer wants it to be. New models are added frequently, and alongside the Chrysler 300 is a white Chevy Tahoe, a Lincoln Town Car, and a 175-inch Lincoln Navigator. Visitors to the website can customize their search by filtering the results by model make, price or vehicle type, and over 50 listings are currently available on site. Each listing contains full vehicle information, from the price to the transmission type and the mileage. A full list of features for every vehicle is also provided, with options ranging from having a compass on the limousine to headlight dusk sensors, auto dimming rear-view mirrors, and cruise control to help ensure a comfortable drive. Anyone wanting to buy a limousine through American Limousine Sales can click on the Finance section of the website to discover an online application form for credit to help them with their purchase. A contact form is available for anyone with questions about any stage of the process, or alternatively people can visit the company in person at: 5250 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045. The telephone number for American Limousine Sales is: 310-762-1710. For more information about us, please visit http://buylimos.co/ Contact Info: Name: Richard Organization: American Limousine Sales Address: 5250 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045 Phone: 1 310 762 1710 Release ID: 107630 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Gold Pines Furniture Announces Custom Carpentry Designs For Small Spaces in Singapore Homes As a leading carpentry and cabinet design specialists in Singapore, Gold Pines has recently announced its custom carpentry designs for small spaces in Singapore homes. -- Gold Pines Furniture Pte. Ltd., a leading carpentry and design firm in Singapore, has recently announced its custom carpentry designs for small spaces in Singapore homes. This announcement arose from the Singaporean government's recent new rule which now requires new apartments in certain areas to have a minimum floor area of 755 square feet. The Singaporean government came to the decision to impose the new rule after realizing the housing struggle in the country, especially among new families. Developers have been building "shoebox" units which were incredibly small in order to make more money per unit. In addition, Singapore currently has the third highest population density in the world, and growing families are finding it more and more difficult to find housing. This new rule ensures that growing families will have the space they need, and will prevent developers from capitalizing on an already difficult situation. In an effort to help new families save space in their homes, Gold Pines Furniture Pte. Ltd. has decided to make consumers aware of the options available for space saving and functionality. Ideas such as tucking away the dining table or folding it up as well as creating sliding drawers and hidden panels are just a few of the services the company offers as space savers. One new concept that Gold Pines Furniture has created is the idea to conceal a kitchen within a closet like structure which opens up like a 3D greeting card. This concept allows for living space in the day time, and a full kitchen for all meals. Custom carpentry and cabinet designing are a core component of the company's business. About Gold Pines Furniture Pte Ltd. Gold Pines Furniture is a Singapore-based company which offers carpentry services and focuses on a high quality product as well as excellent customer service. The company owners and staff are passionate about their workmanship and take pride in every project they take on. For more information about us, please visit http://www.goldpines.com.sg/ Contact Info: Name: Gold Pines Organization: Gold Pines Furniture Pte Ltd Address: 280 Woodlands Industrial Park, E5# 0214 Harvest @Woodlands Singapore 757322 Phone: 6339 3381 Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jf2ol-N0Hg Source: http://marketersmedia.com/gold-pines-furniture-announces-custom-carpentry-designs-for-small-spaces-in-singapore-homes/105363 Release ID: 105363 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Duchess London Introduces Dress Line For Women With Classic Style Preferences The fashion line focuses on classic, timeless style rather than trying to keep up with industry trends, reports http://www.duchesslondon.co.uk. -- Duchess London is announcing the introduction of their classic dress collection for women. The purpose of the collection is to provide timeless and classic style options for women with busy schedules who still want to look great in any setting. Those who would like to get a glimpse of the Duchess London dress collection should visit the company's website at www.duchesslondon.co.uk. Ruslan Tadjiev, a spokesperson for Duchess London, commented "While our Founder and Managing Director Mariangela D'Addato isn't a fashion designer, she is a businesswoman who knows how to present her best to the world. Her purpose in launching this fashion line is to show other busy professional women who have demanding schedules how to do the same. Many women complain that they simply don't have enough time to create a chic, elegant look for themselves, and the Duchess London dress collection is helping to solve that problem for them by giving them effortless options that will look great in any season." The majority of the pieces in the Duchess London collection were created to make women look smart and professional in the office yet chic and elegant in any social setting. Pieces like the classic figure-hugging jersey dress accentuate a women's body perfectly, allowing her to put together a tailored look that will carry her through the entire day. The designers at Duchess London want to remove all barriers that women face to ensuring that they look well-put-together at all times and in every context. As Tadjiev goes on to say, "We are very proud and extremely excited to be introducing this dress collection to the world. Whether it's little black dresses or something with a little more detail and flair, we are showing women that elegant style is possible in any setting and on any occasion. At a time when everyone in the fashion industry seems to be focused on following the latest trends, we are providing versatile options for women who still want to look great long after the fashion trends have faded." About Duchess London: Duchess London is a collection of dresses for professional women in demanding, time-consuming jobs who nevertheless want to enjoy a full and rewarding social life. Their clothing is known for being stylishly cut, made from the finest quality materials, and manufactured to the most exacting standards. With a look that is both classic and timeless, the Duchess London Dress Collection was made for women who have a particular attitude to life and who are committed to enjoying every minute of it in style. For more information about us, please visit http://www.duchesslondon.co.uk Contact Info: Name: Ruslan Tadjiev Organization: Duchess London Phone: +44 20 8616 7171 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/duchess-london-introduces-dress-line-for-women-with-classic-style-preferences/107688 Release ID: 107688 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) LocalBoats.net Releases Yacht Rental Guides For Four Major Vacation Spots In-depth guides are available for yacht rentals in the British Virgin Islands, San Diego, San Francisco, and Miami, reports http://LocalBoats.net. -- LocalBoats.net, a premier authority on finding suitable yacht rentals, is announcing the release of four new yacht rental guides. The four guides cover the important aspects of the boating scene in four major vacation spots, including San Diego, San Francisco, Miami, and The British Virgin Islands. The purpose of these guides is to help those considering boat rental to understand their options in each location. Those who would like to read the guides can visit http://LocalBoats.net to view them. As a spokesperson for the website, John Smith commented "For us, there's nothing better than renting a yacht and getting out on the water during the spring and summer months. Now is the perfect time for people to consider yacht rentals, and we want to help ensure that they make the best choice. There are a lot of boat rental companies out there competing for their attention, and our readers need to know which ones will provide them with the best accommodations and the most memorable experiences." In the guides for each major yachting hot spot, LocalBoats.net makes specific recommendations on the best boats and companies to work with. For example, one of the best yacht rental companies in the San Francisco Bay Area is Hornblower. This charter company has been around for ages and has gained the trust of many by consistently providing unique and luxurious experiences for their clients. In addition, LocalBoats.net does boat and yacht rentals in San Diego. They teach readers all they need to know about the watercraft rental supplied by reputable vacationer hotels as well as jet ski tours and harbor cruises. In-depth information and recommendations are also available for Miami and The British Virgin Islands. John Smith continues, "It's important to us that the people who read these guides come away knowing exactly how to plan their yacht vacation. It is our intention to help people Find the best boat rental in Miami fl at Local Boats dot net. We want our readers to have the most fun and relaxing experience possible, and the in-depth yachting guides that we have provided for each location will assist them in doing just that." About LocalBoats.net: LocalBoats.net is a website dedicated to the latest news and information about yacht rentals, sales, and the scene. The website focuses on major coastal cities in the U.S. and around the world, including Miami, San Diego, San Francisco, and the British Virgin Islands. The team behind LocalBoats.net is passionate about life and luxury on the water and wants to help others find the best rental opportunities that will give them the best return on their boat rental investment. For more information about us, please visit http://LocalBoats.net Contact Info: Name: John Smith Organization: LocalBoats.net Phone: (970) 316-5755 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/localboats-net-releases-yacht-rental-guides-for-four-major-vacation-spots/107684 Release ID: 107684 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Digital Search Marketing Portal For Global Yacht Industry Launches With New Site One Yacht World is celebrating the launch of its new Global Yachting portal where marine industry companies will be able to meet up with buyers from all over the world who are searching for exactly what is being offered. More info at http://oneyachtworld.com/ -- Yacht Industry Marketing Leaders "One Yacht World", will be celebrating the launch of its new website. The business will celebrate by giving away 50% of the launch day profits to charity. It's reported the event will take place on Friday, April 1st. When this new site launches it will be highly anticipated by many of the leaders currently achieving success in the Super Yacht business. The launch celebration will be based out of their Fort Lauderdale office and include bottles of bubbly to compensate for the long hours of preparation and marketing. One Yacht World are releasing the new Global Yachting portal where marine industry companies will be able to meet up with buyers from all over the world who are searching for exactly what is being offered. The new site will highlight the five top yacht cities in the world - Seattle, San Diego, Newport, RI, Fort Lauderdale and Monaco. Each city will have a page for the most required services in the industry such as yacht builders, refit and repair yards, brokerages, crew and charter destinations. service. Paul Tufts, CEO at One Yacht World, says: "We wanted to give our clients and prospects all the advantages they could possibly ask for by creating one website that encompassed the key industry components in the locations where they were the most relevant. We hope the launch will do a lot of good to our clients, give the yacht industry marketing sector something new to talk about and to bring a higher level of digital competence." One Yacht World has always thrived on the idea of standing out and making a difference. Celebrating this site launch will extend the lead on other companies who market to the global yachting industry by having a stronger search component built into the background. By making the site easier to find on Google it will increase dramatically the amount of leads clients will enjoy. To find out more about the yacht marketing services and One Yacht World itself, please visit http://oneyachtworld.com/ For more information about us, please visit http://oneyachtworld.com/ Contact Info: Name: Paul Tufts Organization: One Yacht World Address: Fort Lauderdale, FL Phone: 6046170259 Release ID: 107647 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Many of my fellow Americans hold in their minds complicatedly divergent views about guns about guns large presence in our culture, about Americans right to own and carry guns, about guns generative relationship to violent crime, about guns responsibility for the deaths of children in mass killings, about accidental occurrences and suicides, and about what it all says about us that we have so many guns but cant seem to exercise sane control over their use and misuse. This is not to say that many, many good Americans dont believe guns are abhorrent and wouldnt abolish them one and all from our land. And its not to say that the National Rifle Association isnt a domestic terrorist organisation that tacitly supports the killing of children more than it supports reasoned gun legislation. And its not to say I think that by writing this now anything about guns-in-America will get better, or that our minds and hearts will soon become less confounded by these matters. As an owner of several guns, I, as much as anyone, hold some of these divergent views. Therefore, what I say here is meant only to lay some certain matters bare, not to advocate whether gun-ownership is good or bad. If I end up defending a point of view or seeking to justify myself, I hope Ill be responsible enough to own up. For starters, I dont care to delve deeply into the matter of whether we Americans do or dont have a constitutional right to bear arms. In my personal view, different from the late Justice Scalias originalist view of our constitution, even if our founders did intend there to be a right to hold and bear arms in 1791 now is a different world, requiring different, less violent legal strategies to keep the peace. And yet. A right to own guns has been observed by the US Supreme Court, and for the moment is a matter of settled law. Guns of all sorts are mostly legal in the US, whether anyone likes it or not. Writer Richard Ford Getty For myself again, a gun owner I think there is some merit to the rightwing maxim that says when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. Every cultures origin myth has in its annals many diorama-like, near-archetypal human situations held to be predictive and true, the violation or ignoring of which threatens the cultures integrity. In much of America, one bit of this primal-ness depicts some completely innocent person being accosted in a darkened back alley by one or more very bad people bent on mayhem, and for the good and innocent party being fully able to defend him (or her) self. Often with a gun. Thinking about the matter again personally, the question arises that if my or my dearest ones life should be put in harms way by just such an evildoer, would I like to have a gun with which to defend her? And me? I think I would. And yet, in precisely such a hazardous confrontation in New Orleans, on a dark street near my house one Sunday night 10 years ago I was not armed when a teenage boy pointed a pistol at my wife and me at close range and specifically threatened to kill us. Had I been armed and Ive had the chance to think on this many times, since he didnt shoot us the poor kid was so inept at his robbery chops, that Id have shot him dead as a mackerel. Which wouldve ended his young life at age 16, and ruined mine at 62. For that reason, no matter what other qualifying things I say here, I believe its far better that I didnt have a gun that night and that I didnt shoot that kid although I unquestionably would have. Of course, its only dumb luck that the little bastard didnt shoot us. Its better that I didnt have a gun that night and that I didnt shoot the kidthough I unquestionably would have Carrying a pistol on your person which the lad in New Orleans was doing that night isnt the same as wearing a hat or not wearing a hat. Ask a cop. When my wife was in public office in New Orleans in the mid-1990s, it was at a time of greatly increased drug crime and gun violence in our French Quarter neighbourhood. Our house was frequently broken into. My wife was robbed at gunpoint in our garage. A man pulled a pistol on me in the street. Tourists were often mugged and occasionally murdered near where we lived. I became alarmed for my wifes safety, since she was often away from our house attending public meetings at night doing her job. Admittedly, we couldve moved away, but we felt compelled to stay. We liked our house, our neighbours. I therefore suggested to my wife that she obtain from the police a permit to carry a concealed weapon the famous concealed-carry thus to arm herself for protection. She, like me, is a lifetime quail and pheasant shooter, is a quite good shot, and knows about guns and gun safety. This, afterwards, she subsequently and legally did. So that for a time, when she was out alone at night, she carried a .38 calibre 5-shot Smith & Wesson Chiefs Special in her jacket pocket. In deference to my own perceived susceptibility to becoming a victim, I did the same. Many people we knew, people of all races and persuasions and orientations, did. Im sure theyre still doing it. Alastair Casey But what my wife and I came very quickly to experience was a complex download of empirical and unexpected human data. For one thing, when youre carrying a loaded pistol in your pocket, in a holster, or stuck under the belt of your trousers youre never not thinking about it. Hats really are different. Carried on ones person, a gun is preoccupying and foreign. Its heavy. It can alter your gait. It interferes with your consciousness of your self. Youre now dangerous. Plus, as an appendage added on to who you are as you go into your day, a gun causes its bearer to see the world differently. A well-lit city sidewalk full of innocent pedestrians becomes a scene a human grouping one of whose constituents you might need to shoot. Something good in your self is, by this means, sacrificed. And more. In a sudden, unwieldy hauling-out of your piece, or just by having your piece in your pocket, you can fumble around and shoot yourself, as often happens and isnt at all funny. Or you might shoot some little girl on a porch across the street or two streets away, or five streets away. Lots and lots of untoward things can happen when youre legally carrying a concealed firearm. One or two of them might turn out to be beneficial to you. But a majority are beneficial to neither man nor beast. Boats are said, by less nautical types, always to be seeking a place to sink. Guns no matter who has them are always seeking an opportunity to go off. Anybody who says different is a fool or a liar or both. Ultimately, and after not much time, we quit carrying a gun. It was simply too dangerous and too stupid. Alastair Casey America is getting nuttier and nuttier. Every election cycle I notice how less governable it seems. Now the thuggish Donald Trump or the gargoyle-ish Ted Cruz may be our next president. Whats that about? Congress basically doesnt work any more. Hundreds of our citizens were killed or wounded in mass shootings last year. Thanks to President Barack Obama and a lot of other right-thinking people, relations between blacks and white Americans (frictive, violent and unjust for centuries) are now prominently and more accurately in our view, and are improving. But white, undereducated men (the core group of handgun owners in our country), are living less long, are suffering increased alcoholism, drug abuse and stress. Black Americans know this experience very well in their own history. These white men dont feel theyre keeping up with either their parents generation or with the people they normally compare themselves to (often African-Americans). Nine per cent of these men are unemployed. Theyre cynical with some reason about their government. They feel too many things in the country arent going their way, and that they cant control their lives. They fear change. Yet they sense the change they fear may have already occurred. Crime and gun violence are actually down in the US. But gun ownership is up. The NRA would say the latter statistic occasions the former. Me . . . I just say it feels dangerous over here. I dont cite these facts to engender undue sympathy for any particular American demographic slice. I personally do have some empathy for these white men, as well as for black teenagers mercilessly murdered by white police officers. And for lots of other people, too. Im a novelist. Empathy is kinda my job. My version of liberty in the American republic is consonant with the view held by the cunningly named US appellate judge Learned Hand; which is, that the spirit of liberty is that spirit which is not too sure its right. What I feel, though, is what many Americans feel now people I agree with and people I decidedly dont namely, we sense were approaching a tipping point in our liberties, a point at which good is being intolerably held hostage by not good, a point we need to back away from while we still can. Alastair Casey Not long ago I was invited to deliver a (for me) highly paid lecture at Texas A&M University, in the south of the US. I gladly agreed. I make a bit of a living doing such things. But at almost the same time it was this winter news media in the US reported that the state legislature in Texas had just ratified a statute permitting students above the age of 21 to carry concealed firearms on to campuses in all Texas public universities, venues that included both college classrooms and public meeting spaces. My lecture about writing novels would conceivably be attended by young people with loaded guns under their letter jackets or squeezed into the waist band of their yoga tights. I needed to give this some thought. Of course the whack-jobs in the Texas legislature believed they were just protecting against mass shootings of the sort that at least seem, inordinately, to occur on college greens nowadays. The model for this bold assumption is that if everybody could come to school locked and loaded, then the outlaws wouldnt stand a snowballs chance in hell of massacring a lot of people. As a theory, it has a certain blunt logic, especially for people who fantasise infantile, action-figure scenarios as their primary thinking uplink. But, I thought: how often do these mass campus shootings actually happen? And how congenial is an armed student body to the larger aims of a great multiversity? If at least one goal of a university is providing a haven in which to learn, what about the need to keep unarmed students safe from their armed classmates who might not be so expert in the use of firearms? What about the universitys goal of free and unfettered inquiry? Of critical thinking? Of agreeing to disagree without prejudice? What could be more of a fetter than a snarling, armed, possibly half-drunk frat-boy, sitting next to you in your Problems in Democracy class, who doesnt like what hes hearing about General Beauregard and the civil war, and suddenly needs to express himself more vividly? Is this armed guy the problem or the solution to the problem? And what about poor college professors (one of whom I am)? What about their work conditions, their level of stress? Their freedom? And the janitors and the secretaries and the co-eds enjoying their barbecue out on the college lawn, who find themselves in the line of fire emanating from the lecture hall because lil Johnny-from-Lubbock just couldnt stand this crap another minute and happens to have the lethal and legal means to put a stop to it? What are we encouraging here? What in the world? Somebody needs to mess with Texas. Give it a brain transplant. It isnt good to have students with guns on college campuses. I own guns. I know. Regretfully I wrote a note to A & Ms president declining to be his guest I hope, without prejudice to myself. Alastair Casey The reason its so hard to get a straight line on Americans attitude toward guns and on ourselves is not just that we Americans dont do a lot of issue-related thinking over here. Its also because were accustomed to deluding ourselves and to neither hearing nor telling the truth about many of our more important motives and interests. Probably those cultural and national myths I mentioned are also required to contain a large amount of untruth to remain serviceable. In the US were accustomed to believing were exceptional; that our battered democracy should be a model for all other cultures; that invading Iraq twice was a necessary and good idea for the Iraqis; that President Obama has sold the country down the river simply by providing healthcare for vast numbers of our citizens. There are a lot of these truths. These are just some of the less zany ones. About guns, the real truths even harder to sort out. The NRA argues its best to arm everybody, including infants, because Americans are always in jeopardy of having our rights and weapons taken away, Charles II-style, so we need guns to defend ourselves a cause proclaimed and proclaimed and proclaimed with the force of moral self-evidence. The idealised rationale for this argument would seem to be that in a humane world thered be no need for firearms at all. Only ours isnt that way so we need to have plenty of firepower to force people to be nice Donald Trumps favourite word. Alastair Casey What I sense, however, to be guiltily underlying this claim for moral high-ground about owning guns is something more penile than humanistic. Gun ownership and the intransigence with which its defended and promoted in the US is just one more guise for a grab at political power. A dubious belief that many American liberals hold about the NRA is that many, perhaps most, NRA members are far more moderate than the organisations public pronouncements make it seem. Why, liberals wonder, dont the forces of good just wrest control from the loonies? Better angels are once again puzzlingly letting themselves be held hostage. Why dont these NRA moderates just do whats right? Its another of those fuzzy truths we semi-believe and console ourselves with, and which render us strangely but self-satisfyingly passive and complicitous. Americans dont have saner gun laws because most Americans, including those citizens who puzzle over better angels, dont want saner gun laws. If we wanted them enough wed have them like healthcare and rural electrification. Theres something about disarming ourselves that must just make us feel naked and impotent and in jeopardy of we know not what. Thats part of our origin myth, too. Gold rush prospectors some bearing arms in the US north-west Getty Me, Im for saner gun laws. Ive voted for saner gun laws and will do it again. If guns were banned in the US, Id give mine up and worry about outlaws on a case-by-case basis. When some crazy fool walks into a public school and shoots down a bunch of innocent children, how I feel is trapped in my own country, like a man going down on a torpedoed ship. But when I try to think about what I can personally do to put a stop to this lunacy, my first thought is to take a pistol and shoot whoevers responsible for making such travesties acceptable. Show them the terrible error of their ways in terrible terms they will understand. I probably wont do that. But I think you can see our problem now. Richard Ford is a Pulitzer Prize novelist and Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University in New York City Photographs: Getty Images; Alastair Casey Letter in response to this article: A form of democracy not worth exporting / From Prof B C K Patel Card Of Thanks MILLER Please accept my sincere thanks for the ones who sent cards for my 90th birthday and also the ones who planned the party at the Tower. Also, thank to... Marriage Licenses The following couples applied for a marriage license at the local courthouse during the past week: Joshua Sean Ceinck, 38, Warfordsburg, and Heather Lynn Norris, 38, Warfordsburg. Ronald Jay Snyder... First Milks plan to turn farmers capital into shares in the co-op has split opinion between current and former members. Some producers welcomed the change, which will dramatically strengthen the processors balance sheet. Other farmers complained they had been expecting payments totalling thousands of pounds, while there was no guarantee what the shares would be worth. Under the proposal, First Milk would no longer have to make cash payouts to farmers leaving the co-op. Instead, ex-members would keep a stake in the business they could then choose to sell. See also: Dairy co-op First Milk posts pre-tax loss of 25m See also First Milk back into profit with half year results One Scottish farmer, who was planning to quit dairying, said he had more than 100,000 of capital invested that was now unlikely to ever be repaid. But he said it was probably the right move to protect current members. Most producers have been calling for this move for the past 18 months to protect capital leaving the co-op, he said. Kicking us while we're down @first_milk e-mail that ,000's from yrs of cap. contrib. converted to (junk) equity. @scottishfarmer #disgrace RT (@RobertTyreBute) March 17, 2016 Kicking us while we're down @first_milk e-mail that ,000's from yrs of cap. contrib. converted to (junk) equity. @scottishfarmer #disgrace RT (@RobertTyreBute) March 17, 2016 @Lanhwnt @rattycastle don't want it in shares. Second change of mind by FM. It's come at the worst time. Fiona Graham (@fionagraham13) March 17, 2016 https://twitter.com/DewislandSimms/status/710564858710908928 Farmers carry risk NFU Scotland milk committee chair Graeme Kilpatrick said First Milk was continuing to shore up its finances but farmers continue to carry the risk. NFU chief dairy adviser Sian Davies said this would be a backwards step for former First Milk farmers, who already had their wait for repayments pushed back from five to six years. We understand that First Milk has faced a number of challenging decisions over the past few months, but farmers will be concerned if todays announcement results in a negative financial impact on their businesses at what is already a very difficult time for the industry, she said. First Milk sent a more detailed and frank letter to farmers than the short press release. Chairman Clive Sharpe wrote the capital change was the final major element of a turnaround plan, which began last year under new chief executive Mike Gallacher. He said there was a significant difference between the value of share and loan capital, which belongs to farmers, and First Milks net assets, after a long period of losses. The company has yet to decide what kind of shares farmers will hold. This will determine whether outsiders will be able to buy a stake off a departing farmer, what kind of dividends members will receive, and whether farmers will receive any tax relief. Complete overhaul The capital change is the latest dramatic move at First Milk, which has been hit hard by the commodity crisis. In the past twelve months, the co-op delayed milk cheques, appointed a new chief executive, cut jobs, overhauled its milk payment structure and reshuffled its board of directors. One Cumbria-based First Milk producer said he firmly believed the news on Thursday (17 March) was the right move. The way I look at it, last year the First Milk bucket had a hole in the actions last year were like putting a plaster on it, he said. However, yesterdays move should permanently bung the hole. Despite a proposal seeking to resolve issues surrounding the mens homeless shelter downtown, a Corvallis business owner is moving forward with a lawsuit against the organization running the shelter. Charlie Ringo, through his company CJ Holdings Inc. which operates an office building complex across the street from the mens cold weather shelter has filed a lawsuit seeking $500,000 in damages and an injunction against the nonprofit Corvallis Homeless Shelter Coalition. The coalition is part of Corvallis Housing First, the group that runs the mens shelter at 540 S.W. Fourth St. According to the suit, Ringo alleges that the shelter presents a chronic nuisance, allows its invitees to trespass at Ringos businesses, and has substantially interfered with the complexs business owners, employees and customers. My hope is that they permanently shut down the operation on Fourth Street, Ringo said. They can do it voluntarily. They can do it under court order. Obviously the easiest thing is that they do it voluntarily. Im confident in the long run this will be declared a private nuisance and there is a strong likelihood a court will say they need to shut down. Officials with Corvallis Housing First have filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit and say they are confident they will prevail against the suit. The lawsuit was filed in January, roughly three weeks after Citizens for Protecting Corvallis, the group opposing construction of a proposed 15,000-square-foot permanent shelter at the downtown location, sent a letter to Corvallis Housing First announcing an end to mediation talks between the two groups. Ringo was the co-author of that letter. There had been various discussions that they would change their operations or change locations, but none of those seemed reliable. So I thought it was time to move forward, Ringo said. I filed the lawsuit because of the ongoing harassment to the neighborhood, and particularly to my property, from the homeless shelter. The suit alleges that the shelters invitees regularly eat, drink, smoke, sleep, spit, urinate, defecate, litter, aggressively panhandle, beg, use drugs, are publicly intoxicated, and cause other inconvenience to and on Ringos property. The combined actions, the suit alleges, create a chronic nuisance and the business complex has sustained $500,000. Its hard to put a specific number on it, but it is substantial, Ringo said. In late February, Ringo amended the suit, seeking an injunction preventing Corvallis Housing First from operating the shelter. I have a right to operate my property in a way where I should be free of harassment from a neighboring property, he said. And (the injunction) frankly is the best remedy to that harassment. Ringo would not say whether he would drop the suit if Corvallis Housing First announced it would cease operations. Im not going to answer that, but he added: They do owe money damages. Earlier this month, Corvallis Housing Firsts legal representatives filed motions to dismiss. A hearing on those motions has been scheduled for May 6. Gregg Olson, executive director of Corvallis Housing First, said the group has liability insurance that is expected to cover the monetary costs associated with the suit. This could take a while, but theres no way were going to lose, Olson said. The litigation is ongoing and there are no current signs of a resolution. Earlier proposal In February, Catherine Mater, co-sponsor of the Petition to Restrict Location of Homeless Shelters, made a proposal that promised that the group would suspend the petition for six months and raise funding for a third of the shelters operating budgets for the year. But it came with the condition that Corvallis Housing First no longer operate the mens shelter. The petition would seek to amend the city of Corvallis charter to limit the areas in which a homeless shelter could operate. Olson believes the proposal and lawsuit could be linked. We were threatened with this lawsuit for some time before (it was filed). And there are new threats to us all the time, he said. Property owners nearby may have an interest in developing on our property, for profit. I think all of these things are really meant to try to scare us to move. Ringo said he hopes Corvallis Housing First does consider moving its operations outside of the downtown area. If they want to operate a high-risk shelter, it should be done away from businesses and away from neighborhoods, he said. I think that if you did not have the shelter, the population would be dispersed throughout the community. I dont think any one neighborhood should be burdened by this population. However, Olson said, hes convinced that the threats would not cease even if the group decided to move to another location. We have no guarantee that its going to be easier, so were going to stay and duke it out where were at, he said. Aleita Hass-Holcombe, who helps run the Corvallis Daytime Drop-In Center and helped found the Corvallis Homeless Shelter Coalition, said the group is unfairly being held responsible for things out of the groups control. We started out with three people concerned people were going to freeze to death in cold weather, she said. We expanded out to more social services. Does that make us responsible for things we havent quite expanded to yet? Ringo, however, thinks moving the facility would ease the strain on surrounding businesses. They want to make it as convenient as possible for the homeless regardless of the impacts to their neighbors, Ringo said. If the goal is to prevent someone from freezing in the middle of the night, I think people can find their way to a shelter if its not in a convenient place. Statewide attention Meanwhile, both the petition and lawsuit are gaining attention around the state. Kimberly McCullough, legislative director and counsel for the ACLU of Oregon, said she is following both closely. (The lawsuit) is one of those things that we do have deep concerns with and weve been aware of it since it was filed, McCullough said. She added that she is not aware of any state or national precedent involving a business filing a lawsuit alleging damages against a homeless shelter due to the behavior of the shelters invitees. Its on my list to try to figure out, she said. I havent personally heard of something like this before. But its certainly something were taking a look at. We are concerned about folks getting the help they need. VATICAN CITY (AP) Pope Francis is planning to visit Armenia in June, a year after he termed the Ottoman-era slaughter of Armenians a genocide. A Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, stressed Friday that the trip was still in its planning stages and that no itinerary had been set. But he said that the dates under study were for the second half of June. Francis sparked a diplomatic incident with Turkey last year when he marked the 100th anniversary of the slaughter with an Armenian-rite Mass in St. Peters Basilica and termed the massacre the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey immediately recalled its ambassador in protest and accused the pope of spreading hatred. Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I. Turkey denies a genocide took place and insists those killed were victims of civil war and unrest. Francis proposed trip would come 15 years after St. John Paul II visited Armenia, a mostly Oriental Orthodox former Soviet state with a small Catholic minority. It was during that 2001 trip that John Paul inked a joint declaration with the Armenian church leader Karenkin II calling the slaughter a genocide. The plight of Armenians has long been close to the Vaticans heart, given that Armenia is held up as the first Christian nation, dating from 301. The Armenian Apostolic and Catholic churches split in a theological dispute over the divine and human natures of Jesus Christ, arising from the fifth-century Council of Chalcedon. But the Armenian church has established friendly relations with both the Vatican and with Orthodox churches. Pope urges nations to welcome migrants VATICAN CITY Pope Francis is urging nations to open their hearts and their doors to migrants. At his general audience Wednesday in St. Peters Square, Francis said people wonder where God is when refugees are living in a dramatic exile situation far away from their homeland, with the image of the rubble of their houses still in their eyes, fear in their heart, and often unfortunately the pain for the loss of their beloved ones. The European Union has told member nations that they urgently need to deliver on commitments to settle refugees on the continent, as the number of arrivals in Greece alone reached the million mark since the start of 2015. The EUs migration commissioner warned that the humanitarian situation in Greece is getting more acute every day after newly-built shelters there exceeded capacity. Officials probe denial of mosque plans BERNARDS TOWNSHIP, N.J. Federal officials are investigating whether a New Jersey town violated religious freedom laws when it denied a groups plan to build a mosque. News of the Justice Departments investigation comes a week after the group sued the town in federal court, alleging religious infringement. Bernards Township Mayor Carol Bianchi told The Associated Press that planning board members were ethical and denied the mosque based solely on land-use considerations. She said the town will cooperate with the probe. Adeel Magni, an attorney representing the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge, declined comment on the investigation. The groups founder, Mohmmad Chaundry, is a longtime Bernards resident who once served on the towns school board. Bernards is about an hour west of Manhattan. Convicted priest gets payback extension WHEATON, Ill. A Roman Catholic priest convicted of stealing his parishs money to support a gambling addiction has been given more time to pay back the money. The Rev. John Regan had been scheduled for a probation revocation hearing in April because he has yet to repay the nearly $300,000 he stole from St. Walter Catholic Church in Roselle. He served there as the pastor until 2009. Regans attorney, Jack Donahue, told Judge John Kinsella during a DuPage County Circuit Court hearing that he met with prosecutors last week and they agreed to cancel the hearing. In return, Regan will have a final reporting date in 2019. At his sentencing in 2011, Regan said he had struggled with a gambling addiction. He is currently assigned to a parish in the Joliet diocese. US Prosecution Agrees to Halve Sentence of Russian Accused of Spying Sputnik News 19:51 18.03.2016(updated 19:52 18.03.2016) US prosecutors have agreed to halve the sentence they are seeking in the case against an employee of Russia's Vnesheconombank, Evgeny Buryakov, who was indicted last February on charges of gathering information in the United States for Russia's intelligence service, the bank said in a statement published on its website on Friday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Earlier in March, Buryakov pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign country, facing a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 'The prosecution has agreed that an appropriate sentence for Evgeny Buryakov is up to 30 months in prison, as well as a fine in the amount of $10-100,000, while the maximum sentence for deeds Evgeny Buryakov has pleaded guilty to is up to five years in prison,' the statement reads. The US authorities arrested Buryakov in New York in January 2015 for allegedly gathering intelligence and recruiting agents for Russia's covert overseas operations. Two other Russian nationals, Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobny, have also been charged in the case, but remain free as they no longer reside in the United States. Buryakov will be sentenced on May 25, 2016, according to the US Department of Justice. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Cope Tiger 2016 enhances capabilities through teamwork By Tech. Sgt. Aaron Oelrich, Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs / Published March 18, 2016 KORAT ROYAL THAI AIR FORCE BASE, Thailand (AFNS) -- Readiness and continued development of multilateral interoperability remains a key priority for Indo-Asia-Pacific partners participating in the 22nd year of exercise Cope Tiger, a joint multilateral field training exercise that began March 7 at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base. During the two-week exercise, more than 1,200 combined service members and civilians from the U.S., Thailand and Republic of Singapore aim to enhance cooperative relationships and improve procedures in airpower. "Cope Tiger 16 is a great experience for our Airmen, building upon the exercise's 22 year history, to deepen relationships with two key Indo-Asia-Pacific partner nations and to reinforce our combined airpower interoperability," said Lt. Col. Jack Arthaud, the exercise director for the U.S. Air Force. "The flying exercise not only builds (U.S. Air Force) capabilities, but also (Royal Thai Air Force) and (Republic of Singapore Air Force) capabilities by reinforcing common training standards and team work." Arthaud explained that by participating in exercises with multilateral military forces, the U.S. demonstrates its commitment to peace and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Cope Tiger bolsters U.S. Pacific Command's theater security cooperation and enhances allied interoperability as the three partner countries train side by side. "The ability for us to work together as a team just to put this exercise together is an amazing accomplishment," said Col. Sim Pengshin, the exercise director from the Republic of Singapore Air Force. "To then have us fly, conduct mission planning, brief and debrief, as well as work through the problems together, is the best way to strengthen our relationships, and I feel that it improves our readiness and processes." There are multiple types of training conducted during Cope Tiger 16, including: mission planning, airborne air control, in-flight air refueling, air-to-air employment including basic fighter maneuvers, electronic warfare, airlift, and close air support. "The exercise increases the capability and experience of the pilots and gives the aeronautical staff an opportunity to learn from our counterparts," said Group Capt. Manoon Rukitna, the exercise director for the Royal Thai Air Force. "I am confident that Cope Tiger 16 will enable the participants to increase combat readiness from the intensive training." A trilateral Link 16 network is new to this year's exercise providing a significant increased capability for the Royal Thai Air Force. Link 16 is fundamental to interoperability because it increases mission effectiveness by raising the situational awareness of all the forces on the network facilitating improved team work and safety. "(U.S. Air Force) Link 16 experts worked closely with both (Royal Thai Air Force) and (Republic of Singapore Air Force) technical experts to ensure that we would have success (with Link 16 data link network) on the first day of the exercise," Arthaud said. "This is a huge leap in technical capabilities that enhances our effectiveness and partnership." Over 220 U.S. personnel are participating in Cope Tiger 16 along with approximately 1,000 service members from the Thai and Singaporean militaries. The exercise involves a combined total of 87 aircraft and 48 air defense assets from the U.S. Air Force, Royal Thai Air Force, and the Republic of Singapore Air Force. The 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base, Japan, provided 12 F-15 Eagles and one E-3B Sentry (AWACS) to participating in Cope Tiger 16. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ACC commander addresses RPA health to Senate Armed Services Committee By Tech. Sgt. Steve Stanley, Headquarters Air Combat Command Public Affairs / Published March 18, 2016 WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the commander of Air Combat Command, addressed plans to improve the health of the Air Force remotely piloted aircraft enterprise March 16 during a hearing of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee's Airland subcommittee in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the hearing was to receive testimony on Air Force RPAs and Army unmanned aerial vehicles as part of the committee's review of the 2017 defense budget. Joining Carlisle as witnesses were Gen. David G. Perkins, the Army Training and Doctrine Command commanding general, and Brenda S. Farrell, the director of defense capabilities and management, Government Accountability Office. As the lead command for the Combat Air Force, ACC is responsible for organizing, training, equipping, and employing Air Force RPAs from U.S. bases. "Combatant commanders heavily rely on the RPA enterprise, specifically the MQ-1 (Predator) and MQ-9 (Reaper)," Carlisle said. Currently, RPA aircraft fly 60 combat lines daily with each line lasting upward of 22 hours. In comparison, as of 2006 the Air Force only flew 12 combat lines. There are currently 15 bases with RPA units with which 13 have a combat mission. "Today we have almost 8,000 Airmen solely dedicated to the MQ-1 and MQ-9 mission. Over 1,400 of this 8,000 are Guard and Reserve personnel dedicated to the MQ-1 and MQ-9 mission," Carlisle said. "Seventy-seven percent of our four cockpits are dedicated to flying combat lines every single day. The other 23 percent are dedicated to sustaining combat capacity though formal training and test." Carlisle said that another particularly unique aspect to the RPA enterprise is the fact they conduct combat sorties from their home station. Due to these demands, the enterprise has adopted a grinding schedule to support combatant commanders. "Their regular work days are 10 hours long. They fly for six days straight, conduct nonflying duties for one day, and then receive two days off," Carlisle said. "Instead of a seven day week, they work a nine-day week and their two days off are not guaranteed to coincide with a weekend." According to Carlisle, the first step needed to ease the tension on the field is to increase the number of RPA crews by increasing the number of training graduates. It is estimated that 384 members will graduate the initial training course next year, surpassing previous years by 200 or more. "Increasing the instructors available to train our pipeline students will decrease the number available to fly combat lines," Carlisle said. "This delicate balance is challenging but achievable thanks to the secretary of defense's authorization to decrease our daily combat lines from 65 to 60. This slight reduction has allowed the Air Force to begin the process of righting our training pipeline and continuation training requirements by reinvesting those pilots into the schoolhouse." Along with reduced number of daily lines being accomplished, a revised focus on the training pipeline for RPA pilots not only shortens the time required for completion, but also eases the strain on other flying communities. RPA pilots were originally pulled from other aerial platforms such as fighters, bombers, airlift and special operations. Currently, only one-third of the force are career RPA pilots while two-thirds come from manned flying communities. The goal according to Carlisle is for the community to be 90 percent manned by career RPA pilots; however, the biggest challenge the Air Force faces in achieving that goal is retention. "When an RPA Airman separates, we do not just lose a body in the cockpit. We lose their expertise and experience too," Carlisle said. "While on paper, personnel may be a one-for-one swap that populates spreadsheets, their experience is incalculable and irreplaceable." Currently, RPA pilot authorizations are manned at roughly 80 percent, which leaves the force over 200 pilots short. "The surge that our RPA enterprise has experienced in recent history is now no longer a surge, but the new normal. It has become routine, and is taxing our Airmen and our RPA enterprise beyond their limits. Sustained high operations tempo and the corresponding high levels of stress is negatively impacting the RPA enterprise," Carlisle said. "It is robbing our Airmen of the quality of life necessary to withstand grueling schedules and maintain a healthy force. This leaves many of our Airmen with just one option: to separate; a decision they have chosen at an extremely high rate." In late 2015, ACC initiated a Culture and Process Improvement Program for the MQ-1 and MQ-9 enterprise, with the goals of providing relief to highly stressed crews and constructing a sustainable plan for the future. The field-influenced program conducted 1,195 in-person interviews and 1,164 electronic surveys with RPA Airmen and their families, casting light on the individual issues they experience. "We are evaluating base services to meet the personal and family requirements of our RPA Airmen, and we are also taking a further look at other quality of life initiatives, compensation, and developmental opportunities," Carlisle said. "We are committed to investing resources to meet our sustained requirement of 361 MQ-9s and 271 cockpits." With plans in place to address the current challenges and expand the enterprise, one thing is clear. Continual support of American military operations around the world is a must, a point driven home in the hearing by Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton's remarks on the importance of RPA operations to U.S. national security. "Maybe our society should pay them the respect they deserve then honor their service and not attach any stigma to what they do since they are keeping us safe in our beds at night," Cotton said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, March 18, 2016 U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Strikes in Syria Ground-attack, attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted nine strikes in Syria: -- Near Hawl, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, damaged an ISIL fighting position and suppressed a second fighting position. -- Near Ayn Isa, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle-borne bomb. -- Near Mara, five strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed eight ISIL fighting positions and damaged an ISIL fighting position. Strikes in Iraq Rocket artillery and fighter aircraft conducted 11 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government: -- Near Albu Hayat, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit. -- Near Habbaniyah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle. -- Near Hit, two strikes struck an ISIL headquarters and a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL tunnel and an ISIL rocket position. -- Near Kisik, three strikes destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL supply cache, and an ISIL command and control node. -- Near Qayyarah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL rocket rail, an ISIL used bridge section, and three ISIL vehicles. -- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL heavy machine gun positions. -- Near Fallujah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit. Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Part of Operation Inherent Resolve The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct operations. Coalition nations 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, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Secretary General discusses global security challenges, transatlantic partnership at Brussels Forum NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 18 Mar. 2016 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addressed the global security outlook at the annual Brussels Forum conference on Friday (18 March 2016). Mr. Stoltenberg took part in a panel discussion entitled "A Grave New World: Future Global Security Challenges", together with Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen. The Secretary General stressed the role of security in promoting economic prosperity, and the importance of transatlantic burden-sharing. He noted that many European Allies have stopped cutting their defence spending, and are stepping up their contributions to collective security, including by leading NATO's high-readiness Spearhead Force. He further welcomed the U.S. European Reassurance Initiative as a clear demonstration of the United States' continued commitment to European security. Outlining NATO's response to Russia's aggressive actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, Mr. Stoltenberg noted that the Alliance is strengthening its collective defence, and increasing both its presence in the east and its ability to rapidly reinforce. He stressed that, two years after Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, it is important that economic sanctions continue. The Secretary General added that being firm in defending Allies, and keeping channels of political dialogue open must go hand-in-hand. "There is no contradiction between strong defence and political dialogue," said Mr. Stoltenberg. The Secretary General also highlighted the importance of building the defence capabilities of partners in order to make them stronger and more able to resist the advances of terrorist groups, such as ISIL. He noted that NATO is working with Iraq, Jordan, Tunisia and others to help them build their ability to defend themselves. Organised by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the Brussels Forum brings together political, economic and intellectual leaders from Europe and America to discuss key challenges facing the Euro-Atlantic area. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO welcomes closer ties with the Gulf Cooperation Council NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 18 Mar. 2016 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al Zayani, to NATO headquarters on Friday (18 March 2016) for talks on deepening cooperation between the two organisations. At a special session of the North Atlantic Council, Mr. Stoltenberg welcomed the Gulf Cooperation Council's important role in contributing to regional stability, and thanked Dr. Al Zayani for his personal engagement with the Alliance. The Secretaries General and Allied ambassadors exchanged views on the regional security situation, and discussed reinforcing ties between NATO and the Gulf Cooperation Council with more regular staff contacts and political dialogue as a first step. NATO places high importance on building cooperation with Gulf States. The Alliance has already developed political dialogue and practical cooperation with four out of six Gulf Cooperation Council members (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates) through the Alliance's Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, which was launched in 2004. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group, ROK Forces Conclude Exercise Ssang Yong 2016 Navy News Service Story Number: NNS160318-09 Release Date: 3/18/2016 11:22:00 AM By Mass Communication Specialist 2md Class Stacy M. Atkins Ricks, Amphibious Squadron 11 Public Affairs EAST SEA (NNS) -- Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group and Republic of Korea military forces wrapped up Exercise Ssang Yong 2016 (SY 16) March 18 while underway off the coast of ROK. Ssang Yong, or 'twin dragons' in Korean, is a biennial amphibious-assault exercise conducted in the Indo-Asia region with U.S., and ROK Navy and Marine Corps in order to strengthen interoperability and working relationships across the range of military operations from disaster relief to complex expeditionary missions. Nearly 9,200 U.S. Marines of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and 3,100 U.S. Navy personnel of Expeditionary Strike Group 7 joined forces with 4,500 ROK Marines, 3,000 ROK Navy personnel, 100 Royal Australian Army Soldiers and 60 Royal New Zealand Army Soldiers for the amphibious exercise. 'When we think about interoperability we think of the phrase 'One team, one fight,'' said Rear Adm. John B. Nowell Jr., commander of ESG 7. 'This exercise has certainly been one team, one fight. United with the ROK Navy and Marine Corps, we are an unbeatable team. Over the past few weeks we observed a cohesive amphibious force come together and we look forward to continued integrated operations in the near future.' During the 10-day exercise the U.S.-ROK Blue-Green team conducted more than 220 flight operations and over 240 craft operations. 'Amphibious operations are like an orchestra, each unit has a very specific part to play,' said Rear Adm. Ki-kyung Park, commodore of the Republic of Korea Navy's Fifth Flotilla. 'Rank aside, each Marine and Sailor is an integral part of the mission. What I observed during Ssang Yong 16 was a masterpiece.' The exercise commenced with a 19-ship photo exercise to include ships from the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group and Boxer Amphibious Ready Group along with COMFLOT 5. The Blue-Green team kicked into high gear to carry out rehearsals for a simulated amphibious assault mission, where nearly 17,000 service members from the U.S., ROK, New Zealand and Australia participated in an amphibious landing on the beaches of Pohang. Lastly, the force conducted Assault Follow On Echelon exercises involving M1A1 Abrams tanks from Marine Delta Company 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division along with members of the 6th Royal Australian Regiment and a Fueling at Sea between amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) and guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67), during which the large LHD transferred nearly 10,000 gallons of fuel to the cruiser, closing out the exercise. 'I want to express my appreciation to U.S. Navy and Republic of Korea leadership for the support we received in the execution of Ssang Yong 16,' said Marine Brig. Gen. John M. Jansen, commanding general 3D MEB. 'The great partnerships developed with Rear Adm. Nowell, Rear Adm. Park, Brig. Gen. Lee, Commodore Thompson and Captain Ward throughout this exercise reinforced the importance of Naval integration in the planning and execution of complex, amphibious operations. It was rewarding for the entire team to be able to engage in a joint/combined exercise that provided value to the region by way of a clear demonstration of strength and resolve between the United States and the Republic of Korea.' Assets of the BOXARG who joined the BHRESG in SY 16 included amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) with PHIBRON 1 embarked, amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18), amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49), and the 13th MEU 4th Marines, Combat Logistics Regiment 35, 1st Tank Battalion and I MEF Crisis Response Force Company. Amphibious assault ship ROKS Dokdo (LPH-6111), amphibious landing ship ROKS Cheon Wang Bong (LST 686), Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class and destroyer ROKS Munmu the Great (DDH 976) are among the ROK assets that participated in the exercise. The Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group, comprised of the flagship Bonhomme Richard and amphibious dock landing ships USS Germantown (LSD 42) and USS Ashland (LSD 48), is conducting a routine patrol in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility along with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address S.Korea urges Japan to stop territorial claims on disputed island People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 14:14, March 18, 2016 SEOUL, March 18 -- South Korea on Friday urged Japan to stop territorial claims on a disputed island, called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, lying halfway between the two countries. Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement that the Japanese government approved high school textbooks involving distorted historical views by making unjust claims on Dokdo islets that are South Korea's indigenous territory historically, geographically and according to international laws. The ministry strongly deplored the approval, urging Japan to immediately revise them. The ministry reportedly plans to summon a senior diplomat in Japanese embassy in Seoul to protest against the textbooks. Japan approved 27 social textbooks for high school freshmen that claim Takeshima is Japan's sovereign territory and South Korea illicitly occupies the island. The remaining eight textbooks didn't include such claims. The textbooks will be used from next year. In 2015, Japan approved all of 18 history and geography textbooks for middle school students that include territorial claims on Takeshima. In 2014, all of textbooks for senior elementary school students were approved to claim sovereignty over the island. With the textbooks approved, relations between South Korea and Japan are expected to get frosty again. The Seoul-Tokyo ties showed signs of thawing due to an agreement reached in late 2015 on the comfort women issue, an euphemism for former sex slaves forced to serve in the Japanese military brothels during World War II. The Seoul ministry said Japan should not forget a fact that educating a right history is Japan's grave responsibility for neighboring countries having suffered from Japan's war of aggression as well as younger Japanese generation. Seoul urged Tokyo to show a sincere act to make efforts at opening a new chapter of South Korea-Japan relations by squarely facing up to the truth of history. South Korea has claimed that the Dokdo island was forcefully incorporated into Japanese territory before and during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule of the Korean peninsula. Seoul retrieved the island after its liberation from the Japanese rule. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN blames Saudi Arabia for civilian deaths in Yemen Iran Press TV Fri Mar 18, 2016 1:50PM The UN human rights chief has held Saudi Arabia responsible for the killing of the majority of civilians in Yemen, decrying recent airstrikes on a market that left over 100 people dead. 'Looking at the figures, it would seem that the coalition is responsible for twice as many civilian casualties as all other forces put together, virtually all as a result of air strikes,' Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement on Friday. The UN rights office said it has tallied 3,218 civilian deaths since the onset of the Saudi air campaign in Yemen a year ago. Zeid also denounced 'the repeated failure of the [Saudi-led] coalition forces to take effective actions to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, and to publish transparent, independent investigations into those that have already occurred.' He also condemned the continued airstrikes against civilian structures such as "markets, hospitals, clinics, schools, factories, wedding parties, and hundreds of private residences' in Yemen despite "international demarches.' "We are possibly looking at the commission of international crimes by members of the coalition,' the UN human rights chief warned. He also expressed deep concern at the Saudi airstrikes that hit a crowded market in the Yemeni province of Hajjah on March 15 and killed 119 people. The UN rights office said Friday 106 of those killed in the crowded market were civilians, including 24 children. 'The carnage caused by two air strikes on the Al Khamees market ... was one of the deadliest incidents since the start of the conflict a year ago,' Zeid said. The statement said the air attacks came as there was 'no evidence of any armed confrontation or significant military objects in the area at the time of the attack' besides a small checkpoint 250 meters away. Zeid also urged the two sides "to swallow their pride and bring this conflict to a halt.' Also reacting to Tuesday's massacre, Yemenis took to the streets in the capital, Sana'a, on Friday in condemnations of the deadly Saudi offensive on their impoverished country. Yemen has been under military attacks by Saudi Arabia since late March last year. The Saudi military strikes were launched purportedly to undermine the Ansarullah movement and bring former Yemeni president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, back to power. At least 8,400 people, among them 2,236 children, have reportedly been killed and 16,015 others injured, since March 2015. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address HRW Blasts U.S. 'Punishment' Of Soldiers Involved In Afghan Hospital Strike March 18, 2016 by RFE/RL Human Rights Watch (HRW) has strongly criticized U.S. 'punishments' handed to officers involved in a deadly bombing raid on an Afghan hospital last year. The U.S. military has disciplined at least 10 soldiers for mistakes that led to the bombing of a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital in the northern province of Kunduz that killed 42 people. But the punishments did not involve jail or criminal charges. In a statement released on March 18, the New York-based rights group said the failure to criminally investigate the officers was an 'injustice and insult' to the victims. 'The failure to criminally investigate senior officials liable for the attack is not only an affront to the lives lost at the MSF hospital, but a blow against the rule of law in Afghanistan and elsewhere,' the statement said. The disciplinary actions followed a military investigation of the devastating October 3, 2015, bombardment that largely destroyed the hospital in Kunduz and killed many of the doctors and patients there. 'I can tell you that those individuals most closely associated with the incident have been suspended from their duties and were referred for administrative action,' Colonel Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, told AFP. Some of the soldiers and officers received letters of reprimand that were tough enough to end their chances for further promotion, while others were suspended from duties. Ryder said officers could be removed from command for their involvement. The incident provoked an international outcry and prompted the French doctors' group to permanently close the hospital, which had provided vital services to the region not available elsewhere. The doctors group called the attack 'relentless and brutal' and demanded an international investigation. It was carried out by one of the most lethal weapons in the U.S. arsenal, a U.S. Air Force special operations AC-130 gunship. U.S. President Barack Obama apologized for the unintended killings, which occurred as U.S. military advisers were helping Afghan forces retake Kunduz after its takeover by the Taliban the previous month. Some Afghan officials claimed the hospital had been overrun by the Taliban, but no evidence of that ever surfaced. The U.S. military told AP that the gunship was dispatched to hit a Taliban command center in a different building not far from the hospital. When its targeting sensors malfunctioned, soldiers relied on a physical description of the building that led them to fire at the hospital. U.S. officials acknowledged to AP that they missed opportunities to avoid the error, as they got repeated calls from the hospital staff pleading with them to stop the attack, which they said lasted a half-hour. The U.S. military investigation has been completed but never released. The Pentagon is due to publish a version of its report on the attack next week. At a November news conference, Brigadier General Wilson Shoffner, a spokesman for the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said the actions taken by the U.S. aircrew were 'not appropriate' to the threat they faced, suggesting that a number of them could be found at fault and disciplined. With reporting by AP and AFP Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/us-soldiers- involved-afghan-hopsital-strike-doctors- without-borders-punished/27620591.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Uzbeks Deploy Troops, Equipment Near Disputed Kyrgyz Border March 18, 2016 by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service Kyrgyz officials say Uzbekistan has unilaterally suspended entrance to the country for Kyrgyz nationals via at least two checkpoints along the two Central Asian countries' border. Officials at the State Border Guard Service told RFE/RL that Uzbek authorities deployed dozens of troops, two armored personnel vehicles, and two military trucks near the disputed segment of the border in southwestern Ala-Buka district early on March 18. In response, Kyrgyz authorities suspended entrance to the country for Uzbek citizens at three checkpoints along the border and initiated talks with Uzbek border officials. Local residents near Uzbekistan's Sokh exclave within Kyrgyzstan told RFE/RL that entrance to the exclave is currently suspended as well. Many areas along borders in Central Asia remain in dispute since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/kyrgyzstan- uzbekistan-border-troop-buildup/27621067.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has placed bank Petrocommerce-Ukraine on the list of insolvent banks. The decision is outlined in NBU resolution No. 169 of March 17, 2016. The bank earlier was put to the list of troubled banks due to having the non-transparent ownership structure. In March 2015, a shareholder in the bank Russia's Petrocommerce sold the Ukrainian bank's shares to 11 individuals. Their shares in the bank were less than 10%. The shareholders in the bank and its real managers Ivan Shekhavtsov and Oleksiy Krupiy in 2015 many times informed the central bank that they sought registering the shares in the bank to themselves. Only in December 2015 they filed the relevant documents. In late February and early March 2016 they sold their shares in the bank to 11 individuals and notified the NBU that they left the bank as shareholders. The bank immediately experienced problems with liquidity. As of March 16, 2016, the volume of unsettled transactions by the bank exceeded 30% of its liabilities. The central bank decided to declare Shekhavtsov and Krupiy majority shareholders in the bank, as they were majority shareholders and influenced the bank's operations in March 2015 through February 2016. Thus, they are to fulfill all the liabilities of the bank's owners. Georgian FM: Western Integration, Sovereignty Are 'Red Lines' In Russia Talks March 18, 2016 by RFE/RL WASHINGTON Georgia's new foreign minister says the ex-Soviet nation's territorial integrity and Western aspirations are not up for discussion in its dealings with Russia, which has propped up the Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and recognized their independence. Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze told RFE/RL in a March 18 interview that Georgia's push for greater integration with the European Union, membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and restoring its international recognized borders are "red lines" as it moves to mend tattered ties with Moscow. 'This [bilateral] dialogue [with Russia] is oriented to find ways to have relations in those areas which are not out of the red lines. And the red line is Georgia's foreign-policy aspirations, its European integration, its integration into North Atlantic structures (and) first of all, its territorial integrity,' said Janelidze, who became Tbilisi's top diplomat in January. Janelidze spoke on the tail end of his visit to Washington, where he met U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican-Kentucky), and other officials. 'We are grateful for the position of the United States for supporting our territorial integrity and sovereignty," Janelidze told RFE/RL. "It was once again explicitly said during these meetings [with U.S. officials this week] and mentioned also by [Kerry].' Tbilisi ended diplomatic relations with Moscow after it recognized the independence Abkhazia and South Ossetia following Russia's short war with Georgia in 2008. The two sides in recent years have held bilateral talks aimed at improving their strained relations led by the Georgian prime minister's special representative for relations with Russia, Zurab Abashidze, and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin. Karasin this week sparked outrage in Georgia after the latest round of these talks, held in Prague, by criticizing what he called "provocative anti-Russian rhetoric being deployed both in Tbilisi, and in international forums." Russia has long bristled at Georgia's push for closer economic and political ties with the EU and fiercely opposed Tbilisi's bid for NATO membership. Georgia was designated by NATO as an 'aspirant country' in 2011, three years after the alliance pledged to eventually grant the country membership. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said last month that Georgia is moving closer to the military alliance by making reforms and major contributions to 'our shared security,' adding that NATO is committed to helping Georgia on its membership path. But officials in Tbilisi have expressed impatience with NATO over what they see as lip service when it comes to Georgia's potential inclusion in the alliance. Georgian Defense Minister Tina Khidasheli told RFE/RL in August that any tentativeness by NATO to fulfill its membership promises risks encouraging Russia to continue pursuing aggressive policies. Janelidze struck a more diplomatic tone when asked about Georgia's expectation for the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw in July. 'For this Warsaw summit, we look forward for this confirmation of this progress on our membership aspiration path, and also we are talking about the next steps for enhancing our practical cooperation for defense-capability building,' he said. Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/georgia- says-western-intergration-sovereignity-are- red-lines-in-russia-talks/27622192.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Washington 'Anxious' Over China's Presence in South China Sea Shoal Sputnik News 18:56 18.03.2016(updated 19:36 18.03.2016) The US has seen Chinese activity around Scarborough Shoal and a top US naval officer expressed concern that China may be expanding its presence. Situated in waters disputed between China, Taiwan, and the Philippines, Scarborough Shoal is now being seen by US government officials as the next potential site for increased Chinese activity in the South China Sea. Admiral John Richardson, the US Navy's chief of naval operations, reportedly expressed concern saying that there is increased Chinese "surface ship activity" near Scarborough Shoal. "Richardson said he didn't know if Chinese activity at the shoal had anything to do with the pending decision at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in Philippines v. China, a case filed by Manila that has asked the international court to rule on China's excessive maritime claims in the South China Sea," The Diplomat reported. Lu Kang, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said it was hypocritical for the United States to criticize China for militarizing the region when it carries out its own naval patrols there. "This is really laughable and preposterous," he said. The Philippine foreign ministry said it had yet to receive a report about Chinese activity in Scarborough Shoal. Richardson said the United States would welcome the participation of other countries in joint patrols in the South China Sea, but those decisions needed to be made by the countries in question. Earlier reports demonstrated that the US intends to deploy B-1 heavy bombers in Australia, further fueling tensions over disputed territories in the South China Sea. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Records Nearly 9,000 Deaths in Yemeni Conflict Over Year Sputnik News 16:56 18.03.2016 According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, almost 9,000 people, including civilians, have been killed in hostilities in Yemen since March 2015. GENEVA (Sputnik) Almost 9,000 people, including civilians, have been killed in hostilities in Yemen since March 2015, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Friday. 'Since the beginning of the conflict a year ago, the UN Human Rights Office has recorded a total of just under 9,000 casualties including 3,218 civilians killed and a further 5,778 injured (from 26 March 2015 to 17 March 2016),' the OHCHR statement reads. According to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Hussein, the Saudi-led coalition conducting airstrikes in Yemen could be responsible for twice as many civilian casualties as all other forces put together. 'They have hit markets, hospitals, clinics, schools, factories, wedding parties and hundreds of private residences in villages, towns and cities including the capital Sana'a these awful incidents continue to occur with unacceptable regularity,' the commissioner said, as quoted in the statement. Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict between the government headed by Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Shiite Houthi rebels, who have been supported by army units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Since late March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against Houthi positions at Hadi's request. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia to Supply President-S Aircraft Defense Systems to Egypt in Weeks Sputnik News 12:00 18.03.2016(updated 12:42 18.03.2016) The deliveries of Russia's advanced President-S onboard defense systems (ODS) to Egypt will begin in 'coming days,' a senior Radio-Electronic Technologies Concern (KRET) executive said Friday. ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) The ODS is designed to protect planes and helicopters from being hit by missiles, air defense and anti-aircraft artillery. The defense system is currently installed on Ka-52, Mi-28 and Mi-26 helicopters. 'The deliveries will begin in the near future, it is literally a matter of weeks,' the company's first deputy director Igor Nasenkov told reporters. The contract for the supply of the systems to Egypt was signed in 2015. The ODS allows to detect and track incoming rockets, as well as repel them by directing coded laser rays at their multispectral optical seekers or creating radio jamming. Cairo and Moscow agreed to increase military, trade, security and economic cooperation following Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Egypt in February 2015. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Military Personnel Punished for Kunduz Hospital Attack by VOA News March 18, 2016 Officials say U.S. personnel who were involved in the devastating, half-hour aerial attack on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan have been or will be punished. Colonel Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for U.S.-Central Command said 'those individuals most closely associated with the incident have been suspended from their duties and were referred for administrative action.' The punishments have not been publicly announced, but are reported to include letters of reprimand, which can block promotions. The Defense Department is set to soon publish a redacted version of its investigation of the attack. The attack on the hospital in Kunduz in October killed 42 people, including medical staff and patients. Army General John Campbell, who was the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan at the time, but has since relinquished command, has said the attack on the hospital was 'directly the result of avoidable human error.' He called the strike 'a tragic mistake.' The medical charity Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, has called for an outside, independent investigation of the airstrike, but that has not happened. American forces misidentified a target in Kunduz on October 3 that resulted in the attack on the MSF hospital, according to a U.S. military investigation conducted last year. Afghan forces asked for U.S. air support to strike a National Directorate of Security building believed to be occupied by Taliban fighters. According to the report, the AC-130 air crew instead fired 211 shells at a hospital operated by MSF that was 450 meters away. Several factors contributed to the mistake. The air crew launched more than an hour earlier than planned, missing out on a crucial brief that would normally include identifying no-strike areas such as the MSF hospital. Once in flight, the aircraft's electronic systems malfunctioned, eliminating the crew's ability to transmit video, send and receive email, or send and receive electronic messages. The crew then believed it was the target of a missile, so they moved out of the aircraft's normal strike range, degrading the accuracy of the targeting system. That loss of accuracy appeared to cause the coordinates of the Taliban target to land on an open field. The crew visually located the 'closest, largest' building to that field and, thinking that was the target, fired on it. MSF said the errors pinpointed in the U.S. report showed 'gross negligence' on the part of U.S. forces. Days before the attack, MSF had provided geographic coordinates of its hospital to U.S. military authorities. The barrage on the hospital lasted 29 minutes before commanders realized the mistake, even as hospital staff members made 18 attempts to call or text U.S. and Afghan authorities about the attack as it was occurring. Many of the doctors and nurses at the hospital were killed instantly, and some patients who could not be moved to safety died in the ensuing flames from the attack. Within days of the October 3 incident, President Barack Obama called Joanne Liu, the president of Doctors Without Borders, to apologize for the mistaken attack. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Warring Afghan Sides Urged to Respect Humanitarian Law by Ayaz Gul March 18, 2016 The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Friday that 2015 had increased violations of humanitarian law and principles by all sides to the conflict in Afghanistan, undermining delivery of much needed assistance to the war victims. The violations hampered efforts to direct humanitarian activities in a neutral, impartial and objective way, ICRC President Peter Maurer told reporters in Kabul at the end of a five-day visit to the country. 'We also look back to a year where, once again, we have seen more hospitals attacked, more medical workers and doctors attacked, more medical facilities overall attacked, more difficulties for civilians and arms bearers to get treated according to international humanitarian law,' Maurer said. Maurer called for more international attention and involvement in addressing critical economic, health, shelter, water, sanitation and food security challenges facing Afghans, without waiting for a political solution to the war. Heavy civilian toll The United Nations says last year, the conflict caused more than 11,000 civilian casualties, including around 3,500 dead, and that women and children were among them. The number of civilian casualties is the highest since 2009, when the U.N. mission in Afghanistan began documenting them. "The conflict here in Afghanistan seems to defy any human logic because the more victims we see, the less attention the international community seems to bring to this conflict," the ICRC president said. Maurer also added his voice to international calls for the Afghan government and Taliban-led insurgent groups to urgently find a negotiated and sustainable settlement to the devastating conflict. The Afghan government was expected to open peace negotiations with the Taliban earlier this month, but in a last-minute announcement, the insurgent group refused to attend, citing certain preconditions, including the withdrawal of all U.S.-led foreign forces. "It is our assessment that no sustainable response can be found unless there is a credible and stable peace process and peaceful solution in place," Maurer said. 'Pending a political solution, international humanitarian law must be respected and neutral and impartial organizations must be able to work.' NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Deplores 'Awful' Carnage in Yemen From Saudi Coalition Airstrikes by Amanda Scott March 18, 2016 The United Nations has condemned recent airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, which have killed more than 100 civilians this week alone. Zeid Raad al-Hussein, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said Friday that two air attacks Tuesday on a crowded market in northwestern Yemen were among the deadliest incidents since the Saudis and their Arab partners in the Gulf began attacking Yemen's Houthi rebels last year. Saudi Arabia announced late Thursday, just hours before the U.N. issued its statement, that the Arab military coalition was scaling down combat operations in Yemen. Zeid said the latest attack was one of 'these awful incidents [that] continue to occur with unacceptable regularity.' Despite many previous complaints about civilian casualties caused by indiscriminate military action, he said the Saudi coalition failed to take actions to avert such incidents, or to report any progress on investigations of the carnage. 'Looking at the figures, it would seem that the coalition is responsible for twice as many civilian casualties as all other forces [in Yemen] put together virtually all as a result of airstrikes,' Zeid said. Civilian casualties The human-rights official said airstrikes carried out by Saudi pilots and their allies from the Gulf states 'have hit markets, hospitals, clinics, schools, factories, wedding parties and hundreds of private residences in villages, towns and cities, including the capital, Sana'a.' U.N. Human Rights office staff in Yemen who visited this week's attack site and interviewed survivors 'could find no evidence of any armed confrontation or significant military objects in the area at the time of the attack,' U.N. officials reported. The rights commissioner said the scope of the destruction in Yemen and the attackers' apparent failure to distinguish between legitimate military targets and civilians, who are protected under international law, raise the possibility that 'international crimes' were committed. Since the fighting in Yemen began a year ago, the U.N. Human Rights Office said it has recorded just under 9,000 casualties. including 3,218 civilians killed and a further 5,778 injured. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU, Turkey, Reach 'Landmark' Deal on Migrant Crisis by VOA News March 18, 2016 The European Union and Turkey agreed Friday on a deal that all sides hope will relieve Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II. European Council President Donald Tusk and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called it a 'landmark' agreement. The prime minister said Friday was a 'historic day' for Turkey and the EU. 'We today realized that Turkey and the EU have the same destiny, the same challenges and the same future,' Davutoglu said. The deal takes effect Sunday. All migrants who illegally enter Greece from Syria and elsewhere including those already in Turkey will be sent to Turkey after they are registered and their claims for asylum in Europe are considered. In exchange, thousands of refugees who fled to Turkey and legally sought asylum will be resettled equally across the 28 EU members. Turkey already shelters nearly 3 million Syrian refugees. It will get EU financial help to deal with the refugee crisis it will eventually double to about $6.7 billion along with quicker EU membership talks and visa-free travel for Turkish citizens across the EU by the end of June, if Turkey meets a number of preconditions. Tusk warned that the deal, by itself, would not solve Europe's migrant crisis. "Some may think this agreement is a silver bullet, but the reality is more complex,' he said. 'It is just one pillar of the comprehensive European strategy and can only work if the other pillars are implemented." Those other pillars include strengthening the EU's external borders, keeping a well-traveled migrant route across the western Balkans closed and returning to the open-borders Schengen system internally. Turkey has a shaky human rights record, and some human rights groups said the plan uses people looking for refuge from war, poverty and terrorism as political pawns. Amnesty International slammed the agreement, saying Turkey was not a safe country for refugees or migrants, and that the process of returning asylum seekers would inevitably be 'flawed, illegal and immoral." The U.N. refugee agency said it was vital that all sides respect international and European law. 'How this plan is to be implemented is ... going to be crucial. Ultimately, the response must be about addressing the compelling needs of individuals fleeing war and persecution. Refugees need protection, not rejection,' the UNHCR said in a statement. Even some EU leaders who signed off on the plan said they were not entirely happy with it. Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said the proposal 'is on the edge of international law' and might be hard to implement. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel accused Turkey of blackmail. But Europe has been struggling with the refugee crisis for months, and no one has come up with a solution on which everyone can agree. More than 1.2 million migrants have landed primarily on Greek and Italian shores since January 2015, and about 4,000 have drowned while trying to cross the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece. Thousands more have drowned in the dangerous Mediterranean after paying human smugglers. Children have been among the victims. Davutoglu said the refugees' plight was not an issue of bargaining, but an issue of humanitarian values as well as European values. VOA's Lisa Bryant contributed to this story from Paris. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Rights Chief Says Many in Burundi Live in 'Terror' by Megan Duzor March 18, 2016 The U.N. human rights chief, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, said Friday that Burundi is on the brink of a sudden escalation of violence to 'massive proportions.' 'Continued human rights violations and impunity for perpetrators mean that many of Burundi's people live in terror,' Zeid told the U.N. Security Council. He said that despite some progress in Burundi, which includes the release of a number political detainees, human rights violations are continuing. Burundi has been mired in a violent political crisis since April of last year, when President Pierre Nkurunziza sought and won what many see as an unconstitutional third term. Observers fear the violence which has killed more than 400 people and caused 230,000 more to flee the country could tip into another civil war, or worse, in the ethnically mixed Hutu-Tutsi nation. Since U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Burundi last month, Zeid said, there has been no decline in arbitrary arrests in the country, and there has been an increase in reports of torture. After Ban's visit, the Burundian government pledged to release political detainees; however, only 47 people have been freed, according to Zeid. Ban also addressed the Security Council on Friday, saying that during his visit to Burundi 'I heard deeply disturbing allegations of continuing violence and human rights violations, including those targeting women and children.' 'I underlined my deep concern over the volatile situation in the country,' he added, and 'I expressed my profound worry that the potential spiraling of violence risks relapse into civil war.' NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US to put rotational forces in 5 Philippine bases Iran Press TV Sat Mar 19, 2016 1:54AM The United States and Philippine have reached an agreement that allows for rotational deployment of US military forces at five bases, amid an ongoing standoff with China over the South China Sea. The deal was announced on Friday, when the two countries issued a joint statement listing the bases as Antonio Bautista Air Base, close to the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, Basa Air Base north of Manila, Fort Magsaysay in Palayan, Lumbia Air Base in Mindanao and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu. According to US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Amy Searight, the deal was inked under a 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that allows the US to expand its military presence in its former colony through rotation of ships and aircraft. Searight described the Manilla government as a 'critical US ally,' announcing US Defense Secretary Ash Carter's visit to the East Asian country. The agreement, in place for at least 10 years, is "pretty big,"US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg told reporters. It allows for enhancement of ties with Philippine and facilitates a greater military presence for Washington as part of the US rebalance to Asia. However, he stressed that it did not provide for permanent US bases in the country, although such bases existed for 94 years until 1991, when the Philippine Senate voted to evict them. 'This isn't a return to that era. These are different reasons and for 21st century issues, including maritime security,' he said, adding that no US deployments would be done without Philippine's approval. Washington is keen to boost military ties with East Asian countries, such as Taiwan and Singapore, and extend its own regional presence in the face of China's territorial claims in the South China Sea, one of the world's busiest trade routes through which passes more than $5 trillion. In recent months, tensions have been rising between Washington and Beijing over the situation in the disputed waters, with the former accusing the latter of militarizing the sea. The disputed waters are also claimed by countries such as Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin on Friday met Vice President of the European Commission for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic. They discussed gas cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union. "Special attention at the meeting was paid to the reforms in the Ukrainian gas sector, the attraction of European investment into the Ukrainian gas transport system, the increase of reverse gas supplies to Ukraine to the EU member states," the press center of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine reported. Klimkin urged the European Commission to oppose construction of politically motivated gas pipelines to bypass Ukraine, such as Nord Stream 2, the press center said. European Commission representatives emphasized Ukraine's reliability in gas transit to Europe. Harmonization of the Ukrainian energy sector with Third Energy Package would provide for additional opportunities for stepping up Ukraine and EU's partnership in the area. Next joint actions in the context of the termination of the 'winter Russia gas purchase package' on March 31, 2016 were also discussed. New Defense Pact Allows US to Increase Troop Presence in Philippines Sputnik News 03:10 19.03.2016(updated 06:06 19.03.2016) Amid escalating tensions in the South China Sea, the US and the Philippines have formalized a new defense pact that specifies five military bases where American forces will be allowed to operate. As Washington continues to pressure its Pacific allies to counter China's growing influence in the region, the US and the Philippines on Friday announced a new defense pact. While the pact was agreed to in 2014, it was only approved by the Philippine Supreme Court in January. According to US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg, the agreement allows the US to move additional troops and military units through five military bases in the Pacific nation. It also gives Washington permission to conduct construction and supply missions on Philippine soil. Goldberg stressed that the United States is not opening new military bases in its former colony, and will only operate in conjunction with the Philippine government. All permanent US military bases in the Philippines were closed in 1992. With no specific date mentioned, Goldberg indicated that US troops will be deployed to these new positions 'very soon.' While Washington is currently at odds with Beijing over its construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea, the US ambassador maintains that the pact is in no way aimed at China. 'It is not aimed at any country, but rather at improving our bilateral relationship' with the Philippines, Goldberg told reporters. Still, the US Navy has launched a number of aggressive patrols in recent months, sailing within the territorial limit of China's land reclamation projects. Earlier on Friday, US Navy chief Admiral John Richardson expressed concerns over an expanding Chinese presence near Scarborough Shoal. 'I think we see some surface ship activity and those sorts of things, survey type of activity, going on,' he said. 'That's an area of concerna next possible area of reclamation.' Scarborough Shoal is located in waters also claimed by the Philippines. A highly contested region, through which nearly $5 trillion in trade passes annually, China lays claim to most of the South China Sea, though there are overlapping claims by Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan. While Washington has accused Beijing of trying to establish an air defense zone in the region, Beijing maintains it has every right to build within its own territory and that the islands will be used primarily for humanitarian purposes. The United States has no territorial claims in the South China Sea. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Cybercom Commander: Other Nations' Cyberspace Ops Intensified By Terri Moon Cronk DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, March 18, 2016 U.S. Cyber Command has witnessed intensified cyberspace operations by state and nonstate actors and wide-ranging malicious cyber activities targeting the government and the private sector in the past year, Cybercom commander Navy Adm. Michael S. Rogers told a House panel March 16. Rogers, who is also the National Security Agency director and Central Security Service chief, testified on Cybercom's segment of the fiscal year 2017 Defense Department budget request before the House Armed Services Committee's emerging threats and capabilities subcommittee. He highlighted Cybercom's challenges and initiatives in the past year. "At this time, nations still present the greatest or gravest threats to our nation's cybersecurity, because they alone can commit the significant resources to sustain sophisticated campaigns to penetrate in our best-guarded networks," the admiral said. Watching for Nonstate 'Signs' Cybercom continues to look for signs that nations such as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea and nonstate actors such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant are developing "significant improvements" in their cyber capabilities, Rogers said. "They steal intellectual property, citizens' personal information, and they have intruded into networks ranging from the Joint Staff's unclassified network to networks controlling our nation's critical infrastructure," the admiral said. U.S. adversaries use cyberspace to shape potential operations to try to limit U.S. options in a crisis, he said, adding that Cybercom is progressing in building its cyber mission force of 133 teams. Even those teams are not yet operational, they are conducting cyber operations to support U.S. Central Command in degrading, dismantling and ultimately defeating ISIL, Rogers noted. The Joint Force Headquarters DoD Information Networks stood up last year has already made "great strides" in its goal to lead day-to-day security and defense of the department's data and networks, he said. More Confidence in DoD Systems And while DoD expands the joint information environment, Rogers said, there is much more confidence in DoD's overall systems' security and resilience. "Our operations to defend DoD networks and the nation's critical infrastructure proceed in conjunction with a host of federal, industry and international partners," he pointed out. Cyber mission forces continue to operate safely and in a way that respects Americans' civil liberties and privacies, Rogers said. Cyber Exercises Are Unmatched Cybercom's annual exercises, Cyber Flag and Cyber Guard, offer "unmatched realism as we train with federal, state, industry and international partners," Rogers told the panel. "And while our training is improving, we need a persistent training environment which the department is continuing to develop to gain necessary operational skills and to sustain readiness across the force." Cybercom is contributing to the new DoD cyber strategy, the commander said, adding that the command's many responsibilities have allowed it to benefit from the authorities it was granted under the fiscal year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, he said. "[It] represents a significant augmentation of our ability to provide capabilities to our cyber mission teams, as well as our ability to attract and retain a skilled cyber workforce," Rogers said. And despite the challenging cyber environment in which the United States operates, Cybercom continues to make significant progress while it conducts cyber operations against determined adversaries, he said. "The command has a clear path ahead and is actively pursuing new initiatives and authorities to best position the command to address the challenges and opportunities that we will undoubtedly confront," Rogers said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Belgian police arrest prime suspect in Paris attacks: Report Iran Press TV Fri Mar 18, 2016 4:49PM Belgian police have reportedly arrested Salah Abdeslam, the prime suspect in the November 13, 2015 attacks in France. The website of the Belgian paper Het Laatste Nieuws (HLN) said Friday that the fugitive Belgian national was arrested after a shootout in the capital, Brussels. The daily said Abdeslam was wounded in the leg after police fired shots during the search operation that started in the suspect's apartment earlier in the day in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels. It said Abdeslam was taken to the hospital along with a second suspect who was also shot in the leg. The RTBF, a French-language TV, reported earlier that two people had been wounded. It said Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel left a European Union summit to follow the very sensitive issue. French President Francois Hollande had said an important operation is underway in a Brussels neighborhood in connection with the November attacks in Paris which killed 130 people. Belgian officials confirmed the arrest of Abdeslam, with immigration minister Theo Francken and Justice Minister Koen Geens both saying, "we got him." France, however, has yet to officially confirm the arrest of the 26-year-old fugitive. Hollande said that he has no confirmation on the issue so far. The HLN daily said the operation in Molenbeek was not over yet as explosions were heard in the area. It said police suspect that two other suspects are still holed up in the building where Abdeslam was captured. Reports said the lockdown in the area has led to the entrapment of 20 children at two nearby schools. They said parents have been informed that access to one of the schools in Paal Street will be denied for at least several hours. Sources said a third suspect could have been arrested although there was no official confirmation. The search operation comes three days after Belgian and French security forces carried out a raid in the Forest neighborhood of Brussels, claiming to have neutralized a suspect of Paris attacks. Belgian prosecutors said Friday the man shot dead in the raid was believed to have been an accomplice to Abdeslam as fingerprints found inside indicate Abdeslam himself was there at some point too. Belgium has tried to play a significant role over the past four months in finding nationals who were the key figures behind the Paris attacks. Abdeslam's brother Brahim was one of the main attackers in Paris. Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected ringleader of the attacks, was also a Brussels resident while another attacker, Bilal Hadfi, was said to have lived for a time in Forest. The repeated raids in Brussels and elsewhere in Belgium, which have led to 22 arrests in connection to the Paris carnage, are meant to prevent attacks in the small Western European country as it has been prime recruiting ground in Europe for Daesh, a Takfiri group based in Iraq and Syria. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Key Paris Attack Suspect Arrested In Brussels March 18, 2016 by RFE/RL Salah Abdeslam, the main suspect in the November Paris attacks, and several other suspects have been arrested in the Belgian capital. Officials said the suspects were arrested in a police operation in Brussels' Molenbeek area on March 18. Prosecutors said Abdeslam was slightly wounded after he was shot in the leg as police moved in on a flat. 'It's a very important result in the battle for democracy, for the values that we want to embody against this abominable form of obscurantism,' Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said. He was speaking in Brussels alongside French President Francois Hollande, who said he expected Abdeslam's extradition 'as quickly as possible.' Hollande also said the security threat level was "very high" and that 'many more people' than originally thought were involved in the planning of the Paris attacks in which 130 people were killed. Michel said a total of three suspects had been arrested. But a spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office, Thierry Werts, said that in addition to Abdeslam and another suspect linked to the Paris attacks, authorities were holding three members of a family that had sheltered Abdeslam. Earlier, Belgian prosecutors said Abdeslam's fingerprints had been found in a Brussels apartment raided on March 15, but prosecutors said the prints could not be dated. A man, identified as Algerian national Mohamed Belkaid and linked to the Paris attacks, was killed during the operation in the Forest suburb. Abdeslam, 26, had lived in Molenbeek before the November 13 Paris attacks claimed by Islamic State militants. A French national born in Brussels, he is suspected of having played a key logistical role in the assaults. Abdeslam is believed to have returned to Belgium immediately after the attacks, in which his brother Brahim blew himself up. With reporting by AFP, dpa, and Reuters Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/brussels-raid-paris- suspects-fingerprints/27621586.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address France to Demand Extradition of Paris Mastermind After Brussels Arrest Sputnik News 22:51 18.03.2016(updated 03:17 19.03.2016) Following the arrest of Salah Abdeslam, the mastermind of the Paris attacks, by Brussels authorities, France is requesting an extradition. During a joint press conference between Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and French President Francois Holland, the leaders confirmed that Abdeslam had been captured during a police operation in the Molenbeek district of Brussels, along with four other suspects. The operation was launched after Belgian authorities discovered Abdeslam's fingerprints in a Brussels apartment. Abdeslam and another suspect were reportedly injured during the raid. Previous reports indicated that only three suspects were apprehended. 'We have detained Salah Abdeslam. Three suspects have been arrested, including Salah Abdeslam,' Michel said. According to Belgian RTFB news, the raid has officially ended, and Hollande says he expects the suspect's extradition 'as rapidly as possible.' France's security council plans to hold a meeting on Saturday morning. Hollande confirmed ties between the Paris attackers and Daesh, also known as IS/Islamic State and stressed that the current threat level is very high. Hollande also said there were more suspects involved in the Paris attacks than authorities originally realized. The arrest brings a four month manhunt to a close, after attackers left 130 people dead in coordinated attacks across the French capital last November. Still, Hollande stressed that those responsible for the attack are not limited to those who have been arrested or identified. 'We must catch all those who allowed, organised or facilitated these attacks and we realize that they are a lot more numerous than we thought earlier and had identified,' Hollande said. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Captured American IS Fighter's Story Raising 'Red Flags' by Jeff Seldin March 18, 2016 Intelligence officials are taking a close look at what an American Islamic State (IS) fighter is telling Kurdish media; parts of his account raise as many questions as answers. Mohamad Jamal Khweis, the 26-year-old from Alexandria, Virginia, spoke just days after he claims to have fled from the IS-held city of Mosul. Kurdish forces saw him wandering near the northern Iraqi city of Sinjar Monday and fired upon him before he surrendered. During the heavily edited version of the interview released by Kurdistan24 television, Khweis seems relaxed and, at times, smokes a cigarette, something he said is prohibited in the terror group's self-declared caliphate. "I made a bad decision to go with [a] girl and go to Mosul," Khweis said in English. "I wasn't thinking straight." Journey to Mosul He described how the Iraqi girl, the sister of a woman married to an IS fighter, made arrangements for the fairly uneventful journey. "First, we took a bus from Istanbul to a city, Gaziantep," he said. "From there, a driver picked us up and took us to the border and then [we went] from Syria to Iraq." U.S. intelligence officials hope to learn more about Khweis' travels and, if possible, to validate his accounts of IS, including information on foreign fighters in the Mosul area. For now, current and former intelligence officials, as well as analysts, are approaching the account with caution. "There are a ton of holes in his story," said Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "The answers he is giving don't appear to be satisfactory," he added. "The question then becomes whether he's lying, obfuscating, or just doesn't want to talk about aspects of his story. And then the next question is why?" How did he get ID and cash? One of the 'red flags' is Khweis' account of his escape. In the interview, he described how upon arriving in IS territory he was stripped of his identification papers. "All the foreigners had to give their IDs and passports to one of the person in charge there," Khweis said. "From there, after we gave all our IDs and passports, we got picked up we drove into Raqqa." Yet when Khweis surrendered to Kurdish forces, he was carrying his Virginia driver's license, as well as a stack of what appears in photos to be U.S. $100 bills, Turkish money, debit and credit cars and three cell phones. One former intelligence officer who watched the interview called that part of Khweis' story "magically getting his docs and cash" odd. "It doesn't make sense," said Patrick Skinner, now with The Soufan Group, a strategic security intelligence consultancy. "I've interviewed lots of people like that and if you don't ask for details you don't get them -- get the old 'every time frame is a week' spiel and generic 'went to a house'." he said. "But odd from an educated person." Why was his escape so easy? Skinner also wondered why Khweis never speaks to a basic question. "What made him travel in the first place, not just to Mosul but the whole trip?" Skinner asked. The ease of Khweis' escape also raises questions given IS's reputation for executing fighters and others who try to flee. "About a month [after] I was there, I decided to return back home," Khweis said. "At first [a friend] said he could help me, but then he said it will be difficult to take me all the way to Turkey," he said. "He told me he will take me close to Turkey's border." According to his account, though, his escape from Mosul is seamless. The Iraqi girl? Another claim that has raised suspicions is his story about the Iraqi girl who escorted him from Turkey to Syria. IS has long used the promise of women or brides to lure would-be foreign fighters. And intelligence officials have said IS does make use of unofficial networks, like family relations, to help bring in more recruits. But the role Khweis described for the Iraqi girl is, at least, unusual. "It's surprising that ISIS would allow a woman who is not related to the recruit to travel with him alone," said terror analysts J.M. Berger, a fellow with George Washington University's Program on Extremism and co-author of ISIS: State of Terror. 'It could also be a sign something isn't right with this story." Still, officials and analysts say parts of Khweis' account are plausible. "It is very possible he was lured over through a network that used women - to alleviate suspicion of a single male or single female," said ex-undercover Canadian security and counterterrorism operative Mubin Shaikh. "It does seem that she was indeed part of a network waiting for him." There is also Khweis' journey from London to Amsterdam to Turkey, where he finalized his travel plans to Syria and IS territory. "We've seen this route before," Shaikh said. And his description of the training and the array of foreign fighters is consistent with other accounts. Khweis said he spent about a week at a house in Raqqa, spending time with "a lot of Asians, a lot of Russians, people from the surrounding area, like Uzbekistan," as well as Egyptians, Moroccans and Algerians. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Militants Attack Algeria Gas Plant, No Casualties by VOA News March 18, 2016 Unknown attackers fired rockets at a natural gas plant in southern Algeria Friday but there are no reports of casualties. The facility is jointly operated by three energy firms, including Norway's Statoil. Statoil said in a statement that the In Salah gas plant in Krechba 'was hit by explosive munitions fired from a distance' at about 6 a.m. local time. It said its three employees in Krechba are unharmed, and that it has no information about anyone else being injured during the attack. Britain's BP, one of the partners, said the plant's central processing facility has been shut down as a safety precaution. Amenas attack In January 2013, Islamist militants attacked the In Amenas gas plant in eastern Algeria. About 40 workers, most of them foreigners, were killed during a four-day hostage crisis. Militant leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar claimed responsibility for the attack in the name of al-Qaida. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China's presence in Indian Ocean legitimate, military expert says People's Daily Online By Yuan Can (People's Daily Online) 17:15, March 18, 2016 It is a legitimate action for China's nuclear submarine to enter the Indian Ocean since China has interests in the region, Yin Zhuo, a military expert, said in an interview. China is a stakeholder in the Indian Ocean, said Yin in an interview with China Central Television. Every year, China transports goods worth $1.5 trillion through the waters, and China also use routes in the Indian Ocean to transport petroleum. China's decision to send a nuclear submarine into the area simply demonstrates the country's commitment to protecting its legitimate rights, according to Yin. CCTV reported that China's activities in the Indian Ocean give India no reason to be concerned. Furthermore, the New York Times said that India and Japan are in talks to collaborate on upgrading civilian infrastructure in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an Indian archipelago seen as a critical asset to counter China's efforts at expanding its maritime reach. Yin pointed out that the Indian Ocean is free to all countries. India's deployment of P-8I and other anti-submarine frigates in the area indicates the country's concern for security, but China has always been transparent about its activities in the region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan, South Korea slam North Korea's new ballistic missile launch Iran Press TV Fri Mar 18, 2016 6:2AM South Korea and Japan have denounced North Korea over its latest ballistic missile launch, demanding Pyongyang to avoid such moves that could heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Speaking to parliament, Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe said on Friday that Tokyo had criticized Pyongyang's recent missile launch into the Sea of Japan as "extremely problematic" and urged the North to exercise self-restraint. "We have strongly protested North Korea. The government will continue work in close cooperation with the international community and respond firmly. While demanding strongly that North Korea show restraint, we are making doubly sure that we can respond to any situation with all means, including strengthening our surveillance systems," Abe said. Meanwhile, South Korea's Defense Ministry in a statement described the North's missile launch as "a significant threat" to its national security. "Our military takes the development of the situation on North Korea's nuclear and missile program seriously. North Korea's missile launch is a frontal attack against the UN Security Council Resolution and a significant threat to peace and stability in the international society," the statement said. On March 17, North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the sea off its eastern coast amid simmering tensions on the Korean Peninsula. A South Korean military spokesman said the missile was fired from Sukchon County in the country's southwest. The missile reportedly flew 800 kilometers into the Sea of Japan. Pyongyang has been the target of hard-hitting United Nations sanctions over the nuclear tests and missile launches. The UN Security Council passed a raft of economic sanctions against the country earlier this month in reaction to its latest missile launch, which Pyongyang said was meant to place an earth observation satellite into orbit. The launch was condemned by a number of countries as a disguised missile test. Relations between North and South Korea have been turbulent for years. Seoul and Pyongyang fought a war in the early 1950s, and have been at odds ever since. Tensions have escalated further recently following Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test in January and the start of joint military exercises by Washington and Seoul. North Korea accuses the US of plotting with its regional allies to topple the government in Pyongyang. The country bills its nuclear capabilities as a deterrent against hostile US policies. Pyongyang also wants Washington to dissolve its military command in Japan and South Korea, where the US has thousands of troops. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Security Council Calls North Korea Missile Launches 'Unacceptable' by VOA News March 18, 2016 The U.N. Security Council has 'strongly condemned' North Korea's launch of two medium-range ballistic missiles, saying it clearly violated U.N. resolutions. In a unanimous statement, the council 'expressed grave concern' over the launches it called 'unacceptable.' It demanded North Korea refrain from further actions that violate U.N. resolutions and urged all countries 'to redouble their efforts' to implement all sanctions against the communist nation. The statement was adopted during a closed-door meeting called by the United States, and was backed of China, North Korea's ally. North Korea fired the missiles Friday in defiance of U.N. resolutions prohibiting that country from developing nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities. South Korean officials said one of the missiles traveled 800 kilometers before crashing off the North's east coast. A second missile disappeared from South Korean radar and appeared to have exploded in flight. Both were believed to be Rodong missiles fired from road-mobile launch vehicles. Rodong missiles have the potential to reach Japan. North Korea did not declare a no-sail zone prior to the launch, even though it is required under international conventions to warn ships that may be in the area. Neither missile's launch path was assessed to be a threat to the United States or its regional allies, according to the U.S. Defense Department, which tracked the launch of the missiles. New sanctions The North's actions came a day after President Barack Obama signed an executive order imposing new sanctions on Pyongyang in response to the reclusive state's latest nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The executive order followed North Korea's fourth nuclear test January 6, as well as a February 7 long-range rocket launch that was widely seen as a disguised ballistic missile test. Both tests were in violation of long-standing international talks aimed at curbing Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement Friday saying the United States is closely monitoring the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The statement, in part, read, 'We call again on North Korea to refrain from actions that further raise tensions in the region and focus instead on taking concrete steps toward fulfilling its international commitments and obligations.' Kerry said the U.S. remained steadfast in its commitments to the defense of its allies, including South Korea and Japan. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Pyongyang to 'halt these inflammatory and escalatory actions.' Citing the secretary-general, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, 'The situation on the Korean Peninsula, including the latest ballistic missile launches, is deeply troubling,' and urged Pyongyang to comply with its international obligations, including relevant Security Council resolutions. History repeats Friday's missile launches were the latest retaliatory acts North Korea has made since the United Nations imposed tough new sanctions March 2. They mirrored the North's response to the last round of U.N. sanctions imposed in 2013 after its third nuclear test. In May of that year, North Korea launched a series of short-range missiles over one weekend. Nuclear advancement This month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered further nuclear and missile tests. State media KCNA published photographs of Kim inspecting sites where miniaturized nuclear warheads and advanced long-range ballistic missile technologies were supposedly being developed. The North, however, has yet to demonstrate this type of capability, and many analysts have expressed skepticism that the country's nuclear program has reached that advanced stage of development. In 2013, Kim ordered the country's atomic energy department to restart the uranium enrichment plant and the five-megawatt reactor at its Yongbyon nuclear complex. The North closed the facility in 2007 under an agreement reached at six-party talks with the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea. Continued provocation The continued repetition of provocation and crises has led many, especially in South Korea, to downplay the reality of North Korea's nuclear advancement and growing threat to regional peace and stability, said analyst Ahn Chan-il of the World Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul. "At this point, it is regrettable that we have become dull on North Korea's military provocation, which continues to upgrade," he said. While the North's aggressive responses follow the same defiant pattern, advocates for sanctions say there is cause to believe that the new U.S. measures, in addition to the U.N. sanctions imposed this year, will deliver a different outcome. "I think it is good to see that the Obama administration is imposing actual sanctions and pressure while it had had a naive policy in the past against North Korea," Ahn said. International condemnation As international sanctions increase economic pressure on Pyongyang, Washington, Seoul and Tokyo have increased their defense readiness postures. U.S. and South Korean forces are currently conducting joint annual military exercises. "We take the threat [from North Korea] extremely seriously," U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert told VOA Friday by phone, adding that the U.S. was continuing to consult with South Korea on the "desirability and feasibility of deployment" of an anti-ballistic missile system known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD. 'North Korea's missile launch is a frontal attack against the U.N. Security Council resolution and a significant threat to peace and stability in the international society,' said South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-Gyun. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described the launch as "extremely problematic" and called on the North to cease such actions. Brian Padden and Youmi Kim in Seoul and Nike Ching in Washington contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Meeting of International Advisory Council chaired by Poroshenko to be held on March 18-20 The first inaugural meeting of the International Advisory Council chaired by President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko will be held in Kyiv on March 18-20 this year. According to the presidential press service, the meeting will be attended by members of the council and world leaders, in particular, Polish politician and economist Leszek Balcerowicz, Head of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs Elmar Brok, OSCE Special Representative on Gender Issues Melanne Verveer, ex-premier of Slovakia Mikulas Dzurinda, former Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott, former Prime Minister of Lithuania Andrius Kubilius and ex-foreign minister of Poland Radoslaw Sikorski. The event program includes the discussion and development of recommendations on the possible ways to counter Russian aggression and promote the implementation of reforms in Ukraine on the basis of the best international practices. The council is formed as an advisory authority under the president of Ukraine by the decree dated December 16, 2015. Iraqis demonstrate near Green Zone, call for reforms Iran Press TV Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:4PM Thousands of Iraqis demonstrated near the heavily fortified Green Zone in the capital, Baghdad, Friday, supporting calls by influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr for reforms. The protesters defied a government ban that called protests near the Green Zone as unauthorized, cutting coils of barbed wire and pushing aside barriers to cross Al-Jumhuriya Bridge, which leads to the gate of the complex in central Baghdad. Sadr had warned in previous demonstrations that if the government ignores his calls for economic reform, his supporters would storm the Green Zone, which is home to Iraq's political elite as well as most of the foreign embassies. The Najaf-based cleric wants a reshuffle in the cabinet of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi so that more technocrats could take office. He has threatened Abadi with a no-confidence vote if he fails to carry out the reform. "Let's get rid of them, they're all thieves!" chanted the demonstrators who were wearing black, many of them carrying Iraqi flags. Some even were aiming to hold their weekly Friday prayer at a gate that leads to the parliament building. Sadr called on his supporters on Thursday to remain in front of the gates of the sprawling Green Zone until his demands are met. That prompted some protesters to lay out sheets and blankets on the street and under trees to start a sit-in. 'The sit-ins have started in front of the Green Zone gates as a message to the corrupt people who live there,' said Ibrahim al-Jaberi, a local official from Sadr's movement. He said the sit-down will be open-ended. Another demonstrator said, 'We'll stay days, weeks or months if needed, until the government implements reform and sacks all the corrupt politicians.' Security forces imposed a lockdown on many major streets and bridges in Baghdad, while additional checkpoints and police patrols were deployed to maximize security in the city. Helicopters were hovering overhead. "All entrances to Baghdad have been blocked and some main streets and bridges are also closed, especially those leading to the Green Zone," a police colonel said. Sadr has urged his supporters to refrain from clashes with security forces guarding the Green Zone, an area he described in his Thursday statement as "a bastion of support for corruption." Sadr is from an influential clerical family, which is known in Iraq for its steadfastness against the former dictator Saddam Hussein. The young Shia cleric launched a strong campaign against US troops following their 2003 invasion of Iraq. The weekly demonstrations in the capital have helped Sadr to restore some of political influence he had lost in recent years. The cleric has also distanced himself from some corrupt members in his own Ahrar bloc in the parliament, further boosting his image in Iraq as a nationalist figure. He also runs a group called Saraya al-Salam (Peace Brigades). NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Fearing Beijing and Pyongyang, Tokyo to Extend Surveillance Capabilities Sputnik News 00:43 19.03.2016(updated 07:40 19.03.2016) Citing threats from both China and North Korea, Japan has announced plans to extend its surveillance operations in the East China Sea. With tensions rising in the South China Sea, ongoing territorial disputes between Beijing and Tokyo in the East China Sea have been overlooked. Both countries lay claim to the Senkaku Islands, a string off the northeast coast of Taiwan. While the landmasses are uninhabited, they lie near important fishing grounds, shipping lanes, and what could be potential sources of oil and natural gas. On Friday, Japan announced new plans to assert its sovereignty over the islands. 'This is kind of a power vacuum area,' said Col. Masashi Yamamoto, a military attache with the Japanese Embassy in Washington, according to Defense News. 'Considering North Korean activities, and the frequent invasion of our territory by China around these islands, we think we need to beef up our intelligence capability so that Japan can react better.' 'North Korean activities' likely refers to Pyongyang's recent ballistic missiles launches, all of which crash-landed in the Sea of Japan. Yamamoto cited Chinese naval vessels passing within the 12-mile territorial limit around the Senkaku Islands. 'Chinese Coast Guard ships continually enter the waters around the Senkakus,' he said. 'We think they are looking for a threshold to see what the limits are.' He added that Tokyo has evidence that Chinese "fisherman" have landed on the island, and that those fisherman could be Chinese troops in disguise. Tokyo's upgraded surveillance efforts in the region will include the construction of a new radar observation station on Yonaguni Island, Japan's westernmost inhabited island. This will extend the military's surveillance capabilities by some 200 miles. Expected to go online March 28, the station will be manned by 150 Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers. 'If we put forces on the Senkaku Islands it would escalate tension,' Yamamoto said. 'We don't want to escalate. But on Yonaguni there are 1,800 residents. Yonaguni extends the observation network watching the Senkakus.' While there is no plan to place Japanese troops on the Senkaku Islands, such a move could be implemented if the new surveillance network detects Chinese troops on the disputed chain. Yamamoto dubbed this possibility "Phase Two," in which amphibious units would be scrambled to retake territory theoretically seized by China. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Libya authorities oppose UN-backed unity government Iran Press TV Fri Mar 18, 2016 7:12PM Libya's internationally recognized government has opposed a UN-sponsored unity government in the Arab country, citing fears of more divisions. On Friday, the government, backed by an internationally recognized parliament warned against 'measures by certain international parties that want to impose this government of national unity.' The government, based in eastern Libya, added on its Facebook page that such steps would 'further complicate' Libya's political crisis and 'deepen divisions' in the nation. The authorities also warned 'all Libyan institutions at home and abroad from dealing with' the unity government 'before it has won a vote of confidence in parliament'. The other warring side had also expressed its opposition to the unity government with the so-called Tripoli government said in a statement on Tuesday, 'A government that has been imposed from abroad without the consensus of Libyans... has no place amongst us.' Since August 2014, when militias seized the capital, Tripoli, the country has had two parliaments and two governments, with one, the General National Congress (GNC) run by the militants in the capital, and the internationally-recognized administration in the northeastern city of Tobruk. A unity government has also been nominated under a UN-sponsored plan, but has not won approval yet. Back in December 2015, the unity government was created under a power-sharing deal sealed by the rival parties. The government announced last Saturday it was taking office on the basis of a petition signed by Libya's elected lawmakers, despite not being formally approved by lawmakers from either side. The United States and its European allies have called on the new unity government to swiftly move to the Libyan capital and take up power, and threatened to impose sanctions against those who undermine the political process. Foreign ministers of Libya's neighbors will hold a meeting in Tunisia on Monday and Tuesday to press for a political settlement, according to Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui. Libya has been grappling with violence and political uncertainty since the oil-rich country's former dictator Muammar Gaddafi was deposed in 2011. Armed groups and regional factions have been fighting for power ever since. Exploiting the chaos, the Daesh terrorist group, which has been engaged in heinous crimes in different parts of Iraq and Syria, emerged in Libya in February last year, after releasing a video that showed the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians. The terror group also launched a parade on the streets of the coastal city of Sirte later that month. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address S.Korea denounces DPRK's ballistic missile launch People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 13:10, March 18, 2016 SEOUL, March 18 -- South Koreaon Friday strongly denounced the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s launch of a ballistic missile in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement that the DPRK launch bluntly violated UN Security Council resolutions, which ban all launches based on ballistic missile technology, strongly slamming Pyongyang for the Friday firing of a ballistic missile. The DPRK fired what South Korea's military assessed was a Rodong ballistic missile on Friday morning from the country's western area. The missile landed in waters off the east coast. One more DPRK projectile was fired, but it was detonated in the air. The ministry said that the launch, which is a grave provocative act threatening peace on the Korean peninsula and in the world, was in defiance of new UN Security Council resolution imposed over the DPRK's latest nuclear test and rocket launch. The new UN resolution was adopted on March 2 after the DPRK's fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6 and the launch of a long-range rocket, which was condemned as a disguised test of ballistic missile technology, on Feb. 7. The statement said that South Korea will push for necessary measures rapidly at UN Security Council in cooperation with the international community and make all-out efforts to pressure the DPRK to recognize its regime cannot survive unless it gives up nuclear and missile programs. It added that Seoul will sternly deal with any DPRK provocations while maintaining complete defense preparedness. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address World's Largest Akula-Class Nuclear Submarines to Be Recycled in Russia Sputnik News 14:42 18.03.2016(updated 14:43 18.03.2016) Two of the world's largest nuclear-powered submarines will be recycled at a ship yard in northern Russia after reaching the end of their operational lives, a high-level defense industry representative told RIA Novosti on Friday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) A total of six Project 941 (NATO reporting name Typhoon) submarines were built in the Soviet era. The remaining Severstal and Arkhangelsk submarines have been in reserve with the Russian Navy, while the Dmitry Donskoy Project 941UM was upgraded to carry Bulava ballistic missiles. 'A decision has now been made to recycle the Severstal and the Arkhangelsk at the Zvezdochka plant in Severodvinsk [Arkhangelsk Region],' the source said. The defense industry representative noted that the vessels could have been capable of carrying 300 new Kalibr cruise missiles if they had been upgraded. The soon-to-be-retired submarines were built in reaction to the US Navy's Ohio class nuclear-powered submarines. They allowed the Soviet Union and the United States to reach parity in terms of marine strategic nuclear forces, confirmed at the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT II) in 1979. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New Admiral Gorshkov Frigate to Join Russian Navy in December Sputnik News 11:15 18.03.2016(updated 11:16 18.03.2016) The warship will have an assortment of weaponry, including a 130-mm gun, the Oniks 3M55 (SS-N-26) anti-ship missiles and the Poliment-Redut shipborne air defense system. ST. PETERSBURG, March 18 (Sputnik) The Admiral Gorshkov frigate, the lead ship of its class, is expected to join Russia's Navy in December 2016, Deputy Navy Commander Vice Adm. Alexander Fedotenkov told reporters on Friday. 'In the end of the year, in December,' he said answering a corresponding question. The Admiral Gorshkov is the first in a series of six Project 22350 frigates to be produced by Severnaya Verf shipyard in St. Petersburg under a contract for the Russian Defense Ministry. The Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates have a displacement of 4,500 tons, a top speed of 29 knots, a range of 4,000 nautical miles at 14 knots, and can go for up to 15 days without resupplying. The warship has a crew of 210 and an assortment of weaponry, including a 130-mm A-192 gun, the Oniks 3M55 (SS-N-26) anti-ship missiles and the Poliment-Redut shipborne air defense system. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia says no ground troops involved in operation for Palmyra Iran Press TV Fri Mar 18, 2016 3:36PM Russia says it has no ground troops involved in the operation to liberate Syria's Palmyra and the 'advance' to retake the historic city is carried out by the Syrian army. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that the advance on Palmyra 'is carried out by contingents of the Syrian army.' The Russian official also clarified remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin about Palmyra, which is also known as Tadmur in Arabic. "The offensive is conducted by Syrian armed forces. What the president said was that the campaign has significantly strengthened the Syrian armed forces, which are now able to independently continue the offensive," Peskov told reporters. President Putin on Thursday expressed hope that Palmyra, known as the 'Pearl of the Desert' for its historic and archeological value, would be returned to the Syrian people soon. Social media pages affiliated to the Takfiri terrorist group Daesh, which took control of Palmyra in May 2015, claimed on Friday that the militants had managed to kill five Russian troops near Palmyra. 'Four of the Russian soldiers were killed in Qasr al-Halabat west of Palmyra,' said Aamaq, a website linked to Daesh, adding that a Russian adviser had died Thursday in the Dawa area. 'Ground paved for Daesh defeat in Palmyra' The Russian armed forces said Friday that the country's jets are flying some 25 bombing raids daily to back up a Syrian government offensive to recapture the ancient city of Palmyra from Daesh militants. Senior commander Sergei Rudskoi said the 'conditions have been created for the encirclement and definitive defeat of IS (Daesh) armed formations in Palmyra.' 'Government troops and patriotic forces with the support of the Russian air force are carrying out a large-scale operation to liberate Palmyra,' he told journalists. 'On average Russian planes are flying 20 to 25 combat sorties each day,' Rudskoi said. Palmyra has seen over the past months shocking scenes of pillage and looting by Daesh of some of its valuable archaeological sites, including the ancient Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to confirm the alleged death of Russian soldiers. Russia has reportedly lost a total of five servicemen since its aerial campaign against terrorist positions began in Syria on September 30, 2015. The combat sorties began upon a request by the Syrian government. Officials in the ministry said on Friday that conditions were created for the complete defeat of Daesh in Palmyra. On the 'threshold of the city' On Thursday, Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riyad Haddad thanked Moscow for its support for the Syrian army in its drive to retake Palmyra, saying Damascus is very close to liberating the city from the occupation of Daesh. 'Our army is on the threshold of the city. This, of course, [occurred] with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces,' Haddad said. On March 14, President Putin ordered the start of Russia's military pullout from Syria, expressing hope that the withdrawal could help peace negotiation on the fate of the Arab country advance. However, the Russian president said Thursday that his country will remain engaged in the fight against terrorism in Syria, adding that Moscow will be ready to provide military and intelligence support to Damascus. "If needed, Russia can boost its air group in the region in literally a few hours to a size corresponding with the situation and use the whole arsenal of our opportunities," Putin said in a ceremony held in Moscow to award Russian servicemen for their role in the Syria campaign. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Opposition Sets Red Lines on Release of Detainees in Peace Talks Sputnik News 20:02 18.03.2016(updated 20:03 18.03.2016) The Riyadh-formed Syrian High Negotiations Committee (HNC) opposition delegation in the Syrian peace talks has set 'red lines' in its negotiations with the Syrian government delegation regarding the numbers of detainees to be released by the government, HNC spokeswoman Bassma Kodmani said on Friday. GENEVA (Sputnik) The delegation also seeks to ensure the free movement of humanitarian aid in Syria, as well as to end sieges across the country, she added. 'There are fixed red lines in our position [on the release of detainees] in the documents that we presented,' Kodmani told reporters after the meeting between UN Envoy for Syria Staffan De Mistura and the HNC delegation. The Riyadh-formed Syrian High Negotiations Committee (HNC) opposition delegation hopes to see Syria's transition to a democratic state accomplished by next year, Kodmani said. 'Today, we commemorate the fifth anniversary [of start of the civil war]. Our hope is that on the sixth anniversary, next year, we will move to the democratic reconstruction of the Syrian people,' Kodmani told reporters after the meeting between UN Envoy for Syria Staffan De Mistura and the HNC delegation. The latest round of the intra-Syrian talks resumed on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland. Three opposition delegations are taking part in the negotiations: the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), which was formed in Saudi Arabia in December, a delegation formed following talks in Moscow and Cairo and a group formed after opposition talks at the Hmeimim air base in Syria. The proximity talks center around a transitional political process for Syria, which has been in a state of civil war since 2011. A number of sticking points persist, with the HNC seeking the establishment of a transitional governing body with full executive powers, while the government considers this unacceptable. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Air Group Leaving Syria According to Schedule Sputnik News 17:29 18.03.2016(updated 17:31 18.03.2016) The Russian air group is leaving Syria in accordance with the approved schedule, according to the General Staff. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The withdrawal of the Russian air group from Syria is carried out in line with the approved schedule, the Russian General Staff said Friday. 'At present, the preparation for redeployment of front-line aviation as well as support units is underway according to schedule,' Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi, head of the General Staff's Main Operational Directorate, told reporters. 'Part of the equipment and cargo will be transported by military-transport aircraft, while the rest by ships,' Rudskoi added. A bulk of Russia's air groups returned to their home bases after broadly completing counterterrorist objectives in Syria at Russian President Vladimir Putin's orders this week. On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the pullout of the main contingent of Russian forces from Syria, stating they had accomplished their anti-terrorism mission. Russian Aerospace Forces Commander Col. General Viktor Bondarev said the withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria will be completed within two to three days. Russia had conducted an aerial campaign against terrorists in Syria since September 30, 2015 at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Jets Continue Strikes on Terrorists in Syria, Conduct 25 Sorties Sputnik News 17:04 18.03.2016(updated 17:05 18.03.2016) Russian aviation will continue strikes on Daesh and al-Nusra Front terrorist groups in Syria, carrying out an average of 25 sorties daily, the Russian General Staff said Friday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Rudskoi added that combat aircraft conduct 20-25 daily sorties in support of Syrian ground forces involved in the liberation of Palmyra. 'I would like to emphasize that the Russian Aerospace Forces will continue strikes against Daesh and al-Nusra Front terrorist groups in Syria,' Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Main Operational Directorate, told reporters. A bulk of Russia's air groups returned to their home bases after broadly completing counterterrorist objectives in Syria at Russian President Vladimir Putin's orders this week. On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the pullout of the main contingent of Russian forces from Syria, stating they had accomplished their anti-terrorism mission. Russian Aerospace Forces Commander Col. General Viktor Bondarev said the withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria will be completed within two to three days. Russia had conducted an aerial campaign against terrorists in Syria since September 30, 2015 at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukrainian Consul was attacked during an assault against head of the Russian Committee to Combat Torture in the capital of Chechnya on Wednesday. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin reported the incident on his Twitter account. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry gave no further details. The attackers were not identified. The Supreme Court of Chechnya is considering an appeal against extension of arrest for Ukrainian citizens Mykola Karpiuk and Stanislav Klykh, accused of participation in the military hostilities and killing of Russian servicemen in Chechnya in 1990's. Ukraine's Consul Anatoliy Kovtun attends the court hearings. Klimkin also wrote that the courtroom at a hearing on Thursday was full of people who did not know what hearing they were attending. The minister also said that Ukrainian Consul had to twice call paramedics for Klykh's mother, who also attended the proceedings and suffered heart attacks. Ukraine's Foreign Minister said he would pass all this information to Ukraine's European partners. Earlier Russian media reported that head of the Russian Committee to Combat Torture Igor Kaliapin was attacked in front of the hotel he stayed in Grozny. Individuals in masks beat him, and threw eggs and flour at him. Kremlin: Syrian Army Carries Out Palmyra Offensive Without Russian Military Sputnik News 14:14 18.03.2016(updated 14:15 18.03.2016) The Russian military is not involved in the Syrian armed forces' campaign to reclaim the city of Palmyra, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday. MOSCOW8 (Sputnik) Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed hope that Palmyra would be returned to the Syrian people at Thursday's ceremony awarding Russian servicemen for their role in the nearly 6-month anti-terrorist campaign. "The offensive is conducted by Syrian armed forces. What the president said was that the campaign has significantly strengthened the Syrian armed forces, which are now able to independently continue the offensive," Peskov told reporters. Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riyad Haddad said Thursday that the remaining Russian group in Syria "continued to support ground operations conducted by our army to liberate the city of Palmyra in particular." Over the past year, Daesh has seized, looted and destroyed several of the world's most important archaeological and cultural sites, including the ancient Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Opposition: Syria's New Constitution Must Guarantee Kurds' Rights, Freedoms Sputnik News 13:00 18.03.2016(updated 13:43 18.03.2016) The new Syrian Constitution should fully guarantee rights and freedoms of the Kurds living in the country, a member of the Syrian opposition delegation formed after meetings in Moscow and Cairo, Qadri Jamil, told Sputnik on Friday. GENEVA (Sputnik) On Thursday, the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and allied groups in several areas under Kurdish control announced the creation of a federal region in northern Syria. 'The decision to proclaim the federalization was premature, but all the Kurdish rights should be guaranteed in the new constitution,' Jamil, one of the leaders of the Syrian Popular Front for Change and Liberation, said. 'The Kurds have just demands but they should be fulfilled within a legal framework <> I do not support unilateral decisions on such crucial issues,' he pointed out. Jamil also said that the Syrian opposition group sees the future Syrian statehood as a parliamentarian-presidential republic. 'The main problem is to determine the type of the republic. We must have a parliamentarian-presidential republic. Our president has too much power. We need to discuss the redistribution of powers between the government, the parliament and the president. This is a very important issue,' he stressed. Earlier, the head of the Syrian opposition group formed at the Hmeimim air base Ilian Masaad told Sputnik that the new Constitution for Syria drafted by the group envisages creation of a mixed parliamentarian-presidential republic. According to Qadri Jamil, the composition of Syria's future transitional governing body is a major point of contention at the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva. 'The first problem is who will lead during the transition period <> There are differing points of view regarding the leadership, a consensus must be found. The Geneva I communique from June 30, 2012, stated that power should be vested fully in a transitional body that will comprise regime and opposition figures based on mutual agreement. All of this should be specified,' Jamil noted in an interview with Sputnik. Three opposition delegations are taking part in the negotiations: the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), which was formed in Saudi Arabia in December, the delegation formed following talks in Moscow and Cairo and the group formed after opposition talks at Hmeimim air base in Syria. 'The Riyadh-formed delegation imagines the body to be similar to a revolutionary council the likes of which were formed in our Arab east following each coup,' Jamil said, adding that the Damascus delegation envisions the body as an expanded government. One of the options being considered for the structure of the transitional governing body is a prime minister with four or six deputies, according to Jamil. However, in order to determine the exact powers to be granted to the future transitional government all parties of the Syrian conflict must engage in direct talks with eachother. 'One of the issues is the determining the transitional authority's powers,' Jamil said. According to politician, the current understanding of the issue is 'absurd' as the Geneva communique on Syrian reconciliation describes the powers of the transitional government as 'full' without providing any further details. 'Therefore, we need direct talks, as intermediaries would only hinder,' Jamil, who is one of the leaders of the Syrian Popular Front for Change and Liberation, asserted. A new round of Syrian peace talks kicked off in Geneva on Monday. The UN-brokered negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition aim to end the five-year civil in Syrian war by forming a transitional governing body to oversee the holding of elections within 18 months. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UK relationship with Ukraine strengthened by Defence agreement 18 March 2016 The UK's relationship with Ukraine has been strengthened by the signing of a new Defence agreement. The agreement will last for 15 years. Areas it covers include sharing of information on potential threats, participation in joint exercises, training of Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) personnel and cooperation in the field of military equipment. Separately the UK will look to expand the reach of its training support through the 'train the trainer' activities. This will enable Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel to pass on techniques taught by UK Armed Forces. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: 'The UK will stand firm with the Ukraine as they defend their territorial integrity. This new Defence agreement sets out that commitment as we enhance our training of Ukrainian Armed Forces.' In the past year, the UK has trained 2,000 members of the UAF being led through UK courses on countering-IEDs, operations in urban environments, medical care, logistics and operational planning. The UK has also gifted over 1million worth of equipment to the country. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ukraine was signed by Armed Forces Minister Penny Mordaunt during in Kyiv yesterday. She said: 'It was a great honour for me to sign the MOU on Defence cooperation with Ukraine, which provides the framework for future cooperation, reiterating our support to them.' 'Meeting the UK Armed Forces personnel training UAF troops also reiterates the positive contribution Britain's military makes in the world. We continue to stand side by side with Ukraine through this difficult period.' NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Two Years After Annexation, Crimeans Wait On Russia's Unfulfilled Promises March 18, 2016 by Viktoria Veselova and Pavlo Kazarin For many in Crimea, the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula's takeover by Russia two years ago was a cause for joy and great expectations. In the run-up to the March 16, 2014, referendum in Crimea -- which has not been recognized as legitimate by the international community -- Moscow and pro-Russian figures on the peninsula promised locals a glittering and prosperous future that would contrast sharply with the fates of Ukrainians under the control of what the Kremlin branded the 'fascist junta' in Kyiv. Two years after the annexation, however, many of Russia's promises remain unfulfilled. Although many Crimeans feel that the annexation saved the peninsula from the kind of violence that has wracked parts of eastern Ukraine which is what they were told by Moscow -- many continue to wait for the living-standard improvements they were led to expect. Among the most prominent promises was the pledge of a genuinely multiethnic and multiconfessional region with three official languages -- Russian, Ukrainian, and Crimean Tatar. Russian President Vladimir Putin himself made this explicit pledge in his speech to the Russian parliament on March 18, 2014: 'We treat all nationalities living in Crimea with respect,' Putin said. 'It is their common home, their little motherland. Thus it would be right -- and I know that people in Crimea support this idea -- to introduce three official languages in Crimea: Russian, Ukrainian, and Crimean Tatar.' This promise is also enshrined in Article 10 of the Crimean constitution adopted in December 2014 by the Russian authorities that control the peninsula. Reality Bites The reality over the last two years, however, has been quite different. 'In commerce, in everyday life, in education, there is no equality of languages in Crimea,' says local activist Veldar Shukurdzhiyev of the Ukrainian Cultural Center. 'It exists only formally, on paper.' Even before annexation, there was only one Ukrainian language upper school in the Crimean capital, Simferopol. Immediately after annexation, its leadership was replaced and its lessons switched entirely to Russian. In ordinary schools, Ukrainian language lessons have been reduced to a bare minimum. The Crimean Tatar ruling body, the Mejlis, reports that Crimean Tatar teachers have been deprived of their pedagogical qualifications and forced to give Crimean Tatar language classes after school hours. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) wrote in a report last summer: 'Instruction in Ukrainian and the study of Ukrainian is being restricted in Crimea because of pressure on school administrations, teachers, parents, and children with the goal ending the teaching of Ukrainian. This could in the future lead to the limitation of Ukrainian culture and language on the peninsula. Teaching in Crimean Tatar and the study of Crimean Tatar is encountering restrictions and problems because of the annexation and is in need of support and regeneration.' The story with the Russian-installed administration's economic promises has been mixed. Officials pledged to reduce the retirement age and increase pensions and salaries for state-sector workers and this has been largely accomplished. Immediately after annexation, pensions and state-sector salaries were raised 25 percent per month until they reached Russian standards. 'But immediately prices began to increase and sanctions were imposed, both international and Ukrainian,' says local economic reporter Andriy Yanitskiy. 'In 2015, Russia reindexed its pensions and its salaries and things turned out to be not as attractive as had been promised.' The United States, the European Union, and other countries have imposed sanctions on Russia over the annexation of Crimea and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. Yanitskiy notes that some key social groups -- military and security forces, pensioners, administrative officials, and top managers -- have benefited enormously because they constitute 'the foundation of the Russian regime in Crimea.' He estimates that the city administration in the port city of Sevastopol has swollen to more than 2,000 employees and 'they all have good salaries.' 'But, at the same time, Crimea prices today are higher than prices in Kyiv,' he concludes. 'You need to take into account the purchasing power of those salaries -- how many groceries they can buy and what quality goods are available.' Moreover, the pay raises have largely reached only top administrators of state institutions like schools and hospitals. 'Average teachers and doctors don't get such impressive salaries,' Yanitskiy says. 'On top of this, there have been problems with service personnel in schools and hospitals getting their salaries at all.' 'Russia's Great Pyriamid' According to the Russian government, average wages in Crimea are lower than those of almost any region of Russia. Russian officials also promised that annexation would be a boon to Crimea's tourism industry and that commercial flights would be started from Sevastopol's Belbek airport in the summer of 2014. The plan to begin such flights has now been postponed until late spring of this year. And Russian officials have said the level of service at Crimean resorts is below national standards. Government activity in the tourism sector has been largely limited to the redistribution and privatization of resorts, including resorts that were the private property of Ukrainian citizens. Pro-Russian authorities also promised in 2014 to end Crimea's reliance on the rest of Ukraine for the lion's share of its water. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced a plan to build a desalination plant, new reservoirs, and a water pipeline from Russia's Kuban region. No progress has been made on any of these initiatives and Crimea's water has been supplied by pumping out deep aquifers, a strategy that environmentalists warn will result in disaster. Sevastopol's pro-Russian administration head Aleksei Chaly pledged to build in his city a technology center comparable to Silicon Valley. Putin himself endorsed the 2 billion ruble plan, but no work on the project has begun. As for the ongoing construction of a bridge across the Kerch Strait to link Crimea with Russia, Yanitskiy is somewhat more optimistic. 'I can believe they will actually finish the Kerch bridge because it is an ideological project, sort of Russia's Great Pyramid,' he says. 'But, by the way, Russia has been building a bridge across the Amur River to link China and Russia since 1995. But with Kerch, there is no choice -- without it, maintaining Crimea is very expensive.' RFE/RL correspondent Robert Coalson contributed to this report from Prague Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/ crimea-annexation-two-years- unfulfilled-promises/27621753.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Celebrates Crimea Grab, Critics Denounce 'Climate Of Fear' March 18, 2016 by Tom Balmforth MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the seizure of Crimea from Ukraine two years ago as a long-awaited moment of "historic justice," while Western governments assailed Moscow over the annexation and Human Rights Watch described a "pervasive climate of fear and repression" on the peninsula. On national television, Putin thanked Crimeans for what he termed their act of "free will" in backing the annexation in a referendum in March 2014, which was widely seen as illegitimate by the international community and followed a military takeover of the Black Sea peninsula. As Putin marked the anniversary with a trip to an island off Crimea, where he inspected building work on a massive bridge to Russia, the European Union decried Russia's "military buildup" on the territory and called on more nations to impose sanctions on Moscow -- as the EU, the United States, and other Western countries have done. A prominent Crimean Tatar leader likened Putin to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, who deported the Crimean Tatar community en masse during World War II, and said he was visiting the scene of the crime. EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini expressed 'deep concern' at the 'deterioration of the human rights situation' in Crimea, where activists say the Muslim Tatar minority and others who opposed Russia's takeover have faced discrimination, harassment, and violence. 'The European Union remains committed to fully implementing its non-recognition policy, including through restrictive measures,' the European Council, which represents EU governments, said in a statement. 'The EU calls again on UN member states to consider similar nonrecognition measures.' Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned what it called a 'pervasive climate of fear and repression' that has gripped the peninsula, drawing attention to 'enforced disappearances, attacks and beatings of Crimean Tatar and pro-Ukraine activists and journalists.' In Moscow and other cities, the state organized numerous celebrations to mark the annexation of what Putin has called 'sacred' Russian land -- part of a Kremlin narrative aimed at pushing aside protests from Kyiv and the West and instill pride in Russians. State television showed thousands of Russians waving flags and singing along at a celebratory concert called "We're Together" near the Kremlin to mark the annexation, which was widely supported in Russia but ruined ties with Ukraine and set off the most severe tension between Moscow and the West since the Cold War. The crowd stretched hundreds of meters back along the bridge where opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, a strident critic of Putin's interference in Ukraine, was shot dead in February 2015. Putin congratulated Russians on the annexation in a short clip broadcast on state-run Channel One that was also shown at the concert and met with cheers. 'Without any exaggeration whatsoever, millions of people had waited for and thought about this historic justice. It happened thanks to the free will of Crimean and Sevastopol residents in a referendum two years ago. Now that we are together, we can do even more,' said Putin. But Russia has not delivered on many of the promises it made to Crimeans two years ago. The State Duma, Russia's lower parliament house, said it would work a half-day to allow lawmakers to attend the pop concert by the Kremlin. Ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky's LDPR party has called for March 18 -- the day a treaty was signed in 2014 that in the Kremlin's eyes made Crimea part of Russia -- to be made an official national holiday. Putin -- who at first denied sending troops to Crimea but later emphasized that he personally oversaw the operation to annex the peninsula -- traveled to Tuzla Island, which lies in the Kerch Strait between Crimea and southern Russia. He visited the site of part of a bridge Russia is building to Crimea, whose only existing connections to the mainland are with southern Ukraine. According to the state-run news agency TASS, the bridge is slated to cost 212 billion rubles ($3.1 billion) -- about six times what Putin said on May 17 was the amount Russia had spent on its military operation in Syria since launching air strikes in September. Putin has rejected international criticism of the annexation and has said the transition to Russian rule was smooth. But HRW said that the 'space for free speech, freedom of association, and media in Crimea has shrunk dramatically' since the takeover. Crimea's isolation has made it very difficult to conduct comprehensive human rights monitoring there,' Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director for HRW, said in a statement. 'But serious human rights abuses in Crimea should not slip to the bottom of the international agenda.' Crimean Tatars made up about 12 percent of the peninsula's population before the Russian takeover and largely opposed it, many of them boycotting the March 16, 2014, referendum in which Crimean residents were asked whether they wanted to join Russia. Several Crimean Tatars have been abducted or disappeared, and the Mejlis -- the Crimean Tatars' self-governing body -- has had its property in Crimea confiscated and may soon be 'banned' by the Russian authorities who control the peninsula. Speaking to RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service on March 18, Crimean Tatar leader Refat Chubarov said that Putin's "adventurous attack on Ukraine," his military campaign in Syria, and the "harsh limitation of human rights" in Russia will catch up with him sooner or later. 'In the last two years, [Putin] always makes decisions which turn out really catastrophically for Russia itself,' he said. 'I just think Putin will help us wake up Russian society sooner.' Russia moved to seize Crimea shortly after Ukraine's president at the time, Viktor Yanukovych, was pushed from power by protesters angry over his decision to abandon plans for a landmark pact with the EU and forge closer ties with Moscow. Russia subsequently backed separatists who seized parts of eastern Ukraine, leading to a war that has killed more than 9,100 people. Speaking to students in Prague on March 17, Chubarov compared Putin to Stalin -- under whom the Crimean Tatar population was deported en masse to Central Asia during World War II, with many of them dying on the way or after arrival. "A criminal is always drawn to the scene of a crime," he said of Putin's visit. "The world already knew one paranoiac of the 20th century, and we all know how that ended." With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine- russia-putin-crimea-visit/27620874.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The United Kingdom will double assistance for the reform of Ukraine's Defense Ministry, as well as training the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak has said. "The decision to double assistance for training Ukraine's Armed Forces is very important for us... British representatives, who are already working with us, are very professional. The advisory assistance we receive from them is extremely important in reforming the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Poltorak said at a joint press conference with UK Minister of State for the Armed Forces Penny Mordaunt in Kyiv on Thursday. Poltorak informed the relevant memorandum has been signed during today's talks. Poltorak noted the ministry is currently determining its first hand needs equipment, weapons, training servicemen. Afterwards, this information will be passed to the UK defense authority for making a further decision on the actual allocation of money, the minister stated. Poltorak said the British party is actively involved in the reform of Ukraine's Armed Forces in all the areas, in particular "the Ukrainian Navy is also on the agenda of our talks." High Danville Sheriff Mike Mondul wants to start a new drug treatment program for inmates in the Danville City Jail. While Danville has been approved for another program a drug court the state hasnt funded it. The Alpha program costs less than the drug court; Mondul has asked Danville City Council to fund it this year. Low Chatham is struggling with an old problem buzzards roosting in the towns trees. We normally end up chasing them from one end of town to the other, Town Clerk/Treasurer Tim Hammell said. But chase them they must. Buzzards talons can damage property, and their droppings can carry disease. High Danville Regional Medical Center will use the second floor of the River City Tower project for a family practice clinic, a medical specialty practice and offices for the hospitals home health and hospice agency. Its taken several years for work to start on River City Tower; now that its moving forward, were glad DRMC will be there. High/Low Local flaggers are upset with Gov. Terry McAuliffes veto of a bill that would protect war monuments. Its not just Confederate monuments, its all veteran monuments and memorials, Heritage Preservation Association President Wayne Byrd said. The governors veto is his attempt to push this issue back to local governments. For a Dillon Rule state like Virginia, that doesnt make a lot of sense but it does give local governments a chance to decide these issues without interference from Richmond. Low Clarence Monday, Pittsylvania Countys administrator since July 2014, is retiring at the end of the year. In his short time as county administrator, the Berry Hill Road industrial mega park received a critical permit, the county hired an animal shelter manager and made plans to build a new shelter, a county-wide fire and rescue study was completed and the economic development department was reborn. High Whats next for tobacco? The crop that built the Dan River Region could one day be used to develop non-fossil jet fuel. Were learning more and more [about the plant] as we go, Peter Majeranowski, president of Tyton BioEnergy System, said. Its an amazing plant it adapts to different soils all over the world. High And finally this week, the Danville Life Saving Crew needs your help. The Crew is expanding the Danville Area Training Center on Central Boulevard and the project will cost $750,000. [We] had a great need to expand our training facilities, Danville Life Saving Crew Chief Robbie Woodall said. People can take this training and get a job at an ambulance service, a paid EMS service, a hospital or a nursing home. New U.K. Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt has reversed most of an economic package announced by the government just weeks ago, including a planned cut in income taxes. Hunt said Monday he was scrapping almost all the tax cuts announced last month by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Liz Truss, and also signaled that public spending cuts are on the way. It was a bid to soothe turbulent financial markets spooked by fears of excessive government borrowing. The move raises questions about how long the beleaguered prime minister can stay in office, though Truss insisted she has no plans to quit. She vowed to lead the Conservatives into the next general election, but many in the party want her gone. Virginia prisoners have the opportunity to earn college credit for five career and technical education courses now offered through the state Department of Corrections. The classes have met the approval of the American Council on Educations College Credit Recommendation Service, or ACE CREDIT. The program helps students gain access to academic credit for formal training taken outside traditional degree programs. Our teachers and principals in the prison system have worked very hard to make this happen, Harold Clarke, director of the Virginia Department of Corrections, said in a statement Thursday announcing the new program. Many of Virginias offenders are learning to make better choices through education. Students completing a course recommended by ACE CREDIT can submit an ACE transcript to higher education institutions for evaluation as potential transfer credit in a degree program. However, the decision on whether to accept the credit remains with each college or university. The Virginia prison courses eligible for ACE credit are Introduction to Business, Business and Software Applications, Commercial Arts & Design, Computer-Aided Drafting, and Digital Print Production. Corrections spokeswoman Lisa E. Kinney said all are existing classes that have been offered for the past two years and are taught by teachers working in the prison system. The classes were assessed by ACE and now have the potential to earn college credit for prisoners completing the coursework. Kinney said that according to ACE, Virginias correctional department is the only system in the nation holding ACE CREDIT recommendations for its courses. The classes are offered at no cost to prisoners, she said. The program will incur only a minimal additional cost for a payment to maintain the ACE recommendation and to cover the cost of transcripts, Kinney said. Colleges and universities will determine whether the coursework matches their requirements just as happens when someone goes from a community college to a four-year college and seeks credit for the community college classes, she said. Eight Ukrainians were on board of Boeing crashed in Rostov-on-Don Eight Ukrainian citizens have been killed in a Flydubai Boeing crash at 3:50 a.m. today while on the second approach to land at the Rostov-on-Don airport (Russia), according to the latest reports. "According to the latest reports, eight Ukrainians have been killed seven adults and one child. The number of killed Ukrainian citizens could be more," First Secretary of the consulate service department of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry Yevhen Ihnatovsky told Interfax-Ukraine on Saturday. Ihnatovsky said on the 112 Ukraine television network that the ministry is taking measures to inform the relatives of the victims. After the bodies are identified the Ukrainian consulate in Rostov-on-Don jointly with relatives will help to repatriate the remains to Ukraine. The crash of a Flydubai Boeing 737 passenger jet at the Rostov airport on Saturday, March 19, morning has claimed the lives of 61 people. SHARE By Bill Tinsley As we approach Easter, Hollywood has again released new movies about the life of Jesus. This year, "The Young Messiah," the story of Jesus as a child wrestling with the dawning discovery of his identity as the Son of God. We don't know much about Jesus' childhood. For the most part, the Bible is silent regarding these years. We do know that Joseph took his family to Egypt following Jesus' birth in order to protect the child from King Herod's paranoid wrath. After their departure from Bethlehem, Herod's soldiers fell upon the small village slaughtering all the male children under age 2. Joseph made a home for the family in Egypt and waited. When Herod died, they returned to their childhood home of Nazareth. Matthew points out that this was a fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy, "Out of Egypt I called My Son." (Matthew 2:15). The movie focuses on this event, when Jesus was a child returning with his family to Nazareth. The movie is based on a book written by Anne Rice, "Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt." The book and the movie try to imagine what Jesus would have been like as a child, how He and His family would have wrestled with the growing awareness of His identity. The Bible only tells us that "He grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man." Almost as interesting as the movie's plot is the journey of the author who wrote the book upon which it is based. Anne Rice grew to fame writing the "Vampire Chronicles" while professing to be an atheist. She shocked the secular world when, in 2002, she announced she was done with vampires. After 38 years as a professed atheist, she said she had found faith in Christ and returned to the Catholic Church. Eight years later, she rocked the Christian world by proclaiming she was renouncing Christianity. She stated, "For those who care, and I understand if you don't: Today I quit being a Christian. I'm out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being "Christian" or to being part of Christianity." She went on to say, "My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me." Anne represents many who continue to believe in Christ but have left organized Christian churches. George Barna, the leading researcher on faith in America, reported in 2008 that "a majority of adults now believe that there are various biblically legitimate alternatives to participation in a conventional church." It appears that there is a growing number of people who claim faith in Jesus but want little or nothing to do with the institutional church. Worldwide, we are witnessing the largest growth in the number of Jesus followers in history. In China, some estimate that more than 30,000 new believers are baptized every day. The number of believers in Africa grew from 9 million to 360 million in the last century. More Muslims have come to faith in Christ in the last two decades than at any other time in history. Churches, what they look like and how they function, are changing while the number of Jesus followers is growing. Bill Tinsley is former associate executive for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Email him at bill@tinsleycenter.com. SHARE STANDARD-TIMES FILE Martha Long places flowers at the foot of a marker honoring her late husband, DPS officer Sammy Long, during a ceremony north of Rankin in 1998. Long was killed in the line of duty during a traffic stop in 1976. Man killed fugitive who shot officer By Candace Cooksey Fulton Special To The Standard-Times His act of selfless courage made him a true Texas hero and when he died, he carried a hero's secret ? his name ? to his grave. He is known instead by an honorary title: The "Deer Hunter." Even the memorial marker on U.S. Highway 67 near Rankin where Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrolman Sammy C. Long was gunned down Nov. 21, 1976, refers to the citizen who killed Long's assailant as the "Deer Hunter." The incident "rocked West Texas," Long's partner Skipper Hunt said. "Anyone who's ever heard of the ?Deer Hunter' hasn't forgotten him or his courageous act." Hunt said the man was "pretty insistent about remaining anonymous. "He felt like he did what he had to do, and someone else in his position would have done the same thing," Hunt said, "but he told us even though he struggled with what happened for several years, he would do the same thing again if he had to." On that fateful Sunday in 1976, Hunt had special permission for the day off. Long was on patrol, solo, and the hunter and his son were headed home to San Angelo after a hunting trip in New Mexico. Near Kent, where Interstate 20 and Interstate 10 split, the Deer Hunter and son stopped at a convenience store and they noticed a man, Larry Darnell Ewers, "just sort of lurking around." Years later, when the man shared the details of what happened with Hunt, he said he had wondered after the shooting if Ewers was considering robbing the store but didn't because so many people were there. The hunters left the store and, just east of Rankin, Ewers, driving a pickup, sped past them. Long, in his DPS patrol unit, was in pursuit, the Deer Hunter told Hunt. Finally, the pickup pulled off and stopped on the right side of U.S. 67, and Long pulled up behind it. The Deer Hunter told his son, who was driving, to make a U-turn and pull their Jeep into a roadside park on the left side of the highway facing the two vehicles, some 150 yards from where Long's patrol car was stopped. Long hadn't gotten up to the pickup driver's window when Ewers exited the vehicle and shot Long point blank with a .32 caliber handgun. Though the Deer Hunter couldn't be sure what had happened, he could see Long turn and run toward the back of his patrol car. Long fell, face down, and Ewers took Long's service revolver, stood over him and emptied the gun. He missed once, but five of the bullets pierced Long's back. From the distance, the hunter could see dirt flying up each time Ewers took a shot, and that made him think the bullets were hitting the ground, not Long. Thinking he might be able to save the patrolman's life, the Deer Hunter got his loaded rifle from the seat. He told his son to keep the Jeep in gear and be ready to go, just in case the shooter came after them. He took cover from behind the Jeep, aimed at Long's assailant and fired. Though five of the Deer Hunter's shots found their mark, Ewers didn't fall at first, and the hunter wasn't sure he had hit him. In a few moments, Ewers went down, mortally wounded, though he was able to crawl under the pickup. He was still alive when an Upton County deputy arrived at the scene, but died about 45 minutes after being transported to the hospital in Rankin, Hunt said. Two Angelo State University students were on their way back to San Angelo and came upon the scene just as it happened. The women had a CB radio and notified the Upton County Sheriff's Office a highway patrolman had been shot, then corrected the statement and said, "No, two men were shot." As a result, early dispatches indicated both victims were DPS patrolmen. Hunt's brother Joe, then a highway patrolman in Odessa, had just finished his shift, and was contacted by DPS dispatch out of Midland there were reports of two "officers down" near Rankin. Joe Hunt feared his brother was one of the two and it would be an anxious few minutes trying to get in touch with Skipper. The investigation revealed Ewers was AWOL from the Navy and wanted on a robbery charge in Arizona. The pickup was stolen in California, and the pistol he had also was stolen. Ewers had family in Waco and Skipper Hunt said their guess had been he was headed there, taking a southern, less-traveled route in an attempt to avoid apprehension. Long, 39, was a "good, good guy," Skipper Hunt said. "That was a terrible day for us all. We lost a good man." Originally from Cross Plains, Long had been a patrolman 17 or 18 years, he said. Long was loved and respected in Upton County and is buried at McCamey. His wife, Martha, was a teacher in McCamey and the couple's son, Tracy, was 13 years old at the time. Martha Long never remarried, and is now retired. She lives in Odessa. Tracy Long works for Chevron Oil in Luanda, Angola. "I was the rookie patrolman just out of the DPS Academy and what happened Nov. 21, 1976, really makes you realize how quick something so tragic can happen," Hunt said. "There's not been any day go by since that I haven't thought just how fast things can change." The Upton County grand jury no-billed the Deer Hunter, saying the shooting had been justifiable and a judge ruled the records could be sealed to protect his anonymity. Hunt said he met the Deer Hunter during the grand jury proceedings, and knew his name, but he didn't share it, not even with his brother Joe. The Deer Hunter moved away from Texas and some 30 years went by that Hunt said they were not in contact. Then, in 2007, when Joe Hunt was Tom Green County sheriff, the Deer Hunter happened to be in San Angelo for a visit, and one of the deputies introduced him to the sheriff. That meeting was followed by a dinner and the Hunt brothers and their families became good friends with the Deer Hunter. Joe Hunt gave him a standing invitation to hunt on his Schleicher County ranch anytime he was in the area. Though he hadn't hunted for several years, the Deer Hunter made at least one trip a year to hunt on the ranch "and seemed to really enjoy it," Joe Hunt said. On March 21, 2009, Skipper Hunt arranged a meeting with Martha and Tracy Long and the Deer Hunter in San Angelo. "They'd never met," Skipper Hunt said. "I think it brought closure for the hunter and Tracy and Martha. They got to say ?thanks' and talk a little bit about how all their lives were affected that day. Martha and Tracy got to tell him about Sammy and he appreciated that." On a Saturday morning just before spring, Skipper said he and the 86-year-old Deer Hunter had about a 45-minute phone conversation. "He was fine. The next day he had a massive stroke, and he died the next day, March 11. He didn't linger, or suffer, and I guess that was good," Skipper Hunt said. "He was a very humble man and he never expected or wanted any reward. Anyone in DPS, then or since, knows the story of the Deer Hunter. He's considered not just a hero, but a friend. Throughout West Texas, his act of heroism is a legend that shouldn't be forgotten."

Andrew Mitchell/Standard-Times

San Angelo Civic Ballet lead dancer Leah Seifert performs a saut de chat on stage at the Texas Theatre during a rehearsal of aThe Jazz Affaira on Wednesday evening. The show will be held Friday and Saturday at the theater.

SHARE By Jennifer Rios Ballerinas who werent yet born when the Texas Theatre closed its doors will grace the unadorned stage this weekend. A seven-piece jazz band will play Duke Ellington pieces for The Jazz Affair a two-act show the San Angelo Civic Ballet will perform for two nights only. Ballet staff and volunteers spent two months dusting, adjusting lighting and pulling 300 chairs into place at the old theater, which closed in 1983. Curtains are too heavy to drape, so the stage will remain open. It feels right to have a brick wall there, artistic director Meghann Bridgeman said. And when the dancings good, you dont have to dress it up that much. Volunteers from Goodfellow Air Force Base helped move the 300 seats, most with red velvet upholstery, and bolted them into place. An air-conditioned restroom trailer with sinks will be parked outside the theater, which doesnt have working plumbing or ventilation. Four wide doors two at the front and two near the stage will be open to circulate air. The shows 15-member cast includes advanced dancers and three dancers from Austin, Bridgeman said. Lex Land, a 2012 semifinalist on the television singing contest The Voice, will be a guest vocalist, and Jazz Concho will provide the live music. Were thrilled to bring a little bit of life into such a beautiful place, Bridgeman said. About four years ago when the ballet performed this show, they hired the two female leads. This weekend those positions will be performed by local dancers, including Allyson Pfluger, 17, who has a solo in Act 1. She said she likes the opportunity to improve on her last performance. The theater, opened in 1929, has a sapphire blue ceiling that used to twinkle with lights. The lobby has the original tile. Plans to renovate and reopen the theater have been bandied about several times over the past three decades and failed to pan out. While the City Auditorium is being renovated, the ballet has danced at the Bill Aylor Sr. Memorial RiverStage, Angelo State University and Angelo Civic Theatre. The Texas Theatre is beautiful, Pfluger said. We havent performed on a stage this big in years because of the renovations. She likes the idea of performing within walls that hold so much history. You just feel like youre part of something bigger, she said. Pfluger said this stage is open, so dancers dont feel claustrophobic. She wishes someone would renovate the space. Glen Carr, theater caretaker, said this ballet is the first event to take place in the building in the past five to seven years. It opened as a vaudeville house originally, then played silent movies starting in 1930 and soundies in 1931. Carr said owner Lee Pfluger wants to restore the theater, add to it over the years and run it like a business. Pfluger could not be reached for comment. He wants it to pay its way, Carr said. ---- If you go What: The Jazz Affair When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday Where: The Texas Theatre, 33-35 W. Twohig Ave. Cost: $25 What else: Complimentary wine will be available at 7:30 p.m. Contact: 325-653-8877 By Ami Mizell-Flint, Special to the Standard-Times Throughout her life, Marilyn Aboussie has had to rise above challenges. Coming from a family of immigrants who were "strict in many ways, but always supportive," she started working at the family-owned clothing store when she was 12. She continued working throughout school, even law school, from which she graduated in 1974. "I became a lawyer when there were very few women in law schools and in the profession," she said, "and certainly very few were judges." Aboussie, the Chief Justice of Texas' Third Court of Appeals since 1998, was the first female district judge in Tom Green County. "I was the first woman in most of the positions I held," she said. "It was exciting but a little challenging. Thankfully, that has changed." Although she stays busy in her career, Aboussie understands the importance of giving back. She has served on the board of St. Jude's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, for 15 years, and visits several times a year. "This is one of my most worthwhile commitments," she said. In addition, she is the vice chairwoman of the San Angelo Health Foundation and chairwoman of the grants committee. "The foundation has made grants of about $40 million during its 20-year existence," she said. "In this way, the foundation has had a lasting impact on our community and the region it serves. Just to be part of this endeavor is an honor." "Judge Marilyn Aboussie is unequivocally a 'woman of distinction,' " said Dudra Butler, a previous Women of Distinction honoree who nominated Aboussie for the award. "I first met Marilyn Aboussie in the late '70s as we traveled together with several political women to Austin to attend a campaign rally," Butler said. "For all these many years I have been proud to call her my friend. I marvel at her mission in life to make this world a better place for all, and I love that she is above reproach in all of her judicial endeavors and in every aspect of her life." Having served in various offices and capacities throughout her career, Aboussie feels a responsibility to help pave the way for others and to build and maintain her reputation for women who come after her. Being named a Woman of Distinction is a huge honor for Aboussie. "The Girl Scout movement is one of the oldest and most prestigious organization for young women," she said. "I am honored to be selected and recognized as a role model for the next generation of women leaders." Each year, Girl Scouts of Central Texas selects women to be honored as Women of Distinction in each of their six service areas. The women are nominated by a community member, then selected by a committee based on each woman's excellence and high levels of achievement. The women and this year's Workplace of Distinction will be honored at the Women of Distinction dinner at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the McNease Convention Center, 501 Rio Concho Drive. Name: Marilyn Aboussie Hometown: Wichita Falls Family: Husband, John A. Hay Jr. (married in 1973); son, John A. Hay III and his wife, Stephanie Education: Wichita Falls High School, 1966; Midwestern State University, 1969; University of Texas School of Law, 1974 SHARE U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas is one of the special ones. Harold M. Ickes, a law firm board chairman and former deputy chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton, is another. Clinton himself is one of them, as are Sen. Tim Kaine, of Virginia, Vice President Joe Biden and political strategist Donna Brazile. All those Democrats share membership in an elite group of 714 delegates anointed with special powers superpowers over the outcome of the presidential race. They're unelected superdelegates to the Democratic National Convention, whose support for a particular candidate carries the sort of weight otherwise awarded on the basis of state party primary vote outcomes. They can even change their minds. And their existence is complicating the race for the Democratic nomination by giving a heavy advantage to party insider Hillary Clinton. The major story this election cycle has been the headache that the popular, wild-card candidacy of Donald Trump is giving the Republican Party. But an equally interesting tension is shaping up in the other party over superdelegates, which the Republicans don't have. Bernie Sanders, representing the left side of the party, is proving a tougher competitor than anyone expected, chalking up wins in unexpected states like New Hampshire and Michigan, as enthusiasm for his anti-corporate message soars among young and insurgent Democrats. But because of Clinton's heavy advantage with party superdelegates, Sanders has a huge disadvantage getting the requisite delegate count. The superdelegate system gives an inherent advantage to political insiders and party activists, which Sanders is not. Some might say that's the price he pays for being late to join the Democratic Party. But it's really not about what's good or bad for Sanders. It's about the electorate. Susan Estrich, of Massachusetts, in a memo to a Democratic Party commission considering the change in 1981, argued against creating superdelegates as they would be overwhelmingly white and male. On the other hand, it was argued that having a strong affirmative action program within the party to speak for their constituencies would promote pluralism among superdelegates. It just depends on what group you consider underrepresented. The delegate math gives Clinton a presumptive advantage in the public mind, which recently led a frustrated Sanders supporter to call on the news media to differentiate, in reports about delegate vote counts, how many were won in primaries versus with superdelegates. It does seem ironic that in America, where all are supposed to created equal, some Democratic voters are given greater power over an election outcome. The clear message from voters to both parties this year is that they want someone who isn't beholden to the party machinery or orthodoxies. The superdelegate system was implemented in 1982 by a Commission on Presidential Nominations, following the electoral trouncing of former President Jimmy Carter by Ronald Reagan. It was seen as a way for experienced party officials to unify insurgent and mainstream elements of the party without having to be elected. It followed a convention-floor fight between Carter and Sen. Edward Kennedy. But the seeds were planted after the divided 1968 Democratic National Convention, when backroom deals resulted in the party nominating Hubert Humphrey to face off against Richard Nixon and losing. That year, momentum was with anti-war Minnesota Sen. Eugene McCarthy and the late Robert Kennedy. In 1972 the party again put its support behind the establishment candidate, Sen. Edmund Muskie, of Maine, over anti-war Sen. George McGovern, of South Dakota, who won the nomination with the backing of party outsiders. He lost the general election to Nixon. One rationale for the change was nominating a candidate who could win but at the expense of activists such as, at the time, those for gay rights. So now we have a self-described socialist who's lighting a fire under young and first-time voters, running against a qualified, experienced former first lady, senator and secretary of state. Though Clinton has the establishment's backing, in another year she might be considered the insurgent. The point is that notions of mainstream and insurgent, electable and unelectable are relative, and instead of skewing the outcome with such presumptions, the party should change its rules for the future and let voters decide. Rekha Basu is a columnist for the Des Moines Register. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its strong protest against yet another uncoordinated with Ukraine visit of the Russian President and Russian officials on March 18, 2016 to Ukraines temporarily occupied territory the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. "Ukraine and all democratic nations of the world will double their efforts to free residents of the Ukrainian peninsula from authoritarian rule of the occupation regime and to make Crimea free again," the ministry said in a statement regarding the visit of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. "Attempts to celebrate the anniversary of Russian aggression against Ukraine and deceitful seizure of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol are cynical given the grave economic, social and humanitarian problems in the peninsula," the ministry said. "In the course of the last two years, the Russian Kremlin occupants managed to bring Crimea back to Stalins times of authoritarian rule, lawlessness and repressions. The aggressor state continues to violate human rights in the occupied territory and terrorizes dissidents. In fact, there are no freedoms of speech, media and religion in the peninsula. Systemic abuses of the rights of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatar people take place on a daily basis," the ministry said. The Russian Federation, as the aggressor state, its officials and illegal occupation authorities bear full responsibility for these and other violations in accordance with the norms of the international law, according to the ministry. "These days, as it was two years ago, whole international community has clearly condemned the aggressor states irresponsible actions," the ministry said. Members of San Franciscos Board of Supervisors may have found a loophole in transparency laws that would hide certain messages from the public. Colleagues in City Hall encouraged board members to use ephemeral messaging app Telegram to keep their communications private, according to news website The Information. The Information reported observing several supervisors and their aides appearing as active on the app throughout the day, sometimes using the app hourly. Reports indicate officials are using the app on their private phones, which could make an audit more difficult.Theres no legal precedent for this, said Aaron Mackey, a Frank Stanton legal fellow at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, but its potentially illegal and definitely against the spirit of the public records laws that apply to San Francisco public officials.There are three laws that are applicable here, Mackey said. The biggest one is the California Public Records Act (CPRA). The second is the San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance. And the third is records retention schedules that are created by the state and by local municipalities regarding the retention and destruction of records.According to an official summary of the California Public Records Act, the primary purpose of the law, backed by court rulings, is to give the public an opportunity to monitor how their government is functioning. There are records that are exempt from CPRA requests, usually for issues of privacy and security, but the general theme of the law is that if the public requests a record, the government entity is required to deliver it. Because messaging apps like Telegram do not leave a record behind to be delivered to the public, however, a gray area emerges.If anyone is writing things about the governments business, then it falls within the Public Records Act, Mackey said. And it also falls within the Sunshine Ordinance because that adopts for its definition what it calls public information. But if you look at the records retention requirements and how the attorney general has interpreted those, youre supposed to keep documents that are either required to be kept by law or that chronicle the actions of public officials. The principle is that you want to keep those records not just for transparency, but for history and for the institutions own future knowledge.In 2012, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo grabbed headlines by refusing to use email, requiring anyone contacting him to use BlackBerrys PIN-to-PIN function, which establishes a direct connection between phones and, just as with ephemeral messaging apps, does not leave a record that the public can later request. Whether the governor was being prudent, making a point about privacy or the rights of the government, or hiding something he didnt want the public to know about was never proven.In the case of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the public is unlikely to give officials the benefit of the doubt. Mackey wouldnt comment on whether the board was doing anything unsavory, but that they were acting outside the best interests of both the public and government itself.The bottom line is that it definitely appears as if they are using technology in a way that thwarts transparency, he said. I think that if theyre conducting public business, they should be maintaining records of that and they should not be communicating in a way that frustrates access to public deliberations.Telegrams use has been featured in the media recently for both the ephemeral nature of its messages but also its encryption features, a technology popularized by the ongoing San Bernardino shooter case, in which Apple refuses to assist the FBI by creating a tool that would crack iPhone encryption.Telegram reported 100 million monthly active users last month, with 15 billion messages delivered daily. Terrorist group ISIS reportedly used the technology to spread propaganda and recruit fighters. Last year, Telegram reported blocking 78 ISIS-related channels across 12 languages, alongside a reporting feature to discourage such use of the app.Representatives from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors were contacted for comment on this story, but did not respond by the deadline. "One of the secret ingredients to our success so far ... is the executive leadership to and business partnership for technology-infused transformation. Illinois Deputy Governor Trey Childress ... is responsible for overall government transformation efforts. As Budget Director and Chief Operating Officer for the State of Georgia, Trey has already lead successful transformations before. Today, he will tell us about Healthcare and Human Services Transformation and the role technology is playing in that." Hardik Bhatt, CIO, Illinois DATA ANALYTICS : creating a modern predictive analytics practice, so we can better understand the impact and continually improve the quality of our outcomes; : creating a modern predictive analytics practice, so we can better understand the impact and continually improve the quality of our outcomes; CUSTOMER SERVICE : creating integrated interfaces to ease the burdens of interacting with government; : creating integrated interfaces to ease the burdens of interacting with government; MOBILE and INTEGRATION : creating mobile apps and integrated reporting across a myriad of systems so state employees can focus on the parts of their jobs add value to the lives of citizens; and : creating mobile apps and integrated reporting across a myriad of systems so state employees can focus on the parts of their jobs add value to the lives of citizens; and AGILE and RESULTS-ORIENTED: accelerating and ensuring successful implementation of complex IT projects on which customers and agencies are dependent. The state of Illinois has launched an exciting effort to better serve citizens (aka customers) of our health, human services, and education services. As is typical to governments generally, Illinois has been organized around the functions of government, not around the customer. This leads to a confusing maze of services and often, even worse, uncoordinated outcomes. It is often the same customers (and their families) that are served by as many as 11 departments included in our HHS transformation initiative (including the departments of Aging, Children & Family Services, Corrections, Early Childhood & Education, State Board of Education, Health & Family Services, Human Services, Innovation & Technology, Juvenile Justice, Public Health and Veterans Services). It should not be the burden of the citizen to figure out how to navigate government, but the burden of government to make it easy and intuitive for the customer. Government should harness the power of technology, despite our organizational silos, to better understand the customers interactions and improve outcomes across departments.Accelerating Illinois Modernization (AIM) will ensure enhanced end-to-end customer experience with the state, including prevention, more flexible delivery of service in the community (rather than expensive and restrictive institutions) and empowering greater self-sufficiency. In a 21st century organization, we have the great opportunity to leapfrog to better outcomes and services, while being better stewards of taxpayer dollars. The technology team, in partnership with the HHS team of departments, is already making great strides to support a paradigm shift in how we deliver services to citizens. Technology is a critical partner in this effort, delivering on key pillars of support, including:In only a short time, the technology team has made great strides we are excited to see what is ahead in our efforts to Accelerate Illinois Modernization. The pundits are split over whether Lewis Hamilton's controversial off-track lifestyle will end his dominance of formula one. When asked to predict the podium in Melbourne, the flamboyant broadcaster for German television RTL, Kai Ebel, told Bild: "Rosberg, Vettel, Verstappen. "We can see that Lewis Hamilton has been a little distracted," he explained, referring to the Mercedes driver's colourful and controversial pre-season activities. Colleague and former driver Christian Danner, however, defended Hamilton's lifestyle and EUR 35 million per year salary. "It matters only what he does in the car, and as long as he is performing at his best, for me it doesn't matter if he's drunk every other day," he said. Indeed, Hamilton has been strong so far through the practice sessions in Melbourne, telling a group of British reporters on Saturday that he is fully motivated for 2016. "I'm here in the same spirit as last year and want to win," he insisted. "I don't have to search for motivation. It is my DNA." (GMM) Musical chairs qualifying looks set to be the shortest-lived format for Saturday afternoon in F1's history. "Remember that stupid qualifying format that only lasted one race back in 2016?" joked an incredulous Martin Brundle as he commentated on the farcical proceedings in Albert Park. So widespread is the condemnation of the format up and down pitlane that almost no one doubts an ultra-rare unanimous vote of the team bosses to axe it will be made almost immediately. Reports suggest an emergency meeting to discuss qualifying will take place before the Australian grand prix on Sunday. Even Bernie Ecclestone - who is in London - is playing along, even though he argued strongly that F1 needed a qualifying shakeup. But he admitted that what he watched on TV from Australia was "pretty crap". "It wasn't my idea at all," he told the Mirror. "I am sure we can change it for Bahrain. We should be man enough -- we gave it a try, it didn't work, let's find a new way of doing it." Ecclestone, however, is opposed to simply reverting to the previous elimination format, as he says it will just put the two quickest Mercedes on the front row at every race. And FIA president Jean Todt seems more cautious about scrapping the new rules. "We need to analyse why it didn't work," said Todt. "In my opinion watching from the TV, the main issue was a lack of tyres available. "We can change it but we need unanimous agreement," he added. From Melbourne, F1 race director Charlie Whiting agreed: "It (changing the rules) would require all eleven teams to agree. "And we need 18 out of 26 votes in the F1 commission," he told Auto Motor und Sport. (GMM) Human Rights Watch, a nonprofit, nongovernmental human rights organization, has said that the human rights situation in temporarily occupied Crimea is drastically deteriorating and the space for free speech, freedom of association and media has shrunk dramatically. According to a report posted on the organization's website on March 18, Russian authorities have created a pervasive climate of fear and repression in Crimea in the two years since it has occupied the peninsula. "Since Russian forces began occupying Crimea in early 2014, the space for free speech, freedom of association, and media in Crimea has shrunk dramatically. In two years, authorities have failed to conduct meaningful investigations into actions of armed paramilitary groups, implicated in torture, extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, attacks and beatings of Crimean Tatar and pro-Ukraine activists and journalists," reads the report. Two years on, it is evident that residents who chose not to accept Russian citizenship face discrimination in getting jobs and social services. Under the pretext of combating extremism or terrorism, the authorities have harassed, intimidated, and taken arbitrary legal action against Crimean Tatars, an ethnic minority who openly opposed Russias occupation. Russian authorities have also searched, threatened, or shut down Crimean Tatar media outlets and banned peaceful gatherings to commemorate historic events, such as the anniversary of the deportation of Crimean Tatars. Local authorities declared two Crimean Tatar leaders personae non gratae and prohibited them from entering Crimea. Crimeas prosecutor petitioned a court to recognize the actions of Mejlis, the Crimean Tatars elected representative body, as extremist. In February 2016, court proceedings began to determine whether to shut it down. In August, a Russian military court sentenced a Ukrainian filmmaker from Crimea, Oleh Sentsov, to 20 years in jail for supposedly running a terrorist organization. The case against Sentsov lacked foundation and was politically motivated. "Russia bears direct responsibility for the surge in rights abuses in Crimea. Russias international partners should sustain constant pressure on Russia to stop human rights abuses on the peninsula," Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said. EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides has urged Ukraine to improve legislation in the sphere of humanitarian aid. The EU Commissioner after a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv on Friday said that there is the necessity of improving Ukrainian legal base for the simplified provision of humanitarian aid to the affected regions of Ukraine. He said that the European Union maintains solidarity with Ukraine and its people in the hard times for them. The European Union expressed support to Ukraine's reformatory efforts and the steps made in this direction in the past months. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said that one of the key challenges for Ukraine is Russia's aggression that continues for over two years. The president's press service reported that Poroshenko said this at a first meeting of the International Advisory Council on Saturday. The president said that it is important that international solidarity and unity is maintained, as Russia continues its hybrid war, combining the open military campaign with psychological ware propaganda and terrorists' attacks. "The coordinated position of the whole world, G7 and the EU on sanctions is vitally important. We stick to the implementation of the Minsk agreements and insist that Russia fulfills all their provisions," the Ukrainian president said. He said that sanctions are needed as a tool to press on Russia and stimulate it to sit down at the negotiating table and convince it to remove Russian military and all weapons from Ukraine, return control over the border, ensure the conditions for free and fair election and restore Ukrainian sovereignty on the occupied territories. Poroshenko added that councils of representatives of the International Advisory Council are important for Ukraine in this sphere. The Ukrainian president also said that before the war began, five million people lived in Donbas. "Europe has not faced such large catastrophes for many years. This is larger than Transdniestria, Ossetia and Abkhazia," he said. Former Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott noted fight of Ukrainians for their national survival and a possibility of adhering to the selected way. He also said that it is important that other countries sustain the Ukrainian state. He reminded Australia's assistance in the form of supplies of nonlethal weapons worth $5 million and joint military drills. Of course, this is your battle, but we have a feeling that this is our battle too, as when freedom is suppressed in one part of the world, this means that it is suppressed in the whole world, he said. Ex-foreign minister of Poland Radoslaw Sikorski said that it is important for Ukraine to focus on reforms and continue effective fight against corruption. Head of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs Elmar Brok, in turn, said that it is also important to ensure communications between Ukraine and European countries. He said that the Minsk agreements managed to contain Russia's aggression, although they have not brought the solution of the problem. He said that aggression must cost an arm and a leg for the aggressor and this can be accomplished only by sanctions. Brok said that Ukraine must continue reforms that would confirm its ability of being a successful state. The Flettner Rotor Supply, Install and Commission Project will deliver a full scale demonstrator of Flettner Rotor technology on a large ocean going vessel which the ETI intends to source for the demonstration phase. Flettner rotors use a spinning cylinder to convert the force of the wind into thrust that helps propel the ship. The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) in the UK is seeking partners for a new project which it hopes will deliver fuel savings of at least 10% for large shipping vessels. Flettner Rotors were developed in the 1920s by German engineer Anton Flettner; the Flettner rotor ship Buckau set sail in 1925, crossing the North Sea and then the Atlantic. Flettner rotors use a spinning cylinder to convert the force of the wind into thrust to help propel the ship by using the Magnus effect, a commonly observed effect in which a spinning ball, or cylinder in this case, curves away from its principal path. The Magnus effect observes that a revolving body moving relatively to a surrounding fluidin this case, airis subjected not only to drag, but also to lift. As the speed of the cylinderspinning at right angles to the flowincreases, the pressure decreases on the side of the cylinder where the natural flow and the spin-induce flow combine. The decrease in pressure generates lift, and the lift increases as the surface velocity increases (per Bernoullis theorem). The Magnus effect can generate more lift per unit of projected area than typical airfoil forms; the drawback is that 10-20% of the output power is required to spin the cylinder. Diagram of the Magnus effect applied to a ship, from Enercon. Click to enlarge. Flettner sail rotors have been demonstrated on ships since the 1920s, with at least two vessels trialing the technology in recent years. The ETI project will be the first demonstration on such a large vessel and is intended to provide valuable insights into real world fuel savings and ease of operation. The Expression of Interest (EoI) aims to identify organisations capable of providing Flettner rotor technology for a large internationally traded ship. The ETI intends to use the EoI submissions to select a preferred technology provider capable of moving to the shaping phase of a full scale demonstration project. Respondents will need to set out how their technology will deliver fuel savings of at least 10% and also how they would design, supply, install, commission, test and then support Flettner rotor vessel installation. At sea testing of the performance of the Flettner rotor installation will take place for at least one year after installation. This is a project to design, develop and fit Flettner rotor bladeseffectively mechanical sailswhich will then be demonstrated and tested at sea in real life conditions. Studies have shown that Flettner blades could be beneficial in certain sea conditions around the world reducing fuel consumption in ships of between 7 and 15%. However, there has been insufficient full scale demonstration on a suitable marine vessel to prove the technology benefits. Successfully demonstrating this would make the technology more attractive to shipping companies and investors. The technology, if proved successful, could also be retrofitted to existing shipping fleets and play a significant role in reducing the fuel costs, so improving environmental impact. Andrew Scott , manager for the ETIs Flettner Rotor Supply, Install and Commission Project The Expression of Interest for the Flettner Rotor Supply and Fit Project will close on 15 April 2016. The deadline for notification of intention to submit a proposal is 31 March 2016. The ETI project is part of the marine element of its Heavy Duty Vehicles efficiency program. Participants of a meeting of the International Advisory Council unfurled a banner with a demand to free Ukrainian pilot and MP Nadia Savchenko who was unlawfully put in jail in Russia. "She is not only officer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, patriot and symbol of a Ukrainian woman, but she is a proof of Russia's aggression 19 months ago she was captured by Russian intelligence services and unlawfully moved to Russia," Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said at a first meeting of the International Advisory Council in Kyiv on Saturday. He said that it is important that Russian President Vladimir Putin hear demands to free Savchenko from the whole world. STAMFORD-A Windsor Locks woman, with a history of larceny arrests and bond jumping, was arrested for being a part of a counterfeit check cashing scheme that stole $55,000 from two Stamford companies. Kazia Kostrzewa, 27, was arraigned at the Stamford courthouse Tuesday on charges that she cashed six phony checks in Stamford totaling $5,974. After hearing that she is wanted for not showing up to court for four other larceny cases at the Enfield courthouse, Judge Auden Grogins ordered that she be held on a $20,000 cash bond in the Stamford case and $106,000 in bonds on her other cases. According to her arrest affidavit, First County Bank reported to Stamford police in 2014 that it was dealing with a large scale check fraud scheme, involving two of its business customers. Between May 27 and June 3, 2014, 10 individuals cashed 56 counterfeit checks purporting to be from the two Stamford businesses worth nearly $56,000 at multiple First County Bank branches in the Fairfield County area. Bank officials said 32 of those checks had been cashed at Stamford First County branches. Bank officials said Kostrzewa went to a Norwalk branch of First County Bank on May 28 and tried to open up an account, but was refused. On May 30, she appeared at the banks Springdale location and cashed a check for $995 after presenting her Connecticut identification card. On June 2 she went to branches in North Stamford, Shippan and Atlantic Street cashing three checks totaling nearly $3,000. The next day she went to branches in Glenbrook and North Stamford for two more checks for nearly $2,000. After Stamford police put out an alert, they found that Kostrzewa was wanted in Great Barrington, Massachusetts for teaming up with a man and cashing nearly $31,000 worth of checks from the same Stamford businesses between June 4 and June 6. The affidavit said that Kostrzewa is being investigated for cashing other counterfeit checks at banks including Fairfield County Bank, Newtown Savings Bank and First Niagra Bank. Darien police have also arrested Kostrzewa for cashing another phony check for $995 from the same Stamford company at a Darien First County Bank branch on June 2. Kostrzewa is facing six forgery charges and one third-degree larceny charge in the Stamford case. BEIJING, March 18 -- The largest nuclear security center in the Asia-Pacific region, financed by China and the United States, opened Friday in Beijing. The center, conceived by the China Atomic Energy Authority(CAEA) and the U.S. Department of Energy, has the capacity to train about 2,000 nuclear security staff from China and other Asia-Pacific nations each year, said CAEA director Xu Dazhe. It is the largest nuclear program to receive direct funding from both Chinese and U.S. governments. According to the CAEA, the site will be a center for international exchanges and cooperation on nuclear security, the demonstration of advanced technology, testing and analysis. The center is a significant achievement in China-U.S. nuclear security cooperation, and will boost cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region and the world, said Wang Yiren, deputy director of the CAEA. It will also promote the peaceful use of nuclear power, added Wang, who is also deputy head of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence. China and the United States agreed to establish the center at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington in 2010. Under the agreement, the center, located in Fangshan District, Beijing, is run and administered by China, while the United States will provide nuclear-security equipment. The two nations have also cooperated in other nuclear security areas such as low-enriched reactors, security of radioactive sources and radiation detection by customs authorities, according to Wang. The Chinese government has always attached much importance to nuclear security and maintained a good record for more than 60 years, said Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai. It is the world's shared responsibility to ensure nuclear security and the center exemplifies international cooperation in this regard, Ma said. The center will greatly improve nuclear security exchanges and cooperation between China, the United States, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and other countries and organizations, he stressed. The Chinese mainland has 30 operational nuclear power generating units, with a total installed capacity of 28.31 GW. It also has 24 units with a total installed capacity of 26.72 GW under construction, ranking first in the world. As planned, the nation's installed nuclear power capacity will reach 58 GW with an additional 30 GW under construction by2020. "Construction projects for six to eight new generators are expected to begin each year from 2016 to 2020," Wang said. He also said China was mulling building of offshore floating nuclear power stations. Earlier in January, the central government published a nuclear white paper detailing policies and measures relating to nuclear emergency preparedness and highlighting a "rational, coordinated and balanced" approach to nuclear security. The document assured the world that China had "the most advanced technology and most stringent standards" to ensure safe and efficient development of nuclear power. A Boeing 737-800 passenger plane from Dubai crashed at the destination airport in southwestern Russia early Saturday, killing all the 62 people on board, authorities said. The Flydubai Flight 981 fell near the left of the runway at the Rostov-on-Don airport at about 03:50 Moscow time (0050 GMT) while making a second attempt to land amid poor visibility conditions caused by heavy rain, the emergencies ministry of Rostov region said in an online statement. The short- to medium-range aircraft broke into several pieces and caught on fire, which has been put out, according to the statement. According to the latest information from the ministry and Russia's Investigative Committee, the ill-fated plane carried 55 passengers and seven crew members on board and all of them were killed. Reports said that four children were among the dead. Most of the victims were Russian nationals, authorities said. The nationalities of those foreigners are yet to be determined. The Chinese embassy said initial information showed that no Chinese was on the plane. The Investigative Committee has launched an investigation into the accident. An emergencies source told the RIA Novosti news agency that a tailstrike could have been the cause. In the wake of the crash, the Rostov-on-Don airport has been closed, and inbound flights are being redirected to other destinations. Flydubai, or the Dubai Aviation Corporation, has confirmed the crash, but has not offered any preliminary cause. It has opened two hotlines -- +442034508853 or +97142934100 -- for those worried to call for information. "We are doing all we can to gather information as quickly as possible. At this moment our thoughts and prayers are with our passengers and our crew who were on board the aircraft. We will do everything we can to help those who have been affected by this accident," the budget carrier said in a statement. Founded in 2008 by the Dubai government, Flydubai is the city's first low-cost airline, according to its website. Boeing spokesman Doug Alder was quoted by Sputnik as saying that the company is gathering details of the crash. On its Twitter account, the plane manufacturer said, "We're aware of reports coming out of Russia and our team is currently gathering more details." Haiti - Economy : ADIH amazed and alarmed Reacting to the postponement of the ratification meeting of the General Policy Statement https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16888-haiti-politic-quorum-reversed-no-ratification-of-general-policy.html followed by a request for an additional time of Prime Minister named https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16911-haiti-flash-prime-minister-jean-request-additional-time.html , Georges B. Sassine, President of the Association of Industries of Haiti affirms that ADIH "is amazed and alarmed by the lightness with which some of our leaders continue to ignore the deadline that they themselves have given https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16533-haiti-politic-the-details-of-the-agreement-from-a-to-z.html to complete the electoral process nor the serious consequences that will follow. We encourage the 50th Legislature on which we had put so much hope to show the difference from that which preceded it, to surpass [...] because this aggravates the economic and social situation of the country while pressing problems are placed in the background. ADIH opposes to a return to the transitional governments and random as the Nation had experienced from October 1991 to October 1994. It is imperative that the Provisional President, Mr. Jocelerme Privert be replaced by an elected President. ADIH appeals to patriotism of the President and Parliamentarians for a rapid solution so that elections can be held in the shortest possible time." HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : Visit of Privert in a DR hospital ? Who is right ? Friday, the Dominican press reported that President a.i. Jocelerme Privert, went to the "Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago" (HOMS) as shown in the image where he is photographed in front of HOMS. It was a routine medical examination according to a medical source at the hospital that states "The President's state of health (Privert) is perfect, it was just common aspects, which have been verified." For his part the official version of the public relations service of the Hospital of Santiago is more "discreet" limited to say the interim President of Haiti had made a courtesy visit to the Hospital... Haitian President then lunch with Dominicans businessmen at the residence of the entrepreneur Limbert Cruz, in La Vega, were present at this lunch businessmen Felix M. Garcia C., Tedy Cruz, as well as the Minister of the Interior and Police Jose Ramon Fadul. In the afternoon, the President a.i. Jocelerme Privert went in the North and Northeast of Haiti (CODEVI in Ouanaminthe, Fort Liberte, Cap Haitien among others, before returning to Port-au-Prince). However, President a.i. Jocelerme Privert told the Nouvelliste on Friday he had made no visit to the Dominican Republic and that he had no health problems... So who is right ? SL/ HaitiLibre Korean Movie | 2015 Documentary Directed by Dong B. Kim () 65min | Release date in South Korea: 2016/04/14 Link Synopsis According to surveys, 95% of Korean middle and high school students believe tragedies like the sinking of Sewol ferry can occur to them as well. 50% of teenagers feel that Korean society is not safe. Yet, we repeat the same mistakes and accidents. 388 were injured in a subway crash only two weeks after the Sewol tragedy. Fan collapsed and 16 people were killed. There was a 106-car crash on a bridge. Truth of the Sewol ferry tragedy has not been uncovered yet politicians argue whether to recover the remains of the ferry or not. What are we doing in reality? Upside Down uncovers the inner problems of the Korean society with Sewol tragedy. Korean society has developed a system where people are not valued. To where would this lead? Movie narrates the story with four fathers who lost their children in Sewol ferry. Interviewed based documentary hosts 19 professionals in respective fields and point out the long practiced ironies within the society. What should we change and why should we change now? Upside Down suggest the future path where people are valued and what we should strive for. Source Harlow is a former New Town in Essex with a population of 86,000. Located in the upper Stort Valley, it was built in the decades after the Second World War to ease overcrowding and London and provide homes for people bombed out during the Blitz. It includes Britain's first pedestrian precinct and first modern residential tower block, The Lawn. Old Harlow, the historic part of the town, was mentioned in the Domesday Book. David and Victoria Beckham's former home, Rowneybury House, nicknamed 'Beckingham Palace', is nearby. 20:37, 21 OCT 2022 Virgin Atlantic on Friday released a statement over an earlier incident in which a Chinese passenger was being verbally assaulted and threatened onboard. This was the airlines first public response over the racial discrimination case that has sparked internet outcry in China. But the concise statement with its indifferent tone just set off another round of anguish from the Chinese netizens. According to the statement, the airlines is regret to hear the alleged incident and has now launched an investigation. While the statement maintained that the airlines does not tolerate any kinds of racial discrimination, it also stated that the air attendants had made their best effort onboard to mediate and arbitrate between the relevant parties. There is no mentioning about the flight attendants mishandling the incident by threatening to kick the Chinese passenger out of the plane. This isnt an apology. It is rather a mere response or a plain statement, wrote Global Times. I suggest not to take Virgin Atlantic until this incident is properly clarified and handled, said Chinese netizen Joe Wong. Founder of Virgin group Richard Branson on March 18 posted on his Twitter account in both English and Chinese saying he was sorry to hear about the alleged incident. Really sorry to hear about an alleged incident on flight VS250. We do not tolerate abuse and @virginatlantic are investigating, wrote Branson. The incident took place on March 1, 2016, when a Chinese female passenger was verbally abused by a Caucasian male passenger and later one of the flight attendants on a London flight en route to Shanghai. According to the female Chinese passenger, a Caucasian male began hurling racial epithets such as f*cking Chinese pig, get the fk out of here" at her and swearing without any provocation. The incident went from bad to worse when a flight attendant approached the victim threatening to have her taken away from the plane if she did not stop quarreling. To many netizens, the actions or responses that the Airlines has given so far, if any, just showed that the company is not taking the case at all seriously. Its public attitude misleadingly conveys that this was just a complaint of a scuffle between two passengers, instead of a racial discrimination case. The flight attendant didnt even try to stop the verbal assault but, to make things worse, threatened the victim. For more details please read: Woman Was Called "Chinese Pig" on Flight by Passenger, Only to be Threatened by Crew to Leave the Plane in Mid-air. We're a family of seven living in Georgia where Andrew's working as a professor at GSU. You can read more about us here Gardai raiding a car sales business in Bluebell last week, in which 18 vehicles were seized The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) is aiming to target half a dozen crime gangs as it extends its probe into the wealth of thugs involved in the feud that claimed three lives in recent months. Officers from the bureau will widen their inquiries after they complete a detailed analysis of the findings from last week's searches of homes and business premises. Most of the searches so far have been targeted at suspects regarded as being in the top and middle layers of the Dublin-based mob, that form part of the Kinahan global drug trafficking cartel. But officers say that some of the criminals on their "hit list" also have associations with other gangs in the capital, apart from the two groups directly involved in the feud. Many of the CAB inquiries into suspects on the Hutch side of the feud have already been completed, with settlements reached and payments made over the past few years. Ventures But officers have also opened up several new lines of inquiry as they step up their investigation because of the cross-over between criminal gangs, which has resulted in co-operation for specific illegal ventures. "These groups are not always clearly defined", a senior investigator said. "Some of their members move around, depending on what's going down and what type of criminal expertise is required for a particular enterprise, while others switch groups regularly because of family connections. "As a result, our inquiries into one specific gang can lead us into other areas, and we follow the asset trail as we progress," he added. Further searches in Dublin and in commuter counties are also being planned, although they are unlikely to be on the scale of the two operations mounted last week in the capital. Officers think it is likely that more potential assets will be seized while they are also expected to focus on the logistical side of the gang's activities, including the provision of firearms and transport and other assistance that the main gang leaders employed to further their criminal activities. The wider investigation will also focus on the role played in the feud by dissident republicans. It will look at the links between members of the Dublin faction of the Real IRA and associates of groups such as the Republican Action Against Drugs group (comprised of former members of the Provisional IRA and is located mainly in the north west) and the Derry city faction of the Real IRA. Last week's searches resulted in the seizure of 29 cars, six motorcycles, large quantities of cash and jewellery, tracking devices and documentation. Cartel gang enforcer Paul Rice has been officially warned by gardai of an active threat against his life. The threat is coming from members of the rival Hutch mob who are suspected of drawing up "specific plans" to target the Tallaght-based criminal. The Herald has established that detectives visited Rice's home, where they served the feared gangster with a formal document from gardai - a Garda Information Message, known as a GIM form. Sources say that Rice has become a target for the Hutch mob because of his close links to the Christy Kinahan cartel, with whom they have been embroiled in a deadly dispute with that has led to three murders. It is understood that Rice has been served with a number of GIM forms over the past five years because of his involvement in organised criminality. "It is not a new thing for Rice to get such a warning, he just shrugged it off," a source said. Shocking The official warning that was issued to Rice is just the latest of dozens of GIM forms that have been given to criminals on both sides of the feud since last month's shocking Regency Hotel gun attack that led to the murder of gangster David Byrne and the revenge slaying of Eddie Hutch Snr. just four days later. Rice is one of the capital's most feared criminals, and he has acted as an enforcer and debt collector for the Kinahan cartel for years. He also has links to a number of dangerous Dublin-based dissident republicans, and was a long-time associate of Gerard 'Hatchet' Kavanagh (44) who was shot dead in an Irish bar in Elviria, Spain, in September, 2014. Rice is not a suspect for the revenge murder of Eddie Hutch Snr on February 8, but he has now become a prominent target of the north inner city gang who are closely linked to Eddie's slain nephew Gary Hutch. Rice himself is no stranger to violence and he was jailed for 10 years in July 1995 after pleading guilty to the robbery of a bank in which shots were fired. A drunken bride-to-be who spat in a Luas security guard's face and punched another one in the face has had charges against her struck out. Sheryl Hoey (31), , paid a total of 500 compensation to the two security guards, Tallaght District Court was told. The court previously heard Ms Hoey had been attending a wedding fair in Dublin's Citywest Conference Centre and had consumed "a lot of free champagne" that was on offer at the fair. Judge John Lindsay heard that the gardai had been called over reports of two women fighting. Punched Luas security were also called and Hoey spat in one security guard's face and punched another one in the face. The defendant was very aggressive when approached by the gardai and she was arrested. The court had heard that Hoey had six previous convictions. Ms Hoey had admitted to assaulting two security guards at the Citywest Luas stop on November 10, 2015. She also admitted to public drunkenness and breaching the peace at the Citywest Luas stop on the same date. Ms Hoey is due to get married in July. She was before Judge Lindsay for payment of 250 compensation to each security guard. Her lawyer, Gabby Deane, said the compensation was in court. Judge Lindsay struck out the case. At the previous court case, Ms Deane said her client had been attending a wedding fair in Citywest. Pleaded Ms Deane said her client had blacked out and had no recollection of the incident due to the amount of free champagne she had consumed at the event. The court was told that Hoey was "extremely remorseful" for her actions, and she pleaded with the court not to leave her with a conviction on her record. The court heard that the accused had completed her Leaving Cert in 1996 and that she had worked as a shop assistant for more than 10 years. Judge Lindsay commented on the fact that Hoey - with an address at Jervis Place, Upper Abbey Street, Dublin 1 -had spat in one guard's face and punched another. Latest figures show many more homes could be built Nearly 23,000 homes could be built across Dublin based on the number already granted planning permission. New figures from the Department of the Environment show there is no shortage of permissions to build much-needed houses and apartments, but the homes are not being delivered. The reasons include the high cost of building and the inability of builders to secure finance. This is despite the crucial need for 6,000 new units to come on to the market every year simply to keep up with demand and allow people to get a foot on the property ladder. The figures show the bulk of permitted new builds are in one of the country's fastest-growing areas, Fingal, and further reveal: l There is planning permission in place for 27,002 homes across the four Dublin local authorities; l Of these, 4,400 are under construction, meaning there is capacity for almost 23,000 new homes; l The highest number of permissions is in Fingal, at 11,409; l Next come Dun Laoghaire- Rathdown with 5,659, Dublin City with 5,315 and South Dublin with 4,639. Levies While the Government has taken some action to address the housing shortfall, including rebating levies for starter homes and reducing the number of units that must be available for social housing, the figures show that progress remains slow. Last year, only 12,666 homes were completed nationwide. In Dublin, fewer than 3,000 were delivered. "It's killing us that in broad terms the stock of planning permissions is increasing, but we're not seeing those permissions convert into starts," one source said. "It's not a land issue, it's an economic issue. The delivery price of a home is in many cases higher than what the market can bear. "Builders are building on the basis of deposits secured. What we're not seeing is building forward in any kind of speculative sense." Nama plans to ramp up the delivery of starter homes in the capital, and intends building more than 6,100 across eight clusters by 2020. Just under 1,100 are planned for Baldoyle/Clongriffin, 864 for Dun Laoghaire, 794 in Swords, 554 in Ballycullen/Knocklyon, 961 in Stepaside/Foxrock, 834 in Pelletstown/Ashtown, 399 in Kilternan and 433 in Castleknock/Diswellstown. Independent TDs like Michael Healy-Rae and Shane Ross could be offered ministeries as part of a Fine Gael plan for a "rainbow minority government". Acting Taoiseach Enda Kenny is to rapidly escalate attempts to form a new government that excludes Fianna Fail. The Herald has learned that he intends to ask up to 20 Independents and the Green Party to play a role in writing a new programme for government. The move will raise the stakes in the bidding war between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail as both parties seek to get enough support to justify a minority government. Mr Kenny now wants to be in a position to appoint a Cabinet when the Dail meets on April 6. "Independents thought we were looking for support on a case-by-case basis - but it's not, we want them in the room," said a source. Party strategists accept they will fall short of the 79 seats necessary for a majority, but believe if they can get more than 65 votes, the pressure on Fianna Fail to allow the formation of a government would be too great. Fine Gael sources described their new plan as a "modern version" of the 1948 coalition deal, which saw all parties except Fianna Fail enter a coalition. The Cabinet consisted of representatives from six parties and an Independent. There are indications that the Independent Alliance; a group of five rural TDs; the Green Party; and a small number of standalone Independents - including Katherine Zappone and Maureen O'Sullivan -, are interested in taking talks to "the next level". Voting A key element of the Fine Gael plan involves convincing the Labour Party's seven TDs to abstain from voting against Mr Kenny on April 6. Mr Kenny will ask his parliamentary party on Tuesday to allow him open "really substantial" negotiations that he hopes will ultimately lead to a programme for government. Meanwhile, Fianna Fail is continuing talks with Independent TDs, and is due to give them a document on its plans for rural Ireland this weekend. However, party strategists do accept they have huge ground to make up and will need somebody to publicly back them soon in order to gain some momentum. In Brussels yesterday, Mr Kenny said people had voted "a different range of representation and I think, as the largest party in the Dail, it's important that we recognise what that range is. "And that's why my responsibility continues to be to work with those groups and those individuals in understanding what their concerns are, and what mandate they brought with them from their people, being properly elected to the Dail, and to reflect that in issues that can be dealt with by the next government," he said. Questions were raised last night as to how Europe's most wanted man managed to evade police, apparently hiding in the same Brussels neighbourhood for four months. "We got him" were the words Belgium's immigration minister, Theo Francken, used to announce the capture of Salah Abdeslam. Thought to be the last surviving member of the 10-strong commando group that carried out the Paris terror attacks, Abdeslam was arrested in Brussels along with four other suspects. Three members of the same family were arrested, plus a man called Amine Choukri, who had a false identity and had been previously seen in Ulm, Germany with Abdeslam. Battle Francois Hollande, the French president, said that the number of suspects wanted over the Paris attacks was much higher than previously thought. Charles Michel, the Belgian prime minister, described the arrests as "a very important result in the battle for democracy". Mr Hollande asked for Abdeslam to be extradited to France "as soon as possible", a request the Belgians said was a "formality". The French president, who was in Brussels for an EU summit on the migrant crisis, added: "We are aware that if this arrest is an important step, it is not the definitive conclusion. "We know that the network was very wide in Belgium, France and other European countries. We must continue to pursue our efforts." While he and Mr Michel were "congratulated" by phone by US president Barack Obama, neither would be drawn over claims of woeful intelligence blunders. Abdeslam was seized after four months on the run and a series of excruciating near misses. A lack of information-sharing between Belgium and France saw the prime suspect waltz through three police checks in France hours after the commandos massacred 130 in Paris. He is then thought to have outfoxed police by hiding in a sofa. Then there were reports that he had hidden in another flat outside Brussels for three weeks after his fingerprints were found there. In the end police trapped the 26-year old a few hundred yards from where he grew up and where he was last spotted the day after the Paris attacks - in Molenbeek, the suburb home to several of the Paris gunmen and which has been described as a "den of Islamists". Wounded in the knee during the raid, Abedslam "instantly" confirmed his identity from his hospital bed. Earlier, volleys of shots and explosions rang out as the police operation unfolded. Officers reportedly homed in on Abdeslam after he phoned a known contact in search of a place to stay. A Buddhist temple in Xian, Central Chinas Shaanxi Province, has been fined RMB 3000 (USD 463) for illegally owning a lion in the premises. Officials earlier have confirmed that they have confiscated the lion, and investigation is ongoing in the direction of a criminal case. It is reported that the temple was given two baby lions who were sick back in 2010. One of them passed away afterwards, and the other has been staying in the temple until recently. The construction of Chinas tallest skyscraper Shanghai Tower has been completed recently and is going to open soon, local media reported. The 632-meter-tall tower located in Pudong district in Shanghai has 126 floors. The building boasts 400,000 square meters of floor space and will comprise mostly of fancy office space with the odd luxury retail areas and hotel rooms. It is the second-tallest building in the world, only behind Dubai's Burj Khalifa, which stands at 829.8 meter. The Shanghai Tower is equipped with a lightning fast elevator that can reach a max speed of 18 meters per second. Visitors taking the elevator can reach the 119th floor sightseeing platform in just 55 seconds. The Humane Society has pets who need a home. Will you open yours? Rest in peace? Dead Puerto Rican man is propped up in a chair holding a cigarette with his eyes open at his own funeral A Puerto Rican man who was repeatedly shot and killed earlier this month has been laid to rest 'just as he was in life' in an extremely unconventional funeral, Russia Today reported. Describing him as a 'happy and very active person', the family decided against a coffin for the funeral service in favor of a chair, sitting the man with his legs crossed, dressed in his favorite clothes and with a cigarette between his fingers. The funeral home also chose to leave his eyes open during the service. What you need to know about Powerball and the $580 million jackpot CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Gov. Pat McCrory should immediately convene a special session of the North Carolina General Assembly to overturn Charlotte's new non-discrimination ordinance, says a group of parents and businessmen who worry the law would force males and females to share public restrooms. About two dozen people gathered at the plaza at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Complex to urge McCrory to call the special session before the ordinance takes effect April 1. The ordinance says transgender people can use the restroom of their gender identity. Nearly everyone in the group had a sign, some of them reading "Keep Women Safe," and others saying "No Men In Women's Bathrooms." Thomas Dellinger, who said he's a businessman and a father of two, said his family's safety is in jeopardy and his businesses will be subjected to financial burdens because of the ordinance. "The parks, the museums, the stadiums, the places I want to enjoy with my family now become a difficult thing to do at best, simply because I refuse as a father to allow my daughter to use the restroom with a man," Dellinger said. Republican House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger have said they oppose the ordinance passed last month by Charlotte City Council. Rep. Dan Bishop, who represents part of Charlotte, said lawmakers are working on legislation to address the ordinance, which aims to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression at hotels, restaurants and other public accommodations. Bishop said he supports the early session to address the ordinance, noting that McCrory has next week and part of the following week to call lawmakers back to Raleigh. "The whole thing is anxiety producing because it's just poor work and sort of a rogue city council going way beyond a function that a city council has," he said, adding that there's constant consultation between members of the House and Senate as well as the governor's office. "I believe we'll have legislation complete. I believe we'll have a special session and I think we'll pass it," Bishop said. One heckler at the news conference shouted at several of the speakers as he attempted to counter their claims. At one point, he was surrounded by several sign-holding ordinance opponents. He later engaged one of the protesters in conversation. A seventh century terracotta fragment representing six Amesha-Spentas (divine Zoroastrian beings), a 1250 CE enameled reliquary casket adorned with the Biblical Wise Men, a replica of a fire temple... These are some of the 350 exhibits that will be on display at Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination, an exhibition at New Delhis National Museum that will open on March 19. Dastur Noshirwan Dastur Kaikhushru Behram Framroz (1822-97). (Photo courtesy: National Museum) The show, which will explore the richness and complexities of Zoroastrianism through artefacts, literary sources, scriptures and paintings, will take you on a journey from the earliest days of Zoroastrianism to its emergence as the foremost religion of imperial Iran. Naoroji Rustomji Manek Sett (1622 1732). (Photo courtesy: National Museum) There are 42 lenders to this exhibition including museums as well as individuals across the world. It was a challenge to get them together. It took us almost a year, said Joyoti Roy, outreach consultant, National Museum. See: An amazing art exhibition on shipping containers in Delhi We have a strange idea of Parsis some of which is drawn from films. This is bound to increase your knowledge regarding their philosophy, religion and culture, added Roy about the exhibition, which was first held at Brunie Gallery, London in 2013. Enamelled reliquary casket, from Limoges, France 1250 CE (Photo courtesy: National Museum ) This is the first time that the British Library (UK) and the National Museum of Iran have lent objects to India. Other prominent contributors include the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai, Tata Central Archives, Pune, the Bombay Parsi Punchayet, Ancient India Iran Trust, UK, and The State Hermitage Museum, Russia. 7th century baked clay Biya-Naiman ossuary fragments from Uzbekistan (Photo courtesy: National Museum) The oldest object in the exhibition is the cuneiform tablet from the historic Royal Library of Ninevah(Mesopotamia) where the names of gods inscribed on the tablet include an early form of the principle Zoroastrian deity Ahura Mazda. The tablet belongs to the British Museum. A Sogdian fragment from the Rostam Cycle, 9th century CE, Discovered at Dunhuang, China (Photo courtesy: National Museum) Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest world religions, originated amongst Iranian tribes in Central Asia during the second millennium BCE and spread to Iran where it became the principal faith until the advent of Islam. Read: This exhibition displays objects related to medicine as a form of art Central to the religion is the belief in a sole creator god, Ahura Mazda, his emissary Zarathustra (Zoroaster) and the dichotomy between good and evil. The execution of Mazdak North India Early 17th century, British Library (Photo courtesy: National Museum) The narrative of the exhibition is divided into 10 sections including The Ancient World, Sacred Texts, The Silk Road, Central Asia and China, The Judeo-Christian World, and Journey and Early Settlement in India, Parsi Salon and Fire Temple. The battle of Rostam with Afrasiyab. Lahore 1830 CE (Photo courtesy: National Museum) These segments encapsulate the journey of Zoroastrians from the shores of Iran to the west coast of India where they came to be known as the Parsis, their growth as an immigrant community under British rule in India, and the later expansions. The exhibition is jointly curated by Sarah Stewart (SOAS), Firoza Punthakey Mistree (Zoroastrian Studies, Mumbai), Ursula Sims-Williams (British Library), Almut Hintze (SOAS), Pheroza Godrej (Independent author and curator), and Shernaz Cama (Unesco Parzor). Compared to the London edition of the exhibition, we have added exhibits from India, said Sarah Stewart, one of the curators. The display is part of the programme which will have two more exhibitions later this year. Do visit to get a sense of the contribution of Zoroastrians to Indian and world culture. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Accusing the Opposition of indulging in smear campaign to malign TMC, the party today took out a rally in the heart of Kolkata protesting against the doctored sting operation against its leaders. The Trinomool Congress leadership took out the rally from Sealdah to Esplanade protesting against the alleged nexus of Opposition parties to malign the TMC. Earlier also their have been many conspiracies against the TMC, but the people has given a befitting reply. This time also doctored videos are being used to malign us. We are the most transparent political party, TMC leader Partha Chatterjee told reporters. Meanwhile, opposition CPI(M) also took out a protest rally outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation headquarters demanding immediate removal of Mayor Shovan Chatterjee whose name has cropped up in the controversy. SFI and DYFI, students and the youth wings of CPI(M) respectively, organised a protest rally on Howrah Bridge demanding immediate action against the accused who were shown taking bribes in the sting operation. Actor Aditi Rao Hydari who has been in news for her rumoured link-up with Bollywood actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar, says though she laughs off such reports today, there was a time when she was new to the industry and felt the pressure of such reports. Today, she finds them interesting. Its part of our job, said Aditi when asked about her reaction to how media rumours affects her as a woman than as an actor. There are some days when I am irritated for five minutes and then we all laugh and get on with our work. I actually find it entertaining, she added. Read: Farhan Akhtar splits with wife Adhuna after 15 years of marriage The Rock On star and his celebrity hair-stylist wife Adhuna announced their decision to separate mutually and amicably earlier this year and it was reported that Aditi, who worked with Farhan in Wazir was the reason behind the split. However Aditi, who walked for designer Shruti Sancheti at the ongoing Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) Winter-Festive 2016, in Delhi on Friday, says that our lives are sometimes far more exciting on print then it actually is because we are working back to back, not sleeping, taking flights from here to there but you (media) attribute (it) as a very exciting life. She also says that though she is now five years old in the industry, such link ups used to affect her in initially. I have been working here for five years and earlier I used to feel pressure as I was new to it. I was not from the film world. I had not grown up there but today I am happy being like that. Either from being fashion, style or whoever you are, one should actually be effortless. It is about being yourself and being happy, being unique. Read: Aditi Rao Hydari is a fan of vintage fashion Actor Aditi Rao Hydari walked the ramp for designer Shruti Sancheti at the Amazon India Fashion Week Autum/Winter 2016 in New Delhi on Monday 18, 2016. (Agencies) I think when people love you for who you are and not what you are trying to be, I think then you are fine. There is no pressure on you. You are really happy and happy girls are really pretty, she said. Nagpur-based fashion designer Sancheti showcased her new collection titled Constantinople at the fashion gala that started in Delhi on March 16. Rooted in Islamic architecture and Byzantine opulence, the collection featured ultra-luxurious modern cuts with quintessential handcrafted brilliance. Conflicting pattern clashes of fluid paisley, geometric mosaics and rustic clamp dyeing formed the core DNA of this line. Last year, incessant rainfall wreaked havoc in Tamil Nadu, and led to the loss of several lives, assets and livelihoods. With a lot of help from all quarters, the state limped back to normalcy eventually. However, some relief operations are still in progress to help victims rebuild their homes and restart their lives. Jacqueline Fernandez is backing one such initiative. We have found out that the actor has joined hands with an NGO, Habitat For Humanity, and they have launched a Tamil Nadu Flood Relief Campaign, called Jacqueline Builds. As part of this initiative, funds are being raised to build houses that were damaged during the floods, and to help the victims in various other ways, says an insider. Read: No time for an item song, says Jacqueline Fernandez Read: Jacqueline Fernandez, Sooraj Pancholis first look in GF Apparently, when a considerable amount is generated, Jacqueline will personally visit Chennai, and overlook the procedure of getting the houses built for the victims. Interestingly, Jacquelines entire team, including her manager, assistant, hair and make-up artists, spot boy and driver, have lent their support to the cause by contributing as much as they can. They feel strongly towards the cause the actor is supporting. So, they are also putting in their best efforts to help her in this initiative, adds the insider. When contacted, Jacqueline said, It is truly heart-breaking. My team members feel likewise, and have extended their support to the cause. Follow @htshowbiz for more. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Two years ago, actor Emraan Hashmis life turned upside down. His only son, Ayaan, four-years-old at the time, was diagnosed with cancer. The actor and his family have since been through a painful battle, but now that Ayaan has recovered, Hashmi has decided to pen a book, titled The Kiss of Life: How A Superhero and My Son Defeated Cancer, to document the struggle. In a chat with HT, the actor says that his first thought after the diagnosis was to blame himself. When you hear such a news, there are a lot of things that go through your mind. As a parent, you go through anger, guilt and you often ask yourself - did we do something wrong? My wife Parveen and I thought we made some wrong choices as parents which led to this, he says, adding: The worst fear at that time is losing your child. Cancer is a terminal disease and has taken so many lives. The thought of losing your loved one to it is scary. Read: Emraan Hashmi returns to movie sets just days after his mothers death Emraan Hashmi says that he wants to pass on hope to other cancer patients and their families through his experience in the book he is writing. (Emraanhashmi/Twitter) Read: Emraan Hashmis mother dies of cancer The 36-year-old says that he could only cling to the hope that Ayaan will recover. I guess it was hope that got our family through. It was also mad optimism that things would be okay and there is no other way. The jolt that a person feels if you tell him/her that he has cancer is anyway wrecking. But how it feels when a family hears that their child has cancer is difficult to even explain in words. Ayaan was just 3-years 11-months old. The initial shock was devastating. But what got us through was the thought that we had to fight it. It might be a long battle, but we, as a family, had to fight for our sons life, he says, adding that his son has fully recovered from Wilms tumour and is cancer-free for a while. Read: Manisha Koirala to make a comeback with Balas Tamil film Talking about the book, Hashmi says that his intention is to pass on this hope to other cancer patients and their families. Like many, we never understood what cancer meant. Most people think cancer means death. If this book can even reach one family and give them hope, Ill be happy. I want to tell them that if we could get through it, so can they, he says. Read: Cancer was my biggest blessing, says Lisa Ray Hashmi adds that the book is also for his son to read when he grows up. When Ayaan grows up, he can read it, pat himself on the back and be proud that he endured all this and came out stronger. The book will help him know what the entire family went through, he says. Alphabet Soup for Lovers, Anita Nairs most recent novel, was born when her Italian publisher commissioned her to write food-based short fiction. Since she refused to write to order, the book emerged as a slim novel built on the foundation stone of romance. However, despite its simplicity it is not an ordinary romantic tale. Nair has spiced it up with a character-cum-narrator and a sub-plot that make all the difference. At the heart we have Lena Abraham married to the very gentlemanly KK. They live peacefully on a tea plantation in the idyll of the Anamalai Hills in south India. Komathi, their cook and Lenas faithful guardian, begins to learn the English alphabet using the sounds of familiar cooking ingredients to help her remember the letters. As she makes progress with her lessons, she narrates the events at her employers home unfolding before her, accompanied by her own views and analyses. More often than not, she comes across as an astute observer. For instance, this is how she describes the relationship between the husband and wife: Thats how they always are. Like two strangers in a doctors waiting room [] These two are like store-bought appalam. Seemingly perfect but with neither flavour nor taste. Read: Anita Nairs Cut Like Wound review Incidentally, Arisi Appalam is the first of the ingredients with which she begins her alphabet journey. However, Komathi shares the space with another narrator throughout the novel anonymous and omniscient, hence less interesting but equally significant. This voice has a perceptive comment to make on Lena and KK: Theres an absence of messy emotions between them, the sort that can throw people off kilter. They dont question and judge and this allows them to remain wedded to each other. The tedium of their lives is interrupted by the appearance of a well-known actor on the scene. Shoola Pani Dev, an aging actor and south Indian cinemas heartthrob, rents the homestay the couple runs, seeking refuge from his own stardom, at the tranquil site. In her first encounter with him Lena finds his behaviour offensive and confronts him with the words, Are you always this rude? to which his response is an apology offered with a boyish grin. This section of the novel comes across as somewhat of a cliche, though not precisely an Elizabeth-Darcy charade, since there is an instant connect between them. Read: Anita Nairs The Historic Moment before Empire review Even though the lovers cannot yet understand what is transpiring between them, Komathi can read between the lines easily and quickly. When Lena returns from her routine visit to the actor in the cottage, Komathi observes a gleam in her eye. She says, When she was a child, she often dipped into the honey jar with a large spoon when no one was looking [] My Lena is too old to find joy in the sticky sweetness of honey. What has she been stealing? Komathis intellectual acuity is evident here. Lena is not particularly fond of Daangar chutney (D is for Daangar chutney), yet she asks her to make it and takes it to Shoola Pani, who apparently tasted it last when his mother was still alive. The making of Daangar chutney also brings back to Komathi memories of her own unfortunate romance that forms the parallel thread in the book. While on the one hand she is loyal to her charge and even fiercely protective of her, on the other resentment smoulders deep within her because somewhere she holds Lena responsible for the miserable end to her own love story. Read: New authors play to Indian mass market with racy thrillers Komathi can see and understand the romance blooming between Lena and the stranger, but her loyalties clearly lie with Lenas husband, KK. Again and again her frustration surfaces at the extent of his blindness to the new developments in his life taking place right under his nose. Nairs humour is at its best here: And KK, does he see the transformation in her? [ ] But even he cant be oblivious to the stars in her eyes. Or does he think filter kaapi put it there? (F for Filter kaapi, Nair admits, is her personal favourite in the book.) Even though the actor-ordinary woman romance lies at the centre of the novel, while Komathi and her backstory stand at its periphery, it is actually the old cook, her candid and revealing commentary, besides her personal history that are far more interesting and intriguing than the characters in the foreground. This book perhaps wont qualify as one of Nairs best works or a literary treat, but flavoured with the unique condiments it has, it is certainly a work that can be devoured with pleasure on a leisurely spring weekend. Divya Dubey is the publisher of Earthen Lamp Journal and the Editor/Instructor at Authorz Coracle From Vivekananda to Gandhi, Jinnah, and Dara Shikoh, Sunil Khilnanis new book presents fresh insights into lives that shaped the nation. An interview with the author. Which essays did you enjoy writing? Just as I see the podcast and the radio series as a kind of gateway drug to the book, I see each essay as a gateway drug to the other essays. You dont have to read them in sequence, but they do connect and if you do read them in sequence, there will be a way of looking at the arc of Indian history throughout that period. In terms of my favourites, it was really hard. Some of the ones where it was hardest to get good information turned out to be the most fun. So, for instance, the Panini piece was a fascinating one to work on. Basava and Nainsukh were also... Some of the ones which were, for me, in a different territory Sanskrit grammar, 12th century Kannada poetry, 18th century Pahadi painting were the ones that I really enjoyed. I also enjoyed the one on Raj Kapoor; the way in which he combines social realism and eroticism in his film and made that so attractive not only to viewers in India but also in the socialist countries. Someone like Nainsukh about whom there is so little material How did you get around that? There one owes a great debt to the wonderful art historian and scholar BN Goswamy, who has done extraordinary scholarship not just on the Pahadi school but on Nainsukh himself and allowed us to get a sense of the life. As you say, theres not much. There are the paintings, a few writings, inscriptions in Haridwar, where he had gone, in one of the pandits books. The amazing thing I found looking at the work was that you could get a sense of the person. One of the things that struck me about him was how, using this very formal style of the miniature, he brings an amazing personal vision and a sense of history. To give you an example, I was looking at this painting in the museum archives; it is a painting of musicians at the court of Nainsukhs patron Balwant Singh. If you look carefully at one of the faces of the musicians you see small pox marks and then you realize that the biggest killer in 18C India was smallpox. Read: Why and how has multicultural India become racist? So, suddenly, just in that little detail you see the history come into it. I dont think BN Goswamy had noticed this even though he had studied these paintings. He was surprised. In that little detail you see that individuality of the painters eye and mind and also his sense of the humanity of it. He knew these people and these were real faces with real histories to them. In that way, you get a sense of the personality coming through. That is what I try to convey in the essays, to see them as human beings not as these distant in the case of political or religious leaders often mythologized figures, but to demythologize them in order to humanize them; to see ourselves in them and themselves in us, really, and to open that up through stories about them. We tend to see Jinnah as totally villainous. Your essay placed him in context. In the case of Jinnah, as you say, hes already prejudged even before you look at him, for us. But a couple of things are important to remember: first of all, he is absolutely part of Indian history except for one year of his life. Yet, we somehow think of him as an outsider. But hes integral to Indian history so we have to think of him in that way. Lets think of him in terms of the history of the subcontinent. Also, once you start to look at him, you see what an ambivalent and complicated figure he was. Even just to discover his liking for theatre and drama He was obsessed with Shakespeare; he wanted to become an actor; he imitated his hero Chamberlain by wearing a monocle Sometimes, with his speeches, you dont know if he believes what hes saying or if hes acting. There is a way in which he just took on a role and created... So did he really want what he created? Did he know what he was doing, or was it almost like a lawyer arguing a brief? I wanted again to bring him into a human dimension and to show him in relationship to Gandhi, in relation to other figures like Tilak. He was a great friend of Tilaks. Now, thats a curious friendship. We think of Tilak as a kind of rightist Hindu; Jinnah defended Tilak in court against the British. His anger at Gandhi was because Gandhi was being religious! So there are all sorts of twists in Jinnahs story. I did also want to make the point that, ultimately, the kind of position he takes is a very damaging, one which is this dream that we still have of homogeneity; of being a singular, defined by religion, culture Its a recurring dream but, all too often, it becomes a nightmare and I try to argue why thats so. Thats something thats close and familiar to us, not distant, the dream that became the nightmare in Pakistan. It is something we should feel an intimate relationship to; its not something out there because we could reenact that ourselves. MK Gandhi leaving the home of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, en route to the Viceroys Lodge in Delhi, November 24, 1939. (Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) It looks a lot like we are going towards that. For many years we thought we were ahead of Pakistan, superior, but perhaps we were behind. I think that is the kind of thing I wanted to suggest; that this is more intimate than we would like to think; that its not out there but that the path can be followed even by us. So we need to be very aware of what we are doing. How did you settle on these figures? It was hard. People always say, What about so-and-so? Lets add so-and-so. Thats great because I wanted to prompt that conversation about who are the interesting figures of history; why are they important? Why do we know about them? I hope that the book will generate that. In how I chose them, there were a number of different criteria. I wanted lives which mattered to Indian history so I, through them, tell the story of 2,500 years. Not stories that just were cameos that were interesting in themselves but could also tell this story and, in particular, telling the larger story by allowing me to explore some of the fundamental lines of conflict in Indian History -- whether its about gender and history, caste and the social order, region or religion or of the expression of individuality. Then I wanted, and this is one of the senses of the title, lives that have after lives, that have modern-day incarnations. A lot of the lives are still present today even though they existed long in history; they also existed in popular memory. I wanted to look at that tension between how we use and look at them today and how they lived in their moment and to what extent we are messing with that. Not to say we shouldnt be messing But just to make us aware of what we are doing. Finally, the other criterion was that it had to interest me. So its not an encyclopedia; its not a kind f Wikipedia version of history. Its not trying to be representative; its my take on these figures in argumentative essays that have a thesis and want to say something. Its not potted biography; its much more my own take on them. The really interesting essays are the ones on personalities who are not known, like Malik Ambar. Thats the thing. On the one hand, some of the figures would be obvious Jinnah, Gandhi, Ambedkar but both with the familiar figures and the unfamiliar ones, I hope Ive said something different or new. Certainly Malik Ambar was one of the figures weve forgotten. Just as Im interested in their afterlives, Im also interested in those that havent had afterlives. Because what does that tell us about why we forgot them? What do the ones with afterlives tell us about why we remember them? What do the ones weve forgotten tell us about ourselves? Someone like Chidambaram Pillai, in a sense, his life was a failure but it tells us something about how we think about the national movement; it tells us something about how we romanticize the national movement. For most people, prison was not a stepping stone to glory, it was the end of their career, and it broke them as human beings, and we forget that. We think about the Gandhis and the Nelson Mandelas or the Martin Luther Kings for whom prison was a step to greater things, but for most people, prison just destroyed them. We have to acknowledge the tragedy of that and the small stories that were forgotten. No one really remembers Pillai now. Even in his home town where I went, the port is named after him but if you asked anybody who was Chidambaram Pillai they said, Maybe I learnt in school but Ive forgotten. So I wanted also those people we dont think about and weve lost to history. There could have been many more but I had to be selective. Malik Ambar is an astonishing story. In forgetting him we forget about how global our economy and society was at that time. That an Ethiopian could come here as a slave and get to where he was also tells us something about the openness of our society. In many ways, we were more open than now. Thats something that we should be surprised about because we think of the Deccan as closed and static. It was completely open to different cultures and, in some way, to talent. This was the guy who showed talent and he was recognized for it. Its a tragedy that the Siddi community in Gujarat is in terrible shape. If those kids knew that they are descended (from Malik Ambar), what an inspiration it could be! Its not just a deprivation of his descendents; its also a diminishment of our own history and how rich it has been. I had great fun doing that essay. It would make an amazing movie. Yes! Maybe have Denzel Washington playing Malik Ambar! Absolutely! I keep thinking if theres some smart producer hed make this! It has all the elements adventure, travel over ship, slavery in the Arab world, the Deccan, the Mughals, blood and gore, intrigue in Daulatabad. It could be a fabulous movie in another incarnation maybe! I thought the Dara Shikoh essay was good too because it changed ones perception of this person. That is what I wanted to do. Theres a way in which Dara Shikoh has become a kind of pet poodle of liberals: If only Dara Shikoh... Actually the guy was a bit of a noodle! He would have been a disaster. But he did do this extraordinary thing of translating He didnt do it because he was a liberal, tolerant, person; he did it because he had religious reasons. The translations he did was not to discover new things; it was to affirm what he thought was the truth hed found in the Koran. I wanted to restore the historical context and not to diminish it because I think what he did was extraordinary but to get away from this view that he was somehow a proto-liberal and if only wed had him and not Aurangzeb then Indian history would have been totally different. I wanted to question that and undermine that to a certain extent. Actually, at the end of that essay, Aurangzeb came out as better. He comes across as a man of action; anybody would have gravitated towards him instead Thats also the thing. As with the Jinnah essay, I wanted to unsettle the hero-villain binaries that we have with our history and to say, You know, its a bit more complicated; they are more interesting than that. You cant just paint them in black and white. Even with Gandhi, we see him as this spiritual paragon etcetera but I wanted to show that he was also actually a great manager of the media. I mean he knew how to stage these events better than Steve Jobs! Thats not to diminish him; thats also to say This was a great talent he had; he used it for good ends. The way in which he chooses his marchers, tells them how to dress, gets the guys to go ahead in the villages and whip up excitement when he comes, gets the media cameras to follow him Amazing stage management in 1930! Even today Dandi is godforsaken; it took me hours to get there! No one goes there, the beach is desolate, and he got all these media guys to follow! Today, I dont think the media would go to Dandi, and he got all these guys to come and film him there. Again, to humanise, to show the capacity to manipulate and the complex motivation, whether its Aurangzeb or Jinnnah or Gandhi or whoever. Yes, also using the Khilafat Movement. Yes, really playing with fire in many ways. These days, theres a tendency to go the other way, to see Gandhi as a horrible man who used to abuse his nieces and was a racist. What about that sort of thing? Everyone is complex I think thats the first step to recognizing that. While I say I wanted to demythologize in order to rehumanise, I did not want to do it for the sake of it, to be iconoclastic, because I think its also some kind of fashion to do that. Yes, which came through in that South African book about Gandhi (The South African Gandhi: Stretcher-Bearer of Empire by Ashwin Desai and Goolam Vahed) Yes, thats right. About racism. That kind of goes completely the other way. Thats also a loss because then we lose whats interesting and compelling about the human being. As you say, we are all complex beings but if we can acknowledge that about our figures in the past they become more interesting to us because you can really engage with them. One of the things I felt I wanted to do was to make our history more interesting to us and more interesting to the younger generation for whom, very often, it looks like its full of these venerable, pious, staid old men and a few women. Who cares? Whos interested? I wanted to say, actually, if you look at these characters they were all angry young women and men once. Whether its Buddha, Mahaveer, Guru Nanak, Kabir, Mira Bai, Amrita Sher Gil or Gandhi, these were all angry young people who were not happy with their circumstances, who argued, who fought, who stood up for themselves and for a principle, for a larger goal. Thats a way in which they can speak directly particularly to the younger India that we are today; that this is a history that, by drawing on, we can help move ourselves forward. So its not a backward looking exercise. Its really saying its a resource that we have to argue with, to fight with, intellectually, and develop our own ways of how to take it forward. I wanted to bring back the sense of our history as full of these rabble rousers rather than these venerable statesman figures that they are often painted as. I wanted to bring that energy back and to allow people to engage with them. The stories of lives are a way to enter into the past, which is more attractive sometimes than through thematic or social history or dynasties. Author Sunil Khilnani. (Sanjeev Verma / Hindustan Times) Since it was on BBC radio, I wondered what a person who is not Indian gets from this. What I would get from it is different. How did you manage that balance? I had to be very aware that this has to work for different audiences. Its on the BBC but its also on podcast so its available all over the world. The book, similarly, will be too. Its always a challenge when you want to write both for the audience that knows the material well and the audience that is completely unfamiliar with it. I hope that I got that balance. The story form, the narrative form, is a way of drawing in people so even if you dont know more about that moment, if you dont know about 12th century Kannada literature, at least you have the story of Basava to draw you in. Then along that story you plant the concepts or the ideas or the arguments that they posed. I hope that some of the arguments that I make about interpretation and also some of the facts are new for an Indian readership as well. As in the case of the regional figures Exactly. A figure like Periyar, Im trying to say this is a thinker of national significance; we should all know about what he was saying. Its obviously for readers to judge whether Ive achieved that balance but I was very aware that it had to operate at those levels. An US edition is coming up later in the year. That audience knows even less, perhaps, about India than the British audience but the text is the same, except for the spellings. My earlier book, The Idea of India, managed to speak to different audiences; both those who know and those who are coming to it in a more introductory way. Is this a taking forward of the Idea of India concept? Yes, its a taking forward and also a kind of deepening of it in some ways. The Idea of India was concerned with a shorter historical span; it was the foundations of modern India. This book allows one to see why what I call the Idea of India makes so much sense because that idea was an attempt to find a home for this enormous plurality and diversity as a way of allowing that to thrive. This book shows the substance of what that plurality is and so why the idea of India is the most appropriate way of thinking of who we are because it allows us to constantly be arguing over what the idea of India is and to constantly be modifying and pushing it forward and expanding it rather than saying its rigidly defined and once-and-for-all defined. One of the things I was saying in that earlier book was that the idea of India has some flexibility within principal boundaries but its able to evolve. So this was a way of going back to the longer history and saying, actually, theres a reason why we need a wider and capacious idea of India because there is a lot that it has to hold, and thats a good thing. In that sense, its a kind of challenge to what I think is a much more narrow definition of Indian nationalism which is, in a curious way, still a very colonial definition. It owes much more to 19th century European parochial nationalism, which tries to define a nation in terms of one culture or one religion or one race or one language, which, it seems to me, is alien to India. Thats the colonial European idea of nationalism. The one that I try to talk about in the Idea of India is the one that, to me, is much more true to our history this being part of it the figures in Incarnations. The RSS is trying to do a similar thing to Hinduism as a whole; bringing a single image to it. I think thats right. In the essays on Shankaracharya and Vivekananda I tried to show that these were much more complicated figures. Shankara is really interested in What Hinduism is is unanswered questions, not the answers. I think its the capacity to pose those questions: who are we? Why are we here? Where are we going? Who made us? and not to come up with a final answer to that and to let people find their own ways. The great force of the religion and philosophy is to pose a question, which can never finally be answered. I think you see that with Shankara and again with Vivekananda, who has become a kind of mascot figure, but is far more complicated and conflicted, ambivalent. He is deeply self critical of the Hinduism that he sees, deeply influence by the egalitarianism that he sees in the West. I think we need to recognise that multiplicity and open-endedness rather than say, This is the definition, it says it in the books, it says it in the authorities. Its just that there arent such authorities, and thats the great freedom; not to use in a random way but to be able to think freely. A lot of these preoccupations, we still have them, were still grappling with them. That was something I wanted to also show. In a curious way, this is an anti-liberal view. The story thats told here is not an easy progressivism that weve got better in everything. Its saying we are still grappling with the issue of caste, patriarchy, racism, regional recognition, of individuality and the freedom to choose who we love and who we want to be. These are not resolved and one of the paradoxes is that even while weve had these powerful voices criticizing the constraints or speaking for a greater freedom on all of these issues, at the same time the society is able to absorb all that criticism and carry on with minimal change often. Thats also something we need to think of often. We had these remarkable 50 but what difference did they make? In the Kabir essay, for all the stuff that he does, did it change anything? I think thats something we should feel a bit surprised and even outraged by. Incarnations: India in 50 Lives; Sunil Khilnani; Penguin; Rs.999, 636 pages. You mean the unchanging nature of India? Well, yes. The capacity to defang or absorb some of this is also something that we should be troubled by. Think about how we deal with that today. Is there a way in which we allow a certain freedom of thought but a real orthodoxy of practice still? How do we connect the two? Its that dissonance also that Im interested in. In that sense, its not saying we began and it was all bad and weve got here and its getting better and better. Its not that kind of story. Because I think those are never realistic stories. They dont appeal to me. How long did it take you to put this together? The radio show and the writing of the book were done simultaneously so it was incredibly stressful. I travelled a lot for the location recording from Tuticorin to Shantiniketan, to Dandi, to Sringeri, to Jhansi, to Hampi. It was a lot of travelling and a lot of working in libraries using archives and interviewing people. The actual hands-on writing and radio work on this took about two years but, obviously, the thinking and reading is something Ive done over many more years. Im still amazed its actually here. It was a completely crazy deadline. When we launched in London, the publisher said, literally, I was writing as it was going to press and he used the word nightmare. Hes exactly right. It was a nightmare; and somehow we are still on speaking terms! SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Its a bright, breezy February morning and were getting into a fishing boat to try to spot some Olive Ridley sea turtles. Fifteen minutes later, just one kilometre off the coast of the Rushikulya area in south-east Odisha, theres no need to try theyre everywhere. They swim, hundreds of them in every direction, in the green waters some pass right by our boat and bob their heads up occasionally for air before disappearing quietly under the surface. The turtles are here on very important business. A few weeks ago, they swam here from miles away to mate. And by the time you read this, the females will be making their way, in astonishing numbers, to lay their eggs by moonlight in the sands ahead. They didnt pick Odisha at random. Theyve been doing this for millennia returning to the same coast where they were hatched, this time to bury as many as 150 soft-shelled eggs each, so 45 days later, little hatchlings can emerge, paddle automatically towards their ocean home and return to do the same one day. Its a journey fraught with risk, as youll see. Of 1,000 eggs, only one Olive Ridley turtle is said to make it to adulthood. But as the rising turtle numbers at Rushikulya in the last two years show, that might slowly be changing. A new generation of locals in Rushikulyas fishing villages of Purnabandha, Gokurkuda and Podampeta, whove grown up with messages of conservation, is taking charge of reptilian guest relations. Theyre battling tradition, collaborating with experts, stretching budgets creatively and relying on good-old-fashioned grit so that Odisha, the worlds single most important breeding area for Olive Ridleys, can protect its precious visitors. This is their story- Turtles return to sea after nesting at Rushikulya (Biswaranjan Rout) Swept Away It wasnt always like this. In the 1970s, when scientists discovered the coast of Gahirmatha, a few districts north of Rushikulya, to be a rich nesting ground for Olive Ridley turtles, it was already time to worry. Turtles would arrive in thousands to nest, but only a few of their eggs would get to hatch, let alone make it to the ocean. Locals would dig them out of their sand pits to eat or use as cattle feed. We knew that the turtles had been coming here every year, but we didnt know anything else, recalls Rabhindranath Sahu, now past 40, who grew up in Purnabandha. Wed collect the eggs to eat and sell. They seemed like ping-pong balls, only softer. They didnt taste particularly good. Only the yolk cooks, he explains. The rest stays liquid. Wed cook them in haldi-mirchi; it smelled awful. But when a hens egg was 50 paise and you could find 100 free turtle eggs, people werent picky. Adult turtles werent spared either. In his 2015 book From Soup To Superstar, researcher Kartik Shanker describes how until the early 1980s, thousands of adult Ridley turtles were shipped from the ports of Odisha to the pans of Kolkata by both road and rail. Mangaraj Panda, another local, recalls seeing them as a schoolboy at Puri station, bound for Howrah. My fishermen friends would sell them, he says. Fishing communities, viewing turtles as an avatar of Vishnu, would not eat them. But if some, even hundreds, washed up dead after being caught in trawler nets, no one cared. Magazines reported on the turtle numbers. Wildlife conservationists pushed to ban poaching. But in the fishing villages, laws were of little help. In those days wed never even see a car here, we had one landline for 300 people it was that remote, recounts Sahu. (Biswaranjan Rout) Turning The Tide In Rushikulya, change came when a strange man visited the village in 1993. He stayed among us, explained he was there to track and study our turtles, and told us things about them that none of us knew, Sahu says. The man, wildlife scientist Bivash Pandav, was 13-year-old Sahus first brush with a world outside his fishing and salt farming community. He accompanied the scholar on a study trip of the neighbouring beach and, as luck would have it, they struck gold. We counted 30,000 Olive Ridleys on the sand that night. It was like a mela! Sahu recalls. I knew there was something special about where I lived. Since then my life has been connected to turtles. Sahu describes much of the next four years as din mein padhai, raat mein beach, referring to his research work with Pandav. Theyd rent a dinghy and travel 20km along the coast, tracking turtles. Sahu learned the value of turtle tallies, counting nests, analysing the weather, and tracking mating and mortality. People would ask me, Kaam dhanda nahi hai? But for Sahu, the projects offered friendship and purpose. Read: DRDO to facilitate live webcast of Olive Ridley sea turtle nesting in Odisha It also made him see his own village differently. Id be doing all this work to save turtles and Id see my people eating their eggs. Id fight with them every day, he says. As more scientists and conservationists dropped in with pamphlets, videos and slideshows to educate the residents about the marine wealth in their backyard, Sahu patrolled the coast, keeping the villagers away from the eggs. It took six years, he says with a sigh. But people stopped poaching eggs. More hatchlings began going to sea. The Rushikulya turtles started to gain worldwide attention, and Sahu found himself in the spotlight. I ended up on Doordarshan, Sahu recalls. I think thats the point at which people began to respect me, and see their beach the way I saw it... as a special place. Kids guide wayward babies home on the beaches of Orissa (Biswaranjan Rout) It Takes A Village On other parts of the coast, the revolution was set to music. When Operation Kachhapa was set up in 1998 to help reduce trawler-related turtle deaths, it focused on hardcore activities like patrolling no-fishing zones and taking legal action on violations. But it also spread the conservation message among common people. A special turtle song was written in Odia, set to a catchy tune, and performed in over 100 villages (including Rushikulya and another major nesting site in Puri) by two minstrels. The song spoke of the turtle being Odishas pride, its role in the marine ecosystem, and how it needed to be protected from nets and indiscriminate consumption. The chorus: If turtles survive, we survive! The performance came with stunning visual aids hand-painted scrolls depicting live nesting turtles, dead turtles set against trawlers, and Lord Vishu in his incarnation as a turtle. Everywhere the minstrels went, they were met with curiosity and questions. By the turn of the century, community-based conservation had blossomed. I used to be anti-turtle till the year 2000, admits Mangaraj Panda. Id think that saving turtles came at the cost of fishermen. It took a scientific study to convince him (and many others) that turtles, which fed on jellyfish, were actually keeping sea fish safe. I realised that turtle numbers were good for our livelihoods. His organisation, Odisha Marine Resources Conservation Consortium was set up in 2004 so fishworkers, scientists, conservationists and non-profits can speak as one voice on coastal issues. They encourage small fishermen to stay away from turtle congregation sites during mating and nesting season, and have turned the Olive Ridley from foe to friend. Rabindranath Sahu grew up studying the Olive Ridleys with visiting researchers and now works to protect them. The locals have lined the beaches with nets to prevent misguided turtles from wandering too far from the ocean (Biswaranjan Rout) Green Lanterns Today, as the areas turtle guests number almost three lakh, Sahus job is actually easier. Hes the secretary of the Rushikulya Sea Turtle Protection Committee, founded by Pandav and local youth in 1998, and the 40-odd volunteers have been raised to take pride in Podampetas global status as Turtle Village. They know their responsibilities as soon as I visit their neighbourhood, he says. For ten years, theyve cleared away old nets and debris before turtles reach the sands, reminded fishermen to stay away and scanned the beach for the first sporadic nesters. Early batches get eaten by dogs and crows, says N Yudhishtra. So the eggs are dug up and re-nested in a goalpost-like enclosure close by, with labels neatly indicating when they are expected to hatch. At full-on nesting time, when thousands of Olive Ridleys can make their way to a beach on a single night, Sahu says he has no time to even go back for a meal. The coast is constantly monitored no mean feat with 54km of beach and close to three lakh nests and tourists are corralled. Beaches are kept dark so nothing interferes with a turtles moonlight mission. There are hundreds of cars and bikes, says G Damburu. We cant have that light reaching the sea, so were building a parking lot further away. After the 50-day hatching period, all hell breaks loose. As many as 140 baby turtles emerge from a single nest, the tiny grey hatchlings possessed by a singular urge to scramble out to sea. Much can go wrong at this point. Hatchlings are vulnerable to dogs, birds and crabs so more volunteers are roped in to keep them safe. Haloes of light from the roads, fish farms and villages are especially dangerous. They disorient the newborns into thinking theyve found the horizon, making them crawl in the opposite direction. Theyd all end up in the bushes, Sahu recalls. Wed be up all night, with eight-to-12-year-olds as volunteers, collecting them in buckets and bringing them to the sea. Rescue numbers were dismal, until in 2000, one fisherman, Damburu Behera, hit upon an idea: setting up a length of nets along the edge of the beach to stop the misguided ones. It was the first of its kind in the world, Sahu says. It was low-cost and made work so easy that the forest department adopted it for other beaches. A pair of Olive Ridley Turtle mate inside the Bay of Bengal Sea just off coast of the Rushikulya River mouth (Biswaranjan Rout) Many Happy Returns Sea turtles are great ambassadors for conservation. Theyre easy to approach (try getting close to an adult tiger or a panda), are found across continents (unlike a tiger or a panda) and are the subject of research and conservation programmes in over 70 countries. Marine biologists suggest theyve been around for 200 million years, making them older than dinosaurs. But theyre quite solitary and spend so much of their lives at sea that you wonder why they take these incredible migrations and return to the same place, says Shanker. They remain a mystery. In addition, Olive Ridleys live to 50 years. Biologists worry that we wont know if our well-intentioned measures have worked until much later. Much of our actions over the last century are already affecting the turtles. Rising sea levels are eroding the beaches the turtles once knew. One island in Gahirmatha has shrunk from 4km to less than a kilometre, claims Sahu. Climate change is resulting in longer hatching periods they now take nearly 55 days and resulting in all-female hatchlings. Oil spills are an ever-present threat. In 2010, some 7,000 litres of oil spilled from a ship at nearby Gopalpur port and blackened Rushikulya sands during hatching season. There was zero hatching that year, Sahu says. Perhaps the encouraging numbers of turtles nesting in Rushikulya show what weve done right. Panda believes only good has come from winning over women, locals and young people: The women have influenced their husbands and sons positively, the locals have worked out what is sustainable for them, youth ensure that efforts continue. At the beaches, Sahu knows that celebrating Turtle ka birthday on World Turtle Day (May 23), awarding chocolate and toys to kids whove helped hatchlings keeps them motivated. Sahu himself has emerged as Turtle Rabi, Rushikulyas go-to Ridley expert. Researchers joke that he knows the ecosystem so well that the turtles dont come to nest unless he says so. He fields queries from the navy, fisheries, forest department, coast guard, biologists and tourists, and networks with researchers in 50 countries. No job would have given me opportunities like these, he says. I am nothing without the turtles. I dont even want a wife the lakhs of Olive Ridleys are my children. You can hurt a man before me, but if you hurt a turtle nahi chhodoonga! (Biswaranjan Rout) What makes Olive Ridley Turtles so special? Of the seven species of sea turtles, Olive Ridleys are the most abundant, but theyre still almost endangered. Odisha is their richest nesting site, though they also appear along Indias west and east coasts, Mexico and Costa Rica. They grow up to two feet in length and live for 50 years, but given that they are solitary and spend their lives in the open ocean, we know little about them. Heres the part were familiar with: * Turtles swim from thousands of miles away to mate offshore in the cooler months * By March, mother turtles head to the beach to lay about 150 eggs, cover their nests and return * Eggs hatch 40 to 60 days later, and baby turtles emerge, with no mum in sight, with enough will and energy to paddle to the sea * The lost years begin as the babies drift with the currents, settling close to shore and taking almost 30 years to reach adulthood * Tagging experiments show that females return to the beach they were born to lay eggs of their own. In Rushikulya, as many as three lakh turtles now come to nest annually From HT Brunch, March 20, 2016 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON It is a measure of how highly regarded Australia is within the food community that when the worlds greatest chefs want to try something different, they take off for Oz. Heston Blumenthal closed the original Fat Duck in Bray (England) for several weeks and opened a pop-up restaurant in Melbourne. And this year it has been the turn of Rene Redzepi of Copenhagens Noma to open a pop-up in Sydney. The Australian government has been quick to recognise the potential of positioning Australia as one of the worlds great food destinations, and the ad campaign for the country even calls it Restaurant Australia. Which is how I came to be in Sydney. Tourism Australia had partnered with Redzepi and Noma. As part of the deal, they got to take over Noma for one dinner, which they hosted for chefs and food writers from all over the world. I was one of the Indians fortunate enough to have been invited. And while I will write about Noma and the changing philosophies of food in another column, Ill stick to Australian food for this one. The Noma dinner was on my very first night in Australia, but I stayed on and visited as many Sydney restaurants as I could in four days. Sydney is now one of the worlds most international cities and this is both a good thing and a bad thing. It is bad because it takes longer for visitors to get acclimatised. The staff at my hotel (The Ovolo, which used to be the Taj till Indian Hotels sold it), were recent immigrants who didnt speak much English and were no help when it came to suggestions for getting around. The taxi drivers had been imported from Lahore, had not bothered to learn how to operate GPS, and expected you to show them the way. And the fancy limo services were no better. One driver dropped me at the HSBC building rather than the Citibank tower, presumably on the grounds that one bank was as good as another. And the limo driver who was supposed to take me to the airport for an early morning flight did not turn up. (His company later claimed that he had taken another man, who claimed to be me, to the airport instead. The mind boggles!) But internationalisation is a good thing from the food point of view, anyway because it has helped Aussie chefs move away from their roots in French/British cooking. More than any other country that I know of, Australia is conscious about the quality of ingredients. Because good chefs work closely with farmers, livestock breeders and the like, they have access to what may well be the worlds best ingredients. And because they are familiar with international techniques, they use them to create wonderful new dishes that no European could ever have dreamt of. This was my third visit to Australia, and each time Ive gone Ive tried to eat the food of Australias great chefs: Matt Moran, Mark Best, Shannon Bennett, Peter Gilmore, David Thompson (in Singapore, London and Bangkok, though), etc. The chefs cook in no single style that can be called Modern Australian. Mark Best is more classical in his approach; Thompson cooks traditional Thai, Bennett does wonderful things with offal, Morans food is about the ingredients. And so on. But what always strikes me about eating in Australia is that the only way you can go wrong at a great restaurant is if the chef tries too hard. Otherwise the ingredients are so good that less is always more. Rockpool offers Eastern-influenced riffs on Australian ingredients (Rockpool) This time, I went to Neil Perrys flagship restaurant, Rockpool, which was smart and sophisticated and featured Perrys Eastern-influenced riffs on Australian ingredients. I loved what was called a lobster congee but actually had very little to do with the Chinese congee, except that the dish used rice. Also terrific was the deceptively simple scrambled egg with spanner crab, a combination that was somehow typical of Australian chefs. Perry is one of Australias most famous chefs and though I didnt think much of his Chinese brand, Spice Kitchen (boring Hakkasan-type stuff), I have been intrigued by his reputation for steaks. At Rockpool Bar & Grill, (a sister restaurant) Perry ages his own steaks and they are supposed to be extraordinarily flavourful. I had one at the original Rockpool and though the chef told me he cooked them differently from the Bar & Grills charred-on-the-outside style, it was the same meat. I thought it was very nice but no, not historic. There was a time when Tetsuya Wakuda was universally regarded as Australias greatest chef. Around 15 years or so ago (I think) he was briefly ensconced in London, where he cooked at the MJU restaurant on Sloane Street. I went twice and was blown away by his 14- and 21-course menus of small (sometimes tiny) dishes, each bursting with flavour. Since then, Tetsuyas has opened in Singapore to some acclaim but within Australia, his reputation has suffered. The general view is that he is resting on his laurels and that the food is now boring and without flair. It is an unkind view. But having eaten at his flagship restaurant this time, I have to say it is not entirely unfair. There were some great dishes, including his famous Confit of Ocean Trout and a superb chocolate cake. But lots of it was merely very good (not excellent or memorable), ranging from bland venison to fresh oysters with a sauce that overpowered their flavour to, believe it or not, Chilean sea bass! The room was packed with tourists, so I guess Tetsuya is making lots of money anyway. It is hard to say who Australias greatest chef is at the moment, but I imagine Peter Gilmore would be near the top of any list. I went to his flagship Quay restaurant some years ago but his empire has now expanded to include the stunning Bennelong inside the Sydney Opera House. I chose not to eat at the main restaurant but at the Cured and Cultured counter, where chefs made the food in front of you and explained each dish. Fresh Ideas: The meals at Tetsuyas (above) and Firedoor (below) are a testament to Australias commitment to quality ingredients and creativity I recognised immediately that it was a great idea but I had no idea that it would be the best meal of my trip better than Neil Perry or Tetsuyas flagship restaurants. The success of Bennelong is a good demonstration of the strengths of Australian cuisine. Neil Walkington, the manager, insisted I have the carrot salad, a dish that I found hard to get excited about till I tasted it! The carrots were so full of flavour and the salad so light and tasty that I saw why Neil had pushed it. The yabbies (a sort of Australian prawn) came in shells (only for presentation they had already been detached). You were supposed to eat them on buckwheat blinis with lemon jam and cream. They were delicious that way. But because the quality of the fish was so good, I ate them on their own with sea salt and a little olive oil. The locally sourced culatello (a kind of pork cold meat) was excellent. But the two standout dishes were the tartare and the bresaola. Gilmore gets his wagyu from Blackmore, one of Australias best breeders. So when it is minced for a tartare it is already delicious. But the chef uses Asian ingredients to give it a flavour like no tartare Ive ever eaten. The bresaola, also from Blackmore, melted in my mouth. I asked where I could buy some and was told that Blackmore made it specially for Gilmore. That meal confirmed what I thought: the best food in Australia comes from chefs who source the best ingredients and then cook them with so much respect that both the original flavour of the ingredients and the chefs talent are on the plate. Neil Walkington sent me to Firedoor, another Gilmore operation. This is one of Sydneys hottest new restaurants but I went because of the fame of one dish: that 122-day dry-aged rib on the bone. If you are a steak fan, you will know that while wagyu has complex and flavourful fat, Angus has better-tasting lean meat. Lennox Hastie, the chef at Firedoor, and Gilmore have found a breeder who has managed to breed a well-marbled Angus steak that combines the fattiness of wagyu with the deliciousness of the finest Angus. A slice of Sydney: At Firedoor (above), your food is cooked in front of you on an open fire They age the meat for 221 days (far, far longer than normal) to let the flavours develop. Then Lennox cooks it in front of you on an open fire. It aint cheap (I paid AUD147, but each steak is large enough for two) but it is probably the single best steak I have eaten in years. Better than Neil Perry, better than wagyu and better than any US Prime Ive had recently. That single dish seemed to reaffirm why Australian chefs are special: they get involved in the meal, while the raw materials were still being prepared, long before the ingredients even reach the restaurant. So, if you want a foodie holiday, follow the rest of the world and head for Sydney. Remember that it is a relaxed place with variable levels of efficiency (even Singapore Airlines staff at the airport broke with SQ tradition and took between 10 to 15 minutes to check each passenger in!). But if you want a laidback time with some terrific food, then this is where you should go. From HT Brunch, March 20, 2016 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Jewellers called off an 18-day strike on Saturday, hours after the finance ministry said a rule imposing 1% excise duty on the sector that they were protesting against will not apply to artisans and job workers. Jewellery shops were closed since March 2 against new norms announced in the general budget making 1% excise duty and PAN card for purchases of Rs 2 lakh or more mandatory. On Saturday, following a meeting of representatives of jewellery industry with the revenue secretary, the finance ministry said: Artisans and job workers are not covered (by) this duty and thus they are not required to take registration, pay duty, file returns and maintain any books of account. In case the jewellery is manufactured on job work basis, the liability to take registration, pay duty and file return is on the principal manufacturer and not on the job worker. The government in the budget announced a nominal excise duty of 1% (without input tax credit) and 12.5% (with input tax credit) on articles of jewellery. In a meeting with revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia on Friday, jewellery industry representatives contended that reimposition of levy will bring back the regime of the erstwhile Gold Control Act leading to harassment of jewellers, especially artisans and small goldsmiths. They are also worried that the levy would bring back the days of inspector raj and demanded that the exemption limit be increased to Rs 10 crore from Rs 6 crore in a year. The ministry clarified that the exemption of excise duty up to the clearance limit of Rs 6 crore will be available to a jewellery manufacturer if his aggregate value of domestic clearances is less than Rs 12 crore in the preceding financial year. The Delhi high court, in a first-of-its-kind order, on Friday directed the city government to provide employment to a 29-year-old acid attack victim on grounds of compassion. The victim, Renu Sharma, was 19 years old when a tenant of her family house threw acid on her face in Delhis Shahdara area. Renu had asked the man to vacate his room. The attack left her blind and made her dependent on constant medical treatment. Sharmas attacker was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. About 10 years after the incident, which took place on February 15, 2006, Renu has gone through 15 surgeries, but received only Rs 3 lakh from the government as compensation, an amount which she says is grossly inadequate. Her fathers income as a Group D employee at the Railways is insufficient to support the rising medical expenses and hence Renu decided to move court for compensation, said her advocate Kamlesh Kumar Mishra. The Delhi Victims Compensation Scheme, 2015, mandates an immediate help of Rs 3 lakh to acid attack victims, when such matters are brought to the notice of Delhi State Legal Service Authority (DSLSA). It put an upper limit of Rs 7 lakh for such help. DSLSA also provides free legal assistance for underprivileged citizens. Justice Manmohan said ceiling of expenditure of Rs 7 lakh on medical treatment may be arbitrary and unreasonable as it might not be sufficient in some cases. The respondents (government) cannot take the stand that they would not spend more than the ceiling amount, the judge said adding the State owes a duty to provide free medical treatment to acid attack victims. Justice Manmohan also clarified that the job given to Renu will be based on her educational qualification and medical status. Noting that Renu will require medical treatment on a regular basis, Justice Manmohan directed Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital to provide free treatment to her, the cost of which will be borne by the city government. The court also directed the government to reimburse her medical bills borne till date, after they are scrutinized by a officer. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The father of a 13-year-old boy, whose body in school uniform was found on a vacant plot at Sunehri Bagh in Lutyens Delhi on Friday night, was arrested after he confessed to the murder. Police are baffled with the reason he gave for killing his son. Shanti Prasad, a peon at the ministry of steel, has allegedly claimed he killed his son, Mohit, to implicate his tenant. Prasad claimed his tenant was neither vacating the house nor paying rent since the past few months. Prasads blood-soaked shirt was recovered from a lane near his house in central Delhis Gole Market. What had been preventing us from booking him since Saturday in the case is the reason behind the crime that he has given. It is beyond our imagination that a father can slit his sons throat and brutally crush his face with a stone. We wanted to be doubly sure before pronouncing him the prime accused, said an investigating officer. Police arrested Prasad late on Saturday evening after questioning him throughout the day even though he admitted early in the day. Prasad claimed the shirt recovered by the police belonged to him and he was wearing it at the time of the crime. He said after killing his son he changed his shirt and dumped it while returning home from the murder scene, which is near minister of state (home) Kiren Rijijus official residence. Prasad was supposed to bring Mohit home after school but he asked his wife if he had reached home. When the wife questioned him about Mohit, Prasad abruptly left and went to his friends house. Prasad stayed there for almost an hour and when his friend asked him about his son, he said Mohit was murdered and he had seen his body at a vacant plot. When the friend enquired further, Prasad accompanied him to bungalow number 4, Sunehri Bagh, where Mohits body was lying near the entry gate wall, the officer said. The friend informed Mohits relatives who called the police control room. The murder spot was near where Prasads tenants live. The knife used to slit Mohits neck was recovered from the pocket of the boy, said the officer. Information provided by the human resource development (HRD) ministry shows that one-third of teachers posts in central universities are lying vacant. More than 53% of associate professors posts are not filled and most universities are relying on ad-hoc, contractual and guest faculty. A senior HRD official said the ministry and University Grants Commission (UGC) have been monitoring universities to fill up posts but the situation has not improved. Procedural issues are a major obstacle in filling the vacant positions. There are some departments in which permanent positions have not been filled for the past 14-15 years. Authorities give us the excuse that they cant find a good person for the job. A Nobel laureate wont come and teach here, right? But authorities dont understand that, said Professor KN Uttam of Allahabad University, where 60% positions are vacant. Vishwanath Pandey, former public relations officer of Banaras Hindu University, said, Our vice-chancellor has started the process of filling up vacancies and 250 posts have been filled so far. The process for 475 vacancies is also on, the V-C is confident of filling them soon. The university has more than 65% permanent positions that are vacant. A senior HRD official said, Central universities are adopting different methods to address faculty shortage to ensure studies are not affected. This includes hiring ad-hoc and guest faculty. The retirement age was also increased to 65 years in 2007 to solve the problem. A total of 2,922 ad-hoc and contract faculty have been employed by central universities to manage the staff crunch. At times, certain subjects are not taught due to lack of specialist faculty. In many cases, existing teachers are burdened with additional work which puts a lot of stress on them, said a Delhi University professor. HRD minister Smriti Irani responded to queries by saying the onus of filling up posts lies on central universities, which are autonomous bodies created under Acts of Parliament.The issue was also discussed in a conference of V-Cs of central universities on Feb 4 and 5. The minister had told universities to look into the issue immediately and fill up the posts in a time-bound manner. They were also asked to file a status report, said a senior HRD official. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE 2016) exam results have been declared on the official website. The exam was conducted between January 30, 2016 and February 7. The results, expected on March 19, were declared a day in advance. You can download results by visiting http://www.gate.iisc.ernet.in/ and clicking on the link given on the top of the page. You are required to enter details like enrolment ID/email address and date of birth. Take a print-out of the result for future reference. Or Click here to go directly to the result page and enter required details. The GATE, is an all-India entrance test to screen candidates for their comprehensive understanding of various undergraduate subjects in engineering, technology, architecture and postgraduate level subjects in science. It is a test for admissions to the MTech, ME courses and direct PhD at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), other government-funded technical institutions and many private universities and institutes across the country. This years GATE was jointly conducted by the IISc and seven IITs on behalf of the National Coordination Board - GATE, department of higher education, ministry of human resource and development. Admission to postgraduate courses (masters and doctoral) in the country, with MHRD and other government scholarships/assistantships in engineering, technology, architecture and science is open to those who qualify GATE. The GATE score is also used by some PSUs for their recruitment. Read more: GATE way to a great future The GATE score is valid for three years. There is no restriction in the number of attempts for taking the test. The online paper contains some questions for which numerical answers need to be keyed in by the candidate using a virtual keypad. The remaining questions are multiple-choice type. A candidate is expected to appear in a paper appropriate to the discipline of his/her qualifying degree. However, the candidate can choose any paper according to his/her admission plan, keeping in mind the eligibility criteria of the institutions in which he/she wishes to seek admission. Hollywood actor Dylan OBrien has been injured on the set of Maze Runner: The Death Cure during production in British Columbia. He has suffered multiple broken bones, TMZ reported. The actor was filming a scene for The Death Cure involving a car when the stunt went wrong and he was run over. 20th Century Fox said in a statement Friday that OBrien was immediately transferred to a local hospital after being injured Thursday. The studio said shooting will be shut down while the actor recovers. A representative for OBrien didnt immediately respond to messages Friday. The 24-year-old is the star of the dystopian science-fiction series. The Death Cure is the third in the franchise. Trish Knight Chernecki, spokeswoman for the provincial occupational health and safety regulator WorkSafeBC, said an investigation officer has been dispatched to the set to investigate. WorkSafeBC Prevention Officers are on-site at a film set at Cache Creek airport - about 215 miles northeast of Vancouver. James Dashner, the author of the Maze Runner book trilogy, posted on Twitter Friday that OBrien had been hurt but he was going to be OK and his injuries were not life-threatening in any way. Production is postponed but certainly not cancelled. All that matters now is that Dylan recovers, he wrote. We love you, Dylan!!! OBrien is also known for his co-starring role in the MTV series Teen Wolf. It seems like there is a new woman in Sean Penns life, as he was recently spotted kissing a mystery blonde while on a romantic date night in Chicago. An insider revealed that the 55-year-old actor arrived at Chicago Cut Steakhouse with 20-year-old beautiful blonde and they ate near a window with a pretty romantic view, People magazine reports. Read: Charlize Theron refuses to forgive Sean Penn The duo ordered cocktails before dinner and throughout the meal they were very intimate with one another. Source continued that the actor came in with no reservation so he was not pretentious or trying to set it up or making sure he was incognito, he literally walked right in. Notably, The Gunman actor shared many public kisses with mystery blonde. Penn, who recently made the headlines for his controversial interview with Mexican drug lord Joaquan El Chapo Guzman, split with his former girlfriend Charlize Theron last year. Earlier, he was spotted at a Chicago bar and rumours started rolling that he has got a new girlfriend. Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh took a dig at Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday for saying there should be no politics on water. He also advised the Delhi CM to be consistent on his stand over Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal and water sharing issues between different states. Only a few days ago the Delhi chief minister had said in Punjab that he supported the states case against SYL and it cannot spare a single drop of water for Haryana, he said. But the moment Haryana government showed you the mirror, you backed out in your characteristic style and are now saying that there should be no politics over water. Your stand and statements should at least be consistent enough that they dont change so fast and so frequently, Amarinder said. Kejriwals comments came a day after Haryana irrigation minister OP Dhankar had written to him on Friday saying his state wont be able to continue supplying water to Delhi as he stood against farmers and peoples interests. Politics is not a game of ambiguities. At least not in Punjab where people will ask you straight questions - whether you are with us or against us, Amarinder said. You cant continue to run with the hare and hunt with the hound for long and keep on fooling people in your characteristic way, he said. He asked the AAP convener to also spell out his stand on other issues between Punjab and Haryana like transfer of Chandigarh and Punjabi speaking areas to the state. One letter from the Haryana Irrigation Minister made you simply run away and give up all the bravado you exhibited in Punjab and we will not be surprised if another similar letter will force you to make another u-turn, he said. Amarinder said that this was the reason why he has been continuously reminding Kejriwal that Punjab was too complex to be known in four and half days, as Kejriwal had claimed. Some assembly segments are wider than whole of the national capital he happens to be the Chief Minister of. This is the reason I have been advising that you need to come out and look beyond your municipal mindset if you really want to fiddle with politics in Punjab, he said. The anti-national slogans that were allegedly raised in the precincts of the Jawaharlal Nehru University in February, cast their shadow on the proceedings of the BJPs nation executive meeting that began on Saturday. Unwilling to put the issue to rest, the BJP, lashed out at the Congress and the Left parties for extending support to the students, and for justifying the slogans as freedom of expression and cautioned that criticism of the nation will not be tolerated. The BJP, which is gearing for polls in four states and one union territory, was acerbic in its criticism of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for visiting the campus to express solidarity with the students protesting against the arrest of JNU students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar. Rahul Gandhi visited the campus and did not say anything about the anti-national slogans, but tried to justify them as freedom of expression, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, quoting party president Amit Shahs address at the meeting. Prasad said Shah emphasized that the BJP will welcome any criticism of its leader, party and the government, but not of the nation. Shah, who has been elected party president for a three-year term in January, underlined that the BJPs commitment to freedom of expression cannot be questioned by the Congress that had imposed the Emergency on the country and the Left parties that idolise leaders such as Mao Zedong and Joseph Stalin. While the opposition has dubbed the BJP as anti-Dalit, especially in the wake of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemulas suicide in Hyderabad Central University, the party has been whipping the issue of Congress and Left parties extending support to anti-national activities gaining ground in universities. My own view is that have the CPI (M), CPI and the Congress leaders at senior levels castigated such slogans? And these parties are questioning our commitment to freedom of expression, Prasad said. Following up on the direction given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day to disseminate information about government schemes; Shah also instructed the cadres to relay the information about people-friendly schemes to the electorate. Addressing the party workers at the BJP office bearers meet Modi said asked them to work with an open mind to take the party forward and to use social media as much as possible to market the governments schemes. Post the electoral debacle in Delhi and Bihar and the deadlock in Jammu and Kashmir over government formation, the BJP is redoubling its efforts to make gains in the forthcoming assembly polls in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam and Pudducherry. The two-day meeting, second such since the BJP came to power, is expected to draw up a road map for the forthcoming elections and on how to present the governments achievements vis-a-vis meeting the demand for One Rank, One pay, farmer friendly policies and budget. Workers have also been instructed to flag the obstructionist role of the Congress for blocking the GST Bill and other legislation. A target has also been set for the BJP leaders to ensure that the 11 crore members of the party are converted into active members by organising at least six booth level party programmes. Crowds of protesters took to the streets of Mawana on Friday after the bullet-riddled body of a councillor was found near a graveyard, just as dust settled on clashes between two communities over an incident of molestation in Muzaffarnagar a day earlier. An angry mob shouted slogans as they went on a rampage, damaging vehicles including an ambulance and a superintendents vehicle, and burning down the gate of cinema hall. The protesters were demanding the arrest of those who killed the councillor, 45-year-old Zahid, and blocked traffic on the Meerut-Mawan road for over three hours, superintendent (rural) Praveen Ranjan said. The unruly crowed damaged my vehicle and an ambulance while efforts were made to send the body for postmortem, Ranjan said. The situation is under control, (but) heavy force has been deployed to prevent any possible clashes between Hindus and Muslims, said a police officer. A few miscreants had allegedly thrown stones at houses of another community, attempting to spark communal tensions. Zahid, who was also the caretaker of the graveyard, had attended a peace committee meeting in Mawana police station earlier on Friday, with some influential people of the town. As Zahids family and other people intensified their protests for justice, additional district magistrate Dinesh Chandra reached to the spot with more personnel to disperse agitators. However, the situation escalated with the mob pelting stones. Police finally managed to send the body for post mortem and control the situation. The Congress has said that the governments stance to introduce Aadhaar bill as money bill to bypass Rajya Sabha is a dangerous trend. I think this is a very dangerous trend. The government has taken this to bypass the Rajya Sabha. This is an assault on the upper house of Parliament. The Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha are two equal wheels of the same chariot of Indian democracy, said party leader Jairam Ramesh, noting several senior ministers in the government were from the Rajya Sabha. He said Congress had adequate grounds to believe that Aadhaar bill was not a money bill. The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016, was passed by Parliament in the budget session after amendments suggested by Rajya Sabha were rejected by the Lok Sabha. Party leader Anand Sharma, who also interacted with the media, accused the the government of lack of coordination ahead of the visit of a joint investigation team from Pakistan to probe the terror attack in Pathankot. A cattle trader and a minor boy were found hanging from a tree on Balumath-Herhanj road on Friday morning, leading to villagers blocking the road and flaring up tensions in the area. Villagers suspect that the double murder was carried out by people opposed to cattle trading. The area has been on tenterhooks for months as Hindus and Muslims clashed three months ago over beef consumption, with security forces being brought in to maintain law and order. However, since the shocking lynching of a man in Bisada village in October last year for being suspected of sacrificing a cow, beef has become an extremely sensitive issue, with many instances of people being attacked over the matter. Read: Man lynched in Himachal for cattle smuggling A truck driver shuttling cattle was killed by a group of miscreants in Himachal Pradesh in October 2015. Twenty two-year-old Noman is believed to have been beaten up by a group of Bajrang Dal activists, though police made no arrests. Four of Nomans associates were also attacked, and taken to the police. They were booked under laws prohibiting cow slaughter and animal cruelty. Cattle slaughter and beef sale is banned in the state. Read: Headmaster lynched for stealing cow; shutdown call in Manipur In November 2015, a madrasa headmaster, Mohammed Hasmat Ali, was clubbed to death by a mob near a village in Manipurs Imphal East district. Villagers alleged they had spotted him with a calf that went missing from one of their village members shed. Protests flared in the area with a Muslim organisation forming a joint action committee seeking justice for Ali, and refused to bury his body. Read: Couple assaulted over suspicion of carrying beef In January, a Muslim couple was among several passengers who were assaulted on a train in Madhya Pradesh when they objected to their baggage being searched for beef. Members of the Gauraksha Samiti boarded the train at Khirkiya station and claimed they found beef, though lab tests later clarified the meat was of a buffalo. Two members of the group were arrested for the attack. Read: Kashmiri students arrested after beef rumours at Rajasthan university Earlier this month, four Kashmiri students at Mewar University in Rajasthan were attacked by a mob and later arrested over rumours that they had cooked beef in their hostel room. The incident took place on campus and led to some Hindu groups protesting against the students and college administration. Opposition Congress and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) on Friday lashed out at the Raghubar Das government in Jharkhand over the alleged murder of two cowherders at Balumath in Latehar district. While the Congress said the incident reflected the failure of the BJP led government in the state, JVM described it as bigger than the Dadri incident in UP last year in which one person was lynched following suspicion that he had stored beef in his refrigerator . Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar said the incident exhibited gross failure on the part of the state government as the law and order situation of the state was turning from bad to worse and people have adopted aggressive approach due to hatred being spread in the society. Kumar condemned the way the two were murdered and hanged from a tree, and demanded justice for family of the two victims. He also asked the Union government to look into the incident. A 32-year-old man and a teenager were found hanging from a tree at Jhabbar under Balumath police station of Latehar district on Friday, triggering violence that left an SDO and six policemen injured. Stating that the killings of Balumath is bigger than the Dadri incident, JVM chief Babulal Marandi alleged that Jharkhand has become a lawless state under the BJP regime. The victims were butchered and hanged only because they were ferrying cattle though no ban was imposed on cattle ferrying or trading in the state, the former chief minister of the state said. The situation has reached such an extent that the police were forcing shopkeepers to down their shutters and asking people to remain indoors after 8pm, he said. Even the entry of people in the famous Jubilee Park in Jamshedpur, one of the most developed cities of the state, was banned after 8 pm, Marandi said. BJP president opened the partys national executive meeting in the Capital on Saturday with an address focussing on nationalism and sedition, the current hot topic of debate in the country. Sedition is being camouflaged as freedom of speech and BJP will not tolerate it, Shah said on Saturday, urging his party workers to create awareness across the country against anti-national activities. BJP workers should work on creating awareness across the country against the anti-national activities. Sedition is being camouflaged as freedom of expression. In the name of expression of freedom, the debate on anti-national slogans is being turned in another direction, he said in his address at the partys national executive at the NDMC convention centre in New Delhi. Anti-national slogans were raised openly in the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University. It was not wrong on (Congress vice president) Rahul Gandhis part to go to JNU, but speaking in support of anti-national elements there can never be called right, he said. Citing the Emergency, Shah said the Congress, which crushed the voices of the common people during the period, had no right to lecture others. Asserting that the BJP will never tolerate such anti-national slogans, he said: We support freedom of expression, but conspiracy to break the unity and integrity of the nation will not be supported. Bharat Mata ki Jai has been our inspiration for years, he added. Shah also said that Indias unity were due to the unification of states by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and the constitution brought together by Bhimrao Ambedkar. BJP welcomes any criticism of the party, person or government, but it will not tolerate criticism of the country. While BJP fully respects freedom of expression, patently anti-national activity cannot be justified on the plea of freedom of expression. It is plainly not acceptable, Shah said. Shah also took a dig at the Left parties for accusing the government of suppressing freedom of expression. Those who worship Maoism and follow Stalin are talking about freedom of speech and expression, he said. On the recent controversy of chanting Bharat Mata Ki Jai after MIM leader Asadudduin Owaisi refused to say it, he said: Chanting Bharat Mata Ki Jai is in the country since the days of independence. So, after 68 years of freedom, the country will debate whether it should be chanted or not? Praising the work of the Narendra Modi government and also hailing finance minister Arun Jaitleys 2016-17 budget, he said: The programmes initiated by the Modi government have proven to be a game-changer. This success of the Modi government must be conveyed to the people of India. Shah accused the Congress of creating hurdles for the government and asked BJP cadres to tell people about its anti-development approach. Congress and its vice president Rahul Gandhi are suffering from every kind of negative mentality. That is why they have nothing to do except levying false and senseless charges against the Modi government, he said. Shah hoped the party will perform better in the upcoming assembly elections. The BJP is rising even in unknown territories. We are a serious player in the coming elections, he said. Tension prevailed in Mawana a day after the recovery of the bullet-riddled body of a former councillor on Friday. Additional forces and PAC was deployed in the town to avert any untoward incident. Former councillor Zahid was a leader of the ruling Samajwadi Party. The state government had nominated him as councillor two years ago. He had also contested the election of town area chairman last year but lost. Cabinet minister Shahid Manzoor, district president of Samajwadi Party Jaiveer Singh and state president of the partys students wing Atul Pradhan visited the family of Zahid. Zahids last rites were performed on Saturday morning amid tight security. Police have lodged a case against unidentified assailants on the basis of a complaint by Suleman, the brother of the deceased. While the leaders of the ruling party visited Zahids family, BJP MP from Bijnor-Hastinapur Kunwar Bhartendra Singh met the people whose property and vehicles were damaged in the violence that erupted after the murder. Circumstantial evidence indicates that the violence was planned, claimed Singh who demanded immediate action against the rioters and examination of chemicals used in igniting fire. The arsonists used a red substance to ignite the fire, the MP said and demanded that a search operation should be carried out in the area. The police have also rounded up a few people for interrogation. We are trying to collect inputs about the miscreants who were involved in arson, said circle officer of Mawana Abdul Qadir. Zahids supporters went on the rampage on Friday evening and blocked Meerut-Mawana road for three hours demanding the arrest of the assailants. They attacked the police, damaged the vehicle of SP (Rrural) Praveen Ranjan and an ambulance. Five suspects, including a member of a local cow protection vigilante group, were arrested on Saturday for allegedly hanging to death two Muslim cattle herders in a communally-sensitive region of Jharkhand. Mazlum Ansari, 32, and Imteyaz Khan, 13, were heading to an animal fair with a herd of cattle when they were allegedly lynched and hanged from a tree by a mob in Balumath on Friday. The area has a history of disputes between Hindus and Muslims over cattle trade and eating beef. The incident brought back memories of the mob-lynching of Mohammad Ikhlaq in Uttar Pradesh last year over rumours he slaughtered a calf. The murder sparked off a nationwide debate over freedom of choice and religious intolerance since the BJPs rise to power in 2014. One of the accused, Mithilesh Prasad Sahu, is linked to the Gou Kranti Manch, a group that works for preserving cow population and is opposed to their slaughter, police said. They said all the suspects had confessed to killing the herders to snatch the cattle-heads and sell them elsewhere. Five of the eight persons involved in the twin murders have been arrested. Three others are absconding, said Latehar police chief Anoop Birtharay. We are also (investigating) if they were trying to force the cattle traders to cough up money as they had threatened them earlier also. Police dismissed reports of fresh tension in Balumath, which had seen clashes between Hindus and Muslims over eating beef three months ago, but still banned large gatherings in the area until further notice. The five accused hailed from Jhabar village under the Balumath police station area around 100 kilometres from Ranchi. The village is close to the place where the bodies were found hanging. Barring one, the arrested persons had no past criminal records. They were engaged in petty business or farming in the village, Birtharay said. Cow slaughter and the consumption of beef are banned in several states, including the BJP-ruled Jharkhand. But beef has become a religiously sensitive topic in the country, where the cow is described in scriptures as the mother of civilisation. Hindus and Muslims have clashed repeatedly in the past two years since a save-cow campaign was launched in 2013 demanding a ban on cow slaughter and consumption of beef. Read: Cattle traders found dead in Jharkhand: Instances of attacks over beef In September last year, Hindus and Muslims clashed over an issue relating to the freeing of animals being transported in a truck by cattle traders. The family of one of the murdered Muslims said the two left their homes on Friday with 10 to 12 cows to sell them at the annual cattle fair at Tutilawa in neighbouring Chatra district. We had lost telephonic contact with them at around four in the morning and later we came to know about their murder, one of the relatives told police. The gai in nilgai is the final hurdle for the Haryana government before it gives locals a free hand to kill them. Native to the Aravalli Range, nilgai are a menace to farmers, frequently ravaging their crop. Though the government is keen on letting villagers kill them, the animals indirect association to cows makes it a risky decision, especially in a state that was first to ban cow slaughter. We are planning to propose to change the name of the animal to Roze, forest minister Rao Narbir Singh said on Thursday. By changing the name, people will realise that it is not a cow but from the deer family and killing of deer is fine in this part of the country. When Shakespeare asked, whats in a name, surely he didnt think about nilgai. While killing a gai would put you in jail for 3-10 years with a fine up to Rs 1 lakh, culling nilgai would keep your crop safe, and possibly get you a pat on the back. The government is also planning to give the animal vermin status, which means that it can be hunted without restriction an interesting turn of events for the indigenous deer, which currently is protected under Schedule III of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. We have provisions to declare wild animals as problem animals in the WPA, said VB Mathur, director of Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. Nelgais status can be changed...to resolve man-animal conflict... The population of the species has drastically increased in North India. Culling is the only solution as of now, the forest minister said. Animal rights activists disagree. Culling animals may not reduce conflict in absence of a thorough understanding of the situation that is leading to conflict in the first place. In most situations, non-invasive methods work better in reducing human wildlife conflict, said Koustubh Sharma, a wildlife ecologist. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABC NewsTaylor Swift made a surprise appearance at the opening of Ryan Seacrests new recording studio at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville Friday. Taylor was on hand to cut the ribbon for Seacrest Studios, which will allow hospital patients to explore the recording and broadcasting process. Additionally, the studio will serve as a site for interviews, live performances, educational segments and video shoots. Not only will patients have access to the studio, theyll also be able to watch programming from their room on closed-circuit television and call in to request songs. Its the tenth studio the Ryan Seacrest Foundation has built in a childrens hospital so far. Taylor told a press conference she first got to visit one of Ryans studios in Philadelphia two years ago and saw an opportunity for the kids to find excitement and to express their creativity. Taylor and Ryan later took several patients into the studio with them, where they got to ask Taylor questions about songwriting and tell her about their own interests. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Two Muslim men herding cattle to a local market were found hanging from a tree in Jharkhands Latehar on Friday, police said, in what appeared to be killings linked to a suspected Hindu vigilante group opposed to cow slaughter. Mazlum Ansari (32), and Imteyaz Khan, the 13-year-old son of another cattle trader, were residents of Balumath, 110km from Ranchi. The area saw clashes between Hindus and Muslims over eating beef three months ago. Villagers suspect Ansari and Khan were killed because of their profession, while some reports quoted police as saying it could be an incident of robbery. Attacks on cattle traders have been reported from several parts of India of late. In September 2015, a man in Uttar Pradeshs Dadri village was lynched for allegedly eating beef. The incident triggered a political storm, and the Opposition accused the right-wing NDA government of religious and political intolerance. In Jharkhand, the BJP government of Arjun Munda brought an ordinance for the prevention of cow slaughter in 2005. It later became an act, introducing a penalty of Rs 5,000 and imprisonment of up to five years or both for offenders. However, implementation is a problem. Sources say at least 5,000 cows are smuggled to Bangladesh every month, mainly through neighbouring West Bengal. On Friday, Ansari and Khan left home for an annual cattle fair in neighbouring Chatra district with 10-12 cows and oxen. Their bodies were hanging from a tree...their faces were covered with towels, an eyewitness said. Villagers blocked a road in protest and hurled stones at policemen who came to take the bodies for post-mortem. Police lathi-charged the protesters and fired in the air. Sub-divisional magistrate Kamleshwar Narayan and a sub-inspector, among others, were injured. The district administration called a meeting of village elders in the evening to douse the tension. Thousands of people across the country joined the global community by switching off extra lights in private and government buildings on Saturday evening to mark Earth Hour 2016. The Rashtrapati Bhawan, before and after the lights were turned off (Sonu Mehta/ HT Photo) Visitors to and residents of New Delhi saw several of the capitals most iconic public buildings plunge into darkness, such as Rashtrapati Bhawan, North Block, India Gate and Rajpath. North Block goes dark as the capital marks Earth Hour (Sonu Mehta/ HT Photo) In Mumbai several government and private buildings, public landmarks as well as common citizens contributed to cooling the Earth by switching off lights for an hour between 830PM and 930PM. The lights of India Gate provide some illumination on a dark Rajpath (Sonu Mehta/ HT Photo) Those who participated included several celebrities, film and television stars, industrialists and common people in the global initiative of the WWF which turns 10 this year. A view of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus before observing Earth Hour in Mumbai on Saturday. (PTI Photo) This year, the WWF is also promoting clean and green country with multiple solar energy reforms following the Paris Climate Conference in December 2015. The Grand Palace is seen with lights off during Earth Hour in Bangkok. (REUTERS) Millions of people from 178 countries and territories are taking part in WWFs Earth Hour this year, with landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Taipei 101 and the Empire State Building plunging into darkness. A combination of pictures shows the Tokyo Tower before (L) and after its lights were switched off for Earth Hour in Japan. (REUTERS) This combination photo created on March 19, 2016 shows Australia's iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge before (TOP) and during (BOTTOM) the Earth Hour campaign as lights are switched off in Sydney. (AFP Photo) People stand in front of Malaysia's landmark Petronas Twin Towers before the lights went off in Kuala Lumpur. (AFP Photo) A general view shows the financial business district skyline glitters with lights on before the countdown for Earth Hour campaign in Singapore. (AFP Photo) (With inputs from agencies) Uttarakhand governor KK Paul asked chief minister Harish Rawat on Saturday to prove his majority in the assembly by March 28 as political uncertainty in the state deepened following the defection of nine Congress legislators to the BJP. The BJP staked claim to form the government with the support of 36 legislators, including the nine rebels, on Friday. But the party may not have the numbers because the speaker can disqualify the former Congress members under the anti-defection law if they vote against the government. Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal sought an explanation from the nine rebels and told reporters anyone in violation of the anti-defection law will face action. In that case, the state could be headed for Presidents Rule, less than a year before assembly elections. Experts say the BJP wont mind this scenario as it believes central rule will hurt the incumbent Congress. The Congress, however, claimed it enjoyed the support of 35 legislators just one short of majority in a 71-member assembly with state party president Kishor Upadhyay saying on Saturday he was talking to five or six rebel Congress MLAs. They are in touch with me but I dont want to open their names since their lives are in danger he said. Rawat also said six dozen legislators intend to rejoin the party. The Congress rebels have been brought to Delhi for parleys with the central BJP leadership. The Harish Rawat government has lost majority. Today BJP has the numbers with the support of rebel Congress MLAs to form a new government in Uttarakhand, Shyam Jaju, the state in-charge of BJP, told PTI. Rebel Congress MLA Pranav Singh Champion told HT in Delhi that they (rebels) are ready to face the polls but there would be no reconciliation. Asked if they would support a BJP government, he said, Vijay Bahuguna is our leader. We will do whatever he decides. The Congress has 36 members in the assembly including the nine rebels while the BJP has 28, including one expelled MLA. There are three independent, two Bahujan Samaj Party and one Uttarakhand Kranti Dal MLA all of whom are said to be supporting the Congress. Rawat went into a huddle with cabinet ministers and speaker Kunjwal on Saturday. One nominated member from the Anglo-Indian community also supported the Congress. Time has been given to the rebel MLAs so that they apologise for their mistakes and return to the party fold, the chief minister said in a statement. Or else, action would be taken against them for violating the whip (issued by the party to vote for the money bill on the floor of the house. He alleged the BJP purchased the rebels by offering them Rs 5 to 10 crore, a charge denied by state BJP spokesperson Virendra Singh Bisht. The governor accepted Rawats recommendation of sacking the minister-turned-rebel Harak Singh. The CM also ordered the removal of UK Uniyal, advocate general in the Uttarakhand high court and brother of rebel MLA Subodh Uniyal. The duo of Modi and Shah are infamous for forcible eviction of elected governments in this country. Elected government are being destabilised by a sinister conspiracy. After Arunachal Pradesh, it is Uttarakhand, Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said. The Rawat government plunged into crisis on Friday during the vote to pass the finance bill. Professor MM Semwal, a constitutional expert at HNB Garhwal University, said the Rawat government might be reduced to a minority if the governor refused to ratify the finance bill, which appears to have been passed by a voice vote. In that case, the BJP could again demand for a conscience vote that might reduce the government to minority, he said. The nine rebel Congress MLAs though run the risk of inviting action under the anti-defection law. Semwal said the governor cannot recommend Presidents Rule unless the Rawat government failed to prove its majority on the floor of the House. . Multiple security agencies have ruled out any terrorist link to eight abandoned boats recovered off the Gujarat coast in five months and triggering a major security scare after a tip-off by Pakistan this month, a top police official said on Saturday. On March 5, a day after the eighth boat was found near Koteshwar in Kutch district, Pakistans national security adviser Naseer Janjua said 10 terrorists have sneaked into India, leading to a multi-city alert and nationwide manhunt. Investigations by several agencies including Gujarat police, Intelligence Bureau, Border Security Force (BSF) and Customs found that the boats belonged to Pakistani fishermen who fled for fear of being caught. Hundreds of fishermen from both countries are arrested every year for violating maritime boundary after they veer off course, sometimes intentionally, in search of a better catch. Read | Delhi on high alert after report of Pak militants sneaking into Gujarat No trace of anything indicating that these boats could have been used by terrorists or for terror activities was found, said Gujarat polices border range inspector general AK Jadeja. The agencies have come to the conclusion that the boats were abandoned by Pakistani fishermen fearing arrest by Indian security agencies. Pakistan-based terrorists had used a fishing boat to sneak in Mumbai in 2008 to launch one of the most brazen attacks on Indian soil, killing 160 people and injuring scores. The security alert by Islamabad came weeks after terrorists believed to be from the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed attacked an airforce base in Pathankot , leaving seven Indian security personnel dead. Six terrorists were also killed during the siege. The police official said the investigations have even ruled out drug smuggling from the seized boats. All the boats were carrying almost similar things like fishing nets, blankets, food and, in a couple of cases, fish. Nothing indicated that these boats could have been used for anything other than fishing, said Jadeja. He added that most of the seized boats 20-feet-long on an average were in bad shape, indicating that the fishermen were probably prepared to leave the vessels behind, if required. The boats are in the custody of customs department in Kutch. IB sources said most of the times boats come drifting to the shores from the several creeks, tidal water channels that flows out into the sea, that dot the coastline. A BSF official said that the fishermen are often alerted by the sound of patrolling speedboats. The noise helps Pakistani fishermen to spot us and flee. If the water level (in the creeks) is high then they swim towards Pakistan till they find some boats in their waters. Read | Gujarat on high alert after 5 abandoned boats found in last 3 months SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Jawaharlal Nehru University students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, jailed in a sedition case, were released on interim bail by a Delhi court on Friday evening. The duo reached the campus late night to a rousing welcome from students who cheered them with slogans of azadi and laal salam. Khalid was welcomed at the gathering by JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and his 6-year-old sister Sara. Addressing the students, he said he had no regrets on being jailed and was rather proud of being booked under the said charges. Umar and Anirban were arrested last month on charges of sedition for their involvement in a controversial event organised to protest hanging of Afzal Guru. Kanhaiya, who was also arrested on charges of sedition in connection with the February 9 event at the JNU, was granted bail earlier this month. Read | No regrets, proud of being jailed for sedition: Umar Khalid in JNU Here are the highlights of the speech given by Umar Khalid: 1. We have no regrets of being jailed in this particular case. We are in fact proud of the fact that we have been booked under sedition, a law under which activists like Arundhati Roy and Binayak Sen were booked. Our names have been added to the list of those who have been jailed for raising their voices. 2. I am not ashamed that I was in jail. Criminals are those who are in power, those in jail are the ones who raise their voice. 3. This government and RSS thought that by profiling us and by witch-hunting, they can break us...break our unity, then they are delusional. 4. I had defended myself that I am not a Muslim. But I thought what if I were a Muslim? What if I came from Azamgarh, wore a skull cap? I felt like the guy in the book reluctant fundamentalist. And still you cant ask me such questions. 5. I also dont think that freedom of expression is in danger. It only belongs to those in power. People like (Pravin) Togadia and Yogi Adityanath have all the freedom of expression. 6. They had to use a law from 1860. These so-called nationalists had to turn to Britishers for putting us in jail. This is what Bhagat Singh said that brown British will suppress people. 7. Those who are raising concerns about wastage of taxpayers money, we want to tell them we are not going to go back to studies now that we are back from jail. By jailing us you have given bigger responsibilities on our shoulders and we will fulfill that by fighting. A 65-year-old man, entangled in a legal dispute over land, allegedly committed suicide on Saturday after killing his minor grandson in Pune as he could not stay away from him, police said. Sudhir Shah, a resident of Kondhwa area, this morning strangled his 10-year-old grandson Jinay to death and then committed suicide by jumping off his apartment, they said. In a suicide note, Shah wrote that he was fed up of the legal battle with some of his relatives over a land dispute from quite sometime, an inspector of Kondhwa police station said. He was deeply attached with his grandson and wrote in the note that he is taking Jinay with him as he would not be able to stay away from him, the officer said. Shah used to live with his son, daughter-in-law, grandson and a granddaughter. Some morning walkers spotted a body lying in a pool of blood and alerted police and family. Upon reaching Shahs residence, Jinay was found dead near the staircase of the apartment with strangulation marks around his neck, the officer said. Further probe into the matter was on, added police. Delhi University professor SAR Geelani, who was arrested on charges of sedition, was granted bail by the Patiala House court on Saturday. Geelani, who was tried in the 2001 Parliament attack case with Afzal Guru, was arrested for allegedly organising an event in Press Club of India where anti-national slogans were raised. The event generated hatred for the government, police said. Additional sessions judge Deepak Garg granted bail to Geelani, 46, on a personal bond of `50,000 and one surety of the like amount. In the circumstances of this case, in my view, no purpose would be served by keeping the applicant (Geelani) in judicial custody anymore, pending further investigations. There is no apprehension by the state of the accused fleeing from justice if released, the court said. The judge said Geelani shall not leave the jurisdiction of Delhi without permission of the court and asked him to surrender his passport. Detained within days of JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumars arrest, Geelanis judicial custody had earlier been upheld by a magistrates court. The accused pleaded for bail before a Delhi court on February 19 but his application was denied the next day by metropolitan magistrate Harwinder Singh. Delhi Police told the court that anti-national visual representations and speeches were made during the protest. Geelanis lawyer Satish Tamta said he had expected a better reply from the police as they had time to investigate the matter. Police said that they were trying to trace the other suspects. It has been days since his arrest. If they cant find the other suspects, then how is that his fault? asked Tamta. Tamta said police had brought up Geelanis alleged involvement in the Parliament attack case just to prejudice his client. He added that the professor was honourably acquitted by the Delhi high court. Read | Not ashamed I was in jail: Top quotes from Umar Khalids speech The government should pay 25% of wages of MGNREGA workers employed in individual farms and the poor should get an option to choose between money or subsidised food grains under the public distribution system (PDS). These are a few suggestions to be made by the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog in the occasional paper that will be discussed with the states for framing a national policy to eliminate poverty. In the peak season, farmers may be permitted to hire workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) by paying 75% of the wages, with the balance paid by the government. This would lead to a more productive use of labour while spreading MGNREGA wages over more workdays, the draft of the paper says. A senior NITI Aayog functionary explained that it can also solve the problem of labour shortage and rising labour costs for farming. The NREGA worker will be paid market wages, which would be much higher than the government rates, he said. However, the NITI Aayog failed to provide an answer to how the proposal, if accepted, would be implemented. There are questions on how the government will monitor the work done and what wages will be given to the farmers. The same paper also revives the debate over if poor households should be given an option of getting money in place of subsidised food grains. The UPA government had also conducted some pilots on money transfer instead of food grains but gave up the idea after resistance from right to food activists. Keeping in view that poor households lag the most in consumption of protein-rich items such as milk and eggs, it makes sense to offer them option between cash and in-kind transfers under the PDS, the paper says. But it fails to give a definite answer on the methodology to measuring poverty in the country. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Two Indians who were killed in a plane crash in Russia on Saturday belong to Kerala, state home minister Ramesh Chennithala said. According to information we received here, the two belonged to Vengola village in Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district. Further details are awaited, Chennithala told PTI. A police source said Shyam Mohan and his wife Anju left for Russia on Friday after spending a two-month long vacation with their relatives in Vengola. They were professionals working in an Ayurvedic resort in Russia, he said. The external affairs ministry earlier said two Indians were among 62 people killed after a Dubai airliner crashed while landing in strong winds in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. The Flydubai Boeing 737 was making its second attempt to land in bad weather when it missed the runway, erupting in a huge fireball as it crashed and leaving debris scattered across a wide area. There were 55 passengers and seven crew members on board at the time of the crash. Russian investigators confirmed that all 62 people on board were killed. Other passengers killed the accident include 44 Russians, 8 Ukrainian and one from Uzbekistan. Sexually abused by her father for more than four years, an 18-year-old woman in Uttar Pradesh asked a friend to film her own rape to get proof and convince her mother, who refused to believe the harrowing tale. I told my mother the very first day; she didnt believe even a bit. That was the only way to make her believe, the woman said. The abuse began four years ago, when her father offered to teach her how to ride his motorcycle but took her to a nearby field and raped her. The family used to live in Kuthaund, a hamlet in UPs Jalaun district. I scolded her every time she told me; I couldnt believe a man could do something like this to her own daughter, the womans mother reportedly told the police. Since then, he raped her regularly, continuing even when she moved to Orai 50 kilometers away -- for a graduation degree in nursing a few months ago. I told my mother two months ago again, she thought I was making stories, she said. Desperate, the woman devised a plan. She went to a friends house in Jhansi last Thursday, nearly 100 kilometres from Orai and gave her father a call. When he arrived at night, she left the door open and asked her friend to stand behind the door and film everything. When she showed me the clip on mobile, I was numb and collapsed. Then I took her to the police and asked her to register a criminal case. I wont ever forgive him nor will I ever try to extend legal help, the mother reportedly told police. Police arrested the man on Friday and are now examining whether the Prevention of Child Sexual Offences Act can be applied in the case. The accused has been sent to jail; she is a brave girl, it takes lot of courage to expose her father the way she did, said Jang Bahadur, circle officer Pratapgarh. When the father arrived at the police station, the mother lunged at him, attacking him with her slippers, police said. I want public execution of my father; an example needs made out of him, the victim said. The father who has another daughter married five years ago blamed his alcohol addiction for the crime, police said. Sharab ne kara di galti (Alcohol made me commit this wrong) the circle officer quoted the father as saying. Crime against children is rampant in India with 10 cases reported every hour, according to National Crime Records Bureau data for 2014. But activists say many more cases go unreported as most abusers are from within the family or close friends, and bully the children into silence. The familys refusal to believe children and the general shame associated with such crimes add to the trauma. Claiming support of rebel Congress MLAs, BJP on Saturday said it has a majority in Uttarakhand assembly and should be invited to form the government as the incumbent Congress dispensation has been reduced to a minority. The Harish Rawat government has lost majority. Today BJP has the numbers with the support of rebel Congress MLAs to form a new government in Uttarakhand, Shyam Jaju, the state in-charge of BJP, told PTI. Jaju said the party is willing to present the MLAs whose support it enjoys before President Pranab Mukherjee and insisted that Rawat should immediately resign given the loss of majority. Nine rebel Congress MLAs have arrived in Delhi and are in touch with BJP leaders, he said. The rebel MLAs included, Congress has a strength of 36 MLAs in the 70-member Assembly. The ruling party also has the support of six members of the Progressive Democratic Front (PDF). The BJP has 28 MLAs. A three-member BJP delegation of former chief minister and MP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Jaju and general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya met governor KK Paul on Friday after the simmering discontent within a section of Congress legislature came to the fore on a day of fast-paced developments in the hill state. Amidst chaos in the assembly, nine Congress rebels joined BJP in demanding a division of votes on the states annual budget, which could have led to the governments fall. Congress MLA from Rudraprayag, Harak Singh Rawat claimed the finance bill in connection with the budget had fallen, thus giving clear indication that the ruling party has been reduced to a minority with 35 votes against the budget and 32 in its favour. Rebel Congress MLAs seen raising anti-government slogans along with BJP were mostly those owing allegiance to former chief minister and MLA Vijay Bahuguna. The other eight were Harak Singh Rawat, Amrita Rawat, Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion, Shaila Rani Rawat, Pradip Batra, Subodh Uniyal, a confirmed Bahuguna loyalist, Shailendra Mohan Singhal and Umesh Sharma. After nine of the ruling Congress lawmakers switched allegiance to the opposition BJP, Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat said on Saturday he will resign if he loses majority on the floor of the House. According to news agency ANI, Rawat has called a cabinet meeting at 3pm to chalk out the partys strategy. The Congress-led government in Uttarakhand plunged into crisis on Friday night as the BJP staked claim to power. The crisis unfolded when rebel Congress legislators, led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, supported the BJPs demand for a conscience vote in favour of the appropriation bill in the assembly. Read: Uttarakhand crisis: Ready to present MLAs before President, says BJP Late on Friday evening, BJP leader Ajay Bhatt led 27 party legislators to the Raj Bhawan to ask governor KK Paul to dismiss the Congress government, saying it doesnt have the numbers. The opposition party sought to form the next government with the support of nine Congress rebels and a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator. Earlier, Speaker GS Kunjwal served notices to the rebel MLAs who are camping in New Delhi, where they are scheduled to meet BJP president Amit Shah. Sources say Congress is considering all options including luring the rebels and axing their membership through constitutional ways, in case they dont change their mind. State president Kishor Upadhyay said five to six Congress legislators, who are in New Delhi, are in touch with him. Legislators are in touch with me but I dont want to open their names since their lives are in danger, Upadhyay said. He added the government has the numbers and is in a comfortable position. CM Rawat also claimed that some of the legislators are in touch with him and intend to rejoin the party. Rawat will call on governor Paul to brief him about the present political situation. Sources said the CM will also call on central party leaders in the national capital later in the afternoon. The Congress has condemned the BJP for creating political crisis in the state. Read: Trouble for Uttarakhand govt as BJP stakes claim with rebel Cong MLAs The BJP said the government led by CM Rawat lost the confidence of legislators and should be dismissed. The party also said it is ready to form the government and face fresh elections. The governor should dismiss the Rawat government in Uttarakhand. It has no moral right to remain in power as it has lost the confidence of its MLAs, BJP secretary Srikant Sharma told reporters in New Delhi. Chief minister Rawat enjoyed the support of 42 legislators 36 from the Congress including the nine rebel MLAs, three Independents, two BSP members and one MLA of UKD while the BJP has 28 MLAs. The BJPs total strength would be 37, a comfortable majority to form a government, if the nine Congress MLAs loyal to Bahuguna join the rival camp. (With inputs from agencies) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON KAPOOR AND SONS Direction: Shakun Batra Actors: Rishi Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, Fawad Khan, Alia Bhatt, Rajat Kapoor, Ratna Pathak Shah Rating: *** Kapoor and Sons is a portrait of human frailty. Its about our flaws, our wounds, our losses, our resentments and regrets. Its about the pain we inflict on each other -- the slights, big and small. And its about the ties that bind and the love that endures. The love that ultimately allows us to do both -- forgive ourselves and find redemption in our relationships. The story is set almost entirely in the hill station of Coonoor. An ageing grandfather has a heart attack. The grandchildren are forced to come home. Both are writers. Arjun, played by Sidharth Malhotra, is a part-time bartender in New Jersey who is trying to be a novelist. Rahul, played by Fawad Khan, is, as his mother calls him, the perfect bachcha. Hes an affluent, in-demand, published novelist, living in London. All his life, Arjun has felt that he is just a runner-up. The family reunion soon turns sour. Old scabs are scraped and the hurt spills over. Be warned that Kapoor and Sons isnt heavy on plot. Its about characters, moments, textures and emotions. This is a very hard thing to pull off and the first half is a bit of a slog. It feels like director Shakun Batra, who has also co-written the film with Ayesha Devitre, is finding his rhythm. Disconnected scenes follow one another and, even though the acting is uniformly good, the drama doesnt grip you. The narrative seems random and repetitive. But stay with these people. In the second half, as the Kapoor family fault lines deepen, the drama develops heft and becomes genuinely moving. Shakun doesnt change his understated style of storytelling. There is no flash here. We are merely observing these people as they wrestle with their demons. Even in tragedy, the notes never go over the top. Unhappiness unfolds surely and softly, as it would in life. The actors breathe life into these moments. Sidharth Malhotra, Fawad Khan and Alia Bhatt playing Tia, the girl next door, are all startlingly attractive. If used too strongly, their good looks can make emotions feel fake. But Shakun doesnt showcase their visual appeal. Apart from Kar gayi chull, which I just cant get out of my head, there are no concessions to their stardom. Each one steals scenes quietly I first got teary when Alia told her story. She is guileless and beautifully unfettered. Then Rahuls secret made me cry. Fawad is outstanding as the son burdened by his own perfection. Sidharth as Arjun seems fuelled by a bewildered rage. His ache is ferocious. And then, theres Rishi Kapoor as dadu. The actor shines through the inch-thick prosthetic make-up. When he made an impassioned plea to his grandchildren, I wept audibly. Kapoor and Sons broke my heart, in ways big and small. The films biggest triumph is that, by the end, I felt like I was a member of this family. I wanted a group hug and therapy. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON When the states former deputy CM was arrested last Monday in connection with a money laundering case in the Maharashtra Sadan scam, the Nationalist Congress Party cried foul and said it was vendetta politics by the BJP-led government. On Saturday, in a clear message that the party leadership is behind him, NCP chief Sharad Pawars daughter and party MP Supriya Sule paid a visit to the Arthur Road jail to meet Chhagan Bhujbal. Bhujbal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 14 in a money laundering case related to the controversial deal of Maharashtra government with a private developer . Bhujbal, his nephew Sameer and son Pankaj have been accused of wrongdoing in a deal with a private developer who was given a prime Andheri plot in exchange for building a Regional Transport Office on part of the plot, the state government guesthouse Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi and a multi-storey guest house at Malabar Hill in Mumbai. While Sameer has been in ED custody for more than six weeks, Bhujbal was called for interrogation on March 14 and arrested after daylong questioning. He is now in judicial custody till March 31. While Bhujbal supporters threatened to take to the streets , the party leadership asked them not to resort to any acts that would trouble common people. But, there was speculation in political circles if the NCP leadership will desert Bhujbal. Soon after , Pawar spoke to the media and cleared the air. He said the arrest smacked of political controversy. Sules visit is seen as the NCP leaderships way of assuring Bhubjal it is behind him. Sule did not talk about the visit to the media, but only said : I wish happy Holi to everybody. I appeal to everyone not to waste water. Left with just three MLAs for advice and taking on the government, state CLP leader Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday walked into a shrewdly laid trap of deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in the Vidhan Sabha. Sukhbirs asking Channi to tell the House at least one significant achievement of the previous Congress government left the state CLP leader in disarray and the Congress embarrassed. It unfolded after Channis aggressive reply to the debate on the budget that finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa had presented on March 15. Less than 10 Congress MLAs were there to hear Channi. Before Channi, Sukhbir had delivered his speech riddled with the usual statistical jugglery to paint a rosy picture of the financial situation, which he claimed was better than the Centres economic health. When he finished, Channi stormed out of the House along with three MLAs, saying the party would boycott the speech of the finance minister. At this moment, around 4.21pm, the deputy CM pulled an ace, daring the CLP leader to answer a few queries. Channi, who had almost gone past the last Congress desk, came back with Kuljit Singh Nagra, Gurkirat Singh, and Navtej Singh to accept the challenge. The deputy CM asked the state CLP leader to name one significant project that Captain Amarinder Singh government had launched in its last term. Channis spontaneous reply was: Bhakra Dam, and then he listed the other achievements of the Partap Singh Kairon government of 1956-64. Whats one project, I can name a hundred, said a confident Channi. Sukhbir, now on his feet, asked Channi to be serious and tell him what the Amarinder government had done. Patchwork on all the roads of Punjab we lifted paddy, roared Channi, and the treasury benches broke into a guffaw, while the three Congress legislators rushed to the rescue of their stranded leader. As Channi wanted to take more questions, Sukhbir threw him another bouncer: Any welfare scheme launched by Amarinder? Channi said: MNREGA, RTI, atta-dal, we started scholarships for poor Shagun scheme The show went on for quite a while, as Sukhbir demanded answers. Finally, Channi stumbled on an escape route when he asked the acting chairman Manoranjan Kalia (as speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal had taken a break) for a four-hour debate on the issue of the Congress achievements. No problem, said Sukhbir, but name one factory set up during the Congress tenure. The rapid-fire quiz did not stop here. Sukhbir next asked Channi: What is working capital limit? Channi answered dutifully: I am a graduate in economics. Finding the Congress legislators in the claws of Sukhbir, Nagra took the give us your questions in writing escape route, while Navtej was giving constant inputs to Channi, who decided finally to walk out of the House. But the damage had been done. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Chief judicial magistrate Ranjeev Kumar in Ludhiana on Saturday issued notice to Raninder Singh, the son of Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh, for lying to the income tax department about his foreign bank accounts. Acting on a criminal complaint by Amit Dua, income tax deputy director, investigation, against Raninder for giving false information under oath, the court asked him to file a reply on July 26, the next date of hearing. The income tax department has found that the former chief ministers son is a direct beneficiary of assets maintained and controlled through foreign business entities. These include accounts with HSBC Private Bank, Geneva. Raninder is also a trustee of the UK-based Jacaranda Trust. When the department confronted Raninder with this information last year, he denied having any foreign bank accounts. This led the department to file the complaint under Sections 181 (false statement on oath) and 177 (furnishing false information) under the Indian Penal Code and Section 277 (false statement in verification) of the Income Tax Act on Saturday. Capt Amarinder Singh was not available for comment but his media adviser Vimal Sumbly said, We are yet to receive a copy of the court notice or the complaint and will issue a formal statement in this regard tomorrow (on Sunday). I-T ON THE TRAIL Advocate Mohinder Nain said the income tax department found that Raninder was the settler (donor) of the Jacaranda Trust, UK, and the owner of business entities Mulwala Holdings Limited, Limerlock International Limited, Chillingham Holdings Limited and Allworth Venture Holdings Limited. The authorities in British Virgin Islands (BVI) informed the department that the business entities were holding substantial financial assets, including bank accounts in HSBC, Geneva, and properties in the UK and Dubai. The BVI authorities provided the IT department a copy of the trust deed which showed that the settlement was made on July 22, 2005, in British Virgin Islands between Raninder and HSBC Trust Company (BVI) Limited. Raninder acted as a trustee of the trust. Income tax principal director, investigation, Parneet Singh Sachdev had approved action against Raninder on March 16 after which the complaint was filed in the court on Saturday. Apparently short of barricades, the police used auto-rickshaws to divert traffic at Phase 7 light point in wake of a protest held by the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) on Friday. Though the auto- drivers alleged they were forced to stand still as barrier after the police threatened to challan them, the cops on duty said only those awaiting passengers at the stop were asked to make a line. The auto drivers also said they couldnt pick passengers owing to the diverted traffic. The farmers held the protest demanding waiving of the debt, which, they claimed, was the main reason for the farmers suicides in the state. The protest march was to be held from Gurdwara Amb Sahib, Phase 8, to Vidhan Sabha, but they were stopped by the police on the Chandigarh-SAS Nagar border. Senior police officials expressed ignorance about the same. Majority of cops were deployed on security duty at the PCA stadium in SAS Nagar. A Punjab Police head constable was arrested and his wife, a head constable with Chandigarh Police, was booked, here on Friday, for allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 40 lakh on the pretext of getting a man recruited as inspector in the state police department. The accused have been identified as Bachittar Singh and his wife Surinder Kaur, residents of Zirakpur in SAS Nagar. Bachittar Singh is posted at the office of director general of police (DGP) at Sector 9 in Chandigarh, whereas his wife Surinder Kaur is serving as head constable with the UT Police. The local police have registered a case against both the accused under Sections 420 (Cheating) and 120 B (Criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and have also imposed relevant sections under the Prevention of Cor ruption Act 1988. Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Harvinder Singh, who is the investigating officer of the case, confirmed the development and said Bachittar had been arrested and teams dispatched to nab his wife, who was the co-accused in the case. He added that the accused would be produced before the local court on Saturday, seeking his police custody. Complainant Sarwan Singh, a resident of Rotoke village in Sangrur, said the accused had given him assurance that he would get his son recruited as inspector in the Punjab Police and had demanded a bribe of Rs 40 lakh. He claimed that the accused, along with his wife, received the money in advance and ensured to get the work done. Singh, in his statement, said the accused told him that he knew a middleman who would get the work done and also told him that the bribe amount would be handed over to him. The complainant said he met the accused through a relative and the amount of Rs 40 lakh was handed over to him in September, last year. He said when the accused failed to get his son recruited in the police de par tment, he said he would return the money and had even given them a post-dated cheque of Rs 40 lakh. However, the cheque bounced and, thereafter, he lodged a complaint with the Patiala police. Relevance of Patiala in the case Though the complaint is a native of Sangrur and the accused reside at Zirakpur, the deal was finalised in Patiala. Senior Superintendent of police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh Chauhan said according to the complainants statement the money was handed over to the accused at Vidya Nagar, opposite Punjabi University, Patiala. According to the statement, the crime had taken place in the jurisdiction of Patiala and the case was registered accordingly. A couple was shot on Saturday afternoon at Madhipur village in Amritsar district in a case of honour killing. Victims Rajwant Kaur and Harwinder Singh had got married 18 months ago against the wishes of the Rajwants family. Around 3.30pm, a car intercepted their motorcycle and its occupants fired upon them. said Amritsar (rural) senior superintendent of police Jasdeep Singh, adding: The womans brother, Gurjit Singh, is prime accused and three-to-four other men are his alleged partners in crime. Police have recovered four empty shells from the scene of crime and the autopsy report will tell them how many bullets were fired. Rajwant Kaur belonged to Harar Khurd village near Ramdas, while her husband was from Mehdia near Lopoke. We have come to know that Rajwants brother had been keeping an eye on the couple and looking for a chance to kill his sister and her husband, said the SSP, who also inspected the scene of crime. A hunt for the accused is on. The case has been registered at Majitha. After plundering the forest wealth and filling the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal land in Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar districts for two days, the farmers put the operation on hold following the Supreme Court order not to return the acquired land to the owners. Dozens of JCB machines that made a roaring noise and levelled the canal in Banur, Rajpura, Kappori and Ghanuli villages near Chunni disappeared on Friday. The authorities also deployed three police companies alongside the canal in Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala and Rupnagar districts. Police deployment A company of 100 policemen was deployed in Patiala district on Friday. We are keeping a close watch on the situation, said Patiala senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh Chauhan. The apex court has appointed Punjab chief secretary and director general of police (DGP) as receivers of the canal to check any violation of the courts order. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders, who had taken the lead to fill the canal with the farmers, were also absent from the scene. However, some farmers tried to level the ground near Ghanuli, but they were stopped by the police. There are no directions from the party, thus we have put the operation on hold, said a Youth Akali Dal leader. Malwa zone president of the Youth Akali Dal Harpal Juneja, who till Thursday evening had deployed around 100 earthmoving machines in Banur, said: We have stopped the work to fill the canal after the apex court order. But it is clear that Punjab doesnt have a drop of water to spare. We are ready to make sacrifices to fight for our rights. No action against forest plunders Meanwhile, Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar district authorities have failed to take action on over 10 complaints of green felling from forest officials. Rajpura forest range officer Makhan Singh said 125 full-grown trees were uprooted in the area. I have sent reports to the police and the Patiala deputy commissioner, but to no avail. However, the Patiala SSP denied receiving any complaint from the forest officials. SAS Nagar divisional forest officer Tejinder Singh said: We are getting support from the police and administration. The earthmoving machines have been withdrawn, thus saving the forest wealth from the plundered. It will take us minimum two days to count the number of lost trees. He added. However no police personnel could be spotted by HT team on Friday. Dont want profit Meanwhile, owners of earthmoving machines at Chunni Khurd village in Fatehgarh Sahib said they had deployed their machines not to earn profit. We had a deal that we would only charge for the fuel. However, I am yet to receive that money, said a JCB machine owner. The work to flatten the area was stopped on Thursday evening. Some local Akali leaders had hired the JCB machines. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Punjabi farmers in Canada have huge contribution in agriculture sector of Canada which is why everyone is proud of them and their community. These were the views of Consul General of Canada -Christopher Gibbins, who was the guest of honour at the opening of Punjab Agricultural Universitys (PAU) two-day Kisan Mela on Thursday. Based in Canadian consulate at Chandigarh since November last year, Gibbins said he was really excited to be a part of this fair as he himself comes from a farming family. I also have rural roots in northern Canada and my family since long has been active into farming. As a result, I have grown up on farms and seeing various aspects of farming and its challenges. That is why; I was more than keen on coming here and thought it would be a good platform to also share huge contributions of Punjabi farmers in Canada, he said. While throwing light on the contributions, he underlined that there is not one but several success stories of Punjabi farmers in Canada who have set very inspiring examples in agriculture. In British Columbia itself, there are many farmers who produce several kinds of fruits in huge quantities that Canada exports across the world and their produce has always been known for quality. On top of this, they are also known for diversification and go a long way to be an example for farmers of several other communities. For the same reason, we always talk about their hard work they put in, he stated while adding, How could I forget to share that when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Canada, the Canadian government keenly shared these inspiring contributions of Punjabi farmers who are very hard working. Talking about why productivity and income in Canadian agriculture remains high, he said it is so because in Canada strong emphasis in laid on science and research from which we all should draw inspiration. However, Canada can look forward to expand cooperation with Punjab in different sectors of farming to support agriculture in Punjab, he maintained. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal ( MACT), Chandigarh, has ordered a compensation of Rs 60.26 lakh to family of a man who was killed in a road mishap in Nawanshahar in July 2013. The amount will be paid by the offending bus owner and insurer of the bus along with 9% interest. On July 23, 2013 the victim Surat Singh Gill was driving his Chandigarh numbered car and, along with his wife and daughter, was travelling to Jalandhar from SAS Nagar. It was alleged that at Mahilpur T-point, under the jurisdiction of Behram police station, a speeding bus rammed into Gills vehicle. Gill was an SAS Nagar resident and working as an assistant with financial commissioner, Civil Secretariat, government of Punjab. Manjit Kaur, wife of victim, Surjit Kaur (mother) and Baldev Singh (father), residents of Moga, submitted a complaint against Tajinder Singh, a resident of Phagwara, (driver of offending bus bearing number PB-23-M-1855), M/s Hemkunt Bus Service, Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab (registered owner of offending bus), the United India Insurance Company Limited, Ludhiana, (insurer of bus) and against the Oriental Insurance company limited, Sector 22-B, Chandigarh, (insurer of car of the deceased). The kin of the victim had sought Rs 1 crore as compensation from the tribunal. However, the driver and owner of the bus had contended that no accident had taken place with the said vehicle. The defence had alleged that respondent was dragged falsely in the case just to claim compensation illegally. Also, the insurer of the bus had contended that the driver of the offending bus was not holding a valid and effective driving license at the time of alleged accident and amount claimed by the claimants was highly exaggerated. Moreover, the insurer of the car of the victim had said that the alleged accident, if any, occurred due to the sole rash and negligent driving of the driver and the company was not liable to pay any compensation. The tribunal, though, in its order stated that 50% of the relief amount would be granted to the wife of the deceased and parents would share the rest 50% compensation amount. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the Centre should hold fresh polls in the state as the current situation showed that the BJP and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were headed for a break-up. There has been uncertainty in the state for over two months now. After Mufti Mohammad Sayeeds death, it was perceived that the new PDP leader would be elected and the BJP would support the leader. But now it seems the two are headed for a break-up, Omar said while talking to Hindustan Times on the sidelines of a convocation held at Guru Nanak National College, Doraha, where he was the chief guest. We will urge the Centre that in case the PDP and BJP do not form the government, then there should be re-elections, he said, adding that the PDP had not raised any new demand for the past six years and there is nothing new in their agenda. Omars statement came a day after the hopes of the PDP and BJP joining hands once again to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir diminished following an inconclusive meeting between BJP president Amit Shah and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti in Delhi in which both sides refused to budge from their respective positions. When asked about the RSS chiefs suggestion that Indians should chant slogans hailing mother India, Omar said the views should not be forced on anyone. I dont need to give evidence of my patriotism. I know my feelings for the nation and do not need to prove these to anyone. Dont force me to raise these slogans, he said, adding that had it been his father, he would have readily chanted the slogans. Omar said the reports of some youth raising ISIS slogans in Jammu and Kashmir were mere rumours. There is no such thing in Kashmir. These fake stories are being circulated to draw media attention. However, renewed attempts are being made to revive militancy in south Kashmir where youngsters are being recruited into militant groups. I am sure the governor has studied the recent reports and is taking action on it, he said. Commenting on the Union budget, Omar said, The previous years budget was for the moneyed class, while this year, it is for the farmers. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In a development that has raised the hopes of residents to finally see the streets of Amritsar shine like those of Paris, which was the very aim of the Solid Waste Management Project, mooted in 2007, the Amritsar municipal corporation on Friday signed an agreement with a company after three failed attempts in an attempt to revive the defunct project. On Friday, the MC finally signed the agreement with Mumbai-based Ess Ell Infrastructure Limited and its Japanese partner Hitachi Company after three failed attempts at doing so. The officials of these companies had failed to show up at the previous meeting held on March 8 to sign the agreement, while the attempt did not fructify at the meetings held prior to that. The committee that has been constituted for this purpose is headed by Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora and includes joint commissioner Surinder Singh. Arora said the agreement for the proposed SWMP was finally signed with the Mumbai-based firm and its Japanese partner in the presence of the MC authorities. He said out of a total of 65 wards of Amritsar, the work of cleaning 52 wards has been allotted to these companies. The remaining wards, including those inside the walled city area, shall be cleaned by the employees of the MC, which has a dedicated staff of more than 2,500 sanitation workers, he added further. Arora said the company has already started the survey of these 52 wards and shall soon commission its machines to clean the same after it finds out their exact sanitary needs. The company has been asked to press its machinery into action as soon as it is through with the survey, he said. The mayor added that in the days to come new machines, including four JCB machines, tractor trolleys and tippers shall be added to the army of the existing machines available with the MC. Talking about the proposed mechanised night sanitation, he added that the MC was likely to proceed further with the proposal, but it was still not satisfied with the high rates being quoted by the company concerned. He said the companies undertaking the work in Ludhiana and Mohali, were doing so at very economical charges, while the company that had evinced interest in the project had demanded more than `2.75 lakh per month for the same, which was not acceptable to the MC authorities. Under the proposed mechanical sweeping, there is a proposal to not just sweep but also wash the approach roads to the Golden Temple and the surrounding areas at night. The project would later cover the roads in the rest of the city too. From what I have come to know is that the companies handling the work at Ludhiana and Mohali are working only three days in a week, while the company that is in talks with us has quoted this amount for working all seven days a week, he said. The Himachal Pradesh police have detained an army personnels 14-year-old son, who is a Class-9 student of the Army School at Mamoon in Pathankot, for a terror hoax message sent through the mobile application WhatsApp. The message warned of an attack on Holi festival that falls on March 24. It was at the Mamoon cantonment that terrorists had struck an airbase two months ago and killed three men of the Indian Air Force (IAF). Police acted on a complaint by a medical firms sales representative, Gaurav Sharma, who reported at the Nalagarh police station that he had received several WhatsApp messages from an overseas number warning of a terror attack. The technical cell for the southern range police at Shimla traced it to the boy (not being named as he is a minor), a native of Nurpur in HPs Kangra district, informed inspector general of police (IGP) Zahur H Zaidi. The boy used an app to generate a fictitious Philippines-based WhatsApp ID, which he used for the prank, he added. Though he had deleted the messages, cops used the phone backup to fish them out. The boy also revealed that he had sent these messages to a woman too. The boy and his parents statements are being recorded at the police station in Nalagarh. The parents have been strictly warned about the conduct of their son, said the IGP, adding, We urge the public, especially the youth, to refrain from such activities, or else they will face the strictest possible action. What was in the messages? Slaam Rashid Miya, Ab apki baari h... Hamhari puri foz himachal se take over krke v haaaa phuch jayegi... Hmahara plan holi k din h... Maine toh hathyar phucha diyeee h... RDX phuch gyaaa kya... Khuda haffis... Bhaijaan... Bas aap RDX phucha dena... Bhaijaan. Basically translated, the messages asked for RDX and said that men and guns had already reached from Himachal for the Holi plan. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON With every successful commemoration of World Sparrow Day (March 20), awareness increases over declining visibility of House sparrows. However, we do not see dead sparrows lying around the place. This paradox can be explained by the fact that sparrows have not suffered a catastrophic decline like vultures, the latter often found dead in groups due to straightforward poisoning of carcasses. Sparrow deaths constitute perfect murders for there are no corpses to tell long tales. The silent, steady killer over many years is a human-shaped environment contaminated with toxins that finishes sparrows by impairing reproduction and hormonal balances, much like the slow arsenic poisoning of diabolical murder plots. Wildlife biologist Dr Rajiv Kalsi of the MLN College, Yamunagar, conducted a major study on the comparative ecology of the sparrow in Haryana. He found that modern urban and rural architecture had sealed houses and thus denied sparrows cavities/holes for nesting. Dr Kalsi put out 500 nest boxes, which were quickly occupied by desperate sparrows, including a few where three sparrow couples nested in one box! The eco-systems of human habitation had been over-doused with insecticides/pesticides, which eradicated insects/grubs eaten by breeding females and chicks. Dr Kalsi also studied mobile tower radiation, a popular suspect villain and alibi in media narratives as it conveniently diverts blame from us. However, Dr Kalsi concluded that radiation had negligible impact as there was no variation in sparrow numbers in areas with high and low tower penetration. All said and done, we still love our sparrows and miss their cute chirps and dainty antics. This loss attracts differing responses and awareness campaigns. An example worthy of emulation was the sparrow formation involving 1,420 kids of class 2, 3 and 4 spread over 22,000 square feet of the Everwin Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Chennai. This formation, which was a school in-house project and conceived by senior principal B Purushothaman, was undertaken in 2012. Everwin conceived a dove formation in 2014 to draw attention to the bird disappearing from temples and confronted by the hostility of high-rise buildings. Everwin, which spent Rs1-2 lakh on each formation by dressing up kids in different colours, also works on educating local people on environment and wildlife conservation. Bravo! Kiran ka andher It has been a long and winding course down to the plains for Kiran Bala Sharma, 59. In the rose-tinted times of the 1950s and 60s, she would bathe at dawn in the village pond and snow peaks in all their clarity would loom over her Dhanpur village situated in the Jawalaji region (HP). She studied fine arts in Punjab before she settled in Haryanas Shahabad. She is currently head of fine arts at Arya Kanya PG College. But when she looks back, she is dismayed at the mutilation of her beloved mountains due to human interference in the name of development and the manic efforts to alter and harness the natural order to mankinds ends. Kiran Bala Sharmas painting was on display at Punjab Kala Bhawan. (Photo: Pratik Sharma) Her anguish took the form of this painting, which was recently on display at Chandigarhs Punjab Kala Bhawan. This is an expression of contemporary womens art and startles us with a richness of symbolism. The pristine air, which she inhaled as a child, is now polluted and is depicted by brooding, copious clouds in her painting. High-rise apartments rob the hills of their character and subdue them like beasts of burden. Ask Shimlas old gentry, and they will lament the passing of the Queen of Hills. Floods, landslides and earthquakes threaten humanity because we have imprisoned rivers behind the high bars of dams and chained their surge to sluice gates. Fish gasp and die as they cannot surmount the dam and surge against the currents to activate breeding triggers. Kiran was particularly aghast at images of annihilation left in the wake of the 2013 Kedarnath floods. A ravaged nature has thus mutated to a savage man-eater, which is depicted at the paintings bottom by a monster with fangs opening into a mouth of maut for manunkind. Gulaal ki chidiya Holi ke rang, phoolon ke sang, chidiya ke umang aur mardon ko bhang! The forthcoming festival of Holi will herald the zenith of spring. Colours will splash and stick on humans in joyful embraces; and those that miss the target or bounce off gently will not go waste as these will sprinkle the staid surfaces trodden upon by feet in many-splendoured residues. Those haphazard formations of colour on soil or concrete or lawns will linger long after and constitute the aesthetics of unaware human actions. In nature, this time of the year corresponds with male birds acquiring resplendent robes to outdo rival suitors and woo females, who remain drab and homely. (Photo: Rajesh Panwar) Rajesh Panwar, a wildlife photographer, credited with the only record of the vagrant Red-breasted goose in India, clicked this Fire-tailed sunbird in transit from eclipse plumage to breeding glory. The splash of vermilion in Panwars picture, which evokes Holis most passionate colour, is lent by the sunbird and blooms of the Fire Flame Bush (Woodfordia fruticosa). Panwar captured natures mirror image of Holi at his tour site, Camp Milieu: A Birding Paradise, Nainital, on Tuesday. vjswild1@gmail.com Even as the ongoing weather conditions may have created panic among farmers, the sudden dip in mercury followed by light showers may prove beneficial to the wheat crop, which is currently in its maturing stage. Agriculture experts are only worried that strong winds coupled with heavy rain and hailstorms in the coming days can wreak havoc on the crop, and affect the quality of grain besides bringing down the production levels. The meteorological department has predicted heavy rainfall and strong winds in the coming two days. The crop has been flattened in many parts of the region due to heavy rainfall and hailstorm last week. Chief agriculture officer Nachhatar Singh Aulakh said the light shower may prove boon for the crop as it helps in increasing production level while the strong winds can be damaging. Aulakh said the department is concerned about the possibility of strong winds and hailstorm-like conditions in the coming days, as it would lead to felling of standing crop, which might have an adverse affect on the growth of grain. Wheat is sown over around 2.55 lakh hectare. Shingara Singh, a farmer, said, We are praying for favourable weather conditions as the farmers community in the Malwa region is already facing huge losses due to failure of cotton crop last year. The agricultural department is taking all precautionary measures by deploying field and technical teams to collect first-hand information on crop health. The agricultural department has also cautioned farmers to monitor the weather conditions and inform agriculture officials in case of any crop damage. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The changes are very, very subtle but can have a major impact on the escrow provision (money set aside by real estate developers for a specific project which cannot be channelised elsewhere.This prevents delays in delivery of projects). There were differences between the two versions of the Real Estate Regulation Bill one prepared by the select committee of the Rajya Sabha on July 30, 2015, and the one which was passed by the Lok Sabha on March 15, 2016. Changes in the latter bill were related to section 4 (l) (D) which deals with the escrow provision. An amendment, purportedly done by the Union Cabinet, put a question mark on the efficacy of the escrow provision in RERB. According to the Rajya Sabha version, the developer has to deposit 50% of homebuyers money in an escrow account to cover construction costs. If, let us presume, a buyer pays Rs 10,000 per sq ft for an apartment to a real estate developer, the developer will deposit Rs 5,000 (per sq ft) in the escrow account, withdrawing it for construction work. The remaining Rs 5,000 is reserved for other expenses. The amendment by the Union Cabinet, which has been passed by Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, says that the developer has to deposit 70% in the escrow account to cover the cost of construction and land. This means the escrow deposit has been increased from 50% to 70% by the Union Cabinet with land added to the provision. So, the developer can, through the escrow account, recover land cost along with cost of construction. Realty experts quizzed on the amendment by HT Estates say this inclusion has diluted the whole escrow provision. After the amendment, if for instance a developer collects money from a homebuyer for an apartment in a proposed real estate project at the rate Rs 10,000 per sq ft. He will keep Rs 3,000 with him and deposit the remaining Rs 7,000 in the escrow account. Now before he starts construction, he can withdraw money to cover his land cost. If he can show land cost at 60% of the total cost of the project, he can withdraw 60% from the escrow account before starting construction work. Only 10% will remain in the account, says Amit Jain, a real estate consultant who has been actively involved in the formulation of the bill. Experts wonder why out of ten chapters, 92 sections and thousands of words of the RERB prepared by the Rajya Sabha select committee, only 12 words in the bill were deleted and five words added in section 4 (l) (D) which deals with the escrow provision. Even the Rajya Sabha select committee while recoding its observations and recommendations has said that in some areas cost of land came to nearly 80% of the cost of the project. In spite of that the commitee fixed a limit of 50% or such higher percentage as notified by various state governments in their rules to recover only construction cost and not land cost. In some cases in which land cost adds to 80% of the cost of construction, the developer will withdraw almost the full amount from the escrow account to recover cost of land before construction work starts. This section has now become open to misuse. Developers will show high land cost to withdraw as much as they can from the account before starting construction, says Rajeev Ranjan Pandey, a Delhi High Court lawyer. He also adds that many prominent developers are sitting on land parcels they bought 20 to 30 years ago at very cheap rates. However, these developers will quote current market value of the land parcels to withdraw money from the escrow account. Even the process of withdrawing money from an escrow account laid down in the bill is in favour of developers. The RERB says that an engineer, an architect and chartered accountant in practice will have to certify that the withdrawal (from escrow account) is in proportion to the percentage of the completion of the project. It doesnt say whether these professionals should work independently or be employed by the developer. The amended provision in the RERB gives freedom to builders to withdraw money to recover land cost even before they start construction work in the project. (HT Photo) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON For Tamil cinema, this looks like the best of times, to quote the first sentence from Charles Dickens immortal story of the French revolution, A Tale of Two Cities. Indeed so, for Tamil producers and directors -- and perhaps even actors -- have learnt to be humble enough to accept a good foreign plot or script and remake it in their native lingo. Probably like Vishal Bharadwaj, who has mastered the art of Indianising Shakespeare -- Haider, Maqbool and Omkara (Hamlet, Macbeth and Othello). Watch the trailer of The Intouchables here: In recent months, we have seen a string of such Tamil versions of inspiring foreign works. Kamal Hassans Thoongavanam was recreated from the French Sleepless Night. Two weeks ago, Nalan Kumarasamys Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum was remade from the Korean picture, My Dear Desperado. Read: Weve kept the soul of the French original intact in Thozha, says Vamshi The Tamil/Telugu remake of The Intouchables, Thozha/Oopiri stars Nagarguna and Karthi in the lead roles. And on March 25, we will see Oliver Nakaches and Eric Toledanos The Intouchables transforming from the French language into Tamil and Telugu, Thozha/Oopiri, helmed by Vamshi. Admittedly, the Indian story has been shot in Paris, Lyon, Belgrade and Hyderabad, and so one supposes a French flavour will be discernible in Thozha/Oopiri. The Intouchables is a fascinating piece of celluloid narrative, which this writer saw in 2011. Based on a kind of true incident, it is a buddy film about a quadriplegic white millionaire and a rather uncouth black caretaker. It is both funny and touching to see them strike an unusual bond. Read: Nagarjuna, Karthi in Telugu/Tamil remake of The Intouchables Thozha is not a frame-by-frame copy of The Intouchables (The Untouchables in English), but the Tamil/Telugu editions have retained the soul and spirit of the French original. Philip (played by Francois Cluzet), who is paralysed from the neck down after a paragliding accident, is a rich widower who lives with his teenage daughter, secretary, caregiver and housekeeper. Now, Philip is tired of all those caregivers, whose intrusive attention is irritating, to say the least. So, he is on the lookout for a new guy, and a black man, Driss (Omar Sy), lands up. He is really not keen on the job, and has applied merely to show one more rejection to get his dole. But, well, Philip takes Driss in, much to his annoyance, and then begins his learning curve in a movie that reminds one of The Scent of a Woman, My Fair Lady and The Prince and the Pauper. The secretary in The Intouchables does not have a great part. But in Vamshis version, Tamaannaah as Keerthi, the secretary, gets into the frame with gutsy gung-ho. The secretary in The Intouchables does not have a great part. But in Vamshis version, Tamaannaah as Keerthi, the secretary, gets into the frame with gutsy gung-ho. Preferring to describe Thozha as an adaptation rather than a strict remake, Tamannaah said in a recent interview that her character was a combo of the French films housekeeper and secretary. Obviously, there is a lot more of her that one would see in Thozha -- which will still be buddy, buddy with the Telugu star, Nagarjuna, portraying the wheelchair-bound millionaire, and the Tamil star with his trademark twinkling eyes, Karthi, reprising Sys Man Friday. And probably with a greater sense of innocent mischief than what we saw of Sy. The Intouchables is a fascinating piece of celluloid narrative -- a buddy film about a quadriplegic white millionaire and a rather uncouth black caretaker. There is a scene in the trailer where Tamaannaah in a short dress is a posing for a photograph, the lensman here being Karthi, who keeps bending down till the girl understands what the guy is up to! Read: Karthis winning hearts, and roles, with his work ethic In a chat with this writer this morning, Karthi said it was important to have had a perfect rapport with Nagarjuna -- for after all Thozha (which translates into Companion) is all about companionship and camaraderie. I had a great time working with Naga sir. Admittedly, Thozha is not a frame-by-frame copy of The Intouchables (The Untouchables in English), but the Tamil/Telugu editions have retained the soul and spirit of the French drama, Karthi averred. Some of the situations could not just work in the Indian scenario, like we do not have social welfare. And so we had to think of some other reason to say why my character comes, in the first place, to the millionaire. Watch Thozhas trailer here: Otherwise, the French work has so many aspects that lend themselves to the Indian psyche. The Intouchables had a lot of emotion (or as much as European cinema would let go) and there was even a party song that just fitted like a T in the Tamil/Telugu story, Karthi added. Some of best known Karthis works have been Paruthiveeran (where he plays a rustic brash), Madras (as an impulsive short-tempered guy) and Komban (a local rowdy). In a way, Karthis avatar in Thozha may not be very different from all these roles, but it may be interesting to see his transformation from a no-gooder to someone more sensible and caring in Vamshis creation. Sy did that with remarkable conviction in The Intouchables. ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop Indias WorldT20 title hopes may end on Saturday if they lose against Pakistan in Kolkata. Fresh from a 47-run defeat against New Zealand, India -- a team that entered as favourites -- will be desperate to register their first win in the tournament and keep their title dream alive. An unpredictable Pakistan, brimming with confidence after a resounding victory against Bangladesh, will be looking forward to strengthen their title hopes by winning against India on Saturday . Only the top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals. India are in Group 2 along with New Zealand, Pakistan, Australia and Bangladesh. Each team in the group will play each other only once. The present points table looks like this: Assumption Let us assume that India lose to Pakistan. In this scenario, the tally would look like this: The following four scenarios emerge if we take into account the above assumption and Bangladesh lose all their remaining matches. Scenario 1 - India win both their remaining matches; New Zealand win 2/2; Pakistan win 1/2; Australia win 1/3; Bangladesh win 0/3 India wont get a semi-final berth in this scenario. The final group stage points table will look like this: Scenario 2 - India win 2/2; New Zealand win 2/2; Pakistan win 0/2; Australia win 2/3 ; Bangladesh win 0/3 In this case Australia, Pakistan and India will be in a run-rate tussle. The final group stage points table will look like this: Scenario 3 - India win 2/2; New Zealand win 1/2 ; Pakistan win 2/2; Australia win 1/3 ; Bangladesh win 0/3 India wont get a semi-final berth in this scenario. The final group stage points table will look like this: Scenario 4 - India win 2/2 ; New Zealand win 1/2 ; Pakistan win 1/2 ; Australia win 2/3 ; Bangladesh win 0/3. India wont get a semi-final berth in this scenario. The final group stage points table will look like this: Conclusion If India lose against Pakistan on Saturday, they have a small chance of entering the semi-finals. They have a chance of going through to the semi-finals only in Scenario 2. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Cameroon has sentenced 89 suspected Boko Haram fighters to death for terrorism since the start of 2015, a judicial source said Friday. The sentences come after Cameroon adopted a controversial anti-terror law in December 2014 allowing capital punishment for those found guilty of carrying out terror attacks or complicity in terrorism. Those convicted were mostly arrested on Cameroons border with Nigeria, the birthplace of the extremist group that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS). Cameroon already had the death penalty for murder, but there have been no executions since the mid-1980s. Almost 850 people suspected of links to Boko Haram are being held in prison in Maroua, capital of the far north of Cameroon. They include Nigerians and Chadians as well as Cameroonians, according to regional newspaper LOeil du Sahel. Boko Haram violence has left at least 17,000 dead and forced more than 2.6 million from their homes since 2009. And nearly 1,200 people have been killed since the Nigerian fighters took their offensive into Cameroon in 2013, according to government figures. In recent years, Boko Haram fighters slipped back and forth across the frontier, often using Cameroons remote north as a rear base, acquiring arms, vehicles and supplies there. But since late November, the Cameroon army has carried out operations in several border areas aimed at weakening the Nigerian jihadists. As a result, the insurgents turned away from direct confrontation with the military in favour of suicide attacks, increasingly carried out by women and girls. A plane carrying 62 people from Dubai crashed early on Saturday while landing in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don in strong winds, killing all aboard. A list published by the emergencies ministry showed the 737-800 was carrying 55 passengers and seven crew members. The Dubai Media Office says those killed in the crash of the FlyDubai airliner in Russia include 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one person from Uzbekistan. Nationalities of victims from the passengers of Fly Dubai plane in Russia include: 44 Russians 8 from Ukraine 2 from India 1 from Uzbekistan Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) March 19, 2016 A grainy video from a security camera pointing towards the airport, which were broadcast on Russian television, showed a large explosion at ground level, with flames and sparks leaping high into the air. A 30-second version of the CCTV camera footage was uploaded on YouTube. However, its authenticity could not be verified. Unfortunately, they all died, Viktor Yanutsenko, an emergencies ministry official helping coordinate the emergency response, was quoted as saying by Russias RIA news agency. The plane belonged to the budget carrier FlyDubai. In a statement, the budget carrier confirmed that flight FZ981 crashed on landing and said that there are fatalities. Read | No survivors among 224 on board in Russian aircraft crash in Egypt We are doing all we can to gather information as quickly as possible, the airline said. Vasily Golubev, the governor of the Rostov region some 950 kilometers (600 miles) south of Moscow, was quoted by Russian news agencies as telling local journalists that the plane crashed about 250 meters (800 feet) short of the runway. A psychologist sits next to a relative of a victim of the crashed Flydubai plane. (REUTERS) The cause was not immediately determined, but Golubev said: By all appearances, the cause of the air crash was the strongly gusting wind, approaching a hurricane level. State news agency Tass said weather data from the area indicated that winds were anywhere from 14 to 22 meters per second (30-50 miles per hour) at the time of the crash and that there was light rain. Read | Delhi: Hundreds escape, 10 killed as BSF plane crashes in Dwarka Ian Petchenik, a spokesperson for the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, said the plane missed approach then entered a holding pattern and tried to land again before contact was lost. On October 31, a Russian airliner blew up in the air over Egypts Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 aboard. Investigators determined it was destroyed by a bomb onboard. Russian news reports said most of those aboard were Russian tourists but there were unspecified foreigners aboard as well. FlyDubai is a budget airline launched in 2008 by the government of Dubai, the Gulf commercial hub that is part of the seven-state United Arab Emirates federation. Its first flight took to the skies in 2009. Read | Wreckage of missing plane found in Nepal; all 23 aboard dead It shares a chairperson with Dubais government-backed Emirates, West Asias biggest airline, though the two carriers operate independently and maintain separate operations from their bases at Dubai International Airport, the regions busiest airport. FlyDubais fleet is dominated by relatively young 737-800 aircraft, the same model as the one that crashed. The airline says it operates more than 1,400 flights a week. The airline has expanded rapidly in Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union. Dubai is a popular tourist destination for Russian visitors, who are attracted by its beaches, shopping malls and year-round sunshine. Like other nationalities, many Russian expatriates live and work in Dubai, a city where foreigners outnumber locals more than 4-to-1. It has been flying to the southern city of Rostov-on-Don since 2013. FlyDubai has a good safety record. In January 2015, one of its planes was struck on the fuselage by what appeared to small-arms fire shortly before it landed in Baghdad. That flight landed safely with no major injuries reported. The Algerian gunman newly linked to the November 13 attacks in Paris after being killed by police joined the Islamic State group in 2014 and said he wanted to die as a suicide bomber, bypassing the choice to be a fighter. Previously unknown to authorities, Mohamed Belkaid was shot to death on Tuesday in a raid that led to fugitive Salah Abdeslam. In exclusive documents given to The Associated Press by the Syrian opposition news site, Zama al-Wsl, Belkaid said he had travelled throughout Europe and had no experience as a jihadi as he crossed into Syria on April 19, 2014. On Friday, officials said Balkaid was most probably an accomplice of Abdeslam, whose fake Belgian ID was used to pay for the hideout of the Paris attack ringleader. Nepal is hoping British Prince Harrys high-profile visit from Saturday will revive the fortunes of its tourism industry, which is yet to recover from last years devastating earthquakes. The 31-year-old, fourth in line to the British throne, landed in Kathmandu on Saturday afternoon for a five-day visit at a time when both countries are celebrating 200 years of diplomatic relations. The visit and the media hype surrounding it will definitely generate an encouraging response all over and boost tourism, Deepak R Joshi, CEO of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), told Hindustan Times. The prince will meet people affected by the quakes and take stock of efforts to reconstruct and restore heritage sites. Besides official engagements, Prince Harry will join a jungle safari and go hiking and rafting adventure activities that draw tourists from across the globe to this impoverished Himalayan nation. I want to show all those people around the world who want to help that this is a country open for business, so please come and visit again, he said during a reception hosted by Nepal government on Saturday evening. Visits to the Bardiya and Banke national parks, which form the largest tiger conservation area in Asia, rafting on Kauraha river and trekking in the foothills of the Himalayas too are part of his itinerary. Meeting British Gurkha veterans and their families is part of the princes engagements in the resort town of Pokhara. Income generated from tourism-related activities is one of the mainstays of Nepals GDP, but the earthquakes in April and May that killed nearly 9,000 have had a negative impact on tourist footfalls. According to NTB figures, there was a 32% drop in tourist arrivals in 2015. Tourism contributes 4.6% to the GDP, which is largely dependent on remittances from Nepali workers. The earthquakes were followed by internal turmoil as Madhesis living in the Terai plains bordering India blocked the border for more than four months to push their demands for changes in the countrys new Constitution. The blockade, lifted last month, resulted in a severe shortage of essential goods and fuel products. These developments had prompted Britain to issue warnings advising its citizens not to visit quake-affected regions in Nepal. The restrictions were lifted this month after the announcement of Prince Harrys visit. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam initially planned to blow himself up outside the Stade de France during the Paris attacks but changed his mind, a prosecutor said on Saturday. Abdeslam, Europes most wanted man, was charged with terrorist murder for his role in the November terror attack that took 130 lives. Abdeslam, who was caught after being shot in the leg in a dramatic police raid on Friday, was also charged in Brussels with participating in a terrorist group. He was then taken to a maximum security prison in the northwestern tourist city of Bruges. Abdeslam is cooperating with the authorities but he will fight his extradition to France, his lawyer Sven Mary said. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said that Abdeslam told interrogators he initially wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France stadium before changing his mind. Molins said the statement should be taken cautiously because it conflicts with the fact that Abdeslam was detected that evening in the French capitals 18th arrondissement -- which was one of the targets cited by the Islamic State group in its claim of responsibility for the November 13 attacks that killed 130 people. The 18th arrondissement was spared in the rampage, which was concentrated in a trendy part of eastern Paris including the Bataclan concert hall where 90 people were massacred. Days after the attacks an explosives-filled suicide vest was found in Paris in an area where mobile phone signals indicated Abdeslam had been. French President Francois Hollande said shortly after Abdeslams arrest on Friday that he wanted to see him transferred to France as quickly as possible to face prosecution for the deadly attacks. I can already tell you that we will oppose his extradition, Mary told reporters however. Read | Paris attacks suspect Abdeslam charged with terrorist murder Sven Mary, lawyer for captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam, is surrounded by media as he leaves the federal police headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on Saturday. (AP) Major blow to IS Legal experts said this could delay but not prevent his handover to the French authorities under a European arrest warrant which the European Union introduced specifically to speed up extradition cases. The French justice ministry said that 90 days was the maximum amount of time it would take for Abdeslams transfer given his opposition. Abdeslams arrest in the gritty Molenbeek neighbourhood was hailed by European and US leaders, while French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said it dealt a major blow to IS jihadists operating in Europe. The 26-year-old Abdeslam, who had been on the run for four months, and an alleged accomplice who was captured with him were both treated at a Brussels hospital for gunshot injuries sustained in the raid. In Paris on Saturday, Hollande met with key cabinet ministers and security officials to discuss the next steps in the probe into the November 13 attacks. The operations of the past week have enabled us to incapacitate several individuals who are clearly extremely dangerous and totally determined, Cazeneuve said after the meeting. Hollande, who was in Brussels for an EU summit when the raid took place, described Abdeslam as directly linked to the preparation, the organisation and, unfortunately, the perpetration of these attacks. The Belgian press said Abdeslams capture restored the countrys honour, tarnished by perceived intelligence and police blunders before and after the attacks, which appear increasingly to have been planned and coordinated in Brussels. In this framegrab taken from VTM, armed police officers escort a suspect to a police vehicle during a raid in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels, Belgium on Friday. (AP) Relief Former small-time criminal Abdeslam is believed to be the last surviving member of the 10-man jihadist team that carried out the attacks. He apparently fled by car to Brussels the day after the rampage, and is believed to have spent much if not all of the subsequent months in and around the city. Prosecutors said special forces raided a house in Molenbeek on Friday because of evidence found in an operation elsewhere in Brussels on Tuesday, in which another Paris-linked suspect died in a gun battle. Two other suspects escaped amid intense speculation that one of them might have been Abdeslam. Abdeslams fingerprints was found at the scene of Tuesdays raid, which resulted in the second operation that led to his capture. Read: After major blow to IS, Abdeslams extradition next step in Paris probe Investigators believe Abdeslam rented rooms in the Paris area to be used by the attackers and also hired one of the cars in which he drove the suicide bombers to the Stade de France before heading to the 18th arrondissement. Several people have been arrested on suspicion of helping him after he fled Paris and his fingerprints were found in December at different Brussels apartments. The ringleader of the attacks, IS member Abdelhamid Abaaoud, and attacker Bilal Hadfi, both dead, also had links to Molenbeek, which has been seen as a hotbed of Islamist radicalism for decades. Abdeslam and his brother Brahim, who blew himself up during the Paris assault, had run a bar in the area until it was shut down by the authorities a few weeks before the attacks. Were glad (Abdeslam) didnt go... to Syria to be killed by an American drone, said Aurelia Gilbert, an employee of the Bataclan and a member of a victims group. We are a democracy and there will be a trial, she said. A lawyer for the Abdeslam family said relatives felt a sense of relief over his arrest because he was captured alive and the pressure to help find him has been lifted. Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam, Europes most wanted man, was wounded and captured in a dramatic raid by armed police in the Belgian capital on Friday. Abdeslam, 26, and four other suspects were arrested in the gritty Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek, where the Franco-Moroccan allegedly helped plan the November 13 attacks in which 130 people died and 350 were injured. Abdeslam was lightly wounded in the leg, prosecutors said. France said it would swiftly seek his extradition. The battle against terrorism does not end tonight, even though this is a victory, French President Francois Hollande told a news conference in Brussels with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel. Read | Manhunt in Brussels after raid linked to Paris attacks I think of the victims of November 13, because Salah Abdeslam was directly linked to the preparation, the organisation and unfortunately the perpetration of these attacks. Hollande, whose embattled presidency will be defined by his response to the worst terror attacks on French soil, said Paris would request Abdeslams extradition from Belgium as rapidly as possible. Our fight is not over, and tomorrow morning, in the light of the information that has been given to me, I will chair a meeting of the defence council, bringing together ministers and senior officials in charge of security, Hollande said. In this framegrab taken from VTM, armed police officers escort a suspect to a police vehicle during a raid in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels, Belgium. (AP) France has been under a state of emergency since the attacks. The measure was extended by Parliament in February for a further three months, to May 26. Michel, who rushed out of an EU summit for a crisis meeting with Hollande, said Abdeslams capture was extremely important in the battle for democracy against this abominable form of extremism. The two leaders received the congratulations of US President Barack Obama who reaffirmed a shared commitment to degrading and destroying Islamic State (IS). Read | 129 killed in Paris attacks, Hollande vows merciless response Also arrested was a man known under the fake name of Amine Choukri who also used a false Syrian name, Monir Ahmed Alaaj. Abdeslam and the so-called Choukri were fingerprinted by police in Germany on October 5, one month before the attacks. Choukri could also be a so-called Soufiane Kayal who was pulled over by police on the Austrian border with Hungary in September, again with Abdeslam. The only man known for sure to be still be on the run is Mohamed Abrini who was filmed with Abdeslam two days before the attacks at a filling station on a motorway close to Paris. Armed Belgian police secure the area, in this still image taken from video, upon their arrival in Molenbeeck, near Brussels. (REUTERS) Last survivor Former small-time criminal Abdeslam is believed to be the last surviving member of the 10-man jihadist team that carried out attacks on the Bataclan rock venue, restaurants, bars and the Stade de France stadium. He apparently fled by car to his hometown Brussels the day after the rampage, having refused to blow himself up, and is believed to have spent much if not all of the subsequent four months in the city. His brother Brahim carried out one of the suicide bomb attacks in Paris and was buried in a quiet ceremony in Brussels on Thursday, the day before Salah was captured. Prosecutors said special forces raided a house in Molenbeek on Friday because of evidence found in an operation in Brussels on Tuesday, in which a Paris-linked suspect died in a gunbattle with police and two other eople escaped. Read | Paris attacks: Hunt for attacker who got away, IS HQ bombed in Syria One of Abdeslams fingerprints was found at the scene of Tuesdays raid, sparking the huge manhunt that led to his capture. A witness told AFP the operation began at around 1530 GMT when dozens of police cars swooped into the rundown Molenbeek neighbourhood. I heard about three or four shots fired, but they were muffled, as if taking place indoors, said Karim, an Oxfam charity employee who lives in the largely Muslim Molenbeek. Footage in Belgian media appeared to show a white-hooded Abdeslam being dragged to a waiting police car by armed special forces officers. Belgium has been at the centre of the investigation into the Paris attacks almost from day one, and has been criticised for alleged blunders that let the perpetrators slip under the radar. Paris network much wider With Belgium having arrested a series of people over links with Abdeslam, Hollande said many more were involved in the Paris attacks than originally believed. We realise that there were many more people than we at first thought, Hollande said. Investigators believe Abdeslam hired one of the cars used in the attacks and then used it to drive suicide bombers to the Stade de France with the task then of blowing himself up. But he apparently backed out, and an explosives-filled suicide vest was later found in Paris in a region that mobile phone signals indicated he had been in. Police believe he fled across the border the next morning. Several people have been arrested on suspicion of helping him and one of his fingerprints was found in December at different Brussels apartments. The ringleader of the attacks, IS member Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was also from Brussels. He was killed in a raid in Paris in November. Another of the Paris attackers, Bilal Hadfi, was last week buried quietly in the same cemetery as Abdeslams brother. Both had links to Molenbeek, a largely immigrant district which has been a hotbed of Islamist violence for decades. Abdeslam and his brother had run a bar in the area until it was shut down by the authorities a few weeks before the Paris attacks. Belgian authorities have meanwhile identified the man killed in the raid on Tuesday linked to Abdeslam as Algerian national Mohamed Belkaid, 35, who was living illegally in Belgium. Police found a Kalashnikov assault rifle, extremist Islamic literature and an IS flag near Belkaid after he was shot. He was reportedly on a list of IS fighters leaked last week as a volunteer to commit a suicide bomb attack. Prosecutors also said he was wanted in connection with the Paris attacks. Half Moon Bay, CA (94019) Today Windy with a mix of clouds and sun. High 62F. Winds NW at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low around 50F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. Americans may have finally accepted that people are one of the major drivers of climate change. A new U.S. Gallup poll shows that Americans are much more worried about global warming now than they have been before. In the latest poll, researchers conducted telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,019 adults who were aged 18 and older. All of them lived in the U.S. and the District of Columbia. All reported margins of sampling error also included computed design effects for weighting. The new poll shows that Americans are taking climate change more seriously than at any other time in the past eight years. In fact, a total of 64 percent of Americans say that they are worried a "great deal" or a "fair amount" about global warming. It's possible that the new poll results could be due to the past winter, which was one of the warmest on record in the U.S. In fact, Gallup noticed a slightly increase in the percentage of Americans who believe that the effects of global warming have already begun. That's not all the researchers found. A good indicator of a country's stance on global warming is whether the population believes that climate change will eventually pose a serious threat to them or their way of life. In this case, 41 percent of Americans say that it will; that's up from 37 percent in 2015. In addition, a total of 65 percent of Americans now say that increases in Earth's temperature are primarily due to human activities rather than natural causes. This is a huge leap from the previous year and is four points above the previous high of 61 percent in 2007. It's not all surprising that Americans are having a change of heart after this winter. In February, the U.S. experienced extremely warm temperatures. The western part of the country was particularly warm, with eight states having the warmest February on record. Overall, the winter contiguous U.S. temperature was 2.1 degrees above the 20th century average. The new findings are important when it comes to tackling climate change in the future. As more and more Americans believe that humans are the cause of global warming, it may be easier to put policies in place that can help mitigate this issue. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Insects that thrive in the Alaskan wilderness need to be able to withstand the freezing temperatures there, whether it's through hibernation, migration, or other adaptations. Now, however, researchers have discovered a possible new species of hybrid butterfly that's a bit of a rare finding. The new butterfly belongs to a group known as the Arctics and is the first new butterfly species that's been described from Alaska in 28 years. In fact, it may be the state's interior's only endemic butterfly species. What's more interesting is that the butterfly appears to be a hybrid. It's possible that it could be the result of a rare and unlikely hybridization between two related species that are both specially adapted for the harsh arctic climate. "Hybrid species demonstrate that animals evolved in a way that people haven't really thought about much before, although the phenomenon is fairly well studied in plants," University of Florida lepidopterist Andrew Warren said. "Scientists who study plants and fish have suggested that unglaciated parts of ancient Alaska known as Beringia, including the strip of land that once connected Asia and what's now Alaska, served as a refuge where plants and animals waited out the last ice age and then moved eastward or southward from there. This is potentially a supporting piece of evidence for that." The newly discovered species of butterfly lives in the spruce and aspect forests of the Tanana-Yukon River Basin, most of all of which was never glaciated during the last ice age. At some point in the past, it's like two related species, the Chryxus Arctic and the White-veined Arctic, may have mated, and their hybrid offspring evolved into the Chryxus Arctic. The researchers currently hope to see whether these butterflies exist further east into the Yukon. Like other species of Arctics, these butterflies survive in part thanks to a natural antifreeze that their bodies produce. "Once we sequence the genome, we'll be able to say whether any special traits helped the butterfly survive in harsh environments," Warren said. "This study is just the first of what will undoubtedly be many on this cool butterfly." The findings were published in the March 15 issue of the Journal of Research of the Lepidoptera. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Researchers from the University of Florida (UF) have found that when acacia ants, which are known for being fierce and territorial, are short on colony members, they recruit individuals that were once their enemies to defend their newly acquired territory. Acacia ants (Crematogaster mimosae) that inhabit acacia thorn trees in Africa use their fearsome bite to deter large animals, such as elephants and giraffes, from eating the leaves of their host trees, as well as keeping predators away. Surprisingly, not even the skin of an elephant's trunk is thick enough to stand up to the ants' bite. Interested in learning more about these unrelenting ants, study researcher Kathleen Rudolph was more concerned about them raining down on her from the trees and biting her. "They really seem to have a knack for finding your soft tissue," Rudolph said. "It's a nasty business." However, acacia ants are also aggressive toward each other, fighting to the death over their tree territories. While there are severe consequences for losing one's territory, and subsequent colony death, Rudolph and UF postdoctoral research associate Jay McEntee were curious about the costs that victorious colonies endure when seizing new territory. For instance, the winning ants are often left with a depleted colony due to heavy fighting. To overcome this challenge and defend their newly acquired territory, victorious colonies invite members of the loosing colonies to help. The researchers tested how the ants responded to simulated predator attack using lab experiments based at Mpala Research Centre in Kenya. They instigated wars between ant colonies by tying the trees of unrelated colonies together and counting the number of causalities from tarps placed below. Overall, the research team found that victorious colonies are less able to defend their host trees after fights. Furthermore, DNA analyses of nearly 800 ants revealed that fighting greatly alters the genetic make-up of victorious colonies. This suggests that non-relatives can become part of a new colony, adapting to defend its residents and territory. However, in some cases, there was not a definitive winner. The team was surprised to find that colonies would occasionally cease fighting and fuse together when fatal fights had resulted in thousands of causalities - even when the queen of each colony was still alive. "Colonies are battling so aggressively that many individuals die, but then they are able to just stop fighting and form a lasting truce," Rudolph added. "It's pretty remarkable." Researchers are still unsure of how the ants know to stop fighting. Perhaps it is that fighting changes the odors that ants use to distinguish fellow colony members from potential invaders. "If so, the updated or blended cues shared by prior foes may help end aggressive responses," Rudolph said. "Physical combat not only yields biological winners and losers, it can alter the identity of its combatants." Their study was published in the Dec. 17 issue of the journal Behavioral Ecology. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. China seems to have made improvements in the realm of deforestation ever since Beijing implemented a forest conservation program in 1998. A team of scientists analyzed the nation's forest using satellite images in order to determine where tree cover expanded and decreased. and they found that over the last decade, there was a significant recovery in approximately 1.6 percent of China's territory. Although 0.38 continued to lose tree cover, the findings are nevertheless a huge improvement. "Before there was widespread deforestation," said Andres Vin, first author of the study. "Now that has stopped and there is a net gain in forest cover." "It is encouraging that China's forests have been recovering in the midst of its daunting environmental challenges," added Jianguo Liu, co-author of the study. Forests are extremely important for their biodiversity and ability to prevent erosion. However, one of their most beneficial abilities is acting as a carbon sink to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Elevated carbon dioxide levels are currently warming our planet, and forests are key to preventing this detrimental aspect of climate change. Despite the promising results, they also suggest that China is improving their deforestation at the expense of other nations. For example, the country now imports a significant amount of timber from places such as Vietnam, Madagascar and Russia. "We think that success in reducing deforestation in China is basically being transferred into deforestation in other regions," Vina said. "Over the long-term, sustainable forest management in China is important for forests in the rest of the world," said Robert Tansey, senior adviser for external affairs and policy in Northeast Asia and Greater China at The Nature Conservancy, who was not involved with the study. "The exporting countries are suffering from deforestation," Liu added. "A large proportion of the wood products imported to China have been used to make furniture for developed countries such as the USA and those in Europe." Future studies will examine how shifting deforestation patterns affect the land rights of those who live in the world's forests that are currently being harvested for materials. The findings were published in the March 18 issue of the journal Science Advances. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Ascott Limited (Ascott) is a Singapore company that has grown to be one of the leading international lodging owner-operators. Ascott's portfolio spans more than 190 cities across over 30 countries in Asia Pacific, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the USA. Ascott has more than 70,000 operating units and about 51,000 units under development, making a total of more than 121,000 units in over 770 properties. Ascott, a wholly owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Limited, pioneered Asia Pacifics first international-class serviced residence with the opening of The Ascott Singapore in 1984. Today, the company boasts over 30 years of industry track record and award-winning brands that enjoy recognition worldwide. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. 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You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 16-03-18 Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at TURKISH CYPRIOT AND TURKISH MEDIA REVIEW No. 52/16 18.03.2016 [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Ak?nc?: "The road to a solution in Cyprus does not pass through Brussels but through Nicosia" [02] Kalyoncu condemned the recent terror attack in Turkey [03] Talat: "If Turkey opens its ports, no possibility will be left for us being saved from isolations"; Avci: "Turkey opening its ports will prevent the comprehensive solution" [04] Angolemli supported that there are serious housing problems in the occupied area of Cyprus [05] Columnist assesses Akinci's statement: The decisions of "northern Nicosia" in the negotiations will be taken in Ankara [06] Bozk?r: "Turkey will not accept partial agreement in Brussels"; He reiterated that Turkey will not make any concessions to the Republic of Cyprus7. Tension in illegal DAU due to simultaneous activities of Grey Wolves and Kurdish students [08] Broad security measures in the occupied area of Cyprus due to Newroz celebrations; HDP's Co-chairman might participate [09] Former Turkish Cypriot negotiators accused the Republic of Cyprus of activating a policy of threats and blackmailing in Brussels [10] Tacoy resigned from DP [11] Davutoglu called for the lifting of all Deputies' immunities without any discrimination; Reaction statement by opposition parties officials [12] New regulation in Turkey against human trafficking [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Ak?nc?: "The road to a solution in Cyprus does not pass through Brussels but through Nicosia" According to illegal Bayrak television (17.03.16) Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Ak?nc? argued that the road to a solution in Cyprus does not pass through Brussels but through Nicosia. Issuing a written statement yesterday, Akinci drew attention to the importance of Turkey and Greece in reaching a settlement but reminded that the ongoing process is a Cypriot led process. Pointing out that the refugee crisis in Europe had created the possibility of new opportunities in Turkey's EU membership process, Akinci said that the matter had once again turned the spotlight on the issue of opening up Turkish ports to Greek Cypriot traffic. "We from the very beginning have supported Turkey's full membership to the European Union. We are, however, aware that as long as the Cyprus problem remains unresolved, this will not be fully possible. Despite the fact that there are numerous obstacles for Turkey's full membership, it is the settlement of the Cyprus problem which will ease EU-Turkey relations to a certain degree", said Akinci. Ak?nc? also pointed out that it would be a mistake to think that the principles so carefully upheld by Turkey and the "TRNC" on the issue of opening ports will be abandoned. "Those who believe that the Turkish Cypriots will be sidelined in the solution process are dreaming" Akinci said, adding that any attempts to sideline the "TRNC" in the talks will be unsuccessful. [02] Kalyoncu condemned the recent terror attack in Turkey According to illegal Bayrak television (17.03.16), so-called prime minister Omer Kalyoncu, in statements yesterday, said that the Turkish Cypriots are very uncomfortable by the recent rise in terror attacks in Turkey. Kalyoncu condemned the recent terror attack in Turkey and argued that the stronger Turkey is, the stronger the Turkish Cypriot side's hand is at the negotiating table. "When there is instability in Turkey this weakens our position. The death of people and the attempts to create chaos within Turkey makes us uncomfortable. We do not approve of those carrying out terror attacks", Kalyoncu stated. Reminding that he and other "TRNC officials" had sent messages of condolences to his Turkish "counterpart" Davutoglu for those killed in the recent terror attack in Ankara, Kalyoncu expressed the hope that such incidents will not take place again. [03] Talat: "If Turkey opens its ports, no possibility will be left for us being saved from isolations"; Avci: "Turkey opening its ports will prevent the comprehensive solution" Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris Postasi newspaper (18.03.16) reports that Mehmet Ali Talat, chairman of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and former Turkish Cypriot leader, and Turgay Avci, former self-styled foreign minister of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, have commented on the possibility of Turkey opening its ports to the Republic of Cyprus and the lifting of the blockade on negotiating chapters in Turkey's EU accession talks during the summit between EU and Turkey, which is being held today. "If Turkey opens its ports, no possibility will be left for us being saved from the isolation", alleged Talat in statements to the paper, claiming that the Greek Cypriot side's motivation for reaching a solution in Cyprus will end. Talat argued that the EU "has lost the momentum" of exerting pressure on the Greek Cypriot side during the period when the Republic of Cyprus had taken loans from the IMF and the World Bank. He alleged that the pressure which will be exerted from now on will give "limited results". Noting that exaggerated comments and assessments are being made regarding the developments, Talat said: "Some think that everything has ended. It is an unnecessary panic. Turkey meets with the EU. What is happening this time is no different than what had happened many times. The Greek Cypriot side is asking for the ports again and Turkey is resisting. After the solution, it says. That is, there is no new position". Talat argued also that the Republic of Cyprus will not lift its veto on Turkey's negotiating chapters upon pressure by influential EU countries, because this is an issue of "national interest" for the Greek Cypriot side. Meanwhile, commenting on the same issue Avci alleged that the opening of Turkish ports to the Republic of Cyprus will prevent the comprehensive solution of the Cyprus problem and will weaken the Turkish Cypriot side at the negotiating table. "If Turkey opens its ports, this situation will weaken us at the negotiating table, because the situation from our point of view until now was that 'Turkey does not accept the Greek Cypriot side as its interlocutor", he argued. Asked whether he is satisfied by Turkish Cypriot leader Akinci's stance, Avci replied that politicians whose relations with Turkey were "at a totally different point could turn into totally different persons as soon as they come to power", adding that "these friends are different when they are in the opposition and different when they are in the government". He added: "Those who then had been saying to me 'Mr Turgay you will continuously visit Ankara' and were harshly criticizing me when I replied 'what shall I do, shall I visit Athens?' are going to Ankara today. Both our prime minister and our president are in close cooperation with Turkey. I am happy for this". (I/Ts.) [04] Angolemli supported that there are serious housing problems in the occupied area of Cyprus Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper (18.03.16) reports that Huseyin Angolemli, "deputy" with the Social Democracy Party (TDP), delivering a speech yesterday during a meeting of the so-called assembly, referred, inter alia, to the problems exist on the housing issue in the occupied area of Cyprus. Supporting that for a long time the problems on the housing issue continue, Angolemli pointed out to the example of the Turkish Cypriots who left their properties in the "south" and settled down in the "north" after 1974, and argued that those people disclaimed their property rights in the "south". Stressing that the issue of those who left their properties in the "south" will be an important matter of discussion during the Cyprus negotiation talks, Angolemli argued that the so-called housing department is distributing title deeds disregarding that some of these properties belonged to the "church" and they were later given to the "Vakif foundation". Angolemli stressed the need for the establishment of a "committee" that will be responsible to solve such problems. Referring also to the problems that exist in the "TRNC" with the distribution of "rural plots of land" since the value of these plots has been increased in some regions, Angolemli called the "ministry of interior" to examine this issue. (AK) [05] Columnist assesses Akinci's statement: The decisions of "northern Nicosia" in the negotiations will be taken in Ankara Under the title "Daydreaming", Turkish Cypriot columnist Serhat Incirli in daily Kibris newspaper (18.03.16) comments the statement issued yesterday by the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci regarding the Cyprus problem upon the recent meeting between President Anastasiades and Turkish Prime Minister Davutoglu in Brussels. The columnist reports, inter alia, the following: "President Mustafa Akinci issued a written statement yesterday. He said: 'The way of the solution in Cyprus will pass through Nicosia, not Brussels. Those who are dreaming of a situation in which the Turkish Cypriot people will be left outside the solution process are only daydreaming'. [?] I endlessly respect everyone's views on this issue. I do not have the same view. The Turkish Cypriot people have since a long time been outside the solution process, they have never been inside. In fact it is as if the Turkish Cypriot people 'exist' in or are 'inside' the solution process. However, they are not and have not taken place [in it]. Take whichever 'starting date' you want, 'Turkishness' 'Turkey' exist in the negotiations but the 'issues of impasse in the basis or 'the issue which cannot be overcome' are definitely not related with the Turkish Cypriots. The way of the solution will pass through Nicosia. I agree only by 50% with Mr Akinci on this point, Nicosia in question will not be 'northern', but 'southern Nicosia'. If a decision will be given or taken for northern Nicosia, it will be taken in Ankara. The 'weight' of the negotiations in Cyprus has been disappeared because of the fact that the Turkey-EU relations have come to an urgent phase. I wrote it yesterday as well: I believe that there is no need for a 'negotiating model' called 'negotiations for finding a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem'. The table has been bombed. And the perpetrators are evident. The negotiations between Anatasiades and Akinci or Nami and Mavroyiannis or the 'two sides in Cyprus' should continue now with the model of 'piece by piece solution'. The urgency of the relations between Turkey and the EU has necessarily carried the 'bargaining for Cyprus' to that center. Saying that Turkey asked this or the Greek Cypriots wished this to happen is not correct. However, what Mustafa Akinci described as 'daydreaming' is that he does not accept that the issue slid to that center. If we express it more correctly, the Cyprus problem has in the one way or the other entered into the scope of the relations between the EU and Turkey and not seeing this is tantamount to daydreaming itself. [?] Turkey has directly or indirectly, mediated or not mediated started the bargaining with the Greek Cypriot administration. [?] For this reason, I assess Akinci's accusation for 'daydreaming' as 'the indignation of our being humiliated'. And I think that this is a very sad situation. Why? Because he had been alleging that he is 'different' from our community leaders who had been 'negotiating' before. Rauf Raif Denktas was a Turkish nationalist who has been totally struggling for Turkey's interests. Mehmet Ali Talat was a 'shop window' component for the AKP, which had come to power with projects such as 'opening for a solution, opening for democratization, and opening for zero foreign policy problems'. Six minutes after his elections, everyone had understood that he could not take absolutely any step that was different from Denktas' stance and policy. It would be engaging in futile to associate Dr Dervis Eroglu to the 'solution' or expecting him to embrace the 'line of Turkish Cypriot community's interests' independently from Turkey. However, Akinci was different when he was elected and very ambitious, he was even the last chance!!! And this is sad. [?] Of course, Akinci was different and would be different, but defeating the system or the status quo was something totally separate. For example even his spokesman Baris Burcu started making 'daydreaming' statements such as that 'the Greek Cypriots are annoyed by the fact that Turkey wants a solution very much'. In his written statement yesterday, Akinci says that 'the Greek Cypriot side's wish to continuously getting the TRNC out of the way and making Turkey as its interlocutor is something which will not be realized. [?] Who is daydreaming? For God's sake, are there not two states currently (the Republic of Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus) which are interlocutors? Akinci says that 'Turkey will not do that'. It has done it already. [?] I am sure that I am not daydreaming. I am really very certain, because behold the EU, behold the Republic of Cyprus and behold Turkey. In all the news, the comments of the entire world these three names exist. However, 'the Turkish Cypriots', the 'Turkish Cypriot community', 'the Turkish Cypriot people' [?] do not exist!" (I/Ts.) [06] Bozk?r: "Turkey will not accept partial agreement in Brussels"; He reiterated that Turkey will not make any concessions to the Republic of CyprusTurkish daily Sabah (17.03.16) reported that Turkey's EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Volkan Bozk?r said that Ankara will not accept the partial adoption of their proposition submitted at the Turkey-EU summit on March 7 and that in such a case, Turkey will continue its way with the terms agreed to on Nov. 29, 2015. Speaking to Daily Sabah on the eve of the resumption of the Turkey-EU summit in Brussels on Friday, Bozk?r said that Turkey's offer to the EU aims to end the illegal migration flow to Europe and make migration safe and can only be applicable if the EU accepts all of Turkey's terms. "We proposed our offer as a package to the EU on March 7. In our previous meetings [with EU leaders we] already expressed that this deal can be implemented only if all the terms are accepted by the EU. In case of partial acceptance the deal will be off the table and Turkey will continue its way with the terms of the previous deal agreed to on Nov. 29," Bozk?r said on Thursday. (?)Bozk?r further stated that they are ready for hard bargaining and hours-long negotiations. "Negotiations will likely to continue until early Saturday and the EU joint declaration will be released if we reach an agreement. But it depends on the acceptance of Turkey's terms offered on March 7," he said. Bozk?r also criticized the Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades's remarks that "Greek Cyprus", as the Republic of Cyprus is called, would block Turkey's EU accession if it does not recognize the country. Commenting on this issue, Bozk?r drew attention to the upcoming election in "Greek Cyprus" in May and contended that Anastasiades's comments were due to domestic pressure. However, Bozk?r argued that "Greek Cyprus" is not an immune member of the EU and cannot act as if the refugee crisis is not their problem while other EU countries are taking steps to shoulder the responsibility. "Even though there is public pressure to the refugee deal, all EU countries are taking important steps to shoulder the responsibility. Greek Cyprus is not exempt from it. During our meeting with European Council President [Donald] Tusk in Ankara we stressed that the European Union must not allow Greek Cyprus to spoil the deal," Bozkir added. Bozk?r also said that it is out of the question for Turkey to make any concessions to "Greek Cyprus" such as opening Turkey's sea ports to Greek Cypriot vessels. [07] Tension in illegal DAU due to simultaneous activities of Grey Wolves and Kurdish students Under the title "Tense day in DAU", Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper (18.03.16) reports that tension existed yesterday at the illegal Eastern Mediterranean University ("DAU") due to two simultaneous activities by the Hearths of the Ideal (known as Grey Wolves) and students coming from the eastern part of Turkey, as the Kurdish students are described by the paper. A crowd of Grey Wolves supporters was gathered to welcome the president of Turkey's Hearths of the Ideal, Olcay Kilavuz, who visited the "DAU" students' council and the occupied Famagusta Hearths of the Ideal organization upon an invitation by Adem Yurdakul, chairman of the so-called "TRNC Hearths of the Ideal". The "students from the East" were gathered to commemorate those who lost their lives in the "Crime in Halepce" on the occasion of the 28th anniversary from the incident, which is described as a crime by the Saddam Hussein regime against the Kurdish people. No incident happened during the two activities because of the "intense measures" taken by the regime's "police" all day long. (I/Ts.) [08] Broad security measures in the occupied area of Cyprus due to Newroz celebrations; HDP's Co-chairman might participate Turkish Cypriot daily Detay newspaper (18.03.16) reports that the self-styled police of the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus will take broad security measures so that the "Cyprus Big Newroz" celebration, which will take place on Sunday 20 March in occupied Trikomo village, to be held peacefully. If necessary, the entire "police force" will be called on duty during the weekend, writes the paper noting that Newroz is the celebration for the "waking up of the nature and the coming of spring". The paper recalls that the Newroz celebrations in Ankara and Istanbul have been prohibited by the Turkish state due to the recent bomb attacks in the country. It is expected that this year, Selahattin Demirtas, Co-chairman of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) will come from Turkey and participate in the Newroz celebrations in the occupied area of Cyprus. Asim Akansoy, self-styled minister of interior and labor, told Detay that measures have been taken for the celebrations of Newroz on 20 March, in which it is possible HDP's Co-chairman to participate. (I/Ts.) [09] Former Turkish Cypriot negotiators accused the Republic of Cyprus of activating a policy of threats and blackmailing in Brussels Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi newspaper (18.03.16) reports that the former Turkish Cypriot negotiators Ergun Olgun and Osman Ertug in a joint statement yesterday, accused the "Greek Cypriot administration", as they described the Republic of Cyprus of activating a new policy during the summit in Brussels between EU and Turkey, a policy of threats and blackmail, providing as an excuse the Cyprus problem. Olgun and Ertug condemned both President Anastasiades and Foreign Minister Kasoulides for their recent statements that the Republic of Cyprus will veto the opening of any new chapters in Turkey's EU accession talks, if Turkey does not implement the Ankara Protocol and alleged that Turkey and Turkey EU Minister Volkan Bozkir will hold out on those threats. (AK) [10] Tacoy resigned from DP Turkish Cypriot daily Vatan newspaper (18.03.16) reports that after the rumors of the recent days that Hasan Tacoy, "deputy" with the Democratic Party-National Forces (DP-UG) intended to resign from the post of the general secretary of the (DP-UG), Tacoy announced yesterday after the meeting of the central committee of the party, that he does not want to continue his duties at the party. As the paper writes, Serdar Denktas, chairman of DP-UG have said to Tacoy that he could return back to his post whenever he wishes. Tacoy, however, replied that he renounces his rights. (AK) [11] Davutoglu called for the lifting of all Deputies' immunities without any discrimination; Reaction statement by opposition parties officials Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (18.03.16) reports that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has proposed Parliament to lift the immunity from prosecution for all lawmakers and collectively review the 506 outstanding dossiers, likely in a move to alter an ongoing fierce debate over stripping the legislative immunity of members of Turkey's Kurdish problem-focused party (HDP). Davutoglu's proposal found swift support both from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Kurdish problem-focused Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) which has long called for the removal of immunities for all members of the National Assembly, except for "podium immunity," meaning members of Parliament shall not be liable for their votes and statements during parliamentary proceedings and for the views they express before the assembly. Replying to questions from reporters on March 17, referring to the fact that there are summaries of proceedings sent to Parliament for lifting the immunities of his ruling AKP Deputies too, Davutoglu said, inter alia, the following: "Come, let's all together lift all immunities. Namely, our call today [is about] lifting all immunities regarding 506 files of summaries of proceedings waiting at Parliament without making any distinction between any party. AK Parti [the ruling Justice and Development Party - AKP] does not have any file to avoid. We don't get cold feet at all". CHP Deputy chairmarn Bulent Tezcan, in a press conference within hours of Davutoglu's call, responded positively. "Let all immunities be lifted except podium immunity," Tezcan said. "The office of a legislator is not an office for protecting anybody and it is not an office for hiding crimes either," Tezcan said. During the same time, HDP spokesperson Ayhan Bilgen told the state-run Anadolu Agency that Davutoglu's call, which he said was "positive," was in line with what their party has long proposed. "Since the beginning, we didn't approve dealing with the immunity issue on the basis of parties or one by one in regards to alleged crimes," Bilgen said. "The President should not put pressure on the Parliament where the society's will is represented," he also said, citing Turkey's agenda loaded with "risky" items. Nonetheless, the MHP took a cautious line vis-a-vis Davutoglu's proposal. "Our leader will share our party's stance on this issue openheartedly. We don't accept immunity armor on a lot of issues that don't comply with legislators' duties and are against the Constitution," MHP Deputy Parliamentary Group Chair Oktay Vural told reporters, leaving the delivery of their final say to MHP leader Devlet Bahceli. [12] New regulation in Turkey against human trafficking Ankara Anatolia news agency (17.03.14) reported that Turkey has officially put into effect a new regulation against human trafficking, as part of measures to try to stem the flow of refugees heading to Europe through illegal means. The regulation, prepared by the Interior Ministry and published in the Official Gazette on March 17, aims to designate principles and procedures to prevent human trafficking, as well as issue residency permits to some foreign victims and provide support services. The regulation has been prepared in line with the Council of Europe's "Action Plan against Migrant Smuggling," targeting Turkish and foreign victims of human trafficking. As part of the regulation, a commission will be formed to conduct work on creating policies and strategies for fighting and preventing illegal trafficking, and to prepare an action plan and maintain coordination between public institutions, international institutions, and NGOs. (?) 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 Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-03-18 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] Greek PM: Success of EU-Turkey deal will depend on low migration flows [02] Tusk, Davutoglu, Juncker welcome EU-Turkey deal [03] Maarten Verwey appointed EU Coordinator to organize asulym services in Greece [01] Greek PM: Success of EU-Turkey deal will depend on low migration flows BRUSSELS (ANA-MPA/ M. Spinthourakis) The deal achieved between the European Union and Turkey was a diplomatic success for Greece in collaboration with Cyprus, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Friday after the European Council meeting on the migration crisis. He warned, however, that it was a "difficult agreement" to implement and that a condition for its success will be a reduction in refugee flows, as seen in recent days. "We achieved the best that we could achieve with respect to the refugee issue and must now work hard to cope with this difficult crisis we are facing," Tsipras told reporters in a press conference after the summit. He noted that Greece and Cyprus had successfully fended off the Turkish side's "unreasonable demands" with respect to the Cyprus issue and managed to have the five chapters blocked by Cyprus and one chapter blocked by Greece "taken off" the table in the talks. This was done without fanfare but on the basis of a specific plan, he added, while noting that Greece's agreements with Turkey will be compatible with international and European law. He also hailed the EU's success in achieving a common approach to the refugee crisis that was humanitarian and concerned the EU in its entirety. The Greek prime minister stressed that there could be no solution to the refugee crisis that did not involve an agreement with Turkey, noting that the plan that many had thought abandoned a few days earlier was now a common EU decision, while unilateral decisions were "put on ice". Tsipras said that Greece will receive European support in terms of both personnel and resources, with 2,300 asylum and security experts and interpreters expected in Greece to assist in managing the refugees and migrants. "We sought and achieved an agreement for immediate assistance in infrastructure, with reinforcements for the asylum service staff," Tsipras said, noting that the reinforcements will be arriving within the next few days. An effort was underway to close off all illegal routes for refugees while opening up legal avenues for refugees entitled to international protection in their stead, the prime minister added, while highlighting the importance of NATO's assistance, even if the results were modest as yet. He said this would require three "filters", including action against traffickers operating along the Turkish coast, the NATO operation with Turkey and creating strong disincentives for refugees and migrants. A successful implementation of the agreement would require a positive attitude from the EU member-states and from Turkey, he warned, adding that Greece's first priority was relieve the humanitarian crisis on its northern borders "as a result of the unilateral and illegal actions of certain states, he added. He appealed to those currently in Idomeni and other informal shelters where their health was at risk to leave the area and make their way in safety to organised accommodation being prepared by Greek authorities, while thanking all the state employees and volunteers providing aid for the refugees. Replying to reporters' questions, Tsipras stressed that the staff arriving to assist Greece will be under the orders of Greek authorities, which will in charge, while denying that the presence of Turkish liaison officers on Greek islands implied any compromise in sovereignty and pointing out that Greece will also have its own liaison officers on the Turkish shores. He again pointed out that the agreement was a success achieved in the face of very different attitudes in Europe, from those that wanted no refugees at all to those happy to ignore the problem as long as it wasn't "in their back yard". He criticised those member-states that he said wanted to "selectively" follow the rules that benefit them but ignore the ones that call for sharing burdens. Implementation of the agreement would also be yet another criterion to be observed by Turkey in its path toward EU accession, he pointed out, adding that a solution to the refugee problem will come only via EU-Turkey cooperation and EU-Turkey rapprochement. Tsipras also underlined Greece's position that relocation and resettlement quotas should not be on a voluntary basis but on a proportional basis, depending on each country's ability to shoulder the burden, and noted that if the countries did not want to accept refugees then they must contribute financially. Questioned about the row over Alternate Migration Policy Minister Yiannis Mouzalas and demands by the government's coalition partner ANEL that the minister be removed, Tsipras said he intended to meet with ANEL leader Panos Kammenos when the latter returned from a trip to the United States to discuss the issue and expressed confidence that a "golden compromise" on the issue will be achieved, praising the contribution of both Mouzalas and Kammenos to the effort to manage the refugee and migration crisis. [02] Tusk, Davutoglu, Juncker welcome EU-Turkey deal BRUSSELLS (ANA-MPA/C. Vasilaki) European Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday they're satisfied with the deal achieved between the EU's 28 member-states and Turkey in Brussels. Speaking during a joint press conference after the summit, Davutoglu said it is a "historic day" foe Europe and Turkey as the new deal will help tackle illegal migration. Asked to comment on the criticism leveled against Turkey for the living conditions of refugees in the country's camps, Davutoglu said he's "proud" of the centers and urged anyone who has doubts to visit them. He also said that Turkish citizens live in peace with the refugees without incidents of racism and xenophobia. Asked by journalist to comment on the critical statements made by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against Europe, Davutoglu retorted that Europe's reality has "two faces". One face is its leadership, with whom he works hand-in-hand and which wishes to find a solution for humanitarian reasons. The other reality to which Erdogan referred to, is of some European states and politicians who try to block refugees from coming to Europe, with specific and even aggressive actions. Commenting on the same issue, Juncker said it would be better to avoid "exaggerated statements", while Tusk first described the agreement as "innovative" for EU-Turkish relations and then added that "Europe is the main destination for the refugees because it is the most open, tolerant continent and it wants to stay that way." Juncker also spoke of the "herculean task" which mainly has to be taken on by Greece so as to implement the EU-Turkey deal, noting that Dutch economist Maarten Verwey will act as the EU Coordinator for the refugee crisis in Greece. Verwey will organize both the economic assistance and the logistics support provided to the country. He then concluded: "Idomeni is not the idea I have for Europe." On the opening of chapter 33 of its EU accession procedure that concerns the budget, the Turkish premier welcomed the EU's decision and the new steps that will be taken to speed up the opening of other chapters in the future. Commenting on the same issue, Tusk also welcomed the opening of the new chapter but also noted the importance of negotiations to resolve the Cyprus issue. On the issue of visa waivers for Turkish citizens, Davutoglu said his country will implement its commitments by the end of May and the same is expected of the EU. [03] Maarten Verwey appointed EU Coordinator to organize asulym services in Greece BRUSSELS (ANA-MPA/ C. Vasilaki) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker appointed on Friday Dutch economist Maarten Verwey to act as the EU Coordinator of the refugee crisis in Greece, according to a Commission press release. The decision follows the agreement achieved by the heads of State or Government who met at the European Council today that "the Commission will coordinate and organise together with member-states and agencies the necessary support structures to implement it effectively." The EU will provide Greece at short notice with the necessary means, including border guards, asylum experts and interpreters, to tackle the refugee crisis. As part of this agreement, the EU will dispatch 4,000 staff in Greece to help the government organize its asylum process. "Verwey will organise the work and coordinate the dispatching of the 4,000 staff that will be needed from Greece, member-states, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and FRONTEX. We need case workers, interpreters, judges, return officers and security officers," Juncker said. Verwey is the Director-General of the European Commission's Structural Reform Support Service. He leads a team which has already been on the ground in Greece since October 2015, working hand in hand with the Greek authorities to address the refugee crisis, by accelerating access to emergency funding, improving the coordination between the various actors, addressing administrative bottlenecks and facilitating knowledge sharing on border management and relocation.BRUSSELS (ANA-MPA/ C. Vasilaki) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker appointed on Friday Dutch economist Maarten Verwey to act as the EU Coordinator of the refugee crisis in Greece, according to a Commission press release. The decision follows the agreement achieved by the heads of State or Government who met at the European Council today that "the Commission will coordinate and organise together with member-states and agencies the necessary support structures to implement it effectively." The EU will provide Greece at short notice with the necessary means, including border guards, asylum experts and interpreters, to tackle the refugee crisis. As part of this agreement, the EU will dispatch 4,000 staff in Greece to help the government organize its asylum process. "Verwey will organise the work and coordinate the dispatching of the 4,000 staff that will be needed from Greece, member-states, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and FRONTEX. We need case workers, interpreters, judges, return officers and security officers," Juncker said. Verwey is the Director-General of the European Commission's Structural Reform Support Service. He leads a team which has already been on the ground in Greece since October 2015, working hand in hand with the Greek authorities to address the refugee crisis, by accelerating access to emergency funding, improving the coordination between the various actors, addressing administrative bottlenecks and facilitating knowledge sharing on border management and relocation. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article Anadolu Agency via Getty Images TEHRAN, IRAN - MARCH 15: Iranians attend the celebrations of Chaharshanbe Suri on the eve of the last Wednesday of the year before Nowruz, in Tehran, Iran on March 15, 2016. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) There's only one time every year when it is socially acceptable to jump over a fire. And that's Norooz, or Nowruz, the Persian New Year, which is happening this year on March 20. It's a time for "rebirth, rejuvenation and reconciliation," Iranian news site Payvand reports. Taking place every year on the spring vernal equinox, it's also a way to celebrate the arrival of spring, when the sun becomes stronger and melts winter away. Advertisement It's a non-religious occasion, and is celebrated by various populations with no regard to ethnicity, class, or creed, Payvand said. Persians celebrate the new year beginning on the last Wednesday before Norooz itself. Known as "Chaharshanbe Souri, " or "Red Wednesday," it's a time when families build bonfires and jump over them saying, "sorkhi-e to az man, zardi-e man az to," which means, "Give me your redness and take away my wintry sallow complexion," said NowruzFestival.org. Celebrants then eat fruits and nuts, and they party together until the bonfire dies down. Its ashes symbolize winter's bad luck, and they're buried outside. Advertisement But fire-jumping isn't the only way that people mark Norooz. People clean their houses vigorously, in a tradition known as "khoneh takooni" or "shaking the house," weeks before the new year arrives, according to the United States Institute for Peace. Households also set up a "half seen" table," which has seven different objects, all of which begin with the letter "S" in the Persian language. Those items include apples ("sib"), which symbolize beauty and health, garlic (sir), which stands for good health and medicine, and wheat grass ("sabzeh"), which means renewal and rebirth. When Chaharshanbe Souri ends, Persians count down to the moment the vernal equinox begins. Sweets are passed around among families, while coins are given to kids. Advertisement Family and friends then visit each other at their homes wishing a "happy new year" while hosts hand out food and tea. The 13th day after the new year is known as "Sizdah Bedar," which translates as "13 outdoors." On this day, people enjoy themselves by spending time in nature, holding picnics, playing music and dancing. The aim is to do away with all the bad luck that's linked with the number 13. So go ahead: build a fire and jump over it. It's the one time you can do it until next year. Advertisement Advertisement Also on HuffPost: Smack talk. Pinching. Name calling. All activities that could soon net you a fine of up to $2,500 in the City of Saskatoon. The city council there is set to vote Monday on an anti-bullying bylaw that would level fines for a host of acts. They include "kicking, pushing and hair pulling," as well as verbal acts such as "taunting, tormenting, name calling, ridiculing, insulting, mocking and directing slurs towards another person." Advertisement The bylaw comes after the city asked legal staff to draft legislation that would address bullying in February 2014, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reported. If passed, it would apply at restaurants, bars, parking lots or "any building or structure" that the public can access. Fines for a first offence would top out at $300, while second or more offences could see people fork over as much as $2,500. Council has been given two drafts of the bylaw: one applies to schools and schoolyards while they're in session, the other does not. Advertisement The version of the bylaw that includes schools has the support of Coun. Ann Iwanchuk, who said parents have told her for years that such a tool is necessary, according to the StarPhoenix. "If it was effectively being looked after, we wouldn't be here with this bylaw today." And though school boards say they can already address bullying themselves, Iwanchuk isn't convinced. "If it was effectively being looked after, we wouldn't be here with this bylaw today." The bylaw also has a supporter in Brian Trainor, a former police sergeant who speaks on bullying in schools throughout Saskatchewan. It's a "real nice middle ground that allows the police to do something that is more restorative than punishing," Trainor told CBC News. He noted that bullying cases don't necessarily have to involve fines or court hearings they can also be mediated. Sgt. Brian Trainor (ret.), who presented on cyber bullying yesterday pre-conference. #ruralcongress2014pic.twitter.com/Gz9Bq7iuHs Rural Congress (@RuralCongress) March 31, 2014 Advertisement "It's so needed because it's a tool that police will have on their tool belt," he said of the bylaw. But not everyone is so supportive. I don't support Bullying Bylaw in current form. Reaches far beyond our authority. Regina's bylaw is good; let's tweak it 4 #Saskatoon#YXECC Darren Hill (@darrenhill1) March 18, 2016 Regina's anti-bullying bylaw was passed in 2006 but unlike the one being proposed in Saskatoon, it doesn't cover private businesses, the StarPhoenix noted. A 2015 study by Columbia University showed that U.S. anti-bullying laws were effective so long as they included a number of components set down by the Department of Education. Advertisement The research showed that students in states with anti-bullying laws were 24 per cent less likely to report that they were harassed. Also on HuffPost: Cole Burston via Getty Images TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 1: Cecil Peter holds up a photo of Andrew Loku, who last month was shot by police and later died of his injuries, at a carding consultation meeting at the Toronto Reference Library. (Cole Burston/Toronto Star via Getty Images) The Ontario Special Investigations Unit announced Friday afternoon that no charges would be laid against the Toronto police officer who fatally shot Andrew Loku, 45, last July. The SIU assigned three investigators and three forensic investigators and it has been determined that the officer, whose name has not been released, used "justifiable force" under the "circumstances." Advertisement Police were called to Loku's home just before midnight on July 4, 2015, after learning he'd confronted and threatened his neighbour with a hammer over consistent noise issues that were keeping him from sleeping. The officers encountered Loku in his third-floor apartment near Eglinton Ave. W and Caledonia Rd. and demanded several times that he drop his weapon, the hammer, according to an SIU news release. Loku approached them saying, What you gonna do, come on, shoot me," and the one of the two officers shot him when the space between them closed from eight or nine metres, to two or three metres. SIU Director Tony Loparco said that based on the circumstances of the call, "I have no doubt that the subject officer feared for his life and that of his partner." Advertisement Loku was shot twice and his cause of death was gunshot wounds to the left chest. His neighbour Robin Hicks who said she witnessed the killing, told the Toronto Star in July that the entire interaction lasted only one or two minutes before Loku was shot. Andrew Loku's older sister, Rose Mono, clings to a photo of her dead brother following his funeral outside of Ward Funeral Homes, on Weston Road. Loku, a 45-year-old father of five from South Sudan, was shot dead by police on July 5. (Photo: Melissa Renwick/Toronto Star) When asked why the SIU's decision was published at the end of day Friday just before the start of the weekend spokesman Jason Gennaro said the SIU likes to issue releases to the public as soon as the decision as been made and the Attorney General, chief of police, and the deceased's family has been notified, according to the Toronto Star. The day of the release is dictated by this process, Gennaro said. Death sparked protests, comparisons to Sammy Yatim Loku's killing prompted a series of protests and demands led by the Toronto chapter of activist group Black Lives Matter. The group's demands included the release of the names of officers involved in Loku's shooting, as well as video footage of the altercation and also called on the Toronto police to adopt recommendations made in a 2014 report on dealing with people in crisis. Advertisement Desmond Cole addresses the crowd gathered for the Black Lives Matter protest, which started on Gilbert Avenue, where Andrew Loku was shot dead by police. (Melissa Renwick/Toronto Star via Getty Images) Loku, an immigrant from South Sudan, had been living in an apartment building where units were leased by the Canadian Mental Health Association, to provide affordable housing for those struggling with mental health issues. Loku had come to Canada after spending time in a refugee camp and living through 16 years of civil warfare in his home country, according to a profile by the National Post. Loku is survived by his wife and five children who are still living in South Sudan. At the time of his death, Toronto Star columnist Joe Fiorito drew connections between Loku's death and the death of Edmond Yu, a mentally ill man holding a hammer who was also fatally shot by Toronto police in 1997. Many have connected Loku and the more recent case of Sammy Yatim, an 18-year-old who was shot at nine times and killed by police while brandishing a knife on a streetcar. The officer who shot Yatim, Const. James Forcillo, was found guilty of attempted murder in January. Advertisement Also on HuffPost The HIV sector is currently waiting on the announcement of the public consultation on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and HIV prevention in the UK - widely expected last month. This public consultation is one of the final steps before a decision is made on NHS availability for PrEP- the HIV game changer - already available in the US, France, Canada, Israel, and Kenya. The consultation response would form part of a submission to the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG), the body that says 'Yes' or 'No' to PrEP at its next meeting in June. However a public consultation takes time - up to 12 weeks, and at a minimum 30 days. With Easter rapidly approaching this means that time for a full consultation to be carried out, reviewed and the results compiled in time for CPAG is now alarmingly limited. We have gone from final stages, to nothing, and only NHS England knows why, as all we have heard so far is radio silence. Advertisement In the past twenty years since I was diagnosed with HIV, the advances made in treatments have been quite staggering. If the great challenge of the generation before us was to maximise life expectancy and quality of those who were HIV positive, then our current one is surely prevention. Condoms are still one of the most effective ways to prevent HIV, but perfect condom use is not a reality for everyone and, despite significant effort , 2,600 men who have sex with men (MSM) are infected with HIV in the UK every year - a figure that has not really changed over the last decade. In PrEP we have another option for our arsenal. It's a pill, taken once a day, before sex, by HIV negative people who are at high risk to prevent the transmission of HIV. We know it works, and we know it can be cost effective, when targeted at those most at risk. Even though the UK based PROUD study demonstrated an 86 per cent reduction in HIV transmission in MSM, it is still not available through the NHS. Currently it is only available privately, at a prohibitively expensive 400 a month for a prescription of Truvada (the drug taken for PrEP). Some people are also getting generic Truvada online, from abroad, which while cheaper at 50 a month, can be difficult to obtain, with understandable concerns about quality of the drug. So we now have a real inequality issue that some of the most at risk people have a new way to protect themselves from HIV - PrEP - but only if they can afford it. Advertisement While England lags behind the rest of the world is already realising the potential of PrEP. Following a successful trial of using PrEP and successful treatment for people living with HIV, which nearly eliminated any HIV transmissions, Kenya announced the availability of PrEP in the latter half of last year. PrEP availability has also been cited as integral to San Francisco's success in bringing down HIV infections, with only302 new HIV diagnoses last year, their lowest ever recorded number (against a peak of 2,332 in 1992). A San Francisco study of 657 patients on Truvada, over a two-year period, reported no HIV infection. With France and Canada also taking up the World Health Organisation's recommendation that access to PrEP form part of a 'comprehensive prevention package' for at-risk men who have sex with men, England is now dangerously falling behind. As we continue to see 500 people diagnosed with HIV every month in UK, the pressing question is how many could have been prevented by PrEP. Every month, and every person, counts. I know that cost to a cash strapped NHS is a core consideration, especially for introducing anything new, -but the NHS spends over 500m a year on HIV treatment, with estimated individual lifetime HIV treatment costs of up to 360,000. A year of PrEP (Truvada) costs 5,000 and the PROUD data shows that we would only need to treat 13 men for a year to prevent one HIV infection. Advertisement At Terrence Higgins Trust our campaign "STOP HIV. PrEP NOW" is so called because that what PrEP could do - stop the spread of HIV. Work on PrEP - the potential it has for HIV prevention, and negotiating its availability on the NHS, through many official channels and throughout the HIV sector has been ongoing for almost two years. But now, nothing - silence. Bloomberg via Getty Images The final GOP debate was scheduled for March 21st in Salt Lake City, the first sans-Rubio showdown after a big March 15 primary battle. But when Donald Trump decided he wanted to sit it out Wednesday, Ohio Governor John Kasich dropped out as well, prompting debate host Fox News to cancel it entirely. Unless the GOP decides to book another debate, the March 21st debate that never was will be a disappointing punctuation to a debate series characterized by indiscriminate shouting and sexual innuendo. There's no doubt that the 2016 election has shredded the rules of American politics. But an overlooked narrative lies in the debates themselves - the GOP's slight changes in the scheduling of the 2016 debates show a shifting tide in candidate participation. Advertisement En route to John McCain's race to the 2008 nomination, the GOP hosted 20 official debates from May to the beginning of February. The 2012 election cycle maintained that stride, hosting 19 debates also from May to February before Mitt Romney grabbed the nomination. For 2016, the GOP scheduled just 12 debates stretching from August to March (the thirteenth debate in Salt Lake City was added in February). Although the GOP didn't explicitly explain why they changed the schedule so much for 2016, the decision may have been nudged by two factors: the relative ineffectiveness of debates taking place before August and the importance of debates running through the first few primaries. The below chart combines 2016 GOP debate observations with 2008 and 2012 data from the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, plotting participation in all the GOP debates (largely ignoring forums, town halls and undercard debates) against the calendar day in which those debates took place. Advertisement Focusing on the left part of the chart, there's a noticeable invariability in the number of debate participants from May through September. In the 2008 race, there were at least eight candidates participating in every debate through September, which begs the question: when the same eight people are debating in five consecutive debates over the course of three months, when does public discourse devolve from informing to redundant? In 2012, Republicans hoping to better pace their stride announced their candidacies later in the process (Jon Huntsman, Michele Bachmann and Newt Gingrich). This caused the hump seen from May to August, meaning the field of candidates didn't reach its full form until September. In other words, it wasn't until the sixth debate that voters were able to watch all the candidates they'd actually see on the ballot. By starting the debates in August, the 2016 GOP race was able to do away with many of these early debates. The chart also illustrates how much farther into spring the 2016 debates stretched than the 2008 and 2012 debates. Part of this extension may have had to do with the Iowa caucus being pushed back a full month to February 1st (in both 2008 and 2012, the Iowa caucuses fell on January 3rd). So although one might look at the chart and think that 2016 candidates lasted longer than 2008 and 2012 candidates did, the exodus of presidential hopefuls does indeed occur at the same time when controlling for the Iowa caucus. But the 2016 election bucks the trend when considering the number of caucuses that occur during the debate schedule. In the 2008 cycle, the final GOP debate (in which eventual nominee John McCain didn't participate) happened on February 2nd, at which point only eight states had conducted their caucuses or primaries. The 2012 debate cycle also missed Super Tuesday, and the February 22nd finale in Mesa, Arizona took place after only seven states had voted. By pushing into late March, the debate schedule for 2016 charges right through Super Tuesday. Scheduling debates through March 10th meant that there would be televised events covering caucuses or primaries in 23 states and Puerto Rico. Advertisement There's good reason to keep the debates going through the primaries. Candidates could adjust platforms and rhetoric as the field of competitors thins out, which generally occurs in step with the first few weeks of primaries. For voters in states that don't have early primaries, a late debate could be the difference in who gets their name bubbled in on Election Day. Which brings us to Donald Trump. Unlike the surge in debate viewership, Donald Trump had nothing to do with the debate scheduling decisions - a case could be made for why Trump benefited the most from the GOP's changes. Extending the debate schedule through Super Tuesday opens the door for candidates to take advantage of momentum. Because the 2008 and 2012 debates only led up to Super Tuesday and not through it, the party's debates were limiting candidates to a kind of showcase-like pitch. Introduce yourself to America, make your best case on the debate stage and hope they vote for you. With the 2016 debates rolling through primaries in almost a majority of the country, candidates could now use actual primary results from previous elections to rally support. This also works the other way - in the case of Marco Rubio, poor primary after poor primary left him statistically vulnerable in debates and the establishment candidate ended up collapsing completely. It'd be irresponsible to draw causation between Rubio's exit and the GOP debate calendar, but in a way it would be poetic if the establishment's buckling were caused somewhat by the party's dramatic schedule change. In that case, it truly wouldn't have been the GOP failing to plan - it would have been the GOP planning to fail. Advertisement MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 10, 2016: The four remaining Republican primary candidates Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and John Kasich (not shown) listen to the National Anthem at the beginning of the debate at the University of Miami on March 10, 2016, hosted by CNN and the Washington Times. (Photo by Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) That's a pretty ambitious subtitle, but we're not going to get to the deconstruction project until the talking points, we should warn everyone up front. And we could never hope to deconstruct all of the GOP's absurdities in one column, so we'll be focusing just on their all-over-the-map reasoning on why they're not going to do their constitutional jobs in the Senate on President Obama's Supreme Court nomination. So we'll have all that to look forward to. For now, let's quickly review the week just to see where things stand. It's not exactly political news, but we do have to point out that it is the day after Saint Patrick's Day, so we'll try to type all this out very softly, in case anyone's still nursing a hangover of Brobdingnagian proportions. Advertisement There were two major events in the political world this week. The first was another round of primaries (which got given the label "Super Tuesday 3" too late for anyone to start actually using it). The second was a Supreme Court judicial nomination from President Obama. Both were groundshaking in their own ways. The Senate Republicans, of course, have said (since before the body was actually cold) that Obama is not going to be allowed to replace Antonin Scalia. First, the position was that no Republican would even meet with the nominee. That's just downright rude. These are traditional "courtesy meetings" which normally happen without a shred of contention, but these are not normal times. Since then, a few Republicans have wavered on the "never even meet with him" strategy. There are a lot of Republican voters who understand politeness back home, for some of these folks. Others are in very tough re-election fights with strong Democratic contenders in very blue states, and are fearing for their political lives. Look for this dynamic to become even more pronounced, as Democrats base their entire "take back the Senate" strategy around it (as they rightly should, we should mention). This week, at least two Republican senators have called for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold the proper hearings. Both Susan Collins of Maine and Mark Kirk have now done so. Our guess is they won't be the last to do so, as Republican resolve wavers even more. The GOP plan to just flat-out ignore Obama's nominee is not very popular (even among Republican voters), and Democrats will be reminding everyone of this every chance they get. So it's quite likely that hearings will eventually come to pass. Advertisement Kirk has even gone one step further and tried to shame his fellow Republicans into actually doing their jobs and giving the nominee a floor vote. His quote is so charming, however, that we're going to save it for the talking points section. Kirk is in one of the toughest Senate seats Republicans have to defend this year, and he's got a very strong challenger in Tammy Duckworth. Also, it's a presidential election year, and Illinois is pretty solidly blue. But Kirk isn't the only one to find himself in this situation this year. So look for other Republicans to back down in similar fashion, in the weeks to come. Especially if Donald Trump secures the GOP nomination (without riots) at the convention. Which brings us back to the presidential race. Tuesday was a blowout for both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. On the Democratic side, this was welcome news for Hillary supporters as it means she can now pivot to mainly focusing on Trump. Bernie Sanders isn't going away any time soon, of course, nor should he. The one thing Hillary really can't do is to call on Bernie to end his campaign (see: 2008). But he will likely be ignored by the media from this point on. Or maybe "even more ignored than he already has been" is more correct. Media abuse of Bernie has been one constant throughout this campaign, exemplified in disgraceful detail this week by the New York Times. The Times has endorsed Hillary, but that's not supposed to bias their news articles in any way. However, it obviously is. An article which began with the title: "Bernie Sanders Scored Victories For Years Via Legislative Side Doors," gave a pretty thorough rundown on how Sanders has used amendments to other bills to get things done in the Senate. Hours later the title had changed, though, to: "Via Legislative Side Doors, Bernie Sanders Won Modest Victories." Still later, it was watered down to: "Sanders's Roster Of Modest Wins." The text went from being a factual overview of Sanders's record in the Senate to a biased piece with plenty of quotes about how Sanders is promising the moon, the sun, and the stars -- you know, the typical thing. So much for that vaunted wall of separation between the editorial page and the news operation, eh? Over on the Republican side, Trump romped to four victories Tuesday night, while Kasich won his first (and, likely, only) state. Marco Rubio dropped out after (badly) losing his home state of Florida to the Trumpster. Fear and panic set in among the corridors of power in Washington immediately afterwards. Advertisement After all, what's a Republican to do these days? They have a few choices, and all of them are bad. They can just outright surrender to Donald Trump, and risk looking like a hostage standing behind him at a rally (see: Chris Christie). They can back Ted Cruz, which is the equivalent to them of drinking poison (as Lindsey Graham so eloquently put it, just before he went ahead and endorsed Cruz over Trump). Another option is brutal honesty -- realizing that Democrats weren't actually caricaturing their party as hateful and racist, that instead this was indeed correct. Not many (it hardly bears pointing out) are taking this route. Instead, most Republicans are just flailing wildly about, with absolutely no plan on how to stop Trump and no answer to why they're in this position in the first place. There were actually two important "flail around like a headless chicken" meetings this week, of like-minded Republicans trying to figure out some way out of the mess they find themselves in. One meeting was for big donors, who could not agree on a plan of action. The other one consisted of big conservative deep-thinker types (at least, that's how they see themselves), who also could not agree on a viable plan of action. There's an apt phrase for what these groups are attempting: "too little, too late." There's even now pushback from other Republicans towards the whole "stop Trump" effort, people like Newt Gingrich and Sean Hannity rightly calling the effort a serious attempt to permanently divide what used to be the Republican Party. As I said, all options are bad at this point for Republicans. Get behind Trump. Try to force him out as the party's nominee (which we have to admit Trump is entirely right about, because it would likely lead to riots). Launch a third-party bid so you don't have to vote for Trump in November (which would guarantee the election of Hillary Clinton). Or just turn off the TV and ignore politics until after the election is over. That's about all they've got, at this point. It isn't easy being a non-Trump-loving Republican these days, is it? Maybe the stress is taking its toll. That's the only explanation we have for the spectacle of Republican lawmakers asking why a government regulator wasn't quicker and stronger in enforcing environmental rules. We can't ever remember such an astonishing sight, in fact. Advertisement Of course, there was method to their seeming madness, as their choice was to pressure the Environmental Protection Agency, or just go ahead and admit that another Republican governor had proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that life under conservative economic principles can be very dangerous indeed for those unlucky enough to live in such states. The breadth of Republican hypocrisy in demanding that the E.P.A. do a better job was captured perfectly by Huffington Post: Still, it's a little unusual to hear Republicans crying out for more rulemaking from the E.P.A. On the same day as the hearing, House Republicans released a budget that would dramatically cut funding for the E.P.A., so that the agency won't "continue to implement an unprecedented activist regulatory policy to the detriment of states, localities, small businesses, and energy consumers." The Republican-led Congress has chopped the E.P.A.'s budget in recent years, from a high of $10.3 billion in 2010 down to $8.1 billion for 2015. The funding cuts have forced the agency to reduce its workforce, from a high of 18,110 in 1999 to just 15,408 as of 2014 -- a 15 percent staffing cut from 15 years before. The Republicans' budget proposal last year sought to cut funding for water protection programs in particular by 24 percent. So, yeah, maybe there's a reason why the E.P.A. wasn't on top of the Flint situation, huh guys? It's a little irony-impaired to demand such things now after gutting their budget and calling them names. Republican governmental policy harms humans and other forms of life. Deal with it. Advertisement That's a grim point to end on, but the situation in Flint is about as grim as it can get. So with no attempt at any sort of segue, let's just move along to this week's awards. This one's pretty easy, this week. Hillary Clinton was easily the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week. If Tuesday night's voting had gone a different way (if Bernie Sanders had won one, two, or three states, in other words), the news media would be in a frenzy of "What's Wrong With Hillary Clinton's Campaign?" stories, right about now. Instead, she is once again attempting to pivot away from the Democratic primary race to fighting Donald Trump in a general election campaign. This was the week she was finally able to do so in a convincing way. Hillary ended last week pretty disappointingly, by mis-remembering the 1980s, Nancy Reagan, and AIDS. She began this week by writing a lengthy apology, because she knows that gay rights activists are important supporters to have on her side. Whether it was convincing enough or not is still being hotly debated, but she did make the effort after attempting to just brush it off with an "I'm sorry" tweet last week. But after that shaky start to the week came Tuesday, which became the overriding narrative of the week for her. Hillary's lead among delegates is pretty impressive, at this point. She's further ahead of Bernie in pledged delegates (the "non-super" type) than Barack Obama managed during the 2008 campaign against her. When you add in superdelegates, her lead is now almost insurmountable. Bernie will keep going, of course, following the same path Hillary herself blazed in 2008 -- fighting all the way to the final primaries. It's entirely his right to do so. But from this point on, it becomes a protest movement rather than a presidential campaign with a clear path to victory. Advertisement Of course, Hillary's not going to have such a good week every week for the remainder of the campaign. Bernie will quite likely still chalk up some wins. But this week, Clinton chalked up five to Bernie's zero. Three of these were somewhat close, but two were absolute landslides for her. Unless there are any political earthquakes between now and the convention, Hillary Clinton is going to be the Democratic nominee this year. This is the week she definitively moved into "presumptive nominee" territory. For doing so in impressive fashion, Hillary Clinton has to be seen (even by Bernie fans, if they're honest) as the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week. [We do not, as a rule, provide links to campaign websites, so you'll have to search Hillary Clinton's contact info out on your own, to let her know you appreciate her efforts.] President Barack Obama made a controversial pick for the Supreme Court. What was controversial about it was that it was intended not to be controversial. Obama picked a moderate or centrist judge, which was entirely reasonable given the political calculus surround this particular pick, but lefties were really hoping for a solid liberal choice. So Obama's pick disappointed many progressives. But we're not judging him harshly on this selection, personally. Merrick Garland has a much better chance of actually making it onto the Supreme Court than a liberal firebrand would have had. In fact, a staunch liberal would pretty much have been guaranteed treatment as a sacrificial lamb by Senate Republicans. There's almost zero chance of confirmation, since a liberal Obama choice versus a Hillary Clinton choice would look exactly the same to Senate Republicans. Garland may also become a sacrificial lamb, but it's not guaranteed. His nomination could get voted down by the full Senate, it could be withdrawn by Obama (indeed, I argued yesterday that Obama should threaten this tactic for the lame-duck session), or it could just never get acted upon until the next Senate is sworn in. We have no idea what the chances of Garland being confirmed are (neither does anyone else, at this point), but those chances are above zero. A liberal pick's chances would have been non-existent. So we're not giving Obama the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award for his selection, sorry. Advertisement Instead, we're giving it to Obama for not letting Gerry Adams in to a White House event that he had been expressly invited to attend. Adams, for those unaware, is a prominent figure in the Sinn Fein party in the Republic of Ireland. This being Paddy's Day week, there are always some political events held with Irish politicians (and just random drinking and wearing of green ties in general, we might add). Now, President Bill Clinton made big news back in the 1990s by granting Adams a visa and a White House invitation (to say Adams is a controversial figure both here and in Eire is a massive understatement), which helped moved the Irish peace process along to its happy conclusion. Adams, in other words, used to be a controversial person for the White House to invite to an event, but that was a long time ago -- he's been to the White House many times in the past 20 years, in fact. And he was invited this year, too, but was stopped at the door by the Secret Service. Due to what they called an "administrative input error," Adams was detained for 90 minutes, as he watched all the other guests file in. He said later he felt like he was in a receiving line, greeting everyone else. After an hour and a half, he just gave up and walked out. Now, what sort of "administrative input error" takes 90 minutes to resolve? Mistyping "Jerry Adams" should have been figured out in about five minutes. It's not like this was his first visit to the White House or anything (which might have necessitated higher security screening). He was invited to this event -- he wasn't some V.I.P. gate-crasher or anything. Advertisement Making an invitee to a casual event wait 90 minutes in such a fashion is beyond disappointing. It is inexcusable. The White House and the Secret Service have since apologized and swear that it won't happen again. A little late, but at least they realized how badly they screwed this up. But President Obama is responsible for the Secret Service, and he is responsible for how guests are treated in the White House. The Secret Service has had multiple massive problems during Obama's term in office, and while this screwup doesn't even rise to the level of some of the previous scandals, it shows that there are still some problems in what was once viewed as one of the more honorable federal agencies around. So, yes, the Secret Service was principally responsible for barring Gerry Adams at the door, but the president and his team should have been a lot more on the ball, on this one. Adams was one of the more prominent guests for the Paddy's Day celebration, so it's inexcusable that nobody noticed he was cooling his heels at the security checkpoint. Which is why we're giving this week's Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week to President Barack Obama. The Irish people love Obama (as this song proves, written after an Obama visit to Eire). There's no excuse for such a prominent snub. In this case, the buck stops at the top, and Obama is awarded the MDDOTW for the whole diplomatic screwup. [Contact President Barack Obama on his White House contact page, to let him know what you think of his actions.] Volume 383 (3/18/16) The subtitle of today's article is "Deconstructing GOP Absurdity." The entire talking points section below is dedicated to this premise. Except for the last two, where we just go ahead and rub salt in the GOP's wounds, for the sheer fun of it. Advertisement But getting back to the premise. We are following Mark Twain's advice here ("immature humorists borrow, mature humorists steal"), because the idea comes from a very funny guy (when he wants to be): Senator Al Franken. In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Franken directly took on the Republicans' shifting positions and rationales for denying even consideration for a sitting president's Supreme Court pick. The most memorable thing Franken had to say: "I used to make a living identifying absurdity. I'm hearing a lot of it today." The basic Republican position isn't that hard to understand. It is: "We are going to deny Barack Obama a third Supreme Court pick, unless Hillary Clinton wins the presidency." That is precisely what some of them believe (the others don't even add the clause about Clinton). The problem is, it sounds pretty crass to come out and say it honestly and simply, so Republicans have been busy bending over backwards trying to come up with some sort of noble-sounding reason for why they're walking down this path. Our talking points will take apart the absurdities they've so far come up with, point by point. Of course, we may have to revisit this later, because Republicans are nothing if not crafty at creating rationalizations out of moonbeams -- so there could be another whole slew of excuses to deconstruct later. But for now, we're working with the absurdities they've so far given us. So it's a living document after all? We start with the bedrock of the Republican faith. "Republicans are supposed to revere the United States Constitution. Furthermore, they tell us it is not a 'living document' and is supposed to mean exactly what the Framers said -- no more and no less. Period. Which is why I'm scratching my head now over all of the ways they are trying to change its clear meaning over the issue of a Supreme Court nomination. They are, to be blunt, doing exactly what they have spent decades accusing Democrats and liberal justices of being guilty of. For starters, consider that the Constitution lays out a clear duty to 'advise and consent' to presidential nominees. Republicans' first argument boils down to 'we are going to refuse to do our duty under the Constitution we all swore to uphold.' No wonder Republican voters are angry! These senators are flat-out refusing to do their job -- in fact, they're very accomplished at not doing their jobs at all. Name me one thing the Republican-led Senate and Republican-led House have managed to accomplish that bettered people's lives since they took control -- just one! I bet you can't, because there really aren't any. So I guess we shouldn't be surprised that they're now swearing they are going to continue to do nothing for the rest of the year." Not actually in the Constitution Moving right along to the next absurdity.... "The Constitution is not a living document, Republicans tell us. But now they are trying to peddle the absurd notion that the voters are supposed to have any sort of direct say in judicial picks. Excuse me, but where exactly is this notion in the Constitution? I'll wait while you look it up from that copy of it you carry around with you. I shouldn't taunt you like that, so I'll save you the effort. The Constitution actually put several degrees of separation between the voters and court picks. The Electoral College and the Senate, to name two (remember, originally senators weren't even chosen by direct election -- that was the original intent of the Founders). The voters are not supposed to have a say in judicial picks, plain and simple. For Republicans to now create this supposed tradition out of whole cloth is stunning in its absurdity. They really ought to be ashamed of themselves, but that would require a degree of honesty they don't seem capable of right now." Let's politicize it to depoliticize it! This brings us directly to the third absurdity. "I've heard Republicans from Chuck Grassley on down say -- with a straight face, mind you -- that 'the process needs to not be politicized,' and then turn around and say the voters deserve a say in the process. How is that not the very definition of 'politicizing' the process? There's nothing more politicized than a presidential election, after all. This is sheer Orwellian doublethink, folks. The process ought not to be politicized, so we're going to just go ahead and politicize the heck out of it -- how does that even pretend to make sense?" Unless it's a Democrat, of course We're turning this next one over to Senator Al Franken, because he put it better than we could ever hope to. From the same hearing cited above, Franken takes on the bizarre notion that Republicans will graciously consent to confirm Garland in the lame-duck period of Congress (after the election but before the new president and Senate are sworn in). This is where they're openly displaying their own hypocrisy, which Franken gleefully pointed out in fine style: I hear, "OK, let the people decide, and the presidential election should decide." But then I hear colleagues from the other side say, "Well, you know what, if the election goes the wrong way, I'd be happy to consider this nomination in the lame duck," How absurd is that? So it's: "Let the people decide, unless they decide on Hillary Clinton, in which case let us decide." It's very simple, really We return once again to the supposed bedrock of conservative belief, in order to mercifully explain to the Republicans what they really should be doing (if they had a shred of intellectual honesty, that is). "You know what? If Republicans truly believe that what they are doing is the right thing for America, they have one solid option available to them. Remember that non-living Constitution they're usually so passionate about? It actually provides the steps they need to take to legitimize their current absurd political position. The first thing they need to do is agree to the language -- perhaps something like 'no Supreme Court nomination shall be made in the last year of a presidential term,' and then they could add something about the voters having a legitimate say in the process. Once they drafted the language, the process if very simple. All they'd have to do is pass their language by a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress, and then get three-fourths of the state legislatures to ratify it. Because that's the process the Constitution demands to amend what is already defined within it." Kirk mans up OK, these last two are the "rubbing salt in the GOP's self-inflicted wounds" part of the program. Because all of this Kabuki theater surrounding Obama's Supreme Court pick is making some Senate Republicans very, very nervous about their chances of getting re-elected (some of them from very blue states). The first Republican senator to crack, unsurprisingly, is in perhaps the toughest of these races. "Two Republican senators have already denounced the Republican effort to pretend that President Obama didn't just nominate someone to the Supreme Court. Susan Collins of Maine is now calling for the proper hearings, and Illinois Senator Mark Kirk went even further and called for a floor vote to be held. Here's what Kirk had to say: 'We should go through the process the Constitution has already laid out... just man up and cast a vote. The tough thing about these senatorial jobs is you get "yes" or "no" votes. Your whole job is to either say "yes" or "no" and explain why.' While he is completely correct, it was an interesting choice of words, seeing as how the only other Republican to stand up for even holding hearings happens to be a woman. Kirk's Democratic opponent for the Senate this fall is also a woman, so it may not have been the best phrase to use. However crudely put, though, the sentiment is correct. I'd be willing to bet a few other Republicans start saying similar things, especially when they contemplate who Donald Trump might nominate to the highest court in the land. Or, of course, Hillary Clinton." Advertisement On a golden platter That last bit was so much fun, let's just hammer the point home a bit further! "Republicans in the Senate, although they may not be aware of it quite yet, are essentially fighting hard for Donald Trump to be given a Supreme Court pick on his first day in the Oval Office. There's no other way to see it -- the 'stop Trump' effort is obviously going to fail, and unless the Republican Party decides to leave Trump and form their own third party this fall, the principle they're now standing up for is to give Donald Trump his own Supreme Court pick. You can bet that Democratic Senate candidates in many states will be reminding voters of this fact for the entire election season. The ads just write themselves: 'Republicans are standing with Trump rather than doing their job -- and they think they deserve re-election?' I kind of feel sorry for the Republicans, because there is no easy way out of the corner they've painted themselves into. If they voted to confirm Obama's appointment now, Republican base voters are going to be incensed. If they wait until after the election and confirm him anyway, again, GOP voters are going to be outraged. If they wait until the next president is in office, then they themselves might just be out of a job, because Donald Trump may just hand control of the both the White House and the Senate to the Democrats on a (very classy, no doubt) golden platter. It's really lose/lose for Senate Republicans, no matter what they choose to do." Chris Weigant blogs at: Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant Full archives of FTP columns: FridayTalkingPoints.com THWACK! "Son of a..." My friends could not contain their laughter. I had just opened my basement door into my own forehead. Seriously, who does that? I reached my fingertips to the scene of the crime to check for blood. Thankfully, there was nothing external, but I had what can only be described as a line-lump percolating beneath the surface. Sadly, this was not uncommon for me as a teenager. I was the kid who was incapable of paying attention. I was unaware of my surroundings, my responsibilities, my reality. At seventeen, a girl walked up to me at an under twenty-one disco, put her hand on my cheek, and said, "Hi baby!" Advertisement While walking out of the club that night, when asked by my friend why I didn't pursue the pocket-hottie, I asked, "What girl?" My friend looked at me and said, "You and your stupid A.D.D." While Attention Deficit Disorder is a highly over-diagnosed disease, no one had heard of it when I was diagnosed back in 1989...one year before graduating high school. It didn't do much for my cumulative sub 2.0 GPA, but the Ritalin did really help me pay attention in situations where I lacked a maturity to pull it off on my own, especially school. (Senior year was the only year where I didn't have to go to summer school. I wish I was kidding.) However, I noticed that years later, I continued to take the drug when going out for fun. I loved the effects...kinda like I could take on the world. My nickname for them were "haps" - short for "happy pills." I wasn't overtly worried until someone told me, "You know, three tablets of Ritalin equals doing a line of coke." I used to pop two or three in a four hour period of going out, and I have an abhorrence and fear of hard drugs, so this really scared the shit out of me. That very second, I quit cold-turkey. And I have to tell you: I was scared out of my mind to quit, but the desire to beat the burgeoning addiction overrode any fear of not being able to concentrate. Advertisement Quitting forced me to work my ass off to pay attention to everything around me. I was about twenty-four at this stage, old enough to know my weaknesses and finally dogged enough to try to overcome them. I realized that I'd been using the pharmaceutical as a crutch, an excuse, a boost. The time had come to stand on my own, consequences be damned. In reality, I had no choice but to overcome them. I worked for the Steve and DC Show, a five-hour, five-day-a-week talk radio show where the lifeblood of our on-air breaks was storytelling. After a year of having "Save it for the air!" and "This is theater of the mind!" drilled into my head, I finally became really good at being aware of my surroundings. It taught me to be present in whatever I did, to imbibe sounds and sights and smells. It taught me to remember the minutia of details that would have forever escaped me had I not made the conscious choice to pay attention. And because I worked it every day, I made this part of my DNA. It allowed me to become a storyteller which is the greatest passion of my working life. What it also did was teach me that it takes very little to solve most problems that you encounter, as long as you have an open mind and open senses. Even when things seem at their bleakest, it's usually one small trigger that opens the floodgates to an answer. And there is possibly no greater example of this than a thirteen year-old named Richard Turere, a young Maasai man in Kenya. Advertisement There was an issue on Richard's father's grazing land which abutted up to the unfenced Maginot line of a natural game preserve. Because there was no barrier between the two properties, wild animals like zebra would pay a visit to the grazing cattle. But never trust a zebra, because very rarely are they alone. Often, they would be followed by lions looking for food. Now Zebras are fast, but grazing bulls aren't. Hell, the lion could take a nap and then attack before a poor bull would have the time and wherewithal to say, "What the fu...?!" The livestock is some of the lifeblood of the Maasai. They're also considered fairly sacred, so the young warriors were fifty shades of pissed. Barbecued lion, anyone? The tit-for-cat could not go on. Something had to give. So Richard, all thirteen years-old of him, tried to come up with a plan. At first, he put up a spotlight. In reality, he might as well have put an airport sign on the poor cattle, because this was essentially a landing light for Simba. Oops. So then Richard thought, "I could put up a scarecrow." But he soon discovered that lions are far smarter than the average bear. By night two, they were turning Richard into a bigger dummy than the dummy. Advertisement And Richard is no dummy. So the next night, while patrolling the cattle against the lions by himself (imagine what you were doing at thirteen), his open mind and open senses realized that his moving flashlight flustered the lions, keeping them at bay. Wait, what? Richard had always been a curious kid. He once took his mother's radio apart to see how it worked. She almost took him apart because of it, but as he says, "I learned a lot about electronics." So check this: he got an old car battery that he kept powered by a solar panel. He attached it to a motorcycle blinker box that he'd procured, and then a switch to the blinker box. He then took some of the bulbs from broken flashlights, and attached them to the wire which came from the switch. He faced the lights toward the wildlife preserve, and had the lights continually blink on and off at different intervals. Guess what didn't show up anymore? Guess what doesn't even try to show up anymore? And then he set it up for seven more houses in his community, with the same result. And then it spread throughout Kenya, not only working on lions, but also hyenas and elephants. The idea is so brilliant that it earned Richard a scholarship at one of the most prestigious schools in all of Kenya. At thirteen. I think I was still eating my own boogers at thirteen...not single-handedly figuring out how to let people, predators, and prey all live in harmony with each other. Advertisement Now I can't equate my story to Richard's, because if you don't pay attention in his world, you might get eaten. If I don't pay attention in my world, I miss an episode of The Black List - which hurts, I'm not going to lie. But while the rationale is different, the methodology is the same. I've always said that I get most of the ideas for these blogs by what I see and hear every day, and you never, ever know when something life-altering will drop itself in your lap. Just yesterday, I had the great fortune of talking to my dear friend and fellow HuffPo blogger Jason Stuart, and I told him a story of something so random that he said that changed my life forever. I'm a hugger by nature. I hug everyone...women, men, dogs...makes no difference to me. Once when Jason was in our radio studio (he's a phenomenal actor and comedian), I went to give him a hug as we had gotten to know each other over the years. When I gave him a pat on the back, he said, "Oh Christ, complete the hug!" Jason didn't remember it, but that has been with me for twenty years. And it will forever be with me because I was open enough to actually hear it, listen to it, and live it. Now if you don't already do this, don't get mad if you try this and it doesn't take right away. Like all things worth doing, it takes practice until it becomes part of you. And if it takes a week, a month, a year, so be it. Advertisement But imagine the joy you feel when, one day, while reminiscing twenty years from now, you'll be able to sit with your friend or your spouse and you'll be able to embrace the little things that made a memory so vivid and wonderful. Because this would just suck: Husband: "Remember that night we made love in the back of your dad's Buick?" Wife: "My dad never had a Buick." ________________________________ Richard Turere told his story to TED: the link is here. I have a new job. It's to explain Donald Trump to Europeans. The only requirement is that I am American and can stroke my chin thoughtfully when someone asks me, as they now often do, how in the world do people in the US support Donald Trump? I've been on a three-city tour, including London and Paris, and have been gratified at the response to my concise explanations, even though it's not easy to explain the rules of "The Apprentice" and describe the ersatz Spanish architecture of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, where he let Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Pressley somehow spend their honeymoon. The British, having invented Western democracy, are of course worried about their famous colonial offspring, the United States. Having heard about the televised debates featuring Trump and his Republican rivals, they politely wonder out loud how Americans define "debate." In Britain, debates go by rules developed at Oxford University which have something to do with facts and logic and a set time for calmly and wittily making arguments. Advertisement I respond that American debate rules, in which it is fair game to call competitors stupid and discuss the comparative size of genitalia, were established at Trump University. The French wonder how is it that Trump's Manhattan penthouse apartment is done up in the style of Louis XIV and his Versailles palace. Does this mean a President Trump would oppress Protestants, invade Holland and rule for 72 years like Louis did? I answer that although The Donald and the Sun King share tastes in gold, marble and chandeliers, Trump is mostly concerned with insulting Mexicans and invading China and anyway, he is not married to the pious daughter of the King of Spain but to a Slovenian model who has appeared practically naked on magazine covers. Also, Trump is already too old to rule 72 years. Maybe a couple dozen. Italians are naturally concerned with the bruta figura (bad form) of Trump's public appearances and his appeal to violence. But in some ways, the Italians beat Americans to Trump territory. Italy's most dominant politician of the past 20 years was Silvio Berlusconi, who like Trump is a gazillionaire and a former cruise ship entertainer who mastered television performances. He habitually loved and left comely women and has had two wives. That's just one behind Donald! His current squeeze is a Neapolitan lady 49 years younger than him, but so far, they are just "partners." Advertisement While not habitually as vulgar as Trump, Berlusconi once called Angela Merkel (trigger warning!!) an "unf#ckable lard ass." His main rhetorical tactic was to frontally attack the traditional Italian ruling class and call people who didn't like him Commies. Presently, the main Italian opposition political group is the brainchild of a comedian whose off-the-cuff rants most resemble Trump's. His favorite public speaking phrase is vaffa, which loosely means (trigger warning No. 2) f#ck off. He campaigns on the notion that all current Italian politicians should go home. In fact, what I notice running around Europe is how many mini-Trumps are at large and how often their main platform is to express discontent with their ineffectual rulers of the past two decades or so. Hard to argue with that. A lot of it has to do with uncontrolled migrant flows into Europe, a continent-wide economic stagnation, chronic unemployment and general dithering. And anti-immigrant European politicians were campaigning to ban Muslim immigration long before Trump. Here's a sample of stuff that could easily please a Trump rally: A follower of Nigel Farage, the anti-immigrant politician in the UK, blamed heavy rainstorms on gay marriage legislation. Make the UK Great Again! Marine LePen, the right-wing leader in France, once said, "Tolerance? What does that mean? I am a very tolerant and hospitable person, like you. Would you accept twelve illegal immigrants moving into your flat? You would not!" Make France Grande Again! Advertisement Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban, said of migrant flows, "The borders of Europe must be closed." Make the Austro-Hungarian Empire...Again! Frauke Petry, the head of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party has suggested police must "use firearms if necessary" to prevent illegal border crossings. Make Germany...hmmm, maybe not!! And a fascist party, black uniforms and all, has entered parliament following a vote in Slovakia. Wherever that is! Late on Friday, controversial for-profit college company Bridgepoint Education reported in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that Marye Anne Fox, Chancellor Emerita and current Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, San Diego, had resigned from the company's board of directors on Thursday, "effective immediately." Bridgepoint's filing says, "Dr. Fox's decision to resign from the Board was for personal reasons not related to any disagreement with the Company relating to the Company's operations, policies or practices." If so, the timing was bad. On March 1, University of California-Davis's current chancellor, Linda Katehi, resigned from the board of directors of for-profit college company DeVry Education Group just eight days after joining that board and after a California legislator and public interest organizations had criticized her. The Federal Trade Commission had 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. Katehi's resignation from the DeVry board did not halt the criticisms, especially after it was discovered that she also serves on the board of college textbook publisher John Wiley & Sons. Five California Assembly members have now called on Katehi to resign as chancellor, and students demanding her ouster have been camped out outside her office. Advertisement UCSD's Fox, who received the National Medal of Science from President Obama in 2010, joined the Bridgepoint board in November 2011 while still the UCSD chancellor, but after she announced that she would step down from that post in 2012. In an article on the Katehi controversy earlier this month, the Sacramento Bee noted a 2006 San Diego Union-Tribune report that then-Chancellor Fox was serving as a director for 10 corporations and nonprofit groups; seven of those board positions came with compensation, totaling $410,000 per year. This month's SacBee report did not note Fox's subsequent appointment to the Bridgepoint board. But being mentioned in the context of the Katehi controversy perhaps got Fox thinking. Fox joined the Bridgepoint board at a time when the company was facing public scrutiny for its questionable business practices. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) had begun a broad investigation of the for-profit college industry, and in March 2011 he held a hearing focusing on San Diego-based Bridgepoint. Bridgepoint had taken over a small Catholic college in Clinton, Iowa, for its accreditation, and turned it into largely online Ashford University. At the hearing, Harkin presented a series of charts showing that the company had seen rapid growth, with revenues increasing from $33 million in 2008 to $216 million in 2010, while experiencing mounting student loan default rates. Harkin said Bridgepoint was "a scam, an absolute scam ... premised on aggressively recruiting largely low-income, disadvantaged students ... collecting their federal grants and loans even as the vast majority of students drop out ... and lavishly rewarding executives and shareholders with mostly taxpayer dollars." He concluded, "From a strictly business perspective, this is a highly successful model. But, I must say, from an educational perspective -- and, frankly, from an ethical perspective -- it is deeply disturbing model." Advertisement At the time Fox joined the Bridgepoint board later that year, according to a news report at the time, she "did not return a phone call requesting comment on the controversy surrounding Bridgepoint." In the past few years, Bridgepoint has been under investigation for potential fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and at least five state attorneys general. Yet the company has continued to grow, last year receiving $639 million in taxpayer dollars from federal student grants and loans. However, the company's stock price has dropped from about $30 in mid-2011 to around $10 today. When Bridgepoint bought the Iowa college in 2005, and the town expressed concern about the future of the school and the jobs it provided, Ashford's president promised the Clinton city council, "We will never, ever get rid of the Clinton campus." Last summer, Ashford announced it was getting rid of the Clinton campus. Bridgepoint announced earlier this week that it would "further strengthen the academic leadership of the University through the appointment of Dr. Craig Swenson to president of Ashford University." Swenson's predecessor, Richard Pattenaude, joined Bridgepoint in 2012 after serving for five years as chancellor of the University of Maine system. But Swenson's background is in for-profit education, running EDMC's Argosy University and then another Bridgepoint school, Denver-based University of the Rockies. Advertisement For-profit colleges with troubling records have frequently brought onto their boards prominent people, including academics, whose reputations can help validate their institutions with government overseers, accreditors, and the public. Lee Bollinger, the president of Columbia University, is on the board of Graham Holdings, formerly called the Washington Post Company before it sold that flagship newspaper. Graham owns media properties but for years has made most of its money through its education division, which includes the troubled Kaplan for-profit colleges, exposed through media and law enforcement investigations for abuses of students. Bollinger has stayed on the Graham board despite activism by Columbia students calling for him to resign. Graham Holdings also owned a minority stake in one of the worst companies in the sector, now shuttered Corinthian Colleges, which added former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta as a board member in 2013; he quit eleven weeks later after criticism from Republic Report and, subsequently, a Los Angeles Times columnist. National Urban League president and former New Orleans mayor Marc Morial, and American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education CEO Sharon Robinson remained on the Corinthian board through the company's collapse. Former U.S. congressman (R-MN) and prominent Washington lobbyist and GOP strategist Vin Weber serves on the board of troubled for-profit college company ITT Educational Services. University of Arizona president Ann Weaver Hart, who joined the DeVry board of directors at the same time as UC Davis's Linda Katehi, has said she is staying on that board. Advertisement On Sunday, President Barack Obama will be the first U.S. President to set foot on Cuban soil since 1928. With economic sanctions still firmly in place, the visit represents a potential thawing of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba. However, for many Cubans of African Descent, the arrival of the first black President is more than just a demonstration of political goodwill: it symbolizes an opportunity for Afro-Cubans and African Americans to rediscover their shared struggle against racism. President Obama's three-day trip to the island comes just two years after restoring diplomatic relations, Cuba's participation in its first Organization of American States (OAS) meeting in decades, and visits to Havana by Secretary of State John Kerry. Having little memory of what started the tensions between our country and the island 90 miles south of Florida, most Americans see the embargo as a relic from the past, though Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz and Senator Marco Rubio have used Obama's visit as more evidence of the president's failed foreign policy. Advertisement For many African Americans, long fascinated with Cuba's similar and distinct racial politics, this gradual re-engagement with Cuba has prompted an outpouring of enthusiasm. For example, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates explored the island and featured it in his Black in Latin America series, Beyonce and Jay-Z made a big splash dining at one of Havana's most famous paladares in 2013, and offers for special African American tours to Cuba abound. Based on the shared experience of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, some even argue that African Americans should be the first in line to visit the island. But what does the POTUS and First Lady touching down in the Caribbean's largest island and the restoration of African American-Cuban relations mean for Cubans of African descent? On Dec 17, 2014, when Presidents Obama and Raul Castro announced the reestablishment of diplomatic relations, I emailed friends and colleagues on the island to see how they were taking the news. Daisy Rubiera Castillo, an Afro-Cuban intellectual, activist, and author of a 2011 edited collection on black and mulata women's history and culture, cautiously told me, "we will see what happens." She expressed cautious optimism that economic openings in Cuba would improve the everyday lives of Cubans of African descent. Historically, Afro-Cubans have been among the last citizens to reap the benefits of economic, political, or social progress. In fact, since the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba's main trading partner, beginning in 1989 and the opening of the island to joint business ventures with European and Canadian enterprises, most new (and higher paying) jobs in the tourist economy have gone to lighter skinned or white Cubans. Advertisement As I discuss in my new book Antiracism in Cuba: The Unfinished Revolution, many of the African Americans who traveled to Cuba in the 1960s and 1970s incorrectly reported that the revolution eliminated racial discrimination. Black intellectual Harold Cruse traveled to Cuba in 1960 and said, "The two weeks I spent in Cuba were one of the most inspiring experiences I ever had." Famed boxer Joe Louis spent New Year's Eve of 1959 in Havana at party with Fidel Castro. Louis remarked, "It is really good for Cuba to invite American Negroes to the country. Colored people in the U.S. do not have any place to go in the winter except Cuba . . . [here] there is no discrimination." However, rarely did they look behind the curtain to see the how racism persisted in informal ways in Cuba despite unprecedented social reforms and national integration campaigns in the early 1960s. In many cases, African American travelers to the island were more interested in how the appearance of racial integration in Cuba legitimized their causes at home. Seldom were they exposed to the double speak Cubans of color so aptly use to both defend and criticize their country's racial politics all in the same breath. U.S. black travelers to Cuba, like many foreigners, typically visit the island for 10 days or less, both in the 1960s and today. A week is not long enough to decode the dynamics of race and racism. Unlike the widely publicized Black Lives Matter movement, Cuban activists and scholars lack regular access to television, print news, and social media that might amplify their voices and political opinions. Therefore, visitors don't always see the ways Afro-Cubans continue to be left behind. During their short vacations, many won't notice how Afro-Cubans are discretely barred entrance into tourist hotels, or have limited access to good-paying, front-of-the-house jobs in major hotel chains. Unlike black American tourists, President Obama will be entering Cuba as a head of state. Hopefully, rather than using Cuba as photo opportunity or chance to impose U.S. politics on the island, President Obama will see what Afro-Cubans know all-too well: Cuba is a messy, contradictory place where racial differences and racism are both being fought and reinforced everyday. Ironically, if he looks beyond the veil of post-racialism, the first black president's trip to Cuba may reveal what can be seen anywhere in the US. As Daisy Rubiera Castillo, put it, "we will see what happens." Dr. Devyn Spence Benson is Assistant Professor of Latin American History and African American Studies at Louisiana State University and author of Antiracism in Cuba: The Unfinished Revolution (UNC press, 2016). Follow her on Twitter at @BensonDevyn WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 08: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (2nd L) speaks as (L-R) Sen. John Thune (R-SD), and Senate Majority Whip Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) listen during a news briefing after the weekly Republican policy luncheon March 8, 2016 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Senate Republicans held the weekly luncheon to discuss GOP agenda. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) In 2005, President George W. Bush nominated John Roberts to succeed Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. At this time, Justice O'Connor was the Court's pivotal "swing" Justice. In many of the Court's most important cases, she cast the deciding vote. Moreover, she generally leaned left on such controversial issues as abortion, the rights of gays and lesbians, affirmative action and campaign finance reform. There was thus little doubt that, if confirmed, John Roberts, who was well-known for his conservative views, would move the Court significantly to the right. As a liberal, this did not make me happy. Nonetheless, after some reflection, I published an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune calling on Democratic senators, and on liberals generally, to "sheathe their swords" and to support the President's nomination. Although I fully understood the impact Roberts' confirmation would have on the Court, I nonetheless endorsed his confirmation. Advertisement I explained in the op-ed that, although Roberts had established himself as a "dyed-in-the-wool conservative," unlike Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, he was not "ideologically rigid." I applauded Roberts for being a "good lawyer" and a "good craftsman," and I predicted that, based on his past record, he would be "a principled, pragmatic justice" who could be expected to "act cautiously and with a healthy respect for precedent." I therefore reasoned that, although Roberts definitely would not have been my choice for the Supreme Court, he was a well-qualified, moderately-conservative nominee who should be confirmed. More precisely, I concluded: Of course, the Senate must fulfill its constitutional responsibility to interrogate the nominee to ensure that he is, in fact, the person I have described. But if he is, he should be warmly embraced as the best the nation could expect from this administration -- a brilliant, decent individual with superb legal skills and without a rigid ideological agenda. This is the approach that every principled and responsible member of the Senate should take to the Supreme Court confirmation process. If a nominee is well-qualified and reasonably moderate, the Senate should confirm. Period. That's what "advice-and-consent" means. It serves as a check against the possibility that a President will abuse his authority and appoint an individual who is unqualified, who has serious ethical issues, or whose views are out of the "mainstream" of legal thought. But if the nominee is well-qualified and reasonably moderate in his views, the responsibility of the Senate is to confirm. Advertisement Indeed, this is precisely the approach the Senate has taken to every well-qualified and reasonably moderate nominee for over half-a-century. Every such nominee, ranging from Lewis Powell to John Paul Stevens to Sandra Day O'Connor to David Souter to Harry Blackmun to Stephen Breyer to John Roberts to Elena Kagan has -- without a single exception -- been confirmed. This is the well-settled meaning of "advice and consent." And that brings me to Merrick Garland. Based on his record of achievement throughout his illustrious career, and particularly during his nineteen years as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals, no serious person has any doubt about Judge Garland's intellect, his character, his generosity of spirit, his respect for precedent or the moderate nature of his views. Although he leans in a liberal direction, he is never doctrinaire, never ideological and never disrespectful of competing positions. He is, indeed, almost perfectly analogous to the John Roberts, I commended for confirmation a little more than a decade ago. Although there are liberals who are disappointed that President Obama did not nominate someone more in the spirit of a William Brennan or a Thurgood Marshall, Merrick Garland is an exceptional choice. But Senate Republicans, led by the likes of Mitch McConnell and Charles Grassley, refuse even to consider his nomination. The explanation they offer -- that the Senate should not consider a Supreme Court nomination made in the last year of a President's term -- is nothing short of ludicrous. Although such nominations do not come along very often, there is absolutely no tradition or practice that supports such an approach. To the contrary, over the course of the last century almost every such nomination has been confirmed without fuss. McConnell and Grassley maintain that the "people" should be allowed to decide the makeup of the Supreme Court in the coming presidential election. But the plain and simple fact is that the People have already decided this issue when they elected -- and then reelected -- Barack Obama as President of the United States. Mitch McConnell's fervent desire to the contrary, President Obama is the duly-elected President of the United States. It is his responsibility to nominate a Justice to fill the current vacancy, and it is the Senate's responsibility to consider that nomination in a timely and responsible manner that is consistent with our well-established traditions. Advertisement Of course, the real reason for the McConnell-Grassley position has nothing at all to do with the fact that the nomination comes in the final year of President Obama's term. It is inconceivable, for example, that they would take this position in the final year of, say, President Mitt Romney's term of office. What we are dealing with here is rank hypocrisy. The real reason for the intransigence of the Senate Republicans is that if Judge Garland were to succeed Justice Antonin Scalia on the Court, his appointment would move the Court in a more liberal direction. It would move the Court more or less back to the place it was at ten years ago, before the appointment of the very conservative Samuel Alito moved the Court appreciably to the right and enabled it either to eviscerate or to overrule many of the decisions on which the more moderate Justice O'Connor had previously leaned left. It is perfectly understandable that Senate Republicans want the Supreme Court to mirror their views and do their bidding. But that is not a constitutionally legitimate reason for the Senate to refuse to confirm a well-qualified and reasonably moderate nominee. Indeed, it is noteworthy that of the sixteen Supreme Court justices who have been confirmed since 1967, eight of them substantially altered the ideological balance on the Court. These eight pivotal appointments since 1967 were Warren Burger for Earl Warren, Lewis Powell for Hugo Black, Harry Blackmun for Abe Fortas, William Rehnquist for John Harlan, John Paul Stevens for William Douglas, David Souter for William Brennan, Clarence Thomas for Thurgood Marshall, and Samuel Alito for Sandra Day O'Connor. (Alito, rather than Roberts, succeeded O'Connor, because while Roberts' confirmation was pending Chief Justice Rehnquist died and President Bush switched gears and nominated Roberts to be Chief Justice). It is striking, by the way, that every one of the eight Justices whose confirmations had a substantial impact on the ideological makeup of the Supreme Court in almost half-a-century was nominated by a Republican president, and every one of them moved the Court in a more conservative direction. It is largely for that reason that the Court is more conservative today than at any time in almost a century. Advertisement Now, for the first time since 1967, a nominee put forward by a Democratic president might actually move the Court in an appreciably more liberal direction, and what happens - the Senate Republicans have a conniption! To make matters even worse, the nominee is only moderately liberal. The shift in the Court is due not to the judicial philosophy of Merrick Garland, but to the fact that he would replace one of the most rigidly conservative Justices in Supreme Court history. McConnell, Grassley, and their cronies may not like the hand they have been dealt, but it is not their business to disregard well-established tradition. The plain and simple fact is that Merrick Garland is a well-qualified and reasonably moderate nominee. There is no principled or legitimate justification for refusing to consider -- or to confirm -- his nomination. When the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) comes to town this week for their annual policy conference, high on the agenda of issues they'll be pushing Congress to support are bills designed to "fight the boycott of Israel." This campaign to combat efforts to "boycott, divest, or sanction" Israel (BDS) has become a full-fledged national movement with AIPAC-supported initiatives moving forward not only in Congress but in two dozen state legislatures, as well. These bills, both federal and state, are all variations on a theme designed to punish, by blacklisting or sanctions, any governments, businesses, organizations, or individuals who boycott, divest funds, or impose sanctions on Israel or Israelis or products emanating from Israel or "Israeli controlled territories". This campaign should be opposed for many reasons. In the first place, it subordinates the US federal government and state governments to do the bidding of a foreign state, Israel. The bills before Congress and state legislatures closely track legislation passed in Israel in 2014. Making US government institutions into mere extensions of Israel's Knesset is at best unbecoming and embarrassing. While Israel and its allies often complain about the UN being one-sided, they have turned the US Congress and now state legislatures into mere "coat holders and cheerleaders" acting with impunity to carry out their will. These anti-BDS bills also have the effect of making the US a collaborator in Israel's violations of international law by protecting Israeli settlements that have been illegally placed in occupied Palestinian lands. By conflating Israel and "the territories under Israeli control", Congress and the state bodies that pass these bills are attempting to change long-standing US policy of not granting legitimacy to settlements built in lands Israel seized in the 1967 war. The Congressional bills specifically criticize the policy of the European Union which has announced that products originating from the occupied territories may not be labeled as "Made in Israel", requiring them, instead, to be marked "Made in the Occupied West Bank." By sanctioning this EU practice, the US legislation compromises our trade relations with our European allies. The opposition to BDS should also be seen as a violation of the time-honored right of individuals and organizations to pursue non-violent means of protest against behavior they view, in conscience, to be illegal. The US Supreme Court has upheld this right to boycott during the civil rights movement. And in the campaign against South African apartheid, US lawmakers engaged in civil disobedience to force the US government to impose sanctions on the South African government. If Israel's settlement activity in the occupied territories is a violation of international law and convention, then what better recourse do opponents of this behavior have than to non-violently boycott, divest from, or sanction those settlements, their products, and those who build them and invest in them? The argument made by Israel and its supporters that BDS is "an unilateral act that runs counter to the search for peace" is laughable since, in reality, BDS is nothing more than a response to Israel's "unilateral actions that run counter to the search for peace"--namely, the confiscation of Palestinian-owned land, the demolition of Palestinian homes, and the construction of Israeli colonies and roads in occupied lands that have made nearly impossible the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state. Finally, it should be clear that the anti-BDS legislation being supported by AIPAC is nothing more than a brazen act of hypocrisy since it, in effect, imposes sanctions on those accused of boycotting, divesting from, or sanctioning Israel. Even more hypocritical is the fact that AIPAC is also strongly supporting the 2016 Foreign Appropriations bill that includes a whole host of Congressionally mandated sanctions on the PLO, the Palestinian Authority, the United Nations and other international bodies should any of these entities pursue policies not to the liking of Congress. All of these had been pushed by AIPAC in past years. As an example, Congress was forced to deny funding to UNESCO when that body admitted the Palestinians as a member. And the Palestinian Authority is threatened with a loss of US financial support and the PLO office in Washington is threatened with closure if the Palestinians seek recognition as a member state in the United Nations or if they bring a case against Israel to the International Criminal Court. More worrisome is the fact that as this anti-BDS campaign has gained steam, its proponents have become emboldened. The rhetoric they use has become increasingly harsh terming those who support BDS anti-Semites and equating their efforts with Nazism. A website has been created featuring the profiles of student activists who advocate BDS warning prospective employers about the dangers of hiring them upon graduation. And a new effort is underway to combat BDS on campuses by arguing that BDS is by definition a form "anti-Semitism" that should be banned. In the end, what is playing out is the abuse of power politics at its worst. AIPAC does what they do, because they can. In the process they have put our country on a dangerous course, compromised our ability to pursue our interest in a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and threatened the rights of our citizens and our allies to dissent by peaceful means from policies they oppose. Brad Kunkle, The Proposition, 2008-09, Oil, gold, and silver on linen, 52 x 31 in. There is a bias that seems to be rapidly fading these days, but I still run into it from time to time: realist painting that traces its roots back to the grand European traditions, is inherently "conservative." I still come across reviews of exhibitions where terms like "academic" and "kitsch" are used by critics as poison darts to negate the works and intentions of traditionally skilled painters. In these contexts there is often a faulty association being made: if an artist's training is rigorous and traditional, their political inclinations must also be retrograde. It's a weak and dangerous correlation that creates mis-understandings and underestimates the intellectual independence of the current generation of realists. "This is a subject I'm actually thinking about a great deal these days, particularly in light of the extreme political polarization we've seen take root in the US in recent years," comments artist Steve Linberg, "Once you have 'conservative' stuck to you as an artist, then no further evaluation is needed, or desired. And that's a way to give people less attention than they deserve, and to oversimplify, and that's always regrettable (at best), or even dangerous (at worst)." In terms of values-- political and personal--skilled representation strikes me as being a way of working that can say whatever it wants to say. Artist Betty Shelton puts it this way: "To be a realist, in this day and age, makes many of us independent thinkers, and not compelled to follow what is 'popular.' I personally don't think that being a realist equates with being conservative, or liberal." Advertisement Aleah Chapin, Qwill, 2015 Image: Courtesy of the Artist and Flowers Gallery Of course, not everyone agrees. The German art historian Benjamin Buchloh, in his 1981 essay Figures of Authority: Ciphers of Regression: Notes on the Return of Representation in European Painting warns of the "idealization of the perennial monuments of art history and its masters," a tendency which he connects to the "syndrome of authoritarianism." It doesn't help that realism of one sort or another has been, and continues to be, the default style for propaganda art connected to odious political figures and movements. That said, Buchloh's essay is more than 30 years old, and a rising generation of what Donald Kuspit called "New Old Masters" are making works that are, in their intentions, distinctly anti-authoritarian. In political terms, there is a great deal of realism that is anything but "conservative." The social issues that are at the heart of today's liberal politics -- including women's rights, LGBT issues, racial equality and secular identity -- are animating a wide swath of representational paintings. Many are not overtly political, but instead they focus on human dynamics and situations with an emphasis on the power of empathy. Rather than focusing on life's hardships, like the Social Realism of the early 20th century, today's Progressive Realists are interest in human identity in the context of social and political constructs. To put it another way, realists have taken on many of the view and projects that have pre-occupied Postmodernists, but do so using time-honored methods and media. I'm including a selection of paintings below that illustrate some of the trends and values that I see emerging in this vein. Each image includes a quote from the artist meant to clarify and illuminate his or her personal concerns. Advertisement Erin Anderson, Karen and Felix, 2015, Oil on copper "A personal goal of mine (and maybe not a theme of the work per se) has been to gain a thorough understanding and connection with my model during my time working with them. During our photo shoot I don't ask them to pose, I don't direct them. Instead we have an hour-long conversation about whatever they want. The end result is thin slices of time that showcase the model in genuine moments. I find myself painting the details with a real desire to capture the model in a way that's true to who they are." - Erin Anderson Milan Hrnjazovic, Madonna and Child, 2011 Oil on canvas, 39 in. (diameter) "It is a question whether contemporary liberal views are bringing a new perception of race equality since Christianity doesn't discriminate people by skin color or ethnicity. Of course, there is the history of colonialism that have consequences we are still aware of today. This painting could remind us on some of them..." - Milan Hrnjazovic Steve Linberg, Nudity and Sexuality, charcoal and chalk on paper, 24 x15 in. "In 2011, I was asked to show some figurative work in a show in Boston. I submitted four samples: three female nudes and one male nude. I was told by the organizers that the female nudes would be fine for the show, but not the male; the show was public and children might see it. I politely thanked them for their consideration and withdrew from the show. The work was a body, and I was not willing to separate out the male nude from the others. If female nudes were acceptable, males should be as well. This generated discussion and controversy among the show organizers. After several weeks of back and forth, it was eventually decided that they would show it, but it had to be in a private gallery not visible from the street. This was the final compromise that the chair of the show would accept, after all of the other members had turned in favor of it. It seemed to me that the chair's objection centered around an inability to separate nudity from sexuality, at least for the male figure: male nudes are inherently sexual (if not outright obscene), while female nudes may be purely decorative, particularly for male viewers. Advertisement I created this piece as a response to this controversy. I wanted to indicate that while there can be overlap between nudity and sexuality, there can be non-sexual nudity, and non-nude sexuality. As part of this statement, I wanted to invert the traditional paradigm of discretely covering the male nude while exposing the female, to further emphasize the point." - Steve Linberg Diana Corvelle, Cornerstone, Gouache on paper with cut paper overlay, 30 x 40 in. "Cornerstone is a portrait of my remarkable friend Stacey. Stacey lives with her mother, two siblings and young niece in their childhood home, because she knows that her income is needed to upkeep it. That Stacey chooses to remain at home in order to support her family reveals much about the type of person she is. The fact that she is an out, gay woman choosing to live in a traditional, working-class suburb reveals even more. I see my friend as a kind, noble and quietly heroic individual and I wanted my portrait of her to reflect that." - Diana Corvelle Kyle Hackett, Forward Restraint, 2015. Oil on panel, 32 x 24 in. "While we are motivated by very different goals and aspirations, the question, 'What is the meaning of life?' seems humbly universal. My experiences prove this answer is rooted in the need for empathy -- an individual volition driven by the need for connection and feeling." - Kyle Hackett Reuben Negron, Aida, 2013, Watercolor on Arches Cold Press Paper, 20x16 in. "I am greatly interested in examining identity and how it manifests in one's public and private personas. Much of my work deals with body politics, physical and metal health, gender identity, and sexual identity. My source material comes from interviews I conduct with the models about their personal lives and experiences. I work with them to showcase their narrative as a means to promote open dialog about the topics at hand and give a voice to those typically underrepresented in representational art." - Reuben Negron JeanPaul Mallozzi, We Come Here Often, Oil on panel on cradled wood, 36 x 24 in. Jean-Paul Mallozzi's Familiars broadens his fascination with the human condition and the inherent, nuanced complexities of personal relationships, specifically intimate male relationships, which are often hyper-sexualized and informed by society's rigid and conflicting constructs of masculinity, sexuality and identity. Advertisement "We Come Here Often is a personal piece that highlights the emotional bond the couple shares between themselves over a quiet bluff overlooking a cityscape in the distance. The light is coming from both men's emotional states made visible and crossing over into each other merging together at that moment." - Jean Paul Mallozzi Matt Ballou, The Omen (Group Upon a Height), oil on paper on panel, 22 by 30 in. "I'm agitated about war, about how humans continue to interact with each other. I'm agitated by the philosophical implications of our warring, and I'm agitated that it seems inherent to our very existence to be war-like. How did we let things get this way? Why do we always seem to end up bludgeoning one another? What can we do to change? Why do people suffer? It all comes back to existential questions for me: questions of faith, questions of personal responsibility in the world. The Omen (Group Upon a Height) is an image that could be pulled from any day of the last 3 or 4 years in our world. This scene could easily be of Beirut, Haifa, Kabul, or Baghdad. The figures - once again melded into their land, once again bearing witness - rise above their city to take in the view. The plume they see is smaller, more localized than some seen in other paintings of this series, but it is no less potent. It signals destruction in their world, in their lives, in their emotions, their beliefs, and their ideas." Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun, Marie Antoinette with a Rose, 1783, oil on canvas, 116.8 x 88.9 cm. Lynda and Stuart Resnick. The Indomitable Spirit of Vigee Le Brun Portrait painting exhibitions rarely draw in the big crowds, but this retrospective of Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun, at the Metropolitan Museum, is quite the exception. Not least because of the artist's compelling life story: an autodidact, she was one of the most successful artists of the Late Baroque period, court painter and official portraitist of Marie Antoinette, escapee of the French Revolution, and an artist in exile, traveling from France to Italy, Germany, and Russia before finally returning to France after more than 12 years, as one of the most sought-after portraitists throughout Europe. All this accomplished despite her gender and the considerable hurdles set before her in the male-dominated sphere of painting. Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun, Madame Grand, 1783, oil on canvas, oval, 92.1 x 72.4 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Edward S. Harkness, 1940. Advertisement Her inspiring biography--and the chance to see the portraits of Marie Antoinette--may be the initial attraction of the exhibition, but Vigee Le Brun's exceptional talent and the refreshing immediacy of her portraits give cause to linger. She had a remarkable ability to put her sitters at ease, engaging in conversation as she worked, and she was adept at capturing vivid and sensitive expressions. A portrait of Madame Grande (1783) shows the sitter gazing dreamily skyward, a sheet of music in her hand. Defying convention, Vigee Le Brun often depicted women with their lips slightly parted--a piquant gesture, frowned upon at the time, but which invests in her portraits a lifelike and refreshing sensibility today. Perhaps the most captivating of her canvases were those devoted to self-portraiture; she depicts herself with an air of confidence and indomitable spirit, as an artist with palette in hand, or as a doting mother, tenderly embracing her daughter Julie. Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun, Self-Portrait with Cerise Ribbons, ca. 1782, oil on canvas, 64.8 x 54 cm. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas. That indomitable spirit certainly proved useful as she navigated the obstacles and setbacks in her chosen career inevitably elicited by her gender. She exhibited publicly for the first time at the young age of 19 at the Salon of the Academie de Saint-Luc, but was barred entry into the Academie royale de peinture et de sculpture because of her marriage to Jean Baptiste Pierre Le Brun, an art dealer. Only upon the insistence of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI was Vigee Le Brun finally granted entry. The appearance of a privileged position at court prompted her critics to continually dismiss or disparage her work, jealously attributing her success to feminine wiles, fraud, or worse. Fleeing France at the start of the Revolution, she raised her young daughter on her own, later divorcing her husband. She finally returned to France in 1802, after hundreds of fellow painters petitioned to end her exile. She continued to paint--portraits, of course, but also landscapes--until her death, in Paris, at the age of 86. Advertisement Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun, Countess Varvara Nikolayevna Golovina, ca. 1797-1800, oil on canvas, 83.5 x 66.7 cm. The Henry Barber Trust, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham. First exhibited last year at the Grand Palais in Paris, "Vigee Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France" is the first retrospective exhibition devoted to the artist, and only the second exhibition of her work in modern times. Long viewed as too feminine, aristocratic, and counter-revolutionary, her work is finally emerging from an extended period of neglect. And for this exceptionally talented and spirited painter, it's not a moment too soon. Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun, Self-portrait, 1790, oil on canvas, 100 x 81 cm. Galleria degli Uffizi, Corridoio Vasariano, Florence (1905). "Vigee Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France" is on view through May 15 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Advertisement --Natalie Hegert Serious people are now using the "f word" - fascist - to describe the Donald Trump phenomenon. There has always been something almost taboo about using this word in the context of American politics - it immediately brings to mind Adolph Hitler and Nazism and surely nothing should be compared to that. Europeans, on the other hand, have used the term more frequently precisely because of their own experience with fascist regimes. They know the signs when they see them. Instead, "fascist" has been used as an epithet in this country, something tossed out at an opponent like a linguistic hand-grenade, though never as often or with as effectively as calling someone a "communist." And while the heyday of red-baiting may be behind us, red-baiting hasn't gone away. In 2012, for example, Republican Congressman Allen West casually announced that "78-81" Democrats in Congress were members of the Communist Party. So as we watch the march of Donald Trump to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, it seems like a good moment to examine fascism as an analytic term, rather than as a political curse word. And as we watch this triumph of Trumpismo it is also important to remember that there has long been a fascist streak in American politics. Advertisement Strictly speaking, there was no fascism before World War I. That's when the term was coined in Italy to describe the political movement headed by Benito Mussolini. In 1921he created the National Fascist Party and he became the leader of Italy shortly thereafter. Historians and political scientists have debated what exactly defines a fascist regime but they agree on a certain basic set of characteristics. First, a fascist state is headed by a single, usually charismatic figure vested with absolute authority - a dictator backed by a cult of personality. That figure appeals to his people by playing on a xenophobic nationalism: "We" are the nation; "they" are the problem. Fascist economic policies are not necessarily left-wing or right-wing as we think of those terms. In some cases, the regime controls the economy; in others, a private sector is permitted to operate, though never in opposition to the regime's goals. Political opposition is forbidden in a fascist state. Political debate and the difference of political opinion aren't simply stifled, they are regarded as treasonous. A fascist government sees the party and the nation as the same thing. This is enforced by a pervasive threat of violence - meted out by the mob or by the police and military of the state itself. Makes little difference. Advertisement The particular flavors of fascism vary from place to place but by the 1930s, much of industrialized world was controlled by fascist governments. Italy, Germany, Japan, the Soviet Union, Spain by 1939. Fascism held considerable appeal for some Americans during that decade. There was a small American Nazi party in the '30s and an equally small American Communist Party, but there were many more Americans who wondered whether liberal democracy really was the best form of government anymore. In 1932, Republican Senator David Reed worried that Congress would "fiddle around here all summer trying to satisfy every lobbyist, and we will get nowhere. The country does not want that. The country wants stern action taken quickly." The appeal of fascism in a time of crisis was clear to Senator Reed. In his first term, President Franklin Roosevelt worried less about his Republican opposition than about the Louisiana demagogue Huey Long. Simultaneously governor and senator, Long was certainly that charismatic figure who built his following promising "stern action taken quickly" whether or not the democratic niceties were observed. Long was assassinated in 1935 before he had a chance to challenge FDR in the election of 1936. People who misunderstand the significance of the New Deal - and today that means everyone in the Republican Party, alas - see it only as an economic program. They fail to recognize how Roosevelt used the New Deal as a way of blunting the allure of fascism and of restoring the legitimacy of democracy as our form of government. Accepting his party's nomination in 1936, FDR did not tout specific New Deal programs. Instead, he reminded the crowd in Philadelphia that the New Deal had restored "faith - in the soundness of democracy in the midst of dictatorship." A generation later George Wallace took his version of racialized fascism to the national stage, running for president in 1968 and again in 1972. He was a demagogue without question, and he appealed to the worst elements of American racism. In 1968 he chose General Curtis LeMay as his running mate. LeMay talked enthusiastically about using nuclear weapons in Vietnam. Despite all this - or perhaps because of it - Wallace won over 13% of the popular vote and won 5 Southern states outright. And it is worth remembering that when he ran for the Democratic nomination in 1972 he won the Michigan primary with slightly more than 50% of the votes. Advertisement Americans have also endorsed what we might call mini-fascists at the local and state level: sheriffs with contempt for the rule of law; legislators who codified white supremacy and celebrating lynching. I grew up in Philadelphia during the 1970s when Frank Rizzo, he of the nightstick in the cummerbund fame, was mayor. For as long as there has been a political system called fascism, versions of it have found support among some number of Americans. The question for the Trumpistas therefore is whether that support will ever rise above Wallace's 13%. That's the question for the rest of us too. Some things in life cannot be offset by a mere net gain in intelligence. The last few years have seen the widespread recognition that sophisticated AI is under development. Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking, and others warn of the rise of "superintelligent" machines: AIs that outthink the smartest humans in every domain, including common sense reasoning and social skills. Superintelligence could destroy us, they caution. In contrast, Ray Kurzweil, Google's chief engineer, depicts a technological utopia bringing about the end of disease, poverty and resource scarcity. Whether sophisticated AI turns out to be friend or foe, we must come to grips with the possibility that as we move further into the 21st century, the greatest intelligence on the planet may be silicon-based. It is time to ask: could these vastly smarter beings have conscious experiences - could it feel a certain way to be them? When we experience the warm hues of a sunrise, or hear the scream of an espresso machine, there is a felt quality to our mental lives. We are conscious. Advertisement A superintelligent AI could solve problems that even the brightest humans are unable to solve, but being made of a different substrate, would it have conscious experience? Could it feel the burning of curiosity, or the pangs of grief? Let us call this "the problem of AI consciousness." If silicon cannot be the basis for consciousness, then superintelligent machines -- machines that may outmode us or even supplant us -- may exhibit superior intelligence, but they will lack inner experience. Further, just as the breathtaking android in Ex Machina convinced Caleb that she was in love with him, so too, a clever AI may behave as if it is conscious. In an extreme, horrifying case, humans upload their brains, or slowly replace the parts of their brains underlying consciousness with silicon chips, and in the end, only non-human animals remain to experience the world. This would be an unfathomable loss. Even the slightest chance that this could happen should give us reason to think carefully about AI consciousness. The philosopher David Chalmers has posed "the hard problem of consciousness," asking: why does all this information processing need to feel a certain way to us, from the inside? The problem of AI consciousness is not just Chalmers' hard problem applied to the case of AI, though. For the hard problem of consciousness assumes that we are conscious. After all, each of us can tell from introspection that we are now conscious. It asks: why we are we conscious? Why does all our information processing feel a certain way from the inside? Advertisement In contrast, the problem of AI consciousness asks whether AI, being silicon-based, is even capable of consciousness. It does not presuppose that AI is conscious - that is the question. These are different problems, but they are both problems that science alone cannot answer. I used to view the problem of AI consciousness as having an easy solution. Cognitive science holds that the brain is an information-processing system and that all mental functions are computations. Given this, it would seem that AIs can be conscious, for AIs have the same kind of minds as we do: computational ones. Just as a text message and a voice message can convey the same information, so too, both brains and sophisticated AIs can be conscious. I now suspect the issue is more complex, however. It is an open question whether consciousness simply goes hand-in-hand with sophisticated computation for two reasons. First, a superintelligent AI may bypass consciousness altogether. In humans, consciousness is correlated with novel learning tasks that require concentration, and when a thought is under the spotlight of our attention, it is processed in a slow, sequential manner. Only a very small percentage of our mental processing is conscious at any given time. A superintelligence would surpass expert-level knowledge in every domain, with rapid-fire computations ranging over vast databases that could encompass the entire internet. It may not need the very mental faculties that are associated with conscious experience in humans. Consciousness could be outmoded. Second, consciousness may be limited to carbon substrates only. Carbon molecules form stronger, more stable chemical bonds than silicon, which allows carbon to form an extraordinary number of compounds, and unlike silicon, carbon has the capacity to more easily form double bonds. This difference has important implications in the field of astrobiology, because it is for this reason that carbon, and not silicon, is said to be well-suited for the development of life throughout the universe. Advertisement If the chemical differences between carbon and silicon impact life itself, we should not rule out the possibility that these chemical differences also impact whether silicon gives rise to consciousness, even if they do not hinder silicon's ability to process information in a superior manner. These two considerations suggest that we should regard the problem of AI consciousness as an open question. Of course, from an ethical standpoint, it is best to assume that a sophisticated AI may be conscious. For any mistake could wrongly influence the debate over whether they might be worthy of special ethical consideration as sentient beings. As the films Ex Machina and I, Robot illustrate, any failure to be charitable to AI may come back to haunt us, as they may treat us as we treated them. Kudos Eclipsed who made theater history as the first all-female cast and creative on Broadway. The all-star cast lead by Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o, Pascale Armond, Akosua Busia, Zainab Jab, and Seycon Sengbloh has been stunning critics and audiences with the bold production directed by Liesl Tommy. The dramatic play written by playwright and actress (The Walking Dead) Danai Gurira tells the story of five extraordinary women brought together by upheaval in their homeland of Liberia. They forge a close-knit community that inspires them to feats of increasingly greater strength. The stunning production has been packing in audiences at the Golden Theatre in New York City since opening on March 6, 2016. First Lady Michelle Obama, Mayor de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray have attended the show. Tony Award winning theater producers Stephen Byrd and Alia Jones-Harvey Jones (The Trip to Bountiful, Romeo and Juliet, A Streetcar Named Desire) were joined by La La Anthony to mount the Broadway production after the successful run at the Public Theatre. The production gives back to the community by supporting the 10,000 Girls, an initiative to bring ten thousand girls to see the show. These young women would be from the Tri-State area between the ages of 16 to 24, and would likely never have the opportunity to attend a Broadway show. Cristian Baitg via Getty Images Varanasi, India - October 08, 2015 Man washing clothes in the Ganges river beside water buffaloes Varanasi India. The Ganges river with 2525 km is the holiest river according to Hinduism. Unfortunately it is under a big human pressure nowadays and is very contaminated in its course in Varanasi. Bodies of two Muslim cattle traders were found hanging from a tree in the wee hours on Friday in Balumath forests, near Ranchi. According to The Times of India, the cattle traders who were herding buffaloes on their way to a local market were bashed up by 'unknown assailants'. Advertisement The police reports said that their hands were tied behind their backs and mouths stuffed with pieces of cloth, possibly used to gag them. The bodies bore injury marks, which indicated that they were hanged after which they were beaten to death, says The Indian Express. "The sight suggested that the two of them were subjected to extreme levels of brutality. It means that the assailants were moved by extreme hatred," a police officer told TOI. The victims were identified as Muhammad Majloom (35) and Azad Khan alias Ibrahim (15). Media reports suggest that the duo were on their way to sell eight buffaloes in a local market, when they were intercepted and killed. But the animals are nowhere to be found. The sight of the two men's bodies hanging from a tree has now sparked protests in the area. Reportedly, the protests turned violent when police tried to take down the bodies. Advertisement "The policemen resorted to air firing, but it did not hurt anyone," Latehar SP Anoop Birthary told TOI. Locals also blocked the Latehar-Chatra National Highway 99 for hours. They demanded immediate arrest of the assailants and refused to clear the blockade unless the criminals were arrested and hanged to death. Suspecting that the incident might take a communal turn, a large number of armed forces were deployed in the village to thwart such a possibility. "A meeting of the peace committee was held in the evening to develop a climate of calm in the area," DIG Saket Singh said. The police were asked to check rumour mongers and locals were appealed spread false information. In September last year, a mob of Hindu people had attacked a Muslim family in Bisara village near Dadri, Uttar Pradesh. The attack was provoked by an alleged rumour that Mohammad Akhlaq's family had killed and consumed a cow an animal which is considered sacred by the Hindus. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also On HuffPost: ANI DEHRADUN A local court on Saturday rejected the bail plea of Uttarakhand BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi, who was sent to 14 days' judicial custody yesterday, for allegedly attacking police horse 'Shaktiman' during a protest march here. Joshi's bail application was rejected by Judicial Magistrate Akram Ali, Defence Counsel R S Raghav said. Advertisement Booked initially under Cruelty to Animals Act, several non-bailable sections of IPC were also slapped against the BJP MLA from Mussuorie in the course of investigations, he said. Non-bailable offences which Joshi has been charged with include stopping government officials from discharging their duties, he said. Raghav said a bail petition on behalf of Joshi will be filed in the sessions court on Monday. Joshi is currently lodged at Shuddhowala jail here. The MLA was arrested on Friday. BJP leader Pradeep Bora was arrested on Thursday for attacking the horse. Meanwhile, the horse's leg had to be amputated after doctors found that the animal may die from the injury caused in the attack. Advertisement Reports suggested that Union minister for women and child development Maneka Gandhi had taken strong exception to Joshi's behavior and had instructed the Uttarakhand DGP to not spare the accused. The incident happened during a protest against the Uttarakhand government when an angry crowd got violent and a man pulled the horse's leash, causing it to lose balance and fall. The horse was part of a 3,000-strong police force that was deployed in Dehradun to control a protest organised by the BJP against the Uttarakhand government. The protesters were marching towards the state legislature building when they were stopped by the police. Joshi apparently lost his cool and attacked the police horse with a lathi. The horse suffered serious injury and got multiple fractures on its left hind leg. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also See On HuffPost: Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - FEBRUARY 23: JNU student Umar Khalid at JNU Campus on the night of February 23, 2016 in New Delhi, India. Five JNU students Umar Khalid, Anant Prakash Narayan, Ashutosh Kumar, Rama Naga and Anirban Bhattacharya, accused of sedition, reappeared on the campus on Sunday, having spent 10 days in hiding. The five students are accused of allegedly planning an event on February 9 against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, where anti-national slogans were allegedly shouted. (Photo by Sanjeev Verma/ Hindustan Times via Getty Images) New Delhi--Hours after his release from Tihar jail in a sedition case, JNU student Umar Khalid today said he has no regrets of being jailed and was rather proud of being booked under the said charges. "We have no regrets of being jailed in this particular case. We are in fact proud of the fact that we have been booked under sedition, a law under which activists like Arundhati Roy and Binayak Sen were booked. Advertisement "Our names have been added to the list of those who have been jailed for raising their voices," he told a gathering at the varsity. Khalid said that they were not tortured or ill-treated in jail. In a 35-minute speech, Umar said, "I am not ashamed that I was in jail. Criminals are those who are in power, those in jail are the ones who raise their voices." The Times Of India reports that Umar said he felt a bit like a character from Mohsin Hamid's Reluctant Fundamentalist. ""I felt like that character in the Reluctant Fundamentalist," adds Umar. For the police Umar was "Khalid-mian"." Advertisement "I also don't think that freedom of expression is in danger. It only belongs to those in power. People like (Pravin) Togadia and Yogi Adityanath have all the freedom of expression," he said. Umar claimed that he was being labelled a terrorist because of Islam, which, he said, he did not practice. "I never followed Islam but I was called Islamist terrorist. It was not just my trial but entire Muslim community's trial. But I want to ask what if I was practising Muslim? What if I came from Azamgarh and wore a skull cap? That will be enough to give me a terrorist certificate", he said. Khalid, who was welcomed at the gathering by JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and his 6-year-old sister Sara, said, "Those who are raising concerns about wastage of taxpayers' money, we want to tell them we are not going to go back to studies now that we are back from jail. By jailing us you have given bigger responsibilities on our shoulders and we will fulfill that by fighting." Umar, and Anirban Bhattacharya, arrested last month on charges of sedition for their involvement in a controversial event organised to protest hanging of Afzal Guru, were today granted interim bail for six months by a Delhi court on ground of parity with Kanhaiya. Advertisement Kanhaiya, who was also arrested on charges of sedition in connection with the February 9 event at the JNU, was granted bail earlier this month. With inputs from PTI Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: ASSOCIATED PRESS ** PAKISTAN ESCUELAS RADICALES ** This Nov. 5, 2009 photo shows a student reading a book written in Urdu, during a class at a madrassa, or Islamic school, in Karachi, Pakistan. Muslims from around the globe are traveling to Pakistan to attend conservative Islamic schools despite a government ban, raising fears the country is exporting extremism and showing how resistant the colleges are to oversight by authorities. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini) Urdu writers and editors, whose books are acquired for distribution by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) have been made to sign a declaration stating that their books will not contain anything that is critical of the central government and country. HRD minister Smriti Irani is the chairperson of NCPUL. According to a report on The Indian Express, the NCPUL, which works under the ministry of human resource development has been issuing forms to writers and editors whose books they will purchase in bulk. Advertisement The form, originally written in Urdu was accessed by the paper. The declaration that the authors had to sign read as follows: I son/daughter of confirm that my book/magazine titled which has been approved for bulk purchase by NCPULs monetary assistance scheme does not contain anything against the policies of the government of India or the interest of the nation, does not cause disharmony of any sort between different classes of the country, and is not monetarily supported by any government or non-government institution. The form also warns authors that strict legal action will be taken against those will breach the contract. Irteza Karim, NCPUL director told The Indian Express, "If a writer wants financial aid from the government, then of course the content cannot be against (the government). NCPUL is a government organisation and we are government employees. We will naturally protect the interests of the government." The organisation's website states that the NCPUL was set up in 1996 and its objectives are as follows: Advertisement "-To promote, develop and propagate Urdu language. -To take action for making available in Urdu language the knowledge of scientific and technological development as well as knowledge of ideas evolved in the modern context. -To advise the Government of India on issues connected with Urdu language and having bearing on education as may be referred to it. -To undertake other projects for the promotion of Urdu language as may be deemed fit by the Council." Apart from Irani, the governing council of the organisation includes the director general of Doordarshan, the chairman of Sahitya Akademi and the chairman of the National Book Trust of India. The 40 member council also has several Muslim scholars, writers and academicians. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: Reno County sees a spike in drug and alcohol overdoses during October The 27 overdoses through Oct. 21 is an average of more than one a day, the highet average since officials began tracking the data real time. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 19 Trend: Azerbaijan is conducting a peaceful policy, always taking all necessary steps to reduce tensions on the contact line of the Armenian-Azerbaijani troops, Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told Trend. Azerbaijan is in favor of a fruitful cooperation with any international organization regarding the conflict's settlement, said the ministry, expressing attitude towards the call of the Personal Representative to the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk to adhere to the ceasefire in light of the Novruz holiday and Easter holidays. A fair approach to the issue of Azerbaijani lands' liberation from the occupation and the restoration of the country's territorial integrity is expected from the conflict settlement process, said the ministry. Azerbaijani Defense Ministry states that Azerbaijan's Armed Forces conduct all necessary measures for the maintenance of the ceasefire and expects the OSCE to demand from the Armenian side to take adequate steps. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. This website is owned and operated by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). IATA is a Canadian entity, headquartered in Montreal, located at 800 rue du Square-Victoria, QC H4Z 1M1. This policy aims at explaining in a simple and clear way how IATA processes the personal information that You provide by using, accessing, registering or any other action You can have on this website, in accordance with any applicable privacy laws including the European Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Canadian privacy laws (PIPEDA). IATA is committed to respect and protect Your privacy to the greatest extent possible. IATA uses Your personal information to understand better your needs and interests and to provide you with the best services. 1. 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If You have any comments, questions, concerns or complaints about our Privacy Policy and our practices please email us at privacy@iata.org or write us at: International Air Transport Association Att. Legal Services / Privacy Officer PO Box 416 1215 Geneva 15 Airport Switzerland We do take your questions seriously and each request will be promptly investigated. The Independent Investor: Why Free Trade Has a Bad Rep The Establishment Economists, politicians of both parties, Wall Street and Corporate America are horrified. One of the linchpins of capitalism has suddenly come under attack. The growing anger over free trade is threatening more than 30 years of trade deals with the rest of the world. It was a disaster waiting to happen and we have only ourselves to blame. Theoretically, free trade benefits everyone. These benefits include comparative advantage, which allows companies that can produce certain goods and services cheaply and efficiently. This will provide consumers with lower priced goods, increase exports globally, allow economies of scale among industries and nations and create a greater choice of goods for everyone worldwide. So what's the problem? If you ask proponents of free trade about these benefits, they are quick to point out while free trade creates jobs, those getting these new jobs are different from those who lose them. In addition, there will always be winners and losers in trade deals. Unfortunately, those who lose feel the loss almost immediately and the losses are quite specific. Identifying those who win, on the other hand, usually takes far longer and the benefits are diffuse and sometimes quite nebulous. As such, free trade is a contentious issue in just about every presidential election in the last 30 years. The passage of the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) back in the early Nineties was controversial, to say the least. Today, older Americans in the "rust belt" (in states like Ohio and Indiana) are convinced that NAFTA decimated the working class in their region and manufacturing in general in this country. They have a point. It is true that in 1980, for example, a full 20 percent of Americans worked in manufacturing and now that figure has shrunk to only one American in 12 holding a manufacturing job. Whether those jobs were lost by NAFTA and other trade deals or because technological innovation reduced the need for a human labor force is the subject of unending debates. I suspect that a lot of both variables were at work in our manufacturing sector. Clearly, over three million manufacturing jobs were lost to China, thanks to China's inclusion into the World Trade Organization in 2001. Their membership required the U.S. to lower tariffs on Chinese goods and manufacturing in America has never been the same. Is it any wonder, therefore, that both Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump in their opposition to trade agreements of the past are seen as champions of the people? Jobs, wages, and economic insecurity, amid the highest income inequality in the nation since its founding, are issues that have been brewing in this country for years. Voters simply need a rallying cry and someone to voice it. Trump, Sanders and free trade were accidents waiting to happen. For years, politicians of both parties promised help but delivered the opposite. Both President Obama and Hillary Clinton promised eight years ago to withdraw from NAFTA in order to force Mexico to renegotiate the agreement. Clinton also promised a "time-out" on any new trade agreements. Yet, Obama went on to not only break his promise on NAFTA, but then pushed to win approval of three Bush-era free trade deals. He then negotiated the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the biggest trade deal in American history. Clinton, as President Obama's secretary of state, conveniently forgot her NAFTA pledge as well while supporting the administration's TPP deal up until recently. Thanks to Sanders' and Trump's opposition to past free trade deals, Clinton has made an about face as she tries to convince Rust-Belt voters that she too is against the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Republicans, for their part, have initiated the majority of free trade deals in modern history and have ideologically used free trade as one of the pillars of GOP-style capitalism. Unfortunately, for the Establishment candidates, the electorate has wised up to their "promise them anything, but deliver them nothing" approach to politics. The voters are intimately aware that free trade deals have benefited Corporate America (with fatter profit margins and lower wages), Wall Street (by investing in these same companies) and Capitol Hill, which benefits even more from the hefty contributions to campaign chests and jobs by grateful constituents once they leave office. Labor and small business have suffered the most. This is not surprising, given the demise of labor unions in this country. Labor has never been offered a seat at the table in these trade deals, nor will they, as long as the Establishment holds power. Is it any wonder that labor in this country casts a jaundiced eye toward free trade? Why should they believe those who promise future benefits that after three decades of trade deals have still not materialized for these victims of "free trade?" Bill Schmick is registered as an investment adviser representative with Berkshire Money Management. Bills forecasts and opinions are purely his own. None of the information presented here should be construed as an endorsement of BMM or a solicitation to become a client of BMM. Direct inquires to Bill at 1-888-232-6072 (toll free) or email him at Bill@afewdollarsmore.com. Frank Wellcome Jr. poses with local Masons during a celebration of his 80 years in the organization. PreviousNext Freemasons Honor Longest Serving Mason in Massachusetts Wellcome poses with current District Deputy Grand Master Craig Perdicini and Nicholas Mantello, Kevin Hamel, Lawrence Tonini and Mark Feder. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. When Frank Wellcome Jr. joined the Masons way back when, he didn't expect to make history. "My father was a Mason so as soon as I turned 21, I joined," Wellcome said. Eighty years, later, he's still a Mason. Born on April 12, 1914, in Yarmouthville, Maine, he fondly looks back on his time with the Freemasons. "I am glad I am still here and I had a very good career with the Masons. I enjoyed it," he said Wednesday at a dinner reception to honor him as the longest standing Freemason in Massachusetts. Wellcome was a past master of the Williams Lodge and a past district deputy grand master. Masons from throughout Massachusetts celebrated Wellcome's 80 years at the celebratory dinner at Sweetwood Retirement Community. Past District Deputy Grand Master Lawrence Tonini said the Masons are honored just to be in Wellcome's presence. "It's a proud moment and we feel fortunate to be able to be here and celebrate something like this," he said. "To be in his presence is just an honor." North Adams Freemason Mark Feder said Wellcome's life is "historic." State Senate President Stanley Rosenberg is honored by Hillcrest Educational on Friday. A silent auction featuring an array of items was also held. The Brodie Mountain Boys kicked of the ceremony with some Irish folk songs. There was plenty of time for networking during the three-hour event. The Senate president was introduced to a number of Berkshire County residents. State Sen. Benjamin Downing speaks with Rosenberg. PreviousNext Senate President Honored As 'Irish Person of the Year' Mister Shaw told his story of overcoming a tragic fire that killed his sister and grandmother. PITTSFIELD, Mass. It took 15-year-old Mister Shaw most of his life to learn that people can recover from tragedy. "After finding out my grandmother and baby sister had died in a tragic fire, I wasn't able to let things go," Shaw said. "I'd put up a struggle against anyone I thought was disrespecting my family but in all cases it wasn't really out of disrespect. I find it hard to let go of the tragedy of what happened." Shaw was expelled from school for misbehaving. He then bounced around through agencies, institutions and foster families trying to control his behavior. On a daily basis he was causing disruptions and staff were concerned for their safety. His reputation grew and preceded him so that few would consider taking him in. "There were many things that I did to get sent to Hillcrest. I had family problems. I was hanging around with the wrong crowd," Shaw said. Eventually he had a realization. "People in my life slowly started to walk out. All the people in my past, who I once cared about moved out of my life because of my actions," Shaw said. "I woke up one morning and said to myself 'I want to be the best I can be for myself and others to show people I can really change.'" Now he's turning his life around with the help of Hillcrest Educational Centers and his stepfather. On Friday, he and other students in the residential program for the emotionally and behaviorally disturbed came to another realization the state's Senate president also was a foster child. Sen. Stanley Rosenberg met with the students Friday before heading to the Country Club of Pittsfield, where he was honored by Hillcrest as its Irish Person of the Year. "He shared with him about his background and I saw the kids take a step back. Here is a man who worked his way through a system and ultimately worked so hard that he becomes an incredibly, politically, active advocate for the kids and their rights," Hillcrest CEO Gerard Burke said. "It is just an amazing story all the way around." The Amherst Democrat was recognized at the 15th annual Robert "Bees" Prendergast St. Patrick's Day reception at which hundreds of local business, cultural, political, and other leaders crowded the banquet hall. "We take our responsibility very serious and when you choose to honor any one of us, you choose to honor the entire institution and all of the members therein. Because it is together we understand the challenges and opportunities. Together we work on the solutions possible," Rosenberg said. Burke highlighted Rosenberg's commitment to education and particularly the newly launched Kids First Initiative. Rosenberg said that plan is intended to take a "long view" look at children and ensure the entire continuum of care is being provided to the state's youth. "We want to raise resilient children who become productive adults. We want to shift the paradigm from going from program to program and lurching from two years to two years and instead take a long view and think about how different this community will be whether you are talk about Pittsfield or Berkshire County or the commonwealth of Massachusetts if we understood that those first eight years of development of a child will determine the success for the rest of their lives," Rosenberg said. The initiative looks to take an interdisciplinary look at all aspects of a child's life mainly focused on pre-natal through the fourth grade and identify strategies to support the state's youth. Rosenberg spoke of his plan for the state's youth. "In each child there is promise; there is hope; there is something they can contribute to this world no matter their abilities, no matter their background. They will go somewhere and they will do something great in their lives," Rosenberg said. Hillcrest plays a role in that initiative because some students need a different learning environment, Rosenberg said. Hillcrest also honored UNICO of Pittsfield on Friday with the Judge John A Barry Community Service Award for the thousands of dollars the Italian organization raises to help local charities and provide scholarships for students. "[Judge Barry] was very well respected and for us to be mentioned in the same sentence as Judge Barry is an absolute pleasure," said UNICO President Fran Marinaro. Marinaro later added, "we don't do it for the recognition but it does feel good when we get it." The annual celebration included a silent auction and dinner along with the award ceremony. Elected officials in attendance included state Sen. Benjamin Downing, state Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Gailanne Cariddi and William "Smitty" Pignatelli, Sheriff Thomas Bowler, Mayor Linda Tyer, former Mayor Gerry Doyle, City Councilors Peter Marchetti, Melissa Mazzeo, Lisa Tully and Christopher Connell, and North Adams City Councilor Lisa Blackmer. State Senate candidates Andrea Harrington and Adam Hinds were both in attendance. Michael Bloomberg and Connell are both challenging Farley-Bouvier for a House seat and they, too, were in attendance. Exclusive: Rahul Dravid a Very Good Communicator, Over Time India Will See Benefits of Him as Head Coach - John Buchanan 'He Just Asks How The Ball is Coming From The Wicket...': Virat Kohli Enjoys Batting With Suryakumar Yadav Baku, Azerbaijan, March 19 Trend: Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has expressed condolences to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over heavy loss of life in a crash of a Boeing 737-800 passenger plane at Rostov-on-Don airport. "I was deeply saddened by the news of heavy loss of life in a crash of a Boeing 737-800 passenger plane at Rostov-on-Don airport. On behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf, I extend my deepest condolences to you, families and relatives of those who died and the whole people of Russia". Baku, Azerbaijan, March 19 Trend: There are no Azerbaijani citizens among those who killed as a result of the Boeing crash in Russia's Rostov-on-Don, a source in Russian Foreign Ministry told Trend March 19. Russian embassy in Azerbaijan also confirmed the information. "According to the instruction of Azerbaijan's ambassador Polad Bulbuloglu, embassy staff contacted Russia's Southern Regional Emergency Center's representative lieutenant colonel N. Zaytsev, who confirmed that there were no Azerbaijani citizens among the victims," the Russian embassy told Trend. Earlier, some Russian media outlets reported that there is an Azerbaijani citizen among the victims of the Boeing crash. A passenger FlyDubai Boeing-737-800 en route from Dubai to Russia's Rostov-on-Don crashed March 19 at the city's airport after missing the runway due to poor visibility. A total of 62 people were killed. According to preliminary data, 55 passengers, including four children, and seven crew members were on board. All of them were killed in the crash, a source in Russian Emergencies Ministry said. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 19 Trend: Road and Traffic 2016, the 6th Caspian International Road Infrastructure and Public Transport Exhibition, will be held on 11-13 May at Baku Expo Center. Road&Traffic is the region's leading trade event bringing together professionals in road and tunnel planning and construction, road safety, public transport and Intelligent transport system. Road and Traffic 2016 is organised by Iteca Caspian and its partner ITE Group. Azerbaijani and international companies exhibiting at Road&Traffic 2016 will present services in planning and construction of roads, bridges, and tunnels, road construction equipment and materials, road safety devices, road marking equipment, road monitors, software for planning road infrastructure, smart transport management systems, buses and much more. Road&Traffic 2016 provides the ideal conditions for meeting directors and professionals from leading road construction companies in the region, the opportunity to share experience and assess the market, close contracts and invest in Azerbaijan's road construction market. Since its inception, the exhibition has received official support from the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The exhibition also receives support from the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) and the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organisations of the Azerbaijan Republic (ASK). Road&Traffic will take place alongside TransCaspian 2016, the 15th Anniversary Transport, Transit and Logistics Exhibition, and CIBS 2016, the 3rd Caspian International Boat and Yacht Show. Press Release: Increased Inter-agency Collaboration to Improve Data for Debt and Fiscal Risks Analysis Press Release No. 16/121 March 18, 2016 The Task Force on Finance Statistics (TFFS) convened in Washington, DC on March 17-18, 2016 to discuss progress on work to increase the availability and quality of external and public sector debt data. The meeting was hosted by the IMF, and brought together representatives from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the Commonwealth Secretariat (ComSec), the European Central Bank (ECB), Eurostat, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the World Bank. The meeting focused on enhancing inter-agency collaboration, including capacity building efforts to improve the availability of external and public sector debt data for analysis and policy making while lowering the data reporting burden for countries. Participants benefited from a demonstration of the World Banks recently-released public sector debt database matrix approach to improve comparability of data across countries . They noted the important progress made in countries reporting to the World Banks quarterly external debt statistics (QEDS) databaseincluding with respect to analytical tables on currency composition, debt service payments schedule, and net external debtin line with the new international methodological standards such as the Balance of Payments Manual 6 (BPM6) and the 2013 External Debt Guide. The participants agreed on a medium-term strategy to improve external and public sector debt statistics to address data gaps, with the aim to improve data coverage and reduce countries reporting burdens. The participants also discussed how to further enhance the datasets by covering fiscal risks, including contingent liabilities and net debt. Mr. Louis Marc Ducharme, Director of the IMFs Statistics Department, praised the work of the TFFS saying that The importance of the work on debt statistics continues to be reinforced by global developments. Anyone cannot help but to appreciate the need for good debt statistics, both public and external. Ms. Haishan Fu, Director of the World Banks Development Data Group, applauded the TFFS for leading the significant improvements in filling gaps in debt statistics through a cooperative and collaborative approach. Background Information The Task Force on Finance Statistics (TFFS) sets methodological standards for statistics on external debt and public sector debt; promotes data availability on financial stocks, particularly external and public sector debt; encourages internationally accepted statistical practices to enhance data quality; and fosters inter-agency collaboration in statistical capacity building. The TFFS is chaired by the IMF Statistics Department and meets annually. Imperial Valley News Center President Obamas Supreme Court Nomination Washington, DC - In this week's address, the President discussed his decision to nominate Chief Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court of the United States. Chief Judge Garland has earned the respect of both Democrats and Republicans through his years of public service. The President made clear that even though we are in the midst of a volatile political season, we should treat the appointment of a Supreme Court justice seriously. The President repeated his call for Republicans in the United States Senate to give Chief Judge Garland a fair hearing and a vote. The President did his job. Now Senators should do theirs and quickly move to consider the Presidents nominee. Remarks of President Barack Obama as Delivered Weekly Address The White House March 19, 2016 Hi, everybody. One of the most consequential responsibilities our Constitution grants a President is appointing a Supreme Court Justice. The men and women who sit on the Supreme Court safeguard our rights. They ensure that ours is a system of laws, not of men. And theyre given the essential task of applying the principles written into our founding documents to the most challenging questions of today. So this is a duty I take very seriously. It requires me to set aside short-term politics in order to maintain faith with our founders. And on Wednesday, after weeks of consultations with Republicans, Democrats, and leaders across the country, I selected a nominee whose unmatched experience and integrity have earned him the respect and admiration of both parties Chief Judge Merrick Garland. Judge Garland grew up in my hometown of Chicago, with parents who taught him to work hard and deal fairly. As a young lawyer, he left a lucrative private firm to work for half as much in public service. Eventually, he oversaw the federal response to the Oklahoma City bombing, working side-by-side with first responders, victims, and their families to bring justice for an unspeakable crime. And everywhere he went during that investigation, he carried with him in his briefcase the program from the memorial service with each of the victims names inside. For the last 19 years, Judge Garland has served on whats known as the second highest court in the land the D.C. Circuit Court including the last three years as Chief Judge. On the bench, hes shown a dedication to protecting our basic rights. A conviction that powerful voices must not be allowed to drown out those of everyday Americans. An understanding that justice isnt simply abstract legal theory; it affects peoples daily lives. And a spirit of decency, modesty, and even-handedness in his work. Judge Garland is admired for his courtesy, his devotion to family, and his civic-mindedness for the past 18 years, hes served as a tutor for young students at a local D.C. elementary school. During my time as President, through three separate Supreme Court appointments, in conversations with Republicans and Democrats alike, one name came up more than any other Merrick Garland. I understand that were in the middle of an especially noisy and volatile political season. But at a time when our politics are so polarized; when norms and customs of our political rhetoric seem to be corroding this is precisely the time we should treat the appointment of a Supreme Court justice with the seriousness it deserves. Because our Supreme Court is supposed to be above politics, not an extension of politics. And it should stay that way. So I ask Republicans in the Senate to give Judge Garland the respect he has earned. Give him a hearing. Give him an up-or-down vote. To deny it would be an abdication of the Senates Constitutional duty. It would indicate a process for nominating and confirming judges that is beyond repair. It would make it increasingly impossible for any President, Republican or Democrat, to carry out their Constitutional function. To go down that path would jeopardize our system of justice, it would hurt our democracy, and betray the vision of our founding. I fulfilled my Constitutional duty. Now its time for Senators to do theirs. I hope that they take the time to reflect on the importance of this process to our country. I hope that theyll act fairly. And I hope theyll work in a bipartisan fashion to confirm Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. Thats how we can uphold our pledge to liberty and justice for all for our time and for generations to come. Thanks everybody. Have a good weekend. State Water Project allocations increase to 45 percent for 2016 Sacramento, California - With March storms boosting reservoir levels, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) has increased its water delivery estimate (allocation) for most recipients to 45 percent of requests for the calendar year. DWRs initial State Water Project (SWP) allocation of 10 percent of requests, announced in December, was increased to 15 percent on January 26 and to 30 percent on February 24 after January storms increased the Sierra snowpack and brought significant rainfall to the drought-parched state. Although February was mostly dry, rain and snow returned this month to boost the states two largest reservoirs Shasta Lake and Lake Oroville to slightly above their historic levels for the date. Some key reservoirs, however, remain far below expected levels for this time of year. The drought has not ended. Although California is on track to end the winter season with near-average conditions, one such season does not compensate for four prior years of drought. Accurately predicting whether water year 2017 will be wet, dry, or average is beyond the skill of climate forecasters, and we must be prepared for the possibility of a dry 2017. Even with reservoir levels rising, conservation is the surest and easiest way to stretch supplies. Collectively, SWP Contractors serve approximately 25 million Californians and just under a million acres of irrigated farmland. The SWP provides the same allocation percentages to cities and farms. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates Californias other major water project, the Central Valley Project (CVP), is expected to announce later this month its initial allocation to farms and cities. The SWP and CVP have different legal and contractual obligations and operational capabilities, and the CVP uses a priority system to allocate water. Key reservoirs are rising from winter storms, but some remain below average for the date. Last years (2015) 20 percent SWP allocation was the second lowest since 1991, when agricultural customers of the SWP got a zero allocation and municipal customers received 30 percent of requests. In 2014, SWP deliveries were five percent of requested amounts for all customers. The last 100 percent allocation was in 2006. Seven of the nine years since 2007 have been dry. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. declared a drought state of emergency in January 2014 and directed state agencies to take all necessary actions to respond to drought conditions. In April 2015, Governor Brown announced the first-ever 25 percent statewide mandatory water reductions and a series of actions to help save water, increase enforcement to prevent wasteful water use, streamline the states drought response and invest in new technologies that will make California more drought resilient. Californians have responded with unprecedented conservation efforts. To date, guided by the California Water Action Plan, the state has committed hundreds of millions of dollars including Water Bond funds to emergency drought relief, disaster assistance, water conservation and infrastructure projects across the state. To learn about all the actions the state has taken to manage our water system and cope with the impacts of the drought, visit Drought.CA.gov. Junior Ranger Day at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park San Francisco, California - San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park will host a free Junior Ranger Day event on Sunday, April 17th, between 10 AM and 4 PM, geared toward children ages 5-12 and their families. Normal admission fees to board our historic ships will be waived on this day for all visitors. Junior Ranger Day is a nationwide event (held at different parks on different dates) that gives young visitors a chance to explore their national parks, learn skills from staff and park rangers, and earn prizes. At San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park on April 17th, rangers will set up demonstration stations and arts-and-craft tables for "junior rangers" along Hyde Street Pier, in our Maritime Museum, and aboard our historic ships, where kids can learn and practice nautical skills. Rangers and park volunteers will lead demonstrations and crafts including caulking, knot tying, building toy wooden boats, weaving rope, and making necklaces using the signal flag alphabet. With the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association's "Age of Sail" staff, young visitors will also learn to work as a team of sailors and lower a boat into the water and then "heave ho!" to bring it back up. Simultaneously at the Maritime Museum (900 Beach Street), kids can try their hand at scrimshaw and fancywork, follow a scavenger hunt, and draw their own figurehead. Teens from the San Francisco Sea Scout program will also be on hand to teach knot tying and assist with crafts. Children who complete all activities will receive a certificate and a prize at the end of the day. The first 15 kids who arrive at the event will also get a free copy of the sea-faring fantasy adventure novel for young adults, "The Defiant," by M. Quint, published by McSweeney's Press. Junior Ranger Day at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park kicks off National Park Week (April 16-24), a week of free admission days in all national parks across the country. Additional fee-free days for 2016 will be August 25-28 (Centennial of the National Park Service), September 24 (National Public Lands Day), and November 11 (Veterans Day). San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is located at the west end of Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, at the corner of Hyde and Jefferson. The park includes a magnificent fleet of historic ships, a Visitor Center, the Maritime Museum (900 Beach Street), Maritime Research Center (open by appointment in Fort Mason Center), and the Aquatic Park Historic District. For more information, please call 415-447-5000 or visit the park's website http://www.nps.gov.safr . New CDC Laboratory Test for Zika Virus Authorized for Emergency Use by FDA Washington, DC - In response to a request from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Trioplex Real-time RT-PCR Assay, a diagnostic tool for Zika virus that will be distributed to qualified laboratories. The assay allows doctors to tell if an individual is currently infected with chikungunya, dengue, or Zika using one test, instead of having to perform three separate tests to determine which infection one might have. This EUA will potentially allow CDC to more rapidly perform testing to detect acute Zika virus infection. As with any test, it is important that health care providers consult with their patients about test results and the best approach to monitoring their health. CDC will begin distributing the test during the next two weeks to qualified laboratories in the Laboratory Response Network, an integrated network of domestic and international laboratories that respond to public health emergencies. The test will not be available in U.S. hospitals or other primary care settings. Increasing College Access by Making Loans Easier to Pay Washington, DC - Higher education continues to be the single most important investment students can make in themselves and the surest engine to enter the middle class. Since President Obama took office, he has made college affordability a top priority, recognizing the debts that far too many students face when they graduate from college. His historic investments in college affordability included increasing the maximum Pell Grant to the highest amount in the program's history, creating the American Opportunity Tax Credit giving families up to $10,000 over four years of college, and letting borrowers cap their monthly student loan payments at 10 percent of their income. Today, U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. spoke with student reporters from colleges across the country. On the call, King explained the ways that the Administration supports college students on their path to graduation with loan repayment options that allow them to pursue their dream careers and successfully manage their loans. Pay As You Earn & other income-driven repayment plans Some of the most popular, and convenient, loan repayment options are income-driven repayment (IDR) plans. With these, borrowers set their monthly student loan payment at an amount based on income and family size. Nearly all borrowers with federal student loans are eligible for either the President's Pay As You Earn (PAYE) or another IDR plan. And most borrowers are eligible to cap their monthly loan payments at 10 percent of their income. The easiest way to enroll is to sign up here and select the box that says "I request that my loan holder (servicer) place me on the plan with the lowest monthly payment amount." PAYE and other income-driven repayment plans can lower your federal student loan payments and provide help from burdensome student loan debt. Payments can be as low as $0 and those who are making responsible payments on their loans can have their debts forgiven after 20 years (10 years for those Americans who have dedicated their lives to public service, such as teachers and nurses). While PAYE and income-driven plans are great tools to help you manage burdensome student loan debt, if you can afford to pay more on your student loans you should. This will help you avoid paying more interest over time. The Federal Student Aid (FSA) office is hosting a May 5 webinar from 3-4 p.m. on loan repayment. Those interested in learning about these plans and other FSA resources can sign up here. Students who have taken out a loan can visit the Repayment Estimator to figure out their monthly payment. Other tools to help students determine where they should enroll and how much it will cost include: College Scorecard Financial Aid Toolkit Financial Aid Shopping Sheet FAFSA Completion Tool Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program For many college students, their dreams of working in public service, as a teacher, nurse, public health official, or at a non-profit organization comes with a worry that their salary will not be enough to allow them to pay back their loans and pay their bills. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program gives college students the freedom to pursue and remain in their dream public service jobs. FSA will host a free webinar on PSLF on March 24 from 5-6 p.m. ET. RSVP here. By combining income-driven repayment plans with this program, borrowers qualify for forgiveness of the remaining balance on their Direct Loans after making 120 qualifying payments on those loans while employed full-time by government and many non-profit employers. Here are the types of organizations whose employees may qualify for PSLF: A government organization at any levelfederal, state, local, or tribal A not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization A not-for-profit organization (that is not a labor union or a partisan political organization) that provides one or more of the following public services: Emergency management Military service Public safety Law enforcement Public interest law services Early childhood education (including licensed or regulated health care, Head Start, and state-funded prekindergarten) Public service for individuals with disabilities and the elderly Public health (including nurses, nurse practitioners, nurses in a clinical setting, and full-time professionals engaged in health care practitioner occupations and health care support occupations) Public education Public library services School library or other school-based services To maintain eligibility, borrowers must be employed full-time by a qualifying employer and at the time they apply for loan forgiveness. Protecting Students from Debt Relief Scams: Fact: Borrowers never have to pay for help managing their federal student loan debt. There have been ads promising to help lower or forgive federal student loans. Many of these debt relief companies charge high fees for services that are available free of charge. It is always free for borrowers to: Lower or cap their monthly loan payment; Consolidate their federal loans; See if they qualify for loan forgiveness; Get advice on getting out of default. If borrowers need help managing student loans, the U.S. Department of Education's loan servicers can help for free. Borrowers should always visit studentloans.gov or call their loan servicer, the company that collects their payments, for student loan assistance. ICE detainee passes away after suffering heart attack New Orleans, Louisiana - A Laotian national in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) died Thursday morning at LaSalle General Hospital in Jena, Louisiana, after suffering a heart attack. Thongchay Saengsiri, 65, was transferred from the LaSalle Detention Facility via ambulance to the hospital March 17, after experiencing shortness of breath. Physicians at LaSalle General Hospital were not able to stabilize Saengsiris condition and declared him deceased at 11:22 a.m. ICE officials contacted Saengsiris family members following his hospitalization along with representatives from the Laotian Embassy. Consistent with the agencys protocols, the appropriate state health and local law enforcement agencies have been advised of the death, as have the Department of Homeland Securitys Office of Inspector General and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility. Saengsiri had been in ICE custody since Dec. 18, 2014, following his release from the Draper County Correctional Facility in Elmore, Alabama, where he served a 90-day sentence for possession of marijuana and probation violation. Additionally, Saengsiri had multiple prior drug convictions and one conviction for fraud. As is the case with all ICE detainees, Saengsiri underwent a medical screening shortly after coming into ICE custody, which uncovered no serious health issues. Saengsiri was ordered removed by an immigration judge on March 2 but reserved appeal of that decision. Saengsiri is the third detainee to pass away in ICE custody in fiscal year 2016. HSI Special Agent featured in human trafficking documentary Dallas, Texas - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Dallas Special Agent Keith Owens doesnt know how Oscar Gregg got his name, number or email address, but somehow, he did. The researcher for Blast! Films, based in the United Kingdom, reached out to Owens in May 2015 about a human trafficking case he had worked on in 2012. The company was interested in featuring Owens and the case for its television series, Web of Lies, which airs on the ID Channel. Id never heard of the show before, but I came to find out a lot of people watch it, Owens said. I was nervous because Id never done that type of thing. I just tried to tell the story as best as I could. The investigation that the television series sought to feature focused on Owens work in putting an end to a juvenile sex trafficking ring in Denton, Texas. As part of the HSI-led North Texas Trafficking Task Force, Owens led the efforts to arrest and prosecute two adults who had prostituted 14-year-old Hope to more than 30 men across five states over a three-week period. As a result of Owens efforts, William Jacobs was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while his accomplice, Shayla Williams, received five years. Owens received clearance from the proper authorities to move forward with his involvement in the documentary, and a Blast! Films camera crew came to Dallas and interviewed all the major players in the case, including Owens, Hope, her mother, federal prosecutors and local law enforcement. Owens is featured throughout the documentary while actors and narrators reenacted the details of the case. The episode featuring Owens, titled Stolen Youth, originally aired on March 2. When I saw the finished product, I thought it was really, really good, said Owens. The feedback Ive received has been overwhelming. Anytime we can bring about any type of education [to human trafficking], Im all about it. These types of docudramas are slowly increasing public awareness and [as a result] we get many of our leads from the public. According to Owens, being involved in this documentary is in line with his commitment to combating human trafficking. He says he gives these cases 100 percent dedication because HSI and other law enforcement agencies are expected to do the job to protect and serve the community. This film will definitely wake the public up in regards to human trafficking that should be named modern-day slavery, Owens said. These predators take possession of [their victims], and force and coerce people to do things they dont want to do. People seem to think that victims can just get over it and go on, but that type of trauma is cemented in you for the rest of your life. Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes investigated by ICE. In its worst manifestation, human trafficking is akin to modern-day slavery. Victims pay to be illegally transported into the United States only to find themselves in the thrall of traffickers. They are forced into prostitution, involuntary labor and other forms of servitude to repay debts often incurred during entry into the United States. Former Head of Offshore Brokerage Sentenced to 18 Years for Conspiracy to Commit International Stock Fraud and Money Laundering Washington, DC - A California man was sentenced to 216 months in prison Friday for two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit international money laundering in connection with an international pump and dump scheme involving stocks traded on the over-the-counter (OTC) market. Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBIs Washington Field Office made the announcement. Harold Bailey Gallison II, 58, of Valley Center, California, pleaded guilty on Dec. 10, 2015, and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga of the Eastern District of Virginia, who also ordered Gallison to pay $1,724,770 in restitution. Gallison was charged in an indictment unsealed on July 14, 2015, along with eight other individuals for their roles in complex international stock manipulation and money laundering schemes. In his guilty plea, Gallison admitted that he conspired to artificially pump or inflate the trading volume and price of the shares of Warrior Girl Corp., quoted on the OTC market under the ticker symbol WRGL, and Everock Inc., quoted on the OTC market under the ticker symbol EVRN, by touting business activities and deceptive revenue forecasts and by engaging in coordinated trading activity to create the appearance of increasing market demand. Gallison also admitted that he and others then dumped or sold the shares at the inflated prices and laundered proceeds through bank accounts in the United States and overseas. Gallison facilitated the schemes through an offshore brokerage and money laundering platform that went by various names, including Sandias Azucaradas, Moneyline Brokers and Trinity Asset Services (collectively Moneyline), he admitted. According to the plea, through Moneyline, Gallison created nominee accounts in the names of shell companies to conceal both the true source and ownership of the securities and the flow of funds. In addition, Gallison pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to launder the proceeds of a number of securities fraud schemes, including Warrior Girl and Everock, totaling more than $25 million. The FBIs Washington Field Office is investigating the case. Senior Trial Attorney N. Nathan Dimock and Trial Attorney Michael ONeill of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kosta S. Stojilkovic of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case. The Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance. White House Press Secretary on the U.S.-Nordic Leaders Summit Washington, DC - President Obama will host the leaders of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden at the White House for a U.S.-Nordic Leaders Summit on May 13, 2016. This event follows the convening of Nordic leaders during the Presidents trip to Sweden in September 2013. This summit will be an opportunity to continue our close collaboration with the Nordic countries on a range of issues, including countering terrorism and violent extremism, protecting the environment, coordinating on Arctic issues, promoting the Global Health Security Agenda, advancing sustainable development, enhancing nuclear security, providing humanitarian assistance, and addressing the migration and refugee crisis in a humane and orderly way. This summit will deepen U.S.-Nordic cooperation while highlighting Americas continued commitment to European security, trans-Atlantic trade, and the promotion of common democratic values. The President and Mrs. Obama will host the Nordic leaders for a State Dinner on the evening of May 13. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 19 Trend: There are no Azerbaijani citizens among those killed and injured in Istanbul's explosion, Azerbaijan's diplomatic missions in Turkey told Trend March 19. Azerbaijan's embassy in Ankara and Consulate General in Istanbul are in contact with Turkey's law enforcement bodies to find out whether there are Azerbaijani citizens among those killed and injured, the diplomatic missions told Trend. An explosion occurred in Istiglal Avenue in Istanbul's center on March 19. Turkish authorities have officially confirmed that it was a terrorist attack, The death toll as a result of the terrorist attack has reached five, Kanal7 TV channel reported. A total of 38 people were injured as a result of the explosion. California Man Indicted in Chicago for Attempting to Provide Material Support to Overseas Terrorists Chicago, Illinois - Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab, 23, of Sacramento, California, was indicted Thursday in the Northern District of Illinois for attempting to provide material support to acts of violence overseas. The indictment was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Fardon of the Northern District of Illinois, Special Agent in Charge Monica M. Miller of the FBIs Sacramento Division and Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Anderson of the FBIs Chicago Division. Al-Jayab was also indicted earlier this year by a grand jury in Sacramento for allegedly making a false statement involving international terrorism. He pleaded not guilty to that charge, and his next court appearance will be a status hearing on May 12, 2016, at 9:00 a.m. PDT, before U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. of the Eastern District of California. According to a criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of California, Al-Jayab is a Palestinian born in Iraq, who came to the United States as an Iraqi refugee in October 2012. Between October 2012 and November 2013, while living in Arizona and Wisconsin, Al-Jayab communicated via social media with numerous individuals about his intention to go to Syria to fight for terrorist organizations, the complaint alleges. The complaint further alleges that on Nov. 9, 2013, he flew from Chicago to Turkey and then traveled to Syria. According to the complaint, between November 2013 and January 2014, Al-Jayab reported on social media that he was in Syria fighting with terrorist organizations. Al-Jayab returned to the United States on Jan. 23, 2014, and settled in Sacramento. The indictment returned in California contends that Al-Jayab gave false statements to agents from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during an interview on Oct. 6, 2014. In the interview, Al-Jayab indicated that he never supported terrorist groups and that the purpose of his trip to Turkey was to visit his grandmother. The California indictment contends that both statements were false. The statutory maximum sentence for attempting to provide material support is 15 years in prison. An arraignment date has not yet been set. An indictment is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The investigation was led by the Sacramento Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is comprised of FBI special agents and representatives from numerous federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The U.S. Attorneys Office of the Eastern District of California and the U.S. Department of Justices National Security Division provided assistance in the investigation. The case in Chicago is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barry Jonas and Shoba Pillay of the Northern District of Illinois and Trial Attorney D. Andrew Sigler of the National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section. Sixth United States-Philippines Bilateral Strategic Dialogue Joint Statement Washington, DC - The United States and the Republic of the Philippines held the sixth Bilateral Strategic Dialogue (BSD) on March 17-18, 2016, in Washington, D.C. The annual dialogue supported and reinforced the Alliance across a broad range of shared values, interests, and priorities. The Dialogue was co-chaired by Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel and Assistant Secretary of Defense David Shear for the United States and Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Evan P. Garcia and Undersecretary of National Defense Pio Lorenzo F. Batino for the Republic of the Philippines. Discussions reaffirmed shared commitment to strengthening the Alliance, in terms of ensuring both countries mutual defense and security, as well as jointly contributing to regional peace, stability, and economic prosperity. On the occasion of the BSD, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951, as articulated in the November 2011 Manila Declaration and more recently in the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). They noted agreement on five EDCA Agreed Locations encompassing portions of the following facilities and areas: Antonio Bautista Air Base, Basa Air Base, Fort Magsaysay, Lumbia Air Base, and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base, and discussed next steps for implementation of the EDCA. The two sides discussed proposals to support the United States efforts to help modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines, develop capacity and capability for maritime security and domain awareness, and provide rapid humanitarian assistance. The Philippines welcomed the intent of the U.S. Department of Defense to propose to the U.S. Congress that a significant amount under the Southeast Asia Maritime Security Initiative be allocated in Fiscal Year 2016 to the Philippines for mutually-agreed projects that directly support the countrys maritime security priorities. They committed to continue developing, planning, and executing defense cooperation activities to reinforce their respective national defense capabilities and interoperability, in the areas of maritime security and domain awareness, enhanced joint activities, humanitarian and disaster response, counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and information sharing. Along this line, they also provided strategic policy guidance to the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) to enhance cooperation in addressing traditional and non-traditional security challenges. Both sides reiterated their commitment to peace, security, and stability in the region, unimpeded lawful commerce, and freedoms of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the sea as guaranteed under international law. Both sides expressed their firm opposition to the ongoing militarization of outposts in the South China Sea and discussed their common view that the installation of new military assets on the outposts escalates tensions. They discussed options to address further militarization and unilateral actions in the South China Sea. The delegations from the United States and the Philippines reaffirmed that countries should clarify maritime claims in the South China Sea in accordance with international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention and peacefully resolve or manage disputes, including through the use of peaceful dispute settlement mechanisms, such as arbitration. Both sides restated their views that the ruling in the South China Sea case before the U.N. Law of the Sea Convention arbitral tribunal would be legally binding on both China and the Philippines. They reinforced the importance of close cooperation and consultation in international organizations and bodies that support a rules-based international order providing a framework for peaceful resolution of disputes. The two sides decided to further deepen the already extensive U.S.-Philippine economic relationship based on a mutual commitment to free trade and economic opportunity. They welcomed the Trade & Investment Framework Agreement meeting on March 16 in Washington D.C., which advanced bilateral trade and investment issues between them and provided an opportunity to discuss the Philippines keen interest in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. They expressed their intention to renew the 2012 Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation, which will help to ensure continued close collaboration in science and technology, energy security, health, climate change, and other areas. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of cooperating on ambitious action to combat climate change and to implement the Paris Agreement on sustainable fisheries management; on combating wildlife trafficking; and on environmental law enforcement capacity building. The delegations from the United States and the Philippines noted that the first Millennium Challenge Corporation compact is on track to be successfully completed in May 2016, and reviewed progress of second compact development, as well as ongoing programs under the U.S. Agency for International Development that are building the conditions for stronger, more resilient and inclusive economic growth. During the Dialogue, the two sides also discussed cooperative activities to support the rule of law, including law enforcement-related capacity building to assist the Philippines efforts to curb corruption, money laundering, trafficking in persons, terrorism, environmental crime, and cybercrime as just a few examples of extensive ongoing law enforcement cooperation. The U.S. side welcomed Philippine Senate ratification of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and Philippine progress toward accession to the Convention. Finally, the delegations from the United States and the Philippines underscored the strong personal and societal bonds, including a commitment to shared values and norms, which form the core of the relationship, and reaffirmed their commitment to continue to support and deepen people-to-people ties and other exchanges that enrich both countries. On the Passing of Guido Westerwelle San Diego, California - Teresa and I were deeply saddened to hear of the death of former German Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor Guido Westerwelle. My heartfelt condolences go to his husband, Michael Mronz, extended family, friends, and the German people. I had the privilege of working with Guido during his fourth year as Foreign Minister, and he warmly welcomed me to Berlin during my first visit to Germany as Secretary of State. I deeply appreciated our close and collegial work together on some of the worlds most difficult challenges. These included our efforts to bring stability to Afghanistan, deal with the tumultuous changes of the Arab Spring, and address the crisis in Darfur. Guido was a strong champion of democracy and human rights, speaking out on extrajudicial detentions, visiting Syrian refugees in the Zaatari refugee camp, and meeting with Ukrainian protestors on the Maidan in Kyiv. After leaving office, Guido continued in a different form of public service, founding The Westerwelle Foundation for International Understanding to encourage democratic development and economic participation in developing countries. Guido was also a strong advocate for LGBTI rights, particularly equal rights for gay members of the armed forces and civil service. His voice on these and many other issues will be deeply missed. Inflatable Halloween Pumpkin Twice the Size of a House Rings in Spooky Season Baku, Azerbaijan, March 19 By Azad Hasanli - Trend: The fiscal and foreign policy, economic policy and reforms ensure the sustainability of Azerbaijan's economy, the country's Finance Minister Samir Sharifov said March 19. He made the remarks during the presentation of bonds of the Southern Gas Corridor closed joint-stock company to the UK and US investors. The minister briefed the investors about the Southern Gas Corridor project, Azerbaijan's economy and the influence of lower prices on world crude markets on Azerbaijan's economy. He also talked about the measures taken by the government to mitigate the impact of lower prices for energy resources on the country's economy. The UK and US investors showed interest in the Southern Gas Corridor bonds valued at $1 billion. The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority energy projects for EU. It envisages the transportation of gas from the Caspian Sea region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey. At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage. As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans-Adriatic Pipeline. Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Its no laughing matter when you are a comedy legend the wrong side of 60. Rowan Atkinson claims that even the greatest comic actors lose their power to send audiences into paroxysms of mirth after they hit middle age. After bursting on to national TV with the satirical Not the Nine OClock News, Atkinson dominated British comedy in the 1980s. However, he now rations his small screen appearances and is set to return after two decades absence with the lead role in ITVs new adaptation of Georges Simenons Maigret novels. The fictional detective, a brooding and intense presence in the new films, marks a fresh challenge for Atkinson, 61, who fears that audiences will no longer accept him as an older comic character. There is that slightly dull feeling sometimes that people think you should get serious when you get old. And, unfortunately, you do lose in the audiences eyes a degree of comic authority as you get older, Atkinson told The Independent in a rare interview. Critics hail Woody Allens recent films as some of his finest, as the auteur enters his ninth decade. But Atkinson believes the decline of a comics hold over an audience begins at a much younger age. Theres something about over-45s in comedy, he said. Its great if you get something like Dads Army in which everyone was extremely old and that, generally speaking, their joke is about being old. The Dads Army film, released last month to mixed reviews, gave screen time to Michael Gambon, 75, Tom Courtenay, 79, and 82- year-old Annette Crosbie, star of One Foot in the Grave. Older comedians Mel Brooks: Hell be 90 in June but the actor and writer/director of The Producers voiced a role in Hotel Transylvania 2 and continues to entertain audiences with choice career anecdotes on stage. Woody Allen: A spry 80, Allen is enjoying a late career resurgence with the box office hits Blue Jasmine and Midnight In Paris with his first TV series currently shooting, under an exclusive deal with Amazon. Jackie Mason: Three years after his farewell tour, the former Rabbi-turned-stand-up returned to the London stage. Aged 84, the abrasive American has added the Kardashians and 50 Shades of Grey to his act. Jack Woodward: Britains oldest working comedian until his death last year, the former northern club circuit regular and BBC warm-up man entertained 3,000 fans at the Hammersmith Apollo, aged 99, in 2012. But Atkinson does not care for roles featuring mature actors where the comedy is generated by mocking their infirmity. Youre stupid or youre short-sighted, he said, or youre incontinent. His last big-screen comedy role was in a 2011 sequel to his 2003 spy caper, Johnny English. Following Blackadder, his most recent recurring TV comedy role was in Ben Eltons police sitcom, The Thin Blue Line, which ended in 1996. He retired Mr Bean, beyond animations and one-offs, fearing his famous physical comedy skills would decline in his 50s. Maigret will keep him busy there are 75 novels primed for adaptation in the Simenon series but Atkinson also hopes to challenge the reticence of audiences to accept an older comic persona. I dont want to lose touch with comedy and Im sure I wont. Vintage comedians who retain their timing are able to command the same arena-sized audiences as ageing rock acts. The five surviving Monty Python members reunited for a lucrative series of O2 Arena shows in 2014, defying a combined age of 357. And Atkinson felt his age was an asset for the straight role of Maigret. I quite liked the fact that Im rather old for it because hes supposed to be around 50 and Im definitely around 60 ... hes not an old man, hes supposed to be a vigorous middle-aged man. The star first turned down the role of the pipe-smoking detective, once played by Michael Gambon, unsure he could pull it off. The first couple of weeks on the first film I found very, very difficult, Atkinson admitted. The main problem being not the fact the part is serious but that the character is very low key and his whole delivery is decidedly untheatrical and naturalistic ... you cant do anything too big or silly or theatrical. Maigret Sets a Trap, ITV, Monday 28 March, 9pm Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Plot: Othello, Moorish hero of Venices wars against the Turk, secretly marries Desdemona, to the fury of her father, a Venetian senator. Iago, Othellos evil ensign, tricks Othello into thinking that Desdemona has betrayed him with Cassio, Othellos most loyal subordinate. Consumed by jealousy, Othello kills Desdemona, then, realising that he has been tricked, stabs himself. Themes: Jealousy; manipulation; race. Background: The first known production was on 1 November 1604; it has hardly fallen out of favour since. The roles of Othello and Iago are famously challenging. Until recently, the title role was usually played by white actors (John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, Anthony Hopkins, Orson Welles), blacked up. Ira Aldridge was the first black actor to play the part, in 1833. In the mid-20th century, Paul Robeson played it several times; Laurence Fishburne played it in a 1995 film. Key characters Othello noble in all but his jealously. Desdemona gentle, innocent, doomed. Iago implacable schemer, driven by motiveless malignity. Top lines But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve For daws to peck at: I am not what I am. Iago admits his duplicity, Act 1 Scene 1. O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyd monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on. Iago warns Othello against the very jealousy he is stoking up, Act 3 Scene 3. She lovd me for the dangers I had passd, And I lovd her that she did pity them. Othello explains his love for Desdemona, Act 1 Scene 3. Who steals my purse steals trash; tis something, nothing; Twas mine, tis his, and has been slave to thousands; But he that filches from me my good name, Robs me of that which not enriches him, And makes me poor indeed. A hypocritical discourse by Iago, Act 3 Scene 3. One that lovd not wisely but too well. Othellos epitaph for himself, Act 5 Scene 2. I kissed thee ere I killed thee. No way but this, Killing myself, to die upon a kiss. Othellos final words, Act 5 Scene 2. Echoes Giuseppe Verdi based one of his greatest operas (Otello) on it. Jose Limon used it as the basis of his 1949 ballet (The Moors Pavane) The provocative parrot in Disneys Aladdin shares his name with Iago. The novel The Serpent of Venice, by Christopher Moore, combines the plot of Othello with that of The Merchant of Venice. Eugene Delacroix painted The Death of Desdemona. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Last week, in an ITV interview intended to promote new measures to halt the illegal trafficking of wildlife goods, Prince William surprised many by coming out in defence of trophy hunting. The duke was criticised for describing the practice as a justifiable means of conserving species that are under serious threat but is it really such an unreasonable view? What exactly is trophy hunting? A legal form of wildlife hunting in which sportsmen pay large sums of money for the right to kill animals and take home a trophy. If youre willing to pay, and provided you abide by strict permit conditions and quotas, pretty much all African animals can be legally hunted in such a way. Recommended Read more Prince William says trophy hunting is justified in some circumstances How can killing animals help protect them? Though counterintuitive, the view that legal trophy hunting has a role to play in the conservation of wildlife has many adherents. As long as people are willing to pay big money to kill animals, the thinking goes, the private sector has a strong motivation to make sure at least some of them remain alive. And as hunters are willing to travel to challenging and remote places, the industry provides conservation incentives and revenue streams to communities well beyond the tourism trail. How can we be sure money from legal hunts goes into conservation? This is what the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) stipulates and its unquestionable that money from trophy hunting has made a positive impact in many areas. However, detractors warn that by-products of legal trophy hunting animal bone, skins, teeth etc often enter the black market, which in turn fuels demand for illegal poaching. Some have argued that, because of corruption, only about 5 per cent of trophy fees go back into conservation. Is there an example of where trophy hunting has made a positive impact on conservation efforts? Many who share Williams perspective point to Namibia, where money from trophy hunting funds community-based conservances that otherwise lack tourism potential. These conservances, which cover almost 20 per cent of Namibia, have been instrumental in the countrys stunning conservation successes. Limited black rhino hunting in both Namibia and South Africa started in 2004; since then, numbers have increased by more than half, though this cant all be put down to hunting. As many as five black rhinos can be hunted legally in Namibia a year, with the money going into a trust fund that supports conservation. And what about moral objections? Some would argue that the killing of charismatic animals such as lions, elephants and rhinos or any animals for pleasure is wrong. This was the basis of much of the anger directed toward Walter Palmer, the dentist who killed Cecil the lion last summer. So was the killing of Cecil the lion legal? Palmer claimed to have the right permits and reportedly paid $55,000 to kill Cecil. However, the killing of Cecil was initially declared illegal because the lion was lured outside of the Hwange National Park before he was killed. It was also collared, and the subject of a long-term research project by scientists at the University of Oxford. Months later, however, the Zimbabwean authorities reversed their position and announced the slaying was, in fact, legal, as all the papers were in order. Why has Prince William been so heavily criticised? This is less about what was said than who said it. As a lover of blood sports, William can hardly be considered an impartial judge. The timing and context of the comments he made them in an interview promoting new anti-poaching measures also raised eyebrows. Some were reminded of a 2014 slip-up in which he launched a wildlife appeal days after hunting boar in Spain. A rich white man defending the right of other rich white men to kill wild animals in the developing world was always going to be a hard sell, however reasonable the argument. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Thousands of children are being infected with scarlet fever as the once feared Victorian disease, a leading cause of infant deaths in the early 20th century, makes a startling comeback. Cases of scarlet fever have reached a 50-year high, with more than 17,000 cases confirmed last year the highest since the 1960s. There have been more than 6,100 cases since September last year, and the peak season is from now until the middle of April. Around 600 cases are currently being recorded each week. Family doctors across the country are now being told to keep watch for scarlet fever by Public Health England, and parents are being told how to spot the symptoms. The Independent on Sunday reported last year that scarlet fever was one of a number of diseases rife in the Victorian era, along with scurvy, cholera and whooping cough, that have increased since 2010. But doctors say scarlet fever, if treated, is no longer the death sentence it once was, thanks to antibiotics and better hygiene. Experts say it is unclear why it is making a comeback. There is no vaccine. Dr Girish Patel, a family doctor in Salford, said: Ive definitely seen more cases in the past six weeks than Ive ever seen. We are likely to see a large increase this year. Around eight out of 10 of patients who have it are under 10. It can still lead to complications if it is not treated, so it is important that parents take their child to a see a doctor if they suspect they have the symptoms. 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 Scarlet fever is caused by bacteria that can cause severe and life-threatening diseases. Doctors must inform health protection teams whenever they suspect a new case. Cases occur most often in winter and spring, with symptoms including a rash, a sore throat, flushed cheeks, a swollen tongue and a pinkish red rash on the chest and stomach. Unusually high numbers of cases were first noted in 2014. Medics say the reasons for the rise are unclear, but may reflect a natural cycle of the disease. Investigations are ongoing, although tests have ruled out the emergence of a new strain of the infection. All parts of the country have experienced a rise in cases, but Yorkshire and the Humber has been the hardest hit, with 832 cases in the six months since September. There have been 731 cases in the East Midlands, 593 in London and 586 in the West Midlands. Meningitis: Signs and Symptoms In the past week alone, there have been reports of outbreaks in Carlisle, Lincolnshire and Wrexham. Dr Ebere Okereke, consultant in communicable disease control with Public Health England in West Yorkshire, said: Symptoms usually clear up within a week and the majority of cases get better without complications, as long as the recommended course of antibiotics is completed. Dr Theresa Lamagni, Public Health Englands head of streptococcal infection surveillance, said: As scarlet fever is highly contagious, children or adults diagnosed with scarlet fever are advised to stay off school or work until at least 24 hours after the start of antibiotic treatment. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Investors have fallen in love with the eurozone. Despite economic uncertainty, stock market volatility and concerns over the potential impact of Britain leaving the European Union, interest has rocketed over the past few months. Around 250m was ploughed into the Europe excluding UK sector in January, and a further 50.6m went into European smaller companies, according to statistics compiled by the Investment Association (IA). And industry observers believe that a larger than expected package of measures to stimulate the economy, announced by the European Central Bank (ECB), could make exposure to the region's companies even more attractive over the coming months. Darius McDermott, managing director of Chelsea Financial Services, believes a growth-conscious ECB is good news for investors. "The region is also home to some very good-quality companies and the market is still relatively cheap," he said. Of course, Europe has long divided opinion among investors. Those in favour insist it's home to some world-class corporate giants, while critics claim it is rife with political and economic uncertainty. There are certainly plenty of potential negatives, including the Greek debt crisis, the viability of the euro and the refugee crisis. Other challenges, according to David Moss, head of European equities at BMO Global Asset Management, "include China and its slowdown in growth, whether the US can continue to grow, and whether Europe can finally produce consistent growth to bring down unemployment. Brexit is an issue for all of Europe no one has left before and the implications are unknown." However, Louise Kernohan, senior investment manager at Aberdeen Asset Management, believes corporate performance drives long-term share prices, and argues that the outlook at a company level gives her confidence. "Europe is a broad and deep market with plenty of great companies that are globally competitive, with robust balance sheets and experienced management teams," she said. "Company earnings look set to benefit from a number of factors including improved domestic demand, lower commodity prices and supportive foreign exchange." The safest way to gain European exposure is through an investment fund whose manager will make the calls as to which stocks should be bought and sold by the portfolio. Statistics suggest European funds have been broadly successful in their quest to make money for investors over the five years to February 2016, with the average fund in the IA Europe excluding UK sector up 30 per cent. However, the gulf between the best and worst performers has been vast. While the most impressive funds have risen by more than 80 per cent over this period, the worst have only managed rather modest single-digit gains. According to Patrick Connolly, a certified financial planner with Chase de Vere, one of the reasons is that funds in the sector can vary enormously. He insists it would be a mistake to think they are similar just because they have the same broad objectives. "There can be huge differences in the numbers of stocks held, the types of companies they invest in and even whether they are aiming for growth or income as well," he said. "It is important people understand the funds they're investing in, including the approach and risks they take." Jason Hollands, managing director at Tilney Bestinvest, favours funds that have low exposure to banks and are littered with strong brands that can be expected to enjoy strong long-term demand. "These include Jupiter European, Henderson European Focus and Threadneedle European Select," he said. "We are also fans of the FP Argonaut Absolute Return fund, a European equity fund." Looking ahead, David Vickers, a senior portfolio manager at Russell Investments, is upbeat about the prospects for the region as he believes the outlook for economic growth remains encouraging, supported by policy stimulus. "European equities have been and remain - one of our favoured equity markets," he said. "After the sell-off [by investors] earlier this year, valuations for European equities look attractive, particularly relative to the United States." However, not everyone is quite so enthusiastic. Julian Chillingworth, chief investment officer at the asset manager Rathbones, has his concerns. Not only does he regard European smaller companies as being difficult areas in which to invest, he insists the economic outlook remains murky. "I wouldn't be rushing to own a lot of European equities at the moment," he said. "[Prospects] are uncertain and there are other ways of playing the global growth story, such as through the UK and US." For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The African budget airline Fastjet is considering legal action against its second-biggest shareholder, easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, after he said the company was at risk of going bust. In an astonishing escalation of the row between Sir Stelios and Fastjet, the airline yesterday said it was taking legal advice after the businessman published a letter stating concerns about the risk of an insolvency event in the months ahead. The letter was triggered by a profit warning two weeks ago that triggered a halving in the share price and led to the resignation of chief executive Ed Winter earlier this week. Sir Stelios who owns 12.6 per cent of the shares through his comoany easyGroup Holdings threatened to pull the licensing agreement he struck with the airline in May 2012 to use the Fastjet name in return for annual royalty payments. He has also demanded that the company resume publishing monthly traffic figures, which Mr Winter stopped in December, as well as providing him with monthly information on Fastjets cashflow. The company holds easyGroup responsible for any damage

His letter stated: If the licensee is unable to pay its debts and the flights are grounded then many customers who have pre-paid for their tickets will lose their money and that will damage our brand. The shares fell another 6.1p or 16.9 per cent to 30.125p yesterday as Fastjet said: Whilst the board welcomes constructive engagement with all shareholders, it cannot understand why easyGroup, acting as either a 12.6 per cent shareholder or brand owner, has published this particular letter without first raising its concerns with the company. The board considers the publication of this letter as wholly inappropriate and is taking legal advice on the matter. The company holds easyGroup responsible for any damage caused to the business by the publication of this letter. An unrepentant Sir Stelios responded by launching another attack on Fastjets chairman, Colin Child. He said: Potential breach of a brand licence agreement is a very serious legal matter. EasyGroup is both well advised on this occasion and very experienced in handling brand licensees under the terms of their respective agreements. For example it should be remembered that easyJet is an easyGroup licensee. Colin Child should be taking proper legal advice with a view to complying with the agreement without trying to cover the matter in a veil of secrecy. As brand owners, easyGroup is concerned to protect brand customers as well as its reputation from any future damage. Other shareholders should be putting pressure on Colin Child to cut costs and resume publication of the passenger statistics. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Hulk Hogan has been awarded $115 million in a sex tape lawsuit against the online news site Gawker Media. A Florida jury sided with the former wrestling superstar on Friday after two weeks of testimony and six hours of deliberation. The jury found that Gawkers editors had violated Hogans privacy by publishing the sex tape and causing him emotional distress. Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, cried and hugged his attorney David Houston as the verdict was announced. He won $60 million for emotional distress and $55 million for economic damages $15 million more than he had originally sought, Variety reports. Nick Denton, Gawkers founder, and Albert J Daulerio, the sites former editor and chief, were both found personally liable. After the jury's decision, Denton said that the websites attorneys knew the appeals process would play a major role in the case. Given key evidence and the most important witness were both improperly withheld from this jury, we all knew the appeals court will need to resolve the case. I want to thank our lawyers for their outstanding work and am confident that we would have prevailed at trial if we had been allowed to present the full case to the jury, Denton said in a statement. Thats why we feel very positive about the appeal that we have already begun preparing as we expect to win this case ultimately." For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Whos this legal eagle? Kimberly Motley, a US attorney. Shes the first and only foreign lawyer to practise in Afghanistan. How long has she been working in that part of the world? Ms Motley arrived in 2008 and, eight years later, the former US beauty queen remains the only foreigner with a license to practise in Afghanistans courts. Whats her client base like? The people she works with range from imprisoned Afghan women in Kabuls Badam Bagh prison to foreign reporters and kidnap and rape victims. Has she ever found herself on the wrong side of the law? The upper echelons of the state arent her biggest fans, seemingly. Ms Motley, 38, says she has been heavily pressured by the Government to stop working on certain cases. Why not just go back home? Ms Motley is committed to defending human rights in the country. She describes herself as a legal archaeologist, and immerses herself in Islamic texts to identify passages that might help her clients, particularly women. A line stating a woman is never to be inherited, can be interpreted as a woman must never be forced to marry, she says. So shes doing some real good? Her work has attracted the attention of the Danish filmmaker, Nicole Nielsen Horanyi. Motleys Law, which is released in UK cinemas on 1 April, documents the lawyers time in Afghanistan. What are the highlights? The documentary opens with her discovering that somebody has lobbed a grenade into her building but Ms Motley does not buckle under the threat of violence. I work better angry than fearful, she declares. [Fear] just cripples you. If I am too afraid in Afghanistan... I am not going to be effective. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Dylan OBrien has been hospitalised after he was reportedly run over on the set of Maze Runner. O'Brien was hit by a car and suffered multiple injuries on the Vancouver set of the upcoming film Maze Runner: The Death Cure, according to reports by Variety and TMZ. The 24-year-old was taken to hospital in Vancouver, in Canada so he could be treated and monitored. 20th Century Fox did not comment on how he sustained his injuries but said production on the film has been suspended while he recovers. The studio said in a statement: Production on the film will be shut down while he recovers. Our thoughts go out to Dylan for a full and speedy recovery. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 Show all 34 1 /34 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 1. Captain America: Civil War Release date: 6 May 2016. Iron Man and Captain America are set to face off in this superhero blockbuster that will feature nearly all the Avengers but wont be an Avengers film. It will also mark the first time Spider-Man will feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Sony having made a deal with Marvel Studios. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 2. X-Men: Apocalypse Release date: 27 May 2016. Following the success of Days of Future Past, Apocalypse will follow the young X-Men team as the battle against Oscar Isaacs titular villain as he gathers his four horsemen; Magneto (Fassbender), Angel (Hardy), Storm (Shipp), and Psylocke (Munn). Expect carnage and no Wolverine. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 3. Suicide Squad Release date: 5 August 2016. The first supervillain film, Suicide Squad is also based in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe, where Batman and Superman live) and will introduce the world to Margot Robbies Harley Quinn and Jared Letos Joker. One of the more exciting upcoming DC films thats for sure. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 4. Doctor Strange Release date: 4 November 2016. Benedict Cumberbatch will debut in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe, where Captain America and Iron Man live) as the Sorcerer Supreme. The film already has an incredible cast, including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachael McAdams and Tilda Swinton. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 5. Untitled Lego Batman film Release date: 20 February 2017. Kicking off 2017 is the Lego version of Batman, who will lead his own spin-off, having already featured in the amazing Lego Movie. Will Arnett voices the titular character, while Zach Garfianakis - from the Hangover - will voice The Joker. But will he better than Leto? 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 6. Untitled Wolverine film Release date: 3 March 2017. Having not starred in X-Men: Apocalypse, Wolverine will return to the big screen in a solo film which was recently made R-Rated following the success of Deadpool. It is expected to be Hugh Jackmans last outing as the titular character. Fox 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Release date: 5 May 2017. Chris Pratt and the crew are returning to space in the sequel to the surprisingly successful Guardians of the Galaxy. According to director James Gunn, the film will not feature Thanos, even though he will to play a major role in phase MCU Phase 3. Cast includes newcomers Kurt Russell and Pom Klementieff, as well as, rumour has it, Sylvester Stallone. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 8. Wonder Woman Release date: 23 June 2017. Gal Gadot is returning to the DCEU in her very own film, marking the first female-led superhero film on this list. Chris Pine is on board to play Wonder Womans love interest. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 9. Untitled Spider-Man reboot Release date: 7 July 2017. Yes, it is another Spider-Man reboot, having previously been redone with Andrew Garfield as the lead. However, this time it is part of the MCU, with Tom Holland as the titular character, and a heavily rumoured cameo by Iron Man could be in the pipeline. We can dream. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 10. Untitled Fox film Release date: 6 October 2017. In a strange announcement, Fox decided to withhold the release of Gambit until a future, as-yet unannounced date, which could be here, or this could be a completely separate project. Many suspect Deadpool 2 could nicely fit here, Fox capitalising on the success of the first film. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 11. Thor: Ragnarok Release date: 3 November 2017. Chris Hemsworth will be returning as the Norse God in his third solo MCU film. Flight of the Conchords Taika Waititi is on board to direct, and promises a fun adventure that will likely lead into Marvels next project, Infinity War. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 12. Justice League Part One Release date: 17 November 2017. Hot on the heals of Thor comes Justice League Part One, the first DCEU team-up flick which will see Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg work together to fight bad guys. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 13: Untitled Fox film Release date: 12 January 2018. Kicking off 2018 will likely be the second Deadpool film, but then again, this could very well be another X-Men team-up. Theres also talk of an X-Force film, with Deadpool and other mutants teaming up to fight evil. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 14. Black Panther Release date: 16 February 2018. The first non-white male-led superhero film in the MCU comes in the form of Black Panther, with Chadwick Boseman reprising the titular role, having also starred as the Panther in Civil War. Creeds Ryan Coogler is on to direct what could be a very exciting film. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 15. The Flash Release date: 16 March 2018. The Flash will be the first DCEU film since Justice League, and sees Ezra Miller take the lead. Phil Lord and Chris Miller were supposed to pen the film before Disney snapped them up for the Han Solo-film, leaving Seth Grahame-Smith to take charge. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 16. Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 Release date: 4 May 2018. And so, we finally get to the point of all these Infinity Stones! Thanos will be the big bad, with the Avengers needing to team up to defeat their biggest foe yet. It has previously been described as the end of the Avengers as we know it. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 17. Ant-Man and The Wasp Release date: 6 July 2018. Peyton Reed will be back to direct this surprise sequel to one of the better received MCU films. While the name is ridiculous, at least Marvel are finally having a leading female superhero. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 18. Untitled Fox film Release date: 13 July 2018. Again, not much word on this one except it is thought to be X-Men spin-off New Mutants, something Josh Boone has been hit up to write. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 19. Animated Spider-Man Film Release date: 20 July 2018. Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Amy Pascal - the team behind the live-action Spider-Man films - are producing this unrelated animated adaptation of the hero. Because you can never have too much Spider-Man, right? 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 20. Aquaman Release date: 27 July 2018. Another Justice League spin-off, Jason Momoa plays the leading man. Furious 7s James Wan is on to direct, but little else is known about the film. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 21. Captain Marvel Release date: 8 March 2019. Weve hit 2019, and the first confirmed superhero film will be the first proper female-led MCU film. No-one is confirmed to be in the titular role of Carol Danvers just yet. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 22. Shazam Release date: 5 April 2019. Dwayne Johnson stars as the villain in this DCEU film which will be somewhat separate to the other DC films. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 23. Avengers: Infinity War Part 2. Release date: 3 May 2019. The conclusion to the long drawn MCU saga. Expect a big finish with at least a few planets being destroyed. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 24. Justice League Part Two Release date: 14 June 2019. Soon after the Infinity War story reaches its conclusion, so will the Justice Leagues. Not much is known, except Darkseid will likely be the villain for at least one of the parts. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 25. Inhumans Release date: 12 July 2019. The concept of Inhumans (or Marvels mutants) has already been introduced in TV, through Marvels Agents of Shield, yet the film is expected to introduce the Royal Family who have yet to be seen in the show. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 26. Cyborg Release date: 3 April 2020. Having debuted in Justice League Part One three years previously, Cyborg will finally be making his own outing, with Ray Fisher as the titular character. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 27. Untitled MCU film Release date: 1 May 2020. The first of three untitled Marvel films. There are a couple of contenders, the first is a likely sequel to Spider-Man with Sony, or a third Guardians of the Galaxy film, thus finishing the trilogy. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 28. Green Lantern Corps. Release date: 19 June 2020. Before you start to worry, this has nothing to do with the Ryan Reynolds-starring flick that hit cinemas a little while ago. Instead, this will be another DCEU film that will likely spin-off from Justice League after the Green Lantern Corps cameo in one of the parts. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 29. Untitled MCU film Release date: 10 July 2020. As well as Spider-Man or Guardians of the Galaxy sequels, a Doctor Strange or Black Panther one could fit in nicely here. Or perhaps Black Widow may finally get the solo-film she deserves. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 30. Untitled MCU film Release date: 6 November 2020. Some speculators also think a Blade film could fit in here, marking over 20 years since the first Blade. But many believe the character may be better suited to a Netflix series, as with Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Theres also talk of a Runaways film reaching cinemas at some stage. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 31. Untitled Ben Affleck Batman film Release date: TBA. Now were onto the TBA release dates, the first of which is a Batman solo film, written and directed by Ben Affleck. When this is due, no one is quite sure but expect it sooner rather than later if Batman v Superman is a success. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 32. Suicide Squad 2 Release date: TBA (rumoured 2017). A sequel to Suicide Squad is expected to come in 2017 according to recent reports, but nothing has been confirmed. If the first is successful, it should come as no surprise for Warner Bros to rearrange their schedule to fit in this surefire hit. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 33. Venom Release date: TBA. This is an odd one, as it has been confirmed Sony are wanting to release a Venom film completely unrelated to the upcoming Spider-Man reboot. Venom, as you may know, is a Spider-Man villain, intrinsically linked to Spider-Man, so it seems odd they would release a film unrelated to the rebooted project and not linked to the MCU. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 Anything else? Well, now you mention it, theres also that sequel to Fantastic Four that has seemingly been dropped by Fox. Plus, theres the Gambit film which has been put on hold (but will likely fill an untitled Fox slot so we havent added it extra). Then again, it could be shoehorned in somehow Marvel James Dashner, the author of the Maze Runner novels which have been adapted for film, said OBrien was hurt but not in a life-threatening way. The Death Cure is the third instalment in the Maze Runner series. OBrien stars in the first two films and has also appeared in Teen Wolf and The Internship. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A court ruling has ordered that surgeons can amputate the legs of a sick 49-year-old woman who lacks the mental capacity to make decisions. At a public hearing in the Court of Protection, Mr Justice Mostyn decided that below-knee amputations were in the woman's best interests after analysing evidence. The judge had been told by the woman's doctors that if her legs were not amputated, infection would almost certainly set in and she could die. They outlined a range of complex medical problems, saying the former farm worker was largely bed-ridden. They said parts of her feet had already been amputated. He said nothing could be reported which might identify the woman who lives in the east of England. The NHS hospitals trust responsible for the woman's care had asked the judge, who also sits in the Family Division of the High Court based in London, to approve amputations under the terms of mental capacity legislation. Doctors also said she would have a better chance of regaining movement if fitted with artificial limbs. Mental Health Awareness: Facts and figures Show all 10 1 /10 Mental Health Awareness: Facts and figures Mental Health Awareness: Facts and figures Mental Health Foundation: Living With Anxiety report 30 per cent of people deal with anxiety by talking to a friend or relative, or by going for a walk. Getty Mental Health Awareness: Facts and figures Mental Health Foundation: Living With Anxiety report Almost one in five people feel anxious all or a lot of the time. PA Mental Health Awareness: Facts and figures Mental Health Foundation: Living With Anxiety report 22 per cent of women feel anxious a lot or all of the time, compared to 15 per cent of men. Roman Levin/Flickr Creative Commons Mental Health Awareness: Facts and figures Mental Health Foundation: Living With Anxiety report 45 per cent of people who feel anxious in everyday life cite financial issues as their biggest cause of worry. Getty Mental Health Awareness: Facts and figures Mental Health Foundation: Living With Anxiety report And 26 per cent of people who feel anxious say fearing for the welfare of their children and loved ones leaves them burdened with worry. And 26 per cent of people say fearing for the welfare of their children and loved ones leaves them burdened with anxiety. Mental Health Awareness: Facts and figures Mental Health Foundation: Living With Anxiety report 27 per cent of people who suffer from anxiety say work issues, such as long hours, are the source of the problem. Getty Mental Health Awareness: Facts and figures Mental Health Foundation: Living With Anxiety report But 16 per cent use alcohol to cope, while 10 per cent turn to cigarettes in the face of anxiety. Unemployed people are more likely to resort to these harmful strategies: 27 per cent use alcohol and 23 per cent use cigarettes. AFP/Getty Mental Health Awareness: Facts and figures Mental Health Foundation: Living With Anxiety report Only seven per cent of people who say they suffer from anxiety seek help from their GP. Getty Mental Health Awareness: Facts and figures Mental Health Foundation: Living With Anxiety report People are thought to be more anxious than they were five years ago. Alessandra/Flickr Creative Commons Mental Health Awareness: Facts and figures Mental Health Foundation: Living With Anxiety report The stresses of modern life are thought to have created "The Age of Anxiety". Getty Mr Justice Mostyn said he had no doubt that amputations were in the woman's best interests. Her mother had agreed that she did not have the capacity to make decisions and should have surgery. A lawyer appointed to represent the woman also approved doctors' plans and analysis of her mental capacity. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 19 Trend: Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry fully controls the process of providing assistance to the relatives of the air hostess who was killed in Boeing crash in Russia's Rostov-on-Don, RIA Novosti reported citing the ministry. The air hostess Jyldyz Nasirdinova, who was killed in the crash, is a citizen of Kyrgyzstan, according to the ministry. "Kyrgyzstan's embassy in Russia has been tasked to provide full assistance to the relatives of the killed air hostess," said the Foreign Ministry. A passenger FlyDubai Boeing-737-800 en route from Dubai to Russia's Rostov-on-Don crashed March 19 at the city's airport after missing the runway amid poor visibility. A total of 62 people were killed. According to preliminary data, 55 passengers, including four children, and seven crew members were on board. All of them were killed in the crash, a source in Russian Emergencies Ministry said. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A vigilante group that "unmasks" people who have lied about military service or medals recieved have called for such fantasists to be imprisoned. The Walter Mitty Hunters Group operates online and claims to have named and shamed more than 300 people. The vigilante group told Sky News: "It's an insult to all those who have worked hard, felt the pain, and in some cases, lost people close to them. "There is also an abuse of charity resources, for example, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) charities where people will make up a service career to gain an advantage. "In turn, the real people in need of help have to wait longer or don't get it at all. It's getting worse and needs to stop." The group has called for a similar law to the US where people can be imprisoned for wearing military uniforms for financial gain. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said: "There are currently no plans to introduce legislation along the lines of the USA's Stolen Valour Act. "It is already an offence to make a false claim of service if it amounts to fraud or a similar offence such as obtaining services dishonestly." Dunkirk veterans set sail for anniversary event Show all 12 1 /12 Dunkirk veterans set sail for anniversary event Dunkirk veterans set sail for anniversary event 381652.bin EPA Dunkirk veterans set sail for anniversary event 381683.bin EPA Dunkirk veterans set sail for anniversary event 381706.bin PA Dunkirk veterans set sail for anniversary event 381701.bin PA Dunkirk veterans set sail for anniversary event 381656.bin EPA Dunkirk veterans set sail for anniversary event 381688.bin EPA Dunkirk veterans set sail for anniversary event 381672.bin EPA Dunkirk veterans set sail for anniversary event 381661.bin PA Dunkirk veterans set sail for anniversary event 381696.bin AFP Dunkirk veterans set sail for anniversary event 382031.bin PA Dunkirk veterans set sail for anniversary event 382033.bin PA Dunkirk veterans set sail for anniversary event 381732.bin Roger-Viollet / Topoto Speaking to Sky News, individuals targeted by the group have said they feel wrongly treated. Agreeing with the MoD, former SAS soldier Phil Campion said: "I do 100% understand where this stolen valour thing comes from. "But to gang up and expose people, and do it to the degree of mickey taking that they've done, banter or not banter, for me, takes it a step too far sometimes." Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Iain Duncan Smith announced his shock resignation as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions last night. He has cited concerns cuts had gone too far and that slashing funds for people on disability benefits in the same week as announcing tax cuts for high earners was not defensible. The announcement came as a surprise to many within his own party. Prime Minister David Cameron has said he is puzzled by the news. Stephen Crabb has been revealed as Mr Duncan Smiths successor. Mr Duncan Smith was appointed as DWP Minister in 2010 to oversee welfare cuts under the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition. During his time at the DWP helm, he was behind a number of deeply controversial reforms and practices, causing him to be the focus of much anti-austerity anger. However, Mr Duncan Smith defended his actions, saying that cuts were not harming vulnerable people but actually helping them to find work or recover from their illnesses. Here are of some the policies he oversaw to help the sick and the poor during his time in office. 1. Slashed the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) (Getty) The Personal Independence Payment is funding to help disabled people live as independently as possible. Just last week the Government revealed it would cut this; causing half a million disabled people to lose out on what charities called essential funding to live with basic standards of dignity. 2. Risked forcing ill people to go to work because of faulty sickness assessments Job centre in London. Experts warned that the Governments Work Capability Assessment was based on flawed criteria which means it wasn't accurately assessing sickness and was sending sick people back to work for roles they couldnt do. 3. Blocked information on benefit claimants' deaths Universal Credit has been the flagship welfare programme under Iain Duncan Smith (Rob Stothard/Getty Images) The DWP refused to reveal how many people died shortly after having their benefits cut. After a lengthy legal battle and intervention from the Information Commissioner, the department finally revealed the numbers in August 2015. 4. Increased sanctions for people on sickness benefit Latest estimates for rough-sleepers found there were double the number of individuals on the streets of England in 2015 compared with 2010 (Getty) Sanctions, such as abruptly stopping benefits, increased hugely. Figures suggested sanctions increased fourfold, prompting homelessness charity Crisis to warn they were cruel and can leave people utterly destitute - without money even for food and at severe risk of homelessness. 5. Capped the Access To Work scheme "Why shouldnt disabled people be afforded the opportunity to enjoy life as well as merely survive it?" (Rex) A scheme designed to help severely disabled people into work. Users are primarily people who are deaf or blind, but otherwise capable of working. A new cap was introduced to give a maximum amount which could be spent on any individual, regardless of how much support they need. Critics argued that this was arbitrary and didnt reflect how the most severely disabled would need more help. 6. Scrapped the Independent Living Fund Many residents have been forced to turn to charities and food banks for support (Getty) A fund established in 1988 to help people with disabilities to live independent lives, for instance at home with family instead of living inside institutions. It was scrapped on 1 July 2015, taking an average of 300 per week from 18,000 severely disabled people. 7. Spent 8.45 million on a mascot Quirky campaign: The 40 second advert sees Workie stalk a small business owner in a park only to be ignored Alongside the austerity cuts, Iain Duncan Smith provoked ire when it was revealed that a cuddly mascot called Workie was commissioned for the DWP to promote pension changes - costing 8.45 million. 8. The 'Bedroom Tax' Up to 40,000 people could have been wrongly identified as eligible for the so-called 'bedroom tax' (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images) Perhaps one of the most controversial policies in recent years, the spare room subsidy commonly known as the Bedroom Tax has been roundly criticised as causing misery for already vulnerable and poor people. It meant people receiving housing benefit were given less money to cover their rent if they had an unoccupied bedroom in their home. Research revealed that two thirds of people affected were disabled. Many reported that they had to move out of their specially adapted homes because they could no longer afford to live there. 9. Invented fake benefit claimants to praise the DWP Employment figures may this week show a rise in the number of people out of work (Getty) In August, it was revealed that the DWP invented fake benefit claimants for their leaflets which said they were really pleased their benefits had been cut because it had inspired them to find work 10. Argued that zero-hours contracts arent that bad and just need a new name A hotel maid cleans a room (Getty) Iain Duncan Smith said in an interview: The zero-hour contract is badly named. I dont know whoever came up with that idea. It should be named the flexible hours contract. 11. Tried to suppress memos on Universal Credit (orangesparrow/flickr/CreativeCommons) The DWP has refused requests to publish reports about concerns over the Universal Credit scheme. Just this week, a judge ordered them to reveal the documents, siding with campaigners who said it was important public information. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Chris Grayling are responsible for producing a "tide of drivel" about the UK's relationship with the EU in an attempt to persuade Britons to leave, Alan Johnson has said. In a speech to the Scottish Labour party conference in Glasgow, the former Home Secretary accused the three senior Conservatives of demeaning the referendum campaign by purposefully overstating the EU's influence on the UK. Mr Johnson, who is leading Labour's campaign to keep Britain in the EU, also attacked the SNP for "arguing about process" rather than "getting out and campaigning" for a Remain vote. He added that he did not understand how Nicola Sturgeon's party could argue for breaking up the Union through Scottish independence while also being in favour of the UK remaining in Europe. "The irony of the the SNP's belief that they believe in the benefit of working with others for the greater good as long as it's the EU and not the UK," he said to applause. "Nicola Sturgeon is arguing to leave a Union that is vital for trade and jobs, while campaigning to stay in the European Union because it's vital for trade and jobs. I find that slightly paradoxical." Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A United Nations investigation into the treatment of disabled people by the British Government may not be all it has been cracked up to be, David Cameron has said. The Prime Minister said he was proud of his Governments record on people with disabilities and said he would cooperate with any probe, but downplayed its significance. Of course I will look at any United Nations investigation but sometimes when you look at these investigations they are not necessarily all they are originally cracked up to be, he said. Recommended Read more UN investigating British Government over human rights abuses caused by There are many disabled people our world who dont have any of the rights or any of the support we have here in Britain and I think we should be proud of what we do as we cooperate with this report. A leading disability rights charity said in August that it had been contacted by the UN Committee on Rights of Persons with Disabilities to help with the probe. The charity, Inclusion Scotland, reports that it was asked to assist with the investigation, said to focus on changes to the social security system to help disabled people Such investigations are conducted confidentially by the UN and the body will not confirm or deny whether the UK is currently being put under scrutiny. The Department for Work and Pensions has previously declined to comment on the possibility of an investigation. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn asked Mr Cameron at Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday to publish the details of the Governments response to such an inquiry. This is deeply embarrassing to all of us in this house and indeed to the country as a whole, he argued. The Governments approach to people with disabiliites had been controversial and been met with hostility from some campaign groups. Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith used his Conservative party conference speech in Manchester to tell disabled people that they should work their way out of poverty. We dont think of people not in work as victims to be sustained on government handouts. No, we want to help them live lives independent of the state, he told the annual Conservative party conference in Manchester. We wont lift you out of poverty by simply transferring taxpayers money to you. With our help, youll work your way out of poverty. The Work and Pensions Secretary has been lambasted for closing Remploy factories, the scrapping of the Independent Living Fund, cuts to payments for a disability Access To Work scheme and cuts to Employment and Support Allowance. Fitness to work tests have also been the subject of disquiet, with critics labeling them unfair, arbitrary, and bureaucratic. The Governments so-called bedroom tax also primarily hits disabled people, with around two thirds of those affected by the under-occupancy penalty being disabled. The DWP's sanctions regime has also been criticised, s media controvery over death statistics released by the Department after a long-running tug-of war over freedom of information law. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} David Cameron is facing another defeat in the House of Lords over proposals to force the Government to give sanctuary to 3,000 refugee children currently in Europe. An amendment to the Immigration Bill, which would compel the Government to accept its fair share of children who have made their way from Syria and other countries to Europe, will be voted on the afternoon of 21 March. The proposal, which is backed by Labour and Liberal Democrat peers, has been laid by the Labour peer Lord Dubs, who arrived in Britain as a lone six-year-old refugee in 1939. Recommended Read more Tory MPs tell David Cameron to take more refugee children from Europe The Government has set up a scheme to take refugee children from camps in the Middle East and insists that helping those who have made it to Europe will only encourage more to come. The Independent on Sunday understands that the Home Secretary, Theresa May, has held talks with Lord Dubs in a bid to find a compromise, but the peer refused to back down over his demand that children who have already made it to Europe should be allowed into Britain. Lord Dubs said: All the evidence is that there are thousands of unaccompanied children in Europe. Taking 3,000 is an entirely reasonable thing to do it would be Britains fair share. The amendment has huge public support, reflecting Britains humanitarian instincts. A Government spokesman said: We have committed to taking in 20,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees. In addition, we asked the UNHCR to identify children [in the region] who can be resettled in the UK. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Labour claimed has victory after Ed Miliband and David Cameron both faced hostile questions tonight in the first of four live TV debates with the party leaders ahead of the May election. The Labour leader appeared less rattled than the Prime Minister when questioned by the veteran broadcaster Jeremy Paxman, who grilled the two leaders separately for 18 minutes. The leaders also took questions from a studio audience in the 90-minute programme screened jointly by Sky News and Channel 4. However, a snap ICM poll for The Guardian declared a narrow victory for Mr Cameron. It found 54 per cent of the public named the Prime Minister as the winner while 46 per cent opted for Mr Miliband. Although both parties inevitably talked up their men, a Labour spokesman said: Thats why David Cameron doesnt want to go head to head [with Mr Miliband] thats why Cameron is running from his record. Ed Miliband and Kay Burley (AFP) Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, who had predicted victory for Mr Cameron before the programme, called it for Mr Miliband. He gave the Labour leader seven out of 10 and the Prime Minister four. Mr Farage said: On personality, for me, Miliband was ahead. He added: The Prime Minister was deeply discomforted from the start. He didnt get into his stride until the 16th minute. The Tories said: Tonight was a clear illustration of the choice facing Britain at the election in six weeks time: competence and strong leadership from David Cameron or chaos and weakness from Ed Miliband. The Prime Minister put in a strong performance under some hostile questioning. Mr Camerons election got off to an uncomfortable start when Paxman threw him on to the defensive. The Prime Minister eventually admitted he could not afford to live on a zero-hours contract with no guaranteed minimum hours; conceded that he had failed to keep his promise to reduce net migration to below 100,000 a year and that the use of food banks had soared since the Coalition was formed in 2010. Jeremy Paxman was in vintage form; sneering, arms folded and eyebrows raised (PA) Mr Miliband also faced tough questions on whether he was tough enough to be prime minister and whether he was a north London geek. He was forced to defend his decision to fight his elder brother, David, for the Labour leadership in 2010. When an audience member asked whether David would have done a better job, he replied: No. But in his most candid comments on the continuing impact of the leadership battle on their relationship, he admitted some regrets. I thought I was the best person for the job. I thought it then. I think it now. It was bruising for David, it was bruising for me. Its healed, its healing, he said. Paxman, the former presenter of BBCs Newsnight, told the Labour leader that people did not regard him as tough enough to cope with world leaders such as Vladimir Putin. Mr Miliband replied that he had refused to back proposed bombing raids in Syria despite support for it from Barack Obama the leader of the free world and Mr Cameron. He added: Am I tough? Hell, yes, Im tough enough. The Labour leader said: You need a toughness in this job. I am a pretty resilient guy I have been underestimated at every turn. Insisting he did not care about what the newspapers said about him, he added: I care about the British people and what happens to them. Mr Miliband admitted the previous Labour government had not always spent money wisely but insisted the deficit was caused by the global financial crisis. Election 2015: Focus groups make unflattering comparisons Show all 4 1 /4 Election 2015: Focus groups make unflattering comparisons Election 2015: Focus groups make unflattering comparisons David Cameron The Prime Minister was likened to 'Wacky Races' villain Dick Dastardly Getty Images Election 2015: Focus groups make unflattering comparisons Ed Miliband The Labour leader was compared to Mr Bean PA; Getty Images Election 2015: Focus groups make unflattering comparisons Nick Clegg The Deputy PM reminded focus groups of Fred from Scooby Doo Getty Images Election 2015: Focus groups make unflattering comparisons Nigel Farage The Ukip leader was described by floating voters as like Ray Winstone Getty Images With net migration running at well over 200,000, Mr Miliband repeatedly refused to be drawn on what the natural limit to Britains population should be. He said: Im not going to be drawn into speculation about a number Im not going to pluck a figure out of the year. Earlier Mr Cameron defended his decision to appoint the former HSBC boss Lord (Stephen) Green as his trade minister, admitting he did not ask him about the tax evasion at HBSCs Swiss division. But he dismissed as completely unjustified Paxmans suggestion that he had surrounded himself as Prime Minister with wealthy people who got into trouble. Paxman challenged Mr Cameron over his appointment of Lord Green and of Andy Coulson as his director of communications, as well as his support for Jeremy Clarkson, pointing out that all three are rich. Paxman asked him: What do these people have in common? The Prime Minister replied: The aspersion you are trying to cast is completely ridiculous. Although Mr Cameron did not lose his cool, he looked uneasy at times. Paxman showed his independence after criticism from Labour that he had described himself as a One Nation Tory. Mr Cameron was also on the defensive over his surprise decision to say he would not serve a third term. I will serve every day of a full second term, he said, adding that he did not want to go on and on and on like Chairman Mao because politicians were not indispensable. Prime Minister David Cameron takes part in a live Q&A during the Sky News/Channel 4 programme (PA) The election will get under way officially on Friday when Mr Miliband launches Labours campaign. Speaking at the Olympic Park in London, he will say the election race is neck and neck and will go to the wire. Mr Cameron will make a keynote speech on Saturday before the Tory campaign begins formally next week. The party manifestos will be published after Easter. Tonights programme was part of a compromise agreed between the parties and broadcasters. Conservative strategists blocked plans by the TV companies for a head-to-head between Mr Cameron and Mr Miliband, fearing the Labour leader might surprise voters by performing better than his poor opinion poll ratings would suggest. Prime Minister David Cameron is interview by Jeremy Paxman (PA) TV drama: Highs and lows David Cameron Worst moment Jeremy Paxman began with a question that the PM might have expected, but could not answer: How many food banks were there in this country when you came to power? I dont know the exact figures, but I know usage of food banks has gone up, replied Mr Cameron. Paxman provided the figures the numbers have gone up from 66 to 421 with some 900,000 people receiving free food parcels last year. He asked was it acceptable in a rich country like ours that there are that number of people dependent on free food aid? I want fewer people to be using food banks, responded Mr Cameron meekly. Best moment Mr Cameron was much more relaxed on the economy. There are 1.89 million more people in work than when I became Prime Minister, weve got 900,000 fewer people on out-of-work benefit, he said. Weve turned the economy round and its jobs that are the best route out of poverty... Funniest moment A question from the audience. What are Ed Milibands best qualities? Mr Cameron replied with apparent sincerity that his opponent was trying to do the right thing for our country Ed Miliband Worst moment Pressed on whether he would reduce government spending, Mr Miliband said vaguely that hundreds of millions of pounds would be cut from the budgets of departments other than Education and Health. But he would only say that overall government spending was likely to fall. As Paxman pointed out bit of a weasel word, likely, isnt it? Best moment Putting Paxman in his place. The presenter asked him about the deal he would have to cut with the SNP. But the Labour leader hit back: You dont get to decide the outcome of the general election youre important Jeremy, but not that important. Funniest moment Asked if he would share a pint with David Cameron, Mr Miliband reminded people of a photograph of him eating: I dont know whether wed have a pint we could share a bacon sandwich or something. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Publication of the long delayed Iraq War inquiry report will reportedly be postponed until after the EU referendum, despite the fact that it will likely be handed to ministers next month. Expected to heavily criticise senior political figures, the inquirys chairman Sir John Chilcot said last October that he would hand in the report in the week beginning 18 April. Mr Cameron had previously suggested that he wanted to publish the report within two weeks of receiving it. But according to The Telegraph, it is feared that public trust in politicians could be significantly eroded by the six-year long inquiry and they do not wish to risk this ahead of the crucial 23 June vote. Votes on the renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent and a third runway at Heathrow have already been postponed until after the crucial EU vote. The delay was criticised by families of those who died during the eight-year occupation of Iraq between 2003 and 2011. Reg Keys, who lost his 20-year-old son Lance Corporal Thomas Keys Thomas was killed in the conflict said it was dragging out the agony of the families who want to draw a line under this. Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on Show all 31 1 /31 Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20169.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20158.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20159.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20160.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20161.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20157.bin AFP/GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20162.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20163.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20164.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20136.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20165.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20138.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20139.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20140.bin AFP/GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20141.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20142.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20156.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20155.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20154.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20152.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20151.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20150.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20149.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20148.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20147.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20145.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20144.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20143.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20135.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20166.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20167.bin GETTY IMAGES I can see no reason why a referendum should have any bearing upon the publication of the Chilcot inquiry, none whatsoever, he told The Telegraph. I will be disappointed if this is another excuse for yet another delay for the referendum. Roger Bacon, whose son, Major Matthew Bacon, was killed in Basra in 2005, added that if the delay was a political decision then it is entirely wrong. There should be no artificial delay to it, he told the paper. To allow the referendum to get in the way of it seems to me to be completely wrong and smacks of political manoeuvrings that should not be taking place really. A spokesman for the Iraq War inquiry confirmed that Sir John was still planning to deliver his report in the week commencing April 18 Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Iain Duncan Smith has surprised political pundits and colleagues by unexpectedly announcing his resignation last night as Minister for Work and Pensions. He had been the focus of much anger against austerity measures during his time in office as he oversaw a number of severe cuts to benefits. According to Mr Duncan Smith, his resignation is in response to this weeks Budget as he said the governments cuts to disability benefits were not defensible at the same time as tax-cuts for high earners. However, a legal decision this week has come to light which may also have had some bearing on the Ministers decision. The DWP has been ordered to release potentially damaging documents after a four year long legal battle to suppress them. In 2012, Freedom of Information requests were submitted to the Department for a number of reports relating to the early stages of Universal Credit. The reports contain details of problems and concerns which DWP staff raised about the programme and the outcome of a high-level review of the scheme. The DWP refused to reveal the information. 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Show all 7 1 /7 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Closing Remploy factories The Work and Pensions Secretary called time on Britains system of Remploy factories, which provided subsidised and sheltered employment to disabled people. People employed at the factories protested against their closure and said they provided gainful work. Is it a kindness to stick people in some factory where they are not doing any work at all? Just making cups of coffee? Mr Duncan Smith said at the time, defending the decision. I promise you this is better. The Remploy organisation was privatised and sold to American workfare provider Maximus, with the majority of the organisations factories closed. The future of the remaining sites is unclear 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Scrapping the Independent Living Fund The 320m Independent Living Fund was established in 1988 to give financial support to people with disabilities. It was scrapped on July 1 2015, with 18,000 often severely disabled people losing out by an average of 300 a week. The money was generally used to help pay for carers so people could live in communities rather than institutions. Councils will get a boost in funding to compensate but it will not cover the whole cost of the fund. This new cash also doesnt have to be spent on the disabled 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Cut payments for the disabled Access To Work scheme Iain Duncan Smith is bringing forward a policy that will reduce payments to some disabled people from a scheme designed to help them into work. The 108m scheme, which helps 35,540 people, will be capped on a per-used basis, potentially hitting those with the more serious disabilities who currently receive the most help. The single biggest users of the fund are people who have difficulty seeing and hearing. The cut will come in from October 2015. The charity Disability UK says the scheme actually makes the Government money because the people who gain access to work tend pay tax that more than covers its cost. The DWP does not describe the reduction as a cut and says it will be able to spread the money more thinly and cover more people 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Cut Employment and Support Allowance The latest Budget included a 30 a week cut in disability benefits for some new claimants of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). The Government says it is equalising the rate of disability benefits with Jobseekers Allowance because giving disabled people more help is a perverse incentive. The people affected by this cut are those assessed as having a limited capability for work but as being capable of some work-related activity. A group of prominent Catholics wrote to Mr Duncan Smith to say there was no justification for this cut. Mental health charity Mind, said the cut was insulting and misguided 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Risk homelessness with a sharp increase disability benefit sanctions Official figures in the first quarter of 2014 found a huge increase in sanctions against people reliant on ESA sickness benefit. The 15,955 sanctions were handed out in that period compared to 3,574 in the same period the year before, 2013 a 4.5 times increase. The homelessness charity Crisis warned at the time that the sharp rise in temporary benefit cuts was cruel and can leave people utterly destitute without money even for food and at severe risk of homelessness. It is difficult to see how they are meant to help people prepare for work, Matt Downie, director of policy at the charity added 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Sending sick people to work because of broken fitness to work tests In 2012 a government advisor appointed to review the Governments Work Capability Assessment said the tests causing suffering by sending sick people back to work inappropriately. There are certainly areas where it's still not working and I am sorry there are people going through a system which I think still needs improvement, Professor Malcolm Harrington concluded. The tests are said to have improved since then, but as recently as this summer they are still coming in for criticism. In June the British Psychological Society said there was now significant body of evidence that the WCA is failing to assess peoples fitness for work accurately and appropriately. It called for a full overhaul of the way the tests are carried out. The WCA appeals system has also been fraught with controversy with a very high rate of overturns and delays lasting months and blamed for hardship 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people The bedroom tax The Governments benefit cut for people who it says are under-occupying their homes disproportionately affects disabled people. Statistics released last year show that around two-thirds of those affected by the under-occupancy penalty, widely known as the bedroom tax, are disabled. There have been a number of high profile cases of disabled people being moved out of specially adapted homes by the policy. In one case publicised by the Sunday People last week, a 48 year old man with cerebral palsy was forced to bathe in a paddling pool after the tax moved him out of his home with a walk-in shower. The Government says it has provided councils with a discretionary fund to help reduce the policys impact on disabled people, but cases continue to arise Appeals were submitted to the Information Commission who decided that all but one of the requested reports should be published. The DWP contested this again and a lengthy legal battle ensued. This week, once more, another judge ruled that they must publish the information. The DWP has said it is suppressing the reports because they were compiled on the assumption that the information would remain internally and that if they were to become public knowledge, it would have the chilling effect of staff no longer briefing the Department completely honestly as they would always be wary that the information would get out. However, critics have argued that the Department is more likely to be concerned that information in the reports is damning or embarrassing for the DWP and by extension its Minister, Mr Duncan Smith. Iain Duncan Smith's resignation - How it happened In particular, the DWP has projected that the Universal Credit scheme would be extended to 12 million claimants by 2017. However, figures suggest that a mere 200,000 have joined the scheme, which would represent a gross failure to meet the target. The Independent has contacted The Department for Work and Pensions for comment. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Iain Duncan Smith (IDS) has resigned his front bench position as Work and Pensions Secretary six years after first taking up the post, 24 years after first entering parliament. A leading campaigner for the leaving the EU, Mr Duncan Smith has been exceeding political expectations throughout his career. The Beginning Born in 1954, he started studying at HMS Conway at the age of 14, a merchant navy cadet school. In 1975, he went to Sandhurst and joined the Scots Guards, serving in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and Zimbabwe, before leaving the army in 1981. Before taking on Norman Tebbit's old seat of Chingford and Woodford Green in 1992, IDS worked for defence contractor GEC Marconi and property developer, Bellwinch homes. Only a year into his first parliament, he threw away his chances at joining John Major's government by joining other Eurosceptic rebels who repeatedly refused to vote for the 1993 Maastricht Treaty. At the time, IDS reportedly told his press secretary: "I'll fight for what I believe and if I don't get a job - so be it." Unexpected party leader His time on the backbenches was brought to an end by John Major's successor, William Hague, who made him shadow Secretary of State for Social Security after Labour election victory in 1997. He was then promoted in 1999 to shadow Defence Secretary, a position he he held till Mr Hague stood down as Tory Party leader. In a Corbyn-esque turn of events, IDS was voted into the leadership beating former Chancellor, Ken Clarke, helped by his strong Eurosceptic credentials. While fighting against a perception of a lack of character and political strength, IDS had a transformative experience walking around Easterhouse Estate in Glasgow. On witnessing deprived and poverty-stricken lives on this "sink estate" he discovered a personal mission to fight poverty and help the most vulnerable in society. In a now much-lampooned speech to the Conservative Party Conference in 2002, IDS told a disenchanted party: "The quiet man is turning up the volume." Despite all his efforts, he was ousted by Tory MPs in a vote of no-confidence in 2003. A return to front bench politics Following his demise, he created the Centre of Social Justice, a centre-right think tank which concentrated on welfare reform and social issues such as addiction, family breakdown and gang culture. 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Show all 7 1 /7 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Closing Remploy factories The Work and Pensions Secretary called time on Britains system of Remploy factories, which provided subsidised and sheltered employment to disabled people. People employed at the factories protested against their closure and said they provided gainful work. Is it a kindness to stick people in some factory where they are not doing any work at all? Just making cups of coffee? Mr Duncan Smith said at the time, defending the decision. I promise you this is better. The Remploy organisation was privatised and sold to American workfare provider Maximus, with the majority of the organisations factories closed. The future of the remaining sites is unclear 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Scrapping the Independent Living Fund The 320m Independent Living Fund was established in 1988 to give financial support to people with disabilities. It was scrapped on July 1 2015, with 18,000 often severely disabled people losing out by an average of 300 a week. The money was generally used to help pay for carers so people could live in communities rather than institutions. Councils will get a boost in funding to compensate but it will not cover the whole cost of the fund. This new cash also doesnt have to be spent on the disabled 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Cut payments for the disabled Access To Work scheme Iain Duncan Smith is bringing forward a policy that will reduce payments to some disabled people from a scheme designed to help them into work. The 108m scheme, which helps 35,540 people, will be capped on a per-used basis, potentially hitting those with the more serious disabilities who currently receive the most help. The single biggest users of the fund are people who have difficulty seeing and hearing. The cut will come in from October 2015. The charity Disability UK says the scheme actually makes the Government money because the people who gain access to work tend pay tax that more than covers its cost. The DWP does not describe the reduction as a cut and says it will be able to spread the money more thinly and cover more people 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Cut Employment and Support Allowance The latest Budget included a 30 a week cut in disability benefits for some new claimants of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). The Government says it is equalising the rate of disability benefits with Jobseekers Allowance because giving disabled people more help is a perverse incentive. The people affected by this cut are those assessed as having a limited capability for work but as being capable of some work-related activity. A group of prominent Catholics wrote to Mr Duncan Smith to say there was no justification for this cut. Mental health charity Mind, said the cut was insulting and misguided 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Risk homelessness with a sharp increase disability benefit sanctions Official figures in the first quarter of 2014 found a huge increase in sanctions against people reliant on ESA sickness benefit. The 15,955 sanctions were handed out in that period compared to 3,574 in the same period the year before, 2013 a 4.5 times increase. The homelessness charity Crisis warned at the time that the sharp rise in temporary benefit cuts was cruel and can leave people utterly destitute without money even for food and at severe risk of homelessness. It is difficult to see how they are meant to help people prepare for work, Matt Downie, director of policy at the charity added 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Sending sick people to work because of broken fitness to work tests In 2012 a government advisor appointed to review the Governments Work Capability Assessment said the tests causing suffering by sending sick people back to work inappropriately. There are certainly areas where it's still not working and I am sorry there are people going through a system which I think still needs improvement, Professor Malcolm Harrington concluded. The tests are said to have improved since then, but as recently as this summer they are still coming in for criticism. In June the British Psychological Society said there was now significant body of evidence that the WCA is failing to assess peoples fitness for work accurately and appropriately. It called for a full overhaul of the way the tests are carried out. The WCA appeals system has also been fraught with controversy with a very high rate of overturns and delays lasting months and blamed for hardship 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people The bedroom tax The Governments benefit cut for people who it says are under-occupying their homes disproportionately affects disabled people. Statistics released last year show that around two-thirds of those affected by the under-occupancy penalty, widely known as the bedroom tax, are disabled. There have been a number of high profile cases of disabled people being moved out of specially adapted homes by the policy. In one case publicised by the Sunday People last week, a 48 year old man with cerebral palsy was forced to bathe in a paddling pool after the tax moved him out of his home with a walk-in shower. The Government says it has provided councils with a discretionary fund to help reduce the policys impact on disabled people, but cases continue to arise On winning the 2010 general election, IDS was made Secretary of State for Work and pensions Pensions where he declared his wish to cut the number on unemployment benefits and continue his fight on poverty, During his six year tenure at the Department of Work and Pensions, he courted public criticism and demagoguery with moves to cut and cap benefits. Prior to his resignation, IDS endured a bruising battle with George Osborne and the Treasury department over his plan to introduce a universal credit system to replace six different means-tested benefits and tax credits. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The former Welsh Secretary, Stephen Crabb, has been appointed to follow Iain Duncan Smith as the new Work and Pensions Secretary. Downing Street announced the appointment on Saturday morning, just hours after the veteran Tory minister's dramatic resignation. Mr Crabb, who grew up on a council estate and once headed a rock band, said that it was a privilege to be appointed to the post. Looking forward to working with my new team, he wrote on Twitter, before thanking his former colleagues and congratulating his successor. Iain Duncan Smith resigned on Friday evening (PA) David Cameron said he was puzzled and disappointed after Mr Duncan Smith quit the Cabinet and launched an all-out attack on the indefensible budget on Friday evening. In his parting shot, the Work and Pensions Secretary complained that cuts to disabled benefits in George Osborne's financial package were politically driven and suggested the Chancellor had abandoned the austerity principle of all in this together. I have for some time and rather reluctantly come to believe that the latest changes to benefits to the disabled and the context in which they've been made are a compromise too far, Mr Duncan Smith wrote in his resignation letter. While they are defensible in narrow terms, given the continuing deficit, they are not defensible in the way they were placed within a Budget that benefits higher earning taxpayers. Osborne defending the budget on the Today programme Mr Duncan Smith, considered one of the more right-wing members of the cabinet, is opposing Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne's support for Britain to remain in the EU, joining a handful of other Cabinet ministers backing a Brexit. But his letter to the Prime Minister claimed that the row over cuts to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) had been the last straw. His announcement came hours after the Treasury signalled a humiliating climbdown over the plans to change PIP assessment criteria, which were expected to slash around 1.3 billion a year off the cost. Responding to Mr Duncan Smith, Mr Cameron recalled the pair designing the benefit together to support the most vulnerable and to give disabled people more independence. 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Show all 7 1 /7 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Closing Remploy factories The Work and Pensions Secretary called time on Britains system of Remploy factories, which provided subsidised and sheltered employment to disabled people. People employed at the factories protested against their closure and said they provided gainful work. Is it a kindness to stick people in some factory where they are not doing any work at all? Just making cups of coffee? Mr Duncan Smith said at the time, defending the decision. I promise you this is better. The Remploy organisation was privatised and sold to American workfare provider Maximus, with the majority of the organisations factories closed. The future of the remaining sites is unclear 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Scrapping the Independent Living Fund The 320m Independent Living Fund was established in 1988 to give financial support to people with disabilities. It was scrapped on July 1 2015, with 18,000 often severely disabled people losing out by an average of 300 a week. The money was generally used to help pay for carers so people could live in communities rather than institutions. Councils will get a boost in funding to compensate but it will not cover the whole cost of the fund. This new cash also doesnt have to be spent on the disabled 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Cut payments for the disabled Access To Work scheme Iain Duncan Smith is bringing forward a policy that will reduce payments to some disabled people from a scheme designed to help them into work. The 108m scheme, which helps 35,540 people, will be capped on a per-used basis, potentially hitting those with the more serious disabilities who currently receive the most help. The single biggest users of the fund are people who have difficulty seeing and hearing. The cut will come in from October 2015. The charity Disability UK says the scheme actually makes the Government money because the people who gain access to work tend pay tax that more than covers its cost. The DWP does not describe the reduction as a cut and says it will be able to spread the money more thinly and cover more people 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Cut Employment and Support Allowance The latest Budget included a 30 a week cut in disability benefits for some new claimants of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). The Government says it is equalising the rate of disability benefits with Jobseekers Allowance because giving disabled people more help is a perverse incentive. The people affected by this cut are those assessed as having a limited capability for work but as being capable of some work-related activity. A group of prominent Catholics wrote to Mr Duncan Smith to say there was no justification for this cut. Mental health charity Mind, said the cut was insulting and misguided 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Risk homelessness with a sharp increase disability benefit sanctions Official figures in the first quarter of 2014 found a huge increase in sanctions against people reliant on ESA sickness benefit. The 15,955 sanctions were handed out in that period compared to 3,574 in the same period the year before, 2013 a 4.5 times increase. The homelessness charity Crisis warned at the time that the sharp rise in temporary benefit cuts was cruel and can leave people utterly destitute without money even for food and at severe risk of homelessness. It is difficult to see how they are meant to help people prepare for work, Matt Downie, director of policy at the charity added 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Sending sick people to work because of broken fitness to work tests In 2012 a government advisor appointed to review the Governments Work Capability Assessment said the tests causing suffering by sending sick people back to work inappropriately. There are certainly areas where it's still not working and I am sorry there are people going through a system which I think still needs improvement, Professor Malcolm Harrington concluded. The tests are said to have improved since then, but as recently as this summer they are still coming in for criticism. In June the British Psychological Society said there was now significant body of evidence that the WCA is failing to assess peoples fitness for work accurately and appropriately. It called for a full overhaul of the way the tests are carried out. The WCA appeals system has also been fraught with controversy with a very high rate of overturns and delays lasting months and blamed for hardship 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people The bedroom tax The Governments benefit cut for people who it says are under-occupying their homes disproportionately affects disabled people. Statistics released last year show that around two-thirds of those affected by the under-occupancy penalty, widely known as the bedroom tax, are disabled. There have been a number of high profile cases of disabled people being moved out of specially adapted homes by the policy. In one case publicised by the Sunday People last week, a 48 year old man with cerebral palsy was forced to bathe in a paddling pool after the tax moved him out of his home with a walk-in shower. The Government says it has provided councils with a discretionary fund to help reduce the policys impact on disabled people, but cases continue to arise "That is why we collectively agreed - you, No 10 and the Treasury - proposals which you and your department then announced a week ago, he wrote in the letter. "In the light of this, I am puzzled and disappointed that you have chosen to resign. Alun Cairns has been appointed as the new Secretary of State for Wales, while Guto Bebb has moved into his former position as a Welsh minister and whip. Additional reporting by PA Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, March 19 By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend: The next round of political consultations between the foreign ministries of Turkmenistan and India was held in New Delhi, Turkmen government's message said. The Indian side was headed by the Indian Deputy Foreign Minister Sujata Mehta. The consultations were also attended by officials of the regional, economic, trade and energy departments of India's Ministry of External Affairs, said the report. The parties discussed the issues of bilateral relations in political, trade and economic spheres. Meanwhile, the parties exchanged views on certain international and regional issues of mutual interest, according to the report. Participants of the consultations expressed their strong support and noted that Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline's implementation will have a positive impact on further development of political and economic cooperation between countries and regions, said the message. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Jeremy Corbyn has called for Chancellor George Osborne to follow the Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith in resigning. Mr Duncan Smith, known as IDS, tendered his resignation in a scathing letter to the Prime Minister, in which he questioned whether the Government was really trying to ensure "we are all in this together" and criticised Mr Osborne's Budget, which announced 4.4bn in cuts to disablity benefits while promising tax cuts for the better off. He said: "While [disability benefit cuts] are defensible in narrow terms, given the continuing deficit, they are not defensible in the way they were placed within a Budget that benefits higher earning taxpayers". Iain Duncan Smith has announced his resignation from the Cabinet over the disability benefit cuts (Getty) Mr Corbyn said: "The resignation of Iain Duncan Smith reveals a Government in disarray and a Chancellor who has lost the credibility to manage the economy in the interests of the majority of our people. "The Budget has exposed George Osborne's record of profound unfairness and economic failure. Not only must the cuts to support for disabled people be abandoned, but the Government must change economic course. "The Chancellor has failed the British people. He should follow the honourable course taken by Iain Duncan Smith and resign." The Labour leader has been a vocal critic of the plan to cut Personal Independence Payments (PIP) by 30 a week for disabled people deemed fit to work. This will mean disabled people will lose the specially adapted equipment which helps them dress themselves, go to the bathroom and even leave the house to go to work. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live earlier, the opposition leader said 200,000 of the 640,000 people hit by the changes would lose out altogether as a result of the Government's plans. 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Show all 7 1 /7 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Closing Remploy factories The Work and Pensions Secretary called time on Britains system of Remploy factories, which provided subsidised and sheltered employment to disabled people. People employed at the factories protested against their closure and said they provided gainful work. Is it a kindness to stick people in some factory where they are not doing any work at all? Just making cups of coffee? Mr Duncan Smith said at the time, defending the decision. I promise you this is better. The Remploy organisation was privatised and sold to American workfare provider Maximus, with the majority of the organisations factories closed. The future of the remaining sites is unclear 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Scrapping the Independent Living Fund The 320m Independent Living Fund was established in 1988 to give financial support to people with disabilities. It was scrapped on July 1 2015, with 18,000 often severely disabled people losing out by an average of 300 a week. The money was generally used to help pay for carers so people could live in communities rather than institutions. Councils will get a boost in funding to compensate but it will not cover the whole cost of the fund. This new cash also doesnt have to be spent on the disabled 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Cut payments for the disabled Access To Work scheme Iain Duncan Smith is bringing forward a policy that will reduce payments to some disabled people from a scheme designed to help them into work. The 108m scheme, which helps 35,540 people, will be capped on a per-used basis, potentially hitting those with the more serious disabilities who currently receive the most help. The single biggest users of the fund are people who have difficulty seeing and hearing. The cut will come in from October 2015. The charity Disability UK says the scheme actually makes the Government money because the people who gain access to work tend pay tax that more than covers its cost. The DWP does not describe the reduction as a cut and says it will be able to spread the money more thinly and cover more people 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Cut Employment and Support Allowance The latest Budget included a 30 a week cut in disability benefits for some new claimants of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). The Government says it is equalising the rate of disability benefits with Jobseekers Allowance because giving disabled people more help is a perverse incentive. The people affected by this cut are those assessed as having a limited capability for work but as being capable of some work-related activity. A group of prominent Catholics wrote to Mr Duncan Smith to say there was no justification for this cut. Mental health charity Mind, said the cut was insulting and misguided 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Risk homelessness with a sharp increase disability benefit sanctions Official figures in the first quarter of 2014 found a huge increase in sanctions against people reliant on ESA sickness benefit. The 15,955 sanctions were handed out in that period compared to 3,574 in the same period the year before, 2013 a 4.5 times increase. The homelessness charity Crisis warned at the time that the sharp rise in temporary benefit cuts was cruel and can leave people utterly destitute without money even for food and at severe risk of homelessness. It is difficult to see how they are meant to help people prepare for work, Matt Downie, director of policy at the charity added 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Sending sick people to work because of broken fitness to work tests In 2012 a government advisor appointed to review the Governments Work Capability Assessment said the tests causing suffering by sending sick people back to work inappropriately. There are certainly areas where it's still not working and I am sorry there are people going through a system which I think still needs improvement, Professor Malcolm Harrington concluded. The tests are said to have improved since then, but as recently as this summer they are still coming in for criticism. In June the British Psychological Society said there was now significant body of evidence that the WCA is failing to assess peoples fitness for work accurately and appropriately. It called for a full overhaul of the way the tests are carried out. The WCA appeals system has also been fraught with controversy with a very high rate of overturns and delays lasting months and blamed for hardship 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people The bedroom tax The Governments benefit cut for people who it says are under-occupying their homes disproportionately affects disabled people. Statistics released last year show that around two-thirds of those affected by the under-occupancy penalty, widely known as the bedroom tax, are disabled. There have been a number of high profile cases of disabled people being moved out of specially adapted homes by the policy. In one case publicised by the Sunday People last week, a 48 year old man with cerebral palsy was forced to bathe in a paddling pool after the tax moved him out of his home with a walk-in shower. The Government says it has provided councils with a discretionary fund to help reduce the policys impact on disabled people, but cases continue to arise He said: "It is utterly appalling what they are proposing. We will be forcing a vote in Parliament on this. I hope and believe all opposition parties will join with us in that. "I believe a number of Conservative MPs are so upset about this they too will vote against the Government." Mr Osborne has hinted that he plans to back down on the proposals after Conservative backbencher Andrew Percy, who organised a letter to the Chancellor calling for a U-turn, warned that the Government - which has a slim working majority of just 17 - will face an embarassing defeat in the Commons if it attempts to force through the changes. Additional reporting by PA Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A leading Labour MP has said that Iain Duncan Smiths resignation is proof that the Government is in melt down. Mr Duncan Smith announced his shock resignation as Department of Work and Pensions Minister last night. He said that the Governments decision to cut disability benefits while also allowing tax cuts for high earners in this weeks Budget was not defensible. Debbie Abrahams, Shadow Minister for Disabled People, told The Independent: This is a shambles. David Cameron has blamed Iain Duncan Smith and Iain Duncan Smith has said he doesnt support his own policies! The Government is in melt down. It seems the Tories own backbench MPs now recognise that Labours long-held concerns about these cruel cuts to disabled people- over 24bn to date have been well founded and that they are a step too far. 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Show all 7 1 /7 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Closing Remploy factories The Work and Pensions Secretary called time on Britains system of Remploy factories, which provided subsidised and sheltered employment to disabled people. People employed at the factories protested against their closure and said they provided gainful work. Is it a kindness to stick people in some factory where they are not doing any work at all? Just making cups of coffee? Mr Duncan Smith said at the time, defending the decision. I promise you this is better. The Remploy organisation was privatised and sold to American workfare provider Maximus, with the majority of the organisations factories closed. The future of the remaining sites is unclear 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Scrapping the Independent Living Fund The 320m Independent Living Fund was established in 1988 to give financial support to people with disabilities. It was scrapped on July 1 2015, with 18,000 often severely disabled people losing out by an average of 300 a week. The money was generally used to help pay for carers so people could live in communities rather than institutions. Councils will get a boost in funding to compensate but it will not cover the whole cost of the fund. This new cash also doesnt have to be spent on the disabled 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Cut payments for the disabled Access To Work scheme Iain Duncan Smith is bringing forward a policy that will reduce payments to some disabled people from a scheme designed to help them into work. The 108m scheme, which helps 35,540 people, will be capped on a per-used basis, potentially hitting those with the more serious disabilities who currently receive the most help. The single biggest users of the fund are people who have difficulty seeing and hearing. The cut will come in from October 2015. The charity Disability UK says the scheme actually makes the Government money because the people who gain access to work tend pay tax that more than covers its cost. The DWP does not describe the reduction as a cut and says it will be able to spread the money more thinly and cover more people 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Cut Employment and Support Allowance The latest Budget included a 30 a week cut in disability benefits for some new claimants of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). The Government says it is equalising the rate of disability benefits with Jobseekers Allowance because giving disabled people more help is a perverse incentive. The people affected by this cut are those assessed as having a limited capability for work but as being capable of some work-related activity. A group of prominent Catholics wrote to Mr Duncan Smith to say there was no justification for this cut. Mental health charity Mind, said the cut was insulting and misguided 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Risk homelessness with a sharp increase disability benefit sanctions Official figures in the first quarter of 2014 found a huge increase in sanctions against people reliant on ESA sickness benefit. The 15,955 sanctions were handed out in that period compared to 3,574 in the same period the year before, 2013 a 4.5 times increase. The homelessness charity Crisis warned at the time that the sharp rise in temporary benefit cuts was cruel and can leave people utterly destitute without money even for food and at severe risk of homelessness. It is difficult to see how they are meant to help people prepare for work, Matt Downie, director of policy at the charity added 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Sending sick people to work because of broken fitness to work tests In 2012 a government advisor appointed to review the Governments Work Capability Assessment said the tests causing suffering by sending sick people back to work inappropriately. There are certainly areas where it's still not working and I am sorry there are people going through a system which I think still needs improvement, Professor Malcolm Harrington concluded. The tests are said to have improved since then, but as recently as this summer they are still coming in for criticism. In June the British Psychological Society said there was now significant body of evidence that the WCA is failing to assess peoples fitness for work accurately and appropriately. It called for a full overhaul of the way the tests are carried out. The WCA appeals system has also been fraught with controversy with a very high rate of overturns and delays lasting months and blamed for hardship 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people The bedroom tax The Governments benefit cut for people who it says are under-occupying their homes disproportionately affects disabled people. Statistics released last year show that around two-thirds of those affected by the under-occupancy penalty, widely known as the bedroom tax, are disabled. There have been a number of high profile cases of disabled people being moved out of specially adapted homes by the policy. In one case publicised by the Sunday People last week, a 48 year old man with cerebral palsy was forced to bathe in a paddling pool after the tax moved him out of his home with a walk-in shower. The Government says it has provided councils with a discretionary fund to help reduce the policys impact on disabled people, but cases continue to arise Last week, government plans were unveiled to cut an average of 3,500 a year from disabled people through the Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Many campaigners have condemned the move, arguing that the benefits are essential funds for people to live with dignity. In Wednesdays Budget, Chancellor George Osborne also announced a series of tax cuts for high earners, including reducing capital gains tax. A poll by YouGov found that 70 per cent of members of the British public believe that cuts to disability benefits are the wrong priority for the Government. Just 13 per cent of respondents said that the policy is a good idea. However, there has been speculation that Mr Duncan Smiths resignation could be unrelated to qualms over cuts and is instead linked to a court battle he lost this week for the Department of Work and Pensions to suppress publication of internal reports on the Universal Credit scheme. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The resignation of Iain Duncan Smith as Work and Pensions Secretary has left the Tory government in a state of chaos and confusion. But while the reasons for one of the most senior government minister's walk-out are still being debated, the question remains about who will step into his shoes. No names have yet been put forward by No 10 but an announcement is expected to take place later. Meanwhile, here are some runners-up, who could fill the hole in the Cabinet. Matthew Hancock An EU-loyalist and George Osborne's own protege, Mr Hancock has already been mentioned as a potential replacement for IDS in the next Cabinet reshuffle following the June referendum. But the appointment of the MP for West Sussex could annoy some Tory rebels, campaigning for a Brexit. Tory MP Matthew Hancock has accepted the reports proposals (Getty) Priti Patel The employment minister and IDS's number two at the Department of Work and Pensions is briefed about the job and would be a logical choice to continue the work the department has carried out. Elected for the seat of Witham, Essex, in 2010, she is regarded as being on the party's right-wing, and Mr cameron may hesitate to appoint her after her open campaigning for a Brexit. Priti Patel is part of the campaign group to leave the EU (PA) Stephen Crabb, The Secretary of State for Wales has been an MP since 2005. A government whip in the coalition government, he is trusted to toe the government line. However, with Welsh Assembly elections taking place in May, it would be an odd time for him to move on. Stephen Crabb has been appointed the new Minister for Work and Pensions (Oli Scarff/Getty Images) Robert Halfon The Minister without Portfolio, who attends Cabinet meetings, could be given a chance to head a department. Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, Mr Halfon is ambitious but was also embroiled in in sex scandal after his affair with the party's youth wing was revealed last November. Robert Halfon is allegedly linked with a Ukrainian arrested in Vienna (Rex Features) Anna Soubry The Minister for Small Business since 2015, Anna Soubry attends Cabinet meetings. The former journalist has previously served as an undersecretary for public health and was once reminded by the Speaker of the House of Commons she was not the Government's spokeswoman after she heckled the opposition. Anna Soubry, Minister for Welfare, Personnel and Veterans at the Ministry of Defence (Getty Images) Chris Grayling Like IDS ,the Leader of the House of Commons and former Secretary of State for Justice, is a strong advocate for Britain to leave the EU, so appointing him would keep Brexit supporters quiet. However, an open rebel against Mr Cameron's pro-EU campaign could make him an unlikely choice. Several of Chris Graylings reforms are being reviewed by his successor (Getty Images Europe) Jane Ellison Under secretary of state for public health, the Battersea MP was elected in 2010 - maybe a new face in the Cabinet. Health minister Jane Ellison speaking to the Commons on Tuesday (PA) A decision is expected later today. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Four Britons have been arrested in Kenya on suspicion of terror offences after taking pictures at an airport, according to reports. The men were reportedly arrested at Nairobi's Wilson Airport and taken for questioning after sparking the terror alert last Saturday. The men, named in media reports as Ian Glover, 46, Steve Gibson, 60, Eddie Swift and Paul Abbott, both 47, are said to have been planespotting at the airport. It is understood they thought they had the permission to do so from an airport official, but were arrested by police and charged with using a mobile phone app to monitor flights and trespassing. Speaking to The Sun, Mr Swift's brother Peter said: Eddie and his mates are just chaps who like taking pictures of planes. Its a very worrying time. Its blindingly obvious they werent doing anyone any harm and werent plotting anything. None of them would harm a fly. The men were are said to have been detained by the authorities on Monday and have been held since. A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: We are in contact with Kenyan authorities following the arrest of four British nationals and are ready to provide consular assistance. Photography in airports was banned in Kenya following a massacre at a shopping centre in Nairobi in 2013 that killed 67 people. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A renowned pianist has found his young daughters slain in their beds and his estranged wife suffering multiple stab wounds after he arrived at their home to pick the girls up. Ukrainian-born Vadym Kholodenko, 29, found Nika, five, and Michaela, one, dead in their bedroom at their home in Fort Worth, Texas, early on Thursday. Their Russian mother, Sofya Tsygankova, 31, was "in an extreme state of distress" and was rushed to hospital to treat her injuries, which were not life-threatening. Benbrook Police said Mr Kholodenko, who won the $50,000 prize at the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2013, is not considered a suspect in the investigation. Police Commander David Babcock said Ms Tsygankova will be held for mental health evaluation once she recovers from her injuries. He told a news conference that police do not see an immediate threat to the community and are not actively searching for a suspect, but he declined to say whether the stab wounds were self-inflicted. There were no signs of forced entry into the home and police are investigating the case as a double homicide. The children's cause of death has not yet been determined. Mr Kholodenko said in a statement: "The loss of my children will be with me forever. But I would like to say that I feel the support of the Fort Worth community and all people who are sending me messages all over the world," "Wherever I go after this tragedy, my heart will stay with the people here of Fort Worth and my daughters will rest in this soil," he added. Mr Kholodenko cancelled three shows with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra over the weekend but in his statement he asked people going to the orchestra's concerts "to think of the music." Nine photos of completely deserted and creepy Chinese amusement parks Show all 9 1 /9 Nine photos of completely deserted and creepy Chinese amusement parks Nine photos of completely deserted and creepy Chinese amusement parks Little China, Shenzhen The feeling that Cerio coaxes with his images is purposefully "detached." He frames the structures to appear disconnected from their environment and from the viewer. As the parks reopen and visitors flood in, the amusement parks become happy again. But Cerio asks, "Why don't they represent this to begin with?" Stefano Cerio Nine photos of completely deserted and creepy Chinese amusement parks Huairou Here we have the rather mysterious cover image for Cerio's book. He doesn't explain why the giant fruit installation exists or how it came to be. That sense of wonder is part of his art Stefano Cerio Nine photos of completely deserted and creepy Chinese amusement parks Shilaoren Bathing Beach, Qingdao The series is actually about the concept of human amusement. We're meant to question our ideas of happiness, as well as the true nature of these structures. Cerio wants viewers to realize that happiness can be found in other, less obvious places or simply within us, wanting and waiting to be found Stefano Cerio Nine photos of completely deserted and creepy Chinese amusement parks Polar Ocean Park, Qingdao He took the pictures in cities across China, such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Macao, and Dongguan Stefano Cerio Nine photos of completely deserted and creepy Chinese amusement parks Happy Valley, Shenzhen Although this strange series was shot in China, Cerio insists that the project is not social commentary on China's culture, or the country as a whole Stefano Cerio Nine photos of completely deserted and creepy Chinese amusement parks Huairou Cerio used the severe levels of pollution and consistent smog in the surrounding areas to create his own eerie dystopia through the diffused and gentle light of the gray skies Stefano Cerio Nine photos of completely deserted and creepy Chinese amusement parks Shijingshang Park, Beijing General images of amusement rides and carnival food stands usually trigger nostalgic, happy memories. But through Cerio's washed-out, muted color palette and especially without people around the spaces verge on depressing Stefano Cerio Nine photos of completely deserted and creepy Chinese amusement parks Treasure Island Pirate Kingdom, Qingdao Those five themes are explored through recreational areas generally visited by the public for holidays and vacations. What these spaces look like when they're completely empty allows us to see them in a new light and to question their existence Stefano Cerio Nine photos of completely deserted and creepy Chinese amusement parks Shanghai Happy Valley, Shanghai Five major themes recur in Cerio's work: representation, illusion, vision, expectations, and reality. Here, he questions whether rides, and the parks they reside in, are symbols of happiness, or merely an illusion Stefano Cerio Court records obtained by the local media show the couple married in 2010 but filed a case for divorce in November. The family moved to Fort Worth in 2014 from Moscow and police were called at their home twice that year but would not disclose the reasons. Ms Tsygankova told the local press in 2014 their decision to move was linked to the medical problems of their daughter Nika. "We wanted to be together, with Vadym, to be a family, and for us, maybe it was the only choice for us to come here," she said. Mr Kholodenko came regularly in the mornings to pick up his children. "The Cliburn family is mourning the loss of the precious Kholodenko girls. We are heartbroken and offer our prayers to Vadym and all affected by this overwhelming tragedy," said Maggie Estes, a spokeswoman for the Cliburn competition. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The presidential race is heading to Arizona and Utah this week, but many Republicans are already looking further ahead and further west to California. The most populous state in the US is home to 172 GOP delegates, but in recent elections the battle for the nomination has been sewn up long before it reached the Pacific coast. This year, however, with the party establishment scrambling to deny Donald Trump the majority of 1,237 delegates he needs to secure the nomination before the partys convention in July, California could be a final bulwark against Trump tide. The Golden State goes to the polls with New Jersey and four other smaller states on 7 June, the final day of the GOP primary season. California has voted for the Democrat at the last six presidential elections, but this deep blue state still has more than enough Republican voters to make a decisive impact on the partys nomination. Mitt Romney won more votes in California in 2012 than he did in Texas. Recent polls of the states Republican voters give Mr Trump a modest lead over his remaining competitors, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich. His closest rival, the ultra-conservative Mr Cruz, plans to mount a last-ditch challenge to The Donald, and has already amassed a formidable network of volunteers across the state. In a blog post, Ron Nehring, the California chairman for the Cruz campaign, insisted: I havent spoken to a single moderate Republican who actually prefers Donald Trump over Ted Cruz. This Tuesdays biggest prize is Arizona, a winner-takes-all contest worth 58 delegates, where polls put Mr Trump ahead by an average of more than 10 points. The Utah caucuses on the same day look more promising for Mr Cruz, but only 40 delegates are up for grabs there, doled out proportionately. Ted Cruz currently holds a 28 per cent share of the Republican vote (AP) A national poll conducted by Rasmussen in the wake of Marco Rubios withdrawal last week served only to underscore Mr Trumps dominance. Rather than rally behind a single Stop Trump candidate, Mr Rubios supporters split evenly, maintaining Mr Trumps 15-point lead, with 43 per cent support, over Mr Cruz on 28 and Mr Kasich on 21 per cent. A group of conservatives committed to halting Mr Trumps irresistible rise congregated in Washington last Thursday to discuss strategy. Among the organisers of the four-hour Never Trump meeting were the blogger and radio host Erick Erickson, and Bill Wichterman, a former adviser to President George W Bush. Invitations to the event said the groups aim was to defeat Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, and if he is the Republican nominee for president, to offer a true conservative candidate in the general election. A statement released afterwards suggested a unity ticket of other Republican candidates, and/or a contested convention. In a contested, or brokered, convention no candidate has secured enough delegates to win the nomination and the convention becomes a desperate scramble to secure delegates in a series of increasingly fraught votes. Mr Cruz may be their best bet to defeat Mr Trump, but establishment figures remain reluctant to support the Texas Senator, who is widely disliked in Washington. Late on Friday Mr Romney said he would vote for Mr Cruz in Utah, but declined to endorse him. The only way we can reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many of the remaining nominating elections as possible, he said. In pictures: US Elections 2016 Show all 15 1 /15 In pictures: US Elections 2016 In pictures: US Elections 2016 Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks to supporters after rival candidate Hillary Clinton was projected as the winner in the Nevada Democratic caucuses Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton takes photos with workers at her campaign office in Des Moines, Iowa AP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, second from left, prays before lunch with supporters at Drake Diner in Des Moines, Iowa Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Maryland Governor. Martin O'Malley, speaks during a campaign stop in Waterloo, Iowa AP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks, as his wife Jane OMeara Sanders looks on, at a campaign event at Iowa State University Getty In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio speaks at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks at a campaign event at Fireside Pub and Steak House in Manchester, Iowa. Getty In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum visiting supporters at a house party in West Des Moines, Iowa Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa AP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican candidate Ted Cruz campaigns at Greene County Community Centre in Jefferson, Iowa AP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Senator Rand Paul speaks during a Caucus rally at his Des Moines headquarters in Iowa Getty In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican candidate Jeb Bush speaks at a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa AFP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin introducing the arrival of Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 A portrait of Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders at his campaign headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa Getty In pictures: US Elections 2016 Campaign badges on sale ahead of a Trump rally at the Ramada Waterloo Hotel and Convention Centre in Waterloo, Iowa Getty Mr Kasich, meanwhile, is preparing for the possibility of a brokered convention in Cleveland in July, where he could make the argument that he is the most electable of the remaining candidates. This week, the governor hired two advisers with experience of the most recent contested Republican convention that was 40 years ago, in 1976. Some have suggested inserting another contender into the process at the 11th hour. Yet the two most obvious candidates Mr Romney and the House Speaker, Paul Ryan have insisted they would not accept such an offer. If Mr Trump comes up a few delegates shy of a majority, but is not awarded the nomination outright, the billionaire has warned that he thinks there would be riots. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Five people have been arrested after two men were found hanging dead from a tree in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand. Muhammad Majloom, 35, and Azad Khan alias Ibrahim, 15, had reportedly been on their way to a cattle market with eight cows when they were attacked by a group. When found their hands were tied and the bodies bore injury marks, indicating that they had been beaten to death and then hanged, according to the Indian Express. The police say the five men arrested over the murders belong to the Jhabar village where the incident took place and robbery was the motive for the killings. We arrested these people last night. There are eight suspects in all. One of the suspects nurtured a grudge against the two," Latehar police chief Anup Birthare told NDTV. Police are investigating all angles, including whether they belonged to any cow protection organisation. We will make this clear in the days to come." The police report that there have been allegations from locals that the alleged killers are linked to cow-protection vigilante groups. The killing of cows is forbidden in some regions of India as many Hindus regard the animal as sacred. The discovery of the dead bodies sparked a violent protest by loal villagers, reported The Times of India. Six police officers were reportedly injured when they arrived to manage the situation and locals are said to have blocked the National Highway for 99 hours, demanding immediate arrest and hanging of the assailants. Attacks on cattle traders, who are typically from the minority Muslim population (14 per cent) in India, have been reported in several parts of India recently. In September 2015 a man was dragged out of his home in Uttar Pradesh by a mob of 200 and beaten to death after it was publicly announced that he had killed a calf and eaten the meat. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} When the US lawyer Kimberley Motley first arrived to work in Afghanistan in 2008, she admitted she had come for the money, like half the people here. She had student loans to pay off and a family back in America to support. Eight years later, the former Wisconsin beauty queen is the only foreigner with a licence to litigate in Afghanistans courts, and her work is the subject of a new documentary, Motleys Law. Her clients range from imprisoned Afghan women in Kabuls Badam Bagh prison to foreign security contractors, as well as kidnap and rape victims. She also offers free legal advice to children in juvenile detention centres. In one of her most high profile and contentious recent cases, she represented the family of Farkhunda Malikzada, the 27-year-old woman beaten to death by a mob after being falsely accused of burning a Koran. Speaking to The Independent, Ms Motley expressed her frustration at the way that the case against Ms Malikzadas attackers eventually unfolded. In the original trial, there were 19 criminal convictions. Eight were for police officers failing to render assistance. Four men were sentenced to death. It puts people on notice that if you see a person getting hurt, you have not only a moral obligation to step in, but also a legal obligation, Ms Motley says of the conviction of the police officers. I dont think the verdicts were perfect but with mob violence-like cases, it is very difficult to get everybody. But the euphoria at the decisions of the first court soon evaporated. Ms Motley and the family came under heavy pressure to step aside. The reason I got off that case was that the family was heavily pressured by the government to get off that case. Actually, I was pressured specifically by people at the Presidential Palace to the point where I was forced to go to the Palace late at night to talk about why I was representing the family. In subsequent rulings, the sentences were watered down. Ms Motley suggests that various requirements of Afghan law were ignored as the original decisions were overturned. I was satisfied by the first court. The second and third courts have been a real travesty. I think it definitely is step backwards for Afghanistan legally and morally, the lawyer states. It is just another example that womens lives in Afghanistan just do not mean as much as mens do. Motleys Law, directed by Nicole Nielsen Horany reveals that Ms Motley is both extremely respectful of Islamic law and fiery and stubborn in the extreme when it comes to defending her clients. She is an inspirational figure, a badass lawyer fighting for justice as she has often been styled. After first arriving in Kabul, Ms Motley immersed herself in the workings of the Afghan legal system. She describes herself as a legal archaeologist, always trying to dig up laws that might help her clients. In particular, she points to chapters and verses in Islamic texts that protect women. For example, she points to a passage which says that, in order to accuse someone of adultery, you must have four eye-witnesses. There are never four eye-witnesses in court but I can use that chapter and verse in court to litigate successfully for my client. She also cites a line, a woman is never to be inherited, which she interprets as never be forced to marry. In the hope of hot water, security and electricity, Ms Motley had gone to the Serena Hotel in Kabul just before it was attacked by Taliban gunmen in March 2014. She hid in a hotel room during the shooting. Witnessing the bloodshed was a reminder of just how dangerous the city could be. In spite of having lived with the constant threat of violence throughout her time in Afghanistan, Ms Motley was shaken by the incident. In 2014, she relocated her law firm to a new, undisclosed location in Afghanistan. She has also begun to take on more cases outside the country. Nonetheless, her commitment to the country remains. Ms Motley grew up in Milwaukee, the daughter of an African-American father (who served in the US Navy) and a Korean mother. As she invariably jokes when asked if she is intimidated by Afghanistan, I always tell people that I grew up in a tough neighbourhood. The documentary, which opens with her coming back to her Kabul apartment to discover that somebody has lobbed a grenade into her building, makes it very clear Ms Motley is not the type to be cowed by the threat of the violence. I cant work like that, I work better angry than fearful, Ms Motley declares. Fearful it just cripples you. If I am too afraid in Afghanistan, I dont need to be there. I am not going to be effective. It just is what it is. Motleys Law is released on 1 April For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Tibetan diaspora is a knockabout democracy that puts Chinas kow-towing rubber stamp parliament to shame. Since the Dalai Lama renounced his secular powers five years ago, political leadership has been shouldered by an elected sikyong, or prime minister, the first office-holder being a graduate of Harvard Law School named Lobsang Sangay. His job post is up for grabs this weekend, in an election in which tens of thousands of exiles worldwide will vote electronically, and if online comments are any guide, the incumbent will face a fierce challenge. One voter, Tashi Tsomo, writes that under his leadership, The exile administration has not achieved any concrete results in the political, economic, education and social spheres. Another, Mila Rangzen, accused him of telling the world that Tibetans never had a country and failing to demand democracy for Tibetans still living under Chinese rule. In the incumbents defence, it must be one of the toughest political jobs in the world. Most Tibetans both inside and outside the country continue to regard the Dalai Lama as their chief, in political as well as spiritual affairs; Lobsang Sangay has failed to make inroads into that. He has also failed to persuade Beijing to reopen the long-running but unproductive negotiations over the Dalai Lamas possible return. Indeed, he has succeeded in doing nothing but excite Chinese contempt. Beijing still fears the Dalai Lamas vast influence, both on the exile community and beyond, to the extent that it is said to be plotting to anoint a new, tame reincarnation when the present Dalai Lama dies. But it refers to the Central Tibetan Administration, based in the Indian town of Dharamsala, as the so-called government in exile. Asked to comment on the upcoming election, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang demanded that the so-called Tibet independence activities of anti-China separatists be denied a platform by countries friendly to China (In fact, neither candidate in the election is calling for Tibets independence). Meanwhile, in Tibet itself the marginalisation of the indigenous population continues apace. That project moved up a gear this week with confirmation that a second railway line is to be built connecting Lhasa to the Chinese heartland, this time to Chengdu, the capital of Schezuan province, which has long been Chinas gateway to the plateau. The first line, completed in 2006 and connecting Lhasa with Beijing, was one of the engineering feats of the age, its trains traversing 1,200 miles in two days and crossing passes 16,400ft high. Passengers are provided with individual oxygen supplies to combat altitude sickness. Trains on the new line, part of a five-year development programme, will make the 1,120-mile journey in 13 hours. The railway line has thrown open the doors to Tibet like nothing before, resulting in an explosive growth of hotels and other facilities for the visitors, all but a tiny fraction of whom are Chinese. Tourist numbers are soaring: in 1987 a mere 44,000 made the lengthy trip; last year the figure was 20 million, 20 per cent more than in 2014. The plateau across which they swarm has an indigenous population of only 3.2 million. Tibetans continue to express their anguish at Chinese domination by taking their own lives, two setting themselves alight in recent weeks; all told, more than 140 have died this way. But such drastic demonstrations have become more sporadic, and the Chinese authorities are now redoubling their efforts to stop them from happening altogether. In 2011 the government launched a campaign with the Orwellian title Benefit the Masses, which involved sending 21,000 Communist Party cadres in teams of four or more to each of the 5,000 villages in the Tibet Autonomous Region. According to the Communist Party leader in the region, the idea was to turn each village into a fortress in the struggle against separatism, setting up party organisations in each village, establishing spy networks and carrying out re-education under the slogan Feeling the Partys kindness. Reminiscent of the micro-surveillance networks established at village level by the Japanese in their South-east Asian conquests during World War Two, the teams, each accompanied by at least one Tibetan for translation purposes, had the task of inculcating core socialist values and discouraging bad old traditions. The programme was scheduled to end in 2014, but Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports it is now intended to be permanent, with each Tibetan village sprinkled with government buildings at a total cost of more than 560m. The construction plan, HRW reports, will radically change the nature of Tibetan villages, which until now have never had any government offices or resident officials. If it goes according to plan, any last embers of Tibetan defiance will be snuffed out. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} France has voted to slash the "Nutella tax" - a surcharge on imported palm oil, which is used in the famous chocolate spread - after protests from world growers Indonesia and Malaysia. The tax of 300 per tonne of palm oil was approved by the country's upper chamber under pressure from environmental groups as part of a bill on biodiversity, but now French MPs have backed down to reduce it to just 90 per tonne. Palm oil has long been criticsed by green acitivists for destroying large parts of rainforests to make way for land-greedy palm tree plantations. The initial tax proposal would have seen the tax rise to 500 in 2018, 700 in 2019 and 900 in 2020. The surcharge was decried by the world's leading palm oil growers Malaysia and Indonesia, which called the tax "arrogant" and "excessive" and a move that could threaten the relationship between the countries. Although France is a small consummer of palm oil, importing 150.000 tonnes a year compared to a global production of 62 million, Indonesia and Malaysia, which economies rely heavily on its production, feared the idea of the tax would spread to other consumers. Biodiversity secretary Barbara Pompili said the tax was "more realistic" and sent the right signal, while preventing growers to boycott exports of palm oil to France. Socialist party member Jean-Louis Bricout added the aim of the tax had never been to "suddenly destabilise supplies to companies in France, or the revenue of the producers of these oils, who are mainly in developing countries." Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings Show all 15 1 /15 Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings London Road Fire Station, Manchester Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings London Road Fire Station, Manchester Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings London Road Fire Station, Manchester Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings London Road Fire Station, Manchester Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings London Road Fire Station, Manchester Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings London Road Fire Station, Manchester Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings Crossness Pumping Station, Bexley Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings Crossness Pumping Station, Bexley Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings Crossness Pumping Station, Bexley Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings Crossness Pumping Station, Bexley Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings St Clement's Mental Hospital, Mile End, London Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings St Clement's Mental Hospital, Mile End, London Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings St Clement's Mental Hospital, Mile End, London Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings Peckham Church, London Eerie images of Britains forgotten buildings Peckham Church, London The bill is at its second reading stage and will go back to the Senate but deputies in the lower chamber will have the final say. Last year, Environment Minister Segolene Royal caused fury in Italy, when she called on people to stop eating the choclate spread, which contains palm oil. She was forced to apologise a few days later. High in saturated fat, palm oil remains one of the least taxed vegetable oils in France - at 104 per tonne against 190 for olive oil - despite its negative impact on health. Tehran, Iran, March 19 By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend: After six years of inactivity under strict sanctions, an Iranian commercial ship, Azargoon, docked at a European port. The Azargoon's docking at Germany's Hamburg was the first Iranian merchant vessel to stop at a European port since sanctions were lifted on Iran in January, according to Iran Shipping Lines CEO Mohammad Saidi, Tasnim news agency reported. The Iranian vessel can carry 2,500 standard shipping containers. It was welcomed by officials from local companies Eurogate and PWL. The docking marked the reopening of the European Container Line between Iran and Europe, which was suspended in 2010 due to sanctions imposed by the U.S. and their allies. The ship will berth at Port of Antwerp, Belgium on its way back to the Persian Gulf, Saidi said. The official had earlier said that the ship was carrying petrochemical products. He also revealed that Iran is planning to launch shipping lines from the Persian Gulf to Eastern Asia and Latin America, adding Iran is taking measures to have ships journey to North America as well. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Footage has emerged showing the moment a suicide bomber blew himself up in one of Istanbuls busiest shopping streets, killing four people. A graphic video that The Independent has decided not to publish shows shoppers walking up and down Istiklal Street, chatting to friends and laughing in the final seconds before the blast. Seconds later, a huge explosion rocks the avenue, which is lined with international shops and foreign consulates, sending glass and debris flying as people flee the scene. Footage showed shoppers passing down Istiklal Street seconds before the suicide bombing on 19 March As the smokes and flames clear, burn marks can be seen on the ground alongside charred bodies and scattered limbs. Separate footage captured by a shop CCTV camera several metres away shows the explosion engulfing the wide boulevard before bystanders, including a man who appears to be injured, flee down the road. Turkish officials say five people, including the suicide bomber died and 36 more were injured, including 12 foreigners, in what was the fourth terror attack in the country in 2016. Three Israeli citizens may be among those killed and 11 were wounded, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said, adding that the government was sending a plane to bring the victims home. Turkish officials said one Iranian and one Israeli were among the dead, Ireland said a number of its citizens were hurt and broadcaster NTV said two Icelandic citizens were also injured. There was no immediate claim of responsibility and suspicion turned to both Isis and the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and its affiliates. Both factions have committed atrocities in Turkey at an increasing rate over the past year, as Turkey continues military operations in Kurdish areas in the south-east and the Syrian war rages over the border. In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing Medics try to help wounded people after an explosion in Istiklal Street in Istanbul, Turkey, 19 March 2016. EPA In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing People jump a police line to flee the scene of an explosion on the pedestrian Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing People take shelter inside a shop after an explosion on the pedestrian Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing A girl cries in front of injured people on the scene of an explosion on the pedestrian Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing People flee the scene of an explosion on the pedestrian Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing Turkish police push people away after an explosion on the pedestrian Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing Police inspect the site after an explosion in Istiklal Street in Istanbul, Turkey, 19 March 2016. EPA In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing Turkish policemen stand in a cordon off street after a suicide bomb attack at Istiklal Street in Istanbul, Turkey, 19 March 2016. EPA In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing Emergency services inspect the area following a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in the central part of the city on March 19, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. Getty Images In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing Police secure the area following a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in the central part of the city on March 19, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey Getty Images Turkish officials told Reuters the bomber may have been aiming for a more crowded area. The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the targeted point because they were scared of the police, one said. Another official said investigations were focusing on three possible suspects, all of them male and two of them from the southern city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border. People flee the scene of an explosion on the pedestrian Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016. (AFP/Getty Images) Local residents said Istiklal Street hits its peak on weekend afternoons and evenings and that 11am local time (9am GMT), when the blast hit, would have been comparatively quiet. Germany shut down its diplomatic missions and schools on Thursday, citing a specific threat. Meanwhile, the US and other European embassies had warned their citizens to be vigilant ahead of Newroz celebrations this weekend, a spring festival that Kurds in Turkey traditionally use to assert their ethnic identity and demand greater rights. Turkey is still in shock from a suicide car bombing that killed 37 people at a crowded transport hub in Ankara on Sunday and a similar bombing in the capital last month in which 29 died. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) claimed responsibility for both attacks. But the last bombing in Istanbul, which killed 13 tourists in the famous Sultanahmet Square in January was blamed on an Isis suicide bomber. Additional reporting by agencies For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A suicide bombing has left at least five people dead in a busy shopping area popular with tourists and locals in Istanbul. The governor of Istanbul Province, Vasip Sahin, initially said four people had been killed, including the bomber, but the death toll rose under an hour later as another victim died of their injuries in hospital. Health officials said 36 people were injured in the attack in Istiklal Avenue, also known as Istiklal Street, including 12 foreign nationals. Turkish police push people away after an explosion on the pedestrian Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016. (AFP/Getty Images) Several Israelis were among the wounded, the countrys foreign ministry said, and German, Iranian, Icelandic and Emirati citizens were also hurt. Ireland's minister of trade and foreign affairs, Charlie Flanagan, confirmed "a number" of Irish citizens were among the injured. CCTV footage of the explosion showed shoppers milling around on the street when the bomb was detonated next to a group of people standing on the pavement. People could be seen lying motionless on the floor as survivors ran for cover. Two children were among those injured, the Dogan news agency reported. The wide pedestrianised avenue is one of the most famous streets in Istanbul, lined with boutiques, art galleries, theatres, cafes and foreign consulates, leading to Galatasaray Square. Footage showed shoppers passing down Istiklal Street seconds before the suicide bombing on 19 March Local residents said the area hits its peak on weekends afternoon and evenings and that 11am local time (9am GMT), when the blast hit, would have been comparatively quiet. Growing speculation that the blast was another terror attack aimed at hitting Turkey's tourist industry and liberal social scene could not be confirmed and there was no immediate claim of responsibility. Turkish officials told Reuters evidence suggested the attacker was from either the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or Isis, and may have been aiming for a more crowded area. The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the targeted point because they were scared of the police, one official said. In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing Medics try to help wounded people after an explosion in Istiklal Street in Istanbul, Turkey, 19 March 2016. EPA In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing People jump a police line to flee the scene of an explosion on the pedestrian Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing People take shelter inside a shop after an explosion on the pedestrian Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing A girl cries in front of injured people on the scene of an explosion on the pedestrian Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing People flee the scene of an explosion on the pedestrian Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing Turkish police push people away after an explosion on the pedestrian Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing Police inspect the site after an explosion in Istiklal Street in Istanbul, Turkey, 19 March 2016. EPA In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing Turkish policemen stand in a cordon off street after a suicide bomb attack at Istiklal Street in Istanbul, Turkey, 19 March 2016. EPA In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing Emergency services inspect the area following a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in the central part of the city on March 19, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. Getty Images In pictures: Istanbul suicide bombing Istanbul bombing Police secure the area following a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in the central part of the city on March 19, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey Getty Images Turkish authorities imposed a temporary broadcast ban governing coverage of the attack on Saturday, while Facebook and Twitter were also blocked. The measures are frequently imposed after terrorist attacks in the country. A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said officials were monitoring the situation but could not yet confirm whether any British nationals were injured. It had previously warned of a a high threat from terrorism in Turkey, saying that attacks from a range of Islamist and Kurdish groups could be indiscriminate and target areas frequented by foreigners. The lead singer of British band Skunk Anasie, Skin, said she was in a hotel overlooking the street at the time of the blast and described the building "shaking like paper". People jump a police line to flee the scene of an explosion on the pedestrian Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016. (AFP/Getty Images) There has not yet been any update to the UK Government's travel advice for the country but Germany issued a bulletin advising citizens to stay inside their hotels. Saturday's explosion came after a bombing claimed by a Kurdish militant group killed 37 people in Ankara on Sunday and a suspected Isis suicide bomber killed 13 tourists at Istanbul's Sultanahmet Square in January. Both factions have committed atrocities in Turkey at an increasing rate over the past year as Turkey continues military operations in Kurdish areas in the south-east and the Syrian war rages over the border. Germany closed its embassy in Ankara and a consulate and German school in Istanbul last week because of a warning over an imminent attack. People flee the scene of an explosion on the pedestrian Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016. (AFP/Getty Images) Both the Istanbul school and consulate are situated near Istiklal Street but it was unclear if the threat was linked to Saturday's attack. Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary, condemned the "senseless bombing" on Twitter, while France's foreign minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, called it a despicable and cowardly act and the American embassy in Turkey said it was in mourning. Turkey has been heightening security in the city and Ankara in the run-up to a Kurdish spring festival of Newroz on 21 March, which Kurds in Turkey traditionally use to assert their ethnic identity and demand greater rights. The Turkey's Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a Kurdish-rooted opposition party, condemned the bombing. Just as in the Ankara attack, this is a terrorist act that directly targets civilians, a spokesperson said. Whoever carried out this attack, it is unacceptable and inexcusable. Additional reporting by agencies For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} All 62 people aboard a passenger jet flying from Dubai to southern Russia have been killed after the aircraft crashed on its second attempt to land at Rostov-on-Don airport. It was the second time in less than six months that a passenger jet flying Russian holidaymakers home has crashed with the loss of all on board. Flydubai flight FZ981 had left Dubai at 10.20pm local time on on 18 March. The airline said there were 55 passengers and seven crew on board. In a statement the airline said that there were 44 Russians among the 55 passengers, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one from Uzbekistan. Four children were among the dead. The Boeing 737-800 was scheduled to arrive at Rostov-on-Don at 1.20am on the morning of 19 March. Because of high winds and poor visibility in the vicinity of the airport the pilots abandoned a first attempt to land. Radar tracking shows the aircraft then flew a series of holding manoeuvres for almost two hours before making a second approach. However, the plane came down short of the runway, broke up and caught fire at about 3.40am. Russias Emergencies Ministry said one wing had clipped the ground. A mourner at Rostov-on-Don airport, the scene of the crash (AFP/Getty) Investigators recovered the flight recorder and said that the lines of inquiry include the possibility of crew error, a technical failure and bad weather conditions. They are likely to focus on the pilots decision to fly a holding pattern rather than divert to an alternative airport. The last loss of a Russia-bound flight was on 31 October, when a Metrojet Airbus A321 from Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt crashed in the Sinai desert on a flight to St Petersburg. It is widely believed the plane was downed by a bomb placed on board at the Egyptian airport. There is no indication of terrorism in the Flydubai crash. Flydubais chief executive said: We dont yet know all the details of the accident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish the cause. We are making every effort to care for those affected and will provide assistance to the loved ones of those on board. The airline is setting up reception centres for relatives of passengers. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} For the second time in less than six months, a passenger jet flying Russians home from a sunny location has crashed with the loss of all on board. Flydubai flight FZ981 had left Dubai at 10.20pm local time on Friday night. The airline says there were 55 passengers and seven crew on board. The Boeing 737 was scheduled to arrive at Rostov on Don in southern Russia at 1.20am on Saturday. Because of high winds and poor visibility in the vicinity of the airport, the pilots abandoned their first attempt to land. Radar tracking of the flight path shows the aircraft then flew a series of holding manoeuvres for almost two hours before making a second approach. The plane came down short of the runway, broke up and caught fire. Russia's Emergencies Ministry said one wing had clipped the ground. Investigators have recovered the flight recorder and say that the aircraft came down due to a technical fault or human error. The last loss of a Russia-bound flight was on 31 October, when a Metrojet Airbus A321 from Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt crashed in the Sinai desert on a flight to St Petersburg. It is widely believed that the plane was downed by a bomb placed on board at the airport in the Egyptian resort. Russian emergency trucks are seen near the area of the plane crash at the Rostov-on-Don airport (AP) There is no indication that terrorism was involved in the Flydubai crash. In a statement, Flydubai said it was deeply sorry to confirm what it described as a tragic accident. The chief executive, Ghaith Al Ghaith, said: We dont yet know all the details of the accident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish the cause. We are making every effort to care for those affected and will provide assistance to the loved ones of those on board. A Russian Emergency Situations Ministry employee, left, tries to comfort a relative of the plane crash victims at the Rostov-on-Don airport (AP) The airline is setting up reception centres for relatives of passengers. Flydubai is the budget airline owned by the government of Dubai. It began flying in 2009, with a vow to strive to make air travel more affordable. Its routes complement, rather than compete with, the Emirates network. Russian emergency fire trucks are seen among the wreckage of a crashed plane at the Rostov-on-Don airport (AP) The airlines short-and mid-haul network covers the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent, eastern Europe and north and east Africa. The jet involved was one of Flydubais fleet of 50 Boeing 737-800s, the same aircraft type used by Ryanair. It had been in service for five years. The airline has previously had an unblemished safety record. Investigators are likely to focus on the pilots' decision to fly a holding pattern rather than divert to an alternative airport. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Salah Abdeslam has been formally charged in connection with the Paris attacks as French authorities attempt to have him extradited from Belgium. He is cooperating with Belgian authorities, his lawyer Sven Mary told reporters in Brussels. I can tell you that we will refuse the extradition to France. Francois Hollande had previously said that he expected Abdeslam to be sent to France to stand trial as "soon as possible", while the Belgian federal prosecutor said the suspected Isis facilitator would be transferred "sooner or later". Paris attacks suspect caught Abdeslam has been charged with "participation in terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation", a statement from the Belgian federal prosecutor said. The 26-year-old was caught on Friday after more than 120 days on the run when police raided a flat just metres from his former home in Molenbeek. He was shot in the leg but was discharged from hospital on Saturday morning and taken into police custody in Brussels. The precise role of Abdeslam, a former small-time criminal who helped run his brothers bar in Molenbeek, is unclear but he is suspected of helping manufacture explosives, hiring cars, renting hideouts and transporting jihadists for the 13 November attacks. Salah Abdeslam Investigators believe he drove three suicide bombers to the Stade de France before travelling to the 18th arrondissement and abandoning the hire car in Place Albert Kahn. Isis initial claim of responsibility listed an attack in the district that never materialised, and a suicide vest later found in a bin in Montrouge fuelled speculation that Abdeslam had violated orders and fled Paris for Brussels. The trail went cold until Tuesday, when Belgian and French police stormed what they believed was an empty terrorist safe house in the district of Forest. But they were met by a hail of bullets from a militant armed with a Kalashnikov and riot gun, who was shot dead as two suspects fled across surrounding rooftops. In pictures: Paris attacks Show all 25 1 /25 In pictures: Paris attacks In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French police with protective shields walk in line near the Bataclan concert hall Reuters In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Rescuers evacuate an injured person on Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French Vigipirate troops mobilize next to Place de la Bastille AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French soldiers mobilize near to the Place de la Bastille AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Wounded people are evacuated outside the scene of a hostage situation at the Bataclan theatre EPA In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks People react as they gather to watch the scene near the Bataclan concert hall Reuters In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French police secure the area outside a cafe near the Bataclan concert hall Reuters In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Rescuers workers evacuate victims near the Bataclan concert hall AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and French President Francois Hollande attending an emergency meeting at the Interior Ministry AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Spectators invade the pitch of the Stade de France after explosions were heard outside AP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks A man lies on the ground as French police check his identity near the Bataclan concert hall Reuters In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Police officers man a position close to the Bataclan theatre AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Wounded people are evacuated from the Stade de France in Paris EPA In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Two men evacuate the Place de la Republique square in Paris as a police officer looks on AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Football fans are evacuated from the Stade de France stadium In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks An armed police officer Dan Gabriel In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks The Stade de France is evacuated after reports of an explosion In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks A member of the French fire brigade aids an injured individual near the Bataclan concert hall In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Wounded people are evacuated from the Stade de France in Paris In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Police are seen outside a cafe in 10th arrondissement of the French capital Paris, In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Rescuers assist an injured man on Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire, close to the Bataclan concert hall AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks The scene at a restaurant in 10th arrondissement In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks The Bataclan theatre - where around 100 people are thought be held hostage In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks The Stade de France as it was evacuated In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Forensic experts inspect the site of an attack outside the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis AFP A search of the flat resulted in the recovery of Abdeslams fingerprints on a glass, convincing authorities that he was still in Brussels, and the renewed search led police to a house just metres from his former home in Molenbeek. A police marksman shot him in the leg during a raid at 4.40pm on Friday, while a suspected accomplice, known by his alias Amine Choukri, was also arrested and has been charged with the same offences as Abdeslam. Three members of the family hiding the fugitives were detained. Abid A has since been charged with participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation and hiding criminals, Djemila M has been charged with hiding criminals but has not been put in custody and a third person, named as Sihane A, was released without charge. Interpol is calling on countries to be vigilant at their borders amid warnings that more of Abdeslam's accomplices may try to flee after his capture. Additional reporting by agencies For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Paris terror attack suspect Salah Abdeslam is to be questioned after being discharged from hospital, according to officials. Abdeslam was being treated in a Brussels hospital after sustaining wounds during his arrest. The news was announced by Yvan Mayeur, city mayor of Brussels. Two suspected terrorists left the St Pierre Hospital, he wrote on Twitter. Congratulations and thank you to all hospital staff and police forces. Abdeslam and four other people were caught in the raid in the Molenbeek suburb of Brussels. Abdeslam will be questioned by the Belgian authorities as France prepares a fast-track extradition case. Families of victims and survivors want Abdeslam to face justice in France for the November 13 attacks on a rock concert, stadium and cafes, which killed 130 victims and several attackers. Isis claimed responsibility. Once doctors consider Abdeslam fit to face questioning, he will be interrogated by Belgian investigators, possibly in the presence of French colleagues. He may be assisted by his Belgian lawyer, identified by Belgian daily Le Soir as Sven Mary. French anti-terrorist judges could file an extradition request as early as this weekend with Belgian prosecutors. A suspect is seen being escorted by police following the raid in Molenbeek (Nex Noticias) Belgian federal prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt said that an investigating magistrate has 24 hours following a detention to issue an arrest warrant, though that deadline can be prolonged for another day. Then Abdeslam will have to appear before a pretrial court, which will decide whether he stays in jail for up to another month. "If he starts talking then I presume it will mean he stays longer in Belgium," Van Der Sypt said. But "sooner or later he will be extradited to France," the Belgian prosecutor said. French and Belgian anti-terrorism prosecutors plan a teleconference call Saturday during which matters including Abdeslam's extradition will be discussed, Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office spokesman Thierry Werts said. A 2002 agreement among European Union member states speeds up the extradition process, making it a purely judicial process and removing any political aspect. For especially grave crimes, such as terrorist acts, the procedure goes even faster. Hollande, speaking Friday next to Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel, said in Brussels he was sure "the French judicial authorities will send an extradition request very soon" and that "the Belgian authorities will answer it as favourably as possible, as soon as possible." The shared French language between France and Belgium will help make the process even smoother. Abdeslam could appeal the extradition, but under the European principle of mutual recognition of judicial decisions, that would only give him a short respite. Samia Maktouf, a French lawyer for several survivors and relatives of Paris attack victims, is urging immediate extradition. "Apart from his (medical) condition, I don't see what might delay his extradition," she told the Associated Press. Survivors and victims' families "relief is mingled with bitterness" because some suspects are still on the run and belong to an organized and sprawling network that has yet to be stopped, Maktouf said. "Our young people found death for no reason. Today, their families have empty chairs next to them, they have a phone that doesn't ring any longer," she said. Victims of the Paris attacks Show all 33 1 /33 Victims of the Paris attacks Victims of the Paris attacks Nick Alexander Victims of the Paris attacks Mathias Dymarski and Maria Lausch Victims of the Paris attacks Anne Cornet Guyomard and Pierre Yves Guyomard Victims of the Paris attacks Guillaume Decherf Victims of the Paris attacks Ciprian Calciu Victims of the Paris attacks Nohemi Gonzalez Victims of the Paris attacks Elodie Breuil Victims of the Paris attacks Asta Diakite Victims of the Paris attacks Romain Didier Victims of the Paris attacks Victims of the Paris attacks Victims of the Paris attacks Halima Saadi Victims of the Paris attacks Ludovic Boumbas Victims of the Paris attacks Thomas Duperron Victims of the Paris attacks Germain Ferey Victims of the Paris attacks Marie Mosser Victims of the Paris attacks Fabrice Dubois Victims of the Paris attacks Thomas Ayad Victims of the Paris attacks Victims of the Paris attacks Djamila-Houd Victims of the Paris attacks Mathieu Hoche Victims of the Paris attacks Justine Moulin Victims of the Paris attacks Anne Guyomard Victims of the Paris attacks Anna Lieffrig-Petard Victims of the Paris attacks Victims of the Paris attacks Lacramioara Pop Victims of the Paris attacks Alberto Gonzalez Garrido Victims of the Paris attacks Mohamed Amine Ibnolmobarak Victims of the Paris attacks Cedric Mauduit Victims of the Paris attacks Matthieu Giroud Victims of the Paris attacks Michelli Gil Jaimez Victims of the Paris attacks Pierro Innocenti and Stephane Albertini Victims of the Paris attacks Nicolas Classeau Abdeslam, 26, is a childhood friend of the suspected ringleader of the attacks. Investigators believe Abdeslam drove a car carrying a group of gunmen who took part in the shootings, rented rooms and shopped for detonators. Most of the Paris attackers died on the night of the attacks, including Abdeslam's brother Brahim, who blew himself up. After the bloodbath, Salah Abdeslam evaded a dragnet to return to Brussels. He was believed to have slipped through police fingers multiple times despite an international manhunt. At one point, Belgian authorities locked down their capital for several days but failed to find him. Abdeslam and four other suspects were detained in Friday's raid, including three members of a family that sheltered him. Abdeslam was not armed but did not immediately obey orders when confronted by police, Van der Sypt said. It was possible he had spent days, weeks or months in the apartment, according to Van der Sypt. Two other people believed linked to the attacks were still being sought, including fellow Molenbeek resident Mohamed Abrini and a man known under the alias of Soufiane Kayal. Abdeslam's role in the attacks has never been clearly spelled out. The car he drove was abandoned in northern Paris, and his mobile phone and an explosive vest he may have had were later found in the Paris suburb of Montrouge, raising the possibility that he aborted his mission. Additional reporting by Associated Press For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} After evading one of the worlds biggest manhunts for more than 120 days, Salah Abdeslam was eventually tracked down because of a dirty glass and a suspiciously large pizza order, it has been reported. The last surviving Paris attacker appears to have been hiding in plain sight in Brussels since 14 November, when he was given a lift to the city by friends and disappeared. The trail went cold until Tuesday, when Belgian and French police stormed what they believed was an empty terrorist safe house in the district of Forest. Paris attacks suspect caught But they were met by a hail of bullets from a militant armed with a Kalashnikov and riot gun, who was shot dead as two suspects fled across surrounding rooftops. A search of the flat resulted in the recovery of Abdeslams fingerprints on a glass, convincing authorities that he was still in Brussels, and the renewed search led police to a house just metres from his former home in Molenbeek. During a stake-out of the home on Rue Quatre-Vents, police came increasingly convinced that residents were hiding a larger group of people there. But their suspicions were only confirmed when a woman made an unusually large pizza order, Politico reported, leading armed officers to discover her sitting down for tea with two friends, several children and Abdeslam. Salah Abdeslam A police marksman shot him in the leg during the raid at 4.40pm, while a suspected accomplice, known by his alias Amine Choukri, was also arrested. Three members of the family hiding them, named only as Abid A, Sihane A and Djemila M were detained. Choukri, who also held a fake Syrian passport in the name of Monir Ahmed Alaaj, was fingerprinted in Germany alongside Abdeslam in Germany on 3 October and the prints were also found in a safe house used by the Paris attackers in Auvelais. His forged passport and Belgian identity card were found after Tuesdays raid in Forest, suggesting he may have been one of the men who fled, leaving Kalashnikov loaders and a large quantity of ammunition behind. In pictures: Brussels shooting Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Brussels shooting In pictures: Brussels shooting Brussels shooting Police secure an area in Brussels followinf the anti-terror raid linked to last year's Paris attack AP In pictures: Brussels shooting Brussels shooting An armed police officer runs on top of a roof during a police operation on the site of a shooting in the rue du Dries in Forest, Brussels EPA In pictures: Brussels shooting Brussels shooting Police officers take position on a rooftop during a police raid in Forest, Brussels EPA In pictures: Brussels shooting Brussels shooting Police at the scene where shots were fired during a police search of a house in the suburb of Forest near Brussels, Belgium Reuters In pictures: Brussels shooting Brussels shooting Police at the scene where shots were fired during a police search of a house in the suburb of Forest near Brussels, Belgium Reuters In pictures: Brussels shooting Brussels shooting Police at the scene where shots were fired during a police search of a house in the suburb of Forest near Brussels, Belgium Reuters In pictures: Brussels shooting Brussels shooting A victim is removed from the scene where shots were fired during a police search of a house in the suburb of Forest near Brussels, Belgium Reuters In pictures: Brussels shooting Brussels shooting A victim is removed from the scene where shots were fired during a police search of a house in the suburb of Forest near Brussels, Belgium Reuters In pictures: Brussels shooting Brussels shooting Police at the scene where shots were fired during a police search of a house in the suburb of Forest near Brussels, Belgium Reuters The last remaining prime suspect known to be on the run is Mohamed Abrini, who was filmed at a petrol station with Abdeslam two days before the Paris attacks. Another wanted man known under the alias Soufiane Kayal has not yet been identified. The precise role of Abdeslam, a former small-time criminal who helped run his brothers bar in Molenbeek, is unclear but he is suspected of helping manufacture explosives, hiring cars, renting hideouts and transporting jihadists for the 13 November attacks. Investigators believe he drove three suicide bombers to the Stade de France before travelling to the 18th arrondissement and abandoning the hire car in Place Albert Kahn. Isis initial claim of responsibility listed an attack in the district that never materialised, and a suicide vest later found in a bin in Montrouge fuelled speculation that Abdeslam had violated orders and fled. Salah Abdeslam, left, and his accomplice at a petrol station between Paris and Brussels (Reuters) The 26-year-old, whose brother Brahim blew himself up outside a restaurant during the massacres, was a friend of ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud and may have become radicalised after meeting him in prison while serving a robbery sentence. He will now face police questioning and fast-track extradition to France after being discharged from hospital with his bullet wound. Eric Van der Sypt, the Belgian federal prosecutor, said Abdeslam may have been hiding out in the flat for weeks or even months. Francois Hollande, the French President, warned that more arrests will come as authorities try to dismantle a network involved in the attacks that appears to be much larger than originally suspected. Additional reporting by agencies For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} EU leaders have finalised a deal with Turkey aimed at curbing refugee flows across Europe, by agreeing that all migrants arriving in Greece across the Aegean Sea would be sent back to Turkey from midnight on Sunday. The agreement contains new assurances that asylum claims made from those sent back to Turkey will be assessed by Greece. This aims to address concerns expressed by civil rights groups that the accord could lead to mass deportations by Ankara, a practice that would breach the EUs obligations under the Geneva Convention. The plan states that the EU will take in one Syrian refugee from Turkish soil in exchange for every Syrian readmitted to Turkey from Greece a move aimed at disrupting people smugglers trade. At the same time, Turkey received a pledge that its long-stalled bid for EU membership would be revived, a doubling of refugee aid to from 3bn to 6bn and visa-free travel by June. Recommended Read more EU reaches agreement to send refugees back to Turkey EU Council President Donald Tusk, who chaired the Brussels summit, said the legal questions about returning refugees were some of the trickiest to resolve. We needed to ensure it complies with all EU and international law; this excludes any kind of collective expulsions, he said, adding that UN agencies would be invited to take part in the process. He added that from Sunday, all illegal immigrants coming from Turkey into the Greek islands will be returned to Turkey. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was confident the deal gave Europe the tools it needs bring the refugee crisis under control. We hope that the irregular immigration will come to an end, she said. I think Europe will succeed in passing this difficult test. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, called it an historic day. With 1.2 million migrants and asylum seekers reaching European shores last year most of them from war-torn Syria and Iraq the EU sought Ankaras help in stopping them making the journey. And with more than 2.5 million Syrians in Turkish refugee camps, the aim is to keep them in place, and improve their lives so they would have less incentive to leave. The EUs 3bn grant to Turkey renewable with a further 3bn in 2018 provided that the desired results are achieved is mainly aimed at projects in the camps. Turkeys demand to restart EU membership talks was at risk of a veto from Cyprus, which insisted there could be no opening of new chapters until Ankara allows Cypriot traffic into its sea and airports. But EU leaders found a way around this by agreeing to open a negotiating chapter that was not one of the five blocked by Nicosia. Turkeys main objective, visa-free travel for Turks by June, is also part of the EUs proposal. But it depends on Ankara meeting 72 technical requirements, including the introduction of biometric passports, and officials said that was doubtful by June. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Saudi Arabia and its allies could be commissioning international war crimes by killing thousands of civilians in hospitals, markets, schools and even at weddings in Yemen, the United Nations has warned. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that 24 children were among 106 civilians who died in air strikes on a crowded village market on Tuesday. The carnage caused by two airstrikes on the Al Khamees market was one of the deadliest incidents since the start of the conflict a year ago, he added. The people of Yemen have suffered enough. A very poor country is having its limited infrastructure decimated, and people are struggling desperately to survive. A Yemeni woman holds a slogan during a protest in front of the United Nations office in the capital Sanaa (Getty) UN workers who visited the scene in Hajja Governorate the following day reported more than a dozen shops destroyed, with eyewitnesses saying the bombs had hit during the afternoon rush hour when the market was particularly crowded. They could find no evidence of military installations or combat, which is controlled by rebels, apart from a small checkpoint 250 metres away manned by police and Houthi rebels. One witness, Showei Hamoud, described the "terrifying" scene to the Associated Press. Blood and body parts are everywhere, he said. People collected the torn limbs in bags and blankets. The Yemeni government said it had formed a committee to look into the bombing and whether it was the result of an air strike or of shelling by the Houthis, but no progress has been seen with similar investigations promised in the past. Fighting continues as government forces try to retake Taiz In another strike in Khaleq market, Sana`a, at least 39 civilians, including nine children, were killed and another 33 injured on 27 February. The conflict has been raging since March 2015, when the Houthi-led Supreme Revolutionary Committee attempted to overthrow the Hadi government, sparking a civil war drawing in at least a dozen other countries, as well as groups affiliated with Isis and al-Qaeda. Iran is supporting the Revolutionary Committee, while the US and a coalition of Gulf nations led by Saudi Arabia is backing the former president with a bombing campaign. More than 6,000 people have died in the war so far, with the UN Human Rights Office recording 3,218 civilians killed and 5,778 more injured. Looking at the figures, it would seem that the coalition is responsible for twice as many civilian casualties as all other forces put together, virtually all as a result of airstrikes, Mr Al Hussein said. Campaigners from Amnesty International carry model missiles across Westminster Bridge in a protest against British arms sales to Saudi Arabia They have hit markets, hospitals, clinics, schools, factories, wedding parties and hundreds of private residences in villages, towns and cities including the capital Sanaa. Despite plenty of international demarches, these awful incidents continue to occur with unacceptable regularity. It would appear to be the case that the distinction between legitimate military targets and civilian ones - which are protected under international law - is at best woefully inadequate, and at worst, we are possibly looking at the commission of international crimes by members of the Coalition. The High Commissioner acknowledged the Houthi rebels and their allies were also responsible for killing civilians in indiscriminate ground attacks which could also be international crimes. 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemens Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdoms Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as inciting people against the authorities. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabias clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his confession. At Dawoods trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty A spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asseri, claimed the Yemeni army had given Al Khamees as a target because it was a gathering point for Houthi forces, claiming rebels were deceiving people by saying it was a market. He said major combat operations had been scaled back and there were good signs the UN might soon restart peace talks between warring factions, insisting that any formal move towards a truce would have to be carried out by President Hadis internationally recognised government and overseen by the UN. Houthi officials travelled to Saudi Arabia this month for secret talks on the conflict that led to a pause in fighting on the border, a main battlefront of the war, and a prisoner exchange. The high civilian death toll in the conflict has turned criticism to the US, which is backing the Saudis with diplomatic and military help, and UK for its arms sales to the Kingdom. Additional reporting by Reuters For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A coalition service member was killed Saturday by enemy fire in northern Iraq, the Pentagon said in a statement. A US official told The Associated Press the individual was an American stationed at the Makhmour base, outside the Isis-held city of Mosul. The attack was an "indirect fire attack," specifically rockets, the official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorised to brief the media. Two Iraqi commanders stationed at the base also reported a rocket attack Saturday, but denied anyone had been hurt or killed. More funds needed to save Mosul dam in Iraq The US-led coalition has reported that the build-up of Iraqi troops at Makhmour in preparation for an assault on Mosul has brought a spike in the frequency of such indirect fire attacks. The last US service member killed in Iraq was in October 2015. Associated Press Tehran, Iran, March 19 By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Turkey on Saturday to seek closer ties with the neighboring country. "We are looking for the best of economic relations with Turkey in the post-JCPOA era," he said upon arrival in Istanbul, ISNA news agency reported March 19. Tehran and Ankara intend to increase their trade volume to $30 billion a year. The two states have signed a preferential trade agreement that could pave the way for a rise in the bilateral trade. The two countries' trade turnover stood at $13.7 billion in 2014, according to the data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute. "With the background of common threats, exchange of ideas on regional developments is among the items on agenda during this trip," said Zarif. Iran and Turkey have dissimilar stances regarding the major ongoing regional crisis of Syria. The Iranian foreign minister is slated to meet with Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Turkey. In early March, Davutoglu visited Iran with ministers of economy, customs and trade, energy, transport, communications and development, government officials and representatives of major Turkish media outlets. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The capture of Salah Abdeslam, thought to be the sole surviving planner of the Paris massacre, means that the media is focusing once again on the threat of terrorist attack by Islamic State. Questions are asked about why the most wanted man in Europe was able to elude the police for so long, even though he was living in his home district of Molenbeek in Brussels. Television and newspapers ask nervously about the chances of Isis carrying out another atrocity aimed at dominating the news agenda and showing that it is still in business. The reporting of the events in Brussels is in keeping with that after the January (Charlie Hebdo) and November Paris attacks and the Tunisian beach killings by Isis last year. For several days there is blanket coverage by the media as it allocates time and space far beyond what is needed to relate developments. But then the focus shifts abruptly elsewhere and Isis becomes yesterdays story, treated as if the movement has ceased to exist or at least lost its capacity to affect our lives. Recommended Read more Salah Abdeslam charged with involvement in Paris attacks It is not as if Isis has stopped killing people in large numbers since the slaughter in Paris on 13 November; it is, rather, that it is not doing so in Europe. I was in Baghdad on 28 February when two Isis suicide bombers on motorcycles blew themselves up in an outdoor mobile phone market in Sadr City, killing 73 people and injuring more than 100. On the same day, dozens of Isis fighters riding in pick-ups with heavy machine guns mounted in the back attacked army and police outposts in Abu Ghraib, site of the notorious prison on the western outskirts of Baghdad. There was an initial assault by at least four suicide bombers, one driving a vehicle packed with explosives into a barracks, and fighting went on for hours around a burning grain silo. The outside world scarcely noticed these bloody events because they seem to be part of the natural order in Iraq and Syria. But the total number of Iraqis killed by these two attacks and another double suicide bombing of a Shia mosque in the Shuala district of Baghdad four days earlier was about the same as the 130 people who died in Paris at the hands of Isis last November. There has always been a disconnect in the minds of people in Europe between the wars in Iraq and Syria and terrorist attacks against Europeans. This is in part because Baghdad and Damascus are exotic and frightening places, and pictures of the aftermath of bombings have been the norm since the US invasion of 2003. But there is a more insidious reason why Europeans do not sufficiently take on board the connection between the wars in the Middle East and the threat to their own security. Separating the two is much in the interests of Western political leaders, because it means that the public does not see that their disastrous policies in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and beyond created the conditions for the rise of Isis and for terrorist gangs such as that to which Salah Abdeslam belonged. Bombings in Baghdad last month killed 73 (AFP/Getty) The outpouring of official grief that commonly follows atrocities, such as the march of 40 world leaders through the streets of Paris after the Charlie Hebdo killings last year, helps neuter any idea that the political failures of these same leaders might be to a degree responsible for the slaughter. After all, such marches are usually held by the powerless to protest and show defiance, but in this case the march simply served as a publicity stunt to divert attention from these leaders inability to act effectively and stop the wars in the Middle East which they had done much to provoke. A strange aspect of these conflicts is that Western leaders have never had to pay any political price for their role in initiating them or pursuing policies that effectively stoke the violence. Isis is a growing power in Libya, something that would not have happened had David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy not helped destroy the Libyan state by overthrowing Gaddafi in 2011. Al-Qaeda is expanding in Yemen, where Western leaders have given a free pass to Saudi Arabia to launch a bombing campaign that has wrecked the country. After the Paris massacre last year there was a gush of emotional support for France and little criticism of French policies in Syria and Libya, although they have been to the advantage of Isis and other salafi-jihadi movements since 2011. It is worth quoting at length Fabrice Balanche, the French cartographer and expert on Syria who now works for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, about these misperceptions in France, although they also apply to other countries. He told Aron Lund of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: The media refused to see the Syrian revolt as anything other than the continuation of revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, at a time of enthusiasm over the Arab Spring. Journalists didnt understand the sectarian subtleties in Syria, or perhaps they didnt want to understand; I was censored many times. In pictures: Paris attacks Show all 25 1 /25 In pictures: Paris attacks In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French police with protective shields walk in line near the Bataclan concert hall Reuters In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Rescuers evacuate an injured person on Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French Vigipirate troops mobilize next to Place de la Bastille AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French soldiers mobilize near to the Place de la Bastille AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Wounded people are evacuated outside the scene of a hostage situation at the Bataclan theatre EPA In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks People react as they gather to watch the scene near the Bataclan concert hall Reuters In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French police secure the area outside a cafe near the Bataclan concert hall Reuters In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Rescuers workers evacuate victims near the Bataclan concert hall AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and French President Francois Hollande attending an emergency meeting at the Interior Ministry AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Spectators invade the pitch of the Stade de France after explosions were heard outside AP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks A man lies on the ground as French police check his identity near the Bataclan concert hall Reuters In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Police officers man a position close to the Bataclan theatre AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Wounded people are evacuated from the Stade de France in Paris EPA In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Two men evacuate the Place de la Republique square in Paris as a police officer looks on AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Football fans are evacuated from the Stade de France stadium In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks An armed police officer Dan Gabriel In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks The Stade de France is evacuated after reports of an explosion In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks A member of the French fire brigade aids an injured individual near the Bataclan concert hall In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Wounded people are evacuated from the Stade de France in Paris In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Police are seen outside a cafe in 10th arrondissement of the French capital Paris, In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Rescuers assist an injured man on Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire, close to the Bataclan concert hall AFP In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks The scene at a restaurant in 10th arrondissement In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks The Bataclan theatre - where around 100 people are thought be held hostage In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks The Stade de France as it was evacuated In pictures: Paris attacks Paris attacks Forensic experts inspect the site of an attack outside the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis AFP Syrian intellectuals in the opposition, many of whom had been in exile for decades, had a discourse similar to that of the Iraqi opposition during the US invasion of 2003. Some of them honestly confused their own hopes for a non-sectarian society with reality, but others such as the Muslim Brotherhood tried to obfuscate reality in order to gain the support of Western countries. In 20112012, we suffered a type of intellectual McCarthyism on the Syrian question: if you said that Assad was not about to fall within three months, you would be suspected of being paid by the Syrian regime. And with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs having taken up the cause of the Syrian opposition, it would have been in bad taste to contradict its communiques. By taking up the cause of the Syrian and Libyan opposition and destroying the Syrian and Libyan states, France and Britain opened the door to Isis and should share in the blame for the rise of Isis and terrorism in Europe. By refusing to admit to or learn from past mistakes, the West Europeans did little to lay the basis for the current, surprisingly successful cessation of hostilities in Syria which is almost entirely an US and Russian achievement. Britain and France have stuck close to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf monarchies in their policies towards Syria. I asked a former negotiator why this was so and he crisply replied: Money. They wanted Saudi contracts. After the capture of Salah Abdeslam there is talk of security lapses that had allowed him to evade arrest for so long, but this is largely irrelevant as terrorist attacks will go on as long as Isis remains a power. Once again, the wall-to-wall media coverage is allowing Western governments to escape responsibility for a far worse security failure, which is their own disastrous policies. Patrick Cockburns Chaos and Caliphate: Jihadis and the West in the Struggle for the Middle East (OR Books) is published this month Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} I only once set eyes on the distinguished novelist Anita Brookner, who died last week at the age of 87, at a party held some years ago at The Spectators offices in Old Queen Street. She said little, shook hands in a rather stricken way and left early, leaving the celebrations to continue without her. As Dickens remarks of Cornelia Blimber, the bluestocking schoolmasters daughter in Dombey and Son, there was none of your light nonsense about Miss B. On the other hand, there is evidence that she possessed a slightly more worldly side. Her fellow writer Jonathan Coe remembered coming across her once in the fiction section of a west London library, he searching for copies of his novels under C, she looking for copies of her own under B. If Miss B was not above checking out her availability on the bookshelves, then her many obituaries seemed to confirm a reputation for personal austerity and self-effacement. She began writing as late as her early fifties an age when many novelists have a dozen or more books behind them regarded what she produced as displacement activity and once commented that she wrote to stave off boredom. The great advantage of putting words on paper, she confided to an interviewer from The Paris Review, was that it had freed her from the despair of living, to become , in the end, a way of editing a life that had begun, as she discreetly put it, on the wrong footing. As far as one can make out, the roots of this dissatisfaction lay in the circumstances of her upbringing. The solitary child of Polish immigrants the patronym was Bruckner growing up in a household that constantly expanded to take in displaced Jewish relatives from Mitteleuropa, she swiftly came to the conclusion that everybody was unhappy. Her mothers life had apparently been blighted by her decision to marry the wrong man. Her parents disapproved of their brilliant art historian daughters acceptance of a French government scholarship to study at the Ecole du Louvre in Paris and supposedly cut her off, although this did not stop her from taking time out from her job as Slade Professor of Fine Art at Cambridge to care for her mother in her final illness. All this inevitably leached into the novels she began to write in the early 1980s in summer vacations from the Courtauld Institute, where she was appointed Reader in 1977. A Start in Life (1981), she said, was written in a moment of sadness and desperation, when her life seemed to be drifting in predictable channels. The success of the Booker-winning Hotel du Lac (1984) made little difference to a modest and unassuming manner of existence whose principal relaxation seems to have been walking the London streets. Culture news in pictures Show all 33 1 /33 Culture news in pictures Culture news in pictures 30 September 2016 An employee hangs works of art with "Grand Teatro" by Marino Marini (R) and bronze sculpture "Sfera N.3" by Arnaldo Pomodoro seen ahead of a Contemporary Art auction on 7 October, at Sotheby's in London REUTERS Culture news in pictures 29 September 2016 Street art by Portuguese artist Odeith is seen in Dresden, during an exhibition "Magic City - art of the streets" AFP/Getty Images Culture news in pictures 28 September 2016 Dancers attend a photocall for the new "THE ONE Grand Show" at Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin, Germany REUTERS Culture news in pictures 28 September 2016 With an array of thrift store china, humorous souvenirs and handmade tile adorning its walls and floors, the Mosaic Tile House in Venice stands as a monument to two decades of artistic collaboration between Cheri Pann and husband Gonzalo Duran REUTERS Culture news in pictures 27 September 2016 A gallery assistant poses amongst work by Anthea Hamilton from her nominated show "Lichen! Libido!(London!) Chastity!" at a preview of the Turner Prize in London REUTERS Culture news in pictures 27 September 2016 A technician wearing virtual reality glasses checks his installation in three British public telephone booths, set up outside the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, Netherlands. The installation allows visitors a 3-D look into the museum which has twenty-two paintings belonging to the British Royal Collection, on loan for an exhibit from 29 September 2016 till 8 January 2017 AP Culture news in pictures 26 September 2016 An Indian artist dressed as Hindu god Shiva performs on a chariot as he participates in a religious procession 'Ravan ki Barat' held to mark the forthcoming Dussehra festival in Allahabad AFP/Getty Images Culture news in pictures 26 September 2016 Jean-Michel Basquiat's 'Air Power', 1984, is displayed at the Bowie/Collector media preview at Sotheby's in New York AFP/Getty Culture news in pictures 25 September 2016 A woman looks at an untitled painting by Albert Oehlen during the opening of an exhibition of works by German artists Georg Baselitz and Albert Oehlen in Reutlingen, Germany. The exhibition runs at the Kunstverein (art society) Reutlingen until 15 January 2017 EPA Culture news in pictures 24 September 2016 Fan BingBing (C) attends the closing ceremony of the 64th San Sebastian Film Festival at Kursaal in San Sebastian, Spain Getty Images Culture news in pictures 23 September 2016 A view of the artwork 'You Are Metamorphosing' (1964) as part of the exhibition 'Retrospektive' of Japanese artist Tetsumi Kudo at Fridericianum in Kassel, Germany. The exhibition runs from 25 September 2016 to 1 January 2017 EPA Culture news in pictures 22 September 2016 Jo Applin from the Courtauld Institute of Art looks at Green Tilework in Live Flesh by Adriana Vareja, which features in a new exhibition, Flesh, at York Art Gallery. The new exhibition features works by Degas, Chardin, Francis Bacon and Sarah Lucas, showing how flesh has been portrayed by artists over the last 600 years PA Culture news in pictures 21 September 2016 Performers Sean Atkins and Sally Miller standing in for the characters played by Asa Butterfield and Ella Purnell during a photocall for Tim Burton's "Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children" at Potters Field Park in London Getty Images Culture news in pictures 20 September 2016 A detail from the blanket 'Alpine Cattle Drive' from 1926 by artist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner is displayed at the 'Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum for Contemporary Arts' in Berlin. The exhibition named 'Ernst Ludwig Kirchner - Hieroglyphen' showing the complete collection of Berlin's Nationalgallerie works of the German artist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and will run from 23 September 2016 until 26 February 2017 AP Culture news in pictures 20 September 2016 A man looks at portrait photos by US photographer Bruce Gilden in the exhibition 'Masters of Photography' at the photokina in Cologne, Germany. The trade fair on photography, photokina, schowcases some 1,000 exhibitors from 40 countries and runs from 20 to 25 September. The event also features various photo exhibitions EPA Culture news in pictures 20 September 2016 A woman looks at 'Blue Poles', 1952 by Jackson Pollock during a photocall at the Royal Academy of Arts, London PA Culture news in pictures 19 September 2016 Art installation The Refusal of Time, a collaboration with Philip Miller, Catherine Meyburgh and Peter Galison, which features as part of the William Kentridge exhibition Thick Time, showing from 21 September to 15 January at the Whitechapel Gallery in London PA Culture news in pictures 18 September 2016 Artists creating one off designs at the Mm6 Maison Margiela presentation during London Fashion Week Spring/Summer collections 2017 in London Getty Images Culture news in pictures 18 September 2016 Bethenny Frankel attends the special screening of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" to celebrate the 25th Anniversary Edition release on Blu-Ray and DVD in New York City Getty Images for Walt Disney Stu Culture news in pictures 17 September 2016 Visitors attend the 2016 Oktoberfest beer festival at Theresienwiese in Munich, Germany Getty Images Culture news in pictures 16 September 2016 Visitors looks at British artist Damien Hirst work of art 'The Incomplete Truth', during the 13th Yalta Annual Meeting entitled 'The World, Europe and Ukraine: storms of changes', organised by the Yalta European Strategy (YES) in partnership with the Victor Pinchuk Foundation at the Mystetsky Arsenal Art Center in Kiev AP Culture news in pictures 16 September 2016 Tracey Emin's "My Bed" is exhibited at the Tate Liverpool as part of the exhibition Tracey Emin And William Blake In Focus, which highlights surprising links between the two artists Getty Images Culture news in pictures 15 September 2016 Musician Dave Grohl (L) joins musician Tom Morello of Prophets of Rage onstage at the Forum in Inglewood, California Getty Images Culture news in pictures 14 September 2016 Model feebee poses as part of art installation "Narcissism : Dazzle room" made by artist Shigeki Matsuyama at rooms33 fashion and design exhibition in Tokyo. Matsuyama's installation features a strong contrast of black and white, which he learned from dazzle camouflage used mainly in World War I AP Culture news in pictures 13 September 2016 Visitors look at artworks by Chinese painter Cui Ruzhuo during the exhibition 'Glossiness of Uncarved Jade' held at the exhibition hall 'Manezh' in St. Petersburg, Russia. More than 200 paintings by the Chinese artist are presented until 25 September EPA Culture news in pictures 12 September 2016 A visitor looks at Raphael's painting 'Extase de Sainte Cecile', 1515, from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence during the opening of a Raphael exhibition at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, Russia. The first Russian exhibition of the works of the Italian Renaissance artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino includes eight paintings and three drawings which come from Italy. Th exhibit opens to the public from 13 September to 11 December EPA Culture news in pictures 11 September 2016 Steve Cropper and Eddie Floyd perform during Otis Redding 75th Birthday Celebration - Rehearsals at the Macon City Auditorium in Macon, Georgia Getty Images for Otis Redding 75 Culture news in pictures 10 September 2016 Sakari Oramo conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Chorus and the BBC Singers at the Last Night of the Proms 2016 at the Royal Albert Hall in London PA Culture news in pictures 9 September 2016 A visitor walks past a piece entitled "Fruitcake" by Joana Vasconcelo, during the Beyond Limits selling exhibition at Chatsworth House near Bakewell REUTERS Culture news in pictures 8 September 2016 A sculpture of a crescent standing on the 2,140 meters high mountain 'Freiheit' (German for 'freedom'), in the Alpstein region of the Appenzell alps, eastern Switzerland. The sculpture is lighted during the nights by means of solar panels. The 38-year-old Swiss artist and atheist Christian Meier set the crescent on the peak to start a debate on the meaning of religious symbols - as summit crosses - on mountains. 'Because so many peaks have crosses on them, it struck me as a great idea to put up an equally absurd contrast'. 'Naturally I wanted to provoke in a fun way. But it goes beyond that. The actions of an artist should be food for thought, both visually and in content' EPA Culture news in pictures Culture news in pictures Culture news in pictures Writing, she once confessed, was her penance and the isolation in which her books were conceived a terrible strain. She gave few interviews, declared that her ambition was to be unnoticed and declined all invitations to appear at literary festivals and radio programmes or take part in academic seminars in which the future of literature is discussed. Brookner was clearly a rather unusual human being, but she was also a rather unusual artist. Naturally, there have always been great literary, cinematic and theatrical showmen and women think of Dickenss barnstorming lecture tours of the 1860s, or Oscar Wildes progress around late 19th-century America but the majority of 20th-century English writers would have thought it bad form, to use that ancient phrase from the public-school playground, to go touting your wares and your personality around the country like a commercial traveller. Anthony Powell, for example, would not sign a book for a person he had not met, and you can only imagine the reaction a publicity assistant from Evelyn Waughs publishers would have received in the early 1960s had he or she greeted the legendarily cantankerous author of Brideshead Revisited on the telephone with the words Hi Evelyn, theyd love to have you at Cheltenham, and the people at Essex wondered if youd like to take part in a sponsored bike ride for World Book Day with Graham Greene and Aldous Huxley. Anthony Powell would not sign a book for a person he had not met (Rex) Half a century later the writer is essentially a performance artist, judged, in an age where a festival appearance is quite as important as a rave review, for his, or her, ability to sway a crowd, raise a laugh or fan the flames of a controversy. We had X here last year, festival organisers will grimly confide in town-hall green rooms as the Tannoy crackles overhead and the queue winds round the corridor to the signing tent, and he was awful. Didnt look up from the lectern, mumbled over his reading and wouldnt answer a chap who asked if the woman in his new book was his ex-wife. The fact that X, author of that Costa-winning slice of East Coast noir, Cleethorpes Confidential, might be terrified of appearing in public and pining for the solace of his hotel-room mini-bar, is irrelevant. To be able to sing for your supper is at least as important as the sparkle, or otherwise, of your prose. None of this cut any ice with Miss Brookner, who, as far as we can make out, distrusted flamboyance as much as she (eventually) came to distrust her own talent. A prolific author, who produced a novel a year until she reached her eighties, she thought she should have stopped with Latecomers (1988) and judged that she had won the Booker with the wrong book. But what she also distrusted, as her obituaries made clear, was that widely held contemporary belief about the absolute importance of having it all. Close to marriage several times, but always ultimately evading it, she found herself caught in an unenviable Catch 22 writing her books to free herself from despair, longing for ideal company but fearing that the demands of a relationship would have impinged on the work that acted as its substitute. I could get into the Guinness Book of Records as the worlds loneliest, most miserable woman, she remarked in 1984. This may, or may not, have been meant as a joke, but in either case it was not something you could imagine any of her contemporaries owning up to. On the other hand, by sticking, however unhappily, to her guns, and pursuing an undeviating aesthetic line she produced a body of work that may well last longer than much of the stuff written by the modern performance artists. There is a moral here somewhere. Meanwhile, I calculate that this is the 375th column I have written for this newspaper in the past seven and a half years. It is also the last. My best wishes to readers past and present, and thanks to the editors who have indulged me for so long. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Here in the UK we live in what is referred to as post-Christian Europe, a continent where church membership and attendance is going down. Many people still think of themselves as Christian but in Britain in particular, its clear that traditional church attendance is down and that a drift into secularisation is for most of us nothing new. You could argue that this in itself should not be a problem. There are two issues with this: one, its not the only story in terms of church attendance; and secondly, the rest of the world hasnt drifted into secularism and, as we now know, the rest of the world in some form or other is now living here, right now, across Europe and the UK. Migration to Britain from Africa in particular has brought versions of Christianity that are more assertive than the Christianity that most Britons have grown up with. The assertiveness of these different forms of Christianity are often at odds with more liberal beliefs around issues such as same-sex marriage and blasphemy. Alongside this growth in a more muscular Pentecostalism, immigration from Eastern Europe, and from Poland in particular, has also seen a sharp rise in Catholic numbers, with some churches now offering services in a variety of languages. Across all denominations there is a growth in Christians from diverse backgrounds, from Iranian converts to Sri Lankan evangelicals, and the rapid growth of Christianity in China is something that will no doubt soon be noticed in towns and cities across the UK. Of course, a revival of Christianity is not just down to immigration. A growth of home-grown churches, such as Holy Trinity Brompton, has seen a younger congregation worshipping in a manner a million miles away from the worship we associate with The Vicar of Dibley. Young dynamic churches such as Hillsong with a congregation of over 8,000 each Sunday at the Dominion Theatre in London use technology, music and presentation that wouldnt seem out of place on Saturday night TV. Churches in inner city areas of the UK have numerous successful branches across the country. Congregations with strong ties often offer non-religious services from extra school education, English lessons, creches to dating agencies. This dynamic, vibrant and youthful Christianity is not reinventing the wheel: its fusing modern tastes with clever messaging that sits with both traditional Christian values and contemporary concerns about the world. Whether it is feeding the poor, housing the vulnerable, caring about the environment or helping the persecuted, these are not new notions that traditional churches dont engage with. The delivery of the message, though, is fresh and new and thats what we are experiencing a changing of the guard rather than a revolution. There are many who would say there is a battle for the soul of Christianity in Britain. Its a fair point butI dont think its a battle that will necessarily result in a winner. This is more about the arrival of more diversity in Christianity in Britain. Its about people behaving more like consumers and choosing the styles and orthodoxy that they want, and churches reacting to these diverse demands. This doesnt mean that the caricature of the traditional Anglican vicar is dead and that the only church service available will involve strobe lighting and electric guitars. It means you can choose the one that you want and in the language you want. What does this mean for the rest of society? Well, it means Christianity is not in terminal decline as many would have us believe. Its just different now and its growing. It also means we have to confront two big issues. One is our chronic lack of religious literacy in society. If there are more diverse forms of Christianity growing alongside other faiths, can we continue with our blind ignorance and relegation of faith and believers? Linked to this is the second point: if among this growth is a more assertive Christianity with conflicting views with society on homosexuality, for example, then how do we deal with this? This battle between liberalism and orthodoxy is not just one confined to Christianity. Its one that involves all faiths and because of that, involves everyone whether you are a believer or not. Christianity may have been pronounced to be at deaths door in the last century, but now its firmly back in the public space. How we deal with that is the real battle for Christianity here in the UK. The writer is Head of BBC Religion & Ethics The Battle for Christianity is on BBC1, 22 March from 10.45-11.45pm Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Steve Richards opened his Tuesday political comment piece, on George Osbornes Budget speech, with a slow burn. Be prepared once again for another torrent of figures, growth projections, deficit forecasts and more proposed spending cuts. All these figures will connect very much with those spilling forth at previous Budgets they will all be subject to immediate revision, he wrote. There is only one reliable figure that will determine economic policy for the next four years. That figure is 12 the size of the Governments overall majority. Good stuff, eh? A fine rhetorical flourish that points a moral. Pity about the headline immediately above: The only figure that matters this week is the majority of 12. That is called giving away the punchline, and is as much of a sin in a newspaper as in a comedy sketch. It means that sometimes we have to ditch the usual procedure and not write a headline that sums up the storys main point. Areas hit by heavy rainfall boosted by 700m pledge a headline from Thursdays Budget supplement. Rainfall is a figure: the rate at which rain has fallen in a given time at a given place, typically measured in millimetres per hour. The areas where 700m is to be spent on flood defences were not hit by a figure; they were hit by a lot of water falling from the sky that is, by heavy rain. Rainfall sounds scientific, but to confuse it with rain is amateurish. Here is another failure of technical knowledge, from a news story published on Thursday: An Isis flag, a book on Salafism and a Kalashnikov submachine gun were found near the body of the Algerian gunman killed in Brussels. There are two common types of hand-held gun capable of fully automatic fire: submachine guns and assault rifles. The difference lies in the ammunition. A submachine gun fires a pistol-type round at close range. An assault rifle the standard personal weapon of modern infantry soldiers fires rifle ammunition, giving it much greater range and penetrating power. The Kalashnikov is an assault rifle. (Cheap, reliable, manufactured in huge numbers in Russia and China and eagerly peddled by unscrupulous arms dealers, it is the bane of lawless Third World countries. But that problem is beyond the remit of a mere pedant.) The lead of Ms Clinton, in short, appears to be increasingly unassailable, said a news story on the US elections on Thursday. Increasingly unassailable is odd. Surely unassailable is an absolute can there be degrees of unassailability? And, even if there can, increasingly does not pair well with a negative. How about is becoming unassailable? New research on inequality, said a news story on Monday, has added weight to calls for George Osborne to delay higher-rate tax cuts and target spare cash towards families on lower incomes. Really? Shouldnt he rather be targeting the families with the cash, or aiming the cash towards the families? Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} How different it was in the good old days of the 1950s, when prosperity reigned in the USA, when the citizenry was content, and Charles Engine Charlie Wilson, the chairman of General Motors, could boast that Whats good for GM is good for America. Well, he didnt exactly say that, but that was what he meant, and the quote is set in stone for all eternity. Fast forward to election year 2016, when the citizenry is anything but content, when the nightmarish Donald Trump dominates the headlines, and corporate and national interests are anything but aligned. Who would have thought this circus would come to town? Les Moonves, the chairman of CBS, one of the three legacy broadcast TV networks, enthused about the Trump effect at a recent media shindig. It may not be good for America, but its damn good for CBS. The moneys rolling in.... This is fun. Recommended Read more Protesters shut down highway to block people going to Trump rally And for the owners of CBS, and its network rivals and cable channels such as CNN and Fox that give politics blanket coverage, this campaign has been fun like no other. Spending on political ads has gone through the roof. Viewers cant get enough of the circus. Ratings have soared and with them ad rates. The reason, of course, is Trump. But in televisions obsession to cover his every outlandish word and deed, they have distorted the American political process. Of course, the property tycoon and reality TV host had to be covered, as he shot to the top of the polls, turned the Republican party inside out and then cemented his position as overwhelming favourite to win its presidential nomination. The Republican party is the biggest political story in the world right now, Trump was bragging last week. Hes probably right. Now dont blame us in the dead-tree media. The New York Times, The Washington Post and the like have given a pretty balanced picture of the race. As usual theyve unearthed most of the stories that have mattered, and insofar as possible in this personality-driven year, have tried to air the issues. But the running is set by television, where most Americans get their news. And for TV, for all the spurious gravitas it attaches to political coverage, the thrill of celebrity, controversy and the whiff of cordite is all. Trump, with his personal experience of how the medium works, provides all three by the bucketload. No matter that he sucks up all the available airtime, depriving rivals of coverage. For the networks hes the gift that never stops giving. As the great journalist and critic H L Mencken wrote back in 1926, no one ever went broke by underestimating the intelligence of the American people. (Correction as with Charles Wilsons musing on GM, he didnt quite say that. Menckens exact words were the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. But again, the meaning is crystal clear.) CBS and the rest are merely proving the point. People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Show all 8 1 /8 People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Miley Cyrus 'God he thinks he is the f***ing chosen one or some shit! Honestly f*** this sh*t I am moving if this is my president! I dont say things I dont mean!' Jemal Countess/Getty Images People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Whoopi Goldberg 'I dont think thats America. I dont want it to be America. Maybe its time for me to move you know' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Samuel L. Jackson 'If that mother**er becomes president, Im moving my black ass to South Africa' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Raven Symone 'My confession for this election is, if any Republican gets nominated, Im gonna move to Canada with my entire family. Is that bad? I already have my ticket. I literally bought my ticket, I swear' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Cher 'If he were to be elected, I'm moving to Jupiter' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Neve Campbell 'Im terrified. Its really scary. My biggest fear is that Trump will triumph. I cannot believe that he is still in the game ... [I'll] move back to Canada' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Jon Stewart 'I would consider getting in a rocket and going to another planet, because clearly this planets gone bonkers' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Randy Blythe 'He could just be a clown. If he is the president, though, I am leaving America 'till he's gone' The fawning attention lavished on Trump has enabled by far the richest candidate to run an improbably frugal campaign. This was supposed to be an election dominated by dark money, sinister Political Action Committees (PACs), and hundreds of millions of dollars of funding from zillionaires such as the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson. It hasnt happened, or not yet. Instead, the media provide the money above all for Trump. The king of the Super PACs was Jeb Bush, who spent $82m (57m) on paid media ads, and much good it did him. Next, according to figures from mediaQuant, a company which researches such matters, were Marco Rubio (who dropped out last week) with $55m, and Ted Cruz, Trumps closest rival, with $22m. Trump himself spent a mere $10m. But that was more than adequate, given the free coverage he received. MediaQuant has done the sums. It computes that by the end of February he had received $1.9bn worth of free coverage, compared with $1.2bn for his 16 Republican opponents combined. Cruz comes closest, with $313m. Yes, some of the Trump coverage has been unfavourable. But in this extraordinary campaign, criticism seems only to increase his appeal. Donald Trump is dominating the headlines (AP) (Ralph Freso/Getty Images) And the TV coverage simply plays into his hands. Most cringe-worthy was the aftermath of the Super-Tuesday primaries on 1 March. Sure, Trump had a great night, and yes, politics are also about personalities. But was that justification for every channel to spend an hour of prime time covering his victory speech, the first half of which amounted to an infomercial for sundry Trump brands? Was there nothing better than this drivel to fill the time: the fate of another candidate or, perish the thought, a discussion of issues? No, they were mesmerised by the showman from Manhattan, and the ratings he brings. The media cant be wholly blamed for Trumps rise, no more than they can be blamed for their business model, in a competitive capitalist free-for-all. But theyve surely facilitated his ascent. And that business model militates against democracy. The US has no real equivalent of the BBC, non-profit and with a public charter, obliged to provide equal time in party political broadcasts. Once upon a time it did have a Fairness Doctrine, requiring coverage of public affairs to be honest, equitable, and balanced. But that rule was scrapped in 1987. It also, theoretically, has its own Equal Time rule stipulating, with certain major exceptions, that for each minute of free airtime one candidate receives, their rivals can demand the same. But youd never notice it. One reason is the assumption that anyone who seeks an opposing viewpoint can easily find it in the fragmented universe of the internet. In fact, for the majority of Americans who are not political junkies, the networks and cable channels still dominate. Only a fool would argue that their obsession with Trump has not tipped votes his way. So, let Les Moonves have the final word. Sorry, its a terrible thing to say, but bring it on, Donald, go ahead, keep going.... For us, economically, Donalds place in this election is a good thing. Pity about America. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} In 1997, when I began writing a weekly column for The Independent on Sunday, Labour had just won a landslide election victory. I wasnt a fan of Tony Blair, an antipathy that appeared to be reciprocated when I turned up at a party at No 10 a few years later, but Labours success changed the appearance of the House of Commons out of all recognition. There were suddenly 120 female MPs in the lower chamber and the vast majority (101, to be exact) belonged to the Labour Party. That was still less than a fifth of the House, but back in 1979, when Margaret Thatcher became the countrys first female prime minister, the figure was only 3 per cent. Labours 1997 intake was patronised as Blairs Babes but it began to feel normal to see MPs who werent men in suits speaking about matters which affected half the population. If progress since then sometimes seems painfully slow, last years general election lifted the proportion of women MPs to a record 29 per cent, thanks in part to the success of the SNP. Its essential to record these milestones because the world in 2016 sometimes appears to be a very dark place, and especially so for women. The late 1990s, when Sex and the City sparked conversations about everything from the pleasure of sex to coping with sexually transmitted diseases, now feels like a lost moment of innocence. Who would have predicted, watching Carrie Bradshaw and her friends roam New York in four-inch heels, that a whole series of terrorist organisations was about to emerge, incubating a pathological loathing of women? I knew that Japanese soldiers had forced thousands of foreign women to work in military brothels during the Second World War, but I didnt expect to see sexual slavery being practised in my lifetime. It is impossible to feel anything but horror as Yazidi women who have escaped the clutches of Islamic State (Isis) talk about mass rapes and being sold as sex slaves. Something similar has happened, I assume, to the schoolgirls kidnapped from a school in northern Nigeria by fighters from another Islamist organisation, Boko Haram. With the second anniversary of the mass abduction approaching next month, more than 200 girls are still missing and their desperate families can only guess at what might have happened to them. Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures Show all 35 1 /35 Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 403788.bin Getty Images Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 191385.bin Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 191386.bin Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 191387.bin Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 192809.bin Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 168685.bin Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 168686.bin Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 192808.bin Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 168688.bin Getty Images Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 285241.bin Getty Images Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 168691.bin Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 50419.bin Getty Images Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 168690.bin Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 168700.bin Central Press/Getty Images Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 192781.bin Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 168702.bin Central Press/Getty Images Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 168701.bin Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 191388.bin Getty Images Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 168704.bin David Wimsett/Getty Images Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 168706.bin Keystone/Getty Images Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 192805.bin Getty Images Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 168708.bin Express/Express/Getty Images Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 163488.bin Getty Images Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 168711.bin Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 110601.bin Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 192807.bin Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 111403.bin PA Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 140162.bin PA Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 167141.bin Jon Jones Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 33728.bin Chris Jackson/Getty Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 30501.bin Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 48234.bin REUTERS Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures 52821.bin AP Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures thatcher_2.jpg Margaret Thatcher: Life in pictures thatcher-2_1.jpg Getty Images The deliberate targeting of women and girls by terrorist organisations isnt just a resurgence of barbarism. It flies in the face of a belated recognition by the international community that sexual violence, far from being an accidental by-product of war, is a deliberate and unacceptable feature of conflict. In 2001, a war crimes tribunal sitting in The Hague ruled that the mass rape and enslavement of women are crimes against humanity, a charge second in gravity only to genocide; in a landmark judgment, three Bosnian Serbs who had been convicted of the rape, torture and enslavement of Muslim women in the Bosnian town of Foca were sentenced to a combined total of 60 years in prison. I can only hope that the Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who is said to have repeatedly raped Yazidi captives and the American aid worker Kayla Mueller, one day meets a similar fate. Two decades ago, no one talked much about female genital mutilation (FGM), even though it has been illegal in this country since 1985. Now, thanks to campaigning by young women such as Nimco Ali, founder of the anti-FGM organisation Daughters of Eve, it has moved close to the top of the political agenda. While there has yet to be a successful prosecution in this country, police in Bristol last month used new powers to prevent three girls who were considered at risk of mutilation from being taken abroad. FGM protection orders were introduced last year as part of a raft of measures to stop the practice, which is now widely recognised as a form of child abuse. Last week an Australian judge sentenced three people a retired nurse, a mother of two girls and a community leader to 15 months in prison at the end of the countrys first FGM prosecution. The victims were just seven years old when they were cut. None of this would have happened without feminism. A generation of women and men whose mothers were feminists, including the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, are relaxed about applying the word to themselves and calling publicly for greater gender equality. Thats why I think feminism is robust enough to weather attacks from some trans activists, who seem unable to disagree with distinguished figures in the womens movement without trying to turn them into hate figures. I disagree with Germaine Greer on various issues, including prostitution, but her 1970 bestseller The Female Eunuch remains an intellectual challenge and an inspiration. Personal attacks and calls for no-platforming have no place in one of the worlds great human rights movements. The world we live in today is far more polarised than I could ever have imagined in 1997. A couple of weeks ago, on a trip to Paris, I saw soldiers on the streets and was reminded that the city has suffered two devastating terrorist attacks one of them against journalists in less than 12 months. Writers, liberals and women are targets of choice for people inspired by reactionary ideas, which often turn out to have misogyny at their heart. I have tried to challenge those ideas in my columns for The IoS, and I want to thank the papers readers for staying with me for almost two decades. Not goodbye, I hope, but au revoir. Twitter.com/@polblonde; politcalblonde.com Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} I cant believe that this is my last column. I started writing in this slot in 2001, just as Trigger Happy TV was all over your screens. Oh, how things have changed in 15 years. Im about to start filming some Trigger Happy TV. Ah well, plus ca change and all that. How did you get a newspaper column? is a question I am often asked by people who assume Im illiterate. Recommended Read more Poolside with the Pulitzer crowd at the Dubai Literary Festival Well, Id just started writing a column for the London Evening Standard, having sent one in on spec. A TV critic on that paper was obsessed with slagging me off. So, I started writing facetiously about how their cruel criticism was destroying my life. I got a sniffy letter from the editor telling me this was not good form. I asked why it was OK for the critic to have a go at me in the paper but not for me to reply. I got an even sniffier reply informing me that I was new to the business and would soon learn why. F*** this I thought and I resigned in the first of many, many unwise career moves. The next day I got a call from a Simon Kelner, who wanted to interview me for GQ. He wondered whether I could meet him at Le Gavroche, a ludicrously posh French restaurant in London. This was quite awkward, as Id just filmed a stunt there where Id tried to force my way inside dressed as the actual Michelin Man while dispensing gold stars to the staff. As so often in my life, I hoped that they wouldnt recognise me. Once in the reception I was looked up and down by a distinctly unimpressed maitre d. You ave no jacket no tie monsieur? I admitted that this was indeed the case. I will attempt to find something in your size. He indicated with his eyebrows this would be a formidable task, eventually returning with a blazer last sported by Ronnie Corbett and a Michelin-food-stained tie. I squeezed into the outfit and awaited Mr Kelner. It turned out that he was the editor of The Independent moonlighting for GQ in exchange for free food. I managed to get away with pretending to know this but then got a bit tipsy and might have been vaguely offensive to Michel Roux. It was something about needing a kebab when Id finished. It cant have been that bad; Mr Kelner hired me to write for The Indy on Sunday where I have never been told what I can or cant write. I have only ever missed two columns in the last 15 years and this was due to me being stranded on a desert island. I have managed to file from the Syrian Desert, North Korea, Chernobyl, the Congo, Antarctica, the Beijing Olympics, my Iranian ski holiday, the Empty Quarter, a prison in Mexico. Once I even managed to get online in the Cotswolds to file. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to document these curious 15 years of my life. It has been a beacon of stability in a distinctly unstable life. I shall miss it more than you could ever know. Thank you for reading me. Its all been true almost. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Once again President Vladimir Putin has caught us out: by withdrawing from fighting in Syria he has neatly exploited the vacuum left by current US foreign policy and paralysis among the EU nations. There is a conditional ceasefire in Syria, and a tenuous deal has been reached on that countrys refugees. Is this the long-awaited solution to the refugee crisis? No it isnt. What will encourage Syrians to return home is the feeling that finally things might get better. What is on offer wont do that. Something more is needed, and the politics are not encouraging. The shooting down by Turkey of a Russian aircraft some months ago was stupid and unnecessary a fighter intercept would have sufficed and it made co-operation between the allies and Russia that much harder. Partial (and possibly temporary) Russian force withdrawals will not change that. The Russians have been keener on attacking what they deem to be anti-Assad terrorists than on taking on Islamic State (Isis). Turkey has hardly helped, concentrating its attacks on Kurdish forces. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is taking Turkey back into civil war, damaging the important tourist industry, and creating deep uncertainty in nations looking to bring Turkey closer to the West. Will he help progress to a pluralist regime in Damascus? Meanwhile the allied campaign, with the Iraqi forces, has been steadily chipping away at Isis, whose dreams of a country straddling Iraq and Syria and expanding outwards are crumbling. Increasingly, it is turning more to Libya, where chaos will surely continue to reign unless the coalition chooses to intervene. Assad is more secure than before as Russian air power, unconstrained by democratic imperatives and used with a brutality and probable illegality comparable to Assads own barrel bombing, takes effect. So for now we will have to live with a Moscow and Tehran-backed Assad. Recommended Read more Amal Clooney tells Syrian refugees how her family were forced to flee Isis being on the retreat is, of course, welcome and means there is one less wolf around the Syrian sleigh, but it is unlikely to persuade parents that Syria has become a safe place to bring up their children. Turkey and the EUs agreement this weekend is more about domestic Turkish and German politics than about saving and securing lives. The proposals do not sit comfortably with many in Europe nor at the UN. Problems will almost certainly emerge and the deal may not survive. The numbers of refugees who will actually be selected as legitimate is unclear: 18,000 is a figure from an existing EU plan from camps in the Middle East; how many of these would be from Turkey? And there are, it would appear, 54,000 unallocated places from a plan to redistribute refugees from Greece and Italy. 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. Last year, some 360,000 refugees from Syria arrived in Greece and this has shown no sign of stopping. Uncertainties abound. This morally questionable plan is supposed to persuade Syrian refugees that the door is closed to Europe and that the only route in future, for legitimate refugees, will be via Turkey. Will that really stop the economic migrants? Those on the ground know the realities they face it is unlikely they will reach the conclusion the diplomats want. Recommended Read more The four reasons why Russia has withdrawn from Syria At the end of the Bosnian civil war an interpreter was asked what she would do when it was over. She said, bluntly, that she was off to Canada, as it would take 10 years for things to settle down, and a further 10 for any real economic life to return to the country. Such are the sentiments of many refugees now fleeing shattered Syria for Europe. The death of hope is the signal to migrate, and a sticking plaster deal will not change the mind of a desperate and terrified people. Unless we are simply to cross our fingers and hope the current ceasefire produces something enduring, what surely is required is the presence of UN forces not just observing the ceasefire but establishing safe havens for the future. Areas which are not under attack and are now being relieved with humanitarian aid could be made the safe havens which might persuade a family to stay. A belief in a future for Syria, internationally policed, could become a real prospect. False hope given to the Kurds by Bush senior at the end of the Gulf War ended in 1.3 million people fleeing to neighbouring Iran and Turkey in 1991. However the military operation to provide a safe haven was remarkably successful in reversing a calamitous situation, and here Srebrenica must not be used as an excuse for doing nothing. Firm, resolute action induced mass movement back into northern Iraq within days of its deployment. The UN should seek a Security Council resolution to establish safe havens in Syria while the iron is hot. Crucially, this peace agreement will need the support of a Marshall plan for Syria to repair war-damaged infrastructure and restore normal market mechanisms quickly housing, urban water and electricity supplies. It is in the first 100 days that peace can be won. It could be the moment for our own Department for International Development to shine; it has the expertise. Let the Turkish refugee camps be turned into townships with facilities for a normal life: schools, clinics, business training and investment in business. Ensure, too, that the underlying and prime objective of these camps is not to provide transit for economic migrants or indeed terrorists but to lay the foundations for return to Syria of a properly representative population capable of rebuilding the nation. What is on offer now is a Russian withdrawal which may not be total, a plan for refugees that is flawed and shaky, and a ceasefire which is conditional. It is most unlikely to be enough for a shattered community to believe in, but it can be built on. At the moment we have a shaming lack of political vision, a failure to look beyond mere expediency. Further and robust diplomatic action is needed to convince the people that Syria has a future this is the only realistic prospect of halting the flow of desperate humanity. And all the military and political jostling will not change it. Sir Michael Graydon is former chief of the air staff. Dr Gilbert Greenall is a former senior adviser to the UK government on humanitarian affairs Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Any deal that emerges from the EU-Turkey summit in Brussels is likely to be deeply flawed and open to doubts, practical and moral. Some sort of deal is vital but there are limits beyond which however desperate the migrant crisis the EU should not go. In the past week both sides have hardened their positions. There was no certainty that agreement would be reached last night. In the way of these things, any failure was not likely to be final but presented as progress towards a third attempt at accommodating the divergent interests and views of 29 nations. The framework of the deal under discussion is distasteful but preferable to the existing inhumane chaos of people-smuggling gangs, child drownings and swelling refugee jungles in Greece. Migrants reaching the Greek islands would be sent back to Turkey. In return, the EU would take one for one an initial 72,000 genuine war refugees from the vast holding camps in Turkey. Recommended Read more EU reaches agreement to send refugees back to Turkey The intention is to wreck the business plan of the people smugglers and to persuade Iraqi and Syrian refugees not to risk their lives by besieging Europe in their hundreds of thousands this summer. So far, so depressing but necessary. However, European governments, under pressure from their own public, are right to insist on guarantees about the treatment of returned migrants by the Turks. The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is refusing to apply the relevant international standards that the EU is demanding. For an Ankara government that seems hellbent on dismantling press and personal freedoms, that is not very reassuring. There are other problems. Turkey is demanding fast-track talks on EU membership. Cyprus declines to consider this until Turkey recognises the country. Ankara refuses. Several EU countries, led by France, are, in any case, unwilling to give guarantees on early Turkish membership. Forms of words will be found to resolve these problems. The EU is good at forms of words. It must, however, not enter a deal with Ankara which fails to guarantee minimum humanitarian treatment for the migrants pushed back across the Aegean. Such a commitment is the least we owe to the refugees. It would also force the Erdogan government to confront a simple truth. Turkey cannot expect to be treated as a European and democratic country while it tramples European and democratic values. Ankara has a case for generous treatment by the EU. As the Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, pointed out yesterday, Turkey has received 2,700,000 refugees since the Syrian crisis began. Compare that with the few thousands grudgingly accepted by Britain. As part of the proposed deal, the EU would give Turkey up to 8bn (6.2bn) in the next three years to help pay part of the cost of the migrant camps on the Syrian border. That is justified and long overdue. But the core of the deal the migrant swap must be seen to meet minimum international standards, even if some EU countries are reluctant to recognise those standards themselves. The 28 EU members have no choice but to deal with the Erdogan government, undemocratic though its behaviour sometimes is. Despite the press crackdown, there are signs that Ankara knows that it has overplayed its hand in recent years as it sought to become both a regional power broker and a beacon of soft Islamism, presuming such a thing exists. There is an opportunity, based on mutual interests, to bind Turkey to European values while stopping well short of full EU membership, with all that entails. But that can only be achieved by striking a genuinely humanitarian deal, not by a cynical political fix. Upmarket retailer Avoca is to open its 12th store, two months after being bought by US catering giant Aramark. The new store in Dunboyne, Co Meath, is being developed at a cost of 3m and will generate 80 jobs when it opens next autumn. Avoca managing director Simon Pratt said the outlet will be the company's "most ambitious to date". He added that "the location is superb and will attract consumers from west Dublin, Meath, Kildare and beyond, looking to enjoy the Avoca experience". The four-acre site will have 35,000 sq ft of retail space, split between a cafe, food market and mixed retail, as well as parking for 300 cars. According to Avoca, the site, adjacent to the M3, is within 30 minutes' travel time of a population of more than one million people. Last year Aramark agreed a deal to pay 60m for the Avoca business. Tehran, Iran, March 19 By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend: An Indian court has dropped charges of drug trafficking and links to militant groups against 11 Iranian fishermen. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said the 11 crew members who had been arrested in July could be deported back to Iran, Press TV reported March 19. India questioned the Iranian fishing crew members for possible arms smuggling and breach of India's national security after cell phones, a tablet, and Pakistani identity cards were found on board the fishing boat. Meanwhile, the captain of the vessel was charged with fishing in a foreign boat in Indian territorial waters and using prohibited fishing equipment in India. He is scheduled to appear in court on March 28. Jabor Ringhoffer and his son Alex (12) pictured moving out of their apartment in Residents of Eden, Blackrock, Cork. Photo: Daragh Mc Sweeney Computer specialist Jabor Ringhoffer warned that Ireland is fast becoming a country where skilled overseas professionals can no longer afford to live and work. Jabor, his partner, and his son, Alex (12), yesterday moved out of the Eden complex in Blackrock, Cork that they have called home for over two years. Like 35 other Eden residents, they received a notice to quit from the complex receivers last January - just six months after seeing their rent increase by 25pc from 1,000 to 1,250. Jabor had been told to quit his flat by March 18. Read More "I am annoyed because I think it could have been handled better," he said. "It has been very difficult to find another place to rent here in Cork. "We were told in January to leave the complex but it took us a long, long time to get a letter of reference so we could rent somewhere else." "The delay in getting that letter meant that we lost out on two other nice places," he said. Jabor and his family have now found a lovely new home in Passage West - ideally located for when Alex starts secondary school next September. "We had planned to move anyway but we ended up having to move about six months earlier than we planned." The increasing expense of renting a family home in Ireland came as a major shock to the family. Read More Jabor, who worked previously in his native Hungary and then in France, warned that Ireland is now sowing the seeds for potential future economic problems with its latest housing crisis. "I love working and living in Ireland," he said. "I know people who would love to come here to work but cannot afford to do so because of the house prices." "These are not people who are coming here to take Irish jobs. They are people who are doing skilled work that Irish people aren't available to do. How many Irish people speak Hungarian, for instance? "There are skilled people who would like to come to work and live in Ireland from overseas but they just cannot afford it. "I think the shortage of housing and rising rent costs are a big problem." Planning permission is in place for almost 23,000 homes across Dublin but only a fraction are being built due to a lack of finance. New figures from the Department of the Environment show there is no shortage of planning permissions in place, but that much needed houses and apartments are not being delivered. The reasons include the high cost of building and inability of builders to secure the necessary finance from banks. This is despite a need for around 6,000 new units to come on to the Dublin market every year, just to keep pace with growing demand and to allow people get a foot on the property ladder. The figures show that the vast bulk of permitted homes are in one of the country's fastest-growing areas, Fingal in north Dublin. But separate figures from the Dublin Housing Taskforce show that despite the large number of 'unused' permissions already in place, developers are securing approval from local authorities for other developments. The figures show that last year, councils had received applications to build 6,912 homes. If approved, it would mean there was capacity to deliver more than 30,000 units - around five years' supply in the capital. "It's killing us that in broad terms the stock of planning permissions is increasing, but we're not seeing those permissions convert into starts," one source said. "It's not a land issue, it's an economic issue. The economics of housing construction are such that there's effectively a ceiling on what people can borrow under Central Bank lending rules, but the housing sector is saying that, bar exceptions such as finishing off sites, the delivery price of a home is in many cases higher than what the market can bear. "Builders are building on the basis of deposits secured. What we're not seeing is building forward in any kind of speculative sense." Last year, just 12,666 homes were completed across the country. In Dublin, fewer than 3,000 were delivered, around half of what is required. Finance One of the key providers of starter homes in the coming years will be the State bad bank Nama, which has promised to ramp-up delivery of units costing no more than 320,000 between now and 2020. It will directly fund developments, and also enter into joint venture partnerships to develop sites. It currently has 40 active sites across the capital, but says works on around 100 will be needed to deliver 4,000 homes a year over the five-year period. It plans to provide dedicated financing of 5.6bn over the period, and has earmarked delivery of 6,100 homes across eight 'clusters' in the capital by 2020. Around 93pc of its funding will be earmarked for the Greater Dublin Area, with 78pc in the city, 15pc in the commuter counties of Meath, Wicklow and Kildare and the remaining 7pc in other counties. The focus will be on starter homes. While the Government has taken some action to address the housing shortfall, including rebating development levies for starter homes and reducing the number of units which must be available for social housing, the figures show that progress remains painfully slow, particularly in areas of high demand including Dublin, Cork and Galway. In Dublin, works are underway at 90 sites across the city, but only a portion of units permitted are being delivered. This is because in many cases, banks are unwilling to fund works unless buyers are in place. Sarah Mc Cabe: Most renters I know saw their rent increased by a couple of hundred euro a month in the run up to the new rent rules introduction. Photo: Frank McGrath Forget 'don't mention the war'. Don't mention your rent. A friend of mine casually dropped the monthly cost of renting her northside Dublin apartment at a party recently. It is quite a bit lower than average; she is friendly with her landlord and got a good deal. The volume of the room dropped. Stormy expressions flashed across faces. I suspect she won't casually mention her rent again. Read More Rent has become a sensitive subject at parties because many young people living in Dublin are angry and frustrated, and some are giving up. Recently we learned that the average amount it costs to rent in the capital now exceeds what was being charged at the height of the boom. The average monthly rent for a house in Dublin is now 1,430 a month, the Private Residential Tenancy Board said. Read More A city apartment at 1,312 costs you 100 more per month than it did this time last year. Neither of those figures are too far off the average working person's monthly income. It was welcome news to Dublin's young renters because for a few days we enjoyed plenty of publicity for a problem that reached crisis proportions months ago. Read More The rule introduced in December by the government, which reduced the number of times landlords can raise rent to two years, made things worse. Read More Most renters I know saw their rent increased by a couple of hundred euro a month in the run up to the rule's introduction. Cost isn't the only issue. Lots of people trying to find somewhere to rent in Dublin right now will tell you they hate the search process more than the cost. Queues at viewings snake around the corner. Unprepared arrivals to the city spend months on friends' couches. Read More Those without previous landlord references haven't a hope. Successfully fighting off all that stiff competition still does not mean security. Tyrrelstown showed us that renting in Ireland means constantly running the risk of being turfed out if your landlord decides to sell. The alternative, buying somewhere to live, seems equally broken to Ireland's 20 and 30-somethings. House-buying has ground to a halt among young people. Nobody my age is buying. Statistics suggest the age of the average first time buyer will have climbed to 40 by 2020. High rents eat into young people's ability to save for a deposit, a deposit which was recently upped by thousands by the Central Bank's new lending rules. The pool of homes to buy is also tiny. There are 50pc fewer houses for sale in Ireland today than there were in 2010. In Dublin there were around 4,100 properties advertised for sale in January 2016, for a population of around 1.3m. The shortage is so acute that the Economic and Social Research Institute suggests we need to incentivise pensioners to leave their homes, awkwardly pitting the old against the young. There are some young people still determined enough to make it happen. They are often the ones keen to start a family, desperate to avoid raising a child in a home they could be asked to leave at any time. These wannabe parents are moving to other counties, committing to years of long commuting. But others are taking the opposite path and abandoning ship altogether. There is a growing wave of emigration among my generation, different than the last wave of emigration prompted by the rising unemployment rate of the recession. Some young Dubliners are opting to leave, not because they can't find work but because they want to live in a city where it is easier to build a life. There are plenty of these cities out there; rent is cheaper in every other EU country bar the UK. Globalisation and the internet has made it easy to work remotely so some are even hanging on to their Irish jobs. Twinlite was reported to be set to evict dozens of residents from as many as 208 homes at the Cruisepark development in Tyrrelstown. Pictured are some of the tenants of the development. Photo: RollingNews.ie Tyrrelstown in west Dublin was supposed to be a shining example of the Celtic Tiger when the huge development was built over a decade ago. Well built family homes with good amenities - it was what could be achieved in the new Ireland. Cut to today and Tyrrelstown now stands for something very different. After the events of the past week, the Cruise Park estate in Tyrrelstown now suggests that when overseas investors become involved, it can be to the detriment of the country and the normal people who are caught in the crosshairs. The details of the Tyrrelstown debacle are clear enough at this point. Twinlite, a company controlled by the Larkin family (who developed Tyrrelstown), informed 40 tenants their leases would not be renewed when they expire. Twinlite managed the homes on behalf of European Property Fund (EPF) - another company of which the Larkins were the main shareholders - and EPF's loans had been bought by Goldman Sachs from Ulster Bank. The outcry was immediate. Goldman Sachs were the evil vultures kicking poor people out of their houses. But soon things became a little but murkier. Goldman apparently knew nothing about what was happening in Tyrrelstown. Other than being the new banker for EPF, Goldman wasn't involved at all. The Larkins meanwhile made clear the tenants would be given first refusal to buy their homes or could stay in them until their lease expires in several months' time. Separately, a similar situation seemed to be talking place at the Eden complex in Cork, where tenants were told to move out by the end of this week. What the Tyrrelstown and Cork sagas have done, however, is force the issue of investment funds taking over huge swathes of Irish property to the top of the political agenda. Since the crash, Nama, Ulster Bank and others have been steadily selling off toxic loans tied to Irish property and the like. They have consolidated hundreds of loans into massive portfolios and sold them to the highest bidder - usually a US private equity firm or vulture funds. Many of those loans have been tied to residential property. Nama controls thousands of apartments, mostly around Dublin. For a time, Ulster Bank did as well. Both firms have been trying to manage their asset sales in order to get the most money possible for them. Nama, for example, was specifically not given a social mandate to require any company buying loans to look after its new tenants beyond the letter of their leases. And because of that, there is a real expectation that Tyrrelstown and Cork are the first in a wave of similar moves that will see companies that bought loans from the likes of Nama and UIster Bank start evicting tenants and then selling the properties or renting them out for much higher prices. The fear is real but as things stand there is no way this can be prevented. The terms of the loan sales were clear. The big funds took over the loans with no strings attached. Nama and the Government have no legal way of preventing tenants being booted out at the end of their lease if everything is done by the book. Environment Minister Alan Kelly may feel it is "quite harsh to chuck this amount of people out at one time" at Tyrrelstown but can do little to prevent it. The fact that so many of these big loan books have been bought by overseas buyers has not helped the sense that Ireland is being cleaned out by foreigners. But what is the difference between a private equity firm evicting its tenants from an apartment block and a family who buys a big house that is in bedsits, evicts the tenants, and turns the house into a family home? Apart from much bigger numbers, are they any different? Put it another way: would we be as harsh on these funds if they were Irish? Like it or not, the likes of Kennedy Wilson, Blackstone, Lone Star, and all the other US firms that bought here in the depths of the crash put a floor on the property market when it was in freefall. The market desperately needed buyers when there were none, and the overseas funds did that. The fact that they are sitting on huge profits is beside the point at this stage. How could we avoid having these funds owning all these assets in Ireland? By not having a crash in the first place. In any case, it may not matter at this point. Nama has nearly finished selling off its loans and property. Specialist bank Investec reckons Nama only has about 5bn worth of assets left on its books. That compares to the more than 30bn worth it took on when it was set up back in 2010. In other words, most of its selling is already done. There is little point in bringing in a change to give it a social mandate at this late point. Last Tuesday Nama launched the sale of two huge loan portfolios known as Projects Emerald and Ruby. These portfolios contain loans secured against commercial and residential property - mostly apartments. Whoever buys them will be free to do what they want with the property. Tyrrelstown was the first indication that there may be a wave of people having to leave their rented homes this year. With rents in Dublin now higher than at the peak of the boom, it will surely not be the last time tenants are told it's time to move on. Lord Mayor of Cork Chris O'Leary says the Tyrellstown crisis will be replicated in other cities and towns as property prices continue to spiral. In the Eden complex in Blackrock in Cork, tenants also have to leave their homes as they are being sold off. Some 15 residents are being allowed additional time to find alternative accommodation, after 35 Eden tenants were told by a receiver to vacate their rented properties by yesterday's deadline. Twenty tenants already quit the luxury apartment complex between January and March. The majority of tenants are single professionals, many from overseas, who are working in technology and service firms in the Blackrock and Mahon areas. O'Leary says Eden is only "the tip of the iceberg" in the eviction crisis. "I know there are between 100 and 120 tenants in various other developments around Cork that are facing eviction over the coming months." The Eden complex was developed on the site of the former Ursuline Convent in Blackrock. The 22 -acre site was originally purchased for 13m in 2001 but was later sold to Pierce Construction for 30m and was the focus of plans to develop 550 high-end housing units. A receiver was appointed to portions of the complex in 2010 on behalf of the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC). The receiver said the unit sales will be used to fund further development of new residential housing on the Eden site. The undeveloped site has capacity to facilitate more than 100 new dwellings. A spokesperson said no further tenancy notices will be issued in 2016. Additional reporting from Ralph Riegel in Cork A number of credit unions in North Dublin are planning a merger in a move that could create one of the largest locally-owned lenders in the State. It comes as a flurry of link-ups are expected ahead of a deadline at the end of this month when State supports for mergers will cease to be available. Member First Credit Union, which was created through the coming together of Coolock- Artane and Swords credit unions, is planning more link ups. It already has 154m in assets and 50,000 members. It is hoping to take over two separate credit unions - one in Raheny, and the Beaumont/Donnycarney one. If the move comes off it will create an enlarged unit with 250m in assets and 70,000 members. A spokesman for Member First had no comment. Some 68 different member plans are in negotiation, involving 123 credit unions, according to the State body set up to facilitate and help fund mergers, Rebo. The remit of Rebo will end on the last day of this month. It provides pay up to 50pc of the total costs associated with a tie-up such as due diligence, business consultancy, legal, human resources and communications costs. It is official policy to encourage credit unions to merge to create larger units that will benefit from economies of scale. An Irish League Credit Unions spokeswoman said: "A number of credit unions are in discussion with Rebo at the moment as its (Rebo) operation comes to an end." The credit union for ESB staff, St Patrick's, is proposing a merger with Ringsend & District, East Wall and IndoGroup credit unions. The latter is for staff of Independent Newspapers. Members of the four credit unions have voted in favour of the link-up. Collectively, the new credit union would have assets of 350m, making it one of the largest in the state. There are 335 active credit unions in the State following a spate of mergers, but around 100 are not engaged in any merger discussions. The directors of these feel there will be a loss of the ethos of the movement if they engage in mass mergers. A Chinese hard landing, a Donald Trump Presidency and a fractured European Union are the big threats facing the world economy, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. Warnings are also sounded about the prospect of a British vote to exit the EU, armed conflict in the South China Sea, and the onset of a new cold war fuelled by Russian aggression. But the potential for Donald Trump to make it to the White House is a scarier prospect than the rising threat of jihadi terrorism, a Brexit or a future oil price shock, the London-based organisation said. In the latest assessment of global risks, researchers said the biggest worty is that China's economy will implode. The Unit said continued deterioration in the country's services and manufacturing sectors, the ongoing build-up of the country's debt stock, now equivalent to some 240pc of GDP, and continued capital outflows have highlighted structural weaknesses in the world's second biggest economy. And that has led to depreciation in the yuan's exchange rate against the US dollar. "Given the growing dependence of Western manufacturers and retailers on demand in China and other emerging markets, a prolonged deceleration in growth there would have a severe knock-on effect across the EU and the US - far more than would have been the case in earlier decades," it said. Second among the risks are the prospect of a new cold war sparked by Russia's interventions in Syria and Ukraine, while worries about currency volatility and a collapse in investment in the oil sector also make the list. Perhaps the most eye-catching risk is the prospect of Donald Trump being elected US President. If a Chinese hard landing is the biggest risk, ranked at 20, a Donald Trump Presidency is at 12, worse than a British withdrawal from Europe, and the rising threat of jihadi terrorism. The Economist points out that Mr Trump, the Republican front-runner, has been hostile towards free trade, and has repeatedly labelled China as a "currency manipulator". "In the event of a Trump victory, his hostile attitude to free trade, and alienation of Mexico and China in particular, could escalate rapidly into a trade war - and at the least scupper the Trans-Pacific Partnership between the US and 11 other American and Asian states signed in February 2016," the forecasting points out. "His militaristic tendencies towards the Middle East, and ban on all Muslim travel to the US, would be a potent recruitment tool for jihadi groups, increasing their threat both within the region and beyond." Mr Trump's success so far has spooked many in the Republican party's top ranks, who are appalled at his incendiary rhetoric and reject policies such as his vow to deport 11 million illegal immigrants, temporarily ban Muslims from the US and build a wall along the Mexican border. 'The Economist' said that while it does not expect Mr Trump to win against Hillary Clinton, it could still happen. And then there's Brexit. The research firm said an exit from Europe would have a negative effect on Britain, which is the world's fifth biggest economy. "However, it would also harm the EU itself, given that the UK is one of the few relatively fast-growing economies in Europe, and has also been a leading proponent of trade and services liberalisation. "Finally, the shock of a 'Brexit' could also exacerbate the ongoing global currency instability, notably in the West." The production team responsible for bringing 'Star Wars' to Skellig Michael spoke for the first time yesterday about returning to The Kingdom for the next instalment of the famous movie franchise. Lucasfilm has confirmed it will shoot several scenes in Kerry in the near future. Preparations are already underway with the construction of a metal roadway on the slopes of Ceann Sibeal on the Dingle Peninsula. The company is expected to return in a number of weeks to film several sequences for the next 'Star Wars' film. Candice Campos, Lucasfilm vice-president of physical production, said Ireland was "an important part of 'Star Wars' history". "The beauty of Skellig Michael in the final scene of 'The Force Awakens' was stunning and we know the new locations along the Wild Atlantic Way will prove to be equally as beautiful in 'Star Wars: Episode VIII'. "Lucasfilm is thrilled to return to Ireland to film several sequences for the next chapter in the 'Star Wars' saga." Local farmers and landowners have signed contracts with the production company with many of them bound to secrecy about the filming. Fishermen and locals in Ballinskelligs were tied to similar agreements during filming on Skellig Michael. Irish Film Board chief executive James Hickey said it was a further boost for the Irish film industry which had won several international awards this year. Brian McFadden has hit back at his former bandmate Kian Egan after the radio presenter said his new venture Boyzlife was unfair to the fans. Speaking on last nights Late Late Show, McFadden said that maths wasnt Egans strong suit after his former bandmate criticised Boyzlife, a new group made up of Mcfadden and former Boyzone star Keith Duffy. Speaking earlier in the week Egan said: I was scratching my head when I first saw it. Its a bit of an odd one a member of Westlife who left the band after four years decides to use half the name for whatever it is that theyre doing. Expand Close Kian Egan criticised Brian McFadden's new group Boyzife, which he formed with Keith Duffy / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kian Egan criticised Brian McFadden's new group Boyzife, which he formed with Keith Duffy However, McFadden defended the new group which will see the pair tour around the UK and Ireland. I was actually in Westlife for more than four years but maths was never Kians thing in fairness. McFaddens new partner is music Keith Duffy suggested that Egan had his claws out, after making the scathing comments about Boyzlife. At the end of the day myself and Brian are after teaming up to do a show and talk about 20 years in the business, he said All the performances we do will be in a Hilton Hotel all across the UK and Ireland. A saucer of milk for Kian please. Expand Close Brian and Keith appeared on the Late Late Show to discuss Boyzlife / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brian and Keith appeared on the Late Late Show to discuss Boyzlife Speaking on 98fm this week, Egan revealed that Boyzlife is doing an injustice to fans. "From the perspective of someone who spent 15 years in Westlife it was really aggravating. Video of the Day "It was really unfair on the fans that everybody thought that this was whats happening, you know that Westlife and Boyzone were getting together to do a tour. "Personally speaking, I thought it's not the right way to do it and I think it was pretty unfair on the fans, he said. Ann Skelly (19) has always wanted to be screen star, so despite the fact that her family who are originally from Killester were living in Wexford, the then 15-year-old took it upon herself to travel to Dublin city by train every Saturday to attend classes at the Irish Film Academy. A year later, Ann landed her breakout role in TV3s hit soap Red Rock, which has seen her character Rachel Reid, front and centre of a controversial storyline involving a sordid affair with her friends father, Garda Sergeant Brian McGonigle, played by actor Sean Mahon. I feel like Rachel was kind of like me when I was 15, in a way, Ann explains, But then there have been some really overwhelming scenes that myself and Sean Mahon and my on-screen dad, Anthony Brophy, have had to do too and I think that experience of being pushed in that way is really challenging and it is exciting for me to test the limits. TV3 really took a risk on me at the very beginning because it was my first ever acting job and when I auditioned, I was quite young. I was just 17, Ann adds. It was great to get a job so early on, but especially a role like Rachel and with such a big storyline. I was really just thrown in the deep end, which is the best way to learn. It helped me to develop a lot and very quickly as the show is really fast-paced and the reaction has been really good overall. The storyline of Rachel Reid, a 15-year-old schoolgirl preyed upon by the paedophile Garda Sergeant Brian McGonigle, garnered such attention in series one of Red Rock that his role was reprised for series two, which is now airing with McGonigle back reeking more chaos as he awaits trial. Amongst a bevy of other dramatic events, this particularly controversial plot has been a major factor in the soaps meteoric success, both here at home and abroad. Red Rock has been making a big impact stateside, following the award-winning soaps US debut on Amazon Prime in a 1m deal for TV3. Red Rock has also put Ann Skellys acting talents on the map, leading on to other roles such as her recent part in 1916 RTE drama Rebellion. It was really great to be a part of Rebellion; the 1916 Rising story is so close to many Irish peoples hearts, so to play a tenement girl was really great as my granddad, when he was quite young, would have lived in the tenements with his family, so it was kind of personal for me, Ann says. So whats next for Ann? I would love to do something really far away from me and out of my comfort zone, says the young star, who left school to prioritise her acting. I love Al Pacino; he left school and slept on the stage he performed on and I just love all of that poetic ridiculousness. I think Saoirse Ronan is incredible too. I love film and it is, of course, something that I would love to do, but I am not sure about the Hollywood ideal; I dont feel like it is an end goal for me. I want to act until I am 90 and make good stuff rather than aiming for Hollywood success and fame. Catch Red Rock on TV3 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8.30pm Baku, Azerbaijan, March 19 Trend: Iran supports Syria's territorial integrity, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said during the joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Istanbul, TRT Haber TV channel reported March 19. Iran's foreign minister has arrived in Istanbul for an official visit. Any attempt to split Syria is doomed to failure, according to Zarif. He added that Syria's future can be determined only by Syrian people. Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has so far claimed the lives of over 220,000 people. Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The "Islamic State" (IS, aka ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) and Jabhat al-Nusra are the most active terrorist groups in Syria. A vulnerable, trusting woman with low self-esteem issues was ripped off when looking for love online by a heartless conman. Smooch.com swindler, Alan Custy (39) of Dun na hInse, Ennis hatched a scheme where he stole by deception almost 19,000 from the "vulnerable" woman he met through the dating website over five months in 2013. Counsel for the State, Thomas Rice BL said that the woman lacked "smarts or street-sense" and fell for the lies spun by Custy. Det Garda Claire O'Shaughnessy told Ennis Circuit Court the woman lives alone and suffered from self-esteem issues when looking for romance online in June 2013. The 46-year-old Limerick woman is the second online female victim of the scheming Custy who previously received a three-year suspended jail term in February 2012 for blackmailing a married woman who he met on connectedsingles.com. In that case, Custy posed as a Michael Lynch and in the smooch.com case, the father of two posed as an Alan Casey. At his sentencing hearing in relation to the smooch.com case, Det O'Shaughnessy said the victim had become suspicious of Custy and contacted gardai in November 2013 after coming across a newspaper account of his blackmailing case. However, by that stage, the woman had handed over 18,950 to Custy. The victim said Custy had "completely shattered" her confidence. The case was adjourned. 'In his chambers, Judge Durcan told the girl he wasn't happy that she continues to miss school' Stock photo: Getty A judge has warned a 14-year-old schoolgirl that if she doesn't go to school, her parents will be sent to jail. Up until December, the third-year student had an absentee rate of 77.9pc having missed 53 out of 68 school days. At Ennis District Court yesterday, Judge Patrick Durcan sounded a warning to the school shy teen after hearing the girl missed a further day of school last Monday. Solicitor for the Child and Family Agency (CFA) Kevin Sherry said that no medical certificate or reason was given for Monday's absence. The girl was present in court with her two parents and the judge invited the family into his chambers. In his chambers, Judge Durcan told the girl he wasn't happy that she continues to miss school. Asking the girl what she found wrong with school, she said: "I don't like it." He told her: "Part of my job is that I have to deal with these issues. If you don't come up to the mark, I have to take steps that affect your mum and dad and that means prison." Mr Sherry told the judge that there were no issues regarding the girl falling behind at school and that services were available to her. Judge Durcan said that he would adjourn the case for a couple of weeks to see how the girl fared in terms of her attendance record at school. He warned her: "I don't do the flu or colds, so I want to see you in school every day. "We are not dragging this on indefinitely. I will deal with this on April 15 and if there isn't 100pc attendance, I can't be carrying this on." A former doctor who got into financial difficulty and fleeced an elderly patient with Alzheimer's of 10,000 has besmirched her reputation, a court has heard. Michelle Mellotte pleaded guilty to a single charge of fraud by abuse of position. At Omagh Crown Court, sitting in Dungannon, the prosecution said that the Co Fermanagh ex-GP went to the wealthy patient's home where she said she needed to borrow money. A cheque of 10,000 was handed to her with a written agreement that she would repay the money. However, the 61-year-old, of Bannagh Road, Kesh, failed to give the cash back for over a year. The former medic accepted that she was occupying a position in which she was expected to safeguard the financial interests of the pensioner but dishonestly abused it to obtain the 10,000 from him. The offence was committed over a period from January 30, 2010, until April 22, 2011, against Michael McGrory, who died in December 2012. Crown prosecutor Sam Magee told the court that the defendant took the money as a loan from Mr McGrory, who was in his late 70s or early 80s. "The victim was vulnerable and was in ailing mental and physical health and was suffering from Alzheimer's disease at the time," he added. "He lived in a remote area in Co Fermanagh, he was not married and he had no children. "He was a man of means after inheriting a substantial amount of money from his cousin in 1997. However, he lived a humble life." Dr Mellotte noticed that his health was deteriorating, his memory was fading and that he was forgetting to take his medication, the court heard. She was said to have been so concerned that she moved him into the village of Ederney, where he could be cared for better. The victim moved into the property in 2005 and Dr Mellotte helped him with his care needs and medication. Mr Magee told Judge Stephen Fowler QC that in February 2010 she called to his home and spoke to his home help, Rosemary McElhill. Dr Mellotte told the home help that she needed to speak to Mr McGrory as she was in a "bit of a diff". The prosecutor said: "She said that she wanted to borrow money. A cheque was produced for 10,000. "She wrote an agreement on the back of the cheque that on 'February, 2, 2010, she would pay him back in the summer of 2010'. "This was witnessed by home help. "Dr Mellotte was said to have been in significant financial difficulty and the bank had contacted her to say she was in debt." The money was placed into her bank account and paid to various people. The court heard that at the end of the summer none of the money had been paid back, nor had there been any attempts to renegotiate the terms. In Easter of 2011, over a year after she got the cheque, the home help asked her why she had not repaid the money as agreed. However, Dr Mellotte told her "not to worry about it" and that she would pay it back. She also told Ms McElhill that she had reprioritised the money, meaning that she had "put it on the long finger". Mr Magee added: "This was an arrangement which from the outset can be described as being dishonest. "It must have been plainly obvious to her that others would have regard to her conduct as being dishonest." The prosecutor described the arrangement as "improper" between a general practitioner and a vulnerable patient and it was also a "breach of trust". It was not until November 2011 that she finally made a repayment of 5,400, and the rest was repaid later. By this stage she had been suspended from her practice because the General Medical Council (GMC) and the PSNI had launched an investigation into the loan. During a police interview she said that she repaid the money because it would look stupid if she had not paid it back when she appeared before the GMC. Defence barrister Gary McHugh said that no loss was caused to Mr McGrory or his estate. "It's quite clear he maintained a close relationship with Dr Mellotte, she went out of her way to help him and went above and beyond the duty of a GP," he added. "She was the person who told social services about his position, about his needs to get other benefits. If he was alive today we would not be here - he would not have made a compliant." The court was told that Dr Mellotte suffered from depression before and after the incident and was on antidepressants. "It seems she has allowed her finances to get on top of her," Mr McHugh said. The lawyer added that ahead of the GMC hearing into her professional misconduct, she had "voluntarily erased" herself from the medical register and had not practised for five years. "She has given four decades of her life to serve her patients," he said. "Her reputation as a GP has been besmirched. That's a very heavy burden." He added that she was not "lining her coffers" and was not enjoying a holiday to the Bahamas or "shopping for expensive handbags and shoes". He said she used the money to pay people back. Rector Stephanie Woods, from the Church of Ireland in Lisbellaw, told Judge Fowler that she had known Dr Mellotte for 14 years after she had cared for her ill father. She described her as an "exceptional person" who went above and beyond her duty. Former parish priest in Ederney Fr Brendan Gallagher also took to the witness box and said that the doctor went out of her way to help her patients. The case was adjourned until April 4 for sentencing An asylum seeker who was refused an abortion after arriving in Ireland pregnant as a result of an alleged rape is suing the State for damages. The action, by a woman known as 'Ms Y', includes a claim for alleged trespass, assault and battery. She is also claiming reckless and intentional infliction of emotional harm, breach of duty, false imprisonment and alleged unlawful deprivation of liberty. The woman further claims there was alleged unjustified intentional negligent infringement of and wrongful interference with, or failure to vindicate, her constitutional rights and her rights under the European Convention of Human Rights. The case was before the High Court yesterday when Mr Justice Kevin Cross made an order prohibiting the publication or broadcast of any matter relating to the proceedings which would or be likely to identify the woman. The judge also allowed the woman to maintain the proceedings under the pseudonym "Ms Y from Dublin". The application for anonymity was not opposed by the State. Mr Justice Cross, in granting the anonymity order, said Ms Y came to this country in 2014. She became suicidal when she discovered she was pregnant and said she had been kidnapped and raped in her country of origin. She sought the termination of her pregnancy but medical procedures were performed under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 and a baby was delivered by caesarean section, the judge said. Mr Justice Cross said he fully accepted that if the woman were identified, this would cause undue stress to her, but he was not happy that there was evidence to support the contention she would necessarily qualify for anonymity under the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act. Confidential However, he did not have to adjudicate on the proper interpretation of that Act because the woman was a person who has sought asylum from the State and been granted it. There was, the judge said, under the Refugee Act an obligation on the State to take all practical steps to ensure the identity of the woman was kept confidential. He had no doubt the publication of the woman's name would result in a breach of the Refugee Act and he granted the order in accordance with that Act. Two hapless drug mules from Limerick city spent six days in hospital expelling over 90 swallowed pellets of cocaine smuggled in from Spain. At Ennis Circuit Court, Det Sgt Kevin OHagan said that the two, Thomas Tully (44) and John Byrne (43) were initially detected by Ollie, the Customs drugs dog at Shannon airport after they came off a flight from Spain on April 21st 2014. Det Sgt OHagan said that the Tully of Star Court, John Carew Park, Limerick and Byrne of Clare Street, Limerick were arrested and brought to University College Hospital Limerick where they remained under guard and spent the next five to six days expelling the swallowed cocaine pellets from their bodies. In the case, Tully swallowed 54 pellets of cocaine with a street value of 17,150 while Byrne swallowed 40 pellets with a street value of 11,645. Both pleaded guilty to the importation and possession with intent to supply with Tully facing the more serious charge as his drug amount was over 13,000. Det Sgt OHagan agreed with counsel for Mr Tully, Anthony Sammon SC that what Mr Tully did was an extremely dangerous thing to do and that one drugs mule died last year in Ireland. Mr Sammon said: One would want to be pretty desperate to submit oneself to this. Det Sgt OHagan said that the two men each stood to make around 600 to 700 each from the operation after flight and accommodation expenses were paid for while Tully also stood to have a 700 debt due to a loan shark written off Mr Sammon remarked: It is a paltry gain to risk ones life. The detective agreed with counsel for the accused that the two didnt have the means to finance the operation and were merely drug mules. He said that Tully was forthright in Garda interviews without disclosing the identity of the Mr Big who sanctioned the operation. He said: He didnt reveal names. Det Sgt OHagan said that Byrne maintained his right to silence but did make admissions of his own involvement. Det Sgt OHagan said that it was a joint operation by the two to bring the drugs back into Shannon. He said that Byrne has 48 previous convictions while Tully has 10 previous convictions. Mr Sammon said that Tully was in debt and was offered a way out by agreeing to be a drugs mule. He said: People who operates these awful drug gangs at the top are always at the look out for vulnerable people, and in reply Det Sgt OHagan said that both men come under that description. The detective agreed that Byrne has no trappings of wealth and hasnt been convicted since the Shannon drugs seizure. Counsel for Mr Byrne, Lawrence Groucher BL said that his client was victim of more sinister elements and is not the strongest of characters. This operation is not something that he volunteered for - he was essentially coerced into doing this for a small reward. Mr Sammon said that he has to be realistic in relation to the sentencing parameters in relation to his own client and the Court of Criminal Appeal has imposed prison terms on other clients where suspended sentences were imposed in the circuit court. Mr Sammon said that his client is a diabetic and required regular insulin injections. Judge Gerald Keys said that he had to read various reports in the case and remanded the two on bail for sentence to Ennis Circuit Court on April 7th. Fine Gael is to offer ministries to Independent TDs as the party prepares to rapidly escalate attempts to form a 'rainbow minority government'. Acting Taoiseach Enda Kenny is to ask up to 20 Independents and the Green Party to play a role in writing a new programme for government, the Irish Independent has learned. The move will raise the stakes in the bidding war between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail as both parties seek to get enough support to justify a minority government. And Mr Kenny now wants to be a position to appoint a Cabinet when the Dail meets on April 6. "Independents thought we were looking for support on a case-by-case basis - but it's not, we want them in the room," said a source. Party strategists accept they will fall short of the 79 seats necessary for a majority but believe if they can get more than 65 votes, the pressure on Fianna Fail to allow the formation of a government would be too great. Fine Gael sources described their new plan as a "modern version" of the 1948 coalition deal which saw all parties except Fianna Fail enter a coalition. The Cabinet consisted of representatives from six parties and an Independent. There are indications that the Independent Alliance, a group of five rural TDs, the Green Party and a small number of standalone Independents including Katherine Zappone and Maureen O'Sullivan are interested taking talks to "the next level". A key element of the Fine Gael plan involves convincing the Labour Party to abstain from voting on April 6. Mr Kenny will ask his parliamentary party on Tuesday to allow him open "really substantial" negotiations that he hopes will ultimately lead to a programme for government. The acting Taoiseach is also understood to have privately ruled out any possibility of Fine Gael facilitating a Fianna Fail-led minority government. "No way, never - and it's not just Leo Varadkar saying that now," said a senior source. Fianna Fail is continuing talks with Independent TDs and is due to give them a document on its plans for rural Ireland this weekend. However, party strategists do accept they have huge ground to make up and will need somebody to publicly back them soon in order to gain some momentum. In Brussels yesterday, Mr Kenny said people had voted for "a different range of representation and I think as the largest party in the Dail it's important that we recognise what that range is". "And that's why my responsibility continues to be to work with those groups and those individuals in understanding what their concerns and their anxieties are, and what mandate they brought with them from their people, being properly elected to the Dail, and to reflect that in issues that can be dealt with by the next government," he said. Roscommon TD Michael Fitzmaurice, who is a member of the Independent Alliance, told the Irish Independent last night that he is keen to continuing working with both sides. "If you cower you might get your seat back but you won't go down in history for having done anything. There are people running for the hills and minding their little seats," he said. The ATM damaged by raiders in Greystones, Co Wicklow A specialist crime unit has been set up by gardai to target an Eastern European gang carrying out multiple attempted ATM robberies. The gang has become known for using gas to blow up ATM machines to rob cash. Gardai are investigating the gang's latest botched attempt after an attempt to blow up an ATM in Greystones, Co Wicklow, on St Patrick's Day morning. Sources said the gang is also responsible for at least 10 other similarly botched burglaries, including attempts in Drogheda, Leixlip and Rathfarnham. An Audi estate car linked to the gang has been tied to this and other similar attacks. The car was seen in Greystones at 4.30am on Thursday when an attempt was made to wrest an ATM machine from a bank on Main Street in the town. After the attempted robbery went wrong the raiders fled the scene but were spotted by a pensioner. They veered their car towards him but he managed to escape unharmed. They left without any cash but caused considerable damage to the ATM and the front of the bank. Senior garda sources are said to be very concerned at the nature with which the ATM attacks are carried out after a court in the UK heard that the safe distance for anyone passing by from one of these explosions is around 100 metres. There are fears that someone could eventually be killed by one of the explosions. However, very few of the attacks have been successful for gangs here. The most high-profile success came when a home-grown gang took almost 100,000 after blowing up a machine in Enniscorthy in 2013. The criminals fired shots at unarmed gardai as they fled. IRISH Rail have hit out at union calls for pay increases of up to 25pc, saying the demands are "not grounded in reality". In a letter penned to the rail company on behalf of 650 Irish Rail staff - including 300 drivers - the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) have asked for pay increases in line with those proposed for Luas drivers. The NBRU said that drivers would not co-operate on plans for more frequent Darts without pay talks. A new Dart schedule that would see trains run every 10 minutes is due to come into effect on April 10. Staff are also seeking a reinstatement of 6pc that was cut from their pay packet in 2014 under a 24-month deal that is due to expire in October. The additional increase is in line with what the union has said were now "industry norms", given the pay increase of between 8pc and 19pc proposed for Luas staff. However, a spokesman for Irish Rail has dismissed the demands as unrealistic. "Iarnrod Eireann remains in a very difficult financial position with annual losses, and an accumulated deficit of 135m and is only paying wages and bills through loans," he said. "What happens in another company [Luas] is of no relevance. We have an agreement for a temporary pay reduction which concludes in October. We will not do anything which brings the threat of insolvency back, as this would put our customers' services and our employees' job security at risk. "That agreement is one that all unions including NBRU signed up to. The NBRU purport to understand our financial position so the comments of the Union are not grounded in reality," he added. Ridiculous Dermot O'Leary general secretary of the NBRU, said the notion that rail staff would have to wait for the company to begin making money was "quite ridiculous". "There has been a lot of unrest in Irish Rail in the last 12 months you had the main Government party talking about keeping the recovery going and workers haven't experienced that recovery." Meanwhile, Dublin Bus drivers are also seeking a new pay deal in line with the tram drivers and are due to meet with the company next Wednesday in the Labour Court. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 19 Trend: Turkey has supported Iran in its hardest times when the country was under sanctions, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said during the joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Istanbul, TRT Haber TV channel reported March 19. Iran's foreign minister has arrived in Istanbul for an official visit. Despite some disagreements, Ankara and Tehran support the settlement of conflicts in the region, including those in Syria and Yemen, according to Zarif. "Iran believes that it will be possible to resolve all problems through a dialogue," said the foreign minister. Zarif also expressed condolences over the Istanbul terrorist attack which left five dead and 38 injured. A pensioner was hospitalised with serious head injuries after a gang broke into his home and beat him with a pole. Three masked men set upon the 87-year-old man in his home in Shillelagh, Co Wicklow, on Wednesday night. He shares the home with his partner but was alone in the property when the gang forced their way in at 9pm. They set off with a small sum of money before gardai were altered. The pensioner was left with serious head injuries and remains in Naas General Hospital where he is been treated in a specialist eye-unit. Local Fine Gael Councillor Vincent Blake said the area is shocked by the attack. "Such an insensitive act like this on an innocent man does not make sense," he said. "I can't recollect anything as serious as this. "There are always break-ins but they tend to be when people are not in the house at the time. "Three lads broke in and they beat him with some kind of a stick. "It is a small village with a good neighbourhood watch programme that is normally very efficient." A plaque on behalf of the Irish people is to grace the famous Washington Monument in the American capital, the US National Park Service has confirmed. The plaque, the wording of which is not finalised, will be unveiled at the obelisk in May in recognition of the "long and enduring relationship between Ireland and the United States," said Senator Mark Daly. He has been working with the National Park Service as the Seanad's spokesman for the Irish Overseas and Diaspora, to include Ireland among the 193 commemorative stones honouring George Washington on the monument's interior walls. The plaque will include passages from the 1916 Proclamation as well as references to Thomas J Meagher, founder of the Tricolour who went on to become US Army Brigadier-General in the 69th Regiment of the Union in the American Civil War and Governor of Montana. Mr Daly said he was delighted the project had come to fruition after he visited the monument. "I asked where the Irish one (plaque) was and there wasn't one," he said. "This is an appropriate to way to honour the relationship between Ireland and the United States." Many migrants are trying to make their way to Europe The EU and Turkey have finally inked an accord on how to control the numbers of migrants arriving in the bloc through the Greek islands. After three summits and months of legal wrangling and political horse-trading, Turkey has said it will take back all illegal Syrian migrants arriving in Greece after midnight Sunday. In exchange, EU leaders offered Turkey money to support Syrian refugees on its territory, visa-free access to the bloc from July and the partial unblocking of Ankara's stalled EU membership talks by June. As part of the deal, the EU will take in one legally registered Syrian refugee for every illegal migrant Turkey takes back, up to a maximum of 72,000, and only for a limited time. Once flows to the Greek islands are "substantially and sustainably reduced", EU leaders said they would look at resettling more Syrian refugees, but only on a voluntary basis. Ireland will not take in any extra people as part of the deal, Enda Kenny confirmed yesterday, and will stick to a September 2015 pledge to rehouse 4,000 people from within and outside the EU. However, he said he would consider "what, if any" help Ireland could offer Greece in terms of personnel to process asylum seekers that have already arrived on its shores. The EU has been intent on locking down its external borders since the flow of migrants to the bloc skyrocketed to 1.2 million last year - most of them fleeing the civil war in Syria and reaching the EU across the Aegean Sea from Turkey. The flows have barely abated, with more than 156,000 people arriving already this year. "This agreement alone is not going to resolve that crisis," the acting Taoiseach said. Asylum "It will not stop people leaving Syria and it will not prevent people from wanting to come to Europe in the first place, but it should help to manage and diminish the flow of asylum seekers more effectively, also more humanely and obviously more fairly." The deal, which was first outlined at an emergency summit on 7 March, was beset by legal, political and practical obstacles and looked to be in jeopardy until a breakthrough was reached on Friday afternoon. The UN and other human rights organisations had criticised the first draft, saying that deporting migrants en masse back to Turkey would contravene international and EU law. But EU leaders say they have circumvented legal challenges by treating asylum claims individually, offering the right of appeal to those whose claims are denied and refusing to turn away people in danger of persecution or death. A second obstacle was Cyprus, which threatened to torpedo an accord over Turkey's EU membership talks, but a solution was found that partially unblocks the talks while pushing more contentious issues further down the line. The resulting deal assures Turkey of 6bn between now and 2018 to upgrade Syrian refugee camps, and hinges on Ankara making a raft of legal changes to bring it into line with EU human rights and democratic standards. Companionship for Irish pet owners is the overwhelming reason why those surveyed have a pet, say 71pc of respondents. (stock ) Most Irish pet owners dont know the profound health benefits of having a dog - that they can detect cancer, and also alert owners to seizures. Three quarters of Irish adults dont know that dogs can detect early signs of cancer, while one third of adults dont know that dogs can alert their owners to potential seizures, according to a new survey. According to a recent Better with Pets review and survey commissioned by Purina, Nestles pet food company, companionship for Irish pet owners is the overwhelming reason why those surveyed have a pet, say 71pc of respondents. Though half of pet owners report that pets have a positive effect on their mental health. Professor Daniel Mills, professor of veterinary behavioural medicine at the University of Lincoln, who spoke at Purinas first ever Better with Pets European Forum recently, said that pet ownership can help save healthcare systems millions of euros per year. While these numbers are not perfect, there is definitely something there that the public health and pet care community needs to pay attention to. The benefits of responsible pet ownership are clear. Ive seen pets have dramatic effects on autistic children. It is important that we understand the subtleties and nuances of how people and pets work together - this is vitally important for the well-being of both, and has the potential to make a massive difference to public health. However, it is crucial that the research industry is given an opportunity to analyse this further and not have their evidence ignored as being at an early stage, Professor Mills said. Premium John Downing Opinion Pension reforms are dicey territory but grand plan by minister Heather Humphreys just might win through Pension system changes all across the western world have a great propensity to infuriate those most feared by politicians: the grey brigade. And when the oldies take to the streets, they usually play for keeps. Ireland by international comparison has had a sustained period of industrial peace. This is imperative if we are to manage successfully our economic recovery. Over the last seven years Ireland has maintained a strong system of voluntary industrial relations with respected statutory dispute resolution bodies. Recent events require all of us to ensure that we do not jettison established procedures and understandings for the proper conduct of industrial relations. I have been in this business in different roles for the last 40 years and on more than one occasion recently I have felt I am back in the 1970s and 1980s. Earlier this week Workplace Relations Commission officers alone were triaging four major disputes - Luas, Dart, An Post and the HSE/emergency departments. This was after being involved in forging a negotiated solution to the all-out strike in Mondelez/Cadburys dispute on the previous weekend. This latter dispute involved a threat to a potential 1,000 jobs. The commission is beginning to take on the look of an industrial relations emergency department itself. Since last October, when the new WRC was established we have received 5,200 requests for employment rights investigations or adjudications. Why this upsurge and volatility in employment relations? After seven years of wage famine and increased taxation there is a growing expectation among employees in both private and public sectors for increases in take home pay. Talk and evidence of some economic recovery in certain sectors fuel these demands. Unions, Ibec and the CIDP have published evidence of modest increases in wages. The uneven level of this fragile recovery will add to a multi-wage system that in itself will contribute to potential industrial unrest. The absence of a national bargaining structure and agreed "ground rules" is unhelpful in the current situation. A pay norm of between 2 to 3pc over a period of 12 to 15 months in return for productivity, work practice efficiencies, business restructuring and ability to pay has started to emerge. This is the product of unions and employers reaching agreements through collective bargaining and often with the assistance of the WRC and the Labour Court. The pay and reward trends emerging in non-unionised employment remain a mystery. In recent times and in significant disputes there is increasing experience of the "revolving door" system of industrial relations i.e. into the WRC, through the Labour Court and then threatened strikes and back to the commission. I have seen too often in the past the sometimes negative outcomes of this approach. For example, lost jobs, lost productivity and loss of pay. I could list the factories we have lost through poor industrial relations and negative employee engagement by management. I refer to these as the "own goal syndrome" of industrial relations and where both sides of industry share the fault at times. In some cases certain key disputes should go, by agreement, to binding arbitration if they are to avoid damaging outcomes. There is already provision for arbitration at the Labour Court in our employment legislation. To my knowledge this provision has never been used. A similar process is in general use under the Croke Park and successor agreements. Legislating for compulsory arbitration requires a new debate and should not be a reaction, understandable as it may be, to recent disputes. It requires "buy in" from potential disputant parties. This could be explored if we had a forum for social dialogue. The practice of binding arbitration exists and is accepted in other countries. Disputes are better resolved by agreement and we should not forget that some disputes put at risk other people's livelihood and some essential services for the general public. Unions and management have engaged constructively and responsibly during the challenging period of the recession. They now need during the recovery to be imaginative around pay, reward, competitiveness and workplace technology. Enterprises need internal learning, training and development programmes to retain their staff. Political parties are considering lessening the "crisis" tax burden on work. The outcome of third party proposals and recommendations should be given due weight in dispute situations. What challenges face the public sector and the noise around "pay restoration", staffing levels and as reform gathers pace? After almost seven years of sacrifices under a combination of FEMPI legislation and the Croke Park/Haddington Road agreements a level of pay respite has been achieved under the terms of the Lansdowne Road Agreement. Some might consider that certain unions are placing these improvements at risk for their members. Evidence of this pressure has already emerged among teachers, nurses, gardai and middle management. Union conferences over the next two months will showcase this anger. Pressures are mounting in the civil and public service and in State agencies to retain and recruit key management and specialist staff. It does not help when special arrangements seem to apply to some agencies by the retention and restoration of the bonus culture. There appears to be a need to begin to construct a new model for the future determination of public service pay. This can built on the existing centralised agreements which has stopped leapfrogging claims and contributed to the delivery of a high degree of industrial peace. The alternative is pay chaos where those with the biggest muscle get the biggest settlements. This would be an unwelcome return to the past. The next number of months will be challenging for whichever government is in place. It is a problem for the public service unions as well. I hope both will have a strategy in place when the pressures reached a crescendo. Dare I mention some form of "benchmarking" at the risk of verbal assassination. It would be a national tragedy if we resorted to a "free for all" approach. I never considered it as being free and certainly not for all. The time calls for cool heads and leadership. The developing international economic and political situation contains serious potential risks to our recovering and fragile economy. Kieran Mulvey is director general of the Workplace Relations Commission Five years ago this week, the first mass protests against the regime of Bashar al-Assad erupted in Deraa, a town near Syria's southern border with Jordan. The rallies were sparked after local schoolboys were detained and tortured by Assad's security forces. Their crime? Scrawling "Your turn, doctor" in red paint on their school wall. The reference was to Assad, an ophthalmologist. Two of his fellow dictators in the region, Egypt's Mubarak and Tunisia's Ben Ali, had just stepped down after unprecedented demonstrations swept both countries. In Libya, Gaddafi also looked vulnerable as a Nato-led intervention began, following a popular uprising. In the eyes of Assad, these were dangerous days, and his notorious security apparatus responded accordingly. Regime forces began opening fire on demonstrators, and rounding up leaders of the quickening protest movement. Some of the opposition took up arms and formed a loose front that included Islamist fighters and more moderate elements. As the uprising tipped into civil war, it began to draw in external actors including Russia, Iran, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, as well as the brutal militants of what later became known as Isil. Today, Syria is a bloody stage for a regional and global proxy war with a dizzying cast of characters. The tremors from its terrible war - whether in terms of the exodus of refugees or the threat from Isil - are felt in neighbouring countries such as Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan and further beyond into Europe. The story of the Deraa schoolboys has now passed into lore, but if the suffering of children helped trigger the uprising in 2011, it has continued to be one of the saddest facets of Syria's tragedy. Over the past five years, eight million children have required humanitarian assistance, and 2.4 million children have become refugees, according to new data released by the UN children's fund, Unicef. Among the worst affected are those living under sieges on civilian areas. This tactic has been used by regime forces, opposition fighters and Isil. In recent months, images of emaciated children living in besieged districts have caused revulsion, bringing Syria's conflict back into the headlines. "Twice as many people now live under siege or in hard-to-reach areas compared with 2013," Unicef said. "At least two million of those cut off from assistance are children, including more than 200,000 in areas under siege." The UN agency expressed concern about the increasing number of children - including girls, and many under-15s - being recruited as combatants on all sides of the conflict. It noted that 2.9 million children inside Syria and more than 800,000 outside were under five years old and had therefore known nothing but war in their short lives. More than two million children inside the country and 700,000 outside it were not receiving any education. Many talk of this as Syria's lost generation. They are the children with haunted faces I have seen in refugee camps on the Turkish border or selling roses late at night on the streets of Beirut. Traumatised by war, their lives completely upended and their future uncertain, this is a generation that will pose profound challenges to the region in the years and decades to come. A report by a collection of humanitarian agencies including Oxfam and Care International said that last year was the worst of the conflict so far. It estimated that at least 50,000 people had been killed during that time, and the number living under siege across Syria had doubled. The precise death toll caused by Syria's unravelling is unknown - the UN stopped counting in 2014 - but at least 250,000 people have died, with some estimates putting it as high at 470,000. In the midst of the horror, there are some recent - albeit slight - glimmers of hope. A ceasefire brokered with the assistance of the US and Russia, and the recent pledge by Moscow to at least begin withdrawing from Syria, has led to some optimism. The ceasefire, initially treated with much scepticism, has resulted in a drop in violence, even if bombardments continue in some parts of the country. Embarrassingly for a regime that has sought to reduce its opponents to a jumble of dangerous jihadists, the truce has resulted in the return of peaceful anti-government protests - in numbers not seen for some time due to fears of aerial attack - in several opposition-held areas. UN-brokered talks aimed at resolving the conflict will resume next week, though major stumbling blocks between the two sides - not least the question of what happens to Assad - remain. Ordinary Syrians are caught between tentative expectations and fears of heightened fighting if the ceasefire falls apart. With more than seven million displaced inside and 4.8 million fled from its borders, Syria is a country where few dare to hope. The Cross Border Orchestra have appealed for the public's help in covering the cost of representing Ireland at the White House this week. The members of the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland say they were 'delighted to be honoured with the last minute invitation' to play for President Obama and his guests during the St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Director of the orchestra, Dundalk teacher Sharon Treacy Dunne, explained how the unique opportunity came about. 'At the beginning of last week, the White House called requesting that our soloist Patricia Treacy play at their St. Patrick's reception today (March 15th), following her performance at the Vice President Joe Biden's breakfast this morning.' Sharon added: 'They also requested a small group of supporting strings and pipes, as the reception is for 600 guests. They have requested a specific programme of Irish music. This is the greatest honour imaginable for the CBOI .' But she explained that the orchestra need help to cover the costs of approximately 2,000 a head for making the trip, as the invitation came at such short notice, the orchestra had not budgeted for it. Sharon told how the CBOI performance at the launch of centenary celebrations in January played a role in securing the invite, as some of the American guests in the audience at the launch in the Convention Centre contacted the White House and said it was 'an amazing event.' She added that Minister for Arts Heather Humphries also wrote a letter of endorsement to the White House. The Minister praised the musicians 'I am absolutely thrilled that the orchestra will now be performing for the Obamas.' She said the orchestra was 'a unique organisation and its young musicians are incredibly talent and committed. While they have already graced some of the world's most famous concert venues, I am sure the prospect of performing in the White House is both extremely exciting and daunting. I have absolutely no doubt that they will do Ireland proud.' To help towards the cost, donations are being accepted and can be made at www.cboi.ie Tehran, Iran, March 19 By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend: Iran and Turkey have stressed mutual friendly relations as key to regional peace and stability. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul, Turkey to discuss political and economic relations, IRNA news agency reported March 19. "The improvement of Iran-Turkey relations will not only serve the two countries, but regional peace and stability," Erdogan said during the meeting. "The Islamic State (aka ISIS, ISIL, and Daesh) is our common enemy and talks with Iran in all areas are important to us," the Turkish president asserted. Addressing economic ties, he said the two countries should improve their bilateral trade level to $30 billion per annum. The two states have signed a preferential trade agreement that could pave the way for a rise in the bilateral trade. The two countries' trade turnover stood at $13.7 billion in 2014, according to the data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute. Zarif, for his part, called for the best of relations between the two neighbor countries especially under current circumstances. "Cooperation between the two countries can be useful and effective. We can provide a good example of religious proximity rather than religious divide," the Iranian foreign minister said. Before meeting Erdogan, Zarif met with Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, where they discussed cooperation over the current Syrian crisis in particular. The Iranian foreign minister is slated to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu while in Turkey. On Friday night I headed for the Geraldines Clubrooms where HaggleRock Theatre Group were presenting their Jimmy Keary comedy 'For Better For Worse' a story about a middle-aged farmer who marries a young girl and deals with the comedic social interaction between the couple and various member of the farmer's family and others in their group. This is the second play performed with the brand new group who came together in 2014 and wowed their audience with their interpretation of 'Only An Hour From Dublin'. This production ran from Thursday through to Saturday night with the 'full house' signs up every night. I wasn't too long in the door when I met up with director Patricia Reynolds from Rapid Drama who explained the gist of the play and told me that the first night had been excellent and they were expecting more of the same on the Friday night. I then decided to have a look round to see who was there and met up with Claire Byrne and Eileen McKeane both from Louth Village who told me they couldn't wait for the play to get underway and they were there particularly to see their friend Karen Maguire who was going to be in action. Next I managed a few words with Geraldine Temple from Avenue Road and Marian Kieran from Priory Villas who explained they were there to cheer on Geraldine's son-in-law Gabriel Foley who was playing the farmer Robbie Callan. Not too far away I then got a word with Kevin and Mary-Jane Corcoran from Drogheda who were up for seeing the play and particularly wanted to see John Tumilty who was playing Liam Gavigan. After this I headed over for a chat with Carmel Borges-Pinto and Sinead Auld both from Blackrock who had heard such great reports, they couldn't wait to see the HaggleRock in action. Making my way through the crowds I then met up with Mary and John Doyle from Gort Na Mara who were with Marie McCarry from Avenue Road who told me if it's as good as their first one then they were in for a real treat! Also having seen the first were Mairead and Brigid Thornton from Marlbog Road who told me they were sure it was going to be packed with laughs. I then got a word with my old friend Gabby Duffy from Avenue Road who was with her sister and son Marian and Barry Dunne also from Avenue Road who were in great form and Marian explained how she had been quizzed by the paper in the run up to the election about what was needed around Blackrock and said that her answer was a good one, unfortunately it wasn't the answer for the question printed in the paper! But they were there to see the HaggleRockers in action now. After this mix up I then headed over for a chat with Yvonne Wynne from Springfield Manor who was with her parents Val and Mary Wynne from Cherryvale who were expecting a night packed with real laughs. Making my way through the crowds I then got a word with Deirdre and Jason Crawford from Lennonstown Manor who were really looking forward to the night and were sure it was going to be a great laugh. I then caught up with Anne Carroll from Dromiskin, Orla Vallely from Thistle Cross and Rosemary Magnier from Blackrock who had thoroughly enjoyed 'Only and Hour' last year and were friends with Patricia, Tom Doonan and John Tumilty. Seated close by I then got talking to Seamus and Patricia Quinn from Mills-of-Louth who told me this was their first time seeing them and were really looking forward to it. I then headed over for a chat with lighting engineer Eimear Rice from The Village who was working in tandem with assistant director Caroline Whittenham from Blackrock who was also on sound and the ladies told me the first night was a bit daunting but they were now in their stride and looking forward to their second performance. They were joined by Aoife Lynch and husband Macdara McCauley both from Blackrock who were there to support the night. Next I managed a few words with Noleen Donlon from Drogheda who was with Conor Tierney from Drogheda who were there to see the main man Gabriel in action. After this I met Eleanor Haughey from Dublin Road and Siobhan Holland from Armagh Road who told me they were there to support their workmate Joanne Dalton who was playing Aggie, Robbie's mum in the play. Not too long later I met up with Deacon of the Parish Dermot Clarke from Arthurstown who was there with his daughter Emma to support the night and couldn't wait for it to get started. Finally, before the curtain went up I got a word with Eileen Munnelly from Blackrock and Anne Donaghy from Dromiskin who were busy doing the 'meet and greet' and were delighted with the reactions from the first night and the support the entire troupe were getting. Record Store Day is on the horizon, and Classified Records is delighted to be one of the participants, the Dundalk outlet having been officially signed up by the organisers. The global event takes place on 16 April next, when there are special promotions planned at thousands of independently-owned record store across the world. And it will be no different at Classified Records in the Demesne shopping centre. 'Yes, there will be lots happening on the day,' said owner, Neil Waters. Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 at a gathering of independent record store owners and employees as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1400 independently owned record stores in the US and thousands of similar stores internationally. The first Record Store Day took place on April 19, 2008. 'I sent off an e-mail, and then got talking to one of the organisers,' Neil pointed out, adding his is the first Dundalk store to get official recognition for the event. 'I have been speaking to some of the record labels about it, and a number of limited editions are being released for the day, from Madonna to Star Wars. 'It's a huge thing globally, and I'm very proud to be involved. We are a small independent, a community shop.' Classified Records will be open eight months by the time Record Store Day comes around, and Neil reports business has been going well. 'It made a great impact straightaway. 'I'm there six a days-a- week since we opened. It's not hard work when you love what you are doing. 'It's a challenge every day, and a learning process, but we are turning over a lot of records.' The first ever 'yarnbombing' of Market Square brightened up the town centre last week thanks to the hard work of around 200 members of the Louth Irish Countrywomen's Assocation (ICA) and heralded a major success for the group. The brainchild of Louth ICA federation president, Susan Potts, members of the public could only stare in wonder and then inevitably smile at the whimsical, colourful and heart-warming display of all manner of knitted items festooned around the square last Tuesday morning, which also coincided with International Women's Day. The colour explosion also heralded a rare spell of fine weather so the beautifully crafted knits were not too exposed to the elements before they were taken down at the weekend. This is the first time the square has been 'yarnbombed' in this way, with Louth County Council understandably very selective about what the public space is used for. The aims of the Louth ICA, who were the first federation from the organisation to attempt anything like this, were to raise the profile of women on International Women's Day and to publicise the work of the organisation which has guilds in every part of the county. Ms Potts came up with the idea after she saw a similar event while on holidays in Portugal. On each of the knitted items, a laminated contact card for the ICA was attached, giving details of how to join Louth ICA, a group that 'supports women in friendship and fellowship'. The ICA is the largest women's association in Ireland and every woman is welcome to join. For more details on the ICA in Louth, see ICA Louth Federation on Facebook. Skypark, Carlingford are set to host a family fun day this Easter in aid of a member of staff who was recently diagnosed with a terminal illness. The adventure park will stage the event on Easter Monday, March 28th to launch their new 2016 season. Staff have decided to dedicate the event in aid of Tony Mulholland, a SkyPark employee who is battling cancer. The father of five, who just recently got married to his partner Kim on the March 4th, was a part of the Carlingford Adventure Centre team for three years, and became a valued member of the staff. 'Myself and Tony trained together when we were both starting as outdoor instructors,' said Thomas McArdle, Managing Director of SkyPark and Carlingford Adventure Centre. 'Then Tony came to work with me at Carlingford Adventure Centre for a few years. I am now in a position to help fundraise for Tony and his family and I hope that his friends and family will help spread the word of this event.' Families will be able to take part in face painting, bouncy castles (kindly donated by Bounce Magic), archery and body zorbing throughout the day. Soup and sandwiches will be provided to allow everyone to make the most of the day. All proceeds from the day will be going directly to the Mulholland family. Opened in 2014, SkyPark is a Zip Line Adventure Park that hosts activities such as zip lining, rock climbing, Tarzan swings, obstacle courses, base jumps and high ropes for both adults and children. Several different courses are available for people of all fitness levels, which also includes a 30 minute training session for each course. Those attending the Family Fun Day will be able to avail of a reduced entry rate of 20 per adult, 15 per 9 - 18 year old and 10 per 5 - 8 year old. In order to attend the event slots must be booked beforehand, with the available slots being at 10am and 2pm. To book please go to www.skypark.ie or call 042-9373100. Famous for its breathtaking views, magnificent history, stunning landscapes, and exceptional activities, Carlingford is an Irish gem but perhaps what is gaining the most attention in the majestic village these days are the very Last Leprechauns of Ireland. On Sunday April 17 the annual National Leprechaun Hunt will make a return to Sliabh Foy Mountain. Everyone is invited to this fun-filled search for the mischievous Carlingford Leprechauns. This fantastic day for family and friends will also give people the chance to win some fabulous prizes. An attempt will also be made to break the world record for the Largest Gathering of People dressed as Leprechauns. All money raised will be in aid of two fabulous local charities, the Maria Goretti Foundation and the Louth County Council Malawi Development Fund. For further Information please contact; Telephone +353 87 957 6989; Email Info@visitcarlingford.com ot throughout the website at http://www.nationalleprechaunhunt.com/ Padraic Agnew (left), Marcus Howard and Noel Agnew at the screening of the 1916 film Dundalk Rises held in the County Museum Relatives of the Louth men and women who mobilised at Easter 1916 were treated to a special screening of a film, 'Dundalk 1916 Rises' about events in Dundalk 100 years ago, at the County Museum last week. Local independent film-maker, Marcus Howard, who is also a business teacher at O Fiaich College, was joined by chairman of the Dundalk 1916 Relatives' Committee, Padraic Agnew and committee member Noel Agnew for the screening of the 40 minute film in the museum's AV Theatre. The film, which is also available on Marcus's YouTube channel, easterrisingstories, tells the story of the formation of the Irish Volunteers in Louth and includes interviews with a number of relatives, including Una McGuill, grand-daughter of James McGuill and Madge Boyle, the grand-niece of RIC constable Charles McGee, who was shot dead at Castlebellingham on Easter Monday 1916. The invitation-only screening was the first opportunity many of the relatives have had to meet one another and swap stories and insights about their relatives, ahead of the presentation of a special commemorative medal, designed by Padraic Agnew, that will be presented to the families of the around 130 people who mobilised in County Louth on Easter Sunday. The medal, the design of which is based on the original ones given to Volunteers in 1916 and 1966, is the only one that will be presented in Ireland in this centenary year. The special event takes place in Dundalk on April 22. Marcus said: 'We would like to thank Brian Walsh from Louth County Museum, Dundalk who provided us with the facilities and a special thanks to Ronan Hughes who travelled all the way from Mayo. 'The film can also be seen in the Recording Our County section of the museum in the next few days and has received over 3,000 views on Youtube. There was a great interchange of stories and personal perspectives on this momentous occasion in Dundalk's history'. In addition, a new Pearse documentary is now online at the youtube channel. It was filmed by Marcus in St Enda's and details Patrick Pearse and Willie Pearse's lives as recalled by family members. A multi-faceted complex man, Patrick Pearse is explored through personal family recollections by Kate Mac Lochlainn and Robin Pearse Stetler. This interesting man is shown through contemporary views from the witness statements of those who shared this tumultuous birth of the Irish nation. Thanks to Brian Crowley of St Endas and the Pearse Museum who graciously allowed Marcus to film in Pearse's very own study. See it on www.youtube.com/watch?v=4efCh9W-hs0. A mother whose son took out a realistic but fake gun at their home during a row has told Judge Flann Brennan how she has forgiven him after he showed great strides in dealing with his addiction. The mother of Conor McElroy, (24), 17 Villas 3, Muirhevnamor, admitted possession of the 4.5 calibre Beeman single shot air pistol at his home on December 6 2014. Dundalk District Court heard how McElroy and his mother had a row after he returned to the house after midnight and the defendant took out what his mother believed at the time was a real gun and began waving it around. She was very frightened and called the Gardai and they were able to determine that it was a air pistol, but it was a weapon as defined under the Firearms Act and McElroy was charged. He has 38 previous convictions, including for public order and drugs possession. Solicitor Frank McDonnell said most of his client's convictions date from 2014 and there was a delay in bringing this prosecution as Gardai had to make inquiries about the air pistol. Mr McDonnell said his client is 'a very bright young man' who has battled with drug addiction but has managed to rehabilitate himself and is heading for a level 8 computer course at DkIT in September. He said McElroy was 'off his head' during the air pistol incident and his mother had wished to withdraw the complaint but the Gardai had to press ahead with the firearms possession charge after consulting with the DPP. Mrs McElroy told the court how her son had 'laboured long and hard' with his drug addiction but there had been a 'radical shift' in the last few months. 'He's trying very hard to put himself on the right track', she said. 'It this had happened two or three years ago, I wouldn't be here now. He was at rock bottom but he's much better now and much better to live with. We have forgiven him for frightening us - frighten is an understatement - and I know many a parent who wouldn't'. Mr McDonnell said McElroy was willing to do community service and Judge Brennan adjourned the case for a probation and community service report to July 13. As the defendant left the court, he told the judge: 'Thanks for the opportunity in the circumstances'. Feis Ceoil winner Rachel Duffy and Composer Tom Doyle and musicians from Bray Comhaltas who will be premiering 'Rithim na Reabhloide' on Thursday, March 24 at the Well on the Main Street in Bray at 7.30pm Young Bray musicians will continue Bray Comhaltas' 1916 celebrations with a concert at The Well Church on Thursday, March 24, at 7.30 pm. 'Droichead' will premiere a suite of new Irish traditional tunes by composer Tim Doyle to commemorate 1916, and to include a special tribute to the 40 children killed during the Rising. The concert will showcase traditional musicians from Bray and the surrounding areas including a Harp Ensemble, Bray Comhaltas Music teachers, and 'Rithim na Reabhloide' a group of young musicians aged from 10 to 17 who will perform the new suite of music, incorporating dance, storytelling and narrative to tell the story of Easter 1916. The concert is open to the public and tickets are 10 and 5 per adult and child respectively. Tickets are available from Sinead in Oifig Cholaiste Raithin; Paddy Stack Butchers, Albert Ave, Bray; Bray Comhaltas classes and through Trish Byrne on (086) 3909505 and Alva McGarry on (086) 8514003. Musician and composer Tim Doyle was approached to compile music to commemorate the Rising, to be played by a large group of young traditional musicians. 'Rithim na Reabhloide' is a blend of traditional and newly composed music and will be played for the first time in public by the young musicians who have been working with Tim since November. 'The aim of the project is to tell the story of the 1916 Rising through music, encouraging the young people to engage with the events in a creative manner,' explained Trish and Alva, the parents behind the project. 'We wanted to show how vibrant traditional music is in this area as well as how the music is constantly evolving through new compositions and arrangements.' Tim said that the suite comprises five movements, each depicting a different scene in or around the rising. 'The first movement or prelude contains arrangements of traditional tunes associated with the Gaelic revival pre-1916,' he said. 'The remaining movements are all newly composed, and I have used Irish dance rhythms such as polkas, reels, marches, highland and slip jigs to capture the spirit of the rising and its aftermath. 'The central piece of the suite is a tribute to the 40 children killed during the Rising and will be accompanied by an oration.' Tim is assisted by Rachel Duffy, Harp teacher with Bray Comhaltas and winner of the 2016 Carolan's Cup or Corn Ui Chearbhallain at the 2016 Feis Ceoil. Tim is from Shankill, and attended Gaelscoil Ui Cheadaigh and Colaiste Raithin in Bray. He achieved his Music degree from Trinity College in 2013, Diploma in violin teaching & performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in 2014 and studied traditional fiddle, tin whistle, concertina and uilleann pipes under numerous different tutors at Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann 1998 - 2009. Tim's awards, performance & teaching experience and compositions are numerous including teaching in Bray Music Centre and Bray CCE currently; composing music to commemorate the Battle of Clontarf 'Bogha agus Saighead' and co-founder & leader of Teada string orchestra (more details on request). From Bray, Rachel attended St Philomena's Ravenswell NS and Loreto Secondary School in Bray and has been teaching Harp with the Bray branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann since 2014. She is in her final few months of her Bachelor of Music Education degree, Trinity College (2012-2016) & also teaches Concertina, Electronic Keyboard and Harp. Rachel Duffy won the Carolan's Cup or Corn Ui Chearbhallain at the 2016 Feis Ceoil on Saturday, March 5, and adds her name to an illustrious list of Irish Harpists, including Aine Ni Dhubhghaill, Cormac de Barra to name just two. Ambitious plans to become one of the leading international music festival weekends in the Dublin area are outlined in a new five-year strategy produced by Bray Jazz Festival. The first steps towards achieving this include a substantial increase of international name artists, and at least one new concert venue. 'The Well' the former St Paul's Church on the Main Street, will be used for daytime and evening performances this year, with performers from Ireland, Mexico, Switzerland and the USA lined up to appear at the new venue. Headline artists visiting Bray this year will include musicians from Sweden, the United States, West Africa, Norway, Scotland, Switzerland, the UK and France. The festival returns for its 17th year on the May Bank Holiday weekend. The five-year plan outlines a wide range of actions that can enable it to grow and develop over the coming years. 'During the years of the economic recession we had to consolidate what we had and run the festival in a practical and pragmatic way,' said Director George Jacob. 'We were working with less than half of the funding that had been available in the earlier part of the last decade, but committed ourselves to ensuring that whatever we might have lost in scale, we did not lose in quality.' Established in the Millennium year with backing from the National Millennium Fund and others, Bray Jazz Festival's five-year plan outlines a range of measures, including the establishment of new venues, new funding partnerships, new community-based initiatives and a host of other steps, in a bid to establish the festival as one of the leading music events in the capital. 'If you look at the Dublin region generally there are not that many weekend music festivals like ours. "The Festival of World Cultures" in Dun Laoghaire was perhaps the closest example to what we have in Bray, and it went to the wall during the economic crash,' said George. Tickets for Bray Jazz Festival will go on sale this week, with full details about visiting artists available at www.brayjazz.com A passenger FlyDubai Boeing-737-800 en route from Dubai to Russia's Rostov-on-Don crashed at the city's airport after missing the runway amid poor visibility, a Russian Emergencies Ministry source told RIA Novosti on Saturday. A total of 62 people were killed. According to preliminary data, 55 passengers, including four children, and six crew members were on board; a source in the Emergencies Ministry indicated all were killed in the crash. "All the passengers who were on board were Russian citizens. Crew members were foreigners " a spokesman said. Russian Investigation Committee has launched a preliminary investigation. A blast occurred shortly after the jet crashed, according to investigators. Nine volunteers headed out last Saturday afternoon to work hard with the Bray Coastcare group. Coastcare is a voluntary group helping to keep Bray's coast clean. They collect and recycle any litter on the cliff walk, on and around Bray Head and the surrounding areas. The volunteers also planted 50 trees along pathways that over time had seen erosion and trees decimated by fire. The other aspect of this month's action day was the painting of walls and lifeguard huts that were either left unpainted and dull looking or areas that were extremely unsightly due to mindless and offensive graffiti, especially along the promenade. 'On behalf of all at Bray Coastcare Group I would like to thank the many volunteers who came out on the day and played their part in enhancing and keeping Bray's coast as beautiful as we know it is,' said Seamus Connor, chairman of Bray Coastcare. 'It was also nice after 9 years running as a voluntary group to finally say we had a TD out with us volunteering in the form of John Brady TD,' said Seamus. 'John has been out volunteering with us before and it was nice to see him again this time accompanied by his young son. 'I would like to take this opportunity to ask all members of our town community to remain vigilant to vandals and to report any incidences of graffiti or littering to the gardai. Bray has improved dramatically in terms of its cleanliness and we would love to see it improve even more. I am reminded of the fact that within the space of a few years Bray went from being the "dirtiest town in Ireland" according to the IBAL (Irish Businesses Against Litter) annual report to the "Cleanest Town in Ireland". This is not simply down to voluntary groups but to the change in attitude among local people and tourists towards littering. 'All we have is a chair and a little box.' Gemma Gallagher is setting the scene for nine trainees who are hanging on her every word as they sit around the sides of the multi-purpose room upstairs at the Mermaid Theatre in Bray. Outside, the weather is cold and drizzly, so the backdrop provided by the window of the room is grey but the mood indoors is anything but dark as everyone considers the possibilities offered by the chair and the box. The chair in the middle of the timber floor is nothing special, a mass-produced seat of a foldable design, made from black plastic and tubular aluminium. The box offers more potential for inspiration, gleaming golden on the chair, the size of a packet of cigarettes maybe or perhaps a deck of cards. 'You have asked for soft music,' Gemma reminds everyone before hitting the return key on her lap-top computer to trigger a piano track intended to stimulate the creative juices. It's show time. One by one the trainees rise to perform their own spur-of-the-moment mime centred the golden box, which is in turn shaken, sniffed, squinted at in suspicion, in delight or in humour. One enterprising performer pulls out an imaginary medal looping it over his head with modest satisfaction while others find something to eat or something to stroke - could it be a tame hamster? Then comes a different approach as a trainee heads for the chair by crawling across the floor and the box suddenly carries all threat of a bomb. It is a fine dramatic moment. Such moments of rich theatrical impact have been coaxed from actors with learning disabilities in Bray since 1998, making the town national leader in the field. On this occasion, there is no audience aside from the participants themselves, their tutor and the man from the 'People' newspaper with his notebook. This is a private workshop, not an open performance. But in the past the grandly named Shadowbox theatre company certainly has taken to the public stage to earn the applause of paying customers. Gemma Gallagher has been involved every step of the way and she remains as committed as ever to a pioneering venture which offers self-esteem and a creative outlet to the actors. 'Trust your instinct,' is her advice to the members of this class, for whom their Monday drama sessions are an undoubted highlight of the week. Her eyes brim with good humour as they beam out from under her Smurf style hat and her words convey plenty of encouragement, mixed with practical stagecraft as the group sets about the world of mime. Her charges are natural characters, made for the stage, with wonderfully expressive faces which stand out from the crowd whenever they are given an opportunity to take the spotlight. Some are shyer than others to grasp their chance, while others are ready to pop up from the bench and into the action at the merest hint of an excuse. She gives them all positive reviews and is rewarded with smiles: 'The concentration was really lovely' or 'It feels like we've a group coming together - a performance' or 'It's coming from the inside'. But this is not a love-in, so there are also suggestions for improvements: 'Don't always turn away from us - you've got a lovely face' or 'Make that bigger with just your arms' and most important of all 'Don't look at me!' The trainees get it. The magic of theatre is universally understood. Born at Larne in Ulster, Gemma Gallagher is daughter of a father from Donegal while her mother hails from Clare - but her early years were spent in part in Nigeria and Iraq. Her professional grounding in drama began in England where she also lived for some time, leaving her with an accent which wavers from side to side across the Irish Sea. After leaving school, she enrolled with the college in Manchester which is best known as the alma mater of comedian Julie Walters but Gemma never intended following in the footsteps of the 'Educating Rita' star. The college course was certainly not obsessed with traditional theatre and film, giving students skills to bring drama into the community outside the theatre While still there, she took part in a radical version of Shakespeare's 'Titus and Andronicus' which was presented in sign language with many of those who appeared being deaf. 'I don't think I was ever destined for the West End,' she laughs, recalling that she came back to Ireland on graduation in 1993 to take up a job in RTE children's TV. The producers of 'Morbegs' kitted her out in a green and orange body suit and liked what she did so much that a visit to Dublin intended to be just a couple of days lasted for three years. Though she was a constant presence until 1996 in so many living rooms, none of the many thousands who saw her on 'Morbegs' would recognise her, as her face was hidden and she was never called upon to speak. The role was a reward for time at college spent studying what she calls 'physical theatre training', working without a script and without any great emphasis on speech. It is a rewarding 'non-verbal' approach to use with those for whom language does not always come easy. Shadowbox was the creation of Gemma and of her fellow 'Morbegs' cast member Freda Hand who was already active in Bray with a youth theatre group which had rehearsal/performance space at The Dargle. The work with people who had special needs emerged from a programme of drama workshops which catered for various strands of the population, including the elderly. 'As far as I know we were the first, and may still be the only, theatre company in the country to employ actors with learning disabilities,' she says. She recalls that Shadowbox used to rehearse in Katie Gallagher's (no relation) pub on the seafront in Bray where a piece called 'Boxed In' began to take shape. The first public performances took place in the pub's function room and this proved momentous as it prompted an invitation to bring the show to Denmark. The trip to the Daghojsskoken in Limfjordsskolen was not only a great boost to the group's confidence but also exposed the performers and producers to new methods which were being pioneered there. The high point of Shadowbox to date was probably a production called 'Boxed In' which tackled the subject of the identity of those with learning difficulties and the constraints which often govern their lives. However, no one attending a Shadowbox production need expect a set dialogue following a strict plot line. There is always room for improvisation. The group lost funding in the austerity which followed the economic collapse of 2008. The last public show was the fondly remembered 'Cloud House' in 2009. The group fell by the wayside altogether for a couple of years. Freda Hand moved into the youth service while Gemma Gallagher worked with people who have behaviour difficulties. But she always hankered to return to drama and Shadowbox is slowly rising from the ashes with the workshop in the Mermaid, a weekly session over nine weeks. The plan is that the trainees will move on to the big stage and open the theatre door to anyone who wishes to drop in on March 21 for the final session. Gemma is convinced that the work, which has opened the way to professional careers for several participants in the past, is worthwhile. She says of her charges: 'Though we have progressed a lot, their lives can be restricted.' Drama allows them take some responsibility in their lives in a way which is stimulating and joyful. Trainee Matthew Davies, one of the current Shadowbox crew, drew inspiration from seeing a previous production: 'I said I can to that too.' So he does - and he does it with obvious relish. Mandy Finlay from Shan kill is an old hand coming back for more: 'Gemma here is very strict. My family came to see 'Cloud House'. They came twice. They were clapping. I wish there were another play on.' Kilcoole Remembers 1916 presents 'Captain Robert Monteith, Casement & The Easter Rising,' at Druids Glen Clubhouse on Thursday, March 24, at 7.30 p.m. This event will be led by Dr Charles Cushing, the grandson of Captain Monteith, and introduced by Canon Robert Jennings. Born on the Woodstock Demesne between the villages of Kilcoole and Newtownmountkennedy on March 1, 1879, Robert Monteith remains an under-explored participant to events leading up to, and after, the 1916 Rising. Hear about this man who, at the age of 16, joined the British army and fought in the Boer War. As someone involved in workers rights and unionisation, his experiences at home and abroad brought him to Irish Nationalism. Monteith was a founding member of the Irish Volunteers at the Rotunda and elected Captain of A Coy, 1st Battalion of the Dublin Brigade. To get to Woodstock House at Druids Glen, go through the gates to the house on the Kilcoole/Newtown road, close to Kilcoole Industrial Estate. Entrance to the event is to the rear of the house in the conference room. The event is free with donations welcome. A Chartered Accountants Voluntary Advice (CAVA) service has been launched at Bray Citizens Information Service. Chartered Accountants Ireland and the Citizens Information Board made the announcement this week. CAVA is a free, confidential, independent service supported by a panel of almost 150 experienced chartered accountants. CAVA provides advice to business people typically sole traders whose businesses are experiencing financial difficulties and who would not otherwise be able to afford expert financial advice. It is the only charity service of its kind in Ireland that puts business people, who are in severe distress, in contact with a network of leading business advisors in Chartered Accountants Ireland. Anyone wishing to contact CAVA for a consultation can do so with complete confidentiality by calling 0761 07 6780 Any qualified Chartered Accountants that would consider offering some of their time to this service would be greatly welcomed and should contact heather.briers@charteredaccountants.ie. Newtown National School present 'Oisin i dTir na nOg' as gaeilge with the help of Colaiste Chraobh Abhann Transitition Years: Oisin (Luca Sinnott Elliott) is cheered on by the Fianna Pupils from Newtownmountkennedy National School and Colaiste Chraobh Abhann showed plenty of collaborative spirit as they put on a joint performance of Oisin in Tir na nOg. The as Gaeilge production was held in the Newtown school. This was a joint effort involving TY students from Colaiste Chraobh Abhann, third and fourth year students from Newtown National School and Karl and Caitriona from the Irish Department. Ms Buckley also helped facilitate the initiative. Oisin in Tir na nOg focuses on Oisin and his father Finn Mac Cuhmail who were out hunting one day when they were approached by Niamh from Tir na nOg, the land of eternal youth. She wanted to bring Oisin back to Tir na nOg. He agreed to join her and wondered at everything he saw, however he was warned never to set foot again on Irish soil but the lure of his native land proved to be too great. It has been a busy week for Newtown National School. On Friday, pupils second class students made the Sacrament of First Reconciliation in St Joseph's Church. Pupils were also busily working away on rewriting the Irish Proclamation for Tuesday's (yesterday's) Proclamation Day and the raising of the National Flag. Boardwalk from the Peoples Park to the Harbour: Looking from the Fran O'Toole Bridge to the Peoples Park Bray is to get a riverside boardwalk as part of the final element of the River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme. The boardwalk - similar to the one along the River Liffey in Dublin city centre - will be incorporated into the wall beside the Fran O Toole Bridge It will connect Castle Street to the Peoples Park and will be a welcome added amenity for Bray. The boardwalk forms part of the final large works package for the River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme which was signed last week. This part of the scheme runs from the People's Park to the Railway Bridge on the Little Bray side of the river. Commencing within two weeks, the works will consist of curved sheet piled walls approaching the railway bridge which will be faced with masonry and the construction of footpaths in this area. There will also be a stone faced sheet pile wall along the Lower Dargle Road from beside the Fran O'Toole Bridge to the Peoples Park. It is expected that this work will be completed by September of this year. The work is very timely as part of the existing inner wall alongside the Lower Dargle Road was severely undermined and collapsed during a storm which occurred just before Christmas. When the project is completed, Bray will be protected from a one-in-one-hundred year storm, including all the floods of the sort that would have ravaged the town in the 20th century, and a one-in-200 year tidal event. The former Bray Town Council was campaigning for work to this effect since Hurricane Charlie in 1986. 'This has been a huge project which will make a major positive impact on the people of Bray, with the protection of people and their homes,' said Cathaoiirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr John Ryan. 'The boardwalk will connect to the Peoples Park and turn the river into a major amenity for both the people of Bray and visitors alike.' 'This contract is the last of a series of contracts that, when put together represent an investment of over 25m by the OPW in the River Dargle Flood Relief Scheme,' said Bryan Doyle, Chief Executive, Wicklow County Council. 'Wicklow County Council wishes to acknowledge the assistance and continued support of the Minister with responsibility for the OPW, Minister Simon Harris, with this project.' Ballyhourda Development is providing three Charity Regulation Update briefing sessions as part of its Community Governance Skills Initiative to highlight some of the important issues facing charities and community groups in the Ballyhoura Development area in the context of The Charities Act 2009, The Companies Act 2014, and the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015. These important information briefings are aimed at organisations that have a purpose which is of benefit to the community, and in particular for committee members of community-based, not-for-profit organisations and the trustees, directors, officers, staff of Companies Limited by Guarantee, cooperatives, charitable trusts, community businesses or social enterprises located in the Ballyhoura area. The briefings, which will have the same content provided at each, are tailored for those with responsibility for ensuring that good governance and best practice is core to their organisation. The initiative is supported by the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP). The briefings are organised at local venues as follows: Tuesday, March 22, at 7.30pm at Coote Hall Resource Centre, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick Wednesday, March 23, at 7.30pm at The Millennium Centre, Caherconlish, Co. Limerick Wednesday, April 6, at 7.30pm at The Enterprise Centre, Mitchelstown, Co. Cork. Did you know that to operate as a charity (of benefit to the community) any new organisation established after 16 October 2014 must now also be registered with the Charities Regulatory Authority? Also, those charities which held tax exemption (CHY No.) before 16 Oct 2014 must complete their first annual report with the Charities Regulatory Authority by 16 April? With the commencement of the Companies Act in June last year, the legal responsibilities and duties of company directors and company secretaries have changed. There are also implications of the Act on an organisation's governing instrument, its members and its directors. How do these affect your organisation? Are you unsure of what constitutes 'Lobbying'? Do you know about the possible consequences of the passing of the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 for your community-based organisation? These are some of the issues that will be delved into in more detail at the sessions. Places at these briefings are free but limited so advance booking is essential and can be done through David O'Grady, Development Officer, Ballyhoura Development Ltd., Kilfinane, Co. Limerick, on tel. 063-91739 or email:dogrady@ballyhoura.org. The Ballyhoura Development Community Governance Skills Initiative is provided through The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2015-2017 which is funded by the Irish Government and co-funded by the European Social Fund and includes a special allocation under the Youth Employment Initiative. Appeal by Musica Fusion Orchestra The Musica Fusion Orchestra based at Baker's Road in Charleville sends out an appeal for funding to acquire more instruments for use in their school of music located in the Tir na nOg building at Baker's Road. The Musica Fusion Orchestra started in October 2015. It is a free orchestra open to all music students and musicians in Charleville and the surrounding areas. To date the Orchestra has almost 40 members, children and adults from the age of six upwards. Many members simply wanted to get back into it in a fun and challenging manner. The orchestra rehearses every Friday evening from 6 to 7pm at the Musica Fusion School. To date they have done three concerts, one of which was a fund raiser for Limerick Animal Welfare, which raised 625. Charleville has never had an orchestra before and the group intend to build this orchestra from strength to strength and make Charleville a hub for all the up and coming classical musicians in the town. The conductor, Sophie Butler, has already taken the orchestra to quite a high standard and says: "our orchestra consists of the following instruments at the moment; violins, violas, cellos, double bass, trombones, clarinets, flautists and percussionists." The orchestra is at present funded by Musica Fusion School of Music, which pays the conductor and the insurance and provides the rehearsal space. The school has also provided instruments to the orchestra. In conjunction with Ballyhoura Development, they also purchased a xylophone for the orchestra. "But," said Sophie Butler, "in order to grow we need the help of some of the local businesses and are hoping to persuade some of you to sponsor an instrument or two! In particular, we have a lot of percussion players in the area who would love to join if we had some orchestral percussion. "Unfortunately, the budget for purchasing instruments has long gone so we need help" "Below is the list of instruments that would be wonderful to have in the orchestra, our wish list if you will! Some of them are very expensive, we know, but the community will benefit greatly from the orchestra over the next few years and sponsorship of an instrument or part of one would be a wonderful gift to the town. Every time the orchestra plays and represents the area, you would know that you are part of it," said Sophie. Timpani Drum 26 inch - 1,869 Timpani Drum 29 inch - 199 Orchestral cymbals (pair) - 415 Concert Bass Drum - 979 Full size cello - 400 Euphonium approx. - 300 Pbone Trombones - 150 each Flutes - 180 each Clarinets - 180 each Local people are invited to come visit the orchestra at the school any Friday or check out pictures and videos on the website www.musicafusion.ie or Facebook page, Musica Fusion School of Music. Students do the business at regional enterprise finals Students from the two Charleville schools, St. Mary's Secondary School for girls and C.B.S. Charleville, were successful in the regional final of the Schools Enterprise Programme, which is sponsored by the Local Enterprise Office in Mallow. TY students from schools from all across North Cork compete in the event where teams from each school demonstrated their entrepreneurship, when each mini-company displayed their product in stands in the Mart premises at Corrin, Fermoy. A panel of judges visited each stand, surveyed the stand lay-out and the products and interviewed about the concept of their product and this was explained by a spokesperson for each mini-company. The judges then deliberated on their findings and selected winners in each category. The teams from the local schools which were successful on the day were Charleville C.B.S., who took the award for Best Innovation in the senior category. The school's Kieran Foley and Connell Sheenan took the awards for Most Promising Entrepreneurs in categories 'A' and 'B' respectively. St. Mary's also took an award for the Best Display, while student Erin Queally won the award for the Best Overall Junior. Their team also took the award for Best Innovation. The school mini-companies now go on to compete in the All-Ireland final of the Schools Enterprise Programme which will be held at Croke Park in April. The great and the good of Irish politics rubbed shoulders with the man and woman on the street as a community in mourning came out to honour a man who meant so much to so many people. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, former Ministers, TDs, county councillors from across the political divide, senior council staff and people from across the grieving community in Mallow came out last Friday in huge numbers to pay their respects to the late Cllr Dan Joe Fitzgerald. Politicians, friends and members of local bodies formed a guard of honour as the hearse bearing Cllr Fitzgeralds remains, his coffin draped in the Fianna Fail flag, made its way out the gates of St Marys Church. The honour guard accompanied Cllr Fitzgerald on his final journey through the town he loved so well, pausing for a moment outside the Town Hall, before heading onto his final resting place in his beloved Ballyclough. It was a fitting send off for perhaps the most popular politician to ever grace the town - a man whose legacy will be felt for many years to come and whose memory will be cherished in Mallow forever. Earlier, the congregation that had packed out the church, heard parish priest Canon Gerard Casey deliver a moving homily during which he described the late Cllr Fitzgerald as a gentleman and a gentle man. There is a lovely phrase used in Ireland for attending funerals, people say I came to pay my respects. Thousands came to pay their respects to Dan Joe at his removal and all of you who have gathered here today are truly paying your respects to Dan Joe, because he was a man who was held in enormous respect, said Canon Casey. He said there was a massive outpouring of appreciation for Cllr Fitzgerald on social media in the days following his death. The phrase that keeps recurring was gentleman or gentle man. Whether its one word or two, Dan Joe Fitzgerald was both a gentleman and a gentle man. Canon Casey said that while he had known Dan Joe Fitzgerald through his business, it was only when he came to Mallow that he saw the deeper side of Dan Joe, the Christian gentleman. His authentic respect for every person was remarkable and endeared him to all. Those who met him in his numerous social and community roles knew that they were respected. Whether it was a person of great or little means, whether life had dealt them a good hand or a raw deal, they knew that Dan Joe respected them, said Canon Casey. He did a lot of good for an awful lot of people. He never sought to publicise the good he did, he just did it. The words of Jesus, you must love your neighbour as yourself, echoed in Dan Joes heart and he put them into practise in his life. Remarking on the large number of public representative from across the political divide who attended the funeral, Canon Casey said it was a fitting tribute to Cllr Fitzgeralds role in public life. He also spoke about Cllr Fitzgeralds immense love for his family and how they had in return given him wonderful support in his final months, weeks and days. You have carried him on wings of love and prayer. May the angels now carry him to Paradise. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 19 Trend: Russia's Consulate General in Dubai has specified nationalities of all seven crew members of the crashed Boeing 737-800, RIA Novosti reported March 19. "There were two Spanish citizens, one from Russia, one - from Kyrgyzstan, one - from Cyprus, one - from the Seychelles and one - from Colombia," said Russia's vice-consul in Dubai Anna Chernova. Earlier, FlyDubai company specified nationality of passengers of the crashed Boeing-737-800: 44 Russians, 8 Ukrainians, 2 Indians, 1 Uzbek. A passenger FlyDubai Boeing-737-800 en route from Dubai to Russia's Rostov-on-Don crashed March 19 at the city's airport after missing the runway amid poor visibility. A total of 62 people were killed. According to preliminary data, 55 passengers, including four children, and seven crew members were on board. All of them were killed in the crash, a source in Russian Emergencies Ministry said. A Duhallow woman made a little history at Cork Institute of Technology when she picked up her doctorate in Philosophy. Dr Lisa Marie O'Riordan is the first ever student from the Department of Tourism and Hospitality to be awarded a Doctor of Philosophy. The ceremony took place at the National Maritime College of Ireland in Cork. Dr O'Riordan, who hails from Banteer, had previously attained a deluge of qualifications at CIT including a higher certificate in Business and Tourism, a bachelor of Business and a Masters of Business Marketing. Dr O'Riordan's area of study was based on the food industry in the Cork region and how it contributes to employment. Dr O'Riordan's study was supervised by Dr Margaret Linehan and Dr Aisling Ward. Adrian Gregan, Head of the Department of Tourism and Hospitality at CIT said they were delighted and proud to see Lisa Marie "reap the rewards" of her efforts. The Department of Tourism and Hospitality at CIT encompasses the areas of Culinary Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Bar management. There is a very special night on 1st April in McHughs Venue Drogheda for Irish Premature Babies and the Neonatal unit in our lady of Lourdes Drogheda. It's entitled 'Born too Soon' and all proceeds will be divided between the Neonatal Unit in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Irish Premature Babies and The Ride Out for Prems. It's a night sure to be filled with music and laughter and a fantastic raffle on the night. Up for grabs are Concert tickets, restaurant vouchers, beauty hampers and many many more Tickets can be purchased from McHughes or contact Jacqui O'Shaughnessy directly 0877165046 - jacquioshaugh@hotmail.com Jacqui is a mum to seven premature babies all who have been cared for in a NICU Unit. 'This is my way to pay it forward for all the love and care that the staff in OLOL have given to my preemies,' she states. Irish Premature Babies are a charity that help families of prem babies by way of providing a breast pump at a very reduced rate, to providing free lactation support and when families are away from home to be with their baby IPB do their utmost to take some off the financial burden away from these families. The Ride Out for Prems is an annual motorbike ride around Ireland to raise money for vital life saving equipment for the NICU Units. Chef Neven Chef Neven Maguire will be joining the Newtown Blues in their main fund raising event for 2016 on Thursday 5th May in the City North Hotel. If you are looking for some new food ideas for the new year that are simple but very tasty for all the family this night is not to be missed. Tickets cost 25. Contact Orlaith 086 8140876 or Patsy 087 9003318 for tickets. Waxing night A charity waxing night takes place in Moore's pub on April 30th at 8pm. The cancer unit in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital will benefit on the night. Sponsors, etc, are most welcome. Details from Jean at 0877044100, Mary 0894360135. Email: mooresbar@hotmail.com. All support welcome. Bugsy Malone The Little Duke Theatre presents 'Bugsy Malone' on April 14, 15, 16 and 17th. At the opening of Jim Garry Way on Tuesday, Mayor Paul Bell, members of Louth CC and the Garry family The link road between Palace Street and Francis Street was officially opened and named on Tuesday by Mayor Paul Bell. The road, Jim Garry Way, recalls the noted local historian who detailed much of Drogheda's past. He is also responsible for a series of publications, including histories of the various cemeteries in the town, assisting many with modern day family research. Members of the Garry family, officials and historical society members turned out for the occasion, with Mayor Paul Bell who revealed the proposal to name the road after the historian went back to 2013, a true honour for 'Drogheda's most famous and indisputable local historians.' 'I recall at the time of the motion some raised the question of whether this gesture to remember one of Drogheda's most famous sons was big enough to record the contribution made by Jim Garry. A contribution may I add that has touched each and every one of us who love history, love their town and also their identity as citizens of Drogheda and District. 'My answer remains unchanged today as it was then, big men have no need for big monuments to recall their legacy and contribution to society.' He felt the 'link road' was apt as it marked the spot where the town wall once stood and also the fact that Jim linked history with the modern world for many years. 'Jim also linked us to our maritime history, trading, industry, organised labour and the role our town played in the Famine as thousands of poverty stricken and starving people either perished in our streets or boarded ships in Drogheda Port for the new world. He linked us to the history of our forefathers. Where they came from and the role they played as Drogheda was never behind in making a difference at home and abroad.' While Jim also detailed the struggle of industrial unrest in the industrial revolution which Drogheda experienced in its many industries in the late 1800s and early 1900s, he also wrote about the medieval history of the Norman town, 'our founders, the issues which they faced and of course he didn't fail to write about the odd boundary commission review which occurred over the 800 years of our history. Not to mention the FAA side and the rich history which this unusual if not unique situation brought to our town,' the mayor remarked. 'The link road is also symbolic of Jim's understanding of history and indeed his commitment to encourage and develop historians. Some of whom have gone on to write acclaimed historical works thereby maintaining the link with the importance of the work of recording history, explaining and contextualising history.' He thanked the elected members for their backing of the new name, the Old Drogheda Society for supporting the initiative and also the Garry family for agreeing to support this recognition for their family member who gave so much and so unselfishly to the citizens of Drogheda. A Swords primary school was chosen as the venue for the launch of a new nationwide paper plane colouring competition inviting all primary school pupils in Ireland to help raise funds for its chosen Irish charity partner, ISPCC Childline. Open to all primary schools across Ireland, pupils are being asked to design their own Ryanair paper plane, pay 2 to Childline to enter the competition. The winning entry will receive 5,000 for their school, 500 worth of Ryanair flights for the winning pupil and a large replica model Ryanair plane, complete with the winning design, for their school Legendary children's TV presenter, Dustin the Turkey, will be among the judges for the competition, with the winning pupil and school to be announced in May. Entry forms are available now on the Childline website www.ispcc.ie/files/RyanairCompetition/ and entry closes on Friday, April 29. Dustin the Turkey said: 'I'm delighted to help launch the ISPCC Ryanair Paper Plane Colouring Competition today and I encourage all primary schools to take part. Who doesn't like making paper planes? It's great fun. Go on ya good thing! Sign up and help raise vital funds for Childline.' Ryanair's Head of Communications, Robin Kiely said: 'We are pleased to partner with ISPCC Childline to support the invaluable work they do each year, and our paper plane colouring competition offers the perfect opportunity for school children across Ireland to help contribute directly to Childline. ' ISPCC's Director of Fundraising, Gill Waters said: 'We are delighted to announce the launch of the ISPCC Childline Ryanair Paper Plane Competition. This is a unique opportunity for primary schools to be creative and have some fun, while also raising vital funds for ISPCC Childline and being in with a chance to win an incredible prize. 'This is the first of a number of campaigns that we will be working on with Ryanair throughout the year and we are very excited to kick it off with this competition. 'We would encourage as many schools as possible to take part and raise funds for the only 24 hour service available for children in Ireland.' The award-winning 'Adopt-a-Patch' scheme is back in Skerries for the sixth year running and sees an unprecedented level of co-operation between volunteers from the community, the local Tidy Towns committee and Fingal County Council to keep Skerries tidy. Skerries has rocketed up the placings in the national Tidy Towns competition in recent years and it is thanks in no small measure to this initiative that sees volunteers take charge of a patch of open space in the town, or perhaps a laneway or pedestrian walkway and take on the responsibility of keeping that patch clean and tidy and litter-free. Skerries Tidy Towns and Fingal County Council support and facilitate the effort as does Adopt-a-Patch sponsors, Supervalu. The sixth renewal of the scheme was launched recently at Skerries Mills and Skerries Tidy Towns are actively recruiting new volunteers to adopt their own patch, this year. Fingal County Council provide some of the equipment and bags, all of which can be picked up at the local Supervalu. Skerries Tidy Towns hope that with another push this year, it can climb even higher in the national standings in the competition and maybe take a tilt at the national title itself - a title the town has been edging closer and closer to in recent years. If you are interested in joining the Adopt-a-Patch team of volunteers, call Frances Owens on 087-2417017 or contact Breege Madden on 087 7780449. Skerries Tidy Towns is hugely grateful to all the volunteers for their continued good work. A lack of affordable childcare in Fingal has become a massive issue for the region and must be tackled, according to councillors who says that working families in the county are effectively paying 'a second mortgage' in childcare fees. Cllr Paul Mulville (NP) and Cllr Barry Martin (Ind) raised the issue at the Swords/Balbriggan Area Committee with Cllr Martin saying that childcare in Ireland was 'grossly underfunded' and it was an issue that came up again and again as he canvassed door-to-door in the General Election, across Fingal. Cllr Martin said that childcare fees in the region amounted to up to 40% of a household's income and was 'like a second mortgage'. He said that many parents were 'trapped' by childcare costs and could not afford to go back to work. The Independents4Change councillor said there was also an issue with poor pay among childcare workers. He said he knew people with degrees that were working in the sector for 18,000 a year. Cllr Philip Lynam (SF) backed Cllr Martin's call for action on the issue and told his fellow councillors on the committee of one local case he knew of, where a single mother with a good job in a bank was forced to go back and live with her parents because her rent amounted to 1,000 a month and childcare costs amounted to 800. He said it was a problem that required the Government to take action but councillors needed to highlight the issue as much as possible. Cllr Paul Mulville (NP) said he hoped whatever new Government was formed, that affordable childcare would be a central issue of policy for them. Mayor of Fingal, Cllr David O'Connor (NP) also backed the motion and said that before the economic crash, he felt the country was 'getting ahead' of issues like housing and childcare but that was not the case today. 'I think we are in trouble here,' he warned. Cllr Anne Devitt (NP) agreed there was a huge problem with a lack of affordable childcare but said she had not seen anyone come up with a viable solution. She pointed to the example of other countries that used school facilities with before school and after school problems that provided childcare for children of school-going age. She said that was something that could be copied here and would at least go some way to addressing the issue for children of school-going age. Cllr Duncan Smith (Lab) pointed to a group called 'Startstrong' which he said had interesting views on how to solve the problem. Fingal's youngest entrepreneurs were celebrating after the Fingal Student Enterprise Awards County Final at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Blanchardstown last week. Fingal Local Enterprise Office enlisted, motivated and mentored a record 64 student enterprises from 24 secondary schools and seven primary schools for this year's competition. Since last September, 2,600 local students have been researching and running their own businesses in the Student Enterprise Programme, with Fingal hosting the largest number of participants of 31 Local Enterprise Offices nationwide. Supported by Fingal County Council, Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board, the secondary school winners from today's Final will now go through to the National Final in Croke Park on April 20. In the Junior Category, the student who will be representing Fingal at the National Finals is Saaga Rosti from Kovu from Fingal Community College. In the Intermediate Category, Barry Laffey also from Fingal Community College, will be representing the county in Croke Park. In the Senior Category of the competition, Fingal will be represented by Niamh Corry from Skimitquick from Loreto Balbriggan. The National Finalists will be competing with up to 300 other student entrepreneurs from all over Ireland on April 20th. Blanchardstown Centre, One4All, Xtreme.ie and Simtech Aviation are also supporters of the Student Enterprise Programme Co-ordinated by the Local Enterprise Offices in every local authority area, the competition is the most successful student enterprise programme of its kind in the country Oisin Geoghegan, Head of Enterprise, Fingal County Council said: 'Hosting the largest programme in the country, we are proud to say we have seen many successes in the National Finals. We have seen phenomenal growth and this year we are delighted with the record numbers of students, from primary and secondary schools across the region setting up and running their own businesses. 'The schools, our mentors, local businesses and the sponsors are more than encouraging and every year we can see that students continue on their entrepreneurial journey and indeed set up successful enterprises in post school years.' Paul Reid, Chief Executive, Fingal County Council added: 'What they gain from this programme is an invaluable insight into the roots of business and a taste of experience in a safe environment. 'The lessons they learn on this programme will help set them on an entrepreneurial path from a young age.' Further information around the Student Enterprise Awards, which is run by the Local Enterprise Offices, is available from www.studententerprise.ie and by searching #studententerprise on social media. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 19 Trend: The crashed FlyDubai Boeing's pilot did not send SOS messages, the company's CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith said, Sputnik news agency reported. Ghaith al-Ghaith ruled out a bomb attack as a possible cause of the plane's crash in Russia. " There is no doubt that there was no bomb aboard,"" al-Ghaith told reporters. A passenger FlyDubai Boeing-737-800 en route from Dubai to Russia's Rostov-on-Don crashed March 19 at the city's airport after missing the runway amid poor visibility. A total of 62 people were killed. According to preliminary data, 55 passengers, including four children, and seven crew members were on board. All of them were killed in the crash, a source in Russian Emergencies Ministry said. A former Bank of Ireland worker who took 144,089 from the bank to put in her own accounts and those of family members will be sentenced in October. Alice Warnock (54) told gardai she was sorry and 'felt like a fool' after the six year fraud was uncovered while she was on sick leave in 2012. The court heard that Warnock's family had been unaware she had lodged money into their accounts. The mother-of-two of Rathbeale Court, Swords, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to nine sample counts of stealing from bank branches on Talbot Street and Malahide Road, Coolock, between November 2004 and March 2012. She has no previous convictions. Detective Garda Siobhan Moore said that Warnock, who had been employed with Bank of Ireland since 1980, took amounts ranging from 600 to 5,000 out of the bank's internal administration account. The detective told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, that Warnock 'inputed narratives' to make the transactions appear genuine. She said the bank began an investigation in May 2012 while Warnock was on sick leave and got details of all her accounts where misappropriated amounts were seen as lodgements. Warnock told gardai the offending had 'all got out of hand' and that her family had not been aware of what she was doing. Det Gda Moore said Warnock, who had since lost her job, co-operated and took full responsibility. The detective agreed with Lorcan Staines BL, defending, that she had family support and was a full time carer for her sick, elderly parents. She agreed Warnock had 7,000 in court and would undertake to pay 3,500 per quarter to eventually compensate the bank in full. She further agreed that the family was 'downsizing' their home to also help with the repayment. Mr Staines handed testimonials and documentation to Judge Melanie Greally. Judge Greally ordered that the 7,000 in court be paid over and adjourned sentencing for six months to see how Warnock progressed with her intended repayments and the sale of the house. It was only logical for Wexford singer Michael Londra to return to Wexford to stage a new musical theatre piece because of the wealth of talent available in the county. The show, 'Noel', is written by Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer with music by Liam Bates. 'Noel' is a beautiful story of a young girl who loses her singing voice with the disappearance of her mother. On a journey to find her, Noel meets a motley crew of characters who want to help. Nick, a disillusioned homeless man with a secret, forms a bond with the child. In helping Noel, Nick rediscovers his belief in the magic of Christmas and in himself. The piece, is fun for the whole family, a feel good show but with a story line touching on the very real issues of homelessness, bullying, loneliness and the materialism of the holidays. Venuworks Theatricals, a US based theatrical production company, which is run by Michael and his business partner Steve Peter, will stage the show. Noel will debut at the National Opera House in Ireland on December 19, 2016 for a week of performances in an orchestral setting, with a view to a US premier on Broadway in 2017. Last week Michael and Steve jetted into Wexford to host a mini musical workshop to see the talent in Wexford. Michael said he was overwhelmed by the performances on the night especially as the performers only had a few days to practise. 'We have been working on this for the past three to four months from the States. We flew in last week to hold the workshop and it was amazing. I have always been talking about the talent that is here in Wexford and sometimes these things are taken with a pinch of salt. But when everyone saw the calibre of the performers they were blown away. 'We assembled a group of 15 people and presented five songs from show. It was off the charts fantastic. It was very emotional. 'Eoin's script is fantastic and Liam is a beautiful composer. Everyone got so excited after hearing it. I get to hear Broadway workshops all the time but this was so strong, it was amazing. I'm not just saying it because everyone was from Wexford, it was just really amazing. 'The whole show just has heart to it. There's one song, Hope, and it is spectacular. If it doesn't make people bawl I don't know what will. 'Tony Carty was fantastic. I'm probably a bit biased because he is my first cousin but he was brilliant. I hadn't seen Aileen Mythen perform before but she took on three different roles on the night, including a 10-year-old child and she was amazing. 'Our next step is to find our little girl Noel. We will do a workshop in the summer to try and find her and will be looking in Wexford and all over Ireland.' After leaving Wexford Michael then headed to London where he was involved in a number of discussions over there about the show. 'We are looking at all our options. While there is definite Broadway interest and people are coming to Wexford from New York we want to look at all our options to see what is best for the musical. 'Broadway might not be the best place.' Michael said that when the show premiers in Wexford in December there will be a full orchestra on stage which will be truly spectacular. 'There will be a 25 piece orchestra on stage and the set will be built around them.' Michael said he is delighted to get the opportunity to finally work with old school friend Eoin Colfer. 'Eoin and I were in the same class together so we've known each other since we were kids. When he started to do well and I was making a name for myself we'd hang out talking about what we would like to work together on. We tried to do it a couple of times before it didn't work out for on reason or another. 'Eoin mentioned the musical to me about a year ago and I said to bring it to me first. He sent me three songs and the script and I loved it. 'He has really hit a nerve with it and everyone is jumping on it because it is so good. It's great to see the fruition of the work. We've been talking about working together for years and now we are finally getting to do it.' Michael said he will be returning to Wexford in the summer looking for a child to play the role of Noel whom, he said, 'has to be someone pretty special. We will be looking for six principals from Ireland and I think that the talent we have here in Wexford is spectacular. 'Within 48 hours notice last week the members of the Light Opera Society and choirs had rehearsed the pieces and I just can't describe how fantastic they were. I can't wait to hear the reaction that the people of Wexford have to this.' Venuworks is no stranger to large theatrical productions having co-produced the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of You Can't Take it With You starring James Earl Jones and has interests in the current Broadway production of Something Rotten and the West End Production of Hand to God. Londra's company is also involved in programming for many theatres across the US. His business partner Steve Peters said he is happy to help showcase Wexford at an international level. 'Our new venture into original theatre involves Michael's hometown which couldn't be more perfect as he so passionate about the creativity of Wexford. I am excited to come to Wexford for the first time, to witness the talent, the warmth and the birth of a new piece of Wexford theatre. We have big plans for this show.' VenuWorks Theatricals will also produce a Michael Londra national tour in 2017 ensuring that the next 12 months will be a hectic year for Michael. 'I have to balance my producing with my performing. I still have some singing in me but I guess producing has always been more a passion for me as my favourite thing in the world is to bring new talent to the stage. The singing has brought me loads of great opportunities around the world, so I can't totally walk away from that.' There was a great turnout in St Aidan's Cathedral last week for the Triduum celebrations. There had been an absolutely wonderful celebration of faith in the church with people pouring into the Cathedral every day, coming from all corners of the Diocese. The cathedral has been full to capacity every day for Morning Mass and people queued continuously to receive the Sacrament of Confession, which was available all day long over the past three days. The Sacrament of anointing took place as well each day at 3pm and families brought elderly loved ones to the Cathedral for the special Healing Mass. Various speakers that were in attendance over days included Br Kevin Crowley from the Capuchin Day centre for the homeless in Dublin, Ann O Sullivan whose work includes liasing with prisoners and their families, Fr. John Harris, a Dominican Priest from Dublin who spoke about the amazing gift of forgiveness that God gives to us through the Sacrament of Confession and encouraged all to come back to Jesus and experience his gift of love and Mercy. Other speakers included Fr. Billy Swan from the Cathedral who spoke about the link between joy and Mercy and Fr. Brian Broaders gave an overall view of the three days and what it signified and what Mercy means in our lives. Bishop Denis Brennan was in attendance also during the Triduum, Mick Kavanagh from the Hope Centre and Fr. Chris Hayden Priests who celebrated the Healing Masses were Fr. Denis Browne and Fr. Oliver Sweeney. Sacrament of Confession Devotions were led by - Fr. Aodan Marken and Bishop Denis Brennan For more info on it view the parish Facebook page. Creagh College students at Goffs in Co Kildare who recently took part in the Rosemary Smith Think Awareness driving programme The message of safety behind the wheel was driven home to transition year students at Creagh College Gorey recently, as they attended a special driving programme. Two groups of students went to Goffs in Co Kildare over the course of two days to take part in the Rosemary Smith Think Awareness driving programme. The Rosemary Smith Driving Academy has been providing driver education for transition year students in secondary schools throughout Ireland for the past twelve years. A spokesperson for the school said that a very enjoyable and informative day was had by all and the students benefited greatly. The trip was organised by Caroline Gallagher as part of the NRA Road Safety module which is currently being studied by the students. Thanks went to Rosemary Smith, Keane Harley, and all of their team for all the work with the students. Tuesday, March 15, 2016, marked a very special day in the lives of Kerry primary and second level school children as they made their very own Proclamations as part of a poignant national 1916 celebration. Proclamation Day, which is now set to become an annual event, saw excited pupils raise the Tricolour in their respective school yards before the original proclamation was read out by students. As part of the novel event, students explored the last 100 years on this island, celebrating the momentous occasion through means of song, drama, music and poetry. Students were also encouraged to dress as characters from the events of The Rising, with parents pulling out satin dresses, flat caps and braces to ensure that the children looked the part for the day. In addition to the official flag raising and Proclamation reading, some schools and colleges added their own special elements to the celebrations - such as Killorglin Community College who held a live broadcast as well as a re-enactment of the signing of the treaty, poetry recitals, music and song all added to this historic occasion. The Presentation Monastery National School in Killarney welcomed parents, guardians and grandparents where students spoke about the different events of The 1916 Rising Students at Currow NS welcomed special guest, Bishop Ray Browne, having already dressed up as characters from the book, The Guns of Easter, by Gerard Whelan. In Scoil Eoin, Balloonagh, students released a song entitled 'One Hundred Years Ago' penned by teacher, Sean Farrell. The song, now available to view on Youtube, is a tribute to all of those who lost their lives during the 1916 and is sang to the air of the popular Irish song 'Roddy McCorley' by two pupils from 4th, 5th and 6th classes. In Ballyfinnane, meanwhile, you could have been forgiven for thinking you had returned to a school house 100 years previously given the fantastic costumes of the pupils. Looking every inch the part for their Proclamation celebrations, Ballyfinnane scholars deeply impressed all their guests on the day. It struck a deeply resonant note for all in The Kerryman too as it was in Ballyfinnane that the wife of former Kerryman editor Con Casey taught. The memory of Susy Casey (nee Daly) also brought to fore the memory of Ballyfinnane's Charlie Daly who became a Commandant General in the Irish Volunteers after answering the patriotic call in 1913. Gardai in Killarney are continuing their investigations into the death of 11-month-old Karol Rozycki in an apartment in the town last week. The child was found in an unconscious state by his mother Anna Rozycka in the family's home at the Park Place apartment complex off High Street in Killarney shortly after 6pm on Sunday March 6. Paramedics and gardai - who were alerted to the tragedy by Ms Rozycka - tried to revive the child but their efforts proved unsuccessful and the baby was pronounced dead at the scene. The child's father and Anna Rozycka's partner, named locally as 32-year-old Polish man Andrzej Piolunowicz, was found nearby with life threatening knife wounds. He was taken to University Hospital Kerry in Tralee where he received initial treatment for injuries to his wrists, neck and torso. It is believed that these wounds were self inflicted. His condition worsened on Tuesday and he was transferred to University Hospital in Cork where he died on Thursday. He had never regained consciousness and it is thought the blood loss from his injuries had caused him severe brain damage. Post mortem examinations on both Karol Rozycki and his father have been carried out though the results are not being released by gardai for operational reasons. It is understood that Karol Rozycki most likely died as a result of being smothered. Gardai said that they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident but that investigations would continue until the exact circumstances of both deaths could be ascertained. As part of the investigation they are examining a number of notes and messages that were found in the apartment. Karol Rozycki was buried in his mother's home town of Bielsko-Biala near the Polish city of Krakow on Saturday. Following the heart breaking ceremony Ms Rozycka thanked the gardai and emergency services, interpreters and the people of Killarney and Kerry for their support in the wake of last week's tragic events. She also thanked Killarney undertakers O'Shea's and Aer Lingus who covered the cost of baby Karol's repatriation. As gardai continue their investigations statements have been taken from several of the family's friends and from their neighbours in Park Place. Staff at the Aghadoe Heights Hotel- where both Anna Rozycka and Mr Piolunowicz worked- have also been interviewed. The Department of Foreign affairs is providing assistance to Andrzej Piolunowicz's family in returning his body to Poland for burial. A film documenting how two great -great grandchildren of An Ri, Padraig O Cathain, returned from America to surf the waves in the Blasket Sound will receive its world premiere as part of this year's Dingle International Film Festival. The Film festival, now in its 10th year, takes place from this Thursday to Sunday, March 17 - 20. The documentary tells the story of far-flung emigrants returning back home. On opposite sides of the United States, two of the King's (An Ri) great-great grandchildren inherited a love for the ocean and - unaware of each other's existence - became accomplished surfers. Upon discovering each other, because of a case of a lost violin, Dennis D Kane from San Diego and Andrew Jacob from Cape Cod arranged to meet for the first time. In 2013 they travelled to Ireland to explore their shared history and to surf the very same water that Padraig O Cathain crossed in his naomhog to collect the post and other supplies. The documentary The Crest about their visit - and the surfing - will screen in Ionad an Bhlascaoid on Saturday at 6pm. Film has played a huge role in the development of West Kerry, the images of the stunning scenery captured by David Lean and screened worldwide in Ryan's Daughter kick-started the now thriving tourist industry. Sarah Miles, who played Rosie Ryan the publican's daughter in the film, will revisit West Kerry to open the 10th Dingle International Film Festival, at 6.30pm on Thursday, followed by a screening of Ryan's daughter. One of the key aspects of the festival is the development of film makers with competitions for young animators, as well as Fisin. Fisin is the Irish language short film competition, where five finalists enter into a head to head competition as they pitch their film ideas to a panel of media pros in front of a live audience. This will take place in John Benny's at 10am March 20. The aim of Fisin is to foster film making as Gaeilge said Tor Cotton, who works on Fisin. A previous winner of Fisin is Paul Webster is returning to the Film Festival with his latest film, she added. With over 170 films from right across the globe and a packed programme of activities, including many animated films suitable for children there is something for everyone at the festival. The full programme is available at www.dinglefilmfestival.com. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 19 Trend: US secretary of state John Kerry congratulated nations in Central Asia, Caucasus and Iran on the occasion of Nowruz, official site of State Department reported. "I am delighted to join President Obama in wishing a happy, healthy, and prosperous Nowruz to all our friends around the world who celebrate this holiday. As Americans, we rejoice along with all those from the Islamic Republic of Iran to Central Asia to the Caucasus to communities here in the United States, who come together to celebrate the arrival of Spring and a new year. Nowruz is a time of renewal and reconciliation - a chance for families to celebrate their heritage and culture; reflect on the past twelve months; and look forward to the year ahead. For those of us in the United States, this day is an opportunity to recognize the contributions of hundreds of thousands of Iranian Americans, who have made their mark in business, public service, law, medicine, research, music, and more. For the people of Iran, we hope this Nowruz will prove the start of a better future, defined by greater opportunity at home, increased engagement with the international community, and access to the same rights and freedoms enjoyed by others across the globe. Looking back, this was a year of unprecedented diplomatic progress that reduced the risk of conflict. Along with our international partners, we reached and successfully implemented the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) which will ensure Iran's nuclear program is exclusively peaceful, in exchange for the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions. Every new year, and every spring should commence in hope. It is in that spirit that we embrace this day knowing that, even as stark differences remain between the governments of the United States and Iran, friendship between our peoples remains a goal well worth pursuing. Saleh No Mobarak!" Oakview Village Childcare in Tralee have opened a new Early Years Support Centre. The centre, which had its official launch on Thursday, will provide childcare services for children who have additional needs. Among the services that will be offered at the centre are specialised speech therapy, occupational therapy and play therapy. Child psychology services, psychotherapy and parental supports will also be available. Management at Oakview Childcare - which was named Irish private creche of the year in 2011 and 2014 - said the new centre will provide families with a holistic approach to children's learning and development. The new range of services will be available by appointment from March 24 onwards. Oakview Childcare operates from a purpose built facility and offers care to children from preschool age to primary school level. It has also been a national Green Schools award winner on two occasions. The mother of a 41-year-old Lyreacrompane native who died last week after struggling for a year with brain injury has spoken of her family's deep pain on his loss after more than a year of apparent recovery. Eamon Curtin died on Saturday, March 5, at his home in Carrigcannon, Lyreacrompane, following what his family had believed was one of the best days he had ever enjoyed since suffering severe brain injury over a year earlier. Now, his mother Bridie has taken the brave step of sharing her son's story in a bid to help others living with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) cope with the trauma of the condition. Eamon lived with the condition since February 22 of last year, after an altercation outside a pool hall in Stockholm, Sweden, in the course of which he was knocked to the ground. He had been working in the construction industry in Sweden at that point. Eamon went into a coma following the incident as his family's life was turned upside down. He was his mother Bridie's only child. "I was at home when I got the call," his mother Bridie told The Kerryman this week. "It was a lot to take in and there was a bit of denial as I was telling myself it wasn't as bad as it was. Even while travelling out to Sweden I was hoping it was a case of mistaken identity," Ms Curtin said. She found her son fighting for his life in the care of a medical team she described as 'second to none'. Soon after emerging from his month-long coma, Eamon was flown home, into the care of Cork University Hospital. His recovery was a painful process ever since, but it was helped a great deal by the help of the team at the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dun Laoghaire. "He suffered severe brain injury, with his short term memory and cognitive functions greatly impaired but he was improving and we noticed his concept of humour returning." He had even walked a mile on his last day. Bridie found her beloved son collapsed on the floor of their bathroom that evening. She has yet to be informed of the results of the post mortem carried out last week. "All I would say to people living with brain injury is not to give up. I left no stone unturned fighting for help for my wonderful son. Keep at it as there is help out there," Ms Curtin told The Kerryman. 860,000 is being invested in water main upgrades along the Kilhile Road, Wellingtonbridge and Ballymitty areas over the coming months, leading to traffic delays on the main Wexford road. Work at Kilhile, which began in late February, involves the rehabilitation of 2.9km of watermains and is designed to eliminate the significant supply interruptions experienced in the area. This work is scheduled to be complete by the end of April. Commenting on the update, Aisling Buckley, regional information officer at Irish Water, said: 'Customers will be notified of planned water interruptions as houses are connected to the new water main. This is an investment of 300,000 by Irish Water in new watermain infrastructure to supply customers in the area.' The upgrade of these water supply schemes will ensure that a sustainable and reliable supply of drinking water is provided to the communities across these areas. 'This rehabilitation project has many benefits including security of supply and improved water quality. We are making every effort to notify people in advance of planned road closures and encourage them to contact us directly or monitor our website for updates on planned water outages.' Rehabilitation work in the Wellingtonbridge area will involve the construction of 925mW of 400mm-diameter water mains in the Clonmines area from the Five Crossroads towards the Crooked Bridge, as well as 3.2km of 110mm diameter water mains in the Ballymitty area. 'It is anticipated that this work will commence in mid-2016 and the works will see an investment of 561,000 by Irish Water in new watermain infrastructure to supply customers in the area. Traffic will be reduced to one lane on the regional road to Wexford during the period of this work with local access only from Ballymitty village towards Kilcalvan and Harristown. Residents will be notified in advance of any work commencing in the Wellingtonbridge area,' Ms Buckley said. Intrepid New Ross native, Linda Fuhrmann is urging Wexford adventurers to sign up to Plan International Ireland's latest charity challenge, the Donegal Sea-Stack Challenge this May and June. Ms Furhmann is a Programme Support Officer with Plan International Ireland, a girls' rights development organisation, and is asking people to join her on Plan International Ireland's first ever domestic charity challenge to raise funds for their poverty-fighting, equality promoting programmes in 51 countries across the globe. Over two weekends, May 28 - May 29 and June 18 - June 19, Ms Furhmann and a host of other adventurous souls from will travel the remote Donegal Atlantic coastline, rock-climb over 100ft to the summit of one of Ireland's unique off-shore rock formations. She said: 'This is a weekend of adventure, fun and craic that's not to be missed. Every euro we raise is spent efficiently, and effectively.' For more information, call 1800 829 829 or visit www.plan.ie/challenges Former Deputy and MEP Avril Doyle, the only Wexford woman elected to serve in the Dail, says Fine Gael and Fianna Fail should form a grand coalition for the good of the country. 'They were born at the same time almost 100 years ago and they should come together to form a government,' she said. Ms Doyle said such a coalition was necessary and the right thing to do given the divisive election results which left no party with an overall majority. While there is said to be fierce resistance within Fianna Fail to the formation of a coalition with Fine Gael, senior FG figures are believed to be ready to approach FF in a deal involving an equal number of cabinet posts. 'If we want a stable government, and had and all as it is to say it, we have got to come to the conclusion that there should be a coalition between the two main parties or an election, and nobody wants an election.. the people don't want one and the politicians don't want one,' Ms Doyle told this newspaper. 'It's staring at us and I can understand why both sides find that so difficult. but it will come dripping slow.' 'There's a backdrop in that it is the centerary and out of the Rising came, if you like, the new democracy, they were all born from the same quest and I know that there's a long history in between, but maybe someone's giving us a message,' she said. IFA presidential candidate Joe Healy has responded to concerns raised in a Wexford canvass by calling on the association to establish a dedicated section to support, advise and mentor farmers through on-farm inspections. The Galway dairy farmer pointed out that farm inspections were being raised on the election trail as frequently as commodity prices and farm incomes. 'It surfaced as a serious cause of concern among IFA members throughout the southeast,' Mr Healy explained. 'Farmers in Wexford and Wicklow, like those around the country, view inspections as a real imposition on the farming community. A farmer who is inspected feels extremely vulnerable, isolated and alone. Some farmers believe their privacy has been violated and they are certainly at a disadvantage because of their lack of knowledge of the inspection process,' Mr Healy said. 'The IFA has the personnel to re-balance matters in farmers' favour. We need to support farmers through this difficult process by providing a service where farmers who are struggling with a current or upcoming inspection have trained personnel which they can talk to before, during or after the event,' said Mr Healy. Mr Healy said any new IFA inspection support service should: Help farmers deal with farm inspection paperwork; Offer group briefing sessions on inspections procedures; Enable farmers to speak directly to an expert before/during/after an inspection to allay their fears and facilitate farmer-to-farmer discussion forums on inspections. 'Ninety-nine per cent of the issues that arise during an inspection can be easily fixed, but through fear and lack of knowledge farmers don't know this. A more coordinated approach by the IFA to the process would eliminate isolation and vulnerably, and put power back in the hands of the farmer and not the inspector,' said Mr Healy, who is standing for election as the IFA's new president. Mary Anne Maher (nee Sutton) passed away aged 104 years and 11 months just shy of her 105th birthday on Tuesday, following a life fully lived. One of the county's oldest residents, Mary Anne was born on March 19, 1911, in Coole Avenue, Campile. One of 14 children, she would often, in later years, recall the hardship people in the area underwent, as war waged around the world and closer to home during the Civil War. She recalled going with her mother Margaret to bring food to insurgents who were hiding out on their land. Mary Anne attended Shielbaggan NS and recalled walking through the fields in frost, hail and snow to school in the mornings. She worked as a housekeeper and cook at St John's College in Waterford and married a Tipperary man, John Joseph Maher in 1955. The happy couple lived in Carrickmines in Dublin, but sadly John died in the early 1960s. Mary Anne returned to live in County Wexford, staying in Duncannon where she sang in the church choir and was a member of the ICA guild. She moved to Ramsgrange where she lived for many years. A lover of reading and history, Mary Anne enjoyed studying her family's rich history in the Horeswood area dating back to the 12th century. A family member described her as a very strong willed character who seemed parsimonious and frugal, but who donated a lot of money to charities privately. She worked as a housekeeper with priests in Bree and Horeswood. Mary Anne moved into a nursing home in Clonroche following a mild heart attack in her 90s, before making her final move into Millhouse Nursing Home in New Ross. A woman of strong opinions and principles, she was a staunch Fianna Fail supporter. When asked who she would vote for during the 2011 General Election she replied: 'Fianna Fail because Fianna Fail has this country where it is today.' She wasn't impressed when one of the residents replied in the background: 'Exactly!' She attributed her great age to her genetics, pointing out that her mother had lived to 93 in the 1960s, while she said her youthful looks were a direct result of washing her face in buttermilk every day giving her 'perfect skin' in the words of a relative. A large crowd attended Mary Anne's funeral mass in Ramsgrange on Thursday and her burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. Mary Anne is survived by her nephews, nieces, family and friends. It was only logical for Wexford singer Michael Londra to return to Wexford to stage a new musical theatre piece because of the wealth of talent available in the county. The show, 'Noel', is written by Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer with music by Liam Bates. 'Noel' is a beautiful story of a young girl who loses her singing voice with the disappearance of her mother. On a journey to find her, Noel meets a motley crew of characters who want to help. Nick, a disillusioned homeless man with a secret, forms a bond with the child. In helping Noel, Nick rediscovers his belief in the magic of Christmas and in himself. The piece, is fun for the whole family, a feel good show but with a story line touching on the very real issues of homelessness, bullying, loneliness and the materialism of the holidays. Venuworks Theatricals, a US based theatrical production company, which is run by Michael and his business partner Steve Peter, will stage the show. Noel will debut at the National Opera House in Ireland on December 19, 2016 for a week of performances in an orchestral setting, with a view to a US premier on Broadway in 2017. Last week Michael and Steve jetted into Wexford to host a mini musical workshop to see the talent in Wexford. Michael said he was overwhelmed by the performances on the night especially as the performers only had a few days to practise. 'We have been working on this for the past three to four months from the States. We flew in last week to hold the workshop and it was amazing. I have always been talking about the talent that is here in Wexford and sometimes these things are taken with a pinch of salt. But when everyone saw the calibre of the performers they were blown away. 'We assembled a group of 15 people and presented five songs from show. It was off the charts fantastic. It was very emotional. 'Eoin's script is fantastic and Liam is a beautiful composer. Everyone got so excited after hearing it. I get to hear Broadway workshops all the time but this was so strong, it was amazing. I'm not just saying it because everyone was from Wexford, it was just really amazing. 'The whole show just has heart to it. There's one song, Hope, and it is spectacular. If it doesn't make people bawl I don't know what will. 'Tony Carty was fantastic. I'm probably a bit biased because he is my first cousin but he was brilliant. I hadn't seen Aileen Mythen perform before but she took on three different roles on the night, including a 10-year-old child and she was amazing. 'Our next step is to find our little girl Noel. We will do a workshop in the summer to try and find her and will be looking in Wexford and all over Ireland.' After leaving Wexford Michael then headed to London where he was involved in a number of discussions over there about the show. 'We are looking at all our options. While there is definite Broadway interest and people are coming to Wexford from New York we want to look at all our options to see what is best for the musical. 'Broadway might not be the best place.' Michael said that when the show premiers in Wexford in December there will be a full orchestra on stage which will be truly spectacular. 'There will be a 25 piece orchestra on stage and the set will be built around them.' Michael said he is delighted to get the opportunity to finally work with old school friend Eoin Colfer. 'Eoin and I were in the same class together so we've known each other since we were kids. When he started to do well and I was making a name for myself we'd hang out talking about what we would like to work together on. We tried to do it a couple of times before it didn't work out for on reason or another. 'Eoin mentioned the musical to me about a year ago and I said to bring it to me first. He sent me three songs and the script and I loved it. 'He has really hit a nerve with it and everyone is jumping on it because it is so good. It's great to see the fruition of the work. We've been talking about working together for years and now we are finally getting to do it.' Michael said he will be returning to Wexford in the summer looking for a child to play the role of Noel whom, he said, 'has to be someone pretty special. We will be looking for six principals from Ireland and I think that the talent we have here in Wexford is spectacular. 'Within 48 hours notice last week the members of the Light Opera Society and choirs had rehearsed the pieces and I just can't describe how fantastic they were. I can't wait to hear the reaction that the people of Wexford have to this.' Venuworks is no stranger to large theatrical productions having co-produced the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of You Can't Take it With You starring James Earl Jones and has interests in the current Broadway production of Something Rotten and the West End Production of Hand to God. Londra's company is also involved in programming for many theatres across the US. His business partner Steve Peters said he is happy to help showcase Wexford at an international level. 'Our new venture into original theatre involves Michael's hometown which couldn't be more perfect as he so passionate about the creativity of Wexford. I am excited to come to Wexford for the first time, to witness the talent, the warmth and the birth of a new piece of Wexford theatre. We have big plans for this show.' VenuWorks Theatricals will also produce a Michael Londra national tour in 2017 ensuring that the next 12 months will be a hectic year for Michael. 'I have to balance my producing with my performing. I still have some singing in me but I guess producing has always been more a passion for me as my favourite thing in the world is to bring new talent to the stage. The singing has brought me loads of great opportunities around the world, so I can't totally walk away from that.' There will be a very special night of music in the National Opera House on Monday, March 28. On the night a new suite of music, 'Marcalla 1916', composed by Michael Rooney and performed by the Comhaltas National Folk Orchestra of Ireland, will be performed. The piece places the Easter Rising in the context of Ireland's story from Famine to present times. 'Macalla 1916' begins with a performance at the RDS on March 26, a state event for the relatives of those who took part in the Rising before heading to Drogheda and then onto Wexford before taking in Cork, Limerick, Monaghan, Sligo and Derry. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 19 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Security measures will be enhanced in Ankara's shopping centers, a message of Police Department of Turkey's capital said March 19. Additional police units will patrol the shopping centers in Ankara for security reasons, according to the message. Meanwhile, parking of cars by shopping centers for over an hour will be temporarily banned, said the message. Turkish police have recently warned that PKK plans to commit a series of terror attacks in the country's large cities from March 20 to March 30. A car bomb exploded in Ankara on March 13, near a crowded bus stop. The explosion killed as many as 37 people, 125 more got injured. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Comhaltas Folk Orchestras Macala 1916 concert comes to Sligos Knocknarea Arena on April 2nd The 'lynchpin' of Sligo's 1916 commemorations, a 'Music Rising' free concert was launched by the County Council last week. 'Music Rising' will be held in Stephen's Street car park on Sunday April 24th, which is the actual 100th anniversary of the declaration of the Republic. The concert will feature an all-local line up, featuring some of Sligo's top internationally touring musical acts, including Dervish, Rackhouse Pilfer, Moxie, NoCrows, Seamie O'Dowd and Kieran Quinn, composer Michael Rooney and Sligo Folk Orchestra. The concert will close with a spectacular fireworks display. The day of festivities opens at 12 noon with a host of family activities: an army parade and marching bands will start from Lower Pearse Road and end with a civic reception for relatives of Sligo people who took part in the Easter Rising. Events at Stephen Street begin at 2.30pm on the 'Stagecoaster' Gig Rig used for the Fleadh. Young people selected from local schools will kick off proceedings with a reading of the Proclamation followed by the short 'Mise Eire' film. Renowned composer Michael Rooney will lead an orchestra of young trad and classical musicians, led by musical director Niamh Crowley. Seamie O'Dowd and Kieran Quinn will then perform their unique blues/jazz/trad jams. They'll be followed by No Crows, Moxie, Rackhouse Pilfer and Dervish will headline the concert, before the fireworks display over Sligo skies at 9.30pm. "I would strongly encourage people of County Sligo not to let 2016 pass without making the effort to attend an event, a visit, an exhibition, study the fascinating documentation and reflect on the Ireland of 1916," said Cathaoirleach of the Council Cllr Rosaleen O'Grady at the launch last week. Separately, Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann's National Folk Orchestra will bring their 'Macalta 1916' concert tour to Sligo's Knocknarea arena on Saturday April 2nd at 8.30pm. It's a major new work from Sligo composer Michael Rooney to commemorate 1916. The Council has been accused of compelling Community Groups and Residents Associations to get their own public liability insurance for grass-cutting in green areas. Cllr Declan Bree said the Council's stance was "a recipe for disaster". There is a 100,000 budget to allocate grants to community groups and residents associations but it's being held up because of the insurance issue. Because the old Borough Council area has been amalgamated with the rest of the county, there will be more groups competing for approximately the same budget, reducing the grants for everybody, town and county. Council Chief Executive Ciaran Hayes said there was a basic principle that "it's wrong to expect the Local Authority to accept the insurance obligations of any third party groups." Official Margaret McConnell urged councillors to resolve the issue: "We want to spend this money. Everyone is being held to ransom by a few residents associations. It places staff in a very difficult position. Spring is coming and people want to get on with events," she said. Cllr Sean MacManus said the situation will arise that "some residents associations will disband. If they have to pay 150 insurance and the grant might not be much more. Some groups might think 'to Hell with it'," he said. Cllr Seamus Kilgannon said he couldn't support the Council's stance: "If this decision is made here today people will say 'Thank you very much' and it'll be over to the Local Authority to maintain the green spaces," he said. "There's lots of residents associations around the town going to adopt that attitude,"he warned. "This is not going to go away," he added. Cathaoirleach Cllr Rosaleen O'Grady said the members had "kicked the can East and West". She called for the issue to be decided this week "and get the money out to the people waiting for it." Maybe it's just plain nosiness. Maybe it's healthy curiosity but Beltra Hall has always fascinated me. Firstly, that quaint Victorian building set in a clearing on the N59 with its jaunty red colour grabs your attention immediately. Then there's the Saturday morning flurry of traffic in and out of the busy car park. At Easter, you will probably spot children and even adults dressed up as rabbits and sporting all manner of other 'eggcellent' Easter costumes wandering around at will. A lot to be curious about, you might agree. My curiosity led me to investigate. This market has been up and running for about five years now and has amassed followers from as far as Castlebaldwin, Enniscrone and Strandhill. You will also hear accents from Germany, South Africa, Holland and yes, even Dublin and Cork. The hall is heaving with tables laden with crafts ranging from embroidery, cards and jewellery to local ceramics and temptingly aromatic skin products. On the foodie side of things, beguiling arrays of delicious home-bakes are out to waylay the sweet tooth while the likes of hummus, garlic pesto and falafel await the more savoury palate. Tip-top fresh organic vegetables, plants and herbs are readily available in season. It really is a 'something for everyone' enclosure. I target one of the craft producers for some insight into the goings on here. She is Claire Wallace, (pictured) born and raised in Glasgow, lived in London for 25 years, then came to Sligo in the late 90's, lured, like many another by her Irish husband. Claire tells me that coming from London to live in a rural setting was really hard for her. Everyone knew her but she didn't know them. It took her at least four years to find her feet. Her children were seven and four at that time, which is why the family came to Ireland when they did, otherwise it would've been even harder for them to settle in. Claire always had creative fingers, it seems. She did dressmaking at school and made her own clothes even as a teenager. "Funny, I don't do that now. I've gone off the whole dressmaking," She adds, "I'm more into the craft. Yet, I always had a sewing machine, couldn't imagine life without one, even as a kid. My mum knitted and crocheted, even knitted all our school jumpers for us as kids.. She's in her 80's and she knitted until very recently." Claire chats further about her current work: "Hand and machine embroidery is my main craft area now. Just kind of happened. A catalyst for that was having done the Creative Textiles and Entrepreneurship course at St Angela's. I was the oldest student on the course, a very mature student with grown up children. To return to study was challenging. It was a NUIG accreditation and it was a brand new course. But having started it, I desperately wanted to see it through, though it took over my life for some months. We dipped into lots of different techniques of various crafts. We were encouraged to look at things in new light and I now see things in a less conventional way than before. "See my sheep cards here, well, the sheep is done by hand, the background by machine. Yes, it is time-consuming. But it's just...well, I got hooked on making them. They have proved popular at Beltra and are quite unique. My cards are either floral or sheep themes. I didn't embroider a sheep before Beltra. Maybe the location influenced me. "I also make felt bookmarks, with rural motifs. People seem to like them and it helps that they are so easy to post off to someone far away as a wee gift. My crafting is the nearest thing to inner strength to me. It brings me calm and I know it is always there, a resource. I suppose it is the equivalent of what it must feel like to have faith, if that makes sense." Claire's friend Karen, who has been in the market since almost the beginning coaxed her to join two years ago. "The Market gives what I am doing validation...credence. It's great for your confidence. You could be working away at home on your own making things but it's not until other people become involved that you realise it is something of worth. Also, mixing with like-minded people, other craftspeople gives you energy as well. "I find that it's not at all competitive at Beltra. People are very generous sharing their knowledge and their time. I remember way back I was having problem with my felting at one point and Henneke (another crafter at the Beltra Market) spent time with me, went through how she did it and I thought that was so generous. It helped me so much. That's one of the things I just love about this market,that welcoming community spirit and genuine friendliness. You very quickly feel part of it." "Every single product at Beltra is hand-made, homegrown or unique. As a producer, it is not at all time-consuming. As members of a cooperative, goods are sold communally so quantity can vary; you're not under pressure to have a full stall of produce. That cooperative ethos of a country market is very special and an essential difference from a Farmer's Market. You go at your own pace here and most members here are hobbyists. We enjoy what we do and being a member of this cooperative challenges us all to produce goods that are to an accountable standard. The market runs from 10am-12pm on Saturday morning. You're out by one, not wrecked, in fact you are energised...a really nice part of your week. There's never a wasted morning for me, I always get something out of it." "Members are keen to share their skills in a fun way with children by doing workshops every two weeks at least. Children are particularly welcome at Beltra and are encouraged to take part in the regular workshops there - they are free and cater to all ages from 2 up to 12 and adults are very welcome to join in too. "I really would urge people to pop in and have a look around some Saturday morning. Beltra provides a genuinely welcoming environment both to producers and customers alike. I love the market. I don't go there to make money. It's more the sense of belonging, the creative outlet, that social centre with like-minded people and enjoying new visitors who stop in. It buoys me up. A The tearoom is another special aspect. Not all country markets have a dedicated tearoom. Beltra's is a particularly quaint setting. Besides, you get tea and a slice of delicious homemade cake plus lots of friendly banter for well under 4 euro. Where else would you enjoy that? If you get there in time for genuine Dutch apple pie with cream, well then, you're truly in luck!' Beltra Country Market runs from 10-12 every Saturday morning and is situated along the Wild Atlantic Way, just five minutes out the N59 from Ballisodare. Breathtakingly scenic walks abound close by, either up the amazing Ox Mountains or down by the sea. Check out Beltra Country Market page on Facebook for further information on events and produce. Discover the magic for yourself. I was certainly glad that I stopped in to do so. Designs have been revealed of the proposed new maritime centre in Strandhill. London architects Manalo & White have won the competition to design the new surfing and coastal community centre. The building's upper floor and roof will be clad in black rubber and the full-height concrete panels of the perimeter walls will be etched with wild Celtic seascapes and surf scenes by legendary Donegal surfer and graphic artist Barry Britton. The centre will be run by the Strandhill Community Maritime Company Limited which was set up in July 2000 and comprises nine directors. The board is made up of councillors, business people and surfing representatives from the Irish Surfing Association and the County Sligo Surf group. The site is approximately 4,500 square metres in size and will also include market stalls, retail space and seating areas. Pictured right are drawings by Manalo & White of the new centre. Chairman of the Board of the Strandhill Maritime Company, Cllr Declan Bree said: "It is obvious that we now need a new modern facility to meet the needs of both surfers and the local community. "It is in this context that our Board agreed in principle to support the sale of the existing Maritime Centre building and develop a new and larger centre more suitable to the needs of the area. The existing Maritime Centre located on the promenade, houses first floor changing rooms and shower facilities in addition to a meeting space for the Surf Club and other local groups. We lease the enterprise space on the ground floor to the Voya Seaweed Baths. The proposed new Centre will front on to the promenade and will be located on a site a few hundred metres North of the existing building. "Manalo & White architects have been successful in winning the architectural competition and I expect that we will be in a position to sign a contract with them shortly. "We have already had a number of very useful public communication-consultative meetings in Strandhill so as to ensure that the community is updated on progress and also to ensure the board can hear at first hand any concerns that people may have. Our next public communication meeting is in Strandhill Community Park on Thursday 24th March at 9.pm where we will present details of the proposed design of the new centre." Mick McEnroe of the Maritime Company said a planning application should be ready by the end of April with building completed before next year's tourism season. It will cost around 500,000 to build and funding will be sought from Failte Ireland and Sligo LEADER, said Mr McEnroe. Sligo County Council and Failte Ireland have been called on to help promote local tourist attractions along the Wild Atlantic Way this year. Councillor Dara Mulvey put forward the motion, saying attractions such as 'Eagles Flying' in Ballymote needed help to attract extra customers for the upcoming season. "We need to be promoting the tourist attractions here," said Cllr Mulvey. "When I was on the Wild Atlantic Way website I clicked on the Family Fun for Sligo and zero results came up," he told the meeting. "For Eagles Flying and other attractions that are so dependant on tourists to keep the numbers up we need to be selling these places better. Cllr Mulvey said the County Council would reap the benefits by more people coming in to Sligo. "We have to contact the people promoting the Wild Atlantic Way to ensure that Sligo is not forgotten," he said. "Why are people going from Donegal to Galway and Kerry?" he added. Councillor Margaret Gormley said that instead of "keeping it a secret we should be promoting Sligo as much as possible." Councillor Sinead Maguire urged that somebody qualified should be promoting the county. Cllr Mulvey added that some of the signs for these attractions were inaccurate. "Some of the signs for Eagles Flying have shown an owl instead of an eagle or a lake," he said, calling for better consultation between the Council and tourism businesses. Council official Margaret McConnell said that "inaccuracies relating to Eagles Flying signs were being corrected". She also pointed out that Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland both have links to Eagles Flying on their websites. Council Chief Executive Ciaran Hayes said hotels were on the WAW website "because they make sure they're on it." "There's an onus on everyone to make sure they're on the website," he told councillors. Sligo County Council needs not only an ongoing annual bailout of 1 million but an bigger bailout to keep its head above water. Councillors agreed with a motion put forward by Cllr Declan Bree to ask the incoming Minister for the Environment to ensure that the minimum annual bailout of 1 million continues to be set aside for Sligo. He further suggested increasing the annual bailout figure to the Council. Cllr Bree was speaking as this month's council meeting considered the Council's Annual Financial Statement for 2015. "It indicates that the Council will have a surplus of 659,677. Of course this surplus would have been impossible if we did not receive the 1 million bailout from the Department last year," he said. "It is abundantly clear that we will need a similar bailout from the Department in the current year and in future years if we are to even begin to address the massive debts of the Council," he said. Council Head of Finance Marie Whelan said over 215,000 payroll savings were made through re-deployments of staff last year. Cllr Hubert Keaney wished all staff re-deployed well in their new positions. Council Chief Executive Ciaran Hayes said "a quick look down through the figures shows last year's performance has been extraordinary." "There is a lot less staff doing a lot more work and they're doing it more efficiently. Our performance in 2015 has been extraordinary and yet we have to repeat that and still improve on it this year and next year," he told councillors. Cathaoirleach of the Council Cllr Rosaleen O'Grady paid tribute to the staff for their work done last year. Cllr Seamus Kilgannon said the next Government "will have to look seriously at lifting the staff embargo." The decision by the Department of Education to refuse permission for the go-ahead for an all Irish language secondary school in Sligo has been described as a "bad blow" to the town. Cllr Seamus Kilgannon had a motion successfully passed calling on the Council to call on the Department to reconsider their decision. "It's a bad blow to the people locally," he told the meeting. Cllr Kilgannon commended the parents and staff of the primary Gaelscoil for "developing one of the best Gaelscoil's in Sligo." "They are deserving of our support because they are doing this voluntarily," he said. "I think it's only right that they be given the opportunity to develop a Gaelscoil in conjunction with the Department of Education," he said. Cllr Jerry Lundy said the Irish language was "part of our heritage, culture and history" and he fully supported Cllr Kilgannon. Cllr Marie Casserly said "something like this is a real blow. We should be using our native language." Cllrs Thomas Healy, Paul Taylor and Hubert Keaney supported the motion. Issues surrounding child protection was the topic of the second Education and the Law conference at St Angela's College recently. The theme was "A Duty to Care: Issues of Child Protection, Welfare and Inclusion for Educators and Legal Advisors" and was co-ordinated by Ms. Helen Johnson, BL and chaired by Michele O' Boyle, Solicitor and Ms. Teresa Blake SC. The keynote speaker was District Court President Judge Rosemary Horgan who described the conference as "a really exciting conversation" and spoke about child protection and the courts. Conference papers are available to purchase from the college Website. The conference was organised as part of an MA programme in Education and the Law, which is an online blended learning programme attracting participants nationwide who have a strong interest in Education and the Law. Applications are currently being accepted for the September 2016 intake. Further details available from the College website. 'All we have is a chair and a little box.' Gemma Gallagher is setting the scene for nine trainees who are hanging on her every word as they sit around the sides of the multi-purpose room upstairs at the Mermaid Theatre in Bray. Outside, the weather is cold and drizzly, so the backdrop provided by the window of the room is grey but the mood indoors is anything but dark as everyone considers the possibilities offered by the chair and the box. The chair in the middle of the timber floor is nothing special, a mass-produced seat of a foldable design, made from black plastic and tubular aluminium. The box offers more potential for inspiration, gleaming golden on the chair, the size of a packet of cigarettes maybe or perhaps a deck of cards. 'You have asked for soft music,' Gemma reminds everyone before hitting the return key on her lap-top computer to trigger a piano track intended to stimulate the creative juices. It's show time. One by one the trainees rise to perform their own spur-of-the-moment mime centred the golden box, which is in turn shaken, sniffed, squinted at in suspicion, in delight or in humour. One enterprising performer pulls out an imaginary medal looping it over his head with modest satisfaction while others find something to eat or something to stroke - could it be a tame hamster? Then comes a different approach as a trainee heads for the chair by crawling across the floor and the box suddenly carries all threat of a bomb. It is a fine dramatic moment. Such moments of rich theatrical impact have been coaxed from actors with learning disabilities in Bray since 1998, making the town national leader in the field. On this occasion, there is no audience aside from the participants themselves, their tutor and the man from the 'People' newspaper with his notebook. This is a private workshop, not an open performance. But in the past the grandly named Shadowbox theatre company certainly has taken to the public stage to earn the applause of paying customers. Gemma Gallagher has been involved every step of the way and she remains as committed as ever to a pioneering venture which offers self-esteem and a creative outlet to the actors. 'Trust your instinct,' is her advice to the members of this class, for whom their Monday drama sessions are an undoubted highlight of the week. Her eyes brim with good humour as they beam out from under her Smurf style hat and her words convey plenty of encouragement, mixed with practical stagecraft as the group sets about the world of mime. Her charges are natural characters, made for the stage, with wonderfully expressive faces which stand out from the crowd whenever they are given an opportunity to take the spotlight. Some are shyer than others to grasp their chance, while others are ready to pop up from the bench and into the action at the merest hint of an excuse. She gives them all positive reviews and is rewarded with smiles: 'The concentration was really lovely' or 'It feels like we've a group coming together - a performance' or 'It's coming from the inside'. But this is not a love-in, so there are also suggestions for improvements: 'Don't always turn away from us - you've got a lovely face' or 'Make that bigger with just your arms' and most important of all 'Don't look at me!' The trainees get it. The magic of theatre is universally understood. Born at Larne in Ulster, Gemma Gallagher is daughter of a father from Donegal while her mother hails from Clare - but her early years were spent in part in Nigeria and Iraq. Her professional grounding in drama began in England where she also lived for some time, leaving her with an accent which wavers from side to side across the Irish Sea. After leaving school, she enrolled with the college in Manchester which is best known as the alma mater of comedian Julie Walters but Gemma never intended following in the footsteps of the 'Educating Rita' star. The college course was certainly not obsessed with traditional theatre and film, giving students skills to bring drama into the community outside the theatre While still there, she took part in a radical version of Shakespeare's 'Titus and Andronicus' which was presented in sign language with many of those who appeared being deaf. 'I don't think I was ever destined for the West End,' she laughs, recalling that she came back to Ireland on graduation in 1993 to take up a job in RTE children's TV. The producers of 'Morbegs' kitted her out in a green and orange body suit and liked what she did so much that a visit to Dublin intended to be just a couple of days lasted for three years. Though she was a constant presence until 1996 in so many living rooms, none of the many thousands who saw her on 'Morbegs' would recognise her, as her face was hidden and she was never called upon to speak. The role was a reward for time at college spent studying what she calls 'physical theatre training', working without a script and without any great emphasis on speech. It is a rewarding 'non-verbal' approach to use with those for whom language does not always come easy. Shadowbox was the creation of Gemma and of her fellow 'Morbegs' cast member Freda Hand who was already active in Bray with a youth theatre group which had rehearsal/performance space at The Dargle. The work with people who had special needs emerged from a programme of drama workshops which catered for various strands of the population, including the elderly. 'As far as I know we were the first, and may still be the only, theatre company in the country to employ actors with learning disabilities,' she says. She recalls that Shadowbox used to rehearse in Katie Gallagher's (no relation) pub on the seafront in Bray where a piece called 'Boxed In' began to take shape. The first public performances took place in the pub's function room and this proved momentous as it prompted an invitation to bring the show to Denmark. The trip to the Daghojsskoken in Limfjordsskolen was not only a great boost to the group's confidence but also exposed the performers and producers to new methods which were being pioneered there. The high point of Shadowbox to date was probably a production called 'Boxed In' which tackled the subject of the identity of those with learning difficulties and the constraints which often govern their lives. However, no one attending a Shadowbox production need expect a set dialogue following a strict plot line. There is always room for improvisation. The group lost funding in the austerity which followed the economic collapse of 2008. The last public show was the fondly remembered 'Cloud House' in 2009. The group fell by the wayside altogether for a couple of years. Freda Hand moved into the youth service while Gemma Gallagher worked with people who have behaviour difficulties. But she always hankered to return to drama and Shadowbox is slowly rising from the ashes with the workshop in the Mermaid, a weekly session over nine weeks. The plan is that the trainees will move on to the big stage and open the theatre door to anyone who wishes to drop in on March 21 for the final session. Gemma is convinced that the work, which has opened the way to professional careers for several participants in the past, is worthwhile. She says of her charges: 'Though we have progressed a lot, their lives can be restricted.' Drama allows them take some responsibility in their lives in a way which is stimulating and joyful. Trainee Matthew Davies, one of the current Shadowbox crew, drew inspiration from seeing a previous production: 'I said I can to that too.' So he does - and he does it with obvious relish. Mandy Finlay from Shan kill is an old hand coming back for more: 'Gemma here is very strict. My family came to see 'Cloud House'. They came twice. They were clapping. I wish there were another play on.' Baku, Azerbaijan, March 19 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Turkish police searches for six members of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), who may be potential suicide bombers, Turkish Milliyet newspaper reported March 19 citing sources of the country's intelligence service. Ali Haidar Kalesh, Aysel Ozlu, Havva Chustan, Emrah Erdogan, Taner Yeshilbash and Mehmet Erbey are wanted, according to the newspaper. Turkish police have recently warned that PKK plans to commit a series of terror attacks in the country's large cities from March 20 to March 30. A car bomb exploded in Ankara on March 13, near a crowded bus stop. The explosion killed as many as 37 people, 125 more got injured. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baltinglass native Monica Gorman, has recently been welcomed to the national board of directors of the charitable arm of the credit union movement, the Irish League of Credit Unions International Development Foundation Ltd. (ILCU Foundation) The board of directors invited Dr. Monica Gorman (PhD, M.Agr.Sc), who is a lecturer in Agricultural Extension and Innovation in the School of Agriculture and Food Science in University College Dublin, to take up the position on a voluntary basis. 'I'm delighted to be afforded the opportunity to bring my experience to the board of the ILCU Foundation, as a member of Baltinglass Credit Union I'm well aware of the benefits of being part of the Irish credit union movement, I look forward to contributing the development of other credit union movements in low income countries,' said Dr. Gorman. She has vast development experience, working with a range of organisations where she held senior management roles in Ireland and Africa including Irish Aid, Concern Worldwide, Oxfam, Federation of African Professional Staffing Organisations and Gorta Self Help Africa. Dr. Gorman has also completed extensive consultancy work in the areas of rural development adult education, communications and organisational change management. ILCU Foundation Chairman, Pat Fay welcomed Dr Gorman to the board. Cecil and Hilary Bradshaw, Glenealy, Co. Wicklow are presented with their award for Spring Feed Barley by Business Manager Tom Hession and Glanbia vice-chairman Pat Murphy at the Glanbia Quality Grain Awards for 2015 at The Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny A County Wicklow farmer was among the winners at the recent Glanbia Grain Awards. Cecil Bradshaw from Glenealy was the winner of the Spring Feed Barley category at the awards which took place in Kilkenny. There were 11 categories in total and, in addition to winning the Malting Barley section, Dermot McAuliffe from Castlelyons in Co Cork was honoured with the overall Glanbia Quality Grain award for 2015. Glanbia chairman Henry Corbally congratulated all award winners on the high standards achieved. 'Quality, traceability and high standards are essential for the success of the Irish grain industry,' he said. Guest speaker at the event was Meath native Ciaran Calvey, who is a buyer for global food company Kellogg's. There were celebrations in the west of the county recently as The Annex Beauty Clinic in Blessington was awarded the status of Guinot Crown Salon 2016. This title celebrates the highest achieving Guinot salons and spas in the UK and Ireland. The Annex Beauty Clinic received this industry honour at the Guinot Conference and Awards Ceremony held at The Brewery in London in January. The evening gala was hosted by celebrity Joanna Lumley, who gave a speech and presented individual salon awards alongside MD Chris Gillam. 'We are over the moon and feeling very proud and want to take this opportunity to thank our clients for all your support. 'We couldn't have done it without you,' said Salon Manager, Louise Stynes. Thirty sheep on the west Wicklow and Kildare border were killed after a horrific dog attack on a farm in Rathvilly. The dogs chased the sheep into drains where many met their death. Pregnant ewes on the point of lambing at this time of year are particularly vulnerable to dog attacks. John Lynskey, IFA National Sheep Chairman, has warned dog owners to keep their pets under control and highlighted the fact that farmers have a right to protect their sheep flock and can shoot a dog worrying, or about to worry their flock. 'Unfortunately, I am taking calls on a frequent basis from sheep farmers around Wicklow who have suffered attacks. 'There are far too many dog owners not taking the responsibility that goes with owning a pet. 'Dog owners have an obligation to have their dog under control at all times.' This latest decimation of a sheep flock was raised on Monday during a presentation by the Wicklow Cheviot Sheep Owners to the elected members of Wicklow County Council. Eight hundred sheep in Wicklow are killed on an annual basis, at a cost of 2,000 per farm. Jim Fitzsimons, a Blessington based sheep farmer, warned the council that 'this is not just a farmer welfare issue. It is also an animal welfare issue. Anyone who has witnessed the aftermath of a dog attack on a flock or who has seen images can testify to just how horrific a sight it is.' An education programme on dog control and the potential a pet has to attack sheep will also be rolled out to Wicklow schools, starting in the west of the county. It has been a week of celebration at St Mary's College in recent days as the school's choirs have clocked up an impressive array of musical awards both at home and in Dublin. Students gathered in the school's college hall yesterday (Tuesday) for a group photo to mark their success at the Arklow Music Festival and the national Feis Ceoil. Last weekend at the Arklow Festival, John Bonner's Form 1 Choir were placed Joint First in the Post Primary Unison Choir Under 14 and Mairead McKenna's Senior Choir won the Senior Choral Competition. On Tuesday, the Senior Choir travelled to the Feis Ceoil in Dublin where they were they were delighted to win the Turner Huggard Memorial Cup and invited to stay on for Prize Winners Competition that night. This is a prestigious choral award that has been bestowed on the St Mary's College choir on more than one occasion in the past. Their wave of success continued when they were announced as winners of the 'Best Overall Post Primary Choir' for which they were awarded the Folens Publishers Award and a Bursary of 1000. Very well done and congratulations to all involved. Donald Trump is facing a new challenge as a group of senior Republican insiders called for a "unity ticket" to defeat him in the ugly race for the party's presidential nomination. A newly formed group, Conservatives Against Trump, is urging supporters of the two other remaining candidates, Texas senator Ted Cruz and Ohio governor John Kasich, to join forces. It also vowed to keep open "other avenues," indicating possible support for a third party run, a self-destructive move that would effectively hand the White House to the Democrats. The insiders, who hatched the plot over four heated hours in the stately surroundings of the Army and Navy Club in Washington, included congressmen, activists, and a former adviser to President George W Bush. They did not endorse either Mr Cruz of Mr Kasich. Instead, one of those present said: "The consensus was that we need a unity ticket. We'll let the candidates work out who the unity ticket is." There was support for a Cruz-Kasich, or Kasich-Cruz, ticket, but some worried that "egos" might make this hard to achieve. While the meeting was in progress Mr Cruz issued a statement, saying: "This is the moment for all those who believe in a strong America to come together and craft a new path forward." Mr Kasich did not issue a statement. In the race for the Republican nomination the popular vote in individual states is used to apportion delegates who attend the national convention in July. If no candidate reaches an outright majority of 1,237 delegates, a contested convention results. Rounds of ballots continue until there is a winner. There is a strong possibility that Mr Trump will lead the race but fall short of 1,237 delegates. The billionaire has claimed his supporters will "riot" if he is denied the nomination at a contested convention. But a spokesman for Conservatives Against Trump said: "It took Abraham Lincoln three ballots at the Republican convention in 1860 to become the party's nominee. If it was good enough for Lincoln it's good enough for all the candidates without threats of riots." Moments after the Washington meeting broke up, Marco Rubio, who still has a significant number of delegates despite dropping out of the race last week, said: "Hopefully there's time to still prevent a Trump nomination." Mr Rubio ruled himself out of any unity ticket, saying: "I'm not going to be anybody's vice-president." Sam Clovis, co-chairman of Mr Trump's campaign, said the plot was "laughable". He said: "We have people who are elitist, who think they're part of the ruling class, telling people who have voted for Donald Trump that they're stupid. If they go down this path there will be consequences." Donald Trump's rise is not the end of the Republican Party; it is a necessary change. Of course, this week's primary results - with yet more Trump victories - will only increase the panicked outcries of Republican elites, who warn that their party will never recover from a Trump nomination. But these desperate interventions are in fact the terrified screams of a power base that has become utterly remote from the people it is meant to represent. The 2016 presidential election is now a popular revolt by a segment of American society that has felt belittled, shunned and ignored for years. Mr Trump has tapped into what too many Republican elders failed to notice: that the people they are supposed to keep afloat now count themselves among the working poor. Since the 1970s, the American middle class has been in decline. Globalisation and stagnant wage growth have made the average American less wealthy, while those in control got richer. Then there was the Wall Street crash and subsequent recession. It ended in 2009, and the US economy has been growing since, but most people's incomes have not. The Republicans' white middle-class base has become significantly poorer, and its priorities have changed accordingly. But the party did not follow them. After Mitt Romney's loss in 2012, it concluded that it was Romney's (lunatic) claim that 11 million illegal immigrants should "self-deport" that had proved fatal. So it decided to soften its views on immigration, because in alienating Hispanics (America's fastest-growing demographic), Republicans were putting themselves on the wrong side of history. Yet the party's promise to decimate Medicaid and ObamaCare, America's fledgling efforts at socialised health care, was to be maintained. Look no further than this election to see how badly out of touch that conclusion was. For the average, poorer American, promising to destroy social security safety nets while welcoming immigration was utterly toxic. Because of that misguided 2012 post-mortem, Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, became the darling of the political elite, only to find he had little success actually winning votes. Instead, voters have backed a brash, irresponsible, New York liberal with an inch-deep understanding of, or belief in, Republican norms. In Mr Trump, however, traditional Republican voters see their chance to take power back. They don't care that the real estate mogul gracelessly flaunts his wealth or incites violence. They are on the hunt for a wrecking ball, and Mr Trump is certainly that. It has almost been fun to watch the desperation of the party hierarchy. Mr Romney and a band of other senior Republican figures have tied themselves in knots trying to bring about Mr Trump's demise. But after Trump's victories on Tuesday, they seem less like selfless attempts to save America, and more like the undemocratic plots of a dying breed. This election might signal an end for the Republican elite, but it doesn't do so for the party itself. Mr Trump has energised the base in a way those denouncing him have long failed to do. With policies that follow no particular track, he has attracted Democrats, independents, and legions of formerly disaffected conservatives. Significantly, a national poll this week gave Mr Trump a 53pc popularity rating, undermining opponents' claims that he has a low ceiling of support. And three-quarters of those surveyed said the Republican establishment should support him. The question now is how the party elders will react: reluctantly embrace him, or try to impose their own candidate at the Republic convention this summer? The former means rowing back on their efforts to paint Mr Trump as a bigot and a liar - a difficult and humiliating process. But the latter option is much worse. It will confirm the suspicions of ordinary voters that their voices will never be heard, while destroying the best chance the Republican Party has had of reaching the White House since 2008. ( The Daily Telegraph) Screen grab taken from the Instagram page of Pope Francis who has launched his new account with an image of himself praying Pope Francis has launched a new Instagram account with an image of himself praying. The pope accompanied the picture with a caption in nine languages asking Instagram users to pray for him. The Vatican's presence on social media also includes an official papal Twitter account and YouTube channels and Facebook pages for special events. Pope Francis took over the @Pontifex Twitter handle from his predecessor Benedict XVI, who became the first pope to send a tweet in December 2012. He took to the site on Saturday to announce the launch of the Instagram account, posting: " I am beginning a new journey, on Instagram, to walk with you along the path of mercy and the tenderness of God." Kevin Systrom, chief executive and co-founder of Instagram, met with the pope in February and presented him with a book containing 10 Instagram images from around the world, including pictures of migrants in the Middle East, the effects of climate change in the Arctic and the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. Posting about the meeting on Instagram, Mr Systrom said: "Today, I had the honour of meeting Pope Francis. We spoke about the power of images to unite people across different cultures and languages. It was by far one of the most memorable experiences of my life." Mr Systrom was also present at The Vatican on Saturday to watch the pope post his first photograph to the image sharing site. He said: "Images transcend language and bring us all closer together. Pope Francis joins a global Instagram community who share a common passion for creativity and expression - his messages of humility and compassion will leave a lasting mark." The pope will post on Instagram with the username @Franciscus. Baku, Azerbaijan, March 19 Trend:17:42 (GMT+4) Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has chaired a meeting in Istanbul's Dolmabahce palace to discuss the terrorist attack in Beyoglu district, Anadolu agency reported. The meeting was attended by deputies of the prime minister Yalcin Akdogan and Togrul Turkes, deputy chairman of the Justice and Development Party Omer Celik, deputy interior minister Sebahattin Ozturk, deputy health minister Eyup Gumus, Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin and head of Istanbul police Mustafa Caliskan. 16:15 (GMT+4) The terrorists targeted foreign tourists and the explosion occurred in the place where usually many foreign tourists, Kanal7 TV channel reported. Reportedly, Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) stands behind the terrorist attack, according to the preliminary data. Earlier on March 19, it was reported that six PKK members, who can be the would-be suicide bombers, are wanted by the Turkish police. The wanted PKK members are: Ali Haydar Kales, Aysel Ozlu, Havva Custan, Emrah Erdogan, Taner Yesilbas and Mehmet Erbey. 15:32 (GMT+4) Twelve foreigners were injured as a result of the terrorist attack in Istanbul, Turkey's Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said. The total number of injured as a result of the terrorist attack has reached 38, TRT Haber TV channel reported. 15:16 (GMT+4) Turkey's Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu didn't rule out that another terrorist attack can be committed during the day, TRT Haber TV channel reported. 14:51 (GMT+4) Terrorist attacks won't stop Turkey's fight against terrorism, TRT Haber TV channel reported citing the country's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Turkey will continue fighting terrorism, he added. 14:31 (GMT+4) The death toll as a result of the terrorist attack in Istanbul has reached five, Kanal7 TV channel reported. Reportedly, three of the injured are Israeli citizens. 14:26(GMT+4)Turkey's deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus has commented on the terrorist attack in Istanbul, noting that the terrorists won't achieve their goals. "The goal of the terrorists is to isolate Turkey from the whole world," he said. 14:22 (GMT+4) Turkey has banned the release of unofficial information about the explosion in Istanbul, HaberTurk TV channel reported. 14:11 (GMT+4) Turkey's authorities have officially confirmed that the explosion in Istanbul was a terrorist attack, TRT Haber TV channel reported. 14:03 (GMT+4) The bomb of the suicide bomber exploded before the planned time, CNN Turk reported. Currently, the four dead and over 20 injured are being identified. 13:56 (GMT+4) Currently, all roads have been closed on Istiglal avenue in Istanbul's center where the explosion occurred, CNN Turk reported. Police have arrived at the scene. The country's authorities haven't yet officially confirmed the terrorist attack. 13:39(GMT+4) A suicide bomber blew himself up in Istanbul, according to CNN Turk TV channel. 13:30 (GMT+4) An explosion has occurred in Turkey's Istanbul city, leaving two dead and seven more injured, Milliyet newspaper reported March 19. Chinese police are required to inform the family of a detained person after 24 hours, unless it is a matter of national security The lawyer for a missing Chinese journalist said his family has no way of finding him after police and airline officials rejected inquiries over his whereabouts. Jia Jia, who has been linked by media reports to an anonymous online petition calling for the resignation of Chinese president Xi Jinping, disappeared on Tuesday from Beijing airport on his way to Hong Kong. His lawyer, Yan Xin, said authorities at the airport, local police, immigration services and the airline have all denied any knowledge of the case. Mr Yan said his client had told friends he had nothing to do with the petition. Chinese police are required by law to notify the family of a detained person within 24 hours, unless the case endangers state security. The Smiler ride at Alton Towers Resort in Staffordshire, as the theme park has reopened the rollercoaster - nine months after an accident which left five people with serious or life-changing injuries Alton Towers theme park has reopened the Smiler rollercoaster today - nine months after an accident which left five people with serious or life-changing injuries. The Staffordshire theme park said it has sought to "learn every possible lesson" from last June's crash before deciding to restart the 18 million ride. Expand Close The Smiler ride at Alton Towers Resort in Staffordshire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Smiler ride at Alton Towers Resort in Staffordshire Two teenage passengers - Vicky Balch and Leah Washington - underwent leg amputations after their carriage collided with a stationary car on the Smiler ride on June 2. Three other people were also seriously injured in the crash, which park owner Merlin Entertainments said was due to human error. Expand Close Leah Washington, pictured before the accident / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Leah Washington, pictured before the accident Today, thrill-seekers coming off the ride expressed delight at the reopening - but also sympathy with the victims, some of whom were left with dreadful injuries. Zach Lowe, who calls himself The Smiler Man on social media, ran to be first on the ride, as he has done in each of the previous two years of operation. He said: "When it closed I was a bit disappointed." But the 20-year-old, from Leeds, added he had sympathy with the badly injured victims, three of whom have already expressed a wish the ride had never been switched back on. He said: "I fully respect them and have deep sympathy. It should never have happened. I understand where they are coming from." Among the victims was Ms Washington's boyfriend, Joe Pugh, who was left with life-changing injuries when both his kneecaps were shattered. Expand Close The Smiler ride at Alton Towers Resort in Staffordshire, as the theme park has reopened the rollercoaster - nine months after an accident which left five people with serious or life-changing injuries / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Smiler ride at Alton Towers Resort in Staffordshire, as the theme park has reopened the rollercoaster - nine months after an accident which left five people with serious or life-changing injuries Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain on the eve of the reopening, Mr Pugh, from Barnsley, said he would have preferred the ride to have remained shut. "I think it would have been a bit unrealistic if we had both said 'I don't think it's ever going to reopen again' because it always was going to, but if people choose to go on it that's up to them," Mr Pugh said. "Seeing it go round, it's not something that I want to see. I would have preferred for it to be closed." In a statement this week, Alton Towers said the safety of its guests and employees must always be paramount. A park spokesman said: "We have sought to learn every possible lesson to help ensure there is no repeat of what happened. "The park has implemented a number of changes to the way the ride is operated, including enhanced training and additional safety procedures. "All of the resort's rides and attractions are subject to a thorough annual safety inspection and testing regime through third party ride safety specialists. "The Smiler has been re-examined and issued with a Document of Compliance as part of this scheme before reopening." A criminal prosecution of Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd, which manages Alton Towers, was announced by the Health and Safety Executive in February. The case against the company, alleging breaches of health and safety law, is due to be heard at North Staffordshire Justice Centre next month. A man is helped by emergency services members following a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul March 19, 2016 A man is helped by emergency services members following a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul March 19, 2016 A woman sits inside an ambulance following a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul March 19, 2016 A woman reacts following a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul March 19, 2016 Police forensic experts inspect the area after a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul, Turkey REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir A number of Irish people have been injured in this morning's deadly bomb attack in Istanbul. Five people including a suicide bomber were killed and 36 wounded in a suspected attack by Kurdish militants on a major shopping and tourist district. In a statement today, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan TD confirmed that "number of Irish citizens are among the injured" at the bombing in central Istanbul. I have spoken to Ambassador Brendan Ward in Turkey and can confirm that we are aware of a number of Irish citizens among the injured. An embassy official is on the ground in Istanbul to provide consular assistance. We have updated our travel advice for #Turkey following today's bomb in central Istanbul @dfatravel https://t.co/z11g3pt4Bn IrishForeignMinistry (@dfatirl) March 19, 2016 Anyone with concerns for Irish citizens please ring 01 4082000 or Embassy Ankara on 0090 312 4591000. If you are in the area, please follow the instructions of the police and local authorities. It is understood that an Irish-Algerian family who were visiting Turkey were caught up in the attack this morning. Expand Close A man is helped by emergency services members following a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul March 19, 2016 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A man is helped by emergency services members following a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul March 19, 2016 The parents of the family suffered minor injuries but their three children were unhurt. After treatment in hospital, the family will be reportedly flying out of Istanbul tonight. Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Police officers check security surveillance cameras on Istikal street, following a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul REUTERS/Osman Orsal Istiklal street, a major shopping and tourist district, is sealed off by security forces after a suicide bombing in central Istanbul, Turkey REUTERS/Murad Sezer A woman sits inside an ambulance following a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul March 19, 2016 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police officers check security surveillance cameras on Istikal street, following a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul REUTERS/Osman Orsal Shocking CCTV footage has captured the moment the explosion went off at the shopping district. The Department of Foreign Affairs has updated its travel advice to Irish citizens going to Turkey. In a tweet today it said anyone travelling to the country should "exercise caution" as the "threat of terrorism" remains "high". Two American citizens were killed in the bombing, the White House said in a statement tonight. "We are in close touch with Turkish authorities and reaffirm our commitment to work together with Turkey to confront the evil of terrorism," White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. The fourth suicide bombing in Turkey this year hit part of Istiklal Street, a long pedestrian zone lined with global brand name shops and foreign consulates, just a few hundred metres from an area where police buses are usually parked. Preliminary findings indicate that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or an affiliate carried out the attack, a senior Turkish official told Reuters. Expand Expand Previous Next Close Istiklal street, a major shopping and tourist district, is sealed off by security forces after a suicide bombing in central Istanbul, Turkey REUTERS/Murad Sezer Istiklal street, a major shopping and tourist district, is sealed off by security forces after a suicide bombing in central Istanbul, Turkey REUTERS/Murad Sezer / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Istiklal street, a major shopping and tourist district, is sealed off by security forces after a suicide bombing in central Istanbul, Turkey REUTERS/Murad Sezer Read More "The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the targeted point because they were scared of the police," the official said, adding the bomber had planned to hit a more crowded spot. Armed police sealed off the shopping street where half a dozen ambulances had gathered. Forensic teams in white suits scoured the area for evidence. Police helicopters buzzed overhead and panicked shoppers fled the area, ducking down narrow sidestreets. "My local shopkeeper told me someone had blown himself up and I walked towards the end of the street," one neighbourhood resident told Reuters. "I saw a body on the street. No one was treating him but then I saw someone who appeared to be a regular citizen trying to do something to the body. That was enough for me and I turned and went back." Istiklal Street, usually thronged with shoppers on weekends, was quieter than normal before the blast as more people are staying home after a series of deadly bombings. Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu confirmed that 36 people had been wounded and seven of those were in serious condition. Twelve of the wounded were foreigners, he said. Israel's foreign ministry confirmed some of its citizens were among the wounded. "We as a nation are unfortunately now face to face with a situation of unlimited, immeasurable acts that are inhumane, defy human values and are treacherous," Muezzinoglu said. A suicide car bombing in the capital Ankara killed 37 people this month. A similar bombing in Ankara last month killed 29 people. A Kurdish militant group has claimed responsibility for both of those bombings. In January, a suicide bomber killed around 10 people, most of them German tourists, in Istanbul's historic heart, an attack the government blamed on Islamic State. NATO member Turkey faces multiple security threats. As part of a U.S.-led coalition, it is fighting Islamic State in neighbouring Syria and Iraq. It is also battling PKK militants in its southeast, where a 2-1/2-year ceasefire collapsed last July, triggering the worst violence since the 1990s. In its armed campaign in Turkey, the PKK has historically struck directly at the security forces and says that it does not target civilians. However, the recent bombings suggest it could be moving toward a tactical shift. A claim of direct responsibility for Saturday's attack could underscore that. The PKK is looking to carry out attacks aggressively during the coming Newroz spring holiday, the official said. Newroz, which falls on March 21, is Kurdish New Year. Special operations police secure an area during a police raid in the Molenbeek neighbourhood of Brussels, Belgium on Friday, March 18, 2016. Two French police officials have told The Associated Press that Salah Abdeslam, the main fugitive from Islamic extr Police at the scene of a security operation in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek in Brussels, Belgium, March 18, 2016. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir Police at the scene of a security operation in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek in Brussels, Belgium, March 18, 2016. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir Police at the scene of a security operation in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek in Brussels, Belgium, March 18, 2016. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir Police at the scene of a security operation in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek in Brussels, Belgium, March 18, 2016. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir Police at the scene of a security operation in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek in Brussels, Belgium, March 18, 2016. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir Police at the scene of a security operation in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek in Brussels, Belgium, March 18, 2016. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir Police officers guard an entrance of a school during a raid in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels, Belgium Police officers guard an entrance of a school during a raid in the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels, Belgium Police at the scene of a security operation in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek in Brussels, Belgium, March 18, 2016. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir The prime surviving suspect in November's Paris attacks has answered questions from Belgian investigators but will fight extradition to France, his lawyer said. Belgian prosecutors said Salah Abdeslam and a second man arrested with him on Friday had been charged with "participation in terrorist murder". "He is cooperating with Belgian justice," his lawyer Sven Mary told reporters outside the judicial police headquarters, adding that Abdeslam, bedridden after being shot in the leg during his capture, admitted being in Paris on Nov. 13. His elder brother was among the suicide bombers involved in gun and bomb attacks that night that killed 130 people. Mary added that the 26-year-old French national, who was born and raised in Brussels in a Moroccan immigrant family, would refuse the extradition demanded by French President Francois Hollande, who was in Brussels during Friday's drama. Legal experts said his challenge was unlikely to succeed, but it would buy him more time to prepare his eventual defence. Having spent his first night in captivity in a Brussels hospital, he is expected to be moved to a high-security jail in the western city of Bruges while legal proceedings continue. French and Belgian leaders have hailed his arrest, several days after Brussels police stumbled on his fingerprints during a raid that turned violent, as a turning point in clarifying who planned and ordered the Paris attacks, in which all the identified assailants were shot dead or blew themselves up. It may also be an opportunity to disrupt other militant cells which Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said were certainly "out there" and planning further violence. "We've won a battle against the forces of ignorance but the struggle isn't over," Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said. Read More Interpol issued an advisory to ensure border guards were ready to seize fleeing accomplices. A Belgian, 31-year-old Mohamed Abrini, is still on EU police agency Europol's "Most Wanted" list after being caught on CCTV with Abdeslam in a car heading to the French capital two days before the attacks. The arrest raises questions about the intelligence capabilities of the security services and the size of network Abdeslam could call on to conceal him for four months before he was found just a few hundred yards from his parents' home in the down-at-heel, North African quarter of the borough of Molenbeek. A man using false papers in the names of Amine Choukri and Monir Ahmed Alaaj was also charged with terrorist murder. As Choukri, he was documented by German police at Ulm in October when he was stopped in a car with Abdeslam. A man in the house was charged with belonging to a terrorist organisation and he and a woman were charged with concealing criminals. While it is unclear exactly where Abdeslam has been since he called two acquaintances in a panic in the hours after the attacks and asked them to drive to Paris and bring him home, it appears he was in the Belgian capital all or most of the time. Security agencies' difficulties in penetrating some Muslim communities, particularly in pursuit of Belgium's unusually high number of citizens fighting in Syria, has been a key factor in the inquiry, along with arms dealing in Brussels. Read More As Parisians, and families of the victims, voiced relief at the arrest, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said after an emergency cabinet meeting that a trial could answer questions for those who suffered in the attacks. "Abdeslam will have to answer to French justice for his acts," he said. "It is an important blow to the terrorist organisation Daesh (Islamic State) in Europe." A trickle of people came to a makeshift memorial in Paris that has engulfed the monument at Place de la Republique, near the scene of much of the bloodshed, to pay their respects. "It's really a relief," said Emilien Bouthillier, who works in the neighbourhood. "I can't wait for Belgium to transfer and return him to France so he can be tried the way he should be." Friday's heavily armed swoop came after fake passports and Abdeslam's fingerprints were found following a bloody raid on Tuesday in which Mohamed Belkaid, a 35-year-old Algerian was shot dead and police officers wounded. Near the scene of the arrest, newsagent Dominique noted that Abdeslam had been well known to him and many in the community. "He was a very nice lad before," he said. "How can things to this far? That's really something else." His elder brother Brahim, a Brussels barkeeper who shared a chequered history of drugs and petty crime, blew himself up outside a Parisian cafe on the night of the attacks. Hollande said the younger man's role in the killings was unclear, but investigators were sure he helped plan the operation for the Syria-based group. There has also been speculation, associated with the finding of an abandoned suicide vest in Paris and the apparent panic of Abdeslam in calling friends to pick him up, that the younger brother had been meant to kill himself. but changed his mind. A four-month inquiry that had seemed to go cold, heated up when French and Belgium officers went to an apartment in the southern Brussels suburb of Forest on Tuesday. Thinking they were simply looking for physical evidence, they were instead confronted by at least two people spraying automatic gunfire at them as they opened the door. Then on Friday, local media said, a tapped telephone confirmed that Abdeslam was in the house in rue des Quatre-Vents in Molenbeek. After French media broke word that Abdeslam's fingerprints had been found, police moved in and seized him. Austria's Green Party on Saturday called on an Austrian lawmaker to resign after he compared refugees to "Neanderthals who trample under foot the rights of women". In remarks in parliament this week which he reiterated later in a statement, Robert Lugar said most refugees and migrants arriving in Austria were "uneducated, religiously blinded, fanatical (and) impossible to integrate. Austria has mainly served as a conduit into Germany for refugees and migrants from the Middle East and Africa but has absorbed a similar number of asylum seekers relative to its much smaller population. It has angered other European Union states by setting a cap on the number of asylum seekers it accepts - a step Brussels said was unlawful. The coalition government has adopted tough rhetoric on migrants as the far-right Freedom Party attracts more than 30 percent approval ratings in voter surveys, about 10 percentage points ahead of each of the ruling centrist coalition parties. Lugar is chairman of the Team Stronach parliamentary group, founded in 2012 by Frank Stronach, an Austrian-Canadian businessman who has criticised the euro and has called for a simpler tax system and a shrunken public sector. "Now we bring such Neanderthals here who thank God had been extinct in our country," he said. In the last parliamentary elections in 2013, Team Stronach got around 5.7 percent of the votes, but it now barely registers in opinion polls. "Not only is your speech explicitly discriminatory, but it also endangers the safety of all who live and reside in this country," several opposition Green politicians said in an open letter. A special forces police officer and prison guards await a convoy thought to be carrying captured fugitive Salah Abdeslam at the federal prison in Bruges (AP) The top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks had planned to be a suicide bomber at France's main stadium but backed out at the last minute, according to prosecutors. Salah Abdeslam was arrested on Friday in a police raid in Brussels and questioned on Saturday by Belgian authorities. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said Abdeslam told Belgian investigators he abandoned his suicide vest on November 13 after he drove other attackers to Paris for the attacks. Mr Molins did not say whether Abdeslam explained his reasoning for abandoning the attack. In all, 130 people were killed at several venues around Paris. Belgian authorities have officially charged Abdeslam and another man who was using two aliases "with participation in terrorist murder" and in the activities of a terrorist organisation. The French Justice Ministry says a new European arrest warrant has been issued against Abdeslam to speed extradition. The ministry gave Belgian authorities a maximum deadline of two months (or three if he appeals) to move Abdeslam to French soil. A first arrest warrant was initially handed out to the French national following November's deadly attacks but this new warrant incorporates new charges that came from the four-month-old investigation into the attacks. Three other suspects were also picked up during Friday's police raid in Brussels that finally nabbed Abdeslam after his four-month fugitive run. The prosecutor's office also charged one of them with "participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation and the hiding of criminals". Two others who had been implicated in sheltering Abdeslam were released on Saturday by police, even though one of them was charged with hiding criminals. The Algerian gunman newly-linked to the November 13 attacks in Paris after being killed by police joined the Islamic State group in 2014 and told the extremists he wanted to die as a suicide bomber, bypassing the choice to be a fighter. Previously unknown to authorities, Mohamed Belkaid was shot to death in Belgium on Tuesday in a raid that led to the arrest of fugitive Salah Abdeslam, who is thought to have escaped the apartment while Belkaid fired the Kalashnikov assault rifle later found near his body. According to exclusive documents given to the Associated Press by the Syrian opposition news site Zaman al-Wasl, Belkaid told the extremists he had travelled throughout Europe - including to Spain, Germany and France - and listed his residence as Sweden. He provided a passport to the group and a phone number for a close relative, which on Friday rang as a non-functioning line. In the document, he said he had no experience as a jihadi and no-one to vouch for him as he crossed the border on April 19, 2014. Islamic State prizes the growth of its networks abroad and having a sponsor is seen as both a sign of credibility and a way to measure the extent of its reach. Belkaid listed his occupation as a sweetmaker. German intelligence authorities say they also have a copy of some of the same documents as the Syrian opposition site and they are believed to be authentic. Belkaid's "application" to the Islamic State group and his subsequent ties to the November 13 attackers, many of whom met and trained together in Syria, highlights the difficulty in uncovering the extent of the plot that led to 130 deaths in Paris. On Friday, Belgian prosecutors said Belkaid was "most probably" an accomplice of Abdeslam and had been using a fake Belgian ID card in the name of Samid Bouzid. A man using that ID was one of two men seen with Abdeslam in a rental car on the Hungarian-Austrian border in September. The same fake ID was used on November 17 to transfer 750 euro (584) to the cousin of Abdelhamid Abbaoud, the suspected ringleader of the attack. Both Hasna Ait Boulahcen and Abbaoud died in a police siege of the apartment paid for by that transfer, which was destroyed by a suicide attacker holed up with the two. Belkaid was killed on Tuesday by a police sniper in Brussels. A Kalashnikov assault rifle was found by his body, as well as a book on Salafism, an ultraconservative strain of Islam. Elsewhere in the apartment, police found an Islamic State banner as well as 11 Kalashnikov loaders and a large quantity of ammunition, the prosecutor said. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday that Turkey would not accept objections from any European country over the refugee deal enabling the opening of a new chapter in Turkey's accession process in exchange for it taking back refugees from Greece, Anadolu reported. Cavusoglu's remarks came during a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Istanbul. "Turkey will start to receive refugees [from Greece] two weeks from now. And in line with the deal, the EU will take the same number of refugees from Turkey the same day," he said. "But objections from any European country aren't Turkey's concern." Cavusoglu also slammed Saturday's suicide bomb attack on Istanbul's central Istiklal Street that left at least 5 dead, including the bomber, and 36 wounded. "Turkey needs an unflinching fight against terrorism," he said. "We expect the support of the world, especially Europe, in our fight." Twelve of the 36 injured in the blast were foreign nationals, according to Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu. Iran's Zarif also condemned the terror attack. "I offer my condolences to the Turkish people for those who died in the attack," he said. Zarif said Iran values the relationship between Turkey and his country. "Turkey has always supported Iran, especially during the days of sanctions. [...] We see Turkey as a partner in all areas. I hope the trade volume between the two countries reaches $30 billion," he said. Commenting on the situation of both Iraq and Syria, Zarif said, "Iran respects all countries' territorial integrity and stability." Vladimir Putin made it clear that Russia will maintain its air base and a naval facility in Syria Russian aircraft will continue to fly tens of missions a day against targets in Syria despite a withdrawal of forces announced by Vladimir Putin earlier this week, military officials said yesterday. Russian air strikes are supporting a regime offensive against Isil around the ancient city of Palmyra, generals said yesterday, in an apparent signal that the Kremlin will not relinquish direct military support for Bashar al-Assad despite pulling out the bulk of its forces from the country. "Conditions have been created for the encirclement and definitive defeat of Isil armed formations in Palmyra," said Lt Gen Sergei Rudskoi, the head of Russia's National Defence Control Centre. "Government troops and patriotic forces with the support of the Russian air force are carrying out a large-scale operation to liberate Palmyra. "On average, Russian planes are flying 20 to 25 combat sorties each day." Isil, which seized control of Palmyra in May last year, is not party to a ceasefire between regime forces and most rebel groups that came into force on February 27. Isil claimed to have killed five Russian soldiers, including a senior adviser, fighting alongside regime troops near the city. The terror group also claimed to have killed six members of the Syrian army as well as Hizbollah fighters. A website linked to Isil, Aamaq, published a video showing the bloodied corpse of a man in military gear that it claimed was a Russian military advisor. The footage also showed equipment apparently taken from the body, including a customised AK-74 rifle and a military first aid kit. Lt Gen Rudskoi did not address the terror group's claims. Maj Gen Igor Konashenkov, the chief spokesman for the ministry of defence, declined to comment when asked to respond to the claim. Although Russia has not formally acknowledged sending ground forces into combat in Syria, it is widely believed to have deployed armour, artillery and special forces alongside Syrian regime troops. Mr Putin appeared tacitly to acknowledge that when he publicly decorated Maj Gen Yuri Yarovitsky, the deputy commander of the First Tank Army of Russia's Western Military District, at a welcome home ceremony for veterans of the Syrian expedition in the Kremlin on Thursday. ( Daily Telegraph London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has said he will vote for Ted Cruz in the upcoming caucuses in his home state of Utah, intensifying his attack against frontrunner Donald Trump. "There is a contest between Trumpism and Republicanism," Mr Romney wrote on his official Facebook page. "Through the calculated statements of its leader, Trumpism has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence. I am repulsed by each and every one of these." Responding on Twitter, Mr Trump noted that Mr Romney had previously supported the candidacies of Ohio governor John Kasich and Florida senator Marco Rubio, adding: "Mitt Romney is a mixed up man who doesn't have a clue. No wonder he lost!" At a rally in Salt Lake City, Mr Trump jokingly questioned Mr Romney's faith. "Are you sure he's a Mormon? Are we sure?" he asked his crowd at the Infinity Event Centre. He also stressed his own connection to Mormons, saying he has employed many who follow the religion, including some who asked him to "make the payment directly to the church". "Do I love the Mormons?" he asked. "They're amazing people." As the rally was going on, hundreds of anti-Trump protesters gathered on the street outside, which was closed off by police in riot gear. Mr Romney delivered a scathing attack on Mr Trump in a speech at the University of Utah earlier this month, calling him "a phony" who is "playing the American public for suckers". A number of Republican officials have shown their support for Mr Cruz in recent days while falling short of endorsing the Texas senator, who is in second place in the race for the Republican nomination. Utah is one of four contests scheduled for Tuesday. Early polling shows Mr Cruz leading among the state's predominantly Mormon voters. Mr Trump currently leads his rivals overall, having won 678 delegates in contests so far. Mr Cruz is in second place with 423 delegates, and Mr Kasich is third with 143. Candidates need 1,237 to win. Security officials at the site of the explosion (AP) Two Americans were among those killed in a suicide attack in Istanbul, the White House said. Their identities were not released. Ned Price, a spokesman for the National Security Council, in a statement on Saturday condemned the "heinous attack" and said the US remains steadfast in support of Turkey, its Nato ally. He said the US remains in close touch with Turkish authorities. He offered thoughts and prayers to the families of those who were killed or wounded. Mr Price said these repeated acts of terrorism in Turkey must come to an end. Two Israelis and one Iranian citizen were also killed in Saturday's attack on Istanbul's main pedestrian shopping street. It was the sixth suicide bombing in Turkey in the past year. SHARE David Lee Cook By Mike Ellis of the Independent Mail WALHALLA A four-year-old attempted murder charge caught up with an Easley man this week, as soon as he was released from prison. David Lee Cook, a 37-year-old Easley man, was released from a state prison Wednesday straight into the Pickens County Jail. After one day there, he was taken to the Oconee County Detention Center. He is accused of trying to run over an Oconee County sheriff's deputy on Jan. 22, 2012, in a field near S.C. 59 and Rogers Road. The deputy approached Cook's truck, which went in reverse and hit a tree before going forward, nearly hitting the deputy, said Jimmy Watt, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. A deputy needed to jump out of the way and fired at least one shot at the vehicle, according to a warrant. The warrant identifies the deputy as P. Robertson. Cook then drove a short distance before running away on foot, eluding the deputies, Watt said. Besides the attempted murder charge, Cook is accused of other traffic offenses and was charged with failure to stop for police in the 2012 incident. He was arrested in Greenville County on Jan. 30, 2012, and served prison time for unrelated Greenville County and Pickens County charges, including burglary, methamphetamine and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. Cook is in custody at the Oconee County Detention Center on a $112,105 bond. But he will not be released even if he posts bond because the South Carolina Department of Corrections has put a hold on him, an order keeping him behind bars until he can see a judge. Follow Mike Ellis on Twitter @MikeEllis_AIM SHARE Students Rebecca Moore and Chase McKinney, both 17, sit in a math GED Camp class, reviewing work sheets, Thursday. Rebecca Moore of Anderson reviews math equations before taking her GED test Thursday. By Frances Parrish of the Independent Mail Rebecca Moore and Chase McKinney opened up their books, took out pencils and began reviewing math work sheets. Retired T.L. Hanna High School teacher Bob Palmer stood at the white board and worked through the problems with the students. The two students, both 17, expect to earn GED certification soon, passing all four GED subject tests in just eight weeks. The Anderson Adult Education Center, which serves Anderson school districts 3, 4 and 5, is piloting a new program allowing students to earn GED certification quickly. Modeled after a program in Beaufort, the camp includes one week of orientation and pretesting, one week of reasoning through language arts, one week of social studies, two weeks of science, and three weeks of math. Students attend the class Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. until noon each day. "Math is the toughest for students," said Anderson Adult Education Center director Jacky Stamps. Some students get bogged down when taking courses for the GED test or become discouraged, taking several months of even years to pass all four subject tests that make up the GED exam. "Students may be here 3, 4, 5 months or 3, 4, 5 years," Stamps said. "This allows them to get their GED quick and go on to the workforce." "When you get the momentum going, you want to keep it going," said GED program volunteer teacher Beverly Cottingham. The idea of a statewide program for the GED camps started in the state Legislature. A bill passed the S.C. House of Representatives but did not make it through the state Senate in 2015. Adult education program directors in South Carolina received an email in August from David Stout, director of the South Carolina Department of Education Office of Adult Education and state GED administrator, asking for volunteers to pilot the program anyway. Stamps replied to the email, "If you need Anderson 3, 4, 5, we are on board." Sixteen adult education programs agreed to pilot GED camps this spring as well as fall 2016 and spring 2017. The results of the initiative will be compiled and shared in summer 2017, said state Education Department spokesman Dino Teppara. As of Thursday, three of the 16 programs have been able to start camps. The others are still recruiting volunteer tutors and students, specifically students identified as ones who could be ready to take the GED exam in a short amount of time. "Many students only need a quick refresher of their math, reading, science and social studies skills and they would be able to pass this test," Teppara said. Because of the program's nature, the classes are fast-paced, with no extra time for fluff or going back to repeat content. "They're on a fast tack, and I have to stick to that," Cottingham said. Having a high school diploma or GED is critical to enroll in higher education or the workforce, Stamps said. There are only a few places in Anderson that will hire anyone without a high school diploma or GED certification. For Rebecca Moore, 17, the program means graduating early for a senior in high school. Circumstances caused her to fall behind in classes at T.L. Hanna. She went to the Anderson Five Charter School, taking classes online, but she wasn't able to complete all six classes she needed to graduate in the time she had. So she went to the Adult Education Center to try to finish school, and with a high pretest score, she was recommended for the new program. "It's hard sometimes," Moore said. "You cover everything in that one week, but there's more time study, and find your weaknesses so you can work on them and pass the test." She recently was accepted into the Tri-County Technical College veterinary technology program. Stamps's goal for his program is to see the five students be successful and earn GED certification at the end of the program. But if students don't complete the program, they would need to come back to take regular GED classes. "We're not in the market to find them a job, but give them the tools they need to find a job," Stamps said. Follow Frances Parrish on Twitter @frances_AIM SHARE By Mike Ellis of the Independent Mail Two Anderson County Fire Department Junior Firefighter Program members have been dismissed after allegations emerged that they set multiple arson fires. Dylan Cole Matthews, 17, was charged this week with four counts of third-degree arson and one count of willfully burning lands of another. A 16-year-old whose name has not been released because of his age was charged on Thursday with two counts of third-degree arson and one count of willfully burning lands of another. The teens both confessed in writing to setting the fires in Anderson, according to warrants. The first fire was set on Jan. 6 in the 100 block of Miller Circle, according to warrants. Both teens also are accused of setting ablaze property in the 1800 black of Denver Road on Feb. 15 and land near Burns Bridge Road on March 10. Only Matthews is accused of setting fire to a home in the 600 block of Grate Road on Feb. 27 and another fire Monday on Deloach Drive. The fire on Deloach Drive threatened a mobile home and firefighters who responded had to use a chain saw to cut an opening in the garage to put down the fire, according to a report from the Anderson County Fire Department. The home suffered "extreme damage," according to the report. A person convicted of third-degree arson in South Carolina can be sentenced to up to 15 years behind bars, and the burning land charge can carry a sentence of up to five years. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division filed the charges at the request of the Anderson County Fire Department, because the teens had small roles in the fire department. Both teens were dismissed from the fire department Thursday. County fire officials said they will not comment further until the investigation ends. Follow Mike Ellis on Twitter @MikeEllis_AIM SHARE Alex Spainhour directs members of the GAMAC orchestra as they perform "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony before the Anderson Block Party in Carolina Wren Park in September 2015. The performance, in flash mob style, was to raise awareness of the orchestra's 25th season. Alex Spainhour directs members of the GAMAC orchestra as they perform "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony before the Anderson Block Party in Carolina Wren Park in September 2015. The performance, in flash mob style, was to raise awareness of the orchestra's 25th season. Alex Spainhour plays violin near his dog at his home in Anderson. Spainhour has been Musical Director for The Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium (GAMAC) for several years. By Charmaine Smith-Miles of the Independent Mail Alex Spainhour stumbled into a teaching career, but those who learned from him say he found his calling when he started a string instrument program in Anderson School District 5 in 1970. Now, after four decades of teaching music and directing the Anderson Symphony Orchestra, and 25 years of leading the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium, he is retiring. "It is just time," Spainhour said. "I am 69 years old. I have been directing GAMAC for 25 years. It is time to get some new blood in there. And I want to play as much as I can while I still can." Spainhour helped inspire a generation of children to become music teachers themselves, and many of those former students are still playing in orchestras today because he passed on a lifelong love of music. He reached students like Maren Dameron Reaves and Celeste Rodgers Griffith. Both women learned to play music from Spainhour and are still part of orchestras that Spainhour conducts in Anderson. They also teach music in local schools. Reaves teaches music at the Montessori School of Anderson. Griffith is the music teacher at McCants and Glenview middle schools, and at Northpointe and Midway elementary schools. "As a student, I loved being in his orchestra," Reaves said. "He always had a sense of humor. He made it fun and he made it challenging. We always wanted to do our best for him. "He was really pivotal in my life. My senior year at T.L. Hanna High School, I became a member of the Anderson Symphony Orchestra and started teaching others the violin at his encouragement. It is still my favorite thing to do ... play in his orchestra." Griffith said Spainhour taught her music from the seventh through 12th grades. She graduated from T.L. Hanna High in 1987, went on to college and then began a career in music education. Since 1995, she has played in the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium's Chamber Orchestra. Spainhour also taught Griffith's son, Preston, and now he is majoring in music at Florida State University. And like Reaves, Griffith remembers going to Europe while in high school on a concert tour, and playing in a symphony for the first time as a high school student all due to Spainhour's direction. "He was probably the most influential music teacher I had," Griffith said. "He instilled a love of it in all of us. He was like 'Mr. Holland's Opus' for us. We played really hard music with him. He inspired a lot of people to really love classical music." And the funny thing to Spainhour is that he never planned on becoming a teacher. Spainhour was born in Richmond, Virginia, and grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. When he was 5, he began studying piano with his mother. As a fifth-grader, he started learning to play the violin in the school's orchestra program. In his early 20s, he was selling sheet music at a store in Charlotte and was playing in the symphony. One day, a player in the symphony a woman who was a teacher at Winthrop University asked him if he wanted to teach others how to play string instruments. She told him about an opening for a position in Anderson School District 5. "Until she asked me that, teaching had never crossed my mind," Spainhour said. "I wasn't making that much money at the time, so I said I would check it out. I am one of the few people who will tell you that they got into teaching music for the money." The school superintendent at the time, William Royster, made a commitment to build an arts program in the district. He hired Spainhour and fellow musician Michael Donovan to start a string instrument program across the district. Spainhour had never been to Anderson before he came for that job interview. But he said he "stepped in and felt right at home." He worked in Anderson School District 5 until 1984. He has worked with the Anderson Symphony Orchestra, conducting there since 1974, and played violin with the Anderson Strings Quartet since 1972. For 25 years he has led the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium's Chamber Orchestra. He has been part of symphony orchestras in South Carolina and North Carolina. And he is co-owner of Bernhardt House of Violins in Greenville. He continued to teach students privately until about three years ago. "I have been working with kids all my life," Spainhour said. Spainhour said he may be conducting his last concert April 29, but he is not leaving the music scene. He plans to continue operating the store in Greenville, and he has plans to play more with the Anderson String Quartet and with GAMAC's Chamber Orchestra. "I am not leaving," Spainhour said. "I am just shifting the different legs of my career so I can play more." A man delivers lunch to workers at a construction site in Beijing, China, on Oct. 11, 2007. (Photo : Getty Images) Chinas growing food delivery market has hit a snag after the countrys state broadcaster aired a scathing report against the industrys biggest player. Ele.me, the Shanghai-based online food delivery service backed by Alibaba, Tencent and JD.com, was singled out in CCTV's annual "3.15" investigative TV program on Tuesday for allowing unqualified workers to deliver potentially unsanitary food to its customers. Advertisement "You think you ordered food as pretty as in the pictures, but they were in reality made in unlicensed and filthy shacks that will cause you to vomit," the program said. The expose was soon followed by an announcement from the food and drug regulators in Shanghai and Chengdu on Wednesday to conduct investigations on Ele.me. Ele.me, which delivers to more than 300 cities across China, quickly issued an apology to the public and vowed to take the necessary measures to avoid such incidents in the future. "It is with a heavy heart that I find that the company we are so proud of has triggered such food safety concerns," Ele.me CEO Zhang Xuhao said in a statement on Wednesday. Zhang said the company will implement tougher food safety checks, remove the offending restaurants from its platform, and launch an internal investigation to rectify the situation. "Ele.me is always dedicated to promoting digitization in China's catering industry. Online food delivery service is a new industry," Guo Guangdong, vice president of Ele.me, said in a separate statement. "We sincerely accept supervision from the media and the public, and apologize to consumers for what is reported by CCTV. We will have a stricter rule to provide consumers a safe and ensured experience," Guo added. China is no stranger to food safety controversies, although industry observers see the latest scandal as a wake-up call for the players in the highly competitive Chinese online food delivery sector to rethink how they operate. "The market as whole is still experiencing rapid development due to strong demand from China's estimated 200-300 million white-collar workers," said Lu Zhenwang, chief executive of the Shanghai-based Wanqing Consultancy. "So Ele.me's loss is going to be its competitors' gain." According to data from Analysys International, China's online food ordering and delivery transactions reached 45.78 billion yuan ($7.03 billion) in 2015, three times than the year before. Ele.me takes the lion's share with 33.7 percent of the market, followed by Meituan Takeout with a 33.1 percent, and Baidu Takeout with 19 percent. "These three online food ordering and delivery apps are backed by China's largest Internet players: Alibaba, Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Baidu Inc. I'd say this cash-burning competition to win customers will last another two years," Lu said. Zhang Jing, an analyst with China E-Commerce Research Center, said the business of processing online food orders and delivering them offline is a tricky model to get right. "To ensure food safety requires cooperation between government authorities and the online ordering platforms," she said. In a survey released by Internet think thank and Tencent affiliate Penguin Intelligence, approximately 80 percent of respondents claimed to have experienced false advertising when ordering food online, with most complaints centered on how the eventual food looked nothing like what was shown online. SHARE By Ray Chandler The city has reached an agreement with the owner and tenant of the now-closed Beacon Mill to clean up the property that city officials have long labeled a nuisance and a blight because of demolition debris. City officials said Tuesday that the current owner, Pacific International Overseas, and the tenant, Coker Textiles LLC, had agreed to post a cash bond equal to 150 percent of the estimated costs to ensure the cleanup is done. While there has been effort in the South Carolina Legislature to improve local governments ability to address this type of nuisance with the Dilapidated Buildings Act, the act has not yet passed, and it remains difficult to compel the cleanup of sites like this without the burden of the expense falling on the taxpayer, City Administrator Jeff Lord said in a written statement. With the performance bond, the owner has given the city the ability to finish the job if they do not, and it wont fall to the citys taxpayers to pay for it. The amount of the bond was not disclosed. Thrift Forestry and Construction, of Westminster, will do the cleanup. Im sure everyone would agree that we are happy to see something good happening out there, Mayor Rick McCormick said. It has been an important goal of City Council to address this nuisance, and this is a step in the right direction. Production in the mill ended in 2009, and part of the complex was partially demolished for material reclamation, resulting in the debris-strewn site that the city labeled a blight. Some city officials see the possibility of the site once again being productive. Except for the first building, the city will not issue certificates of occupancy until a satisfactory final inspection of the demolition site and repairs of the remaining buildings are complete, according to Lords statement. At the height of its operations as Beacon Blankets, a division of Pillowtex Corp., the 600,000-square-foot mill employed more than 600 people and was a mainstay of the citys economy. Beacon Blankets filed for bankruptcy in 2002 and closed shortly thereafter. A group of local investors, including some Beacon employees, tried unsuccessfully to revive the company. close New Choose your channels You can update your channel preference from the Settings menu in the header menu. Got it > While transactions between Vijay Mallya and banks, which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) started investigating in July last year, may be grabbing the headlines, the CBI is probed cases of alleged fraud worth Rs 14,000 crore and has registered nearly 10 different first information report (FIR) folowing complaints from public sector banks. (ET) Axis Bank, India's third largest private sector lender, has provided seed funding of Rs 10 lakh to the students of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, the winners of the inter-campus online gamified competition 'Axis Moves' it has launched in leading B-schools in a bid to bolsterentrepreneurship across the country. The winning ideas will be executed by the Axis Bank Foundation and a partner non-governmental organisation. (ET) The country's largest lender, SBI, said it has raised Rs 3,000 crore on a private placement basis. The bank has issued 30,000 Basel-III compliant, tier-ll bonds in the nature of debentures, it said in a BSE filing. (ET) Muthoot Pappachen Group firm Muthoot Microfin said it is looking to divest up to 15 per cent stake to an overseas private equity firm for around Rs 150 crore by the first quarter of the next fiscal. (ET) Insurance market operator Lloyd's of London Ltd has appointed Shankar Garigiparthy as country manager for India. (ET) While the stock market has not been kind to any financial institution posting steep escalation in their gross non-performing asset (NPA) levels in the December quarter (Q3), the Shriram Transport Finance (STFL) stock is an exception, with five per cent year-to-date gains. This is better than most peers, as well as the Sensexs 5.7 per cent fall in this period. (BS) ICICI Home Finance Company Friday said it will raise up to Rs 955 crore in tranches by issuing debentures on private placement basis. A meeting of the Committee of Directors of ICICI Home Finance will be held on March 23 to consider the allotment of debentures, it said in a BSE filing. (BS) Amazon India, Indias largest online store has been voted by customers as the countrys Most Trusted Online Shopping Brand for the second consecutive year as per TRAs Brand Trust Report**. (IndiaInfoline)ShopClues, Indias first and largest managed marketplace, announces the exclusive launch of the power-packed Cogent by Reach Mobile. (IndiaInfoline)Huawei, global leading company in ICT and telecommunication solutions, announces Lionel Messis appointment as the latest Global Brand Ambassador to the company. The partnership with Lionel Messi showcases the brands alignment with people and brands that demonstrate, and strive towards its shared value of connecting greatness. (IndiaInfoline)Refuting media reports that Flipkart CEO Binny Bansal's email account has been hacked, the etailer on Friday said it was spoofed but not hacked. (IANS)TravelKhana, which has integrated its services with the IRCTC website, is making it possible for travelers to get access to lip-smacking delicacies prepared by the various restaurants erified by TravelKhana.com personnel. (TNN)Ahead of Infibeam Incorporation's IPO early next week, two bankers -- ICICI Securities and Kotak Mahindra Capital -- have exited from the public issue of the online shopping portal. (PTI) State owned Oil and Gas exploration company, ONGC has signed a preliminary agreement with Rosneft, as per report. Russian oil giant Rosneft is exploring the India Oil Market. India is the second largest importer of Oil. With this agreement, Rosneft will ship crude oil and feedstock on a long term basis to ONGCs refinery. Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemical Ltd, a unit of ONGC located in Mangalore has a capacity to process 15 million metric tonnes per annum.Rosneft has also clinged a deal with Essar Oil to supply 10 million tonne per annum (mtpa) of crude oil and feedstock. The supply is expected to start from the second half of this year. Essar Oils refinery in Gujarat is the second largest refinery in India with a a capacity of 20 mtpa.With Rosneft on a signing spree in India, Russia would end up as the largest exporter of crude oil replacing the West Asian nation. Why is it that subsidies going to the well-off are portrayed in a positive manner? Let me give you an example. The total revenue loss from incentives to corporate tax payers was over Rs 62,000 croreI must confess I am surprised by the way words are used by experts on this matter. When a benefit is given to farmers or to the poor, experts and government officers normally call it a subsidy. However, I find that if a benefit is given to industry or commerce, it is usually an incentive or a subvention. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, February 15, 2016, Delhi . national tax data Effective tax rates for corporate sector, by profit Effective tax rates by industry budget speech For those who are completely illiterate about horses, they, like dogs, are born as different breeds. Not all of them look like the macho stallions we see in the movies. Wikipedia lists over 320 different kinds of horses, each very distinctive in its own way, and each used for very specific purposes by man. The Marwari or Malani is a rare breed hailing from the Marwar or Jodhpur region of the country. Distinctively known for their ambling gait, ear tips turning inwards and the amazing ability to withstand desert heat, the Marwari horses were war horses, historically known for their valour, loyalty and bravery in battles. pinterest.com But why were they famous? The Rajputs were the reason behind Marwari's fame. They would very cleverly get fake elephant trunks put on Marwari war horses. Appearing as baby elephants, the elephants carrying the enemies would instinctively not attack them, giving the Rajputs an advantage of attacking first. 2.bp.blogspot.com The horses would then rise on their hind legs, placing their front legs on the elephant's head. This would give the rider a chance to attack the mahout with a spear or a sword. A fight tactic that would end up paying high dividends. pinterest.com The Battle of Haldighati It was the Battle of Haldighati in 1576 when the iconic horse Chetak saved the life of his master, Maharana Pratap, the last of the Rajputs, battling the Mughals, who were led by Man Singh, another Rajput chieftain. The painting shows Chetak wearing the false elephant trunk with his hooves on the head of the main enemy elephant, allowing Maharana Pratap to throw a lance at Akbar's general. The general was quick with his reflexes, so he ducked. The mahout wasn't, and the lance killed him instantly. Panicking in the situation, the elephant swung about, chopping off one of Chetak's legs with the sword that was attached to his trunk. Even with a leg chopped off, Chetak managed to carry Maharana Pratap safely to his brother, Shakti Singh's horse, on which he escaped. Even though the Rajputs were defeated, the battle is held in high regard, thanks to the incredible showcase of bravery and loyalty shown by the Marwari war horses. The Marwari breed was so integral in a Rajput's life that people would often say that a Rajput could never be separated from his horse, come what may. CNN But their reign didn't last long The reign of the Marwari breed didn't last too long. As the British colonised the country, they brought their own horses with them. Disliked by the English, the Marwaris eventually lost out to imported Australian breeds. It only got worse for the horses when the British eventually left in 1947. People couldn't afford to keep them anymore. Many were castrated, abandoned, and some were even shot dead. Although things have gotten better over the years for the Marwari breed thanks to the rise of tourism, it's nowhere close to the life they once enjoyed. Alas, that life of glory has become another tourist attraction in a trekking safari. Cover image by Julia Horton/ CNN Go indiatoday While we all know Deepika Padukone is currently shooting for her Hollywood debut xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, alongside Vin Diesel, the actress is actually back in India for a short while. She landed back in the country just yesterday and is soon expected to fly out to Sri Lanka for a friend's wedding. But what's catching everyone's attention is the fact that she actually spent time with her ex Ranbir Kapoor at his apartment last evening. Now this shouldn't be such a big deal because these two have always maintained that they are good friends. But considering the fact that Ranbir has just broken up with Katrina Kaif, and Ranveer Singh is currently in Dubai, the equations seem to have changed a little bit. According to reports, they spent some quality time at his apartment's terrace and were seen having a long chat. But #DeepVeer fans shouldn't fret much, we're sure they were just catching up with each other. We generally don't pay much heed to it, but using plastic utensils and cutlery for food is one of the most harmful habits we have. The chemicals found in plastic are incredibly harmful to humans. If you go by breastcancer.org, most of plastic utensils and cutlery we use contain polystyrene (#6 plastic) which discharges a chemical known as styrene. Exposure to the chemical could lead to eye irritation, headaches, fatigue, and even depression. Even though it's not conclusive, some studies have even suggested that styrene could increase the risk of leukemia and lymphoma. And while #6 plastic is recyclable, many organisations choose not to do so in order to save cost. thebetterindia.com Narayana Peesapaty from Hyderabad realised the danger plastic poses and came up with a plan that's nothing short of sheer genius. Since 2010, Narayana has been working on Bakey's - a company that's looking to replace plastic cutlery with an edible alternative! thebetterindia.com Bakey's uses a mix of jowar, rice and wheat flour to manufacture edible cutlery that includes spoons in different shapes, and even chopsticks. In case you're wondering how that works with hot food - worry not, it does not get soggy. Not even in water. Even if the thought of consuming your cutlery after consuming your food sounds a little weird to you, you could throw them away knowing that it will decompose within 5-6 days. If not, it can become a source of food for pets, insects or rodents. For those wondering what it tastes like, the cutlery is available in three flavours - plain, sweet and spicy. Twitter/ Dr. Y. Malini Reddy Thanks to the attention the product has been getting worldwide, Narayana has been able to talk about the major ill effects of plastic with a large audience. Orders for this amazing new concept have been coming in from all across the globe, including the US and UK. ndtv Based in Hyderabad, the manufacturing unit of Bakey's is an all-women enterprise, soon to be taken over by Narayana's wife. Till now, over 1.5 million people have started using Bakey's edible cutlery instead of plastic. You should too. You can check out Bakey's website and order yourself some cutlery right here. H/t- thebetterindia.com Temsutula Imsong and Darshika Shah came to Varanasi to start their NGO Sakaar Sewa Samiti, when a fateful boat ride made them witness the filth that covered Prabhu Ghat, one the city's most famous sights. thebetterindia.com The piles of waste and excrement saddened them in that the PM's own constituency was such a colossal mess. A month later, they returned with cleaning equipment and a group of volunteers to begin their clean up project on Prabhu Ghat. After three days of cleaning, the ghat was spic and span with over 300 kg of waste being disposed off. A month later, the ladies were commended by none other than Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. mid-day.com Twitter Today, they are working on Mission Parijat which includes the clean up of Babua Ghat along with two reservoirs Sonebhadra Kund and Gauri Kund. Imsong and Shah are assisted by mostly college students who are passionate about the environment and do not want to see their city decline into a waste hole. dnaindia.com The current hindrance in their work seems to be the lack of resources for waste disposal with an absence of dustbins and absolute disinterest shown by the Municipal Corporation of Varanasi. Although Imsong receives offers of financial assistance, she told LiveMint she prefers donations of quality cleaning equipment that can help her and her volunteers do a thorough job Twitter/Temsutula Imsong Members of the Sakaar Sewa Samiti meet every evening or morning on one of the ghats to discuss and debate issues on cleanliness and sanitation. Imsong has met the prime minister twice and is a staunch supporter of the Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan. Shenzhen Trump Toilet Lid (Photo : sztrump.en.ec21.com) Not knowing the name of American politicians among ordinary Chinese is not surprising because of the countrys internet censor. More so if the politician was a businessman before, that would give him lesser exposure in China. It really is not a big issue if Zhong Jianwei, general manager of a manufacturing company based in Guangdong Province, came to know of the name of billionaire Donald Trump only when he announced in 2015 his intention to run for U.S. president as candidate of the Republican Party. The only problem is the company he manages makes toilets, and its business name is Shenzhen Trump International. Advertisement Zhong explained to Global Times that the business name has been trademarked with the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce for more than 10 years. Aside from that legal protection, It is a common foreign name. Donald Trump is only one of many Trumps throughout the world. We did not use his portrait or reputation [to gain profit], he reasoned out. The general manager is confident the company could defend itself in court if Trump files a lawsuit against the company. Zhong stressed the name is just a coincidence, and they would never had predicted that Trump has the ambition of replacing Barack Obama in the White House. The company was established in 2002 and filed two years later for an English trademark. The original trademark was TRMP, but the company added the letter U which is the symbol of a toilet lid. It uses continuous rewinding toilet sanitary cover devices to solve sanitation problems linked with public toilets, according to the Shenzhen Trumps website. CBS News, meanwhile, reported that while Trump and Hillary Clinton, Trumps likely rival in the election, are the frontrunners for the GOP and Democratic Parties, they are also the least-liked among the party nominees. A focus group from the two political parties in Florida said they are fed up with the two. When the shoreline receded during the 2004 tsunami, tourists in Mamallapuram swore they saw a long row of granite boulders emerge from the sea, before it was swallowed again as the water hurtled forward. More than a decade later, a team of scientists and divers have uncovered what eyewitnesses saw on that fateful day - vestiges of an ancient port. unacknowledged/ Representational Image In a discovery that could lead to more underwater explorations off the historic town of Mamallapuram, a group from National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) has found the remains of a port or ruins of one of the six shore temples which, according to legend, went underwater. The 10-member team, comprising divers, geologists and archaeologists, found a 10m-long wall, a short flight of stairs, and chiselled stone blocks scattered on the seabed. They were found 800m from the shoreline at a depth of nearly 27ft. Rajiv Nigam, head of the marine archaeology unit of NIO, said the divers found it difficult to identify many of the structures as they were covered with thick aquatic growth. "Some of them are badly damaged due to strong underwater currents and swells. However, we could make out that they were part of a building complex," said Nigam, who led the exploration from March 10-18. the-south-asian/ Representational Image Archaeologists on board the vessel that bobbed around a 12-sqkm area, where the remains were found, believe the structures could be around 1,100 to 1,500 years old. "We also found some brick structures, which were sighted more during the Sangam period (300 BC200 AD)," said Nigam, who also pitched in with research after a team in 2001 stumbled upon a 9,000-year-old underwater town in the Gulf of Cambay near Gujarat. Nigam, a geologist, embarked on the project in Mamallapuram after studying the history of sea-level pattern. "From the Gujarat experience, we know the sea level around 3,500 years ago was lower than what we see now. But 6,000 years ago it was higher. We wanted to see if the pattern is the same at other coasts," he said. ancient-origins / Representational Image T Sathyamurthy, former superintending archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India, Chennai Circle, said such explorations are gradually proving myths as fact. In April 2005, ASI and the Navy began searching the waters off the coast of Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) by boat, using sonar technology. "We discovered that the row of large stones people had seen immediately before the tsunami were part of a 6ft-high, 70m-long wall. We also found remains of two other submerged temples and one cave temple within 500m of the shore," he said. However, the team wasn't equipped to take underwater images. Historians say many of these structures, including the port, could have gone under water because of a tsunami-like event that took place in 952 AD. ancient-origins / Representational Image Geophysical survey data from past explorations also confirm the submergence of a large area comprising a building complex, which, they say could be possible remains of a submerged township. A global sea level rise of even 1-2mm per year would inundate up to several hundred metres of coast line over a period of 2,000 years. Other reasons for submergence of these structures could be soil erosion and tectonic movement. In what can only be described as a shocking case of brutality, two Muslim cattle traders were beaten up and hanged to death from a tree by suspected cattle-protection vigilantes in Balumath forests in Latehar district, 100km from the state capital, early on Friday. Muslim Mirror The duo identified as Muhammad Majloom, 35, and Azad Khan alias Ibrahim, 15, were cattle traders and they were on their way to a Friday market with eight buffaloes. Their bodies were strung up with their hands tied behind their backs and their mouths stuffed with cloth. Even though the buffaloes were reportedly set free by the men, they are still untraceable. trekearth/ Representational Image "The manner of their hanging showed that the assailants were led by extreme hatred," said Latehar SP Anoop Birthary. Latehar MLA Prakash Ram claimed that Hindu radicals were behind the killings. Locals said assailants have targeted them in the past too, because they are engaged in cattle trade. "Four months ago, a group of men tried to kill a cattle trader in Gomia village of Balumath. The man managed to escape,"MLA Prakash Ram said. While slaughter of cow and oxen are banned in the state it doesn't apply to buffaloes. The shocking crime has drawn sharp reactions from across the spectrum. Many are calling it another Dadri, due to the similarities between the two cases. Another Dadri in Jharkhand? Two Muslims tortured and murdered by some Hindutva outfit in the name of 'cow... https://t.co/QSbOIfG3dS Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) March 19, 2016 Utter shame the stories of cow squad hanging 2 Muslims to death in jharkhand Kannan (@kanhaiyyah) March 19, 2016 2 persons were beaten & hanged in Jharkhand. Strict & swift action should be taken on this. Shahnawaz Hussain (@ShahnawazBJP) March 19, 2016 @PMOIndia #Dadri all over again? Two #Muslim cattle traders, including a minor, reportedly thrashed and hanged to death in #Jharkhand. Kiakhan (@imtiyazkhan77) March 19, 2016 Russian authorities have confirmed that all the passengers and crew members on board the FlyDubai flight, which crashed while landing in Russia, were killed. There were 55 passengers and six crew on board the plane. Russia's emergencies ministry said the aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 operated by Dubai-based budget carrier FlyDubai, crashed at 03:50 (0030 GMT) at the airport in Rostov-on-Don. news "Unfortunately, they all died," Viktor Yanutsenko, an emergencies ministry official helping coordinate the emergency response, was quoted as saying by Russia's RIA news agency. Zhanna Terekohova, an advisor to the Russian transport minister, told state television possible causes of the crash included pilot error and poor weather conditions. Local officials said at the time of the crash, there was strong, gusting winds in the Rostov area. The aircraft had to abandon an initial attempt to land at Rostov, its scheduled destination, and came down while making a repeat attempt, according to an emergencies ministry statement. TOI The plane came down inside the airport's perimeter, about 250 metres (yards) short of the start of the runway. Grainy pictures from a security camera pointing towards the airport, which were broadcast on Russian television, showed a large explosion at ground level, with flames and sparks leaping high into the air. Most of the passengers on board were Russian, the regional governor said on television. "Three foreigners were on the passenger list of the plane, but that information needs checking" an emergencies ministry official said on Rossiya-24 news channel. siasat Flydubai said in a statement: "We are doing all we can to gather information as quickly as possible. At this moment our thoughts and prayers are with our passengers and our crew who were on board the aircraft." "We will do everything we can to help those who have been affected by this accident," said the carrier, which is owned by the Dubai government. He has been on the run from the law for nearly four months now, but the law finally caught up with him. The main fugitive from Islamic extremist attacks in Paris in November, Salah Abdeslam, has been arrested in Belgium's capital after four months at large, French police officials said on Friday. theatlantic The officials said that he was arrested on Friday in a major police operation in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek. Both officials are in contact with people involved in the operation and spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly about an ongoing operation. Abdeslam, 26, was among the attackers who killed 130 people at a rock concert, the national stadium and cafes on November 13 in Paris. In addition to Abdeslam, the whereabouts of two Paris attack suspects remains unknown, including fellow Molenbeek resident Mohamed Abrini and a man known under the alias of Soufiane Kayal. iltempo Friday's capture of Abdeslam comes after Belgian authorities say they found his fingerprints in an apartment raided earlier this week in another Brussels neighborhood. In the raid, a man believed to have been an accomplice of Abdeslam Mohamed Belkaid was shot dead, Belgian prosecutors say. But two men escaped from the apartment, one of whom appears to have been Abdeslam. Federal prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt said it was possible Abdeslam had spent "days, weeks or months", in the apartment. Abdeslam fled Paris after the November 13 attacks. Most of the Paris attackers died that night, including Abdeslam's brother Brahim, who blew himself up. Brahim Abdeslam was buried in the area on Thursday. Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam, a childhood friend of suspected ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud, is believed to have driven a group of gunmen who took part. publicradio The Islamic State jihadist group claimed responsibility for the attacks, in which Belgian nationals played key roles. On Tuesday, a joint team of Belgian and French police showed up to search a residence in the Forest area of Brussels in connection with the Paris investigation, and were unexpectedly fired upon by at least two people inside. Four officers were slightly wounded. An occupant of the residence was shot dead by a police sniper as he prepared to open fire on police from a window. Police identified him as Belkaid, 35, an Algerian national living illegally in Belgium. A Kalashnikov assault rifle was found by his body, as well as a book on Salafism, an ultraconservative strain of Islam. Elsewhere in the apartment, police found an Islamic State banner as well as 11 Kalashnikov loaders and a large quantity of ammunition, the prosecutor said. intoday Abdeslam had slipped through a police dragnet to return to Brussels after the bloodbath in Paris, and though the target of an international manhunt, has not been found since. In January, Belgian authorities said one of his fingerprints was found alongside homemade suicide bomb belts at an apartment in another area of Brussels. Belgian prosecutors said it wasn't known whether he had been at the address in the Schaerbeek district before or after the Paris attacks, or how long he had spent there. Not taking the Islamic State lightly, Russian authorities recently said that its warplanes carried out as many as 25 air strikes in and around the Syrian city of Palmyra, captured by ISIS last May. deschide.md The strikes come after the Russian defence ministry got surprise orders to retreat from the Syrian airbase by President Vladimir Putin. The United States, however, denies the reports of Russia staging any air strikes in Syria in the past week. US Central Command spokesman Patrick Ryder said they did notice some bombardments in the region, but thought they were just Russian artillery. According to him, Russia has already withdrawn most, if not all, of its strike aircraft. sputniknews.com ISIS, on the other hand, claimed that it killed five Russian soldiers fighting on ground around the Palmyra region. The Nigerian Police Zamfara Command, on Saturday said that nine persons were killed by unknown gunmen at Fanteka Village in Daraga District, Zamafa Sate. Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Sanusi Amiru, who confirmed the news said the incident was a reprisal attack by the gunmen on Thursday. The gunmen had earlier on the fateful day invaded the community, but they were chased out by the villagers, who shot and killed three members of the gang. According to Amiru, six of those killed were members of the community, while the other three were members of the gang gunned down by the villagers. He said that a team of armed policemen has been able to restore peace to the affected area, while a combined team of security men were on the trail of the gunmen. He warned that the law prohibiting illegal possession of firearms was still in place and advised people against taking laws into their hands. Benue State lawmakers in the House of Representatives have condemned the lukewarm attitude of the Federal Government towards the killings in the state. Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers on Friday in Abuja, Honourable Orker Jev lamented that over 1,000 people have been killed and over 100 villages razed in Agatu area by armed herdsmen, who are yet to be apprehended by security forces. The lawmakers said that the Federal Government must take active steps to stop the killings in the area. They also urged the Federal Government to provide intervention funds and programmes for the displaced people in the affected communities. Attacks by Fulani herdsmen on farming communities in Benue State in recent times have led to the death of several farmers. New York City ex police officer Peter Liang breaks down after receiving a conviction in February for the shooting and death of Akai Gurley in 2014. (Photo : Twitter) Lawyers of controversial New York City ex police officer Peter Liang have filed a motion on Tuesday to overturn the conviction for manslaughter handed down to him, arguing that he was not given proper training to handle the situation. According to Liang's appellate lawyer Paul Shechtman, the court's ruling that Liang should have performed CPR on Akai Gurley to save his life was incorrect, as the officer did not have the proper skills to administer it and the action would be useless, DNAinfo.com reported. Advertisement "If the People continue to press a 'he-should-have-performed-CPR' theory in response to this motion, it would be to punish an officer for not performing a task he was not trained to do," Shetchman stressed. Liang, a rookie officer of the New York Police Department, was convicted of manslaughter by the Brooklyn Supreme Court in February for fatally shooting Gurley in 2014. He faces up to 15 years in prison if sentenced. During the trial, the court found that neither Liang nor his partner Shaun Landau performed CPR on Gurley after they realized that he had been shot. Landau also admitted in court that, while he is certified to deliver CPR, he does not know how to administer it correctly. The lawyer also reasoned that Liang has fired at Gurley by mistake, asserting that the dark stairwell in the Pink Houses apartment prevented his client from clearly identifying the victim. In a related development, the NYPD Patrolmen's Benevolent Association said that they will be standing behind Officer Melissa Brown, who served as Liang's CPR instructor during his time at the Police Academy and who was relieved of her duties following an investigation over her competence. Brown was stripped of her badge and her gun after the police department called for an investigation of the allegations that she did not provide proper CPR training for members of the 2013 recruit class, which included Liang, the New York Daily News reported. Patrick Lynch, who heads the officers' union, said that they are confident that Brown will come clean of the allegations once the investigation has been completed. "The PBA will not allow one of our members to be scapegoated for an ineffective training program," Lynch stressed. President Muhammadu Buhari says the Federal Government has set up a N3 billion National Research Fund. Speaking in Sokoto on Saturday in a message to the Joint 32nd, 33rd and 34th Convocation and 40th Anniversary of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, the President, who was represented by the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie, said that the fund was set up to assist the various universities to undertake meaningful researches. Buhari explained that such researches were aimed at solving the myriad of problems facing Nigeria currently. The universities should embrace education to solve the challenges facing the nation now. Universities should also be vanguards in the diversification of the nations revenue sources in view of the falling prices of crude oil in the world market. Universities should also rack their brains and come up with alternative sources of sustaining the nations economy, Buhari said. He further expressed the commitment of the Federal Government to continue to be alive to its responsibilities to the education sector. The president explained that this commitment led to the increase in the budgetary allocation to the sector in 2016. He also promised that universities would continue to be assisted to function effectively. The president urged the Organised Private Sector and other stakeholders to complement the efforts of the government in funding education at all levels. At least 62 passengers and crew have died after a FlyDubai plane crashed during an attempted landing in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Russian officials said. A Russian investigative committee confirmed in a statement that all the people on board the plane, travelling from Dubai, were killed in the crash on Saturday morning. The aircraft hit the ground and broke into pieces, the committee said on its website. According to preliminary data, there were 55 passengers aboard and seven crew members. They all died. In a statement published on Twitter, the Dubai Media Office said 44 of the passengers were Russian, eight were Ukrainian, two were Indian and one was from Uzbekistan. The plane was believed to be a Boeing 737 operated by Emirati airline FlyDubai, a budget airline with a new fleet of planes that started flying in mid-2009. Russias state-run RT network tweeted a clip of what appeared to be a large explosion. In a statement, Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive of FlyDubai, said, We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the passengers and crew. Everyone at FlyDubai is in deep shock and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved. We dont yet know all the details of the accident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish the cause. We are making every effort to care for those affected and will provide assistance to the loved ones of those on board. Disturbed by the recent announcement of President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigeria had joined a coalition of Islamic countries combating terrorism, an organ of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), National Christian Elders Forum, has revealed that it has on good authority, plans by the Federal Government to impose Sharia Law on every state of the federation. The Christian Forum further revealed that there were some Islamist elements already in the country with the sole aim of Islamising the country. Chairman of the forum, Mr. Solomon Asemota, SAN, supported by Christian leaders like the Bishop of Kafanchan Diocese of Catholic Church, Joseph Bagobiri, among others, the elders told journalists at a press conference that the Islamic elements in the country were already working towards achieving the goal of making Nigeria a Sharia state. We are aware that there are Islamists in government preparing to execute the Islamisation agenda. Any nation in which Islamists believe that they are sufficiently strong to exercise influence rarely experience peaceful cohabitation among the divergent groups within it. This is the current situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the Sudan. Islamism thrives on injustice, inequality and unfairness. We urge Nigerians to remain circumspect so that the Islamists do not drag the nation down the path of destruction In the build up to the 2015 elections, majority of Nigerians expressed great hope that there would be change in the nation. However, ten months after the new government was sworn into office, credible apprehension can be expressed given the policy direction of the new administration. We hope that the buildup to these policies do not result in full blown Sharia which President Muhammadu Buhari had promised Muslims in Nigeria, Asemota noted on behalf of other elders. Speaking further on President Buharis recent actions which suggest that the motion was already in place to entrench Sharia law, the elders said: The inclusion of Nigeria in the Saudi Arabia Military Coalition of Muslim/Arab nations would appear that the Foreign Policy thrust of the this administration is to make Nigeria a satellite state of Saudi Arabia. The strengthening of the nations democracy and security for all should remain the greatest priority of government. This we see to have been negated by the Presidents fiat/ unilateral decision to enlist Nigeria in the 34 nations Muslim/ Arab coalition. Given the emotive and sensitive nature of this unilateral Executive decision, it should have been handled by Mr. President in line with our democratic culture through popular discussion and participation by the citizenry, or at the very least, through the National Assembly. Source: Sun News Salah Abdeslam, the most wanted suspect for the Paris attacks, has been arrested in a shootout with heavily-armed police in the Belgian capital after eluding capture for months. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and French President Francois Hollande confirmed the arrest on Friday at a press conference in Brussels. It was a success against terrorism, said Michel, as he congratulated the security forces who carried out the raid. Frances Hollande said police were confronted with armed resistance from the suspects during the raid, adding that the fight against terrorism was far from over. Though this arrest was an important step, it is not the final result. There will be further arrests. We know the network is extensive in Belgium, France and other countries, he said. What we need to do is arrest all of those who allowed, organised and facilitated these attacks [in Paris]. We have realised, without going into details, they are far more numerous than we thought. Hollande added that he had no doubt that the [French] judicial authorities will request an extradition. The four-month manhunt for 26-year-old Abdeslam came to an end in the Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek with the suspect shot in the leg, according to Ahmed El Khannous, the neighbourhoods deputy mayor. Four other people, including members of a family who harboured Abdeslam, were also arrested, said Belgian federal prosecutor Eric van der Sypt. He confirmed that Abdeslam was lightly injured during the raid and had been transferred to hospital. Aljazeera. At least 19 Egyptians were killed when their bus overturned in Saudi Arabia, officials said. Red Crescent spokesman Khaled al-Sahli said the crash took place early on Saturday on a highway linking the two Saudi holy cities of Medina and Mecca. At least 22 people were injured, he said. An official with the Egyptian foreign ministry, Hisham al-Nakeeb, told the MENA news agency that the bus was carrying 44 Egyptians. He said the bodies of the dead were transferred to different hospitals in the city of Medina. Nawaf al-Mohammad, chief of the Medina traffic department, told Saudi online newspaper Sabq that the driver of the vehicle may have fallen asleep. The pilgrims were on their way to Medina, about 400km from Mecca, according to the official. The accident came a day after at least 14 Palestinian pilgrims en route to Mecca died in a bus crash in southern Jordan near the Saudi border. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has promised that the Federal Government would prioritise the reform, re-orientation and re-equipment of the Nigeria Police. Osinbajo made the promise on Friday in Abuja at the inauguration of operational vehicles for the deployment of policemen to liberated communities in the North-East. In his speech at the occasion, Osinbajo described the police as a critical actor in the criminal justice system of the country. Consequently, any nation that is desirous of national security, economic development and democratic governance must of necessity be determined to evolve a people friendly and rule of law compliant police force, he said. The Vice President noted that it was based on this that Preseident Muhammadu Buhari approved the recruitment of 10,000 personnel and extra budgetary attention extended to the police. He said that the government had also explored diplomatic channels for capacity building and functional training designed to reposition the police. According to Osinbajo, with the inauguration of the vehicles, effect had been given to the initiative of government to deploy police to the North-East. It is the expectation of the government that with the acquisition of operational assets, the capacity of the police to support the integration process in the north-East will be engendered, he said. Osinbajo added that with the acquisition of the operational vehicles, the challenges of kidnapping and organised crimes which had threatened the nations security would be a thing of the past. He commended policemen who paid the supreme price in the fight against terrorism and other internal engagements. He urged serving police personnel to remain courageous and professional in the discharge of their duties and promised that the federal government would provide all necessary logistics to stabilise communities in the North-East. Reno Omokri, former New Media aide to President Goodluck Jonathan, has said that the recent declaration by the Chief of Army staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, that Sambisa is as big as Enugu, has vindicated him. In June 2014, Omokri, tweeted that Sambisa Forest was larger than the whole of Lagos and Nigerians should commend the armed forces for the difficult job of routing terrorists from the forest. He was accused of lying by loyalists of the then opposition party, All Progressives Congress, APC, who attacked his claim and widely mocked him. However, Buratai speaking to the officers and men of the 82nd Division of the Nigerian Army on Thursday vindicated Omokri by confirming that Sambisa is not only bigger than Lagos state, it is also bigger than Enugu state. We are already in Sambisa forest, but Sambisa is as big as Enugu state, which needs thorough planning for logistics and other manpower needed, he said. He further said that the size of Sambisa accounts for the delay in flushing out the insurgents. In terms of size, Enugu state is 7,161 km2 (2,765 sq mi) while Lagos state is just half of the size of Enugu state at 3,577 km2 (1,381 sq mi). Reno Omokri had repeatedly appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the army over the issue of sweeping Sambisa off terrorists, an appeal that was dismissed by the then opposition. Source: Vanguard An explosion believed to have been caused by a suicide bomber has hit the popular Istiklal Street in central Istanbuls Taksim square area, with several deaths reported. The citys governor said at least five people were killed and 20 were injured two critically in Saturday mornings explosion. The suspected suicide bomber is believed to be among those killed. Three Israeli citizens are among the wounded. Footage from the scene showed police and emergency services cordoning off the street, which has been completely cleared of people. Witnesses told Al Jazeera that hundreds of people ran in panic away from the site of the explosion, moments after the incident. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Istiklal street is a long pedestrian thoroughfare that winds its way through the Beyoglu neighbourhood from Taksim Square. It is rimmed by hundreds of shops and would have been filled with pedestrians at the time of the explosion. Al Jazeeras Jamal Elshayyal said the location of the explosion was the equivalent of a bomb going off in Oxford St in London or Fifth Avenue in New York. The explosion comes as Turkey is on edge following two recent suicide bomb attacks in the capital, Ankara, which were claimed by a Kurdish group, that is an off-shoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. Turkey has been fighting on multiple fronts. As part of a US-led coalition, it is battling the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), which has seized territory in neighbouring Syria and Iraq. The Supreme Court, on Friday, gave the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the go-ahead in prosecuting the former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu on a 107-count corruption charges. The charges border on the alleged complicity of the erstwhile governor in money laundering and illegal diversion of public funds to the tune of N5.6 billion. Kalu was alleged to have perpetuated the fraud while he was governor of Abia State between 1999 and 2007. Although the anti-graft agency docked him before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on July 27, 2007, for the past eight years, the defendant, through various interlocutory applications, frustrated moves by the prosecution to open its case against him. Firstly, he challenged the competence of the charge against him, as well as the jurisdiction of the High Court to hear and determine the case. Meanwhile, following refusal by the trial court to quash the charge, Kalu, took the case before the Court of Appeal in Abuja. The appellate court, in a unanimous judgment, upheld the competence of the charge, adding that the high court was constitutionally empowered to exercise jurisdiction on the trial. Dissatisfied with the verdict, Kalu approached the Supreme Court, begging it to set-aside the concurrent findings of the two lower courts. The former governor, through his lawyer Chief Awa Kalu, SAN, pleaded a five-man panel of Justices of the apex court, headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, to quash the criminal charge against him. He contended that the EFCC failed to establish a prima-facie nexus linking him to the ingredients of the offence contained in the charge. He contended that the proof of evidence the anti-graft agency adduced against him did not nail him to the commission of any crime. Reacting to the judgment, the former Governor of Abia State said that the decision of the Supreme Court directing his trial by the EFCC for alleged N2.4b fraud as governor was a welcome development, pointing out that there was nothing unusual about the order. Dr. Kalu expressed his readiness to face his trial and prove his innocence on the 107-count corruption charges brought against him by the Commission. Dr. Kalu, who made this known from London where he was delivering a convocation lecture, declared that he was ready and highly disposed to the trial. This is another opportunity to prove my innocence. I have all the records and facts of the case. I am willing to submit myself for the rule of law to take its course. That has always been my passionate advocacy right from the lower courts where the case emanated. According to a release signed by his media adviser, Mr. Ebere Wabara, this clarification has become imperative lest oppositional forces mischievously misinterpret the ruling and mislead the public by injecting their jaundiced opinions into the routine directive as had always been with similar cases where the apex court intervened. There is nothing novel about the latest manifestation in the on-going litigation it was the next thing to expect. Turkey and the EU have reached a controversial deal European leaders hope will stop the flow of refugees to the continent in return for political and financial concessions for Ankara. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and EU President Donald Tusk confirmed the agreement, which will come into force on Sunday, at a press conference in Brussels after three rounds of talks. Refugees, migrants, asylum seekers who are arriving in Greece, on the islands or the mainland will find themselves subject to processing and then, in due course, they will be sent back to Turkey, Al Jazeeras Neave Barker reported from the Belgian capital. The accord aims to close the main route by which a million people poured across the Aegean Sea to Greece in the last year before marching north to Germany and Sweden. But deep doubts remain about whether it is legal or workable, a point acknowledged even by German Chancellor Angela Merkel who has been the key driving force behind the agreement. I have no illusions that what we agreed today will be accompanied by further setbacks. There are big legal challenges that we must now overcome, Merkel said after the 28 EU leaders concluded the deal with Davutoglu. Leaders of the bloc had agreed on Thursday on a common plan under which Turkey would be given financial and political concessions in return for taking back all refugees who reached Greek islands off its coast. Three Dimensional (3 D Image Displays A Computerised Visualization Of A Human Heart (Photo : Getty Images) Although American researchers were recently able to grow functional heart tissues from stem cells, growing hearts for transplants is still out of the question for now because of the lack of a skeletal frame to grow the heart. However, 3D printed technology could copy the human heart and be used to guide surgeons in making fine cuts and sutures, especially when the patient is an infant and still has a small cardiac organ. That was what happened on March 11 in Jilin Province when surgeons at the Peoples Hospital of Jilin operated on a nine-month-old baby. Advertisement Global Times reported that the baby was suffering from a severe congenital heart defect (CHD) which required an open heart surgery. The CHD involved a total pulmonary venous anomalous drainage in which all the four pulmonary veins of the heart were malpositioned. The infant also had atrial septal defect which caused blood to flow between the hearts upper chambers. As a result of these defects, the infant suffered from shortness of breath and weighed only 5.6kg before the procedure. Because the defect was rare and complicated and the patient so young and small, the doctors found it difficult to rely only on an ultrasound examination to develop the best surgery plan. Zhang Xueqin, the hospitals director of pediatric cardiac surgery center and the babys surgeon, and his team created, using 3D printing, a full-sized heart replica of the patients cardiac structure which helped them plan the surgery. With the model, we were able to know precisely where and how we should cut, and how big the incision should be. And with such a thorough plan, we spent only half the time we had expected to complete the surgery, Zhang said. The baby is recovering and has been transferred to the general ward. He is Jilins first cardiac surgery that used 3D printed technology, but the first in China was in July 21, 2015, also on a nine-month-old baby with CHD in Jiangsu Province. To create 3D prints, surgeons used the Mimics software which imports MRI images and processes it to reconstruct a 3D rendered model that could communicate with a 3D printer. It usually takes a few hours to print a heart model, according to Biomedical.materialise.com. Making news this week, a global player announced the closure of an Australian office, a new GM is announced for a major insurer and a chief exec is confirmed at another insurance player.Earlier this week, Gen Re announced that they would close six global offices including one in Melbourne. The closing offices will be integrated into teams in larger locations to facilitate a more robust delivery of services to clients, the company said in a statement.Bob Jones, president and property & casualty chief marketing officer of Gen Re, said the moves follow a global review.We have reviewed our entire global footprint, and with this change, we are positioning Gen Res Property & Casualty operation to address the realities of todays markets, while capitalising on tomorrows opportunities. QBE announced a new GM for their workers compensation business , as Andrew Borden will take the reins.A two-decade industry veteran, Borden takes over from Jason Hammond, who was named general manager of broker distribution by QBE Finally, Elantis Premium Funding confirmed that Nick Cunningham will become chief executive of the business. Cunningham, who stepped into the role on an interim basis following the departure of Jurgen Rammesmayer, will lead the business that he joined in 2014. Panoramica privacy Questo sito web utilizza i cookies per fornire all'utente la miglior esperienza di navigazione possibile. L'informazione dei cookie e memorizzata nel browser dell' utente, svolge funzioni di riconoscimento quando l' utente ritorna nel sito e permette di sapere quali sezioni del sito sono ritenute piu interessanti e utili. The utilities sector is an essential aspect of any healthy economy. The equities included in this industry range from gas and electric companies to transmission providers. Essentially, it comes down to the companies that support the very infrastructure of any modern civilization. Leaders of utilities are some of the highest paid, and many of these executives have been working for decades for their respective companies. Here are some of the highest-paid executives in the utilities sector as of 2019. Key Takeaways Executives in this industry earn a base pay of $1~2 million. They can earn additional annual incentive pay and long-term incentive pay that adds another $10 million or so to their pay package. NextEra Energy CEO James Robo is one of the highest-paid in the industry, pulling in $21.87 million in compensation. Thomas F. Farrell II Thomas F. Farrell II is the president, chair and CEO of Dominion Energy (D), positions which he has held since April 2007. He joined Dominion as a company director in 2005. Farrell is one of the highest-paid executives in the utilities sector. In 2019, he earned $2.56 million in pay, which includes $1.55 million in base salary plus annual incentive pay. He also received another $11.48 million in long-term incentive pay, bringing his total compensation for the year to about $14.05 million. In addition, Farrell holds 996,316 common shares of Dominion Energy and 224,226 restricted shares. Dominion Energy is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, and supplies energy to more than seven million customers in 20 states. In July 2020, it sold its gas transmission and storage business to Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B) in a deal valued at $9.7 billion. Christopher Crane Christopher Crane is the president and CEO of Exelon (EXC). He has been a director at the company since 2012 and was president chief operating officer of Exelon and Exelon Generation from 2008 through 2012. In 2019, Crane received $15.44 million in compensation. This consisted of $1.34 million in base salary, $11 million in stock awards and the remainder coming other forms of compensation. He owns 1.04 million shares of the company. His retirement package was worth $34 million at the end of 2019. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago. It has operations in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Crane joined the company in 1998, when it was ComEd, and became chief nuclear officer in 2004. James Robo James Robo is the president, chief executive and chair of NextEra Energy (NEE). He has been president and CEO since July 2012, and was appointed chair in December 2013. In 2019, Robo received $21.87 million in compensation. This included a base salary of $1.45 million, stock awards of $11.74 million, option awards of $2.83 million, non-equity incentive pay of $4.6 million, and other forms of compensation. He owns approximately 1 million shares of the company. NextEra Energy is headquartered in Juno Beach, Fla. The company owns two electric companies in Florida, wind and solar businesses, and eight nuclear power plants in Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin. Nicholas Akins Nicholas Akins is president, chief executive and chair of American Electric Power (AEP). Akins was an executive vice president from 2006 to 2011, when he became CEO. He was named chair in 2014. In 2019, Akins earned $14.5 million in total compensation. Of this, $1.48 million was base salary, $8.8 million was stock awards, $3.6 million was non-equity incentive pay and the remainder came from other forms of compensation. American Electric Power serves more than five million retail customers in Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Sears Holdings (SHLD) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Oct. 15, 2018. A wave of store closures and deals in desperate attempts to stay afloat failed to save the struggling retailer, which listed $6.9 billion in assets and $11.3 billion in liabilities in the filing. The company announced in a statement that CEO, Edward Lampert, would step down, with day-to-day operations managed by three high-ranking executives. Lampert remained chairman of the board. The firm began to restructure after it failed to pay back $134 million that was due on Oct. 15. Key Takeaways Sears Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Oct. 15, 2018, at which time it had 700 stores across the U.S., $6.9 billion in assets and $11.3 billion in liabilities. Eddie Lampert, chairman of Kmart, purchased Sears for $11 billion in 2004, changing the name of the company to Sears Holdings. The company's biggest competitors to date have been Walmart and Amazon. Other rivals include Macy's, JC Penney, Home Depot, Lowe's, and Best Buy. Sears Holdings spun off and sold many of its business units and brand names. The company's stock IPO was issued in 1906 but was delisted from the Nasdaq in Oct. 2018. Where Is Sears Today? A bankruptcy judge approved the sale of the company's assets for $5.2 billion to Lampert in a bankruptcy auction. About 425 stores remained open as of April 2019, with nearly 45,000 jobs intact. When its Chapter 11 filing was announced, Sears had nearly 700 stores open in the U.S., compared to 3,500 Sears and Kmart when they merged in 2005. The company stopped selling Whirlpool appliances in 2017, which it carried since 1916. An internal company memo reportedly cited pricing disputes. In August 2018, Lampert offered to buy the Kenmore appliance brand for $400 million in cash through his hedge fund ESL Investments after the company failed to find other takers. ESL also offered to buy Sears' Home Improvement business for $80 million in cash. "Over the last several years, we have worked hard to transform our business and unlock the value of our assets," Lampert said in the statement announcing the bankruptcy petition. "While we have made progress, the plan has yet to deliver the results we have desired, and addressing the Company's immediate liquidity needs has impacted our efforts to become a profitable and more competitive retailer. The Chapter 11 process will give Holdings the flexibility to strengthen its balance sheet, enabling the Company to accelerate its strategic transformation, continue right-sizing its operating model, and return to profitability." In Sept. 2018, SHLD share prices fell below a dollar, and it further slid to trading close to 50 cents on Oct. 10, 2018. Sears Holdings filed a lawsuit against Lampert and ESL Investments, saying it was stripped of its most valuable assets, forcing it into bankruptcy. The lawsuit said the assetsincluding Orchard Supply Hardware Stores, Sears Canada, and Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores among otherswere valued at about $2 billion. ESL responded, saying the allegations in the lawsuit are without merit. A Tale of Retail Hubris It started by selling a single product category. But when it became clear that a sleepy, overpriced retail sector would crumble before it, there was nothing to stop the company from selling anything and everything. You could order from the comfort of your own home. You could pay a fair price. It would ship the goods right to you. Sales exploded, and if you'd picked up a big enough chunk of stock when the company went public, you'd never have to work again. That description once applied to Sears, Roebuck, and Co., but now it better describes the company that's blamed foror credited withits looming demise, Amazon. Having played the role of an upstart retail juggernaut in the 1890s, Sears now finds itself in the same position as the rural general stores it used to drive out of business en masse. On the other hand, Sears' demise is not all Amazon's fault, nor is it a simple circle-of-life parable. Sears made its share of mistakes. In its 2016 annual report, the company listed Walmart (WMT), Target (TGT), Kohl's (KSS), J.C. Penney (JCP), Macy's (M), Home Depot (HD), Lowe's (LOW), Best Buy (BBY), and Amazon as its main competitors. As of Oct. 2018, Sears lost 96% of its value since it began trading under its current ticker in May 2003. J.C. Penney has done even worse, but Lowe's, Best Buy, and Home Depot have all seen their share prices at least double. Amazon shares, on the other hand, are up nearly 33-fold. Even for a brick-and-mortar retailer in the digital era, Sears is struggling. Sears' Rise: The First 90 Years In the mid-1880s, Richard Sears worked as a station agent for the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway in North Redwood, Minnesota. He would sell lumber and coal on the side, giving him experience that came in handy when, in 1886, a local jeweler rejected a shipment of gold-filled watches from Chicago. Sears bought them himself, sold them at a profit, and ordered more. He founded the R.W. Sears Watch Company in Minneapolis, then moved to Chicago in 1887 and partnered with Alvah C. Roebuck, a watchmaker from Indiana. Both were in their twenties. They launched a catalog of watches and jewelry the following year and incorporated Sears, Roebuck, and Co. in 1893. Two years later, a Chicago clothing manufacturer, Julius Rosenwald, bought into the company. By that time, the mail-order operation branched out from watches. Sales reached $750,000, and Sears' iconic catalog ballooned to 532 pages. Farmers, fed up with understocked and overpriced general stores, flocked to Sears. The company sold stock in 1906 in the first initial public offering (IPO) for an American retail firmthe first to be handled by Goldman Sachs. It opened a 40-acre logistics center in Chicago that very same year. Henry Ford eventually made a pilgrimage to this "'seventh wonder' of the business world" to learn about the company's storied efficiency. Sears Holdings was delisted from the Nasdaq in Oct. 2018 and began trading over-the-counter. Ford would throw a wrench in Sears' business model, as cars made chain stores more appealing and mail-order catalogs less crucial for rural customers. Sears adapted, opening retail stores in the 1920s that outsold the catalog by 1931. Revenues totaled $180 million that yeararound $2.8 billion in today's dollars. The company began to introduce its own brands in the 1920s, including Craftsman, DieHard, and Kenmore. It began selling insurance through its Allstate subsidiary in 1931. Sears' Downfall: The Past 50 Years In 1969, Sears, the largest retailer in the world, began construction on the world's tallest skyscraper. The Sears' Tower's completion four years later may not mark the company's peak, but its retail dominance began to fade around that time. In the 1980s, it adopted a "socks and stocks" strategy, expanding into financial services beyond its existing insurance business. In 1981, the company purchased Dean Witter Reynolds Organization Inc., a stockbroker, and Coldwell, Banker & Co., a real estate broker. It launched Discover Card through Dean Witter in 1985. In 1984, together with IBM (IBM) and (for a time) CBS, the company created what would become Prodigy, a pre-web online portal. Built on a private network, it was distinct from the Internet but presaged it in many ways, offering email, games, news, weather, sports, and shopping. In 1992, when Sears' revenues reached $59 billion, the company announced plans to simplify its structure. It took parts of Dean Witter and Allstate public, then distributed the remaining shares to investors. Having sunk over $1 billion into the Prodigy project between them, Sears and IBM received less than $200 million from the sale in 1996. Sears also sold Coldwell Banker, along with other financial services subsidiaries. Sears discontinued its famous catalog in 1993. According to the company archives, it "returned to its retailing roots" by 1999. In fact, it retained a significant consumer credit division, with U.S. borrowers accounting for 61% of the company's $2.5 billion in operating income in 2002. Investors began to worry that the early-2000s recession made credit card issuance too risky, and Sears sold the business to Citigroup (C) in 2003. At the turn of the century, Sears turned to the web in earnest. A July 2000 press release boasted that sears.com sold home electronics, computers, office equipment, appliances, cookware, baby products, and school uniforms. Amazon, meanwhile, only just began branching out from books to offer software, video games, and home improvement products in Nov. 1999. At that time, Sears' problem was not so much Amazon as it was Walmart, which became the nation's largest retailer in the 1990s. Sears, Meet Kmart Kmart announced it would buy Sears for $11 billion in Nov. 2004. The combined companiesto be headquartered in Chicago and called Sears Holdingswould operate around 3,500 locations. Analysts expressed excitement at combining the fading giants' mainstays, cross-selling brands such as Sears' Craftsman and Kmart's Martha Stewart Everyday. Management promised to save $500 million a year by 2007, partly through job cuts and store closings. The deal's mastermind was Kmart chairman Edward Lampert, a Goldman Sachs (GS) alumnus and one-time roommate of former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin at Yale. Lampert left Goldman to start a hedge fund in 1988 at the age of 25 and bought up Kmart's debt when the retailer declared bankruptcy in 2002. He gained a 53% stake in the company for less than $1 billion. A week after the merger with Sears was announced, Bloomberg reported that Kmart's market capitalization was $8.6 billion. Lampert Takes the Reins As chairman of the combined companyhe took on the CEO role as well in 2013Lampert initially attracted breathless praise from the media. A 2004 Bloomberg Businessweek cover story called him "the next Warren Buffett. " Just as Buffett turned a failing textile company into a vehicle for superhuman returns, Lampert would use Kmart as a cash cow for savvy acquisitions. His hedge fund's average annual return of 29% from its inception to 2003 boded well. A little over 13 years later, such comparisons seem ridiculous. Sears Holdings' sales rose in 2006, its first full year as a combined company, but then fell in each of the following nine years. For a while, Sears' stock rose anyway, but the financial crisis wiped 85% off its value between its April 2007 high and its November 2008 low. The recovery was tepid and short-lived. Shares peaked again that April at less than two-thirds their pre-crisis high. They have not recovered since. Kmart was Lampert's first majority stake, and he proved to be a better speculator than a manager. A 2013 Bloomberg article excoriates his Ayn Rand-inspired approach: In 2008, he split the company into 30 divisionswhich swelled to 40 a year latereach of which reported profits separately and had to compete with the others for resources. Lampert was both strict with money and distant, seldom leaving his home in South Florida. Divisions found themselves acting like separate companies, even drawing up contracts with each other. Compensation costs rose as each division hired its own senior management. These executives, in turn, had to form their own boards, and their pay was determined according to an in-house profit metric that led to cannibalization as some divisions cut jobs, forcing others to step in. The appliances unit found itself being gouged by the Kenmore unit, so it bought wares from LG, a South Korean conglomerate, instead. The combined company's profits peaked at $1.5 billion in 2006, then dwindled to nearly nothing by 2010. The company lost $10.4 billion from 2011 to 2016. In 2014, its total debt surpassed its market cap. While Lampert experimented with new management techniques, Amazon built a retail empire. Its total sales were a mere 17% of Sears' in 2005, the first full year after the Kmart merger. But whereas Sears' revenues fell by 14% over the following five years, Amazon's nearly quadrupled. In 2011 the tech giant surpassed Sears, then lapped it in 2013. In 2016 it made $136 billion in sales to Sears' $22 billion. When Kmart's acquisition of Sears was announced in 2004, Lampert commented, "I don't think any retailer should aspire to have its real estate be worth more than its operating business." Sears Spins off Assets, Cuts Staff As Sears' prospects fade, however, investors began eyeing its real estate. Sears spun off around 200 properties into a real estate investment trust (REIT) that began trading as Seritage Growth Properties (SRG) in July 2015. Other assets have been spun off as well, including Lands' End and Sears Canada. Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) agreed to buy Craftsman in Jan. 2017. Sears cut the hours, pay, and headcount of retail staff to save cash, causing stores and customer experience to deteriorate. "We have a 17-year-old running the office and cash office," one employee wrote to Business Insider in Aug. 2016. "He has no experience in either, but he is a warm body to fill the job. The end is coming soon, get out while you can." An affiliate of Lampert's hedge fund agreed to loan Sears up to $500 million in Jan. 2017, bringing the total amount Lampert has plowed back into the business since Sept. 2014 to around $1 billion. In another attempt to save its business, Sears announced a deal with Amazon (AMZN) on May 9, 2018, in which the retail chain would use Sears Auto Centers to install car tires ordered on Amazon. Sears shares jumped almost 20% on the news. This was not the first time Sears partnered with Amazonthe company landed deals to sell appliances and car batteries on Amazon in 2017. In the second quarter of 2018, Sears posted overall revenue down 25%, but same-store sales decline slowed. The retailer posted a loss of $508 million for the quarter, bringing its total loss since 2010, its last profitable year, to over $11 billion. Lampert attempted to buy Sears' assets out of bankruptcy for $4.4 billion through his investment company, ESL Investments. The Bottom Line It would be easy to read this story as a triumph of ecommerce, or to reflect on the irony that Sears was a first-mover when it came to online shopping, with its proto-Internet joint venture Prodigy. But even recently, Sears has been ahead of the curve in that area. According to Bloomberg, Lampert "showered" the online division with resources while the rest fought over a shrinking pie. Nor did competition with Amazon alone precipitate Sears' decline. When sales and profits began to fade, in the mid-2000s, other big-box retailersparticularly Walmartwere thriving. In 2011, the year Sears lost over $3.1 billion, Walmart made $16.4 billion. Perhaps the might-have-been next Warren Buffett should have listened to the original, who told University of Kansas students in 2005, "Eddie is a very smart guy, but putting Kmart and Sears together is a tough hand. Turning around a retailer that has been slipping for a long time would be very difficult. Can you think of an example of a retailer that was successfully turned around?" What Is UBS? UBS, formerly known as the Union Bank of Switzerland, is a multinational diversified financial services company headquartered in Zurich and Basel. UBS is involved in virtually all major financial activities, including retail and commercial banking, investment banking, investment management, and wealth management. UBS has a major presence around the globe and in the United States. It has its American headquarters in New York City. It operates in over 50 countries worldwide, with close to 60,000 employees. Key Takeaways UBS is a Swiss investment bank with global operations. It was formed as a merger between Union Bank of Switzerland and Swiss Bank Corp. The main divisions of UBS include investment & retail banking and asset & wealth management. Its retail banking sector facilitates private Swiss bank accounts. The company has approximately USD $4.8 billion in assets under management. UBS Explained The name UBS is derived from one of its predecessor corporations, the Union Bank of Switzerland. The current UBS originated when the Union Bank of Switzerland merged with the Swiss Bank Corporation in 1998. Thus, UBS is now used as the company's official name and not as an acronym. The UBS logo consists of three keys, a symbol taken from the Swiss Bank Corporation. The keys symbolize confidence, security, and discretion. UBSs Major Divisions UBS has several major divisions, offering products and services to numerous clients. These divisions include wealth management, asset management, investment banking, and retail banking. Wealth Management UBS wealth management covers both high net worth and ultra-high net-worth individuals. The divisions financial advisors work with clients to understand the breadth of their financial and other assets and develop tailored solutions to meet their needs. Financial advisors may specialize in services, such as investment management, income tax preparation, or estate planning. Asset Management The investment aim of UBS asset management is to deliver superior investment performance and client service. Asset management differs from wealth management in that it can also describe managing collective investments (such as a pension fund) in addition to overseeing individual assets. For this reason, some deem asset management to encompass wealth management. UBS has more than CHF 4.4 trillion in invested assets in 2021 and is the largest bank in Switzerland. Investment Banking UBS investment bank is considered one of the bulge bracket banks, along with Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Barclays, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, and Deutsche Bank. Investment banks underwrite new debt and equity securities for all types of corporations, aid in the sale of these securities, and help to facilitate mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, and broker trades for institutions and private investors. At times, investment banks also provide guidance to issuers regarding the issue and placement of stock. Retail Banking UBS retail banking is what many traditionally view as mass-market banking, wherein individual customers use the local branches of larger commercial banks. Other examples of retail banks include Citibank and T.D. Bank. UBS retail bank offers savings and checking accounts, mortgages, personal loans, debit or credit cards, and certificates of deposit (CDs). The focus is on the individual consumer. What Does UBS Stand For? UBS is the acronym for Union Bank of Switzerland ("Union de Banques Suisses" or "Unione di Banche Svizzere" in French or Italian, respectively. In German, it's "Schweizerische Bankgesellschaft"). When Union Bank merged with Swiss Bank, the new entity took on the name UBS. Is UBS a US Bank? While UBS is based in Switzerland, it also operates as a licensed U.S. bank, headquartered in New York City and registered in Utah, known as UBS Bank USA. Nintendo NX Release Date Nears as Purported Controller with Advanced Features Leaked Out? (Photo : Image Credit: Dual Pixels) The much-awaited Nintendo NX release date could happen anytime this 2016 as a key component of the rumored hybrid gaming device leaked out this week. A set of images that showcased an oval-shaped and all-screen game controller hit the web claiming to be part of Nintendo's upcoming game console. Advertisement The pictures, according to gaming blog site Dual Pixels, came from an anonymous source and supported by a patent that Nintendo has published in late 2015. The purported gaming controller was shown with a connector with two noticeable buttons, likely serving as mini joysticks, located on the left and right side of the panel. Right at the bottom of the all-screen device, a number of what appear as capacitive keys are seated that likely will be users' access to the combo of still unknown features of the gaming machine. The same report indicated that the leaked controller is supported by a recently published Nintendo patent that was described as a touchscreen game controller with similar features to that of the Wii U gamepad. While the cited patent did not explicitly named the gaming device as that of the Nintendo NX, it was assumed that the features revealed were all designed for the rumored successor to the aging Wii U. According to BGR, the leaked pictures have been examined by Nintendo watchers and are thought to be authentic or at least not manipulated. However, Geek.com said a report that the leaked images, assumed as the direct descendant to the 3DS, are hopefully fakes. "It looks quite large and the display is going to require a lot of juice to keep running. So we'll either have a controller that needs charging every few hours, or a very heavy controller thanks to a large battery contained inside it," the report said. The site also observed that from the gathered information so far, the futuristic Nintendo NX controller "is clearly going to be limiting for developers." For its part, Nintendo is mostly quiet on the subject but has previously hinted that its next gaming device codenamed NX is a fresh concept that is remotely different from the Wii U and 3DS. The Japanese gaming giant also refused to comment on rumors that the NX when launched will be more powerful than any of the Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One. The company only allowed that solid details of the device will be provided months before its rollout. Rumors are rife that mass production of the Nintendo NX will commence in the second quarter of 2016 with the official unveiling likely scheduled June or July and paving the way for the device's release date that analysts said will happen around Christmas season of the year. Admiral Shares represent a separate class of shares in Vanguard-administered mutual funds, offering lower fees compared to the standard Investor Share class. Vanguard offers Admiral Shares across a select group of mutual funds and requires investors to have a minimum investment in a particular mutual fund. Key Takeaways Admiral shares offer lower fees compared to the standard Investor Share-class Vanguard funds. To qualify for Admiral Shares, investors in most index funds and tax-managed funds must maintain a minimum investment of $3,000. For most actively managed funds, an investor must have at least $50,000 invested. For sector-specific index funds, an investor qualifies for Admiral Shares with an investment of $100,000 or more. The average expense ratio for Vanguard's Admiral Shares is 0.14%. Admiral Shares Requirements To qualify for Admiral Shares, investors in most index funds and tax-managed funds must maintain a minimum investment of $3,000. For actively managed funds, one must have at least $50,000 invested. For sector-specific index funds, you are qualified for Admiral Shares with an investment of $100,000 or more. Vanguard evaluates its fund accounts to identify which are eligible for Admiral Shares. If an investor's account holdings become eligible, Vanguard can convert their mutual fund shares into the Admiral Shares classtypically tax-free and at no cost. Investors can determine their account eligibility by logging into their Vanguard accounts. Mutual funds offering Admiral Shares may be found through the online fund's screener on the Vanguard website. Vanguard offers Admiral Shares mutual funds with a broad palette of investment objectives and holdings, such as Treasury bonds (T-bonds), tax-exempt municipal bonds, balanced holdings, domestic stocks, and international stocks. Index funds are central to the story of Vanguard because index funds are passively managed, which is to say that they passively track an index, rather than actively researching, analyzing, buying, and selling securities. Since actively managed funds are more expensive to operate, they tend to lose in performance in the long run to the cheaper index funds. However, there are a minority of actively-managed funds that have historically outperformed index funds. Admiral Shares Reasoning Most actively managed funds lose to their benchmark index. For this reason, many investors think, why not just hold the same stocks of the index, keep management costs low, and win by simply matching the performance of the index? Many agree this is a solid investing strategy. To allow an investor to build on this type of strategy, Vanguard launched the Admiral Shares. Vanguard offers their lower-cost Admiral Shares for 43 of their index mutual funds for a minimum investment of $3,000 each. Admiral Shares Cost Savings Vanguard mutual funds already have expense ratios that undercut the mutual fund industry's average by a whopping 82%, yet Admiral Shares achieve further savings on the expense ratio for qualified Vanguard mutual funds. In addition to Admiral Shares, Vanguard offers two other share classes: their Investor Shares and their Institutional Shares. In general, Admiral Shares have a lower expense ratio compared to Investor Shares. While typical Vanguard Investor shares have an average expense ratio of 0.27%, Vanguard Admiral Shares' average expense ratio comes in at a feather-weight 0.14%. The 0.13% difference may not seem like much, but on a large initial investment it can add up to a substantial amount saved over a long-term investment timeline. In addition, Vanguard mutual fund shareholders, who want to covert Investor Share funds to Admiral Shares can do this by making a simple request to Vanguard. In some cases, Vanguard will make the conversion automatically because they periodically evaluate client balances to determine if they qualify for conversion. Most Vanguard index funds have discontinued offering Investor Shares to new investors. Creating a Portfolio of Admiral Shares If you're looking to create a diversified portfolio of low-cost mutual funds, Admiral Shares offers plenty of choices. Vanguard offers over 100 funds available as Admiral Shares. If you're specifically interested in index funds, you'll also have a wide array of optionsyou'll be able to select from 43 index funds available for a $3,000 minimum. Vanguard offers Admiral Shares in the following categories: U.S. bond funds Balanced funds U.S. stock funds International bond funds International stock funds Sector and specialty funds Investopedia does not provide tax, investment, or financial services and advice. The information is presented without consideration of the investment objectives, risk tolerance, or financial circumstances of any specific investor and might not be suitable for all investors. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Investors should consider engaging a qualified financial professional to determine a suitable investment strategy. Vanguard: An Overview The Vanguard Group is among the largest investment companies in the world. At its core is a commitment to providing individual investors with low-cost solutions to gaining wealth. Vanguard is known for its mutual funds and is also a major player in the business of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Vanguard manages to keep its low-cost edge across the fund spectrum based on a unique ownership structure despite competition from the likes of other fund companies like Schwab and Fidelity that promise low fees on certain funds. While many of these other companies are either corporate-owned or owned by third parties, Vanguard is owned by its funds, which are owned by their investors. This means that the profits generated by operating the funds are returned to investors in the form of lower fees. As such, it makes it very difficult for other companies, which are beholden to their shareholders, to compete on price. Vanguard introduced its suite of ETFs when the investment product gained widespread popularity. The mutual fund operator has since become the second-largest provider of ETFs behind Blackrock. Vanguards unique cost structure, the economies of scale it has achieved, and the total number of assets under management (AUM) allow it to offer its ETFs at the lowest cost available in the market. We've listed 10 of the firm's cheapest ETFs by their expense ratio. Key Takeaways Vanguard is a leading provider of low-cost exchange-traded funds. The firm is able to keep its low-cost edge across the fund spectrum based on a unique ownership structure. Although you can evaluate ETFs based on their expense ratios, their holdings and historical returns should also be considered. ETFs that invest in large-cap stocks include Vanguard's S&P 500 ETF and its Total Stock Market ETF. Vanguard also offers ETFs that invest in small-cap stocks, midcaps, value stocks, growth stocks, bonds, and international markets. The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF is one of Vanguards lowest-cost ETFs with a 0.03% expense ratio. It is also among the largest with $808 billion in assets. The fund seeks to track the performance of the Standard & Poors (S&P) 500 Index. The portfolio thus holds the same names as the index. The median market capitalization of companies in the fund is $193.6 billion and the top holdings are: Apple Microsoft Alphabet Amazon Tesla The top three sectors invested by the ETF included information technology, health care, and consumer discretionary. The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF returned 18.43% annually over the last five years and 28.66% during the past year. Year-to-date (YTD), shares returned -3.10% when based on the ETF's net asset value (NAV). The Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) The Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF is Vanguards oldest and largest ETF with $1.3 trillion in AUM. The fund covers the entire U.S. stock market for a rock bottom fee of 0.03%. The ETF holds more than 4,100 stocks in its portfolio, with an average market cap of $132.5 billion. The top three sectors are technology, consumer discretionary, and industries. Its top holdings are Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Tesla. According to Vanguard, the fund's 10-year return is 15.95%, its five-year return is 17.55%, and its YTD return is 21.1%. The Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) With $316.2 billion in assets under management, the Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF offers investors broad exposure to the fixed-income market. The expense ratio charged by Vanguard for this ETF is 0.035%. The fund holds more than 10,150 bonds in its portfolio, including 44% allocated to Treasury/agency bonds, 22% to government mortgage-backed bonds, and 16% to industrial bonds. The fund has returned 3.70% annually over the last five years and 3.01% over the last 10. The Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG) The Vanguard Growth ETF invests in stocks of large companies with high-growth potential and charges an expense ratio of 0.04%. The $183.3 billion in assets are weighted towards technology stocks. Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Tesla comprise the top five out of almost 300 holdings. The fund returned 19.02% annually over the last 10 years, 24.62% over the last five years, and 25.07% year-to-date. The Vanguard Large-Cap ETF (VV) The Vanguard Large-Cap ETF invests in stocks representing the largest 85% of the U.S. stock market, which ranges from large multinational companies to mid-cap ones. The funds expense ratio is 0.04%. The fund, which has $41.2 billion in assets, holds more than 600 stocks in its portfolio, with an average market cap of $184.9 billion. Technology, consumer discretionary, and health care represent the biggest sectors within the fund and the top five holdings include Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Tesla. The fund's 10-year annual return is 16.24%, its five-year return is 18.22%. It returned 22.23% on a YTD basis. Asset under management figures, sector weightings, and top holdings for the Vanguard ETFs in this article are as of March. 31, 2021. The Vanguard Value ETF (VTV) The Vanguard Value ETF invests in approximately 350 large-cap value stocks in the U.S. and comes with an expense ratio of 0.04% This ETF has $134.4 billion in AUM and holds 344 stocks from numerous industry groups: financials, health care, and industrials are the largest sectors. The average market cap of the companies in the ETF is $117.9 billion. Its top five holdings are: Berkshire Hathaway JPMorgan Chase UnitedHealth Johnson & Johnson Bank of America Over the last 10 years, the fund returned 13.25% annually and over five years, 11.60%. Its year-to-date return was almost 18.32%. The Vanguard Midcap ETF (VO) The Vanguard Midcap ETF has an expense ratio of 0.04%, providing investors with low-cost access to a diversified group of medium-sized companies in the U.S. It has $165.4 billion AUM, which is invested in 380 stocks that have a median market cap of $27.4 billion. Technology accounts for more than 19% of the fund's portfolio, followed by industrials (15.5%) and consumer discretionary stocks (14.5%). The top five holdings are Dexcom, Marvell Technology, MSCI, Synopsis, and IQVIA Holdings. The fund's 10-year return is 14.65% and the five-year return is 15.14%. It has returned 17.36% year-to-date. The Vanguard Small-Cap ETF (VB) The Vanguard Small-Cap ETF invests in a diversified group of small companies. The fund has an expense ratio of 0.05% and $94 billion in assets under management. VB is invested in 1,527 stocks, with industrials, consumer discretionary, and financials representing the biggest sectors. The fund's top five holdings are Bio-Techne, Pool Corp., Diamondback Energy, Entegris, and VICI Properties. Over the last 10 years, the ETF returned 13.79% annually and, over the last five, 13.13%. Its year-to-date return was 11.42%. The Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF (VTIP) With $56.9 billion in AUM and an expense ratio of 0.05%, the Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF gives investors access to bonds backed by the federal government. It also aims to provide protection from inflationary risks or other unexpected inflationary surprises. The fund is invested in just 20 government-backed bonds. Among the holdings, almost 25% are three to four-year bonds while two-to-three-year bonds comprise 20.5% of the portfolio. The remaining 17% consists of bonds with maturities of less than two years and four to five years. The fund, whose benchmark index is the Bloomberg US 0-5 Year TIPS Index, returned 3.27% annually in five years and 4.81% year-to-date. The Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (VEA) With more than $163.6 billion in AUM, the Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF has become a very popular low-cost way for investors to gain broad exposure to foreign developed economies and markets. The funds expense ratio is 0.05%. The fund invests heavily in the European and Pacific markets and holds over 4,000 stocks. The median market cap for the fund is $37.2 billion. The top five holdings are Nestle, Samsung Electronics, ASML Holding, Roche Holding, and Toyota. The fund returned 7.77% annually over the last 10 years and 9.68% over the last five years. Year-to-date, it is up 6.22%. What Is the 90/10 Strategy? Legendary investor Warren Buffett invented the 90/10" investing strategy for the investment of retirement savings. The method involves deploying 90% of one's investment capital into stock-based index funds while allocating the remaining 10% of money toward lower-risk investments. This system aims to generate higher yields in the overall portfolio over the long-term. Following this method, Buffett professes the potential gains an individual investor could achieve will be superior compared to those investors who employ high-fee investment managers. However, much depends on the quality of the index funds the investor purchases. Key Takeaways The 90/10 investing strategy for retirement savings involves allocating 90% of one's investment capital in low-cost S&P 500 index funds and the remaining 10% in short-term government bonds. In a letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, Warren Buffett outlines his plans to follow the 90/10 rule regarding his wife's inheritance, which will be invested 90% in an S&P 500 index fund and 10% in government bonds. The 90/10 investing rule is a suggested benchmark that investors can easily modify to reflect their tolerance to investment risk. Alison Czinkota / Investopedia How the 90/10 Strategy Works A typical application of the 90/10 strategy involves the use of short-term Treasury Bills (T-Bills) for the 10%, fixed-income component of the portfolio. Investment of the remaining 90% is in higher-risk (but low-cost) index funds. For example, an investor with a $100,000 portfolio electing to employ a 90/10 strategy might invest $90,000 in an S&P 500 index fund. The remaining $10,000 might go toward one-year Treasury Bills, which in our hypothetical scenario yield 4% per annum. Of course, the 90/10 rule is merely a suggested benchmark, which may be easily modified to reflect a given investors tolerance to investment risk. Investors with lower risk tolerance levels can adjust lower equity portions to the equation. For instance, an investor who sits at the lower end of the risk spectrum may adopt a 40/60 or even 30/70 split model. The only requirement is that the investor earmarks the more substantial portion of the portfolio funds for safer investments, such as shorter-term bonds that have an A- or better rating. Calculating 90/10 Strategy Annual Returns To calculate the returns on such a portfolio, the investor must multiply the allocation by the return and then add those results. Using the example above, if the S&P 500 returns 10% at the end of one year, the calculation is (0.90 x 10% + 0.10 x 4%) resulting in a 9.4% return. However, if the S&P 500 declines by 10%, the overall return on the portfolio after one year would be -8.6% using the calculation (0.90 x -10% + 0.10 x 4%). A benefit of index funds is that they have lower management fees than other funds because they are passively managed. Real-World Example of 90/10 Strategy Buffett not only advocates for the 90/10 plan in theory, but he actively puts this principle into practice as reported in Berkshire Hathaway's 2013 letter to shareholders. Most notably, Buffett uses the principle as a trust and estate planning directive for his wife, as laid out in his will: My money, I should add, is where my mouth is: What I advise here is essentially identical to certain instructions Ive laid in my will. One bequest provides that cash will be delivered to a trustee for my wifes benefit. (I have to use cash for individual bequests, because all of my Berkshire shares will be fully distributed to certain philanthropic organizations over the ten years following the closing of my estate.) My advice to the trustee could not be more simple: Put 10% of the cash in short-term government bonds and 90% in a very low-cost S&P 500 index fund. (I suggest Vanguards.) I believe the trusts long-term results from this policy will be superior to those attained by most investorswhether pension funds, institutions, or individualswho employ high-fee managers. Special Considerations There are variations of Buffett's 90/10 investing strategy that take into consideration the investor's age and risk tolerance. As an investor nears retirement, it's frequently a good idea to rebalance a portfolio to reflect a more conservative approach toward investing. The investor's need to protect their nest egg so they have funds to live on during retirement becomes paramount over the need for continuous growth. For this reason, the percentages in the investment strategy might change considerably. One approach has the investor switching the allocations so that 90% of funds are put in low-risk government bonds and 10% are invested in index funds. Additionally, investors who are bearish may opt for these allocation amounts as part of a crash protection strategy. Other approaches change the percentages for each investment type depending on the investor's risk tolerance combined with other factors, such as their desire to leave an estate to their heirs or the availability of other assets they can draw upon during retirement. Real estate exchange-traded funds (ETFs) hold baskets of securities in the real estate sector, providing investors with a less expensive way to invest in the industry compared to other options. These funds often focus specifically on real estate investment trusts (REITs), which are securitized portfolios of real estate properties. REITs offer investors income potential as well as the liquidity of traditional stocks. Some of the major names in the REIT space include Vornado Realty Trust (VNO) and Welltower Inc. (WELL). Investing in these and other REITs allows investors to receive dividend distributions. Although the financial returns may be lower than owning an entire building and pocketing all the rental income, there is less risk. Key Takeaways The real estate sector outperformed the broader market over the past year. The REIT ETFs with the best one-year trailing total returns are KBWY, NURE, and VRAI. The top holdings of these three ETFs are Global Net Lease Inc., Extra Space Storage Inc., and Steel Dynamics Inc., respectively. There are 32 REIT ETFs that trade in the U.S., excluding inverse and leveraged ETFs as well as ETFs with less than $50 million in assets under management (AUM). The real estate sector, as measured by the S&P 500 Real Estate Sector Index, outperformed the broader equity market over the past year. The index provided a total return of -0.1% over the past 12 months, above the S&P 500's total return of -3.1%, as of Aug. 17, 2022. The best-performing REIT ETF over the past 12 months is the Invesco KBW Premium Yield Equity REIT ETF (KBWY). We look at the best three REIT ETFs below. All numbers below are as of Aug. 17, 2022. In order to focus on the funds' investment strategy, the top holdings listed for each ETF exclude cash holdings and holdings purchased with securities lending proceeds except under unusual cases, such as when the cash portion is exceptionally large. One-Year Trailing Total Return: 6.3% Expense Ratio: 0.35% Annual Dividend Yield: 5.52% Three-Month Average Daily Volume: 132,356 Assets Under Management: $311.0 million Inception Date: Dec. 2, 2010 Issuer: Invesco KBWY is designed to track the KBW Nasdaq Premium Yield Equity REIT Index, which is based on a modified dividend yield weighting methodology. The fund focuses on the lower end of the market capitalization spectrum, with around 80% of the portfolio allocated to small-cap REITs and the remaining 20% invested in mid-cap firms. The index and fund undergo rebalancing on a quarterly basis, which occurs on the third Friday of the final month in each quarter. The top holdings of the Invesco KBW Premium Yield Equity REIT ETF include Global Net Lease Inc. (GNL), which invests in commercial properties primarily in the U.S. and Europe; Class A shares of The Necessity Retail REIT Inc. (RTL), specializing in U.S. retail and service-oriented properties; and Omega Healthcare Investors Inc. (OHI), a REIT focused on nursing and assisted living facilities. One-Year Trailing Total Return: 5.1% Expense Ratio: 0.35% Annual Dividend Yield: 2.05% Three-Month Average Daily Volume: 35,572 Assets Under Management: $125.2 million Inception Date: Dec. 19, 2016 Issuer: TIAA The Nuveen Short-Term REIT ETF aims to track the Dow Jones U.S. Select Short-Term REIT Index, which is composed of U.S. exchange-traded equity REITs with holdings concentrated in apartment buildings, hotels, self-storage facilities, and manufactured home properties. The ETF provides exposure to REITs with short-term lease agreements. These types of REITs are likely to be less sensitive to interest rate changes than REITs with longer-term lease agreements. Just over half of the fund's holdings consist of apartment REITs, with self-storage and hotel REITs making up the bulk of the remainder. NURE's top holdings are Extra Space Storage Inc. (EXR) and Public Storage (PSA), two REITs that operate self-storage facilities, as well as AvalonBay Communities Inc. (AVB), which holds ownership interest in apartment communities throughout the U.S. One-Year Trailing Total Return: 3.7% Expense Ratio: 0.55% Annual Dividend Yield: 3.88% Three-Month Average Daily Volume: 15,928 Assets Under Management: $139.1 million Inception Date: Feb. 7, 2019 Issuer: Vital Investment Partners The benchmark of the Virtus Real Asset Income ETF is the Indxx Real Asset Income Index, offering investors exposure to a basket of equities in the real estate, natural resources, and infrastructure sectors. According to ETF issuer Virtus Investment Partners, VRAI "differs from other real asset strategies in that it does not directly invest in hard assets or commodity instruments; rather, it exclusively invests in stocks in real asset categories and has a specific focus on income." With its diversified approach across a variety of segments, VRAI provides growth opportunities as well as potential inflation protection. True to its multi-faceted composition, VRAI's top holdings include Steel Dynamics Inc. (STLD), which engages in metal production and recycling; Delek Logistics Partners LP (DKL), a midstream oil and gas company; and Class A shares of Sitio Royalties Corp. (STR), which invests in oil and gas royalties in the U.S. The comments, opinions, and analyses expressed herein are for informational purposes only and should not be considered individual investment advice or recommendations to invest in any security or adopt any investment strategy. While we believe the information provided herein is reliable, we do not warrant its accuracy or completeness. The views and strategies described in our content may not be suitable for all investors. Because market and economic conditions are subject to rapid change, all comments, opinions, and analyses contained within our content are rendered as of the date of the posting and may change without notice. The material is not intended as a complete analysis of every material fact regarding any country, region, market, industry, investment, or strategy. For decades, through the boom and bust years of the 20th century, the American automotive industry had an immense impact on the domestic economy. The number of new cars sold annually was a reliable indicator of the nation's economic strength. But when the recession hit in 2007-2008, new car sales declined precipitously, reflecting the overall decrease in consumer spending. Help Although Ford had a cash reserve of billions as a hedge against hard times, other automakers like General Motors (GM) and Chrysler faced bankruptcy and the United States government stepped in with bailout money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to rescue the sinking firms. In early February 2012, however, news reports showed the multi-billion dollar U.S. automotive industry was enjoying a brisk recovery, and both GM and Chrysler have paid back the government bailout loans. Big profits were posted again. GM, Ford and Chrysler, Detroit's so-called "Big Three," the classic OEM manufacturers, were flourishing. American auto making companies reigned worldwide in 2012 as the biggest and most profitable. Few could have foreseen the industry colossus which rose from its inauspicious origins more than a century earlier. Growth With the invention of the automobile and the mass production techniques of Henry Ford, which made the machine affordable, the American economy has been transformed by this key element in its prosperity. Tens of thousands of jobs were created as the industry grew. Workers were required for the assembly lines on which they were constructed. Part by part, Ford's model Ts became the first most popular, affordable, mass produced cars. The steel industry and machine tool makers also flourished as the automotive industry required ever-increasing supplies and components for the engines, chassis and other metal fixtures of the cars. Beyond these basics, every car needed a battery, head lights, interior upholstery and paint. Entirely new businesses, or subsidiaries of existing business, were created to meet the needs of the automobile industry as it grew incrementally year after year. Other unexpected economic effects rippled outward into numerous additional industries as more people bought and operated automobiles and eventually became an essential mode of transportation and commerce. Creation Cars required insurance coverage, which accounted for hundreds of millions in revenue for insurance companies. Nationwide advertising campaigns for cars added millions to ad agencies and print and broadcast media. The maintenance and repair of cars became a major business. One of the biggest winners of all was the petroleum industry which sold gasoline for the ever-expanding numbers of cars on the road. When World War II began, the automotive industry geared up for military production. The Jeep, a highly maneuverable, overland vehicle first built by the Willys Company, was manufactured in large numbers for military use. Chrysler retooled to build tanks. In the immediate years after World War II, pent up demand for new cars gave the industry a boost in profits. Under the Eisenhower administration in the early 1950s, a national network of interstate highways was built. When the system was completed, a driver could cross the country on the four-lane roads from New York to Los Angeles without encountering a single red light. Suburbia As Americans became more mobile, millions moved into the developing and evolving suburbs just beyond the metropolitan limits of the country's large cities. Suburban housing construction boomed to serve the lodging requirements of families leaving cramped cities for relatively spacious ranch homes on a sizable plot of land. Countless returning veterans were among the new suburbanites, encouraged and enabled to purchase homes by the generous terms of government insured loans for people who had served in the military. Further adding to the economic boom were the furnishings, household appliances and hundreds of additional incidental items needed for each new home. The trucking industry also enjoyed a sustained period of economic growth, beginning in the Interstate Highway era, as more goods were shipped via truck, and through a so-called "piggy-back" system through which trucks were transported by train to key locations and then unloaded from the railroads and sent to their destinations via roads. The impact on the American economy of these industries and their commercial enterprises and accomplishments was immense. The U.S. economy was booming, especially the automobile industry. In some years, 10 million new cars were sold. For many years afterwards, American auto manufacturers dominated the world market. But after a period of complacency, major auto makers encountered the formidable competition of foreign auto makers, principally the Japanese and Germans. Market share was lost by American cars to these new foreign brands, which provided better gas mileage, affordability and attractive design features. But the U.S. auto industry, with the help of government loans, recaptured its dominance and by 2012 once more reigned supreme as the world's largest and most profitable. The Early Years In 1895 there were only four cars officially registered in the U.S. Little more than 20 years later in 1916, 3,376,889 were registered. Numerous entrepreneurs and inventors went into the auto-making business to meet an ever-growing demand for the vehicle once derisively called a "horseless carriage," which made the horse and buggy all but obsolete. The names of these early automakers some of which survived for many decades, and a few are still operating today are near-legendary: GM, Ford, Olds Motor Company, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Pierce Arrow, Oakland Motor Car and the Stanley Steamer, to cite just a few. Many of these firms were located in the Detroit area, and there the Big Three remain to this day. Among the more notable early automakers was The Ford Motor Company, which is still in business and flourishing again in 2012 after the difficult recession of 2007-2008. Although Henry Ford is often mistakenly thought to be the inventor of the automobile -- he was not -- he was nevertheless a great innovator. His goal, as he was quoted as saying, was to "...build a motor car for the great multitude." To achieve this end, he deliberately reduced his company's profit margins to achieve greater unit sales. In 1909, a Ford cost $825 and the company sold 10,000 of them that first year. Soon, the automobile became a necessity rather than a luxury item, as it was first positioned in industry marketing and advertising. In 1914, Ford raised his workers' pay to an unprecedented-at-the-time $5 a day, doubling the average salary, and cut work hours from 9 hours to 8 hours. Ford's assembly line innovations and management techniques cut production time for the Model T from 12 hours and eight minutes in 1913, to one car every 24 seconds in 1927 when the last of the model Ts were manufactured. In less than 20 years, from 1909 to 1927, Ford built more than 15 million cars. The Depression Years Although a record number of cars were sold in 1929 -- the year of the stock market crash in October which ushered in the Great Depression -- car sales decreased substantially during those years. The U.S. economy, suffering in general, was especially hard hit by the decline in the automobile industry. Jobs were lost in the industry itself, and in many of the ancillary businesses associated with automotive manufacturing. Nevertheless, the automotive industry continued to offer innovative features and designs. Chrysler and DeSoto made cars with new, aerodynamic streamlining. By 1934, despite hard economic times, some 40% of American families owned cars. The United Auto Workers Union was organized in 1935, providing union members in the auto industry with an increase in wages and other benefits. The union went on strike several times in later years, extracting more benefits from the companies for which they worked. Some economists claimed that union benefits including pensions, became financially burdensome for the companies which provided them, creating nearly insurmountable financial problems and leading to bankruptcies. In 1938, GM launched a line of cars with Hydra-Matic, a partially automatic gear shifting feature. Two years later, Oldsmobile and Cadillac made cars with the first fully automatic transmissions. In 1941, Packard became the first brand to offer air conditioning. Post World War II America's mighty economic resources and manufacturing capacity were turned to the great military challenges confronting it. The major automakers converted their production facilities to war-time vehicles Jeeps, tanks, trucks and armored cars. During the war, only 139 passenger vehicles for civilian use were made in the U.S. When the war ended in 1945, pent-up consumer demand for new cars created a new boom in the industry and profits hit new highs. By 1948, the American auto industry rolled out its 100 millionth car, and Buick introduced its Dynaflow automatic transmission. More innovations followed, including power steering, disk breaking and power windows. But in 1958, Toyotas and Datsuns -- Japanese-made automobiles -- were imported into the U.S. for the first time, and American auto makers began losing market shares to the well-engineered, gas-saving and affordable foreign vehicles. Foreign-made, fuel-efficient cars gained a stronger foothold in the American market during and after the 1973 oil embargo and corresponding rise in gas prices in the wake of the Arab-Israeli war. American firms Ford, GM and Chrysler responded by manufacturing new lines of smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. In the ensuing years, Honda opened a U.S. factory, Toyota introduced the luxury Lexus and GM launched the Saturn, a new brand, and some American firms bought stakes in foreign companies to exploit the growing overseas markets. By the turn of the century, the U.S. was still the world's top automaker, but in less than a decade it would suffer a major decline as a devastating recession set in. A comprehensive study of the automotive industry's contribution to the U.S. economy, the most recent compilation of complete data, was commissioned in the fall of 2003, and was prepared for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. Some 9.8% of U.S. jobs were directly or indirectly related to the automobile industry, representing 5.6% of worker compensation. Auto production represented 3.3% of gross domestic product. Although Ford celebrated the 100th anniversary of its Model T in 2008, there was no cause for GM to celebrate. The auto-making giant posted an annual loss of $39 billion for 2007, the biggest loss ever for any automaker. This colossal failure reflected the slump in the U.S. economy, and the ceding of market share to foreign brands, mainly the Japanese Toyota. Chrysler was also hit with losses, and along with GM, both of which declared bankruptcy, received a total of $63.5 billion in "bailout" money in loans from TARP, an appropriation of funds to help various major businesses which suffered losses due to the recession. Ford, however, did not ask for bailout funds because it had set aside a reserve fund of nearly $25 billion which helped it through the difficult period. The United Auto Workers Union, in an effort in 2007 to help the struggling industry, agreed in contract negotiations, to concessions and give-backs on wages and health benefits. In early 2012, the U.S. economy showed signs of a modest recovery. Unemployment figures declined to 8.3%, according to the government's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Miraculously, also in 2012, like a phoenix rising from its own ashes, the U.S. automobile industry seemed to be recovering from its financial woes. GM posted a net profit of $7.6 billion, the most ever reported by the firm. Chrysler announced a profit of $183 million, its first net profit since its bankruptcy. Apparently, the U.S. government's bailout of the auto industry was effective. Chrysler had paid back $11.2 billion in government loans, along with GM, which also repaid the government in full, with interest and years ahead of the due date. The Bottom Line There were almost 250 million cars, trucks and SUVs on American roads in 2012. About 25 years would be required to replace all of them, given the current rate of yearly automobile sales. So, even though the American auto industry is the world's most profitable in 2012, some analysts were still only moderately optimistic about its future. While U.S. auto sales increased substantially in China, the European market for U.S. cars is struggling. Despite its huge profits, GM announced major cost-cutting initiatives. If the U.S. economy continues it's apparent, although slow and as yet not too vigorous recovery, auto sales are likely to improve as well. Americans love and need their motor vehicles -- for work, business and pleasure -- and the American auto-making industry will prosper as the nation prospers. But it may take a while. Apples Let us loop you in March 21st media event starts in just over 48 hours from now. Apple is widely expected to unveil a new 4-inch iPhone dubbed iPhone SE, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, and new Apple Watch bands at the event.The event is being held in the companys Town Hall auditorium located on its 1 Infinite Loop campus in Cupertino, California. Apple has announced that it will be live streaming the event, and also already released an update to its Apple Events app for the event. The event is set to kick off at 10 am Pacific Time. If you are wondering what time the event will start in your time zone then weve you covered. Check out the table below to find out when Apples March 21 event will start in your time zone so you can plan your day accordingly. If you dont find your city in the list, then head over to TimeandDate to find out the time it will start. Apple will live stream of the event to iOS devices and Macs. Check our post to find out how to watch the event live on your iOS device, Mac, and even Android or Windows PC. As always, well be bringing live and exhaustive coverage of the event, so dont forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and RSS. Mondays event wont be as exciting as last years event where Apple launched the Apple Watch, but Im sure many of you have been waiting for Apple to launch a new version of the 4-inch iPhone. I am excited about the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. When I reviewed the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, I really loved it, but I returned it as it was just too heavy to be used as a tablet, and it failed as a desktop replacement due to iOS software limitations. While I dont expect the software issues to be addressed until iOS 10, I hope that it is a lot lighter than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. What about you folks? Are you looking forward to the event? You may also want to check out: Skeletons of over 500 children who died during the Great Hunger were found buried in a mass grave within what was once the Kilkenny Union Workhouse. With over three years of research on their bones, bio-archaeologists in 2014 uncovered the children's harrowing stories and medical secrets. The study, funded by the Irish Research Council, is based upon the skeleton manifestation of stress in child victims of the Great Hunger. Although it is known that more than half of those who died in the Great Hunger were children, little research has so far been focused on their experiences before death. 545 children were buried within the grounds of the Kilkenny Union Workhouse between 1847 and 1851, almost two-thirds of whom were under age six when they died. IrishCentral History Love Irish history? Share your favorite stories with other history buffs in the IrishCentral History Facebook group. Skeletal studies found that all of the infants between six and twelve months and three-quarters of the children between one and twelve years of age had been affected by stunted growth. University College Cork bio-archaeologist Dr. Jonny Geber examined the skeletons over a period of three years, focusing on how children who lost their parents suffered during the Great Hunger. Although many children's parents died, children over the age of two were also taken away from their parents because of workhouse segregation. It is really sad when you now think about the youngest children trying to cope with this situation and then how many of them ended up dying in the workhouse, Dr. Geber told the Irish Examiner. With this research, I can tell the story of those who did not survive the Famine, which is a story that has never been told. Through interpreting their skeletons you can get a unique insight. According to Dr. Geber, most deaths during the Great Hunger were caused by infectious diseases rather than directly by starvation. Read more Cork witness recorded shock at poverty and death during the Great Hunger Studies on the teeth revealed that scurvy was rampant among the children. Its a very painful disease as it affects your muscles, and you also get bleeding gums which we could see along the teethit may have been painful to eat for these children. The tooth examinations also found that children whod already experienced illness before the Great Hunger was likely to survive longer than the other children. On top of malnutrition, scurvy and various infectious diseases, the study suggests that the children were put under severe physical as well as mental distress in the workhouse, especially the ones whod been separated from their parents. Young children need a lot of emotional security and comfort for their well-being and Id say they lost a lot of that when they went into the workhouse, Dr. Geber said. There are many studies that tell how lack of emotional comfort and care increase the risk of death in small children that are institutionalized. * Originally published in September 2014. Its official! Last week, IrishCentral reported that there were very strong indications Star Wars Episode VII would be returning to Ireland, to shoot in the appropriately ethereal Co. Donegal. The final, pivotal scene in Star Wars Episode VIII: The Force Awakens, was filmed on Skellig Michael in Co. Kerry, so many people were anticipating a return for the next installment, and location scouts had reportedly booked up many of the hotels in the most northerly peninsula of Inishowen (the starting point of the Wild Atlantic Way) for the month of May. Now, Lucasfilm has directly confirmed that Ireland will be reprising its other-worldly role in Star Wars Episode VIII. Candice Campos, Lucasfilms vice president of physical production, said in a statement that the company is thrilled to return to Ireland to film several sequences for the next chapter in the Star Wars saga. Campos did not confirm that Donegal specifically would be a location, but she did note that The beauty of Skellig Michael in the final scene of The Force Awakens was stunning and we know the new locations along the Wild Atlantic Way will prove to be equally as beautiful in Star Wars: Episode VIII. We want to thank the people of Ireland for their warm welcome and continued support. Ireland has become an important part of Star Wars history, she added. Skellig Michael, the small island off the coast of Kerry thats home to a centuries-old abandoned monastery, ranks high among the worlds most beautiful and mysterious places, and sure looked absolutely stunning in the final moments of The Force Awakens. But, as a film location, it also presented a unique set of challenges: its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site and a delicate puffin population meant that the film crew had to be extra careful, and the temperamental waters surrounding the rocky outcrop led to delays in filming, on days when boats could not reach the island. Heather Humphreys, Irelands Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht said that her department had been working with Disney Lucasfilm over recent months in a bid to accommodate the return of Star Wars to Ireland. Disney Lucasfilm have developed a strong affinity for Ireland, and I am delighted to see them return to Ireland for further filming around our beautiful and dramatic coastline. She also spoke of the tourism boost the Star Wars films have brought to Ireland. We have already seen how the most recent Star Wars film has brought Sceilg Mhichil and southwest Kerry to a global audience. Now, further locations around the Irish Coast will experience similar exposure, providing untold benefits to the tourism and film sectors, she said. Its expected that Lucasfilm will reveal more about the film locations in the coming months. With the Wild Atlantic Way, theyll have quite an array to choose from. Stretching from Kinsale, County Cork in the south to Malin Head, Donegal in the north, the Wild Atlantic Way runs for 1,553 miles, making it the longest coastal touring route in the world. The route takes in seven counties in three provinces (Ulster, Connaught and Munster) and is defined by its Atlantic Ocean views of islands, dramatic rugged coastline, cliffs and peninsulas. This video will give you a fair idea of its beauty: H/T The Journal A British exit from the European Union would be very bad news for Ireland. Voters in the U.K. will vote on the Brexit, as its known, at a referendum on Thursday, June 23. The worst case scenario would see tariffs go up between the trading partners. About 16 percent of Irish exports go to Britain, a figure that is probably on the low side given the distortion of export numbers by U.S. multinational repatriation policies. The opinion polls show that Britain right now would remain in Europe, but the numbers are by no means home free with a seven to 10 point gap between those who want to stay and those who want to leave. Such numbers can change in the middle of a campaign, especially one as hard to adjudicate as this. There has never been the same warmth towards Europe from Britain as there is from Ireland, and that is unlikely to change. The real disaster could be the re-installation of border checkpoints and customs the length of the Irish partition line. The psychological reality of a return to the bad old border days with the opportunity for violence by paramilitaries and others would be very real. British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers has been disingenuous on this issue, pronouncing herself one of the most high level supporters of exiting the EU while assuring the Irish it will not result in bringing back the border. She seems caught in a paradox and is not the most suitable British representative in Northern Ireland at this point. While unionists might initially welcome the return to the good old isolationist days, their businesses would also be deeply affected by lengthy delays, not to mention losing huge EU subsidies in the agricultural region. It is worrying, however, to see Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster, who has just taken over the job, display a clear favoritism towards her own side at every opportunity. Recently when naming Northern Irish towns she made a point of not mentioning any with nationalist populations. She also refused to attend the American Ireland Fund dinner in Washington, D.C. this week, absurdly deeming the organization too green -- which is like calling Barack Obama too black to deal with. Her refusal to get on with governing is distressing to say the least, and Brexit might give her another opportunity to vacillate. So worried are the Irish government that they have begun to urge the Irish in Britain to influence their fellow emigrants to vote against Brexit as a matter of urgency. On the face of it, the Brexit supporters should lose, especially with a concerted campaign by British leader David Cameron and improved deals with the EU. But lets not forget it was Cameron himself who mooted holding the referendum to begin with, and unintended consequences may well occur. The notion of Northern Ireland stepping back into its cheerless past with border lines, currently non existent, redrawn again is very damaging indeed. Let us hope that the people of Britain feel the same way. If they dont we will have yet another crisis in the North on our hands. The PlayStation VR headset displayed for testing. (Photo : GettyImages/Christian Petersen) The PlayStation VR bundle has finally been unveiled by Sony, and it will include all of the essential components for the VR headset to work. It will have a price of $499.99 in North America and $699.99 in Canada. On March 22, game retailers in North America will allow gamers to pre-order for the PlayStation VR launch bundle, PlayStationLifestyle reported. The bundle will be available exclusively for pre-sale and the amount will only be limited. Advertisement US gamers will be looking forward to the PlayStation VR bundle with contents like the PlayStation VR headset, PlayStation VR cables, PlayStation VR demo disc, stereo headphones, PlayStation Camera, "PlayStation VR Worlds" disc and two PlayStation Move controllers. John Koller from Sony has explained that at $499.99, the bundle gives great value for consumers who are interested in VR gaming with the PlayStation 4. With a PS VR launch game "PlayStation VR Worlds," Sony guarantees that customers will enjoy the VR experience, Koller continued. For those who will miss out on this round for pre-orders, Sony says to not worry, according to Engadget. The company guarantees that consumers will get a second chance in the second wave, which will happen this coming summer. For those who want the PlayStation VR core bundle, it has a price of $399.99 in North America. The bundle will contain the PlayStation VR headset, cables, headphones and a demo disc. It will not be available for pre-order unfortunately, so gamers will have to wait. Sony specifically notes that the PlayStation VR headset needs the PlayStation camera for it to work. For those who are planning to purchase the PlayStation VR core bundle instead, additional purchase of the camera will be necessary. The PlayStation Move controllers are only optional add-ons for the set. Meanwhile, Sony's PlayStation VR set will be available for purchase in October 2016. There is still no specific day of the release. Furthermore, there is still no news if the bundle will be available in other regions like Europe or Asia in October. According to WIRED, they are still waiting for the UK launch details. A Sony UK representative replied that their branch has not "announced anything for the EU at this stage." Check out the PlayStation VR features video below: With the Republican presidential nomination looking more and more like it will be Donald Trumps for the taking at the Republican National Convention in July, some party members are looking to alternative candidates who could swoop in at the last minute. Earlier this week, John Boehner, the Republican former Speaker of the House, suggested Paul Ryan (R WI), the current Speaker of the House, as a prime candidate. Speaking to reporters at the Future Industries conference in Florida, Boehner said "If we don't have a nominee who can win on the first ballot, I'm for none of the above," referring to the requirement that the presidential nominee secure a certain number of delegate votes in the primaries in order to move forward. "They all had a chance to win. None of them won. So I'm for none of the above. I'm for Paul Ryan to be our nominee" he said. Read More: New House Speaker Paul Ryan's strong Irish roots and identity Politico reports that Boehner has long whispered to friends that he believes Ryan could be the party's political savior if it came to that. He has also, in the past, referred to candidate Ted Cruz (R TX) as Lucifer and a jackass. To secure the nomination, candidates must have at least 1,237 delegate votes. At this stage in the primaries, Trump has 678, Cruz has 423 and John Kasich (R OH), has 143. Ryans spokesperson AshLee Strong stated that he is grateful for the support, but he is not interested. He will not accept a nomination and believes our nominee should be someone who ran this year. However, in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday the day Washington celebrated St. Patricks Day, hence Ryans green tie and shamrock pin Ryan did not totally rule out the possibility of accepting the nomination. "You know, I haven't given any thought to this stuff," Ryan said. "People say, 'What about the contested convention?' I say, well, there are a lot of people running for president. We'll see. Who knows?" He did establish, though, that he would not be running or doing any campaigning for the nomination . "I actually think you should run for president if you're going to be president, if you want to be president," he said. "I'm not running for president. I made that decision, consciously, not to." Ryan was elected Speaker of the House last October. As we learned during the 2012 Presidential race when he ran for VP on the Romney ticket, Ryan has strong Irish roots. His Irish ancestor, James Ryan, arrived in the United States from Kilkenny in 1851, just six years after the Great Famine in Ireland began. Would you prefer Paul Ryan to any of the current Republican presidential candidates? Share your thoughts in the comment section. A popular tradition in Irish names could help you trace your Irish roots. Our ancestors in Ireland had a very strong tradition of naming the eldest children in each family. Its really interesting to see this naming pattern in your own family tree, but its especially valuable to know for family history research. This naming pattern was most prevalent from around the late 18th century to the middle of the 20th. Heres the gist of it: - The eldest son would be named after his paternal grandfather - The second son would be named after his maternal grandfather - The third son would be named after his father - The fourth son would be named after his fathers oldest brother Read more Are you Irish? These are the best ways to begin researching your Irish roots The amazing thing about this naming pattern is how closely it was followed across levels of Irish society and in different religious denominations. Its very likely your family followed this tradition pretty closely. Knowing this can explain recurring names throughout your family tree and can help you when trying to decide if an ancestor you found fits in. There was also a similar naming pattern for girls, although it wasnt followed as closely as it was for boys. As time went on, naming fashions came to be the reason for girls' names, first among wealthy families and then increasingly among everyone. This could be motivated by the simple fact of maiden names once a girl would marry, her original family name would be lost. Perhaps this caused families to place less emphasis on female naming traditions. Read more How to trace your roots in Ireland - tips on finding your Irish ancestors How to use this for family history research While you might be tempted, knowing this pattern doesnt mean you should rush to fill in missing branches of your family tree just because you have a clue to someones first name. One of the main challenges of Irish genealogy is not having anything at all to begin your search. Thats where understanding this naming pattern can help. Its not enough to give you definitive evidence of an ancestors name, but its a great place to start looking. If youve hit a brick wall or are feeling totally lost, try to estimate some names based on this pattern. It will narrow your search results tremendously, and while it isnt guaranteed to turn up evidence of your ancestors, it could be the beginning of a trail that leads to an amazing discovery. For instance, if youre researching a family with the last name of Murphy (the most common name found in our Irish Catholic parish registers from County Cork), youre going to have a lot of names to search through. But if you know that your Irish immigrant ancestors first name was Patrick, you now have a place to start his grandfather may have been Patrick Murphy. Still a common name, but its a starting place. Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! Subscribe to IrishCentral While this wont give you the answer in and of itself, it could help you find their household. You may discover that someone with that name occupied a household with other family names you are certain are correct. Even knowing that youll still need more direct evidence linking your ancestry to that person, but the path will be easier if youve got a good hunch a certain member fits. This naming pattern can also explain when you find seemingly duplicate baptism records from the same family. Some families thought names to be so important that if a child with one died, it would be re-used on the next born child. When you see something like this in our Catholic Parish Records, it usually indicates the death of the older child and tells us that this name was particularly important to the family. This was both a way to honor and remember the deceased child, while still keeping the ever-important family naming tradition alive. This naming tradition might still exist in your family to this day. Do they keep the tradition alive? If not, go check out your family tree you may notice which names were the most important. H/T: Findmypast * Originally published in 2015. Updated in October 2022. An auction in England recently sold documents relating to Roger Casements trial, as well as several documents detailing plans of the 1916 Easter Rising, just in time for the commemorations this Easter. English auctioneers Chorleys held their Easter sale on Tuesday March 22, just days before the official Easter Rising commemoration, and fittingly had a very special lot up for grabs for all Irish history buffs. A collection of documents, plans and artifacts from the Easter Rising was offered for sale by a descendant of Major Frank Hall, a founding member of the Ulster Volunteer Force. In fact, Hall is famous in his own right as he was to go on to become the first Q at MI5. This codename was later to reach high levels of fame as it was used for a character in the Ian Fleming James Bond series. Before this, however, Hall was involved in the interrogation of Roger Casement regarding the 1916 Easter Rising, prior to Casements high-profile trial in England and his subsequent execution for his part in the attempts to acquire weapons for the rebellion in Ireland. Ironically, as a member of the UVF, Hall was himself involved in gun running to Ireland and he interrogated Casement about an act that he too had committed. Born into Irish landowning stock and educated in Harrow before serving with the Royal Artillery, Hall became involved in the Unionist cause on leaving the army. Reviving the Unionist Clubs and being a founding member and military secretary of the UVF, Hall is perhaps best known for diverting the attention of the Royal Irish Constabulary and the British during the Larne gun running. Hall was one of just 12 people to know the details of the gun running in April 1914 when 25,000 rifles and a large amount of ammunition were acquired from German arms dealers and smuggled into Larne and other locations with military efficiency. His role required short circuiting telegraph and telephone lines to keep authorities in the dark. Hall had been keeping tabs on Casement and other revolutionaries since 1914. Casement worked in the British Colonial Service for many years and was knighted in 1911 for his investigation into Human Rights abuses in Peru. It was on his retirement in 1913 that he became increasingly involved in the struggle for Irish home rule. When the First World War broke out, Casement hatched a plan to gain German assistance for home rule. He traveled to Germany in late 1914 to negotiate terms and to try and recruit Irish men held as German prisoners of war. On Casements departure to Germany, Hall told London, I have never met Sir R Casement but was invited to do so by a mutual acquaintance last June who then described him as a 'sincere nationalist'. I declined the honour and said I was a 'sincere imperialist'". When the Germans received confirmation that the Rising was to happen, they offered 20,000 rather ancient rifles and ten machine guns to the Irish in the hopes of distracting the British on the Western Front. Convincing the Germans to send him to Ireland with the weapons in a U-boat, Casement planned to halt the rebellion as he feared the number and nature of the weapons they had procured would ensure the failure of a military action. The mission to deliver the weapons was farcical, however, and they were intercepted by the Royal Navy and Casement was captured on 21st April, just hours after landing. Casements hopes of calling off the Rising were dashed. Read more: Dramatic 1916 prison letters written by Roger Casement revealed One particular document of interest in the lot was a map drawn by Casement while he was being interrogated by the British on Easter Sunday 1916 following the failed gun running. During his interrogation, Casement revealed where he had hidden a cache on landing in Ireland. After drawing a map to direct his interrogators to the exact spot, those questioning him came across pistols, binoculars, gold and silver, the spoils of which were divided between them. This particular lot alone reached $9,942 (7,000). Another item up for auction was a silver box presented to Captain Frank Hall by Friends in the Old Town Hall, Belfast, Xmas 1914, the Old Town being the headquarters of the UVF and under the lid are engraved the facsimile signatures of twelve prominent UVF members including their commander Sir George Richardson who oversaw the Larne gun running. This item reached $2,272 (1,600) at auction. The small lot of documents, letters and plans relating to the Easter Rising went up for auction also and included a telegraph sent to America two days prior to the Rising, appearing to announce that the operation performed on one of the Risings main masterminds, Thomas Clarke, just days before was a success. Tom operated on successfully today, the telegram reads. The telegram reached $8,521 (6,000) at auction. These famous Irish men inspired some beautiful, adoring letters and words from the women who loved them Not only have Irish people a way with words but they also have the ability to inspire amazing, romantic words from others. Just look at the letters of love sent to these famous Irish men. Read More: Irish seniors share the secret of love for St. Valentine's Day Kitty Kiernan to Michael Collins Kitty Kiernan was Michael Collinss fiancee and the two were set to be married before he was gunned down in Beal na Blath, Co. Cork in 1922. Even though she subsequently married, her last request was to be buried near to him. In one of her last letters to Michael Collins, Kitty Kiernan wrote: l was terrified that you would take all kinds of risks and how I wished to be near you so that I could put my arms tightly around your neck and that nothing could happen to you. I wouldn't be a bit afraid when I'd be beside you, and if you were killed I'd be dying with you and that would be great and far better than if I were left alone behind. I'd be very much alone if you were gone. Nothing could change that, and all last week and this I've realized it and that's what makes it so hard. Read More: Five Irish love stories that changed history Kitty OShea on falling in love with Charles Stewart Parnell Kitty OShea was the wife of an Irish Member of Parliament, Captain William OShea, when she met Parnell. They fell instantly in love, but he lost his political power when the affair was revealed. He died in her arms four months after they married at age 45. After he died, Kitty OShea wrote her reminiscence of when she first knew she loved Charles Stewart Parnell. It was the autumn of the year 1880. They had met earlier that summer and carried on an affair even though she was married. On the platform for Eltham at Charing Cross (train station) stood Mr. Parnell. As our eyes met he turned and walked by my side. He did not speak. He helped me into the train and sat opposite me. "I leant back and closed my eyes and could have slept but that the little flames deep down in Parnells eyes kept flickering before mine though they were closed. "He took off his coat and tucked it round me but I would not open my eye to look at him. He crossed over and leaning over me to fold the coat more closely round my knees he whispered, I love you and I slipped my hand into his and I knew I was not afraid. Read More: The romance and love stories of 1950s Irish dance halls Maud Gonne to William Butler Yeats Maud Gonne was WB Yeatss muse. He proposed to her four times, but she refused each one. Yet, she was his inspiration. ....at a quarter to 11 last night I put on this body & thought strongly of you & desired to go to you. We went somewhere in space I dont know where - I was conscious of starlight & of hearing the sea below us. You had taken the form I think of a great serpent, but I am not quite sure. I only saw your face distinctly & as I looked into your eyes (as I did the day in Paris you asked me what I was thinking of) & your lips touched mine. We melted into one another till we formed only one being, a being greater than ourselves who felt all & knew all with double intensity - the clock striking 11 broke the spell & as we separated it felt as if life was being drawn away from me through my chest with almost physical pain. Read More: On John Ford's birthday, remembering his Valentine to Maureen O'Hara Do you have your own Irish love story? Share in the comments! Oxfam Ireland is calling for more safe and legal routes for asylum seekers in order to ease the migration crisis in Europe. The charity is making the calls after a controversial deal was made yesterday by the leaders of 28 EU countries and Turkey. A 17-year-old has died in a road crash in Co Sligo overnight. The single vehicle collision happened on the Pier Road at Enniscrone at around 1.45am this morning when a van hit a wall. The teenage male was killed in the crash and pronounced dead at the scene. The 18-year-old driver was uninjured in the collision. The scene is currently closed while gardai carry out a technical examination of the scene. Update 1.50pm Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam will fight efforts to extradite him to France from Belgium, his lawyer has confirmed. Speaking to journalists, lawyer Sven Mary said: "We will refuse the extradition." The lawyer made the comments after he and Abdeslam met with a Belgian investigating magistrate who will decide whether to issue a formal arrest warrant. Belgian prosecutors said earlier they are confident the suspect will be extradited to France. Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, was discharged from a hospital in Brussels after being wounded while being captured Friday by police. French president Francois Hollande warned that more arrests will come as authorities try to dismantle a network involved in the attacks which is much larger than originally suspected. Update 1pm The main suspect in November's Paris terror attacks is facing questions from police after being discharged from hospital in Brussels. Salah Abdeslam was injured as Belgian authorities captured him during a raid yesterday. He has been transferred to a jail in Bruges and is believed to have spoken to his lawyers. Sarah Collins, a freelance journalist in Brussels, has the latest: The Belgian security council met this morning and maintained the terror level alert at level 3 Which means a terror attack is still likely, The Prime Minister has warned the country to remain vigilant, and has also said that Salah Abdelslam who was due to be extradited to France, that there is no problem with that but that the legal process has to take its course. France's interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve is hoping to fast-track proceedings so he can be extradited. Currently in police custody with four other individuals, Salah Abdeslam will have to answer for his actions to French judges. Justice is what the relatives of the 130 victims and our fellow citizens hope for. We consistently find by reducing trade, Brexit would lower UK living standards, wrote Swati Dhingra, Gianmarco Ottaviano, Thomas Sampson, and John Van Reenen at the LSEs Centre for Economic Performance. The fall in income per capita resulting from lower trade more than offsets any savings that the UK obtains from reduced fiscal contributions to the EU budget, they said. The June 23 poll has sparked a tense UK political debate, with champions of the EU pointing out that the bloc is the UKs largest export market and eurosceptics saying Britain should claw back sovereignty. While polls suggest the outcome is too close to call, bookmaker William Hill said the odds on an exit had shortened, indicating that outcome is becoming more likely. The studys baseline estimates imply the effect of quitting the EU would be equivalent to a decline in average household income of between 850 and 1,700 per year. A more pessimistic scenario envisages effects on productivity growth and results in a reduction to national income of 4,200 to 6,400 per household. On Thursday, Bank of England officials said uncertainty stemming from the referendum may hold back economic growth. In a sign of how fierce the debate has become, Brexit campaigners were quick to criticise the CEP report, saying the LSE receives funding from the European Commission. You can read the full report HERE. The Federation of Small Businesses(FSB) first-quarter survey showed the first decline in job creation by small firms nationwide since mid-2013. UK chancellor George Osborne gave tax breaks to small businesses in Wednesdays budget after downgrading growth forecasts, but the outlook is clouded by an upcoming vote on whether Britain should remain a member of the EU membership. For 20-year-old Amira, the opportunity to take a job that is usually reserved for men in Egypt's patriarchal society was a no-brainer. "This is something that has long been only associated with men it is a new and fun thing that I was so excited to try," said Amira, part of a small group of female petrol station attendants who started working at a station in Cairo in November. A female train driver, zookeeper or police officer is not an uncommon sight in many parts of the world, but not in Egypt where gender stereotypes mean that women are rarities in many fields. While women comprise almost a quarter of Egypt's 28 million-strong workforce, many occupations have remained off-limits. Given this, the decision to recruit a group of female attendants was not taken lightly by the station's management. The oil distribution company that runs the station had put plans for female attendants on the backburner for months, out of concerns about how they would be received, before taking the decision to hire the group. The company also made sure to secure the consent of the young women's parents before employing them. But despite concerns about potential hostility or widespread sexual harassment, so far their work has been trouble-free. The location of the gas station, by the Nile in the affluent neighbourhood of Maadi, may be part of the reason. Amira, dressed in her red uniform, says the case would not have been the same "if we were in Shubra" a more traditional neighbourhood in northern Cairo. "Here, the station is more like a 5-star hotel, but elsewhere, we could have had a very hard time." Nonetheless, female attendants do not do everything their male colleagues do; they are assigned morning shifts only, and while their tasks include vehicle-fuelling and cash-handling, they are not allowed to perform other services such as window-cleaning, oil changes, and checking tyre pressure. "Such tasks involve a lot of body movements that might grab people's attention," Mohamed Ibrahem, the petrol station's director, told Ahram Online. But men and women at the station do get paid equally, Ibrahem said, based on the number of their working hours. While the job earns a decent salary due to tips sometimes resulting in a monthly take home pay above the average government salary of EGP 3200 (around $360) many of the women say it wasn't the money that motivated them. "I did not seek it because I was jobless," 22-year-old attendant Abrar, a university student, explained. "There are many other conventional jobs out there with very good pay." The women say that they have been overwhelmed with a flurry of favourable feedback from almost all of the station's patrons, from words of praise to gifts. "A university professor once got out of his car and bowed to me," attendant Abrar said. "And a woman kissed my colleague's hand in awe." "Everybody is happy with us. A man shouting on the phone can suddenly smile at me when I come to serve him," added her colleague Aya. "Those girls are better than men idling at cafes claiming there are no jobs in the country," commented Abdel, one of the station's patrons. Egypt's unemployment rate among young people is sky-high at 27.4 percent of 15 to 29-year-olds but the disparity among men and women is also striking; around 24 percent among women while only 9.6 percent of men. The station's management says that traffic and sales have gone up noticeably since women were hired, and the company now plans a roll-out in the Egyptian capital during 2016. But it's clear that, despite the resounding success of the first female attendants, some Egyptians will need a lot of persuading. "Women are different to men at the end of the day. We are not in Europe," said Adel, who works at another petrol station in eastern Cairo. Search Keywords: Short link: The five Euribor traders at Deutsche Bank and Societe Generale have remained in their home countries rather than come to London to face the charges, lawyers for the Serious Fraud Office said at a court in London yesterday. The six other traders that have been charged in the case attended the hearing. The extradition process will be a major test for the embattled SFO after it dropped a probe into currency rigging earlier this week and in January lost a trial against six brokers who were accused of conspiring to manipulate the London interbank offered rate. The UK prosecutor started criminal proceedings against 11 traders who worked at Deutsche, Barclays, and Societe Generale in November for allegedly conspiring to procure or make submissions that were false in relation to the euro interbank offered rate between 2005 and 2009. They were the first to face charges globally in relation to Euribor, the euro counterpart of Libor. The traders facing arrest include several who worked at Deutsche Bank Andreas Hauschild, Joerg Vogt, Ardalan Gharagozlou, and Kai-Uwe Kappauf as well as ex-Societe Generale trader Stephane Esper. Mr Espers Paris lawyer, Francois de Castro, said his client would contest any warrant in France. The problem here is that hes being charged for facts that happened several years ago and he has been deprived of the track record of his time at the bank, Mr de Castro said. Sara George, Mr Vogts lawyer, declined to comment on the arrest warrants while lawyers for the three others didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. A pipe band parade will march from the former home of the commander of the Irish Volunteers Cork Brigade in Blackpool, Cork City, where he was shot by RIC officers on March 20, 1920, to the National Monument on Grand Parade to commemorate the mobilisation of some 1,000 Volunteers in Cork for Easter Week 1916. Two US pipe bands the New Mexico Police and Fire Pipe Band and the Amarillo Firefighters Pipe Band, whose founder Beau Hargraves great-great-grandfather Abraham Hargrave designed Corks Custom House will join with the Newmarket Pipe Band for the parade. It will also acknowledge MacCurtains link with the Brian Boru Pipers, Corks first pipe band, and the Cork Volunteer Pipe Band, which he founded in 1914. A girls rights organisation claims there are thousands of child brides living with their husbands among the 1.3m refugees in Europe. Plan International Ireland said it is unequivocal in its support for those fleeing persecution and danger, but added that the rights of girls not to be forced into marriage had to be protected. The organisation said 100 child brides have been identified in Norway and Sweden in recent months. It said that many of the 1.3m refugees who now call Europe home have been left broke financially following the expensive journey from their homelands. It said that some parents were being forced between early marriages for their daughters or running out of money to feed, clothe, and shelter their families. The 100 child brides identified to date is potentially only the tip of an iceberg, said PIL chief executive David Dalton. In reality, with 442,000 children arriving in Europe in the past 12 months, there are thousands of child brides living with their husbands across the continent. He said that certain EU governments, including Norway and Sweden, had issued directives that couples, involving underage girls, should be separated. Mr Dalton said that the Irish Government must be ready to intervene if child marriages are identified here. Nothing is more important to us than protecting the rights of children to live healthy, happy, and safe lives, he said. While Plan International Ireland is unequivocal in its support of those fleeing persecution and danger, the rights of girls to not be forced into an unequal and dangerous marriage must be protected. Amnesty International says child marriage defined as where an individual marries before the age of 18 impacts 15m girls each year, or 41,000 girls every day in lower-income countries. The 27 workers from Portugal are seeking 1.5m in backpay and illegal deductions after their ordeal on the Limerick-Nenagh stretch of the N7 from 2007-2009. Their long-running claim for damages was approved in the High Court with the exact sum to be decided next month but presiding judge Mr Justice David Keane left no doubt over his views on the three defendant firms. He said they had engaged in systematic and deliberate falsification of employment records and used contracts designed to circumvent employment law. The three Portuguese firms who were contracted by an Irish-Portuguese consortium are also facing claims from three more groups of workers with similar complaints. The workers had contracts stating they would be paid 1,350 monthly equivalent to the minimum wage for a 40-hour week which was well below the rates they were due under the registered employment agreement for the construction industry. They worked in excess of 60 hours, however, although their working hours records did not reflect this. They were also told their accommodation and food would be provided free but they were deducted 520 per month for board in cramped prefabs located on a sliproad without drinking water or proper toilet and washing facilities. Mr Justice Keane said the conditions recorded by inspectors were deplorable, even dangerous. The three firms, called the RAC Eire Partnership, were previously fined 3,000 in the district court for falsifying working hours records in a case taken by the National Employment Rights Authority after the Siptu trade union raised concerns. Evelyn Joels 41-year-old daughter, Eleanor, and her partner Jonathan Costen, aged 43, with last addresses at Cluain Dara, Enniscorthy, had pleaded not guilty to the unlawful killing of Evelyn by neglect in Co Wexford in January 2006. Following a retrial, they were found guilty at Wexford Circuit Criminal Court and were given a two-year suspended sentence by Judge Sean O Donnabhain in March 2013 on condition they carry out 230 hours of community service. Earlier this month, they successfully appealed their convictions and the Court of Appeal was told yesterday morning the DPP will not be seeking a retrial. Counsel for the DPP, Justin Dillon SC, said his client wished to consider the judgment and his instructions this morning were that no retrial would be sought. Giving judgment on March 4, Mr Justice George Birmingham said Evelyn Joel moved in with her daughter in 2004. It was not expected to be a long-term arrangement but would last until Evelyn was offered suitable accommodation by the local authority. Following a diagnosis of advanced primary progressive multiple sclerosis, Evelyn was offered a long-term hospital bed in Wexford General Hospital but she refused it. In December 2005, her condition deteriorated and ambulance personnel were greatly disturbed by the condition in which they found their patient. The bed she was lying in was filthy, her lower body was covered in faeces, and she had extensive bed sores which were infected and found to contain maggots. Following admission to hospital on January 1, 2006, she immediately made progress in response to treatment, but developed pneumonia and died on January 7. Eleanor Joel and Jonathan Costen were charged with manslaughter and the case advanced against them was one of neglect while she was living in their home. Turning to the grounds of appeal, Mr Justice Birmingham said while there was no indication of criminal conduct, the nature of the HSEs interaction with Evelyn Joel gave rise to concern and disquiet. During the first 10 months of her stay with Eleanor Joel, Evelyn was seen 15 times by a public health nurse or one of her team. However in the final four months, she was not visited by any HSE nurse despite the deterioration of her condition up to that point. During the final four months of her life the HSE involvement... was limited to leaving nappies outside the house where she resided, said the judge. One would have to say that there were sufficient indications of possible failings on the part of statutory agencies, the minister for health spoke of huge failings, that the matter required investigation, the judgment stated. Furthermore, such was the extent of publicity across Co Wexford arising from the first trial, Mr Justice Birmingham said the issues at stake were so emotional, so sensitive and the coverage so massive and intense, their retrial should have been transferred from Wexford to Dublin. He said the court was concerned that a significant step in the trial the replacement of a juror was taken in the absence of Ms Joels legal advisers. It was an unsatisfactory state of affairs and Ms Joel succeeded on this ground. Mr Costen also succeeded on a ground relating to the trial judges directions to the jury on his duty of care. Representative bodies and business owners have urged the appointment of a dedicated housing minister by any new government to tackle the severe lack of accommodation which is stunting job creation. While many Irish businesses are now looking to expand and multinational companies are seeking to lure staff on secondment from other countries, the major shortage of housing, coupled with soaring rents, is preventing job growth. The owner of Cork-based multinational outsourcing company Voxpro said he may be forced to divert hundreds of new positions away from Ireland due to major housing shortages. Voxpro chief executive Dan Kiely said small businesses looking to expand and global companies hoping to set up bases here are being limited by a lack of accommodation for staff. We want to do the best for Cork and deliver as many jobs as we can in the next three years, but the housing situation will affect the numbers we employ, said Mr Kiely. If we dont tackle this, then businesses like Voxpro will be looking to places outside of Dublin and Cork. As a Cork native its very heartbreaking to say it. Last October, Paypal, with offices in Dublin and Dundalk, urged workers to rent spare rooms to new employees to help with a rental accommodation shortage. The IDA acknowledged a tightness of supply, while Ibec said a shortage of office space had been an issue in recent years but companies are now encountering difficulty on the residential side. Businesses are now finding that they can find spaces for workers to work in but they cant find space for the workers to live in, said Peter Stafford, director of Property Industry Ireland, which is a business association within Ibec. Its an issue in the cities, especially in Dublin where a lot of tech companies are clustering around the Docklands. Mr Stafford said many multinationals now find employees are reluctant to relocate to Ireland and are asking for salary increases to offset the higher cost of rental accommodation. There are companies who are paying staff a premium to move to Dublin because their cost of living is going to be so much higher here because rent is high, he said. Barrie OConnell, president of Cork Chamber, said there is a lack of coherence when it comes to housing policy, with 12 government agencies having some involvement. Establishing a minister for housing and infrastructure would ensure improved oversight and a more connected approach at central level, which is required to address the rental and buyer crisis that currently presents a potential risk to our future economic development capacity, he said. This was echoed by Mr Kiely who said a taskforce with teeth made up of business leaders, Nama, and developers is also required to come up with achievable solutions to solve the problem in the immediate term. Mr Kiely, who lives in Douglas, Cork, said there are around 30 homes in his area which are unoccupied but have not been put on the market and developments like these should be made available to workers. If we cant accommodate young Irish graduates and EU graduates moving into Cork, then we will have to look elsewhere, he said. An IDA spokesperson said that although companies are continuing to invest in Ireland, there is a tightness of supply in some city locations at present. Any tightness of supply is very much a reflection of the success Dublin has had and much of the discussion around this issue concerns supply in one particular part of the city, they said. Anthony Dwyer, aged 24, punched Rose Kim repeatedly in the head and grabbed her throat when she refused to let go of her bag. Dwyer, formerly of Yellow Meadows Ave, Clondalkin, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to attempted robbery at Kilbarrack Rd on May 30, 2013. He also admitted two offences of criminal damage at Howth Junction Dart station on the same date. In July 2007, OReilly was found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury and sentenced to life in jail for the murder of his wife at their home in the Naul, Co Dublin. Rachel OReillys badly beaten body was found in the bedroom of her home by her mother on October 4, 2004, and in the intervening period, OReilly had appeared as a guest on the topic of her death on The Late Late Show. OReilly lost an appeal against his murder conviction and last year an application to have his conviction declared a miscarriage of justice was dismissed as an abuse of process by the Court of Appeal. There should be no race to the bottom where rights and conditions of workers are concerned, Mr Justice David Keane said yesterday. Among several findings, he ruled the firms engaged in systematic and deliberate underrecording of hours of work, leading to underpayment of the workers in breach of their employment contracts. He also found the defendants were not entitled to deduct 17.50 daily (520 monthly) from the workers wages for accommodation of a deplorable, even dangerous standard. That accommodation, for up to 150 workers over 12 months, was an unacceptably cramped prefab work camp on a slip road near the N7 Nenagh-Limerick project, with sub-standard and inadequate sanitary facilities and no drinking water. The workers were entitled to recover the full sums of underpayment of wages, plus sums deducted for their accommodation, laundry and for benefits in kind, plus interest from the date of their cause of action to now. The 27 workers sued three Portugese companies Rosas Construtores SA, Construcoes Gabriel AC Couto SA, and Empresa Deconstrucores Amandio Carvalho SA, trading as RAC Contractors and/or RAC Eire Partnership. RAC Eire traded here as a contractor or sub-contractor to a consortium, Bothar Hibernian, comprising three companies Mota-Engil (Portugal), Michael McNamara and Company, and Coffey Construction Ltd. The case arose after Limerick County Council awarded Bothar Hibernian the contract to design and build the N7 Nenagh to Limerick dual carriageway. The workers 26 construction workers and one cleaner were employed under contracts with the defendants between 2007 and 2009. The contracts involved deductions of 15 daily for board, 17.50 for lodging, and 3.75 daily for laundry. The judge found the workers were not paid in accordance with the contract for all the hours they worked. He also ruled the firms were not entitled to deduct 17.50 daily for accommodation or 3.75 for laundry services. The case was adjourned to April 8 to allow the sides consider the judgment. The exact sum of damages will be decided later. Three similar cases are pending. The prime minister is currently looking at the resumes of at least 30 candidates for the portfolios of minister of justice, tourism, finance, investment, education and transport Egypts Prime Minister Sherif Ismail continues his search for candidates to take charge of a number of portfolios in a limited cabinet reshuffle before the government presents its programme to parliament by the end of March, sources told Al-Ahram daily on Saturday. Sources added that the new ministers will most probably be announced Sunday in order to allow them time to be briefed on their ministerial tasks and attend the weekly cabinet meeting Wednesday. The prime minister is currently studying the resumes of at least 30 candidates for the jobs of minister of justice, tourism, finance, investment, education and transport. The post of minister of justice became vacant last week after the prime minister sacked Ahmed El-Zend. Among potential candidates for the post of minister of education is Hossam Badrawi. Badrawi is a physician and a former member of parliament who chaired the Committee of Education and Scientific Research 2000 -2005. He was also the last head of the now-defunct National Democratic Party of ousted president Hosni Mubarak. The reshuffle might also see current Minister of Planning Ashraf El-Arabi switched to finance minister, replacing Hani Kadry Dimian. One of the potential candidates for investment minister is Neveen El-Tahri, current chairperson of Delta Shield for Investment and the first woman to sit on the board of the Egyptian Stock Exchange and the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority. El-Tahri was named twice by The Financial Times as one of the leading businesswomen in the Arab world. A possible candidate to head the tourism ministry is Amr El-Ganiany, the Commercial International Bank's (CIB) president for global customer relations. El-Ganainy could be replacing the current Minister of Tourism Hisham Zaazou. Zaazou is the longest serving minister in this portfolio since the 2011 uprising, served in the post from 2012 to March 2015 and reappointed in September 2015. Search Keywords: Short link: That was according to Sergeant Dave Noonan, who was giving evidence at Cork Circuit Appeals Court yesterday in the appeal by Eric Kiely, of 21 Dublin St, Cork, against a three-month jail sentence he received for assaulting Daniel Allison at Topaz, Polefield, Cork, on February 13, 2015. Judge Donagh McDonagh said he would increase the two-month jail sentence to six months but suspend it on condition that the accused commit no offences for the next two years. Sgt Noonan said Kiely was visibly intoxicated on the night in question, carrying an open can of beer into the Topaz. He picked up two bottles of wine but dropped one, causing it to smash. Mr Allison approached and asked him to leave. Kiely squared up to Mr Allison and punched him in the right side of the face. Frank Nyhan, for the State, said the accused had 64 previous convictions, of which 43 were for public order offences. It was pointed out to the judge that the appellant did not have other assault convictions. Paul OMahony, for Kiely, accepted the facts of the case and said the accused was apologetic and remorseful. He has been in and out of treatment, said Mr OMahony. He would not be a violent individual. He is more or less out of trouble since 2013, apart from a couple of occasions when he fell off the wagon. He is doing very well by his own standards. He is extremely embarrassed and apologised. He also wrote to the individual he assaulted. An assault like this would be out of character. He is anxious to avoid going back to jail. He has not been there for nearly four years. Increasing and suspending the sentence, Judge McDonagh warned Kiely to stay of trouble. Next time round, the interstellar troopers are due to head at light speed for the Wild Atlantic Way, with locations in Donegal and Cork on the horizon. In a joint statement yesterday, Lucasfilm and the Irish Film Board confirmed that Star Wars will return to Ireland to film this year. The pair are Andrew Roche Mason, 23, from Hyde Rd, Limerick City, and Michael Madigan, 28, from Broadford, Co Limerick. Mr Roche passed away at Cork University Hospital on Thursday, three days after the car he was driving collided with a van carrying a man and his five-year-old daughter. Mr Madigan, a passenger in the car, died on Tuesday. He will be laid to rest today after requiem Mass in Our Lady of Snows Church, Broadford at 12.30pm. The man and child in the van were not seriously injured. Mr Roche and Mr Madigan were full-time care assistants, and had worked for both TLC Homecare and Healthcare Ltd in Dooradoyle, Limerick, and St Josephs Foundation, Charleville, Cork. A co-worker said yesterday: They were two gentlemen. They will be a great loss to everyone who knew them. We are really emotional. Meanwhile, Conor Counihan, CEO, St Josephs Foundation in Charleville, Cork, also paid tribute to both men. Its such a tragedy, they were two very popular young lads, he said. It must be very, very difficult for their families as it is for all the people who were working with them on a daily basis. It has been quite traumatic. We are just lost for words Mr Counihan said the two friends were dedicated workers. They worked with the adult service users, taking in all social activities. They were extremely popular, he added. Mr Roche and Mr Madigan had also previously worked together in the bar trade in their native Limerick, and in pubs abroad. The fatal crash occurred around 7.30pm last Tuesday, on Hyde Rd, near Mr Roches home. The double tragedy has resulted in eight deaths on Limerick roads so far this year, double the number for the whole of last year. Gardai at Roxboro Road station have appealed for anyone who witnessed the crash or who saw the vehicles involved prior to the crash, to contact them. The Cork Community Groups movement which comprises anti-water charge groups from across the city and county said they have been monitoring the various negotiations around the formation of a new government. But spokesman Keith OBrien said they are not impressed with the horse-trading. It seems to be more of the same. A lot of people seem to be rowing back on what they said before the election. We are going to hold them to account. He urged people who believe water is a human right to join their first protest today at Micheal Martins constituency office in Turners Cross at 12 noon. For execs, its simple - a big novel or biography already has lots of kudos, a ready made fan base, and in many cases, the ability to translate just as well visually as it did inside the readers head. This year, adaptations of two Irish books went all the way to the Oscars. Brooklyn, adapted by Nick Hornby from Colm Toibins book, and Room, whose screenplay with written by its author Emma Donoghue were both nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Other notable films that started life as books range from crime epic The Godfather to pregnancy romp What To Expect When Youre Expecting, life-change manual Eat, Pray, Love and even er, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. These days, books are as much of a blockbuster event as films and popular novels are getting snapped up by studios right, left and centre. You only have to look at the success of last years Gone Girl to see why, and our own Louise ONeills Only Ever Yours has been sold to an American production company. So without further ado, these are the best book to movie flicks to keep an eye out for this year. Read them now... WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT Hitting our screens on April 22, this so-called war-dramedy is based on Kim Barkers memoir The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Tina Fey plays Barker, a dissatisfied broadcast journalist who, tired of covering low-profile lifestyle segments, accepts a job in a war zone and before long, finds herself in the unlikeliest of situations. As well as Barkers work, the film documents Barkers relatonships with Scottish photojournalist Ian McKelpie, and this angle led some to wrongly dismiss it as a rom-com against the backdrop of war. The film is already out in the US, and both Fey and co-star Margot Robbie have drawn praise for their performances. Critics have rated it a 6/10 on Rotten Tomatos - but what do critics know, eh? ME BEFORE YOU Jojo Moyes had written several novels to varying degrees of success before hitting the big time with this right to die tear jerker, and its no surprise its been made in to a film - we havent had a good weepie in ages, and this subject matter fits the bill. It tells the tale of quadriplegic Will who has decided to end his life in six months at Dignitas. His parents, in desperation, hire a sunny young woman named Lou in the hope that she can show him that its worth sticking around, although they neglect to mention his plans to her. Lou will be played by Game of Thrones Emilia Clarke and Will by The Hunger Games Sam Claflin, and without a shadow of a doubt, therell be people leaving the cinema dehydrated from bawling after this one. THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN The definition of a modern literary blockbuster, this book only came out in January 2015, and the film is already in the can and due for release in the autumn. Starring Emily Blunt, it tells the tale of a woman named Rachel who thinks she witnesses a terrible crime from her seat on the train during her daily commute. The only thing is, shes a bit of a drinker and a fantasist, and thus an unreliable witness. Also starring Luke Evans, Rebecca Ferguson and Justin Theroux, this is one that filmmakers really need to do justice, as pretty much everyone who read it could imagine the action taking place in their head thanks to Paula Hawkins pacy prose. INFERNO The third of Dan Browns novels to get the big screen treatment, Inferno sees Tom Hanks reprise his role as Robert Langdon. The action takes place after Angels and Demons, and sees symbologist Langdon waking up from a coma with no idea how he got there. Filming took place in Venice and Florence, so its bound to look as stunning as its predecessors, and Browns films are usually heavy on twists and turns. Ron Howard is also returning to direct, and it lands in October. THE BFG The film of Roald Dahls beloved childrens book has been in development for 25 years, and is finally being brought to life by none other than Steven Spielberg. Oscar winner Mark Rylance will voice the big friendly giant himself and performed the character through motion capture, while unknown actress Ruby Barnhill will star as Sophie. FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM The book was both a spin-off and prequel to JK Rowlings Harry Potter series, but this is the first time Rowling will have adapted her own novel for the screen. Starring Eddie Redmayne, it tells the tale of Newt Scamander, arriving from Britain to address the Magical Congress of the United States in New York, and the unfortunate unleashing of all sorts of magical creatures on American society - a place already dangerous to wizards and witches in the 1920s. Set 70 years before Harrys story, kids little and big will enjoy this one in November. THE JUNGLE BOOK Rudyard Kiplings 1894 book is being adapted by Disney yet again, this time a live action reimagining of their 1967 cartoon classic. With the vocal talents of Bill Murray as Baloo, Idris Elba as Shere Khan and Scarlett Johannson as Kaa and the direction of Jon Favreau, its sure to be a hit with a whole new generation of fans. Interestingly, Warner Bros also have Jungle Book: Origins slated for a 2017 release starring Cate Blanchett and Benedict Cumberbatch. Ah, my kind of girl blond! These were Donatella Versaces first words to me, and they were spoken with the campy, self-conscious irony that gilds most of her accelerated speech. The 60-year-old fashion designers husky voice sounds more Slavic than it does Italian, and she assumes a breezy, faux-entitled lilt when joking, which she usually is. Versace exhaled happily as a Labrador her sons loped over and dropped his head into her lap. She adjusted a leopard-print pillow on the white leather couch. He has no intention to leave, she said, staring into the animals eyes and roughly rubbing his neck. He will stay, if you dont mind. We were sitting in her Milan office, which is bright and glossy and bears a striking resemblance to the interior of Roman Abramovichs yacht. Like the clothing that bears her familys name, the space Versace inhabits most often proves that gaudiness can be redeemed by lush production values. In an industry famous for its ephemerality, the brand has remained more or less intractable. Versace is a blunt instrument to be wielded in times of post-traumatic exuberance after a breakup or a pregnancy. It tends to evoke a conspicuously literal sex appeal premised on showing off: teased hair, metallic miniskirts, animal-print accessories. Its what a dad imagines when he hears the word fashion. And yet the clothes themselves, despite the loud patterns and abbreviated hemlines, are substantial, well-engineered and of a quality so obviously high that $3,000 can seem like a reasonable amount of money to pay for a dress. They are unexpectedly consoling, too. When I do fittings, I always listen to what the girls have to say, Versace said. I ask them, Do you feel good in this? Do you like yourself? We are women I mean they are models but were both women. Her explanation made sense to me. The few times I have worn Versace, Ive felt outfitted in a way no other brand has ever succeeded at. Its strange to say, but the clothes provide a sense of physical safety. Like their creator, who speaks constantly of her children and is known to order enormous dinners for late-working employees, Versace clothing is at once outwardly outrageous and surreptitiously generous. We know our insecurities, she explained. Male designers work for an ideal woman; female designers work for real women. I met Versace in mid-December, which in central Milan is a time of acute, even oppressive opulence. Hidden municipal speakers play Christmas carols into streets spangled with tiny white lights and brimming with conservatively Botoxed people in chinchilla-lined parkas. Decorative ornaments lie in piles in the windows, amid marzipan cakes and glistening leather boots. In the bosom of all this fabulousness are the Versace company headquarters. The brand was founded in 1978 by Gianni Versace;Donatella, the baby sister, has helmed it since he was murdered in 1997. It is here that she spends upward of 50 hours per week, designing 10 collections a year and overseeing a billion-dollar business. I have started over a few times in my life. After Gianni died and I took over the company I made a lot of mistakes, she said, referring obliquely to a period of strife that included drug addiction and a poorly received collection of pastel separates. Then I found my voice, she continued. But when I found my voice? It wasnt enough. Versace, who conducts herself with the assurance of a person to whom the worst has already happened, twirled an e-cigarette. It gave the false impression that she was about to hightail it to the nearest balcony. But Versace remained seated and sighed. Ive taken my time to find the moment for a big change. The big change or bih shenze as she pronounces it was Versaces spring 2016 collection, shown this past September in Milan. It garnered universally ecstatic reviews and also appreciative tears from front-row attendees. The looks included vaguely militant jackets, cinched at the waist and paired with tiny shorts; unbuttoned camouflage suiting; sporty little dresses all worn with backpacks and rubber-soled platforms. Whatever was inaccessible about the unadulterated sexiness of seasons past had been tempered just enough that it was suddenly possible to imagine the clothes actually being worn outside of Ibiza, in a world of conference calls and commutes and after-school pickups. When she took her bow, people in attendance noticed that Versaces once waist-length platinum hair had been cut to her shoulders. I figured the day clothes are more important than the evening clothes, she explained. Because most of the day you are wearing normal clothes, not long evening dresses! Versace delivered the sentiment as though it was a revelation, which for a certain cadre of world-famous European multimillionaires it might very well be. She tugged at her persimmon-coloured top, moving the brands Medusa logo onto the middle of her sternum. I was leaving my comfort zone, and I really wasnt sure the show would be successful. I wasnt secure because it was such a change for me. It was a change in the opposite direction for everyone else. For the first time in at least five years, other designers seemed to veer toward the cast of raciness that the Versace brand has been honing for decades. Gone was the industry-wide minimalism the brogues and camelhair outerwear; eyelashes got extensions and bare lips were suddenly red. At Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci sent girls down the runway in exposed lingerie and liquid bedroom robes; Marc Jacobss collection was showgirl-inspired; Paco Rabannes was heavy on the chain mail. Versace herself noticed it, and seems to have taken it as neither compliment nor insult. More exciting to her than the newly sex-positive design pivot or her own rave reviews was the behaviour of the models themselves. The girls are competing again! she almost-screamed. Oh my god, you can see it. I havent seen this kind of competition since the 90s! Since Naomi! Since that stomp. When pressed, Versace admitted that she does indeed encourage a certain affect. I want their personalities to come out, she explained, to walk as they walk in the streets. In the street you dont do this here she imitated an exaggerated hip thrust I dont understand why you do this to me! This show was for women, Versace said. And later: Wherever you look in books, in movies, in the news women are not empowered yet. We are paid less than men, there hasnt been an American president who is a woman, at this she cocked her head and raised her eyebrows an appreciative allusion to Hillary Clinton, personified. We are not yet as empowered as people think we are. As artistic director and vice president of Gianni Versace SpA, Versace reportedly owns 20 percent of the company; her older brother Santo owns 30, and the remaining half is owned by Allegra, her 29-year-old daughter all this was specified in Giannis will. Versaces general sense of success and excitement is reflected in her businesss current financial trajectory. Twenty percent of the company was sold to Blackstone for 210 million in 2014, the same year they opened 40 new stores. In 2015, they opened 30 and are planning to entirely revamp the Fifth Avenue flagship, as well as relocate their London emporium. They will soon open two new locations in Brazil, as well as stores in South Korea and Manila. (Versace does particularly well in places with casinos, of which there are more and more in Asia.) The brand, which is preparing for an IPO, saw a 27 percent rise in net profit in 2014, and a 17 percent rise projected for 2015. By 2017, C.E.O. Gian Giacomo Ferraris predicts revenue of $874 million. Such success would have been hard to foretell even just a decade ago. Since her 1997 takeover, Versace has hired entirely new management and seen the company through double-digit growth rates. Still, the friendly ghost of her late brother haunts the business and its leader. Its unclear whether it was Giannis grisly death or the mere fact of growing up in midcentury Calabria that has endowed Versace with her striking diction, which is inflected with constant, kidding violence. In the course of just half an hour she admitted to wanting to kill both Prince for giving a free concert she could not attend and Bruce Weber for riding an ATV during a photo shoot. She hates her e-cigarettes, which she has been smoking for three years now, and also Gigi Hadid for being so pretty. Versace, who spends the vast majority of her week in the office, leads an astonishingly private, even sedate life for someone with such a storied surname and recognizable appearance. She exercises, eats breakfast and has her hair and makeup done professionally before heading to work; she typically doesnt leave until late in the evening, when she returns home for dinner and a bath. She counts Elton John and Rupert Everett among her closest confidantes, but her friendships, which are international, are mostly maintained over the phone. For decades, the Versace family vacationed at a villa in Lake Como that Gianni bought in the late 1970s, but it was reportedly sold to a Russian restaurateur. These days, Versace travels with her two children. Just a few days after we spoke, they would head to St. Moritz. Oh, do you ski? I asked. No, Versace laughed, but I have gorgeous clothes. As our conversation dissolved from being about work and fashion and into an excited summary of her current enthusiasms Bernie Sanders (I love him. Hes so funny.), Versaces own dog, a small Jack Russell terrier named Audrey, trotted into the office. I asked how old she was. Audrey is 8, Versace answered. But can you write 6? Later in the afternoon, following a tour of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a lavish double-arcade and one of the worlds oldest shopping malls whose recent renovation was paid for in large part by Versace, I returned to headquarters. A 20-person team was just beginning a fitting for the forthcoming Atelier couture collection. The atmosphere, which is conjured solely by Versace, was collegiate and almost cozy. Her design process is collaborative, chatty, one in which everyone feels heard. A silent teenage model stood in the middle of an elongated room and patiently stared off into space, breathing shallowly. Designers swarmed around her, some crouching, others on tiptoes, muttering in Italian and tugging at a white filmy dress. Seldom does one see so many intently focused adults gathered so tightly outside of a crisis, and indeed the fitting proceeded with emergency-response-like speed. The dress was made from a precarious combination of paper and muslin but soon it would be replicated in blue sequined silk, swaths of which glistened like fish skin on a table of Last Supper-like proportions. Versace circumnavigated the model. Then she told the seamstress shed like the hem lowered one inch. Multiple people nodded in assent and the girl was then prodded into walking the length of the room, getting her photograph taken for the records and quickly changing into the next look. Versace took a seat and lifted a key-pattern glass of ice water from a small silver saucer. Her Rolex hung like a fishing weight from her tiny wrist, clinking against the crystal. She drew a pink plastic straw to her lips and proceeded to sip. Soon enough the model was back, again in a proto-dress, this one gaping with symmetrical holes. Versace indicated to the seamstress that she wanted what would soon be a beaded mesh panel to appear lower on the waist. The seamstress told her that structurally it wouldnt work. Versace pleaded with her and they soon reached a compromise. She say yes! Versace yelled excitedly to no one in particular. The model repeated her walk-get-photographed-change-clothes routine. On one subsequent dress, Versace wanted a longer train; on another she wished for the exposed brassiere to be blue and not white. On a third dress to be made in sparkling black and with a thigh-high slit she demanded that torso cutouts be closed and beading removed (O.K.! Sexy! But a little less .?.?.). The seamstress acquiesced but explained that without the beading the dress would require heavier fabric to drape correctly. Versace agreed with the swiftness of someone who has cleverly preempted a problem of their own making. Its fine, she said. Well just add more jewelry! Versace then vetoed crinoline sleeves on a dress, eagerly cutting them off the model herself (Out! Done!) and adjusted the slit, noting that for a woman, it is bad to have half the knee covered. Throughout all of this, she laughed. As did everyone else. Apparently the Japanese are quite enamoured of ours and put them on show in their homes. Their versions are tiny so theyre fascinated by the size of Irish ones, says Belfast-born Geraldine Kane who has been at the forefront of developing an Irish design shop in Tokyo, which launched in October last year. This fascination, however, may also have something to do with property buying not being part of the Japanese psyche, so with most people renting they cant hang things on walls which gives beautiful kitchen items a chance to shine. Its also a departure for a country where Ireland doesnt really appear to be on the map. In Japan, Ireland is mainly known for Aran sweaters, Guinness and Enya, Geraldine explains, so its been nice to introduce another dimension of Irish culture and design, especially when some people have never heard of Ireland, often confusing it with Iceland. And its not just tea towels making a good impression on a design conscious country. Items like Foxford blankets and throws, Jenny Walsh accessories, and wooden trivets from Superfolk are just three of around forty brands being sold in the shop. In typical Japanese style its a compact and space efficient space, aptly named Stor - the Irish for darling and, coincidentally, the Japanese for shop. But five years ago the idea of launching a shop was the last thing on Geraldines mind when she visited Japan with her partner, on what was meant to be a working holiday. Since becoming a resident, shes developed a friendship with graphic designer Mizue Mitsuhasi who was musing on the possibility of opening a shop, so when Geraldine happened to show her photos from 2015s Showcase the Irish design expo at the RDS each year - Mizue was so impressed she decided to launch Stor without ever having set foot in Ireland. It was a brave step, but often its those fast decisions that feel absolutely right that have a happy outcome. In this case its one thats proving very successful for Geraldine and Mizue who are tapping into the buying power of the affluent residents of Tokyos chic Daikanyama district where Stor is located. Now a seasoned resident of Japan, Geraldine gives us an intriguing insight into how different the shopping experience is there compared to the west. There are different districts for different types of shopping, she explains, so we have places here like Jewellery Town, Fabric Town and Kitchen Street. It all makes for very organised and speedy shopping which is hardly surprisingly for a country renowned for its efficiency. A practising jewellery designer, Geraldines role at Stor involves introducing designers and new products, and helping Mizue communicate with the designers as her English is limited. That didnt stop her, however, from visiting Ireland in January this year for a few short days to experience first-hand the breadth of products she could potentially import into Japan. Despite it being one of the dreariest, most miserable Januarys in living memory, she was not put off. With Geraldine acting as her interpreter, she enthuses about the friendliness of everyone she met, and her new found love of yet another quintessentially Irish product we all take for granted: soda bread. Its unlikely, though, that she and Geraldine will be selling it in Stor any time soon, but theyre keen to broaden the current product offering. Mizue finds our use of wood particularly interesting as Japanese use is much more formal than the casual, contemporary pieces she has come across from Ireland. The Japanese are really impressed by the products, says Geraldine. Words they use are kawaii meaning cute or lovely, and oshare meaning stylish or cool. High praise indeed from a country that is famed for the exactness and quality of its design over millenia. In time, Geraldine and Mizue hope that in addition to importing products they may be able to collaborate with designers, but for the moment theyre looking for more designers and unique handcrafted products. So if there are any designers who would like their products considered, especially anyone working in non-clothing items in leather, linen and knits, they may yet be big in Japan. Next week: Glass making in Waterford. Its a tricky time, suspended as we are today between the green-flaggery of St Patricks Day and the commemoration, next week, of the defining moment in our nations struggle for independence, Easter 1916. History is dealing us a very heavy hand and its almost impossible to be solemn enough, momentous enough, dignified enough, to celebrate what it means to be Irish in an appropriate manner. Ask the person on the street about our defining characteristics and they are likely to mention one of those humorous telltale signs: An Irish person says filum instead of film, knows what GUBU stands for, and/or probably grew up in a house with a picture of the Sacred Heart over the mantelpiece. I love those so-called tests of Irish citizenship and the deep questions that arise about a nation divided between those who say scone (to rhyme with tone) and those who say scone (to rhyme with gone). And that sense of Ireland goes with you wherever you go. It travels all the way to that glorious beach in some far-flung hotspot when your very Irish companion (of a certain age) say: Jeez, you could fry an egg on the stones here, if you had an egg. It makes me laugh every time, just as the ensuing talk about red lemonade, Taytos, and Barrys tea, does. If we can generalise for a moment, its true to say that most Irish people have a pretty well-developed sense of humour and a delicious line in self-deprecation. Its just as well, because well need a lightness of touch this Easter to negotiate a path through the treacherous waters of commemoration. So far, the celebrations have been relatively free of controversy, even if Sinn Fein has done its remembering in parallel to officialdom. In some ways, the fact that we dont have a government is a good thing it may take the heat out of what is potentially a deeply divisive day because any time the word Irish and nationalist sit in the same sentence, someone is hurt (often literally). Indeed, to celebrate at all is almost crass following the death in Belfast of prison officer Adrian Ismay, who died from injuries sustained in a bomb attack claimed by dissident republican group, the New IRA. The PSNI has warned that those same dissidents are trying to step up their activities to mark the centenary of the Rising. That callous killing and the deaths of so many others in the Rising itself, the war that followed and the later conflict in the North makes any Easter celebration a complicated and deeply ambiguous affair. It is tempting to line the streets and proudly mark the birth of our nation. However, the problem is that our founding myth is embroidered with many uncomfortable and conflicting truths. Where, for example, in our memorial services is the mention of the 570 Irish-born soldiers who died in gas attacks on the Western Front during Easter week 1916? While fighting was taking place in Dublin, the Germans released poisonous gas into the trenches in Hulluch in France, killing hundreds of soldiers from the Irish 16th Division. The 7th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers suffered heavy casualties, too, losing 263 out of 647 men. An entry from the unnamed unit commander, uncovered in the National Archives in Kew recently, read: Ireland can be proud of you. In future when asked what battalion did you belong to, you can say with pride that you were in the 7th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, a fighting battalion, and you will not have to say anything further. How haunting those words are now. Could that unit commander have foreseen that his brave soldiers and the 30,000 Irishmen who died in the First World War would be conveniently forgotten as they did not fit into our changing idea of nationhood? At least their stories are being told now and their contribution remembered and respected as part of the commemoration of the Great War. What has been heartening in this decade of remembrance, so far, is that the focus, national and international, has been on the events as they really happened. The Rising is being remembered as a revolt by a small, unsupported minority that was crushed almost as quickly as it began. That is not to denigrate those who took part, or its later significance, but it is a more real, more even telling of events. It is good, too, to see that the civilians who were killed are being written back into history, along with the women civilian and militant and the forgotten children who have been poignantly fleshed out and honoured in Joe Duffys bestselling book, Children of the Rising. What is less spoken about is how Easter 1916 has informed our collective sense of nationalism over the last 100 years. At the best of times, nationalism is a many-headed beast, fuelled by the memory of heroes and martyrs that are aggrandised to give us some singular sense of self. It can be a truly noble and inspiring thing, though, it seems to me, most often it is not. When I was at school, it used to mean a particularly green and vicious version of the past: We were told to write burn everything British except their coal into the margins of our history books. When we were younger still, it meant marching around our freezing prefab classroom singing A Nation Once Again to get the circulation going on cool winter mornings. Just this week, though, the beginnings of the Irish Republic were celebrated by giving Irish schoolchildren an opportunity to pen their very own proclamations. Thats progress in anybodys book, though it was interesting to see that children now sing the national anthem with a clenched fist held to the chest, a symbol that has many different cultural messages. Lets hope in the Ireland of 2016 we can, at least, listen to all of them. ALTHOUGH born and reared in the United States, Margaret Dwyer settled in Ireland with her two young sons in 1948. She felt Tralee would be an ideal place to raise the two boys on her own, especially as her American war widows pension amounted to three times the Irish average industrial wage at the time. It is common now for people to migrate here from other countries, but in 1948 nearly all the migration was in the other direction. Thus she became a phenomenon and, as such, was introduced to Eamon de Valera and Sean Lemass. As a youngster I noticed at the end of any war movie, as the men would be coming home, my mother would inevitably have tears in her eyes. It is always disconcerting for a child to see a parent crying, so my brother and I learned not talk about the war, or ask about our father. Hence it was not until much later that I learned much about him. In January 1996 while covering the opening of the State Papers for the Irish Examiner, I wrote about the disastrous Allied raid on Dieppe in August 1942. It involved some 6,000 Allied troops 5,000 of whom were Canadians. The German Legation in Dublin had warned Germany that troops were massing on the east coast of England for a landing on the continent, but the British were reading the German reports from Dublin. A passport photograph from 1948 of Margaret Dwyer with her sons, 4 year old Ryle (left) and 3 year old Sean. The Allies sacrificed the men at Dieppe in order to protect the greatest secret of the war the fact that they had broken most of the German codes, I concluded. If the landing had been called off, the Germans might have become suspicious about the security of their messages. I found my mother crying over what I had written. I knew she had been an overseas telephone operator in New York, and she told me that she had put up calls to Ottawa from distraught Canadian forces in Britain about their men being slaughtered at Dieppe. She thought at the time this was part of a massive Allied invasion of Europe in effect, what would become D-Day almost two years later. She thought it had gone horribly wrong, but she could tell nobody. For days she was upset at the news, and my grandmother kept asking her what was wrong, but she would not say. My grandmother possibly thought it had something to do with the fact that my mother was engaged to marry my father on the other side of the country the following month. My mother told me that she had never talked to anyone about the calls to Ottawa until that night more than 53 years later. She also told me that she had talked to US president Franklin D Roosevelt and UK prime minister Winston Churchill in setting up telephone calls that she had to monitor. The Germans could have been listening in too, so the two leaders were very circumspect in their conversation. The operator, my mother, had to listen in to give the caller time credit for anything that had to be repeated due to atmospheric conditions. My parents got married in Seattle, Washington, on September 21, 1942. It was a tiny wedding consisting of just five people in total, the bride and groom, two of my fathers fellow officers as witnesses, and the Catholic chaplain, who performed the ceremony in the large Seattle cathedral. Margaret and her husband, First Lieutenant John G Dwyer, on their wedding day. Afterwards they spent the wedding night in the Olympic Hotel, where Bob Hope and Frances Langford were staying before setting off next day for Alaska at part of a United Services Organisation tour of military bases. As my parents were going up to their room, they shared an elevator with Hope and Langford. Langfords signature song was her great hit Im in the Mood for Love. In his memoirs, Bob Hope noted that the biggest laugh he ever heard was at one of their military concerts when Langford began signing, Im in the mood for love... A soldier in the audience jumped up and shouted, Youve come to the right place, honey! One can imagine the banter with Hope and Langford on the elevator, but all my mother would say was that Bob Hope was very funny in the lift. Most of what I learned about my parents relationship was as a result of writing my book, Across the Waves, which relied heavily on their wartime correspondence. The first letter that my father received from my mother while he was at the front in France in 1944 informed him that she was pregnant again. He wrote back to her on the back of her letter and followed this practice with all of her letters. I am writing this on your letters so that we can save them for Ryle to know what we were doing and thinking during these unusual days, he wrote. I think some of them will give him something to think about dont you? He had fought across France and invaded Germany in November 1944 with the 90th Division of the US Army, but it was withdrawn to Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. On January 30, 1945, he wrote his last letter from Luxembourg, mentioning that they were about to go back into Germany. We are almost ready now to finish up this war, he concluded before signing off. Next day his regiment crossed the Our river into Germany, where he was killed within a matter of hours. While writing Across the Waves I learnt that my mother shared a desk for three of her four years in high school in New York with a girl named Judy Tuvim. They sat two to a desk. My mother graduated at 17 while Judy was three years younger than her, but she was a brilliant student with a photographic memory, the very antithesis of the characters she later portrayed as an actress. Judy became famous as an actress under the stage name of Judy Holliday. In 1951 she won the Oscar for the Best Actress for her role as Billie Dawn, the dumb blonde bimbo in the movie Born Yesterday. She also won a Tony award for a similar role on stage as Ella Peterson in the Broadway hit musical Bells are Ringing in 1957. Her brilliant career was tragically cut short when she died of cancer in 1965. As my brother and I went into secondary school my mother became very involved in the Rose of Tralee Festival and the promotion of tourism in Tralee. She became the festivals first lady president and interacted with Jack Lynch, Liam Cosgrave, Garret FitzGerald, Charles Haughey, and Albert Reynolds. Margaret Dwyer stands by with Brendan OReilly and the 1971 Rose of Tralee, Linda McCravy from Miami. Picture: Dominick Walsh Margaret Dwyer obviously made a big impression, because some businessmen headhunted her to work as catering manager on the set of Playboy of Western World in Inch, and later as sales manager of the Mount Brandon Hotel, Tralee. She had no experience for either job but they had confidence in her. She never seemed overawed by anybody. In August 1974 while leaving a cemetery in Skibbereen with two fellow directors of the Cork-Kerry Tourism company Ivernia, she stopped to speak to somebody. Her colleagues Florence OConnor and Arthur J OLeary walked on a short distance. OConnor later told me that they both asked each other if she really realised to whom she was speaking. Oh, thanks be to God, you walked on, she said on rejoining them. I couldnt introduce you. I know him well, but I cant remember his name. Jack Lynch, taoiseach, they told her with a laugh. He was actually leader of the opposition at the time, but she had met him on several of occasions as taoiseach. She would always have said that was really a testament to Lynchs famed common touch. Contrast those decisions with the decisions of those in charge of government and financial institutions in the decade before 2010. The reckless decisions of government and financial institutions of that period bankrupt the country. Egypts Higher Administrative Court refused to hear on Saturday a case which asks for the dissolution of the Salafist Nour Party as unconstitutional. The lawsuit, one of several, was filed by lawyer Sami El-Roubi against all political parties that have a religious point of reference. Egyptian elections laws prohibit the formation of political parties on the basis of race or religion. The Nour Party, spawned after the 2011 uprising as the political arm of the Salafist Call, is the only potent Islamist party that survived as a legal entity following deadly confrontations between Islamists and the authorities since the 2013 ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi. The Nour Party supported the toppling of Islamist leader Morsi, who hailed from the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood. It garnered only 12 seats in the parliamentary elections that took place over two phases in 2015. Search Keywords: Short link: I dont believe they have an insurmountable lead, Sanders said, from Arizona, where he was campaigning. Secretary Clinton has done phenomenally well in the Deep South, and in Florida. Thats where she has gotten the lions share of votes. And I congratulate her for that. But were out of the Deep South now. Clinton pointed to a memo by her campaign manager, Robby Mook, who said she has an insurmountable lead in the delegate count. The campaign noted its pledged delegate lead of more than 300 is twice as large as any that then-Illinois senator, Barack Obama, held over Clinton in the 2008 primary. And, note Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada and Iowa are generally not considered Deep South, said Clinton spokesman, Brian Fallon, referring to states won by the ex-secretary of state. Clintons win in Missouri means she won all five of Tuesdays Democratic primary contests. She also beat Sanders in Florida, Ohio, Illinois, and North Carolina. Salah Abdeslam, 26, is a childhood friend of the suspected ringleader of the attacks and is suspected of driving a car carrying a group of gunmen who took part in the shootings. He and four other suspects were detained in a raid in Molenbeek, including three members of a family who allegedly sheltered him. Abdeslam was shot in the leg, officials said. Helmeted police with riot shields cordoned off the area, and two explosions were heard. Frances BFM television broadcast images of police tugging a man with a white hooded sweatshirt toward a police car, as he dragged his left leg as if it were injured. The Islamic extremist attackers killed 130 people at a rock concert, the national stadium and cafes on November 13 in Paris, in the countrys deadliest attacks in decades. Belgian prime minister Charles Michel called the arrests a success in the fight against terrorism. He said he spoke to President Barack Obama about the arrest, and the White House said US officials have been in close touch with French and Belgian officials about the investigation into the Paris attacks. French president Francois Hollande congratulated the Belgian government for an operation that lasted several weeks. He warned that the investigation is not over and said authorities would continue to pursue anyone involved in financing or organising the attacks. Two other people believed to be linked to the attacks were still being sought, including fellow Molenbeek resident Mohamed Abrini and a man known under the alias of Soufiane Kayal. The capture of Abdeslam came after Belgian authorities said they found his fingerprints in an apartment raided earlier this week in another Brussels neighbourhood. In that raid, a man believed to have been an accomplice of Abdeslam Mohamed Belkaid was shot dead, Belgian prosecutors said. But two men escaped from the apartment, one of whom appears to have been Abdeslam. Federal prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt said it was possible Abdeslam had spent days, weeks or months in the apartment. Most of the Paris attackers died on the night of the attacks, including Abdeslams brother Brahim, who blew himself up. Brahim Abdeslam was buried in the area on Thursday. Abdeslam slipped through a police dragnet to return to Brussels after the bloodbath in Paris, and though the target of an international manhunt, had not been found. At one point during yesterdays police operation, a phalanx of officers in camouflage, masks and riot helmets marched through the neighbourhood with guns and automatic weapons drawn, escorting people out of buildings. Abdeslams exact role in the attacks is not clear. The car he drove was abandoned in northern Paris, and his mobile phone and an explosive vest he had apparently used were later found in the Paris suburb of Montrouge, raising the possibility that he aborted his mission, either ditching a malfunctioning vest or fleeing in fear. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks, in which Belgian nationals played key roles. On Tuesday, a joint team of Belgian and French police showed up to search a residence in the Forest area of Brussels in connection with the Paris investigation. They were unexpectedly fired upon by at least two people inside. Four officers were slightly wounded. An occupant of the residence was shot dead by a police sniper as he prepared to open fire on police from a window. Police identified him as Belkaid, 35, an Algerian national living illegally in Belgium. A Kalashnikov assault rifle was found by his body, as well as a book on Salafism, an ultraconservative strain of Islam. Belgian authorities initially said Belkaid had no known background in radical Islamic activities. But yesterday afternoon, prosecutors issued a statement saying he was most probably an accomplice of Abdeslam. Any migrant travelling the 7km from Turkey to the Greek islands from past midnight tonight will be sent back to Turkey as a key part of the EU plan to stop the trafficking of refugees. Any that make an asylum request will have it considered after April 4 when the Greek and EU authorities reckon they should have the necessary people and judges in place to process them according to international law and with the help of the UNHCR. Those given refugee status will be returned to UN camps in Turkey where they can make an application to come to Europe, but will be at the back of the queue in an effort to convince people not to pay smugglers to enter illegally. For every illegal migrant returned from the Greek islands to Turkey up to a maximum of 72,000, Turkey will send one bone fide Syrian refugee to the EU where they will be given a home. The current estimated 20,000 migrants on the islands are to be brought to the Greek mainland before March 21, and with the other 23,000 already there, have their asylum claim processed on the mainland and will remain in the EU if they are confirmed as refugees. Any found not to qualify if they are economic migrants for instance will be sent back to Turkey or directly to their home country. But EU president Donald Tusk said that every migrant arriving in Europe would be treated strictly in accordance with international asylum law. Mr Kenny, after the two-day summit, admitted that the agreement alone would not resolve that crisis. It will not stop people leaving Syria and it will not prevent people from wanting to come to Europe in the first place, but it should help to manage and diminish the flow of asylum seekers more effectively, also more humanely and obviously more fairly. The EU agreed that short stay 90-day visas for Turks into the EU will be brought forward from the original date of October to June provided Turkey fulfils the remaining 32 of the 72 conditions. Turkey accepted that the usual arrangements for discussions on chapters outlining EU laws and standards that they must meet will open as soon as possible and by the end of June the chapter dealing with budgets, seen as an essential prerequisite to membership will be opened. Nasc, the Irish Immigrant Support Centre, described the deal as skewed from the start and warned it could catastrophically backfire on Europe. The first of the injunctions was overturned by a higher court, the state-run Agencia Brasil news agency said. But another was issued immediately by a second judge in Rio de Janeiro, adding to the countrys political confusion. President Dilma Rousseffs opponents accuse her of trying to help the once-popular Silva avoid legal woes. He was taken in for questioning in a sprawling corruption probe less than two weeks ago. Researchers from the Karolinska Institute analysed data on 27,000 people with autism and compared them with nearly three million non-autistic people. They showed that, on average, autistic adults died 16 years younger than members of the general population. Those who also suffered from a learning disability died more than 30 years prematurely, at an average age of just 39. Autistic people who were not held back intellectually died 12 years early, and even high-functioning individuals with good speech and language skills had double the normal risk of dying young. Autisticas chief executive Jon Spiers said: This new research confirms the true scale of the hidden mortality crisis in autism. The inequality in outcomes for autistic people shown in this data is shameful. We cannot accept a situation where many autistic people will never see their 40th birthday. Speaking at a briefing in London, he added: We aim to raise 10m in the next five years to fund a major new programme of research in the UK looking at mortality in autism. That for us is a very significant sum of money its more than weve raised in our entire history as a research charity. But we believe there is a moral imperative to act and to understand better why people with autism are dying so young. Autism is a lifelong disability affecting around 1% of the population that impairs a persons ability to communicate with and relate to other people. As a spectrum condition, it impacts on people in different ways and has symptoms that range from mild to very severe. A quarter of sufferers speak few or no words. Only 15% will ever work full time, and almost 75% have at least one associated mental health condition. Autism is estimated to cost the UK 32bn per year, making it the single most expensive medical condition. Most of the cost is due to the need for lifelong care. The Swedish study led by Dr Tatja Hirvikoski was published in the online edition of the British Journal of Psychiatry in November last year. Epilepsy and suicide emerged as two leading causes of premature death among autistic people. Well-known Islamists Magdi Hussein and Magdi Korkor are among those ordered released A Cairo criminal court ordered Saturday the conditional release of ten leading Islamist members of the now-banned National Coalition in Support of Legitimacy who are facing various criminal charges. The ten men will be under house arrest as part of the conditions of the release. The coalition was an Islamist umbrella group that was formed in late June 2013 to support then-embattled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, continuing to do so for months after his ouster. The High State Security Prosecution has already appealed against the conditional release decision. The defendants, who are facing various charges including spreading lies and inciting violence in a way that led to the disturbance of public peace, include coalition spokesman Magdi Korkor, the former head of the Islamist-oriented Labour Party. Magdi Hussein, who headed the Istiqlal Party, and Nasser Abdel-Salam, chairman of the Building and Development Party, the political wing of Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya, were also among the ten defendants ordered to be released. The coalition included a number of Islamist parties and was led by the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood. Morsi, who has been behind bars since July 2013, is standing a number of trials on various criminal charges. Search Keywords: Short link: Saturday, March 19th, 2016 (8:01 am) - Score 2,012 Telecoms and broadband company VERASTAR (aka Universal Utilities / Unicom), which was fined 200k by Ofcom last year after they were found to have mislead consumers (here and here), has confirmed that theyve finalised the purchase of Premier Calls parent company, Business Comms Solution. Curiously theres been no formal announcement about the deal, although one of our readers noted that the company had confirmed the development via a post on the UK Business Forums. Apparently customers of Premier Calls will also be having their broadband connections transferred to TalkTalks network (we assume thats the wholesale side). The purchase comes after Business Comms Solution Ltd (also trading under the Advantage, Optimum, Premier and Talk Plus brands) confirmed during January 2016 that it had been in dispute with its former wholesale provider of telecoms services, Club Communications which trades as Nine Wholesale, as well as Nine Wholesales sister company, Nine Telecom. The dispute was settled and a joint statement issued to say that, Both BCS and Nine Wholesale/Nine Telecom regret any confusion or inconvenience that may have arisen from our recent communications and are glad that we can now draw a line under our dispute. Thank you for your understanding and co operation. Unfortunately the situation caught a lot of customers up in the middle and further confusion began occurring in February after customers reported that their phone and broadband connections were changed without prior notification, which appears to be due to the VERASTAR purchase. Verastar Statement In response to comment surrounding Premier Calls in recent days. We would like to confirm that Verastar Ltd have finalised the purchase of Premier Calls parent company, Business Comms Solution Ltd. Verastar appreciate that this has been a confusing time for Premier Calls customers and we thank you for your patience. You will continue to be serviced and invoiced by Premier Calls. Whilst we aim to continue to deliver an outstanding service during this period we understand there may be questions or issues. We will endeavour to answer or resolve these as swiftly as possible via our customer services: phone 0845 241 4668. Naturally some customers are feeling quite unhappy at the lack of communication and unexpected service changes, which also seems to have caused several subscribers to lose their telephone numbers and other service features (most likely due to the swap from a WLR to MPF unbundled line service). Cairo Criminal Court adjourned Saturday to 24 March a session to rule on a Thursday judicial order freezing the assets of four rights activists, including journalist Hossam Bahgat and lawyer Gamal Eid, on charges they received a total of $1.5 million in "illegal funds from foreign entities" after all defendants failed to show up in court. The session was set after a judicial committee overseeing a five-year investigation into several rights activists accused of receiving illegal funding from foreign entities ordered Thursday the freezing of assets of Bahgat, Eid and at least two others whose names remain undisclosed. The assets of Eids wife and minor daughter were also frozen. The judge inquired as to the absence of the defendants, to which defence lawyers said their clients were not officially notified of the case and only knew of it through the media. It is the legal right of defendants to be notified that they are being prosecuted. Last month, in two separate instances, authorities stopped both well-known rights activists, Bahgat and Eid, from travelling out of Cairo International Airport, stating that their names were on a no-travel list, but without providing further details. Bahgat founded the Egyptian Initiative for Personnel Rights (EIPR) in 2004, while Eid founded the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), also in 2004. Search Keywords: Short link: Security bug hunters have a very tempting reason to get serious in hacking Chromebooks. Google has doubled its bounty for its Google Chrome Reward Program from $50,000 to $100,000. The search giant said it is doubling its reward to those who will really strive to expose the weaknesses of its Chromebooks, Chrome OS and Chrome browser. Increasing the bounty twice shows that the company really wants to secure its systems and services. According to the Mountain View, California-based company, it had already awarded a huge $2 million to bounty hunters in 2015. In particular, the company is very eager to ensure that Chromebooks can prevent security threats while it is in Guest Mode. No bounty hunter has claimed any reward yet but Google wants to continue further by increasing the reward money twice. It hopes that by doing so, more skillful and talented hackers will explore and discover its weaknesses. The guest mode of Chromebooks, GOOG -0.33% will be the target of hackers. One method they can try is to put a number of devices into this mode when they share their low-cost laptops with their friends, if they still want to keep their account data private. As of this date, Google has admitted that no one has successfully broken into the system yet. Therefore the doubling of the reward indicates how serious the search giant is in discovering the vulnerabilities of Chromebooks. According to the Chrome Reward Program Rules, "Rewards for qualifying bugs typically range from $500 to $100,000. We have a standing $100,000 reward for participants that can compromise a Chromebook or Chromebox with device persistence in guest mode." From its start in 2010, the bug bounty program of Google has awarded more than $6 million in cash to researchers and hackers. The internet search giant said that in 2015, it has rewarded more than 300 bounty hunters in line with this company scheme. McKeeson Corp., one of the largest pharmaceutical distributors in the country announced on Wednesday that it will slash 1,600 jobs representing 4 percent of its U.S. workforce. The drug distributor resorted to this move to reduce its operating cost after it lost several major customers. McKeeson announced in January that the company is reviewing its cost structure and resolved that "reductions to our workforce would be necessary to align our cost structure with our business needs." The news was first published in Bloomberg on Wednesday and a spokesman for the pharmaceutical distributor confirmed the news in Reuters. McKeeson MCK -0.83% started informing its concerned workers beginning in Mid-March, according to a company statement. The large drug distributor also said that the company is offering its affected employees severance benefits and outplacement services. It comes at a time when the medical products distributor has acquired Rexall Health in March. Previously, the company has announced that it is planning to add 975 jobs in its bid to consolidate its offices in Irving. But it suddenly started a strategic review in January and acquired the belief that slashing jobs is required if the company is to align its operating expenses to its business requirements. The San Francisco-based company distributes drugs to retailers including CVS Health Corp. It said that its 2017 fiscal revenues would be negatively affected by the current poor generic drug pricing. McKeeson is also expecting that its operations will be weighed down by the expiration of its contract with Optum, a pharmacy benefit managing system and the changes in it its contracts with Omnicare and Target. Even with these job cuts, the drug distributor initially has big plans this year. It meant to buy two privately owned cancer care service providers in February for $1.2 billion. It has recently acquired Rexall Health, a Canadian drugstore chain. All 30 Oculus Rift games that will be available to buy for the VR headset have been revealed. The news comes after Sony announced the PlayStation VR release and price. Eurogamer reported that the Oculus Rift games will be available when the console is released on Mar. 28. The list includes VR versions of "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter" by The Astronauts as well as racing game "Project Cars" by Slightly Mad Studios. The Oculus Rift games will also have three different "comfort" levels: "intense," "moderate" and "comfortable." The publication's editor, Oli Welsh, described intense games as mostly first-person or third-person with a fast-moving camera like in racing games. Moderate games, on the other hand, are third-person with a slow-moving camera. Comfortable Oculus Rift games have a fixed camera that is able to switch views but not move. "Elite: Dangerous," which was recently announced as one of the Oculus Rift games, is considered to be intense. This could be caused by the spaceship dogfighting involved in the program."Gunjack" is reportedly moderate while "Pinball FX V2" is comfortable. The Oculus Rift games will cost between $4.99 and $59.99. "Elite: Dangerous" and the "EVE Valkyrie Founder's Pack" are the more expensive games while "Adventure Time" is the most affordable as of the moment. Other Oculus Rift games in development include Harmonix's "Rock Band VR" as well as Insomniac's "Edge of Nowhere. There have been no official announcements for the release of these games yet. In an interview with Engadget, Oculus co-founder and CEO Palmer Luckey shared his thoughts on Oculus Rift and virtual reality. "People talk a lot about 2016 being the year of virtual reality," he said. "To a degree that is going to be true. But it's not going to be all of a sudden everyone in the world is using virtual reality, or even that all gamers are using VR. There is going to be an adoption curve over time starting with more early adopters and PC gamers that own or are willing to buy a high-end PC." Shia LaBeouf is reportedly engaged to his on-and-off-again girlfriend Mia Goth. But with the former "Transformers" actor's dating history, some showbiz insiders are wary if the rumored engagement will make it down the aisle. Shia LaBeouf and Mia Goth, who've been dating since 2012, have been sparking the public's curiosity on their wedding plans for months now. In fact, the engagement reports started last March when the British actress was seen wearing what appeared to be an engagement ring during a Miu Miu event at Paris Fashion Week. Since there had been no engagement announcement that transpired after the sighting, many thought that Shia LaBeouf and Mia Goth have ended their relationship, especially after their taped public altercation in Germany last summer, People noted. The latest sighting of the couple in Los Angeles on Wednesday, however, apparently hinted an engagement when the "Nymphomaniac: Volume II" actress was spotted wearing a "sparkly ring" on her ring finger again. And according to Us Weekly, LaBeouf even told a Gelson's cashier that he's getting married. LaBeouf's reported admission came after he called Goth as his fiancee during his live-stream performance art project #Elevate, in which he spent 24 hours in an elevator in February. While many are seemed excited about Shia LaBeouf's engagement, his dating history reportedly hinted that the couple might not make it to the altar. Celeb Dirty Laundry even cited the fact that LaBeouf "can barely be out of one relationship" before he jumps into the next. The celebrity gossip site further claimed that a few weeks after Shia LaBeouf's altercation with Mia Goth in July 2015, he was then reportedly hooking up with "American Honey" star Sasha Lane. But his relationship ended with Lane in October 2015 and he reunited with Goth. LaBeouf has also dated Carey Mulligan but their relationship ended in 2010. He then dated stylist Karolyn Pho for two years, before it ended in 2012, the year when he immediately dated Goth. Considering Shia LaBeouf's dating history, CDL claimed that it will be a "miracle" if he and Mia Goth will get married, and a "double miracle" if the engaged couple will stay married. Meanwhile, a rep for Shia LaBeouf has declined to comment on the actor's engagement to Mia Goth. 'They exploited the death of an Italian student in Egypt to interfere in the country's internal affairs' says one MP of the recent EU parliament resolution Egypt's parliament has authorised an eight-member delegation to visit Brussels next month, to respond to the European Parliament's recent resolution which condemned alleged human right violations in Egypt. The non-binding resolution, issued on 10 March, criticised what it described as the deterioration of human rights in Egypt, in the context of the death of Italian student Giulio Regeni, whose body was found on 3 February bearing marks of torture. Egypt's House of Representatives, were quick to condemn the resolution, describing it as politicised, groundless, and showing a lack of respect for the country's sovereignty. Alaa Wali, an independent MP from the constituency of Kerdasa in Giza, told Ahram Online that he and many other MPs felt disappointed with the European Parliament's resolution. "They exploited the death of an Italian student in Egypt Giulio Regeni in mysterious circumstances to interfere in the country's internal affairs in a very arrogant way and to tarnish Egypt's image in a very bad way," said Wali, who will be part of the delegation. "Not only did they refuse to wait until the legal investigation into this incident is finished, but also opted to cite inaccurate information to jump to hasty conclusions about the human rights situation in Egypt," he added. Wali, a businessman, disclosed that the visit, approved by speaker Ali Abdel-Al, will be held between 3 and 7 April a period during which the European Parliament will be in session. "We will try our best to convey to MEPs the most up-to-date and accurate legal and judicial information about Regeni's death and respond to their attacks about the human rights situation in Egypt -- particularly the issue related to what is called enforced disappearances," said Wali. Wali and most Egyptian MPs believe that the European Parliament receives most of its information about conditions from human rights in Egypt from Muslim Brotherhood officials living in Europe especially London and Munich - and from Western media highly hostile to the regime of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. "Both rushed to seize incidents like Regeni's death to spread their lies about how 'peaceful' demonstrations are being crushed and how people exercising freedom of speech are being detained every day," said Wali. Many Egyptian MPs also believe that the European Parliament includes a lot of radical liberal MPs who adopt highly extremist and hypocritical positions on human rights. "The views of those liberals on human rights only lead to chaos," said MP Heba Hagras, also part of the delegation. "If a Middle Eastern regime tries to restore calm on the streets or stand up to violent protests like the ones organised by Muslim Brotherhood, it would be automatically called a dictator regime. But if a country like France decides to change the constitution and impose a state of emergency, it would face no criticism and would even be given a free hand on the grounds of protecting its national security," said Hagras. Wali argued that strong awareness among Egyptian parliamentarians of the importance of keeping Egyptian-Italian relations intact also represents another objective for the visit to the European Parliament. "Because we highly value this relationship, we will do our best to block those who aim to undermine it from achieving their malicious intentions," said Wali. Wali wondered why the death of Regeni was exposed on the same day a high-level Italian delegation was on a visit in Cairo to negotiate business deals with the government of Egypt. "It was not a coincidence, but was deliberate, to subvert relations with Italy in the same way the terrorists of the Islamic State group in Sinai tried to sabotage relations with Russia when they announced they were responsible for downing a Russian passenger airliner last October," said Wali. The delegation of Egyptian MPs to Brussels will be led by Ahmed Said, a businessman and former chairman of the liberal-oriented Free Egyptians Party. In addition to Said, Wali and Hagras, the delegation will also include businessman Mohamed El-Sewedi, Ahmed Khalil from the Salafist Nour Party, Karim Nabil, an independent MP representing Cairo's Heliopolis district, Sherine Faraag, a presidential appointee to the parliament, and Ahmed Samir Mahmoud, who represents the Future of Egypt party in 6 October city. Some MPs, however, have been critical of the planned visit to Brussels. Hani Abaza, an MP with the liberal Wafd Party, wondered: "Why didn't the delegation include a Wafdist MP? Most of the members of this small delegation are businessmen and female MPs and I really doubt that they will be able to present a strong case about Egypt in Brussels." Mostafa Bakri, an independent MP, also wondered why "the Egyptian parliament is making a lot of foreign visits at a time when the country is suffering from a severe shortage in foreign currency." Bakri also raised strong doubts that the delegation to Brussels will have a positive impact. "It is a waste of time and money to conduct a dialogue with human rights fanatics in this arrogant European Parliament," said Bakri. Search Keywords: Short link: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Saturday rejected criticism of the country's human rights situation by his US counterpart, John Kerry, saying that such matters were the responsibility of the Egyptian government, which was working to implement the constitution. Kerry said on Friday he was deeply concerned by the deterioration in the human rights situation in Egypt, including a decision to reopen an investigation into human rights NGOs. In a press conference with his Slovakian counterpart in Cairo, Shoukry said that Egypt rejects any kind of international guidance on human rights. "Human rights issues are the responsibility of the Egyptian government, which is very keen to implement and put into action the constitution, which stipulates respect for and commitment to human rights," Shoukry said. He added that not only is the Egyptian government working on human rights in Egypt, but that such matters are discussed by the public and by NGOs. In a statement released by the State Department on Friday, the US secretary of state said the decision by the Egyptian government this week to to reopen an investigation of several non-governmental organisations working on human rights comes against a wider backdrop of arrests and intimidation of the political opposition, journalists, activists and others. "I urge the Government of Egypt to work with civic groups to ease restrictions on association and expression and to take action to allow these and other human rights NGOs to operate freely," Kerry said in the statement. A judicial committee overseeing a five-year-old investigation into several rights activists accused of receiving illegal funding from foreign sources ordered on Thursday the freezing of assets of four Egyptian human rights activists and their families. They include rights activist Gamal Eid and investigative journalist Hossam Bahgat. Search Keywords: Short link: A Maadi court on Saturday upheld a six-month prison sentence for two well-known political activists, Ahmed Douma and Mohamed Adel, for assaulting police officers assigned to a court in Maadi in 2013, while they were on trial in another case. The misdemeanour court rejected an appeal by Douma, a well-known political activist, and Mohamed Adel, one of the founders of the now-banned 6 April Youth Movement, against the charges. The men committed the assaults while they were on trial for holding unauthorised protests, a jailable offence under a law passed in 2013. They are currently serving three-year sentences for those convictions, and were also fined EGP 50,000 (approx. $5,600). They have exhausted their appeals in that case. In February 2015, Douma and 229 other defendants were sentenced to 25 years in prison and fined EGP 17 million (US$2.2 million) collectively for involvement in the December 2011 cabinet clashes. That verdict can still be appealed. Search Keywords: Short link: SHARE By of the Milwaukee businessman Robert M. "Bobby" Kraft has filed for personal bankruptcy, the latest in a string of court cases sparked by his financial troubles. The former CEO of the now-defunct First Edge Solutions Inc. and World Marketing Holdings LLC listed debts of $1 million to $10million on his Chapter 7 petition, against assets of $100,001 to $500,000. Chapter 7 is a liquidation proceeding in which a debtor's assets are sold to raise money to repay creditors at least part of what they are owed. Last summer, Kraft took First Edge into receivership, a state court proceeding similar to bankruptcy. He resigned as CEO of the fulfillment and direct-mail firm in September. Its assets later were sold to a newly organized company, MTI Connect LLC. That firm's management includes several former First Edge employees. Not long after leaving First Edge, Kraft also resigned as CEO of World Marketing. His resignation followed World Marketing's filing for protection from creditors and financial reorganization in bankruptcy court in Chicago on Sept. 28, 2015. Kraft had led a group that bought World Marketing from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway in the fall of 2014. At the time, World Marketing employed more than 450 people and processed more than a billion pieces of mail annually. All those jobs were lost, and World Marketing is out of business. Its equipment was auctioned off in January. The week after the World Marketing bankruptcy filing, Kraft registered a company called New Edge Marketing LLC. Kraft is the firm's president and CEO, according to his LinkedIn page. "New Edge Marketing's expertise in analytics and execution helps companies maximize (return on investment) in print, mail, email, social media, and mobile channels," the company's website says. Kraft is the son of Robert W. "Bob" Kraft, who has been a leading figure in Milwaukee in helping wealthy foreign nationals invest in the U.S. in exchange for permanent residency status. Bob Kraft has severed business ties with his son. Jeremy Fojut and (from left) Angela Damiani, both of NEWaukee, and Tony Janowiec and Joshua Krsnak, at Shops of Grand Avenue Plankinton Arcade. Credit: Michael Sears SHARE By of the The Shops of Grand Avenue in downtown Milwaukee soon will get a new name and also will be transformed into uses that won't resemble its history as an urban mall. The struggling property's new ownership group a joint venture between the Aggero Group LLC and Minneapolis-based Hempel Cos. referred to it simply as "the Grand Avenue" in a press release Friday. The shortening of the name wasn't a typo. Rather, it was a foreshadowing of major changes planned for the site, according to Angela Damiani, chief executive of NEWaukee, a local civic marketing and event planning group. The ownership group plans to announce a completely different name for the three-block property next month that will have "nothing to do" with Grand Avenue, Damiani said. That announcement is scheduled for April 25 at the Plankinton Building at the site. "The development will look a lot different and probably will not be considered a mall when it is all said and done," Damiani said. "There will be a new name and concept unveiled on April 25." The owners on Friday also identified four project partners who will help redevelop the property. The project team includes: TKWA UrbanLab, a division of the Kubala Washatko Architects created to lead ongoing community efforts in making downtown Milwaukee a vibrant urban center. Collier's International, a global real estate company that will handle the management and office brokerage for the property. Mid America Real Estate Group, a retail real estate firm that will handle the retail brokerage portion of the redevelopment. NEWaukee, the civic marketing and event planning group. The owners said in a news release that they engaged the project team after several months of meeting with community members and key stakeholders on W. Wisconsin Ave. The partners "will collaborate to transform the Grand Avenue and reposition the three-block development as a premier destination" in the downtown neighborhood known as Westown, the release said. Westown is the area of downtown bordered by the Milwaukee River on the east, I-43 on the west, McKinley Ave. to the north and St. Paul Ave. to the south. "We recognize that the Grand Avenue has floundered in past attempts to remain vital and activated," Tony Janowiec, principal of the Aggero Group and a principal owner at Interstate Parking Co., said in the release. "It's time for a new vision for the Grand Avenue. We believe this new team has the necessary partners to bring that vision to life." The project team meets weekly and is being led by TKWA through a design and discovery process, the release said. Plans for the redevelopment are expected to be released by the end of April during NEWaukee's YPWeek Wisconsin 2016. In January, Josh Krsnak of Hempel said a craft brewery and a climbing wall were among possible uses in the underutilized mall space, although those were only ideas at that point. The mall is expected to include a Ross Dress for Less retail store, which would lease almost 30,000 square feet at the former Linens 'n Things space in the mall's Plankinton Arcade. Ross Dress for Less would be next to T.J. Maxx, which is among its main competitors in the off-price clothing and home decor market nationally. The current owners bought the Shops of Grand Avenue and its 1,748-stall parking structure in December for $24.6 million from New York investor Alexander Levin. The mall and parking structure were sold as separate entities. The 293,596-square-foot mall first opened in the summer of 1982 and at the time was regarded as a major boost for downtown Milwaukee. But while it was initially a big attraction, it slipped from prominence as one national retailer after another exited. Those struggles started about 10 years after its opening. By then, retailers that had opened their first southeastern Wisconsin stores at the Grand Avenue had opened additional stores at other Milwaukee-area malls. By 2009, amid a deep recession, the Grand Avenue was half empty after several large tenants, including Linens 'n Things and Old Navy, moved out. Journal Sentinel Business Editor Steve Jagler contributed to this report. Mike Flanagan is no stranger to business. He's a financial consultant in Onalaska, just north of La Crosse, and president of Functional Biosciences, a DNA sequencing company based in Madison's University Research Park. Even experienced dogs can learn new tricks, however. When Flanagan attended the first Wisconsin Tech Summit, he got advice from major companies that changed the growth prospects for his emerging biotechnology firm. Flanagan's 15-minute "speed dates" at the 2014 Tech Summit, to be held again April 25 in Waukesha, persuaded him to apply for a regulatory clearance portrayed as essential for doing business with larger laboratories and pharmaceutical companies that handle human specimens. "During the Tech Summit, we received confirmation that pursuing (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) certification was the correct direction for us to take," Flanagan recalled. "The decision to continue our path to CLIA certification materialized after two pivotal meetings. We left the Tech Summit with a renewed sense of purpose ..." That regulatory path was neither quick nor inexpensive, but it's now completed. Flanagan thinks the CLIA stamp of approval will help Functional Biosciences grow perhaps with the help of the very companies that gave him the advice. That story is just one example of how the upcoming Tech Summit at Waukesha's GE Healthcare Institute connects major companies with young firms from across Wisconsin. Emerging companies may apply through Tuesday at www.wistechsummit.comto participate in the third annual summit, a daylong event that puts them in front of major companies that often do business in similar sectors. Thirteen major firms have agreed to take part so far: AT&T, Aurora Health Care, BloodCenter of Wisconsin, Dedicated Computing, Direct Supply, GE Healthcare, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Intel, Logistics Health Inc., Johnson Controls, Marshfield Clinic Information Services, Promega and Rockwell Automation. Those firms will engage in a series of 15-minute meetings with emerging companies from across the state that apply for the chance to pitch their products, services, research and ideas. Other features of the event will include: An opening panel discussion to help set the stage for emerging companies by allowing major companies an opportunity to talk generally about their goals, needs and emerging markets; Educational seminars, which will be available to all participants during those times in which they are not scheduled for individual meetings; A continental breakfast, networking lunch and on-site reception. Major companies will hear from younger firms with innovative products or services tied to areas such as "big data," connected devices and data analytics in sectors ranging from health care to information systems, and from power electronics to advanced manufacturing. This year's conference co-chairmen are Sujeet Chand of Rockwell Automation and Vivek Bhatt of GE Healthcare, whose teams are among those that will meet with emerging companies. Flanagan said he would "highly recommend" that emerging companies like his own apply to attend. So do other veterans of past events. "At last year's event, several of our meetings led to follow-ups and long-term business relationships," said Scott Vanderbeck, president of Organic Research Group. "I would strongly recommend the Tech Summit as a way to get your foot in the door at major companies that might otherwise be difficult to get meetings with..." "Our engagements (throughout the day) were very genuine. Almost all our meetings resulted in productive connections," said Josh Herritz of MIOsoft. "Suffice it to say, the speed-dating format was considerably more effective than we anticipated." "Though short, the meetings themselves were a valuable way to gather feedback on our product and on the needs of a number of different industries," said Maggie Hua of SmartUQ. "The insights gained have been used to help direct product development and to improve the explanation of our value proposition." Not all of the Tech Summit's speed dates result in corporate romance, of course, but surveys of past major company participants show more than 40% followed up on half or more of their speed dates and more than 90% followed up on at least one encounter. For many emerging companies, it's not just about attracting angel and venture capital although some early stage funds will be represented at the summit, as well. It's also about making the right business connections. Large and small companies often travel in different "orbits," even if they're in the same business sectors, and they rarely collide except by chance. The Wisconsin Tech Summit's speed-dating approach aims to help some of those orbits to cross and the state's business development stars to better align here. Tom Still is president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. Its Wisconsin Innovation Network meets in Wauwatosa. Contact him at news@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com. While spending time in New York City last fall, my husband and I happened upon a little cafe tucked inside the Gansevoort Market in the trendy Meatpacking District. A block from the Highline trail, an old rail bed realized into a marvel of interesting landscapes, we'd stopped in to the market to check it out. After walking the length of the Highline and back south, taking in wonderful views of the city, we were in need of something refreshing. A sign caught my eye: The Bruffin Cafe. And the displays of unusual pastries drew us closer. What looked like a twisted roll in a muffin shape, with all sorts of goodies stuffed inside, now really piqued our curiosity. Tiny international flags were stuck in each one of the rolls. My husband said, "Oh yeah, I've heard of those they seem to be the new big thing in the city." (And as I later found out, these bruffins were one of Oprah's Favorite Things last year. The New York Daily News pronounced that the creators of the bruffin had "been O-nointed.") They looked so tempting with their ingredients puffing out of the delicate, swirled dough, we naturally had to try them. There were tiny Spanish, Indian, Japanese, British flags 16 countries from all over the globe their savory cuisine stuffed inside. Sweet bruffins too, not tied to a nationality, were beautifully displayed. We chose a savory one sporting a Greek flag spiced beef with spinach, feta and Kalamata olives and a sweet one blueberry mascarpone cheesecake bruffin. Wow. Both of them were yum-m-m. But what is it? As creators Michael Bagley and Medy Youcef explain, it's a meal in a muffin. They were looking for something substantial that could be eaten with one hand and that would be satisfying in texture as well as fill a person up with a delicious jumble of ingredients. A mash-up of brioche pastry and a muffin's look (hence "bruffin") was their solution. For a brunch, perhaps your Easter brunch, these seem to be a perfect centerpiece, and you can build other dishes around them. I tried my hand at the bruffin and I found that the brioche dough is not too difficult to make. Having a European mother-in-law, whose delicate brioche always made me assume that it was next to impossible to produce unless you carried the pastry gene in your blood, I had been intimidated for years to try it. It doesn't take all that long to whip up the dough, which then rests for 8 to 12 hours. Perfect you have plenty of time to prepare other brunch items while the dough works to prepare itself! For stuffings, use your imagination and follow a theme for a country, a city or a holiday. I would say to use two to four ingredients max, unless you are adding a spice, as too many items would not allow the wonderful taste of the buttery brioche to stand out. Brunch wouldn't be complete without eggs and potatoes of some sort. A no-fuss frittata not only looks great but also is not complicated to mix up. This recipe from Williams-Sonoma is chock-full of flavor with leeks and tangy Gruyere to complement sliced potatoes. The frittata should be made just before serving. Zucchini and carrot fritters with a creamy yogurt-mint dip bring a springtime look into your brunch menu. These can be made the day before, and then they need just a brief time in the oven to crisp up before serving. For dessert, make it fun and easy on yourself. Stir up sugar cookie dough (or buy premade if you're stretched for time) and use some springtime cookie cutters. Let the kids ice them, or do it yourself if you have time. Of course, cookies can also be done several days ahead of your gathering, as long as you have some left to serve and haven't found them slowly disappearing, as iced cookies tend to do around my house. Liquid refreshment during your brunch runs the gamut from lemonade for the kids to blood orange screwdrivers for those of age. It's safe to say (according to the calendar!) you can now celebrate the welcome change of seasons with your bruffins brunch. Call them bruffins, brioche muffins, breakfast muffins or meal in a muffin whatever you want. These will put the "wow" into your next brunch gathering. BRUFFINS BRUNCH Ham and Cheese Brioche-Muffins (Bruffins) Zucchini and Carrot Fritters with Yogurt Mint Dip Leek, Potato and Gruyere Frittata Iced cutout cookies Lemonade or Blood Orange Screwdrivers The deputy speaker of Egypt's parliament told reporters on Saturday that a statement issued by the US secretary of state on human rights in Egypt represented another "American intervention in Egypt's internal affairs." "We are aware that it has become a tradition for American officials to resort to seizing some separate cases, like the current one related to investigating NGOs, as an excuse to issue judgments about the situation of human rights in Egypt in general, and meddle with our internal affairs," said Soliman Wahdan. Secretary of State John Kerry released a statement on Friday saying he was deeply concerned by the deterioration in the human rights situation in Egypt, including a decision to reopen an investigation into human rights NGOs. A judicial committee overseeing a five-year-old investigation into several rights activists accused of receiving illegal funding from foreign sources ordered on Thursday the freezing of assets of four Egyptian human rights activists and their families. They include rights activist Gamal Eid and investigative journalist Hossam Bahgat. Wahdan indicated that "the freely elected Egyptian parliament is the only institution legally and constitutionally authorised to review human rights issues, including that of NGOs, and not America." What about the human rights of black Americans who are being slaughtered on American streets every day?" asked Wahdan. "What would Kerry's response be if the Egyptian parliament issued a statement about these violations?" Wahdan disclosed that "once the new draft law on NGOs operating in Egypt is referred to us, it will be heavily reviewed by Egyptian MPs". "We care about freedoms and that NGOs play a more active role in boosting development and observing human rights in Egypt, but we do not accept that foreigners, especially American officials, impose their say on us," said Wahdan. Wahdan, a member of the liberal Wafd Party, also argued that "the Egyptian parliament is strongly in favour of supporting civil society organisations in Egypt. "But we will support only NGOs which choose to take the right legal path; those who only aim to implement foreign agendas or take human rights as a cover to obtain money from America and the West or practice other non-legal activities will be banned," he said. Responding to questions about other criticisms levelled at Egypt's human rights record by the European Parliament, Wahdan said a number of Egyptian MPs will visit Brussels in April to respond to attacks in this respect. "We have a long and strong relationship with the European Union, and we hope that we will settle our differences through dialogue," said Wahdan. Concerning the tragic death of Italian student Giulio Regeni in Cairo, which some allege is linked to police torture, Wahdan said prosecution authorities are still working on this case. "While we trust Egyptian prosecution and judicial authorities, I urge MEPs to exercise patience and not to jump to hasty conclusions," said Wahdan, also expressing hope that "this single accident will not in any way negatively impact the deep-rooted relations between Egypt and Italy." Search Keywords: Short link: Inflation is a top issue for voters, but politicians' solutions could make things worse Voters have shifted their top priority from abortion to their wallets, but candidates are limited in what they can do about rising prices. Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community gather for food at the Nowruz camp, in Derike, Syria, in this 2014 photo. Credit: Associated Press SHARE By Dohuk, Iraq Last week I met a young Yazidi woman who escaped after a year's captivity as a slave of the Islamic State. Haifa's horrifying story reminds me of the misguided debate in Washington over whether to label the effort to destroy the Yazidis (and other Iraqi minorities) a genocide, which Secretary of State John Kerry did on Thursday. By itself this label is of little value to Haifa or to the 2,500 or so other female Yazidi escapees (never mind the thousands who remain enslaved). These traumatized women have become a symbol of the jihadis' depravity, of why the Islamic State must be rooted out of the region. But Yazidi survivors need concrete assistance, not just labels or flowery words. I met Haifa (not her real name) through an extraordinary nongovernmental organization called Yazda, which provides services to displaced Yazidis. More than 900 female survivors have contacted the group looking for help. Sitting with arms crossed, wearing a long mauve skirt and sweater and a brown head scarf that set off a lovely, troubled face, 24-year-old Haifa kept wringing her hands as her story poured out. On Aug. 3, 2014, 25 jihadis in trucks surrounded her village and demanded that the families come out and turn over their gold, phones and money. The Islamic State had attacked all the major cities, villages and towns belonging to the Yazidi religious minority, ethnic Kurds whose heartland sits in northern Iraq. Around 50,000 fled to the mountains, where they were ultimately rescued, with the help of U.S. airstrikes. But around 5,000 men were slaughtered and 5,000 women and children taken captive. The jihadis were out to destroy a religious group whose esoteric faith they denounce. In Haifa's village, most of the men were taken away, while the women were shoved into trucks to begin a horrifying odyssey. (Luckily, her husband was away working.) A black-clad, bearded jihadi held a gun to her head and told her to convert. Terrified for her 5-month-old daughter and 2-year-old son, she and the other women agreed. It made no difference. They were held in another village for two days and a night without food or water. After another mass move, the jihadis took the older women away and seized all children age 3 and above, including her sister-in-law's three boys, ages 6, 8, and 11. Their captors said the boys would be trained to be fighters and suicide bombers. I don't want to think of what became of the little girls. Soon, hundreds of families were herded into trucks used to transport sheep and taken to a wedding banquet hall in Mosul. "There were so many people, we could only sit, not lie down, and the children were all crying," she recalled. "We got some rice only once a day. There were no toilets inside." She took a breath and paused. "They told the men that they were going to kill them and take their wives. And they yanked the earrings from my daughter's ears." Soon after, the remaining men, including her two brothers-in-law, were bound and blindfolded and taken away. She never saw them again. The Islamic State finally took Haifa and the other women to Raqqa, their main Syrian headquarters, where they packed them into an underground prison and said they would be walled in to die. But the jihadis finally figured out how to make a profit from their female captives, registering them by name, date of birth and number of children. "Then they took us to a market for selling," she said. "Daesh sat in a circle. The women had to walk around, and they read off each woman's information to people who came to buy." Although Haifa never discussed the details and I didn't press her the women slaves are raped over and over, and are often resold when their owners tire of them. Girls as young as 11 are sold into this hell. The first to purchase her was a Saudi who threatened to take away her son. "My son was crying and kissing the man's feet and saying, 'No, she is my mom.'" One month later, she was sold to a Syrian, who gave her bloody knives to wash, which she worried meant that he was beheading captives. Her third owner, another Syrian, kept her and her children locked in a room in an Islamic State-controlled village near Aleppo. Her son found a small knife under a table and she broke the lock. Dressed in enveloping black, she fled to the street and knocked on a nearby door in desperation. By sheer chance, the person who answered was willing, for a price, to contact smugglers. Yazidis are victims of genocide, but the label is a sham unless accompanied by concrete programs to help the victims. Trudy Rubin is a columnist and editorial-board member for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Email: trubin@phillynews.com. Judge Merrick Garland, President Barack Obamas choice to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, sits during a meeting with Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Credit: Associated Press SHARE By We are in the midst of a constitutional crisis every bit as serious and not unlike the court packing crisis of the 1930s. But the resolution of the current crisis is in the hands of the four Republican-appointed justices of the Supreme Court. Any one of those justices can end the crisis with a short letter to President Barack Obama. In the late 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, with the concurrence of a large part of Congress, sought to encroach on the independence of the Supreme Court by increasing the number of justices. The plan was to fill the new positions with judges loyal to the president and his New Deal. Now, the Republican-controlled Senate is encroaching on the power of the president and the judiciary by unconstitutionally refusing to allow the first African-American president, who was elected twice by a majority of our citizens, to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court. At bottom, the Republican Senate also is seeking to politicize the Supreme Court. In this case, not by packing it, but by refusing to unpack it refusing to yield 30 years of a court dominated by Republican appointees. The president and Merrick Garland, the extremely well-qualified and mainstream chief judge of the D.C. Circuit, are not the only losers in this crisis. The Supreme Court itself is a loser. As Alexander Hamilton said in Federalist Paper No. 78, the authority of the Supreme Court is tenuous, deriving its power from the strength of its reasoning: it has "no influence over either the sword or the purse...It may truly be said to have neither force nor will, but merely judgment." Whenever one political branch makes the Supreme Court appear to be just another political branch of government, the Supreme Court's authority suffers. Its decisions are viewed not as the law of the land but just as political diatribe. The solution to the current constitutional crisis, however, is straightforward if not simple. The solution also is in keeping with the founders' reason for dividing government into three branches. Divided government prevents the aggrandizement of a few people by placing checks and balances in the hands of others. The four Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices can check the Republican Senate from unconstitutionally waiting for the next Republican president to replace Justice Antonin Scalia. Any one of those justices can do so by sending to the president a letter saying he will resign at the end of the current Supreme Court session unless the Senate fulfills its constitutional obligation of advice and consent. Faced with such a letter designed to thwart their efforts to politicize the court, the Republican Senate likely will see the wisdom of fulfilling its duty and allowing Obama to fill the vacancy. Such a letter is fully consonant with each Supreme Court justice's oath to defend the Constitution. George Washington is our republic's greatest hero not only because of his military victories, but also because his voluntary resignation from public life after two terms as president paved the way from government of the person to constitutional government of, by and for the people. A conditional resignation by Justices Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito or Chief Justice John Roberts would be similarly heroic and put an end to this crisis. Timothy Wilson Burns is a partner at Perkins Coie LLP, Madison. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) holds a press conference with union workers to discuss the affect of free trade agreements on American workers on March 3 in East Lansing, Mich. Credit: Scott Olson SHARE By Prodded by Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders and their collective supporters, the leading presidential candidates in both parties have come to realize that embracing the Trans Pacific Partnership (a massive proposed new "free trade" deal) is political suicide. Not surprisingly, they have all disavowed it. Yet the talking heads in print, radio, TV and academia who have misinterpreted the lessons of the Great Depression and are haunted by economic hobgoblins cling to the rigid, unthinking doctrine of "free trade" as if it is the only path to salvation. The "free trade" economic hobgoblin is dangerous to them and the American people but once it is exorcised, we will be in a position to conceive and execute economic policies appropriate for the 21st century. Too much debt sparked Great Depression; Smoot-Hawley designed to ameliorate it During and immediately after World War I, the United States lent enormous sums of money to European countries and in the process became the world's largest creditor. Postwar debt payments from abroad and overly loose lending practices by American banks facilitated a boom in real estate and stock prices and fueled the "Roaring Twenties." When the stock and real estate bubbles began to deflate on the eve of the Great Depression, Congress panicked (sound familiar?) and decided the only way to beat the recession, maintain American jobs and ensure prosperity was to slap on a high tariff. Congress designed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff to prevent foreign goods from being sold in America, and thereby ensure that Americans remained employed, satisfying American demand, making money and paying off their debts. At time it passed, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff seemed like a good idea. After all, in the 19th century, America had often raised tariff rates when the republic encountered a bit of economic turbulence and the 19th century tariffs seemed to have helped, and certainly did not prevent, the American economic growth that had made our economy the largest and most powerful one in the world. Smoot and Hawley haunted by a "Hobgoblin of Little Minds" In retrospect, we see Smoot and Hawley forgot that in the 19th century, the U.S. was one of the globe's great debtor nations, not the world's greatest creditor. In the 19th century, the rest of the world did not have to sell the United States goods to prevent global financial collapse, and the economic dislocations, war, pestilence and famine that often accompany it. Instead, our global creditors were justifiably more interested in making sure we paid them back what we had already borrowed. So insofar as the 19th century American tariffs prompted Americans to consume less from abroad, and work harder and produce more at home, it was a policy that was good for the U.S. and good for the world. Tariffs helped us pay our debts. By the late 1920s, the situation was reversed. The rest of the world did not need us to pay them back what they had lent us (we had already done that); they needed us to buy their goods and services so they could pay us back the money we had lent them. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff prevented foreigners from selling us goods and services and thereby prevented them from paying off their debt. Left with no recourse, they defaulted on the debt they owed us. The global financial system then collapsed, which turned a nasty recession into the Great Depression. An economic hobgoblin defined The Smoot-Hawley episode provides a textbook example of elected officials relying on an economic idea (i.e. the 19th century notion that putting on tariffs in the face of a recession is a commendable thing) that had worked in the past but did not, because of changed circumstances, work in the present. Smoot and Hawley could not see that changing circumstances (i.e. the U.S. becoming a creditor as opposed to a debtor nation) required a mental flip-flop. Instead they were in thrall to an idea (the tariff) that had been a good one (with proponents as wise and farseeing as Honest Abe Lincoln) but had outworn its usefulness and hence become a hobgoblin. Smoot and Hawley became possessed by protectionist "hobgoblin of little minds." Talking heads of today possessed by "free trade" hobgoblin Today our self-identified thought leaders are determined to avoid being the 21st century equivalent of Smoot and Hawley. Unfortunately, their rigid, unthinking adherence to the doctrine of "free trade" is a classic example of people clinging to an economic idea (i.e., the 20th century notion that free trade is always good and tariffs are always bad) that made sense previously, but does not, because of changed circumstances, make sense right now. They are forgetting that the U.S. is now the world's greatest debtor nation, not the world's greatest creditor, and in the process are allowing an economic hobgoblin to possess their thinking. Our situation is more reminiscent of the 19th century than the 20th century. The world financial system is not going to collapse if we consume more goods and services we make at home and fewer goods and services we import from abroad. But it most certainly will collapse if Americans continue to suffer chronic domestic underemployment, borrow more and more money, buy more and more goods and services made abroad with that borrowed money, and get deeper and deeper in a debt hole that can only end in national bankruptcy and foreclosure. We must change course or we are going to have a disaster, maybe of biblical proportions. Hobgoblins begone With each passing day of subpar economic performance, it becomes more inevitable that the U.S. must abandon the 20th century policy of unadulterated, unmitigated "free trade." The American people and the leading presidential candidates already have escaped the clutches of that particular economic hobgoblin. We need the talking heads in print, radio, TV and academia to escape its clutches, too, and help us devise and implement policies such as a judicious tariff on imports and a cut in the payroll tax that will provide an environment in which Americans can get back to work making goods and money, instead of out of to work borrowing money so they can purchase and consume goods from abroad. Then we can work off our debts, the global economic system will avoid collapse, and we will decrease the risk of war, pestilence, famine and the like. By rejecting the TPP as it is currently structured, the leading presidential candidates (from both parties) and the American people are doing the right thing. We need the talking heads to do the right thing, too. Instead of ruining themselves and attempting to ruin us in the name of the "free trade" economic hobgoblin, they should embrace the changing reality and help us create an environment in which America's long tradition of hard work, entrepreneurial activity and manufacturing prowess generates a magnificent boom. Be of good cheer, people! Our best days are yet to come. Van A. Mobley is associate professor of history and economics at Concordia University Wisconsin and president of the Village of Thiensville. Presidential contenders (clockwise from top) John Kasich, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in the Repoublican field and Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in the Demcoratic contest will compete in Wisconsins April 5 primaries. Credit: Wire services By of the Early voting begins Monday for Wisconsin's April 5 presidential primary and spring election, with at least one Republican presidential contender scheduled to be in the state Wednesday and Milwaukee poised to hire 200 additional poll workers to deal with what is expected to be higher than average turnout in the city. For the first time in a presidential race in the state, voters will need to bring photo identification to cast ballots as Wisconsin fully implements revamped election laws. Early voting at municipal clerks' offices will run Monday through Friday and March 28 to April 1. There will be no early voting on weekends. Key contests include the state Supreme Court race between Justice Rebecca Bradley who was appointed to the post by Gov. Scott Walker and state Appeals Court Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg. In Milwaukee, Mayor Tom Barrett is running for a fourth term, against Milwaukee Ald. Bob Donovan. Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele is in a hotly contested race against state Sen. Chris Larson. In the presidential primaries, 42 delegates are at stake for Republicans and 86 for Democrats, plus another 10 Democratic superdelegates who can back a candidate regardless of the voting results. There is no official prediction for statewide turnout. But Neil Albrecht, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, said his agency would begin hiring election workers "to ensure we are fully prepared for the spring election." After Western primaries and caucuses in Arizona, Utah and elsewhere, Wisconsin becomes a prime presidential battleground. Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich has scheduled a town hall meeting Wednesday at the Crowne Plaza Milwaukee West hotel in Wauwatosa. Republican front-runner Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas haven't yet released their schedules. In the buildup to election day, the campaigns will be seeking endorsements from Wisconsin's top Republicans. After Walker dropped out of the presidential race last fall, GOP leaders like Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) lined up with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has since dropped out of the race. Vos said Saturday he has received overtures to support the Cruz and Kasich campaigns. "I promised myself that I would think about it over the weekend and talk to friends and supporters," he said. State Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Cedarburg) is Cruz's state chairman. Cruz has also received endorsements from U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, a Republican from the Town of Glenbeulah in Sheboygan County, and at least a half-dozen conservative state lawmakers. "As far as Wisconsin goes, Cruz believes he's going to win here," Stroebel said. "Right now the dynamics of the race are different than a week ago. We have one conservative in the race, and that's Ted Cruz." Stroebel said Cruz would be in Wisconsin by the end of the week. Trump has no major endorsements in the state. He had 30% support among registered Republicans surveyed in last month's Marquette University Law School poll. Rubio had 20%, while Cruz had 19%. John Kasich was at 8% with Ben Carson, who has dropped out of the race. On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton faces Vermont independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. In 2008, Clinton lost to Barack Obama in the Wisconsin presidential primary by 17 points. For months, polling has shown a tight race between Sanders and Clinton. In January, Clinton led Sanders by 2 points and in February Sanders led Clinton by 1. Chelsea Clinton is expected to make a campaign swing through Wisconsin on Thursday, participating in organizing events in Milwaukee, Waukesha and Madison. Wisconsin Democrats who have endorsed Clinton include U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore of Milwaukee and Barrett. SHARE By of the Major flooding began Saturday near Portage, with the Wisconsin River more than 2 feet above flood stage, the National Weather Service said Saturday. The river had risen to 19.4 feet by 4 p.m. Saturday, 2.4 feet higher than flood stage. Floodwaters were over Wood Street and a portion of Thunderbird Road, and affecting other streets in that area of Columbia County, the weather service said. "Major flooding is occurring and major flooding is forecast," according to the weather service. The river is expected to continue rising to about 19.5 feet on Sunday. The flooding resulted from heavy rains that hit across the state earlier in the week. The river is expected to fall back below flood state late Tuesday. In anticipation of street flooding, several roads were closed in low-lying areas in the towns of Caledonia and Dekorra, according to Columbia County's emergency management office. The county was making sandbags and sand available for local residents at the county highway department shop at 338 W. Old Highway 16 in Wyocena. Elsewhere, the National Weather Service was issuing warnings concerning minor flooding for the Wisconsin River at Wisconsin Dells, and for the Fox River near Berlin in Green Lake and Waushara counties. Both were at flood stage Saturday afternoon. In Waupaca County, the Wolf River hit flood stage Thursday and was expected to crest in the next few days, according to the Wisconsin Office of Emergency Management. A minor flooding warning was in place near Shiocton and New London, the weather service in Green Bay said. At least 13 policemen were killed in an armed attack on a checkpoint in the North Sinai city of Arish on Saturday, Egypt's interior ministry said in an official statement. Sources told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that security forces are currently undertaking operations to apprehend the armed men, who launched mortar shells at the checkpoint in the El-Safa neighbourhood of the city. There has been no official account of the injured yet. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement published online that it had deployed a suicide bomber who blew up a car at the checkpoint, before militants attacked the site, according to AFP. Egyptian forces have been grappling with an Islamist insurgency based in parts of the North Sinai governorate, which spiked following the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. The insurgency has killed hundreds of Egyptian security forces. The Egyptian army has announced it also killed hundreds of militants. Search Keywords: Short link: SHARE By A Brown Copunty piano teacher has been charged with sexually assaulting two girls while giving them private lessons, the Green Pay Press Gazette reports. James Widiger, 62, who is also a village trustee in Howard, was charged Friday with second-degree sexual assault of a child under 16, two counts of repeated sexual assault of a child and disorderly conduct. According to the complaint, a 14-year-old girl told police that Widiger would "grope" her under her shirt as often as five or six times per month during private piano lessons. A woman who is now 26, also reported to police she was "constantly touched" inappropriately by Widiger when she was 13 years old and taking piano lessons from him in 2003. The assaults occurred at Widiger's former business, Piano Galleries of Wisconsin at 500 S. Military Ave. in Green Bay, and at a music store where Widiger rented a practice room, according to the complaint. Reddit Email 0 Shares Maan News Agency | BETHLEHEM (Maan) A Palestinian press freedoms watchdog on Thursday said 2015 had seen an unprecedented increase in Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists across the occupied Palestinian territory. The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms, known as MADA, recorded a total of 599 violations against media freedoms throughout the year, in what the groups general director, Moussa Rimawi, said was the highest ever to be monitored in Palestine since (the watchdog) started monitoring violations against media freedoms around a decade ago. h/t Maan Images The report said 2015 had seen 134 more violations against Palestinian journalists than the year before, an increase of 29 percent, although it noted that that 2014 had witnessed the worst and widest violations, including the deaths of 17 journalists during the 50-day Gaza war. The majority of 2015s violations 407 incidents were committed by Israeli forces, MADA said, while the other 192 violations were committed by various Palestinian bodies. Almost half the violations committed by Israeli forces 42 percent were physical assaults, although the watchdog also monitored cases of soldiers denying media coverage, targeting journalists through gas canisters, stun grenades, and rubber-coated steel bullets, the confiscation of equipment, deleting recorded material, and closing media outlets. The report found that half the Israeli violations were concentrated in the final three months of 2015, after a wave of unrest swept across the occupied Palestinian territory. MADA said the closure of Palestinian media outlets by Israeli forces represented one of the most dangerous trends for media freedoms through the year, with three radio stations shut down in November, and a number of other outlets threatened due to allegations of inciting Palestinians to acts of violence. It is a trend that has carried into 2016, with another major news publication, Filistin al-Yawm (Palestinian Today), ordered to close earlier this month. Separately, the report also noted three cases where Palestinian journalists had been used as human shields by Israeli forces, up from two in 2014. The watchdog also documented 20 arrests of Palestinian journalists in 2015, in what it said was the highest number since 2008. While Israeli forces committed the the gravest and most hazardous of all monitored violations, the group said that violations by Palestinian parties had also increased at an alarming rate 68 percent over 2014. The increase in Palestinian violations raises serious concerns in relation to the manner in which the official authorities deal with the freedom of expression and media in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Rimawi said in a press release accompanying the report. The watchdog also pointed to a step backward in the legal environment for media freedoms in the occupied Palestinian territory, highlighting in particular the approval of the Higher Media Council law by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in December. The report said the law, which expands the Palestinian Authoritys control over local media, was unacceptable by all standards and measures, and its approval had appeared rushed. The watchdog called on the international community to pressure the Israeli government to end all escalating attacks against media freedoms in Palestine and to hold accountable all the perpetrators of these violations. Reddit Email 2 Shares By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) published a new opinion poll on Americas Muslims and other religious groups this week, which contains some surprises. One important finding is that mosque attendance is associated with strong identification as an American and strong civic participation as well as with opposition to violence toward civilians, whether committed by the state or by non-state actors. That is, people like Donald Trump who equate mosques with radicalism and just plan wrong. Here are other results by the numbers: 5% The proportion of Muslims who lean Republican. Muslims are the most Democratic religious group in the country save for Jews, but a bigger proportion of Jews identify as Republicans than do Muslims. h/t ISPU 50% The proportion of Muslims under age 35; Muslims are the youngest US religious community. The proportion of Protestants under 35 is only a quarter. 78% Proportion of Muslims who think President Obama is doing a good job. This is 15 points more than any other group. 40% The proportion of Muslims who favor Hillary Clinton for president. Assumptions that the community is patriarchal would be wrong. 27% The proportion of Muslims who favor Bernie Sanders for president. This percentage is actually larger than the 24 percent of Jews who lean to Sanders, who is himself Jewish. Worth repeating: A larger proportion of American Muslims supports Sanders than the proportion of American Jews who do. 4% Proportion of Muslim-Americans who support Donald Trump. This is the lowest of any major faith community in the US. This poll found 13% support for Trump among Jews and 28% among Catholics. 4 the number of major ethnic groups into which American Muslims divide. They are the only major religious group in the US not dominated by a major ethnicity, being divided relatively evenly into four whites, African-Americans, South Asian Americans, and Arab-Americans. 58% the proportion of Muslims who say they have suffered religious discrimination in the past year (the highest of any religious community, though Jews are not far behind). Reddit Email 0 Shares Euractiv.com | The most-wanted fugitive from Novembers Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was wounded and caught in a shootout in Brussels on Friday (18 March), according to the Belgian minister for asylum and immigration. Local media reported two people had been arrested, after one of Europes longest and biggest manhunts. Television footage showed masked, black-clad security forces guarding a street in the capital and reporters at the scene described white smoke rising from a rooftop. A police spokeswoman said an operation was ongoing and could not give further details. Belgian Secretary of State for Asylum, Migration and Administrative Simplification Theo Francken tweeted, We have him. We hebben hem. Theo Francken (@FranckenTheo) March 18, 2016 French President Francois Hollande and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel met Friday evening following the shootout. They were expected to hold a joint press conference later Friday night. Suivi des operations policieres avec le President de @fhollande Opvolging van de politie acties met Franse president pic.twitter.com/6QX5QAHVWw Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) March 18, 2016 Hollande declined to comment on the suspects capture when asked by journalists at the European Council summit, which was just finishing up when the news broke about Abdeslam. Belgian police had found finger prints belonging to Abdeslam at the scene of shootout earlier this week, prosecutors said. The Belgian federal prosecutors office also said an Algerian killed during that earlier operation at an apartment in Brussels on Tuesday was probably one of the people French and Belgian investigators were seeking in relation to the [attacks of Daesh or the so-called] Islamic State . . . in Paris on November 13. It later said in a separate statement that Mohamed Belkaid was probably the man who went under the name of Samir Bouzid and was killed on Tuesday. Gunmen killed more than 120 people in a wave of attacks across Paris on Friday (13 November), shouting Allahu Akbar as they massacred scores of diners and concert-goers and launched suicide attacks outside the national stadium. EurActiv.com Public broadcaster RTBF said it had information that Abdeslam, whose elder brother blew himself up in Paris, was more than likely one of two men who police have said evaded capture at the scene before a sniper shot dead 35-year-old Belkaid as he aimed a Kalashnikov. Other Belgian media were more cautious, however, saying only there was evidence Abdeslam had been there. A man named Samir Bouzid has been sought since December when police issued CCTV pictures of him wiring cash from Brussels two days after the Paris attacks to a woman who was then killed in a shootout with police in the Paris suburb of St. Denis. She was a cousin of Abdelhamid Abbaoud, a Belgian who had fought in Syria and is suspected of being a prime organiser of the attacks in which 130 people were killed. Both died in the apartment in St. Denis on Nov. 18. Frances BFM television said the fingerprints were found on a glass in the apartment, where four police officers, including a Frenchwoman, were wounded when a hail of automatic gunfire hit hem through the front door as they arrived for what officials said they had expected to be a relatively routine search. Belgian officials said earlier in the week that police had not expected to find armed suspects at the apartment and that the presence of French officers was not an indication the raid was of special importance to the investigation. Abdeslams elder brother was among the suicide bombers who killed themselves in Paris during a shooting rampage in which 130 people died. The younger Abdeslam was driven back to Brussels from Paris hours later. Belgian authorities are holding 10 people suspected of involvement with him, but there has been no report of the fugitive himself being sighted. There has long been speculation in Belgium that he could have fled to Syria. Investigators believe much of the planning and preparation for the November bombing and shooting rampage in Paris was conducted in Brussels by young French and Belgian nationals, some of whom fought in Syria for [ISIL]. The attack strained relations between Brussels and Paris, with French officials suggesting Belgium was lax in monitoring the activities of hundreds of militants returned from Syria. Brussels, headquarters of the European Union as well as Western military alliance NATO, was entirely locked down for days shortly after the Paris attacks for fear of a major incident there. Brussels has maintained a high state of security alert since then, with military patrols a regular sight. Via Euractiv and Agencies Related video added by Juan Cole: France 24: Paris Attacks: terrorist Salah Abdeslam wounded and arrested during Brussels police raid Reddit Email 3 Shares By Tharanga Yakupitiyage | (Inter Press Service) | UNITED NATIONS, Mar 17 2016 (IPS) When it comes to peace talks, women have a special stake, said Gloria Steinem while discussing current peace talks in the Middle East. Steinem, a prominent activist, joined the 60th annual session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) as part of Donor Direct Action, an NGO connecting womens rights activists to donors. Partnering with Karama, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) focused on violence against women in the Arab region, the two organisations highlighted the need to include women not only in politics, but also in peace processes in conflict nations. Women should not be in the corridor, but actually at the table, Karama founder Hibaaq Osman told delegates. According to the International Peace Institute (IPI), between 1992 and 2011, just 2 percent of chief mediators and 9 percent of negotiators in peace processes were women. However, in conflict, women continue to bear the brunt of causalities, gender-based violence and livelihood insecurity. Despite the unanimous UN adoption of Resolution 1325 calling for the increase in womens representation in conflict management and resolution, little has been done to enforce and implement it. No woman has ever been the chief or lead mediator in an UN-led peace negotiation. In an effort to include more women, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura established a Womens Advisory Board, the first of its kind. Though it is a monumental step towards womens participation in peace talks, Mouna Ghanem, the founder of the Syrian Womens Forum and member of the Womens Advisory Board, stated that this is only the first step. This is not what we are aspiring for. What we are aspiring for is not only participation, Ghanem told reporters. We are aspiring to be the decision makers, and we have a long way to go, she continued. The ongoing Syrian negotiations, which are on their fifth day in Geneva, have invited two parties to the table: Assads government and the main opposition bloc High Negotiations Committee (HNC). Though the Womens Advisory Board will express their concerns and provide recommendations to the delegations, it is unclear how much influence they will have. While criticising the lack of female decision-makers, Ghanem asked: Why are [men] making the future of Syria? Why arent women also making the future of Syria? Are we going to let those who destroyed Syria and committed huge human rights violations to women and childrenare we going to let them decide the future of Syria? She added that the two-party negotiating system will not bring the best interests of Syrians, especially women. Sahar Ghanem, the head of Civil Society Organisations Affairs Unit in the Yemeni Prime Ministers Office, painted an almost identical picture, noting that the Yemeni peace talks also did not include women. She disclosed that women were sacrificed from the talks in order to bring the two reluctant parties together to negotiate. Instead, in October 2015, a coalition of Yemeni women met with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed to consult on the political situation. Director of the Libyan Womens Platform for Peace Zahra Langhi noted that mediation must go beyond just the representation of women, adding that the UN-led mission failed to do this. They can bring some women in a segregated track and tick the box and say we have women, but women were not respectively engaged in the process, she told IPS. The peace [the UN peace envoy] aim to achieve is fragile peaceit is a peace that does not engage local communities that women are the heart of, she continued. Langhi also asserted that in order to have sustainable peace, a ceasefire is insufficient, and they must tackle with the root causes of the conflict. Among the causes are militarisation and the arms trade which, in Libya, has contributed to the systematic violence against civil society representatives, especially women. Since the countrys revolution in 2011, there has been a wave of seemingly politically-motivated assassinations. In June 2014, prominent human rights lawyer and politician Salwa Bugaighis was shot to death in her home. A month later, Fariha al-Barkawy was gunned down in broad daylight. In February 2015, civil society activist Intisar al-Hassairy was found dead in the trunk of her car. Because of the militarization and the assassination of these women, other womendecided not to be part of civil society anymore, Langhi told IPS. Echoing similar sentiments was Syrian Womens Advisory Board representative Ghanem who said that the international community is simply giving Syrian refugees a painkiller without addressing why they are refugees in the first place. We should ask what the disease is and the disease is distributing arms to all these groups who are fighting in Syria, she stated. The three women highlighted though it is important to have a 30 percent quota for women in politics, the inclusion of more women in peace talks must involve investing in local communities. This will lead to long-lasting sustainable peace, they remarked. Research from the Philippines and Colombia has shown that including women and men in peace processes significantly increases the likelihood of reaching and sustaining an agreement. Citing the case of Liberia, where a group of women began a nonviolent campaign for peace which effectively ended the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003, Steinem pointed to the power of women in matters of peace and security, stating: Now if they could make such a difference outside the room and away from the peace table, imagine what women could do in the room and at the table if we were half of every group. Though a new administration has been established after more than a year of UN peace talks, violence persists in the country and the peace deal remains weak. Similarly, the peace deal between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels is on the verge of collapse as negotiations continue to stall. Syrian peace talks also teeter following disputes with the HNC and the Kurdish party who plan to announce a federal system in the Northern Kurd-dominated region of the country. Related video added by Juan Cole: Oslo Freedom Forum: Alaa Murabit Arming Women for Peace in Libya Related Flight recorder from FlyDubai jet that crashed in Russia found The Dubai Media Office says those killed in the crash of the FlyDubai Boeing 737-800 in Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia include 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one person from Uzbekistan. The media office offered condolences on behalf of the entire United Arab Emirates for those who lost loved ones. On Twitter, the office says the entire UAE, a federation of seven emirates, offered "its deepest condolences to the families of the victims & to the Russian government & people." Seven crew members were also among those killed in the crash at Rostov-on-Don. The Dubai Media Office works under Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as the UAE's prime minister. FlyDubai is saying there are no survivors from its plane crash in Russia. The budget carrier made the announcement in a statement released Saturday morning. It said: "While we are still awaiting final confirmation, it is with great sadness that we report we believe there are no survivors." It says of the 55 passengers on board, 33 were women, 18 men and four children. There were seven crew members at the time of the crash in Rostov-on-Don. The airline's CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith said in a statement: "Our primary concern is for the families of the passengers and crew who were on board. Everyone at FlyDubai is in deep shock and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved." Search Keywords: Short link: Five people including a suicide bomber were killed and 36 wounded in a suspected attack by Kurdish militants on a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul on Saturday. The fourth suicide bombing in Turkey this year hit part of Istiklal Street, a long pedestrian zone lined with global brand name shops and foreign consulates, just a few hundred meters from an area where police buses are usually parked. Preliminary findings indicate that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or an affiliate carried out the attack, a senior Turkish official told Reuters. "The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the targeted point because they were scared of the police," the official said, adding the bomber had planned to hit a more crowded spot. Armed police sealed off the shopping street where half a dozen ambulances had gathered. Forensic teams in white suits scoured the area for evidence. Police helicopters buzzed overhead and panicked shoppers fled the area, ducking down narrow sidestreets. "My local shopkeeper told me someone had blown himself up and I walked toward the end of the street," one neighborhood resident told Reuters. "I saw a body on the street. No one was treating him but then I saw someone who appeared to be a regular citizen trying to do something to the body. That was enough for me and I turned and went back." Istiklal Street, usually thronged with shoppers on weekends, was quieter than normal before the blast as more people are staying home after a series of deadly bombings. Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu confirmed that 36 people had been wounded and seven of those were in serious condition. Twelve of the wounded were foreigners, he said. Israel's foreign ministry confirmed some of its citizens were among the wounded. "We as a nation are unfortunately now face to face with a situation of unlimited, immeasurable acts that are inhumane, defy human values and are treacherous," Muezzinoglu said. Deadly Bombings A suicide car bombing in the capital Ankara killed 37 people this month. A similar bombing in Ankara last month killed 29 people. A Kurdish militant group has claimed responsibility for both of those bombings. In January, a suicide bomber killed around 10 people, most of them German tourists, in Istanbul's historic heart, an attack the government blamed on Islamic State. NATO member Turkey faces multiple security threats. As part of a US-led coalition, it is fighting Islamic State in neighboring Syria and Iraq. It is also battling PKK militants in its southeast, where a 2-1/2-year ceasefire collapsed last July, triggering the worst violence since the 1990s. In its armed campaign in Turkey, the PKK has historically struck directly at the security forces and says that it does not target civilians. However, the recent bombings suggest it could be moving toward a tactical shift. A claim of direct responsibility for Saturday's attack could underscore that. The PKK is looking to carry out attacks aggressively during the coming Newroz spring holiday, the official said. Newroz, which falls on March 21, is Kurdish New Year. Search Keywords: Short link: A Tunisian court has sentenced ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to 10 years in jail for abuse of power, the prosecution said Friday, in the latest case against him. The exiled former dictator was on Thursday found guilty in absentia of "using his position to obtain unjustified advantages, causing harm to the administration" in a case involving an advertising agency, spokesman Kamel Barbouche told AFP, without providing further details. Ben Ali, who fled Tunisia to Saudi Arabia in January 2011 following a popular uprising against his 23-year rule, has been convicted in a number of cases in the past five years including for corruption. He also received a life sentence in absentia in 2012 for ordering security forces to fire on protestors during the revolt. Ben Ali's lawyer Mounir Bensalha was not immediately available for comment. On Monday, government spokesman Khaled Chouket said in comments aired on radio that he wished Ben Ali would return from exile. Authorities have faced a string of deadly jihadist attacks and failed to redress the economy since Ben Ali's ouster. Nostalgia for the Ben Ali era has spread among a small section of society, but the former president remains largely discredited in public opinion. Search Keywords: Short link: UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed arrived Saturday in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa after holding a round of talks in Riyadh with Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi along with other Saudi and Yemeni officials. Hadi, who met with Ould Cheikh Friday evening in Riyadh, said that "all doors are open to help reach a comprehensive and lasting peace based on the outcomes of the Gulf Initiative, the National Dialogue Conference and the resolutions of the UN Security Council, especially Resolution 2216." "The current calm on the ground, despite minor violations, reflects the parties' willingness to reach a settlement," a source close to Hadi told Ahram Online from Riyadh. The source said that de-escalation on the part of Houthi rebels and the disarming of mines on the Saudi-Yemeni border are evidence that all sides are mulling a compromise. "The Houthis began to describe Saudi Arabia as the big sister and Ali Abdullah Saleh, on the other hand, predicts that the war is coming to an end," the source said. Another Yemeni source from Sanaa told Ahram Online that the UN special envoy is expected to receive an outline of Saleh's vision of the political settlement, which is set to be discussed in Muscat within a few days. Ould Cheikh's visit is considered the first of its kind following Saudi-Houthi talks that took place in the Saudi city of Abha last week. After primarily being behind the scenes, talks have been put on a more official track. Many sources that will participate in the negotiations say it is too early to set a timeframe for the talks. However, there is no disagreement on the direction of the parties towards a settlement. There is also no disparity on stepping back from a battle over Sanaa, or alleviating the impact of war elsewhere in Yemen. Negotiations are expected to halt the political conflict between the former regime and the post-February revolution regime. Hadi's comments following the visit by Ould Cheikh were considered a call for peace. Sources close to Hadi say that he does not fear Saleh and Houthi inclusion in the political process on Yemen's future, while underlining the importance of govenmental legitimacy. Saleh's bloc, meanwhile, is expected to expand its role in Yemen's future through the negotiations. Search Keywords: Short link: GRAND ISLAND Edith Mary (Helmricks) Sawyer, 85, of Grand Island died Thursday, March 17, 2016, at the Nebraska Veterans Home in Grand Island. Services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Nebraska Veterans Home Chapel in Grand Island. There will be no visitation. Apfel Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Edith was born to Martin and Barbara (Zimmerman) Helmricks on April 14, 1930, near Orchard. Edith was the oldest daughter of four girls. She grew up on the family farm near Ewing and was very active on the farm helping her parents with the chores. She graduated from high school in Ewing and very soon moved on to teaching in a one-room rural school. She soon met the love of her life, Wayne W. Sawyer, and they married on May 13, 1951. Wayne was home on leave and shipped out to the Korean War a few days later. After his return from Korea, they moved to Camp Breckenridge, Ky. After Waynes discharge from the U.S. Army, they moved back to Orchard, Waynes hometown, and very shortly on to Norfolk where they lived for 14 years. That was where Edith was a housewife and raised their five sons. They moved to Grand Island in 1966, and she continued to raise her five sons and also became an Avon representative. After Waynes retirement from Meyers Farm Equipment, they began to travel the United States and Mexico and earlier traveled to Europe several times. Edith is survived by her husband, Wayne, of 64 years; sons, Randall of Kearney, Roger of La Vista, Rodney and wife Linda of Salt Lake City, Russell and wife Janet of Ewing and Ronald of Grand Island; along with six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Lynette, Laura Louise and Catherine; and daughter-in-law, Janice. Memorials are suggested to the Alzheimers Association of Nebraska. Visit www.apfelfuneralhome.com to share online condolences. Hulk Hogan talks with his attorneys before the start of his trial Thursday, March 17, 2016, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Hogan, whose given name is Terry Bollea, and his attorneys are suing Gawker Media for $100 million, saying his privacy was violated, and he suffered emotional distress after Gawker posted a sex tape of Hogan and his then-best friend's wife. (Dirk Shadd/The Tampa Bay Times via AP, Pool) We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form A wave of air strikes killed at least 39 civilians on Saturday in Raqa, the main stronghold of the Islamic State militant group in Syria, a monitoring group said. At least five children and seven women were among the dead in IS groups's de facto capital in the north of the war-ravaged country, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Five members of IS group's self-styled police force were also killed and 60 people were wounded, some critically, according to the monitor, which relies on a network of sources on the ground. The raids came a day after 16 civilians were killed in strikes on the same city. "We cannot know whether the latest strikes on Raqa are by Syrian or Russian warplanes," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman. "What is clear is that their goal is to try to paralyse IS and to stop it from deploying reinforcements from Raqa to the Palmyra area," he told AFP. IS seized Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Pearl of the Desert", last May. In September, satellite images confirmed that Palmyra's famed Temple of Bel had been targeted by IS as part of a campaign to destroy pre-Islamic monuments, tombs and statues it considers idolatrous. UN experts said the main building of the temple as well as a row of columns had been destroyed. In recent weeks, Syrian troops backed by the Russian air force have been pressing an advance to try to reclaim the ancient city. On Saturday alone, at least 18 IS group fighters were killed in at least 70 strikes on the Palmyra area, the Observatory said, as clashes pitted loyalist troops against jihadists on the ground. Russia, a key backer of the Syrian regime, on Monday ordered the withdrawal of most of its armed forces from Syria, but continues to strike jihadist targets, particularly around Palmyra. Senior Russian commander Sergei Rudskoi on Friday said Russian jets were flying around two dozen bombing sorties daily to back up the Syrian government's bid to recapture Palmyra. "Government troops and patriotic forces with the support of the Russian air force are carrying out a large-scale operation to liberate Palmyra," he told journalists in Moscow. Roughly 1,800 Syrian civilians including more than 400 children have been killed in Russian air strikes since Moscow launched its aerial campaign on September 30, according to the Observatory. Moscow has denied claims that its air force has repeatedly hit civilian and non-jihadist rebel targets. More than 270,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests. An unprecedented ceasefire negotiated by Russia and the United States has largely held since February 27 but the truce does not apply to militants. UN mediator Staffan de Mistura has urged Damascus to make concrete proposals in the coming days on a political transition, following a week of peace talks in Geneva. But a source close to the regime said Saturday there had been "no progress" at the meetings and criticised the UN envoy for putting pressure on the Syrian government. 29 Shares Share Patricia Bach, a geriatric psychology colleague who is active in social media, recently emailed me a question: How to encourage more clinicians in geriatrics and long-term care to use social media? In particular, she asked me What do you feel is the ROI for geriatricians to use social media/networking in their professional roles? This is an interesting question to consider. After all, we have a limited number of geriatricians available for a growing older population. We also each have only so much time and energy in every day. So how should each of us be spending our time? How much should be on social media, and do we all need to be using it? I really like blogging but was a reluctant adopter of shorter-form social media. To this day, I have a minimal personal social media presence. I only got going on Twitter because I started this blog in the fall of 2012. For me, Twitter was a good way to learn about digital health and connect with others interested in tech and aging. Then I started using Facebook in 2014, mainly because I was focusing more on my geriatrics content for the public, and at that time Facebook seemed to be a better platform for interacting with the general public, compared to LinkedIn or Twitter. (I would say this is still true.) In adopting social media for these reasons, I was manifesting something that is very important to consider when it comes to physician behavior or really any persons behavior with a respect to engaging in a certain activity: What are the most important motivators and interests for the person? What are they most eager to accomplish? How does the activity address those? What are the demotivators? What are the downsides to engaging in the activity? How much friction or difficulty is involved in engaging in the activity? You can also consider an activity in terms of return on investment (ROI), however, this term doesnt usually take into account how soon the return is going to arrive. And we know that people are much more motivated by concrete returns that happen fast and are related to something currently of great interest/appeal/fear to them whereas they discount returns that are coming way off in the future. Social media is about communication and networking Back to social media itself. It is fundamentally about communicating and networking. So to use it sensibly, I recommend individuals or larger entities consider the following: Who do you want to communicate with? What is your purpose in doing so? What actions do you hope the audience/people you connect with will take? What short-term and long-term results are you hoping for? How will this communicating and networking help you advance your most important goals? Which platforms are well-suited to your purposes? What non-social media methods could you use to achieve your goals, and would that be a better fit given your time/resources/purposes? It is also important to consider the learning curve of whatever platform and communication strategy one is embarking on, as well as any risks or downsides. For instance, most social media platforms generate a torrent of information. So one downside is that doing social media takes time and energy, and if you arent careful or disciplined about your approach, it can swallow up a lot of time and energy. Should geriatricians use social media? To answer this question, we should consider it from the perspective and interests of various involved entities. At a minimum these would include: the individual clinicians the organizations that clinicians work for in some way, such an employer or even an association that a given clinician feels a duty to serve entities representing the welfare of the public, such as government agencies, large non-profits and foundations, and others who try to shape the health care environment so that the activity of clinicians benefits society Each entity has their own motives, interests, and particular priorities. Needless to say, there is often imperfect agreement between what the clinician is most interested in, the employer is most interested in, and other larger entities are most interested in. Whenever I hear someone well call them the suggester say Doctors should do this! or Doctors should do more of this! I certainly think about who is saying it, and whats in it for them. And then I think about how to align that with what those individual doctors are interested in doing. Does this request fit in with the doctors interest and motivations? How feasible and easy to implement is it? Is the suggester in a position to influence the doctors work environment or motivating factors? If you want people to do something, you need to understand how it fits in with what they are most interested in doing. And then you need to help make it possible and appealing for them to do it. An example from the published literature on health care social media: Heres a quote from the abstract of a 2015 article titled, Social media is a necessary component of surgery practice. Each surgeon must embrace the power and potential of social mediaand serve as a guide or content expert for patients and other health care providers to facilitate and share responsible use of the various media available. The abstract goes on to describe the potential power of social media to improve consultation and collaboration, facilitate patient education, and expand research efforts [and] to disseminate campaigns to increase disease awareness and communicate new research findings and best-practice guidelines. I would not dispute the description of the potential power of social media. But its not at all clear to me that every surgeon must hence be on social media in a professional capacity. Instead, I would say that organizations that represent surgeons, and surgical expertise should certainly have a social media presence. Certain individual surgeons may also find it serves their primary interests to be active on social media, either because they are doing it on behalf on an employer or professional association, or because the activity serves their personal projects and aspirations. Now, some will say that social media is important for maintaining your professional reputation. Id say this really depends on what kind of work you are doing as a doctor. If you do research, then it can be good to have a social media presence that enables you to connect with colleagues and the media. If you are in private practice and are having trouble recruiting patients then yes, the right social media activity could help you raise your profile and find more work or patients. But most doctors I know are busy, and their biggest concerns relate to their working conditions and their ability to perform what they see as their core work. Usually, this is caring for patients and perhaps maintaining financial viability. For some physicians, its getting grants and other forms of academic success. Only rarely is it providing health information online to as many people as possible (thats my project but Im hardly representative of my colleagues) or even raising the visibility of the clinic or organization they work for, unless they are a designated social media ambassador (or trying to become one). Social media is important to geriatrics and to the cause of improving the health and well-being of a growing older population To return to the question of whether theres an ROI on geriatricians participating in social media: I absolutely believe that social media platforms can and should be used by geriatricians and related organizations, to help promote better health and health care for older adults. To begin with, in recent years social media endeavors such as the GeriPal blog have played an important role in enabling geriatricians to connect with media influencers, which has helped the public become more aware of our field and expertise. The more often geriatric expertise is incorporated into the work of health journalists, the better. Then there is providing information more directly to the public. Digital platforms are now the primary way that most adults access information and certain forms of support. Older adults use digital media less than younger ones do, but their use of technology and digital communications is increasing rapidly, as noted by Pew. Pew has also found that family caregivers are often wired for health. As clinicians providing hands-on care, we should be familiar with the most commonly-used resources our patients and their families are using. These are increasingly digital, although the extent to which they are based on social media seems variable. (I find it depends on topic, niche, patient and caregiver population.) If an individual clinician is considering social media, I recommend considering the intended purpose and audience. Especially for those clinicians who mainly provide hands-on clinical work, social media may not be very useful to them. (You can network with colleagues at conferences and keep up with medical news via a few choice websites or journals.) However, most organizations should have a social media presence, which means some individuals will spend time maintaining that presence. Having a few clinicians participate in this can be nice, but they should be given time and resources to do it, and to keep up with the ever-evolving social media landscape. Social media for health and education I dont have time to review the literature on this topic, so instead Ill share my perspective as someone who has been creating geriatrics content online since 2008. For educating and communicating out to the general public, I have found that writing longer content is far preferable to tweets, blog comments, or short Facebook posts. Create something that is more than a blip in a persons attention, and that really tries to address a question or need. (I dont personally produce videos, but those can be great too. I am now going into audio and podcasting.) This content can be produced for ones own website, or can be guest-posted to a bigger site with a larger audience. Interactive events like webinars with Q&A capability also have good potential. Otherwise, short-form social media (e.g., Twitter, Facebook) can and should be leveraged for dissemination. Such platforms allow clinicians and their audience to share longer content, or to share the notification of an upcoming event or opportunity. For learning from the audience which is essential to being truly helpful and to figuring out how to serve your audience you need to spend a certain amount of time observing/listening, when it comes to what your audience says, does, and asks. Pay special attention to what they ask each other, and what they ask people who are not you, or not in your particular role. Its also good to invite questions and participate in interactive events. Last suggestions for presenting to clinicians about social media Walk them through a process for thinking about their needs, their purpose, and how social media might fit in. Dont conflate the needs/motives of the employer or society with the needs/motives of the individual clinicians. Provide education to make it easy for clinicians take the next step, if theyre interested. Provide case studies and examples illustrating how different clinicians and organizations have used social media to achieve their goals. Tailor those case studies to overlap with what is likely to be the interests and goals of the clinicians you are presenting to. Some will be very interested in raising the brand and visibility of their clinic, but that may not be of interest to many geriatricians. Leslie Kernisan is an internal medicine physician and geriatrician who blogs at GeriTech. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 10 Shares Share Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 49-year-old man is evaluated during a routine examination. He is asymptomatic but is concerned about his risk for cardiovascular disease. Medical history is notable for hypertension. He is a nonsmoker, and he works as an executive at a highly successful company. Family history is noncontributory. His only medication is hydrochlorothiazide. On physical examination, the patient is afebrile, blood pressure is 118/78 mm Hg, and pulse rate is 78/min. BMI is 31. The remainder of the physical examination is normal. Results of laboratory studies show a serum total cholesterol level of 190 mg/dL (4.92 mmol/L) and a serum HDL cholesterol level of 46 mg/dL (1.19 mmol/L). Fasting plasma glucose level is 95 mg/dL (5.27 mmol/L). His estimated 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease using the Pooled Cohort Equations is 3.2%. In addition to diet and exercise, which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management? A: Coronary artery calcium scoring B: Exercise electrocardiography C: Resting electrocardiography D: No further testing MKSAP Answer and Critique The correct answer is D: No further testing. This patient needs no further testing. Although he is obese and has a history of hypertension, he is at low risk for cardiovascular disease. Risk assessment for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) has traditionally been with the Framingham risk score, although the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Pooled Cohort Equations, a new method for assessment that includes additional variables for risk stratification, is increasingly being used. With this method, a 10-year risk of ASCVD of less than 5% is considered low risk, 5% to below 7.5% is considered intermediate risk, and 7.5% and above is designated as high risk. This patient has a calculated 10-year risk of 3.2%, making him at low risk for ASCVD. Therefore, no additional testing is indicated at present. Patients at low risk for cardiovascular disease, such as this one, do not benefit from aggressive risk factor modification and therefore would not benefit from screening using nontraditional risk factors, such as coronary artery calcium scoring. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) concludes that there is insufficient evidence to assess the balance of benefits and harms for using nontraditional risk factors to screen asymptomatic, intermediate-risk patients without a history of coronary heart disease. Nontraditional risk factors include ankle-brachial index, CT to assess coronary artery calcification, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, carotid intima-media thickness, homocysteine, and lipoprotein(a) level. Furthermore, the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, through the Choosing Wisely campaign, advises against ordering coronary artery calcium scoring for screening purposes in asymptomatic individuals who are at low risk for cardiovascular disease except for those with a family history of premature coronary artery disease. The USPSTF and the American College of Physicians recommend against resting or exercise electrocardiography (ECG) for cardiovascular disease screening in asymptomatic adults who are at low risk for cardiovascular events. This patient is asymptomatic and is at low risk for cardiovascular disease; therefore, resting and exercise ECG are not indicated. For individuals at intermediate risk for cardiovascular disease, the USPSTF concludes that there is insufficient evidence to assess the balance of benefits and harms for screening with resting or exercise ECG. Key Point In asymptomatic patients at low risk for cardiovascular disease, cardiac testing is unnecessary. This content is excerpted from MKSAP 17 with permission from the American College of Physicians (ACP). Use is restricted in the same manner as that defined in the MKSAP 16 Digital license agreement. This material should never be used as a substitute for clinical judgment and does not represent an official position of ACP. All content is licensed to KevinMD.com on an AS IS basis without any warranty of any nature. The publisher, ACP, shall not be liable for any damage or loss of any kind arising out of or resulting from use of content, regardless of whether such liability is based in tort, contract or otherwise. 383 Shares Share On February 3, 2016, many physicians on social media took a moment to celebrate the first ever National Women Physician, timed to coincide with the 195th anniversary of the birthday of pioneer, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell. I began the day with a Facebook post wishing all my fellow women physician friends and colleagues a happy #nwpd and adding, May today be the last day someone says to any of us you look too young to be a doctor while we are standing next to male colleagues a decade younger than us. This comment started a conversation that lasted all day, with female physicians lamenting the gender inequalities, large and small, they face daily at work, from to being constantly confused for nurses to being addressed as Ms. instead of Doctor by patients. Most surprising to me, however, were the comments by other women physicians to the effect of, I wish people thought I looked too young to be a doctor, which led to me to reflect on just how far we have to go despite all of the progress women in medicine have made since the time of Dr. Blackwell. Its clear that we live in a society where youth is valued, and youthful appearance revered, however, this is an entirely different topic than the one my comment was meant to address in a tongue-in-cheek manner. While I may look younger than my 35 years, Ive been a physician for ten years and by no means look younger than 25 years old. And yet the fact remains that not a week has passed in my career as a pediatrician where I dont hear that I look too young to be a doctor while my male colleagues of the same age are rarely at the receiving end of this sentiment. Why? I believe this speaks to a facet of the glass ceiling that women in all professions continue to face. Its no longer the case that you cant be a doctor, lawyer, or senator because you are a woman. However, you must work harder and longer than male counterparts to achieve career milestones. This makes a womans success at a young age so surprising it seems worthy of comment. The gender bias of these comments is even lost on fellow women physicians. Its clear from recent data that even as medical schools and residency programs reach nearly equal proportions of men and women, gender inequality persists in positions of power and seniority within the medical field. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, only 21 percent of full professors and 22 percent of tenured professors are women. Additionally, only 15 percent of department chairs and 16 percent of deans are women. Furthermore, medicine is not immune to the gender pay gap experienced in nearly all professions. Multiple studies that control for specialty, geography, age, and hours worked still conclude that women physicians earn thousands of dollars less per year than their male counterparts. So why does this gender gap persist on many levels in medicine and what can we do about it? I came across an article about the research of Professor Michelle Ryan shortly after the gender-based explosion on my Facebook page and found that so much of what she discovered rings true in the profession of medicine. Ryan, who coined the term glass cliff with her earlier research about women in professional positions of power, now finds that women start off their careers just as ambitious as their male counterparts, however, their ambition tends to wane over time as they face the daily struggles women are subjected to in the workplace. In addition, they lack mentors and role models to assist with overcoming these obstacles and furthering their careers. In a world where many believe that women abandon ambitious careers by choice to care for their families, this suggests that many are actually not choosing this option, but instead defaulting to it because the uphill battle to advance in the workplace as a woman is so frustrating. Much of what has been written about how women in any profession can overcome barriers, such as lack of role models and mentors, has focused on encouraging women to press on, not give up, and work all the harder to overcome adversity. On one hand, I find the nature of this advice to be valid and helpful. Professor Ryan even suggests seeking out a senior male mentor with a daughter entering the workplace, as this group has been shown to take more interest in mentoring young women. On the other hand, it focuses entirely on forcing those who are subject to gendered bias to fix the problems themselves, rather than approaching the problem and the system from the top down. Therefore, I would like to suggest to my male colleagues in the field of medicine that they consider actively seeking out a female physician to mentor. I was so lucky to have an amazing program director as a pediatric resident who recognized my leadership capabilities. He offered me a position as a chief resident, during which I learned invaluable management, organizational, and communication skills from him. I have also had the incredible experience of working under a female department chair who actively mentored me to achieve successes and career goals that would not have been possible without her. While I did not seek out these role models, my career has benefited exponentially from their influence. If more selfless leaders like the ones Ive had the good fortune to work with in my career reach out to ambitious women physicians, perhaps we can tap into otherwise underutilized potential instead of allowing it to be squandered over the years because of frustrations with system flaws. This will not only benefit women physicians, but also the patients they serve, as studies suggest women physicians are more likely to work with underserved populations and are also being sought out by women patients. By actively fostering the talents of women physicians, we can continue to honor the great work of Dr. Blackwell and work towards the achievement of gender equality in medicine. Morgan Leafe is a pediatric hospitalist. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Russian and FlyDubai officials rule out any survivors in the crash that left all 62 on board the Boeing 737-800 dead Related Dubai gives nationalities of Russian plane crash victims Russian investigators probing the crash of a Dubai airliner in southern Russia that killed all 62 people on board have found one of the plane's flight recorders. The Boeing 737-800 operated by FlyDubai was carrying 55 passengers, most of them Russian, and seven crew members of various nationalities when it crashed Saturday in the city of Rostov-on-Don while trying to land in strong winds. Russia's Emergencies Ministry said there were no survivors. Four children were among those killed, FlyDubai said. Vladimir Markin, the spokesman for the Investigative Committee, said experts have found the cockpit conversation recorder and are continuing the search for another one which records parameters of the flight. The crash's cause wasn't immediately known, but officials suggested it could have been caused by a gust of wind. "The aircraft hit the ground and broke into pieces," the Investigative Committee of Russia said in a statement on its website. "According to preliminary data, there were 55 passengers aboard and 7 crew members. They all died." The plane's wing hit the ground on its second landing attempt and burst into flames, the Rostov region emergency ministry said in a statement. The region's governor, Vasily Golubev, said bad weather - strong, gusting wind in the Rostov area - was the primary line of investigation for the crash, but Zhanna Terekohova, an adviser to the Russian transport minister, said pilot error could also be a factor. The plane came down inside the airport's perimeter, about 250 meters (yards) short of the start of the runway. Grainy pictures from a security camera pointing toward the airport, which were broadcast on Russian television, showed a large explosion at ground level, with flames and sparks leaping high into the air. UAE reactions The Dubai Media Office says those killed in the crash of the FlyDubai Boeing 737-800 in Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia include 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one person from Uzbekistan. The media office offered condolences on behalf of the entire United Arab Emirates for those who lost loved ones. On Twitter, the office says the entire UAE, a federation of seven emirates, offered "its deepest condolences to the families of the victims & to the Russian government & people." The Dubai Media Office works under Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as the UAE's prime minister. FlyDubai is saying there are no survivors from its plane crash in Russia. The budget carrier made the announcement in a statement released Saturday morning. It said: "While we are still awaiting final confirmation, it is with great sadness that we report we believe there are no survivors." It says of the 55 passengers on board, 33 were women, 18 men and four children; there were seven crew members at the time of the crash in Rostov-on-Don. The airline's CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith said in a statement: "Our primary concern is for the families of the passengers and crew who were on board. Everyone at FlyDubai is in deep shock and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved." Search Keywords: Short link: In today's digital and innovative world, new skills and an inquisitive mind are as essential as knowledge of the more traditional subjects. Earlier in the month, a series of nationwide events took place as part of 'Engineering Week', giving young people the opportunity to benefit from learning new technologies and concepts. The week aims to create a positive awareness and spark enthusiasm about the engineering profession. CoderDojo Kilkenny saw this as a huge opportunity to get involved, and set up a series of engineering based workshops for their members, young people aged 7 17. In support of Engineers Week, we have worked hard as a team to provide a varied and enriched choice of options today to give everyone the chance to see technology and engineering working together to build, perform, control or animate, said Pat Breen, mentor and organiser of the event. During the afternoon, the CoderDojo Ninjas got the opportunity to spend time at six facilitated stations, where they explored with engineers. With the help of Diane, a professional animator from Glasseye Productions, ninjas drew computer characters and used software to create movement. Under mentors guidance they controlled an mBot robot, built a pattern of music and interacted timers, buttons and Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), using Raspberry Pi software. Ninjas were fascinated to see the workings of a computer. One ninja, David, compared the components of a PC he had built with the parts of a laptop. They also listened to controls engineer, Tom Farmer, about Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), and were shown how computers, with the correct code and calibration, can successfully automate many industry processes such as dairy production and car manufacturing. Mentors CoderDojo Kilkenny are blessed to have mentors from different sectors of industry, including experienced programmers, technicians and engineers; a professional filmmaker, computing teachers and a cyber security engineer. The pool of mentors knowledge is vast and their weekly coding program reflects this. The club offers ninjas the choice of educational languages SCRATCH, HTML and Python. A new phone App building course has been introduced recently. Coder Dojo champion Annette O' Donnellsaid everyone was delighted to see the ninjas embrace other aspects of technology and real world concepts. I can say on behalf of the Dojo we are proud of the interest they have shown, she said. Having seen the Ninjas respond so strongly to the Raspberry Pi and mBot stations, it is hoped that, with funding, it will be possible to make these technologies available to members. Rosanne O'Leary, National STEPS Team Leader for Engineers Ireland (Science, Technology and Engineering Programme for Schools), also came along and supported the event. CoderDojo Kilkennys popularity continues to increase as Kieran Davin, registration and technical support coordinator, explains. Our numbers are around 60-70 per week with Ninjas all working on different software at various levels ever looking for new challenges and rewards, he said. To offer support, funding or sponsorship to CoderDojo Kilkenny, or for more information, contact coderdojokilkenny@gmail.com With all the frustration of a persistent suitor whose advances are entirely undesired, Waterford can't keep its hands to itself when it comes to Kilkenny's nether region. We've said 'no' over 19,000 times at this stage, but who knows if they're listening. This unrequited love affair with south Kilkenny has been going on for years now, with Waterford formally proposing back in 2005. They were rebuffed, but still the desire lingered. It was not always so. There was a time when the good people of Waterford were more than happy with their lot. At the beginning of its own submission to the boundary committee, Waterford City and County Council points to Cork and Dublin as examples of other port cities whose development has not been constrained on one side. It neglects to mention, however, that the River Suir in Waterford is five times the width of the Liffey in Dublin. This sheer physical distance was, of course, a factor in how the city developed historically. Unlike the other examples given, virtually the entire city was built on the south side of the river - even the historic city wall was built along the south quay, enclosing it. Indeed, there was no bridge crossing the Suir in Waterford until the end of the 18th Century, when a toll-operated drawbridge was put in place. The story goes that this would be drawn up every night - the city effectively shutting itself off from its north. The toll system continued until 1908, and a new bridge was built in 1911 (Kilkenny local authority put up 22% of the funding for it). So, why the apparently new-found interest in the northern quays and south Kilkenny? As with a lot of things, much of what this whole issue comes down to is money. Perhaps more bluntly, it's the port at Belview and the revenue it generates, and the predicted future growth of the industrial zone there. Five miles down river from Waterford, Belview is the nearest major Irish port to mainland Europe, and is also within two hours of most of Ireland's cities. Originally based on the quays in Waterford, the port re-located to Kilkenny in 1992 to have more room for expansion. Kilkenny County Council has invested financially in the port and the general industrial zone there. The local authority has carried out, facilitated and supported significant upgrades to infrastructure in the region, including to the road network, and the provision of facilities like the wastewater treatment plant and water supply scheme. There are around 100 rate-paying properties operating in the so-called 'area of interest'. Among those that Kilkenny has facilitated in setting up is the Glanbia plant, representing the largest infrastructural investment in Ireland by an indigenous company since 1929. Kilkenny has a partnership with the Port of Waterford company and the IDA. It says that Waterford City and County Council was repeatedly invited to join the partnership, but chose not to. Kilkenny says Waterford now wants to 'unjustly enrich itself' through the boundary review process. The loss of the port and industrial area to this county would be a devastating blow. Belview accounts for about 70% of the Commercial Rates income of the 2 million generated in the 'area of interest'. That 2 million represents 13% of the total rates income for Kilkenny. Income has increased significantly in recent years, and - in its submission to the boundary committee - Kilkenny County Council says it expects economic activity there to double in the next 20 years. To lose this in one fell swoop would set a serious precedent. As Kilkenny points out, the arbitrary transfer of so significant an asset from one county to another would be a major disincentive for local authorities to invest in infrastructure in certain areas. Kilkenny's submission estimates the value of the lost income to Kilkenny County Council of 110 million. It highlights the loss of Local Property Tax, Commercial Rates and development contributions that would be lost, and also notes that this loss of income will result in an increase in the cost of public services here. In its submission to the boundary committee, Waterford acknowledges that there will be a 'limited financial consequence' on foot of a boundary change. It suggests that it could mitigate this by paying 'fair and equitable compensation'. But Kilkenny maintains that its financial standing, coupled with the investment programme, puts it in the superior position to work with the port and the IDA. It's also important to note that Belview is Kilkenny's only real access point to the sea. In this context, it is essentially irreplaceable to us. Obviously, 'limited financial consequnce'' is hardly a fitting description of the 110 million figure estimated by Kilkenny County Council as the loss. It's also hard to see where the compensation money would come from, as Waterford City and County Council is in a constrained budgetary postition, and already has bank borrowings in the tens of millions of euro. It's unlikely that the cost could be borne by Government either. The boundary committee's remit is clear in that any arrangements recommended must be financially sustainable, and should not result in an ongoing additional cost to Central Government. Furthermore, while its previous location is unsuitable for the current port activity, Port of Waterford CEO Frank Ronan recently said the company was 'very positive about the prospects for regeneration' of the former hub on the city's north quay. Maybe that will soothe a few brows. Otherwise, Waterford's lust for south Kilkenny might never go away. Time for a restraining order perhaps. SHARE By Tom Philpott By August this year many more thousands of Vietnam War veterans, those suffering from bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, Parkinson's-like symptoms and even high blood pressure, could learn they will be eligible for VA health benefits and disability compensation. Or perhaps not. Difficult months of study lie ahead for a working group of senior scientists and health experts that VA Secretary Bob McDonald convened last week, following release of a 10th and final biennial review of evidence of health problems linked to Agent Orange and other herbicide exposures. Every review in the series, going back two decades, has been conducted, as Congress mandated, by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a division of the National Academies of Sciences. Its latest review, Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2014, takes into account medical and scientific literature published from Oct. 1, 2012, through Sept. 30, 2014. The IOM concludes that the research supports changing the strength of association to herbicide exposure for several ailments. For bladder cancer and hypothyroidism, it found "limited or suggestive" evidence of an association, an upgrade from previous "inadequate or insufficient" evidence. This latest review looked again at scientific literature on cardiovascular conditions and herbicides. The IOM didn't upgrade but it did affirm limited and suggestive evidence that hypertension may be linked to herbicides. This review also considered whether conditions resulting in Parkinson's-like symptoms, apart from Parkinson's disease itself, should fall into the same limited or suggestive category of evidence. Yes it should, the IOM concluded, finding "no rational basis" for the current exclusion. For only the second time, the IOM withdrew an earlier finding of that herbicide exposure may have caused an ailment, in this case spina bifida in children born to Vietnam veterans. For 20 years VA has used a preliminary finding of an association to grant children benefits. The IOM says it no longer believes the evidence merits retaining spina bifida in that category. On March 9, the same day the IOM briefed senior VA officials on its report, McDonald ordered the VA working group convened to review not only the 1100-page IOM report but original studies IOM refers to as well as any peer reviews on ailments and herbicides completed since October 2014, which would be research the IOM had considered in its final review. Dr. Ralph Loren Erickson, chief consultant of post deployment health services for the Veterans Health Administration, is co-chair of the working group. He said the plan is to review carefully all of the studies and the IOM recommendations and then prepare "a response document" to be distributed "throughout our senior leadership, with suggestions and recommendations for action," before presenting to McDonald for final decisions. "No question when the (IOM) moves something to a higher category you can bet we will look even more closely at those particular diseases," Erickson said. "It certainly is not within my purview to make any statement at this point as to how the secretary will decide. In the past there have been things in this (limited or suggestive evidence) category that have become presumptions, and there are things in this category that have not." The IOM says "limited or suggestive" means the epidemiological evidence indicates there could be a link between herbicide exposure and increased risk for a health effect. For some ailments, including ischemic heart disease, past VA secretaries use "limited or suggestive evidence" to add diseases to the presumptive list. And yet for others, including hypertension, that same category hasn't been viewed as enough. Among provisions of the Agent Orange law Congress allowed to sunset last year was a requirement that the VA secretary take action on IOM recommendations within 60 days. Erickson said the working group hopes to give McDonald what he needs to make decisions on the IOM by late July. "We feel that if we can move at a pace that gets this all taken care of within about four months, we're be doing well," he said. It would be far longer before any veterans or survivors see more or higher disability pay, however. VA rule-making following a decision to add diseases to the presumptive list involve writing and publishing proposed regulations, collecting and reacting to public comments, and then publishing final regulations, a process that could take more than a year with added delay possible from the change in administrations to occur in January. Whatever decisions McDonald makes on the IOM recommendations will be "rooted in science" and "evidenced based," said Erickson. But doesn't VA also take account of size of the population impacted? For example, hypertension afflicts two-thirds of Americans age 65 and older. It is true, Erickson said, that Vietnam veterans have moved into their 60s, 70s and 80s and many have chronic diseases of older age. "Hypertension is one of them," he said. "And so teasing those things out (to decide) is it related to this veteran's age (or) to their being in Vietnam where they were exposed to Agent Orange sometimes can be difficult." Does it finally come down to a judgment call? "Well, a judgment call based on the evidence," Erickson said. "The secretary has made it very clear, certainly to me and to others who work on these types of technical working groups, he wants to know what does the science show? What does the evidence show?" The final decision will be based on "whether the preponderance of the evidence will support a proposal of the new presumption," Erickson said. If McDonald does accept IOM recommendations, this review would be the first in six years to result in one or more diseases being added to list of ailments VA presumes are linked to herbicide exposure. The eligible population would be any veteran who can show they stepped foot in Vietnam between Jan. 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, including on ships in Vietnam's inland waterways, also veterans who served in or near the Korean demilitarized zone any time from April 1, 1968, to Aug 31, 1971. The Herald reports: Mens current options when it comes to contraception are either to use condoms or, for a permanent solution, undergo a vasectomy. There is also a male version of the contraceptive pill due to become available. But politicians in Sweden have proposed another option involving a swift signature on a piece of paper: Male abortion. The youth wing of Swedens Liberal Party wants expectant fathers to be able to legally abort their unborn child up until 18 weeks gestation the countrys cut off point for physical abortions. Marcus Nilsen, chairman of the partys youth wing West (LUF) told the Aftonbladetnewspaper, Men should have an equal right to opt out of parenting and choose whether or not to become a parent. There are endless examples of men who cant even say whether they want to be involved in parenthood or how involved they want to be. It is important that men remain honest with themselves and their intentions, says Nilsen. Male abortion would be a legal decision, allowing unwilling fathers to relinquish parental responsibilities for their unborn child. The decision would render them without future rights to see the child, and alleviate them of providing financial support. The youth wing claim that their concept of male abortion is a feminist policy that will provide equality for the sexes and allow expectant mothers to know whether their childs father will support the child or not. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Related Kerry does not rule out more US commandos in Syria President Barack Obama will nominate the first woman to head a US military combatant command, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Friday, a major milestone in a department that this year opened all combat jobs to women. Air Force Gen. Lori Robinson is being nominated to head US Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command. If confirmed by the Senate, Robinson, would be the seventh commander to head the Colorado-based command. She currently is head of the Pacific Air Force. Northern Command was created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to coordinate and improve homeland defense and to provide support for national disasters. She would replace Adm. William Gortney, who is retiring. Carter also said that Obama will nominate Gen. Vincent Brooks to head US Forces Korea. Brooks currently is in charge of US Army Pacific Command. Search Keywords: Short link: Terence Douglas, president, and his Knoxville-based Alliant Corp., has won the top small business in Tennessee in an annual awards program administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration Friday, Mar. 18, 2016. Each year, the program recognizes one top business from each state. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE Terence Douglas, president, and his Knoxville-based Alliant Corp., has won the top small business in Tennessee in an annual awards program administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration Friday, Mar. 18, 2016. Each year, the program recognizes one top business from each state. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL) By Ed Marcum of the Knoxville News Sentinel The president of Knoxville-based Alliant Corp. has been picked by the U.S. Small Business Administration as one of 54 recipients nationwide of its Small Business Person of the Year award. Terence Andrew Douglas said Friday that although he was tagged for the award, it is really about the many people who have made Alliant a success. "To me, it is a recognition of the quality of work done by the people who work here," he said. "It is a score card on the company and says we are doing some things right and need to keep doing them right." The Small Business Administration this week announced the awards, which honor recipients in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. "These small business owners represent the best of the best, and showcase daily their entrepreneurial spirit and what it takes to be successful in today's evolving and competitive business environment," Maria Contreras-Sweet, head of the Small Business Administration, said in a statement. The winners have been invited to attend ceremonies May 1-2 in Washington, D.C., to receive their awards. Runners-up will also be recognized and the 2016 National Small Business Person of the Year will be named. May 1-7 is National Small Business Week. Alliant was founded in 2000 by Douglas and Greg Galaher, who is now executive vice president. It is a CVE-verified service-disabled, veteran-owned business. Douglas spent 12 years in the Army, starting out commanding tanks then moving to helicopters. The company is a consulting firm offering a range of services including project management, waste disposal, occupational safety and health, and others. A good deal of its work is with government clients, including the Uranium Processing Facility at Y-12, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and others. Headquartered on Cedar Bluff Road, it employs 60 people and has satellite offices in Ohio, Kentucky and Canada. Belgian authorities have officially charged Paris suspect Salah Abdeslam and another man who was using two aliases "with participation in terrorist murder" and in the activities of a terrorist organization. Three other suspects were also picked up during Friday's police raid in Brussels that finally nabbed Abdeslam after his four-month fugitive run following the Nov. 13 attacks that left 130 people dead in Paris. The prosecutor's office also charged one of them with "participation in the activities of a terrorist organization and the hiding of criminals." Two others who had been implicated in sheltering Abdeslam were released Saturday by police, even though one of them was charged with hiding criminals. Search Keywords: Short link: Jacomo Rafael Bairos SHARE By Harold Duckett, Special to the News Sentinel The work of two conductors was evident at Thursday's Knoxville Symphony Orchestra performance. One was conductor candidate Jacomo Rafael Bairos on the podium. The other was the KSO's most recent music director and conductor, Lucas Richman. His legacy was evident in the work ethic instilled in the orchestra's musicians. They came extremely well prepared and it showed in exceptionally good performances by all, especially in more than a few moments when the musicians obviously took control of their own sense of time and entrances and stops. Of course, what one observes from the audience, looking at the back of a conductor, isn't always the same as what the musicians are seeing. So I concede that my impression of erratic timing and less than precise conducting directions may be unfair, or even wrong. The range of music for which the musicians had to prepare, chosen by Bairos, from the precision of John Adams' 1985 minimalist "The Chairman Dances (Foxtrot for Orchestra)", to the orchestral showpiece of Maurice Ravel's 1923 genius orchestration of Modest Mussorgsky 1874 piano work "Pictures at an Exhibition," and the gorgeous "Concerto for Violin and Orchestra," Op. 14, written by Samuel Barber in 1940, required attention to the smallest detail. It showed. In the Barber, their work was more than matched by a breathtaking performance by violinist Elena Urioste, who played it as through it were coming from her own soul. Her playing of the "Andante," second movement of the concerto was beyond masterful and exquisitely beautiful. So was principal oboe Claire Chenette's playing of the gorgeous solo that communicated with Urioste's violin. Not to be overshadowed was pianist Carol Zinavage Shane's brilliant performance in Adams' "Chairman Dances." There was also Phillip Chase Hawkins' pristine playing in "Pictures at an Exhibition, and principal trombone Samuel Chen's playing of the important euphonium solo, as well as Allison Adams' intriguing and mysterious saxophone solo. Add to that very fine French horn playing by principal horn, Jeffery Whaley, and the entire horn section. Collectively, this concert gave the KSO is superb opportunity to show that it is the caliber of "world class" orchestra that conductor Bairos proclaimed in his remarks from the podium. When the last of the conductor candidate auditions concludes in April, with conductor Steven Jarvi, and the selection of who is to inherit the position of KSO music director and conductor, he will take over an organization that is well prepared to move forward into the future. As Knoxville rises as a treasure of Tennessee and the Southeast, the KSO should continue to stay at its current crest. Called "Autumn Inspiration," this scene was taken by Dennis Sabo in Fall Creek Falls State Park in 2015. SHARE Photographer Dennis Sabo Lawrence R. Faubert/Special to the News Sentinel "Here Comes the Sun" by Dennis Sabo Dennis Sabo titled this work "Okavango Twilight." "Wishing Leaf" by photographer Dennis Sabo. Loudon resident and photographer Dennis Sabo specializes in contemporary abstract, landscape and seascape photography. His interest in photography began in the late 1970s when he was a Florida Tech University student majoring in environmental sciences and minoring in photography. There, underwater photography became his passion. He became a SCUBA instructor and started the SCUBA media relations firm Landfill Dive and Adventure Travel in California. After selling the company, Sabo went to Eastern Florida State College to earn a degree in broadcast media. While at Eastern Florida he freelanced as a still photographer for the Kennedy Space Center. After graduation he became the center's television producer. A 2007 trip to Mt. Zion National Park in Utah launched his career as a fine arts photographer. Some of Sabo's works will be exhibited March 29-April 30 at the Art Market Gallery, 322 S. Gay St. He is one of the gallery's featured April artists. Sabo answers questions about his work and himself for the News Sentinel's March Artist Spotlight. When did you first realize you wanted to be an artist? "My father was a multimedia artist, and as a young boy I thoroughly enjoyed watching him work on a multitude of projects. I continued that enthusiasm with photography when I entered college." In three sentences, describe your work. "Today light, color and form play pivotal roles in my photography. When I capture an image it is my hope that it evokes an emotional experience for the viewer. My interest is in the natural details; how the environment on a particular day, in a particular light, and at a particular moment in time correlates to my personal vision and interpretation of nature." What's the one scene you haven't captured yet with your camera but hope to? "I don't think in terms of scenes but in terms of interpretation of nature. I am constantly trying to push the boundaries between realism and surrealism and have yet to find the perfect subject for this experience but when I do I have a feeling it will involve the Pacific coastline and its waters." How has your art evolved since you began? "I now spend much more time researching an area that interests me photographically. Then, before the trip, I'll sketch and create compositions that I would like to duplicate once in the field. This enables me to further complete my vision between the natural world, the play of light, color, textures, and shapes I may encounter for my finished product." Answer this question, "If I weren't a photographer, I'd have a job as ..." "A teacher." Vacation time! Money's no object. Where are you going and why? "Patagonia. I think there are a multitude of opportunities in this region for my interpretation of nature, scenery and expressionistic abstracts. I would love the opportunity to travel there." What music or song do you always play too loudly in the car? "According to my wife all my music is played too loudly in the car." What image always inspires you? "Anything by (the late American photographer) Eliot Porter." Put down the camera. How do you like to spend your time when you're not taking photographs. "I love to share wine and good food with friends." What's your favorite quote from a film or book? "Not from a book or film but from one of the master painters that I so admire. 'Colour is my daylong obsession, joy, and torment' (from) Claude Monet." Amy McRary, News Sentinel staff SHARE By Erica Wright, Chapter16.org It's easy to dismiss the discomfort of longing, the complicated emotions people experience when they think about the past, even its happy moments. In Darnell Arnoult's latest collection, "Galaxie Wagon," the poet gazes back on her life with an enviable clear-eyed vision. Even if factual details are hazy there's an attempt at honesty here that feels both appropriate and thrilling. Arnoult's work is grounded in the Southern tradition of storytelling, and she never shies away from larger themes the grand puzzles of attraction or mortality, for example. In "Love Story," she writes that "God hides // in the questions we learn to ask." In some ways, despite the directness of language that buoys this collection, the poems also illustrate Keats's famous "negative capability," an acceptance that there are mysteries beyond our understanding. One of those big mysteries is the cosmos where Arnoult finds her book title. Would that we all had a Galaxie wagon the classic Ford car, yes, but also a safe backseat where we could stare up at the heavens and dream. A thread of humor asserts itself in a tale of wrestling gorillas and in an ars poetica (a poem about writing poetry) that includes an appreciation for hushpuppies. Even in a poem about fear, Arnoult likens that gut-wrenching feeling to a door-to-door salesman, someone you'd like to ignore but who'll only keep knocking. This is an impulse many readers will recognize, especially those raised in the South: having a good sense of humor is a point of pride, even if we're laughing about some of the more challenging obstacles life offers. Arnoult is Southern through and through. Born in Virginia, she's now a Tennessean with ties from one end of the state to the other a former Nashville-area resident, she earned her M.F.A. at the University of Memphis and currently teaches at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate. Arnoult's background begs a question: is there more pressure for a Tennessee poet to be musical? Whether through coercion or personal preference, there's certainly a pleasing rhythm to Arnoult's work, as in the neck-breaking pace of "Episodes," which conveys an appreciation for televised Westerns in language as sharp-shooting as any of the stars: Then my tenderfoot attention turned to wounded cowboy noir, snatches of story caught in perpetual rerun. Acolyte, I hunkered at the edge of a wagon-wheel rocker, face inches from the walnut altar, that boxy black-and-white television with its gold-speckled fabric-colored speaker. I attended each regular saga. Like any successful album, the rhythms in this book vary, and Arnoult's just as comfortable with ballads. This is an accomplished collection, quietly epic in its embrace of subjects as divergent as nature and automobiles. The consideration of family in "Galaxie Wagon" is particularly deft. In "Baggage," for example, the speaker hangs out in the backseat while her daughter drives and her mother rides shotgun. In "Altar," she wishes she had taken better care of her First Holy Communion Missal, so she could pass it along to her granddaughter. For all the wistfulness that these two poems convey, others live in the moment. Indeed, several poems follow the progression of a new relationship, from a personal ad to a week-long trail ride. And yet for its wide range, "Galaxie Wagon" often circles back to nostalgia. Yearning dogs these poems, as insistent as it is slippery. Arnoult lets her earned wisdom guide readers toward something that, if not understanding, is at least acceptance. To be human is to desire what we cannot name, moving forward whether we like it or not. For local book coverage, visit http://chapter16.org/, an online publication of Humanities Tennessee. POETRY Galaxie Wagon by Darnell Arnoult (LSU Press, 82 pages, $17.95) DISCUSSION Who: Darnell Arnoult Where: Union Ave. Books When: 6 p.m. Thursday, March 24 This hasn't been a run-of-the-mill academic year for Oklahoma Wesleyan University President Everett Piper. In December, he made news when he addressed the concerns of a student who told him that a chapel sermon "made him feel bad." "Oklahoma Wesleyan is not a 'safe place,' but rather, a place to learn," noted Piper, writing online. "This is not a day care. This is a university." Weeks later, he was a symbolic guest at President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address. Republicans welcomed Piper because his school is part of the U.S. Supreme Court fight about the Health and Human Services mandate requiring many Christian institutions to cooperate with health-insurance plans covering sterilizations and all FDA-approved contraceptives. Now, in response to press inquiries, Piper has made it perfectly clear in a post called "Trumping Morality" that there is one thing Oklahoma Wesleyan will not do that would make headlines. "Anyone who calls women 'pigs,' 'ugly,' 'fat' and 'pieces of a--' is not on my side," he wrote. "Anyone who mocks the handicapped is not on my side. Anyone who has argued the merits of a government takeover of banks, student loans, the auto industry and health care is not on my side. Anyone who has been on the cover of Playboy and proud of it, who brags of his sexual history with multiple women and who owns strip clubs in his casinos is not on my side. ... Anyone who ignores the separation of powers and boasts of making the executive branch even more imperial is not on my side." Piper concluded: "No, Donald Trump will not be speaking at Oklahoma Wesleyan University." Yes, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. personally endorsed Trump, soon after the billionaire spoke on his campus. It's becoming increasingly obvious that this White House race is prying open painful evangelical fault lines, said historian Paul Matzko, who is finishing his doctorate at Pennsylvania State University. "I honestly think many evangelical leaders don't know what to do right now," he said in a telephone interview. "Some of them seem confused and divided because there are new factors in play in American politics, in our courts and even in our church pews." At least one trend seems clear, wrote Matzko, in an academic essay entitled, "What Evangelical Support for Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump Suggests About the Future of American Evangelicalism." Primary exit polls show that Trump is winning "self-described evangelicals" who "join evangelical churches at lower rates, attend church less regularly and, I suspect, are less likely to adhere to key evangelical doctrines," he wrote. "They are cultural evangelicals. Think of them as you would Catholicism in France, where a majority of people profess to be Catholic (75 percent) but only a handful attend Mass weekly (4.5 percent), give confession or even ascribe to key church teachings." Meanwhile, "white collar" evangelical elites have appeared to favor Rubio while "evangelical workers" may appreciate Cruz's hard-line stance on illegal immigration. However, Matzko believes a deeper, more complex split is emerging, one rooted in history. On one side, he wrote, are "18th Century evangelicals" -- a "persecuted religious minority" in American culture that yearned for the "liberty to practice their faith free from state interference. To that end, they allied with freethinkers like Thomas Jefferson. ... They had little interest in fomenting sweeping social change, in using State power to make America more pious, holy or Christian. They asked only for the freedom to be left alone." On the other side, Matzko argued, are "19th Century evangelicals" who, by the end of that century, had begun to gain cultural influence and political power. This would eventually lead to talk of a "Moral Majority." In the current campaign, Cruz seems to have the support of those who believe "holding back the tide of depravity simply requires waking Christian people up to the social changes happening before their eyes." In other words, ballot-box success is certain if more true believers vote. But other evangelicals are convinced that it's time to focus on religious liberty for all religious minorities, in light of a crucial U.S. Supreme Court decision embracing gay marriage and fading support for religious institutions among young Americans. "So this is the big question," said Matzko. "Do evangelicals still think they are part of the American religious establishment?" Terry Mattingly is the editor of GetReligion.org and Senior Fellow for Media and Religion at The King's College in New York City. He lives in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Sam Maynard, better known as the jovial executive director of James White Fort than as a politician, will join former Knox County Sheriff Tim Hutchison as 2nd Congressional District delegates for billionaire businessman Donald Trump for president at the Republican National Convention in Ohio on July 18. Maynard said Friday he was recruited by Trump's state chairman, Darren Morris, a Nashville political consultant. "I had no earthly idea about all this. I was recruited from Nashville," he said. Maynard said he likes what Trump is doing and saying. He predicted that if an effort to stop the frontrunner from getting the nomination were successful, as some conservatives are trying, "it will split this Republican party wide open like a cracked egg. It's not going to be good." Maynard was a close friend of Mary Lou Horner, a longtime Knox County commissioner, who he said taught him "to work the room and keep your mouth shut and eyes and ears open." He said he listens to the public, and people are tired of rich Republicans running the party. "People want something done for the people," he said. The state Republican Party has not yet released its list of convention delegates. The party earlier announced the number of delegates available for Trump, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, based on the March 1 primary. The number of votes that delegate candidates received in the primary was released this week. Trump will have 33 delegates, with two available in the 2nd District. Based on that information, this columnist has determined Hutchison and Maynard will be representing Trump for the 2nd District. Former state Sen. Stacey Campfield of Knoxville will be an at-large alternate delegate. Hutchison, who couldn't be reached for comment Friday, received 18,360 votes in the 2nd District, of which 10,353 were cast in Knox County. Maynard received 13,153 votes in the district, with 7,567 in Knox County. Rubio suspended his campaign after losing Tuesday's primary in Florida to Trump. He will have 9 delegates from Tennessee; Cruz, 16. Former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe will be an at-large Rubio delegate after receiving the most votes statewide. He said Tuesday night he was disappointed Rubio did not prevail in Florida. "However, unless and until Sen. Rubio actually releases the Rubio delegates in Tennessee to vote for him, we are required to vote for him on two ballots at the GOP convention in Cleveland," Ashe said in a statement. SHARE Donald Nichols, suing in federal court to have Knox County cover his medical bills for the broken neck he suffered in jail. (KNOX COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE) By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel After five years of legal wrangling and rising attorney's fees, Knox County is admitting responsibility for shoddy medical care in the case of an inmate whose broken neck went undiagnosed and untreated for nearly three months. In an about-face, Knox County Deputy Law Director David Wigler this week filed notice in U.S. District Court that taxpayers are on the financial hook for the failure of the medical staff at the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility on Maloneyville Road to diagnose and treat the broken neck that former inmate Donald Nichols suffered in a fall from his bunk in August 2010. PDF: Knox County's answer to Donald Nichols' civil-rights lawsuit "Knox County admits that it is liable to the plaintiff under (civil rights law) for any damages which were proximately caused and in fact caused by the delay of its nurses in obtaining a diagnosis of plaintiff's neck injury between August 27, 2010 and November 5, 2010," Wigler wrote. The admission does not mean the case is being settled. Nichols' attorneys, Jonathan Taylor and Arthur Knight III, have not yet responded to the admission, and Wigler is still demanding a trial on the issue of how much of a financial hit taxpayers should take in damages and attorney's fees. The move comes after a series of legal defeats for the county including a sealed settlement by one of the nurses involved in the case and a rebuke by U.S. District Judge Pamela Reeves, who grew frustrated when Wigler continued to make arguments she already had struck down. The admission also comes on the heels of two recent settlements of civil-rights cases involving Knox County Sheriff's Office staff at the jail. In one, attorney Troy Bowlin won a $50,000 settlement and a change in jail policy after convicted killer Lavonte Simmons was strapped into a restraint chair and kept there, with short breaks every two hours, for nearly 48 hours in September 2014. Earlier this week, the county reached a settlement in the videotaped beating of mentally ill inmate Louis Flack in November 2014. The settlement has not been finalized, so the amount of that bill to taxpayers has not yet been disclosed. Flack's attorney, Lance Baker, was suing for $5 million. In the Simmons and Flack cases, the incidents were documented and supervisors aware, but no action was taken. In Nichols' case, attorneys Taylor and Knight discovered supervisors had reprimanded the entire medical staff for prior incidents of shoddy care before Nichols was injured. Nichols fell from his top bunk onto a concrete floor. It took 70 days and several alleged failures by jail medical staff later before the injury was discovered. The county first insisted the KCSO and Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones were not to blame if the medical staff provided Nichols with shoddy care. Reeves shot that argument down last year, noting the county knew its medical staff's performance was so bad as to lead to the reprimand. Wigler argued that since Nichols' attorneys had reached settlements with the nurses involved in the case, the county should be absolved of responsibility. The judge shot that argument down, too. "(Nichols') release of his official capacity claims against (the nurse) does not absolve the county of liability for allegedly implementing and maintaining policies or customs that were the moving force behind the violation of (Nichols') constitutional rights," Reeves wrote. She warned Wigler not to repeat that argument, but he mentioned it again in the filing in which the county now concedes fault. Wigler wrote he felt compelled to do so in the event any appeals are filed. Nichols, then 56, was booked into the jail in early August 2010 on a charge of violating an order of protection. On Aug. 27, 2010, a sleeping Nichols rolled off the top bunk he'd been assigned. An emergency medical call resulted, and nurses Amy Luxford and Deanna Jones responded, court records state. The jail has an X-ray machine and the ability to process X-rays on site. No X-ray was ordered. Nichols was ultimately returned to his cell. His complaint of pain finally led to an X-ray months later and the discovery of his neck injury, which required surgery and led to $240,000 in medical bills, according to his attorneys. SHARE Watchful Eye logo By News Sentinel Staff KNOXVILLE Local law enforcement are warning residents not to fall for a phone scam involving a caller who claims to be an investigator with the Knoxville Police Department. KPD said Friday they are investigating three separate reports of phone calls from scammers who appear to be calling from the department's main telephone line. The callers have been "demanding retribution for an alleged criminal act that supposedly involves the intended scam victim," KPD officials said Friday. So far, police have not heard from any victims who have given money to the caller. Still, police are warning residents not to fall for the scheme and asking them to report any such calls to authorities at 865-215-7450. SHARE By Bob Fowler of the Knoxville News Sentinel OLIVER SPRINGS The Oliver Springs City Recorder on Friday said he will recommend that the Board of Aldermen conduct a second, roll-call vote on the appointment of a mayor following Thursday's secret ballot selection of Cecil Crowe. Attorney Joe Van Hook, the city recorder, is making that suggestion after the Knoxville News Sentinel contended that Thursday's voting process was in violation of the state's Open Meetings Act. In that unsigned paper balloting, political newcomer Cecil Crowe was selected in a 4-1-1 vote to fill the unexpired term of Jerry Vann, who abruptly resigned last month, citing health problems. Vann's term ends in November 2018. Vice Mayor Omer Cox and resident Jason Stiltner each received one vote. Van Hook at first disputed that the balloting was in violation of the state's Open Meetings Act, saying the balloting occurred in a public meeting. He said the town's charter states that the Board of Aldermen can select "the method by which it votes." Van Hook said he has the paper ballots from Thursday's decision, but they weren't signed. "I know we have had secret ballots in the past that no one has challenged," he said. Deborah Fisher, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, said Friday the state law is clear. "You have to have votes out in the open," she said. Fisher said that on occasion, local governments have attempted to conduct secret ballots, especially when it comes to voting on appointments. But, she said, "You need to know how your representatives vote. They are representing the people, and how they vote should absolutely be something that their constituents know." Informed of the disputed balloting, Crowe said the board may have a special session for a revote. Crowe on Friday said he'd like to use his 40 years of business experience to improve efficiency and cost effectiveness of the town's government and staff and provide incentives to residents to spruce up the town's appearance and remove old vehicles. SHARE Lynn Fox, a descendant of Sam Houston, portrays his ancestor as the flags of Texas and Tennessee blow in the wind during an unveiling of the Sam Houston statue Saturday in Maryville. (WADE PAYNE/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL) A re-enactor loads his musket before an unveiling of the Sam Houston statue Saturday in Maryville. (WADE PAYNE/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL) The Sam Houston Elementary Choir performs during an unveiling of the Sam Houston statue Saturday in Maryville. (WADE PAYNE/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL) U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander speaks after an unveiling of the Sam Houston statue Saturday in Maryville. (WADE PAYNE/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL) Related Photos PHOTOS: Sam Houston statue unveiling ceremonies By John Shearer of the Knoxville News Sentinel MARYVILLE By the time the statue of statesman and former Maryville resident Sam Houston was officially dedicated Saturday, it was already mostly unveiled after wind blew off the top of its temporary covering. Beforehand, a nearly two-hour program on the grounds of the Maryville Municipal Building revealed quite a few aspects about the life of the famed Tennessean and Texan as well. It was all part of a fun day of salute that drew elected officials from both states, various Houston descendants, and dozens of spectators who could not all fit under the tent erected on the building grounds. U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Maryville, told the crowd he had been interested in Sam Houston and his life for a long time. "As a boy, I was fascinated with this man," Alexander said. "Whether he had grown up in Maryville or not, Sam Houston is my hero." Alexander, who said his son and grandson are named after Houston, also showed off Houston's former walking stick. Born in Virginia, Houston moved in the early 1800s with his widowed mother and siblings to a family farm his father had purchased in the Bear's Creek and Morganton communities near Maryville. He lived there for a while, as well as with the Cherokees at Hiwassee Island between Knoxville and Chattanooga. About 1812 at the age of 19, Houston taught school in Blount County before embarking on a career that saw him become a military hero as well as governor of Tennessee and later Texas. As Texas governor, he opposed secession from the Union at the time of the Civil War. Houston's great-great-granddaughter, Madge Thornall Roberts, said while Houston's time in the Maryville area was short, it made a major impact on his life due to the positive influence of his mother there and his association with the Cherokees. She noted Houston once remarked that teaching school in Maryville was the activity he enjoyed most in his life. She also knew what his favorite aspect of the dedication would have been. "If Sam Houston had been here today, his favorite part would have been the children singing," she said. The choir from Sam Houston Elementary School sang the national anthem and the original song, "Sam Houston," written and arranged by choir teacher Pam Gildrie. The statue was constructed by sculptor Wayne Hyde of Pennsylvania in collaboration with noted Gallatin, Tenn., historical painter David Wright. "I wanted him to look like he was ready to step off into history," Hyde said. "It was a tremendous honor for me to work on this. I wanted to capture that look of youth in him." Wright said that the work was hindered because Houston was a young man in Maryville 25 years before photography was invented. So images of Houston as an older man served as a guide. The sculpture shows Houston wearing a hunting shirt and carrying a pouch and powder horn, as well as a pipe, tomahawk and beaded sachet to show the Cherokee influence. A rifle belonging to Davy Crockett was used as the model for Houston's gun, Wright said. The sculpture, base and plaza area which are being paid for by donors had been the result of a steering committee headed by Dean Stone and Gary Hensley. Other speakers during the program included U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr.; Texas mayors Andy Brauninger from Huntsville and Webb Melder of Conroe; Thomas Hogg, mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Ireland; Troy Poteete, chief justice of the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court; and Mac Woodward from the Sam Houston Memorial Museum in Huntsville, Texas. Former Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist and Irish writer Billy Kennedy were also in attendance. A reception and other activities were held later Saturday afternoon in the historic Sam Houston Schoolhouse where Houston taught. Keri Sanders, center, reacts during a groundbreaking for the Sertoma Center's duplex on Boyd's Bridge Pike on Friday. The duplex, where Sanders will eventually live, will be one of five accessible, low-maintenance and energy-efficient homes that will be built over a five-year period, allowing the Sertoma Center to help provide services to adults with intellectual disabilities in Knox County. (ADAM LAU/NEWS SENTINEL) SHARE Jim Hampton of the Sertoma Center holds a rendering of a new duplex during a groundbreaking for the building on Boyd's Bridge Pike on Friday. The duplex will be one of five accessible, low-maintenance and energy-efficient homes that will be built over a five-year period, allowing the Sertoma Center to help provide services to adults with intellectual disabilities in Knox County. (ADAM LAU/NEWS SENTINEL) State Sen. Becky Duncan Massey, executive director of the Sertoma Center, speaks during a groundbreaking for a duplex on Boyd's Bridge Pike on Friday. The duplex will be one of five accessible, low-maintenance and energy-efficient homes that will be built over a five-year period, allowing the Sertoma Center to help provide services to adults with intellectual disabilities in Knox County. (ADAM LAU/NEWS SENTINEL) Contractor Mike Stevens and state Sen. Becky Duncan Massey, executive director of the Sertoma Center, from left, stand during a groundbreaking for a duplex on Boyd's Bridge Pike on Friday. The duplex will be one of five accessible, low-maintenance and energy-efficient homes that will be built over a five-year period, allowing the Sertoma Center to help provide services to adults with intellectual disabilities in Knox County. (ADAM LAU/NEWS SENTINEL) State Sen. Becky Duncan Massey, executive director of the Sertoma Center, center, leads a groundbreaking ceremony for a duplex on Boyd's Bridge Pike on Friday. The duplex will be one of five accessible, low-maintenance and energy-efficient homes that will be built over a five-year period, allowing the Sertoma Center to help provide services to adults with intellectual disabilities in Knox County. (ADAM LAU/NEWS SENTINEL) By Megan Boehnke of the Knoxville News Sentinel An earlier version of this story misstated the square-footage of the building. Keri Sanders cannot wait to move into her new home in East Knoxville, where she plans to have parties and host friends. "It's pretty awesome," Sanders said. Sanders will be one of six residents moving into a new duplex built by the Sertoma Center, which works with adults with intellectual disabilities. The center broke ground on its first of five new duplexes Friday afternoon on a 4-acre site at 3600 Boyds Bridge Pike, near the Holston River. The new residences will be funded by a $3.8 million capital campaign, the organization's first major fundraising effort in its 55-year history, said state Sen. Becky Duncan Massey, R-Knoxville, who is the executive director of the center. The campaign, which has raised $3.4 million so far, started after the organization realized more of its clients were surviving into old age, Massey said. That meant they needed more housing, built specifically for men and women with disabilities. "They're living long, full lives," Massey said. The center built its first duplex about 18 months ago, before the start of the campaign, and will use the same blueprints for future homes, said builder Mike Stevens. "It's all new and shiny, and everything worked," Stevens said "The residents were very happy." The 4,000-square-foot homes will cost about $600,000 and include two units with three bedrooms each enough for six residents per building. The bedrooms include storage and a bathroom. There are also common living areas and space for staffers, who are on-site 24 hours a day. Stevens is building the home with Doyle Webb using mostly volunteers, part of their Labor of Love initiative. Stevens and Webb have done previous home builds and renovation projects for Love Kitchen founders Ellen Turner and Helen Ashe, Childhelp and a local veteran, Stevens said. Paintings by Omar El-Nagdi and Hamed Ewais were among works sold at Christie's auction Wednesday, setting records for each artist. Together with Mahmoud Said, they represented the three highest sales of the evening Paintings by Omar El-Nagdi and Hamed Ewais were among several Egyptian works that went on sale during Christie's Dubai auction, "Modern and Contemporary Art Now and Then," that was held Wednesday, 16 March. The sale set records for each artist. El-Nagdi's painting, Sarajevo (1992), sold for $1,145,000, almost tripling estimates set at $400,000-$600,000. The final price was the highest offered for any artwork during the sale that included 123 lots with 98 sold, including a large number of artists from the Middle East. Sarajevo, which came to auction for the first time, was once part of the collection of Her Excellency Ambassador Francine Henrich in 1993. Christie's press release explained that, "Sarajevo depicts the slaughter of El-Nagdis Bosniak brothers in Sarajevo. It is one of the most poignant depictions of the horrors of war painted since 1937, when Pablo Picasso created his iconic Guernica. At three metres in height and almost 11 metres in length, this triptych is arguably the most important and ambitious work produced by the artist with regard to its complexity, monumentality, expression and subject matter." Another Egyptian painter, Hamed Ewais, also established a personal record with the sale of Al Aabour (The Crossing of the Suez Canal, 1974) for $605,000 against estimates of $300,000-$400,000. Ewais's painting garnered the third highest price for a work during the auction. The second highest priced work was also painted by an iconic Egyptian artist, Mahmoud Said (1897-1964). His Le Nil a El Derr (Nubie) (The Nile in El Derr, Nubia, 1933) sold for $701,000 against the estimates of $250,000-$350,000. The auction was part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of Christie's Dubai, including over 40 lots from the strongest Middle East painters. According to Christie's, aside of the Egyptian masters, lots included Lebanese painters Shafic Abboud and Paul Guiragossian, Syrian Fateh Moudarres, Iranians Sohrab Sepehri, Parviz Tanavoli, Monir Farmanfarmaian, and Iraqi Kadhim Haider (who also established a personal record), among others. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: SHARE Randy McNally Republican Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey of Blountville speaks to reporters in his Capitol office in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, April 25, 2011. Ramsey has said he doesn't want to take up a proposal this session seeking to allow faculty and staff to carry handguns on the campuses of the state's public colleges and universities. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig) Gov. Bill Haslam By Richard Locker of the Knoxville News Sentinel NASHVILLE State Sen. Randy McNally of Oak Ridge said Friday he's running to succeed Sen. Ron Ramsey as Senate speaker and lieutenant governor next year. Ramsey announced Wednesday he won't run for re-election to the Senate this year. The selection of the next speaker only the third since 1971 will take place first within the Senate Republican Caucus after the November legislative elections. Given the GOP's Senate supermajority currently 28-5 over Democrats whoever wins the caucus nomination is virtually certain to be elected speaker by the full Senate when the next General Assembly opens its two-year run next January. If a majority of fellow Republicans elect him, McNally would be the first speaker of either legislative chamber from the Knoxville area in modern Tennessee history. The 5th Senate District covers all of Anderson and Loudon counties, a strip of Knox County along the Knox-Anderson border and a substantial wedge of North Knoxville south to the Mechanicsville neighborhood. Geography plays a smaller role than it did when rural West Tennessee Democrats controlled the Legislature from the 1970s through most of the first decade of the 2000s. Instead, Republicans will likely consider McNally's seniority and loyalty. He's the longest-serving current member of the Legislature elected to the House in 1978, then to the Senate in 1986 where's he's midway through his eighth four-year term. He's been chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee since Ramsey wrested the speakership from Democrat John Wilder in 2007 and appointed McNally its chairman. McNally said he wants to continue Ramsey's legacy. "Anybody following Ron Ramsey, it's going to be difficult," McNally said Friday. "I'm planning on running for speaker. I had to think long and hard, and I did talk with Speaker Ramsey and I have talked with every member of the caucus. "I want to make sure that the transition would be smooth and that we continue what he's done over the last 10 years in being fair to and valuing and maximizing the potential of all members of the Senate, keeping the state in good fiscal condition, keeping taxes low, doing what we can to promote jobs in Tennessee. A big part of that is having a great educational system." McNally is one of five Republicans likely considering running. One of those, Sen. Bo Watson, R-Chattanooga, told NashvillePost.com that he'll back McNally. "Sen. McNally has played a multiple number of roles for our caucus, and in many ways, he's earned what I would consider to be the right of first refusal," Watson said. "If Chairman McNally chooses to run for speaker, I would support that effort because he's earned it." Watson is vice chairman of the Finance Committee and would be in line to replace McNally as chairman if McNally moves up. Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, said it's too early to say whether he's running. Other potential candidates are GOP Caucus Chairman Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro and Commerce Committee Chairman Jack Johnson, R-Franklin. "One of the great things about Ron is that he believed in sharing the duties and relied very heavily on the caucus's leadership team and the committee chairs and the committee system," McNally said. "So there are a lot of people who are very qualified, a lot of people with a lot of experience out there. Whoever is elected by the caucus as a candidate, I think, will be good." The speaker is elected every two years. McNally, 72, said he'll evaluate whether to run for another four-year Senate term in 2018 and if he does, that would likely be his last. If his career plays out that way, he could serve up to six years as speaker, then free up the coveted second-ranking post in state government. It would be the shortest tenure for a speaker in nearly 50 years: Wilder was speaker for a record 36 years; Ramsey for 10. Before Wilder, no Senate speaker served more than six years, and most served only two. "Even though we have a great team, it would be tough for anybody to follow Ron, so it's important to hold the caucus together, keep the majority that we have, keep our caucus members elected and continue his policies about relying heavily on the leadership team that he's developed and the committee chairs and the committee system, continuing that," McNally said. SHARE Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Skip Wells. Staff Sgt. David Wyatt, one of four Marines murdered in Chattanooga. (FACEBOOK) Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan of Springfield, Mass., is one of four Marines killed by Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez in Chattanooga. (TWITTER) Sgt. Carson A. Holmquist, one of four Marines murdered in Chattanooga. (USMC) By Michael Collins of the Knoxville News Sentinel WASHINGTON Members of Congress from Tennessee and Georgia have asked the Navy to name a ship the USS Chattanooga in honor of five servicemen killed in a terrorist attack in the East Tennessee city last summer. In a letter to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, the lawmakers said Friday that naming an "appropriate naval vessel" after the city in which the servicemen were killed would be a way to honor their sacrifice. "In the wake of this tragedy, we believe that it is appropriate for the U.S. Navy to honor the legacy of those who lost their lives," the lawmakers wrote. The letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, both Tennessee Republicans; U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Ooltewah; and U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga. A lone gunman opened fire last July on a military recruiting station and the Navy and Marine Corps Operational Support Center in Chattanooga. Killed in the attacks were Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan, Staff Sgt. David Wyatt, Sgt. Carson Holmquist, Lance Cpl. Squire "Skip" Wells and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith. The shooter, Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, was killed in a gunfight with police. All five of the servicemen were awarded the Purple Heart last December because the attacker was found to be inspired by propaganda from a foreign terrorist organization. The Chattanooga City Council and the Tennessee General Assembly have passed separate resolutions supporting the naming of the next eligible Navy ship in honor of the fallen servicemen. SHARE By Robert Shibley On Wednesday, in a hearing on the Tennessee Student Free Speech Protection Act, state Rep. Martin Daniel, R-Knoxville, answered a question about whether the Islamic State should be able to recruit on Tennessee campuses by saying that all views should be debated in the marketplace of ideas. Daniel's comment made national news and has been roundly criticized. But it's absurd to suggest that unconstitutional speech codes which Daniel's bill would help eliminate are necessary to keep ISIS off Tennessee's campuses. First, efforts by ISIS to recruit Americans already violate federal law. Recruiting for a terrorist organization is a criminal act. In stark contrast, the Tennessee Student Free Speech Protection Act would prevent campus censors from silencing student speech, an all-too-common occurrence. Just this year, everything from pro-Second Amendment speech to speech supporting Bernie Sanders has been shut down by speech codes. Second, the idea that an unconstitutional speech code would be an effective way to stop ISIS from recruiting on campus is farfetched. Accepting this premise requires accepting the idea that ISIS a group willing to engage in genocide would be successfully stymied by an assistant dean of students. Third, even if ISIS had sympathizers on Tennessee campuses who were willing to openly praise the organization or urge people to join it, there would be an undeniable value in knowing who they were, so that everyone else could avoid them. Civil liberties attorney Harvey Silverglate, who is Jewish, often points out, "I need free speech because I need to know who the Nazis in the room are, so I know not to turn my back on them." It's hard to imagine why students or the public would prefer secret ISIS supporters to open ones; the former are undoubtedly far more dangerous. Finally, to fear pro-ISIS speech on campus to the extent of being willing to trash the First Amendment to prevent it is to accept some extremely dubious assumptions about Tennessee's students. Do Tennessee legislators really think that ISIS's message is so attractive to the state's college students that they will be convinced to join if they hear it? This profound lack of faith in the basic good sense of young Americans would be disturbing anywhere, but perhaps nowhere more than in Tennessee. The Volunteer State draws its very nickname from the willingness of its citizens to rise to the defense of the United States. Take it from this son of two Vols: Any list of places where ISIS's message is least likely to be successful would very likely put the state of Tennessee near or at the very top. Maybe you figure students could do without hearing what ISIS thinks or the Westboro Baptist Church, or the Black Panthers, or even Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. But in our democracy, all sides must be able to speak out so that people can fairly consider each other's views and determine why they're right or wrong. Living in a free society means having the confidence that examining even the worst ideas can help us reach the truth and there's no place more appropriate for that exercise than a college campus. Daniel showed that confidence on Wednesday. Hopefully, next year, the rest of the Legislature follows suit. Robert Shibley is the executive director of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. SHARE It's Women's History Month and every year around this time, I receive an email that a male colleague sends to all his female co-workers and friends marking the occasion. The messages are unfailingly celebratory of women as great mothers, friends, partners, etc. It's a nice thing to do, but it is also indicative of the fact that we've lost sight of the purpose of Women's History Month, which should be about remembering, honoring and supporting the variety of social justice struggles in which women are involved. In short, we need to remember and support female activists more. Take as an example the origin of International Women's Day, which happens during Women's History Month. It is in fact a remembrance of the struggles of female workers in the U.S. It was first observed by the Socialist Party of America in honor of the 1908 strike of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, one of the largest unions in the United States and one of the first to have a primarily female membership. Subsequent celebrations of the day in Europe were held to build support for women's right to vote, to hold public office and to work. At the outset, the occasion was used to support women's activism on behalf of gender equality, but also their protest against continuing problems such as labor discrimination and militarism. Those struggles were not without risk, as the female activists at the forefront of struggles for equal suffrage for white women and African-American women fighting against lynching in the U.S. knew too well. Their efforts were often met with violence and repression. It is true to this day. This year has become a sad reminder of the risks and dangers that female activists around the world face as they struggle to make it a better place. For example, Honduran human rights activist Berta Caceres, a leading voice in indigenous and environmental struggles in her country, was murdered recently in her home a day before what would have been her 45th birthday. Caceres, who was a member of the Lenca indigenous people and a co-founder of the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras, received the world's leading environmental award, the Goldman Environmental Prize, in 2015 for her opposition to one of Central America's biggest hydropower projects. As an activist in the country with one of the highest murder rates in the world, Caceres received multiple death threats, but she would not stop her work. Caceres' example hits close to home for me as a fellow Central American, and because I was lucky enough to meet her and be inspired by her. We all need to honor the activism of women like her. We need to remember and support all the struggles in which women are involved. This Women's History Month, we don't just want poems about how fabulous women are, or celebrations of historical firsts. Instead, we need to learn about and support female activists of the past and present. We need to find new and better ways to honor their struggles by supporting the causes for which they dedicated their lives. Teachers can teach their students about brave anti-lynching activists such as Ida B. Wells, or the suffragettes who staged hunger strikes to gain the vote for white women in the U.S. Parents can watch films about female activists, such as "Iron Jawed Angels," with their children, or take them to vote, or to a protest against the poisoning of drinking water, or to a march against police violence. We need to make sure Women's History Month is not just about the past, but also the present of women's activism. Artistic Director Erminia Kamel talks about the Cairo Opera Ballet's Company busy season prior to their yet another international appearance at the National Theatre of Bahrain in Manama Since the the beginning of 2016, it has been all hands on deck for the Cairo Opera Ballet Company. The moment the company concluded its performances of Tchaikovskys demanding Swan Lake -- staged eight times between 22 February and 2 March in Cairo and Alexandria -- it immediately plunged into preparations for upcoming international commitments. On 17 and 18 March the dancers performed at the National Theatre of Bahrain in Manama. Shortly afterwards, two of the companys first dancers, Ahmed Yehia and Anja Ahcin, will perform a scene from the Romeo and Juliet ballet during the closing gala of the International Ballet and Contemporary Dance Competition Domenico Modugno in Bari, Italy (18-21 March 2016). On their travels, the pair will be joined by Erminia Kamel, the troupes artistic director, who has been chosen as a guest of honour of the same competition. Shortly after these international appearances, the company will be involved in four Cairo performances of Verdis Aida (28 March-1 April) before it moves onto rehearsals for the complete Romeo and Juliet in mid-April. Those are extremely dynamic weeks for the whole company, Erminia Kamel asserts, hastening to add, The ballet dancers are happy when they are busy, they concentrate on their work and keep in shape. Speaking to Kamel a few days before the company's departure to Manama, we learn that "This is the first time we are going to visit Manama and perform at the National Theatre there. This wonderful modern edifice emerges like a beautiful bird from the water, Kamel described one of the more important cultural gems in the Arab region. Inaugurated in 2012, the theatres interiors resemble a boat with white, shell-like staircases and a wooden interior. The theatre includes a large hall with walls and balconies covered in wood and a 1,001-seat auditorium reflecting The One Thousand and One Nights. The small hall, which accommodates around 300 people, can rotate according to the needs of the performance. The theatre is located in the vicinity of other artistic venues, including the National Museum of Bahrain. The company was invited by the Bahraini Minister of Culture, Sheikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, who was particularly interested in our production of El Leila El Kebira, Kamel explained. El Leila El Kebira has been in the companys repertoire since 2001. One of the most important musical works of the Arab world, composed by Sayed Mekkawy to poetry by Salah Jahin, it is to be performed as Abdel Moneim Kamel adapted it, replacing puppets with live dancers. The duration of El Leila El Kebira is 45 minutes only. As such, I suggested that we should add other numbers to stress the variety of the repertoire performed by the Cairo Opera Ballet Company. So our Manama performance will also include a short Pharaonic dance which is in a semi-classical style, an adagio from The Nile ballet by Omar Khairat, the short ballet Oriental Steps, based on Attiya Shararas second violin concerto, as well as the pas de deux from Le Corsaire. The last piece, though from a classical ballet, has an Oriental element in terms of dance and costumes, so it should be very interesting for the audience in Manama, Kamel added. Over 30 dancers participated in this ambitious endeavour. Yet, as Kamel pointed out, this was not the first time for the company to show its strength outside Egypt. Over the past years, the has company visited many countries, putting on performances in a wide variety of venues from European cities to North and South Korea, Beijing, India, South Africa and Arab countries. Sometimes we travel as a whole troupe, at other times in smaller ensembles. At times we are invited, at other times we take part in a cultural exchange, Kamel continued, enumerating countless international appearances, many of which took place prior to the January 2011 Revolution. She also explained that on many of those journeys, the company is asked to perform something that would represent Egyptian traditions. Of course, the company specialises in classical ballet, and it is this dance that we mostly perform in Egypt. It is natural however that the international cultural institutions would like to see something evocative of our countrys culture. Our international repertoire includes dances that are scented with the fragrance of Alexandria, Nubia, zar and other cultural specific traditions. From Bahrain, the Cairo Opera Ballet Company will move to the International Ballet and Contemporary Dance Competition, Domenico Modugno. The Egyptian Ahmed Yehia and the Egypt-based Serbian ballerina Anja Ahcin will perform a segment of Romeo and Juliet during the competitions closing gala. Now married, Yehia and Ahcin have been dancing together for almost a decade and have presented numerous iconic duos already engraved in Egyptian hearts. Romeo and Juliet is among their most remarkable works, in which they fuse skill and the power of ballet power with a highly emotional performance. The Bari international ballet competition is held annually with the aim of promoting and encouraging young talents in the disciplines of dance and choreography. Kamel expresses her satisfaction with the companys international commitments as well as its strong presence on Egypts cultural scene. It seems that the troupe is returning to the dynamism that characterised it prior to January 2011, when international travels were the companys daily bread. The period 2011-2013 was probably the most difficult in the troupes history, with the revolution leading to the departure of many foreign dancers and a sense of instability reigning over the Egyptian cast. In February 2012, Abdel Moneim Kamel, the Cairo Opera Ballet Companys creator and spiritual father as many saw him, passed away, leaving a void in the hearts of the dancers. Then came the months dominated by the Muslim Brotherhoods rule, with Salafist MP calling ballet the art of nudity and severe budget cuts all creating additional concerns about the companys future and impacting the dancers morale. It was in mid-2013 that the company began regaining its strength. Today the situation is much better, Kamel explained. All Egyptian dancers have regained their confidence. We also managed to add five new foreign soloists to the troupe: two from Italy and three from Japan. Since September 2015, they have already performed Coppelia, the Nutcracker and Swan Lake, whether as soloists or supporting the corps de ballet. Today, I am very satisfied with the whole company. Soon I will also hold auditions for new dancers in Italy. Kamel adds that, as the Cairo Opera Ballet Company started attracting international dancers again, she is returning to cooperations with other choreographers. She concludes by stressing the great cooperation with all the trainers who act like one unit and without whom I wouldnt able to achieve all this. Little by little we are going back to the days of the companys glory. This interview was first published in Al Ahram Weekly For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: By Choi Sung-jin The Park Geun-hye administration's labor policy, which is engrossed in only expanding flexibility in hiring and firing, is squarely running counter to global trends, critics say. Major industrial countries, realizing that undue flexibility has polarized the labor market and lowered the quality of goods and services produced, are moving back to enhanced regulation, they said. However, Korea is still betting all on furthering flexibility, increasing the number of dispatched workers and expanding the performance-based pay system. The German government, for instance, is reviving the time limit of dispatched workers which it abolished during the labor reform led by the "Hartz Committee" in 2003, according to a report released Thursday by Korea Labor and Society Institute. Germany introduced the "Hartz Reform" in the early 2000s as a solution for its low-growth, high-unemployment problem, by focusing on cutting welfare programs and deregulating the labor market. However, the Social Democratic Party, which led the reform 15 years ago, is going back to "reregulation," the report said. Above all, the bill proposed by Germany's Social Democrats last November calls for limiting the dispatched work to 18 months because the increase of dispatched workers has resulted in various ill effects. Specifically, the wage gap has grown so wide that dispatched workers receive only 57 percent of what regular workers get while doing the same labor. Employers, instead of converting dispatched workers into regular employees, tend to replace regular workers with dispatched laborers to reduce costs, as the German politicians saw it. Government officials here are going in the opposite direction. The bill pushed by the Park administration and its party is trying to abolish the age limit for dispatched workers, and expanding the system to six industries, including high-income professionals and metal casting and molding. Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Ki-kwon said last month, "Advanced countries with employment rates over 70 percent are invariably relaxing regulations on dispatched labor," citing the case of Germany, too. The report pointed out this was a glaring distortion of reality. The Park administration's pressure on financial service companies to introduce the performance-based pay system is also bucking global trends, another report says. Since the 2008 global financial crisis, most Western countries have toughened regulations on performance-based pay, according to the report by the Institute for Finance and Economy, a think tank affiliated with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions. "The performance-based pay system has driven bankers to asset-swelling competition, leading to an enormous amount of bad assets," said Lim Soo-kang, a researcher at the institute. "The Korean government's belated drive for the so-called merit pay system in financial industry could also lead to dangerous results." The government's adherence to "my way" is due to the "clear goals" of the Park administration's labor policy perpetuation of indirect employment (dispatch of workers) and restructuring (performance-based pay system), other experts said, "Enhancing labor market flexibility under the pretext of raising the employment rate is the intention of the incumbent administration that represents the interests of the owners," said Professor Roh Jung-ki of Hanshin University. Labor leaders are not free from responsibility, either. "The government's one-sided push is due in part to the powerlessness of labor leaders, some of whom have become labor aristocrats," said Professor Shin Eun-jong of Dankook University. "It is urgent to awaken capitalists bent on only cutting costs and politicians who are unable and/or unwilling to reflect on harsh reality and envision a new future for our community." By Choi Sung-jin Last November, a citizen in Gwangju surnamed Kim dropped a 1-kg rock from the roof of an eight-story building. Luckily no one was hit, but the rock dented a car deck. Kim, 38, told police, "I lose my temper every now and then, and had to blow it off in one way or another." Kim knew he had problems controlling emotions but had not tried to get mental treatment. Doctors say his behavior was due to post-traumatic embitterment syndrome (PTED), whose victims believe others are persecuting them. Those with the disorder cannot shake off their hatred, anger and powerlessness for a protracted period, the doctors say. People gripped by PTED are prone to use violence, verbal or physical, when experiencing difficulties in their daily lives and/or personal relationships, experts say. The latest buzzword on the SNS and other online space is "brrr," a mimetic word expressing one's fury, which indicates how often people want to express their rage. Impulsive crimes have also long been a social problem. A workshop, co-sponsored by the Korea Medical Association and Korea Bar Association on Thursday, focused on recognizing the causes of this problem and seeking a solution. Experts said PTED resulted from a mentality that sought to avoid painful feelings by letting off steam instead of suppressing anger and enduring consequent anxiety, depression and guilt. The experts said modern society was contributing to the problem through undue competition, as was the reversal of day and night resulting from urbanization. "People do not get enough sunlight during daytime, but are excessively exposed to artificial illumination at night, which disrupts the original bio rhythm and results in sleep disorders, anxiety and impulsiveness," said Professor Lee Heon-jeong of Korea University. A police officer said, "Five years ago or so, impulsive crimes such as random assaults on strangers began to appear. Most criminals have experienced a serious destruction of self-esteem -- how dare you strangers to ignore me?'" Other experts say the explosion of rage cannot be solved by punishing individuals. "Local administrations and courts need to work out ways to prevent such disputes through dialogue," said Oh Eun-kyung, secretary-general of the Korea Bar Association. "Schools also ought to train students to control their emotions." Individuals, too, need to check their mental health, the experts say. "Except for some individuals with serious problems, most of the people in trouble can get considerable help by visiting specialists and finding the causes of anxiety and nervousness," said Professor Ahn Yong-min of Seoul National University. "Society should accept PETD as an ordinary mental illness like depression, and encourage diagnoses and treatment." By Choi Sung-jin As the Japanese government's distortion of history gets increasingly glaring, Korea needs to conduct a "public opinion war" with Japan on international stages, many experts say. According to the Ministry of Education, most of the Japanese history textbooks used by middle and high school students approved by Tokyo include a considerable number of distorted descriptions of how things happened, with even some notable omissions. For instance, these books state that the Dokdo islets are "Japan's sovereign territory," and add that "Korea is occupying them illegally." They also omit the forceful mobilization of Korean girls and women as sex slaves before and during World War II. Educational and historical organizations are raising their voices to call for the Korean government to more positively cope with these distortions of history by staging a public relations war to lead international public opinion to Korea's side. This is especially necessary because the Japanese government has exerted great influence on international opinion by making the most of its financial and lobbying power, they point out. "Aside from teaching history more systematically -- in part through publishing well-researched history textbooks -- Korea ought to step up public relations activities in international academic conferences as well as making our interpretations of history and the facts known in various ways," an educator said. "Japan's oversensitive reaction to the comfort woman statues' set up in some U.S. cities demonstrate that such a strategy is working, and working well." "Japan's claim on Dokdo is due in part to the lack of internationally recognized standards in territorial descriptions," said Professor Ahn Byeong-woo of Hanshin University. "As Japan's PR campaigns are gaining force, we must let the international community know about the injustices of their allegations." Others call for better cooperation and coordination between different government agencies, as well as between public and private sectors, in dealing with Japan's historical distortions. Although the two ministries released statements strongly denouncing Tokyo, they put priority on territorial issues while not touching on the comfort women issue, apparently conscious of the controversial agreement the Park Geun-hye administration made with Japan last December to quash the diplomatic dispute on the issue once and for all. "Private groups should unite to tell the government about the problems in the hasty accord and force the government to cancel it," a civic activist said. South Korean civic groups staged a series of rallies Monday, denouncing what Japan has designated as a day to promote its claim to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo. Over 100 South Koreans who belong to civic groups promoting South Korea's sovereignty over Dokdo held a joint press conference in front of the Japanese Embassy in central Seoul, urging Tokyo to scrap "Takeshima Day" and Japanese textbooks that distort history. In 2005, Japan's Shimane Prefecture, which claims administrative sovereignty over the islets, designated Feb. 22 as a day to promote Takeshima, the Japanese name for Dokdo. Since then, Shimane has hosted various programs to strengthen its territorial claims on the islets on this day. The civic groups also demanded the South Korean government nullify the 1998 fisheries agreement signed by Seoul and Tokyo, which designated a part of the East Sea where the two countries' Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) overlap each other as a joint fishing zone. Later on the day, other civic groups held similar press conferences, condemning Japan for attempting to infringe upon South Korea's sovereignty over the territory. The rocky outcroppings, which lie in waters between the two countries, have been at the center of a diplomatic row since Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula in the early part of the 20th century. South Korea has rejected Japan's claim to Dokdo since the country regained its independence from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule and reclaimed sovereignty over all its territories, including Dokdo. (Yonhap) The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) "strongly condemned" North Korea on Friday for test-firing ballistic missiles, saying that the North's provocations cannot be accepted. After holding an emergency session, the UNSC issued a statement saying that the North's latest missile launches are "unacceptable" and "constituted a clear violation" of relevant UNSC resolutions, Yonhap reported. The reaction came as North Korea launched two medium-range ballistic missiles on Friday into waters off its east coast in a show of defiance against tougher U.N. sanctions. One of the missiles appears to have blown up in mid-flight. Last week, North Korea also fired two short-range missiles into the East Sea. "The members of the Security Council strongly condemned and expressed grave concern at the ballistic missile launches," the 15-member body stated in a unanimously adopted statement. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also urged North Korea on Friday to refrain from "inflammatory and escalatory actions" in response to the missile launches. In early March, the UNSC imposed stronger sanctions on Pyongyang over its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6 and its long-range rocket launch on Feb. 7. North Korea has already been banned from using ballistic missile technology under relevant UNSC resolutions. The North is under a series of U.N. sanctions for its previous three nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. The North has claimed that its rocket launch was to send a satellite into orbit, but outside experts view the North's move as a cover for a banned test of ballistic missile technology. The new sanctions require U.N. member states to conduct mandatory inspections of all cargo going into and coming out of North Korea and ban the export of mineral resources, a main source of hard currency for the cash-strapped North. In recent days, the North has ratcheted up its bellicose rhetoric against South Korea and the United States, threatening that it is ready to make "pre-emptive" attacks against them. Earlier this week, North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un said that his country plans to conduct nuclear warhead explosions and ballistic missiles tests "in a short time." The North also claimed that it has succeeded in making nuclear warheads small enough to be mounted atop ballistic missiles. But Seoul and Washington said that given their own analysis, the North has yet to master such miniaturization technology. China is open to three-way talks with South Korea and the United States on implementing new U.N. sanctions targeting North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, South Korea's chief nuclear envoy said Saturday after meeting with his Chinese counterpart. Kim Hong-kyun, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, also said he and the Chinese envoy, Wu Dawei, shared "concerns" about North Korea's test-launch of two mid-range ballistic missiles a day ago, Yonhap reported. Earlier this month, the U.N. Security Council levied tougher sanctions against North Korea for its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6 and for the Feb. 7 launch of a long-range rocket, both of which violated previous U.N. resolutions. North Korea has remained defiant of U.N. resolutions, threatening to launch a nuclear strike on South Korea and one on the U.S. as well as conduct a nuclear warhead test and more ballistic missile launches. "In order to cooperate on the process of implementing U.N. resolutions, we proposed holding a three-way consultation among South Korea, the U.S. and China," Kim told a group of South Korean correspondents in Beijing. "In response, the Chinese said they will review the proposal with open minds," Kim said. South Korea and China agreed that, "North Korea must not take further actions that violate the U.N. resolutions." "By earnestly implementing the U.N. resolutions, both sides agreed that it is important (for relevant countries) to create a situation where North Korea has no choice but to change its course," Kim said. In New York on Friday, the U.N. Security Council strongly condemned North Korea over its latest ballistic missile launches. In a statement backed by China, North Korea's diplomatic and economic lifeline, the Security Council said the North Korean missile launches were "unacceptable." China, which accounts for about 90 percent of North Korea's total external trade, should play a key role in ensuring the effectiveness of the U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang. A senior South Korean diplomat, who attended the Friday talks with Wu, told reporters that the two sides exchanged "more opinions" on holding three-way talks with the U.S. to discuss implementing the U.N. sanctions on North Korea. A U.S. website monitoring North Korea said the North's nuclear test site is believed to be capable of supporting additional tests at any time, citing satellite imagery showing continued activity at the site. The website, 38 North, stated that the activity at the Punggye-ri underground test site does not appear directed at further tunnel excavation but rather to maintain existing tunnels as well as to clean up after the January nuclear test. Asked about whether Kim and Wu exchanged views on the possibility of more nuclear tests by North Korea, the senior diplomat replied, "We agreed that we should strongly warn North Korea against making further provocations." Analysts say that the North is expected to continue its threats and provocations as Kim tries to assert his leadership in the lead-up to the key Workers' Party Congress in May. A local appeals court on Friday released a police officer, accused of leaking presidential documents, after handing down a suspended jail term. The Seoul High Court sentenced the police inspector, identified only by his surname Han, to a year in prison suspended for one year for copying documents he found in an office and leaking them to another police officer, who was later found dead in an apparent suicide. A lower court had sentenced Han to a year in prison. While finding the 46-year-old guilty of the charges, the appeals court said it took into consideration that he had been faithful to his duties for the last 18 years and that it was his first time working in information management when he committed the crime. In October, the Seoul Central District Court found former presidential secretary Cho Eung-cheon and senior police officer Park Kwan-cheon not guilty of violating the Presidential Records Management Act, noting the leaked documents cannot be seen as presidential records since they were all copies. (Yonhap) South Korea issued a strong protest Friday after Japan authorized dozens of new high-school textbooks that renew territorial claims to the South's easternmost islets of Dokdo in a move sure to aggravate historical tensions between the two neighbors. The approval dampened the mood for bilateral cooperation, which has emerged in the wake of the North's latest provocations and a Dec. 28 deal to settle the decades-old issue of Japan's wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women, observers here noted. (Yonhap) South Korea and China have agreed to better implement the bilateral free trade agreement and ease non-tariff barriers for Korean companies operating businesses in China, Seoul's trade ministry said Friday. On Thursday, South Korean Trade Minister Joo Hyung-hwan held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Gao Hucheng, to evaluate the implementation of the FTA that took effect in December and seek ways to step up business ties between the two nations. They also touched on the ongoing anti-dumping probe on imports of Korean-made electrical steel, bispenol A and acetone, as well as the new battery subsidy rule, the ministry said. In January, China stopped offering subsidies to nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) battery plants in China, which are mostly owned by South Korean companies, citing safety issues. In what appeared to be a discriminatory move, however, Beijing provided incentives to Chinese producers of lithium iron phosphate (LIP) batteries used in electric buses. The move was seen as an apparent attempt to boost its local manufacturers and isolate their South Korean rivals, including LG Chem Ltd. and Samsung SDI Co., which have expanded production facilities to tap deeper into the fast-growing Chinese market. "We asked the Chinese government to reflect Korean companies' opinions in the process of safety inspection for batteries, and Chinese officials promised to discuss the issue with the related organizations so as not to disadvantage foreign companies," a ministry official said. The two sides also agreed to launch working-level talks to discuss service and investment between the two nations. "The service and investment consultations are expected to foster new service industry in such areas as culture, contents, medicine and tourism in both countries," the ministry said. China is the world's single largest importer of South Korean goods, accounting for nearly one-fourth of South Korea's total outbound shipments. However, South Korea's exports to China have been on the wane despite the implementation of the Korea-China FTA in December 2015. (Yonhap) The United States urged North Korea on Thursday to refrain from raising tensions after the communist nation fired a medium-range ballistic missile into the East Sea. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the North fired a Rodong missile into the East Sea. It was believed to be the first time in about two years that the North has launched the medium-range missile. The launch, banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions, represented the latest show of force against the ongoing joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States. "We have seen reports that North Korea launched a ballistic missile," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement, adding that the U.S. is closely monitoring the situation on the Korean Peninsula. "We call again on North Korea to refrain from actions that further raise tensions in the region and focus instead on taking concrete steps toward fulfilling its international commitments and obligations," Kirby said. Kirby also said that the U.S. remains steadfast in its commitment to the defense of its allies South Korea and Japan and will continue to coordinate closely with the allies and partners in the region. (Yonhap) The European Union and Turkey agreed Friday on a deal that all sides hope will relieve Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II. European Council President Donald Tusk and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called it a "landmark" agreement. The prime minister said Friday was a "historic day" for Turkey and the EU. "We today realized that Turkey and the EU have the same destiny, the same challenges and the same future," Davutoglu said. The deal takes effect Sunday. All migrants who illegally enter Greece from Syria and elsewhere -- including those already in Turkey -- will be sent to Turkey after they are registered and their claims for asylum in Europe are considered. In exchange, thousands of refugees who fled to Turkey and legally sought asylum will be resettled equally across the 28 EU members. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (left) speaks with, from left, French President Francois Hollande, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas during a meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on March 18, 2016. /AP Turkey already shelters nearly 3 million Syrian refugees. It will get EU financial help to deal with the refugee crisis -- it will eventually double to about $6.7 billion -- along with quicker EU membership talks and visa-free travel for Turkish citizens across the EU by the end of June, if Turkey meets a number of preconditions. Tusk warned that the deal, by itself, would not solve Europe's migrant crisis. "Some may think this agreement is a silver bullet, but the reality is more complex," he said. "It is just one pillar of the comprehensive European strategy and can only work if the other pillars are implemented." Those other pillars include strengthening the EU's external borders, keeping a well-traveled migrant route across the western Balkans closed and returning to the open-borders Schengen system internally. Turkey has a shaky human rights record, and some human rights groups said the plan uses people looking for refuge from war, poverty and terrorism as political pawns. Amnesty International slammed the agreement, saying Turkey was not a safe country for refugees or migrants, and that the process of returning asylum seekers would inevitably be "flawed, illegal and immoral." Migrants walk along a road from the village of Chamilo to the migrant camp at the village of Idomeni, near the Greek-Macedonian border, Greece on March 15, 2016. /Reuters The UN refugee agency said it was vital that all sides respect international and European law. "How this plan is to be implemented is... going to be crucial. Ultimately, the response must be about addressing the compelling needs of individuals fleeing war and persecution. Refugees need protection, not rejection," the UNHCR said in a statement. Even some EU leaders who signed off on the plan said they were not entirely happy with it. Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said the proposal "is on the edge of international law" and might be hard to implement. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel accused Turkey of blackmail. But Europe has been struggling with the refugee crisis for months, and no one has come up with a solution on which everyone can agree. More than 1.2 million migrants have landed primarily on Greek and Italian shores since January 2015, and about 4,000 have drowned while trying to cross the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece. Thousands more have drowned in the dangerous Mediterranean after paying human smugglers. Children have been among the victims. Davutoglu said the refugees' plight was not an issue of bargaining, but an issue of humanitarian values as well as European values. The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary Read more The surge in Chinese investments in U.S. hotel companies is starting to raise a question rarely heard in the world of commercial real estate: When does the ownership of a luxury hotel become a matter of national security? Normally its not, which may be one reason that so much Chinese capital has been flooding into the U.S. real estate market, especially in California. Chinese bids for U.S. manufacturing, financial and technology companies have been on the rise, spurring more government national security reviews. Until recently, real estate deals havent raised the same political or security concerns. But that may be changing. Although the U.S. has been the No. 1 target of Chinese investment capital in recent years, Chinese investment in the U.S. still pales in relation with that from other sources. China ranked only 14th in 2013, well behind such traditional leaders as Britain, Japan and Canada. Yet in recent years, Chinese deals have led the list of those scrutinized by the little-known Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, an interagency panel headed by the Treasury Department that screens foreign acquisitions of U.S. businesses for national security implications. Advertisement In 2012-14, according to the committees most recent annual report, 68 of the 358 transactions reviewed involved Chinese investors. In second place were 45 British deals a smaller proportion of a much larger deal flow. The committee cant veto a deal on its own. But it can ask for modifications or, in extreme cases, refer a deal to the White House for a final ruling. China has had a discouraging record in such presidential reviews: President Obama blocked the purchase by Chinese-owned Ralls Corp. of several Oregon wind farm sites in 2012 on the grounds that some sites were located too close to a Naval weapons station. It was the first such veto since President George H.W. Bush ordered a Chinese government agencys acquisition of Mamco, a Seattle aerospace firm, rescinded in 1990. Committee intervention can shut down deals even without White House intervention; in January, Philips blamed the review committee for the death of a deal to sell its lighting business, Lumileds, to a Chinese company. Investment analysts and trade experts say the increase in the number of China deals referred for review mostly reflects the larger number of Chinese deals in the pipeline. But theres little question that Chinese deals often attract especially close scrutiny. The NSA or CIA might assess risks differently when it comes to China, says Thilo Hanemann, a China specialist at Rhodium Group. A greater number of Chinese deals are impacted because of a shift from fairly bread-and-butter deals to those involving cutting-edge technology, like semiconductors. Anne W. Salladin, an expert on the national security reviews at the law firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, adds that Chinese deals can provoke heightened sensitivities because they often involve companies with state ownership, and the extent of state ownership is not always clear. Additionally, Salladin says, there is a history of espionage by Chinese entities. On the other hand, she says, the vast majority of the deals presented by Chinese investors for review get through the process successfully. Still, many Chinese are convinced that theyre being excessively scrutinized because of U.S. protectionism. Brookings Institution scholar David Dollar, has collected some of the critical references to the review process. A January 2014 article in the Chinese financial publication Caixin described CFIUS as a mysterious committee that keeps confidential its investigation process, objection reason and legal explanation. Members of Congress have demanded that CFIUS review even some seemingly innocuous deals, like last months announced sale of the Chicago Stock Exchange to a Chinese financial company. The exchange handles a bare one-half of 1% of U.S. stock trades. Real estate deals typically havent been seen to warrant the committees scrutiny Hotels are generally not a sensitive area at all, Hanemann says. That could play a role in the pace at which Chinese interest in U.S. real estate is accelerating. In 2014, Chinese investments in U.S. real estate came to $3.9 billion; in 2015 the total exceeded $10 billion. Over the last two weeks alone, the once-obscure Anbang Insurance Group agreed to buy Strategic Hotels & Resorts, the owner of such properties as San Diegos storied Hotel del Coronado, for $6.5 billion, and made an unsolicited bid for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., owner of the Westin and Sheraton brands, for $12.8 billion outbidding Marriott International, which already had reached a deal to acquire Starwood. (Anbang raised its offer for Starwood by nearly $370 million Friday, bringing the total to more than $14 billion, and Starwood accepted it.) On Tuesday, Chinese hotel operator JE Group acquired the Hollywood Hills property that includes Yamashiro restaurant for $40 million, a price that hints at extensive redevelopment plans. In downtown L.A., work is underway on the massive three-building Fig Central hotel, retail and condo development owned by Chinas Oceanwide Real Estate Group. Chinese companies want to diversify out of their own economy, which isnt doing well and wont get better for a long time, says economist William Yu of the UCLA Anderson Forecast. For them real estate is a good target because its stable, offers a long-term return, and they like big, beautiful buildings. Marriott, which owns little real estate, valued Starwood for its brand names and hotel management contracts. But Anbang may be in a different place, in the words of David Katz, lodging and gaming analyst at Telsey Advisory Group. Like sovereign wealth funds and private equity investors, it may hanker for the real estate and seek to keep or augment Starwoods property portfolio. Real estate deals may get even more scrutiny as Chinese investing expands. The review committees responsibility for national security concerns encompasses property whose proximity to government buildings or critical infrastructure could be considered a risk. Anbang asked for review of its $1.95-billion acquisition of New Yorks Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 2014, possibly recognizing that the hotels role as the official residence of the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and the frequent lodging for U.S. and foreign dignitaries with business in New York made it a prime target of CFIUS review anyway. The committee approved the deal. More such reviews are likely. Anything with a line of sight to a major U.S. government entity or security facility needs to be assessed by CFIUS, Michael R. Wessel, a member of the congressional U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, told Reuters after Anbangs Starwood bid. Whats becoming increasingly clear is that until Chinas own economy again looks promising enough to attract domestic investment, its capital will be heading here and the caseload for CFIUS is sure to get heavier. Michael Hiltziks column appears every Sunday. Read his blog every day at latimes.com/business/hiltzik, reach him at mhiltzik@latimes.com, check out facebook.com/hiltzik and follow @hiltzikm on Twitter. An alert popped up on Dr. Sam Kims smartphone: a 7-year-old with a cough. Would you be comfortable seeing this patient? Kim clicked yes and hopped in his car on a recent Saturday morning. Black bag in hand, white coat donned, he knocked on the door of a home on a tree-lined street in La Canada Flintridge. The doctor is in. Kim works for Heal, a Los Angeles-based start-up that allows patients in several California counties to order doctor house calls through a smartphone app. Similar companies exist in other parts of the country, including Pager in New York City and Mend in Dallas. Advertisement Health advocates generally support using technology to make medical care more convenient. As these companies grow, however, some question the return of the house call. A century ago, most medical visits were in the patients home. But cities got bigger and doctors began using more equipment, therefore it made sense for them to not travel more than 10 steps from patient room to patient room. Its much more cost-effective to bring the patient to the doctor than the doctor to the patient, said Dr. Ateev Mehrotra, a Harvard health policy professor who studies innovations in medical care. Thats why we as a society moved away from house calls. And thats still the case, experts say, especially when many parts of the country are experiencing physician shortages exacerbated by the large numbers of people newly insured under the Affordable Care Act. On that Saturday, Kim, a pediatrician, listened to Lila Dancsecs chest with a stethoscope in the living room of her home. He peered into her ears and throat. The diagnosis: a run-of-the-mill cold. No antibiotics required. Kim prescribed rest and fluids. Most days, Kim works at a private practice in the San Fernando Valley. But he likes talking to patients and their families for a longer time when he takes calls for Heal two days a week. Instead of rushing through a packed schedule, he can spend up to an hour with each child in their home. I have that luxury, he said. Doctors have advocated for more in-home care for seniors and the chronically ill, who may have trouble with transportation and would benefit from having their medical providers work together in one place. At-home visits have also become a sort of novelty service for the wealthy, known as concierge medicine. But some are wary of scaling up that model for everyone when theres a limited supply of physicians. The Assn. of American Medical Colleges estimates there will be up to a 90,000 doctor shortfall nationwide by 2025. Physicians for Heal, who are chauffeured by medical assistants, spend a few minutes updating patient records and reading about their next visit in the car, but much of that time is unproductive. Kim said one shift can take him across the L.A. region, from Downey to Manhattan Beach. Its a very, very inefficient process for a doctor, especially in L.A., Mehrotra said. All that travel time is not cheap. Because she used Heal, Lilas mother, Soraya, avoided a trip to the emergency room that weekend morning. She had initially called her daughters pediatrician, but there werent any appointments available. This is just so much more convenient, she said. More than 60% of the apps first-time users would have gone to the emergency room if they hadnt used Heal, according to company co-founder Dr. Renee Dua, who launched the company last year. On-demand doctors are one of several ways entrepreneurs are trying to make healthcare easier to access. But experts say that unlike other innovations, doctor house calls dont appear to decrease overhead or use cheaper medical providers to cut costs. Such services also probably cant reach people in remote parts of the country, far from the nearest physician, said Melissa Buckley with the nonprofit California HealthCare Foundation. So when discussing how to aid the most underserved Americans, we dont think first about Heal or Pager, she said. Gorkem Sevinc, managing director of Johns Hopkins Medicine Technology Innovation Center, said he expects house call start-ups to grow because people like the convenience. The challenge will be to not misuse doctors time and determine the right level of medical care for each patients problem, Sevinc said. Not everyone needs to see a physician, he said. We dont want healthcare to be commoditized like a cab ride, he said. Coincidentally, an app built by a former engineer for ride-sharing service Uber tries to address that issue. Pager, which was co-founded by a creator of the taxi-on-demand company, began offering doctor house calls in New York City in 2014. When people open the Pager app, they chat with a nurse via text message and describe their symptoms. The nurse then decides whether the patient needs an in-person visit from a physician or a videochat consultation. It really allows us to direct patients in the right direction so that we dont send them a doctor when they dont need a doctor, said company co-founder Gaspard de Dreuzy. When patients do need a house call, physicians use Uber to get around Manhattan. For all doctor house call services, one big appeal is the flat fee. As insurance plans deductibles have risen, people are more concerned than ever about the cost of each treatment. But if you try to ask a hospital how much something would cost in the emergency room, they refuse to answer, said Dr. Jonathan Clarke, who started Mend in Dallas. Its not what we expect from any service industry. Mend, which employs ER doctors, nurse practitioners and physicians assistants, costs between $50 and $199 per visit. Depending on the kind of visit, Pagers prices range from $50 to $200. Soraya Dancsecs, the mother of Kims patient, liked knowing the price of the visit before Kim showed up. A house call from a Heal physician costs $99, but her insurance covered the treatment, so she paid only $20. It was simple, she said. soumya.karlamangla@latimes.com Twitter: @skarlamangla ALSO Verizon reports outages across Southern California Snapchat hires Pandora veteran as vice president of product Think you have too many roommates? People with 16 are paying extra for the privilege The Iraq war hunkered in the soul as the air filled with scents of gunpowder, burning tires and death. Helicopters flecked the dusk as boys played soccer in the dirt and the pigeon men released their flocks against the setting sun. I craved that time even though I knew what night would bring. Radios squawking, American soldiers, their boots the color of sand, sweated in helmets beneath the stars. Insurgents moved like breezes through cities and villages. A clatter, a breath. Flashes broke the darkness and fallen bodies were hustled past wild dogs on the prowl. The Long Beach Operas production of Fallujah is a trip into the torment endured by U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians. Performed at Long Beachs Army National Guard armory, it captures with the vividness I recall as a correspondent and the anguish, rage and bewilderment of disparate cultures and lives trapped by larger designs. Told through the haunted mind of Lance Cpl. Philip Houston (LaMarcus Miller), the opera, composed by Tobin Stokes with a searing libretto by Heather Raffo, is the story of Iraqi and American mothers trying to save their sons from perilous fates. Advertisement Clockwise from top, Zeffin Quinn Hollis, Ani Maldjian, LaMarcus Miller, Jason Switzer and Jonathan Lacayo perform a scene from the opera Fallujah at the Army National Guard in Long Beach. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) The U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003 with the bluster of a superpower, but as the years went by the war for many Americans became an unfinished distraction that carried the whiff of failure. Much of that frustration unfolded in the desert city of Fallujah, an evocative namesake for an opera that ambitiously veers from combat to the seen and unseen scars it leaves behind. Unlike movies about Iraq and Afghanistan, such as American Sniper and Lone Survivor, Fallujah is scoured of jingoism and lays bare the suffering on both sides. Rising along the banks of the Euphrates River, the city of Fallujah riveted the American consciousness in 2004 when four U.S. contractors were ambushed, their bodies hung like charred ornaments from a bridge. The grisly images were a sign that President Bushs Mission Accomplished slogan was premature and that U.S. forces were slipping into one of Americas longest wars, a mesmerizing landscape of insurgents, jihadists, kidnappers, tribesmen and bomb-makers. Fallujah was a visceral touchstone to American hubris and plans gone bad. With Baghdad to the east and the Syrian border to the west, the city appeared untamable, its defiance resounding across a sweltering territory known as the Sunni Triangle. After American troops withdrew from Iraq in 2011, Fallujah, whose history stretches to Babylonian times, was under nominal control of the Iraqi government until 2014 when the Islamic State swept through its streets. An opera bearing such a name conjures a swirl of allusions even before the first note is struck, the first word uttered. The city has disfigured physically and psychologically a generation. It has trapped Iraqis in sectarian and extremist bloodletting and reminded Americans that the echoes of battle reverberate through the homes of veterans and the clinics that fit them with titanium limbs and treat them for post-traumatic stress. Cant rest/cant dim the lights, sings Lalo (Gregorio Gonzalez), a senior lance corporal in desert fatigues. Left a piece of myself there/cant be anywhere but there. The voice is at once piercing and broken, as if a call from a Greek warrior across the centuries. It carries immediacy but is freighted in new wounds rising from ancient lessons not learned. American soldiers took heavy casualties in Fallujah, and the citys eventual succumbing to the Islamic State was regarded by many veterans as a failed mission and a sacrilege to comrades lost. About 4,500 U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq; there has been talk in the presidential campaign of sending troops back to defeat militants. But Fallujah echoes with the pain of the other side too. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died since 2003, many of them civilians like the operas Shatha, a mother surrounded by brutality and worried for her son, Wissam. They represent the counterpoint to the American narrative; while U.S. soldiers raced through villages in Humvees beneath the glare of snipers, Iraqi families hid in the smoke and heat and tried to keep sane amid rolling battles and mortar rounds. Wissam, today my shoes were covered in bits of flesh, Shatha sings. Today I saw a death so terrifying, it tears you into pieces / your feet not where you were last standing / your hands not holding the hands of those you loved / And worst of all, it can spare you / and take your son instead. Watching Fallujah one is reminded of the misery and inscrutable fault lines across the Middle East. The Iraq war was followed by the false hopes that Arab uprisings in Syrian, Libya, Egypt and Yemen would lead to stability and a semblance of democracy. But extremists and intransigent Syrian President Bashar Assad filled the vacuum as refugees spilled across Europe and terrorist attacks led to fresh graves in Paris and San Bernardino. The opera is also a testament to the scars of American soldiers, many of whom returned to a country that had grown weary of their mission and aloof to their suffering. When Fallujah opens, Cpl. Houston is on suicide watch in a veterans hospital. His shoes and belt have been taken. His mother waits outside. He plays and replays the things he witnessed and the blood he shed in a distant land. Cant feel whats wrong / cant heal whats gone, he sings. Wanna hurt / but nothing hurts / too dangerous to be alive / dangerous to be outside / where nothing hurts / find hurt / to stop me from going numb. Twitter: @JeffreyLAT ------------ Fallujah at Long Beach Opera Where: Army National Guard, 854 E. 7th St., Long Beach. When: 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Friday nights performance was broadcast live on KCET and Link TV and may be viewed online at kcet.org/shows/fallujah. Info: (562) 432-5934 or www.longbeachopera.org A millionaire many times over who pulled himself up from modest means, Sebastian Paul Musco has simple advice for those want to get ahead in life: Work hard. As recounted during a recent interview at their two-story penthouse in Irvine, Musco and his wife, Marybelle, have done that all their lives. They toiled for years to build Gemini Industries, a precious metals company founded in the early 70s in Orange County. See more of Entertainments top stories on Facebook >> Advertisement In the firms early days, resources were so thin that Marybelle Musco would answer phone calls for multiple departments. I would change voices, she recalled. We had fun. In recent years, their hard work has yielded a new project that the philanthropic couple considers one of their most important achievements: a new, 1,044-seat performing arts hall bearing their names, the Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University. Chapman University, which has been expanding in recent years, opened the Musco Center for the Arts in March 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) The mid-size hall, which will officially open Saturday with a gala celebration starring Placido Domingo, cost $82 million to construct and will serve primarily as a venue for performing arts students at the private university. Leaders estimate that 70% of the halls availability will be given to educational purposes, while the remaining time will feature visiting performers and ensembles. Paul Musco who recently turned 90 and prefers to go by his middle name said that he initially wanted the amount of the couples financial contribution to the center to remain undisclosed, but news broke late last year. It upset me very much, he said. One newspaper reported their donation as $38 million. The couple said it is actually $39 million. A Chapman spokeswoman said the school didnt contribute any money toward construction of the building and that funds were raised through private donations. She said no more money remains to be raised to pay for the construction. The Muscos have remained highly involved in the buildings creation, participating in such details as the color scheme in the main performance space, the derriere-friendly thickness of fabric for auditorium seats and the number of stalls in the ladies room. We are not the kind of people to give money and walk away, said Marybelle Musco, who described herself as a perfectionist. But neither are they helicopter philanthropists: the programming will be overseen by Artistic Director William Hall. We leave it to the experts she said. The center features a rather large stage for its size, with a proscenium width of 62 feet and a spacious pit that can fit an operatic orchestra. The halls interior features an abundance of wood paneling, with large, overlapping acoustical plates lining the side walls. The halls acoustics were overseen by Yasuhisa Toyota, who also worked on Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Soka Performing Arts Center in Aliso Viejo. Approaching the center from the grand entrance, the floor of the complex angles downward, with parts of the building residing physically underground. The front of the center is three stories tall while the back is five stories. Officials said the design was deliberate to conform with height restrictions in the historic section of the city of Orange. Sebastian Paul Musco and his wife, Marybelle, provided nearly half of the performing arts centers $82-million construction cost. They pose here in their Irvine penthouse. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) For its first full season starting in September, the Musco Center projects artistic spending of a little more than $2 million, according to the centers interim Executive Director Richard Bryant. The center is a non-union house, with a full-time staff consisting of university personnel. Paul Musco is a Chapman trustee but didnt graduate from the university. Growing up in a large Sicilian family in Rhode Island, he was a lackluster student who frequently played truant and sometimes enlisted his twin brother to take exams for him. We were poor moneywise but rich in other avenues, he said of his family. As a teenager, he lied about his age and joined the Navy, serving during World War II. Later, he made his way to Chicago and found work in the precious metals industry. He married his wife in 1970 they met while working at the same company and they moved to Orange County two years later. At the time, the cultural scene in the O.C. didnt exist, which was really difficult, recalled Marybelle Musco. She has long been a fan of the arts, especially dance, thanks to her father, who loved the arts and instilled that passion in me from an early age. The couple described their philanthropy as selective, preferring to make a limited number of large donations rather than numerous small ones. Paul Musco has served for years on the executive committee of Los Angeles Opera, and the couple has long supported what is now PBS SoCAL. Paul Musco said he doesnt believe in withholding charity until after he dies, which is common among wealthy philanthropists. Give it now. Whats the difference? he said. That way people who are recipients of generosity have someone to say thank you to. During the interview, Musco frequently directed his blunt style at himself, cracking jokes about his age. I tell people I look like Bob Hope from behind and no hope from the front, he said. Marybelle Musco said shes accepted her husbands desire to continue going to work every day. Over the years, their business interests have expanded to multiple states and different industries. I realized he wouldnt be as healthy if he just stayed home, she said. Still, being 90 isnt easy. Paul Musco said he relies on an elevator in their Irvine penthouse their primary residence for two years after spending decades in Newport Beach due to problems with his heart. The couple gets around primarily in a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce. Their wealth is something the couple keeps in firm perspective. At one point, they reminisced about a one-bedroom apartment in Chicago they called home in their early years together. We were very happy, said Paul Musco. We werent happy because we had a lot of money. We were happy because we had ourselves. Thats all I care about. We can always go back to that one-bedroom apartment and be happy. david.ng@latimes.com More than 150 academics, novelists, poets, scientists and other experts of language have descended on San Juan, Puerto Rico, this week to debate the future of Spanish and whether words such as selfie will be admitted into the prestigious Diccionario de la Real Academia (Dictionary of the Royal Academy like the Oxford English Dictionary for the Spanish language). The confab, formally known as the VII International Congress for the Spanish Language, or CILE, includes among its attendees Chilean author Jorge Edwards, Puerto Rican essayist Luis Rafael Sanchez, Cuban crime novelist Leonardo Padura and King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain along with various Latin American leaders. Felipe VI of Spain, right, and Queen Letizia arrive for the VII International Congress of the Spanish Language in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Gaston de Cardenas / EPA) Advertisement Held every three years, it offers a whole lot of pomp and circumstance for what is essentially a conference about etymology. But it is indeed a fascinating one. For one, Spanish is a language that unites roughly 500 million people around the world, including millions in the United States. Moreover, part of the role of these sessions, organized in part by the Real Academia Espanola (Royal Spanish Academy) in Madrid, is to find etymological common ground among vastly different peoples in vastly different corners of the globe from Los Angeles to Tierra del Fuego to Malabo in Equatorial Guinea, where one of the official languages is Spanish. And the academy, along with its partner institutions in Latin America, must do this at a time when English words have a growing profile within the Spanish language. The last time the Diccionario was issued, in 2014, it featured words such as hacker, dron (drone) and tuitear (to tweet). It also, quite interestingly, included the words botox and pilates though, sadly, not the word cuchibarbie, a Colombian slang that refers to a woman who has had oodles of plastic surgery. Not to mention all of the other Spanglish slang that is part of daily life in a place like Los Angeles. In L.A., for example, you drive a troca (truck) to go hanguear (hang out) and Googelear the latest hot restaurants. Like a lot of academies that stand as the guardians of language (see: the Academie Francaise), there is always some grumbling about Spanish tradition being lost to English slang when it comes to the inclusion of English root words in the dictionary. Dario Villanueva, who heads the academy, told the Associated Press that perhaps a better word for selfie might be the phrase auto-foto. But David Pharies, an associate dean at the University of Florida and author of A Brief History of the Spanish Language, says these efforts at preservation can be futile. There is a long history of linguistic institutions such as the Spanish Royal Academy trying to police their languages vocabularies or grammatical norms, he stated via email. In general, it can be affirmed that over the long term all such efforts are doomed to failure, since a subset of todays innovations form the basis of tomorrows norms. ... Sooner or later, language guardians are forced to abandon conservative positions in the face of relentless changes in usage. In addition, Spanish, which is a descendant of Vulgar Latin the informal, spoken versions of Latin that flourished in different parts of the Roman empire already bears heavy traces of other tongues. Arabic contributed a number of words to the language as a result of the Muslim presence on the Iberian Peninsula from 711-1492, Pharies writes. Arabic did not affect the grammar of the Spanish, but its political presence had important historical effects that helped determine the nature of Spanish. Over the years, the Americas have contributed increasing numbers of words to the language and, as a result, the Royal Academys dictionary. (These days, less than 10% of the worlds Spanish speakers live in Spain, where the language originated.) Many of our continents contributions are drawn from indigenous words. Tomate, the Spanish word for tomato, for example, comes from tomatl, the Nahuatl (Aztec) word for the fruit. The last time the Diccionario was published, it contained more than 28,000 words of American origin double the amount it contained in the previous edition. Already, the Royal Academys dictionary contains the popular Mexican slang guey, which literally means ox, but generally means fool depending on context and intonation. And this week it added a new Latin Americanism to its pages: puertorriquenidad, which translates roughly to Puerto Rican-ness. So far, however, the more Anglicized Nuyorican (New Yorker of Puerto Rican roots) remains off the books. That, however, may just be a matter of time. Find me on Twitter @cmonstah. Fifth Beatle remembered Re: Producer Rescued the Beatles From Obscurity by Randy Lewis, March 10. The late George Martin was a great producer, arranger and musician. It is obvious that he had a huge influence on how the Beatles sounded. But Martins greatest contribution to the band was encouraging John Lennon and Paul McCartney to challenge each other and engage in a good-natured competition. The results of that competition were historic. Martin was always of the opinion that if Lennon hadnt been killed in 1980, he and Paul (and possibly George and Ringo) mightve given it one more try. That was something Martin wouldve loved to have seen. Charles Reilly Manhattan Beach What a great write-up on Sir Martin. I also loved his orchestrations. Especially on the Yellow Submarine album, and when his dreamy, lush, sometimes silly and scary tracks came on I ate them up. Advertisement Your last line in the appreciation brought tears to my eyes. Good night, indeed. Maureen McFadden Santa Barbara :: Thank you, Sasha Frere-Jones, for Studio Magic was His Forte [March 10]. Martin stamped his influence on the Beatles music from the start, helping transform Please Please Me from a slow, somber song into an up-tempo, joyful masterpiece that became their first No.1 hit. Martin was one of the most important and talented producers in music history. Stephen A. Silver San Francisco :: For all the coverage you gave us on the passing and career of music producer George Martin: Thank you. Thank you times five. George, John, Paul, George and Ringo. Lenora Robinson Los Angeles :: I get pretty fussy about how people write about favorites of mine who have died I expect the writers to know more than the surface facts. In your case, you are spot-on in grasping the importance of George Martin to the Beatles music, fully deserving the front page of the Los Angeles Times. Jeff Traintime Burbank DJ legend Tuna gets his due Thank you for your detailed article on the passing of Charlie Tuna. [Charlie Tuna Dies at 71: Los Angeles Radio Legend by Randy Lewis, Feb. 29] As you indicated, he was a legend in L.A. he was also a huge influence on thousands of DJs across the country for decades. Terry Clevenger Kansas City What about Herman Wouk? I have been waiting for your review of Herman Wouks new book, Sailor and Fiddler. Do you plan to review it? Wouk is one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century and is still writing at age 100. Please correct this oversight and give Mr. Wouk his due. Terry House Palm Springs Downtowns pricey rebirth Re: Its Arts Roots by Carolina A. Miranda, March 13 Yes, downtown is booming. My friend, a fellow painter, says there is a studio apartment available in his building for $1,900. Its at a discount because its an interior unit. But just around the corner is Grand Central Market, where you can get a black-and-white cookie at Wexlers Deli for $4.50 or a $16 pork chop at Belcampo Meat. Too bad I sold only one painting at my last show for $1,800 with a net of $810 after the gallery took their 55%. Jack Spiegelman Los Angeles A rich take on Tony Robbins In writing about the Tony Robbins film [He Can Spark a Drive to Thrive? March 14], Steven Zeitchik suggests that people might be happier and more connected and we might have fewer social ills if more people could fly to Florida and attend Robbins $5,000 workshop. I say better yet, if people had $5,000 to use to improve their life they would be happier, better able to address their issues and connect more readily to their family, friends and community. The money wouldnt solve all their problems of course. This program is only for the rich, and I was surprised Zeitchik neglected to emphasize that. Sarah Edwards Pine Mountain Club :: I got a big laugh after reading the article on Tony Robbins. In case you critics want to take Robbins up on his challenge, you have to fork over $5,000 at the door to get in. His seminars can draw about 2,500 people. Lets see, $5,000 times 2,500 about $12.5 million. To accuse Robbins of being a snake oil salesman is definitely unfair to snakes. Robert Greene Woodland Hills Conveniently on the heels of his James Beard Award nomination for Best Chef in the West, Michael Cimarusti (Providence, Connie & Teds) is opening his long-awaited fish shop next Wednesday. Of course Cape Seafood and Provisions, which goes into the pig-shaped hole where the butcher shop Lindy & Grundy used to be on Fairfax Avenue, is a fish shop the way that Providence is a seafood restaurant and Cimarusti is, well, a good cook. At Cape, youll be able to buy the kind of sustainable seafood wild, fresh, seasonal that Cimarusti serves at his celebrated restaurants and likes to catch when he goes fishing with his crew. Youll also be able to get the provisions in question, in the form of pantry supplies and prepared dishes and other stuff, such as fish fumet and lobster bisque, as well as chowder, crab cakes, and clam stuffies. We wont be tossing salmon, clarified Cimarusti the other day, just in case anybodys envisioning an L.A. version of Seattles Pike Place Market. Advertisement At Cape -- which Cimarusti owns in partnership with his wife, Crisi Echiverri; Donato Poto (partner at both Providence and Connie & Teds); and Craig and Amy Nickoloff (also partners at Connie & Teds) -- you can buy your salmon from the case and go home and toss it yourself, if thats what you prefer to do with your sustainable seafood. We could throw them across Fairfax, suggested Echiverri. 1 / 7 Fish for sale at Cape Seafood and Provisions. (Amy Scattergood / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 7 Fish for sale at Cape Seafood and Provisions. (Amy Scattergood / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 7 From left, chef Brandon Gray, chef-owner Michael Cimarusti, General Manager Ted Bassetti, co-owner Donato Poto and fishmonger Sean Brown. (Amy Scattergood / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 7 Cape Seafood and Provisions on Fairfax Avenue. (Amy Scattergood / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 7 Fish for sale at Cape Seafood and Provisions. (Amy Scattergood / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 7 Fish for sale at Cape Seafood and Provisions. (Amy Scattergood / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 7 Fish for sale at Cape Seafood and Provisions. (Amy Scattergood / Los Angeles Times) That Cimarusti would translate his long-held interest in sustainable fish and seafood into an actual shop should make sense to those familiar with his work. Long an advocate for responsible fishing, dining and cooking, the chef has been involved with the Monterey Bay Aquariums Seafood Watch program for years, as well as Dock to Dish, a seafood subscription program that tightens the connection between fishermen and chefs. Were using the Monterey Bay Aquarium buying guide. Everything we sell will be green or yellow, no exception, Cimarusti said, citing the coded Seafood Watch recommendations for best practices and good alternatives. Cheap fish is never good and good fish is never cheap, the chef says, doubtless not for the first time, as he positioned the king salmon, Spanish mackerel, striped bass and other whole fish in the impressive refrigerated case in the front of the shop. In the case adjacent to the whole fish: oysters and clams and other seafood. In another case nearby: a grab-and-go selection, smoked fish, caviar. And because its nice to be able to do a little one-stop shopping in Los Angeles, Cape will also feature steaks and chops from Nickoloffs butchers at West Coast Prime Meats, seafood-friendly items such as white miso, barrel-aged soy, smoked sesame seeds, shaved bonito and pastas sourced from the Truffle Brothers, as well as cedar planks, cookbooks and other fun, applicable stuff. I wanted to bring the ingredients that we use at Connie & Teds and Providence into this setting, he said. Behind those cases and shelves, in the back of what was once the celebrated butcher shop, theres the kitchen of the 1,200-square foot space. A double-decker live tank with lobsters and crabs. An electric smoker. A stove. A fishmonger station. A few days before Cape opened, as his crew made a vat of lobster bisque with an immersion blender not much smaller than a jackhammer, Cimarusti smoothed the top of a sashimi board made from White Cypress. It had recently arrived from Japan, the chef said, and hed had it brought over to the new shop from Providence to help with pre-opening prep. Instead of flying fish, imagine the procession of cooks walking across Fairfax, a few blocks up the street from Animal and Canters Deli. One has a board under his arm: a traveling fishmonger on the cover of Abbey Road. Cape Seafood and Provisions: 801 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles. Cape will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 10:30 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Closed Monday. Because taking pictures of food is almost as much fun as eating it, on Instagram @latimesfood. ALSO: Mian restaurant has noodles like no one else in the San Gabriel Valley The 7 sins of eating sushi. (Note: Youre probably guilty of all of them) How L.A.'s number one restaurant is using a sustainable seafood delivery service Jonathan Gold: Five of the tastiest Chinese restaurants in the SGV with the name Tasty We Angelenos are led to believe that we dont walk much. Perhaps the exceptions prove that rule, and there we were, our group of comfy-shoe-clad, sun-hat-wearing, day-pack-carrying pedestrians. No matter, we were about to take off and walk the entire length of Wilshire Boulevard. The Sierra Club Angeles Chapter has for more than three decades taken an annual stroll along one of the citys most interesting thoroughfares, showing it off historically and architecturally from street level. The free walk has proved so popular that this year there will be two, one in spring and then another in fall. (Exact dates are in the works; theyll be posted at angeles.sierraclub.org.) Its 15.83 miles a long trek on hard sidewalks, but not a difficult one. Advertisement Our group included world travelers, newcomers and regulars, such as Doug Fleischer, who has done the walk every year since 2002: I like seeing all the fancy cars in the showrooms in Beverly Hills. We set off uphill, past overflowing trash bins and a few folks who seemed not to have yet slept off their weekend ways. We stop at landmarks like Good Samaritan Hospital, where Robert F. Kennedy died after being shot at the Ambassador Hotel, to the west, also on Wilshire. Sierra Club walks are organized with trained leaders, one at the front of the group, and one at the rear, to keep track of us. Sierra Club members chat during their annual 16-mile walk along Wilshire Boulevard. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) At MacArthur Park, Southwestern Law School and many more spots going west, our Sierra Club leaders provide history and context. There are dozens of landmarks, and there have been books written about this wide east-west street as it moves through Koreatown, Miracle Mile, Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles and finally into Santa Monica. Theres a coffee and bathroom break at the chic Line Hotel, with its LAMill coffee bar and Roy Choi restaurants. By 10:15 a.m., we are at La Brea Avenue, negotiating construction work and soon to come upon our next pit stop, at the La Brea Tar Pits and Los Angeles County Museum of Art complex. Sierra Club members walk along Wilshire Boulevard. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) On cue, as we cross into Beverly Hills, near the sweet Carthay Circle neighborhood, a black Maserati convertible pulls out in front of us. A bit farther on, the leisure class sits outside the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel, at the south end of Rodeo Drive, with mimosas and Sunday papers. At Westwood Boulevard, we take a 40-minute lunch break. Moving on, to no ones surprise, there is a demonstration at the Wilshire Federal Building. Sierra Club members are 13 miles into their annual 16-mile walk from Wilshire Boulevard and Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) As we cross into Santa Monica, we feel like were about to cross the finish line, but it was a while before we saw the dozens of white sails out in the Pacific Ocean and reached, around 3:10 p.m., the statue of St. Monica marking the end of Wilshire Boulevard. Of course, we applauded. And then we scurried off to catch buses home or back to our cars. I splurged on one of those crazy expensive green juices for the journey, feeling Id earned it. health@latimes.com On the second floor of Far East Plaza in Chinatown, six kung fu students assume warlike expressions and ball their hands into fists. Shaolin Master Shi Yanxu bellows a command: Mao Bu Chinese for cat stance. The kids twist into an ornate crouch, their shouts mingling with the rap soundtrack of Chego, chef Roy Chois downstairs rice-bowl restaurant. Its one of the first classes in Chinatowns new Shaolin Yanxu GongFa Center, a kung fu school that Yanxu hopes will help him complete his official mission: bringing the culture of Chinas Songshan Shaolin Temple to a more diverse, modern audience. Advertisement Master Shi Yanxu adjusts the stance of Issei Sundius, 5. The Shaolin philosophy is not about a name or a person, Yanxu says. Its about what you have been able to learn. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) The Chinatown Business Improvement District will commemorate the opening Saturday with a daylong celebration featuring martial arts demonstrations, Buddhist vegetarian food and meditation. Yanxus mission involves establishing more learning centers like the one in Chinatown, clarifying Shaolin precepts for other instructors and raising money for a temple he hopes to build. But sometimes its as simple as teaching a 5-year-old the difference between left and right. Whoa, whats up? Yanxu reaches down and taps the leg of one of his students This is your left leg. The student giggles and incorporates the correct limb into his stance. Master Shi Yanxu teaches the martial art of kung fu to children at the Far East Plaza in Chinatown. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) Born to farmers in Dengfeng, China, a few miles away from the Shaolin Temple, Yanxu ran away from home at a young age to train as a monk. He eventually became Temple Abbot Shi Yongxins personal assistant, and on a 2006 trip to America, Yongxin asked him to stay behind and spread Shaolin culture through the United States. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> At 28, Yanxu had never driven a car or owned a cellphone or computer. He arrived in Los Angeles to find that Shaolin, thanks to Jet Li films and Wu-Tang Clan rap songs, had become an industry. Yanxu slept at a Buddhist temple in Monterey Park and cooked vegetarian food to earn room and board. He took English classes at Pasadena City College and taught a kung fu class at Griffith Park to raise money. Max Moreno, 7, gets a hand up from Master Shi Yanxu. The masters mission involves establishing more learning centers like the one in Chinatown and raising funds for a temple he hopes to one day build. He teaches 300 students at three centers in Southern California. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) When he went to apply for a business license using the name Shaolin Temple, he found more than 200 other businesses using the name, Yanxu said. The temple had provided documents certifying that he was an official Shaolin monk, but counterfeiters replicated them so perfectly that they looked more authentic than the real thing. When he opened his first center in Temple City in 2008, attorneys from the more established kung fu academies told him that he had to stop using the name of Shaolin, Yanxu said with a laugh. He kept using it, and they never followed up with the lawsuits. Yanxu said he doesnt mind that so many are using his temples name. And besides, its not a monks habit to bad-mouth other people. The Shaolin philosophy is not about a name or a person, Yanxu said. Its about what you have been able to learn. These days, Yanxu, a monk with an iPhone 6 and a Facebook page, drives a leased Ford sedan to teach classes at centers in Temple City, Walnut and Chinatown. He has about 300 students over three centers. There are larger Shaolin kung fu academies around Southern California, but his students say Yanxu doesnt just teach martial arts. Most of the shifus I had in the past, they teach the moves, and I thought that was kung fu, said Julian Nara, one of his students and an instructor. With Master Shi, he teaches the meaning behind the move. Stephan Hambschs 7-year-old daughter, Ryan, is one of Yanxus first Chinatown students. Hambsch, like many Shaolin fans in the U.S., first heard about the martial art through the Wu-Tang Clan, who released several rap albums and a video game that mentions Shaolin kung fu. His Netflix queue is full of kung fu films, and hes been eagerly waiting for his daughter to be old enough to enroll in classes. He was particularly excited for her to learn from an official Shaolin monk. I think I might start taking the class, Hambsch joked. Yanxu said he moved to Chinatown to encourage more people like Hambsch to take up the robes. It takes 10 years to fully learn Shaolin, Yanxu said, and many of his students in America are casual learners. But as long as theyre having fun and getting exercise, he is spreading Shaolin and completing his mission, Yanxu said. Shaolin cannot be a closed community, Yanxu said. We want to be open to people of all kinds. frank.shyong@latimes.com Twitter: @frankshyong ALSO Lufthansa jet and drone nearly collide near LAX Jury awards Hulk Hogan $115 million in sex, celebrity and privacy case He met a girl abroad, and soon was living in a place called Islamic State The state has enough money to build an initial operating segment of the bullet train from San Jose to the Central Valley but faces major uncertainties about funding for the entire 500-mile system and whether the initial system will be profitable, according to a new report by researchers for the Legislature. The California High Speed Rail Authority has identified the source of the $21 billion it says it needs for the first segment, said the report by the Legislative Analysts Office. But the project is $43.5 billion short of the total needed for the entire $64-billion, 500-mile link from San Francisco to Southern California, the report said. The analysis was conducted on the rail authoritys revised business plan, which was released last month. Under the 2016 plan, the state would tap existing federal grants, the sale of bonds approved by voters in 2008 and greenhouse gas fees to build the $21-billion initial segment. Advertisement But funding for the rest of the project is unidentified, the report said. Analysts noted that the use of greenhouse gas fees would extend only until 2020, when the fund-generating program is set to expire. The fees this year are providing an estimated $600 million for the project, and the rail authority ultimately wants approval to borrow against future fees. The report also noted that state law will allocate an additional $400 million from the greenhouse gas fees that the Legislature previously borrowed for the general fund. The rail authoritys business plan says private investors will eventually help fund additional construction for the full system, based on future profits from operating a partial segment. But legislative analysts raised concerns about that projection, saying it is unclear whether the system will actually generate an operating surplus. Even with private funding the project would be significantly short of the level needed to complete the San Francisco-Southern California system, analysts said. The plan does not identify how this shortfall would be met, they said. The report also warned that the southern terminus of the initial segment would be north of Bakersfield in what is now an agricultural field. Even with a temporary station or platform, ending the [initial operating segment] in an unpopulated agricultural area does not appear to be an effective approach, the report said. This is because this location would not have the types of facilities and nearby businesses, such as transit connections, rental car facilities and shops necessary to meet the needs of train passengers. Still, the report said current plans to build an initial segment from San Jose to the Central Valley, rather than from Burbank to the Central Valley under previous business plans, has merit and faces less risk because it would fit within its existing funding and be less technically difficult because it avoids crossing the mountains north of Los Angeles. In a response to the report, the rail authority did not address specific issues but said: The LAO report finds merit in the Central Valley to Silicon Valley segment proposed in the 2016 Draft Business Plan. We remain committed to moving forward with this project to create jobs, improve air quality and better connect Californias communities. ralph.vartabedian@latimes.com Twitter: rvartabedian@ ALSO Lufthansa jet and drone nearly collide near LAX Death of high-rise worker in downtown L.A. investigated as possible suicide MTA unveils ambitious $120-billion plan to expand mass transit in Los Angeles Good morning. It is Saturday, March 19. Heres what you dont want to miss this weekend: TOP STORIES Shift happens: For more than three decades, Lucy Jones has made Californians feel better about the dangers of earthquakes. Shes been called the Beyonce of earthquakes, the Meryl Streep of government service, a woman breaking barriers in a mans world. Now, shes retiring from the U.S. Geological Survey to focus on climate change, tsunamis and other natural disasters. Los Angeles Times Charges tossed: A murder charge filed against a drug rehabilitation center and its employees was thrown out by a Riverside County judge Friday. The initial grand jury indictment of A Better Tomorrow treatment facility was seen as a highly unusual move. Superior Court Judge Elaine M. Kiefer found insufficient evidence was presented to the grand jury to establish the elements of murder to the standard of probable cause. The case involved the 2010 death of a man who had sought treatment for alcohol addiction. Los Angeles Times Advertisement Targeted ads: To advertise the film Straight Outta Compton, Universal Pictures and Facebook partnered to tailor ads to different segments of the population. That meant educating white consumers on N.W.A, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. The film grossed $160 million domestically. Business Insider The in crowd: The coolest women in Los Angeles arent fighting to get into the hottest pilates class or nightclub. Instead, they want an invitation to an elite, super-secret Facebook group. Its like joining a sorority a digital sisterhood where women vent, fight, offer advice, trade tips, crack jokes and critique each others selfies. Fusion April showers? Time is running out for an impressive showing from El Nino. Northern California has been the real beneficiary this year of the El Nino weather pattern, said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard. LA Weekly Homes for wayward kitties: Some of Los Angeles top architectural firms designed small shelters for stray cats. The projects were part of a fundraiser for FixNation, which provides sterilization services for feral felines. Curbed LA THIS WEEKS MOST POPULAR STORIES IN ESSENTIAL CALIFORNIA 1. This Palm Springs home has barely been touched since it was built and decorated in 1969. The home is in pristine vintage condition. LAist 2. Drought and fire have left some parts of California diminished. Take a look at those spaces from overhead. CityLab 3. Here are 15 L.A. tacos that are too perfect for words. BuzzFeed 4. Comedian Amy Poehler. Developer Geoff Palmer. Media mogul David Geffen. Those are just some of Beverly Hills most prolific water wasters. Los Angeles Times 5. Check out Los Angeles underground network of abandoned rails. Los Angeles Magazine ICYMI, HERE ARE THIS WEEKS GREAT READS Peas in a pod: Five years ago, Andrew Breitbart predicted a Donald Trump campaign. If these guys dont learn how to play the media ... were going to probably get a celebrity candidate, he said at the time. Now, the conservative site Breitbart News finds itself intertwined with the campaign, with one former reporter suggesting it resembles an unaffiliated media Super PAC for the Trump campaign. Los Angeles Times Certificate of authenticity: Its considered one of the most valuable movie props ever created: the Maltese Falcon. A lead Maltese Falcon sold at auction for $4.1 million in 2013. But was it the real one? Vanity Fair 25 years later: Decades before the Black Lives Matter movement and before names like Trayvon Martin and Ezell Ford were known around the country, there was Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old girl who was killed by a Korean shop owner two weeks after the Rodney King beating. We are not here to remember Latasha. We never forgot her here in the community, one activist said at a vigil for the teen. Los Angeles Times Fashion designs: Remaking Moschino for the Instagram era. The New Yorker LOOKING AHEAD Tuesday: Federal prosecutors and attorneys for Apple will be in a Riverside courtroom to argue over access to a phone used by one of the shooters in the San Bernardino terrorist attack. Friday: The Los Angeles Zoo will celebrate Big Bunnys Spring Fling. 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. This month marks a grim anniversary in Southern California. The collapse of the St. Francis Dam on March 12, 1928, is, in terms of loss of life, the second-greatest disaster in California history. The first was the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906. The death toll from the collapse varies from about 400 to more than 600. Heres a primer on how the disaster unfolded from coverage in The Times: From the day the St. Francis Dam opened in 1926, it leaked. The folks in the farm towns downstream used to joke that theyd see you later if the dam dont break. Advertisement Built by William Mulholland, known as the father of Los Angeles municipal water system, the 1,300-foot span of concrete in San Francisquito Canyon held more than 12 billion gallons a years supply for the entire city about 50 miles to the south. The dam wasnt even 2 years old when it sprang new, muddy leaks on the morning of March 12, 1928. The dam keeper, Tony Harnischfeger, summoned Mulholland and Mulhollands chief assistant, Harvey Van Norman, who inspected the dam and vouched for its safety. Twelve hours later, Harnischfeger and his 6-year-old son, Coder, were among the first to die followed by more than 450 others. An aerial photo of Santa Paula after the collapse of the St. Francis Dam. (Harry C. Anderson / Los Angeles Times) It was three minutes before midnight when the dam broke, freeing a 10-story-high avalanche of water to sweep 54 miles west to the ocean. It would take 5 1/2 hours to get there, but no official warning would be sounded for considerably more than an hour after the rupture. Water engulfed whole towns, dozens of ranches, an Edison construction camp, the Harry Carey Indian reservation and trading post, and DWP Powerhouse No. 2. It swept into Castaic Junction and along the Santa Clara River bed to Piru, Fillmore, Santa Paula, Saticoy and, finally, the sea. It demolished 1,200 houses, washed out 10 bridges and knocked out power lines. Bodies would wash ashore as far south as San Diego. One of the first photographers on scene was the Times George Watson. Years later in an interview for the Watson Family Photographic Archive, he described his experience. Watson explained that he had photographed the dam about a week before the collapse, en route to visit his brother in Hughes Lake. Then on the night of March 12-13, 1928, Watson was dispatched to Castaic. There was an operator on The Times called Lucille, says Watson. She was a pretty wide-awake gal. She knew where every Times employee was, anytime of day or night. She could get anybody on the phone. And she called me about a quarter to 12 that night. And she says, George, I think theres going to be trouble up on the San Francisquito dam. She says, Ive been calling the operators all over the little towns, and I cant get through. I think theres something going on, she says. (The St. Francis Dam was sometimes referred to by the canyon name.) Watson said he dashed out to Castaic, getting there about 1 a.m. Water was still going out, Watson said. We could hear people yelling, out in the stream. But because it was so darn dark, Watson had to wait till dawn to take photos. We sat around there till dawn, and [Harvey] Van Norman, chief engineer for Bill Mulholland, came up with a truck and said hed take us up to the dam, Watson said. So we got in this truck and went up there. We could barely see it. I put my camera on a tripod, opened up my lens wide to f4.5 and gave it 2-3 seconds exposure. I got pictures of the water still going out, he said. Then I made some more close-ups. Watson said he stayed at the St. Francis Dam site for two more days, sending his film back to Los Angeles. He said rocks and pieces of the dam washed down the valley for half a mile and were twice as big as a two-story house. scott.harrison@latimes.com Students in Boyle Heights are leaving for spring break on a heavy note, after reports that a fifth-grade student stabbed another student at Bridge Street Elementary School on Thursday morning. An 11-year-old boy has been charged with one count of attempted murder and one count of bringing or possessing a weapon on school grounds. The school sent parents a letter from the principal Thursday, saying that "one student injured another student" and that Los Angeles Unified School District is committed to maintaining a safe environment. Representatives from the district and the Los Angeles School Police Department declined to provide further details about what happened at the school. About two-thirds of adults and children in Boyle Heights, just east of downtown, said they feel safe in their neighborhood, according to a 2010 survey. Students can experience negative mental and emotional effects when a violent event occurs either at or near school. That can especially be true if they have experienced trauma outside school, which most L.A. Unified students have, said Pia Escudero, L.A. Unified's director of school mental health and counseling. Escudero and Lorena Valencia, the district's east area mental health coordinator, held a meeting with Bridge Street Elementary staff after school Thursday, to remind them about how to talk to students and what kind of behavior to look for. "The goal is to bring the kids back to the classroom and to be able to talk to them about what happened," Valencia said. "But also, what did they see and what do they need? That's a careful balance to strike, especially in an elementary school -- teachers should let students know that someone at school was hurt, but they have to be careful not to give too many details or dwell on the incident for too long. That could cause trauma to students who didn't witness the incident, Escudero said. Children respond to trauma in a few ways. "Some children will be numb, some will be hypervigilant, and some will be hyperaroused, Escudero said. Teachers need to monitor those behaviors so they can identify students who need extra help, or refer them to outside counseling. And all of those responses make it harder for children to learn. To calm students down from a fight-or-flight response and remind them that their campus is secure, she said, teachers can ask them to talk about what a safe campus looks land sounds like. It's important for teachers to remain calm and behave as they usually would for their students. They should also be flexible, Escudero said -- this might not be the best day for that spelling test. Events like the stabbing incident can have long-term effects, so Escudero will work with the school to assess student and parent needs, and add resources in the Parent Center. She didn't specify what those resources would be. Reach Sonali Kohli at Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com or on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli. A Long Beach oil and gas company suspected of venting gas from an oil well in Aliso Canyon has been fined $75,000. State regulators with the California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources announced the civil penalty against Termo Co. on Friday. Termo operates wells at the Aliso Canyon Oil Field, where Southern California Gas also has gas storage facilities. Aliso Canyon was the site of a recent major leak at a Southern California Gas well that lasted for nearly four months before it was sealed. Advertisement Regulators said they found that Termo had been illegally releasing gas that is produced along with oil into the air because the company could not transmit it to Southern California Gas storage facility. Injections of natural gas had been halted by state order until other wells are tested for leaks. State officials said Termo had been venting gas from one of its oil wells through a small pipeline attached to a wellhead. It was unclear how long the venting had gone on or how much gas was released, they said. According to the order issued by the state, the pipe was discovered in January, when Jet Propulsion Laboratory and South Coast Air Quality Management District staff flew over the facility with an infrared camera. Field staff went to the site and found the end of the pipe behind a tree, releasing a notable volume of gas. A Termo employee told them it was part of an emergency relief system being used because they could not transmit the gas to the Southern California Gas storage facility, state officials said. When inspectors returned a few days later, they said, the pipe had been removed. Someone clearly made an effort to conceal the pipe, because even though we knew from aerial readings where it was generally, our field staff had to search carefully before finding it behind a tree, State Oil & Gas Supervisor Ken Harris said in a statement. If it wasnt for the aerial surveillance, the illegal discharge could have continued indefinitely. Termo spokesman Ralph Combs said in a statement that the companys technical team is reviewing the order, and has identified several discrepancies by the state which we are evaluating. We look forward to resolving this issue in a timely manner, he said. The state cited the company for unreasonable waste of gas, improper disposal of oil field waste and failure to maintain and monitor production facilities. abby.sewell@latimes.com Twitter: @sewella Three candidates running in the crowded race to replace retiring Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich filed a legal challenge Friday to rival candidate Mitch Englanders description of his occupation on the ballot. Englander, a Los Angeles city councilman and LAPD reserve police officer, described himself as a Councilmember/Police Officer in his ballot designation. The opponents -- prosecutor Elan Carr, state Sen. Bob Huff and Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian -- argued in a court filing that the designation gives a misleading impression that he is a full-time cop rather than a volunteer reserve officer. They argued that the county registrar should not have accepted Englanders proposed ballot designation and asked for a court order blocking it from being used. Advertisement California election law requires the ballot designation to describe the candidates principal profession, vocation or occupation. The rival candidates argued that Englanders chosen designation is misleading, factually inaccurate and confusing because he does not make his living as a police officer and said that his principal job is his elected position on the council. Englanders campaign spokesman, Josh Pulliam, said the complaint has no merit. He graduated the top of his class at the Police Academy and has served in uniform for over a decade, he said. This lawsuit is a political stunt. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> Englanders opponents also complained that he had not specified which citys council he sits on, arguing that it could cause confusion because much of the countys 5th supervisorial district lies outside the boundaries of the city of Los Angeles. The district includes the Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita and parts of the San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys. The other candidates argued that voters who live in a city other than Los Angeles who see the councilmember designation under Englanders name may erroneously conclude that the candidate must be a councilmember for their city, the complaint states. Pulliam said there was not room to designate the city because the county allows only three words. Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >> Antonovich is being pushed out by term limits after 36 years on the county board. Eight people are running to replace him. Along with Englander, Carr, Huff and Najarian, the others running are Antonovichs chief of staff, Kathryn Barger; real estate investor Rajpal Kahlon; Altadena town Councilman Billy Malone; and entrepreneur Darrell Park. abby.sewell@latimes.com Twitter: @sewella ALSO Lawmakers propose California center on gun violence research Californias June primary just became crucial in the race for the White House Ethics agency closes loophole that allowed advocates to avoid registering as lobbyists Borrowing money or establishing a new tax would be the most effective ways for Los Angeles city officials to raise the money needed to carry out an ambitious plan for reducing homelessness, according to a report issued Friday by city analysts. The report from City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana and Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso found that issuing a bond, increasing the sales tax or raising the documentary transfer tax would be the most lucrative measures the city could adopt to fund services and long-term housing for tens of thousands of homeless men and women. A bond could generate more than $1 billion to build housing, and the taxes each would raise more than $100 million annually, the report estimated. All three options would require two-thirds approval by city voters in either November of this year or March 2017. Advertisement The report outlines in greater detail the funding options available for the homelessness plan adopted by the City Council and Mayor Eric Garcetti. The plan calls for more than $2 billion to be spent over a decade. Theres greater awareness about it than ever before, Santana said Friday of L.A.'s homeless population, which grew 12% from 2013 to 2015, to about 26,000. And for the first time, theres actually a path forward. The report released Friday affirms a growing consensus at City Hall that a new, voter-approved revenue measure will be necessary to tackle homelessness. It also makes clear that some ideas are more remunerative than others. For example, the report found that a funding approach favored by Garcetti -- a recording fee on real estate documents -- would be among the less-fruitful approaches to raising money for the homeless, bringing in an anticipated $30 million per year. Santana and Tso also state that the city may not have the legal authority to enact the fee independently of the county. In a statement, Garcetti did not address the questions city analysts raised about a document recording fee and declined to say whether he had any preferences among the funding alternatives outlined in the new report. The urgency of this crisis requires all options on the table including those that would require the support of voters at the ballot box, Garcetti said. I believe that Angelenos will continue to support these measures and want to ensure long-term funding solutions that can get the job done. Other potential taxes that would generate less revenue include a levy on billboards, generating an estimated $24 million annually, or a marijuana tax that would bring in about $17 million per year, according to the report. The report also suggested funding alternatives that would not require voter approval. Among them are a proposal by Garcetti to establish linkage fees, which are applied to residential and commercial real estate development to fund affordable housing. Such fees would bring in $38 million to $112 million annually, the report states. The mayor and the City Council could also avoid a ballot initiative by allowing developers to pay a fee, to be used for homelessness initiatives, instead of meeting existing requirements for including affordable housing in new projects. The councils homelessness committee is scheduled to discuss the report next week. peter.jamison@latimes.com @petejamison ALSO Lufthansa jet and drone nearly collide near LAX Death of high-rise worker in downtown L.A. investigated as possible suicide Orange County district attorneys office can stay on case despite courthouse brawl Pomona police on Thursday arrested a Minnesota man who is accused of wheeling his 90-year-old dying mother into a bank to withdraw money and then fleeing the state hours after her lifeless body was found among deplorable conditions inside their home. David John Vanzo, 57, was taken into custody after the Plymouth Police Department in Minnesota notified Pomona police that he was possibly living in the Southern California city, Pomona Police Lt. Christian Hsu said. Vanzo was wanted in connection with a warrant related to the abuse and neglect of his mother. He is being held on $500,000 bail and arrangements were underway to extradite him to Minnesota, the lieutenant said. Advertisement He has been charged with financial exploitation, neglect and theft by swindle. According to a warrant filed in Hennepin County District Court, Vanzo spent his mothers money on adult dating websites, sugar daddy sites, sports gambling and women instead of paying for her medical expenses. Authorities in Minnesota said Vanzo, who was unemployed, had a history of stealing from his mother, who had Alzheimers disease and dementia. Plymouth police said he took her to a Wells Fargo bank to withdraw $850 in cash six hours before reporting her death on Jan. 5, 2015. His dying mother was in a wheelchair and her feet were dragging as she sat slumped over and unresponsive, according to the warrant. After taking a taxi home, Vanzo dropped his mother off, got back into the taxi and went to a Buffalo Wild Wings. He later called police to report her death. Police described nightmarish conditions inside the home. They said his dead mother was found lying on heavily soiled sheets. Her room was covered in debris and dirt. Conditions inside the home were deplorable, they said. There was trash throughout the living room and kitchen, holes in the walls, the carpet was almost black, and the house smelled overwhelmingly of urine and feces, according to the warrant. Officers reported the kitchen was uninhabitable, completely soiled, covered in dust and layers of an undetermined substance. Bloody rags and tissues covered in an unknown substance were found strewn throughout the lower level of the home. A toilet was covered in mold, and the bathroom conditions were incomprehensibly unsanitary, police said in the warrant. Thick layers of grime and an unknown substance covered a television, computer and chair set up in the living room. The computer keyboard was completely covered in thick layers of undetermined substances, and the computer was playing pornographic material, police said. According to the warrant, the medical examiner found bedsores on Vanzos mothers body. The pain would have been excruciating and unbearable, according to the warrant. The examiner believed she had been dead about four to six hours. The cause of death was found to be dehydration and cachexia, a weakening condition caused from chronic illness. For breaking news in California, follow VeronicaRochaLA ALSO Lufthansa jet and drone nearly collide near LAX Orange County district attorneys office can stay on case despite courthouse brawl Woman wanted in shooting death of her 90-year-old mother may be in L.A., police say A Bay Area woman who is wanted in connection with killing her 90-year-old mother and throwing her body in a trash can last year is believed to be in the Los Angeles area, police said. El Cerrito police recently developed information that Alicia Lisa Osibin may not only be in Los Angeles, but that she may have also changed her name and appearance. Her appearance may have been altered to a more masculine look, El Cerrito police said. Police described Osibin as 5 feet 8 and heavy set. She may be wearing eyeglasses and using the name A. Callico or Alex Callico. Advertisement Osibin is considered armed and dangerous, police said. Detectives began investigating Osibin after they received a report on her mothers disappearance Nov. 27. Neighbors reported last seeing her mother, Mary Osibin, in August 2015 at her home in the 1000 block of Leneve Place in El Cerrito, police said. On Dec. 2, investigators found her mothers remains concealed in a trash barrel at her home. The Contra Costa County coroners office determined Mary Osibin had died of a gunshot wound. But detectives believed she was killed months earlier. At that point, El Cerrito detectives a warrant to arrest Alicia Osibin in connection with her mothers murder. Anyone with details about Alicia Osibins whereabouts is urged to call any local law enforcement agency. For breaking news in California, follow VeronicaRochaLA ALSO Death of high-rise worker in downtown L.A. investigated as possible suicide Porter Ranch residents displaced by gas leak have one more week to return home Orange County district attorneys office can stay on case despite courthouse brawl To the editor: I am a former school district trustee, teacher of students and parent of three sons, and Sarah Carrs observations come close to my own on educational improvement. (Making it easier to fire teachers wont fix American education, Opinion, March 15) However, retention of outstanding school administrators is also critical. The successful schools I observed or worked at had principals who spent several years at that site and knew their teachers well. They supported their staff, and teachers responded positively. If principals are frequently rotated or promoted, their evaluations will not be as respected by staff members; they will not have the information necessary to guide and support teachers. Likewise, as teachers are regularly evaluated, principals need to be routinely evaluated and supported so that they can achieve the districts goals and improve student learning. Advertisement Barbara L. Chavira, Monterey Park .. To the editor: In The Times, Carr indicated that new teachers leave the profession because of a lack of training and support. This is wrong and naive; it blames the school systems. As a teacher and school administrator for more than 34 years, I know that novice teachers generally leave for two reasons. First, young people want to try out teaching to see if its their cup of tea. Thats their right, and they should not be shamed. Second, teachers need money to support themselves and their families. Theres a teacher shortage in California. Within five years, the deficiency will be dismal. How do we fix this? Not to sound crassly capitalistic, but please pay members of the profession that prepares all other professions well. Until then, home teaching may not be a choice, but a necessity. Perhaps the old proverb you get what you pay for is apropos. Tom Kaminski, Redondo Beach Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook When Hillary Clinton praised Nancy Reagans response to AIDS shortly before Reagans funeral, Dominic Lowells phone blew up. The day had started well for Lowell, the Clinton campaigns director of outreach to the gay community. His boss, campaign manager Robby Mook, the first openly gay man to run a major presidential campaign, had just spoken to the Human Rights Campaign, the countrys largest gay rights organization, to announce a big fundraiser and fire up an audience of activists. Then, news broke that Clinton had commended the former first lady for her low-key advocacy on fighting AIDS, and Lowell and the rest of the campaign were plunged into controversy. Advertisement For many gay men and women who remember the Reagan administration as a time of tragic indifference to a growing and deadly plague, those comments provoked old feelings of anger and frustration. The reaction threatened to swamp Clintons campaign just as she was beginning to look past Sen. Bernie Sanders, her rival for the Democratic nomination, and toward a potential general election battle with Republican front-runner Donald Trump. The story of how the Clinton camp responded offers insights into an episode that served as a stress test for an operation that has proved far more successful than Clintons last presidential bid in 2008. The effort demonstrated both the campaigns ability to react quickly as well as the value of her deep ties with key parts of the Democratic base. I cant think of a single moment that was as quick and effective as [how] they dealt with the statement surrounding Nancy Reagan, said Bill Burton, who went toe to toe with Clintons campaign in 2008 as a spokesman for then-Sen. Barack Obama. The incident showed that while Clintons long history in the public spotlight can be a liability among voters looking for fresh voices, it has also provided her with guardrails that have kept the campaign from spinning off the road when things go wrong. The campaign was able to take advantage of long-standing relationships within the gay community. The president of the Human Rights Campaign, Chad Griffin, for example, got his start in politics as an 18-year-old volunteer for Bill Clinton in his first presidential campaign. Old ties like that allowed Hillary Clinton aides to quickly reach leading activists and craft a response designed to tamp down a growing furor. You forgive your friends, said Elizabeth Birch, a former leader of the Human Rights Campaign. The controversy started when Clinton sat down for an interview with MSNBC before Reagans funeral in Simi Valley to talk about the former first lady. In a decision that would perplex and infuriate supporters, Clinton raised the AIDS issue on her own. Because of both President and Mrs. Reagan in particular Mrs. Reagan we started a national conversation, when before nobody would talk about it, nobody wanted to do anything about it, and that, too, is something I really appreciate with her very effective low-key advocacy, she said. When the interview ended, Clinton went to Reagans funeral services. Meanwhile, outrage quickly spread through social media and sent tremors through a community of donors and activists whose support Clinton is counting on for the November election. Dana Perlman, a Los Angeles lawyer who is raising money for Clinton, said he started to get phone calls, emails and text messages rapidly after the Reagan comments. LGBT voters meaning lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender are a very powerful bloc, he said. We go out, we vote, we get engaged. Christine Quinn, the first openly gay speaker of the New York City Council, was among the early callers to Lowell, wondering what the campaign was going to do. Im on a call figuring this out, Ill be back in touch, Lowell told her. It was all hands on deck, said campaign spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa. The response involved some of the campaigns highest-ranking staff. Maya Harris, a senior policy advisor to Clinton, pitched in. Mook quickly got back in touch with the Human Rights Campaigns leadership. Even while Clinton was still at the funeral, campaign aides were gearing up for some sort of correction, said Olivia Dalton, a spokeswoman for the Human Rights Campaign. It was very clear to me from the first moment we talked that they knew how serious this was, she said. The first response came in a statement posted on Twitter that afternoon, in which Clinton called her interview comments a mistake. While the Reagans were strong advocates for stem cell research and finding a cure for Alzheimers disease, I misspoke about their record on HIV and AIDS, she said. For that, Im sorry. Afterward, Lowell called Birch. Ive had better days, she recalled him saying. The next day, Clinton expanded on her apology in an essay posted online. To be clear, the Reagans did not start a national conversation about HIV and AIDS, she wrote. That distinction belongs to generations of brave lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, along with straight allies, who started not just a conversation but a movement that continues to this day. Clinton went on to detail her plans for fighting the disease, including more money for research and efforts to limit the cost of life-saving drugs. Perlman forwarded a link to a donor who had been dissatisfied with Clintons initial apology on Twitter. The donor responded, Thats exactly what I needed to see. The statement also pleased Larry Kramer, the prominent gay activist who had helped start ACT UP, the protest movement that drew attention to the AIDS crisis. After Clintons initial comments, he told the online magazine Slate that he was considering a vote for Sanders. When she apologized on Twitter, he called it an insult in a Facebook post and said, Hillarys boo boo is not going to go away. The next day, Kramer posted a link to Clintons essay. I almost cant believe she wrote this, but am so happy that she did, he said. Boy did she work fast to react to the pressure that so many of us immediately commenced. Onward! Joe Jervis, who runs the popular gay news blog, Joe My God, from his apartment in Manhattan, was one of the people furious over Clintons comments. Her words had stirred memories of visiting dying friends in the hospital and, unsure how this mysterious new disease spread, being afraid to touch them. Even now it can be difficult to explain to younger gay men who didnt grow up during the AIDS crisis why they dont see an older generation out around town, he said. Most of us are dead, Jervis said. If it werent for AIDS, you would see a lot more of us in the bars. We wouldnt be such a rarity. However, Jervis sees a silver lining in the controversy over Clintons comments. It got the entire country talking once again about the horrific inaction of the Reagan administration, Jervis said. In the long run, aside from whatever damage it may or may not have done to the Clinton campaign, it was a good thing for gay people. For more on Campaign 2016, follow @ChrisMegerian ALSO Merrick Garland has a judicial record of restraint, but would shift Supreme Court to the left Trumps campaign threatens to steal the tea partys thunder Hillary Clintons Trump card: Female swing voters It was clear from start that the first mens quarterfinal Friday at the BNP Paribas Open would be over in straight sets. Grunting, lunging, looking uncomfortable in the broiling midday sun at Indian Wells, one player was down a break after the fourth game and faced a 3-1 deficit and two break points in the fifth game. The rout was on. And so it turned out, though not in the way it began. Rafael Nadal, who seemed to be coming undone against Kei Nishikori, used his guts and guile to dodge defeat yet again. Nadal, who had saved a match point in the fourth round, bloomed again in the desert heat by holding serve in that game and turning the match around. He broke Nishikori to win the first set and twice more in the second for a 6-4, 6-3 victory that inspired him to dance across the court before an adoring crowd, which will get a chance to bellow his name again Saturday in the semifinals. Advertisement Nadal will face defending champion and No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic, who defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2) Friday and displayed a nice bit of sportsmanship along the way. Djokovic told the chair umpire during the first-set tiebreaker that a point awarded to him on a shot by Tsonga should be taken away because the ball hit him before sailing long. That was commendable but only postponed the inevitable, though Djokovic said he gained from being pushed. The fact that I have played somebody that was feeling good throughout the week, somebody that serves very, very big and plays very quick and efficient, precise forehands that gave me a lot of trouble today, to win in straight sets and to win in two tiebreaks, I think its gonna help definitely my confidence, Djokovic said. Mentally, I will take that. Djokovic leads Nadal, 24-23, in head-to-head matches, including a 6-1, 6-2 trouncing at Doha in January. Nadal had no interest in reliving that one. Nothing to say about that match than offer congratulations to him, Nadal said. Tomorrow is another day. Hes a clear favorite because hes winning all the matches almost every time. True enough. Djokovic is 20-1 this year, and the loss was a retirement at Dubai because of an eye infection. He has dropped only one set here, in his first match. I know Novak is playing unbelievable, so its so difficult, Nadal said, but I am here to keep enjoying, keep trying my best, and keep playing with the right energy. Nadal, the No. 4 seed, has held up remarkably well in punishing heat and unpredictable winds. He never gives up. He always makes you play an extra shot. Always makes you earn the win, Djokovic said. Nadal, who will be 30 in June, said he needed reassurance that his trademark combativeness hasnt faded. I feel myself strong mentally. I feel myself with the right energy. When that happens, the rest is a little bit less difficult, no? he said. I am able to fight for every ball. I am able to keep going during the whole match, believe in myself again, and that makes me play with more energy, less nerves. Thats so important for me, no? Its the way I play during all my career, and that gives me a lot. Tsonga was asked to compare Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer and say which is best at his peak. Counting Grand Slams or titles, Tsonga said, maybe its Federer, who missed this tournament while recovering from knee surgery but is expected to return next weekend in Miami. And then you have two guys who are just amazing, Tsonga said. Rafa was the best on clay for 10 years, and Novak, hes now the actual best player, I think, because hes No. 1 since a while now. They will be part of history, and for sure for a long time. The winner will advance to Sundays final against the winner of Saturdays semifinal between No. 15 David Goffin and No. 12 Milos Raonic. It was here, in 2007, that Nadal and Djokovic met for the first time in a final, and although Nadal prevailed, it told Djokovic that he could compete with the big boys. That became his breakthrough year. Forty-eight matches later, a lot has happened. You know, it keeps going, Djokovic said. I enjoy a rivalry against Rafa. Its probably the most exciting rivalry I have in my career. Hopefully we can play many more matches. Follow Helene Elliott on Twitter: @helenenothelen Uncle Andy, what kind of car is that? asked my 12-year-old niece Dayna, pointing at a Maserati. It was one of a multitude of fancy cars we saw during our weekend in downtown Palo Alto, the Silicon Valleys hub of business and conspicuous consumption. I was here on uncle duty with Dayna and her 14-year-old brother, Matthew, while my sister and brother-in-law, visiting from New England, attended a wedding. Amid the high-tech frenzy, we found old-fashioned fun and only-in-Silicon Valley escapes. The tab: $319 for two nights at the Stanford Park Hotel, $50 for dinner for two at Rangoon Ruby, and $62 for dinner for three at the Palo Alto Creamery. The bed My sister and her family stayed at the glitzy Epiphany (180 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto; [800] 224-6000, www.lat.ms/1YxJzbh), which opened in March 2014 a block from Palo Altos busy, pedestrian-friendly downtown. To add industry cred, billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison acquired the hotel in September for what the Silicon Valley Business Journal pegged at $71.6 million (a record-setting $832,500 per room, but whos counting?). The exterior features a six-story mural of El Palo Alto, the local redwood the city is named for. The room was up to date with pillow-top mattresses, futuristic-cool design, Malin & Goetz bath products, an Italian espresso maker and a mini-bar loaded with fun snacks, though I thought the room size was better suited for a couple than a family of four. Meanwhile, I stayed about a 12-minute walk away at the Stanford Park Hotel (100 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, Calif.; [866] 241-2431, www.stanfordparkhotel.com), just across the city line and more Old World and cozy, with cedar shake siding and a spacious courtyard with fire pits. I was glad my room faced away from the busy street and train tracks. Advertisement The meal Downtown Palo Alto has about 80 restaurants, from national chains to inventive one-offs, within a four- by eight-block rectangle. Before the kids arrived, I met a friend for dinner at Rangoon Ruby (445 Emerson St.; [650] 323-6543, www.rangoonruby.com), where we snagged a sidewalk table and dived head first into a delectable Burmese salad of stewed tea leaves tossed with fried minced garlic, dried yellow beans, dried shrimp, peanuts, sesame seeds, shredded lettuce, diced tomato and jalapenos. Matthew and Dayna had eyed the Palo Alto Creamery (566 Emerson St.; [650] 323-3131, www.paloaltocreamery.com), a circa 1923 diner across the street from the Epiphany. The look was classic (red leatherette counter stools and booths) with food to match: famous milkshakes, a dozen-plus burgers and breakfast served all day (the hash brown pie looked amazing). On the opposite corner was Fraiche Yogurt (200 Hamilton Ave.; [650] 838-9819, fraiche.strikingly.com), beloved by locals for coffee, breakfast pastries and organic frozen yogurt (plus vegan options) with toppings such as dark chocolate and mochi. See the most-read in Life & Style this hour >> The find The kids and I were hoping to tour the Google campus to see its large collection of public sculptures I had detailed directions from the Epiphanys concierge but the campus was closed that day because of a concert at Shoreline Amphitheatre across the street. Instead, we chose another only-in-Silicon Valley attraction, hiking the four-mile Dish Trail among the rolling hills encircling the radiotelescope dish at nearby Stanford University. We loved the majestic views across the campus, and through crystal-clear skies we could make out the San Francisco skyline 35 miles north. Parking for the trail was a mystery, but friendly campus guards helped us find free street parking. Later, as we drove through Stanfords mammoth, meandering campus, the kids quizzed me about the differences between colleges and universities, bachelors and masters degrees. To their parents: Youre welcome. The lesson learned My previous visit to Palo Alto was about 20 years ago, and since then the downtown has gone from sleepy to slick, more like Santa Monicas Third Street Promenade or Old Pasadena, with fashion boutiques, eco- and ethno-conscious gift shops and fitness stores. One big difference: You can get to Palo Alto by train from San Francisco International Airport. For that kind of connection in L.A., youll have to wait at least seven years. travel@latimes.com MORE FROM TRAVEL The Holi festival is a vivid, joyful Hindu celebration of spring Magician Criss Angel to start new Mindfreak live show in Las Vegas In spring, Washingtons Skagit Valley is blanketed with daffodils and tulips Salah Abdeslam, the top suspect in last years Paris attacks, was charged with terrorist murder on Saturday by Belgian authorities for the carnage that left 130 people dead. A French prosecutor said Abdeslam had planned to detonate a suicide bomb at a stadium but backed out at the last minute. His lawyer vowed to fight any attempt to extradite him from Belgium to France to stand trial. After being on the run for four months, Abdeslam, 26, was shot in the leg and captured Friday along with a suspected accomplice in a massive police raid in Brussels. Three other people were also detained, but two were released on Saturday. Advertisement Sven Mary, Abdeslams lawyer, said he and Abdeslam met with a Belgian investigating magistrate Saturday but his client had to be questioned lying down due to his leg wound. Abdeslam, a Belgian-born French citizen, is accused of playing a key role in the deadly Nov. 13 attacks on a rock concert, cafes and stadium that left Paris reeling. I can tell you that he is collaborating with Belgian justice and that we will refuse the extradition to France, Mary said. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters that Abdeslam told Belgian investigators Saturday he had planned to be a suicide bomber at Frances main stadium on Nov. 13 but backed out when it came time to carry out the act. . Belgium authorities on Saturday officially charged him and an alleged accomplice who has used two aliases with participation in terrorist murder ... and in the activities of a terrorist organization. Soon afterward, the French Justice Ministry announced that a new European arrest warrant effectively an extradition request had been issued against Abdeslam to speed his return to France. The new warrant incorporates more charges against him. The ministry said Belgium has up to two months now to hand over Abdeslam or three months if he appeals. Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, said he hopes Abdeslam can be brought to France to face justice. He called Abdeslams arrest a major blow to the Islamic State group in Europe, but warned the threat of new attacks remains extremely high. Abdeslam will now appear before a pretrial court on Wednesday, which will decide whether he stays in jail for up to another month. If he starts talking, then I presume it will mean he stays longer in Belgium, federal prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt told the AP. But whether Abdeslam fights extradition or not, the prosecutor predicted sooner or later he will be extradited to France. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told a news conference Saturday his government has no political objection to handing Abdeslam over to the French but wants to fully respect Belgian judicial procedures. Salah Abdeslam is suspected of being involved in the Paris attacks on Nov. 13, 2015. (AFP / Getty Images) The fight is not over against terrorism, he declared. Two other people believed linked to the attacks are still being sought, including fellow Molenbeek resident Mohamed Abrini and a man known under the alias of Soufiane Kayal. French President Francois Hollande has said he was sure that when French judicial authorities made an extradition request Belgian authorities will answer it as favorably as possible, as soon as possible. Abdeslam is a childhood friend of the suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks. Investigators believe Abdeslam drove a car carrying gunmen who took part in the shootings, rented rooms for them and shopped for detonators. Most of the Paris attackers died on the night of the attacks, including Abdeslams brother Brahim, who blew himself up. The car Abdeslam drove was abandoned in northern Paris, and his mobile phone and an explosive vest he may have had were later found in the Paris suburb of Montrouge. After the bloodbath, Salah Abdeslam evaded a dragnet to return to Brussels. He was believed to have slipped through police fingers multiple times despite an international manhunt. Its possible that Abdeslam had spent weeks or even months in the Molenbeek apartment, according to Van der Sypt. Abdeslam and four other suspects were detained in Fridays raid, including three members of a family that sheltered him. Abdeslam was not armed but did not immediately obey orders when confronted by police, Van der Sypt said. Belgian prosecutors were not sure of the identity of the presumed accomplice arrested with Abdeslam, who they said used fake Syrian and Belgian documents in two different names. Samia Maktouf, a French lawyer for several survivors and relatives of the Paris attack victims, urged an immediate extradition for Abdeslam. Apart from his [medical] condition, I dont see what might delay his extradition, she told the AP. For her clients, relief is mingled with bitterness because some suspects are still on the run and belong to a sprawling, organized terror network that has yet to be stopped, Maktouf said. Our young people found death for no reason. Today, their families have empty chairs next to them, they have a phone that doesnt ring any longer, she said. MORE ON THE PARIS ATTACKS Paris attack fugitives fingerprint found in Brussels apartment How the White House is trying again to counter Islamic State propaganda Man found dead after Brussels raid linked to Paris terrorist attacks, police say On the eve of President Obamas historic visit to Cuba, authorities there are ordering dissidents invited to meet with the American leader to stay home instead, a leading human rights activist said Saturday. Elizardo Sanchez, a Cuban anti-government activist who chronicles political detentions month-to-month, said he and most of those invited planned to defy the government order. Sanchez, speaking by phone from Havana, said U.S. officials were offering to help the activists get to the meeting with Obama, scheduled for Tuesday. Advertisement Everyone is pretty determined, he said. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. Embassy in Havana, the White House or the Cuban government. The government of President Raul Castro, while welcoming Obama and the overtures Washington has made to normalize relations between the erstwhile Cold War enemies, remains insistent that it will not sacrifice its basic socialist principles in the interest of better ties. To drive home that point, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez delivered a speech on Thursday that belittled many of the U.S. actions so far, as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the anti-American chief executive in Latin America, arrived in Havana for a visit. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> Obama is portraying his trip, the first by a sitting U.S. president to Cuba in nearly 90 years, as an embrace of the Cuban people and an attempt to empower them through freer economic exchange that may eventually bring more democracy. The White House has said Obama would meet with dissidents and members of civil society of his choosing. White House officials bristled at the suggestion that Cuban authorities might try to impose limits. But it appears that Cuba has resorted to a common technique, briefly detaining dissidents or ordering an ad hoc house arrest to prevent them from reaching meetings with visiting dignitaries. Several reported being subject to the same treatment ahead of Pope Francis arrival last year. Sanchez was detained Saturday at the Havana airport upon returning from Miami with his wife. He said he is used to such treatment and was soon released. The threatening and detention of government critics prior to visits by foreign leaders has been standard practice in Cuba for years, said Jose Miguel Vivanco, head of the Americas section for Human Rights Watch. NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >> The Cuban government dismisses many dissidents as mercenaries on the payroll of the United States, a notion reinforced by revelations over the years of U.S. financing of anti-government campaigns in Cuba. Still, even though free speech is limited in Cuba, many Cubans in the arts, media, church and gay communities have felt freer recently to speak out and criticize. For more news about global affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson. MORE FROM WORLD Obamas Cuba visit to augur a new beginning between nations Mexican actress disputes part of El Chapo article by Sean Penn Could climate change be the culprit in spread of Zika virus? For one young couple in Havana, improving relations between the U.S. and Cuba werent a sign of hope, but a signal to get out. In January, Leonid Castro used fake papers to travel to Mexico and then the U.S. border, where he asked for political asylum. A few months from now, his wife plans to join him. They are a part of a movement of tens of thousands of Cubans who are fleeing the island even as it undergoes an unprecedented opening a shift crystallized by President Obamas historic visit to Havana on Sunday. Cuba is opening the door to more private enterprise and expects lots of new money flowing to the island as Obama eases travel and business restrictions. Yet more than 95,000 Cubans have left for the U.S. since 2014 and more are on their way. Advertisement They say things are changing, but its not changing for those on the bottom, said Castro, who earned $25 a month as a cigar roller in a government factory in Havana; he now makes $8 an hour handing out fliers to tourists on the Las Vegas Strip. I know that in America if I work, I can win. Castro, 30, is one of many Cubans who fear that warming relations with the U.S. may spell an end to the special status that allows Cubans to live and work legally in America if they can manage to reach U.S. soil. Instead of staying to see how the new Cuba plays out, Castro elected to make a move while immigration laws are still in his favor. He boarded a flight from Havana to Cancun, Mexico, and made his way first to Mexico City, then to Nuevo Laredo before crossing into Texas. From there, he journeyed to Las Vegas, where he had cousins who would take him in. His 25-year-old wife, Gisselle Garces Blanco, stayed behind with her mother and grandmother, sharing a two-room apartment in a decaying colonial-era mansion that belonged to Havanas wealthy elite before Cubas Communist revolution. Gisselle Garces Blanco, at home with her grandmother in Havana, plans to join her husband in Las Vegas. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Because phone calls to the U.S. cost so much, and because private homes in Cuba dont have Internet, Blanco walks to a wi-fi hotspot in a nearby park when she wants to communicate with her husband. Sitting in the shade of a tree, she exchanges emails with Castro about his life in Las Vegas and her plan to escape. Im not afraid, Blanco said, although she knows traversing Mexico is dangerous for migrants, especially women. I want opportunity, she said. Theres nothing here. Nothing. A much more optimistic attitude is on display in other parts of the city, where hotels and restaurants have been eagerly preparing for the visit by Obama and an entourage of more than a thousand, and where an increasing number of Cubans are taking advantage of a growing influx of tourism dollars and new laws that allow private citizens to open small businesses. In Old Havana, where the government has made strides in recent years to restore grand pre-revolutionary buildings, well-heeled tourists from New York and Los Angeles compete for tables at hip rooftop restaurants that serve up specialty cocktails and skillets of fresh-caught shrimp. Other Cubans are renting out spare rooms to tourists on websites such as Airbnb, or turning their cars into taxis. But not everybody is poised to take advantage of those changes. If you dont have money to buy a car, it means nothing that tourists are coming and will be needing a taxi, said Claudia Meilan, who works as a translator in Havana, and whose mother has been earning extra income by renting out her apartment overlooking the Malecon, the citys famous seaside boardwalk. In the past, Cuban migration to the U.S. was largely political. In the 1960s, flocks of Cubans fled the Communist takeover that brought Fidel Castro to power. Twenty years later, another exodus occurred when the Cuban government allowed thousands to flee a sharp economic downturn; many of those who arrived to the U.S. on the so-called Mariel boatlift, it turned out, had recently been released from prisons and mental health facilities. The recent phenomenon is different, said Geoff Thale, program director at a think tank called the Washington Office on Latin America. The number of Cubans who are coming for genuine political reasons is minuscule compared to those coming for economic reasons, said Thale, who believes its part of a broader regional trend that has driven migrants out of other Caribbean countries, as well as Puerto Rico. In Cuba, the prices get higher, but the salaries dont. Leonid Castro For Blanco, who worked until recently in a government-owned clothing store, the decision was simple. When she and Castro started talking about having children last year, they decided it would only be fair to their future kids if they tried to make it to the U.S. first. Government-funded education and healthcare are a blessing, Blanco said, but food and other shortages are stressful. She would like to walk into a store and know that there will be plantains, or shampoo, on the shelves. She dreams of being able to afford her favorite fruit mangoes on a regular basis. She met Castro, an Afro-Cuban who skateboards and surfs, two years ago. She liked that he knew how to mamba. He liked that she was funny and fearless, and he was also impressed with the rose tattooed on her shoulder. Blancos family supports her decision to join her husband in Las Vegas, though they know little about life there. Her father, who spent several years working in Miami though he is now back living in another part of Havana, is buying her a plane ticket to Cancun. Blanco is lucky compared to many Cuban migrants who dont have papers legal or forged to travel to Mexico, and who have had to start their journey much farther south, in Ecuador, where until recently an entry visa wasnt required. The Cuban government has enacted changes in recent years, including doing away with an exit visa requirement, that make it easier for migrants to leave Cuba and return. Still, Cuban state television is dominated by tales of U.S. migration that ends badly, such as one documentary in which a man sings hopefully of finding a car, a house and a good woman as he sails by raft to south Florida, but eventually ends up disabled and in poverty. For years, officials have demanded a revocation of the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966, under which Cubans who arrive on U.S. soil are granted permission to stay legally. Whether that provision stays or goes has surely been a topic of increased dialogue between the two nations, and Thale predicts it will be overturned in the next two or three years. Its pretty hard to imagine that given the other changes, that theres a compelling political rationale to keep admitting Cubans, he said. Cubans enjoy a special status that sets them apart from other Latin American immigrants. Once they arrive on U.S. soil and ask for asylum, they are paroled, or allowed to stay legally, and can apply for work permits and eventually green cards. But there is increasing pressure, from lawmakers in both parties, to change the law, under which immigrants from Cuba are also eligible for federal welfare benefits. The pressure has increased as the number of Cubans rises and amid record levels of migration of children from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras who are fleeing poverty and gang violence. Its a law thats unfair, said Jose Pertierra, a Cuban American attorney in Washington. You have waves of Cubans crossing the border, and waves of children fleeing violence in Central America. The Border Patrol detains the children and gives the Cubans green cards. In part to suppress the recent rush of migration from Cuba, U.S. officials have repeatedly stressed that there are no immediate plans to eliminate the provision that allows them to stay. The administration has no plans to change our current immigration policy toward Cuba or seek legislative change regarding the Cuban Adjustment Act, Border Patrol Spokesman Daniel Hetlage said, a message echoed by Obama aides. But Castro and Blanco believe the window for them to access the American dream is closing, and its better to be safe than sorry. In Cuba, the prices get higher, but the salaries dont, Castro said. I felt like a dog there, not in control of my life. Once his wife makes it to Nevada, he said, hes going to turn his attention to his parents. I want them to come as well. kate.linthicum@latimes.com Twitter: @katelinthicum ALSO What U.S. travelers need to know about new Cuba rules Obamas Cuba visit to augur a new beginning between nations This California congressman wants Cuba to send back the man who hijacked his plane 44 years ago Shouting Im free! to dozens of her supporters, activist and U.S. citizen Nestora Salgado stepped outside a Mexican prison Friday after spending 2 1/2 years in what a United Nations panel ruled was an illegal detention. Her offense? Organizing a community self-defense group amid the chaos and corruption of her native Guerrero state. Salgados arrest and lengthy imprisonment demonstrate the dangers that human rights fighters face across Latin America, analysts said. Salgado claims she was tortured while in police custody. Dressed in a green T-shirt and cap that is her community defense groups uniform, Salgado greeted the supporters who awaited her outside a Mexico City prison where she had been held. Uncowed despite her stretch in jail, she held aloft a rifle and vowed to continue fighting for community justice. Advertisement Its horrible that I have paid for a crime I didnt commit, for defending my town, my humble people. Nestora Salgado Were going to continue the struggle so they dont keep repressing us, said Salgado, 44. Gesturing to the rifle a supporter handed her, she added, If this is necessary, then thats what well come to. Later at a news conference, Salgado blamed corrupt local and state officials for her imprisonment, spoke out in favor of other political prisoners still being held and said she was now afraid for her life. After a visit to the United States for health reasons, Salgado said, she planned to continue her community involvement so that our people achieve dignity. Its horrible that I have paid for a crime I didnt commit, for defending my town, my humble people, Salgado said. I am the voice of people who have no voice but there are many political prisoners who dont have this opportunity. A judge ordered her release earlier this week, saying that charges of kidnapping, murder and weapons theft that had been leveled against her by local authorities had no basis. Salgados imprisonment has galvanized protesters who claim the federal and local governments do little to fight violent crime, and that local groups that try to exercise their rights of self-defense suffer abuse by the state. In a show of solidarity, dozens of members of indigenous groups attended her news conference, many carrying rifles and machetes, which are permitted to indigenous self-defense groups by laws passed after a 1995 police massacre of indigenous protesters in Guerrero state. But Salgados case has also divided even staunch human rights defenders. Respected legal expert Samuel Gonzalez of Mexico City noted that the independent National Human Rights Commission found that the vigilantes that Salgado led used excessive force and committed abuses, including kidnapping, torture and forced labor. Her release from prison comes two weeks after Honduran human rights leader Berta Caceres was shot to death in her home by unknown assailants. She had led indigenous protests against a proposed dam approved by the government. On Tuesday, her associate and protest leader Nelson Garcia was also killed. Unfortunately, Nestoras case is just one of many in Mexico and indeed in the region who are criminalized for speaking out against government policies, said Maureen Meyer, a senior associate at the Washington Office on Latin America think tank. Salgado left Mexico as a young mother and built a new life with her husband in Washington state. She raised three daughters, worked as a waitress and became a believer in human rights as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, relatives said. But on return trips to bring clothing, money and medical supplies to her native town of Olinala, she was outraged by the rampant crime, narcotics dealing and the brazen behavior of drug cartels and corrupt officials. She decided to do something about it. Taking advantage of Mexican law that permits indigenous groups to form community vigilante associations, she emerged as a fearless leader, urging locals to organize against a menacing local gang called Los Rojos. Her self-defense group is just one of dozens that has emerged in Guerrero in recent years as poor peasants and town dwellers assume the responsibility of maintaining order because local authorities cant or wont. Before her arrest in 2013, she ordered the detention of three girls she suspected of dealing drugs, as well as the arrests of people she suspected of stealing a cow. She also once commandeered a police cruiser and used a megaphone to urge people to take to the streets in protest after the 2012 murder of a taxi driver who refused to pay extortion to a local mafia. But her actions made her a target for government groups, powerful local interests and even legal experts who said she had gone too far. A grass-roots protest movement seeking her release that was led by her husband in the U.S. and supported by Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) yielded little results. Then her cause was advanced by a ruling by a U.N. human rights panel in February that declared her to be illegally detained. Salgados release today is important for Nestora and for many organizations in Mexico and in the U.S. who supported her and fought for her freedom, including members of the U.S. Congress, Meyer said. Special correspondents Kraul reported from Bogota, Colombia, and Sanchez from Mexico City. Hoy: Lea esta historia en espanol ALSO Ubers new service will drive you into Mexico (but it wont drive you back) Mexican actress Kate del Castillo opens up about El Chapo-Sean Penn meeting Andrew Breitbart warned conservatives about Trump, but he never saw this coming He met a girl, the young man explains, a conventional opening for a saga that soon veers into the realm of the sinister. An Iraqi girl. It was she who led him astray, he implies. I made a bad decision to go with the girl and go to Mosul, he says matter-of-factly, referring to the northern Iraqi city under control of Islamic State extremists. At the time I made the decision to go, I wasnt thinking straight. Mohamad Jamal Khweis, 26, a native of Virginia, surrendered this week to Iraqi Kurdish forces, saying he had become disenchanted with the militant group. Advertisement Khweis is the first U.S. national known to have been taken into custody by U.S. allies after venturing to the self-proclaimed caliphate of Islamic State, whose militants have seized vast swaths of Syria and neighboring Iraq. In a 17-minute interview with Kurdistan24 television, Khweis sketches out the story of his singular sojourn. He seems outwardly sincere, yet the only verifiable part of his story is its finale his surrender to Iraqi Kurdish forces. Wearing a gray T-shirt and tan slacks, Khweis appears calm as he speaks in fluent English. A Kurdish flag provides the backdrop for the interview, which appears to take place in an office. Khweis portrays himself as a rather hapless soul, buffeted by a whirlwind of events, falling prey to curiosity, caprice and, of course, to the girl, who is never named. Still, he doesnt appear bitter. He did get out alive, unlike many other foreign volunteers who have made similar journeys. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> His motivations remain opaque. He told his interviewers he was not particularly religious, and seldom attended mosques at home in the United States. He said he bristled at the religious indoctrination imposed by those he had joined. It was pretty hard to live in Mosul, he said. Its not like Western countries, you know. Its very strict. There is no smoking. I found it hard for everyone there. At no point did Khweis ever say whether he took up arms on behalf of Islamic State. He mentioned nothing about training or fighting, though foreign recruits to the militant organization are often dispatched to the front lines, frequently as suicide attackers. By some estimates, more than 200 U.S. citizens have traveled to fight with Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Their numbers are dwarfed by the thousands of Europeans and possibly tens of thousands of Arabs, Russians, Pakistanis and others who have joined the jihad in Syria and Iraq. For U.S. security officials, American citizens pose a special threat because of their ability to enter the United States without visa or background checks. Currently in Iraqi Kurdish custody, Khweis could theoretically face charges of joining a terrorist organization if returned to the United States. In the interview, Khweis spoke in a monotone and sometimes sounded like a wayward traveler explaining how he had distractedly gone off path during a backpacking jaunt. Occasionally, he flashed a subdued smile. Things didnt work out, he explained of his decision to leave. I didnt see myself living in that environment. Khweis said his family was from the Palestinian territories, but had lived for almost three decades in the U.S. He attended high school and college in Virginia, studying criminal justice in college. He visited mosques irregularly, Friday prayers sometimes. In mid-December 2015, he said, he left for London, then Amsterdam. He didnt say why. Next he headed to Turkey, transit route for thousands of militants who have streamed into Syria since the war broke out there in 2011. I met an Iraqi girl in Turkey, he said. We spent some time together. He never specified whether they were romantically involved. Nor did he reveal her name, though he did say she was from Mosul, once a bastion of Baath Party loyalists of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. In June 2014, Islamic State militants overran Iraqs second-largest city and have controlled it ever since. Life in Mosul remains somewhat of a mystery to the outside world. Khweis said the Iraqi girl he met had a sister who was previously married to an Islamic State fighter. The sister, he explained, helped make arrangements for the pair to go to Syria from Gaziantep, the southern Turkish city that has become a hub for Syrian exiles. A taxi took them to the Syrian border. The pair met another contact, then walked for half an hour before meeting with the Daesh guys, he said, referring to Islamic State by an Arabic acronym. Khweis and the girl split up. I went with the Daesh guys, and she went ... into another vehicle, Khweis says. Whether he ever saw her again is not clear. His hosts shuttled him and other foreigners from house to house. Everyone had to surrender their passports and IDs, he said. They were all given nicknames. Khweis was now Abu Omar. He said he never met another American. Before long, Khweis said, he and other foreign enlistees wound up in the Syrian city of Raqqah, which the group considers the capital of its caliphate. But one day in January, a van took him and others on a 10-hour road trip to Mosul, across the border in Iraq. They were taken to a big place, like of place of worship, where a few Russians were in charge, he said. Thats when we began to learn about the religion. There was an imam, who taught us, like, the sharia, Khweis said, referring to Islamic law. I didnt agree with their ideology, he said, without elaboration. Thats when I decided I needed to escape. He asked around, and someone suggested getting in touch with the Kurds as a means of fleeing, referring to the inhabitants of Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, which borders hundreds of miles of territory held by Islamic State. I wanted to go to the Kurds side, because I know that they are good with the Americans, he says. With help from friends, he made it to Kurdish lines near the Iraqi city of Sinjar, recently retaken by the Kurds from Islamic State. When I met with the Kurds, they treated me very well, he said. Im happy I made that decision. What would he counsel fellow Americans to do? My message to the American people is the life in Mosul is really, really bad, he said. The people who are controlling Mosul dont represent the religion. I dont see them as good Muslims. Follow @mcdneville for news from the Middle East ALSO Lufthansa jet and drone nearly collide near LAX Jury awards Hulk Hogan $115 million in sex, celebrity and privacy case All 62 aboard Dubai airliner killed in crash in southern Russia Lawmakers are cracking down on employers who have tampered with their workers' wages, an issue that largely affects Latinos and the immigrant community. Purpose of "The Wage Theft Prevention & Wage Recovery Act" Acknowledging that some bosses cheat employees out of hard earned pay, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, introduced "The Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act" (S.2697). The bill would give workers full compensation for the work they have performed and require bosses distribute regular pay stubs and final paychecks in an orderly fashion. S.2697 gives workers the right to recover stolen wages in court as well. Murray explained in a statement that the law would give employees an even playing field and ensure paychecks reflect the hours worked on a job. "Too many people across the country go to work every day to support themselves and their families only to have their bosses cheat them out of their hard-earned pay," said Murray, later adding, "Boosting economic security for more workers is an important step in our efforts to help the economy grow from the middle out, not the top down." Definitions of wage theft, according to the bill, range from employers having workers work off the clock, refusing to pay minimum wage and overtime pay, stealing workers' tips and even misclassifying workers to avoid fair pay wages. Consequences for Bosses The bill, which has received co-sponsorship support from Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, will establish civil fines of $50 to $100 on employers who fail to provide term disclosures and regular pay stubs to all employees. Employers must also pay their employees' final paycheck within 14 days of separation or by the payday for the pay period, or else the employer must pay the employee her or his daily wage each day past the due date for up to 30 days. With S.2697, a civil penalty of $2,000 would also be established for employers who violate minimum and overtime wage laws. The penalty could go up to $10,000 for repeat violations. Murray's bill would also direct the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to refer to the U.S. Department of Justice for criminal prosecution if bosses actively engage in wage theft practices, try to falsify records or retaliate against an employee for speaking up or cooperating in DOL investigations. "The greatest economic challenge facing our country today is that too many people are in jobs that do not pay them enough. That issue is exacerbated by the growing epidemic of wage theft. Plain and simple -- employees should be paid for their work. All of their work," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. "The Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act is comprehensive legislation that will strengthen current federal law and empower employees to recover their lost wages. Whether it is compensation for a day's work, or overtime, employees should be paid what they earn. This legislation not only protects workers, but it will help our economy grow." Wage Theft Impacts Latinos, Immigrants Last September, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) published a bilingual report revealing Latino and immigrant workers earn the lowest wages and encounter wage theft most often. "Latino and immigrant workers are making significant contributions to our country, but are facing unprecedented challenges at the workplace and in their communities. Over 6.8 million Latino workers are earning poverty level wages and need the economic security the labor movement has ensured for America's middle class," LCLAA's Executive Director Hector Sanchez said in a statement with the report's release. Within the undocumented immigrant community, LCLAA's report acknowledged many immigrants have worked low skilled jobs with difficult and often dangerous working conditions. In addition to fears of deportation, immigrant workers are often targeted by human and labor rights violators. "Unfortunately, immigrants often fall victim to workplace injustices such as wage theft because they feel alone in the workforce. This is especially true when it comes to undocumented Latinos," the report read, noting undocumented workers, except for farm workers, are protected by the National Labor Relations Act. In 2011, LCLAA issued another report finding Latino workers suffer minimum wage and overtime pay violations more often than any other ethnic group. "Latino workers face rampant wage the -the illegal underpayment or nonpayment of workers' wages. This violates the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which establishes the federal minimum wage and requires employers to pay time and a half for all hours worked over 40 hours per week," the report noted, adding such violations often occur in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. Since the bill's introduction it has been referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions for a vote on March 16. __ For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com. Ted Cruz has mouthed some vitriolic words against Mitt Romney in the course of the presidential campaign. The two Republicans are not exactly fond of each other. But, it seems like the two are willing to set aside the bad blood, albeit temporarily, in order to bring down a common foe, and a formidable one at that. Romney announced he will vote for Cruz come Tuesday's caucuses in Utah. And, he is asking his supporters to do the same. Cruz, on the one hand, was quick to express his gratitude and said that he will take Romney's vote "happily." Romney Urges Utah Voters to Rally Behind Ted Cruz "This week, in the Utah nominating caucus, I will vote for Senator Ted Cruz," Romney posted on his Facebook account. The 2012 Republican nominee, while not endorsing Cruz per se, believes that the only way for Trump not to get the required number of delegates to secure the party's outright nomination is for Cruz to deny him as many delegates as possible in the remaining contests. "I will vote for Senator Cruz and I encourage others to do so as well, so that we can have an open convention and nominate a Republican," he added. Romney also cited the ongoing battle between Trump and the GOP, which he referred to as the "contest between Trumpism and Republicanism." He also expressed his disdain for what he claims have come to define Trump's campaign like racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity, and threats and violence. "I like Governor John Kasich. I have campaigned with him. He has a solid record as governor. I would have voted for him in Ohio. But a vote for Governor Kasich in future contests makes it extremely likely that Trumpism would prevail," he said. Trump Refuses to be Daunted Meanwhile, the GOP presidential nomination frontrunner was not fazed. On the contrary, Trump welcomes the recent development and says it can only be to his advantage. "Failed presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the man who 'choked' and let us all down, is now endorsing Lyin' Ted Cruz. This is good for me!" Trump tweeted early Saturday, Mar. 19. "Going to Salt Lake City, Utah, for a big rally. Lyin' Ted Cruz should not be allowed to win there - Mormons don't like LIARS! I beat Hillary," he also posted. Failed presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the man who "choked" and let us all down, is now endorsing Lyin' Ted Cruz. This is good for me! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2016 The new male character looked on to fill the void left by Michael Weatherly's exit from "NCIS" after 13 seasons is billed as a young, physically fit rabble-rouser. CBS is said to still be looking to cast the role, further described as what will beonly the long running series' second black cast member. Rocky Carroll has starred as Leon Vance on the show since 2008. Sources add the new character will be named Clayton, and will be the single father of a young son. Weatherly Leaving at end of Season One of the show's last remaining original cast members, Weatherly recently announced this will be his final season on TV's most watched drama series. Since then, speculation has run rampant about how series creators might decide to write his Agent Tony DiNozzo character out of the storyline. Several media outlets have previously reported producers are also adding a female character named Tess to the show for Season 14. As for Clayton, he's also described in an official casting breakdown as "loud, opinionated, often disrespectful, sarcastic, short-tempered and chauvinistic." The MI-6 Intel agent is expected to make his debut on the show before the end of this season. Producers are also hoping to cast an actor who is of British or African descent in the role, also billed for someone who "can move like an athlete and think like a chess player." 'Clayton' Comes with Baggage Making his character all the more interesting, Clayton is further described as someone who has burned his share of bridges in the intelligence community, yet remains unapologetic about the choices he's made. "He welcomes a few pints at the pub and never denies a pretty lady his company," the official casting notice for the role reads. "Clayton wants the world to believe he doesn't give a damn, but the truth is he cares more than most." "NCIS" also stars Mark Harmon as Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Emily Wickersham as Ellie Bishop. NEWBRIDGE is by far the busiest of three free legal aid centres in Kildare, the legal rights group, FLAC, said on the launch of its annual report for 2011. NEWBRIDGE is by far the busiest of three free legal aid centres in Kildare, the legal rights group, FLAC, said on the launch of its annual report for 2011. The group said the publics need for information and assistance on legal matters continues to rise across Ireland, with 25,000 people contacting its telephone information line and legal advice centres last year. FLAC operate four legal advice services in county Kildare in co-operation with the Citizen Information Service. They are run by volunteer solicitors and barristers. There is a session in Maynooth every second Thursday, in Newbridge on the first and third Tuesday of each month, in Athy on the fourth Monday of the month and in Naas on the third Wednesday of each month. A FLAC spokesperson said while its does not have information for Maynooth in 2011, between the other three centres 323 people were provided with legal advice and information. Newbridge was by far the busiest of the three centres, it said. Over one third of all queries in Kildare in 2011 were family law matters, with debt related queries the second most frequently discussed area of law accounting for 13% of all queries. Employment issues followed closely with 12% of all queries. Noeline Blackwell, the FLAC Director General, said they noted a particular development around increasing debt problems intersecting with family, employment and housing. FLAC has focused on reforming laws around personal debt. We need an independent, out-of-court debt settlement structure that will examine peoples personal debt in a holistic way and where possible aim to keep people in their homes. Praising the solicitors and barristers who volunteer their time at FLACs part-time advice centres around the country, Ms Blackwell said that the government needed first to understand the justice gap in Ireland before it can properly reform legal services here in a way that would truly widen access to justice for all. There are elements missing from the proposed Legal Services Reform Bill that could open up the law for more people, such as a better funded state legal aid system and a focus on making the courts more accessible, she said. She said their work has been about making the system just and fair. Any person can end up fully reliant on outside support, in circumstances beyond his or her control, and it is therefore in everyones interest to make all our systems respect basic human rights and decency, especially in recessionary times. It has also advocated a fairer social welfare system. The full report is available from (http://www.flac.ie) - Henry Bauress The cost and availability of childcare is one of the most important things affecting working parents these days. This week, Liberal Democrats in London and Wales have launched plans to improve affordability and choices. In London, Caroline Pidgeon has said its time to end the brain drain of talented young women from Londons workforce. Her plan includes: The GLA and other organisations in the wider GLA Group (TfL, Metropolitan Police Service and London Fire Service) should offer interest free loans for employees to meet the initial costs of childcare registration at a nursery which can cost up to 1500. The adoption of this policy should become an example of good practice amongst businesses across London. When GLA land is released for schools it should be standard practice that nursery provision is also provided London Boroughs should be encouraged to extend business rate relief to childcare providers The Mayor of London should establish a Childcare Fund with support targeted at improving wraparound and childcare options covering the longer hours many London employees have to work. One potential way of financing the fund would be through a hotel levy. More childminders should be trained to help support families with wraparound flexible childcare. Caroline said: It is crystal clear that London has fewer working mothers largely due to the lack of suitable or affordable childcare. This is a serious issue for hundreds of thousands of London families, but it also has a huge knock on effect for Londons economy. When so many London businesses are crying out for skilled employees it simply makes no sense to have so many talented women feeling unable to re-enter the workforce simply because they cant find the childcare they need. It is time to end the brain drain of talented women who are ultimately excluded from Londons workforce. A more family friendly London would be good for families and good for London businesses. Welsh Lib Dems only party offering free childcare from 9 months This week the Welsh Lib Dems launched their plans to help with childcare. Costs there are the second highest in Europe after Switzerland. Their plans include: Working families 9 months 2 years The Welsh Liberal Democrats will offer 10 hours a week of free childcare to all working parents from the end of paid parental leave (nine months) until the age of two, 38 weeks a year. In the longer term we would look to extend this to 15 years of funded provision. All 2-3 year olds The Welsh Liberal Democrats will offer 10 hours of free childcare for all two year olds, 38 weeks a year. This will be for all children, rather than just those living in Flying Start areas. In the longer term we would look to extend this to 15 years of funded provision. All 3-4 year olds The Welsh Liberal Democrats will increase the statutory duty on local authorities to provide a funded early education place to fifteen hours a week, 38 weeks a year, from the term following a childs third birthday. In the longer term this would be extended to 48 weeks a year. North Wales AM Aled Roberts said: Well, that was a surprise last night. I was lying in my bed feeling ill, as I have been for days, when the news came through that Iain Duncan Smith had resigned. My instinctive reaction was to worry. IDS was probably about as good as it gets when it comes to the Tories and social security. His replacement is likely to have even less of a social conscience. I totally accept that the bar is not very high here. I do wonder how somebody can happily cut 30 a week off sickness benefits just weeks ago, introduce the benefit cap, limiting of Employment and Support Allowance, Bedroom Tax and impose the Universal Credit cuts and finally resign over the issue of disability benefit cuts which looked like they were being kicked into the long grass anyway. IDSs resignation letter talks a good fight in the last paragraph, where he asks what weve all been saying for years, whether we really are all in this together, but it justifies many of the things that most Liberal Democrats found unacceptable. This, of course is before you even get to the capping benefits at two children and the rape clause that requires a mother of a third child to prove rape in some unspecified way before she can get benefits for her third child. And dont get me started on benefit sanctions. Have I missed anything? The fact that he is a key Cabinet EU leaver throws another dynamic into the mix. Is he stepping aside for a few months hoping that Boris will bring him back if we leave the EU and Cameron has to go? That sounds a bit too devious for IDS, to be honest, but it will cause shock waves in a Tory Party which already has a Grand Canyon between those on both sides of the EU divide. Well have to see whether he will make a resignation statement in the Commons. While I suspect he could have the impact of a Geoffrey Howe, its unlikely to have the same effect, at least immediately. Tim Farrons reaction last night suggested that he didnt think enough Tory Cabinet ministers had gone: It is quite right that Iain Duncan Smith has resigned over this heartless plan to cut disability benefits, but the true mastermind of the changes, George Osborne, should also be considering his position. It is clear that these cuts had nothing to do with the right level of support for people with disabilities, and everything to do with George Osbornes self imposed spending target. Now his plan has come unstuck he should follow Iain Duncan Smith, for once, and do the decent thing. He had earlier said, of plans to kick the disability benefit cuts into the long grass: This vicious plan to cut benefits should have been a non-starter. The lack of judgement and cavalier attitude to the well being of people with disabilities by the Government has been staggering. Kicking it into the long grass isnt good enough. They owe disabled people an apology and a guarantee this plan is gone for good. Willie Rennie challenged Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson to say where she stood on disability cuts, given that shes been so enthusiastic about tax cuts for the rich. He said: Iain Duncan Smith was right to make a stand against these unfair cuts to support for disabled people. Ruth Davidson declared after the Budget that George Osbornes tax cuts were absolutely the right thing to do. Last night we learnt from Iain Duncan Smith that they come at the direct pound-for-pound cost of support for people with disabilities. Ruth has placed herself on the tax cut side of her party. We need to hear from her how she justifies the cruel cuts to Personal Independence Payments. Ruth Davidson has been silent on this important matter whilst others have felt they had no choice but to leave the cabinet. Her silence over these cuts is deafening. She needs to explain herself. Does she stand by George Osborne and his cuts or back Iain Duncan Smith? * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings Closing the Cancer Gap Higher mortality rates. Less access to care. Poorer quality of life. These are some of the realities minority groups face when cancer care is not equitable. CALLS are being made to re-open Askeaton garda station on a full-time basis following an increase in violence between rival families living in the town. There have been a number of incidents in recent weeks with one being described as a pitched battle involving up to 25 people. That incident, which is being investigated by gardai, happened at around 5.30pm last Friday. It is believed a number of people sustained injuries in the mass brawl which happened at a green area near the Lismakeera estate. According to eyewitnesses, a number of those involved were armed with sticks and other make-shift weapons while some are understood to have been bare-chested. While a large number of gardai from across the Newcastle West district were deployed to the incident, there have been no arrests so far. The recent escalation in violence between the families, is being linked to an incident late last year during which a woman sustained serious stab wounds. A criminal prosecution has been initiated in relation to that incident and the matter is currently before the courts. There were disturbances at a sitting of Newcastle West Court last Friday morning when members of the two families clashed and two men have been charged in relation to another incident in Askeaton on Saturday evening. Local councillor, Kevin Sheahan, who is concerned at recent developments, is calling for Askeaton garda station to be re-opened as a priority. I believe the evidence is there that we need a full time garda station open in Askeaton, he said adding that the downgrading of the former district headquarters in 2013 was a significant issue on doorsteps during the recent general election campaign. I was out canvassing and I got it left, right and centre about the garda station from the public and the situation has been compounded by what has happened over the past two weeks, he said. The former detective says there is no justification for recent events and that the people of Askeaton and surrounding areas have every right to be policed like every other town in Ireland. FROM a former Miss Bikini Ireland to a commercial photographer, a make-up artist and several midwives, 23 young Limerick women are in the running to become the 2016 Limerick Rose. The lady wholl hold the crown and wear the sash and make it to the Dome in Tralee will be selected on Easter Saturday night, March 26. To prepare them for a potential life as a Rose of Tralee, the would-be Roses have already begun a whistle stop tour of the Mid-West. Denis Griffin, co-ordinator of the Limerick Rose Centre, said that they are all looking forward to selection night in over a weeks time. The Limerick Rose Centre was delighted to announce earlier this year that whoever is selected to be the next Limerick Rose will be guaranteed a place at the 2016 Rose of Tralee International Festival. For the past 11 years the Limerick Rose had to travel to Portlaoise at the end of May to take part in a qualifying event to try and make it through to the televised stages of Irelands top festival. Only 32 Roses can be accommodated on live TV and, until now, it wasnt feasible for the organisers to accommodate the full inclusion of the other 38 Roses at the festival in Tralee. Whoever is picked as the 2016 Limerick Rose in March will travel to Tralee in August. Such is the continued success of the Rose of Tralee on TV, RTE are introducing a third night of Rose of Tralee TV coverage from next year onwards. The Festival itself has also been extended from five to seven days and 68 Roses will travel to Tralee to enjoy the festival, explained Emma Dwane, of the Limerick Rose Centre. Limericks budding Roses, who are aged 18 to 27 in line with competition rules, hail from across the county and city, including Dromkeen, Castleconnell, Lemonfield, Castletroy, Dooradoyle, Adare, and Knocklong. Limerick won the crown twice, but it has been eight years since the Treaty County had a finalist in the Dome on the August Bank Holiday weekend. That trend will end this year, before it becomes a nine year itch. The Limerick Rose Centre is extending an invite to all roses and escorts from previous years to come along to the selection night. They are asked to contact the centre on 0871474100 or email limerickrosecentre@yahoo.com to reserve a seat on the night. The show begins at 7.30pm and tickets are available for friends and supporters through any of the Rose entrants or by calling the number above. Taking place from August 17-23, the Rose of Tralee Festival will run for seven days featuring almost 70 Roses, and an extra nights TV coverage. LIMERICK man, Aidan OConnor is heading to Stockholm and this years Eurovision Song Contest with his song, I Stand. The song, for which he wrote the words, is this years entry from the Czech Republic and it will be performed by Gabriella Guncikova in the first semi-final in May. I am pretty pleased, Aidan, who is originally from Carrigkerry, told the Limerick Leader this week with some understatement. But, he added: It feels like it has been a long process, a lot of trying, of close encounters. It has take a while to get to this point. But it feels great. Since he took up song-writing in a serious way about seven years ago, Aidan has penned 25 songs that have been in the running to become the Eurovision entry in various countries. My best success up to now was to come second in Malta and to come second in Lithuania, he explained. But the song, I Stand was selected as the outright winner by a panel of judges in the Czech Republic earlier this week. And in just a few days it has clocked up over 260,000 hits on YouTube. Aidan, who teaches English in Dublin, wrote the lyrics while the composers who collaborated with him are Swedish. I always loved writing, poetry and stories, Aidan said explaining how he came to write Eurovision songs. I have always loved English and I am a big fan of the Eurovision and have gone to many contests as a fan. Then I just decided to combine the two and it just snowballed. Over the years Aidan has built up a network of composers and producers with whom he collaborates. It takes a lot constantly asking, getting your work out there. The more you submit, the more contacts you build up, he explained. It gets easier. His hope now is to be in Stockholm for the two weeks or so of rehearsals leading up to the semi-final on May 10. Hes also hoping to have some Irish support on the night. LIMERICKS longstanding diocesan secretary Fr Paul Finnerty is to take up a position in Rome after 12 immense years. The Bishop of Limerick, Brendan Leahy, said Fr Finnertys departure to take up the post of vice-rector of the Irish College in Rome would leave a big gap to fill. He will take up the post in June. Paul, as diocesan secretary, has given 12 great years of service, said the bishop. On my arrival here I was immediately struck by his integrity, hard work and deep humanity. He will leave a big gap when he departs. He has championed many causes, aside altogether from the immense workload that he has gotten through as diocesan secretary. He has put endless hours, for example, into the Le Cheile school in Roxboro and I believe its emergence as a model, inclusive education entity will stand the test of time. Fr Finnerty, who was born in Limerick and is a native of Dooradoyle. He family subsequently moved to Croom. He was ordained in 2002 and his first appointment was as curate to the parish of Askeaton/Ballysteen. One year into this appointment, Bishop Donal Murray appointed him as assistant diocesan secretary and the following year he was appointed secretary on a full-time basis to replace Fr Tony Mullins. The experience I have had as secretary over the last 12 years will be something I will bring to my new role. I have worked closely with priests and people of the diocese and I am very grateful for the goodwill and warmth I experienced, said Fr Finnerty. The role of diocesan secretary has been a demanding one but enormously enriching, he added. A LOT of the populism we have seen in politics in the past will not be a feature of the new parliament. That was the prediction of Fianna Fail polltopper Niall Collins at the gates of Leinster House as he arrived for his third term as a TD. The beginning of the 32nd Dail term was a far cry from the first days in the past when, more often than not, a single party knew the public had given then a mandate to govern most recently Fine Gaels blue tide of 2011, which saw all but 20 Fianna Fail TDs lose their seats. A subdued atmosphere outside Leinster House was broken only momentarily by the Healy-Rae brothers, both elected in Kerry, staging an impromptu, car-top concert in Kildare Street. But talk up to and after that point was dominated by the formation of a new government, and the certainty that no Taoiseach was going to be appointed after the maiden sitting. There were no busloads of supporters backing Limericks two newest TDs Sinn Feins Maurice Quinlivan opted to travel with only a small group, including his proud mother Marie, wife Sue and sister Eimear, while Fine Gaels Tom Neville was joined on the plinth by his father Dan. For Fianna Fail, there was a quiet satisfaction that the party is back in business. Grinning like a Cheshire cat on the plinth, city polltopper Willie ODea said: This time five years ago, the question on everybodys lips was whether Fianna Fail would survive as a political force. Our members were downcast and downbeat about it. It was a bit of a culture shock these past five years to be sitting in a small room well able to accommodate out 19 or 20 TDs. But we are now back to being the second biggest party in the Dail, just barely behind Fine Gael. Both he and Mr Collins acknowledged a need for change, with the county TD rejecting the narrative of a grand coalition, saying: To put two parties together to have a massive majority and allow everyone else who has been elected to Dail Eireann off the hook isnt going to be the way it is going to be. Tom Neville, who took the second seat in the county, says he wants to use his first term in the Dail to continue the work of his father Dan to whom he refers by first name in highlighting the problem of suicide. It is a very important issue, it is something which needs to be continued. I know Dan has done a lot of work on it. It needs to continue to be politicised, spoken about and driven on in mainstream politics. Id hate to see the work Dan has done fall back from the political agenda, he said. Standing proudly beside his son, Dan Neville who retired from frontline politics at this election insisted of his successor: He knows what he has to do. It is not new to him. He knows how difficult and time-consuming some small, but very important issue belonging to someone can be. He knows how rewarding it can be, but also how frustrating it is when something you deeply believe in is not responded to, Dan said. Another proud parent was Marie Quinlivan, who admitted she thought the day Limerick City would return a Sinn Fein TD would never come. I must be the proudest mother in Ireland right now, she beamed, that my son, after 93 years, has been elected as a Sinn Fein TD for Limerick City. Mr Quinlivan was among the first of the new TDs to arrive at Dail Eireann on the dot of nine. He said there is a whole raft of issues his party of 23 deputies is looking to deal with. Indeed, he had hoped to make his maiden Dail speech last week, as part of a Sinn Fein motion to oppose the houses adjournement. But this did not come to pass. One of the most enduring images of the start of the last Dail in 2011 was then first-time TD Patrick ODonovan being hoisted shoulder-high by an army of supporters outside Dail Eireann in a mirror image of his election at the UL Arena. This time it was different, with only Mr ODonovans wife Eileen and their 16-month-old son John named after his late father present. He said he fully expects Fine Gael to be part of the next government: The onus is on us to act responsibly. Independents and others are acting irresponsibly at the moment. They are neglecting their role as members of the Oireachtas. Editorial, page 18 If you're ready to see blooming flowers and sunny skies, it may help to know that this year's spring equinox will be the earliest to arrive in 120 years, largely because of an old rule governing leap years, experts said. There are two equinoxes (taken from the Latin words aequus for "equal" and nox for "night") each year, marking the start of spring and fall. On these days, there are nearly equal amounts of daylight and darkness. Usually, the spring equinox happens on March 20 or 21. But the 2016 spring equinox will happen during the very early hours of Sunday (March 20) at 12:30 a.m. EDT, making it the earliest spring equinox since 1896. [6 Signs Spring Has Sprung] The reason why goes back to Pope Gregory XIII, who created the Gregorian calendar in 1582, according to the website EarthSky. Each year on Earth lasts 365.242 days, and the existing calendar in Gregory's time accounted for this fraction of a day by having most years be 365 days long, with leap years every four years, where were 366 days long. But under this system, with one extra day every four years, the average length of a year was 365.25 days still a hair longer than the actual length of a year. And so Pope Gregory XIII declared that years ending in "00" should not be leap years unless they're also divisible by 400, EarthSky reported. That means that the year 2000 was a leap year, but the years 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not, and 2100 won't be either. NOAA's GOES-13 satellite captured this image of the Earth at the spring equinox on March 20, 2013, at 7:45 a.m. EDT. (Image credit: NOAA) The 2000 leap year caused the March equinox to come about three-quarters of a day earlier than it did in the year 1900, EarthSky said. And ever since 2000, the spring equinox of each leap year has happened earlier than it did in the previous leap year. For example, the spring equinox happened at 2:25 a.m. EST in 2000, 1:49 a.m. EST in 2004, 1:48 a.m. EDT in 2008 and 1:15 a.m. EDT in 2012, according to TimeAndDate.com. (All of these spring equinoxes occurred on March 20). The trend will continue for every leap year until the end of the century. The spring equinox will happen at 11:50 p.m. EDT on March 19, 2020. Four years after that, it will happen even earlier, at 11:06 p.m. EDT on March 19, 2024. The year 2096 will have the earliest March equinox of the century, occurring at 10:03 p.m. EDT on March 19, according to EarthSky. However, because the year 2100 is not a leap year (thanks to the Pope's rule), the spring equinox will happen later that year, by about one-quarter of a day, EarthSky reported. So, in the year 2100, the spring equinox will happen at 9:01 a.m. EDT March 20, according to drik Panchang, a website about the Hindu calendar. But don't break out the spring gear just yet. Though the equinox is the official start of spring, actual springtime weather varies by location. Plus, it's only springtime in the Northern Hemisphere. "[The spring equinox] is great for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, but it also marks an early start to winter for those in the Southern Hemisphere," Paul Cox, an astronomer with Slooh, an organization that connects the public with astronomy, said in a statement. In fact, Slooh astronomers and The Old Farmer's Almanac will celebrate the spring equinox with live solar views from the Prescott Observatory in Arizona this weekend. They will also show images of the aurora borealis, as seen from the northern latitudes, and discuss the historical and modern cultural importance surrounding the spring equinox. Go to The Old Farmer's Almanac's website at 5 p.m. EDT on Saturday (March 19) to see the live stream. Viewers are encouraged to ask questions on Twitter by using @slooh. Follow Laura Geggel on Twitter @LauraGeggel. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. More than 30 people across the world have received face transplants since the first procedure was successfully carried out in France in 2005. The discussion has long since moved on from initial apprehensions to the practicalities involved in improving the technique. As a treatment for facial disfigurement which enhances quality of life, the clinical need is established and results to date have been encouraging. There is of course room for improvement, as the practice is still in its early days and rarely performed. Tissue rejection is a major issue for instance, meaning that the patient may need high doses of immunosuppressive drugs for life. Difficulties matching blood type, age, skin tone and hair colour are also preventing face transplants from becoming more routine. These problems come down to the fact that the patient is receiving a face which previously belonged to somebody else. But what if a new face could be constructed from a patient"s own cells? Not a graft from elsewhere on the body, but a brand new piece of tissue which could be grown in the lab to the patient's specifications. How long until we can bypass face transplants and step into this other realm of possibility? This is where stem cells enter the picture specifically the variety that we call "pluripotent," which can renew themselves indefinitely and generate nearly every kind of cell in the body. Human pluripotent cells were first derived from donated surplus IVF embryos, but we can now create them by reprogramming mature cells such as those found in the skin. This means that you could take a skin biopsy, reprogram the cells into a pluripotent state, then use them as the starting point for producing many types of living tissue including that of a person's face. Human embryonic stem cells. (Image credit: NIH) A layer of complexity Creating skin is far more complicated than just producing one type of cell, but researchers across the field have already made some notable progress. Pluripotent cells have been used to produce many of the different cell types found in the skin, including the keratinocytes and melanocytes which are found in the outer layer (the epidermis), as well as the fibroblasts, adipocytes and macrophages which are found in the second layer (the dermis). In terms of generating complete tissue, US researchers have already combined fibroblasts and keratinocytes derived from stem cells to produce full-thickness artificial skin models. The inclusion of more cell types and complex functional elements such as hair follicles and sweat glands is a challenge for the future. Much of the recent progress with cell production is the result of hands-on, small-scale laboratory work to produce tiny amounts of tissue. There is a long hop from here to producing sufficient numbers of cells to grow a face for transplantation. Yet technology is always advancing, and it is becoming easier to grow cells in larger numbers thanks to robotics and stirred-tank bioreactors. Techniques such as cell printing (opens in new tab) also now mean that complex tissue can be created by arranging cells into 3D structures. Such technology is again in its early stages, but could eventually be used for combining cells and structural proteins (sometimes referred to as bio-inks) to print an entire face from a template generated in software. While technical barriers are being eroded, the main shortcoming of using pluripotent cells to produce other cells at the moment is arguably function. Compared to the cells in the body, lab-produced cells often perform at low levels (for example, expressing fewer key proteins), though 3D tissue culture systems designed to mimic the environment in the body may go some way to addressing this. Production techniques are also rarely fully standardised. Cells for transplantation need to be of the highest quality, and unless we can grow them to an adequate standard, transplantation could bring problems such as immune rejection or tumour formation. Face value If that all sounds like a long road ahead, the good news is that the journey will bring more immediate benefits in the fields of disease modelling and drug development. Human skin is already used to model conditions such as diabetic wound healing and skin cancer. As pluripotent cell technology matures, it will allow the large-scale generation of human tissue for examining a wide range of conditions, potentially providing better predictive capability than animal models. In short, it is still hugely ambitious to think about deriving cells from a biopsy, generating and expanding a stem cell line, differentiating this into the various skin cell types, and engineering them into a piece of transplantable tissue. Even when we have solved the conundrums around cell function and scale of production, any technique for growing a face from one's own cells would require extensive safety testing. Recent progress with implanting retinal tissue (opens in new tab) derived from pluripotent cells into the eye of a Japanese woman is very encouraging, but we may still be looking at decades of development before we will be able to create skin for facial transplantation in a clinically workable timeframe. In terms of what could be achieved, we have barely scratched the surface. Sebastian Greenhough, Research Technician, Glasgow Caledonian University Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city. Never miss a Swansea story with our daily newsletter Sign up to comment on our stories here Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view unlimited articles for the month, please choose this option. Local News, Business & Finance, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: March 19 2016 With two weeks remaining until the state budget deadline, local and county level officials release letters and local resolutions urging State Senate to pass Paid Family Leave. Farmingdale, NY - March 18, 2016 - With only days left until the state budget deadline, a group of Long Island local- and county-level officials joined together today in Farmingdale today to announce the release of a series of resolutions and sign on letters urging the passage of statewide paid family leave this session. 17 Nassau and Suffolk County Legislators including every Democratic legislator in both bodies announced their support for paid family leave, while officials from four towns -- North Hempstead, Long Beach, East Hampton, and Southampton -- announced they would be passing local resolutions in support of a statewide paid family leave policy. Each of the letters and resolutions announced today called on state lawmakers to pass a paid family leave proposal similar to the one proposed by Gov. Cuomo and the State Assembly this session, including baseline elements such 12 weeks of pay at a 2/3 benefit level, job protection, and no small business carve out. Todays press conference was the latest event in the Long Islanders for Paid Family Leave campaign that kicked off two weeks earlier with a press conference featuring Long Island state lawmakers in Hempstead. Driven by their own personal family experiences and the experiences of their constituents, the local elected officials who participated in todays event spoke out about the need for leadership on this issue in Albany as the budget deadline approaches. No one should have to choose between paying the bills and taking care of a sick family member. We need comprehensive action at the state level to guarantee paid sick leave for all of New Yorks hardworking families. Thank you to all my fellow local elected officials who have joined me today in standing up for Long Islands middle class. Our message to Albany is clear: the time for action is now, said Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory. Eventually, nearly every family faces an illness that not only takes an emotional toll, but causes a true financial hardship on those who must miss work to care for a sick child, spouse or parent. Establishing a statewide paid family medical leave policy will ensure that financial stability doesnt hinge on luck or good fortune and that a loved ones illness wont lead financial ruin. The current lack of a universal policy fails New Yorks workers, hurts its families and weakens local business that must develop their own strategies, on a case by case basis, for dealing with employees who face these unavoidable situations, said Suffolk County Legislature Majority Leader Kara Hahn. Americans value family life, and we also need to support them. It is not only enough to give them the time they need to take care of children, spouses or ailing parents, but to compensate them so that they do not fall behind in their wages. Economic anxiety affects too many families and paid family leave is one way to help alleviate that burden, said Suffolk County Legislature Deputy Presiding Officer Rob Calarco. In the current economic climate, it is often not feasible for families to survive off of only one income. People who must work to provide for their families are finding it increasingly challenging to meet the demands of both family and work. Adopting a Paid Family Leave program will allow families who are struggling to make ends meet to spend the necessary time with their newborn or ill family member. Similar programs which have been adopted in other states have proven beneficial to employers by allowing them to retain valuable, trained, and experienced staff. It is time for New York to recognize the changing demographics of the workforce and adapt to provide the needed time to care for children or sick family members, said Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker. "Raising a child or caring for a loved one should not have to be a choice, it should be a right. I stand in support of allowing working families to be able to put family first without jeopardizing their job. It's the right thing to do, said Suffolk County Legislator Kate Browning. Paid family leave is long overdue in New York State. Every day, millions of residents are forced to choose between caring for a loved one in need and their own financial security. As the population ages, the struggles faced by family caregivers will continue to grow, which is why it is vitally important for the New York State Legislature to immediately enact paid family leave during this years legislative session, said Suffolk County Legislator Lou DAmaro. Coming from the private sector, I understand the necessity of paid family leave not only as a morally sound policy but as a smart business practice.This is a desired benefit that the entire workforce pays into and comes at no additional cost to the business owners. If a family loses their source of income in the event of a necessary leave, the entire economy then pays the price. Paid family leave is good business for all New Yorkers," said Suffolk County Legislator William J. Lindsay III. I commend Governor Cuomo and the state legislature for advancing this vital measure to New Yorkers. Paid Family Leave will assist New York working families especially constituents in my community balance the costs and challenges of caring for their families while working, said Suffolk County Legislator Monica Martinez. American workers should not have to choose between a paycheck and their loved ones. Providing the ability and the economic means for our workforce to care for a newborn or a sick family member without the fear and pressure of losing their livelihood will improve home-work life balance and our communities. I am proud the get behind this bill and I'm thankful that our Governor is leading the way, said Suffolk County Legislator William R. Spencer, M.D. I join with my colleagues in urging the Republican controlled State Senate to do more than talk about family values, but to do something to provide real support for families. It is long past time for New York families to have the protection provided by Paid Family Leave to ensure that when a family member is sick, when a baby is born or adopted or an emergency happens, people can care for the their loved ones without worrying about paying their bills, said Suffolk County Legislator Steve Stern. "I might be a County Legislator but my greatest and most important job is that of being a father; and that job is also my greatest adventure. Each day I have no idea what fatherhood is gonna throw at me, but I'm certainly lucky to have an employer that understands if I have to run to a school to pick up my sick kid. I filed a Paid Family Leave bill nearly two years ago in Nassau County, because I know that not everyone is afforded the ability to take a day off, with pay to take care of a sick child or parent. Nassau families need New York State to pass Paid Family Leave now, said Kevan Abrahams, Nassau County Democratic Minority Legislative Leader. "While I have always supported Paid Family Leave, recently I was reminded just how important it really is when my father was rushed into the hospital. Unlike many families, my sister and I were able to drop what we were doing and be at our father's bedside. Most people cannot afford to take 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a sick relative or bond with a new child, but some cannot even afford to take a day off to head to the hospital to be at their parents bedside like I was afforded. Paid family leave benefits are essential to all workers, because just like us they are parents and children too, said Nassau County Legislator Ellen Birnbaum. Paid family leave at NO cost to the employer will allow employees to be there for their families' most important moments. It should not be a privilege just for the wealthy, yet this is the status quo for 6.4 million New Yorkers. This is why I am proud to have signed onto the Nassau and Suffolk County Legislatures' letter to get a strong paid family leave bill--one that doesn't carve out any workers, regardless of business size--passed in 2016. I hope our state level elected officials are paying attention, and will do right by their constituents immediately," said Nassau County Legislator Laura Curran. "I was blessed last year that the nature of my work allowed me to spend time with my father before he passed. He was such a powerful influence in my life and I could not be where I am now without his steadfast support. Too many workers today don't have that kind of opportunity, to support sick loved ones, care for new children or spend time with a dying parent. On behalf of daughters, mothers, sisters and really all workers across New York, I call on the legislature to create paid family leave now. Each day we wait, real people lose something so important. Let's get this done, New York," said North Hempstead Town Councilwoman Anna Kaplan. I continue to voice my support for the Paid Family Leave Act and stand with Governor Cuomo in this extremely important endeavor. Every day, hard-working New Yorkers are faced with unconscionable financial decisions due to family medical issues: the choice of working, or caring for a sick relative or bonding with a new baby. The Paid Family Leave Act ensures that workers will no longer have to miss these important moments in life. It is high time we pass this legislation and it should be the great State of New York to lead the way. I strongly urge the residents of the State of New York to contact their legislators and join with me in voicing their support for the Paid Family Leave Act and I urge the New York State Legislature to pass this bill, said Huntington Councilwoman Susan Berland. "It is a tragedy that, right now, millions of New Yorkers are forced to choose between taking care of a loved one and extreme financial hardship. Fifty percent of new mothers are only able to take up to a week to care for a new child and heal after childbirth, said East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell. I was proud to sponsor and the East Hampton Town Board was equally honored to pass a resolution calling on our NYS elected officials to pass a strong paid family leave bill in 2016. It is heartbreaking when thousands of Long Island families must choose between bringing home a paycheck or caring for a sick family member or bonding with their new born baby. We can do better. All New Yorkers deserve paid family leave benefits regardless of the size of their employer or their salary, said East Hampton Councilwoman Sylvia Overby. In 2016, we should not punish employees for time off to take care of a dying parent or a new born baby. This is a fight that New York needs to lead, so families dont have to choose between their families and their careers. The time for paid family leave is now, said North Hempstead Town Councilman Peter Zuckerman. "FMLA from the federal government was a good start, but in reality, New Yorkers can not afford to take time off unpaid. A great bill would protect all working New Yorkers by paying two-thirds of their weekly wage, for up to 12 weeks. I'm very proud to stand unanimous with the entire Long Beach City Council in support of paid family leave," said Long Beach City Councilman Anthony Eramo. "It's become more and more difficult to raise a family here on Long Island and Long Islanders shouldn't need to endure financial hardship to take care of their kids or family members when they get sick. This is an issue that affects the pocketbooks of millions of families here in New York and has left the deck particularly stacked against working women, half of whom can only take up to a week of leave after having a newborn baby or while caring for an ailing family member. It's long past time we passed paid family leave to help level the playing field for Long Island families," said Former Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne Holst. Our country is at its best when we utilize the God- given abilities of all of our people. Right now, our economy is held back when those who wish to work are not able to because they fear that they will have to choose between their family needs and their work responsibilities. Family leave legislation ensures that New Yorkers are able to both care for their family and provide for their family, said Former Chair of the Suffolk County Planning Commission Dave Colone. "Every year, thousands of Long Island families must forgo caring for a loved one--be it a dying parent or a new baby--in order to make a paycheck. This is unacceptable. I am proud to stand beside the local elected officials from across Long Island who are standing up and taking action, especially as the Long Island Senate delegation has so failed to lead on this critical family issue," said Nick Guarilia (Candidate for State Assembly District 16). "I am encouraged to see local officials from across Long Island stand up and take action, especially as the Long Island Senate delegation has so failed to lead on this critical family issue over the past decade," said Ryan Cronin (Candidate for State Senate District 6). "The 250,000 nurses and healthcare workers of 1199SEIU in NY State strongly support paid family leave, so that working people can care for their loved ones in times of need. This is about true family values. Even though the United States is one of the richest countries in history, we are the only industrialized nation without paid family leave. Whether you need to care for a newborn, a sick child or an ailing parent, paid leave is vital ensuring dignity, security and a better future for New Yorkers," said Michele Lynch, Long Island Political Director for 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, the largest healthcare union in New York and the nation. Many families in Long Island live paycheck to paycheck, and they should not have to choose between making ends meet, and being able to welcome a new baby or take care of a sick relative. The Republican Senate majority claims to value families, but Senator Flanagan and his colleagues are demonstrating that they put business interests ahead of the people theyre supposed to represent. New Yorkers need a strong Paid Family Leave bill that allows 12 weeks of leave at a two-thirds pay rate, said SEIU 32BJ president Hector Figueroa. In these difficult economic times for so many working families, they should not have to choose between taking care of a sick family member and keeping their job. Nor should they have to choose between paying their rent and caring for a loved one's last days! That is why CWA is grateful that we have local elected leaders from across Long Island stand with those Working Families by taking action. Their action stands in stark contrast to the inaction that we have seen from our Long Island Senate delegation on this critical family issue, said Michael Gendron, Executive Vice President of CWA Local 1108. The United States is the only developed nation in the world without guaranteed, paid parental leave. New York State has the opportunity to provide these benefits and pass a strong paid family leave bill this year. We commend our local elected officials on sponsoring local legislation that will cover workers, said Lisa Tyson, Director of the Long Island Progressive Coalition. "No New Yorker should ever have to choose between caring for a newborn child or a sick parent and paying their bills. Paid family leave is the right thing to do for Long Island working families, and it receives massive support across regional and demographic lines in poll after poll. Long Island families can't wait another year. We join them in urging the State Senate to do right by their constituents and pass paid family leave this session," said Bill Lipton, Director of New York Working Families. 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 Tourist shot dead in S. Africa From:Shanghai Daily | 2016-03-19 01:11 A female Shanghai tourist was shot dead in South Africa yesterday morning, said the Chinese Consulate General in Durban. The victim, surnamed Tang, who was with her husband and another couple from Shanghai in Natal Province, resisted when her bag containing four passports was grabbed by one of the robbers, who shot her six times, China News Service reported. The couples were enroute to Durban when a grey vehicle overtook them several kilometres from Ladysmith and blocked them. Four or five robbers jumped out of the vehicle and shot the driver three times, the report said. Tang, sitting beside the driver, was shot right after when she resisted. The robbers fled after about five minutes. The woman was rushed to hospital and died in the afternoon, while the driver underwent surgery to have bullets removed from his chest and his condition is not life-threatening. Fugitive from Paris attacks wounded in Brussels shootout - media 2016-03-19 02:05 Paris shooting suspect, Salah Abdeslam, and suspected accomplice, Hamza Attou, are seen at a petrol station on a motorway between Paris and Brussels, in Trith-Saint-Leger, France in this still image taken from a November 14, 2015 video provided by BFMTV on January 11, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] BRUSSELS - The most-wanted fugitive from November's Paris attacks was wounded in a shootout in Brussels on Friday and still holed up at the scene, Belgian newspaper DH reported. Other media said a person had been wounded and possibly killed in the Brussels district of Molenbeek while television footage showed masked, black-clad security forces guarding a street in the capital. A police spokeswoman said an operation was ongoing and could not give further details. Belgian police had found finger prints belonging to Salah Abdeslam, a 26-year-old Frenchman from Brussels suspected of taking part in the Paris attacks on Nov. 13, during an earlier operation, prosecutors said. The Belgian federal prosecutor's office also said an Algerian killed during that earlier operation at the apartment in Brussels on Tuesday was probably one of the people French and Belgian investigators were seeking in relation to the Islamic State attacks in Paris on Nov. 13. It later said in a separate statement that Mohamed Belkaid was probably the man who went under the name of Samir Bouzid and was killed on Tuesday. Public broadcaster RTBF said it had information that Abdeslam, whose elder brother blew himself up in Paris, was "more than likely" one of two men who police have said evaded capture at the scene before a sniper shot dead 35-year-old Belkaid as he aimed a Kalashnikov. Other Belgian media were more cautious, however, saying only there was evidence Abdeslam had been there. A man named Samir Bouzid has been sought since December when police issued CCTV pictures of him wiring cash from Brussels two days after the Paris attacks to a woman who was then killed in a shootout with police in the Paris suburb of St. Denis. She was a cousin of Abdelhamid Abbaoud, a Belgian who had fought in Syria and is suspected of being a prime organiser of the attacks in which 130 people were killed. Both died in the apartment in St. Denis on Nov. 18. France's BFM television said the fingerprints were found on a glass in the apartment, where four police officers, including a Frenchwoman, were wounded when a hail of automatic gunfire hit them through the front door as they arrived for what officials said they had expected to be a relatively routine search. Belgian officials said earlier in the week that police had not expected to find armed suspects at the apartment and that the presence of French officers was not an indication the raid was of special importance to the investigation. Abdeslam's elder brother was among the suicide bombers who killed themselves in Paris during a shooting rampage in which 130 people died. The younger Abdeslam was driven back to Brussels from Paris hours later. Belgian authorities are holding 10 people suspected of involvement with him, but there has been no report of the fugitive himself being sighted. There has long been speculation in Belgium that he could have fled to Syria. Investigators believe much of the planning and preparation for the November bombing and shooting rampage in Paris was conducted in Brussels by young French and Belgian nationals, some of whom fought in Syria for Islamic State. The attack strained relations between Brussels and Paris, with French officials suggesting Belgium was lax in monitoring the activities of hundreds of militants returned from Syria. Brussels, headquarters of the European Union as well as Western military alliance NATO, was entirely locked down for days shortly after the Paris attacks for fear of a major incident there. Brussels has maintained a high state of security alert since then, with military patrols a regular sight. Al Qaedas North African branch has claimed a rocket attack on a gas plant in the southern Algerian desert near the town of In Salah. The rocket barrage, which was directed at a joint BP-Norwegian Statoil facility, somehow left the gas plant unharmed and no one was injured yesterday. In a statement released online and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said the barrage was in response to Algerias scandalous involvement with France in the war against the Muslims in northern Mali. The jihadist group also said it intentionally tried to spare Muslim lives by not using more powerful capabilities in the attack, but that Muslims should stay away from such facilities in the future. Additionally, AQIM said it sent a warning to Western oil companies operating in Algeria, stating they were targeting the facilities themselves and not their civilian workers. We announce to all Western companies investing in shale gas that we will target you in a direct way, and we will use all our capabilities to deter you from these projects that are harmful to our environment and are rejected by our society, AQIM said in the statement. But, AQIM noted that it will take the safety of Muslim employees and personnel into consideration. If you want safety for your companies and personnel, then the matter is negotiable, the statement read, taking into consideration our dignity and the dignity of our Muslim people and their rights. AQIM said both BP and Statoil were warned of an impending barrage via phone calls before launching the rockets. Al Qaeda has targeted gas and oil facilities in Algeria in the past. In early 2013, Al Murabitoon, which is led by veteran al Qaeda-loyalist Mokhtar Belmokhtar and is now part of AQIM, launched an attack on the Tigantourine gas facility near In Amenas, Algeria. Hundreds of people were taken hostage and 38 people were killed in the assault. That operation was led by a Nigerien jihadist, Abdul Rahman al Nigeri. (See Threat Matrix report, Algerian troops end siege at In Amenas gas facility and LWJ reports, Al Qaeda-linked group claims credit for kidnappings in Algeria and Nigerien jihadist identified as commander of Algerian hostage operation for more information.) With the rocket barrage in Algeria, AQIM has now claimed or conducted attacks in four different countries in the span of a week. On March 11, suspected al Qaeda gunmen assaulted a Malian military checkpoint near the central city of Sevare. Two days later, AQIM killed 18 people in an attack on a beach resort popular with locals and tourists in southern Ivory Coast. And just two days ago, three Nigerien gendarmes were killed near Nigers borders with Mali and Burkina Faso. Local media has blamed this raid on a Fulani brigade of Al Murabitoon. (See this map of al Qaeda-linked attacks in Mali and neighboring countries since 2014 by The Long War Journal for more information.) 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. Mohammed al Zawahiri, the younger brother of al Qaedas emir, was released from an Egyptian prison on Mar. 17. He had been charged with establishing a terrorist group linked to al Qaeda and plotting attacks against various targets inside Egypt, but a court dropped the charges and let him go. My father has been released. He reached home early this morning [Mar. 18], Abdelrahman Zawahiri, Mohammeds son, told Agence France-Presse in an interview. Jihadists celebrated in February when an Egyptian court ordered Mohammed freed. In the sixth issue of its Al Masra newsletter, which was posted online on Mar. 5, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) published a short blurb highlighting Mohammeds pending release. (A screen shot of the notice in Al Masra can be seen on the right.) Mohammed al Zawahiri was imprisoned in Egypt in 1999, after first being detained in the United Arab Emirates. During the 1990s, he served as a senior figure in Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ), which was headed by his brother and merged with Osama bin Ladens organization prior to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Mohammed was released from prison following the Egyptian uprisings in 2011. He quickly became a prolific advocate for al Qaedas jihadist ideology. He publicly denounced Western democracy and espoused al Qaedas supposed virtues while preaching in Tahrir Square, as well as during appearances on Egyptian television and radio programs. He also did interviews with Western journalists. Mohammeds activities garnered additional scrutiny following the protest outside of the US Embassy in Cairo on Sept. 11, 2012. The previous day, Sept. 10, Ayman al Zawahiri released a video that included a clip of Mohammed proselytizing in Egypt. The al Qaeda emir also called on Libyan jihadists to avenge the death of Abu Yahya al Libi, who was killed in a US drone strike in June 2012. Mohammed and several other al Qaeda-linked jihadists helped instigate the protest outside the US Embassy in Cairo the following day. The pro-al Qaeda event led to the embassys walls being breached. The American flag was torn down and replaced with an al Qaeda-style black banner as protesters chanted, Obama, Obama, were all Osama [bin Laden]! Several al Qaeda groups, including Ansar al Sharia Libya, raided the State Departments Mission and the CIAs Annex in Benghazi, Libya hours later. Four Americans, including US Ambassador Christopher Stevens, were killed during the assault. In January 2013, Mohammed orchestrated a less eventful protest outside of the French Embassy in Cairo. Banners of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri were flown outside of the embassy as protesters objected to Frances intervention in Mali. The younger Zawahiri brother repeatedly threatened France and the West during the rally. Despite his overt support for al Qaeda, Mohammed claimed he was not really a member of his brothers organization. Evidence collected by Western intelligence officials told a different story. US intelligence officials connected him to jihadists across al Qaedas international network, and he reportedly helped Egyptian terrorists contact his older brother. One of his followers was also killed during an attack on Malian soldiers in May 2013. During his time free from prison, Mohammed was a prominent speaker at events hosted by Ansar al Sharia Egypt, an organization that advocated the imposition of al Qaeda-style sharia law. Ansar al Sharia Egypt was founded by a longtime comrade of the Zawahiri brothers. Mohammed was rearrested by Egyptian authorities in August 2013. But he continued to be referenced in al Qaeda propaganda in the years since. In October 2014, for instance, AQAP released a short biography for Mustafa Ali (a.k.a. Humam al Masri), a jihadist who served in the groups media department before he was killed in a US drone strike in late 2013. AQAPs biography of Ali contained an interesting note concerning his imprisonment in Egypt. He invested his time in prison in seeking knowledge and meeting with the experienced mujahideen such as sheikhs Mohammed al Zawahiri and Abdul Hakim Hasaan, may Allah preserve both of them and release them, according to a translation by SITE Intelligence Group. Mohammed was a leading figure in Ansar al Sharia Egypt. Therefore, it is not surprising that Mustafa Ali would be drawn to Ansar al Sharia in Yemen, where al Qaeda first used the Ansar al Sharia brand in the post-Arab Spring world. Egypt has changed drastically since President Mohamed Morsi was overthrown in 2013. Mohammed al Zawahiri enjoyed a relatively permissive environment during Morsis reign. It remains to be seen what the longtime jihadist does now. Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. John Cantlie, a British journalist who has been held hostage by the Islamic State since 2012, is featured in a newly released video. The short production, which is three and a half minutes long, shows Cantlie standing in the alleged ruins of an Islamic State media kiosk in Mosul, Iraq. Abu Bakr al Baghdadis organization uses Cantlie to question the efficacy of the American-led bombing campaign, arguing that the media kiosks are hardly worthy targets. But earlier this month the Islamic State itself trumpeted the media kiosks as one of the cornerstones of its internal media. As the war between the Islamic State and the US-led coalition continues, the Americans have launched a surprising new tactic against the mujahideen, Cantlie says. Using their $13 million dollar F-18s and hundred thousand dollar missile systems, theyve begun targeting not tanks, not trucks, not even the mujahideen, but Islamic State media kiosks. This used to be one such media kiosk, targeted and destroyed the other day on this busy high street, Cantlie continues. Kiosks are used to distribute pamphlets and information regarding the Islamic State and serve to expose some of the lies and propaganda the Western media continues to peddle in their never-ending mission to tarnish the image of the Islamic State. Cantlie claims it costs about $50 to build one of the kiosks and he taunts the collective might of the American war machine because it strikes such inexpensive facilities. The British correspondent asks why the US bothers to bomb such locations: Is it a ruse somehow by the CIA to undermine the Islamic States message to the Muslims of Mosul and, therefore, somehow diminish their control of the city? Is it perhaps to strike fear into the hearts of the mujahideen by abandoning any ideas to build another dozen kiosks to replace this one? No, Cantlie says, answering his own questions. Its because the Americans are so bankrupt of intelligence that this is all they have left to target. He claims that the airstrikes are evidence of the failed strategy of the US air campaign and only risk the lives of civilians who are nearby. If this is what [President] Obama meant when he talked about degrading and ultimately destroying ISIS, clearly hes got a long way to go yet, Cantlie argues. Amaq News Agency, a propaganda outlet affiliated with the Islamic State, released Cantlies video via social media and other web sites yesterday. It is his first appearance in months. Contrary to what Cantlie is forced to argue, the US-led coalition frequently targets the Islamic States tanks, trucks, fighters and leaders. In what amounts to a response to the Cantlies appearance, the Defense Department released an infographic (seen on the right) earlier today that summarizes the types of targets bombed to date. Fighting positions account for 7,118 of the 22,779 targets bombed thus far, according to CENTCOMs data. Tanks, Humvees, buildings, staging areas and the Islamic States oil infrastructure are all regularly attacked. Media kiosks are one of the cornerstones of the caliphates internal media Although the video of Cantlie is intended to downplay the importance of the media kiosks, the Islamic State recently highlighted them as being an essential part of its media strategy for the areas under its control. The 21st edition of the Islamic States Al Naba newsletter, which was released on Mar. 8, included an article entitled, An Inside Look at the Media of the Islamic State. Al Naba interviewed a jihadist known as Abu Umar al Muhajir, who has been with the media kiosk project from its inception. Abu Umar explained that the Islamic State had been distributing its propaganda using CDs, but this strategy was weak because there were relatively few computers in the Levant. The proliferation of smart phones also made the caliphate rethink its messaging plans. The media kiosks are part of the propagandists solution and are intended to be the conduit of communication between the people and the media of the Islamic State, he said. Abu Umar elaborated on the history of the media kiosks project, saying the Islamic States Wilayat Halab (Aleppo province) first experimented with them, but the effort initially faltered. The idea didnt really take off until the release of the fourth episode of The Clanging of the Swords, an ongoing series that glorifies the caliphates war. The Aleppo media office announced the video in the media kiosks and this was great advertising for them. After that, all of the other wilayat (provinces) requested the project and it has been implemented in Raqqa and elsewhere. The media kiosks project has become one of the cornerstones of the internal media in the different wilayat of the caliphate, Abu Umar emphasized, according to a translation obtained by The Long War Journal. Al Naba cited another Islamic State official, identified as Abu Fatimah al Ansari, as saying that the first kiosks in Iraq were placed in Mosul. There are more than 60 media kiosks in Iraq today, Al Naba added. The plan is to convert these kiosks into comprehensive media centers, releasing urgent and daily news on widescreen TVs at all times, placed on the outside of the media kiosk, Abu Fatimah told the newsletter. This is intended to counter the enemys false and fabricated news. Al Naba also emphasized the importance of the media kiosks for the Islamic States recruiting, as many of the provinces residents started down the path of jihad after learning of the truth through these platforms. This led to a large demand for more kiosks. The newsletter identified fighters who allegedly joined the caliphates cause after viewing propaganda in the facilities. According to a jihadist known as Abu Ayyah, the kiosks attract many of the residents beginning around eight in the morning and are open until the nighttime prayer. Abu Ayyah explained that many of the Islamic States new believers have been affected by the media shown at the kiosks and this means more needed to built. Still another Islamic State media operative, known as Abu al Bara al Furati, explained to Al Naba that the six media kiosks in Raqqa, Syria are not enough to keep up with demand and so they are building more. Abu al Bara noted that the kiosks distribute propaganda in several different languages. Therefore, less than two weeks before Cantlies latest video was released, the Islamic State itself explained to followers the importance of media kiosks in its overall media strategy. Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. Luton is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Bedfordshire. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 258,000. Luton is home to Championship team Luton Town Football Club, London Luton Airport and The University of Bedfordshire. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter. For all the latest news from Luton sign up to our newsletter here. Air France and KLM Launch Business Sale on Trips for Two to Barcelona starting from $2,939 (Air France and KLM) to Frankfurt starting from $2,939 (Air France and KLM) to Malaga starting from $2,939 (Air France and KLM) to Rome starting from $3,509 (Air France and KLM) to Venice from $3,538 (Air France only) to Venice from $3,509 (KLM only) to Paris from $2,939 (Air France only) to Barcelona from $3,269 (Air France only) to Munich from $3,269 (Air France only) to Barcelona from $3,269 (Air France and KLM) to Frankfurt from $3,269 (Air France and KLM) to Munich from $3,269 (Air France and KLM) Air France fares are available from New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Detroit and Atlanta. KLM fares are available from New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta.Passengers traveling in groups of 2-9 people on the same reservation can take advantage of the following fares:Tickets must be purchased on or before March 24, 2016. The travel period is between June 1, 2016 and August 30, 2016. Fares are valid in the Business Class cabin on Air France and KLM and certain codeshare partner flights only. Travelers must stay a minimum of seven days. Terms and conditions apply.Business class passengers enjoy Air France's exclusive services upon arrival at the airport and have the opportunity to take advantage of the relaxing atmosphere of Air France's lounges equipped to meet every need. On board, they discover a high-end cabin designed to provide maximum comfort. On all flights, Air France serves carefully prepared meals.Travelers can go to Air France's website to book tickets: http://www.airfrance.us/US/en/local/resainfovol/meilleuresoffres/business-fares.htm KLM's World Business Class is designed for both elegance and sustainability. Calming colors create comfort at any altitude, while meals by leading chefs are prepared with as many seasonal ingredients as possible. Passengers can float to their destination in full-flat seats that provide individual space conducive for work, play or relaxation. All Business passengers are welcomed on board with a complimentary glass of champagne or fruit juice.Travelers can go to KLM's website to book tickets: At a special press event held at the Palm Beach International Boat Show, MarineMax announced today that they are expanding into yacht management, crew placement and charter of luxury megayachts. Bob Saxon Associates, has joined MarineMax as part of the new endeavor that will be headquartered at the MarineMax Yacht Center in Pompano Beach, Florida. We are excited to announce this strategic initiative, offered Bill McGill, MarineMax President and CEO. Bob Saxon Associates is a natural fit for MarineMax, expanding the breadth of our offerings into the rarefied sector of yacht management. With the business acumen of MarineMax propelling it, and Bob Saxon at the helm, MarineMaxs new Mega Yacht affiliate will be seen as an instant worldwide industry leader in this sector. With over 35 years of experience, Bob is well known and highly respected as an early innovator and is considered by many to be the patriarch of the yacht management industry. Bob began his career as Vice President of Whittemore & Williams, the forerunner and pioneer of yacht management services. In 1984, working with Ed Sacks, Bob established and served as President of the Sacks Group, quickly growing it to the predominant authority in the mega yacht segment. Following his five-year stint with the Sacks Group, Bob owned and operated Bob Saxon Associates for 15 years which developed into a worldwide leader in professional yacht management services. Bob sold his business to, and became President of, Camper & Nicholson USA, making it the worlds largest full service yacht brokerage, charter, management and new build specialists. Most recently Bob was President of IYC with a half billion dollars in listings and offices in strategic ports of call throughout the world. Throughout his career he has worked with some 3,000 yacht owners on a broad number of yachts and a diverse array of projects. He is well known among yacht owners, crew and industry peers as having the highest standards of integrity, fastidious attention to detail and relentless tenacity. Bob is also the Founding President of the International Superyacht Society and was recently the recipient of that organizations Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a licensed broker-manager and a member of the Executive Committee of the Florida Yacht Brokers Association and a leading industry spokesman and advocate. As an industry expert, Bob has been quoted by a wide range of leading media including the New York Times, Yachting, Showboats, The Economist, CNBC, and a number of other trade publications and media outlets. Gold And Silver - Shanghai Exchange Effect On Silver? The trend for silver remains down, for now, but there is something going on within this market that does not confirm a change in trend but "appears" to be indicting a one. It has been acknowledged that the fundamentals for both silver and gold are overwhelmingly positive, yet price has not responded. More accurately, price has not been allowed to respond by the globalist's manipulation via their central banks, in general, and specifically by the both military and money might of the also manipulated United States, the federal corporate government version. The question that arose in our mind for the past few weeks has been: are we seeing the effects of the Shanghai Exchange on silver? In other words, while the belief that the East is now overtaking the West in financial power, in the form of acquiring gold and silver, has been widespread, it has not yet been reflected in price behavior. Everyone knows that the effects of manipulation, now being countered by the rise in power of China, and even Russia, had to lose its grip against the undeniably strong fundamentals for both silver and gold. With the blatant exercise of market/price control by COMEX and LMBA not even being cleverly disguised, China, having the loudest but silent voice, indeed now even control over what goes on in PMs, is taking a page from Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy by "walking softly and carrying a big stick" and China beginning to exert its influence. COMEX and LBMA, once the pillars for precious metals, have now decayed into a Comedy Central tag team that has lost its audience and credibility. China does not play, nor does it tolerate, that kind of low-level display of incompetence masquerading as authority. Both exchanges have been derivative-driven, doing everything [un]imaginable to protect their excessively hypothecated Ponzi scheme and no longer function as legitimate sources that stand ready to deliver gold and silver on their futures contracts. They offer digital "currency" instead of actual delivery of any physical metal. COMEX, LBMA. [Bye-bye], your days are coming to an inglorious end. Shanghai Gold Exchange, [Hello], where physical metal is actually delivered and just as importantly, price will reflect real supply and demand, that is once the switch is fully implemented and China pulls the switch on COMEX and LBMA. Sum Ting Wong with the way you do business. This is our sense of why silver refuses to be pushed lower with impunity by globalist interests and why silver has begun to exhibit a change in behavior that, while not being definitively seen as a change in trend, it may now be recognized as what so many have been so eagerly awaiting for: reality to come center stage for gold and silver. It further explains what we have been saying for the past few years: fundamentals are not what are moving the PM markets. They should be, and they have been relentlessly bullish but with no bullish impact. One thing about reading developing market activity, via price in volume depicted in a chart, is that one does not always have to have an answer for what is going on. In fact, when the market "story" is not clear, that is a sufficient message in itself. It suggests change, transition, and the process takes time and may not be readily defined from time to time. It is okay not to know. Markets, even manipulated ones, are organically undergoing change in process at all times, and when clarity is not apparent, wait for it to sort out, as it always does. Silver's refusal to break lower in July through August of 2015, and then again from October through December of 2015 looks like an expression of market change not yet completed, hence the lack of clarity. Our "The Fundamentals Do Not Matter" mantra, at least for the past few years, may be coming to an end, and the globalist's banker's paper market, where "the paper holds their folded faces to the floor, and every day the paperboy beings more." [From Pink Floyd's appropriately entitled song, Brain Damage.], is coming to an end. The daily chart is least conclusive, at least for us. The current rally stalled at a prior failed swing high from last October. Yet, the market, as of last Friday, just made a higher high, however tenuously, after having formed a higher low last month. While Friday's activity could be a red flag leading to a correction, we see no [overt] supply entering the market. The two high volume days are not supply, so much, but neither high volume effort has led to further upside, so it can be sellers still present meeting the efforts of buyers, where sellers may eventually losing their control without having fully lost it. Change takes time. Silver is looking better. The gold/silver ratio peaked at 83+:1 in the past two weeks and closed around 79:1 on Friday, as silver held better than gold. We still see silver outperforming gold to the upside, and the ratio does not stay over 80:1 for very long before realigning to a lower ratio, and that favors silver. While gold is obviously at a resistance level from the failed rally of January 2015, what stands out is the strength of how gold reached that level: in a very strong manner, and that speaks to the character of a market. Bars have been overlapping for the past five weeks, and that reflects a battle between buyers and sellers. By contrast, the three-weeks just before the five weeks just mentioned shows EUM [Ease of Upward Movement], where there was no battle waged between buyers and sellers. Buyers took control and ran with it. The chart comments express our take on this market. The potential failure of a swing high, as noted, has to be respected. What may weaken its impact is how price moved strongly to get there, and while the bars have been overlapping since almost mid-February, there has been zero evidence of a strong reaction lower. Weak reactions, as gold is showing for now, usually lead to higher prices. It appears gold may also be transitioning in its trend, stopping the downward trend and moving more sideways in preparation to go higher. This is the Chinese Zodiac Year of the Monkey. The monkey is a clever animal. It is usually compared to a smart person. During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC), the dignified Chinese official title of marquis was pronounced 'Hou', the same as the pronunciation of 'monkey' in Chinese. The animal was thereby bestowed with an auspicious meaning. We shall see. In reference to last Wednesday's strong rally bar, the goofs at COMEX "fixed" the settlement price $30 lower from where price was at the time of closing. This is another example of why we say the attempts to manipulate the market are not even disguised as this was an obvious effort to cater the globalist's bank's derivatives positions. Bankers have no shame, just pure greed. Keep buying physical gold and silver. We favor silver for the extreme ratio status, at present, but if one prefers gold over silver, just keep on buying and personally holding. By Michael Noonan http://edgetraderplus.com Michael Noonan, mn@edgetraderplus.com, is a Chicago-based trader with over 30 years in the business. His sole approach to analysis is derived from developing market pattern behavior, found in the form of Price, Volume, and Time, and it is generated from the best source possible, the market itself. 2016 Copyright Michael Noonan - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. Michael Noonan Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Del. Danny Marshall, R-Danville, said he saw the wide appeal of Donald Trump firsthand earlier this year at a hardware store. While shopping, he began talking with an employee and contractor he had worked with back in the 1980s. When the two began talking politics, as Marshall said usually happened, the friend said he was supporting Trump. He cited the trend of outsourcing jobs and a sluggish economy which had cost him his contracting job as a major factor in his decision. I think there are a lot of people like that, Marshall said. Marshall along with other local Republicans who represent Southside Virginia said Trump had tapped into the anger of GOP voters this presidential election season. Many also said despite Trumps violent rhetoric they would support whoever becomes the Republican nominee. Throughout the campaign, Marshall said he supported numerous candidates including Mike Huckabee and Marco Rubio who have now dropped out of the race. State Sen. Frank Ruff also said he supported Rubio a few weeks ago, when it looked like the Florida senator was beginning to rise in the polls. Rep. Robert Hurt, R-5th District, said he also saw Trump as capitalizing on anger from both Republican and Democratic voters. However, Hurt said he was frustrated with the tone of the campaign from politicians on both sides of the aisle. Its regrettable, Hurt said. It speaks to a tone set, in many respects, here in Washington. Hurt said he believed candidates who did not set a tone of respect and dignity for those they would serve would turn people off. My thought is that we should never, never be afraid to allow our children to watch a presidential debate, Hurt said. Ruff said he also believed a crowded field also made the louder candidates stand out from the GOP pack. Del. Les Adams, R-Chatham, said in an interview a few weeks ago he had not endorsed a candidate. State Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Moneta has endorsed Ted Cruz and is part of the Texas Senators Virginia leadership committee. Hurt, who said he would not endorse a candidate, also said he would support whoever became the nominee. He said he hoped the candidate would try to harness the emotions of voters, and lead in a way that would allow the government to solve the problems facing the country. MARTINSVILLE, VA Sue Ann Ehmann is an Executive Assistant at Patrick Henry Community College, but she is also a globally recognized contemporary line dance choreographer. Contemporary line dance is a repeating routine that is typically danced in rows and does not require a partner. It can be choreographed to any genre or rhythm and for different levels of familiarity from beginners to advance dancers. Ehmann began dancing in 1990. From the very beginning, she would eagerly share what she knew with her friends and co-workers. Only months after her she was introduced to line dancing, she began to choreograph and perform her own dances. After almost two decades, Ehmann continues to learn, teach and choreograph. The first time Ehmann taught and performed a dance she had choreographed was with her coworkers at their office Christmas party. Now, Ehmann teaches at conventions and venues throughout the region. One venue Ehmann teaches at on a regular basis is PHCC. She offers five week, non-credit courses throughout the semester for both beginners and intermediate dancers. Anyone can sign up for only $25. When Ehmann is asked why she dances, why she teaches or why people would want to take her course, she responds with the same answer for each question: Its fun! For Ehmann, teaching dance is like inviting people to come have fun, let go of worries and get a work out in an enjoyable way. When you get the steps, when the music is fun, when youre lost in the dance - forgetting the days troubles - it just makes feels you good, explained Ehmann. Ehmanns passion for dance and for sharing fun carried her from dancing at an office Christmas party to teaching at regional conventions such as the Big Bang Dance Classic in Charlotte and the Virginia Line Dance Festival in Fredericksburg. Recently, Ehmann was invited to instruct at the 2017 Fort Wayne Dance for All held in Ft. Wayne, Indiana every March. Ehmann taught at the Big Bang Dance Classic earlier this year. The Big Bang Dance Classic, which Ehmann has staffed for the past four years, is a three-day dance convention that attracts dancers and instructors from across the nation and around the world. For me, when I go to these events its like attending a family reunion. I get to connect with people from all over who have the same passion about dance that I have. Through teaching and sharing her choreography at events like the Big Bang Dance Classic, the Virginia Line Dance Festival and through online line dance communities, Ehmann has amassed a world-wide following. According to Ehmann, members of line dance communities throughout the world look for her new dances and share them with those they teach. She has had three of her dances featured in Linedancer Magazine which originates in the United Kingdom and is read globally most recently in the March 2016 issue. Ehmann also shares her love of dance with the community around her through her Contemporary Line Dance classes such as the ones that she teaches at PHCC. Ehmann will begin her next series of classes Thursday. Classes will take place from 6:30 to 7:30pm. To register, call (276) 656-0260 or go to https://ph.augusoft.net/. Dr. Ruth Potee Dr. Ruth Potee will be medical director at the Franklin Recovery Center in Greenfield. (photo provided) GREENFIELD -- Dr. Ruth Potee, the Greenfield physician who's made a name for herself fighting the region's opioid epidemic, will be the medical director of a new Franklin Recovery Center, an inpatient rehab now under construction at the former Lunt Silversmith building at 298 Federal St. Behavioral Health Network, the Springfield agency which is developing the Franklin Recovery Center, announced Potee's appointment Friday. Dr. Sara Brewer, medical director for all programs at Behavioral Health Network said in a news release: "Dr. Potee is so well regarded for her expertise on addiction treatment; we couldn't be more thrilled and honored to have her join the medical provider team at BHN." A physician, Potee speaks frequently on addiction and its roots in the human brain. She also appeared last year on Anthony Bourdain's "Parts Unknown" CNN television program examining the heroin problem in Western Massachusetts. The new center will have 64 beds. Of those, 32 beds will be for acute treatment services, or detoxification, and 32 for clinical stabilization, or rehabilitation. Potee said in a written statement: "What will be different about us is that we will offer the best evidence based treatments, including cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement therapy, mindfulness based stress reduction and trauma-informed yoga along with medication assistance for recovery. I'd like us to create pathways to treatment that evidence shows will work well with individuals. These options include planning for long term sober living treatment when appropriate, which is about changing the environment, so that people can start a life again elsewhere, when necessary. We have to think beyond a week or two of treatment. Most people need one and a half to two years of being substance free until they truly feel they are getting better." There is a shortage of rehab beds in the Pioneer Valley. There are 30 beds at the Providence Behavioral Health Center on Route 5 in Holyoke, Behavioral Health Network runs the two programs in Springfield: Carlson Recovery Center detoxification and the Hope Center "step-down" rehabilitation program. CHELMSFORD Chelmsford police searched a wooded, swampy area along Route 3 to find one of two alleged bank robbers Friday afternoon. Chelmsford Police told the Lowell Sun that two men, identified as James Sarno, 37, of Weymouth, and Kyle Nathan, 23, of Pembroke, robbed the Citizens Bank branch in the Stop and Shop supermarket at 299 Chelmsford Street. According to witnesses, the two men entered the branch at approximately 10:30 a.m. and demanded money. One of the men, identified as Sarno, reached over a counter and grabbed a handful of bills and the two fled. No weapons were shown in the robbery. Outside in the parking lot of a Market Basket store across Route 3 from the robbery scene, Nathan attempted to carjack a vehicle, police said, but the woman he targeted was able to escape. He ran into a wooded and swampy area behind the supermarket. It took police more than two hours to search him out. A helicopter from the State Police Air Wing joined the search. Eventually, Sarno was captured in the swamp and led out to waiting cruisers. Nathan was arrested at Gallagher Terminal in Lowell after taking a taxi from the robbery scene. The two are being held pending arraignment in Lowell District Court Monday. Nathan is a suspect on another bank robbery in Billerica March 11. TAUNTON A 22-year-old Fall River man was arrested Friday in connection with the slashing death of a Taunton woman. The Boston Globe reported that Thomas Quinn, Bristol County District Attorney, announced the arrest Friday evening after James Souza was taken into custody at a Taunton home. Souza is accused of cutting the throat of 23-year-old Vannessa Courtney in her Taunton home on Monday. Taunton police were called to the 9 Morton St. apartment Monday evening after Courtney's girlfriend came home from work to find the woman dead. Police said Courtney was the mother of a young boy. While Souza and Courtney knew each other prior to the murder, police would not elaborate on their relationship. Souza is being held without the right to bail pending his arraignment in Taunton District Court Monday. He is being charged with armed robbery and murder. SOUTH HADLEY A South Hadley police officer shot a man who stabbed him at a local Dunkin' Donuts on Friday evening, said Trooper Matthew Guarino, a State Police spokesman at Framingham headquarters. Both men were taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, but updates on their conditions were unavailable. "It did sound serious," Guarino said. The officer was confronted by an armed man after responding to a 7 p.m. report of a disturbance at the Dunkin' Donuts on Newton Street (Route 116), said Mary Carey, a spokeswoman for Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan. The officer was stabbed in the neck and fired his service weapon three times, hitting the suspect at least twice, Carey said. The nature of the disturbance was not immediately known. State Police detectives assigned to Sullivan's office are investigating. The incident triggered a heavy public safety response at the doughnut shop, which is located in a Route 116 shopping plaza about a mile south of Mount Holyoke College. MAP showing approximate location of stabbing and shooting: MAP showing approximate location of disturbance: The board of governors of the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is excited to announce the industry professionals being inducted into the 2016 Silver Circle. Scott Altus Director of Creative Services and Marketing KOMO Maria Downey Anchor/Assistant News Director KTUU Ray Heacox President and General Manager KING, KONG, NWCN Deborah Horne Reporter KIRO Essex Porter Reporter KIRO Peter Rosten CEO MAPS Media Institute http://www.mapsmediainstitute.com/ Matt Zaffino Chief Meteorologist KGW The Silver Circle honors media professionals who have solid records of making lasting contributions to the industry and their community for more than 25 years. Nominations are reviewed by a committee, which then proposes a slate of inductees to the board for consideration. The board approved the inductees at its meeting on March 9, and would like to thank the committee for its diligence and dedication to the process. Silver Circle Committee Maria Lamarca Anderson, chair Brenda Buratti, Silver Circle 2013 Joan Cartan-Hansen, Silver Circle 2013 John Givens, Gold Circle 2015 Karole Honas, Silver Circle 2015 Bill Krumm, Silver Circle 2015 Scott LaPlante, Silver Circle 2013 Herb Weisbaum, Silver Circle 2015 Ed White, Silver Circle 2014 The inductees will be honored at the Silver Circle Reception on Friday, June 3, and formally inducted at the Emmy Awards Ceremony on Saturday, June 4. Both events take place at the Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center. Go to Awards http://www.natasnw.org/ for information. # # # Mark your calendar for the 2016 Emmy Nomination Parties on Friday, April 1 (no joke!). Go to Parties http://www.natasnw.org/ for information. Greg Thayer, president and CEO of Great Falls-based Montana Milling Inc. http://www.montanamilling.com/ , has been named the Montana small business person of the year. He will receive the award May 2 in Missoula. A family-based company started by Greg Thayers father Gene, Montana Milling is a one-stop shop for organic and conventional grains, according to the nomination made by Jason Nitschke of the Great Falls Development Authority http://www.greatfallsdevelopment.org/ , who is a Small Business Development Center regional director. Peter Johnson, [email protected] Full Story: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/money/2016/03/17/greg-thayer-named-montana-small-businessman-year/81939752/ Advertisement http://www.fdiworldental.org/media/news/news/world-oral-health-day-20-march.aspx http://nohp.org.in/aboutus/NOHP.aspx http://www.adx.org.au/world.oral.health.day http://www.ictph.org.in/tps-2011/paper4-introduction.html Initially, the proposed date to commemorate World Oral Health Day was 12September, which was also the birthday of the FDI founder, Charles Godon. This date was later changed as it clashed with another major event of the FDI namely the Annual World Dental Congress (AWDC). It was finally decided that March would be the month to commemorate World Oral Health Day as it provided ample time for FDI workers to plan both the events adequately.WOHD is an important day because many oral health problems can be avoided with various health associations and government support. This day helps spread awareness and encourages people throughout the world to take their dental health seriously.Each year, the activities of the day are centered on a theme that the FDI would like to promote and raise awareness. The theme for this year recognizes the interconnections of a healthy dental life to an overall healthy and fulfilling life. They have undertaken the following theme:In the truest sense, good oral health does lead to several other benefits that improve one's quality of life. It enhances communication and improves pronunciation and other nuances that are involved in speech. A well-maintained mouth lets one relish the plethora of flavors in food. A bad set of teeth is often off-putting; it destroys one's first impression and can be a social life killer.FDI describes WOHD as a day filled with fun, celebrating all the wonderful aspects of a healthy dental life. This day witnesses a joint co-operation of various government and private organizations specialist groups, health associations and the general public to achieve the goal of a healthier population.Research conducted in India indicates that an alarming 49% of the population, comprising mostly of the rural community, lack the basic needs to maintain oral health, like access to tooth paste or even a toothbrush. A meager 2% of the population visit a dentist for oral issues and dental problems like gum disease and tooth decay. It is in this light that Indian Dental Association (IDA) conducts various activities to sensitize the population about the importance of oral health.One of the greatest participations from India was seen when 176,000 children brushed their teeth together and thereby set a world record. This record was broken by Nigeria in 2013 when 300,000 children brushed their teeth simultaneously.Other activities in India include distributing oral healthcare kits, essay competitions and conducting free dental health check-ups and so on. The dental kits named WOHD Dentist Smile Kits will contain posters, USB devices with social memes, a WOHD global awareness video, information on the plaque attack game and a customization app to urge local dental clinics to get involved in WOHD Local dentists can also add their contribution to the day by organizing independent oral health mobile drives.Other proposed activities involve a teaser involving toothbrushes with the slogan "In keeping with time and age of social media, the FDI plans to capture the world of social media by releasing teasers revolving around dental awareness and are promoting the hash tagsMost events of WOHD are targeted at children, as the organizers believe that they can be easily persuaded and could form the first generation to take care of their oral health.The dental community invites everyone to be a part of the joyous celebrations. The activities are aimed at inculcating healthier oral habits in the general public. Thus, these celebrations are not just restricted to dental professionals, but all are welcome. The purpose of celebrating this day annually, is to increase access to dental care for everyone and to see more smiling faces. Last year, the dental community achieved an overwhelming outreach to about 27 million people. It is time to wear our smiles proudly and attend the WOHD celebrations in our locality. The world went into a frenzy when Leonardo DiCaprio FINALLY won an Oscar for his role in The Revenant. While thats a milestone, the fact remains that Oscar or no Oscar, Leos fans love him unconditionally. In a latest gesture of love for Leo, the actor was handed over the Siberian Oscar statuette. The statuette is made from melted gold and silver jewellery donated by 144 Russian fans, living in the far northeastern city of Yakutsk. Leo himself took to Instagram and thanked the people of Yakutsk for showing him immense love. For the record, this was not planned by the people of Yakutsk after Leo got the Academy Award. The idea of the statuette was of Tatyana Yegorova. Tatyana, along with her friends, had organized a campaign to make their favourite actor this statuette after watching The Revenant. Vadim Skryabin,GETTY IMAGES The statuette was hand-crafted by local artisans by melting silver and gold jewellery Leos fans donated happily. The most noticeable difference between the Academys Oscar and the Siberian Oscar is that the Siberian Oscar is holding a Choron, a traditional three-legged goblet "symbolizing peace and expressing the people's love for the actor unlike the real Golden Oscar. With so much love flowing in, Leo is unstoppable right now! (Disclaimer- Theres no such award as the Siberian Oscar. We have dubbed it as the Siberian Oscar only as a matter of expression.) Snipers have always been one of the most talked about people from the armed forces. Patiently waiting and looking over their brothers on foot, snipers are nothing short of invisible angels in a battle field. While its pretty understood that you need to be young and in top mental and physical shape to be a sniper, 62-year-old Abu Tahseen is defying all norms and literally slaying ISIS militants by the dozen. Tahseen is a member of Hashd Al-Shaabi, a self-sustained anti-ISIS outfit in Iraq. He became a part of the outfit last year and claims that he has, ever since, sent a baffling 177 ISIS bastards to hell. Stationed at the Makhoul Mountains in North Baiji, Tahseen hardly leaves his spot and even keeps his spotter on high alert all the time. In a recent interview with a media unit, Tahseen said I swear, I guarantee by God when he falls, this pushes him back a metre before putting him down. Im relaxed, my mind is relaxed. Volunteers like Tasheen foster the belief in the people of Iraq that one day, there will be peace. Here, watch what Tahseen has to say about his service. (It is nearing a million views!) Yet, the breakdown that caused lead from old pipes to contaminate the city's drinking water Snyder said Thursday he wished his appointed emergency managers had "asked more questions" seems unlikely to make the state rethink its 2012 law, which empowers intervention in deficit-ridden communities by usurping control from locally elected officials. Republican lawmakers, who control the Legislature and enacted the measure less than two months after voters repealed an older version, still support it, and the GOP governor was careful to limit his admission of failures to "this particular case with respect to the water issue." Democrats opposed to the law say it is at the root of much of the Flint disaster: Snyder appointed four different people to run the city during its 3 years of state control, and all were there either during deliberations over changing water sources in a bid to contain residents' high bills or once the problems arose after the 2014 switch. A spokesman for House Speaker Kevin Cotter said mistakes were made in Flint "at every level of government," but that emergency managers are needed. No Michigan city has one for the first time in 15 years, Gideon D'Assandro said, because they "got in, fixed the problems ... and got out." And Amber McCann, spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, said Meekhof is "open to discussing how to improve the tools to help communities, but to just repeal the law would be irresponsible." Even before the Flint fiasco, the emergency manager law had been criticized largely as an undemocratic measure that disproportionately affects majority-black areas. A labor union spent more than $1.8 million on a successful referendum to repeal the 2011 law that let managers unilaterally change labor contracts. The current law, which still affords emergency managers significant power, gives local government other options. The law's biggest success story is Detroit, where an emergency manager filed for bankruptcy in 2013 and the city emerged on firmer footing in 2014. The city's school district, however, has been under state management for seven years dating to Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm's time in office, and Snyder is lobbying the Legislature for $770 million over a decade to pay down debt and launch a new district with improved academic performance. Asked in January if the problems in Flint and with Detroit schools made him reconsider the law, Snyder said it has "done many good things in our state in many places." He said no cities have an emergency manager because the law makes it easier to quickly fix finances without constant oversight. Of the three school districts overseen by a state manager, he said, Detroit is "the one case where ... the emergency law has not worked (as) effectively as I would like to see it." Two days before Snyder's Thursday testimony in Washington, Darnell Earley told the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that the primary blame for the crisis lies with state and federal water regulators, saying "but for these failures, we would not be here today." He was the city's emergency manager at the time its water source was switched to the Flint River. The failure to deploy anti-corrosion controls after the switch is considered a catastrophic mistake that enabled lead to leach from aging pipes and reach some homes; the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has acknowledged misreading federal regulations and wrongly instructing the city not to apply corrosion controls. The House committee's Democratic staffers recently interviewed Gerald Ambrose, Flint's final emergency manager before the city began regaining local control nearly a year ago. He once characterized an attempt by a powerless city council to reconnect to Detroit's water system as "incomprehensible," saying water customers could not afford it. Staffers also plan to talk to former manager Ed Kurtz, who, along with the city council, ex-Mayor Dayne Walling and the Snyder administration, approved a move to a new regional pipeline in 2013. Kurtz signed off on using the Flint River as a temporary source. U.S. Reps. Gerry Connolly from Virginia and Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey were among a number of Democrats to sound off on Snyder, with Connolly telling him the emergency manager system is "a failure of a philosophy of governance you advocated" and that "at some point, the buck stops at your office governor." On Friday, Snyder told reporters in Flint that he is open to considering revisions but no changes are planned to the law, which he said "generally" has worked. A California fisherman's beloved German shepherd fell overboard and was presumed drowned. More than a month later, she was found. The 1 -year-old dog named Luna was spotted this week on San Clemente Island, a Navy-owned training base 70 miles off San Diego. The blue-eyed pup disappeared Feb. 10 as Nick Haworth, a commercial fisherman from San Diego, worked on a boat 2 miles from the island. "They were pulling in their traps, and one minute Luna was there, and the next minute she was gone," said Sandy DeMunnik, spokeswoman for Naval Base Coronado. "They looked everywhere for her. They couldn't see her. The water was dark, and she's dark." Haworth notified Navy personnel. "He insisted that he was 90 percent sure that she made it to shore because she was such a strong swimmer," DeMunnik said. Haworth searched the waters for about two days and Navy staff searched the island for about a week but found no sign of Luna. She was presumed lost at sea. Until Tuesday, that is, when staff arriving for work at the island's Naval Auxiliary Landing Field spotted something unusual a dog sitting by the side of the road. Domestic animals aren't allowed on the island for environmental reasons. It was Luna. "She was just sitting there wagging her tail," DeMunnik said. The staff called to Luna, and she came right over. A biologist then examined the dog and found her a little thin but otherwise healthy. "It looks like she was surviving on rodents and dead fish that had washed up," DeMunnik said. Officials called Haworth, who was out of state, working in the middle of a lake. "He was overwhelmed. He was so happy and grateful and thrilled," DeMunnik said. Luna was flown to a Navy base on the mainland Wednesday and handed over to Haworth's best friend, who will care for the dog until Haworth returns Thursday night. Luna, meanwhile, has a souvenir of the experience. Her dog tag was lost but the Navy gave her a new one, DeMunnik said. Along with her name, it bears a key lesson in the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape course taught on the island to Navy and Marine personnel. The tag reads: "Keep the Faith." The movement includes federal lawmakers who are questioning whether to tax colleges on investment profits that can amount to billions of dollars a year. Many students and alumni are making inquiries too, demanding to know whether schools invest in certain industries. Those moves challenge the privacy that has long been granted to university endowments, which are large pools of investments meant to provide financial aid to current students and to sustain the schools for future generations. Endowments face little federal regulation compared with other fundraising institutions. Private foundations, for example, are required to spend at least 5 percent of their assets each year and pay a 2 percent excise tax on investment earnings. Colleges face no spending rules and, because of their educational purpose, are not taxed on their earnings. Despite the calls for transparency, record requests made by The Associated Press to dozens of the nation's wealthiest colleges show a continued push to keep investments secret. Out of 50 public and private universities asked to disclose their investments, 39 schools with combined endowments of $255 billion refused to provide a single record. Four never responded to the requests sent in September. None of the private universities, which are not subject to open-records laws, released any information. Most public universities, which operate with taxpayer money, kept their investments secret. The universities that did provide records in most cases revealed only a small fraction of their portfolios. Colleges drew on a variety of reasons to withhold records. The University of Virginia and four other public universities said they house their endowments in outside foundations that are not subject to open-records laws. Michigan State University, also public, cited a state law that explicitly keeps college investments confidential. Private Vanderbilt University said it made agreements with financial managers not to share investment details. "I think that they go to great lengths to try to isolate themselves," said Neal Stoughton, a professor and director of the Endowment Research Center at Vienna University of Economics and Business in Austria. "They don't want the endowments to be subjected to a lot of political influence, because that's not the way to invest for the long term," he added. "That's not the way to get a higher rate of return." Transparency can also lead to unwanted scrutiny. For instance, Harvard University's investments in the timber industry inspired student protests in 2014, and environmental groups blasted the school for buying land in Africa to be used for commercial farming. Harvard insists that it invests responsibly. The University of California system told one of its student newspapers that it cut investments in the owner of Bushmaster, the maker of the rifle used in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings. The New York Times uncovered the financial tie in 2013. Many colleges contend that disclosing their investment portfolios would risk losing a competitive edge. Instead, most schools issue annual reports with broad information but few details about specific investments. Exceptions include the investment arm of the University of Texas system, which is required under state law to publish its holdings every year. "It's a trade-off between negatively affecting the performance and wanting to fully inform," said Richard Smith, a finance professor at the University of California Riverside who has researched endowments. "Sometimes there's a value in keeping your investment choices secret." Two congressional committees sent letters to the richest private colleges last month asking for a wide range of information about their endowments, including how the schools use endowment assets "to fulfill their charitable and educational purposes." The inquiry was partly meant to determine whether schools deserve the federal tax breaks they receive. Separately, Rep. Tom Reed, a Republican from New York, is drafting a proposal that would require all endowments of more than $1 billion to spend at least 25 percent of their profits every year on financial aid. Reed's goal is to help lower tuition costs for students from working-class families. But as part of his plan, he also hopes to propose stronger reporting requirements to shed light on college investments. "People are concerned. We just don't know where the money's coming from and where it's going," Reed said in an interview. "I think that transparency will go a long way to clean up some abuses in this arena." On campuses, too, students have been pushing for greater transparency. Student groups that oppose the fossil fuel, firearm and other industries say they should have a role in the investment process. At Northwestern University in Illinois, students in the group Fossil Free Northwestern have ramped up protests this year, pressing the private school to disclose its investments and stop supporting coal and oil companies. "There's a really big movement to know exactly what is funding our education and to have some sort of say over that," said Christina Cilento, a group member and junior at Northwestern. Some schools have heeded calls from students and dropped certain investments. Becker College, a small private school in Massachusetts, announced on March 10 that all its investments would "generate a positive impact on society." But often, even the institutions themselves don't know where their money goes, in part because they hire outside managers who constantly buy and sell investments. Additionally, many schools put their money into mutual or hedge funds, which in turn make other investments that can be kept confidential. The issue has flared up at Hampshire College, where a group of students urged the school to ensure that its investments, including in hedge funds, don't support prisons. The private college in Massachusetts passed a policy against prison investments last year but added that there's no way to pinpoint where all of its money lands. In the past, calls for greater transparency have had little success. Last year, state lawmakers rejected a proposal that would have made the public University of Connecticut's endowment subject to open-records laws. In September, private Duke University denied a request from students to release its endowment portfolio, saying there are "genuine concerns such disclosure would reduce competitive advantages." But Reed said he's unfazed by "negative pushback" he has fielded from some universities. "If we're going to have a tax preference given to these colleges," he said, "then we need to make sure we know where those dollars are going." Dr. Herman Melvin Holste was born in Western Kansas on April 25, 1927, one of 11 children. A World War II veteran, he served in the United States Navy and was stationed in the Pacific for two years. Dr. Holste received his bachelors degree at Concordia University, Nebraska, in 1952, where he met his future wife, Barbara Lois Neinas. They married July 3, 1952. He received his Masters of Science in speech and hearing from Washington University, St. Louis, in 1955. He served at the Detroit Lutheran School for the Deaf from 1957 to 1972 in various positions including principal, during which time he received his PhD in audiology-deaf education and administration from Wayne State University. He served as superintendent in special education for the Huron and Sanilac Counties Intermediate School Districts from 1972 to 1982. In 1982, he returned to Detroit to become Director of Detroit Lutheran Special Education Ministries until his retirement in 1990. Passionate about reaching the non-hearing community, Dr. Holste and his wife were called into the mission field in 1994 and worked to establish deaf ministries in Macau, China, for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod on and off for the next 15 years. He loved fishing, camping, hunting, and music. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; and children, James L. Holste (Cathy), Traci M. Schmitt (Fred), and Sarah I. Grafe (Steve); 10 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. Memorials may be directed to: Wellspring Lutheran Services (formerly Lutheran Child & Family Services), 4100 Pier North Blvd., Suite A, Flint, MI, 48054, or to Lutheran Special Education Ministries, 30415 W. 13 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, MI, 48334. To the editor: Are you Republican? Why? The following is a list of items the Republicans have accomplished: 1. Flint: Who is to blame? The Republican administration the ones who kept the problems with Flints water a secret. People and children were put in great danger. 2. Roads: Fixing them was kicked down the road by the Republican administration (our Republicans). 3. Schools: The major cuts in funding of the schools allowed the deterioration of them. 4. Mental health: The proposed cuts in funding will affect those with mental health issues, particularly the poor. Those who need professional help will be left to wander about us, not knowing what to do. They cannot be kept in jails for they are not criminals, but the choices for their care are few. 5. Revenue sharing: Where is the revenue the state administrators keep in Lansing to use for their benefit to pay for their folly. It is our tax money, only the state administration does not share it. Republican? 6. Emergency managers: The emergency managers let their constituents drink poison water, knowing full well the water was not fit to drink or bathe. The emergency managers were Republican appointees. Thanks, Gov. Rick Snyder. You appointed the emergency managers. 7. And now! Snyder has two lawyers appointed to defend him. The lawyers are to be paid $249,000 a piece at taxpayers expense. And there is more coming that will bankrupt Michigan, thanks to the CPA nerd. Well Republicans, are you happy with the achievements of your administration? This is why I am a Democrat. Jack Jensen Pigeon To the editor: With all these pinheads we have running for president, the Democrats and Republicans and the establishment are telling Donald Trump to cool it. What they are really saying is dont deport the illegals, welcome the Muslims and dont build the wall. Then everything will be all right. So one can see they want the same ole thing. They dont want to solve the problems we have. The American people finally realize that we have idiots running this country, including the media. If I was Trump I would deport the establishment and Mitt Romney would be the first one. These thugs are not for the American people. And when they say we have a lot of good Muslims, I dont think so. I want anybody who reads this editorial to name me one clergy Muslim in Dearborn that condemned any brutal killing of any Americans in Iraq in the last 12 years. You wont find one. So are they really our friends? I dont think so. Republicans keep saying Trump isnt a Republican. The Democrats keep saying he is not one of us. What Trump really wants is to fix America, and I dont care what he is. The Democrats and Republicans establishment know that their party is over if Trump becomes president. He is going to bust that bubble they are living in. And thats why they are trying to stop him at all cost. Robert Peruski Ubly GOSHEN A man who shot and wounded another man outside the You You Asian Restaurant and Bar in the Town of Wallkill because he AUSTIN, Texas -- The Department of Homeland Security's top technology leader is serious about figuring out how to connect entrepreneurs and startups to government problems and mold the acquisition process to get funding to them faster. Dr. Reginald Brothers, DHS's under secretary for science and technology, traveled to the South by Southwest Interactive Festival here this week to meet those startups and talk about how his agency wants to work with them to outfit his agency's first responders with top-line technologies. Brothers acknowledged that his agency's acquisition process often takes too long, limiting the possibility for many startups to work with the government. These early-stage companies don't have the time or manpower to dedicate to an extensive proposal process that can take more than a year to go through without knowing if it will result in funding. Thus, the acquisition team at DHS has worked to introduce new contract vehicles to get funding into the hands of startups faster. Brothers said his team has worked with a legal team to see if they could create a process to offer funding in under three months. The answer was yes, he explained to the crowds here, where the uniform of the day is T-shirts and jeans. And the crowds did turn out. Many wondered if conference goers would show up for a government panel headlined by Brothers and a program manager with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The panel started at 9:30 a.m. on the last day of a conference where parties stretch well past midnight. But the room was packed for the panel titled "Become The Next Tony Stark," with plenty of questions about how the entrepreneurs and researchers in attendance could tackle some of Homeland Security's problems. DHS has not gotten as much attention as the Pentagon for its efforts to reach out to smaller companies outside the typical defense industrial base. Much like the DoD, DHS opened an office and established a team in Silicon Valley to make new connections inside the technology hot bed. In Austin, Brothers asked how to define the Homeland Security industrial base. Industrial titans like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Boeing make up the defense base. Brothers told the crowds at SXSW that entrepreneurs and startups make up his agency's industrial base. Brothers understands the power of defense acquisition. He served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for research before taking the assignment to lead Homeland Security's Science and Technology directorate. But he also knows some of its faults. In order to get money in the hands of startups faster, DHS equipped its Silicon Valley office with a contract vehicle that can fund these companies in 30 days. These are not necessarily large contracts -- most have a ceiling of $200,000. Currently, DHS officials have an estimated $20 million to spend on these micro-contracts over the next five years. DHS is using this contract vehicle to target innovation companies in these fields: Internet of Things security (IoTSec), unmanned aerial systems (UAS) Security, aviation security, border security, biological threat defense, counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and support to first responders. Last month, DHS's Silicon Valley Office issued its first contract as part of this program to Pulzze Systems, a Santa Clara-based startup, "to advance detection capability and security monitoring of networked systems, collectively known as the Internet of Things." DHS's pursuit of innovation isn't limited to California, as evidenced by Brothers' trip to Austin. The agency's Science & Technology directorate will pursue technology across a broad audience, including hubs in a variety of cities like Boston, Austin, Pittsburgh, DHS officials said. "The only way we can get these kind of capabilities is if we reach out to everyone," Brothers said. "There's a lot of incredible technology out there and we're working toward reaching as much of it as possible." -- Michael Hoffman can be reached at mhoffman@tandemnsi.com. Despite earlier claims by North Korea that it fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, two US officials tell Fox News that one blew up shortly after lift-off in an embarrassing new twist for the North Korean military. A US defense official Thursday evening said North Korea launched two ballistic missiles, but did not specify how far each missile traveled. Both missiles were Nodong medium-range ballistic missiles, based on the Soviet-era Scud-C missile. "Neither was assessed to be a threat to the US or our regional allies. These launches are a violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions," the official said. Both missiles were launched from mobile road launchers, making it difficult to track their movement since the launchers can be easily hidden. One of the missiles, launched from the west coast of North Korea north of the capital, Pyongyang, flew hundreds of miles into the Sea of Japan, marking a dangerous escalation in North Korea's missile program. The medium-range launch was the first North Korean missile capable of hitting Japan since 2014. This is the second launch of missiles into the Sea of Japan this month by North Korea. In February, North Korea launched a satellite into space on Super Bowl Sunday in the United States. The concern among Pentagon officials is that the same components used to launch the long-range rocket into space are the same components used for an intercontinental ballistic missile. Last week, the US Air Force's top officer told reporters North Korea did not possess the capability to put a nuclear warhead atop one of its long-range ballistic missiles. North Korean leaders a day later said they did. Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said the US military can knock any North Korean ballistic missile out of the sky. On January 6 North Korea claimed to have detonated a hydrogen bomb, a claim later refuted by US officials. President Obama signed authorized new sanctions earlier this week targeting North Korea's coal industry, which some analysts suspect fuels its missile program. An earlier sanctions bill signed by the president in recent days targeted luxury goods consumed by North Korea's elite. The missile launches coincide with annual military exercises between the United States and South Korea involving more than 10,000 troops. Three nuclear-capable B-2 bombers were sent to the region as part of the exercise in a show of force to the North Koreans. Late Thursday, State Dept. spokesman John Kirby said he used the singular when referring to the missile launch. "We have seen reports that North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan," said Kirby. Related Video: The Navy's vice chief of naval operations told lawmakers this week that the service depends on shorter deployments in order to meet readiness recovery targets. During a March 17 hearing by the House Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on readiness, Adm. Michelle Howard said a heavy operational tempo during wartime had taken its toll on Navy fleet and ship readiness. While the Navy had invested heavily in deploying and next-to-deploy units and equipment, she said, that came at the expense of units "on the bench." "Where we've made choices, our ability to surge has become smaller," she said. "We have lowered the readiness of those assets and in some cases the readiness was lowered because we've consumed those assets." Deployments of nine and 10 -- and in some cases, even 11 months -- had taxed fleet readiness over the last decade, Howard said. While the Navy predicted it could perform maintenance and training necessary to return the service to previous readiness rates in a little more than five years, that estimate depends on returning to traditional seven-month deployments, she said. "In order for us to get to an end state where [the] entire fleet is recovered, we have to manage the amount of fleet that's out," Howard said. "We have determined we can have about one-third of the fleet out while we're maintaining and training the rest of the fleet. "But in the end, when you look at a 36-month maintenance-to-deployment cycle, it means our deployments need to be about seven months, in order to get the ships back to get to maintenance, in order to have the time to train the crew back up to their next deployment." According to testimony Howard submitted to the subcommittee, no Navy ship is scheduled to deploy for more than seven months in the coming year. Fiscal 2017 will be the first year in a concerted Navy effort to stabilize deployment length through an "Optimized Fleet Response Plan." Speaking about the plan in February, Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson said the Navy was on track to hit seven-month deployments by the end of 2017. Extended deployments have cut into ship maintenance schedules, and also proved frustrating and exhausting for sailors kept away from their families longer than expected. The Bush Carrier Strike Group finished a nine-month deployment at the end of 2014, one of the longest for a carrier strike group in recent history. The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group spent nearly 11 months at sea in 2012, the longest Navy deployment since World War II. "We have to be disciplined and hang on to that [fleet response plan] in order to get to recovered readiness," Howard said. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@monster.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. Related Video: Officials are investigating an incident involving the death of a Marine recruit at Parris Island, S.C., Military.com has learned. A spokesman for Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, home of the Corps' East Coast boot camp, told Military.com that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service was investigating a March 18 incident at the base, but offered no additional information. "[NCIS] is currently working with military authorities aboard the installation to determine additional details," he said. Deaths at boot camp are rare but not unheard of in the Marine Corps. In 2005, 19-year-old recruit Jason Tharp drowned during water survival training in a tragedy that resulted in an investigation into the conduct of drill instructors at the scene. And in 2009, recruit Adrien Augustin, 20, collapsed and died during a physical fitness test shortly before he was due to graduate. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@monster.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. MINDEF Website is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance from 23 October 2022 0000hrs to 23 October 2022 1200hrs. Updates will be posted on the MINDEF Facebook and Twitter pages during this period. For NS-related queries, please contact NS Call Centre at 1800-3676767 (or +65 6567 6767 from overseas). For MINDEF website-related queries, please contact digitalmedia@defence.gov.sg. For media queries, please contact the Duty Media Relations Officer at +65 9228 6190. We apologise for the inconvenience caused. Thank you. The legislator from Perumbavoor who came out of hiding on Saturday has been suspended from KPCC and DCC for 6 months. Nolan Arenado has quickly blossomed as arguably the best player on the Rockies, but there have been no talks of a long-term deal between the two sides to this point, tweets Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Soon to turn 25 years old, Arenado had a monster season in 2015, batting .287/.323/.575 and leading the NL in homers (42), RBIs (130) and total bases (354) while also earning a Gold Glove. In his first trip through arbitration this winter, the Wasserman client took home a hefty (relative to other first-time arb players) $5MM payday, and hell go through that process three more times due to his status as a Super Two player before hitting the open market following the 2019 season. The Rockies, then, still have plenty of time to talk extension, though the price will only escalate if Arenado keeps producing at that level. More from the NL West Online marketing is gaining traction in Ghana. The days of brick and mortar transactions have been reduced considerably thanks in large part to the Internet. As more companies are adopting Internet marketing practices, it has led to a drive towards developing websites for the purpose of visibility. The growing trend these days is to optimize websites for smartphones. Property expert, Lamudi Ghana , explored some of the reasons and implications for Ghanas real estate and economy. Why the focus on mobile? Mobile Internet use has grown in popularity not only in Ghana, but the entire world. According to search engine giant Google , 10 countries including Japan and the United States recorded more searches on mobile devices than on desktop computers in 2015. In Ghana, the National Communication Authority released its latest report, indicating mobile data subscription figures in the region of 18 million. Per the Ghana Statistical Services estimated population of 27 million, that would mean penetration rate of about 66 percent. This rise in mobile subscription figures coincides with the competitive rates charged by mobile network providers. The trend these days among these networks involves the provision of data bundles for their subscribers. This has led to an increased number of individuals prioritizing their Web time on mobile devices. Collaborative efforts made by the likes of Facebook and Whatsapp with network providers in the country is equally a contributing factor. These collaborations have led to free browsing on their mobile apps, creating a growing opportunity for individuals to choose mobile platforms over desktop. Implication for real estate Many real estate developers and agents have turned to the Internet to enhance their business. A website creates an added advantage of obtaining leads for properties. The challenge for stakeholders in the industry is the shift to mobile. House hunters looking for properties using their smartphones may encounter difficulty with the user experience. This has a propensity to turn away prospective clients. Managing Director of Lamudi Ghana, Akua Nyame-Mensah, spoke of the need for real estate agents and developers to optimize their websites as mobile-friendly to enhance their business. Technology has become fast-paced over the last 15 years. In the 1980s, it could take as long as ten years for a product to evolve. These days, most technological products dont last longer than 3 years, she said. Digital marketing on the other hand evolves almost everyday. It is a marketers task to always stay abreast with changing times. Mobile Internet is gaining momentum and it is up to developers and agents to ensure that their websites are mobile-friendly to ensure customer satisfaction, she said. Aside user experience reasons, Google last year announced that mobile-friendly design will be factored in their search ranking analyses. This means that mobile-friendly websites would be ranked favorably while websites not optimized with mobile design will be downgraded. Website design is not the only changing trend. The growing popularity of Snapchat and Instagram have given real estate developers and agents new channels for marketing. These applications are mobile-based, emphasizing the need for stakeholders in real estate to embrace this growing technology to reach their target audience. What it means for Ghanas economy The growth in digital marketing has not only created more employment, but increased revenue to the state. The Ghana Statistical Service has indicated that the service sector is the biggest contributor to the countrys gross domestic product. With real estate developers and agents adopting mobile Internet practices, it could yield further revenue by way of advertising. The challenge for revenue collectors is in targeting Internet marketing related companies, especially those operating in the country but without offices. Policy makers would have to critically look at this to ensure the state profits from such ventures. 19.03.2016 LISTEN Veteran Ghanaian actress Grace Omaboe, popularly known as Maame Dokono, has debunked media reports claiming that she is seriously ill and needs support and prayers of Ghanaians. In a telephone interview with BEATWAVES, Maame Dokono disclosed that I am not ill. I am alive and doing very well. I don't need money from anybody. I am okay. She pointed out that the story was false and a calculated attempt to tarnish her reputation, adding, I am surprised that somebody will peddle such falsehood about me without seeking clarification from me. The former By The Fire Side hostess said she would soon make public appearance, hinting that everybody should expect her soon on screens in the new Obra series. News was rife in the media last Thursday that the veteran actress was seriously sick and needed support and prayers. Maame Dokono shot into the limelight through By The Fireside and also for her roles in Obra, which were telecast on GTV. 19.03.2016 LISTEN Hostess of Odo Ahomaso on Adom FM and Adom TV, Akumaa Mama Zimbi, is currently in New York attending the 60th UN Commission on Status of Women. Odo Ahomaso is broadcast live on Adom FM from 10:00pm to 12:00 midnight on every Wednesday and Saturday and telecast live from 11:00pm to 1:00am on every Thursday and Friday on Adom TV on Multi TV. She is part of a Ghanaian delegation that includes Nana Oye Lithur, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection. The 60th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is taking place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Representatives of member states, UN entities and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from all regions of the world are attending the session. CSW is the principal global inter-governmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. It is instrumental in promoting women's rights, documenting the reality of women's lives throughout the world and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women. Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL. Ghanaian Highlife musician, Jewel Achah has not seen the best as far as his health status is concerned. He has been battling with stroke for some time now. Talking about his health status in an exclusive interview with Accra based Onua FM with Christian Agyemang, Mr. Achah said he is gradually getting better now by the grace of God. "I have been battling with stroke, leg pain and I mean so many things. I just give thanks to the Almighty God for even bringing me this far. At first I couldn't walk nor speak. For now I am able to walk a little but not all that good as compared to my normal self" When asked whether he has had any help from MUSIGA and GAMRO, Jewel said "yes, all of them they came to visit me". He however expressed his gratitude to the ruling NDC party for their assistance and care they have shown ever since he got sick. "In fact NDC people have helped me a lot. They helped me at the hospital and even brought a lot of provisions to me at home. Now the help is not coming as it used to be at first but I know they will do it. " Jewel Achah has been very active in n the National Democratic Congress'(NDC) especially on their campaign platforms. He is the composer of the anthem of the NDC, 'Arise Arise'. Norway is increasing its humanitarian assistance to the Sahel to NOK 70 million in 2016. 'The humanitarian situation in the Sahel region is dire. Food and nutrition crises, armed conflicts, climate change and rapid population growth are all taking their toll,' said Minister of Foreign Affairs Brge Brende, who visited Mali this week. Mr Brende visited the Malian capital, Bamako, together with Minister of Defence Ine Eriksen Sreide. 'With this significant contribution, Norway is sending a clear signal about its increased humanitarian support to the Sahel countries,' Mr Brende said. The humanitarian assistance provided by Norway will be channelled through the UN, aid organisations and the Red Cross system. Mr Brende also announced support of NOK 70 million for education in the Sahel, and NOK 20 million for efforts to strengthen the police and the judicial system in northern Mali. One in six people in the Sahel does not have enough to eat, and around six million children in the region are suffering from malnutrition. The future prospects of millions of families in the Sahel are very uncertain. In addition to the chronic challenges of food insecurity, malnutrition and epidemics, violent conflicts in the region are forcing growing numbers of people to flee their homes. The UN has estimated that close to USD 2 billion is needed to meet humanitarian needs in the Sahel region in 2016. So far, only 10% of this amount has been provided by international donors. 'Norway shares the international community's concern about developments in the Sahel. The humanitarian needs are immense, as one crisis gives way to the next. Many people are also having to live with the constant threat of violent extremism,' Mr Brende said. The civilian population in the unstable Sahel region has suffered crisis after crisis for many years, as a result of both armed conflict and natural disasters. In several of the countries in the region, governance is weak and there are major humanitarian challenges. At present, the future prospects of the rapidly growing young population are gloomy. This is leading to an increase in migration, and at the same time creating a breeding ground for organised crime, smuggling and terrorism. The scholarships were awarded to sixteen outstanding women with leadership potential and academic excellence to take on Masters degree programs in universities within Cameroon. The event that held at the residence of the British High Commissioner on 8 March; a symbolic date to mark the International Day of the Woman 2016 reiterated UK's commitment in assisting in the achievement SDG5 in Cameroon. Speaking during the award ceremony which was graced by the presence of government officials, diplomatic missions and other stakeholders, the British High Commissioner, H.E. Brian Olley emphasised on the importance of girl child education and its relevance to the development of the country. He said: Education is the foundation upon which future generations can flourish. I am delighted to support Cameroonian women in realizing their ambitions. The Cameroon Women Scholarships is one of the British High Commission Yaounde's projects funded through its Bilateral Programs Fund. It targets women with strong leadership potential, who possess the academic excellence to pursue a Master's degree but face a significant financial barrier to continuing their studies. The scholarship program was initiated thanks to the 2011 Commonwealth Day theme Women as Agents of Change. So far, thirty six women have benefitted from this scholarship scheme since 2012. The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has learnt with deep shock the decision by Morocco to remove 84 people, including AU personnel, from the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), which constitutes a very dangerous precedent that challenges the mandate of the United Nations Security Council in maintaining international peace and security. She emphasizes that the presence and operation of MINURSO in Western Sahara is pursuant to Security Council resolution 690 of 29 April 1991. The Chairperson stresses that this decision by Morocco will further complicate the current deadlock in the peace process, rekindle tensions in Western Sahara, and threaten the regional security at a time when the international community is mobilizing to find a definitive solution to the conflict in Western Sahara in accordance with international legality, including relevant OAU/AU and United Nations decisions. The Chairperson calls, once again, on the UN Security Council to fully assume its responsibility in the matter, by acting under Chapter VII, to demand Morocco to withdraw its decision for the removal of MINURSO personnel. Furthermore, she urges the Security Council to reaffirm the full mandate of MINURSO, including the organization of referendum for Self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. In this respect, the Chairperson stresses the need for the international community as a whole, to continue to provide support, unreservedly, to the ongoing efforts by UN the Secretary-General, Ban-Ki Moon, and his Personal Envoy, Christopher W.S. Ross, towards materializing the solution to the conflict in accordance with international legality. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Nicholas Haysom of South Africa as his Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan. He will succeed Haile Menkerios of South Africa, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedication and commitment. Mr. Haysom, a lawyer with a long international career, has focused on democratic governance, constitutional and electoral reforms, reconciliation and peace processes, including most recently as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) since 2014 and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General of UNAMA since 2012. Previously, he was Director for Political, Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Affairs in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General (2007 to 2012) and Head of the Office of Constitutional Support for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) (2005 to 2007). Mr. Haysom served in the Government of the Republic of South Africa including as Chief Legal and Constitutional Adviser in the Office of the President from 1994 to 1999. He was involved in the Burundi Peace Talks as chair of the committee negotiating constitutional issues, from 1999 to 2002 under the facilitation of the late former President Nelson Mandela, and was the principal adviser to the Mediator in the Sudanese Peace Process from 2002 to 2005. Mr. Haysom earned a degree in law from the Universities of Natal and Cape Town, South Africa. In 2012, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Cape Town. Born in 1952, he is married and has five children. New York, 18 March 2016 United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Reports of torture have increased in Burundi since the beginning of the year and many people there now "live in terror," the UN rights chief said Friday. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein told the Security Council that violence in the African country could spiral out of control and take on "massive proportions." "Continued human rights violations, and impunity for perpetrators, mean that many of Burundi's people live in terror," he told a special council session on the situation in Burundi. "The country remains on the brink of a sudden escalation of violence to even more massive proportions." Zeid said that while data remained imprecise, "we are seeing increased reports of torture and ill-treatment since the beginning of January." A recent visit by UN rights officials to detention centers in the capital Bujumbura found that almost half of detainees had been tortured or ill-treated, some seriously, he said. Burundi has been in turmoil since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced plans in April to run for a third term, which he went on to win. The violence has left more than 400 dead, driven over 240,000 people across the border and fueled fears of mass atrocities in the country. After UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited the country last month, the Burundian government pledged to release political detainees, but Zeid said only 47 people on a list of 125 had been freed. There has been no decline in arbitrary arrests and detention, with 140 cases recorded so far this month, he added. France is working on a new UN draft resolution to boost the UN presence in Burundi and help ensure respect for human rights, Ambassador Francois Delattre said. The council traveled to Burundi in January to press Nkurunziza to open up serious talks with the opposition on ending the violence and to accept an African peacekeeping force, but made little headway. 18.03.2016 LISTEN Ho, March 18, GNA - Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) Vice Presidential Candidate, has said job creation would be the Party's 'single biggest' focus should it win the November General Election. The NPP Government would put in motion a: 'Job Creating Engine' in its first budget to address the country's unemployment challenge, Dr Bawumia said. He said the focus of the NPP Government would be nurturing 'people and business a friendly economy.' Dr. Bawumia was addressing members of the Tertiary Students Confederacy of the NPP (TESCON) from selected institutions in the Region at the Ho Polytechnic. He said the NPP would move away from increasing taxes and focus on production to grow the economy. Dr. Bawumia said the NPP would reduce corporate taxes, give tax credit to companies, which engaged fresh graduates and give tax incentives to investors in the Real Estate sector. All import duties on raw materials and manufacturing equipment the building blocks of the economy would also be abolished, he said. Dr Bawumia reiterated the commitment of the NPP to reinstate allowances to teacher trainees and student nurses and also assured lecturers of their research allowances. Mr Sammy Awuku, the National Youth Organiser of the NPP, said every generation played a role in determining the future of its country and charged the youth to rise up and return the NPP to power to rescue the nation from its socio-economic hardships. Mr Ernest Gaewu, the Ho-Central Parliamentary Candidate for the Party, said the November elections were not about Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo Addo, but about the future of Ghana and urged Ghanaians to vote for change. Dr Archibald Letsa, the Volta Regional First Vice Chairman, NPP, expressed the hope for a landslide victory for the Party. GNA Wa, March 17, GNA - Mr Issahaku Nuhu Putiaha, the Wa Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), has donated assorted drugs valued at GH1,500.00 to help meet the health needs of inmates of the Wa Central Prisons. The donation also includes 200 exercise books to enhance learning. Mr Putiaha said the health of the inmates should be the primary concern of all, hence, the need to support the prison authorities to cater for their health needs. Addressing officers and inmates of the prisons during the presentation on Thursday, Mr Putiaha said there was the need for people to change their attitudes towards prisoners. He added that the prison was a place for transformation and not a place for condemnation, therefore, well-meaning individuals, groups civil society, Ministries, Departments and Agencies must endeavour to contribute their widow's might towards the welfare of the inmates. He said the Municipal Assembly, in collaboration with the National Youth Authority, organised a free health screening in 2014 and 2015 for the inmates and that a similar programme would be held in April this year. The MCE thanked the media for playing a vital role in the development of the municipality. Assistant Director of Prisons (ADP) Mr Victor Douchebe, the Wa Central Prisons Commander, said the prison's sanitation had improved tremendously due to support from the Central Government, decentralised departments and individuals. He commended the MCE for the donation and the media for exposing their challenges which attracted support for them. ADP Douchebe said the prison's school project was about 95 per cent complete and appealed to the MCE to support them with furniture to enable the school to start. The prison currently has a population of 233 inmates out of which 56 are on remand. The MCE later donated learning materials comprising 53,179 note one exercise books, 827 pieces of graph books and 2,600 drama and short story books to the Wa Municipal Education Directorate. The donation is to help improve the quality of learning among basic school children within the Municipality. Hajia Fusata Hamidu, the Wa Municipal Education Director, said the directorate was constrained by logistics adding that the donation came at the right time. She pledged that the learning materials would be put to good use to improve on education. GNA Cape Coast, March 18, GNA - Six persons died while several others were injured on Thursday night when the Sprinter Benz bus and the VVIP Bus on which they were travelling crashed at Buduatta Junction on the Kasoa-Winneba Road in the Central Region. The deceased whose bodies have since been deposited at the Winneba Trauma Hospital Morgue comprised three females and three males. The males comprised both drivers and the mate on the sprinter bus. Ten passengers, who were said to be in critical condition were also rushed to Winneba Trauma Hospital, while six others who sustained minor degree of injuries, were sent to the Winneba Government Hospital for treatment. The Central Regional Manager of National Road Safety Commission, Mr. Stephen Anokye, told the Ghana News Agency that the accident occurred around 23:00 hours. He said the Sprinter bus, with registration number GE5526-15, was heading from Takoradi towards Kasoa, whiles the VVIP Bus with registration number GT6454, was travelling from Accra towards Takoradi. He stated that the driver of the Sprinter on reaching Buduatta Junction, allegedly attempted to overtake a vehicle ahead of it, but lost control of the steering wheel, and crashed into the on-coming VVIP Bus leading to the fatal accident. GNA 18.03.2016 LISTEN Accra, March 18, GNA - The Centre for Local Governance Advocacy has called on the Government to amend Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution and the District Assemblies' Common Fund Act to take out 'rich metropolitan assemblies' off the fund. According to the Centre for Local Governance Advocacy (CLGA), the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) Act, (1994 Act 455) and the DACF distributing formula must be amended. It said the formula used in allocating funds, as it stood now, inures to the benefit of the already rich metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) than the MMDAs in the rural areas who badly needed the funds for development. Dr Eric Oduro Osae, CLGA Board Member, and a Local Government Expert, who said this at the launch of the Fifth Edition of the Decentralisation Eyes, a quarterly newsletter of the CLGA, noted that such rich MMDAs had huge untapped resource base and continuous transfer of the DACF to them was making them adopt a lackadaisical approach to resource mobilisation. He mentioned Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Tema Metropolitan Assembly, Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, and the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan as some of the MMDAs that needed to be taken off the DACF. 'The infrastructural capacities of the newly created districts in 2012 is still crying for support, whereas some are still operating in rented premises, others are operating in only one apartment with almost all the staff living or being accommodated outside the assembly. 'We call on the Government to expedite action on capacitating the newly created districts with the requisite infrastructure and personnel to enable them to deliver on their mandate,' he said. Dr Osae, therefore, congratulated the CLGA for yet another feat, most especially now that the Centre had acquired its own printing facility to help close the information gap on decentralisation implementation in Ghana. The 48-page Newsletter serve as a watchdog on local governance and decentralisation implementation in Ghana and the fifth edition looked at the auditing and financial management challenges of the district assemblies in the Auditor-General's report, among other things. Since its first publication in 2014, it continues to make strides by raising awareness through effective advocacy on issues of policy change and shift for improved local governance. Mr Saaka Sayuti, CLGA Board Member, said the newsletter highlighted issues of decentralisation through evident based research for public discourse. He said: 'Our survival and everyday life depends on how our local government system can provide our basic needs,' and commended the CLGA for its advocacy initiatives to bring to light issues that are not in public domain. GNA Kumasi, March 18, GNA - A Kumasi Circuit Court presided over by Mr. Ekow Mensah, has ordered three women arrested over alleged robbery to be held in prison custody. Together with one other person, a minor, they reportedly attacked and robbed a taxi driver of his cash and mobile phone at knife point. The pleas of Mavis Darkoaa, Sally Sarfo and Abena Asantewaa were not taken and they would make their next appearance on April 8. Their other accomplice, aged 16 years, was however, granted a-GHE10,000.00 bail with two sureties. Police Chief Superintendent Emmanuel Akunnor told the court that the incident happened on March 9, at about 23:30 hours. The accused engaged the services of the victim, Kwadwo Obeng, to carry them in his Toyota Echo taxi from Asafo to Afful-Nkwanta. He said as they neared the Anhwiam Clinic, Darkoaa drew a knife and ordered the victim to put off the car engine, hand over the ignition key, money and everything on him. The accused succeeded in forcibly removing his cash of GHE145.00 and Huawei mobile phone valued at GHE350.00 and fled. Obeng raised the alarm and assisted by passersby, Sarpong was arrested after a hot chase. She led the police to arrest her other three colleagues, the next day. The prosecution informed the court that the docket was being sent to the Attorney-General's Department for advice. GNA New York, March 18, GNA - Ghana has outlined holistic national strategy to combat Child, Early and Forced marriages, to make the practice a high risk marital engagement, and called for collaboration with other African countries. The holistic national strategy include inter-ministerial action, feeding traditional and community leaders with updated information on the harmful impact of the practices, and collaboration with security agencies for enforcement of laws. Other engagements would involve non-governmental and civil society organisations to lead national crusade against the practice, distribution of the comprehensive legal frame work, including the Children's Acts of 1998 that prohibits child marriages. Nana Oye Lithur, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection stated at a breakfast meeting on: 'Ending Child Marriage in Ghana and West Africa,' organised on the sidelines of the on-going 60th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW60) at New York. The Gender Ministry and its collaborators have also an increased community engagement and dialogue with stakeholders, launch intense media campaigns and distribution of mass media communication materials, documentaries and advertisements to thump the message against child marriages. The meeting organised by the Gender Ministry was hosted by Ghana's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, and attended by scores of African Gender Ministers, Development Partners, Diplomatic Community, and development partners including UK, UNICEF, UNDP and civil society organizations. Nana Oye Lithur noted that the Children's Act criminalizes child marriages, apart from entrenching it in the Criminal code. She said Child Marriage was a serious human rights issue which affected the child's education, health, economic opportunities, security of the community and state and contributes to sexual and physical abuse. The Gender Minister noted that other holistic strategy included the setting up of Child Marriage Coordinating Unit; the commissioning of an Advisory Committee; the establishment of a network of stakeholders; and development of a national strategic framework. She said the country had also identified goodwill ambassadors as well as formed network of media allies to champion the campaign. Nana Oye Lithur said coordinated efforts by various stakeholders towards ending child marriage had been increased, whilst social action, acceptance and visibility around investing in and supporting girls had also been put on the radar. Statistics indicates that one out of every five girls was likely to marry before reaching 18 years. 'There is also a regional dimension to this, the rural-urban disparity. So a girl in the rural area in Ghana is more likely to get married twice as much as the one in the urban area. 'So it is 36 per cent against 19 per cent," Nana Oye Lithur said. The Gender Minister noted that some of the driving factors influencing child marriages included teenage pregnancy, fear of stigmatization, protecting virginity and conforming to traditional norms and customary practices. Baroness Sandy Verma, Minister for International Development of the United Kingdom, expressed the support of her government for Ghana's efforts and leadership in galvanizing ECOWAS and the world into action to stop child marriages. Mr. Cornelius Williams, Associate Director, Child Protection of UNICEF, contributing to the discussion, said the mere passing of laws do not stop the issue of child marriages but the effective implementation of best practices and existing laws were the best antidotes to the issue. Ms Julia Duncan-Cassell, Liberian Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, condemned child marriages and supported Ghana's call for a regional approach in solving the problem. She said the perpetrators were likely to move to other areas or countries without effective implementation or checks to carry out their nefarious activities. 'We respect our traditions and culture, but those harmful practices that affect our people and girls must be stopped,' Ms Duncan-Cassell stated. Mr. Moribadjah Keita, Director of Regional Action to Protect Children in Guinea, supported efforts to stop early marriages through a concerted regional solution since the problem was a common one that required all hands on deck. Ms Edwidge K. M. Mutale, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Gender, Zambia said the use of chiefs and other community leaders to tackle the problem had proven to be an effective way of solving the problem of child marriages in Zambia. Sharing the Zambia experience, she noted that the problem of early or child marriage was more prevalent in the rural areas, where the chiefs and other traditional leaders have a lot of influence, hence the use of chiefs as agents of change. Mrs Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Ghana's Permanent Representative to the United Nations said "the incidence of conflicts, disasters and emergencies tend to aggravate child marriage. She said it affected the physical and psychological healthy development of the girl child, while at the same time consigned them to a cycle of poverty and often social isolation. Mrs Pobee said Ghana was using the international platform to engage donors and partners for the effective implementation of the campaign in Ghana and also serve as a platform for the ECOWAS Ministers and experts to discuss the development and adoption of an ECOWAS resolution on child, early and forced marriage. by Francis Ameyibor, GNA Special Correspondent, UN New York Kumasi, March 18, GNA - Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have been admonished to be bold to divulge their independent investigative findings on the general conduct of a given elections in the country, to help establish its credibility or otherwise. Mr. Kwesi Jonah, Senior Research Fellow of the Institute of Democratic Government (IDEG), said CSOs have since 2008 been in the business of monitoring Ghana's electoral process from start to finish through donor funding and had every valid evidence of an electoral process from start to finish. 'Their evidence could also be authenticated by the Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT), another independent ballot tabulation arrangement which is always done by the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO). 'But they are often 'tight-lipped' for fear of incurring the wrath of the ones the information would not be in favour of' adding that this puts the credibility of the elections on the line. Mr. Jonah who is also a Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Ghana, Legon, was presenting a paper on 'Towards Free, Fair and Undisputed Elections - the role of Civil Society Organisations and political parties, at a day's media convention organized by the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA), in Kumasi It is the second in three series funded by the Us Embassy and brought together more than 50 journalists from the Ashanti Region. 'Media for an undisputed and Peaceful 2016 Elections', was the theme and the goal was to create a platform for the journalists to share their experiences in the 2012 Elections and identify some of the practices that disturbed their operations among other things. Turning to political parties he said all had a duty to pool together to protect the peace in the country whiles making the elections a huge success by adhering strictly to the legal framework proffered for the elections. 'How free or fair an election was did not depend on who won or lost, but a strict observance to the governing rules and regulations', he added. Dr Roland Affail Monney, President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), said this year's election is very crucial and journalists should therefore not have the luxury to 'tinker with the truth'. He advised the media to always uphold factual accuracy, be balanced and fair in their reportage whiles educating the people to make informed choices. The first in the series of the convention was held in Takoradi and the third would be held in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region. GNA 18.03.2016 LISTEN Accra, March 18, GNA - The Christ Apostolic Church International has asked every Ghanaian to make a significant contribution towards the achievement of a successful and peaceful general election in November. Addressing the opening ceremony of the Ministerial and General Council Meeting of the Church in Accra, the Chairman, Apostle Dr Stephen Kwame Ntow Amoani, said there were some pertinent national issues, which could tear the nation apart if they were unattended to. 'These include political intolerance and violent behaviour, pockets of which we have witnessed in recent times in different parts of the country,' he said. 'It behoves every Ghanaian, therefore, to make a commitment to act positively for the good of the nation, while we pray that the elections are organised peacefully and devoid of the acrimony, violence and malpractices, that have characterised many similar elections elsewhere, especially in Africa', Apostle Amoani said. Apostle Amoani, thereby, appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC) to exhibit fairness, firmness and transparency, while its officials exhibited neutrality and independence. He emphasised: 'To my compatriots, take note that the success or failure of the elections depends on all of us. The clergy, judiciary, professional bodies, religious bodies, civil society, various interest groups and the electorate in general should all play our respective roles effectively and honestly. 'We should also vote for people of integrity and proven abilities and capabilities, and at the end of the process, accept the results and the decisions of the electorate in good faith.' The 2016 General Council Meeting, which was on the theme, 'The Power of God in Nation Building', was attended by more than 500 delegates made up Reverend Ministers, Pastors, Elders, Deacons and Deaconesses from Ghana, Togo and Cote d' Ivoire. The meeting is organised annually to deliberate the activities of the Church in the past year, especially on what should be done to ensure Church Growth and Development, and Nation Building as a whole. 'The Government should also do well to provide adequate resources 'timeously' and resist the temptation of abusing its incumbency,' Apostle Amoani said. He appealed to the media to show decorum in their reportage and avoid sensationalism. 'The provision of fair coverage to all the contestants should be pursued by both the electronic and the print media, especially the state-owned media, he said. 'The banning of activities of all political vigilante groups by the Police during the election is, therefore, highly commendable since they could be a recipe for derailing the process.' On the religious scene, Apostle Amoani denounced the unprecedented parading of charlatans claiming to be 'prophets with unequalled spiritual power,' which he said, was gradually denting the image of Christianity. 'We condemn in no uncertain terms of the unethical and immoral behaviour of these so-called prophets and men of God whose discreet interest is to amass wealth at the expanse of the unsuspecting citizens of this country,' he stated. 'I call on all bible-based believers and genuine Christians to express disgust at the turn of events, which have the tendency of not only bringing our faith into disrepute but also ridiculing our hard-won reputation built on moral uprightness and virtues. 'I also urge all Christian leaders to speak against this unacceptable behavioural ineptitude and absurdity. We should go further to bring pressure to bear on the Government to regulate the springing up of mushroom churches and religious organisations, which eventually tarnish the image of our dear nation, Ghana.' Apostle Amoani said, 'It is also my desire that we pool our resources and energies together to perhaps sponsor a proposal for bill to Parliament to ensure that activities of such vampires in the society are exposed and nibbed in the bud. ' We believe we can overcome these negative tendencies only when we rediscover our God-given authority and power as salt and light, to impact our generation.' GNA Accra, March 18, GNA - The Watt Club of the Heriot Watt University (HWU) Edinburgh, Scotland has been inaugurated in Accra to offer educational assistance to students who are doing their MBA in Business and its related fields. The Club brings together all graduates of the Edinburgh Business School (EBS), a faculty of HWU to offer MBA, MSc and DBA programmes in specialism in Financial Management, Human Resource Management, Marketing and Strategic Planning. Dr Noah Kofi Karley, Promotional Representative of HWU and EBS in Ghana, told the GNA in interview that Ghanaian residing students of the EBS write the same examination as students in the EBS, Scotland. 'EBS provides flexible education for very busy people that are working and can't dedicate much time for studies abroad. Due to this, students can enroll in EBA Scotland and study in Ghana and write the same exams with the EBA Scotland students,' he said. He said it becomes challenging for the Ghanaian students to learn on their own and write the same exams with students who had gone through series of lectures; hence the need for the Watt Club to equip them for their examinations. Dr Karley said: 'One good thing about the EBS programmes is that if you are too busy travelling and therefore cannot sit up for an exam, you can arrange to sit for the exam in most countries - whether New York, Shanghai, or Nigeria because the same exam is written in 166 countries'. He also explained that the Karley Executive Development (KED) Institute in Ghana had obtained an accreditation from the National Accreditation Board to operate and run courses; thus it will be possible for EBS students to attend seminars at the Institute in preparation for their exams. He said: "someone can stay in Ghana, study at Edinburgh and attain the same qualification as someone who goes to spend years in the faculty after having written their final exams at the British Council to be taken to the United Kingdom for marking." Dr Karley said EBS currently has over 45 graduates and 95 students residing in Ghana with a number of students still enrolling, adding that EBS has a scholarship scheme for bright but needy students. Mr Eric Nii Ashitey, Ambassador of Ghana Watt Club, said currently they had extended membership of the club to include over 45 EBS graduates and about 100 existing EBS students based in Ghana. Speaking on the theme, 'Flexible Education that enhances World Class Human Capital', Mr Ashitey said the time one spent in pursuit of higher education was transformative in the sense that the exposure to new ideas, people and perspectives changed the way one saw him or herself and the world. 'I hope you will remain proud members of the Watt Club and take full advantage of the great number of events that we expect to undertake going forward,' he said. He explained that the programmes offered in the school aimed at providing opportunities to connect with fellow Heriot Watt and EBS students and alumni, share memories and maintain connections to the University. Participants at the inauguration ceremony included the International Recruitment Officer of Heriot Watt University, Planning Committee Members of the EBS, Alumni and students of the EBS Ghana. Dr Isaac Ani, the Guest Speaker, congratulated the members and urged them to make good use of a flexible education system, noting that it enabled one to complete his or her education in the most convenient way possible whilst holding on to their employment. He said there was no language barriers as many of the courses by EBS were studied in a choice of language, including English, Chinese, Spanish, Russian and Arabic. GNA Parliament has advised the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, to immediately withdraw a moratorium he has placed on the export of raw cashew nuts which is to take effect from March 31, 2016. It said the suspension was illegal and would negatively affect cashew farmers in the country. It warned that if the minister failed to heed the call of members within the next few days, the House would, by a resolution, pass a vote of censure for the revocation of his appointment by the President, in line with Article 82 of the 1992 Constitution. The House made the decision after the Deputy Majority Chief Whip, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, drew the attention of members to the illegality of the decision through an urgent statement he made on the floor yesterday. Minister's directive The minister's directive which was made available to the House by Mr Ibrahim, read: "The Ministry of Trade and Industry with oversight responsibilities for Trade emulations and controls under the Import and Export Law Act (503) Section (13) of 1995 as amended in 2000 has issued the following administrative directives on the purchase and export of raw cashew nuts.' 'Henceforth, all traders and processors are to note that they are allowed to purchase raw cashew nuts during the main harvesting season from January to June but export of raw cashew nuts is permitted only after May 31 onwards. 'Any raw cashew nuts that are brought to the ports or borders of Ghana for export between March 31 and May 31, 2016 shall be confiscated to the state. 'The public is hereby obliged to take note and comply with this directive. 'It has been noted with concern that as much as 95 per cent of Ghana's total production of cashew nuts, estimated at 68,000 metric tonnes, in its raw form is sent overseas for processing.' 'Processing of raw cashew nuts into cashew kernels in Ghana increased from 425 metric tonnes in 2009 to 17,600 metric tonnes but reduced to 2,500 metric tonnes in 2015. This implies that the industry is operating below capacity. 'Local processors are unable to obtain adequate supply of raw materials for processing due to intensive competition, with purchases from traders at the farm gate. 'This situation is stifling the ministry's objective of promoting value addition under the National Export Development Programme. 'The survival of the industry which is processing cashew in Ghana is on the brink of collapse and will only survive on the availability of adequate supply of raw cashew nuts for processing," the ministry said. Constitutional provision Article 82 of the 1992 Constitution states: "Parliament may, by a resolution supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds of all the members of Parliament, pass a vote of censure on a Minister of State. (2) A motion for the resolution referred to in clause (1) of this article shall not be moved in Parliament unless- (a) seven days' notice has been given of the motion; and (b) the notice for the motion has been signed by not less than one-third of all the members of Parliament; (3) The motion shall be debated in Parliament within fourteen days after the receipt by the Speaker of the notice for the motion. (4) A Minister of State in respect of whom a vote of censure is debated under clause (3) of this article is entitled, during the debate, to be heard in his defence. (5) Where a vote of censure is passed against a minister under this article the President may, unless the minister resigns his office, revoke his appointment as a minister. (6) For the avoidance of doubt this article applies to a deputy minister as it applies to a minister of State.' Ibrahim's statement Mr Ibrahim said the cashew sector held much promise and potential, adding that production of the crop was providing income to the poor in communities such as Sampa, Banda, Hani, Debibi, Wenchi, Kintampo and Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region and Bole and Bambo in the Northern Region, among other areas. The crop, he said, had, however, suffered a major price reduction from GH4.50 per kilogramme to GH2.50 per kilogramme within one week as a result of Mr Spio-Garbrah's "illegal" directive. "Under what law is the ministry going to confiscate raw cashew nut without due process?" he asked. According to Mr Ibrahim, who is also the member of Parliament for Banda, the cashew industry is a private sector one with a liberalised environment. The situation, he added, had attracted most of the youth into cashew production due to high prices. "Mr Speaker, if we want to protect the few processing companies in the country, it must not be at the expense of the poor farmers who constitute the majority of the players in the industry. Honestly this directive has brought untold hardships to the poor farmers. The timing of the directive is wrong as most traders have already pre-financed farmers," he said. Mr Ibrahim said if the minister was bent on implementing such a policy, he should have sought legal backing and educated the cashew farmers on the issue. He pointed out that the decision would create a monopoly for processors of the crop and added that policy makers needed to study and implement other policies. Leadership The Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, accused the minister of acting like 'Don Quixote' and said if the minister dared disobey the House, it would invoke Article 82 of the 1992 Constitution. He said the directive had no legal basis and was arbitrary. The Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said the House could summon the minister or cause a motion to be filed to ask him to withdraw the directive. If he fails to withdraw, he said, Parliament would initiate the process to have him impeached. All other members who contributed to the statement emphasised the illegality of the minister's action and said it needed to be withdrawn or sanctions applied. Some members of the Scottish Parliament have called on their government to confront President John Dramani Mahama on alleged abuses of alleged gays and lesbians in Ghana. This follows a visit by President Mahama to the Scottish Parliament on Thursday as part of his visit to Scotland. According to the MPs, an invitation to President Mahama to address them undermines the safety of the Scottish parliament for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. A Guardian report said President Mahama received muted applause from the Holyrood chamber as he listened to FMQs, but a meeting with opposition leaders was cancelled. After the Scottish parliament's presiding officer, Tricia Marwick, said she would 'extend the hand of friendship' to Mahama, members of the Scottish Greens, including their co-convenor Patrick Harvie, who is gay, wrote to her on Wednesday to urge caution. They said: 'We believe that the Scottish parliament should be a place where everyone can feel safe. Yet the invitation to President John Dramani Mahama to address MSPs can only undermine this, given his full support for the horrific discriminatory laws towards the LGBT community in his country.' Ghana is one of 75 countries around the world where it is still illegal to be gay, carrying a sentence of up to three years in prison. While the director of Stonewall Scotland, Colin Macfarlane, acknowledged 'some promising statements from President Mahama criticising violence against LGBT communities', he went on to call for the Scottish government to recognise its 'important responsibility to help advance the protection of LGBT rights across the world'. Responding to calls from opposition leaders, a Scottish government spokesperson confirmed that the first minister would 'share her strong view that the Commonwealth values of humanity, equality and tolerance are universal values' during the president's visit. Naomi McAuliffe, Amnesty International's programme director in Scotland, said her organisation received regular reports that LGBT people faced police harassment, while repressive attitudes towards LGBT Ghanaians meant they were vulnerable to discrimination and physical attacks. This was against a background of the use of torture and ill-treatment by police and intelligence services, alongside widespread violence against women and girls. McAuliffe said: 'We understand opposition leaders and MSPs choosing not to meet President Mahama during his visit to the Scottish parliament as Ghana's human rights record has serious failings. However, we are not calling for a boycott of the visit as we view this as an opportunity to raise our concerns about LGBTI discrimination, violence against women and girls, and the use of torture. Nicola Sturgeon's commitment to raising 'values of humanity, equality and tolerance' is welcome and we look forward to hearing about any positive interventions.' Mahama's visit to Scotland will also entail him receiving an honorary degree from the University of Aberdeen on Friday. The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Seth Terpker, has justified the increases in taxes, saying the country needs to mobilise enough revenue for development. 'The challenges we faced during the energy crisis, which has minimised now, and the loan we obtained from IMF show clearly that we need a revenue mobilisation strategy and the easiest of the options is to increase taxes,' Mr Terkper said. He made this known in a speech read on his behalf at the ceremony for opening the induction course to initiate new members into the accountancy profession. The two-day event was held for the 350 new members of the Institute of Chartered Accountant, Ghana, after they had passed the institute's professional examinations. The members were taken through the principles of ethical behaviour, stress management and how to invest in professional excellence, as well as an exposure on sections of the Chartered Accountant Act170. Austerity measures needed As part of the measures to increase taxes, a new Income Tax Act, 2015 (Act 896) that allows tax increases was introduced by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) this year. An Energy Sector Levies Act 2015 (Act 899) which imposes some levies on electricity and petroleum products was also introduced this year. These increases in taxes and introduction of new ones have been resisted by the public and industry players, especially the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) and the Ghana Association of Industries (AGI). Mr Terpker, however, said national and economic development could only be made possible with the payment of taxes. He added that in Ghana, the introduction of tax reforms had met some resistance and in some cases rancour, which he said were expected. He argued that austerity measures had become necessary to keep the ship afloat and that 'these measures are not pleasant in themselves but in the long term government is hopeful that the results will provide sufficient evidence as proof.' He further commended the ICAG for its role in organising activities for the human capital development of professionals in the accountancy field and urged the new accountants to live a life above reproach and a life worthy of emulation as expected of professional accountants. Corruption becomes endemic The President of the ICAG, Professor Kwame Bosiako Omane-Antwi, urged the inductees to uphold the integrity of the profession and help deal with the corruption menace which had engulfed the country. He urged the new accountants to join forces to help deal with the corruption menace, which he said had tainted Ghana and robbed it of the needed development and progress. Prof. Omane-Antwi asked the accountants to bear in mind that the profession was guided by the principles of integrity, objectivity, professional competence, confidentiality and professional behaviour. ICAG support elections He reiterated the ICAG's promise to the Electoral Commission to support the Returning Officers in their role during the 2016 general election. 'As professional accountants, it is our civic responsibility and duty to help collate figures and thereby provide added assurance during the declaration of results,' he added. President John Dramani Mahama has stated that Ghana's six successive elections are a testament to how Africa is emerging. Addressing the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh yesterday, he said this year's elections, like the previous ones, would be free, transparent and peaceful. 'It is our determination to continue this tradition and maintaining Ghana as a model of democracy and constitutional governance in Africa,' he said. The President, who is on a three-day official visit to Scotland, said Ghana had played a laudable role in the progress of the African continent and would continue to do even better. He stated that Africa was building a democracy that would form the basis for the growth and prosperity of its people. The process of continental integration, the President said, was significant to maintaining the success of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Economy Touching on the Ghanaian economy, the President said under his administration, the country was working to diversify the economy. That would transform the country from a primary commodity export economy to an export-led value-added one. And on the transformation agenda, he said Scotland provided a good opportunity for collaboration to develop the manufacturing sector. Education President Mahama mentioned the significant role Scotland had played in providing quality higher education to Ghanaians since 1926 when Scotland received its first Ghanaian student. A good number of Ghanaian professionals working in the oil and gas industry received their training in Scotland. He said the Scotland-Ghana Society represented one of the strongest examples of the friendship between the two countries. Rawlings and Otumfuo He said he was happy to be in the Scottish Parliament after the visit by former President Jerry John Rawlings in 2000. President Mahama also expressed appreciation to the University of Glasgow for the recognition it gave to former President Rawlings during his visit and subsequently to the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Honorary Doctor of Law degrees were conferred on them. Response President Mahama was welcomed to the Scottish Parliament by the Presiding Officer, Ms Tricia Marwick, who wanted to see improved growth in relations between Scotland and Ghana. The Agona Swedru Divisional Command of the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) has arrested Jordan Larbi, the Managing Director (MD) of Jorbies Microfinance Company Limited, for allegedly duping his clients of more than GHC300, 000. Larbi, 43, reportedly bolted with the fixed deposits and savings of his customers after his company had operated at Agona Swedru and its neighbouring districts for about two years. Briefing the media after the arrest, the BNI said the customers of Jorbies Microfinance reported that the MD and his staff had suddenly closed their offices and they could not be traced. The BNI said after the DKM saga in Brong Ahafo, officers of the BNI Command were tasked to monitor the operations of the existing microfinance operators in the Agona West Municipality and adjoining districts. He said on March 15, the MD of Jorbies Microfinance was spotted around the premises of Agona Swedru High Court. The BNI said Larbi was nearly lynched after the news of his arrest became public, but BNI Officers managed to whisk him away from a mob attack. The National Security Agency urged those who had deposited monies with Jorbies Microfinance to make official complaints against the MD, while investigations continued. It warned microfinance operators in the Agona West Municipality and the adjoining districts under the Divisional Command operating without license from the Bank of Ghana (BOG) to cease operations before the law caught up with them. Ghana , the rich land of culture and heritage is blessed with many natural resources, unique tourist sites, amazing history and tradition. However, many Ghanaians and foreign travellers are used to just a few popular tourist attractions. Many visitors or tourists come to Ghana with particular tourist destinations in mind. Fortunately, there are several other amazing tourist sites in Ghana that holiday makers, travellers and tourists can visit and enjoy. Although they are not so popular to many, they possess great sentimental and historic value and a visit to these places will leave you in awe as to why they are not being developed and publicised. On a cool monday morning, a day after Ghanas 59th independence anniversary, a group of adventurous tourists from different backgrounds and different age groups embarked on a journey. The journey which was organized by CitiFM and sponsored by Jovago ,Sasso, Top oil, Ghana commercial bank ltd and Colgate was dubbed the Heritage Caravan Tour. The Caravan which toured 8 regions in 7 days was an eye-opener for many who saw Ghana in a very different way. Day1 Adaklu Mountains - Ho (Volta region) This great mountain in the volta region of Ghana is backed by great history and members on board the caravan had the chance of listening to the great stories and take pictures while enjoying the ambience. The time of day wasnt very convenient for climbing hence most of the time was spent at the base of the mountain listening to the history of the Adaklu people and the myth surrounding the mountain. As legend may have it,the people of Adaklu came to settle at the base of a mountain for a long time and were afraid to go up the mountain because it was occupied by a very fierce monster. A brave hunter among them one day decided to fight the monster and after several hours of fighting,he killed the monster.He then relocated to the top of the mountain for several years before he finally came down to settle with the indegens. Indeed a very fascinating story. The Caravan then moved to New Abiriem where the tourists lodged for the night at the Obaas Golden Plaza Hotel. Day 2 Manhyia Palace - Kumasi (Ashanti Region) The second day started with much bliss and momentum as participants sang songs on the caravan from New Abiriem to Kumasi. It was a long and rough journey as the roads were very bad for most parts. Eventually after about 3 hours, the caravan arrived in Kumasi where the tourists made a first stop at the Rattray Park, a fun and recreational centre in Kumasi where they met the Mayor of Kumasi briefly; before they had a tour of the ultramodern facility. There is no visit to Kumasi without a taste of fufu, hence the caravan moved to the township to have heavy lunch of fufu and soup while a few others had banku. It was now time for the main deal. The caravan moved to the Manhyia Palace, home of the Asantehene. Here they were given a tour of the Manhyia Palace Museum. With the guide showing a video of the history of the Ashanti Kingdom , past kings, culture, heritage and tradition. The tour then ended with tourists being taken into the museum to see first hand the different monuments and items belonging to past kings and warriors of the Ashanti Kingdom. The team then retired to bed after a night of Karaoke. Day 3 Dakpemas Palace - Tamale (Northern Region) After Ashanti history and culture, it was time to visit the Northern Region. Pride of Northern Ghana. Most of the road was tarred, thus the journey to Tamale was long but smooth Although the caravan arrived very late in Tamale, there was just enough time to have a very delicious meal of Tuo Zaafi. A very beautiful cultural display had been prepared for the tourists at the Dakpemas Palace. After paying regards to the Chief, the tourists were treated to a wonderful display of the Damba Dance and other local traditional dance routines. It was enjoyable and very eye-catching. A colourful display of drumming, dancing and singing. The people of Tamale are indeed very entertaining. The caravan then retired to bed. The next morning, before the trip to the brong Ahafo Region, the caravan made a stop at the Tamale Cultural Centre where tourists took time to buy a few cultural items on display. These included the traditional smock (fugu), straw hats, anklets, bangles, leather bags and wallets among others. In all, it was a great experience for everyone on the Caravan at Tamale. The journey has been good so far, watch out for the concluding part of the heritage caravan diaries. 19.03.2016 LISTEN A 21-year-old student of the All Nations University College in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital, has been arrested for engaging in illegal connection of electricity costing the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) an amount of GH3,417.70. David Ekemiy, currently caged in the Effiduase police cells, was busted at his residence, Rasta Down, near Koforidua Polytechnic, on Friday during a routine patrol by a team of the Regional Loss Control Unit (LCU) of the ECG, with the assistance of the police. During the exercise, the LCU team detected that David had connected portions of his loads (gadgets) to electricity without passing through the meter. The ECG regional General Manager, Ing. Michael Baah, told DAILY GUIDE that the estimated units lost as a result of David's action, were about 6,000 and that the company was taking tough measures to retrieve all the debts owed by customers. According to him, the ECG had been recording lots of losses in the region due to the illegal activities of power thieves. . Ing. Baah reiterated that his outfit was resolved to ensure that those caught in the act of illegal power connection face the full rigours of the law. The regional ECG boss said the practice was becoming too rampant in the region and that it was time the culprits were apprehended and prosecuted. He therefore cautioned customers of the ECG to desist from power theft and also pay their bills to enable the company serve them better. David Ekemiy will be put before court on Monday. FROM Daniel Bampoe, Koforidua 19.03.2016 LISTEN SOMETIMES, institutions in Ghana behave in such a strange manner that I am left scratching my head. Take the National Security Council, one of the most august institutions in the country. Under the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act 1996 (ACT 526), the Council consists of: the president; the vice-president; the ministers of foreign affairs, defence, interior, and finance and such other ministers as the president may determine; the chief of defence staff and two other members of the Armed Forces; the Inspector-General of Police and two other members of the Police Service, one of whom shall be the Commissioner of Police responsible for Criminal Investigations Department; the Director-General of the Prisons Service; and the Directors of External Intelligence; Internal Intelligence; and Military Intelligence; the Commissioner of Customs, Excise and Preventive Service; and three persons appointed by the President. It can be seen from its composition that the National Security Council was meant to bring enormous professional expertise to bear on all issues concerning the national security of Ghana. And yet, one wonders whether it was ever asked for its view on the single most dangerous act ever taken by a government of Ghana, in relation to what constitutes an external threat to the security of the country. Undoubtedly, this is the acceptance into Ghana of the two Gitmo ex-detainees sent to us by the United States government. We do not know whether the Council was formally consulted about this action by the Ghana government. If it was, and it acquiesced to the action, then we must conclude that this hugely prestigious institution that boasts of such experienced security professionals on its ranks is yet another body in our political system that rubber-stamps the decisions of the president. We do know that the Cabinet is as toothless as a dog that has tried to catch one porcupine too many. And that Parliament, by allowing itself to be bullied into sitting in secret on the Gitmo-2 matter, did noble its own ability to protest against the governments action. But have the claws of the security professionals also been broken? The question lends itself to examination because of the sequence in which the events that concern Ghanaian citizens about the security of their country, has occurred. Strangely, we were not given any guidance, whatsoever, by the National Security Council, on why in its professional view, the acceptance of the Gitmo-2 in early January 2016, posed no security threat to Ghana. Despite the past deeds of the two fugitives. But no sooner had what might be termed an ancillary development, that is, the attack on Grand Bassam, in the Ivory Coast, by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), occurred than the National Security Council found its voice. It issued a statement urging the Ghanaian populace to be on the lookout for people who might perpetrate a similar attack on Ghana. The National Security Council now called for public vigilance, and observed that in the Councils view, Ghana faces a credible terrorist threat. It then advised the general public to be cautious and curious, and to report any suspicious activities to law enforcement agencies. This conclusion, the Council said, was reached after the Council reviewed the security situation in the country in the wake of an upsurge of terrorist attacks in the West Africa sub-region Mali, Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire, and current intelligence on extremist activities in the region. The statement added that the meeting also reviewed Ghana's anti-terrorism preparedness, joint services operations and other measures to ensure the safety of the citizenry. Ei, so the Council can speak? Plenty like that? Ahah! But I am afraid the Councils statement swerves Ghanaians regarding its views on the Gitmo-2. You see, an attack on the Ivory Coast should, normally, not cause much concern to the government of Ghana. Why? Because the Ivory Coast endured periods of actual civil war between 2000 and 2011, without any of it ever spilling into Ghana, despite our proximity to that country. Why should the Grand Bassam attack then be viewed differently? The elephant in the room which the National Security Council failed to say anything about, is the Gitmo-2 issue. By accepting them, Ghana has definitely put itself on the list of AQIMs potential targets. For AQIM is primarily interested in alliances struck to combat it at the global level. In that reasoning, it was because of the Ivory Coasts alliance with France that Grand Bassam was hit, not because of its internal politics although that is messy enough. And if the analysis of the Ghana National Security Council is to carry verisimilitude, then that fact should concern the Council, inasmuch as its main function is to consider appropriate measures to safeguard the internal and external security of Ghana. The threat to security in Ghana that led the Council to issue its statement, does have a causative factor, it is, in other words, the consequence of the acceptance of the Gitmo-2 into Ghana. Anyone who thinks that the above analysis is over-stretching the point should ask himself: why has the United States army publicly advised its officials not to travel, except on official duty, to five West African countries, INCLUDING GHANA? . The four other countries are Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast all countries that have suffered AQIM attacks in recent months. Why is Ghana on the list? The significance lies in the fact that Ghana is not the only country in West Africa that has borders with the other four that have experienced AQIM attacks: both Benin and Togo also have borders with some of them. But Benin and Togo were not included in the American travel advisory. Which means that factors other than the merely geographical were taken into account by the American military in drawing up their list. It is Ghanas newly-acquired status as a country in which AQIM has reason to be interested that earned it a place on the American list. Which is diabolically ironical. For it is the unkindest cut of all, if ever there was one. Without the presence of the Gitmo-2, Ghana would no doubt have retained its placid, unremarkable stance along with Togo and Benin as a country that dey bi keke [of no particular relevance to anything happening elsewhere].The Americans, having brought us the Gitmo-2, now say their military personnel may not visit Ghana except on official duty. Their lives are precious, right? What about the lives of the Ghanaians on whom theyve imposed the Gitmo-2? In traditional Ghanaian society, if someone to whom youve done a favour repays you with an action that is harmful to you, you give him thanks. Do I see President John Dramani Mahama, trailed by his Cabinet and members of the National Security Council, trooping to the American embassy to render thanks unto Uncle Sam? By CAMERON DUODU www.cameronduodu.com 19.03.2016 LISTEN The rainy season might be a few months away, monition of what it holds in stock for residents of Accra are too glaring to be hidden. A dress rehearsal of sorts has been witnessed and if it is anything to go by, barring a credible forecast to the contrary by the Ghana Meteorological Services Agency (GMSA), this year's chapter could be heavy and not without consequences. I am not forecasting. Who am I to do so when state salaried meteorologists are around to feed us with such critical information as they have always done over the years? What is the essence of such forecasts anyway when they do not influence exigent reaction from the city authorities? The first post-harmattan downpour is usually brief and not known to be followed by a number of deluges and weather akin to the rainy seasons as witnessed a few days ago when the North-East Trade Winds ended with the first rain in 2016. There have been excessive temperature rises and I would not have been surprised had people experienced heat waves. People have complained about the heat unable to recall any parallel in previous years. Only a few have paused to ask whether we too are witnessing the aftermath of global warming in our part of the world. Such subjects sound distant and abstract usually left to the academics to manage. We too must be real and join the rest of the world in contributing our quota towards mitigating the effects of global warming and avoiding things which have impacted negatively on the weather. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity of traveling by road to the North and the usually green and lush vegetation especially in the Eastern and Ashanti regions as we drove on was brownish. I was amazed at the largely dried vegetation and the fact that this is an unusual phenomenon occurring at a time when world politics has focused on how to arrest the declining weather patterns. From the savannah grassland of the Accra plains to the tropical rainforest to the transition zone in the Kintampo area and eventually the savannah grassland of the north, the reality of altered world weather was visible. All of us have contributed towards the worrying state of the world today. From those who dump garbage in gutters to those who burn forests so they can catch rats and make charcoal, all have contributed to the vagaries of the weather. A few weeks ago, a desilting exercise was captured pictorially when earthmoving equipment were deployed to the Odaw drainage in Accra. Most of the stuff choking drainages are non-biodegradable stuff. We were not amused because we knew the exercise even when it was completed won't change the consequences of a heavy downpour in Accra. True to our fears, a few downpours have been recorded each of which have led to floods in some parts of the city. Last Thursday evening's downpour was unusually long relative to the time of the year, post-harmattan end. As it lasted, some radio stations announced National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) numbers. That was when those listening to such radio stations were alerted about a possible flooding and disaster. . Motorists parked off the road and prayed for a cessation of the deluge. Elsewhere on the Accra Winneba road, precisely Potsin Junction in the Central Region, a splash of water had somewhat blindfolded the driver of a vehicle and an accident ensued claiming six lives. Accra might have recorded no loss of life during last Thursday's downpour but the flood it wreaked caused painful moments for those whose belongings were laid out to dry Friday morning. Many could not subdue the question as to whether we are prepared for the approaching rainy season. We doubt if we are. The momentum with which the June 3 disaster was contained is gone having given way to complacency. A cynic likened our response then to the vulture which promises to build a better nest when the current deluge stops. No sooner had this rain stopped than the promise is discarded waiting to resurface during the next rainy season. We do not know what plans the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Chief Executive Officer Oko Vanderpuye has up his sleeves as the rains beckon. We can bet though that such plans, if there are, could be any different from the periodic desilting of drains, an exercise which only touches the surface of the challenge which is the annual flooding of some identifiable parts of the city of Accra. As we compose this piece, the clouds are gathering, we do not whether they are cumulus or stratocumulus or any other which suggest an imminent downpour. What we do know, however, is that any suggestion of a downpour is a period of stress for not only parents whose kids have gone to school and are expected to return home. It is also scary for those who experienced previous floods but have not seen major efforts at containing the annual developments. Environmental discipline is yet to sink in. Most residents in Accra are unable to come to terms with the fact that they as individuals play a critical role in impeding the flow of rainwater when there is a deluge. Garbage continues to be dumped in public drainages with no thought about the consequences on the environment. This, coupled with a below average drainage system and an attendant construction of structures on waterways across the city, have impacted negatively on the obviation of floods. When the rains finally set in, we would be in a better position whether the promises of June 3 last year were intended to be fulfilled or not. By A.R. Gomda 19.03.2016 LISTEN A 19-yEAr-olDselfacclaimed contract killer has been sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment by the nkawie Circuit Court, presided over by michael Johnson Abbey. Ofori Attah, a Senior High School (SHS) student, robbed his victim of his mobile phone and afterwards issued death threats to him (victim) on phone. The teenager asked his victim to give him a staggering GH20,000, else he (Attah) would kill him as he had been contracted to do. The victim pretended to be afraid and agreed to deposit the huge amount of money at the Nyinahin public cemetery as he had been ordered to do by Attah. But unknown to Attah, the victim had alerted some people who laid ambush at the cemetery. He was arrested when he tried to go for the money. The prosecutor, Chief Inspector Lawrence Hanson said both the complainant and the accused person reside at Nyinahin in the Ashanti Region. On February 22, this year, Attah broke into the office of the victim, who is the District Manager of Federated Commodities Ltd at Nyinahin. The prosecutor said the victim was not around at the time and so Ofori Attah made away with a Samsung mobile phone belonging to one Akwasi Badu. The teenage robber then retrieved the mobile number of the complainant from the stolen Samsung phone and made financial demands which led to his arrest. From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi 19.03.2016 LISTEN Incensed by the rising trend of gruesome murders in the country, former President Jerry John Rawlings has proposed revisiting the Mosaic law whereby whoever kills by the sword must also die by the sword. A worried Rawlings said killings, including that of Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu, New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa North in the Eastern Region, call for the strict application of the death penalty to serve as a deterrent to would-be murderers. A 20-year-old mobile phone dealer at Madina Zongo Junction, Daniel Asiedu, has been arrested in connection with the murder of the MP. Daniel Asiedu, aka Sexy Don Don, has been charged at an Accra district court for allegedly murdering the MP. However, the people he named initially as his accomplices, in the persons of Avenger and Junior Agoogo, have still not been arrested. Mr Rawlings said applying the death penalty rule which has not been enforced for many years could help reduce the unnecessary killings in the country. The ex-military ruler's comment is likely to meet strong opposition from human rights activists who have virtually succeeded in pushing for the end to death penalties. Former President Rawlings made the suggestion when the family of JB Danquah-Adu, who was brutally murdered in his Shiashie, East Legon home in Accra recently, paid a courtesy call on him to inform him about the funeral arrangements. Because we have refused to exact the ultimate punishment, the police will arrest, the courts will sentence but the situation (spate of murders) will continue to rise, the ex-president complained. We cannot sit here in the security of our circumstances while others remain vulnerable. I feel very disappointed about this. It will continue if we do not put the fear of God into them. If America can have that power at the level of the State, why not us? he wondered. He urged Parliament to consider the need to amend the 1992 Constitution so that regional security councils will have the power to approve the execution of convicts sentenced under the capital punishment rule. His wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, who was also in the meeting, said there are a lot of crimes of similar magnitude which have not been investigated to their logical conclusions. She called on the security agencies to step up their game as she said the wave of murders was frightening. We need to investigate all the murders so they do not recur. . Why are they happening? We need to feel that we are secure in our individual homes. The investigating authorities owe it to not only the family, but also to Ghanaians to explain exactly what is happening, she added. Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, their daughter who is fighting a legal battle at the court of law over her election as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for Klottey Korle, said the news of JB's death shook everyone. She said there should be no delay in investigating the MP's murder and similar unresolved ones. A crime of this nature must not be allowed to fade away. The truth must be uncovered to give closure not only for the family, but also for the whole country, she underscored. Frank Adu Jnr, a banker and elder brother of the deceased MP, said We miss our departed JB dearly. He was like a pied piper catering for many of his constituents. He was concerned about the level of poverty and unemployment in society and said it was important that government gave hope to the ordinary people. If as a government does not give hope, then these young boys and girls without hope commit some of the crimes we see today. They are easily swayed, easily convinced just to feed themselves and like any other animal backed into a corner, will fight. We have to blame the governance that we have and the politics that we have. We have to deal with this social problem, social upheaval of inequality, etc, taking place, he observed. A member of the family, Opanin George Amoah, expressed disquiet about the failure of the police to communicate adequately with the family on the status of their investigations, and sought the former president's support in calling for openness from the investigating authority. We are a family in pain. What we expect is not what we have seen. As things stand now the police have gone mute. We are careful not to mix politics with a criminal case and have stopped short of making any statements, but justice delayed is justice denied. The police have a responsibility to let us know where the investigations are headed. This is a heinous crime and we demand justice from the authorities, Opanin Amoah charged. He stated, We are urging the authorities to speed up investigations into the matter. The axe of justice must fall. We need to know the truth. It will soothe us. By William Yaw Owusu 19.03.2016 LISTEN CHAIRPERSON OF the Electoral Commission (EC), Charlotte Osei, says the commission intends to increase the number of polling stations in the country from the over 26,000 to 29,000 because centres that are far from the voters could deter them from exercising their franchise. According to her, although the creation of polling stations could be contentious sometimes, the commission's intention for the exercise was made clear late last year, and that it was part of efforts to bring voters close to polling centres and end their frustrations emanating from having to travel long distances to vote. In a speech read on her behalf by the Ashanti Regional Deputy Director of the EC, Lawrence Sarpong, the chairperson said the commission had also decided to reduce the threshold of voters at a polling station from 1,000 to 800. This will also help reduce the long queues at centres that have more than 800 voters on the voter list. It will also help in counting and declaration at the polling stations and constituencies, she explained. She announced this at a day's media convention for undisputed election 2016 in Kumasi under the theme: Towards Free, Fair and Undisputed Elections The Role of the Media. It was organised by the Ghana Journalists' Association (GJA) and sponsored by the US Embassy. Clean Register Mrs. Charlotte Osei continued that the commission would soon take steps to ensure that a cleaner register is put in place for this year's elections. The EC boss disclosed that this was in response to concerns about the voter register, which she said the commission had not glossed over. The commission has set 28th April 4th May, 2016 for limited registration exercise to register first timers after which attention will be focused on the cleaning of the existing register. When the time comes, we expect all stakeholders to support the process, she said. Mrs. Osei stated that the commission acknowledged the outcome of an unfair electoral process, intimating that Elsewhere, people have fought and died because of disputes in their electoral out-comes. Thank God no such violence has happened in our elections since the inception of the Fourth Republic. That notwithstanding, the EC chairperson noted that the commission was mindful of the public discourse mired in apprehension and gave the assurance that it was prepared to deliver the seventh successful election under the Fourth Republic. The Commission will continue to dialogue with political parties in an attempt to build consensus on all contentious issues that come up in the runup to the November elections, she stated. Free And Fair Elections For an election to be described as free, it should entail two things; the people must be free from intimidation and violent attacks, while the environment should also be free for a person to be able to register as a voter to form a political party, to stand for election and attend political meetings and rallies, to campaign, to decide who to vote for, among others, Mrs Osei explained. Reforms After 2012 Elections As a young democracy, our legal framework will continue to see changes of improving on the electoral system, she noted and continued that it was not surprising that following the 2012 presidential election petition, numerous calls for reform in the electoral process were made. A committee comprising representatives of the commission, political parties and civil society organisations was constituted to study the proposals for reforms and to make recommendations to the EC for adoption and implementation. The reforms have resulted in the preparation of a new constitutional instrument (CI 91) which will regulate the registration of voters, if passed by parliament, Mrs Charlotte Osei averred. GJA President, Affail Monney, entreated journalists to eternalize the code of ethics of the profession in order to pass the test of the 2016 elections that are packed with apprehension, desperation and acrimony. We don't want to have the Georgia experience where the opposition party refused to accept the outcome of the election because the media was against it, he indicated, while calling for a fair, balanced reportage. In his view, delays in releasing certified results of votes breed the situation where media personnel announce uncertified results ahead of time. Chairman of the National Media Commission, Kwesi Gyan-Apenteng, called on news anchors to refrain from embellishing straight news reports since such development tends to dilute the content of the information. He also challenged journalists to educate themselves on the electoral processes and the total context of elections to be able to report accurately as they exercise their gate-keeping role. From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi 19.03.2016 LISTEN Following weeks of allegation that he is an activist of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Deputy Chairman of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Operations, Samuel Asare Akuamoah, has noted that he has wrongly been represented by those making the allegation. According to him, he has never been a member of any political party, saying that it's unfortunate that someone or group of persons would deliberately link him to any political grouping so as to put his neutrality and the professionalism exhibited in the discharge of his duties on line. I have never ever been any party's member; sorry, I have never ever in my life been a member of any political party. people think maybe I'm going to be the substantive chairman of the NCCE, but I don't have any ambition for that. How I came to be deputy chairman of the Commission, it's only God who knows. As you can see me, I am a humble person; I don't walk in the corridors of power. I am so passionate about my work, Mr. Akuamoah told DAILY GUIDE at Bawku in the Upper East Region. He was reacting to a call by pro-opposition pressure group, Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG), on the Electoral Commission to withdraw Mr Akuamoah from the National Election Steering Committee, which is expected to oversee the November 7 elections. AFAG, while making the allegation, said the NCCE deputy chairman is a known NDC activist and should not be made to serve on the Electoral Committee. . According to Mr. Akuamoah, his nomination to serve on the Steering Committee was in response to a request by the Electoral Commission to get someone from the NCCE to serve on it. Asked if he thinks the Steering Committee is good for the country as far as the upcoming elections are concerned, Mr Akuamoah was of the view that it would serve a good purpose, considering the difficulties that other institutions and stakeholders had while working with the Electoral Commission in previous elections. I do not intend to be a spokesperson for the Electoral Commission, I believe that Mrs Osei, with her background, her experience at NCCE and the kind of frustration NCCE had to go through in planning our programmes, is trying to unmake that web that we went through so that there will be better participation and high transparency in what the EC does, she observed. Mr. Akuamoah was not happy with the current situation in the country where people who speak their minds on development issues in the country are quickly tagged as NDC or NPP activists. This trend is bad; many people who have ideas and opinions about issues in this country are afraid to speak because they do not want to be tagged and insulted in the media, he added. From Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Bawku 19.03.2016 LISTEN The government has once again been exposed for misrepresenting the true state of affairs in the country concerning another sector of national development. Contrary to claims by President Mahama, the education ministry and many government communicators that teacher trainees are receiving feeding grants to lessen the burden emanating from the scraping of their allowances, it has emerged that they are yet to receive such grants. To this end, teacher trainees in the country have urged the government and its communicators to desist from such 'dishonest and propaganda tactics' and channel their resources into honouring their promises. Addressing the media in Ho on Wednesday, the Volta Regional president of the Teacher Trainee Association of Ghana (TTAG), Melesusu Elikem Derrick, said although government claims to have substituted the allowances with feeding grants for the trainees three times daily, they (grants) had not been forthcoming. He said, from the inception of this new reform by the government from 2014 till date (2016), three semesters of feeding grants are still in arrears. This delay, he noted, had compelled their principals to include feeding fees on their bills. More so, due to government's inability to disburse utility subventions to the colleges of education, the trainees are also being billed for utilities. Elikem added that final-year trainees currently on teaching practice in various communities across the country had been made to bear the entire related expenses without any subventions. Level 300 students currently serving the nation on their final-year attachment have to pay a one-year rent for their accommodation since the government has not made any provision to house them after their course on campus, he disclosed. Inadequate Lones The TTAG president said the decision to scrap their allowances was rather overstretching them since the funds from the student's loan scheme were woefully inadequate. . We want to state unequivocally that what is given as the student loan is far less than what we pay as fees. The amount of money received as loan per semester is from GH300 to GH450 as against the exorbitant semester school fee which ranges from GH860 to GH1,123, he lamented. What beats our imagination as trainees is the dust that government communicators continue to throw into the eyes of Ghanaians that they are indeed catering for the trainees. We want to caution all government communicators to stop their propaganda on the issue of teacher trainees because it is only he that wears the shoes that knows how it pinches, according to Mr Elikem Derrick, who asked government to act quickly before they explode. NPP To Restore Allowances Meanwhile, the vice presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has reiterated that the party's resolve to restore allowances to teacher and nursing trainees is non-negotiable. According to him, it is the priority of an NPP government to restore the allowances. He said, in the very first budget in the year 2017, we will restore teacher and nursing training allowances. He also described the scraping of the allowances by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government as a mistake and rush decision to close the gap created by the mismanagement of the country's finances. Dr. Bawumia, who was speaking on Ho-based Tosh Fm last Thursday, was not happy that teacher and nursing trainees were being made to pay the price of economic mismanagement by the NDC government. The NDC must be made to pay the price in November when they are voted out, he urged. He noted that although the government claimed the new system was to admit more students, the reverse is happening as students are unable to report to school because of their inability to pay their fees. From Fred Duodu, Ho ( [email protected] ) 19.03.2016 LISTEN Accra, 17/03/2016:CEO and Founder of EDEL Technology Consulting and Founder of Women in Tech Africa, Ethel Cofie, joined Lucy Quist and a team from Airtel for a very engaging mentoring session at Mataheko JT Primary School. Ethel who signed up as a volunteer for the Evolve with STEM initiative, shared her story as a young girl who had a dream to own a business with the lively and attentive upper primary pupils of the school. She encouraged them to freely dream, write down their dreams and work to attain them. It has been a great experience, spending time with these pupils, telling them my story and encouraging them to believe in themselves. I was pleased with how attentive they were, especially, during the video session, where we shared with them the inspiring story of young Sierra Leonean Kelvin Doe wellknown for teaching himself engineering at the age of 13 and building his own radio station where he plays music and broadcasts news. They also showed a lot of interest and potential during the experiential session when my team and I demonstrated to them the simple steps of building a website using basic computer coding, Ethel said. The technology entrepreneur added, I am very glad that I signed up to support Lucy Quist and Airtel Ghana on this insightful initiative which seeks to demystify STEM for our young ones whilst encouraging them to be the best they can be. As an IT professional in Africa, I think this is a great and timely initiative that will shape minds and destinies. Lucy Quist expressed her gratitude to Ethel saying, We are excited to have Ethel sign up as a mentor for the Evolve with STEM initiative. Hers is the kind of story we want to share to inspire every young person who has a dream or aspires for a career in STEM; a young hardworking entrepreneur in the technology industry who is making her mark. Our gratitude also goes to her team from EDEL Technology Consulting and Women in Tech Africa who joined us to inspire the next generation of leaders. Championing this cause has been truly fulfilling for me personally and also for Airtel as a whole. We are Making our Change and encouraging others to do same. The Exploratory, an initiative of the African Women Advocacy Project, Airtels partner on this initiative brought more color to the session as they introduced the pupils to some very practical and hands-on experiments on the transmission of sound and to construct a simple two way telephone. Ethel Cofie is CEO and Founder of EDEL Technology Consulting (An IT Consulting and Digital Products Company in West Africa and Europe) and Founder of Women in Tech Africa, Africas largest women in tech group with members in over 30 Africa countries and physical chapter in Ghana, Kenya and London and growing. She is also a Mandela Fellow for President Obama's Young African Leaders initiative (YALI) and a High caliber IT Professional. Airtel Ghana is renowned for its contribution to education in Ghana having received several awards in CSR including Best CSR Company for Education at the Ghana CSR Excellence Awards 2015. About Bharti Airtel Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 3 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 335 million customers across its operations at the end of August 2015. To know more please visit, www.airtel.com About Airtel in Africa Airtel is driven by the vision of providing affordable and innovative mobile services to all. Airtel has 17 operations in Africa: Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Airtel International is a Bharti Airtel company. For more information, please visit www.airtel.com, or like the Airtel Ghana Facebook page via www.facebook.com/airtelgh or follow us on Twitter via the handle @airtelghana. The UK/Ireland chapter of the NDC congratulate His excellency the president on the convocation held at the university of Aberdeen faculty of law in his honour to award him an honorary Degree of Doctor of Law. A special thanks goes to the principal of the university Sir Ian Diamond who presented the Degree to the president and the entire faculty of law of the university. The citation praise the president for his hard work, his commitment to socio-political development of Ghana and Africa. His leadership and his achievements. The UK/Ireland chapter expresses our profound gratitude to the president for the honour he has done to himself and to Ghana. We wish him well and edge him on to continue to do greater things. Well done your excellency. Kofi Kwakye Chairman 19.03.2016 LISTEN The deriving motive behind the numerous mischievous posits of the NPP is absolutely shear jealousy and covetousness. You don't use speculations as facts in any intellectual discourse and speculations must not always be unbalanced( I wish they understand). I hear the NPP through Nana Akomea mischievously mentioned that the government through the ministry of Attorney General presented a weak case in the appeal case against Woyome. Hahahaha.... The fact is that, an appeal case in the appeal court certainly depend on the case presented to the high court(or the lower judicature) where evidence cannot be altered. In any case, is this the first time the state has loss a case? The state loss so many cases in the NPP regime and any other government in Ghana even in military regimes. Stephen Amoah Boateng case was acquitted because of the state lackadaisical attitude in the pursuit of the case. What at all is the NPP after? They appear to paint the picture as if the Woyome case has been thrown aside when in fact, only the criminal case against him has been flawed in court. The prosecution of the civil case remains unabated till Alfred Woyome refund the money. So far as we have decided to practice democracy, we must believe in its fair practices and under no event should the Executive arm of government interfere in the work of the Judiciary. Our democracy can only perish if we continue to wash down the confidence we have in some very important and sensitive state institutions. The NDC as a social democrat upon whose efforts we have a well established democracy shall continue to respect state institutions and no amount of political desperation can change this enviable status quo. the NPP is becoming too good at making empty noise. If that is a political strategy, then it is simply out of place. Am very surprised at this time of the year, the NPP still do not have any useful message than their usual incessant attacks on institutions and individuals. If I were the NPP, I would be devising very realistic and pragmatic alternatives to our numerous socio-economic impediments as a nation. Certainly, the admiration of the government continue to swell on daily bases both nationally and internationally because of the craftsmanship and ingenuity of His Excellency Dr. John Dramani Mahama. Of course, let me use this opportunity to congratulate him for being honoured a Doctorate degree in Laws. I believe this honour is a vindication of my long standing position that, the president has been demonstrating enviable intellectual sagacity. I believe the NPP will soon have an issue over it too. The wanton, palpable lies being peddled by the NPP have often since the beginning of the year, been greeted with laughter and mockery because most the lies cannot just stand. Dr. Bawumia who is the lead counsel of the propaganda team is being stripped naked just by a single response from the number one gentleman on the issue of our national dept since independence. You cannot hide on economic textbooks to shamelessly deceive the good people of Ghana. It is extremely ridiculous where people with academic laurels become political comedians over very pertinent economic issues. Perhaps I should believe that indeed, politics is a dirty game(arguable) I am personally optimistic that my constituency( DBI) will vote massively for his Excellency Dr. John Dramani Mahama and Dr. Sebastian Saadaare, the parliamentary candidate of the constituency. If for nothing at all, my mother at Fian will remember the electricity she is enjoying, the better education her son is having, the LEAP program she enjoys, the so much talked about Wa- Tuma road which is being tarred. Work is progressing steadily. Clearly, if they would be any keen competition in the impending elections, it would have shown signs by now. There are no competing ideas coming from the opposition to suggest that change of government is needed. We cannot gamble with the future of our nation after having made strives in almost every sector of our economy. I was amazed after a redio discussion, a friend from the NPP fraternity confessed to me that indeed the NPP cannot capture political power this year because of the massive infrastructure springing up in every corner of the country. He added " we are only doing politics". If the members of the NPP can bear testimony to the unprecedented development, then I don't know why Bawumia continually cajole himself. I feel pity for him though. We cannot help them at this moment but they should not infest us with their jaundiced analysis of issues. Extreme political desperation can lead one into political madness. I see it coming. Ghanaians cannot trust the NPP neither can it try any error. It is a done deal for the NDC come November. The truth is one. Shall return........ Denis Andaban. [email protected] 0549734023. 19.03.2016 LISTEN I write "Article 202: People Matter a Lot" to express my deep resentment against bad relationships among people. Building strong relationships with other people is a social requisite for a happy life. But how do you perceive and treat other people? The term "people" may look so ordinary, but people do not have perfect substitutes in everyday life on planet earth. Oh technology may function like normal people to you, however, human beings are simply irreplaceable unlike technology which fades away in the course of time. That is the supreme reason why you cannot afford to treat other people unfairly. Hey, can anyone avoid people in the whole scheme of things? Certainly not! People will forever remain the greatest resource in the world - that's a fact of life. Moreover, I have encountered several people who appeared to disregard the value of everyday people. These people practically care less about how bad they treat others in sheer arrogance. Wanna know more about such naive people? They are the ones who just can't concede that they have offended others. To them, waking up from bed prematurely is easier than merely saying "I'm sorry...I apologise...Forgive me." They find reconciliation a very difficult exercise to embark on. I tell you, they would feel okay if they had a row with other people. In fact, they claim they can actually do away with other people whom they consider to be second-class individuals. My friends, I have realised that no matter who I am, I would always need other people in my ambitious journey in life. Why? "You may well solve your biggest problems through the ideas and insight of others," Dr. Rob Yeung asserted. One habit I have consciously built with persistence is to unconditionally let go of other people's offences against me. So I mostly find myself apologising to them instead, pleading for forgiveness, and seeking reconciliation, though I am sometimes not guilty. Is this not a true sign of humility? I mean, I always strive to keep the people around me, and I also attempt to make new friends since I need their little help. I may be super talented, incredibly intelligent, rarely creative and very smart, but the magnitude of my greatness lies in my relationship with other people. Remember, life is the natural business of every homo sapien. And "business is fundamentally about people and relationships. Always make time to connect and learn from others" (Yeung, 2007). As a promising writer brimming with priceless passion, I cherish people like a raw egg in my hand irrespective of their disappointments, disapprovals, discouragements, and the like. This is because I cannot rely on my abilities alone but rather depend on the little supports of other people to help me achieve my dreams. For people matter a lot! Now let me tell you the incredible story of how a certain group of people positively influenced my blog work. A high schoolmate and neighbour of mine, Raymond, introduced me to another neighbour who happens to be the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Hyperactive Ghana. As time went by, the COO and I developed a strong network for our mutual benefits. His outfit, Hyperactive Ghana, an influential promotion firm, have really helped in sharpening up my brand image as a young blogger. They have provided virtually free promotion services for some of my blog works, because Hyperactive Ghana and I have now become a businesslike family through their COO, my very good friend. Source: sirarticle.blogspot.com 19.03.2016 LISTEN For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel. Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him! This was the most unkindest cut of all! WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Julius Caesar, SOMETIMES, institutions in Ghana behave in such a strange manner that I am left scratching my head. Take the National Security Council, one of the most august institutions in the country. Under the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act 1996 (ACT 526), the Council consists of: the President; the Vice-President; the Ministers of foreign affairs, defence, interior, and finance and such other Ministers as the President may determine; the Chief of Defence Staff and two other members of the Armed Forces; the Inspector-General of Police and two other members of the Police Service, one of whom shall be the Commissioner of Police responsible for Criminal Investigations Department; the Director-General of the Prisons Service; and the Directors of External Intelligence; Internal Intelligence; and Military Intelligence; the Commissioner of Customs, Excise and Preventive Service; and three persons appointed by the President. It can be seen from its composition that the National Security Council was meant to bring enormous professional expertise to bear upon all issues concerning the national security of Ghana. And yet, one wonders whether it was ever asked for its view on arguably the single most dangerous act ever taken by a government of Ghana, in relation to what constitutes an external threat to the security of the country. Undoubtedly, this was the acceptance into Ghana of the two Gitmo ex-detainees sent to us by the United States Government. We do not know whether the Council was formally consulted about this action by the Ghana Government. If it was, and it acquiesced to the action, then we must conclude that this hugely prestigious institution that boasts of such experienced security professionals on its ranks, is yet another body in our political system that has been reduced to rubber-stamping the decisions of the President. We do know that the Cabinet is as toothless as a dog that has tried to catch one porcupine too many. And that Parliament, by allowing itself to be bullied into sitting in secret on the Gitmo-2 matter, did nobble its own ability to protest against the Government's action. But have the claws of the the security professionals also been broken? The question lends itself to examination because of the sequence in which the events that concern Ghanaian citizens about the security of their country, has occurred. Strangely, we were not given any guidance, whatsoever, by the National Security Council, on why in its professional view, the acceptance of the Gitmo-2 in early January 2016, posed no security threat or did pose one to Ghana's security. despite the past deeds of the two fugitives. But no sooner had what might be termed an ancillary development, that is, the attack on Grand Bassam, in the Ivory Coast, by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), occurred than the National Security Council found its voice. It almost immediately issued a statement urging the Ghanaian populace to be on the lookout for people who might perpetrate a similar attack on Ghana. The National Security Council then called for public vigilance, and observed that in the Council's view, Ghana faces a credible terrorist threat. It advised the general public to be cautious and curious, and to report any suspicious activities to law enforcement agencies. This conclusion, the Council said, was reached after the Council reviewed the security situation in the country in the wake of an upsurge of terrorist attacks in the West Africa sub-region - Mali, Burkina Faso and Cote dIvoire, and current intelligence on extremist activities in the region. The statement added that the meeting also reviewed Ghanas anti-terrorism preparedness, joint services operations and other measures to ensure the safety of the citizenry. Ei, so the Council can speak? Plenty like that? Ahah! But I am afraid the Council's statement swerves Ghanaians, with regard to its views on the Gitmo-2. You see, an attack on the Ivory Coast should, normally, not cause much concern to the Government of Ghana. Why? Because the Ivory Coast endured periods of actual civil war between 2000 and 2011, without any of it ever spilling into Ghana, despite our proximity to that country. Why should the relatively less serious attack on Grand Bassam then be viewed differently? The elephant in the room to which the National Security Council closed its eyes is the Gitmo-2 issue. It cannot be denied that by accepting them, Ghana has definitely put itself on the list of AQIM's potential targets. For AQIM is primarily interested inalliances struck to combat it at the global level. And the United States, to which Ghana has now demonstrably tied its political apron, is the country leading the anti-AQIM crusade (the word preferred by AQUIM when describing what it is struggling against) in West and North Africa. In that premise, it was because of the Ivory Coast's alliance with France that Grand Bassam was hit, not because of the Ivory Coast's internal politics although that is messy enough to presage such an attack. And if the analysis of the Ghana National Security Council is to carry verisimilitude, then that fact should have been reflected in the concerns expressed by the Council, inasmuch as the Council's main function is to considerall appropriate measures to safeguard the internal and external security of Ghana. It bears repeating that the threat to security in Ghana that led the Council to issue its statement, did not arise out of nothing but does have a causative factor. That causative factor, without a shadow of a doubt, is the consequence of the acceptance of the Gitmo-2 into Ghana. Anyone who thinks that the above analysis is over-stretching the point should ask himself: why has the United States army publicly advised its officials not to travel, except on official duty, to five West African countries, INCLUDING GHANA? The four other countries are Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast all countries that have suffered AQIM attacks in recent months. Why is Ghana on the list? The significance of that query lies in the fact that Ghana is not the only country in West Africa that has borders with the other four that have experienced AQIM attacks: both Beninand Togo also have borders with some of them. But Benin and Togo were not included in the American travel advisory. Which means that factors other than the merely geographicalwere taken into account by the American military in drawing up their list. Obviously, it is Ghana's newly-acquired status as a country in which AQIM has good reason to be interested, that earned it a place on the American list. Which is diabolically ironical! For it is the most unkindest cut of all, if ever there was one. Without the presence of the Gitmo-2, Ghana would no doubt have stayed off the list and retained its placid, unremarkable stance along with Togo and Benin as a country that dey bi keke [in other words, of no particular relevance to anything happening elsewhere in West Africa]. The Americans, having brought us the Gitmo-2, now say their military personnel may not visit Ghana except on official duty. Their lives are precious, right? What aboutthe lives of the Ghanaians on whom they've imposed the Gitmo-2? In traditional Ghanaian society, if someone to whom you've done a favour repays you with an action that is harmful to you, you give thanks unto him. Do I see President John Dramani Mahama, trailed by his Cabinet and members of the National Security Council, trooping to the American embassy to render thanks unto Uncle Sam? The Police command in the Ashanti region has warned it will deal ruthlessly with troublemakers, who may want to mar the November polls. The Police Service has also assured the public of its resolve in ensuring a violence-free election. Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Kofi Boakye, made the remarks at the annual police get-together (Wassa) in Kumasi. This year is an election yearm and I want to use this opportunity to assure all and sundry that the police are not going to be political; they are going to be impartial, and they are going to enforce the law without any favouritism, and will be very firm. So, anybody, who has any intention that the police is going to help one party or the other must think again, he stated. In any case, every policeman has only one vote. Therefore, if you have any mind that the policeman can help you win an election, then its a mirage. You can only win an election through your campaigning and what you do for yourself. We are impartial; we are going to work for Ghana, so that our democracy can be sustained, he added. Founder of the National Democratic Congress, and former President Jerry John Rawlings, has sought to explain the reasons for the fallout in his relationship with the late President Atta Mills, suggesting the late law professor by his actions undermined him and his family. In an interview with Accra-based GHOne TV, the former President, who became an avowed critic of the late President until his shocking demise, explained that he had issues with him [Atta Mills] because the late President appointed officials who undermined him and his family. When I look at him and I look at this John, there are few too many commonalities but this John did not line up people on the promises of job when you insult and fabricate things against me and my wife and my family as he did, as Mills did. Jerry Rawlings, also holds the view that the late Presidents demise gave the National Democratic Congress (NDC) the needed boost to win the 2008 general elections. If God hadnt invited him, NDC would have gone to opposition. It was terrible. The climate was really bad for us.It was his departure that gave NDC a saving grace to John but I think he could have done much better for us. The Rawlings Mills confusion After falling out with the then vice president, the late Kow Nkensen Arkaah in 1996, former President Rawlings plucked John Atta Mills from obscurity to partner him in the 1996 general elections. Notwithstanding Rawlings trust in Mills, some leading members of the NDC kicked against his unilateral decision, which came to be known in political circles as the Swedru Declaration. Besides the notion that the late President undermined Mr. Rawlings, the NDC stalwarts fell out with some speculating that this was because of Mills inability to meet Rawlings expectations and the lack of communication between the two when Mills became President. Rawlings also described the then sitting president as a Konongo Kaya meaning a head porter who is not prepared to carry a load, yet will prevent others from doing so. The Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) on Friday attained another milestone when the pioneer batch of its Master of Arts (MA) programmes graduated at a ceremony at the institute in Accra. They graduated in Master of Arts (MA) in Journalism, Media Management, Development Communication and Public Relations, The first batch of students of the institute were admitted to the programmes in October 2014, following the granting of accreditation by the National Accreditation Board (NAB) to the school to undertake the programmes in 2013. In all, 92 students, made up of 48 males and 44 females, graduated after completing 15 months of rigorous studies. A staff of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Enoch Darfah Frimpong, picked up an award as the most promising graduate in Media Management. (above) Hon. Freda Prempeh (left), Member of Parliament for Tano South (extreme left) Other graduates from the GCGL were Ms Rosemary Ardayfio, Ms Esther Somuah and Mr Gabriel Ahiabor. Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the Rector of the institute, Dr Wilberforce Sefakor Dzisah, said the move to upgrade the institute to offer graduate programmes was occasioned by the need to fill an intellectual gap in the country's development process. He said it was to address specific development needs and inherent weaknesses in communications as well as provide resources for an in-depth understanding of the communication processes within the development community. That, he said, was based on the fact that advanced human resource training, coupled with the need for the practical application of trending communication theories, was crucial to national development. (above) Mr Tom Prosper Quarshie receiving his award from Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah for emerging as the overall best student having graduated with distinction in Public Relations, Quality programmes Dr Dzisah said the quality of the programmes of the school could be measured by the impact that the pioneer batch of graduates made on society. For that reason, he said, careful thought had been given not only to how the school taught but what it taught, bearing in mind that there was the need to create a batch of employable students. Dr Dzisah said the school would not be complacent but continue to be more innovative in the introduction of more programmes to meet the communication needs of the country. The Chairman of the Council of the institute, Mr Berifi Apenteng, said the prime objective of the school was to offer the best of training in the field of journalism and communication. He said more resources were being invested in the development of infrastructure and the building of the capacities of staff and students. New campus A Minister of State at the Presidency, Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, who delivered an address on behalf of the Chief of Staff, Mr Julius Debrah, said the institute had produced many of the best journalists in Ghana and Africa. In spite of the lack of adequate infrastructure, he said, the leadership of the school had ensured the achievement of exploits and that the government was proud of the school. He promised that the government would provide the needed resources to ensure the completion of the school's new campus before the start of the next academic year. Award winners Mr Tom Prosper Quarshie emerged the overall best student having graduated with distinction in Public Relations, while Mr Desmond Nii Lamptey, Ms Linda Opoku Yeboah and Mr Emmanuel Essel won the best student awards in Journalism, Media Management and Development Communication respectively. Mr Lawrence Ayitey Kanya, Ms Marilyn Ablordey and Ms Cecilia Akpene Sabbah won the most promising awards in Journalism, Public Relations and Development Communication respectively. Click here for more pictures of the graduation ceremony Accra, Mar. 19, GNA - A legal practitioner defending a woman who is being held for robbery has expressed his anger over the charges leveled against his client. Mr George Asamaney, contends that the charges of conspiracy to rob and robbery leveled against his client, Mary Kumabu aka New Town Madam were baseless and unsubstantiated. Defence counsel noted that such charges when reported by the media ridiculed the courts and prayed the court to admit Mary, who has denied the charges, to bail. Mr Asamaney said upon examining the facts and charges, nowhere was mentioned in the fact sheet that his client went to rob. He said the fact sheet only mentioned four armed men and two others who snatched a vehicle loaded with dry cell batteries valued at GH21,750 and 300 cartons of sardine worth GH31,500. Mr Assamney said his client who runs her chain of stores was ill and she should be admitted to bail. The court presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh after listening to both defence and prosecution remanded Mary into Police custody awaiting further Police investigations into the matter. Prosecution alleged that Mary and six others robbed Samuel Kortey of his Madza Truck, 300 cartons of Princess Sardines, 150 cartons of Tiger head dry cell batteries, a Samsung phone valued GH80 and an amount of GH200. The case has been adjourned to March 21. Prosecuting Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kofi Bempah said the complainant is an employee of White Lane Company limited in charge of the company's truck. DSP Bempah said Mary is a trader living at Gbechiley, near Michelle Camp. On March 17, at about 0430 hrs the complainant was dispatched with a truck loaded with the items mentioned above from Odorna to be supplied at Assin Praso. Prosecution said about two kilometres before the Weija Toll Booth, a taxi overtook the complainant and signalled him that his door had opened. Complainant quickly parked the car and realised that his doors were intact. Just as he was returning to take his seat, four armed men from the taxi suddenly attacked him with some implements. Prosecution said two other men joined the four and beat the complainant severely. Not satisfied with their actions, they drove the complainant towards Gomoa and they finally diverted into a nearby bush. The robbers stripped the complainant naked and tied him with his singlet and made away with his truck and its contents, a mobile phone and cash of GHC 200. DSP Bempah said soon after the robbers had left, the complainant untied himself and walked to a nearby town where he was offered some clothes to wear. Prosecution said he gave his master one Santhosh Kumar's phone number to one of the men in the town to call him. Through a device installed on the vehicle, the items were found in Mary's house and her private car with registration GT 6110-14. DSP Bempah said complainant's truck was abandoned at Gbechiley, near Michelle Camp. GNA Accra, Mar. 19, GNA - The Zuzu and Sasa book series for children, from age zero to seven has been launched in Accra. The series authored by Hamamat Montia, the founder of Africa Eat Now, highlights the everyday adventures of two Ghanaian sisters, Zuzu and Sasa. The stories are a collection of experiences shared and narrated by the two girls. The Zuzu and Sasa's adventures aims to educate children and parents about the African continent, promote reading, comprehension and encourage cultural understanding. The journey of the two sisters offers lessons, fun and exposure as they embark on travels across the African continent with their mother, who is a philanthropist and makes an impact through her work. The creative capsule is packed with quick wit, fun and multiple lessons for children to learn. Montia, who won the 2006 Miss Malika beauty pageant, with a focus on malaria prevention, in her address at the launch, said the goal of the Zuzu and Sasa series is to improve literacy and develop reading culture; promote confidence amongst African children and grant easier access to books for children. She appealed for any form of partnership or support to execute the Zuzu and Sasa City-Wide Book Reading Tour for a short term project. In addition a long term project of National Book Reading Tour (large scale) and to build a network of libraries throughout Ghana. 'We would like the book to grow to a point where it can support our longer term goal of building a network of libraries through the country and especially in the northern parts of Ghana,' Montia said. Reverend Dr Lawrence Tetteh, the President and Founder of the Lawrence Tetteh Ministries, who supported the launch urged parents, guardians and teachers to inculcate reading habits in children whilst they are still young He said when children develop reading habits during their tender age, they grow to have good command of the English Language and very efficient in communication. Africa Eat Now is a non-profit organisation which works to feed malnourished children both in Ghana and across the African continent. GNA President John Dramani Mahama has dedicated an honorary doctor of laws degree conferred on him by the University of Aberdeen yesterday to the people of Ghana. "I consider this an honour for all Ghanaians and it is a reflection of the strides we have made as a people, both internationally and at home," he said at a special congregation of the university in Scotland Why the honour The university, in conferring the degree on the President, said it took into account his leadership qualities including his work on child poverty and children's rights, and the role he has played in the fight against Ebola. The university also took into consideration, the large Ghanaian student and graduate population in Aberdeen. Humbled President Mahama stated how humbled he was to be honoured by the prestigious university. "This is especially, because the University of Aberdeen, aside from its rich history, has also produced several distinguished personalities including five Nobel Prize Laureates. "Many of my compatriots have also passed through the gates of this great institution and carry its badge of honour with much pride, " he said. President Mahama acknowledged the fact that the university had trained many Ghanaian students. Oil and gas The President said the success story of the country's oil and gas industry could not be told without mentioning Aberdeen University. "Ghana entered the oil and gas era only in the year 2011 and is still nurturing a fledgling industry. "While we may have missed the heydays of the industry where the commodity dominated the world's energy choices like a colossus, we have benefitted from the experience of many countries like Scotland on how to manage our oil and gas resources better and how to avoid the Dutch disease," he told the gathering. He stated that today, many companies were investing in the oil and gas sector. Good governance President Mahama gave the assurance that Ghana, under his leadership, would continue to witness good governance and enhanced management of the oil resources. 'Just as we have learnt from the likes of Scotland and Norway on how to better manage our resources, Ghana is working to be a shining example for many other countries that have recently also discovered significant hydrocarbon resources," he added. Reflection While welcoming the honour, he said, "I reflect on fate and destiny." Making reference to his book, "My first coup d'etat", he mentioned how he intended to study law at the university but ended up graduating in history for his first degree and specialising in communications at the postgraduate level. "Today, I stand here in the realisation that your destiny will move you in the direction it is minded to, but if you follow your passion and put your heart in what you do, it will still bring you full circle. "I stand here in fulfilment of destiny with my initial desire in hand; a law degree in the form of an honorary doctor of laws from a prestigious institution as one can find - Aberdeen University," he said. President Mahama said he would be guided by the motto of the university, "Initium sapientiae timor domini," which translates in English as "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord." The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Mrs Fatou Bensouda, has lauded Ghana's contribution to the work of the court. She said the country had supported the ICC in diverse ways in its quest to provide justice for victims of heinous crimes against humanity. Legal expertise 'One of the contributions of Ghana is the provision of legal expertise to the court. A clear example is the work of Professor Akua Kuenyehia, who worked as a Judge at the court from 2003 to 2015. She also was the Vice-President of the court,'' Mrs Bensouda said. She made the commendation during a courtesy call on the Chief Justice (CJ), Mrs Justice Georgina Wood, at the CJ's office in Accra yesterday. The Chief Justice welcomed Mrs Bensouda to Ghana on behalf of President John Mahama, who is currently on an official visit to Scotland. The ICC prosecutor attended a two-day conference on the relationship between the ICC and Africa in Accra. Challenges Speaking about some challenges facing the ICC, Mrs Bensouda said many people were not aware of the work of the ICC, and added that 'as a result of this lack of awareness, some people have the perception that the ICC engages in selective justice by targeting only African leaders. 'It is unfortunate that people have such perceptions because the need to provide justice for victims of heinous crimes ought to be supported by everybody,'' Mrs Bensouda said. The Chief Justice, for her part, praised the ICC's quest to provide justice for victims of atrocities across the globe. 'The importance of the ICC in providing justice cannot be underestimated owing to the weakness in the justice systems of many countries,'' she said. 19.03.2016 LISTEN President of policy think tank, IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe wants Ghana's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), Victor Smith, held responsible for the alleged 'heckling and ill-treatment' President John Dramani Mahama suffered during his visit to the Scottish Parliament on Thursday. President Mahama, who was in the country to among other things pick a honorary Doctorate Degree of Laws (LLD) from the Aberdeen University, also addressed the Scottish Parliament. But reports indicate that the Scottish MPs, mostly from the opposition wing, called on their government to confront President Mahama on Ghana's alleged abuses of lesbian and gay citizens. According to the MPs, President Mahama's invitation to address them undermines the safety of the Scottish Parliament for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Photos also emerged of the President, his wife and the entire delegation managing a small space in the Scottish Parliament's gallery, while he waited to address the MPs.. Speaking on The Big Issue, Citi FM's news analysis programme on Saturday, Franklin Cudjoe argued that Ghana's High Commissioner to the UK, Victor Smith, should be questioned over the issue. He described the treatment meted out to President Mahama at the Scottish Parliament as unpresidential. I do not understand what it is with our missions in the UK. If they had done extensive calculations, they would have been able to determine whether that visit to the Scottish Parliament was needed at all. Even before the President addressed the select committee, it was announced somewhere on the airwaves locally, that the President was going to do something like that Now we have seen them sitting as if they were forced into a seat they didn't like, and clamped together like slavesI want to believe that someone did not do his diplomatic due diligence quite well, he said. He argued that since President Mahama knew that he was going to address the Scottish Parliament, he should have been provided with the programme outline for the day. You could see the demeanor [on President Mahama's face], it was an obvious disagreement to the way they were being treated. The images we saw were not ones that were presidential and they were not treated as such. So my point is that, I suspect somebody did not do something right from the diplomatic side of Ghana and the High Commissioner to the UK should be answering questions right now, he added. The Interior Ministry has reviewed the curfew hours imposed on Old Tafo Township from 8pm to 4am, effective Wednesday March 23, 2016. The decision was arrived at upon advice from the Ashanti Regional Security council. The earlier curfew was from 6pm to 6am. The renewal comes in spite of reports that the town was calm. Some residents say the curfew is hurting their businesses. One person died and several others sustained injuries after violent clashes between Muslim youth and some youths in the town. A 30-year-old man was shot by a security man and was rushed to the Tafo government hospital. He was later transferred to KATH where he died. Wielding machetes, clubs, knives and hammers, irate Muslim youth, who claimed to be fighting a jihad, assaulted anyone they could find on the troubled Old Tafo streets. The vandalism and destruction was triggered by disagreements over a piece of land at the Old Tafo Cemetry. Member of Parliament for the area, Dr. Anthony Akoto-Osei who is opposed to the curfew, believes it should be lifted completely. He is however hopeful that the curfew will be lifted after the security agencies meet with the Asantehene. I was waiting for Otumfuo Osei Tutu to be briefed about the situation, now that he has come we are going to talk to the security agencies to see what can be done. He appealed to the security agencies to do what they can to review the curfew because it was unfavourable for businesses. Below is a full statement released by the Interior Ministry on the curfew 19.03.2016 LISTEN MARTIN SCHULZ ON LGBT RIGHTS AND FOREIGN AID Imprisoning gays and lesbians for their sexuality is a disgrace that should disqualify offending countries from EU aidIt is a disgrace that in far too many places, one can be imprisoned for their sexual orientation, and it is even more abhorrent that in some countries people are put to death because of their choice of who to loveThis highlighted the need to redirect aid to civil society and other organizations that fight against exclusion and discrimination based on sexual preference.Appropriate measures should be taken against countries who continue to criminalize homosexuality or pass even more repressive laws. LGBT rights are human rights! THE DILEMMATIC ILLUSION OF AFRICAN INDEPENDENCE The afore-cited statement attributed to Mr. Martin Schulz, the President of the European Union (EU), positions us to question why African leaders have consistently refused to rethink the noble idea of freeing itself from this foreign-aid tangle. This is a serious question which international economist Dambisa Moyo has eloquently, forcefully, and authoritatively defended in her bestselling book, Dead Aid. Thus, we shall not belabor the essential outlines of the constructive generality of her thesis here except to borrow or appropriate it and even more importantly, use it to critique African leaders continued tendency to allow others from without to impose their calculating will and strategic agenda of self-interest on a wobbling continent when, actually, this strategic agenda of self-interest clashes with Africas own strategic interests. Yet, the dilemmatic illusion of Africas independence and the political economy of foreign aid and the emergence of homosexual or same-sex politics, particularly in the 21st century, are delicate subject matters in the sphere of international relations and public diplomacy. This is truer in relations of economic diplomacy between Africa and the West. In Ghana, for instance, much has been made of President Mahamas complicated friendship with Mr. Andrew Solomon, a well-known international gay activist, as the New York Times reported a few years ago. We quote: President John Dramani Mahama has been fingered to be in bed with one Mr. Andrew Solomon, a gay activistAndrew Solomon reportedly gathered a few affluent people from the gay community to raise campaign funds for President Mahama with the understanding that when President Mahama won the elections, the president would push the gay rights agendaI was reported to have paid $20,000 for copies of the book This eye-opening article authored by Mr. Solomon himself provides useful insights into President Mahamas possible links or access to the power and influence of the international gay lobby, represented by Mr. Solomons influence and charisma and social-political connections in America, yet a view the former seems to debunk in his article. If this allegation of Mr. Solomons helping President Mahama to raise campaign funds via garnering public commercial patronage for the latters book, My First Coup Detat, has any iota of forensic validation, then it makes sense for leaders of the gay lobby to expect a quid pro quo in this strange if turbid network involving the two men. This purported quid pro quo, Mr. Solomon eloquently seems to reject for obvious reasons. Whether or not Mr. Solomons nuanced rejection of the purported quid pro quo has any political validity is beyond the scope of this essay, much the same way with the question of whether or not homosexual or same-sex has scientific or genetic foundation. But, African societies have every right to address these tough questions the way they see fit, a strategy more in tune with the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, for instance. We make this bold concession because the West is not shoving the gay agenda down the throats of theocratic nation-states such as Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, IranWhy the double standards then? Next, we move to summarize some useful lessons Ghanaians and President Mahama can draw upon should they decide to take another hard look at the homosexual question on a national level! SOME GENERAL OPINIONS ABOUT SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS FROM AROUND THE WORLD THE CABLE NEWS NETWORK (CNN) Pew has also found that, across the globe, majorities in many countries still believe that society should not accept gay relationships. Of those countries surveyed, the strongest support for acceptance of homosexuality came in Europeespecially Spain (88% believe it should be accepted) and Germany (87%)and Latin America. In the Middle East and Africa, in contrast, clear majorities in all but one nation believed homosexuality should not be accepted, including South Africa, where same-sex marriage is legal EX-ANGLICAN ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU (SOUTH AFRICA) I would not worship a God who is homophobic and that is how I feel deeply about thisI would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would say sorry, I mean I would much rather go to the other place. I am passionate about this campaign as I ever was about apartheid. For me, it is at the same level. PRESIDENT YAHYA JAMMEH (GAMBIA) We will fight these vermins called homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-causing mosquitoes, if not aggressively. EX-CATHOLIC PRIEST SIMOM LOKODO (UGANDA) They are beasts of the forestThere is no definite gene for homosexualityExcretion is through the anus, like the exhaust of an engine. The human body receives what it takes from the mouth. Theyre twisting nature the wrong way. Homosexuality will destroy humanity because there is no procreation; it will destroy health because the backsides will not hold.When I heard the US saying they will cut aid, we said fine. Will they be comfortable if we come to America and started practicing polygamy? Homosexuality is strange to us and polygamy is strange to you. We have divergent news POPE FRANCIS (THE CATHOLIC CHURCH) If a homosexual person is of good will and is in search of God, I am no one to judgeIt is not right to interfere spiritually in the life of a personTell me: When God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person? We must always consider the person. Here we enter into the mystery of the human being. In life, God accompanies persons, and we must accompany them, starting with their situation. It is necessary to accompany them with mercy SUPREME CORT JUSTICE THOMAS CLARENCE (UNITED STATES) The corollary of that principle is that human dignity cannot be taken away by the government. Slaves (homosexuals) did not lose their dignity because the government allowed them to be enslaved. Those (homosexuals) held in internment camps did not lose their dignity because the government confined them. And those (homosexuals) denied government benefits certainly do not lose their dignity because the government denies them (homosexuals) those benefits (our emphasis) PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN (RUSSIA) It seems to me that the law [anti-gay law] that we have adopted does not hurt anyoneMoreover, individuals of non-traditional orientation cannot feel second-rate humans in this country because they are not discriminated against in any wayIt has nothing to do with persecuting people for their non-traditional orientationMy personal position is that society must keep children safe. ABDUL MALIK KWEKU BAAKO, JR. (GHANA) When it comes to these things, I am Illiberal, I dont think we should do anything to promote that lunatic behavior, in my candid opinion, its a personal thingIm not progressive when it comes to these things. I am highly conservative, I am against it [homosexuality] FOREIGN MINISTER BALA GARBA JAHUMPA As an independent Muslim country, we will not be tied to any bloc that promotes decadence and ungodly behavior (Lesbian, gay, homosexuality, and bisexuality. LAWYER MOSES FOR-AMOANING (GHANA) We cannot trust our politicians on all other issues because there have been several matters where this country had been sold off by our politicians, but on the issue of homosexuality, we would not allow our politicians to sell us offWhy is polygamy a criminal offence in the United States, but it is normal in Ghana, so what right has anyone got to tell us not to criminalize homosexuality?... FOOD FOR THOUGHT In the final analysis, both Foh-amoaning and Tutu raise a number of interesting yet extremely difficult questions. Elsewhere, though, the latter makes pontificates: But there is no scientific basis or genetic rationale for love. There is only one God. There is no scientific justification for prejudice and discrimination, ever The former, in contrast, promotes the pontifical view that there was no scientific, theological and legal or any psychiatric basis for homosexuality A closer look at the views of both men, however, does not seem to point to any major philosophic contrasts in their thoughts regarding the political and biological question of homosexuality and its causes. More fundamentally, though, love as Tutu may have used it can go either way, heterosexual or homosexual. In other words, Tutu seems to suggest that the basis of love is inspired divineness, neither science nor genetics. In this sense he may appear to make complete nonsense of vasopressin, oxytocin, testosterone, and estrogen, all four hormones play some role in love-making and attachment of sorts. On the other hand we also cannot be too sure if Tutu may have been exclusively referring to platonic love, though we are directly making non-platonic love or romance our point of reference. Could it then be that Tutu, fundamentally, sees homosexuality as divinely inspired since he appears to have replaced Foh-Amoanings absence of scientific, theological and legal or any psychiatric with only the love of God? On the surface, this does not seem an easy question! Yet, further complicating the dialogue is the fact that Tutu speaks in the present tense (is) while Foh-Amoaning, National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Executive Secretary and Spokesperson, does so in the past tense (was). The was of Foh-Amoaning gives the impression that there could be some possibility for contemporary existence of scientific evidence to help frame homosexuality in a genetic context, per se, in addition to theological and legal and psychiatric ones. But the tone of his entire speech seems to contradict this interpretation. All things considered however, it still does seem possible that journalists who were reporting Foh-Amoanings presentation that day may not have properly or necessarily presented his pontifical ideas in a way that exactly fits the format of our exegetical or explanatory context. And if was what he used then we may as well point to a necessary corollary which directly undermines or calls his assumptions into question. That is, the fact that there existed no scientific, theological and legal or any psychiatric basis for homosexuality in the past does not necessarily mean one cannot exist today, thereby defeating or undermining the purpose of cause and effect in any meaningful rational analysis of the facts. CONCLUSION The fact is that there seems to be a shift in scientific, psychiatric and legal positions on the question of homosexuality. The question of biblical theology may appear to be the only factor that conservatives can hold tightly to if the Bible is, indeed, divinely inspired as Paul put it in a letter to Timothy: All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness(2 Timothy 3:16). The so-called Mosaic Book of Genesis also mentions Gods fiery disapproval of the practice of homosexuality or same-sex romance. Paul mentioned Gods disproval of homosexuality in1 Corinthians 6: 9-10, Romans 1: 26-17, and 1 Timothy 1: 8-11! Ironically, and probably expectedly, William O. Walker, Jr., a Professor Emeritus of Religion at Trinity University, shows in his book The Fourth R (see the essay What The New Testament Says About Homosexuality) makes a very sophisticated argument that: There is not a single Greek word or phrase in the entire New Testament that should be translated into English as homosexual or homosexuality. In fact, the very notion of homosexualitylike that of heterosexuality, bisexuality, and even sexual orientationis essentially a modern concept that would simply have been unintelligible to the New Testament writers. The word homosexuality came into use only in the latter part of the nineteenth century, and, as New Testament scholar Victor Paul Furnish notes, it and related terms presume an understanding of human sexuality that was possible only with the advent of modern psychological and sociological analysis. In other words, The ancient writerswere operating without the vaguest conception of what we have learned to call sexual orientation Yet, Prof. Walker, Jr. fails to prove that the New Testament rules out the practice of homosexuality given that he finds synonymous conceptual replacements for the words homosexual and homosexuality. In other words, he finds injunctionary Biblical references to homosexuality practices in the New Testament. Now, if there is scientific or genetic basis for homosexuality as some leading influential scientistsfor instance Dr. Francis Collinsseem to advance or suggest in regard to some unique hormonal triggers of the practice, then could the Bible be said to be wrong, the same Bible which Steele Pulses David Hinds says totally ignores the historical contributions of Black Africa to human civilization on the reggae track, Not King James Version? Has it not also been strongly suggested that King James was a homosexual? Perhaps the most important questions for us are: How does President Mahama, a self-described Christian and a supposedly compassionate one at that, impose his views on homosexuality on a secular state such as Ghana? How can a country like Ghana, supposedly a religious body politic with a Christian majority, impose their will on the rest of the population as far as acceptance or rejection of homosexuality goes? Is Foh-Amoaning, an albino, going to devote more time to fighting for social justice and equality on behalf of albinos across the continent just as he has been doing with his political, religious, and social activism against practitioners of lesbianism, gayism, transgenderism, and bisexualism? Is President Mahama willing to reject foreign aid which is now tied homosexual (and LGBT) rights? If so, how is he (and African leaders) going to do it? Is the West willing to accept polygamy as Foh-Amoaning directly asks? Is it politics or science to say homosexuality is no longer a psychiatric disorder? We ask the latter question because of Foh-Amoanings there was no scientific, theological and legal or any psychiatric basis for homosexuality References Arthur Nelsen. Schulz: Cut Aid To African Countries With Anti-Gay Laws.EurActiv.com. April 1, 2014. CNN Opinion. How do gay rights look in your country? June 26, 2015. Martin OBrien & Mags Gargan (2013).Where Does Pope Francis Stand On Same-Sex Marriage. The Irish Catholic Newspaper. Andrew Solomon. In Bed With The President of Ghana. The New York Times. February 9, 2013. Zeba Blay. Why Cant Even With The Irony Of Clarence Thomas Marriage Equality Dissent. June 26, 2016. Huffington Post. Kirit Radia. Putin Defends Anti-Gay Law But Vows No Problems in Guests. January 19, 2014. ABC News. Ghanaweb. Homosexuals Should Not Have RightsFoh-Amoaning. March 16, 2016. Maev Kennedy. Desmond Tutu Condemns Ugandas Proposed Anti-Gay Law. The Guardian. February 23, 2014. Ghanaweb. Homosexuality Lunatic BehaviourBaako. March 19, 2016. William O. Walker, Jr. What The New Testament Says About Homosexuality. Vol. 21-3. SC Johnson, a multinational household products company headquartered in the USA, and with a long presence in Ghana, has launched the Raid for More campaign and initiative. SC Johnson, makers of Raid insecticide spray and other products, also announced that it shall be collaborating with innovation giants mPedigree, as their solutions provider, in the rollout of the exciting new campaign this week with the main aim of fighting the scourge of malaria in Ghana over the course of the year. The Raid for more campaign, organisers say, shall drum home the benefits of preventive methods of fighting malaria, and create an awareness among Ghanaians that goes beyond the usual emphasis on curative approaches to fighting the disease. The nationwide campaign, which was launched under the patronage of the Asantehene on Friday at the Ancient Asanteman Palace grounds in the bustling Adum central business district of Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region, promises amazing prizes including a Hyundai Sedan vehicle for lucky winners. Campaign objective Thousands of people, especially women and children die in Ghana due to malaria with over $800 million lost to the outbreak of the disease every year. Head of Corporate Services at mPedigree, Eugene Boadu, told Myjoyonline.com that "highlighting prevention in Ghana's anti-malaria efforts using innovative technology and rewards for consumers is an exercise of profound importance." Studies show that 3.5 million Ghanaians stop contributing to the social, political and economic life of this country for many weeks every year because of malaria. In fact, outpatient cases of malaria are in the region of 12 million incidents a year. SC Johnson is no stranger to such innovative schemes. In 2012, it launched the WOW program in Ghana on a pilot basis. The initiative supported low income families to pool their resources and with the support of the companys representatives set up hygiene clubs with preferential access to cleaning, sanitation, and disease prevention products. The Raid for More initiative, according to the companys senior managers, take these programs to another level of sophistication using world-class technology from mPedigree. Campaign Modalities SC Johnson has deployed mPedigrees Goldkeys and Acodion technologies on millions of packs of RAID products to enable the company and its partners to reach out to millions of Ghanaians who patronize the products. The technology is accessed by scratching a label on the Raid package and sending the revealed code by SMS to multiple networks. This registers the user in the campaign, and they can now start accessing useful malaria related content as well as win impressive prizes, including the grand prize of a saloon car. According to Mr. Boadu, the Raid product, once bought will not only be used to kill and repel mosquitoes and other disease-causing insects but it will also open the channel for interested consumers to tap preventive tips that will educate them on how to fight malaria before it strikes. As an added advantage, the unique codes on the scratch labels applied to the packaging of Raid, also serve as a kind of warranty for customers to verify the quality-source of the product through mPedigrees Goldkeys and Acodion platforms, and to report any suspicious issues encountered when buying or using the product. Monthly draws will seek to reward consumers who register for the Raid for More Campaign by texting the label code to the shortcode printed on the Raid insecticide pack. Furthermore, retail agents who promote the dissemination of the information also stand to win instant airtime valid on all major telecom networks in Ghana. This new approach by the likes of SC Johnson to corporate social responsibility blends social marketing with public outreach and consumer engagement, and appears to represent a break from traditional ways of establishing brand presence. Senior managers at SC Johnson believe that the best way to sustain contact with customers is to show in practical ways that they care about their customers, in this case about their health, transport and communication needs. Accra, Mar. 19, GNA - Pastor Alfred Kwasi Asiem, Youth Director of the Southern Ghana Union Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventists (SDA), has called on the youth to reach out to others in their communities to spread the gospel. 'You have been called out today to extend a special hand of help to the needy in our villages, towns and cities; to contribute to the spreading of the everlasting gospel,' he said. Pastor Asiem made the call when the Southern Ghana Union Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventists held its fourth annual Global Youth Day (GYD) celebration in Accra. The GYD day this year occurred on the 19th March, and was on the theme: 'Be the Sermon', and this was based on the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10). The GYD is a day at which the Seventh-Day Adventist youth around the world are reminded on their role as the 'hands and feet of Jesus Christ'- through acts of kindness. Pastor Asiem urged the Adventist youth to move beyond their comfort zones and get onto the streets, the orphanages, hospitals and help people who are really in need or calling for help. As part of the celebration the Adventist youth matched through some principal streets of Accra, made donations to the Borstal Institute of Accra and undertook blood donations for various blood banks. The Youth Director said: 'As Christ shed his blood to save us, so are we called on this day of service, to also donate blood to save a life.' 'I am overwhelmed by this massive turnout of young people. Evidently, it shows your readiness to go on God's errand.' Pastor Mark Hado, Youth Director of the South Ghana Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, said the conference has about 15,000 youth members under its auspices. He said the GYD was being used to unveil a one week youth week of prayer starting from Saturday 19 to 27 March. He said other activities earmarked for this year includes bible quiz and seminars for the youth. GNA Winneba (C/R), Mar. 19, GNA - The Junior Command Course 4/2016 of the Ghana Police Command and Staff College (GPCSC) has ended with a call on the officers to strive hard to be good and effective leaders. Mr John Kudalor, Inspector General of Police, said this in a speech delivered on his behalf by Director General Administration, Deputy Commissioner of Police DCOP Mr. Ransford Ninson. A total of 49 Deputy Superintendents of Police officers attended the course and they were the forth batch of Senior Police officers who successfully have gone through a five-week intensive training to enhance their command, staff, operational and managerial capabilities. The training programmes at the College are designed to provide quality; professional, practical and skills development training for Senior Police Officer to help them provide quality law enforcement service to the people of the country. You must resolve to appreciate that you remain accountable to the citizens and hence, must relate to them as true public servants with courtesy and within the dictates of the law, the IGP said. Mr Kudalor said the task of blending their acclaimed quality human assets with quality leadership is the main challenge ahead of them and this they can surmount. He said in so doing they must resolve both individually and collectively, to hold their duties sacred, execute functions with pride and exhibit the highest level of professional excellence in all their official engagements. The IGP said as the government is doing its best to ensure that the Service is better equipped to perform its duties effectively, the good people of the country expects them to fulfill their part of the contract by ensuring the safety and security of all. He reminded the officers again that aside their routine operations, some major national assignment including the provision of security during the Easter festivities and the onset of the political campaign season for the November elections is at hand. I am confident that with the operational competence we have, we can deliver to ensure the success of the exercises in spite of the possible challenges we may be confronted with, Mr Kudalor added. DSP Elizabeth Viney the course prefect on behalf of his colleges expressed her gratitude to the IGP and the Police Management and Advisory Board for the opportunity offered them. GNA Nkwanta (V/R), Mar. 19, GNA - BasicNeeds Ghana, an NGO promoting mental healthcare in Ghana, is training midwives and nurses in the northern districts of the Volta Region with skills to identify signs of mental illnesses. The programme is under a project dubbed, 'Strengthening Community Mental Health Services to Improve Youth and Women's Mental Health in Ghana,' with support from Department for International Development UK (DFID). The project among others is expected to enable these first-line health professionals counsel such afflicted persons and give them directions for further help. Beneficiary districts are Krachi-West, Krachi-East, Krachi-Nchumuru, Nkwanta-North and Nkwanta-South. Kingsley Kumbelim, Project Officer of BasicNeeds Ghana, at a two-day training held at Nkwanta, said the state of mental health of pregnant women directly and indirectly impacted maternal mortality. He said there were simple but important decisions that nurses and midwives could take and this would make the important difference for a client. Mr Kumbelim, who stood in for Badimak Peter Yaro, Chief Executive of BasicNeeds Ghana, said the project aims joining in mental health into Primary Health Care and also deal with cultural attitudes and stigmatization. Courage Ahorlu-Dzage, Ghana Health Service (GHS) Volta Regional Coordinator of Mental Health, said there was the urgent need to extend treatment opportunities for mental disorders across the country. He said in the Volta Region for example it is thought that only five per cent of those needing treatment for mental conditions got to the orthodox treatment centres. Mr Ahorlu-Dzage said 75 per cent of mental disorders start from the adolescence stage and these are in many cases down played. He said the training should enable the nurses and midwives spot conditions that they probably would have glossed over in the past. Mr Ahorlu-Dzage told the Ghana News Agency that other training projects targeting faith healing centres seemed to have considerably curbed the crude methods of handling patients there. Johnson Idam Borno, Nkwanta District Mental Health Nurse, said cases reported at facilities in the district included depression, epilepsy, schizophrenia and post natal depression. A total of 50 nurses and midwives attended the training session which introduced participants to common mental disorders, identification and treatment. GNA Nudowukope (V/R), Mar. 19, GNA - Mr James Gunu, Akatsi North District Chief Executive (DCE), has called on the works engineers of assemblies to ensure that contractors do not 'short-change' the people with shoddy works. 'Our engineers must help in executing development projects by [monitoring] contractors to ensure government funds are not wasted', he said. Mr. Gunu said this when residents of Nudowukope, a farming village, turned down a new three-unit school block been handed over to them by the Assembly on Monday, demanding that the contractor be recalled to correct visible defects on the building. A four seater K.V.I.P which is part of the project was, however, accepted by the community. 'The [period] when contractors cut corners to make illegal profit are getting over as communities are doing social auditing of projects,' Mr Gunu said. He said the engineers must be on the project right from day one, assessing the quality of blocks, iron rods and making sure all stages of projects were up to standard. 'We only observe and complain of poor finishing of project, forgetting that the worst might have taken place from the foundation [level], and this is not good for a country with scarce recourses', he said. He said they were some unpatriotic contractors who will always try to cut corners but such schemes would fail when the engineers are alert. Mr Gunu, commending the village for their vigilance, said the assembly had 'long written to the contractors, Vidfost Construction Company Limited, to return to the project'. He said the alternative was for the Assembly to abrogate the contract and engage another contractor for the correction with the outstanding project costs. Mr Peter Dorsese, Assembly Member for the area, said the poor quality of doors, windows among others was unacceptable. The Nudowukope Basic School had stood for some time as a community facility before the Ghana Education Service absorbed it. It is among 10 schools benefiting from a pilot school feeding programme the assembly is financing on its own. GNA Accra, Mar. 19, GNA - A day's seminar aimed at increasing fertilizer usage effectively in the Agriculture sector in Africa has been held in Accra. The seminar brought together researchers, extension staff, input dealers, small holder farmers, policy makers, stakeholders, representatives from Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Kenya as well as Mali to also address issues of nutrients and its supply to farmers. Dubbed, 'Optimizing Fertilizer Recommendation in Africa', it was organized by the Directorate of Crop Services of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and supported by the Optimizing Fertilizer Recommendation in Africa (OFRA) project group and Commonwealth Agriculture Bureau International (CABI). Addressing participants at the seminar, Mr Osei Akoto, Deputy Director, Directorate of Crop Services MoFA, said the challenge of agriculture continues to be high due to the absence of better approaches in solving it. He said though it had taken a while on how to address it, after three years of developing OFRA tool which is an extensive approach based on other available research conducted by Soil Research Institute, CABI and Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), would help address some of the challenges at the sector. Mr Akoto said the OFRA Tool would be useful to agriculture groups especially farmers in Africa in addressing the challenges that had existed over the years. Dr Francis Tetteh, Representative of the Soil Research Institute, said crop productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa was low due to soil degradation and erosion. He said over the years in Ghana, fertilizer recommendation had been formulated but had not yielded any better results hence the collaboration with AGRA and CABI in spearheading it across Sub-Saharan African countries with Ghana not being an exception. Dr Tetteh said going forward; there would be workshops and training sessions for farmers, input dealers, and extension staff where the OFRA Tool would be used to help sustain the agriculture sector in the country. 'We are also going to have demonstrations, where we will select some farmers using the tools to educate them,' he said. Professor Charles Wortmann, Professor of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, presenting the research findings to stakeholders, said the usage of fertilizer by farmers in their work would help maximize profit. He said there would be improvement in soil fertility, the environment would be protected and returns would be maximized per small investments. Prof Wortmann said the response function of maize in the country was very strong based on the research findings. 'Wenchi in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana represents much of Africa's production,' he said. He, however, noted that many of the farmers had no money to apply fertilizer to their crops to maximize returns. He called for continued stakeholder's engagement on the OFRA Tool, inclusion of OFRA in the educational curricula of the country, policies promoting OFRA and fertilizer choices and the creation of farmers demand for more profitable optimizer approaches. 'Am hoping farmers will be able to achieve the financial ability to make choices,' Prof Wortmann said. GNA 19.03.2016 LISTEN President John Mahama has said he wishes to be addressed as Mr Mahama rather than Dr Mahama, even though the University of Aberdeen recently conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) (Honoris Causa) degree on him during his official visit to Scotland. It is indeed a great honour, but I wish to remain & be addressed as Mr. John Dramani Mahama and not Dr. Mahama. Thanks. JM. John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) March 19, 2016 The convocation took place at the University's Kings College and formed part of the president's working visit to Scotland. In a tweet, however, Mr Mahama said he is OK with the title Mr rather than Dr. President Mahama left Accra Wednesday March 16, 2016 for Glasgow, to meet with the First Minister of Scotland and visit the Scottish parliament where he observed First Minister's Question Time and addressed a meeting of parliamentarians. Pro-gay Minority Scottish MPs boycotted his speech in protest to Ghana's anti-gay laws. Accompanied by the first lady, Lordina Mahama, Foreign Minister Hanna S. Tetteh (MP), Communications Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Education Minister Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman, President Mahama also met leaders of Scotland's political parties. President Mahama is the second Ghanaian leader after President Jerry John Rawlings to visit Scotland. The visit provided an opportunity for the two countries to strengthen political and economic relations. As part of his itenerary, President Mahama also met the Ghanaian community and addressed a business forum. -radioxyzonline you are here: March 19, 2016 A U.S. 2016 (S)Election Circus Threat Your likely choices: Pics via Billmon Posted by b on March 19, 2016 at 18:42 UTC | Permalink Comments next page On the campaign trail, Barack Obama's foreign policy gets no love. Republicans portray it as weak, timid, inept and rudderless. Hillary Clinton has faulted him for the rise of the Islamic State and lacking a strategy. Bernie Sanders doesn't rush to Obama's defense. The public seems to agree the president has fallen short. In the latest Economist/YouGov poll, only 36 percent of Americans approved of his handling of international affairs, with 49 percent disapproving. Fear of terrorism is at the highest level since the aftermath of 9/11. In a turbulent world beset by unpredictable and often violent changes, it's easy to deduce that the president is generating dangerous chaos. But blaming Obama for the upheaval is like arriving in town after the tornado and blaming the Red Cross for the wreckage. History is more likely to give him credit for adopting a sober strategy and making it work. It's not hard to find achievements on his record. He decimated al-Qaida and killed Osama bin Laden. He completed the withdrawal from Iraq. Working with Russia, he induced Syrian President Bashar Assad to agree to give up his chemical weapons. A climate change agreement committed 195 nations to curb emissions that pose a dire threat to the entire world. A landmark deal with Iran reversed its march toward acquiring the bomb. The last two items are portrayed as insane folly by Republicans who think global warming is a hoax and the Iran agreement will fail. The facts tell a different story. The planet has continued getting hotter over the past seven years. Iran has disabled a reactor, eliminated thousands of centrifuges, shipped enriched uranium out of the country and accepted stringent inspections. Perhaps more important than what Obama has done is what he has chosen not to do. He refused to undertake a war against Assad. He rejected aggressive action when Russia invaded Ukraine. He avoided entanglement in Libya. He didn't send large numbers of ground forces to fight the Islamic State. His preferred military option has been one notable for minimizing costs and risks to Americans: drone strikes. An interview with Jeffrey Goldberg in The Atlantic makes clear that these choices grew out of a shrewd sense of limits and priorities. Obama "believes that Churchillian rhetoric and, more to the point, Churchillian habits of thought, helped bring his predecessor, George W. Bush, to ruinous war in Iraq," writes Goldberg. "He was particularly mindful of promising victory in conflicts he believed to be unwinnable." He has no use for the notion that the U.S. should jump into conflicts to preserve its credibility. "Dropping bombs on someone to prove that you're willing to drop bombs on someone is just about the worst reason to use force," Obama has told aides. Even his defenders think he blundered in promising a penalty if Assad used chemical weapons and then changing his mind. But Obama obviously thinks that if he erred, it was in the original vow, not in the ultimate forbearance. What he calls "the Washington playbook" prescribed robust intervention. But that approach is "a trap that can lead to bad decisions," he told Goldberg. "In the midst of an international challenge like Syria, you get judged harshly if you don't follow the playbook, even if there are good reasons why it does not apply." It was "as tough a decision as I've made" -- but "the right decision." Sacrificing American lives in idealistic crusades is not something he's willing to do. An unsentimental skeptic, Obama sometimes clashes with advisers pushing for action to avert humanitarian disasters. "I want a president who has the sense that you can't fix everything," he says. Privately, he's enunciated his chief rule: "Don't do stupid (stuff)." His biggest departure from that policy was in Libya, where he authorized airstrikes against Moammar Gadhafi. "We actually executed this plan as well as I could have expected," he says. "And despite all that, Libya is a mess." The debacle, Goldberg writes, "sealed Obama's fatalistic view." That revelation alone distinguishes Obama from one wartime president after another -- in his ability to acknowledge a serious failure, avoid compounding it and learn from the experience. As the unforeseen consequences of the Iraq War continue reverberating through the Middle East, Obama deserves credit for sparing us from new mistakes. Right now, it may be hard to appreciate the value of his restraint. But we'll miss it when he's gone. Steve Chapman blogs at newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/steve_chapman. Follow him on Twitter @SteveChapman13 or at https://www.facebook.com/stevechapman13. To find out more about Chapman, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. HOUSTON Royal Dutch Shell plc and the Saudi Arabian Oil Company plan to end their refining joint venture. The two companies have signed a letter of intent for a divorce that will split the assets of Motiva, which both have operated in 50-50 refining and marketing joint venture since 2002. Saudi Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia, said it will retain the Motiva name, the refinery at Port Arthur and 26 distribution terminals. Saudi Aramco will also retain an exclusive license to use Shells brand for gasoline and diesel sales in Texas, most of the Mississippi Valley, the Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic. Shell, an international supermajor, will retain the refineries at Norco and Convent, Louisiana, nine distribution terminals and the Shell brand in Florida, Louisiana and the Northeastern region. Much like California in the late 1950s, Texas has become a major destination for Americans relocating within the United States, topping the charts for attracting new residents from other states. From 2010 to 2014, Houston, Dallas, and Austin were the three population centers with the highest level of net domestic migration in the country. Half of the top 10 cities listed in Forbes Fastest-Growing Cities of 2015 were located in Texas. Taking into account growth in population, jobs, and output as well as the unemployment rate, Houston was named the fastest growing city, followed by Austin (No. 2), Dallas (No. 3), Fort Worth (No. 8), and San Antonio (No. 10). Obviously, the oil price slide has recently taken some of the luster off of Houston for the near term, but long-range prospects remain strong. Based on data from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, Texas has been one of the most common destinations for state-to-state movers for over a decade. Specifically, Texas has had the most people moving to the state every year since 2006, except for 2012 and 2014 when it was a close second to Florida. In 2014, it is estimated that over 538,000 people moved to Texas from other states, including many from California (11.8 percent of the total) and Florida (7.6 percent). Over the past five years, net migration totals (the number of people moving out of a state subtracted from the number of people moving into a state) show that Texas and Florida have gained the most new net domestic residents, while California has been losing more residents than it gained. While it makes sense that some of the most populous states top the charts for total number of residents that have moved, the pattern of U.S. domestic migration is quite revealing. Midlands Parks & Recreation Division is planning Love Your Parks Day today at three city parks. The day kicks off 9 a.m. at Fasken Park, 2301 Humble Drive. The renovated park features a new playground, exercise equipment, a picnic structure and irrigation system. The improvements were made possible through a donation by Concho Resources, according to a press release from the city. The Fasken Park celebration will include planting trees donated by TXU Energy. Keep Midland Beautiful and TreeKeepers will be onsite to help with the planting project and offer information about recommended trees for the West Texas area. Seedlings will be given away to participating volunteers. Parks & Recreation staff will introduce the citys new Bubble Ball games, which are now available for party rentals. Events at Midlands newest park, Greathouse Park, begin at 10 a.m. The park, at 5105 Greathouse next to Greathouse Elementary, is the 50th park in the citys park system. A Mommy and Me walk will take place after a ribbon-cutting, with stations along the path to enter drawings for door prizes. The final event of Love Your Parks Day is set for 11 a.m. at the new dog park, Waggin Trail, at Beal Park, 5200 W. Wall St. The Midland Humane Coalition will host activities such as pet adoptions, microchipping and pet photos. Local canine favorite Hufflepuff of Wafflebottom will be on hand at a kissing booth. All proceeds will benefit the Midland Humane Coalition. Trainers will be on hand to answer questions about pet issues, and free T-shirts will be given away to those who like Midland Humane Coalition's Facebook page. For more information contact Laurie Williams at lwilliams@midlandtexas.gov or 685-7370. Eric Gay AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Preliminary state data shows that abortions in Texas dropped 14 percent in the first full year under new clinic restrictions that are now being weighed by the U.S. Supreme Court. The figures obtained by The Dallas Morning News (http://bit.ly/21zJtzD ) show that Texas women had nearly 9,000 fewer abortions in 2014 than in 2013, when Republican lawmakers passed new restrictions that forced more than half the state's clinics to close. Someone should sue the President for ... MML informal Poll of Presidential Candidates View Photos An Informal myMotherLode poll asked if Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio were all running for president who would you vote for? With over 990 votes in 25 hours Sanders won by 2 percent more than Trump. Sanders received 35 percent; Trump came in second with 33 percent; Cruz, 12 percent; Clinton had only 9 percent, and Rubio got 5 percent which was one percent less than all those who voted for none of those listed. Sunday there is a Rally for Bernie Sanders at the intersection of Mono Way and Sanguinetti Road. Voter registration and tables will be set up for people to meet local Bernie supporters and get information about his position on issues , and how he plans to pay for his proposals. Full details about Tuolume and Calaveras voter registration are in the February news story State Continues to Heavily Lean Democrat: Mother Lode Republican Territory here. As of February 29th the Tuolumne County voter registration has 41 percent of voters registered as republicans and 31 percent registered as Democrats (see chart). A full 21 percent are registered with no party. Currently, in order to vote in Californias Republican primary, you must be a registered member of the GOP. However, the Democrats, Libertarians and American Independent Parties allow decline to state voters to take part in their primaries. More about a plan to allow the same in the republican primary is here. Another informal myMotherLode poll asked Is Kelly Woosters Apology For The Racial Comment About People From Mexico Enough? 57 percent said yes, 28 percent said no and 15 percent didnt know. Californias Secretary of State recently criticized the controversial comments as detailed in the news story here. The Calaveras Board of Supervisors also released information addressed the incident here. Murphys, CA Revelers will fill the streets of Murphys for the Irish Day Parade. It is a perfect way to usher in spring, which begins tomorrow, as the Easter Bunny closes out the parade with yummy treats for the kids. For those planning to attend there are several street closures to note. There will be no parking until 6 p.m. on Main, Church, Algiers, Sheep Ranch, Scott, Jones streets and Six Mile Road. Police advise motorists are advised to use Highway 4, and not Murphys Grade Road. Free parking at Ironstone Vineyards on Six Mile Road includes complimentary shuttles every 20 minutes between there and the Arbors parking lot at Jones and Scott streets from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Arbors lot is reserved for handicapped parking. Additional free parking will be available at the Black Bart Playhouse parking lot on Algiers Street after the 11 a.m. parade clears. The Easter Bunny For early revelers, a pancake breakfast will be served from 8-10:30 a.m. at the Congregational Church. An innocent bystander remains in grave condition after he was shot Friday when a man and a woman got into an argument at an Orange County apartment complex, deputies said. The incident happened around 12:30 p.m. at the Magnolia Court Apartments at 7668 Forest City Road. Jakell Juan Ward, 21, was arguing with his girlfriend inside his apartment. When the girlfriend went to leave, Ward followed her to her car and fired several rounds, deputies said. The rounds missed the woman but struck a man who was working on a nearby fence. The man was "gravely wounded," deputies said. He was rushed to Florida Hospital South and remained in grave condition Friday night. Jane Watrel, a spokeswoman with the Orange County Sheriff's Office, added: "We want the community to know that there's no one out there on the loose. Our deputies immediately managed to take into custody the man who was responsible for firing the gun and hitting the innocent bystander." Brandy Moore, a parent, said it's important to get children in the area out of danger. "It's sad because look at all those children," Moore said. "What if it was one of those children? We walk all around here." Moore, as well as other neighbors, said they are happy an arrest was made, but questions still linger. "What got him so angry to make him want to think about shooting this woman?" Moore said. "He knows the complex; he knows people are around all the time. If it wasn't one of the workers, it could have been somebody else. It could have been this lady. It's a scary situation." Ward was arrested and will be charged with attempted murder. Plainview Lions Club Spring break was evident in the den this week with most school personnel missing in action. However a positive gathering of feline filled in the cracks quite well. Lion Boss Greg Brown tended to head table chores, James Belk led both pledges, Travis Thornton led singing and Kevin Carter gave the invocation. Monsignor Rey Rodriquez gave instructions in skydiving, with no takers signing up for free lessons. Guests were introduced as: Beverly James with Wendell Dunlap, both sons of Aaron Byrd were attending with dad. Also Paul Kite, water superintendent of Plainview, with new Lion Tim Crosswhite with the City of Plainview, and last but not least, Emily Rodriquez, niece of parson Rey. Raffle netted Boy Scouts a tidy sum of $62, and all proceeds of this event will be directed to that group during this month. Election of new officers will take place this week. These newly voted individuals will be listed in this epistle next Sunday. Our program introduced by Lion Misty Rowell, was Selena Mendoza from Lubbock, with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. She showed film clips of the organization and its objectives. It also is represented in this city with several cases mentioned. We serve - Ron White Plainview Kiwanis Club Thirteen people gathered at noon Thursday at Plainview Country Club for a St. Patricks Day meeting. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Randy Kaufman offered a prayer. Charles Lawson was accompanied by his daughter Kristin. The club approved a donation for Cops & Kids Day, a program by the Plainview Police Department to be held from noon-5 p.m. Saturday, April 9 at Kidsville Park. The board will meet at noon Wednesday, March 23 at IHOP. March program chairman Janis Roberson introduced Blair and Gayle Willson, who are spearheading the Plainview Downtown Restoration. For more information, go to www.plainviewdowntownrestoration.com. - Kevin Lewis Plainview Rotary Club The Plainview Rotary Club met Tuesday at Plainview. Vice President Kim Street called the meeting to order. Dr. Tim Morrow led the invocation and Kenneth Hooper led the Pledge of Allegiance. Margarie Hodge and Christian Givens were guests of the club. Andrew Freeman, assistant city of manager of Plainview, introduced Adeline Fox, education and outreach coordinator for The Ogallala Aquifer and the High Plains Water District. The High Plains Water District focuses on data collection and tries to answer the question, "How are we going to help people in our district?" It also serves 16 counties in the Plainview area as the largest ground water district. There are 100 ground water districts in Texas. There are three aquifers. They are a tax based entity with ground water management, conservation awareness, permitting water wells, and data collection. The Ogallala Aquifer covers portions of eight states, 174,000 square-miles and is the largest freshwater aquifer in the United States. West Texas is considered the major aquifer for the region and the conditions vary greatly. It also monitors water levels. It monitors the annual and daily usage for wells on privately-owned land. The future issues are conservation and revenue balances, the availability of water sources, funding for water resources, dependency on ground water and the cost of compliance. Also, collecting data, working closely with local entities, funding research and educating group water classes. Kenneth Hooper led the Four-Way-Test and Kim Street dismissed the group. - Cynthia Gregory SAN ANTONIO An argument between two male siblings ended in gunfire that left one man seriously injured Friday afternoon on the East Side. San Antonio Police Department Chief William McManus said officers were called to the 800 block of Nevada Street around 1 p.m. after receiving reports of a shooting. A Floresville business owner shot and killed a man he said broke into his business early Saturday, according to media reports. KSAT and WOAI report a man allegedly broke into a building in downtown Floresville on C Street about 6 a.m., that was both a business and home. Esther Lee Riley Kring, a retired nurse turned ballroom dancer, died of cancer March 12, one day before her 90th birthday. Kring, a child of the Great Depression, created the life she wanted even when facing hard times. After her parents divorce the state removed Kring and her two sisters from the family and placed them in the Waco State Home, daughter Kitty Cruser said When Kring's father remarried, the children were returned to him, Cruser said. After Kring, 16, graduated from McAllen High School in 1942, she was soon accepted into the Baptist Hospital nursing program. She wanted a nursing degree because she saw the need to be independent, because her parents had gone through a hard time, Cruser said. More Information Esther Lee Riley Kring Born: March 13, 1926 Stephenville Died: March 12, 2016, San Antonio Preceded by: Husband Jessie Kring, Jr.; sisters Lucille Riley Fritz, Katherine Riley Hayes Survived by: Daughter Kitty Kring Cruser; sons Gary Kring and Kenneth Kring; grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Services: Celebration of life at 10 a.m. April 9, Sunset Funeral Home Chapel, 1701 Austin Highway. See More Collapse While training, she married Jessie Kring Jr., who was in the Air Force on Feb. 1, 1946. Before graduation, she was invited to a picnic where she met Rudy Flores, who would prove to be a major presence in her life decades later. Kring, pregnant with her daughter Kitty, graduated in 1947. The couple had two more children, Gary and Kenneth Kring. The family lived in Japan, Morocco, and Spain. Mom was fearless, Cruser said. She took us everywhere. ... We climbed every mountain and went to every museum in every country we went to. Kring continued her education, getting a bachelor of science degree in nursing in public health. When she was a public health nurse she would take us with her to visit her patients, showing us how to have compassion, Cruse said. Kring retired as a Brackenridge High School nurse at 65. Years earlier, she had gone through a divorce and was alone. The love affair with Rudy was the thing she was in her late 60s when they reconnected, Cruse said. It was Singles Night at the Roaring 20s, a now closed San Antonio speakeasy, when Flores recognized Kring from the dance floor. I said to her, you are one of those cadet nurses that went to school with my niece,' he said. After 37 years that started our romance. We belonged to four different dance clubs and traveled throughout the state with them, Flores said. She was an exceptional dancer, and loved the way I danced. Flores said they had a marvelous time together until she got sick. When she was hospitalized, he never missed a day visiting her. I had taken her hand, and she said take me home, then she went to sleep, Flores said. Hours later she was gone. iwilgen@express-news.net Washington, D.C., should host an Olympics for finger-pointing. There would be no shortage of accomplished practitioners. Start with President Barack Obama, who in introducing Judge Merrick Garland as his choice to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on the big bench, asked the Senate to give him a fair hearing and then an up-or-down vote. If you dont, he said, then it will not only be an abdication of the Senates constitutional duty, it will indicate a process for nominating and confirming judges that is beyond repair. It will mean everything is subject to the most partisan of politics everything. Youd never guess Obama not only voted against Chief Justice John Roberts but also supported a filibuster that is, he opposed an up-or-down vote to thwart the confirmation of Samuel Alito in 2005. Hillary Clinton also opposed Roberts and supported an Alito filibuster. Both Roberts and Alito won confirmation with Democratic support which tells you they were qualified but not immune to the sort of partisan opposition that Obama now finds distasteful. On the other side of the aisle, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the floor to promise hed oppose an election-year confirmation in deference to the Biden rule. (In 1992, then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joe Biden said he would oppose an election-year GOP nominee.) Judicial nominations are political by design, Georgetown University law professor Randy Barnett told me. Judges are picked by a politically elected president and confirmed by a politically elected Senate. Because this is an election year, Obama chose a qualified and not extreme federal judge with probably a shorter life span than his other potential nominees. The conservative Barnett described Garland, a former classmate, as probably the most reasonable nominee a Democratic president could make. The New York Times places Garland to the left of all living justices, save Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, and also reports that a Garland confirmation could tip the ideological balance to create the most liberal Supreme Court in 50 years. With the ideological bent of the court in the balance, and a presidential election months away, there simply is too much at stake. Nobody in Washington, D.C., no living soul, believes that the Democrats would not be doing the exact same thing the Republicans are doing for the same reason, if the tables were turned, quoth Barnett. Having also opposed Roberts and supported an Alito filibuster, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., knows he isnt in a strong position to scold the GOP leadership. So the craven Schumer has come up with this line about how the Senate owes Garland and the American people hearings. Hearings for someone the Senate is bound to reject? Why not try waterboarding? I cannot think of a more textbook example of political circus. There is a political risk to the GOP opposition. If a Democrat wins the White House in November, then she probably will nominate someone who is further to the left than Garland not to mention younger. But if the Republican Senate wants to hand the Supreme Court to the Democrats, then why would Republican voters support them? Debra J. Saunders is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. dsaunders@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DebraJSaunders March is national reading month, but I celebrate it 12 months a year. Reading has been the backbone of my life. Living on El Paso Street and attending Sidney Lanier High in my youth, I relished reading as an escape from the drudgery of everyday life. I saw books and their hidden corridors as a refuge from my economically deprived neighborhood. On Saturdays, Id board the old Guadalupe bus, a noisy, diesel affair lumbering toward downtown, and then Id get off on Commerce Street and walk a few blocks north to Houston Street to enjoy a matinee at the Texas Theatre. Once downtown, Id wander down Houston Street, near the old Hertzberg clock, and enjoy a fiery debate between a Yahweh-thumping preacher and a long-haired heckler arguing furiously over a cryptic interpretation of an Old Testament passage. Groups huddled, like rabbinical scholars, discussing the passage with chin-stoking sagacity. Next, Id head into the bargain basement of Brocks Books at the corner of Commerce Street west of Schilos Delicatessen. Books beckoned me to uncover their stories. Brocks cellar held many first editions, if I was lucky to grab them before a competitor got them before me. Old man Brock, a curmudgeon, never upgraded the building. Bare light bulbs dangled from corners like stringy eyeballs. Disheveled books begged to be discovered. If that wasnt enough, Id journey to Donaldsons Bookstore on North St. Marys, which was owned by the less temperamental, more urbane Don Donaldson. For the intelligentsia, Rosengrens Books was the ultimate place to browse. All bibliophiles knew the rituals and locations where dealers peddled their books with a fiendish addiction to fresh ink and a musty scent of paper. Even my humble Guadalupe Street had Fernandezs botica, where the bespectacled wholesaler sold Superman comics, Zane Grey dime novels and Spanish newspapers alongside bottles of Dr. J.H. McLeans Volcanic Oil and Salvia herbs. In the radical late 60s, my high school buddies were reading transformative books to change our school system. But I was transfixed trying to finish Fyodor Dostoevskys big tome The Brothers Karamazov. The novel told the tragic story of a St. Petersburg family who lived a barriolike existence in an oppressive, regimented life that consisted of an alcoholic father and two brothers, Ivan and Dmitri, who were ideologically opposed. A third one, Alyosha, the youngest, was close to being a saint. Dmitri, the eldest, was a duplicate of his philandering old man. Hidden in the family saga was the illegitimate Smerdyakov, whose wounded pride festered like an open sore. Dostoevsky weaves a grand tapestry, full of tawdry scenes of debauchery and drunken escapades, coupled with hidden sin and redemption similar to the microcosm of my West Side San Antonio. Dostoevsky spoke my language, and his experience in czarist Russia was my experience on Guadalupe Street. We are kindred souls. I read and read until my eyes grew tired. The next day, I continued thinking how someone could create a world so hauntingly familiar tethered to a cosmic fictive reality where I could feel the clickety-clack movements of wagons, smell the dank fumes of town life, and hear the shrill whistle of trains leaving the station. Dostoevsky painted a landscape so excruciatingly vivid and palpably real that I was experiencing all the pain and suffering down to the connecting clauses and linking verbs that catapulted the bastard son to commit patricide. Reading gives us a chance to draw grander connections with our contemporary society, because good literature helps us see that a blade of grass is equally important as a giant oak tree. Good literature helps us contemplate what it means to be human in a technologically dehumanized world. Rafael Castillo, a professor of English and humanities at Palo Alto College, is the author of Distant Journeys (Bilingual Review Press) and Aurora (Berkeley Press). In 1987, Allan Bloom wrote a book called The Closing of the American Mind. The core argument was that American campuses were awash in moral relativism. Subjective personal values had replaced universal moral principles. Nothing was either right or wrong. Amid a wave of rampant nonjudgmentalism, life was flatter and emptier. Blooms thesis was accurate at the time, but its not accurate anymore. College campuses are today awash in moral judgment. Many people carefully guard their words, afraid they might transgress one of the norms that have come into existence. Those accused of incorrect thought face ruinous consequences. When a moral crusade spreads across campus, many students feel compelled to post in support of it on Facebook within minutes. If they do not post, they will be noticed and condemned. Some sort of moral system is coming into place. Some new criteria now exist, which people use to define correct and incorrect action. The big question is: What is the nature of this new moral system? Last year, Andy Crouch published an essay in Christianity Today that takes us toward an answer. Crouch starts with the distinction the anthropologist Ruth Benedict popularized, between a guilt culture and a shame culture. In a guilt culture, you know you are good or bad by what your conscience feels. In a shame culture, you know you are good or bad by what your community says about you, by whether it honors or excludes you. Crouch argues that the omnipresence of social media has created a new sort of shame culture. The world of Facebook, Instagram and the rest is a world of constant display and observation. The desire to be embraced and praised by the community is intense. People dread being exiled and condemned. Moral life is not built on the continuum of right and wrong; its built on the continuum of inclusion and exclusion. This creates a set of common behavior patterns. First, members of a group lavish one another with praise so that they might be accepted and praised in turn. Second, there are nonetheless enforcers within the group who build their personal power and reputation by policing the group and condemning those who break the group code. Social media can be vicious to those who dont fit in. Twitter can erupt in instant ridicule for anyone who stumbles. Third, people are extremely anxious that their group might be condemned or denigrated. They demand instant respect and recognition for their group. They feel some moral wrong has been perpetrated when their group has been disrespected and react with the most violent intensity. Crouch describes how video gamers viciously went after journalists, mostly women, who criticized the misogyny of their games. Campus controversies get so hot so fast because even a minor slight to a group is perceived as a basic identity threat. The ultimate sin, Crouch argues, is to criticize a group, especially on moral grounds. Talk of good and bad has to defer to talk about respect and recognition. Crouch writes, Talk of right and wrong is troubling when it is accompanied by seeming indifference to the experience of shame that accompanies judgments of immorality. In the new shame culture, the opposite of shame is celebrity to be attention-grabbing and aggressively unique on some media platform. On the positive side, this new shame culture might rebind the social and communal fabric. It might reverse, a bit, the individualistic, atomizing thrust of the past 50 years. On the other hand, everybody is perpetually insecure in a moral system based on inclusion and exclusion. There are no permanent standards, just the shifting judgment of the crowd. It is a culture of oversensitivity, overreaction and frequent moral panics, during which everybody feels compelled to go along. If were going to avoid a constant state of anxiety, peoples identities have to be based on standards of justice and virtue that are deeper and more permanent than the shifting fancy of the crowd. In an era of omnipresent social media, its probably doubly important to discover and name your own personal True North, vision of an ultimate good, which is worth defending even at the cost of unpopularity and exclusion. The guilt culture could be harsh, but at least you could hate the sin and still love the sinner. The modern shame culture allegedly values inclusion and tolerance, but it can be strangely unmerciful to those who disagree and to those who dont fit in. David Brooks is a columnist for the New York Times. Now that President Barack Obama has nominated Merrick B. Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court, Republican senators should hold a fair confirmation hearing. And he merits an up-or-down vote. Garland, 63, has been a longtime member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The Chicago native is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law, and notably served in the Justice Department overseeing the investigations and prosecutions in the Oklahoma City bombing and the Unabomber case. He has been described as a moderate, has long been on Obamas short list for Supreme Court nominees, and in the past has been heralded as a brilliant legal mind by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers. Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who both sit on the Judiciary Committee, have heaped praise on Garland. Hatch, who previously has said the Senate shouldnt hold any hearings for an Obama nominee, once called Garland a consensus nominee. One who would be very well supported by all sides. This type of rhetoric only highlights the ludicrous stance Republican lawmakers have taken in the aftermath of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalias death. They have built a brick wall without thought, opposing confirmation hearings for any potential nominee, regardless of qualifications, due to this being an election year. The mantra from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn and others has been to let the American people decide via the ongoing presidential election. This is problematic for a number of reasons. It places political calculation over individual qualification, to the detriment of the nation. But it also ignores the decision voters made in 2012 when they elected Obama to a second term. Didnt the people make a decision then? Do those votes not count simply because we are in an election year? As a matter of principle, the U.S. Senate should hold a confirmation hearing for Garland followed by a vote, judging his nomination on his abilities, viewpoints and legal interpretations. Its a sad reflection of the moment that this is even a question. If after this process the majority of senators reject Garland as unqualified for the nations highest court, then so be it. Helen L. Montoya /San Antonio Express-News Under Kathy Davis leadership, Animal Care Services has made huge strides in its handling of the never-ending torrent of stray and unwanted animals in our community. Pick the metric, and ACS performance improved during her tenure. Adoptions are up. So are spay/neuter surgeries. There is a growing amount of space to shelter or place animals for adoptions, notably the opening of the Paul Jolly Center for Pet Adoption at Brackenridge Park in 2013. Readers may remember this was the site where thousands of animals were killed each year, including an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 in 2004. Now its a place where thousands of animals find new homes. Thats the story of ACS over the past 10 years. Posted on 03/19/2016, 10:00 am, by mySteinbach Manitobans who are traveling, working, or studying away from home still have an opportunity to vote in the upcoming provincial election. A voter who will be away during advance voting, April 9 to April 16, and on election day, April 19, can be an absentee voter as long as he or she: is a Canadian citizen; is at least 18 years of age on or before election day; has resided in Manitoba for at least six months immediately before election day; and intends to be away for no more than six months. The six-month restriction does not apply to members of the Canadian Forces, students attending school outside Manitoba, individuals working with the Manitoba or Canadian government or anyone living with people who meet these conditions. Applications for absentee voting are available from the Elections Manitoba website or from the returning office in each electoral division. All applications must include government-issued photo ID (such as a drivers license) or two other documents with the applicants name. The deadline to apply is 8:00 p.m. on April 16, but to ensure that the ballot kit is delivered with enough time to return it, all applicants should try to apply before April 9. All absentee ballots must be received in the returning office by 8:00 p.m. on election day. KABC(LOS ANGELES) -- An invasive species of tiny but loud frogs has been keeping residents in Southern California up at night. The coqui frog, a small tree frog native to Puerto Rico and more recently Hawaii, has established populations in Southern California, much to the dismay of the locals thanks to the males' screeching mating calls, ABC-owned station KABC in Los Angeles reported. It is extremely loud, and they will just make that coqui call over and over ... sometimes, all night long, Greg Pauly, a herpetology curator at the Natural History Museum, told KABC. The calls are so shrill that people have mistaken them for radio or house alarms. In one instance, the Beverly Hills Police Department was even called, Pauly said. Beverly Hills Police showed up to try to get the homeowner to turn off this broken alarm, but the broken alarm was in fact just a male coqui frog looking for a female, Pauly said. The coqui frog was accidentally introduced to Hawaii in the 1980s and it quickly spread across all four main islands. It's now considered a pest species, according to the Hawaii Invasive Species Council, and home values in some parts of Hawaii have decreased due to the frog's song, KABC reported. Experts believe the coqui frog made its way to California by hiding in the leaves of tropical plants flown in from Hawaii, according to KABC. The frog's tiny size may have helped it come into the Continental U.S. undetected. Coqui frogs prefer wet climates, but can survive Southern California's dry climate by hanging around sprinkler systems in homes and plant nurseries, KABC reported. Animal authorities are trying to keep their reproduction contained until the summer, when the weather will be even drier. While the call may be music to female coqui's ear, it is biologically designed to repel other males during mating season, according to the National Wildlife Federation. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Yves here. I am sure a lot of readers will object to the thesis of this Real News Network show. But the reality is that a lot of minor conservation efforts have a big impact. Many readers are old enough to remember that during the 1970s energy crisis, office building were ordered to keep their thermostats at 77 degrees in the summer. I have to confess to being a bad actor by turning on a space heater when it gets cold in my apartment, rather than get a heated mat to put under my feet, which I am pretty sure would do pretty much the same job more efficiently. I wonder how Amazon would fare if it had to pay (or more accurately, have its customers pay) the full cost of its greenhouse gas externalities. And this factoid is a reminder of how much low-hanging fruit there is in terms of carbon-reduction, and that investments in reducing energy use pay off. From the Guardian in 2007: John Browne of BP in 1997 broke with big oil omerta and committed BP to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2010. They met the target in only three years for an expenditure of $20m; the company actually made $650m in savings. One thing that is frustrating about this interview, however, is Bob Pollins tendency to stay at the 50,000 foot level and argue (correctly) that the net economic impact of full bore push to lower greenhouse gas emissions would be positive for growth. What he oddly omits is that the bad for growth is a big fat phony excuse for a different set of issues: a lot of rice bowls of currently powerful incumbents would need to be broken. Start with airline flight. That would need to be taxed in a big time way to make airline ticket prices reflect its environmental cost. You can expect a lot fewer family get-togethers at Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays. The one upside would be that private jets would be whacked even harder. And the US cannot pretend to be serious on this front if it does not make one of our more profligate energy users, the armed forces, similarly more parsimonious in how it uses energy. To the Real News Network interview: PAUL JAY, SENIOR EDITOR, TRNN: Welcome to the Real News Network. Im Paul Jay, were in the PERI institute in Amherst, Massachusetts. Were carrying on our discussion with Bob Pollin, the co-director of the institute. He joins us now, thanks for joining us. So as I said, co-directs PERI and hes the author of the book Greening the Global Economy. After COP21 most of the media was all elated. Finally, the world had agreed that there is a climate change problem. Carbon emissions and climate change is for real, so on, and serious. We were not so elated on the Real News. We did various stories because nothing binding had come out of it, it was nice at least the language said something. But now were in an election campaign, the United States, and you wouldnt know there ever was such a meeting in Paris. Climate change is a little bit on the radar between Bernie Sanders and Hilary Clinton. Hillary says the words; Bernie says a little more. Of course on the republican side, I think, most of the candidates deny it exists. But there are a lot of serious issues and debates taking place in Paris, and it seems it is part of what seems to paralyze this discussion. One of the big issue is China and India are as big or bigger, in Chinas case, carbon emitters than the United States. The United States has no way to make China do anything about it or India. And if they dont, why should we because without them doing it, [it doesnt] just the U.S. doing it anyway. Thats one of the logics and then you get a fight on the other side. You know, as most people know youve had a hundred years of development so you cant treat developing countries the same way. So what do you make of that debate? And how does that debate get unglued? Because every time theres a big international meeting, everything kind of stops there. In spite of we all agree rhetoric. POLLIN: Well look, lets take the case of India. I mean, it so happened that I was in India giving lectures on this issue immediately before the COP21 meeting in Paris. There didnt seem to be a high level of consciousness, in India around this issue. At least among the people that I was discussing. The Indian government did make its commitment for the conference. It sounded pretty good. But [if] when you looked inside it, what it said was that the Indian economy, we werent going to sacrifice economic growth and I agree with that. But they were going to get emissions down, they were basically going to stabilize the ratio of emissions down to GDP. Now if you, kind of work through all of that, what it means that in 20 years instead of having emissions grow 5 fold, you know, 500%, in 20 years, theyre only going to grow 300%. You can tell the same story for Indonesia and other big developing economies. Now when Prime Minister Modi of India got to the Paris conference, he made a point of saying we cant, we Indians cannot be bullied into accepting the premises that were going to have to sacrifice growth and poverty reduction in the name of climate stabilization. I agree with that. But my point in my book and elsewhere is that for India, for Indonesia, for the United States, for every country, there is no reason to have to sacrifice economic growth, employment creation, poverty reduction. Because if you invest in the green economy that is going to generate jobs. That is going to reduce poverty, it is going to create opportunities for small scale development of electricity and rural areas of India. That message didnt get through and youre absolutely right. The whole thing seems to have gone way into the back burner and is not being discussed. So what we did not succeed in doing in Paris, in my mind, is two fundamental things. Number 1, we still dont have a sense of the magnitude, the urgency if we believe climate science. China is talking about stabilizing emissions in 2030. They need to get emissions down by 20% by 2030. You know realistically, India needs to stabilize emissions where they are now or even get them down modestly; not let them grow 3 fold. Now, secondly, the United States needs to reduce emissions by 40-50%. Thats the magnitude of the challenge. Secondly, the point is all of this can be done in the context of economic growth by investing in energy efficiency and clean renewable energy. Its good for jobs, its good for poverty reduction, its good for community development, its good for urban development. Those are the messages that need to get through and thats the way through which, in my view, is the only way were going to generate enough activity that is going to reach the stabilization goals. JAY: In the United States the problem is, that requires public investment. If you can create the conditions, perhaps some private investment will follow. But to really get this thing going you need public investment and you cant pass anything like that in the current Congress. POLLIN: So we need public investment at the municipal level. I mean, I myself am working, for example, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. That has made a commitment to become carbon neutral by 2040 and Im helping them develop a plan to do that. And we can do that for various municipalities. [The key idea for] why should we be able to do that for a municipality? Because again, energy efficiency investments pay for themselves. Small scale community development of green energy is a reality; its realistic. So all communities, can do it on their own. Then well have to have a movement that bubbles up and then eventually it will hit at the level of congress. JAY: China, in some ways, is ahead of the United States on this, if Im not right. In a sense, theyre way out ahead in producing solar panels less expensively and other forms of renewable energy. POLLIN: Right. So, China is, yes, very committed to advancing a green energy sector. For the most part theyre using it as a basis for exports, to date. Theyre not using it to reduce their own emissions. They are putting up clean energy. But theyre also still building coal power plants. Theyre talking about stabilizing emissions by 2030 as I said. Thats not good enough, thats not close to good enough. China is the biggest generator of CO2 emissions in the world. More than the United States. Historically, yes of course, the U.S. has done way more than China. The ethical position says that the United States and other rich countries have to do more than China. I agree with that. But China does not have to sacrifice economic growth. But what the rich countries, the United States should do, is set up a fund to support green investments, in Indonesia, in Latin America, in the Caribbean. I mean, you know in Haiti, again, half the worlds sector has no electricity at all. So bring in green electricity. Its a tremendous historic opportunity. Thats what I think should come out of COP21. It didnt but thats the direction the global economy needs to get to. JAY: So in the U.S. the breakthroughs are possible, the city levels, maybe some state levels. While Congress if it continues to be controlled; because its not just Republicans, theres a lot of Democrats that dont want to put money into it as well. POLLIN: Well, you know, Democrats are of the view that this is bad for jobs as well. Im trying to convince them that its not bad for jobs. Of course its bad for coal miner jobs, no question about it. But we need to think of a way to cushion the transition for coal miners and that can be done fairly easily. In fact, Im working on a study on that right now. But as it is, theres 80 thousand coal miners in this country. Theres 157 million jobs, people in the labor market. We should be able to come up with a way to create at least a decent transition for everyone in the coal mining sector, that should be critical. Once we do that I think that will dissipate the opposition among labor and democrats to agree an agenda. JAY: Alright, thanks very much for joining us, Bob. POLLIN: Okay, thanks very much Paul. JAY: And thank you for joining us on the Real News Network. By Aart de Geus, Artur Santos Silva, Guntram B. Wolff, Mikko Kosonen, Piero Gastalado, Robin Nibllett, and Yves Bertoncini. Originally published at Bruegel European leaders need to implement common European solutions to the refugee crisis. Only joint solutions can credibly and effectively reduce the growing human suffering and social and political turmoil. The refugee crisis poses a serious challenge, both to the welfare of refugees and to European societies. In 2015, more than 1.5 million migrants crossed into the European Union. From Italy to Poland, and from Greece to Germany, countries face immense challenges in responding to requests for humanitarian aid, asylum, and integration. The associated integration challenges in housing, language, work and welfare are already formidable. Failing to manage them properly poses serious threats to social cohesion and political stability. European countries have had sufficient time to analyse and assess the long-standing challenges which created the current crisis. Now it is time to act not individually and at the expense of others, but jointly and in a spirit of European solidarity. This is why Vision Europe a partnership between seven leading think tanks and foundations in Europe will in 2016 focus its efforts on providing practical solutions to the current refugee crisis, and its root causes. We, the seven signatories, writing in an individual capacity, see an urgent need for a common European approach, to compliment local and national efforts. At present, there is no consensus among member states on how to respond to the crisis, neither on the objectives to be achieved or the methods to be used. But disagreements on substance must be overcome now. Building on current discussions, we propose a comprehensive agenda at the EU level, with five major dimensions. First, it is important to control the EUs external borders so that only refugees fleeing war and persecution, who have a legitimate right to seek asylum, can enter and potentially remain in the EU. The porous nature of the EUs external borders has meant an unacceptable loss of control in the eyes of many EU citizens and has raised false hopes for irregular migrants trying to enter the Union. The control of the borders of the Schengen Area should be a collective effort of the EU and all Member States, coordinated by European Institutions with professional staff and with financial support provided to Member States at the EUs periphery. Regaining control of the EUs external borders is essential to preserve open internal borders. Second, beyond implementing the already agreed upon relocation of 160,000 refugees from Greece and Italy, the EU should develop a system which distributes a much larger number of refugees across the Union, directly from the hotspots in the EU and the neighbouring counties such as Turkey, Jordan or Lebanon. Member States not willing to host refugees themselves could choose to make a primarily financial contribution to the system. A Migration Solidarity Fund should be created to manage this compensatory system. Turkeys efforts to reduce the crossings in the Aegean Sea should be matched by a willingness among EU Member States to take in refugees in an orderly manner. The Conclusions from the European Council seem to move in the right direction in this regard. The third measure should be to improve, standardize and speed up the processes to determine asylum applications. The sooner refugees know whether they can stay, the more energy can be invested in their integration into host countries societies and in family reunions. The sooner a decision is taken, the fairer and more feasible it is to send back those whose requests are refused in full respect of international law and human rights. And EU members cannot afford to have vastly different standards in granting asylum status. Under international law, there can be no limit set on the number of those eligible to request asylum. As a fourth measure, we recommend expanding efforts at the EU level to improve the living conditions of refugees staying in countries close to their countries of origin. Many refugees want to return to their homes as soon as the situation becomes safe again. They should not be driven to start the hazardous journey to the European Union only because of unbearable conditions in the countries where they are currently sheltering. Last but not least, the EU and its Member States should work vigorously towards ending the violent conflicts that are the principal causes of the crisis. Europe must invest heavily in the Syria peace process, in particular. The EU must also raise the ambition and resources of its Neighbourhood Policy, with a focus on helping to stabilise the region and on improving the living conditions and economic opportunities in the Southern neighbourhood. But action is also required at the national level, especially in the EU countries where significant numbers of refugees have received or are expected to receive asylum. The distribution of refugees across municipalities and regions should be fair and should come with adequate support and resources from the national level, emphasising education and language training. The recognition of professional competences and support to enter the labour market should be available at a very early stage. Within our societies, we need a dialogue between refugees and the host society. It should be made clear that respect for human rights, democratic values and cultural norms is indispensable for a prolonged stay in the respective European host country. Coming from seven European countries, with different national policies and approaches to the refugee crisis, the foundations and think tanks of Vision Europe are working together to advance new ideas, to frame an informed debate and to emphasize the benefits of common European solutions to Europe-wide problems. Europe is strong enough to manage the migration challenges, but only if political leaders act now, act responsibly and use the resources at their disposal, including support for civil society working in this area. We must not leave the public space to populists and nationalists offering false promises. Only a European solution will be workable and sustainable. About 20 activists protested Saturday afternoon for better treatment of racing dogs outside the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track in Bonita Springs. (Ryan Mills/Staff) SHARE About 20 activists protested Saturday afternoon for better treatment of racing dogs outside the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track in Bonita Springs. (Ryan Mills/Staff) About 20 activists protested Saturday afternoon for better treatment of racing dogs outside the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track in Bonita Springs. (Ryan Mills/Staff) By Ryan Mills of the Naples Daily News Holding signs that read "Greyhounds are love" and "Greyhound racing kills," about 20 animal rights activists protested outside the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track on Saturday afternoon to call for better treatment of racing dogs and ultimately an end to dog racing in Florida. Chuck Danielian, 73, a local volunteer with the Greyhound advocacy organization Grey2K USA, said his group usually protests outside of the track three times per year. Saturday's protest, from 4 to 5 p.m., was the group's third of the current racing season, which kicked off Oct. 30 and runs through May. The activists, who say dog racing is cruel and inhumane, are calling for a law that would allow Florida card rooms to operate without the requirement that they also offer greyhound racing. It's a proposal that has been bouncing around Tallahassee for years, but has never passed the Legislature. "To us, it's just a common sense issue," Danielian said, as car horns honked in support of the protest. Izzy Havenick, the vice president for government relations for the track's ownership group, said the owners, too, want to decouple racing from their card room. Greyhound racing at the Bonita track is a money-losing venture that can't go on much longer, he said. Instead, they are pushing to add slot machines to their wagering and poker game offerings. The activists are protesting at the wrong place, Havenick said. "We're both advocating for the same bill," he said. "They should be protesting in Tallahassee. They should be protesting outside legislators' offices. We're on the same side." The decoupling legislation is opposed by anti-gambling activists, the theme park and "family friendly" tourism industries and the Seminole tribe, which runs casinos in Florida. The protesters are also pushing for a law that would require track owners and kennels to report racing dog injuries to the state. Although an omnibus gambling bill died in the Legislature during the session that ended in early March, lawmakers included a requirement in the budget that the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation adopt rules to require injury reporting at the state's 12 dog tracks. Those rules are still to be negotiated. Only six states in the U.S., including Florida, allow greyhound racing, according to Grey2K USA. Danielian said he doesn't believe decoupling greyhound racing from other gaming options would end racing in Florida right away. Instead, he suspects, it would be phased out over time. "We're trying to be realistic about it," he said. SHARE Naples residents Kimberly Sandherr and Toni Kohn prepare for the 4th annual Germain BMW of Naples Color Collier Healthy Run in North Collier Regional Park, on Saturday March 19, 2016. The NCH Safe and Healthy Children's Coalition, in partnership with Germain BMW and several other groups, hosted the 2-mile noncompetitive walk and run to raise awareness and funds for the coalition. (Tom Greenfield/Special to the Daily News) Naples residents Josh, Esther, and Evan Garfield pick up their race packets to prepare for the 4th Annual Germain BMW of Naples Color Collier Healthy Run, held in North Collier Regional Park. The NCH Safe and Healthy Children's Coalition, in partnership with Germain BMW and several other groups, hosted the 2-mile noncompetitive walk and run to raise awareness and funds for the coalition. (Tom Greenfield/Special to the Daily News) Runners gather after finishing the 4th annual Germain BMW of Naples Color Collier Healthy Run in North Collier Regional Park, on Saturday March 19, 2016. The NCH Safe and Healthy Children's Coalition, in partnership with Germain BMW and several other groups, hosted the 2-mile noncompetitive walk and run to raise awareness and funds for the coalition. (Tom Greenfield/Special to the Daily News) Stacy and Mike Perleberg, of Lawrenceburg Ind., race their way to the finish line of the 4th Annual Germain BMW of Naples Color Collier Healthy Run in North Collier Regional Park, on Saturday March 19, 2016. The NCH Safe and Healthy Children's Coalition, in partnership with Germain BMW and several other groups, hosted the 2-mile noncompetitive walk and run to raise awareness and funds for the coalition. (Tom Greenfield/Special to the Daily News) Related Photos 4th annual Germain BMW of Naples Color Collier Healthy Run By Ryan Mills of the Naples Daily News It looked like a rainbow had barfed all over Josh Mason by the time he had finished his 2-mile Saturday morning run. His hair was blue. His arms and previously white T-shirt were covered in green, red and purple paint. He needed a nap. "Maybe take a shower and then take a nap," said Josh, 17, who runs cross country and track for Palmetto Ridge High School. Josh was one of about 600 runners who took part in Saturday's fourth and final Color Collier Healthy Run to benefit the NCH Safe & Healthy Children's Coalition of Collier County. The color run, where participants are showered in yellow, red, blue and green corn starch, was held on the trails behind the North Collier Regional Park administration building. Before the 8:30 a.m. event, runners gathered on the lawn and doused one another in the powdered paint, which hung in the air like fog. Samantha Ehl, 29, tossed blue paint on her 2-year-old son Jackson, who wore his "fast shoes" to the race. "He thinks it's fun," Ehl said. "He likes throwing the color. We thought its something fun for the family to do." Once the run began, volunteers at three "color stations" tossed more paint at the runners. The were no medals or trophies at the color run. No cash prizes. It was all done in the name of healthy fun, and included runners of various skill levels and ages. Some ran hard. Others walked or pushed their kids in strollers. Edwin Pacheco, 39, technically won the race. He was the first to cross the finish line after two laps around the park. He said he didn't mind walking away without any sort of official recognition. "No, it's here," Pacheco said, pointing to his head. "That's the most important thing." The run has been an important fundraiser for the NCH Safe & Healthy Children's Coalition, said TJ Snopkowski, the coalition's administrator. While other money they bring in throughout the year is earmarked for certain initiatives, the money raised through the color run is used as a safety net to support all of the coalition's programs. It costs about $10,500 to put on the run, Snopkowski said. Last year the coalition netted about $9,600. Even though there were fewer runners this year last year they had about 1,000 the coalition expected to raise more money with more sponsors. The run's primary sponsor is Germain BMW of Naples. The coalition elected to make this their final color run, because it seems to be a trend that is fading away nationally "It was pretty popular," Snopkowski said. "It was one of those things that came along and people liked it. It was fun. It was colorful. It was creative." The coalition's board is discussing replacement events; maybe a nighttime neon run, maybe something completely different. "We just want to make sure everyone is happy. That's the goal," Snopkowski said. "We just want to get out there, move and have fun." Farmers seeking seed sovereignty, diversity (NaturalNews) In India, Bihar's Agriculture Minister, Narendra Kumar Singh, recently announced to the people at a groundbreaking Seed Festival that the state's food supply will be protected from outside companies who are looking to take over the land with GMO seeds. In fact, he said he is committed to blocking the entry of genetically modified corn, even if the central government permits it to come into the country. Singh assured the people that their seeds will be protected from contamination of genetic material drift and that rich harvests full of diverse, nutrient-dense crops will remain the standard in the state.His speech was given at the 2014 Seed Festival at the A N Sinha Institute of Social Studies. The Seed Festival featured over 500 different varieties of crop seed. The inaugural event featured agriculture experts from Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Kerala who represent a growing movement against genetically modified crops in India.Singh spoke out about protecting non-GM seed crops: "Seed is the basic unit of input and is the lifeline of agriculture. Attempts are being made by multinational companies to replace our traditional seeds with GM seeds, which would be dangerous for environment and health."Singh was joined by those with direct field experience, including farmers' commission chairman C P Sinha, Harit Swaraj convener Vijay Pratap, Jacob Nilethan, an expert from the Asha Alliance, and seed savers.Singh announced that Bihar was the first state in the world to halt field tests of genetically modified seed for the larger humanitarian interests of farmers and society at large.For the farmers, it's all about seed sovereignty. Saroj, a leader of Paschim Odisha Krushak Sangathan, stated, "Seed sovereignty is not a baseless ideological position, but a pragmatic approach. It is an integral part of food security and sovereignty of a community or a nation. Seed being handed over to multinational corporations, many of them notorious for their monopolistic tendencies and operations, is disastrous for the livelihood of millions."Saroj believes in sustainable, holistic agriculture and the right of all farmers to be sovereign and independent, uncontrolled by monolithic seed imperialists. He assembled with about 400 other farmers who traveled from Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Jharkhand and Karnataka to formulate a plan for protecting their liberty going forward, while preserving traditional seed varieties in the country. Saroj believes that the Indian state government should help protect indigenous seeds from being overrun by faraway corporations who contaminate and control agricultural production."Government should encourage, and invest in farmer-level seed production of locally suitable, diverse seeds. Community seed banks should be set up with schematic government investment," he said. The group believes that "seed breeding should be in organic conditions" because they do not want seeds to "become a package that brings in other unwanted inputs like chemicals." Flint residents can't afford to wait several years for lead issues to be resolved Fault admitted by Flint officials way too late ... The damage has been done Mike Adams taking proactive stance to help citizens know about their water supply (NaturalNews) After presidential candidate Hillary Clinton told Flint, Michigan, resident Lee-Anne Walters that it will take years before lead issues are improved, Walters says she was so taken aback that she became momentarily ill. "I hated Hillary Clinton's answer," Walters says. "It actually made me vomit in my mouth."According to Walters, Clinton not only evaded her direct question about removal of lead pipes throughout the United States by talking instead about lead paint and other lead sources, but set her sights too far into the future to make the changes that areas so desperately need"We will commit to a priority to change the water systems and we will commit within five years to remove lead from everywhere," Clinton said."To tell a Flint resident that we'll handle this in five years is no different than what the city was telling us and what the state was telling us," says Walters, whose child has elevated blood lead.By now, the world is aware of the Flint lead poisoning crisis that has wreaked havoc on people's health.It all began in 2014, when state officials opted to switch from the Detroit water system and turn to the Flint River as a water source, providing area residents with lead-leaden water that ultimately destroyed their lives."Since Flint started providing us with water from the Flint River, my water has turned bluish-green from all the copper in the water, the levels of lead have quadrupled and we have been notified about high levels of toxic chemicals," said Flint resident Melissa Mays. Mays, who is only 36-years-old, says she now has osteoarthritis and bone spurs.And let's not forget the fact that the area has experienced 87 cases of legionnaires' disease outbreaks since 2014, 10 of which have led to death.The true shame of it all has been the blatant disregard by the government. Rather than own up to the problem, they swept it under the carpet, often saying that conclusive evidence couldn't be found to really trace the problem to Flint specifically. Residents were even told that the water was safe to drink Specifically, Governor Rick Snyder is said to have known about the toxic water, yet the fact that the switch from the Detroit water system to the Flint river was a money-saver, made him and those who worked for him keep the matter hush-hush. Thankfully, the people of Flint engaged in a lawsuit against Governor Snyder and his administration, saying that they were knowingly provided with undrinkable water Perhaps so much visibility over this issue finally got to his administration; they've finally admitted that they didn't take the steps they should have to make sure lead wouldn't seep from the city's old pipes into the drinking water.Sadly, it's too late to admit the fault.After all, people there still suffer from health conditions that will never go away. They've even seen loved ones die. And lead poisoning among Flint children has soared from 2.4 percent to 4.9 percent as a result of this mess.The last thing people in Flint want to hear is some kind of bizarre five-year goal to change the water systems and "remove lead everywhere," as Clinton mentioned. The matter needs to be addressed immediately, not just in Flint, but everywhere that the risk of lead in drinking water poses a concern.One person who has taken a proactive approach to addressing this issue is Health Ranger Mike Adams , who is working with a former NASA contract scientist to conduct nationwide scientific analyses of heavy metals in U.S. city tap water. The general public is encouraged to send in their water samples in order to help highlight the potential magnitude of this problem."In the spirit of citizen science and the democratization of science, we are taking on this task because the EPA has failed the citizens of Flint, Michigan," says Adams. "We don't have time to wait for the EPA to someday decide to do its job. We need to protect our children right now."Water samples for analysis are being crowd-sourced from health professionals across America. Ultimately, Adams' team plans to test the water of at least 100 large U.S. cities, the results of which will be available for the public to view on EPAwatch.org Celebrate our opportunity to live alongside wildlife in the bustling Bay Area and find out how to care for our regions unique wildlife heritage. Visit Wildcare's Marin hospital and rehabilitation facility for injured and sick wild critters. HELPFUL LINKS Wildcare Web Site http://www.wildcarebayarea.org/ Wildcares Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/WildCareBayArea/ For a free video archive of videos and articles about Doug's travels throughout California and across the West, visit OpenRoad.TV. President Barack Obama will nominate the first woman to head a U.S. military combatant command, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Friday, a major milestone in a department that this year opened all combat jobs to women. Air Force Gen. Lori Robinson is being nominated to head U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command. If confirmed by the Senate, Robinson, would be the seventh commander to head the Colorado-based command. She currently is head of the Pacific Air Force. Northern Command was created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to coordinate and improve homeland defense and to provide support for national disasters. She would replace Adm. William Gortney, who is retiring. Carter also said that Obama will nominate Gen. Vincent Brooks to head U.S. Forces Korea. Brooks currently is in charge of U.S. Army Pacific Command. Brooks' nomination also is subject to Senate confirmation. During an appearance on WLS-AM 890 Friday, Sen. Mark Kirk broke with Republicans and asked for a vote on President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. He said Republican lawmakers should "man up and cast a vote." "We should go through the process the Constitution has already laid out," Kirk said. "The president has already laid out a nominee who is from Chicagoland and for me, I'm open to see him, to talk to him, and ask him his views on the Constitution." Obama nominated Illinois native Garland in a White House Rose Garden ceremony Wednesday. Garland currently serves as the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and is considered a centrist. "Many of us believe that the Republicans should, in fact, do the job that they were elected to do and at least offer a vote up on Garland," Kirk added. During Obama's nomination Wednesday, he urged Republican leaders to move forward with the process to confirm Garland to the Supreme Court. Nonetheless, Republican lawmakers are pushing to block Obama's Supreme Court nomination until a new president is elected next year. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called Garland Wednesday to inform him that the Senate would not move forward with the confirmation process. Kirk also released an online ad Friday slamming Rep. Tammy Duckworth, the Democratic nominee for his U.S. Senate seat, over false claims of being bipartisan. The ad loops a clip of Duckworth saying You know, I already have been very bipartisan in my work in the House of Representatives. The ad is interspersed with critiques of Duckworths Congressional career. Tammy Duckworth voted with her party 94 percent of the time, the ad says. The statistic is attributed to Cq.com The ad also claims Duckworth was one of the least effective members of Congress, according to Inside Gov. Aside from this, the ad aims to tie Duckworth to imprisoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Tammy Duckworth endorsed Blagojevich while he was under investigation," the ad says, citing the Chicago Daily Herald. Kirks campaign manager, Kevin Artl, expounded on the allegations in a press release supplied to Ward Room. "Now more than ever, Illinois voters want a Senator willing to rise above the rancor and partisanship in Washington, Artl said. Unfortunately, Rep. Duckworth refuses to challenge her own party -- even when they are wrong -- like when she endorsed Rod Blagojevich while he was under federal investigation. Duckworths team responded in a statement, faulting Kirk for potentially supporting Donald Trumps presidential campaign and for not pushing McConnell to move forward with Supreme Court confirmation hearings. One week ago, Mark Kirk said he certainly would support Donald Trump if hes the Republican nominee an outcome that is becoming increasingly likely, Duckworth campaign spokesman Matt McGrath told Ward Room. Kirk is also refusing to call on Mitch McConnell to hold hearings and have an up-or-down vote on the nomination of Merrick Garland, an Illinois native with impeccable credentials. In other words, Kirks video is as hypocritical as it is amateurish. Incumbent Kirk defeated Oswego businessman James Marter to win the Republican nomination. Duckworth beat out Urban League CEO and President Andrea Zopp as well as state Sen. Napoleon Harris to win the Democratic nomination for Kirks U.S. Senate seat. Kirk and Duckworth will face-off in the Nov. 8 general election. Why drink coffee alone when you can enjoy it in the company of a cat? Chicagos first "cat cafe" is coming to West Rogers Park as part of Tree House Humane Societys new shelter set to open this year. The Chicago City Council on Wednesday approved an ordinance allowing the opening of animal shelter cafes. "Cat Cafes are wildly popular throughout Asia, Europe and the United States," Alderman Debra Silverstein, who introduced the ordinance, said in a statement. "The 50th Ward will soon be home to the City of Chicagos first Cat Cafe and, thanks to this new ordinance, will set a trend that will spread throughout the city and the rest of the Midwest." Tree House Humane Societys Cat Cafe plans to open at 7225 N. Western Ave. as part of its new adoption center and veterinary clinic. The location features full-length glass windows in the serving areas and an adjacent sitting room where visitors can have direct interaction with adoptable, rescued cats while enjoying coffee, tea and other beverages. "We are extremely grateful to Alderman Silverstein and the City Council for making this dream a reality," said David de Funiak, executive director of Tree House Humane Society, in a statement. "The Tree House Cat Cafe will provide a unique opportunity for individuals to interact with our rescued, adoptable cats, ultimately helping more animals find their forever home and enabling us to rescue even more." The new facility started construction last June as an adoption center and will now include a cafe. Tree Houses goal is to open sometime mid-year. Funds from the cafe will benefit the shelter, with proceeds directly supporting the rescue and rehabilitation of the cats. The Animal Shelter Cafe Permit is available for licensed humane societies only, and the ordinance aims to facilitate as a tool to boost adoptions. The cafes can only sell non-alcoholic beverages and must maintain sanitation requirements. Two middle school students in Michigan are being investigated for what parents and teachers are calling a "kill list." Police and school administrators at Baldwin Street Middle School in Hudsonville said a boy and girl, ages 12 and 13 respectively, made a list of students and teachers with their names and a specific threat, according to NBC affiliate WOOD. The list also included reasons why each person was targeted, including "annoying," or "not funny," WOOD reported. "I understand there were athletes on there, there were boys, girls, there were teachers on there, so just various reasons as to why your name was on there. But there was a name and then an adjective describing what you were like or why you were on the list," the parent told the station. Capt. Mark Bennett with the Ottawa County Sheriffs Department said a student contacted a school counselor and police were informed about the list. The students who created the "kill list" are not being allowed at school at this time, though the district's exact action against the students is unclear. Hudsonville Public Schools Superintendent Nicholas Ceglarek said in a statement to NBC Chicago Friday that after the district learned of the possible threat to students and staff, the Ottawa County Sheriffs Office was immediately contacted to investigate. "For student privacy reasons, I cannot share all of the details surrounding the case, but I can say that we, both the Ottawa County Sheriffs department and school officials, do not believe that there is any threat to any members of our school community. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority, and Im happy to talk with anyone in our school community who has concerns," Ceglareks statement continued. Bennett told WOOD the kids had no means or intention to carry out the threats. He added that the pair considered the list to be a joke. A police officer was shot Saturday morning after responding to a call in suburban Park Forest, authorities confirmed. Approximately 5:40 a.m., Park Forest Police responded to a call in the 300 block of Neola St, investigating a break-in and a stolen vehicle at that location, according to police. Officer Christopher Mannino, Deputy Chief of Police for the Park Forest Police Department, said neighbors called police when they heard glass breaking outside. Officers discovered there was a person inside the vacant residence, and a perimeter was set up around the building, Mannino said. The suspect then tried to leave the house through a window, and as officers attempted to detain him, he produced a handgun and began firing on officers, police say. Park Forest Police confirmed that officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. Officer Tim Jones was shot, according to Park Forest Mayor John Ostenburg. Jones was transported to St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields and then air lifted to Christ Medical Center, according to police. No further information on his condition was available, but police confirmed that he suffered "life-threatening injuries" during the exchange. Shortly before 7 p.m., authorities identified the deceased suspect as 21-year-old Thurman Reynolds of Park Forest. The incident is under investigation by the Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force, police say. Ostenburg said Jones has been with the department for about a year, and comes from a line of family police officers. Check back for updates on this developing story. Donald Trump told supporters at a rally in Tucson, Arizona, that protesters are "taking away our First Amendment rights, and vowed to take the country back if he's elected president. A number of protesters interrupted his campaign speech on Saturday. At first he dismissed them, and then kicked them out, including a group carrying a Black Lives Matter sign. Trump called one protester, who wore the Klu Klux Klan hood, "disgusting." His comments prompted chants of "U.S.A.! U.S.A!" from the crowd. Things took a violent turn when a protester, wearing an American flag shirt and holding a sign with Trumps face, was punched and kicked while being escorted out, according to NBC News. The incident was caught on video. Police handcuffed the audience member and walked him out of the arena. The man, identified as Tony Pettway, 32, was charged with assault with injury, police said. "We had to get involved in that one," said Sgt. Pete Dugan of the Tucson Police Department. Dugan said officers generally stepped in when clashes turned physical; otherwise, he said, private security guards hired by the Trump campaign handled the removal of protesters. Trump accused Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton of sending the protesters, saying that he is the last person she wants to run against in the general election. Earlier Saturday, protesters blocked a main highway leading into the Phoenix suburb where Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump staged a campaign rally Saturday alongside Arizona's contentious sheriff, Joe Arpaio. Tempers flared at the rally itself, but without the violence that marred Trump's event in Chicago a week earlier and with none of the candidate's usual goading of protesters from the stage. For hours, about two dozen protesters parked their cars in the middle of the main road to the event, unfurling banners reading "Dump Trump" and "Must Stop Trump," and chanting "Trump is hate." Traffic was backed up for miles, with drivers honking in fury. The road was eventually cleared and protesters marched down the highway to the rally site, weaving between Trump supporters who booed and jeered them. Officers from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office arrested three protesters who tied themselves to their cars to delay getting towed, after cutting them loose, Deputy Joaquin Enriquez told NBC News. Trump supporter Geroy Morgan, 62, made it to the rally but was furious at the demonstrators, some of whom still stood around after the event ended. "We come here, the silent majority, to express our opinions," Morgan said. "They don't have any permits or rights." Trump and Arpaio have formed a political alliance in recent months, and the billionaire hopes Arizona can serve as a model on how he could win in November. The tough-talking lawman is sheriff of Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and nearly two-thirds of Arizona's population. He forced inmates to wear pink underwear and live outside in tents during triple-digit heat. The sheriff has endorsed Trump and introduced him at the rally. In Fountain Hills, thousands gathered for the outdoor rally in the suburb where Arpaio lives. Officers with the sheriff's department were posted throughout the park, on rooftops and on patrol. Officers wearing bulletproof vests stood alongside a Humvee with a gun turret on top. Trump told the crowd that he is "winning by massive landslides" and vowed to rebuild the military and build a border wall with Mexico. He drew cheers from the crowd when he vowed to protect the Second Amendment which for pro-gun Arizona is a particularly important issue. He never acknowledged the earlier blockade or the protesters in the crowd. Trump supporters waved signs saying "Hillary for Prison" referring to Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and "Joe for VP," a reference to Arpaio. One man standing near the megaphone yelled to the protesters, "if you don't like America, go back to the country you came from." One of the protesters responded: "Go back to Europe." Trump supporter David Nelson, 62, had to walk about four miles to the rally because demonstrators had blocked the road. "You don't see me at Bernie's disrupting their crowd," he said, referring to Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, who was campaigning on the Arizona-Mexico border on Saturday. "I give them respect." Arizona votes Tuesday in a winner-take-all Republican primary as well as a Democratic race. [NATL] Highlights From the 2016 Campaign Trail Some had feared that the event in Fountain Hills could devolve into violence reminiscent of last week's Trump rally in Chicago, which was canceled over safety concerns. The cancellation sparked isolated physical confrontations between Trump supporters and protesters. Confrontations involving protesters, Trump supporters and police have become standard at Trump rallies across the country. And Trump has incorporated reactions to them into his usual campaign speech. Earlier Saturday, about 50 protesters gathered outside the Phoenix Convention Center where Fox News host Sean Hannity was set to interview Trump. They held signs, played music and made speeches, calling Trump "despicable" and "a fascist." One of them, Salvador Reza, said: "He's working to create division." Trump supporters trickled through protesters and security to attend many wearing red, white and blue. Jason Kitson, 41, from Phoenix, said Trump's hardline stance on immigration is what's needed in Arizona to prevent cross-border drug and human smuggling. Kitson said the wall Trump vows to building all along the Mexican border may or may not be realistic, but it "is getting people's attention." Several thousand miles away in New York, demonstrators also took to the streets to protest the Republican presidential hopeful. The protesters gathered Saturday in Manhattan's Columbus Circle, across from Central Park, with a heavy police presence. Demonstrators chanted: "Donald Trump, go away, racist, sexist, anti-gay." They marched across south Central Park to Trump Tower, the Fifth Avenue skyscraper where Trump lives. Then they marched back to Columbus Circle for a rally. Anti-Trump protesters also gathered near Central Park in New York City Saturday, amid a heavy police presence. The crowd marched to the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue where Trump lives. Demonstrators carried signs against the GOP front-runner and chanted "Donald Trump, go away, racist, sexist, anti-gay." The protest was largely peaceful, except when some protesters tried breaking through a police barricade. Two protesters were arrested. Associated Press writers Ryan VanVelzer in Phoenix, Vivian Salama in Washington and Jacob Pearson in New York contributed to this report. Mitt Romney, the Republican party's nominee in the 2012 presidential election, said Friday he will vote for Sen. Ted Cruz in next week's Utah nominating caucus. "The only path that remains to nominate a Republican rather than Mr. Trump is to have an open convention. At this stage, the only way we can reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many of the remaining nominating elections as possible," Romney wrote in a Facebook post. The announcement comes as the Republican party continues to probe alternatives to Donald Trump as the businessman's lead in the party primary grows. Romney depicted the state of Republican politics as a battle between "Trumpism" and Republican values. "Trumpism has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence. I am repulsed by each and every one of these," Romney wrote. Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, continued to say that, while he likes the other candidate in the race, Gov. John Kasich, he believes that voting for Kasich would only contribute to Trump's victory. Trump respond to Romney's Facebook comments on Twitter, referring to Romney as a failure in a string of tweets. "Mitt Romney is a mixed up man who doesn't have a clue. No wonder he lost!," Trump tweeted soon after remarking that Cruz shouldn't be allowed to win in Utah because "Mormons don't like LIARS!" Earlier this month Romney delivered a scathing attack on Trump in a speech at the University of Utah, calling Trump "a phony" who is "playing the American public for suckers." A number of Republican officials have shown their support for Cruz in recent days while falling short of endorsing the senator, who is currently in second place in the race for the GOP nomination. On Thursday, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said he would help Cruz's fundraising efforts but stopped short of offering his endorsement to his senate colleague. Utah is among four states voting Tuesday. Nationally, Trump leads his rivals, having won 678 delegates so far, according to a count by The Associated Press. Cruz is in second place with 423 delegates, and Kasich is in third with 143. One minute before Romney's post was set live, Trump took a shot at the Republican establishment, which Romney is associated with: "With millions of dollars of negative and phony ads against me by the establishment, my numbers continue to go up. Can anyone explain this?" The Associated Press contributed to this report. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A new $64 billion business plan for California's planned high-speed rail system lacks important financial details, and calls for ending the first segment in a questionable rural area north of Bakersfield that has few amenities for travelers, California's independent legislative analyst said in a report Thursday. "Even with a temporary station or platform, ending the (line) in an unpopulated agricultural area does not appear to be an effective approach,'' the Legislative Analyst's Office wrote. ``This location would not have the types of facilities and nearby businesses, such as transit connections, rental car facilities, and shops necessary to meet the needs of train passengers.'' The Legislative Analyst's Office urged state lawmakers to require more detailed planning on the cost, scope and schedule of each high-speed rail segment, noting that the project's every-other-year business plans make numerous changes that make it hard to compare costs over time. Still, analysts say the rail authority's new plan to first build north to the San Francisco Bay Area instead of to Southern California makes some sense. With future funding uncertain, officials last month called for building the first 250-mile segment from north of Bakersfield to San Jose. It would begin operating in 2025 _ three years later and 50 miles shorter than the original planned route that would have gone to the San Fernando Valley. Backers said the plan lets the state build an operating portion of the line without relying on additional money that might never come. Supporters hope construction will generate momentum and private investment to pay for the rest of the project south to the Los Angeles area. The legislative analyst also questioned the math on that. "It is unclear whether the system will actually generate an operating surplus. Moreover, the plan estimates that the amount of funding that could be generated would fall significantly short ... and does not identify how this shortfall would be met.'' The updated plans reflect the political realities that have confronted the project in the years since 2008, when voters approved selling nearly $10 billion in bonds for a high-speed rail network linking Northern and Southern California. The last business plan, approved in 2014, called for the entire 520-mile system to be finished in 2028 at a cost of $68 billion. The legislative analyst also noted there is uncertainty about one of the key ongoing funding sources, revenue from the state's fee on greenhouse gas pollution, which is expected to generate $600 million for the project this year. That program is only authorized through 2020, the report noted. The high-speed rail authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. Three burglars were caught on camera breaking into two Glendale schools and causing $20,000 in damages, police said Friday. The three men broke into Toll Middle School around 1:45 in the morning last Saturday, roaming the halls carrying pry bars and hammers. They broke into 20 classrooms and offices, taking cash and other items. Most of the rooms were locked, so they used the crowbars and hammers to break door windows and gain entry. A couple hours later, the same trio broke into Mark Keppel Elementary School and took cash from classrooms and offices. Police believe the intruders are in their late teens. Anyone with information is asked to call the Glendale Police Department at 818-548-4911. The mother of a boy threatened by a Homestead elementary school student who was caught with a knife said she believes the student is only getting a slap on the wrist. "I was scared to death," mother Crystal Balladares said, in an exclusive interview with NBC 6 Friday. When Balladares picks up her 11-year-old from Gateway Environmental K-8 Learning Center, she said she always asks him how his day was. Last Thursday, she wasn't prepared for what she was about to hear. "He told me that his friend had threatened him in school, him and his other friend, to murder him with a knife the next day," she said. "[He] pulled out a pocket knife from his book bag and put it in his pocket." The other student is 10 years old. "[He said] 'mom, I dont want to go to heaven early, please help me.' And so like any parent your heart breaks, I thought 'what do I do, what do I do?'" she said. Balladares called school police, who found the knife the next day, she said. "With the size of the knife that I saw I would probably be talking to you under different circumstances and, Im scared to think about what couldve happened," she said. The student received a 10-day suspension. He's expected to return to school next month after spring break. "The concerning part is after the ten days are up, he may or may not be able to return to the school. With my son still going to class," Balladares said. "To me, its unacceptable." According to the school district's own code of conduct, a student with a weapon is supposed to face a mandatory expulsion. In a statement, the district told NBC 6 it has been their practice to "not expel or suspend students in grades K-5. Due to the circumstances surrounding this case, we have recommended that the student be removed from the school setting. He has been recommended to a success center and will receive counseling. This incident, along with future consequences, remains under review." "I have ten days, ten days to make sure this kid, the very kid who threatened my son, doesnt go back to the school because I dont want my son being put under that pressure," Balladares said. Balladares said she was also upset the school didn't notify other parents about what happened. After NBC 6 started making phone calls, parents received an automated phone message letting them know an "isolated incident" happened on campus. As the net closed in around Salah Abdeslam, Europe's No. 1 fugitive was holed up in an apartment in the place he knows best, a Brussels neighborhood favored by several of the Paris attackers. Abdeslam's four months on the run ended Friday when he was shot in the leg and dragged away in a white hoodie during a massive police operation in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek. Authorities now need to piece together how the man who was at the Nov. 13 attacks that killed 130 people in Paris managed to evade authorities for so long. It appears, during the final stages at the very least, Abdeslam was hiding only 500 meters (yards) from his parents' home, the place where he grew up. On Molenbeek's central square, a worker at a store selling Islamic headscarves and copies of the Quran said Saturday that Abdeslam's strategy of hiding in his old neighborhood was all the residents could talk about. "For four months, he basically disappeared into thin air. And now we learn he was right here," marveled the worker, who identified himself only as Pharred, saying he was fearful of talking about a police operation. It remains unclear exactly where Abdeslam spent his days while on the run and how he evaded police for so long. Four other suspects were detained in Friday's raid, including three members of a family that sheltered him. On Saturday, Belgian authorities charged Abdeslam and an alleged accomplice with "participation in terrorist murder." A third person detained Friday was charged with being in a terrorist group and hiding criminals, while two others who had been detained were released. The Belgian government said it realizes that support for Abdeslam may have been more widespread than initially thought. "I always said that at the beginning we thought it was several individuals. Today we have to recognize that the number of people who support him is higher," said Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon. "That doesn't mean that the entire community supports him. But the support is a lot higher than I had estimated at the beginning." The 26-year-old is suspected of being the logistics man for the gang of Islamic extremists who went on a rampage in Paris on Nov. 13, killing 130 people. Abdeslam is thought to have rented rooms, shopped for detonators and driven at least one of the killers from Brussels to Paris. His lawyer, Sven Mary, told the Associated Press that Abdeslam "doesn't deny he was in Paris." In Paris, prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters that, during an interrogation session on Saturday, Abdeslam told Belgian officials that he had "wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France" on Nov. 13 but that he backed out at the last minute. Molins did not say what caused the 26-year-old to purportedly change his mind. Possibly Abdeslam's closest brush with police came in the immediate aftermath of the Nov. 13 attacks, when he and contacts from Brussels were stopped at a French police checkpoint but let through. Since then, he has been only seen on wanted posters. It would not have been hard for him to disappear in Molenbeek's densely populated warren of narrow, cobbled streets and crumbling apartment blocks, where people with a Moroccan background form the vast majority of the population. "Probably he had contacts with other men to help him," Molenbeek Mayor Francoise Schepmans told The Associated Press. "But we have to wait. What's important now is that Salah Abdeslam has been arrested." Abdeslam is expected to be extradited to France after questioning in Belgium. But his lawyer, Sven Mary, told reporters Saturday that his client will fight extradition efforts, speaking after he and Abdeslam met with a Belgian investigating magistrate. France quickly issued a new European arrest warrant with more charges to speed up his extradition to a June 18 deadline. Meanwhile, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel warned that "the fight is not over" and his government announced the nation's terrorism alert level would remain unchanged at 3 on a 4-point scale. After the hours-long police raid on Friday, life sought to recapture a semblance of normality in Molenbeek on Saturday. A mother wearing a dark headscarf with a son in pink soccer cleats picked their way along the sidewalk past camera crews staked out in front of the house where Abdeslam was arrested. Its ground-floor windows were boarded up. A man in a nearby cafe drank coffee and read a French-language newspaper with the front-page headline: "Salah arrested. Mission accomplished." Some neighbors were clearly shaken at the fact that the young man with French nationality but close ties to Molenbeek had been living in their midst despite the huge police manhunt. "He was next to us, next to our kids. The most-wanted man was next to us day and night," said Lamia, a 29-year-old mother of two young girls, who also declined to give her family name. She said she regularly visits her grandmother, who lives on a street near Abdeslam's final bolt hole. "When things blew up, it was shaking at our place. We were crying, the children were crying. Honestly, it's a shock. He was two blocks away," she said. Andrew Cuomo may be driving the push for a $15 minimum wage in New York, but organized labor paid for the bus. The Democratic governor has traveled the state in a union-owned recreational vehicle to galvanize support for his proposal to enact a $15 minimum wage. He's featured in slick TV advertisements pushing the wage that look a lot like campaign ads. This past week he delivered yet another speech before thousands of workers gathered outside the Capitol, many of them bused in by unions. Bankrolled by the unions, Cuomo's campaign not only cements his ties to organized labor, but also burnishes his progressive political bona fides amid a national debate over the minimum wage and income inequality. Cuomo characterizes the proposal as an alternative to what is being offered by Republican presidential candidates such as Donald Trump, who he says has sought to capitalize on public anxiety over the economy. By being the first state to raise the minimum wage to $15, the governor said, New York can show the nation a more hopeful path. "People are angry. They're as angry in New York as they are in any other state," Cuomo said last week, following the Albany rally. "It's working families, the middle class, who are fundamentally frustrated with their economic circumstance. There is an economic insecurity that eats at the table with people every night." It's a sharp pivot from just last year, when Cuomo's administration dismissed New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's suggested $13 minimum wage as a "non-starter" with lawmakers. But this year an even bigger increase is his top priority in the Legislature, where it faces a critical test in coming weeks as lawmakers negotiate a state budget, a grand political deal that the governor hopes will include his wage hike. In a sign of its importance to Cuomo, he named the campaign for the wage hike after his father, the late Gov. Mario Cuomo. The proposal would gradually raise the wage from $9 an hour to $15 by the end of 2018 in New York City and by 2021 in the rest of the state. He has proposed $300 million in small business tax cuts to help businesses absorb the higher labor costs, a number that critics say is far too low. To the Republicans and small business owners who warn of devastating effects from such a sharp wage hike, Cuomo is seeking to capitalize on the national debate over the wage to endear himself to organized labor and liberal voters in New York and around the country. "He had problems with $12, $13, but now $15 is a great idea," said Greg Biryla, executive director of the group Unshackle Upstate, adding that he believes supporters settled on $15 because of how "Fight for $15" rolls off the tongue. "It's a political number, and anyone who thinks otherwise really isn't looking at the facts," said state Senate Deputy Majority Leader John DeFrancisco, a Syracuse Republican. "It's a political goal to garner support from the people that think this is a good idea." The Mario Cuomo Campaign for Economic Justice, the nonprofit created by labor unions to lobby for the $15 wage, is housed in the Manhattan headquarters of 1199 SEIU, the Service Employees International Union, the largest health care union in the nation. A financial disclosure filed with the state indicates that so far the campaign has spent $1.7 million on expenses including Cuomo's RV tour and advertisements. Cuomo has received more than $250,000 in campaign contributions from SEIU and the other unions supporting the Campaign for Economic Justice since 2008. The increase is popular with New York voters, two thirds of whom support Cuomo's plan, according to a Siena College poll released last month. Eighty percent of Democrats back the increase; 36 percent of Republicans do. Polls show similarly broad backing for Cuomo's other big priority of the year, a family leave proposal that would let workers take up to 12 weeks of paid time off to care for a new child or sick loved one. Cuomo may be hoping the wage fight helps him in two years when he's up for a third term or even in a possible White House run in 2020, according to Fordham University political scientist Christina Greer. Cuomo has long been socially progressive but fiscally centrist, focusing much of his early tenure as governor reining in state spending, imposing a property tax cap and cutting taxes. Liberal dissatisfaction with Cuomo prompted a surprisingly competitive primary challenge in 2014 from law professor Zephyr Teachout. "I'm not sure how deep those progressive roots are with the governor," Greer said. "It could be about 2018, or 2020. But in some ways it doesn't matter if his interest in this is genuine. Thousands and thousands of families are going to benefit if this passes." In New Jersey's biggest city, fears are growing over lead in the school district's water after a lab found elevated levels in nearly half its schools. The Newark district quickly shut off sinks and fountains in 30 buildings and has offered to test as many as 17,000 kids for contamination. But the problem isn't new for the state's largest school district -- or in as many other districts throughout the tri-state. NBC 4 New York found that 12 school districts -- including Newark, New York City, Yonkers, Newburgh, Paterson, Jersey City, Union City, Weehawken, Belleville, New Brunswick, Atontown and Irvington -- have all requested assistance from the EPA for assistance with lead. In Newark, testing has shown elevated levels in some buildings over the last few years. And the district has been addressing issues of lead in the water since at least 2003. The highest lead levels found in the water in Newark's schools, however, are far lower than those found in homes in Flint, Michigan, which is experiencing a crisis after the city changed its water supply. Water also poses a relatively small risk of lead poisoning compared to more common sources, such as lead paint. "One square centimeter of lead paint, about the size of your pinkie nail, has two times what you'd get from drinking a quart or water from highest level of lead in one the schools," said Dr. Steven Marcus, executive director of the New Jersey Poison Information & Education System at Rutgers University. Here are some questions and answers on the situation: HOW LONG HAS NEWARK KNOWN ABOUT LEAD IN THE WATER? The district has been tackling the issue of lead coming from water sources, such as old sinks, in some schools since at least 2003, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. John Martin, an EPA spokesman, said the agency found elevated levels in two of Newark's schools that year. It offered the district help in addressing the problem. But he said Newark turned down the offer because it had its own lead remediation program in place. Newark schools superintendent Christopher Cerf recently acknowledged that the district has been addressing issues of lead in water sources for more than a decade. For instance, the district had been replacing faucets and adding filters after taps showed higher levels of the toxin. The district has only started to release test results to the public. But in each year since 2012, an outside laboratory has found elevated levels in the taps of some school buildings. For instance, 15 percent of the water samples taken during the 2014-15 school year showed amounts of the toxin that require action from school officials. WHAT IS THE SCHOOL SYSTEM DOING TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM? Newark is working with the state Department of Environmental Protection as well as the EPA to tackle the issue. Efforts include testing every tap at every school. The district is also offering blood tests of as many as 17,000 kids who were potentially exposed. HOW MUCH OF A PUBLIC THREAT IS LEAD CONTAMINATION IN NEWARK SCHOOLS? The district says that the highest readings of lead were found in water sources not typically used for drinking and food preparation, such as a utility sink. But looking at the big picture, paint - not water - should remain the biggest concern when it comes to lead poisoning, according to Dr. Marcus of Rutgers' poison center. He added that other items, such as the Mexican candy Tama Roca and a south Asian eyeliner known as Khol, have far higher levels of lead. "We had 18 children in about the last year or year and a half who were hospitalized and treated for lead poisoning," he said. "The primary source was not water." The two men wanted for stealing bank information from ATM customers in Manhattan last fall have now been linked to an additional 21 incidents across the Upper East Side, and police are still looking for the suspects. Police first alerted the public about the two men in January: the alleged thieves attached skimming devices to an ATM at a CVS at 420 Fifth Ave. in midtown and a Bank of America at 21 E. 96th St. in Carnegie Hill last fall, then duplicated debit cards to withdraw money from the victims' accounts at banks in Queens, police said. The six thefts originally linked to the men took place from October through December, with the stolen amounts ranging from $980 to $1,640. Now police say the men are suspected of 21 more skimming-device thefts from last August through December. Several of the victims saw multiple withdrawals from or unauthorized transactions on their accounts. The withdrawals ranged from $200 to over $1,100. The surveillance photos were taken from the Queens banks where the suspects made the withdrawals, police said. In Janury, Bank of America told NBC 4 New York it makes sure customers are notified of any unusual activitiy on their accounts. Customers aren't charged if their accounts are stolen, the bank said. Experts have advised ATM customers to cover the keypad when entering their PIN codes and to jiggle the card reader to make sure there's no skimming device. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS. Two Americans were among the people killed when a suicide attacker denoted a bomb in a popular shopping district of Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday, according to the White House, NBC News reported. The State Department identified the dead Americans as Yonathan Suher and Avraham Goldman. The White House said they were among the five reported fatalities. Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu confirmed that at least 39 people had been wounded and seven of those were in serious condition. Twenty-four of the wounded were foreigners, he said. A spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry earlier said 10 Israelis were among the wounded and at least 10 were still missing. Preliminary findings indicate that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or an affiliate carried out the attack, a senior Turkish official told Reuters. A Dubai airliner crashed early Saturday while trying to land in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, killing all 62 passengers aboard, officials said, NBC News reported. "The plane touched the ground and fell to pieces," the Russian Investigative Committee said. Russia's Emergencies Ministry said the Boeing 737-800 operated by Flydubai was carrying 55 passengers, most of them Russians, and seven crew members of various nationalities. The airline confirmed that there were no survivors and said four children were among those killed. Pilot error and bad weather were both being looked at as possible causes, Russian officials said. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Judge Kevin Dougherty has been hospitalized after being assaulted by a homeless man in Center City Friday night, police said. The assault happened around 6 p.m. at 15th and Market streets after the man allegedly asked Dougherty for cash as he left Philadelphia City Hall, investigators said. Dougherty was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for treatment. He's listed in stable condition. The suspect was apprehended by SEPTA police at Broad Street and Girard Avenue, SEPTA said. Detectives are investigating the incident. Dougherty began serving on the state's highest court this year after being elected to the post in November. He previously served as a Philadelphia county administrative judge. He is the brother of electrical union boss and city power broker John Dougherty. In an election year, its often hard to know what to believe, and what not to believe. But what if a candidate doesnt believe in God? Its an issue that has America pretty much split. Some non-believers though would like you to believe theyre just ordinary folks. Podcasting from Studio City, California Emery Emery and Heather Henderson are on a mission to normalize atheists and stand up for their rights. Were not scary people, we dont worship Satan, Emery told NBC 7. We dismiss that just like we dismiss all the deities. We just dont believe in deities thats it! There are people who wont even vote for someone who admits to being an atheist. According to a 2015 Gallup Poll 40% of Americans said they would not vote for a well-qualified atheist Presidential candidate if one were nominated by their political party. Dr. Michael Shermer is the founding publisher of Skeptic magazine and a columnist for Scientific American. Hes the author of several bestsellers, including The Believing Brain and The Moral Arc. The Gallup poll showing that 40% of Americans would not vote for somebody who is an Atheist for President, who is otherwise qualified is disturbing for sure, but its better than it used to be, it used to be 65% just a few years ago, Shermer said. Shermer believes that trend will continue fueled by a force so powerful that nothing on Earth has ever stopped it young people. In any case, I think thats going to change even more quickly because of the millennials, it is people born after 1981, he added. The percentage of those who have no religious affiliation at all is a third. Thats a huge voting bloc. That is sizable. That is tens of millions of Americans. Another powerful voice in the Atheist community is a master magician, bestselling author and the larger, louder half of Penn and Teller. Jillette recently hosted an event for the United Church of Bacon, a group of atheists, skeptics and those who support them, some 13,000 strong worldwide. Whenever I talk about the United Church of Bacon, people go the United Church of what? We are a real church. Its a church with a funny name, but a very serious mission, Heather Henderson explained. Their stated message is to promote the separation of church and state and equal rights for all. The big misconception about atheists and atheism is that we dont believe in anything, or that we have no morals and thats just not true, Henderson told NBC 7. Most of us are very nice people. What Im talking about is the long-term expansion of civil rights and equal treatment under the law and the declining rates of discrimination and bigotry against all people, Shermer agreed. Even to a non-believer one thing is certain. Whatever the millennials are about to set into motion will be hard to stop. Shermer and Henderson and the rest of their supporters are at least proving one thing: With friends, music and a sense of community even atheists can enjoy a little slice of... well, you get the idea. The latest numbers from the Pew Research Center, show nearly 23% of US citizens consider themselves atheist, agnostic, or nothing in particular. A disease that agricultural experts say has never been seen in the United States is killing ice plant in San Diego County. Downey mildew is impacting the red apple variety of ice plant. Its a new variety of Downey mildew. We havent seen this strain of it before, and red apple seems to be the only thing right now that this strain is affecting. Its just kind of melting off the vine, said David Ross of Walter Andersen Nursery in Poway. Ross said the diseased red apple ice plant was first noticed in Poway last June during unusual summer storms. Its believed someone unknowingly brought back an infected plant from South Africa or New Zealand, where the disease has been previously reported. In many areas where the red apple has previously thrived, such as Carmel Mountain along Ted Williams Parkway, the ice plant is turning brown and dying. Its not clear if the red apple will be able to survive the disease. Ross said in some cases, a product called Agri Fos has helped, but only under certain circumstances. If you have existing plant that is not melted away, I would recommend spraying it with something like Agri Fos, which should do a pretty good job of cleaning up anything that might be there, and it will probably come back, said Ross. If red apple has completely died, its not recommended to immediately pull it out because the root systems will help retain soil that could be impacted by future El Nino rains according to Ross. He recommends purchasing an erosion net and replanting something other than red apple. For now, hes advising homeowners to keep the ice plant as dry as possible because the mildew has been most persistent in areas that are damp. Wouldnt it be splendid if San Diego had a zoo? A local surgeon said these words after hearing a lions roar while attending the Panama-California Exhibition in Balboa Park 100 years ago. Amazingly, the Zoos origins can be traced back to one caged lion at the 1915 exhibition. Since then the Zoo has grown exponentially to arguably becoming the preeminent zoo of the world. No longer on exhibition, animals receive exceptional care from experts foremost in their field. The Lore Behind the Roar!, a new exhibition celebrating the Zoos humble beginnings, opens Sunday at the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park. Courtesy San Diego History Center Photo Collection The exhibition features vintage photos and interactive exhibits, including riding a vintage tour bus and hearing stories from long-time zoo employees. Kids can even live the life of a zookeeper. The Zoo Family Den also has hands-on activities. "Almost everyone knows about the San Diego Zoo, but hardly anyone knows it's rich history," Michael Schiff of the History Center told NBC 7. "This exhibition explains how a rag-tag collection of animals left over from the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, grew to be the most recognized zoo in the world, leading the fight again extinction." The exhibition runs March 20 through January 31, 2017. A man was found dead after police responded to a shooting in Manassas, Virginia, Friday night. Prince William County police said officers arrived in the 11200 block of Golden Leaf Circle around 10 p.m. Friday. They found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital. Investigators determined the shooting actually took place in the area of Blue Gray Circle. While they were searching the area for clues, they found the body of a man, who was pronounced dead on the scene. The man's identity has not been released. The board of regents for the University System of Maryland will meet to discuss a proposed merger of the system's College Park institution and the Baltimore university that's home to schools in law, medicine and other fields. A state Senate bill would unite the universities as one institution, called The University of Maryland, in the system. A board announcement says regents will hold a special meeting Saturday morning at the system headquarters in Adelphi. The regents rejected a College Park-Baltimore merger five years ago. Supporters have said combining the campuses' research divisions now could raise the system's standing nationally, attract new grants and encourage the growth of new businesses in Baltimore. Critics say a merger could reduce the standing of the Baltimore institution. Two men were killed in a double shooting in Hartford, Connecticut early Saturday morning. The victim's have been identified as Jeffery Vail, 28 of Hartford and William Ward, 33 of Hartford. Police were called to 18 Martin St. around 2:05 a.m. after multiple shots were fired. When they arrived, they learned that two men were sitting in a car in front of 18 Martin St. when they were approached and shot multiple times. ShotSpotter recorded 13 shots fired. Both victims were transported to the hospital where they were pronounced dead from gun shots wounds to the chest and torso. The victims, aged 33 and 28, were both from Hartford. Hartford Police Major Crimes Detectives are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call Sgt. Reggie Early at 860-757-4248. Christian Aid week helps people in Bangladesh Every year individuals and churches in Norfolk, and around the UK, join together in May to raise money and pray for people who need help as part of Christian Aid week. This year's appeal is to help people living in poverty in Bangladesh. Christian Aid week [May 15 - 21] is a life-saving event which makes a difference to the poorest of the poor. Without the support of Norfolk churches and individuals simply many more people would suffer. This ongoing support and new helpers are crucial to people like Mosheda, who is suffering due to flooding in Bangladesh Picture a young mother of four. Her husband has left. She has no land. No assets. No savings. And the only work she can get is backbreaking manual labour for as little as 74p a day. Her home has been flooded several times, and last August it flooded again. She is terrified her children will drown and at times has put her baby in a cooking pot which floats on the water to save her life. This is Morsheda. Shes our neighbour, and she desperately needs our help. She said, "My children were so scared. My sister was holding them very tightly and we were panicking because my neighbours child was washed away." Julian Bryant, Regional Coordinator for Christian Aid in Norfolk says, "I am daunted by the poverty we see in the world. There is the poverty which is caused by disasters and wars and there is also the ongoing poverty that drains peoples lives. In Bangladesh many people have faced poverty for many years through flooding and this is getting worse. We are working to build plinths which will go under peoples homes and make them safer from the floods. "We are also giving people resources to invest in things like farm animals, seeds and a composting kit giving people like Mosheda the tools she needs to build a better and longer term future. People in Norfolk raise money through soup lunches, street collections, church quizzes, and pop up charity shops, door to door or by giving what they can. Jesus simply commands us love our neighbour whoever they are and wherever they live. Please join us this year to make a difference." For a whole range of different resources and ideas please go to http://www.caweek.org/ For more information or to volunteer contact jbryant@christian-aid.org Champaign, IL (61820) Today Windy with a mix of clouds and sun. High 78F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low near 60F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. In late December 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a number of new restrictions related to the use of tanning beds, including banning their use among individuals younger than 18 years. As the comment period on the proposal winds down, investigators Elliot J. Coups, PhD, from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; Alan C. Geller, MPH, RN, from Harvard School of Public Health; and Sherry Pagoto, PhD, from University of Massachusetts Medical School, who conduct research on tanning behaviors weigh in with their own 'Viewpoint' in the current online edition of JAMA Dermatology (DOI: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2016.0504). Dr. Coups, a behavioral scientist at Rutgers Cancer Institute and an associate professor of medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is the lead and corresponding author of the commentary. He shares some insights about the proposed rule. Q: What is the concern with this particular population and tanning bed use? A: Over the past several decades, tanning bed use, particularly among teen girls and young adult women has become a modern-day epidemic. More than 30 percent of non-Hispanic white girls ages 16 and 17 years report indoor tanning at least once in the past year (Guy G.P., et al., JAMA Dermatology, 2015). Indoor tanning increases the risk for developing melanoma (the most lethal type of skin cancer), especially among individuals who start tanning at a young age. Although melanoma is most commonly diagnosed among individuals over 60 years of age, it is the third most common cancer diagnosed among those aged 15 to 39 years (Keegan T.H.M., et al., Cancer, 2016). Q: What would be the benefit of this proposed ruling should it go into effect? A: Prohibiting the use of indoor tanning devices among minors younger than 18 years is a much-needed step towards eliminating or reducing their use by teens and young adults. And while future research is needed to examine the impact of indoor tanning youth access restrictions on skin cancer outcomes and healthcare costs, we feel this effort will help toward reducing the estimated 419,000 cases of skin cancer caused by indoor tanning each year in the U.S. (Wehner M., et al., JAMA Dermatology, 2014). Q: What are some concerns with this proposal? A: The proposal represents a landmark event in the regulation of indoor tanning devices. However, several concerns related to the proposal should be addressed in order to maximize its potential public health impact. The proposal only pertains to operators of facilities that charge a fee for using indoor tanning devices. It is unclear whether the proposal would cover gyms or other facilities that might offer tanning bed use as part of a membership or other fee. This is of concern because a recent study (Bulger A.L., et al., American Journal of Public Health, 2015) revealed that 41 percent of indoor tanners reported having ever tanned in locations other than traditional indoor tanning salons. Part of the proposal would require adult tanning bed users to sign a one-page risk acknowledgement every six months. We suggest that language be added to the risk acknowledgement to counter false claims commonly touted by the tanning industry regarding health benefits of indoor tanning (such as optimal production of vitamin D or reduced risk of certain cancers). Also, the impact of any ban that is enacted will depend on compliance with the ban and enforcement. An analysis of the first six states to enact tanning bans for minors revealed varying levels of enforcement. For example, while all of the statutes stipulated penalties for violations, only three states established tanning facility inspections and specified a particular department or agency for enforcement (Bulger A.L., et al., JAMA Dermatology, 2015). Q: There are a number of states that have successfully enacted bans. Is this enough? A: It is encouraging to see that over the past four years alone we have seen successful legislative efforts banning indoor tanning for minors younger than 18 years in 13 states. In many of the remaining states, some restrictive measures are in place, however, they vary by age and parental consent, meaning the effort to protect U.S. minors is inconsistent. An FDA ban would equally protect all U.S. minors from the significant harms of tanning bed exposure. In 2014, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer that highlighted the public health burden of skin cancer. One of the five goals outlined in the Call to Action was to reduce the harms of indoor tanning. The proposed new restrictions on indoor tanning put forth by the FDA represent a significant step in the right direction towards addressing this important public health goal. Today at the 45th Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research, researcher Carmen Buxo-Martinez, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, will present a study titled "Identification of Rare ADCY9 Mutations and Non-syndromic Oral Clefts in Puerto Ricans." The AADR Annual Meeting is being held in conjunction with the 40th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research. Adenylate cyclase 9 (ADCY9) was recently identified as a new susceptibility locus associated with non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (nsCL/P) in China. About 15 babies/10,000 live births are born in Puerto Rico each year with nsCL/P. In this study, researcherers aimed to identify ADCY9 functional variant mutations in Puerto Ricans with nsCL/P. Puerto Rican children with nsCL/P (n=177), ages 0-14 years, were recruited as cases. Sanger sequencing was carried out using cases' DNA samples to identify ADCY9 variants. Results were confirmed by running sequencing in both directions and by sequencing the parents of cases with variant mutations. The distribution of functional variant mutations seen in case families was compared with variants from controls: 1,000 Genomes Project (1kGP) Exome Variant Server (EVS), and 61K Exomes. The researchers used Sorting Intolerant From Tolerant (SIFT) and Polyphen2 programs to discriminate pathogenic/benign from functional variants. Eight functional variants of ADCY9 were identified in cases: seven missense and one splice site mutation. Three mutations were found in exon 2, two in exon 7, and one in exons 4, 9 and 11. Missense/probably damaging mutations: rs52791170/K564Q (MAF= 3.6% vs. 1.9% controls) and rs372048350/A811V (MAF= 0.29% vs. 0.01% controls) was reported once and not identified in Puerto Ricans. The rs61731442/T236A (MAF=0.29%) missense mutation predicted as deleterious has not been found in Puerto Ricans and three times (MAF=0.48%) in European Americans (EA). The rs113187435/S661G (MAF=0.29% vs. 0.74% controls) missense mutation predicted as benign/tolerated has not been found in PR and EA. One missense/benign mutation was found in 66 cases (MAF=23% vs. 28% controls). The researchers conclude that identification of rare mutations in PR and other populations may contribute to the list of variants in ADCY9 related to nsCL/P. Functional variants in ADCY9 should be identified in larger multiethnic case-control studies to determine its role in the etiology of nsCL/P. Scientists at Umea Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR) have discovered chemical compounds which are able to attenuate the virulence of the bacterial human pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Their findings are published today in the high impact journal Cell Chemical Biology. The dramatic increase of antibiotic resistance makes new antimicrobial strategies necessary. The researchers at Umea University in Sweden are studying an alternative approach, to inhibit the disease capacity (virulence) of bacteria but not their viability. Compared with traditional antibiotics, which often kill the bacteria, the risk of resistance development in disarmed bacteria is lower, since their survival does not depend on resistance against the new drug. A Listeria infection can be very severe, particularly among patients such as elderly, infants, immunocompromised or pregnant women. Although disease occurrence is relatively low, Listeria's severe and sometimes fatal health consequences make it among the most serious foodborne infections, with a mortality of 30%. Listeria is found in unpasteurized dairy products and various ready-to-eat foods, and can grow at refrigeration temperatures. In Sweden, 60-90 people per year get infected and the statistics show that the number of outbreaks is increasing. The study involved several different Umea University research groups with diverse specialties: Microbiology, Chemistry and Structural Biology. The group of Jorgen Johansson, professor at the laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS) and the Department of Molecular Biology collaborated with the research groups of Elisabeth Sauer-Eriksson and Fredrik Almqvist, both professors at the Department of Chemistry. The researchers tested a large number of possible candidates, which could inhibit expression of the Listeria virulence factors. For the test, they screened Listeria infection of human cells with a collection of ring-fused 2-pyridones. The scientists could prove that the ring-fused 2-pyridones could both attenuate the uptake of Listeria in the cell and the activity of the virulence regulator PrfA, which control the pathogenic abilities of Listeria. The researchers also identified the first crystal structure of PrfA together with an inhibitor. Binding of the inhibitor to PrfA blocked its ability to interact with DNA, thereby preventing expression of virulence factors. As a consequence, Listeria bacteria were not able to bind and infect the human cells. "This study means a lot for future development of 'disarming compounds', not only in Listeria. In fact, our study is the first example on a structural level of an inhibition of any virulence regulator in bacteria," says Jorgen Johansson about the impact of the findings. "The first results are very promising. We have been able to use the structural information to design and synthesize new improved candidates that are now being evaluated", added Fredrik Almqvist. "We now know that this class of compounds (2-pyridones) constitute a great platform for the development of virulence blocking compounds. We have developed methods that allow us to fine-tune the substitution pattern and compound properties in such a way that we can direct these compounds towards several different pathogens e.g. E. coli and Chlamydia. And more studies are ongoing with other pathogens," adds Fredrik Almqvist. "Through this very fruitful research collaboration, we showed that Umea has all the tools and expertise needed to understand and develop new antimicrobial strategies," says Elisabeth Sauer-Eriksson. National Health Union wants backpay now The union said not only were the workers being denied their legitimate entitlements, but were being discriminated against by the State as other other groups have received their retroactive entitlements. In a statement yesterday, the union questioned whether the members were stepchildren of the public sector. The union stated that they were considered essential service workers according to the Industrial Relations Act and were prohibited from taking industrial action as they pursued their grievances. The union noted that while they were working with 2013 salaries, their retroactive payments went as far back as 2011. Former finance minister Larry Howai had given the undertaking that health workers backpay would have been paid by the end of November 2015, however, he had demitted office before this transpired. The union said they contacted Finance Minister Com Imbert on the matter, but he has remained silent on the issue, as had Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. It has become clear that in the estimation of government, past and present, health care workers count for the nothing ahd are treated with scant courtesy, indeed, gross disrespect, when it comes to satisfying our material interests, the union stated. It was also noted that given this countrys deteriorating standard of living, many nursing personnel have accepted job offers from foreign health care company, OGrady Peyton. 'He Had the Chance to Go in and Save the Children' (Newser) Approximately 800,000 barrels of oil went missing every day in 2015, and that could be bad news for anyone hoping to see a rise in global oil prices any time soon, the Wall Street Journal reports. It's the highest level of missing oil in 17 years, and it comes at a time when oil prices have been at their lowest in more than a decade, according to Fortune. There are a number of explanations for the oil that's gone unaccounted for by the International Energy Agency. Some experts believe those 800,000 barrels a day are being stockpiled in China; others say they're a figment of bad accounting, never existing in the first place. It's possible the IEA is overestimating production or underestimating demand, Reuters reports. If that's the case and the 800,000 barrels a day never existed, it means the oversupply problem that's hampered the oil market for two years might not be as bad as believed and prices could recover more quickly. The worst-case scenario is that those unaccounted-for barrels are being stockpiled within Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. That would mean the oversupply is even worse than it seems and prices will stay low. (Read more oil stories.) (Newser) Former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan was awarded $115 million by a jury Friday in his lawsuit against Gawker, which published a sex tape featuring the Hulkster in 2012, the AP reports. It's $15 million more than he was asking. According to Ars Technica, which points out punitive damages could still be added to the total, the loss in court could be a "life-threatening event" for Gawker, which has around 250 employees. Gawker published a video of Hogan having sex with the wife of his friend Todd Clemaka Bubba the Love Spongemade at Clem's insistence. Clem had recorded the encounter, possibly without Hogan's knowledge. Hogan cried when the jury revealed its findings after nearly six hours of deliberations, CNN reports. In their closing arguments Friday, Hogan's lawyers argued the video was a violation of his privacy. "Gawker took a secretly recorded sex tape and put it on the Internet," the AP quotes Hogan's attorneys. Gawker's attorneys argued the site had a "legitimate news reason" for publishing the video as a "commentary on the ordinariness of celebrity sex videos." One of the website's lawyers went on to warn that if Hogan's suit was successful, "the Internet as we know it will cease to exist." In addition to Gawker, the jury found founder Nick Denton and former editor Albert Daulerio (who made headlines for saying he'd consider publishing the sex tape of anyone over the age of 5) personally liable. Gawker says it only made about $11,000 from publishing the sex tape and took outside investment for the first time to cover potential costs from the trial. (Read more Hulk Hogan stories.) (Newser) A kindergartener brought a pellet gun to school and used it to threaten at least one staff member Thursday in California, KABC reports. According to NBC San Diego, the 5-year-old boy took the gun out of his backpack as students were preparing to leave for the day. After his teacher led the other students out of the classroom, the boy pointed the gun at the principal, who was also in the classroom, and said, "This is a gun and it's used to kill people." The principal took the gun away without further incident. The child was suspended on Friday for up to five days, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The school considers the pellet guna small black pistol with an orange tipto be a toy and not a weapon and didn't involve police. Officials say the boy wouldn't be charged anyway because of his age. School administration spoke with the boy's mother, who didn't know her son had brought the gun to school. She says it was left at their house by a friend of one of her older children, and officials don't believe any further action is necessary. (Read more guns stories.) (Newser) A suicide attacker detonated a bomb on Istanbul's main pedestrian shopping street on Saturday, killing five people, the AP reports. The White House announced that two of the dead were American citizens, though it didn't identify them, according to AFP. Twenty other people were injured in the attack. The attacker is among the dead. Governor Vasip Sahin said the explosion occurred outside a local government office on Istiklal Street, which is also home to cafes, restaurants, and foreign consulate buildings. Sahin said one of wounded victims died in hospital. The private Dogan news agency said at least three of the injured are Israeli nationals Turkey was already on edge following two recent suicide car bomb attacks in the capital, Ankara, which were claimed by a Kurdish militant group, which is an off-shoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. The most recent attack, on March 13, targeted a line of bus stops on Ankara's busiest street and killed 37 including two bombers. "It was one loud explosion," Muhammed Fatur, a Syrian who works at a butcher shop near the scene of Saturday's explosion tells the AP. "Police came to the scene and sealed off the area." (Read more Istanbul stories.) (Newser) An American service member was killed by a rocket attack on a base in northern Iraq on Saturday13 years to the day after the Iraq war began in 2003. A US official tells CNN that the service member, who was on security duty at the Makhmur base, was killed and several other troops were wounded in the attack. The service member, whom the military will not identify until his family has been notified, is the first American to die from hostile action in Iraq this year. In October last year, Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler of Roland, Okla. was killed during a raid that freed scores of ISIS captives. He was the first American killed by hostile action in Iraq since 2011. (Read more Iraq stories.) (Newser) Houston policewith the help of a convicted kidnappermay have found the remains of a Texas teenager missing for nearly 20 years, the Houston Chronicle reports. Jessica Cain was 17 when she disappeared after a high school musical cast party in 1997. On Friday, police found what they believe could be Cain's skeletal remains in a horse pasture. According to KTRK, police had been searching the field for 25 days after receiving a tip from William Reece. Reece is serving a 60-year sentence for kidnapping a woman, but he's been linked to at least five murders and kidnappingsall taking place in 1997, KHOU reports. Teams are still working to uncover the remains, which were found at least four feet underground. They need to get every bone they can in order to reconstruct the body. "Right now, we have no clue who this person is," Det. Richard Martinez tells the Chronicle. "If it is not Jessica Cain, we have to find out who it is." Authorities are unsure how long it will take to ID the remains. Next week, police plan to start digging at a second site were they believe Reece may have buried another body. (Read more missing person stories.) (Newser) The Chicago way? The daughter of an Illinois state lawmaker faces three felony counts of aggravated battery over an alleged assault on a rival that involved a bottle and a staple gun, the Chicago Tribune reports. Robert Zwolinski says that earlier this month, he confronted Jessica Soto, daughter of Democratic Rep. Cynthia Soto, and her boyfriend when he saw them stapling her re-election posters outside his campaign headquarters in Chicago. Prosecutors say that after the verbal confrontation, the couple punched and kicked Zwolinski before Soto "squeezed his genital area," hit him with a beer bottle, and used the staple gun on his face. "Politics is a contact sport. Apparently that's literally the case," Zwolinski wrote after posting a gruesome photo of the attack's aftermath on Facebook. He tells the Washington Post that after the March 6 beating, which left him with a broken nose, he needed stitches and a tetanus shotand the ER team had to deal with their first-ever staple removal job. Zwolinski went on to lose the Democratic primary election to Cynthia Soto. A lawyer for Soto's daughter and her boyfriend, who are both 26, tells ABC 7 that his clients are innocent and if Zwolinski is "going around saying a girl beat him up, that's really sad ... maybe it's good that he lost the race." Zwolinski says he hasn't given up on politics and he will try to win Soto's seat next time around. (Read more Chicago stories.) (Newser) Scientists are poised to learn a lot more about prehistoric man's best friend after discovering a shockingly well-preserved 12,400-year-old puppy in Siberia, the Telegraph reports. The mummified Pleistocene canidalmost certainly an extinct speciesis believed to have been killed by a landslide near the village of Tumat, according to Science Alert. A member of the research team studying the puppy says it was "preserved from nose to tail, including the hair." But an autopsy conducted after washing "thousands of years of mud and dirt" off the Tumat Puppy at the Geological Institute in Moscow revealed an even more surprising degree of preservation: The canid's brain is still 70% to 80% intact, Discovery reports. Scientists, who've never before been able to study such a well-preserved specimen, are hoping to find ancient bacteria in the puppy's stomach and learn about ancient parasites from the ticks in its fur. But Hwang Woo-Suk, who the Telegraph describes as a "controversial Korean scientist," wants to go even further. Hwang, who's building a cloning facility in China, took samples of the Tumat puppy's muscle, skin, and cartilage in the hopes of bringing back the extinct species. "He was very excited," Science Alert quotes a member of the research team as saying. Archaeology reports that researchers believe the Tumat puppy was once someone's pet, as tools, evidence of a fire, and the remains of butchered animals were found nearby. (Read more puppy stories.) (Newser) Belgian authorities have officially charged Paris suspect Salah Abdeslam and another man with "participation in terrorist murder" and in the activities of a terrorist organization, the AP reports. Three other suspects were also picked up during Friday's police raid in Brussels that finally nabbed Abdeslam after his four-month fugitive run following the Nov. 13 attacks that left 130 people dead in Paris. The prosecutor's office also charged one of them with "participation in the activities of a terrorist organization and the hiding of criminals." Two others who had been implicated in sheltering Abdeslam were released Saturday by police, even though one of them was charged with hiding criminals. Abdeslam's lawyer says his client will fight efforts to extradite him to France. Belgian prosecutors said earlier they are confident the suspect will be extradited to France. Interpol is calling on countries to be vigilant at their borders, saying accomplices of Abdeslam may try to flee after his capture. In a statement Saturday, the international police agency recommended closer checks at frontiers, especially for stolen passports. Belgian and French officials say they believe other accomplices could still be at large. (Read more Salah Abdeslam stories.) (Newser) The 61-year-old California man who pointed a loaded shotgun at a 7-year-old girl trying to sell him Girl Scout cookies was sentenced to six months in jail on Friday, the Press Enterprise reports. The unnamed Girl Scout was selling cookies out of her Radio Flyer wagon in 2014 when she knocked on John Dodrill's door in Temecula. According to the AP, Dodrill opened the door and immediately pointed a loaded shotgun at the girl. The judge in the case recalls Dodrill discussing the events of that Sunday morning like he "was fighting off a siege of gang members." "Mr. Dodrill to this day doesn't believe he did anything wrong," the Press Enterprise quotes the judge. "We were essentially a finger twitch away from a homicide." Dodrill pleaded guilty to possessing an illegal assault weapon and brandishing a firearm in February. (Read more Girl Scout cookies stories.) When a shot of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg jogging Friday through Beijing's thick smog was posted on Chinese media, it erupted into an outpouring of amusing comments in their social media. Mark Zuckerberg is quite a hit in China, even though Facebook, along with overseas social media platforms is banned by the authorities. He has also become infamous among the Chinese for trying to win over leaders who are enforcing China's strict online censorship. He has visited Beijing in order to drop into an economic forum. He put up a shot of him running through Tiananmen Square to the Forbidden City Imperial Palace behind him. But none of the joggers wore the face masks. "It's great to be back in Beijing! I kicked off my visit with a run through Tiananmen Square, past the Forbidden City and over to the Temple of Heaven," Mr. Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook, likely using a virtual private network to get around the Chinese government Internet filters, which block his site. The air pollution index in the hazardous zone was at 15 times the safe level specified by the World Health Organization. Outdoor activities on such polluted days are forbidden. Was his statement a subtle compliment to the Chinese authorities, who are fighting and claiming to win the air pollution, wondered some users. "Kissing up?" commented Tom Wang, a Chinese environmentalist. He again posted the photograph of the global jogger and then included a graphic showing Beijing's air quality readings Friday morning. Journalist and runner Peng Yuanwen had another quip. He said that Zuckerberg's lungs had filtered the Chinese air, as it cleared by afternoon. "The human-flesh smog vacuum is better when it's American-made," teased Peng. Beijing residents joke that they "filter the city's air with their lungs by inhaling harmful particles." The famous jog also took Zuckerberg right through the famous Tiananmen Square, in which hundreds of thousands of Chinese students had collected in 1989 to fight for democracy, many of whom were killed in the wee hours of June 4 as troops and tanks swept in and bulldozed resistance, killing a number of protestors. Baby monkeys sprint through childhood so that they are not killed by male adult monkeys, says a new study on wild ursine colobus monkeys, according to researchers at the University of Ontario. They studied nine groups of wild ursine colobus monkeys from 2007 to 2014. "Infanticide occurs in many animals, including carnivores like lions and bears, rodents like mice, and in primates," said lead researcher Iulia Badescu, a Ph.D. candidate in evolutionary anthropology at the University of Toronto. "Typically, an adult male kills an infant sired by another male so that he can mate with the mother and sire his own infants with her," she explained. Badescu's group examined the adult ursine colobus monkeys and noted the changes in their fur, according to researchers. The colobus babies are born with white fur that becomes grey after a few weeks, then black and then white again between two and five months. The change in fur color of babies at risk was observed to be changing quickly from white to grey to black and white. "We found that infants facing a greater risk of infanticide developed faster than infants facing lesser risk," said co-researcher Pascale Sicotte of the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Calgary. Earlier, it was seen that babies that were in groups with many adult males always faced greater danger of getting killed. Hence, the mothers of such babies tended to put in more energy and resources to speed up their development. "We know that infanticide is the result of an evolutionary arms race, where males compete with each other for reproduction and try to influence females in mating with them," Sicotte added. "In species where it happens more often, it can certainly influence the nature of the social relationships between males, as well as between males and females." "Infant males are at greater risk of infanticidal attacks because killing a male infant not only gives reproductive access to the mother, but also eliminates a future sexual rival for the infanticidal male and his future offspring," Badescu explained. The findings are published in the journal Animal Behaviour. The 28-nation bloc and Turkey has just reached an agreement on dealing with Europe's enormous refugee woes, the largest migration crisis since the Second World War. The migrant deal is aimed at controlling the flow of migrants from war-torn and economically impoverished countries who enter Europe illegally. As reported by Wall Street Journal, the accord requires Turkey to absorb all the migrants including those refugees fleeing the Syrian war who landed on Greece from March 20. In exchange, EU accepts Turkey's demand to increase the assistance fund twofold to 6 billion ($6.79 billion) by 2018. But challenges are still looming on the horizon as logistical difficulties and legal impediments could hamper its success. Even German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the key figure behind the agreement, is pretty much aware of its limitations and viability to ease Europe's migrant problem. "I have no illusions that what we agreed today will be accompanied by further setbacks. There are big legal challenges that we must now overcome," Merkel as quoted by Reuters. Despite being lauded as a 'success story' by a number of European and Turkish officials, critics find the essence of the deal morally repulsive and extremely controversial. Amnesty International condemns the EU for 'turning its back on a global refugee crisis, and wilfully ignoring its international obligations'. Even the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has some troubling concerns with what has been reached between EU and Turkey. Although criticized for its inhumane treatment of migrants, European Council President Donald Tusk maintained that the deal 'excludes any kind of collective expulsions' as reported by BBC News. Turkey reportedly used the migrant issue as a bargaining chip in its future negotiations with EU over its membership application. Ankara has repeatedly pressured the bloc to extend visa-free travel to Turkish citizens. EU agreed albeit with stringent requirement for Turkey to meet all the 72 conditions, of which only 19 conditions have been fulfilled to date. The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574. New Delhi: Dear all, Have you ever seen a mob of animals (As you call those who dont belong to your race) cordoning you off, brutally attacking you for the reasons you are absolutely unaware of? Imagine how horrified you would be? Same happened with me on 4th march, 2016 when I lost my leg while paying off my duties diligently. Well, I must make it clear to you that I am not penning this to cry about pain and misery I have gone through for these four days. Instead, I would like to write about my six year journey as a diligent police horse and what I think about the human race. I always had humans as my masters and the humans I ever came across used to refer me as Animal. The word animal today keeps tangling my thoughts. An animal is a specie who can be harmful, who can injure you for no reason. And from whom you should always maintain a cautious distance. But has the Homo sapiens have ever tried to figure out the animals in human skin? Or, more precisely the growing animal in every human? If not an animal, then what name should be given to somebody who harms innocents just like me on the name of disagreement? Many of my sympathisers are writing that an innocent horse was beaten up. They even made a hashtag #PrayforShaktiman trending on Twitter. These benevolent humans (which are only found on social media) are pained as someone who has nothing to do with the protest was victimised. I agree. But I would like to point-out that there is nothing new. The victims of cruelty have always been innocents. Be it the case of Dadri Lynching, killings during the latest Jat riots, or a professors killing in Kerala for just penning his thoughts Every time the petty and unheard have to pay the price. Today, I can relate to their feelings. I am just not a substance, but a symbol for every innocent whos being attacked for doing nothing by these animals who roam in civil society in human skin. Well, now its time for me to talk something about myself. One of my leg My jewel on which I was very proud of- the asset which got me a job in Indian police lethal weapon which made me able of to fly as bullet, has been cut off. I use to form a pivotal part of many consortiums, was given special treatments, people use to applaud my skills but I never received this huge attention as I am getting these days. People with big cameras in their hands keep surrounding me, they come with fancy gadgets in hand to capture my misery with special focus on my amputated leg. Well, I pose silently. But I would ask them not to give me so much limelight. Instead they should give some time to person who attacked me. May be his purpose of getting some cheap popularity would be met. The only thought which keeps haunting my head is that I will never be able to walk as gracefully as I use to do. I wont be able to get back to my normal life again. My pain is irreparable. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the writer. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of News Nation and News Nation does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Chennai: Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take steps to get repatriated ten fishermen of Tamil Nadu stranded in Kuwait after being detained in a foisted case by the police there. I request you to instruct the Embassy of India in Kuwait to take all necessary measures to ensure the immediate repatriation of these innocent Indian fishermen, she said in a letter to Narendra Modi. She said 11 fishermen - ten from Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu and another from Kerala - went to Kuwait in July, last year to work as fishermen. They went there under the sponsorship of two persons, Hussain Rasheed and Mohamed Rasheed. They were sent for fishing for about six months in the boats owned by the sponsors. However, the sponsors did not pay the fishermen their share from the fishing catch as per the terms of employment. Hence, the fishermen struggled to barely sustain themselves and were unable to send money to their dependent families back at home, she said. As the 11 fishermen lost all hope of getting their remuneration from their employers, they requested for their return passage to India, which the sponsors refused. Subsequently, they were detained by the local police on a foisted case on a complaint by the sponsors and released after a months detention, she said. It is reported that their passports are under the custody of the sponsors who are neither allowing them to work nor return to India. She requested necessary steps to ensure that the fishermen their families and dependents in India are anxious about the safety of these fishermen and are also suffering without any means of livelihood. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: Jewellers today called off their 18-day old strike demanding rollback of proposed excise duty on non-silver jewellery after government assured them that there will be no harassment by excise officials. Major jewellery associations, including All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation (GJF), India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBBJ) and Gems Jewellery Export Promotion Council decided to call off the strike after meeting Finance Minister Arun Jaitley regarding the 1 per cent excise duty proposed on jewellery in the budget. It (excise duty) has not been rolled back but our grievances have been taken care of. The Finance Minister has assured us that there will be no inspector raj and we are hopeful of getting a notification in this regard. Also read. Excise duty: Jewellers sharpen pitch, to hold rally on March 17 After long deliberations, all associations agreed to call off the stir, GJF Chairman Sreedhar G V told PTI. The gems and jewellery industry is estimated to have incurred over Rs 25,000 crore loss during the last 18 days. Over 3 lakh jewellers from more than 300 associations kept their establishments closed across the country since March 2 after the Finance Minister in the budget for 2016-17 announced one per cent excise duty on non-silver jewellery. Also read. Arvind Kejriwal demands roll back of excise duty hike on jewellery Jewellers are also opposed to mandatory quoting of PAN by customers for transactions of Rs 2 lakh and above. The size of the gems and jewellery industry has grown to Rs 3.15 lakh crore and contributes 3.5 per cent to the GDP even as it is still an unorganised sector which employs 4.5 million skilled workers. Ken Dixon / Hearst Connecticut Media HARTFORD James B. Comey Jr., the director of the FBI, added some powerful support for his wife on Friday when she testified in favor of a bill that would allow unpaid volunteers to counsel kids through the juvenile-justice system. Comey, his wife Patrice, and an FBI security detail were high-profile VIPs in the Capitol complex for a morning hearing before the legislative Judiciary Committee. Tyler Sizemore / Tyler Sizemore Police said a Wingdale, N.Y. resident is charged with drug possession after he was searched following an attempt to steal merchandise from the Danbury Walmart on Friday. Michael Sheeley, 26, is charged with larceny, possession of a controlled substance, possession of narcotics, and possession of a controlled substance not kept in its original container, police said. TORONTO, March 18, 2016 /CNW/ - The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) is bringing together the university community from coast to coast on March 21, in a discussion on diversity and unity on campus. The CRRF's annual Canada Lecture, which this year coincides with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, will be a cross-country live-broadcast featuring four presentations from academics from the University of British Columbia, the University of Ottawa, Mount Saint Vincent University and the Universite de Moncton. The event is part of the CRRF's ongoing commitment to raise awareness and understanding of critical issues related to racial discrimination, and to develop approaches to harmonious race relations. "The CRRF brings to all Canadians the promise to work towards a society that ensures equality and dignity for all, regardless of race, religion, colour or ethnic origin," said Albert Lo, Chairperson, CRRF. "The need to bring communities together in dialogue based on social inclusion and unity remains essential as the country's population becomes increasingly diverse." The presentations, which will publicly available via live stream, will focus on the four following themes: collaboration and innovation through dialogue; overcoming boundaries and reinforcing belonging; structural challenges facing interlinguistic relations; and building community on diverse campuses. The lectures will be followed by live discussions that will convene students and faculty from all four universities. "Universities have a vital role to play in exploring Canadian identity while building on unity, in order to build a stronger Canada," said Anita Bromberg, Executive Director, CRRF. "The theme for this year's event will allow students and academics to share their views and experiences related to Canadian identity, citizenship, and the challenges in eliminating racism with the broader community." Following the Canada Lecture, students will have the opportunity to submit papers on the topics discussed at the event, which will be published in the CRRF's December 2016 edition of its academic journal, Directions. These topics will also be explored further at the CRRF's National Conference in October 2016. About the Canadian Race Relations Foundation The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) is a Crown Corporation dedicated to working towards the elimination of racial discrimination. Its mission is to advance Canadian identity in the pursuit of positive race relations, equity, fairness, social harmony and dignity for all Canadians. The CRRF does this by providing independent, outspoken national leadership, informing national policies and public conversation, and acting as a resource and facilitator. SOURCE Canadian Race Relations Foundation For further information: Anita Bromberg, Executive Director, CRRF, [email protected] 1-888-240-4936 The Peoples Democratic Party has claimed that former Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, ordered the arrest of Kenneth Kobani, the Sec... The Peoples Democratic Party has claimed that former Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, ordered the arrest of Kenneth Kobani, the Secretary to the Government.The party stated this on its official Twitter account, noting that, Amaechi arrested the SSG because he wanted to win Gokana Local Government Area.In a desperate attempt to rig Gokana, Nigeria Army acting on the instruction of Rotimi Amaechi arrests Rivers State SSG, the PDP said.As at the time of filing this report, Amaechi who is the Minister of Transportation is yet to respond to the allegation against him. The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), a coalition of over 400 civil society organizations, weekend, discribed the recent shady recruitme... The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), a coalition of over 400 civil society organizations, weekend, discribed the recent shady recruitment exercise conducted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a grand betrayal of a change mantra of the Buharis administration.The Chairman of TMG, Com. Ibrahim Zikirulahi said in a statement in Abuja that the sam is a clear manifestation that vestiges of the discredited and corrupt old guard still dominated the system in the country.Consequently, the group called on President Muhammadu Buhari to fish out the perpectrators and punish them according to the law of the land, adding that the reasons given by the apex bank to embark on secret recruitment exercise was not acceptable.The statement reads: TMG is dismayed by recent revelations of outright cronyism and favouritism in a shady recruitment exercise conducted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It is indeed very strange that impunity of this magnitude would be associated with the nations apex bank at a time Nigerians are hoping that the change mantra of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, would translate into better ethical standards for conducting government business.TMG is not unmindful of the fact that this scandal is a clear manifestation that there remains within the system vestiges of the discredited and corrupt old guard, which would always be against a people centred philosophy of governance. For us, the recruitment scandal points to a culture of lax corporate governance, which has seen the CBN under the leadership of Godwin Emefiele canonize itself as a do-nothing institution in the face of criminal assaults on due process.The CBN which has elected to sacrifice openness, merit and fairness in its recruitment is the same institution, which silently conspired with looters and plunderers of the nations financial resources, during the locust years of the last administration.TMG is amazed that the current government has not deemed it a matter of utmost urgency to halt the desecration of an institution as vital as the CBN. On the basis of the litany of sleazes that were made possible by the acquiescence of the current CBN leadership alone, it is crystal clear that a clean sweep of leadership at the apex bank, is long overdue.TMG is unimpressed by the lame excuse the CBN spin doctors are adducing for deciding to embark on a secret recruitment drive. Even if targeted employment or head hunting was the basis for making the process secret, there are thousands of young Nigerians who need jobs, who could have been targeted. But because the CBN was working towards a pre-determined outcome, it filled the list with names of children and relatives of prominent politicians, government officials and other influence peddlers.We insist this is not the proper way to do things; the outcome of the recruitment must therefore be immediately jettisoned.TMG calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene and put an end to the attempts by well-heeled people in government to rubbish his efforts at rescuing Nigeria from the abyss of corruption, nepotism and favouritism. The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday gave a low-down on how Senate Pre... The CCB and EFCC in a joint response to the claim by Saraki that his ongoing trial by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) was a witch-hunt, told of how Saraki allegedly amassed properties in Lagos, Abuja and London, using Kwara State funds.The agencies also detailed how Saraki allegedly siphoned public funds through Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) Plc into his personal foreign account, and with which he procured a property in London.The joint response by the CCT and EFCC is contained in the counter-affidavit filed by the prosecution in the trial of Saraki on charges of false assets declaration.Saraki had, in a fresh motion filed by his new lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN), queried the competence of the charge against him and the jurisdiction of the CCT on the case claiming that he was not accorded fair hearing by the CCB before he was charged with alleged discrepancies in his asset declaration forms.He queried the timing, arguing that most of the offences were allegedly committed about 15 years ago, while he was governor and that he was not confronted with the discrepancies as required under the Constitution, to enable him either agree or deny the discrepancies.However, prosecution lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), armed with the EFCC/CCB counter-affidavit, urged the court to dismiss Sarakis fresh motion on the ground that it constituted an abuse of court process.An official of the CCB, Peter Danladi, stated in the counter-affidavit that the investigation of the various petitions of corruption, theft, money laundering, among others, against Saraki in 2010, was conducted jointly by the officials of the EFCC, CCB and the DSS.The EFCC conducted its investigation on the various petitions and made findings which showed that the defendant/applicant abused his office, while he was the governor of Kwara State and was involved in various acts of corruption as the governor of the state.The defendant/applicant borrowed huge sums of money running into billions from commercial banks, particularly Guaranty Trust Bank, and used the proceeds of the loan to acquire several landed properties in Lagos, Abuja and London, while he was the governor of Kwara State.As against the defendant using his own legitimate income to defray the loan, he took public funds, running into billions from Kwara State Governemnt and lodged same in several tranches and in cash into his GTB account in GRA (Government Reservation Area), Ilorin, Kwara State.The defendant/applicants account officer in GTB confirmed that the defendant/applicant gave him several cash in the Government House to lodge into the account and on some occasions, the defendant sent his aides from the Government House to give him the cash for lodgement into his account.When the EFCC submitted its report to its legal department and the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Justice formed the opinion that the offences revealed from the investigation, particularly as they relate to the properties acquired by the defendant/applicant, while he was governor of Kwara State and various monies sent into his various accounts outside Nigeria can be better handled through the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).The office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) then sent the findings and the evidence gathered during investigation by the EFCC as a complaint to the Code of Conduct Bureau for investigation and that the operatives of the EFCC would collaborate with the officers of the CCB for effective investigation.Our investigation on the CCB Assets Declaration Forms for public officers filed by the defendant/respondent revealed the following:The landed property listed as No.42 Gerald Road, Ikoyi was visited by Mr. Ikechi Iwuagwu (Deputy Director, CCB), Miss. Geraldine Longsten (DSS) and Adamu Garba (EFCC) sometime in 2006 and discovered that the property was under construction.Contrary to the declaration by the defendant that he was earning an annual income of N110,000,000 from No.42 Gerald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, there were no tenants in the property as same was an empty land as at the time of the declaration.Contrary to the declaration by the defendant that he owned 15A and 15B McDonald, Ikoyi, Lagos as at the time of the declaration in 2003, our investigation revealed that the said properties were acquired in 2006 from the Implementation Committee on Federal Government Landed properties through his companies called Tiny Tee Limited and Vitti Oil Limited wherein he paid the sum of N396,150,000 to the Federal Government of Nigeria.The defendant made an anticipatory declaration for the said 15A and 15B, Ikoyi, Lagos. The defendant acquired the properties in the name of two companies because he could not buy two Federal Government properties in his personal name.The defendant bidded for and acquired 17, 17A and 17B McDonald, Ikoyi, Lagos from the Implementation Committee on Federal Government Landed Property and paid an aggregate sum of N497,200,000 to the Federal Government between October 2006 and 2007.A scrutiny of the defendants salary account with the Intercontinental Bank (now Access Bank) account No: 0100857813 reveals that his monthly take home salary as at the time he acquired the property was not more than N500,000 and the defendant acquired properties far in excess of his income.While the Federal Government was selling its properties, the Central Bank of Nigeria, being an agency of the Federal Government sold plot 2A, Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos for N325,000,000 between 2007 and 2008 to the defendant, which the defendant purchased through his company called Carlisle Properties when he was the governor of Kwara State, Danladi said.He added that further investigation by the CCB revealed that Saraki also acquired a property at Plot 2A Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos through Carlisle Properties Limited, while he was governor of Kwara state and that he has been receiving rent from the property.Danladi said investigation on the asset declaration forms submitted by Saraki between 2003 and 2011 revealed that he failed to declare his interest in Plot 2A Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos ( in his 2011 asset declaration form); No: 1 Targus Street, Maitama, Abuja otherwise known as 2482 Cadastral Zone A06, which he claimed he acquired in November 1996 from one David Baba Akawu (in his assets declaration form of 2003).Saraki was also said to have failed to declare his ownership of No: 3 Targus Street, Maitama, Abuja, otherwise known as 2481 Cadastral Zone A06, Abuja which he acquired from one Alhaji Attahiru Adamu in his asset declaration form (of June 3, 2011) and No: 42, Remi Fani-Kayode Street, Ikeja, Lagos, which he acquired through his company, Skyview Properties Limited, from First Finance Trust Limited on December 12, 1996.The defendant has a domiciliary account with GTB Plc in Nigeria with account No: 441441953210 from where he made various cash transfers totalling 3.4million US dollar between 2009 and 2012 to American Express Service Europe Limited with account No: 730580 maintained with the American Express Bank, New York and the various sums were transferred into the defendants card account No: 374588216836009 maintained by the defendant outside Nigeria.Sometime in February 2010, the defendant obtained a loan of N375,000,000 from GTB Plc in Nigeria, which he converted into 1,516,194.53 Pounds Sterling and gave instructions to the bank to transfer the entire sum to the United Kingdom in favour of Forts Bank SA/NV the purpose of which the defendant stated to be the full and final payment of mortgage redemption for the property he purchased in London, Danladi said.Arguing Sarakis motion earlier, Agabi said that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction to entertain the charges on, among other grounds, that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice lacked the power to file charges before the tribunal.He also argued that the failure of the Code of Conduct Bureau to invite Saraki to confront him with the breaches in his assets declaration form was fatal to the validity of the charges.On the contention that his client was not accorded fair hearing by the CCB, Agabi argued that compliance with Paragraph 3(d) to the 5th Schedule to the Constitution must be complied with where issues of breach is raised.He said that by failing to first invite his client and confront him with the alleged discrepancies in his asset declaration, as required under Paragraph 3(d), before charging Saraki before the CCT, the condition precedent was not complied with, thereby denying the tribunal the requisite jurisdiction.Agabi argued that the tribunal had struck out a case against former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, on the same ground of non-compliance with the provision of Paragraph 3(d). He urged the court to be guided by its decision in the Tinubu case and strike out the charge against his client.Responding, Jacobs argued that that submission by Agabi was based on an old provision of the Constitution. He said the Paragraph 3(d) provision referred to by Agabi existed in the 1979 Constitution, which no longer exists in the 1999 Constitution.His words: In 1999 Constitution, the Paragraph 3(d) was removed so that the CCB and CCT can function maximally.They cannot use old law to defeat new provisions. In the Tinubu case, the tribunal found that it was misled into giving the decision it gave. The tribunal cannot commit the same error again.Assets Declaration is an oath. You go before a High Court to endorse the asset declaration form. Its like an oath. The consequence of lying is criminal. It is like the law of perjury.Jacobs described Agabis argument as embarrassing and self-serving.Jacobs, who once served as an aide to Agabi while he was the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), wondered why his former principal would now argue against the power to initiate proceedings before the CCT.On their argument that the AGF cannot initiate proceedings before this tribunal, we are saying that issue, which is their No. 2 is embarrassing. They had earlier argued, up to the Supreme Court, that it is only the AGF that can initiate cases here. They dragged that case before the Supreme Court and lost. Then they have come back here to now argue the opposite, that the AGF cannot initiate a case before the CCT.Fortunately for me, I served with the lead defence lawyer (Agabi) as Special Assistant (SA) when he was the AGF. He signed several charges, which I prosecuted before this tribunal on his behalf. Some of these cases included those involving former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Jeremiah Useni, former Plateau State governor, Joshua Dariye, among others.He did not only sign those charges, I represented him. Having benefited and utilised those law, can he now come back to condemn the law? That is embarrassing. And it should not be accepted. The same AGF, who worked with that provision of the Constitution, cannot now argue that the EFCC cannot liaise with the CCB in investigating cases, Jacobs insisted.Jacobs argued that the fresh motion by Saraki was an abuse of court process because he had raised similar issues and sought the same reliefs in about four other motions he filed before different courts in the country.He cited the cases marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/775/15, FHC/ABJ/CS/905/15 and FHC/ABJ/CS/1507/15 already filed by Saraki in attempt to frustrate his trial before the CCT.CCT Chairman, Danladi Umar, adjourned to March 24 for ruling and possible commencement of trial. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close See pictures of flooding that closed I-10 at Texas state line for 4 days The victim spoke Tuesday without entering the courtroom. At the sex abuse trial of former Council Bluffs pediatrician Dennis Jones, an aide with the Iowa Attorney Generals Office read from a statement from the victim. Candis Lockard read the childs account that Jones put his hands on private areas, under the pants abuse that startled and shocked the young person, who was 5 years old in the spring of 2013 when the actions occurred. Im afraid (Jones) will come into my house and steal me, Lockard read from the victims statement. I think (Jones) should go to jail for a long time. As the attorney generals office victim services provider spoke, Jones shook his head. The 69-year-old maintained his innocence throughout his brief trial Tuesday morning at the Pottawattamie County Courthouse. Fourth Judicial District Court Judge Richard Davidson found Jones guilty of lascivious acts with a child, a Class C felony. Davidson then sentenced Jones to the maximum of 10 years in prison, to be served concurrently with a more than 10-year (121-month) federal sentence on child pornography charges. Concurrently means the two sentences will be served at the same time. During an investigation into sexual abuse allegations from the child, authorities found an estimated 1.2 million images of child pornography and 9,300 videos of child pornography, along with videos taken of patients by Jones at his medical clinic. As part of an agreement between the prosecution and defense, Davidson conducted a bench trial in the state case, considering only submitted minutes of testimony filed by both sides. Also, as part of the agreement, the attorney generals office amended the charges from second-degree sexual abuse to lascivious acts with a child, while Jones waived his right to appeal the judges decision. The court concludes that the state has proven (the case) beyond a reasonable doubt, Davidson said. The deal also allowed Davidson to go straight to sentencing after reaching a verdict. During the sentencing portion, attorney Michael Winter who represented Jones, along with Chad Primmer noted that despite maintaining his innocence, Jones, didnt want the child to have to testify. Hes accepted his destiny in this case, Winter said. Jones told Davidson, I maintain nothing happened. A trial wouldve not changed my (federal) sentence, Jones said. This keeps (the victim) from testifying. Before Davidson issued his sentence, the parents of the victim and Lockard addressed the court. The mother said her child, was tortured in a way no child should be, saying that when the 5-year-old told them of the abuse, our world came crashing down around us. She was the one who had the strength and bravery to expose you as the monster no one knew you could be, the mother said. The woman decried Jones continued statements of innocence, saying, hes made it worse by repeatedly telling lies, trying to make himself a victim. About those in the community that have stood behind the former doctor, the woman said, Others actions have hurt us. They knew what hed done and continue to support him. No amount of years behind bars will be enough, she said. But today guarantees hell get the psychiatric care he needs. The victims father said his daughter feels anguish, despair and grief over the incident, but noted she was, brave enough to tell us because she knew it was the right thing to do. About those in the community who support Jones, the father said he heard from some of them. They say, We feel bad for your (child), but cant you let this go so (Jones) avoids jail? Lockard first described a document the victim filled out that noted the victims feelings that Jones needed to get help. It called for him to spend 99 years in jail. The victim ended with, Even though this happened to me, Im still OK. The sentence also stipulates Jones remain on the sex offender registry for life if hes released from prison, pay a $10,000 fine and undergo sex offender therapy treatment while in prison. A restitution amount is expected to be settled upon at a later date. Jones supporters declined to comment after the proceedings, while his attorneys pointed to what theyd said in court. Im just glad we can come to a just resolution, said Assistant Attorney General Denise Timmins, who prosecuted the case because Jones had served as an expert witness for the Pottawattamie County Attorneys Office in the past. Hopefully the truth is accepted by the community. Community Its now easier than ever to connect and chat with others in your local area. You can connect with your community by asking general questions, give area updates and recommendations and even let your community know about local events that are taking place. Maley supporters uninformed or 'shading the truth' Supporters of the $80.1 million Maley Drive extension are either disingenuous or deluded about the benefits the project would have on the city's road network, a group of critics told reporters Friday. Maley Drive Extension critics Gord Slade, left, and Lionel Rudd are seen at a news conference Friday at the Royal Canadian Legion in Minnow Lake. Darren MacDonald photo. Supporters of the $80.1 million Maley Drive extension are either disingenuous or deluded about the benefits the project would have on the city's road network, a group of critics told reporters Friday. Speaking at a news conference at the Royal Canadian Legion branch in Minnow Lake, one critic, Laurentian University economist Dr. David Robinson, said he wanted to stop short of calling advocates liars, but at the very least they were ignorant or shading the truth. For example, he said claims that government money will be lost to other communities if Maley is stopped is not true. Another project could be approved within 18 months. "So it's wrong to say the federal government wouldn't allow Sudbury to shift the funds to another project, Robinson said. That's a lie. It's not true." City planners have wanted to build the extension for years, but have never been able to convince upper levels of government to each provide their one-third share of the project. Phase 1 of the project includes new four-lane road from Lasalle Boulevard west, near College Boreal, to Barrydowne Road. Traffic would access the new four-lane road via a new interchange to be built north of Lasalle on Notre Dame Avenue. Notre Dame would be widened from four lanes to six lanes, north of the improvements that have already been made to the Lasalle-Notre Dame intersection and approaching lanes. Instead of traffic lights, roundabouts would be built at College Boreal and Barrydowne Road to accommodate traffic at the new intersections. An existing section of Maley Drive, between Barrydowne and the Falconbridge Highway, would also be rehabilitated. Phase 2, which is budgeted at $70 million and is still unfunded, would be used for items such as more road widening and building an overhead pass for the railroad on Maley. The provincial Liberals agreed to provide $26.7 million for Maley during the 2014 provincial election, while the newly elected federal Liberal government is expected to provide its share as part of its major infrastructure spending plans. Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger has introduced a motion for the March 22 council meeting in which he's asking councillors to commit to the project. He held a news conference Thursday to defend the project and clear up what he called misconceptions about Maley that critics such as Robinson have putting out to the public. But Robinson said Friday the mayor is the one who's not being straightforward with the public. "Maley Drive is economically unjustifiable that's just my reading as an economist," Robinson said. "What concerns me most is that people like the mayor are saying things that are economically false. I don't know whether he's just ignorant of the economics or is so committed to this project that he's willing to shade the truth." Robinson took issue with several benefits Maley supporters have said the project will bring. For example, the city says it will divert 10,000 vehicles a day from Lasalle Boulevard. But Robinson said building new roads never reduces traffic, it increases it. "When you build roads, you induce additional traffic, therefore you increase emissions," he said. The reason people drive less is because of the costs of driving, he said. When you build more roads, the cost of trips declines, leading to more driving. "What limits the amount of trips people make is time cost, so if you give them a shortcut, they make more trips because the cost of that trip has gone down for them, he said. And they keep making more trips until they reach the same time costs again. "(So) the traffic then rises until you have the same time cost." He also said that, contrary to claims city officials have made, Maley won't boost the city's GDP, too few of the construction jobs will go to people in Sudbury and governments will give Sudbury money for other projects. "I want to stop short of saying these are lies, but either they are ignorant, or they are shading the truth because they want to sell this project," Robinson said, of local politicians who are in favour of the project. Another critic, Tom Price, said he was glad to see the mayor has stopped saying Maley is needed to reroute heavy ore trucks away from Lasalle Boulevard, something he has said in the past. "But that should raise in everybody's minds the question of what other of the reasons that they've given is also out the window," Price said. He also took issue with Ward 7 Coun. Mike Jakubo, who said Thursday that Lasalle has two types of traffic those looking to access commercial areas and those travelling from one side of the city to the other. Maley, Jakubo said, will mean more of the traffic on Lasalle will be people looking to shop, rather than people just travelling through town. Price said businesses want more traffic, not less. "Everybody that's in the marketing business wants a high volume of traffic to see their business, he said. To suggest that reducing the traffic is going to increase their volume of business just astounded me." And he disagreed with Jakubo's statement that less traffic on Lasalle could mean more opportunities for bike lanes and improved commutes for people taking Sudbury Transit. "From a business point of view, how many people on bicycles come in and buy several shopping bags full of material? Price said. I can tell you, zero. Those businesses are not going to be pleased to have bicyclists running by, when they could have customers coming in." And Price said the process of building Maley will create far more greenhouse gases than it could possibly save. "They keep giving us reasons why they want to build it that simply aren't there." John Lindsay, of Friendly to Seniors and an active Maley Drive critic, said the city should listen to what they are saying. "I've mentioned it to the city, I said, why don't we listen to some of the real professionals like Tom Price or even Dr. David Robinson, who's an economist who understands the figures, who teaches this on a regular basis?" Lindsay said. "For some reason, there seems to be some sort of disconnect between those people on the hill and those people downtown." Lindsay said he has sent councillors copies of a draft motion that would defer Maley and instead look for other projects to support. Another critic, Gord Slade, said the city has failed to do a proper analysis of whether the project is practical. "We should not be doing anything with Maley Drive without a proper feasibility study," Slade said. Lionel Rudd criticized the city for not providing the technical information in support of the project to residents through meetings with their local representatives. "One would have thought that with this kind of cost, we would have had at least ward meetings with ward councillors disseminating accurate technical information, which has been sadly lacking," Rudd said. "Without that, you really can make any judgments." Councillors will vote on whether they support Maley at Tuesday's city council meeting. Bigger, Jakubo and Ward 5 Coun. Bob Kirwan have come out in favour, while Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini for whom Price acts as an adviser has come out against. The remaining councillors have yet to take a strong public stance for or against. The Sudbury chapter of the Council of Canadians will host a water rally on March 20, ahead of World Water Day, on March 22. The Sudbury chapter of the Council of Canadians will host a water rally on March 20, ahead of World Water Day, on March 22.This rally will provide an opportunity for concerned citizens to let their views be known and to raise awareness about the urgent need to protect our drinking water and fresh water sources. The rally will be held from 2 p.m. to 3 pm, at the David Street water treatment plant.March 22 is World Water Day - an important day for our city of lakes, said a news release from the Council of Canadians.An important day, too, for Canadians all across the country who are alarmed about the disappearance of long standing safeguards for our water sources.Sudburians are invited to join the rally to express their concerns about our endangered water supply. The rally kicks off at 2 p.m. at 378 David Street. Check out the Council of Canadians Facebook page for more in-depth information. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. Key Lime Air arrived at Lee Bird Field on Friday morning to pitch the city on bringing the company in to service the area with flights to Denver. The company is one of seven that will interview for the opportunity to provide air service in and out of North Platte Regional Airport. The company is based in Denver and has been providing service for United Parcel Service freight into the North Platte community for the last 19 years. The plane the company will use for the air service is a Dornier 328 jet. For more photos, click here. Its a great airplane, said Cliff Honeycutt, president and co-owner of the airline. They were manufactured between 2000 and 2003. They are all relatively low-time airplanes. Theyre a great airplane to ride on. You can stand up in them. Theres a flight attendant, a full stand-up bathroom. The plane has 30 leather seats. Flight time from North Platte to Denver is about 38 minutes. Key Lime was founded about 20 years ago and currently has 30 airplanes in its fleet, flying about 15,000 hours annually. Honeycutt said the goal is to move more into passenger service for the company. In competition with six other airlines for the right to service North Platte, the primary reason Honeycutt believes their airline is the one for North Platte is because of the company itself. I dont think its as much about the airplane as it is about the organization itself, Honeycutt said. Were a local airline that started out with one airplane about 20 years ago. We do a lot of freight. Weve just now gotten into the passenger industry and this is actually our end game. We want to bring air service back to the small communities that have suffered a degrade in that service. The plan is to have two flights a day to Denver, which would include air service to and from Kearney. Weve got a little bit different model and the fact that were based in Denver with a company grown out of our own blood and sweat, I think people will have a little better appreciation for what it is that we bring, Honeycutt said. Because were invested in the community, if theres a problem were going to address it. Theres no big corporate headquarters. Its a simple phone call and were going to have an explanation. Honeycutt said that Key Lime Air has no desire to become another national or international airline company, but wants to focus on providing service to local communities like North Platte. We think we can do it better, Honeycutt said. TransCanada Corp. has agreed to pay nearly $10 billion to acquire Columbia Pipeline Group, a company that was part of NiSource Inc. until this past July. Houston-based Columbia Pipeline owns 15,000 miles of interstate natural gas pipelines that extends from New York to the Gulf of Mexico. With the acquisition, TransCanada, the company behind the Keystone XL pipeline,will have about 57,000 miles of pipeline in North America. When NiSource split off Columbia Pipeline Group in July, NiSource shareholders received a distribution of one share of Columbia Pipeline Group stock for every share of NiSource stock they owned. They also maintained their NiSource stakes. NiSource is the parent company of NIPSCO, which has 460,000 electric customers and 810,000 natural gas customers in northern Indiana. TransCanada will pay Columbia Pipeline shareholders $25.50 per common share, an 8 percent premium from the stocks closing price Thursday of $23.51, for a total of $9.92 billion, plus the assumption of $2.8 billion in debt. Upon the July split, then-NiSource Inc. CEO Robert Skaggs Jr. became CEO of Columbia Pipeline Group. Joseph Hamrock, who was executive vice president and group CEO of NiSources gas distribution division, succeeded Skaggs as CEO of NiSource. The deal for TransCanada to buy Columbia is expected to close during the second half of the year. Shares of Columbia Pipeline Group Inc. rose $1.24, or 5.3 percent to $24.75 in aftermarket trading. The acquisition comes after President Barack Obama in November quashed the Keystone XL after seven years of political wrangling, saying it would have undercut U.S. efforts to clinch a global climate change deal at the center of his environmental legacy. The pipeline would have connected Canadas tar sands to specialized refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast. Times Business Editor Keith Benman contributed to this story. Eight gardens filled with blooms representing our countrys different but equally magnificent landscapes will be at Macys Flower Show Presents America the Beautiful. That's the theme for the famed department stores annual flower show, which is held in five cities, including its Chicago State Street store. Its our spring gift to the city, says Paul Anthony, one of the producers of the show featuring such stunners as a floral replica of 12-feet-tall Lady Libertys torch. The flame is created by an arrangement of blooming forsythia, scotch broom and brightly colored annuals. Surrounded by tulips and azaleas, the torch is next to the Nations Capital Garden, its focal point the Washington Monument made from hundreds of white hydrangeas surrounded by a variety of flowering cherry trees. The planning for this extravaganza began last fall with brainstorming by Anthony and others who have worked on the flower shows for year with input from 40 or so floral designers, sculptors, landscapers, carpenters and visual specialists. Construction and painting started in January. Six semitrucks filled with 75 specimen trees, more than 10,000 individual plants and other materials were used to make up the gardens. When it all comes in, it doesnt look like much because nothing is blooming, Anthony says. Cherry trees once they bloom, theyre done, and we dont want people to see bare branches, Anthony says. But as lovely as all these blooms are too look at, theres more than just flowers here. The one-hour Macys Flower Show and History Tour showcases the history of the countrys largest department store. It points out the architectural details such as the Tiffany vaulted ceiling, Burnham fountain with its three-tiered waterfall and the Walnut Room restaurant. All make this late 19th century building, designated both a Chicago and National Historic Landmark, so unique. Free hands-on activities and events include the Bouquet of the Day Floral Seminar, making a floral-themed mosaic piece using cut and fused glass pieces, style show as well as a seminar with Sarah Nicole. She is a certified plant-based nutrition holistic health coach and founder of BalancedBabe.com, who is discussing how to make homeopathic and beauty remedies using plant-based ingredients. Also on the agenda are Indian dance performances by Natya, Hawaiian dancing by Aloha Chicago and the American Rhythm Center performing a variety of dance styles including American tap, Afro-Fusion, tango and Bollywood. Cooking demonstrations with Chicagoland chefs are being held at Macys 7th floor Culinary Studio with such experts as executive chef Andrew Pingul of Cantina 1910 wholl show his interpretation of classic Mexican desserts using modern techniques and flavor combinations. Also on hand are staff from Carnivale demonstrating how make their Latin-inspired dishes at home and all things sausage from Chicago classics to game link prepared by Chicagos Dog House. Macys Culinary Council Chef, Michelle Bernstein will also be doing a cooking demo. The Wine Bar, located in the Walnut Room, is offering specialty Flower Show cocktails such as Wild Hibiscus Mojitos, Blackberry Rosehip Brambles and Mint Juleps. This year we wanted the focus to be on our backyard, Anthony says. Everything has a great sense of warmth and charm as you walk through the gardens. Residential development is back on the fast track in many Region communities, and is expected to serve as a major jobs and economic engine into the future. As Illinois residents and employers continue to migrate across the state line to escape declining economic conditions, the pace of development can only increase, according to town officials across the Region. And as in other places across the United States, millennials maturing and starting families and baby boomers aging in place are aiding the current housing boomlet. "Most people think smokestacks immediately when you mention Northwest Indiana," said Anthony Sindone, a continuing lecturer in economics and finance at Purdue University North Central. "But we have wonderful parks and recreational areas and retirees will want to take advantage." A good number of Northwest Indiana's 16,000 construction workers are employed in home building. In recent years, a number of the Region's craft unions have developed apprentice programs and wage scales geared toward home construction. Where the action is Most of the new residential construction in Lake County has been in municipalities south of U.S. 30. St. John, Cedar Lake and Crown Point are among those Lake County communities experiencing a major building boom thats expected to continue for at least the next decade. Were building about 200 homes a year, said St. John Town Manager Steve Kil. Subdivisions currently under construction or planned in St. John range from eight homes to more than 400 dwellings with some of the areas most well-known developers Dennis Meyers, Schilling Development and Olthof Homes at the helm. These subdivisions include Kilkenny Estates with 170 lots planned on 160 acres with the first two phases approved, and homes in the range of $400,000 and up already being built. Construction at Dancing Waters on 24 acres north of Bingo Lake features 33 units, mainly in duplexes. The final phase of Three Springs, located south of existing units on Springlake Road, includes 22 duplexes and 21 single-family homes on 34 acres. Another planned residential development in St. John, The Preserves would offer 445 lots on 319 acres with single-family homes selling for $400,000 and up. This planned unit development would be located west of White Oak Avenue between 93rd and 101st avenues. Kil said most of the development is possible because the town is expanding the sewage lift station on U.S. 41 to triple its capacity. Boom to crash to boomlet For Cedar Lake, 2015 represented a stellar year for residential construction, said Michelle Bakker, building administrator. We issued 126 residential building permits in 2015. Weve really been booming, Bakker said, adding that the building has been throughout the town. The boom actually began back in 2006, when 219 permits were issued. But the market crashed with the Great Recession and hit a low point of just 30 in 2011. Other towns across the Region and across the nation experienced the same thing. Cedar Lake's recovery began solidly in 2013 with 98 permits issued for new housing, followed the next year with 110 residential permits issued, Bakker said. Building currently has been in the Centennial development, where single-family homes are offered as well as maintenance-free duplexes and townhomes. Monastery Woods, on the north end of Cedar Lake, features a variety of maintenance-free living in ranch-style and two-story townhomes. Lynnsway is located near U.S. 41 and downtown Lowell and has home lots in two areas served by two school districts. Single-family homes including ranch, tri-level/quad-level and two-story designs are served by Cedar Lakes Hanover Community School Corp., while Lynnsways paired villas are in Lowells Tri-Creek School Corp.s borders. Crown Point is experiencing major home construction in four subdivisions, said Joe Cash, the citys building administrator. We have strong numbers in Copper Creek, which is on the south end of Crown Point, and in Edgewater on the east side and Pentwater (located off Interstate 65 and U.S. 231), Cash said. Another major draw is the golf course community at The Regency, he said. This new home community at the Youche Golf Course and Country Club has a mix of single-family estate homes and paired golf villas. City mixes it up Located just 20 minutes from Chicagos Loop along Lake Michigans shores, Whiting is an example of a Northwest Indiana lakefront urban area where new homes are under development. The little city is playing to the strengths of its lakefront location with panoramic views of the Chicago skyline, where many of its newest residents work. The Center Street Housing Development one example created a neighborhood of lots available for construction that began in 2011. Construction and sales have been completed along the 1900 block of New York Avenues east side and now development of the west side has begun with several homes already built and occupied. And in the summer of 2014, a ground-breaking ceremony on 119th Street heralded the citys first mixed-use development to be built in more than 60 years. The four-story building at 1518 119th St. contains 24 high-end two-bedroom/two-bath apartments as well as 6,000 square feet of retail and commercial space on the ground floor. "It's a huge project for us," Mayor Joseph Stahura said at the ground-breaking ceremony in June 2014. Green planning pays off In Porter County, Burns Harbor and Chesterton are among the communities seeing more residential construction. We have three subdivisions platted and in the building phase, said Toni Biancardi of the Burns Harbor Town Council. The Village in Burns Harbor was the nations first Certified Green Neighborhood for environmental sustainability. Theres a combination of single-family homes, townhomes and apartments, and there are still lots available there, she said. Single-family homes in Burns Harbor are also being built at Corlins Landing and Trail Creek, Biancardi said. Chesterton has several new subdivisions that are attracting attention, said Sherry White, administrative assistant to Mark ODell, the towns building commissioner. These include Stone Meadows and The Brassie Estates, a new golf-course community. Other popular subdivisions where new construction is taking place include Village Green Townhomes, Duneland Trails and Abercrombie, she said. To address its future, Valparaiso developed a new comprehensive plan called Envision Valparaiso 2030 that outlines housing strategies to earn a reputation as a city of neighborhoods, not simply a collection of subdivisions, the plan states. The main fugitive in the November Paris terror attacks was captured in Belgium on Friday afternoon, according to foreign officials. French President Francois Hollande said 26-year-old Salah Abdeslam was formally identified and detained in Brussels. Hollande said France will look to cooperate with Belgium to extradite Abdeslam. Officials said he was shot in the leg and arrested with four other suspects during a raid. While Hollande congratulated Belgium for the successful arrest, he said Belgium and France remain on high alert. "There have been quite a few arrests, and there will be more arrests in the future because I know that the network was a wide and extensive network in Belgium, in France, as well as other European countries," Hollande said. Abdeslam is among several Islamic extremists who targeted cafes, a rock concert, and a stadium, detonating suicide bombs and carrying out mass shootings. 130 people were killed. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. Three people were arrested for disorderly conduct at a protest against Donald Trump in Manhattan on Saturday. There was a heavy police presence in Columbus Circle, as several hundred people gathered to speak out against the GOP frontrunner near the Trump International Hotel and Tower. A group of demonstrators that tried to break through a police barricade was pushed back by officers, who used pepper spray. Various groups organized the rally, including immigrants' rights activists. Those NY1 spoke with said they wanted to stop the spread of what they believed is hateful rhetoric coming from Trump. "My parents are immigrants from Chile, and when Donald Trump speaks I feel like he is really insulting them and stirring fear against immigrants. I grew up with friends who are Muslim, they have children now, they have families, they're Americans, and [Trump] just disrespects Americans," one protestor said. "We don't agree with how he is handling stuff, especially since it's all hate and racism against Muslims, how he speaks against Hispanics," said another. "So I think it's really important to come." Demonstrators took their message across Central Park South to Trump Tower before they turned back to Columbus Circle. WASHINGTON Relations between American military trainers and specialists advising the Nigerian military in the fight against Boko Haram are so strained that the Pentagon often bypasses the Nigerians altogether, choosing to work instead with security officials in the neighboring countries of Chad, Cameroon and Niger, according to defense officials and diplomats. Major rifts like these between the Nigerian and American militaries have been hampering the fight against Boko Haram militants as they charge through northern Nigeria, razing villages, abducting children and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee. Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to travel to Nigeria on Sunday to meet with the candidates in Nigerias presidential elections, and the Pentagon says that the Nigerian Army is still an important ally in the region vital to checking Boko Haram before it transforms into a larger, and possibly more transnational, threat. In some respects, they look like ISIL two years ago, Michael G. Vickers, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, told the Atlantic Council last week, using another name for the militant group known as the Islamic State. How fast their trajectory can go up is something were paying a lot of attention to. But certainly in their area, theyre wreaking a lot of destruction. Time today is instantly available from a watch on your wrist or a smartphone in your hand. So it is something of a surprise to realize that the traditional clock still stimulates the imaginations of superstar designers and contemporary design artists. Their trove of inventive takes on an analog timepiece is anything but old fashioned. Take the Australian designer Marc Newson, renowned for his fast-forward designs from an airplane to furniture. (His now legendary pop-riveted aluminum and fiberglass Lockheed Lounge chaise longue sold for more than $3.7 million at auction last April, setting a record for an object by a living designer.) He has created a host of singular timepieces, not to mention his continuing collaboration on the Apple Watch. Im a huge fan of clocks, whether they are digital or not, Mr. Newson wrote in an email. The idea of a centralized object in the house (or elsewhere) is a wonderful device with which to orientate oneself, not only physically, but symbolically. I find my gaze constantly drifting in the direction of my Atmos, seduced by how completely timeless an object it is in many ways future-proof and completely analog, he continued. I love that. Mr. Newsons Atmos 566, created in 2010, is his latest reinterpretation of the iconic Atmos clock first designed in 1928. Powered by small variations in atmospheric temperature, it is virtually perpetual. Created with Jaeger-LeCoultre in two limited editions of 28 (from 102,000 to 123,000 euros, or about $113,000 to $136,000), the timepiece would catch anyones eye. Its mechanism seems to float in clear or blue Baccarat crystal cubes, with a blue enamel dial. The designer also added indicators of the month and the equation of solar with real time, as well as a sky chart of the Northern Hemisphere with the cardinal point and zodiac signs. General Mills said on Friday that it would start labeling all products that contain genetically modified ingredients to comply with a law set to go into effect in Vermont. General Mills, the maker of Cheerios, Progresso soups and Yoplait yogurt, said it was simply impractical to label products for sale in just one state, so the disclosures required by Vermont starting in July will be on all its products, beginning over the next several weeks. Food industry officials have said they are open to labeling, but that it should be voluntary. In January, Campbell Soup, which has said it will support a federal law to make labeling mandatory, said it would start disclosing the presence of such ingredients if a national standard wasnt established in a reasonable amount of time. But labeling legislation has stalled in Congress. Genetically modified seeds are engineered to have certain traits, like resistance to herbicides, and are used to grow most of the corn and soybeans in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration has said genetically modified ingredients are safe. But advocates for labeling say more study is needed. The lawsuit and the leadership changes it has precipitated at J. Walter Thompson have shed an unwelcome spotlight on one of the worlds oldest advertising agencies. Founded in 1864, the agency has helped bring many brands to the cultural fore. The agency created the famous jingles for Oscar Mayer (I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener in 1963) and Toys R Us (I dont want to grow up, Im a Toys R Us kid in 1982) and has produced memorable campaigns for Ford and De Beers. The authors James Patterson and Gabriel Garcia Marquez once worked at the agency. J. Walter Thompsons name still carries weight, but like other legacy creative agencies that were once kings of the industry, it has struggled to stay as relevant in the digital age. Many marketers now rely on a suite of specialist agencies rather than one creative agency for ideas and campaign plans. The increasing importance of data to marketers has also given more power to companies that provide insight and analysis. Ms. Power said the agency was rethinking how to work with clients in this new environment. It is focusing on its creative products, she said, and on offering a nimble spectrum of content solutions for clients. The reality is, I think many big agencies are seen as being just that big, she said. We need to evolve. In the last several years, J. Walter Thompson has won accounts like Kelloggs Special K brand, the accounting firm KPMG and Puma, but it has also lost business from companies like Vonage and Royal Caribbean. When J. Walter Thompson announced in 2013 that Mr. Martinez was joining the agency as global president, Bob Jeffrey, then the agencys chief executive, called him the future of J.W.T. Mr. Martinez, who was born in Argentina and grew up primarily in Spain, began work at J. Walter Thompson in 2014 after holding senior positions at McCann Wordgroup and Ogilvy & Mather. He succeeded Mr. Jeffrey, who led the agency for 11 years, in January 2015. In the lawsuit, which names J. Walter Thompson, WPP and Mr. Martinez as defendants, Erin Johnson, the chief communications officer of J. Walter Thompson, said Mr. Martinez had subjected employees to an unending stream of racist and sexist comments as well as unwanted touching and other unlawful conduct. She contends that Mr. Martinez made offensive comments about Jews and African-Americans and that he had made numerous comments about rape. Ms. Johnson, who joined J. Walter Thompson in 2005, said in the filing that she was placed on paid leave in February after her lawyer sent a letter to the defendants claiming that she had been subjected to unlawful discrimination and retaliation. She also said she had complained repeatedly about Mr. Martinezs behavior to executives at J. Walter Thompson and WPP. In an amended filing on Monday, she included an image of a disk that she said contained a video recording of a meeting in May 2015 during which Mr. Martinez made some of his remarks. PARIS Last September, Helene Poulit-Duquesne, then the business development director of Cartier, took on a new role as chief executive of Boucheron. The jump took her between two of the most celebrated jewelry maisons in France, with flagship stores less than 10 yards from one another on the legendary Place Vendome. The distance between the two in terms of scale and culture is far greater. Ms. Poulit-Duquesne, 46, a lifelong luxury veteran, started her career at LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton and then in 1998 joined the Richemont-owned behemoth Cartier, which has 284 boutiques around the world. Recently, as she sat over coffee amid the sparkling, animal-inspired pieces of Boucherons latest haute joaillerie collection, she appeared to relish having taken the helm at Boucheron, a Kering-owned house with only 39 boutiques worldwide. Theres no question in my mind that Ive made the right decision. I feel very happy when I wake up in the morning and go to work every day, said the dark-haired, elegant Frenchwoman, adding that the welcome at Boucheron from both her new teams and the clients had been far warmer than any other she had ever received. There is an energy here, an ambition on what we collectively want to do as a business, Ms. Poulit-Duquesne added. There is great growth potential for Boucheron, despite it being a small house. In fact, the relatively small size of this house compared to many of our rivals is one of the most valuable assets of the business. The broad United Nations corruption investigation that swept up a former president of the General Assembly expanded on Friday, as federal prosecutors charged a Chinese-born executive with paying at least $500,000 in bribes to buy diplomatic positions with the government of Antigua for her husband and another man. The bribe was solicited and facilitated by John W. Ashe, who served as General Assembly president for one year starting in September 2013, and Francis Lorenzo, a deputy permanent representative to the United Nations for the Dominican Republic, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in Federal District Court in Manhattan on Friday. Prosecutors have said that Mr. Ashe, who served as the permanent representative to the United Nations for Antigua, had participated in a scheme with Mr. Lorenzo and other defendants in which Mr. Ashe was paid more than $1.3 million in bribes. Mr. Ashe had solicited and accepted bribes since 2011 from Chinese businesspeople who were seeking to influence the actions of United Nations and Antiguan officials, prosecutors have said. Mr. Ashe was not charged with bribery, but he was charged with two counts of filing false federal tax returns. He has pleaded not guilty. A longtime foster father on Long Island has been charged with sexually abusing five boys, all of them his adopted sons, in a case where the authorities suspect there are many more victims. The father, Cesar Gonzales-Mugaburu, 59, who had 140 boys placed in his care over 22 years, was being held on $500,000 cash bail at the Suffolk County jail on Friday. Thomas J. Spota, the countys district attorney, said the victims were 8 to 20 years old at the time they were abused. (The 20-year-old was abused as both a child and an adult, according to an indictment.) The abuse is alleged to have occurred from August 1996 to January of this year. Mr. Spota said he could not understand why the New York City Administration for Childrens Services and a nonprofit that the agency contracted, SCO Family of Services, continually placed children with Mr. Gonzales-Mugaburu despite red flags over nearly two decades. 4. I wish the Pres would use this nomination for someone left of center, but you gotta hand it to him hes doing what wont create more division, and in doing so respects the entire electorate. President Obama always demonstrates a great deal of class, and respect for the responsibility hes been given. We can only hope we ever have as great a president again. Barbara in Washington, D.C. Her comment received more than 2,440 reader recommendations and was the most-recommended comment of the week. 5. Liberals are disappointed in the selection, but you have to look at the big picture. This is basically just bait. Obama wins either way. Either the G.O.P. refuses to consider the most reasonable option possible, and looks foolish, or Obama gets his nominee and can be respected for making a selection that was actually electable and will make a difference. People hoping for a hard-left candidate arent able to see the forest through the trees. T in New York. His comment received 391 reader recommendations. The Republican Party President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil is fighting for political survival as calls for her impeachment grow louder amid a widening corruption investigation and a tanking economy. Astonishingly, however, she appears to have felt she had political capital to spare last week when she appointed her predecessor and political mentor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, to be chief of staff, a move that largely shields him, for now, from prosecution in the corruption scandal involving his ties to giant construction companies. Ms. Rousseffs explanation was tone deaf and ridiculous. She characterized the appointment as an opportunity to bring back to the government a maverick politician and talented negotiator to help Brazil contend with an assortment of crises, including the spread of the Zika virus. If Lulas arrival strengthens my government, and there are people who dont want it strengthened, then what can I do? Ms. Rousseff said. Second, some have mistakenly claimed that we can just sign a piece of paper and receive an exemption. Indeed, Health and Human Services claims it accommodated our religious beliefs and offered us an opt-out. I wish that were true. In fact, the government has candidly told the Supreme Court that we dont get an exemption at all. Rather, what Health and Human Services is calling an opt-out is really an opt-in a permission slip where we authorize the use of our religious health plan to offer services that violate our beliefs and waive our protections under federal civil rights laws. Thats why they need our signature. The government says this isnt a problem because it will pay for the services that violate our religious beliefs. But for us this is not a money question; it is a moral question about what we offer in our plan. Its similar to high schools that have removed soda machines from their property because they dont think soda is good for children. It doesnt matter that the soda companies will pay for the machines. And the schools decision doesnt prevent children from getting soda elsewhere. The school simply doesnt want to be responsible for providing something it believes is bad for its students. It is the same with us. We follow Catholic teaching that abortion and contraception are wrong, but it is very important to understand that this case is not about womens access to contraception. The administration already exempts many secular corporations like Exxon Mobil and Visa from having to provide the services we are objecting to, because those companies never updated their plans and are grandfathered. Add in the exempted plans for military families, the uninsured and cities like New York, and about a third of all Americans dont have plans covered by this mandate. We recognize that not everyone agrees with us, and that the government will make laws and provide services we dont support. But in a free and diverse society, the American government should not force its citizens to act in violation of their religious beliefs, especially when there are so many exemptions already, and much more effective ways to meet the governments stated goals. A former manager of a Singapore-based company servicing United States Navy ships has been sentenced to more than five years in prison after pleading guilty to a fraud scheme that overbilled the Navy by more than $34 million. Judge Janis L. Sammartino of Federal District Court in San Diego also ordered the former manager, Alex Wisidagama, to pay $34.8 million in restitution to the Navy. Mr. Wisidagama was the global manager of Glenn Defense Marine Asia, and is a cousin of its top executive, Leonard Francis. Mr. Francis is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty in one of the militarys biggest bribery cases. Owen Labrie, the New England prep school graduate who was free on bail after an October conviction for having sex with a minor in a ritual called senior salute, was jailed on Friday after a judge ruled that he had violated his court-imposed curfew. Mr. Labrie, 20, had been out on $15,000 bail pending an appeal and was subject to a 5 p.m. curfew, after which he was required to be at his mothers house in Tunbridge, Vt., about 150 miles from Boston. Under the curfew, he was allowed to leave home at 8 a.m. That bail was revoked on Friday by Judge Larry M. Smukler of Merrimack Superior Court in Concord, N.H., and Mr. Labrie was led away in handcuffs to serve a 12-month sentence at the Merrimack County House of Corrections. Law enforcement officials began to suspect that Mr. Labrie was breaking the curfew after a reporter, Susan Zalkind, spotted him last month on a train in Boston. She wrote about their encounter for Vice and posted about it several times on Twitter. Undeterred by questions of delegate math or political momentum, Senator Bernie Sanders brushed off suggestions on Friday that his campaign had no way forward and forcefully made the case that he was the Democratic candidate better suited to defeat Donald J. Trump in a general election. Mr. Sanders blitzed through Idaho, Utah and Arizona ahead of crucial nominating contests in those states on Tuesday. Facing a deep deficit in the race for delegates after losses in five states this week, he continued to hammer away at his core messages on campaign finance and Wall Street reform while trying to seize the mantle of electability from Hillary Clinton. Let me say a word to you about my good friend Donald Trump, Mr. Sanders said at a rally before more than 3,000 people at a high school gym in Idaho Falls. Just kidding, hes not my good friend. In fact, I never even went to one of his weddings. Despite the veiled jab at Mrs. Clinton, who did attend Mr. Trumps third wedding, Mr. Sanders directed most of his fire at the leading Republican candidate. He said he was making an exception to his promise not to campaign negatively, saying it was a necessary evil because of the gravity of Mr. Trumps rise. WASHINGTON A former Republican staff member on the House committee investigating the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, has dropped allegations in a lawsuit that he had been dismissed in part because he objected to the panels focus on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The original lawsuit, filed in November by Bradley F. Podliska, who is a major in the Air Force Reserve, stated that he was being singled out because of his military service and because he was unwilling to go along with the hyper-focus on the State Department and Secretary Clinton. Republican staff members said Mr. Podliskas allegations were meritless, and they attributed his dismissal, at least in part, to an allegation that he had mishandled classified information, an assertion that Mr. Podliska disputed. When Mr. Podliska filed a revised complaint last month, he removed every reference to Mrs. Clinton, as well as any assertion that he had been fired because of his concern that the committee was fixated on her. The shift was first reported by Politico. Deaths from the cholera epidemic that ravaged Haiti after the 2010 earthquake could be much higher than the 9,200 officially tallied so far because of underreporting during the initial outbreak, a new study suggests. The study, by Doctors Without Borders, found that incomplete surveillance and data collection, overwhelmed health clinics, the rapid spread of the disease and choleras ability to kill quickly contributed to what appears to have been a drastic understating of the death toll. Haiti was still deeply traumatized from the January 2010 quake when it was hit 10 months later by the cholera epidemic. Studies have traced the outbreak to faulty sanitation practices by a United Nations peacekeeping force. It was the first time in a century that Haiti, the Western Hemispheres poorest country, was infected with cholera, which spreads through water contaminated by feces. Victims die from severe diarrhea and dehydration. Sergio Arellano Stark, a Chilean general whose airborne Caravan of Death murdered opponents of the 1973 coup that deposed Chiles democratically elected president, Salvador Allende, died on March 9 in Santiago de Chile. He was 94. His death, from complications of dementia, was confirmed by the Chilean Defense Ministry. General Arellano was a principal architect of the coup of Sept. 11, 1973, that installed Augusto Pinochet, a fellow army general, as president. He went on to provide the muscle that brutally consolidated Pinochets power in the early days of what would be a 17-year reign. Pinochet set in motion a series of massacres that came to be known as the Caravan of Death, Peter Kornbluh wrote in The Pinochet File: A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability (2003). Pinochet, he continued, dispatched General Arellano to expedite justice in the cases of political prisoners regional representatives of the Popular Unity government, mayors, police chiefs, prominent trade unionists and civic leaders in the northern provinces. RIO DE JANEIRO A justice on Brazils highest court on Friday night suspended the nomination of the countrys former president to a cabinet post in President Dilma Rousseffs government, the latest twist in a political crisis that has Latin Americas largest country on edge. Justice Gilmar Mendes of the Supreme Federal Tribunal said he based his ruling on intercepts of telephone calls of the former president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is the focus of corruption inquiries. Justice Mendes said the calls, including one with Ms. Rousseff, suggested an effort to obstruct an investigation into Mr. da Silva by a federal judge, Sergio Moro. The move by the justice throws Mr. da Silvas return to government into limbo, amid concerns that the former president might avoid efforts to arrest him by enjoying the privileged legal status of senior officials. They may only be tried by the Supreme Federal Tribunal. Justice Mendess ruling needs to be reviewed and voted on by the entire nine-member court, which is on recess next week and is expected to have a regular session again on March 30. The justice had already signaled displeasure with Mr. da Silva earlier in the week because the intercepts revealed the former president, still one of Brazils most influential political figures, deriding the court. WASHINGTON The United States has significantly intensified its bombing campaign in Afghanistan in the past two months as part of President Obamas widening war against the Islamic State militants who have seized territory outside of Iraq and Syria, according to senior military commanders. American drones and fighter jets dropped 251 bombs and missiles in January and February in Afghanistan, more than three times the strikes in the same period last year, according to data compiled by the Air Force. The strikes came in response to a decision by Mr. Obama around the beginning of the year that gave the military more leeway to launch attacks on Islamic State militants who had gained control over territory in several provinces, including areas in the Tora Bora region, where Osama bin Laden once took refuge. Afghan and American commanders said that while the strikes have dealt a blow to the Islamic State, they have broader concerns about the security situation in Afghanistan because the Taliban appear stronger than at any point since 2001, and its 20,000 to 40,000 fighters are estimated to be at least 20 times the number of militants aligned with the Islamic State. In the three years since Pope Francis joined Twitter, he has attracted more than 25 million followers in nine languages. On Saturday, the pontiff added a new app to his social media mix: The pope joined Instagram. When most people join a new social media site, they find their first friends and followers by scrolling through their email address books or cellphone contact lists. But because this is Pope Francis, his arrival on Instagram was heralded several days in advance by a Vatican news release. Instagram will help recount the papacy through images, to enable all those who wish to accompany and know more about Pope Francis pontificate to encounter his gestures of tenderness and mercy, Msgr. Dario E. Vigano, prefect of the Vaticans Secretariat for Communications, said in a statement. The pope, formerly known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now goes by the Instagram name @Franciscus, which is Latin for Francis. According to Vatican Radio, the pontiffs decision to join Instagram comes one month after he met with the companys chief executive, Kevin Systrom. LONDON A former leader of Britains Conservative Party, Iain Duncan Smith, resigned from the cabinet on Friday over proposed cuts to welfare payments, dealing a significant and unexpected blow to Prime Minister David Cameron. Mr. Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary, said in a statement that he was quitting over planned changes in benefits for disabled people that were announced Wednesday in a budget statement by the chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne. Mr. Duncan Smiths departure underscores the deep tensions within the government before a referendum scheduled for June 23 on whether Britain should leave the European Union. While Mr. Cameron and Mr. Osborne want Britain to remain in the 28-nation bloc, Mr. Duncan Smith is one of several cabinet ministers who want the country to quit the union. CAIRO Ever since the brutalized body of a 28-year-old Italian student, Giulio Regeni, was discovered on the side of a road on Feb. 2, lurid theories have abounded about who, or what, was responsible for his death. Egyptian news media accounts, lawmakers and government officials have variously blamed an auto accident, sexual misadventure, drugs, espionage, a mystery assassin, the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood everything, it seems, except the scenario that Washington, Rome and other European capitals think is most likely: that Mr. Regeni was abducted, gruesomely tortured and killed by an element of Egypts own security forces. The case is still headline news in Egypt and Italy, and Western officials say the furor has crystallized their concerns about a much broader problem. They worry that escalating political repression and human rights abuses in Egypt are signs of weakness in President Abdel Fattah el-Sisis grip on power, potentially threatening the stability of a key Middle Eastern ally. Reports of abductions, torture and brutality by Egypts security forces have surged in recent months, prompting debates in several Western countries about how to deal with Egypt. Secretary of State John Kerry met with senior State Department officials last week to consider the issue. Thank you Kirk for standing by me through all the noise. That was Kanye West on Twitter a few days ago, sharing his appreciation for Kirk Franklin, a pillar of the gospel music world for more than two decades who had worked on Ultralight Beam, the soaring opening number from Mr. Wests latest album, The Life of Pablo. Two top talents in collaboration easy enough, right? But for Mr. Franklin, work with Mr. West a secular and often profane public figure for whom spiritual fervor is but one part of his creative arsenal comes with liabilities, as Mr. Franklin noted lately. Yet when Mr. West called, Mr. Franklin delivered, reportedly arranging the choir for Ultralight Beam in just a few minutes. And at this years Stellar Awards the gospel music industrys annual celebration Mr. Franklin delivered a rousing performance that managed to tweak the genres traditions while never making it anything less than clear where his faith lay. (Tuesday, March 22, Kings Theater, Brooklyn; 718-856-5464; kingstheatre.com.) SANTA ANA, Calif. The bankrupt owner of the Orange County Register said on Saturday that it had decided to sell to Digital First Media after a judge blocked a larger auction bid by the owner of the Los Angeles Times. An attorney for the Registers owner, Freedom Communications, said that the company would ask a federal bankruptcy judge to approve the sale on Monday. Digital First owns nine Southern California newspapers and websites, including the Los Angeles Daily News. It offered $45.5 million for Freedom. Tribune Publishing Company offered $56 million but on Friday a judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking its purchase. The Justice Department requested the order, saying it was concerned that a sale to Tribune Publishing, the owner of The Los Angeles Times, would give the company a monopoly over newspaper sales in the region. Legal scholars were as startled as anyone by the scale of the damages awarded by a Florida jury on Friday to the retired professional wrestler known as Hulk Hogan in his suit against Gawker.com for posting a sex tape. But several experts on the First Amendment said on Saturday that the $115 million award was very likely to be reduced and that even if the verdict against Gawker survived scrutiny in higher courts, any wider effect on press freedoms was likely to be limited. The celebrity former wrestler and reality television star, whose real name is Terry G. Bollea, sued Gawker for invasion of privacy after the website posted in 2012 a black-and-white tape made in 2007 that showed Mr. Bollea having sex with the wife of a friend of his at the time, Todd Clem, a radio shock jock who had legally changed his name to Bubba the Love Sponge Clem. Mr. Bollea said the videotape was made and distributed without his permission. The jurys award of damages was greater than Mr. Bollea asked for, an indication of how strongly the six jurors condemned Gawker for posting the intimate scenes. The court could still add punitive damages. At Mic, she was able to dabble in different jobs and negotiate grandiose titles like executive social editor. Often, she prefers the theater of tweeting back and forth with the editor she sits next to rather than speaking face to face. If you can be young at heart, I think it makes your personal, and not only your work life, better, added Ms. Plank, who left for Vox last month after two and a half years at Mic. Mic apparently isnt a good fit for everyone. Madhulika Sikka, who left NPR last year to join Mic as executive editor, announced earlier this week that she was leaving the website, saying on Twitter that she was ready to take on something new. Perhaps because of this very culture of workplace-as-reality-show, Mr. Pavelski, the prevaricating treehouse builder, remains notably unchastened. Maybe this is because Im young, but, like, I dont think that there is a lot about my personal life that I wouldnt want to incorporate into what Im doing professionally, he said. The reason I wrote that essay in the first place was about catharsis, and I wanted to walk through my thought process and figure out what was going on with me. The logic of that may be more apparent to his age group. The one thing I dont want people to mistake is that were serious about this, he added. And that were taking over. That is all. Spend enough time having parenting conversations, as Ive done personally and professionally for the last dozen years, and certain patterns emerge. In nine out of 10 cases, if youre talking about highly motivated parents, the message to Mom and Dad is: back off, chill out, park the helicopter. Whether you want your children to be independent, resilient, creative; whether youre talking to teachers, psychologists, grandparents; whether youre discussing homework, food, sports; the recommendation, time and again, is relax. Recently, I stumbled onto a topic in which the advice was the exact opposite. Among the people who know what they are talking about, the unanimous message to parents is: Youre not worried nearly enough. Get much more involved. Your childs life may be in danger. Whats the topic? Teenage driving. If youre going to have an early, untimely death, said Nichole Morris, a principal researcher at the HumanFIRST Laboratory at the University of Minnesota, the most dangerous two years of your life are between 16 and 17, and the reason for that is driving. Interlocking Interests Nothing prohibits Mr. Ickes from lobbying the de Blasio administration; nor is the mayor prohibited from granting special access to Mr. Ickes. And not all of Mr. Ickess New York clients have gotten what they sought, including JPMorgan Chase, which decided not to build a new headquarters at Hudson Yards on the Far West Side of Manhattan after failing to obtain city subsidies. The mayors aides, contacted for this article, said he pursues all policies on their merits, and pointed out that initiatives like raising wages for low-paid bus drivers are consistent with his goal of helping working-class New Yorkers. Still, some of Mr. de Blasios interests have undeniably dovetailed with those of his donors, a fact that can clash with the image he works to project as a liberal, progressive reformer. Mr. de Blasio has fought tirelessly to limit the Manhattan horse-carriage industry, a top priority of generous donors, despite opposition from lawmakers and the public. He waged an unsuccessful effort to limit the growth of Uber, the chief adversary of the yellow-taxi industry, which has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to his campaigns. Lobbying revenue in the city has grown by 37 percent since Mr. de Blasio took office, and lobbyists with ties to Mr. de Blasio have flourished. James Capalino, an early and prodigious donor to the mayor, and Sidney Davidoff, a longtime friend, have seen their revenues rise sharply. Their firms remain far bigger players in New York than Mr. Ickess, most of whose business is still in Washington. Allies of the mayor said that unlike Mr. Bloomberg, a billionaire, Mr. de Blasio relied on supporters to finance his ambitions. Nobody could say Bloomberg did something because of a political contribution; he got to avoid ever having that sentence in a story about him, State Senator Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat, said. Thats never going to be the case about anybody else in elected office, at least so far in New York Citys history. Mr. Ickes, who declined to be interviewed for this article, is a wily and well-respected figure in government circles. The liberal son of a cabinet secretary under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he became a left-leaning voice within the Clintons inner circle, where he remains an important adviser. He met Mr. de Blasio, then a gangly junior operative, on David N. Dinkinss mayoral campaign in the late 1980s. Mr. Ickes had an easy affinity with black and Latino leaders, which Mr. de Blasio studied, friends recalled. Some described a bond born of difficult childhoods: both mens fathers died while they were teenagers. The antidote to this threat, Lincoln argued, was to cultivate a political religion that emphasized reverence for the laws. Passion was our enemy, he warned; it had to be contained. Reason cold, calculating, unimpassioned reason must furnish all the materials for our future support and defense. Lincoln was a keen student and great interpreter of the founders, and of course the founders also thought deeply about how a self-governing people could restrain political passions. In his book Madisons Metronome, the scholar Greg Weiner points out that James Madisons lifelong concern was that majorities would be governed by emotion rather than reason, the cool faculty. In Mr. Weiners words, Madison portrayed passion through metaphors that suggested rapid and uncontrolled spread, including those of fires, fevers, pestilence and contagions. Before the Constitutional Convention, Madison undertook an extraordinarily thorough study of various forms of government. How might the Constitution protect us from what Aristotle called the insolence of demagogues? Among the defects of ancient and modern republics, Madison wrote, were popular assemblages, so quickly formed, so susceptible of contagious passions, so exposed to the misguidance of eloquent and ambitious leaders, and so apt to be tempted by the facility of forming interested majorities, into measures unjust and oppressive to the minor parties. Which brings us back to Donald Trump. No one would mistake Mr. Trump for eloquent, but he is a highly effective communicator in a political culture that is now almost indistinguishable from the reality TV culture from which he emerged. But the Trump phenomenon isnt just about coarsening and stupidity: His political practices are precisely what the founders feared and Lincoln warned against. When he was asked by CNNs Jake Tapper about the sucker-punching episode, Mr. Trump responded by saying, People come with tremendous passion and love for this country, and when they see protest in some cases you know, youre mentioning one case, which I havent seen, I heard about it, which I dont like. But when they see whats going on in this country, they have anger thats unbelievable. They have anger. They love this country. In many respects, he added, its a beautiful thing. This is an increasingly familiar refrain. When two brothers beat up a homeless Latino man last summer and cited Mr. Trumps words as their justification Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported, one of the men reportedly told the police Mr. Trump responded by saying that while this was a shame, I will say that people who are following me are very passionate. His supporters, he said, love this country and they want this country to be great again they are passionate. The jazz artist Nina Simone was intimately familiar with the scorn that this society heaps upon dark-skinned black women. The world she was born into in the 1930s told her in every possible way that ebony skin, a broad nose and full lips offended Eurocentric standards of beauty and made women of her complexion unworthy of admiration. This mode of contempt was evident in the hiring practices of businesses that made lightly colored skin a job requirement for black women. It once dictated the admissions standards of some black sororities and civic organizations that favored near-white applicants, and determined spousal choices in African-American families that wanted desperately to preserve their Eurocentric appearances. Ms. Simone fought the erasure of dark-skinned women by embracing Negritude. She became militantly Afrocentric in songs like To Be Young, Gifted and Black, an anthem of the 60s-era black pride movement, and Mississippi Goddam, written after the 1963 church bombing in Birmingham, Ala., that killed four black girls. She confronted the perversity of colorism directly in the famous ballad Four Women, in which she sang in the voices of black women whose fates were tied to their differing skin tones. The second woman sings: My skin is yellow/My hair is long/Between two worlds/I do belong/My father was rich and white/He forced my mother late one night. The fourth I think of her as Ms. Simones alter ego sings: My skin is brown/My manner is tough/Ill kill the first mother I see/My life has been too rough/Im awfully bitter these days/Because my parents were slaves. NEXT month, the Temple of Baal will come to Times Square. Reproductions of the 50-foot arch that formed the temples entrance are to be installed in New York and in London, a tribute to the 2,000-year-old structure that the Islamic State destroyed last year in the Syrian town of Palmyra. The groups rampage through Palmyra, a city that reached its peak in the second and third century A.D., enraged the world, spurring scholars and conservationists into action. Numerous nongovernmental organizations are now cataloging and mapping damaged cultural heritage sites in the region. It will be uncanny and thrilling to see this arch from an ancient desert civilization set against the bright lights of New York. Unfortunately, facsimiles can achieve only so much. Denuded of people, stripped of the rich social contexts in which they were once embedded, antiquities appear just as evidence of the grandeur of the past, the accomplishments of another place in another time. But what did these assemblages of stone mean to the modern Iraqis and Syrians who lived with them? For Salam al-Kuntar, a Syrian archaeologist who works at the University of Pennsylvania Museum, the loss of the Temple of Baal was deeply personal. I have a special love for Palmyra because the Temple of Baal is where my mother was born, she said. Ms. Kuntars grandfather was a policeman in Palmyra when its Roman-era ruins were inhabited. Well into the 20th century, generations of Palmyrenes made their homes in the shade of millenniums-old columns. The locals taught Ms. Kuntars grandmother who was a young bride when she arrived in Palmyra how to cook and how to bake bread. Readers discuss the security issues raised in the clash between Apple and the government. To the Editor: Re Apple Battle Strikes Nerve (news analysis, front page, March 14): Privacy? People post personal details of their daily life to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube; our Internet searches are tracked and sold; the government tracks the senders and recipients of email; it can ask libraries for a list of books weve checked out; we are watched by an ever-increasing array of surveillance cameras; with a judges warrant, the police can track our movements, tap our phones, even come into our homes and rummage through every drawer. Yet when the F.B.I., with a warrant, asks to look into the phone of a dead terrorist, Apple puts up a furious row. The fact that Apple has won over much of the public the same public that seems perfectly happy to have its daily activity, interests, opinions and contacts accessible to all the world as well as most privacy advocates, who seem to have done little to stem the increasing corporate invasion of privacy, makes Apples efforts to block access to Syed Farooks phone look like the marketing exercise that the Justice Department claims it is. And like most of Apples marketing campaigns, it is a highly successful one. We have become a nation of sheep, and Silicon Valley is our shepherd. SAMUEL REIFLER Rhinebeck, N.Y. To the Editor: When President Obama says Im confident this is something that we can solve, what he really means is I dont have a clue how to solve this. Neither do I. But here are three things I do know: 1. Dear intelligence community: You reap what you sow. Maybe we would be more trusting if you hadnt broken the law by conducting sweeping data collection of American citizens and then lying to our faces about it. Just sayin. 2. The F.B.I.s conduct in every aspect of the San Bernardino case has been rife with incompetence. If youre dumb enough to lock yourself out of the phone by changing the password, youre too inept to be trusted with an encryption key. Not to mention that you would eventually find a way to use it to spy on civil rights leaders. Again. Marimas husband abandoned her and took another wife. Marima lay on a piece of plastic on the floor of her brothers house, unable to move, utterly forlorn and alone, as family members scolded her for the constant stink. My sister-in-law said, Youre too smelly; people dont want to come to our house, Marima recalled, crying softly. She stopped eating solid food so that she would leak less feces, and for four months she lay unmoving on the floor and survived on tea and camel milk. Marima dropped to just 55 pounds. She had bed sores on her buttocks and ulcers on her thighs and genitals from her constantly seeping urine. At 17, she waited to die. People said that God had cursed me, Marima said. I felt it was better to die than to have this problem. Then a family member took her to a branch of Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia, a nonprofit that treats fistulas. Today she is walking again, has recovered weight, and the hole with her rectum has been repaired. Dr. Fekade Ayenachew, the medical director, said he was still figuring out how best to deal with the leaking urine. Fistulas used to be common in the West, and there was a fistula hospital in Manhattan on the site of what is now the Waldorf Astoria hotel. But once C-sections became available, they largely disappeared. The way to prevent fistulas is also the way to prevent maternal deaths: Invest more in reproductive health care, including contraception and C-sections. This works: Ethiopia has cut its maternal mortality rate by more than half over 20 years and now aims to cut it in half again over just five years. The White House is expected next month to disclose how many combatants and noncombatants government officials believe have been killed in drone strikes outside declared war zones. The Obama administration will bill this as an effort to peel back a layer of secrecy on a controversial counterterrorism program that has long been dogged by questions about its morality and legality. That will be too little, too late. Lisa Monaco, the assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, said in a speech this month that greater transparency is the right thing to do and is essential in order to maintain the legitimacy of our counterterrorism actions. That is a reasonable goal, but the administration has had more than seven years to forthrightly explain to the American people the scope and legal underpinnings of its drone program and other lethal counterterrorism operations outside war zones in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency have launched hundreds of strikes in Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and Libya. These have resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, which has compiled the most comprehensive data on secret American counterterrorism operations. One of the goals of the administration is to show that it has killed fewer civilians in drone strikes since the White House instituted more stringent rules of engagement in 2013. But officials are not expected to release a detailed breakdown of casualties by strike or geographic area, which would reveal where the gravest errors have been committed. Nor is the White House expected to release the unredacted document outlining rules for lethal missions outside declared war zones that Mr. Obama described in general terms in a speech in May 2013. That document, which should be made public, could reveal details about how the government picks targets, defines combatants and seeks to avoid killing innocent bystanders. Frustrated by such stories, I asked a high school senior how she would feel if guys expected girls to, say, fetch a glass of water from the kitchen whenever they were together yet never (or only grudgingly) offered to do so in return? She burst out laughing. Well, I guess when you put it that way, she said. The rise of oral sex, as well as its demotion to an act less intimate than intercourse, was among the most significant transformations in American sexual behavior during the 20th century. In the 21st, the biggest change appears to be an increase in anal sex. In 1992, 16 percent of women aged 18 to 24 said they had tried anal sex. Today, according to the Indiana University study, 20 percent of women 18 to 19 have, and by ages 20 to 24 its up to 40 percent. A 2014 study of 16- to 18-year-old heterosexuals and can we just pause a moment to consider just how young that is? published in a British medical journal found that it was mainly boys who pushed for fifth base, approaching it less as a form of intimacy with a partner (who they assumed would both need to be and could be coerced into it) than a competition with other boys. They expected girls to endure the act, which young women in the study consistently reported as painful. Both sexes blamed the girls themselves for the discomfort, calling them naive or flawed, unable to relax. According to Debby Herbenick, director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University and one of the researchers on its sexual behavior survey, when anal sex is included, 70 percent of women report pain in their sexual encounters. Even when its not, about a third of young women experience pain, as opposed to about 5 percent of men. Whats more, according to Sara McClelland, a psychologist at the University of Michigan, college women are more likely than men to use their partners physical pleasure as the yardstick for their satisfaction, saying things like If hes sexually satisfied, then Im sexually satisfied. Men are more likely to measure satisfaction by their own orgasm. Professor McClelland writes about sexuality as a matter of intimate justice. It touches on fundamental issues of gender inequality, economic disparity, violence, bodily integrity, physical and mental health, self-efficacy and power dynamics in our most personal relationships, whether they last two hours or 20 years. She asks us to consider: Who has the right to engage in sexual behavior? Who has the right to enjoy it? Who is the primary beneficiary of the experience? Who feels deserving? How does each partner define good enough? Those are thorny questions when looking at female sexuality at any age, but particularly when considering girls formative experiences. We are learning to support girls as they lean in educationally and professionally, yet in this most personal of realms, we allow them to topple. It is almost as if parents believe that if they dont tell their daughters that sex should feel good, they wont find out. And perhaps thats correct: They dont, not easily anyway. But the outcome is hardly what adults could have hoped. What if we went the other way? What if we spoke to kids about sex more instead of less, what if we could normalize it, integrate it into everyday life and shift our thinking in the ways that we (mostly) have about womens public roles? Because the truth is, the more frankly and fully teachers, parents and doctors talk to young people about sexuality, the more likely kids are both to delay sexual activity and to behave responsibly and ethically when they do engage in it. Wont a contested convention require more of a campaign than apres moi, le deluge? I have an organization but its largely myself, he said. More heavyweights are jumping in to stomp Trump, including Elizabeth Warren. Asked about her jabs, he pounced: I think its wonderful because the Indians can now partake in the future of the country. Shes got about as much Indian blood as I have. Her whole life was based on a fraud. She got into Harvard and all that because she said she was a minority. Told that President Obama was mocking his wine as $5 wine marked up to $50, Trump shot back, My wine has gone through the roof. What about Mitt Romney, whos pushing for an open convention? Hes a jealous fool and not a bright person, Trump said. Hes good looking. Other than that, hes got nothing. Paul Ryan, who will be leading the G.O.P. convention in Cleveland, says there could be a floor fight. But he protested that he would, no, no, never take it himself, just as he once said about the speakership. Ryan snickered at the idea that Mexico would pay for the wall and chided Trump for warning that there would be riots at the convention if the Gasping Old Party tried to snatch the nomination. Was the speaker interested in seizing the crown himself? I dont think so, Trump said, noting that he liked Ryan and that theyd talked. All that matters is the votes. I see people making statements about me that are harsh and yet they are calling me on the other line saying, Hey, when can we get together? THE TIMES has a new way to handle information supplied by people who dont want to be identified by name also known as anonymous sources, or jocularly, because they are omnipresent and hard to control, as anonymice. After I wrote about the new guidelines last week in a blog post, many readers wrote me to share their reactions. I want to use this column to give voice to those reactions, which ranged from skepticism to gratitude, sometimes with a healthy dose of caution thrown in. But first, some background. The new policy has been in the works ever since The Times published (and then had to recant major parts of) two articles within six months that were based on anonymous sources: One reported that the Justice Department had been asked to do a criminal investigation of Hillary Clintons email practices; another described the supposedly out-in-the-open social media support for jihad by one of the San Bernardino killers. After the articles were fixed, and hefty corrections or editors notes attached, the executive editor, Dean Baquet, told me that he thought current practices needed strengthening. He assigned a team of senior newsroom managers, led by the standards editor, Philip Corbett, to work on it; and they in turn sought the opinion of some of The Timess most experienced reporters and editors. Each Saturday, Farhad Manjoo and Mike Isaac, technology reporters at The New York Times, review the weeks news, offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry. Farhad: Hows it going, Mike? I just got back from South by Southwest, which everyone cool calls South By. But Im not cool. I call it South by Southwest. Mike: Im incredibly cool, so I call it By. You wouldnt understand. Farhad: On to this weeks tech news. Sony unveiled a virtual reality add-on for the PlayStation 4, making it the latest in a string of companies trying to get gamers to part with their money this year. The good news for gamers is that Sony wants less money than other virtual reality companies: The PlayStation VR will sell for $400 when its released, and it works with the PS 4 that many gamers already have, while the Oculus Rift sells for $600 and requires a $1,000 PC. The bad news: Sonys ships in October, while the Oculus will be in gamers grubby hands by the end of this month. Mike: As with most new tech, Im pretty sure the first generations of all of these gadgets are going to be bad. Im doing my usual thing of waiting a few years for the hardware to get cheaper and the tech to get better. Meanwhile, I will bide my time in actual reality. The names of a few well-known conservatives have been offered up in recent days as potential third-party standard-bearers, and William Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard, has circulated a memo to a small number of conservative allies detailing the process by which an independent candidate could get on general-election ballots across the country. Among the recruits under discussion are Tom Coburn, a former Oklahoma senator who has told associates that he would be open to running, and Rick Perry, the former Texas governor who was suggested as a possible third-party candidate at a meeting of conservative activists on Thursday in Washington. Mr. Coburn, who left the Senate early last year to receive treatment for cancer, said in an interview that Mr. Trump needs to be stopped and that he expected to back an independent candidate against him. He said he had little appetite for a campaign of his own, but did not flatly rule one out. Im going to support that person, Mr. Coburn said, and I dont expect that person to be me. Trump opponents convened a series of war councils last week to pinpoint his biggest vulnerabilities and consider whether to endorse one of his two remaining opponents, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio. BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo The Republic of Congos government has ordered the countrys two largest telecommunications providers to block all communications during a presidential election on Sunday for security reasons, a government official said Saturday. The decision will cause inconvenience and possible alarm in a country where many rely on cellphone communication, and a prominent government critic said it would impede the work of election monitors. President Denis Sassou Nguesso is expected to extend his long rule in a contest against eight opponents, including a retired general, Jean-Marie Mokoko, who is seen as the strongest challenger. Mr. Mokoko was summoned to the state security headquarters on Saturday as part of a continuing security investigation, said Charles Zacharie Bowao, the president of the opposition coalition to which Mr. Mokoko belongs. NEW DELHI A member of a Hindu vigilante group organized to protect cows was among five men arrested on Saturday in connection with the murder of two Muslim cattle traders, who were beaten and then hanged from a tree, the police said. The two victims were leading oxen to be sold at an animal fair before dawn on Friday when they were spotted by Awadhesh Sahu, a Hindu man, said Purushottam Singh, a police officer in Latehar, a district in the eastern India state of Jharkhand. Mr. Sahu said he believed that the two were leading the animals to slaughter and summoned seven friends to intercept them on the highway. The group surrounded the cattle traders, Mohammad Majloom Ansari, 32, and Mohammad Ibrahim Ansari, 13, took them into the forest and beat them, in an assault that lasted about 90 minutes, Mr. Singh said. The police were cautious about identifying a motive in the killings, noting that members of the same vigilante group confessed to extorting money from Muslim cattle traders on at least three earlier occasions. Mr. Singh also noted that one of the assailants had a personal grudge against the family of at least one of the victims. ISTANBUL A suicide bomber struck at the heart of Istanbuls most popular avenue on Saturday, killing at least four people, including two Americans, and wounding 36, officials said. A spokesman for the State Department, John Kirby, confirmed on Saturday afternoon that two American citizens, Yonathan Suher and Avraham Goldman, had been killed. No other details were available. Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel announced that two Israelis had died in the blast, and that a third Israeli might also be among the dead, but he did not give their names. Emmanuel Nahshon, the spokesman for Israels foreign ministry, later confirmed that two of the victims held dual Israeli-American citizenship. He was presumably referring to Mr. Suher and Mr. Goldman, but Israel had not yet released their names. In addition, 11 Israelis were wounded, Israeli officials said. Mr. Netanyahu said there was no immediate evidence that the attack had been aimed at Israelis. A man standing next to him, who gave only his first name, Raafat, said he was from Aleppo, Syria. Raafat said he was demoralized that Europe no longer seemed to welcome Syrians. When he heard news of the pending deal, he rushed from Istanbul, where he had worked in a textile factory, to this coastal city. We arent going to Europe to destroy Europe, he said, explaining that he wished to assimilate and learn the language in whichever country would take him. We are going in peace. Just then, a Turkish man, presumably a smugglers agent, approached and said, Its time to go, and they were off. By the next afternoon, they had returned to Izmir, their European dreams dashed, after being interdicted by the Turkish authorities. As of Saturday afternoon, worries of a mass exodus of refugees crossing the choppy Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece had not materialized. Many have tried, though, and some said they would make one last effort on Saturday night. Turkish authorities said that a large-scale operation, involving the coast guard, the police and the military, including the use of helicopters, had resulted in the detention of 1,734 migrants and 16 smugglers on Friday along the Aegean coast. While many migrants were seized at beaches or on the sea, others were rounded up from hotels and streets and taken in for questioning to determine their backgrounds, nationalities and plans to travel to Europe, according to a statement from the Turkish military. MOSCOW A Boeing 737-800 from the United Arab Emirates with 62 people aboard crashed early Saturday while trying to land at the airport in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Russian officials said. All 55 passengers and seven crew members on the flight from Dubai were killed, and a list of victims was published on the website of the Rostov regional government. Vasily Golubev, the governor of the Rostov region, said strong winds appeared to have caused the crash, but an investigation was just beginning. Rostov-on-Don is about 600 miles south of Moscow. RUKMINI CALLIMACHI A majority of the aggressors, according to the interviews I did, were Syrians and Iraqis. And these fighters are living with their families. A lot of the Yazidi girls told me that one of the added abuses was the way they were treated by the wives of the fighters. One middle-aged Yazidi woman described to me how the wife of the man who had enslaved her would not so much as let her take a glass of water out of the fridge. She always had to ask permission, even to drink water. An added layer of complication was that many of the wives, who had presumably married the fighter willingly, were seething at his sexual relationship with the slave they were essentially jealous. And they punished the Yazidi slaves in whatever way they could. MATTHEW BARBER I know of one jihadist who brought home a Yazidi girl, and his family (including his mother) was upset because they saw Yazidis as something dirty that would defile the home. They went through a process not only to force that Yazidi girl to convert to Islam, but to take her to an ISIS Shariah court to make the conversion official. Q. It seems to me that the risk of being subject to rape and/or slavery should constitute a strong argument to support offering shelter in the U.S. to women from the areas infested by ISIS. Is something being done in this direction? ALEX LIAM STACK The U.S. has taken in a very limited number of refugees and asylum seekers from areas affected by the Islamic State, regardless of their ethnic or religious background or whatever trauma they may have experienced during the conflict. WASHINGTON A United States Marine was killed on Saturday after a base in northern Iraq came under attack from Islamic State fighters, a Pentagon official said. It was the second death of an American service member in combat since the United States first struck the militant group in 2014. The Marine, who was not immediately identified, died from rocket fire, according to a statement from Peter Cook, Pentagon press secretary. Several other Marines were also wounded in the attack by fighters of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. Saturdays attack occurred on a coalition base near Makhmur, where American trainers and advisers are assisting Iraqi Kurds as they prepare for a push to regain Mosul from the Islamic State. That effort is expected to involve a long, difficult fight. Success against the Sunni militants in Mosul would be a major victory, potentially strengthening assertions in Washington that the Islamic State is on the run in Iraq. Yet the Marines death offered a reminder of the risks to American troops, even in their advisory role. The invitation sounded sincere. But we had to remember this was FARC, an organization, like Al Qaeda, listed by the United States as a group that sponsors terror. FARC made a name for itself by kidnapping civilians for decades and holding them captive, for years. FARC, of course, had its own concerns about our scheduled meeting. It was scheduled to take place just a couple of months after the Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman Loera, or El Chapo, met his downfall after he agreed to an interview with Sean Penn. The Colombian government had agreed to talks with FARC but not to a cease-fire and it was, of course, possible the rebels would be attacked during our visit. Hence Federicos instructions: Read and erase the names of the two towns we would pass through on the journey. The second town would be our meeting point. It was so remote that it was not on any of our maps. Our instructions were to head there and wait. For whom? For them, said Federico. Theyll know when were there. From what we could tell, FARC, which rules much of the countryside, was in control of the second town. Our plane, a three-seat Cessna, revved up on the tarmac before dawn. Colombias population is scattered across cities and a countryside with few working roads. Many villages are reachable only by river. Tiny planes can be a godsend in a country that can feel like an archipelago on land. We took off just as the sun was rising over the Andes Mountains. The city spread below like a vast carpet that abruptly stopped at the edge of giant green forests. Traces of state control disappeared as we crossed city limits. Ahead was a jigsaw puzzle of competing powers guerrillas, paramilitary groups, drug traffickers and the military. Each struggles against the others, each group has its own (often competing) goals. Nov. 16 A Haven for Extremists, and a Near Miss On Nov. 16, the police raided an apartment building in the heavily immigrant Brussels district of Molenbeek, known as a haven for extremists, and the neighborhood where Salah Abdeslam would eventually be caught. The Abdeslam brothers were already familiar to the local police. A bar in the neighborhood operated by Ibrahim had recently been shut down for playing host to drug dealers. Salah had a criminal record, which outlined his suspected involvement in organized crime. Because of that record, his name popped up during a routine traffic stop by the French police on the day after the attacks. But he was allowed to drive on because he had not yet been linked to the murders. Photographs by TOMAS MUNITA Text by AZAM AHMED Cuba at times can feel like a nation abandoned. The aching disrepair of its cities, the untamed foliage of its countryside, the orphaned coastlines a half-century of isolation has wrapped the country in decay. Yet few places in the world brim with as much life as Cuba, a contrast drawn sharper amid its faded grandeur. They wait, coiled with anticipation. For web pages to download. For tourists to hurry up and buy something. For a flag to be raised. Cubans know how to wait. Yet, after decades of Communist rule, they are less prepared to handle the feeling of opportunity now permeating the island, and their governments resistance to letting them seize it. Breaking out of Havana is essential, eye-opening, often impossible. Flights are irregular, leaving in their own good time if at all. The search for a car that can handle the gouged roads and aged infrastructure will plumb the depths of your patience. The effort, though, is worth it. The country yields all the complexity, beauty and idiosyncrasy of one of the worlds few remaining frontiers. From the outside, the destruction is palpable. Paint molts from walls. Structures list to one side. Facades torn from the edges of homes leave dollhouse interiors exposed to the elements. Look closer, though, at knickknacks arranged just so on splintered shelves. Cracked floors swept clean. Plastic flowers perfectly arranged. Quiet pride in every detail. The revolution is over. It has been for decades. Not that you would know it from the rhetoric or the adulation bestowed on this slice of Cuban history, at least by Communist Party leaders. But when the sound waves subside and the propaganda quiets, what you find is a military clinging to historic relevance, with an uncertain place in todays Cuba. Like much else there, its aging weaponry and upper ranks have been sealed up in a time capsule for more than 50 years. The trappings of the past are literal in Cuba the ancient Chevys, the faded posters of Fidel. It can, at times, seem studied, a museum of quaintness, until you need a ride somewhere and come to realize that these classics, not meant to be cute, are vital transportation for the Havana masses. Or you realize that the posters cling to the walls of a former revolutionarys home, the charm only incidental. Tourism is inescapable in todays Cuba. Selfies on the Malecon. Shots of classic cars. Che T-shirts. For Cubans, this is for now the highest rung in the emerging economic order, one of the few ways to break free of monthly salaries that could scarcely pay for an hour of parking in Miami. Cubans scrape together what they can to offer services outside their areas of specialization. Here, doctors drive cabs, engineers hawk tamales and working farmers hustle to sell a horse ride to travelers. In a land of iconic imagery, perhaps no images are more revered, marketed or pervasive than those of the nations revolutionary heroes. Ground zero for this iconography is the Plaza de la Revolucion. The black outlines of Fidel Castro, Ernesto Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos grace the walls of buildings flanking the plaza, their images looming large over the heart of the nation. Southern Union State Community Colleges Opelika campus should serve as the main headquarters of a merged community college with campuses throughout East Alabama, Valley Mayor Leonard Riley told state officials in a letter Friday. Rileys letter, which details why he believes Opelikas campus should act as the base of the merger and voices additional concerns over the planned consolidation among Southern Union, Central Alabama Community College and Chattahoochee Valley Community College, was sent to Alabama Community College System Chancellor Mark Heinrich, as well as each individual member of the systems board of trustees. It was additionally sent to Gregory Finch, executive director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. Riley contends Southern Unions Opelika campus should serve as the merged regional colleges main headquarters due to its economic stature, its enrollment and reputation for success. The selection of the Opelika campus of Southern Union would be the most logical choice for the main campus, he wrote. While Alexander City and Tallapoosa County have struggled economically since the departure of Russell Athletic, economic development and investment are flourishing along the I-85 corridor with the arrival of automotive industry in Chambers and Lee counties. This economic success has been recognized nationally, as Site Selector magazine honored Chambers County as the eighth-ranked micropolitan in the country for new and expanding manufacturing facilities in 2015 and Lee County as the sixth-ranked metropolitan for populations under 200,000. Additionally, Chambers County had the largest decrease in unemployment for any Tier 6 county (less than 49,999 population) in the nation from 2009 to 2015," the letter said. In short, Chambers County has paced the country in job creation for an area of its size. Over that span of time, Chambers Countys unemployment rate plummeted from 20.4 percent to 5.7 percent, representing a decline of 72.1 percent. That rate of decline is the largest percentage of any area, regardless of size, in the country. The automotive industry has brought more than 7,000 jobs and more than $2 billion in capital investment to the Lee and Chambers county area over the last 10 years, he said, during which time Chambers County alone saw more than $616 million in capital investment and the creation of 2,764 jobs. He credits Southern Unions workforce development program for leading the way in training for automotive suppliers and assembly plants. As of last fall, Riley said, Southern Unions enrollment was more than that of Central Alabama and Chattahoochee Valley combined. He also asserted that Southern Union touts facilities superior to those of the other colleges, mentioning specifically the recently completed $32 million Center for Advanced Manufacturing and the Center for Technology and Business on the Opelika campus. Riley, who formerly served as the superintendent for Chambers County Schools for more than 20 years, also raised questions about the perceived expediency in the consolidation process, which he described as excessive, and voiced concern over a potential bias in allowing Susan Burrow, who has spent the last three years at Central Alabama, to recommend a main campus or name for the new institution. Valley is proud to have had a campus of SUSCC located in our city since 1973, which was before the incorporation of Valley as a city in 1980. We hope this relationship will continue in the future, Riley said. The city of Valley strongly supports selecting the Opelika campus of Southern Union as the main campus for the proposed new educational entity. Valley also urges a lessening of the urgency to make a hurried decision on a project of the magnitude and significance of the consolidation of Southern Union State Community College, Chattahoochee Valley Community College and Central Alabama Community College. Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller, who drafted similar letters to officials earlier this week, was glad to receive support from Valley. I'm grateful for his support, Fuller said. SANTA ANA A 96-year-old Laguna Woods man charged with molesting two girls was unable to appear in court on Friday for his arraignment for the second time because of medical reasons. A doctor determined that Kenneth Leroy Collins, guarded by Orange County sheriffs deputies at a local hospital, was not well enough to appear in court, public defender Frank Bittar said. As you can imagine, at 96 he is dealing with a whole host of mental and physical issues, Bittar said of his client. Collins, a World War II veteran, was to enter his plea March 11, but the hearing was delayed then as well. His arraignment was re-scheduled until next Friday. Collins faces four felony counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor under 14, officials said. He was arrested on Feb. 25 and remained in custody in lieu of $1 million bail. Bittar described Collins as an American hero who is frail and needs to be allowed to go home calling the $1 million bail absurd, especially for someone his age. Hes in decent spirits, hes optimistic, said Bittar, who disputed the charges. He just wants to go home. We want to get this man out, and get him home. The bail amount was based on a state-mandated schedule based on the charges, Deputy District Attorney Mena Guirguis said. At Fridays scheduled hearing, the judge can reduce the bail amount. We have to wait and see what is presented and what (the defenses) reasons are, Guirguis said. We dont have a blanket rule to object to reduced bail. We weigh everything. Contact the writer: 714-796-6979 or chaire@ocregister.com SAN FRANCISCO An employee of a Northern California slaughterhouse has been sentenced to three months in prison in a scheme that processed beef cattle with cancer. Federal prosecutors say Senior U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer issued the sentence against 56-year-old Felix Sandoval Cabrera on Friday. Cabrera was the kill floor foreman at Rancho Feeding Corp. in Petaluma. He pleaded guilty in 2014 to one count of conspiracy to distribute adulterated, misbranded and uninspected meat. Prosecutors say he acknowledged directing other employees to carve USDA Condemned stamps out of carcasses and place heads from apparently healthy cows next to the carcasses of cows showing signs of cancer eye. The scheme led to a massive beef recall. Three other people, including the plants owner, have pleaded guilty and been sentenced in the case. Army lawyers have protested a decision by the legal team of accused deserter Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to release the entire 373-page transcript of his interview with a general officer, saying the documents disclosure includes sensitive information in the controversial case and raises questions about whether Bergdahls lawyers will appropriately handle classified information. The objections were included Thursday in a court filing with the Army Court of Criminal Appeals. Army lawyers argued in it that they should be granted an extension until March 29 to respond to an appeal in the case due to recent actions by the trial defense team and the immediate need to protect the unauthorized release of information. Bergdahl, 29, is expected to face court-martial in August at Fort Bragg, N.C., in connection with his disappearance on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy in what has become one of the most sensitive situations involving the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Bergdahl walked away from his base deliberately, late on June 29, 2009, and was captured within hours by the Taliban. He was released in May 2014 in a controversial swap in which the White House approved the release of five Taliban officials from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Army lawyers wrote in the filing this week that Bergdahls lawyers, led by civilian defense counsel Eugene Fidell, violated a protective order issued in the case that prohibits the dissemination of all information and documents available to Bergdahl and his legal team. It covered all personally identifiable information, which can include social security numbers, phone numbers, financial information or any other PII which is linked or linkable to a specific individual, according to the order. Defense counsels unwillingness to abide by the terms of a protective order dealing with only PII and sensitive information underscores the legitimate concern as to their access to classified information and whether they will comply with a protective order dealing with classified information, said the filing, signed by three Army lawyers. The lawyers add that to prevent further disclosures of information, the Army intends to file a request for a writ of prohibition under the All Writs Act, a 1789 law that gives the government power to require things not covered by other law. The statute was notably cited last month as the FBI put pressure on Apple to unlock the iPhone used by one of the shooters in the attacks last year in San Bernardino, Calif. Fidell said Friday afternoon that he has been informed that the Armys request for an extension to March 29 has been denied. He also disagreed that any personally identifiable information was released in the transcript posted online this week, and noted that Army lawyers previously disclosed a couple pages of the document in a court filing. If and when the government carries through on its threat to seek an extraordinary writ, we will respond at the appropriate time, he said. In our view, transparency is essential to public confidence in the administration of military justice, and this case is no exception. The transcript of Bergdahls multi-day interview in August with then-Maj. Kenneth Dahl outlines many aspects of Bergdahls case, and includes the soldier speaking at length about his reasoning for leaving his base alone and without authorization in an attempt to cause chaos and get the attention of a senior officer to express concerns about his battalion commander and other leaders in his chain of command. The transcript was posted online by Bergdahls lawyers late Wednesday. This website has been created by the defense in the general court-martial case of Sergeant Robert B. (Bowe) Bergdahl in response to the high level of public interest in the case, the website states. An unofficial website is necessary because the government has not established an electronic reading room for the case and the PACER (Public Access to Electronic Court Records) system used by the civilian federal courts does not apply to courts-martial. But many details in Bergdahls transcript have been reported previously. Some of them emerged during Dahls appearance at a preliminary hearing in the fall in Bergdahls case, and others surfaced through news reporting, including by the podcast, Serial. Dahl, now a three-star general, said in the hearing in September that he found Bergdahl credible, but disillusioned with his unit and self-deluded about his abilities to sneak away from his base and not get caught or killed until appearing on a larger base 20 miles away to report problems he saw in his unit. He recommended against Bergdahl serving any prison time, citing his torture at the hands of the Haqqani network, the group in Pakistan that held him during his long captivity. SANTA ANA Police on Friday released the identity of a man suspected of sexually battering three Santa Ana women and they are searching for him. An arrest warrant for sexual battery and false imprisonment was issued for 31-year-old Carlos Olivares, Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. Santa Ana police released video last month that prompted tips from the public and led to the identification of Olivares, Bertagna said. The Orange County Crime Lab also determined that DNA found on the clothing of one of the victims was a match with Olivares, he added. Detectives learned Olivares had been living in the 1600 block of Highland Street in Santa Ana, but were unable to find him there. The suspect, who told two victims his name is Victor, is believed to have assaulted women on Sept. 4, Oct. 7 and Jan. 1, according to Bertagna. The September attack happened just after 11 p.m. at Raitt Street, south of McFadden Avenue, Bertagna said. The suspect tried to start a conversation with a woman before grabbing her, pinning her against a tree out of sight of potential witnesses and molesting her, Bertagna said. The woman was able to get away by scratching the suspects face and yelling for help, he said. The October attack happened in a parking lot at 3701 S. Bristol St. Police posted surveillance video of this attack on YouTube. The suspect again tried to spark a conversation with the victim, telling her his name was Victor, Bertagna said. When the two got between parked cars, he molested her, prompting the victim to shout for help from security as the man ran away, Bertagna said. The third attack happened about 10 p.m. at Raitt Street, north of McFadden, on New Years Day, Bertagna said. The suspect tried to start up a conversation and also introduced himself as Victor, he said. The woman punched him in the face as he groped her, Bertagna said. The suspect pushed the woman down and ran away, he added. Olivares is Latino, 5-feet 6-inches tall, 150 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes and has a scar on his chin. Anyone with information about Olivares whereabouts should call 911 or contact Detective Javier Aceves at 714-245-8542 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS. City News Service contributed to this report. Contact the writer: 714-796-7767 sschwebke@ocregister.com Twitter: @thechalkoutline HAVANA Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro flew to Cuba on Friday for a day of high-level meetings and ceremonies that appeared designed to send a message of socialist solidarity two days before Barack Obama becomes the first U.S. president to visit the island in nearly 90 years. Maduro was accompanied by his ministers of foreign affairs, agriculture, health, petroleum and mining and communications. Communications Minister Luis Jose Marcano told Venezuelan state television that the two governments would agree on new cooperation in pharmaceutical production, urban agriculture, industrial development and tourism. Later in the day, Maduro was set to receive the Order of Jose Marti, one of Cubas highest honors. Venezuela has been sending hundreds of millions of dollars in oil to Cuba each year in exchange for Cuba sending teams of doctors and other state workers to bolster Venezuelan government efforts. Some of that aid has been cut back as Venezuela struggles with a deep economic crisis. Venezuelas relations with the U.S. remain tense even as Cuba works with the Obama administration to normalize ties. Cuba has made repeated public statements about maintaining its close ties with Venezuela even as President Raul Castros government moves closer to the United States. We have big differences with the United States because of our emphatic, unlimited, complete solidarity with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the military-civilian union of its people, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez told reporters Thursday afternoon in a press conference previewing Obamas trip to Cuba. Maduros visit was announced shortly afterward. FRESNO Law enforcement officials believe the San Bernardino massacre and a stabbing attack on a California college campus were done by lone wolves inspired by the Islamic State group, and counterterrorism experts say both show how the organization is expanding its reach through social media. Recruitment videos the extremists post online are often short and flashy. They feature hip-hop music, promising a chance to be part of a global cause and, experts say, most importantly target to a vulnerable audience. For somebody searching for meaning and feeling disconnected, thats a very powerful message, and difficult to resist, said John Cohen, a criminal justice professor at Rutgers University and formerly the Department of Homeland Securitys counter terrorism coordinator. Thats how Faisal Mohammad, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of California, Merced, appears to have become self-radicalized. The FBI says he visited IS websites for several weeks before he wounded four people in the Nov. 4 knife attack. A campus police officer shot and killed him. A month later, the gun-wielding husband-and-wife team in San Bernardino shot and killed 14 people and wounded 21 others. Investigators say they were also influenced by the Islamic State group, but not directly connected to it. The Internet enables people who arent necessarily able to function well in a group to claim at least that theyre inspired by an ideology, said Jessica Stern, a research professor at the Pardee School for Global Studies at Boston University. Mohammad had been shunned by a study group at U.C. Merced, where he was a freshman, authorities have said, and Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, launched the San Bernardino attack with his wife against a group of colleagues gathered at a luncheon. More must be done to combat jihadists narrative and their use of the Internet to radicalize, recruit, and fundraise, said Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from Bakersfield. He cited two dozen IS-inspired plots in the United States since 2014. Lone-wolf attacks carried out in this country are a Western luxury, said Max Abrahms, a political science professor at Northeastern University. He says its a sign that there are not large terrorists groups carrying out attacks. But he agrees that isolated attacks are likely to increase as the Islamic State is increasingly under fire in its strongholds in Iraq and Syria. Islamic State is going to continue to decentralize as it gets battered, Abrahms said. The Internet isnt going away. The group is going to call upon locals to commit attacks. DANA POINT As a nearly 20-year plan to revitalize Dana Point Harbor finally gets underway, county and local leaders envision a thriving recreational, boating and retail center that will make the city a five-star destination. The Dana Point Harbor is a great county asset, just like John Wayne Airport, said Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, a 25-year resident of Dana Point. We want to showcase what can be done by the County of Orange. While merchants at the harbor are ecstatic the project is finally moving forward, they hope it will maintain its quaint, small-town culture that has made it a popular spot for yachts and community gatherings. Keeping the harbor filled with independent and unique shops is vital to Dana Point, said Heather Johnston, executive director of the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce. When people think of Dana Point they remember their experience drinking coffee at Coffee Importers and watching stand-up paddlers go by or how nice the owner was while shopping at the Woody Hut. The harbor is the brand of Dana Point. On Wednesday, Orange County officials announced the first steps in finding a qualified developer to revitalize the 44-year-old county-owned harbor. The overhaul includes reconstruction of its commercial core, the east and west marinas, the Marina Inn Hotel and 52 guest slips, among other changes. Under the proposed public-private partnership, a developer would design, fund and build the proposed improvements, then operate those portions of the harbor over a 50-year lease, before returning the improved property back to the county. County officials say reconstruction of the areas main retail center will be completed first, and the harbor should be fully restored within a decade. Ive been working on this for 18 years, said Jim Miller, who is president of the Dana Point Harbor Association and is hoping to expand his harbor business. Im excited that were making progress. I believe in the harbor, and my plans for expansion represent what the new harbor is all about. This will make Dana Point one of the premier cities on the coast. We will become a five-star city. The project estimated to cost $150 million to $200 million is expected to turn the harbor into a more prominent Orange County destination and could elicit proposals from developers worldwide, said Bartlett, a 25-year resident of Dana Point. County staff said choosing a developer could take 18 to 24 months. The harbor takes in $82 million a year and employs 1,200 people. Its a destination not only for the local community, but also for tourists who come from across the county and country. The towns hotels market the harbors offerings, such as fishing, boating, recreation, shopping and dining, to draw vacationers to their more than 2,000 hotel rooms. Despite being such an attraction, locals say the harbor has maintained a small-town charm in the community of 34,000, devoid of retail and restaurant chains. Some harbor residents and merchants worry a large-scale redevelopment proposed to grow retail space by 50 percent and parking by 600 spaces could transform the area into a luxury destination similar to Newport Beachs Fashion Island or Costa Mesas South Coast Plaza. Brad Gross, director of the county department that oversees the harbor, said the developer will have the ability to select which tenants lease in the renovated commercial area. While the county could draft a contract that gives it some control over what businesses open at the harbor, he said there was no guarantee that the areas existing business tenants would be included, unless their current leases extend through the project-completion date. But Gross said the Dana Point community will have plenty of opportunities during the design process to have input. Miller and other merchants and boaters also worry about the timeline of the oft-delayed revitalization, and want the county to create a firm schedule to avoid further delays. The project will be divided into phases. The first phase includes the commercial core, parking lot and boat launch. The second will be the dry boat storage areas. When it comes to construction on land such as the hotel expansion and other projects, those will have to go to through the Dana Point City Council and through the California Coastal Commission. If they leave that open-ended, I have a concern, Miller said. Right now weve got total buy-in. The longer we wait, the more we have a chance for problems. It also means new docks quicker, said Donna Kalez, who operates Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watch. We need those badly. Gross said slip fees will have to increase after construction, in part to compensate the developer for its work. But he dispelled boaters concerns that they might be displaced during the overhaul, saying the harbor is large enough to continue operating somewhat normally through the construction. Ninety percent of the harbor is going to be open and available at any time, Gross said. Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@ocregister.com or Twitter:@lagunaini Leaders of an indigenous community in rural Canada have appealed to national authorities for help after a wave of suicides and attempted suicides set off a public health crisis in their remote town and revived a painful conversation about the relationship between the government and its native communities. Six people have killed themselves in the past three months, and more than 140 more have attempted suicide or expressed a desire to kill themselves in the Cree Indian community of Cross Lake, with a population of about 6,000. The area has been wracked by an unemployment rate of nearly 85 percent, deep poverty and a profound sense of alienation from the wealthy, majority-white cities of southern Canada, officials said. The suicides began Dec. 12, when a homeless woman in her early 20s hanged herself in a relatives home, said Donnie McKay, a local councilor. The death began a disturbing trend in Cross Lake, the hub of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation in the vast coniferous wilderness of Manitoba. Its been very difficult for the people of our nation, McKay said. There is a lot of grief and sorrow. Five more people in their teens, 20s and 30s have killed themselves since that first death, McKay said. Part of the problem, he said, is that the area has too few jobs and too little government investment. If this was a suburb of Toronto, there would have been top-notch psychiatric services here right away, said Helga Hamilton, the towns health director. Hamilton said residents receive bare minimum services through Health Canada, the national public health department. The current crisis, like previous suicide epidemics in the town in 1999 and 1987, is the result of problems generations in the making, she said. We have to look at the whole picture: the poverty, the housing, the education, she said. A state policy of forced assimilation for indigenous people, abandoned in the late 20th century, left scars, too, she said. I think we have an identity crisis. Cross Lake is not alone. The Nishnawbe Aski Indian Nation in Ontario declared a state of emergency in January after several young people killed themselves, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. In October, a suicide crisis was declared in the largely indigenous territory of Nunavut, where a government study found that Inuit people commit suicide 10 times more frequently than the national average. Aboriginal people are in crisis in Canada, said Cathy Merrick, chief of the Cross Lake Band of Indians. Cross Lake is served by two doctors who commute on Monday and Friday from the capital, Winnipeg, 450 miles away, McKay said. A therapist also travels from Winnipeg to work a few days at a time, Hamilton said. No health care professionals live in the town seven days a week, officials said. The nearest pediatrician is a three-hour drive away, and the closest hospital is in Winnipeg, eight hours away. Hamilton said the towns only full-time mental health worker has no medical or psychological training, just a bachelors degree in social work. She is a godsend, but I wish we had 20 of her, she said. She is still going, keeping it together, but she is only one person. We need professional psychological services. In the absence of that, McKay said, people have adopted an all-hands-on-deck approach to the crisis, with local politicians being called upon to act as ad hoc suicide prevention counselors. A mayor in any other town doesnt have to worry about responding personally to an emergency call at 2 or 3 oclock in the morning, but we have to do that here because there are just no resources, he said. The mayor of Toronto would never do that. They sleep peacefully at night, but we dont. David Muswaggon, a member of the Executive Council of Pimicikamak, and other leaders said the crisis also pointed to the lingering trauma of colonialism and prejudice, which he called cultural genocide. In Cross Lake, that was epitomized by a local residential school, where indigenous children had to learn the customs of white Canadians and were forbidden from speaking their own language. Abuse in such schools was common. Cross Lakes school closed in 1969. The assimilation process did real damage, and Canada is just beginning to acknowledge that, Hamilton said. The issue here is much deeper than just mental health. Carolyn Bennett, Canadas minister of indigenous and northern affairs, said in a statement that federal and provincial authorities were working to improve services to remote communities like Cross Lake. She said improving the lives of young indigenous people was vital for the countrys future. Merrick met in recent days with officials from the provincial government and Manitoba Hydro, a large local energy company, which together agreed to provide $1.1 million in the short term to finance expanded medical care, a crisis hotline and youth recreation activities, she said. Health Canada said in a statement that it responded to the string of suicides by providing additional mental health services to the town in February and March. It also said it allots more than $840,000 a year to the community, including $46,000 for a youth suicide prevention program. The town spent those funds on a community crisis line, a sweat lodge, traditional teachings, and traditional hunting activities, the statement said. But community leaders said more was needed given the scope of the towns problems, including sustained investment in job creation or expanded health care. Hamilton said the governments response to the suicides reminded her of how it handled the two earlier crises. Nothing has changed since then, she said. They did then what theyre doing right now, but I want the long-term. What is going to impact our youth in a positive way? Talk about shooting for the moon: The countdown is on for Irvine high school students to build and launch a mini satellite that will orbit Earth a year from now. If successful, the ambitious program dubbed IRVINE01 could mark the first time American high school students put an operational satellite into orbit. And the launch could take place from a site in Russia, giving it an international flavor. Called a CubeSat, the satellite will be about the size of a milk carton cut in half and weigh less than 3 pounds. Plans call for a low orbit at about 350 miles, while students run flight experiments and photograph the moon. Being involved in IRVINE01, said University High freshman Lily Litvak, is light years beyond the stodgy work of researching the planets and writing a report. Its quite a leap to go from a very structured school project that does not go into depth to a project that is student-led, the 14-year-old said. The CubeSat program is the brainchild of two Irvine dads who want to further the interest of local youth in careers focused on the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math. The hope is that this wont be a one-shot deal, but a sustainable project that can be used to develop a curriculum so students around Orange County can replicate it. Irvine Public Schools Foundation provided $150,000 in seed money to get the launch off the ground and hopes to raise an estimated $500,000 in corporate donations to expand the program. Its not unusual for high school students to launch rockets or build packages that are carried into the atmosphere by balloons, said Pamela Clark, director of the CubeSat Development Lab at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. But, said Clark, who is lending her support to IRVINE01, this one is a step further up. Although NASA has a program to engage high school and college students in the development and launch of nanosatellites, the space agency is not affiliated with the Irvine CubeSat project. Clark and fellow JPL scientist Charles Norton, a leading name in the development of small satellites for scientific research, are providing advice and assistance to the Irvine students on their own time. Student-led satellite projects are more typical of colleges and universities, which have launched numerous CubeSats over the past decade. Two high schools on the East Coast one of them in the shadow of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida failed at completing similar missions. With other high schools gearing up their own launches, the race is on to be the first to succeed. The Irvine project also stands out for the collaboration involved: Teams of students were drawn from the school districts five high schools, not just one school. Each schools team has a distinct role in the mission, and it all has to mesh at the end. A sixth team will join in the fall when Portola High opens. And it is hoped that the IRVINE01 project will spark greater interest in science and engineering among girls, whose numbers tend to lag in those fields. Litvak is practicing on filling out the forms that will be needed to get a launch permit in Russia by working with two schoolmates on NASA launch permit forms. I have never done a project of this magnitude, said Litvak, so I was very nervous in applying. The learning process is what matters most to Clark, who likened this chance to test how things work by trial and error to the way the U.S. space program developed in the 1960s, a period of its greatest rate of success and failure. Whether it works or not, its a great learning opportunity, she said of the Irvine project. And thats the way it should be. Thats what science is. FEET ON THE GROUND For all its high-flying trajectory, IRVINE01 grew out of the most down-to-earth circumstance: a chance conversation on a sidewalk in an Irvine neighborhood. Brent Freeze happened to be unplugging his hybrid car one morning last October when Kain Sosa, who lives 10 doors away, walked past with his dog. Both men are in their 40s. Freeze heads the Irvine company Sorlox Corp., an engineering firm that focuses on sustainable-energy innovation. Sosa, founder of the business analytics firm Bilingual Interactive, is an expert in data technology and psycholinguistics. Sosa, the father of two boys 13 and 10, is known for his elaborate Halloween and Christmas displays; Freeze, who has a toddler and a preschooler, loves astronomy and owns what Sosa described as the biggest telescope on the block. Freeze had been pondering how to nurture more local talent from a young age in STEM career fields. After reading about NASAs mini-satellite educational program, he got the idea to engage Irvine high schoolers in a CubeSat launch. He asked Sosa if he knew of any teachers to approach. It sounded kind of crazy, Sosa said of his initial reaction. But I liked the fact it sounded kind of crazy. Both men have a lot of connections in their fields, but it was Sosas wife, Isis, a former Univision news reporter, anchor and producer turned homemaker and PTA mom, who put the two dads on the path that led to Irvine Public Schools Foundation and University High instructor Tinh Tran. Tran, who teaches science and engineering classes, had previously received an innovative teaching grant from the foundation to work with students on the programming of a satellites sensors. This is exactly what I envisioned two years ago when I applied for the grant, Tran said. I learned its difficult to actually launch a satellite into space. But at first glance of the initial email from Freeze, Tran thought it was spam. I was so close to deleting it. Im sure glad I didnt. Tran recruited teachers from the other high schools Beckman, Irvine, Northwood and Woodbridge as Freeze and Sosa moved quickly to bring onboard businesses and institutions such as Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Cal Polys CubeSat program dates to 1999 and will relay the communications from the Irvine satellite once it is in orbit. Like Clark at JPL, Tran sees the hands-on experience as the greatest benefit to students and a chance to close the skills gap in the changing job market. In the real world, people dont complete worksheets they work on projects. Students will get this real-life application of what it is to do real work. EYES ON THE STARS For the Irvine Public Schools Foundation, $150,000 is a significant investment, said Neda Eaton, CEO and president of the 20-year-old organization. The foundations funding sources are individuals, local businesses and corporations. Its kind of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, thats how I look at it, Eaton said. The foundation also provides school enrichment programs in the arts, and Eaton sees opportunity for students in areas outside of science, such as graphic arts and music, to make contributions to IRVINE01 that will include designing a logo and creating the music to be played during the launch. Whatever their role, the students involved in making the satellite a reality are experiencing an out-of-this-world feeling. Hala Ozgur, 15, is a sophomore at Irvine High. Shes a member of her schools newspaper staff and president of the Paper Hearts school club that writes letters to those in need. And she always loved biology but hadnt explored other areas of science. Her school is tasked with propulsion for the satellite. Im looking forward to where this will take me and where it will take Irvine, Ozgur said. Might she end up in space someday? Well see. With this, the skys not the limit. Contact the writer: 714-796-7793 or twalker@ocregister.com Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois on Friday became the first Republican senator to call for an up-or-down vote on Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, saying on a Chicago radio show that his colleagues ought to just man up and cast a vote. Meanwhile, a conservative legal group moved to counter a fierce Democratic push to target embattled incumbents such as Kirk, launching a multimillion television, radio and digital advertising campaign to block Garlands consideration. The round of ads from the Judicial Crisis Network is the latest in an onslaught of opposition from conservative interest groups that are throwing money and opposition researchers aimed at halting the nomination process and discrediting Garland, the 63-year-old chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. That Kirk would be first to break with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and other GOP colleagues who think the next president should pick the replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia is not surprising: Kirk was one of two Republican senators, joined by Susan Collins of Maine, to call for confirmation hearings. More important, Kirk faces what is perhaps the most difficult Senate reelection race in the nation running during a presidential election year as a Republican in a state that hasnt voted for a Republican president since George H.W. Bush in 1988. He is pitted against Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth, who has sought to tie Kirk to national Republicans, including presidential front-runner Donald Trump. Further complicating matters for Kirk is that Garland grew up in Illinois, in a Chicago suburb a few miles from the border of the congressional district Kirk used to represent. Kirk, speaking on WLS-AM on Friday morning, said the Senate should go through the process the Constitution has already laid out, but he did not predicte that McConnell would relent before the election. I dont see his view changing too much, Kirk said. Eventually, we will have an election, and we will have a new president, and the new president will come forward with a nomination. The Judicial Crisis Network ads are set to run for three weeks starting Monday, coinciding with a two-week Senate recess. They will air in six states and target senators of both parties: Kelly Ayotte, R-New Hampshire; Joe Manchin III, D-West Virginia; Heidi Heitkamp, D-North Dakota; Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa; Michael F. Bennet, D-Colorado and Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana. Ayotte and Bennet, along with Senate Judiciary Chairman Grassley, are up for reelection in November. Grassley, along with other Senate Republican leaders, has vowed not to hold hearings or a vote on any Supreme Court nominee until the next president is elected. The ads targeting Manchin and Heitkamp aim to paint Garland as a liberal who would hurt the states coal and oil-and-gas industries, respectively. Titled Let the People Decide, the ads are similar to a previous round the group put out shortly after Scalias death in February. They urge voters to support Republican senators who have promised not to move forward on confirmation hearings and to pressure Democratic senators who favor them to reconsider. Among Senate Republicans, only Kirk and Collins have said they support holding hearings on Garlands nomination. Several others have said they would grant a courtesy meeting but only to inform Garland of their position against considering his nomination. Kirks declaration Friday came three days before Democratic activists plan a nationwide day of action to protest Republican senators opposed to taking up Garlands nomination. Kirk, who said in the radio interview that he admired Scalias approach to the law, did not indicate he would necessarily vote for Garland. He said he would question the appeals court judge on whether the Constitution is a total living document that can change quite a bit. gop-garland The Navy announced Friday that it is considering major upgrades to the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station, including changes that could involve dredging in Anaheim Bay, where warships dock to receive munitions. The facility is one of the primary weapons stations for the Pacific Fleet but has not undergone a significant upgrade since 1953, when the bay was dredged to accommodate larger ships. The current wharf was built in the 1940s. Any work to upgrade the facility would require environmental review and involve several rounds of public comment. Base spokesman Gregg Smith said the facility needs to expand in part because the Navy as part of the militarys overall strategy to shift its focus to the Asia-Pacific region plans to move more ships from the Atlantic Ocean. That would increase the number of ships the station would be required to support. Among the upgrades under consideration: the building of a replacement ammunition pier; reconfiguring and dredging Anaheim Bay to allow two ships to dock rather than one; and the addition of an access channel for boaters using Huntington Harbour. We are at the absolute beginning of the process, Smith said. We want to get the public in on the ground floor of this. Southern California, including Orange County, has had a long association with the armed forces. But the militarys presence has waned considerably over the years, particularly with the 1999 closures of El Toro and Tustin Marine Corps air stations, with Tustins signature blimp hangars, and the Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1997. The Seal Beach station, commissioned in 1944 and sprawling over more than 5,200 acres, remains a major munitions storage and loading facility for the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. PUBLIC INPUT SOUGHT A scoping process, which invites the public to comment, began Friday and will continue through April 18. On April 7, an open house public meeting will include experts available to talk about residents interests and concerns. The next step is an environmental assessment, which could take more than a year to complete; a draft is expected by winter 2017. That would open another round of public review and comment. Smith said the Navy would be unlikely to decide whether to proceed until 2018, and building could take about 21/2 years. The Navy in considering three models with different configurations. Each would include an 1,100-by-125-foot replacement ammunition pier and associated waterfront facilities. Seal Beach Councilwoman Ellery Deaton said she wanted to help the Navy keep our nation safe while at the same time being actively involved in the environmental analysis to be sure our town and residents are protected from any adverse unintended consequences. Among the groups providing input will be the California Coastal Commission. There will be issues well look at, said Mark Delaplaine, project analyst with the commission. It seems there are some benefits. Delaplaine said issues including sediment, water circulation, visual effect and what the construction will mean to marine habitat would be examined. The bay also is near the 920-acre Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge, a wetlands habitat. However, Delaplaine said, the Navy seemed to have created a good suite of alternatives. According to Navy literature on the proposal, issues to be addressed in the environmental assessment include land use, biological resources, coastal resources, air quality and public health. Deaton said it was too early to know whether she had concerns about adverse affects. The environmental analysis will tell the story, she said. The process will reveal peoples concerns and possible environmental impacts and present ways to mitigate any issues that may be identified. Even with added capacity to serve ships, Smith said, there wouldnt necessarily be an increase in weaponry. In the past 20 to 30 years, there as been a reduction, with more smart weapons, he said. The proposed facility could be a boon to local boaters if a new channel is opened outside the base. Currently, when naval ships arrive and depart, access between the harbor and ocean is closed. After 9/11 the harbor was shut down for three weeks, and for two months boats had to be escorted, Smith said. This would be a considerable benefit for the boating community. However, Delaplaine said, opening a channel for boaters requires building a breakwater. When that happens, there are a lot of questions, he said. Contact the writer: 714-796-7964 or gmellen@ocregister.com VILLA PARK The Orange County Sheriffs Department arrested a Villa Park High School student Friday on suspicion of sexually assaulting two female students at the school. Jared Jonah Linares, 18, of Orange, was booked into the Orange County Jail for sexual assault, the Sheriffs Department said in a statement. On Thursday, Villa Park High Schools resource officer obtained information about the alleged sexual assaults, according to the statement. Investigators suspect Linares committed the offenses within the last year and also believe there may be more victims, the statement said. Anyone with additional information or believes they were a victim is asked to call Sheriffs Department Special Victims Unit Sergeant Mike Tanabe at 714-647-7418 or 714-647-7000. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227). Contact the writer: 714-796-7767 sschwebke@ocregister.com Twitter: @thechalkoutline When the furry sea otters little head popped out of the waters surface just off Crystal Cove on Thursday, Holly Fletcher and Kaitlin Magliano screamed with excitement. The duo, who both work for the Crystal Cove Alliance, were scouting the area after word the critter had been hanging out just south of the historic cottages the past few days a rare sighting of a mammal that seems to be coming back home to Orange County waters the past few years. They gave him a name: Ollie the otter. They are so rare here, I think its so special to see it down here, said Fletcher, who was armed with binoculars and cameras in anticipation of the sighting. Julianne Steers, director of husbandry at the Ocean Institute, said there was once a prominent otter population along the Orange County coastline decades ago. Theres been just a handful of sightings the past few years, and Steers said its less likely El Nino-driven like the other sea animal anomalies seen along Orange Countys coast, but more likely that theres a food source here they are chasing. She said theres also been word of sightings off San Clemente and San Mateo. I always think its exciting from my viewpoint, to see theres a restoration of our ecosystem is always delightful to see, she said. Any little bit of hope we have to restore balance is intriguing. Sea otters disappeared from the area for several reasons. First, they were overhunted. The fur trade from the late 1700s to early 1900s nearly brought the animals to extinction, but a colony of about 50 otters was discovered in 1938 in a cove near the Bixby Bridge in Big Sur. With protection from the North Pacific Fur Seal Convention of 1911, sea otters were granted protection from trapping, and their listing as an endangered species in 1973 protected them from incidental or accidental take from commercial fishing operations and protected vital habitat locations. Then, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service implemented a program in 1987 that introduced a small species of otters to San Nicolas Island, which is part of Californias Channel Islands, in an effort to protect the federally threatened sea otter. As part of that program, no otter zones were set up, which meant any otters found south of Santa Barbara County were relocated to the north. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service terminated the program in December 2012, allowing the otters to swim in their natural range, which is expected to boost recovery of the species. A whale watching boat from Dana Wharf saw an otter off the coast of Laguna in December 2011. It was their first sighting in 30 years. Then, there were a few sightings in 2013 near Huntington Harbour and the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. Since weve seen it a few times over the past several years, maybe it will develop into consistency, Steers said. But its a challenge to say at this point. Another sighting occurred Wednesday, when Yen Choi, of Aliso Viejo, was down at Strands Beach in Dana Point and saw an otter playing about 10 feet from shore. Its hard to tell if it was the same one spotted by Fletcher. It was funny watching the otter just bouncing up and down in the waves and watching surfers for about 5 minutes, then disappear, she said. Ryan Lawler, owner of Newport Coastal Adventure, also spotted an otter on Saturday at Crystal Cove. He snapped photos of it munching on a lobster. The otter population was once estimated at around 16,000. The southern sea otter once roamed the Pacific coast from the Oregon/Washington border down to Baja, Mexico. Over the past 100 years, otters have expanded from the Morro Bay area north and south. In 2012, the population was estimated at 2,792, according to a 2012 U.S. Geological Survey. In 2014, that number rose to 2,944. Fletcher has traveled several times to Northern California to see the otters, but this is the first time shes seen one in her own backyard. Fletcher said Ollies appearance is testament that conservation efforts in the area are paying off. They watched as it had two lunches first an octopus, and then a lobster. The otter floated on its back, the meals resting on its tummy while it munched. The increased food supply for the otter could be credited to Crystal Cove being a marine conservation area, where fishing is limited at certain times of the year. Studies show there are a lot of fish and plankton in the area, she said. I think the greatest message is the conservation is working if they are making their way down here, Fletcher said. Contact the writer: lconnelly@ocregister.com A jury sided with ex-pro wrestler Hulk Hogan on Friday and awarded him $115 million in his sex tape lawsuit against Gawker Media. The jurors in St. Petersburg, Fla., reached the decision Friday evening, less than six hours after they began deliberations. The trial lasted two weeks. Earlier Friday, in spirited closing arguments, lawyers for Hogan and Gawker discussed themes of personal life versus celebrity, and freedom of speech versus the right to privacy. Hogan, whose given name is Terry Bollea, sued Gawker for $100 million for posting a video of him having sex with his former best friends wife. Hogan contended the 2012 post violated his privacy. Hogans attorneys told jurors this is the core of the case: Gawker took a secretly recorded sex tape and put it on the Internet. They said Hogan didnt consent to the video, that Gawker didnt follow usual journalism procedures before posting it and that the video wasnt newsworthy. Gawker did not try to contact Bollea or the woman in the video, and nor did the website contact the womans husband, DJ Bubba The Love Sponge Clem, who recorded the video. It was never conclusively determined during trial who leaked the video to the media. Hogan didnt ask for any of this to happen, lawyer Kenneth Turkel said, adding that Bollea, the private man, expected privacy during an intimate moment. Much was made during the trial of Hogans celebrity persona versus Bolleas privacy. I want you to imagine the fact that for 35 plus years he is essentially an actor, an entertainer, who has played the same role, said Turkel. He said Hogan has every right, every right, to keep whatever precious private moments in his life, which for this gentlemen are very few. Hogans lawyers also said Gawkers value increased by $15 million due to the post, while Gawker contends it made $11,000 in ad revenue. Gawkers attorneys told the jury that the video is not like a real celebrity sex tape and urged them to watch the video, which contains nine seconds of sexual content. They pointed out that news of the sex tape first appeared on at least two websites: TMZ and The Dirty. Hogan went on TMZs TV program to talk about it, and later, appeared on the Howard Stern show. He has consistently chosen to put his private life out there, for public consumption, said attorney Michael Sullivan. He also criticized Hogans claim that he was in Hulk Hogan persona when he was doing interviews. An actor playing a character does that on set, but when they go on a talk show, theyre themselves, Sullivan said. Sullivan called into question whether the tape was all a celebrity stunt to drum up publicity for Hogans career. He suggested that although the jurors might find the video, Gawker and Hogans sex life distasteful, they must protect the First Amendment right to free speech. We ask you to protect something that some of you may find unpleasant, he said. To write, to speak, to think about all topics, to hold public figures accountable. It is right in the long run for our freedoms. Meanwhile, in a related development, sealed documents in the case were unsealed late Friday. Attorneys for media companies including The Associated Press sought to have the files unsealed and an appeals court agreed Thursday. MOSCOW A Boeing 737-800 from the United Arab Emirates with 62 people aboard crashed early Saturday while trying to land at the airport in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Russian officials said. All 55 passengers and seven crew members on the flight from Dubai were killed, and a list of victims was published on the website of the Rostov regional government. Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region, said strong winds appeared to have caused the crash, but an investigation was just beginning. Rostov-on-Don is about 600 miles south of Moscow. Both of the planes flight data recorders were recovered, the Russian Investigative Committee, a law enforcement agency, said. In a statement on its website, the agency listed crew error, technical failure, adverse weather conditions and other factors as possible reasons for the crash. The airliner was operated by the Dubai budget carrier FlyDubai, which confirmed that the plane had crashed on landing and that none of the passengers had survived. Forty-four of the passengers were Russian, eight were Ukrainian, two were Indian and one was a citizen of Uzbekistan, the airline said. We are doing everything that we can to help those who have been affected, the airlines chief executive, Ghaith al-Ghaith, said in a video posted on Facebook. The crash occurred at 3:42 a.m. as the plane was making its second attempt to land, Russias Emergency Situations Ministry said. After missing its first approach, the plane entered a holding pattern for two hours as it waited for the weather to improve. On the second landing attempt, a wing of the plane struck the ground, and the aircraft began to break apart and burn, the statement said. Based on the preliminary information made available by the Russian authorities, aviation safety experts said a sudden change in wind speed or direction a phenomenon known as wind shear might have contributed to the crash. Gusts reached 43 mph at the time of the crash, according to the Flightradar24 website, which said there had also been light rain. President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, according to a statement on the Kremlins website. Golubev declared Sunday a day of mourning, Interfax said. President Obamas campaign promise to close Guantanamo is unfulfilled, 10 months before he leaves office. Last autumn, Congress passed a law preventing the use of any funds appropriated that year for the Defense Department to construct, acquire or modify any facility in the United States for the purposes of detention or imprisonment of those presently in Guantanamo. The president will look for ways to get around this prohibition, to fulfill his campaign promise. There are several. First, the current appropriation language does not ban the transfer of a prisoner; it bans modifying U.S. facilities. So, the president could send the prisoners to existing high-security federal installations on the mainland and, once having done so, dismantle the prison at Guantanamo. Congress would then be confronted with the need to upgrade domestic federal penitentiaries housing the prisoners or refusing to do so at the risk of heightened security threats at those institutions. Such action by the president would mimic that of President Theodore Roosevelt, who ordered the U.S. fleet to sail around the world, spending more money than was in the Navys pipeline, and defying Congress not to pay for the fleets return. Second, the appropriation law runs out Sept. 30. All the president would need is a one-day lapse between the old appropriations law and any new one. On that day, he could use funds already in the defense pipeline to transfer the prisoners, without violating any congressional enactment then in force. Third, the president could simply defy Congress, citing his inherent authority as commander in chief, and order the prisoners sent out tomorrow. The Supreme Court has held that even explicit language in laws passed by the Congress does not constrain the president in the exercise of his inherent executive authority. This president has not shied from asserting such authority in many other instances. Acting on his own authority, without approval of Congress, President Obama has allowed many who broke our immigration laws to stay in our country and gave them work permits; suspended for 2014 the employer mandate of his health care law and the tax (penalty) on those who lost their health insurance because of the new law; and subsidized insurers who discounted premiums for low-income persons. He bombed Syria and Libya without congressional approval; he appointed members of the National Labor Relations Board without confirmation by the Senate (the Supreme Court struck this down); and he announced the federal government would not prosecute marijuana possession cases where possession was legal under state law. Other presidents have relied on executive action. Most famously, President Truman seized control of the steel mills when a strike was threatened, because a strike would jeopardize armament production during the Korean War. This action was reversed by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court also overturned President Nixons impoundment of federal funds when government revenue fell short of appropriations. However, other executive actions were allowed to stand, including President Clintons 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia for 79 days even though Congress had (in recorded votes) refused to give its approval, and President Franklin Roosevelts sending U.S. warships to Britain in 1940 in exchange for naval leases in Newfoundland and the Caribbean, though Congress had not yet passed the Lend Lease Act. When such cases get to court, the president asserts inherent authority that takes precedence even over explicit language in laws passed by Congress. A very recent Supreme Court opinion bolsters President Obamas side of this argument. The high court ruled in June that an American citizen, born in Jerusalem, did not have the right to have his birthplace printed in his passport as Jerusalem, Israel. Congress had explicitly said he did, and passed a law to that effect. This is thus quite comparable to the Guantanamo situation. The court ruled in favor of the president. The presidents diplomatic authority was sufficiently broad to allow him to keep the word Israel off the passport, even though Congress had constitutional authority over international travel (for which a passport was intended). In the case of Guantanamo, the presidents power over Congress is even greater. The commander in chief can decide where prisoners of war are to be kept FDR housed many POWs in America during World War II. Congress has the power to declare war, but the president has the responsibility of how to carry it out. That should allow President Obama to fulfill his campaign promise. I predict hell do so. Tom Campbell is a professor at the Fowler School of Law, Chapman University. He served five terms in Congress, including on the International Relations Committee and the Judiciary Committee. These views are his own. NEW YORK Joe Santos, who played Lieutenant Dennis Becker on The Rockford Files, has died at 84. Santos died Friday in Santa Monica after a heart attack earlier in the week, according to his agent Alicia Beekman. Santos career spanned more than four decades, from a guest shot on Naked City in the early 1960s through a recurring role on The Sopranos. But he was best known as Lieutenant Becker, the pal and grudging helpmate of L.A. private eye Jim Rockford (James Garner) on NBCs The Rockford Files, which aired from 1974 to 1980 and scored him an Emmy nomination. The New York-born actor also had guest roles on such series as Magnum, P.I., Miami Vice and Hardcastle & McCormick. Santos most recently was seen in the 2015 film Chronic. PHOENIX When Donald Trump campaigns in Arizona, he talks up the endorsements he has received from Jan Brewer, the former governor who signed some of the nations toughest immigration laws, and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose aggressive pursuit of immigrants in the country illegally has prompted discrimination charges by the Justice Department. When Bernie Sanders campaigned here Monday, he ceded the stage to a teenage girl, who spoke of her parents arrest in a raid by Arpaio and the reprieve from deportation they received from the federal government. And in ads airing across the state this week his in English, hers in Spanish Ted Cruz and Hillary Clinton deliver opposing messages: Cruz vows to undo executive actions by President Barack Obama delaying the deportation of certain undocumented immigrants, while Clinton promises to stop deporting parents whose children are citizens of the United States. The presidential race has moved to Arizona a state at the center of the nations battle over immigration and each side is using the issue to try to woo a deeply divided electorate ahead of primary day Tuesday. Were not just at the center of the immigration discussion, Tyler Bowyer, chairman of the Republican Party of Maricopa County, the states most populous, said in an interview. The border is our backyard. We live the challenges of immigration every single day. Arizona is a state in demographic transition. Latinos are poised to become the majority, and they already account for the largest number of students in public schools. But the state is also a magnet for retirees, and older white residents play an outsize role in elections and tilt the state to the right. Republicans control every statewide office and both chambers of the Legislature. There are several anti-immigration measures under consideration in the Legislature, and on Thursday, people who oppose these measures staged a protest at the office of Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican who has not made his position on the bills known. In many ways, Arizonas political battles over immigration predicted the tensions and divisions that are defining the presidential election. Trump is a prime example, with his promises to build a wall at the border and make Mexico pay for it. The states Latino population swelled to 2.5 million last year from 440,000 in 1980, while the share of white residents has steadily declined. Arpaio stepped up raids as conservative legislators pushed bills that imposed heavy sanctions on employers who hire undocumented immigrants and expanded the legal definition of identity theft to include anyone seeking employment without proper documentation. Then, in 2010, Brewer signed the show me your papers law, which gave the police broad powers to question anyone suspected of being in the country illegally. It fueled national protests and boycotts, but also helped her win a second term, creating two images of Arizona: to some, a synonym for intolerance; to others, an example of how fed-up citizens and elected officials could fight back against illegal immigration. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix, said in an interview, Our immigration laws have been a very effective tool to mobilize the right, and its once again going to reward a politician whos going to be preying on peoples anxieties, be it Cruz or Trump. Today, the state has fewer undocumented immigrants than it did in 2009, according to an analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center. And based on census numbers, scholars at the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University projected that one in five of the states Latino residents will be U.S. citizens by 2030. Apprehensions by the Border Patrol have been on the decline, falling 25 percent in the last fiscal year alone, in part because Mexicos improved economy has given fewer of its citizens reason to risk the perilous crossing. Still, profound challenges remain, fueled by geography the border between Arizona and Mexico runs for about 370 miles and opportunity. This month, Border Patrol agents arrested a convicted sex offender who had been previously deported as well as a man wanted for murder in Maricopa County as they tried to enter the country illegally. People are angry, theyre upset, Brewer said in an interview. The heartache and the loss and the suffering of people who have been harmed by illegal immigrants who come across our border is very real. Cruzs television ad here features Steve Ronnebeck of Mesa, whose 21-year-old son, Grant, was killed last year during a robbery at a convenience store. An unauthorized immigrant with a criminal record who was out on bond awaiting deportation is charged with murder in the case. The ad denounces Obamas executive actions on immigration. I hope I get to be there the day President Cruz tears up those illegal executive actions instituted by President Obama, Ronnebeck says in the ad. Clintons TV ad titled Valentia, which is Spanish for courage opens with split-screen images of Trump and Arpaio and a narrator declaring, When it looks like everyone is against you, learn who is your best friend. Trumps pledge to build a wall continues to be his most popular applause line at his rallies here. By contrast, Sanders, who spent much of the week traveling the state, accused Arpaio of using un-American and uncivilized law enforcement tactics against Latinos. A Merrill poll of likely voters in Arizona conducted this month showed Clinton and Trump tied if they were to face off in the general election, and Cruz with a 6 point advantage over Clinton. In a matchup between Sanders and Trump, Sanders holds a 3-point edge. The polls margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4 percentage points. The only remaining candidate who has not campaigned in Arizona is John Kasich, the Republican governor of Ohio, who nonetheless received the endorsement of the states leading newspaper, The Arizona Republic, on Friday. In an election year dominated by threats and putdowns, the newspapers editorial board wrote of Kasich, the most understated candidate is the most competent. CLAREMONT If you are looking for a manicured lawn and a gracious quadrangle Gothic maybe, or redbrick with shutters on the windows you will be disappointed. Claremont Lincoln University, a spinoff of a traditional divinity school, the Methodist-affiliated Claremont School of Theology, sits in the bowels of an anonymous office building on a busy strip in this Los Angeles suburb. Surrounding the college are an acupuncture clinic, a hair and waxing salon, and a company that sells a premature ejaculation drug on late-night infomercials. That Claremont Lincoln looks nothing like a traditional divinity school seems fitting. Its classes are online only, with students logging in from all over, and its offices are a command central for curriculum planning and marketing; no actual teaching happens here. Most of its 70 students do not plan to be members of the clergy, and while the university offers classes called Mindfulness, Collaboration and Dialogue, it has none on, say, the Old Testament, the Gospels or the Quran. Instead, the classes are intended to develop capacities for compassionate leadership, according to its mission statement. The idea behind the classes is that in a multicultural society such as ours, the right habits and tools matter more than specific knowledge, which is something that can be acquired elsewhere. When we met around a conference table, the colleges president, Eileen Aranda, explained the lack of explicitly religious coursework. We have moved past the knowledge piece, said Aranda, a former management consultant with an MBA but no training in religion. Claremont Lincoln is more interested in teaching dialogue skills, she said, than literacy in Judaism, Christianity or any particular tradition. Its not enough to know the religions. While Claremont Lincoln has been extreme in jettisoning the knowledge piece, it is not alone in sensing that divinity schools need to change to survive. According to a study released this week by the Association of Theological Schools, 55 percent of its member schools have declining enrollments. The students are aging, too by 2020, there may be more 50+ students than 20-somethings. In response, seminaries and divinity schools are in a period of unprecedented experimentation. Schools are merging; or joining together, across religious lines, in interfaith consortiums; or moving online. Last year, according to the study, more than 23,000 students took at least one distance-learning course. At least 18 schools now offer an online-only option to masters of divinity students. For generations, schools as different as the liberal Harvard Divinity School and the conservative Southern Baptist Theological Seminary have had in common a residential model: Students live on or near campus, study together and worship together. Most institutions are trying to keep some physical presence, often by working in consortiums with nearby schools from other faith traditions. Such collaborations save money, provide students a wider variety of classes and allow them to gain experience in interfaith dialogue. For example, Hebrew College, a Jewish graduate school and rabbinical seminary in Newton, Massachusetts, sits next to Andover Newton Theological School, which is Protestant, and is a member of the Boston Theological Institute, a consortium of 10 schools. The member schools, which represent traditions from Jewish to Greek Orthodox to Roman Catholic, share teaching, libraries and other resources. There are similar consortiums in Chicago and in Berkeley, California. But Andover Newton, whose antecedent, Andover Theological Seminary, was founded in 1807 as the countrys first graduate school of any kind, is selling its campus this year, the result of declining enrollments. It may merge with another seminary. Rabbi Daniel L. Lehmann, president of Hebrew College, said the interfaith relations offered by a consortium were integral to his schools mission. When I came to Hebrew College, I felt so strongly about the desire to be part of an interreligious theological consortium that I requested we become members of Boston Theological Institute, Lehmann said. They ultimately invited us to join but had to change their mission statement, because it had been specifically Christian-focused. Of course, there are limitations to some new models. They tend to eliminate tenure and job security for the professors, who are hired on a per-class basis; both Aranda, at Claremont Lincoln, and Pagitt said their teachers would be paid above typical adjunct rates. For many students, meeting online or in short, intensive bursts may not promote the kind of long-term friendships that residential students forge. A professor with whom one has spent only a week, if that, may be less likely to offer career-long mentorship. And for the schools that eliminate traditional classes in Scripture or theology, it is hard to guarantee that students are well grounded in their own traditions. Most religious leaders believe that interfaith dialogue, with the best of intentions, can be vacuous if students are not sufficiently learned. Our faculty has said you cannot be a competent religious leader if you cannot engage effectively another faith tradition, said Alice W. Hunt, president of Chicago Theological Seminary, which offers an online masters of divinity. But, she said, in order to engage another you need to have a deep engagement with your own faith tradition. If thats the case, skipping straight to the dialogue skills, as the Claremont Lincoln curriculum does, could be hazardous for some students. At the same time, Hunt said, the old model was clearly broken. Its costing mainline seminaries $48,000 to educate one student, she said. If we are charging $15,000 in tuition, we have to come up with $33,000 more. So there is something wrong with that model. And, Hunt added, there are glorious possibilities with online education. We are getting ready to graduate the first group of online M.Div. students, she said. We have someone in the Congo who is a U.N. peacekeeper and someone living in Palestine in the same class! Can you imagine the experience in that class because of what those people bring? In California, school districts and counties report they are facing an acute teacher shortage and estimate they will need to hire over 22,000 new teachers for the 2016-17 school year. In Orange County, for example, the number of teaching vacancies listed on EdJoin, the nations top education job board, increased by almost 50 percent between 2013 and 2015. The increases were even bigger in Los Angeles a 90 percent increase in job listings and San Diego, which saw an 85 percent increase in listings between 2013 and 2015. This significant demand for teachers is largely due to the aspirations of California school districts to return student-teacher ratios to pre-recession levels 1 teacher for every 20 students with the recent large windfall in education funding. The education budget for California schools was $56.6 billion in 2007-08. Spending fell to $47.3 billion in 2011-12, but has since rebounded, and state education funding has been at all-time highs since 2012-13. Californias education spending is expected to grow to $71.6 billion in 2016-17, an increase of $24.3 billion (51 percent) in five years. For K-12 schools, funding levels will have increased by nearly $3,600 per student in 2016-17 compared to 2012 levels. New teachers will be the primary investment that school districts make with this inflow of new dollars. But the supply of new teachers in California is at a 12-year low. Enrollment in teacher preparation programs at colleges has fallen by 70 percent in the last 10 years. The low number of newly credentialed teachers has led to a large increase of people being given emergency and temporary teaching credentials. According to a recent Learning Policy Institute report, in the 2014-15 school year, provisional and short-term teaching permits nearly tripled from the number issued two years earlier, growing from about 850 to more than 2,400. In all, the number of teachers hired on emergency credentials comprised a third of all new credentials issued in 2014-15. Most troubling, the proportion of un-credentialed teachers found in schools with large numbers of minority students was more than twice the number of un-credentialed teachers in low-minority schools. Similar disparities existed between the qualifications of teachers in high- and low-poverty schools. Aiming to produce more credentialed teachers, state legislators introduced a package of three bills that they hope will ease the burden of getting through teaching preparation programs and provide rigorous training for new teachers in the form of year-long residencies under the direction of experienced mentor teachers. But in their rush to add new teachers, California school districts may be overlooking one of the most cost-effective ways to raise teacher quality. A new Brookings Institute study, The Power of Teacher Selection to Improve Education, offers compelling evidence that picking higher-quality teaching candidates on the front end of the hiring process can make big differences in teacher quality. Brookings found that job applicants with higher GPAs and those from more selective colleges performed systematically better in the classroom than otherwise identical candidates. In fact, the report found that the difference between applicants in the top quartile and the bottom quartile was so big that it was the equivalent to the improvement that an average teacher makes between her first and third year on the job. These results suggest that improving teacher selection can be a relatively low cost way to improve the teacher workforce. If California is going to continue making a huge financial investment in new teachers, improving teacher selection is crucial to improving teacher quality. Focusing on a hiring process that identifies the best teaching candidates will help students in the classroom immediately, and reduce the costs assocaiteed with trying to dismiss low-performing teachers. Lisa Snell is director of education at Reason Foundation. Attorneys for The Orange County Registers owner filed a motion Saturday asking a bankruptcy judge to approve the companys sale to Digital First Media, the second-highest bidder in last weeks newspaper auction. The $56 million bid by Tribune Publishing, owner of the Los Angeles Times, cant be accepted because an eleventh-hour antitrust court order prevents the company from closing the deal on time, Freedom Communications lawyer William Lobel said. Were going to go in and ask the judge on Monday to approve (Digital First Media) as the successful bidder, Lobel said. Digital First Media is the nations second-largest newspaper company by circulation, with 65 daily and Sunday newspapers and at least 265 websites in 18 states. The company owns the Long Beach Press-Telegram, Los Angeles Daily News and seven other Southern California newspapers. Freedoms request will be considered at Mondays 9 a.m. hearing before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Mark Wallace in Santa Ana. The judge presides over the bankruptcy of Freedom Communications, which owns the Register and The Press-Enterprise in Riverside and is embroiled in its second bankruptcy in seven years. Wallaces challenge changed late Friday when antitrust regulators won a key battle: U.S. District Court Judge Andre Birotte Jr. issued a temporary restraining order that halted Tribunes purchase due to concerns that the deal may create a Southern California news monopoly. Its unclear if Tribune will try to fight; a hearing on the restraining order is set for March 28. Monopoly concerns It may be that Tribune will lose the opportunity to acquire the Register and Press-Enterprise in favor of the second place bidder, Birotte wrote. However, this private harm does not outweigh the public interest in the preservation of competition, especially given the governments likelihood of success on the merits. Lobel said the restraining order makes it unlikely Tribune will be able to close a sale by a March 31 dead-line. The Tribune cannot close, so whats (Judge Wallace) going to say? Lobel said Saturday. Ron Hasse, president of the Digital First Medias Los Angeles News Group, declined to comment until after Mondays hearing. Tribune Publishing spokesperson Hillary Manning concurred that the restraining order may block Tribune from buying Freedom. We believe the Antitrust Division continues to overlook the commercial realities of modern media in which Internet-delivered services are aggressively competing with the newspaper industry, Manning said. The practical effect of the order will be to force Freedoms newspapers into the hands of an alternative bidder that will be less able to reduce cost and achieve efficiencies, with the likely effect that the journalism serving the local communities will be diminished. Fridays antitrust ruling capped a wild week in the newspaper bankruptcy. It started Monday when, just two days before the auction, the U.S. Justice Departments antitrust regulators warned Freedoms bankruptcy attorneys that they would fight if Tribune won the bidding. That helped create the contentious atmosphere for Wednesdays marathon auction process that included Tribune, Digital First and an investor group led by Freedom CEO Rich Mirman and Orange County developer Mike Harrah. Numerous legal questions were debated through the day, delaying the actual bidding for roughly 10 hours. When it was all done, past 10 p.m., all three bidders had beefs about the process. Tribune complained in court papers that Digital First had been improperly awarded the stalking horse bid the auctions official opening offer which earns Digital First roughly $1.5 million in fees. Digital First questioned whether Tribune even had the right to bid, just two days after federal regulators warned of serious antitrust issues. And Mirmans group left the bidding after protesting the unfairness of a demand by creditors for $5 million extra for waivers against future litigation against its members. What Wallace thinks of the squabbles remains to be seen. But he faces a challenge to manage the process so the sale can close by March 31. Thats when Freedoms bankruptcy financing runs out, and Freedom needs the auction proceeds to pay off its lender, Silver Point Finance. Veteran umpire Wallace, a legal veteran who has spent a half-decade on the bench, is no stranger to tough bankruptcy decisions or heated media battles. A longtime legal counsel at private law firms, Wallace began his tenure as a bankruptcy judge on Jan. 1, 2011. He was among three judges hand-picked that year by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Since 2011, Wallace has presided over dozens of bankruptcies, including some involving corporations or business groups such as the Beverly Hills Hospitality Group, North American Healthcare Inc., Mega RV Corp., Gordian Medical Inc., AuraSounds Inc., and the Zulki Corp. More recently, Wallace has been assigned to oversee another media-related bankruptcy involving Little Saigon News. In 2014, Little Saigon News lost a $4.5 million libel verdict, after spreading false rumors alleging that rival journalists had communist ties. After the verdict, a superior court judge ordered that Little Saigon News publisher Brigitte Huynh turn over the paper and its assets to its rival, Nguoi Viet Daily News. Along with appealing the verdict, Little Saigon News filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Eleventh-hour drama Wednesdays auction created what Freedoms creditors called in court papers a truly meaningful success. Court documents detail just how heated the bidding got, at least price-wise. Mirmans group at one point offered $23 million, and Tribune offered $24 million, according to an analysis by Freedoms investment banker. Tribune made its own stalking horse offer: $30 million on Feb. 9 and $41 million two days later, according to Freedoms bankruptcy counsel. Digital First attorneys on March 9 agreed to a $45.5 million stalking horse bid, though they noted they would have bid far less as low as $20 million if they didnt get the auction-opening offer. Despite all the complaining, the five rounds of bidding were robust and when it ended late Wednesday night, Tribune won at $56 million more than double the early low-ball bids. With the clock ticking toward a closing date, Tribune quickly ran into trouble. Thursday afternoon, Justice attorneys sued to block Tribunes purchase of the Register and the Press-Enterprise. Friday night, Judge Birotte in Los Angeles agreed to a temporary injunction. Perhaps both sides could have anticipated antitrust problems sooner and dealt with them on some basis other than on an application for a (temporary restraining order) resolved in a matter of hours, Birotte wrote. Indeed, Tribune evidently anticipated potential antitrust issues long ago because it secured antitrust counsel, yet it appears that it failed to vet its intentions with the government voluntarily. Birotte also noted that local newspapers, unlike news-aggregation websites, continue to serve a unique function in the marketplace: They are the creators of local content. The auction made Digital First the official back-up bid. The Denver-based company also is the parent of the Los Angeles News Group, which owns nine Southern California papers: the Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Whittier Daily News, Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and Redlands Daily Facts. Its flagship papers are The Denver Post and San Jose Mercury News. The company is owned by Alden Global Capital, a private hedge fund known for investing in distressed newspapers. Alden was one of several investors with a stake in Freedom Communications after its first bankruptcy in 2009. Lobel said Saturday that Digital Firsts final bid was $51.8 million, plus additional money down the road. The offer is about $2 million less than Tribunes bid. But it doesnt matter, he said. Its not like we have a lot of choice. Staff Writer Sean Emery contributed to this report KIEV, Ukraine When she moved into her office as deputy speaker of parliament a little over a year ago, Oksana I. Syroyid hung a large oil painting called The Edge of the Sky Is Glowing. It shows a man turning his back on the viewer while flames burn on the horizon. This, she said, is every oligarch and every Russian agent who is still in Ukraine. With her own fast burn of ambition, ferocity and style, Syroyid, of the center-right Self-Reliance party, has shot to the top of Ukrainian politics. A political insurgent, she has made a signature issue of derailing a peace agreement with Russia and, in the process, may have eclipsed the former prime minister, Yulia V. Tymoshenko, as the most powerful female politician in Ukraine. A 39-year-old native of the Lviv region in the countrys nationalist west, Syroyid, a former law professor, talks boldly about Ukraine acting in its own interests, not those of outside powers. We need to stop thinking of how to counter Putin, or how to please all our partners, she said in a recent interview. The question many here ask is whether Syroyid, a relative newcomer, can somehow master the byzantine structure of Ukrainian politics and emerge as the one to lead the country out of the morass of corruption and government dysfunction that threatens its future. Or, is she just another in a line of ambitious upstarts causing Western governments their latest headache in Ukraine and, possibly, taking the country down with her? One thing is certain: She is not afraid to take a stand. To the dismay of Western diplomats, Syroyid (pronounced Seer-o-Eed) has blocked parliament from passing a constitutional amendment granting virtual autonomy to the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine a central element of the Minsk II peace accord that ended the hot war in Ukraine a year ago. Last month, she pulled the Self-Reliance party out of the ruling coalition, inviting new parliamentary elections despite strong feelings in Brussels and Washington that Ukraine is too unstable to go through another round of voting. We have to be ourselves, she said in a recent interview. And only if we are good at that will we have partners and friends. A bookish, bespectacled expert on the Ukrainian Constitution, Syroyid put away her professorial turtlenecks when she entered politics and now dresses to the nines, saying she is taking a cue from Tymoshenko, the braided, crusading pioneer of female politicians in this patriarchal country. She definitely is the brightest person in Ukrainian politics, and not only among women, said Syroyid, who earned a law degree in Canada. She is very stylish, and has a very feminine look. At the same time she is known for her tough decisions. None have been tougher than parliaments de facto rejection of Minsk II, which takes its name from the capital of Belarus, where President Petro O. Poroshenko and Russias president, Vladimir Putin, signed it, with French and German mediation. Syroyid, who entered parliament in 2014, has emerged as the face of this rejection, unabashedly rallying her fellow members of parliament to stand fast against Western pressure. While politicians in Russia and Ukraine have taken turns blaming one another for stalling the implementation of Minsk II, Syroyid has proudly taken credit. After visiting Syroyid last month, and again hearing she would not budge, Germanys foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said this week the credibility of the Minsk process was threatened. Both sides need to perform, he said. Under Paragraph 11 of the accord, Ukraine was supposed to adopt the constitutional amendment by the end of last year, but did not, as Syroyid worked tirelessly to dissuade her colleagues from voting for it. The change, Syroyid said, would allow the Kremlin to regain a foothold in Ukrainian politics by requiring the central government to recognize, and integrate, the Russian-backed leadership in the east. It would, for example, allow the rebel leadership, with a track record of holding sham elections, to fill 14 vacant parliamentary seats in Kiev. Until Russian soldiers leave the Donbas region, she says, Ukraine should refuse any integration and call it an occupied territory. Russia wants to destabilize Ukraine, she said. This Paragraph 11 of the Minsk agreement is an instrument just like the war. This is not for the sake of resolution of the conflict; it is for the sake of destabilizing Ukraine. Poroshenko agreed to the terms as Russian army units and Russian-backed rebels were closing in on a Ukrainian force of about 5,000 soldiers cut off from resupply in Debaltseve, a town in eastern Ukraine. In the talks mediated by Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and President Francois Hollande of France, the soldiers lives were weighed against the cost of longer-term political concessions, some of which required passage in parliament. But Syroyid said that the Russians never observed the cease-fire in Debaltseve and that Ukrainian soldiers were forced to flee under fire three days after it was to have taken effect. The government has said 179 soldiers died in the battle, 81 went missing and 110 were captured, and Syroyid says Ukraine is on the moral high ground today in stalling on the political demands. Syroyid advocates abandoning the Minsk deal and declaring rebel zones occupied territory, for Russia to finance and feed, without a chance for integration until the Russian army leaves. This is not a victory; it is just common sense, she said. Verizon, we have a problem. The phone service provider is showing significant outages across Southern California, according to its outages map. The region was swallowed under a cloud of red on the map, indicating network issues. The outage began around 1 p.m. and extended from Santa Barbara south to San Diego, including Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties, along with parts of the Inland Empire, according to the website DownDetector.com. Verizon is currently experiencing a service disruption affecting voice service in parts of Los Angeles and San Diego and surrounding communities. Technicians are on site and working to resolve as quickly as possible, the company said in a statement. Earlier today, Verizon Wireless experienced a service disruption affecting voice service in parts of Los Angeles and San Diego and surrounding communities, company spokeswoman Heidi Flato said in a statement. Technicians worked quickly to resolve the issue and service was fully restored at 5:38 p.m. this evening. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Flato did not specify a cause or a number of affected customers. The hashtag #Verizonoutage erupted Friday on Twitter, with users complaining about the outages. I am a victim of Verizageddon!! #Verizonoutage @VZWSupport, @eeLnyboR tweeted. @verizon I cant make or receive calls. Its been at least 4 hours now. How has there been no statement on this yet?! #verizonoutage #refund, @Sneakerfeen58 tweeted. #VerizonOutage @verizon I cant hear you now! #cellphone #technology #verizon #iphone, @ewsjuli tweeted. It wasnt just Southern California. The network, according to Verizons map, appears to be having outages in many major cities. City News Service contributed to this report. Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans Tickets have now been made available to the public for the inaugural David Kelly Black Tie Ball in the Hamlet Court Hotel, Johnstownbridge, which takes place on November 15. Tickets have now been made available to the public for the inaugural David Kelly Black Tie Ball in the Hamlet Court Hotel, Johnstownbridge, which takes place on November 15. The event will be hosted by Davids family, and will mark the first anniversary of Davids passing, which occurred on November 25, 2013. David Kelly of Gilroy Avenue, Edenderry, passed away aged 49, from complications due to the largely unknown lung condition, sarcoidosis. The David Kelly Black Tie Ball has been organised by Davids daughter Arlene Kelly, and his sister Helen King, in conjunction with the Irish Sarcoidosis Support Network (ISARC), and all funds raised from the event will contribute to the charitys work in research and support for those affected by the illness. Speaking about the event this week, Arlene commented, the event is an opportunity for the whole of Edenderry and surrounding areas to dress up and spend a night celebrating the life of my wonderful Daddy. There has already been great interest shown at home and abroad, with some people intending to fly in from the UK to attend, and it is sure to be a great success, Arlene added. On November 15, the night will begin with a drinks reception on arrival at 7pm, while dinner will be served at 8pm, and music will be provided by Midnite Blue. There will be lots of dancing to be done with the fantastic Midnite Blue, Arlene remarked. We are delighted to have them play at the very first event in Daddys name. Edenderry based photographer Finn Mooney will attend on the night to provide a pop-up photo booth, where people can gather to capture their night in a once off photograph that will be printed and available to collect after the meal for a small fee. This unique offer from Finn Mooney is a wonderful addition to the night, and also a way in which people can remember the David Kelly Black Tie Ball for years to come, Arlene stated. The organisers would also like to point people in the direction of Dermot Hall Menswear, Edenderry, who are offering the rental of a full tuxedo to anyone attending the David Kelly Black Tie Ball at a special rate of 50. The primary role of this event for the family of David Kelly is to raise much needed sarcoidosis awareness. Chairperson of the Irish Sarcoidosis Network (ISARC), Mary Walters noted, since my very first meeting with Arlene and Helen I have been inspired by the passion and drive that they have shown in organising this event. One can only admire their selfless motivation in helping other families affected by sarcoidosis.This fantastic event will serve to raise awareness of sarcoidosis and help ISARC continue to support those suffering from this often very debilitating disease. David was symptom-free and living a full life until June 2013, but passed away just five months later after being diagnosed with the relatively unknown condition. Despite its absence from the public consciousness, sarcoidosis actually affects around 5,500 people in Ireland, five times as many people currently suffering from Cystic Fibrosis, a disease which has a far more widespread public profile. Sarcoidosis is an auto-immune disease, primarily affecting the lungs, that causes an abnormal immune response, resulting in an excess build-up of white blood cells that leads to the formation of granulomas on the affected organ. Sarcoidosis can also affect the eyes, lymph-nodes, and skin. Sarcoidosis is a difficult disease to diagnose as the symptoms can be very similar to a number of other diseases, and there is no definite test for Sarcoidosis. A detailed medical history and a physical examination by your doctor can lead to further diagnostic tests such as: chest x-ray, blood tests, and lung function tests. Worldwide, sarcoidosis has an instance rate of around 1 to 2 people in every 10,000, but for an unknown reason, Ireland has one of the highest rates of sarcoidosis in the world. Arlene also commented on the need for awareness this week. The cause of sarcoidosis is still unknown and I think it is so important for people to be aware, and to get themselves checked out for an illness that can go undetected. Sadly, I have lost my Daddy too early in life, and if this awareness and fundraising can be carried out in his name, I will be very proud. For more information about sarcoidosis and the ISARC charity, please visit www.isarc.ie. If you would like to help this charity and join David Kellys family in a celebration of his life on November 15, tickets for the event, which are set at 50, can be purchased through Arlene at 087-3290219 or kelly.arlene3@gmail.com, or Helen at 087-9959754 or helenck138@gmail.com. Alternatively, people can make contact through the David Kelly Black Tie Ball Facebook page. The tickets have been on sale for less than a week and Arlene Kelly has described the reaction as unbelievable as they are selling so quickly. The Kelly family would like to extend sincere thanks to all those who have sponsored this event to date, and these sponsors include: Newbridge Silverware, Dermot Hall Menswear, Finn Mooney, Screenmax International, McDonald International, A&L Goodbody Solicitors, The Hamlet Court Hotel, and Smiley Monroe Ltd. Kilisha Glennon is a nine year old girl from Coolstown, Carrick Road, Edenderry. She is a kind, caring and loving little girl who like any other nine year old is into music, dancing and hip hop and fashion. She is in Rang 3 at the Gael Scoil in Edenderry. Kilisha Glennon is a nine year old girl from Coolstown, Carrick Road, Edenderry. She is a kind, caring and loving little girl who like any other nine year old is into music, dancing and hip hop and fashion. She is in Rang 3 at the Gael Scoil in Edenderry. Two years ago her whole life was turned upside when she was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour on March 9, her seventh birthday. Despite having major surgery in Temple Street Childrens Hospital, Kilisha has a long hard road ahead of her and is still attending hospital for more treatments. So when Share a Dream Foundation were asked to make brave Kilishas dream of becoming a top model and feel like a Princess for a day a reality they immediately set about bringing her dream to her very doorstep. We move heaven and earth to make dreams come true for very sick children like Kilisha all over Ireland who have suffered so much pain, heartache and disappointments in their short but traumatic young lives, said Shay Kinsella founder of Share a Dream. On Thursday March 29 Kilishas day began when she and her family (all eight of them) travelled to Athlone by special Garda escort and stayed in the fabulous 4 star Sheraton Hotel. After some refreshments Kilisha met her two ladies in waiting and three Bodyguards. Then in true model style it was into one of her two BMWs (kindly supplied by Colm Quinn Motors) to start her day! Kilisha was accompanied by her Mother Siobhan and her sister Clodagh (10), while her dad Austin and her other siblings Emma (5), Aoife (2) and Coleisia (19 months) waited at the hotel to see the results of the transformation. First stop for Kilisha and her entourage was Sherbert Kids boutique for two gorgeous outfits and shoes. Then off to ColorStarz Salon for a fab hairdo and even the bodyguards got a quick wash done! Then make-up and nails and some pampering at Geraldines Beauty Salon. After a hectic morning a bite of lunch was then in order at Quiqleys Restaurant where they were joined by the rest of the family. Back to the hotel and after a much needed rest and a delicious dinner in the Harvest Cafe then it was time to get ready for the finale that evening when Kilisha strutted her stuff on the catwalk. Kilisha in true model style walked the catwalk accompanied by celebrity Jamie Lang of Made In Chelsea and her mum Siobhan modelling her outfit at the Cause for Fashion show for a couple of hundred guests who gave her a standing ovation. It was a dream come true for Kilisha and her family. Share a Dream would like to take this opportunity to extend a huge thank you Jennifer McGuire, Traci Brennan, the Sheraton Athlone Hotel, Geraldines Health & Beauty Clinic, Sherbet, ColorStarz Hairdressers, Quigleys, Cafe Togo, The Harvest Cafe and An Garda Siochana, Colm Quinn BMW and all the wonderful people in Athlone for helping to make this dream a reality for Kilisha and her family. Kilishas dad Austin this week told the Offaly Express we cant say enough good things about the Share A Dream foundation, Shay and Ciara and the team were wonderful and made Kilishas dream came true. Everyone was so good to her on the day. Her Ladies-in-Waiting and the Bodyguards were great fun and treated her like a princess. We also want to thank her school principal Pola Ni Chinneaide at Gael Scoil Edenderry for all her support. Since Apple introduced the first iPhone in 2007, mobile handsets have only gotten bigger. CEO Tim Cook will buck that trend Monday when he presents a smaller iPhone, seeking to entice holdouts to upgrade to a new smartphone even if they dont want a larger device. The ambitions for the new phone may match its diminutive size: Unlike previous new versions, the 4-inch iPhone wont be packed full of technological innovations intended to lure hordes of Apple fans into lining up around the block on launch day. Instead, its meant to woo those still clinging to the more than two-year-old 5S or 5C, the last models with the more compact screen. It will really just replace the 5S at the low end of the lineup, said Chris Caso, a New York-based Susquehanna International Group analyst. The 5S is getting a bit old now and wont run the operating system that well for much longer. The company is rolling out the new phone two months after saying that quarterly sales were likely to decline for the first time in more than a decade, highlighting concern that iPhone growth has reached its limits. Analysts from UBS Group to RBC Capital Markets predict that shipments of the iPhone SE the expected name of the new model will be about 15 million annually. But its smaller size and lower price could encourage existing customers to step up at a time of year when sales often slow. Apple sold more than 231 million iPhones in 2015; those sales dipped between April and September, as has been the case in previous years. The company is introducing the new, smaller iPhone at a time when customers are holding onto their handsets longer. Wireless carriers such as AT&T and Verizon Wireless are no longer subsidizing new iPhone purchases as they once did, making customers more apt to question whether new models are worth he expenditure. A slowing upgrade cycle is something Apple has experienced with the iPad, too, which has seen sales steadily decline for several quarters. The replacement cycle for iPhones has stretched to 27 months, compared with the 23 months of two years ago, RBC analyst Amit Daryanani wrote in a note to clients this week. The new handset will ensure that consumers who have a three-year-old 5S or 5C dont switch to Android for lack of new iPhone products. At the moment, owners of an older iPhone who are thinking of upgrading have two choices: spend $549 on the basic version of the iPhone 6, the 2014 edition, or buy a less-expensive Android-based phone. Apples new lower-end model may persuade customers to stick with its products, allowing it to keep selling them services through the App Store or subscription-based products such as Apple Music and iCloud. The new smartphone will boast a faster processor than the 5S, a person familiar with the details has said. Like the iPhone 5C, it might also be available in a variety of colors, analysts have said. Cook will wield a new iPad at Mondays event as well. Details about it, too, are scant. The tablet has endured its own drop in revenue unit sales fell by a quarter in the three months through December as users have been happy to retain older models. Security National Bank of Omahas Jim Landen was snarled in traffic earlier this week, caught up in a side effect of the ongoing redevelopment that has rejuvenated neighborhoods and commerce in midtown Omaha. The chairman and chief executive of the ninth-largest Nebraska-based bank said his normal path to Security Nationals newly rebuilt branch at 3500 Farnam St. was rerouted by yet another construction project, but he wasnt fazed by it. That branch near 35th Avenue and Farnam Street for years has been one of the banks busiest, and Landen said that it, like some other properties in the area, was long overdue for an overhaul. Rebuilding the nearly 50-year-old branch that his father, Clarence Mickey Landen Jr., and associates built in 1966 included changing the orientation of the branch to give it a storefront presence, Landen said. That seems an ostensible compromise from preliminary plans that called for a multistory, mixed-use development that would have included commercial space. We considered a much more dense development with a retail aspect but decided that were in the banking business, so lets do what works best for us, Landen said. Initial plans for the buildings predecessor, too, called for mixed-use property featuring a branch on the ground floor of a 10-story building. Although the idea was scrapped, the old propertys footings were built to allow for a future upward expansion that never came to fruition. Jamie Eads of Birmingham, Alabama-based Bancography said thats not surprising, because many banks just dont want to be in the business of managing loans in addition to tenants. According to data from Eads financial institution consulting firm, theres plenty to pay attention to in the neighborhood, anyhow; there are 35 competing bank or credit union branches, 1,800 businesses and 30,000 households within a 2-mile radius of Security Nationals rebuilt branch, Bancography data show. Very few branches in the area have showed any decline in deposits, and thats a positive indicator of good things going on, Eads said. Thats not to say Security National didnt shrink elsewhere: The banks newest branch has less than one-third the floor area, half as many drive-thru windows and almost a third as many teller windows as its predecessor. Its a reflection of customers inclination to do more of their banking online rather than in branches, Landen said. According to regulatory filings, growth in the banks core deposits increased about 17 percent, to $710 million, in 2015 from 2014. Those particular deposits come from local individuals and businesses that are generally considered a banks most loyal customers. People feel the desire to patronize local businesses and reinvest in their communities, and that goes for corporate citizens, too, Landen said. That, Landen explained, influenced the banks decision to spend $6 million to redevelop the site of its oldest branch in an area that has seen hundreds of millions of dollars worth of projects over the years from neighbors like Kiewit Corp. and Mutual of Omaha. Weve been here for 50 years, Landen said, and we should be here for another 50 years. Contact the writer: 402-444-1534, cole.epley@owh.com COUNCIL BLUFFS -- Jonathon Oros-Moreno learned the hard way that attempting to sell 2 pounds of methamphetamine to undercover narcotics officers doesn't turn out well. On Wednesday, Oros-Moreno, a 29-year-old citizen of Mexico, was sentenced to 100 months in prison, just over eight years, for possession with intent to deliver meth. Oros-Moreno was arrested on July 24, 2014, by the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force, working with the Federal Bureau of Investigations Safe Streets Task Force. Officers bought two 1-pound packages of meth from Oros-Moreno before serving a search warrant on his Council Bluffs apartment. Once inside, law enforcement located 12 more 1-pound packages of methamphetamine. Council Bluffs Police Sgt. Robert Christensen, who works for the Council Bluffs Police Departments vice and narcotics unit, said, according to 2012 numbers, a pound of meth sells in Omaha for between $18,000 and $22,800 or up to $319,200 for 14 pounds. IOWA CITY A man accused of calling in a bomb threat to an Iowa City high school and robbing a bank in January is scheduled for trial June 21. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that 30-year-old Clifton R. Brinkmeyer pleaded not guilty to charges of terrorism and second-degree robbery March 9. Emergency dispatchers received a call Jan. 19 about an explosive at West High School. The building was evacuated until law enforcement was able to determine there wasnt a threat. A bank about five miles east of the high school was robbed 20 minutes after the call. Authorities say Brinkmeyer was arrested after matching witness descriptions. Each week, see pictures of area students, parents and teachers as they navigate through the 2015-16 academic year. Have photos of your school's pep rally, dance or just everyday school life? Send them our way to goodnews@owh.com. (Click on photo to enlarge; mobile users having difficulty seeing pictures can click here:) Creighton University soccer players Felix Kollmannthaler, left, and Stefan Wutte call out bingo numbers during Ralston Middle School's Bingo Night on Thursday. MacKenzie Rieder shaves the head of Ralston Middle School principal Andy Parizek's head during Bingo Night recently. The event raised $2,785, and Parizek promised to shave his head if over $2,500 was raised. Mercy High School students will be heading to the state competition as a result of their placements at the Omaha National History Day competition held at The Durham Museum March 2. Pictured here is Madison Richter-Egger who won first place on her exhibit on Dr. Seuss, whose birthday was the day of the competition. Holy Name School kindergarten students posed for super hero pictures last week. Each of the students struck their favorite super hero pose and put on great big smiles. The students were given a poster to take home to their families. Pictured is kindergarten student Uyioghosa Idukpaye. St. Bernard Catholic School's 25th annual Bible Bowl was held March 5. Teams from 11 schools participated. The team was from St. Pius/St. Leo won first place. Team members not in order in the photo: Gabe O'Doherty, Martha Engel, Lauren Goebel, Caleb Hans, Jacob Dasher and Wistrom Herfordt. St. Cecilia Cathedral School's annual operetta, "Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum," was performed on March 9-11 to a full house. Students in third through eighth grades participated in the musical centered on the Jack in the Beanstalk story. The directors were St. Cecilia faculty members Carol Walters, Tammy Mateljan and Mary Pistek. St. Cecilia School has been producing operettas for more than 45 years. Fifth-grade students in Kim Mahoney's class at St. Margaret Mary School entered the 2016 OPPD Marshmallow Challenge. The goal of the contest is to build the tallest, free-standing structure out of only spaghetti, tape & string and a marshmallow, in 20 minutes or less. Teams consist of three to four students. The completion is held in honor of National Engineer's Week with the goal of inspiring young people to consider a career in the field. For the second year in a row, St. Margaret Mary won the city-wide competition. Winners received goody bags and a visit from OPPD engineers. Multicultural Fair: Visitors to Fremont High Schools third annual Multicultural Fair had the opportunity to sample ethnic foods such as pupusos, horchatas, empanadas, cakes, egg rolls, tamarindoes, jamaicas, kolaches and sauerkraut. Displays with facts about the countries these foods originated in were set up on tables along with the food samples. World culture event: The Omaha Public Schools THRIVE Leadership Club and Generacion N will present the third annual THRIVE World Culture Event and Generacion N Talent Show Saturday from 3:30 to 6 p.m. and 6:30 to 8 p.m., respectively, in the South High School gym. The event, which celebrates the diversity of cultures and ethnicities represented within OPS, is free. At the World Culture Event, guests will travel from tent to tent where they will be introduced to the language, history, religion, traditions and cuisine of Thailand, Nepal, Africa and Latin America. A few of the menu items guests can look forward to tasting: pad Thai and rice (Thailand); momos, a type of dumpling, samosas and roti (Nepal); rice with goat and samosas (Africa); enchiladas, pozole, papusas, ceviche, gorditas mole and frijoles (Latin America). The OPS Migrant Education Program and the Avenue Scholars Foundation are sponsoring the event. Quiz bowl: Norris Middle School will hold a Quiz Bowl competition for sixth- through eighth-graders from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in the cafeteria, auditorium and selected classrooms. During the morning rounds, four-person teams will compete head-to-head in science, English, geography, history, government, music, mathematics, art and subject-specific trivia competitions to determine seeding for the afternoon competition. The afternoon rounds are a single-elimination tournament. The goal is to give students an opportunity to compete as they prepare for the Thursdays finals at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The Omaha Public Schools Gifted and Talented Office is the sponsor. Survivors speak: North High School is celebrating its cultural diversity with a series of activities to promote tolerance, respect and a peaceful co-existence. On Wednesday, students viewed the documentary Facing Fear, based on the life story of Matt Boger, who was the victim of a hate crime while living in Los Angeles. Following the viewing, Boger lead a question-and-answer session with students. At 11:30 a.m. March 28, students will hear the story of a Holocaust survivor living in Los Angeles via Skype. At 9:30 a.m. April 1, Holocaust survivor Magda Brown will share her life story with students. Trivia night winners: Roncalli High Schools second annual Trivia Night united 400 alumni, supporters, parents, faculty and staff to raise more than $11,000 last month. 20. Questions ranged from sitcom theme songs to historic literature, from scientific facts to movies and Disney trivia. The winning team had the highest score following 10 rounds of 10 questions each. The team included Amy and Paul Vacek; Dan (class of 1990) and Connie Vacek; Joann Martin; Maricruz Soto and Mike Burgess (class of 1990). The winning team received tickets to the St. James-Seton Fish Fry, a two-hour rental of Ollie the Trolley and $100. The second-place team won tickets to the Holy Name Fish Fry. Essay contest: Omaha area eighth-graders can compete in the Omaha Bar Associations annual Law Day Essay Contest. This years theme is Miranda: More than Words. Essays should be 200-250 words and typewritten, and they must be postmarked by March 28. Submit them to Donna Olson, Bar Liaison, Omaha Legal Professionals Association, 409 S. 17th St., Omaha, NE 68102. Winners will be guests at the Law Day Luncheon on May 3 at the Marriott Hotel, 10220 Regency Circle. First-, second- and third-place winners will receive cash prizes. For details, go to lawday.org. DES MOINES (AP) Senate Democrats revived an effort Thursday to expand state oversight of Medicaid and boarding schools in Iowa, and House Republicans said they support some aspects of the proposals but would introduce their own versions. The five-member Senate Government Oversight Committee voted to advance legislation that would add oversight to Iowas $4.2 billion Medicaid program as well as to private facilities that offer residential services to minors. The bills now head to the Democratic-majority Senate, which approved nearly identical legislation earlier this session when they were brought up by separate policy committees. Those bills did not survive a legislative deadline, and their placement on the oversight committee was a maneuver to revive them this year. The committee can introduce bills that are not subject to such deadlines. Republican leaders say they support oversight on both issues, but theyve indicated they plan to introduce their own bills. House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, said lawmakers in her chamber are working on legislation that addresses oversight of Medicaid, the program that provides health care services to roughly 560,000 poor and disabled people. It is scheduled to switch to private management on April 1, and critics have expressed concern about the transition. State officials say theyve addressed those concerns, but some advocacy groups and Senate Democrats say theyre still receiving complaints from Medicaid recipients and health providers. Upmeyer said House lawmakers intend to introduce a bill soon and meet with Senate Democrats looking for common ground, looking at the pieces they agree on and kind of having conversations where perhaps they dont agree. Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton and chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee, has launched an investigation into Midwest Academy, a now-closed boarding school in southeast Iowa that prompted the legislation on boarding schools. Authorities are investigating sex abuse allegations at the facility, which was not licensed by the state but was still able to operate. Kaufmann said he intends to introduce similar but separate legislation from what is advancing through the Senate. It would include penalties for private facilities that post false advertisement about their services and acknowledge schools that already follow some state regulation. Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames and chairman of the Senate Education Committee, pushed the original oversight bill on boarding schools. He acknowledged Kaufmanns efforts and said he was hopeful the issue isnt dead, but he said House Republicans dropped the ball by not advancing the original legislation. Upmeyer said Quirmbach is entitled to his opinion and the topic will be addressed. BRUSSELS (AP) Police raiding an apartment building captured Europes most wanted fugitive Friday, arresting the prime suspect in last years deadly Paris attacks in the same Brussels neighborhood where he grew up. Hours later, the French president said that more people were involved in the attacks than previously thought and predicted more arrests would follow. Two other people believed linked to the attacks were still being sought, including fellow Molenbeek neighborhood resident Mohamed Abrini and a man known under the alias of Soufiane Kayal. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel called Fridays actions a success in the fight against terrorism. Salah Abdeslam, 26, is a childhood friend of the suspected ringleader of the attacks. Investigators believe he drove a car carrying a group of gunmen who took part in the shootings. After the Paris bloodbath, he slipped through a dragnet to return to Brussels and eluded capture for four months, despite an international manhunt. He was believed to have slipped through police fingers at least once, possibly twice. At one point, Belgian authorities locked down their capital for several days but failed to find him. His capture brought instant relief to police and ordinary people in France and Belgium who had been looking over their shoulder for Abdeslam since Nov. 13, when Islamic extremist attackers fanned out across the French capital and killed 130 people at a rock concert, the national stadium and cafes. It was Frances deadliest attack in decades. Abdeslam and four other suspects were detained in Fridays raid, including three members of a family that sheltered him. Abdeslam was shot in the leg, officials said. During Fridays police operation, a phalanx of officers in camouflage, masks and riot helmets marched through the neighborhood with guns and automatic weapons drawn, escorting people out of buildings. Authorities first sealed off the neighborhood. Then police began shouting to a particular apartment, demanding that the occupants come out with their hands up, said Fatiha Hrika, a 39-year-old child care worker who lives a few doors down from where the raid happened. After shots were fired, she said, they piled in. We heard noises all around. And thats when they pulled out the Salah (guy.) They put him to the ground. She described seeing the suspect put into an ambulance followed by a SWAT team. Frances BFM television broadcast images of police tugging a man with a white hooded sweat shirt toward a police car, as he dragged his left leg as if it were injured. Abdeslam was not armed but did not immediately obey orders when confronted by police, prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt said. It was possible he had spent days, weeks or months in the apartment, according to Van der Sypt, who said the investigation would continue day and night. French President Francois Hollande said authorities will need to detain anyone who aided the attacks in any way. He said that those people are much more numerous than authorities had believed and that the French government would seek to have Abdeslam extradited. President Barack Obama congratulated the leaders of Belgium and France over the arrest, in phone calls with both men, the White House said. Fridays capture of Abdeslam came after Belgian authorities said they found his fingerprints in an apartment raided earlier this week in another Brussels neighborhood. In that raid, a man believed to have been an accomplice of Abdeslam Mohamed Belkaid was shot dead, Belgian prosecutors said. But two men escaped from the apartment, one of whom appears to have been Abdeslam. Most of the Paris attackers died on the night of the attacks, including Abdeslams brother Brahim, who blew himself up. Brahim Abdeslam was buried in Brussels Thursday. Salah Abdeslams role in the attacks is not entirely clear. The car he drove was abandoned in northern Paris, and his mobile phone and an explosive vest he had apparently used were later found in the Paris suburb of Montrouge, raising the possibility that he aborted his mission, either ditching a malfunctioning vest or fleeing in fear. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks, in which Belgian nationals played key roles. On Tuesday, a joint team of Belgian and French police showed up to search a residence in the Forest area of Brussels in connection with the Paris investigation. They were unexpectedly fired upon by at least two people inside. An occupant of the residence was shot dead by a police sniper as he prepared to open fire on police from a window. Police identified him as Belkaid, 35, an Algerian national living illegally in Belgium. A Kalashnikov assault rifle was found by his body, as well as a book on Salafism, an ultraconservative strain of Islam. Elsewhere in the apartment, police found an Islamic State banner as well as 11 Kalashnikov loaders and a large quantity of ammunition, the prosecutor said. Belgian authorities initially said Belkaid had no known background in radical Islamic activities. But Friday afternoon, prosecutors issued a statement saying he was most probably an accomplice of Abdeslam who had been using a fake Belgian ID card. A man using that ID card was one of the two men seen with Salah Abdeslam in a rental car on the Hungarian-Austrian border in September. Four days after the Paris attacks, the same false ID card was used to transfer 750 euros ($847) to Hasna Ait Boulahcen, a cousin of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected ringleader. Ait Boulahcen and Abaaoud died afterward in a police siege. In January, Belgian authorities said one of Abdeslams fingerprints was found alongside homemade suicide bomb belts at an apartment in another area of Brussels. Belgian prosecutors said it wasnt known whether he had been at the address in the Schaerbeek district before or after the Paris attacks, or how long he had spent there. Chances are you havent heard of Omaha native Gary Braasch. But theres a good chance you have seen his work. Braasch, a pioneer in photographing climate change, died this month while working in Australia. Braasch was among the first to show how the planet is changing, and his work includes the pairing of modern-day images of glaciers with archival images. His use of repeat photography returning time and again to the same spot helped chart a path for others to photograph the effects of global warming. Gary was one of the first to think about how to document climate change its hard to document change in one frame, said Alexandra Garcia, executive director of the International League of Conservation Photographers. He figured out how to do it. His work has been featured in Life, Time, National Geographic, Vanity Fair, the New York Times Magazine and other publications. France invited him to exhibit his photographs during the international climate talks last year in Paris. In 2013, the Boston Science Museum exhibited his work in a one-man show. He co-founded with Lynne Cherry the Young Voices for the Planet films, to give children a vehicle to feel empowered, Cherry said. That project meant a lot to him. ... Theyre the ones who will bear the brunt of climate disruption, she said. A graduate of Benson High School, Braasch died March 7 while snorkeling along the Great Barrier Reef as he sought images of coral bleaching. He was 72. Gary was the photographer ... who tried hardest, and most successfully, to grasp the enormity of climate change, said Bill McKibben, climate activist and co-founder of the grassroots 350.org. Its a real challenge to tackle something so big and slow-moving ... but he did. James Hansen, the former NASA climate scientist who was among the first in the 1980s to sound the alarm about global warming, described Braasch as exceptional for his ability to communicate the changes occurring. "He was a totally dedicated, selfless person, said Hansen, a Denison, Iowa, native. "It is a tragedy that his life was cut short -- he still had so much to give." Braaschs peers remember him as committed to advancing the professions of photography and journalism. He was a founding member of the International League of Conservation Photographers and of the North American Nature Photography Association and a mentor with the Society of Environmental Journalists. Fellow Nebraskan and noted photographer Joel Sartore said Braaschs decades of work reflected his thoughtful nature. He worked tirelessly to get the public to care about the natural world and what was becoming of it. These days, thats harder and harder to do. Braasch led the adventurers life, traveling to all corners of the Earth, said his son, Cedar Braasch. To obtain photos for a 10-page spread, The Secret Life of a Tree in a Rain Forest, in Life magazine, Braasch lived for a while atop a tree in Costa Rica, his son said. I always knew Dad was going to go away sometime and not come home. It was just a question of when, Cedar Braasch said by phone from his home in Oregon. That Cedar would be named after a tree typified Braaschs devotion to nature. The younger Braasch said his father opted for Cedar when Mom wouldnt let him name me Forest. In addition to his son, Braasch is survived by a sister Peggy Braasch Strickland of Weston, Missouri, his partner in life and work, Joan Rothlein of Oregon, and his former wife, Mary Jo Anderson of Oregon. His extended family includes cousin Karen Sundell of Omaha. His sister said her brother got his start in journalism at Benson, where he was business manager and managing editor of the Benson High News. "The inspiration of his life, to me, is not only what he did, but that he found his purpose and he pursued it," she said. "There is so much to be grateful for. "He was such an advocate for the planet and that means for all of us." Contact the writer: 402-444-1102, nancy.gaarder@owh.com Correction: The North American Nature Photography Association was misidentified in a previous version of this story. The writer, an adviser to the president for education at the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Truman National Security Projects Defense Council, wrote this for the Baltimore Sun. I joined the Navy at 17, three years after 9/11. I celebrated my 28th birthday on a military base in Afghanistan. Today, my friends people who have deployed more times than I have, whose daily lives are shaped by decisions the president makes remain on the front lines. I am a veteran, a voter and a millennial. I am worried about the lack of any real foreign policy debate in this election. The next president will decide how to spend our taxes and where our armed forces will risk their lives. The presidents choices will affect our standing in the world and the safety and prosperity of those at home. Yet on both sides of the partisan aisle, discussion of the candidates capacities to act as head of state is minimal at best. The commander-in-chief test, once a barometer for leadership, has all but disappeared. This issue matters for every American, particularly my fellow millennials. How the president uses the American military has a disproportionate effect on young people. Close to 75 percent of those enlisted in the U.S. military are 30 or younger. Half of enlisted personnel are under 26. During the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, nearly 80 percent of those wounded or killed in action had not yet turned 31. As President Herbert Hoover put it almost a century ago: Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die. Millennials should care about the commander-in-chief test because our generations lives are on the line. We also should care because the United States is fighting a new kind of war. We are the first generation to tackle extended conflict with an all-volunteer force, a dramatic and underappreciated change in the structure of the American military. We are a generation accustomed to violent non-state actors and to wars that refuse to conform to traditional boundaries. Groups like the Islamic State, al-Qaida, al-Shabab, and Boko Haram have supranational ambitions and unconventional tactics. These groups target civilians in planes and shopping malls. The Islamic State recruits followers by distorting platforms like Twitter and Facebook for violent aims. It will take innovation from the youngest and most technologically capable generation to stop these trends. Young people are used to a world in which the lines between foreign and domestic policy are blurred. Our relationship with China shapes economic growth. The U.S. stance on refugees in Turkey and southern Europe drives local immigration policies. In a globalized society, choosing a good commander in chief is choosing a leader at home. We too often discuss the military as if it were severed from concerns about jobs, debt and access to health care. But aside from prisons, the military has the only wide-scale socialized health care system in the United States. More than 90 percent of enlisted military personnel have not received a bachelors degree, and military families tend to have more debt than their civilian counterparts. According to the VA, more than half of all post-9/11 veterans will face a period of unemployment. When polled, people 18 to 34 describe jobs, debt and health care as their primary concerns. The military is a microcosm of the issues millennials care about most. As we choose the next president, we should scrutinize how the candidates carry themselves and how they plan to lead. Our generation shoulders the burdens of conflict, and we have witnessed the rise of new security threats. Its time to revitalize the commander-in-chief test in both political parties. Millennials should lead the charge. CBI registers three FIRs against imposters claiming to be from PMO False alarm on counter terror operation: PMO to probe India oi-Vicky New Delhi, Mar 19: The Prime Minister's office is looking into how information relating to three terrorists being killed in a western state had appeared in the media. The PMO is unaware of any such operation and will look into how information from one home ministry official reached the media. There was utter confusion regarding the incident which a section of the media reported about. A section of the media while quoting a top home ministry official said that three out of the ten terrorists who had entered into India had been killed. However this turned out to be a false alarm. An operation in Gujarat was undertaken against nine persons and it turned out that they were ATM thieves Report of 3 terrorists being killed: Why this news is all wrong No information on terrorists or operation: Till date there is no information on the ten terrorists who had entered into India. It may be recalled that Pakistan had shared an alert with India earlier this month suggesting that ten terrorists from Pakistan may have entered India with an intention of striking at Gujarat. However central intelligence bureau officials have not picked up any intercept or clue regarding this alert although security was stepped up in Gujarat. 10 terrorists entering India: The real story behind the alert from Pakistan Earlier this week sections of the media had reported that three out of the ten terrorists had been killed while the search was on for the others. However the PMO is not aware of this operation and will look into how this information appeared in the media. Several Intelligence Bureau officials and also the Gujarat police too are clueless about this operation. Even a search conducted by the police to find these ten terrorists did not yield any results. Even the NSG (four teams) team which was sent to Gujarat in the wake of this alert has been withdrawn. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, March 19, 2016, 9:58 [IST] New India in making, infrastructure to be no less than US, Europe in 5 years: Nitin Gadkari J&K govt formation: After BJP snub, pressure high on PDP India oi-Vicky New Delhi, Mar 19: The PDP is under immense pressure now after the BJP said that it will not give into any more demands in a bid to form the government at Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP had on Friday said that the talks with the PDP over the government formation had failed. J&K govt: BJP, PDP talks fail One of the main demands that the BJP did not give into was the transfer of the power projects from the union to the state government. The BJP stood its ground and told the PDP that the agreement that was struck with the late Mufti Sayeed will continue and no fresh demands can be met. Will PDP buckle? So far Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed has not shown any signs of buckling. She appeared confident during a recent meeting with her party workers where she said that the PDP was ready to face the elections. However many within the PDP feel that it would not be the right choice and too much bargaining today has put them on the back foot. Many within the PDP had felt that there would be a breakthrough in Delhi. The BJP had given enough and more assurances regarding allocation of funds. Arun Jaitley the finance minister too had said that the BJP was ready to go a step further in a bid to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir. The PDP leaders had been telling Mehbooba that a hard stance and continued delay would hurt the party in the long run. They even said that in the absence of a government the Governor of the state was taking all the decisions and this would do any good for the party. The BJP has also decided to play the wait and watch game. The party does not want to give away too much to the PDP. In fact many BJP leaders feel that this is probably for the first time since the impasse that the party had taken a tough stance and this has put the PDP on the back-foot. The BJP even went on to say that it was the duty of the PDP to appoint the leader. If the PDP continues to delay the formation of the government, then it would be up to the governor to take a final call. The governor can dissolve the assembly in April as there has been no sitting of the legislative assembly for a period of six months. However some experts have argued that the six month period should be counted from the date of President's rule being imposed. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, March 19, 2016, 9:06 [IST] Last dinner by Pathankot attackers part of proof to Pakistan India oi-Vicky New Delhi, March 19: The last meal by the terrorists who attacked the Pathankot air force station will part of the proof that Pakistan's special investigating team would be given when they visit India. Just after entering India, the terrorists from Pakistan stopped over for a final meal before they could launch an attack. Terrorists coming in for a long haul are known to have a sumptuous meal before they begin the operation. On the menu of these terrorists was paneer, milk, haleem, shahi chicken and some biscuits. Food as proof Most of the packets that the terrorists were carried had a made in Karachi mark on them. The terrorists however tried and concealed this evidence. After their meal, they dug up a hole and hid the packets in it. During the investigation, the NIA had managed to locate this place and while digging up the area found these food packets. When the terrorists entered the Pathankot air base, they had very limited stock on them. They had with with water, biscuits and packets of milk. Officials who have been part of such counter terror operations say that the terrorists do not normally eat heavy during an attack. They keep themselves active with the help of drugs. However water is a very important component for them. In most of the operations, the security team engages with terrorists without taking much risk waiting for them to run out of water. Once they run out of it, they start to slow down and tend to give up the officer also said. The NIA during the investigation found at least 40 packets of milk in tetra packs. Empty packets which contained sweets and chocolates apart from dal fry was also found. The NIA says that all these packets had a made in Karachi mark on them and this become part of the proof to suggest that the attack was launched from Pakistan. Pakistan cannot deny Jaish-e-Mohammad link An officer with the NIA informed OneIndia that Pakistan cannot deny the link of the Jaish-e-Mohammad to this attack. There is enough and more proof to suggest the hand of this dreaded outfit. First and foremost, it was Abdul Rauf, the brother of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief, Maulana Masood Azhar who dropped the terrorists off at the border. They were also accompanied by another JeM operative Kaashif Jaan. The NIA says that Pakistan will have to probe deeper to find the direct link to Azhar. An attack of such a magnitude could not have been carried out without the blessings of the chief of the outfit. NIA officials say that every attack carried out has the blessings of the chief of the outfit and it is no different in this case. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Saturday, March 19, 2016, 10:24 [IST] Dhanteras 2022: How much gold can you buy from Dubai Sedition case: SAR Geelani gets bail India oi-Vicky New Delhi, Mar 19: A Delhi Court granted bail to SAR Geelani accused of sedition. The court granted conditional bail to Geelani while directing him to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. Geelani was accused of sedition after he had organised an event in February at the Delhi press club. The event was organised on the death anniversary of Afzal Guru who sentenced to death after being held guilty in the Parliament attack case. The bail was granted by additional sessions judge Deepak Garg. The Delhi police accused Geelani of being the main organiser of the event where there were alleged anti national sloganeering. The police had opposed his bail stating that it would hamper investigation if he was set free. However the defence counsel said that it served no purpose of his client being in jail. He is in judicial custody and it serves no purpose to the probe his lawyer had argued. The court had on Friday reserved its order. The Patiala House court had granted bail to Umer Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya yesterday also accused of sedition in connection with the JNU sedition case. Earlier this month Kanaihya Kumar the JNU student leader had been granted conditional bail by the Delhi High Court for six months. IANS Dhanteras 2022: How much gold can you buy from Dubai Strengthen Sufism to change perception about Islam: Forum India oi-PTI New Delhi, Mar 19: Scholars on Friday made a strong pitch for strengthening Sufism and "changing the perception" about Islam globally by spreading the faith effectively. Speaking at the first World Sufi Forum organised by All India Ulama and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB), speakers from various parts of the world underscored the need to tackle terrorism, which has cast negative perceptions on the Muslim community. "We can see the effects of terrorism on Muslim community. In a recent survey, majority of Canadians expressed negative opinion about Islam. This is because what continues to happen in parts of the world. The Forum is doing a good job and hopefully we will come up with an action plan. We can meet the challenge (of terrorism) with Sufism," Canada-based scholar Sheikh Faisal Hamid Abdul Razaq said. Razaq pitched for renewing efforts to bring Sufism to mainstream of Muslim community to tackle terrorism and suggested involving more women in the process of spreading peace. yed Shamimuddin Munami of India seconded Razaq and stressed on the need to fight terrorism "without funds and on the back of character and values". AIUMB president Syed Mohammed Ashraf Kichhouchhwi said followers of Ganges-Yamuna culture should strive to "export" inherited values of Sufism to the world where terrorism is bred. Syed Asad Ali Shah Abualai from Pakistan, said Sufism can play a big role in improving New Delhi-Islamabad ties even as he blamed "some foreign forces" for the strained relationships between the two countries over the years. He noted that militant elements were present "not only in Islam, but all religions" and sought to condemn that. PTI Student punches boy in nose; barred from writing exam India oi-PTI Madurai, Mar 19: A Plus two student has been barred from writing the exams after he allegedly punched another student sitting in front of him at a school in the city, officials said today. Officials said the student had pestered the boy, sitting in front of him, to give answers to some questions in the Mathematics paper and demanded his answer sheets, yesterday. The boy complained to the exam supervisor and enraged by this, the student punched him on the nose,causing bleeding injuries, officials said. The Chief Supervisor conducted an inquiry into the incident,and reported the matter to Joint Director of Education Sasikala. Officials said the student has been barred from writing other exams. PTI Navalny facing fresh charges and up to 30 years in prison Fact Check: Is this video of a Russian soldier being run over by a tank a recent one? Russia strikes target IS in Palmyra International oi-IANS By Ians English Moscow, Mar 19: Russian authorities said its warplanes carried out up to 25 air strikes around the Syrian city of Palmyra targeting the Islamic State (IS) who captured the ancient city last May, the media reported on Saturday. The strikes come after the Russian defence ministry on Tuesday announced that its airbase in Syria was preparing aircraft to return home following a surprise withdrawal order by President Vladimir Putin on Monday, BBC reported. However, US officials said Russia staged no air strikes in Syria in the past week. US Central Command spokesman Patrick Ryder said there were some bombardments in the Palmyra region but that they were thought to be made by Russian artillery. Syria army approaches ancient city of Palmyra Russia had withdrawn most if not all of its strike aircraft and there had been little movement of its ground forces, Ryder said. Meanwhile, IS claimed on Friday that it had killed five Russian soldiers in fighting around Palmyra in recent days. Russia has not commented on the claim and there is no independent verification. IANS 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Paris Jackson has been hospitalized today , March 16th, after she attempted suicide, and family sources say its due to the fallout from Leaving Neverland., TMZ reports. Law enforcement sources say police and EMS responded to Paris LA home at 7:30 AM. According to TMZ, Michael Jacksons only daughter slit her wrists. Sources say she was transported to a hospital and placed on 5150 hold. Shes currently in stable condition. Sources say Paris did this in direct response to the allegations made against her father in Leaving Neverland, a documentary in which Wade Robson and James Safechuck accuse MJ of molesting them as children. Paris was standing firm behind her dad and maintaining his innocence, even though she hadnt seen the doc yet. The fallout from Leaving Neverland has been severe. Michaels music and TV appearances have been getting muted since HBO aired the project. Paris has had hard time since her dads death in 2009. Recall that she attempted suicide back in 2013 as well, and has been open about her struggles with depression in the past. Paris is currently being closely monitored by a team of doctors. Mercy Aigbe Nollywood actress, Mercy Aigbe has again showed off her beautiful body in pink dress. The Nollywood star who hinted to her fans about her addiction to snapping photos revealed that she finds it difficult to make a choice which of the photos to post after taking the shots. She wrote: Ok I know by now yall know that I am a photo addict ?. but dont blame me na, shebi i am a baby girl ?.. Anyways that is not even the issue! The problem is that I take too many shots of a particular outfit and when its time to post I find it so hard to choose which to post cos they all come out so fine ?. If you are like me raise up your hands in the comment section ? The Ogun state police command has arrested 25-year old man, Ajibade Olumuyiwa, pictured above, for allegedly killing one Olakitan Balogun, who he alleged was having an affair with his wife. Ajibade was arrested following a distress call received by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, of Ajuwon Division from residents of Doland Estate that a man had murdered his wifes side man right inside his house. On interrogation, the suspect explained that he came to his house in the middle of the night and met the deceased right inside the house with his wife, which he said infuriated him and then he started beating the man. In the process, he hit his head against the wall which led to his death. His wife however denied having an affair with the deceased. She said her husband had abandoned her in the house for the past eight months with an instruction to the gate man to be monitoring her and be giving him information if he saw her with any man. She stated further that the victim was a cobbler leaving within the area and that on that day, the deceaseds girlfriend came to pay him visit and that since he was not living alone, he decided to bring the girl to a room in the house due to his closeness to the family. But as soon as the gateman saw him, he alerted the husband who rushed to the house and descended heavily on the deceased without listening to any explanation from her and the girlfriend to the victim, she said. Meanwhile, the corpse of the deceased has been deposited at the General Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination Sead Africa- a youth focused organization is set to hold the grand finale of its Public Speaking and Idea Competition for Osun Youths today, Thursday, 21st of March, 2019. The programme tagged ORATICLE (SOROGBAYI) will hold at Ripples Hotel Hall, Oroki Estate, Osogbo, by 9am this morning. The Competition which is its Second Edition has 10 Semi Finalists who will struggle to become the ORATICLE 2.0 AMBASSADOR. These Semi Finalists were drawn through a competitive process that starte in November, 2018 from a pool of applicants who showed interest in the competition. This edition of the competition with the theme: Contest of Ideas-focuses on young people presenting an idea or project directed towards creating solution or opportunities within Osun State. Winners of the competition will receive grants to implement or expand their ideas. The contestants were asked to present any workable idea in the following focal areas: 1. Agriculture and Food Security 2. Employment and Wealth Creation 3. ICT and Technology 4. Talent, Sport, Culture and Tourism 5. Civic Engagement and Good Governance 6. Any of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that has impact on Osun The first edition of the competition focused on the theme: Good leaders, Good Followers with the finalists making presentation on the topic: If I were the next Governor of Osun, what will be my priorities? Share this: File Photo A Senegal-born driver is currently in police custody in Italy after he set the school bus he drives on fire with students inside it. He is said to have tied their hands and lock them in before lighting up the bus. The 47-year-old driver, Ousseynou Sy, claimed that he carried out the act because he wanted to avenge the deaths of many African migrants who had perished in the Mediterranean ocean over the years just because they were trying to come into Europe. The incident occurred while Ousseynou was conveying the students from the school where he worked, to an event. He allegedly began to threaten the young children onboard with a knife in his hand. Then, he tied their hands to make sure that none of them leaves the vehicle. The incident which lasted for about 40 minutes, became known to the public from the point where the driver began to ram into vehicles along the road. Eventually, he was stopped with the help of a police roadblock. As soon as he got there, he lit up the bus, shouting, No one will survive. School bus driver sets bus conveying 51 pupils on fire According to a police spokesperson, He shouted Stop the deaths at sea, Ill carry out a massacre. Luckily, the police officers at the roadblock were able to forcefully gain entry into the bus to save the kids. As the incident went down, the children could be seen shouting and crying as they got down from the vehicle. Unfortunately, about twelve of them had to be rushed to the hospital after suffering from shock, smoke inhalation, and bruises. Police succeeded in smashing the windows of the vehicle to allow the children to escape. While speaking with newsmen, one of the school children explained how he threatened to douse them with petrol and burn them alive. He said, He handcuffed us and threatened us. He said that if we moved he would pour out the petrol and set fire to it. He kept saying that people in Africa are dying and the fault is Di Maio and Salvinis. Another 12-year-old student mentioned that the driver said three of his children had died on their way to Italy from Africa, so they deserved to die too. The driver will most likely face charges such as attempted murder and kidnapping. Justice Walter Onnoghen An official of Standard Chartered Bank, Ifeoma Okeagbue, gave some details of the balances on the five different accounts of the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, to the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Thursday. Okeagbue, who is Team Leader, Priority Banking, as well as Onnoghens Relationship Manager at the branch of the bank in Wuse II, Abuja, said all the bank accounts were still active. Testifying as the third prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the suspended CJN on charges of false and non-declaration of assets, Okeagbue said the accounts opened separately between 2009 and 2010 were in euro, pounds, dollar and naira denominations. Led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Aliyu Umar (SAN), Okeagbue said the euro and the pounds accounts were savings, the dollar account was current and the two other accounts were in naira denominations, with one being savings account and the other current. Reading from the statements of the accounts earlier admitted as exhibits, Okeagbue said, On the account 5001062686, the opening balance in January 2018 was 30,178.58. As at December 2018, the balance was 10,187.18. On account 5001062693, at January 2018, it is with opening balance of N6,411,312.77. At December 2018, the balance is N12,852,580.52 On account 5001062679 the opening balance as at January 2018 was 39,456.08 and by December 2018 the balance was 13,730.70. On account 0001062667, the opening balance as at January 2018 was N24,280,904 and as at December 2018, the balance was N2,656,019.21. On account 0001062650, as of January 2018, the opening balance was $80,824.25, and by January 2019, the balance was $56,878. Source: Punch Worried by the resurgent huge toxic loans in the banking sector, Ahmed Kuru, managing director/chief executive officer, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), has called on the Nigerian authorities to revisit the Failed Bank Act so that operatives in the banking sector would be made to account for their actions, just as he urged banks to immediately strengthen their risk management framework to stem the negative growth. Kuru who spoke in Lagos when he played host to officials of Risk Management Association of Nigeria (RIMAN) at AMCON Lagos office, said the reintroduction of the Failed Bank Act into the countrys financial system will not only curtail the current trend of financial rascality on the part of some bankers, he said it would bring discipline to the banking industry in general. RIMAN led by its President, Mr. Magnus Nnoka, CRM, the Chief Risk Officer, Coronation Merchant Bank; were in AMCON on a business visit. Having been privileged to have been on both sides of the divide as a banker and now on the regulatory side, Kuru explained that given the huge resources that are available to financial institutions and the pivotal role they play to the development of the economy makes it mandatory for financial institutions to take the issues of risk management seriously to prevent what happened during the global financial crisis. He suggested that in line with the fight against corruption, there was also need to fight against impaired and arranged credits so that operators are held responsible for booking credits contrary to their credit policy, that go bad under their supervision. This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source. united nations flag (Image by sanjitbakshi) Details DMCA The United Nations' (UN) Security Council Resolution 2254 clearly states that the war in Syria demands a "Syrian-led, Syrian-owned political transition to end the conflict." Additionally, it endorses "free and fair elections pursuant to the new constitution." In November, 2015, however, Canada defense minister Harjit Sujjan publically stated that "Assad must go", basing his assessment on the "complexity of the problem" and "the horrible atrocities that have been committed to his (Assad's) own people". On both counts he is wrong: sustained evidence demonstrates that the foreign-backed mercenaries invading and destroying Syria are the culpable parties who are committing the atrocities. We also know that the invasion of Syria was planned well in advance, and that ISIS and its terror cohorts are deemed to be "strategic assets" by imperial war planners. Additionally, both historical evidence -- the illegal invasions and destruction of Iraq and Libya for example, and the US military doctrine of "unconventional warfare" present a clear case that the terrorist invaders are Western proxies. The West uses proxies to avoid culpability and to avoid "putting boots on the ground". Decoded, then, Sajjan's assertion is an endorsement for illegal regime change -- in a sovereign country led by a (hugely popular) elected president --- and it is an incitement to terrorism. In the context of the carnage, imposed by the West, on the Syrian peoples, an important question needs to be answered: What should Canada do? A first step would be to reverse what Canada has already done. Ken Stone, of the Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War, explained in a 2013 article, "Canada's Harper Government Supports Covert Mercenary War On Syria, Funds AL Qaeda Affiliated Rebels", what Canada was already doing to support illegal regime change in Syria: 1. organizing the covert mercenary war against Syria through the Group of Friends of the Syrian People ("Friends of Syria Group"); 2. establishing a regime of economic sanctions against Syria and hosting, in Ottawa, the Friends of Syria Group's International Working Group on Sanctions; 3. funding and supporting the so-called "rebel" side; 4. planning for an overt western military action against Syria; 5. working with Syrian-Canadians antagonistic to the Assad government; 6. contributing to the demonization of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and to the de-legitimation and isolation of his government. In an interview with this writer, Stone explained what we should be doing: We should withdraw our troops from the (illegal) US Coalition "against ISIS"; we should normalize diplomatic relations with Syria; we should end the (illegal) sanctions against Syria; we should withdraw from the "Friends of Syria Group"; and we should get out of NATO. Canada needs an independent foreign policy within the framework of international law. The US coalition does not have UN Security Council approval, nor does it have the consent of the elected government of the independent sovereign nation of Syria. Merely "shifting assets" within the illegal coalition is not the answer, nor does it represent "real change". Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Does Donald Trump have small hands? Is Ted Cruz a wimp (this is a family-oriented column, so I'm using that term instead of the word Trump used)? Are progressives who don't support Hillary Clinton misogynists if they're men and traitors to their sex if they're women? The 2016 presidential race is a bumper crop of insults, with the usual accompanying cries for a "return to civility." Reality check: There's no era of civility for American politics to return to. It's always been a rough-and-tumble sport. Election campaigns have never consisted of the candidates holding hands and singing "Kum Ba Ya" with an occasional break for sober issues discussions. In 1800, presidential challenger Thomas Jefferson's supporters described sitting president John Adams as possessed of a "hideous hermaphroditical character, which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman. Adams's supporters retorted that Jefferson was "a mean-spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father." Andrew Jackson's wife, Rachel, was the target of personal insults intended to politically damage him from well before his presidency. Jackson killed one critic, Charles Dickinson, in a duel after Dickinson insulted her and accused him of cheating in a horse race. In 1836, Martin van Buren's opponents spread a rumor that he was the illegitimate son of former vice-president Aaron Burr, who had also famously killed someone (Alexander Hamilton) in a duel and had been tried for treason. In 1884, supporters of Grover Cleveland chanted "Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine, The Continental Liar from the State of Maine!" Blaine supporters responded with "Ma, Ma, where's my Paw? Gone to the White House, Haw, Haw, Haw!" referring to the (true) rumor that Cleveland had fathered a child out of wedlock. If you've been around long, you may have heard that George W. Bush was a cocaine fiend with a suppressed arrest record, that John McCain's adopted kids are actually the children of his affairs, that Al Gore got preferential treatment in Vietnam because he was a Senator's son, and that Barack Obama is from Kenya. It's ALWAYS been dirty, folks. Like Finley Peter Dunne said, "politics ain't beanbag." Why? Because politicians want to win. There's an apocryphal tale of Lyndon Baines Johnson, in a pre-presidential campaign, suggesting that a press release be put out accusing his opponent of having sex with pigs. When a staffer objected that it wasn't true, LBJ supposedly replied "I know ... but let's make him DENY it." I'll be the last person to suggest that there are no real scandals to be considered when evaluating candidates for public office. There certainly are. So pay attention. You may learn something important. But when you've cleared the deck of the rumors and insults, what's left is what matters. Do you agree with the candidate's positions? Do you trust the candidate to tell the truth about the issues and to have the backbone to do the right thing? Choose carefully and vote accordingly. How we characterize the injuries sustained by veterans in war is crucial both to our understanding of the war experience and to the healing process. I have argued elsewhere that to ignore, trivialize or subsume the whole of the veterans' readjustment difficulties under the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) umbrella as mental illness is misguided and fails to address the spectrum of veterans' injuries and needs. Consequently, for purposes of clarity and accuracy, I have referred to the totality of the "invisible wounds" presented by returning veterans as the "Psychological, Emotional and Moral (PEM) Injuries of War."[1] Despite the many voices (including my own) that have brought attention to the prevalence and severity of moral injury,[2] the traditional psychiatric community and Veterans Administration (VA) has long delayed recognizing and accepting the relevance of morality to the readjustment difficulties experienced by members of the military and veterans.[3] To adequately and effectively treat returning soldiers,[4] we must first accept the reality and severity of PEM injuries and then go beyond PTSD, beyond the idea that all combat injuries are either physical or trauma related. Moral Injury Whether by nature or nurture, humankind has identified and internalized a set of values and norms that provide the parameters of our being - what I have termed our "moral identity." That is, these moral values and norms influence - if not dictate - how we define ourselves as persons, structure our world and render our relationship to it and to other human beings comprehensible. Consequently, we now have the need and the means to weigh concrete situations to determine acceptable (right) and unacceptable (wrong) behavior. Whether we act rightly or wrongly - that is, whether we act according to or in violation of our moral identity - will affect whether we perceive ourselves as true to our personal convictions and to others who share our values and ideals. Morality is clinically relevant to veteran healing because combat behavior - displacing civilians, torturing, injuring and killing other human beings - is in conflict with the soldier's moral foundations. Consequently, participation in war negatively impacts self-esteem, self-image and moral integrity precipitating debilitating remorse, guilt, shame, disorientation and alienation from the remainder of the moral community. This is moral injury. Though the military has given lip service to the prevalence, severity and debilitating effects of PEM injuries (specifically PTSD) and the importance of screening and treating veterans for its occurrence, given the military's culture of physical and mental toughness, these invisible wounds of war are rarely taken seriously, are ignored completely or are stigmatized as mental illness.[5] Further, as noted above, until rather recently, the mainstream therapeutic community, military and civilian, have neither recognized nor adequately addressed the prevalence and severity of moral injury. Tragically, military mental health professionals understand implicitly if not explicitly, that their function is to "cure" the soldier quickly, or, more likely, to mask his or her symptoms with medication and return the veteran to the fighting. Some Suggestions for Healing An important first step in the treatment of PEM injuries is to create an environment in which members of the military and veterans can feel comfortable seeking treatment, assured both that their injuries will be taken seriously and that they will be treated with dignity and respect. Since PEM injuries are the direct consequence of war fighting, they are as much combat injuries as a battlefield bullet wound or shrapnel-broken tibia.[6] To say otherwise betrays either an effort to disenfranchise the PEM injured or an ignorance of the nature, prevalence and severity of such injuries. Consequently, PEM injured veterans must be recognized as combat-wounded and therefore eligible to be awarded the Purple Heart Medal. To do so would send the message to veterans and members of the military community that PEM injuries are real and "legitimate" wounds of war and not a source of shame, weakness and embarrassment.[7] Most importantly, it will encourage them to recognize, accept, and seek treatment for their injuries. If the appreciation and gratitude often expressed by politicians and citizens to members of the military and veterans is more than mere rhetoric[8]; if this nation sincerely intends to fulfill its contractual obligation to those who served and sacrificed so much; if the injuries of veterans are to be taken seriously and their needs met; the military and the Veterans Administration must go beyond lip service and pretense and implement a comprehensive and holistic treatment program that addresses the full spectrum of PEM injuries. As trauma remains a critical aspect of the war experience, such a protocol would include (but not end with) traditional and nontraditional clinical interventions for traumatic stress.[9] Reprinted from Consortium News The CIA's motto might well be: "Proudly overthrowing the Cuban government since 1959." Now what? Did you think that the United States had finally grown up and come to the realization that they could in fact share the same hemisphere as the people of Cuba, accepting Cuban society as unquestioningly as they do that of Canada? The Washington Post (Feb. 18) reported: "In recent weeks, administration officials have made it clear Obama would travel to Cuba only if its government made additional concessions in the areas of human rights, Internet access and market liberalization." Imagine if Cuba insisted that the United States make "concessions in the area of human rights"; this could mean the United States pledging to not repeat anything like the following: --Invading Cuba in 1961 at the Bay of Pigs. --Invading Grenada in 1983 and killing 84 Cubans, mainly construction workers. --Blowing up a passenger plane full of Cubans in 1976. (In 1983, the city of Miami held a day in honor of Orlando Bosch, one of the two masterminds behind this awful act; the other perpetrator, Luis Posada, was given lifetime protection in the same city.) --Giving Cuban exiles, for their use, the virus which causes African swine fever, forcing the Cuban government to slaughter 500,000 pigs. --Infecting Cuban turkeys with a virus which produces the fatal Newcastle disease, resulting in the deaths of 8,000 turkeys. --In 1981 an epidemic of dengue hemorrhagic fever swept the island, the first major epidemic of DHF ever in the Americas. The United States had long been experimenting with using dengue fever as a weapon. Cuba asked the United States for a pesticide to eradicate the mosquito involved but was not given it. Over 300,000 cases were reported in Cuba with 158 fatalities. These are but three examples of decades-long CIA chemical and biological warfare (CBW) against Cuba. [See William Blum, Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower (2005), chapter 14] We must keep in mind that food is a human right (although the United States has repeatedly denied this). [Ibid., p.264] Washington maintained a blockade of goods and money entering Cuba that is still going strong, a blockade that President Clinton's National Security Advisor, Sandy Berger, in 1997 called "the most pervasive sanctions ever imposed on a nation in the history of mankind." [White House press briefing, Nov. 14, 1997, US Newswire transcript] --Attempted to assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro on numerous occasions, not only in Cuba, but in Panama, Dominican Republic and Venezuela. [See Fabian Escalante, Executive Action: 634 Ways to Kill Fidel Castro (2006), Ocean Press (Australia)] --In one scheme after another in recent years, Washington's Agency for International Development (AID) endeavored to cause dissension in Cuba and/or stir up rebellion, the ultimate goal being regime change. In 1999 a Cuban lawsuit demanded $181.1 billion in U.S. compensation for death and injury suffered by Cuban citizens in four decades of "war" by Washington against Cuba. Cuba asked for $30 million in direct compensation for each of the 3,478 people it said were killed by U.S. actions and $15 million each for the 2,099 injured. It also asked for $10 million each for the people killed, and $5 million each for the injured, to repay Cuban society for the costs it has had to assume on their behalf. Reprinted from Consortium News From a "realist" perspective, there are plenty of reasons to criticize President Barack Obama's foreign policy, particularly his timidity in facing down Official Washington's dominant neoconservatives and liberal interventionists on Afghanistan, Libya, Ukraine and even Syria -- but he also has done more to steer the country away from additional military disasters than other establishment politicians would have. That is especially true as the Democratic Party prepares to nominate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as its choice to replace Obama. Throughout her public life, Clinton has demonstrated a pedestrian understanding of foreign policy and has consistently bowed to neocon/liberal-hawk orthodoxy, seeming to learn nothing from the Iraq War and other failures of military interventions. In a recent interview with MSNBC's Chris Matthews, Clinton scolded him for "conflating" her support for the catastrophic "regime change" war in Iraq with her insistence on the disastrous "regime change" war in Libya. In effect, she was saying that just because both decisions led to significant loss of life, failed states and terrorist control of large swaths of territory, the wars shouldn't be viewed as her failure to apply the lessons of Iraq to a similar situation in Libya. No "conflating" allowed. By contrast, at several key moments, Obama has risen to the occasion, challenging some of the most dangerous "group thinks" of the foreign policy establishment, such as when he resisted the rush to judgment blaming Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the Aug. 21, 2013 sarin gas attack outside Damascus. Obama rejected neocon/liberal-hawk demands for a punitive military assault on Assad's troops for supposedly crossing Obama's "red line." Nearly all the Smart People of Washington wanted that bombing campaign even though the U.S. intelligence community did not have the evidence of Assad's guilt. The "group think" was that even if it wasn't clear that Assad and his military were responsible -- even if the attack was a provocation by jihadist rebels trying to trick the United States into joining the war on their side -- Obama should have hit Assad's forces anyway to maintain U.S. "credibility." Bashing Obama This know-nothingism of the Smart People -- this disdain for empiricism and realism -- was expressed on Friday by New York Times columnist Roger Cohen who castigated Obama for failing to launch U.S. airstrikes against the Syrian military in August 2013. Citing a series of interviews that Obama gave The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg, Cohen suggested that nearly every bad thing since then can be blamed on Obama's inaction in Syria. "Above all, did his decision in August 2013 not to uphold with force his 'red line' on the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons sound the death knell of American credibility, consolidate President Bashar al-Assad and empower [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin? 'I'm very proud of this moment,' Obama insists. Proud? "It is possible to believe that the situation in Syria would be worse if Obama had followed through with punitive strikes. It is possible to believe that ISIS would have emerged, seized vast territory, beheaded Americans, rattled Paris and struck through sympathizers in San Bernardino anyway. It is possible to believe that Putin would have annexed Crimea anyway. It is possible to believe that Putin would have started a war in eastern Ukraine anyway. It is possible to believe that Assad would be stronger as a result of Russia's military intervention anyway. It is possible to believe that Saudi 'Obama-is-a-Shiite-in-the-pocket-of-Iran' derangement syndrome and Saudi war in Yemen would have occurred anyway. It is possible to believe that more than a million Syrian refugees would have shaken Europe anyway. "It is possible to believe the moon is a balloon." New York Times columnist Roger Cohen (Image by The New York Times, Channel: The New York Times) Details DMCA Ha-ha! "The moon is a balloon!" How clever! In other words, Cohen, someone so esteemed that he is awarded regular space on The New York Times op-ed page, someone who has suffered not one iota for supporting the Iraq War which arguably contributed much more to the world's disorders than anything Obama has or hasn't done, is pretending that all would have been set right if only Obama had ordered airstrikes on the Syrian military despite the lack of U.S. evidence that Assad and his forces were actually guilty. Cohen must have missed -- or ignored -- the section of Goldberg's article citing how Obama was told by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper that the U.S. intelligence community lacked "slam dunk" evidence confirming Assad's guilt, with Clapper choosing the phrase "slam dunk" to remind Obama of CIA Director George Tenet's "slam dunk" assurance to President George W. Bush that the intelligence community could back up his claims about Iraq's WMD, which, of course, turned out not to exist. In other words, Clapper told Obama that the U.S. intelligence community didn't know who had carried out the sarin attack -- and subsequent evidence has pointed to a "false-flag" operation by rebel jihadists -- but the Smart People of Washington all wanted to launch a military strike anyway. It doesn't even matter to them that we now know that Obama's destruction of Assad's military could have opened the gates of Damascus to the forces of Al Qaeda's Nusra Front and/or the Islamic State. And now that Obama says he is "proud" of his decision not to bomb first and get the facts later -- or as the President put it, to break with the "Washington playbook" of always relying on military force -- Cohen and other members of the foreign policy elite berate and ridicule him. Daily News file photo State Sen. Jim Stamas legislation to pave the way for a partnership of Alpena Regional Medical Center and MidMichigan Health has been signed by Gov. Rick Snyder. This has always been about making sure that Northern Michigan residents continue to have convenient access to local, comprehensive health care, and I thank everyone who helped make it a reality, said Stamas, R-Midland. With the signing of this reform, ARMC and MidMichigan Health will now be able to enter a partnership that improves the long-term future of the hospital and enable it to provide the best care possible to its patients. ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- For the first time, subject-matter experts from nine nations in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region came to Andersen Air Force Base for a four-day program designed to enhance and integrate logistical capabilities. Pacific Agility 16-1, a U.S. Pacific Command multilateral subject-matter expert exchange led by Pacific Air Forces, intends to promote regional stability and build partnerships among nations in the Pacific Theater. What makes this engagement special is that it has not been done before, said Senior Master Sgt. Derek Groeling, PACAF Headquarters command armament superintendent. In the past there have been various other exchanges with the Civil Engineer Squadron and Security Forces Squadron, but the Pacific Agility exchange is the first multilateral exchange with the focus on maintenance and logistics. The engagement focused on the importance of contributing to regional security and stability, enhancing logistical interoperability information and developing interpersonal relationships among partner nations. "The objective here is to increase interoperability among partner nations in the Pacific," said Squadron Leader Darryn Welham, Royal New Zealand Air Force Officer Commanding Fleet Planning Unit. It's important and also a great opportunity to meet key figures from other nations. When theres a requirement to respond in someones area, we would already have that understanding on what resources to bring to the table. With the Pacific being the largest area of responsibility covering 36 nations, continual growth of partnerships and mutual understanding and trust are vital especially in the event when partner nations are called upon for assistance. Pacific Agility helps to build regional stability because when theres an understanding among partners on what they can provide to each other, its a lot easier to ask for assistance, Groeling said. This engagement builds and modernizes partnerships because its focused on the capabilities and technology that we have today. Through discussion, this will strengthen our capabilities and the knowledge gained will be useful for future events. Throughout the week, the partners conducted briefings and visited facilities on Andersen AFB to expand their knowledge on cargo pallet build-ups, humanitarian assistance/disaster response capabilities, air transport ability, munitions storage and supply chain management. "A lot of the focus here is on HA/DR capabilities," Groeling said. We discussed cargo pallet build-ups which is an important part of transporting materials to different locations. When everyone knows what the partner nations have to bring to those types of disaster or humanitarian issues, the overall mission and process becomes smoother especially having that previous knowledge about one another. Pacific Agility participants were able to share their knowledge and skill sets in the logistics and maintenance fields with other nations, allowing the attendees to comprehend each others practices and bring back the positive experience gained back to their home unit. With this being my first time participating in a subject-matter expert exchange, it was definitely a good experience so far. Something I appreciated was learning more about load movements and load planning, Welham said. Its great to be able meet with U.S. Air Force members and other partner nations to get a much better understanding of capabilities for when we operate in the future. There is a shared goal among the partners to continue with these engagements to allow for the growth of alliances, multi-dimensional skills and to improve stability in the Pacific region. KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- The commander of Pacific Air Forces met with Airmen from the 8th Fighter Wing during her visit to Kunsan March 17 to see firsthand how the Wolf Pack maintains its ability to fight tonight. Gen. Lori J. Robinson started her visit with a trip to Big Coyote, during which she witnessed how the 8th Security Forces Squadron defends the base. Members from the 8th Security Force Squadron, 8th Force Support Squadron and 80th Fighter Squadron provided Robinson with an 8th FW mission brief. She also participated in a defense strategy demonstration from the 8th SFS that showcased how Wolf Pack Airmen are prepared to defend the base. "From what I just saw in that demonstration, I can honestly say Kunsan is ready to fight tonight to deter aggression from the North Korean regime and prevail during a crisis on the peninsula," Robinson said. Following the mission brief, Robinson stopped at many units, including the 8th Communications Squadron, the Air Traffic Control tower, and the medical readiness facility to meet with Airmen and learn how they contribute to the PACAF mission. After recognizing multiple Airmen for their accomplishments, the final stop on her tour was to the base theater, where more than 500 members of the Pack gathered for an all-call. During the discussion, she emphasized the importance of staying connected with families and her expectations for Airmen before opening the floor for questions. We have been working with your leadership on a virtual key spouse program, Robinson said. Our focus is on ensuring that youre focused every day at producing combat air power while staying connected to your families. Robinson said that if Airmen and families are taken care of then theyll take care of the mission. We could have the greatest hardware, we could have the best technology, and we could have the most incredible places to work and live, but without the human dimension, without that key critical enabler of airmen and their families, we cant take care of the mission, Robinson said. Robinson spoke to the importance of building airmen as leaders. I believe that the duty of a leader is to create more leaders, Robinson said. My job is making sure the folks that work for me are better than me and those that I have the privilege to be a commander with and for understand what my priorities are. Lastly, Robinson thanked the Wolf Pack for their efforts in maintaining their ability to defend the base, accept follow on forces, and take the fight north. I want to thank the Wolf Pack for the opportunity to sit down and hear how you generate combat air power and defend the peninsula day in and day out, said Robinson. EAST SEA (NNS) -- Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group and Republic of Korea military forces wrapped up Exercise Ssang Yong 2016 (SY 16) March 18 while underway off the coast of ROK. Ssang Yong, or "twin dragons" in Korean, is a biennial amphibious-assault exercise conducted in the Indo-Asia region with U.S., and ROK Navy and Marine Corps in order to strengthen interoperability and working relationships across the range of military operations from disaster relief to complex expeditionary missions. Nearly 9,200 U.S. Marines of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and 3,100 U.S. Navy personnel of Expeditionary Strike Group 7 joined forces with 4,500 ROK Marines, 3,000 ROK Navy personnel, 100 Royal Australian Army Soldiers and 60 Royal New Zealand Army Soldiers for the amphibious exercise. "When we think about interoperability we think of the phrase 'One team, one fight,'" said Rear Adm. John B. Nowell Jr., commander of ESG 7. "This exercise has certainly been one team, one fight. United with the ROK Navy and Marine Corps, we are an unbeatable team. Over the past few weeks we observed a cohesive amphibious force come together and we look forward to continued integrated operations in the near future." During the 10-day exercise the U.S.-ROK Blue-Green team conducted more than 220 flight operations and over 240 craft operations. "Amphibious operations are like an orchestra, each unit has a very specific part to play," said Rear Adm. Ki-kyung Park, commodore of the Republic of Korea Navy's Fifth Flotilla. "Rank aside, each Marine and Sailor is an integral part of the mission. What I observed during Ssang Yong 16 was a masterpiece." The exercise commenced with a 19-ship photo exercise to include ships from the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group and Boxer Amphibious Ready Group along with COMFLOT 5. The Blue-Green team kicked into high gear to carry out rehearsals for a simulated amphibious assault mission, where nearly 17,000 service members from the U.S., ROK, New Zealand and Australia participated in an amphibious landing on the beaches of Pohang. Lastly, the force conducted Assault Follow On Echelon exercises involving M1A1 Abrams tanks from Marine Delta Company 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division along with members of the 6th Royal Australian Regiment and a Fueling at Sea between amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) and guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67), during which the large LHD transferred nearly 10,000 gallons of fuel to the cruiser, closing out the exercise. "I want to express my appreciation to U.S. Navy and Republic of Korea leadership for the support we received in the execution of Ssang Yong 16," said Marine Brig. Gen. John M. Jansen, commanding general 3D MEB. "The great partnerships developed with Rear Adm. Nowell, Rear Adm. Park, Brig. Gen. Lee, Commodore Thompson and Captain Ward throughout this exercise reinforced the importance of Naval integration in the planning and execution of complex, amphibious operations. It was rewarding for the entire team to be able to engage in a joint/combined exercise that provided value to the region by way of a clear demonstration of strength and resolve between the United States and the Republic of Korea." Assets of the BOXARG who joined the BHRESG in SY 16 included amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) with PHIBRON 1 embarked, amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18), amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49), and the 13th MEU 4th Marines, Combat Logistics Regiment 35, 1st Tank Battalion and I MEF Crisis Response Force Company. Amphibious assault ship ROKS Dokdo (LPH-6111), amphibious landing ship ROKS Cheon Wang Bong (LST 686), Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class and destroyer ROKS Munmu the Great (DDH 976) are among the ROK assets that participated in the exercise. The Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group, comprised of the flagship Bonhomme Richard and amphibious dock landing ships USS Germantown (LSD 42) and USS Ashland (LSD 48), is conducting a routine patrol in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility along with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). Twenty students were harmed at a fire stunt performance during a pep rally at Atlantic Community High School in Delray Beach, Florida. A fire -breather performer suffered serious burns and had to transport to an area hospital. According to Palm Beach Country School, they hired a blow fire performer at the pep rally to support the students' standards assessment exams. It is also said that the event is hiring "seasoned performer." The school insisted that there is no explosion during the event contradicting the initial reports. According to the video posted by NBC News, the fire stunt performer was caught on fire during the performance in front of hundreds of students last Thursday. The school administration informed the parents of students who were injured, and have classes resumed after the incident. School district police are having an investigation of the incident. According to Sun Sentinel, school official said strong words about a "forbidden" pyrotechnic performance, but Delray Beach high school principal approved the performance that went terribly wrong. The crowd are gasping and screaming when they saw the fire breather's face on fire that spreads to his body as he tries to put out the fire. As the fire breather panicked, he constantly ran onto gymnasium floor at Atlantic Community High. According to Danny Lahav, a senior who witnessed the incident, "He panicked, he was swinging his arms, trying to hit it out." "It was getting serious. Everyone kind of started to panic," he added. Eight students were suffering from smoke inhalation and respiratory issue due to inhaling fumes from a fire extinguisher. According to the officials dozens of people were treated at the incident. Kathy Burstein, a spokesperson from Palm Beach Country school District said, "What happened today at Atlantic Community High School is inexcusable. It's a direct violation of district policy. The district's rules are clear that fire and pyrotechnics are forbidden inside our buildings," she added. Kate Middleton and Prince William were reported to have already been expecting for their third baby. However, new reports claim that the Royal couple is in no rush for another royal baby. Kate Middleton and Prince William no rush for third royal baby Parent Herald previously reported that Kate Middleton and Prince William are now expecting for twin girls and they are arriving this August. However, it appears that the Kate Middleton pregnancy rumors are not true after all. Celeb Dirty Laundy reported that Kate Middleton and Prince William are definitely not in a hurry to add another royal baby to their growing brood. Also, Prince William has been very vocal about his hardships for taking care of two Royal babies under the age of four, which is enough for him and his wife to handle. With all the Royal responsibilities that are being bestowed to Prince William and Kate Middleton, adding another royal baby is quite not suitable at the moment. Both Kate Middleton and Prince William might have planned to have another baby after Princess Charlotte but, looking to their recent ski trip, it appears that they are currently enjoying being a family of four. Queen Elizabeth disappointed with Kate Middleton and Prince William While Kate Middleton and Prince William appears to be happily contented with their family right now, Queen Elizabeth feels otherwise. Reports have it that Queen Elizabeth is disappointed with Kate Middleton and Prince William for being unready to have another royal kid. Celeb Dirty Laundry reported that Queen Elizabeth is afraid that she will no longer be alive when the next addition to the Royal brood arrives. Hence, she wants Kate Middleton and Prince William to have their third baby as soon as possible. Additionally, the Queen of England also wants Prince Harry to marry and have kids of his own before it's too late for her to witness these milestones. Do you think it is good that Kate Middleton and Prince William are in no rush for another royal baby? Do you agree with all the concerns of Queen Elizabeth? Share to us your thoughts in the comment section below. Follow me on Twitter @iamheadturner This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. We have two choices, our bus driver announced gravely. We can turn back right now and beat the rush out of here, or I can pull in and drop you off, but well be stuck for hours. We had just pulled in to Willie Nelsons ranch in Luck, Texas for his annual Luck Reunion festival, which our semi-panicky driver had just (incorrectly) informed us had been canceled due to weather. We had to decide now, he said. Whos getting off? Our little schoolbus quickly transformed into what I imagine the music-fan version of the floor of the New York Stock Exchange might look likea cluster of frantic people on the phone yelling updates and commands at each other. My friend inside says theyre still serving drinks! This weather app says the storms supposed to last until midnight! Lets go and see! The website says rain or shine! I have to pee! We made a game-time decision to ditch the bus and take our chancesword on the street was the festival was postponed, not canceled, and we werent about to risk not seeing Willie. Its a choice weve been conditioned to make here at SXSW and at countless other music festivals for years. We grin and bear torrential downpours, brutal heat, bleeding blisters and sore feet, spilled beer, the occasional kick in the head from a crowdsurferall so we can see the music we love. So after getting yelled at for attempting to seek shelter inside a chapelso much for sanctuary, I guesswe wound up inside the Revival Tent with about a hundred other people whose musk wed grow very familiar with over the next few hours. We made as many bad Luck puns as possible (seriously, if getting stranded in a town called Luck isnt a country song, I dont know what is, and if anyone in Nashville needs me to co-write Down On My Luck in Luck, please be in touch), caught a much-appreciated acoustic set by Lissie (check out Dacey Orrs recap for more on that) and hunkered down as the rain began pounding down and darkness fell. It was in the post-Lissie, sitting-in-the-dark time, hour two or so of being stuck in the tent, that I realized I hadnt eaten anything that day besides half a breakfast burrito in the morning. The storm had caused the temperature to drop about 20 or 30 degrees, and the sundress I had so carefully picked after downing that half-burrito suddenly felt like a really dumb choice. A guy from the festival came onstage and said they had no idea when theyd be able to turn the lights back on and get the music started again, but that they understood if some of you are about ready to chuck it in the fuck-it bucket. The tent camaraderie and promise of seeing Willie Nelson had kept me from chucking it to that point, but when the storm finally passed and we were free to wander the grounds, the main stage had been broken down because of the lightning and big acts like Lucius and Jenny Lewis were playing inside the 40-person-capacity chapel. The lines for the food trucks and the shuttles coming every hour or so to bus people back to Austin were outrageous, and when it started raining again, I was woozy, freezing and pretty sure I was developing trench foot. Then a weird thing happened: I found out thanks to social media that the guy I walked past who looked like Bill Murray a few hours earlier was Bill Murray. A rare Murray sighting in the wild, squandered because I hadnt trusted my gut. No more ignoring my instinctsit was time to chuck it. Its tough sometimes, when every aspect of your very beingthe music fandom, the pride, the curiosity and sense of adventureis telling you to tough it out, but your body exercises its veto power. All we can do is push as hard as we can before that happens; I know we had a much better time than the people who stayed on the bus and immediately turned around, and Id do it again in a heartbeat. Im lucky to have even been there in the first place. And, as luck would have it, today is a new day at SXSW, with more bands to be seen andhopefullyfewer people with full bladders trapped in enclosed spaces. U.S. Calls On Iran To Release Father, Son Jailed Without Charges 03/19/16 Source: RFE/RL The United States has called for the release of two Iranian-American citizens detained without charge in Tehran. Family members say businessman Siamak Namazi was arrested in October while his father Baquer, 80, was detained last month. Both men are believed to be in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. Baquer Namazi and his son Siamak are being held without charges. "We're deeply concerned about reports of the detention of U.S. citizens Siamak Namazi and Baquer Namazi in Iran," State Department spokesman John Kirby said on March 18. "We're not aware of any charges against either man, and we believe that both reported detentions are unjust," he said. "We call on Iran to allow consular access via Swiss authorities and to release both men as soon as possible so they can return to their families." Friends describe Siamak Namazi as a businessman who was not involved in politics except for a time when he lobbied Washington to end a U.S. embargo on selling medicines to Iran. Baquer Namazi is a retired UNICEF official. Based on reporting by AFP and Voice of America Related Stories: Siamak Namazi Is a Good Man. Iran Should Release Him - My friend, Iranian-American consultant Siamak Namazi, has been in Tehran's Evin prison for five months. His 80-year old father, Baquer Namazi - a former senior UNICEF official - was imprisoned three weeks ago. The motives behind these arrests have been lucidly explained, but news of detained Iranian Americans dies when there are no developments on the ground. -Reza Marashi, Huffington Post 03/17/16 UNICEF Expresses Worry About Health Of Staffer Jailed In Iran- The United Nations Children's Fund on March 3 expressed concern about the health of an elderly former staff member who was jailed in Iran last week. Baquer Namazi was arrested on February 22 and taken to Tehran's Evin Prison, where his son Siamak has been jailed since October. Both Namazis are dual U.S.-Iranian citizens. 03/5/16 After Prisoner Swap, Anxiety Over Jailed Iranian-American Businessman Iran has eagerly opened its doors to foreign investment now that a nuclear deal has cleared the way. So why is Iran still holding prisoner an Iranian-American businessman? This is one of the contradictions of the moment in Iran, where economic sanctions were lifted weeks ago. -Steve Inskeep, NPR - 2/18/16 Friends fear for U.S. businessman in Iran Nearly a month after a prisoner deal between Washington and Tehran, the friends and family of business consultant Siamak Namazi -- who holds degrees from Tufts and Rutgers universities and has ties to many Washington foreign policy insiders -- fear he has been forgotten in the warm afterglow of last month's swap and are pressing the Obama administration to step up efforts to free him. -Michael Crowley, Politico - 2/10/16 Siamak Namazi's Friends Thought He'd Be Freed From Iranian Prison, But The Media Had It Wrong Initial news reports from the official Iranian media outlet Islamic Republic News Agency incorrectly identified Siamak Namazi as one of the four Americans who would be released this past Saturday as part of a prisoner release agreement between Iran and the U.S. By the time IRNA had acknowledged its mistake, several journalists with large Western followings had already tweeted about Namazi's impending release. - Jessica Schulberg, Huffington Post - 1/20/16 Daily Beast Didn't Know American Was Stuck In Iran When It Published Anonymous Story Attacking Him On Sept. 15, The Daily Beast published an article by "Alex Shirazi" -- a fake name that the news outlet said was a pseudonym for a "a well-known Iranian dissident" -- describing Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi as part of "The Shady Family Behind America's Iran Lobby." -Huffington Post - 12/18/15 The Truth About Siamak Namazi, the Iranian-American Arrested in Iran "It is only when a mosquito lands on your testicles that you realize there is always a way to solve problems without using violence." Siamak Namazi sent me an Internet meme with this quote only a few weeks ago. It was his clever way of responding to the heated discussions I was having on social media in his defense. The Daily Beast had just published an article attacking Siamak and his family, via a pseudonym, as Siamak was being interrogated in Iran. -Ahmad Kiarostami, Huffington Post - 11/28/15 Setting the Record Straight about Siamak Namazi Over the past few days, disheartening news has emerged about the arrest of Siamak Namazi, a Dubai-based American-Iranian citizen whom the author knows very well. While the family has not confirmed the news, Siamak's friends believe that the situation may be the result of a misunderstanding which they hope will be resolved shortly. - 11/3/15 Iranian humorist Haloo released from jail 03/19/16 Source: Radio Zamaneh Iranian poet and humourist Mohammadreza Alipayam was released from jail on March 16, 2016. Kaleme reports that Alipayam, who has been in jail since last May, was released on Wednesday. Alipayam, who published his poetry under the alias "Haloo", was arrested for the social and political commentary in his work. Haloo (Mohammadreza-Alipayam) He was found guilty of "propaganda against the regime, blasphemy, insulting the Islamic Republic's founder, the leader, the president and officials" and was sentenced to 15 months in jail. Wednesday also saw the release of Ali Akbar Baghani, the deputy head of the Iranian Teachers' Association who was also jailed for similar charges, but he will soon have to go on to Zabol to serve his exile sentence. Saeed Madani, a jailed Iranian sociologist and author, was given a conditional release after four years in jail and will soon have to move to Bandar Abbas to serve out a two-year exile sentence. Meanwhile, Abdolreza Ghanbari, a jailed teacher activist whose sentence went from the death penalty to 15 years in jail and finally to 10 years, was also released yesterday. Whether preparing food for a party or painting a portrait of a pomegranate, Leslee Adams feels her creative juices flowing. The Palm Springs painter and chef will be one of five artists featured at the April 22 Evening with the Artists fundraiser at Redlands Community Hospital from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Others showing their work will be Karen Werner, of Upland; Michael Bedoya, of Calimesa; Jeff Skelly, of Sunland; and Trudy Wood, of Oak Hills. Adams has re-invented herself several times in her career, transitioning from insurance work to pastry making to catering, but her love of art has remained constant. I always drew when I was young, and while in high school, I painted murals on peoples walls and doors, said Adams, who grew up in the Palm Springs area. An invitation from a friend to help cater an event introduced her to the world of cooking. I found that I really liked making desserts, she said. She asked a baker whose shop she passed on the way to work if she could apprentice with him, leading to a three-month stint without pay in his shop. She followed that with a three-month pastry course at the Ritz Escoffier in Paris in 1990 and returned to California to work as a pastry chef at The Ritz Huntington Hotel. She moved back to Palm Springs that year and opened her own catering and pastry business. For 10 years, Adams provided food for celebrity and other high-profile events numbering up to 500 guests. Her artistic instincts were never far from her work, however. I enjoyed decorating the pastry tables with petits fours a small appetizer, she said. A need for a relaxing hobby away from work led her back to her art about 10 years ago. She reduced her catering load to parties for 200 people or fewer so that she could devote more time to painting. Both cooking and painting are great outlets for creativity and both involve precision, said Adams, who describes her artistic vision as stylized realism. I take something from real life and put my own style in it. Watercolor is the medium of choice for the self-taught artist, who paints six to eight hours daily. It is the hardest medium but I love the textures and the transparent colors, she said. She uses thick paper and black velvet brushes to achieve a heightened sense of color. Her favorite subjects involve food, especially citrus, succulents and other flowers, Spanish missions and landscapes drawn from the desert and the Italian countryside. She has traveled up and down the West Coast and throughout Europe gathering images for her paintings. She looks for new subjects each season, with succulents being her current favorite floral material. I look for things I see every day in the desert, including hummingbirds and roadrunners, she said. Adams plans to show some two dozen original paintings in the hospital show, including images of the local citrus groves. She has been a member of the Coachella Valley Watercolor Society since 2004 and Westlake Village Art Guild since 2010, where she has received numerous awards. She has also shown and sold her work at many festivals, including the La Quinta Arts Festival, Southwest Arts Festival and Redlands Arts Festival. Adams participates in some 20 venues during the fall-to-spring art season, with 12 in the local desert and Inland areas and eight on the road. She also caters two or three events a month and said she loves the variety of cooking one week and showing her art the next. I now have cross-over clients, she said. I cater their parties and they have my artwork in their homes. The Foundations art program began in 1978. The hospital exhibits a collection of more than 800 works of original art and historic photographs throughout its hallways and offices. Attorneys for Apple said Friday, March 18, that they will bring in witnesses to testify in a March 22 hearing over the federal governments effort to force them to help the FBI hack an iPhone. Apple will be bringing two individuals Apples leading cryptography architect and the attorney who dealt directly with the FBI following a shooting in San Bernardino that killed 14 people and wounded 22 others. The witnesses are being brought in at the request of The Justice Department, which will be able to cross examine them. The government will also bring in two FBI employees that Apple will be able to cross examine. Apple attorneys who spoke Friday on the condition that they not be identified said they were surprised to learn of the Justice Departments request Wednesday, but said they agreed because they felt it would be important for U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym to have all the information she wants in order to make a decision. The hearing is set for 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22. Testimony is expected to run an hour and a half to two hours long before the court turns to key legal arguments. Apple will begin the argument, the Justice Department will have a chance to respond and then Apple will close with its final statements. The attorneys said that Apple will continue to stress the points that they have made in briefs. They will argue that All Writs Act, a federal statute, is not a license for the government to compel third parties to do what the FBI wants, and that Congress has already set out a series of checks and balances in the area of what the government can demand from third parties. Judge Pym is expected to make a statement to both sides before the 1 p.m. hearing commences. RELATED 77 percent of Googles online traffic is encrypted Jesse Jackson comments on Apple, FBI case Government cant stop terrorist encryption Apples fight false, corrosive, government says DA feared cyber attack via iPhoneVictims family supports Apples iPhone position Court action for victims and families will be filed next week Q&A on the Apple vs. Justice Department court fight Complete coverage of the San Bernardino shooting, aftermath Contact the writer: agroves@pressenterprise.com Mt. San Jacinto College will offer Inland students and faculty free performing arts classes during its first High School Performing Arts Day on Thursday, March 24. The event will be held 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, March 24, at the San Jacinto campus theater, 1499 N. State St., San Jacinto. One of the missions here at the college is to provide outreach to the local high school and welcome them to our programs, said Payden Ackerman, chairman of the theater department. Adds Julie Freeman, chairwoman of the dance department: Its a good place to get a start in the performing arts, she said of Performing Arts Day. The days classes will include either theater workshops or dance classes. The daylong event will include lunch and a showcase performance from the colleges alumni and current students. For more information, contact Julie Freeman at 951-487-3630 or jfreeman@msjc.edu. A federal judge has dismissed the bulk of criminal charges against FedEx Corp. in a case alleging that it knowingly shipped illegal prescription drugs. Senior U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer said Friday that the government named the wrong defendant in an agreement that gave it more time to file charges. As a result, the charges were filed past the statute of limitations. Breyer denied the governments request to substitute the correct defendant and tossed out more than a dozen of the 18 counts against FedEx Corp. and subsidiary, FedEx Corporate Services, Inc. An email to prosecutors on Saturday was not immediately returned. Prosecutors accused FedEx of conspiring to ship powerful sleep aids and other drugs to customers it knew lacked valid prescriptions. FedEx says none of its entities is guilty of anything. We sympathize with the faculty of the California State University system, who have had small pay raises since the Great Recession. The faculty are seeking a 5 percent raise, while Chancellor Timothy P. White is offering 2 percent, Jennifer Eagan told us; the president of the California Faculty Association teaches philosophy and public affairs and administration at Cal State East Bay. She also is concerned about some policies we have decried over recent years, such as the number of administrators rising so high that they now outnumber faculty. A 2015 study by the CFA also listed the hefty salaries of top administrators, such as $319,000 for Cal State San Bernardino President Tomas Morales and $292,000 for Cal State Pomona President Soraya Coley. The study found, By the year 2014, the average full-time salary for a CSU manager/supervisor was $106,149 per year while the average full-time salary for a CSU faculty member was $64,479. Meanwhile, the basic student Tuition Fee more than doubled in a decade, to $5,472 from $2,520, according to the CSU website. Ms. Eagan said the CFA also wants a tuition freeze for students and to get more money from the Legislature so the increased faculty costs are not put on the backs of students. As to expected increased pensions and health care payments for retirees, she said the CFA anticipates greater contributions from faculty, which is why we need higher incomes now. Although sympathetic, we also are concerned about increasing the burdens on another group: taxpayers. Why should they have to pay for administrative bloat, or the pension spiking that hit all levels of state and local government beginning in 1999-2000? Instead of striking or calling for more spending, which would mean higher taxes, we recommend the CFA urge sharp cuts in wasteful administration, with the savings going to the faculty and reduced tuition for the students. A lawsuit over a New Years Eve crash in Ontario that killed five people including three Hemet High graduates asserts sudden acceleration of a Toyota is to blame. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, March 17, against Toyota Motor Corporation and other Toyota entities as well as Avis Rent a Car and Berta Orellana, the driver of a Toyota Yaris. Killed were Matthew Joseph Pusateri, 29, Anthony Andrew Flores, 30, and Jeffrey Albert Willey, 29, who graduated from Hemet High School together in 2004. Also killed were Monica Marie Flores, 37, the girlfriend of Anthony Flores; and Joel Michael Pineda, 7, of Van Nuys, Orellanas grandson. The suit was filed on behalf of Pusateris son, a 9-year-old Temecula boy. It does not specify damages. We dont put dollar amounts, said David S. Casey Jr., the boys attorney. Its up to a jury to decide. Just after 7 p.m. on Dec. 31, the friends were on Vineyard Avenue in Ontario when their Toyota Solara was broadsided at a high rate of speed by a Yaris with four occupants. Authorities said the Yaris was eastbound on Interstate-10 and took the Vineyard exit, collided with the sedan. Orellana had rented the car for a family trip to Las Vegas. Casey said he expects more lawsuits in the incident, which likely will be combined into one action. I anticipate all of the families will be filing shortly, he said. Casey said the suit was filed in Los Angeles County because there have been other cases against Toyota alleging sudden acceleration and they have been assigned to the same Los Angeles court. Casey said Orellana has filed a suit against Toyota in San Bernardino County, where the crash occurred. He said she maintains that her rented Yaris suddenly and inexplicably accelerated to around 100 mph, and she was unable to stop or even slow the vehicle. Toyota Motor Corporation released a statement about the suit Friday. We sympathize with anyone in an accident involving one of our vehicles, the statement said. However, we do not believe that any vehicle-based issue was responsible for this unfortunate crash, and we look forward to providing our full response to the court at the appropriate time. Toyota paid a $1.2 billion fine in 2014 after the Justice Department said the company defrauded consumers in 2009 and 2010 by issuing misleading statements about safety issues in Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The department at that same time announced a deferred prosecution agreement with Toyota under which the company admitted that it misled U.S. consumers by concealing and making deceptive statements about two safety issues affecting its vehicles, each of which caused a type of unintended acceleration. Conformed Copy of Complaint Allyson Allen is a storyteller. And she tells a moving one with her Quilted Pages exhibit at the Temecula Valley Museum through April 3. Its the colorful history of African Americans told through her quilts hung in the museum lobby, including Emancipation to Inauguration, covering the days of slaves to President Barack Obama. The centerpiece is a 1769 announcement of the arrival of a cargo of ninety-four prime, healthy slaves to be sold. They arrived from Sierra Leone. Allen worked on the two-sided quilt for 12 years, weaving together over 100 fabrics. Two other quilts on display are replicas of ones that hang in the Smithsonian Institution and Boston Museum of Fine Art. They also are featured in two books included in the exhibit, allowing visitors to compare her work to the originals. Allen has made a career out of her passion, teaching the art of quilting for more than 20 years while continuing to hone her craft. Clearly, shes accomplished. Its hard to catch up with the Menifee resident. She was heading to Long Beach last weekend to teach for three days. There are monthly excursions throughout California. And a trip is planned this year to Albuquerque, N.M. She has another exhibit planned for the Temecula Valley Museum in October. She calls her work information art combining craft, research, design, history and culture in the quilts. I love that a story quilt is like a soft picturebook, she says. I think if images on quilts can be used as another way to teach a lesson like history, its the beautiful medium I choose. Allen started with that medium at age 6, learning to sew from her older sister. I enjoy the tactile and visual textures of fabric, she says. She has passed on her family tradition to two nieces. She also is a former high school English teacher, including three years teaching at Perris High School in the mid-1980s. She moved into her quilting career full time in the early 1990s. She has taught quilting to adults, high school students and inmates in three prisons of the California Youth Authority. As for the Temecula exhibit, a flier calls it a stirring and enlightening interpretation of black history and African folktales through the intricate and captivating art form of quilting. The quilt with the most history, Emancipation to Inauguration, is three sections: the slave era with images such as one of the underground railroad that transported African Americans to freedom; the civil rights period of the 1950s and 1960s, featuring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and politician Shirley Chisholm; and finally President Obama. Its personal for Allen. The quilt has photographs of her sister with Coretta Scott King and her brother-in-law with Rosa Parks. My favorite quilt is Jump da broom, depicting a giant and beautiful tree with characters from a slave wedding in miniature that Allen painstakingly made. It shows bride and groom holding hands as they jump over a broom, which signifies crossing all future thresholds united. It was one of many wonderful lessons to be found in this fascinating exhibit. Contact the writer: carllove4@yahoo.com A U.S. soldier was killed near the front line with the Islamic State in northern Iraq on Saturday, becoming the second combat casualty of the war against the militants, according to the U.S. military and Iraqi officials. The soldier died when Islamic State militants fired two mortars into a small U.S. base in Makhmour, a front-line town controlled by Kurdish peshmerga forces on the outskirts of the region of Kurdistan, according to the Iraqi army and peshmerga officials. U.S. military officials said that it was a rocket attack. A senior Iraqi army officer in Makhmour said the mortars landed at around 8:20 a.m. on Saturday on the American camp, a small, closely guarded facility where U.S. advisers have been based for several months helping Iraqi army and peshmerga forces battle Islamic State fighters nearby and preparing for a future offensive to recapture the major Iraqi city of Mosul, which the Islamic State has controlled since June 2014. In a statement, the U.S. military confirmed the death of a coalition service member as a result of enemy action, without providing further details. The American base lies within a larger peshmerga base and adjoining an Iraqi army base on the outskirts of Makhmour, a town south of the Kurdish regional capital of Erbil. It was briefly seized by the Islamic State in 2014 then recaptured after U.S. airstrikes were launched. Makhmour is expected to become a major focus of any future offensive to gain control of Mosul, and Iraqi army reinforcements have begun arriving there in recent weeks in preparation for the operation. The Iraqi officer said mortars frequently target the Iraqi army base there, and it was unclear whether the ones that killed the soldier were deliberately targeting the U.S. base or had been aimed at the Iraqi army. The town is administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government, but Baghdad claims it is part of Iraq. On Wednesday, Brett McGurk, the U.S. special envoy to the coalition formed to fight the Islamic State, declined to predict when the offensive might take place, but he said it had effectively already begun, with operations elsewhere aimed at severing supply routes and isolating the city. Its already started. . . . Its a slow steady squeeze, he told a forum at the American University of Iraq at Sulaymaniyah that was held to discuss Iraqs future. He indicated that the launch of a full-scale offensive may yet take time. Its going to be a long campaign, he said. Mosul, that will be one of the biggest tests. The first U.S. combat casualty in the 19-month-old campaign against the Islamic State came in October, during a Special Operations raid to free Islamic State prisoners in the northern Iraqi town of Hawija. The military identified the soldier in that incident as Master Sgt. Joshua L. Wheeler, 39, of Roland, Okla. Since 2014, the Unite IE Conservative Conference has given Inland conservatives respite and inspiration in a state dominated by Democrats and liberal thought. But this years conference, today at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside, comes amid a GOP presidential battle. Inland conservatives are mainly divided between Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and billionaire entrepreneur Donald Trump, according to those at the forefront of the local conservative movement. Its not like a civil war thats just silly, said John Berry, a leader of the Redlands Tea Party Patriots. But theres definitely a split. Last years conference featured appearances by three Republican presidential hopefuls former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, then-Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry who since have dropped out. The remaining candidates have been invited to speak at this years conference, although none has accepted. Keynote speakers for this years event, which is expected to draw more than 1,000 people, include Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas; conservative talk show host Larry Elder; and Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder and national coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots. HOSTILE GROUND Though California is where conservative icon Ronald Reagan became governor, life can be frustrating for dedicated Republicans in the Golden State. Democrats control the Legislature and all statewide offices, the state hasnt gone for a GOP presidential candidate since George H.W. Bush, and the number of Republican-registered voters in California is dropping. Four in 10 voters statewide are registered Democrats. This is where the liberals make the Kool-Aid they drink, Berry said. The Inland Empire has traditionally been more conservative than the rest of California, and Republicans still hold a voter registration edge in Riverside County. But Democratic President Barack Obama carried Riverside and San Bernardino counties in 2008 and 2012, and in recent years, Democratic candidates have prevailed in competitive races for Inland legislative and congressional seats. The June 7 primary, in which 172 GOP convention delegates will be up for grabs, could give California conservatives a pivotal say in who becomes the Republican White House nominee. Though Trump is the front-runner, its not a lock that hell get the 1,237 delegates needed to win the GOP nomination. If that happens, the nominee could be determined at the Republican National Convention in July. The prospect of a brokered convention worries Greg Brittain, a Redlands Tea Party Patriots member who hosts a radio talk how on KTIE in San Bernardino. If its perceived that the (Republican) establishment did a back-room deal and got their preferred candidate in, it would be devastating to morale and turnout in November, Brittain said. There has been vigorous debate between Cruz and Trump supporters on the Redlands Tea Party Patriots Facebook page, Brittain said. The race for the GOP nomination hasnt been about whos the most conservative, he added. Its an election about insurgency, said Brittain, who supports Trump but said hell back Cruz if he wins the nomination. The California Republican Assembly endorsed Cruz in February. But Trump won a recent straw poll of the Murrieta Temecula Republican Assembly. I dont even talk about it very much because if someone is very vehement about a particular position that I dont agree with, I dont respond, said Bob Kowell, a longtime leader with the Murrieta group. Id rather just wait until the whole thing settles down and then work on the general campaign. IM NOT ALONE This years conference theme is What Difference Does It Make, a reference to a Hillary Clinton quote regarding the 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. The past two conferences served to energize local conservatives and encourage them to be politically active. The purpose (of the conference) has not changed, said Don Dix, a co-host of The Jen and Don Show on KTIE who serves as a conference emcee. Its an invitation for conservatives to get off the couch, get out of the stands and get onto the field of play. I think it helps conservatives realize, Im not alone. Im not the oddball. Theres a lot of people out there who think like I do, Brittain said. Berry, who said he would be happy with Trump or Cruz, predicts conservatives will come together to support the Republican presidential nominee. I think in the end, were all going to have a group hug, he said. I just want to avoid an open convention because thats going to create a fissure that the media and liberals can exploit. Contact the writer: 951-368-9547 or jhorseman@pressenterprise.com A man wearing a black jacket and camouflage pants punched out the window of a Riverside public bus Saturday, March 19. The incident happened around 10:45 a.m. at the Galleria Mall on Tyler Street. The suspect, arrested a short distance away at the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and Harrison Street, is being interviewed by Riverside police, explained Sgt. Rene Ramirez. Its unknown whether the man was inside the bus when he struck the window. This story is developing. Check back for updates. California will host debates in May for the remaining candidates for both the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations. Neither Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz nor Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus has, as yet, announced the venues for their respective debates. But Rep. Pete Aguilar, a Redlands Democrat who represents the 31st Congressional District, and Paul Chabot, one of three Republicans challenging Rep. Aguilar, have separately urged their parties to hold their lone California debate in San Bernardino. While San Bernardino recently gained national attention, Rep. Aguilar wrote, from witnessing the deadliest terror attack on American soil since 9/11, this is also a community that embodies the struggles and concerns faced by people in all parts of the country. The Republican Partys values, which include keeping Americans safe from future terrorist attacks, rebuilding our military to full strength so it can project American power successfully, and to always give veterans the help they need, wrote Mr. Chabot, need to be shared in San Bernardino. We join Mssrs. Aguilar and Chabot in urging both the DNC and RNC to choose San Bernardino as host city for their upcoming presidential debates in the Golden State. Not the least, because we think the resiliency of residents of the inland regions second-most populous city is a testament to the indomitable spirit of the entire American people. Indeed, San Bernardino has endured the longest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history longer even than that of Detroit, where the GOP held a presidential debate this month. What we find remarkable is that, while most bankrupt cities lose population (as residents flee to more economically promising locales), San Bernardino residents have hung in there with their city, which, we might note, is expected to emerge from its BK by the third quarter of this year. Then there was the Dec. 2 atrocity at San Bernardinos Inland Region Center, to which Rep. Aguilar alluded in his letter to Ms. Wasserman Schultz. It could have torn the city apart, radicalizing anti-Muslim extremists. But, instead, it brought the grieving residents of city together, transcending race and religion. The DNC and RNC can hardly go wrong whichever city they ultimately choose to host their May debates here in California. We can see the appeal of a debate set in Los Angeles, with a smattering of Hollywood types sitting in the audience. Or a San Francisco debate with a handful of tech billionaires (or centimillionaires) on hand to see the presidential candidates in person. But San Bernardino is far more representative of mainstream America than either L.A. or San Francisco. And thats why we think it the more fitting site for the DNC and RNC California presidential debates. Salah Abdeslam, the top suspect in last years deadly Paris attacks, was discharged Saturday from a Brussels hospital, and quickly made it clear he will fight efforts to extradite him to France for trial. We will refuse the extradition, Sven Mary, Abdeslams lawyer, said. Mary spoke to journalists after he and Abdeslam met with a Belgian investigating magistrate who will decide whether to issue a formal arrest warrant against the Brussels native accused of playing a key role in the Nov. 13 attacks on a rock concert, cafes and a stadium that killed 130 people. Abdeslam, 26, was shot in the leg and a suspected accomplice also injured when they were captured by Belgian police on Friday. Yvan Mayeur, the Brussels mayor, announced on Twitter that the two presumed terrorists had been discharged from CHU St. Pierre hospital Saturday morning. Abdeslam, a French national, is subject to a European arrest warrant issued by France. His seizure in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek after four months on the run brought relief to people who have seen his wanted poster all over two countries for months. Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, said Saturday he hopes Abdeslam can be brought to France to face justice. He spoke after French President Francois Hollande held an emergency security meeting in Paris. Hollande has warned that more arrests will come as authorities try to dismantle a network involved in the attacks that is much larger than originally suspected. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Paris carnage. Cazeneuve called Abdeslams arrest a major blow to the Islamic State group in Europe, but warned the threat of new attacks remains extremely high. Belgiums prime minister also said the fight is not over, and the Belgian government announced the nations terrorism alert level would remain unchanged at 3 on a 4-point scale. Belgian federal prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt said the investigating magistrate has 24 hours following a detention to issue an arrest warrant, though that deadline can be prolonged for another day. Then Abdeslam will have to appear before a pretrial court, which will decide whether he stays in jail for up to another month. If he starts talking then I presume it will mean he stays longer in Belgium, Van der Sypt told The Associated Press. But whether the suspect fights extradition or not, sooner or later he will be extradited to France, the Belgian prosecutor said. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told a news conference Saturday that his government has no political objections to handing Abdeslam over to the French, but wants to full respect Belgian judicial procedure which can take at least a couple of weeks. French and Belgian anti-terrorism prosecutors were planning a teleconference call Saturday during which matters including Abdeslams extradition will be discussed, Belgian Federal Prosecutors Office spokesman Thierry Werts said. A 2002 agreement among European Union member states speeds up the extradition process, making it a purely judicial process and removing any political aspect. For especially grave crimes, such as terrorist acts, the procedure goes even faster. Hollande, speaking next to Michel, the Belgian prime minister, said at a joint news conference in Brussels on Friday he was sure the French judicial authorities will send an extradition request very soon and that the Belgian authorities will answer it as favorably as possible, as soon as possible. The shared French language between France and Belgium will help make the process even smoother. Abdeslam could appeal the extradition, but under the European principle of mutual recognition of judicial decisions, that would only give him a short respite. Samia Maktouf, a French lawyer for several survivors and relatives of Paris attack victims, is urging immediate extradition. Apart from his (medical) condition, I dont see what might delay his extradition, she told The Associated Press. Survivors and victims families relief is mingled with bitterness because some suspects are still on the run and belong to an organized and sprawling network that has yet to be stopped, Maktouf said. Our young people found death for no reason. Today, their families have empty chairs next to them, they have a phone that doesnt ring any longer, she said. Abdeslam is a childhood friend of the suspected ringleader of the attacks. Investigators believe Abdeslam drove a car carrying a group of gunmen who took part in the shootings, rented rooms and shopped for detonators. Most of the Paris attackers died on the night of the attacks, including Abdeslams brother Brahim, who blew himself up. After the bloodbath, Salah Abdeslam evaded a dragnet to return to Brussels. He was believed to have slipped through police fingers multiple times despite an international manhunt. At one point, Belgian authorities locked down their capital for several days but failed to find him. Abdeslam and four other suspects were detained in Fridays raid, including three members of a family that sheltered him. Abdeslam was not armed but did not immediately obey orders when confronted by police, Van der Sypt said. Belgian prosecutors said they were not sure of the identity of the presumed accomplice arrested along with Abdeslam. They said he is believed to have used fake Syrian and Belgian documents bearing two different names. It was possible Abdeslam had spent days, weeks or months in the Molenbeek apartment, according to Van der Sypt. Two other people believed linked to the attacks were still being sought, including fellow Molenbeek resident Mohamed Abrini and a man known under the alias of Soufiane Kayal. Abdeslams role in the attacks has never been clearly spelled out. The car he drove was abandoned in northern Paris, and his mobile phone and an explosive vest he may have had were later found in the Paris suburb of Montrouge, raising the possibility that he aborted his mission. Sen. Mark Kirk became the first Republican senator to break with party leaders and call for a vote on President Barack Obamas Supreme Court selection, saying Friday, Its just man up and cast a vote. The statement by Kirk, who faces a difficult re-election battle this fall in Democratic-leaning Illinois, came two days after Obama nominated Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy created by the February death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Garland, a Chicago native, is chief judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Kirks stance directly contradicts the path charted by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that most GOP senators have followed. McConnell has said for weeks that there will be no Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for any Obama nominee for the vacancy and no confirmation vote by the Senate. Right, its just man up and cast a vote, Kirk said on the Big John Howell show on Chicago radio station WLS. The tough thing about these senatorial jobs is you get yes or no votes. Your whole job is to either say yes or no and explain why. Kirk said he believes McConnell wont relent, saying, I dont see his view changing too much. Kirk is being challenged in November by Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and is considered one of the GOPs most endangered incumbents. Illinois Democratic Party spokesman Sean Savett said Kirk should publicly rebuke the strategy of the Republican majority leader he voted for, not predict the strategys success. Democrats in next-door Iowa pounced on Kirks comment. If our neighboring senator is willing to cast an up-or-down vote on Judge Garland, why isnt Chuck Grassley? said former Lt. Gov. Patty Judge, hoping to be the Democratic candidate against the longtime senator and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Grassley has supported McConnells refusal to hold committee hearings or a Senate vote. Friday evening, Grassley campaign spokesman Eric Woolson said, Chuck Grassley is elected by the people of Iowa and he is standing up for the people of Iowa. With presidential and congressional campaigns underway and the ideological balance of the 4-4 high court at stake, Democrats have attacked Republicans daily for refusing to consider a Scalia replacement. They say political pressure to relent will be especially intense on a half-dozen GOP senators like Kirk from swing or Democratic-leaning states facing November contests. Kirk and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, have previously said they favored Judiciary Committee hearings on Obamas pick. A small number of GOP senators have said they would be willing to meet with Garland. Democrats say they believe the number of Republicans wanting the confirmation process to proceed will only grow, a prospect that GOP leaders have disputed. accuw.jpg (AccuWeather) A late-season snowstorm is predicted to dust the Harrisburg region with one to two inches of snow over Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Joe Ceru, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in State College, said that areas southeast of Harrisburg can expect a tad more. "Right now we are looking at, for the Harrisburg area, one to two inches," he said. "In Lancaster, and that area, in the two-to-three range." Ceru said southeastern Pennsylvania might get more than three inches but it was difficult to say based on what was known about the timing and position of the low-pressure system. The snow is predicted to kick off around Saturday evening in Harrisburg and taper off around Sunday night or Monday morning. Ceru said temperatures throughout Sunday are forecast to linger in the upper 20s to low 30s. He added that it's possible that the snow might turn into a sleet or light rain in the afternoon but, if it does, it's expected to turn back into snow as temperatures drop that evening. However, any snow that accumulates over Sunday is unlikely to stick around for long. Ceru said that a high of 42 is forecast for Monday with temperatures reaching the low 60s - above average for this time of year - by Wednesday. You can see live weather updates via the National Weather Service and other Twitter sources below. Tweet us at @pennlive with photos of inclement weather at your place, incidents you see on your commute or send a submission to submissions@pennlive.com. WILLIAM SPORT -- A Penn State administrator believes a new method to determine if students have broken the school's Code of Conduct in sexual misconduct cases is fairer than the old method where the accused faced his or her accuser. James Daniel Shaha, senior director of student conduct at the university, expressed that opinion Friday during an all-day injunction hearing in U.S. Middle District Court. Two Alpha Cho Rho fraternity brothers, identified only as John Doe I and John Doe II, are seeking an injunction to forestall a two-month suspension, the result of sexual misconduct allegations. They filed separate suits against the university, its President Eric Barron and Shaha. The new investigative model employs an investigator who interviews the accused, accuser and others and then prepares a packet of information for a three-person panel that decides if a violation occurred. The accused may have an adviser and both parties may raise questions during the investigation and object to the information given the panel. The panel is not given the names of the accused or accuser so there is no bias, Shaha said. The conduct investigator, Spencer J. Peters Jr., a former Penn State police officer, was the only other witness and will return to the stand when the hearing resumes April 5. Judge Matthew W. Brann extended until April 6 a temporary restraining order he previously had issued to prevent the university from suspending the two students. The investigative model is used for all sexual misconduct complaints and is being adopted by colleges across the country, Shaha said. The U.S. Office of Civil Rights recommends it, he said. The model eliminates the need for the victim to testify at a hearing about what likely was the most traumatic occurrence in her life, he said. The two students contend the investigative model is unconstitutional because they did not have the opportunity to confront or question their accuser. Cross-examination is done in the form of questions to the investigator, Shaha explained. The investigative model has been used in nine sexual abuse cases at Penn State with the panel finding a Code of Conduct violation in six of them, he said. Peters, who was questioned about his work, said he is not involved when the panel deliberates the evidence he presents to the members. A panel has never asked him to further investigate a case, he said. The two fraternity brothers were found to have violated the Code of Conduct by engaging in non-consensual oral sex and sexual misconduct involving an incapacitated individual. They and two other fraternity brothers claim they were in the basement of the fraternity house early on Dec. 5, 2014, listening to music when a female suggested a "fivesome" and performed oral sex on them. The woman's sister reported the incident to State College police but, following an investigation, no charges were filed. The woman claimed she was too drunk to consent to the sexual activity but the two men dispute that, claiming she acted normal. Screen Shot 2016-03-19 at 1.11.16 PM.JPG (PennDOT traffic camera) UPDATE: Traffic flowing again as of shortly after 2 p.m. A crash involving an overturned vehicle has shut down the southbound lanes of Interstate 83 in York County. The crash occurred at about 1 p.m. Saturday just south of Exit 32, the exit for Newberrytown and Route 382 in Newberry Twp., according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The southbound lanes of the interstate have been closed between Exit 32, and Exit 28, the exit for Strinestown in Manchester Township, PennDOT said. Further information about the crash was not immediately available. For more traffic information, follow live traffic updates, accident reports and road closures below from PennDOT, Total Traffic Network and other Twitter sources. Get a look at conditions on local roads -- via PennDOT traffic cameras -- anytime here on PennLive. For Pennsylvania Turnpike updates and possible travel delays visit the Turnpike website here. Tweet us at @pennlive with any incidents you see on your commute or send a submission to submissions@pennlive.com. Three people attempted to use stolen and forged documents to obtain driver's permits and driver's licenses from a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation driver's center in Cumberland County last week, according to state police. The incident took place just before 10 a.m. on March 12 at the driver's center along the 900 block of Walnut Bottom Road in South Middleton Township, police said. Police identified all three people only as Hispanic men. Employees of the center contacted troopers and when they arrived, the three men fled the area, according to police. One of the suspects, a 31-year-old man, was caught by troopers, but the other two men drove away and were not captured, police said. Police did not release the identity of the man who was captured. Further information about the incident was not immediately available. HARRISBURG - The smell of weed filled the entire block. "It's Friday night, and everybody's toking up," Claude Phipps quipped. Phipps, 60, is part of a safety patrol, unofficially dubbed "The Heart of Allison Hill Peacekeepers," which walks the streets of South Allison Hill each weekend to promote non-violence. The block of North 17th Street choked with a marijuana perfume Friday night is part of a route the group regularly patrols, hoping their message somehow reaches at least a few in this neighborhood plagued by drugs and gun violence. The group, founded by John Reuwer, tries to monitor hot spots at least once a week. Normally, the Peacekeepers walk together to break up beefs and prevent shootings and other crime along dimly lit streets on weekends. "Initially, neighbors were suspicious. But now they embrace it. They don't embrace the police," Phipps said. "A lot of neighbors, too, know a lot's going on in the neighborhood, but they're afraid for their own safety ... and we have to defeat that culture." Seven people met at the corner of 15th and Market streets at 7:30 p.m. Friday. They walked together, spoke with residents and commented on some of the positive changes in the neighborhood. They were thrilled to see a streetlight finally illuminated at Thompson and 14th streets, where an open drug market once existed. The same corner was free of litter and no one was hanging out there. The Peacekeepers believe they helped play a part in the small victory. Reuwer, a physician by trade and a peace seeker by passion, set out on his Harrisburg patrol mission in October. Working as an emergency room physician for 28 years, Reuwer saw the result of gun violence in the ER over and over again. It's what inspired him to get out into the community to promote peace. Normally, two to four people come out on Peacekeeper patrols. The seven people who made it out Friday night represented a great turnout. Reuwer hopes the numbers grow, especially on the heels of an unprecedented amount of shootings that have shook Harrisburg in just over a week. Tyjerell Curry was shot and killed on Mercer Street at about 10 p.m. on March 10. His death marked Harrisburg's fourth homicide of 2016. Six others were shot and injured in Harrisburg since Curry's slaying. And police have responded to numerous other shots-fired reports throughout the city during the last week. The Peacekeepers don't preach to neighbors they encounter. And they aren't out to call the cops. They try to diffuse arguments before they escalate. And If drug dealers scatter when they approach, then that's just a positive result. "We're being friendly neighbors," Reuwer said. "We're just trying to remind our neighbors that live right near us that this place doesn't have to be dangerous, that if we look out for one another, it can be a safe place." Rachel Sprinkle of North Allison Hill joined the Peacekeepers in December. Sprinkle doesn't fear for her own safety while out on patrol, but she is aware of the dangers on these streets. Sprinkle, a devout Christian, said God spoke to her and urged her to move to Allison Hill to help make a difference. "I know it sounds cheesy, but If I can reach one person, then it's worth it," Sprinkle said. "I want to see peace. When I hear about shootings, my heart breaks." Merced Ramirez, 20, said the patrols have helped him just as much as the community. Ramirez, who lives on Hunter Street, joined the Peacekeepers in October. And he said he feels better in general just knowing he is trying to make a difference. "When you see someone doing something good in the city you live in, you want to participate," he said. "(The patrol) is needed because people feel disconnected. As neighbors, I think its good to be there for each other." The Peacekeepers plan to continue with their patrols, but they also hope to spur a complementary effort that could produce positive change in city neighborhoods. Based on a model used in Philadelphia and Chicago, Reuwer hopes to seek grants that would cover the cost of hiring people from the community to act as professional interrupters. Acting as the eyes and ears of the neighborhood, interrupters would work eight hours a day or more, interrupting cycles of violence just by being there, showing they care and facilitating non-violent conflict resolution, Reuwer said. The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency has funded a similar effort in Philadelphia, he said. Reuwer estimates it would cost $300,000 annually to fund an interrupter program in Harrisburg, which he said would relieve the city police department. Police would have fewer incidents to respond to, Reuwer said. "We did (have an effect) at first, because we went many months without a bad incident in the areas we were patrolling," he said. "But then at the end of the year, and so far this year, we've had shootings that we had hoped wouldn't happen. And so what we are doing isn't quite enough." PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Two public housing high-rises in north Philadelphia have been demolished as part of a plan to revitalize the area. The 18-story towers that were once part of the 499-unit Norman Blumberg Apartments complex were imploded shortly before 7:30 a.m. Saturday, falling in seconds and sending a cloud of dust throughout the area. The Philadelphia Housing Authority says 15 low-rise buildings are also being demolished but the remaining 13-story high-rise will be renovated and remain a senior residence. The plan is to create 1,200 new residential units and 420 affordable and market-rate homes to replace the 1960s-era project marked by crime and blight that officials call "an obstacle to neighborhood renewal." Former residents were relocated last year to other public housing or to rental properties in and out of the city. A Snyder County woman with a gun scared off a would-be burglar from her home earlier this week, state police said. The incident occurred at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday at the home of a 35-year-old woman along the 3900 block of Troxelville Road in Center Township, police said. Investigators said someone opened the kitchen window of the woman's home. "The victim discharged a firearm, scaring off the actor (or actors)," according to a news release from the police. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact police at 570-374-8145. Note: This story has been updated to correct a spelling error. FILE - In this Sept. 15, 2015 photo, Dylan O'Brien attends the premiere of "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials" in New York. OBrien has been injured on the set of Maze Runner: The Death Cure during production in Vancouver, Canada. 20th Century Fox said in a statement Friday, March 18, 2016, that OBrien was immediately transferred to a local hospital after being injured Thursday. The studio said shooting will be shut down while the actor recovers. (Photo by Greg Allen/Invision/AP) Its almost Gan-Gans big 90th birthday. In a new documentary honoring Queen Elizabeths milestone birthday on April 21, Princess Kate is opening up about her childrens special relationship with the monarch and reveals a special nickname for her. Speaking in depth for the first time about the joy of raising her family, including 2-year-old son Prince George and 10-month-old daughter Princess Charlotte, Kate tells ITVs The Queen at Ninety that the royal great-grandmother was thrilled when she and Prince William welcomed Charlotte last May. Its very special having a new little girl I feel very, very lucky that George has got a little sister, she says in the new documentary, which airs on ITV in the U.K. on March 27. The Queen was really thrilled that it was a little girl, and I think as soon as we came back here to Kensington she was one of our first visitors here. George is only 2 and he calls her Gan-Gan, reveals Kate. She always leaves a little gift or something in their room when we go and stay, and that just shows her love for her family. The appearance marks Kates first solo TV interview since joining the royal family in 2011. She is among all the senior members of the family, including Prince Charles, William and Prince Harry, who took part in the documentary. The record-breaking Queen has been a steady right hand for Kate as she learns the royal ropes. Recalling their first joint engagement together in 2012, when she joined the Queen in Leicester, Kate says, I went without William, so I was rather apprehensive about that. I think there is a real art to walkabouts. Everyone teases me in the family that I spend far too long chatting. So I think Ive still got to learn a little bit more and to pick up a few more tips I suppose. She was very supportive. The fact she took the time to make sure that I was happy and looked after for that particular occasion, which probably in everything that shes doing is a very small element, it shows just how caring she is really. And Kate adds, Shes been very generous in not being forceful at all and in any of her views, but I feel shes been there, a gentle guidance really for me. For his part, Prince William talks about how the Queen has enabled him to take his own route. He is the first immediate heir to work in the civilian world. Growing up, having this figurehead, having this stability above me has been incredible, William says. I have been able to explore, understand, slightly carve my own path. I greatly appreciate and value that protection. The former Air Force helicopter pilot underlines the links between his family and the armed forces that the Queen heads. It is about service to others and helping the community, helping in the national interest. Want to keep up with the latest royals coverage? Click here to subscribe to the Royals Newsletter. The royal family, and particularly the monarch, has always had a close bond with the armed forces, says William. I think its to do with shared values, sacrifice, dedication, loyalty, and the Armed Forces dont get enough recognition. So its a key part of the royal family and the monarch to bring that to light. Asked what he thinks of how the public sometimes responds to his granny, William replies, A lot of people get very excited and sort of nervous around her. And Ive seen some very comical moments. Ive seen people literally faint in front of her. Its quite a startling moment as to what to do when you faint in front of the Queen. Theres a lot of trembling knees and people cant talk sometimes. Its quite difficult talking to people when they can t talk. You dont get very far; I dont get past the hellos. Williams brother Prince Harry, who quips that he has been asking her for years what her secret is, but she won t tell me, highlights the impact the Queen has had around the world via the Commonwealth of 53 nations. I look at the Commonwealth and think, Look how much its achieved, he says. But whats really encouraging is how much more it can achieve, he continues. Its a force for good across the whole world, and I think going forward she should be incredibly proud of what shes led and what shes achieved and what shes created amongst a huge amount of people from different ethnic backgrounds, different skin colors, different experiences, different islands whatever it be. Hats off to her. Its incredible. And he praises the vow she made to serve her country at age 21 after her fathers death. Its just incredible to know that someone at that age appreciated and understood exactly what was expected of them and to basically put duty ahead of everything else so early on in her life is quite remarkable, says Harry. The Queens eldest son and heir, Prince Charles (the longest serving heir-to-the-throne in history) is looking ahead to the birthday celebrations next month. I said to my mother the other day, Do you realize that when you reach 90, I shall have known you for 68 years? She had to laugh a little bit. When you think that all these years the Queen has been on throne, says Charles, that in itself is a huge achievement, coping with so many different challenges and complications and always being there really in that remarkable way steadfast. Our Queen at Ninety airs Easter Sunday, March 27, at 8 p.m. GMT in the U.K. on ITV. Prince Harry has landed! The royal arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Saturday to begin his five-day visit to the Asian country. Dressed in a blue suit and still sporting his red beard, the prince greeted Nepalese Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli and the countrys deputy prime minister and foreign minister Kamal Thapa. According to The Daily Telegraph, Harry also showed off his Nepali skills during a speech in front of dignitaries at the Yak and Yeti Hotel, greeting them with namaste and saying dhanyabad, which means thank you. The prince also spoke about the purpose of his visit, which he hopes will show that Nepal is open for business following the devastating 2015 earthquakes. I pay my respects to those who perished and hope to do what I can to shine a spotlight on the resolve and resilience of the Nepalese people, he said, according to the BBC. I want to show all those people around the world who want to help that this is a country open for business so please come and visit again. Want to keep up with the latest royals coverage? Click here to subscribe to the Royals Newsletter. Harry also said that he was eager to visit Nepal after he served with the countrys famous fighting men the Gurkhas during his 2007 tour in Afghanistan. The royals big trip comes just one day after he spoke about his mother, the late Princess Diana, during a taped interview with Good Morning America. I hope that a lot of my mothers talents are shown in a lot of the work I do, Harry said. I hope shes looking down, you know, with tears in her eyes, being incredibly proud of what weve established, I suppose. Harrys trip to Nepal comes several weeks ahead of another big royal visit to the region Prince William and Princess Kates tour of India and Bhutan. MEDIA QUESTIONNAIRE Name of Publication Established (Give exact date) ADDRESS TELEPHONE FAX NO NAME OF EDITOR Name of Printer Language Frequency Please attach a copy of declaration certificate Off Days Please specify whether morning, evening or state the date of issue Date on which the first issue was brought out Any special edition Price per copy Annual subscription Editorial Objectives and policy Appeal to any special community, class or section News services subscribed to Special regular features (i.e Womens or Children page etc) & when appearing German State Presidents Discuss Liberalizing the Country's Online Gaming Laws March 18, 2016 Jason Glatzer Editor Last month, the Court of Justice for the European Union ruled against the Germany's restrictive online gaming laws. As a result, many legislators and other vested parties believe a complete overhaul of the country's online gaming regime is required sooner rather than later. Yesterday, a good first step to overhaul the online gaming legislation in Germany took place when, according to Poker Industry Pro editor Jocelyn Wood, the country's 16 state presidents discussed proposals for change. This potentially landmark meeting followed the discussions that took place between a of wide variety of stakeholders, including industry and media representatives, legal experts, politicians, and academics at the German Association of Internet Businesses symposium a few weeks ago. At the heart of the presidential discussions were the discussed of guidelines prepared by the Hesse state government back in October, which include no restriction on foreign licenses, an unlimited amount of games, and a 20-percent tax on gross gaming revenue. Wood further noted that although the Hesse state proposals originally included a 1,000 stop-loss per month for players this is not currently part of what was planned to be discussed for the potential liberated online gaming framework. Perhaps most importantly to player security, however, is that the proposals mention that as part of maintaining a two-year license, online gaming operators would be required to always hold in its accounts customer deposits. In other words, gaming operators would not be allowed to use customer deposits for operating expenses, which is something that caused scandal after Black Friday took place on April 15, 2011, when it was uncovered that Full Tilt, Absolute Poker, and Ultimate Bet were unable to pay its customers back money that was believed to be segregated. While Full Tilt was bailed out when PokerStars acquired the company with most of its customers being paid back, there are some that are still awaiting funds. Even worse, customers at Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet were never paid their funds back and likely never will. Since then other similar scandals have taken place where customers were left with no recourse to withdraw funds. Most notably Lock Poker closed its doors in April 2015 with TwoPlusTwo members reporting $1 million in unprocessed payouts and US Poker speculating there could be as much as $10-$15 million in unprocessed customer withdrawals outstanding. Whether or not these discussions lead to reform remain to be seen as their are many hurdles to be crossed before Germany passes new gaming regulations. However, as Wood points out, the European Commission is growing impatient and is expected to launch infringement proceedings against the country as a result of its current gaming regime being non-compliant with the European Union laws. *Lead image courtesy of deviantart.net. Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! Photo: Greenville PD A Greenville (SC) Police Department officer who was part of the Police Department's Community Response Team was shot and killed in the line of duty Friday. Chief Ken Miller said 28-year-old Officer Allen Jacobs was on patrol and approached known gang member, 17-year-old Deontea Perry Mackey in Nicholtown. Mackey tried to flee from police before opening fire at Jacobs. The officer was shot multiple times and, despite resuscitation attempts at the scene, succumbed to his injuries, reports Fox Carolina. Jacobs' service weapon was snapped in its holster when he was fatally wounded, Miller said. The police chief described him as a "very active, assertive and engaged officer" who could relate well with youth in Greenville. He received multiple awards from the department. Jacobs was a married father of two and was expecting a baby in July, the chief said. He was also a decorated Army veteran who served in the Iraq War. "It's a sad day for Greenville," Miller said. "It's a sad day even more for his family and for our family in the Greenville Police Department." The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund released the following statement by CEO Craig W. Floyd: The shooting death this past Sunday of Prince Georges County (MD) Police Officer Jacai D. Colson was horrific and shocking on many levels. Just consider the facts. The attack that took Officer Colsons life occurred at a police station on a Sunday afternoon. He was the thirteenth officer nationwide killed by gunfire in 2016more than triple the number at this time last year. The fatal bullet was fired during a chaotic gunfight by another officer whose life will now be forever changed. And, as hard as it is for any sane individual to understand, three brothers have now been arrested for the crime. One, it has been said, intended to die in the attacksuicide by cop it would seem. The other two brothers knew of the planned assault, helped their brother record his last will and testament, then drove him to the police station and actually stood by and filmed the deadly assault. To think that any human being could lower themselves to such depravity is simply unimaginable. This is the fifth time this year that an ambush assault has resulted in the death of a law enforcement officer. At the current rate, these attacks against our policing professionals will outpace the numbers from 2015 and 2014 when 16 and 13 officers, respectively, were ambushed and killed. These numbers, and other anecdotal evidence, strongly point to a growing disrespect for the rule of law in our nation. Some of these attacks have been launched by Islamic extremists or sovereign citizen types with a hatred of our government; others are being carried out by mentally deranged or cold blooded criminals who see police as the enemy. In all cases, our officers are being targeted simply because of the badge that they wear and the job that they do. It is time for the media, our elected officials and all law abiding citizens to strongly condemn this violence directed against our protectors and help to restore respect for our laws and the brave individuals sworn to enforce them. About the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Established in 1984, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a private non-profit organization dedicated to telling the story of American law enforcement and making it safer for those who serve. The Memorial Fund built and now operates and maintains the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC, which contains the names of 20,538 officers who have died in the line of duty throughout U.S. history. The Memorial Fund is now building the National Law Enforcement Museum, which will tell the story of American law enforcement through high-tech, interactive exhibitions, historical artifacts and extensive educational programming. For more information, visit www.LawMemorial.org. Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand said Wednesday his office has taken the unusual step of raiding another law enforcement agency in the parish, citing missing evidence and sloppy practices at the Grand Isle (LA) Police Department. No police officers were arrested after the execution of a search warrant at Grand Isle police headquarters on Tuesday, and Normand stopped short of saying he would bring criminal charges. But the sheriff hinted at broader potential misconduct among officials in the small barrier-island town. He said his agencys undercover drug investigations in the area over the past few years, which have resulted in dozens of arrests, have been hampered by interference from the Grand Isle force. The island is kind of the end of the world, Normand said. Everybody knows everybody; everyones related to everybody. Grand Isle Police Chief Euris DuBois told the Advocate he was shocked when deputies wielding long guns appeared at his office on Tuesday, and he rejected the sheriffs allegations of sloppy evidence storage. He also questioned why the Sheriffs Office, instead of an agency outside the parish, was leading the investigation. The inquiry into Grand Isle police, meanwhile, could create headaches for the office of Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick Jr. Normand said defense attorneys seize upon issues like poor evidence and record-keeping on behalf of clients who have been arrested or convicted based on cases made by sloppy police work. On Tuesday, while some Jefferson deputies were arresting drug suspects, others surrounded the Grand Isle Police Department, then entered and searched the office. Deputies found an evidence bag missing 87 grams of marijuana, a department cash box missing $4,000 and a gun in DuBois desk, according to Normand. When investigators asked DuBois who owned the gun, he responded, I dont know. Its just not the way that business should be conducted, Normand said. Im not suggesting that the chief did anything criminal. I dont know. What we have is a bunch of missing evidence. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Republicans in Congress and those leading states dependent on fossil fuels certainly didnt need another reason to be incensed at President Obama, but he gave them one anyway. Of course the Presidents order banning drilling of the Atlantic coastline was not intended to irritate Republicans, but there is no doubt he incurred an extra dose of rage from the GOP and its masters in the oil industry. Despite opposition from environmental groups and Americans terrified of more burned carbon exacerbating climate change, the Obama administration had considered opening up the Atlantic coast to oil and gas exploration for going on six years. Environmentalists had almost resigned themselves to some kind of drilling being allowed, and Republican governors in coastal states expected approval for the revenue generated from oil leases. After the Department of Interiors announcement on Tuesday that it was banning oil and gas drilling for five years, Republicans are incensed. However, environmental groups, Americas military, and coastal residents are celebrating and breathing a sigh of relief. In a statement announcing the five year ban, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said, We heard from many corners that now is not the time to offer oil and gas leasing off the Atlantic coast. When you factor in conflicts with national defense, economic activities such as fishing and tourism, and opposition from many local communities, it simply doesnt make sense to move forward with any lease sales in the coming five years. There are likely more reasons for banning oil and gas exploration off the Eastern seaboard than those mentioned by Secretary Jewell, but one stands out as more prescient than others. Of course there is a massive glut of oil on the world market that has driven the price of crude down from $100 a barrel to $35 due to America producing more crude oil than anyone really needs, but that was not the major driver to the ban. Another factor is that there are still some Americans who remember the devastating BP oil spill in 2010 and are frightened senseless that the same catastrophe will occur off the Atlantic coast. Many coastal communities were deeply concerned that new offshore platforms would interfere with existing tourism and fishing industries, with many residents fearing the transformation of the quiet Outer Banks into dirty bustling oil towns. Those fears have all been put to rest; at least for five years. Although all those reasons likely contributed to the Administrations reversal and five-year ban, It probably came about in great part due to objections from the Pentagon and not necessarily environmental or tourist trade reasons. No Republican can ever say that President Obama does not listen, and listen intently, to the national defense apparatus. The Pentagon gave environmentalists a giant assist when it began pushing the Administration to make major changes in how the Department of Interior sets up its leasing plans for off-shore oil drilling. This was particularly true off the Atlantic coast. The Department of Defense argued that any kind of seismic testing used by oil exploration companies off the Virginia coast will interfere with naval training exercises. The Pentagon has been aware of the threat to national security posed by climate change and has been a leader in the fight against making the problem worse. In fact, late last month the Pentagon issued an order to all top brass to immediately begin incorporating climate change into virtually everything they do. From testing weapons to training troops to war planning to joint exercises with allies, the U.S. Armed Forces must show resilience and beat back the threat based on actionable science. Obviously, opening up the Atlantic coast to more oil that dumps more carbon in the atmosphere is counter-productive to any Pentagon attempt to beat back the threat to national security posed from anthropogenic climate change. Even though the President listened to and acted on the counsel from the Pentagon in banning new drilling, while it thrilled environmentally conscious Americans like Representative Don Beyer (D-VA), it enraged Koch-Republican fossil fuel acolytes. Representative Beyer said, I was thrilled! I thought it was ironic, interesting, and encouraging that this came about because of a defense objection. On the Republican fossil fuel side of the aisle, it was a different story. The snowball throwing, and admitted oil whore Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) lumped the Presidents decision based on advice of the Pentagon with the rest of his energy policy to combat climate change and protect national security. Inhofe, the idiot chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee said, Any damage that he can inflict on the oil and gas industry or any fossil fuels, he will hit them. Inhofe, like the Koch brothers, is beyond furious that this President champions preventing large parts of this Earth from becoming not only inhospitable, but uninhabitable in our lifetimes. Were gonna have to keep some fossil fuels in the ground rather than burn them. The concept of leaving fossil fuels in the ground drove the Presidents rejection of the Keystone pipeline, drilling in the Arctic, and now protecting the Atlantic coastline from dangerous oil and gas exploration. This year the President has also committed to cutting methane emissions nearly in half, proposed a $10-per-barrel tax on oil, and halted new coal leases on federal land. And despite what Koch puppets like Inhofe claim, the Presidents actions are borne of lust to attack and destroy the fossil fuel industry, but to protect national security and the health and safety of the American people. There are some pundits and commenters that claim President Obama is interested in building his environmental legacy by taking all these positive steps to combat climate change. But it is more likely that besides protecting the American peoples health and safety, he embraces the Pentagons mindset that if for nothing else but the sake of national security, America must beat back the threat of climate change based on actionable science; something it seems that everyone comprehends except Republicans and their oil industry masters. President Obama is turning up the heat on Senate Republicans and pushing them to vote on the Supreme Court nomination of Merrick Garland. Video: The President said: One of the most consequential responsibilities our Constitution grants a President is appointing a Supreme Court Justice. The men and women who sit on the Supreme Court safeguard our rights. They ensure that ours is a system of laws, not of men. And theyre given the essential task of applying the principles written into our founding documents to the most challenging questions of today. So this is a duty I take very seriously. It requires me to set aside short-term politics in order to maintain faith with our founders. And on Wednesday, after weeks of consultations with Republicans, Democrats, and leaders across the country, I selected a nominee whose unmatched experience and integrity have earned him the respect and admiration of both parties Chief Judge Merrick Garland. Judge Garland grew up in my hometown of Chicago, with parents who taught him to work hard and deal fairly. As a young lawyer, he left a lucrative private firm to work for half as much in public service. Eventually, he oversaw the federal response to the Oklahoma City bombing, working side-by-side with first responders, victims, and their families to bring justice for an unspeakable crime. And everywhere he went during that investigation, he carried with him in his briefcase the program from the memorial service with each of the victims names inside. For the last 19 years, Judge Garland has served on whats known as the second highest court in the land the D.C. Circuit Court including the last three years as Chief Judge. On the bench, hes shown a dedication to protecting our basic rights. A conviction that powerful voices must not be allowed to drown out those of everyday Americans. An understanding that justice isnt simply abstract legal theory; it affects peoples daily lives. And a spirit of decency, modesty, and even-handedness in his work. Judge Garland is admired for his courtesy, his devotion to family, and his civic-mindedness for the past 18 years, hes served as a tutor for young students at a local D.C. elementary school. During my time as President, through three separate Supreme Court appointments, in conversations with Republicans and Democrats alike, one name came up more than any other Merrick Garland. I understand that were in the middle of an especially noisy and volatile political season. But at a time when our politics are so polarized; when norms and customs of our political rhetoric seem to be corroding this is precisely the time we should treat the appointment of a Supreme Court justice with the seriousness it deserves. Because our Supreme Court is supposed to be above politics, not an extension of politics. And it should stay that way. So I ask Republicans in the Senate to give Judge Garland the respect he has earned. Give him a hearing. Give him an up-or-down vote. To deny it would be an abdication of the Senates Constitutional duty. It would indicate a process for nominating and confirming judges that is beyond repair. It would make it increasingly impossible for any President, Republican or Democrat, to carry out their Constitutional function. To go down that path would jeopardize our system of justice, it would hurt our democracy, and betray the vision of our founding. I fulfilled my Constitutional duty. Now its time for Senators to do theirs. I hope that they take the time to reflect on the importance of this process to our country. I hope that theyll act fairly. And I hope theyll work in a bipartisan fashion to confirm Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. Thats how we can uphold our pledge to liberty and justice for all for our time and for generations to come. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Trump spoke Friday at the Infinity Event Center in Salt Lake City. And his rally faced the usual protesters,with riot-gear armed police guarding the entrance and keeping protesters at bay. The Salt Lake City Tribune called it a tense showdown but no one was arrested and the crowd eventually broke up and went their way. He brought his circus freak show to Salt Lake City to say he loves Mormons but it is Bernie Sanders Mormons seem to love as the Democratic candidate pulled in 14,000 to his rally. Trump spoke to 500. Not exactly the Sermon on the Mount, in impact or in size. As he usually does, this messiah of white people facing loss of privilege did speak of love while hating on an enemy. Full speech below, from Right Side Broadcasting. Trump actually begins at about the 1 hour, 20 minute mark: He laid it on thick. Trump told the crowd he wasnt scheduled to stop there and did so at his personal request, rather than skipping over Salt Lake City for Phoenix. Based on what I see here, we might win Utah, he said. Really great people, thousands of people outsidebut you have a better location, I must say. The evangelicals have been so amazing, everybodys so amazing, and do I love the Mormons? Okay? Do I love the Mormons? I have many friends that live in Salt Lake City. I have a lot of friends. Nah, I have a lot of friends, and by the way, Mitt Romney is not one of them. Did he choke? Did this guy choke? Hes a choke artist. I cant believe it. Are you sure hes a Mormon? Are we sure? Romney has said he is voting for Cruz in Tuesdays caucuses. This was standard Trump fair, other than being a little light on the love. But this is Trump the martyr, sacrificing himself to make America great again: He choked, he choked, it was so sad. He should have beaten Obama. We wouldnt be working I could be back right now. I could be back working in New York, doing my deals and having fun, being with my familyinstead Im with you, which is okay, its okay. Trump, the guy who talks refers to communion by talking about his little crackers and little wine, has been handing out religious tests, first to Ben Carson, who now endorses him, and Ted Cruz. Now he questions Romneys faith. This is poetic justice of course, as Republicans regularly question Obamas faith. But its not a question that should be asked of a candidate, since the Constitution says (Article VI, paragraph 3) that we have no religious tests for office. Of course what Trump is trying to do is create doubt. Its what the GOP has discovered it has a genuine talent for. When you cast doubt, you dont have to disprove anything or offer any facts at all, which is perfect for Republicans, who never have any facts to offer. It worked for the tobacco industry fighting cancer claims, and it is working with their climate change denialism as well. Trump also took shots at Marco Rubio (I assume hes not going to be endorsing me) and Ted Cruz (lyin Ted One of the biggest liars Ive seen in my life). According to Trump, Cruz puts his Bible down and lies. The only difference from an outsiders perspective is that Trump doesnt bother carrying a Bible. Trump even suggested again that Cruz isnt a natural born citizen. Doubt, doubt, and more doubt. For once, Trump didnt have much to say as he left. Perhaps he was tired as well as rushed, and he had bigger fish to fry in front of bigger crowds. The big cause for celebrations seems to have been no interruptions. He tweeted as he left for a rally in Phoenix Saturday, where he said, tremendous crowds [are] expected. Just leaving Salt Lake City, Utah- fantastic crowd with no interruptions. Love Utah- will be back! Thats a threat to be taken seriously. Photo: Screen capture, CNN. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print It has taken years of fighting the Donald Trump in court and coping with his special version of intimidation for victims of his scams to get their day in court. Throughout this campaign, one of Trumps tactics has been to bully the competition away be it with below the belt attacks during debates or taunting tweets. He is using similar tactics, perhaps hoping he can intimidate the lawsuits away. However, if former students of Trump University have their way, they might accomplish what Republicans wouldnt. They might derail Trumps political campaign. The first suit was filed by New Yorks Attorney-General, Eric Schneiderman in 2013. Schneiderman accuses the university of deceptive business practices, alleges false advertising including a claim that Trump handpicked instructors and consumers would receive access to provide financial sources i.e. hard money lenders. Earlier this month, a New York Appeals court ruled that suit can proceed after rejecting Trumps claim that the statute of limitations had run out. Tarla Makaeff is a primary plaintiff in the second lawsuit, a federal class action, filed by former students of Trumps so-called university. The plaintiffs allege that Trump didnt handpick instructors as suggested in the Universitys advertising. Rather, they were independent contractors who were paid a commission to sell seminars and products. The plaintiffs goes on to accuse Trump University of brainwashing schemes, outright fraud, grand larceny, identity theft, unsolicited taking of personal credit and trickery into (sic) opening credit cards. Makaeffs begins in 2010 when she filed a lawsuit against Trump University for defrauding students and making false promises. That suit was dismissed. However, her story reveals that Trumps now familiar tactic of bullying and trolling is not restricted to politics. He used similar tactics to discourage Makaeff from holding him legally accountable for his business practices. Trump sued her and, in a 2012 deposition, said he would sue your law firm for as much as we can possibly do. In a court filing where Makaeff filed to be removed from the case she wrote: I am very concerned about the toll that the trial would take on my emotional and physical health and well-being. There is a basis for Makaeffs concern. As reported in the Huffington Post, Trump used video to threaten potential future plaintiffs to the students lawsuit. The new Trump video sends a message to anyone else who may consider speaking out against the businessman or his shady endeavors: He will not hesitate to name you and tacitly encourage his millions of Twitter followers to find you. Of course, that doesnt stop Trump-ets on Twitter from doing the same to current plaintiffs. Meanwhile, Politico reports a lawyer for the plaintiffs asked the court to begin trying the case this summer, potentially forcing Trump to be in court when hed rather be inciting riots at the Republican Convention. The Nigerian economy could rise to $6.4 trillion by 2050 to the ninth position among the worlds leading economies with policies and programmes aimed at diversifying the economy from over-dependence on crude oil. Latest report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, PwC said at that level of growth, the countrys economy could potentially surpass that of Germany, United Kingdom, France, and Saudi Arabia before that year. The report said potentially, Nigerias global agriculture exports could take-off at a rate similar to Brazils, with about $59 billion in export revenues by 2030. Nigerias intrinsic potential lies beyond oil and harnessing this potential has become an imperative given the expectations of lower for longer oil prices and heightened competition in the oil market, the report published on Friday said Based on recent trends, the report reviewed the impact of low crude oil prices on key economic indicators and the real sector, particularly on priority sectors that should be targeted for diversification efforts. It identified the priority sectors to include agriculture, petroleum, retail and ICT, with the most dominant transmission links to the overall economy. Forward linkages to agro-processing and other services such as logistics as well as backward integration to input supply sectors could improve farm incomes, increase employment and improve domestic food security, the report noted. Besides, it said value added to oil and gas output need urgent improvement through the diversification within the sector, pointing out that this demanded investments across the downstream sector to develop petrochemicals, fertilizers, methanol and refining, industries relevant in both industrial and consumer products currently being imported in the country. Country and Regional Senior Partner for PwC Nigeria and the West Market Area, Uyi Akpata, said consumer spending was the largest driver of the economy, accounting for about 70 per cent of gross domestic product, GDP. He said this was expected to be the boost for the retail sector growth, even as the countrys population continues to expand, with household consumption expenditure projected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2030, from $317billion in 2014, about compound annual growth rate, CAGR of nine per cent through 2030. Mr. Akpata said with the countrys tele-density at 107.87, a large population of urban, young people and massive improvement in internet broadband penetration, Nigeria was likely to see accelerated growth of its digital economy. PwC Partner and Chief Economist, Andrew Nevin, said the review of the business environment of some foreign companies in Nigeria, revealed four challenges, namely corruption, inadequate infrastructure, low skill levels and macroeconomic uncertainty. These challenges, the report said, emphasized the need for the economic and regulatory environments to be transparent and conducive for business, by simplifying complex regulation and processes, and eliminating the hurdles to a bigger and more productive private sector. Significant reforms across the labour market, business environment and fiscal management will be required. A skilled workforce is critical to improving Nigerias productivity and efficiency, the report said. PwC Partner and Head of Tax & Regulatory Services, Taiwo Oyedele, said a well-structured tax system was important in the diversification of the economy. Nigeria needs to ensure sustainable fiscal management that is resilient to the global oil price cycles. Improving tax collection and administration have become imperatives for achieving national growth objectives. The framework for tax exemptions, the report noted should be reviewed and approvals targeted at growth inducing sectors even as the government improves collection. He proposed efficiency in government spending has to improve; there is room for substantial savings in capital outlays and operating expenditure across the three tiers of government. In addition, the government needs to be deliberate about increasing fiscal savings through a higher accretion to the Sovereign Wealth Fund which has investment objectives of diversification and improving long term economic prospects. The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, on Saturday said Nigeria must stop importing what it has in order to boost local industries and create jobs. The Emir stated this in Kaduna while inaugurating the new Council Secretariat of the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KACCIMA). Mr. Sanusi said the current economic crisis induced by the crash in global oil price, should serve as a wake up call for the country to utilise its resources judiciously. Nigeria is full of experts in importing what we have and exporting what we do not have, the Emir said. We have cotton but we import textile materials from China; we have crude oil but we import fuel refined from our own crude from Russia and other countries. We have gas but we let it flare away instead of utilising it to produce power, yet import generators from outside. We eat our hides and skin and import shoes from outside, and we eat our tomatoes and import canned tomatoes paste from China. The Emir said things must change, and advised the Federal Government to give priority to education, industries, power and agriculture. Emir Sanusi noted that the textile industries in the past had employed more than 600, 000 people at a time. He therefore advised industrialists to be in the vanguard of advising the administration on key directions to move the economy forward and always draw the attention of government when it derails from targeted national goals. The Emir stressed that the persistent conflicts in the country were largely due to economic hardships and not religion or tribal sentiments. He expressed the belief that the resuscitation of Nigerias industrial base would offer massive employment and take off the streets the huge number of idle youths used in fomenting crisis. On the current economic hardship in the country, the Emir said Nigerians must be sensitised to appreciate that it was due to the low revenue accruing to government as a result of the fall in oil price. It is not possible to continue doing what you are doing when the price of oil was at $110 and now that it is selling at about $30. People ought to realise that the price of oil has bearing on the current hike in goods and services, and until things change, we must have to adjust our needs as a nation. Mr. Sanusi also spoke on the effect of smuggling on the nations economy and called for massive enlightenment to educate those involved on the harm they inflict on the well-being of the common man. He called on religious leaders, to use their sermons in Mosques and Churches, to call for boycott of foreign goods and for patronage of Made-in-Nigeria products. Earlier, the President of the Chamber, Abdul Alimi-Bello, expressed the groups appreciation to the Emir for his continuous support. He disclosed that the chamber had set up a committee to establish a library on Nigerias economic potentials. (NAN) During the sixth annual conference and exhibition of the African Petroleum Producers Association, APPA, in Abuja, Tonye Cole, the Chief Executive Officer of Sahara Group, one of the sponsors, spoke with Business Editor, BASSEY UDO, on what African needs to do to survive the pressures caused by declining global crude oil prices on the continents economy. Excerpts: PT: At the opening session of the APPA conference, Sahara Group was rallying members to partner towards finding an African solution to the challenge posed by declining global crude oil prices. What informed your perspective? COLE: Crude oil prices have been going up and down, constantly moving. But, the last thing we saw as oil prices were hitting the hundreds was that different companies and different stakeholders in the business were positioning their own views about what should happen. Everybody was talking, but nobody was listening. However, one thing we see when oil prices started coming down to the level it is today is that people are worried enough to agree to sit down, and for the first time begin to ask how we can get out of this crisis. It takes for the different heads, from different areas, to come together to look at the problem from a common view point, which is what is happening now with the coming together of members of the African Petroleum Producers Association, APPA. That common view point is that everybody needs to survive in this difficult period. Governments, oil companies, various stakeholders, even local communities agitating that oil is their resources, need to survive. That survival means that everybody should be able to come and put heads together to say: how do we do solve this problem? Again, even if we survive now, there has to be enough, in terms of sustainability. This is the time that people can listen to long term plans, and thats what the meeting is all about and the perspective of our Group. PT: Oil crisis is neither Nigerian nor African, but global. How would the coming together of African producers influence the situation at the international crude oil market? COLE: There are solutions that are Africa-centric. There are things that work for us as a people. So far, what we do a lot is to import things from technology to ideas, etc. that have been developed to work for the foreigners, and have been working for them before they are exported to us. What we have to do is to reverse that trend. Look at our peculiar situation and create the solutions that can work for us. Then, we can export what we can create to other areas. There are many African countries that are just discovering their own oil. They are going through the processes Nigeria has been through these past decades.Nigeria is at the forefront of developing solutions that work within our environment, which can be used in any developing society. That is what we need to start thinking about. PT: What is the role of Sahara Group in all these? COLE: Sahara Group has a lot of experience in oil trading business. Some of the things we have found are cross border solutions that can work for our peculiar situation as Africans. Ghana, for example, requires power for their industries. Nigeria has started off by developing power using the private public partnership model, which allows private Nigerian companies to use it and realise what international companies promised they would do and it never happened. We have to now develop a framework, policy and all that works within this society. One of the things Sahara Group did was to sit down with the Ghanaian government on power and tell them the lessons we learnt in Nigeria and the solutions we need to put forward there. Those kinds of things are working out beautifully, rather than sitting down and exporting things one knows as solutions being provided for here in Nigeria, so that we do not make the same mistakes at the time. Thats one solution out of many. PT: What are these Afro-centric solutions you proffer for the oil and gas sector? Do we have that capacity to development them? COLE: Absolutely! We do! Like here, when we started about 20 years back, there were three things we saw at the time.One, all international trading was handled by foreign companies. Two, all financing for trading was handled by foreign companies. Three, there was no indigenous people that knew how to trade crude oil, petroleum products, the futures, etc. That capacity did not exist. Today, one of the things Sahara Group has done is to train very young people; bring them into that area; take them abroad to sit on commodities trading desks we have in Geneva, Dubai, Singapore, and Ghana, and taking what is good about Nigeria to the world. One good thing one can always find about Nigeria is that we are aggressive and enterprising when it comes to our entrepreneurial mind-set. We believe in ourselves. All what one has to do is give the Nigerian that opportunity to express himself. We have seen that in Nigerians in the last 20 years. We have driven in the forefront. Many people did not know we have the ability to finance crude and petroleum products. But, Nigerian banks are able to do that effortlessly and start opening Letters of Credits, LCs for Nigerian companies. Two, there are people in Sahara Group who can sit down with the best in the world to trade any product anywhere. These are all Nigerians who have come through the system. It just tells me that we know what to do given the right opportunities. PT: What about the technology required in the oil and gas industry, which are still in the hands of the foreigners? COLE: One of the things we have to look at is inwards solutions; those things we know we are really good at. Once you know what you are good at, you begin to develop what you are extremely good at. One of the things that Nigerians always do is to think local. A Nigerian will take any technology in his hands and adapt it and use it in a way that can function where other people would have thrown away. It is one of the simple skills that we have that we dont do much about. At a particularly level, people want to buy the best things for their use. But, 99 per cent of the rest of Nigerians take that same new thing that has been discarded by somebody else and keep re-engineering it. It is one of our skills to be able to capture that skill of re-engineering. They go abroad and buy everything that has been discarded and bring them in, re-package and sell them. But, we dont always understand that in that technology, there is a place for re-engineering. There is so much. But, we have to give people the belief in themselves. Such things are not bad. There are countries that sit down and work on their capabilities. That is how China developed. They picked out things; looked at them and re-engineered them. They learnt how to do it and began to do it. We can do the same, because we have the same brain sets. PT: At the end of this conference, what kind of resolutions are we expecting to come out of it? COLE: I hope that at the end of the day, one of the things we would see would be that all the 18 oil producing countries in Africa gathering in Abuja would create borderless thinking about our common challenges. This is very important. As we have walked through Africa, one of the things we had to break down right at the beginning was the issue of borders. People build borders against themselves. They see themselves as citizens of Niger, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and other, and because of that they refuse to communicate and share information on issues of development. Today, we have found out that after 18 years of pushing that aspect of borderless control, we found out that it is much easier to operate in West African countries. Today, Sahara Group is operating all over the place, because we have broken those borders. Today, the low oil price has opened up Africa to other African countries, because they know we are here and we know the problems. Today, Sahara Group can operate out of Tanzania and anywhere. We have bought storage facilities in Tanzania. We have been shipping products into Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda and building the whole East African hub. My hope is that borderless discussions would come out of here; where solutions that work in Nigeria can be exported into Ghana, and those that work in Ivory Coast can be taken to Tanzania, or what has worked in Gabon can be moved into Cameroun. This way, we will not be thinking of borders against the people, but regional solutions to our common problems. If we can achieve that during the meeting, we would have gone a long way to finding lasting solutions to our problems. PT: Nigerias challenges in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry could be what most other African countries are facing. How would this meeting help address these issues? COLE: One thing we have talked about for a long time in the downstream sector of our petroleum industry has to do with subsidies and subsidy removal and the measure and control of the volume of products as they are moved from one place to another. Many things in Nigeria, by virtue of our vastness and the independent retail operators already in the industry, we have a lot of lessons to learn from. Other countries coming into the industry should sit down and take a look at these problems and identify the mistakes that have been made by agencies like the PPPRA (Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency), PEF (Petroleum Equalization Fund) and the efforts to restructure and create solutions to the problems of these institutions. What can we gain from opening up the entire market to independent marketers who now own about 60 per cent of the market? What are the mistakes and gains from such policies as domestic refining? What do they gain from buying a broken down refining system? Or what can we gain by restructuring the oil industry? There are so many real life case studies in Nigeria that many African countries can learn from. One of the things I am always asked each time I speak in different countries is: dont look at Nigeria in the way that one can say that there is nothing to learn from it. There are a lot that have been done that could be learnt from. We learnt it the hard way. We have the real answers. No African country coming into the oil industry now should make the same mistakes Nigeria made. My advice is for African countries to come, sit down and engage the various stakeholders, by asking questions about what they have done right and their mistakes. How can we improve our industry?Frankly, if one goes to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) looking for solutions about African issues, one is not likely to find. But, if you come to Nigeria, where we have learnt it the hard way, you are sure to get what works for Africans. Nigeria will be able to tell you where mistakes were made. We will show you where the landmines are. We will be able to tell you what you are likely to get if you add one and one together. I hope that at the end of the conversation, we will be able to learn from each others peculiar ways of solving African problems our own way. PT: Talking about the problem of power supply and the synergy between gas supply and power generation. Sahara Group is also involved in all these. How do we strike the right balance to guarantee adequate power supply to the people? COLE: The principle around the oil sector that is being discussed is exactly the same as the principle we have to think about when talking about power. Its all about stakeholder engagement. Everybody has an interest to protect. In power, the interest of the consumer at the end of the day is: let there be light. For the producer, the only interest he has at the end of the day is: let him be able to supply light to the consumers. So, above the economics, the principal thing is that everyone should have one goal, to bring power. Once that is put as a central call, and with all the stakeholders around the table agreeing that they will make this happen, we have to listen. What has made all the difference in the last couple of months is that all stakeholders in the sector are sitting together and listening to what the distribution and generation companies as well as the regulating authorities are saying about all the problems and how to bring the solution. All parties would also listen to what the gas suppliers are saying about the situation. Without adequate supply of gas, the generation companies would not be able to generate electricity. And without electricity, the distribution companies would have what to distribute to the people. So, its a delicate chain. But, everyone would have to realise that everyone is looking for the same thing, and that each one of them have issues peculiar to them that must be addressed. It is addressing these issues and finding the right balance that is the key. Having an umpire that is able to see all of these and address everything about solutions before setting out a road-map or time-frame that would get it there. Its a delicate call. If one tries to rush all of these with the expectation that it must happen tomorrow, it will fail, and everyone would sit down and watch, because it would not happen. One must take steps that everyone understands could take everyone there. The key thing to all of that is communication. Everyone has to communicate effectively and clearly what those steps are and what is being done; how long it will take. If these things are tied up, I think Nigerians would understand. Nigeria and Gambia on Saturday agreed to set up technical committees for the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote trade, investment and best practice. The Nigeria Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Al-Hassan, made this known in New York at the end of a meeting. The meeting was called by Nigeria on the implementation of the bi-lateral agreement in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The minister said women, the aged and people living with disabilities from both countries are targeted in the MoU. Mrs Al-Hassan said the MoU, which was signed on March 12, 2015, did not come into effect, because it did not capture the problems of insurgency. The minister acknowledged that the two countries had gone a long way together. We are here to look at the MoU again and make more inputs into it for effective implementation. The implementation committee would comprise of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, NGOs and relevant Ministries to execute the MoU. We also expect the Gambia to set up their own committee and we will later meet with them on the operation of the MoU. We are going to make changes here and there. It is a good move; it will strengthen ties between Nigeria and The Gambia. We want to ensure the welfare of women in Nigeria and The Gambia, as well as the most vulnerable and children, Mrs Al-Hassan said. She said gender inequality impeded efforts towards the attainment of sustainable national development. Reducing gender inequality is critical for improving the social and economic situation of marginalised groups through among others, access to social services, wage employment and control over productive resources, she added. Also speaking, Isatou Njie-Saidy, Vice President of The Gambia, said there were many Nigerian women doing business in The Gambia, and that some of them had been in that country for generations. I thank the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the cooperation that we have shared. Weve always seen Nigeria as big brother and I can assure you that following this review today, we will work head-on on the programmes, she said. The Gambian government, she said, recognised gender equality and women empowerment as a key factor for the attainment of social and economic development. She said that as a result, a number of measures were taken to mainstream women in the development process. Among such measures, she said, was the establishment of the National Womens Council and Bureau by the Council Act of 1980. Njie-Saidy, who is also the Minister of Women Affairs, said that a National Policy for the Advancement of Gambian Women (NPAGW 1999-2009) was formulated and provided a legitimate point of reference for addressing gender inequalities at all levels of government and all stakeholders. The Gambia, she added, had come out with Best Practices in public reform or good governance efforts that fully integrate a gender perspective. Nigeria and The Gambia had signed the MoU, to promote trade, investment and best practice among women, the aged and people living with disabilities from both countries. The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the UN Commission on Status of Women, tagged Beijing +20, which was 20 years after the Beijing Women Conference of 1995 took place in the Chinese capital. The Understanding seeks to empower women, children, the disabled and the elderly in both countries, as well as promote increased trade among women in the two countries. (NAN) The claim, Thursday, by a judge of the Federal High Court, Okon Abang, that he and the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, may not be classmates, is false, checks by PREMIUM TIMES have shown. Justice Abang had, during a hearing of the case between Mr. Metuh and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, rejected claims by Mr. Metuhs lawyers that he and the PDP spokesman were classmates at the Nigerian Law School. A counsel to Mr. Metuh, Emeka Etiaba, had written to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Ibrahim Auta, demanding that the corruption case be withdrawn from Mr. Abang and assigned to another judge. In the petition, Mr. Etiaba said Mr. Metuh feared he might not get justice from Mr. Abang, being a former classmate and based on what he knew as the judges position on the matter and himself. The lawyer said the PDP spokesperson informed his legal team that sometime late last year, when he met the judge at an occasion at the Le Meridian Hotel, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, he was baffled at Justice Abangs views and when eventually the charge against him was assigned to his court this January, (a few weeks later), he got worried because he feared that he may not get justice in his court. Speaking on the letter, Justice Abang told the team of lawyers before him that are you aware that after eight witnesses were called by the prosecution, and the court gave its ruling on an application of no-case submission by the defence, that Mr. Emeka Etiaba wrote the registrar to the Chief Justice of the Court, asking that this case be transferred to another judge?. According to the judge, the reason given by Mr. Etiaba for the request of transfer of the case was that he (the judge) gave certain interlocutory judgements in favour of the prosecution, and that he (Mr. Abang) was Mr. Metuhs former classmate. Justice Abang added, I am not aware that the first defendant was my classmate, he said he is my classmate. However, checks by PREMIUM TIMES showed that both Messrs. Metuh and Abang were called to the Bar on the same day and were both members of the Nigerian Law School class of 1988. Mr. Metuhs call-to-bar certificate showed that he was called to the Nigerian Bar on November 3, 1988. Also, the profile of Justice Abang, as posted on the website of the Federal High Court indicated that he was called to the bar on November 3, 1988. As at 1988, there was only one law school in Nigeria, located in Victoria Island, Lagos. All lawyers seeking to practice law in Nigeria at that time attended the school. The controversy over whether the judge and Mr. Metuh were classmates did not come up suddenly in open court. A petition was sent to the Chief Judge, through which that claim was made. The petition was brought to the judges attention. Some lawyers told PREMIUM TIMES that Justice Abang should have made enquiry to determine if indeed Mr. Metuh was his classmate before raising the matter in open court. He had time and opportunity to crosscheck the claim before the court hearing, one lawyer said. He cannot be excused for saying he was not aware he was classmate of the PDP spokesman. The immediate past chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu, told PREMIUM TIMES, Justice Abang surely knows that he and Olisa went to school together. We were all in the same law school set in 1988. We were all admitted to the Bar same day on 3 Nov 1988. (Babatunde) Fashola, (Pius) Anyim, Godswill Akpabio, Liyel Imoke, Nnia Nwodo. all were in that set. I know Olisa and Abang have been together at more than 2 class reunions In Lagos, Uyo. Someone isnt being totally candid. Justice Abang however denied he had been biased against Mr. Metuh, saying the court approved three adjournments at the request of the defence. He also denied the claim that Mr. Metuh was denied copies of the courts ruling. The secretary will type and the court will proofread about four times, said Justice Abang, explaining why copies of a ruling he gave was not ready before Thursday for both parties. Mr. Abang said despite the unprofessional conduct of Mr. Etiaba, he would abide by the directives from the National Judicial Council which directs judges in such circumstances to continue to handle cases until the chief judge takes a decision on such petitions. He therefore adjourned the case to March 23, 2016. The EFCC is accusing Mr. Metuh of corruptly receiving N400 million meant for the purchase of arms for the fight against the extremist Boko Haram sect. President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday said the the Nigerian Government has set up a N3 billion National Research Fund. Mr. Buhari made the disclosure in Sokoto on Saturday in a message to the Joint 32nd, 33rd and 34th Convocation and 40th Anniversary of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. The President, who was represented by the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie, said the fund was set up to assist the various universities to undertake meaningful researches. Mr. Buhari explained that such researches were aimed at solving the myriad of problems facing Nigeria currently. The President specifically charged the nations universities to undertake researches in solar and other renewable energy sources. The universities should embrace education to solve the challenges facing the nation now. Universities should also be vanguards in the diversification of the nations revenue sources in view of the falling prices of crude oil in the world market. Universities should also rack their brains and come up with alternative sources of sustaining the nations economy, Mr. Buhari said. He further expressed the commitment of the Federal Government to continue to be alive to its responsibilities to the education sector. The president explained that commitment led to the increase in the budgetary allocation to the sector in 2016. He also promised that universities would continue to be assisted to function effectively. The president urged the Organised Private Sector and other stakeholders to complement the efforts of the government in funding education at all levels. The Chancellor of the University and the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu, solicited the support of President Buhari in ensuring the success of the ongoing war against corruption. Oba Akiolu, who was installed as Chancellor of the university at the event, further said, Buhari is a focussed, patriotic, pious and committed leader who needs the support of all Nigerians. The Universitys Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, George Egabor, said although subventions to the institution had improved, it was largely inadequate. As such, we cannot maintain our infrastructure, provide essential services , as well as other services required for the universitys development, Egabor said. The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru, commended Mr. Buhari for his interest and commitment to the progress of the university. NAN reports that 11,513 graduates received various Degrees, Diplomas and Certificates, with 57 first class degrees. Five eminent Nigerians were conferred with Honorary Doctorate Degrees. They were the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar III; Oba of Lagos and Chancellor of the university, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu and former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu. The rest were former Defence Minister, Retired Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma and the Executive Director, Public Sector, First Bank Nigeria Ltd., Dauda Suleiman, In the same vein, three retired eminent public officers were conferred with Emeritus appointments. They were Prof. Shehu Galadunchi and Prof. Mahdi Adamu, first and second Vice Chancellors of the institution, respectively, who were appointed as Vice Chancellors Emeritus. Similarly, Prof. A.T. Suleiman was appointed as Professor Emeritus. Mr. Tinubu, who responded on behalf of the recipients commended the University for bestowing the honour on them. The former governor promised that the honour would spur them to do more to sustain peace and unity of Nigeria, as well as national development. He said Nigeria was on the brink in 2015 but that the APC brought the desired change to the nation. Mr. Tinubu urged Nigerians to be patient and fervently prayerful. The ceremony was attended by the Governors of Lagos, Sokoto, Katsina, Kebbi and Zamfara and Sokoto Deputy Governor, Ahmed Aliyu. Similarly, former Governors of Ondo and Cross River States, Bisi Akande and Donald Duke witnessed the event. It was also attended by various Obas, Emirs, national and state lawmakers and other dignitaries across Nigeria. A leader of the Fulani ethnic group has provided a detailed insight into why his people attacked the Agatu people of Benue, sacking several communities and killing hundreds. In an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Saleh Bayeri, the Interim National Secretary of Gan Allah Fulani Association, rose in defence of his kinsmen, saying the February bloody conflict in Benue was a reprisal attack by his people against the Agatus who he accused of killing, in 2013, a prominent Fulani man. Gan Allah Fulani Association is an umbrella body of Fulani associations in Nigeria. Mr. Bayeri said the killing of the man reverberated amongst every Fulani in West Africa. He insisted that the Agatu farmers were aggressors shedding crocodile tears, and wondered why former Senate President, David Mark, was only just realising the meaning of genocide. Mr. Mark, a one-time military governor of Niger State, was last week Friday attacked by suspected Fulani herdsmen who ambushed his convoy in Agatu where he had gone for an on-the-spot assessment of losses of lives and properties. In February, 10 Agatu communities were razed and hundreds, including women, children and the elderly, were reportedly massacred by suspected Fulani herdsmen. Mr. Mark, who represents the area in the Senate, had described the killings as genocide. Although the Nigerian Senate last Wednesday blamed Boko Haram insurgents for the mass killings in Agatu, Mr. Bayeri said the attacks were orchestrated by Fulani herdsmen in revenge of the killing of one of their leaders by Agatu people three years ago. The Fulani leader said about 20 Agatu and Tiv militia, on April 20, 2013, invaded the compound of one Shehu Abdullahi, killing him and carting away over 200 cows. According to him the Police in the area arrested four of the attackers carrying some of the meat on their motorcycle and they were taken to Naka police station. Mr. Bayeri also said 16 of the attackers abandoned their motorcycles and ran away and the police took the motorcycles to the station. He said the police confirmed to Fulani leaders that they knew where 150 of the cows were kept and the Divisional Police Officer promised to recover and return the cows, but up till today, nothing has happened, Mr. Bayeri said. The Fulani leader narrated how a dangerous point was reached in the crisis between the Agatu people and Fulani three days after the murder of Mr. Abdullahi and the stealing of his cows. A prominent Fulani leader, Ardo Madaki, was invited to the palace of the district head of the area on the grounds that a solution was being sought to the problem. However, the Agatu militia beheaded Ardo right in front of the district head. This action reverberated across all Fulani people in the whole of West Africa and the clamour for revenge began to grow strong. He comes from a very well respected clan and the Agatu sent the Fulani a chilling message with his murder, he said. Till date, no action was taken, even by the village police station on this murder, he said. He also said the Fulani have records of how the Agatu killed over 300 of their people, adding, but because we dont have people in government or the media, no one said anything when genocide was being carried out against our people. Mr. Bayeri called on government to set up an independent judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the killings of the said 300 Fulani. We have a full inventory of all the Fulani people killed by Agatu and we would produce the evidence as long as the inquiry commission is not under the National Assembly We have no confidence in the national assembly because of the overriding influence of the former Senate President David Mark, who knew how the Fulani were being massacred and did nothing but use his influence to cover it up. The Sultan of Sokoto was in Benue state three times trying to find a solution to the problem, but David Mark never came once or even sent a representative Is it now that he knows the meaning of genocide. Where was he when over 300 Fulani were killed in his area? he asked. Benue lawmakers threaten self-help Mr. Bayeri spoke to PREMIUM TIMES hours before members of the House of Representatives from Benue State addressed journalists in Abuja, condemning the Federal Government over the attacks on the Agatu communities. The lawmakers threatened to resort to self-help should the Federal Government allow the attacks to fester. If the Federal Government does not stop its lukewarm attitude towards finding solution to the killings, we may be forced to mobilise our people to defend ourselves, Emmanuel Orker-Jev, who led the lawmakers to the briefing,said. Other lawmakers -Benjamin Wayo, Udende Memga, John Dyegh, Terseer Gbilla, Awwulu Ezekiel, Adamu Entonu, Christian Abah, Samson Okwu, Hembe Herman, Dickson Dominic took turns to condemn the attacks and demanded action from the government. On Friday, PREMIUM TIMES published a special report featuring horrifying details uncovered during a week-long investigation of the killing in Agatuland. We reported how most of the communities had been destroyed and burnt down, while farmlands had been turned to grazing grounds for cattle. But the human cost is even more devastating. At the time our reporter visited, while many charred bodies still littered the deserted communities, living had become difficult for thousands who luckily escaped and were now taking refuge in neighbouring towns of Apa and Otukpo. There were complaints by the displaced persons that no help had come from the National Emergency Management Agency. That point was reiterated by one of the lawmakers, Mr. Dominic, at Fridays press briefing. He recalled that the National Assembly passed a resolution asking that people who escaped attacks from Agatu be recognised as internally displaced persons to enable them to get adequate attention. But they are still not getting attention, the lawmaker said. READ OUR SPECIAL REPORTS ON THE AGATU KILLING BELOW The Nigerian Army is adjusting the deployment of its troops as part of measures to end the massive killings in Agatu communities of Benue State, the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has said. Mr. Buratai, a Lieutenant General, who said this during his visit to a military tactical operational base, near Otukpo in Benue, expressed confidence that the mayhem would be contained. According to him, all logistics and other requirements have been provided for the operation. The crisis here is unfortunate, the farmers and herdsmen fighting must not be condoned. I have heard from the commander about the existence of criminal elements who engage in cattle rustling. We have observed the deployment of troops on ground, we are adjusting our troops deployment to take care of the flash-points and likely areas where the criminals are hiding, he said. Mr. Buratai said measures had been adopted to ensure that the clashes did not repeat and the people return to their settlements. He, however, noted that the troops were cooperating with other security agencies to restore peace and order in the area. The Army chief met with operation commanders on measures adopted to contain the crisis in the area. Deadly clashes between herdsmen and farmers in Agatu and environs have claimed many lives and displaced many families. On Friday, PREMIUM TIMES published a special report featuring horrifying details uncovered during a week-long investigation of the killing in Agatuland. We reported how most of the communities had been destroyed and burnt down, while farmlands had been turned to grazing grounds for cattle. But the human cost is even more devastating. At the time our reporter visited, while many charred bodies still littered the deserted communities, living had become difficult for thousands who luckily escaped and were now taking refuge in neighbouring towns of Apa and Otukpo. There were complaints by the displaced persons that no help had come from the National Emergency Management Agency. In an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Saleh Bayeri, the Interim National Secretary of Gan Allah Fulani Association, rose in defence of his kinsmen, saying the February bloody conflict in Benue was a reprisal attack by his people against the Agatus who he accused of killing, in 2013, a prominent Fulani man. Gan Allah Fulani Association is an umbrella body of Fulani associations in Nigeria. Mr. Bayeri said the killing of the man reverberated amongst every Fulani in West Africa. He insisted that the Agatu farmers were aggressors shedding crocodile tears, and wondered why former Senate President, David Mark, was only just realising the meaning of genocide. On Saturday, members of the House of Representatives from Benue State addressed journalists in Abuja, condemning the Federal Government over the attacks on the Agatu communities. The lawmakers threatened to resort to self-help should the Federal Government allow the attacks to fester. If the Federal Government does not stop its lukewarm attitude towards finding solution to the killings, we may be forced to mobilise our people to defend ourselves, Emmanuel Orker-Jev, who led the lawmakers to the briefing,said. Other lawmakers -Benjamin Wayo, Udende Memga, John Dyegh, Terseer Gbilla, Awwulu Ezekiel, Adamu Entonu, Christian Abah, Samson Okwu, Hembe Herman, Dickson Dominic took turns to condemn the attacks and demanded action from government. Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court on Friday convicted a vessel, M.T Anuket Emerald, two companies and those on board the vessel, for illegal dealing in petroleum products. The convicts include three Russians Pakhladzhian Artur, Kretov Andrey, Shkundich Vasily; three Ukrainians Laguta Oleksiy, Chepikov Oleksandr, Bilous Vitalli; Seven Filipinos Cadavis Gerardo, Baduria Benjamin, Regidor Hilarion, Naranjo Allan Antero,Patero Christian, Alkyde Joel, Caratiquit Micheal Bryan, and one Georgian Agbarian Sergo. The convicts were arraigned on June 10, 2015 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on four-count charge of conspiracy and illegal dealing in petroleum products. Upon arraignment, the convicts pleaded not guilty to the charge. However, in the course of the trial, the prosecution called seven witnesses while the defence called three, including the captain of the vessel. Two of the convicts did not appear in court throughout the trial, while the trio of Pakhladzhian Artur, Kretov Andrey and Shkundich Vasily, jumped bail after the prosecution had closed its case. In his judgment, Justice Buba upheld the submission of the prosecution asking the court to enter a plea of not guilty for the second and third accused persons. He said it was clear that the second and third accused were aware of the court proceedings. Consequently, Justice Buba, in his ruling, held that the prosecution was able to prove its case beyond all reasonable doubts and therefore convicted the accused persons accordingly. Justice Buba sentenced the three fleeing convicts to five years imprisonment each, starting from whatever day they are arrested. The second and third convicts who did not appear before the court, were fined N5,000,000 (Five Million Naira Only) each. The 11 others were convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment with option of N1,000,000 fine each. The judge also ordered that the first convict M.T ANUKET, and its cargo be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria. Justice Buba had weeks earlier ruled that the three Russians who jumped bail that was guaranteed by a new generation bank forfeit the bail bond of N50 million each, totalling N150 million, to the Federal Government of Nigeria. The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has raised the alarm over the fate of democracy in Nigeria, saying the open display of contempt for free, fair and transparent election by the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of President Muhammadu Buhari as being witnessed in Rivers State presently is capable of setting Nigeria on the path of anarchy. The governor, who alleged discovery of fake Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) result sheets in some of the Local Government Areas, and accused security agencies of harassing, intimidating and even killing Peoples Democratic Party members, said Rivers State is 100 percent PDP, and any attempt to subvert the will of the people will be counter-productive. In a statement on Saturday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor, said; Obviously, INEC under President Buhari has destroyed that legacy of free, fair and transparent elections bequeathed on Nigeria by the PDP government of former President Goodluck Jonathan. The governor said it is strange that INEC produced Results Sheets with PDP omitted, and I wonder what is going to happen in 2019 if INEC and security agents are acting in this clear compromised manner in Rivers State. From reports that I have heard, Rivers State is under siege. I have seen pictures of people killed and I have seen pictures of INEC Result Sheets with PDP omitted. Most importantly, I have read reports of top functionaries of PDP and Rivers State government either abducted by unknown gunmen or arrested by the security agents. What all these portend for our democracy is danger! It is a sign of what APC desperation to take over power in the entire 36 States of Nigeria will cause in Edo and Ondo States this year and in Ekiti State in 2018 as well as the entire country in 2019. Curiously, those who went on the rooftops to condemn the involvement of soldiers in the Ekiti governorship election and even went to court to stop soldiers from taking part in elections are silent now. They have failed to realise that if all noble men should keep silent and get cowed by this rampaging beast that is ready to consume democracy and rule of law in Nigeria, ordinary Nigerians will sooner than later end up in the belly of the beast. The Code of Conduct Bureau on Friday alleged that the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, moved funds belonging to Kwara State into his personal account while he was governor of the state. The allegation is contained in a counter affidavit deposed to by the bureau in response to a fresh application Mr. Saraki filed challenging the jurisdiction of the Code of Conduct Tribunal. The tribunal is trying him for alleged false asset declaration and corruption while in office as governor between 2003 and 2011. He was arraigned last September on a 13-count charge but he denied them all, saying he was being persecuted. When the matter came up for hearing on March 18, Kanu Agabi, SAN, the new counsel to the senate president contested afresh the jurisdiction of the tribunal. The tribunal therefore adjourned the matter to March 18 and consequently fixed March 24 to rule on the application. Peter Danladi, who deposed to the affidavit, said the CCB, in conjunction with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and the State Security Service, investigated various petitions on allegation of corruption, theft, money laundering, among other offences, against the senate president in 2010. He said the EFCC conducted its investigation and found that Mr. Saraki not only abused his office as governor but was also involved in acts of corruption. He also stated that the senate president borrowed billions of naira from commercial banks, including the Guarantee Trust Bank. Mr. Danladi said the senate president used the money he got from the banks to acquire landed property in Lagos, Abuja and London. He said, As against the defendant using his own legitimate income to defray the loan, he took public funds, running into billions from Kwara State Government and lodged same in several tranches and in cash into his GTB account I GRA (Government Reservation Area), Ilorin, Kwara State. The defendant/applicants account officer in GTB confirmed that the defendant/applicant gave him several cash in Government House to lodge into the account and in some occasions, the defendant sent his aides from Government House to give him the cash for lodgement into his account. Mr. Danladi explained that when the EFCC submitted its report to its legal department and the Federal Ministry of Justice, the ministry concluded that the offences revealed from the investigation, particularly as they relate to the property acquired by Mr. Saraki while he was governor of Kwara State, and various monies sent into his various accounts outside Nigeria, could be better handled through the CCB and the CCT. The office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) then sends the findings and the evidence gathered during investigation by the EFCC as a complaint to the Code of Conduct Bureau for investigation and that the operatives of the EFCC would collaborate with the officers of the CCB for effective investigation, he said. He said the CCB investigation on its Assets Declaration Forms for public officers Mr. Saraki filed revealed the following: The landed property listed as No: 42 Gerald Road, Ikoyi was visited by Mr. Ikechi Iwuagwu (Deputy Director, CCB), Miss. Geraldine Longsten (DSS) and Adamu Garba (EFCC) sometime in 2006 and discovered that the property was under construction; Contrary to the declaration by the defendant that he was earning an annual income of N110, 000,000 from No: 42 Gerald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, there were no tenants in the property as same was an empty land as at the time of the declaration; Contrary to the declaration by the defendant that he owned 15A and 15B Mcdonald, Ikoyi, Lagos as at the time of the declaration in 2003 our investigation revealed that the said property were acquaired in 2006 from the implementation committee on Federal Government Landed properties through his companies called Tiny Tee Limited and Vitti Oil Limited wherein he paid the sum of N396, 150,000 to the federal Government of Nigeria; The defendant made an anticipatory declaration for the said 15A and 15B, Ikoyi, Lagos. The defendant acquired the property in the name of two companies because he could not buy two Federal government property in his personal name; The defendant bided for and acquired 17, 17A and 17B Mcdonald, Ikoyi, Lagos from the Implementation Committee on Federal government Landed Property and paid an aggregate sum of N497, 200,000 to the Federal Government between October 2006 and 2007; A scrutiny of the defendants salary account with the Intercontinental Bank (now Access Bank) of account No: 0100857813 reveals that his monthly take home salary as at the time he acquired the property was not more than N500, 000 and the defendant acquired property far in excess of his income; and While the Federal Government was selling its property, the Centarl Bank of Nigeria, being an agency of the Federal Government sold plot 2A, Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos for N325,000,000 between 2007 and 2008 to the defendant, which the defendant purchased through his company called Carlisle Properties when he was the governor of Kwara State. Mr. Danladi said further investigation by the CCB revealed that Mr. Saraki also acquired a property at Plot #&A Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos through Carlisle Properties Limited while he was governor and had been receiving rent form the property. According to him, investigation on the asset declaration forms submitted by the senate president between 2003 and 2011, revealed that he failed to declare his interest in Plot 2A Golver Road, Ikoyi, Lagos (in his 2011 asset declaration form); No: 1 Targus Street, Maitama, Abuja otherwise known as 2482Cadastral Zone A06, which he claimed he acquired in November 1996 from one David Baba Akawu (in his assets declaration form of 2003). Mr. Saraki was also alleged to have failed to declare the property on No: 3 Targus Street, Maitama, Abuja otherwise known as 2481 Cadastral Zone A06, Abuja, as his own. He was said to have acquired it from one Alhaji Attahiru Adamu in his asset declaration form (of June 3, 2011.) and No 42 Remi Fani-Kayode Street, Ikeja Lagos, which he acquired through his company, Skyview Properties Limited from First Finance Trust Limited on December 12, 1996. Mr. Danladi stated further, The defendant has a domiciliary account with GTB Plc in Nigeria with account No:441441953210 from where he made various cash transfers totalling 3.4million US dollar between 2009 and 2012 to American Express Service Europe Limited with account No: 730580 maintained with the American Express bank, New York and the various sums were transferred into the defendants card account No: 374588216836009 maintained by the defendant outside Nigeria. Sometime in February 2010 the defendant obtained a loan of N375, 000,000 from GTB Plc in Nigeria, which he converted into 1,516,194.53 pounds sterling and gave instructions to the bank to transfer the entire sum to the United Kingdom in favour of Forts Bank SA/NV the purpose of which the defendant stated to be the full and final payment of mortgage redemption for the property he purchased in London. The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 Division, Nigeria Army, Adeniyi Oyebade, on Friday said no fewer than 35 armed bandits have been killed in the last two months in the North West. Mr. Oyebade, a Major-General, who disclosed this at a news briefing in Kaduna, said 38 of the bandits were also arrested by soldiers and handed over to the police for prosecution. According to him, 6, 009 animals were recovered during the operation code-named `Sharan Daji, while 49 bandits camps were destroyed. The GOC explained that the operation was targeted at cattle rustlers and armed bandits terrorising communities in Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna, as well as Niger States. In Niger, the 31 Artillery Brigade, which covers the axis, are deployed as a blocking force to intercept escaping cattle rustlers and bandits while also conducting fighting patrol around Pandogari-Kusherki, Gidigori and Pandogari-Mai Kujeri roads which serves as escape routes for the bandits. In Kaduna state, 465 recovered animals, 16 bandits arrested, nine bandits killed, seven weapons recovered and eight camps destroyed. In Zamfara state, 1,443 animals were recovered, 19 bandits arrested, 13 bandits killed, eight weapons recovered and 20 camps destroyed. In Katsina/Kano States, 4, 101 animals recovered, four bandits arrested, 13 bandits killed, 21 assorted guns, including three AK 47 Rifles, local weapons and bows and arrows and 10 and 11 camps destroyed in Katsina and Kano respectively, he said He said during the course of the various operations, the military lost one Sgt Nansel Dangnap of 2 Battalion, while three soldiers sustained varying degrees of injuries. The GOC said a number of terrorists fleeing from the North East were also arrested. He warned organizations and groups in the zone to desist from any act capable of causing breakdown of law and order, stressing that under my watch any act that threatens the rule of law will not be tolerated. We will continue to work hard to ensure the security of lives and property within our area of responsibility to enhance socio-economic growth and development in line with the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari. (NAN) The Independent National Electoral Commission has suspended the ongoing re-run elections in Bonny, Andoni, Gokana, and Khana local government areas of Rivers State. INECs Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Nick Dazang, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that the elections were suspended in the areas because of violence. Mr. Dazang said there was also high voters apathy in the areas because of the allegations of fake result sheets. Bonny, Andoni, and Khana were among the local government areas where the Rivers state government and the Peoples Democratic Party alleged fake result sheets were in circulation. There were reports of pockets of violence and ballots snatching in the elections, although the police said the poll was largely peaceful. For instance, some thugs were said to have snatched election materials around 2.30pm at three units in WIiyaakara Ward, Khana Local Government Area. At Bori, also in Khana, INEC officials were reportedly scared of stepping out of their offices to conduct the election because of threats from persons wearing fake military uniform. A 14-seater bus was burnt down in Alode, Eleme Local Government Area, and there were also reports of a shoot-out in Rumuekini, Obio Akpor Local Government Area. The Army in the state paraded some fake soldiers arrested at Khana. However, counting of votes has begun in some polling units across the state. Meanwhile, the state government has accused the Nigerian military of colluding with the All Progressives Congress in the state to hijack election materials. The government in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES around 3.58pm said it noted with shock and disgust the role played by the military in the reported diversion of all voting materials meant for the Isaka community, in Okrika Local Government Area. The government said, This is sickening betrayal of democracy by the military, and will never be allowed to stand. > The APC in the state dismissed the statement by the Rivers government as mere falsehood. Lafarge Africa Plc, a leading cement and building solutions provider, has now reported its 12 months 2015 results, with revenue up 2% against last years reaching N267 billion, in a challenging transitional market. South West operations grew by 8% behind a number of initiatives such as the Key Distribution Scheme, a strong route to market and solid capacity utilization. ReadyMix Nigeria continued its strong growth with a 29% increase over prior year. South African revenues grew by 7% in the last quarter. Ashaka operations are normalized, following the security challenges in the region which affected demand for cement in the North. Management remains very optimistic about the long term outlook for Ashaka, which is foreseen to return to strong growth in 2016. Plant operations were mostly stable with gas utilization in the 90s in South West and Mfamosing operations. The South African cement operations returned to growth in Q4 with production up by 28% vs. last year, following the kiln overhauls in Q1 2015. Group after tax profit declined by 20% versus last year, when taking into account the one-off restructuring costs and the unrealized exchange impact on the Mfamosing operations foreign currency borrowings from the parent group, LafargeHolcim, the worlds largest building materials company. The one-off impact of the adjustment to the naira value of the foreign currency borrowing, due to the deterioration in the naira exchange rate, is to a large extent an accounting exercise as Lafarge Africa PLC is not foreseen to repay the shareholder loans in the foreseeable future, which makes up the majority of the foreign currency borrowing. Excluding these one-off/none operational impacts, profit improved by 6% versus last year behind the strong underlying fundamentals of Lafarge Africa Plcs operations. Cash flow from operations was robust at N57.9 billion. The Nigerian operations of Lafarge Africa have been successfully unified and rationalized under one management team while being cognizant of the different stakeholders. Lafarge Africa has strengthened its foundation further by increasing its shareholding in Mfamosing operations from 35% to 50%, with full management control and consolidation. Similarly, the shareholding in Ashakacem Plc. also increased from 58.61% to 82.46% in the year. The unified management team promises to drive efficiencies and ultimately generate synergy savings of N9 billion for the group by mid-2018. Commenting on the results, the CEO, Lafarge Africa Plc., Mr. Peter Hoddinott said our company continues to deliver good performance with significant upsides to come as new cement and power generation capacities come on stream and synergy benefits from the merger in Nigeria flow through. Our business integration process has been successful and as a Company we are optimistic to deliver improving performances in 2016 and beyond, improving value to our shareholders. Other Key Highlights for the Period Consolidated revenues up 2% to N267 billion in a challenging market. After Tax Profit from all operations declined by 20% vs. LY to N27.0 billion, after stripping off one-off items and exchange revaluation impacts, after tax profit was up by 6% Operational Cash Flow generated stood by N57.9 billion for the 12 months period ended 31st December 2015. FUTURE OUTLOOK The overall Nigerian cement market is foreseen to grow robustly in 2016 behind a strong Individual Home Building Segment. The Federal Government of Nigeria has also shown strong indications to support Infrastructure growth in the coming year. Lafarge Africa will be able to leverage its unique footprint in 2016 with Ashaka returning to growth, ReadyMix securing high volume contracts to support its 8 existing, and new plants to be commissioned as well as the new 2.5 million tons cement line due to be commissioned in Mfamosing in H2. The South African market will remain challenging, but Lafarge Africa will leverage the 2015 investments within the cement operations with a revamped sales team and route to market. In aggregates, the company will continue to benefit from its strong network delivering results with two new quarries, being opened in the Gauteng market and Ready-Mix growth. Overall, new strategies in penetrating retail, new geographies and the technical segment are expected to allow Lafarge Africa volumes to grow above a flat market in all three product lines. Overall, the Lafarge Africa group will continue to seek innovative ways of improving product offerings in the Nigerian cement, concrete and aggregate market in 2016. Lafarge Africa Plc., a leading sub-Saharan Africa building materials company is a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, a world leader in building materials. Listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange with a presence in Africas two largest economies, Nigeria and South Africa, Lafarge Africa is actively participating in the urbanization and economic growth of Africa. Combining its operations in Nigeria- Ewekoro and Sagamu plants in Ogun State, Ashakacem in Gombe State, Mfamosing in Cross Rivers State, Atlas cement in Rivers State and Ready-Mix Nigeria with its varied operations in South Africa, Lafarge Africa has a current installed cement capacity of 12Mt, which is expected to grow to 18Mt. This is in addition to strong market leading positions in Aggregates, Ready mix concrete and Fly Ash. Lafarge Africa leverages on its innovative expertise to provide valued added products and services solutions in the building and construction industry in Sub-Saharan Africa. Additional information is available on the website. A former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed, has denied speculations that he decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after failing to clinch the national chairmanship position of the party. Mr. Mohammed made the denial at a stakeholders meeting to mend fences and factions in the party in the state. He said politicians should not allow prolonged malice and animosity to interfere with the political will among members, which would hinder the success of the party. Just because I lost the national chairmanship, I will not leave PDP because this is not my kind of politics. I have never said that I was leaving the PDP because I lost the seat of the national chairman, this is not my kind of politics. Whoever feels I have offended him, I will ask for forgiveness because this is politics, there is no room for institutionalised animosity, he said. Mr. Mohammed called on party members to ensure that all fences were mended in order to bring the party to its real upper status. He said internal democracy should be the watchword of members in order to avoid further rancor and division in the party which would do more harm than good to the partys political arena. Abdul Ningi, a former senator, said justice and equity should be done to all members. According to him, members should be self-disciplined in order to achieve a common set goal for the party. We all need to come back and make the party great again through collective efforts of ensuring that there is no more factions, he said. The party state Chairman, Yaro Yaro, said the meeting was aimed at putting to an end all factions, and also to preach to one another the gospel of unity in the political system. The former PDP National Chairman, Adamu Muazu .and former Governor Isa Yuguda were absent. (NAN) The Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, said that the military has commenced investigation into the incident that led to the death of two personnel in Rivers. He said this in Owerri, the Imo State capital, when he addressed troops of the 34 Artillery Brigade headquarters, Obinze. Mr. Buratai, a Lieutenant-General, who described the incident as unfortunate, said the military had brought the situation in the area under control and some arrests had been made. The situation in the Niger Delta is presently being addressed, he said. The activities of pirates, criminals and bandits will be checked, our troops are fully on ground and they have arrested the situation. The unfortunate incident of Thursday in Rivers state is something that we are currently investigating. We will deal with the situation as investigation unfolds in the area, he said. On the security situation in Imo, Mr. Buratai commended the efforts of troops in containing criminality in the state. He assured the troops of the Federal Governments commitment to improving the condition of facilities in the barracks. Mr. Buratai said the welfare of troops and their families would be given priority by the present administration. Mr. Buratai inspected facilities at the barracks in Obinze. (NAN) No fewer than 10 women have died in child labour in the last 12 months at Sheriff Cattle Market, Lokpanta, in Umunochi Local Government Area of Abia, according to a resident. The Secretary of the community, Ahmed Baba, told the News Agency of Nigeria at Lokpanta on Friday that the women died due to the absence of medical attention. Mr. Baba said that there was no maternity home in the settlement. There is no functional maternity or health-care centre here. Most times, in the process of conveying the women under labour either from here to Okigwe in Imo or Awgu in Enugu State, the women die on the way, he lamented. Mr. Baba called on the federal and Abia governments to handle the issue of health facility with urgency to save not only the lives of women but the entire community. He urged the government to look into the poor environmental condition of the area as well as provide other amenities such as water and general waste disposal. (NAN) Pobierz zdjecie Przeczytaj o zasadach pobierania zdjec President at the opening ceremony of the Ulms Family Museum of Poles Who Saved Jews in Markowa (1) Address by the President of Poland at the opening ceremony of the Ulms Family Museum of Poles Who Saved Jews in Markowa It was at night They drove here on sideroads from the direction of ancut, as it was then recalled by the cart driver, a young peasant boy from one of Podkarpacie villages: the German police patrol and the blue police. Among them there was also the one, as it has been established with a fair degree of probability, also who had reported on the Ulms family and the Goldman family who were living with the former. They stopped off the road. The house was on the outskirts of the village, with no other buildings in the vicinity. The policemen and the blue policemen directed themselves towards the Ulms' house. The, a gunfire was to be heard They summoned the cart drivers and ordered them to look. They first murdered Chaim Goldman's sons, then himself, his then Jozef and Wiktoria Ulms. One of the Germans told the cart drivers: "Look. This is how Polish pigs are slaughtered who help Jews". Thereafter, they did not know what to do with the children: the six children of Jozef and Wiktoria. And the commanding officer of the German police said: "We will spare you the trouble in the village", and he killed them all, one by one. The author of this account said: Gunfire, screams, lamentation were to be heard. It was shocking. May be of interest to you President: By saving Jews Poles survived in dignity Why would Jozef Ulma and his wife behave this way, why would they decide take under their roof the Goldman family? Chaim, the head of family, approaching his eighties, a merchant from ancut nearby, his grown-up sons, his daughters and a granddaughter? Why would they take such an decision? Were they following the appeal of the Command of the Polish Underground State which stated that it is a moral obligation of the Polish people to come to aid to our Jewish compatriots, the citizens of the Republic of Poland, facing annihilation? Or was it because they knew Chaim Goldman and his whole family? Since all people knew each other in that local community. Or was the biblical story of the Good Samaritan that inspired them, as the story was later found underlined in their family Bible at home? Nobody knows... Nobody can tell. One thing is certain: Jozef Ulma was an ordinary peasant, a farmer from the Podkarpacie region. An educated and intelligent man, he completed his primary education of four classes, and thereafter a farming school. He was shown as a model farmer, he was a dedicated bee keeper, he also bred silkworms. By today's standards, he was a local opinion leader. And he certainly was one. People would seek his advice. He took pictures to record the life of his local community and of his own family. Also thanks to this contribution, the museum here is so persuasive and beautiful. It is full of pictures that Jozef had taken: also full of pictures taken of his Jewish neighbours and guests, whom he had taken under his roof and with whom he died. This is an extremely compelling museum. I am very grateful and I wish to thank in the name of the Republic of Poland and in the name of all my compatriots to all of them who contributed to the establishment of the museum. I wish to thank them who made sure that the Ulms, their family and all people who helped their compatriots of Jewish descent to survive the massacre of their people, as the Nazi destined back them for annihilation. Thank you for making this museum a memorial to them all. Thank you - for such a memorial was urgently needed by Poland, also in terms of historical fairness. Our nations: the Polish and the Jewish one inhabited this land for one thousand years. This millennium of shared history was then subjected to a horrifying fracture, i.e. the Holocaust on Polish soil occupied by the Germans. The death camps which for a black chapter in the history of the Jewish People. Many people come to our country to see the Auschwitz Birkenau Camp and other testimonies of the massive annihilation which come as a warning for the whole world: what hatred and insane ideology mean, and what a man possessed with both can be capable of doing. Fortunately, also other places have been recently set up our country, pointing to what is good in history, what is beautiful in history, even the most tragic part of it. This museum is precisely such a place: the museum of brotherhood, charity, cooperation, the museum of shared space, homeland, and many a time of shared attachment. Perhaps the reason why Jozef Ulma took the Goldman family under his roof considering that their son took part in Polish defense war of 1939, like himself. Perhaps considering the fact that thousands of citizens of Jewish descent fought for Poland in 1918, 1919, 1920, 1939, and thereafter. They fought since Poland was our shared homeland where they were born, raised, were they lived. And, fortunately, the place where during the unspeakable tragedy of the Holocaust, in the days of putting into test of the "final solution of the Jewish question", as it was cynically termed by German commanders, thousands of Polish people were to be found who lived up to the test, as brothers and citizens. Being charitable people who heeded the teachings offered to us all by Christianity: the teaching about loving ones neighbour. Fortunately, there were people who had sufficient love in spite of the great risk, the risk of imminent death, since unlike anywhere else, in Poland assistance to Jews was punishable with death, and unlike anywhere else it was mercilessly enforced. There were more poeple than Wiktoria and Jozef Ulms and their children who perished this way. There were tens, hundreds of families, thousands of people who gave their lives for the assistance offered to their compatriots, co-citizens. As we recall today those dramatic times and one thousand years of shared history, may our path across that epoch be charted out by what can be now seen in free and independent Poland, mindful of her own history. This is the museum of the History of Polish Jews POLIN in Warsaw which shed lights on those beautiful and those sad chapters, this is German Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz, but also it is the museum in Markowa, a very important site on our shared itinerary. The museum which features, albeit in a tragic format, the most powerful sign of the Republic of Friends: where a friend was ready to offer his life for a friend, a brother for a brother, man for man. May what we have heard today testify to the truth of it. Even the German example of terror, i.e. the slaughtering of the Ulms family and the Goldman family whom the former were hiding, would not drive other Markowa inhabitants, who also had families and wanted to survive, to give away the Jews they had been hiding. In spite of that tragedy, twenty one Jews continued to be sheltered in that village until the end of war. This is a grand place for the history of the Republic of Poland for it manifestly exemplifies why we a Polish people can feel worthy. Among us, there were the ones who went beyond decency, who were heroic and who must be treated on a par with those who stood in arms and lost their lives in the fight for Poland's freedom. There I no difference: the former and the latter sacrificed their lives for another man and for freedom; since freedom equals dignity. The fact that they were hiding their neighbours, acquaintances, or even accidentally encountered people, was their objection to cruelty, contempt, hatred: all of the sentiment that was brought by German Nazi to the Polish land, the antisemitism with which they could not come to terms and would never come to terms till the end of their life. As President of the Republic of Poland, I want to say loud and clear: anyone who preaches and incites hatred among nations, anyone who preaches, sows or incites antisemitism, tramples on the grave of the Ulms family, tramples on their memory, the ideals they pursued as the Poles and for which they sacrificed their lives: for dignity, decency, justice, and the most fundamental respect that every man deserves. May this museum, next to other existing, serve as a great testimony to everyone, of this tragic but also edifying memory, and a warning about what contempt and hatred can make of people. In all those circumstances, it is good that the authorities of the Polish Underground State were able to show their resolve. The one who most probably betrayed the Ulms and their guests, their Jewish neighbours, would not live long after. They perished at night on 23-24 March, and the Polish Underground State executed the collaborator on 10 September of the same year: 1944. Later, another murderer was also captured: the one who was responsible for shooting three children. First condemned to death by the Polish court, he was then pardoned to serve life sentence, and then to 25 years of impediment. He died in a Bytom prison. It is good that the Polish state was capable of showing fundamental justice in the face of murder. Such a fundamental justice should be dealt to any murderer. In any just and law abiding state it so happens. And by the same token, none fair and law abiding state can condone inciting hatred, national phobias, or xenophobia. I trust that Poland will never condone it. As much as the State of Israel nowadays, as much as its founding fathers, taught by the dramatic Holocaust experience, decided never to leave any of their citizens abandoned and will go to great lengths to protect every Jew, we the Polish people and our state, we should follow the suit. May the tragedy of what happened in World War 2 be a dramatic lesson, equally to the Jewish people and to our people; the lesson allowing us and generations to come to draw our conclusions, the future generations to whom we must relate the truth. The truth about the Holocaust, the truth about what was happening, the truth about the heroism but also sometimes the sad truth about wickedness. Since truth builds brotherhood among nations and allow to create friendly bonds. Since prosperous future can only rely on truth. NEW YORK Suppose Apple loses its court fight with the FBI and has to produce a software tool that would help agents hack into an iPhone specifically, a device used by one of the San Bernardino mass shooters. Could that tool really remain secret and locked away from potential misuse? Not very likely, according to security and legal experts, who say a potentially unlimited number of people could end up getting a close look at the tools inner workings. Apples tool would have to run a gauntlet of tests and challenges before any information it helps produce can be used in court, exposing the companys work to additional scrutiny by forensics experts and defense lawyers and increasing the likelihood of leaks with every step. True, the Justice Department says it only wants a tool that would only work on the San Bernardino phone and that would be useless to anyone who steals it without Apples closely guarded digital signature. But widespread disclosure of the softwares underlying code could allow government agents, private companies and hackers across the world to dissect Apples methods and incorporate them into their own device-cracking software. That work might also point to previously unknown vulnerabilities in iPhone software that hackers and spies could exploit. Cases in which prosecutors have signaled interest in the Apple tool, or one like it, continue to pile up. In Manhattan, for instance, the District Attorneys Office says it holds 205 encrypted iPhones that neither it nor Apple can currently unlock, up from 111 in November. Such pent-up demand for the tool spells danger, says Andrea Matwyshyn, a professor of law and computer science at Northeastern University, since its widespread dissemination presents a clear threat to the security of innocent iPhone users. Thats when people get uncomfortable with a potentially unlimited number of people being able to use this in a potentially unlimited number of cases, Matwyshyn says. THE CREATION PROCESS The concerns raised by experts mirror those in Apples own court filings, where the company argues that the tool would be used repeatedly and poses grave security risks. Outside experts note that nothing would prevent other prosecutors from asking Apple to rewrite the tool for the phones they want to unlock, or hackers from reverse engineering it for their own purposes. Apples long history of corporate secrecy suggests it could keep the tool secure during development and testing, says John Dickson, principal at Denim Group, a San Antonio, Texas-based, software security firm. But after that, the genie is out of the bottle, he says. Even if the software is destroyed after use in the San Bernardino case, government authorities in the U.S. or elsewhere could always compel them to re-create it. TESTING THE TOOL Apple argues that the tool, which is essentially a new version of its iOS phone operating software, would need rigorous testing. That would include installing it on multiple test devices to ensure it wont alter data on the San Bernardino iPhone. Similarly, the company would need to log and record the entire software creation and testing process in case its methods were ever questioned, such as by a defense attorney. That detailed record itself could be a tempting target for hackers. Before information extracted by the Apple tool could be introduced in court, the tool would most likely require validation by an outside laboratory, say forensics experts such as Jonathan Zdziarski, who described the process in a post on his personal blog . For instance, Apple might submit it to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an arm of the Commerce Department, exposing its underlying code and functions to another outside group of experts. The likelihood of someone stealing the tool grows with every copy made, says Will Ackerly, a former National Security Agency employee whos now chief technology officer at Virtru, a computer security startup. And while Apple may be known for its security, the federal government isnt. Lance Cottrell, chief scientist at Ntrepid, a Herndon, Virginia-based provider of secured Internet browsers, pointed to last years hacking of the Office of Personnel Management, which compromised the personal information of 21 million Americans, including his own. Once such a tool exists, it will become a huge target for hackers, particularly nation-state hackers, Cottrell predicted. If I was a hacker and I knew this software had been created, Id be really trying really hard to get it. SCRUTINY IN COURT Then theres court, where defense experts would want a close look at the tool to ensure it wasnt tainting evidence, says Jeffrey Vagle, a lecturer in law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. It could get quite tangled from a technical standpoint, he says. One very likely consequence: More eyes on the tool and its underlying code. And as more jurisdictions face the issue of iPhones they cant unlock, its impossible to calculate where that would end. The Manhattan DAs office, for instance, says it expects the number of locked phones to rise over time. The vast majority of iPhones now run iOS 8 or more recent versions, all of which supports the high level of encryption in question. Elsewhere in the country, the Harris County DAs office in Texas encountered more than 100 encrypted iPhones last year. And the Cook County State Attorneys Cyber Lab received 30 encrypted devices in the first two months of this year, according to the Manhattan DAs office. Voters will likely decide on North Jersey casinos without knowing the exact impact of the new gambling halls. The state Legislature approved a proposed constitutional amendment Monday that would end Atlantic Citys state gambling monopoly and allow as many as two casinos in North Jersey. The amendment will be presented to voters in the November general election as a ballot question. But legislation needed to determine where the casinos will be built, the tax rate on their revenue and who will get to spend the money slated to help redevelop Atlantic City will likely not be written until after the November referendum. Right now, the focus is on ensuring passage of the referendum to bring much-needed financial help for Atlantic Citys economy and more jobs and economic development to New Jersey, said Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto. The question itself is very detailed, and there is nothing unusual about waiting until after a referendums passage to devise enabling legislation. Thats how recent referendums on open space and higher education were handled, for instance. Legislators send North Jersey casino expansion to voters TRENTON Voters will decide whether Atlantic City loses its intrastate gambling monopoly th Richard McGrath, spokesman for Senate President Stephen Sweeney, said Sweeney agreed with Prieto that the best time to develop all the details is after the voters have the opportunity to decide. The ballot question says the new casinos must be in separate counties and at least 72 miles from Atlantic City, where four casinos closed in 2014. An accompanying statement will tell voters that tax revenue generated from the casinos would go toward programs helping seniors and the disabled as well as the recovery of Atlantic City. A lesser amount will be divided among the horse-racing industry and the new casinos host municipalities. But some are calling for the legislation to be done before voters go to the polls, saying voters need information on the tax rate, locations and other unanswered questions before deciding. The Democrats plan for North Jersey casinos keeps getting worse as their leadership insists on avoiding the three fundamental questions that I have been asking so our families can make an informed decision: What is the revenue? What is the tax rate? And who will pay for the transportation infrastructure improvements necessary to support North Jersey casinos? said Assemblyman Chris Brown, R-Atlantic. Even Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, D-Essex, a primary sponsor of the proposed amendment, has said the enabling bill should be written before November. Its only fair the people understand what the impact is, Caputo said Monday. Proponents of the amendment have promised to compensate Atlantic City for the expected loss of revenue to the North Jersey casinos. Sweeney had said as much as $200 million annually could go to the city. The amendment gives the resort a maximum of one-third of the tax revenue collected from North Jersey casinos. A nonprofit yet to be named will spend those funds to help the city. Icahn rethinking major Taj investment because of North Jersey casino push Days after taking over Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, Wall Street mogul Carl Icahn said hes But until a tax rate is specified, its unclear how much money will go Atlantic Citys way. Deutsche Bank said last year that North Jersey casinos could make $500 million in gambling revenue. A 50 percent tax rate would put $250 million in the states coffers, which would have to be divided among all the recipients. Sweeney has said the tax rate will have to be less than 50 percent due to a requirement that each operator invest at least $1 billion in the respective properties. Caputo said it could be between 40 percent and 60 percent. Atlantic City casinos pay an effective rate of 9.25 percent on gross gambling revenue. Those backing casinos up north say the new properties will help the state recapture gambling revenue lost to neighboring states. Atlantic Citys casino industry has shrunk from $5.2 billion in 2006 to $2.6 billion in 2015. New Jersey Policy Perspective President Gordon MacInnes said proponents of North Jersey casinos willfully ignore some facts, such as the oversaturation of the Northeast casino market and that new North Jersey casinos will likely harm, not help, Atlantic City. Our only hope is that New Jerseys voters have better common sense, and a healthier amount of skepticism, than its legislators, he said. Contact: 609-272-7215 Twitter @_Hetrick For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME. Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire. Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever. Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation. View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union. Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history. Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words. CARROLLTON, Texas, March 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- FireScope, Inc., a leader in Big Data IT Service Monitoring and Management performance solutions, today announced two key changes to its executive leadership team. Michael Menegay, a 30-year proven IT executive, has joined the company to assume the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO); while Leanne Porter, present CEO, has assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO). "As FireScope continues its rapid growth, the need to capitalize on the vast opportunity in front of us became a top priority. Our maniacal focus on operational excellence for our customers and partners, along with our corporate goal to be strategically critical and impactful to their business, prompted us to make these progressive moves for the company at this time," stated Mark Lynd, FireScope's Co-founder and Board Member. The changes allow Leanne Porter, in her new role as COO, to focus full-time on optimizing the day-to-day operations of FireScope; while the addition of Mike Menegay provides focus on strategy, capital and managing the company's growth acceleration. "Mike has been a passionate supporter of FireScope since joining the Board of Directors last year," said Leanne Porter, FireScope CEO; "and, his extensive experience in high growth software companies provides invaluable knowledge and experience; and we look forward to him taking a more active role in shaping the future of FireScope." Mike's past experience includes being the founder and/or CEO of six (6) privately-held technology companies, four (4) of which were successfully sold to larger publicly-held entities. Prior to FireScope, Mike was CEO & President of Encryptics, a leading cloud-based provider of cyber security solutions; where Mike has extensive expertise. Previously, he also held the CEO role at Oxygen Finance Americas, a fintech payments processing company (acquired by Arrowgrass Capital Partners); and Mobile Armor, a cyber security company (acquired by Trend Micro in 2011). Mike commented, "I see FireScope uniquely positioned to take advantage of the rapid emergence of Big Data, the Internet of Things (IoT) and the increasing uptake in Cloud based Software-as-a-Solution delivery of key enterprise software. I am extremely impressed with its technology, innovation mentality, employees, partners and customer base; and, am very excited and honored to join the FireScope family." About FireScope FireScope is the leader in aligning customers' technology performance to their business and customer experiences through highly innovative, on-demand solutions. FireScope Stratis is the first cloud-based enterprise monitoring solution built on a Big Data (NoSQL) platform that pushes the boundaries of capacity, depth of visibility and performance. FireScope Inc., has offices in Dallas and London. To learn more about FireScope and its advanced Service Performance Management solutions, visit http://www.firescope.com or call 877-780-3473. This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE FireScope, Inc. Related Links http://www.firescope.com WASHINGTON, March 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA astronaut Jeff Williams is now the first American to become a three-time, long-term resident of the International Space Station. He arrived at the orbiting laboratory at 11:09 p.m. EDT Friday, with cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, where they will continue important research that advances NASA's Journey to Mars. The trio launched aboard a Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 5:26 p.m. (3:26 a.m. Saturday, March 19, Baikonur time), orbited Earth four times, and docked at the station. The hatches between the spacecraft and station opened at 12:55 a.m. Saturday, March 19. The arrival of Williams, Ovchinin and Skripochka returns the station's crew complement to six. The three join Expedition 47 Commander Tim Kopra of NASA and Flight Engineers Tim Peake of ESA (European Space Agency) and Yuri Malenchenko of Roscosmos. The Expedition 47 crew members will spend five months conducting more than 250 science investigation in fields that benefit all of humanity, such as biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences and technology development. Investigations arriving on Orbital ATK's fifth NASA-contracted commercial resupply mission in late March will include a study of realistic fire scenarios on a spacecraft, enable the first space-based observations of meteors entering Earth's atmosphere from space, explore how regolith, or soil, behaves and moves in microgravity, test a gecko-inspired adhesive gripping device that can stick on command in the harsh environment of space, and add a new 3-D printer for use on station. Expedition 47 crew members also are expected to receive the first expandable habitat, which will allow NASA its first test of an innovative habitat concept that can support astronauts who live and work in the harsh environment of space. The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is an experimental expandable module scheduled for delivery on SpaceX's eighth NASA-contracted cargo resupply mission this spring. Although astronauts will not live in BEAM, it will be attached to the space station, expanded and tested for a minimum two-year demonstration, and crew members will enter periodically to evaluate performance of the habitat. NASA is considering the use of expandable habitats to support crew members traveling to an asteroid, Mars and other destinations. An expandable habitat such as BEAM takes up less room on a rocket, while allowing additional volume for living and working in space. The crew members also are scheduled to receive one Russian Progress resupply mission delivering about three tons of food, fuel, supplies and research. During his six-month mission, Williams will become the American record holder for cumulative days in space -- 534 -- surpassing Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly, who wrapped up his one-year mission March 1. Williams will take command of the station on June 4 for Expedition 48. Williams, Ovchinin and Skripochka will remain aboard the station until early September 2016. Kopra, Peake and Malenchenko will return to Earth on June 5. For 15 years, humans have been living continuously aboard the International Space Station to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth and that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. A truly global endeavor, more than 200 people from 15 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 1,700 research investigations from researchers in more than 83 countries. Follow space station activities on social media at: http://www.facebook.com/ISS http://www.twitter.com/Space_Station and https://instagram.com/iss Follow the crew members on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/nasa_astronauts RELEASE: 16-035 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov New Delhi, March 15 : A seventh of the 28,356 foreigners found to be overstaying in India at the end of 2014 were Pakistanis, the government said on Tuesday. Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijuju also told the Lok Sabha that the maximum number of foreigners deported from a single country in 2014 were from Nigeria. The minister said in a written statement that 4,335 Pakistanis were found to be overstaying in India at the end of 2014, followed by Sri Lankans (3,857), South Koreans (1,772), Iraqis (1,625) and Americans (1,291). Also in 2014, a total of 1,010 Nigerians, 989 Bangladeshis and 101 Pakistanis were deported, the minister said. The total number deported in 2014 was 2,847. At the end of 2014, Tamil Nadu hosted the maximum number of overstaying foreigners -- 20,539. This was followed by Maharashtra (3,300). The total for the country stood at 28,356. The minister said the issue of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh was regularly taken up with Dhaka. He said steps had been taken for coordinated patrolling, identification of vulnerable gaps and strengthening of riverine patrolling. Bangladesh had also been urged to take effective steps to check the illegal movement of their nationals into India, he added. Ankara, March 17 : Germany on Thursday closed its consulate general and a high school in Istanbul following security threats. The privately run German High School will be closed on Thursday, for a day, the school said in a statement. Both the consulate and the school are located around Taksim Square, Xinhua news agency reported. Turkey has remained on high alert following a suicide car bomb attack in Ankara on Sunday which killed 37 people. In January, 12 German tourists were killed in a suicide attack in Istanbul. Los Angeles, March 18 : Actor Russell Crowe, who piled on weight for his film "The Nice Guys", has now lost around 23 kg for his next role. "I was (121.5 kg) the first week of August last year. I did a movie called 'The Nice Guys', so I wanted to be the physical juxtaposition of Ryan Gosling," Crowe said on a radio show on Thursday, reports aceshowbiz.com. "I'm clawing my way back from that, so I'm about (98 kg) at the moment," he added. Back in 2000, the Oscar-winning actor showed off a ripped physique for his role in "Gladiator". He had to eat six to eight protein-heavy meals a day to bulk up at that time. Just a year before, he was required to lose weight fast to prepare for the role of Big Tobacco exec Jeffrey Wigand in 1999's "The Insider". In "The Nice Guys", Crowe is playing private eye Jackson Healy who lives in the 1970s. Directed by Shane Black, "The Nice Guys" will release in US on May 20 this year. Brussels, March 19 : The European Union (EU) and Turkey managed to finalise their migration deal by the end of the two-day EU summit, with an aim to jointly tackle the migration crisis. "We have finally reached an agreement between the EU and Turkey. An agreement aimed at stopping the flow of irregular migration via Turkey to Europe," European Council President Donald Tusk told a press conference on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported. The EU and Turkey agreed on the endeavour to end the irregular migration from Turkey to the EU, so as to break the business model of the smugglers and avoid putting the lives of migrants at risk. Therefore, all new irregular migrants crossing from Turkey into the Greek islands as from March 20, 2016 are to be returned to Turkey, and this will take place in full accordance with EU and international law, according to a joint statement of the two parties. "It will be a temporary and extraordinary measure which is necessary to end the human suffering and restore public order," emphasised the statement. Moreover, the two parties agreed that for every Syrian being returned to Turkey from the Greek islands, another Syrian would be re-settled from Turkey to the EU. "This is a very fair and encouraging step for refugees as well as those who are looking for their futures," said Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at the press conference. Turkey vowed it would take all necessary measures to prevent new sea or land routes for illegal migration opening from Turkey to the EU, and would cooperate with neighbouring states as well as the EU to this effect. Los Angeles, March 19 : Actor Russell Crowe has lost 52 pounds of weight since his role in "The Nice Guys" for which he had to beef up. "I was 121.6 kg (268 pounds) the first week of August last year. I did a movie called 'The Nice Guys', so I wanted to be the physical juxtaposition of (actor) Ryan Gosling," Crowe said on a radio show, reports people.com. Crowe added that he is still "clawing his way back from his higher weight". On working with Gosling, Crowe said that the actor constantly kept the laughs coming on set, adding that the former made him laugh at inappropriate times more than he ever has in his career. "That kid is a comic genius. He's great company. He's really smart. He loves what he does and he asks all the right questions. Working with him was such a treat. The kid just knows how to make me laugh. He's very, very funny," he said. "The Nice Guys" is set to hit theaters on May 20. Dubai, March 19 : Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who is currently shooting for filmmaker Shoojit Sircar's production "Pink", says two-film-old actress Taapsee Pannu is not a newcomer but a professional. The 73-year-old actor, who was attending the second edition of the Times Of India Film Awards (TOIFA) on Friday, will be seen sharing screen space with Taapsee for the first time. Asked how it was to work with a newcomer like her, Big B told media here: "They are not new comers. They are professionals". "Pink" will be Amitabh's third movie with Sircar after "Shoebite" and "Piku", which also featured actress Deepika Padukone. What is "Pink" about and will he be seen playing a lawyer? "We have just started. I don't think I am authorised to speak much about the film. Some of the photographs suggest that (I am playing a lawyer). You have to wait for a while to know," added the thespian. Sircar, who was also present at the event along with the "Shamitabh" star at the award gala, refused to comment or share details about his upcoming production. Amitabh, who was last seen onscreen in filmmaker Bejoy Nambiar's "Wazir", will next be seen in debut director Ribhu Dasgupta's "TE3N", which also features actors Nawazuddin Siddqui and Vidya Balan. Moscow, March 19 : All 55 passengers on board a plane, flying from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don city in Russia, were killed after the aircraft crashed at the city airport, officials said on Saturday. The plane, a Boeing 737, missed the runway due to poor visibility, which led to the crash, Xinhua news agency reported quoting officials. United Nations, March 19 : UN chief Ban Ki-moon will leave New York next week for a visit to Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia in the build-up to a high-level meeting on global responsibility sharing for Syrian refugees on March 30 in Geneva, a UN spokesman said here. The UN secretary-general will make the upcoming visit alongside the president of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported. The secretary-general and the president of the World Bank Group will start their visit in Lebanon on Thursday, he said. Accompanied by Ahmad Mohamed Ali Al-Madani, president of the Islamic Development Bank, they will meet the president of the Council of Ministers of Lebanon, Tammam Salam, as well as with several other senior officials, the spokesman said. "They will also visit communities hosting Syrian and Palestinian refugees to reiterate their long-term support to the country and discuss new approaches to building resilience and assisting national systems," Dujarric said. On March 27, Ban and Kim will travel to Jordan, he said. "They will meet with His Majesty King Abdullah II, as well as other members of the government, and visit the Zaatari refugee camp. They will also participate jointly in an open discussion with Jordanian youth." On March 28, Ban and Kim will leave Jordan for Tunisia, where they will meet with President Beji Caid Essebsi and other senior officials, and pay respect to the victims of terrorism, he said. "The secretary-general will also attend a national conference on employment, hosted by the president," Dujarric said. On March 30, Ban will be in Geneva to open the high-level meeting on global responsibility sharing for Syrian Refugees, he said. London, March 19 : Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, who has been praised several times over for not being conscious about repeating her ensembles, doesn't even mind shopping from a second-hand store. Middleton drove down 25 miles from her country house in Anmer to visit a second-hand shop in neighboring Holt on Friday, reports people.com. In a blue M Missoni coat, she browsed racks of dresses at the store -- and the dresses were an opposite to the clothes she wears at formal public events, reports people.com. The store benefits East Anglia's Children's Hospices, a cause that she holds dear. Inside, she met volunteers and families who benefit from the charity's support. The hospice currently cares for 700 children, young people and family members, including 300 based at the facility at Quidenham. Middleton also bought a Fireman Sam book and a figurine. Washington, March 19 : US President Barack Obama congratulated Belgium and France on the arrest of Paris attack suspect Salah Abdeslam, a statement said. Obama on Friday called Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and French President Francois Hollande, sending his congratulation on the arrest, Xinhua quoted the White House as saying. "The president commended the work of Belgian security services and noted that this significant arrest was the result of hard work and close cooperation between Belgian and French law enforcement authorities," the statement said. Obama also reiterated that the US "stands together" with Belgium and France in the fight against terrorism, and to degrade and destroy the Islamic States (IS) terrorist group. Abdeslam is suspected of providing logistics last November for other attackers in Paris, who killed 130 people at multiple locations. The IS has claimed responsibility for the attacks. New Delhi, March 19 : A third straight week of gains for two key Indian equity indices led them to close on Friday at a two-month-plus high as foreign funds continued to pour in money to pick stocks and the mood getting further lifted by a dovish stand of the US Federal Reserve. The sensitive index (Sensex) of the BSE that had closed the week before at 24,717.99 points rose 234.75 points, or nearly 1 percent, during the week to eventually close at 24,952.74 points. The Nifty of the National Stock Exchange gained 94.15 points or 1.25 percent at 7,604.35 points. "Shorts also were seen being unwound as markets geared up for a shortened week ahead, due to Holi, Good Friday holidays. Recovery in Pharma sector post government's ban on FDC drugs also helped broad market sentiments," said Anand James of Geojit BNP Paribas. "Banks' gains were limited as finance ministry meets bankers on March 21 as part of cleaning non-performing assets. Meanwhile, rupee also continued its strengthening against the US dollar, testing 66.5." Among the top five advances during the week, four are in state sector. This apart, three of them were banking stocks. BHEL gained 9.4 percent at Rs.113.35, ICICI BANK gained 7.7 percent at Rs.230.35, GAIL gained 7.2 percent at Rs.364.15, State Bank of India gained 5.9 percent at Rs.191.05 and AXIS Bank gained 5.7 percent at Rs.435.95 The losers included a host of pharmaceutical stocks after the government banned nearly 350 drugs that were not only popular and available off-the-counters, but were adding significantly to the companies' bottomlines. Lupin lost 16.1 percent at Rs.1,558.90, Coal India lost 6.7 percent at Rs.297.65, Sun Pharma lost 6.0 percent at Rs.815.90, HDFC lost 2.7 percent at Rs.1,127.65 and Asian Paints lost 2.4 percent at Rs.874.90. Among the various sectors, construction gained the most with 4.99 percent, banking followed with 3.90 percent, information technology with 3.03 percent, engineering and capital goods with 2.78 percent and metals with 2.63 percent. On the other hand, pharmaceuticals lost the maximum, down 6.71 percent, followed by financial 2.54 percent, paints 2.32 percent and energy 0.18 percent. Foreign funds were net investors in Indian equities during the week, pumping in over Rs.3,300 crore, data with National Securities Depository Ltd showed. In fact, in March thus far, these funds, have invested a net of Rs.11,166 crore in equities. "Nifty prices traded back and forth during the week within the range 7,400-7,600 points," as per an analysis by Edelweiss, adding that the crucial support for the week ahead are placed at 7,510-7,400 and resistance at 7,620-7,780. "If prices break below 7,405 points, we expect the prices to test 7,250 on the downside. But a sustained break above the high would indicate more upside towards 7,740." New Delhi, March 19 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday criticised Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for what he described as "brazen horse trading" in Uttarakhand. Saying the BJP is proving to be the most corrupt party, Kejriwal tweeted: "Brazen horse trading-first Arunachal now Uttarakhand. BJP proving to be most corrupt, deshdrohi and power hungry party." The Congress-led Uttarakhand government plunged into political uncertainty late Friday as nine of its legislators joined ranks with the principal opposition BJP. The Harish Rawat-led government ended up with a red face as it got merely 32 votes in favour against the 36 required for the Finance Bill to be passed. Agra, March 19 : Tension gripped Agra on Saturday after a video clip showing some students allegedly eating 'beef' in a hostel went viral on social media. However, the authenticity of the video was not ascertained by any official. Hindutva groups demonstrated in the morning at the gate of the Central Hindi Institute here as the video shows some meat eaters in a hostel room on the campus. Registrar Chandra Kant Tripathi told IANS: "We are collecting information and after a suitable inquiry action would be taken." It was not clear what action the institute was contemplating. Senior administrative and police officials visited the campus late Friday night to inquire and check the veracity of media reports. On Thursday, some students in Mewar University in Rajasthan were attacked by a mob for allegedly cooking beef, which later turned out to be goat meat. The Hindutva adherents' campaign against beef-eating has created trouble in several other places. The photos and video on Facebook, about Agra, show some students with some pieces of meat, according to reports. Officials, however, clarified that meat is not served in the hostel mess. Agra is already tense with a series of agitations and the 'maha gherao' on Friday for protesting the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Arun Mahaur who was opposed to cow slaughter. New Delhi, March 19 : Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Saturday slammed the union Human Resource Development ministry's proposal asking Urdu writers to declare that "the content in their books will not be against the government or the country". "It is condemnable. If they have introduced such a clause then it should be there for the writers of all the languages. Why are they only targeting Urdu writers. It is being done because their (BJP) only agenda is to divide the country on communal lines and rule," said Singh. The National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) has recently introduced a form, requiring authors of the books that it acquires annually, to declare that the content will not be against the government or the country. NCPUL, that provides monetary assistance to Urdu writers, comes under the union HRD ministry-led by Smriti Irani. The form handed out to the writers reads: "I son/daughter of confirm that my book/magazine titled which has been approved for bulk purchase by NCPUL's monetary assistance scheme does not contain anything against the policies of the government of India or the interest of the nation, does not cause disharmony of any sort between different classes of the country, and is not monetarily supported by any government or non-government institution." Asked about the controversy over the 'Bharat mata ki jai' slogan, Singh said: "One should not be surprised. To hide their failures in governance and development they keep raising such issues of love jihad, ghar wapsi, ramzada-haramzada and now Bharat mata ki jai." Patna, March 19 : After 450 border pillars were found missing along India's open border with Nepal near Bihar's east and west Champaran districts, the Sashastra Seema Bal (an armed border force) is moving to plug the gap. New pillars would be erected soon. The SSB, under the supervision and monitoring of officials of the Survey of India and Nepal Armed forces, are busy constructing the new pillars along the officially demarcated line. "During our ongoing survey that began last year, 450 border pillars were found missing with few of them badly damaged in the 'no-man's land' along the border of two neighbouring countries," Manjul Mamgai, an official of the Survey of India told IANS. There is a 18.2 metre "no-man's land" between the two countries. But at several places, land grabbers have encroached on it. "After the survey, the SSB will clear the encroachers from the area along the border" Mamgai said. Mamgai, who is heading a team of surveyors from Dehradun, and is in Champaran at present said over telephone that new pillars would be erected soon. In all, 1870 border pillars were erected stretching to 180 km from Gandak baraj in West Champaran to Ghorasan's Jamunia in East Champaran nearly 85 years ago. "It is serious work with responsibility because missing border pillars have already caused anxiety for concerned officials on both side of the border. The Survey of India is identifying the exact location of the pillars. Mamgai alo blamed nature's fury, apart from land grabbers and encroachers on both sides for the plight. "Some border pillars were washed away by heavy floods and others became victim of the changing route of rivers," Mamgai said. He said officials of both countries are meeting at Birganj in Nepal on March 21 to look at the issues arising out of the missing pillars and the need to replace them. Last year it was agreed to install global positioning system (GPS) in the pillars. According to the agreement, the two countries would set up 83 control points in their vicinity across the 1,880-km border and install the GPS system in all the 8,553 boundary pillars along the border. This will ensure timely replacement of pillars if they are damaged by a natural disaster or human intervention. According to a confidential report sent by the field formations of security agencies to the Ministry of Home Affairs, a total of 1,451 border pillars were "missing" while 1,282 had been "damaged" along the Indo-Nepal border. According to official reports of the Survey of India, 1931 pillars were erected after an agreement between the two neighbours. An SSB official said the pillars are the only symbolic security structures along the fence-less border of India and Nepal which is notorious for smuggling. Bihar shares a large part of its border with Nepal, including 10 trade transit points. (Imran Khan can be contacted at imran.k@ians.in) New Delhi, March 19 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for raising farm income through diversification in farming activities, urged all stakeholders including states to take a resolve to double the income of farmers by 2022, and said the next revolution in agriculture will be based on technology. Addressing farmers at the Krishi Unnati Mela here, Modi said: "The next revolution in Indian agriculture has to be built on technology and modernization, and the eastern part of India had maximum potential to achieve it. The government is working towards this goal." Modi said the task of doubling farm income may be challenging but was a worthy objective. "The Soil Health Card scheme, and the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana are important steps towards reducing input costs," he said. Calling to "raise farm incomes through diversification in farming activities", he said farmers could also opt for timber plantation along the edges of their fields and begin animal husbandry. Diversification in farming activity will reduce the risks associated with agriculture, he added. Modi said India's future had to be built on the growth of agriculture and prosperity of its farmers and its villages and the union budget presented last month would have a far-reaching impact on these sectors. He said the next revolution in Indian agriculture had to be built on technology and modernisation and the eastern part of India had the maximum potential to achieve it. "The government is working towards this goal," he said. Modi said reduction of input costs was the first element towards raising farm incomes and said the Soil Health Card scheme, and the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana were steps in this direction. Modi also explained the benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, and said it had been evolved after wide ranging consultations. He said the scheme was characterized by minimum premium and maximum security. On the occasion, the prime minister gave away the Krishi Karman Awards for 2014-15 to states and farmers. He also launched a mobile app "Kisan Suvidha" for farmers. The mobile app will provide information to farmers on subjects such as weather, market prices, seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and agriculture machinery. Kathmandu, March 19 : British royal Prince Harry arrived in Nepal on Saturday for a five-day official visit. Leading a 30-member delegation, Prince Harry arrived to represent the British government to mark the 200th anniversary of Nepal-Britain relations, Xinhua reported. Prince Harry landed at the Tribhuwan International Airport on a Qatar Airways flight. He was welcomed by Kunti Shah, state minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development. This is the first official visit by the 31-year-old Prince to the quake-ravaged Himalayan country. Security in the capital was tightened before Prince Harry's arrival. He is accompanied by British State Foreign Secretary Hugo Swire. Prince Harry will meet Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli later on Saturday and attend a reception hosted by the Nepalese government. He is scheduled to meet President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Sunday. During the five-day stay, Prince Harry will visit the earthquake affected areas in the capital city and interact with displaced families living in temporary settlements. Prince Harry is reported to have huge admiration for the resilience of the people of this country, particularly their response to the earthquakes of April and May last year. New Delhi, March 19 : A court on Saturday granted bail to former Delhi University professor S.A.R. Geelani, who was arrested in February on sedition charges. Additional Sessions Judge Deepak Garg granted bail to Geelani, and asked him to furnish a personal bond of Rs.50,000 and one surety of like amount. Granting bail, the court took into note that Geelani has been in judicial custody since February 16 and said that he was not required for further investigation in any manner and the completion of investigation was going to take time. The court said "no fruitful purpose would be served by keeping him in judicial custody anymore pending further investigation". It said there was no allegation by police that there was any apprehension of the accused fleeing from justice. Geelani shall not leave Delhi without permission of the court, it said. He "shall not directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the fact of the case so as to dissuade them from disclosing such facts of the court or to any other authority", the court said. Geelani shall surrender his passport before the trial court at the time of furnishing the bail bond/surety bond, it added. On Friday, Delhi Police told the court that the allegations against Geelani were grievous. Geelani, who was arrested after police registered a case against him for organising a meeting at Press Club in Delhi on February 9 to mark the death anniversary of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, had moved a fresh bail application before the court on Wednesday. In his application, he said he was in judicial custody since February 16 and no fruitful purpose would be served by keeping him in custody further. He had also said he had cooperated in the investigation and there was no evidence against him. An earlier bail plea of Geelani was rejected by a magistrate on February 19. Police alleged that anti-national slogans were raised by a section of Kashmiri students at the event. Moscow, March 19 : A Boeing 737-800 passenger jet operated by low cost airline FlyDubai crashed while attempting to land in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday, killing all 62 passengers, including two Indians. The flight was en route from Dubai and had been circling the airport for up to two hours after an initial aborted landing attempt, according to Russian news reports. There were high winds in the area at the time. The plane was coming in for a second attempt to land at 3.a.m when it plunged to the ground and burst into flames. The crash occurred inside the airport's perimeter, about 250 metres short of the runway. Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup said the two Indians who appear on a list put out by the Russian authorities are Anju Kathirvel Aiyappan and Mohan Shyam. According to Flydubai -- an Emirati budget airline with a new fleet of planes that started flying in mid-2009 -- the jet was carrying 55 passengers -- 33 women, 18 men, four children -- and seven crew members, CNN reported. Initial reports suggested that all passengers on board were Russians; however, the Emergencies Ministry later confirmed that 11 foreigners were on board, including all the crew members. FlyDubai said the passengers included 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbekistani. "While we are still awaiting final confirmation, it is with great sadness that we report we believe there are no survivors," FlyDubai said on the airline's Facebook page. Speaking about the incident, FlyDubai chief executive Ghaith al-Ghaith said: "Our primary concern is for the families of the passengers and crew who were on board. "Everyone at FlyDubai is in deep shock and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those involved. We don't yet know all the details of the accident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish the cause," he said. The airport will remain closed until Sunday, and medics and psychologists were on standby to assist family members, the Emergencies Ministry said. About 700 people were involved in the rescue operation. The crash site was 243 metres from the airport runway, it mentioned. Al-Ghaith has excluded the possibility of a terror act on the ill-fated flight FZ981. No distress signal was issued by the pilots either, he said. Al-Ghaith insisted that the captain, Aristos Socratous, was a highly experienced pilot with over 5,700 flight hours and that the plane was new. Manufactured in 2011, the aircraft passed its latest maintenance on January 21, 2016. "The aircraft hit the ground and broke into pieces," the Investigative Committee of Russia said on its website. The plane's flight path, as tracked by Flight Radar 24, showed the plane made a number of turns near the Rostov-on-Don airport prior to the final landing. The Russian Investigative Committee launched an investigation, and was considering three potential causes, state-run Ria Novosti news agency reported. "Different versions of the incident are being investigated, including crew error, technical failure, bad weather and other factors," it quoted committee chief Vladimir Markin as saying. Spokesman for the southern bureau of Russia's Investigative Committee, Oksana Kovrizhnaya, has put forward two versions of the crash: "Pilot error in deteriorating weather conditions or a technical failure," she said. Both FZ981 flight data recorders have been recovered from the crash site. Experts were evaluating whether any data can be retrieved from them, said Vladimir Markin. The cockpit voice recorder was found in the morning and the parametric recorder was recovered later in the day. According to investigative committee experts who examined the flight recorders, the black boxes are in a "normal condition", Oksana Kovrizhnaya said, adding that the data would be extracted as soon as possible. The Russian government has announced a compensation of $15,000 to the family of each deceased. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the relatives and loved ones of the victims. "The Russian president feels deeply for all those who lost their loved ones in the Boeing 737 crash in Rostov-on-Don," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Saturday, stressing that the president has made it a priority to provide all possible assistance to the relatives of the victims. The government-owned FlyDubai, a no-frills sister airlines to Emirates, was established in March 2008. The airline had a strong safety record, but one of its planes was hit by a bullet as it landed in Baghdad airport in January 2015, prompting multiple airlines to suspend flights to the Iraqi capital. No one was hurt. The last major aviation disaster involving Russia was on October 31 last year, when a Russian airliner blew up in the air over Egypt's Sinai peninsula, killing all 224 aboard. Investigators determined it was destroyed by a bomb. Moscow, March 19 : US Secretary of State John Kerry will pay a two-day visit to Russia on Wednesday, the country's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. During a meeting with Russian Foreign Minster Sergei Lavrov, the two sides are expected to exchange views on bilateral cooperation and current hot global issues, Xinhua cited the ministry as saying in a statement. The ministry enumerated a bunch of sanctions Washington imposed on Moscow in March 2014, when Russia took over the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine, saying that the Russia-US relations remain complicated. However, the Russian side voiced the hope for improvement of bilateral ties during Kerry's upcoming visit. "We hope that the visit of the US Secretary of State to Russia -- the third in less than one year -- will contribute to the normalisation of the Russian-American relation," said the statement. The ministry confirmed that the Syria crisis will be high on the agenda during Kerry's visit, adding that the crisis in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East and North Africa will also be discussed. On Wednesday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kerry was under consideration during the latter's visit to Moscow. Kerry came to Russia in May and December in the past year. Patna, March 19 : Three legislators of the opposition BJP in Bihar on Saturday said they would return the costly gifts they accepted along with ruling legislators. There has been a lot of criticism after the education department gifted microwave ovens to all legislators of both the assembly and legislative council, with the common people saying this comes at a time when thousands of teachers were awaiting payment of salaries since months. Three CPI-ML legislators, however, refused to accept the gifts. A day after BJP legislators accepted the gifts like microwave ovens, airbags and briefcases, former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday said in a tweet: "Lakhs of school teachers are without salary for 4 months, Prem Kumar, Mangal Pandey and myself will return gifts like micro over back to government." Prem Kumar is Leader of Opposition in the assembly, while Mangal Pandey is the BJP state president. Modi and Pandey are members of the legislative council. Without naming Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav, Sushil Modi said the state government gave a "ridiculous justification" that the legislators were "poor" and will "use the microwave ovens to taste the mid-day meals". In fact, the legislators are being paid Rs.1.5 lakh per month, he said. Education Minister Ashok Choudhary downplayed the issue, saying it was a small gift for the legislators. "This is not the first time that legislators have been gifted during the budget session. There is nothing new in it," he said. He said the microwave ovens cost the education department Rs.11,125 each. "It's just a matter of Rs.30 lakh." The animal husbandry department gifted trolley bags to all legislators, while the urban development department gave expensive watches. Previously, other departments have also gifted costly items like mobile phones to legislators as a goodwill gesture. The BJP has 53 legislators in the 243-member assembly. Its allies LJP, RLSP and HAM have five legislators. Damascus, March 19 : At least 39 people were killed on Saturday when air strikes targeted Syria's northern city of al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State group, a monitor group reported. The dead include five children and seven women, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The London-based watchdog group said the strikes targeted several areas in al-Raqqa, adding that there is no information yet whether the strikes were Syrian, Russian or US-led. The death toll could likely rise as there were more than 60 people in critical condition, the Observatory added. It said the strikes came a day after 16 people were killed by similar strikes on al-Raqqa. New Delhi, March 19 : The BJP on Saturday invoked the issue of 'nationalism', as its two-day National Executive began here, and categorically stated that the party was not going to tolerate criticism of the country in the name of freedom of expression. "The Left parties and the Congress are questioning our commitment to freedom of expression. Criticism of the party, leader and government is fully permissible but criticism of the nation shall not be acceptable," union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad quoting party president Amit Shah as saying in his address at the national executive at the NDMC convention centre here. Shah reminded the Congress of the Emergency, saying it crushed the voices of the common people during the period. "What cruel behaviour was there during Emergency, no one can forget. Why does the Congress party and its vice president Rahul Gandhi not say anything about it?" Shah asked. He took a dig at the Left parties for accusing the government of suppressing freedom of expression. "Those who worship Maoism and follow Stalin are talking about freedom of speech and expression," he said. Shah also spoke on the recent controversy of chanting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai", which erupted after MIM leader and Lok Sabha member Asadudduin Owaisi refused to say it. "Chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' is in the country since the days of independence. So, after 68 years of freedom, the country will debate whether it should be chanted or not?" he asked. Shah praised the work of the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also hailed the budget presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. "The programmes initiated by the Modi government have proven to be a game-changer. This success of the Modi government must be conveyed to the people of India," he said. The BJP chief also hailed Modi for taking the country to new heights through its foreign policy. Shah accused the Congress of creating hurdles before the Modi government and asked BJP cadres to reach out to the masses and explain to them this "anti-development approach" of the opposition party. "The Congress asks us what the Modi government has done so far. I would like to say, we have given a corruption-free government, dynasty-free democratic leadership and stability with hope," Shah said. Shah hoped that the party will perform better in the upcoming assembly elections. "The BJP is rising even in unknown territories. We are a serious player in the coming elections," he said. Jammu, March 19 : A soldier is missing after an avalanche hit an army post on Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kargil on Thursday and search operations are on, an army official said. "A natural avalanche triggered by a mild earthquake hit an army post located at an altitude of 17,500 feet in Kargil sector at about 10.45 p.m. on March 17 and two soldiers who were on surveillance duty were washed away," army's Northern Command spokesman Col. S.D.Goswami told IANS. "Immediate rescue operations were launched in which one soldier could be rescued, while the second soldier is still missing. "The rescued soldier is medically stable and is recovering. Rescue operations to rescue the missing soldier are currently on in spite of the adverse weather conditions," he added. Damascus, March 19 : Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday hailed the Russian and Iranian role in countering terrorism, according to state news agency SANA. "The supportive stance of friendly countries, mainly Russia and Iran, alongside Syria militarily and politically have effectively contributed in enhancing the steadfastness of the Syrians in the war against terrorism," Assad said. The Syrian president also said that the victory of the Syrians in the war on terror will positively reflect on the world. Iran and Russia have been the crucial allies of the Syrian government throughout the long-running conflict in Syria. The Syrian army has made notable gains in recent months, advancing deeper into main rebel strongholds in the northern province of Aleppo and the countryside of the coastal city of Latakia. Mumbai/Shimla/Chennai, March 19 : Thousands of people across the country joined the global community by switching off extra lights in private and government buildings on Saturday evening to mark Earth Hour 2016. In Mumbai several government and private buildings, public landmarks as well as common citizens contributed to 'cooling' the Earth by switching off lights for an hour between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. Those who participated included several celebrities, film and television stars, industrialists and common people in the global initiative of the WWF which turns 10 this year. This year, the WWF is also promoting 'clean and green country' with multiple solar energy reforms following the Paris Climate Conference in December 2015. Mumbai-based NGO Young Environmentalists organised a cyclothon at daybreak on Saturday and closed with a carnival at Bandra's coastal Carter Road where solar and paper lanterns were distributed to slum kids from Dharavi. Reports of lights being switched off were received from other major cities in Maharashtra like Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Nashik. Elsewhere in the country, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh supported the Earth Hour campaign by switching off the lights of his official residence Oakover in Shimla. He also appealed to residents, educational and other institutions and organisations to ensure switching off of non-essential lights for one hour. The lights of British-era buildings, including the neo-Gothic Christ Church, located on the historic Ridge were also switched off to mark the occasion. In Chennai, Col. Sanath Gopinath, head of the Tamil Nadu state office of the WWF, told IANS: "This time we decided to reach out to young people directly. "We did not approach any government organisation. The idea is to create awareness in the minds of young people. He said that from March 14 onwards, they have been visiting various colleges in and around Chennai and have spoken to college students on climate change. "We also took with us Tiffany Maria Brar, a blind social activist running an NGO in Thiruvananthapuram to all the colleges to address the students," he said. Like it or not, Netflix is well and truly pushing forward with its plan to destroy the cinema experience. Its latest deal saw the streaming service pay out over $90 million to secure a deal with Will Smith, director David Ayer and screenwriter Max Landis for an upcoming sci-fi blockbuster. Netflix is reported to have knocked out bids from Warner Bros. and MGM by offering $45 million to produce the film, a further $45 million to pay for the cast and $3 million to screenwriter Max Landis for his screenplay. The current policy of day-and-date releases - that's films released on Netflix the same day they're in cinemas - has been broadly met with denouncements by the big cinema chains in the US. Not only that, the same cinema chains are refusing to carry Netflix's films in their venues, meaning that the films will most likely never be seen in a theatre setting. This deal is the highest Netflix has paid out so far to acquire a film, having previously paid out $60 million to Brad Pitt and David Michod's upcoming black comedy War Machine. The exact details of what Bright is about isn't clear yet; however it's understood to be a police procedural with fantastical elements. The understanding is that if the film is well-received, Netflix will move to make Bright into a major franchise for the service. The film will star the aforementioned Will Smith and Joel Edgerton and will begin filming in Los Angeles before the end of the year with a release date expected sometime in 2017. Via Deadline Dehradun, March 19 : Uttarkhand Governor K.K. Paul on Saturday asked Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove his majority in the assembly while accepting his recommendation to dismis rebel minister Harak Singh Rawat. Harak Singh Rawat held the agriculture portfolio. Paul asked the chief minister to prove his majority in the assembly by March 28. while Harish Rawat asserted he had a majority and would prove it on the floor of the house. He also said that five of the rebel Congress legislators were in touch with him and in case, they regretted having revolted against the party, they might be pardoned by the high command. In a swift political drama in the hill state on Friday evening, nine of the ruling party legislators had walked into the camp of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and demanded a vote division on the budget, a demand rejected by the speaker. The Congress has accused the BJP national leadership of trying to topple the Congress government, a charge denied by the BJP which has sought the dismissal of the "minority" government. Assembly polls are due in the state early next year. New Delhi, March 19 : Sedition is being camouflaged as freedom of speech and BJP will not tolerate it, party president Amit Shah said on Saturday and urged party workers to create "awareness" across the country against "anti-national activities". "BJP workers should work on creating awareness across the country against the anti-national activities. "Sedition is being camouflaged as freedom of expression. In the name of expression of freedom, the debate on anti-national slogans is being turned in another direction," he said in his address at the party's national executive at the NDMC convention centre here. "Anti-national slogans were raised openly in the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University. It was not wrong on (Congress vice president) Rahul Gandhi's part to go to JNU, but speaking in support of anti-national elements there can never be called right," he said. Citing the Emergency, when the Congress "crushed the voices of the common people during the period", he said that it had no right to lecture others. Asserting that the BJP will "never tolerate such anti-national slogans", he said: "We support freedom of expression, but conspiracy to break the unity and integrity of the nation will not be supported." "Bharat Mata ki Jai has been our inspiration for years," he added. Shah also said that India's unity were due to the unification of states by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and the constitution brought together by Bhimrao Ambedkar. Quoting from his speech, union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that Shah stressed criticism of the government is fine, but the criticism of nation will not be accepted. "The Left parties and the Congress are questioning our commitment to freedom of expression. Criticism of the party, leader and government is fully permissible but criticism of the nation shall not be acceptable," he quoted the party chief as saying. Shah also took a dig at the Left parties for accusing the government of suppressing freedom of expression. "Those who worship Maoism and follow Stalin are talking about freedom of speech and expression," he said. On the recent controversy of chanting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" after MIM leader Asadudduin Owaisi refused to say it, he said: "Chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' is in the country since the days of independence. So, after 68 years of freedom, the country will debate whether it should be chanted or not?" Praising the work of the Narendra Modi government and also hailing Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's 2016-17 budget, he said: "The programmes initiated by the Modi government have proven to be a game-changer. This success of the Modi government must be conveyed to the people of India." Shah accused the Congress of creating hurdles for the government and asked BJP cadres to tell people about its "anti-development approach". "Congress and its vice president Rahul Gandhi are suffering from every kind of negative mentality. That is why they have nothing to do except levying false and senseless charges against the Modi government," he said. Shah hoped the party will perform better in the upcoming assembly elections. "The BJP is rising even in unknown territories. We are a serious player in the coming elections," he said. Guwahati, March 19 : Police in Assam's Tinsukia district on Saturday shot a man dead after he attacked and injured four people with a machete. Bhadra Gogoi, a resident of Kharikatia village in Bordubi area, went wild on Saturday morning and attacked people from his neighbourhood, police said. Gogoi had a history of going wild periodically and behaving unnaturally, attacking people around him. "Today, we were informed that Gogoi had gone wild since morning and started attacking his neighbours with a machete. Four people were injured by him, including two of them seriously," said Tinsukia Superintendent of Police Mugdhajyoti Mahanta. "When a police team from the Bordubi police station arrived there, Gogoi attacked them forcing police to fire to subdued him. "Although police shot at his leg, he died later at a hospital due to profuse bleeding," he said. He said two of the seriously injured were still struggling for their lives at the Assam Medical College Hospital in Dibrugarh. Dehradun/New Delhi, March 19 : Uttarkhand Governor K.K. Paul on Saturday asked Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove his majority by March 28 even as the BJP sought dismissal of the minority Congress government while opposition parties accused it of horse-trading. Rawat claimed he that he had a majority and would prove it on the floor of the house while the governor accepted his recommendation to dismiss rebel minister Harak Singh Rawat, who held the agriculture portfolio. In sudden political drama in the hill state on Friday evening, nine Congress legislators walked into the camp of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and demanded a vote division on the budget, a demand rejected by the speaker. Rawat also said that five of the rebels were in touch with him and in case they regretted having revolted against the party, they might be pardoned by the high command. Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah of trying to topple an elected government. The BJP rubbished allegations of indulging in horse-trading and challenged the chief minister to prove his majority. "Allegations of horse-trading are ridiculous. The legislators of Congress have revolted against the functioning of Rawat and his dictatorial attitude," BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya told reporters in New Delhi. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had alleged that the BJP was indulging in horse-trading in Uttarakhand. Vijayvargiya however said the Congress leaders, who have revolted against the chief minister, are not those who can be bought for money. "Vijay Bahuguna is among the rebel Congress leaders. He was the chief minister of the state. What does Congress want to say? Do they mean Vijay Bahuguna is for sale?" he said. He also challenged Rawat to prove his majority. "If voting could have taken place in assembly yesterday (Friday), he would have known his strength. I challenge him to prove his majority on any forum." He also said the anti-defection law against the rebel Congress leaders would not stand because the BJP had already moved a no-confidence motion against the speaker. Viyajvargiya also claimed to have the support of 35 legislators in the 70-member assembly. "We have support of 35 MLAs and are waiting for the governor's response." "We are ready to form the government as well as to face fresh elections," he said. BJP secretary Srikant Sharma said Congress government should be dismissed. "The governor should dismiss the Rawat government in Uttarakhand. It has no moral right to remain in power as it has lost the confidence of its MLAs," Sharma told reporters in New Delhi. Dubai, March 20 : Jackie Chan will be shooting for his upcoming Indo-Chinese film "Kung Fu Yoga" in India, says Bollywood actor Sonu Sood, who will be seen sharing screen space with the legendary actor for the first time. "Jackie (Chan) will be coming to India and will be coming to India on the 21st (of March)...He will be staying for 15 days. Jackie will be staying in Jaipur," Sonu told reporters here on the red carpet event for the Times Of India Film Awards (TOIFA) 2016 on Friday. The "Dabangg" star says he will join the martial arts movie star, who will be shooting a schedule in India and then will be proceeding to Beijing. "I am going to join him next week in India and then we are going to Beijing...October release. Fingers crossed." said an elated Sonu, who looked dapper in suit by Delhi based designers Bharat and Reshma. Sonu, who was last seen on the silver screen in the 2015 film "Gabbar Is Back", says the "Rush Hour" actor is one of the "most humble and hardworking actor". "He is one of the most humble actors I have ever come across. He is very hardworking..." Sonu said. "Kung Fu Yoga" is a part of the three-film agreement signed between the two countries during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India. The film also stars actress Amyra Dastur. It is reported that the Hindi film stars have performed some adrenalin-pumping action sequences for the movie. Directed by Stanley Tong, the action comedy film is also shot here and Iceland, where Jackie got Amyra a farewell cake, as a warm goodbye gesture from him. This is not the first time "The Legend of Drunken Master" star will be visiting India. He paid a visit to the country in 2013 and earlier has even collaborated with India Bollywood beauty Mallika Sherawat in his 2005 film "The Myth". (The writer's visit is at the invitation of TOIFA organisers. Durga Chakravarty can be contacted at durga.c@ians.in) The Massachusetts School Nurse Organization (MSNO) issued a statement today strongly in support of the Opioid Abuse Prevention Bill, H.4056, that was signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker. The non-medical use of prescription opioids among adolescents has been a growing health concern over the last decade. This important law will facilitate policy development and prevention strategies in schools, including implementation of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT). School nurses, in collaboration with other licensed support staff, will raise awareness and increase knowledge about the impact of the opioid drug epidemic. SBIRT is an evidence-based public health prevention model that a number of school districts across the Commonwealth have successfully implemented. Passing the Opioid Abuse Prevention Bill will increase the use of this screening tool in order to prevent drug use, and aid in early identification and treatment for students in need. MSNO President Carilyn Rains stated, The legislation signed into law this week will save students lives, and the Massachusetts school nurses look forward to working with the state and local communities to ensure that students stay healthy and safe." The Massachusetts School Nurse Organization represents nearly 1,000 school nurses across the commonwealth. The organizations mission is to promote and advance quality school health services throughout the Commonwealth and promote the rights, interests and professional growth of our members. Overlook Medical Center and Atlantic Neuroscience Institute Overlook Medical Center today announced it is the only hospital in New Jersey to be recognized as Americas 100 Best Hospitals for Stroke Care and Americas 100 Best Hospitals for Critical Care in 2016 by top consumer healthcare rankings group, Healthgrades. This is the third year Overlook Medical Center has achieved this recognition in stroke care. As part of Atlantic Health Systems Trusted Network of Caring, we have worked many years with our sister hospitals and community organizations to achieve the exceptional stroke response treatment rates and critical care we have today, said Alan Lieber, president, Overlook Medical Center. This dedication enables us to be the only hospital in New Jersey to receive both of these coveted honors and distinctions. The hospital is also New Jerseys only recipient of the Healthgrades 2016 Distinguished Hospital Award Clinical Excellence and Americas 100 Best Hospitals for Stroke Care Award, both of which it has now received for the third consecutive year. The Distinguished Hospital Award signifies Overlook Medical Center is one of the top five percent of more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide for its clinical performance. Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence stand out among the rest for overall clinical excellence across a broad spectrum of care. During the 2016 study period (2012-2014), these hospitals showed superior performance in clinical outcomes for patients in the Medicare population across at least 21 of 32 of the most common inpatient conditions and procedures as measured by objective clinical outcomes performance data (risk-adjusted mortality and in-hospital complications). In addition to the recognitions in hospital-wide Clinical Excellence, Stroke and Critical Care, Overlook Medical Center is a recipient of the Neurosciences Excellence Award for two years in a row and named among the top 5% in the nation for GI (gastrointestinal) medical treatment. In addition, Healthgrades recognized Newton Medical Center for cardiac, critical care and pulmonary services in 2016. About Healthgrades Best Hospitals Methodology Every year, Healthgrades analyzes the most current three years of Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data to produce a detailed report on risk-adjusted mortality and complication outcomes in Americas hospitals. Healthgrades findings empower consumers to evaluate and compare hospital performance. Healthgrades analyzed approximately 45 million Medicare patient records for nearly 4,500 short-term, acute care hospitals nationwide, assessing hospital performance relative to in-hospital common conditions and procedures for the Medicare population from 2012 through 2014 and one condition based on All-payer state data from 2011 through 2013. The Healthgrades methodology uses multivariate logistic regression to adjust for patient demographic and clinical risk factors that influence patient outcomes in significant and systematic ways. Risk factors may include age, gender, specific procedure performed, and co-morbid conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Individual risk models are constructed and tailored for each of the 33 conditions or procedures relative to each specific outcome. For more information, visit http://www.healthgrades.com/quality. About Atlantic Health System Atlantic Health System, headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey, is one of the largest non-profit health care systems in New Jersey. Atlantic Health System is creating a Trusted Network of Caring. Our promise to our communities is that anyone who enters our system will receive the right care, at the right quality, at the right time, at the right place and at the right cost. Our network includes Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ; Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ; Newton Medical Center in Newton, NJ; Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ; and Goryeb Childrens Hospital in Morristown, NJ, as well as Atlantic Rehabilitation, and Atlantic Home Care and Hospice. It also includes its subsidiary, Atlantic Ambulance Corporation. Atlantic Health System comprises 1,599 licensed beds, more than 14,000 employees and more than 4,000 physicians. Atlantic Health System has a medical school affiliation with the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University; is part of Atlantic Accountable Care Organization, one of the largest ACOs in the nation, and is a member of AllSpire Health Partners. Learn more about our Trusted Network of Caring at Atlantic Health System. UCHealth UCHealth named Dr. Jeffrey T. Baker, MD, the Medical Director of the new UCHealth Emergency Room Longmont opening this month. Dr. Baker is an experienced physician and will ensure our new freestanding emergency room delivers the highest quality care to Longmont and the surrounding communities, said Dr. Richard Zane, UCHealths Executive Director of Emergency Services and Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Baker received his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado and his medical degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Prior to joining UCHealth Emergency Room, Dr. Baker served as Medical Director and Attending Physician in the Emergency Department at Cheyenne VA Medical Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming. From 2012 to 2013, Dr. Baker served as Associate Medical Director at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, Colorado. He is board-certified in emergency medicine and has over fifteen years of clinical experience. The new UCHealth Emergency Room will be a full-service emergency facility, licensed by the state, and open 24-7. Additionally, the new location will have full access to UCHealths network of physicians, specialists and advanced treatment options while ensuring seamless transfer for patients requiring inpatient or specialty care. The new UCHealth Emergency Room in Longmont is located at 2101 Main Street, Longmont, CO, 80501. For more information, visit http://www.uchealthemergencyroom.com/locations/denver/longmont/. ### About UChealth UCHealth is a Front Range health system that delivers the highest quality patient care with the highest quality patient experience. UCHealth combines Memorial Hospital, Poudre Valley Hospital, Medical Center of the Rockies, Colorado Health Medical Group, and University of Colorado Hospital into an organization dedicated to health and providing unmatched patient care in the Rocky Mountain West. UCHealth partners with the University of Colorado School of Medicine and numerous community organizations to provide care. Separately, these institutions can continue providing superior care to patients and service to the communities they serve. Together, they push the boundaries of medicine, attracting more research funding, hosting more clinical trials and improving health through innovation. About AdeptusHealth Inc. Adeptus Health Inc. (NYSE: ADPT) is a leading patient-centered healthcare organization expanding access to the highest quality emergency medical care through its network of freestanding emergency rooms and partnerships with premier healthcare providers. In Texas, Adeptus Health owns and operates First Choice Emergency Room, the nation's largest and oldest network of independent freestanding emergency rooms. In Colorado, in partnership with University of Colorado Health, Adeptus Health operates UCHealth Emergency Rooms. In Arizona, with Dignity Health, Adeptus Health operates Dignity Health Arizona General Hospital and freestanding emergency rooms. In Louisiana, Adeptus Health has a partnership with Ochsner Health System, the state's largest healthcare system, to improve access to emergency medical care. In Ohio, Adeptus Health has a partnership with Mount Carmel Health System to develop freestanding emergency rooms. All Adeptus Health freestanding facilities are fully equipped emergency rooms with a complete radiology suite of diagnostic technology (CT scanner, ultrasound, and digital X-ray), on-site laboratory, and staffed with board-certified physicians and emergency trained registered nurses. According to patient feedback collected by Press Ganey Associates Inc., Adeptus Health provides the highest quality emergency medical care and received the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award for exceeding the 95th percentile in patient satisfaction nationwide. For more information please visit us on the web at adhc.com. WesternU College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific students celebrate Match Day March 18, 2016. (Jeff Malet, WesternU) Four years of hard work led to one envelope that contained their future. Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) celebrated Match Day on its Pomona, California, and Lebanon, Oregon, campuses March 18, 2016. Match Day is a national celebration where medical students find out the residency they will attend after graduation. When the clock struck 9 a.m., students in COMPs Class of 2016 opened envelopes containing their residency locations and reacted with shouts, hugs and tears. Of the 198 students who matched in Pomona as of March 18, 120 placed in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) residency programs, 70 placed in American Osteopathic Association residency programs, and eight placed in military residency programs. Fourth-year COMP student Emmeline Qin matched into the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center Pediatrics Residency Program. She was so nervous she had her husband open the envelope for her. It was relief and then excitement. I wanted to stay local and then I started hearing where everyone else was going, she said. Some of my close friends are also matched into the same program. Its going to be really fun doing our internship together. Qin said she sees pediatrics as an opportunity to help patients at an early stage of life. Kids go through so many developmental stages, its never going to be boring, she said. I also like the people in pediatrics. Theyre happy, warm people who care deeply about their patients and their well-being. Those are the kinds of people I want to work with. Qin is one of 112 COMP-Pomona students who matched into primary care, or 57 percent. Our mission is always to produce competent and compassionate students, said Lisa Warren, DO 01, Director of COMPs Office of Career and Professional Development and Clinical Chair of the Department of Pediatrics. We nurture students to intervene to help the underserved, which is driven through primary care. Were proud that one of our strengths is producing excellent future primary care physicians. A total of 102 COMP-Northwest students participated in the Match, and more than half landed programs in primary care. Of the Class of 2016 in Lebanon, 53 matched into primary care fields, which include internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, and OB-GYN. COMPs Match Day celebration keeps growing every year. Many students matched into their first choices and placed with their friends and colleagues, Warren said. Its such a joyous moment to see them celebrating together, she said. Were so proud of them. This is our chance as faculty to celebrate with them. This is what they worked for, to be able to come together as a group. After the students opened their envelopes, they were invited to the front of the lecture hall to announce their name, specialty residency program and location. Their information was pinned to an electronic map displayed on the lecture hall screens. Medical residency programs can range from three to seven years, depending on the specialty. For example, family practice is three years, while neurosurgery is seven years. Following residency, the physician is then able to set up practice in the community of their choice. Fourth-year COMP student Neal Christopher matched into the Loma Linda University Psychiatry Residency Program along with his close friend and classmate Aaron Gilmore. They announced their residencies together. Christopher said he had wonderful mentors, including COMP Dean Paula Crone, DO 92, and Vice Dean David Connett, DO 84, who helped prepare him for this moment. I feel very ready to take the next step. Its very scary going into an intern role, where your responsibilities are exponentially greater, he said. Im nervous, but this is why you do all this hard work, to get to the place where someone can give you that responsibility to take care of your fellow humans. COMP has prepared me well, and at Loma Linda, I will continue to develop the skills I need to improve mental health in the Inland Empire. COMP Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Susan Mackintosh, DO 92, MPH, provided a toast to the graduates in Pomona. To all of your successes, especially your successful matches and placement, she said. Most importantly, to the successes that lie ahead and to your journey ahead. As you leave here, we want you to know that you are always part of our family and we are so proud of you all. Congratulations to the Class of 2016. Dean Crone gave a toast to the Class of 2016 in Lebanon as they began the next phase of their medical education. May you always have resiliency, tenacity, purpose and courage, she said. Wherever you are going, know you are going somewhere you are needed. Embrace your destination and know we are so proud of you. In fairness, they might be keeping the country afloat with that sweet, sweet tourist money - but American tourists, if this video is anything to go by, are horribly uneducated. Sure, they probably view St. Patrick's Day as an excuse to get drunk and destroy inner-city Dublin the same way we view Good Friday as an excuse to have a house party and buy enough to drink to get Richard Harris slightly merry. Nevertheless, you'd expect them to have some kind of understanding of what St. Patrick's Day is about. Right? Wrong. Take a look at this video captured in Temple Bar by Derek Dillon. Bit of "CRACK" with the Yanks on Paddy's Day. #DonaldTrump #Geebag #Crack #1916 #Potatoes #EndaKenny #Drunk Posted by Derek Dillon on Friday, 18 March 2016 Hey, at least they're honest about the fact that most of them are utterly, utterly twisted. Shout-out to the LadsLadsLadsLads who broke in during the filming of that one segment talking about hash. You're all gas banter merchants at the end of the day. Also, further shout-out to the guy who, with a completely straight face, described 'Craic' as being made by the CIA in the '70s and went full conspiracy on it for about three minutes solid. Via Facebook Last night's Late Late Show saw Love/Hate's John Connors on the couch with Tubridy. Amongst other things, the actor discussed his background as a member of the Traveller community and the open discrimination he's faced growing up and as a well-known actor in Ireland. As well as this, Connors opened up about his own struggles with depression and how acting helped him overcome these. In his discussion about his own experiences about being a Traveller, Connors admitted that he once put on an accent to get a job as a security guard. Take a look. While some disagreed with Tubridy's confrontational attitude with Connors, many agreed that the actor held himself well and articulated his points brilliantly. John Connors was very impressive in #lovehate but he's even more impressive on the #latelate Niamh (@Neev_ie) March 18, 2016 John Connors putting up with a lot of nonsense from Ryan & handling it well. #latelate pic.twitter.com/gPesFYgqHf Daithi (@tvcritics) March 18, 2016 Via Twitter / YouTube Armstrong begins a new series starring female detective Casey Duncan, set in the remote wilderness of the Canadian Yukon, in City of the Lost. This novel features a unique settingan off-the-grid town, Rockton, populated with people who need to disappear. How did the setting affect your character development? The residents of Rockton are in hiding, meaning theyre allowedeven encouragedto create new identities. For some, thats very positive, freeing them from the baggage of their pasts. For others, it encourages them to indulge in the worst aspects of their nature, knowing it cant follow them home. Its not unlike what we can experience on the Internet, with its promise of anonymity, except this encompasses more than just that corner of their daily lives. The setting allowed me to explore the nature of identity and expression in a unique way, particularly with the characters whove seized the opportunity to present the best side of themselves while stifling darker aspects. How did the communitys isolation affect your storytelling? The really fun challenge was imagining how that extreme isolation would affect the plot. Its largely a locked-room mystery. There are people outside Rockton, but the killer is almost certainly someone who lives in the town. And this isnt a big city where the victims are faces in a newspaper. Everyone knows them. Plus, being off-the-grid means no cell phones, no Internet, no crime lab. It really is old-school policing for a detective young enough to have never solved a crime where she cant send DNA in for analysis. You tackle ideas of womens safety in this novel. Was that a deliberate choice? It was deliberate, partly as a way to explore safety in all its forms and partly as a way of pushing Rocktons sheriff, Eric Dalton, out of his comfort zone. Dalton is absolutely dedicated to fulfilling the basic promise the town makes to its residents: that theyll be safe. That isnt easy when hes thwarted by everything from the local wildlife to the corrupt town council. Another problem is that hes grown up in Rockton. He may be the expert on local policing, but hes less aware of issues law enforcement faces down south. Because he takes every complaint seriously, it never occurs to him that women might be having problems they arent reporting. When Casey arrives, it will be obvious to her that there are problems requiring solutions... but its not nearly as obvious what those solutions should be. Its not a simple topic, and the setting gave me a chance to explore some of those complications. In The Gunning of America: Business and the Making of American Gun Culture, Haag offers an unconventional perspective on why gun ownership is so pervasive in the United States. How did this book come to be? I was lured into the topic by a ghost story. When I was a graduate student, I heard the story of Sarah Winchester, daughter-in-law of the rifle king Oliver Winchester. Legend holds that Sarah was a spiritualist who thought herself tormented by the ghosts of all the Winchester rifle casualties. I was captivated by Sarah and started researching her in 2007, but set the project aside. Then, after the Sandy Hook massacre, my mind returned to Sarah. But this time, I thought that maybe I was starting with the wrong Winchester. Her ghost story was a mystery, but perhaps the untold history of the gun industry was even more of a mystery. So I began to follow the money of the gun industry. How would you summarize your book? The Gunning of America fundamentally revises the history of guns and gun culture in America. By looking at the gun industry archives, it shows how the gun culture was made, and produced. And it weaves through the story of the gun industry a haunting tale of Sarah Winchester, the rifle heiress, who is a counter-legend to the gunslinger legends, a legend of gun conscience born out of Oliver Winchesters gun ambition. What are Americans biggest misconceptions about gun culture? That we were simply born a gun culture; it was made, not born. That we have always loved guns and had a lot of them; gun mystique really grew in the postfrontier world of the 1900s. That the gun culture is all about the Second Amendment; its also about the gun industry that invented, patented, mass produced, marketed, distributed, and sold guns. And that Americans have an exceptional relationship to guns as a nation of cowboys; among other things, the gun industry first survived not by selling to American civilians but by selling internationally, so Americans are not the only ones with gun violence legacies of one kind or another. Is demythologizing the gun that won the West likely to change any minds? I dont think my task is to change peoples minds so much as to tell the story as best I can. Having said that, however, I do think theres a practical benefit to rethinking the Wild West myth that is so deeply engrained in our gun culture. Gun politics today stagger under the weight of our mythsand of false histories. The Gunning of America restores to the historical record the fact that the West was neither as gun-violent nor as gun-free as we tend to imagine. Lucia Perillo has just finished lunch at her home in Olympia, Wash., when she tells me, Rot is probably my favorite subject. Perillo, a 2000 MacArthur Genius Fellow, crafts poetry that is often blunt, graphic, and written in a strangely graceful matter-of-fact tone that digs into art, nature, and the body as organismas lustful and loathsome, as a series of functions, as a tool that is falling apart, rotting, and malfunctioning even as we attempt to force it to assist us throughout our lives. Its aesthetically beautiful, really, the process of decay, and biologically quite complex, she says. I suppose the reason Im drawn to it has to do with my own conditions of living. Perillos new book, Time Will Clean the Carcass Bones (Copper Canyon, March), pulls together selected poems from her six previous collections, including the 2010 Pulitzer Prizefinalist Inseminating the Elephant (Copper Canyon, 2009), along with a robust assemblage of new work. The collection encapsulates nearly 30 years of Perillos poetic career. The conditions of living that Perillo mentions are the constraints of living with multiple sclerosis. Diagnosed in 1988, Perillos illness has caused a decline in her independence and physical ability, which she talks about in an it-is-what-it-is kind of way: I used to write first thing in the morning, and that was really productive for me. But now I have caregivers come first thing in the morning, because I need to put these leg braces on, and that has disrupted my former schedule. So Im needing to adapt to writing at other times, which is difficult, Im finding. Im still trying to get into the swing of it, but I dont have much expectation of myself. Perillo is still writing, though, even as the process becomes increasingly cumbersome. I mean, its hard enough to do anything at all at this point, so I should be thankful for whatever I get, she says. Perillo was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis right around the time she published her first title, Dangerous Life (Northeastern Univ., 1989), which won the Poetry Society of Americas Norma Farber First Book Award. The success of the debut, paired with Perillos diagnosis, shifted her career track from wildlife management to teaching. In 1979, she graduated with a degree in wildlife management from McGill University in Montreal and found her first job working at the Animal Damage Control research facility run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Denver. Our purpose was to assist farmers and ranchers by discovering new ways to kill predators that were taking part of the crop, Perillo says. I was very young, and dumb, and eager to be working in my field of study, so this job had an effect over me like the Milgram experiment [on obedience to authority]. Because of the power structures that were in place, I participated eagerly in the killing without questioning it. Denver at that time [was] a pretty conservative place, and I suppose they thought I was a hippie. Trying environments make for better poems than agreeable ones do, in the same way that rot makes a better subject than puppy dogs. So in that sense it was a loss when I ended up on a wildlife refuge south of San Francisco. Perillos experiences during this period of her life surface and resurface in her work, infused as they are with complexities of her life with a chronic illness. For example, White Rat (from Inseminating the Elephant), in which she describes a surgical procedure on a rat, describes a bizarre epiphany: I realized the spiderwebstuff holding us here is thin/ It was in fact difficult to account for all the people walking around not dead. In her poem Denver Wildlife Research Center (also from Inseminating the Elephant), with its unadorned narrative lines and no-nonsense title, Perillo recalls watching a colleague slaughter a sheep: You can throw up if you want to, he said, and, because Id been given no job but/ to carry a pail, I understood this to be a kind of test.// A test to let him know what kind of daughter I would be: dogged, like a coyote,/ or meek, like the sheep, when, later, we would lace the carcass with poison to/ find out how much was needed to leave half the coyotes dead. There is often tension between what Perillo describes in her poems and what shes really writing about. In Rotator Cuff Vortex, she writes, The body tells a story/ mostly about loss. She is describing a friend who throws out his shoulder playing catch. But she is also writing about herself. In a 2009 interview with Maria McLeod for the Poetry Foundation, Perillo said she wanted her poems to be capable of being read two ways: You could read them not knowing that I was a person who had an illness, or you could read them with that knowledge and have another reading of the poem. So I wanted them to foster two readings. Two layers. Where you could step into the poem on whatever layer you wanted to step into it on. Perillo plays with sound and form in fresh, inventive ways. I read aloud, she says. All poets do. Sound is all a poem really is, after all, right? In Message Unscripted, one of her new poems, she writes, Think of a cloud, think of a geode, think of the mold/ on the plate in the fridge. The poems off rhyme and candor are irresistible. In another new poem, *Speckled and Silver, she toys with form by weaving the title image into the poem using the asterisk: I read it/ lying on the sofa in the Quince Street house/ while a particular light* washed over me/ that made me realize snow had begun to fall. Perillo doesnt know how a poem will proceed until she begins working on it; every poem has its own laws and logic, has its own demands, she tells me. She mentions Denise Levertovs groundbreaking 1965 essay, Some Notes on Organic Form, and pauses. I guess that is what Im sticking withthat every poem is a new moment, takes a new strategy. Levertov quotes Emerson in her essay: The health of the eye demands a horizon. Perillo seems to directly respond in her poem, Transcendentalism, stating, The work is hard because the eyeballs heavy, riding in the bow. Yes, the work is hard for Perillo because of her illness, but she pushes forward with no plans of stopping. Id love to be able to write a series [of poems], she says. But Ive not been able to do that many times in my life. Ive said, Oh, Im going to write about this, but as soon as I say that it kind of blocks it up. Perillo says her new poems are about distraction. As in the distraction of not being able to write in the mornings, or the distraction of the Internet, or something else? All of the above, Perillo says. In general, people hop sideways instead of digging. The mental energy is deflected sideways instead of vertically. Metonymy as opposed to synecdoche. In modern poetry you see many poems written about how one thing reminds us of another and another reminds us of another. Many of my poems have been built on that kind of structure, but theres also something to be said for taking a subject and really burrowing straight into it, and sticking with it, which is harder to do in modern life. You know, we click around to websites, but we dont burrow into the topic. Theres not depth. So in the poems Im writing nowadays, I wanted to explore those two ways of working. Im still typing, Perillo responds when I ask about how she writes. Ive been typing on the computer for years but it really adds editing into the creative process too early, I think. So I do go back to the typewriter, and Im always telling myself, You have to go back to the typewriter. Sometimes its hard to clear off the desk and move my laptop over. But otherwise you dont even get the creative germ out of you before youre introducing all these other assumed ideas. Perillo is not just a poetshe is the author of the essay collection Ive Heard the Vultures Singing: Field Notes on Poetry, Illness, and Nature (Trinity Univ., 2007) and the short story collection Happiness Is a Chemical in the Brain (Norton, 2012), winner of the Frank OConnor International Short Story Award and finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize. Perillos fiction was never deliberate; it accumulated over the years into what became the 2012 collection. Of the stories, she says: Ive always written them on the side. I guess I looked at that as my hobby. One thing about fiction is that it takes a lot of hours, Perillo says. I mean, I have stories that Ive started but I really havent finished, she adds, addressing the difficulties of her current condition. At this point, her body, to her, is just a ball and chain, or the meat cage as she calls it in her poem Virtue is the Best Helmet. Yet here she is, talking about figuring out the voice-activated typing software on her computer: I still need to check it out. Not even the bodys burdens will stop her. Sophie Grimes is a poetry reviewer for Publishers Weekly. She has an M.F.A. in poetry from Boston University. Readers Respond Many will remember the mass market edition of To Kill A Mockingbird fondlythe one with the yarn and watch in the hollow of a tree. Come April, that edition will only be a memory. The Harper Lee estate declined to renew the license on it, so Grand Central will cease to publish it, though HarperCollins will offer a discounted version of its trade paper edition. Our readers had conflicting thoughts on the implications of this change: I wonder if theyll offer the paperback rights to another publisher or just indie publish it themselves. The estate would make a lot more money that way.Jeff Rivera By and large, students must buy the books and the Harper Lee estate has just raised the price on them, a short-term decision that may, in the long term, make To Kill a Mockingbird less popular as assigned reading. If I were a teacher, Id certainly prefer to choose less expensive, equally classic works to keep costs low for my students.Michael Glitz From the Newsletters PW Daily Sign up for PW Daily and get each days publishing news delivered to your inbox, free. Tip Sheet Ian McGuire, author of The North Water (Holt), picks the 10 best adventure novels. Childrens Bookshelf Happy birthday, Make Way for Ducklings! The childrens classic turns 75 this year, and publisher Viking is launching a special anniversary edition. BookLife Report Our panel of indie experts answers reader questions on discoverability and how to get self-published books reviewed. Blogs More great moments in epigraph history, and a floor plan of Gregor Samsas house: these are just a couple things you may have missed if you havent stopped by PWs Tumblr lately. ShelfTalker Is it time for a new diversity database? Podcasts Week Ahead PW senior writer Andrew Albanese discusses the upcoming Public Library Association Conference in Denver, as well as what could be the final act in the long-running lawsuit over Googles book scanning. More to Come The More to Come crew discuss the new Black Panther comic written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Kickstarters importance to small publishers, and more. KidsCast Debut author-illustrator Ruth Chan talks about her picture book, Wheres the Party? (Roaring Brook), about a cat named Georgie whose attempts to throw a party dont go as planned. LitCast Josi S. Kilpack, author of Forever and Forever (Shadow Mountain), talks about how she turned the legendary seven-year courtship of Henry Longfellow and Fanny Appleton into a historical romance novel. PW Radio Kaitlyn Greenidge discusses her debut novel, We Love You, Charlie Freeman (Algonquin), in which a family adopts a chimpanzee. And PW senior writer Andrew Albanese previews the upcoming PLA Conference. PW Star Watch 2016 Is Open for Nominations Were looking for the next generation of publishing-industry leaders. Do you work with someone who is going to make a big impact on the business? Nominate that person for PW Star Watch, or you can nominate yourself. A panel of judges including members of PW, the Frankfurt Book Fair, and noted industry leaders will pick 50 up-and-coming stars and select five top honorees and a Superstar who will get an all-expense-paid trip to the 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair. Find out more at publishersweekly.com/starwatch. The most-read review last week on publishersweekly.com was Modern Lovers by Emma Straub (Riverhead). China Eastern launches Shanghai-Chicago direct flight service Updated: 2016-03-19 11:31 (Xinhua) CHICAGO - A Boeing 777-300ER of China Eastern Airlines arrived at O'Hare International Airport of US Midwest city of Chicago Friday, inaugurating direct flight of the Chinese airline between Shanghai and Chicago. Chicago gave the maiden flight a warm welcome featuring a water cannon salute and a ribbon cutting ceremony. Speaking at the ceremony, Ginger Evans, Commissioner of Chicago Department of Aviation, said the direct flight service launched by China Eastern will strengthen Chicago's connectivity to China and furthers Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's vision to increase tourism to China. "The addition of China Eastern service will generate an additional $175 million in annual economic impact for the Chicago region," she added. With more direct flights with China, "Chicago will play a more important role in promoting the people-to-people exchanges and practical cooperation in various areas between China and the US," said Chinese Consul General in Chicago Zhao Weiping. Dong Bo, Chief Marketing Officer of China Eastern, recalled the friendship between Shanghai and Chicago as sister cities since 1985. As the year 2016 marks China-US Tourism Year, "China Eastern has set up a new bridge connecting the two great cities, which will provide true and important convenience for the communication and cooperation in various fields for the passengers," he said. China Eastern's flight between Shanghai and Chicago will be a daily service. With the new one added, Chicago now has six direct flights reaching Chinese mainland and Hong Kong SAR, linking US Midwest closer with China. Statistics of US Commerce Department showed trade volume between China and the nine states in US Midwest reached $92.643 billion in 2015. More than 160 Chinese companies, including such big names as Wanxiang, Wanda, Lenovo and ZTE, have invested in US Midwest, and their total investment, according to statistics of US Rhodium Group, has exceeded $11 billion. These Chinese companies have employed more than 40,000 local workers. China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC), the world's biggest train maker by revenue, is a new comer on the list of Chinese companies investing in US Midwest. The Chinese railcar maker won a $1.3-billion order early this month, and will build a new railcar assembly facility in Chicago, the first of its kind in 35 years. The order is expected to create around 169 new jobs for Chicago. Chicago's cooperation with China in cultural and tourism areas has also flourished. China's Terracotta Warriors now on exhibition at the Field Museum will last 10 months; Chicago Art Museum has launched a "monkeying around" program to celebrate Chinese lunar New Year this year, putting on display some monkey paintings from ancient China; and Chinese New Year Concert has become an annual event for three running years. In order to attract more Chinese tourists, Chicago is the first city in the United States to host Chinese New Year celebrations in the name of the city government. Chicago Mayor Emanuel aims to grow the celebration year by year until it becomes "the largest Chinese New Year celebration of any city in North America." Headquartered in Shanghai, China Eastern Airlines is one of the top three airlines in mainland China. It serves nearly 80 million travelers annually and ranks among the world's top five airlines in terms of passenger transportation volume. Last month, I described how the Book Industry Study Group is working to align Onix with the way search engines look for information on Web pages. The work is important, but publishers looking to make their content more visible need not wait until the committee recommendations are released. Best practices in making content discoverable on the Web extend well beyond the use of rich, linked metadata. These practices include the following: making sure content can be indexed; providing crawlable link structures; using keywords effectively; writing good tag descriptions; creating informative URL structures. To improve discovery, publishers should ensure that their content can be consistently indexed by search engines. Providing so-called alt text to describe images is an easy way to allow those engines to associate the title of a book with its cover image; so, too, is offering a text transcript of video and audio content. That great interview with an up-and-coming author is invisible without the transcript. Because many publishers sites are targeted at wholesalers or retailers, they rely on search boxes to help trading partners find what they want. That approach wont attract consumers, since most readers are still unlikely to search for ISBNs or similar identifiers. Publishers who rely on search boxes often think less about how search engines might navigate from a landing page to title-specific pages on a site. If a site lacks crawlable link structures, search engines will miss some (or much) of the descriptive content elsewhere on the site. Use Keywords Effectively Keywords should be the terms consumers are likely to use when searching for an answer or book. The challenge with keywords is as much selection as presentation. It can be helpful to use tools such as Google Adwords to understand what readers are looking for. Publishers sometimes default to author names and book titles as keywords. These can be effective when consumers know what they want to find: To Kill a Mockingbird, or Harper Lee, for example.But other terms can be very effective tools for publishers, whose lists include titles that offer unique content to targeted audiences. A cookbook featuring Cajun cuisine or an appetizer for a Mardi Gras party might find that jambalaya and Louisiana crab dip (as well as Mardi Gras appetizers) work well. The number of users who search for each of these terms might be smaller than the one searching for Harper Lee, but the conversion rate (the share of visitors to a Web page who buy something from that page) can be higher among those who find pages using targeted keywords. The order, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization of keywords all matter. This is true anywhere the keywords appear, including page fields that present the title, body text, or metadata about a book. Keywords can help a books Web page rank highly in search results. So-called keyword stuffing (repeatedly using certain terms in page descriptions with the hope of boosting the pages ranking) is controversial and for the most part does not deliver the results publishers need. Instead, try to use keywords as follows: early in the title tag, but just once; once prominently near the top of a page; up to three times in body copy (more is allowed if the text is extensive); smartly, at least once in the alt text description of an image; once in the page URL. Good Tag Descriptions Both title tags and metatags give publishers opportunities to aid discovery. Title tags describe the content of a website. Ideally, the length of the tag would fall between 65 and 75 characters, with the most important keywords featured early. If theres a branda series, for examplethe title tag should end with it. The title tag should be readablean effective description of the content of the page. The more effective tags convey emotion, something tied to the content of the page. Too often, publishers miss this opportunity to bring aspects of a book to the immediate attention of those searching the Web. Metatags essentially provide the promotional copy that appears when search results are returned. The best metatags run fewer than 160 characters. Once a page is found, metatags give publishers a chance to describe whats on the page in their own words. Its important to complete metatags because without a tag, search engines will create something based on the page. The structure of URLs is another underused opportunity for publishers. The best URLs help you figure out whats there before you click. As with most aids to discovery on the Web, shorter is better, but be smart about it. Refer back to your keywords and try to include them where they make sense. And make sure the URL is something humans can read. Numbers and other characters can make for a unique Web address, but they dont appeal to readers. Paying attention to indexing, link structures, keywords, tags, and URLs wont solve every problem publishers have in making their content discoverable, but they provide a solid foundation. Ballantine Backs Gortner In a North American rights acquisition, Ballantines Susanna Porter bought C.W. Gortners The Romanov Empress. Jennifer Weltz at Jean V. Naggar Literary brokered the sale for the author, whose work has been published in over 23 languages. (Ballantine published Gortners latest novel, The Vatican Princess, last month.) The Romanov Empress is about, Weltz said, the Danish princess who became a beloved czarina, witnessing the opulence of Imperial Russia and catastrophic events that led to the 1917 revolution. Hepworth Re-ups at SMP Australian novelist Sally Hepworth signed a three-book world English-rights deal with Jennifer Enderlin at St. Martins Press. Hepworth, who lives in Melbourne, published her last two booksThe Secrets of Midwives (2015) and The Things We Keep (January)with SMP in the States. In Australia, The Secrets of Midwives was, Enderlin said, the countrys #1 bestselling debut in 2015. The books in this deal are not yet titled, but Enderlin said they will be psychological and family dramas about secrets and lies. Hepworth was represented by Rob Weisbach at Rob Weisbach Creative Management. SMP Buys U.K. Bestseller Behind Closed Doors, released in the U.K. in November, was acquired in a two-book North American rights deal by Jennifer Weis at St. Martins Press. Author B.A. Paris was represented by Camilla Wray at the Darley Anderson Agency. According to SMP, the novel follows an attractive couple whose seemingly perfect life may hide a darker truth. As SMP put it: Theirs is a fairy tale story of meeting, falling in love, getting married, and planning a family. They are always together. Is this because they are truly close, or is it because of something else? The U.K. edition, published by Mira, has, SMP said, sold more than 200,000 copies to date. SMP is planning to release Behind Closed Doors on August 9. McKinlay Takes Dog to Berkley In a three-book deal, Kate Seaver at Berkley preempted North American rights to About a Dog, the first book in a new series by Jenn McKinlay. The author, who also writes the Library Lovers Mystery series for Berkley, was represented by Christina Hogrebe at the Jane Rotrosen Agency. About a Dog follows a reunited group of high school friends in Maine and is about, the publisher explained, going home, shenanigans, stray puppy dogs, mischievous elderly aunts, big laughs, shared tears, hot sex, and falling unexpectedly in love. The book is set for a June 2017 release. A Kennedy Talks Growing Up with Harper Jean Kennedy Smith, the daughter of Joseph and Rose Kennedy (and the sister of J.F.K.), sold a memoir called The Nine of Us to Gail Winston at Harper. Winston took world English rights to the book, which is subtitled Growing Up Kennedy. Smith, who is the eighth child of the aforementioned couple (and the only living one), was represented by Laurie Abkemeier at DeFiore and Company. Abkemeier said the book features charming stories about the Kennedy clan, as well as the lessons [the Kennedy] parents worked so hard to teach [their kids] as they set off to help others and make a difference in the world. The Nine of Us is slated for October. Bird Shares the Story With WD Matt Bird sold world English rights to The Secrets of Story to Phil Sexton at Writers Digest. Bird, who has an M.F.A. in screenwriting from Columbia, runs the popular writing blog Cockeyed Caravan, which offers tips and instruction on narrative craft. Stephen Barbara at Inkwell Management represented Bird, and the book, which is subtitled Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers, is set for fall 2016. Barbara compared Secrets to such iconic screenwriting guides as Robert McKees Story and Blake Snyders Save the Cat, calling it the 21st-century answer to those titles. Pegasus Celebrates Lovecraft with Jones In a four-book world-rights deal, Claiborne Hancock at Pegasus Books bought a series of interconnected novels from editor Stephen Jones (creator of the Zombie Apocalypse! series) called the Lovecraft Squad. Inspired by the work of horror novelist H.P. Lovecraft (who died in 1937), the books will, Pegasus said, follow the decades-spanning exploits of a super-secret worldwide organization dedicated to battling the eldritch monstrosities given form in [Lovecrafts] fevered imagination. The first book, set for 2017, is called All Hallows Horrow. Briefs Author Maisey Yates inked a six-book world-rights deal with Harlequins HQN imprint to continue her Western-set Copper Ridge romance series. Margo Lipschultz brokered the agreement with agent Helen Breitwieser at Cornerstone Literary. Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the correct title of Matt Bird's book. Additionally, due to publisher error, Rob Weishbach's agency was initially identified as Rob Weisbach Literary Management; the firm is called Rob Weisbach Creative Management. Founded in 2014 by three photographers, Red Hook Editions, named after the Brooklyn neighborhood where it is based, specializes in high-quality photography books. Described as a publishing community by its founders, RHE relies on its authors to fund the publication of their titles and work collaboratively with the publisher on production, distribution, and sales. One of RHEs most recent works, The Diagram of the Heart by documentary photographer Glenna Gordon, was chosen by author Teju Cole as one of the New York Times Magazines best photo books of 2015. Although planned for late 2015, the book was not published until February 2016 because of delays in shipping finished copies. The books photos document the lives of Muslim Nigerian women who write romance novels. The women live in Northern Nigeria, where the terrorist group Boko Haram operates, and write their books despite pressure from Islamic censors and so-called morality police. The books sell for a dollar or two in marketplaces sometimes targeted by Boko Haram suicide bombers. Gordon discovered the women while searching for African weddings that she could photograph. The 6 8 book is priced at $35 and had a 1,500-copy print run. RHE publishes two to three books a year. It is operated by cofounders Alan Chin, a New York Times contributing photographer, and award-winning photographers Jason Eskenazi (the Dorothea Lange/Paul Taylor Prize, among others), and Peter van Agtmael (the W. Eugene Smith Grant, among others), the latter of whom is also a member of the famed photography agency Magnum. Its four backlist titles are We All We Got by Carlos Javier Ortiz; Disco Night Sept. 11 by van Agtmael; and The Americans List: By the Glow of the Juke Box and Wonderland: A Fairy Tale of the Soviet Monolith, both by Eskenazi. It was Eskenazis experience publishing Wonderland that led to the formation of Red Hook Editions. A distillation of his work during the 10 years he spent in the former Soviet Union, the book was originally published in 2008 by Demo, a multidisciplinary international design and publishing firm. Because of the recession and the financial crisis, the publisher returned the rights to Eskenazi, who took control and published 2,000 copies on his own through Red Hook Editions. Originally priced at $100 each, the run sold out, and used copies are currently selling for $400 and up on Amazon. Its not unusual for emerging photographers to subsidize the publishing of their own work. Chin said hes adapted that model to Red Hook Editions. A publisher will tell you, We love you, but you have to bring half the money, Chin explained. Financially, its 95% DIY, but the production is 100% traditional, Chin said. We hold peoples hands through the process. We give the photographer advice, tools, and all-important peer review of the work. And its not print-on-demand. Books are printed in Italy, China, and other places we are currently sourcing. The author gives Red Hook a small percentage of sales, which Chin declined to specify, though he said that its in the single digits. The partners only work with authors whose projects they consider to be strong works of art, who dont mind the collaborative model, and who can potentially sell half or a third of a typical print run of 2,000 to 5,000 copies. For each book, we try to identify the natural audience: whos going to shell out $60, why, and how many people like this are there? Typically, the audience is photographers, photo-industry people, and collectors, Chin said, noting that RHE has turned down some works. If the book has more mass market appeal we say, If you can get Random House to publish your book, go for it. Most of the sales come through the Red Hook Editions website; the rest are sold at a handful of selected bookstores, including the Strand and Dashwood Books, both in New York City. Ultimately, Im not interested in how long it takes to sell out the edition. If we did 10 books a year, the quality would suffer. [Our business model] is modest, but it works, Chin said. Wonderland has almost completely sold out, he said, and We All We Got and Diagram of the Heart have received great press. The numbers are very humbling compared to bestsellers, but people in the art book market tell me they have trouble selling a thousand copies. Gordon is also pleased with her choice of publishing house. Red Hook is a collective; people I know and trust, whose opinions I value. When I met with Alan and Jason, they played good cop/bad cop [while critiquing my work]. It tore me apart, but I got better! From April 5 to 9, some 8,000 librarians, publishers, and vendors will descend on the Colorado Convention Center in Denver for the 2016 Public Library Association Conference, one of the library communitys most popular events. With some 9,000 members, the PLA is the largest division of the American Library Association. And with a reputation for strong programming, PLAs biennial meeting has surged in popularity over the past decade. Just how popular is PLA? Well, in the spirit of the presidential primary season, check out these poll numbers: in their most recent postconference evaluations, 97.6% of attendees at 2014 conference (in Indianapolis) said they learned something they felt they would be able to apply immediately in their jobs. Almost 99% said they would recommend attending a future PLA conference to their colleagues. Roughly 96% thought the programs were excellent or good. My sense is that the conference is an opportunity to take in some of the best courses you could ever imagine, says Cleveland Public Library director Felton Thomas, who will assume the PLA presidency in July. Thomas says there are a number of programs he is looking forward to this year, adding that he is most excited for a program on leadership, in which hell participate. Im excited about the new generation of leaders being created in libraries, because we are going to need them, he explains. You have to have great library directors, with real vision for what libraries can be. Without question, vision is important for librarians these days, as libraries continue to expand their roles in their communities. Thomas points to his own library as an example. In addition to providing access to great collections, the Cleveland Public Library offers assistance with everything from nutritionthe library provides summer lunches and after-school meals for kidsto basic technology needs. We are looking at a lot of folks who are not thinking about libraries from the standpoint of just coming in and checking out books, but people who see libraries as that kind of stepping stone to help them get out of poverty, he says, noting that nearly half the residents in some Cleveland neighborhoods still lack home Internet access. So thats what we do, whether that is providing computers so people can put together resumes or fill out online applications, or tutoring for kids. Thomas says that his mission as a library director is broad, and ever-shifting: to make a difference in peoples lives. Big Ideas On Wednesday, April 6 (23:30 p.m.), the PLA main program kicks off in the Colorado Convention Centers Bellco Theatre with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. Cooper will be taking time out from his reporting on the 2016 presidential primarieswhere he has been in the thick of thingsto talk with librarians about a variety of subjects, including his forthcoming book, The Rainbow Comes and Goes: And Other Life Lessons I Learned from My Mom (HarperCollins, Apr.), written with his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt. Dispatches from the Edge, Coopers 2006 memoir about covering wars and disasters around the world, hit #1 on New York Times bestseller list. Also in the Bellco Theatre, PLAs Big Idea talks are designed to send librarians away with messages that can impact and empower the way [they] think, act, and work, and this years lineup will certainly do that. The series leads off with lawyer, entrepreneur, author, and cultural innovator Verna Myers (Thursday, April 7, 8:15-9:15 a.m.). Known for her dynamic, humorous, and inspirational speeches, Myers is the author of the bestselling books Moving Diversity Forward: How to Move From Well-Meaning to Well-Doing and What If I Say the Wrong Thing? 25 Habits for Culturally Effective People. The series continues with Sherry Turkle (Friday, April 8, 8:159:15 a.m.), a psychologist and professor at MIT. Turkle is the founder and director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, and the author of a trilogy of landmark studies on our relationship with digital culture: The Second Self, Life on the Screen, and, most recently, Alone Together. Rounding out the program will be Anand Giridharadas, (Saturday, 8:159:15 a.m.). The New York Times columnist is the author, most recently, of The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas, a gripping account of a Muslim immigrants campaign to spare a white supremacist who tried to kill him (and succeeded in killing two others) from the death penalty. Giridharadas regularly speaks on a wide range of topics, and brings a special cultural take to his subjects. At PLA, hell address issues of inequality and Islamophobiaissues he brings to the fore in The True American. The 2016 PLA Closing Session will be keynoted by comedian and author Tig Notaro (Saturday, April 9, 121 p.m.). In 2014, Notaro was nominated for a Grammy Award for her sophomore comedy album, Live, a recording of a stand-up set delivered just days after she was diagnosed with stage-two bilateral breast cancer. She has since announced that her cancer is in remission. In 2016, HarperCollins is set to publish Notaros memoir, Im Just a Person. Panels and More In addition to the main stage speakers, the PLA program features a slate of bestselling authors, and hundreds of sessions and panel speakers, in what PW contributing editor Brian Kenney calls a super strong professional program (for Kenneys top panel picks, see p. 26). In a new PLA event dubbed Make It Extraordinary, Kari Chapin, marketing mentor and bestselling author of The Brilliant Ideas Launch Pad and Make It Happen: A Workbooks & Productivity Tracker, promises to help librarians unleash their creativity and imagination (Wednesday, April 6, 10:4511:45 a.m., Mile High Ballroom 34; and Thursday, April 7, 10:4511:45 a.m., Room 401-404). And, of course, more than 300 exhibitors, including publishers, tech providers, and other vendors, will be on hand in the exhibit hall, which will open with a reception immediately following Coopers opening keynote. And if you cant make it to Denver in person, you can still participate: registration for the PLA 2016 Virtual Conference is now open. On April 78, PLA will host a live online conference consisting of five hour-long programs each day, plus opportunities for networking, author interviews, and other features yet to be announced. Check the PLA website for more information. Librarians have been big supporters of the We Need Diverse Books movement, and that support is only growing. Tough choices loom for librarians at the 2016 PLA Conferencethe program offerings are just too good! PW talks with Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the ALA's Washington office. Jennifer Koerber, co-author of 'Emerging Technologies: A Primer for Librarians' offers tips on sifting through the hype surrounding technology developments. Nigel Fletcher-Jones, director of American University in Cairo Press, wants to move Arabic fiction more solidly into the world market. A key part of that plan is launching a new fiction imprint, Hoopoe, named after the regional desert bird. Fletcher-Jones said that the mission of the new imprint is to try to accurately reflect what is going on in the Middle East, from the Middle East, and that AUC is in a prime position to accomplish this. AUC has done worthy literature for many years, Fletcher-Jones said, works that are deeply philosophical, but also deeply depressing. Originally an academic publisher, AUC Press now publishes Arabic fiction translated into English. According to Trevor Naylor, associate director, sales and marketing, the transition to broaden its focus beyond academic titles began when AUC Press started releasing the novels of Nobel Prizewinner Naguib Mahfouz. The press has published or licensed 600 foreign-language editions in 40 languages of Mahfouzs work. AUC Press has always been at the forefront of introducing Arab authors, but with Hoopoe, the press is aiming for a worldwide audience. Managing editor Nadine El-Hadi explained that Hoopoe will publish Arab writers from across the Arab world: Arab writers living abroad, and those writing in languages other than Arabic. In addition, the imprint is also open to books with story lines set in the Middle East. Hoopoes books will be available worldwide: through Oxford University Press in North America, its own distribution network in Egypt, and elsewhere through distributor IB Tauris. Cairo-based marketing manager Basma El Manialawi said Hoopoe will feature a range of books including crime thrillers and dystopian novels. The press is launching with four Spring titles. One of the first, The Televangelist (Mar.) by Ibrahim Essa, is a satire about a television celebrity preacher who becomes embroiled in scandal. The book has been shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, also known as the Arabic Booker, as has another title from the press: A Rare Blue Bird Flies with Me (Apr.), by Moroccan novelist and screenwriter Youssef Fadel, set in modern Morocco. Time of White Horses (Mar.), also shortlisted for the Arabic Booker, written by Ibrahim Nasrallah, is the story of three generations of Palestinians during the collapse of Ottoman rule. Abdelilah Hamdouchis Whitefish (Mar.) is a police procedural about migrants who entered Tangier illegally. Six titles are planned for the fall list. AUC Press, founded in 1960, also publishes illustrated books of architecture, religious culture, and ancient art, as well as history, cookbooks, classics, and travel journals about Egypt. The launch of Hoopoe is expected to bring modern Arabic fiction to a larger audience. As El Manialawi said, Were seeking fresh writing from Marrakech to Baghdad and Khartoum to Aleppo. Under the new imprint, we will publish fiction that challenges headlines, reimagines histories, and celebrates original storytelling. Once you declutter your space, you many not want to rattle around in that McMansion. The answer: a tiny house, typically understood to be one measuring less than 500 sq. ft. (compare that to the national average for new homes, 2,600 sq. ft.). The fact that [tiny homes] are becoming popular shows that people are looking for ways to simplify their lives and make less of an impact on the environment, says Paige Doscher, assistant editor at Harper Design. Even those not ready to make the big move to small living can peruse forthcoming books on the subject, including DIY titles and a family memoir. Tiny Houses in the City Mimi Zeiger Rizzoli, Mar. Zeiger, an editor at The Architects Newspaper, profiles more than 30 homes in cities including London, Mexico City, and Hong Kong, with interior and exterior photos, and explanatory text including information about the architects. Tiny Houses Built with Recycled Materials Ryan Mitchell Adams Media, May The blogger behind The Tiny Life and author of 2014s Tiny House Living (16,000 print copies sold, per Nielsen BookScan) offers advice on sourcing and repurposing shipping containers, salvaged barn wood, reclaimed shingles, and more, through profiles of tiny house owners, 20 floor plans, and more than 150 photos. Living Large in Our Little House Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell Readers Digest, June The author didnt join the tiny-house movement entirely by choicefinancial circumstances prompted her and her husband to move into a 480-sq.-ft. cabin in the Ozarks. Shes since embraced the lifestyle, and her book includes personal anecdotes, interviews with families living in tiny homes across the U.S., and advice on decorating and on making the most of outdoor space. 150 Best Tiny Home Ideas Manel Gutierrez Couto Harper Design, June Couto showcases houses around the world, including Rock Reach House, near Joshua Tree National Park, available on Airbnb for $380 a night; Marlborough House in midtown Toronto, built by architecture firm Superkul; and Tower House, a single-family dwelling in a Melbourne suburb, made up of several skinny buildings wrapped around a courtyard. Mini Homes Loft Publications Skyhorse, July Floor plans, cross sections, diagrams, and 500-plus photos offer details on a variety of homes across the globe, including tree houses, beach houses in wooded and shore-front areas, and glass-paneled urban row houses. Prefabulous Small Houses Sheri Koones Taunton, Sept. Robert Redford contributes the foreword to this collection of dozens of kit homes in rural and coastal areas across the county. Koones, author of several previous books on prefabricated houses, offers building tips, floor plans, and 250 photos. Return to the main feature. CHICAGO -- Spring break. Just saying those two words inspires hope amidst a gray February and rainy March. This glorious but brief respite after a brutal winter comes at just the right time in the school year to prevent students from throwing in the towel. For most students, spring break is a sigh of relief. But aside from just taking the time to relax at home, maybe going out a few times and catching up on their Netflix queue, more and more high school seniors are following the blueprint of a college student's spring break. Teens are heading to extravagant destinations -- such as Mexico, Cayman Islands and the Dominican Republic -- with little to no parental supervision, but on their parent's dime. New Trier graduate Julia Siebert, now a University of Illinois freshman, was a happy participant in this unofficial tradition. "I had a great time just getting to do a trip like that with my close friends and bonding with them at the end of senior year," she said of her trip last spring. Siebert and three close friends traveled to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun where drinks and food were included in the price of their stay. She said they spent their four days at the resort "tanning and swimming a lot during the day." After seeing seniors embark on seemingly crazy, lavish trips such as Siebert's, underclassmen are now looking forward to senior spring break as a rite of passage, something that truly marks the fact they're about to graduate high school. This year New Trier senior Melanie Mandell is joining the ranks of the senior year spring breakers. Mandell said she plans on "doing fun activities, like snorkeling, swimming, tanning, taking pictures and working out" in Grand Cayman with senior classmate Bella Miller. Mandell and Miller said they found clearing the idea with their parents was a surprisingly easy hurdle to overcome. "It was pretty easy to convince my parents," Mandell said. "I asked if it could be my graduation present and they allowed it." Miller said she had an even easier time. "I didn't even need to ask my parents to go," she said. "I just told them." Unlike many teens taking such trips, Mandell said her parents will accompany them to Grand Cayman, but won't necessarily be keeping a very close eye on them. "Like, if we wanted to go to the beach while they stay at the hotel, that would be fine with them," she said. Parental supervision -- or the lack of adults -- is another element to senior spring break. Although they may be handing over their credit cards for plane tickets, hotel rooms and other expenses, spring break is a "No Parents Allowed" zone. But being halfway across the world, in some cases, has parents feeling more trepidation over sending their kids to live it up in a tropical destination while they fret away at home. Parent Gina Yasmin Saleem shared many of the same concerns she believes other parents have, mentioning she would "absolutely not" allow her teenagers to attend such a trip. "I think that you need teenagers to go with parents or have at least some adult supervision," Saleem said. One way some teens are getting around supervision is to bring a parent or two along. The parents stay in a separate room and have a vacation themselves, while the teenagers still feel like they have free reign. Siebert said her trip to Cancun included a few adults and, while they only saw each other "occasionally during the day," Siebert said she and her friends still had parental guidance at the resort and off it. "My friend's dad came with us one night when we went to one of the nightclubs after dinner to watch over us," she said. A second P-word has many spring break skeptics in shock: the price. Mandell said her parents are paying for their family stay and Miller's. Mandell admitted she doesn't know what the cost will be, but she assumed "it'll be pretty average for spring break." Parents footing the bill seems to be common. Siebert's parents also paid for everything -- "in exchange for it being my birthday present and then some," she said -- and it ended up around $1,700 altogether. But the topic topping the sky-high price tag is underage drinking. Many places that teens frequent on the trips have either a relaxed or lowered drinking age. In very "Spring Breakers" fashion, cutting loose and indulging in a little (or a lot of) drinking seems to be just one of the byproducts of the trips. According to the American College of Health, the average male reported drinking around 18 drinks per day while on spring break, while the average female reported up to 10 drinks per day. Although Siebert said her break didn't become one you'd see broadcast on MTV, she said she and her friends "would hang out at the bar near the pools in the resort." As teen drinking becomes more prevalent, parents are paying greater attention to the spring break horror stories they hear on the news and from acquaintances. "Teens usually need to be supervised, especially in case of an emergency," said parent Hadid Nikamal. Though many teens are responsible and able to care for themselves, a lot of parents remain protective and skeptical of a high school senior's maturity level. "I don't think a young teenager has a maturity level to make good decisions alone and away from home," Saleem said. Parental concerns about independent teen travel aren't doing much to discourage it. Whether or not they're under parents' watchful eyes, teens appear eager to hit the beach for one last high school hurrah. Siebert said the only bump in the road on her trip was unrelated to partying. "Everything was wonderful -- except when I got food poisoning," she said. "We think it was due to non-filtered water that I drank by accident," she said. "It's actually extremely common for this to happen on spring break, and really any time in Mexico." 'Don't try to understand your fate' Updated: 2016-03-18 08:42 By Yang Yang(China Daily Europe) Mai Jia says he writes because of loneliness and feels better when he writes the loneliness out. Li Xiaoliang / For China Daily Mai Jia, whose novels have won acclaim in China and in the West, talks about inspiration and the coincidence that changed his life. Mai Jia has become one of China's best-known authors among readers in the West thanks to his taut espionage thrillers. His debut novel, Decoded, was a runaway hit at home and abroad and won him several accolades, leading to comparisons with best-selling writers Dan Brown and John le Carre. The book has been translated into more than 30 languages, and this month the Chinese author - real name Jiang Benhu, 52 - will visit Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and Austria to launch editions in Danish and German. A Hebrew edition will also be released in Israel in May. Yet this success story is one born from loneliness and no small amount of luck, he tells China Daily. "I write because of loneliness. I thought that if I write down the loneliness, I would feel better. But the loneliness only gets more intense. Maybe, some people are born to be lonely. Loneliness, like a birthmark, grows together with you. A lonely person of course can create only lonely characters, just like me." His novels all tell of brilliant loners who must wrestle with riddles and secrets to uncover the truth -or else go mad and die. Yet unlike many spy novels, which feature only the voice of an omnipotent narrator, his works feature postmodern storytelling techniques such as diary entries and interviews that help to explore the characters' inner conflicts. Decoded, first published in 2002, is the story of Rong Jinzhen, an autistic math prodigy recruited by the secret service to crack two highly advanced codes, Purple and Black. The book was later included in The Economist's top 10 fiction list of 2014. His follow-up work, In The Dark, is an espionage tale of three parts and is told through the eyes of seven narrators. It won the 2008 Mao Dun Literature Prize, an award sponsored by the Chinese Writers Association, and will be released in English this year by Penguin Classics, which will see Mai Jia follow in the footsteps of Chinese literary giants Lu Xun, Qian Zhongshu and Eileen Chang. Despite his relatively popularity with foreign audiences, the author says Western readers are largely ignorant of contemporary Chinese literature. "Many contemporary Chinese writers are inspired by Western literature, but because of cultural differences the things we care about and the way we express ourselves does not interest the West. Also, as a result of being bombarded by Western influences, and having got used to them, we have tried to adapt to their ways, not the other way around." Apart from being a fan of Jorge Luis Borges, the Argentine writer, Jiang appears to draw his greatest inspiration from personal experiences. Jiang was born in a village not far from Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, in 1964. When he was young, he says, his father suggested leaving the home his family had lived in for generations because a rival had built a bigger house in front and painted it red, which his father believed was intended to upset their feng shui and bring them bad luck. Strangely, the family's fortunes did begin to decline, prompting Jiang's grandfather to attempt several methods to "break the curse", including converting to Christianity. The arrival of more grandsons in the family suggested that had done the trick, the author recalls. However, in the 1950s and 1960s, Christianity was frowned upon in China, and Jiang's father had to try other methods to keep the curse at bay, such as putting stone lions at the front gate. Eventually, in 1996, the family went against Chinese tradition and sold the ancestral house. Jiang says, for him, the episode opened a door to a world of intrigue and secrets. And there was more to follow, too. As Jiang's grandfather was a landlord and his father was a Christian, and thus seen as a rightist, his family had a hard time during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76). In school, he was bullied not only by students, but also teachers. He recalls feeling isolated and lonely. When he was 11, he began to keep a diary, and by the time he started to write full-time he says he had 36 volumes. After reading J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, with its theme of teenage angst and alienation, he says he realized he could also write a novel like that - and then the floodgates opened. Although a mediocre student, he passed his high school examinations and was one of just three students from a class of 54 to enter college. Later, he was enrolled in a military school. He started writing Decoded in 1991. Until it was finally released 11 years later, he says he was rejected by 17 publishers and had to rewrite it three times because of its sensitive content. "There is a saying, which is also true for me: Do not try to understand your fate," he says. Jiang even sees the way Decoded got translated as ultimately a coincidence. According to Jiang, in 2010, Olivia Milburn, then assistant professor of Chinese literature at Seoul National University, was browsing an airport bookstore in Shanghai after her flight was delayed and came across a Chinese version of the novel. In the blurb it said the story was about a cryptographer, which interested Milburn as her grandfather used to be a code-breaker. After reading Decoded three times, she first translated the book for her grandfather and was later persuaded by a friend to publish it. "If her flight was not delayed, or her grandfather was not a code-breaker, then what?" Jiang asks. A television series based on the novel is now in production. His other works have already been adapted for the screen, including The Message, which was made into a movie in 2009 starring Zhou Xun and Li Bingbing. yangyangs@chinadaily.com.cn ROCK ISLAND - After an acrimonious primary season, it was time for Rock Island County Democrats to kiss and make up. The Illinois House District 72 primary race in particular had divided local unions and Democrats, but at a "unity event" Friday, Rock Island County Democratic Party Chairman Doug House sought to heal any lingering wounds. Mike Halpin won the primary, with Jeff Jacobs finishing in second spot, and both attended and spoke at the event, which was held at the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 25 hall in Rock Island. Also speaking at the event were U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-East Moline. There was loud applause when Dino Leone, president of the Quad City Federation of Labor, who had endorsed Mr. Halpin, and Rory Washburn, leader of the Tri-City Building Trades Council, who had supported Mr. Jacobs, shook hands. "Put this in the paper," Mr. Washburn said. "We are going to be together, and we are going to win." In addition to dividing the labor community, the primary race between Mr. Halpin and Mr. Jacobs also caused rifts between senior party figures. Mr. Jacob's uncle, State Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan, had accused state Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, of succumbing to pressure from Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan to back Mr. Halpin financially. Rep. Smiddy responded by saying his longtime friend was not being truthful. But Mr. House brought in Sen. Durbin and Rep. Bustos to send out a clear message that it was time to put family quarrels to bed as the party gears up for the general election. "My dad always said politics is a game inclusiveness, not exclusiveness, and so I guess my plea to everybody here is that we keep that in mind as we work forward," said Rep. Bustos, whose father Gene Callahan was an aide to U.S. Sen. Alan Dixon and Paul Simon. "We're Democrats, we're a big tent and we welcome people in." Sen. Durbin also spoke forcefully on the need for the party to stick together. "Now, more than ever, we've got to circle the wagons and bring our family back together. Tonight's a start," he said. There was laughter when Mr. Jacobs, standing next to Mr. Halpin, confirmed that, despite his primary loss, life goes on. "The sun came up on Wednesday morning, shockingly," he joked. Once everybody had made nice, it was time for the Democrats to get back to beating up on Republicans, especially Gov. Bruce Rauner. "He has turned into the most dangerous governor we've had for a long time, and that includes several who have gone to jail," Mr. Halpin said. Despite all of the calls for unity, there was still time for some uncomfortable moments. Glen Evans, who finished last in the District 72 primary, behind Rock Island Ald. Kate Hotle, Mr. Jacobs and Mr. Halpin, said Democrats need to work on being more inclusive. "When I look across this room, I need to see more people who look like me," said Mr. Evans, who is African-American. "If we're going to be the party of the next generation, we've got to start bringing people in who is not someone's friend or family." Mr. Evans added, "This was one of the worst election seasons that I've seen in all my years in politics because of the mudslinging.... It hurts and I don't know if we can fix it today. but this is a great start." ROCK ISLAND The loss of direct flights to Washinton, D.C., shouldn't be seen as a "black eye" for the Quad-Cities, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said one day after the announcement that United Airlines would end the service in June. Sen. Durbin, who had supported federal subsidies for the service, said he had been involved in several similar efforts involving other "downstate" airports that had also proved unsuccessful. "I have been involved in this over and over and over, in my hometown of Springfield and Bloomington, you pick it," he said. "We have tried these long-distance flights, not to vacation destinations, but business flights, and every one of them has failed." The state of Illinois, the federal government, the Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce and the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Rock Island County had come together to put together a $2-million pool of money for United to subsidize the service. The three-year agreement would give United the full $2 million, and if the service was not profitable, it could tap the subsidy to bring its profit level up to $2 million. But with the daily flights, which began last October, averaging only 11 direct and 14 connecting passengers, United decided to pull the plug on the service. "It is so hard to put together the passengers to make it work, and many times you don't get the cooperation of the airline," Sen. Durbin said. Another problem was that $1.5 million of the $2 million in annual subsidies for the service came from state funds, and there was uncertainty over that funding, given the fact that Illinois has no budget. "The state's not paying its bills, period," said U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-East Moline. "The leadership at the top, and I would say that Bruce Rauner you know he's a CEO, and now he's CEO of the state of Illinois and he's not even paying the bills, period, so this goes way, way, beyond this flight." Rep. Bustos, Sen. Durbin and Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce President Tara Barney spoke about the D.C. flights during a news conference Friday in Moline about proposed legislation to aid the Rock Island Arsenal. The D.C. flights were sold to the public last year as being critical to strengthening the future of the Arsenal. "From our perspective, it is still incredibly important to the Arsenal," Ms. Barney said. "We're going to keep on working, and we're going to use this experience to look at the next option. Maybe it's three days a week." The explanation offered for why the service was viewed as important to the Arsenal offered by Sen. Durbin was that many people involved with the Arsenal regularly travel to D.C. Rep. Bustos said she had used the flights "almost every Monday or Tuesday" and said the collective effort to bring the service to the Quad-Cities had been worthwhile. "I tell you what, boy, if we're criticized for trying, there's something wrong with that, and you know I wish it had worked. When Springfield tried it, I'm sure they had wished that it worked," she said. "We tried, and we didn't have the number of passengers sitting in the seats." Steve Beck, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 15 at the Arsenal, said the price of the flights "was almost twice as high as going through Chicago" and that he couldn't justify using union money to use the service. The group also spoke about bills cosponsored by Sen. Durbin and Rep. Bustos to give the Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center at the Arsenal the authority to change the prices it charges throughout the year for contract work. At present, rates are set annually, which Rep. Bustos said makes the Arsenal less competitive when seeking new contracts. DALLAS (AP) -- An internationally renowned concert pianist arrived at his estranged wife's home in Texas to pick up their two daughters and found the girls slain in their beds, police said Friday. Authorities say their Russian mother, who had suffered knife wounds, faces a mental health exam. Vadym Kholodenko stopped Thursday morning at the suburban Fort Worth home where he formerly lived to pick up Nika, 5, and 1-year-old Michela, Benbrook police Cmdr. David Babcock said. The Ukrainian-born musician found his wife, Sofya Tsygankova, in an "extreme state of distress" and discovered the dead girls. The pianist then called 911, police said. Kholodenko, who won the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth in 2013, is not a suspect and is cooperating with police, Babcock said. Police said no suspects were being sought in the deaths of the girls or the stabbing of Tsygankova, who was recovering Friday at a Fort Worth hospital. Babcock, when asked, declined to say whether police believe the stab wounds were self-inflicted. Tsygankova was being held on a mental health evaluation, Babcock said. Asked if she was a suspect in the girls' deaths, he declined to say. "We are still looking at all avenues," he said, but added that authorities don't believe there's any immediate risk to others in the area. Autopsy results were pending on the children, who had no visible trauma, police said. Tsygankova's wounds were from a knife, said Babcock. He declined to say whether a knife was recovered at the home. Kholodenko and his family moved to Fort Worth in 2014 after he won the $50,000-prize Cliburn competition, which resulted in Kholodenko touring and playing with major orchestras. "The Cliburn family is mourning the loss of the precious Kholodenko girls. We are heartbroken and offer our prayers to Vadym and all affected by this overwhelming tragedy," said Maggie Estes, a spokeswoman for the Cliburn competition. Hospital officials declined on Friday to release a condition on Tsygankova, who was born in Russia. The couple had married in 2010 and filed for divorce in November, according to Tarrant County court records. Babcock said police had responded twice in 2014 to disturbance calls at the suburban Fort Worth residence but would not disclose details on the nature of the visits. Kholodenko routinely picked up the children from the home in the mornings, Babcock said. Kholodenko and his wife told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2014 that the decision to move from Moscow to the U.S. was a combination of spontaneity and medical problems with Nika's skin. "Nobody could help us with this problem, and we had a very hard time with her," Tsygankova told the newspaper. "We wanted to be together, with Vadym, to be a family, and for us, maybe it was the only choice for us to come here." She told the newspaper she hoped to improve her English so she could teach kids in Fort Worth. The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is named for the celebrated classical pianist and held every four years in Fort Worth. Cliburn died in 2013. Pianists audition around the world for the Cliburn competition, and finalists are picked to perform in Fort Worth. Kholodenko was among 30 finalists from 12 countries in 2013. Kholodenko had been scheduled to perform this weekend with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Another soloist, Alessio Bax, was replacing him, the orchestra said. CAMBRIDGE Grow Ministries has a new home to grow into. Janet Wolfe founded the ministry in 2004 to help women in crisis, with her first office in her Geneseo home. There were two moves after that before Grow Ministries opened its doors at 123 S. East St., Cambridge, in February. We moved from Geneseo to Moline in the New Hope Community Center in 2005, and in 2010, we moved to Rock Island, Mrs. Wolfe said. Just months ago, I sensed we were to move out of that location but did not know where the Lord wanted us to go. She said a Grow Ministries volunteer, Vanessa Navarro, told her the Lord had told her the ministry should move to Cambridge. She didnt even know where Cambridge was, Mrs. Wolfe said. In their next prayer sessions, the group asked the Lord if they had heard Him right, and Mrs. Wolfe said He gave her a vision of where they would be in Cambridge. She said after speaking at the Cambridge United Methodist Church, she drove by an empty office area that was smaller than desired and would require some work. Days later, her Rock Island landlord said he did not have good news, she said. "I laughed and told him I already knew he was going to ask Grow to leave the building," Mrs. Wolfe said. "He said Yes and asked how I knew. I repeated the vision of how I knew we had to move. The next step was to meet with Dr. John Gnatovich, the dentist who owned the Cambridge office space. "On our way to that meeting, we prayed and asked God to move on his heart to say Yes to free rent," she said. "After all, God told us to ask him for the building." She said Dr. Gnatovich immediately agreed. She said the core of Grow Ministries is its volunteer group, which has 25 openings. Grow also has expanded to focus on four special areas: -- Weekly jail and prison ministry in Scott County and Rock Island jails and women in prison in Iowa and Illinois. "We are part of the Federal Re-entry initiative out of Chicago," she said. "We also have a prison ministry in Cuenca, Ecuador. -- A street team helping the homeless in Iowa and refugees in Illinois. "We take whatever is given to us and pass it on each month when we visit the families we meet," she said. "We currently are in need of diapers." -- Biblical-based domestic violence counseling, both in person in Cambridge and online using Skype. "We are members of the Biblical Counseling Coalition," she said. "Our goal is to help save families and help victims to heal from domestic violence. We currently have over 400 Skype clients from Africa, Australia, England, Canada and throughout the U.S. -- Restore, begun March 1, for those struggling with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. "We meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays in Cambridge," she said. "The meetings can also be attended by Skype. Mrs. Wolfe said the group had just opened its doors in Cambridge when a woman released from the Henry County Jail needed a ride to her home. We gave her a ride, and the very same thing happened a second time in the same week, she said. We are here to serve Henry County in any way we can. Grow Ministries also partners with the Midwest Food Bank and receives free food items each month that are now given to the Kewanee Food Pantry. In order to continue our quest to serve hurting families, we are in need of donations to keep the lights on and our office doors open, Mrs. Wolfe said. We also need gas for the van we take to the streets and other areas. For more information, call 309-786-4769, or visit growministry.org. Janet Wolfe Birth date: June 15, 1953. Family: Husband, David Wolfe; two sons, Fred Wolfe, of Colorado Springs, Col., and Scott Wolfe, of Eldridge, Iowa; three daughters, Sara VanHooreweghe, of Spring, Texas, April Morgan, of Bettendorf, and Katie Segovia, of Moline; 13 grandchildren. Hometown: Orion. Education: Graduated from Orion High in 1971, attended Black Hawk College for nonprofit management certificate, also certificates in drug/alcohol relapse prevention and certifications for domestic violence counseling. Experience: I have traveled around the world -- Australia, Nepal, Bahrain, Brazil, Ecuador, Germany, Switzerland -- and all over the U.S. to help people in all sorts of crisis. Favorite scripture: Romans 12:17-21. Biblical character Id like to meet: Abigail. One thing I feel strongly about: God has called me to be, as it says in Proverbs 31, a voice to the voiceless. I wish I knew how to: Better market and raise funds for Grow so we could help even more people. DURANT, Iowa -- WWJT -- What Would Jesus Think if he returned to Earth today -- and a love of fiction prompted Anglican priest the Rev. John Spencer to create a trilogy set in a sealed biosphere-like complex called "Solarium-3." The complex represents the Earth, "which is -- to this moment at least -- God's Solarium, his incubator of things to come," Rev. Spencer wrote in an author's note at the end of the trilogy's third book, ReGeneration. He said he began writing the first book of Solarium-3 in the late 1990s after reading about scientists creating a biosphere and assuring people nothing could go wrong. "I wondered what would happen if something did go wrong," Rev. Spencer said. He set aside the project when relations between the Episcopal Church in America and the Worldwide Anglican Communion soured. At the time, Rev. Spencer was a vicar general, standing committee president and media officer for the Quincy Episcopal Diocese that included Quad-Cities area churches. After the two national church bodies split, he opted to return to a "simple parish priest" position at St. David's Anglican Church in Durant, Iowa, a church renovating a former eye clinic into its new place of worship. And he decided to restart writing the trilogy. The first book, published in March 2013, tells of seven researchers sealed into the solarium and the challenges they face when conditions inside and outside the complex grew grim. The second book -- "Haeven," printed in March 2014 -- continued the saga of the solarians, and the children they gave birth to, surviving against "insurmountable odds" inside and outside the dome, as well as an encounter on Pike's Peak in Colorado with mystical beings, one calling himself Yeshua, aka Jesus. "ReGeneration," the recently published last book of the series, continues the story of Yeshua's return and offering redemption. Copies are available in paperback or electronic forms, Rev. Spencer said. "I bring Christ into the last book to try to answer questions posed in the first two books, and answer the idea of what would His reaction be if he did return now," Rev. Spencer said. "I wrote it because it seems an awful lot of modern Christians (not to mention non-Christians) live as if the promise of Jesus throughout the New Testament will never actually happen," his author's note read. "But my main point of writing it is to tell a fictional story," he said. "That's all I was trying to do, and I wanted to show how God can do anything He sets out to do." Rev. Spencer also wrote he was prepared for a barrage of criticism that he hadn't followed Biblical Scriptures -- but he has received no such complaints. "If I have erred, even if only fictionally, I pray the Lord will be forgiving," he wrote. "I will have succeeded if readers are inspired to go to the New Testament itself, with their preconceptions set aside and their blinders off, to re-examine the Christian hope." Under the Quiet Track strategy, the federal government plans to invest around 1bn by 2020 in measures to curb noise from rail operations. The first element of the strategy is technological development and quieter trains. This includes the federally-funded Innovative Freight Wagon project, which calls for the development and testing of a new generation of prototype low-noise wagons by 2018, as well as new noise abatement technologies, which are currently being tested by DB. The government will incentivise the acquisition of new wagons which meet European noise standards, and the Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) will allocate 152m to equip more than 163,000 existing wagons with so-called whispering brakes by the end of the decade. The second element of the strategy focuses on infrastructure-based measures, and Dobrindt says the ministry seeks to encourage voluntary adoption of noise reduction on existing lines. Funding for non-rolling stock noise abatement will be increased to 150m per year from 2016 to fund noise barriers, sound-proofed windows, and other solutions. Finally, the government plans to introduce legislation banning "noisy" freight wagons from 2020. The minimum threshold to qualify for noise abatement funding was reduced to 5dB (a) last year and the government plans a further cut to 3 dB (a). Testosterone Oxytocin Cortisol Leptin Thyroid Hormone Every person in the world has one thing in common is the need for fat loss. 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For Release Wednesday March 16, 2016 A RAND Corporation report provides the first-ever county-level examination of wages and employment for workers in the Appalachia region with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) training for careers in the oil and gas industry and in advanced manufacturing. The 27 counties are located in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. There has been an increasing demand for employees with a STEM education in the region, and in 2014, Chevron partnered with the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and the Benedum Foundation to create the Appalachia Partnership Initiative. The initiative is a multi-year social investment program to support long-term, sustainable economic growth in the tri-state region by preparing K-12 students and local workers for jobs in the energy and advanced manufacturing sectors. We know from previous research that even with the usual fluctuation of energy demand and prices, employers continue to have a need to fill jobs and attract talent, especially for middle-skilled jobs that require a STEM education, said the report's lead author Gabriella Gonzalez, senior sociologist at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. The report asks whether there is evidence that local labor markets are adjusting to increases in demand for workers to fill STEM positions, and whether the local talent pool is graduating students from high schools and colleges with skills and in fields that could be utilized in the STEM labor market. The RAND report, intended to set a baseline that will help measure the ongoing success of the effort, includes these key findings: The utilities industry is the STEM-related industry providing the highest median wages in the region. The occupations of engineering and architecture have the highest median wages of STEM-related occupations across all industries. The number of regional jobs in STEM-related industries and occupations is increasing, while those in other industries and occupations are decreasing. Between 20102011 and 20122013, Ohio and West Virginia had high-school graduation rates comparable to the rest of the nation, while Pennsylvania consistently outperformed the national average. Graduation rates in Pennsylvania also improved the most in those years (by 3.5 percentage points), compared to only 2 percentage points for Ohio, West Virginia and the nation. Relative to the national average, a higher percentage of degrees granted from post-secondary institutions in the initiative region are in STEM fields, particularly associate's degrees and one- and two-year certificate programs. Over five years, the project will track the progress and capture trends in the region's energy and advanced manufacturing sectors. The research team believes that in future years the information could be used to inform leaders across the 27-counties about where there is demand for educating and employing local talent in STEM careers. RAND's objective analysis is critical to measuring which programs funded by the Appalachia Partnership Initiative have the greatest impact on building the workforce and growing the region's economy, said Trip Oliver, public affairs manager for Chevron Appalachia. This region's long history of energy and manufacturing presents a unique opportunity for a collaborative program like the initiative to serve as a catalyst for change and a model for impactful public-private partnership. Researchers caution the work is intended to be a barometer of economic wellbeing in the region and should not be used to draw conclusions on how well a particular county is meeting the demands of employers for particular skills. Support for this research was provided by Chevron. The report, Wages, Employment, and STEM Education in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, and information about the Appalachia Partnership Initiative is available at www.rand.org. Other authors of the study are Kyle Siler-Evans, Gerald Hunter and Matthew Baird. This research was conducted by RAND Education, a division of the RAND Corporation. Its mission is to bring accurate data and careful, objective analysis to the national debate on education policy. One of the best-kept secrets in Spanish free-to-air (FTA) TV has been unveiled: Mediaset has revealed the outline of its new DTT channel. In an intriguing advertising move, Mediaset scheduled the first ad of the new network during the broadcast of Big Brother VIP, one of the most watched shows on its main FTA channel, Telecinco. The new channel will be called Be Mad TV and will become the media group's seventh network in Spain.In a short video Mediaset announced that the channel will start airing soon. Through the move, the media group also quelled rumours of possible signal-renting, which had even pointed to the launch of CNN's Spanish network.Although no more details have been revealed, the channel's schedule is expected to be already defined, as the six DTT signals awarded in October 2015 have to start airing by 28 April.For now, each of the awarded groups seem to have chosen a different business model. Atresmedia launched Atreseries, a channel that had been airing across the Americas for over a year; Grupo Secuoya will air Ten, a traditional, in-house produced network; and Kiss Media reached an agreement to fulfil its schedule with Discovery Networks' programming . Real Madrid TV is not expected to change much, as it already broadcasts in Madrid's region and online, and 13TV is already using the new frequency slot for itself, as before it was using a rented space owned by Unidad Editorial. Brazil's political crisis took a bizarre turn on March 17 when President Dilma Rousseff, who has been fighting off impeachment demands for the last year, appointed her predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, to a Cabinet position. It was a transparent bid to help her political ally evade arrest on corruption charges. Rousseff's move was particularly brazen coming a day after 3 million peaceful demonstrators took to the streets in 100 cities to demand her resignation. It is clear that the ruling Workers' Party is prepared to fight dirty to protect Rousseff, Lula, and its grip on power -- no matter the cost to the nation. Even before Rousseff was sworn in to serve a second four-year term on Jan. 1, 2015, prosecutors began to uncover evidence that dozens of members of the Workers' Party and other parties received kickbacks from bloated contracts issued by the state-owned oil company Petrobras. One Brazilian jurist called the ruling party a "criminal conspiracy." In testimony offered as part of a plea bargain, former Workers' Party Senate leader Delcidio Amaral told prosecutors that Rousseff sought to influence the ongoing investigation into systemic corruption. Earlier this month, Federal judge Sergio Moro ordered Silva detained for questioning about his role in organizing illicit payments to support the Workers' Party's campaigns and members. Based on allegations that the former president received a ranch and a luxurious beachfront apartment for helping steer Petrobras contracts to party supporters, his indictment and arrest last week were considered imminent. Moro has unsealed evidence in the case against the former president, including recordings of phone conversations in which Rousseff and Silva allegedly discussed his appointment to the Cabinet to evade prosecution by the lower court. With Silva as Rousseff's chief of staff, any case against him would be out of Moro's jurisdiction. Instead, he would be subject only to the Supreme Federal Court, most of whose members are Workers' Party loyalists. Immediately after Silva was sworn in at the presidential palace in Brasilia, federal judge Itagiba Catta Preta Neto issued an injunction seeking to block the appointment on the grounds that it would interfere with an ongoing federal investigation. Rousseff's allies expect that the injunction will not stand, and Silva will argue that he answers only to the Supreme Court. The Workers' Party-packed Supreme Federal Court already has acted to shield Rousseff's administration. Last December, in an 8-3 ruling, the court scuttled the ongoing congressional inquiry into Workers' Party corruption -- allowing Rousseff's allies to stack a new impeachment committee in the Chamber of Deputies with her loyalists. The Supreme Court also gave the Senate, which is considered friendlier turf for Rousseff, the option of ignoring an impeachment referral from the lower house. Although the sprawling corruption scandal is at the heart of Rousseff's woes, her mismanagement of the Brazilian economy has also agitated public opinion. The country slipped into a recession in 2014, and the economy is expected to contract by nearly 4 percent again this year, fomenting what some have called the worst conditions since the 1930s. Unemployment averaged 8.5 percent last year, up substantially from the prior year. The Brazilian currency, the real, has depreciated 4 percent against the U.S. dollar. Several international investment agencies have stripped the country of its investment grade rating. The leftist Workers' Party and Rousseff, who has a background as a member of the militant National Liberation Command, are made of tough stuff. They seem indifferent to the damage this political crisis is doing to Brazil's economy and international reputation. Nor did they hesitate to hot-wire the constitution to interfere in congressional impeachment proceedings or to use their political muscle in the highest court in the land to shield their partisans from justice. Rousseff's move to protect Silva may prove to be a decisive counterpunch to her opponents, or the final blow to her own viability as president. It remains to be seen whether Brazilians will tolerate Rousseff's defiant gambit to protect an allegedly corrupt crony -- a former president, no less. The spectacle of Workers' Party chieftains conspiring to manipulate a Cabinet post in order to elude justice and conceal corruption may provoke deep and broad popular rejection. After this recent episode of shameless scheming, it is difficult to imagine Rousseff's government surviving if the population rises up in a prolonged national strike. The longer this crisis drags out, the worse the consequences for Brazil's democratic institutions, its struggling economy, and its 200 million people. (AP photo) Turkey and the European Union achieved a Herculean feat, finally sealing a deal that has been in the works since October. According to the agreement, Syrian refugees fleeing to the Continent via Turkish-Greek waters will be sent back to Turkey. With this, European leaders hope to put a stop to the hitherto unstoppable influx of asylum seekers from the Syrian civil war. However, now comes the hardest part, one at which the European Union has in the recent past proven incredibly inept: actually executing the agreement. Starting this Sunday, Syrian refugees reaching Greek shores will be processed in Greece and then sent back to Turkey. From there, the deal stipulates, the European Union will take refugees and redistribute them among the member states that are willing to accept them. This will happen according to the so-called 1-for-1 rule demanded by Ankara: For each refugee taken back by Turkey, another one will be taken in by an EU member state. The goal of the deal with Turkey is to stem and regulate the flow of asylum seekers. The deal should also allow the European Union and Turkey to better distinguish proper war refugees from migrants fleeing economic and social hardship in other countries. Once Syrian refugees understand that there is no point in fleeing to Greece, as they will be sent back to Turkey anyway, they will stop undertaking the perilous journey to Greece -- so goes the reasoning. On paper, this should turn Turkey into one big, EU-financed refugee camp. Of course, this assumes the erratic Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will not use refugees as a tool to blackmail the European Union into accepting new demands. Right now, such concerns lie in the future. The immediate problem now facing the European Union is whether its member states actually will follow through on their promises. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte -- the temporary chairman of the Council of Ministers of the European Union -- recently lamented that the Union's biggest problem has always been the delivery on promises made. The very reason why the Syrian refugee crisis became a sudden, massive problem for the European Union was that member states in the past decade simply refused to put their money where their mouth is. Former European Commission chairman Jose Manuel Barroso on Dutch television criticized EU member states for refusing to commit themselves to an EU-wide border regime and delivering the goods for it: money, personnel, and ships to monitor and guard the Mediterranean Sea. Properly enforcing a tight border regime along the Mediterranean shoreline and the Bulgarian Black Sea shore will be paramount to preventing smugglers from finding new routes to herd refugees into Europe. If the member states again fail to live up to their promises, the expensive deal with Turkey will have been for naught. Property details: Southern California Ranch - 8 Ac. in Wine Country SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RANCH 2 HOURS FROM SAN DIEGO FULL PRICE $25,299 -- TERMS OR CASH This auction is for the 8 acre lot in Riverside county, California, bordering San Diego County, less than 2 hours drive from San Diego, going north on freeway 15. The ranch is an undeveloped land located on the border of San Diego and Riverside counties in California. Only 1 hour and 45 minutes north of San Diego and Pacific coast, this ranch is perfect f... Price: $ 570 Seller State of Residence: California State/Province: California City: Anza, Temecula Type: Recreational, Acreage Zoning: Mixed Location: 937**, Fresno, California You will be redirected to eBay Nearby Mixed Property details: Honaker, VA Data & Demographics (As of July 1, 2015)POPULATIONTotal Population1,575Population in Households1,569Population in Familes1,325Population in Group Qrtrs6Population Density1937Diversity Index24 HOUSEHOLDSTotal Households661Average Household Size2.37Family Households465Average Family Size3HOUSINGTotal Housing Units767 (100%)Owner Occupied HU513 (66.9%)Renter Occupied HU148 (19.3%)Vacant Housing Units106 (13.8%)Median Home Value$86,798Average Home Value$111,770 INCOMEMedian Household Inc... Price: $ 565 Seller State of Residence: Florida Property Address: 5975 Drill Rd. State/Province: Virginia City: Honaker Type: Recreational, Acreage Zoning: mobile/ residential Zip/Postal Code: 24260 Location: 233**, Cape Charles, Virginia You will be redirected to eBay Nearby 24260 , We're sorry, this article is not currently available For the first week since the middle of January, no presidential debates or voting took place last week, the week of March 28. Its not every day that UGAs Performing Arts Center has a Grammy winner walk through its doors, much less two of them. On March 22, banjo extraordinaire, and 16-time Grammy winner, Bela Fleck and his wife, Abigail Washburn, will return to the Classic City during their national tour. Over an email interview, Fleck talked to The Red & Black about being a celebrated and acclaimed musician and the luxury of being able to tour with his family by his side. FILE - In this May 14, 1984, file photo, Michael Jackson, center, stands with President Ronald Reagan, left, and first lady Nancy Reagan on the south lawn of the White House prior to receiving an award from the president for his contribution to the drunk driving awareness program. The former first lady has died at 94, The Associated Press confirmed Sunday, March 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Scott Stewart, File) SHARE By LINDSEY BAHR, AP Film Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) Before Nancy Reagan became a fixture in the national consciousness and on home television sets, the late first lady also shared the big screen with the likes of Barbara Stanwyck, Ava Gardner, Glenn Ford and Ray Milland in her short career as a Hollywood actress in the post-war era. After a few years on Broadway, Reagan, then Nancy Davis, moved to California and signed a seven-year contract with Metro Goldwyn Mayer, leading to roles in 11 features her last of which was the 1958 feature "Crash Landing," a middling Fred F. Sears drama about a pilot (Gary Merrill) reflecting on his troubled marriage (to Reagan's character) in the midst of an engine crisis over the Atlantic. She was never the biggest star, but she had her moments in a wide variety of genres from noir to melodrama, often as loving and supportive wives and girlfriends. THE DOCTOR AND THE GIRL (1949) Nancy Reagan's first big screen role was in director Curtis Bernhardt's drama about a wealthy doctor (Glenn Ford) who defies his family's wishes by opening a practice in a poorer neighborhood. Reagan played the main character's sister Mariette, who is engaged to a class-lusting physician (played by Warner Anderson). EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE (1950) In this Mervyn LeRoy-directed melodrama about a married couple torn apart by the husband's infidelities, Reagan played Helen Lee, a socialite and best friend to Barbara Stanwyck's wronged wife. James Mason played Stanwyck's philandering husband, one of whose consorts was Ava Gardner. "The ladies all wear expensive garments and the gentlemen drink expensive booze. But that still doesn't elevate the effort above the level of hopeful pretense," wrote New York Times critic Bosley Crowther in his review. SHADOW ON THE WALL (1950) After a run of playing mostly wives and girlfriends, Reagan got a particularly meaty and serious role in this Pat Jackson-directed psychological crime thriller about a 6-year-old girl (Gigi Perreau) who loses her memory after witnessing the murder of her stepmother. Reagan played a doctor who endeavors to help cure the girl and makes some critical discoveries about the nature of the murder along the way. The New York Times said Reagan gave a "beautiful and convincing" performance. THE NEXT VOICE YOU HEAR ... (1950) When God starts giving radio broadcasts in this odd little William A. Wellman film, a married couple (James Whitmore and Nancy Reagan) and their 11-year-old son living in suburban Los Angeles are forced to confront their own faith. Reagan was praised for her "delightful" performance as the kind, gentle and very pregnant wife in the film. NIGHT INTO MORNING (1951) Reagan plays a widow who saves Ray Milland from his depression and drunkenness after his wife and child die tragically in a fire. Milland and Reagan were both applauded for their performances, but the melancholy story was seen as a bit of a letdown. HELLCATS OF THE NAVY (1957) This WWII-set film about a submarine commander charting minefields off the Japanese coast marks the only time Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan, already married for five years, shared the big screen. As the land-locked love interest, Nancy Reagan didn't have much to do besides fret though. It's far from a classic in fact it's somewhat derided but the film remains an interesting document of historical value just by nature of the fact that it features the future President and first lady. SHARE By Jenny Espino of the Redding Record Searchlight The stretch of rain-swollen Churn Creek that passes through the backyards of Sandra Oswald's neighborhood in east Redding has been flowing steady. But what will turn up when the water starts to recede, she wonders. Last spring, it was plastic totes, food wrappers, clothes and other bits of trash, which prompted her to turn to Facebook and neighbors for help to fish out the garbage. Friday, a plastic bag fluttered above the water, caught on a dead branch. "I would prefer if we didn't do (one of these cleanups) again," she said. But she is prepared to ask her new-found friends from the Facebook group Shasta Support Service to join her on one more sweep under the Victor Avenue bridge and along the creek for whatever junk turns up. That bridge has been cleaned seven times in the past year, and on more than one occasion, she has found syringes. All told, at least 200 tons of trash were collected in 2015 by code enforcement, Good News Rescue Mission and Shasta Support Service. It does not include cleanup efforts by the police department's Community Work Program or other citizen groups. Figures provided by the organizations are in response to an analysis spearheaded by Councilwoman Kristen Schreder to show the cost of homelessness to the community. But Oswald, who moved from Maui to Redding about two-and-a-half years ago and now spends many weekends volunteering on cleanups, is concerned government agencies are not doing enough. She wants to see more mental health and substance abuse treatment services and more cooperation from the city to get abandoned encampments cleared. Last month, she was part of the crew that helped pull trash and syringes that filled a 5-gallon bucket from "Mercy Canyon," the hilly, undeveloped land behind Mercy Medical Center. The Facebook group, which turns a year old later this month, was in part responsible for the City Council passing an ordinance to deal with abandoned shopping carts and setting aside $2,530 from the general fund to cover landfill tipping fees for trash collected on public land. "It's been a successful program," said Paul Clemens, Redding solid waste utilities manager. "It was to partner with the community and support neighborhood watch captains and officer Bob Brannon's efforts. I have not had any complaints from anybody." Groups have used 26 of the 100 tipping fee coupons made available through the Neighborhood Watch Clean-ups program. The garbage loads, though they may include an abandoned mattress picked up, are too small to be weighed. Its biggest users have been Shasta Support Service and the rescue mission, whose guests participate in a cleanup program that regularly takes them to the downtown and businesses by request. The program is but a small reflection of county-wide efforts that have expanded in the past year. Code enforcement tallied 93 tons of trash collected from private cleanups. The vast majority, or 68 tons, came from the area behind Masonic Avenue off of Lake Boulevard. Office Mike Thomas placed totals at 16 tons from Mercy Canyon and 9 tons from the Sacramento Riverfront near Hemsted Drive. To put that into perspective, a garbage truck can hold 10 to 12 tons. Thomas, through an email from Redding police's crime statistician Mike Murphy, noted the figure did not factor private cleanups in which the trash was not weighed. Jonathan Anderson, the rescue mission's executive director, addressing the council on Feb. 16 reported the Guests Giving Back to the Community program picked up more than 50 tons of trash. "In this past year, we started initiatives to restore dignity, restore values while holding people accountable at the same time," he said. Dale Ball, one of the founders of Shasta Support Service, said his group removed 54 tons of trash from water areas and returned 450 shopping carts. He estimated volunteers donated 3,450 hours in cleanups throughout Shasta County. They spent about $4,500 on gas, gloves, trash pickers and garbage cans. The cost to throw away the trash was $3,780, some of it paid through the city coupons and private property owners. "We're getting a handle on it. It's better than last year for sure," Ball said. Nonetheless, Shasta Support Service members were critical of city officials. They could help by shortening the length of the seven-day tagging policy to 72 hours, Ball and Oswald contend. "It's (when) all the little things that get fixed, the bigger picture starts to get fixed," Oswald said. The policy, adopted about four years ago, gives a person seven days to collect his or her property before it is removed. Anything of economic value or personal worth is placed into storage 90 days. City Attorney Barry DeWalt said the policy was crafted with Fresno in mind. Eight years ago, that city settled a $2.3 million class-action lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of hundreds of homeless people whose property was seized and destroyed. Shortening the notice does not give anybody adequate notice to return and collect their belongings, DeWalt said. Any changes would have to be worked out between the city attorney's office and police department. Ball said DeWalt was only coming up with excuses to enforce the law. "They are so worried about someone suing them," he said. Jose Luna, foreground, and Felix Ayala sit Friday in a Shasta County Superior Court during a trial readiness conference. SHARE By Jim Schultz of the Redding Record Searchlight Two Shingletown men charged with robbery, kidnapping and other charges in the October robbery of a hydroponics store in Redding were tentatively confirmed Friday in Shasta County Superior Court to begin standing trial next week. But it's not yet known if that trial will actually get underway on time. That's because the defendants Felix Ruben Ayala, 36, and Jose Orlando Luna, 51, have called for separate closed-courtroom sessions to presumably complain about their legal representation in the case. Those hearings could determine if the trial will begin as scheduled. Ayala and Luna are suspected of being two of possibly six men who participated in the robbery, Deputy District Attorney Emily Mees said. But Ayala and Luna, who did not actually enter the business, are the only ones so far who have been identified and arrested, she said. It's claimed that some of the men involved in the heist dressed up as federal drug agents and robbed the Bare Roots Hydroponics & Organic Supply store on East Cypress Avenue. Ayala and Luna, who were arrested Oct. 30 when Shasta County sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol officers raided a home on Scharsch Meadow Lane in Shingletown, have pleaded not guilty. According to a Redding Police investigative report, two men walked into the hydroponics business on Oct. 26 at about 6:30 p.m. and ordered three employees Brennan Scott Tinsley, Taylor Everette Thurston and Jason Pinson and customer Marc Sieglock to the ground, handcuffed two of them, collected their wallets, and emptied the cash register and store safe. The two men wore black clothing with a "DEA Agent" logo printed on the front of their shirts and ball caps, as well as badges hanging from chains around their necks, the report stated, adding that at least one of them was armed with a semi-automatic handgun. Both were also carrying two-way radios or cellphones, and communicating with others who may have been nearby, the police report stated. It's estimated they stole $5,000 from the cash register, an additional $600 from the safe, and also took a large automatic marijuana trimming machine valued at $4,500, according to the police report. Sharon Kay Turman flashes a peace sign during her Friday arraignment in Shasta County Superior Court. SHARE By Jim Schultz of the Redding Record Searchlight The 51-year-old Redding woman accused of evading arrest by leading officers and deputies on a high-speed chase in a minivan painted with a brightly-colored "Scooby-Doo" Mystery Machine theme was not amused Friday after a deputy public defender routinely entered a not-guilty plea on her behalf. Sharon Kay Turman, who was arraigned in Shasta County Superior Court on three felony counts, among other charges, told Judge Cara Beatty she did not appreciate the not-guilty pleas because she was not consulted beforehand about them. Beatty, who told Turman such pleas are routinely and commonly entered in the best interest of defendants, asked her how she wanted to proceed. "How about pleading guilty to the whole damn thing and be done with it?" Turman asked. Beatty called for a recess, allowing Turman to speak privately with a deputy public defender to try to resolve the case. Afterward, deputy public defender Ashley Jones said Turman wanted to settle her felony case, but also wanted to be let out of jail on supervised release while awaiting sentencing. Although Beatty commended Turman for turning herself into authorities earlier this week, she denied that request after setting her bail at $200,000. Turman, whose not-guilty plea was allowed to stand, is set to have a March 29 preliminary hearing to determine if enough evidence exists to order her to stand trial on the charges. Turman, whose alleged March 6 flight from authorities caused an Internet and social media sensation because of the "Scooby-Doo" link, is charged with two counts of evading officers with a disregard for public safety, among other charges. Additionally, she's charged in a separate case with felony grand theft in connection with the disabling of an expensive GPS ankle bracelet that was provided to her last month by probation authorities to track her whereabouts. Turman, who turned herself in at the jail on Wednesday night, said she gave herself up after successfully avoiding law enforcement because it was "the right thing to do," according to a Redding Police investigative report filed Friday in Superior Court. But, that report also notes, she told investigators she asked for a visitors sign-in slip at the jail and wrote on it she was at the jail to visit the Mystery Machine, which has been impounded and could be sold at auction. And, Turman reportedly admitted, she fled from pursuing officers because she was afraid of what Redding Police Department officers might do to her if she had stopped. "Turman told me once she was involved in the pursuit she did not want to stop for fear she would be hurt by the pursuing officers," the police report states. Police have said Turman, who was on supervised release for theft and suspected of violating her probation for allegedly deactivating her ankle monitor, was spotted by officers on March 6 in her unusual 1994 Town and Country minivan at California and Shasta streets in downtown Redding. But she took off in the van when officers tried to pull her over. Officers said she drove at high speeds on South Market Street without any concern for motorists. Following chases that reportedly saw Turman nearly hit four other vehicles and drive in excess of 100 mph, she abandoned the van, which had run out of gas, on Highway 36 off Bowman Road in northwestern Tehama County and was able to get away. "She told me she stayed in the woods over the following several days," the police report states. According to the police report, Turman told investigators the van, which often has been seen in Redding and elsewhere, was originally painted white. But, she said, she hand-painted it to mimic the Mystery Machine from the "Scooby-Doo" cartoons. "She stated after a previous incident with law enforcement she and her friends came up with the idea," the police report states. "Turman told me she painted her van so she could disappear if law enforcement ever attempted to contact her again." It worked at least for awhile this time around. Also asked how her ankle monitor had come to stop working, Turman said its battery had died and she took it off on Feb. 24. "After taking the monitor off, she drove over it two to three times with the Mystery Machine," the police report states. She said she then threw its pieces away as she drove along Highway 273 in Redding, the report states. A sign for a Baltimore overdose reversal program. To stem the death toll in the opioid epidemic, cities and states, as well as the fedearl government, are promoting greature use of the overdose rescue drug naloxone. (The Pew Charitable Trusts) SHARE By Christine Vesta,l Stateline.org BALTIMORE A crowd quickly gathers here on one of West Baltimores many drug-infested street corners. But it isnt heroin theyre seeking. Its a heroin antidote known as naloxone, or Narcan. Two city health department workers are holding up slim salmon-colored boxes and explaining that the medication inside can be used to stop someone from dying of a heroin overdose. Most onlookers nod solemnly in recognition. Theyve heard about the drug. They want to know more. Nationwide, more than 150,000 people received naloxone kits from community outreach programs like Baltimores between 1996 and 2014, and more than 26,000 overdoses were reversed using those kits, according to a recent survey funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, police, emergency medical technicians and emergency room physicians have used the drug to save tens of thousands of lives. Baltimore police officers started carrying the kits last year. But as the opioid epidemic seeps into nearly every small town and suburb across the country, state, local and federal officials are trying to make the life-saving prescription drug available everywhere, particularly at local pharmacies. To accomplish that, New Mexico last week became the 29th state to adopt a law that allows doctors and other prescribers to write a naloxone prescription known as a standing order, enabling local pharmacists to distribute the overdose rescue drug to anyone who asks for it. Maryland adopted a similar measure in October. The day after it took effect, Baltimores health commissioner, Dr. Leana Wen, wrote a standing order for the entire city, allowing anyone who completed a simple naloxone training like the demonstration offered on the West Baltimore corner last week to walk into a pharmacy, show a certificate of completion, and walk out with a kit. I like to say I became the prescriber-in-chief, Wen said. New Mexicos new law updates a 15-year-old law that allowed lay people to administer naloxone. In addition to allowing standing orders, the new measure allows people without a medical license to distribute naloxone kits in their communities, a legal provision found only in Maryland and 12 other states. This exception allows jails, treatment centers, homeless shelters and others to hand out the drug. Even the local PTA could offer it. It needs to be in everyones first-aid kit and medicine cabinet, Wen said. Forty-two states have enacted laws to make naloxone available beyond hospitals. New Mexico, which has had one of the highest drug overdose rates in the country for more than two decades, was the first to act with its 2001 law. After more than a decade, Massachusetts in 2012 became the second state to enact a law. Most other states adopted so-called rescue drug measures in 2014 and 2015 after the opioid epidemic began making headlines. This year, states are going back and expanding or tweaking their laws, said Amber Widgery, who tracks these and other drug-related laws at the National Conference of State Legislatures. Thirty states also have adopted so-called good Samaritan measures, which give limited legal immunity to a bystander or friend who calls 911 to report an overdose. Those laws also need to be expanded, said Corey Davis, an attorney who tracks the laws for the Network for Public Health Law. In Maryland, for example, the law only protects overdose bystanders from being arrested, charged or prosecuted for possession of a controlled substance or use of drug paraphernalia. It does not protect them against arrests for open warrants or probation and parole violations, which are common among heroin and opioid addicts. As a result, residents of West Baltimore or other communities where drug use is prevalent may be unwilling to call 911. In addition to state and local actions, initiatives at the federal level are picking up. Last week, the U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive opioid addiction and overdose prevention bill that would expand the use of naloxone, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced additional funding for naloxone and other drug treatment services. The majority of opioid overdose victims die from lack of oxygen one to three hours after they have taken a drug, leaving a substantial amount of time for someone to intervene and administer naloxone or call for help. Naloxone, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1971 in injectable form and widely used as a nasal spray, is a relatively cheap generic drug that has been proven safe and effective at reversing the deadly lung suppression that can cause a fatal overdose. Once the drug is administered, most victims instantly begin breathing again; they also experience nausea and other withdrawal symptoms. But until the late 1990s, naloxone was only used, intravenously, in hospital emergency departments and operating rooms. Even emergency medical personnel and other first responders did not use it initially. In 1996, a community group in Chicago that provided clean needles and other assistance to drug addicts began handing out naloxone as a nasal spray as well. Later, similar pilot programs began cropping up in places like San Francisco and New York. When people began coming back and reporting that they had saved a life with naloxone and wanted another kit, researchers took notice. Eventually, these and other programs handing out naloxone caught the attention of federal and state officials, said Daniel Raymond, policy director for the Harm Reduction Coalition, which advocates for the greater availability of naloxone and other health care services for drug addicts. In 2006, Massachusetts began using naloxone in public health and social service centers. Along with New Mexico, it funded statewide distribution of the life-saving medication in communities with large numbers of known drug addicts. But in other parts of the country, naloxone initiatives were limited and mainly local. Then in 2012, the FDA, along with the National Institutes of Health and the CDC, convened a meeting with state and local officials to discuss ways to expand availability of the drug nationwide. Initially, some objected to making naloxone widely available, arguing that it would simply enable more drug addicts to continue shooting up. Now that more Americans are dying of heroin and prescription painkiller overdoses than from homicides roughly 28,000 people in 2014 that argument rarely comes up. Politicians from both parties vigorously support the use of naloxone. Along with increased access to treatment and safer opioid prescribing, expanding the use of naloxone is among the Obama administrations top three weapons against the epidemic. Baltimores commitment to naloxone began when the health commissioner, Wen, took office, in January 2015. Since then, the department has distributed nearly 6,000 kits to city residents. In addition, the department launched an online training site, dontdie.org, last month. Wen said she plans to work with local pharmacy chains to make it easier for people to walk in, get trained, and leave with naloxone. In February, the pharmacy chain Walgreens announced it had used state standing order authority to make naloxone available without a prescription across New York and would do the same in Indiana and Ohio. Pharmacy chain CVS made a similar commitment in Ohio. But advocates for greater use of the overdose reversal drug worry that most local drugstores wont stock the drug or supply it on demand. They also fear that pharmacists wont allow people to use their insurance plans to pay for it. According to Davis, the public health law researcher, insurance companies are on board with covering the drug. But, because people with naloxone prescriptions wont be using the drug on themselves, many pharmacists appear to be worried they wont get reimbursed for, essentially, a third-party prescription, the claims for which are traditionally rejected by insurance companies. Baltimore has negotiated a $1 copay with the state Medicaid agency and private insurance companies have generally agreed to cover it, Wen said. Even in Massachusetts, where standing orders have been allowed for years, not all pharmacies stock the medication and not all pharmacists know about it, according to Dr. Alexander Walley, medical director for the state health department. We have the legal pathways but not the implementation experience, yet, to make it as successful as policymakers had hoped, he said. Were in the steep part of the learning curve right now. From their folding card table in West Baltimore last week, Daryl Mack and Darryl Burrell handed out 15 naloxone kits in less than a half-hour. After witnessing friends, family members and strangers die on these streets from overdoses, most onlookers seemed eager to try to prevent at least one fatality. Speaking one-by-one to each person who wanted a kit, Mack emptied the contents of a box onto the table and quickly demonstrated how to assemble and activate the tiny nasal atomizer used to squirt naloxone into an overdose victims nostrils. Youre not going to harm someone whos unconscious by giving them naloxone, he told them. And you cant give them too much. But first, try to make sure theyre not just sleeping or passed out from alcohol, Mack said. Rub your knuckles up and down their chest bone to try to wake them up. If that doesnt work, they need help, he said. Maryland is the only state that requires anyone using naloxone to complete a brief training, Davis said. Several people who approached the table already knew the drill and were there to get refills. They also got a copy of Wens standing order so they could pick up additional kits at their local drugstore if needed. One passer-by heard the word heroin and waved the health workers away, saying, I dont have nothing to do with that stuff. But when Mack explained that he could save someones life, the elderly man stopped and signed up. 2016 Stateline.org Visit Stateline.org at www.stateline.org Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. SHARE This composite of enhanced color images of Pluto, lower right, and Charon was taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft as it passed through the Pluto system on July 14, 2015. (NASA/JHUAPL/SwRl) By Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times Ask Alan Stern to name the most surprising thing learned from NASAs New Horizons mission to Pluto, and hell tell you to rephrase the question. A better question would be, What isnt puzzling or mysterious? Because thats a much shorter list, said Stern, the planetary scientist in charge of the mission. Almost everything we see on Pluto and in its atmosphere is puzzling. After traveling through the solar system for nine years, the New Horizons spacecraft made its closest approach to the Pluto system last July. Equipped with seven extremely sensitive scientific instruments, it took high-resolution images of the dwarf planets surface features, observed its five satellites, monitored its atmosphere and measured its interaction with the solar wind all as it whizzed past its targets at speeds of up to 30,800 mph. A suite of five papers published this week in the journal Science illuminate some of the findings from this data, as well as some of the mysteries. So far, the spacecraft has transmitted back to Earth just 40 percent of the data it collected. Scientists say most of it has defied their expectations. There really wasnt much that turned out the way we thought it would, said planetary scientist Randy Gladstone of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo., a co-investigator on the mission. One of the biggest surprises was the diversity of landscapes on the dwarf planets surface. In a paper about the geology of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, scientists described an ancient, heavily cratered terrain on the dwarf planets surface that could be 4 billion years old. But they also spotted wide, smooth plains that look as if they are still being resurfaced today. Elsewhere, the study authors saw towering mountains of water ice measuring 2 to 3 miles high, and evidence of active glaciers made of nitrogen that are carving wide troughs across parts of Plutos exterior. And then there are the features that no one can quite make sense of regions with parallel ridges and grooves that the scientists are calling washboard terrain, and narrow ridges that are oriented north to south that have been dubbed bladed terrain. Weve got several hypotheses floating around on the team, but theres not a lot of convergence or consensus on how these might have formed, said Jeff Moore of the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif., who led the geological study. Moore explained that even though the temperature on Plutos surface averages just 40 degrees above absolute zero (nearly minus-400 degrees Fahrenheit), the dwarf planet is hardly frozen in time. The slow decay of radioactive materials embedded in the silicate rock that makes up most of Plutos interior produces a meager amount of heat that eventually makes its way to the surface. That energy, coupled with a bit of warmth from the distant sun, can be enough to mobilize the nitrogen glaciers and fuel other geological changes on the Pluto. Charon, too, turned out to be significantly more geologically active than the researchers had anticipated. We expected it would be a boring cratered ball, Moore said. Instead we can see there was a lot going on geologically in its early history. Moore said Charons southern hemisphere showed more signs of recent resurfacing than the northern hemisphere. The researchers think this could be the result of cryovolcanism, a process similar to volcanoes on Earth except they emit water and other volatile compounds instead of molten rock. And there were more surprises as well: Hal Weaver, a co-investigator on the mission from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, said his team was shocked by how reflective the surfaces of Plutos four small moons Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra turned out to be. For example, if the surface of our moon were as reflective as the surface of Hydra, it would be about 10 times brighter, he said. Weaver said his team is still trying to work out how these surfaces have remained so bright after 4 billion years of exposure to cosmic rays, ions in the solar wind, ultraviolet light and collisions with debris from the surrounding Kuiper belt all of which should have caused them to grow darker. He said the group was also surprised that the rotation rates of the various moons are not even remotely in sync. The four small moons behave like spinning tops, rotating about their axes much faster than they revolve around the systems center of mass. Hydra, the outermost moon, is the dizziest of them all, completing a rotation in only 10.3 hours. Another research team led by Gladstone determined that Plutos atmosphere is not escaping nearly as fast as was expected, especially considering the dwarf planets small size and that its gravity is much weaker than that of Earth or Mars. The New Horizons data also suggest a possible explanation for this: The atmosphere at the highest altitudes is much colder than scientists had predicted, and that could keep Plutos gases in place. Its always fun to have your models validated, but it is way more fun to have them trashed, Gladstone said. Finding out you are completely wrong is a great part of science. As to what might be cooling off the atmosphere, scientists said they are still not sure. New Horizons also detected about 20 thin, distinct layers in the haze on Pluto that researchers cannot yet explain. There were other surprises as well. A look at the surface composition of the dwarf planet revealed that the changes in brightness across different regions are among the most extreme in the solar system. In just about every discipline, it was like, Wow, holy cow, whats up with that? Gladstone said. For the most part, the researchers expressed delight that their expectations were so wrong. A lot of us were inspired to go into science to puzzle out mysterious things, Moore said. In that case, Pluto is a gold mine. 2016 Los Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The Buzz: Play Augusta National in Redding? The indoor golf business features two simulators that feature a list of famous courses to play. SHARE Alex Landi, Redding It seems to be open season on the candidacy of Donald Trump. Various interests on both the right and left are after his political scalp. Many in the media are condemning him as well. He even gets attacked by governments in other countries. Can he be that bad? What's going on? Despite all this, he keeps winning. The constant attacks by special interests have only served to increase his support. As long as Republican voters choose to support him, the attacks will have little effect. He has a large lead in delegates and could win the nomination outright. It seems the voters are getting uppity and are in the mood for change. It is no secret that most Americans are very unhappy with the performance of Washington politicians in both parties. They feel the country is in decline. There is even a touch of rebellion in the air on the Democrat side, as witnessed by the candidacy of the socialist Bernie Sanders. But it is on the right where the real fireworks are happening. Why are GOP voters so unhappy with the so-called establishment? Conservatives feel let down and even betrayed by the Republican politicians they put in control of congress. Their complaints are numerous and very real. None of this is happening in a vacuum. Voters have concluded that their chosen leaders have become too complacent and ineffective. They are perceived to be interested only in themselves and in keeping all the perks of power. Neither party seems to be putting the country first anymore. Maybe it is time to hit the reset button. A little revolution every now and then may very well be a good thing. Disaffected Republican voters have chosen Trump to be the point man for their rebellion. To them, he seems to "get it" on a range of issues. His lack of political experience and refinement does not seem to disqualify him at a time when voters are looking for a driving force that will shake things up. The GOP establishment brought this on themselves. Trump is their creation. Rank and file voters see Trump as the antidote for establishment failure. This is all about apple carts. Trump is seen as a direct threat to all the self-serving and deeply entrenched special interests; in both parties, among the arrogant media, and by our enemies abroad, who favor continued American weakness. Illegal immigrants and those who benefit from mass trespassing greedy employers, bought and paid-for Republican politicians, and the entire Democratic Party are scared the The Donald might actually put the American people first for once. Can't have that! GOP establishment figures are already in hot water with the voters who are the real party. Party leaders must be loyal to the members; not the other way around. If threatened insiders seek to undermine the candidate the voters have selected to reform the party, anger will turn to fury. It will be seen as a coup against democracy itself, engineered by those who don't want to relinquish power. This is serious stuff and may very well provoke the kinds of actions that Trump is accused of encouraging. Our politicians (the hired help) should tread lightly. Eight crew members were rescued from a sinking ship off Beypore in Kerala on Saturday by the Coast Guard. "Eight persons were rescued off Beypore from a sinking Dhow in an operation coordinated by Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre Mumbai," a defence release said. At 2:10 am, MRCC,(MBI) received a message from MV Hafina Asia that MSV Selvamatha was sinking about 125 kms west of Beypore and 8 crew on board were in distress. "On receipt of information, ICGS Abhinav on patrol off Kochi was diverted to the area. Considering the gravity of the situation, MV Hafina Asia was directed by MRCC Mumbai to proceed for the rescue operation. MT Hafina Asia rescued all 8 crew at about 4:30 am," it said. MT Hafina Asia is a Tanker on passage from Singapore to Fujiara, whereas MSV Selvematha is a Dhow ferrying between Beypore and Androth. "On further queries, it emerged that one of the plank of the ill-fated dhow gave away resulting in flooding and sinking. MT was in vicinity and when called lowered its ladder and all crew were taken aboard. ICGS Abhinav reached the area at 4:00 am and took over the rescued crew. The rescued persons are being taken to Kochi for handing over to the owner through police. The rescue operation in the wee hours has once again proven the prowess of the Maritime stakeholders in their commitment in ensuring safety of life at sea," the release said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded Coast Guard for saving the lives. "Timely and swift action by Indian Coast Guard enabled rescue of 8 fishermen from sinking dhow off Beypore (Kerala) on Saturday morning," Modi tweeted. A criminal complaint was filed on Friday in a Delhi court seeking registration of an first information report against All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen President Asaduddin Owaisi for alleged offences of sedition and causing enmity between different classes. The complaint was filed before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Munish Markan and it would come up for hearing on March 22. It alleged that on March 13, Owaisi had voluntarily said "even if somebody puts a knife at me, I will not say "Bharat Mata ki jai" and his expression showed "disaffection and includes disloyalty and all feeling of enmity". The complaint, filed by Swaraj Janata Party's national president Brijesh Chand Shukla, sought a direction to the Station House Officer of Karawal Nagar police station to lodge an FIR against Owaisi for the alleged offences under sections 124A (sedition) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race etc) of the IPC. The plea, filed through advocate Rajesh Kumar, alleged that the act of Hyderabad MP showed he was not loyal to India and was trying to harm the country's reputation and his statement comes under the definition of sedition charge. "...it is correct that our Constitution does not permit to say 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' but the Constitution also does not allow to say 'koi meri gardan par churi rakh de tab bhi mai Bharat Mata ki jai nahi bolunga' (even if somebody puts a knife at me, I will not say Bharat Mata ki jai)," it alleged. The complainant said that he had filed a complaint in this regard with the Delhi police but no action was taken and thereafter, he approached the court. A public interest litigation has also been filed in the Bombay high court by a Pune-based social activist urging it to take legal action against both Owaisi and AIMIM MLA Warris Pathan for refusing to chant 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. The PIL urged the court to order an inquiry into the speeches made by the duo in the recent past in which they had allegedly showed dishonour to motherland by such remarks. Uttarakhand Governor Krishna Kant Paul on Saturday asked Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove his majority on the floor of the state assembly by March 28 as the political crisis escalated with the Bharatiya Janata Party, claiming the support of rebel Congress MLAs, stepped up efforts to form its government. On his part, Rawat asserted that he was ready to prove his majority in the assembly. In a letter to the chief minister, the governor has asked him to prove his majority in the state assembly by March 28, a top Raj Bhavan official said. It was dispatched to the CM shortly before his appointment with the governor this evening. The governor's directive is being seen as a breather to Rawat with as many as nine party MLAs raising a banner of revolt against his government and the BJP claiming that his government had been reduced to a minority in the state assembly. While the BJP claims the support of 35 MLAs including nine rebel Congress legislators, Rawat says he still enjoys a majority in the 70-member House as none of the so-called rebel MLAs has quit the party or the CLP. He also said that five of the rebels were in touch with him. On a day of claims and counter-claims by the BJP and the Congress, assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal said that the "anti-defection law is in place and whoever is found guilty of violating it will have to be acted against". "All Congress MLAs voted with the government when the previous bill was passed in the Assembly and nobody had challenged the bill. Even the BJP accepts the voice vote," he said. Asked about BJP's no-confidence notice against him, Kunjwal said,"We will see when it comes in the assembly. Members of the legislative assembly will discuss and decide if the no-confidence notice is valid or not". Hitting back at the BJP, the Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah of seeking to destabilise non-BJP governments through lure of money and political power. "The duo of Modi and Shah are infamous for forcible eviction of elected governments in this country. Elected government are being destabilised by a sinister conspiracy. After Arunachal Pradesh, it is Uttarakhand," Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala told reporters in New Delhi. In Dehradun, the BJP intensified efforts to dislodge the Rawat government, claiming it has majority in the Uttarakhand assembly and should be invited to form the government as the incumbent Congress dispensation has been reduced to a minority. "The Harish Rawat government has lost majority. Today, the BJP has the numbers with the support of rebel Congress MLAs to form a new government in Uttarakhand," Shyam Jaju, the state in-charge of BJP, told PTI. Jaju said the party is willing to present the MLAs whose support it enjoys before President Pranab Mukherjee and insisted that Rawat should immediately resign given the loss of majority. Nine rebel Congress MLAs have reached Delhi and are in touch with BJP leaders, he said. Accusing the BJP of distorting facts, Rawat said, "Those who are saying they have support of 35 MLAs are misrepresenting facts. I am confident that I still have a majority in the assembly and can prove it on the floor of the House," he told reporters after emerging from a meeting with the assembly speaker. The rebel MLAs included, the Congress has a strength of 36 MLAs in the 70-member assembly. The ruling party also has the support of six members of the Progressive Democratic Front. The BJP has 28 MLAs. A three-member BJP delegation of former chief minister and MP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Jaju and general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya met the Governor last night after the simmering discontent within a section of Congress legislature came to the fore. Amidst chaos in the assembly, nine Congress rebels had joined the BJP in demanding a division of votes on the state's annual budget, which could have led to the government's fall. Rebel Congress MLAs seen raising anti-government slogans along with BJP were mostly those owing allegiance to former chief minister and MLA Vijay Bahuguna. The other eight were Harak Singh Rawat, Amrita Rawat, Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion, Shaila Rani Rawat, Pradip Batra, Subodh Uniyal, a confirmed Bahuguna loyalist, Shailendra Mohan Singhal and Umesh Sharma. Surjewala said that the BJP was resorting to such actions in the backdrop of poll debacle in Delhi followed by in Bihar which has "convinced" the ruling party at the Centre that it would not come to power in any state through popular vote. "Is this the Modi culture of politics of transparency and accountability to lure away legislators...bypassing all constitutional norms?" he said. Admitting that Congress MLAs had flouted the party whip by sitting on a dharna along with opposition members, Rawat said that they were liable to be acted against in accordance with the Constitutional provisions. The chief minister said that he was hurt by the behaviour of rebel party MLAs including Harak Singh Rawat and Vijay Bahuguna. "As fas as Harak Singh is concerned, the less said the better. He is such a star of Uttarakhand's political firmament. If one or two more such wrestlers are born in the state, Uttarakhand of our dreams will never become a reality," he said. Rawat said he was shocked by Bahuguna's conduct in the House yesterday as he came from a family which always fought against communal forces. "Coming as it did from the son of Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna who always fought for secular values and stood against communal forces, Bahugunaji's behaviour was no less shocking," the chief minister said. After urging Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul to dismiss the incumbent Harish Rawat-led Congress government, 26 Bharatiya Janata Party members of the Uttarakhand legislative assembly, along with nine rebel Congress MLAs, reached Delhi in a 72-seater charted flight late on Friday night. However, it was not immediately clear as to whom they would be meeting in the national capital. Rebel Congress MLA and former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who also reached Delhi, said he is surprised why CM Harish Rawat has not resigned so far on moral grounds. We met the governor today and convinced him that this government is in a minority and he should dismiss it, Bahuguna said at Dehraduns JollyGrantAirport before leaving for Delhi. After arriving in Delhi, Bahuguna said that this (Harish Rawat) government was involved in massive corruption and taking Uttarakhand to the path of destruction. BJP leader Ajay Bhatt said that they would stake a claim to form a government after the governor dismisses the present government. We have 35 MLAs and Congress has 32 MLAs. When the voting took place, our 26 and nine Congress MLAs voted, while three were absent. Out of the three, one of our MLAs was arrested, so we have clear majority...We have not staked a claim yet. Let this government be dismissed first, he said. Echoing similar views, BJP leader Shyam Jaju said, We have requested the governor to immediately dismiss the government. We have 35 MLAs, nine from the Congress and 26 from the BJP. Rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat said, After this government is dismissed, well give a healthy government to the state. Meanwhile in Dehradun, beleaugered CM Harish Rawat claimed he has full majority and warned of disciplinary action against the rebels. We have full majority. All our members are in tact. The figures being touted (about our governments strength being reduced) are totally wrong, he told reporters. He said if some Congress MLAs, being lured by the BJP, are making any claim, the party would take cognisance of it and whatever action is taken within the party in such cases will be taken. Rawat said the party will find out who the rebel Congress MLAs are and so far, only one face has come to the fore. The chief minister accused the Opposition of horse-trading and dared it to move a no confidence motion, saying he was ready to prove majority in the House. Two Indians are among 62 people killed after a Dubai airliner crashed and caught fire early on Saturday while landing in strong winds in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. The names of the Indians in the list put out by Russian authorities are: Anju Kathirvel Aiyappan and Mohan Shyam, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. "Our mission is checking with the local university and Indian nationals for confirmation," he said. A Dubai- Rostov-on-Don Boeing 737-800 has crash landed in Southern Russia, killing 62 people, the AP has reported. The flight is said to have crashed on its second attempt to land. High winds and low visibility caused pilots to abort a first attempt at landing. Their second attempt, which was captured by a CCTV camera, shows the plane coming in at a steep angle before crashing into the ground and bursting into flames. Russian news station RT published dramatic CCTV imagery of an explosion which appears to have happened close to a main road. The plane was carrying at least 59 people, according to Xinhua. RT reported sources in air-traffic control services said that according to preliminary data, the Boeing 737 crashed in poor visibility conditions, some 50-100 meters left of the runway. FlyDubai, the carrier, tweeted following reports of the incident, We are aware of an incident involving our flight FZ981 from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don. We are investigating further details and will publish an update once more information is available. Boeing said that they were aware of the crash as well, We're aware of reports coming out of Russia and our team is currently gathering more details. With inputs from PTI Image: A CCTV grab of the moment when the plane crash landed. Residents of Surat, who fear for their lives after the leakage at the nuclear plant, have started an online campaign to know more about the incident. Rashme Sehgal reports. With the Department of Atomic Energy remaining silent on the Kakrapar nuclear plant heavy water leak, residents in and around Surat have launched an online campaign, demanding the government conduct an immediate independent investigation to find out the reasons behind the accident. Krishnakanth Chauhan, a resident of Surat, located 80 km away from the Kakrapur nuclear plant, and one of the 300 signatories, has asked Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh in the Prime Minister's Office to explain the reasons for the accident, to inform the public how much leakage of heavy water has occurred and what emergency steps are being taken to contain the situation. 'An accident and radioactive leak would pose a serious threat to over two million people who live in Surat as well as close to a million who live within the 30 km radius of the plant. I have reasons to believe that the accident is more serious than it is made out to be and I have a right to know what is going on at the Kakrapar nuclear plant,' the letter says. While 'the majority of us might not be experts or nuclear scientists,' the letter adds, 'we are people living in the area around this plant. We depend on experts for information and explanation and not on just empty assurances. The information that we've been asking from the operator and the regulator has not yet been disclosed.' 'We asked important questions about the radiation levels around 20 km radius of the plant, about the quantum/amount of heavy water that has leaked, about whether the leak has been identified. First we were ignored. Then we were told "it's not a safety concern." If that is true, why not simply disclose this information and put our fears to rest?' the letter further states. The signatories have requested Minister Jitendra Singh to order an independent investigation into the Kakrapar nuclear accident and the handling of the situation. This will ensure that it is not repeated again, they say. They informed the minister that, like the Kakrapar nuclear reactor, there are eight other reactors of similar design in India, which are also older than 20 years. Over four million people live within the 30 km radius of these reactors. The problems the Kakrapar reactor is facing might also be possible for these reactors. And, hence, as a precautionary step, they need to be examined too. Failure to do so might put four million lives at risk. Singh informed the Lok Sabha that the 'incident' of leakage of a coolant pipe in one of the units of the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station in Gujarat was detected 'in a few moments.' Responding to supplementaries in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour, the minister insisted that the leakage was an 'incident,' and not an 'accident.' To keep the temperature down, alternative systems came into play when the coolant pipe leaked, he said. On a scale of one to ten, as per the standards laid down by the international community, the minister said the incident was grade one. Such incidents, he added, have been reported in Canadian reactors, which are considered amongst the best in the world. With nuclear energy providing around 3.3 per cent of the total electricity in the country, the government is going full steam ahead in setting up nuclear plants in Bihar, Haryana and Punjab to help meet the energy requirements. The government is keen to increase nuclear power generation capacity three fold in the next decade. The minister made no attempts to allay the fears of people living in and around Kakrapar Atomic Power Station. Nor did he inform the Lok Sabha about how much money is being spent to repair the damage inflicted by this accident. Nuclear activists believe the loss has already run into hundreds of crores of rupees, but no figures are available so far. Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of misrepresenting facts, Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Saturday claimed he still enjoys a majority in the Uttarakhand assembly and was ready to prove it on the floor of the House. "Those who are saying they have support of 35 members of Legislative Assembly are misrepresenting facts.I am confident that I still have a majority in the Assembly and can prove it on the floor of the House," he told reporters after emerging from a meeting with Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal. On the BJP's claims that it had the support of 35 MLAs including nine rebel Congress MLAs, Rawat said at least five of those MLAs were still in touch with him. "They have said they are still with the party and continue to be members of the Congress Legislature Party," he said. Commenting on what transpired at his meeting with the Speaker, the chief minister said he had gone to him to tender an apology as the Leader of the House for the "unparliamentary conduct of some party MLAs", who rushed into the well after adjournment of the day's proceedings and sat on a dharna along with BJP MLAs there. Admitting that Congress MLAs had flouted the party whip by sitting on a dharna along with opposition members, he said they were liable to be acted against in accordance with the Constitutional provisions. Rawat also claimed that the so called "disgruntled MLAs" were still in touch with him and continued to be members of the Congress Legislature Party. The chief minister said he was hurt by the behaviour of rebel party MLAs including Harak Singh Rawat and Vijay Bahuguna. "As fas as Harak Singh is concerned, the less said the better. He is such a star of Uttarakhand's political firmament. If one or two more such wrestlers are born in the state, Uttarakhand of our dreams will never become a reality," he said. Rawat said he was shocked by Bahuguna's conduct in the House on Friday as he came from a family which always fought against communal forces. "Coming as it did from the son of Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna who always fought for secular values and stood against communal forces, Bahugunaji's behaviour was no less shocking," the chief minister said. Rawat said the disgruntled MLAs must be given time to realise their mistake. "There are differences of opinion in a party. I give them time to realise their mistake," he said. Rawat also said he had sought an appointment with Governor K K Paul to brief him about the entire political situation in the state. The chief minister also held meetings with the six-member Progressive Democratic Front, a partner in government at his residence in an apparent bid to keep his flock together. Coming out of the meeting, Independent legislators Mantri Prasad Naithani and Dinesh Dhanai pledged PDF's support to Rawat government saying what happened in the state assembly after adjournment of proceedings last night should not have happened. "PDF will stand like a rock behind Harish Rawat come what may," Naithani said. Naithani, who nearly came to blows with Harak Singh Rawat in the state assembly on Friday, said it happened when he tried to stop Rawat from rushing into the well of the House to join BJP's protest against rejection of its demand by the Speaker for a division of votes on the budget. Amid reports that she had written to the state assembly speaker demanding action against the nine rebel Congress MLAs under the anti-defection law, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh hinted at the party's readiness for pardoning them, saying there is always scope for "ghar wapasi". Later at a press conference, Pradesh Congress President Kishore Upadhyay accused the BJP of murdering democracy by conspiring to topple a democratically elected government. However, he said the Harish Rawat government still enjoyed absolute majority in the state assembly and that there is no threat to the state government. He also claimed that six of the disgruntled Congress MLAs were in touch with him but refused to disclose their names, saying it could pose a danger to their life. The Congress had governments in eight states in 2014, but now, the number might come down to five. After Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, another Congress government faces political danger. Chief Minister Harish Rawat of Uttarakhand, left, on Friday night faced a rebellion from nine of the 36 ruling party legislators in the 70-member state assembly, seeking his dismissal. As soon as Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal called for the budgetary motion in the 70-member House, former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, a known opponent of Rawat, along with eight others demanded division (counting) of votes. Kunjwal rejected the demand and adjourned the House till March 28. Right after, the nine Congress members joined the 28 Bharatiya Janata Party members in demanding dismissal of the Rawat government, saying he had lost the majority. They also sat on a dharna in the well of the House. Later, state BJP chief Ajay Bhatt, along with Bahuguna, told media persons they'd meet Governor K K Paul to demand dismissal of the government. "We are nine members of the legislative assembly of the Congress who are not supporting Chief Minister Harish Rawat any more," said Agriculture Minister Harak Singh Rawat. Gasping for air Special to the Reporter-News "Don't eat these too fast you'll get a brain freeze," someone wisely yelled out, as a youngster started to bite into a big icy treat. "Is the food almost ready"? another wanted to know. The parking lot of a north-side apartment complex looked to be in total chaos as some grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, others supervised kids on bouncy houses, and still others tried to prevent brain freezes at the Kona Ice truck. The scene on Tuesday afternoon topped off a busy day as members of Highland Church of Christ hosted young adults from a partner church in Itu, Brazil. The year's spring break has been labeled Restoration Week at Highland, with middle school, high school, and college students hitting the streets to do good works in the community. "We're doing mission trips in our own backyard," said Sarah Campbell, director of student ministries at Highland. At the end of each day, some kind of fun activity was provided, including the cookout and carnival Tuesday night in the parking lot of Abilene North Apartments. Highland Church of Christ has been sending teams to the Igreja de Cristo in Itu each summer for about 20 years. Members of the Brazilian congregation sometimes come to Abilene as they did this past week. "This is our turn to come here and work together," said Carioca Marins, who works at the church in Itu, which is near Sao Paulo. Marins, a native of Rio, earned a master's degree from the University of Dallas a few years ago, but this was his first trip to Abilene. All week, youths from Highland incorporated their Brazilian visitors into various activities, based on Highland's overall Restoration theme, a reference to the church's roots in the 19th century Restoration Movement and its emphasis on helping restore lives and communities. During the day, youths from the church, and their Brazilian guests, scoured neighborhoods around the church, offering to do good deeds like mowing lawns and other odd jobs. They even tackled bigger jobs like demolishing a house on Cedar Crest Street and painting a house on Popular Street. During breaks, they gathered at the church for meals and worship. Evenings were spent in activities like the cookout and a movie night. Jackie Beth Shilcutt, a dance instructor at Abilene Christian University and member of Highland, spends parts of each summer at the Itu church, helping organize youth camps. Those trips are just as much fun as the youths were having this week at Highland, she said. On a recent trip to Brazil, the youths took Shilcutt to a local mall where a flash mob, an impromptu gathering using social media, was pulled off. "It was all kinds of fun," Shilcutt said. Shilcutt also helps direct Camp Roots, based on the theme, "Seek the Deep." The bilingual camp, for youths ages 13 to 18, focuses on spiritual depth. The youngsters do projects to help others, such as creating Braille reading material for residents of a school for the blind in Itu. Shilcutt also learned a Brazilian martial art known as "capoeira" and a folk dance called "quadrilha," which she and the Brazilians taught the Abilene youths this past week. About 100 youths, plus adult leaders and the Brazilian guest, participated in this year's Restoration Week events. The idea came from Jeremy Glover, who was on the Highland staff until leaving in December for a church in Fort Worth. He came back to Abilene to assist with Restoration Week, which he initiated at Highland in 2013. It was based on a similar event, Impact Week, at a Houston church where Glover served before joining the Highland staff. Glover was impressed with the number of young people from his old church who spent the week serving their neighbors. "Choosing this over their spring break says a lot," he said. Beto before football: Democrat speaks at rally Friday in Abilene Beto O'Rourke promised win but told Abilene supporters they had to vote and get others to vote, too. Hardin-Simmons University inducted three people into the Hall of Leaders earlier this month. Harry Bradley, James Porter and Lucile Sandefer all were chosen and recognized for their distinguished records of achievement and proven track record as men and women of good character, the school said in a news release. Established in 2001, the Hall of Leaders is located in the rotunda of the Skiles Building. "Its presence in such a prominent place on our campus is a constant reminder to our faculty, staff, and students as well as to visitors to our campus of the tremendous heritage of Hardin-Simmons University and the terrific people who have been a part of this place," HSU President Lanny Hall said. Bradley, a 1965 HSU graduate, was born in Coleman and graduated Cisco High School. He served in the Air Force from 1965-67 before returning to HSU to complete his master's degree. In 2013, Bradley spearheaded an effort to have a memorial to the late HSU President Evan Reiff displayed at the Texas State Cemetery, hoping to recognize Reiff for his work in integrating the HSU student body in the early 1960s. Porter, originally of Dallas, served many roles during his time as a student at HSU in the 1960s, including president of the student senate. After graduation, he found himself in Kansas, where he began a career in teaching. After 47 years in public education, including 34 as a superintendent, he retired and was elected to the District 9 seat on the Kansas State Board of Education. In that elected capacity he holds one of the 10 board positions, representing school districts primarily in southeastern Kansas. Sandefer, born Feb. 27, 1869, was a First Lady of HSU, where she was known for her beautification efforts. She spent 31 years at the school, planting trees and flowers, installing an irrigation system and establishing a permanent loan fund for student scholarships, was active in starting a museum, led an effort to bring electricity from downtown Abilene to the 40 acres and founded the HSU Round Table Organization to help build friendships between the wives of university professors. Cisco College continues presidential interviews Two interviews remain for candidates to become president of Cisco College, and school officials would like to see students, staff and faculty attend public information sessions with the remaining two candidates. Matt Joiner, associate dean of Weatherford College, will be the next candidate to meet the public when he visits the school's two campuses Monday. He'll visit the Cisco location from 9 to 10 a.m. and the Abilene location from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. The information sessions allow the candidates to provide details about themselves and answer any questions. Lawrence Brandyburg, chief executive officer of Lone Star College Jakarta in Indonesia, visited the school earlier this week, while Thad Anglin, vice provost for academic excellence and outreach at the University of North Texas in Dallas, will visit the two campuses to conclude the public interview process on March 28. Howard Payne University hosts Resurrection Week festivities An annual spring revival event, Howard Payne University's Resurrection Week activities are scheduled for Monday through Wednesday this week on the Brownwood university's campus. The services, open to the community as well as HPU students, faculty and staff, are intended as a time of spiritual renewal for the campus. Danny Cullins, a 1999 HPU graduate, will serve as guest speaker, the school said. Cullins and his wife, Laura Cullins, reside in Fountain, Colorado. Services on Monday and Tuesday will be held at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., with the final service at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Each will take place in HPU's Mims Auditorium. For more information, contact Corey Ash at 649-8502 or cash@hputx.edu. Texas A&M AgriLife Communications photo by Kay Ledbetter Too much rain or too little can affect drylot dairies that offer shade for the cows but also open corral areas. SHARE By Staff Report The Cisco College agriculture department is hosting the college's annual Invitational FFA Career Development Events Contest for more than 770 students from 68 high schools on Tuesday. "Cisco College is proud to host so many young people," Interim President Roger Schustereit said. "We have a long history of supporting agricultural education which has been such an important part of our area's economy. We wish all the students success both in the events and their futures." This is the second year for the CDE invitational, which last year welcomed 484 FFA students from 47 high schools. This year, students will compete in 11 events, including farm business management, veterinary science, milk quality and products, cotton and horse. The career development events cover job skills in everything from communications to mechanics. Students compete as individuals and in team events. "The Cisco College Agriculture Department is a proud sponsor of the career development events, because students get the opportunity to apply knowledge gained in agriculture classrooms and prepare for area CDE contests held at universities across Texas," Agriculture Professor Brandi Terry said. State Rep. Susan King's campaign spokesman Friday lashed out against comments made by a spokesman for Texas Senate candidate Dawn Buckingham on Thursday, saying events that precipitated a lawsuit by King and her husband, Dr. Austin King, to protect her private health information were "not a police-related criminal incident." King finished first in a six-person primary March 1 for State Senate District 24. She and Buckingham are in a runoff election on May 24. Late last year, King briefly suspended her Senate campaign citing issues with depression. "This was fully a medical emergency response to an individual's critical state of mental health and depression," said Bryan Eppstein, King's spokesman, via email on Friday. "To imply otherwise is false and malicious. Furthermore, to belittle and bully any individual who has suffered from depression with threats of dragging their private health records through the mud is morally wrong as well as a violation of state privacy law." Eppstein also said that there was no 911 call that initially prompted community response to King's health crisis in October and said that the situation was "not a police-related criminal incident." "A concerned family member initiated a welfare check of Susan due to her critical state of mental health from chronic depression," he said. "Community responders checked on the situation, which involved questions and answers relating to Susan's personal health." When community responders, including mental health officials, arrived at King's home, she made a 911 call herself "concerned that someone was attempting to break into her home." "The community responders were able to address Susan's critical health-related condition," Eppstein said. "This resulted in responder reports some by the city being filed that described Susan's medical incident, which necessarily included private health information." On Thursday, an Austin judge issued a temporary restraining order, keeping the city of Abilene from releasing what King has termed "confidential health and personal information." A hearing will be held March 30. Matt Langston, a spokesperson for the Buckingham campaign, called King a "liar and a liberal" in comments Thursday, saying the candidate was "running a losing campaign" and fighting the city of Abilene from releasing "multiple and potentially campaign damaging 911 incidents that occurred at her home where police officers were involved." In previous statements, King said a "private family issue" caused her to "face the fact that I was suffering from chronic depression." King said Thursday that Buckingham and her supporters have engaged in circulating "vicious rumors" insinuating that her private records involve issues of legal violations, something King said was "unequivocally untrue." Eppstein said Friday that city records that King was seeking to keep confidential are records that "memorialize the health-related evaluation and response to Susan's critical health condition this past October. Nothing more." The suit alleges the city did not provide either King or her husband with copies of the open records requests and did not advise them of their right to submit arguments to the Texas Attorney General to protect private health and other personal information. The AG's office was asked to give an opinion about whether the documents could be released. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below This just in... An American who fought for the Islamic State (IS) group but turned himself over to Iraqi authorities this week told Kurdish television that he made "a bad decision" to join IS. In an interview with Kurdistan 24 television that aired late on March 17, Mohamad Jamal Khweis, 26, detailed his weeks-long journey from the United States to the IS-controlled Iraqi city of Mosul. Once in Mosul, which the militant group captured in 2014, Khweis said he lived with dozens of other foreign fighters and studied Islam before deciding to flee. "I didn't agree with their ideology," he said. "I made a bad decision to...go to Mosul.... I wasn't thinking straight." Khweis said a friend helped him escape from Mosul to the nearby city of Tal Afar. From there, he walked toward Kurdish troops. "I wanted to go to the Kurdish side," he said, "because I know they are good with the Americans." Khweis, whose family lives in Virginia, is currently being held by Kurdish forces for interrogation. U.S. prosecutors say Iraq will have to transfer him into U.S. custody before they can bring charges against him. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters A top official with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has welcomed Azerbaijan's recent release of some civil-society activists and journalists and called for the release of more people believed imprisoned for political reasons. Michael Georg Link, head of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said in a March 19 press release that the release was "a positive, welcome step." However, he urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev "to review the cases of others either currently imprisoned or under...restrictive orders, including [lawyer] Intiqam Aliyev, [investigative journalist and RFE/RL contributor] Khadija Ismayilova, [and Republican Alternative movement head] Ilqar Mammadov." President Aliyev on March 17 pardoned a total of 148 prisoners, including 13 people who have been listed by rights organizations as political prisoners. Human rights organizations say there are still around 80 people imprisoned in Azerbaijan for political reasons. The Daily Vertical is a video primer for Russia-watchers that appears Monday through Friday. Viewers can suggest topics via Twitter @PowerVertical or on the Power Vertical Facebook page. A transcript of today's Daily Vertical can be found here. KYIV -- Ukrainian officials said vile Russian missile strikes on civilian energy sites have caused power outages nationwide, leaving more than a million households without electricity, while Russian authorities ordered residents to leave Kherson "immediately" ahead of an expected effort by Kyivs forces to retake the crucial southern city. Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, Russian protests, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Telegram on October 22 that Russia carried out a "massive attack" on Ukraine overnight and that "the aggressor continues to terrorize our country." "At night, the enemy launched a massive attack: 36 rockets, most of which were shot down...These are vile strikes on critical objects. Typical tactics of terrorists," he wrote. "The world can and must stop this terror." Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of Zelenskiys office, said Ukrainian air defense forces had shot down 18 of the missiles. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a number of missiles had been shot down on the approach to the capital. "Several rockets flying toward Kyiv were shot down in the region by air defense forces. Thanks to our defenders!" Klitschko said. There was no immediate word on deaths related to the missile attacks, but officials said several people had been injured. It was not possible to verify the reports on either side. In the face of continued Russian strikes, Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba again urged Ukraine's Western allies to speed up the delivery of modern air defense systems. "We intercepted some, others hit the targets. Air defense saves lives. In [Western] capitals, there should not be a single minute of delay in the decision regarding air defense systems for Ukraine," Kuleba said. Local officials said power stations were hit in the regions of Odesa, Kirovohrad, and Lutsk, while other regions reported problems with electricity. "Another rocket attack from terrorists who are fighting against civilian infrastructure and people," the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, wrote on the Telegram app. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told a government meeting that from October 10 to October 20, Russian strikes damaged more than 400 facilities in 16 regions of Ukraine, including dozens of energy facilities. "The Russian Army has identified our energy sector as one of the key targets for its attacks," Shmyhal said on October 21. "Russian propagandists and officials speak openly about the purpose of all these attacks: Ukraine, according to them, should be left without water, without light, without heat," he said. Meanwhile, Russian-appointed authorities in the occupied and illegally seized southern Kherson region on October 22 ordered the estimated 60,000 residents of the region's eponymous main city to leave "immediately" in the face of Kyiv's advancing counteroffensive. "Due to the tense situation on the front, the increased danger of mass shelling of the city and the threat of terrorist attacks, all civilians must immediately leave the city and cross to the left bank of the Dnieper River," the region's Russia-backed authorities said on social media. Russina-installed officials are moving people out of the strategic city in what they are calling an evacuation but which Ukrainian officials label as deportations. The order came in spite of a claim by Russia's Defense Ministry on October 22 that its forces had prevented an attempt by Ukraine to break through its line of control in Kherson. "All attacks were repulsed, the enemy was pushed back to their initial positions," the Defense Ministry said, adding that Ukraine's offensive was launched toward the settlements of Piatykhatky, Suhanove, Sablukivka and Bezvodne, on the west side of the Dnieper River. The ministry's statement said Russian forces had also repelled attacks in the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. Kherson city, which had a prewar population of 280,000, is one of the first urban areas occupied by Russia at the start of the invasion. Zelenskiys office said 88 settlements in the southern Kherson region and 551 settlements in the northeastern Kharkiv region have been de-occupied, while the Ukrainian forces' counteroffensive in the Kherson region moves ahead. Ukraine is trying to drive Russian forces in Kherson back east across the Dnieper. Russian soldiers on the western bank, where the city of Kherson is located, are reportedly close to being cut off from supply lines and reinforcements. Natalya Humenyuk, a spokeswoman for Ukraines southern operational command, said the Ukrainian military struck the Antonivskiy Bridge over the Dnieper in the city of Kherson during an overnight curfew Russia-installed officials put in place to avoid civilian casualties. We do not attack civilians and settlements," Humenyuk told Ukrainian television. Ukrainian strikes made the Antonivskiy Bridge inoperable, prompting Russian authorities to set up ferry crossings and pontoon bridges to relocate civilians and transport supplies. Russia has sent in thousands of recently mobilized troops to reinforce the defense of Kherson, the General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces said on October 21. Zelenskiy again on October 21 urged the West to warn Russia not to blow up a dam at the Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant on the Dnieper River as this could flood settlements toward Kherson. Zelenskiy said Russian forces had planted explosives inside the dam, which holds back an enormous reservoir, and were planning to blow it up. "Now everyone in the world must act powerfully and quickly to prevent a new Russian terrorist attack. Destroying the dam would mean a large-scale disaster," he said in his nightly address. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and the BBC WASHINGTON -- On March 18, RFE/RL's Moscow bureau administrator was approached at her home by two unknown men identifying themselves as journalists with Russia's NTV channel and seeking personal information. The men, one of whom had a video camera and sought to film the premises, questioned her repeatedly about her income and properties they said she owned in and around Moscow. One of the men said he had received such information from former employees of the Russian Service. The administrator refused to answer the questions. Nenad Pejic, RFE/RL editor in chief, called the incident "a disgusting example of intimidation," and said that "authorities in Russia appear to be preparing a case against us because of our journalism." NTV is a Kremlin-controlled channel known for conducting defamation campaigns against independent journalists, opposition journalists, and civil-society activists in Russia. The incident comes one week after an edition of the popular television program News Of The Week With Dmitry Kiselyov, the Kremlin's lead propagandist, portrayed RFE/RL journalists as spies conspiring against Russia. During the show, Kiselyov announced that a documentary about U.S. international broadcasting would be forthcoming. RFE/RL's Russian Service, known locally as Radio Svoboda, operates out of a Moscow bureau and RFE/RL's headquarters in Prague. In 2015, Radio Svoboda was the second most-cited radio station in Russian social media, according to the Medialogia agency, right behind Ekho Moskvy. Last year, 430 million people visited RFE/RL websites, where they viewed nearly 1 billion pages of original RFE/RL content. Within that audience, RFE/RL's Russian-language sites provided 266 million pages of content to almost 170 million visitors. RFE/RL Russian-language Facebook pages registered almost 23 million engaged users last year. About RFE/RL and its Russian Service RFE/RL is a private, independent international news organization whose programs -- radio, Internet, television, and mobile -- reach influential audiences in 23 countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). RFE/RLs Russian Service, Radio Svoboda is a multiplatform alternative to state-run media, providing audiences in and around the Russian Federation with timely and balanced news, analysis, and opinion. He lunched with Hitler and Mussolini in wartime, but was awarded postwar medals by Truman and Stalin. He met his future wife at the wedding of his cousin, the young Queen Elizabeth, but tended chickens and vegetables as a farmer in England during lean years in exile. He survived to see his beloved Romania emerge from a half-century of Soviet domination, only to be banned by a jittery postcommunist government alarmed by the former monarch's popularity. King Michael of Romania, who died on December 5 aged 96, was a study in contrast. As the oldest surviving World War II-era head of state and for decades the patriarch of a waning monarchy, he spent most of his twilight years not in any of a choice of Romanian royal palaces but in a small house overlooking Lake Leman, in the Swiss countryside. In March 2016, Michael announced his retirement from public life, with duties to be carried out by his eldest daughter, Princess Margareta. At the time, he was said to be suffering from chronic leukemia and epidermoid carcinoma. His death now draws the curtains on a unique window on the 20th century. Years ago, during an interview in his Swiss home, the king's eyes lit up as he talked about confronting Romania's feared fascist dictator, Ion Antonescu, in August 1944. Momentum in World War II had shifted dramatically and the then-21-year-old ceremonial head of state ordered the arrest of Antonescu -- a fierce soldier whom Nazi Germany's Adolf Hitler had come to respect -- after Antonescu refused to break his alliance with the Axis powers. Michael's action, accomplished with co-conspirators, allowed Romania to switch to the Allied side and had a notable impact on the war. "From what we know, we...shortened the war by several months," he told RFE/RL. "The whole eastern front in Greece and Yugoslavia collapsed because of us." Antonescu, who was also responsible for the extermination of hundreds of thousands of Jews and Roma during the war, was executed in 1946. Michael was decorated by both Soviet leader Josef Stalin and U.S. President Harry Truman. But that wouldn't help him much after the war, when Romania came under Soviet occupation and political parties were banned and elections falsified to install a Moscow-imposed communist regime. Michael, under guard by troops loyal to the communist coup leaders, was forced to abdicate and leave the country in December 1947. Once abroad, he renounced his abdication as forced and again took to using the title "King of Romania." He also married Anna of Bourbon-Parma, whom he had met at the wedding of his cousin, Queen Elizabeth, and they eventually had five daughters. 'You Don't Forget' But while his life in exile was kaleidoscopic, it was not easy. He worked for a Wall Street brokerage, then flew as a test pilot for an aircraft equipment manufacturer. He and his wife even ran a chicken farm in England for a while, before eventually settling in Switzerland. As he told it, his endeavors sometimes attracted media attention but never any concrete political backing, as Romania had been abandoned to the Soviet sphere of influence. It was only after the demise of both communism and Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in December 1989 that it looked like Michael would finally return home. But Romania's postcommunist authorities kept him away, refusing to restore his citizenship, particularly after he drew an estimated 1 million people to downtown Bucharest on a short visit in 1992. Finally, in 1997, a newly elected, pro-Western government officially recognized Michael as a Romanian citizen and former head of state. In 1992, he refused an offer to run for president on an opposition ticket, snubbing politics, unlike his cousin, Simeon of Saxe-Coburg, who ran for office and became Bulgarian prime minister in 2001. Michael eventually regained many of his royal family's properties, but he continued to spend most of his time in the house on the shores of Lake Leman. In a 2009 interview with RFE/RL, King Michael said that despite the hardships he and his family had been through, he held no personal grudges. But he warned that the suffering communism had imposed on the Romanian people should not be forgotten. "Because tens of millions of people have been destroyed practically, gone through absolute hell, and then suddenly they say, 'Well, it's all finished, let's forget it.' You don't forget it," he said. A Russian rocket has lifted off carrying three crew to the International Space Station, including an American grandfather who is expected to set a U.S. record for longevity in space. The rocket took off successfully in windy conditions on March 18 from Russia's Baikonur space base in Kazakhstan with Russians Oleg Skriprochka and Aleksei Ovchinin on board, as well as American Jeff Williams, a grandfather and veteran of long-duration space missions. By the end of his half-year visit to the space station, Williams, 58, "will become the American with the most cumulative days in space -- 534," NASA said. The current U.S. record is held by astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent nearly a year in space and returned to Earth earlier this month, bringing his total to 520 days in space. Both astronauts are participating in experiments to determine the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the body and mind in anticipation of future missions to Mars. The all-time record for cumulative days spent in space is held by Russian cosmonaut Genny Padalka, who racked up 879 days over his career. Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP Moscow says Washington must do more to ensure the cessation of hostilities continues in Syria. Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement on March 19 that "on the whole the cease-fire regime between government troops and opposition forces on the territory of Syria is being observed." But it claimed that opposition fighters in the Homs region had opened fire on government posts, killing one soldier. The statement criticized the United States for what it said was Washington's failure to restrain rebel fighters. There was no immediate reply from Washington. The cease-fire that took effect in Syria three weeks ago has reduced violence but not fully halted fighting as peace talks take place in Geneva. The cessation of hostilities accord, agreed by the United States, Russia, and other powers in Munich on February 11, does not include Al-Qaeda or Islamic State militants. Based on reporting by Reuters The United States has called for the release of two Iranian-American citizens detained without charge in Tehran. Family members say businessman Siamak Namazi was arrested in October while his father Baquer, 80, was detained last month. Both men are believed to be in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. "We're deeply concerned about reports of the detention of U.S. citizens Siamak Namazi and Baquer Namazi in Iran," State Department spokesman John Kirby said on March 18. "We're not aware of any charges against either man, and we believe that both reported detentions are unjust," he said. "We call on Iran to allow consular access via Swiss authorities and to release both men as soon as possible so they can return to their families." Friends describe Siamak Namazi as a businessman who was not involved in politics except for a time when he lobbied Washington to end a U.S. embargo on selling medicines to Iran. Baquer Namazi is a retired UNICEF official. Based on reporting by AFP and Voice of America Russia has withdrawn most of its strike aircraft from Syria and has not carried out air strikes in the north of the country this week, the U.S. military says. "They still have helicopters and some transport aircraft. But what we've seen is that the majority of Russian strike aircraft have left Syria," Colonel Patrick Ryder, a spokesman at the U.S. military's Central Command, said on March 18. His statement represents the first U.S. acknowledgement that Russia is following through on President Vladimir Putin's order to withdraw most Russian forces on March 14. U.S. officials previously expressed skepticism about the surprise withdrawal plan, and some observers continue to insist that Russia has not pulled out of Syria. Ryder said that Russian air strike activity also ceased in the north of Syria this week, though Russian warplanes continue to back Syrian forces fighting against the Islamic State group in the vicinity of the ancient city of Palmyra in southern Syria. The Russian military has said that its jets are flying as many as 25 sorties a day in support of the Syrian offensive to recapture Palmyra from the terrorist group. Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner greeted with restrained concern the Obama administrations rejection of drilling off the Atlantic coast. The Democrats neither cheered nor jeered. I have long believed that the moratorium on offshore drilling, based on a cost-benefit calculation performed decades ago, should be re-examined, said Kaine on Tuesday. Todays announcement by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management suggests that they have grappled with this question and concluded that the risks of such production outweigh potential gains. I am particularly struck by the material objections of the Department of Defense to the incompatibility of drilling with naval operations off Virginias coast, cited by the BOEM as one of the three principal reasons for their decision. I have participated in this debate for over a decade as a Governor and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The DOD has been relatively quiet during this public debate and has never shared (its) objections with me before. I look forward to additional discussions with DOD to understand its position. Warner explained, Weve all been awaiting this decision from the Department of the Interior. I take seriously the concerns the Department of Defense and NASA have raised about the potential impacts of energy exploration and development along the Atlantic coast. I also believe we have to take into account the challenge of securing a fair revenue-sharing agreement for Virginia, and the changed economics surrounding oil and gas development. I look forward to getting a full briefing from the Navy and NASA Wallops about the nature of their concerns. The twin statements do not resemble votes of confidence although they fall short of outright repudiation. The Times-Dispatch believes the administration erred; we also welcome the additional discussions and full briefing cited by Kaine and Warner. Conservatives long have argued that national security outpoints most other concerns. A detailed explanation of security questions is due. We have our doubts. Riverside Church belongs on the itineraries of visitors to New York City. It commands the physical and spiritual heights. Founded by John D. Rockefeller Jr., it rises as a temple of progressive Christianity. The social gospel thrives there. Its pastors have included Harry Emerson Fosdick (author of Shall the Fundamentalists Win?), William Sloane Coffin and James Forbes. Guest speakers have included Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Paul Tillich, Reinhold Niebuhr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and, alas, Fidel Castro. Amy Butler serves as its current senior minister. Riverside conveys the beauty of a European cathedral; its stained glass rivals Chartres, even as it humbles parishioners. The choir sets standards worthy of Bach and as sublime as the sorrow songs. Sundays draw a diverse congregation during what is known as the most segregated hour in America. At Riverside, potential becomes reality. Angels sing. Hes got the whole world in his hands. Riverside enjoys strong relations with Richmond. Forbes, its senior minister emeritus, has family and professional connections with Virginias capital. He has spoken at the Lenten series sponsored by St. Pauls Episcopal Church. His reputation as one of the most gifted preachers in the United States is well deserved. Butler is a worthy successor to a glorious tradition. She appeared at St. Pauls this year. Two days after hearing her during the Lenten offering, a Richmond pilgrim worshiped at Riverside. She spoke; her image endures; mysteries unfold. Riverside has become a church home away from home; Richmond seekers hope the ties between north and south continue to bind, and by binding to liberate. Speaking of New York: Conditions at LaGuardia made the departure of the flight up 30 minutes late. It landed on time. The return flight left 45 minutes late and still arrived at RIC on time. The airlines clearly build ample time into their schedules. Few passengers make connections at RIC. The airport lacks airline lounges where transfer passengers wait for their flights in more comfortable surroundings than at the regular gates. We recommend them, particularly at New York and Atlanta. They saved our sanity during a seven-hour layover in Atlanta, although we drank four gallons of coffee and have not been to sleep since. Quote of the Week (1): Hillary Clinton, in Ohio: Were going to put a lot of coal miners and a lot of coal companies out of business. Quote of the Week (2): An internal EPA memo uncovered by Rep. Jason Chaffetz: Im not so sure Flint is the community we want to go out on a limb for. Heres a two-question test for you: Question 1: Are government employees and public officials (a) always trying to hide something, or (b) of the purest hearts and noblest of actions? Question 2: Is the public (a) always trying to stir up trouble, or (b) of the purest hearts and noblest of actions? In my line of work, I hear from lots of government folks and citizens who wouldnt hesitate for a moment before choosing answer (a) for those on the other side of a request for public records. These same people would hesitate only slightly before choosing answer (b) for those on the same side of that request. Ive been around long enough to know that the choices are really caricatures that very few people actually fall into. Most fall along a spectrum, and most of them fall in the middle. So it makes me wonder just how many high-tension transactions over public records could be alleviated if the parties exchanged hats and looked at a records request as an interaction between two people, instead of two rivals. If citizens wore the hat of the government employee, they would see that more often than not, these are people who are trying to get the job done as best they can. They are people. They have bad days and good days. They have multiple deadlines and responsibilities. They have bosses who may be watching over their shoulder. They may be afraid of messing up and getting in trouble. They may not know the law as well as they wish they did. If government employees and officials wore the hat of the citizen requester, they would see that more often than not, these people seek access to records to help make sense out of something that is happening to them. They are people. They worry about their communities. They are concerned about the impact of decisions on their families. They are making their requests when they get home from work and often with limited funds. They may not know the law as well as they wish they did. At the risk of alienating my friends in government service, though, Im going to ask that they spend more time trying to see things from the citizens perspective because, well, government literally holds all the cards (records). The citizen can ask, and she can kick up a stink if procedures arent followed or records arent released, but unless and until a judge rules otherwise, she cannot compel the government to turn over records. So, my government employee/official friends, think about what it would be like if your town suddenly implemented a day, once a month, where everyone had to go around naked. Compliance with Naked Day will be monitored by the Enforcer. Waivers are available at the mayors sole discretion. Naked Day has come as quite a surprise to you (you work in another town, you see, so you have no inside knowledge of how the decision was made) and, not surprisingly, you have some questions. As a citizen, what would you want to know? Whos idea was this? How much is the Enforcer getting paid and what are her powers? Who was granted or denied a waiver? Have there been any citizen complaints? How has local tax revenue been impacted, since fewer people are eating out or shopping on Naked Day? So, you go to the town and you ask for records that would help you answer these questions: email, invoices, individual salary information, budget reports, waivers, complaints. And thats when you encounter a government employee who is closer to the (a) choice above than the she is to (b). She dithers, she tells you you cant have salary information, she refuses to release the budget reports, she cites exemptions that dont apply to the waivers, and says it will cost at least $1,000. As a citizen, how would you feel about these responses? Of course this is an outrageous example, one where no one would doubt your concerns as a citizen or your right to see the records related to this ridiculous decision. And yet, the same responses to records requests have been given to citizens over far more mundane topics. Ive had a government employee tell me that she refused a business FOIA request for a list of vendors that exhibited at a local festival. She didnt want those vendors to be solicited by the business. Ive seen an email where a government employee urged colleagues to withhold records because she didnt like the requester. And Ive seen records that are usually disclosed withheld because they were about the misbehavior of a public official. None of this should happen. And by depersonalizing requests for records, incidents should be fewer and farther between than ever. Instead of theorizing about why a requester wants a record, or worrying about what shes going to do with it, the best FOIA responders are the ones who look at a request as just another box to check on the to-do list. A request is a request is a request. Now, Ive also seen some citizens shout conspiracy simply because theyve been charged for records and others who have assumed they were denied records because they were perceived as being troublemakers. This is where citizens should depersonalize the transaction, too, by not automatically searching for an ulterior motive when records are somehow denied. It may sound like a contradiction to ask government and citizens to both depersonalize a request and to remember the others humanity, but really they go hand in hand. By acting by the Golden Rule and not jumping to the conclusion that someone intends the other harm, both sides can make FOIA the conversation about access and government accountability that it is supposed to be. It looks like nothing was found at this location. Maybe try a search? Search for: Search A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Roanoke County Fire and Rescue confirmed Saturday afternoon that two children died in an early morning house fire that resulted in the hospitalization of two other children and four adults. A statement from the department said that crews recovered the bodies of two children one 5 years old and the other 10 years old after a house fire in the 7600 block of Mt. Chestnut Road. Spokeswoman Jennifer Conley Sexton declined to identify the children in an email sent with the news release. She wrote that additional information may not be available until Monday. I know there have been reports on social media indicating names of the victims, however, we are not able to release positive identification until we have it, she wrote. The bodies have been taken to the medical examiners office for identification. Although the department has not yet released the names of the six others injured in the fire, friends, property records and other sources report that the residents of the house included parents Thomas and Lindsay McKinnon, who survived, and their two young sons, who apparently died in the fire. North Cross School reported that the boys, Patrick and Logan McKinnon, were students at the private school in Roanoke County. Patrick was in fourth grade and Logan was in kindergarten, the school said. Our community is devastated by the news, said a statement from the school. One of the six people hospitalized was said to be in critical condition, according to a news release from the Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Department. A spokeswoman for Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center said Thomas and Lindsay McKinnon were listed in fair condition Saturday evening. A family of four visiting the house from out of town escaped the fire but required hospitalization, according to a news release. They have not been identified and their conditions have not been reported. The heat of charred debris hindered investigators early attempts to fully assess and work the scene, officials said. A passer-by first reported the fire in the 7600 block of Mt. Chestnut Road, and county fire and rescue crews were dispatched about 1:15 a.m. According to the release, the first crews on the scene found a two-story house almost completely engulfed in flames. The fire had spread to a wooded area behind the house. A long, steep driveway provides access to the house. Initial reports led emergency responders to conclude several family members were missing and might be inside the house. Firefighters entered the house to search for people but were soon forced to evacuate because of its deteriorating condition, officials said. A portion of the house collapsed soon after the firefighters left the house, said Brian Clingenpeel, a spokesman for the fire and rescue department who was at the scene Saturday morning. The house is a total loss, Clingenpeel said. It has collapsed. The department estimated damage to the structure at $250,000 in a later release. A dog managed to escape the fire with family members, according to a release. Another dog and a cat were found outside the home several hours later and are staying with a neighbor, but two other cats remain missing. Career and volunteer crews from Cave Spring, Back Creek, Bent Mountain and Clearbrook fire and rescue stations responded to the fire. Salem units assisted with taking the injured for medical treatment. Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire, according to Sexton. Lindsay McKinnon was once active in youth ministry for St. Johns Episcopal Church in Roanoke and the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia. Connor Gwin, canon missioner for youth and young adults, said that although he did not know Lindsay, he had heard her work praised for its positive impact. Her loss and tragedy will be felt by everyone in the program, Gwin said. The Rev. Eric Long of St. Johns Church said he had communicated with parishioners who were distraught about and stunned by the McKinnons tragedy. He said clergy from St. Johns will be available Monday to help provide counsel at North Cross School, a private K-12 school in Roanoke County with about 490 students. Chris Proctor, the schools headmaster, said both counselors and clergy will be at the school Monday morning. The school will open 30 minutes late Monday so that teachers will have a chance to receive counsel before classes begin, he said. It is a remarkably difficult time at the school, Proctor said. Staff writer Tiffany Stevens contributed to this report. CREATIVE youngsters will trumpet their success as part of an art exhibition this summer. But the pupils masterpieces wont be on show in an art gallery or exhibition. An elephant, which the Laughton Junior and Infant School kids are busy painting with their own unique designs, will form part of a herd of elephants that will trail through Sheffield city centre. The Laughton pupils work will be just one of dozens statues placed in the Little Herd exhibition between July and September as part of the Herd of Sheffield project. There will also be more than 40 statues placed across the city. The elephants will then be auctioned off to raise money for Sheffield Childrens Hospital. The school is also hoping to raise 500 for the hospitals charity by holding its own sponsored stampede. Head teacher Caroline Coates said: The children are really into it. They absolutely love it. The elephant is about three or four feet in size and the children are busy decorating it in lots of different colours and patterns. Organisers of the Herd of Sheffield have chosen elephants for the event after Lizzie, an Indian elephant, was used at the areas steelworks during the First World War after the military bought most of the countrys horses and sent them to the Western Front. Mrs Coates said: Its a really enjoyable project for the children to be involved in but its also really interesting. Were also going to be raising some money for charity too which is very important. "" . . Millennial Moms Review: 2022 Acura MDX is pretty close to the perfect family car I dont know if perfect is attainable, especially considering weve got the world of options when it comes to modern vehicles. Were spoiled and, as such, we have very specific needs and wants. Driving-wise, the 2022 Acura MDX is one of my favourite ... 50% of Indian mobile users wish to upgrade to new device in 5G era About 50 per cent of smartphone users in India plan to buy a new device within the first year as 5G ... I give my consent to Sakshi Post to be in touch with me via email for the purpose of event marketing and corporate communications. Privacy Policy Trojans race to 46-7 win over Ellsworth in prep for postseason If Southeast of Saline wins in the first round, it will host the second round game as well. The Trojans fell to Andale last season in the playoffs. So there we have it Samoa. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaois secret is out of the bag and now in the open. Were referring to the much-anticipated announcement of his Deputy Prime Minister and the chosen 12 for his new look Cabinet. So allow us to take this opportunity to congratulate Prime Minister Tuilaepa on his selection of Cabinet Ministers for the next five years. Indeed, we will all have different interpretations and reactions but that is expected. It is what it is. We especially want to congratulate Samoas first female Deputy Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mataafa, on her appointment. This is a gigantic leap forward in terms of the push for gender equality in the halls of power in this country. Its a moment we should all celebrate. Ladies and gentlemen, its not just the fact that Fiame is a woman that makes this appointment a milestone. She is a well-respected leader with qualifications and merits that have earned her the position. That is what is so wonderful and empowering about this. Whats more, with all the speculations surrounding the position of Deputy Prime Minister prior to Friday, we are sure glad that common sense has prevailed. Away from Fiame and the Deputy Prime Minister, we believe Tuilaepa has made some very smart choices in a number of portfolios. Take for instance the appointment of Sili Epa Tuioti to the position of Minister of Finance. He was the obvious choice and we are sure Sili has the vision, skills and the work ethics to help Samoa out of the doldrums weve found ourselves in. Papalii Niko Lee Hangs return to Cabinet as the Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure is another wise move as well as the decision to allow Lautafi Fio Purcell to continue the good progress he has been making at the Ministry of Public Enterprises. It would be remiss of us not to say that there were a few surprises and perhaps appointments that would raise eyebrows and questions but thats the nature of these things. While one person cannot always get it right, on the other hand, you can never keep everyone happy. Overall, its a very balanced and sensible selection. Its one we can imagine was made under extremely difficult circumstances especially with party unity on the line. Ironically, when Prime Minister Tuilaepa made the announcement, he admitted as much. I wish to say that the selection has proven a lot more difficult given the importance of ensuring a balanced consideration of many factors including individual skills, expertise, capabilities, the years of political experience, a fair geographical distribution and being cognizant of constituencies that have never been represented in Cabinet, he said. The choices we make are ultimately our responsibility, and I am all too aware that coming together is a beginning. Working together is a step towards success. It is in this spirit of togetherness that I hasten to counsel that for those who will not be selected for Ministerial portfolios - which are themselves very limited - other opportunities to serve abound within the parliamentary processes and practices. The truth is that since the country went to the polls two weeks ago, the selection has been the subject of much discussion, speculations and disagreements about who would fill those much sought after seats. Prime Minister Tuilaepa heightened the tension when he flatly refused to reveal or discuss his selection with anyone until he made the announcement on Friday. So imagine then being a member of the H.R.P.P caucus for the past two weeks away from Tuilaepa, the new Speaker of Parliament and his Deputy? Think of the expectations, anticipation, tension and the anxiety. For sure there would have been plenty of nerve-wracking times for the members up until the announcement was made. The look of relief on their faces when their names were called out was priceless. But heres the thing, the idea that one man could have so much power which would allow him to control everything and keep everyone guessing is truly scary. We accept that the term dictator has been dismissed and rejected repeatedly by this administration but then looking at the developments over the past two weeks, especially in relation these appointments, we respectfully beg to differ. This was a classic example of one man having so much power resulting in other party members having no other option but to hold their breaths for dear life. Which brings us to the fate of Tuilaepas former Deputy Prime Minister, Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo. It must be said that the decision to completely exclude him from Cabinet has got to be one of the biggest political snubs in the history of this country. Never before has anything of this nature happened. We agree that Fonotoe had been unwise with some of the things he was caught up in during the last Parliamentary term and that there is always a price to be paid. But to completely ignore him even if he is handed an Associate Minister portfolio later is a real slap in the face. That would hurt. For sure. So what happened there? Could this be the straw that finally breaks the camels back? Or have we just witnessed another masterstroke from the book of Master Tuilaepa? Lastly, the exclusion of Faumuina Tiatia Liuga from Cabinet is reassuring. It gives us hope that Prime Minister Tuilaepa is prepared to do the right thing. Now lets hope these guys dont forget the Chief Auditors report and that of the O.P.C. Have a peaceful Sunday Samoa, God bless! Poverty is not a new issue in Samoa. For some time now, it has been a controversial topic, with views differing on whether it exists or not. During a workshop about the Sustainable Development Goals for Members of Parliament on Thursday, poverty was again on the agenda. Thats because of 17 Sustainable Development Goals that shape the Development Agenda for the next 15 years; Ending Poverty is the first goal. The Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Finance, Lavea Iulai Lavea, presented a paper about the topic, stating that there is no poverty in Samoa. Poverty is a strong word, he said. This is because there is no poverty in Samoa. I think we shouldnt use such the term, instead, we should use the term hardship. Lavea added that, poverty is when we have homeless people on the streets and on the sides of the roads, which is not visible in Samoa. For new Member of Parliament, Lopaoo Natanielu Mua, he believes poverty is a controversial topic because the definition varies from country to country. Another new M.P., Faumuina Wayne Fong, asked the U.N.D.P Resident Representative, Lizbeth Cullity to measure the state of poverty in Samoa from a scale of 1-3. 1- Means that there is no poverty in Samoa, 2- There is little poverty in Samoa and 3- there is absolute poverty in Samoa. Ms. Cullity responded with 2. I would say that when your P.M and other officials talk about poverty, I think they are interpreting the lavishness that you have here in Samoa, she said. I think the idea is from the recognition of being born into the tropical island with a lot of breadfruit and avocado tree; where fish (tuna fish) are just extraordinary. A place where you can have access to food such as banana, taro and etc, growing in your back-yards. She believes that recognising such blessings is why most officials are denying claims that poverty does exist in Samoa. And I couldnt agree more to that, she said. But at the same time, with people depending on the natural environment and lands, we also have climate change and natural disaster. I think you should also look at recognising that there are people who suffer in this country and are suffering. I think its important to recognise that there are people out there living with a lot less than what we have as a group of professional people who are fortunate to get the positions that we have today. So I hope that as new M.Ps you will be able to bring it up to a No.1. Another first time M.P Tofa Lio Foleni, asked which is the best word to describe people who cannot afford electricity and basic necessities such as water and food. Isnt that poverty? Tofa asked. Because there are people out there who cannot afford to pay their bills. But Lavea disagreed. He said such scenario is not a result of poverty. Thats what happens if they dont budget their money wisely. Thats what happen when they prioritize other things instead of paying the bills first. The session was organised by U.N Women and U.N.D.P, in partnership with the Office of the Clerk and Legislative Assembly (O.C.LA) and other government Ministries, focusing on the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. It was part of a three-day induction programme prepared by O.C.L.A aimed at easing the M.Ps into their new roles. The programme included eight different presentations on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by 193 Members States in September 2015. Three U.N Agencies - namely the United Nations Development Programme (U.N.D.P), U.N Women and the International Labour Organization (I.L.O) facilitated thematic sessions on issues such as gender equality, womens empowerment, inclusive growth and work opportunities. The 2030 Agenda is broad and calls for a whole-of-government, whole-of-society strategy. The U.N System needs to engage with Parliamentarians and Government Ministries but also with partners of all levels to make the new development agenda a reality, Ms. Cullity said. The Police are investigating the death of a 64-year old father, Tino Kasio. The man from Apia Park was found dead at the Vaitele Flea Market on Friday. Stall owner, Seila, told the Sunday Samoan that Mr. Kasio was employed by a business couple that run a pool table salon at the market. He is responsible for running those two pool tables, Seila said. When he arrived at around seven oclock, he walked straight towards one of the stalls, laid down and we all heard him begin to snore loudly. The next minute, Seila said he was dead. Were not sure what caused his death. I think we were just so shocked that something like this could happen. A person is here one minute and then he is gone, as in dead, the next. The mans niece, Losa Lemoe, said their family are in deep shock. It was this morning that someone called and told us the bad news, Ms. Lemoe said. When he woke up this morning, he was happy. There was nothing there that indicated to us that he was sick. He looked very normal. I never thought this was going to happen Ms. Lemoe said her uncle is a hardworking man. All he wants is for us to be happy and have a good life, she said. He was dedicated to his work and he was committed. He was always wanting to work to provide for us. Tino was the sole breadwinner of their family. No matter how bad the weather is, hes there to work. We are devastated we just cant believe hes goneit hurts, it hurts a lot. It was not possible to get a comment from the Police yesterday. The new Minister of Finance, Sili Epa Tuioti, had an inkling that he could be given the job but nothing prepared him for what transpired on Friday. The new Member of Parliament for Faasaleleaga No. 1 was thrilled to be sworn in as a M.P but to be appointed as a Cabinet Minister was icing on the cake. Speaking to the Sunday Samoan, Sili reiterated that he believes all callings are from God. I want to thank Him for using me as one of his servants. I am indeed very grateful and humbled, he said. To me, I think its important that we acknowledge his blessings because he has made this possible for us. We shall not lean on our own understanding and knowledge, but we should all give back the glory to Him. Although he might not be new to the area of Finance given his background as a former Secretary of Finance, Sili said he will just listen and observe for the time being. He is looking up to those Parliamentarians who have been in Parliament longer to get a few tips. At the same time, I am looking at continuing the good work and development done by the government for the past years and work on the areas which really needs improvements, he said. I am grateful to God for all His blessings; because of the skills that he had instilled in me, there is really no need for me to go and study all the reports. I have the knowledge and experience of what the Ministry does and how it operates. And I am bringing that with me to this new role. Moreover, Sili said he would try his best and leave the rest to God. I will leave everything to Him to help me out with this new role. Inclusive development is what Sili aims to promote as the new Minister of Finance. It is imperative to have developments that will benefit everyone. Looking forward, Sili said it is important for all Members of Parliament to work together. As the Prime Minister said today, it is very important for all the Member of Parliaments to work together. Thats the key to a successful country. We are all servants, and we work for the same purpose and that is to bring prosperity for Samoa and for all. He highlighted that it is time to start planning and work for a better Samoa. The aim is to broaden our focus onto the next 20-30 years and think about the kind of government we want to have. We need to start planning now and work really hard so that we will have a wealthy Samoa for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Sili added that he believes it is vital to communicate with people and listen to their needs. This is very important so that we do developments based on what our country needs; because we should do everything for the benefit of our people. Sili acknowledged the support of his constituents, his family and friends. Sili Epa Tuioti hails from the village of Sapulu Salelologa. The 63-year-old is married to Pearl Tuioti and they have six children. He is a deacon of the Methodist Church and a graduate of the Rhema Bible College. E sosoo le louloua ma le maninoa By Gods grace and love we are blessed with the opportunity to gather today in good health to witness the start of a new parliamentary term. Samoa pays tribute to each member of this new 16th parliament, to your hard work and dedication, to your perseverance and diligence, and to leading a successful campaign. Any national election campaign demands a lot of commitment and sacrifice. We acknowledge the support and dedication of your constituencies; your families, villages, friends, churches and colleagues both in Samoa and overseas. Leadership is a duty and a privilege. It comes with great responsibility. It is often said that the test of a great leader is not how you perform in times of largesse, but how you perform in times of hardship, conflict and chaos. We hope that you will not experience any major conflicts and chaos, but no doubt there will be challenges. On the 26th of May last year, the Honourable Prime Minister announced the budget for 2015/2016. He titled his budget message Living within our means. He advised that this year will be a year for restraint and prudence, and offered an accounting of the governments achievements for the five years prior. He then laid out a plan for spending and for sector and sub-sector prioritisation. It is the primary task of this 16th parliament to assess, negotiate and implement, in the best interests of our country, the strengths of that and future annual national budgets, and their associated implementation plans. The work of your parliament over the next five years will be greatly assisted by all arms of the state. From our judiciary to our police force through to each of the other state services, all of which are in place to ensure the smooth and peaceful running of state affairs. I wish to make particular mention here of the recent work of the electoral office. They played a significant role in ensuring that all who were eligible to vote were well informed of how, why and where to vote. Ensuring the legitimacy of elections is important to the credibility of your parliament, and to the continued and long term stability of our nation and its commitment to the rule of law. Our electoral office, along with our police force and many volunteers, ensured that on the day of elections we experienced no outbreaks of violence. Samoa can be proud of her legacy as a peaceful nation state. Your parliament is unique compared to earlier parliaments. You not only have more women parliamentarians but also more new (compared with returning) parliamentarians. In fact, new parliamentarians outnumber returning parliamentarians by a significant margin. This may offer fresh and innovative perspectives on both old and new issues. Our churches and their leaders will also continue to provide you with support and guidance. So too will our business communities, the media, national charities, civil societies and international government and non-government partners. The burdens of leadership need not be borne by you alone. Parliament of course is ultimately accountable for the laws it makes on behalf of the nation. But as individual parliamentarians you need not and ought not to bear the burden alone. It can be shared with your peers within your parties, across the House, in select committees, special inquiry commissions, and so on and so forth. True sharing, however, means not the shirking of responsibility through menial delegation or the subjugation of minorities but through a proactive empowering of co-operative leadership. This includes building a governing culture that can ensure an openness to debate, to having informed and constructive dialogue (public and closed), to having quality evaluation data and public access to that data (including transparent and regular data collection, evaluation and reporting processes), and to fully engaging across all sectors a professionalism that includes an ethics of care. These are the imperatives of a just democracy and of the rule of law. Our Constitution embraces the values of democratic government and gives pride of place to both our indigenous and Christian values. You, as the 16th parliament of Samoa, have a responsibility to do all you can to protect the best in our traditional values and in our Constitution. Whilst change is a given for any society, it is also something that can be manipulated for more negative than positive ends. We must always be mindful of this. We must ensure that we do all that is prudently possible to prevent any unlawful manipulation or coercion, active or by omission. The phenomenon of climate change is a real part of our lives today. It is encouraging to note the budgetary commitment made by the last government to addressing the challenges of climate change. This shows prudence and acknowledges the seriousness of the issue. Let me end by quoting Proverbs 8 verse 12. Here the Bible says I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion. If we are to face tight times over the next five years as predicted, you as parliament will need to search for this wisdom and prudence. A wisdom implicit in our own Samoan saying: E sosoo le louloua ma le maninoa. A calm will most certainly follow a storm. I wish you well in your leadership journey over the next five years. As you voyage forward, may you be blessed in your search for Gods wisdom, prudence, knowledge and discretion. You will not journey alone. You have the tapuaiga, the prayerful support, of the nation of those who came before, those who are here now, and those who are yet to come. I hereby declare this 16th parliament of Samoa officially open. God bless. Soifua. The XVI Parliamentary Term is the beginning for the political evolution of Samoa." So vowed Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi on Friday. And with the appointment of Samoas first female Deputy Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mataafa, the evolution has begun indeed. Fiame is not only the Deputy Prime Minister she is also the Deputy leader of the Human Rights Protection Party having won the caucus vote two weeks ago. But she is also the new Minister of Natural, Resources and Environment, a portfolio that will hold great importance for Samoa with millions of dollars being promised by bigger nations to help fight climate change. Speaking to the Sunday Samoan, Fiame said she is honoured by the appointments. She sees them as a leap in the right direction for efforts to achieve gender equality in key decision making roles. Its an additional responsibility but I am looking forward to it, Fiame said about the role of Deputy Prime Minister. There are not any particular duties except deputizing for the Prime Minister at different times but there are also other matters that he wants me to look after. Fiame is a pioneer. And she sees her appointment as a door being opened to motivate other Samoan women and females. She reiterates that she believes women need to participate and engage in the political dialogue and developments to give themselves a chance to be appointed to such high offices. A day after the general election on 4th March, Fiame rose above the male-dominated party winning a caucus vote for the Deputy Leader position. She edged out veteran H.R.P.P. M.P for Palauli ile Falefa, Faumuina Tiatia Liuga and former Deputy Prime Minister, Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo. The appointment at the party level is very encouraging, she said. (It assures) that your colleagues you work with have confidence and trust to elect me. Fiame is a great believer in the saying speak softly, carry a big stick; you will go far. The senior Cabinet Minister was conferred the title Fiame in 1977 and had been serving her family and village ever since. Starting from when I was a young matai I lived in the village for seven years before I ran for office, she said. From there you begin to do the work. Being a Member of Parliament becomes your career and in the process you gain general knowledge and understanding. Her mother was the late Laulu Fetauimalemau Mataafa who entered parliament in 1975. On Laulus retirement from politics, Fiame contested the seat and was elected. She had held the seat since then. Growing up in a family of politicians, her father being the first Prime Minister of Samoa, the late Fiame Mataafa Faumuina Mulinuu II, Fiame isnt gunning to be the first female Prime Minister. I never went into politics to do that, she insisted when she was asked if she would follow her fathers footstep. Im more interested in the development of the country and being part of that. I saw my father when he was in the position and have seen other leadersno one person does it. If it happens it happens if it doesnt its not a dying ambition. Being entrusted with the Ministerial portfolio of Environment, Fiame is confident about her experience at the international level. Its a big area, she admits. (Environment) It also has a lot of international implications. I think with my experience in other areas and mostly at international level I can go forward in this particular portfolio. She added that her new role is a priority not only for Samoa but the Pacific region. Having held several ministerial portfolios over the previous terms, Fiame was a Minister of Education for 15 years at one point. Some of the achievements she is the University, the establishment of district schools, introduction of Samoan as language of introduction and rationalization of tertiary sector. Fiame said it was all about the equity of access. Following that role, she was allocated the portfolio of the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development. The portfolio being a community one, the 58 year old said she had wanted to stay on but was moved to the Ministry of Justice Courts and Administration. She held the ministerial role in the previous parliamentary term. Justice has its own particular challenges, she recalled. Fiame said the interface with the judiciary and working with the Ministry aims to ensure its independence is maintained. But the main goal is to work together with the state so that justice through Courts is delivered. Fiame is one of the longest standing Members of Parliament in Samoa and the first female member of Cabinet She has represented Samoa and the Pacific Islands on the Executive Board of U.N.E.S.C.O and the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth of Learning. She has served as the Pro-Chancellor and Chair of the University of the South Pacific (U.S.P) and also the Pacific Regional representative on the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (C.W.P) Steering Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentarians Association. She maintains strong ties with the Samoa National Council of Women (N.C.W) and the Inailau Womens Leadership Network, both of which she has been a longstanding member. Previously, Fiame convened and led the Women in Leadership Advocacy (WinLA), a network of women Parliamentarians, Chief Executive Officers and Public Service Commissioners in Samoa. Hartford, CT -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/18/2016 -- ImageFIRST Connecticut, a leading provider of scrubs and medical uniforms to Boston, MA area healthcare workers, announced that they will attend the Beryl Institute's 2016 Patient Experience Conference. The gathering, which is set to occur between the 13th and 15th of April, will be the largest non-provider or vendor hosted healthcare event in the United States. It will be held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel in Dallas, TX. ImageFIRST is now an official organizational sponsor of The Beryl Institute. ImageFIRST Connecticut chose to work closely with The Beryl Institute primarily because of their shared ideology, which prioritizes patient experiences above all else. The event will consist of a series of workshops, keynote speeches, networking opportunities, presentations and receptions. The Patient Experience Conference will provide practitioners and other healthcare industry leaders with an opportunity to network and brainstorm with one another, in hopes of ultimately furthering patient healthcare experiences. The Beryl Institute is a global organization that commits itself to assisting healthcare facilities and professionals with the goal of improving their patients' experiences through collaboration and shared knowledge. They define the patient experience as "the sum of all interactions, shaped by an organization's culture, that influence patient perceptions across the continuum of care." ImageFIRST Connecticut is excited to contribute to, learn from and make connections at the Patient Experience Conference. Those interested in learning about ImageFIRST Connecticut, a provider of nurses uniforms to Providence, RI area healthcare workers, can visit their website, or call 800-932-7472 to learn more. About ImageFIRST Founded in 1967, ImageFIRST is the largest and fastest growing national linen rental and laundry service specializing in the outpatient medical market. ImageFIRST's 36 locations nationwide serve over 5,500 medical offices every week, providing linen, patient gowns, scrubs and much more while partnering with facilities to better manage linen inventory. With a customer retention rate of over 95%, ImageFIRST is dedicated to improving patient satisfaction through quality linens and remarkable service: their Comfort Care gowns product line increases patients' favorable perception of a facility by more than 50%. For more information about ImageFIRST Connecticut, the cost-effective solution for greater patient satisfaction, please visit http://new-england-ct.imagefirst.com/. About The Beryl Institute The Beryl Institute is the global community of practice dedicated to improving the patient experience through collaboration and shared knowledge. They define patient experience as the sum of all interactions, shaped by an organization's culture, that influence patient perceptions across the continuum of care. To learn more about the Institute, please visit http://www.theberylinstitute.org. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A little piggy has been adopted after she got loose and sent Good Samaritans on a hog hunt through San Franciscos Mission District this month. Janice the wayward piglets new home will be with Al Wolf, director of Sonoma County Reptile Rescue in Sebastopol, San Francisco Animal Care and Control announced Friday. Were gonna miss her, said Deb Campbell, a spokeswoman for San Francisco Animal Care and Control, the shelter where Janice has been staying. Shes so awesome. Shes so cute. The 10-pound porker led a group of people on a chase on Dolores Street on March 8, running under cars to evade her pursuers and prompting a police officer to block traffic in the area. Brother Damian of the Society of Saint Francis headed the pursuit. We had a three-block up-and-down and up-and-down chase, he said the day of Janices capture. The 46-year-old friars morning prayer service in the Mission was interrupted around 8:30 a.m. by a St. Francis deacon who told him a pig was running around the busy intersection at 19th and Dolores streets. It was a quick little piglet, Brother Damian said. Eventually, a construction worker caught the swift swine, and animal control workers gave Janice her name and a temporary home at the shelter. Though her owner never came forward, dozens of people tried to adopt the unclaimed piglet. The shelter decided to go with Wolf, who founded the reptile nonprofit in 1989, because of his animal expertise, Campbell said. Come 11 a.m. Saturday, Wolf will pick up Janice from the shelter to take her to her new home. Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno Steve Wozniak beamed like the proverbial candy-store kid Friday as he marveled at the Silicon Valley Comic Con exhibit devoted to his friend, comic book legend Stan Lee. And the Apple co-founder best known as Woz couldnt wait to get in line for photo ops with Star Treks Nichelle Nichols or Harry Potters Bonnie Wright. Wozniak could pull strings and jump to the front. He is, after all, the co-organizer for the biggest geek fest Silicon Valley has seen in years. But he wants to enjoy the three-day event, which opened Friday night, just like everybody else. My wife may object, but I want to pay the normal rate, Wozniak said during a pre-show walk through the San Jose Convention Center with The Chronicle. Its just like standing in line for iPhones, feeling like youre a part of the world. About 25,000 three-day tickets have been sold for the event a blend of science fiction, pop culture and technology and single-day tickets are expected to sell out Saturday. The more than 250 exhibitors range from comic book sellers and artists to tech companies showing off their virtual reality creations. Fridays opening featured William Shatner, Capt. James T. Kirk in the original incarnation of Star Trek, which premeired 50 years ago this September. Late additions included Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura on the original series, and Peter Mayhew, Chewbacca from Star Wars. Time machine The convention will also feature a replica of the DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future, as well as three of the 1985 movies stars. And Madame Tussauds wax museum will unveil a wax version of Wozniak. Wozniak organized the event with Lee, the creative force behind Marvel Comics and its ever-expanding line of movies. In a previous interview, Wozniak said he and Lee met for the first time about four years ago at a Marvel Comics theme party in Las Vegas and, We just hit it off. They started talking about bringing a comic con to the Bay Area. As workers finished setting up the convention Friday, Wozniak said he and Lee lamented that there was no such event in his hometown of San Jose, which has always been known as the heart of Silicon Valley, of the geeks who love these comic heroes as well as superhero movies and science fiction movies. And the area seemed like a natural for a comic con because of the imagination that computers have brought us in terms of visual effects that are in the movies, he said. Creativity has gotten really big. Its recognized so well in the Silicon Valley and the rest of the world. The convention is on track to make a profit, and organizers are already planning on a Tokyo comic con in December. Having fun But Wozniak said hes more concerned that people have fun at the convention. Thats much more important than, Did it make money, or How much? he said. I want people to go away thinking, Im going to come back, I saw a lot of things that affected me visually and emotionally. Wozniak spent the morning and early afternoon briefing reporters on the convention, but he also took time to record a video for a convention worker who planned to use it as part of a proposal to his girlfriend. A lot of things in our life we value, and they are important, Wozniak said, but there is nothing as great as true love. Benny Evangelista is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: bevangelista@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChronicleBenny Plans for a new IKEA store in Dublin the third in the Bay Area after Emeryville and East Palo Alto locations are under fire by a group of East Bay locals. A new petition launched by Tom Cignarella and supported by other residents hoping to squash the proposal is already gaining traction. The Change.org campaign, started earlier this week, has already received lots of support from others also against the new IKEA location. "While there is always merit to increasing the revenue for a town, there are many reasons this is a bad idea," the Change.org page reads. "At some point enough has to be enough...Asking for support from as many Dublin California residents as possible to send a message to the Dublin City Council that this is not a welcome addition to our town." So far, the Change.org petition has garnered over 1,100 signatures, and it is growing fast. More for you New IKEA store coming to Dublin "It's amazing how many people have signed on," Cignarella tells SFGATE. "In a perfect world I'd like to think that IKEA would start to get the picture at some point and realize this is a losing battle and move on to some other place. My next step at this point is to keep trying to spread the word as far and wide as possible." The problem is not a new one for Dublin residents. In 2001, the Swedish furniture retail giant attempted to build a store in an unincorporated 24 acres near Pleasanton. Eventually, those plans fell through, but the notion that this area offered "one of the few places in the Bay Area that still has room to grow" apparently remained. Ultimately, IKEA decided to try again, to the chagrin of locals. "Dublin will market itself as [being like a] 'Hometown, America,'" Cignarella added. "'Hometown, America' does not have a 350,000 square foot giant blue box in it that attracts people from all over the place." IKEA would disagree on that point, stating that they believe customers on the Eastern edge of Bay Area would find a new, closer-to-home location useful. "We continue to be thrilled with the reception afforded us in the Bay Area, so we are excited about submitting plans for IKEA Dublin to extend our reach further into the East Bay," said IKEA U.S. President Lars Petersson. "This proposed store would complement the presence in Emeryville and East Palo Alto, providing Tri-Valley customers their own store." Residents like Cignarella are not quite convinced. He maintains that Dublin's quality of life will diminish as a result of the new store's presence. "[As] the small town I moved into I knew it was going to continue to grow, but it's as if our goal was to cover every square inch of the town with something, regardless of whether it makes sense or not," he says. "It's not that I'm against growth, but [rather about] doing it in the right way first." Alyssa Pereira is an staff writer for SFGATE. Follow her here on Twitter. A man wanted on allegations of child molestation was shot and killed by three Contra Costa County sheriffs deputies Friday morning after he escalated an overnight standoff in Byron by leaving his home through a window and raising his gun at officers, department officials said. The incident began when deputies went to a home on Hoffman Lane around 10 p.m. Thursday to serve a $1.15 million arrest warrant on the man, alleging 12 counts of abusing a foster child. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 BECK DIEFENBACH/Reuters Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Beck Diefenbach, Reuters Show More Show Less 3 of 3 A foreman at a Petaluma slaughterhouse was sentenced to three months in federal prison Friday for his role in a scheme to sell meat from ailing cattle that had not been inspected, leading to a nationwide recall of 8.7 million pounds of beef and veal products in 2014. Felix Cabrera, 56, of Santa Rosa pleaded guilty in November 2014 to conspiring to distribute adulterated, misbranded and uninspected meat. Three others, including Jesse Amaral, owner of the former Rancho Feeding Corp., have been sentenced on similar charges. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. A Florida jury sided with ex-pro wrestler Hulk Hogan on Friday and awarded him $115 million in his sex tape lawsuit against Gawker Media. The jurors reached the decision Friday evening, less than six hours after they began deliberations. The trial lasted two weeks, and Hogan wept as the verdict was read. The jury isnt finished; they will return to court Monday to consider punitive damages. Just moments after the verdict, Gawker founder Nick Denton said he will appeal, based on evidence that wasnt introduced in court. Given the key evidence and the most important witness in this case were withheld from the jury, we all knew the appeals court would need to resolve this case, Denton said. Hogans team issued a statement as well: Were exceptionally happy with the verdict. We think it represents a statement as to the publics disgust with the invasion of privacy disguised as journalism. Hogan, 62, whose given name is Terry Bollea, sued Gawker for $100 million for posting a video of him having sex with his former best friends wife. Hogan contended the 2012 post violated his privacy. Jurors, media and thousands who followed the case on Twitter and live-stream video were treated to days of details about Hogans sex life, body part size, and images of him in thong underwear. There was wrestling history, videos of Hogan yukking it up with Howard Stern and, most notably, how Gawker a 12-year-old news and gossip website in New York City does journalism differently from legacy media. Earlier Friday, in spirited closing arguments, lawyers for Hogan and Gawker discussed themes of personal life versus celebrity and freedom of speech versus the right to privacy. Hogans attorneys told jurors that Hogan didnt consent to the video, that Gawker didnt follow usual journalism procedures before posting it and that the video wasnt newsworthy. Gawker did not try to contact Hogan or the woman in the video; nor did the website contact the womans husband, DJ Bubba the Love Sponge Clem, who recorded the video. Hogan didnt ask for any of this to happen, lawyer Kenneth Turkel said, adding that Bollea, the private man, expected privacy during an intimate moment. Gawkers attorneys argued Hogan spoke publicly about the tape. He has consistently chosen to put his private life out there, for public consumption, attorney Michael Sullivan said. 1 Bail revoked: A graduate of a New England prep school who was convicted of sexually assaulting a younger student was taken into custody Friday after acknowledging that he violated conditions of his bail agreement by missing curfew. A judge in Concord, N.H., said Owen Labrie would begin his one-year jail sentence immediately. Labrie had been living with his mother in Tunbridge, Vt., as he appealed his sentence. He was supposed to be home between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. each night, but a prosecutor said he violated it at least eight times. Labrie was arrested in 2014 days after graduating from St. Pauls School. He was 18 at the time of the encounter. 2 Daughters slain: An award-winning concert pianist arrived at his estranged wifes home in Benbrook, Texas, to pick up their two daughters and found the girls slain in their beds, police said Friday. Authorities say their mother, who had suffered knife wounds, faces a mental health exam. Vadym Kholodenko stopped Thursday at the home where he formerly lived to pick up Nika, 5, and 1-year-old Michela, Benbrook police Cmdr. David Babcock said. The Ukrainian-born musician found his wife, Sofya Tsygankova, in an extreme state of distress and discovered the dead girls. The pianist then called 911, police said. Kholodenko, a previous winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, is not a suspect, Babcock said. The couple had filed for divorce in November. WASHINGTON President Obama called again Saturday for Senate Republicans to consider his nominee for the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland. Republicans countered by warning Democrats not to seek to further divide our nation by using the Supreme Court fight to score cheap political points in an election year. In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama acknowledged that were in the middle of an especially noisy and volatile political season. However, the president argued: At a time when our politics are so polarized; when norms and customs of our political rhetoric seem to be corroding this is precisely the time we should treat the appointment of a Supreme Court justice with the seriousness it deserves. Because our Supreme Court is supposed to be above politics, not an extension of politics. And it should stay that way. Obama urged Senate Republicans to give Judge Garland the respect he has earned. Give him a hearing. Give him an up-or-down vote. To deny it would be an abdication of the Senates constitutional duty. It would indicate a process for nominating and confirming judges that is beyond repair. In the GOP response, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said the battle over the vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia was unique because an Obama choice would push the courts 4-4 split in the liberal direction and because the vacancy occurred in the middle of an election year. Scalia died Feb. 13. Tillis repeated the GOP argument that they would give voters a chance to decide the next justice by postponing action until the president elected in November makes a choice. He never mentioned Garland, whom Obama nominated Wednesday. The president and Democratic leaders arent exactly thrilled with giving the American people a voice, said Tillis, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Tillis said Republicans were already moving on to addressing drug addiction and the needs of the military and veterans and said the next move was up to Obama and congressional Democrats. Will they join us in doing our jobs on behalf of the American people? he said. Or will they instead seek to further divide our nation by turning the Supreme Court process into a blatantly partisan back and forth? Are they going to resort to blocking and sabotaging important legislation and good-faith efforts to help the American people, all in the name of seeking to score cheap political points in an election year? On Friday, Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk became the first GOP senator to publicly abandon his party leaders insistence on blocking the process until a new president makes a nomination. Its just man up and cast a vote, Kirk said on Chicago radio station WLS. Kirk faces a tough re-election contest this fall and is considered one of the most endangered Senate GOP incumbents. Republican leaders opposed to Donald Trumps candidacy are preparing a campaign to deny him the presidential nomination, starting with an aggressive battle in Wisconsins April 5 primary and extending into the summer, with a delegate-by-delegate lobbying effort that would cast Trump as a calamitous choice for the general election. Recognizing that Trump has seized a formidable advantage in the race, they say that an effort to block him would rely on an array of desperation measures, the political equivalent of guerrilla fighting. But should that effort falter, leading conservatives are prepared to field an independent candidate in the general election, to defend Republican principles and offer traditional conservatives an alternative to Trumps hard-edged populism. They described their plans in interviews after Trumps victories Tuesday in Florida and three other states. The names of a few well-known conservatives have been offered in recent days as potential third-party standard-bearers, and William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard, has circulated a memo to a small number of conservative allies detailing the process by which an independent candidate could get on general-election ballots across the country. Among the recruits under discussion are Tom Coburn, a former Oklahoma senator, and Rick Perry, the former Texas governor. Coburn said Trump needs to be stopped and that he expected to back an independent candidate against him. He said he had little appetite for a campaign of his own but did not flatly rule one out. Trump opponents convened a series of councils last week to pinpoint his biggest vulnerabilities and consider whether to endorse one of his two remaining opponents, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio. David McIntosh, president of the conservative Club for Growth, which has spent millions on ads attacking Trump, said his group met Wednesday and concluded it was still possible to avert Trumps nomination. Its not a layup, but theres a clear path to victory, McIntosh said. On Saturday, protesters blocked a main highway leading into the Phoenix suburb where Trump held a campaign rally alongside Arizonas tough-talking Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The protesters parked their cars in the middle of the road, unfurling banners reading Dump Trump and Must Stop Trump. Several thousand miles away in New York, demonstrators also took to the streets Saturday to protest the Republican presidential hopeful. They marched to Trump Tower, the Fifth Avenue skyscraper in Manhattan where Trump lives. Then they marched to Columbus Circle, adjacent to Central Park, for a rally. The Associated Press contributed to this report. BCN25) OAKLAND (BCN) About 60 housing activists shut down the Oakland Chamber of Commerce 2016 Economic Summit this morning. The activists shut down the conference by locking their arms in PVC pipes to prevent attendees from entering the Kaiser Center Auditorium at 300 Lakeside Drive for the planned summit, scheduled to start at 7:30 a.m. By 9 a.m., today's event had been postponed. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf was scheduled to speak this morning. The activists were demanding that the mayor declare a housing state of emergency. When the mayor got to the summit and heard of the protest she asked the protesters if they would like to speak with her so the summit could go on. But the protesters refused, the mayor's spokeswoman Erica Terry-Derryk said. Spokeswoman for the protesters Carroll Fife said 25 percent of Oakland's population has been displaced in the last decade and each day landlords evict an average of 33 households in Oakland. But the mayor is looking for a long-term solution to an immediate problem, Fife said. The protest was a success, she said. "Now we just hope the mayor declares this state of emergency," she said. President and CEO of the Oakland African-American Chamber of Commerce Cheryl Perry-League, who was at the summit to learn about the direction of the Oakland economy, said the housing crisis in Oakland has to be addressed. But she said that it's something to be addressed in a partnership between housing activists, business groups and city officials. She argued that the Chamber of Commerce is not against the affected groups. Perry-League suggested discovering the way one group affects the other and then developing a strategy to address the problem. She said the young protesters will need a job or may want to start a business. The businesses at the summit offer or promote opportunities and jobs. Her vision is to see the two sides come together. The summit was meant to explore the reasons investors and businesses are choosing Oakland as a place to invest and do business. Protesters held signs that read, "Our housing crisis is not your profit opportunity." Fife said Schaaf needs to connect with communities being affected by the housing crisis, especially the black community. That's what the problem boils down to, Fife said. The mayor's office said Schaaf is still open to a conversation with the activists. Terry-Derryck said the mayor is aware of the soaring rents and lack of affordable housing, which can displace current residents. In response, the mayor has developed a plan to protect 17,000 households from displacement over the next eight years and create 17,000 new units of housing at all income levels over the next eight years, Derryck said. Schaaf has also started an inspection program so vulnerable residents can report unsafe housing conditions to city officials. She's relaxed city requirements on secondary housing units to increase the amount of available housing. She's asked for more money for tenant support and protection. She's also declared a shelter emergency to make more shelter beds available so city officials have the flexibility to develop short and long-term solutions to the affordability problem. Oakland Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Barbara Leslie said in a statement that chamber officials had no choice but to cancel the summit. She said the protest was unrelated to the summit and that local leaders were eager to hear from speakers such as OCHO Chocolate Founder Denis Ring who is committed to creating jobs for residents of West Oakland. "While the protestors chose to deny participants the opportunity to learn about some of the great work being done (in Oakland), the chamber and its partners in the public and private sector will continue their efforts to build a thriving Oakland," Leslie said. Police at 11:00 a.m. said officers had not reported any arrests. 874-4808 President and CEO of the Oakland African-American Chamber of Commerce (510) 928-9912 cellphone or oaaccpresidentcpl@gmail.com Erica Terry Derryck for Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf (510) 238-7072 Oakland police (510) 238-7230 Cal Performances, it would seem, is going experimental on us, and the gesture couldnt be more overdue. With the local premiere of Trajal Harrells weird and whimsical performance piece,The Ghost of Montpellier Meets the Samurai Friday, March 18, at Zellerbach Playhouse, the veteran dance presenter has brought an unusually provocative, contemporary artist into the spotlight, and one can only hope for more. Harrell, an American residing abroad, deals, it would seem, with traditions. The title of the 2015 work references two dance legends, the Frenchman Dominique Bagouet (creator of the New Dance of the 1980s) and Tatsumi Hijikata, founder of the austere Japanese movement form known as butoh. The 90-minute work imagines that the pair conceived a collaborative dance (it would be banal to call it a mashup), which this seven-member crew will reconstruct for us. It takes a while to get there, but the setup is both perplexing and pleasurable. First, Harrell informs us that we will not see the announced piece, but something called Caen Amour. Then, veteran company dancer Thibault Lac performs as Trajal Harrell, while the real Harrell in the audience clarifies the circumstances of the Bagouet-Hijikata encounter (it happened, not in Paris but in a gay bar in Greenwich Village, and it also involved LaMamas Ellen Stewart). Disorienting effect Dancers wander through, humming in counterpoint. Stephen Thompson totes in a pile of objects, which he proceeds to raffle off. Such interjections (and they include a debate on the comparative talents of actors Fanny Ardant and Catherine Deneuve) keep us from the end of the story, and the disorienting effect is deliberate. Finally, the lights go dim. At a modest table, dancers smear their colleagues faces with the standard white makeup of butoh. What we see is a procession of dancers voguing and gesticulating their way through the performance space (Harrell moves through the audience.) The costuming veers to runway black, then to drag, with Harrell finally settling for a multicolored skirt. Arms constantly propel the dancers. Convincing skeptics What strikes you is how little the choreography resembles either of the movement styles of the supposed models. And that seems the point of the piece. We create our own traditions. Harrell is the choreographer who made voguing relatively respectable in the dance world, and he goes at it with such joy that skepticism evolves into belief. Somewhere in the middle of all this, Lac steps to the mike and delivers a hilariously self-pitying monologue. One senses a trajectory in the piece. Solitary processions evolve into duets; and when dancers touch, it seems a milestone. The uncredited musical score is all French chansons, and it all happens within the skimpiest of decors. The Ghost of Montpellier seems to break down performative barriers. Even the bows, with their dress-up antics, suggest theres more to come. The other principals Friday were Camille Durif Bonis, Perle Palombe, Christina Vassiliou and Ondrej Vidlar. After an hour and a half, you feel you know them intimately. Allan Ulrich is The San Francisco Chronicles dance correspondent. Trajal Harrell: The Ghost of Montpellier Meets the Samurai, 2 pm, Saturday, March 19, Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Berkeley. $24-$48, (510) 642-9988, www.calperformances.org This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Celia Maddox distinguishes between being thoughtful and overthinking. Look no further than her reasoning for upgrading the finishes and form of 1117 Portal Ave. in the Crocker Highlands neighborhood of Oakland where shes lived since 2013. I wanted to make my home more interesting, said Maddox, who responded to her own challenge by commissioning a family room and wet bar on the lower level. Bay views from five rooms only increase the homes appeal. But overall design and adaptability clinched her decision to buy. One of the most appealing parts of the home is how its multifunctional. A family could take up the entire house, or the lower level could host an au pair or caretaker, she said. The refined three-bedroom enjoys Brazilian hardwood flooring, always-changing vistas and a wet bar in its media room. A Viking stove outfits the updated chefs kitchen, and a soothing sunroom opens to an inviting deck. Functional aspects of the home progressed as well. Maddox installed a washer and dryer on the bedroom level, creating the convenience of separate laundry areas spread across two floors. A one-car garage now occupies the space where a flimsy carport once stood. Two compact bedrooms shared a wall before Maddox owned the home. Shortly after finalizing the deal, she had workers take out the wall and install a walk-in closet in the freshly expanded bedroom. Public rooms in the English-style country home have a tone of traditional elegance. Thick baseboards and dense moldings accent rooms that enjoy seamless flow through wide entryways. Beadwork adorns a mantel surrounding the living rooms wood-burning stone fireplace. Pass through an archway to transition into a tiled sunroom with bay views. Windows occupy two walls of the family room, while a third contains French doors opening to the rear deck. Traditional hardware and display cabinetry finish a bright kitchen with bay views. Lightly colored granite counters complements the earth tone tiles used for the floor and backsplash. The listing hosts an open house this weekend. Visit www.1117Portal.com to learn more. Listing agent: Judy Cain, Grubb Co., (510) 612-0204, cain@grubbco.com; Ben Kahn, the Grubb Co., (510) 260-7141, bkahn@grubbco.com. Details Address: 1117 Portal Ave., Oakland. Price: $1.25 million. Features: Bay views accompany nearly every room of this charming three-bedroom that looks as if it were plucked from the English countryside. Brazilian cherry floors span the interior of a home that offers a level entry, two laundry rooms and a Viking stove in its chefs kitchen. The lower level contains a separate entrance and family room, providing potential for an au pair or guest quarters. Open home: 2 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. ISTANBUL A suicide attack on Istanbuls main pedestrian shopping street Saturday killed five people, including two dual-nationality Israeli Americans and one Iranian citizen, and wounded several dozen others, in the sixth suicide bombing in Turkey in the past year. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion fell on the Islamic State group and on Kurdish militants who have claimed two recent attacks in the capital, Ankara. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that at least two of the victims were Israelis. An Israeli diplomat in Istanbul said the two also held American citizenship. A spokesman for the State Department, John Kirby, confirmed that two U.S. citizens, Yonathan Suher and Avraham Goldman, were among those killed. The explosion ripped through Istiklal Street, a popular destination for tourists and locals in a central neighborhood that is home to cafes, restaurants, foreign consulates and a government office. Turkey has always said that terrorism has no religion, no language and no race and that terrorism has to be condemned no matter who the perpetrators are, said Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. This sad event has shown once again how right our position is. An interior ministry official said the death toll included the suicide bomber. Police swiftly sealed off the area as ambulances and a forensic team rushed to the scene after the bombing about 11 a.m. Normally packed cafes were either closed or virtually empty, with business owners making frantic calls to loved ones to assure them of their safety. The site remained off limits until shortly after sundown when tentative pedestrians and shopkeepers returned to inspect the damage. Turkey was already on edge following two recent suicide car bomb attacks in the capital, Ankara, which were claimed by a Kurdish militant group. The most recent bombing attack, on March 13, killed 37 people including two bombers. The New York Times contributed to this report. Your digital subscription includes access to all content on our agricultural websites across the nation. Access unlimited content and the digital versions of our print editions - This Week's Paper. BENGALURU: It is a common case in India where less attention is given to protect the valuable animal habitats and to preserve them. The government as well as the related authorities is to be blamed for the actions which led to the extinction or nearing extinction of a variety of animal and bird species in the country. Given here are the five places in India which are affected the most according to indiatimes.com. Sanjay Gandhi National Park- Mumbai The proposed path for the Delhi-Mumbai freight corridor is contentiously routed through the Sanjay Gandhi national park (SGNP) as a result of which around 12,000 trees are expected to be cut for the construction. This would bring about 40 types of mammals, including leopards and deer, 274 species of birds and 78 species of reptiles under threat. Moreover the SGNP which is the largest tropical forest to be surrounded by a city is a big relief for Mumbai in balancing air pollution. Read Also: Potential Zika Risk Estimated For 50 US Cities: Study India's Answer to Google with First Driverless Car By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent. Agree Best Canadian Blog 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 About Kate Why this blog? Until this moment I have been forced to listen while media and politicians alike have told me "what Canadians think". In all that time they never once asked. This is just the voice of an ordinary Canadian yelling back at the radio - "You don't speak for me." (goes to a private mailserver in Europe) I can't answer or use every tip, but all are appreciated! Katewerk Art Support SDA I am not a registered charity. I cannot issue tax receipts. Reconnaissance Man Economics for the Disinterested ...a fast-paced polar bear attack thriller! Want lies? Hire a regular consultant. Want truth? Hire an asshole. Weather Shop Click to inquire about rates. Dow Jones What They Say About SDA "Smalldeadanimals doesn't speak for the people of Saskatchewan" Former Sask Premier Lorne Calvert "I got so much traffic after your post my web host asked me to buy a larger traffic allowance." Dr.Ross McKitrick Holy hell, woman. When you send someone traffic, you send someone TRAFFIC. My hosting provider thought I was being DDoSed. - Sean McCormick "The New York Times link to me yesterday [...] generated one-fifth of the traffic I normally get from a link from Small Dead Animals." Kathy Shaidle "Thank you for your link. A wave of your Canadian readers came to my blog! Really impressive." Juan Giner - INNOVATION International Media Consulting Group I got links from the Weekly Standard, Hot Air and Instapundit yesterday - but SDA was running at least equal to those in visitors clicking through to my blog. Jeff Dobbs "You may be a nasty right winger, but you're not nasty all the time!" Warren Kinsella "Go back to collecting your welfare livelihood."Michael E. Zilkowsky Intelliweather Seismic Map Comments Policy Read this Best Of SDA Hide The Decline The Bottle Genie (ClimateGate links) You Might Be A Liberal Uncrossing The Line Bob Fife: Knuckledragger A Modest Proposal (NP) Settled Science Series Y2Kyoto Series SDA: Reader Occupation Survey Brett Lamb Sheltered Workshop Flakes On A Plane All Your Weather Are Belong To Us Song Of The Sled The Raise A Flag Debacle (Now on Youtube!) (.mwv Video) Abuse Ruins Life Of Girl Trudeaupiate Kleptocrat Jeans Child Labour I Concede Small Dead Feminist Protein Hoser: THK Interview The Werewolf Extinction Dear Laura (VRWC) We Wait Blogging The Oscars Jackson Converts To Islam Just Shut The HELL Up Manipulating Condi Gay Equality Rights The rise and fall of the GOP's "best chance to beat Hillary". Perhaps had he started earlier, it would have made a difference - or not. Republican conventional wisdom seemed to suggest that just like with Romney in 2012, the GOP would settle on an "electable" and somewhat moderate choice. The problem with that theory, says Luntz, is conventional wisdom in 2016 has proved utterly worthless, though it took the GOP months to accept it. "Republicans didn't listen," says Luntz. "They didn't hear the anger because they spent too much time in Washington and not enough in the rest of America. The Republican finance people, the donor class, they didn't see it and didn't hear it, and by the time they did, it was too late." Luntz compared it to a horror film: "You know something's out there, but you don't see it until you're getting stabbed." [...] The chaos of the early months leading up to Iowa and New Hampshire landed D.C.'s Republican policy elite in a morass unlike they'd ever experienced. The big names in foreign policy - Michael Hayden, Paul Wolfowitz, George Shultz - had backed Jeb Bush, the presumptive nominee. Now they and many others looked on, shell-shocked by the unexpected collapse of Bush's campaign, with the possibility of being out of a job. "If you're part of the class of foreign-policy experts in D.C. who look at each four years as a prospect of being part of a new administration and new foreign-policy team, where do you go?" says a Washington think-tank expert. "They were hopeful Rubio could salvage what looked lost for Jeb. And they were horrified by Cruz and Trump. Trump, in particular, was terrifying. Who was advising him? Was anyone? Because that was, ultimately, the point. "There's a huge infrastructure of consultants, strategists, policy advisers, pollsters, direct-mail people...and normally they'd be looking forward to a huge payday when their candidate wins," says Bruce Bartlett, a Republican consultant and veteran of the Reagan White House. "This has nothing to do with issues - it's about power. Trump hasn't hired any of those people. He can't be controlled. That scares the shit out of them!" Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal. Please purchase an Enhanced Subscription to continue reading. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! 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Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe37190)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0514598)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe37190)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0514598)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe37b38)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0514598)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0514598)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee50be50)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f03ead70)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f03ead70)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948 /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0306c18)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0331e68)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0306c18)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0331e68)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0306d68)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0331e68)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0331e68)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee50cd78)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f032efe8)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f032efe8)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 It's the kind of event where three performers dancing and undressing in the middle of the street and a student sitting motionless with a hessian bag over her head is situation normal. Art, Not Apart returned to the NewActon precinct on Saturday and it delivered what it promised fading the boundaries between art and the people who experience it. This performance piece by third year ANU School of Art furniture workshop student Susannah Bourke had passers-by intrigued. Credit:Graham Tidy How many people does it take to play a piano? Up to 11, if you're talking about the version in the Nishi building foyer where Antonio Fernandez happily approached observers to ask them to play their part in adding to the sound. At least five members of the public had a hand on the ivories at one point, while others stroked, plucked or straight-out banged the chords or wooden frame in a chaotic but charming ensemble effort. The ACT government has defended an unpaid mentoring program offered during the Enlighten festival in the wake of criticism from local artists. The mentoring program, advertised as a way to support young artists and develop skills, came under fire this week from several identities in Canberra's art circles who expressed concern at the use of exposure and promotion as payment for work. Controversy has erupted over an unpaid mentoring program during this year's Enlighten. Credit:Melissa Adams The ACT government and Enlighten organisers Electric Canvas offered four artists two from Canberra and two from interstate as well as a fifth from the National Library of Australia a place in the program, during which they were mentored and had their work projected onto buildings during the festival earlier this month. The expression of interest for the program noted "this opportunity is aimed at skills development and as such selected participants will not receive any financial remuneration", however, travel and accommodation expenses were covered for trips to studio sessions in Sydney and preview events in Canberra. JK: Yes, at present, traffic can't get directly on to City Hill from Parkes Way, and that's good. However, the proposed plan will let that happen, defeating the government's aim of "calming" traffic on Vernon Circle. It currently severely impedes pedestrian access to the hilltop park. Architect Jack Kershaw is critical of the City to the Lake plans of ACT chief minister Andrew Barr, including the first stage of the West Basin Transformation. Credit:Matt Bedford TT: You indicated that, apart from being hugely expensive, the government's proposed vertical duplication of Parkes Way between City Hill and the lake, and the deletion of the existing cloverleaf roads there, is a flawed arrangement. JK: The fine existing road arrangements south of the hilltop park should remain. Expansive views from the hill of the lake, Parliament House, and the mountains would be maintained by keeping the open-space cloverleaf road arrangement just south of the hilltop. A fourth cloverleaf, in the southeast sector of the hill, needs to be installed to fully and symmetrically ensure those views, and to assist eastbound traffic on London Circuit South gain access to Commonwealth Avenue. With the advent of the Majura Parkway and the Gungahlin Drive Extension as east and west city bypasses, and Russell Hill becoming a magnificent national-capital-arrival place, London Circuit could handle most north-south through traffic. That frees up Vernon Circle and City Hill for more enlightened and attractive development than currently planned. TT: Isn't the government currently extending Constitution Avenue, and later Edinburgh Avenue, to Vernon Circle, supposedly to calm its traffic? JK: That's expensive, noisy, unnecessary, and removes land for fine civic development akin to that at Civic Square and Knowles Place, opposite Ainslie and University Avenues respectively. TT: What about linking the city to the lake, particularly West Basin? JK: The existing footbridges over Parkes Way obviously need work to make them more visible and attractive. They should be supplemented with additional pedestrian routes, especially from City Hill South. No one will contest the fact that Canberra is the centre of government. This is often taken as a given whether we like it or not. With this comes the implicit responsibility that our city must be a place with the best governance. People expect this, and there is no reason why they shouldn't. Merlin Kong, the new executive director of the Property Council of Australia ACT. Credit:Rohan Thomson Given the sheer size and scope of government decision-making in our city, its procurement function is integral in the day-to-day business of governing. Procurement is not the sexiest of government functions, but in recent times, we've seen this topic come up time and time again as a result of ACT government and opposition policies. NEW YORK: Linguists can't precisely pinpoint when "button-down" was redefined from cutting-edge collegiate to uniformly conformist, but the marketing expertise of the Gantmacher brothers of Brooklyn probably had something to do with it. Beginning in the late 1940s, Martin and Elliot Gantmacher popularised the button-down shirt as a de rigueur garment for Ivy League and Madison Avenue men. They were so taken with their success, in fact, that not long after their company was rebranded Gant in 1949, the brothers adopted the label as their surname. Elliot Gant, left, and his brother, Martin, outside the Gant shirt factory in the 1960s. Credit:Gant Elliot Gant, the last of the founders, died March 12 in Boston. He was 89. The Gants did not invent the button-down; the venerable Brooks Brothers haberdashery had borrowed the style from British polo players decades earlier, and it had been romanticised here and there in popular culture. If the previous Biennale of Sydney gave the impression that artists were selected almost randomly, the latest incarnation of Australia's premier international art exhibition sends out the contrary message. Director Stephanie Rosenthal has so many reasons for every part of this show that one is left reeling. The theme this year is: The future is already here it's just not evenly distributed. It's a line from science fiction writer, William Gibson (the man who coined the term "cyberspace"). For Rosenthal this means that "technology has already surpassed our idea of what the future could look like". It's a provocative idea that invites participants to explore our relationship with technology, and the social issues to which this gives rise. Stephanie Rosenthal, the director of the 20th Biennale of Sydney, at Cockatoo Island. Credit:Edwina Pickles The show includes 83 artists from 35 countries, distributed across seven venues that Rosenthal calls "Embassies of Thought". Cockatoo Island, for instance, is "The Embassy of the Real", while the Art Gallery of NSW is rechristened "The Embassy of Spirits". The embassies are "meant to function as spaces for ideas within a particular physical location, access to which is not based on one's nationality, race or cultural background, but on ideas and the potential they offer". You may be starting to think there are a lot of "ideas" in this biennale, but what about the art? I wish I could say that all this cogitation translates into a magnificent visual experience, but after ploughing my way through seven venues, plus various on-site installations, there is little that stands out. The show is scattered all over town but is more compact than in previous years. Cockatoo Island in particular, is much reduced. CHURCH OF SPIES: The Pope's secret war against Hitler. By Mark Riebling. We all know the schtick about Pope Pius XII, Hitler's Pope, the Pope who kept schtum when all canons of mercy and compassion, religious and secular, cried out for condemnation of Hitler's persecution, his ultimate attempt at annihilation of the Jews from the chair of St Peter. It all dates back to Rolf Hochnuth's 1963 play The Representative which must be reckoned one of the most successful acts of propaganda ever written. Still, there is the case to be answered: why didn't the Pope do more? The most impressive thing about Church of Spies is that it offers a positive, if qualified, defence of Pius one we've heard before from learned Rabbi historians but which is here presented with a fair amount of new detail and with plenty of drama and colour. It has led Martin Gilbert, the great biographer of Churchill, to say in a blurb for the book, "Mark Riebling shows that the Vatican took a very powerful stance against the Nazis. It is especially important for Jewish people and I am Jewish myself that this information is now being gathered for all to see." Something like 1000 Italian Jews were herded together and sent to Auschwitz. Pius XII saved something like 4000 more by secreting them in monasteries and hid many of them in the Vatican itself. This was already known but Riebling uncovers just how much the Pope encouraged the German Resistance and the network of honourable people who schemed against Hitler like von Stauffenberg who led the assassination plot. We hear of the recordings the Pope made in secret conference with the German bishops, making clear his abhorrence for the Nazi regime in Germany (where he had served as a papal delegate). It's a fascinating story and Riebling maximises the Pope's concern even if we wish the great condemnation he came out with after the fall of Hitler had happened at the outset. Affleck was coming off a career-defining year in 2013 as best picture Oscar winner Argo, as well as Golden Globe best picture and best director winner, when director Zack Snyder approached him about the Batman role. "There is an aspect of helplessness that people relate to, the idea that the world is terribly scary with the spread of terrorism and the dangers of today's technology," he says. "So I think these films are about wish fulfillment, providing us with a fantasy world to escape into and to make us feel safe." "Sorry, I have a cold so my voice sounds funny," Affleck croaks, looking as threatening as a kitten with his just-out-of-bed hair covered with a beanie pulled low. Sipping on a herbal tea, the 43-year-old remains thoughtful and articulate as the conversation turns to why there is such a proliferation of superhero movies today. Ben Affleck put 11 kilograms of newly acquired muscle onto his 195-centimetre frame to cram into his iconic Batman costume to take on Henry Cavill's equally buff Superman in the new Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. But when Affleck arrives on the Warner Bros Studio lot in Los Angeles to talk about the superhero showdown, he's more likely to arouse sympathy, not fear. The dark side: Ben Affleck as Batman. "It was very daunting," he says of his initial reluctance to accept the offer also shared by fans, who collected 97,000 signatures on a Change.org petition to remove him from the role. "He's been played by so many great actors before me, so there's a parade of really great movie stars that have done it and the audience has this larger-than-life expectation and their own sense of who Batman is, so you have to just be willing to take a risk with that." Affleck had nothing to gain and everything to lose. "But the important thing for me and for Zack was that we were confident we were doing something that was really different than what had been done before," he says. "Zack had already designed the suit and showed me, and as soon as I saw it I knew he had a strong notion of what he wanted to achieve with me in the role, and he sold me on it." The follow-up to Snyder's Man of Steel (2013) is a superhero mash-up that pits a vengeful Batman against a morally torn Superman. Batman views the alien as a threat to humankind after the epic battle with Zod at the end of the last film decimated buildings and killed innocent people, including Bruce Wayne's employees. Affleck says he was eager to explore a world in which two men who've devoted their lives to fighting evil could be on opposite sides of a battle. "I've noticed since 2001, there is a sense that people are scared and they don't understand why there are forces out there wanting to kill them and they don't know what to do about it," he says. "All of that leads to some paranoia where they get very hostile, and some people react out of fear, like Bruce Wayne, who says in the movie, "if there's a 1 per cent chance that this alien Superman can destroy the world, then we have to treat it like an absolute certainty". Virginia Hill has been portrayed in two movies so far, but neither of them did her justice. She's a hard case for a movie character: gangster's moll, Hollywood hostess, Mob courier, a gal with a smart mouth and bad attitude. Her friends said she was also charming, funny, flamboyant and gorgeous. Hers is a particularly American story a kind of mirror inversion of Breakfast at Tiffany's, where Audrey Hepburn is Holly Golightly, a charming girl-on-the-make. Holly carries messages to her Mob benefactor in Sing Sing. She has her own secrets a dirt poor southern childhood, a backwoods husband. Virginia Hill's secrets put Holly in the shade. They share the dirt poor childhood, but Virginia didn't stop at one mobster she had a whole stable of the most powerful gangsters in America, and I do mean had. With flaming red hair, a sharp mind and very long legs, she moved up the chain of power from Joe Epstein, a chubby bookie for the Chicago outfit in the early 1930s, to Joey Adonis, a capo for the Genovese family in New York, and finally to Los Angeles, where she was the girlfriend of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, New York's man on the coast. He was shot to death in her house in June 1947, a crime that has never been solved, except that everyone believes his "friends" in the Mob killed him for spending too much of their money building the Flamingo Hotel and casino in Las Vegas. Hill had flown to Paris a few days before the hit and may have known it was coming. The heroic goodbyes shared by Annette Bening as Virginia Hill and Warren Beatty as Bugsy Siegel in the movie Bugsy were a romantic fantasy. That's a far cry from the laughable final moment of Barry Levinson's otherwise excellent Bugsy (1991), where Annette Bening and Warren Beatty kiss and make up in the rain in Vegas, as he's about to fly back to Los Angeles, and a bullet in the head. It's a Casablanca finale the plane propeller flashing as she offers to go with him, even though she's terrified of flying. The film is a fictionalised biography of Bugsy, with a brilliant performance from Beatty, who was nominated. Bening gives Virginia Hill a tonne of personality spitfire one minute, sexpot the next. She loves this man deeply when she doesn't want to kill him. That might be true, or it might not. Solid information about her life is hard to come by, given all the cheap and racy stuff written about her. If she loved Ben Siegel, it was not enough to warn him before she flew to Paris. Hill was one of 10 children, born August 26, 1916, which makes this her centenary year. Michael Munn, in one of the aforementioned racy accounts (The Hollywood Connection: The Mafia and the Movie Business), says she was 15 when she arrived in Chicago from Bessemer, Alabama, with an older man she soon dumped. She began working as a waitress and prostitute. Joe Epstein, a bookie for Capone, is said to have called her The Flamingo because of her long legs. By some accounts he was crazy for her; by others, he was gay and never laid a finger on her, but became a lifelong friend. That's how he's portrayed by Allen Garfield in Virginia Hill, an atrocious 1974 TV movie in which Dyan Cannon sleepwalks through the role. MUSIC Six-piece band St. Paul and The Broken Bones are straight out of Alabama with their throwback sound influenced by vintage tunes and gospel. Their debut album, Half the City, was praised by PopMatters as a "captivating, exceptional soul album". 7pm, Metro Theatre, 624 George Street, city, $44.10, ticketek.com.au. The Children's Festival is a riot of colour for the young ones. FILM Australia's Silent Film Festival presents its final screening in a series highlighting classic Japanese films with a subtitled showing of Yasujiro Ozu's 1933 gangster flick Dragnet Girl. Live music is provided by accompanist Kaine Hayward on piano. 7.30pm, Unitarian Church Sydney, 15 Francis Street, Darlinghurst, $20, ozsilentfilmfestival.com.au. Sydney Fish Market is gearing up for Good Friday. Tuesday March 22 STAGE Brisbane theatre company, shake & stir, has built up a strong reputation for its literary adaptations and their latest to come to Sydney is Emily Bronte's gothic masterpiece Wuthering Heights (until March 23). See Ross Balbuziente tackle the role of the complicated and brooding Heathcliff. 11am and 7.30pm, Riverside Theatres, Parramatta, $35-$49, 8839 3399. Noel Gallagher and the High Flying Birds will be performing tracks from Chasing Yesterday. MUSIC Consummate showman Tom Jones shows off the potent charisma that has kept him a star throughout a long career as he performs his many hits including It's Not Unusual, Delilah and Green, Green Grass of Home. 8pm, The Star Event Centre, Pyrmont, $81.45-$183.40, ticketek.com.au. Wednesday March 23 STAGE Rob Mills and Jemma Rix appear as the leads in the Australian production of supernatural romance Ghost The Musical (until May 15). Expect to hear The Righteous Brothers' Unchained Melody, which was so memorably used in the 1990 flick, as well as music from Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard. 1pm and 8pm, Theatre Royal, 108 King Street, city, $64-$118, ticketmaster.com.au. MUSIC Melissa Etheridge has just released her latest record, This Is M.E., and is in town to do a few Bluesfest sideshows (until March 24) playing new tracks alongside old favourites such as Bring Me Some Water. 7.30pm, Enmore Theatre, Newtown, $96.90-$199.10, ticketek.com.au. Thursday March 24 PARTY MAASive Lates: Super Heroes lets attendees indulge their inner caped crusader as they visit the Powerhouse Museum after hours. Strut your stuff at the hero auditions, watch an aerial performance from Legs on the Wall, or participate in a giant comic strip. 6-9pm, Powerhouse Museum, Ultimo, free (bookings essential), maas.museum. TALK, Photographer Bill Henson will be in conversation with philosopher John Armstrong to discuss the role of art in his life and give an insight into some of his works. 6.30pm, Art Gallery of NSW, The Domain, city, $40, theschooloflife.com/sydney. Friday March 25 FOOD The Sydney Fish Market expects one of its busiest trading times of the year starting on Good Friday, so have extended trading hours for the day. The Easter bunny will hop by from 10.30am to 12.30pm to keep young ones entertained. 5am-5pm, Sydney Fish Market, Pyrmont, free, sydneyfishmarket.com.au. COMEDY Get giggling at the Green Lights Comedy Night, with the show headlined by Adam Richard (best known from the revival season of Spicks and Specks), along with a support set from Corey White, who picked up the best newcomer trophy at 2015's Melbourne International Comedy Festival. 8pm, The Gaelic Club, 1/64 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, $5, facebook.com/GreenLightsComedyNights. Saturday March 26 STAGE Every year Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour works hard to top itself in spectacle and 2016's production of Turandot (until April 24) is no exception. Puccini's work will be helmed by director Chen Shi-Zheng and the set design includes an 18-metre high pagoda and a 60-metre long dragon inspired by the Great Wall of China. 7.30pm, Fleet Steps, Mrs Macquaries Point, city, $79-$330, 9318 8200, opera.org.au. MUSIC Since leaving Oasis, his new musical project Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds has kept the Britpop legend busy. Catch him performing tracks from the outfit's sophomore album Chasing Yesterday, which Mojo called "an assured second step on Noel Gallagher's solo path". 7.30pm, Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park, $101.85, ticketek.com.au. Sunday March 27 FAMILY The Easter rabbit drops by Centennial Park for The Great CP Egg Hunt. Kids can follow a trail map, try the egg-and-spoon obstacle course or have a whirl at the ring toss to score chocolate treats. 9.30am-3pm, Learning Centre, Education Precinct, Dickens Drive, Centennial Park, $17, centennialparklands.com.au. FILM Cinewest Cinematheque screens Akira Kurosawa's 1965 film Red Beard, starring Toshiro Mifune as a doctor in 19th-century Japan, in what was his final role working with the director. 2pm, Armory Theatre, Newington Armory, Sydney Olympic Park, free, sydneyolympicpark.com.au. LOOKING AHEAD NEXT WEEK For The Last Waltz Revisited, esteemed Australian musicians including Tim Rogers, Paul Dempsey, Vika and Linda Bull, Richard Clapton and more pay tribute to the classic tunes of The Band. Key senate crossbencher Bob Day is launching a High Court challenge against the laws changing the way Australians vote for senators. The legislation passed Parliament after a marathon Senate sitting on Friday. A spokesman for Senator Day said he was signing the paperwork for the legal challenge on Saturday. Ten-year-olds are at the top of their game, it's the time in their lives they are most likely to feel happy, confident and ready to take on the world. But by age 15, that resilience has plummeted. So what happens on the way to those mid-teen years? Take Nina, 10 years old and in year 5, she worries about terrorists and getting things wrong at school. Or Lottie, also 10, who sometimes lies awake worrying about dying. But both have tools to tackle their worries. Nina says if you don't get something right the first time you shouldn't feel bad, just keep having a go. And Lottie's mum has taught her to think of happy things, because "it's not very healthy to worry too much". Ten-year-olds have been found to be the age group most likely to feel that they have an adult who really listens to them, to feel encouraged and safe at school and to feel "very hopeful". So what makes kids feel able to deal well with life's challenges, to bounce back from the tough times and have a go? The career path to principal traditionally started in the classroom but, in a major shift, the Catholic education system in Sydney's west says their new school leaders may not be teachers but managers from the private sector. The Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta, which runs 56 primary and 22 secondary schools, is building a new school on a greenfield site in Marsden Park, which will be vastly different from existing schools, starting with the principal. The executive director of schools, Greg Whitby, said the principal of its newest school would not necessarily be a career teacher, but rather someone who was a "bit of an entrepreneur" who will "make connections and manage relationships". "We are not talking about someone like the CFO of BHP, but it could be someone from the tertiary sector, private education providers, the coaching industry," Mr Whitby said. The report to the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust urges the nation's vice-chancellors to take their students' mental wellbeing more seriously, and to view it as a key contributor to academic success. National statistics released earlier this week showed the suicide rate has risen to its highest level in 13 years , driven in part by women of university age. It recommends institutions develop their own mental health strategy and a portion of students' fees go directly toward funding student-led initiatives, to redress what former Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry calls the "neglected predicament of tertiary students". Australian universities are failing to take responsibility for their students' mental health and should invest in a national research centre to advance the cause, a new report urges. "Other countries have recognised that their students have mental heath problems and they need to adequately resource those services on campus," said author Benjamin Veness, a former president of the Australian Medical Students' Association. He visited campuses in the US, Britain and Canada on the Churchill Fellowship. "I think universities here have conceived of students' mental health as a nuisance rather than something they should take responsibility for," he said. Depressive disorders, anxiety disorders and substance misuse often related to depression or anxiety were the most common problems affecting students' mental health, Mr Veness said. But there has been a failure to intervene, he said, because universities typically do not consider students' health to be within their remit. A key difference between tertiary education here and in the US is that American students commonly live on campus rather than at home. Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics this week showed suicide accounted for a third of all deaths of 15-24 year olds. In 2014, 2864 people died by suicide in Australia. Of them, 362 were aged 15-24, or about one young person every day. Mr Veness said that demonstrated the need for action: "We could cut the youth death rate by a third if we had better services to intervene." In 2011, a national summit advised universities to develop a comprehensive mental health policy. Some institutions have taken action, such as Western Sydney University, whose regime includes partnerships with local health districts focusing on substance abuse, sexual health and "healthy lifestyles". But "very very few [universities] have actually done this", Mr Veness said. How I found myself in the teeming Cambodia capital trying to find two refugees from different countries whom I knew nothing about, not even their names, can be traced back to the eve of the AFL grand final in 2014. Scott Morrison raised a glass of bubbly at the time to toast spending $55 million of taxpayer's money to relocate refugees from Nauru to Cambodia. Mohammed Rashid, now the last Nauru refugee in Cambodia, has said he fears he will die there. Credit:Nara Lon It quickly became clear to journalists corralled behind rope barriers in a cavernous hall of the Ministry of Interior in Phnom Penh that the then immigration minister did not intend to explain anything, or answer any questions about the deal. "What about to the pay-off (to Cambodia)," a journalist shouted. On March 5, the Canadian government opened its trial against David and Collet. The charge: failing to provide their 19-month-old son, Ezekiel, the necessaries of life. According to prosecutors, David and Collet stubbornly refused to take their sick son to see a doctor, instead giving him home remedies such as smoothies containing hot pepper, ginger root, horseradish, onion and apple cider vinegar. Even after warnings from a family friend who is a nurse, the anti-vaccine couple took him to a naturopath for echinacea an herb believed to stimulate the immune system instead of to a doctor for an exam. It was only when Ezekiel began to have trouble breathing that they rushed him to a hospital, prosecutors said. By then, it was too late. Ezekiel died from bacterial meningitis and empyema, two conditions routinely cured with antibiotics, a medical examiner told the court last week, according to the Lethbridge Herald. If convicted, the parents could spend up to five years in prison. The case has stirred outrage across Canada and the United States. It comes at a time when belief in natural and homeopathic remedies is on the rise in North America. More controversially, anti-vaccine sentiment is also surging, leading to a resurgence of once vanquished diseases like measles and whooping cough. The toddler's tragic death raises questions of whether and when parents have a duty to take their children to the hospital, despite their personal or religious beliefs. Ezekiel Stephan wasn't old enough to speak for himself when he died. Nonetheless, he has become a lightning rod for a raging debate. In his death, some see dangerous medical quackery. In his parents' trial, however, others see a witch hunt. "Isn't losing their child punishment enough?" one local wrote in the Lethbridge Herald. "Children have a right to evidence-based medical care, not just prayer and useless folk remedies," shot back a commenter. That debate has dominated the lead up to and duration of the trial. It wasn't until a year after Ezekiel's death that the Stephans were charged. The couple was shocked. "There's nothing in the world that will bring him back," David told the Calgary Herald. "What good could possibly come out of this? "What could possibly be worse than the suffering we've endured for the past year?" Several Stephan family members suggested the family was being singled out for its beliefs. David's father, Anthony Stephan, founded a company called TrueHope that sells a natural supplement that claims to fight bipolar disorder. "Anthony Stephan, a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Alberta, Canada, was away on business when his wife took her life by asphyxiation after affixing a hose to the exhaust pipe of the family minivan," the Salt Lake City Weekly reported in 2013." Stephan's wife had been diagnosed with bipolar-affective disorder, the same ailment that had afflicted her father, who had also taken his life." When two of Anthony's kids were also diagnosed with bipolar disorder, he "felt that traditional medication didn't save his wife and wouldn't help his children," according to the alt-weekly. He and a friend devised a nutritional supplement, TrueHope, that they tested out on the two kids. According to a promotional video, the kids felt an effect and were able to quit their medications. In 2004, the Canadian government's health department, called Health Canada, pressed charges against TrueHope, claiming the company did not have the scientific evidence to back its claims. TrueHope won two years later, but the case left the Stephan family feeling persecuted. "Whatever's going on here stinks," Brad Stephan told the Huffington Post shortly after the child neglect charges were filed against his brother and sister-in-law. "I don't see anybody else getting charged for having meningitis. "I almost have to wonder if we don't have an officer somewhere or someone just acting overzealous We just feel this is just really over the top and we're not understanding why." Anthony Stephan insisted that the family is not anti-medicine, despite their criticism of pharmaceutical companies and vaccines. "We don't always go to the doctor immediately. If it persists we do, absolutely," he told the Calgary Herald. "If there's any insinuation that they were withholding care from the child, it's absolutely wrong," he said, saying medical records showed his family visited doctors. "This is something that the family missed, no question," he admitted, adding: "It wasn't a question of avoidance at all." On Facebook, however, David Stephan has claimed that his family has been targeted by Big Pharma and others opposed to his beliefs. "Since this court case has begun, there has been a great deal of opposition and outright malicious attacks from various organizations, some having pharmaceutical interests and others just having a very strong opposing agenda," he wrote on March 8, three days into the trial. He has said his son was on a TrueHope pill calledEMPowerplus "the most powerful daily supplement in the world" at the time of Ezekiel's death, but denied that it was intended as a treatment for his illness, which the family believed was a case of croup. And he has bemoaned being "in the international spotlight" and criticized media for reporting that he and his wife gave the sick toddler "maple syrup." "Anyone in their right mind would see how ridiculous this is, and if it wasn't such a serious matter, it would be laughable," he wrote on Facebook. "The idea of boosting an immune system with maple syrup, juice and frozen fruit is so illogical that I am left here shaking my head. As all of these items contain high amounts of simple sugars, I would suspect that they would serve to feed viruses and bacteria and actually do the opposite of boosting the immune system." David has dubbed the proceedings a "vaccine trial," claiming the Crown represents the "vaccine agenda." He says authorities are "looking to create the legal precedent through the court system that when a child falls ill, parents who chose not to vaccinate have a greater onus to seek mainstream medical attention sooner than parents that do vaccinate, and if any harm befalls the non-vaccinated child from an illness that there was a vaccine for, the parents can be held criminally liable." He also said his family's fundraising websites had been taken down repeatedly and that they suffered online abuse. Indeed, Facebook photos of his family have been slapped with incendiary labels. Someone tagged David as "Babykiller" and Collet as "Murderer." Even the kids, alive and dead, have been targeted. Ezekiel has been tagged "I Was Murdered" while his siblings have been labeled "SaveMe." So far in court, prosecutors have tried to avoid this emotional minefield. "We're not saying the accused killed Ezekiel," prosecutor Clayton Giles said near the beginning of the trial, according to the Lethbridge Herald. "They loved him." But, he added, the parents didn't do enough to help their sick toddler and are responsible for his death. "They did not take Ezekiel to a doctor when they should have." Over the past two weeks, the jury has heard at times excruciating details about Ezekiel's demise. Prosecutors claim the boy was sick for several weeks before being rushed to the hospital, where he was kept on life support for a week before passing away. The defense insists Ezekiel had shown improvement after being given home remedies, and that it was only when he stopped breathing that he seemed dangerously sick. On March 12, 2012, Collet called Terrie Meynders, a family friend and registered nurse who had been Collet's birth attendant, to come look at the boy. Meynders testified that Ezekiel was asleep when she arrived at the Stephans' home. She listened to his breathing but couldn't find anything wrong. "It did not jump out at me that he was that seriously ill," she told the court, according to the Lethbridge Herald. She did suggest, however, that he could have viral meningitis, and told Collet to seek medical help. "I think you should take him to see a doctor," Meynders testified, according to CBC. Shortly afterwards, Collet called a local naturopath and asked about treatments for viral meningitis. "She needed something to build up her baby's immune system," Lexie Vataman, a naturopathic clinic employee, testified in court, according to the Lethbridge Herald. "She said, 'My baby might have a form of meningitis and we think it might be viral and not bacterial.' " (That hunch was mistaken, according to the medical examiner.) "You need to tell the lady to take the child to emergency right away," the naturopathic doctor, Tracey Tannis, told Vataman, according to her own testimony. "I think you should see a medical doctor," Vataman relayed to Collet. Vataman did prescribe Ezekiel with an echinacea mixture, however. Echinacea is an herb "used for colds, flu, and other infections, based on the idea that it might stimulate the immune system to more effectively fight infection," according to the National Institutes of Health. "Study results are mixed" on its usefulness, the NIH says. By the time the Stephans drove to the naturopath to pick up the tincture, however, Ezekiel's body was so stiff from his illness that he couldn't sit in his car seat, according to an interview played in court the couple gave to Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Instead, the couple put a mattress in the back of their vehicle to take him to the naturopath. A few days later, on March 14, 2012, Ezekiel suddenly crashed. "All of a sudden his breathing wasn't normal," Collet told RCMP. Moscow: Russia could rebuild its military presence in Syria in a matter of hours and will maintain powerful air defences in the country for the foreseeable future, President Vladimir Putin said, offering a chest-beating assessment of a deployment that rescued Syrian President Bashar Assad from near defeat. Putin's surprise announcement on Monday that Russia would partially withdraw from Syria as suddenly as it had intervened was widely interpreted as a sign to Assad to be more flexible at Geneva peace talks under way this week. But the Russian leader's comments on Thursday offered more robust backing for Assad, dimming chances for progress in the deadlocked negotiations. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, listens to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow. Credit:Mikhail Klimentyev Speaking briefly at a Kremlin awards ceremony for veterans of the six-month intervention, Putin portrayed the combat operation as a success that cost Russia little and demonstrated the country's "indisputable leadership, will and responsibility" in fighting terrorism. He also issued a warning, saying Russia would respond in force if its remaining military presence in Syria came to harm. One of the officials said the bomber had planned to hit a more crowded location but was deterred by the police presence. Police secure the area following a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in the central part of Instanbul Credit:Getty Images "The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the target point because they were scared of the police," the official said, declining to be named as the investigation is ongoing. Another official said investigations were focusing on three possible suspects, all of them male and two of them from the southern city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border. There was no further confirmation of this. Armed police sealed off the shopping street where half a dozen ambulances had gathered. Forensic teams in white suits searched for evidence as police helicopters buzzed overhead. "I saw a body on the street. No one was treating him but then I saw someone who appeared to be a regular citizen trying to do something to the body. That was enough for me and I turned and went back," one resident told Reuters. Istiklal Street, usually thronged with shoppers at weekends, was quieter than normal as more people are staying home after a series of deadly bombings. Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu confirmed that 36 people had been wounded, seven of those were in serious condition and at least 12 of them were foreigners. Three Israeli citizens may be among those killed and 11 were injured, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said, adding Israel was sending a plane to bring back some wounded. Turkish officials said one Iranian and one Israeli were among the dead. Ireland said "a number" of Irish were hurt, while broadcaster NTV said two Icelandic citizens were also injured. International condemnation Turkey is still in shock from a suicide car bombing last Sunday at a crowded transport hub in the capital Ankara which killed 37 people and a similar bombing in Ankara last month in which 29 died. A PKK offshoot claimed responsibility for both. However, the Istanbul suicide bombing, which killed German tourists in January, struck at its historic heart and was blamed by the government on Islamic State. The latest attack brought widespread condemnation. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on an official visit to Istanbul, said it showed "the ugly face of terrorism", while France condemned it as "despicable and cowardly". NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg described the attack as "another terrorist outrage against innocent civilians and ally Turkey" on Twitter, while Germany urged tourists in Istanbul to stay in their hotels. Turkey's Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a Kurdish-rooted opposition party, condemned the bombing. "Just as in the Ankara attack, this is a terrorist act that directly targets civilians," the HDP said in an e-mail. Turkey is a member of the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. It is also battling the PKK in its own southeast, where a 2-1/2-year ceasefire collapsed last July, triggering the worst violence since the 1990s. In face of all this, most commentators politely credited the results a "very nice night" for the former secretary of state. Maybe that's not because she's a woman. Double standards work in mysterious ways. But let's talk superdelegates. Those are the 700 elected officials and other party big shots who get to vote however they choose come the convention. They account for about 30 per cent of the total votes and for now most of them have backed Clinton; the rest are pledged delegates apportioned to the candidates based on how well they do with voters. Earlier in the race, when the pledged delegate count was still about even, I was routinely bombarded with worries from Sanders supporters who were dead certain Clinton, with all her insidery ways, would use her advantage in the superdelegates to snap up the nomination even if Sanders had beaten her wit her ordinary voters. They needn't have worried. The superdelegate system may be anti-democratic, but it is also largely self-correcting. If Sanders were to beat her in pledged delegates, those supers would desert the former first lady within 15 minutes. Verbal commitments or not, they're free to change their mind at any time they want and their loyalty is going to be to a winner. But the idea that Clinton was relying on her old connections to steal, if needed, the nomination from outsider Sanders was just too good a story, even if plenty of folks routinely knocked it down. It fed the narrative, as we storytellers like to say. So it caught me by surprise to catch excerpts of Sanders' interview with political commentator Rachel Maddow on Thursday. She asked how he felt about a losing candidate using superdelegates to catapult into the lead at the convention. Without a shred of irony, he said he'd be willing to do just that. She asked him twice more, pressing, and he said he would. Maddow: I'm just gonna add I'm gonna push you and just ask one more time if I'll actually ask you in the other direction. If one of you presumably there won't be a tie. One of you presumably will be behind in pledged delegates heading into that convention. Should the person who is behind in pledged delegates concede to the person who is ahead in pledged delegates in Philadelphia? Sanders: Well, I don't want to speculate about the future, and I think there are other factors involved. I think it is probably the case that the candidate who has the most pledged delegates is going to be the candidate, but there are other factors. (For Sanders, the other factors in his favour are that many polls say his lead over Donald Trump is larger than Clinton's is, though both Democrats tend to beat the GOP front runner in prospective match-ups in the northern autumn.) Sanders: We think if we come into the convention in July in Philadelphia having won a whole lot of delegates, having a whole lot of momentum behind us, and most importantly perhaps being the candidate who is most likely to defeat Donald Trump. We think some of these superdelegates who have now supported Clinton Clinton can come over to us. Maddow: I just want to be super clear with you about that just to make sure that I understand. Are you saying that even if you were behind in pledged delegates I know you think you won't be but if you were behind in pledged delegates you would still take that case all the way to the convention and try to convince the supers? Sanders: Well, we are going to do the best that we can in any and every way to win. To be clear, Sanders should try to steal every single superdelegate he can from Clinton. She doesn't own them. If he can make the case any case that they ought to back him, then good job, Bernie. And further, I never thought the idea of using superdelegates to alter the outcome was automatically heinous anyway. I do think that in almost all cases it would backfire. But imagine for a moment if Sanders wins every single primary from here on out, yet does so by such slim margins he's still behind in the regular delegate count come July. Or if something damages the standing of the candidate who is narrowly ahead just before the convention. Wouldn't the other candidate try like the dickens to get over the hump with the help of the superdelegates? Wouldn't the party want him or her to? Neither of those things are likely to happen. I'm not faulting Sanders for leaving open the idea (however remote) of a run on the superdelegates, if the race is close enough that they can make a difference. But Sanders supporters were screaming bloody murder when they assumed it would be Clinton who'd be stealing their guy's thunder, even though she's never actually made that case like Sanders did on Thursday. I don't know if they reacted that way because they had bought into that super-sexy narrative of Clinton the crook, or if aware of the power of that storyline they sought to feed the beast. But no matter what explains their position, they ought to retract their statements using the superdelegates to attack her legitimacy. Or they can urge Sanders to disavow his. I won't wait for either. As I think I've mentioned, there's a double standard in this race, and it's nothing new. Sexism isn't why she lost in 2008, and neither is the existence of the double standard. And it sure doesn't make either Obama or Sanders a jerk. (Indeed, Sanders has spoken out against sexist treatment of Clinton.) And, finally, it doesn't mean Clinton deserves to win this time around. In fact, it doesn't have much to do with the candidates at all. But then and now, on the left and right, in the media and maybe among all of us, women still seem to be fair game for a kind of condescension that simply doesn't exist for men. So here's a hope. If we're going to praise one candidate's prophetic vigour voice rising, finger waving, tie askew and hair flying it'd be nice if we'd stop telling the other one to stop looking so glum. To be less strident and not so danged loud. Or for men like Patrick Buchanan to stop saying, as he did in 2008 on MSNBC, of Clinton: "When she raises her voice and when a lot of women do it reaches a point that every husband in America has heard it one time or another." Or for men like Chris Matthews to say of Clinton eight years ago: "We keep forgetting. She is senator from New York because her husband messed around. She didn't get there on her merit." (And that's just by the news media. The language is much sharper, and more sexist, online.) So if it's so awful that Clinton might use superdelegates to snag a come-from-behind nomination, then maybe it ought to be just as bad for Bernie to say he'd do the same. Or maybe we ought to stop assuming either one is devil in disguise. New York: Mitt Romney plans to vote for Texas senator Ted Cruz in Utah's caucuses on Tuesday, the 2012 Republican nominee wrote in a Facebook post on Friday. In it, he also seemed to call for Ohio Governor John Kasich to step aside to give Republicans a better chance to block Donald Trump's bid for the nomination. Mr Romney's vote in Utah, where he owns a house in Holladay, is not an endorsement, his allies stressed. Rather, it is part of his effort to unite the Republican Party around an alternative to Mr Trump. Republican presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz on Saturday. Credit:Seth Perlman "Today, there is a contest between Trumpism and Republicanism," Mr Romney wrote on Facebook. "Through the calculated statements of its leader, Trumpism has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence. I am repulsed by each and every one of these. "The only path that remains to nominate a Republican rather than Trump is to have an open convention," he wrote. "At this stage, the only way we can reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many of the remaining nominating elections as possible." PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Finance Richard Gibson was paid a visit by university students attending the Opleiding en Trainingen Curacao college (OTC). These Financial Service Management students, who will graduate with a Bachelors degree, came on a study excursion in order to gain more information about public finances in preparation for their dissertation. The name of the students (from l-r) are as follows: Ms. Judeska Allee, Mr. Jordi van der Wall, (me), Ms. Olvia Fernandes Luis and Ms. Gabriela Fernandes Luis. Live scores and highlights: UNLV visits Notre Dame Saturday UNLV and Notre Dame meet Saturday in South Bend for the first time ever on the college football gridiron Marquette springs upset, Slinger survives in football playoffs The nine Milwaukee-area top-seeded football teams all won Friday night. The results across Level 1 set up some interesting games for the week ahead. The premier, who had long worked to bring his country more in line with Europe, now ruled in an increasingly autocratic manner. Not only did he have demonstrators bludgeoned and shot with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets after the Gezi protest, but he also had journalists imprisoned because their coverage didn't suit him. I was in a country which had slipped into turmoil, in which democracy appeared to be increasingly endangered, and I made an effort to reflect events critically and fairly in my reporting. Yet, just like many other journalists, I learned the president and his supporters are allergic to any form of criticism. The Climate in Contemporary Turkey What I experienced in early 2014, just a few months after my arrival, was to some extent a misunderstanding, but it would go on to shape my entire time as a correspondent. And it says much about the climate in contemporary Turkey. The worst mining disaster in the country's history had just occurred in the western region of Soma and 301 people had died. Members of the government blamed inadequate safety measures in the pit. But Erdogan felt he was unfairly blamed by survivors and by victims' families. He claimed such catastrophes were common. I was on location at the time and spoke with survivors and family members. An incensed miner, who had recently been rescued, told me, "Up until now I would never have said anything like this, but now I'd just like to say to Erdogan: Go to hell!" I quoted the man in one of my stories on the disaster. My colleagues at SPIEGEL ONLINE turned the quote into a headline: "Go to hell, Erdogan!" Although the quotation marks clearly distinguish the headline as a quote, Erdogan's supporters put the words in my mouth. I received thousands of threats and insults by email, amongst them sentences like: "If we see you on the street, we'll cut your throat!" I left Turkey at that time too, temporarily for two weeks. Coincidentally, Erdogan was making an appearance in Cologne at the time, where 15,000 people celebrated him in a stadium there. I went along to hear his speech. Twice he mentioned "this journalist who wants me to go to hell." He added: "Clearly he knows the way there." Did Erdogan truly believe I had written that? Had he been misinformed? Turkish journalists have long had to work under constraints. The state employs officials specifically to examine newspapers to see whether they contain insults against the president; publishing them is a punishable offence. Newspapers that are deemed to be supporting the opposition must deliver copies to the censors each day. 'Who Knows What Might Happen' At some point, the self-censorship starts. What can I write? Whom can I speak with? Executives, politicians --even from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) -- artists, writers, ordinary citizens; they all refuse to talk to journalists, explaining "You know of course we can't speak openly with journalists. Who knows what might happen if it were to become known that I had spoken to you." Since Erdogan's Islamic AKP lost their absolute majority a year ago and the Kurdish conflict in the eastern part of the country re-intensified, the atmosphere in the country has become yet more authoritarian. Branches of the Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) have been stormed by AKP supporters, as have the offices of popular newspaper Hurriyet. Ultimately, the well-known journalists Can Dundar and Erdem Gul -- the former is editor in chief of Cumhuriyet, the latter its Ankara bureau chief -- were accused of "supporting terrorists." After the country's high court acquitted them, Erdogan questioned the court's legitimacy. The government subsequently put the often critical Zaman, one of the most widely read newspapers in the country, under state control. These are tough times for Turkish journalists. And, as my own experiences have taught me, they are increasingly tough for foreign correspondents too. What lies in store for Turkey in the future? After the explosions in Ankara on Sunday, for which the PKK splinter group Kurdistan Freedom Falcons has claimed responsibility, Erdogan vowed to fight against terrorists with an "iron fist." He believes the term "terrorist" should be broadened: "There is no difference whatsoever between terrorists who carry weapons and bombs and those who use their position, pen or title to reach their goals," he reportedly told the state news agency Anadolu. "Just because someone has a title such as member of parliament, academic, journalist, or head of an NGO does not change the fact that this person is actually a terrorist." Helping Terrorists As a journalist, I have always wanted to present a balanced picture. In past months, I travelled to the southeast of Turkey, where the government says it is fighting PKK terrorists, who launch attacks every few days. Yet I also encountered a suffering civilian population. Curfews are making life difficult for people. They are forced to spend days -- sometimes even weeks -- holed up in their homes, taking great risks to obtain groceries. Yet one only needs to talk to them, let alone quote them, before one is accused of helping "terrorists." I therefore wanted to talk to the Turkish military and to the soldiers fighting in the area in order to understand their views of the situation. Not one request to accompany them was approved. I wanted to speak to officials in government, and of course to interview Erdogan, but my requests were usually not even answered. Clearly, the government expected us to report in accordance with their views, without being allowed to talk to them. Turkey fascinated me from day one: the energy of Istanbul, the simultaneous existence of modernity and backwardness and the efforts of many people to make something better out of their country. Erdogan is not Turkey. If around half the country voted for him, that means half did not. Yet, the opposition is weak. It has no charismatic figure, is often chaotic and lacks a concrete plan. There is much to report that is praiseworthy, especially the efforts Turkey is making in regards to the refugees from Syria. That is why I don't support demands to withdraw European financial support due to attacks on press freedom, and due to my own case. Why should refugees bear the consequences of Turkey's disagreeable approach to press freedom? At most, one can criticize the EU for attempting to absolve itself of any responsibility by way of a questionable deal. As my family and I arrive at Ataturk airport in Istanbul, we are anxious. The official at passport control examines our passes and sees that, although we have applied for new ones, we do not have valid residency permits. He flicks through our documents as I glance nervously back to the diplomat standing behind us in the background. Then, after what feels like an eternity, the official passes us back our papers. He nods. We are out of Turkey. Editor's Note: The following is SPIEGEL ONLINE's official statement about its decision to pull Hasnain Kazim out of Turkey: SPIEGEL ONLINE has pulled Hasnain Kazim, it's Istanbul correspondent, out of Turkey. Despite months of efforts, the Turkish authorities did not provide an extension of his press accreditation. Residence permits for foreign journalists are linked to a person's press accreditation. Kazim was thus no longer free to work in the country. In response to the development, SPIEGEL ONLINE Editor in Chief Florian Harms said: "In the past years, Hasnain Kazim has done an excellent job reporting on political and societal events in Turkey. In the course of that reporting, he has written many articles in which he fairly, but also critically, brought to light abuse and mistakes on the part of the government -- as any good journalist would do. Based on the behavior of the Turkish government, we can draw no other conclusion than that his journalistic reporting is no longer desired in the country. This behavior toward our correspondent and, thus, also toward SPIEGEL and SPIEGEL ONLINE is, in our opinion, intolerable and also infringes on the freedom of the press. We have decided to withdraw Hasnain Kazim from Istanbul. He will now be based in Vienna. DER SPIEGEL and SPIEGEL ONLINE will obviously continue to report critically, but also fairly on events in Turkey." Sneak Peeks A COLD CASE IS HOT AGAIN ON AN ALL-NEW EPISODE OF "STITCHERS," AIRING TUESDAY, APRIL 5 ON FREEFORMSocial Media Sensation Logan Paul Guest StarsFisher turns to the team for help with a personal matter, on an all-new episode of "Stitchers" airing on TUESDAY, APRIL 5 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT) on Freeform.When Fisher's mentor turns up dead, Kirsten's stitch reveals the officer was murdered by a serial killer she's been chasing for years. The Stitchers team picks up the detective's leads in an effort to finally bring the suspect to justice, but danger arrives in an unexpected form when Cameron is trapped with the killer. Camille's rebellious older brother Theo (guest star Logan Paul) arrives in town with a whole lot of trouble. Meanwhile, Cameron is finally honest with Kirsten about his feelings for her."The One That Got Away" is written by Eric Tuchman and directed by Janice Cooke. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A former pharmaceutical company executive bribed Veterans Affairs Department doctors in Washington state and elsewhere, paying VA employees thousands of dollars to promote his employer's products, federal prosecutors say. Prosecutors claim Advanced BioHealing Inc. executive Todd Clawson and others paid kickbacks to VA podiatrists and clinicians who promoted the companys product, a biologic wound dressing. Clawson has been charged with bribery and health care fraud. Writing the court, federal prosecutors in Tacoma said Clawson, his coworkers at Advanced BioHealing and VA physicians conspired to defraud the United States by impeding and impairing the governmental functions of the VA, including those intended to regulate the ethical practice of physicians working for the VA. Advanced BioHealing, a decade-old Westport, Connecticut company, produces a living skin equivalent dressing meant to treat diabetes-related foot sores. The firm was awarded a large federal contract for the product Dermagraft in late 2008 shortly after Clawson went to work there. According to charging papers, Clawson served as director of the Advanced BioHealing division selling to the federal government. As such, he managed a team of 35 salespersons and was primarily concerned with selling the bioengineered bandages to the VA. Advanced BioHealing Inc. made waves in 2011 when an Irish pharmaceutical concern, Shire Plc., bought the company for $750 million. It had been slated to go public the day after the sale went through. The sale was a near total bust for Shire. It sold Advanced BioHealing in 2014 to Massachusetts-based Organogenesis after recording a $650 million loss on the venture. The fraud allegations do not extend beyond August 2012, when Clawson left the firm. Clawson and others are alleged to have paid to fly a Phoenix VA doctor to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for a days-long fishing trip in August 2010. According to charging papers, Clawson also plied a VA doctor with Def Leppard tickets in 2011. Prosecutors say doctors were taken fishing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, wined and dined in Los Vegas and flown around the country to promote Dermagraft. At least three VA doctors are said to have been flown to Seattle in 2010 to promote the bandages. Writing the court, federal prosecutors said Clawson and others concocted seemingly legitimate reasons to pay thousands of dollars to VA doctors who promoted Dermagraft to their colleagues. Doctors were paid as much as $3,000 to attend speaking engagements at dinners paid for by Advanced BioHealing and attended by other VA staff. These events usually took place at a restaurant where the company, and in some instances the VA speaker, would solicit VA personnel to attend, the company would pay for their meals, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Reese Jennings said in court papers. The speaking engagements were held off VA property outside of work hours, Jennings continued, but Advanced BioHealing lured VA physicians and clinicians to attend by supplying all invited guests with free meals at expensive restaurants. Advanced BioHealing paid VA doctors $1,500 a day to allow sales reps to accompany them as they treated veterans at VA facilities, according to charging papers. Doctors were paid $3,000 to provide sales training to Advanced BioHealing staff, the prosecutors continued, and $2,000 to serve on an advisory board. Clawson and his colleagues are alleged to have paid doctors in Washington, California, Arizona, Ohio, Texas and Georgia. Clawson was charged by information Thursday with conspiracy to commit criminal conflicts of interest, bribery and health care fraud. He has also been charged with one count of health care fraud. Clawson is expected to appear Monday morning for an initial appearance at U.S. District Court in Tacoma. He has not been jailed. WASHINGTON The dispute between Apple and the FBI over getting around iPhone encryption rests on the legal foundation of the All Writs Act, a vaguely worded statute passed way back in 1789. So it should come as no surprise that Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., among others, feels its time for Congress to take another look-see. These are very difficult issues, the balancing of one kind of security against another, said Himes, who as the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence cybersecurity and NSA subcommittee will have a major say in any legislative solution. One thing is clear: The line between privacy and national security should be determined by Congress, not by a judge. The FBI already has cited the 1789 All Writs Act in obtaining a federal magistrates ruling last month that Apple should assist agents in defeating encryption of the iPhone of Syed Rizwan Farook, who along with his wife, Tafsheen Malik, opened fire at a holiday party in San Bernardino, Calif., last December, killing 14 and wounding 22. The mass shooting was widely viewed as terrorist-inspired, but agents have few clues as to Farooks motivation without access to his iPhone. The magistrate who issued the order to Apple will consider the computer giants objections when the parties face off again in court on Tuesday. The case ultimately could go all the way to the Supreme Court for what may become the major privacy decision so far this century. A Pandoras Box The governments right to conduct searches pursuant to the Constitutions Fourth Amendment is not an issue in this case. And Apple is technically capable of writing a program that would enable the FBI to bypass the access code and break into Farooks phone. What is at issue is whether government can compel a private entity to do so. The language of the All Writs Act allows courts to issue all writs necessary or appropriate in aid of their respective jurisdictions. That translates as courts can compel individuals and entities to help it achieve lawful objectives like carrying out evidence searches. Himes and a privacy expert in Connecticut, Daniel Klau, agree the Apple-FBI dispute is the tip of an iceberg that encompasses the overarching conflict between privacy embedded in smartphone encryption, and law enforcement access to potentially critical information in criminal and national security investigations. This is a Pandoras Box problem, a you cant put toothpaste back in the tube problem, said Klau, a lawyer in Hartford who teaches at the University of Connecticut School of Law. Some say this is about one phone only, but in fact its about all phones, and whether protections overall should be weakened because of law enforcement needs in one particular case. Himes said he is more sympathetic to Apple than the FBI, but recognizes the ultimate necessity of balancing interests. Either way, its not just a matter of government intrusion into personal privacy. I unequivocally oppose back doors, he said. Its partly for privacy reasons but also for national security reasons. If a back door exists, the Chinese, Russians, Iran, North Korea and al-Qaeda will exploit it. Privacy protections are important in any society, but they are indispensable in nations like China under one-party rule, Klau said. Im not overplaying things when I say encryption promotes free speech and freedom of association, which our society values and countries like China do not, he said. Technology can play a tremendous role in helping build democracy in countries with oppressive regimes, and thats something we should support. Unpickable locks Apples letter to its customers in the wake of last months judicial order uses words like chilling and overreach to describe the governments action. If the government can use the All Writs Act to make it easier to unlock your iPhone, it would have the power to reach into anyones device to capture their data, the letter stated. The government could extend this breach of privacy and demand that Apple build surveillance software to intercept your messages, access your health records or financial data, track your location, or even access your phones microphone or camera without your knowledge. The FBI, in response, said in one of its briefs that Apples defense is motivated by its concerns for its business model and public brand marketing strategy. Whichever way the courts or Congress go, the conflict undergirding the Apple case may prove temporary. We are literally a matter of months away before all devices and apps have locks that are impossible to pick, said Himes. No question Apple can do what FBI wants, but I promise you the next version will not be able to be picked. In my opinion, thats the story not told. But law enforcement need not throw up its hands and give up, Himes said. It poses challenges, but not unsolvable ones, he said, pointing out law enforcement can still capture metadata, a log of what numbers a particular cell phone has called. Theres an awful lot the intelligence world can do, he said. It represents an unprecedented challenge, but like it or not, thats where we are. dan@hearstdc.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORD Sal DeMott remembers the days when the South End was a war zone. The owner of DeMott Auto said decades ago his staff would drive their female customers to and from the train station because it was not safe to walk in the neighborhood at certain hours. If they were coming in at night, you didnt want to have to worry, DeMott said. These days he sees groups of young people walk from the nearby Yale and Towne apartments to the train station in the mornings and then back in the evenings without any worries. And new businesses are popping up in the neighborhood all the time. Before you didnt shop in the South End, he said. The states plans to transform the area around the train station into a large-scale development with retail, commercial, residential and hotel elements will further benefit the neighborhood, DeMott said. Its just one more thing that has to be done so the South End can be more vibrant, he said. But even as business owners look forward to the day when the development will take off, local officials are frustrated with a lack of information about exactly when that will happen. Stamford Manhattan Development Ventures, a partnership led by JHM Group of Companies, was announced as the chosen developer in 2013. Since then, state officials have said little about the status of negotiations with the group on the details of the plan. Its essential we get some sort of information on what is going on, city Rep. Brien Buckman said. Silence to me is not acceptable. Buckman recently invited the commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, James Redeker, to meet with city representatives for an update on the development. No one from his office attended the meeting. So Buckman wrote a letter requesting Redeker provide an update to the board in writing by April 5. A DOT spokesman said Friday a response letter is still being drafted. "We have a few more details to nail down with our agreement with SMDV and expect to have an announcement in the near future, spokesman Judd Everhart said. Meanwhile, the state announced Friday a section of the train station parking garage that has been closed for nearly a year, will reopen Monday. Roughly 300 spaces in the garage, which has a total of 727 spaces, will be available to the public. The garage was closed last April after pieces of concrete fell on one level. The state spent more than $1.3 million to repair a portion of the structure, which will ultimately be demolished to make way for the new development. Two new garages, one on Manhattan Street and the other on South State Street, will be built to compensate for the loss and add even more spaces. Tino Giresi, who recently opened Ts Pizza Kitchen on Pacific Street, said there are cars parked in front of his business nearly every day and left there all day. He assumes the drivers are commuters who find the possibility of a ticket less expensive than parking in a garage. He said he looks forward to the addition of new parking structures and retail that would draw new people to the neighborhood. I think its going to be great for the area, he said. I think itll help the area tremendously. Stamford Modern owner Carlos Solano said the area now gets very little foot traffic. About 75 percent of his furniture is sold online, according to Solano, who opened his business on Pacific Street two months ago. The train station development could help change that, he said. The more people the better, Solano said. DeMott said the development will also likely raise property values even more. He worried that might lead to increases in rent that could price out small business owners. He said he has been offered more than $2 million for the land his family purchased for about $100,000 in the 1960s. Before no one wanted to be here, he said. Now Im sitting on gold. ktorres@scni.com; 203-964-2265 The Connecticut Department of Health (DPH) confirmed Friday the first case of Zika virus in the state. The patient is in his or her 60s and had recently traveled to a Zika-affected region outside the state. They reportedly experienced an onset of illness, described as skin rash, conjunctivitis, fatigue, chills, headache, and muscle aches, upon their return to Connecticut. The patient is currently being seen by a doctor and recovering. Governor Malloy ordered the DPH to begin testing for Zika virus in January at the DPH Laboratory, which was approved for testing on Feb. 29. "We encourage those concerned about symptoms to consult their doctor, particularly if they have traveled to an affected area and particularly if they are pregnant," Gov. Malloy said in a release. "We have been actively taking steps for months to prepare for a positive case, including expedited testing and a coordinated response across agencies. While the risk of transmission is low, we are nevertheless no doubt continuing that preparation to the extent that we can." In Connecticut, 67 of 198 samples have been tested for Zika virus. Friday's result is the first positive test in the state. To date, 258 cases of Zika have been reported in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Eighteen cases were of pregnant women and six were reportedly transmitted sexually. DPH Commissioner Raul Pino urged residents to be aware of the areas they travel to and remain vigilant. "As we have previously said, a confirmed case was never a question of 'if', but 'when'. Because of the preparatory steps we've taken previously, we are able to test more quickly and in-state," Pino said. "With hundreds of positive cases nationwide, across 34 states, I encourage residents to be vigilant. We at the state level are monitoring this case and preparing for any future cases with the utmost diligence." The Zika Virus is spread through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. This species of mosquito isn't present in Connecticut and related mosquitoes are not likely to spread the disease within the state. Zika virus symptoms are usually mild and last several days to a week, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. There is currently no vaccine to prevent or medicine for treatment of Zika virus and cases of death are rare. Anyone who believes they have contracted the virus or experiences symptoms after traveling to a Zika-affected region should contact their physician. For more information on Zika, visit the CDPH's website. GREENWICH Funeral services will take place Monday for Georgia Perkins Ashforth, a patron of the arts who supported a wide variety of music, sculpture and performances in the community. Ashforth died Saturday at the age of 83 from a combination of ailments, according to her family. A lover of the arts from an early age, Ashforth sponsored a series of concerts at the Greenwich Public Library. She and her husband, the late Henry Ashforth, a real-estate developer, acquired and placed the big red sculpture Borealis, by Mark DiSuvero next to the Greenwich train station. You can never see enough or hear enough, she said in a recent interview. And you have to do something bigger than yourself in the world. According to a friend and colleague in the arts, Shelly Cryer, Georgie was a tireless advocate for the arts in our community. She was an extraordinarily inspiring partner in our music series. No one got more pleasure out of beautiful music and the joy of sharing it with others than Georgie. At the Greenwich Public Library, which gained its start in 1895 from a donation from the Ashforth family, a statement of condolence was released by Barbara Ormerod-Glynn, library director, and Haley Rockwell Elmlinger, president of the Greenwich Library Board of Trustees We will sorely miss Georgie, they said. She was an indomitable spirit with a zest for life and music. Ashforth was born in Baltimore on April 9, 1932, the daughter of the late Thomas Pierce Perkins Jr. and Virginia Miller Perkins. She grew up in a home filled with music and learned to play the piano at an early age. She graduated from the Bryn Mawr School and Vassar College in 1954. She married Henry Ashforth on Sept. 11, 1954. He died in 2001. She is survived by her six children: Elizabeth Bacon, of Sutton, Mass.; Henry Ashforth III, of Ridgefield; Andrew Ashforth, of New Canaan; Katherine Ashforth Wiener, of Park City, Utah; Thomas Ashforth, of Greenwich and Margaret Ashforth, of Concord, Mass.; 15 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She is also survived by her brother, Thomas Perkins III, of Brooklyn, N.Y. A memorial service will take place at 11:30 a.m. Monday at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 954 Lake Ave., Greenwich. Family and friends are making contributions in her name to Greenwich Arts Council/Curiosity Concerts or Audubon Greenwich. Robert.Marchant@scni.com A partially-sighted 73-year-old man who uses a walking stick was attacked in the street in north London, police say. The victim was taken to hospital with an arm injury after officers were called to Fore Street, Edmonton, at about 11.15am on Friday. The 73-year-old was assaulted by another man who then ran away from the scene, police said. Officers are appealing for witnesses. Detective Inspector Chris Rixon said: This was a cowardly attack on a vulnerable man and I would urge anyone who witnessed the assault, or has information regarding this crime, to contact Enfield CID. Police said they had been called to reports of a fight near the junction with Brettenham Road. A 40-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault. Anyone with information is asked to contact Enfield CID on 020 8345 3323 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. A man was allegedly threatened by another man with a firearm outside a pub in west London. Police have today released CCTV images of two men they want to speak to following two incidents outside Flynns Bar and Diner in West Ealing on January 7. Officers were initially called to a fight outside the pub in Walsingham Road at 5.50pm where it was reported a man had been assaulted by two Asian males. A Metropolitan Police Service spokesman said the victim refused to engage with officers, so they left the scene. At about 7.30pm the same day, officers were called back to the pub to reports the same victim was being threatened with a man with a firearm. The victim was then allegedly chased by two men in the direction of Singapore Road. Camera: Police released a second image of one of the men they want to speak to / Metropolitan Police Officers found all those involved in the reported incident had left the scene and an examination of the area did not provide any evidence that shots had been fired. The Met said during both incidents, a white hatchback car was seen in the area. Officers want to speak to two men captured on CCTV close to the pub. One man, who had the firearm, was wearing a dark coloured beanie hat with a logo on the front, dark clothing and a dark body warmer. The second man is described as black and was wearing a dark coloured tracksuit with a white stripe down the arms and legs. Detective Constable Pete Adi, from Ealing CID, said: I would appeal to anyone who was in the area around the time of both incidents to come forward and speak to police. A function was being held inside Flynn's Public House and while it is not thought that those involved in the two incidents had attended the pub, someone inside may well have seen something that could assist the investigation. I am also keen to trace the occupants of the white hatchback car and also a cyclist who rode up Walsingham Road at the time of the second incident at around 7.30pm. No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing. Anyone with information should call police on 101, quoting reference 2500580/16, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. D etectives have appealed for witnesses after a man was killed in a pub brawl in the early hours of this morning. Edward Stokes, 29, died after a fight broke out at the Army Navy Public House in Newham just after midnight. Emergency Services were called to the pub on New Barn Street junction with Denmark Street, and police and paramedics attended and found four men with stab-related injuries. All four were taken to hospital for treatment, and an 18-year-year-old man was discharged, while the other two men, aged 19 and 37, are being treated for their injuries, which are not believed to be serious. Mr Stokes was critically injured and died in hospital as a result of his injuries at 9.40 this morning. A post-mortem examination will be held on Monday at Poplar Mortuary. Ten people were arrested in connection with the incident and were taken to various London police stations for questioning, where they remain in custody. Detective Chief Inspector Cliff Lyons of the Homicide and Major Crime Command who is leading the investigation said: "We are keen to hear from any witnesses who were inside and outside the pub around the time this incident occurred. "Although ten people have been arrested and are currently being questioned, it is believed that two men involved in the attack fled the scene prior to the arrival of the emergency services being alerted and we are keen to trace them. "Whilst we are aware that a fight broke out prior to these four males being injured, what instigated the fight resulting in the death of Edward is unclear at this stage and we are retaining an open mind." Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call police via the Incident Room number 0207 230 4961 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. P rotesters have clashed with police at a pro-migration demonstration in central London. Thousands of campaigners took to the streets of the capital to condemn racism and voice their support for refugees. Scenes turned violent as left wing pro-migration activists came up against right wing counter-protesters, with police intervening to separate the two groups. Smoke bombs generating huge plumes of coloured smoke were also thrown in the direction of police, and some of the demonstrators clashed with officers policing the event. Scuffles also broke out among the crowds of pro-refugee campaigners, some of whom had obscured their faces with masks and scarves. Clashes: Left wing protesters are held back by police from right wing protesters / EPA/ANDY RAIN The march and rally in the city centre coincided with other marches in cities including Glasgow, Cardiff, Paris, and Barcelona today to mark UN anti-racism day. Organisers of the Stand Up To Racism event said it was aimed at opposing racism, fascism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. Protesters assembled in Portland Place before marching through London and gathering for a rally and speeches at Trafalgar Square. They held placards bearing slogans such as: "No To Racism; No Detention, No Destitution, No Deportation"; and "Refugees Are Welcome Here". A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said one woman was arrested during the event, on suspicion of obstructing a police constable while executing their duties. A young man is fighting for his life after a double stabbing in west London. The 20-year-old was found with knife wounds in Harrow Road, Queens Park, close to the junction with Third Avenue at about 7.30pm on Friday. He remained in hospital in a critical condition on Saturday morning. A teenage boy, 17, was also being treated for a serious stab injury on Saturday after making his own way to hospital. He was in a stable condition. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "At this early stage it is believed the two incidents are linked. Enquiries into the circumstances continue by officers from Westminster. No arrests have been made. A man has been charged with murdering a 20-year-old who was gunned down outside a north-west London pub. Abdullah Amouri, 21, from Wembley, was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Friday after being extradited from Spain on a European Arrest Warrant. He is alleged to have killed Romario Green, who was shot outside The Swan in Harrow Road, Wembley, on July 2. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday charged with murder, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of a prohibited weapon. A teenager has been rushed to hospital after he was stabbed in an altercation in Woodford. Police were called at about 9.10 tonight after receiving reports that a man had been stabbed in Gordon Road. Police officers and paramedics attended and found the man, believed to be aged 17, with a stab injury. He was taken to an east London hospital for treatment, and police said officers were awaiting an update on his condition, but his injury was not thought to be life-threatening. Officers from Redbridge are investigating, and have yet to make any arrests. Road closures are in place around the crime scene, with St Barnabas Road blocked both ways at Gordon Road. The route W14 bus has been diverted in both directions, via Chigwell Road. T hree serving police officers have been arrested in connection with allegations of a 1 million fraud at The Police Federation of England and Wales. The Federation raised concerns with Surrey Police on Tuesday and a formal allegation relating to accounts held by the Federation's Constables' Central Committee was made to the Force on Wednesday. The arrested men included two Metropolitan Police officers aged 40 and 53, both of whom had been on seconded by Scotland Yard to the Federation. Another two men - one in his 40s and one in his 50s - have also been held, one of whom is a serving police officer. One of those arrested is understood to be Will Riches, who stepped down as the Federation's vice-chairman earlier this week. A Surrey Police spokesman said the allegation related to concerns around the transfer of a single sum of about 1 million to a charitable account in August 2015. Leading the investigation, Detective Superintendent Karen Mizzi, said: "We are carrying out a detailed and thorough investigation into allegations of fraudulent activity involving significant amounts of money. "As the allegation was only reported to us on Wednesday, 16 March our enquiries are at an early stage but specialist officers, including our Economic Crime Unit, are investigating to establish whether any offences have occurred. "The Police Federation reported the matter to us as their headquarters is in Leatherhead and we are their local force but to be clear those arrested are not Surrey Police officers. "Our Professional Standards Department is currently in liaison with colleagues in relevant forces to inform them of the arrest of their officers. "Due to the nature of the allegation, and three of those arrested being serving officers, Surrey Police has notified the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and will also be in liaison with the Charity Commission going forward. "I would urge anyone with any information which could assist with the investigation to call the Serious and Organised Crime Team on 101, quoting Operation Rutland." T housands of people have come forward to try to help in the search for a stem cell donor who could save the life of the four-year-old son of a London firefighter. Tommy Simpson has been in Great Ormond Street hospital since before Christmas and was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in January. Since his diagnosis, his parents, firefighter Nigel Simpson, 48, and Maxine Francis, 45, launched an urgent appeal with charity African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) to find a stem cell donor for their son. Tests revealed Tommy, who is an only child, would need a stem cell donor to save his life but no family members are a suitable match and his mixed heritage makes it hard to find matching stem cell tissue types. Donor needed: Tommy Simpson, 4, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in January / London Fire Brigade Since his story was first bought to light, more than 4,500 people have joined the UK stem cell register via the Delete Blood Cancer registry. However a match has yet to be found and a new donor session will be held by Capital XTRA radio station from 11am to 6pm at the Leicester Square offices of Global Radio today. Family: Tommy Simpson with his father and mother / ACLT Tommys parents said: We know the window of opportunity for an unrelated match being found is going fast with each day passing; thats why we are appealing for people to join the stem cell register now. Particularly if you are white northern European, black African or Caribbean and mixed race, you may potentially be able to save the life of our funny and beautiful little boy. Currently, Tommy has less than a 20 per cent chance of finding an unrelated match and only three per cent of donors on the UK stem cell register are mixed race. A further #Match4Tommy registration drive session is being held in conjunction with ACLT and London Fire Brigade at Stratford fire station on April 2. H undreds of people including former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell have backed a campaign to stop a much-loved park cafe being taken over by a dull chain. The Parliament Hill Cafe on Hampstead Heath has been run by Alberto D'Auria, 70, and his family for the past 33 years. But last week the City of London Corporation, which manages the Heath, sparked outrage by deciding to put Benugo in charge of the business, along with a second cafe in the Golders Hill Park section of the Heath. Fans of the cafe from as far afield as the US are now backing a campaign to reverse the decision. A petition to save the Parliament Hill Cafe has quickly attracted more than 1,500 signatures, with Gospel Oak resident Mr Campbell showing his support by sharing it on Twitter. It was started by Zoe James, who wrote: Parliament Hill Cafe has been family run for more than three decades, offering generous sized, freshly prepared meals to their customers without breaking their budgets. Too many small businesses are failing in favour of large corporates, when we, as the general public should be encouraging and supporting those smaller businesses who are providing A* customer service over solely having the emphasis on profit margins. Therefore, help us to help Alberto maintain his position within Parliament Hill and to continue providing a great service loved by not only local residents, but visitors alike. The City rejected the D'Auria familys offer to stay at the helm and Benugo, which runs more than 20 cafes in museums, parks and stations, will take over in May for the next three years. The cafe at Golders Hill Park is also going to be managed by Benugo / Mike Quinn Scores of people have added their voices to the petition. Many were unaware that the contract had even been tendered and fear prices will shoot up when Benugo moves in. Nicole McBride wrote: We need to protect independent coffee houses and this one has contributed to the life of Hampstead Heath for years. Julia O'Brien said: I have used the cafe for years and my children and five grandchildren all go I am amazed that the City of London want to close this excellent old business amd give us a dull 'chain' menu instead, and I fear that the currently affordable prices will vanish. Matthew Wells, from Brookyln in New York, posted: I have been to this cafe numerous times on visits back home to London with my nephews and nieces and my own kids and it's great, and it doesn't need to be turned into another profit centre for some chain. Let's have variety and real local choice. Local councillor Sally Gimson, who sits on the committee that made the decision but voted against it, told the Standard: I warned the City there would be a big backlash. They should have looked at the wider community benefits that this family business brings and not just thought about who was going to bring them the most money. The City should look at the decision again. Benugo and the City have been asked to comment. S ome of the London's best known landmarks vanished from the city skyline during Earth Hour, the globe's biggest annual environmental event. The Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, Harrods department store, The Shard, and The Ritz hotel were all among iconic buildings in the capital that dimmed their lights. Elsewhere in the UK, Old Trafford and Edinburgh Castle were among the famous buildings where lights were switched off. Across the world, landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building and Tokyo Tower also faded into in the night sky, as more than 350 landmarks spanning from New York to Beijing fell dark between 8.30pm and 9.30pm local time on Saturday. Change: Piccadilly Circus before and during tonight's Earth Hour / Yui Mok/PA Wire Earth Hour was first founded by WWF in Sydney in 2007, and has now grown into a worldwide celebration to encourage energy users to switch off their lights as a sign that they care about the future of the environment. This year more than 10.4 million people in Britain joined in with the global blackout, which now includes 178 countries worldwide. In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and 30 Scottish MPs joined in with the event by uploading photographs to social media, using the hashtag passthepanda, while in Wales, all 22 local council authorities signed up to the blackout. Iconic: The Houses of Parliament and Elizabeth Tower in London went dark for an hour tonight / Yui Mok/PA Wire People across the country also took to Facebook and Twitter to post candle-lit selfies. This year's theme was based on the "places we love", which includes beaches, forests, reefs, national parks, mountains and rivers - all of which are ever-increasingly threatened by the effects of climate change. Speaking ahead of the event, the WWF said: "Earth Hour is an annual global celebration where people and iconic landmarks switch off their lights for one hour to show they care about the future of our planet. "It's a symbolic and spectacular lights out display with a big message - we want to protect the future of our planet." L abour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called on George Osborne to "consider his position" after Iain Duncan Smith resigned over cuts to disabled benefits. He accused the Government of slashing the payments provision out of "political choice not economic necessity" and insisted the Chancellor should step down. In an interview with Press Association Mr Corbyn said the Chancellor had "presented a budget that included taking a billion pounds, more than a billion in fact, away from those with disabilities through the Personal Independence Payments." "Somewhere along the line that budget can't add up and so I think IDS, Ian Duncan Smith, has resigned because his policy has been completely shown to be what it is," Mr Corbyn said. "I think George Osborne should consider his position as well, it was after all him that included it in the Budget in the first place." Mr Corbyn said Labour would not support any cuts to the benefits system and added: "I think that the people who are trying to survive on benefits in this country do so because they are hard up, do so because they are on low wages. Iain Duncan Smith quits: Key quotes from his resignation letter "I want to see a much lower benefit bill in the future, we achieve that by higher levels of employment and crucially higher wages, therefore a realistic living wage is something that we want to achieve." He said that the Labour Party did not support the benefit cap on families "because the family benefit cap has been very damaging, particularly in high-cost areas like London", adding that in his own Islington constituency many people had been forced out of it. "We do want to see a control of the very high levels of private-sector rent that many are paying in London," he said. "We haven't reached all of our conclusions on housing policy yet but quite clearly there has to be a change." Speaking at a pro-European Union event in Westminster, he accused the Government of "taking disability allowance to give tax breaks to corporations at the other end of the scale - it's their political choice, not an economic necessity". Addressing the issue of air pollution in London, the Labour leader continued: "We've just come from Vauxhall Bridge where we have tested the pollution levels and it's truly shocking when you look at the figures across London. "There is a 10 per cent lung capacity loss for children born in areas with high air pollution. Where are tomorrow's athletes going to come from if they can't breathe properly?" He added: "You can't deal with it by one country. We have to work with other people in Europe - demanding European-wide legislation and European-wide protection." D avid Cameron is facing fresh criticism over delays to the Iraq inquiry after it emerged the final report may not be published before the European Union referendum. The long-awaited document is unlikely to appear until after the country goes to the polls on June 23, government sources told the Daily Telegraph. Chairman Sir John Chilcot, who began work on the inquiry more than six years ago, has indicated he intends to hand the report to the Prime Minister next month. Sir John suggested it could be June or July before national security checks are completed on the text and it can be made public, but Mr Cameron previously hinted he wanted to complete the process more quickly. Reg Keys, whose son Lance Corporal Thomas Keys died in Iraq, said the delay was dragging out the "agony" for families. "I am not happy with any delays in this - it has gone on far, far too long and it is just dragging out the agony of the families who want to draw a line under this," he told the Telegraph. "I can see no reason why a referendum should have any bearing upon the publication of the Chilcot inquiry, none whatsoever. "I will be disappointed if this is another excuse for yet another delay for the referendum. "We need to get this out of the way, we need to draw a line under it. It has been delay after delay after delay. "It is excuse after excuse. We have had the Maxwellisation process as an excuse, we have had clearance for national security as an excuse, now we have got the referendum as as an excuse. I am running out of patience with it." Stop the War Coalition convenor Lindsey German said: 'Those of us who campaigned against this war from the start are demanding the right to know what is in the Chilcot Report. "David Cameron is quick enough to take us into future wars - now in Syria and Libya again - but won't let us know the truth about Iraq. "This further delay is a piece of shameful politicking but it will fool no-one." Additional reporting by the Press Association. D avid Cameron has said he is "puzzled and disappointed" after Iain Duncan Smith dramatically quit the Cabinet. The Work and Pensions Secretary launched a fierce attack on cuts to disabled benefits in the Budget as he resigned, branding them "indefensible" and "politically driven". He suggested Chancellor George Osborne had abandoned the austerity principle of "all in this together" "I have for some time and rather reluctantly come to believe that the latest changes to benefits to the disabled and the context in which they've been made are a compromise too far," Mr Duncan Smith wrote in his resignation letter. "While they are defensible in narrow terms, given the continuing deficit, they are not defensible in the way they were placed within a Budget that benefits higher earning taxpayers. They should have instead been part of a wider process to engage others in finding the best way to better focus resources on those most in need. Resignation: Iain Duncan Smith / Dave Thompson/PA "I am unable to watch passively whilst certain policies are enacted in order to meet the fiscal self-imposed restraints that I believe are more and more perceived as distinctly political rather than in the national economic interest." Mr Duncan Smith has been at loggerheads with Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne over whether Britain should stay in the EU, joining a handful of other Cabinet ministers in calling for Brexit. But his letter to the Prime Minister indicated that the row over cuts to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) had been the last straw. His announcement came hours after the Treasury signalled a humiliating climbdown over the plans to change PIP assessment criteria, which were expected to slash around 1.3 billion a year off the cost. Government sources said they wanted to kick the proposals - initially announced by the Department for Work and Pensions last week - "into the long grass" and were not "wedded" to the savings figures featured in the Budget. In his letter responding to Mr Duncan Smith, the Prime Minister wrote: "I regret that you have chosen to step down from the Government at this moment. "Together we designed the Personal Independence Payment to support the most vulnerable and to give disabled people more independence. We all agreed that the increased resources being spent on disabled people should be properly managed and focused on those who need it most. "That is why we collectively agreed - you, No 10 and the Treasury - proposals which you and your department then announced a week ago. Today we agreed not to proceed with the policies in their current form and instead to work together to get these policies right over the coming months. "In the light of this, I am puzzled and disappointed that you have chosen to resign." Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democrat chief Tim Farron have demanded that Mr Osborne follow Mr Duncan Smith's example and resign. "The Budget has exposed George Osborne's record of profound unfairness and economic failure. Not only must the cuts to support for disabled people be abandoned, but the Government must change economic course," Mr Corbyn said. "The Chancellor has failed the British people. He should follow the honourable course taken by Iain Duncan Smith and resign." Mr Duncan Smith, who said he was resigning with "enormous regret", delivered a withering assessment of Mr Osborne's fiscal rules - which include an overall cap on welfare spending, cutting debt as a proportion of GDP every year, and recording an absolute surplus by 2020. The Chancellor has already breached the welfare cap and confirmed in Wednesday's Budget that he would break the debt rule. Mr Duncan Smith wrote. "Too often my team and I have been pressured in the immediate run-up to a Budget or fiscal event to deliver yet more reductions to the working age benefit bill. "There has been too much emphasis on money-saving exercises and not enough awareness from the Treasury, in particular, that the Government's vision of a new welfare-to-work system could not be repeatedly salami-sliced." In the most cutting passage, Mr Duncan Smith cited a phrase often used by Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne: "I hope as the Government goes forward you can look again ... at the balance of the cuts you have insisted upon and wonder if enough has been done to ensure 'we are all in this together'." Additional reporting by the Press Association. A t least five people have been killed and several others injured after a suspected suicide bombing in a major shopping district in Istanbul. CNN Turk reported the explosion was in Istiklal Street shortly after 9.30am UK time on Saturday. Istanbul's governor Vasip Sahin said four people were killed abd 20 people were injured in the explosion, with three people in serious condition. Police helicopters were seen circling overhead and television footage showed people running from the major shopping and tourist district. The state-run Anadolu Agency reported ambulances were responding to the explosion on the thoroughfare, which is home to cafes, restaurants and foreign consulate buildings. The Dogan news agency said the attack was believed to be a suicide bombing and Private NTV television said the explosion happened outside a shopping mall. Turkey is on edge following two recent suicide bomb attacks in the capital Ankara, which were claimed by a Kurdish militant group, an off-shoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkey had heightened security in Ankara and Istanbul in the run-up to the Kurdish spring festival on March 21. K ey suspect of the Paris attacks Salah Abdeslam will fight efforts to extradite him to France, his lawyer has said. Abdeslam was captured in Belgium, on Friday after going on the run following Novembers terror attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people. He was wounded in a shootout with police at a flat in Brussels but was today discharged from hospital, alongside a suspected accomplice. He is now set to face questioning by investigators who are hoping for a fast-track extradition to France. But Abdeslams lawyer Sven Marys told journalists on Saturday: We will refuse the extradition. Suspect: Salah Abdeslam was wanted over the Paris attacks / EPA The lawyer made the comment after he and Abdeslam met with a Belgian investigating magistrate who will decide whether to issue a formal arrest warrant against the French national. Belgian prosecutors said earlier they are confident the suspect will be extradited to France. Interpol issued a statement on Saturday calling on countries to be vigilant at their borders, adding accomplices of Abdeslam may try to flee following his capture. The international police agency recommended closer checks at frontiers, especially for stolen passports. French President Francois Hollande was also due to hold an emergency security meeting at the Elysee palace on Saturday with top security officials, military chief, Prime minister and ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense, Interior and Justice. Paris attacks suspect caught Hollande hailed the arrest of Abdeslam, who is suspected of driving attackers and other direct participation in the attacks and evaded police for four months. Speaking in Brussels hours after the police operation, he warned that "more arrests will come." He said authorities must continue hunting all those who organised or facilitated the attack. France remains under a state of emergency following the November 13 attacks. LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) The Nebraska Supreme Court has affirmed the conviction of a Guide Rock man who joined his mother in killing her boyfriend's 68-year-old mother in 2013. Andrew Casterline was found guilty in December 2014 of first-degree murder, burglary and a weapons crime in the October 2013 slaying of Virginia Barone. His mother, Shelley Casterline, also was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Andrew Casterline argued in his appeal that the evidence was insufficient to convict him and that a district judge erred in allowing some evidence and in using certain language in jury instructions. The high court disagreed with his assertions in its ruling issued Friday. His mother lost her own appeal to the Supreme Court last May. 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To help you find what you are looking for: Enter Search Term(s): Still cant find what youre looking for? Send us a message using our contact us form. To report a broken link or other problems with the website, please include the URL. Thank you for visiting state.gov. The shade is coming down on Illinois politics for a while, as campaigns go into near hibernation until late summer in the almost eight-month interval between Tuesdays primary and the Nov. 8 general election. Thats a long time. So long that a woman can vote in the primary not realizing shes pregnant and take her newborn baby along to cast a ballot in the fall. Lets take a quick last look to recap the top-of-the-ticket races, before our thoughts turn to springtime and away from the blustery winds of winter and pols. State officials, such as governor, arent up till 2018. So Ill start with the U.S. Senate. In an otherwise historic political year (for example, Democrats will nominate either the first female or first Jewish major party candidate for president), the Senate race in Illinois offers a different kind of diversity. Tuesdays nominees, who won their primaries with ease, are Republican incumbent Mark Kirk and his Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth. Each has overcome life-changing disabilities: Kirk with lingering weakness from a stroke in 2012 and Duckworth from losing both legs as an Army helicopter pilot shot down in Iraq in 2004. I was a little surprised that the Tea Party faction did not mount a stronger challenge to the socially moderate Kirk. He remains on some pundits lists as the most vulnerable Republican senator in the country, so we can expect a dandy fight with Duckworth in the fall. That is, if warring presidential contenders dont buy up all the TV and radio airtime that effectively is the modern battlefield. The military looms large in the race. Duckworth, 48, is former director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, and the sacrifice of her service is easily evident. Kirk, 56, a lawyer, served in intelligence in the Naval Reserve. He and Duckworth both have previous experience in the U.S. House. Kirks first Senate election, in 2010, was relatively close. He defeated Alexi Giannoulias about 48 to 46 percent to fill the seat held by Barack Obama when he was elected president. Actually, it was to fill the seat Sen. Roland Burris briefly held as an appointee of then-soon-to-be jailed Gov. Rod Blagojevich. But thats a mess we will leave in the past. Metro East is split among three U.S. House districts in a way that almost defines gerrymandering. In my hometown of Collinsville, there is an area where you can look out the window of your house in the 13th District, gaze across a sliver of the 15th and see homes in the 12th. Heck, a neighborhood party could include three local congressmen, one of whom, John Shimkus, lives just up the street. While we think of the Metro East region as historically Democratic, all three congressmen are Republicans, thanks to districts that fan out to cover vast rural territories. Shimkus 15th, for example, runs east to Indiana and south to Kentucky. Shimkus, 58, barely won his first term, in 1996, but thereafter racked up typically 3-2 or better re-election wins, with a 55-45 percent finish against David Phelps in 2002 as the closest. Last time, he won 3-1. No Democrat filed for his seat in the primary. I suggest you think twice if party leaders knock on your door about it. Rep. Rodney Davis, a Republican in the 13th District, had managed Shimkus first re-election campaign and worked as his aide. Like Shimkus, Davis, now 46, barely won his first race, in 2012. But in 2014, he got 59 percent of the vote against Ann Callis, a popular former Madison County chief judge and daughter of an especially influential Democrat. At this point, I have no idea whether the latest Democrat, Mark Wicklund, 47, a former county board member from Decatur, will fare any better. From my perch, the congressional race to watch will be freshman Rep. Mike Bost, 55, a Republican businessman and firefighter from Murphysboro, defending his 12th District seat against Charles C.J. Baricevic, 30, a labor lawyer from Belleville. Baricevics formidable father, John Baricevic, is St. Clair Countys chief judge, former board chairman and one of the areas most powerful Democrats. Then again, Bost beat the countys Democratic apparatus to get the job in the first place, with a 52-41 percent victory in 2014 over first-termer William Enyart. Democrat Jerry Costello had held the seat for more than 24 years before that. Let all that simmer for now, fellow Illinoisans. Youll be hearing a lot more about it around the time the kids return to school. FERGUSON On Feb. 10, Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III attained a dubious distinction: He became the leader of one of just five jurisdictions sued by the Justice Department for a pattern of law enforcement that allegedly violated the Constitution. If the prospect of that battle bothered him, he didnt let it show. In fact, his rhetoric resembled the steady beat of a drum: The Justice Departments demands would bankrupt the municipality. He had seen no evidence of constitutional violations. To fight was less expensive than to surrender. But about two weeks ago, his stance suddenly softened. That transformation culminated at a meeting Tuesday when the City Council unanimously accepted an agreement containing hundreds of police and court reforms to resolve the lawsuit. Knowles echoed some of his most ardent critics as he expressed hope that the agreement, called a consent decree, would make Ferguson a model for many other communities, not just here in this region, but across the country. A month earlier, the council had in effect rejected the same proposal. To explain the reversal, Knowles has repeatedly pointed to a Justice Department letter assuring Ferguson that the costs of the reforms had been overstated. But that letter was just one occurrence in a complicated chain of events that led to the decrees being put back on the table. While Knowles was positioning the city for a lengthy contest in court, two newly elected council members Wesley Bell and Ella Jones worked behind the scenes for a resolution. I didnt go to the street and protest, Jones said of the demonstrations that followed the August 2014 death of Michael Brown. Somebody had to work their way into the system. I learned a long time ago ... If you want to change the system, you have to be inside the system. Their success hinged on an unexpected death, persistent lobbying, a reassuring email and a behind-closed-doors vote to put the consent decree back on the councils agenda. In a city that had become the cornerstone for a national debate about race, that secret vote revealed that the council is struggling to bridge a divide of its own. On one side, four black council members supported reconsidering the agreement. On the other, three white members, including the mayor, opposed it, according to multiple sources. Knowles soon toned down his posturing a shift that coincided with the DOJs letter and mounting evidence that opponents of the decree had been outmaneuvered. CREATING FEAR Brian Fletcher, a former mayor who founded the I love Ferguson campaign, was elected to the City Council last year, along with Jones and Bell, shortly after the Justice Department published a report detailing numerous constitutional violations by the citys police department and court. The city and the Justice Department entered into months of talks about an agreement to overhaul Fergusons criminal justice system. As negotiations concluded, Fletcher worried Ferguson would go bankrupt. On Jan. 10, he died of a heart attack. The fight over replacing him erupted two weeks later. Two white council members wanted Rob Chabot, a white Ferguson-Florissant School Board member, but the three African-American council members wanted Laverne Mitchom, a retired educator, who is also black. Although Mitchom had majority support, City Attorney Stephanie Karr said four votes were needed to confirm the nomination. The seat remained vacant. The city released the proposed consent decree the next day. Estimates from city officials about the cost of enacting the reforms rose, from an initial $800,000 to as much as $3.7 million in the first year. The higher figure, provided by Ferguson Finance Director Jeffrey Blume, was based on a provision in the agreement that required Ferguson to offer police competitive salaries. That created a panic, Jones said. How did it go from $800,000 to $3.7 million? Thats creating fear. SEEKING UNITY Bell had spent months on a three-member committee along with Knowles and council member Mark Byrne, who is white negotiating the agreement with the Justice Department. As a decision on the decree neared, it was evident how events would play out, Bell said. He anticipated a 3-3 vote with him, Jones and Dwayne James, the other black council member, supporting the decree and white council members Knowles, Byrne and Keith Kallstrom opposing it. The two most controversial aspects of the decree were the provision about wages and a clause that made the decree apply to any other agency providing policing in Ferguson. But without that clause, Ferguson could circumvent many requirements by disbanding its police department. Bell believed the citys best chance at reaching a settlement was a unanimous affirmative vote, rather than a divided negative one. He asked Dan Webb, a lawyer from Chicago hired by Ferguson, to extract some of the agreements more troubling provisions, including ones about salaries and other police agencies, and present it to the council, he said. Jones said she thought it was a bad idea, but Webb told the council that approving a revised version of the decree was the best chance of avoiding a lawsuit. On Feb. 9, the 18-month anniversary of Browns death, Bell read the amendments to an audience of more than 200 people, arguing that they were merely seven changes among hundreds of provisions to which the city had agreed. The revised decree passed unanimously, but what the council did next would set the stage for Ferguson to eventually adopt the entire agreement. Jones and Bell had not given up on getting Mitchom on the council and continued to lobby Kallstrom and Byrne. Mitchom, a retired educator, spent 30 years as a social worker and counselor in St. Louis voluntary desegregation program. All things considered, she was the best candidate, period, Bell said. Shes a teacher, an educator and a sociologist. Mitchom also had participated in some of the protests over Browns death, and minutes after the council rebuffed the agreement, another unanimous vote made her Fergusons newest council member. A FISSURE APPEARS At a press conference on Feb. 10, subtle cracks appeared in the citys united front as officials talked about the Justice Department. The ball is in their court, Knowles said. If they want to threaten legal action then thats what they are threatening. ... The assessment is, as it currently stands, that it will cost more to implement the agreement than to fight it in a lawsuit. Bells remarks were more deferential. We just want to also express how much respect we have for the Department of Justice and their team, he said. Two hours later, the Justice Department sued the city. Jones said she grew more uncomfortable with how the councils decision had unfolded and worried that it had been made under false pretenses. She called Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, for advice, and then met with Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., in St. Louis to outline her concerns. Clay, who had initially asked the Justice Department to investigate Ferguson in 2014, said he told Jones to do whatever she needed to rally votes to approve the agreement. Bell contacted Jared L. Hasten, another lawyer from Webbs Chicago law firm, and asked him to keep open the dialogue with the Justice Department. On Feb. 15, Bell was called to a meeting at City Hall to interview attorneys from the law firm Husch Blackwell to help with the lawsuit. Bell said he was concerned that only Byrne and Knowles were at the meeting. He called Jones and told her to come to City Hall. I thought everyone was invited, Bell said. At the very least, the council should have known about it ahead of time. But after Jones introduced herself to the four or five lawyers present, Knowles told her she wasnt supposed to be there, Jones said. They had no intention of letting us know that they were meeting with a litigation team, Jones said. They were going to fight this no matter what, and they were going to come back and sell it to the rest of us. THE SPLIT VOTE On Feb. 22, the council received an email from Hasten, who had spoken with Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division. In that conversation, Gupta mentioned a Post-Dispatch article published the day before that enumerated various problems with the citys $3.7 million estimate. Gupta said she was willing to provide Ferguson with a letter stating the Justice Department would work with the city on expenses and clarify the terms of the provision regarding police salaries, as long as Ferguson provided assurances that it would approve the decree. On Feb. 29, the council met in closed session and James, Bell, Jones and Mitchom voted to put the decree on the councils next agenda. Kallstrom, Byrne and Knowles voted no. Guptas letter arrived by email on March 4. It assured the city that approving the consent decree would resolve the lawsuit and that the Justice Department did not want to bankrupt Ferguson. It also repudiated the citys interpretation of the salary provision. After the letter became public, Knowles remarks contradicted his opposition to placing the decree on the agenda. I think holistically this is the best move forward for the city, Knowles said after a council meeting earlier this month. Knowles, who declined to talk to the Post-Dispatch for this story, also emphasized that Gupta had assured Ferguson that the city did not have to increase officers salaries. But Guptas letter said the Justice Department had always been clear on that point. To activists, it seemed that some city officials were saying they now knew that estimates used to induce fear were inflated. How did they come to the realization that the numbers they fabricated werent true? said Emily Davis, a Ferguson resident and protester. The DOJ told them they lied. ... The DOJ said, You had absolutely all the information you needed. You knew better. Thats the thing that makes me so angry. It so much further divided the community. Bell was hesitant to confirm that the critical vote was split by race, but he acknowledged that it was now an open secret in Ferguson. I think this reinforces why diversity is so important, he said. African-Americans in general are going to be more sensitive to the seriousness of this problem and the need for these reforms. So its much more personal. On Tuesday, all traces of the mayors combativeness had vanished, as he sided with council members he had previously opposed. After the consent decree was approved, Browns father, Michael Brown Sr., shook Knowles hand, put his arm around him and thanked him, an exchange captured in photographs published around the country. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. When Illinois lawmakers revamped the Freedom of Information Act in 2009 and created an outside appeals process for public records requests denied by state government, they made an important exception themselves. Records requests denied by the Legislature are not subject to review by the attorney generals public access counselor, the counselors office said in a letter this week to The Associated Press. That exception for the Legislature means that even as Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner routinely discloses his appointment calendars in response to AP requests, legislative leaders could deny a similar AP request for their calendars and emails with no right of appeal. Democratic Speaker Michael Madigan who has been in that post for more than 30 years doesnt even keep a calendar or use email, his spokesman Steve Brown said. It does not make for good government, David Melton, senior adviser to the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, said of the exception for the Legislature. Even some advocates of open government had overlooked the exemption from FOIA appeals. The issue has come up as Illinois is mired in a fracas between Rauner and legislative Democrats that has left the state without a budget for nine months. Many lawmakers admit that nothing much is getting done in Springfield. Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, said allowing review of open records denials by the attorney general would violate constitutional separation of power provisions between executive and legislative branches. Christine Radogno, the Senates Republican leader, would not address the issue during an unrelated news conference Thursday, but added, This is an area that were trying to work through. Eileen Boyce, spokeswoman for Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who spearheaded the 2009 FOIA revision that created the counselor, did not answer a question about whether the Legislature should submit to the review system, but said that the attorney general has strongly advocated for greater transparency by all branches of government. The AP participated in a 50-state project for Sunshine Week, the national celebration of government transparency, by requesting emails and appointment calendars for the week of Feb. 1-7 from each legislative leader. The Senate responded that legislative immunity granted by the state Constitution shields it from answering FOIA requests. It also argued, along with the House, that it is exempt from releasing emails and calendars, saying that individual legislators are not public bodies under FOIA and that the law makes exceptions for preliminary drafts and the personal privacy of constituents. Asked whether Speaker Madigan believes legislative leaders should release information as Rauner has, Madigans spokesman Steve Brown said hed check and call back if I have anything to say. He did not call back. Democratic Sen. Kwame Raoul of Chicago, the Senate sponsor of the 2009 FOIA alterations, said too much immediate release of information could stymie the always-complex, often-delicate process of lawmaking. Kevin Horrigan Kevin Horrigan is the deputy editorial page editor for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Kevin Horrigan Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today In fall 2011, when Occupy St. Louis was encamped at Kiener Plaza downtown, I went looking for one of the groups leaders. This was not easy, since Occupy shunned hierarchical leadership models and referred most decisions to general assemblies that went on for hours even when the issue was the location of porta-potties. Eventually a young woman agreed to talk with me. I asked what they were doing in Kiener Plaza. The people they were upset with (vaguely, the 1 percent) mostly lived in Ladue. Shouldnt you be occupying someplace like the Bogey Club? I asked. The young woman walked away, muttering something about dopes in the mainstream media. This is the trouble with protest movements today. Theyre targeting the wrong people. The angry, under-employed legions of Donald Trumps supporters and the angry, under-employed legions of anti-Trump activists have more in common than they realize. Yes, theyve been screwed, but not by each other. Fortunately, if they can bring themselves to read a book, theres a new one available thats like a primer to who and what did the screwing. Its called Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It. Full disclosure: Back in the day, Nicholas G. Penniman IV was a top executive at the Post-Dispatch. I knew him to say hi. His son, Nick, whom Ive never met, is the co-author, with Wendell Potter, of Nation on the Take. Both men are former journalists who now work for public interest groups. They are doing Gods work. The reason America cant do anything about the problems that Occupy, the Trumpsters and the anti-Trumpsters are outraged about is that big money has corrupted the democratic process. Trump, whatever his other wacko positions, is right about this one: Most Republicans and a whole lot of Democrats, at every level of government, are deeply in big moneys pocket. Penniman and Potter explain how this happened. They give you the court cases. They name names. They follow the money. They offer prescriptions for reform. If, like me, you are so obsessed with this issue that your co-workers and family roll their eyes when you start to talk, you wont learn much that is new. If youre just generally ticked off and think that somehow wearing the right T-shirt will bring social justice or Make America Great Again, you should read this book. In 1896, at the height of what Mark Twain dubbed the Gilded Age, Sen. Mark Hanna of Ohio got Republican William McKinley elected president. Hanna explained: There are two things that are important in politics. The first is money, and I cant remember what the second one is. In todays second Gilded Age, thats more true than ever. Potter and Penniman write that in 2013, newly elected House Democrats were given a model schedule to help them organize their time. It included four hours of call time and one hour of strategic outreach time. Every day, members of the peoples House have to spend five hours raising money. And who are they getting it from? Joe Sixpack, whos not paying attention? People who can write a $25 check? There is no poor peoples political action committee, Kansas Republican Sen. Bob Dole once observed. They get it from banks and businesses, from lobbyists for banks and businesses. Democrats get it from unions, though business groups outspend unions by 15-to-1. The destruction of unions has been a key goal for Republicans for decades. Unions, of course, objected to the various free-trade agreements passed with Democratic and Republican support, the same free-trade agreements that supporters of both Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders are angry about. Potter and Penniman trace the money that worked against the working class. That includes the pharmaceutical lobbys successful effort during the George W. Bush administration to keep Medicare from negotiating drug prices. Big Pharma helped pass President Obamas Affordable Care Act because it got protection there, too. You buy drugs, you pay more because money talked. The authors trace the money in the bank bailout in 2008 and the successful effort by the financial industry to make mortgage debt exempt during bankruptcy filings. They discuss the tax loopholes that cost the country $1 trillion a year, thus placing more of the burden on the middle class. This book will make you mad, but youre probably already mad, so it will make you mad and informed. It could cause you to vote against incumbents in every office up for election. A few reformers would get hurt, but theyd be collateral damage in what would, overall, be progress. To change things, Penniman and Potter suggest, everyone will have to get involved. Everyone will have to know where the money is coming from. All sides would play by the same rules and everyone would be held accountable. Hats and T-shirts wont help. If you want justice, if you want your country back, thats what its going to take. GULF SHORES, Ala. Officials say an immediate ban on alcohol has been placed on public beaches in the Gulf Shores corporate limits. The decision was made Friday during a special session of the Gulf Shores City Council. The ban is effective immediately until April 17. Gulf Shores spokesman Grant Brown says no alcohol should be consumed between the dunes and waterline. Mayor Robert Craft said during the meeting that the reasoning behind the ban is to keep a safe environment in the Gulf Shores during spring break. Craft says there has been an increase in students at the beach in recent years. The city says anyone in violation of the new ordinance is subject to a fine up to $500 or up to six months in jail. Police in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have broken up crowds of over 1,000, arrested dozens for underage drinking and stepped up DUI patrols. "We pride ourselves of being a family destination," Craft said "This activity does not lend support to that." Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon also is considering similar action: "If we can't keep it under control, we will ban alcohol on the beach during Spring Break. I don't think my council has a problem with that." Kennon, however, emphasized that the present scene on Alabama beaches is in no way comparable with the throbbing spring break at Panama City Beach. Kennon said his beach is populated with more families right now than college students. "We're not Panama City and we're making a statement that we won't become a Panama City," he said. "If we have to eliminate alcohol on the beach, that's what we'll do." The booze ban comes amid social media buzz that includes photos posted on a Facebook page showing garbage strewn on Gulf Shores' beaches and gatherings of college students moving about. Craft said such social media efforts have helped guide police into areas where unruly behavior is occurring. "Our Police Department is monitoring it every minute," he said. "We've been able to monitor and react." Craft said the city's police and local officials have been keenly alert to Spring Breach 2016 because of events in Panama City Beach last year and concerns that the alcohol ban there would drive revelers elsewhere. As of early Wednesday, Gulf Shores police were holding 112 spring breakers in jail, Craft said. The city's police station lockup has only 23 beds, so police were keeping some of the prisoners in hallways and other restricted areas, and transporting some to Foley's city jail. "If they are intoxicated, we can't let them go unless they sober up," he said. City public works crews are also working extra hours this year to ensure the beaches are quickly cleaned. Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are popular destinations for St. Louis spring breakers. Students from Texas A&M, the University of Tennessee, the University of Alabama and Auburn University have been visible on beaches this week, and LSU students are expected next week. South Korea is on schedule to launch the seventh of nine new Type 2014 submarines in April. This one will enter service in 2017 and the last two by 2020. The growing South Korean submarine fleet (nine Type 209 and six Type 214 and the three additional Type 214s being delivered by the end of the decade) has become a major part of the fleet. In recognition of this in early 2015 South Korea created a new Submarine Command whose main purpose is to develop better anti-submarine capabilities against North Korea or even China. Another reason for the Submarine Command was to make it easier to curb the procurement corruption that has developed in the navy. Several senior navy officers and officials have recently been prosecuted for this sort of misbehavior. Since the submarine service is rather elite and much more sensitive to getting the most for their money the Submarine Command, run by submarine officers, is expected to be more resistant to corruption. That is important because South Korea is putting a lot more money into submarines. North Korea currently has 70 subs, but most (over 70 percent) of them are very small (and often elderly) coastal types. There are twenty larger (1,800 ton) Romeo type boats but these are also very old, noisy and easy for other subs to detect under water. South Korea has been upgrading its submarine force for some time now. In 2014 South Korea launched the fifth KSS-2 class (Type 214) submarine, which entered service in 2015. The last two KSS-2s were built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. These KSS 2 class subs are armed with South Korean made Haeseong-3 cruise missiles and torpedoes. The Haeseong-3 is like the torpedo tube launched American Tomahawk. Haeseong-3 has a range of 1,500 kilometers and can reach any target within North Korea. The first three KSS-2s were built (from German components) by Hyundai Heavy Industries. Much to the chagrin of South Koreans, who are trying to develop their own submarine building capability, the first three Type 214s had quality problems. Mostly it was because of defective components and poor construction techniques that left the three boats noisy and easier to detect. The first three Type 214 subs were out of action for most of 2010 because of these problems. This was very embarrassing, as these subs were built in South Korea and that was a big deal for South Koreans. Building submarines is a very specialized and exacting type of manufacturing and South Korea has only been doing it only since 2000. The first subs built in South Korea were these three German Type 214s, and the first of those entered service in 2008. The boats were built using licensed technology from the German developer (HDW) and many of the components were manufactured in South Korea as well. But then in 2006 metal bolts in the Type 214s began coming loose or breaking. The problem was traced to the South Korean supplier of the bolts which were not, it turned out, manufactured to the German specification. Eventually, German specialists were called in, and by 2011 the problem had been fixed. South Korea went ahead with plans to build six additional Type 214 subs over the next 12 years. South Korea already had nine 1,100 ton Type 209 subs, designed and built in Germany. The Type 214 boats use fuel cells, enabling them to stay underwater for up to two weeks, which is ten times longer than the Type 209s. The Type 214 is a 1,700 ton, 65 meter (202 foot) long boat, with a crew of 27. It has four torpedo tubes and a top submerged speed of 35 kilometers an hour. Maximum diving depth is over 400 meters (1,220 feet). AIP boats go for up to a billion dollars each. The second batch of South Korean 214s will have an improved AIP system, which is apparently more reliable and provides a small increase in time underwater. South Korea will probably become a supplier of AIP systems as well because they now have the industrial expertise for this sort of high tech. The latest Type 214 boat is important because if it proves to be flawless it will make South Korea a contender in the international submarine market. Potential export customers, largely from East and Southeast Asia, are already showing interest. The twin shocks of Boko Haram violence and lower oil prices has created some fundamental changes in Nigeria. Corruption, long a hated, crippling and persistent problem is finally being attacked in earnest. Boko Haram played a role in that because many Boko Haram recruits were attracted by the promise of cleaning up government via a religious dictatorship. The media and most Nigerians agreed that without all that corruption there would be no Boko Haram. All this caused big changes in the political leadership as corrupt politicians suddenly became unelectable. For decades you got elected because of corruption and the understanding that the new state governor or country president would distribute a large chunk of the oil revenues to his faithful followers. Everyone else (most Nigerians) got screwed. The sharply lower oil prices made that scam impossible and no one expected that because it was believed an oil price collapse was not possible. Now it is a reality and it has not only changed attitudes (and actions) towards corruption but the new, reform minded, politicians (like the president who took office a year ago) are making some long delayed changes. For example, since independence in the 1960s many African countries supported everything but agriculture in the belief that industrialization was the key to economic success. This ignored the lessons of history that showed agriculture was the basis for economic success. That message has finally been received in Nigeria and the government is at least promising to make it easier for farmers to prosper and do what successful farmers always do (make further economic growth possible). The lower (by two-thirds since 2013) oil revenue is still the main source for the government budget. To get anything done the government needs cash and the easiest way to get it quickly is to shut down the corrupt practices that diverted billions of dollars from more useful things each year. But longer term Nigeria needs more economic growth and farmers are present and ready to make it happen. Boko Haram is still carrying out attacks in the northeast but at a much lower rate than 2015. The government, and most Nigerians, know that the Boko Haram presence has to be reduced to the point where these religious zealots are only a few hundred armed outlaws and basically a police problem. Currently there appear to be about 8,000 active Boko Haram. This includes a few thousand active (and armed) Boko Haram out in the northeastern countryside. There are even more unarmed supporters, often in urban areas where they must hide their affiliation. Most are in the northeast but others have fled the region. Despite the heavy damage done to Boko Haram so far this year there are still enough armed groups of Boko Haram operating in the northeast, mainly Borno State, to keep large rural areas empty of people and many main roads considered unsafe for commercial traffic unless travelling in an armed convoy. Because of that a very visible international military campaign against Boko Haram continues in the northeast, mainly in Borno. This often involves the air force, which uses helicopters and UAVs as well as conventional aircraft to regularly patrol large rural areas and there are armed helicopters and bombers on call to quickly bomb any Boko Haram camps spotted. This air force effort is a major reason so many of these camps are being put out of business (by air or ground attack) and why so many Boko Haram are hungry, living rough and losing enthusiasm for the mess they have gotten themselves in. While Boko Haram is not a nationwide catastrophe, it has turned the northeast into an economic disaster zone. The three northeastern state where most of the mayhem occurs have a population of 11 million (Borno; 4.7, Yobe; 2.7 and Adamawa; 3.6). Thats about six percent of the national population. Locally these three states have seen a quarter of their population driven from their homes and more than half unable to survive without assistance (food, medical, water). About ten percent of the population (mostly in Borno) are still refugees but the economic situation is getting worse because small businesses (especially farms) are running out of savings and other reserves (like food) which means more malnutrition and disease. There are fewer healthcare personnel because many people with education and skill could afford to leave the region and have done so, if only temporarily. With less locally grown food and more markets being closed (to avoid suicide bombers) food and other goods have become more expensive for people with less to spend. These economic problems are also showing up in northern Cameroon, which is adjacent to the areas of Nigeria where Boko Haram is operating. The economic impact is not as bad as in Nigeria but Cameroon is a smaller country with an even smaller GDP than Nigeria. The government points out that the security forces are still killing lots of Boko Haram gunmen and driving the Islamic terrorists out of areas they have long terrorized. That is all true but Boko Haram is still out there and the people, the government and Boko Haram know it. Government optimism aside it is true that Boko Haram is on a downward slide that will eventually, probably sometime in 2016 suddenly not be a major security threat anymore. The signs are everywhere, from rural businesses (especially farms) suddenly back in operation because the locals sensed it was safe and returned. Another telling trend is the growing number of Boko Haram who are surrendering because they are literally starving to death. By driving so many farmers and other civilians out of rural areas Boko Haram has created a rural food shortage. Refugees get government and foreign aid supplies but Boko Haram starves if there is nothing to steal. March 16, 2016: In the northeast (Borno State) two female suicide bombers attacked near a mosque in the state capital (Maiduguri) leaving 25 dead. Elsewhere in Borno a Boko Haram technical (a pickup truck with a machine-gun mounted on a tripod in the back) ran over a Boko Haram mine and was destroyed, killing two of the Islamic terrorists. Boko Haram is planting a growing number of these locally made mines in dirt roads and elsewhere. Since the Islamic terrorists do not keep any centralized records of where all this stuff, more and more of these mine locations are unknown to the Islamic terrorists as well as the security forces or local civilians. Even if Boko Haram know the location of mines in their area there can still be problem with mines in roads. In todays incident the Boko Haram vehicle was fleeing a failed ambush and were more focused on getting away from the pursuing troops than in checking where their group had earlier planed mines. Increased losses has also left Boko Haram with fewer experienced bomb makers and a growing number of bombs and mines do not work or go off prematurely as they are being planted. Meanwhile the army has learned how to cope with the growing mine risk, but that awareness slows down operations, something Boko Haram often takes advantage of. Further east, about ten kilometers from the Cameroon border Cameroonian troops raided a smaller Boko Haram camp killing twenty Islamic terrorists and freeing twelve civilian captives. Niger reported that in the last week there were two Boko Haram attacks near Diffa (on the Nigerian border adjacent to Borno state) that left three soldiers and five Boko Haram suicide bombers dead. The attackers were apparently from Boko Haram groups still operation in northeastern Borno. Nigerian troops are increasing their efforts to find and destroy these groups. March 14, 2016: In the northeast (Adamawa State) a feud between two local self-defense militias led to seven militiamen killed and 19 wounded. The security forces feared there would be more of this militia violence than there actually was. The self-defense militias often arose without any government help or permission and have played a major role in keeping much of the northeast safe from Boko Haram. Neighboring Cameroon has noted this and encouraged (with permission, cash, weapons, vehicles and other equipment) northern tribes to form such groups to deal with Boko Haram raiders. March 10, 2016: In the northeast (Borno State) a wanted Boko Haram leader was killed in a gun battle with police. Several other Boko Haram were wounded and got away. March 8, 2016: Responding to international criticism president Buhari spoke out in defense of his harsh treatment of South African firm MTN. Nigeria finally got the attention of MTN one of the, largest cell phone companies in Africa, by convincing a judge to enforce a large fine ($250 million so far) because MTN did not disconnect five million unregistered cell phone SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards as ordered in 2015. Other companies did disconnect over ten million illegal SIMs but MTN thought they could beat this in court. Because the SIM card shutdown order was mainly directed at a murderous Islamic terror group (Boko Haram) and not just a lot of lesser criminals the courts agreed with the government and MTN was forced to comply and pay the fine. This is not a problem unique to Africa and is one of the unpleasant side effects of cell phones. March 3, 2016: In the northeast (Borno State) troops moved through a rural area and killed five Boko Haram gunmen and forced many others to flee. The Islamic terrorists had been hiding out in the forest but had forced the remaining hundred or so civilians in four villages to stay where they were and provide the Boko Haram men with food and other services. Word of this situation eventually reached the local security forces who organized a rescue operation that got 63 women and children out of the four villages. March 1, 2016: In central Nigeria (Benue State) Moslem Fulani tribesmen battled Christians from four farming villages for nearly a week, leaving several hundred dead before troops and police could restore order. The Fulani are angrier than usual because for over a year soldiers have been catching up with some of their raiding parties, killing some of the Fulani and returning stolen cattle and other goods. Tribal violence in this area has been a problem for generations because Moslem and Christian tribes do not get along. The violence has gotten worse lately. There were over a thousand casualties a year since 2013 and it looks like it is going to worse in 2016. Boko Haram has claimed involvement, but that appears to be marginal. The Moslem tribes have long claimed that the government was sending Christian soldiers and police to persecute them because of their religion not because they were constantly attacking Christian farmers. The settled (farming) tribes have been there a long time and in the last few decades more Moslem tribesmen have come south looking for pasturage and water for their herds and have increasingly used force to get what they want. February 29, 2016: In the northeast (Borno state) Cameroonian and Nigerian troops cooperated in surrounding and destroying a major Boko Haram base near the town of Kumshe. Nearly a hundred of the Islamic terrorists were killed and not many got away during the three day operation. More importantly over 800 captives were rescued, including teenage girls being trained as suicide bombers. Also found were weapons and ammo stockpiles as well as a workshop that built bombs, bomb vests as well as car bombs. Elsewhere in Borno troops at a checkpoint arrested four known Boko Haram veterans who were trying to flee to southern Nigeria. It is unclear what these four planned to do down there but the captives showed signs of starvation and that is not unusual with many Boko Haram in the northeast. Avoiding detection has taken precedence over finding food and many dead or captured Boko Haram also show sighs of poor nutrition and health. February 26, 2016: In the northeast (Borno state) troops located and raided a major Boko Haram camp, killing 37 Islamic terrorists while losing two troops. This camp had a bomb building workshop, a medical clinic and equipment for repairing vehicles. There were electrical generators and enough fuel to keep many vehicles, as well as the generators, going for over a week. The Israeli manufacturer of the Spyder (Surface-to-air PYthon and DERby) mobile anti-aircraft system is now offering an even more mobile version that uses tracked vehicles instead of wheeled ones. The tracked vehicle carries four missiles, the radar and fire control system. Spyder has been around since 2005. Spyder is still available in the original, truck mounted version where one or more trucks carried a launcher with four missiles and another truck carried the radar and fire control system. Spyder launchers can carry either the Python 5 heat seeking missile (3.2 meters/ten feet long, 105 kg/231 pounds, with a range of 15 kilometers) or the Derby radar guided missile (3.6 meter/11.2 feet long, 121.4 kg/267 pounds, with a range of 30 kilometers). The Derby is actually a larger Python, with more fuel and a radar controlled guidance system. Python has an 11 kg (23 pound) warhead while the one on Derby is 23 kg (51 pound). The Spyder radar system has a maximum range of 100 kilometers. The missiles can hit targets as high as 9,000 meters (28,000 feet) and as low as 20 meters (63 feet). Spyder has been sold to four export customers as well as the Israeli military. There were unconfirmed reports that Georgia used Spyder in combat during 2008 when the Russians invaded. Peru has ordered Spyder but has not received it yet. The UN uses teams of investigators to monitor violations of arms embargoes and regularly releases reports of violations found. In early 2016 one of these reports noted that North Korea was adapting civilian Japanese maritime radars for its warships. This information gives the Japanese another item to block from sale to North Korea. The investigators also found that North Korea was continuing to export light infantry weapons (assault rifles, machine-guns, RPG launchers) to outlaw customers via smuggling routes through China. The most recent North Korean customers were found to be various Syrian rebel groups. North Korea was also found to be illegally providing police training in Uganda and Vietnam. For decades the North Korean police training has been particularly popular with dictatorships because the North Korean teach the nasty stuff (torture and dirty tricks in general) that is generally illegal. Because of this latest report the United States will again be pressuring China to do more to shut down North Korean smuggling via China. Up until 2012 the Americans were openly accusing China of supplying North Korea's missile program with components and technology. This was discovered in 2012 when debris from an April North Korean missile test fell into shallow water off the west coast of South Korea. Russian, Chinese, and American ships, and perhaps submarines, all joined the search. The water where the debris fell was no deeper than 100 meters (310 feet) making it easy to search for and recover parts of the rocket. Some of those recovered components were apparently identified as Chinese and the Americans used that to get the Chinese to admit they had a problem and to do something about it. China had agreed to abide by embargos on North Korea but Chinese firms are notorious for ignoring their government and just selling to whoever will buy. Ignoring this behavior is not official Chinese policy but accepting bribes to look the other way is a long accepted Chinese practice. China will often claim that things like rocket components were dual use (which could be technically true). In the past China went through the motions of punishing the offending firms but since 2012 has lost patience with North Korea and has increasingly enforces the embargoes and even cracked down on dual-use abuse. The dual use situation became an issue when the U.S. accused China of selling North Korea a large transport vehicle that the North Koreans modified to carry their latest long-range missile in a 2012 parade. The Chinese truck manufacturer eventually admitted this and said it was not illegal because the truck was designed to haul non-military cargo but, as is the case with many "dual-use" technologies, could easily be adapted to military use. The Chinese manufacturer added that the truck in question was an excellent vehicle and there were many satisfied users. Over the last week the UN sponsored peace talks in Morocco have come up with a proposed new unity government known as the GNA (Government of National Accord) that would be led by a prime minister (Fayez al Sarraj) who will be assisted by a presidential council composed that will assist the prime minister in recruiting suitable people for a cabinet. Sarraj was a member of the Tripoli parliament but known to be a moderate. He is a businessman who is currently in Tunisia with the proposed members of his presidential council waiting to move to Tripoli (the traditional capital). The problem with Sarraj is that he is a compromise candidate selected because it was believed he would have the fewest factions violently opposed to him. Yet those factions (mainly in Tripoli but also some that support the Tobruk government) contain some violence prone groups. One thing the anti-Sarraj factions have in common is the belief that the Sarraj government is being imposed by outsiders (the UN, neighboring Arab states and the West). At this point a growing number of Libyans support, or will tolerate, a unity government that, initially at least, is imposed by outsiders. UN and Libyan officials (from both the Tripoli and Tobruk governments) are trying to line up enough factions from both governments to back the use of force (by Libyan and foreign forces) to get the new Serraj government into Tripoli and established. This is all very risky and uncertain but it is what passes for a potential solution to the current crises in Libya. For the UN this is an effort to stave off a catastrophe. It is feared that Libya will go through the same process Somalia did; several decades of chaos before the factions decide to cooperate. In the meantime Libya will soon run out of cash and be dependent on foreign charity for food and other essentials. As the UN discovered in Somalia and several similar places, it is becoming impossible to get nations to donate the cash needed for chaotic countries where much of the aid is blocked or stolen. This would mean more Libyans fleeing the country to avoid starvation. They will flee to neighboring states initially, mainly Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria. For that reason these three nations back (with reservations) using force to try and get the Serraj government installed and functioning. Western nations, especially the Europeans, want to avoid collapse because that would make Libya a terrorist sanctuary that would threaten everyone, starting with the nations closest to what remains of Libya. The possibility of total collapse is a process not unique to Libya and Somalia but most of the rest of the world has passed through the phase of social development long ago. What makes Libya a special case is that it has the largest oil reserves in Africa. Thats $5 trillion worth of oil and natural gas still in the ground. Analysts at the National Oil Company calculate that Libya has lost $68 billion in oil income since 2011. Currently production is at an all-time low of only about 360,000 barrels a day. That is barely a quarter of what production was before the 2011 revolution. Without increasing oil production Libyans face widespread starvation within a year or two as cash reserves are exhausted. While some factions (especially the Islamic terrorist ones) dont care (because they are on a Mission From God) the majority of faction leaders can do the math and have noted the adverse impact of the economic and social collapse over the last few years. The UN is hoping that will be sufficient to get enough factions to back Serraj, or at least remain neutral, and, as the old refrain goes, give peace a chance. Even before the Serraj compromise was put together pro-unity members from both governments reported getting death threats from politicians and faction leaders who oppose the deal. Greed, corruption and factionalism has been key in preventing the formation of a national government or dealing with the growth of Islamic terrorism (and calls for turning Libya into a religious dictatorship). In theory both the parliament in Tobruk (recognized by the UN) and the rival government in Tripoli (dominated by Islamic conservatives) must vote to approve GNA deal. Plan B is to delay that while the Serraj government is installed in Tripoli by any means necessary. Until now many Western and Arab nations were willing to intervene militarily against ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) in Libya only after the GNA was approved and the new national government formed. Meanwhile many Libyan leaders are well aware that ISIL will continue to exist and expand in Libya unless there is a powerful offensive to clear them out. That requires a united Libya and some foreign assistance. None of that will be available without the GNA and that is another reason for the sudden local and foreign support for the last best hope represented by Serraj and the GNA. So far ISIL has been kept away from oil facilities and major cities by local militias. While ISIL currently controls only a few towns along the coast they are constantly trying to expand. Thus over 500 kilometers of the 1,800 kilometers long coast is now under ISIL control or threat. ISIL has about 6,000 fighters in those places. That force is growing because of local and foreign recruits. A large number of Libyans (several percent of some four million people left in the country) who still believe Islamic terrorism will fix all the problems in Libya and that ISIL is the best practitioner of this savage and ultimately futile strategy. Nearly all older Libyans realize ISIL is a dead (and deadly) end but many teenagers are still believers. These pro-ISIL teenagers are often found at the many mosques in the country run by radicalized clergy. In some areas the radical clergy have been arrested or killed and radical mosques turned into moderate ones or destroyed if conversion was difficult. Islam is still important for most Libyans but there is a growing intolerance of the more radical forms. So many of the most radical Libyans are flocking to Sirte and other places under ISIL control. In addition it appears that ISIL is directing many of its new recruits to Libya instead of Syria. Despite all this ISIL continues suffering defeats. For example local forces continue to battle ISIL in Sabratha, a coastal city 66 kilometers west of Tripoli and about the same size as Sirte. ISIL has controlled parts of Sabratha since mid-2015 but no one has controlled all of Sabratha since 2011. There has been constant fighting, especially with ISIL. The various local militias in Sabratha united, got reinforcements from other militias in Tripoli and have so far stopped ISIL from taking over the city. ISIL seems to be having more success in Tripoli where it is possible to recruit from other Islamic terrorist militias. These groups often have more extreme members who see ISIL as more to their liking. Because of this ISIL is making enemies of other Islamic terrorist groups. What happened between ISIL and other Islamic terrorists groups in Syria is widely known and discussed in Tripoli and the consensus is that ISIL is not a team player and considers itself the mortal foe of any other Islamic terrorist group that does not pledge allegiance to ISIL. Meanwhile pro-Tobruk forces continue to block ISIL from establishing themselves in the eastern city of Benghazi. This success in Sabratha and Benghazi shows that Libyans can defeat ISIL. But it also shows that ISIL is relentless and will continue to fight until destroyed. While there is lots of tension and threats of violence in Libya there is little heavy combat and most of that involves ISIL efforts to expand. Most of the casualties are to the fighters involved although the UN estimates that so far this year 8-9 civilians a week are killed or wounded by stray shell (mortar usually) or rocket fire and bullets aimed at someone else. Meanwhile the neighbors are increasing security on the borders with Libya. Algeria is putting more security personnel on the Libyan border, given the increased activity there are more Islamic terrorists try to get themselves or shipments of weapons into Algeria. So far this year the security forces have kept the Islamic terrorists on the run and unable to launch any major attacks in Algeria. The major threat is the large number of Islamic terrorists in neighboring Libya and their attempts to get into Algeria. March 17, 2016: France announced that it would join any effort to get the Serraj government into Tripoli. In late February France admitted that it had at least fifteen special operations troops in Libya and they had been there since the end of 2015. The French troops were operating from an air base outside the Benghazi and were working alongside British and Italian special operations forces and some other specialists from all three countries plus American troops who came in as needed. While there were less than 200 foreign troops involved all the Islamic terrorist groups in Libya (and some of the less religious ones) see this presence of foreign troops tantamount to a Western (and non-Moslem) invasion of Libya. Most Libyans dont care. The air base is controlled by the elected Tobruk government that is recognized by the UN. The Western commandos are mainly training their Libyan counterparts as well and helping to establish a more efficient intelligence network so that Western warplanes can carry out more strikes on ISIL. Few Libyans object to anything that will hurt ISIL. The French said their troops had carried out four missions so far but nothing was said of how many, if any, the American, Italian and British had engaged in. Meanwhile Egyptian leaders warned the West not to go into Libya alone with ground forces as most Libyans (and most Arabs) would regard that as another Western invasion of a Moslem country. Going in as part of a Moslem-Western coalition is apparently another matter. March 15, 2016: The UN voted to extend for three more months UN efforts to establish a functioning national government in Libya. This means the UN can officially pressure key Libyan institutions (the banks and oil companies) to support UN efforts to form a new government. March 14, 2016: In the southeast (5oo kilometers south of Benghazi) ISIL tried to attack a water processing plant 80 kilometers from the Sarir oil field (the largest in Libya). Security forces killed the driver of a suicide car bomb and defeated ISIL gunmen that were trying to overrun the defenders and get to the water plant. Rockets were also fired at the plant but did no damage to the plant itself. This is the latest and one of the most elaborate ISIL attacks on oil facilities and the militias defending oil facilities are increasing their efforts to improve defenses. March 11, 2016: Algerian troops on the Tunisian border troops killed three Islamic terrorists who were apparently coming from Libya. The men were transporting weapons including twenty assault rifles, three RPG launchers, two suicide bomb vests and six shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles of the type known to have been taken from Libyan military warehouses during the 2011 rebellion. March 9, 2016: Just across the border in Tunisia two more Islamic terrorists from Libya were killed, along with a soldier. The dead Islamic terrorists were apparently survivors of the recent attack on nearby Ben Guerdane. The two dead men revealed their presence when they raided a construction side seeking food. Troops were alerted and soon caught up with the men, who refused to surrender. March 7, 2016: Just across the Tunisian border in the town of Ben Guerdane a large force of ISIL gunmen attacked army and police checkpoints as well as military bases in a coordinated pre-dawn assault. All these attacks were repulsed with 36 of the attackers killed and another seven soon caught up with and killed by pursuing troops. Twelve soldiers and police died in the operation along with seven civilians caught in the crossfire. ISIL is, like most other Islamic terrorist groups in Libya, disappointed and frustrated by the lack of success in establishing any permanent presence in Tunisia. While over 3,000 Tunisians went off to Syria and Libya to join Islamic terrorist groups (including ISIL) one reason for leaving Tunisia was that most Tunisians were very hostile to Islamic terrorism. March 2, 2016: Five ISIL men from Libya were killed by Tunisian border guards on the Tunisian side of the border. A local civilian in the nearby town of Ben Guerdane was killed by a stray bullet. The dead men were heavily armed and suicide bomb vests. February 29, 2016: The U.S. State Department warned American citizens to avoid travelling to Tunisia because of the increasing risk of Islamic terrorist attacks against foreigners there. At the same time Britain announced that it was sending twenty soldiers to Tunisia to help train Tunisian troops and generally improve Tunisian border security efforts. France has, for years, been a major supporter of Tunisian efforts to increase the size and capabilities of its counter-terrorism forces. Handout picture shows Belgian-born Abdeslam Salah seen on a call for witnesses notice released by the French Police Nationale information services on their twitter account November 15, 2015. REUTERS/Police Nationale/Handout via Reuters/Files By Alastair Macdonald and John Irish BRUSSELS/PARIS (Reuters) - The prime surviving suspect for the Nov. 13 Paris attacks planned to blow himself up at a sports stadium with fellow Islamic State militants but changed his mind, he told Belgian investigators on Saturday. The admission by Salah Abdeslam came a day after he was shot in the leg and captured during a police raid in Brussels, ending an intensive four-month manhunt. "He wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France and ... backed out," said the lead French investigator, Francois Molins,quoting Abdeslam's statement to a magistrate in Brussels before he was transferred to a secure jail in Bruges. The gun and bomb attacks on the stadium, bars and a concert hall killed 130 people and marked the deadliest militant assault in Europe since 2004. Molins told reporters in Paris that people should treat with caution initial statements by the 26-year-old French national. But his capture and apparent urge to talk marked a major breakthrough for investigators after the trail had seemed to go cold. Abdeslam's lawyer said he admitted being in Paris during the attacks but gave no details. He told reporters his client, born and raised by Moroccan immigrants in Brussels, had cooperated with investigators but would fight extradition to France. Legal experts said his challenge was unlikely to succeed but would buy him weeks, possibly months, to prepare his defense. Belgian prosecutors charged Abdeslam and a man arrested with him with "participation in terrorist murder". Abdeslam's elder brother Brahim, with whom he used to run a bar, was among the suicide bombers. Salah's confession suggested he was the 10th man mentioned in an Islamic State claim of responsibility for the attacks, after which police found one suicide vest abandoned in garbage. Abdeslam's family, who had urged him to give himself up, said through their lawyer that they had a "sense of relief". Authorities hope the arrest may help disrupt other militant cells that Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said were certainly "out there" and planning further violence. French security services stepped up their measures at frontier crossings after a global warning from Interpol that other fugitives might try to move country. "We've won a battle against the forces of ignorance but the struggle isn't over," Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said. The case has raised tensions with France but Michel and French President Francois Hollande, who was in Brussels for an EU summit when Abdeslam was arrested, praised each other's security services. Hollande was attending an international soccer match at the Stade de France when the bombers struck. FLIGHT RISK A man using false papers in the names of Amine Choukri and Monir Ahmed Alaaj was also charged with terrorist murder. As Choukri, he was documented by German police in the city of Ulm in October when he was stopped in a car with Abdeslam. French prosecutor Molins said Abdeslam traveled widely to prepare the attacks. A third man in the house when the pair were arrested was charged with belonging to a terrorist organization. He and a woman who was present were charged with concealing criminals. Police had sought Abdeslam since he called two acquaintances in Belgium in a panic, hours after the attacks, to have them collect him and bring him home. Suspected to be as far away as Syria, it seems he was in Brussels all or most of the time. Failure to complete his mission could have limited his access to any support from Syria-based Islamic State; the chief Belgian investigator on the case said he had instead relied on a network of friends, family and neighbors with whom he had a history of drug trafficking and petty crime. Security agencies' difficulties in penetrating some Muslim communities, particularly in pursuit of Belgium's unusually high number of citizens fighting in Syria, have been a key factor in the inquiry. PARIS RELIEF As Parisians, and families of the victims, voiced relief at the arrest, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said after an emergency cabinet meeting that a trial could answer questions for those who suffered in the attacks. "Abdeslam will have to answer to French justice for his acts," he said. "It is an important blow to the terrorist organization Daesh (Islamic State) in Europe." A trickle of people came to a makeshift memorial in central Paris, near the scene of much of the bloodshed, to pay their respects. "It's really a relief," said Emilien Bouthillier, who works in the neighborhood. "I can't wait for Belgium to transfer and return him to France so he can be tried the way he should be." Friday's armed swoop came after Abdeslam's fingerprints were found at an apartment following a bloody raid on Tuesday in which an Algerian was shot dead and police officers wounded. Later, local media said, a tip-off and a tapped telephone led police to a mobile phone number used by Abdeslam and, by triangulating the device's location, established where he was. At his nearby newspaper store, a vendor named Dominique said Abdeslam had been well known and liked in the community: "He was a very nice lad before," he said. "How can things go this far?" (Additional reporting by Robin Emmott, Clement Rossignol, Hortense de Roffignac, Philip Blenkinsop and Jan Strupczewski in Brussels and Miranda Alexander-Webber in Bruges; writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Mark Trevelyan) LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP (GPM) announces that the firm has filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas on behalf of a class (the Class) of persons or entities who purchased securities of SANTANDER CONSUMER USA HOLDINGS INC. (Santander or the Company) (NYSE: SC) between February 3, 2015 and March 15, 2016, inclusive (the Class Period). The lawsuit is concerning possible violations of federal securities laws and seeks to recover monetary damages on behalf of investors. Investors have sixty (60) days from the date of this notice to file a motion, with the court, for appointment as a lead plaintiff in this lawsuit. Please contact Lesley Portnoy at 888-773-9224 or 310-201-9150, or at [email protected] to discuss this matter. If you inquire by email, please include your mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased. Santander, through various subsidiaries, is a consumer finance company focused on vehicle finance and unsecured consumer lending products. The Companys primary business is the indirect origination of retail installment contracts principally through manufacturer-franchised dealers in connection with their sale of new and used vehicles to retail consumers. The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements regarding the Companys financial performance and/or failed to disclose that (1) the Companys methodology for estimating credit loss allowance on individually acquired retail installment contracts was improper; (2) as a result, the Company would need to correct its previously issued financial statements; and (3) as a result of the foregoing, defendants statements about Santanders business, operations and prospects were false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. On March 15, 2016, the Company notified the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) that it is not in compliance with Rule 8.01E of the NYSEs listed company manual as a result of its failure to file the Form 10-K within the extended time period. According to the Company, it has received an open comment letter from the Division of Corporation Finance of the SEC on the Companys Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2015 with respect to the Companys credit loss allowance, including the removal of seasonality and the increase in troubled debt restructuring (TDR) impairment during the quarter ended September 30, 2015 as well as certain TDR disclosures in both periods. According to the Company, it is still discussing these matters with the SEC and its independent accounting firm and will file the Form 10-K as soon as possible. On this news, the Companys shares fell $1.70 per share, or 16%, over two trading sessions to close on March 16, 2016 at $9.00 per share on high trading volume. If you purchased shares of Santander, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, Esquire, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at http://www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160318006043/en/ Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP, Los Angeles Lesley Portnoy, 310-201-9150 or 888-773-9224 [email protected] www.glancylaw.com Source: Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., March 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (PURE), the policyholder-owned property and casualty insurer for high net worth individuals and families, was awarded "Best Insurance Product Provider" at the third annual Family Wealth Report Awards 2016. "PURE is honored to be named Best Insurance Product Provider and recognized alongside so many exceptional organizations that serve high net worth families," said Mark Galante, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of the PURE Group of Insurance Companies. "It's recognition like this that further inspires our team to deliver an exceptional member experience every day." The Family Wealth Report Awards were designed to recognize companies, teams and individuals who have demonstrated innovation and excellence during 2015. Winners are selected by a panel of judges comprised of highly respected leaders from the wealth management community, including heads of family offices, wealth advisory firms, banks, law firms and others. During the awards presentation, it was noted that judges commended PURE for the transparency of its business model, its innovative nature, and its fiduciary perspective. ClearView Financial Media's CEO, and publisher of Family Wealth Report, Stephen Harris, was first to extend his congratulations to all the winners. "The firms who triumphed in these awards are all worthy winners, and I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations," said Harris. He went on to mention that "These awards recognize the very best operators in the private client industry, with 'independence,' 'integrity' and 'genuine insight' the watchwords of the judging process such that the awards truly reflect excellence in wealth management." To learn more about PURE Insurance, please visit www.pureinsurance.com and follow PURE on Twitter and Linkedin. About PUREPrivilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (PURE) is a policyholder-owned insurer dedicated to creating an exceptional experience for responsible high net worth individuals and families. PURE provides best-in-class, customizable coverage throughout the U.S. for high-value homes, automobiles, jewelry, art, personal liability, watercraft and flood. Inspired by some of the finest policyholder-owned companies in the world, PURE emphasizes alignment of interests and transparency. PURE's low cost of capital, careful member selection, and proactive risk management all contribute to highly competitive rates. In return for a fee, PURE Risk Management, LLC acts as Attorney-in-Fact for PURE. For more information or to find a local broker, visit pureinsurance.com. About ClearView Financial Media Ltd ("ClearView")ClearView Financial Media was founded by Chief Executive, Stephen Harris in 2004, to provide high quality 'need to know' information for the discerning private client community. London-based, but with a truly global focus, ClearView publishes the Family Wealth Report group of newswires, along with research reports and newsletters, while also running a pan-global thought-leadership events programme. With teams based in London, Singapore, Switzerland, South Africa and the Philippines, the company is one of the fastest-growing media groups serving the financial services sector. SOURCE Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (PURE) File photo of armored army vehicles on guard along a road close to a zone of landmines planted by rebels groups near Sonson in Antioquia province, November 19, 2015. REUTERS/Fredy Builes By Anastasia Moloney BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Her voice cracking and hands trembling, Adriana holds up a silhouette she has drawn of her body in front of 33 other rape survivors sitting in a circle at a therapy session in Bogota. "I feel desolation and sadness in my soul. We need to repair our hearts," she said, pointing to her heart on the drawing. The others nod in agreement. "Every day I remember what happened. I spent five days in hospital after I attempted suicide. I still carry the pain," said Adriana, as she recalled being raped by a rebel fighter in her home 15 years ago. The women, aged from their twenties to sixties, have come from all parts of Colombia. They have suffered sexual violence at the hands of guerrilla and paramilitary fighters, who used rape as a weapon in Colombia's 51-year civil war. The healing taking place at this government-run therapy session offers a glimpse of the trauma Colombia's estimated 13,600 rape survivors face as the war-scarred nation attempts to bring an end to decades of violence. The government and rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are inching ever closer to signing a peace deal in Cuba, where talks began in late 2012. But the horrors of war between rebels, paramilitary groups and government troops have left generations of Colombians psychologically traumatized. Around a third of Colombia's 7.8 million registered war victims - 17 percent of the country's population of 46 million - suffer from some kind of mental health disorder, such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. "These are far above normal level of psychological trauma and reveal the magnitude and severity of the problem we face," said Andres Moya at Colombia's Los Andes University, who is researching the war's social and economic impact. "The psychological consequences of the conflict is a topic we have neglected. This is surprising from a country that has been in conflict for 50 years. It's absurd that we haven't paid this the attention we should have." How Colombia cares for the millions of its citizens who have been psychologically damaged by war will be a measure of the nation's ability to emerge from five decades of fighting. "The impact of the conflict on mental health is one of the main challenges we're going to face," Moya said. BREAKING THE SILENCE Most Colombians either have a relative who was killed, displaced, kidnapped or disappeared and or know someone who has experienced such violence in a war that has killed around 200,000 people and displaced millions. For many rape survivors, fear and shame has kept them silent about their ordeal for years. At the therapy session in a luxury downtown hotel, some are sharing their experiences for the first time. "No one ever asked us what happened to us. We haven't had a chance to unload our grief. This is a space to cry," said 31-year-old Diana, as tears roll down her face. When she was 14, she was raped by an armed fighter and had a son as a result. "Sometimes it feels like it happened yesterday. But I feel less alone knowing that it didn't just happen to me," she said. Other women stare at the ground, clasping their hands and shaking their heads. Over the next several hours, women are taught breathing and relaxation exercises under the gentle guidance of a psychologist as soothing music plays. The women speak of feeling angry and seeking revenge after being raped, which has often given way to depression and despair. They describe having common symptoms of mental illness and panic attacks. Some say they can't sleep and concentrate, others don't want to eat and get out of bed. After being raped, many women were forced by armed groups to flee their homes in the countryside, seeking refuge in the capital Bogota. Over the years, many have struggled to cope with the poverty displacement often spawns, and the loss of homes, livelihoods, and the breakdown of relationships, which can create or deepen mental health problems. So far, more than a thousand rape survivors have received such counseling provided by the government. Rape survivors, like other war victims, are also eligible for up to around $7,000 each in financial compensation as part of government efforts to heal the wounds of war. CUMULATIVE TRAUMA Despite such efforts, the stigma attached to mental illness along with a lack of mental health care, especially in Colombia's rural areas, means many are not getting treatment. Aid group Doctors of the World says that of the 22,000 people given medical care in three conflict-hit provinces between 2013 and 2014, 30 percent showed symptoms of depression. Children also show signs of trauma, including young teenagers who wet or defecate their beds. "For many remote rural communities there hasn't been an opportunity for catharsis, to talk about what has happened," said Ildefonso Jaimes, a psychologist with Doctors of the World. "Most people in rural areas don't know what a psychologist is and have never met one. Some people say: "I don't need to go to a psychologist, I'm not crazy," he said. For some men living in Colombia's macho culture, it can be difficult to seek help. "A macho man wants to hide his pain and not show his weakness and vulnerability," Jaimes said. "Some men say they feel impotent and guilty for being unable to defend their family from rape and or attacks." The relatives of the estimated 50,000 Colombians who have disappeared during the conflict endure "a complex grief." "We've come across grandparents who say they will continue to wait until the missing return home," Jaimes said. Because of the extraordinary length of Colombia's war - a conflict that has spanned several generations - symptoms of mental health disorders build up and can become chronic. "Many people have experienced a cycle of violence. The impact of the conflict on mental health is accumulated and repetitive over time," Jaimes said. War trauma could also undermine Colombia's prospects of building long-term peace. Yet the country spends less on mental health care as a percentage of the total national health budget when compared to some other Latin American countries, Moya said. Back at the therapy session, the healing continues. With their eyes closed, a psychologist asks women to picture their hearts and go inside them. "Find where the pain is and what's written there," she said. "Now you write the next chapter." (Reporting By Anastasia Moloney, Editing by Ros Russell) Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu during a joint news conference in Istanbul January 4, 2014. REUTERS/Murad Sezer By David Dolan ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif joined his Turkish hosts in Istanbul on Saturday in condemning a suicide bombing by suspected Kurdish militants in a main shopping district that killed five people. Zarif, on a visit to bolster bilateral trade and discuss political differences over the war in neighboring Syria, said the bombing - which also injured 36 people - "displays the ugly face of terrorism". Iran has been a strong strategic ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since the start of the uprising against him, while Turkey has been one of his fiercest critics, supporting his opponents and giving refuge to rebel fighters. While Ankara and Tehran remain divided over the conflict in Syria, Zarif and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu said both sides wanted to mend a relationship that could help establishment of peace and stability in the Middle East. Turkey's foreign ministry has said the aim of the talks during Zarif's visit will be "current regional and international developments" as well as relations between the two countries. Zarif suggested business would be high on the agenda. "We are seeking the best possible level of economic cooperation with Turkey after the nuclear deal," he told reporters in Istanbul. After the lifting of international sanctions this year following a deal with Western powers to curb its nuclear program, Iran has become the biggest economy to rejoin the global trading system since the Soviet Union broke up more than two decades ago. Gains by moderate allies of pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani in Iran's last month crucial elections have raised hopes for boosting foreign investment in Iran, a country with 80 million people and some of the world's biggest oil and gas reserves. "Iran and Turkey enjoy many commonalities ... The leaders of Iran and Turkey seriously want to further develop economic ties," Zarif told Iran's state news agency IRNA in Istanbul. "We face common regional threats and of course have different views regarding some issues that should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations." At a news conference after meeting Cavusoglu, Zarif said Syria's national unity and territorial integrity had to be respected. "We strongly believe that as neighbors of Syria, Iran and Turkey can work together to bring peace to Syria. We are ready to help people in Syria to decide about their country's fate," Zarif said. Hopes of a breakthrough at the Syria peace talks in Geneva remain slim despite a more than two-week-old "cessation of hostilities" and Russia's pulling out some of its forces. Assad's government has ruled out the idea of a federal system in Syria after a Russian official said that could be a possible model. Turkey, whose conflict with the Kurdish PKK has escalated in recent months, has ruled out the declaration of a federal region in Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Syria. Cavusoglu said the Syrian Kurdish PYD party, which Turkey sees as an extension of the PKK, and the affiliated Syrian Kurdish YPG militia had "shown their real faces". "They want to divide Syria. With Iran, we support the territorial integrity of Syria," he told the news conference. Zarif is also due to meet with President Tayyip Erdogan, and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu during his visit. (Additional reporting by Tulay Karadeniz and Parisa Hafezi in Ankara; Writing by David Dolan and Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Tom Heneghan) A Flydubai plane is pictured at the Dubai Airshow in this November 8, 2015 file photo. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah/Files By Lidia Kelly and William Maclean MOSCOW/DUBAI (Reuters) - All 62 people aboard a passenger jet flying from Dubai to southern Russia were killed when their plane crashed on its second attempt to land at Rostov-on-Don airport on Saturday, Russian officials said. Russia's emergencies ministry said the aircraft, a Boeing (NYSE: BA) 737-800 operated by Dubai-based budget carrier Flydubai, crashed at 0340 (0040 GMT). Most of those on board were Russian. "The aircraft hit the ground and broke into pieces," the Investigative Committee of Russia said in a statement on its website. "There were 55 passengers aboard and seven crew members. They all died." Both of the plane's flight recorders have been recovered undamaged, the committee said in a statement. According to the independent U.S.-based Flight Safety Foundation, there was strong wind at the airport with a speed of 43 kilometres per hour, with gusts up to 69 kilometres, but visibility was reasonable. "Different versions of what happened are being looked into, including crew error, a technical failure and bad weather conditions," the committee said. It said the plane was in a mid-air holding pattern for more than two hours. The crash occurred more than two hours after the plane, flight number FZ981, was scheduled to land. Russia's Interfax news agency cited a source in the emergency services as saying the pilot changed his mind about landing on the approach to the airport. "For an unknown reason, several minutes before the landing, the pilot reconsidered and decided to make another circuit, but wasn't able to," Interfax quoted the source as saying. Flydubai's CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith told a news conference in the Gulf Arab emirate that it was "too early" to determine the cause of the crash. "We will have information about the circumstances of the incident and the black box in the future, and an investigation is being conducted in cooperation with the Russian authorities and we are waiting to see the results," Ghaith said. ALERT Security officials in the Middle East are on heightened alert for militant threats to aviation following the Islamic State claim of responsibility for downing a Russian passenger plane over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula in late October, in which all 224 people on board died. Sergei Melnichenko, head of Aviation Safety consultancy in Moscow, said so far little pointed to an act of terrorism. "Nothing points to that," Melnichenko said. "But nothing can be fully ruled out until a complete decryption of the flight recorders is done." According to the flight tracker Flightradar24, an Aeroflot flight SU1166 from Moscow made three landing attempts in Rostov before being diverted. It landed at 2315 GMT in Russia's Krasnodar. A source familiar with the investigation told Reuters that there was no weather-related ban on landing at the airport. "We consider all possible causes, but no one is even talking now about the possibility of a terrorist attack," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. Dubai's civil aviation authority said it was sending an investigative team to Russia, president Ismail al Hosani told reporters. Under international aviation rules, the investigation will be led by Russia's air crash safety investigation agency with representatives from the United States, where the jet was made and the United Arab Emirates where the airline is based. Boeing will be appointed as technical advisers to the U.S. investigation team. INTERNATIONAL CREW, MOSTLY RUSSIAN PASSENGERS The Flydubai airline had a clean safety record before the accident. It started flying in June 2009, with a fleet of new Boeing 737s, one of the world's most widely flown planes. It suffered an incident when one of its planes was shot at while landing at Baghdad airport on Jan. 27, 2015. The aircraft that crashed was just over five years old. The Flydubai plane came down inside the airport's perimeter, about 250 metres (yards) short of the start of the runway. The plane's wing hit the ground on its second attempt to land and burst into flames, the Rostov region's emergency ministry said in a statement. But Russian news agencies cited a source in the emergency services saying that the plane fell vertically and hit the ground on its nose. Grainy pictures from a security camera pointing towards the airport, which were broadcast on Russian television, showed a large explosion at ground level, with flames and sparks leaping high into the air. Ghaith of Flydubai said that he had no information to indicate that the pilot had issued a distress call. Both the pilot and co-pilot had over 5,000 hours of flight experience each, he said. There was one Russian among the seven-person crew, the Russian emergency ministry said in a statement. The pilot was Cypriot, the co-pilot and another crew member Spanish and the other three were from Seychelles, Colombia and Kyrgyzstan. Flydubai said in a statement that there were 44 Russians among the 55 passengers, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbek. Four children were among the dead. Russian agencies cited Rostov's government representative as saying that the remains of those killed had been taken to a local morgue and families would able to identify them on Sunday. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered assistance to be given to the relatives of those killed. "The head of state said that now the main thing is to work with the families and the loved ones of those who had died," the Kremlin said in a statement on its website. (Additional reporting by Noah Browning, Christian Lowe, Tim Hepher, Sam Wilkin, Ali Abdelaty, Jason Bush and Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Lidia Kelly and Noah Browning; Editing by Tom Heneghan and Ros Russell) By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was disappointed by the Security Council's failure to take a strong stand in a dispute between him and Morocco over Western Sahara and will raise it with council members soon, Ban's spokesman said on Friday. The government of Morocco last week accused Ban of no longer being neutral in the conflict and on Thursday ordered the United Nations to cut 84 international staff from its Western Sahara mission, MINURSO. The 15-nation council discussed the crisis for several hours on Thursday. Afterwards, Ambassador Ismael Gaspar Martins of Angola, council president this month, said members had voiced their concern but agreed to individually approach Morocco to ensure the situation is "evolving in a positive manner." In a cautiously worded rebuke of the council, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric made clear Ban's disappointment. "It would have been better had we received clearer words from the president of the Security Council," he said, without elaborating. Dujarric said that Ban would raise the issue in his monthly luncheon with council members, who will be discussing it again behind closed doors later on Friday. Diplomats said the council members that argued against a strong statement of support of Ban and in favor of countries dealing with the issue bilaterally included Morocco's traditional ally France along with Spain, Egypt and Senegal. Council statements need to be unanimous. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault spoke on the telephone with Ban about the issue and offered to mediate between him and Rabat to reduce tensions, a Western diplomat said. "Paris did not want to add fuel to the fire by taking sides," the diplomat said. The controversy over Ban's comments is Morocco's worst dispute with the United Nations since 1991, when the U.N. brokered a ceasefire to end a war over the Western Sahara and established the mission. Rabat last week criticized Ban for his use of the word "occupation" to describe Morocco's annexation of the region at the center of a struggle since 1975, when it took over from colonial power Spain. Earlier this month, Ban visited refugee camps in southern Algeria for the Sahrawi people, who say Western Sahara belongs to them and fought a war against Morocco until the ceasefire. Ban also accused Morocco of supporting a demonstration against him that he described as a personal attack. The Sahrawi people's Polisario Front wants a referendum, including over the question of independence, but Rabat says it will only grant semi-autonomy. The Polisario's U.N. representative Ahmed Boukhari told reporters on Thursday that Morocco's goal was to shut down MINURSO, which he said "would mean the shortest way to the resumption of war." (Additional reporting by John Irish; editing by Grant McCool) A Fullers ferry had an engine fire near Rangitoto Island. An engine fire sparked an emergency response in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf on Saturday as passengers were transferred to a replacement ferry near Rangitoto Island. The Fullers Jet Raider Ferry was travelling from Waiheke Island to Auckland when the fire started about 11.55am. Were you on the ferry or did you see the fire? Contact us newstips@stuff.co.nz Coastguard and police responded as Fullers crew extinguished the engine fire. The 73 passengers onboard were helped onto another replacement ferry and taken to central Auckland, Coastguard duty officer Melissa Ousey said. She said five Coastguard vessels and a police boat were there within minutes to help monitor the situation near Islington Bay, Rangitoto Island. "The crews from Fullers did a really good job in the engine room and ensuring safety of passengers. It's a credit to those onboard." Fullers general manager of sales and marketing Izania Downie said the Jet Raider ferry's auto fire suppression system activated and the fire was out within seconds. She said the Tiri Kat ferry, that was en route to Waiheke, made a quick detour and arrived within four minutes to pick up the passengers before taking them to Auckland. "There were no injuries. The passengers were all in good spirits," she said. Downie said the ferry had no history of engine fire and that it was a rare occurrence. The Jet Raider is usually used as a back-up ferry on the Waiheke route, Downie said. It is a 26-year-old boat that was due to be retired by Fullers by April next year. Downie said it was unclear how the fire started. She said Maritime New Zealand had been notified and would investigate. A man was stung by a swarm of bees near Leigh, north of Auckland. A man who suffered life threatening injuries after being stung by around 30 bees has fought back and is recovering in hospital. The 65-year-old was flown to Auckland City Hospital from Leigh Rd, Matakana in a critical condition on Saturday night after the bee attack. It is understand the man was stung by about 30 bees and suffered anaphylactic shock. A spokesperson for the Auckland District Health Board said his condition was assessed as moderate not long after being transported to hospital where he would remain overnight for observation. Bee expert Martin Garside said normally a couple of bee stings wouldn't affect you unless you have an aversion to it. The man would have recovered after being treated with an epi pen, he said. Garside said he hadn't heard of or been involved in any serious attacks as it is "very unusual". The docile nature of our bees means that the man must have aggravated them in some way, he said. "I would say that he has done something to the hive he shouldn't have been doing, it's most likely his fault that he got stung." Bees in New Zealand don't usually like being outside of the hive because it is too wet and cold for them. "Our bees are very calm, we're very lucky in New Zealand to have an un-defensive bee from Europe," he said. He said 30 bees was not a swarm, bees only swarm in Spring or early Summer when the queen and her workers go off and find a new home. "Even then, they are not dangerous or in any type of defensive mode." The recent "giant hive" in South Auckland where the occupants of the house didn't even know the bees were there is a prime example of how docile our bees are, he said. A Kiwi who helped refugees in Greece make a desperate river crossing out the country's north was detained by the Macedonian military. Christchurch 29-year-old Anna McPhee is among several aid workers and volunteers based in the northern Greek village Idomeni where some 14,000 refugees are living in tents, blocked from crossing the border to Macedonia. Trapped in squalid, icy conditions, refugees most of them from Syria made a dire attempt around the border, trekking through a river after a leaflet with a map and instructions was disseminated. SUPPLIED Anna McPhee packed her bags for Greece in January to volunteer in the refugee crisis. McPhee, a former St John volunteer who left for Greece on January 11, took to her Facebook page to inform people she was detained on Monday night as she helped refugees make their fruitless trip. READ MORE: * Christchurch woman joins the front line in refugee crisis * Greece steps up efforts to move migrants to sheltered camps * 6000 refugees a day: New Zealand woman volunteering at Athens ports According to foreign media reports, 80 reporters and aid workers were arrested. Thousands of refugees were forcibly sent back to Greece. Three refugees drowned in the river crossing, and many more were detained. McPhee sat in a field with refugees guarded by the Macedonian army for up to two hours. Mistaken for a refugee, she was taken to a police station and released about eight hours later. "Whether the actions my group took were reasonable is questioned by some people, and for sure some decisions made were good, some not so good," she wrote on her Facebook page. "Everybody makes mistakes and has to act in their best judgement. To let people drown in a river or lie sick and diminishing out in the hills was out of the question for us. Days on I am still a little overwhelmed by the whole situation. I feel we acted with our hearts and all did on an individual level what we believed to be right. "We are humans and acted in the way I like to think many people I call friends would act." McPhee is back in Greece. She has been banned from Macedonia for six months and needed to buy "an expensive piece of paper" to be freed. For McPhee and other volunteers, the situation is delicate. Authorities believe some volunteers are responsible for the pamphlets, and they face the prospect of being charged with people smuggling and murder for those who died. McPhee stressed she was not part of any scheme. She was only there to help refugees. "I knew nothing about the papers, nor did I realise I was crossing into Macedonia," she said. McPhee's voluntary work in Greece began in January, working as an independent volunteer with a rescue team and based in Pikpa Camp in Lesvos. In Christchurch, McPhee had volunteered for St John since she was 19. During the first earthquake, she worked at a recovery centre in Linwood where she provided basic first aid and dealt with people who were panicked and distressed. A "battle-proven" phone app giving users up-to-date hazard alerts is about to get a Waikato flavour. The Red Cross phone app "Hazards" has been picked up by Civil Defence branches across the country and within the next month will show Waikato content. Waikato Civil Defence spokesman Lee Hazelwood said the app is the most appropriate smart phone-based system for alerting people to emergencies. At the moment, the phone app features alerts provided by national organisations, such as MetService and GeoNet. "The Red Cross app is well-recognised, it's battle-proven and has been used around the world in disasters," Hazelwood said. "What will be happening in the next two to three weeks is we will have local access into the system, which will allow us to add on local emergency information." Hazelwood said users could define the area to receive alerts about or use a "follow me" function, which supplies alerts related to their location. The Red Cross will run a Waikato media campaign to promote the app. Hamilton City Councillor Dave Macpherson, speaking at the council's civil defence and emergency management subcommittee, said he could see the benefit of the app, but noted cellphone coverage was lost after the Christchurch quakes. "When something happens, I can see people relying on them and having no reception," he said. In reply, Hazelwood said the app is "just one tool in the toolbox" and won't be suited to every situation. However, after the Christchurch quakes, telecommunication companies quickly brought in communication towers on wheels (clled Cows), which restored the cellphone system. "You don't need notification of an earthquake, you can feel it, so then you're seeking information," he said. "Yes, you might not get it in the first 10, 15 or 30 minutes, but it won't be long before these communications towers start coming online." In other Civil Defence news, a national exercise is planned, starting on August 31. Dubbed Exercise Tangaroa, the event will be in three parts separated by two-week intervals. It will be a large tsunami exercise and will test Hamilton's ability to manage a large number of evacuees and provide logistical support to the areas affected. Hazelwood said the exercise would be tailored to Waikato's needs. "We're not going to put a ridiculous scenario that is really going to drive people, because that will disfranchise many of those that are engaged and going through training." A national exercise is held every four years. In 2011, Waikato's Civil Defence capability was branded "hopelessly inadequate" after a Government review assessed it as the least-prepared region in the country for an emergency. Hazelwood said a lot of progress had been made since that review and expects during the next national exercise that the Waikato will be ready to be put through the wringer. The second day of Womad 2016 began with a mystery. Some bright spark, or sparks, had been busy overnight and had helped themselves to the 'W' of the temporary Womad sign erected outside the Brooklands Rd entrance to the TSB Bowl of Brooklands. As a result visitors found themselves arriving at the 'Omad' festival - although the event's organisers did not seem too fussed. ANDY JACKSON/Stuff.co.nz Welcome to the world of Womad. Taranaki Arts Festival Trust chief executive Suzanne Porter said every year a letter seemed to go missing, but it always found its way back home. "We understand people have a good time at Womad and there's a bit of hi-jinx but we'd like it back," Porter said. The New Zealand stop of the festival was the first to use the block letters, which have since been adopted by other Womad events around the world. 1 of 39 Robert Charles/FAIRFAX NZ There was all sorts of things for sale in the Global Village market. 2 of 39 ROBERT CHARLES/FAIRFAX NZ Israeli singer Ester Rada wowed the crowd with her beautiful performance. 3 of 39 Robert Charles/FAIRFAX NZ Diego El Cigala looked happy to be on stage. 4 of 39 Robert Charles/FAIRFAX NZ Diego El Cigala in full swing. 5 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Security telling off a crowd member who couldn't resist a dip in the lake. 6 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ De La Soul perform on the Bowl stage to a huge crowd. 7 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ De La Soul perform on the Bowl stage. 8 of 39 Robert Charles/FAIRFAX NZ Orange Blossom from France perform. 9 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ The woman at the front of the crowd looks like she's had a big day. Everyone else seems to be loving it. 10 of 39 Robert Charles/FAIRFAX NZ Orange Blossom from France perform. 11 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ A huge crowd gathers for Womad 2016 in Brooklands Park, New Plymouth. 12 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Julia Deans on the Dell stage during day two of Womad 2016 at Brooklands Park in New Plymouth. 13 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Some stand, some sit, and some lie down during day two of Womad 2016 at Brooklands Park in New Plymouth. 14 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Louis Baker gives a cooking demonstration at Womad 2016 in Brooklands Park in New Plymouth. 15 of 39 Robert Charles/FAIRFAX NZ Orange Blossom, from France, perform on day two of Womad 2016 at Brooklands Park in New Plymouth. 16 of 39 Robert Charles/FAIRFAX NZ You're never too young for rock 'n' roll. Tane Morgan with son Knox, 19 months, at day two of Womad 2016 in Pukekura Park, New Plymouth. 17 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ A huge crowd for Womad day two at Brooklands Park in New Plymouth. 18 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Hazmat Modine perform on the Bowl stage during Womad day two at Brooklands Park in New Plymouth. 19 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Hazmat Modine perform on the Bowl stage during the second day of Womad 2016 at Brooklands Park in New Plymouth. 20 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Hazmat Modine perform on the Bowl stage during day two of Womad at Brooklands Park in New Plymouth. 21 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Big crowds and big flags during day two of Womad 2016 at Brooklands Park in New Plymouth. 22 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ At least nobody's stolen the 'W', unlike the sign outside the Womad Festival in Brooklands Park, New Plymouth. 23 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Dad Peter Caldwell reads to Everett, 4 months, and Wren, 3, in the Parent Hub during day two of Womad 2016 in New Plymouth. 24 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Hazmat Modine perform on the Bowl stage during the second day of Womad 2016 in Brooklands Park, New Plymouth. 25 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Hazmat Modine perform on the Bowl stage during the second day of Womad 2016 in Brooklands Park, New Plymouth. 26 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Hazmat Modine perform on the Bowl stage in Brooklands Park, New Plymouth, during the second day of Womad 2016. 27 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Hazmat Modine perform on the Bowl stage during the second day of Womad 2016 in Brroklands Park, New Plymouth. 28 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Someone's enjoying herself at the second day of Womad 2016 in New Plymouth. 29 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Sabrina Henshaw, 3, from Wanganui, at Womad. 30 of 39 Robert Charles/FAIRFAX NZ Amy Hardy and Logan Bruce, from New Plymouth, at Womad. 31 of 39 Robert Charles/FAIRFAX NZ The Edmar Castaneda Trio from Columbia performed on the second day of Womad 2016. 32 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Thomas Oliver, from New Zealand, performs on the Dell stage during the second day of Womad 2016. 33 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Jacob Rose, 1, at the Gables stage of Womad 2016. 34 of 39 Robert Charles/FAIRFAX NZ The Jerry Cans from Northern Canada perform on the second day of Womad 2016. 35 of 39 Robert Charles/FAIRFAX NZ The audience for Canadian outfit The Jerry Cans on the second day of Womad. 36 of 39 Robert Charles/FAIRFAX NZ WOMAD 2016 at Pukekura Park, New Plymouth. 37 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat perform on the Brooklands stage. 38 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Thomas Oliver performs on the Dell stage. 39 of 39 ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ Spiro from the UK perform on the Gables stage on Saturday afternoon. It is thought that a team effort was behind the disappearance. "They're heavy," Porter said. "You'd need a couple of people and a ute or a trailer to run off with one of those, I would think. "But they always come home and we want our 'W' back." The missing letter appears to have been the only dark cloud that appeared to fall on Saturday - the rest of the day was bathed in brilliant sunshine, with temperatures of 23 degrees centigrade, according to the Met Service. The warm weather meant there were a number of Womad visitors treated for blisters, headaches and good time injuries, but St John Ambulance did not report anything major. Free sun block was handed out and one onlooker reported a huge line of people waiting to refill their water bottles. As for the music - the reason for the huge crowds of people filling the park site - the day opened with North Canadian folk rockers The Jerry Cans who got the crowd on their feet with the blend of traditional and contemporary music. French outfit Orange Blossom also drew a massive crowd as their techno rocked the Shell Gables Stage. Lizzy Notman, who travelled from Palmerston North for the festival, said she was having a great time. "It's amazing to be able to experience lots of different cultures. I tried flax weaving and loved it," she said. Jennifer Critchley, from Wellington, was attending her sixth Womad and said this one had been awesome. "I liked it when there used to be more stages but it's still good," she said. Critchley said her favourite acts had been Wellingtonian Thomas Oliver and Ukranian outfit DakhaBrakha. The masses partied long into the night, with American hip hop trio De La Soul set to draw a monster crowd. And there will be more - much more - to come before the 2016 festival closes on Sunday. And you're attending you'd better bring the sunblock - it's going to be 23 degrees again. READ MORE: * Bic Runga serenades the crowds - baby and all * Womad day 2 - in pictures * See all the fun of Womad Day One * The sun will, mostly, shine in New Plymouth for Womad 2016 * Top ten acts for Womad New Zealand at the TSB Bowl of Brooklands * What to do and what not to do at Womad New Zealand 2016 From Modesto Bajen's shack, you can hear the water. On this day, it is gentle. It laps the concrete sea wall in Basey, a small, coastal town in central Philippines. For Bajen, 50, it is a reminder. He wakes at 6am and walks past ramshackle huts similar to his own, to the shore. His small, wooden bunka boat with bamboo outriggers is moored on the grey sand littered with driftwood and plastics. Bajen unties his boat and pushes it onto the water as the sun scatters the morning cloud. His boat doesn't have a motor, so he paddles, sometimes hundreds of metres offshore. He's a short man with thick, calloused hands and dark eyes that seem to be fixed on a different place and time. He rarely smiles. The fisherman knows what the water, only metres from his home, is capable of. It is his livelihood, the provider of fish. The water gives. ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ Basey fisherman Modesto Bajen. But, in acts of sheer strength and savagery, it can also take away. THE STORM It was Friday morning, November 8, 2013. By this time, the wind and rain of Super Typhoon Yolanda - one of the worst storms ever recorded - had lashed the coast, snapping coconut tree trunks and ripping wood and roofs from houses. Bajen and his family had abandoned their home by the sea and taken shelter at the hospital on the hill. Yolanda was like other tropical storms that batter the Philippines each year, only more ferocious. It was scary, but also familiar. At about 8am, the water, churned into a muddy broth, did something that Bajen, a man of the sea, had never seen before. As though the Pacific Ocean had tired of being whipped relentlessly by gusts of up to 285kmh, it suddenly retreated about 500 metres from the shore. Fish were seen flapping on the seabed. For a time, there was calm. Then the water came rushing back. It was a wall, at least five metres high. 1 of 7 ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ Fisherman Raynaldo Grabillo says his income from fishing has halved since typhoon Yolanda. 2 of 7 ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ Basey fisherman Modesto Bajen, left, with a small basket of fish. 3 of 7 ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ Basey fisherman Norberto Bajen hands over his morning's catch. 4 of 7 ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ Basey fisherman Arturo Disabille carries a small number of fish and bottles of coconut wine over his shoulder. 5 of 7 ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ Children cast a line off a derelict jetty into San Pedro Bay. 6 of 7 ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ A woman weaves a fishing net in Catadman village, near Basey. 7 of 7 ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ A fisherman out in San Pedro Bay. The water pounded Basey in three waves. It surged into towns and villages, reaching the second storey of some homes near the coast. People escaped through roofs and clung to trees or power poles as the torrent of water surged further inland. Trees were uprooted. Crops were spoiled. Concrete buildings crumbled. Homes flooded. Lives were lost. International media hurried to Tacloban, the city across the bay from Basey, in the days after the storm. ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ A 'NO BUILDING ZONE' sign, a common installation on the San Pablo Bay coastline. Celebrity news anchors reported live: Up to 10,000 dead, bodies line the streets, millions displaced. Twitter hashtags were trending. International aid organisations responded. Donations and relief goods poured in. The world mourned for the Philippines. More than two years on, the official death toll is 6340, with 1000 people still missing. The true toll is unknown. ALDEN WILLIAMS & JONATHAN CARSON Basey mayor Junji Ponferrada and Helena Kotkova, of non-government organisation Caritas Czech Republic, discuss the recovery. As recently as November last year - the second anniversary of the disaster - the bodies of five more victims were found near Tacloban. In Basey - population 50,000 - an estimated 400 people died and more than 12,000 buildings were damaged. Bajen's home by the sea was one of them. The media contingent left this region long ago - there have been other disasters to report on - and many of the aid organisations have moved on with them. ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ Marabut farmer Salvador Corsiga. On the surface, Basey has also moved on. The piles of debris that filled the streets in the days and weeks after Yolanda have been cleared. The dead have been buried. The singing of hymns can be be heard from St. Michael the Archangel Church on the hill each morning. ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ Yolando Nierves, left, and his wife Liza Nierves have been living in an evacuation centre since Yolanda hit. There are cooked chickens and pigs on street corners once more, and stalls of fish, fresh from the sea. But take a walk along the sea wall that withstood the worst of the storm. See the shacks constructed of scrap materials gathered from the rubble and the empty lots of crumpled concrete. See the water that was once a reliable source of income, and talk to the people who lost everything and have received nothing, and then the true story of recovery emerges. This is where Bajen lives. His shack, made of scrap wood and corrugated iron, is also home to his wife and four children. ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ Fisherman Raynaldo Grabilo and his son Raynaldo Junior, 2. It's a tiny structure with a dirt floor and a wooden loft where they sleep. It is hot and humid inside and it smells of salt and rotting fish. Fishing in Basey hasn't been the same since Yolanda, Bajen says. "Usually we would fish at the artificial reef. We would catch much bigger fish there before the typhoon." The artificial reef, designed to increase fish yields, was destroyed during Yolanda. The storm scraped the seabed like a deep sea trawler, disrupting the fragile ecosystem and wiping out fish stocks. After four hours on the water, Bajen returns with a small basket of assorted fish. He says he will sell it to a middleman for 150 pesos (NZ$4.80) who will take it to market. "Before Yolanda I would earn 300 or 250 pesos." ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ The remains of a coconut tree in Marabut, two years after Typhoon Yolanda. There are days when Bajen will fish until midday and catch nothing. When the wind picks up and he can't take the boat out, he resorts to working for the larger, motorised fishing boats, or takes out credit with the local store to buy rice so his family can eat. Fishing is a way of life in coastal Philippines and a key source of food and income. In Basey, one of the country's poorest areas, work is hard to come by. For the uneducated, fishing and farming are common ways to make a living. "If I do not go to the sea to catch fish, we have nothing to eat." Bajen says he's received no assistance from the government or aid organisations to rebuild his home or supplement his income. ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ Louiela Masocol, 10, still lives in a temporary relocation centre two years after Typhoon Yolanda. His family is on a list of those living in the government-imposed no-build zone, within 40 metres of the coast. They have been told they will receive permanent housing further inland. They have hope, but little confidence that the government will deliver on its promise. After two years, the government's permanent housing development, about five kilometres from the sea, was nothing more than a muddy mound of dirt and clay. 1 of 5 ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ A mass grave in Basey, November 8th, 2015, the two year anniversairy of Typhoon Yolanda. 2 of 5 ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ A man lights the candles at the mass grave in Basey ahead of the memorial service. 3 of 5 ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ A candlelit journey from Basey to Tacloban, November 8th, 2015, the two year anniversairy of Typhoon Yolanda. 4 of 5 ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ Hundreds of candles are lit near the sea wall in Basey at nightfall. 5 of 5 ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ The survivors of Basey remember those who died. 'WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANYTHING' There is a commonly held belief in Basey that the government has misused money that was allocated to the Yolanda recovery efforts. The Philippines has a long history of corruption. A political scandal, known as the Pork Barrel Scam, in which members of congress allegedly misused funds for priority development projects, was unravelling when Yolanda hit. ALDEN WILLIAMS & JONATHAN CARSON Victims of Yolanda are remembered during a service at the mass grave in Basey, Samar. Coconut farmer Aniano Gaditano, from the town of Marabut, near Basey, laughs when asked about the government's handling of the recovery efforts. The 73-year-old says those who are responsible for distributing the government funds and aid money, are the ones who are lining their pockets with it. "We have not received anything. They are the ones getting the money, the aid, that is supposed to be given to us," he says. "They deduct a certain amount for them. It goes to the municipal level, again deducted. "It doesn't reach who the recipients are supposed to be." Gaditano says he has not been visited by government officials, aid organisation representatives or journalists in the two years since the typhoon. Hundreds of coconut trees used to grow on his one-hectare property overlooking the turquoise water and rocky islands of San Pedro Bay, he says. But the wind and waves of Yolanda breached the golden sand beach and swamped the farm, snapping tree trunks, ripping roots from the earth, spoiling the fruit and land. He says that 80 per cent of his coconut trees were destroyed or damaged by Yolanda. "It is a great loss for our family because we depend on the fruits of the coconut trees." ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ San Antonio residents Shara Jean Pedazo, left, and Ronolfo Robin, 47 lost three childrenho died, Frenzy Jean, 6, Fritzy Jane, 3, and Fitz Joseph, 18 months. He resorted to growing sweet potatoes, bananas and melons. Before Yolanda, he says he was making about 10,000 pesos (NZ$316) every three months from coconut products. He says he makes about 200 pesos (NZ$6.30) every six months from sweet potatoes and bananas are used for eating or bartering for fish and rice. Gaditano, a slim man with a kind, wrinkled face, squats among the overgrown weeds hacking at them with a machete. "It is very hard. We don't make it as a problem," he says. "We have to try our best to make our own for our family to survive." ALDEN WILLIAMS & JONATHAN CARSON The names of the dead are read out in Basey during a candlelight vigil to remember the victims of Yolanda. 'WE ARE TRYING OUR BEST TO COPE' Further along the coast, in Catadman village, fisherman Raynaldo Grabillo says his daily income has halved since Yolanda, dropping to about 100 pesos (NZ$3.20) a day. He says fish stocks have been depleted since aid organisations donated thousands of boats, motors and nets after Yolanda. "Almost all were given pump boats and nets. More fishermen, so less catch. We don't have enough income. We are trying our best to cope." The Red Cross gave Grabillo materials to build a temporary home for his family. It's a kitset hut made from traditional materials - weaved bamboo and coconut lumber - and designed to withstand typhoons. There are hundreds of the Red Cross shelters in villages near Basey. They stand out against the lush greens of the tropical rainforest as beacons of progress in an otherwise stagnant land. A CHALLENGING RECOVERY The mayor of Basey, Junji Ponferrada, says the government is "doing its best to help us recover". "I just don't know the reason why there are still people saying they were not able to receive any assistance from anybody." He says the recovery has been challenging. Each family has complex and unique needs and resources are limited. He cannot help everyone, he says. "I have to ask the assistance of the national government and some other people who are still willing to extend assistance to us." There is little sign of international aid organisations still working on the ground in Basey. A lone white Unicef tent by the sea is evidence of what was. Caritas Czech Republic, a catholic non-profit, is the last international aid organisation based in the town. The small team occupies a cramped, stuffy office two blocks from the coast. "I'm glad that we're still here in the second year although most of the organisations have already left," Philippines country representative Helena Kotkova says. "Even before Yolanda it was one of the poorest provinces of the Philippines so we try to build back Samar, but we should try to build back a better Samar." She says rice, coconut and banana crops were destroyed in the storm and Caritas is focussing on educating farmers. "We focus on diversification of their income. We try to upskill them, to train them, to apply more resilient techniques, also more resilient seeds and seedlings." On the outskirts of Basey, a safe distance from the sea, is a small community of people who have received some help from the government. The 2288 residents of the temporary housing project live in cramped wooden shacks with iron roofs. Up to six people live in each shelter. They are sturdy and dry with fresh water and electricity, but far from town and the sea where many of them used to work. "It's OK. It's difficult sometimes," a woman says of living in the temporary shelters. "No livelihood, no work. Before Yolanda, we were poor. But now, we're poorer." The residents have been promised permanent houses - strong ones capable of withstanding typhoons - but as at November last year, none had been built. According to media reports, only 10 per cent of the 205,128 government housing units in six regions had been constructed two years on from Yolanda. In Basey, the most significant housing projects have been completed by international non-government organisations, including the Red Cross, Caritas and the Sovereign Order of Malta. The government's recovery efforts seem to have focussed on Tacloban, the main city affected by the disaster. REMEMBERING THE DEAD On the morning of November 8, 2015 - the second anniversary of Yolanda - Basey wakes to the singing of hymns from the church on the hill and roosters crowing. Close to 100 people make their way through the streets that were once strewn with debris and death to the mass grave located on the edge of town, up a nondescript path of tawny earth and stones. The grave is marked by a tall white cross atop a mound of dirt and grass encircled by stones, painted white. There are white candles and yellow, pink and white flowers. The people - survivors of the storm, all of whom knew or loved someone who died - shelter from the sun beneath a white marquee. As the service starts, the rain comes. Softly at first. It puts out the flames on all of the candles but one. The last flame continues to burn as the priest honours the dead. It burns as the rain gets heavier - thick, tropical droplets. The flame flickers and fights as the people sing hymns, offer prayers and rub their eyes. At the end of the ceremony, the rain stops. People fall to their knees at the mass grave and light candles and cry. "Although we're not able to account for the dead bodies that were buried here, more or less we have here around 60 dead bodies," mayor Ponferrada says. "It's still painful. Like the priest said, we have to accept what happened and move on." The service is simple, reserved. There are no cameras or special government guests. It is the people of Basey, largely forgotten, joining together to remember. 'MY TEARS WILL FALL' Ronolfo Robin can't forget. The memories of Yolanda, of his children, are as vivid today as they were then. "The day before Yolanda, my three children they were dancing, they were happy." He takes out photos of his children, Frenzy Jean, 6; Fritzy Jane, 3; and Fitz Joseph, 1. "It's so hard for us," he says. "I don't want to look at their pictures." Robin, 47, and his family were in their house near the coast in San Antonio Village, Basey, when Yolanda hit. The two-storey house was made of concrete so he thought they would be safe. He remembers a grapefruit tree being uprooted by the storm surge. "I thought the ground was opening. Then I saw the water coming into our house." The water rose to the second-storey forcing Robin and his family to evacuate. Holding tight to his daughter Fritzy Jane, he jumped into the rushing water and started swimming. He clung to a tamarind tree as the sea swallowed the village. "My daughter was clinging to my body when the roof of a house fell on us." He was trying to push the roof away when a second wave struck, washing his daughter away. All three of his children died that day. He found their bodies further inland. "I thought I might collapse and die because of the trauma." His wife Shara Jean Pedazo is sometimes seen wandering around the village in a daze as though she's still searching for her children. Robin says he still sees his children's clothes, which were swept away by the waves and collected from the debris, being worn by other children in the village. He still hears the songs that they were dancing to the day before they died. "When I hear the music singing by my children and the music that they were dancing, my tears will fall." CANDLES IN THE DARKNESS At dusk, the people of Basey gather at the sea wall. They light candles, one for each person who died here. The names of the dead are read - surname, then first name - in monotone over a loudspeaker. "Cruz, Jumalyn; de los Reyes, Leocadio; Gravoso, Melvic..." There are five members of the Facturanan family who died. Four victims share the surname Badajos. The ceremony is part of a region-wide candlelight vigil to remember the victims and survivors of Yolanda. Tonight, the people of Basey will cross San Pedro Bay to join with Tacloban. There is an air of excitement and sorrow. The fishermen fuel their pump boats for the night crossing to the city. A wooden passenger boat, fixed with flaming torches, ferries people across San Pedro Bay. The flotilla skids across the black water, flames flickering on its surface. The passenger boat from Basey stops about a hundred metres offshore. The young people onboard light small candles and float them on the water. There are hundreds of them. From the shore in Tacloban, you can see them. The candles in the darkness. They light up like stars on the water. Tonight, the water is gentle. Jonathan Carson and Alden Williams travelled to the Philippines on a journalism grant from the Asia New Zealand Foundation. Bahrain ready to engage in Sri Lankas economy, top visiting official says View(s): Bahrain is ready to engage with Sri Lankas economic growth, as its businesses are very confident of the commercial potential Sri Lanka has. This was said by the Principal Advisor to the Prime Minister of Bahrain, Shaikh Salman Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, when he visited the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce during the last week. He was accompanying a group of Bahrain businessmen. We have confidence in the Sri Lankan economy and ready to help build your country, he told the chamber members, according to a media release issued by the chamber. Prince Khalifa however said, it is important that Sri Lanka looks at its laws on lands for foreign investors. The issue of ownership of land is critical for foreign investors, he said. In response to these comments, Samantha Ranatunga, Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said Sri Lanka is a highly attractive destination for FDIs. He said, the countrys Free Trade Agreements with India and Pakistan and also close proximity to the International maritime route gives an ideal platform for overseas companies to set up businesses in Sri Lanka. Call for a Commission to Address Economic Development Grievances By Ahilan Kadirgamar, Lakmali Hemachandra, Mahendran Thiruvarangan, Niyanthini Kadirgamar and Swasthika Arulingam on behalf of the Collective for Economic Democratisation Submission to the Public Representation Committee on Constitutional Reforms View(s): View(s): The current process of constitutional reform has given much needed importance to concerns such as structures of the State, rule of law, separation of powers and power sharing arrangements. However, such an approach to Constitution-making has ignored a major concern for the people, of economic depravity and harm caused by development projects. Constitutional mechanisms to address the problems arising from economic development policies of the Government have largely remained unexplored. Mega development polices rarely benefit those marginalised by class, caste, gender and ethnicity. Rather such projects deepen the marginalisation through dispossession of land, property, livelihoods and environment. The overall impact of such development can be greater inequalities and increasing marginalisation of larger segments of society. Centralised Unitary State and mega development The political structures that were consolidated with the 1978 Constitution have led to centralised, authoritarian state power resulting in attacks on minorities and economic dispossession of marginalised communities. The call for the abolition of the executive presidency and greater devolution have been towards ensuring the political rights in a democracy undermined by the legacy of authoritarian power, and the democratic participation of minorities and those living in the regions. A much neglected aspect of the constitutional debate on a centralised, unitary State with an Executive Presidency is the manner in which it contributes to unaccountable development policies. For example, the largest development project in the history of the country initiated in 1978, the Accelerated Mahaweli Development Scheme and related land development and colonisation policies, led to real and perceived acts of discrimination against the minorities in the Dry Zone. In this context, ensuring that mega-development and urban-development projects do not lead to the dispossession of marginalised communities would call for the abolition of Executive Presidency and ensuring a non-unitary structure of the State. Indeed, the unitary structure of the State results in the bureaucracy and even the judiciary addressing a range of issues from industrial development, agriculture to education with a centralised mind-set. Therefore, a constitutional structure that seeks to reverse the history of uneven development and rising inequalities needs to abolish the Executive Presidency and remove the unitary structure of the State entrenched in our current Constitution. Such changes will be an important check on the unrestrained use of state power for development that may cause harm to marginalised communities. However, particularly in the era of liberalisation, mega development projects backed by powerful donor agencies and financial interests have overwhelmed constitutionally devolved powers. Hence, there is also the need for constitutionally-mandated mechanisms to address the grievances of the people, mediate between the state and the people and address calls for redressal in relation to development projects. It is such a concrete mechanism that is the focus of this submission. Limitations of judicial redress and the rights framework Economic, social and cultural rights should be enshrined in the Constitution to give due recognition to the concerns of marginalised communities. However, judicial redress through a rights-based approach is limited by narrow interpretations afforded through the notions of rights violations and/or the imminent infringement of rights. Furthermore, judicial remedies are costly, complicated and long drawn, leaving the most deserving out of its purview. Persons challenging the harmful impact of development projects are forced to wait till the project commences before seeking judicial remedy. For example, the fishermen challenging the Port City project in the Supreme Court were unable to address threats to livelihoods or damage to the environment directly, as their demands had to be limited to the rights guaranteed under the Constitution. Centralised and accelerated development policies Development policies are formulated and are predominantly driven by the Central Government with little consultation with the people in the regions. Often, they are fast paced, mega infrastructure projects commencing and concluding in short periods of time. Indeed, the lack of proper consultations has resulted in displacement of communities, without provisions for adequate compensation or suitable alternatives to restart their lives. In post war Sri Lanka, the acceleration of urban and mega development initiatives increases the risk of displacement and economic depravity. Such unjust economic policies could lead to resistance and unrest. How does this new Constitution seek to address the pressing economic and development concerns? What mechanism can it include to ensure the non-occurrence of another Rathupaswala incident and better handling of peoples concerns? We are seeing ongoing mobilisations around a similar incident of water pollution in Chunnakam, and a massive protest by the fishing community in Vadamarachchi East against the proposed desalination plant. The forcible eviction of the residents of Thotalanga in the wake of a massive urbanisation plan is another example for rising fears of depravation. Even as the State takes steps towards better governance and reconciliation, it is crucial that harm inflicted by development policies does not lead to further alienation of the people. Rather, the inclusive and democratic prerogatives of constitution-making require political structures that engage peoples concerns about development projects. Need for a Constitutional body Given these concerns there is the need for a constitutionally-mandated body, which can act as an intermediary between the State and the people, mediating and addressing concerns pertaining to economic development initiatives. Therefore, we propose a Commission to Address Economic Development Grievances. This body may take the form of an existing Constitutional Commission, with a panel of Commissioners appointed by the Constitutional Council. The Commissio-ners will be persons who have experience working with marginalised segments of society and can be drawn from a wide group of persons including professionals, activists and academics. The Commission should have regional presence with offices set up in each province. The regional offices may be entrusted to take forward activities which include the following: 1) Ensure wide information dissemination within the province on the Governments development plans which will impact the province or individual districts within the province. 2) Convene consultations and meetings with concerned citizens, district and provincial level officials on contested development projects. 3) Raise development concerns of the people to the Government and advocate for reformulating development priorities. 4) Empower to obtain compensation and relief for any person affected by such development projects. Given the similarity of the proposed Commission to the Human Rights Commission, both Commissions could be housed in the same office. However, the functions of the proposed Commission to Address Economic Development Grievances is qualitatively different in that it seeks to disseminate information and mediate the workings of economic development. It is commendable that the new Government has taken steps to repair the damaged political fabric of the country by adopting a participatory approach in the drafting of the new Constitution. It is crucial that in this constitutional process the Government also addresses concerns arising from economic development. We hope that the need for a structure which is recognised by the Constitution can be met through the formation of a Commission to Address Economic Development Grievances. Deadlock on tea plantations View(s): Sri Lankan plantation companies and tea estate workers continue to be in a deadlock for nearly a year the longest to reach a consensus on the wage hike. A date for the next meeting between the two parties is expected by the end of this month. Both Regional Plantation Companies (RPC) and the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), the largest representative of the tea estate workers, blamed the delay on smaller trade unions who were biding time until the government brought legislation to increase private sector wages by Rs.2500. The RPCs have proposed to the trade unions a productivity based model or a revenue share model similar to what is practiced by the smallholders. Under one proposal, a block of land which belongs to the government and to which RPCs have lease-hold rights would be allocated to each worker, RPC Chairman Roshan Rajadurai told the Business Times. He noted that right now workers were assigned rows on the plantations. Similarly they would be allocated blocks to pluck leaves and depending on the output they could share a small portion of the revenue with the plantation companies. Should prices increase then it could result in higher earnings for both parties. However CWC Vice President Arul Samy told the newspaper that the companies needed to be more specific regarding the modalities of how this smallholder system could operate. He pointed out that while the productivity based system was not acceptable they still required more information on the other system proposed by the RPCs. The collective bargaining agreement is valid for two years by the consenting parties and negotiations usually reach a consensus within three or four months, after its expiry. The agreement which was to be renewed in March 2015 reached a stalemate as the RPCs were unable to agree on a wage hike citing global tea price declines affecting the overall revenues of the plantation companies. It is in this scenario that the workers have been asked to change the archaic model in use since the colonial era when the British first planted tea in Sri Lanka to a more productive system. Deadly blow to entrepreneurship Comment View(s): Its unfortunate that Sunil Perera, Sri Lankas legendary entertainer and a leading light in the campaign by artistes for political change in end 2014, is relatively quiet these days. Otherwise this popular balladeer would have played the merry devil dishing out song after song of the chaos and confusion thats taking place in the aftermath of the 2015 budget. While the Sunday Times and its business sections have repeatedly alluded to the crises and subsequent changes in proposed taxes and other proposals so much so that one pundit said the only thing that remains in the budget is Honourable Speaker, this time our focus is on the across-the-board annual license fee and a tax on voluntary liquidation on companies. Not only have the proposals triggered alarm and confusion but are also filled with contradictions and misleading messages. Consider this. The Finance Minister makes a promising and absolutely necessary pitch to cheer on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the backbone of the Sri Lankan economy. in spite of the significant contribution to the economy, SMEs find expansion difficult, mainly due to the obstacles they face in accessing funding, both equity and debt. Our government is therefore keen to partner the growth of SMEs. As such we have already formulated a SME Policy that covers a gamut of issues of the SME sector, he said in the 2016 Budget presentation. However ekapathen denava .. aneeth pathenn gannava, was how a SME entrepreneur described the lopsided proposals in the budget. SMEs are the core of the economy, but what has happened in the budget is a deadly blow to entrepreneurship and risk-taking, he said. For instance while encouraging companies to list in the stock market with tax relief, the government on the other hand imposes new taxes in the form of an annual fee which affects small organisations the most. Every company registered with the Registrar of Companies to be subjected to an annual license fee of Rs.60,000 for private companies (mostly SMEs); Rs. 500,000 for public quoted companies and Rs. 100,000 for others (including companies non-functioning). In addition, a charge of Rs. 250,000 is to be imposed on voluntary liquidation of a company. Entrepreneurship is all about taking risks, an issue governments have constantly complained about vis-a-vis banks. Commercial banks are unwilling to lend to small entrepreneurs saying they are weak, lack collateral and thus are unwilling to risk lending to this sector. So rather than encourage entrepreneurs to take risks, the government is killing the spirit of entrepreneurship. The Finance Minister said that the progress of the SME sector is of vital importance for the success of a nation. As such more attention should have been provided for the development of this most vital sector. An approximately 70 per cent contribution to the GDP from the SME sector is somewhat positive but with a more focused approach the opportunity to improve the sector will provide significant dividends to enhance growth rates. Honourable Speaker, I am compelled to state that the contribution through advances to develop the SME by state agencies had been found wanting whilst the private sector had managed to make a telling contribution during the past year. The focus of the previous regime on SMEs too had been blurred and very little had been done towards the development of same, he had said. The blurring is now on the other foot (Finance Ministry) because the budget scheme of tax relief for SMEs is being spirited away, all or most of it from annual fees and a tax on voluntary liquidation. It wont be surprising if only a few SMEs opt to list in the stockmarket given these contradictions. In fact, rather than give an impetus towards nurturing and as the budget called it stimulate the startup eco system (for SMEs) the reverse is happening. This is not all. The confusion continues. The head of a local chamber said they were given to understand by the government that the new annual fee would only be applicable if the accounts ending March 31 are not submitted by the normal due date as prescribed by the Registrar of Companies. There was a small fee earlier too as a penalty for late submissions, he said. However a senior official at the Registrar of Companies said it was still unclear how this would be enforced. We are not sure whether the rates would be applied as an annual fee, a penalty measure, or at all, one official, adding that they were awaiting an implementing circular from the ministry. In February, a group of 50 small and medium scale enterprises pleaded with President Maithripala Sirisena, in a letter, to repeal these clauses in the 2016 budget. The group offered more SME-friendly, tax-collection options where companies whose post-tax profit doesnt exceed Rs.2 million should be exempt from the annual license while the license fee for companies above this level should vary based on their taxes. While saying it is unfair and impractical for the license fee to remain constant even if a company makes a loss, the group said the compulsory winding up tax was also unreasonable as units wind up when they go out of business and have no other option than to close down. There are thousands of registered companies that are inactive and this is the reason for the government move. But most people agree this is not the way to solve that problem. The state needs to collect taxes and equitably too, compared to the present day where the rich pay fewer taxes than the poor. However imposing a no-holds-barred tax on SMEs will not only make people have second thoughts on forming small businesses but also impact on the viability of existing ones. Indian currency swap will help but not totally salvage Sri Lankas forex crisis, Moodys says View(s): Recent foreign exchange inflows from India under a currency swap with the Sri Lankan government will help ease pressure on the countrys balance of payments, a top rating agency said on Thursday. However, recourse to such official funding also highlights the fact that Sri Lankas foreign exchange earnings and reserves fall short of its external financing requirements, Moodys said. In a report titled Sri Lanka, Government of: Swap Lines from India Provide a Financing Stop-Gap Before Potential IMF Program, the agency said that on March 19, Sri Lanka received a US$700 million currency swap from India through the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), two days after securing a $400 million swap under the RBIs South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) facility. These arrangements, which replace the RBI swap line that expired the week before, will offset in the near term the balance of payments pressures posed by slowing capital inflows and more recently a dip in remittance inflows. Sri Lankan authorities are also negotiating a more medium-term financing arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the agency said in an announcement. The swap lines and potential IMF financing demonstrate Sri Lankas access to official funding during periods when global market financing is becoming more difficult. However, recourse to such official funding also highlights the fact that Sri Lankas foreign exchange earnings and reserves fall short of its external financing requirements. Moreover, these requirements have increased due to the countrys large fiscal deficits and the role that external funding has played in supporting domestic economic activity, it said. While the official financing will alleviate immediate external liquidity risks, Sri Lankas balance of payments is unlikely to meaningfully stabilise without a reduction in government deficits and debt, as well as an acceleration in non-debt sources of external financing, such as foreign direct investment (FDI), Moodys noted. Suspect NGO was expecting two foreign remittances, local bank says By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera Shalika Foundation, registered as a company in Sri Lanka, centre of global money laundering View(s): View(s): A Sri Lankan non-governmental organisation (NGO), at the centre of a billion-dollar global money laundering probe involving unknown hackers who broke into the website of the Bangladesh Central Bank (CB), had been registered with the Registrar of Companies (RoC) on October 16, 2014, a Business Times (BT) investigation has revealed. The BT probe revealed that this organization, Shalika Foundation exists and has five directors in its incorporation documents at the RoC office. It has a registration number GA2974. The foundation whose name was splashed across international media headlines is registered as a company but operates as a social service organization. The names of its directors, which the Business Times has, were given in the RoC document. The organisation is registered as a company and the contact in the registration form had the telephone number of the lawyer who incorporated it, the BT probe showed. Attempts at contacting two of the directors, its chairperson and another director whose contact numbers were given by another source, proved futile as the calls went unanswered. A top CB official told the Business Times that their probe revealed that the owner/person behind this organisation is from Hambantota, but is in Japan mostly. He said the Financial Crimes Unit of the CB is in touch with Interpol on this matter. We have already contacted Interpol to send an international alert on this person so that he can be apprehended, he said, adding that this was a one-off transaction. Some of these directors are from Dehiwela, in the suburbs of Colombo. While the Chinese hackers were able to transfer US$81 million to a bank account in the Philippines successfully, the attempt to transfer $20 million to the Sri Lankan NGO, failed due to a typographical slip. The FIU has given details of the real culprit, a man based in Hambantota, but mostly in Japan, he said. He said that CBs initial probe shows that this NGO might be a front for other money laundering. We will establish that when we get hold of the main culprit, he said. Meanwhile it was Sri Lankas Pan Asia Bank (PABC) which blew the lid off the money laundering scam. The bank was this week still responding to queries from international media over the incident.We had a few calls (this week) from international news agencies on the issue, a spokesperson at Pan PABC said. He said that they had been in touch with some directors at this organisation when the transaction hit their accounts and immediately the bank top management was alerted. Normally when a large transaction to the tune of $20 million happens, there are alerts. Because the name was wrongfully spelt, we contacted some directors who said that they were to get two remittances (amounts were unclear) for two welfare projects in Sri Lanka. The official declined to provide more information citing bank-client confidentiality rules.Meanwhile according to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report, authorities in four countries (Bangladesh, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and the US) were still piecing together what happened. The breach funnelled $81 million from the countrys account at the New York Federal Reserve to personal bank accounts in the Philippines. Another $20 million was directed to a bank in Sri Lanka.In an early sign of fallout from the breach, Bangladeshs central-bank governor, Atiur Rahman, resigned on Tuesday, the report said. Mr. Rahman, who had been the governor of Bangladesh Bank for nearly seven years, said he was taking moral responsibility for the loss of the money. Two deputy governors of Bangladesh Bank were relieved of their duties. The breach began on a quiet Friday last month, when a series of payment instructions arrived at the New York Fed seeking the transfer of nearly $1 billion out of the Bangladeshi account.The transfer requests, which the Fed says were fully authenticated with the correct bank codes, asked to move the money to private accounts in the Philippines and Sri Lanka and appeared to come from the Bangladeshi central banks servers in the capital, Dhaka. But Friday is the weekend in Bangladesh and the central banks offices were closed. By the time officials at Bangladesh Bank returned to work, five requests moving about $100 million had gone through. Further transfers totaling roughly $850 million were blocked after the Fed raised a money-laundering alert, a spokesman for Bangladesh Bank said. The fact that the money was being wired to personal bank accounts in the Philippines rang alarm bells. The $81 million that did leave the bank for the Philippines ended up in the account of a local businessman before making its way to at least two local casinos, the executive director of the countrys Anti-Money Laundering Council, a government task force, said at a hearing at the Philippine Senate on Tuesday. Julia Bacay-Abad, executive director of the Anti-Money Laundering Council, said the money had apparently been used to buy gambling chips. The councils investigation ended at the casinos doors, however. Gambling facilities arent covered by the Philippines Anti-Money Laundering Law. Manila has returned only $68,000 of the money which was left in the bank accounts, said a Bangladesh Bank official close to the investigation. Whoever planned it had thought well ahead. Cybersecurity experts say the theft of money from the New York Fed shows the vulnerability of emerging economies like Bangladesh, where the rapid growth of the banking system has outpaced regulations and security systems. Bangladesh foreign-currency reserves touched a record $28 billion in February. Nearly a third of those are held in liquid form in bank accounts at the Fed and the Bank of England, according to Bangladesh Bank officials, the WSJ report said. Urgent need to re-assess, prepare blueprint of countrys renewable energy resources By Alvin Sallay View(s): View(s): Its not only Mother Nature that stands in the way of a brave band of entrepreneurs who are trying to do their bit for the country, but self-important politicians and busy-body local government officials also occasionally play a role in stalling the continued growth of mini hydro in Sri Lanka. As a source of renewable energy, the small-hydro facilities of the country is running close to capacity leaving Riyaz Sangani, president of the Grid Connected Small Power Developers Association in Sri Lanka, (GCSPDA) tearing his hair out as he contemplates the challenges facing his body as they try to expand their collective to its maximum potential. Getting approval to build a mini hydro project can take a couple of years, says Mr. Sangani painting a not-so-bright picture. The system has been streamlined but we still face challenges especially getting land clearance for a project. His comments came in the backdrop of crippling island-wide power cuts across the week until Friday. With climate change and shifting weather patterns combining to create the perfect drought, the forecast for hydro power generation in the island is presently grim. Matters are compounded by man when it comes to private enterprise and mini hydro projects. We need the support of the Pradeshiya Sabhas and other local government bodies when it comes to land clearance but this is one of the main hurdles we face. Getting the support of the area politicians is an issue and this contributes to slowing down the entire process (of getting a hydro power project up-and-running), says Mr. Sangani who took over the hot seat at the GCSPDA last October from Anil Makalanda. The association president is the owner of a mini hydro company, Vidul Lanka PLC, which contributes 17 megawatts of power to the national grid. It might not be a lot in the bigger scheme of things the total output of these smallholders is 300 megawatts, just seven per cent of the total installed capacity of power generation in the country which is around 3,950 megawatts but when you are bathed in sweat and cursing the government and the mosquitoes on a hot and steamy night, every bit of power counts. The islands electricity demand is mainly provided as per 2014 Central Bank data by fuel oil (35 per cent), hydro (29 per cent), coal (26 per cent) and non-conventional renewable energy such as mini hydro, wind and solar (10 per cent). But even this contribution just a small part of the 10 per cent of renewable energy has its limits. Mini hydro power does not extend to infinity and beyond like the visions of space ranger Buzz Lightyear, rather it has reached saturation point. Mr. Sangani points out that there is only around 100 to 200 megawatts of power still to be harnessed by his association after which the curtain will drop on this private enterprise. We have something like 40 to 50 megawatts of projects under construction and maybe some 100 or more megawatts of potential projects. These still to be developed projects are the difficult ones and once these are completed we will have reached saturation point. It is a huge gamble according to Mr. Sangani to dabble in this business. It costs around US$2 million to generate 1 megawatt of mini hydro power. He praises the governments Sustainable Energy Authority for making life a little bit easier for the smallholders but believes more can be done. Our membership has a total of 300 Megawatts of power. Some of these projects are very successful but some have not met expectations. And we have to remember that the weather is always going to be a challenge, reminds the association president. Well, apart from those politicos, of course. At the end of the day, this country has to look at other sources of renewable energy. Hydro power has its limits and Sri Lanka cannot manage its demands for electricity entirely on it, added Mr. Sangani. A run-away government and the presidents Pirivena mandate View(s): There is more than a trace of Grimms Fairy Tales in the lofty disdain with which the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe coalition leadership lectures to Sri Lankans on its inherited economic woes. One tale succeeds another, all equally stupendous and some patently deserving of ridicule. Achieving monumental confusion First we were told that recovering the Rajapaksa hidden loot would save the country from economic ruin. Instead months of procrastination followed with lapses in basic legal processes. One notable example last year was unsuccessfully attempting to move a foreign court to freeze the off-shore bank account of a Rajapaksa scion without first initiating a domestic legal inquiry into charges of money laundering. Then the Budget was amended multiple times by a Government anxious to placate its various supportive lobbies, resulting in further economic strains. Next we were told of an investor who would proverbially appear like the savior-Prince and rescue the country from impending financial doom. Compounding this nonsense, the Government announced more than a year after the change of regime that the Rajapaksa debts were far higher than what was previously believed. True to form, the knee-jerk reaction was to declare a typically lazy quick-fix of higher taxation with minimum clarifications, leading to even more economic uncertainty and investor trepidation. Is the yahapalanaya (good governance) regime achieving all this monumental confusion solely by itself? If so, this is no mean feat in the most oxymoronic sense. Sri Lankas economic woes originated due to the monstrous financial profligacy of the Rajapaksas. That much is clear. But has not poor fiscal management since last year worsened this situation? The Central Bank bond scandal implicating this Governments choice of Central Bank Governor still remains unresolved moreover. Devilishly ill-timed move Overall the lack of foresight and wisdom in government decision-making is truly startling, whether it concerns economic policy, agriculture policy or reconciliation and constitutional reforms. For instance, inflicting higher taxation on the people was announced just prior to the Parliament lavishly approving increased allowances for its (un)worthy members. At the very least, this was a devilishly ill-timed move. The increases were occasioned by potential additional sittings on new fangled oversight committees and as part of a proposed Constitutional Assembly. Yahapalanaya ideologues masquerading under trade union (and sundry other) hats are quick to justify this. But as the civic-minded DecentLanka 2015 observed in response, these are public duties which should not incur additional financial remuneration. Meanwhile the Sirisena Presidency appears to have replaced its peoples mandate to keep a watchful check on government with a pirivena mandate. The President engages in almost daily perorations on good living even as he extravagantly declares a potential ban on a growing list of items, from cigarettes to alcohol. Certainly excessive drinking and smoking are irrepressibly bad habits. Yet this puritanical compulsion to act as the moral arbiter of the common good is deplorable. We saw this earlier in Presidential outbursts threatening corporal punishment on organizers of the Enrique Iglesias concert. There are other incongruities. The Ministry of Agriculture justifies an obscenely high rental for its premises and cuts fertilizer subsidies while engaging in a frantically publicized drive towards a toxin-free agriculture policy. The overall objective of this policy may be salutary. But the manner in which it is sought to be done lacks commonsense, to put it mildly. Inability to deal with its own saboteurs Above all, the high point of government idiocy was demonstrated over the electricity breakdown as some ruling politicians shouted sabotage. Reasons for the two transformer blasts in Biyagama and Kotugoda which led to the worse power outage in decades may be a tad more pedestrian, given that engineers had been hopelessly warning of shortcomings in Sri Lankas electricity system a while ago. Regardless, the President called out the army to protect sub-stations of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). So were saboteurs expected to come with weapons to attack? The second explosion of the Kotugoda transformer took place despite army protections. So what does that tell us exactly? The very meaning of sabotage is stealth. But this political leadership appears to be extraordinarily incapable of dealing with saboteurs artfully disguised as yahapalanaya advocates in its own ranks. Or was this all a choreographed padding over of the ineptitude of its Ministers? Whatever it may be, the Prime Ministers way of dealing with challenges is apparently to threaten. Initially the media and the doctors were alleged to be siding with the Rajapaksas. Now the engineers will probably be accused of trying to torpedo the Government. This is classic McCarthyism exemplifying the leveling of allegations of subversion without actual proof. Where will this all end? And it seems as if Sri Lanka cannot now do anything without foreign assistance, from constitutional reforms to reconciliation, with even further expenditure of public funds. Proceeding apiece from comedy to farce, we were informed on Saturday by the easily flustered Deputy Minister of Power and Energy that investigating the two suspicious transformer blasts will be done with foreign assistance. Why do we not hand over the leadership of this country, lock, stock and smoking barrel to foreign expertise? Incoherence is made worse by pompous ignorance on the part of these worthies. Avoiding being backed into a corner Indeed, this seems to be a run-away Government driven by a small coterie of power brokers jostling in Colombo whose collective arrogance is only exceeded by a profound inability to reach out to the people. The alarmingly surging crowds at the Mahinda Rajapaksa led Hyde Park meeting this week listening enthralled to the same old chauvinistic and racist rhetoric was a direct result of the criminal irresponsibility of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe coalition in frittering away its good governance mandate. It is simply not enough to boast, as the President did this week, that such opposition meetings are only possible due to yahapalanaya liberality. The Prime Minister has said that before long, his detractors will also join them. But absent general course correction in political leadership, that is a wish only for the wittingly credulous. Increased rumblings of public anger hold out ominous warnings. If this Government finds itself backed into a corner sooner or later, this will be emphatically due to its own fault, apart from Rajapaksa saboteurs. Time will prove this. But by then, it may be too late for this country and its people. Power failures deal blackout blow to Govt. View(s): Special ministerial committee grills CEB; evidence emerges that little or no maintenance work carried out Sirisena furious, as Presidents House loses power, walks out complaining of embarrassment if foreign dignitary was present Rajapaksa romps back, roars at Hyde Park saying if you cant rule, give it to me; conflict over 38 dissident MPs It was a week of shocks and aftershocks that jolted the United National Front Government and shattered the high wave of popularity it enjoyed among the people. Main among the issues was last Sundays countrywide electricity blackout, the third in just six months. It exposed the Governments inability to cope with the crisis situation that followed. The public anger against the eight-month old administration was unprecedented. The only solution the Government appeared to offer was an appeal by different politicians for consumers to bear with the situation and conserve electricity, something the people have been doing scrupulously since rates went up from time to time. Amid the rhetoric, for five long days, many areas were without electricity. With the drought taking its toll and water levels in the hydro reservoirs dropping, fears of more power cuts are looming large. On the economic front, the crunch on consumers after Value Added Tax (VAT) was raised to 15 per cent is beginning to tell. The prices of a variety of consumer goods have gone up. If the United National Party (UNP) segment of the Government was somewhat economic with the truth, perhaps for political reasons, on why there were increasing revenue measures, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) segment went public. They made clear at an official news conference at the Government Information Department that it was a prelude to obtaining a standby loan facility from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for US $1.5 billion, a half a billion dollars more than earlier expected. On the political front, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and 38 parliamentarians of the SLFP, defied their leadership, and took part in a public rally on Thursday at Hyde Park. Even senior UNPers whom I spoke with conceded that the turnout was much higher than the one for the UNPs youth rally on Tuesday at the nearby Liptons Circus. However, one of the UNPers, who did not wish to be identified, said, It is no cause for worry for us. It is the SLFP that should be concerned. Rajapaksas participation together with MPs supporting him has defined clearly the division within their party. THE THIRD BLACKOUT Seven Government politicians, five ministers and two deputies, on Friday fired a volley of questions on why and how the power failure occurred. Present were officials and technical staff of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). Also on hand was CEB Chairman Anura Wijepala, who declared he was ashamed and had taken the full responsibility to resign when power was restored. It was done by Friday but he continues in office. Wijepala told a television channel he made those remarks to give the cue to engineers who may be responsible to follow suit. It had not happened, he said, adding that he would therefore continue in office. So his offer to resign had little to do with assumption of responsibility and was rather to prod others whom he suspects to quit. Details of how the blackout took place and the tremendous difficulties it caused to the public are revealed in reports elsewhere in this newspaper. According to CEB records given to the six-member probe team appointed by President Sirisena, during a ten year period there have been only four major power interruptions. The team comprises Power and Energy Minister Ranjit Siyambalapitiya, and Western Province and Megapolis Minister Champika Ranawaka, a former Power and Energy Minister, Science Technology and Research Minister Susil Premajayantha, Petroleum Resources Minister Chandima Weerakkody, Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayake who is also Chief of Staff at the Prime Ministers Office and Deputy Ministers Ajith Perera and Eran Wickremeratne. The latter was President Sirisenas choice after Premier Wickremesinghe expressed the view that someone with a financial background also should be in the Committee. Even at the height of the 2004 tsunami, other than the vastly affected areas, power supply was maintained to all other areas. When the discussion ended, the six-member team had sufficient evidence to confirm that little or no maintenance work had been carried out. During the discussion, one minister was bold enough to ask who was responsible for this lapse. There was no response. A total system failure had occurred at Norochocholai on September 27, last year, at 23:57 according to a PUCSL (Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka) report copied to members of the team. The restoration of the power system took more than four hours. The unexpected major failures in the transmission system have a significant negative impact on continuity of the supply in the country. The PUCSL requested explanations/information from the transmission licensee. As a result Manitoba (Canada) HVDC Research Centre, a division of Manitoba Hydro International Ltd., was contracted to study the situation and make recommendations. The study was conducted in close collaboration with engineers from PUCSL and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). They made a string of recommendations which are essentially technical. The dynamic transmission system model used by the CEB Transmission planning and system control branches, it said, were not accurate enough for response analysis. It was also pointed out that the CEB has a practice of allowing a ten percent tolerance for voltage control in 132 kv and 220 kv lines, while the international practice is five percent. It was also pointed out that this practice was risky considering that this limit was very close to overcurrent protection limit of many system devices. PUCSL Chairman Saliya Mathew has now written to M.C. Wickremesekera, Authorised Officer for Licence EL/T/09-002 (he is General Manager, CEB) that it is the responsibility of the Transmission Licensee (CEB) under Condition 30 of the Transmission Licence to maintain an uninterrupted power supply throughout the country, which has been violated three times in the last six months by way of island-wide power failures. He has been asked to inform the PUCSL of actions transmission licensee has taken in order to prevent repetition of an island wide power failure, after September 27, 2015. Adds Mathew: Further, the Commission highlights that single element failure in the power system shall not result in island-wide power failures, and the Transmission Licensee is responsible for maintaining the system fulfilling this criterion. The team named by President Sirisena will hand in an interim report in the coming week. Sirisena was also disturbed by the sudden blackout. At the weekly ministerial meeting on Wednesday he said he was at work at the Janadipathi Mandiraya. A while later his personal security staff had told him that there had been a countrywide blackout. They tried to start the power generator but found it was not in working order. They had been functioning smoothly when former Presidents Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa occupied the historic building. On one occasion, the International Satellite channel CNN, engineers who were in Colombo to link Ms. Kumaratunga live via satellite for a programme to mark a ceremony in 2005 connected to the first year of tsunami wanted to test the generator as a fall back option. Power from the national grid was switched off and within seconds the generator began working. Thus, there was no fear of a live telecast being interrupted. Sirisena said it would have brought him great embarrassment if the blackout occurred when he was meeting a foreign dignitary. They would have been plunged in darkness. He said since he could not work anymore from the Janadipathi Mandiraya, he left. The power blackout did not deter Sirisena from sounding a note of caution about ministers who travelled abroad at state expense. He had noted down the names of six of them and said he would soon lay down guidelines in this regard. Though Sirisena did not mention names, he did refer to some ministers who were away from the country for weeks for official reasons, but some also engaged in pleasure trips during that time. Others were going for seminars and conferences which were of low priority and could be attended by Sri Lankan diplomats in the countries where they were held. He revealed that he had on hand invitations to Turkey and the United States but would not undertake those trips immediately. Premier Wickremesinghe who endorsed Sirisenas views urged that the President should attend the G-7 summit in Japan. Sirisena said he had plans to do so. The G-7 summit is to take place in Ishe Sima on May 26 and 27. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has invited Sirisena to take part in the event titled outlook which will be part of the summit. The forecast for electricity in the coming weeks and months appear bleak with a drought and the resultant drop in water levels in catchment areas of hydropower reservoirs. That will mean supplementing additional power that would have to be generated with diesel fired engines. Consumption of diesel would increase raising issues of production costs. That such a scenario looms ahead of the National New Year in April has added to worries. IMF AND RISING PRICES If the UNP segment of the Government carefully avoided any reference about seeking an IMF standby facility in the wake of the looming economic crisis, it fell on the SLFP segment to go public on the matter. At a news conference at the Government Information Department, Special Projects Minister Sarath Amunugama formally announced that a standby facility of US$ 1.5 billion was being sought from the IMF. He revealed that such a facility would be made available by June/July this year and said that the ongoing crisis was being managed with help from India. This is what the Sunday Times (political commentary) of March 6 reported on the matter: Tough new measures to avert an economic crisis are now engaging the attention of the Government. The first of these was decided upon at a special meeting of ministers on Friday (March 4). The subject first came up for discussion at Wednesdays (March 2) weekly ministerial meeting. This was when they discussed a Cabinet memorandum by Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake. In that, he had recommended certain fiscal measures including an increase in Value Added Tax (VAT), changes in the Nation Building Tax (NBT) and revising the threshold of those eligible to pay income tax. President Maithripala Sirisena who chaired the meeting was not in favour of the memorandum being approved in that format. The wording in the memorandum had given the distinct impression that the measures were being sought to meet the demands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)Sirisena insisted that the memorandum should not be adopted in that format. Then an unusual move followed. He directed an official in attendance to go around collecting copies of the memorandum from the ministers present. Sirisena advised them not to speak outside about this issue. Perhaps the leak of the document would have been grist to the mill for the opposition and the media. The Government would run the risk of being accused of dancing to IMF dictates if the information reached the public domain. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe undertook to present another memorandum under his name.. Wickremesinghe did, and it was approved. A high ranking SLFP source who spoke on grounds of anonymity said Amunugamas news conference together with his deputy minister, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena was with the concurrence of President Sirisena. The source, however, declined to elaborate. At the same news conference, Abeywardena, without pointedly blaming the UNP, did just that. He said that one of the causes for the current crisis was the election pledge to increase salaries of state sector employees by Rs. 10,000. Already, the initial payment of Rs. 2,500, had been hurting. Amunugama did explain, much the same way UNP ministers have done, on how the global economic situation was affecting Sri Lanka. However, a question still remains the UNP segment of the Government made no public announcements that they were seeking the IMF standby facility. And, that has now been publicly announced not by them but by the SLFP segment. That too with some criticism over the Rs. 10,000 pay hike offer. This matter is expected to figure in Parliament when it debates the prevailing economic situation on March 23 and 24. SLFP RIFT WIDENS On the political front, a significant development was the participation of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and 38 MPs supporting him at the joint opposition rally at Colombos Hyde Park. He declared Even If my entire family is jailed, we will standby the people and serve you. The Rajapaksas have been serving the people since 1956 and that will not change. I am sorry not because we are being jailed, but because the war heroes are being jailed, after ignoring the services done during the war time. Other than the election rallies (both presidential and parliamentary) and the one he addressed in Nugegoda after his defeat, this is the largest turnout he had. Rajapaksa addressed some of the current political issues. Excerpts: When I woke up this morning (Thursday) there were messages circulating that I will not come. There were also some persons on motorcycles looking for my house. When we took over we had five obstacles. The world financial crisis was one of them. This was affecting Sri Lanka too. We were able to save the banks when financial institutions worldwide were collapsing. We also faced the impact of a devastating tsunami. The oil crisis was another issue. The price was high unlike today. We did not do away with the subsidies to the people. We gave fertilizer at Rs. 350 after buying it for Rs. 9,000. We did not deduct the dues from the poor. We provided free books and school uniforms. We had a food crisis worldwide. When we reached out to India we were told that they need the food and they cannot export. We went to Myanmar and Vietnam but were told the same. We achieved self-sufficiency in rice and vegetables. Today even Kankun is being imported. We had the terrorism problem of the LTTE. We ended the war in two years and nine months. This was a war which went on for 30 years. The Tamils and Muslims too were affected. We protected the rights of the Tamils and Muslims. The Muslims were chased out from the North. The unemployment rate was high. We created a strong country. They say we have taken loans. But we worked for the money we have taken. I have a list. For the Mattala Airport US dollars 190 million- that was made. Hambantota Port cost US dollars 426 million that was made. Norochcholai power plant cost US dollars 1,340, Colombo-Matara expressway US dollars 630 million, Colombo-Katunayake expressway US dollars 248 million. All these were completed. Here is the list of the loans taken by this government. US dollars 400 million from India in March 2015, US dollars 650 million from the sale of bonds in May 2015, US dollars 1,100 million from India in June 2015, US dollars 1,500 million by issuing bonds in October 2015/2016 Development Bonds US dollars 2,711 million. All this means US dollars 6,361 million in one year. They say I have taken more loans but they were concealed. You try to take a loan from a boutique, they will note it down. If loans have been taken without documentation my advice is not to pay it back. If you cannot govern, give it (the government) over to us. I can produce results. I will give you the fertilizer for Rs. 350. I will not keep you in the dark not even for 10 minutes due to power cuts. There is no strong Opposition now. They are tamed. Persons like Deal Kumara Dissanayake have taken money from the government. He has invested the money in his brother-in-laws company in Kesbewa. We have found out all the details. The whole country is suppressed, but we cannot be controlled. If you are not scared, hold the local elections, the people are ready to respond. Here are the names of 38 UPFA parliamentarians who took part in Thursdays joint opposition rally: Mahinda Rajapaksa, Chamal Rajapaksa (Senior Vice President-SLFP), Janaka Bandara Tennakoon (Senior Vice President-SLFP), Kumara Welgama (Senior Vice President-SLFP), Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Rohitha Abeygunawardana, Bandula Gunawardana, Gamini Lokuge, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Namal Rajapaksa, C.B. Ratnayaka, Dullas Alahapperuma, Keheliya Rambukwella, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Udaya Gammampila, Ranjith Soyza, Dinesh Gunawardana, Wimal Weerawansa, Kanaka Herath, S.M. Chandrasena, Vimalaweera Dissanayaka, Weerakumara Dissanayaka, Sisira Jayakody, Mohan de Silva, Kanchana Wijeysekara, Shehan Semasingha, Udaya Shantha Gunasekara, S.C. Muthukumarana, Sanath Nishantha Perera, Jayantha Samaraweera, Niroshana Premarathna, Tharaka Balasuriya, Sriyani Wijayawickrama, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Lohan Ratwatte , Johnston Fernando, Dilum Amunugama and Indika Anuruddha Herath. Joint opposition leader Dinesh Gunawardena told the Sunday Times, Even the SLFP ministers in the Government should realise that progressive forces elected to Parliament have come together. He admitted that among the crowds that turned up were those protesting against the Government over the electricity blackout. He charged that the budget was a failure and added an economic crisis like the one in Greece was now developing in Sri Lanka. Rajapaksas participation at the rally together with the 38 UPFA parliamentarians backing him, most of them SLFP members sets a serious poser for SLFP/UPFA leader Maithripala Sirisena. It was just weeks earlier that he had virtually reined in the UPFA under his fold. Now it is clear, that a significant segment of the SLFP and even the UPFA have veered away. That too defying warnings issued by party hierarchy not to take part in the rally. What would the response of the party leadership be? They say that stern disciplinary action will be taken. If they decide on disciplinary action against them, that would only take the form of facilitating the creation of a new political party by Rajapaksa. On the other hand, ignoring the issue altogether would come as a clear demonstration of the impotency of the leadership. Opinions among Central Committee members appear divided. The SLFP General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake has declared that the partys Central Committee (CC) should meet to decide on disciplinary action. However, he has not made clear what form it would take. While some are asking that the dissidents be suspended from the SLFP, others say it should be more deterrent. On the other hand, there are yet others who advocate a softer line urging that the leadership ignore the episode altogether. Minister S.B. Dissanayake, a CC member who is closely associated with party work under the Sirisena dispensation, told the Sunday Times, Though SLFP General Secretary Dissanayake had sent a letter warning the SLFP members of disciplinary action, I believe that a more cautious approach should be followed instead of rushing to take action against them. He added; we should follow an approach to keep the party undivided and bring unity between the Maithripala Sirisena faction and the Mahinda Rajapaksa faction instead of supporting a division of the party. We have been working on the lines that the party should not be divided and we will continue to do so. Quite clearly Dissanayake is underscoring the inherent dangers in taking any tough disciplinary action against Rajapaksa and his 38 allies. Much to the dislike of those opposed to Rajapaksa, the reality is that Mahinda Rajapaksa and his team have placed themselves in an unassailable position within the SLFP and the UPFA. This comes at a time when the Government has to decide before March 31 the course of action on the local councils that now stand dissolved. While there are indications that the councils may continue to be run by special commissioners, the dilemma for the SLFP will come when it faces the local polls. DUBAI VISIT This week also saw a top level team from the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) and the Attorney Generals Department concluding a visit to Dubai. They made another effort to freeze the bank accounts of those connected with the previous Government. They are knocking hard on the doors of the Dubai authorities, but the doors are not opening. The much anticipated support from the US to urge the Dubai authorities to co-operate on the footing of supporting international money-laundering is not to be seen. This weeks events clearly show that the Government faces tough challenges on the economic front. What the UNP segment could not tell the country about the IMF standby facility has now been revealed by those in the SLFP. The latters woes, with the party divided down the middle, are now no easy task for President Sirisena. For both segments who constitute the Government, restoring their credibility and public confidence after the power blackout is no easy task. Darkness at noon View(s): A fortnight ago, we mentioned in this space how farmers accustomed to a fertilizer subsidy would resist its withdrawal even if it came packaged differently. Similarly, this country, now accustomed to uninterrupted power supply, considered a privilege in countries in this part of the world, went ballistic this week when plunged into the third major power outage in recent months. Several townships, especially in Greater Colombo, have got immune to intermittent power cuts or sudden drops in voltage all these years. These cuts have been so regular that the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has not bothered with any niceties of informing consumers whose home electrical items have been severely compromised. That the people were in the dark, so to say, with the reasons unknown was even more annoying than the all-island power failure. It seemed the CEB itself was in the dark as to what had happened. Officials began trotting out different reasons, so much so that the Chairman went public to say, simply; it was unfortunate. It led to rumours in a country prone to rumour-mongering that sabotage was the cause. The President added fuel to the rumour mill by deploying the armed services to guard power installations around the country. Word spread that water supply was going to be affected and nobody was able to give a proper explanation. The Fault Hotline at the CEB had an answering machine that asked irate consumers to check their mains or if their trip switches had gone off or if they had paid their bills. Its website had no information on the cause of the blackout or the power interruptions schedule. International consultants have long said the CEB does not have a proper arrangement to provide accurate data to one central location. Then, another transformer exploded on Friday giving greater credence to the sabotage theory. In better managed countries, consumers are kept informed of interruptions and this would be expected here too given that local consumers pay the CEB one of the highest rates in the world for their electricity. Whatever happened to the Consumer Protection Act and the Authority that implements it when it is needed most? Many argue that this is because of the virtual monopoly the CEB has in the distribution of power. It is seen as a favour granted to the public, not a service offered. Should the CEB be asked, for instance, to credit every consumer with one unit of electricity for every hour of interrupted power, it would have to factor in this cost when it decides to decommission working power plants to save on maintenance costs, at the expense of the consumer. The damage to transformers has been partly placed at poor maintenance. CEB unions will, however, argue that power mafias are licking their chops hoping to wade into the industry and fleece the consumer. The energy issue is a major headache for any Government. That Sri Lanka has had 24 hours of power seven days of the week and the supply footprint extended far and wide even to rural areas today is to the credit of successive Governments. Yet, it has not come without a cost. The Norochcholai coal plant was a dud plant sold to Sri Lanka through unscrupulous agents with connections to the political leaders of the time. These commission agents are doing very well under the present Government as well. That plant has broken down 24 times so far, and each time it takes 3-4 days to get it going even after the time period for repairs. It is best thrown into the Puttalam sea and the agents sent to Welikada. The award of a recent Rs. 50 billion coal tender is replete with questions. Everything is dark and dirty like the coal itself. The coal power plant in Sampur has several environmental concerns. Conspiracy theories are already afloat that the Indians are pressing to sell this plant in the East so that the fumes from the plant will blow over to the central highlands of Lanka and destroy the special flavour of Ceylon tea. Some are campaigning for nuclear energy; clean, cheap and efficient until an accident occurs. Hydro-power has its limits especially at times of drought and the needs of the farmers having to be supplied and oil is costly (though not now). It is indeed a dilemma that planners have to work out for now, and for the future. A strategy of an energy mix formula i.e. of less coal, less oil, existing hydro-power, more LNG (liquefied natural gas), more solar power and more wind power seems the way forward. It must have been a thorough embarrassment for the financial top honchos to be inviting foreign investors to come and buy the local (stained) family silver in the form of non-profit Sri Lankan state ventures at a forum in Singapore when the country they were marketing was plunged into a power failure and its Free Trade Zone had come to a grinding halt. That would have struck hard the bitter home-truth that all these platitudes about huge development projects on the drawing boards and foreign investors waiting in a queue to come to this country because a new Government is in place becomes a bit of a joke when our basic infrastructure lets us down and is not geared to meet the growing demand for power and energy to fuel such development and investment. The hand that holds the ladle gets the most The power cuts this week came at the worst possible time for the Government. Abroad they were urging foreign investors to come, when at home, a Joint Opposition mass protest rally had been preplanned in Colombo. To make matters worse, there was an announcement of a hike in allowances for MPs at a time when the Government was asking the common man and woman to tighten their belts or swallow bitter medicine in the form of new taxes, in the face of a deteriorating economy. The usual blame game was in full show with the Government blaming the former administration for the current economic woes, and the former President rebutting the charges. Members of Parliament who are expected to lead by example provided the worst possible example in leadership qualities by adhering to the age-old adage handa athey thiyanakota kaagen ahannada (when you have the ladle in your hand whose permission do you need to serve yourself). The Government was quick to say that this was an all-party decision reached via the Business Committee of Parliament. But in the backdrop of the increasing taxes imposed on the people to ride the economic slump, Opposition parties pulled back from the decision and it was the Government that was left with the ladle in the hand or the hand in the cookie jar! A brotherly blend of Bharatham and Kandyan Narthana Bandham View(s): View(s): Narthana Bandham , presented by Aru Sri Art Theatre is a thematic presentation showcasing the divine relationship binding two dance forms, Bharatham and Kandyan under the banner SANGAM ,festival of India . This event in collaboration with the High Commission of India in Colombo will go on the boards on April 6 at 7.00 pm at the Bishops College Auditorium. Aru Sri Art Theatre since 2004 has produced and presented many dance and musical shows local and International. It believes that art and culture are the best method to build bridges among human beings with different ethnic, relegious, and National origins. The ultimate dialogue and building of cultural bridges consists of creating something together- the feeling of oneness. Music is the language of the emotions and dance has the power of bringing people from dividing societies together with the power of rhythm. Narthana Bandham is choreographed binding both Kandyan and Bharatham dance styles marvellously unified in expressing the rhythm in harmony. Produced and directed by Dr Arunthathy Sri Ranganathan Srilankan drums are a book of sounds. The drums of all ethnic groups have been interwoven in to a brilliant rhythmic pattern. Here the footwork of both styles are set in unison. Basic footwork movements to similar compositions are expressed through subtle movements with a true love story binding each other. A show not to miss is free on invitation. Encouraging volunteerism By Duvindi Illankoon View(s): View(s): Looking to make a difference ? There are many youth volunteer groups out there that could use your help. Last month the Mirror Magazine spoke to Geoffrey Prewitt-Chief of the UNV (United Nations Volunteers) Development Programming Section-who was in Sri Lanka for the V-Awards, a ceremony that recognized some of the countrys most hardworking volunteers carrying out projects that serve their communities. The V-Awards Volunteer of the Year was Kasun Jayathunge, a young man with a hearing impairment who was nominated for his work with the foundation Sumaga Ruhunu Circle For The Deaf. The V Awards started in 2011.Over the last few years the awards programme has recognised the work of some incredible volunteers carrying out projects-be it within their community or at a national level. I was honoured to be invited, said Prewitt of his participation. Prewitt is a history graduate turned development professional. Growing up in a giving community instilled a strong sense of community in him, he shared. My first professional volunteering experience was in a country in Southern Africa. It was so enriching because I could see the tangible results of my contribution. Although he now serves in a role that involves much more work behind a desk, Prewitt keeps an eye on volunteering trends and preferences, especially among young people. While young people already volunteer in a variety of important areas such as education, health and micro finance, there is a need for contribution in administrative such as data entry, surveying, translation and record keeping for organizations that engage with communities, he noted. Prewitt also added that its important to encourage volunteerism at a policy level, for a scheme that can coordinate the many youth volunteer bodies that have begun to emerge over the last few years. Youth led initiativesThe following are just a few youth groups one can volunteer with.However, this is by no means an exhaustive list with many youth led initiatives doing some excellent work around the country.Without Borders These group has been around for some time, quietly carrying out some stellar projects. Idea Labs, a project they launched at a school in Deraniyagala aims to encourage digital literacy, language skills and leadership qualities-soon itll be launched in Colombo as well. Keep posted on-www.facebook.com/withoutborders95 SocialService.lk A non-profit launched in 2014, this group has covered some 80+ projects ranging from immediate disaster relief assistance to community related projects. SocialService.lk works in a broad spectrum of areas from education to health and even counseling-so you have your pick of projects to choose from. www.socialservice.lk One World Volunteers Launched in 2011, this is a youth led volunteer initiative managed by Sri Lanka Model United Nations. The group has just re-launched with a few small projects-ideal if youre not able to make a long term time commitment. www.facebook.com/groups/oneworldvolunteers Dare to Dream Dare to Dream works primarily with children to create fun, interactive experiences for both the volunteers and kids. They do all sorts of things-from making cardboard installations to painting activities. The group is based in both Sri Lanka and the UAE. www.facebook.com/d2d.srilanka Kandy Teen Club These youngsters have combined volunteerism with opportunities to meet like minded people. Their projects are designed for teenagers, so for those in Kandy or the suburbs-keep posted on www.facebook.com/KandyTeenClub for their projects. SBC wins Interschool Drama Comp View(s): St. Bridgets Convent (SBC) won the Interschool Drama Competition on February 20 organised by the Council for Business with Britain (CBB) in collaboration with the British Council. SBC also carried away the Best Directors award for their production of Booby Trap by Ed Monk. The play was directed by Malinthi Perera. Booby Trap is about an American soldier (Pete Galen), who leans against a tree trunk with a mine wedged behind it and realises that if he moves the mine will detonate and he will die. As he sits through these last minutes of his life, flashbacks and visions of the future cross his mind the play examines these scenes. The play left the audience in tears no mean feat. St. Bridgets was the only girls school in the finals, all the other finalists being International Schools which had mixed casts. Saleemah Mohideen, who played the role of Pete Galen, was commended for her portrayal of the doomed soldier. She feels that the most difficult part of the play was for her to switch emotions from scene to scene all in a matter of seconds while still onstage. The message of the play is that the real heroes are not artists, athletes or actors but soldiers who selflessly sacrifice their lives to protect their country, she feels. Amasha Fernando, who played the role of Lieutenant feels that the play took the audience on a roller coaster ride of emotions and fitted the schools all-girl cast very well. Taheeni Soza, who was cast as Professor Drummond feels that the play was sucessful because of the contribution and talent of a great number of people. The students felt that the support they had from their teacher in charge, Malinthi Perera contributed immensely to their victory. Ms Perera had the support of former Bridgetines with this production. Stigmata unleashes metal at its finest By Joshua Surendraraj Concert celebrating ten years of Silent Chaos Serpentine (SCS) the rock bands legendary album View(s): View(s): The lights lowered as the smoke crept in. All that lay visible were five dark figures illuminated by the eerie backdrop of old human X-rays. It was that moment everyone had been waiting for. It was time to celebrate ten years of Silent Chaos Serpentine (SCS) rock band Stigmatas legendary album. The riffs kicked off with Swine Maker, the first song off the SCS record. Suresh de Silvas powerhouse vocals thundered through the hall. This was certainly not your everyday Stigmata concert and the lack of a stage at the Colombo City Hotels ballroom made the performance truly intimate. The concert was on Saturday, February 27, and the crowd that gathered at the Colombo City Hotel were clearly flag bearers of Sri Lankas Heavy Metal Community, clad in their favourite band t-shirts, such as Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer, some with long beards and long hair. To the die-hard Stigmata fans, this was a recreation of the SCS launch concert, a decade ago. And to the younger generation this was pure Sri Lankan metal at its finest. From Lucid andMy Malice to tunes such as Book of skin(which hadnt been played in a long while), the band was full of energy that evening. The songs coupled with some of the bands newer numbers off The Ascetic Paradox, which was released nine years after SCS, displayed the bands journey through time. Stigmatas passion for their music and fan base was amplified by lead guitarist, Andrew Obeyesekere, who played with an injured shoulder, owing to an accident that took place the day before. After the show Andrew was spotted putting a sling back on his arm. Opening the show was Killfeed, performing an original, Depths of Hell. The growling vocals of their frontman Zeusz, backed by Shaffeek Shuail and Suchith Fernando on guitars, Krishan Janaka on Bass and Eshantha Perera on drums, soon got the audience going. The band ended their set with a stellar cover of Panteras Yesterday dont mean shit. Eshantha Perera remained behind the drums as Constellation delivered their very own, Children of God, Eshanthas clean vocals combining with Saveen Makalandas growls -perfectly balanced. They wrapped things up with another original, Devouring the Sun. The crowd was soon stirred as Mass Damnation took on the drivers seat for the night. With frontman Ryan Johnson, urging the crowds to go crazy the band delivered a string of original music ranging from Disengaged to Hypocrite which set off more head banging and fist pounding. Stigmatas performance had fans in thrall until the slow groovy bass by Lakmal Wijayagunarathna led the audience to Jazz Theory, the final song of the evening. Suresh was soon joined onstage by all the vocalists of the day, as Rhythm guitarist, Tennyson Napoleon, drummer Roshan Taraka Senewirathne and Andrew unleashed that final moment of chaos. As the fog kicked in one last time the halls were left echoing There is nothing that you can do that would change us or what we are. Another power failure: CEB must switch to hi-tech professionalism By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s): Experts are scrambling to determine how three electricity blackouts occurred within six months and the answers are still not forthcoming. There is general consensus, however, that imbalances in the power system cannot and must not lead to regular countrywide shutdowns. There were three blackouts in September, February and March, said Damitha Kumarasinghe, Director General of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka. Everybody was talking about the failure of a transformer or of Norochcholai tripping or of a lightning strike. Transformers can trip at any time, lightning can occur and generators can break but the underlying principle is that the system must be stable. The system failed on all three occasions. The PUCSL commissioned a study of the first countrywide failure that occurred in September. It was conducted with the assistance of Canadian experts Manitoba HVDC research centre. The report took many months to produce as it was some time before the necessary data were obtained. The conclusions of the study were highly technical in nature but several shortcomings have been identified. You are hereby directed to design long term measures to avoid such system failures in future, after fully reviewing the system models used for both steady state and dynamic modelling, instructs a letter sent on Tuesday by PUCSL Chairman Saliya Mathew to the CEB. Reports into the second and third failures they occurred in February and March 2016 are yet to be produced. A committee appointed by the Government met sector experts this week to get their views on the recent incidents. Among the professionals interviewed was Asoka Abeygunawardana, chairman of the Sri Lanka Energy Managers Association. The recommendations made by the international consultants indicate that the CEB has inadequate data to come to a conclusion regarding what has happened, Mr Abeygunawardana told the Sunday Times. The first issue, therefore, is that the system stability information is not available with the CEB officials. They need to know the performance of each and every transformer, generator, and so on. But the second and third failure happened since there were no proper recommendations to rectify the situation, he said. The discussion is to find out the root cause. If a particular power plant or transformer breaks down, there is no reason for a countrywide blackout. The system is not properly geared to avoid such a thing. If we have professionalism, adhere to proper standards and carry out maintenance work properly, such things cannot happen. Mr. Abeygunawardana also said the functioning of the Lakvijaya coal power plant all three units tripped each time indicated a design fault. There is no reason for it to shut down if it is up to standard, he said. That it happened to all three generators all three times implies that there is a design fault. The persons who approved the design must take responsibility. To rectify the situation, we need to attend to this and make sure that the three power plants at Norochcholai maintain at least minimum standards, he said. The fact that the Lakvijaya plant is now operational has not alleviated the risk. There is no guarantee that if a lightning strike occurs somewhere else, these parts will not fail and it will not lead to a countrywide blackout again, particularly now as we do not have adequate hydropower. Because the Norochcholai power plant is substandard, it is responding to something else getting damaged somewhere else. We need to rectify the root cause, not just repair it and reconnect it to the grid. Apart from technical faults at Norochcholai, the Biyagama transformer also should not have failed had proper maintenance been done, Mr Abeygunawardana said. He suggested an injection of professionalism into the CEB and the possibility of a different management setup that attracts capable experts. He said CEB engineers could be partnered with international or overseas engineers. Having a 3 x 300 megawatt coal power plant is itself an issue because one large power plant increases the risk of countrywide blackouts, he said. What we need are a large number of decentralised, small-scale power plants to reduce the risk. That means going for renewable energy sources. And for that you need to have long term generation and transmission planning. The current planning process is not adequate. Mr. Abeygunawardana predicted more blackouts if we cannot rectify the issues at Norochcholai and there is a shortage of rainfall in the Yala season. There must be a detailed investigation into the root causes of the countrywide blackouts, said Asanka Rodrigo, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Electrical Engineering in the University of Moratuwa. If something happens to a power system, there will be an imbalance, he explained. That imbalance must be solved within a short period of time. In this situation, it was not solved within a short time period, he said. This caused total system instability that was first picked up by Norochcholai which tripped. There was then a shortfall in power generation compared to demand. The resulting under-frequency situation caused all other power stations in the country to trip. In my point of view, there can be failures in the system, Dr. Rodrigo said. You cannot guarantee that equipment is highly reliable and works continuously. But if a piece of equipment fails and it leads to a countrywide blackout, we cannot accept that. He said the CEB should have modern planning software and technologies to predict such occurrences. He questioned the accuracy of the software and technologies currently in use. Actually, it is a shame to hear that failing in one transformer leads to a total blackout, he said. You have to plan for contingencies, Dr. Rodrigo said. Of course, it is now dry season and there is a lack of hydropower. That is no excuse. You have to predict that kind of eventuality. The Government and the regulator must take strong action to correct this situation. Major problems, but we have the solutions also: Top CEB engineerTotal power failures were a common occurrence in the not-so-distant past. There were eight countrywide power failures between 2007 and 2009. However, the CEB introduced an effective automatic stability restoration mechanism in 2010. It was called under frequency load shedding (UFLS). As a result there were no total failures in the six years up to September 2015, said Athula Wanniarachchi, president of the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU). Thus, due to this significant reliability improvement that our engineers have brought about, total failures have become rare occurrences and tend to draw more public attention now as a result, he said. The answer to why system stability could not be regained speedily during recent failures is technical, Mr. Wanniarachchi said. UFLS is effective for failures initiated by sudden tripping of large generators, which is the main cause of total power failures in Sri Lanka in the past, he explained. However, it is not effective for failures initiated by transmission network related faults. All three recent failures were initiated by network related causes although they led to subsequent tripping of generators. The root cause of all three failures had their origins in the network, he reiterated. The September 2015 failure was triggered by very high network voltage, the February 2016 failure was caused by the tripping of major transmission lines and the most recent failure was once again due to the tripping of a network element, that is, the Biyagama transformer. If you ask me whether Im trying to justify the failures, my answer is a definite no, Mr. Wanniarachchi said. If you ask me whether there are no problems in the power system, my answer is yes, there are a few. But we must not think these problems are major catastrophes that are beyond our capability. Definitely, there are problems and these problems have solutions, too. That is why the engineers are there. Just as much as we have overcome problems in the past, we can overcome present ones, too. Asked why the restoration of power took so long after the last failure, Mr. Wanniarachchi said that many in Sri Lanka thought total, countrywide breakdowns occurred only in Sri Lanka. They are wrong. Even in the United States, failures of the size of Sri Lanka and much larger occur every few years. Restoration of some of the failures takes days, not hours like in Sri Lanka. Restoring supply after a failure is a highly skilled job that needs training. We are good at the task and usually restore a failure within three hours. After the September 27, 2015, failure, supply was restored in four hours and during the February 25, 2016 failure, within two-and-a-half hours. Unfortunately, during the most recent one, while the system was being restored, there was a previously unknown fault that occurred at the Pannipitiya grid substation. This caused the grid to fail twice again, even after 80 percent of power was restored, he explained. Dinesh hits out at USAID seminar on constitutionalism View(s): Joint opposition MPs are irked over an invitation to attend a USAID-assisted seminar on constitutionalism. Invitations to attend the seminar on March 29 at Waters Edge Hotel in Battaramulla have been sent to all legislators, but Joint Opposition leader Dinesh Gunawardena said such moves did little to increase public confidence in the constitution making process. Speaking to the Sunday Times he asked, Why is the US getting involved in constitution making in Sri Lanka? Its a domestic process which should be undertaken by Sri Lankans. The Constitutionalism seminar follows a USAID-sponsored conference for MPs on the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) and the Committee on Public Enterprise (COPE) on March 5. Officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Auditor Generals Department also attended this conference. Ex-monk in trouble after posting nude pics of woman who broke off their affair View(s): A former monk who posed off as a businessman-student studying overseas and started an affair with a private sector employee has been arrested by the Cyber Crime Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department for allegedly posting obscene pictures of his partner after their affair broke off, Police said. The arrest was made after a complaint was lodged by the victim to the Cyber Crime Unit that personal pictures including nude pictures shared with her former boy friend had been posted on the Facebook in an attempt to take revenge. Police said that the 32-year-old ex-monk had started the affair via Facebook when he was still serving as a monk in the Kurunegala area and the woman was employed overseas. He had claimed that he was studying in India and also doing business to support his education. The youth had informed his parents that he was having an affair and that he was planning to marry the woman, police said. The womans parents had spoken to the family members of the ex-monk and given their consent to the marriage, but had not been told about the background of the man, he said. However, on return to the country the woman had felt suspicious about the man and visited his family members and come to know that her boy friend had been ordained earlier. After the girl had decided to break off the affair, her boy friend had got one of his friends to post personal pictures of her on Facebook prompting her to lodge a complaint. Norochcholai plant shut down with grid failure Did not resume operations as expected due to an abnormality: CEB Additional GM View(s): View(s): The Lakvijaya coal power plant in Norochcholai had experienced technical faults that aggravated the recent countrywide power failures and aided the collapse of the system, Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) engineers said this week. Every time there was an imbalance in the system caused by various reasons such as being struck by lightning, the Lakvijaya coal power plant tripped, said Bandula S Thilakasena, Additional General Manager (Corporate Strategy). But it was not just tripping off. It went beyond that. There were some technical faults within the plant such as the water in the boiler drum getting drained which should not have occurred, he explained. So we had to cool it down, repair it and start it again. That took some time. The plant is usually at a temperature of between 400-530 degrees centigrade. We are a little concerned about what happened, he added. We might have to investigate deep into this and why it took place. The Chinese manufacturers are helping. In a sense, the faults are major because the repercussions are so major. The reasons are not very clear to us at the moment. Previous issues with the coal power plant, which related to the condensers, have now been sorted out. No problems were experienced for the most part of 2015. Athula Wanniarachchi, President of the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU), also described issues experienced recently at Lakvijaya. Particularly during the two recent failures, the way the Norochcholai Lakvijaya power plant reacted following the initiation of the failure had aggravated the failure and abetted the collapse. There are two identified problems with the Lakvijaya plant, he said. They are its behaviour during the failure and after the failure. I will try to explain this in the simplest possible way but it is difficult to do so as these are highly technical issues. Firstly, the Lakvijaya coal power plants behaviour during a failure, Mr. Wanniarachchi said. During a system disturbance, all grid connected power stations are expected to assist in maintaining the stability of the system. They are expected to increase and decrease their active power output, measured in megawatts, during frequency fluctuations and are also expected to generate or absorb what is known as reactive power during voltage fluctuations. Due to an abnormality, the Lakvijaya governor controls reacted in a way that aggravated the ensuing disturbance after the initiation of the two recent disturbances, he said. This led to the ultimate collapse. After the grid failure, Lakvijaya should have shut down in a normal way following safe shutdown procedure. Any grid-connected power plant is expected to face failures associated with the grid and they are expected to shut down normally and to resume generation when the grid is normalised, Mr. Wanniarachchi said. However, Lakvijaya did not shut down in the expected way and, as a result, we had to attend to minor maintenance work of replacing a boiler diaphragm before resuming operations. This is what took four days. All other power plants in the system tripped with the grid failure but resumed generation after the grid was normalised, except Lakvijaya, he pointed out. Power crisis: German experts coming; short-term solution in two weeks View(s): German experts are due in Sri Lanka tomorrow to inspect some 30 electrical transformers and recommend ways to prevent countrywide power failures during sudden breakdowns. Their main task would be to inspect the transformers that exploded and caught fire at Biyagama and Kotugoda last Sunday and on Friday resulting in power cuts. Power and Renewable Energy Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya told the Sunday Times that the experts would assess how such isolated incidents were affecting the entire electricity distribution network and find short-term and long-term solutions. The minister said the prospect of buying electricity from private power producers was also being considered. The issue we have now is that the Norochcholai power plant accounts for 1/3 of the electricity supply to the national grid. In the past, power was distributed across the network and we had backup. However, there is no backup power at present if Norochcholai fails, Mr. Siyambalapitiya said. According to initial investigations, two parts costing US$ 1.5 million (Rs. 217 million) each need to be replaced in the the Biyagama and Kotugoda transformers, but figures could be higher depending on the reports from the Germany experts. Meanwhile, the special ministerial committee appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena to probe reasons for the three countrywide power outages over the past six months will submit its report to the President tomorrow. The committee, headed by Minister Siyambalapitiya, also includes Ministers Champika Ranawaka, Susil Premajayantha and Sagala Ratnayake and deputy ministers Ajith P. Perera and Eran Wickramaratne. As part of the final preparations for this report, the committee is due to hold discussions with Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) officials, engineers and union members today. On Wednesday, Minister Siyambalapitiya will present the committees report to Parliament and outline short- and long-term measures to prevent such power outages. The short-term measures will focus on what needs to be done within two weeks, while the long-term measures will focus on steps to be taken over the next three months and beyond. CEB Chairman Anura Wijepala said the foreign experts would be from the German company that made the component known as tap changers for the transformers. A tap changer regulates the output voltage of a transformer to required levels. The CEBs initial assessment has revealed that the cause for the explosions in both transformers was the failure of this vital component. While the explosion at the Biyagama grid substation led to last Sundays island-wide blackout, Mr. Wijepala said a major power outage did not occur after the explosion at the Kotugoda substation as measures were immediately taken to reroute the electricity supply from that particular transformer via other supply lines. The CEB also took measures to disconnect 300 Mega Watts from the Norochcholai power plant from the national grid as a precaution. The CEB Chairman said the affected transformers were about 30 years old, but had a life span of about 40. They had been set up during the time the Victoria Power Station was built. He also said the CEB was also renovating generators at power plants, including those at Victoria and Samanalawewa. The minister yesterday also held meetings with the CEBs trade union leaders, engineers and administrative officers. Ragging brings academic activity at Kelaniya campus to a halt By Kasun Warakapitiya View(s): View(s): Academic activities for senior students of the Kelaniya University were brought to a standstill, with the Kelaniya University Teachers Association (KUTA) deciding not to hold classes for seniors until ragging at the campus was stopped . Kelaniya University Vice Chancellor Prof. Sunanda Madduma Bandara warned that in accordance with the Act Prohibiting Ragging in Educational Institutions, action would be taken against senior students involved in incidents of raging . He said several students had already been suspended for alleged involvement in incidents of ragging. He emphasised that if incidents of ragging continued, the authorities would have no alternative but to lodge complaints with the police under the Anti-Ragging Act. Every year a large numbers of new entrantsts flee higher education institutes due to the torment they are forced to undergo at the hands of senior students. The real tragedyis that these students never complained of the torment they undergo, due to a fear psychosis, he said, What is worse, is that these days seniors are even preventing freshers from attending lectures. Instead they are assembling them in the burning sun along the roads and giving them their own lectures, he said. Prof Bandara said action against students engaged in ragging of freshers would be taken in keeping with recommendations made by KUTA and added that parents of the students concerned too would be informed. I am hopeful that academic activities will return to normal within the next week if the teachers union and student union are able to work something out, he said. Meanwhile the University Grants Commission (UGC) said, that while they supported the actions of the University, the Commission would not interfere as it respected the autonomy of the university. UGC Chairman Prof. Mohan de Silva said the vice chancellors and senates of the universities could take action against ragging, and added that the Prohibition of Ragging and Violence in Educational Institutes Act allowed authorities to impose severe penalties on individuals who violated it. Meanwhile KUTA said the they would refrain from teaching senior students as the former were preventing freshers from attending lectures. KUTA president Professor Sumathipala Halpita said senior students were even threatening lecturers who attempted to help victim students. Since the end of February seniors have prevented freshers from attending lectures, he said. On Wednesday, a female student who was forced to stand in the sun fainted. But despite this senior students forced them to remain in the same place while they continued with their so-called lectures, he charged. Inter University Student Federation president Lahiru Weerase-kara said his union would stand by the victims of ragging and support them if they could prove they were victims of a ragging. Weerasekara however claimed that the lecturers at Kelaniya campus were creating an issue whereas ragging did not occur. He claimed that it was a process where senior students helped new students learnt the ethics of campus life. US$ 101m hack-in heist: Interpol hunts for Shalika Foundation chief View(s): An international alert is underway to arrest a key director of Shalika Foundation, a Sri Lankan NGO at the heart of a global multimillion dollar money laundering scheme. He is said to be on the run and believed to be in Japan.We have sought Interpol assistance to trace this person who is believed to be in Japan but may have slipped to another country, a police source said. The NGOs Dehiwala office was raided by the police and the computers were seized. One person was questioned but no arrests have been made as yet, police said. Last week the Sunday Times reported how Chinese hackers earlier this month successfully transferred US$81 million to a bank account in the Philippines but the attempt to transfer US$20 million to the Sri Lankan NGO was foiled after Pan Asia Bank, through which the money was being transferred, alerted the authorities as the amount was unusually high and the NGOs name was misspelt. The money belonged to the Bangladesh Central Bank. Hackers had broken into that banks website, stolen credentials and codes, and sent requests to the US Federal Reserve to transfer millions of dollars belonging to Dhaka to accounts in the Philippines and Sri Lanka. Hackers had planned to take away up to $1 billion of Bangladeshs funds lying in the US Fed. Police here said the investigations were being handled by the cybercrimes division of the CID. They said Shalika Foundation claimed to be engaged in helping the poor and constructing houses for them. Who will win the battle of the builders Mittal or locals? View(s): By Namini Wijedasa Indian steel billionaires company offers concessionary terms to win contract to build 65,000 houses for IDPs Lankan companies hold talks with ADB to obtain financial guarantees for the project as the bidding war intensifies Cabinet has approved a proposal to build 65,000 houses for war-affected families in the North and East but stopped short of awarding the contract to ArcelorMittal, an international company run by Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal. Further negotiations are to be conducted before a decision is made on the lucrative deal. ArcelorMittal, the worlds largest steelmaker, was recommended for the project by a Cabinet Appointed Negotiation Committee (CANC) earlier this year. But there has been growing controversy over the estimated cost of each house Rs 2.1 million each amid concerns over the suitability of the construction materials the company intends to use. The houses will have steel structures with prefabricated panels and polyurethane layers. The companys quoted prices will cost the Government a total of US$1 billion for the houses, not counting interest payments on the loans to be obtained for implementation. Civil society groups and housing experts insist that double a number of regular dwellings could be built for that amount. They also argue that impoverished, internally displaced (IDP) families are getting a raw deal by not being offered other options. The intended recipients have been shown models only of the prefabricated houses ArcelorMittal proposes to erect. Please turn to Page 16 Neither the IDPs nor local or provincial authorities were consulted before the Resettlement and Rehabilitation Ministry barged ahead with the tender. Meanwhile, construction industry sources allege that tender conditions there was a bidding process were tailor-made to suit ArcelorMittal. Other companies found it impossible to meet prequalification criteria such as a minimum single job of Rs. 25 billion completed in the past five years; a bid bond of Rs. 650 million; and a contractor funding letter of more than US$ 1 billion. Only ArcelorMittals technical and financial proposals were deemed acceptable by the CANC. Some powerful ministers, publicly fronted by Resettlement and Rehabilitation Minister D.M. Swaminathan, are still lobbying heavily for the firm whose Sri Lanka agent is Ravi Wettasinghe. A company called Kumarca has been set up at Dutugemunu Street in Kohuwala to handle local operations. However, the Cabinet has called for further negotiations with ArcelorMittal before the contract can be awarded. Among other things, the CANC has been asked to examine afresh the environmental suitability of the prefabricated houses. The committee has also been instructed to negotiate a fully concessionary loan. Under the financial package currently offered by ArcelorMittal, the terms of the loan are 85 percent concessionary and 15 percent commercial. The possibility of the company setting up a factory in Sri Lanka is also being explored. And it has been decided that the beneficiaries must find the houses acceptable. The proposal is still under evaluation, confirmed a senior Treasury official who did not wish to be named. The CANC has to negotiate with the relevant parties. Cabinet sources said that Ministers had only approved the construction of houses in principle but there was no decision yet to grant the contract to ArcelorMittal. There could be some changes in the final stages of the tender process, said V. Sivagnanasothy, Secretary to the Ministry of Resettlement and Rehabilitation and CANC member. Since Im a public official, I do not want to divulge details, he said, however, adding that he would be able to provide more information after a few weeks. Meanwhile, local construction companies earlier excluded from the tender process due to prequalification criteria that they found impossible to meet are now drawing up their own technical and financial proposals. This was after being informed via a letter from the Department of National Planning that the project could be implemented absorbing local contractors and local materials to give more benefits to the local construction industry and to reduce the construction cost. At a subsequent meeting with relevant officials, the possibility of dividing the entire project into ten packages of 6,500 houses each was discussed. This would enable the countrys largest construction companies to participate. A spokesman for the industry called it a little window of opportunity. On Tuesday, the Major Constructors of Sri Lanka (MCSL) met with Asian Development Bank officials in Colombo to discuss funding options. A participant at the meeting said the ADB had been willing to consider providing a guarantee for the project. If the Government could give us a back-to-back guarantee, we would have sufficient tools to raise money at concessionary rates, he said. A conceptual paper will be ready on Monday for presentation to the ADB. If it receives a positive response, the MCSL will submit a fully-fledged proposal to the Government. Companies are likely to suggest four housing types using different construction materials and methods. We will offer the same house at a lesser price, said another industry source. We are competitive. We are locals. We are not going for massive profits as we know its a national commitment. In February, ArcelorMittal declared a net loss of US$ 8 billion for 2015. Bloomberg said the company had been hit by declining prices of steel as China pushes the material onto the world market at record levels to counter its slowing economy. Shares in ArcelorMittal have also fallen 60 percent in New York over the last year, Bloomberg wrote. The firm has scrapped its dividend, cut expansion plans and shut plants as it seeks to pay down net debt of US$ 15.7 billion, the agency reported. Sri Lankan backers of the ArcelorMittal bid argue that the companys technique of setting up dwellings each unit takes less than a week to install will ensure that the project will be completed and the IDPs housed within a few years. A project that depends on traditional methods will take much longer, they contend. They say the initiative will introduce new technology into Sri Lanka. As the construction materials are predominantly prefabricated and imported, it will reduce the exploitation of precious natural resources such as sand and timber. These parties also strongly argue that there is insufficient labour in the North and East to meet the demand of building 65,000 traditional houses. They say ArcelorMittals financial terms were beneficial to the Government. And they assert that if the IDPs are happy with the ArcelorMittal houses, other groups have no prerogative to oppose the project. However, housing experts including those who have been working in the North and East for more than a decade say that the answer does not lie in showcasing one model house to desperate IDPs without showing them what alternatives exist. They point to several successful owner-driven (as opposed to contractor-driven, like the ArcelorMittal initiative) construction projects conducted around former conflict zones that cost much less, were speedily completed and had used innovative construction methods and materials. Economist Muttukrishna Sarvananthan, who analysed the terms of ArcelorMittals financial package, said they were generally favourable. The company, through HSBC, has offered two options: a six months EU currency-based facility at EURIBOR+1.34 percent; and a six months US$-based facility at LIBOR+1.74. The grace period is one year and the repayment period ten years. This applies to 85 percent of the loan. The remaining 15 percent is on commercial terms but this is under negotiation. ArcelorMittal would profit from the contract because it finds a ready dumping ground for its products that are likely to be idling in a warehouse. If the Government wanted to build brick houses, ArcelorMittal would not have offered a similar financial package, Dr Sarvananthan said. Concern over social foundation of the project Civil society representatives and local officials in Jaffna this week expressed strong concern about the Resettlement and Rehabilitation Ministrys proposed ArcelorMittal project. A majority of those interviewed have been closely involved with resettlement and rehabilitation and did not wish to divulge their identities for fear of antagonizing the Government. One observer who saw the construction of the ArcelorMittal house said the foundation was not solid (only one layer of concrete); the windows had no iron grills; there was no verandah; no steps at the front door as present in traditional houses; no kitchen with chimney or hearth; no gutters; no ventilation; etc. If the recipient wished to extend the house, he or she would have to hire the same company at a fee. The model house is fully equipped with, among other things, furniture and a gas cooker. Most IDPs cannot afford gas. No priority has been given to cultural practices such as astrological consultations, a vital component of most house-building in those areas. This housing programme is a huge investment, said another senior official who worked in the North. If we get it wrong it could be a huge disincentive to reconciliation. It is plain silly that, if you are investing so much money, you dont do it in a way that will create local employment, boost local activity, especially in small and medium-scale industries, and that you instead ask a foreign company to deliver prefabricated houses without using that money for a multiplier effect. Its like a stroke patient, he said. You can either recover or die using this money to create more problems. Members of the local community, most central Government officials and provincial officials feel this is not the right way to set about. You are creating fertile ground for discrimination again, he continued. You have groups of people who are given different standards and types of housing that cost various amounts within certain geographical areas. This will create dissent and discrimination, not only among communities, but within communities. Economist Muttukrishna Sarvananthan questioned the Governments decision to leave it solely to beneficiaries to deliver a verdict on the ArcelorMittal model house. Although the consent of the beneficiaries should be taken as a matter of principle, in the case of the potential recipients of the proposed pre-fabricated steel houses in the North and East, any responsible Government, let alone a maithri or compassionate one, should not leave the decision-making to the potential recipients, he said. Most of them are likely to be severely traumatised, destitute people due to the protracted civil war with very low level of education and knowledge about the pros and cons of pre-fabricated steel houses in climatically arid, dry zones of the country. The potential recipients of the proposed pre-fabricated steel houses may harbor an intuition that beggars have no choice but no human being, let along peoples representatives, should take advantage of such fatalism among those hapless, destitute citizens, he added. Besides, a maithri or compassionate Government should endeavour to build homes rather than houses. Homes cannot be built on concrete or steel alone. A life-sustaining collaboration By Kaveesha Fernando HSBC, IUCN, local villagers and volunteers worked together to restore an ancient Kapiriggama cascade tank system View(s): View(s): Do not release even a drop of rainwater to the sea without first utilising it King Parakramabahus wisdom of old highlights the importance of water conservation. Anyone who has been to Anuradhapura or any other area in the dry zone of Sri Lanka would understand rain is scarce in these areas and water conservation vital for survival. Our ancient kings built tanks for this purpose so that villagers would not be denied this life-sustaining resource. The Kapiriggama cascade tank system connects 22 tanks. This means that the water from one tank flows to the next tank, and then the next so that the water is recycled not once, not twice but six times. This ancient cascade tank which benefits 600 families in the area was recently restored under a Corporate Social Responsibility project undertaken by the Honkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This ancient tank system connects a number of tanks together and allows better utilisation of water than a single tank used in isolation would. The presence of water in these tanks also increases the amount of ground water present within the wells of the area, making the water accessible to many. However, these tank systems need to be maintained carefully for if one tank is not viable, the entire system fails. The Kapiriggama cascade tank system had many issues which were fixed through this project over the past three years. One of the main tanks restored was the Puliyankulama tank, which had a leak that led to the loss of 50 per cent of the tank water. No matter how hard it rained, the water would leak out within a week and the villagers would be compelled to walk to the neighbouring village, which was around three kilometres away, in order to collect drinking water or to bathe, villagers said. The villagers were directly involved in the restoration of the tank, under the project initiated by HSBC which also provided funding, with the IUCN providing the technical expertise needed in order to restore the tanks correctly. They contributed the labour needed to restore the tank system. K. Thilakarathne, president of the village community society, feels that the effort they invested has reaped many benefits to the whole community. A lake which could only provide them with enough water to farm three acres before now allows them to cultivate 25 acres of land, he said. Empowering the villagers was another key aim of this project. The IUCN worked closely with the villagers in order to teach them about organic farming, proper use of fertilizer, and most importantly how to maintain the tanks which were restored. A community leader Lal Gunasiri voiced the villagers gratitude when he said that until this project, no one helped them although they requested help many times. Despite the obvious benefits, the project didnt get off to a good start. Initially wary that the IUCN spent over a year measuring the land and the lakes in order to analyse the data and figure out the best way forward, the villagers however warmed to the idea once volunteers from HSBC began visiting the area and contributing their labour. This project is about reviving an ancient irrigation system that has formed the backbone of the cultural, social and economic fabric of these communities for thousands of years, said CEO of HSBC for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Patrick Gallagher at a ceremony held to mark the completion of the project. IUCN Country Representative Dr. Ananda Mallawatantri felt the availability of water promotes food security which in turn allows the villagers to devote their time towards other endeavours which would enrich their lives culturally and spiritually. Noting that the Kapiriggama cascade tank system is one of the oldest uninterrupted tank systems present in the world, Head of IUCNs Water Management Division, engineer Prabath Witharana said its restoration is important culturally as well as agriculturally. The knowledge and expertise the IUCN gained while restoring this system which is over 2,500 years old will be used when restoration of any other cascade tank system is done. Project Manager for the IUCN Kumudu Herath remarked that the extensive research done by the IUCN before attempting to restore the system will ensure that the cascade system can be maintained in the future years to come. At the official handing over ceremony, the excitement of the villagers was palpable and they were full of gratitutude towards the team who had helped transform the Puliyankulama tank from one which was barely usable to a tank which could hold enough water for all their needs. In fact, no one could even remember what it was like to see the tank filled with water for such a long period of time. P.C. Thinona, 83, said that she cannot remember a time when she has seen so much water collected in the tank and ready for harvest. Gamini Dissanayake a politician with a vision By R.S Jayaratne View(s): View(s): When Theodore Roosevelt once remarked, The most practical kind of politics is the politics of decency he may have expected the emergence in civilized societies of at least a few politicians of the calibre of the late Gamini Dissanayake. Everyone who knew him is certain to treasure many distinct memories of a man who lived his life fully with a sincere will and a firm commitment to be of service to the people. It so happened that I was among the few public servants who had the opportunity to work for over 12 years of my entire public service career in the Ministries of Lands and Mahaweli Development, and thereafter in the Ministry of Plantation Industries under this unique personality and practically all of us do quite often recollect our pleasant experiences. In reality when a public servant, especially in a senior position, has to work under a Minister a clear mutual understanding becomes quite a necessity. Firstly, the officials have to be conscious of the massive national and political responsibility vested in the Minister. Reciprocally, the Minister has to appreciate the administrative, technical, financial and statutory framework within which a public servant is required to function. This symmetry was perfect with Gamini Dissanayake. It was rather unique for Mr. Dissanayake at a relatively young age to have been destined to shoulder the responsibilities of two large Ministries. One was being entrusted with the herculean task of telescoping a previously designed 30 year multifaceted development programme to be completed within six years. Additionally, as the Minister of Lands and Land Development he was responsible for a number of large irrigation and settlement projects including Udawalawe, Lunugamvehera, Inginimitiya and Mutukandiya schemes as well as the implementation of the landmark Swarnabhumi programme to benefit a large number of farmer and rural communities all over the country. As witnessed by everyone Mr. Dissanayake belonged to the extremely rare category of people who enter politics with a sincere wish to serve the people. Additionally, he possessed the self confidence, discipline and requisite qualities of leadership to motivate others to collectively achieve specific objectives. This was demonstrated in his outstanding success as a Minister who in addition to many engineering and geo technical issues on the massive construction network, succeeded in resolving a number of extremely complex and sensitive issues on environment, irrigation, land acquisition and the relocation and resettlement of the largest population ever undertaken under a single project, that too, without any public agitations. They were accomplished not only on schedule, but most importantly in conformity with the internationally accepted high quality standards which earned the admiration of a number of international institutions and many world leaders including Margaret Thatcher, Lee Kuan Yew, Rajiv Gandhi, Moraji Desai etc. Within this context we public servants, once mobilised, genuinely felt like essential components in a massive development process in fast motion. The tremendous self satisfaction we felt as active partners of a massive development programme was overwhelming. Moreover, during the course of our active participation in these herculean tasks, we as public servants also had the opportunity to observe and educate ourselves on a number of strategies through which Mr. Dissanayake had been able to achieve his desired objectives. Firstly, Mr. Dissanayake possessed a clear and overall perception of the scope and extent of his Ministrys responsibilities, the quantum of work to be accomplished and the types of disciplines and expertise needed to be mobilized for the specific tasks. Secondly, he had absolute trust and confidence in the competence and capabilities of local expertise in all the requisite specialisations such as planning, administration, management, land development, human resource management, engineering, agriculture and such other fields and took every possible step to identify and obtain the services of the best of such local expertise purely on their proven capabilities and without any other consideration whatsoever. For instance, he had selected personnel such as T. Sivagnanam, Nanda Abeywickrema and Ivan Samarawickrema to function as Ministry Secretaries and A.N.S. Kulasinghe, Tisaweerasingham, A. Maheswaran, K.H.S. Gunatilake, C.W.E. Rosa etc as engineering experts and a number of specialists as advisors in specific fields essentially on their abilities and not on any political or other considerations. Despite many countries including Great Britain, Sweden, Germany etc providing grant aid for the major engineering and construction work, Mr.Dissanayake had entrusted the technical supervisory function to the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB) headed by Dr. A.N.S. Kulasinghe. Even when the foreign engineering experts were to be utilized for special tasks they were required to work in close collaboration with the local counterparts coordinated by the CECB. Another secret of Mr. Dissanayakes outstanding success was his sincere appreciation at every opportunity, of the contribution of his staff. We still carry the pleasant memory of one such instance, when HE Queen Elizabeth visited the Mahaweli Project in 1981, Mr. Dissanayake who was also the Minister in attendance, made arrangements to formally introduce to her to almost all the key officials headed by the Secretaries of the two Ministries with the words, Your Majesty, these are the people who have made this project a reality. Such was the level of recognition and appreciation Mr. Dissanayake openly extended to public servants which to some extent partly compensated for the relatively low remuneration and perks enjoyed by them during the period. Despite his busy schedule Mr. Dissanayake was always available for consultation on sensitive political, social, religious or any issues of public interest. We have witnessed him often spending long hours in office and in the field along with the relevant officers and at times with public representatives for discussions and resolution of many problems of a political, social or religious nature. I can recall with justifiable enthusiasm, the admirable manner in which he collaborated with the officials to resolve the complex and extremely sensitive issues on land acquisition and the evacuation and resettlement of nearly 28,000 families from the Victoria, Kotmale and Randenigala reservoir areas, in addition to the relocation of approximately 90 places of Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian places of religious worship. So far it is the only exercise of such magnitude hitherto undertaken in Sri Lanka, that too entirely through local expertise. In this enormous exercise, the constant advise of Mr. Dissanayake has always been to take all the decisions in close consultation with the affected parties and without any political, racial, religious or any other consideration whatsoever. Moreover, he never interfered in any of the details despite many lands belonging to his parents and relations getting submerged by the Kotmale reservoir. Most importantly, he never allowed anyone, even politicians of his own political party to interfere in the complex yet transparent processes. Accordingly, the most difficult task of the massive relocation programme was successfully implemented. Adequate compensation and alternate lands were to be provided to all the affected families. Initially, they were given the opportunity to decide whether they would prefer to be resettled close to their original homes or in the newly developed Mahaweli settlements. Facilities were provided for them to visit the proposed new locations in advance. They were also provided with copies of the plans of the new settlements and were encouraged to collectively agree on the details of location of their houses and paddy lands etc. In effect, they planned their future villages themselves. Reciprocally, we received the fullest cooperation of all the evacuee families, facilitating the systematic completion of the land acquisition, relocation and resettlement programme within the scheduled period. The vision and the guidance came from none other than the Minister. Mr. Dissanayake possessed an intelligent, pleasant and cultured personality blended with compassion and humanitarianism. Despite being a political heavy weight, he never ever forced his way around. He always confined himself to policy, the principles and broad guidelines, and never interfered with the details of management. During my service of almost twelve years with him, I cannot recall even a single instance when he even implicitly interfered or allowed anyone else to interfere in any administrative or financial matters. Any representations were always referred by him to the Secretaries of the two ministries, who had his standing instructions to decide on them in collaboration with the heads of the appropriate sectors. I believe that the public servants, the politicians as well as civil society personnel who had the rare privilege of working with Mr. Dissanayake may feel his loss quite frequently. Moreover, the premature departure of this great personality is mostly felt by the vast majority of Sri Lankans of all walks of life, who have lost not only a friendly and inspiring personality but a great national leader who could have made their lives much more comfortable, if not for the cruel fate which extinguished his life at a time when he was much wanted by the entire nation. (The writer was the Additional Secretary Ministry of Lands and Land Development and later the Secretary Ministry of Mahaweli Development and the Secretary Ministry of Plantation Industries. He retired from the Public Service as the Secretary Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs and Plantation Industries. Email sijay@sltnet.lk ) Those who live by the Dhamma will be protected by it View(s): Some people appear to have forgotten our countrys past and even their own past. People have become ungrateful. Though they have become rich outwardly they have become poor inside. This is due to their forgetting the past. Three years ago we discussed and began publishing articles in the Sunday Lankadeepa to educate people on correcting our faults and going forward. Though some expressed their satisfaction about these articles, many seem to have forgotten to benefit by them. Though I decided to discontinue publishing these articles, at least temporarily, a lot of readers requested me not to do so. Thus I will continue to write. As stated in the article last week, it would be good to find out what benefits have come from the articles I have written. Some time ago, the country was on fire due to terrorism in the North and the South. We started the Sri Jinarathana Technical College in 1979 with just two students. The aim was to help and rehabilitate children whose education had been disrupted and thereby they had become a problem to their parents and society. Today we have 60-70 education programmes, including computer studies, mobile phone repairs and electronics. We also extended these programmes to temples and other institutions in other parts of the country during the past three decades. In 1986 I inaugurated a Secretarial course for about 7,000 students in Nupe, Matara. This had modern facilities. But this centre has been neglected and animals have taken up residence. Those who were educated there and have good jobs now, appear to have forgotten the place which made them what they are. No one is there to appreciate or thank us for these facilities. More than Rs. 150,000 was spent for a month to pay salaries and provide facilities. While thousands of students who were moulded there seem to have forgotten it, there has been no effort to revive it. That is our habit. Those whom we allowed to set up business units there, have taken us to the Conciliation Boards. I went to help voluntarily but my efforts were of no avail. The same could happen to our country. Last week, I brought this to the attention of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, who is a Matara District MP. There was a major shortage of books for doctors, engineers and accountants those days. I had discussions with President J.R. Jayewardene and duty free facilities were provided to get down books and magazines. The intellectuals gained by this without having to go abroad. Not many people are grateful for what we did but in line with the Buddha Dhamma, we should not be concerned about such ingratitude. Getting books tax free also helped the printing industry involved in book publishing. Now we are going for digital technology, and there is little purpose in talking about how we got books. Mothers and Fathers bring up their children with the greatest difficulty, but when they are old, many of the parents have to seek refuge in Elders Homes. Ingratitude often comes when people become more learned and climb higher in society. The elders home culture has evolved in our country mainly due to ingratitude. Even the clergy, including some Buddhist monks, are in such homes. In short ingratitude is rampant and it might increase. After discussions with President Jayewardene, we obtained a grant of Rs. 1,000 a month for fruit growers. At that time under the UNP government, facilities were granted and garment factories were opened up. But due to internal problems the economy suffered. When President Ranasinghe Premadasa resumed office, he revealed that the Treasury did not have even Rs. 5 million. At one time, I was a Pirivena Education Consultant for the Ministry of Education. I proposed that Pirivena Education be given to students from Grade 1 to 5. But successive governments did not act on it. If this had been done, our present generation would have been more disciplined and virtuous. In the agriculture field we have brought together a team of professionals to advise on the use of fertilizer. The knowledge about the use of carbonic fertilizer, its production and development is available. The knowhow is available for sale to the private and public sector. We hope to appoint a board of specialists, including senior citizens, who will be able to advise about fertilizer problems, unemployment and education. Those who have the experience and knowledge could apply to Gangaramaya. The late Arthur V Dias was known as Kos Maama. He planted jak trees around the country and provided much service. Those who benefited soon forgot Kos Mama also. After that generation passed away, most of the children sold the jak trees to timber mills. We respect our rice as we respect the farmer who grows it. If we examine any of our products, the cultivator gets only 25% to 30% of the price. The middleman gets the balance. Middlemen do not realise the trouble taken by cultivator. Therefore, it is good to remember and live by the saying: Dhammo Have Rakkhati Dhamma Chaari (He who lives by the doctrine will be protected by it.) Please share your views with the Ven. Galboda Gnanissara Thero, Gangaramaya, 61, Sri Jinarathana Road, Colombo 02 In 2013, Johns love of the past inspired him to embark a massive labour of love that would take some 1500 hours to complete the Lyre of Tauranga. Its the first instrument hes ever built and a recreation of the Bulls Lyre of Ur, a 4500-year-old ancient treasure discovered in 1929 and one of the first known stringed instrument in the world. I mocked up three different versions before creating the final piece, which was a very difficult build, John explains. There were moments I came close to giving up, especially with the decorations. It was maddening, a bloody nightmare. But I couldnt give up. The frame of Johns lyre is constructed from rimu, the bulls head is gold-leafed, the decorations are paua, pounamu (greenstone), obsidian and oyster shell, while its nine strings have been made out of sheep gut. During its construction John was in constant contact with the British Museum, which had built its own replica after the original Bulls Lyre, which was being housed at the Baghdad Museum, was severely damaged during the second Iraq War in 2003. The museum sent me high resolution photographs of the lyre, tips for what theyd done, and at each stage theyd send emails encouraging me to keep going and that I was doing well. Mines a bit bigger than theirs, but theirs is valued at $1.2million because the bulls head is made out of gold, while mines insured at $35,000. In a fortnight and for the very first time John will hear his lyre being played by world-renowned harpist Natalia Mann at concert presented by The Incubator and Baycourt on April 2. Natalia will be joined by Iraqi artist Sundus Abdul Hadi and taonga puoro specialist Joel Komene. I cant wait to hear it be played properly. During the build my father in-law and I put some fishing line on the lyre and he strummed it to get an idea about the tone. It could have sounded flat, I wouldnt have known. But my God, hearing the sound it was just incredible. Absolutely Incredible, says John. Yes, we need to keep it under control No, we need to learn to live with it Maringi Marsh will talk about the utopia of race unity and learn about the unity of different cultures as she does it. Maringi, a student from Mount Maunganui College, is one of five secondary students competing in the Race Unity Speech Awards Tauranga regionals this week. Glen and Donna Sparrow, Bay of Plenty Share Farmers of the Year, want to use farm resources more efficiently. The other major winners were Thomas Chatfield, the 2016 Bay of Plenty Dairy Manager of the Year, and Michael Simpson, the 2016 Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee of the Year. Glen and Donna Sparrow say their goal is to create profitable and sustainable sharemilking businesses that provide them with a good income and ensure financial security for their family. The couple, aged 38 and 35 years and with four children, is currently contract milking 450 cows for Craig and Marianne Hammond at Whakatane. They were third in the Dairy Manager competition last year and say the awards had raised their profile, increased their knowledge, tested their skills, provided networking opportunities, pushed their personal boundaries and given them recognition. The Sparrows say their strengths are their personnel and their focus on profit over production. Focusing on profit increases your awareness of costs and stock requirements, ensuring stock are well cared for and in good condition. It also means we use existing resources to their full potential, especially pastures. The couple are actively positioning themselves to take advantage of any sharemilking opportunities that become available. The runner-up in the Share Farmer competition was 28-year-old Matt Barr, a percentage sharemilker milking 450 cows on his parents Whakatane farm. It is two out of two for the 2016 Bay of Plenty Dairy Manager of the Year, Thomas Chatfield. In 2013 the former physiotherapist entered and won the regions Dairy Trainee of the Year title and went on to place second in the national competition. This year he has been successful in the regions Dairy Manager competition. Mr Chatfield, aged 30 years, says the awards give him an opportunity to assess how he is progressing. He is the farm manager for Bruce and Judy Woods on their 500-cow Whakatane property and is also positioning himself for his next opportunity. My farming goal is to be ready with the cash to take on my next farming job whatever it may be contract milking, 50 per cent sharemilking or an equity partnership. I want to build my assets to one day own a farm. He says he has a good team around him and is operating a flexible farming system. Weve got the ability to decrease our cost of production while increasing the amount of milk we produce by growing and harvesting more grass. Whakatane farm managers Hayden and Linda McCartie, aged 34 and 37 years, placed second in the Dairy Manager competition. The couple work with the regions third-place-getter in the Dairy Trainee competition Hayden Goodall, a 23-year-old farm assistant on the same property. Te Puke farm manager Baljinder Singh was third in the Dairy Manager competition. The 2016 Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee of the Year, Michael Simpson, is passionate about his dairy farming work and seeks to make a difference. I am always looking for ways that things on farm could be done better or easier and am always willing to try new things. I enjoy learning and gaining knowledge on all things farming related, Mr Simpson says. The 20-year-old is currently second-in-charge on Eddie and Kath Lamberts 450-cow farm at Whakatane. A big benefit of entering the awards is that I can list on my CV that I have competed and previously progressed to the finals. Any future employers would look at this and make the assumption that I am passionate about the industry and my career. Another big benefit is the opportunity to gain confidence in interview and competition situations, as well as networking with other like-minded people. Mr Simpson plans to progress to a managers position within three years and then build a herd of his own. I have already started to acquire animals to make this goal a reality. His other interests are hunting and trout fishing. I like to get away from everything as farming at times can be challenging and tiresome. These activities also allow me to return to the farm refreshed and with a clear and focused mind. Whakatane assistant manager Harepaora Ngaheu, aged 24 years, was second in the Dairy Trainee competition. Mr Goodall was third. The Bay of Plenty Dairy Industry Awards field day will be held on April 5 on the Whakatane farm where Share Farmers of the Year, Glen and Donna Sparrow, contract milk Share Farmer Merit Awards: DairyNZ Human Resources Award Matt Barr Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award Adam & Maria Barkla Federated Farmers Leadership Award Matt Barr Honda Farm Safety and Health Award Troy & Natalie McClinchie LIC Recording and Productivity Award Troy & Natalie McClinchie Meridian Energy Farm Environment Award Adam & Maria Barkla Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award Glen & Donna Sparrow Westpac Business Performance Award Glen & Donna Sparrow Dairy Manager Merit Awards: BOP Regional Council Most Promising Entrant Award Baljinder Singh The Business Results Group Ltd Employee Engagement Award Thomas Chatfield BlackmanSpargo Rural Law Ltd Leadership Award Andre Meier Fonterra Farm Source Feed Management Award Thomas Chatfield DeLaval Livestock Management Award Hayden & Linda McCartie Primary ITO Power Play Award Thomas Chatfield Fonterra Farm Source Farm Management Award Hayden & Linda McCartie Westpac Financial Management & Planning Award Thomas Chatfield Dairy Trainee Merit Awards: Waiotahi Contractors Ltd Most Promising Entrant Award Lindsay Williams The Wrangler Farming Knowledge Award Hayden Goodall Hayward Contracting Ltd Community & Industry Involvement Award Joseph Braybrook DairyNZ Practical Skills Award Hayden Goodall Bay of Plenty Dairy Manager of the Year Thomas Chatfield. Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee of the Year Michael Simpson. Hogan-Gawker-Trial Hulk Hogan, whose given name is Terry Bollea walks out of the courthouse on Friday, March 18, 2016, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Bollea was awarded $115 million in damages in his lawsuit against the gossip website Gawker on Friday. (Eve Edelheit/The Tampa Bay Times via AP) ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A jury sided with ex-pro wrestler Hulk Hogan on Friday and awarded him $115 million in his sex-tape lawsuit against Gawker Media. The jurors reached the decision Friday evening, less than six hours after they began deliberations. The trial lasted two weeks, and Hogan wept as the verdict was read. The jury isn't finished; they will return to court Monday to award punitive damages. Just moments after the verdict, Gawker founder Nick Denton said he will appeal, based on evidence that wasn't introduced in court. "Given the key evidence and the most important witness in this case were withheld from the jury, we all knew the appeals court would need to resolve this case," Denton said. Hogan's team issued a statement as well: "We're exceptionally happy with the verdict. We think it represents a statement as to the public's disgust with the invasion of privacy disguised as journalism. The verdict says no more." Earlier Friday, in spirited closing arguments, lawyers for Hogan and Gawker discussed themes of personal life versus celebrity, and freedom of speech versus the right to privacy. Hogan, whose given name is Terry Bollea, sued Gawker for $100 million for posting a video of him having sex with his former best friend's wife. Hogan contended the 2012 post violated his privacy. Hogan's attorneys told jurors this is the core of the case: "Gawker took a secretly recorded sex tape and put it on the Internet." They said Hogan didn't consent to the video, that Gawker didn't follow usual journalism procedures before posting it and that the video wasn't newsworthy. Gawker did not try to contact Bollea or the woman in the video, and nor did the website contact the woman's husband, DJ Bubba The Love Sponge Clem, who recorded the video. It was never conclusively determined during trial who leaked the video to the media. Hogan didn't ask for any of this to happen, lawyer Kenneth Turkel said, adding that Bollea, the private man, expected privacy during an intimate moment. Much was made during the trial of Hogan's celebrity persona versus Bollea's privacy. "I want you to imagine the fact that for 35 plus years he is essentially an actor, an entertainer, who has played the same role," said Turkel. He said Hogan "has every right, every right, to keep whatever precious private moments in his life, which for this gentlemen are very few." Hogan's lawyers also said Gawker's value increased by $15 million due to the post, while Gawker contends it made $11,000 in ad revenue. Gawker's attorneys told the jury that the video is "not like a real celebrity sex tape" and urged them to watch the video, which contains nine seconds of sexual content. They pointed out that news of the sex tape first appeared on at least two websites: TMZ and The Dirty. Hogan went on TMZ's TV program to talk about it, and later, appeared on the Howard Stern show. "He has consistently chosen to put his private life out there, for public consumption," said attorney Michael Sullivan. He also criticized Hogan's claim that he was in Hulk Hogan persona when he was doing interviews. "An actor playing a character does that on set, but when they go on a talk show, they're themselves," Sullivan said. Sullivan called into question whether the tape was all a celebrity stunt to drum up publicity for Hogan's career. He suggested that although the jurors might find the video, Gawker and Hogan's sex life distasteful, they must protect the First Amendment right to free speech. "We ask you to protect something that some of you may find unpleasant," he said. "To write, to speak, to think about all topics, to hold public figures accountable. It is right in the long run for our freedoms." Meanwhile, in a related development, sealed documents in the case were unsealed late Friday. Attorneys for media companies including The Associated Press sought to have the files unsealed and an appeals court agreed Thursday. crimescenetape.jpg SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A man and woman sexually exploited a 16-month-old baby girl in Onondaga County and shared photographs of the abuse on an online messaging app, according to federal court documents. Jason Kopp, 40, of Liverpool, and Emily Oberst, 23, of Syracuse, were arrested this week and charged with sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of child pornography, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. FBI Special Agent Alix Skelton detailed the investigation into Kopp and Oberst in court documents filed Saturday. Skelton, other agents and an officer with the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department-FBI Child Exploitation Task Force conducted the investigation. On March 4, an undercover federal officer began texting with a user called "daymein39" on Kik, wrote Skelton. During the conversations, the officer posed as a man named John. Kik is an anonymous messaging app that allows users to anonymously share photos, messages and videos. The user daymein39 displayed the initials "JK" with his messages, said Skelton. Investigators confirmed the user was Kopp, Skelton wrote. The Kik conversations took place over the course of two weeks -- ending on Friday. During that time, Kopp told the officer a female acquaintance had allowed him to have illicit contact with a baby girl, Skelton wrote. The FBI later identified Kopp's acquaintance as Oberst. Kopp sent the officer "lewd and lascivious" photographs of the girl and told the officer he had sexually abused the child, Skelton wrote. To prove to the officer that his actions were real, Kopp asked Oberst to take a photo of the baby with a sign that included the name John -- the name the officer was using, Skelton wrote. Oberst took an explicit photo of the girl on March 16 with a sign that read "4 John March 16," Skelton wrote. Oberst sent the photo to Kopp through Kik, and Kopp shared the photo with the officer, wrote the special agent. Agents executed a search warrant at Kopp's Liverpool residence on Friday, Skelton wrote. During the search, Kopp agreed to speak with agents at the FBI office in Syracuse, Skelton wrote. Kopp admitted asking Oberst to take lewd photos of the baby and using Kik to share the explicit images, Skelton wrote. Messages and sexually explicit photos were also found on Kopp's cellphone, the special agent wrote. In addition to distributing child pornography, Kopp told agents he sexually abused the baby, Skelton wrote. After agents interviewed Kopp, the court issued a search warrant for Oberst and her home, Skelton wrote. Agents executed the search on Saturday. Like her co-defendant, Oberst agreed to speak to agents at the FBI's office, Skelton wrote. Oberst admitted taking about 50 explicit photos of a baby and sending the photos through Kik to a man named "Jason," Skelton wrote. Oberst said she could not remember Jason's last name, but said he went by the name "Daymein" on Kik, wrote the agent. "Oberst advised that 'Jason' constantly texted her and asked for sexually explicit photos," Skelton wrote. "Oberst further advised your affiant that she has sent such pictures on multiple occasions as recently as last week." She also admitted taking a photo of the baby with a handwritten sign that read "4 John March 16," Skelton wrote. The handwritten sign included in the explicit photo was found in Oberst's bedroom, the agent wrote. The defendants waived their right to a detention hearing in federal court on Saturday, court documents show. They are being held at the Onondaga County jail with no bail. If convicted, the sexual exploitation charges would mean 15-30 years in prison. The distributions of child pornography charges carry a sentence of 5-25 years in prison. Each charge could include a fine up to $250,000. OSWEGO, N.Y. -- A State University College at Oswego student is accused of passing fake money at a bus service that serves college students. Albis G. Diaz-Nunez, 20, of 1652 Popham Ave., Bronx, was charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument, petit larceny and attempted petit larceny. University police received a complaint last week from a late-night bus service that caters to college students. According to police, the bus service said that some fares on March 6 were paid with counterfeit $50 bills. On Sunday around 1 a.m. one of the drivers from the bus service found the counterfeit money suspect after he tried to pass another phony bill, police said. University police officers arrested the suspect, identified as Diaz-Nunez. When he was arrested Diaz-Nunez, who resides in Oneida Hall, is accused of having several counterfeit $50 and $100 bills on him. Police notified the U.S. Secret Service about the case. Diaz-Nunez was arraigned in Oswego Town Court and ordered held at the Oswego County jail in lieu of $1,500 bail or $2,500 bail bond. MacNaughton- Mountain_2.JPG MacNaughton Mountain, as seen from Duck Hole. (Wikipedia) The snow in the parking lot of the Adirondack Loj was a dusting to ankle deep with temperatures in the teens when DEC Forest Ranger Scott vanLaer set out the morning of March 5 to try to find a 61-year-old missing hiker. The hiker, Hua Davis, set out a day earlier for a solo hike up MacNaughton Mountain in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. Davis was an avid ultralight hiker logging in 1,500 miles in 2015 alone. People who practice the sport pride themselves on how little they carry on a hike and on how quickly they reach their goal. She was wearing fleece pants, sneakers, a wool sweater, two insulated vests and a thin outer-shell jacket, the coroner said later. "She had almost no extra equipment," said vanLaer, who at 43 years old has worked as a ranger in the High Peaks for 20 years. "I've seen people on the street with more equipment." Davis, of Wilmington, Delaware, planned on March 4 to hike up MacNaughton, a 3,983-foot mountain that has no defined trails, as a warm up for the rest of weekend, friends said on social media. She planned to meet members of the Hudson Valley Hikers group to spend the night at the Calvin Coolidge Cabin on Osgood Pond. Hua Davis, 61. Temperatures that Friday night fell below zero on the mountain. The group reported her missing when Davis hadn't returned by Saturday morning. Ranger vanLaer got the call Saturday and started hiking his way from the trailhead hoping to meet Davis coming back down the trail. At the same time, rangers and state police, 15 in all, and two state police helicopters, were mobilizing a search. A State Police helicopter dropped Forest Rangers David Russell and Thomas Edmunds at Wallface Ponds further up the mountain to begin searching from there. Three rangers - vanLaer, Russell and Capt. John Streiff - took time this week to talk to syracuse.com | The Post-Standard about their attempt to rescue Davis and what happened afterwards when one of them had to be rescued after running into trouble on the mountain. Forest Ranger Scott vanLaer At Wallface, Russell and Edmunds saw sets of tracks made by a group of seven hikers who had set off that morning. Within 500 feet, the rangers saw a smaller set of single footprints, likely made by a woman, away from the other tracks. The rangers began following the trail and vanLaer caught up with them at the summit. The three were better prepared than Davis for a bushwack up the mountain in the snow and cold. Rangers routinely wear snowshoes and carry 50-pound packs with emergency supplies and extra clothing. They would need it. As the rangers followed her trail, they could see signs that Davis appeared to be having trouble. The snow was now thigh or waist deep. They could see where she had fallen into deep holes in the snow and signs that she struggled to get out. "The route she had taken was physically demanding," Russell said. Davis made it to the top. She had a camera with her and took a selfie time/date stamped at 5:12 p.m. Friday from the summit with the MacNaughton sign in the background, Essex County Coroner Frank Whitelaw told the Adriondack Almanack, an online news site. "She looked in good spirits," he said. "She was happy and smiling." The rangers followed Davis' tracks to the summit. From there the tracks went off to the northwest. In about three quarters of a mile on the mountain's northwest, west slope they found a site where it appeared Davis tried to start a fire. The family and medical examiner said her clothing was soaked through by that point and she had tried to start a fire with her gloves, her son-in-law Steve Volla told the Lake Placid News, an online news site. The rangers said they believe Davis was in the depths of hypothermia at the summit. She had dropped down off the summit, stopped to build a fire and backtracked, wandering over her trail. "She should have recognized the danger. She should have had training," vanLaer said. At 4:05 p.m. Saturday, the rangers found Davis' body within 500 feet of the fire site. They called in a State Police helicopter. Hovering because there was no place to safely land, the helicopter lowered a basket and the rangers placed her body inside. The helicopter hoisted the basket and flew away. There was no reason for them to take the risk of being hoisted into the helicopter too, the rangers said. The three rangers began hiking off the mountain. They were to be met by forest rangers coming in from Corey's Road on ATVs and armed with chain saws to clear a path through blown down trees. Using GPS and mapping, the rangers took the most direct route out heading west through heavy vegetation and small trees toward the Duck Hole area. They used a small stream that was only four or five feet wide to lead them to the pond. DEC Forest Ranger David Russell About two miles into the hike, Russell crossed an area of the stream bed where ice had formed over a pool. The ice slowly broke. The almost 6-foot-tall ranger with the heavy pack and snowshoes plunged into the icy water. VanLaer was about 20 feet away when he heard Russell go down. The stream didn't look deep. "I said 'Stand up'," vanLaer said. "I can't touch," replied Russell, clinging to the ice shelf. What was he thinking when he slipped through? "I was embarrassed that I had gotten myself in that situation," Russell said. The rangers' training kicked in. They performed a "flat ice rescue." It was a combination of a self-rescue by Russell with vanLaer, standing on the stable stream bank, grabbing the straps of Russell's backpack. Leaning backward, he hauled Russell out of the water. The rangers hiked about 100 feet further downstream to a flatter area. Russell stripped off his wet clothes and put on the dry ones he carried in his pack. He had base layers, pants, shirt, a coat. Fully dressed, the only wet items were his boots, Russell said. "We all carry that equipment with us when doing a rescue and in doing patrols," he said. "I was prepared if the unexpected happened I was going to be able to escape." It had been a long, physically exhausting day. Now the rangers faced another 13 miles of hiking to get to a road, another half day of hiking. It was dark, the temperatures had fallen. As the senior officer among the three, vanLaer got on the radio to call for help. Radio communication in that area of the Adirondacks is bad, the rangers said. There are no repeater stations to boost signals. The rangers use helicopters to repeat messages when they're on rescues, vanLaer said. VanLaer called out twice. A third call didn't go through. Forest Ranger Capt. John Streiff, was at Adirondack Regional Airport at Lake Clear when he heard vanLaer's calls that made it through. "I could sense the urgency in his voice over the radio," he said. DEC Forest Ranger Capt. John Streiff One of the state police helicopters had just fueled up and was heading back to Albany. Streiff called it back. Both pilots got off for a briefing, and then with a ranger and night vision equipment, the helicopter headed to Duck Hole. Russell, vanLaer and Edmunds hiked 40 minutes to Duck Hole to meet their ride. The helicopter was waiting for them when they arrived. The three got on and by 9 p.m. they were headed back. Russell warmed up at the DEC headquarters in Ray Brook. He said he had no lasting ill effects from the experience and went back to work. It's been a tough time in the Adirondacks. Rangers saw four deaths in an eight-day period this year beginning with Davis on March 4, said Dave Winchell, a spokesman for the DEC A young woman under the influence of drugs left her home, went into the woods and died from exposure. A 12-year-old boy hiking with his uncle died after he was struck by a boulder. And a man riding an ATV went through the ice, got himself out, broke into an old cabin to get warm and died of hypothermia. Rangers have a good safety record. Since 1912, just five rangers have died on the job, Winchell said. Russell, vanLaer and Streiff emphasize that there are inherent risks that come with their job of patrolling a mountain wilderness. But, they come at that risk trained and prepared to take care of themselves and others. "It's the nature of our job. It's what we do," Russell said. "It's an exercise in preparedness." NASA's Jeff Williams became the first American to be a three-time, long-term resident of the International Space Station following his March 19 launch aboard a Russian spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 47-48 Soyuz Commander Alexey Ovchinin and crew member Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos were also aboard the spacecraft, which orbited Earth four times before docking at ISS, according to a NASA press release. The hatches between the spacecraft and station opened at 12:55 a.m. Saturday. Williams, Ovchinin and Skripochka will remain aboard the station until early September 2016. Upon completion of his mission, Williams will become the American record holder for the most cumulative days in space - a total of 534 over three missions. Read more about crew's mission on NASA's website. Will the tropics remain quiet for the rest of the season? Our Savior Lutheran Church in Vero Beach was a busy voting place Tuesday during the presidential primary. (PATRICK DOVE/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS) By Lisa Broadt of TCPalm Treasure Coast population trends differ sharply from state and national trends and could have profound impacts for upcoming elections, according to U.S. Census data. Last year a major population change made national headlines: Millennials surpassed baby boomers as the largest living generation, according to U.S. Census data, and in recent months, the role of millennials, a diverse and predominantly liberal generation, in the national election has been a hot topic. Yet on the Treasure Coast, those demographics don't hold true. In fact, census data indicate that in Martin and Indian River counties the millennial population since 2000 has slowed, while the baby boomers population continues to pick up speed. From 2000-2014, the population of millennials in Martin County increased by 8.8 percent; baby boomers increased by 25.6 percent. In Indian River County, millennials increased 12.1 percent; baby boomers, 42.1 percent. In St. Lucie the two populations saw nearly equal increase. Millennials increased 33 percent and baby boomers 34.1 percent. Florida's population, on the other hand, follows what would seem to be a logical pattern: Over the last 15 years, the population of young people continues to grow rapidly, while the population of baby boomers declines. From 2000-2014 specifically, the millennial population increased 20.9 percent while the baby boomer population decreased 4.2 percent. Though the definition of millennial varies the U.S. Census defines the generation as people born between 1982-2000 this analysis relies on Pew's definition, which sets the oldest millennial as being born in 1981 and the youngest in 1997. The Treasure Coast's unusual dynamic likely could affect voting trends and, in turn, could help create policies that will further the dynamic; the average age of a Martin County Commissioner, for example, is 64, and the average candidate's age this year is just a few years younger. An August Wall Street Journal/NBC study concluded that millennials, which nationwide have an equal share of eligible voters as baby boomers, vote very differently. "It's not exactly a revelation to say that these new, young potential voters are different from their elders," a review of the study concluded. "But a dive into the numbers reveals just how different and frames differing challenges for each political party in this election cycle." Even though local millennials seem to follow national attitude results from Tuesday's primary in Martin County show that voters 18-29 were 42 percent Democrat; voters over 56 were 32 percent Democrat they are unlikely to influence local politics. Nationwide, young immigrants account for a large part of the millennial population's growth. Boomers a generation defined by the boom in U.S. births following World War II meanwhile "are older and shrinking in size as the number of deaths exceed the number of older immigrants arriving in the country," according to Pew. Not only do parts of the Treasure Coast buck generational trends, they also stand in stark contrast to these national and state diversity trends. This year marks the most diverse group of voters ever in the United States, according to Pew Research, and in Florida. Registration lists showed 1.8 million Hispanics as of February, according to the state division of elections. But in Martin County, the vast majority of the electorate is white. And yet, of all Hispanic Martin County primary voters, 31 percent were 29 or younger. Among white primary voters, that figure was 11 percent. Hispanic millennial voters were 63 percent Democrat, white millennial voters were 32 percent Democrat. SHARE Fort Pierce City Hall By Keona Gardner of TCPalm FORT PIERCE The City Commission has tapped former Pensacola city attorney Jim Messer to be the next city attorney. The City Commission will discuss Messer's $165,000, three-year contract at its Monday night meeting. Messer replaces former city attorney Rob Schwerer, who resigned in October after the commission voted to fire him. However, after the commission realized it violated parliamentary procedure by not placing the item on the agenda, it allowed him to resign. Messer, also a former assistant chief litigator for the Escambia County Attorney's Office, beat out six finalists for the job. Interviews were held March 10 in City Commission chambers. Messer will be the city's first in-house attorney. He will be responsible for hiring a staff and maintaining the legal case load. Schwerer was a private attorney the city contracted for representation. Berthony Deligent plans to run a group home for adults with autism at 4775 Eighth Place, Vero Beach. The home is shown on Feb. 23. (LAURENCE REISMAN/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS) Imagine finding your nirvana: a more than 40-year-old neighborhood with large oaks and tall pines surrounding lakes that look natural not the cookie-cutter ones found in newer subdivisions. Then you find out your new neighbor wants to turn his house into a group home for people with mental health challenges or disabilities. Residents of Glendale Lakes, northwest of Eighth Street and 43rd Avenue, understandably are concerned. They moved into a community of single-family homes, not boardinghouses. How would a group-home business affect the neighborhood and its property values? Recently, I watched as six concerned residents met with Indian River County Commissioner Tim Zorc and Deputy County Attorney Bill DeBraal. The bottom line: All sorts of group homes are allowed in neighborhoods, according to Florida statutes. In fact, six or fewer clients of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice can live next to you so long as they have failed probation, need social or health services, but not committed firearms or sex crimes. The department does not license small group homes in neighborhoods, said Heather DiGiacomo, its director of communications. It does have larger facilities near neighborhoods, such as one in Brevard County that serves up to 30 children, ages 12 to 15. A different kind of home, for boys 11 to 18 with developmental disabilities, led to complaints in Vero Lake Estates last year, Zorc said. Deputies had been summoned almost 20 times to the home in about a year. The relatively good news at Glendale Lakes is Berthony Deligent, the homeowner, says he plans to serve only adults with autism. It's a growing population who face waiting lists for homes, Deligent said. He has operated a similar business on 10th Avenue the past six years, and invited me for a tour. The home is owned by the same Greeneville, Tennessee, couple who sold him the one in Glendale Lakes, and own another one there, according to county records. "These people need help," said Deligent, noting round-the-clock caregivers also will help residents go to day jobs. "I do it from my heart. We're not there to jeopardize the community." Chuck Bradley, executive director of Arc of Indian River County, a nonprofit, operates four local group homes for people with special needs. The agency offers other services, too. "We're mission-driven, not profit-driven," he said. Peter O'Bryan, a county commissioner, lives near one of Arc's homes. "You'd never know it was a group home; the folks are great," O'Bryan said. "It's a lot different than a drug or rehab facility." To me, though, businesses don't belong in neighborhoods. Normally, they're not permitted. "You're seeing it all over," said Stan Boling, the county's director of community development, of state laws allowing group homes. "It's a change from the standard 'Leave it to Beaver' neighborhood." There have been big changes since the Cleavers were on TV: People with disabilities now rarely are institutionalized. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 prevents discrimination against protected classes, such as the disabled. That's good. But in Port St. Lucie, neighbors and local officials tried unsuccessfully to prohibit halfway houses for substance abusers. The city eventually settled a discrimination lawsuit. "(Group homes haven't) been a big issue in the community, but that could change," said Boling, depending on economic opportunities for group home operators. How big of an issue? There are only eight licensed by the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities, according to Gerry Driscoll, its southeast region manager. Boling estimated there might be 25 licensed through all state agencies. "Basically it eradicates zoning," said Wayne Bibeau, Indian River County's deputy property appraiser. He explained his office treats all single-family homes the same way, even though some may be operated as businesses. "If we see a single-family house, we're going to appraise it as a single-family house," he said, noting that if growth trends in group homes and short-term vacation rentals continue, "it's going to be a problem." Sadly, the laws permitting group homes are the same for juvenile delinquents and autistic adults. Zoning is thrown out the window. Homebuyers have no clue what to expect. Living next to a 24/7 business is not what most people bought into. Zorc suggested the Glendale Lakes folks meet with state Rep. Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach. The Legislature must give this issue a closer look. Legislators should meet with real people and hear their concerns. This story has been updated. Security researchers atPalo Alto Networks Unit 42 on Wednesday announced they had discovered in the wild a method of infecting nonjailbroken iPhones with malware by exploiting design flaws in Apples digital rights management technology. The flaw has been exploited since 2013 largely as a means to pirate iOS software, but this is the first time its been used to infect iPhones with malware, researcher Claud Xiao said. This is a fairly sophisticated attack, said Steve Kelly, president ofIntego. Theres a lot of moving pieces in this, he told TechNewsWorld. Somebody put quite a bit of effort in creating this. The Attack The attack works like this: The malware author purchases a legitimate app through the ITunes app. During the download process, the hacker intercepts the authorization code that accompanied the software. iOS devices use that code to authenticate the app. Once in possession of the code, the hacker writes a PC program touted to provide some utility for a user. The program, called Aisi Helper, purports to provide services for iOS devices such as system reinstallation, jailbreaking, system backup, device management and system cleaning. When the program runs, however, it emulates the iTunes client in the background and uses the intercepted authorization code to send infected apps to an iPhone secretly. Three infected apps were uploaded to the App Store from July to February, Xiao said. Each managed to avoid detection by Apple by tailoring its behavior to a geographic region. China Connection Apple removed these three apps from the App Store after we reported them in late February 2016, he noted. However, the attack is still viable because the FairPlay MITM attack only requires these apps to have been available in the App Store once. As long as an attacker could get a copy of authorization from Apple, the attack doesnt require current App Store availability to spread those apps, Xiao continued. While the malware, which Palo Alto calls AceDeceiver, appears to affect only users in mainland China, its a sign of bigger problems for Apple because its a blueprint for infecting nonjailbroken iPhones, he noted. As a result, its likely well see this start to affect more regions around the world, whether by these attackers or others who copy the attack technique, Xiao said. Cant Blame Jailbreakers With the recent introduction of ransomware forLinux andOS X, its apparent that malware writers are trying to expand their reach, noted Adrian Liviu Arsene, a senior threat analyst withBitdefender. This is the first time that weve seen malware as an application installed on an iPhone that was not jailbroken, he told TechNewsWorld. If that can happen, the skys the limit. Although Apple removed the infected wallpaper apps from the App Store as soon as Palo Alto notified it about them, it may have been surprised by the attack, maintained Vishal Gupta, CEO ofSeclore. Most attacks happen on jailbroken devices. Apple says its not responsible for jailbroken devices, and thats usually where the story ends, he told TechNewsWorld. This time its Apples responsibility, Gupta said, and theres no way Apple can shrug this off. Data Protection Needed Apple and other hardware makers need to focus more resources on protecting the data on phones, he maintained. Apple and others are too busy securing their devices. This device-centric view is, unfortunately, a challenge in the present security posture of a lot companies, including Apple, Gupta said. People are not interested in securing devices theyre interested in securing their data, he continued. If you lose your phone, youll feel sad about it, but you can always buy another phone, Gupta added. But if you lose youre data, that can be something very difficult to replace. A new front may have opened up between the Department of Justice and Silicon Valley in the ongoing legal battle over government access to encrypted data, this time involvingWhatsApp, the electronic messaging and voice system owned by Facebook. DoJ officials have been debating how to proceed in a criminal case in which a court-ordered wiretap has been hindered by WhatsApp encryption, The New York Times reported last week. The report did not specify the location or nature of the case but said it did not involve terrorism and that court filings were under seal. The Justice Department declined to comment on the report, spokesperson Peter Carr told the E-Commerce Times. Apple Bites Back WhatsApp already is embroiled in a high-profile criminal case in Brazil. The service was blocked temporarily in December, and earlier this month a Facebook executive wasjailed briefly after the company refused to cooperate in a criminal investigation. The new case comes at a tense time, as the ongoing legal battle between the DoJ and Apple has roiled the technology industry. The FBI wants Apple to create a software application that would let investigators access an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the shooters in the San Bernardino, California, terrorist attack late last year that left 14 people dead and dozens injured. A number of rival technology firms and civil liberties advocates have filed briefs on behalf of Apple, arguing that compliance with such an order would put millions of people at risk because a software tool in the wrong hands could be used to hack into the accounts of private citizens. Foreign governments, including China, could force companies to provide access to encrypted data belonging to political dissidents or citizens in those countries, according to the briefs. All Americans should be concerned with a precedent that mandates vulnerabilities in encryption, said Michael Beckerman, CEO of theInternet Association. Ultimately, requirements that companies weaken or undermine strong encryption harm consumers and undermine our national security, he told the E-Commerce Times. TheElectronic Frontier Foundation, along with 46 other technology industry experts, filed an amicus brief arguing that the Apple order would violate the First Amendment, according to Nate Cardozo, a staff attorney on the EFFs digital civil liberties team. The Court of Public Opinion All the legal analysis of the WhatsApp question reads this as an open-and-shut case due to the interaction of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, along with a case from the Ninth Circuit called The Company v. United States, said Ross Schulman, senior counsel at New AmericasOpen Technology Institute. The Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act contains a provision that says a telecommunications provider is not responsible for decrypting communications encrypted by a customer. Because WhatsApp keeps the encryption keys on the customers device, it would be protected, Schulman said. Given that the case looks to be one that should easily come down on the side of WhatsApp, why did the government leak its investigation? It looks like they still want to use their position in a different court that of public opinion even if they dont end up pressing their actual case before a judge, he told the E-Commerce Times. Inflection Point When it comes to encryption, the cat is out of the bag, said Andrea Castillo, program manager of the Technology Policy Program at George Mason UniversitysMercatus Center. Punishing companies like WhatsApp and Apple for employing strong security techniques will do nothing to prevent criminals who are already intent on breaking the law, she told the E-Commerce Times. Meanwhile, innocent Americans will be dramatically less secure if encryption is criminalized, Castillo said. In this age of constant hacking and data breaches, we need more encryption, not less. The DoJ may be getting more aggressive in pursuing these kinds of cases with the WhatsApp investigation, given the pressure on Congress to intervene and the furor over the Apple encryption case, said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. Thats partly due to the tech industry reaching an inflection point of sorts, where vendors are developing security products that they claim to have no control over once theyre in customers hands, he told the E-Commerce Times. Race to Secure Several technology firms, including Google, Snapchat and WhatsApp, are planning either new apps with higher levels of encryption or upgrades to existing apps with strong encryption, according to The Guardian. Google reportedly is working on extra uses of the technology for an existing encrypted email service, WhatsApp is working on an expansion of its encrypted messaging service to include voice, and Snapchat is working on a secure messaging service. Last week, Apple sent out media invites to its March 21 event at its Cupertino campus, when the company is believed to unveil the 4-inch iPhone SE. The 4-inch iPhone, which was previously thought to be named the iPhone 6c and the iPhone 5se because of its resemblance to older Apple flagship smartphones, was said to be named the iPhone SE in a report released last month. The name for the device, if it's really the one to be used by Apple, would see the company do away with the standard number-based naming scheme for its iPhones. Images of the design of a third-party case maker for the iPhone SE were also uploaded at the time, revealing that the new 4-inch iPhone will look very similar to the iPhone 5s, save for the fact that its power button will be at the smartphone's right side. A previous report also claimed that the iPhone SE will not be compromising performance despite its smaller size compared to Apple's current flagship smartphones, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6s and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus. The report says the iPhone SE will be packing Apple's A9 processor and M9 motion co-processor, which are the same ones being used by the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. According to well-connected KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone SE will launch with a price tag within the $400 to $500 range, which will help Apple infiltrate emerging markets, including India and China. Kuo added that the iPhone SE will be featuring a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera and Apple Pay support, while confirming that the A9 processor will indeed be the one powering up the smartphone. However, the popular 3D Touch feature is said to be excluded from the iPhone SE, as Apple is reportedly looking to have it only among its top line of iPhones. The absence of feature was seemingly confirmed by allegedly leaked pictures of the smartphone, which showed its screen assembly. For what it's worth, the new iPhone will pack the new Live Photos feature. In addition, the latest reports claim that the iPhone SE will be featuring 4K video recording capabilities, with rumors stating that Apple is currently working on a promotional video that will focus on the 4K-capable camera of the upcoming iPhone. A video taken recently supposedly features an actual iPhone SE unit, spotted in Huaqiangbei, Shenzhen, which is the so-called "Silicon Valley of hardware" in China. The video does not show the iPhone SE running, so the device could be a dummy unit, but it reveals several details regarding the smartphone. The iPhone SE will apparently borrow certain design elements from both the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 6s, sporting the former's size combined with the latter's round corners and button placements. In addition, the iPhone SE's camera is shown to be protruding from the back of the device, similar to the iPhone 6s. These are all rumors and reports coming from various sources. It's entirely possible that some information may not be true, but the picture the details are painting regarding the iPhone SE reveals a relatively affordable device that does not sacrifice performance. For Apple fans who would like to be among the first ones to know the official details about the iPhone SE, they can watch a live stream of the March 21 event through the company's official website. The live stream will use Apple's HTTP Live Streaming technology though, which would require users to watch it using specific devices. Consumers who would want to purchase an iPhone at an even lower rate, however, would still welcome the launch of the iPhone SE, even if a price of $400 to $500 is out of their budget. This is because Apple is said to be likely dropping the price of the iPhone 5s to between $250 and $350 upon the release of the new 4-inch iPhone, as the previous-generation smartphone will still be sold alongside the iPhone SE. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Microsoft is improving its Achilles heel the extension support for its browser. The company has rolled out the preview Build 14291 for Windows Insiders in its Fast ring, which will signal the arrival of a new modernistic Edge browser. On Thursday, Microsoft pushed out the Windows 10 Preview Build 14291 for Windows Insider program users, which brings extensions for the Microsoft Edge browser, among other new features. "Today we are releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14291 for both PC and Mobile to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring. There are some very cool new things in this build, including one of the top requested features by Windows Insiders extensions for Microsoft Edge!" notes Microsoft. The new extensions for Microsoft Edge are only available for PC. To test out an extension, Windows Insiders will need to click on "More," which is located on the top right side of the browser. Next, one needs to click on "Extensions," which will open the extensions pane. Then, click on "Get Extensions." Currently, preview build 14291 brings the following extensions for PC: Microsoft Translator, Mouse Gestures and Reddit Enhancement Suite. Microsoft has revealed that more extensions are "on the way." The extensions that are expected soon are LastPass, AdBlock, Amazon, Adblock Plus, Evernote and more. Even though users will need to manually install the extensions as of now, in the near-term, they can be installed from the Windows Store. For those wondering why Microsoft took so long to bring support for extensions for Microsoft Edge browser, it was because it did not want to compromise security. "[O]ne of our highest priorities is to ensure that Microsoft Edge is the safest, most reliable and fastest browser we could build, and our experience over the past 20 years has taught us that poorly written or even malicious add-ons were a huge source of security, reliability and performance issues for browsers. With this in mind, we have built Microsoft Edge so customers can add extensions to the browser with the confidence that they will operate as expected," noted Drew DeBruyne, Microsoft's GM for Edge. The preview build 14291 update also brings pinned tabs Microsoft Edge users' way a feature available on other browsers. Basically, users will be able to pin the most-used Web apps and sites at hand thanks to the feature. To pin a tab, one will simply need to right-click on the tab and then choose the "Pin tab option." The update also brings improvements to copy and paste. Copying a link on the clipboard is now easy, and one can right-click on the Microsoft Edge browser's address bar and select "Paste and go" in the context menu. The URL is pasted into the address bar, and the user is directed to the site with ease. Users will also have the ability to copy words onto their clipboard and select the "paste and search" option. Photo: Mike Mozart | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Uber announced on Thursday that drivers in San Francisco may now avail of the Instant Pay option that will allow them to get their earnings at once. Uber says in a statement that the company is committed to making their drivers reach their goals, no matter how big or small that may be. Making payments available instantly is one way to do just that. "Because sometimes life happens," says Uber's general manager for the Bay Area, Wayne Ting. "And whether you're saving up for something big or hitting the road to pay an unexpected bill, Uber can help you reach those goals." The Uber Debit Card Part of the Instant Pay pilot program is giving drivers the choice of applying for an Uber debit card via GoBank. The steps are quite easy and fast. First, drivers need to go to a GoBank branch and apply for the card, which Uber says will take just a few minutes. If the application has been approved, drivers will be able to receive the card after seven to 10 business days. Once drivers get a hold of their debit cards, they can then cash out their earnings any time and at no minimum required deposits or transaction/overdraft costs. They can withdraw their money at more than 42,000 ATM outlets nationwide for free. The Uber debit card may also be used to purchase goods in store. Uber Driver Woes At present, Uber drivers receive their earnings once every week. With this setup, drivers have no choice but to wait for their money for several days after the service has been rendered. Not being able to have instant access to payments is something critics have been throwing at Uber and other app-based transportation services such as Lyft. Customers simply book a ride and use their credit card information to avail the service instantly. Drivers and companies, however, need to wait a little longer. Such setup then makes ordinary taxi drivers have the advantage as they are able to get their payments right after dropping off their customers. Uber understands that while some people drive for the company to get "extra cash," some do it for a living and to support their families. Getting payments at once is a critical issue for drivers thus they have raised concerns about the need to have the flexible payment-receiving options as well. "Today's launch of Instant Pay is a result of valued feedback from our driver-partners," Uber's statement reads. The company is now looking forward to encouraging more drivers to work for Uber via this Instant pay pilot program and other future features that aim to help drivers achieve their objectives. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Our planet is constantly bombarded by high-energy particles that scientists say make up cosmic radiation. It is actually quite impossible to directly identify the sources responsible for the production of cosmic rays, and so it has remained one of the greatest scientific mysteries for more than a century. Now, astronomers running the High Energy Stereoscopic System or H.E.S.S. observatory in Namibia believe they may have identified the source of the cosmic rays for the first time ever. In fact, the source can accelerate cosmic rays to energies that are 100 times bigger than those achieved at the Large Hadron Collider or CERN. So where is the source? "The most plausible 'engine' for this cosmic ray acceleration is the super-massive black hole right at the heart of our galaxy," said Gavin Rowell of University of Adelaide, one of the study researchers. Indeed, the center of the Milky Way is home to objects capable of creating high-energy cosmic rays, including a pulsar wind nebula, a supernova remnant and a compact cluster of massive stars. Out of all these objects, the super-massive black hole called Sgr A* is the most possible source. Cosmic rays interact with gas and light, producing gamma rays that travel in straight lines, get un-deflected by magnetic fields and act as "tracers." The H.E.S.S. telescopes have provided direct indications over the past decade of a very powerful point source of gamma rays in the center of the galaxy. H.E.S.S. measured the gamma ray emission in the cosmic region. From there scientists were able to infer the spectrum of protons that have been accelerated by the super-massive black hole. Sgr A*, which has a mass of 4 to 5 million suns, is very likely accelerating cosmic rays that consequently get "blasted" to Earth. All this violent activity makes this cosmic region one of the brightest objects in the sky for astronomers to study, from radio waves up to high-energy gamma rays. Lastly, the scientists argue that if Sgr A* was more active in the past, then it could truly be the source of the bulk of cosmic rays that are observed today from our planet. The findings of the study are featured in the journal Nature. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Witnesses said they saw a mysterious blue-green streak of light early on St. Patrick's Day morning. The bright fireball meteor lit up skies in Britain including areas of London, Stafford, Hampshire and the east coast of England. At around 3:16 a.m. GMT on March 17, those who witnessed the sighting dubbed it as the "St. Patrick's Day meteor" because of its color. The asteroid, which John Mason of the British Astronomical Association described as "spectacular," is bright enough to be called a fireball. The rock may have come from the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars. Mason explained that the meteor heated up the oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere, causing it to have its greenish color. "Meteors of this kind are not uncommon," he said. According to the UK Meteor Observation Network (UKMON), the large fireball was first recorded at their Church Crookham station. Their initial report says that the estimated terminal altitude is about 30 to 34 kilometers, or approximately 19 to 21 miles. "Very large fireball reported by public was first noticed by our Church Crookham station at 3:16 this morning," reported Richard Kacerek in UKMON's website. "It momentarily overloaded the camera with light and with [a] second video we will be able to triangulate and calculate the orbit soon," he added. Kacerek said that the agency received various reports across Europe, and that the St. Patrick's Day sighting was the biggest they have ever recorded. "It lasted for a few seconds. It was seen for hundreds of miles," he added. Meteors are small rocks or particles of debris that burn up as they enter the Earth's atmosphere at a very high velocity. Upon entering the atmosphere, they heat the surrounding air, which causes the light witnessed by spectators on Earth. Those who witnessed the fireball posted snapshots and videos of the phenomenon. #meteor overnight but not trending somehow, it lit up the entire night sky for around one greeny / blue second - Ben Williams (@BWILLIAMSRADIO)March 17, 2016 I just saw a meteor fly over Kingston upon Thames the whole sky went bright blue! The most amazing thing ever! #meteor #London #shootingstar - Amejane (@amejane1406) March 17, 2016 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Fans of "The Little Prince" were disappointed when Paramount Pictures, the studio handling its distribution in the United States, dropped the animated film. Now Netflix has come to the rescue because the streaming service picked up the film and will be releasing it later in 2016. Perhaps this is what the director of the adaptation, Mark Osborne, was referring to when he tweeted the announcement with regard to the delay of the release in the U.S. 3/3 - All I can say is #thelittleprince will in fact be released by another distributor later this year. Mark Osborne (@happyproduct) March 12, 2016 Despite the supposed March 18 release announced by Paramount, the studio quietly pulled it just a week before the actual release and, whatever the company's reason is for withdrawing is up to anyone's imagination. However, it is better to not dwell on the issue, but rejoice that "The Little Prince" will still reach the U.S. audience, even if a little later than originally planned. "The Little Prince" is a combined stop-motion and 3D animated film based on the classic story written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, which premiered at the 2015 Cannes Festival, and received the award for best animated film at the 41st Cesar Awards in France. The screenplay was written by Irena Brignull, Bob Persichetti, whose adaptation ventures a little further. Instead of the story purely being told in the point-of-view of the pilot, the film focuses on a little girl whose mother has designed practically her whole life, so she can be prepared for the adult world. The little girl meets the aviator who tells her all about the Little Prince and his world, which allows the little girl to explore her imagination and enjoy her childhood, as well as learn what is really important in life. Watch the trailer below. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Although there have been speculations about a link between the money that doctors receive from pharmaceutical companies and the drugs they prescribe to patients, there has been little evidence to prove the association - until now. An analysis by investigative journalism organization ProPublica, together with NPR, found evidence to support the accusation. The report revealed that doctors who take pharma money indeed give out prescriptions much differently on average than their colleagues who don't. In fact, the more pharma money they receive, the more brand-name drugs they prescribe, researchers found. Matching Records ProPublica researchers examined records on payments from pharmaceutical companies and medical device makers in 2014, and matched them with corresponding information on the prescription of doctors in Medicare's program, which is called Part D. The records from Part D cover more than 39 million people, but the study only accounted to at least 1,000 prescriptions. The analysis revealed that as the pharma payments increased, the brand-name prescriptions tended to go up as well. Doctors who received money from drug and device manufacturers prescribed a higher percentage of brand-name drugs overall, researchers said. Even doctors who simply received meals from pharma companies prescribed more brand-name medications. Those who received $5,000 worth of pharma money in 2014 had the highest brand-name prescription rates. The difference was that internists who did not receive pharma money had a 20 percent rate of brand-name prescription, while those who received more than $5,000 had about 30 percent. "This feeds into the ongoing conversation about the propriety of these sorts of relationships," said Dr. Aaron Kesselheim of Harvard Medical School, who provided guidance on the early versions of the analysis. "Hopefully we're getting past the point where people will say, 'Oh, there's no evidence that these relationships change physicians' prescribing practices.'" Widespread Payments However, the ProPublica analysis does not prove that industry payments persuade doctors to prescribe specific drugs, or even the company's own drugs. Instead, it explains that pharma payments are linked to a prescription approach that benefits drug companies. Meanwhile, the organization's analysis yielded varying results from state to state when it comes to what proportion of doctors take pharma money. The proportion of those receiving payments in Alabama, Nevada, South Carolina and Kentucky were at least twice as high as in Minnesota, Vermont, Maine and Wisconsin. Still, the payments are widespread overall. Nearly 9 in 10 cardiologists across the nation who wrote 1,000 prescriptions for Medicare received pharma money in 2014, while 7 in 10 family practitioners and internists did. "You have the people who are going out of their way to avoid this, and you've got people who are, I'll say, pretty committed and engaged to creating relationships with pharma," said Dr. Richard Baron of the American Board of Internal Medicine. "If you are out there advocating for something, you are more likely to believe in it yourself and not to disbelieve it." How Doctors Prescribe Drugs In their defense, doctors consider many different factors when choosing which to prescribe. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America spokesperson Holly Campbell mentioned a 2011 study that found that 9 in 10 doctors felt that much of their prescriptions were influenced by clinical experience and knowledge. Campbell said both physicians and pharmaceutical companies work together to make better use of current treatments. "Physicians provide real-world insights and valuable feedback and advice to inform companies about their medicines to improve patient care," she said. Dr. Felix Tarm of Kansas prescribes more than twice the rate of brand-name medications compared with internists. On the verge of retiring, Tarm received $11,700 in payments in 2014. He said he doesn't draw salary from his medical practice, but he subsidizes it with the money he gets from drug companies. He also mentioned that he doesn't own a pharmacy or laboratory, which are often used by doctors to increase their income, he said. "I generally prescribe on the basis of what I think is the best drug. If the doctor is susceptible to being bought out by a pharmaceutical company, he can just as easily be bought out by other factors," added Tarm. Photo: Chris Potter | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. NASA astronaut Jeff Williams and two Russian cosmonauts launched towards the International Space Station yesterday at 5:26 p.m. EDT onboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The new space mission is expected to set a new record high for the most number of cumulative days in space clocked in by a U.S. astronaut. To date, Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly holds the current record when he spent 522 days in space. Kelly completed his mission last March 1 and he announced his retirement soon after. Together with cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin, Williams are expected to dock at the ISS at 11:12 p.m. and will be greeted by the current crew headed by NASA's Commander Tim Kopra. NASA says the Expedition 47 crew will carry on the ongoing experiments onboard the ISS. These experiments cover areas of biotechnology, biology, Earth science and physical science. The new six-moth ISS mission will give Williams the chance to set a new record of 534 cumulative days in orbit. On June 4, Williams will replace Kopra in command for Expedition 48 and will return to Earth together with Skripochka and Ovchinin in September 2016. The new ISS mission will be the fourth trip to space for the 58-year-old Williams. It will also be his third six-month stay at the ISS. Interestingly, he was the first astronaut to interact live with the followers and fans of NASA's social media accounts. "It is a great privilege to be part of this. I feel very ready to be going back to the space station," said Williams on NASA TV earlier this week. A Wisconsin native, Williams is a father of two and a grandfather of three. He graduated from Winter High School in 1976. In 1980, he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Science and Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy (USMA). To date, Russian cosmonaut Genny Padalka currently holds the world's record for the most number of cumulative days spent in orbit with 879 days. He complemented his final space mission last year in September. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Ever since "Captain America: Civil War" was announced, it has been unfathomable to pick a side, given we've always seen Captain America and Iron Man fighting alongside each other, not each other. For Variety, the cast of Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." had to decide if they were #TeamCap or #TeamIronMan, and the results are in! Clark Gregg, who plays Agent Phillip "Phil" Coulson on the show, was first up. He starts with accurately describing "Civil War." "It's like Thanksgiving. There'll be a lot of the people I love in a very compact environment, who start out with good intentions and end up trying to murder each other," he says. He doesn't say at first which side he's picking because he wants to hear what everyone else's choices are first before he makes up his mind, but he knows that Coulson will be #TeamCap all the way. Other cast members part of #TeamCap include Chloe Bennet (Daisy "Skye" Johnson), Ming-na Wen (Melinda May) and Henry Simmons (Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie). On the other side of the fence supporting #TeamIronMan are Luke Mitchell (Lincoln Campbell), Elizabeth Henstridge (Jemma Simmons) and Iain de Caestecker (Leo Fitz). Recently, Marvel also issued another "Captain America: Civil War" challenge: to fight gender inequality in the STEM field and assist teenage girls in pursuing careers in science. To participate in the contest, which Marvel launched in partnership with the National Academy of Sciences, girls between the ages of 15 and 18 are to submit video proposals reflecting scientific ideas that can affect the development of society. They have until March 26 to do so. Five finalists will be chosen, each of which will have the chance to visit Marvel's studios in Los Angeles and pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. The winner will have the opportunity to intern for the studio although Marvel has not released details about the internship program. Will the participants be for #TeamCap or #TeamIronMan? The big fight unfolds on May 6 as "Captain America: Civil War" hits cinemas. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. U.S. citizens have only a month left to fill in their taxes, and this means that this is a prime time for email scammers. Con men of all shapes and sizes are here to harass taxpayers, so we listed a couple of schemes and how to avoid them. The "Urgent" CEO Email If you work in a medium to large organization, especially in payroll or HR departments, you may receive an apparently legit email from your Chief Executive Officer. The subject is usually reinforced with an "urgent" note, and the sender asks you to forward the "W-2 information" of all employees. "W-2 information" encompasses sensitive personal information, such as the Social Security numbers of employees, their paycheck values and other personal data. It is easy to understand why identity thieves would regard such a PDF document as a small treasure, as they can use it to file fraudulent tax refund requests with the IRS. Multiple sources showed that the scheme was used in hundreds of enterprises, impacting the personal information of tens of thousands of workers. How It Looks Like Should you receive any of the following texts in an email (or a variation of them), beware: "I want you to send me the list of W-2 copy of employees' wage and tax statements for 2015. I need them in PDF file type, you can send it as an attachment. Kindly prepare the lists and email them to me ASAP." "Can you send me the updated list of employees with full details (Name, Social Security Number, Date of Birth, Home Address, Salary)?" "Kindly send me the individual 2015 W-2 (PDF) and earnings summary of all W-2 of our company staff for a quick review." The Countermeasure All payroll and HR employees should keep an eye out for these kinds of emails and swiftly inform all staff of the risks. In case of a legitimate request on W-2 forms, always double-check its validity with your superior. If you ask us, it is a bit suspicious that the leader of a firm would need W-2 information on every employee, but mistakes happen. A variation of the CEO email scam is receiving an email from your payroll service, in which you are asked about your Social Security number. Never offer it by email to anyone, as legitimate as the request may sound. The IRS phone call Another commonly used strategy for identity theft schemers is to pose as an IRS official calling you about your tax filing. How It Occurs Most times, crooks will threaten a taxpayer with arrest unless a payment is made. "No one wants to get into trouble with the IRS, and that's what the scam artists are counting on," notes North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem. The Countermeasure Simply hang up. The IRS has a policy of allowing taxpayers to question or appeal on the sums that they must submit. What is more, the IRS always sends a letter notifying citizens of their tax situation and will never ask for sensitive information via phone, regardless if we are talking about credit or debit card numbers. It comes without saying that IRS officials do not use threats that involve the local police, or other state or federal authority. Police kindly reminds taxpayers to abstain from providing any personal information to callers, even if they appear to be members of the same family. Voice impersonators are actually good enough to fool most of us. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Starz's adaptation of "American Gods" has found its Laura Moon in Emily Browning. The "A Series of Unfortunate Events" star will be playing the role of Shadow Moon's wife, who has been preparing for her husband's release from prison. Little did she know that an unexpected journey will enlighten her about her relationship and give her another opportunity to get things right. "I've been fascinated by Emily Browning since A Series of Unfortunate Events,'" said Neil Gaiman. According to the "American Gods" author, Laura will be a challenge for Browning because the character is tricky, and one appearing on screen will be even trickier, more dangerous than the one on paper. However, he believes that the actress will have a wonderful time bringing Shadow Moon's wife to life. "American Gods" follows the story of Shadow Moon, an ex-con who turns a new leaf after he gets out of prison by becoming a bodyguard and traveling companion for Mr. Wednesday, a conman who turns out to actually be one of the older gods. Mr. Wednesday is on a mission to bolster his forces as he prepares for battle with the new gods. Shadow Moon will be played by Ricky Whittle from "The 100" while Mr. Wednesday will be portrayed by Ian McShane from "Deadwood." McShane will also be part of season 6 of HBO's "Game of Thrones." With Bryan Fuller and Michael Green as showrunners and scriptwriters, production for "American Gods" is set to start in April. David Slade is attached as director for the pilot and some additional episodes, while Stefanie Berk and Craig Cegielski from FremantleMedia North America will executive produce alongside Gaiman, Fuller, Green and Slade. Many may remember Browning as Violet Baudelaire from Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" but she has gone on to star in other films like "Sucker Punch," "Sleeping Beauty," "The Host," "Pompeii," and "Legend." 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Plenty of people couldn't wait to get their hands on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, and when the handsets finally went official, a lot of customers went head over heels for them. However, users encountered little snags here and there, finding out that the anticipated smartphones came with a couple of issues. Oversensitive Touch Screen The screen is just too sensitive, causing users to accidentally open an app or select other elements of the interface. This issue isn't entirely new for Samsung, as the Galaxy Note 5 also bore a similar problem in which the user's fingers or thumb rest on the phablet's edges, making other input unresponsive. Until Samsung tones this down a bit, the only solution right now is to get a case that can provide a better grip on the handset. Bluetooth Is Always On The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge came with Bluetooth Low Energy, but unfortunately, it stays on even when Bluetooth is turned off, eating up precious battery life. Android Developers suggests that users should never scan on a loop, and to set a time limit on the scan to steer clear of this battery-intensive problem. Bluetooth Connectivity Another issue that users have reported is how the smartphone can't connect to other devices such as a car's audio system and whatnot. To resolve this, head on over to Settings > Applications > Application Manager. Select More and then Show System Apps. Look for Bluetooth Share, then tap on Force Stop, and clear the cache and data. No Adoptable Storage One of the most anticipated features of Android Marshmallow is Adoptable Storage, an option that basically turns both the internal and external storages into one. As everyone can imagine, Galaxy S7 and S7 edge owners were not happy when Samsung decided to drop it. Unfortunately, there's no switch to easily turn this on, but Paul O Brien of MoDaCo presented a neat method to do so, although it's not exactly easy and it involves some risk. At any rate, the devices still allow users to install apps on the microSD card. Overheating Many users have reported that the smartphones in question get warm to an uncomfortable level. For newly bought devices, that's pretty much expected, as they will download, update and install a slew of apps on the first boot. If the heat persists after that process, then that's the problem. A simple reboot could do the trick. To do this, press and hold the power and volume down buttons for 10 seconds, and the device should restart. Two other things to take note of is to not use the smartphone while it's charging and to turn off Fast cable charging over at Settings > Battery. Constant MicroSD Card Prompt The microSD pop-up message is expected on each reboot, but when it appears randomly, that spells an issue. There's no real home solution for this, but do make sure that the microSD card is sitting right on the tray or that the external storage is not faulty itself. If the problem lies in the device, getting in touch with Samsung or the corresponding carrier or retailer is the only option. Lag Considering that both the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are premium devices, lag and stutter must have been at the bottom of the list of anyone's expectations. Apparently, they should've been somewhere at the top. One fix here is to set the Windows animation scale, Transition animation scale and Animator duration scale in the Developer options to 0.5x or off, which are 1x by default. This should make things a little faster. For those who haven't unlocked it yet, head on over to Settings > System > About device > Software info and repeatedly tap on Build number until a message pops up about being a developer. The Developer options tab should be under System at that point. Another one is to wipe the cache partition. Turn the device off and turn it on by pressing and holding the home, volume up and power buttons at the same time. Once the Samsung logo is in plain view, let go of the power button, but hold on to the other two until the Android logo makes an appearance. This will bring up the Android recovery menu. There, just select the wipe cache partition by using the volume rocker to navigate and the power button to confirm and do a reboot. If all else fails, then a factory reset might be in order. Needless to say, this will wipe everything out. Unresponsive Buttons The home and multitask buttons are reportedly unresponsive at times. A reboot sometimes fixes this, but the issue is said to be caused by an app, so some uninstallations might be required. Again, the extreme fix here is to do a factory reset. Slow Wi-Fi A user at the Android Central forums reports that the S7 edge is causing some Wi-Fi issues, causing the connection to drop or become slow. "After messing around a bit, I disable Wi-Fi, and the issue instantly goes away. Another hour into messing with things, and I realize it is my phone that is somehow causing the problem. I turn on Wi-Fi on the phone, and the Internet has all sorts of problems, but the moment I disable Wi-Fi, everything is fine," the user says. There's no solid fix yet, but some of the noteworthy mentions in the thread include turning Bluetooth off and to set the Wi-Fi connection to IPv4 instead of IPv6. Wet Speakers With an IP68 waterproof rating, there's no way that users haven't tried to submerge the smartphone in water yet. However, it's causing some problems for the audio front. According to the user reports, the speakers would blast distorted sound after the device gets wet. It's not a big issue at all, though, as waiting for the handset to dry will take care of it. Just don't use a blow dryer, as the heat could damage some of the guts of the smartphone. Camera Failure Some users have complained that the camera app doesn't work sometimes, facing the prompt "Warning: Camera Failed." A simple reset could fix this, but a hard reset could do better. To do this, just press and hold down the power and home buttons until the smartphone restarts. If the problem persists, go to Settings > Applications > Application manager and look for Camera. As usual, Force Stop it and clear the data and cache. Edge Screen Rejection David Ruddock of Android Police reports that edge screen doesn't properly reject an input. It looks like the issue is in the device itself, as the Canada variant of one of his colleagues just got an update that fixes it. Again, there's no solution here besides wait for the carriers to roll out a patch. Odd that I haven't read about the S7 edge not properly rejecting fingers on the edge of the screen. Having a real problem w/ mine. David Ruddock (@RDR0b11) March 15, 2016 Photo: Razvan Baltaretu | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. American food manufacturer General Mills announced on Friday that it will begin labelling all its products in the United States that has genetically modified organisms as ingredients. The move was prompted by a new state law in Vermont, which requires companies to put such information starting July 1. However, the company cannot label products for only one state without driving up costs for consumers, said General Mills Vice President Jeff Harmening, so the company's response is to put up labels nationwide. Still, Harmening said one thing is needed to tackle the issue of genetically modified food: a national solution. "All sides of this debate, 20 years of research, and every major health and safety agency in the world agree that GMOs are not a health or safety concern," said Harmening. "At the same time, we know that some consumers are interested in knowing which products contain GMO ingredients." The Senate recently blocked a bill that would invalidate state and local efforts that require manufacturers to label products with genetically modified organisms. The bill would have given food makers the choice to disclose GMO ingredients. Another spokesperson for General Mills said the company's move does not indicate that it is backing away from its call for a national standard on GMO labelling. "We have essentially run out of time," said Mary Lynn Carver. "We have no other choice. Our supply system doesn't work state-by-state." The Minneapolis-based company has added a search tool on its website, which will provide GMO ingredient information for its U.S. products. Incidentally, General Mills is the maker of products including Haagen-Dazs ice cream, Nature Valley granola bars, Cheerios cereal, and many others. The labels will hit grocery stores over the next several weeks. Meanwhile, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, an advocate against food labeling and a representative of food industry companies, called on the Senate to get back to work on the issue. "One small state's law is setting labeling standards for consumers across the country," the association said. "This announcement should give new urgency to the need for action on a national law when the Senate returns from its recess in April." Other companies such as Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., Whole Foods Market Inc., and Campbell Soup Co. have started requiring GMO labels or have abandoned the use of GMO ingredients. Photo: Mike Mozart | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Verizon Wireless customers across South California have encountered service outages. Consumers who experienced network issues in the afternoon of Friday were not able to make or receive calls. DownDetector.com has published a Verizon Wireless outage map, showing off that the outage affected customers living in Santa Barbara down to San Diego, which include Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura counties plus some parts of the Inland Empire. In the meantime, a Verizon spokesperson had confirmed that the carrier experienced a service interruption, impacting quite a few users in SouthCal. "Earlier today, Verizon Wireless experienced a service disruption affecting voice service in parts of Los Angeles and San Diego and surrounding communities," says Heidi Flato in an email to CBS Los Angeles. "Technicians worked quickly to resolve the issue and service was fully restored at 5:38 p.m. this evening." The company is apologizing for any trouble the service outage may have caused. Verizon has yet to disclose what have caused the service interruption and how many of its customers were affected. As expected, customers took to social media to gripe about the problems troubling them. The hashtag #Verizonoutage spread like wildfire on Twitter because of the outages. Sweet none of my calls will go through because Verizon is down in all of Southern California Hi everyone, Verizon Wireless is down in Southern California over voice network yet data is working. Rick Martin (@RickMartin993) March 18, 2016 This is how we feel @verizon about the phone outage till midnight tonight #verizonoutage pic.twitter.com/u6fp8M5SMq Chelsea (@chelsgolub) March 18, 2016 The outages were not just experienced in Southern California. The outage map also shows that the network service also went down in other major cities. In August last year, subscribers of four biggest carriers in the United States, namely T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T plus Verizon have encountered a widespread service interruption in the southeastern part of the country. Back then, consumers from Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee and Indiana experienced difficulties in gaining access to voice and data services. The carriers were quick to push out their statements regarding the issues and assured customers that they were working on the problems to make certain that the services are restored as quickly as possible. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Although wind turbines are essential in wind energy development, the massive-vaned device has been linked to the widespread mortality of bats, particularly in the Appalachian Mountains. Scientists know which bat species are being killed, but little is known about how the animals are moving across the area, the number of their population, and what their genetic diversity is. Now, a new study conducted by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science has tracked down the origins of the dead bats using chemical fingerprints. The highest bat mortality rates all over the world have been recorded at the wind energy sites along the Appalachian Mountains. Two of the species that comprise the majority of turbine-related deaths in North America are the eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) and the hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus). Associate Professor David Nelson, co-author of the study, said their research aims to help conservationists understand: are these the species we should be concerned about? Examining The Chemical Fingerprint Nelson and his colleagues used a combination of genetic analysis and stable isotope for the first time to evaluate the impacts of wind energy development on bats in the Appalachian region. The research team used stable hydrogen isotopes - some kind of chemical fingerprint - to reveal where the bats have been despite having flown long distances. Various forms of hydrogen exist in water depending on where it falls. Rain from higher elevations has a different signature than rain from lower elevations, and the differences are recorded in the hair of each bat. Scientists can then analyze the bat hair and use the hydrogen isotope signature to find out where the animals spent their summer, which is a time when these animals molt and grow in new fur. The team also extracted DNA from the bats' wing tissue to examine their genes. This will help experts understand how capable the species are to adapt to an increase of deaths in their population. How Wind Energy Development Affects Bat Populations Researchers found that half of the eastern red bats that were killed were not local residents, and may have spent their summer at places far from the wind turbines. In contrast, almost all of the hoary bats spent their summer in the Appalachian region. The eastern red bats represented one massive population, while the hoary bats represented a small group of bats. The team's findings suggest that intensive wind energy development affects bat populations differently. The larger populations of red bats are potentially more able to cope with wind turbine-associated deaths than the relatively smaller population of hoary bats. Cortney Pylant, the lead author of the new research, said it is often difficult to understand the impact of turbine-related deaths among bats because of the lack of data. "Studies such as this can help to identify species and populations at particular risk," added Pylant. The study is featured in the journal Ecological Applications. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. When British builders stumbled upon the remains of a 2,500-year-old Iron Age burial site in Pocklington, East Yorkshire, they didn't know what they accidentally unearthed. The discovery included human skeletons, weapons and artifacts. The analysis revealed that one of the human skeletons belongs to an ancient warrior king. The burial site belonged to the Arras culture who lived during the Middle Iron Age. This population is believed to have had unique burial practices. The remains of the youthful warrior king was pierced with a spear to "release his spirit," researchers say. His sword was found next to his skeleton. The accidental discovery was hailed as one of the biggest and most important Iron Age Europe discoveries in almost 40 years. Archaeologist Paula Ware said that the warrior king was placed in a box in a barrow, or burial chamber, in a crouching position. Ware theorized the warrior king was between the ages of 17 and 23 at the time of his death. Four spears were found along the warrior king's spine and one in his groin. "He was possibly a warrior - someone who had achieved status within society. In the Iron Age we can definitely see this ritual of death was so important. It wasn't just a simple thing," added Ware, who is also the managing director of MAP Archaeological Practice, one of the leading heritage consultants and archaeological contractors in northern England. The researchers also found the remains of a second warrior, whose skeleton was placed on his shield. Ware referred to this as a "shield burial" and considered it a unique find. It was the first documented discovery of a shield burial in Britain. The Iron Age burial site revealed several human skeletons inside wicker baskets or on top of organic beds. Among the human skeleton finds, three warrior barrows stood out. Instead of the typical square barrows, these three warriors were placed in round graves. The researchers started to see a pattern emerge. It seemed that the round graves were reserved for important members of the village. The site excavation yielded 75 graves during their year-long study. The researchers expect to find at least two more graves. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The bloodstream infection Elizabethkingia is rarely seen but it has already sickened dozens and killed a number in Wisconsin. Now it has been identified in a resident of another state, Michigan, the state health department confirms. The rare infection, caused by the bacteria Elizabethkingia anophelis, has led to the death of the patient, an older adult with underlying medical conditions. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has so far received 54 cases of Elizabethkingia infection from Nov. 1 to March 16, and is now working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Michigan health department to alert the public about the outbreak and ensure early detection. The majority of the patients who acquired the infection are older than 65 and with a history of at least one serious underlying disease, revealed the Wisconsin agency in a statement. Seventeen of the 54 patients have died, but until now the exact cause of death or underlying illnesses have not been confirmed. Elizabethkingia bacteria typically found in soil, reservoirs and rivers rarely make humans sick but can affect those with compromised immune function or serious medical conditions. Named after the CDC microbiologist who first isolated the bacterium, the infection can occur in ones or twos in hospitals, particularly in those who already have weak immunity. Infection symptoms include fever, chills, shortness of breath and cellulitis, and diagnosis is confirmed by a laboratory test. The bacteria, too, are hardly contained by antibiotics because they tend to be resistant to many commonly employed antibacterial treatments. Timely diagnosis is key to ensuring patients receive appropriate treatment, and we will continue to provide updates and guidance as additional information becomes available, assures Dr. Eden Wells, chief medical executive of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, in a separate statement. The link between the Wisconsin cases and the one in Michigan is proving difficult to determine, as not all of the patients visited the same medical facility or even went to a hospital at all. Some stayed in their own houses or in nursing homes. This makes the current outbreak one of the largest seen and investigated quite difficult to solve, according to Michael Bell, deputy director of CDCs Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. That leaves us looking at a huge number of potential risk factors, he told the Washington Post, referring to medications, food and environmental factors as some potential causes. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Ride-hailing service Uber has ordered at least 100,000 autonomous S-Class Mercedes Benz cars, says reports. Autonomous cars are expected to hit the roads not before 2020 but they will save Uber a lot of money spent on drivers. According to sources familiar with the matter, Uber has been shopping for self-driving cars and has now placed orders with the German carmaker. "They wanted autonomous cars. It seemed like they were shopping around," says the anonymous source. Many vehicle makers have been working on fully autonomous as well as semi-autonomous cars and Mercedes is one of them. However, the company currently does not have any fully autonomous car on offer. Mercedes is hoping to launch its autonomous S-Class in 2020. In August 2013, Mercedes Benz developed an S-class limousine, which drove 103 kilometers (64 miles) between the German towns of Mannheim and Pforzheim without any input from the driver, which reflects the company's efforts towards autonomous car technology. Analysts suggest that by 2020 the autonomous car technology market will be worth $25 billion. Companies may be ready to launch autonomous cars by 2020 but analysts believe that these cars will not make their way to the roads until 2025 or 2030 due to government regulatory hurdles. Individual countries and states in America have different laws for testing self-driving cars. In 2011, Nevada passed a law that allowed testing of autonomous vehicles there. Auto industry experts suggest that regulators are very likely to pass legislation for autonomous cars if these cars reduce pollution and congestion. The American transportation networking company operates in more than 50 countries and about 300 cities around the world but it is not making profits. Ordering more than 100,000 Mercedes S-Class sedans not only points at cutting driver costs but also highlights at the company's desire of offering ultra-premium ride to customers. Neither Uber nor Mercedes has commented on the 100,000 Mercedes S-Class car orders. However, it is not a secret that Uber is also pursuing its own self-driving technology. Uber has also announced the expansion of its Pittsburgh facility, which will be used for testing driverless cars. Uber's business model relies heavily on drivers using their own vehicles. Ordering 100,000 autonomous cars is definitely a change of business model, which may help the company in reducing the cost-per-mile and also address the assaults made by Uber drivers on passengers. It is worth noting that German carmaker BMW has also revealed its plans to start a ride hailing service, which will compete with the likes of Uber. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Even email and social network campaigns used to promote Earth Hour, the annual symbolic dimming of lights to fight global warming, are inevitably contributing to climate change. In the 10th edition of the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), an NGO-backed event that raises awareness on climate change effects, the worlds landmark monuments and participating establishments will go dark at 8:30 p.m. their local time for a whole hour. Along with the activity comes the call to adjust lifestyles to slash peoples carbon footprints, including using bikes, carpooling and becoming eco-responsible. But theres another largely unnoticed carbon pollutant in all this climate change discussion: peoples email and social network activity. "Electricity consumption related to the growth of digital technologies is exploding," warns Alain Anglade of the French Environment and Energy Management Agency in an AFP report. Humans are believed to emit about 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide yearly, with a short email only contributing about 0.14 ounce. But in the digital era, the sheer volume of these digital messages has become a significant contributor, accounting for more than 10 percent of total electricity consumption in France alone, which is practically the same as in other developed nations. The report breaks this down to several practical scenarios: five dozens of these 0.14-ounce emails per day from a smartphone or laptop are equivalent to driving an average-size car per kilometer or 0.6 miles. A 1-megabyte email attachment, too, is the same as low-wattage light bulb turned on for two hours. Factored in are greenhouse gases from powering the computer, routers and server, as well as those emitted during equipment manufacturing. Even sending an SMS text message, too, weighs in at around 0.014 grams of CO2, which pile up over time and with the growing amount of users worldwide. Even reading an e-book does not hold an eco-friendly advantage over using actual books. A paperback can entail around a kilo (nearly 2.2 pounds) of CO2 to be created, but it takes at least 200 times more to manufacture an e-reader. Some tips to be more energy-conscious include cutting down on email attachments, emptying ones trash and eliminating unnecessary recipients. Make emails more precise as well, as the carbon counter keeps running as someone reads emails. Even Google searches count, with every Web search leaving a 0.2-gram CO2 footprint. The figure grows to up to 4.5 grams (0.16 pounds) on ones desktop. The world is at a climate crossroads, Earth Hour Global executive director Siddarth Das says, citing the unprecedented impacts of climate change across borders. In its continuing campaign, Earth Hour which claims to have organized global legislation and action on climate change urges social media users to help raise awareness, including changing their profile photos. Even these small steps on Facebook and Twitter could prove consequential, if one considers how virtual messaging actually contributes to climate change. This year's Earth Hour occurs a week after February was declared the warmest month on record, sparking greater concerns on how the planet is faring. Scientists maintain that 2016 is in the running as the warmest year on record. Photo: Johnny Ashburn | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A listeria outbreak back in 2014 has been traced to raw milk from an organic farm, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Friday, the agency said that raw milk produced by Millers Organic Farm in Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania tested positive for listeria and is likely the outbreak's source. The bacteria causes listeriosis, an infection affecting the gastrointestinal tract, and like salmonella, E.coli, and Campylobacter, can result in foodborne illnesses. The 2014 outbreak involved two persons, one from California and one from Florida, who were from ages 73 to 81 and contracted the illness after they drank raw milk, said their families. The patient from Florida, who had bought raw milk from the brand, according to family members, died from the incident. The cause of the two illnesses in 2014 remained undetermined until Jan. 29, when the Food and Drug Administration told the CDC that genome sequencing showed that the raw milk's bacteria appeared closely genetically related to listeria samples from the two victims. Raw milk comes from cows and other animals, but it has not been pasteurized to kill dangerous bacteria. The CDC report recommended consuming only pasteurized dairy, including cheese and yogurt products, where the milk is heated to a high enough temperature to kill bacteria. This is especially important for people at higher risk for foodborne illness: children younger than 5, pregnant women, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems, reminds the health agency. The CDC also expressed concern over the continued sale of potentially contaminated raw milk and raw dairy from the company. Millers Organic Farm works as a private club where its members can purchase a range of products from animal milks and fresh produce to meats and oils. CNN sought a comment from the company, but received no response. In November 2015, its chocolate milk tested positive for the same bacteria after the FDA obtained a sample during a raw milk testing in California and informed the CDC. Its link to the 2014 outbreak was then established. In early March, despite no health cases being reported, a Starbucks supplier recalled breakfast sandwiches after a routine test showed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in the production facility. Aside from the sandwiches, Starbucks Cheese & Fruit Bistro Boxes were also voluntarily pulled out due to potential allergens undisclosed on the label. Photo: Rebecca Siegel | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Those who have seen Steven Spielberg's 2004 film, "The Terminal," starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones, may think that being forced to live in an airport is not the worst thing that could happen, but they may have to adjust their opinions now. Fadi Mansour, a Syrian refugee who has been detained in Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, can tell firsthand that being held inside an airport is just as bad as being in a war-torn country. In 2012, Mansour had a bright future ahead of him as a law student in Damascus, but when a civil war broke out and he was drafted to the army, he decided to flee to Lebanon. Two years after, in 2014, Mansour decided to flee again - this time to Turkey -after he was kidnapped by a local gang. The 28-year-old then decided to try and seek refuge in Europe. After receiving information from a smuggler that it was easier to enter the continent through Malaysia, he went for it. His plight only became more difficult from there, however, because when he reached Malaysia, he was not allowed to enter the country and was sent back to Ataturk Airport. He has been detained in the "Problematic Passengers Room" since March 2015. Neither Mansour nor his lawyer was informed of the grounds for his arrest. Looking for safety is not a crime, The Crime is to hold a person in the airport for a year. @RT_Erdogan pic.twitter.com/zBpWgHQkqs Fadi Mansour (@Fadimans0ur) March 13, 2016 The room is reportedly designed to hold two to three people, but on any given day, it holds between 30 and 40 detainees inside. There is no natural light and poor ventilation, and at one time, he was even beaten up really badly by one of his fellow detainees that he had to be brought to a hospital. "I don't know what to do anymore [...] I mentally couldn't handle it any longer. I became almost aggressive, feeling like I want to hit the walls. I started smoking two and a half packs a day. I've never smoked before," he said in an interview. Mansour's arrest is not the only issue because the conditions for his detainment are affecting him psychologically, just as much as other refugees who experience trauma first-hand. Amnesty International has been calling out to officials to pay attention to Mansour's condition and finally reveal why the refugee is being detained, but so far, no one has answered their call. "F.M. has relatives in other countries who are attempting to sponsor him to obtain a visa. According to the information received, no foreign embassy representatives have interviewed F.M. in detention, although it is unclear if this is because they were denied access by the Turkish authorities, or if no attempt was actually made," Amnesty International wrote [pdf]. It is lunch time, please come and share my one-year daily dish pic.twitter.com/jO5rV7knhx Fadi Mansour (@Fadimans0ur) March 16, 2016 "They told me, we have 2 million of you already and don't need any more [...] I used to think Turkey stood side-by-side with Syrians. Now I'm watching on TV here people say how Turkey is helping Syrians but to me, it's all lies," Mansour said. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Microsoft recently went back on its statement from January regarding the support for Windows 7 and 8.1-powered Intel Skylake PCs. The initial announcement was that beginning July 17, 2017, all Skylake PCs will stop receiving full support for Windows 7 and 8.1. Now, Microsoft extended the time frame by a year. "We've received feedback from customers at various stages of planning and deployment of Windows 10," says Jeremy Korst, Windows Marketing general manager. Microsoft claimed that the decision to withdraw support for Windows 7 and 8.1 in 2017 was based on the painstaking process of adapting its old operating systems to Intel's revolutionary architecture. This was the first time when Microsoft became demanding, virtually forcing newer hardware to come packed with the latest OS from the company. Experts from the tech world speculated that the move is a tactic through which Microsoft aims to push out more copies of Windows 10. The recent statement shows that certain Skylake PCs running Windows 7 and 8.1 will get support until July 17, 2018. This means that after this date, newer hardware will stop getting updated drivers for the two OSs. Take a look at the full list of supported devices on Microsoft's official site. Other positive news are in store. Skylake systems that run Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 will get all critical security updates until they reach their retirement dates. Windows 7 "retires" on Jan. 14, 2020, while Windows 8.1 has until Jan. 10, 2023. Korst explains why his company decided to prolong the support period. "We've received feedback from customers at various stages of planning and deployment of Windows 10," he notes. Korst goes on to add that by upgrading a Skylake machine to Windows 10, customers will truly feel the synergy of modern hardware and software. Microsoft got a lot of backup from enterprise partners and clients, and experts agree that Lenovo's contribution was crucial to the decision. Lenovo's North America ThinkPad product manager, Adrienne Mueller, expressed a firm standpoint against Microsoft's deadline of July 2017. "The thought here is that Microsoft is really just pushing customers to move to Windows 10," Mueller says. A part of Microsoft's plans to deploy its latest OS to Skylake PCs remains unchanged, however: shortly put, post-Skylake chipsets will sport exclusive Windows 10 support. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. After thumbing through countless prospectuses, working out predicted A-levels and totting up the price of university, British students are picking up their passports and searching farther afield for an education. Since 2010, there has been an explosion in English-taught degree programmes in continental Europe. Of the top 1,000 universities in the world offering 36,500 English-taught programmes, 75 per cent are outside Britain. A 2014 report commissioned by the Sutton Trust found UK students will graduate owing about 44,000. Harry Wettons last semester at Western New Mexico University cost just $62. Harry said: I knew I didnt want to go to university in the UK I wanted to go to the US on a golf scholarship where I could continue my education, as well as play golf in the sunshine every day. Far from home in Bedford, Harry, 21, says he gets special treatment as the foreigner. His accent might make him popular, but Harry couldnt be further from the typical British student. He studies two majors, marketing and business management, wakes up at 6am to work out and avoids alcohol. An NHS doctor who had a sexual encounter with a prostitute at a maternity hospital faces being struck off after medical watchdogs branded him a risk to patients. Trainee anesthatist Dr Rupert Pemsel, 32, had sex with the woman in a side room after texting her before he started work saying: "This is naughty on my part so discretion would really be appreciated." After the liaison in December 2013 at the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton the married father of one - whose wife is a GP - was subsequently blackmailed by associates of the escort who demanded 10,000 warning they would reveal details of his 40 minute dangerous liaison to his wife and NHS officials if he didn't pay up. Pemsel called police who set up a sting operation in a hotel to catch the blackmailers but during a pep-talk, he inexplicably showed detectives an intimate radiograph picture of an unnamed patient on his mobile phone. The two officers arrested the blackmailers after catching them red handed - but then referred the illicit photograph to a senor colleague who reported it to Pemsel's bosses at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester Pemsel, from Compton, near Winchester was condemned for his conduct as he was found guilty of misconduct charges and told his fitness to practise was 'impaired.' To some, including angry No 10 insiders, Mr Duncan Smith's resignation is nothing more than a move in the EU referendum game. He wants to leave the EU and will do anything to harm a Prime Minister who wants to remain in, they suggest. The welfare row is just a figleaf for that aim, they suggest. The truth is more complex and, for Conservatives, more worrying. Mr Duncan Smith's resignation was caused by the referendum, but not directly. His decision was not as simplistic as it's painted by No 10. The referendum has created a poisonous atmosphere within government. While David Cameron has said he will tolerate colleagues dissenting from his EU policy, ministers who back leaving do not feel tolerated. They feel marginalised and abused by No 10 and No 11. Many have been taken aback by the hostility shown to them by their party's leadership over their decision to back a Brexit that is desired by half the party's MPs and most of its members. Jeremy Corbyn will return to the era of "beer and sandwiches at Number 10" with union leaders if he becomes Prime Minister, John McDonnell has said. The shadow chancellor suggested that a future Labour government would return to the politics of the 1960s and 1970s, with union leaders have a place at the "top table". The shadow chancellor made the comments as he addressed the Federation of Small Businesses' (FSB) conference in Glasgow, promising the FSB would be included in such a set-up. Mr McDonnell said the move was needed as "I have argued time and time again that there has been a breakdown in communication at times from the shop floor, the factory floor, up to government". Thousands of young Air Cadets will find it more difficult to gain valuable flying experience after a ludicrous and short-sighted decision to disband more than half their volunteer glider squadrons it is claimed. Many of the next generation of Britains military and civilian pilots will now have to travel hours across the country to get their first taste of flying because the MoD is trying to save peanuts. The cuts are likely to cause a fall in young recruits signing up for an organisation that traditionally proves a springboard for young men and women wanting to join the RAF and aerospace industry, air leaders warn. A total of 14 of 26 volunteer glider squadrons are being disbanded in an overhaul of cadet flying designed to get the organisations aircraft airborne again after gliders have been grounded for two years over safety fears. Prince Harry has arrived in Nepal to help revive the countrys tourist industry and to say a personal thank you to the Gurkhas for 200 years of service to the Crown. The Prince, making his first visit to the Himalayan country, has said Britain owes Nepal a favour for the sacrifices made by Gurkhas in two centuries of wars. He also wants to shine a spotlight on the country to show that it is open for business despite the damage done by last years earthquake, which killed more than 9,000 people. Governor Vasip Sahin said the explosion occurred outside a local government office on Istiklal Street, which is also home to cafes, restaurants and foreign consulate buildings. Turkey's Dogan news agency says at least three of the injured are Israeli nationals. "This is a suicide attack, a terrorist attack," Governor Sahin told reporters at the scene, saying the bomber was also killed. Three of the wounded were in serious condition. The bomb exploded near a shopping mall, but Sahin said the intended target was a local authority building in the Beyoglu neighbourhood, where Istiklal Caddesi is situated. We've noticed you're adblocking. We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism. We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. Thank you for your support. Owen Labrie, a prefect at an elite New England boarding school has been jailed after admitting breaking a court imposed curfew following his conviction for having sex with an under age student. Labrie, 20, had been released on bail while appealing against the conviction and the sentence imposed by the court in August. The student at St Pauls School in Concord, New Hampshire, had been cleared of three counts of sexually assaulting the 15-year old student in a high profile case which exposed a culture of harassment and bullying at a school whose alumni includes John Kerry, the US Secretary of State and former presidential candidate. According to Catherine Ruffle, the prosecutor, told the court that Labrie, who was living with his mother, was subject to a 5pm to 8am curfew. An investigation was launched after the student spoke to a reporter, late last month, while travelling on a train in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the New York Daily News reported. The defendant is not above the law, she said. He agreed to these conditions. The Venezuelan government celebrated on Friday the arrival in the country of the last five crew members of the Emtrasur aircraft that had been held in Argentina since June 6. | Read More Earlier this week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) again demonstrated to its state regulating peers that it is doing its job to enforce rules reported the Bangkok Post The capital market fined top executives and shareholders of five companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand for insider trading, its second crackdown in three months on top managers who have abused their power in publicly traded firms for their own benefit or for their cronies. In December, the SEC moved to slap four top executives of CP All Plc, Thailands biggest convenience store operator, with hefty financial penalties. It fined Korsak Chairasmisak, chairman of the executive committee, Piyawat Titasattavorakul and Pittaya Jearavisitkul, two vice-chairmen of the executive committee, and Athueck Asvanund, the firms chief legal officer, a total of 33.34 million baht for using inside information to buy shares in Siam Makro Plc. On Wednesday, the regulator said it had banned Chai Sophonpanich, chairman of Bangkok Insurance Plc (BKI), from being a director at Bangkok Life Assurance (BLA) for three years for his involvement in insider trading. He has also been barred from working in capital markets for the same period. The ban took effect yesterday, but he is not prohibited from working at BKI. Bangkok Insurance Public Company Limited (BKI). The Criminal Fining Committee has imposed a fine of 500,000 baht on Chai Sophonpanich for disclosing inside information for other persons to purchase shares of Bangkok Insurance Public Company Limited (BKI). Following a referral from the Stock Exchange of Thailand, the SECs further inspection has revealed that Chai, then chairman and chairman of the executive board of directors of BKI, proposed a dividend payment plan for BKI shareholders at the ratio of five existing shares to two dividend shares, on top of the normal dividend payment plan for the operating performance of 2013. This was material information that would have supported an upward trend of the BKI share price. Chai disclosed such inside information to other persons who purchased BKI shares during 24-25 February 2014 before the information became publicly known on 28 February 2014. Such action was deemed taking an unfair advantage of other people. Such actions are deemed to have taken advantage of other investors and breached Securities and Exchange Act Section 241; therefore the SECs Settlement Committee fined him 500,000 baht. Other listed companies executives found guilty of unfair trading practices by the securities watchdog in Wednesdays SEC announcements were: WHA Corporation Plc Somyos Anantaprayoon, current chairman of WHA Corporation Plc, who was fined 500,000 baht for telling two newspapers with the articles published on Oct 27, 2014 that the company was in talks to acquire a listed company worth 50 billion baht, though such information had not yet been made public. The Criminal Fining Committee has fined Somyos Anantaprayoon for dessiminating news that may have led other persons to understand that the share price of WHA Corporation Plc. (WHA) would rise or fall, and such information had not been disclosed to the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). Following a referral from the SET and the SECs further inspection, it was found that Somyos, then Chairman, CEO and a major shareholder of WHA, had released news to the public through two media publications issued on 27 October 2014 with the key message that WHA was negotiating a business deal worth approximately 50 billion baht to take over a listed company that had long been established for more than 20 years in the same industry as WHA with a multiple P/E of 10. His misconduct with regard to the dessimination of facts that had not yet been disclosed to the SET and contained material information that could have influenced investors decision making and the price movements of WHA shares being traded on the SET, was in violation of Section 239 and liable to the penalites under Section 296 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1992. He was imposed a criminal fine of 500,000 baht Siam Global House (Global) Witoon Suriyawanakul, chairman of the management committee and director of Siam Global House (Global), and three other shareholders, who were given a combined fine of 25.3 million baht for insider trading. The SEC found that Mr Witoon bought 8.02 million shares and 3.5 million units of warrants of Global from June 29 to Aug 23, 2012 using accounts of people who have a relationship with him in order to take advantage of inside information regarding SCG Distributions planned acquisition of Global. The other three shareholders were viewed as accomplices. The acquisition was disclosed to the public on Aug 27, 2012. The Criminal Fining Committee has imposed a total fine of 25,322,064.39 on four offenders for using insider information to purchase ordinary shares and warrants of Siam Global House Public Company Limited (GLOBAL). The four offenders are: (1) Witoon Suriyawanakul, (2) Kunnatee Suriyawanakul, (3) Apilas Suriyavanakul, and (4) Kriangkai Suriyawanakul. The SEC, meanwhile, has filed a criminal complaint against two other offenders, namely (1) Surasak Chuntori, and (2) Ekkamon Chuntori, for using insider information to purchase GLOBAL shares. Following a referral from the Stock Exchange of Thailand, the SECs further investigation has revealed that Witoon and the three other persons in the same group purchased GLOBAL shares and GLOBAL-W warrants and gained benefits from such transactions. Witoon, who was chairman of the management committee of GLOBAL, had the decision making power over the terms and conditions of an agreement between GLOBAL and SCG Distribution Co., Ltd. (SCG), a wholely owned subsidiary of The Siam Cement Public Company Limited, with regard to SCGs plan to hold at least 30 percent of GLOBALs total voting shares by purchasing GLOBAL ordinary capital shares through a private placement. In this regard, SCG would make a partial offer of GLOBAL shares, which was expected to increase business strength for GLOBAL. Most of these guilty executives are from the countrys richest families. According to Forbes 2015 list of Thailands 50 richest: Mr Chais half brother, Chatri Sophonpanich, was ranked 14th with estimated assets of US$1.5 billion (about 52 billion baht) Mr Somyos and his then-wife Ms Jareeporn together were ranked 32nd with estimated assets of $765 million Witoon Suriyawanakul was ranked 48th and worth $470 million Without fear of reprisals or of political ramifications from these powerful and super-rich figures, the SEC did its job honestly, even though the investigation process was tedious and time consuming a model other state regulators or law enforcers could have adopted in the war on corruption without wasting rhetoric. Commented the Bangkok Post A new book entitled Capital Surfers by Ian Ingram beautifully sets out Australia's early surfing history on the East Coast, with Narooma and Far South Coast surf spots featuring heavily. The 180-page book features 380 photos, all but five of which were taken by Ian himself. Ian Ingram with his new book Capital Surfers on Narooma main surf beach, the exact location where he was photographed with his VW Beatle in 1964, featured on the front cover. It also features four of his original articles featured in Surfing World and Surf International magazine between 1967 and 1968. It all started in 1961, when an 18-year-old Ian Ingram began his love affair with surfing in Narooma, together with his brother Don and their friends, and also brothers Warren and Rod Gilhome. Perfect autumn weather and 27 of the nation's leading craft brewers proved an irresistible mix on Saturday as a record crowd of 2000 enjoyed Canberra's Craft Beer and Cider Festival. Founder Jenny Farrell from the Schwartz Family Company said attendance at the ninth annual event in Braddon had doubled from last year despite a nervous build-up due to a bleak day on Friday. Canberran Lindsey Anders, left, with her friends Hannah Fane and James Small from Sydney, enjoy a drink from Feral Brewing Co at the festival on Saturday. Credit:Elesa Kurtz "Yesterday we were so worried, it was pouring rain and windy, we set up some marquees and they were soon knocked down," she said. "But Canberrans love their craft beer, once it was seven degrees and we handed out ponchos and people stayed." He was a "chaotic and disorganised" student who dropped out of law school, but the former chief of Army David Morrison has been awarded an academic honour at his old uni. The man who spent 36 years of his life in the disciplined role of a soldier said he was "not a particularly diligent student" after he learnt he had been named the Australian National University's Alumnus of the Year, but his interest in literature and history had not dimmed since his four years on campus in the 1970s. David Morrison, pictured in January, said he still read Tolstoy and Shakespeare four decades after majoring in literature and history. Credit:Andrew Meares "The study of poetry has stayed with me all my life, I'm revisiting the later works of T.S. Elliot at the moment and that love of poetry was incubated at ANU," he said. "I've described my university education as eclectic; everybody who knew me at the time described it as chaotic and disorganised. It is in every sense a world away from the aggressive, showy campaigns of US democracy on display this year, but Tibetans outside their homeland will also go to the ballot box on Sunday to choose their leader. And for the first time, Australia's Tibetan community can directly vote not only for a sikyong, the equivalent of a prime minister, but also for a local to represent them as the Australasia member of the exiled government which sits in northern India. ACT Tibetan Community president Sonam Choedon with members Tsering Deki of Hughes, Tenzin Rigchok of Wright, Tenzin Dagpo of Hughes, Tenzin Norzom of Wanniassa, Esho Metok, 9, of Hughes (not voting), Palmo Tenzin of Kingston and Tsering Dolma of Wanniassa will be voting in the general worldwide election for the Tibetan Government in Exile on Sunday March 20 at Hughes Community Centre. Credit:Elesa Kurtz ACT Tibetan Community president Sonam Choedon, 32, said the election was a proud day which was taken very seriously, with a high turnout expected. "I think it's a mixed emotion. You're very happy, because even if we're in exile, refugees living across the world, on that same day we come together for the same cause, and this shows that we are behind one goal, one leadership," she said. The impending sale of the first 10 remediated Mr Fluffy blocks next month will be a test for both the ACT government and the property market. While experts have predicted there will be strong interest in the vacant blocks of land, it will be interesting to see just how much money buyers will part with to get a clean slate to build on in an established suburb. Editorial It is rare for an undeveloped or cleared block of land to go on the market in an older suburb and as such these blocks will be highly valuable as they don't come with the costs of demolition. The first 10 blocks for auction are spread throughout both highly desirable inner suburbs and those considered more affordable, so it will be a litmus test for how much money the ACT government is expected to reap from the buy-back scheme. How arrogant of Father Robert Willson to believe that firstly, he gets to define what atheism is, and secondly, he can get away with disingenuously setting up straw men to knock down rather than presenting an argument. Atheists are members of a broad church that includes people who have many different ideas about belief. Many of them are ethical humanists who do know wrong from right, contrary to what Mr Willson thinks. I don't think Mr Willson would be pleased if I claimed that the notorious Westboro Baptist Church in the US, the "Christian" folks who cheer the death of American soldiers, is the perfect example of "Christian" behaviour. They certainly claim to have all the answers. Are they the "wrong" kind of Christians and Mr Willson's mob are the "right" kind? Mr Willson is free to believe and worship as he wishes; I am free to define my own beliefs as I see fit. Steve Ellis, Hackett Robert Willson (Letters, March 13) makes a heart-felt statement opposing what he calls the "beliefs" of atheists. It's Mr Willson's version of the religionists' latest tactic following the failure of "creation science". They are now trying to side-step the fact that rational atheists look, not to any sort of "belief", but to the constantly growing evidence provided by science (Mr Willson incidentally, has back-tracked after being challenged over Einstein's supposed "faith"). He cleverly employs sophistry in providing "examples" of how atheists have "beliefs". Unfortunately, he slips from literary agility to farce when he says, "[atheists] reject the Lord's Prayer as irrelevant, yet it is still used ... in our Federal Parliament". Some endorsement! Mr Willson is clearly a "man of faith" and good luck to him. Unfortunately, he doesn't explain how his particular religion is the "right" one and all others are wrong including intra-faith differences. Indeed, how can the theists be so sure the polytheism of the Romans and Greeks was mere fancy? Science-based logic and rationality suggests they all lack credibility. Mr Willson talks about not being able to prove a negative but he then diminishes his own "belief" rationale by asserting we can't prove a positive either. Where there are positives, they are certainly more evident in scientific discoveries than in the contradictory and sometimes cruel teachings of whichever "omnipotent divinity" one happens to follow. Eric Hunter, Cook I am much encouraged by Robert Willson's statement that I have more faith than he does (Letters, March 12). Indeed, as an atheist and a Humanist, I do have faith. It is faith in the ability of human beings to use their reason and compassion to advance human progress and improve our relationships with each other and care for and relate with all in the natural world. If only all of us, regardless of our belief systems, could commence a productive inter-faith dialogue so that together we could use our reason and common values to hope for, and achieve, a better, more equitable and peaceful world. Geoffrey Ballard, ACT Humanist Society treasurer More awareness vital Hear, hear to the awareness campaign the Rare Cancers Australia organisation pushes ahead with (Sunday CT, March 13, p6). The lack of funding for these cancers is so disappointing when the outcomes for patients are usually so dire. Lachlan Smith, our gorgeous son with so much potential, courageously battled desmoplastic small round cell tumour from age 18 until it took him at age 25. Losing him was and continues to be totally heart-breaking and completely devastating. Quietly occurring behind closed doors without fanfare the magnitude of such a loss is perhaps not appreciated by the wider community. Full marks to the Vines! Janey Wallace, Reid You can fight back You may wish to consider printing the following in your letters pages. Those folk who are concerned about privacy issues surrounding the use of drones (Sunday Focus, March 13) may find it interesting to know that the use of slingshots in the ACT is legal. Jeff Day, Greenway Not in the same league John Passant's description of Australia's offshore and onshore immigration detention centres as "classic examples of concentration camps" (Letters, March 13) is a gross insult to everyone who lived through the Nazi-German occupation of his/her country during the first half of the 1940s and saw relatives, friends and acquaintances being shipped off like cattle to one of many of Hitler's death camps, never to return. Henk Verhoeven, Beacon Hill, NSW Barry Goldwater, right, with Richard Nixon, left, and Ronald Reagan in Phoenix in 1965 at a testimonial dinner to honour the 1964 Republican presidential candidate. Prescott Bush, father of George H.W. and grandfather of George W and Jeb, helped doom Rockefeller. When Nelson divorced his wife and married another woman, Senator Bush asked, "Have we come to the point where the governor of a great state [New York] one who perhaps aspires to nomination for president of the United States can desert a good wife, mother of his grown children, divorce her, then persuade a young mother of four children to abandon her husband and four children and marry the governor?" The conservative Goldwater crusade campaigned against moderates, arguing, (much as Tea Party-influenced candidates and non-establishment Republicans have in 2016) that many elected moderate Republicans were little different from Democrats. The vehemence and bitterness of the campaign, and the desperation of moderate Republicans to find a candidate any candidate to beat Goldwater inflamed the differences. It made reconciliation at the Republican Convention impossible. Senator Barry Goldwater and wife Peggy, along with GOP convention delegates, are showered with balloons at San Francico's Cow Palace when the Republican presidential nominee arrived for his acceptance speech in July 1964. Goldwater did not go in with an absolute majority of votes, but could not be headed off. He won easily on the first ballot. The response of moderates, essentially, was to walk away from the campaign, essentially refusing to lift a finger for it. Millions of people who would normally have voted Republican could not be bothered to vote on election day. In theory, holding primaries followed by a convention first divides, then unites a party around the winner. But Goldwater's personality, tactics and philosophy had completely alienated half the party. As now, some preferred that their party lost than that Goldwater became president. Even many whose opposition was not ideological thought any campaign based on Goldwater's attitudes could not win popular support. Goldwaterism had no more time for moderates than Democrats. Principles are all very well, but one gets no chance to put them into practice until one can get power. As Gough Whitlam once remarked, only the impotent can afford to be pure. But the Goldwater Republican Party was under the domination of people who couldn't see the point of fighting for, or winning power, if one had to compromise on principle. It's an approach that a fatalistic Tony Abbott, rejecting reconciliation with his critics before getting the sack from his caucus last year, summarised as "death before dishonour." The Republican mutiny of 1964 had other consequences. Popular presidential candidates have "coat tail" effects. Their popularity causes their supporters to vote for other party people standing for the Senate, House of Representatives, state governorships, and state and country elections, including for sheriff and dogcatcher. But Goldwater produced headwinds, not tailwinds. Four Republican senators lost to Democrat challengers; so did 36 Republican congressmen. LBJ effectively had a two-thirds majority in each house. It was a Democrat high water mark, and the tide went out quickly. Johnson, who had effectively portrayed himself as the steady and anti-war candidate, was soon committing more and more American troops to war in Vietnam. He suffered the political consequences as defeat loomed, 50,000 soldiers were killed and the American population tired of the futile carnage. Within three years, he was defeated by an anti-war candidate at an early primary, and decided to retire rather than recontest the presidency. Moreover, Johnson's enthusiasm for civil rights and his war against poverty tore the Democratic Party apart, particularly in the old South. Until 1964, Democrats "owned" the old Deep South. "Yellow Dog" Democrats those who would vote for a yellow dog rather than a Republican had helped resist voting rights for African Americans, a century after the Civil War. The Republicans, the party of the successful northern states and Abraham Lincoln, was still deeply unpopular there. But those rebuilding the Republican Party after 1964 discovered a south that was angry and alienated by the extension of voting rights to African Americans, and the removal of the trappings of segregation, including by busing. It found words, and dog whistles, for articulating this resentment, and was able to capture this vote. That many Democrats, particularly from the north and east, responded with condescension and scorn to the screams of working class whites as they lost their privileged place, doubled up the success of the tactic. Republicans have, more or less, owned the "Yellow Dog" vote since. Democrats tend to win if they can mobilise a high turnout. Republicans tend to win if the turnout is low. Effective Democrats, such as Bill Clinton and Barak Obama, have been able to neutralise the Yellow Dog vote by forming coalitions of African Americans, Latinos and organised labour to counter the coalition building of Republicans. Four years after Goldwater dragged the Republican Party to record lows, a Republican, Richard Nixon (in today's terms relatively moderate) became president. He was re-elected in a landslide, if not one of 1964 proportions, in 1972, four years later. Nixon's resignation in scandal brought in another Democrat, but did not greatly cramp the Republicans, who won the next three terms. Two of these involved Ronald Reagan, an unabashed conservative and hero of the old Goldwater factions. It's hard to say that the abandonment and defeat of Goldwater did the Republicans lasting harm. Donald Trump is certainly not a conservative in the Republican mould. He may not be a conservative, social or economic, at all. He may be a mere opportunist and not one at all. But his appeal during the primary season has been essentially to conservative Republicans and to those who have felt disenfranchised and betrayed by political parties. A good many have come, belatedly, to understand that many of the economic policies advocated by small-government anti-interventionist rich business types have not been in the interests of an undereducated and underpaid working class. But Trump has campaigned outrageously. He has completely dominated the airwaves, and made most of the campaigns about himself. Outrageous would be terrible if it was unsuccessful, but, so far, it has worked. To the frustration of the Republican establishment, and its old mainstream, the man is beyond shame, consistency, or even fidelity to what he said yesterday. Moreover, he mocks and derides everyone of that establishment and mainstream. A good many Republicans honestly believe that it would be better, both for America and their party, if he lost. No one believes that he has any coat tails, and an additional fear is that Republicans could lose control of the Senate if he is leading the campaign. The Republicans have a 55-45 majority in the Senate, but, this year, 24 Republican places are up for grabs and only 10 Democrat places. Every conventional tactic, and vast sums of campaign money, have been thrown against Trump, without success. He has demolished any candidates capable of being called moderate, and his only viable opponent, Ted Cruz, looks every bit as unsuitable and unfit for office, only dumber and worse. With Trump or Cruz, support turns more on emotion; reason has been of little avail. The commentary is filled with discussion by desperate "traditional" Republicans about whether Trump can be stopped, and if so, how. Should the "party", somehow, "intervene" by, somehow, expelling Trump and choosing a candidate more acceptable to mainstream Republicans? Endless permutations of convention tactics can be rehearsed. But it seems impossible that the mainstream party take the party back, for now anyway. It has made a virtue of loose organisation and the primacy of primaries, and can hardly overrule results. The party is, for now, in the hands of crazies. The Donald has enthused millions of people, particularly of the male, white, working class. But even if every one of these mobilised to vote, their votes fall well short of a majority of the electorate, or even that part of the electorate disposed to vote. Even less so if many Republicans are not enthused about Trump. Or if Democrats can be made so frightened about what he might do in office that they would rush out, in any weather, to vote against him. The scarier a Republican crusade, the more easy to mount a counter-crusade. Many Tea Party folk and not a few Christian fundamentalist groupings some of those whose Republican activism and enthusiasm has driven out people of more moderate persuasion are not deeply keen on Trump. Former human rights commissioner Tim Wilson has gambled his $400,000 a year job to punt on a career in Canberra, and won pre-selection in the safe Liberal seat of Goldstein. Mr Wilson beat Georgina Downer, the daughter of former foreign minister Alexander Downer, and local favourite, Denis Dragovic, during pre-selection in Melbourne on Saturday afternoon. Tim Wilson has won the safe Liberal seat of Goldstein. Credit: Justin McManus Ms Downer was eliminated after the first round of voting, leaving Mr Wilson and Mr Dragovic. Mr Wilson won a close head-to-head vote by just two votes. A car belonging to an alleged gunman who opened fire at two brothers, instead killing a "completely innocent" father of one, has been located hidden at a south-west Sydney home - but the hunt continues for its owner. On Saturday night, police raided a home in Green Valley looking for Matthew Russell, 28, who detectives allege fired a handgun at two men during an argument over a girlfriend on Matthew Avenue, Heckenberg, about 6.30pm on Friday. A woman charged with concealing a serious indictable offence in relation to the Heckenberg shooting gestures to TV crews. Credit:9 News The spray of bullets instead struck Qusay Al Mhanawi, who was sitting in his car on the street where the argument was taking place, outside his family's home. He died at the scene. Mr Russell is alleged to have fled in a silver 2015 model Holden Commodore with NSW registration CB-62-ZS. He has not been seen since. A "completely innocent" husband and father was shot and killed when a gunman opened fire at two brothers on a suburban street during a dispute about one of their girlfriends, police said. A police manhunt is under way for Matthew Russell, 28, who is understood to have opened fire at the men on Matthew Avenue, Heckenberg, in Sydney's south-west about 6.30pm on Friday. Father and husband Qusay Al Mhanawi was the innocent victim of a suburban street shooting. Mr Russell allegedly fired his handgun in the direction of the two brothers but the bullet missed, striking Qusay Al Mhanawi as he sat in his car outside his home. He is understood to have just arrived home from work and was sitting in his car finishing a telephone conversation before going inside. Police charged two men with robbery in company on Saturday after an assault at West End involving an attack by eight males on one man. A 26-year-old man was approached by eight males on the corner of Vulture and Browning Streets and was asked for a cigarette just after midnight. They then allegedly assaulted him and knocked him to the ground before taking his bag and phone. Police said a gang attacked a man at West End. Credit:Paul Rovere The man was transported to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police located four males a short distance from the incident and they were arrested and taken into custody. Two juveniles were later released without charge. The value of digital technologies would boom and nearly 67,000 extra IT jobs will be filled in Australia by 2020, but women and older workers remain under-represented in the occupations, a new national report has found. The Digital Pulse analysis also indicated retraining of current workers would be essential to meet digital needs, as graduates make up only 1 per cent of the workforce each year. Australian Computer Society president Anthony Wong, who has degrees in computer science and law, said the economy needed more digital-savvy analysts not just coders. Launched at the National Press Club this week, the Deloitte Access Economics report found digital technologies would be worth $139 billion to the Australian economy in four years, up by 75 per cent from 2014. Australian Computer Society president Anthony Wong, whose organisation commissioned the report, said technologies from mobiles and the cloud to 3D printing and artificial intelligence created many opportunities, but governments, employers and educators needed to reassess approaches to training and recruitment. Bangkok: South-east Asian nations are turning to Australia to seek closer defence ties amid rising concerns over China's military build-up in the flashpoint waters of the South China Sea. The move comes as the United States warned that a ruling of an international court in a case brought by the Philippines over its South China Sea claims in the coming weeks could trigger Beijing to declare an exclusion zone in the waters through which 30 per cent of world trade passes. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Malaysia's Defence Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, is scheduled to meet Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne next week to discuss China's placement of military equipment on disputed islands, in a sign that Malaysia is considering a tougher stand against Beijing, its largest trading partner. "If the reports we've received from various sources regarding the build-up and placement of military assets in the Spratlys are true this forces us in a pushback against China," Mr Hishammuddin said, adding he would also hold talks with the Philippines and Vietnam. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi says she hopes other countries including Australia will assist with resettling refugees because Indonesia lacks the capacity to shelter them long-term. Speaking ahead of a regional forum on people smuggling, Ms Retno said Indonesia understood the refugee crisis in Europe had affected the resettlement of refugees in Indonesia to a third country. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi says Indonesia lacks the capacity to shelter refugees long term. Credit:Tatan Syuflana "We already hosted more than 13,000 thousand refugees and asylum seekers that have been years in Indonesia waiting to be resettled," she said in an interview with Fairfax Media. "And May last year we received almost 2000 coming from Bangladesh and Myanmar." Eleven-year-old Sarah Charles Lewis is getting ready to make her Broadway debut as Winnie Foster in the new musical Tuck Everlasting, beginning performances at the Broadhurst Theatre on March 31. Now in her final weeks of rehearsal, Lewis snapped some photos during a typical day on the job, giving us a behind-the-scenes look at life for a young star on the Great White Way. Follow her from the breakfast table, through the rehearsal room, all the way to the audience of Wicked, where she soaks in one of her last free nights before the eight-show-a-week schedule kicks into high gear. Breakfast Cheerios at our apartment! The window looks west toward the Hudson. Heading in to rehearsal for Tuck Everlasting at the beautiful New 42 Studios. My script! Never leave home without it. Morning rehearsal. Going through some script changes with my cast! Quick snack at rehearsal. Rehearsing in a row boat with the amazing Michael Park. Rehearsing with my "Partner in Crime," Andrew Keenan-Bolger. This is Robert Lenzi, who plays Miles Tuck! And this is our toad! Notes! Me and my castmates Brooklyn, Marco, and Elizabeth heading off to lunch together! Josh Groban stopped by our rehearsal to say hi! He'll be making his Broadway debut this year too in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. Tutoring with Brooklyn! And now on my way to try on some costumes. Costume fitting time! Trying on one of my Winnie Foster dresses. And now back to rehearsal! Rehearsing a scene with Andrew. Selfie with Carolee at the end of a long day! But now we get to go see Wicked!! This is me with my mom, Jennifer, outside the theater!! With my Tuck castmate Jessica Lee Goldyn and her niece! About to watch the show! It was a long day, but I had so much fun. I'm so excited to be in New York and on Broadway!! For tickets to Tuck Everlasting, click here. Born to Be Blue, a film about the life of the late jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, opens on a tight shot of his face. It seems bloodless, fleshless, each line and crevice a curse. As his eyes fixate on his glistening instrument, a tarantula slowly emerges from the bell and crawls towards him. That Bakers hollow-eyed, heroin-haunted face belongs to the actor Ethan Hawke, a former matinee idol playing the James Dean of jazz in his twilight years, lends the portrayal an added dose of despair. My two greatest influences of my generation, as actors, were River Phoenix and Phil, says a somber Hawke, referring to his late pal Philip Seymour Hoffman. Both were lost to heroin. That was certainly on my mind throughout the making of this movie. Ive spent my life around people like that, he adds. Having intense, brilliant confidence matched with crippling insecuritythey seem incongruous, but they often go hand-in-hand, and create a person whos severely out of balance, whos stumbling left, and stumbling right. Ive always had a love and interest in those kinds of people. Hawke befriended Hoffman through their work in the New York theater scene, and the two later shared the screen as warring brothers in Sidney Lumets underrated drama Before the Devil Knows Youre Dead. The 45-year-old actor met Phoenix much earlier on, when they starred opposite one another in Hawkes film debut, 1985s Explorers. At just 18 years young, Hawke became a household name with his standout turn as a troubled student in Dead Poets Society, before achieving heartthrob status five years later as a slacker Gen Xer in Reality Bites. I was the grunge rocker, says a chuckling Hawke of Reality Bites, his last onscreen musician. But in a lot of ways, Chet might speak to me more than he speaks to others by virtue of knowing what its like to experience that kind of early success. One of the downsides of early success is it doesnt leave you far to go. An ordinary temperature starts to feel ice cold once youve felt the spotlight, and its really hard on your self-esteem. So I understand that aspect, and Chet Baker had it to the extreme. Indeed, by his early twenties, Baker had been hand-picked to play alongside Charlie Parker, released a number of hit albums, and was even ranked by magazines as the No. 1 jazz trumpeter in the world, over (the far more talented) Miles Davis and Clifford Brown. He looked like a combo of Dean and Kerouac, and became the face of West Coast jazz. But his life soon fell apart due to a crippling heroin addiction. He was regularly in and out of jail for drug chargesincluding a one-year stint in an Italian prisonand in 1968, was brutally beaten during a heroin buy, resulting in the loss of his two front teeth, and a damaged embouchure, which would take years to heal. These later years are vividly captured by director Robert Budreau and Hawke, as well as the excellent Carmen Ejogo, who plays his lover, Jane. To say that Born to Be Blue is a passion project for Hawke would be an understatement. As a young man, he found himself inspired by Bruce Webers Baker documentary Lets Get Lost, an avant-garde exploration of the artists dark later years juxtaposed with the halcyon younger ones. Bruces fascination with Chet was contagious, and then I started buying Chet Baker records, he recalls. A narrative film project began to take shape with screenwriter Stephen Belber and longtime collaborator Richard Linklater after the trio worked on 2001s Tape. They had what Hawke calls a great script on the ready, but failed to raise money for it. Then, he says he got too old, and ended up shooting Before Sunset with Linklater instead. Fast forward 14 years, and another Chet Baker script shows up at his hotel room while hes filming a movie in Canada.I felt like I had played him in my head already, and it almost felt like a sequel to a film I hadnt made, says Hawke. It was meant to be. He took vocal lessons and practiced the trumpet for six months to prepare, since, he says, the trumpet is a pretty tough instrument to fake, though he wishes he had the luxury of at least four years of prep time. I made this documentary, Seymour: An Introduction, last year about a piano player, and the most important thing was capturing a love and a relationship to music, and an ethos where music is where he livesand that I could act, Hawke says. Born to Be Blue made its U.S. premiere at SXSW in Hawkes home turf of Austin, Texasthe same fest his buddy Richard Linklaters long-gestating Dazed and Confused sequel, Everybody Wants Some!!, made its debut. The two met way back in 1993, while Hawke was serving as the artistic director of the New York theater company Malaparte. Anthony Rapp, whod just shot Dazed with Linklater, was in one of the companys plays, so the filmmaker came to see him. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship and creative partnership thats spanned eight films, including the Before Trilogy and his 12-year masterpiece, Boyhood. As for whether there will be more Before films, Hawke remains cautiously optimistic. That door will never be closed, he says. You watch the characters age, and time becomes this characteras it is in our own lives. And people have a relationship to it. They remember when they saw Before Sunrise, and when they saw the third. It would be fun to make another one, but my secret thought about it is that if we did another one, it would have to be part of a new trilogy. This one is complete. It would have to be Jesse and Celine embarking on a second-half-of-life story. It would be the After trilogy. Hes also got a pair of western projects on the horizon. The first is The Magnificent Seven remake, which reunites him with his Training Day director and co-star, Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington, as well as perhaps the biggest movie star in the world right not named Jennifer Lawrence in Chris Pratt. Were all bad guys, and seven misfits pulled together to fight, says Hawke. The storys a retelling. Obviously, in the original, the bad guy is Eli Wallach playing a Mexican, but in this one, the enemy is corporate greed as metaphora Rockefeller-type person. And Antoines directing it, so its a lot more racially diverse. In the original, James Coburn played the knife specialist, whereas in ours, the knife specialist is a Korean, and we have a Native American in the gang, and a Latino, and Denzel is leading us, and theres a couple white guys in the mix. The other western is a graphic novel, Indeh: A Story of the Apache Wars, with artist Greg Ruth, thats set to hit stores in June. Its the story of the Apache WarsCochise, Geronimo, and their battles with General Howard, General Crook, and Lt. Gatewood, and all those guys, says a jazzed-up Hawke. Ive been working on it for five or six years as a side project and Im really excited about it. I had an idea about making a movie about Geronimo and I felt it would better lend itself to the graphic novel form. A lot of people think they know about this period of history, but in truth they dont know much. And its hard not to attach a ton of white guilt to it, or the Hallmark version of the Native American chief crying on the hilltop, but we tried to get inside of it and tell it from all points of view, and from a very human point of view. He pauses, reflecting on his eclectic array of upcoming projects weve discussed: a biopic, a western, a graphic novel, and a small role in Luc Bessons space opera Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. My thesis is that there are some actors who truly excel at shape-changing and being different people, and one of the ways that Ive pushed myself to be different is to work inside different genres and to do different kinds of performances, he says with a shrug. Its hard to work for 30-something years. You just want to keep it different, and keep it interesting. Donald J. Trump gladly takes credit for things he hasnt done, like erecting many of the buildings that bear his name, but one of his truly significant deeds has unfortunately been left uncredited. Trump was the midwife for the rebirth of midtown Manhattanaltering its skyline, its economic architecture, and the makeup of its upper class. And that accomplishment spotlights some of the contradictions that make him a simultaneously compelling and repellant character. Trump was always a huckster, but he started his career developing and selling something fresh and innovative, a new kind of apartment building that, three-plus decades later, has drawn the worlds wealthiest to New Yorks Billionaires Belt, the swath of condo towers that stretch across midtowns belly from Columbus Circle (home to Fifteen Central Park West, the Time-Warner Center and Trump International Hotel & Tower), past the so-called supertalls of Fifty-seventh Street, to Beacon Court aka the Bloomberg Building just west of Third Avenue. Trump set the stage for the ascendance of New York Citys new plutocracy, the moneyed scrum of bankers, alternative investment managers, corporate chieftains, infotainment and tech wizards and foreigners of provenances both reputable and dubious who comprise our latest upper class, the .01 percent who have rendered New Yorks old aristocracies, from the WASPS of the 18th and 19th centuries to the private equity and venture capital nabobs of the late 20th, irrelevant and obsolete. ISTANBULNo group has claimed responsibility for killing five people and injuring 37 in a suicide bombing that rocked the city Saturday morning in a tourist hotspot in front of Istanbuls governors office. Among the dead were three IsraelisSimha Siman Demri, Yonathan Suher and Avraham Godmanan Iranian citizen, Ali Rza Khalman, and the bomber, who has yet to be identified. The wounded include Turkish citizens and 24 foreign nationals, including a child, who are being treated in hospitals. Seven of the injured are in critical condition, according to Turkish officials. The explosion, at about 10:30 a.m. local time, shook nearby windows on Istiklal Street adjacent to Taksim Square, where hundreds of visitors and residents of Istanbul stroll through shops and restaurants. Istiklal was cordoned off as police investigate the incident. Officials say the casualties wouldve been higher if the attack had occurred later in the day when it becomes more crowded. Apparently, the bomb detonated before the intended target. The Turkish government said suspects included the Islamic State and the Kuridistan Workers Party or PKK. "On behalf of my country, nation and government, I condemn the murderers who committed this atrocious attack which directly targeted people without any discrimination, as well as all traitors who supported and instigated them to carry out such an inhuman act," Ahmet Davutoglu said in a statement. Turkey has been fighting wars on multiple fronts against ISIS and Kurdish groups in the southeast of Turkey, Iraq and Syria. A ceasefire broke in July between the separatist PKK and Turkey, and tensions have escalated since then resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties as Turkey pounds Kurdish cities in air raids. This was the second attack targeting foreigners in Istanbul since January when 11 Germans tourists were killed and the third attack in the last month in Turkeys major cities. The Turkish government identified the culprit of the January attack in Sultanahmet Square as a Syrian member of ISIS. The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks or TAK, an offshoot branch of the PKK, took responsibility for separate bombings on February 28 and March 13 in Ankara, killing 65 and injuring scores of others, including Turkish military personnel. The group said the attacks were in retaliation for strikes against Kurdish cities by the Turkish government. Foreign and Turkish officials were warned of potential threats this weekend, which marks the spring Equinox new year, Nowruz, celebrated by Kurds, Iranians and Afghans. The German embassy near Taksim closed this week and warned its nationals to avoid tourist areas. Many Turkish and foreign residents of Istanbul stayed home expecting violence this weekend. Turkeys $34 billion tourism industry has dived in the last couple of years because of the rising instability. The metro train normally packed on weekends was half full Saturday afternoon. Ozlem Siyri, a 22-year-old Latin languages student at Istanbul University, was on her way to work at a gift shop. She said shes frightened of the increased violence in her city. Siyri blamed Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Im afraid. People are dead. Its this governments fault. Erdgoan is selfish. Many Istanbul residents echoed the same criticism against their government. Memduh Yucel, a retired engineer, was headed to Taksim to see friends. I have lived in Istanbul for 60 years. I will not be afraid of terror. But this Turkish government that I hate is taking us to war and theres no reason for war, Yucel said. When he arrived at the vacant Taksim metro station where commuters usually push their way through a crowd, Yucels face fell. Its empty today. This makes me feel very bad. Taksim Square was eerily empty. One man fed a hungry flock of pigeons. A few resilient tourists braved the cold and took photos in front of the yellow tape closing Istiklal. Many of them were Iranians, who do not need visas to travel in Turkey. We arrived here last night. Its our first time in Istanbul, its a pretty city. We feel a bit scared, afraid that something might happen to us, said Murteza Daria Safar. But he and his family ventured out despite their fears. Wed ask the government to make it safer. It should be able to control what these groups are doing, said Mastana Moradi, his wife. The couple said both Iran and Turkey are fighting against ISIS but asked why Iran isnt as violent as Turkey. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif currently visiting Turkey condemned the attack and said the two countries must fight terror harder. Ayhan Kaya, professor of international relations at Istanbuls Bilgi University, said both the Turkish government and the PKK are consolidating their own power by using divisive nationalist rhetoric. The Turkish ruling elite should revisit the peace process with the Kurds. Turkish cities were already destabilized by developments in Syria the Kurdish questions adds another layer of instability, he said. As for the international community, they should be more concerned about the state of democracy, human rights and freedom of speech in Turkey in order to help Turkey become more stable. Every so often, a new discovery comes along that reignites the question: what is there possibly left to say about the Brontes? In 2015, the discovery took the form of an unpublished short story by young Charlotte Bronte, found romantically tucked away in her late mothers book. It was a story that set ablaze an insatiable and happily reawakened audience: the Bronte fanbase. The million-dollar question is why the Brontes and their novels are still so popular, while so many of their contemporaries have fizzled and died in our collective memories. Public interest often begins with the Brontes themselvesthree impossibly tiny sisters secluded on the Moors, pretending to be men, writing epic fiction that defied the parameter of their own experiences. Yet much of our collective obsession has to do with what we dont know. Despite exhaustive research over the last one hundred and fifty years, there are still enough holes in our knowledge to breed myths and fantasy. The picturesque romance of the Brontes depends on the incomplete picture we have; as in real life, romance and mystery go hand in hand. Its 2016, but you wouldnt have known it by looking at the headlines coming out of Virginia. In Richmond, the state senate killed a bill on Jan. 18 that would have decriminalized adultery. Virginia is one of 21 states that retains criminal prohibitions on marital infidelitya statute thats far out of touch with social realities. Between 19 and 23 percent of men and 14 to 19 percent of women report committing adultery; experts say the actual numbers are far greater. Few individuals are prosecuted for these crimes, and, in the circumstances in which they are, argue strongly for repeal. Consider John Bushey. In 2004, the 66-year-old lawyer for the west of the Beltway town of Luray pleaded guilty to adultery and lost his job as a consequence. After his extramarital affair ended badly, the woman involved went to the police. An assistant commonwealth attorney later defended the decision to prosecute: Were not out beating bushes and certainly were not peeking in windows. However, in this case, it was thrown in our face. Initially, it looked like Bushey might challenge the law; instead, he ended up accepting a deal that required 20 hours of community service in exchange for having the charges dropped and his record cleared. Bushey is an isolated case. But others could arise in the 21 states that still have misdemeanor or felony prohibitions on adultery. It also figures as a basis for job terminations, sanctions, or demotions (particularly in the military), and as a factor in allocating property and custody in divorce cases. An overhaul of these laws is long overdue. Enforcement of criminal prohibitions has been infrequent, intrusive, idiosyncratic, and ineffectual. It should be unconstitutional. In employment cases, courts should not permit dismissals based on private sexual conduct absent some demonstrated impairment of job performance. Nor should courts allow infidelity to influence alimony and custody awards. None of these reforms should be seen as diminishing societal respect for marriage as an institution. Rather, it simply recognizes the limits of the law in policing fidelityand the excessive costs of attempting to do so. Criminal prosecutions are rare, but should be rarer still, given their arbitrary nature. In some jurisdictions, an aggrieved individual can file a complaint to request a prosecution against an estranged spouse. An example is Dave Bankss 2010 complaint that his wife of 17 years had cheated on him. As Banks explained to a national news network reporter, If they used [the adultery statute] all the time, maybe women or men would think twice about going and jumping in the sack and throwing away their marriage. But in the absence of such implausibly draconian enforcement efforts, the deterrence value of criminal prohibitions seems minimal. The widespread public ignorance about such statutes was well illustrated in 2008, when New York Gov. David Paterson acknowledged at news conference that hed had several extramarital relationships but didnt break the law. The New York Times followed up with a report that began Well, actually Adultery is a misdemeanor in New York, punishable by a fine of $500 or 90 days in jail. Such prohibitions should be repealed, or held unconstitutional. As the Supreme Court recognized when striking down a criminal sodomy statute in Lawrence v. Texas, the Constitution reflects an emerging awareness of substantial protection to adult persons in deciding how to conduct their private lives in matters pertaining to sex. Although the state has an interest in fostering marriage, the frequency with which adultery occurs, and the infrequency with which adultery statutes are enforced, suggest that criminal prohibitions are an ineffective means of shoring up marital relationships. So too, adultery should cease to figure in other contexts. In family-law cases, marital infidelity bears no necessary relationship to parental fitness for custody, and it is far less relevant in financial determinations than factors such as spousal need. Nor does adultery demonstrate unfitness for public employment or justify work-related sanctions and military discipline. A case in point involves a 2008 Utah police departments reprimand of a married police officer who had sex while she was at an out-of-town training seminar. In a federal courts view, maintaining public respect was a sufficient justification for the sanction. Such vague invocations of community disapproval should not be an adequate basis for intrusive disciplinary processes. If off-duty conduct does not pose a demonstrable threat to the functioning of the workplace, employees private sexual activities should remain private. Lt. Kelly Flynn, the nations first female B-52 bomber pilot, should not have lost that job for charges stemming from adultery. That view is widely shared. In public polling, more than half of Americans surveyed said that military rules on adultery should be changed. And although over 90 percent of Americans say they think adultery is wrong, between two-thirds and three-quarters agree that it should not be a crime. Courts and legislatures should catch up. Virginia sets the wrong example. Deborah L. Rhode is the author of Adultery: Infidelity and the Law (Harvard Press) There is no quick route by which one may approach Verdun. No superhighway passes through this sleepy town, nor do any of Frances fabled Trains de Grande Vitesse stop here. There is only the local line, and even that humbled creaking route terminates in Verdun. In the end, one can only come to this hallowed ground slowly, by a small four-car train or by narrow two-lane road. This is as it should be. Some 250,000 men died in these few square miles of turf, and one should not rush into a graveyard. Although even less well-known to most Americans today than are the almost-forgotten exertions of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I in places like St. Mihiel and the Argonne Forest, Verdun actually represents the apogee of the slaughter of World War I on the Western Front. It was both the longest battle of the war, officially lasting from February 21, 1916 through December 11, 1916 and the most costly single battle of the war, with estimates ranging from 900,000-1,100,000 men shedding blood on this small patch of ground that is only about twice the size of the battlefield of Gettysburg. It was, by any definition of the word, an obscenity. Perhaps even more significantly, the impact of Verdun upon the people of France and Germany is crucial to understanding what happened over the course of the rest of the 20th century. Without Verdun the American casualties of WWI might not have been as bad as they were and our troops might not have been rushed into the fight before they were ready. The British-led Battle of the Somme might not have occurred, at least not the way that it did. The Maginot Line of WWII may have never existed, and the French might not have chosen static defense versus mobile warfare, a choice that doomed them in WWII. Indeed, without Verdun, WWII might have played out far differently. It is the epicenter of nearly a century of events and what-ifs. All of this and more make it an important battle to study. MIKE LAWRENCE / THE GLEANER Texas Gas construction manager Ricky Muirhead at the site, off Rockhouse Road in Henderson County, where a new 31-mile long, 10-inch diameter gas pipeline will connect to an existing pipe land. SHARE MIKE LAWRENCE / THE GLEANER Pipe stored on a construction yard off Riverport Road in Henderson on Wednesday. The supplies will be used for the construction of a 31-mile long, 10-inch diameter gas pipeline, which begins at an existing Texas Gas connection in Robards, Kentucky, stretches across Henderson County and ends in Posey County, Indiana. MIKE LAWRENCE / THE GLEANER The pipeline easement stretches across farm fields near Robards on Wednesday for a new 31-mile long, 10-inch diameter gas pipeline, which begins at an existing Texas Gas connection in Robards, Kentucky, stretches across Henderson County and ends in Posey County, Indiana. Expected to be finished by mid June, the project is estimated to cost $63 million and is expected to create 350 to 400 construction jobs. MIKE LAWRENCE / THE GLEANER Supplies stored on a construction yard off Riverport Road in Henderson on Wednesday. The supplies will be used for the construction of a 31-mile long, 10-inch diameter gas pipeline, which begins at an existing Texas Gas connection in Robards, Kentucky, stretches across Henderson County and ends in Posey County, Indiana. MIKE LAWRENCE / THE GLEANER Truck unloading construction supplies and equipment on a lot off Riverport Road in Henderson on Wednesday. The supplies and equipment will be used for the construction of a 31-mile long, 10-inch diameter gas pipeline, which begins at an existing Texas Gas connection in Robards, Kentucky, stretches across Henderson County and ends in Posey County, Indiana. By Laura Acchiardo, laura.acchiardo@thegleaner.com A project that began in 2014 has now broken ground in Henderson County. Partnered with Boardwalk Pipeline Partners, Texas Gas Transmission LLC started construction on a 31-mile long, 10-inch diameter gas pipeline, which begins at an existing Texas Gas connection in Robards, Kentucky, stretches across Henderson County and ends in Posey County, Indiana. Originally the pipeline was meant to serve two customers, but now SABIC's Innovative Plastics plant, a thermoplastic engineer, in Mount Vernon, Indiana, is the only company that will use it. The project is estimated to cost $63 million and is expected to create 350 to 400 construction jobs. Construction on the Southern Indiana Lateral Pipeline project started in early March and should be finished by mid June, and SABIC is scheduled to begin taking gas from the line by early July. "We've got a schedule that has been hampered a little bit with the flooding at the river," said Roger Haycraft, construction leader for Boardwalk Pipelines. "At this time we're still on schedule. We've just worked on different areas than we planned originally." Construction work spaces have been staked, trees are being cleared and topsoil is being removed in preparation for the pipelines. After clearing and grading is completed, crews will begin trenching, where the pipes will be placed. Part of the pipeline will run at least 50 feet under the Ohio River to reach Posey County. For this procedure, the construction team will drills a hole at least five feet away from the river using a horizontal directional drill. The drill will snake under the river bottom, and the pipe will be fed into the hole, where it runs below the Ohio River. To construct the pipeline, Texas Gas has obtained easements, mostly across farmland, from numerous property owners along a path extending northwesterly from Robards, passing north of Corydon and southwest of Smith Mills, before crossing the Ohio River near Mount Vernon. All easements were acquired without eminent domain. "We've provided access for them to get in and out of their house and to cross the site if they're doing agricultural work," said Haycraft. "Our intent is not to affect them. We will have equipment out there, but we'll only be working within our established workspace." The pipeline, or "lateral," is part of the three Texas Gas' main transmission pipelines in Henderson County. Those 1,400 miles of mainlines currently serve large customers such as the city of Henderson, Gibbs Die Casting Corp. and Century Aluminum's Sebree smelter. The Pipeline Control Center in Owensboro will monitor the lateral at all hours of the day, while ground and aerial patrols will also routinely monitor it. The project complies with all environmental requirements including the National Environmental Policy Act and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Upland Erosion Control, Revegetation and Maintenance Plan and wetland and waterbody construction and mitigation procedures. Methodist Hospital logo (2014) SHARE Methodist Hospital officials say patient information is secure after discovering the hospital's network had been infected with a virus. According to a news release, a ransomware virus got into the system. Ransomware restricts access to the infected computer system and demands that the user pay a ransom to remove the restriction to allow access to its own data and information. Hospital officials stressed that no patient information was compromised. The release said the hospital's Information Systems department immediately shut down the system to prevent the virus from spreading. "The IS department was able to identify and quarantine the issue," said Jamie Liles, Methodist's manager of development and community outreach. "And no patient information was impacted. Our IS department has been working around the clock to resolve the issue." While the system was down, a back-up system was activated. "Our IS department will work over the weekend to fix the problem," said Liles. "They just don't want to put the primary system back up until the problem is resolved." SHARE Kyndle CEO Brad Schneider (Furnished Dec. 18, 2014) By Tom Lovett of The Gleaner Gov. Matt Bevin has appointed Kyndle CEO and President Brad Schneider as Henderson County's judge-executive. Schneider replaces County Magistrate Bruce Todd, who has been serving as interim judge-executive since the death last month of former Judge-executive Hugh McCormick. McCormick died Feb. 18 after surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from one of his lungs. He was 58. Schneider, 50, said he hadn't considered seeking the position until someone suggested it to him. "A couple of people in the community approached me saying 'You ought think about it; We need you,'" Schneider said. "So I thought about it and got to talking to people who have advised me and mentored me, and of course my wife. And after talking about it and a couple of sleepless nights I put my name in the hat." He said he learned that he'd been selected Friday morning and was sworn in a short time later in a private ceremony. "Last Tuesday, I interviewed with the local GOP executive committee and talked for about 30 minutes (Thursday) with Gov. Bevin in what was basically an interview," Schneider said. "He told me he had not made his decision, and today I got a call from members of his staff saying congratulations, I was the pick." Schneider's term could be short-lived. He will serve as judge-executive until the general election. McCormick was elected in 2014, so more than two years remain in his current term. The Henderson Democratic and Republican parties will each select a candidate who will face off in the Nov. 8 general election. The winner will serve the remainder of McCormick's term. "I intend to run," Schneider said. "The campaign will start almost immediately." Schneider is a registered Republican and all five of the magistrates are Democrats, but Schneider said in his role at Kyndle he's worked to become "scrupulously nonpartisan and apolitical," instead focusing on achieving the best outcome for the community. "I've worked with Fiscal County and consider all five magistrates friends and professional colleagues," he said. "I've worked hard to have really good relationships on both sides of the political spectrum." Magistrates reached Friday were pleased with Schneider's selection. "I think he'll be a great county judge. He's an asset to the community," said Magistrate Charles Alexander. "I have worked with Brad on numerous occasions, and we get along excellently. I'm looking forward to work with him in the future." Magistrate George Warren said he also looks forward to working with Schneider. "I've worked with Brad through the last few years. I'm confident that we'll be able to complete the projects we've started and begin new ones together." Magistrate Carter Wilkerson called him "a great addition." Schneider, a graduate of the University of Evansville, earned a degree in mass communications and spent more 20 years in journalism before being named president of the Henderson-Henderson County Chamber of Commerce in 2009. He became interim president and CEO of Northwest Kentucky Forward, a regional economic development organization, in March of 2013 and helped lead the effort that resulted in the merger of the chamber and Northwest Kentucky Forward that brought about the creation of Kyndle. He said he and McCormick didn't just work well together, but were close friends. "(Hugh) was a great friend, a great supporter and a mentor," Schneider said. "He was a supporter of the merger (that created Kyndle) and was influential in me being chosen to head Kyndle. He was part of my everyday life and I miss him dearly." Schneider said Friday the first order of business will be the budget and making sure the county can fund its portion of a new $7 million 911 system expected to go online sometime this year. The county is expected to pay about a third of the cost. "We're right in the middle of that process and we need to pass a responsible budget. Things have been tight lately, what with the decline in coal tax severance even with the payroll tax, we need to work within our mean and enact a responsible, sustainable budget," he said. As he steps into the role of judge-executive, Schneider leaves Kyndle, which he has led since its creation. "Kyndle is set up perfectly to keep right on going. We are structured to never be reliant on one person," Schneider said. "Vice President of Economic Development Donna Crooks and Vice President of Business Support Margaret Ridley are as knowledgeable about Kyndle as I am. The board will meet early next week to determine where we go from here. Kyndle is in great shape and poised to keep right on going." Schneider says he believes this is a crucial time for the community. McCormick succeeded Judge-executive Sandy Lee Watkins, who also died in office. "For the second time in a row this has happened to us and it shakes people," he said. "Add to that the challenge of coal severance going through floor, altering the way the county does business because of that, it's a fragile time to be budgeting. "We have a new administration with a governor of a political persuasion that people here aren't used to. ... Knowing all those things I thought 'We need good leadership; visionary leadership. ... If I hadn't raised my hand I'm not sure I could have looked myself in the mirror. After thinking long and hard I decided I need to put my name in the there and put my money where my mouth is because of the very crucial nature of the county. Things could be great here over the next decade or more or we could really backtrack and create a huge hole that would take a decade to dig out of. I love this community and I didn't want to see that happen. ... "Before party, before politics, I'm a Henderson Countian first. I appreciate the governor's confidence in me, but that's how I intend to lead. Not as a Republican, not as a Democrat, but as a Henderson Countian." The public is invited to a swearing-in ceremony for Brad Schneider at 4 p.m. Monday in the Fiscal Court meeting room, with a reception afterward. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK Local veterans and others facing home foreclosure may be able to get help from Residential Mortgage Modification Group, LLC (RMMG) of Norwalk. Founded by Todd A. Fagan and Robin Ramnath, RMMG works with New York-based affiliate Steward Redevelopment, LLC to repurpose properties facing foreclosure. "We help veterans avoid having a foreclosure on their credit report and then we also turn the property into income producing where they will get a percentage of the income after all expenses are paid to the bank," Ramnath said. "If the homeowner can no longer keep the home and now the bank is looking to take it over through foreclosure, we partner with Steward Redevelopment. They help us to put the home into a trust and then we will put veterans in there." Fagan, a U.S. Army veteran, said RMMG and Steward Redevelopment will perform light rehabilitation of the property if needed and also provide furnishings. "We're also able to get furniture brought in there and then we get the veterans in," Fagan said. "It could be single-family housing. It could be multi-family housing. (The mortgage holder) can either be bought out or they can stay and get a portion of the rent roll." RMMG opened an office in Bridgeport last October and an office at 25 Van Zant St. in Norwalk over the holidays. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Norwalk Mayor Harry W. Rilling visited the Norwalk office Thursday. "Veteran-owned small businesses, such as RMMG, are the backbone of our economy. This business helps veterans and other homeowners retain their homes when facing foreclosure," Blumenthal said in a statement. "The Veteran-Owned Business loan is a key federal program that will help this business expand, so they can create more jobs, grow our economy, and help more people keep their homes." Rilling described the foreclosure prevention as critical for individuals -- "one of the basic needs that people have is shelter" -- and encouraged Fagan and Ramnath to partner with the city to encourage home ownership. He cited the city's earlier Weed & Seed program. "We conducted a program to teach people how they could get their own homes and we partnered with some banks and they arranged FHA loans," Rilling said. "Some people didn't realize you can own your own home for the same amount that you would end up paying in rent." Fagan traces the inspiration for RMMG to his former work in the mortgage industry and his life experiences during the Great Recession. "I've been in the mortgage business for 25 years and I was a loss-mitigation specialist for Bank of America and then I became a loan officer. I started my own company down in Atlanta," Fagan said. "In 2008 the Great Recession happened. I lost everything so my wife and I ended up coming back to Connecticut." After returning to Connecticut, Fagan said he worked for nonprofit organizations providing foreclosure intervention and later first-time homebuyer counseling. Fagan later reached out to Ramnath, whom he had met years ago, and accepted his offer to team up. Fagan is RMMG CEO/co-founder; Ramnath is president/co-founder. "We're just starting out and just getting our feet a little wet, but there's a lot of interest and there's a lot of people (needing counseling)," Fagan said. In addition to helping persons facing foreclosure, RMMG works with individuals to improve their credit scores and create living wills and trusts. On Thursday evenings (7 p.m.) the company holds free credit education clinics at its Van Zant Street office. "We teach them about being financially responsible and how to increase their credit score," Ramnath said. NORWALK -- Norwalk Police Union president Sgt. David Orr attended a national labor organization conference earlier this week in Memphis, Tennessee which addressed issues between law enforcement and the minority population. Sponsored by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), of which the Norwalk Police Union Local 1727 is a member, Orr was one of 15 invited law enforcement personnel from throughout the U.S., who met with union leaders that are affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement. "The goal of the conference was to address societal issues between minoritiesprimarily AfricanAmericans and law enforcement," Orr said. "The membership of AFSCME, which represents law enforcement and other state and municipal employees, has a very diverse membership racially. I think with today's challenges the conference presented the opportunity for a much-needed dialogue between law enforcement and the African American community." Orr was the only member of law enforcement from the northeast who attended the March 13-16 conference, and was joined by law enforcement personnel from California, New Mexico, Alaska, Minnesota and Illinois. As part of the conference, the group toured the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel where on April 4, 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated. "We were given a two-hour private guided tour of the museum by Dr. Elsie Scott, who has an extensive background in law enforcement training," Orr said. "It was a surreal experience to stand on that balcony." The workshops consisted of substantive conversation between the law enforcement personnel and general government workers who are also members of AFSCME, Orr said. "There were strict ground rules in place toward keeping the conversations from becoming heated," Orr said. "One person spoke at a time and we focused on the topic, not the individual." One of the topics discussed was the police use of force on minorities. "My main point was, while there are some instances where use of force seems not to have been justified, people need to know that use of force is reactive," Orr said. "It is only used when equal force has been presented. Because someone is unarmed, for example, that doesn't mean that they are not a deadly threat." Orr cited instances in which police officers have been killed with their own weapon. "An unarmed suspect can quickly become armed by grabbing an officer's gun," he said. Another topic that was discussed at the conference was the disparity in sentencing along racial lines. "If you have a white person and an African-American person who have similar records and are convicted of the same crime, but the African-American receives a much harsher sentence, I would agree that that's totally unfair," Orr said. Orr cited the police officer's role as one which is bound to uphold the Constitution of the United States and of the State of Connecticut. "The application of policy and law should be color blind," he said. He addressed the perception that minority suspects are stopped and questioned at a disproportionately higher rate when compared to white suspects. "We are often the middleman between the complainant and the person in the street," Orr said. "When we are called to a suspicious person complaint for example, we are bound to investigate it, although that call may be the result of the complainant's own racial bias." Panelists from both sides of the conversation were open to a free-flowing exchange of ideas, and much of the conference was spent in exploring commonalities between both groups, Orr said. "We are more similar than we are different," Orr said. To illustrate that similarity, the panelists were shown 500 photos of scenes in society and were asked to choose those that most represent true equality. "I chose a photo of a newborn baby and a picture of a row of human skulls," Orr said. "The reason I chose those is that we all come from the same God-we're created equally and die equally. Why shouldn't our time on earth be the same?" The purpose of the conference was for AFSCME to develop its national policy and a second conference is scheduled for April. "I would say that my main takeaway from the conference is that neither side should be represented by the most extreme among them," Orr said. Edith Mary (Helmricks) Sawyer, 85, of Grand Island passed away on Thursday, March 17, 2016, at the Grand Island Veterans Home. Services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Grand Island Veterans Home Chapel. There will be no visitation. Memorials have been suggested to the Alzheimers Association of Nebraska. Apfel Funeral Home is serving the family. Edith was born to Martin and Barbara (Zimmerman) Helmricks on April 14, 1930, near Orchard, Neb. Edith was the oldest daughter of four girls. She grew up on the family farm near Ewing and was very active on the farm, helping her parents with the chores. She graduated from high school in Ewing and very soon moved on to teaching in a one-room rural school. She soon met the love of her life, Wayne W. Sawyer, and they married on May 13, 1951. Wayne was home on leave and shipped out to the Korean War a few days later. After his return from Korea, they moved to Camp Breckenridge, Ky. After Waynes discharge from the Army, they moved back to Orchard, Waynes hometown, and very shortly on to Norfolk, where they lived for 14 years and Edith was a housewife and raised their five sons. They moved in 1966 to Grand Island, where she continued to raise her five sons and also became an Avon representative. After Waynes retirement from Meyers Farm Equipment, they began to travel the U.S. and Mexico and earlier traveled to Europe several times. Edith is survived by her husband of 64 years, Wayne; sons, Randall of Kearney, Roger of LaVista, Rodney and wife, Linda, of Salt Lake City, Utah, Russell and wife, Janet, of Ewing and Ronald of Grand Island; along with six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Lynette, Laura Louise and Catherine; and daughter-in-law, Janice. Online condolences may be shared at www.apfelfuneralhome.com Monet rahapelien ystavat ovat viime vuosina loytaneet netticasinot ja olleet ihmeissaan. Verrattuna kotimaisen Veikkauksen kivijalkarahapeleihin puhutaan aivan eri tason palautusprosenteista ja lisaksi pelaaminen on aarimmaisen helppoa ja turvallista. Netticasinoiden maara on tana paivana todella suuri ja niita loytyy jokaiseen lahtoon, suurin ongelma aloittelevalla pelaajalla onkin tehda valinta siita, minka netticasinon valitsee. Kaikkien netticasinoiden mainospuheet naet lupaavat kauniita asioita ja niiden lapinakeminen on tietysti tarkeaa. Nyrkkisaantona voidaan kuitenkin jo kattelyssa todeta, etta jos valitsemasi netticasino on lisensoitu ETA-alueella, sen kanssa ei tule olemaan ongelmia, ellei niita itse jarjesta. Kay tutustumassa parhaisiin netticasinoihin osoitteessa www.ilmaiskierroksia.info! Ensimmainen nyrkkisaanto on siis varmistaa, etta valitsemallasi netticasinolla on ETA-alueen lisenssi. Suurimmassa osassa tapauksista se on Maltan eli MGA:n lisenssi. Myos Viron, Englannin ja Gibraltarin lisensseja nakyy ja naissa valvonta on jopa Maltaa tiukempaa. Lopputulema on kuitenkin se, etta ETA-alueen lisenssi takaa suomalaisille verovapaat voitot seka sen, etta niita valvotaan kontrolloidusti. Maailmalla on iso nippu Curacaon lisenssilla toimivia netticasinoita ja niistakin suurin osa on laadukkaita. Ne eivat kuitenkaan ole suomalaisille asiakkaille verovapaita, joten emme suosittele niita. Tana paivana markkinoille on ilmaantunut paljon ETA-alueella toimiva netticasinoita ilman rekisteroitymista. Jos tarkoitus on vain pelata yksittaisia pelikertoja, on varsin helppo suositella naita. Netticasinot ilman rekisteroitymista tarjoavat palvelun tunnistautumisen verkkopankin avainlukulistan avulla ja saman palvelun kautta tapahtuvat talletukset ja mahdolliset voittojen nostot silmanrapayksessa. Normaaleihin netticasinoihin pitaa asiakkaan rekisteroitya, tehda talletukset ja tunnistautua dokumenttien avulla. Tama on lisenssiehtojen mukainen kaytanto, eika kovinkaan monimutkainen, mutta silti monet asiakkaat haluavat yksinkertaista ja nopeaa palvelua. Toki normaalit netticasinot tarjoavat usein asiakkailleen laadukkaita talletusbonuksia ja erilaisia kampanjoita, joten kannattaa tarkkaan punnita, kumman ratkaisun valitsee. Kannattaa myos muistaa, etta tunnistautuminen tehdaan vain kerran, joten mikaan jatkuva riippakivi se ei ole. Suomalaiset asiakkaat ovat netticasinoille tarkeita, joten kaikilla vahankin laadukkailla netticasinoilla on suomenkieliset sivut seka suomenkielinen asiakaspalvelu suomenkielisyys kannattaakin ottaa netticasinoa valittaessa nyrkkisaannoksi. Vaikka tana paivana englanninkielisyys on harvoille ongelma, on suomenkielisten netticasinoiden maara niin valtava, etta suosittelemme niiden kayttoa. Rahansiirrot ovat tana paivana niin hyvassa mallissa, etta niiden kanssa tuskin tulee mitaan ongelmia. Kolme tarkeinta segmenttia: Suomalaiset verkkopankit, luottokortit (Visa, Mastercard) seka nettilompakot (Skrill, Neteller) loytyvat jokaisesta laadukkaasta netticasinosta. Viime vuosien trendiksi noussut verkkokauppa on kehittanyt rahansiirrot niin laadukkaiksi ja nopeiksi, etta niiden suhteen ei ole enaa vuosiin ollut ongelmia. Luonnollisesti netticasinot kayttavat naita samoja palveluita ja hyotyvat kehityksesta. Naiden isojen linjojen jalkeen netticasinon valintaan vaikuttavat luonnollisesti tarjottavat tervetuliaisbonukset uudet asiakkaat saavat tana paivana kovan kilpailun myota merkittavia etuja netticasinoilta ja niita kannattaa luonnollisesti vertailla. Erilaiset talletusbonukset, ilmaiskierrokset seka ilmaiset pelirahat tuovat suuriakin rahanarvoisia etuja ja niiden vertailu on ehdottomasti kannattavaa. Myoskaan useampien tilien avaaminen ja tervetuliaistarjousten kayttaminen ei missaan nimessa ole huono idea. Kun edella mainitut asiat ovat mieleisia ja vaihtoehtoja on vielakin jaljella, mennaan jo nyansseihin. Toki pelivalikoima on yksi kriteeri, mutta taman paivan netticasinoissa tamakin asia on paasaantoisesti varsin samanlainen. Toki useamman samantasoisen netticasinon vertailussa kannattaa yleensa valita se, jossa on eniten peleja tarjolla. Vaikka omat suosikit loytyisivatkin useammasta, voi tulevaisuudessa mielenkiinto nousta joihinkin muihin peleihin ja silloin on tietysti mukavampaa, etta ne loytyvat valikoimista. Viimeisena voidaan nostaa esiin kaytettavyys joidenkin netticasinoiden sivut ovat vilkkuvia, valkkyvia ja epakaytannollisia. Omaan silmaan ja kaytettavyyteen sopiva sivusto on luonnollisesti aina se paras valinta. Tarjonta netticasinoissa on tana paivana valtava ja jokaiselle loytyy varmasti se oma netticasino onnea matkaan! The Village of Elsah Museum will hold its 17th annual Photography Exhibit from Saturday, April 2, to Sunday, August 7, 2016. The theme is Right Sized Elsah. The exhibit will be held in the Museum building, Elsah Village Hall, at 26 LaSalle Street, Elsah, Illinois. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, April 2, during which the winners are announced. Submissions are due by Monday, March 21, 2016 Photographers, amateur and professional, are invited to make submissions to the exhibit and participate in the purchase prize portion of the exhibit. As in previous years, the photographs will be for sale and th photographers will retain all proceeds. There will be two purchase prize winners, The Village of Elsah purchase prize for an image taken in the valley of the Village of Elsah and the Greatriverroad.com Purchase prize for an image taken in the surrounding area. The purchase prize winner for a photograph taken in the valley will also receive an overnight stay at The Green Tree Inn. For the Intelligencer Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSSI) is pleased to announce that Kathleen McCracken from Edwardsville has received the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, called 1st Annual Joe Meyer Memorial Shoot, Kathleen addressed the lack of a high school trapshooting invitational in her area. She took the necessary steps to plan and coordinate a shoot in memory of an avid trap shooter and supporter of the Edwardsville High School Trap Club, Joe Meyer. The shoot was a success, and Edwardsville High School Trap Club has agreed to continue this annual event in the future. In addition to the shoot, Kathleen presented at various Girl Scout meetings to inform and educate Girl Scout volunteers about the councils trap program so that more girls can have the opportunity to participate in this sport. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 Associacao Dos Combatentes Da Brigada Negra (ACBN), a humanitarian aid organization from Timor-Leste, has denied the allegations presented on a Path message about missing human rights and democracy activist Wiji Thukul. In the message, Wiji is described as a bomb-maker for East Timorese rebels fighting against the Indonesian military. 'We hope that the media both in Timor-Leste and Indonesia will not to spread baseless reports about Wiji Thukul. We hope the media will show empathy to the relatives of Wiji Thukul, who are the victims of a past human rights violation,' read a statement sent out by the organizer of an ACBN event in Dili on March 16. During an event named 'Seminar on Maritime Borders,' ACBN presented 500 awards to activists from both Timor-Leste and foreign countries for their contribution to Timor Leste's independence struggle. Fitri Nganthi Wani, Wiji's daughter, was among those who received an award presented by ACBN chairman and Timor Leste's former first president Xanana Gusmao. The Path message posted by Wicaksono, the editorial leader of online news portal beritagar.id, claimed that Wiji was an Indonesian who supplied and assembled bombs used by East Timorese soldiers to fight against the Indonesian Military. Gusmao denied Wicaksono's claims. 'What we know from the Indonesian Association of Families of Missing Persons was that he was an activist who was the victim of forced disappearance prior to the [Indonesian] reform in March 1998,' the statement added. Other Indonesian awardees included Budiman Sudjatmiko, Dita Indah Sari, Danial Indrakusuma, Wilson, Bima Petrus Anugrah, Jacobus Eko Kurniawan, Petrus Hari Hariyanto, Andi Arief and Fransisca Ria Susanti. 'Those given awards contributed to the fight for democracy. They showed solidarity with Timor-Leste,' the statement said. In 1999, following a United Nations sponsored act of self-determination, Indonesia left Timor-Leste. Timor-Leste became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century on May 20, 2002. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tama Salim and Anggi M. Lubis (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 A senior lawmaker has strenuously denied that Israel's decision to deny entry to Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi to inaugurate the Indonesian honorary consul in Ramallah on Sunday was related to a secret deal struck between Indonesia and Israel, as claimed by a member of the Israeli government. Mahfudz Siddiq, the chairman of the House of Representatives House Commission I overseeing foreign affairs, said that from the outset, the Israelis had made attempts to block and delay the passage of the minister to the West Bank. Retno inaugurated the Indonesian honorary consulate in Ramallah in a move seen as a step forward in Indonesia's support for Palestinian independence. Through diplomatic channels, Indonesia had requested access for Retno to visit Ramallah, but Israeli authorities refused to grant a fly-over permit for a Jordanian air force helicopter that was designated to transport the minister, shortly before departure. Israeli media reports said Retno was refused entry after declining to visit Jerusalem and meet Israeli officials there. Israel's continued annexation of Palestinian land made it very difficult for the minister to travel by land. As a result, the ministry had to seek the assistance of local authorities through the Indonesian Embassy in Amman, Jordan, in order to get direct access to Ramallah. After repeated attempts to delay access into Palestine, Mafhudz, a Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician, said that Israeli officials had at one point offered to open their borders on the condition that Retno agreed to pay a visit to Jerusalem. 'But the foreign minister flat out rejected the offer, arguing that her mission was to open the honorary consulate in Ramallah, and that was strictly the business of Indonesia and Palestine,' he told The Jakarta Post on Friday. Undeterred by the deadlock with the border authorities, the ministry sought other avenues of communications, even seeking direct access through the Israeli Embassy in Singapore. 'Even BIN [the National Intelligence Agency] was brought in to help with the lobbying,' the lawmaker said. Mahfudz's statement refuted a claim by Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely, who suggested that Retno was denied entry into Palestine because she had failed to honor a secret pact struck in the lead-up to her trip to the Middle East. The Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday that Hotovely told local parliamentarians that his government had barred entry to the Indonesian minister because she had violated the secret pact allegedly made previously with an Israeli government official in Jakarta. Hovotely explained that although Israel and Indonesia, the nation with the world's largest Muslim population, did not have formal diplomatic ties, both countries had come to an understanding that Minister Retno would meet with senior Israeli officials in Jerusalem before proceeding to Ramallah. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir earlier denied that any such meeting took place with Israeli officials in relation to the plan to visit Ramallah. 'I would like to emphasize that [...] there was no meeting between the Indonesian Foreign Ministry and Israel concerning the visit to Ramallah,' he told reporters on Thursday. The spokesman explained that the visit to Ramallah on the occasion of the inauguration of the honorary consulate had been arranged since the end of last year by Indonesia's ambassador to Jordan. 'There has never been any discussion, let alone a pact, about the minister visiting Jerusalem,' he added. The plan was to fly by Jordanian air force helicopter from Amman and land at the Palestinian presidential palace in Ramallah. 'There was never a plan to take the land route [across Israeli-held territory],' Arrmanatha said. Mahfudz, who was with the minister for the entire trip, said that the Israelis did not give the entourage clearance until the day of the visit. 'Even the Jordanian government, which had an arrangement in place with Israel, did not get flight clearance. This goes to show how Israel was never willing to let us in,' the lawmaker said. Eventually, the solution was to invite the honorary consul to Amman and hold the inauguration ceremony at the Indonesian Embassy, which is also accredited to represent Palestine. -------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung Sat, March 19, 2016 A Belgium-based company, Dredging, Environmental & Marine Engineering NV (DEME) is interested in contributing to the development of a new deep-sea port project in Patimban, Subang, West Java, the CEO of Belgian foreign trade agency Flanderts Investment de Trade (FIT), Claire Tillekaerts, said on Thursday. 'DEME is one of many other companies from Belgium wanting to invest in the new port development,' Tillekaerts said on the sidelines of Princess Astrid of Belgium's visit to Bandung to witness the signing of a letter of intent between Wallonia, a region in Belgium, and the West Java provincial administration. DEME, established in 1852, is experienced in developing major ports, such as building infrastructure in Dubai and land reclamation in Singapore, Tillekaerts said. Meanwhile, the Subang administration is currently revising the city's spatial layout in relation to the port development plan. There already is a small port in the city, and it has the potential to be expanded up to 200 hectares or more. The new terminal is expected to have a capacity of between 6.6 to 7 million 6.1-meter containers, based on Transportation Ministry data. In addition, Patimban has an 8-kilometer road with a width of between 24 to 30 m. The road stretches from the port to the Munduraya section of the north coast main road. Patimban Port is to be a replacement for the planned Cilamaya Port in Karawang, West Java, which was scrapped because of concerns it would affect the expansion of state-run oil and gas firm Pertamina's nearby offshore operations. The government has moved the project further east. In relation to the Belgian company's desire to invest in the port development, West Java Deputy Governor Deddy Mizwar said the company offered to contribute because of its expertise in developing ports. Deddy declined to reveal the exact location where the new port will be developed. He only said that the location would be between Subang and Indramayu, 'Those are the possible places to build a new port,' he said. Deddy also added, in relation to the signing of the letter of intent between Wallonia and West Java regions, that the signing was a good opportunity to increase the two regions' cooperation in the economic, trade, business and investment sectors. The visit involved seven senior state officials including the Foreign Minister, the Trade Minister, local officials and 300 entrepreneurs and business entities from the Kingdom of Belgium. 'The West Java provincial administration has appointed the province's bureau of administration and regional autonomy as a liaison, while the Wallonia government appointed the Wallonia Export-Investment Agency as the organization in charge of the cooperation.' Deddy said, adding that he hoped the business entities could also contribute to the cooperation although this was an intergovernmental agreement. (vny) ------------------ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 Publicly listed taxi operator Blue Bird will continue to push the government to order ride-hailing applications to get permits for the private cars they work with in the country. Blue Bird director Sigit Priawan Djokosoetono told reporters on Friday that representatives of the company would meet with Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan to discuss the matter as the use of private cars as taxis by apps like Uber and Grab had created unfair competition. Conventional taxis, which can be identified by their yellow license plates, pay regular taxes and levies to the government in order to operate as public transportation. Although existing laws allow private cars, which bear black plates, to operate as rental cars, they must be first registered under a certain legal entity, such as a state enterprise or a cooperative. 'We will continue to try to work with related institutions,' Sigit said. 'If existing laws demand we pay taxes then we will pay but if that law is not enforced then who will want to?' On Monday, thousands of drivers of conventional taxis, public minivans and buses staged a rally, accusing the apps of cutting into their income over recent months. The protesters deemed online transportation services a serious threat to their livelihoods through unfair competition as the operators do not pay taxes and levies to the government, which allows them to offer lower prices to passengers. The drivers pledged to hold another rally next Monday. The Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) has also repeatedly voiced its opposition to the ride-hailing apps, saying the businesses distorted the market because of the low fares they offered, which was at the expense of their short-term financial health. Organda chairman Adrianto Djokosoetono, who also heads the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (Kadin) Land Transportation Committee, claimed that transportation companies' revenues had decreased by 20 percent per annum since the online apps entered the market. The government previously attempted to block ride-hailing apps last year, with Minister Jonan citing safety, security and permit concerns. However, the ban was quickly scrapped after President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo tweeted his displeasure over it. Apart from forcing the apps to obtain permits, Sigit said, Blue Bird wanted the government to control the tariffs to level the playing field. Blue Bird share prices have almost halved from a Rp 12,100 (92 US cent) peak in January to Rp 6,100 on Friday. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that Blue Bird's parent company was in talks with investors on a possible $200 million sale of a stake in its logistics unit. Chairman Bayu Djokosoetono said the Blue Bird Group was seeking private investment in PT Iron Bird Logistics, the merged entity of its two delivery units, with a view to offer shares to the public in the future. The company is talking with potential partners from Japan and Malaysia and hopes to seal a deal in the second half of the year. Blue Bird, the country's biggest taxi firm, operated 32,500 vehicles as of 2014. Last year, the company said it had purchased around 4,000 vehicles to expand its services. ------------------ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Corry Elyda and Evi Mariani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 The old adage that says if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys, does not seem to apply to education in Jakarta. The city administration spent around Rp 6.48 million (US$492) per student in 2015, 13 times more than the Rp 484,000 per student spent in Yogyakarta last year. However, the quality of education in both provinces is almost the same, data from the Culture and Education Ministry has revealed. 'We can see that the amount of money allocated for education does not guarantee quality. Yogyakarta only spent Rp 400,000 per student but the results were good,' Culture and Education Minister Anies Baswedan said during a recent workshop entitled Indonesia Data Journalism 2016. The data from the ministry's Regional Education Index shows that Yogyakarta was even superior in some categories in comparison with Jakarta. For example, teacher competence in Yogyakarta achieved a score of 67.02 while Jakarta achieved just 62.58. According to the data, Jakarta ranked first in yearly spending for students nationwide, followed by Aceh with Rp 987,000 per student. Nonetheless, Jakarta shows better qualities in some respects compared to Yogyakarta. Jakarta's school buildings are generally in better condition, for example. Out of 43,445 school rooms in Jakarta, 53.96 percent of them are in good condition, 42.46 percent suffer from minor damage and 3.45 percent are severely damaged. However, with much lower funds, the condition of school buildings in Yogyakarta is also not so bad. Out of 26,510 school rooms, only 3.2 percent are severely damaged. Only 34.19 percent of school buildings in Yogyakarta are in good condition, and the majority of the buildings, or 62.5 percent of them, need minor renovations. Jakarta can also boast good results in national examinations. The score for junior high school (SMP) students in Jakarta, for example, is 74 on average, while in Yogyakarta it is only 66.2. The score for both provinces, however, is still above the national average, which is 61.8. Data available on kemdikbud.go.id shows that the percentage of teachers with certifications and qualifications in Yogyakarta is higher than in Jakarta. The data shows that 88 percent of elementary school teachers in Yogyakarta have certifications, while in Jakarta the figure is 85 percent. Furthermore, the proportion of teachers with certifications in SMP, senior high school (SMA) and vocational School (SMK) in Jakarta is 85 percent, 96 percent and 94 percent, respectively, while in Yogyakarta, the figure is 90 percent, 95 percent and 93 percent, respectively. Responding to the data, Gunas Mahdianto, head of the Jakarta Education Budgetary and Planning Agency, said that Jakarta spent around Rp 11.1 trillion on education in 2015. 'Most of the budget was allocated for routine expenditures like salaries and various allowances,' he said, adding that these expenditures made up around Rp 8.05 trillion. Gunas said that the remaining Rp 3.05 trillion was allocated for school renovations and the education assistance aid (BOP) fund, which was used to cover operational costs like school equipment. Regarding the quality of education, or lack thereof, Gunas said that there was a gap in quality between public and private schools. 'We have many private schools that are of poor quality, but we cannot really do anything about them because we are not allowed to fund them,' he said. He added he was confident that if the data only touched on public school students, Jakarta would rank in a better position compared to other provinces. Gunas also pointed out that the agency only allocated a measly Rp 40 billion for teacher training programs. -------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dedy Permadi (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 Digital technology has become a salient issue in the President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo era. The President's visit to Silicon Valley was canceled last year on account of worsening haze in Indonesia, but he was able to follow through with the planned visit last month. Jokowi has shown a strong desire to develop digital solutions and the creative industry. He wants people nationwide to have access to the internet. It is certainly a strategic way of thinking and could realize vast opportunities, but it should be followed up with a prudent, comprehensive and sustainable digital policy to overcome our many weaknesses. In the next five to 15 years, e-commerce opportunities will be created through the rapid development of secondary cities, the demographic bonus and the middle-income revolution and widespread information and communications technology (ICT) usage and advancement. A link between these three factors will result in a 'niche', which is the use of ICT by productive middle-income people in secondary cities. This niche bears great digital economic potential, which should be considered not only by the central government but also local governments, the private sector, academicians and people in general. Decision makers do not realize that the future of economic development will be centered in secondary cities. A secondary city itself is defined as an urban settlement with a population of at least 200,000 that is not the largest city in the country. In the late 1970s, the development of secondary cities emerged as a solution to reduce the urbanization influx to primary cities. Moreover, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) also noted that 43 percent of the economic growth of its member countries from 1995 to 2007 was driven by secondary cities. McKinsey (2014) reported that at least 90 million people were predicted to migrate to Southeast Asia's cities by 2030. There are approximately 215 secondary cities with 200,000-2 million inhabitants, or 91.5 percent of the total number of cities in the region. Remarkably, they will account for 29 percent of ASEAN's gross domestic product (GDP) and are expected to post faster growth compared to the larger cities through 2030. The demographic bonus and middle-income revolution have become central issues in the past several years. In fact, around two-thirds of the population will be of 'working age' (15 to 64) and the dependency ratio will have decreased to 46 percent in 2030, the lowest level in the last 100 years (Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister, 2014). Accenture (2012) reported that 87 percent of Indonesia's households were forecast to be in the US$5,000-$30,000 disposable income band by 2020. Last but not least, massive ICT advancement is also key. Manuel Castells (1996) said that the impact of digital technologies was comparable to that of the Industrial Revolution. ICT, like that revolution, will play a key role in enhancing economic growth. Disruptive technologies, a term to depict innovative technology related to mobile internet, big data, cloud technology and so on, are expected to contribute 4 to 12 percent to ASEAN's GDP in 2030 (McKinsey, 2014). The fact that Indonesia has 72.7 million active internet users, 308.2 million mobile connections and is home to among the most active social media users in the world needs to be considered in ICT usage. ICT development has contributed to more effective public service delivery and good governance in general. The development of secondary cities in line with the 'smart city' concept ' with its elements of effectiveness, consideration for the environment and innovation ' is a smart move. Thus, the use of ICT by middle-income people in secondary cities will significantly drive economic growth in the next five to 15 years. Unfortunately, Indonesia will still face serious challenges. Sadly, none of the secondary cities have been ranked among the most livable cities in any indexes and despite the potential of its youths, the country ranks in 108th position in the Human Development Index, with Palestine, Tunisia, Georgia and Iran ranking above it. Further, based on a Nielsen survey (2011), Indonesians are mostly unproductive online. The Networked Readiness Index (2014) ranked Indonesia in 64th place for technology readiness. The Microsoft Smart Secondary City Project found four main challenges in the development of ICT in Indonesia, as follows: low awareness in the government of the importance of ICT usage; lack of funds for ICT development and infrastructure; inexistence of an ICT development master plan, resulting in poor management; and lack of awareness among people with regard to ICT solutions. A big gap between opportunity and government strategy is the main problem. Without a specific, comprehensive strategy to take advantage of this great opportunity, Indonesia will certainly lose it. Therefore, the country must pay more attention to this niche. Academicians should also conduct more research in this field so that they are able to support government and business needs. And finally, business practitioners might gain advantages by considering this niche as a great prospective market in the near future. ________________ The writer is a lecturer at the department of international relations at Gadjah Mada University and visiting fellow at the department of politics and international relations at Oxford University. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ika Krismantari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 The planned screening of the documentary Pulau Buru: Tanah Air Beta (Buru Island: My Homeland) may not be the first event to receive threats for telling stories of the 1965 tragedy, but it boasts a more persistent audience and organizer than most such events. The film, by chef and director Rahung Nasution, had its screening sabotaged on Wednesday by a group of fundamentalists not happy with the materials covered by the film. Similar disruptions have affected the screenings of other film's dealing with the same issue. Public viewings of The Look of Silence by American director Joshua Oppenheimer, for example, were canceled in several regions due to protests. But unlike The Look of Silence, that mostly succumbed to protesters' demands, the screening of Pulau Buru: Tanah Air Beta still took place, though the organizing committee had to move the event from the Goethe Institute to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) headquarters in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday afternoon. The venue change itself was also a form of protest against the police who refused to guarantee the security of the event. 'They can't silence us,' organizing committee representative Dhyta Caturani said followed by loud cheers from the audience that packed the screening room at Komnas HAM. The committee had to organize a second screening to cater for the overwhelming numbers, many not fitting into the first screening as the new venue was smaller than the planned one. Located in the Banda Sea, the island of Buru is associated with the country's dark human-rights record around the time of the Sept. 30 coup attempt, which was blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). Many people who were accused of having connections with the PKI were imprisoned on the island without trial. They included late Indonesian acclaimed author Pramoedya Ananta Toer who refused to be silenced, writing numerous notes, letters and essays during his imprisonment in the island. While other documentary films on this issue only speak about the victims or perpetrators, Pulau Buru: Tanah Air Beta has given airtime to a different voice: that of the young generation. The film tells a story about a young woman named Ken Setiawan who accompanies her father Hersri Setiawan and his friend Tedjabayu on a pilgrimage to Buru Island where they had previously been held captive for years due to their connections with the PKI. On the island, Ken learns about her father's past and the trauma he suffered. She meets her father's fellow former political prisoners who still live on the island. 'Every child must know their parents' history,' Ken says at the beginning of the movie, while holding back her tears. 'This place [Buru Island] is the first in Indonesia where I feel free to say that I am the daughter of a political prisoner,' she says in another scene. Whisnu Yonar, the film's producer, said that the film was dedicated to the young generation because they were the only hope for the nation in the struggle for truth and reconciliation following the 1965 massacre. Human-rights activists, victims and the families of victims of the 1965 tragedy have demanded the government deliver justice for the hundreds of thousands of people killed and sent into exile without trial during that bloody year. New hope arises under the administration of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, who has pledged to resolve past human-rights abuses, including the 1965 crimes. Yet, his promise has not been backed up by action so far. During the press conference before the screening, Hersri himself spoke and expressed regret that Jokowi did not mention the country's dark past during his recent state visit to Buru Island. 'Not a single word did he mention about the land being developed by the hard work of political prisoners. Without us, Buru Island would not be the major producer of rice it is today,' he said in dismay. Meanwhile, the film's director Rahung said this project was his way of repaying his debt to the nation's history. 'As part of the younger generation, I have an obligation to tell the truth. I was told when I was little that Buru Island was an island filled with bad people. But, we know that is not true,' he said. Echoing that opinion, Whisnu said the film's target audience was young people because he wanted to see the country nurture young people who were 'history healthy' to move toward a better future. The article has been changed to include the correction of quotes by Ken Setiawan. -------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Bandung Sat, March 19, 2016 The government has maintained its commitment to comply with the law on carrying out the death penalty for drug convicts. A top government official has signaled that the country might start executing no more than 10 Indonesian drug convicts on death row this year although human rights campaigners' opposition to capital punishment remains. 'It may be [this year]. And, should it be carried out, it will be Indonesians. Speaking about when [the executions will be], let's see,' Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan told reporters in Bandung, West Java, on Friday. Declaring that the country is facing a 'drug emergency', President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has called for a stronger fight against drug abuse, including by executing death-row convicts and has rejected clemency pleas for convicted traffickers. The government has repeatedly said that up to 50 people die every day because of illegal drugs. According to Luhut, economic stability, a reason previously used to delay a third set of executions, was no longer an issue. He, however, stopped short of commenting about why the plan would likely exclude foreign drug convicts, saying only that as Indonesians lived in the country, they may have been on death row for longer than foreign convicts. Luhut dismissed speculation over pressure from foreign countries despite the fact that two previous rounds of executions have sparked intense international debate. The plan was first highlighted by Luhut during a public lecture in Bandung on Friday where he addressed the importance of fighting drug abuse. Last week, however, the minister said the government was yet to decide on whether it would execute drug traffickers this year, adding that the country would focus more on improving the economy in upcoming months. He has also said that authorities had to consider very carefully when to use the death penalty because of public opposition to capital punishment. More than 162 death-row inmates are currently awaiting their fate, 73 of whom have been convicted of murder and 89 of drug trafficking. According to the Attorney General's Office (AGO), the list excludes terrorist inmates. Indonesia's move to put to death 14 drug convicts in two rounds of executions last year ' comprising Indonesians and foreigners, including from Australia and Brazil ' sparked criticism from domestic and international human rights campaigners. Late last year, both Luhut and Attorney General M. Prasetyo signaled a delay on a third round of executions. They said Indonesia would not carry out a third round of executions until the country was out of the current economic slowdown. Prasetyo also said that another round of executions could trigger an international outcry, which could derail Jokowi's campaign to fix the economy. Critics have said that such on-and-off policy would create uncertainty. Wahyudi Djafar, a researcher with the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) called on the government to consider imposing other measures in line with principles of restorative justice, and abolish capital punishment in the country. ----------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Scott Smith (The Jakarta Post) Fresno, Califirnia Sat, March 19, 2016 Law enforcement officials believe the San Bernardino massacre and a stabbing attack on a California college campus were done by lone wolves inspired by the Islamic State group, and counterterrorism experts say both show how the organization is expanding its reach through social media. Recruitment videos the extremists post online are often short and flashy. They feature hip-hop music, promising a chance to be part of a global cause and, experts say, most importantly target to a vulnerable audience. "For somebody searching for meaning and feeling disconnected, that's a very powerful message, and difficult to resist," said John Cohen, a criminal justice professor at Rutgers University and formerly the Department of Homeland Security's counter terrorism coordinator. That's how Faisal Mohammad, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of California, Merced, appears to have become self-radicalized. The FBI says he visited IS websites for several weeks before he wounded four people in the Nov. 4 knife attack. A campus police officer shot and killed him. A month later, the gun-wielding husband-and-wife team in San Bernardino shot and killed 14 people and wounded 21 others. Investigators say they were also influenced by the Islamic State group, but not directly connected to it. "The Internet enables people who aren't necessarily able to function well in a group to claim at least that they're inspired by an ideology," said Jessica Stern, a research professor at the Pardee School for Global Studies at Boston University. Mohammad had been shunned by a study group at U.C. Merced, where he was a freshman, authorities have said, and Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, launched the San Bernardino attack with his wife against a group of colleagues gathered at a luncheon. "More must be done to combat jihadists' narrative and their use of the Internet to radicalize, recruit, and fundraise," said Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from Bakersfield. He cited two dozen IS-inspired plots in the United States since 2014. Lone-wolf attacks carried out in this country are a "Western luxury," said Max Abrahms, a political science professor at Northeastern University. He says it's a sign that there are not large terrorists groups carrying out attacks. But he agrees that isolated attacks are likely to increase as the Islamic State is increasingly under fire in its strongholds in Iraq and Syria. "Islamic State is going to continue to decentralize as it gets battered," Abrahms said. "The Internet isn't going away. The group is going to call upon locals to commit attacks." (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 Overseas employment is not always a promising opportunity for Indonesians as workers have to remain wary of fraudulent practices plaguing offers to work in countries that can provide greater prosperity. A revelation from the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) on Friday can be seen as a warning sign, reminding workers to exercise caution prior to accepting offers of employment abroad. The police's detective division revealed three separate cases of the illicit transportation of Indonesian workers to South Korea, the Netherlands and Turkey. National Police general crimes directorate chief Sr. Comr. Umar Surya Fana said recruiters had offered promising jobs with high salaries in the countries. 'One recruiter, Sunata, promised the victims that they would get up to 100,000 won [US$86] daily, but in reality they only got 80 won per day,' Umar said. Sunata recruited 26 people and flew them to South Korea in January. The workers hailed from West Nusa Tenggara, West Java and East Java. Each of them had to pay up to Rp 115 million ($8,780), which could be paid in installments, after they got the jobs. 'Sunata promised them that they were going to work as staff in companies. But when they arrived in Korea, they had to work as radish harvesters, construction workers and farmhands,' Umar said at the National Police headquarters. He added that they were later apprehended by South Korean immigration officials because they were found to be working illegally. They had traveled to South Korea on tourist visas. Bareskrim also revealed a different mode used by another recruiter in luring workers to the Netherlands. In contrast to Sunata, the recruiter, identified as Bagja Kurniawan, asked the victims to pay up to Rp 90 million in advance. 'Bagja told the victims that they would work in a Dutch shipping company, but they first had to pay up front for their own departure fees. That has never happened before because the recruiter is the one who is supposed to cover such fees,' Umar said. The officer said six Indonesians were first flown to Portugal via Belgium earlier this month. They were later picked up by Bagja's partner who took them to a railway station from which they traveled onwards to The Hague, the Netherlands. 'The six were left alone in The Hague. They did not have a choice, but stayed in a railway station in The Hague for four days. They survived because they managed to contact our embassy there and ask for help,' Umar said. He added that the six had only their passports, tourist visas and sailors' information books with them when they were rescued. A third case involved Indonesians who had been rejected for work in Egypt and Dubai, the UEA, because of incomplete immigration and employment documents. They traveled to Turkey in January with the promise of earning $300 per month as housemaids in the Middle Eastern countries. 'Nine people were flown to Istanbul by a recruiter, identified as Hani or Sherli. But they were denied entry to Egypt and Dubai because of their incomplete travel and employment documents,' Umar said. He added that they were then transported back to Istanbul and later offered to Syrian hosts as housemaids. The nine workers are currently still in Turkey where they are awaiting their return to Indonesia. The three recruiters ' Sunata, Bagja and Hani ' are currently in the custody of the National Police. They will be charged under the Human Trafficking Law, and could face maximum sentences of 15 years' imprisonment. An estimated 6.5 million Indonesians are currently working overseas. Approximately 75 to 80 percent of them are domestic workers, many of whom are said to endure isolation, underpayment, long working hours, forced labor and violence. (wnd) -------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong (The Jakarta Post) Nusa Dua Sat, March 19, 2016 In addition to its primary target of restoring 2 million hectares of peatland that had been degraded by the recurring forest fires, the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) is also seeking to boost the country's agriculture sector in peatland areas. BRG head Nazir Foead said on Friday that he had received instructions from the presidential office to also look at the economic aspect during the restoration project, where the agency, in response, would seek suitable methods to restore damaged peatland while at the same time increasing the livelihoods of local people. 'We are looking at plants that are suited to peatland, such as sago. Companies are also thinking about finding suitable trees to plant, so that their fiber could be used for pulp and paper,' he told The Jakarta Post on the sideline of the fifth International Conference on Oil Palm and Environment (ICOPE) in Bali. Nazir assured that the economic aspect of the agency's job would not jeopardize the main peatland restoration project. 'The plants can only be planted on land that has been opened but not cultivated. As for peatland which has not been opened yet, it will remain untouched,' he said. Furthermore, sustainable agricultural practice and the government's restoration project would support each other, according to Nazir. He said productive agriculture did not only mean production as productive agriculture could only be achieved if the peatland was restored. 'I believe these two go hand-in-hand because if you develop agriculture on peatland, the peatland has to be well managed as it's the main asset for the crops to grow,' the agency's chief said. As part of the project, the government has also planned to distribute 2.2 million hectares of open-access (areas which have been converted to plantation without an existing permit) peatland to indigenous people so that they could improve their livelihoods. 'It's very possible to allocate peatland for indigenous people. If the peatland area is left as open-access, then it will keep burning. If we give clear rights [to the area], then the one who owns the land will protect it,' Nazir said. The 2.2 million hectares is part of the government's pledge to give 12.7 million hectares of forest for use to the country's local and indigenous people. The Environment and Forestry Ministry said it was still in discussion with Nazir on the possibilities of converting open-access peatland to becoming a social forest. 'We're still discussing with Pak Nazir whether it can be used as a social forest or not because President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo said there is no new permit,' the ministry's social and partnership forestry director-general, Hadi Daryanto, said on Thursday. As the government is seeking to restore peatland while at the same time develop local agriculture, it will require a huge amount of funds. Therefore, Nazir said the BRG was currently looking for an innovative financing scheme to both fund the restoration project as well as improving sustainable practices among farmers working on peatland areas. He said the BRG was aiming to lure impact investors from Europe and the US. 'We want to work with progressive investors and companies,' said Nazir. Besides looking at potential investors, the agency is also hoping to tap into the dana desa (village fund), which the central government had started disbursing to villages since last year, according to him. 'We are thinking about how to help the [restoration plan] by using the dana desa on village peatland, but at the same time, ensure that [the funds] will be used wisely,' Nazir said. ----------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 JAKARTA: A ninth-grade female student has filed a report with the police against her male teacher for alleged sexual harassment. The victim is a student at a school in Manggarai, South Jakarta. The male teacher, identified as an English teacher, allegedly told her to undress in the teacher's room at the school after punishing her for misbehaving. The victim's father, said the incident took place on Thursday morning. The teacher was punishing the victim for arriving late to school. Samsi said that her daughter told him she was initially told to sing in the middle of the field as punishment, but was then dragged to the teacher's room and was told to undress. The victim refused to undress and ran out of the room and exited the school gate. She ran to a nearby police station to report her teacher. Adj. Comr. Nunu Suparmi of the South Jakarta Police said that the victim was suffering from trauma, but was willing to be further questioned, kompas.com reported. Separately, the school principal said the teacher had denied sexually harassing the student. The teacher, he said, would continue to teach as he had yet to be proven guilty. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tassia Sipahutar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 Heavy tasks await the Financial Services Authority (OJK) now that it has been declared as the financial system's first line of defense, following the approval of the financial crisis law. The Financial System Crisis Prevention and Mitigation (PPKSK) Law was unanimously approved by all party factions at the House of Representatives during a plenary session on Thursday. The approval marks the first time such a law ever existing, after the country was entangled in economic crises back in 1997-1998 and 2008-2009. The law now becomes the 'holy book' for policy makers grouped under the Financial System Stability Committee (KSSK), comprising the Finance Ministry, Bank Indonesia (BI), OJK and the Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS). It regulates the steps and procedures that the KSSK and the President must follow when things are seeming to go southward. However, policy makers cannot sit back and enjoy their success of delivering the long-awaited law. It stipulates that all implementing regulations must be issued within a year after the PPKSK Law is enacted, at the latest. Since a 'bank bail-in' is the main theme of the law, the OJK as the banking industry supervisor becomes the authority first tasked to handle the situation. The bail-in scheme requires the OJK to go over the financial status of domestic systemically important banks (D-SIB) with a fine-tooth comb, detect even the slightest irregularity, raise the alarm and seek the bank's owner responsibility. Several articles in the law reflect the OJK's tough new job. Article 18 and 19, for example, say that the OJK must lay out all requirements on capital and liquidity adequacy and a recovery plan in an OJK regulation (POJK). Meanwhile, article 21 stipulates that the OJK must arrange step-by-step procedures for mitigating solvency problems faced by a systemic bank in another separate regulation. It also calls for the establishment of a systemic bank list by the OJK in a maximum period of three months after the law is approved, as stipulated by article 52. The systemic bank list itself will cover at least the country's top 10 largest banks in terms of assets and also foreign branches, whose parent companies have been listed as global systemic banks. Other banks that are part of financial conglomerates ' with operations spanning from banking to insurance ' will most likely make the list as well. OJK commissioner for banking supervision Nelson Tampubolon said on Friday that it would step up to the plate and take on its duties. 'We already issued a POJK on capital surcharges for systemic banks last year. We probably have to adjust some existing regulations and start several others from scratch,' he said in a telephone conversation. 'However, brand new regulations may take awhile because our own rulemaking process requires us to communicate with the public first.' Meanwhile, Samuel Asset Management economist Lana Soelistianingsih said human resources would present a challenge to the OJK when carrying out its tasks. As many as 350 OJK employees ' a third of which are banking supervisors ' recently made a decision to return to BI at the year's end. They are part of the 1,150-manned workforce put on a 'three-year loan' from BI when the OJK took over banking supervision duties from the central bank in 2014. 'The OJK will have to recruit and train new people as supervisors. That will take time, whereas the global economy can turn for worse at any minute,' Lana said. Separately, Maybank Indonesia chief economist Juniman insisted that the OJK strengthen its surveillance mechanisms and provide the most accurate and transparent information to the KSSK. ------------------ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ganug Nugroho Adi and Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Surakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 Islamic State (IS) movement flags were seen among mourners in the funeral procession of alleged terrorist Fonda Amar Sholihin, 22, of Surakarta, Central Java, who was killed in Poso, Central Sulawesi, during a shoot-out with security officers. The black flags bearing Arabic letters were carried by a number of people from when Fonda's body arrived at the funeral house until it departed to the cemetery for burial. Although dozens of officers were seen around the funeral home, they did not seize the flags or arrest the people carrying them. Some people were even seen casually waving the flags around. Fonda, who was suspected of being a member of the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terrorist group led by Santoso, aka Abu Wardah, in Poso, was buried in Polokarto Muslim cemetery in Sukoharjo, Central Java, on Friday morning. Some 100 mourners joined the funeral procession to farewell Fonda, who was reportedly involved in a terror act in Jati Asih, Bekasi, West Java, in 2014. Riding on motorcycles, the mourners repeatedly cried out Allahu Akbar (God is great) along the roughly 20-kilometer journey from the funeral home to the cemetery. The body of Fonda was flown from Palu, the Central Sulawesi provincial capital, to Surabaya in East Java on Thursday night and was then transported overland to Surakarta. It arrived in Surakarta the following day at about 4:30 a.m. The body was first taken to the funeral home, then to a mosque near the house where mourners prayed for the home deceased, then to the burial. Fonda was the son of Joko Tri Priyanto, aka Joko Parkit, currently an inmate alongside a convicted terrorist at Pekalongan penitentiary in Central Java. Joko initially served his prison term on the high-security prison island of Nusakambangan in Central Java, but was later moved to his current location. Fonda's body was kept at the police's Bhayangkara Hospital in Palu from Feb. 29, but his family only heard reports of his death on March 3. They promptly departed for Palu to seek clarification. 'Fonda's mother, Umi Widayati, underwent an examination, a series of document verifications and a DNA test and also viewed the body,' preacher Sholeh Ibrahim told mourners before leading a mass prayer for the deceased. 'Why the sending home of Fonda's body was delayed I don't know. It should have been here on March 12,' the preacher added. A spokesperson for Fonda's family, Endro Sudarsono, said that the family had had a chance to view Fonda's body. He said it was heavily wounded and damaged in several places. Endro also said that there were signs of gunshot wounds on the head and that some teeth were missing, among other visible injuries. 'That is the condition of the body. We do not know the causes because the police will not give us any explanation,' Endro said. Meanwhile, the decomposing body of another man has been found on the banks of the Lariang River in Lelo village, Poso. 'Based on an initial identification, the body was a member of the MIT,' Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Rudy Sufahriadi said in Palu on Friday. Rudy said there was a hole in the head of the 180-centimeter-tall body and also gunshot wounds on his wrist. He suspected the man had been killed by his own friends due to fears that he would surrender to the authorities. -------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 Lawmakers want the Indonesian Military to play a broader role, beyond just international defense, and assist in the battle against terrorism and drugs, a House of Representatives member said. Member of the House Mahfudz Siddiq said the military should help police to deal with global security issues such as terrorism, separatism and drug trafficking, in order to make efforts more effective. 'The military must be involved more [in helping police to enforce the law],' Mahfudz told reporters recently. Since the Jakarta terrorism attack on Jan. 14, the government has sent thousands of special troops to Poso in Central Sulawesi to join a police counterterrorism operation, chasing the country's most-wanted terrorist Santoso, the leader of the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT). Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan has called previously for the military to play a role in counterterrorism efforts. 'One of the military's additional jobs is to fight against terrorism,' he said. (vps/dan) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Raras Cahyafitri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 The delay in the development of the gas-rich Masela block owing to the government's poor handling of investment talks in the oil and gas sector has set a bad precedent for the investment climate, aside from other looming risks, particularly the country's future gas supply. Six months after submitting its proposed revision of the plan of development (POD), the developers of the block, Japanese firm Inpex and Anglo-Dutch firm Shell, have yet to receive a decision from the government on whether the project can progress under an offshore floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) scheme. President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, who now has the final say on the project, is still undecided on whether the block will continue under the offshore scheme or should be adjusted to an onshore development, an idea that has sparked controversy. Business players say the prolonged decision has created uncertainty and has had a significant negative impact, particularly on the upstream oil and gas sector. 'This is a very big project, which is likely to be the biggest investment for the next 20 years,' said Sammy Hamzah, president director of Ephindo Energy. 'Investors understand that the government wants to be careful because this is big for Indonesia. However, companies developing it have also performed years of studies. If we ask Inpex and Shell, the delay has significantly impacted the economics of the project,' Sammy said. Under the contractors' initial plan, Masela, which is located in the Arafura Sea, was scheduled to start delivering gas in 2024, with Inpex submitting a revision of the block's POD in September last year. Following a recommendation from the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas), Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said was set to approve the POD revision when his supervisor, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Rizal Ramli, opposed the scheme, saying it would not give maximum benefits to the local economy. Rizal instead introduced the onshore scheme. On Wednesday, SKKMigas said that the investment ' known as the final investment decision ' needed to be delayed until the end of 2020 because of political factors. The delay of the US$14 billion project means it will be operational in 2026. Business Monitor International (BMI) Research argued that high regulatory uncertainty, the imminent glut in the Asian LNG space and a decline in prices would make the commercial viability of three gas projects questionable. The projects, which are still in the pre-final investment decision stage, are Masela by Inpex, Gendalo-Gehem projects ' which are part of the Indonesia Deepwater Development (IDD) project ' by Chevron and Tangguh Train 3 by BP. 'Impacts on the domestic market will be pronounced as a combination of rising consumption, stagnant production and regulatory hurdles for new project start-ups lead Indonesia's net LNG exports to fall drastically over the short to medium period,' said Peter Lee, BMI Research oil and gas analyst. It was even estimated that project delays while consumption continues to grow could make Indonesia a net importer of gas by 2022 as the country, currently an LNG exporter, is estimated to need to start importing the product in 2019. Sudirman promised that the government would maintain existing investment and encourage its realization. 'We continue trying to send messages to the industry that the government wants to maintain a sound business climate. In person, I also talk to potential investors, the oil and gas contractors, to ensure that every problem has its own solution. We cannot generalize all processes,' he said. -------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 After having reached a government target of reducing the average dwell time to less than five days, Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT) has been given a new target of three days. Agung Kuswandono, spokesman of the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister, told thejakartapost.com on Friday that JICT had achieved 4.7 days of average dwell time and was preparing new measures to reach the new target. "[Among other strategies] we will operate a port train and activate three ports in Banten," Agung said. The port train in Banten only needed minor changes before it could start operation, he said. "Going directly to Surabaya will also be possible. The train has a capacity of 15 containers. We will increase it to 30 containers," Agung said. The three ports to be upgraded to international terminals are Ciwandan (owned by Indonesia Port Company), Merak Mas (owned by Sinar Mas Group) and Cigading (owned by Krakatau Steel). "Those ports are natural deepwater ports; big ships can enter them without many modifications," Agung explained. On March 21, the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister will hold a consolidation meeting in Banten. Indonesia Port Company, regional governments and companies operating in Banten and neighboring areas will be invited. President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has expressed outrage over the country's stubbornly high port dwell times, which begin from the time a carrier moors at a port to the time its cargo is unloaded and leaves the port, or vice versa. He pointed out that it made the country's economy inefficient with high logistics costs that ultimately affected prices of goods. The President has called for a task force to cooperate with related parties in bringing down the dwell time to 4 days. Tanjung Priok Port, which handles around 70 percent of all goods entering the country, experienced dwell times of up to eight days some years ago, delaying shipments and resulting in uncertainty that added to costs. (bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dewanti A. Wardhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 Following in the step of the NasDem Party, the Hanura Party will also announce its support for Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama's independent bid in the 2017 gubernatorial elections. Hanura Jakarta branch chairwoman Miryam Haryani confirmed on Friday and said that it would officially declare its support soon. 'We will make an official announcement in the coming days. For now, I can only confirm that our support for the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial elections is aimed at Pak Ahok,' Miryam said over the phone Friday. She said that the decision was made by the Hanura chairman, former Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Wiranto, after he met with Ahok's supporters who volunteer at Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok) recently. Miryam added that Ahok had scored the highest in an internal survey within the party, had a clean track record and had also solved many problems as governor. Hanura's support come with no strings attached, she claimed, similar to that of the Nasdem Party's pledge. Previously, NasDem formed the Muda Mudi Ahok (Ahok Youth group) to collect copies of ID cards to support Ahok's independent candidacy. The group will submit the support they collect to Teman Ahok. Ahok recently announced that he would participate in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election as an independent candidate with the head of Financial and Asset Management Board (BPKAD) Heru Budi Hartono, as his running mate. Independent gubernatorial candidates in Jakarta must collect copies of roughly 532,000 ID cards, about 6.5 percent of the city's to eligible voters. ID cards and forms must be submitted the Jakarta General Elections Commission by Aug. 16 at the latest. Thus far, Teman Ahok has collected the support of 117,373 people for Ahok and Heru as a candidate pair. National Awakening Party (PKB) Jakarta branch chairman Hasbiallah Ilyas, on the other hand, said that the party had yet to make a decision on candidates in the upcoming gubernatorial elections, but confirmed that Ahok was currently a front runner. He acknowledged that PKB supporters also favored Ahok for the election. Hasbiallah said that former president Abdurrahman 'Gus Dur' Wahid, an influential PKB figure, had also previously voiced his support for Ahok when he ran for East Belitung regent in 2005. 'We have not yet made a decision. However, Ahok's popularity and Gus Dur's fondness of him are taken into consideration. Currently, Ahok is a front runner,' Hasbiallah told The Jakarta Post on Friday. According to KPU Regulation No. 9/2015 on governor, deputy governor, regent, deputy regent, and/or mayor and deputy mayor candidacy, a coalition of political parties with 20 percent of the total amount of seats in City Council may nominate a pair for an election. As there are 106 seats in the City Council, a party or a coalition of parties must have at least 21 seats to nominate a pair. NasDem and Hanura have a total of 15 seats in the City Council. With the addition of the PKB, which has six seats, the coalition will be just enough to nominate a pair. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which has 28 seats in the council, can nominate its own candidate without forming a coalition. Separately, Ahok said that he would continue to run as an independent candidate even if he gained enough support from political parties in the future. 'I will run as an independent candidate. The parties that support me already know this,' Ahok said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 JAKARTA: The National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) wants to establish a special prison for convicted terrorists in order to prevent them from spreading their radical ideas to other prisoners and planning attacks from behind bars. 'The special prison might impose maximum security for its inhabitants and will limit communication between convicted terrorists,' the newly appointed BNPT chief Tito Karnavian told reporters on Thursday evening. Under the new scheme, the prison will categorize convicts in three levels: actors, supporters and sympathizers. According Tito, convicted terrorists have manipulated the system in conventional prisons. 'They could even prepare an attack in the prison, such as the attack in Central Jakarta in January.' Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H Laoly said his ministry would consider Tito's proposals. 'At the moment, we just put the terrorists in special blocks or cells,' Laoly said, adding that establishing a special prison for terrorists would be costly. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 JAKARTA: The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) named on Friday the regent of Ogan Ilir in South Sumatra, Ahmad Wazir Noviadi, a suspect in a case involving the possession of crystal methamphetamine. BNN narcotics eradication division deputy head Arman Depari said his team had sufficient evidence and witness testimony to declare that Noviadi possessed and used drugs. The agency, however, reportedly did not have enough evidence to prove that two other suspects in the case, Juniansyah and Deny Afriansyah, were drug dealers. However, it intended to send the pair to the BNN rehabilitation center in Lido, Sukabumi, West Java, for six months. In regard to Murdani and Faizal Rochie, the agency still considered them witnesses in the case. The police arrested the five people, including Noviadi, on Sunday at his home in Ogan Ilir. They tested positive for drug use. Arman added that the agency would look into the possibility of money laundering in the case because of evidence that a narcotics transaction was also occurring at the time of the arrest. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fithya Findie, Muhammad Daud and Prasetya Dwicahya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 Data has become an inseparable part of our lives. Without data there would be no quality research, good policies and viable businesses. The annual fiasco concerning forest fires highlights the problem that may arise if we are unable to access and use data properly. Better data governance or application of open data principles could help the government in solving the complex development challenges it faces. Generally the concept of open data has been closely linked to the larger effort of creating a better and more open government; one that is more transparent, accountable and responsive to its citizens. Open data can also spur innovation and economic growth. By unleashing malleable datasets, innovators and inventors can build valuable products out of them, and in return can contribute to the economic growth of a country. A study by McKinsey suggests that open data can help unlock US$3 to 5 trillion in economic value annually. Take the Citymapper application. It helps Londoners, New Yorkers and travelers from around the world navigate the complexity of commuting in both cities. Citymapper is such a great marriage between open data, collaboration and innovation that ultimately brings contentedness to its users. What actually is open data? Generally open data is data that anyone can access, use and share anytime, anywhere. In Indonesia, the government has, since October 2013, introduced an initiative to improve data governance through the 'One Data' initiative. It is an initiative to improve the government's data interoperability and accessibility, not just within and between government institutions, but also for the public. This initiative goes hand-in-hand with one of the President's campaign promises to carry out good governance. Today, the One Data initiative is exercised through the establishment of a national data portal: data.go.id. The portal currently holds up to 1,000 datasets from various government agencies and has become a one-stop source for the public to using government data. The government's support and working platform are there. Do we have all we need then? Not really ' there are currently two big impediments. First, there is no strong foundation to enable an open data ecosystem to thrive. A basic open data ecosystem allows for data to be kept in an open format that can be easily reused by the public. On this, there is yet to be clear directives and regulations on how data is produced and managed as part of the government's policy-making process. Replacing the culture of data management in government with a more efficient one is no easy task. Hence, with the absence of a directive, reforming data governance incurs significant costs, since it requires extra resources both financially and operationally. The forest fires is a case in point. The use of different data and maps has been reviewed by many as one of the key causes of land disputes and overlapping permits in plantation and mining operations. In response, the government recently issued a Presidential regulation on a 'One Map' policy to improve land-use management by giving directives to government agencies to produce a single, authoritative spatial map that is unified, accurate and reliable. The policy and regulation may not be necessary, had open data principles been applied as business as usual in the government. Second, the advocacy that works around open data issues has to be more specific and be able to address sectoral issues. Until now, most open data advocacy only stops at 'opening up the data' and has not touched areas where open data can be used to solve problems. Advocacy that only focuses on data release has to be shifted into building data products that solve specific social issues in various sectors. Building evidence-based concepts that shows how open data can truly bring value should be the core activity of open data advocacy. The Citymapper case is perfect storytelling in showcasing the benefits of open data. Seeing the challenges, should we whither? We don't think so. In the current digital age, the opportunities are luckily ample. Organizations that are actively contributing to an open data ecosystem through different initiatives, like Publish What You Pay for openness in the extractive industry or 'Perkumpulan untuk Pemilu dan Demokrasi' (Perludem) for openness in the electoral system and parliament, show how vast the resources are to push data governance into becoming a prioritized agenda. And now there are even more people with the technical skills who are getting interested in civic issues. Engaging them closely is key to further unleashing the value of open data for the Indonesian people. What should be the future directives? First, the government may consider developing a single directive that would establish clearer business processes and data standards. Some baby steps to testing the effectiveness of that directive could be done through pilot projects with government agencies that have shown interests to joining the bandwagon. Second is to create a better data governance ecosystem by strengthening the supply and demand side of data. Data supply can come from both government and non-government sectors. Combining two streams requires hard work that cannot only come from government but from citizens alike. For open data to truly bring an impact to Indonesia, we as society have to recognize the value of open data and be willing to assist every step of its implementation together. Open data or better data governance is not the goal but a means to have better development planning and governance. In the end, the one who will truly benefit from open data would not be government, companies, or civil society organizations but us, the Indonesian people as one. _________________ Fithya Findie is the national secretariat head of Open Government Indonesia. Muhammad Daud is an associate director at the Executive Office of the President. Prasetya Dwicahya is a research analyst at the World Bank Indonesia and also a member of Data Science Indonesia. The views express are their own. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 In attempt to meet the increasing demand for electricity in the capital, state-owned electricity company PLN and the Jakarta administration recently signed an agreement to boost services by constructing 58 new high-voltage distribution plants. PLN president director Sofyan Basir said that the provision of the high voltage distribution plants (GITET) would contribute significantly to the electricity service for residents in the capital. He added that plants in the capital were overloaded as they had been running at 80 percent capacity, with some even more than 90 percent. 'If we do not add more plants to meet the city's electricity demands, in two years, the capital will experience power outages,' said Sofyan. Sofyan explained that Jakarta's demand for electricity was increasing as daily load curves had been reaching 6500 megawatts (MW) in the evenings and 7300 MW in the afternoons. For those demands, he added, the capital was currently supported only by 11 plants with an electrical voltage of 500 kilovolts and an inter-bus transformer capacity of 500 megavolt amperes. Sofyan said that the existing plants would no longer be able to meet the increasing demand. Therefore, PLN would add 58 more plants, which would be built within five years with a budget set at between Rp 30 trillion (US$2.3 billion) and Rp 40 trillion. Of 58 plants, he said, 48 would stand on plots of land belonging to the state-owned company. The remaining others would be constructed on plots of land belonging to the city administration. Sofyan further said that the administration had expressed its commitment to the development of the projects by easing land and permit acquisition. It also had already handed over a plot of land in West Semanggi, South Jakarta, to the company for the construction of a plant. 'We hope we can acquire other plots of land soon so that we are able to add, as well as upgrade, new electricity networks and facilities,' said Sofyan. Similar to Sofyan, Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama also said that the administration would ease permit acquisition in a bid to support the construction of new plants in the capital. He added that he had called for officials from Jakarta's One-stop Integrated Services Agency (BPTSP) to soon take care of the required permit documents for GITET construction. In addition, he said that the construction could proceed without a new Environmental Impact Analysis (Amdal) as it could use the existing one. However, the administration would not issue permits if PLN built plants along sidewalks, or above drainage. 'We do not want our sidewalks to be damaged because of the construction,' said Ahok. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 The Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) are teaming up to hunt down and sanction recalcitrant government officials who continue to ignore their obligation to declare their wealth. One possible sanction could involve dismissal from office. Such serious sanctions will be imposed because the government is committed to upholding clean governance in the country, Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Yuddy Chrisnandi said Friday. 'The plan is our response to the recent public uproar concerning the refusal by state officials to submit reports on their wealth and income,' Yuddy said after concluding a meeting with the KPK. Other possible sanctions, the minister said, could involve delayed job promotion, reductions of monthly salary and 'other factors that are related to their careers'. Yuddy said the ministry would issue a circular as a legal basis for the imposition of the planned sanctions. He added, however, that the scope of the plan would not include members of the House of Representatives and regional legislative councils. 'The ministry has no authority to impose sanctions on legislators,' Yuddy said. A recent report by the KPK revealed that 288,369 state officials were obliged to report their assets, and 90,817 of them had failed to do so. The report, a copy of which was obtained by The Jakarta Post, also revealed that just 3,668, or 27.32 percent, of the nation's 13,427 legislators, ranging from members of the House to regional councilors, had agreed to submit reports. Executive officials constitute the largest proportion of recalcitrant officials. 'There are also 120 of 400 high-ranking state officials [who have not submitted reports],' the minister said in reference to the KPK's report. The 1999 Clean Public Governance Law requires senior state and government officials, including legislators and political appointees, to declare their assets in a standard asset declaration form to be filed with the anti-graft body and updated annually. The KPK is currently preparing a government regulation to make non-compliant officials, ranging from executives to state-owned enterprise officials, bow to the rule of law. Pahala Nainggolan, the KPK deputy for graft prevention, said the antigraft body planned to list several kinds of administrative sanctions that were not clearly stipulated in the 1999 law. 'The KPK has come to the conclusion that the imposition of criminal penalties is the most effective way to make officials abide by the regulations,' Pahala said, adding that an amendment to the 1999 law was required in order to add criminal penalties. KPK deputy chairman Alexander Marwata said the commission was also preparing an electronic-based asset declaration form, known as e-LHKPN. 'We've heard that the main reason for the disobedience is that many officials found the written form too complex and difficult,' Alexander said on Friday. (mos) ----------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tama Salim and Anggi Lubis (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 The Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo administration is expected to take a more active and leading role in resolving the protracted territorial disputes in the South China Sea (SCS) as a way to assert the continuity of Indonesia's foreign policy tradition, a visiting US scholar said on Thursday. Donald E. Weatherbee, an advisor to the non-profit organization United States-Indonesia Society (USINDO), said the Indonesian government had failed to apply to the principles of bebas-aktif (independent and proactive) diplomacy when it came to the SCS dispute, sparking debate on whether the leadership of Jokowi had altered the state's long-held stance on foreign affairs. The principle is the main component of Indonesian foreign policy, which was drafted by the country's founding fathers including vice president Mohammad Hatta during Indonesia's infancy. This stance was most discernible when the country decided to remain neutral and co-establish the Non-Aligned Movement during the height of the Cold War. Weatherbee said that Jokowi's take on the SCS dispute had all but confirmed the qualms of many that the President was not savvy or informed enough on global affairs. 'One area where it is not at work [...] is in the issue of the South China Sea ' Indonesia has been passive and dependent,' he said during a discussion at the University of Indonesia (UI) in Depok, West Java on Thursday. The Southeast Asia expert said that actually Indonesia had real national interests at stake in the outcome of the dispute, which had to do with 'long-range Chinese ambitions for domination in the SCS.' 'Indonesia is not doing enough to address it [the SCS dispute],' he said. In spite of continued attempts from the US, Japan and their allies to push the implicit leader of ASEAN to play a more active role in resolving the dispute and to counter any support for China, Indonesia has insisted on remaining neutral in the dispute. In a strong denial of the 'passive' label, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said in a separate occasion that Indonesia was definitely active in pushing for a resolution of the SCS dispute. In a recent trip to the US, Jokowi reiterated the need for all countries involved in the dispute to comply with international law, avoid unnecessary posturing and implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the SCS, also known as the DOC. Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) researcher Adriana Elizabeth brushed aside the notion that Indonesia was passive, arguing that the country had acted consistently within the confines of its foreign policy. 'What's most important to Indonesia is that it had provided a forum, facilitated discussion and avoided open conflict,' Adriana told the Jakarta Post. 'Why should we have to give a response to China on behalf of [US] interests [when we have no stake in the dispute at all]?' The DOC was signed by all ASEAN members and China in November 2002, to establish mechanisms to prevent crises and reduce tension amid conflicting territorial claims to the SCS that have contributed to instability in the region. Under the DOC, all parties are required to jointly establish a code of conduct (COC) as a more binding instrument on how to resolve and prevent the conflict from escalating into a fully fledged war. Weatherbee argued that progress had been slow in the completion of COC. As a 'humble suggestion,' Weatherbee proposed that Indonesia pursue a solution through a maritime affairs context and convene the maritime states of ASEAN, with perhaps bringing Australia into the fray. 'China thinks Indonesia is the most important nation in ASEAN; perhaps Indonesia should begin to act in that fashion,' he said. Indonesia is not a claimant nation in the dispute but fellow ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam are among those that have challenged China's territorial claims in the SCS. China's assertiveness in the region, particularly in the SCS dispute, has worried the US and its allies Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam, that believe it could negatively affect freedom of navigation, given the strategic location of the SCS. While China has already created a military islet in the SCS to underpin its disputed territorial claims, the US has pledged more firepower to the region. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tama Salim and Ganug Nugroho Adi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Surakarta Sat, March 19, 2016 A misleading post by an infamous social media user has sparked outrage among family members and acquaintances of pro-democracy activist and poet Wiji Thukul, who many believe had been the victim of government-sanctioned abductions and whose whereabouts remains unknown to this day. The editorial leader of online news portal beritagar.id, Wicaksono, who is better known by his online handle @ndorokakung, caused great commotion on Thursday evening after he linked Wiji's disappearance to the Timor Leste independence movement. Quoting a local television outlet, Wicaksono's post mentioned how former Timorese statesman Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao heaped praise on Wiji for his role in aiding the struggle as a bomb expert, which allegedly led to his death at the hands of the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) on the country's borders. 'This is new knowledge for us; let's see how Indonesia reacts,' Wicaksono said in his status update. In response to the post, Indonesian Ambassador to Timor Leste Primanto Hendrasmoro said the information being circulated was not completely true. While at a civil society event on March 16, Primanto said that Gusmao was only involved as a pro-democracy figure and was not acting on behalf of the Timorese government. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir echoed the envoy's statement. The social media post prompted impulsive fact-checking on Friday, which led Wiji's daughter Fitri Nganthi Wani to drive away journalists from her home in Surakarta, Central Java, moments after she arrived from Dili, Timor Leste, to accept an award on behalf of her missing father. Wani stood in for Wiji, who was awarded special recognition by former Timor president Gusmao for his service in aiding the Timorese fight for independence through the Democratic People's Party (PRD). A number of other PRD figures were given the same accolade, including fellow activists Wilson and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Budiman Sudjatmiko. Wiji's wife Dyah Sujirah, otherwise known as Mbak Pon, refuted the rumors of Wiji's bomb-making expertise. She said she had never heard that story before and was shocked at what was circulating on social media. 'I was shocked, but I didn't believe it ' it was a lie,' Mbak Pon told reporters at her home in Surakarta. After the exchange, Wani urged her mother to go inside their home and asked the media to leave the premises. 'There will be no interviews; my father was not a bombmaker,' she cried. At the height of the debate, Wicaksono indicated that he had expected the media frenzy, dismissing his previous post as bait. Wicaksono's post was also met with outrage from members of civil society, government officials and even the committee that organized the Dili event. The Indonesian Association of Families of Missing Persons (IKOHI) published a statement condemning the circulation of misleading facts by the @ndorokakung handle, which brought into question the circumstances in which Wiji allegedly died and accused his daughter of accepting a cash prize from the event. IKOHI chairman Wanmayetti said this information had hurt the family and friends of the poet, as well as the communities that continue to campaign the government to adhere to recommendations made by the House of Representatives' special committee on missing persons, since 2009. Wanmayetti urged the owner of the @ndorokakung handle to retract his statement and apologize to the family of Wiji Thukul, as well as all family members of victims of human rights violations in the country, emphasizing that Wicaksono needed to be held responsible for any unintended consequences. The chairman of the committee that organized the Dili event, Nuno Corvelo Laloran, also issued a statement in response to the media frenzy. Laloran denied all comments that Gusmao might have made that was quoted in @ndorokakung's post. The statement explained that Gusmao had participated in the event in his capacity as chairman of the humanitarian aid organization, Associacao Dos Combatentes Da Brigada Negra (ACBN), which he established in 1995. 'We urge 'Ndoro' to take responsibility and retract his statements and apologize to Xanana Gusmao, the event committee and especially to the family of Wiji Thukul,' Laloran said in his statement. Later in the day, @ndorokakung updated his statement, apologized and urged the media to seek out the whole truth behind his story. -------------------- To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. For print subscription, please contact our call center at (+6221) 5360014 or subscription@thejakartapost.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Baikonur, Kazakhstan Sat, March 19, 2016 A Soyuz space capsule carrying two Russians and an American is heading for the International Space Station after blasting off from Russia's manned space launch complex in Kazakhstan. The launch at 3:26 a.m. Saturday (2126 GMT Friday) appeared flawless and the craft entered orbit nine minutes after liftoff. The Soyuz is to dock with the space station about six hours later. Russians Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka and NASA's Jeff Williams are aboard for a six-month mission. At the end of it, Williams would notch the American record for cumulative days in space -- 534 over three missions. Russian Gennady Padalka holds the world record at 878. Aboard the station, they will join American Tim Kopra, Russia's Yuri Malenchenko and Briton Tim Peake flying for the European Space Agency.(bbn) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Edith M Lederer (The Jakarta Post) United Nations Sat, March 19, 2016 The UN Security Council is condemning North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches, calling them "unacceptable" and a clear violation of UN resolutions banning such tests. A unanimous statement from the UN's most powerful body Friday evening after an urgent meeting called by the United States reiterated its demand that North Korea comply with council resolutions prohibiting all ballistic missile activity. The council expressed "grave concern" at North Korea's reaction to the resolution adopted unanimously two weeks ago that imposed the toughest sanctions on Kim Jong Un's government in response to its nuclear test in January and rocket launch in February. In light of the North's ballistic missile launches on March 18 and March 10, the council urged all countries "to redouble their efforts" to implement all sanctions against the country.(bbn) (lead article, special feature) Cubans will defend our sovereignty, revolution Above, Kathleen T. Rhem; inset, Militant/Seth Galinsky Territory occupied by U.S. naval base at Guantanamo against the will of our government and people must be returned to Cuba, says editorial, respecting the wish that Cubans have unanimously expressed for more than 100 years. Above, entrance to U.S. base circa 2005. Right, Sept. 28, 2015, rally in defense of Cuba near Cuban Mission in New York City, day Cuban President Raul Castro was speaking at the U.N. On March 9 Granma, the newspaper of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party, published a front page editorial on President Barack Obamas upcoming visit to Cuba. The translation, subheadings and footnotes below are by the Militant. The president of the United States of America, Barack Obama, will make an official visit to Cuba March 20-22. This will be the second time a U.S. president comes to our archipelago. The only prior such visit was by Calvin Coolidge, who landed in Havana in January 1928. He arrived aboard a warship to attend the Sixth Pan American Conference, held under the auspices of a notorious figure in our history, [U.S.-backed dictator] Gerardo Machado. This will be the first time a president of the United States comes to a Cuba in full possession of its sovereignty and with a revolution in power, headed by its historic leadership. This event is part of the process initiated Dec. 17, 2014, when the president of Cu-bas Councils of State and Ministers, Army General Raul Castro Ruz, and President Barack Obama simultaneously announced the decision to re-establish diplomatic relations, broken by the United States almost 54 years ago. It is part of the complex process toward normalization of bilateral ties, which has barely begun and has advanced on the only basis that is possible and just: respect, equality, reciprocity, and the recognition of our governments legitimacy. This point has been reached first and foremost as a result of the Cuban peoples heroic resistance, loyalty to principles, and defense of our national independence and sovereignty. Such values, which have not been negotiated for more than 50 years, led the present U.S. government to acknowledge the severe damage the blockade has caused our people and to recognize the failure of the policy of open hostility toward the revolution. Neither force nor economic coercion nor isolation succeeded in imposing conditions on Cuba that were contrary to the aspirations forged over nearly a century and a half of heroic struggle. Washington isolated by solidarity The current process undertaken with the United States has also been possible thanks to unwavering international solidarity, in particular from the governments and peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, who put the United States in an unsustainable position of isolation. Strongly united like silver lodes in the bedrock of the Andes, as our national hero Jose Marti said in his essay Our America Latin America and the Caribbean demanded a change in policy toward Cuba. This regional demand was made unequivocally clear at the Summits of the Americas in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in 2009, and in Cartagena, Colombia, in 2012, when all countries of the region unanimously and categorically demanded the lifting of the blockade and our countrys participation in the 7th hemispheric meeting in Panama, in 2015, to which a Cuban delegation, led by Raul, attended for the first time. Since the December 2014 announcements, Cuba and the United States have taken steps toward improving the bilateral context. On July 20, 2015, diplomatic relations were officially re-established, along with the commitment to develop them on the basis of respect, cooperation, and observance of the principles of international law. The presidents of the two countries have met twice, in addition to mutual visits by ministers and other contacts between high-ranking officials. Cooperation in various areas of mutual benefit are advancing and new opportunities for discussion are opening up. That makes possible a dialogue on issues of bilateral and multilateral interest, including those on which we have different views. The U.S. president will be welcomed by the government of Cuba and its people with the hospitality that distinguishes us. He will be treated with all consideration and respect as a head of state. This will be an opportunity for the president of the United States to directly observe a nation engaged in economic and social development and in improving its citizens well-being. Our people enjoy rights and can point to achievements that are only dreams for many of the worlds countries, despite the limitations resulting from our condition as an underdeveloped country subjected to a blockade. This has earned us international recognition and respect. Figures of world stature such as Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill described this island, in their joint statement released in Havana in February, as a symbol of the hopes of the New World. French President Francois Hollande recently said, Cuba is respected and listened to throughout Latin America, and praised the countrys capacity for resistance in the face of the most difficult tests. Cubas internationalist example South African leader Nelson Mandela always had words of profound gratitude for Cuba. Speaking July 26, 1991, in Matanzas, he said, We in Africa are used to being victims of countries who want to carve up our territory or subvert our sovereignty. It is unparalleled in African history to have another people [like the Cuban people] rise to the defense of one of us. Obama will find himself in a country that actively contributes to regional and world peace and stability, and that shares with other peoples not what we have left over but the modest resources we possess. We have made solidarity an essential element of our reason for being. And, as Marti taught us, we have made humanitys well-being one of the fundamental objectives of our foreign policy. Obama will also have the opportunity to meet a noble, friendly, dignified people with an elevated sense of patriotism and national unity, who have always fought for a better future, despite the adversities we have had to confront. The president of the United States will be welcomed by a revolutionary people with a deeply rooted political culture. That culture is the result of a long tradition of struggle for our genuine, definitive independence, first against Spanish colonialism and then against U.S. imperialist domination a struggle in which our best sons and daughters have shed their blood and faced all manner of risks. He will be welcomed by a people who will never renounce the defense of their principles and the vast work of the revolution, by a people who will unwaveringly follow the examples of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, Jose Marti, Antonio Maceo, Julio Antonio Mella, Ruben Martinez Villena, Antonio Guiteras, and Ernesto Che Guevara, among many others. This is also a people united by historical, cultural, and emotional ties with the United States, whose emblematic figure, the writer Ernest Hemingway, received the Nobel Prize for literature for a novel set in Cuba. A people who show their gratitude to the sons and daughters of the United States who, like Thomas Jordan, Henry Reeve, Winchester Osgood, and Frederick Funston, fought with the Liberation Army in our wars of independence against Spain; 1 and to those who in the more recent era have opposed aggression against Cuba, like Rev. Lucius Walker, who defied the blockade to bring their aid and solidarity to our people and who supported the return to the homeland of young Elian Gonzalez and the Cuban Five. We learned from Marti to admire the homeland of Lincoln and repudiate Cutting. 2 It is worth recalling the words of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, on Sept. 11, 2001, when he said, Today is a day of tragedy for the United States. You know very well that hatred toward the American people has never been fostered here. Cuba, precisely because of its culture, its lack of complexes, because it feels completely free, with a homeland and no master, is perhaps the country where U.S. citizens are treated with the greatest respect. We have never preached any kind of national hatred, nor anything approaching fanaticism. That is why we are so strong. We base our conduct on principles, on ideas, and treat every U.S. citizen who visits us with great respect and they see this. A people proud of their history This is the people who will welcome President Obama a people proud of their history, their roots, their national culture, confident that a better future is possible. A nation that is facing, with calm and determination, the current stage of relations with the United States, that recognizes the opportunities as well as the unresolved problems between the two countries. The visit by the president of the United States will be an important step in the process toward normalization of bilateral relations. It should be remembered that Obama, as James Carter did previously, has set out to work toward normalization of ties with Cuba by making use of his executive powers and has in fact taken concrete action in this direction. Nevertheless, a long, complex road lies ahead. Normalization will require resolving key issues that have accumulated over more than five decades and deepened the confrontational character of relations between the two countries. Such problems are not resolved overnight, nor with a presidential visit. Lift the economic block-ade To normalize relations with the United States, it is imperative to lift the economic, commercial, and financial blockade, which inflicts hardship on the Cuban people and is the principal obstacle to our countrys development. It is worth noting President Obamas reiterated position that the blockade must be eliminated and his call on Congress to lift it. This is a demand supported by a growing majority of U.S. public opinion and almost unanimously by the international community, which at the United Nations General Assembly has approved 24 times in a row the Cuban resolution entitled The necessity of ending the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba. The U.S. president has taken steps to modify the implementation of some aspects of the blockade, and this is positive. High-ranking officials in his administration have said others are being studied. Nevertheless, it has not been possible to implement a good number of these measures given their limited reach, the continuing existence of other regulations, and the intimidating effect of the blockade as a whole, which has been strictly enforced for more than 50 years. It is contradictory that the U.S. government, on the one hand, adopts these measures and, on the other, intensifies sanctions against Cuba that affect the daily lives of our people. The reality is that the blockade remains in place and is rigorously enforced, including extraterritorially, which has a chilling effect on companies and banks from the United States and other countries. Examples of this are the multimillion-dollar fines that continue to be levied on U.S. companies and banking institutions as well as those of other countries because of their relations with Cuba; the denial of services and blocking of financial operations by international banks with our country; and the freezing of legitimate transfers of funds to and from Cuba, including those in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. The Cuban people hope that the U.S. presidents visit will strengthen his resolve to take an active part in a thorough debate in Congress over lifting the blockade, and that he will also continue to use his executive prerogatives to modify as much as possible its implementation without the need for legislative action. End regime change policy Other issues that impinge on Cuban sovereignty must also be resolved in order to achieve normal relations between the two countries. The territory occupied by the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo against the will of our government and people must be returned to Cuba, respecting the wish that Cubans have unanimously expressed for more than 100 years. There must be a halt to programs that interfere in our affairs and aim to cause destabilization and changes in our countrys political, economic, and social order. The policy of regime change must be ended once and for all. Likewise, efforts to manufacture a domestic political opposition, funded by U.S. taxpayers, must be ended. Radio and TV broadcasts targeting Cuba, in open violation of international law, and the illegitimate use of telecommunications for political purposes must also be ended. The goal should be not to influence Cuban society but to put technology at the service of development and knowledge. The preferential immigration treatment our citizens receive under the Cuban Adjustment Act and the wet foot, dry foot policy leads to the loss of lives and encourages illegal emigration and human trafficking, in addition to generating problems for third countries. This situation must be changed. The Cuban medical professional parole program must be ended. This is a program that deprives the country of human resources vital to the health of our people and affects the intended beneficiaries of Cuban cooperation with nations that need our support. It is also necessary to change the policy requiring Cuban athletes to break ties with their country in order to play in U.S. leagues. These policies of the past are incongruous with the new stage the U.S. government has initiated with our country. They were all established prior to President Obamas administration, but he could modify some of them through executive decisions and eliminate others entirely. Cuba has engaged in building a new relationship with the United States while fully exercising its sovereignty and remaining committed to its ideals of social justice and solidarity. No one can presume that this means we must renounce a single one of our principles, concede an inch in the defense of these principles, or abandon what is stated in our Constitution: Economic and diplomatic relations with any other state can never be negotiated under aggression, threats, or coercion by a foreign power. Nor can there be even the slightest doubt as to Cubas unconditional commitment to its revolutionary and anti-imperialist ideals, and to its foreign policy in support of the worlds just causes, our defense of the self-determination of peoples, and our tradition of support to our sister countries. Revoke U.S. sanctions on Venezuela As was expressed in the most recent statement of the revolutionary government, our solidarity with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the government led by President Nicolas Maduro, and the Bolivarian, Chavista people remains and will remain immutable. They are fighting to follow their own path, and are facing systematic attempts at destabilization and unilateral sanctions under an unjustified, unjust U.S. executive order issued in March 2015, which was condemned throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The March 3 U.S. announcement extending the so-called national emergency and sanctions is a direct and unacceptable act of interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela and its sovereignty. The order must be revoked. This will be a firm, ongoing demand by Cuba. As Army General Raul Castro said, We will not renounce our ideals of independence and social justice, surrender even a single one of our principles, or concede a millimeter in the defense of our national sovereignty. We will not allow ourselves to be pressured in regard to our internal affairs. We have won this sovereign right with great sacrifices and the highest risks. We reiterate once again: we have reached this point as a result of our convictions and because we have reason and justice on our side. Cuba reaffirms its desire to advance in relations with the United States on the basis of respect for the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter and the principles of the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Region of Peace, signed by the regions heads of state and government. These principles include absolute respect for independence and sovereignty; the inalienable right of every state to choose its own political, economic, social, and cultural system without interference of any kind; and equality and reciprocity. Cuba reiterates its full willingness to maintain a respectful dialogue with the U.S. government and develop relations of civilized co-existence. Co-existence, however, does not mean having to renounce the ideas in which we believe and that have brought us this far our socialism, our history, our culture. Cuba and the United States have profound conceptual differences with respect to political models, social justice, international relations, world peace and stability, among other issues and these differences will continue. Cuba defends the indivisible, interdependent, and universal character of the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural aspects of human rights. We are convinced that it is an obligation of governments to defend and guarantee the right to health, education, social security, equal pay for equal work, the rights of children, as well as the right to food and development. We reject political manipulation and double standards relating to human rights, which must end. Cuba, which has signed 44 international agreements on this subject the United States has only committed to 18 has much to share, defend, and show in this regard. Our ties with the United States must be based on the two countries respecting their differences and creating a relationship that is beneficial to both peoples. Regardless of the progress that may be achieved in our ties with the United States, the Cuban people will continue to move forward. Through our own efforts and proven capacity and creativity, we will continue to work for the countrys development and for the well-being of Cubans. We will not stop demanding an end to the blockade, which has caused and causes so much harm. We will continue the process of updating the social and economic model we have chosen, and the construction of a prosperous, sustainable socialism to consolidate the gains of the revolution. This is the path that was sovereignly chosen and that will surely be reaffirmed by the Seventh Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, with Fidel and Raul at the head of our victory. This is the Cuba that will offer a respectful welcome to President Obama. 1.The Cuban people waged wars of independence against Spain from 1868-78 and 1895-98.2.Francis Cutting was a leader of the American Annexationist League, founded in 1878, which advocated U.S. annexation of northern Mexico. (front page) Breakup of Trump rally sets back working class Socialist Workers Party campaign statement On March 11, hundreds of people organized to disrupt and force the cancellation of a Chicago rally where thousands had come to hear Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. This was a blow to free speech a vital conquest of working people and protection of our right to speak, organize strike pickets, and mobilize protest rallies and marches. I was at the Chicago rally talking with workers and finding interest in what the Socialist Workers Party has to say. Most of those who came to hear Trump are working people, hard hit by the world economic depression and fed up with a system that ignores persistent unemployment, employer attacks on wages and job conditions and other indignities. Theyre interested in Trump because he thumbs his nose at party bosses and says he has a winning plan to create jobs. Efforts to shut down those you disagree with set back workers struggles. The working class must defend free speech for all. We need it to discuss and debate how to defend ourselves from employer and government attacks. We need an independent working-class political alternative to the rulers parties. Shutting down political expression is inevitably turned against workers, our unions and other organizations by the capitalist government, courts, cops and hired goons. Liberal and middle-class radical groups that call for thuggish actions to shout down Trump play into the hands of his campaign and his Republican and Democratic rivals. They put wind in the sails of Trumps own thuggish rhetoric targeting immigrants, Muslims, women and protesters. The arguments by such political groups go hand in hand with bourgeois commentators of all stripes who say that those who attend Trumps rallies are bigoted Caucasian workers. This is a slander, something we confirm as the SWP campaigns, whether in workers neighborhoods or elsewhere, including Trump rallies. Trump isnt a fascist. There is no growing ultrarightist or fascist movement today. The bosses dont need one, because the working class is not yet strong or organized enough to challenge their rule. Some protesters in Chicago carried signs against deportations, defending rights for Muslims, opposing cop killings and championing Black rights. The working class has a big stake in these struggles. But strengthening them is inseparable from defending space to speak and demonstrate. The Socialist Workers Party urges working people to break with the capitalist parties, to build our own party, a labor party based on our unions. Join us in campaigning for the socialist, working-class alternative. Join us in the fight for $15 and a union and other labor actions, protests against cop violence, rallies backing a womans right to choose abortion, against deportations and attacks on mosques, and in support of ranchers and farmers defending their livelihood. Without championing the right to speak out and organize, none of this will be possible. Related articles: Socialist candidate gets hearing at Trump event Socialist Workers Party launches state campaigns Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home (front page) Socialist candidate gets hearing at Trump event Militant/Dan Fein CHICAGO The organized disruption that forced the cancellation of Republican candidate Donald Trumps campaign rally here March 11 was a blow to free speech, Socialist Workers Party candidate for president Alyson Kennedy said. Shutting down political expression is inevitably turned against workers. Kennedys statement stands in stark contrast to the celebration of the disruption on the left and among liberals who are increasingly shrill in charging Trump with being the spearhead of a rising racist and fascist movement. This could be remembered as the dawn of the resistance, declared Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson March 14. Republican rivals Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich said they opposed the disruptions, but argued they are Trumps own fault, suggesting his politics encourage violence. None of this has derailed Trumps campaign. He won four of the five primary elections held March 15. Rubio, a senator from Florida, suspended his campaign after losing to Trump in his home state by a wide margin. Trumps loss to Ohio Gov. Kasich in Ohio was expected. In all these states Trump won a big vote from working people. Far from representing a rising rightist movement, Trump gets a hearing from workers and others who have been battered by the effects of years of the world capitalist economic crisis, and who are looking for something different from establishment politicians they know offer no solutions. Its for similar reasons that Bernie Sanders continues to get a substantial response. He got nearly half the vote in both Illinois and Missouri, even as the media is declaring that Hillary Clinton has the Democratic nomination virtually sewn up. On the day of Trumps rally, several thousand people demonstrated outside while others entered the meeting room. Their goal was for Donald to take the stage and to completely interrupt him. The plan is to shut Donald Trump all the way down, Quovadis Green told the Associated Press. When a campaign staffer announced that due to safety concerns the rally was canceled, those who organized to disrupt it erupted in cheers, celebrating their victory over free speech. Some chanted Bernie, Bernie, waving Sanders campaign signs. A few Trump supporters confronted them. The big majority of those who had come to hear Trump looked incredulous, upset he wouldnt be speaking. Fight for unions, jobs, wages SWP candidate Kennedy had wide-ranging discussions with many workers and young people who came hoping to hear Trump. She handed a campaign flyer to Jordan Strange, an 18-year-old student from Naperville, as they waited in line to get in. The Socialist Workers Party campaign is part of the struggles of working people, she said, including the fight for $15 an hour and a union at McDonalds and Walmart. But McDonalds is not a job for life, its a job for teenagers, Strange said. Shouldnt we concentrate on creating jobs instead? We need both, Kennedy replied. Workers of all ages make low wages and work part time or are unemployed. I took a leave from my job at a Walmart to run in this election. We must fight to increase wages for everyone, and also fight for a government-funded public works program to create jobs, build schools and medical facilities, child care and recreation centers, replace crumbling infrastructure and other things working people need. And unions are essential, a first step to relying on our own strength as a class. Fernando Garcia, an engineer at a local sheet metal factory, came to the rally with his son Eric, a brake press operator at the same plant. I dont know who Ill vote for, Fernando Garcia said. Like many there he came to hear what Trump had to offer. Trump is not a politician. He is not bought off, said Eric Garcia, who was wearing a Trump campaign button. Kennedy responded, No Democrat, Republican or other capitalist candidate will do anything about the attacks against the working class. They talk about getting the best deal to ensure profits keep flowing to the U.S. capitalists. Fernando Garcia agreed. Under Obama the border crossings are more dangerous, resulting in many deaths of immigrants, he said. The government has increased its border patrols. After the rally was cancelled, Kennedy saw the Garcias walking to their car. I dont agree with Trump, she told them, but I dont agree with what happened tonight. Freedom of speech protects the right of workers to speak out and organize. This will just mean more votes for Trump, Eric Garcia said. The next day Kennedy campaigned door to door in the Chicago suburb of Elmhurst. While much of the discussion was about Trumps rally being broken up, topics ranged from police brutality to Syria to the effects on working people of the breakup of Yugoslavia. Kennedy told Derek Dedman, a 20-year-old broker for a logistics company, about the fight against the cold-blooded police killing of cattle rancher Jack Yantis in Idaho, and showed him an article about it in the Militant. You hear about the police killing Blacks, but you never hear about things like this, Dedman said. Police killings are a class question, Kennedy said. The police protect the interests of the wealthy by keeping workers in their place. But because of the protests more cops are being charged. This shows we can have an impact. Bojka Milanovich told Kennedy about the devastation her country, the former Yugoslavia, faces today. Rival fragments of the disintegrating Stalinist regime went to war in the 1990s, using nationalist demagogy to grab territory and resources. Washington and its imperialist competitors in Europe intervened militarily to advance their interests, adding to the carnage. The Socialist Workers Party campaigned against the U.S. bombing assault on your country, Kennedy said, and we oppose their intervention in Syria today. They dont care what happens to us or the Syrian workers, theyre only protecting their imperial power in the Middle East. We should get out of Syria, Milanovich replied. (front page) Syria cease-fire aims to serve needs of US, Moscow rulers Washingtons bloc with Moscow in Syria is aimed at drawing down the instability and combat there in hopes of better defending the interests of the propertied rulers of the U.S. in the region. The rulers of the two countries continue to push a truce in parts of the country as a new round of United Nations-organized talks opened on reaching a political deal there. Against this backdrop, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced March 14 he would begin withdrawing the main part of our military group from Syria. The war began when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad savagely suppressed peaceful mass protests against his regime in 2011, part of the Arab Spring mobilizations that swept the Mideast and North Africa. Today the country is divided between areas controlled by the regime, territory in northern Syria controlled by the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG), other smaller areas run by opponents of Assad, and sections where brutal control is exercised by the reactionary Islamic State. The resurrection from oblivion of Russian-U.S. cooperation is one of the most important political results of the operation, Russian news writer Vladimir Frolov told the New York Times. U.S. imperialism was weakened by the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, leaving it without Moscows capacity to use Stalinist parties throughout the world to stifle revolutionary struggles and nationalist uprisings. Washingtons efforts since then to use raw military might to press its interests in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere have failed. So President Barack Obama led moves to pull back from use of ground troops in the Middle East and seek accommodation with Tehran, through the recently concluded nuclear pact, and with Moscow, in efforts to forge a new axis of power. Moscow intervened directly in Syria more than five months ago, deploying some 50 warplanes, 4,000 support troops and a modern anti-aircraft missile system. The Russian government says it has conducted more than 9,000 bombing missions. Most have been high-flying runs with low-precision bombs, meaning significant destruction and death in civilian areas. Moscow claimed it was targeting Islamic State, but most of its attacks were aimed at opposition forces that had been backed by Washington. These groups have been significantly weakened. Flying cover for Assads troops and aided by Iranian and Tehran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah ground troops, Moscow helped the regime recover and retake territory in Latakia province as well as around Damascus, Aleppo and in the south. In his announcement on the Russian withdrawal, Putin said the principal tasks set for the armed forces of Russia in Syria have been accomplished. While Washington sometimes cries crocodile tears over the blows delivered to opposition Free Syrian Army forces, the U.S. rulers have welcomed Moscows moves to stabilize the region. This is not a bad outcome for the White House, which has been lukewarm about the prospect of Syrian regime change, the Washington Post said March 16. The White House announced that day that Secretary of State John Kerry would go to Moscow to confer with Putin about what to do next. Obama Doctrine An article titled The Obama Doctrine by Jeffrey Goldberg in the April issue of thethrows light on the weakened state of U.S. imperialism. It is based on numerous interviews with the president. Goldberg describes Obamas approach to foreign policy as realist-driven restraint. Obama refers to London and Paris as free riders, reflecting the fact that Washington remains the central imperialist military power, allocating $581 billion a year to warfare, 36 percent of total world military expenditures. Discussing his pivot to Tehran, Obama says the Saudis need to share the neighborhood with Iran to bring about some sort of cold peace. His contempt for the masses of working people in the Mideast comes through in the article, when Goldberg writes, In recent days, the president has taken to joking privately, All I need in the Middle East is a few smart autocrats. Goldberg points out that while Washington resists putting American boots on the ground, it relies increasingly on airstrikes by warplanes and drones. Goldberg calls him the most successful terrorist-hunter in the history of the presidency, one who will hand to his successor a set of tools an accomplished assassin would envy. Armageddon if Kurds get autonomy The battle of the Kurdish people some 30 million strong spread across Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq for control of their homeland remains a burning question in the region. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told the press March 15 that any redrawing of borders in the region like Kurdish autonomy could lead to Armageddon. Tehran, like all the capitalist regimes in the area, fear infection from moves toward Kurdish independence in Iraq and Syria. A suicide car bomb attack killed more than 36 people in Ankara March 13. No group has claimed responsibility, but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed the Kurdistan Peoples Party (PKK) and ordered bombing of PKK camps in northern Iraq the next day. He also launched a new assault on the majority Kurdish southeastern region of Turkey. More than 230 Kurds were arrested, dozens killed and new curfews imposed on Kurdish towns there. This area has been under attack by government forces since last summer. The Kurdish-based Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) denounced the Ankara bombing as a savage attack. In preparation for further attacks on political rights in Turkey, Erdogan has called for broadening the legal definition of terrorist to include those who speak in support of Kurdish independence. It may be the terrorist who detonates bombs and pulls the trigger, but it is these supporters who enable them to achieve their goals, he said March 14. Related articles: Worldwide protests demand Moscow free Nadiya Savchenko Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home (front page) New revelations point to bosses, govt responsibility for Quebec rail disaster Globe report, above, that bosses ordered workers not to use backup brakes prior to July 2013 Lac-Megantic, Quebec, oil train disaster helps expose frame-up charges against train engineer Thomas Harding, right. MONTREAL New revelations on the front page of the March 7, Canadas national English-language daily, point the finger of responsibility for the July 6, 2013, Lac-Megantic, Quebec, rail disaster squarely at the bosses of the now defunct Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway and the complicity of federal government agency Transport Canada. Nearly three years after the Lac-Megantic rail disaster, new information shows the tragic explosion could have been avoided by a simple 10-second safety procedure that Transport Canada did not require the cost-cutting railway to use, wrote Globe reporter Grant Robertson. The rail bosses ordered their engineers the one-person crew on their oil trains under special dispensation approved by the government agency not to use the built-in automatic braking system, the Globe reported. Over the next few days Robertsons article was followed by a series detailing how Montreal, Maine and Atlantic bosses cut corners on safety to boost profits, while the government looked the other way. The revelations in these articles strengthen the fight of locomotive engineer Thomas Harding and train controller Richard Labrie, members of United Steelworkers Local 1976, who face frame-up charges 47 counts of criminal negligence causing death that could mean life in prison as scapegoats for the disaster. Low-level operations manager Jean Demaitre faces similar charges. Its hard to understand why the owners of the MMA were not charged, or the previous Minister of Transport, instead of the three who were charged, Andre Blais, an activist in the Citizens and Groups Coalition for Rail Safety in Lac-Megantic, told the Militant after seeing the Globe articles. After parking the 72-car crude oil train seven miles from Lac-Megantic, Harding went to bed after a 12-hour shift. As he had done many times before, he set the lead engines air brakes and a number of hand brakes on tanker cars. Firefighters who responded to a small fire on the locomotive caused by inadequate company maintenance turned the engine off. This action, approved by a company agent on the scene, caused the air brakes to bleed out. The train rolled down the seven-mile grade into the city, where it derailed and exploded, killing 47 people and burning out the historic downtown area. Robertson quotes rail industry experts who explain that the automatic braking system available on the tanker cars would have held the train in place after the lead locomotives air brakes bled out. The decision by Montreal, Maine and Atlantic bosses to order engineers not to use the automatic backup system, a decision unchallenged by Transport Canada officials, was aimed at saving time and money. Operating the trains would be delayed by 15 minutes to an hour in the morning while air was pumped back into the braking system. MMA had a reputation as one of the most aggressive cost-cutters in the rail industry and had received unusual exemptions from Transport Canada, such as operating with a one-man crew, which allowed it to save money on labour, reported Robertson. Transport Canada has now put in place new regulations calling for use of the backup automatic braking system. The official 179-page Transportation Safety Board report on the Lac-Megantic disaster has a single paragraph on page 105 that says it likely would have been avoided if the backup system had been used, the Globe reports. But the safety board report focuses on blaming Harding for not setting more hand brakes. I wouldnt be surprised if we get more surprises as this whole thing unravels, Thomas Walsh, Hardings attorney, told the Militant. The purpose of the charges from the beginning has been to distance us from the real problems and the people who caused them. Our focus should be on the individuals who made the decisions for Transport Canada and the MMA, like the decision to operate the trains with a one-man crew. No trial date has yet been set for Harding and Labrie. Walsh said he will present a motion asking the judge for a stay of proceedings basically to dismiss the charges at a hearing set for April 4. There is no material here for a criminal trial, Walsh said, all the crown prosecutor is preparing is a show trial. Meanwhile, rail bosses are experimenting with a new place for storing excess crude: empty railcars, the Wall Street Journal reported Feb. 28. Because of the sharp drop in oil prices over the last year, oil companies are looking to store oil rather than ship it. And railroads have an estimated 20,000 empty tank cars, some one-third of the North American fleet. So the bosses are putting cars full of volatile oil on sidings near active tracks and populated areas. Issues range from leaky cars to the risk of collisions and fires, the Journal said. Solidarity messages for the Tom Harding and Richard Labrie defense should be sent to their union, USW 1976 / Section locale 1976, 2360 De Lasalle, Suite 202, Montreal, QC H1V 2L1. Email: info@1976usw.ca. Copies should be sent to: Thomas Walsh, 165 Rue Wellington N. Suite 310, Sherbrooke, QC Canada J1H 5B9. Email: thomaspwalsh@hotmail.com Contributions can be sent in Canada to Syndicat des Metallos, 565, boulevard Cremazie Est, bureau 5100, Montreal, QC H2M 2V8. In the U.S. send checks to Tom Harding Defense Fund, First Niagara Bank, 25 McClellan Drive, Nassau, NY 12123. Related articles: On the Picket Line ATI workers return to work with heads high after lockout Fla. farmworkers demand pay increase from Wendys Rail unionists to vote on new NJ Transit contract Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home (front page) Jump in charges, firings of cops in killings result of street protests Three times as many police officers were charged with murder or manslaughter for on-duty shootings in 2015 than the annual average since 2005. This fact, the result of the explosion of protests against cop killings and brutality across the country, is documented by Philip Stinson, a professor of criminal justice at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. According to Stinson, only 47 police officers nationwide not counting FBI or immigration cops were charged with murder and/or manslaughter from 2005 to 2014, about 4.7 a year. In 2015, he said, the number of indictments jumped to 18. In the past, the polices own narrative and versions of shootings at their hands has rarely been challenged in any successful way, Stinson told the Militant in a phone interview March 14. Thats not news to working people, who know that the so-called justice system is stacked in favor of the cops and prosecution. In the first three months of this year four more cops have been indicted, Stinson said. The reason for these changes, he says, isnt that cops are killing more people. The citizenry, media, and even the courts are much more skeptical of police claims of justification after having shot and killed someone, he said. Of the cops charged in on-duty shooting deaths some 22 percent have been convicted, Stinson said. On Feb. 11, New York City cop Peter Liang became the first cop in the U.S. since 2013 to be convicted for killing someone while on duty. Liang shot and killed Akai Gurley in the stairwell of a Brooklyn apartment building. In the wake of nationwide protests, the propertied rulers have taken steps to rein in wanton acts of police brutality. The demonstrations have encouraged the willingness of witnesses to record and publicly release videos of police abuse. In some well-publicized cases, even when charges are not filed, killer cops have been fired or forced to resign. None of the Cleveland police who shot Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams in a hail of 137 bullets in 2012 were convicted for their deaths. But in January this year six of the cops were fired. Between 900 and 1,100 people are shot to death by cops in the U.S. every year, the Washington Post reports. About half of those killed are Caucasians and about one-quarter are Blacks. In a related development, New York City police stops and street interrogations known as stop and frisk are down dramatically. The New York Civil Liberties Union reports that stop and frisks peaked at more than 685,000 stops in 2011. Since then, under pressure from street protests and outrage over police brutality, city officials ordered a shift in policy. By 2015 the number of reported stops had dropped to under 23,000. The protests over the last two years, from Ferguson, Missouri, to Baltimore, and Staten Island, New York, have had an impact across the U.S. and around the world. Last year Ethiopian Jews in Israel held protests under the slogan of Black Lives Matter after cops beat an Ethiopian-Israeli soldier. In Council, Idaho, a farm town of about 800 people, demonstrators protesting the November killing of cattle rancher Jack Yantis by sheriff deputies carried signs that said, Ranchers Lives Matter. In Paradise, California, friends of Andrew Thomas, a Caucasian youth, protested his death at the hands of cop Patrick Feaster with signs that said, All Lives Matter. These protesters werent counterposing these slogans to Black Lives Matter, but drew inspiration from growing actions across the country against the killing of Blacks. Related articles: Minnesota action: Prosecute cops for murder of my brother Oregon probe whitewashes cop, FBI killing of Finicum Fire NY cops who killed Ramarley Graham! Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. 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Not a bad entrance to the North American market for this trio from the windblown desert of southern Israel, which was to play two more SXSW gigs on Friday before heading to Toronto to perform at the Mod Club for the Ashkenaz festival on Sunday night. A-WA will also appear at an interfaith community forum moderated by Ralph Benmergui and perform an a capella preview of the evenings set at the Noor Cultural Centre at 2 p.m. A-WA would appear ready to go as global as their music sounds. The infectious single Habib Galbi the centrepiece of an EP of the same name just released in North America is a viral smash to the tune of 2.5 million YouTube views and has the honour of being the first Arabic-language song ever to hit No. 1 on the Israeli pop charts. With teams now in place in Europe and New York, the band is poised to take the rest of the world by storm Its cool that you said global, says Tair, the oldest and chattiest of the Haim sisters, over breakfast on Friday morning. We felt from childhood we wanted to sing for all people, to spread our music and thoughts and bring people together. In the desert, there are no borders and no limits so we would go to the mountains and imagine that we would perform in front of thousands of people somewhere in the world. We were really curious about the world outside because growing up in a small village we used to wonder how it was like to see, like, the U.S. The Haims were eyeing music as a profession from a young age. Indeed, says Tagel, their neighbours in the small village of Shaharut a cluster of about 30 families in the middle of nowhere, as Tair puts it, near the Egyptian border referred to them as the Jacksons from the desert because all six siblings in the family (not to mention their architect father) were musicians. As youngsters, the girls soaked up their parents record collection like sponges, devouring Bob Marley, 60s and 70s prog rock, Greek and Arabic and Gypsy music in equal measure. What really captured their collective imaginations, however, were the cassettes of old Yemenite folk songs they discovered at their grandparents house. When we used to visit our grandparents, we used to hear our grandmother talking to her neighbours in Yemenite and it sounded so exotic to us, says Tair. And we have such musical ears we used to imitate that, to mimic that, and wed ask them lots of questions about the language and the songs. Women in Yemen couldnt write or read and they werent allowed to participate in the synagogue ceremonies. The men lived very separately in their cultural life than women, explains Liron. So the women were working at home, taking care of the kids, doing the laundry and everything They created the folklore and the songs were their only outlet for their deepest emotions and they were talking about love and hate and passion and hopes they had. So for us its really easy for us to relate to those songs because its still relevant in 2016. Its about being a woman. So, yes, A-WA is doing it for the ladies in the house. But dont worry, boys, youre invited to the party, too. Dancing is for everybody. And A-WA who recorded Habib Galbi and their soon-to-be-re-released debut album with help from international man of groove Tomer Yosef of Balkan Beat Box will get your body moving, make no mistake. This is what we love about the Yemenite music: the groove, the beautiful melodies, the fact that it doesnt sound like anything else, says Tair. Its based on rhythm and we wanted our music to be groove-oriented. It has to be something that moves us. The ladies of A-WA which translates as yes are a joyful and harmonious bunch offstage as well as on. They laugh off the suggestion that spending so much time on the road together as sisters might drive them batty or break down into fights. We dont do that! Were ladies, laughs Tair. Its actually really fun to work with your sisters, says Tagel. And were best friends, concludes Liron. Because, you know, growing up in a small place you dont have any choice. Read more about: SHARE: Wasnt about to miss the African and Caribbean community love-in and tribute for retired Deputy Police Chief Peter Sloly Thursday night. Not after all the body blows hes taken for the black community; not after the chiefs job was stolen from him last year; not after the middle-finger farewell salute the police union gave him on the cover of the March edition of the police associations newsletter. Its good to be respected at work. Its better to be loved at home. Its other-worldly to be revered and embraced and respected and loved by ones community. Genuine, authentic affection is what the 49-year-old Sloly experienced at the function sponsored by several community organizations and held at the Jamaican Canadian Association. The hundreds of attendees laughed and cried and reminisced and pledged to pursue the values and vision Sloly espoused during 27 years in the Toronto Police Service. The sentiment was: We love you, Peter. We love you because you first loved us. Even when your job exposed you daily to the worse in us and the worst of us, you loved us still. And we wont forget that. The vibe, the emotion, the warmth bubbled over into a communal expression of thanks for a guy who, the higher he rose in the police service, the further back he looked to elevate the community. Theres an abiding sadness bordering on mass depression over the behind-the-scenes subversion of Slolys bid for the Toronto police chiefs job. Subsequently, he was sidelined, effectively demoted, moved out of his office, isolated, and finally, retired to salvage his dignity. This reality pushed several speakers to the edge as they voiced tribute after tribute, often barely restraining the rage and sense of betrayal. Valarie Steele, of the Jamaican Diaspora Canada and Black Action Defence Committee, was laser-like. You think La Grande and the Toronto Police Services is entombed in Le Petit in their thinking as they prefer crawling away from progress. You have outgrown them, you can out-think them, and your forward thinking is totally unacceptable to them, so they colluded to sabotage you. Fools. Like Judas who sold Jesus for 20 pieces of silver, they will eventually regret their behavior, she said. Retired deputy Keith Forde, the first black citizen to reach that position, struggled to contain his comments to Slolys achievements and impact which he considers transformational in diversity, training, technological advancement, innovation, creativity and out-of-the box thinking that made many of his peers insecure and uneasy. As the lone black man in the police senior command, his was a lonely existence, Forde said. Slolys arrival emboldened him. They could now push for reforms needed to colour the police force to reflect the community, and change attitudes rooted in some officers attitudes that aggravated police-community relations. Earlier, Sloly, Forde and two other senior officers (Dave McLeod and Carl Davis) had gone to then-chief Julian Fantino to refute Fantinos public stance that racial profiling didnt exist among Toronto police officers. Fantino stiffened. Other black officers recoiled, fearing they would risk their careers. By the time they were both deputies, under chief Bill Blair, the force made huge advances in diversifying each graduating class. Sloly, against advice, took on the challenge of ending carding, the toxic practice of randomly stopping black men not suspected of crimes and recording their personal information in a data bank. That effort more than anything made Sloly a marked man and a target of the police union. Several police sources have told the Star that stopping Slolys bid to become chief was a union imperative. And when Sloly left last month, the unions March newsletter carried a cartoon of him, gun blazing, his own feet shot off. Forde looked straight at the officers in the room and wondered when they would speak out against such disrespect. If the union feels it can slap down, with impunity, a black officer who speaks truth to power, then their fate will be similar to Slolys. What should be your response? Silence cannot be the answer, Forde said. Then he told Sloly, Thanks for doing what is right and what is just. The thirst for justice runs deep in Slolys family. His brother, David, recounted the generations before Peter who advocated for the poor and dispossessed and the underclass in Jamaica. One uncle provided free legal help before legal aid was available; a grand uncle, Roger Mais, was a journalist, author and a torch-bearer in Jamaicas independence movement. He described the British colonials as exploitive and enslaving and was charged with sedition and jailed for six months for his work in the 1940s often directed at recasting Jamaicas emancipators as heroes, not rebels. Sloly told the gathering it was a challenge to put on your uniform once a day and never able to take off your skin; to keep your values and your faith when you are confronted by things that test your values and your faith. Some say I was too smart, too educated, too confident and I dont know if I was any of those things but you are damn right I tried to be all of those things. They are the examples of Jamaican heroes; they are the expectations of immigrants; they are the standards set for my children. As hes hit a fork in the road, Sloly says he wont pursue any job that doesnt allow him to stay true to my values and community, to be a thought leader willing to challenge the status quo; a courageous leader willing to speak truth to power and a mentor to the next generation. Thats what the police services board rejected. Its such a missed opportunity. Royson James usually appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Email: rjames@thestar.ca Read more about: SHARE: For most of this past week, the law prohibited the Star from telling you a critical fact about a stabbing at a condominium complex in Rosedale that it had already reported and so could easily be found in a Google search. The absurdity of that is rooted in an Ontario court system that is generally intended to be open but is increasingly subject to discretionary publication bans that prohibit the media from reporting key facts about criminal proceedings. Further, too often such extraordinary bans are declared without any reason or explanation for veering from Canadas important open courts principle that presumes public access to court proceedings and court documents and most important, is central to our democracy. Heres what happened with this most recent ban, which the Star has spent both time and money challenging in court. I am glad this news organization regards the principles here as worth fighting for, and still has the resources to do so. But I question why this ban was imposed in the first place. The ban, lifted on Wednesday, had blocked the media from reporting the name of the concierge who was stabbed last week while on his job at a Rosedale condominium complex. I can now tell you that the victim was Mark Markandu, who is in his late 60s and has worked at the complex for more than two decades. He was stabbed multiple times in the torso and underwent surgery. Ellis Galea Kirkland, 60 a Harvard-educated, award-winning architect is charged with attempted murder in the attack. The case was transferred to a mental health court this week. During Kirklands first court appearance the morning after the incident, Wendy Agnew, the presiding justice of the peace, readily agreed to the Crowns request for a publication ban on Markandus identity. This was granted under a section of Canadas Criminal Code (486.5) that allows for a ban on any information that could identify a victim or a witness if the judge or justice is of the opinion that the order is in the interest of the proper administration of justice. Yet neither the JP nor the Crown provided any substantive reason why a ban on identifying this victim was required for the proper administration of justice a vague, all-encompassing phrase that to my mind ought to require substantial explanation before being used to shroud important information about a serious crime in our community. The Crown said only that time was needed to speak to the victim. Crowns generally dont ask for publication bans on victims identities, except in sex cases in which case the Star does not publish the victims identity without their explicit agreement. A lawyer representing the Star appeared in court twice to challenge the ban. At no time was any further rationale provided for keeping Markandus identity secret. This puzzles still. The absurdity here is that the Star had already identified Markandu in its first report of the stabbing, before Kirklands bail hearing. While Toronto police had not released that information, a building resident identified the stabbing victim as a concierge and told Star reporter Dan Taekema his name. Further, almost at the same time the ban was imposed, Markandu was talking to Star reporter Christopher Reynolds from his hospital bed in the ICU of Sunnybrook Hospital, recounting what had happened to him the night before. That led to an interesting newsroom dilemma: Given that the Star had published the victims name before the ban was imposed, were there grounds to ignore the ban and identify Markandu in its subsequent report of the hospital-room interview? The Stars policy mandates that court-imposed bans be honoured. Following considerable discussion between senior newsroom editors and newsroom lawyer Bert Bruser, the Star decided it must respect the ban as bizarre and ridiculous as we all believed it to be, particularly given these circumstances. The Page 1 story last Saturday thus chronicled the mans ordeal without telling you his name. If you searched Google however, you could find his name in the Stars original story. A further dilemma of our digital world: What about that first online report that included Markandus name? Given that it is practically impossible to make information disappear from the Internet, what should be done about that? In line with policy and past practice, the Star did not unpublish that article because it was published before the ban was imposed. But the Star did take steps to ensure that none of the news reports published after the ban linked to that first article naming Markandu. With the ban now rightfully lifted, the Star has appended update notes to all the online stories that could not identify Markandu. But, even as the ban was lifted, we dont understand why it was ever imposed. In a country that regards the open court principle as a cornerstone of democracy, how can that be the proper administration of justice? SHARE: Financial advisors are frequently mistrusted as un-transparent crooks. . It appears that stereotype is not wholly false. A study from the University of Chicago has found that more than 7% of financial advisers have a history of misconduct which ranges from putting a client in an unsuitable investment to committing outright fraud. Only half of misbehaving advisors get fired from their firm for their behavior, and 44% of those fired advisors are hired by another firm within a year, though normally with less prestige and salary. This is not the only study which has found similar problems in the financial services industry. The Wall Street Journal reported back in 2013 that 13% of brokers had at least one disclosure, ranging from customer complaints to outright bankruptcy. You may have a good, long-lasting relationship with your financial advisor, but how do you know that he is looking out for your best interests and not his bottom line? Here are some important tips you can use to ensure your financial advisor is trustworthy. Do your own background research A lot of people assume that a larger, more prestigious financial services firm is more likely to watch over its brokers and ensure that they are doing the right thing -- thus protecting the company's reputation. This is not the case, as a look at the five firms with the highest rates of misconduct reveals. The worst firm is Oppenheimer and Co., where nearly one in five employees had a record of misconduct. Two of the other bottom fives are Wells Fargo Advisers and UBS Financial Services. And financial misconduct is not a one-time thing. The University of Chicago study shows that 40% of disciplined advisors became repeat offenders. If a financial services firm has a culture that is more tolerant of such behavior, then it is unsurprising that otherwise honest advisors may begin pushing the limits of acceptable behavior. All of this shows that clients must be vigilant in ensuring that their financial advisor is doing the right thing. But while the financial services industry can seem to be opaque, it is not that difficult to find out if a broker has a shady history. BrokerCheck, which is part of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), will tell you if an advisor is registered with FINRA. It also shows their work history and whether they have received any complaints or convictions throughout their career. Clients should also check to see if their advisor is properly credentialed. They should also make sure that the credentials are suitable for what is needed from your financial adviser. A certified public account (CPA), for example, specializes in tax advice and not investment advice. A Chartered Financial Analyst is better for total financial advice. If you get the wrong kind of person for the job, you will get poor results. Transparency is essential While we generally understand that transparency is essential in the financial services industry, we forget it far too easily. In fact, Enron as well as Bernie Madoff used complexity as a way to trick investors. By acting like their financial methods were more complex than everyone else, they persuaded investors that these more complex ways were the keys to their supposed financial success, and that it was normal not to understand their methods. The reality is that anyone with a decent grasp of personal finance should be able to grasp financial investment practices at a basic level. But this does not stop some advisers from trying to hide additional fees or unethical investments behind that veil of complexity. Clients should be capable at any time of understanding how much an advisor is charging them (and in dollar figures, not a percentage) as well as knowing where their money is going at all times and how much it is earning. The field of financial services can seem tough and mysterious, and this leads to unethical practices. And while the industry is highly competitive, this has not stopped financial services firms from hiring those who have been fired from other companies for misconduct. It is for that reason that clients must be willing to put in the work to ensure that their client is trustworthy. "Trust but verify" is a key quote in all manners of life, and especially so if you are going to pick someone to handle your investments for you. This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held TK positions in the stocks mentioned. For a company that's now worth over a billion dollars, Shake Shack (SHAK) had some pretty humble beginnings. The company began as a single hot dog cart in a park in New York City back in 2001, with the food coming from two nearby restaurants owned by noted restaurateur and Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer. After three years of serving food to increasingly long lines, Meyer hatched an idea to turn the cart into a permanent restaurant concept, sketching his idea of what it would look like on a paper napkin. Since that first official Shake Shack opened in 2004, the company has developed a core menu of burgers, sides and frozen custards, all made with high-quality ingredients such as antibiotic-free Angus beef. More recently, Shake Shack has ventured into fried chicken with its ChickenShack sandwich, which has quickly become quickly become one of its best-selling items. Shake Shack now has 50 restaurants across the United States and 33 licensed locations overseas in countries such as Russia, Turkey, the U.K., Japan and the Middle East (its largest international market). The company went public to great fanfare in January 2015, with shares more than doubling on their first day of trading. More recently, though, its stock has been challenged as the company struggles to meet sky-high expectations. Randy Garutti has Shake Shack reaching for ever-higher goals. One thing that hasn't changed at Shake Shack since its hot dog cart beginnings, though, is the hands-on involvement of energetic CEO Randy Garutti, who helped run the cart when he was general manager for one of the nearby restaurants that supplied it with food. To say Garutti has the restaurant business in his bones might be an understatement. At the age of 13, Garutti worked at a New Jersey bagel shop and by 17, he was waiting tables at a nearby country club. While working on getting a degree in hotel and restaurant management at Cornell, he took orders at Chili's and traveled abroad to learn about different food cultures. After college, he went off to work at a restaurant in Colorado that moved him to locations in Denver, Maui and eventually Seattle. When he was 23, Garutti managed to secure a 45-minute meeting with the legendary Meyer, who was famous for opening up restaurants such as Union Square Cafe and racking up coveted James Beard awards. Recalls Meyer, "I saw a guy with more enthusiasm in his little finger than most people have in their entire body, and he was oozing love for the restaurant business, especially fine dining restaurants." The rest, as they say, is history. TheStreet talked with the 40-year-old Garutti after the opening of Shake Shack's first location in Arizona in late February. Garutti shared with us how the unique Shake Shack culture works, when he knew he and other executives knew they had something special on their hands and how he balances his hectic work schedule. What follows is a condensed and edited version of our conversation. Garutti with TheStreet at the original Shake Shack location in New York City. TheStreet: When you were helping make hot dogs for the cart that ultimately led to the creation of Shake Shack, did you ever think you'd one day be leading a company with a $1.25 billion market cap and close to $200 million in annual sales? Garutti: Never. No one involved at that time ever dreamed there would be a thing called Shake Shack. And after [we opened the first location], we never dreamed there would be a second Shake Shack, which took nearly five years to happen. I honestly believe that type of humility and that organic growth is one of the major pieces for why it all actually happened. TheStreet: When did you know you had something special on your hands? Garutti: There were a couple of moments. The first was when we opened the Upper West Side location, which was the second Shake Shack. And we projected it as getting half of the sales of the original Madison Square Park location. And when it did more than that in sales -- at that point we said whoa, we have a responsibility to check this out further. When we went to Miami for the fourth-ever Shake Shack, that was the first thing Danny Meyer and company had ever done outside of New York City, and it was off-the-charts busy. Then in 2011, we opened in Dubai and Kuwait, and this was a tiny little company that we did that, and it was one of the busiest launches we have ever seen. At that point, we realized wow, this is a global growth opportunity here. TheStreet: Now you're CEO of a publiccompany worth over a billion dollars. What do you attribute this amazing progression to? Garutti: I gave a speech to our team recently, and I said the reason that this company is what it is, is because we are all the people we were meant to be when we come to work every day. I am the exact same guy talking to you as I am talking to our team as I am talking to my kids and wife when I am at home. I think the key has been staying true to who I am every day. TheStreet: The ChickenShack has quickly become a top-selling item on the menu since its nationwide launch in January. Take us through the development process. Garutti: We always wanted to do something with chicken over the years, but we never really figured it out. About two years ago, we just started messing around in the test kitchen with different ways to cook chicken -- fried, griddled, grilled, etc. We kind of went back and forth, but didn't put full force behind it. And then finally, there was one tasting with a big group of people, including Danny Meyer, myself and other leaders, and we all sort of hit it and said this is it. And then it took a few months to test in Brooklyn last year, and we did that test for six months before we launched it company-wide in January. So it was a long process, with a lot of feedback from people and tweaks. The recently-introduced ChickenShack has quickly become a best-seller. TheStreet: You've now been a public company CEO for just over a year. How are you handling the work/life balance? Garutti: It's hard to balance. There is no question there is a new call on my time to just be public, and that's very hard and very different. I am probably working a little more, and probably working out a lot more -- doing more SoulCycle and Vikram yoga -- that keeps my mind and body sharp. The ultimate answer is that when I am wherever I am I have to be present. I don't believe in these things called 'work' and 'life' -- it's all life. When I am at work, I have to be focused. When I am home reading a story to my daughter at night, I have to be home. As I am doing that, every leader around me [at Shake Shack] is getting better and better at their jobs. They are doing more, and proving they can do more. All of that is allowing me to be the public company CEO I need to be and importantly, a great husband and dad. TheStreet: So basically, you never sleep? Garutti: Last night I probably only slept about five-and-a-half hours because I woke up to go to a spin class this morning before the opening [of our Scottsdale, Ariz. location] because I need to be pumped up. The night before I hiked up Camelback mountain in Scottsdale, and that was pretty early. I am a person that could exist really well on little sleep. But I am at my optimum at seven hours of sleep plus. I love waking up early -- I am usually up at 6:00 am, then go to a SoulCycle class and then am at my desk by 8:00 am. TheStreet: As Shake Shack continues to expand quickly, you naturally need the right executives in place to make that work out successfully. What are the qualities you are looking for while growing your executive team? Garutti: Anyone who has ever interviewed with me is told that if you choose to come work here, the ground level expectation for your day is that you will move mountains. If that's not for you, then this is not the place for you. My expectation for myself, and everyone around me, is that today we are going to move mountains. Not everyone wants that in their life -- there are a lot of easier places to go to work every day. It's also about being yourself and bringing your best every single day. The technical stuff in some jobs is of course more important, but if you come and hang with our team we are just a bunch of good human beings that want to be with each other. And it's true whether you're an executive or a guy working the burger station. Every election cycle, we hear about U.S. citizens who say that they will leave the country if a particular candidate becomes president. Their reasons and status may vary widely from election to election. "In 2004 people moved to Boquete (Panama) because they disliked George Bush and had money, while in 2008 people moved to Boquete because they disliked Barack Obama and had no money," said Phil McGuigan, who moved from the U.S. to Boquete, a popular expat community, albeit for non-political reasons. It's difficult to know which candidate would cause the largest overseas migration, although we can get some idea via a Google search of "Move abroad if [fill in the blank] is elected." Here are the hits Google generated for each candidate: Donald Trump: 316,000 Hilary Clinton: 292,000 Bernie Sanders: 241,000 Ted Cruz: 233,000 While the volatile Trump and controversial Clinton stir the strongest response, Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz are not that far behind. While there is no credible data on how many Americans move overseas primarily for political reasons, the evidence suggests that an increasing number are moving abroad. Their motives probably differ. According to the United Nations Secretariat, as of 1999, about 4.3 million U.S. citizens lived outside the U.S., while according to a more recent brochure published by the U.S. State Department, in May 2015, that number was 8.7 million. Which location would be best for you if you didn't like an electoral outcome? Here's are five countries that offer a great quality of life at reasonable prices. Panama Panama has several established, large expat communities, such as Boquete, with its famous spring-like temperatures year-round, and beach town Coronado, which is about 90 minutes from Panama City. Panama has experienced solid economic growth for more than a decade, and in many areas is not a third world country. It has a stable democracy, it's easy to start a business in Panama, the U.S. dollar is the legal currency, and Panama City has emerged as a sophisticated, international trading hub that many compare to Miami. It also has world-class health care at generally less than half the cost of the US. Panama has an attractive visa and discount program for retirees, for which it is easy to qualify. The country is welcoming. Although Spanish is the official language of Panama, if you don't speak Spanish, you can get by with English in daily life in many of the better-known areas. Also, Panama is close to the U.S., just 2 hours from Miami and five hours from New York by plane. So if you want to visit friends and relatives, you can get to the U.S. quickly. Belize If you want to move to a beautiful, laid-back, English-speaking country with British Common Law and a Caribbean vibe, Belize may be a good choice. The best-known expat locations are San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, a world-famous tourist destination where the inhabitants drive around on golf carts; Placencia, an up-and-coming town with beautiful beaches; and the Cayo District, with it's jungles, famous open-air market and lower cost of living. Belize also has an attractive retirement program under which you can import household goods without paying an import fee. One downside: If you're looking for world class shopping like there is in Panama, Belize is not for you. There's not a single shopping mall in the country. Like Panama, Belize is very close to the U.S., a little more than two hours by plane to Miami. Portugal If European charm with great weather and low prices is your style, you may want to consider the Algarve region, located on the southern edge of Portugal on the Atlantic Ocean. While there are not yet a lot of Americans there, the Algarve has become a popular expat location for Brits, so you would have many English-speaking neighbors. The Algarve has charming, little villages, lots of golf courses, good amenities and great food, particularly if you like fish, and wine. Starting a business in Portugal or finding a job in Portugal would be difficult, although not impossible in certain circumstances. You are geographically close to Spain. Seville, is only 125 miles away, and you are little more than a two-hour flight from other European locations. According to Luis da Silva, in the Algarve, you can get by without speaking Portuguese. "I have English friends who have been in the Algarve for 22 years and don't speak a word of Portuguese," according to da Silva. Nicaragua While it doesn't have a large expat population, Nicaragua is becoming an interesting choice for American and Canadian expats, and has a lot to offer at a low cost of living. Although nominally a Socialist country, North American expats tell us that, by and large, the government stays out of their business, even to the extent that many expats reported that they had more daily freedom in Nicaragua than in the U.S. They also tell us that Nicaragua is safe. It has escaped its turbulent past when the country was a battleground between communist and pro-democracy forces. Expat Mike Cobb said that, "Reality is very different from the perception. Cobb said that "the United Nations Development Program in 2013 had rated Nicaragua as the second safest country in Latin America only after Chile." The better-known, expat areas of Nicaragua include the colonial city of Granada, which was founded in 1524 on the shores of Lake Nicaragua, and the tourist, fishing and surfing town of San Juan del Sur on the Pacific Ocean. Nicaragua also has several large developments, including Gran Pacifica, which has over three miles of pristine private beachfront property, a nine-hole golf course, and the feel of small-town Americana in the 1950s. Mexico If not for concerns about crime, Mexico would be an obvious choice for many Americans because of its many advantages: Expats advise taking some common-sense precautions to avoid crime. They say it's best to stay out of remote and dangerous areas at night and to avoid any contact with drug-related activities. Mexico is generally safe for American expats, with some areas much safer per capita than in the U.S. For example, the homicide rate in the state of Yucatan, which contains the colonial city of Merida, with over a million inhabitants, is about the same as Maine, half that of West Virginia, and only a quarter that of Washington, D.C. So, if Washington D.C. is driving you out of the U.S., you can live in Merida at a price that is substantially less. You'll also be safer and have access to better beaches. This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. March 2 was a different sort of day for Opuruiche Miller. The 39-year-old DJ from Brooklyn, better known as DJ OP!, generally spends his working hours playing speakeasies in Manhattan, clubs in Brooklyn and other New York venues and events. But on that day, he was headed to new venue for him: a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Miller set the soundtrack to the former first lady's campaign event at the Javits Center New York City. A sort of victory rally in the wake of Super Tuesday, when she racked up victories in states like Texas, Georgia and Massachussetts, the event was attended by upwards of 5,000 supporters, many of whom were members of local unions. "A good friend of mine works for the Clinton campaign and pitched her team to have DJs play at this campaign event," Miller explained in an email. "There have been bands that have played at some of the events, but mixing up the talent with DJs changes the energy with the crowd." Miller has over 20 years of experience as a DJ. He is the founder of The Definitive Sound, a music specialty company based in New York. He has opened for artists like Q-Tip, Questlove and Shuggie Otis and holds residencies at the speakeasy Bathtub Gin in Manhattan and Royal Palm Shuffle Club in Brooklyn. The Clinton rally marked Miller's first experience setting the sounds for a campaign event, and he says he was happy to be part of it, not only because it was for Clinton but also because of the crowd involved. "They are hard-working New Yorkers who deserve to be championed for the continual hard work they do to support by the city, their families and communities -- and Hillary is fighting for them. Seeing smiles on everyone's faces and watching people dance as I played songs they knew was a great feeling," he said. So how does one go about putting together the HRC set? While he says none of the songs were required, Miller did draw from Clinton's campaign playlist, including Katy Perry's "Roar," Journey's "Don't Stop Believing," Beyonce's "Run the World (Girls)" and Whitney Houston's "I'm Every Woman." He played Rachel Platten's "Fight Song" when Clinton took the stage -- a track that lately has been Clinton's preferred entrance anthem. "The songs on the playlist represent Hillary: they speak to various topics like female empowerment, self-worth, strength, being a champion, fighting for freedom of expression, being heroic, bravery, happiness, hope and belief for a better tomorrow, and living in the moment and helping others in their time of need and community," Miller said. "The playlist speaks to very relatable topics that resonate with all people." He was also given what he describes as a "fair amount of leeway" to inject his own style and taste into the mix, adding in soul, R&B and hip hop. His playlist included "Shining Star" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Ladies First" by Queen Latifah featuring Monie Love, and both George Michael's and Pharrell's "Freedom." The experience was one Miller isn't likely to forget. He reflected on the role music plays in events like the Clinton rally and politics in general. "Music is such a powerful motivator," he said. "It incites great spirit and encourages movement. Music with the right themes, messages, words, lyrics and beats inspire people to champion and fight for change, empowerment, employment, equality and justice." Former Secretary of State Clinton's music choice has been a topic of conversation on the campaign trail. Her camp released an official Hillary playlist in June 2015 and in honor of Women's History Month unveiled another in March. Rolling Stone reported in February that Clinton's campaign had spent $90,000 on a consulting firm in Portland, Oreg. to put together its playlists, though the original piece has since been updated to clarify that a Clinton rep says the agency was in reality paid only $9,000 to use music from the agency's library for the former New York senator's web video. When asked about the Rolling Stone report by TheStreet, a Clinton representative pointed to a Quartz article citing FEC data indicating that the correct figure is, indeed, $9,000. Miller explained the music licensing rules in his case as a Clinton rally DJ. "For music that is played while she is speaking that will potentially be aired on television, radio or any other broadcasted or recorded medium, those songs need the licensed songs for the campaign. Otherwise, I got to showcase my musical taste to interject into the mix during non-recorded or broadcasted times to keep the crowd excited while keeping the overall message of the event and the campaign," he said. In other words, Clinton probably has the licensing on that Rachel Platten song locked down. Each of the 17 projects presented at the Montreal Regional Hydro Quebec Expo Sciences Fair by Herzliah students won an award. Pictured here, students Jeremy Levett, David Kronish, Daniel Bensoussan, Raphael Hotter and Laurent Ouaknine. Levett placed Gold in the senior category for his project YY2; a multifaceted protein. He also received the Concordia University Department of Biology Award and the Faculty of Arts & Science Entrance Bursary, the Merck Canada Ltd. Student Researcher Award and the Super expo-sciences Hydro Quebec (SESHQ) Experimentation & Design Award. Laurent Ouknine placed Bronze for his project Souriez, the Hydro-Quebec Energy Award and Laval University Scholarship Quebec Science. David Kronish received the McGill University Math and Statistics Award, Daniel Bensoussan (with student Salomon Sasson - not picture) won the McGill University Geography Award, Raphael Hotter won the Montreal Neurological Institute Excellence in Life Sciences award, the Super expo-sciences Hydro Quebec (SESHQ) Experimentation & Design Award and The Order of Chemists of Quebec. This still image taken from video provided by KPRC shows police responding to the scene of a shooting, Thursday, March 17, 2015 in Houston. Police fired at five suspected robbers Thursday night outside the furniture store, killing two and injuring two other members of the group, which was being monitored by a tactical team investigating other robberies earlier in the day. (KPRC via AP) MANDATORY COURTESY KPRC, NO ACCESS HOUSTON MARKET LOCAL TV OUT In a telephone conversation last year, an inmate in a New York City prison was speaking to a friend of his when their discussion turned to iPhones. They talked about the security of the iPhone, and the inmate appeared acutely concerned with the type of operating system on his phone. Because of the newer operating systems available for iPhones, authorities cant open my phone, the inmate said, according to a transcript that was released in fall by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. The inmate continued: That might be another gift from God. As the feud between Apple and the FBI over a locked iPhone has grown increasingly heated, both sides have sought to convince the public and, next week, will try to do the same with a California judge about their stances on encryption, safety and security. Apple and a legion of major Silicon Valley firms and cybersecurity experts have argued that the case could have a far-reaching impact on how we protect our data in a digital age. The FBI has said this debate is about a single phone that belonged to one of the San Bernardino attackers and could hold vital information for a terrorism investigation. Law enforcement groups backing the FBI are also tackling what they say is an enemy cropping up across the country: Locked iPhones. Tucked into the reams and reams of legal filings submitted earlier this month in the fight between Apple and the FBI was an argument from law enforcement officers saying that the technology giants efforts to strengthen encryption something the company, other technology firms and security experts call essential to protecting privacy in a digital age have also been a blessing for criminals. One filing pointed to the transcript released by Vance, a critic of tech companies in the argument over encryption and privacy. It also cited other examples, like an unnamed big-city district attorneys office who said that about half of the devices they recovered during investigations are running a version of Apples operating system that the company cannot bypass. The district attorney is quoted in the filing as saying that authorities cant establish liability or responsibility because we cant access the phone. Since September 2014, Apple has issued iPhones with operating systems first iOS 8 that month, now iOS 9 that do not let the company extract data because the information is encrypted with a key using a password set by the phones owner or user. After two attackers in San Bernardino, Calif., killed 14 people in a terrorist attack in December, authorities recovered a locked iPhone belonging to Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the shooters. That phone, which was given to him in his job as a county health inspector, runs on iOS 9. The Justice Department obtained a court order directing Apple to design new software that would allow the FBI to keep trying new password combinations without the phone automatically wiping its data after 10 unsuccessful attempts. Apple has said it will fight this all the way to the Supreme Court. In a court filing backing the FBI, three law enforcement groups representing prosecutors, sheriffs and federal officers pointed to the transcript from Vances office and said they had also found examples of criminals who previously used burner phones and have now switched to the new iPhones as the device-of-choice for their criminal wrongdoing. All told, it represented a key facet of the fierce debate over whether the California case involves a specific request (as the government has contended) or could set a precedent weakening security for countless users (as Apple and other Silicon Valley companies have argued). Its not surprising that criminals use the latest tools available, said Alex Abdo, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, which has backed Apple in its fight. That has always been true in history. There has always been a cat and mouse game between criminals and law enforcement. I dont think this is any different. An Apple official said in an interview that the company had a long tradition of helping law enforcement, saying that over the last year they had received 10,023 requests from law enforcement through subpoenas or warrants and complied with 80 percent of those. The rest were cases where Apple was asked for information it did not have or given incorrect Apple IDs, the official said. This debate is not necessarily new, of course. FBI Director James B. Comey, who this week argued his case against Apple in front of Congress, had sharply criticized Apple and Google two years ago for seeking types of encryption that law enforcement could not break. There will come a day when it will matter a great deal to the lives of people . . . that we will be able to gain access to these kinds of locked devices, Comey told reporters during a 2014 briefing. I want to have that conversation [with companies responsible] before that day comes. Tech firms and security experts have pointed out that the encryption authorities have criticized also prevent cyber-criminals from accessing personal data, and creating pathways for law enforcement also means establishing avenues other people could exploit. Abdo said that it would be terrible to potentially weaken encryption for everyone because criminals utilize encrypted devices. Technology is like anything else, Abdo said. It can be used for good and it can be used for bad. But we dont outlaw cars just because they make crime easier, and we shouldnt outlaw strong encryption just because criminals use it. As Apple and the federal government have made their arguments in open letters, court filings and media interviews, both sides have gained backers. A wave of major companies including Google, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft have said they support Apples argument that there is a difference between helping law enforcement with an investigation and providing authorities a back door into user data. Law enforcement groups in California and representing officers nationwide filed their own briefs backing the Justice Department. In the filing from the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and National Sheriffs Association, these groups quoted Vances report and described real world, on-the-ground implications for this case. These groups cited several other cases where they said data on phones proved crucial to investigations. They also pointed to a story about how police are unable to access the locked iPhone of a pregnant woman who was shot and killed in Louisiana last year, something authorities say is hampering the investigation. Apple and these law enforcement groups are in agreement on something; both sides point out the tech companys history of helping with investigations. Tim Cook, Apples chief executive, wrote in his high-profile letter blasting the FBIs request that the company complies with valid subpoenas and search warrants. The law enforcement groups backing the FBI wrote in their legal brief that the company has been a valuable partner in a number of cases that proved guilt or innocence. For many years, Apple has provided crucial and commendable assistance to law enforcement, the brief stated. Apple has changed course in a single but a crucial way. Cook, for his part, has pointed to the other cases where authorities have said they want more access to phones in arguing that this debate is about more than the locked iPhone. The FBIs director has acknowledged that the case could set a precedent. Its not about one phone, Cook told Time magazine in an interview published this week. Its very much about the future. (c) 2016, The Washington Post Mark Berman Most Americans support it. Virtually all other developed countries already do it. And the two leading presidential candidates: the government should lower drug prices. But experts say the chances for government action in the near-term are close to nil. The reasons are familiar: political gridlock in Washington, pharmaceutical industry influence and the structure of the U.S. health system itself, which limits government intervention. Theres not much they can do, thats the sad truth, says Ira Loss, of Washington Analysis. They cant do much so theyre not gonna do much. Looking ahead, a Democratic president with majorities in the House and Senate might be able to pass major pricing reforms. But even if Democrats retake the Senate this year, Loss and others dont expect Democrats to regain the House. For now, business in Congress has essentially ground to a halt, as both parties look to the November elections to expand their power. But with a majority of Americans favoring government action on drug pricing, proposals continue to swirl around Washington. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, recently questioned the Obama administrations top health official about rumors that the president might use an executive order to allow the government to negotiate for lower drug prices. The White House declined to comment on the idea, but most experts agree the president has no authority to make such a change on his own. Larger changes would require action by Congress, where pharmaceutical companies and related businesses spent more than $235 million on lobbying last year more than any other industry. Still, a series of proposals to put downward pressure on drug prices has taken shape: MEDICARE PRICE NEGOTIATIONS The leading proposal is to allow the government to negotiate lower drug prices for millions of seniors in Medicare, the governments largest health plan. Presidential front-runners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton both have adopted the idea, which is supported by 83 percent of Americans, according to polling by Kaiser Health Foundation. Current law bars Medicare from negotiating drug prices. Instead, Medicare drug plans are managed by private insurers and pharmacy managers, who negotiate separately from one another. For years, that approach seemed effective: Medicare drug costs rose about 1.5 percent annually, on average, for most of the last decade. But spending jumped about 13 percent in 2014 after the introduction of several pricey Hepatitis C drugs. Those and other specialty medications are projected to increase spending by 6.5 annually percent in the next decade. Experts disagree on how much money could be saved by allowing Medicare to negotiate. When government actuaries last analyzed the proposal in 2007 they estimated savings would be negligible. Thats in part due to uncertainty about what specific powers the government would have in negotiations: Could Medicare refuse to pay for certain drugs? Could Medicare set up its own formulary, like those used in the private sector? Depending on which powers are available, academics have estimated savings ranging from $15 billion per year to $54 billion per year. That uncertainty remains a big hurdle in marshalling support for the proposal. Clintons plan for lowering drug prices would have Medicare negotiate lower prices, particularly for high-cost drugs with limited competition. But its unclear what specific powers would be granted. Trump has given even less information, saying that the government could save $300 billion a year if it negotiated discounts. Fact-checkers have pointed out that Medicare currently only spends $78 billion annually on drugs. I think the savings will depend on the specifics of the policy, says Tricia Neuman, of the nonpartisan Kaiser Health Foundation. EXTENDING MEDICAID DISCOUNTS A more concrete proposal involves extending price rebates in Medicaid the government health plan for the poor to low-income seniors in Medicare. Medicaid, which is a state-federal program, receives legally-mandated discounts from drugmakers that are roughly 50 percent below the market price of most drugs. That compares to discounts of about 30 percent for privately-negotiated Medicare drug plans. Extending the Medicaid discounts to 9 million low-income Medicare enrollees would reduce government drug spending by $103 billion over 10 years, according to government actuaries . Total U.S. retail drug spending would fall about 5 percent, according to Richard Evans, a health care analyst for SSR. But it faces familiar headwinds in Congress, including opposition from drugmakers. The Obama administration has proposed the switch several years in a row, but it has never received a vote in the House or Senate. RARE DRUG INCENTIVES Many of the most expensive drugs hitting the market are for rare diseases, including a record 21 drugs last year nearly half of all first-of-a-kind approvals. U.S. law encourages development of these drugs by granting tax breaks, accelerated reviews and competition-free marketing for 7 years to manufacturers. Some policy makers have proposed scaling back those benefits when drugs are priced above a certain threshold. Still, any changes would likely face opposition by both drugmakers and rare disease advocates, who lobbied for the 1983 law that first put the incentives in place to encourage drug development. FDA DRUG REVIEWS Another proposal making the rounds in Washington would allow the Food and Drug Administration to reorder the drugs in its review pipeline to encourage competition and lower prices. Some experts say drugs should be reviewed the aim of creating more competition for high-priced drugs. But this idea, like all the proposals on this list, would also require congressional action. Republicans in Congress have long voted with the pharmaceutical lobbys interests. Likewise, Democrats from industry strongholds like New Jersey and California often side with drugmakers. Its not a question of whether there are options on the table, says Neuman. Its a question of whether policy makers choose to adopt them. (AP) [PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] A suicide bombing attack took place on Shabbos morning in Istanbul Turkey, targeting a group of Israelis. Three Israelis were among the dead in the attack. Foreign reports state a total of four innocent people were killed and a total of 40 wounded, including 11 Israelis. The wounded Israelis are in four different hospitals in Turkey, with at least one listed in serious condition. The Israel Foreign Ministry Situation Room was activated and dealing with Turkish officials. VIDEO BELOW SHOWS THE ACTUAL EXPLOSION OF THE SUICIDE BOMBER IN TURKEY Additional information to follow. 7:45PM IL: Among the Israelis killed in the suicide bombing attack on Shabbos morning are two men and a woman. The Israel Foreign Ministry is confirming 11 Israelis were wounded in the blast, which took place in major shopping area. Channel 10 TV News in Israel reports Turkish authorities had intelligence information of a potential suicide bomber, so much so that Germany days ahead of the attack removed its diplomatic officials from Ankara. Two planes are preparing for takeoff from Ben-Gurion Airport carrying emergency medical equipment. MDA Chief of Operations Eli Bin reports MDA is working in cooperation with Turkish EMS and Health Ministry officials. Bringing home the wounded Israelis is a top priority, officials are reporting, with Bin explaining ICU physicians are among those flying to make sure they have the proper equipment and manpower to bring the injured home. Photo Below: MDA team on motzei Shabbos preparing to takeoff for Turkey from Terminal 1 at Ben-Gurion Airport (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photos: Zaka, MDA & Media Resource Group) [VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] The suicide bombing attack shortly before 11:00AM Saturday morning 9 Adar-II took place on Istanbuls main pedestrian shopping street. Sky News reports outside a local government office on Istiklal Caddesi Street and Israeli sources explain that while intelligence community officials are not ruling out the possibility, it remains uncertain if the attack was targeting the Israeli group. The Israelis killed and wounded in the Shabbos morning attack were part of a culinary group visiting that country. It is the third suicide bombing attack in Turkey in less than a month, with the last being a week ago in Ankara which left 37 dead. It is permitted to release the identity of one Israeli victim HYD, Mrs. Simcha Dimri, 60, the mother of four from the southern city of Dimona. Her husband Avi is listed in moderate condition in a Turkish hospital. Israeli agencies are working to have all of the Israeli wounded taken to one hospital. Zaka and MDA teams are heading to Istanbul on motzei Shabbos along with physicians and other medical professional as well as equipment permitting the transport home of the seriously wounded. The IDF also has military transport planes standing by in the event they are required in assisting bringing the victims home. The Foreign Ministry situation room continues to remain in contact with Turkish government officials and agencies. Zaka is working to expedite the permits that will enable to bring home the dead for kvura in Eretz Yisrael. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) N.P. writes: You might be interested in the letter I had from TB Options Limited, following a cold call. It offers binary options with amazing returns of up to 2,000 a week if I invest 10,000. As you will see from the copy of the letter I am sending, TB Options does not give its address or phone number. I get the impression it does not wish to be traced. I would not touch this with a bargepole. If only the Chancellor had known about TB Options, there would never have been suggestions of a black hole in his Budget. He could simply have invested the UKs way out of trouble. Base: TB Options claims to be based in Cheapside, left, but is believed to be in Tel Aviv, right According to the letter you received: The realistic earning potential with a 10,000 account doing 500 trades is 400 PROFIT per trade, and even if we only have an 81.7 per cent success rate, you will still look to achieve weekly profits in the region of 1,000 2,000. You do not even have to decide whether stocks and shares, or currencies and commodities, are going to rise or fall. TB Options will find all the best trades and do all the analysing on your behalf. All you need do is hand over your savings and the firm will tell you how to place spin-of-a-coin bets on price movements, with instant profit or total losses. Too good to be true? Not half. This is a scam with more holes in it than a Swiss cheese. On paper, the company is run by sole director Lee Denton, 32, from Oxted, Surrey, and it is based in Cheapside in the City, not far from the Bank of England. But my own enquiries suggest it is more likely to be run from Israel, home to a growing number of binary options rip-offs. I asked Denton for an interview with any investor who had made the profits he claims. I also asked where he gained experience of dealing in stocks and commodities. He did not reply and though I traced two phone numbers for him, both were dead lines. This is a shame as I had more questions for him. For a start, his websites terms and conditions say all disputes are to be settled under United Kingdom law, while genuine companies typically refer to the laws of England and Wales, since Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own systems. The same terms and conditions refer to the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act. This is a US law that only applies in the US where TB Options cannot legally trade as it has no investment licence. The terms state that they were last updated on January 17 2014 yet TB Options did not exist before last July. They also boast that the legal wording has been supplied by a law firm in Tel Aviv. In short, the terms are nonsense, a cut-and-paste job from elsewhere and have not even been tarted up to include the companys name properly. To open an account, you are asked to declare that all funds invested in your account with xxxx do not originate from drug trafficking. Binary options firms in Britain are licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission. But its powers only apply if a firms key equipment is here and neither TB Options nor its trading computers can be located. Last Tuesday, the US watchdog Commodity Futures Trading Commission charged two binary options firms with fraud. Vault Options and Global Trader 365 are both based in Israel. Under current laws, British authorities are virtually powerless and investors are a sitting duck, while the Treasury has spent the past year mulling over whether to hand responsibility to the Financial Conduct Authority. Whether binary options firms claim to be in Britain or elsewhere, the only sensible choice for investors is to stay well clear. You might just as well throw your money down the drain. British tourists can benefit from some bargain city breaks across the east of Europe this Easter despite the fall in the pounds buying power, a new study suggests. The recent fall in sterling against the majority of European currencies means that prices are up in 80 per cent of cities, but holidaymakers can still pocket a weekend city break for a little bit more than 100 if they head east. Cities in Eastern Europe fill eight of the top 10 places in the annual barometer of costs by Post Office Money, which compares prices in 35 European cities. Cheapest city break in Europe: It is in Polands capital Warsaw, according to a study by the Post Office Polands capital Warsaw is the cheapest of all, taking the crown from Lithuanias capital Vilnius, which was last years cheapest city, according to Post Office Money. In Warsaw, for just 113 you can get a three-course evening meal for two with wine, drinks, two nights' accommodation, airport transfers, sightseeing attractions and city transport. The same city break would cost you 115 in Lithuanias capital Vilnius, where, however, prices have gone up - last year in March a weekend there was 15 cheaper at 100. Budapest, Hungary's capital, is the third cheapest city in Europe, with a two-night trip costing 123, followed by Latvian capital Riga (132). THE CHEAPEST CITY BREAKS 1. Warsaw, Poland - 113 2. Vilnius, Lithuania - 115 3. Budapest, Hungary - 123 4. Riga, Latvia - 132 5. Krakow, Poland - 133 6. Lisbon, Portugal - 134 7. Dubrovnik, Croatia - 137 8. Prague, Czech Republic - 142 9. Moscow, Russia - 146 10. Athens, Greece - 149 ... AND THE PRICIEST 1. Stockholm, Sweden - 325.44 2. Reykjavik, Iceland - 321 3. Oslo, Norway - 320 4. Dublin, Ireland - 306 5. Geneva, Switzerland - 305 6. Amsterdam, Netherlands - 301 7. London, UK - 300 8. Copenhagen, Denmark - 292 9. Venice, Italy - 282 10. Barcelona, Spain - 280 Cheapest Western Europe city: A weekend in Lisbon, at 135, would cost you than half than in Paris or Venice Krakow, another Polish city, included in the study for the first time, also offer good value for British holidaymakers, with a weekend break estimated to cost around 133, thanks to an 8.5 per cent fall in prices over the past year. Cheaper prices have also helped Lisbon to overtake Athens, becoming the cheapest Western Europes city, with a weekend in Portugals capital costing around 135. In Greeces capital the same break would be 149. This is still about half of what you would spend in other popular eurozone city breaks destinations such as Paris (265), Barcelona (280), Venice (283), Amsterdam (301) and Dublin. Where to bag a bargain: Warsaw is the cheapest destination for a city break, followed by Vilnius and Budapest In the Irish capital, where prices are up by 28 per cent, a weekend would cost you around 306, making it the most expensive of 21 eurozone cities surveyed. This is also because the pound has fallen significantly against the euro, with 1 currently buying around 1.28, down from 1.42 at the end of last year. Rome, however, has seen the biggest price falls at 17 per cent, with a weekend break in Italys capital costing 229. Rome has seen the biggest price falls at 17 per cent, with a weekend break in Italys capital costing 229 Moscow is also one of the top 10 cheapest cities in Europe as the collapse of the Russian ruble, which fell by nearly 8 per cent over the last year, has significantly reduced prices for British tourists. A city break in the Russian capital costs around 146, the study shows. The most expensive city of all 35 is Sweden's capital Stockholm, where a weekend break costs 325, followed by Reykjavik, Iceland's capital (321) and Oslo in Norway (320). Andrew Brown of Post Office Travel Money said: Our research found wide variations in costs between cities and those people who are prepared to swap can make their pounds stretch further by choosing a cheaper capital like Warsaw in the east or Lisbon in the west. The Pensions Regulator is understood to be considering enforcement action to compel billionaire Sir Philip Greens family or its retail business, Arcadia Group, to stump up at least 300 million to plug a pensions black hole at his former company, BHS. The threat of action comes ahead of crucial talks between BHS, its suppliers and landlords aimed at saving the foundering business. But the rescue, due to be completed on Wednesday, will not include a plan for the pension fund, which has a 571 million shortfall. Though Green sold BHS a year ago, the regulator can demand payouts from a former owner if there has been a deliberate attempt to avoid a statutory debt. Shortfall: Philip Green, who is awaiting delivery of his new yacht, sold BHS for 1 last year Under the Pensions Act the regulator has the power to ensure that pension liabilities are not avoided or unsupported. Experts said an order from the regulator against Green could lead to years of courtroom battles. Neil Walton, principal of Royal London Consulting Actuaries part of Royal London Group, the largest mutual insurer in the UK with 84.5 billion under management said: If Green reduced the asset base of BHS prior to selling the company, sold it for a nominal sum and knew that the scheme had a serious funding shortfall when he sold, then it is difficult to see an argument that he should not contribute towards the shortfall. The 300 million figure is the basic sum required for the pension fund to continue, but pensions consultant John Ralfe said a claim against Green could be even higher. The regulator has legal powers to make a claim up to 571 million against some of the companies in the Taveta Group, controlled by Lady Green and her immediate family, he said. Taveta Group is the ultimate parent company that owns the Green family businesses, and is owned by Greens wife. Ralfe said: Looking at what the Regulator has done in other cases, now that the BHS pension scheme is entering the Pension Protection Fund, it will start the process. Although this would take years to work through the courts, the amounts at stake are so huge the regulator will be prepared to spend as much time and money as it takes. The BHS fund is in the process of being handed over to the PPF a statutory fund designed to protect pensioners if their employer becomes insolvent though members have already been told they will get at least 10 per cent less than originally expected. The PPF is funded by a levy on companies with defined benefit pension schemes. These levies totalling 500 million a year are used to fill any gap left by a failed company or scheme. Walton said that if Green does not fill the funding gap, the alternative is that the shortfall will fall on other employers via increased PPF levies. Experts said the BHS liability could fall within the top ten worst cases received by the PPF, which now has about 30 billion under management. The new owners of BHS plan to restructure the business on Wednesday using a form of insolvency known as a Company Voluntary Arrangement. A group of little-known investors, who include former bankrupt ex-racing driver Dominic Chappell, bought the loss-making business from Green for 1 in March 2015. The company needs the support of 75 per cent of its creditors, including suppliers and landlords, to go ahead with the CVA plan. Clothing and homewares suppliers contacted by The Mail on Sunday in recent days said they were supportive of the plan to keep the business alive. But because the restructuring is likely to go through on Wednesday without comprehensive pension fund arrangements, the regulator will be free to use all its powers if it believes that there is a case to do so. Green is understood to be prepared to offer 40 million in cash and 40 million in debt that BHS owes to Arcadia. But this is unlikely to satisfy the regulator or the PPF. Hopes of a quick deal appeared to have reached an impasse this weekend. The situation has exposed serious flaws in the powers of pension trustees to act pre-emptively. In particular, there are deep concerns about a loophole introduced by Chancellor George Osborne in 2013 that allows firms to brush aside the demands of trustees, who must take account of the sustainable growth plans of the sponsoring employer. In a letter sent to scheme members last year, the chairman of the trustees said BHS had agreed to pay 9.5 million a year into the scheme over 23 years and had acknowledged that BHS could not afford to pay any extra. Every time the regulator tries to stamp its foot an employer can plead poverty, said one source. The situation for Greens reputation was not helped when it emerged last week that he will soon take delivery of a 100 million Benetti yacht, replacing his old yacht Lionheart. About 20,000 BHS pension fund members already face a 10 per cent cut in their pensions, with a small number receiving much greater cuts. Green, who is understood to have already engaged legal advice on the matter, is likely to argue that his family last received a dividend from BHS in 2004. In total the firm paid dividends of 400 million over three years but at the time the business was making 100 million a year. Green declined to comment. The billionaires family still owns Arcadia Group the main subsidiary of Taveta which includes brands such as Top Shop, Top Man, Dorothy Perkins, Burton and Miss Selfridge. By Bob Harris The civic associations of Queens have always had a good relationship with the small businesses which occupy the many strip malls in and near them. Too many small businesses in New York City are closing because of the exorbitantly high rents that landlords are asking when their old leases end. The Queens Civic Congress, an umbrella group of approximately 100 civic associations in Queens, has long been concerned about the small businesses which serve their communities. The QCC is working with several business groups to hold a press conference about the closing of too many small businesses in NYC. It will take place March 24 from 11 a.m. -1 p.m. at Flushing House, 38-20 Bowne St., in Flushing. The press conference is an attempt to make the citizens of Queens aware of this problem. Local legislators and other public officials have been invited to come and express their views on the problem and offer solutions. There is a city parking lot two blocks away. For years, big banks and franchises have been paying high rents to obtain the stores vacated when small businesses are priced out of their stores. The Bronx is leading the city in evictions of small business whose leases have expired. Franchises and banks have been paying high rents for years to obtain stores in prime neighborhoods, but with the very high rents now being imposed many of them cant afford the rents. In New York City, commercial tenants have no legal rights when their leases expire. Longtime established businesses just cant afford the rents being asked. Currently, when a lease expires a tenant can stay for one year at a 15 percent increase, and can then stay on a month-to-month basis. When the landlord or realty company gets a high bid, the tenant has to leave or is evicted. This is no way to treat small businesses, which provide most of the jobs in New York City. Women and immigrant groups are suffering due to this problem. At a recent Queens Civic Congress meeting, Steven Barrison, an attorney who represents the Korean American Small Business Service Center of New York and other business organizations, gave a presentation. He explained that a bill called the Small Business Survival Act has been introduced into the City Council. The act would provide for arbitration between a landlord and a tenant if regular negotiations cant provide an agreeable rent solution. This proposal is just one of four proposed laws currently in the City Council. An honest and fair debate on the issue is needed, unhampered by lobbying or pressure by big business organizations who are speculating in rental property. Are some of these hedge funds and business organizations the same who invest in private prisons or set up charter schools to make money from public funds? There are too many vacant stores in New York City due to the eviction of long-term tenants who cant afford to pay huge increases in rent. The economic stability of the city depends on the small businesses, which are being forced to leave neighborhoods due to the actions of speculators. Just look at the many vacant stores in your community and you will realize the magnitude of the problem. GOOD AND BAD NEWS OF THE WEEK: Twenty-eight years ago as rookie P.O. Edward Byrne, who was 22 years old, sat in his patrol car guarding the house of a witness in a drug investigation when he was assasinated by four criminals working for a drug dealer. The house had been fire bombed previously. The drug dealer wanted to send a message to the police but instead caused the city to crack down on drug dealers. Each year the city recognizes the sacrifice this police officer made for the people of New York City. The 103rd Precinct, Jamaica, still recognizes his sacrifice. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Gabriel Rom A suspect wanted in connection with the shooting of two men at a Ridgewood deli Sunday morning was found dead a short time later, slumped over his steering wheel in an apparent suicide, police said. At around 1:50 a.m., the suspect entered Mikes Deli Grocery, located at 20-60 Gates Ave., and shot two of the delis employees after getting into a verbal dispute with them, police said. The two victims, a 23-year-old man and a 20-year-old man, were taken to Elmhurst Hospital. As of Wednesday, they were listed in stable condition, police said. The 20-year-old worker was shot in the arm, and a 23-year-old bodega employee was grazed across the face by a bullet, police said. Calling the double-shooting a heinous crime, Capt. Mark Wachter of the 104th Precinct, which covers Ridgewood, Glendale, Middle Village and Maspeth, described the final moments of the suspects life at a monthly police community meeting. About two hours after the double-shooting, police from the 73rd Precinct saw the suspects Nissan operating without headlights in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, Wachter said. As police approached the vehicle, it crashed into another car at which time police heard a gunshot ring out from the car, he said. The suspect, who was not immediately identified, was found slumped over his steering wheel with a fatal wound to his head, Wachter said. The captain said the motive for the crime likely had to do with debts owed from the past. He could not confirm where the suspect was headed after the shooting, but speculated he was looking for a third employee who worked at the deli. Wachter noted that the suspects gun was purchased legally in Michigan, though it was brought across state lines illegally. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Bill Parry ELMHURST An Elmhurst Tae Kwon Do instructor has been charged with sexually abusing four of his young female students at various times over the last 19 months, according to the Queens district attorney. Lorenzo Ramos, 26, formerly employed by the United Tae Kwon Do martial arts studio in Corona, was arraigned earlier this month on criminal charges stemming from alleged incidents involving one of the girls, was arraigned last Friday on a long list of charges before Queens Criminal Court Judge Elisa Koenderman on a criminal complaint involving the other three girls. The victims include two 12-year-old girls and two 14-year-old girls, DA Richard Brown said. These are serious allegations, he said.As a martial arts instructor the defendant was supposed to train his students to protect themselves from unwanted advances. Instead he is accused of taking advantage of his teaching position to touch his students in inappropriate ways. While working at United Tae Kwon Do, located at 97-12 Roosevelt Ave., Ramos is alleged to have hugged them, grabbed their breasts and squeezed their buttocks, according to the charges. Brown said the victims informed the owner of the studio after talking among themselves. If convicted, Ramos faces up to seven years in prison. Anyone who believes that they may have been a victim of abuse of this nature is asked to contact the NYPDs Queens Special Victims Squad at (718) 520-9277, Brown said. Airport development adding to economy, jobs in the region Pittsburgh may always be known as the Steel City, but a wave of new industries are popping up near its airport to redefine business in the region. SHARE Republican front-runner Donald Trump has been accused of fomenting violence at his political rallies, and violence seems to have ensued: Videos show Trump fans taking swings at protesters often minorities. Events reached a crescendo last weekend, with Trump and anti-Trump partisans skirmishing in Chicago on Friday and police pepper-spraying protesters in Kansas City, Missouri, the following night. Can American politics withstand the growing violence of this campaign? Is Trump solely responsible, or do others bear blame? JOEL MATHIS On the question of whether Donald Trump is encouraging violence at his rallies, let's not pretend that there is any sort of partisan divide even Trump's fellow Republicans recognize he's taken the discourse to a dangerous place. Take the words of John McGraw, a 78-year-old Trump supporter seen sucker-punching a black protester at a North Carolina rally. "The next time we see him," McGraw warns on video, "we might have to kill him." The list of incidents is long and getting longer by the day. And Trump has certainly set the tone, telling supporters he'd pay their legal bills and urging them to "knock the hell" out of any protesters spotted in their midst. And how has Trump responded to all this? By promising "riots" if the Republican Party finds a way to deny him its nomination for president. (A spokesman later clarified Trump was speaking "metaphorically," but there's no way of knowing if his supporters took it that way, and plenty of reason to be alarmed.) As it happens, liberals seem less inclined to passive resistance than they've been for decades. If Trump's supporters want to throw down, they're finding opponents who seem equally ready to go to battle. Trump's rallies are bringing out belligerents on all sides. It's a recipe for disaster. In Chicago last weekend, we nearly got one. Trump needs to stop encouraging violence. BEN BOYCHUK Donald Trump may be a demagogue and a rabble-rouser, but he bears no responsibility whatsoever for the recent mayhem in St. Louis, Chicago and Vandalia, Ohio. Federal prosecutors on Tuesday filed charges against a 22-year-old college student who tried to rush the stage at a Trump event in Vandalia last weekend. Contrary to Trump's irresponsible speculation afterward, Thomas DiMassimo was no Islamic State terrorist. He was just another entitled millennial trying to shut down a speaker he didn't like. It happens on college campuses practically every week. What happened in St. Louis and Chicago was an even greater disgrace. They were organized disruptions classic examples of the heckler's veto, except the hundreds of hecklers weren't just hooting and hollering. They were pushing, shoving and eventually throwing punches. Trump ended up canceling the rally he had scheduled at the University of Illinois-Chicago last Friday, citing safety fears. As soon as venue officials announced the event wasn't happening, the protesters erupted with chants: "We stopped Trump! We stopped Trump! We stopped Trump!" Who was "we" in this instance? Members of MoveOn.org, Black Lives Matter and supporters of quixotic democratic socialist Bernie Sanders. "We came in here and we wanted to shut this down," one organizer said later. "Because this is a great city and we don't want to let that person in here." Liberals are quick to condemn Trump's sometimes-incendiary language. But for all the hand-wringing over Trump, there is comparatively little condemnation of the illiberal tactics employed by MoveOn.org, Black Lives Matter and their fellow travelers. Last summer, when Black Lives Matter activists were seizing microphones from Democratic presidential candidates. It's about time liberals start policing their own. Ben Boychuk (bboychuk@city-journal.org) is associate editor of the Manhattan Institute's City Journal. Joel Mathis (joelmmathis@gmail.com) is associate editor for Philadelphia Magazine. Visit them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/benandjoel Contributed photos Rosa Weaver, Brandon Malone and Isabelle Galan enjoy icebreaker games at Sacred Heart Catholic Church's Food Fast on March 4 and 5. Forty students fasted for 22 hours, abstaining from food and drinking only juice and water. The annual Food Fast is offered to teenagers during Lent as a call to fast, pray and gives alms and service. The retreat allows teens to experience Lent in a profound way, while also making a difference in the lives of the poor by raising money for countries ravaged by poverty or natural disaster. This year, donations were gathered for Syrian refugees. SHARE Organist Dr. Joyce Jones will play at the 19th annual Palm Sunday Organ Concert at 3 p.m. March 20 at Floral Heights United Methodist Church, 2214 10th Street. Jones was the first female organist to perform on the organ at the famous Crystal Cathedral in California. By Sarah Johnson In her geography class at Notre Dame Catholic High School, Elizabeth Koch learned about the climate, elevation, population and vegetation of lands across the globe. But it wasn't until the 17-year-old junior participated in Sacred Heart Catholic Church's Food Fast that the issues of the world jumped off the page and into her heart. "It's an opportunity not only grow closer to my Catholic peers, but also to learn about the lives of those who may not be as fortunate as we are here in America," Koch said. "This experience gives you a more up-close encounter with a specific country and culture that you can't always get in a classroom." Early this month, 40 students alongside 30 adults fasted for 22 hours, abstaining from food and drinking only juice and water. Before the retreat, participants raise money for Catholic Relief Services by asking friends and family to sponsor their fast. They raise donations to make a real difference in the lives of the poor, but also bring a voice to the voiceless by encouraging others to fight global hunger. "Although we pray for those in poverty around the globe, each year we like to focus on one country in crisis," Cassie Erazo, youth coordinator at Sacred Heart, said. "This year, we focused on the Syrian refugee crisis. We learned about the war going on in their country, prayed for refugees and were blessed to have two former refugees as guest speakers. Father Hoa Nguyen, pastor of St. John the Apostle in North Richland Hills, talked to us about leaving Vietnam as a teenage refugee in the '70s. Jacob Gai, a former Lost Boy of Sudan, spoke to us about his experience being welcomed and ministered to by Catholic Charities of Fort Worth when coming to this country as a refugee." Each year, the Food Fast participants raise money for a particular country. In 2010, the group raised money for Haiti after a devastating earthquake. In 2014, money raised went to the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan. As part of the leadership team for the Food Fast, Koch led prayer services and small group discussions. She also made a presentation on the plight of Syrian refugees. After her research, Koch was surprised to learn how their everyday lives had been so similar to ours. "We saw a video that showed some escaping and it was really powerful to see how they were willing to risk their lives in order to escape," she said. "They didn't take anything with them and the conditions of their escape were horrible." It all hit her when she watched a drone video of the destruction of one of their cities, Homs. "It was barely recognizable," Koch said. "It was really hard to imagine that that much destruction could actually be a real thing and not just something you see in movies." Food Fast has enjoyed a long history at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Although the retreat was in place before Erazo arrived, she has made it an annual event. "This year was my 10th annual Food Fast Retreat to organize," she said. "In the past 10 years, over 500 have participated in Food Fast through Sacred Heart and together with the help of our sponsors, and by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we have raised over $25,000 for Catholic Relief Services. Food Fast is a wonderful experience for our young people because it puts a human face on the needs of the world, while helping teenagers recognize their power to create change as well as their ability to make a real impact for the better in someone's life. Our goal is that after the retreat, teens continue to feel called to walk in solidarity with the poor. And that they answer that call by getting involved in activities that bring dignity and support to others in their own schools and communities." Palm Sunday praise For the first time in 19 years, Chiemi Watanabe, organist at Floral Heights United Methodist Church, will not play the organ for the annual Palm Sunday Organ Concert. She will be giving up her seat for another musician. "The world famous organist Dr. Joyce Jones will give a special program," Watanabe said. Jones will play at 3 p.m. March 20 at the church, 2214 10th Street. Jones was the first woman to perform on the organ at the Crystal Cathedral and the first organist to play for the Grand Teton Music Festival. She was also the only woman organist chosen to play with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra at the inauguration of the Ruffatti organ. She has devoted her professional life to making friends for the organ, through community concerts, countless organ dedications, children's concerts and orchestral appearances in 48 states and 12 foreign countries. It will be the first time in almost two decades Watanabe will be able to sit back and enjoy the music of a fellow organist. "I have been giving organ concerts on Palm Sunday every year since 1998," Watanabe said. "It sometimes can be a struggle for me to prepare a 60-minute concert each year, but over the years, I think people have recognized this event, and I am grateful to know that some people started to look for this concert series. Floral Heights United Methodist Church is one the a few churches in town where we are able to provide organ concerts. It has been very important for me to maintain this tradition of sharing the beauty of the pipe organ and its wonderful music at the sacred space of the Floral Heights to our church members as well as to people of our local community." For more information, call 723-7151. New York A humanitarian organization officer was charged with money laundering in a United Nations bribery case that has ensnared two diplomats and a billionaire Chinese real estate mogul, according to court papers unsealed Friday. Julia Vivi Wang, also known as Vivian Wang, is accused of paying $500,000 in exchange for diplomatic positions for her late husband and another businessman and laundering the money through the sustainable development organization where she was an officer. Prosecutors say the bribe was solicited by John Ashe, a former General Assembly president and U.N. ambassador from Antigua and Barbuda, and Francis Lorenzo, deputy ambassador for the Dominican Republic. Wang was awaiting a court appearance, and it wasn't clear if she had a lawyer who could comment on the charges. A call to her nonprofit was not returned. Federal officials say Wang worked at one nonprofit and then created a second that aimed to fund economic development in developing countries. She used bank accounts from the second organization to launder money from China through the U.S. and to an account in Trinidad, authorities said. According to court papers, Wang and her husband wanted an official diplomatic position because "they believed that such a position would permit them to make money." After her husband died, she used the development fund to transfer $200,000 to a California company to pay for her husband's cemetery plot, authorities said. Lorenzo, who pleaded guilty Wednesday and agreed to cooperate against the other officials charged in the case, helped facilitate, according to court papers. Federal prosecutors have said Ashe turned the world body into a "platform for profit" by accepting over $1 million in bribes from real estate mogul Ng Lap Seng and other businesspeople to pave the way for lucrative investments. Some of the bribes were paid to gain Ashe's support for the construction of a U.N.-sponsored conference center that Ng hoped to build in his hometown of Macau, prosecutors said. Ashe, of Dobbs Ferry, and Ng have each pleaded not guilty and are free on bail. Ng is under 24-hour security, confined to a Manhattan apartment. Ashe served in the largely ceremonial post as head of the 193-nation assembly from September 2013 to September 2014. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Guilderland Democratic Palatine Town Supervisor Sara Niccoli struck a populist tone Saturday in announcing her bid to challenge Republican state Sen. George Amedore Jr. for the 46th Senate District seat. Speaking outside Fin seafood market during a four-stop swing around the district, Niccoli, the director of the state Labor-Religion Coalition, said she was running for state office because the people of New York need honest leaders who will put communities first. She said New Yorkers are angry that corruption had come to define state government, and anxious about property taxes, jobs, unequally funded schools and crumbling infrastructure. "Albany's culture of corruption has forced our communities to struggle needlessly," Niccoli said to a crowd of about 50 people. "Politicians who are more interested in serving their wallets than their constituents are killing local economies and devastating schools." More Information Numbers breakdown Finances As of the January filings with the state Board of Elections, campaign funds on hand were: George Amedore: $161,906 Sara Niccoli: $28,050 Enrollments As of Nov. 1, more than 178,000 were enrolled in the 46th district, with active registrations: Democrats: 59,600 Republicans: 51,000 See More Collapse Niccoli was joined in Guilderland by her husband, Sean, 13-year-old daughter, Olive, U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko and state Sen. Neil Breslin of Bethlehem. She also made campaign stops Saturday in Amsterdam, Athens and Kingston. Drawn in 2012, the 46th Senate District includes all of Montgomery and Greene counties, and parts of Albany, Schenectady and Ulster counties. Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk narrowly defeated Amedore in 2012, but two years later, Amedore, who helped run his family's construction business, rebounded to win the seat over Tkaczyk. Amedore said in a statement on Saturday that he was focused on properly funding schools, investing in infrastructure and creating economic opportunity. "Election season is still a long way off and with so many important issues before the Legislature, I will continue to concentrate on best representing the residents of the 46th Senate District, not on politics." Niccoli, 38, graduated from Albany High School and the state University at Albany "back when waitressing tips could pay the tuition" and received a master's degree in public administration from New York University. She's served as Palatine supervisor since 2014, worked for 17 years in the non-profit sector and helps operates her family's farm in Palatine. She is a member of the New York State Council of Churches' executive committee. Niccoli said she grew up in a working-class family and supports a $15 minimum wage. She said people were working longer hours, carrying more debt and having a harder time finding good jobs. "I don't come from money and I don't serve money," Niccoli said. "My loyalty is to community." dyusko@timesunion.com 518-454-5353 @DAYusko This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Brussels After an intense four-month manhunt, police on Friday captured the top fugitive in last year's deadly Paris attacks in the same Brussels neighborhood where he grew up. Salah Abdeslam, 26, is a childhood friend of the suspected ringleader of the attacks and is suspected of driving a car carrying a group of gunmen who took part in the shootings. He and two other suspects were detained in a raid in Molenbeek. Abdeslam was shot in the leg, officials said. Helmeted police with riot shields cordoned off the area, and two explosions were heard. France's BFM television broadcast images of police tugging a man with a white hooded sweatshirt toward a police car, as he dragged his left leg as if it were injured. The Islamic extremist attackers killed 130 people at a rock concert, the national stadium and cafes on Nov. 13 in Paris, in the country's deadliest attacks in decades. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel called Friday's arrests a success in the "fight against terrorism." He said he spoke to President Barack Obama about the arrest, and the White House said U.S. officials have been in close touch with French and Belgian officials about the investigation into the Paris attacks. French President Francois Hollande congratulated the Belgian government for an operation that lasted several weeks. He said investigation is not over and said authorities would continue to pursue anyone involved in financing or organizing the attacks. Two other people believed linked to the attacks were still being sought, including fellow Molenbeek resident Mohamed Abrini and a man known under the alias of Soufiane Kayal. Friday's capture of Abdeslam came after Belgian authorities said they found his fingerprints in an apartment raided earlier this week in another Brussels neighborhood. Federal prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt said it was possible Abdeslam had spent "days, weeks or months," in the apartment. Abdeslam's exact role in the attacks is not clear. The car he drove was abandoned in northern Paris, and his mobile phone and an explosive vest he had apparently used were later found in the Paris suburb of Montrouge, raising the possibility that he aborted his mission, either ditching a malfunctioning vest or fleeing in fear. Tax-related identity theft is a scam that can hit you from all directions. And tax fraud lightning can strike twice, too. Refund fraud is again a hot topic this tax season. And we still have about a month until April 18, the filing deadline for most taxpayers this year. The Internal Revenue Service even had to halt the online service it has in place to help protect tax filers who were fraud victims in earlier years. Cyber crooks had figured out a way to break into that system and re-victimize some of those same taxpayers. The crooks are just that daring. Some taxpayers are already worried they're going to get hit again this tax season. Some already know it. We're hearing more stories of other hacks this tax season, too, including the IRS admitting that many have been victimized via a transcript fiasco. Melanie Duquesnel, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving eastern Michigan, was a tax fraud victim last year. She was a victim of the massive cyber security breach at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. She worked decades ago for the Small Business Administration and her information was still in the organization's database despite her changing jobs years ago. Her personal ID, including Social Security number, was one of millions of IDs in the federal data base hacked last year. She is convinced that's how a con artist was able to craft a tax return last tax season using her Social Security number and other key information. In reality, Duquesnel and her husband were owed a very small refund of less than $15 last year. But crooks filing fake returns claim generous tax credits to cook up inflated tax refunds. Duquesnel and her husband are now preparing for what could happen this tax season. They're in contact with their tax preparer, as well as a taxpayer advocate service representative at the IRS. Once a victim, it can be possible to be a victim again. "They still have the numbers," Duquesnel said. In some cases, she said, it can turn into a game for the con artists of, "Let's just see if this works again." Faye Ball, the owner of The Taxlady & Co. in Wyandotte, Mich., said consumers must take several steps if they run into tax-related ID fraud. She tells clients to put a fraud alert on their credit reports by contacting one of the three major credit reporting agencies. Tax fraud victims also should contact any institution that would be directly affected by the fraud, she said. That includes contacting the IRS tax fraud hotline at 800-829-0433. Other steps include filing an affidavit with the Federal Trade Commission and filing a police report with local law enforcement. Mark Ciaramitaro, vice president of tax products for H&R Block, said it can take anywhere from six months to a year for some tax refund victims to get their own tax refunds as the ID theft mess is investigated. Adam Levin, a former director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs and founder of Identity Theft 911, said cyber crooks are working at every level to gain Social Security numbers and other data to use to file a fake tax return. Crime syndicates and others are unlikely to give up on tax refund fraud, Levin said, because there's "too much money in it." Levin said tax filers need to watch out for a variety of clues this season relating to tax ID theft: Some tax filers see that their tax return is automatically rejected when they file online. A crook has beat them to it and used their Social Security number to file a fake return with an inflated fraudulent refund. Or someone waits for a tax refund to show up in a mailbox or bank account but no refund arrives. Or in some cases, the IRS alerts you to employment-related ID theft. The IRS says you didn't pay enough in taxes because you under-reported your income from a job where you've never worked in your life. The IRS has issued IP PINS to 2.7 million tax ID theft victims. This six-digit PIN is then used on the following year's tax return so the IRS can accept that return as a legitimate return not something filed by the fraudsters. But an online tool that's used by people who lost their IP PIN numbers seems to be too easy for the cyber crooks to use. The online questions apply to personal financial information about you, such as where you lived in the past and what size of mortgage you held at one time. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Some of that data, though, can be found elsewhere by the crooks either legitimately or through stolen databases. To crack down on the cyber thieves, the IRS recently stated on its website that its online IP PIN tool is no longer available until further notice. The IRS said that this year about 5 percent of the people with PINs or 130,000 accounts had used the online tool to retrieve lost or forgotten IP PIN numbers. As of the end of February, the IRS said it had stopped about 800 attempts to use stolen IP PIN numbers to file fraudulent tax returns. Michelle Quinn, 33, was a victim last tax season and she's already discovered someone filed a tax return using her ID this tax season, as well. Last year, Quinn's $8,000 tax refund was hijacked after someone hacked into a system and stole her refund before it could be directly deposited. After a long battle, she got her money. This January, Quinn, who lives in the Hudson Valley, said she tried to file her return online when tax season opened. The idea was to file a return as quickly as possible to beat the cyber crooks who wanted to impersonate her. Her legitimate tax return was immediately rejected. The IRS already had another return on file with her Social Security number. The crooks beat her to it. So this year, she's stuck waiting for federal and state income tax refunds totaling about $9,300. "People feel like if it hasn't happened to them, it won't happen to them," Quinn said. "It can happen to anyone any time in any way." THE ISSUE: The state weighs a higher minimum wage, paid family leave and an employee savings plan. THE STAKES: It's a chance to improve the lives of New York's working people. More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers have an opportunity this year to live up to their frequent claims that they want to help hard-working New Yorkers. They can do it by passing what you could call an "agenda for working people": increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour, enacting an employee-funded paid family leave program, and devising a way to help private sector workers save for retirement. These ideas aren't new; Gov. Andrew Cuomo has put all three forward this year, and the Assembly has embraced the wage hike and paid leave. But many businesses oppose the wage increase and at least some are leery of the paid leave idea. And they've found allies in the Senate's Republican majority; Deputy Majority Leader John DeFrancisco, for one, calls for further economic study on the wage hike. Which, in this much-studied instance, is just another way of saying no. The reality is that New York's $9 minimum wage is nowhere close to a livable one. To suggest, as Republicans have, that the value of the public assistance for which most full-time minimum wage workers qualify actually puts them into the middle class is absurd. We have a system that enables the private sector to pay substandard wages, with taxpayers picking up the slack. The plan on the table gives businesses several years to prepare for this, phasing in the increase through the end of 2018 in New York City and mid-2021 in the rest of the state. That's already an enormous compromise. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. The Senate GOP's resistance is not the only obstacle. Nonprofits that rely on state contracts note that many of their employees earn minimum wage, and warn they won't be able to afford it unless the state pays them more. Mr. Cuomo demurs, pointing to the high salaries some of their executives make. Fair enough. But pay cuts for executives alone won't cover this. The state needs to help nonprofits pay for this. The paid family leave program, on the other hand, would cost the state and businesses little. Employees would pay a nominal payroll deduction toward the program, entitling them to up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a newborn or sick family member. The amount of the leave would be phased in to half a worker's pay by 2021. Finally, Mr. Cuomo has proposed a commission to come up with legislation for a retirement savings program for private sector workers. The idea is to enroll them automatically in a 401(k)-type account that would follow them from job to job. Employees could opt-out, but proponents expect it will get more private-sector workers, who are increasingly not covered by pension or other retirement savings plans, to start saving for retirement early. Mr. Cuomo should task the commission to come up with a program this year. Done right, these should not be heavy lifts. Beyond helping workers, the state has much to gain from initiatives that put more money in people's pockets money that they'll in turn spend in their communities. And at little public cost, programs like paid family leave and retirement help will make New York a more decent and desirable place to work. We'd all be richer for that. Local sportsman Cathal Barrett has officially opened a brand new charity shop located on Main Street, Tipperary town, on behalf of the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA). The senior county hurler was joined by IWA members, staff, volunteers and other community organisations as they celebrated the opening of the Associations newest charity shop. All proceeds from the new charity shop will be immediately invested into the range of essential services and support programmes provided by IWA to people with physical disabilities and others with mobility impairments living in Tipperary Town and the surrounding areas. The new IWA Charity Shop is currently accepting donations from the general public and local businesses who wish to donate, pre-loved items of clothes, furniture, books or bric-a-brac. Speaking about the opening of the new IWA Charity Shop in Tipperary Town, IWA Retail Development Co-ordinator Tomas McCluskey said: IWA are delighted to officially open our new charity shop in Tipperary Town. The Association now has 13 Charity Shops in locations nationwide. We look forward to establishing ourselves among other local businesses on Main Street and look forward to meeting future customers also. The staff, volunteers and members of the Association are very pleased with the new shop and we hope the shop will be used as a community hub where people can shop, chat, and learn more about the work and services IWA provides to individuals in their own homes and communities. Tomas also explained: All of our shops have a high turnover of goods, with displays constantly changing in response to shopping trends. They are an excellent place to source high-quality designer and vintage wear, at an extremely reasonable price. But we dont limit ourselves to fashion; we also sell books, toys, furniture, and assorted bric-a-brac. IWA also provides a collection service for larger products. The new Tipperary Town Charity Shop will open from 10am to 5pm Monday through Saturday. For more info on the Charity Shop or the IWA's range of services please visit www.iwa.ie or email info@iwa.ie. Heats are beginning all over the country to find contestants with beauty, poise and personality to take part in the forthcoming Miss Ireland 2016 event. Entries are now being taken for the nations hottest beauty search to find the perfect girl to represent her county at the Miss Ireland Final. Miss Tipperary is being held and organised by a former Miss Tipperary and previous Miss Sunday World winner, Esme Mansergh Wallace, for the 4th year in a row. Esme is coming back from the success of picking the overall winner of Miss Ireland 3 years ago, Clonmel girl, Aoife Walsh. We have had great success with our Miss Tipperarys, Aoife winning helped launch the competition hugely in its first year. Since then our two winners in 2014, Linda Creedon and 2015, Lauren Browne have both reached the final 7. Last year our two runners up also qualified in the semi final so we had all 3 Tipperary girls in Miss Ireland. We were the only county to have all 3 winners in the Final. I am so thrilled to be back running the Miss Tipperary heat this year and am really hoping that we can be as successful as we have been the last three years! Esme is running the selection to find the lucky girl who will attend the star studded Miss Ireland Final in August. The Miss Tipperary title is fast becoming one of the most popular titles to win as the last 4 winners, including Esme herself, have been successful in reaching the final knock out rounds of Miss Ireland. The final of Miss Tipperary will be held in the beautiful Aherlow House Hotel on Saturday May 21st at 8pm. Aherlow is the perfect venue for an event like this, and I am delighted to welcome the hotel as the main sponsors of this years heat. Due to the success of the last few years, there has been huge interest which is fantastic. An agent from Pulse Models in Cork will attend and be scouting for potential models to sign with Pulse. It is a great opportunity for girls who are keen to start a modelling career. A lot of the contestants from last year have gone on to sign with the agency and have had a huge amount of work so it is a great opportunity for all participants, not just the winners. Tickets are selling at 12 and can be bought on the door but advanced booking is advised as it is sure to be a sell out event with girls from all over the county vying for the much coveted chance of competing in the final. There is also an extra bonus as the girls who place 2nd and 3rd in the heat will have the chance to compete in the Miss Ireland semi final. This is the third year that the semi final will be held, and according to Esme It is a great opportunity to get all 3 Tipperary girls participating in the Miss Ireland final again. Interested entrants please email Esme at misstipperary@hotmail.com for further details and entry criteria. Dozens of people joined the search for 65-year-old Danny Bruce Baker, of West State Street, in Pleasantville, on Friday. Baker was found alive but disoriented, early Friday evening, according to Franklin-based state police. In this photo, Lt. Joe Justice, of the Cherrytree K-9 Search and Rescue team, points to the Mount Hope Road/Enterprise area on a map, where Baker was located. He had crossed over into Warren County, just off state Route 27. He went missing sometime late Thursday or early Friday. Adding to the urgency of the search was Bakers history of heart problems and dementia, family members told police. Among those joining state police and loved ones in the search on Friday were fire companies, sheriffs deputies, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and volunteers. Volunteer walks in honor of her husband Thousand Oaks resident Joan Hull will be among those participating in this years Conejo Valley Walk to End Alzheimers at 9 a.m. Sat., Oct. 22 at the Westlake Promenade. Hull... Overpass could get protective fencing A substantial safety upgrade for the areas most notorious overpass is finally getting some Caltrans considerationbut dont expect changes any time soon. At the Sept. 21 Moorpark City Council meeting,... Early detection is the best way to survive breast cancer Every October, we celebrate those men and women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. But what is breast cancer and how can it be diagnosed and managed? There are... KANSAS CITY ACTIVIST INSIDERS REPORT THAT THE ALLEGED HORSE PUNCHING SUSPECT HAS BEEN ARRESTED AND SUPPORTERS ARE NOW HARD AT WORK TO RAISE BAIL!!! A KC Activist Seyz: "Horse punch arrested. Bail fund in progress ... All we got right now . . . At south side jail for assaulting a horse cop." Progressive KC: The Kansas City Star Knowingly Lies to Manipulate the People The Kansas City political ruckus continues and tonight ourhasword of a recent arrest amid continued fallout from the Trump protest.To wit . . .Here are just a few more deets . . .And yes, this partly sounds like the premise of thebut the political fallout over the Trump protest is far more serious . . .Just as we reported previously, it seems that a growing faction of the Kansas City social justice crew are losing patience with the status quo and fellow liberals . . .Additionally, it's important to remember that there isDeveloping . . . CHECK THIS FACT CHECK FROM KANSAS CITY PETITIONERS CALLING FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY IN A PROCESS THAT HAS WORKED TO EXCLUDE VOTERS!!! Another Airport Meeting / Attempt to bypass vote? The push for a new airport with no public input is the new hotness for Kansas City right now.Accordingly . . .Here's the word . . .In an effort to wear out the Airport Committee of the city council (Justus, Fowler, Loar and Lucas) another presentation was made this week by the city paid consultant Lou Solomon with AvAirPros. You probably remember Lou, hes been paraded out before to tell the council committee and the voting public how stupid we are for even considering a remodel when he has this great plan sanctioned by the aviation department and the leaders at city hall. He more or less told the committee this week, it is time for them to approve the single terminal plan without really seeing any definitive proposals. He intimates there are no other options.Lou is also the one who predicted a 40% increase in passenger traffic at KCI..I wonder why Councilwoman Justus, as Chair of the committee, does not demand the time and invite Crawford and Associates to present their plan to the entire council and the voting public?? Wouldnt that be an open and honest way to get all the facts on the table instead of this wear them down and they will vote our way approach?Three different sources have indicated, the aviation department has some old bonding program they are exploring to get around allowing the public to vote on the airport. Remember,, passed in 2014 after thousands of signatures were collected? It gave the voting taxpayers of Kansas CIty the right to have a say on any airport project.: Call and email your city councilperson and tell them you demand they honor the ordinance #140090 as passed in 2014. Several thousand Kansas City voters signed the petition enacting this ordinance. Also demand Crawford and Associates be afforded the opportunity to present their proposal to the full council and the voting public. The city has paid for all the aviation department presentations, why not give an alternative viewpoint a look??################ The deal achieved between the European Union and Turkey was a diplomatic success for Greece in collaboration with Cyprus The deal achieved between the European Union and Turkey was a diplomatic success for Greece in collaboration with Cyprus, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Friday after the European Council meeting on the migration crisis. He warned, however, that it was a difficult agreement to implement and that a condition for its success will be a reduction in refugee flows, as seen in recent days. We achieved the best that we could achieve with respect to the refugee issue and must now work hard to cope with this difficult crisis we are facing, Tsipras told reporters in a press conference after the summit. He noted that Greece and Cyprus had successfully fended off the Turkish sides unreasonable demands with respect to the Cyprus issue and managed to have the five chapters blocked by Cyprus and one chapter blocked by Greece taken off the table in the talks. This was done without fanfare but on the basis of a specific plan, he added, while noting that Greeces agreements with Turkey will be compatible with international and European law. Common approach He also hailed the EUs success in achieving a common approach to the refugee crisis that was humanitarian and concerned the EU in its entirety. The Greek prime minister stressed that there could be no solution to the refugee crisis that did not involve an agreement with Turkey, noting that the plan that many had thought abandoned a few days earlier was now a common EU decision, while unilateral decisions were put on ice. Tsipras said that Greece will receive European support in terms of both personnel and resources, with 2,300 asylum and security experts and interpreters expected in Greece to assist in managing the refugees and migrants. We sought and achieved an agreement for immediate assistance in infrastructure, with reinforcements for the asylum service staff, Tsipras said, noting that the reinforcements will be arriving within the next few days. The Cypriot Government The final deal with Turkey on the migration crisis is fully in line with the objectives of the Cypriot Government and Turkey`s accession process remains firmly anchored to the existing negotiating framework and the Ankara protocol, according to President Nikos Anastasiades who expressed his satisfaction with the results. First and foremost, I would like to express my full satisfaction with the outcome of todays very crucial Summit, stated President Nikos Anastasiades, after the conclusion of the European Summit in Brussels. From the outset Cyprus had a very clear position. While we fully understand the need to effectively address this unprecedented migration crisis, including cooperation with Turkey, it must be crystal clear that the migration crisis and the accession negotiations are two distinct processes, underlined the President, reiterating that the opening of the chapters in Turkeys accession negotiations both the chapters frozen unanimously by the EU in 2006 and the chapters frozen unilaterally by Cyprus in 2009 depends solely on Turkey fulfilling its obligations, as outlined in Turkeys Negotiating Framework, including the implementation of the Additional Protocol towards the Republic of Cyprus. Finally, the President underlined that Cyprus has been and will continue to be a steadfast supporter of Turkeys accession path to the EU, on the condition that Turkey fulfills its obligations. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Kuwait-based Al Ruwayeh & Partners (Asar) said it has successfully completed its legal counsel of Kuwait Projects Company (Kipco) on the issuance of a $500 million seven-year note under its $3 billion Euro Medium Term Note (EMTN) programme. A leading and most prominent corporate law firm in Kuwait, Asar said the notes were widely distributed, with European investors allocated 32 per cent of the transaction while Asian, UK, Middle East and US (offshore) investors accounted for 28 per cent, 23 per cent, 14 per cent and three per cent respectively. The issuance was oversubscribed 2.5 times and is a testament to the confidence that global investors have in Kipco, it stated. The strong demand allowed Kipco to price the deal at a favorable pricing range with a fixed rate coupon of five per cent, the company said. Rob Little, the counsel at Asar said: "We have been fortunate to work with and represent Kipco for quite some time now and on a number of high profile transactions. Asar appreciates the confidence and trust that Kipco's management has in our firm." "Despite challenging economic times, this transaction underlines the continued interest of investors in this asset class and in Kipco," he noted. With dedicated offices in Kuwait and Bahrain coupled with its associated offices and relationships, Asar provides clients across an extensive range of industry sectors with comprehensive legal advice and support for their business activities in Kuwait, across the GCC and beyond. John Cunha, the partner at Asar said: "Our involvement in such a significant transaction and the popularity it received is a testament to the solid development of Kuwait based companies in the global capital markets arena." "This latest deal highlights Asars capabilities in the capital markets sector and in its servicing of Kuwaits top tier companies. We look forward to continue to assist our clients in reaching their business and strategic objectives," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Bahrain is set to host the 27th Arab Engineering Conference, one of the largest and most comprehensive engineering events in the Arab World, from March 29 to 30. HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa will patronise the two-day event, themed "Transportation in the Arab World and the Prospects for its Development and Integration between Arab Countries," reported the BNA. The event is being organised by the Bahrain Society Engineers. It provides a forum to discuss and showcase major transport projects and accomplishments in the entire Arab World. The conference will promote the development and dissemination of innovative solutions and best practices that will be needed to meet transport needs in the Arab world, reported the BNA. With the transport sector facing major challenges, especially during this period of sharp decrease in oil prices, this conference will help transport professionals to interact, share and exchange experience of transport development, operation and maintenance and technology usage. It aims to enhance the role of Arab engineering in planning, implementation and evaluating infrastructure projects in the field of transportation, and study the means which ensure that transportation projects will have priorities in the budgets maintained for development projects in the Arab World. It also aims to identify engineering parameters for the construction of transportation projects and attempting to adopt homogeneous and compatible criterion that ensure easy integration of such projects and exchange of expertise between Arab engineers, universities and scientific research centres. There has been a significant improvement in the migrant workers' living conditions and also their rights in Qatar following a critical report from the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) tripartite inspection commission three years ago. Two assessments - a report of the ILO tripartite inspection commission and a leagal assessment from Prof Christian Favre from the University of Lausanne - carried in March showed large improvements in the condition of the workers, mainly those involved in Fifa 2022 infrastructure projects. Both the report state that these efforts could provide ideas for the management of Europe's migrants crisis. The migrant crisis is challenging all industrialised countries. Millions fleeing war, poverty and persecutions in their home country are finding refuge in industrialised countries in order to build a decent future for themselves and their family, creating social, economical and political turmoil in each single western country. The answer so far has been to build walls, said the report. Voices such as that of UK Prime Minister David Cameron are rising to drive another way, putting work at the centre of efforts for sustainable policies on integration. That's why the Observatory on Security (OUS) from the University of Geneva and the Centre Independant de Recherche et d'Initiatives pour le Dialogue (Cirid), have supported the report realised by Prof Favre to assess the level of adherence of the Qatari regulation to the ILO principles on labour conditions. Created in 2013 as an independent research center among the Global Studies Institute, the OUS follows the will of its founders, teachers and researchers of the University of Geneva, to bring together their expertise in the field of security research. It also aims at offering thought leadership on key socioeconomic issues, and to act as a local and international platform for a better understanding of the security challenges of today and tomorrow. Cirid is a non governmental organisation with the Consultative Status at the Social and Economical Council of the United Nations' Presidence and General Secretary. This report is published the same week as the ILO tripartite inspection commission in Qatar that depicts an even more encouraging picture of these migrant workers' conditions improvements. With an overwhelming migrant population relative to a rather small number of national citizens, pressured by NGOs and economical interests on both ends, Qatar seems a good case study on how to organise migrant work in a difficult environment. Both reports from Prof Favre and the ILO tripartite commission show how it is possible to enforce decent labour conditions in a short period of time, improving both national and expatriate interests and dignity. Indeed, some aspects of the regulation and their practical implementation need to be improved (exit visa system, reporting of abuses, penalties and work inspections) and some others improved dramatically (such as the wage control system, the modification of the job's regulation, security and job changes, the abandon of the kefala system for the end of 2016), said the assessment report. According to Prof Favre, these results were achieved with the commitment of the institutions, a strong political will, supported by massive public investments. They are the cornerstones of a successful regulation benefitting every actor according to the proposed milestones. This case study could drive ideas for western countries regarding the management of a massive new migrant workforce, respecting the interests and promoting dignity of all parties, he added.-TradeArabia News Service A deal between the European Union and Turkey meant to curb the flow of migrants into Europe in return for financial and political rewards could unravel within months because neither side looks able to deliver on its commitments. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and European Council President Donald Tusk wore relieved smiles on Friday as they sealed a pact for Ankara to take back all migrants and refugees who cross to Greece in exchange for more money, faster visa-free travel for Turks and slightly accelerated EU membership talks. But for Turkey to halt the flow of migrants to Europe will require a major redeployment of its security apparatus to shut down a lucrative people-smuggling business at a time when President Tayyip Erdogan has more pressing priorities. With impeccable timing, Turkish authorities announced they had detained 3,000 would-be migrants on Friday, but Greek officials say Ankara has done little to stop the flow since November, when the EU and Turkey made a first deal. Yet Erdogan is more focused on extending his presidential powers, fighting Kurdish militants and preventing spillover from Syria's civil war. For Greece to be able to process and send back those migrants who continue to reach its islands would require a transformation of its threadbare asylum and justice systems with scant resources and uncertain EU assistance. The European Court of Human rights considers Athens' system so poor that it ruled that sending migrants back there from other European countries was inhumane. Yet the new arrangements are supposed to start from Sunday, with the first returns set for April 4. One EU diplomat said that was like expecting Greece to turn itself into the Netherlands over a weekend. For the EU to resettle, as promised, thousands of legal Syrian refugees directly from Turkey - one for each Syrian returned from the Greek islands - will require most member states to take in more refugees than they have been willing to share out so far. In the current climate of anti-immigration populism in many countries, that may be a tall order. The joint statement did not spell out who would return potentially unwilling migrants from Greece to Turkey, a task that may fall to the EU's Frontex border agency under the critical gaze of the media and humanitarian groups. Greek officials say they are worried it could turn violent. Images of Afghans, Iraqis or Syrians being removed against their will could lead to an international outcry. In a foretaste, rights group Amnesty International posted a harrowing picture of refugees cowering behind barbed wire outside the EU summit centre with the slogan "Don't trade refugees. Stop the deal!" LOGISTICAL CHALLENGE Greece already faces a huge logistical challenge with 43,000 migrants bottled up in the economically ravaged country since its northern neighbours shut their borders, and more continuing to arrive daily, albeit at a slower pace. And all this is before the summer weather and calmer seas that facilitated last year's mass influx. For the EU to give Turks visa-free travel by the end of June also requires a leap of faith, since Ankara has so far met fewer than half of the 72 conditions. European officials stress the ball is in Turkey's court to pass the necessary laws and change its visa regime with other, notably Muslim countries. The EU managed to sidestep a potential stumbling block over Cyprus by agreeing to limit Turkey's progress in snail's pace membership negotiations to one policy area - budget - which Nicosia has not blocked. That got around a standoff over Ankara's refusal to open Turkish ports and airports to Cypriot traffic. A late addition to the agreement also reminds Ankara of its commitments to the Turkey-EU customs union under which it should open its ports. If both sides are lucky, the vexed Cyprus issue may not impinge on the migration deal for months, leaving time for peace talks now under way that may lead to the reunification of the east Mediterranean island after more than 40 years of division. EU leaders desperate to stop the chaotic migration flow were willing to suspend their disbelief and swallow legal qualms - at least in public - because they had no better alternative. But they have few illusions. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the deal's co-architect, said there were bound to be setbacks and big legal challenges but she hoped the deal had "irreversible momentum". Tusk, who chaired the summit, said the deal was the best the EU could do for now. "A piece of something is better than a piece of nothing," he said. "There are many bits of this deal that clearly don't add up," a senior EU official acknowledged. "Much of the details will be left to be worked out at lower level later on." The optimistic version, voiced by Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, is that some "intelligent synchronisation" can be found between the Cyprus peace process and Turkey's migration deal. Critics say that is just EU wishful thinking. 'NO BETTER PLAN' Some experts believe Turkish leaders don't expect the EU to keep its word on visas, refugee resettlement or the membership talks and are planning to turn a predictable failure to domestic political advantage. "Davutoglu and Erdogan know perfectly well that neither side will deliver," said Michael Leigh, senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund think-tank and a former director-general of the EU's enlargement department. "What Erdogan wants is a constitutional power change ... so he will present it at the right moment as a European betrayal and call a vote to get more powers," Leigh said. At most, he said, the EU could fulfil the financial part of the bargain if Germany pays the lion's share of the extra 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion) Ankara was promised to support Syrian refugees in Turkey. Sidelined by Merkel when she drafted the outline deal with Davutoglu last week, French President Francois Hollande made clear he would hold Turkey to meeting EU visa standards in full. "Visas can only be liberalised if all the conditions are met and I remind you there are 72 of them," Hollande told reporters. A French diplomat said Turkey had only fulfilled 10 benchmarks fully so far and another 26 were under way. EU diplomats are sceptical that Ankara will be able to meet all the required benchmarks in time, but such is the urgent need to get the migration crisis under control that they would rather clinch a deal now and deal with shortcomings later. "It's difficult but everyone has an interest in trying to make this work and no one has a better plan," a senior EU diplomat said.-Reuters Rana Siddiqui Zaman The best reply to an insult is to maintain a dignified silence. This is what Lieutenant-General Zameer Uddin Shah, the "controversial" Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor did just a few days ago, when he was humiliatingly snubbed by our literate, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister, Smriti Irani. The reason? The HRD Ministry had decided to shut down five AMU education centres, spread across the country's underprivileged hamlets in Mallapuram (Kerala), Murshidabad (West Bengal) and Kishanganj (Bihar) and the proposed ones in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The three centres Mallapuram, Murshidabad and Kishanganj are functional, albeit on a shoe-string budget. Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy had invited Shah to a meeting in Irani's office for talking about funds for these centres. When Shah, after clarifying to the officials of the HRD Ministry that he had been invited by the CM for this meeting, entered her office, she asked curtly, Who let you in? Red-faced, Shah replied, pointing out at Chandy, The honourable Chief Minister has invited me to be a part of this meeting. But to his and the Chief Minister's shock, she snubbed Shah, asking, Who will decide who should be in the meeting? Who pays your salary? the Kerala CM or the HRD Ministry? A former General of the Indian Army, decorated with numerous medals, brimming with immense pride, the red-and-blue, gold-buttoned Army cap, Shah maintained a dignified silence. A Judge in the Army Court and the Deputy Chief of Army Staff, who left those coveted positions to further the best interests of young Indians by education through AMU, kept quiet. Shah, as I have known him as an AMU alumna, melts even an aggressive journalist with his humility, respect, and politeness. He does not evade any question. He escorts you till the door, opens it for you, doesn't sit till you do, because you are a lady. He does not extend his hand to shake with a woman, which is more of his tarbiyat, a personal upbringing than an Army training (in which a hand shake is the prevalent and practised mode of greeting). He takes utmost care of his gestures while talking. He lowers his gaze often, talks softly, a khandani trait as I can aptly put it. That Shah didn't react to the humiliation is a khandani attribute, of course. The talks started. The Vice Chancellor had come prepared. Shah, told me in an exclusive interview at the Vice Chancellor Lodge, AMU, Aligarh, a day after his meeting with the HRD Minister and the Prime Minister, I was told that some of my detractors within AMU, who were against these centres, had reportedly informed the HRD Minister that these centres are 'illegal'. This was believed without any investigation. I was informed that they, therefore, wanted to shut down the functional as well as the proposed centres. The proposal for AMU centres that I submitted, had been approved by the highest policy-making bodies, the AMU Executive Council and Court, the Government of India and the Visitor (President of India). The AMU Act 1920 (as amended) permits these centres under Section 12 (2) of the Act. Where did this 'illegal' angle spring from? It's a rumour extracted from Act 12 (2) of AMU, which says that within 12 miles of the university mosque, the university cannot establish a school. This was a British Act, to keep Muslims confined. But, the same Act also mentions that you can establish centres, something that has a sanction of even the Government of India. Without investigating, the HRD Minister said it was 'illegal'!" Significantly, the centres in MP and Rajasthan have not even been opened. The reason? When the Kishanganj Centre was opened a few years ago, some locals had protested and tried erecting a temple there, allegedly taking the centre as a means for some communal (read terrorist) activities. The police threw them out. After that, the parliamentary committee on education, grilled me, and said, These centres are leading to communal violence. So, no more centres please! This grilling and full-stop on more centres was done without any investigation by the HRD Ministry. Furthermore, the governments of Rajasthan and MP did not take interest in the other two centres. Maharashtra, however, is keen on it though, Shah revealed. Shah also presented the figures of how inadequate are the funds for the centres, established after sanctions by the Central Government. After protracted efforts, a paltry sum of Rs 45 crore was sanctioned for three centres, which is grossly inadequate. As a result, hardly any construction /improvement is possible in these centres, he submitted. Significantly, more humiliation was on the way. The next point at the meeting was on the inadequate funding of AMU. Banraras Hindu University, the same size as AMU, gets Rs 300 crore while AMU gets Rs 193 crore, even Jamia Millia Islamia, quarter the size of AMU, gets Rs 235 crore. While presenting these facts, the VC submitted, AMU despite being among the high-ranking" Before Shah could complete the sentence, Irani, snubbed him again, saying, I know how these rankings are obtained... He politely added, Madam, these rankings are done on The Best Global Universities in India by two international ranking agencies the Times Higher Education, London, and the US News and World Report. The former ranked AMU as 90th-best Asian University, eighth-best Indian higher education institute and second-best Indian university. The US News has placed it as the sixth-best university among top 10 in India. Plus, the UGCs National Assessment Accreditation Council (NAAC) gave AMU a grade of point 3.35 out of 4, that has been achieved only by a handful of universities... The HRD Minister, who is eloquent and does her homework before making a speech in public or Parliament, wasn't perhaps ready for it. A wise man once said that if you cannot cut a line shorter, draw a bigger line close to it. The other line will get shortened automatically. Shah proved it with his homework. Irani's line clearly stood small. This document was submitted to the HRD Minister and the Prime Minister. Since the VC had also met the Prime Minister on this issue and that of minority character, he said, The Prime Minister's body language was positive. So, I hope my next meeting with the HRD Ministry will just be a formality. He was right. The March 10 meeting of the VC with the HRD Ministry was satisfactory. But, again, Irani pointed out to the VC that no research work was being carried at the three AMU centres, to which the VC replied that research work would begin once funds were made available. She then urged the VC to meet Joint Secretary, MHRD, S S. Sandhu, who was also present at the meeting. Sandhu "assured" him that the funds approved by the Expenditure Finance Committee will be made available to the university "soon". Whenever this "soon" happens, the big question is: what made Irani behave so irresponsibly with a learned Vice Chancellor, that too repeatedly when even the Prime Minister was "sympathetic, positive and respectful" to him? The VC said politely, "I don't want to say anything. All I know is, for the better part of my life, I fought for my country, including in the 1971 war, managed insurgencies and controlled communal riots. It will take much more than that to humiliate me! Sixtyseven-year-old Shah added: In the Army, we are taught to respect women. Let's focus on more important work. It does not affect me... It has affected me, respected Vice Chancellor. It should affect everyone who works with integrity. My conscience got worked up. It happens only in India! The writer is a Delhi-based critic. Ravi S.Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 19 Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has assured Jats that the state government will enact a law to provide reservation to the community during the ongoing Assembly session. A delegation of the community called on the Chief Minister on the issue here today. Naresh Tikait, president, Bharatiya Kisan Union, and other community leaders from Uttar Pradesh were part of the delegation. Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan and Haryana Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar were also present in the meeting. Addressing the delegation, Khattar said the government was trying to tie up the loose ends relating to the proposed legislation so that it could stand the courts scrutiny. With regard to the withdrawal of cases registered against protesters during the recent Jat agitation, Khattar said that no innocent would be penalised. Expressing grief at the loss of life and property, members of the delegation said that no fresh agitation should be allowed. They accepted that a pro-quota group had tried to take an aggressive stand. Balyan urged the community leaders not to be misled by those who wanted to fish in troubled waters. Majid Jahangir Tribune News Service Srinagar, March 18 Two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants, suspected to be Pakistani nationals, were killed in an encounter with security forces close to the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmirs frontier district this morning. The gunfight erupted in a forest area of Waderbala in Handwara after the Armys 21 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion and the Special Operations Group of the J&K Police launched a search operation following an input about the presence of militants on Thursday evening. We had an input that two or three terrorists were present in a mosque at Petha in Waderbala. After we launched a search operation, the hiding militants tried to break the cordon by firing indiscriminately at the search parties around 12.30 am on Friday. The fire was retaliated and in a nearly six-hour-long gunfight, two of them were killed, said a senior security forces officer, adding that there was no collateral damage during the gunfight. The search in the area is underway to trace the other militant, part of the group. The Waderbala forest area is close to the dense Hafruda forests which over the years have been the scene of deadly gunfights in which the Army has suffered great losses. The Hafruda forests are a known reception area for infiltrating militants. Meanwhile, it could not be ascertained whether the militants in the area had infiltrated recently or were operating in the area for some time. The police said two AK-47 rifles, six AK magazines, four UBGL, 46 AK rounds, two radio sets, two maps, two pouches and a diary were recovered from the encounter site. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, north Kashmir, Uttam Chand said the militants belonged to the Lashkar-e-Toiba. Most probably, the two slain militants are Pakistanis, said the DIG. So far this year, 26 militants have been killed in encounters with security forces and 14 of them were killed in north Kashmir. Seven security men were also killed in the gunfights. Rajneesh Lakhanpal Tribune News Service Ludhiana, March 19 Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singhs son Raninder Singh has been summoned by a local court on a complaint by the Income Tax Department that he made false statements about his foreign assets. CJM Ranjiv Vashishta has ordered that Raninder be issued summons for July 26 under Section 277 of the Income Tax Act and Sections 177 and 181 of the IPC. The Income Tax Department alleged that Raninder made false statements twice on oath by denying being a beneficiary of foreign assets or having association with any such foreign entity. The department said it had received credible information that the accused was a beneficiary of foreign assets maintained and controlled through business entities. He was also a beneficiary of foreign bank accounts maintained with HSBC Bank in Switzerland. Raninder was confronted by the department in April last year. Information received from French authorities in 2011 formed basis of the complaint. The department pursued the matter with the foreign authorities and issued notices to the accused, who replied to these. Documents revealed that a trust deed was executed between Raninder and the HSBC Trust on July 22, 2005. The deed was signed by him as the settler of the Jacaranda Trust. It has been alleged that the Jacaranda Trust was the beneficiary of business entities Chillingham Holdings Limited, Allworth Venture Holdings Limited and Mulwala Holdings Limited. It was alleged that the information obtained from competent foreign authorities revealed that the said business entities were holding substantial financial assets, including HSBC Bank accounts and properties in the UK, Dubai, etc. The complaint was moved by the Deputy Director of the Income Tax Department, Anil Dua. I will come out clean, says Raninder Raninder Singh pleaded ignorance about any such court order. I have full faith in the judiciary and will abide by the law. I will come out clean, he said. SMA Kazmi Tribune News Service Dehradun, March 18 The Harish Rawat-led Congress government in Uttarakhand is in danger of losing majority with nine Congress legislators rebelling against the government, even as senior BJP leaders, led by party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, met the Governor this evening and staked claim to form government. CM Rawat late tonight claimed he had full majority and warned of disciplinary action against the rebels. Satpal Maharaj, who quit the Congress to join the BJP after Rawat was given the reins of the state replacing Vijay Bahuguna prior to the 2014 LS poll, had claimed two days ago that several Congress MLAs were in touch with the BJP. The drama unfolded during the passage of the Budget in the Assembly with the nine legislators, led by former CM Vijay Bahuguna and Harak Singh Rawat, demanding a division of votes on the Budget. Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, however, rejected the demand for the division of votes triggering chaos in the Assembly with both Opposition BJP and rebel Congress MLAs sitting on a dharna in the Well of the House to insist on this procedure terming it their democratic right. The Congress has strength of 36 MLAs in the 70-member Uttarakhand Assembly. The ruling party also has the support of six members of the Progressive Democratic Front, while the BJP has 28 MLAs. Rejecting the demand by the Opposition, Speaker Kunjwal announced passage of the Budget by a voice vote and adjournment of the House till March 28. Congress MLA from Rudraprayag Harak Singh Rawat, who was among the nine MLAs seen in the Well of the Assembly along with opposition BJP MLAs, claimed the finance Bill in connection with the Budget had fallen in the state Assembly in a clear indication of the ruling party being reduced to a minority with 35 votes against the Budget and just 32 in favour. He also claimed he had already resigned from the Cabinet as a minister because of inaccessibility of the Chief Minister who was allegedly surrounded by a coterie of advisers who never let party MLAs meet the CM. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi, March 19 Telangana cannot claim absolute right over institutions in Hyderabad merely because of its location, the Supreme Court has held. The verdict reversed a high court order that that froze Andhra Pradesh Council (APSC) of Higher Education on the ground of their location in Hyderabad. "In the instant case, the State of Telangana has claimed ownership over the entire funds and assets of the (erstwhile) APSC. This could surely not have been the intention of the legislature while enacting the Reorganisation Act, 2014. "The main thrust of the argument of both senior counsel appearing on behalf of State of Telangana, as well as the impugned judgment and order passed by the High Court is that the successor State of Andhra Pradesh has absolutely no right over the institutions in the city of Hyderabad, by virtue of the fact that Hyderabad falls in the successor State of Telangana. "We are wholly unable to agree with this contention advanced on behalf of the State of Telangana. If this contention is accepted, it would render Section 47 of the Act, which provides for apportionment of assets and liabilities among the successor States, useless and nugatory," a Bench of Justices V Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra said on Friday. The order also said that the state legislature must take care to divide up money, assets and liabilities to ensure there was no prejudice. The verdict is likely to have far-reaching consequences on division of assets between the two states. Telangana broke away from Andhra Pradesh in 2014. The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, makes Hyderabad a city fiercely fought over by the two states the capital of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for 10 years and will then permanently go to Telangana. In the meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh must develop its own capital. PTI Tribune News Service Moga, March 18 Sarpanches, panches and panchayat samiti members of various villages protested against SDM Nidhi Kalhotra outside her office at Baghapurana in Moga district today. They flayed her for allegedly justifying a decision of the district administration to transfer 18 acres of land belonging to the panchyat samiti of Nihalsinghwala on the name of the nagar panchayat of Nihalsinghwala town. The protesters raised slogans against the SDM and said they would protect their land and 117 shops by all means, as these were a good source of income for the rural body. They also blocked the Baghapurana-Mudki road for more than five hours before the SDM assured that she had arranged a meeting of the panchayat union with the district magistrate on March 21 to sort out the issue. Many protesters alleged that the ongoing political tussle between Agriculture Minister Jathedar Tota Singh and Nihalsinghwala MLA Bibi Rajwinder Kaur had led to these problems. The administration has transferred the panchayat samitis land and shops to the nagar panchayat purely on political considerations due to the infighting in the ruling Akali Dal in this area, alleged Hardeep Kaur, chairperson of the Nihalsinghwala panchayat samiti. Hundreds of sarpanches, panches and panchayat samiti members of Nihalsinghwala and Baghapurana subdivisions threatened to resign from their posts if the administration did not roll back its decision. Instead of strengthening the Panchayati Raj system, the state government is bent upon weakening it by taking such decisions without taking into confidence the panchayat samiti and panchayats of the area, said a sarpanch. Political infighting blamed for the mess Protesters alleged that the political tussle between Agriculture Minister Tota Singh and Nihalsinghwala MLA Bibi Rajwinder Kaur had led to the problem. The administration has transferred the panchayat samitis land and shops to the nagar panchayat purely on political considerations due to the infighting in the ruling Akali Dal in this area, alleged Hardeep Kaur, chairperson of the Nihalsinghwala panchayat samiti. Surekha Kadapa-Bose I had asked for magenta, not purple. And it has to be glossy silk, not matt finish! roars Neila Sathyalingam, the Bharatnatyam doyenne who, along with her musician husband, Sathyalingam, established an Indian classical dance academy in Singapore way back in 1977. Neila and her team are touring many cities of South India with a dance-drama production titled Alapadma. Neila is a perfectionist and the trait isnt just confined to a particular shade of magenta as the backdrop of the performance, it trickles down to all the process of creating a piece of art. A Sri Lankan Tamilian by birth, Neila imbibed the perfectionism from her association with the late Rukmini Devi Arundale, who was a revivalist of Bharatnatyam and founder of Chennai-based Kalakhestra, an academy of dance and music, built on the principles of the Indian Gurukul system. My passion for classical dances, especially Bharatnatyam, was so intense that even as a kid in my Colombo home, I would wake up around 4 am and start practising the steps, much to the consternation of my father who wanted me to pursue dentistry. Disturbed by the sound of my ghungroos, he told me to practice the bhava (expressions) part in the early hours and tala (rhythmic) in the day, the danseuse amusingly recalls. In 1954, Neila won a gold medal at the All-Ceylon Dance Festival and was selected to perform before Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Sri Lanka as part of her tour of the Commonwealth nations. I was just a 12-year- old and wanted to touch and feel the hands of the Queen. But she wore those long, white elbow-length gloves and I was so disappointed that I couldnt boast before my school mates that I had touched the Queens hands! Neila, now 78, laughs. Thanks to her knowledge of Bharatnatyam, she was allowed to directly join the fourth year of a five-year course in the dance form at Kalakshetra at the young age of 18. It was there that she met her husband, authoritarian music guru Sathylingam, who was son of a Sri Lankan politician. They got married and returned to Sri Lanka. Tough times lay ahead as the violent political riots between Sinhalis and Tamilians in 1958 claimed everything the rich and influential family owned. The family decided to resettle in Colombo and she took to teaching dance. She returned to Kalakshetra in 1969 to train as instructor in 1974, the couple along with their four children, migrated to Singapore where Sathyalingam was posted as the area sales manager of a US-based company. Three years later, the couple founded Apsara Arts, an Indian dance academy, which is today an epitome of perfection, talent, creativity and professionalism, known for its well researched productions. Thanks to our Kalakshetra pedigree, Apsara Arts is now considered a leading classical dance institution presenting innovative works based on Bharatanatyam. Over many years, we have also collaborated on other dance forms from India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand and China. We have now added Kathak to our repertoire and are doing experimental work based on Kathak from the Lucknow gharana, says Neila, elaborating on her academy. Apsara Arts is synonymous with large-scale Indian dance-drama productions where pros from across the world come together on a project, each of them minutely researched by Aravinth Kumarasamy, choreographer-musician-researcher. In fact, one of their 2013productions, AngkorAn Untold Story, which recreated the story of 12th century Khmer (Cambodia), was a mammoth production costing millions of rupees. It is said to have mesmerized the audience. We need really good sponsors to repeat that beautiful and breathtaking dance-drama, says Neila. Even Alapadma, the dance-drama they have brought to India this time, is big. The sets, the stage lighting, the costumes, the absolute perfection of each performer and their synchronized moves resemble fluid movement of a wave. Alapadma is about unfolding of a lotus flower as is explained in different cultures of India, Egypt, Singapore, China, Iran, etc. It explores a few aspects of the lotus such as Srishti Sarasija (signifying creation), Pada Pankaja (mythology), Leela Kamala (romance), Alankaara Ambuja (iconography) and Sahasrara Padmam (human wisdom). These aspects are choreographed to various selected lyrics from Alawar Pasuram, Kambar Ramayanam, Abhinaya Dharpana Slokas, verses from the Bhagavatham and poetry of Bharathiyaar and contemporary poets. The selection of ragas is based on the primary emotion of each segment as visualized in the choreography. Neila accepts the influence of Hindi cinema in the society, but doesnt hold a grudge. Its sad, but TV production houses have their own compulsions and economics to take care of, she says, insisting that all art makers have an obligation to ensure the continuity of the chosen art from. Bharatanatyam artistes today need to spend time and effort in audience-building by reaching out to newer audiences and also make efforts to be accessible to the younger generations, says Neila as she throws the ball in the performers court. Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, March 19 The Congress today decided to adopt a wait-and-watch policy in Uttarakhand where its nine rebel MLAs are threatening to topple the Harish Rawat-led state government in collusion with the BJP. The rebels former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, Agriculture minister Harak Singh Rawat, Amrita Rawat, Kumar Pranav Singh Champion, Shaila Rani Rawat, Pradip Batra, Subodh Uniyal, Shailendra Mohan and Umesh Sharma are staying at a hotel in Gurgaon and ruled out reviewing their decision. All of them accused Chief Minister Harish Rawat of running the government unilaterally and not listening to their concerns especially in the wake of state floods. The Congress officially lashed out at the BJP with partys media chairman Randeep Surjewala saying that toppling duly elected state governments had become the hallmark of Prime Minister Narendra Modis and BJP chief Amit Shahs brand of politics. After Bihar loss, they knew they cant win states by going to people. So they are adopting the policy of destabilising elected governments like they did in Arunachal. People will teach them a lesson in five states where elections are due, Surjewala said. Meanwhile, the Congress has sought a legal and constitutional opinion on the issue of rebels and is confident that they will be disqualified by the Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker. The party has maintained calculated silence on the rebels with a top leader saying, Under the law, a split is recognised only if at least two-third members of the state Legislature and equally of the political party, the Indian National Congress, rebel and go away to the another party. In Uttarakhand, out of 37 Congress MLAs, only nine have rebelled and gone. That does not make for a split. Under the law, these rebels are set to face disqualification under the Anti Defection Law because they defied the party whip which was recently issued. The Congress said it was ready for a floor test because only a floor test can prove a governments majority. Politically though the insiders acknowledge the loosening hold of party leadership, particularly vice-president Rahul Gandhi on his own MLAs as first evidenced in Arunachal and now in Uttarakhand. The rebel Uttarakhand legislators of the Congress said they had been flagging their concerns to the high command for long, but to no avail. ISTANBUL/ANKARA, March 19 A suicide bomber killed himself and four others in a central Istanbul shopping and tourism district on Saturday, wounding at least 36 people in the fourth such attack in Turkey this year. The blast sent panicked shoppers scurrying into side alleys off Istiklal Street, a long pedestrian avenue lined with international stores and foreign consulates, a few hundred metres from where police buses are often stationed. The attack will raise further questions about NATO member Turkey's ability to protect itself against a spillover of violence from the war in neighbouring Syria. Turkey faces threats from Kurdish militants, whose insurgency has spread from the largely Kurdish southeast and who Ankara sees as closely linked to a Kurdish militia in Syria, and from Islamic State fighters, who have also recently targeted it. Germany shut down its diplomatic missions and schools on Thursday, citing a specific threat. Meanwhile, U.S. and other European embassies had warned their citizens to be vigilant ahead of Newroz celebrations this weekend, a spring festival largely marked by Kurds which has turned violent in the past. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, which two senior officials said could have been carried out by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), fighting for Kurdish autonomy in the southeast, or by an Islamic State militant. Both groups have targeted Turkey in recent months. A PKK offshoot claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings in the capital Ankara over the past month, which killed a total of 66 people. And Islamic State was blamed for a suicide bombing in Istanbul in January that killed at least 12 German tourists. One of the officials said the bomber had planned to hit a more crowded location but was deterred by the police presence. "The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the target point because they were scared of the police," the official said, declining to be named as the investigation is ongoing. Another official said investigations were focusing on three possible suspects, all of them male and two of them from the southern city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border. There was no further confirmation of this. Armed police sealed off the shopping street where half a dozen ambulances had gathered. Forensic teams in white suits searched for evidence as police helicopters buzzed overhead. "I saw a body on the street. No one was treating him but then I saw someone who appeared to be a regular citizen trying to do something to the body. That was enough for me and I turned and went back," one resident told Reuters. Istiklal Street, usually thronged with shoppers at weekends, was quieter than normal as more people are staying home after a series of deadly bombings. Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu confirmed that 36 people had been wounded, seven of those were in serious condition and twelve of the wounded were foreigners. Broadcaster NTV said six of the wounded were Israeli tourists and two others were from Iceland. Israel's foreign ministry confirmed some of its citizens were among the wounded. International condemnation Saturday's blast came as Turkey is still in shock from a suicide car bombing on Sunday at a crowded transport hub in the capital Ankara that killed 37 people. A similar bombing in Ankara last month killed 29. An offshoot of the PKK claimed responsibility for both bombings. The Istanbul suicide bombing that killed German tourists in January struck at its historic heart and was blamed by the government on Islamic State. Saturday's attack brought condemnation from around the globe. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on an official visit to Istanbul, said it showed "the ugly face of terrorism", while France condemned it as "despicable and cowardly". Germany urged tourists in Istanbul to stay in their hotels. Turkey's Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a Kurdish-rooted opposition party, condemned the bombing. "Just as in the Ankara attack, this is a terrorist act that directly targets civilians," the HDP said in an e-mail. "Whoever carried out this attack, it is unacceptable and inexcusable." Turkey is a member of the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. It is also battling the PKK in its own southeast, where a 2-1/2-year ceasefire collapsed last July, triggering the worst violence since the 1990s. In its armed campaign in Turkey, the PKK has historically struck directly at the security forces and says it does not target civilians. However, recent bombings suggest it could be shifting tactics. One of the Turkish officials said the PKK was looking to carry out attacks during the Newroz holiday. At the height of the PKK insurgency in the 1990s, the festival was often marked by violent clashes between Kurdish protesters and security forces. It coincides with the spring thaw, a time when in previous years PKK fighters re-entered Turkey from mountain hideouts in northern Iraq. Reuters Kathmandu, March 19 On the eve of Prime Minister KP Olis visit to China, leaders of agitating Madhesi parties in Nepal have approached the Chinese envoy here to express their concerns regarding the new Constitution. In a meeting held here, the leaders of the alliance yesterday handed over a memorandum to Ambassador Wu Chuntai urging China to exert diplomatic pressure on Nepal for fulfilling their demands related to the new charter. We have mentioned that a large section of the population in Nepal has not accepted the new Constitution and the government has been suppressing their agitation, said Manish Suman, Sadbhavana Party general secretary. Suman said the meeting was a step toward establishing people-to-people relations between Nepal and China by sharing proper information. Until now, the Madhesi leaders have only met Indian officials seeking support for their demands and agitation. Oli will visit China next week and is expected to finalise pacts on importing fuel and gas, besides transit and transportation deal to facilitate entry of Chinese goods into Nepal through Tibet. Madhesis, largely of Indian-origin, organised a six-month protest over the newly promulgated Constitution which, they said, discriminated against them. PTI Jerusalem, March 19 A Palestinian teenager stabbed and wounded an Israeli border guard in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday before being shot dead, the Israeli police said, the latest in a series of attacks. One guard was slightly injured in the incident, which occurred near a disputed place of worship in central Hebron, and another border guard killed the 17-year-old assailant, the police said in a statement. According to police, the Palestinian approached a checkpoint close to the site known to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque and to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs, where he was asked for identification. He then drew a knife and attacked one guard, before being chased and shot dead. Since October 1, a wave of violence has killed 198 Palestinians, 28 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count. Most of the Palestinians were killed while carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to the Israeli authorities. Others were shot dead during protests and clashes. Hebron, the largest city in the West Bank, has long been a source of tensions, with several hundred Israeli settlers living in the heart of the city under heavy military guard among around 200,000 Palestinians. Many analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation and settlement building in the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have fed the unrest. Israel blames incitement by Palestinian leaders and media as a main cause of the violence. AFP Brussels, March 19 Salah Abdeslam, the prime surviving suspect in November's Paris attacks, answered questions from Belgian investigators on Saturday a day after his arrest but will fight extradition to France, his lawyer said. Belgian prosecutors said Abdeslam and a second man arrested with him on Friday had been charged with "participation in terrorist murder". "He is cooperating with Belgian justice," his lawyer Sven Mary told reporters outside the judicial police headquarters, adding that Abdeslam, bedridden after being shot in the leg during his capture, admitted being in Paris on November 13. His elder brother was among the suicide bombers involved in gun and bomb attacks that night that killed 130 people. Mary added that the 26-year-old French national, who was born and raised in Brussels in a Moroccan immigrant family, would refuse the extradition demanded by French President Francois Hollande, who was in Brussels during Friday's drama. Legal experts said his challenge was unlikely to succeed, but it would buy him more time to prepare his eventual defence. Having spent his first night in captivity in a Brussels hospital, he is expected to be moved to a high-security jail in the western city of Bruges while legal proceedings continue. French and Belgian leaders have hailed his arrest, several days after Brussels police stumbled on his fingerprints during a raid that turned violent, as a turning point in clarifying who planned and ordered the Paris attacks, in which all the identified assailants were shot dead or blew themselves up. It may also be an opportunity to disrupt other militant cells which Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said were certainly "out there" and planning further violence. "We've won a battle against the forces of ignorance but the struggle isn't over," Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said. Relief in Paris As Parisians, and families of the victims, voiced relief at the arrest, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said after an emergency cabinet meeting that a trial could answer questions for those who suffered in the attacks. "Abdeslam will have to answer to French justice for his acts," he said. "It is an important blow to the terrorist organisation Daesh (Islamic State) in Europe." A trickle of people came to a makeshift memorial in Paris that has engulfed the monument at Place de la Republique, near the scene of much of the bloodshed, to pay their respects. "It's really a relief," said Emilien Bouthillier, who works in the neighbourhood. "I can't wait for Belgium to transfer and return him to France so he can be tried the way he should be." Friday's heavily armed swoop came after fake passports and Abdeslam's fingerprints were found following a bloody raid on Tuesday in which Mohamed Belkaid, a 35-year-old Algerian was shot dead and police officers wounded. Near the scene of the arrest, newsagent Dominique noted that Abdeslam had been well known to him and many in the community. "He was a very nice lad before," he said. "How can things to this far? That's really something else." His elder brother Brahim, a Brussels barkeeper who shared a chequered history of drugs and petty crime, blew himself up outside a Parisian cafe on the night of the attacks. Hollande said the younger man's role in the killings was unclear, but investigators were sure he helped plan the operation for the Syria-based group. There has also been speculation, associated with the finding of an abandoned suicide vest in Paris and the apparent panic of Abdeslam in calling friends to pick him up, that the younger brother had been meant to kill himself, but changed his mind. A four-month inquiry that had seemed to go cold, heated up when French and Belgium officers went to an apartment in the southern Brussels suburb of Forest on Tuesday. Thinking they were simply looking for physical evidence, they were instead confronted by at least two people spraying automatic gunfire at them as they opened the door. Then on Friday, local media said, a tapped telephone confirmed that Abdeslam was in the house in rue des Quatre-Vents in Molenbeek. After French media broke word that Abdeslam's fingerprints had been found, police moved in and seized him. Reuters One of the nations preeminent authorities on education standards issued a report late Friday criticizing the proposed new Oklahoma Academic Standards as lacking depth and quality. Achieve the nonpartisan, nonprofit education reform organization that helped develop the Common Core state standards has evaluated academic standards for more than 25 states and compared standards in 15 countries over the past 15 years. It measures standards according to six criteria: rigor, focus, coherence, specificity, clarity and accessibility, and measurability. In both content areas Oklahomas new standards fail to serve students, teachers, or parents well. The standards cover a lot of content, but with very little depth; a phenomena sometimes referred to as a mile wide and an inch deep in standards language, stated Sandy Boyd, chief operating officer at Achieve. Oklahoma lawmakers initially signed on with more than 40 other states for a new set of common academic benchmarks that all students should meet to be considered ready for the job market or college. But in 2014, the Legislature did an about-face and repealed its adoption of the Common Core standards and mandated that Oklahoma go it alone and develop its own unique new standards. That yearlong process was concluded in December and in January, the Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education certified the proposed Oklahoma Academic Standards as college and career-ready, and the state Board of Education submitted them to the Legislature. By law, both the Oklahoma State Senate and House of Representatives have until Wednesday to approve or disapprove any portion of the newly written standards. If no action is taken, the standards would be automatically approved. To date, three joint resolutions have been filed: Senate Joint Resolution 75 and House Joint Resolution 1071 both call for disapproval of the Oklahoma Academic Standards with instructions for revisions to be made by state Department of Education. House Joint Resolution 1070 calls for approval of the proposed standards with instructions. Achieve was founded in 1996 by a bipartisan group of governors and business leaders and has counted former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating and Keith Bailey, former CEO of Tulsa-based Williams, as board members. Its mission is to assist states in raising academic standards and graduation requirements, improving assessments and strengthening school accountability. Boyd said in a nutshell, Achieves side-by-side comparison with Common Core standards found Oklahomas proposed standards, lack the attributes of quality K-12 standards. Achieve is concerned that Oklahomas students, across the grades, will experience significant gaps in their understanding of (English/language arts) and mathematics, making them less prepared for college and careers than their counterparts in other states, Boyd said. Achieve hopes that the constructive feedback offered in this report will support policymakers, educators, and parents as they make decisions about how best to ensure that Oklahomas students can pursue the future of their choosing with a solid academic foundation. A growing reliance on substitute teachers and uptick in teacher absences are Oklahoma public schools dirty little secrets. The effects of Oklahomas deepening teacher shortage on class size and course offerings are well-documented, but the scarcity of applicants and strain on teachers who remain have schools making do like never before. A Tulsa World analysis of data from the past seven academic years found absences by Tulsa Public Schools teachers increased nearly 63 percent from 18,800 days in 2009-10 to 30,600 days in 2014-15, while the number of teachers declined by 10 percent during the same period. And all of those missed days of instruction strain the districts ability to staff classrooms with substitutes and exact an untold toll on student achievement. Its a fact when a substitute is in the room, the kids arent learning what they could, said Sheila Riley, principal at Eugene Field Elementary School. But teachers are tired and worn out. Because of the environment in education right now, theyre more likely if they dont feel well to go ahead and call in. The average percent of teacher absences not filled by substitute teachers in TPS was 27 percent for two straight years between 2008 to 2010. That average jumped to 41 percent in 2010-11 and was 34 percent in 2014-15. But those figures dont begin to represent how hard it is for a school like Eugene Field to get a substitute. Last year, 58 percent of its 355 absences went unfilled by subs, the highest rate of any traditional school site in TPS. That figure was not news to Riley. Were all painfully aware of it, she said. When you cant fill a sub position, it usually means the kids get split into different grade levels because in our school, we only have two classes per grade and we cant put 60 kids in one classroom. Intern/substitute Katie Taylor directs traffic in the hallway at Rosa Parks Elementary School. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World By comparison, daily teacher absences at traditional schools in TPS ranged from 126 at Anderson Elementary to 1,201 at Hale High School, and unfilled substitute rates were as low as Carver Middles Schools 6 percent. Riley said making do without a teacher or sub just adds to the stresses of a faculty already saddled with larger class sizes and the increased demands for documentation for special education students and those struggling to meet the states minimum reading test score. I absolutely think were going to see more and more teachers leave the profession in the next couple of years, she said. I have had more complaints of being tired and exhausted in the last year or two than Ive ever seen before. Every teacher at Eugene Field maintains a sub tub, which is a container filled with a full days worth of student work and activities. Most of the time its review work because we dont want subs to introduce new material, Riley said. They dont have the pedagogy, they dont have solid classroom management to keep a class moving. Its hard for them in any school, but add the particular situation many of our students are in and it becomes 10-fold from what a normal situation would look like. For that reason it is very difficult for us to get substitutes. Phylena Miller helps a substitute teacher while manning the phone inside the substitute teacher office at the Tulsa Public Schools Education Service Center. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World I cried all the time Phylena Miller arrives at 6:30 a.m. each morning at the TPS Human Capital office. Nowadays, her mornings are relatively quiet, punctuated only by phone calls from people who either arent logged in or who are having technical difficulties with the substitute placement and absence management service, called Aesop. When she first started work on the sub pool in 2000, there was no automated system. Miller and only one co-worker were assigned to the task then. They came in at 5:50 a.m., and their phones would ring for hours with principal and teacher sub requests. The two of them had to call every single sub with their assignments. It was very stressful; the phones were ringing like crazy. I cried all the time, Miller said. The lady I worked with would ask me why I was crying, and I would say, The principals are upset; we didnt get all of the positions filled. She would say, Theyre upset with the situation, not with you. Miller just couldnt shake the gravity of the situation because she had seen the consequences of unfilled absences firsthand. Intern Kirsten McCullough goes over a reading test with Jozlyn Grant in her class at Rosa Parks Elementary School. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World I felt so bad because I came from working in the schools, so if we didnt get something filled, I knew what was happening out in the buildings. So its been going on like that for as many years as Ive been here, Miller said. These days, the web-based Aesop system is pretty self-sustaining. Principals and teachers schedule absences then substitutes can shop for assignments across several area districts by school, grade or subject preference. That explains the wide variance in unfilled absence rates across area schools. Talia Shaull, chief human capital officer at TPS, said the district began a pilot program in spring 2014 to increase substitute pay by 22.6 percent for a group of hard-to-fill schools. The result was a 9.6 percent improvement in attracting substitutes to schools in the pilot project. It continued at an annual cost of $38,910 but was discontinued at the end of 2014-15 as a cost-cutting measure. Last minute cancellations happen a lot On an early March morning, Miller logs into the Aesop system to find 247 teacher absences recorded, and 70 percent of those filled by subs. But its still early and things immediately begin to change. On her voicemail is a message that a sub wont be able to make it to the assignment. She forwards the message to the schools principal but fears its too late. I will be honest. At 10 minutes until 7, it will be difficult to fill that position because now its a last-minute opening, Miller said. The district made an effort to recruit more parents to be substitutes and promoted the work opportunities through advertising and job fairs, Miller said. It led to increasing the sub pool up to 500 to 600 early in the year. But those numbers include subs who work in other school districts, and those who choose to work infrequently, limit their assignments to just one or two schools or to only one subject matter. And Miller said the sub ranks always dwindle over the course of each school year as more of them accept long-term assignments or full-time positions. Because of the teacher shortage, if they were a good candidate, they would already have been hired by now, she said. She said its most difficult to find special education substitutes, in part, because outsiders find the idea intimidating. Also, the state requires four hours of additional training for subs who are not highly qualified in the field. By 7:30 a.m., she receives a call from a sub whose assigned school, Grimes Elementary, didnt need him after all. Miller tells him about two unfilled assignments in prekindergarten and first grade at Kendall-Whittier Elementary, one of his other preferred schools. He balks at working with students so young. She tells him to call back again soon if he would rather go to another site with an assignment in the upper grades. At 8:30 a.m., she gets an inquiry from a school secretary about the availability of a substitute paraprofessional. Her office also manages those assignments for aides assigned to certain special education students and teacher assistants for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes. At a few minutes before 9 a.m., Miller gets a call from Booker T. Washington High School, where the sub who accepted a two-day assignment covering for the speech and drama teacher failed to show up. Miller tries to call the sub but gets no answer. I dont know if people forget that they have the assignment, or if there is an emergency, but I wonder how seriously they take this job. They dont realize the impact it has when they dont show up, she said. What about consequences for no-shows? Last-minute cancellations happen a lot. After so many, yes, we will call them and address the issue with them, Miller answers. If we see that it happens continually, there is a chance we would no longer use them as a sub. Desperate times, desperate measures Hiring full-time teachers from the sub pool has long been common, but the statewide teaching shortage has principals resorting to the use of long-term substitute teachers to cover for unfilled vacancies. Many teachers and principals share anecdotes about going to great lengths to identify qualified candidates and sob stories about less-than-ideal situations for kids when that doesnt work out. At 61, Unions Rosa Parks Elementary Principal Karen Vance is one of the most seasoned school administrators in the area. She has spent the better part of three decades in the Jenks and Union school districts, with a brief stint at a publishing company in Arizona between her time in the two districts. Vance attributes the current volatility in school staffing to dramatic changes in the teacher workforce in recent years. The pool is younger, Vance said of teacher applicants. A lot of teachers are retiring earlier because its really hard work. It would be difficult to find a school leader more challenged by mid-year staffing issues than than Vance, who has had 12 faculty members in various terms of pregnancy during the course of 2015-16. The Rosa Parks baby boom was made more difficult with multiple midyear departures for other medical issues and the addition of a fourth-grade teaching position to accommodate for student growth. It forced Vance to get creative. Vance recruited two former teachers who had left the profession to care for their own children to return. She persuaded her bosses at Union to allow the two to work part-time, team-teaching that late-added fourth-grade class. That worked great, with each one working three days a week, with one day of overlap for planning. Then, one had a child become seriously ill a few weeks ago, Vance said. So she did what she had to before to cover for many of the other teacher absences. She persuaded the most qualified college students from Northeastern State University completing internships in her school to take on long-term sub assignments. Substitute teacher Gail Thomas works at her desk as third-grade student Emanuel Miranda reads at Rosa Parks Elementary School. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World Vance has also leaned mightily on Gail Thomas, who retired from Union Public Schools five years ago after a 31-year career in teaching. Thomas took a year off to relax and travel and then starting taking on substitute teaching assignments four years ago, but she wont sub just anywhere. I only sub at two schools because the staff is absolutely amazing and their plans are so detailed, they make it very easy, Thomas said. There is also a sense of family and community here, so the children feel so loved so theyre more apt to come to school and want to do work. Vance said Rosa Parks students have extraordinary good fortune in having a sub like Thomas, who helped develop the curriculum still used in Union classrooms today. Students really do best when they have a positive relationship with their teacher thats not something that happens in one day, Vance said. Ten-year-old Angel Marquez has had two major upheavals during his fourth-grade year. First, he was reassigned from one class to a new one added in September. Next, he had to deal with loss of one of the two part-time teachers. Its better when we have a regular, same routine, Marquez said. Searched high and low for a qualified sub Tulsas Edison Preparatory School has had to resort to long-term subs to cover for teachers in a number of situations this year, including one who spoke no German covering a German class for several weeks. Principal Derrick Schmidt said its always difficult to find long-term substitutes, let alone subs who are a certified, quality candidate, and when they do, its always kind of a luxury. Schmidt said the impact on students is a certainty, adding, Nothing is as good as consistent attendance from the regular teacher. In some cases, teachers take up a hunt for their temporary replacement. Merrie Wolf, who teaches regular and advanced math at Memorial High School, was diagnosed with uterine cancer last summer and had to be out for treatment for six weeks in the middle of the fall semester. I searched high and low to find a qualified sub so my kids wouldnt be missing out, Wolf said. After a month and a half of trying, Wolf finally found a retired math teacher willing to take on the task. Throughout her absence, she spoke with the sub two to three times every school day. My kids were not behind for the mere fact that I had beat the bushes and found that qualified substitute, she said. Weve had situations in the past where we had unqualified subs, and the kids are just sitting there doing nothing. They see a sub, they think, Blowoff Day. A look at substitute needs at Union's Rosa Parks Elementary September: First-grade teacher left on maternity leave, and the district made a late addition of a fourth-grade section at the school. November: Third-grade teacher left on maternity leave. December: Art teacher left on maternity leave. January: Fourth-grade teacher left on medical leave. February: Fifth-grade teacher left on maternity leave. April: Another fifth-grade teacher due to leave on maternity leave. May: Sixth-grade teacher due to leave on maternity leave. June: A first-grade teacher due to begin maternity leave, so the principal will have to line up sub to cover for her at start of 2016-17. Principal's note: Other substitute teachers have been required for extended periods because of illness and surgeries. Correction: This column incorrectly reported the date that Tulsa Police officer James Comstock shot and killed Phillip Steven Doll, who was attacking a 65-year-old woman in the 900 block of East 36th Street. The attack occurred March 20, 2012. 2003 Deadline passes, U.S. begins invasion of Iraq Less than two hours after a deadline for Saddam Hussein to leave the country, President George Bush ordered U.S. military forces to attack Iraq with Tomahawk cruise missiles and precision-guided bombs. The invasion was successful, and Saddam was captured and then executed three years later. However, sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shias and insurgents battled U.S. and coalition troops. The U.S. formally withdrew all combat troops by December 2011. More than 4,400 American troops were killed in the Iraq operation, and 32,000 were wounded. 2012 Tulsa police shoot home invader attacking woman A burglar, who earlier had been named as a person of interest in a murder, was fatally shot by Tulsa police as he was threatening a 65-year-old woman in her home. Tulsa Police Officer James Comstock, a 20-year veteran, fatally shot Phillip Steven Doll, 25, as he was threatening a 65-year-old woman in her home in the 900 block of East 36th Street. Doll broke into Eva Dell Jones home and he appeared to be attacking her when three officers responded to a reported burglary. Doll was shot when he ignored police orders to back away. 2013 Man saves two women being attacked by dog Tulsa police credited a man with saving the lives of two women who were being attacked by a dog. The women, Irene Parker, 78, and Beverly Wright, 43, were going door-to-door on behalf of the Jehovahs Witness congregation, handing out information in the 2000 block of North Lewis Place. Mike Harrell, 28, who works at nearby steel company, heard the womens screams and drove down the street. He distracted the dog away from the women and then shot and killed it. Harrell was hailed as a hero and given a Citizens Appreciation award by the city. 2015 Creek councilors vote no confidence in Tiger The Muscogee (Creek) Nation National Council voted 12-2 on a resolution of no confidence in George Tiger as principal chief during an emergency meeting called to discuss the chiefs consulting agreement with a casino developer in 2009. The chief came under fire after a March 8 Tulsa World article revealed he worked in 2009 as a consultant for a developer who was seeking to build a casino in Broken Arrow for the Kialegee Tribal Town. Tiger completed his term but was defeated in a November election by James Floyd, former director of the Veterans Administration in Muskogee. It's Divali time so at TV6 over the next few days, we bring you some of the interesting aspe Nines momentum in morning television has now spilled over from Today wins to victory for Today Extra, the rebranded show hosted by Sonia Kruger & David Campbell. It is the first time Today Extra (or its predecessors Mornings, Mornings with Kerri-Anne) have beaten the reign of Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies head to head in survey since Sevens show began in 2007. Today Extra average 132,000 viewers for the week while The Morning Show drew 129,000. The Morning Show won more days (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday) as high as 142,000, but Nine went as high as 159,000, winning on Tuesday and Friday. Seven won the week in Sydney, Brissy and Adelaide but Nine took out Melbourne and Perth. Best for Studio 10 was 81,000 although it codes from 9:30 -11:30. The Morning Shows defeat appears to have been due to its softer lead-in from Sunrise which is yet to win a survey week over Today this year. Last week Nines show averaged 326,000 to Sevens 290,000. Despite the losses at morning, Seven is on a roll in primetime, set to win six from six survey weeks over Nine, which has had its lowest start to the year since OzTAM began. https://twitter.com/DavidCampbell73/status/710968195461439489 It's official. This week #todayextra is Australia's most watched morning show. Love my team & our hosts who bring it to life. #proudmama NATASHA DARAN (@natashadaran) March 19, 2016 Just to be entirely accurate, ABCs Insiders is Australias most watched morning show with 443,000 across two channels. Editor's note: 1:01 p.m., March 21, 2016--The Newark Police Department is continuing its investigation into this incident. Police identified the victim as Willem H. Golden of Cohasset, Massachusetts, and report that, at the time of the incident, a light rain had occured and the roof surface was wet. Detectives have determined that Mr. Golden was on the roof by himself and, according to witness accounts, appeared to have slipped and fallen. Police said no foul play is suspected. 10:07 p.m., March 19, 2016--Newark Police have announced that the victim has died as a result of the incident. The case remains an active investigation. 6:30 p.m., March 19, 2016--The Newark Police Department is investigating an incident in which a 20-year-old man fell from the third story roof of a building in the 100 block of West Main Street shortly before 4 p.m., Saturday, March 19. The victim who is from Massachusetts is not a University of Delaware student. He was initially unresponsive and taken to Christiana Care Emergency Room. Newark Police said the investigation is in its preliminary stages, and there are no additional details available at this point. UD Police were on the scene assisting Newark Police and providing information on support services offered by the University, including how to access counseling. Anyone with additional information on this incident should contact Detective Michael Watson at 302-366-7100 ext. 3132 or Michael.Watson@cj.state.de.us. Anonymous tips can be texted to 302NPD with the message to TIP411. Information can also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or www.tipsubmit.com, where a reward may be available. Student support The Office of the Dean of Students and the Center for Counseling and Student Development are working with specific groups of affected students over the weekend as requested. This weekend, UD students who require immediate assistance should contact Student Health Services at 302-831-2226 to be put in contact with a counselor on call. On Monday, students in need of support and assistance should contact the Center for Counseling and Student Development at 302-831-2141, and the staff in the Office of the Dean of Students is available to meet with any student who wishes to talk. Call 302-831-8939 to schedule an appointment or stop by 101 Hullihen Hall. * * * * * Members of the UD community may download a free smartphone app, LiveSafe, that lets users submit tips to police, receive important broadcast notifications and contact the University of Delaware Police Department directly. To learn more, visit this UD Police website. Visit this website to receive a UD Crime Alert email whenever an article about a police investigation is posted on UDaily. Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it. I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends. More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it. The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity. About me: I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS. Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line). Age: 42 Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed. I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it). Eight Ukrainian citizens have been killed in a plane crash at the Russian Rostov-on-Don airport in the early hours of Saturday, March 19. Diplomat responsible for operative communication with the media at the Department of Consular Service of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine Yevhen Ihnatovsky stated this. "According to the latest data provided by the Consulate General of Ukraine in Rostov-on-Don, eight Ukrainian citizens, including seven adults and one child, have been killed in a plane crash at the Russian Rostov-on-Don airport. Now the Foreign Ministry takes measures to inform relatives of killed Ukrainians. To do this, information hotlines of the Foreign Ministry and the Consulate General of Ukraine in Rostov-on-Don have been open," he told. ish US Secretary of State John Kerry will begin a visit to the Russian capital on Tuesday, March 22 and will stay there until Friday in order to discuss the issues on Syria, ISIS and Ukraine. This was officially announced in the US State Department, an Ukrinform correspondent reported. "Kerry will visit Moscow on March 22-25, where he will meet with Russian officials," the statement of the US Foreign Service said. The parties will discuss the ongoing efforts of the International Syria Support Group on cessation of hostilities, provision of assistance and improvement and expansion of humanitarian access, as well as fight against ISIS. "In addition, the US Secretary of State will discuss Ukraines issues and the need for full implementation of the Minsk agreements," the US Department of State noted. ish The Senate of Poland has condemned detention and keeping of Nadiya Savchenko in the Russian jail and urged the Russian authorities to immediately release the Ukrainian pilot. This has been said in the resolution that was adopted by the Upper Chamber of the Polish Parliament. "Keeping of Nadiya Savchenko in prison is a gross violation of fundamental freedoms and human rights, against which mass protests constantly rise. The Senate of Poland joins these protests and appeals to the Russian Federation to immediately release Nadiya Savchenko," the resolution of the Senate reads. The document stresses that Savchenko is a political prisoner, abducted from the territory of Ukraine and illegally detained in Russia for more than 1.5 years. ish UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, third from right, poses with resettled refugees working at Eli's Cheesecake Company in Chicago, Illinois. UNHCR/J.Lott CHICAGO, United States, March 18 (UNHCR) - During a week-long visit to the United States, the head of the United Nations refugee agency welcomed Washington's longstanding commitment to resettling more refugees than any other country and emphasized that managing the refugee crisis is a global responsibility. Speaking on a visit to Chicago, where he met with refugees, US lawmakers and resettlement agencies, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said: "Resettlement addresses the needs of the most vulnerable and is the safest way to move people from one country to another. Refugees flee terror, they don't bring terror to countries. Their arrival is very carefully vetted, so there should be no fear." War, conflict and persecution have forced around 60 million people worldwide to flee for their lives, the largest number since World War II. Nearly 20 million of these are refugees and more than half are children. The conflict in Syria is the main driver of this global crisis, forcing more than 4.8 million Syrians to become refugees mostly in the neighbouring countries of Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. "Massive refugee flows are a global responsibility," said Grandi. "The tragedy of Syria has shown that this cannot be just the responsibility of two or three countries bordering a country at war - the responsibility has to be shared more widely." The United States resettles more refugees than any other country including 90 per cent of African refugees. This year the US plans to resettle 85,000 refugees, including at least 10,000 from the Syria conflict. "I hope the United States, along with European countries and others, will continue to increase the numbers of Syrian refugees that they resettle," said Grandi. Last year, the United States resettled 70,000 refugees from 70 countries and it plans to increase this number to 100,000 in 2017. While in the Midwestern city, Grandi visited RefugeeOne, a Chicago area non-profit that works with refugees fleeing war, persecution and terror, helping them to build new lives of safety, dignity and self-reliance. Finding employment is a major step for a refugee to become self-reliant and one of the businesses that RefugeeOne has long partnered with is Eli's Cheesecake Company, which has been employing refugees for over 25 years. "For me, when I came to the United States in 1994, it was a blessing because Congo has had war for decades," said Elias Kasongo, Eli's manager for purchasing and materials, who was first placed to work at the cheesecake company as a cleaner more than 20 years ago. "If you work hard then you can achieve things. I'd like to say thank you to America and to the people of America for opening the doors to people like me," added Kasongo, who is now an American citizen. "It takes UNHCR to protect us, RefugeeOne to place us in jobs and people like Marc to help us become productive," he added, referring to the President of Eli's Cheesecake Company. One of the casualties of the injury plague that has hit WWE this year, Cesaro has been out of action following rotator cuff surgery. Cesaro was injured in November and was scheduled to be out of action for nearly six months. Finally, fans have received word of when the superstar will be getting back in the ring. Return to Action The WWE announced on Twitter that Cesaro will be wrestling at a show on April 15 as part of their WrestleMania Revenge European tour. He will be wrestling on the tour but his first in-ring appearance will be in Amsterdam, Netherlands at the Ziggo Dome. Cesaro has stated previously that his injury will keep him from being able to participate in WrestleMania on April 3 in Dallas so fans will have to wait until later in the month to see him in action. Misused Creatively At the time of his injury, Cesaro seemed to have the fans behind him with the emergence of the Cesaro Section. Larger cheers and anticipation for his matches were noticeable in November as he was beginning to ascend the WWE rankings from mid-card to more of a main-eventer. Even some legends, notably Mick Foley, Ric Flair, and Stone Cold Steve Austin were becoming critical of the WWE creative team which they believed were holding back the wrestler. Many of those legends believed that what he lacked in mic ability he made up for in the ring. Many fans also believed that he was being misused because of the quality that he delivered in the ring. It will be interesting to see what kind of reaction he gets upon return. It could signal to the WWE that he could be counted on to get the audience involved in the show. With his return nearly a month away, fans are excited and waiting anxiously to see the "King of Swing" get in the ring and deliver some European uppercuts and Cesaro Swing. On Tuesday, search engine giant Google released its new product targeted for enterprise marketing called Google Analytics 360. It is a combination of six Google products in one suite. Google has been working with its analytics product for more than 10 years. After acquiring Urchin Software Corporation in 2005, Google launched Urchin as its Web Analytics service to provide tracking and reporting service for website traffic. Google also provided two additional versions for premium and mobile service. Now, Google Analytics have its new product suite, Google Analytics 360 Suite, which targets enterprise marketers. The suite is a combination of six products including Google Analytics Premium, Attribution 360, Google Tag Manger enterprise version, Audience Center 360, Data Studio 360 and Optimize 360. Those products are combined into a single solution for enterprise marketers. Senior Director of Product Management at Google Babak Pahlavan said in an interview with Tech Crunch that the suite is aimed to provide marketers with a new solution that helps them work more efficiently in a multi-screen world as many marketers nowadays, particularly those in large organziations, often still rely on marketing effort in desktop era. Therefore, the suite is aimed to help them to transform their marketing effort to match customers' experience. Google Analytics 360 which consist of six tightly integrated application is meant to help marketers engaging the right users, at the right time. The suite is a Google Analytics 360 with all measurement data that Google collected. The tools will help advertisers to understand the customers' journey better with an easy-to-use and simple tools. "We focus on simplicity. How can we make tools that are extremely easy to use and that make it easy to collaborate?" Pahlawan said. Venture Beat reported that although Adobe and Oracle has offered marketing and data management solutions, Google's solution deliver more humanized advertising. Google 360 Suite will go head to head with Adobe Marketing Cloud and Oracle Marketing Suite. Computer World explained the tools as a a set of integrated data and marketing analytics tools which are designed to help enterprise marketers reach customers with the right message at the right time. The suite consist of Google Analytics 360, in combination with data management platform Google Audience Center 360, and data analysis and visualization Google Data Studio 360 will provide the complete set of maketing data. While website testing and personalization tools Google Optimize 360 and Google Tag Manager 360 will provide solution for e-marketing tags lifecycle. Lastly, Google Attribution 360 will help marketers to allocate budgets and evaluate investments in marketing. Apple expands its cloud storage by using Google cloud platform. The Cupertino-based company reduced its dependencies with Amazon Web Server (AWS) as the workload of Apple's cloud service is getting bigger. CRN was the first to report the deal beween Apple and Google on Wednesday as many sources with knowledge with the matter told CRN. Apple made an agreement with Google last year to use Google cloud platform, reducing its reliance to Amazon Web Server (AWS). Previously, Apple was reported to use infrastructure from Microsot Azure and AWS, but neither Microsoft nor Apple has ever confirmed the news. Later on, Apple acknowledged of storing part of iOS encrypted files in Amazon S3 and Microsoft Azure in its 2014's Apple iOS Security white paper. Amazon does not see the cooperation between Apple and Google as a competitive defection. A statement sent to CRN spokeswoman of AWS said, "It's kind of a puzzler to us because vendors who understand doing business with enterprises respect [non-disclosure agreements] with their customers and don't imply competitive defection where it doesn't exist." Google has aggressively expanded its cloud service as November last year it hired VMware co-founder and former CEO Diane Greene to lead Google's cloud business. Google was also in conversation with Verizon to form a strategic partnership since last month. Google plans to include Verizon hybrid cloud service to run on Google Cloud Platform. Apple is reported to spend up to $600 million on Google Cloud Platform, much lower than its $1 billion annual fee to AWS. Aside from Apple, Google also landed new customers. Spotify last month signed an agreement with Google to store part of its streaming music service on Google cloud alongside AWS. Meanwhile Apple also intended to have its own cloud infrastructure, as Venture Beat reported that Apple has been working on project McQueen for the past several months. The project will build a data center infrastructure for Apple in order to reduce its dependence on public clouds. Sources told Venture Beat that Apple has bought land in China and Hong Kong to build the data centers. The project is called McQueen in reference to the Steve McQueen 1963 film "The Great Escape." The name hinted Apple's plan to break free from dependency on cloud services from vendors. Therefore, even though Google scored a win by landing Apple as its customers, according to Re/Code, it might be short-lived as it looks like Apple is also simultaneously building out its own system to bring data stored on its millions of devices in house. Alphabet's Google has landed Apple as a customer for its cloud computing platform. Meanwhile Apple has also begun its plan to build its own cloud infrastucture in Project McQueen. SHARE Kim Gregory Oxnard Workshops offered on legal matters Attorney Stephen M. Wood, of CunninghamLegal in Camarillo, will offer free estate-planning and Medi-Cal planning workshops Tuesday and Thursday at the Courtyard by Marriott at 600 Esplanade Drive in Oxnard. Wood will offer the workshop "The Top Ten Estate Planning Mistakes" at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. The course will cover common misconceptions about estate planning and provide important information about how to protect a family's financial legacy, including a recent change in the federal estate tax exemption. The Medi-Cal planning workshop at 2 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday will focus on protecting one's assets, while still ensuring that a person qualifies for Medi-Cal. The workshops are free, but registration is required. To register, call 484-2769 or visit https://www.cunninghamlegal.com and click on the "events" link. Camarillo PR professionals to hear speaker Kim Gregory, communication specialist at CSU Channel Islands, will be the keynote speaker for the Public Relations Society of America's California Gold Coast Chapter meeting Tuesday. The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. with networking, followed by the program presentation from 8:30-9:30 a.m., at the Ventura County Community Foundation, 4001 Mission Oaks Blvd. Gregory's talk will be titled "How to Prepare Your Clients or CEO to Face the Cameras and Microphones." An award-winning journalist, Gregory's career spans more than 30 years in television, radio, newspaper, magazines and most recently, multimedia. Before her stint at CSUCI, she worked as a reporter and columnist at the Ventura County Star for 20 years. The event is open to anyone who is interested in attending and advance reservations are required. Admission will be $20 for PRSA members and students, $30 for nonmembers. Morning refreshments will be included. Visit http://www.prsagoldcoast.org to register.Contact Nancy Gill at nancy.gill@csuci.edu or 437-8456 for more information. Oxnard Networking mixer set in RiverPark A RiverPark business and networking mixer is planned Wednesday with the ribbon cutting for Kalani Total Health Center. The event will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at 2901 N. Ventura Road in Oxnard. Organizers said there will be free food and drinks. RSVPs are requested by emailing brendag@drkalani.com or calling 604-0881 by Monday. Staff reports CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Food Network star Alton Brown poses with the breakfast-themed burger he created for Umami Burger as part of the chain's Artist Series. Sales of the burger benefit Make-A-Wish America. SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Available through April 24 at Umami Burger, The Alton Brown Burger features smashed cheesy tots, miso-maple bacon, house-made coffee ketchup and a fried egg. Sales of the burger benefit Make-A-Wish America. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Slurpees are $1.50 during Bring Your Own Cup Day celebrations from March 18-19 at participating 7-Eleven locations. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Corn dogs are 99 cents each when National Corn Dog Day takes place March 20 at participating Wienerschnitzel locations. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/TOM JUDAH Chef Rachel Main Holst is joined by husband and fellow chef Karl Holst while preparing dinner at an Outstanding in the Field event. By Lisa McKinnon of the Ventura County Star Have breakfast "with" Alton Brown. Celebrate #BYOCUPDAY at 7-Eleven. Eat all the 99-cent corn dogs you can stand. Yep, there's plenty to do, see and taste this weekend in Ventura County. 1). HAVE BREAKFAST (FOR DINNER) WITH ALTON BROWN Well, sort of. Now through April 24, a breakfast-themed burger created by the Food Network star for Umami Burger's ongoing Artist Series will be available in Thousand Oaks and beyond with $1 from the sale of every $14 burger going to Make-A-Wish America. "It is my theory that humans evolved craving glutamic acid, the key molecule that triggers umami on our tongues," a very Alton Brown-sounding Brown is quoted as saying in a media release about the burger. Created as "an homage" to Brown's favorite meal, the burger starts with a special lardon-accented beef patty. It is topped with cheddar cheese, miso-maple bacon, smashed cheesy tots, house-made coffee ketchup and a fried egg. Once it is delivered to your table, a knife is plunged through the egg so the yolk runs down into the lower layers. Hours at The Lakes shopping center location are from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays. (2200 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., 805-413-8626, https://www.umamiburger.com) 2). BYOC Bring-Your-Own-Cup Day is back at participating 7-Eleven stores, and this year it's a two-day affair in honor of Slurpee's 50th anniversary. From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7-Eleven patrons are invited to fill (almost) any type of container with the Slurpee flavors of their choice for $1.50. Approved containers must be clean, watertight and able to squeeze upright through a 10-inch diameter hole. Shoes and trash cans are not eligible, but small, hollowed-out pineapples that fit through the aforementioned hole are. (For other ideas, check the #BYOCUPDAY hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.) For rules, locations and other details, click on https://www.slurpee.com/BYOC. 3). OM-NOM-NOM: THINK ABOUT FOOD John Fagan, author of "GMO Myths and Truths" and a professor of molecular biology at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, will deliver a free public talk titled "Rising Consciousness Triumphs over Big Ag and Big Food" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Ventura. The location will be the Topping Room at the E.P. Foster Library (651 E. Main St., 805-648-2716, http://www.vencolibrary.org/locations/ep-foster-library). Consider the talk as a sort of pre-antidote to ... 4). CORN DOG! GET YER 99-CENT CORN DOG HERE! March 20 has been deemed National Corn Dog Day by none other than the folks at Wienerschnitzel and they should know. To celebrate, participating locations in the chain will sell corn dogs all day Sunday at 99 cents each. There is no limit per customer. Wienerschnitzel has locations in Oxnard, Simi Valley and Ventura. For details, click on http://www.wienerschnitzel.com. 5). PLAN AHEAD On June 16, chef Rachel Main Holst of the Ventura-based catering company Main Course California will be featured as guest chef for an Outstanding in the Field dinner at Coleman Family Farm in Carpinteria. Tickets for the event will go on sale on the OSITF website at 9 a.m. Sunday. Fans of the traveling farm-dinner series and of Main Holst in particular may need to hit the "purchase" button as soon as it appears on their screens: at $220 per person, tickets for locations on the annual tour have been known to sell out within hours if not minutes. Check out the farm-to-table culinary action at http://www.outstandinginthefield.com. Lisa McKinnon is a staff writer for The Star. Her Cafe Society column appears in the Sunday Life section and Fridays in the Time Out section. For between-column updates, follow 805foodie on Twitter and Instagram and "like" the Facebook page VCS Eats. Please send email to lisa.mckinnon@vcstar.com. Star File photo Rabbi Mosson Gurary is the center of attention at the Chabad Jewish Center in Simi Valley's Purim celebration in 2015. Several temples will celebrate Purim in the upcoming week. SHARE AGOURA HILLS Purim fest, readings presented for all Chabad of the Conejo will host "Purim Live," an interactive festival, on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Chabad Community Campus, 30345 Canwood St. The festival will include a children and adult masquerade, an outdoor fire show, a barbecue dinner, Megillah reading and all-new "Journey through Shushan." Participants will journey through ancient Shushan, the capital city of the Persian Empire. They will meet the Purim characters and learn from the story of Purim in an interactive live show. Two readings of the Megillah will be at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The "Journey through Shushan" tour will begin every 15 minutes. The barbecue and fire show will take place outdoors so participants are advised to dress accordingly. The event is free, but reservations are required. Food items will be for sale. On Thursday, Chabad of the Conejo will host a Megillah reading at 9 a.m. at 30345 Canwood St. For more information, call 818-991-0991. For detailed information about Purim traditions, visit http://www.ChabadConejo.com/Purim. Westlake Village Megillah reading to coincide with Purim Chabad of the Conejo will host a Megillah reading at 7 a.m. Thursday at the Chabad Center in Westlake Village, 2524 Townsgate Road. For more information, call 818-991-0991. For detailed information, visit http://www.ChabadConejo.com/Purim. Camarillo Calvary church sets Easter service time Calvary Nexus will hold a citywide Easter service March 27 at 9:45 a.m. at the Camarillo Ranch, 201 Camarillo Ranch Road. The community is invited to the outdoor service on the grounds of Camarillo's historic landmark. The Easter celebration will include music, a message of hope and a free continental breakfast. Attendees are asked to bring disposable diapers (sizes 2, 3 and 4), which will be donated to the Ventura County Pregnancy Center. In the event of rain, check http://www.calvarynexus.org for service times and locations. For questions or directions, contact Calvary Nexus at 384-1182 or info@calvarynexus.org. Grammy-winning artist to perform Recording artist David Phelps will perform March 29 at 7 p.m. at the Camarillo Community Church, 1322 Las Posas Road. The evening of worship and community celebration will include female vocalist, Charlotte Ritchie, as well as Phelps' seven-piece band. Many of the songs featured during this program are included on Phelps' recently released "Freedom" album. A childhood musical prodigy from Tomball, Texas, Phelps earned a bachelor's degree in music from Baylor University. A tenor, he earned multiple Grammy and Dove award with Gaither Vocal Band. He has performed at the White House, New York's Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Phelps has 14 solo albums to his credit. For information, call 482-2657 or visit http://www.camarillocommunitychurch.com. For ticket information only, call 1-800-965-9324 or visit http://www.itickets.com. Jesus' true identity subject of film, talk The identity of Jesus will be examined at Lifetree Cafe on March 31 at 7 p.m. The program, titled "Who Was Jesus Really?" features an filmed interview with Greg Stier, author of "Outbreak," and Rick Lawrence, author of "The Jesus-Centered Life." Both men share their insights about the historical Jesus and what influenced their conclusions about the identity of Jesus. Participants will share their thoughts concerning the identity of Jesus. Admission to the hour event is free. Snacks and beverages are provided. Lifetree Cafe is in Proverbs Coffeehouse on the campus of Peace Lutheran Church, 71 Loma Drive. Lifetree Cafe is a place where people gather for conversation about life and faith in a casual coffeehouse setting. Questions about Lifetree may be directed to Pastor Rob Rebensal at 482-3313 or lifetreecafe@peacecamarillo.com. Moorpark Kid's Palm Sunday, Easter planned Children are invited to a free Palm Sunday adventure at Moorpark Presbyterian Church on Sunday at 13950 Peach Hill Road. Children will be given colorful streamers to wave during the first song at the 8:30 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. Palm Sunday services. Families should arrive five minutes early for children to receive streamers. An American Sign Language interpreter will be available at the 10:30 a.m. service. Between services from 9:40-10:25 a.m., kids prekindergarten through fifth-grade are invited to join in the Lenten Mystery Search. Children will meet in the Sunday school rooms, then read clues that will help them find items leading them to a big reveal and celebration. Along the way, they will learn the story of Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem for Holy Week. On Easter, March 27, the community is invited to services at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. where each child will receive a gift. There is no cost to attend. For more information, visit http://www.mppres.org. Simi Valley Public welcomed at matzo baking event A model matzo bakery will be held April 10 at 10:30 a.m. at Chabad of Simi Valley Jewish Center, 4464 Alamo St. Learn how to make matzo from scratch in this fun and interactive pre-Passover bakery. Participants, dressed in baker's hats, will experience the 18-minute journey of the matzo from threshing and winnowing the wheat stalks to watching fresh matzo pop out of an authentic matzo oven. Cost is $6 per person or $18 per family. Reservations are required at 577-0573 or http://www.chabadsimi.org. Ventura Judge to speak at brotherhood brunch Temple Beth Torah's Brotherhood will sponsor a lox and bagel Sunday brunch 9:30-11:30 a.m. April 10. The guest speaker will be Associate Justice Steve Perren. His topic will be "If You Don't Try Cases What Do You Do?" Temple Beth Torah is at 7620 Foothill Road. For ticket information, call the temple at 647-4181. Jewish group hosts Purim party mixer Jacob's Ladder will hold an "Esther's Party Mixer" on Wednesday from 5:30-8 p.m. at Sandbox Coffeehouse, 204 E. Thompson Blvd. The Purim masquerade party will feature a Megillah skit and food with a 1920s theme, photo boot, and games. Masks will be provided. Suggested donation of $7 includes live music, food, games and mask. Seating is limited. For reservations or more information, call 647-6365 or email jacobsladder.us@gmail.com. Temple hosts family events for Purim "Purim Like A Rock Star" is the theme of this year's Purim carnival and activities Sunday at Temple Beth Torah at 7620 Foothill Road. This event is for the whole family. It will start with the Megillah reading at 9:30 a.m. and the events at 10 a.m. Live music will be provided by Frank Barajas. There will be rock star sightings, rock wall bungee jumps, jolly jumper, face painting, photo booth, games and prizes, arts and crafts, glow room and food and more. The cost is $12 per child and $10 for siblings. All the above is included in the child's price of admission. For more information, call 647-4181 and ask for Marisa. Church holds Holy Saturday blessing Our Lady of the Assumption Church will hold a blessing of food at noon March 26, Holy Saturday, at 3175 Telegraph Road. Food baskets will be blessed. In many European countries, it is a tradition to have a basket of food blessed on Holy Saturday, which dates back to the 15th century or earlier. For more information, call Ronald Hudoba at 647-5334. Westlake Village 49th annual Easter sunrise service set Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks-Griffin Memorial Park will host its 49th annual Easter Sunrise Service on March 27 at 6 a.m. at 5600 Lindero Canyon Road. The service is free and open to the public. The event will feature luminaries in the shape of a cross as well as shepherds, their dogs and a small flock of sheep. The nondenominational service will include scripture readings, music and prayers. As the Easter candles are lit, Dr. Gary Alan Dickey from United Methodist Church of Westlake Village will play "Amazing Grace" on his bagpipes. The Rev. Craig Beeker from New Hope Lutheran Church of Agoura will present the Easter message. An offering will be collected to assist the Lutheran Social Services Agency of Thousand Oaks for outreach to the area's needy. Other participating clergy include the Rev. Brian Long, United Methodist Church of Westlake Village; Beeker and the Rev. John Burnett, emeritus, Westminster Presbyterian Church of Westlake Village. Music will be provided by keyboardist Karleen Van Dyke and soloist Karenjo Crump, both of United Methodist Church of Westlake Village. Light refreshments will be served following the celebration. For more information and directions, call Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park at 818-889-0902. These two candidates will face off in the 38th Assembly District SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Matt Ward at mile 177.3 of the John Muir Trail. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Bryan Rasmussen at mile 177.3 of the John Muir Trail. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Sam Thomas at the peak of Mount Whitney. Mile 210.4. By Jean Moore of the Ventura County Star Last summer, an English professor, religion professor and vice president from California Lutheran University hiked the entire John Muir Trail over 21 days. Along the way, they ran low on food, fiercely missed their families and (this is related) got frustrated with technology. Here's their story, told through their recollections, photos and journal entries. The hikers Matt Ward: Vice president, dad and fitness enthusiast. Wannabe professional athlete. Bryan Rasmussen: English professor. Likes to connect literature and the environment in his teaching. Naturalist by inclination. Sam Thomas: Religion professor, dad and environmentalist. Accomplished woodworker. The trail The John Muir Trail starts near the base of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. The trail then winds 211 miles through Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks before ending at the peak of Mount Whitney. The idea The three friends had hiked portions of the Sierra Nevada in the past, generally doing loops over five or six days in the summer. They'd talked about hiking the entire John Muir Trail but had never taken the steps to actually do it. Ward: "Bryan brought it up first." Rasmussen: "My memory is that I made you take a sabbatical to do this." Thomas: "My memory is that the whole idea was to meet often for a lot of beers." Ward: "I remember we were on a run, and Bryan said, 'Are you going to do this or not?'" That moved it from the romantic stage to submitting for a permit." Rasmussen: "I was trying to treat it as much as possible as an expedition, to live out my fantasy as a naturalist." How they got the time Ward, the vice president, took an administrative sabbatical, giving him 16 weeks off over the summer. Thomas ended up not teaching a summer class. Rasmussen was not teaching over the summer. Thomas: "I was scheduled to teach somewhere else for three weeks over the summer. I just assumed I couldn't do it." Ward: "I'm an administrative grunt. This required a different way of doing my summer. ... I'd already been thinking about how to have a creative life in an administrative job." Thomas: "It was early January, and we were on a road trip. I remember my wife asking if I was going to do it. And I kind of hesitated. She asked, 'Why are you not doing it?' She said, 'Just go.'" Ward: "It was more in my head how I was going to feel, how my wife was going to respond. She was all for it. My immediate thing was that three weeks is going to be too long." The logistics First, the friends had to enter a lottery to get a permit to hike the entire trail, a difficult feat in itself. Then they had to figure out how much food they would need over the 21 days, box up some of it and mail those boxes to pickup points along the way. Rasmussen: "I will finally admit to punting most of the logistical preparation to Matt. It's extremely challenging to get a permit for the whole trail. It's a lottery." Ward: "It was stressful. We agreed to a zone of days we could start. They don't have a good system; it's just fax or mail. So I ended up taking a dozen requests and mailing them, saying 'Please enter one of these for each of these days.' The year we wanted to go, they were cutting back on permits. I felt like we won a radio contest." Thomas: "We each took up different tasks." Rasmussen: "I took charge of food, organizing it into daily rations. I put blue painter's tape on the floor into grids and started parceling it out." The dining room of Sam Thomas where food for the trip is organized into daily rations. Thomas: "And thus began the ongoing dispute over food." Rasmussen: "I looked at this spreadsheet on the floor and said, 'I don't think we have enough food.'" Thomas: "You're balancing calories, nutrition and weight." Ward: "Sam's wife, Christiana, made soup." Thomas: "I wrote a poem about that soup when we ate it." A Soup at Fish Creek Waking to the beat of hail on the tent perched on ledge above 10000 feet, trudging downhill for miles and miles rain, snow, hail sun flashing in and out, but not enough to warm the bones that creaked all night through fitful sleep and by lightning flash making our way into a clearing where cold water rushed over granite steps, we prepared a soup lovingly made by hands back home. Training All three men already hiked regularly and did some combination of running, swimming and working out. They did more hills and upper-body workouts to get ready for this hike. Ward had to shift his thinking, so he didn't make the hike all about testing his fitness. Thomas: "I live at the bottom of a very steep hill. For three or four weeks before the trip, I'd load my backpack with about 35 pounds of stuff. I'd hike up and down my hill for an hour a day, trying to do more each day." Rasmussen: "I hike Mount Wilson regularly with my girlfriend. I was running, doing the StairMaster." Ward: "I have to be careful because I tend to turn these into a fitness test." Rasmussen: "I said at the start, 'I don't want this to be a fitness test.'" Ward: "It was difficult to rein that in. I was getting into climbing, and I had all these measurements. I saw this trip as an opportunity to reflect on my personality. By the end of the trip, it was a big shift in being able to slow down and reflect in the moment while moving." The dynamics Ward and Rasmussen both had to set aside their egos, recognizing that they weren't necessarily the smartest or fastest guy in the group. Ward: "These guys are smarter than me. Every once in a while, I needed to accept that. I needed to set aside my ego." Rasmussen: "I was also setting aside my ego, realizing I'm not going to be as fast as Matt. I would walk at my own pace, determine my own destiny. I'd fall back and have my own experience." Journal entry, Day 10, Rasmussen: "Decided to push myself on uphill from N. Fork a waterless trek of endless switchbacks terminating in a dry plateau very challenging hike." Thomas: "We all did a pretty good job of coming in and out of range of each other. Some days we would walk together, some we wouldn't see each other at all." Rasmussen: "These are the only two people I could imagine doing this with." Matt Ward at the campsite on Thousand Island Lake. The books they brought to read: Sometimes at night, the three would read aloud to each other. Rasmussen: "Mountains of the Mind: Adventures in Reaching the Summit" by Robert Macfarlane. Thomas: "A Sense of Place, a Sense of Time" by John Brinkerhoff Jackson. Ward: "Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness" by Edward Abbey. The first low The men's lows generally involved missing their families and, because of that, getting frustrated with technology. Ward: "There were points on the trip when I was a wreck. It was tough being away from them." Thomas: "There was one especially poignant moment, his daughter's birthday." A drawing by Layla Ward, daughter of Matt Ward. Ward: "Yeah, it was Layla's birthday. During the first part of the trip, we'd had fairly regular contact with our families, but cell service goes away after about mile 60. We were at Evolution Valley. I had the idea that we could have service again if I climbed high enough, but there's no contact. I climbed as high as I could to the top of a ridge, and I'm standing up there, holding my phone up, trying to get a signal." Thomas: "It was a formidable climb." Ward: "It turns out my kid was not thinking about me on her birthday. She's having fun." Rasmussen: "Meanwhile, Matt's climbed up to the top this mountain. Sam and I are imagining he's climbing his way to top, his fingernails bleeding. He's crying." Journal entry, Day 12, Ward: "'No service ... no service ...' I climb until about 5:45, maybe 1200 feet, before sitting down on a rock with the realization that it's not going to happen. I feel a little helpless, hoping Layla is not sad, will understand, is having a good time with Mommy and Lotus in Pacific Grove ... I take a few moments to breathe the sadness before descending back to camp." The second low Thomas: "Bryan got mad at me. We were at Forester Pass. I hadn't spoken with my family for 10 days or so." Rasmussen: "It was already tough because we were trapped between two fires in this corridor. We had fires north of us and fires to the south." Thomas: "The mornings were clear, but by midafternoon it was thick with smoke. It was a rough time." Rasmussen: "This should have been one of the most beautiful views of the whole trip. But we're wearing masks. It was mentally challenging. ... Before the trip, we had talked about how much technology we would use, how much we should be in touch with family. ... I don't think any of us counted on the fact that we would lose communication." Thomas: "We got to the top of the pass, and I got angry with the technology." Rasmussen: "I told him, 'This is exactly what we said we weren't going to do. You're not going to find service up here.' He said, 'I understand that Bryan.'" Thomas: "It was something very Midwestern. ... Then we both had the whole other side of the mountain to get down. At the bottom I said, 'I'm sorry I said that to you, Bryan.' He said, 'I'm sorry I said that to you, Sam.' I had been so focused on wanting to be in contact with my family, with my kids. I feel bad about that." Rasmussen: "But I wasn't empathizing with either of them." Bryan Rasmussen and Sam Thomas holding the catch of the day. Thomas: "We were both able to say we were sorry." Journal entry, Rasmussen: "Disagreement with Sam. Regrettable." The third low At one point, the hikers realized they didn't have enough food. Journal entry, day 15, Rasmussen: "Worried about food! Feeling as if I packed insufficiently, and I am nervous!" Journal entry, day 16, Ward: Malnourished "We have come to realize that, in our effort to efficiently pack our bear canisters for this section of the trip, we are short a lunch. Bryan, in particular, is a stickler about eating enough. 'How did this happen?' he says. My theory is that in the abundant MTR (Muir Trail Ranch) resupply space, we felt we were plush with food, though much of it didn't make it into our bear can. It's only a lunch ..." The first high Friends meet them along the trail, bringing mashed potatoes and whiskey. Ward: "A high point was meeting a couple of our friends who brought us food. We were emaciated. Bryan's prognosis was correct. We did not have enough food." Journal entry, Day 16, Ward: "It's so great to see friends and have food ready. I eat a glorious lunch of mashed potatoes. ... At dusk, we start telling stories, eating dinner and consuming the whiskey brought by Chad & Kris. What a fun night connecting with friends." The second high Thomas: "For me, it was the last day, before you go up Mount Whitney. People want to get to the top by sunrise, so they're waking up at midnight to start the trek. We decided to get up at about 4. I remember zipping open my tent and looking out, watching this processional of headlamps zigzagging up the switchback. It was like a pilgrimage. That was probably my favorite single moment from the trip. I'm thinking, 'That's where I'm going.'" Bruce Reitherman/County of Santa Barbara In this May 28, 2015 photo from the county of Santa Barbara, investigators measure and photograph the point where a pipeline ruptured, spilling thousands of gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean on May 19. SHARE By Megan Diskin of the Ventura County Star Oil company Venoco announced Friday it has filed for bankruptcy due in part to the closure of a corroded pipeline linked to an oil spill off Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County last year. About 50 percent of the Denver-based company's production "has been curtailed" because of the closure of Plains All American Pipeline's line 901 and declining oil prices, said company spokeswoman Mary Ellen Grant. Venoco, which has an office in Carpinteria, voluntarily filed for bankruptcy in United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware to eliminate about $1 billion of debt, according to a company news release. It is part of a restructuring plan to strengthen the company's finances, the news release states. "It is unfortunate that a third party pipeline spill has impacted Venoco, but this process will make it stronger and ensure its continued contributions to the Santa Barbara community," Tim Marquez, the company's founder, said in the news release. The company said it has enough liquid assets to continue its normal oil and gas operations and meet ongoing financial and regulatory obligations. About 140,000 gallons of crude oil was released from the pipeline on May 19, including an estimated 21,000 gallons that spilled into the ocean off the Goleta coast. In a report released last month, federal regulators said external corrosion on the underground pipeline was the root cause of the spill. Venoco sold its oil to a different company that was running the crude through the pipeline at the time of the spill, Grant said. Although there is no contractual relationship between Venoco and the Texas-based pipeline company, Venoco has been using the line since 2012, Grant said. Venoco's largest operation is in Santa Barbara County from its oil platform called Platform Holly about 2 miles off the coast of Goleta, Grant said. The company also owns Platform Gail and Platform Grace located off the shores of Oxnard, according to the company's website. In 2014 Venoco sold West Montalvo oil field on the Oxnard Plain for $200 million. At the time Mark DePuy, now the company's CEO, said it would use money from the sale of the property, most of which is in unincorporated Ventura County but which stretches into the city of Oxnard, to pay off debt. Venoco bought the West Montalvo oil field in May 2007 from the Berry Petroleum Co. for $61.3 million. It sits immediately south of the Santa Clara River and extends into state tidelands. SHARE Thanks to new accounting standards, California's state and local governments are being forced to acknowledge tens of billions of dollars in previously obscure debt for unfunded pension liabilities. The Governmental Accounting Standards Board says "unfunded actuarial accrued liabilities" should be listed on balance sheets along with more traditional debts. As those revised balance sheets began to emerge this year, they revealed some hefty numbers, such as Los Angeles County's $8 billion-plus unfunded pension debt. State Sen. John Moorlach, R-Costa Mesa, has been keeping a running tab and says that in just nine large counties, including Los Angeles, total pension debts top $20 billion. The state government's balance sheet, which will be released soon, is likely to reveal some particularly big numbers. A recent report from the state controller pegs "net pension liability" for the state's public safety and "miscellaneous" employees for the 2012-14 fiscal year at $34 billion on $128.7 billion in pension obligations. To put it another way, it's a 26 percent shortfall, and that assumes the state will see a 7.65 percent investment return, which many authorities say is unrealistically high. If earnings are just 1 percentage point lower, the debt balloons to more than $50 billion. There is one notable, seemingly unlikely, exception to California's heavy public pension debts the city of Fresno. Transparent California, a think tank that tracks fiscal data for state and local governments, declares Fresno's pension system "is the only public pension program in California and one of only a few in the United States that has a surplus instead of unfunded pension liabilities." While Fresno's pension benefits are still higher than those in local private employment, "they are considerably less inflated than any other pension system in California. They have a surplus, and that's so different than anybody else." Wilshire Consulting, which advises public pension funds, reported last year that Fresno was one of only seven fully funded plans in North America. The Transparent California report compares the city's pension situation to that of Fresno County, which has a $980 million unfunded liability. The city's pension benefits are markedly lower than those of the county. The city's average nonsafety pension is $39,644 for a retiree with at least 30 years of service, while the county's average is $61,500. That benefit gap manifests itself in an even wider disparity in costs. The city is paying an average of 16 percent of payroll into its pension fund, while the county is paying 52 percent, Transparent California said. Robert Theller, Fresno's pension administrator, told The Fresno Bee that the unusually healthy condition of its pension fund results from a decided effort by city officials and its unions to reach "fair compromises" that keep costs in check, describing it as "a good balancing act." Perhaps California politicians should make educational pilgrimages to Fresno before they are consumed by pension debts that already have been major factors in the bankruptcies of three cities. Dan Walters writes for the Sacramento Bee. Email him at dwalters@sacbee.com. SHARE Congrats, Donald Trump. You've done really well in this presidential campaign of yours. You don't know much of anything. You have been guilty of almost everything you rant against. You have advocated breaking the law by torturing enemies and killing their families and have come close to promoting violence against protesters. You have scared our allies to death. Yet here you are. Just this past not-so-Super Tuesday, you whipped Sen. Marco Rubio in his home state of Florida, lost without much hurt to John Kasich in Ohio, had a virtual tie with Ted Cruz in Missouri, but also won North Carolina and Illinois. You're the leader of the pack as the race goes on. It's conceivable you won't have enough delegates to automatically win at the GOP convention, but denying you the nomination might make the party go poof more quickly than giving it to you. In other words, D.T., you are in a place even more impressive than when you were the host of "The Apprentice" TV series, but hardly got here on your own. So whom do you thank? How about starting with the left, and particularly President Barack Obama? While you have supporters from a broad demographic swath, a major portion of them are members of a working class that has been up against it and are more than a little angry. Obama had a lot to do with that. He brags about creating jobs, but if he wants to take credit for what's happening in the economy, it's asked, how about the miserably slow growth rate in which businesses go plop, plop, plop, wage stagnation, the rise in poverty rates, and the decline in median income? How about a crisis-threatening debt Obama has addressed with the gusto of a slug caught in glue? On top of all of this, as Rubio said in his concession speech, the elites look down on working class folks, who if they say they're concerned about illegal immigrants competing with them for jobs, are called bigots. That's the leftist style these days call people names. It gets worse when Obama decides to ignore Congress through a constitutionally suspect executive order to grant legality to millions of illegal immigrants. Your contrary, populist promise of mass deportation could be downright cruel if it were actually doable, but what better tit-for-tat way to rouse cheers from supporters being spat upon? Leftists also fired up your supporters when unruly protesters got a speech of yours canceled. But it's not just leftists who have lent you a hand. Some of your Republican opponents have crucified each other with negative ads, and your foremost GOP opponent, Cruz, is seen by some as more a self-serving, simplistic and strident opportunist than someone who could ever get anything done. To be sure, Donald, you have also helped yourself, especially through marketing savvy with some dents, such as sending out Mussolini quotes on Twitter but, hey, did any of your supporters care? The incoherence of your speaking style helps keep people comfortably unsure of what you are saying. And, because of the widespread disgust with prissy political correctness, you are serving your cause with an incorrectness that is finally nothing less than repulsive. Help from outside is still on the way, Donald, because your probable opponent in a general election would be Hillary Clinton, and while most figure she would beat you handily, she has a plethora of problems, too. Even this email thing could get hot and heavy. At the same time, there are lots and lots of people who would not vote for either of you. There's talk of a conservative third-party candidate. Sorry, but there are still people who care first and foremost about this country's future. Jay Ambrose is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service. Readers may email him at speaktojay@aol.com. SHARE Hello. My name is John. I am one of the horrible people. It has taken some time, but I have finally joined the group of Americans whom Donald Trump has personally denigrated. We are the majority of this country. I am not a woman, so I was not placed in the group called bimbo, or dog, or fat pig. I am not Mexican, so I am not a person Trump believes is a criminal and rapist. I do not worship in the Muslim faith, so I am not a terrorist. I do not work in Washington, D.C., or any branch of government, so I am not stupid. I do not protest at his rallies, so I am not a bad dude subject to having a Trump supporter "knock the crap" out of me. But I am a journalist. I have worked as a reporter for much of my career. So I am "disgusting" and one of the "horrible people," as he described reporters at his victory speech Tuesday night. I'm just glad my wife still loves me. Attacking journalists is not new, particularly in the realm of presidential politics. Richard Nixon, after all, had many a journalist on his enemies list. Trump this year has banned reporters from at least eight different news organizations from covering one of his events because they wrote something he did not like. The bullying turned physical last week when Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, grabbed Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields by the arm and pushed her out of the way as the candidate was leaving one of his events. Fields is a local woman. She went from Calabasas High School to Moorpark College and then graduated from Pepperdine University. She joined libertarian causes and fell into journalism, ending up at Breitbart, about the only news group that regularly covered Trump through rose-colored glasses. That literal manhandling came in the same week as a Trump supporter punched a protester being escorted out of an event. Then came the Chicago melee, with protesters and Trump loyalists slugging it out inside a university arena. We are on to the next news cycle now, and the political violence seems to have become yesterday's headline for the national media. We cannot let this fade. The core of Trump's campaign is anger. He talks about it in every campaign speech. He embraces the anger of his followers. He turns it back to them and inflames it. Then, as their leader, he tells them who to be angry at: Mexican immigrants, Muslims, protesters, government, journalists. Each gets an applause line during his schtick. That Trump pitch has turned from amusing to embarrassing to disgusting and now to frightening. He now has granted those followers his approval to be violent. It happened in conjunction with the protesters who came to his rallies. It led to a 78-year-old white man sucker-punching a 26-year-old black man in the face as he was being escorted out of a rally. Our political discourse has often been personal and mean and raw. But the most egregious physical act is usually stealing opponent's yard signs. Until now. Now, we have the leading presidential candidate for the Republican Party condoning and inciting violence against those who belong to groups he does not like. If you support Donald Trump, I hope you pause for a moment and ask yourself if that is behavior you accept. I'm just one member of one of the groups Trump has targeted. But our group, journalists, do understand a reality when leaders push anger into violence. So far this year in just 10 weeks four journalists have been killed in Mexico. A journalist was killed at home in the Philippines. Two journalists were killed covering military action, in Yemen and Syria. Then there is Turkey. The president, popularly elected in 2014 with 51.7 percent of the vote, has classified journalists who write negative stories about his administration as terrorists. Prosecutors jailed 14 journalists in Turkey last year, and several more have been arrested or had their publications closed this year. Last year, three journalists were killed in Turkey. It is a democracy. It is a democracy that elected a president who publicly lashes out at those who criticize him those he does not like. Now, the government he controls, and the people who support him, are making those dissenters disappear. But that could never happen here. Or could it? John T. Moore is editor of the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at 437-0200 or by email at john.moore@vcstar.com. SHARE In the world of California water, there is a saying about how our statewide system is supposed to work: "big gulp, little sip." The idea is to pump, move and store water from the mountains and snowpack when Mother Nature makes it available. But when it is dry, rivers run low and fish need the water, the pumps are turned way down. California's water supply is reasonably generous we are not an arid state. But it is exceedingly volatile, going from very wet to very dry year to year. This big-gulp strategy is designed with that in mind. We are having some perfect big-gulp moments in Northern California this winter as storm after storm has walloped the Sierra Nevada. Every second, about 2 million gallons of water are rushing down the rivers toward San Francisco Bay via the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Yet the pumping systems in the Delta for the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project have been restricted as a result of various regulations, resulting in only a small fraction of the available water going to replenish reservoirs and groundwater basins and serve the 25 million people who depend on these supplies. What is happening should serve as a wake-up call. It means we are not storing water to serve communities from San Diego to the Silicon Valley. It means some of the most productive farmland in the nation, in our heartland in the San Joaquin Valley, will stay fallow another year. This kind of semi-gulp is a problem. Our agency, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, is concerned about the impacts of the current actions on family, jobs, farms and communities. So, too, is Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has introduced legislation to address many of these problems and recently called on federal agencies to increase pumping as much as possible within the bounds of the biological opinions. The Sierra is California's single largest water source. The nation's two largest water projects deliver this water. But these mighty systems cannot do their jobs. Starting Jan. 15, before either of these water projects took a single endangered delta smelt, pumping restrictions in the Delta kicked in. In recent days, wildlife agencies have allowed these projects to pump at only about 40 percent of capacity at a time when rivers are running at their fullest. If we can't pump in an El Nino year, when can we? Something is terribly wrong. Feinstein's SB 2533 provides a common-sense solution. It does not rewrite a word of the federal Endangered Species Act. Instead, it calls for federal wildlife agencies to operate these systems within their own guidelines but also with water supplies for our economy in mind. We need that kind of balanced approach. In 2009, California's Legislature enacted the "coequal goals" of restoring ecosystem health and water-supply reliability. So far, we are failing on both goals. The bill also calls for better monitoring of important fish species, so we actually know where conflicts between environmental and water needs exist, and more importantly, where they don't. It calls for more money for a new generation of innovative California water projects. It doesn't solve everything, but it would end much of the current gridlock that threatens water-supply reliability and the Delta environment. By acting now, before this year's welcome rains pass, congressional leaders can work together in a spirit of bipartisanship to find a reasoned approach and workable solutions to meet our water needs and protect the environment now and in the future. Big gulp, little sip is the underpinning of a functioning California water system. It is the only way we can capture and store water for prolonged droughts. It is the only way we can grow much of the nation's food, create jobs and maintain our quality of life. This so far has been the year of the little gulp and lost opportunity. As a state known the world over as a place of ideas, ingenuity and forward-thinking, California can and must find a way to regain this opportunity and improve our water systems. Randy Record is chairman of the board of directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. SHARE The Ventura County Board of Supervisors is set to act Tuesday on a long-term agreement to provide mental health care for the county's children. The agreement before the board is to hire an Oakland-based company to operate the $6 million annual program and facility. We believe a decision is premature because county officials apparently have not fully discussed all options. Left out of the conversation for this necessary expansion of care is Casa Pacifica, which had held the contract for the existing Children's Intensive Response Team. This team currently provides the first-line response to children in a mental health crisis. Casa Pacifica was stunned last month to learn its contract with the county Behavioral Health Department for the response team was not going to be renewed. The legion of agencies and individuals who worked with Casa Pacifica on this were equally surprised. The county has had a long relationship with Casa Pacifica. It was instrumental in the creation of the nonprofit agency in 1994 as it looked for establishment of a public-private relationship to provide care for abused and neglected children. The county shifted the responsibility, and money, for that to Casa Pacifica, which turned to other government funding sources and local private donors to help pay the bills. The relationship had several rough moments in its infancy but over the past 15 years seems to have evolved into a sturdy and growing partnership a commitment to caring for the children who need our help. That's why the recent decision came as a shock. The decision came as part of a solution to a growing hole in the care for mentally ill children. As Star staff writer Kathleen Wilson showed in a story last year, there was no place for children with severe mental issues to go in Ventura County. They were held in emergency rooms for hours while nurses tried to find out-of-county facilities to take them for care and treatment. The county stepped in last summer and purchased the closed Pacific Shores Hospital in Oxnard to turn it into an outpatient and residential treatment facility for minors. Meanwhile, Casa Pacifica officials were working with a committee headed by county Supervisor Steve Bennett to create strategies to tackle the issue. In addition to residential care, a key component was stabilization services that would provide intensive in-home support for teens to see if the best option was for them to remain at home. All that led to legislation introduced by Assemblyman Das Williams, D-Santa Barbara. The bill passed the Assembly last summer but stalled in the Senate. Casa Pacifica followed with a ramped-up proposal to the county to upgrade its Children's Intensive Response Team to handle the in-home stabilization process. It would cost the county about $1 million more a year. Behavioral Health Director Elaine Crandall rejected the idea and turned to Oakland-based Seneca Family of Agencies to handle the entire program, from initial response through operation of the new county facility. Seneca, she says, has experience in Northern California doing that. Crandall wants to accomplish two things: save money and create a continuum of care where all the information and decisions on a child in crisis are in one place. Those are solid goals. What we do not understand is why she did not talk with Casa Pacific about its ability to meet those goals. This lack of communication with the county's established provider of care for children in need an organization that clearly has been engaged in developing solutions to these problems is why we urge the board to go slow on approving the contract with Seneca. It may be the best deal with the best services. But first, at least talk with the folks who have been in the trenches providing care for children here for 20 years. To celebrate National Lasagna Day on July 29, Cafe Martorano is cooking up a special homemade lasagna dish starting Thursday, July 28 and continuing throughout the weekend. This limited time special will incorporate the signature bold American-style Italian flavors that earned Steve Martorano the nickname godfather of local Italian restaurants by the Las Vegas Weekly. For $24, guests will be treated to an off-the-menu special taste of cook Martoranos lasagna while experiencing the unique blend of exceptional food, music and film that leaves diners both impressed and satisfied. Martorano had a modest start as young kid in South Philly with a sandwich delivery service operated out of a neighborhood basement. It ultimately grew into an award winning restaurant, which he moved to Fort Lauderdale in the early 90s. There, he developed his signature Martorano flavor and has since become one of the hottest fixtures on the South Florida culinary and club scene. The 150 seat, 7,000 square-foot restaurant inside the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino features white walls, black granite, stainless steel and evocative lighting with wide screen plasma televisions surrounding the room playing scenes from gem mob movies. Located in the Rios Masquerade Village, Cafe Martorano Las Vegas is more than twice the size of his Florida venue, but its mood, groove and attitude are strictly Martorano and sure to be smokin hot. Russian emergency rescuers and forensic investigators work on the wreckage of the flydubai passenger jet which crashed, killing all 62 people on board in the city of Rostov-on-Don on March 19, 2016. (AFP) ROSTOV-ON-DON: All 62 people on board a flydubai Boeing 737 were killed when the plane crashed and burst into flames as it was landing in Rostov-on-Don, in Southern Russia, on Saturday morning (Mar 19), officials said. The plane was making its second attempt to land in bad weather when it missed the runway, erupting in a huge fireball as it crashed and leaving debris scattered across a wide area. "We will have information about the circumstances of the incident and the black box in the future, and an investigation is being conducted in cooperation with the Russian authorities and we are waiting to see the results," Flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said at a news conference. "There was no distress call (issued) from the pilot," he added. Earlier in the day, the airline said on its Facebook page: "flydubai regrets to confirm that flight FZ981 crashed on landing and that fatalities have been confirmed as a result of this tragic accident." Russian investigators confirmed that all 62 people on board were killed, raising the initial toll by one. "According to the initial information, there were 55 passengers and seven crew members on board. They are all dead," investigators said. The passengers were all Russian nationals, including four children, local news channel LifeNews reported, describing the crew as unspecified "foreigners". Footage shown on local media showed a huge fireball engulfing a wide area after the plane went down. The authorities took more than an hour to get the blaze under control, the emergencies ministry said. More than 500 rescuers and 60 vehicles were dispatched to the crash site, the ministry added. "The aircraft hit the ground and broke into pieces," the Investigative Committee of Russia said in a statement on its website., and LifeNews reported that fragments of the Boeing 737 were scattered up to 1.5km from the crash site. One of the flight recorders had been recovered, the committee said in a statement. "Different versions of what happened are being looked into, including crew error, a technical failure and bad weather conditions," the committee said. A strong wind warning was in place and it was raining hard at the time of the crash, and according to LifeNews, the plane had been circling the area trying to land for two hours because of the poor weather. Other flights had been diverted to Krasnodar airport, 300km south of Rostov-on-Don. "The weather conditions were terrible, the plane was shaking terribly," a passenger on one of the diverted flights told LifeNews. "POSSIBLE PILOT ERROR" A criminal investigation into the accident has been launched to determine whether any safety regulations were violated and if negligence played any part in the crash. "A possible pilot error" was among the possible causes of the crash being examined, Jeanna Terekhova, an advisor to the Russian transport ministry, told news channel Russia 24. The accident happened at 0050 GMT, according to the statement. The plane had left Dubai at 1820 GMT, flydubai confirmed. "We are putting our emergency response in place and we will be working closely with all the authorities involved. We will share as much information as possible just as soon as we can and we will provide updated information on a regular basis," Emirates-based flydubai said in a statement on its website, which had been changed to a sombre black and grey colour scheme. Boeing said they were aware of the incident. "We're aware of reports coming out of Russia and our team is currently gathering more details," the plane manufacturer said on Twitter. Government-owned Flydubai, a no-frills sister firm to Emirates, was established in March 2008. The airline had a strong safety record, but one of its planes was hit by a bullet as it landed in Baghdad airport in January 2015, prompting multiple airlines to suspend flights to the Iraqi capital. No one was hurt. The last major aviation disaster involving Russia was in October last year, when a passenger jet on its way from Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort to Saint Petersburg was brought down by a bomb in the Sinai Peninsula. All 224 people on board, the vast majority of them Russian, were killed. The Egyptian branch of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. President of the French National Assembly Claude Bartolone The visit also aims to seek to balance the bilateral trade deficit, which is leaning towards the European country, he said at a press conference in Hanoi on March 18. Bartolone noted that a number of French businesses are making effective investments in Vietnam in the fields of goods distribution, medicine and transport. He said he hopes there will be more opportunities for French enterprises to invest in Vietnam, especially in their strengths such as high technology, energy saving and the environment. The French National Assembly ratified the Vietnam EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) on March 17, he noted. Bartolone expressed his pleasure in visiting Vietnam, which follows high-level delegation exchanges between the two nations. He said that before the visit, he met with French President Francois Hollande who expressed wish to visit Vietnam in the latter half of 2016. The French NA leader added that he was happy that the visit falls on the celebration of the International Francophone Day (March 20). He stressed that Vietnam is a significant member of the Francophone movement, citing that over 7,000 Vietnamese students are pursuing education in France, while an increasing number of French students are studying in Vietnam. The visit is also a chance for him to study the regional issues, including those relating to the East Sea, he said, reiterating Frances viewpoint of supporting the respect for international law, especially those set by the United Nations, to ensure navigation and aviation freedom in the region. The French top legislator witnessed a signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on receiving French volunteers at Vietnams general education institutions. The MoU inked between Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Vinh Hien and French Ambassador to Vietnam Jean Noel Poirier aims to build a bilateral cooperation framework to support the teaching and learning of French in Vietnam. Paris shooting suspect, Salah Abdeslam, and suspected accomplice, Hamza Attou, are seen at a petrol station on a motorway between Paris and Brussels, in Trith-Saint-Leger - photo source Reuters BRUSSELS: Police found fingerprints of Paris attacks fugitive Salah Abdeslam in a Brussels apartment raided this week, officials said on Friday (Mar 18) as authorities continued the hunt for two suspects who fled the scene. Reports suggested Abdeslam could even be one of the two men who slipped through a massive police cordon Tuesday in the Forest quarter of Brussels after another suspect was shot dead. Abdeslam, 26, is believed to have played a key role in the November 13 attacks claimed by the Islamic State group that left 130 people dead. Investigations have shown that several of those involved in the assaults lived in Brussels, where the attacks were planned. The Franco-Moroccan, whose older brother Brahim blew himself up in Paris, fled across the border to Belgium hours after the massacre and is now one of the most wanted men in Europe. Belgium's RTBF television station, citing unidentified sources, said it was "more than likely" that Abdeslam was one of the two suspects who fled the Forest apartment but Belgian authorities refused comment on that issue. "We can confirm that fingerprints of Salah Abdeslam were found in the apartment in Forest," spokesman for federal prosecutors Eric Van Der Sypt told AFP, without elaborating. The firefight on Tuesday erupted after Belgian and French police searched the Forest property as part of continued investigations into the Paris attacks. The officers went to the apartment believing it was rented under the same false identity as a hideout in the southern Belgian city of Charleroi used by the Paris attackers. 'PROBABLY BELKAID' Prosecutors also said that the man killed in the Forest shootout was very likely a suspect wanted by police in connection with the Paris attacks. Investigations show that "the so-called Samir Bouzir, against whom a wanted notice was issued, most probably is the Algerian national Mohamed Belkaid" killed Tuesday, a statement said. Investigators in December determined that a fake identity card in Bouzir's name was used to wire 750 euros ($800) from a Brussels Western Union office to the cousin of attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud four days after the massacre in the French capital. Abbaaoud and his cousin Hasna Aitboulahcen, as well as another Paris attacks suspect, died in a hail of bullets north of the French capital on November 18. Meanwhile Belgian TV channel VRT said that Belkaid, who was living illegally in Belgium, was listed as a volunteer to commit a suicide bomb attack. Contacted by AFP, Belgium's federal prosecutor declined to comment on the report. Police found a Kalashnikov assault rifle, extremist Islamic literature and an IS flag near Belkaid after he was shot. Asked whether one of the suspects who escaped the shootout was Abdeslam, a source close to the investigation said: "We can obviously ask ourselves the question." Another Abdeslam fingerprint was found in December in a different Brussels apartment, where investigators believe the fugitive hid for three weeks immediately following the attacks. Belgium has been at the centre of the investigation into the Paris attacks almost from day one. The ringleader, IS member Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was also from Brussels. He was killed in a raid in Paris shortly after the attacks. Both had links to the largely immigrant Brussels district of Molenbeek which was targeted by authorities after the attacks. Brahim Abdeslam, Salah's brother, was buried in a discreet ceremony on Thursday in Brussels. Another of the Paris attackers, Bilal Hadfi, was buried quietly in the same cemetery in the northwest of the city last week. The militaries of Cameroon and Nigeria have freed hundreds of hostages held by Boko Haram, including dozens of girls and women either forcefully married or held as sex slaves. The captives were freed after raids on the town of Achigachia, which straddles Cameroon and Nigeria. VOA was able to talk to several of them. Speaking in Kanouri, a language spoken in northern Cameroon and northeastern Nigeria, Aisha Moussa said that after her parents asked her to get married at age 14 last year, her husband took her to the Sambissa forest, a stronghold of Boko Haram situated on the Cameroon-Nigeria border. She said that while she was there, her husband led a group of motorcycle riders who transported Boko Haram fighters to steal, kidnap and kill in cattle ranches, farms and markets, both in Cameroon and Nigeria. Surrendered to troops Moussa said that in the forest, many girls, some younger than she, who served as sex slaves for unmarried Boko Haram fighters. She said that after one year in the forests, the couple's living conditions were getting worse and their lives were threatened by frequent raids by the military. They decided to escape, and the opportunity came when Cameroon and Nigerian forces attacked. They surrendered to the troops. After they were freed, Cameroon's military took Moussa's husband to an unknown destination and asked that she be transported to the Minawao refugee camp in northern Cameroon. Shakaria Habiba, 42, said she was forced out of her marital home in Achigachia by 15 heavily armed men, as were dozens of other women and girls. She said she spent 10 months with Boko Haram fighters in a bush area she could not identify. Habiba said that while there, she was buried up to her waist for 20 days as punishment for being a Christian. She said she was later given as the fourth wife to a Boko Haram Muslim. Habiba, who arrived at the Minawao refugee camp with a 3-month-old baby, said there were hundreds of Cameroonian and Nigerian girls in the Boko Haram hideout doing household chores and used for sex by the fighters. She said those who become pregnant were handed over to traditional birth attendants. In 2013, Nigeria reported that Boko Haram had stepped up kidnappings of young women to sell them into sexual slavery or force them to marry its fighters. The tactics attracted international outrage, but efforts to prevent more kidnappings or rescue the young girls were not successful. The hundreds of schoolchildren kidnapped from a Nigerian school in Chibok have not been found. Practice widens The practice spread to Cameroon in 2014 when the military announced a number of young girls on its border with Nigeria had been taken for marriage by Boko Haram fighters. Lieutenant Colonel Felix Tetcha, one of Cameroon's senior military officers fighting the insurgency, said Boko Haram again engaged in the practice after its ability to fight was weakened by military raids on the militants' strongholds that began in December. He said Boko Haram now prefers to psychologically torment the population. Cameroon said it was handing over the rescued girls and women to specialized U.N. agencies for psychological care. The United Nations says Boko Haram's six-year insurgency has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced more than 2.5 million. A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has blocked former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from accepting a Cabinet appointment that would have helped the ex-leader avoid corruption charges. Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes, who released his decision late Friday, said Lula's Cabinet post "could amount to an act of fraud against the constitution." Cabinet ministers in Brazil have immunity from prosecution in criminal court and can only be tried before the Supreme Court. The controversial appointment by current President Dilma Rousseff would have halted a criminal investigation of Lula in a wide-ranging probe into corruption and money laundering at the state-owned oil giant, Petrobras. Lula, who served as Brazil's president from 2003 to 2010, had denied he was involved in any corruption. Prosecutors said more than $2 billion was paid in bribes and other funds by the nation's biggest construction and engineering firms in exchange for inflated Petrobras contracts. Dozens of political figures, including close allies of Rousseff and former Petrobras executives, are under investigation. The Catholic Church in Zambia has called on political parties and their supporters to stop harassing and intimidating journalists as the August 11 general election approaches. Father Winfield Kunda, executive director of Catholic Media Services, this week said in a statement that his organization "does not condone threats and intimidation directed at journalists and other media workers. Also politicians and political parties should discourage their cadres from attacking media workers," and instead should follow the right procedure for objecting. He also called upon journalists to ensure fair reporting in the run-up to the southern African nations elections. Kunda denied media reports that the church owned and closed Radio Mana, a community radio station that opposes the ruling Patriotic Front party. He said the Kasama-based station's management decided to shut it down "because of the threat from the supporters of the government who felt disgruntled or disappointed that that community radio station was becoming anti-government," Kunda said. He emphasized that "we do not own that radio station." The closing heightened Catholic Media Services' concerns about press freedom in Zambia, Kunda said. "That's why we publish the statement to indicate to all politicians, and especially political parties, to discourage their cadres from attacking media workers. Particularly during this time, it is very common that the media seems to be polarized. Charges of bias Political parties and civil society organizations have often accused media organizations of bias in election coverage. They note that Zambia's constitution demands fairness in media reporting. "Its true that during these elections, some media houses have tended to come out against the government," Kunda said, "and what we have decided to do as a church is to do our best to appeal to them, because these are private media institutions, and they are free to support whoever they want." But he warned that reporting should be ethical and factual, "and not to be sensational or just to accuse." Attack reported Meanwhile, Frank Bwalya, deputy spokesman for the ruling party, said he was attacked Friday at Sky FM, a radio station in the southern Zambia town of Monze. The attackers had not been identified. Kunda condemned the attack. "All these media houses whether they are public or private or community, they are supposed to be protected by the police," he said. He advised station owners and managers to notify police when they bring in speakers, especially controversial ones, "so that the guests are protected as well as the equipment, the infrastructure is protected." The Republic of Congo's government has ordered telecom providers to block all service during Sunday's presidential election. Congo Interior Minister Raymond Zephirin Mboulou sent a letter to the country's two main telecom firms, saying that for reasons of national security, they were to block all communication, including text messages, on Sunday and Monday. The letter, copies of which have appeared online, also referred to a list of numbers that will continue to receive communication during the vote. The order could raise tensions in the country, where longtime President Denis Sassou Nguesso is running for re-election against eight opponents, including former General Jean-Marie Mokoko. Mokoko, who is seen as the president's strongest challenger, was summoned to report to police headquarters on Saturday for unspecified reasons. Sassou Nguesso, 71, has ruled Congo for 32 of the last 37 years. Last October, he pushed through a constitutional change that eliminated a two-term limit and an age limit of 70 for presidential candidates. The opposition boycotted the referendum in which the change was approved and said turnout percentage for that vote was in the single digits. Count the number of candy-colored classic cars at a Havana stoplight, and youll find just as many expectations for the imminent visit of U.S. President Barack Obama. There are those who hope the visit is a milestone en route to lifting the economic embargo by the U.S., and those who believe Cuba cannot really change under the current government. There are Cubans like Yosleny Borroto, who see the first state visit by an American leader since the 1920s as a sign of the changes she sees in her country. "He has been one of the U.S. presidents who has extended his hand to us. To help us to help us get ahead as a country," said Borroto. Expectations| For Claudia Toledo, an international buyer for a major food company, the nascent rapprochement means her job could improve; access to machine parts from the U.S., for example. It also feels like a sign of more openness to practical, daily-life benefits, like more Internet access. "This participation from both sides is good for both countries," Toledo said. WATCH: VOA's Ramon Taylor reports from Havana, on Facebook. Click here. No one expects immediate changes except for a few road repairs along Obama's route through the capital and at least a day without alcohol sales, as mandated by the government. Once the excitement fades, the trade embargo remains firmly intact, though the president's arrival with American CEOs (from Xerox and Marriott) hints at future business pacts. Commercial flights from the United States are already scheduled to resume later this year. Some fear more problems ahead But then there are Cubans like Oscar Casanella Saint-Blancard. He already feels targeted by the government for his friendships with outspoken dissidents, and fears that reestablished diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana not only fall short of real change, they may in fact bring more problems. "The first question is: What's going to be the behavior of the Cuban government" afterward? "Its not enough to be more politically open or flexible," said Casanella. "... It's not enough that part of the embargo mechanism starts to crumble. Because there's an embargo from the Cuban government against the Cuban people, and I think that's the one that does the most damage." WATCH: What Would Cuban Citizens Say to Obama? Cuban dissident Miriam Leiva says that if she could meet President Barack Obama, she would tell him that she is thankful for his policies toward the island nation that are "improving Cubans' lives, Cubans' way of looking at the world." Leiva, a co-founder of Ladies in White, an opposition group, may get her chance to meet with Obama. The U.S. Embassy in Cuba has invited her to what she was told was a "very high-level meeting" at the embassy in Havana. The invitation didn't mention Obama, but the meeting will take place during his visit Tuesday morning. Leiva, who is also an independent journalist, told VOA that if the meeting is with Obama, she hopes to "listen directly to his views and express mine." The 69-year-old widow said the thawing of ties between the U.S. and Cuba had "eased the tension in which we have lived for 55 years." But Leiva is realistic, too. "Obama won't change Cuba. But he's giving Cubans, the ones who should be in charge of the shift, the possibility to have ways, means, ideas and contact so that we actually make those changes." WATCH: Cuban Dissident Would Thank Obama for 'Improving Cubans' Lives' The White House reiterated Friday that it would not negotiate with the Cuban government on the people Obama chooses to meet with during his trip to the communist-run nation. "The list of people invited to meet with the president in Cuba is non-negotiable," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in a daily press briefing. "I would not be surprised if there are people on that list that the Cuban government prefer we not meet with ... but I can tell you the president is going to move forward in those meetings and have a conversation about human rights," Earnest said. Obama is set to leave for Cuba on Sunday, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit the island nation in nearly 90 years. The White House has said that meetings with Cuban pro-democracy activists are a priority for Obama's trip. On Thursday, Cuba's government took issue with Obama's plans to use his visit to lobby for change in Cuba. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said "various U.S. officials have declared in recent hours that the objective of Obama's measures is empowering the Cuban people. The Cuban people empowered themselves decades ago,'' a reference to the country's 1959 revolution. Dissidents on the island told VOA on Friday that Obama's visit and the diplomatic restart didn't mean the repression had decreased. The Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation stated that in 2015, more than 8,000 Cubans were arrested. "To the government of Cuba [it] is easier to improve the relations with his so-called archenemy than with the Cuban people. Let's take advantage of this opportunity and urge the Cuban government to fix his ties with the Cubans," said Gerardo Sanchez, secretary general of the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation. President Raul Castro's administration has denied that any arbitrary detentions take place in the country and has maintained that Cubans' fundamental human rights are acknowledged. Despite the differences between the United States and Cuba, both countries have taken steps to increase economic ties ahead of Obama's trip. Earlier this week, the U.S. government said U.S. banks could process financial transactions from Cuba, and it eased some travel restrictions for Americans hoping to visit Cuba, allowing "people-to-people" visits instead of just costly tour groups. On Thursday, Cuba reciprocated by announcing it would cut the 10 percent tax imposed on dollar transactions after assessing the impact of the U.S. relief. Cuba also said Thursday that it would air Obama's speech in Cuba live on national television. Rodriguez said Cubans would be able to draw their own conclusions from Obama's speech. The United States and Cuba endured 55 years of hostilities, after revolutionary Fidel Castro overthrew the U.S.-supported dictator Fulgencio Batista. Obama and Raul Castro, Fidel's brother, renewed diplomatic relations in late 2014, eased trade barriers in the months since then and reopened embassies in Havana and Washington. Later this year, American air carriers are set to resume regular flights to the island nation in the Caribbean Sea that is 145 kilometers off the southeastern U.S. coast. Islamist militants killed at least 13 policemen Saturday in an attack on a checkpoint in the Sinai Peninsula, Egyptian authorities said. Egypt's Interior Ministry said a mortar round hit the checkpoint, located near the North Sinai state provincial capital, El-Arish. The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack but said it had deployed a suicide bomber who blew up a car filled with explosives. Militants claimed responsibility in January for a similar attack in the center of El-Arish that killed at least five police. Sinai has been plagued for years by a low-level Islamist insurgency, which escalated in 2013 after mass protests in Cairo and elsewhere in the country led to the military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. In the worst attack, militants shot down a Russian airliner in Sinai last October, killing 224 people. A Sinai-based affiliate of Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. The White House said two Americans were among five people killed in a suicide bombing Saturday in the main shopping district of Istanbul. Two Israelis and an Iranian were also killed in the attack, which wounded at least 36 people. This was the fourth suicide bombing in Turkey this year. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu condemned the blast as "inhumane." The attack came amid heightened security across the country, including a government ban on Kurdish New Year celebrations in most cities and towns across Turkey. White House spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. condemned the attack in the strongest possible terms and affirmed the U.S. commitment to work with Turkey to "confront the evil of terrorism." No one claimed responsibility for the bombing on Istiklal Street, a busy pedestrian avenue lined with stores and foreign consulates. WATCH: Video report from the scene In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said intelligence officials were trying to determine whether the bombing specifically targeted Israelis. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was in Istanbul on an official visit, also condemned the attack and offered condolences to the Turkish government and the nation. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault strongly condemned the attack as a heinous and cowardly act, adding that Paris stood in solidarity with Turkey. On high alert Turkey was already on high alert after recent bombings in the capital, Ankara, claimed by Kurdish rebels one such blast killed 35 people March 13 and in the lead-up to the Kurdish spring celebrations Monday. Security forces were continuing a crackdown against the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party, the PKK, in towns and cities in the predominately Kurdish southeast of Turkey. Newroz ban Istanbul Governor Vahsip Sahin explained the decision to ban the Newroz Kurdish New Year celebrations. He said the government had received several requests for celebrations but rejected them in consideration of the safety of people who would attend the events and the safety of other residents of Istanbul. He said the government thought it was not an appropriate time to mark Newroz. A small official ceremony has been sanctioned for Monday in Diyarbakir and Istanbul, home to the largest Kurdish populations in Turkey. But the countrys main pro-Kurdish party, the HDP, has insisted it will defy the Newroz bans. Police have been arresting dozens of members of the HDP ahead of Newroz, with celebrations traditionally starting on the Sunday before March 21, attracting hundreds of thousands of Kurds. Collapsed peace process During a two-year peace process between the government and the PKK that collapsed last year, Newroz became a public holiday as part of pro-Kurdish reforms. Political scientist Cengiz Aktar warned that the Newroz ban could have serious consequences. "There is a dialogue of death going between the government and the opposition HDP party, the Kurdish party. Kurds are adamant to celebrate Newroz. For Kurds, probably, it is the most important public celebration that theyve got. It is very fearful. Personally, I hope that nothing dramatic will happen on Sunday," said Aktar. Tensions are likely to be heightened further with the Turkish deputy prime minister, Numan Kurtulmus, announcing Friday that as early as next week, parliament will move to lift the parliamentary immunity of deputies of the HDP in order for them to be prosecuted on terrorism charges. Indonesian officials said Friday that alleged Southeast Asian terror chief Hambali won't likely return home if President Barack Obama's plan to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prevails. Hambali, nom de guerre Riduan Isomuddin, is a former leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, the military branch of al-Qaida in Southeast Asia that is accused of spearheading a string of bombings in Indonesia, including a 2002 attack on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. Hambali allegedly has ties to two of the hijackers responsible for attacks on U.S. soil on September 11, 2001, but he has denied any role. On March 8, Indonesian security officials said the government would find a way to ensure he would never return home. Obama's plan, which involves transferring about two-thirds of the current 91 detainees to U.S. soil and sending the others to foreign countries, was rejected by Congress last month. Republicans have said they are preparing a legal challenge in the event Obama presses ahead with the plan. High threats "Hambali is considered a high threat," said Arrmanatha Nasir, a spokesperson for Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Seventeen of the detainees are considered as high threats to the United States, and according to the information received, Hambali is one of them. If he is considered a high threat by them, he will most likely still be detained by the United States." Nasir emphasized Indonesia's commitment to ensuring that Hambali never poses a security threat to Indonesia or other countries. But according to Al Chaidar, a terrorism expert at Malikussaleh University in Aceh, U.S. national security officials may feel pressured to return Hambali to Indonesia. "If Hambali is not sent back home to Indonesia, [new members of Jamaah Islamiyah] will likely even make new attacks [on Americans]," he said. But Al Chaidar also said he believes Hambali no longer poses a threat to Indonesians, because al-Qaida no longer views Indonesia as a military target. Instead, he says the group sees it as a ground for proselytizing and recruitment. Meanwhile, Indonesias deputy speaker of parliament said Hambali, should he be returned, would be arraigned and legally processed according to Indonesian law. Born in Cianjur, West Java, in 1964, Hambali was arrested in Thailand in 2003 during a joint CIA-Thailand police operation. A small village of minority Shiite Turkmen is being held hostage by the Islamic State, which uses the enclave as a launching point for mortars laden with chemicals, nearby residents say. Bashir village has been under IS control since mid-2014. Located 16 miles south of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, the Iraqi village was captured by IS following the fall of Mosul. IS continues to launch deadly attacks on nearby towns from the village, including an alleged chemical attack earlier this month on the town of Taza Khurmatu that, officials say, caused numerous civilian injuries and the deaths of at least three people. "The rockets spread a garlicky smell and caused nausea and vomiting," according to Soran Jalal, head of Taza Khurmatu's civil defense office. He told VOA that investigators confirmed the weapons carried mustard gas and came from Bashir. Following the attacks, hundreds of protesters from the town blocked Iraq's main highway, demanding the removal of IS from Bashir. Bashir is mostly surrounded by Kurdish forces and a Shi'ite militia known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), with only a small passage in the west connecting it to other IS-held territories. According to Kurdish Major General Westa Rasul, the presence of IS is a significant threat because the village is close to the North Oil Company and a power plant that provides 35 percent of Iraqi electricity. "A humanitarian disaster is awaiting us if the village is not liberated soon," he said. "Coalition forces and the Iraqi government are to blame if this happens." No coalition help Unless coalition forces provide aerial support, removing IS from the village is impossible because of numerous mines and explosives the extremists have planted, Iraqi and Kurdish officials say. But the coalition has refused to provide aerial support, fearing that doing so may strengthen the PMF, officials say. PMF is an umbrella organization of several Shi'ite militias formed in 2014 after the Iraqi army fled the area following IS attacks. The U.S. government has a complicated relationship with the organization because some of its militia groups are close to Iran and are on the U.S.-designated terrorist organization list. "Our policy is to support forces with and under the direct control of the government of Iraq," U.S. Army Colonel Steve Warren, spokesman for the coalition's operation against IS, told VOA. In an interview with CBS News, retired General John Allen, former special presidential envoy for the global coalition to counter ISIL, said: "It's really important to understand that the militias are not just a single monolithic entity. There are the militias that you and I are used to hearing that have close alignments with Iran. Those are the extremist elements, and we don't have anything to do with that." ISIL is an acronym for Islamic State. Other impediments "Liberating Bashir will take only a few hours if there is coordination," said Lieutenant General Anwar Hamad Amin, a commander of the Iraqi air force. But "we have no plans yet to liberate it because there needs to be coordination with forces on the ground first," he told VOA. Zeki Kemal, a commander of PMF, told VOA that his group plans an attack on the village but said his forces lack weapons and aerial support. "We tried to liberate the village twice before, but we failed both times because we lack ammunition and air support," Kemal told VOA. Michael Knights, a Washington Institute fellow and expert on the region, told VOA that the PMF leadership in Baghdad has not asked the coalition to provide air support to their units. "If a friendly fire incident happened, and coalition airstrikes killed Shia PMF, there is a concern amongst the Shia PMF leaders and the coalition that extremists would retaliate against coalition trainers and embassies," Knights added. According to Kemal, after the alleged chemical attacks by IS, the Iraqi government started negotiating with the coalition forces for aerial support for his forces. Kurdish forces that have direct aerial support from the coalition and have surrounded the village from the north and the west said they have not moved into the village because its residents are not ethnically Kurdish. Rasul told VOA, "We told Popular Mobilization Forces, Let Peshmerga [Iraqi Kurdish forces], with coalition support, liberate the village, and we will let you move in later. However, they refused, arguing it was a Shi'ite village and should be under their control. They agreed on our proposal later, but then the coalition rejected it." Following the alleged chemical attacks, Kurdish officials met with Iraqi officials and the Shiite PMF leader to reach an agreement to free the village in a joint operation. The Israeli military says its forces have shot and killed a Palestinian who attempted to attack Israeli soldiers on the occupied West Bank. The military says the assailant attacked the soldiers with a knife at Gush Etzion junction, the location of several recent attacks on the Israeli military by Palestinians. The incident is the latest in a wave of violence since October that has killed at least 188 Palestinians, 28 Israelis, and two U.S. citizens. Israel has accused Palestinian leaders of inciting young people to riot. Palestinians deny this and say they are fed up with what they call Israeli oppression, little economic opportunity, and a dim outlook for peace. On Tuesday, President Obama will speak directly to the Cuban people from Havana in a speech that the Cuban government says will be broadcast nationwide. Supporters say Obama's historic visit to Cuba is a game-changer. Detractors say it isn't changing anything. Not too long ago, it would have been unthinkable for an American president to speak to the Cuban people. And the White House says in his remarks Obama will talk about greater freedoms for Cubans even more unthinkable. Experts say Obamas speech and his visit will send a message of hope to the people on an island thats entering a new phase. He will in a sense say I am respectfully visiting this country; we have our ideological differences, but that does not mean that we cannot find common ground and normalcy,' " said Peter Kornbluh, co-author of Back Channel to Cuba. The Obama administration and supporters of the diplomatic restart between the two countries say the goal of the President's visit is to make the ties irreversible. I think in just five or six years, you're going to see full access to the Internet in Cuba, you're going to see a really, a fully mixed economy in Cuba, and well be in the post-Castro era where frankly, political evolution is not only likely, but inevitable," Kornbluh said. Critical of visit Obamas policy has staunch critics, who say the White House has given too many concessions to Cuba with nothing in return. They state conditions in the island remain unchanged and that repression has worsened. People are getting beat up, the Ladies in White, las Damas de Blanco, are getting beat up every Sunday," said Mike Gonzalez of the Heritage Foundation. "President Obamas visit is only going to legitimize the regime to the world, to the United States and to the poor oppressed Cuban people who are going to say: who has my back now? The White House argues more than 50 years of animosity didnt get any results. But critics say the transition will not lead to democracy. Were going to have, right at our doorstep, a situation akin to China where we have a communist dictatorship, slash, mafia family, fascistic regime controlling an island thats only 90 miles from our border and were going to have that now for a very long time unless Mr. Obamas policies are reversed by the next president," Gonzalez said. Thats one reason detractors hope a Republican takes the White House in November. They have vowed to end the policy if they win the presidency something the Obama administration is aiming to head off. Aviation experts have begun an investigation into the downed FlyDubai airliner that crashed early Saturday in southern Russia, killing all 62 people on board. However, Russian aviation officials said the plane's two flight data recorders were badly damaged and warned it could takes months to recover information leading to the cause of the crash. Investigators from Russia, the United States and the United Arab Emirates spent Sunday searching for clues in the wreckage. The cause of the crash is not yet known, but high and gusty winds may have been a factor. Meanwhile, residents from the nearby town laid flowers and burned candles at a makeshift memorial at the entrance to the airport in the city of Rostov-on-Don. The airport said Sunday it planned to re-open on Monday. The FlyDubai aircraft 98 - a Boeing 737 - was only about five years old and had undergone an extensive maintenance inspection earlier this year. The airline, which began operations in 2009, has a strong safety record, with Saturday's crash the first deadly incident in the budget carrier's history. Russian President Vladimir Putin said providing assistance to relatives of the victims is "a priority," according to a Kremlin spokesman. The Dubai Media Office says the victims include 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one person from Uzbekistan. Dubai-based airline FlyDubai and the Boeing aircraft company have expressed condolences to the families of the victims. FlyDubai said the passengers were 33 women, 18 men and 4 children. FlyDubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said it seemed there was no distress call, adding that the airline staff is "in deep shock. The airline was working with authorities to establish the cause of the crash, he said. Ghaith also said the airline has set up call centers for the relatives of passengers. U.S.-based Boeing says it is ready to provide technical assistance upon request of the government agencies involved. Reports say the plane circled the airport in rain and strong winds for two hours, making at least one attempt to land before crashing and bursting into flames. Another plane bound for Rostov-on-Don diverted south to the Krasnodar airport and landed safely. FlyDubai is a government-owned low budget airline linked to Emirates airlines. It has been flying to Russia since 2013. Two top Turkish businessmen Ersin Ozince, the chairman of the country's largest bank, and Aydin Dogan, a media tycoon are among 47 people facing indictment for alleged gasoline smuggling, pro-government newspapers report. If convicted, they could be sentenced to decades in prison. Both men are critics of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the cases against them are being condemned as politically motivated and part of an escalating crackdown on government opponents. "We've heard extremely hostile messages from the executive [branch], or [news]papers very close to the executive [branch] in Turkey, and the judiciary immediately takes action on these indications sent by the executive branch," said political scientist Cengiz Aktar. Turkey's government insists the judiciary is totally independent. However, Dogan's lawyers claimed in a statement that their client had already been cleared by a previous investigation in the nearly decade-old case. Dogan's large network of newspapers and a TV channel is one of the last mainstream media groups critical of the president and his government. In 2009, Dogan was fined an unprecedented $3 billion after his newspapers accused Erdogan, who was then prime minister, of corruption. Ozince, the chairman of IS Bank, is viewed as an outspoken critic of the president's economic policies. Financial repercussions Atilla Yesilada, an Istanbul-based consultant with Global Source Partners, says the ties between IS Bank and the opposition Republican People's Party make Ozince a likely target for judicial investigation. But Yesilada warns that a probe targeting the bank, as well as Ozcine, could have severe financial consequences. If Ozince is arrested, then the IS Bankasi would come into play as well, Yesilada said. Yesilada rejects a push by one of Erdogans chief advisers for the government to take over IS Bankasi, saying this would have a very significant impact on financial markets, and would lead to a significant depreciation of TL [Turkish lira] and a large exodus of foreign investors from Turkey. Financial investors won't think any other company is safe from the encroachment of the government." During the past few months, the judiciary has seized a number of large companies, including a bank and media interests linked to the U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, an Erdogan ally-turned-rival. And earlier this week, several academics, lawyers and members of Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party were arrested on terrorism-related charges. In response, Washington on Thursday called on the Turkish government to respect democratic values, the rule of law and media freedom. The U.N. human rights chief, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, said Friday that Burundi is on the brink of a sudden escalation of violence to "massive proportions." "Continued human rights violations and impunity for perpetrators mean that many of Burundi's people live in terror," Zeid told the U.N. Security Council. He said that despite some progress in Burundi, which includes the release of a number political detainees, human rights violations are continuing. Burundi has been mired in a violent political crisis since April of last year, when President Pierre Nkurunziza sought and won what many see as an unconstitutional third term. Observers fear the violence which has killed more than 400 people and caused 230,000 more to flee the country could tip into another civil war, or worse, in the ethnically mixed Hutu-Tutsi nation. Since U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Burundi last month, Zeid said, there has been no decline in arbitrary arrests in the country, and there has been an increase in reports of torture. After Ban's visit, the Burundian government pledged to release political detainees; however, only 47 people have been freed, according to Zeid. Ban also addressed the Security Council on Friday, saying that during his visit to Burundi "I heard deeply disturbing allegations of continuing violence and human rights violations, including those targeting women and children." "I underlined my deep concern over the volatile situation in the country," he added, and "I expressed my profound worry that the potential spiraling of violence risks relapse into civil war." A U.S. Marine was killed Saturday after coming under rocket fire from Islamic State militants in Makhmour, Iraq. A U.S. Defense Department spokesman said several other Marines were wounded in the attack. A member of the Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga based in Makhmour told VOA three Iraqi soldiers were also wounded in the incident. Makhmour, an area the Peshmerga seized back from Islamic State in 2014, is expected to be one of the staging points for Iraqi and Peshmerga forces in the long-promised battle for Mosul. U.S. forces are working with Iraqi forces, who recently moved into the area. Makhmour has come under frequent rocket attacks. The United States and the Philippines have agreed on five locations that American military forces can have access to under a 10-year security deal that comes amid rising tensions with China over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The two countries have been discussing where in the Philippines the U.S. forces could operate under the so-called Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). Under the deal struck Friday in Washington, the five agreed-to locations are Antonio Bautista Air Base, Basa Air Base, Fort Magsaysay, Lumbia Air Base and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base. "Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the U.S.-Philippines alliance, in terms of ensuring both countries' mutual defense and security, as well as jointly contributing to regional peace, stability and economic prosperity," State Department spokesman John Kirby said Friday. The bilateral EDCA was signed in 2014 but faced legal challenges from groups opposing a U.S. military presence. Earlier in January, the Philippine Supreme Court ruled that the bilateral defense agreement is consistent with the Philippine constitution, which was seen as a boost for U.S. efforts to reassert its presence in Asia. The agreement for U.S. military to have a presence in five Philippines bases came amid tensions between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea, where the countries have competing territorial claims. But the State Department cautioned that "no other nation in the region should take any other message away from this new agreement." "What it signals is our commitment to our alliance with the Philippines," Kirby said. The U.S.-Philippines Bilateral Strategic Dialogue was led by Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Amy Searight; and Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Evan Garcia and Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino for the government of the Philippines. The Obama administration is calling on Iran to free two U.S. citizens a father and son who are apparently being held in prison on charges that are unclear. Iranian authorities arrested businessman Siamak Namazi in October and his father, 80-year-old Baquer, last month. Both are dual U.S. and Iranian citizens. Their family believes they are being held in Tehran's notoriously brutal Evin prison. But Iran has not provided any information about the two. State Department spokesman John Kirby said U.S. officials are deeply concerned about the Namazis. "We're not aware of any charges against either man and we believe that both reported detentions are unjust," Kirby said Friday. Kirby said the U.S. was calling on Iran to work with Swiss diplomats who represent U.S. interests in Tehran and free the two men as soon as possible so they can be reunited with their family. Secretary of State John Kerry said last month he was "engaged" in the Namazi case, but would not give any details. A recent research shows that Zimbabwe has not been adequately responding to rural-urban migration resulting in the continued marginalization of women regarding access to housing and other services. The research titled Unearthing exclusions: Towards more inclusive Zimbabwean cities, looked at gender equality in relation to womens experiences in urban areas. Consultant Sian Maseko told Studio 7 on the sidelines of a recent stakeholders meeting to disseminate some of the findings that the research was carried out in two residential areas each in Bulawayo, Harare and Kadoma, focusing on three main areas -- housing, services and violence. Maseko said one of the major findings of the research is that there is a serious housing shortage resulting in overcrowding, which in turn leaves women vulnerable. She said most of those in need of accommodation cannot afford to buy housing stands or houses, and women remain disenfranchised owing to a number of institutional hindrances, as well as corruption, barring them from accessing housing services as individuals. On service provision, Maseko said the research also showed that government had not been well-prepared for the post-independence surge in rural-to-urban migration, which put a strain on infrastructure and services, especially water as well as sanitation. One of the most critical things is that urban spaces were designed for single men who were working in those areas, and then post-independence that shifted. They became areas for families, households and thriving communities, and also in the cases of Mbare and Makokoba, centres of businesses and informal trading. This is looking at whether these areas had responded to that shift and the extent to which gender inequality had changed in any way. INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECT The research, done over a three-year period from 2013, was part an international research project called Safe and inclusive cities and was carried out by the Womens Law Centre at the University of Zimbabwe, in collaboration with Oxfam Canada, and was led by Professor Julie Stewart. Rosalie Katsande, a PhD candidate with the Womens Law Centre, and co-lead researcher, said there were many similarities in the areas in which the study was undertaken. Its amazing how the findings duplicate themselves in the three cities, I think basically due to the historical factor, going back into pre-independence and post-independence. I think you can equate Mbare to Makokoba and even Rimuka in Kadoma because these are pre-independence settlements or townships as they are commonly referred to. "So its the same issues of over-crowding; several families living in one room. I cant call them houses. These are rooms that were meant for single men, but now they are accommodating families, said Katsande. Turning to the issue of violence, Maseko said although the research also showed that women consider interpersonal violence as a serious problem, many of the other problems that they ranked above it are part of what is known as structural violence, which is described as everyday violence, or part of the normative fabric in social and political life. She said there was a link between interpersonal violence particularly domestic - and structural violence involving access to justice, adding that structural violence worsens domestic violence. Maseko said, I think the key findings are around the fact that structural violence is pervasive and very complex and particularly in terms of women and their experiences with institutions, accessing services, accessing houses, all of these components. I think one of the clearest examples of what we mean by structural violence is around accessing justice but particularly reporting to the police: there is a common story that we have heard time-and-time again A number of women spoke about experiencing violence from their partner and going to the police to report this case and the police telling them to go home and bring the husband, so that they can talk to him or arrest him. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Maseko said the research also found that there was a correlation between mens unemployment and increase in domestic violence with some women revealing that their husbands loss of jobs meant that the husbands stayed at home more limiting their freedom to also engage in income generating projects and help look after their families. Sithabiso Ndhlovu, another researcher in the project, said although civic organisations have often come up with various ventures aimed at assisting ordinary women and other vulnerable groups, some of the women interviewed in the study said the NGOs interventions are often ineffective and create problems in other instances. They felt that civic society organisations had envisaged problems in their offices that had nothing to do with particular communities. Another problem which they also mentioned was that civic society organisations are sometimes associated with opposition politics, so sometimes when community members participate in their activities, it can be concluded that they are now members of the opposition. So this means that the coming in of these organisations into the communities is creating problems. The research further revealed that despite the many problems that they face in their daily lives, women have developed a range of mechanisms in order to cope. The researchers say they will share their findings with policy-makers so as to help ensure that the problems identified in the research can be addressed. Zanu PF and opposition party officials say it may be difficult to recover $15 billion in potential diamond revenue, which was allegedly looted in Zimbabwe. Speaking in a political panel, Nick Mangwana of Zanu PF and George Mkhwanazi of the Peoples Democratic Party led by Tendai Biti, agreed that plugging diamond mining loopholes is an insurmountable task. Mkhwanazi said Biti, who is Zimbabwes former finance minister, tried in vain to inform President Robert Mugabes government about the leakages in the mining of diamonds in Manicaland. But Mangwana said it is untrue that Zanu PF always wanted to work against Biti. I agree with him on many issues but what I dont agree with him is this idea that Tendai Biti was some miracle worker who was picking up bits and pieces and everything was done to sabotage him because even after 2013 and we are in 2016 no money or substantial amount of money went into the fiscus, nothing went to the exchequer so it wasnt about Tendai Biti It wasnt about the GNU (Government of National Unity), it was because there were holes, it was because there were loopholes and those loopholes remain because we are new in this diamond trade, said Mangwana. He said the government should tighten the situation in the mining of diamonds in Manicaland in order to benefit from the mining of diamonds. Mkhwanazi noted that leakages in the mining of diamonds can only be stopped if there is political will. But as long as there are some people who are benefiting from the leakages, they will be deliberately allowed to continue. He further said it was possible to identify the people who are linked to the alleged looting of the diamonds. It is possible as long as they know who was put where to do what then they should retrace their steps and see whether those people were doing their job What is it that went through their fingers what was not supposed to do so and then they hold each person in an area where they were deployed to account for all the leakages that happened under their nose. They should be able to identify these people and bring them to book. If the Chinese managed to spirit out these diamonds into their country or elsewhere where they sold them surely there must be a way to make them to account and return our resources. But Mangwana said it was impossible to identify the culprits and force them to put some kind of restitution. (Its) very unlikely the nature of the crime was to make sure that the water was as muddy as possible. We have got reports of an airstrip where nothing was going through customs people were just spiriting straight from the mines into the planes. He said the pilfering of diamonds was done by criminals, who should be brought to book, noting that the major stumbling block is that some Zimbabweans could have connived in the stealing process while at the same time some were too inept to handle diamond processes. President Mugabe announced recently that his government only received about $2 billion in dimond revenue from Manicaland diamond fields. All companies mining diamonds have been ordered to cease operations. Funeral Announcements A daily list of current funeral annoucements as heard on KXRA 1490 AM/100.3 FM News Updates The daily news, sports, and events delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Sports Update This current sports headlines delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Upcoming Events This email is the events of the area delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Breaking News The big news. Sent only as it happens. The title of this article is intended to be ironic because of course the Red Army did play the predominant role in destroying Nazi Germany during World War II. You would not know it, however, reading the western Mainstream Media (MSM), or watching television, or going to the cinema in the west where the Soviet role in the war has almost entirely disappeared. If in the West the Red Army is largely absent from World War II, the Soviet Unions responsibility for igniting the war is omnipresent. The MSM and western politicians tend to regard the Nazi invasion of the USSR in June 1941 as the Soviet Unions just reward for the 1939 Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact. As British Prime Minister Winston Churchill put it, the USSR brought their own fate upon themselves when by their Pact with [Joachim von] Ribbentrop they let Hitler loose on Poland and so started the war Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi invasion of the USSR, was Stalins fault and therefore an expatiation of sins, so that Soviet resistance should not be viewed as anything more than penitence. Whereas France and Britain appeased Nazi Germany, one MSM commentator recently noted, the USSR collaborated with Hitler. You see how western propaganda works, and its none too subtle. Just watch for the key words and read between the lines. France and Britain were innocents in the woods, who unwisely appeased Hitler in hopes of preserving European peace. On the other hand, the totalitarian Stalin collaborated with the totalitarian Hitler to encourage war, not preserve the peace. Stalin not only collaborated with Hitler, the USSR and Nazi Germany were allies who carved up Europe. The USSR was the wolf; the West was the lamb. These are not only metaphors of the English-speaking world; France 2 has promoted the same narrative in the much publicised television series, Apocalypse (2010) and Apocalypse Staline (2015) [1]. World War II erupted because of the non-aggression pact, that dirty deal, which marked the beginning of the short-lived alliance of the two totalitarian states. Hitler and Stalin each had a foot in the same boot. MSM journalists like to underscore Stalins duplicity by pointing to the abortive Anglo-Franco-Soviet negotiations in the summer of 1939 to create an anti-Nazi alliance. No wonder they failed, how could the naive French and British, the lambs, think they could strike a deal with Stalin, the wolf? Even professional historians sometimes take this line: the 1939 negotiations failed because of Soviet intransigence and duplicity. If ever Pot called Kettle black, this has to be it. And of course the trope of the Pot and the Kettle is a frequent device of western or MSM propaganda to blacken the USSR and, by implication, to blacken the Russian Federation and its president Vladimir Putin. There is just one problem with the western approach: the MSM journalist or western politician or historian who wants to incriminate Stalin for igniting World War II has one large obstacle in the way, the facts. Not that facts ever bother skilled propagandists, but still, perhaps, the average citizen in the West may yet have an interest in them. Consider just a few of the facts that the West likes to forget. It was the USSR which first rang the alarm bells in 1933 about the Nazi threat to European peace. Maksim M. Litvinov, the Commissar for Foreign Affairs, became the chief Soviet proponent of collective security in Europe. He warned over and over again of the danger: Nazi Germany is a mad dog, he said in 1934, that cant be trusted with whom no agreements can be made, and whose ambition can only be checked by a ring of determined neighbours. That sounds about right, doesnt it? Litvinov was the first European statesman to conceive of a grand alliance against Nazi Germany, based on the World War I coalition against Wilhelmine Germany. Soviet would-be allies, France, Britain, the United States, Romania, Yugoslavia, even fascist Italy, all fell away, one after the other, during the mid-1930s. Even Poland, Litvinov hoped, could be attracted to collective security. Unlike the other reluctant powers, Poland never showed the slightest interest in Litvinovs proposals and sought to undermine collective security right up until the beginning of the war. Litvinov reminds me of Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in his thankless dealings with the Russophobic West. During the interwar years, the Russophobia was mixed with Sovietophobia: it was a clash of two worlds between the West and the USSR, the Silent Conflict, Litvinov called it. When things were going badly, Litvinov appears occasionally to have sought consolation in Greek mythology and the story of Sisyphus, the Greek king, doomed by Zeus to push forever a large rock to the top of a mountain, only to see it fall back down each time. Like Sisyphus, Litvinov was condemned to pointless efforts and endless frustration. So too, it seems, is Lavrov. The French philosopher, Albert Camus, imagined that Sisyphus was happy in his struggles, but thats an existentialist philosopher for you, and Camus never had to deal with that damned rock. Litvinov did, and never could stick it on the mountaintop. My point is that it was the West, notably the United States, Britain, and France yes, thats right, the same old gang which dismissed Litvinovs repeated warnings and spurned his efforts to organise a grand alliance against Nazi Germany. Dominated by conservative elites, often sympathetic to fascism, the French and British governments looked for ways to get on with Nazi Germany, rather than to go all out to prepare their defences against it. Of course, there were white crows, as one Soviet diplomat called them, who recognised the Nazi threat to European security and wanted to cooperate with the USSR, but they were only a powerless minority. The MSM wont tell you much about the widespread sympathy for fascism amongst conservative European elites. Its like the dirty secrets of the family in the big house at the top of the hill. Poland also played a despicable role in the 1930s, though the MSM wont tell you about that either. The Polish government signed a non-aggression pact with Germany in 1934, and in subsequent years sabotaged Litvinovs efforts to build an anti-Nazi alliance. In 1938 it sided with Nazi Germany against Czechoslovakia and participated in the carve-up of that country sanctioned by the Munich accords on 30 September 1938. Its a day the West likes to forget. Poland was thus a Nazi collaborator and an aggressor state in 1938 before it became a victim of aggression in 1939. By early 1939, Litvinov had been rolling his rock (lets call it collective security) up that wretched mountain for more than five years. Stalin, who was no Albert Camus, and not happy about being repeatedly spurned by the West, gave Litvinov one last chance to obtain an alliance with France and Britain. This was in April 1939. The craven French, rotted by fascist sympathies, had forgotten how to identify and protect their national interests, while the British stalled Litvinov, sneering at him behind his back. So Sisyphus-Litvinovs rock fell to the bottom of the mountain one last time. Enough, thought Stalin, and he sacked Litvinov and brought in the tougher Vyacheslav M. Molotov. Still, for a few more months, Molotov tried to stick the rock on the mountaintop, and still it fell back again. In May 1939 Molotov even offered support to Poland, quickly rejected by Warsaw. Had the Poles lost their senses; did they ever have any? When British and French delegations arrived in Moscow in August to discuss an anti-Nazi alliance, you might think they would have been serious about getting down to business. War was expected to break out at any time. But no, not even then: British instructions were to go very slowly. The delegations did too. It took them five days to get to Russia in an old, chartered merchantman, making a top speed of 13 knots. The British head of delegation did not have written powers giving him authority to conclude an agreement with his Soviet partners. For Stalin, that must have been the camel breaking straw. The Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact was signed on 23 August 1939. The failure of the negotiations with the British and French led to the non-aggression pact, rather than the other way around. Sauve qui peut motivated Soviet policy, never a good idea in the face of danger, but far from the MSMs narrative explaining the origins of World War II. Good old Perfidious Albion acted duplicitously to the very end. During the summer of 1939 British government officials still negotiated for a deal with German counterparts, as if no one in Moscow would notice. And that was not all, the British prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, boasted privately to one of his sisters about how he would fool Moscow and get around the Soviet insistence on a genuine war-fighting alliance against Nazi Germany. So who betrayed who? Historians may debate whether Stalin made the right decision or not in concluding the non-aggression pact. But with potential partners like France and Britain, one can understand why sauve qui peut looked like the only decent option in August 1939. And this brings us back to Pot calling Kettle black. The West foisted off its own responsibilities in setting off World War II onto Stalin and the Soviet Union. (To be continued) In September 2015, close to 3,000 Syrian refugees began a march toward Edirne, which is Turkeys open door to Europe. Their objective was to cross the frontier and walk to Germany. Normally, the Turkish police forbids any form of meeting even three people but this time they simply watched as the long line of the 3,000 Syrian refugees shuffled by. At first we were unable to understand the reason for this show of tolerance, but very quickly, it became clear that it was a signal sent to Europe. Two months later, in November, the G20 summit met in Antalya, and bargaining about the refugees occupied the negotiating table. We understand that Recep Tayyip Erdogan wanted to sit at the table with a strong hand. He was basically saying - If you dont do what I want, Ill open the borders and youll see what youll see. It was a filthy bargaining chip, and it seems that the European capitals had no other choice than to accept his bluff. When the G20 met, the Western leaders found themselves faced with a Turkish President who was quite openly using blackmail. The account of the haggling was published by the Greek site Euro2day.gr, and the content was used ostentatiously by Mr. Erdogan to build himself a showcase for his own interior politics. According to the accounts, the bargaining between the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and the Turkish President took place as follows - Donald Tusk : We have agreed to pay 3 billion Euros over two years, but I have just learned that [Ahmet] Davutoglu, the Turkish Prime Minister, wants 3 billion per year. Recep Tayyip Erdogan : If youre thinking of only paying 3 billion over two years, theres no point talking about it, well just open the borders with Greece and Bulgaria and well load the refugees into buses. Donald Tusk : The European Union is in difficulty [since the terrorist attacks of the 13th November 2015 in France], and the Schengen agreements run the risk of being cancelled. Thats why we want to reach an agreement with you Recep Tayyip Erdogan : If we cant reach an agreement, how are you going to stop the refugees? Are you going to kill them? This dialogue demonstrates Mr. Erdogans patronising attitude, but the really tragic dialogue came later in the same meeting, between Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, and the Turkish President. The Commission had twice postponed the publication of the report on the erosion of Human Rights and fundamental freedoms in Turkey. It was a gift offered to Mr Erdogan, who was then preparing for the 1st November elections. In the accounts of the Antalya summit, we note that Mr. Juncker clearly recognised this, declaring: The postponement of this evaluation until after the elections was critical. Once again, Erdogan looked down his nose: The postponement did not help us to win the elections. In fact, the report is an insult. Who wrote it? Why didnt you come to see me to learn whats really happening? Jean-Claude Juncker replied: It was you who asked us to postpone the publication of the report. I feel as if Ive been manipulated. Europe had indeed been manipulated. It had proposed a bribe of 3 billion Euros to Turkey to keep its borders closed, and had promised to close its eyes to the despotic regime of Mr. Erdogan. But the Turkish President had understood the impossible situation in which his interlocutors found themselves. He wasnt satisfied with the postponement of the publication of the report, nor the offer of 3 billion Euros, he wanted not only 3 billion more, but also even more complaisant silence and he got it all. On the day the minutes of the meeting were published, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, was in Ankara. During the joint Press conference organised with Davutoglu, the correspondant from Die Welt reminded the Chancellor of her prevuious criticism of Turkey, and asked her why she had chosen to keep silent. Mme. Merkel off-handedly replied that the point had already been discussed. As for Davutoglu, he declared: The fact that you ask this question is proof of the freedom of Press which exists here in Turkey. Indeed, in Turkey, journalists were free to ask questions, on the condition that they run the risk of losing their job or going to prison. This situation has made Turkey into one of the largest prisons for journalists in the world. Lies While Davutoglu declared that ... in Turkey, no journalist is in prison because of his journalistic activities, I was sitting in front of the television in the prison to which I had been sent for having published information concerning the delivery of arms to Syria by the Turkish secret services. And in the isolation of my cell, I shouted: What a huge lie! It is true that two weeks after this Press conference, the Constitutional Court decided that we were to be released on conditional liberty, on the grounds that we had done nothing other than our jobs as journalists. In hindsight, we see a Turkish Prime Minister who lied to Europe and a German Chancellor who gave the impression that she believed his lies. Turkey, which fought its war of independence against the occupying forces of the West, was nonetheless founded on the basis of Western values. Its leader, Ataturk , built this young Republic on European values, beginning with secularism. Turkish democrats have always proclaimed Western values - freedom, the supremacy of law, Human Rights, secularism. As for Mr. Erdogan, during an interview he accorded to journalist Nilgun Cerrahoglu in 1996, he declared: Democracy is a tramway you climb on to get where you want to go, and then you climb off. Today, twenty years later, it is with sadness that we must watch European leaders rushing towards the tramway from which Erdogan has just descended, abandoning beside the tracks all those in Turkey who adhere to these democratic values. The West is sacrificing its historic principles for the profit of its daily interests, and as a result of this double game, is losing all its natural allies. By saying : Keep those refugees away from us and do whatever you like at home, Europe is hiring a concentration camp outside of its own frontiers, and is closing its eyes to the oppression exerted by the willing guardian of the camp. This is not only a shameful thing for the West, it is also shameful for Humanity. This is not a fight between the West and the East, nor a fight between Europe and Turkey, its a fight between those, whether in the West or the East, who believe in the freedom of the Press, in Human Rights, in Democracy, and those who trample on these freedoms. If these people are beaten, the losers will not only be the Democrats of Turkey, but all of those universal values like secularism, the equality between men and women, freedom of thought, and the independence of justice . In case of defeat, Europe will have increasing difficulty in defending its frontiers from the pressure of despots which it created with its own hands. Photo: Steve Granitz/Getty Images Some actresses arrive at the Independent Spirit Awards wearing couture gowns that cost more than the nominated films. Then theres Krisha Fairchild, star of the tiny movie Krisha, out today. In her mid-60s, with long white hair framing a handsome face unmarred by nips and tucks, Fairchild showed up to the swanky beachside soiree in a billowy red caftan, which looked leagues more comfortable than the body-conscious frocks worn by many an ingenue. And while she was working her look, the only regret Fairchild had is that she didnt get to hear that famous question posed by red-carpet reporters, Who are you wearing? I walked past them and nobody asked me! Fairchild laughed. I was gonna say, Its eBay. Related Stories Krisha Is Not Your Ordinary Family-Holiday Psychodrama She may not be a young up-and-comer clad in Prada or Marchesa, but Fairchild still has the lead in one of the most striking film debuts in years, and it bears her name. Written and directed by Trey Edward Shults, Krisha stars Fairchild as a woman wrestling with a very tenuous grip on her sobriety during a Thanksgiving-set family reunion, where long-held resentments finally come to the fore. Sympathetic and hallucinogenic, the film has been widely hailed since its award-winning South by Southwest premiere last year Manohla Dargis just called it an expressionistic tour de force in the Times, and our David Edelstein loved it and its a family affair, too: Shults is Fairchilds nephew, and she co-stars in the film with her sister Robyn, whose Houston house Krisha was shot in. The three of them made their way to the Spirit Awards last month in Santa Monica Its like the Clampetts go to Hollywood, said Fairchild and while Shults and his mother mingled, Fairchild sized up the young actresses whod clearly gotten their dresses from a stylist, not an online-auction site. Some of them are very comfortable within their choices and some of them are not, and it seems to be proportional to how much skin is showing, said Fairchild with a warm, knowing smile. But when they look around at other people, you can see their insecurities, their fears. I love to observe the difference between a persona and whats actually going on beneath a person. That ability serves her well in Krisha, where her character puts on a brave face to greet the family members she abandoned years ago, then slowly lets that mask slip as fear, self-pity, and substances wreak havoc on her psyche. The confrontations that ensue are scalding almost as if August: Osage County were remade with the intimacy of a home movie and theyre all too familiar to Fairchild and Shults, who watched a family member struggle with her addictions during a Christmas get-together in 2011. We were grieving her already. She was like a dead woman walking, said Fairchild. Within two months, she had overdosed and died, and Trey went into his room, closed the door, and wrote. A former intern for filmmaker Terrence Malick, Shults spent the summer of 2012 trying to shoot Krisha, but its first incarnation crumbled. I had more of an ego then and was less collaborative, said Shults, whose shoestring budget also couldnt cover the equipment and actors the film sorely needed. Behind closed doors, I was having a nervous breakdown, because I felt we could make a really special movie here but it wasnt happening. We were getting some nice stuff, but not enough to make a feature-length film. Instead, Shults cut his feature film into a short, and after it won an award at South by Southwest, producer Justin Chan encouraged him to tackle the movie anew. The second time around, as the family gathered to shoot Krisha again, everything finally fell into place and the making of the movie served as a cathartic relief for both Shults and his actors. It was the best week of any of our lives because it had the most healing and the most closure, said Fairchild. There were scenes that we filmed and afterwards, we had to hold each other. Submitted again to South by Southwest, the feature-length version of Krisha won the festivals top prize and was picked up by hot distributor A24, and as the film enters limited release this weekend, it may also provide a second chance for Fairchild, who came to Hollywood as a young actress and left frustrated not long after. Thirty years ago I bolted from all of this and went to live a gentle, peaceful, Zen kind of life, she said. I worked on who I was as a person, I worked on my spirituality. I was no longer just the characters that I built, or the facade that I worked on. Thats why I like to watch facades I look at these young women and I think, I wonder who theyre gonna be. They may know who they want to be, but they certainly dont know who theyre gonna be. And if Hollywood comes calling now that Fairchild has finally figured herself out? I would love the opportunity to play some multidimensional characters before I die, she said. I know Ive got a lot going against me. Im big, Im old, and Im a woman. There you go, three strikes! But Shults demurred as his family walked towards the big tent where the Spirits were about to take place. I always believed Krisha was a great actor, he said. She just needed to have great roles to play. Photo: Randall Michelson/Getty Images A funny thing that Shults and Fairchild learned on the festival circuit is that a film can qualify for the Independent Spirits before its actually been released. Thats how Krisha ended up with a nomination for the Spirits John Cassavetes award, honoring films made for less than $500,000. As excited as Shults was about that nod, he wasnt expecting a win, so when presenter Juno Temple opened the envelope and called out the films name, Shults and his family took to the stage, stunned. [This movie] was nothing but family and friends, and it was the most beautiful experience of my life, Shults said at the microphone as his mother and aunt beamed behind him. And this is a beautiful way to end it. As they returned to their seats, Fairchild and her sister Robyn were dumbstruck. Im not even on the Earth! said Robyn. Did that just happen? I dont even know what I said up there, confessed Shults. His star, on the other hand, knew exactly what shed done with her major moment. I think I yelled something at a young actress, said Fairchild, with barely disguised glee. She was looking at me funny and I said, Im old! And Im the lead in this movie! The Passion. Photo: Michael Becker / FOX If you miss Foxs live special The Passion this Sunday, dont worry it wont be disappearing in three days. Deadline reports that Netflix has picked up streaming rights to the special, which tells the story of the crucifixion of Jesus through contemporary pop music. Netflix has international rights to the event, which will start streaming in other countries on Monday. (The Netherlands, where the concept originated, is the only exception.) U.S. audiences will have to wait until March 25 hopefully, they will not deny it three times before then. Ron Swanson, the stoic, mustachioed libertarian parks director in Parks and Recreation, is a man of few words. Nick Offerman, the currently bushy-bearded actor who played him, shares a few of his characters famous qualities his slow-train cadence, his love of woodworking. But as we learned last night at the National Book Critics Circle Awards, he is not pithy. The NBCC gave this years lifetime achievement award to Wendell Berry, the prominent agrarian novelist and essayist, and Berry happens to be profiled in Offermans own book, Gumption, a collection of profiles of his personal heroes. Offerman, who also co-produced a new documentary on Berry, was brought in to introduce his idol and maybe glam up the New School auditorium just a tick. In the event, he gave a speech to which attention must be paid. Below, in full, are those remarks, wherein Ron Swanson meets, well, a smart actor who spent a lot of time on a speech. Theres something for everyone: farm humor, crying jags, marriage metaphors, Kentucky vistas, Socrates, human kindness, Keats, a takedown of Edward O. Wilson, and, of course, the Declaration of Independence (which is shorter than this speech). Thank you kindly. I would like to sincerely thank the board and the members of the National Book Critics Circle, not to be confused with NBC, for inviting me to introduce this years lifetime achievement award, being presented to Mr. Wendell Berry. I consider it an intense privilege and hope that Ive taken a tolerable stab at what was intended by business casual. Mr. Berry has been around for 81 years or so, and in that time hes given us eight novels, several dozen short stories, 28 volumes of poetry, and 31 books of nonfiction. Tonight were celebrating a man who apparently does not like to take a nap. The list of accolades already bestowed upon him and his writing is chock full of richly deserved reverence and gratitude; its as long as my arm and would no doubt be as tedious for me to enumerate as it would be delightful for me to skip. The kinds of awards with words in their titles like National, Poet, Guggenheim, Kentuckian, Humanities, Stegner, Servant, and Jefferson. The types of awards that will get your hand shaken by the president and by people even smarter than that. Now I dont personally know Wendell Berry that well, but I have had the pleasure to get to know him a little bit. Well enough to know that there are likely things hed rather be doing than sitting in a New York auditorium listening to a kid from Illinois pay him compliments. I also happen to know that some new lambs are arriving imminently in Kentucky, their farmyard itinerary inexorably unfolding fully heedless of the possible pertinence of these my remarks. I would reassure the lambs if I could that this to-do was not my idea. But to the matter at hand, Wendell, Im sorry to put you through this but I ought to point out that its you alone whove made your bed and Im afraid youre going to have to sleep in it with me. I first wrote a letter to Mr. Berry in 1995 asking his permission to let me adapt his story Fidelity into a film. He said no. Im an actor first, so I was of course able to take that as a compliment, and thus our acquaintance has survived. Ladies and gentlemen, to my way of thinking, this exceptional lifetime achievement as farmer, poet, husband, citizen, novelist, neighbor, essayist, father, son, grandfather, pacifist, brother, and fisherman, with the disposition of a philosopher king, would not have so occurred had it not been for two imperative life choices. The first and most consequential of these was of course his marriage to his wife Tanya in 1957. I misspoke when I said that he alone had made his bed, because he and Tanya have tucked in the bedclothes together now for nigh on 60 years. Theyve each been responsible for 50 percent of the bed-making and if there has in fact been any deviation from that ratio, well, thats their business. Theyre still together so they clearly must have hit upon an accord of some stripe. However, as Mr. Berry is to be rightly and fulsomely lauded for the achievements he has compiled, I vowed that his marriage must be cited in the same breath, for in many ways marriage and fidelity are the central themes at the root of Mr. Berrys lifes work. Literal marriage between two people yes, but also our undeniable betrothal to the natural world and our responsibilities to that bed as well. As he tells us in his essay The Body and the Earth: No matter how much one may love the world as a whole, we can live fully in it only by living responsibly in some small part of it. Where we live and who we live there with define the terms of our relationship to the world and to humanity. We thus come again to the paradox that one can become whole only by the responsible acceptance of ones partiality. Now, I have to apologize to you for having the temerity to choose a passage of Mr. Berrys text to read out loud. Its not that it isnt beautifully wrought. Its just that with every word I transcribe Im then reminded of two other passages Id love to tell you about plus a song from Burley Coulter. And then I begin to cry I suppose with gratitude, although the true source of my emotion is perhaps beyond my comprehension. It feels like coming home after a long time away, if youre lucky enough to live in a home made by the kind of people in his stories of the Port William Membership. Like youre coming home to the Feltners. The sort of crying that feels really good and lets please leave it at that. I also know that Mr. Berry doesnt like to hear his stuff out loud, so I apologize to him as well and Ill try to keep it to a minimum. Trying to live in a manner that pays fealty to our marriages in every sense of the word continues to become more and more of a conundrum with each passing year, in a world lousy with innovation, isolationism, and rampant consumerism. As our gentle reporter, sometimes frank, sometimes outraged, sometimes lyrical but always honest, staunch, patient, and so observant, Mr. Berry has had more than enough fodder to fuel his prolific output as he has remained married both as a husband and in his husbandry to the pastoral acres of his family farm in Henry County, Kentucky. Which brings me to the second imperative life choice. After an exciting early career of writing and teaching, including stints from Stanford to Italy and France to New York City, Wendell Berry realized that he would prefer to lace up his boots and roll up his sleeves and perform his lifes work in the home place and with the home people he knew best. More than that, it now seems clear that his work was only going to fully blossom if he was gazing through a 40-pane window overlooking the Kentucky River. What a good and wise choice he made. He applied his life to his home and his home in turn applied his life to him, and theyre still dancing together. The fruits of his fidelity are clearly printed, widely available, and are the reason were here to crow about him tonight. I recognize that I should begin to head us back into shore, since my introduction cannot help but be insufficient. How could one hope to succeed in such a task? Ladies and gentleman, I give you the Mississippi River! Our humble honoree would no doubt claim that he himself has not yet succeeded in covering everything there is to illuminate, but those of us paying attention would have to argue that hes taken a pretty damn fine swing at it and hes not yet hung up his cleats. Mr. Berrys book Life Is a Miracle contains, among other things, a very thoughtful refutation of another book by Edward O. Wilson entitled Consilience. Before delivering Mr. Wilson one of the most considerate ass-kickings Ive ever read, Mr. Berry makes this disclaimer. Im aware how brash this commentary will seem coming from me who have no competence or learning in science. The issue Im attempting to deal with, however, is not knowledge but ignorance. In ignorance I believe I may pronounce myself a fair expert. He steadfastly reminds us first that were human and therefore fallible. Then he reminds us that we can never know anything, and so we must make a go of it in our half knowledge. And with this as our starting point, why then dont we slow down a minute and love one another? As he so sweetly states, it all turns on affection. Dear Mr. Berry, if you are ignorant, then what on Gods green earth are we, your ardent students and fans? I guess were to understand that you are ignorant like Socrates was ignorant. What did the rest of us do when we first comprehended the odes of Keats? When we heard the triumph of Beethovens Eroica symphony? When we beheld the newly inked Declaration of Independence? When faced with the enormity of such moments of inspired human goodness, theres little to do but applaud through our delighted laughter and tears, and pay heed to these signposts so erected that we too may see the path, so that we might enlighten rather than destroy, so that we may each do our best to leave our small place on earth nicer than we found it. We like people to tell it like it is. Those who most effectively wield this ability, gently holding up a mirror to ourselves with patience, creativity and compassion, comprise the body of women and men whom we consider to be our best writers, the select few whose gift allows all humanity to feel that this writing is specifically referring to them alone. Tonight we want to make this writer feel our gratitude for the ways in which his telling of the truth has made us feel. When such a writer so skillfully imparts the very things that we have forgotten that we need to hear, with a candor that is sometimes tricky to register through the din of contemporary distractions, but once weve caught the tune of the thing and felt it thrilling our very blood, to epiphany and stark understanding, then we call that writer Wendell Berry and we say thank you for your lifetime achievement. Ladies and gentlemen, Wendell Berry. Rian Johnson. Photo: Stuart C. Wilson/2015 Getty Images Star Wars: Episode VIII writer-director Rian Johnson has hit the level of fame where his name is preceded by the words Star Wars: Episode VIII writer-director, but according to a lawsuit from his former agent Ben Dreyfuss, he literally hasnt paid his dues along the way. The suit, filed yesterday, alleges that Johnson owes Dreyfuss a commission for Star Wars VIII. Dreyfuss represented Johnson early in his career, through projects like Brick and Breaking Bad, and in the suit, he alleges that he helped set up early meetings in 2012 and 2014 between Johnson and Lucasfilms Kathleen Kennedy, though Johnson said he wasnt interested in a Star Wars project the time. Later in 2014, Johnson fired Dreyfuss and, in early 2015, took the Star Wars job. The suit claims that producer Ram Bergman pushed Johnson to cut out his former agent before signing on to the franchise. Dreyfusss suit centers on the grounds of breach of implied contract and asks both for damages and for 10 percent of all commissionable projects, including Star Wars. Neither Bergman nor Johnson have commented on the story. The Franklin Place apartment complex at Sixth Street and Franklin Avenue downtown is nearly full, and its retail space downstairs has attracted a retail shop, a restaurant and a Providence Healthcare System Express medical clinic for minor injuries and illnesses. A creation of Austin-based Realtex Development Corp., Franklin Place now has 63 living units spread over five stories, and the developer will break ground soon on a second phase that will feature 94 units, an underground parking garage and an expansion of the fitness center and common area, Realtex Chief Operating Officer Roland Broussard said by phone Friday. The two phases combined represent an investment of $23 million on the part of Realtex, which has received $1.3 million in funding from Wacos Tax Increment Financing Zone fund. Without that money and the commitment it represents from city leaders, Realtex probably would not have proceeded with Franklin Place, Broussard said. We had been watching Waco for a couple of years and anticipated the growth we have seen, especially in the downtown area, he said. Waco is a major hub between Dallas and Austin, which is growing tremendously toward Waco, and we knew efforts were underway to make downtown pedestrian-friendly. He added that Realtex liked what it was seeing with the arrival of new restaurants, stores and lofts and wanted to be part of it. The Franklin Place project initially moved forward about six years ago under the leadership of developer Shane Turner, who demolished seven older buildings in the block bounded by Franklin and Mary avenues and Sixth and Seventh streets. Turner eventually left Franklin Place in the hands of Realtex Development and moved on to tackle other ventures with his brother, Cody, including the renovation of the Waco Hippodrome at 724 Austin Ave. We got out of that a while ago, but it does look good and is performing as we expected, Turner said of Franklin Place. Lynette Bonge, business manager at Franklin Place, said all but one of the 63 units in Phase 1 has been leased. I have folks from all walks of life here, including professionals that work downtown, attorneys, doctors and nurses, graduate students who are trying to further their education, massage therapists and a lot of people who work at Baylor, Bonge said. What they apparently have in common is a love for downtown living. Wacos downtown has been lost for so long, but now its on the rise and offers the opportunity to live, work and spend leisure time within a concentrated area. The one-bedroom apartments range in price from $825 to $1,000 a month, while two-bedroom units range from $1,149 to $1,500. As I said, Im down to one available unit, Bonge said. I turn folks away every day wanting a one-bedroom unit. Ill be glad when Phase 2 is complete. Phase 2 progress Ground should turn soon for that second phase, Broussard said. We have the construction lender signed on the dotted line, permits to pull and shovels at the ready, he said. Now were negotiating with the equity investor who will partner with us and provide long-term financing. Broussard said work could begin by summer and that, weather permitting, construction could wrap up in 12 to 18 months. Phase 2 will include the completion of more than 90 living units and a parking garage, and an expansion of the fitness and public areas. Franklin Place recently leased retail space to Mainstream Boutique, which calls itself a multigenerational clothing store for women. Chelsea Parker, a Baylor University graduate, serves as the local franchisee for the chain, where most items sell for $15 to $40, according to the company website. Cantina Cafe, whose specialty is Mediterranean cuisine, is renovating space with an eye toward opening before summer. Meanwhile, Providence Healthcare System is taking two spaces on the ground floor in which it will place a minor-emergency facility called Providence Express Care Downtown. Providences Express Care centers serve patients suffering from fever, colds and flu; minor cuts requiring stitches; urinary tract infections; earaches and sore throats; mild complications from hypertension, diabetes and asthma; skin rashes and irritation; and sprains. They are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. The downtown area of Waco has experienced great growth in recent years, yet health care options in the area remain limited, said Steven Province, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Providence. Aligned with our long-term strategic plan to expand access to health care across the Waco community and in surrounding areas, the new Providence Express Care location allows us to continue providing compassionate, high-quality care our community can trust. Providence has not yet announced a date to begin services at its new downtown clinic, though it will soon. Chris McGowan, who has started CMC Strategic, a consulting firm dedicated to real estate and urban development, said hes glad to see the clinic locating downtown. I think thats great. Its an area underserved in terms of medical services, and obviously Providence recognizes that as an opportunity, McGowan said. It makes sense to add more services as we add more people to downtown. In the past five to seven years, close to 1,000 living units have been built there. At Interstate 35 near University Parks Drive, Premier ER is placing a privately operated emergency room that can treat more serious illnesses and injuries. At that same location, it will operate a Premier Urgent Care facility that will address less serious ailments between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily. With Providence taking two spots at Franklin Place, one spot is available for commercial use, and a hair salon is giving it consideration. A move by the engineering firm Walker Partners to the former Pioneer Savings and Loan building is a vote of confidence in a resurgent downtown, President George E. Jed Walker says. The marble-fronted building at 823 Washington Ave. has been empty since 1991, the low point of the savings-and-loan bust. Last week Walker bought it from businessman Gordon Robinson, taking it off the dwindling list of vacant downtown buildings. Walker intends to renovate the building during the next year and move in about 30 surveyors and engineers, leaving room for a potential leased space for another professional firm. Walker, who currently leases office space on Austin Avenue, said he never considered moving out of the central business district. We like being downtown, Walker said. Since we moved here in 2004, weve all seen downtown transform. Its a fun place to work, he said. There are restaurants and activities going on. There are a lot of places to get a cup of coffee with a client and places to go after work. Walker has retained Keith Bailey of RBDR Architects to design the remodel, which could include enclosing a covered carport on the back of the building to maximize space. But he said he doesnt plan to make radical alterations to the look of the building, which was erected for Pioneer Savings and Loans headquarters in 1955. The building is notable for its black and white marble exterior, its corner atrium, large windows and original floors of terrazzo and travertine. Its one of the few midcentury designs in downtown Waco, Walker said. Megan Henderson, executive director of City Center Waco, said shes pleased to see Walker making an investment in downtowns future and said it proves downtowns increasing appeal. It think its wonderful and makes a lot of sense, Henderson said. I agree that building has some really cool architectural features that make it unusual in downtown, and Im excited that (the owner) will be someone who appreciates that uniqueness and wants to play it up. Walker, a Waco native and Texas A&M graduate, left the Wallace Group in 2004 to start his own firm. He chose to lease from David Lacy at St. Charles Place at 600 Austin Ave., at a time when Austin Avenue was lined with empty buildings. When I moved down here I was a little leery, Walker said. I didnt know what to expect. But he said downtowns vibrancy has grown along with his own business, and it has proven to be a good environment for clients and employees. Senior project manager Nancy Nichols said she originally didnt feel safe walking around downtown, but now she walks to visit clients or get a bite to eat. I think things have really changed, Nichols said. Walker Partners clients include the city of Waco, which has hired the firm for major road, airport and utility improvements now underway. The company also is working on major projects for McLennan County and the cities of McGregor, Robinson and Bellmead. The firm, which has offices in Austin and Killeen, has about 350 active projects in the works in Central Texas, including work in Temple, Schertz, Seguin and Austin, where it is designing a major hike and bike system. Strong office market Bland Cromwell, commercial broker at Coldwell Banker Realtors, handled the sale of the Pioneer building. He said downtown has a strong office market, and tenants should be easy find both for the Pioneer building and for the space Walker leaves behind at St. Charles Place. Everything is getting absorbed, Cromwell said. The Pioneer building is a great fit for Jed, not only because of space and visibility but because it came with parking. The property has 46 parking spaces on-site, plus street parking. The building once housed both Pioneer Savings and Loan and a law firm upstairs. Pioneer, founded in Waco in 1922, built it in 1955 during a postwar housing boom that meant flush times for savings and loan businesses. Southwest Savings bought the company in 1987, but the company failed in 1991 during the savings and loan crisis. Its assets were sold to a Kilgore company that closed the branches in downtown and on Valley Mills Drive. Gordon Robinson said the building was a vacant pigeon roost when he bought it in 2008, along with most of the 800 block of Washington Avenue. Robinson said he bought the building to be able to control the property adjacent to his other investment, which includes the Baylor School of Social Work building. He was reluctant to sell it until Walker came along. It seemed like the right time and the right use, he said. I think it will be a fantastic addition to downtown. It was single-elimination at the Central Texas Spelling Bee on Friday as students from across the county vied to win a gold trophy and a trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Competition was fierce in the McLennan Community College lecture hall since the number of schools participating doubled from seven to 14 this year. But ultimately, Midway fourth-grader Sarah Khoury won with the word mistletoe after more than 35 rounds of spelling. Khoury will travel to Washington, D.C., in May to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The trip will be paid for by Audre Rapoport, president of the The Bernard & Audre Rapoport Foundation. Rapoport stepped in two years ago to sponsor the local competition and keep it from being discontinued. The local bee has gained momentum since its current organizer, Jo Ann Turner, took over this year. Turners twins, Anna and Jacob, won the regional spelling bee for the past two years, and the family wanted to ensure other students had the same opportunities they did. The twins were unable to attend Fridays bee, but Jo Ann Turner read the words to the spellers. First- through eighth-grade students are eligible to participate. Campuses host their own spelling bees and send the top two spellers. Turner said the earlier students start practicing and competing, the better. The longer they do it, the better they get and the farther they can go when they get there, she said. Khoury is a veteran speller who participates in University Interscholastic League competition and other local bees to get practice. She attends South Bosque Elementary School but said she does most of her studying at home. Her parents, Michael and Dawn Khoury, call out words for her. She also types them out on the computer, Sarah said. She just has a knack for spelling, Michael Khoury said. Turner said she hopes to see the event grow in the coming years. Rapoport Academy teachers Jill Palomino and Whitney Kohles brought their entire second-grade class to support their spellers. It was the first time Rapoport sent any participants. The district recently began a spelling club for students to practice and decided to send some spellers to the bee. It really just started as a fun club for kids to get extra spelling practice, Palomino said. Parkview Christian Academy sent a student for the first time, and Principal Amy Landers said theyll definitely participate again next year. Landers said she decided to join the bee because there arent many academic competitions, and the bee reaches a different set of children than some other extracurricular activities. The kids are really excited about it, she said. Arsenic has been known for centuries as rat poison, a pesticide for cotton and a weapon of choice for murder mysteries. At small doses it has been linked to cancer, skin and circulatory problems and possibly lower IQs in children. And in rural communities east of Waco, getting the toxic heavy metal out of the drinking water may carry a price thats hard to swallow. Water suppliers serving about 14,000 people in eastern McLennan County and neighboring Hill, Falls and Limestone counties use groundwater with arsenic levels that exceed federal standards of 10 parts per billion. Communities affected include Axtell, Riesel, Perry, Elk, Prairie Hill and Birome. A group of water suppliers have banded together to try to build a regional water system that would allow them to dilute their water with uncontaminated water, either from the city of Waco or an aquifer east of Groesbeck. But the solution will likely cause water rates to double or worse, officials with the coalition say. Its really going to escalate the cost of water, said Charles Beseda, president of the Falls-Hill-Limestone-McLennan Water Supply Corp., which is working toward the regional system. Everybody wants cheap water, but to get it treated and delivered, its going to cost a lot. The water systems had until 2015 under federal law to meet the arsenic standard, and several of them are now under state and federal enforcement and will face fines if they dont fix the problem by 2017. During the last five years, the FHLM group has been in discussions with the city of Waco about piping treated Lake Waco water to the affected area. But the city of Waco has been reluctant to serve communities outside McLennan County, which it has considered its long-term service area. $45 million system In February, the FHLM group submitted an application to the Texas Water Development Board for long-term financing to build a $45 million system that would transport water from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer in eastern Limestone County to the Axtell and Riesel area, branching out to Mt. Calm and Birome. The system would also branch west to Chalk Bluff, Ross and Gholson McLennan County communities that have no arsenic problems. The system would cost the average customer $724 a year, according to the TWDB application. But Beseda said that proposal is only one of several. He said members are still talking to the city of Waco and McLennan County for a possible solution. Waco has reached out to us again, he said. Were exploring all possibilities. Waco Deputy City Manager Wiley Stem said he talked late this week to engineers involved with the water supply corporations. He thinks Waco and McLennan County could work together to help solve the problem, at least within McLennan County. McLennan County, along with its cities and the Brazos River Authority, has a state grant to do a 1.5-year study for a countywide water system that would link water suppliers and expand rural service. County Judge Scott Felton heads the McLennan County Water Resource Group, which is doing the study. Felton said the group will meet with rural water suppliers at 6 p.m. March 31 at the Texas Farm Bureau headquarters, 7420 Fish Pond Road. Were going to use the WaterSmart grant to work on ways to have conjunctive use of all our water, including the lake, the Brazos River and the Trinity aquifer, Felton said. By having a feasible and sustainable water plan with connectivity all over the county, in the long run it will pay off in this county being able to meet peoples wishes to grow. Stem said the proposed county system appears to be the best bet for solving the arsenic problem in eastern McLennan County, as well as providing a long-term, reliable source of water for the area. But he said the approaching regulatory deadlines may require local governments to work together to find an interim solution within the next year or so. The problem is timing, he said. EPA wants them to have a backup plan. Beseda said the long-term solution may lie in building two regional systems, with Lake Waco serving McLennan County and the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer serving other counties. He said filtration systems are another option, but that could cost local water supply corporations millions of dollars and wouldnt provide any additional water supply. Beseda, who is general manager of the Birome Water Supply Corp., said he is seeing groundwater levels drop 14 feet a year, endangering both the quality and quantity of future water. The arsenic is getting worse as we pump the aquifer down, he said. Beseda said the water suppliers will likely have to make a decision by June, when more detailed applications are due to the Texas Water Development Board. For the superintendent of Axtell Independent School District, the question of whether the water at his school is safe to drink is more than academic. J.R. Proctor is aware that the state of Texas advises that people in Axtell and other communities with groundwater exceeding the federal arsenic limit do not need to use an alternative water supply and do not face an immediate health threat. Thats what the public notice from the Axtell Water Supply Corp. states in regular bulletins, and as a result Proctor has not insisted that the school filter or find an alternative source for the water in its fountains and cafeteria. But Proctor was concerned this week when an environmental group took the state to task for downplaying the health risks of arsenic. The Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Integrity Project issued a report showing that 51,000 Texans are served by drinking water systems that consistently have arsenic levels above 10 parts per billion, the federal limit. Nine of the 34 systems are in the rural area east of Waco, including Axtell. In a report called Dont Drink the Water, the group says the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality warning is too weak and that the state should follow the lead of other states such as Maine that advise customers to seek alternative water supplies. Proctor said he plans to take a closer look at studies involving arsenic and health risks. Were building a house in Axtell, so its not just a professional concern, he said. I drink this water, and my children drink this water. Besides Axtell, other communities with water supplies that exceed the arsenic standard include Perry Water Supply Corp., Prairie Hill Water Supply Corp., Tri County Special Utility District, EOL Water Supply Corp., the city of Riesel, Birome Water Supply Corp., RMS Water Supply Corp. and MS Water Supply Corp., according to the report. Dangers of arsenic The Environmental Protection Agency says ingesting arsenic is linked to cancer of the skin, bladder, liver and lungs, as well as gastrointestinal effects and liver or kidney damages. Recent studies have also reported possible associations with arsenic and lower IQs in children, the EPA website reports. The Environmental Integrity Project executive director Eric Schaeffer said the group looked into arsenic contamination after the recent scandal in Flint, Michigan, where the entire population was exposed to high lead levels because of a state decision to shift to a cheaper water supply. Schaeffer said the state of Texas is failing to communicate the true risks of arsenic. I was surprised to see in the notification that the state requires language saying that you do not need an alternative drinking supply, he said. We think thats poor communication. The TCEQ defended its notice in a statement this week. TCEQ follows EPA guidelines in arsenic notifications, including using the exact language in the letters as suggested by EPA, as well as using EPA drinking water standards, sampling methods, and analytical methods, the statement reads. The potential danger of arsenic intake is very specifically detailed in the notification letters. TCEQ officials said the current 10 ppb standard is meant to protect people drinking 2 liters of water per day for 70 years and that studies of drinking water in US populations . . . do not consistently find associations with cancers. Schaeffer said that if anything, new evidence currently under review at the EPA suggests that the 10 ppb level may be too lax. He said the TCEQ advisory stating that no alternative drinking source is needed is not supported by the EPA. According to the report, the TCEQ statement also conflicts with advice from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to private well owners with excess arsenic, warning them to use bottled water or install a filtration system. Charles Beseda, general manager at Birome Water Supply Corp., which exceeds the standard, said he has been drinking the water all his 65 years and still takes a drink from the fountain at work every day, though he drinks bottled water at home. Proctor said the TCEQs advice appears to be backed by a study from the National Academy of Sciences, but hell take a closer look at the issue and consider installing filters if necessary. He said Axtells arsenic reading of 14.3 ppb is too high and needs to come down. Weve very concerned, and I believe the Axtell Water Supply Corporation is very concerned as well, Proctor said. I think theres a sense of urgency at our level, not just in becoming compliant but in providing the healthiest drinking water to our students. There is a stark difference between the Back to the Future universe and Baylor University residence halls. One allows hoverboards, and the other does not. The university announced last month that the battery-powered, self-balancing transportation devices would be banned from residence halls after spring break, citing safety concerns. This past week was the first week of the ban. Student life administrators made the decision. We made the decision to prohibit hoverboards first from residence halls because they have the highest density of students, Baylor spokeswoman Lori Fogleman said. If there was a fire with a hoverboard in a residence hall, thats higher probability for an incident to affect a greater number of our students. Hoverboards are still allowed elsewhere, but Fogleman said the university is evaluating the devices on campus as a whole. Administrators emailed students a reminder of the new policy March 11. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission revealed it received 52 reports of self-balancing scooter fires from consumers in 24 states between Dec. 1 and Feb. 17. The incidents resulted in more than $2 million in property damage, including the destruction of two homes and an automobile. Hoverboards operate on two wheels on the ground, each one having a motor. Business junior Jackson Hornbeak said riders weave their bodies and will then move in that direction. Its almost slight enough where you can think about it and your body will move, Hornbeak said. Fogleman said the school isnt aware of any campus injuries or incidents caused by hoverboards. More than 30 universities have banned or restricted hoverboards on their campuses, according to a January Associated Press report. The Consumer Product Safety Commission also is investigating companies that make and sell them to ensure safety. Colleges, universities and other institutions and organizations have been active in prohibiting the use of hoverboards on campus, and I want to commend the leaders of those institutions for putting safety first while our investigation pushes forward, commission Chairman Elliott F. Kaye said in a statement. The AP report said the devices are banned on New York City streets, and a California law requires riders to be at least 16 and wear a helmet in public. Hornbeak said he lives off campus and never uses his to get to classes, but he said the rule makes sense. He is trying to sell his, simply because he figures he could use the money for something else. It is currently listed online for $250. I got mine from the manufacturer last summer before the explosion and fire cases, Hornbeak said. Ive never had an issue with mine catching fire, but for those instances I can totally understand those not wanting them in residence halls. Fogleman said some students expressed disappointment at the policy but understood the reasoning behind it. Parents also have been supportive of the change. Hornbeak said his hoverboard weighs about 25 pounds, so carrying it up stairs would be inconvenient. In addition to potentially causing fires, hoverboards can lead to falls. Fall injuries can be serious and life-altering, Kaye said. Many people, including children, have ended up with fractures, contusions or head or brain injuries. Hospitals across the country are reporting spikes in children and adults being admitted after suffering serious falls. Hornbeak said he would often receive strange looks from people, and they also ask if they can try it, a small price to pay for the rush of the ride. I just got it because it looked fun, Hornbeak said. I am retired from the U.S. Air Force after 20 years and agree with Mercer Buchanans recent letter to the Trib that support for our military troops is sorely missing from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clintons campaign rhetoric. Its not a primary focus of Bernie Sanders platform either. However, military pay parity is not where the support is needed. I hope this statement doesnt cost me my Military Man Card. Current military pay charts show that a lowly E1 enlistees base pay is $18,803.16 a year. This is equivalent to $9.40 an hour. Added to this are various allotments including a subsistence allowance of about $368.29 a month in lieu of eating in a chow hall; a housing allowance for housing in lieu of government-provided shelter, which in Waco amounts to about $819 a month for a single soldier, $1,044 if married; plus a uniform allowance of $21 a month. Add all these cash-in-hand amounts and that military income now is $2,775.22 a month or $16 an hour. Add to this other benefits such as educational assistance and it only gets better. Presidential candidates should instead focus on erosion of promised support for our military. In recent years much has been aired about the Department of Veterans Affairs and its shortcomings. I wont repeat these here but addressing them should be a priority. Only this month, a damning internal Department of Veterans Affairs investigation found that appointments for patients wanting to see doctors or get some other type of care were doctored, making it impossible to track delays in the care they received. Another area of erosion is the ever-increasing cost of health support that is, medicines and medical treatment. I am old enough that I remember my recruiters promise, also contained in the militarys advertising literature: If I stayed in the service till I retired, I would have free medical care for life. This promise has crumbled over the years till now co-pays can make a sizable dent in a veterans income. Even with all this, I consider myself lucky and well supported compared to the many who have suffered from grievous and debilitating physical and mental wounds. We cannot do enough to support them and their families. This is where the primary focus of our candidates should be. This is what they should emphasize if theyre lucky enough to win election. Bob Maske is a retired U.S. Air Force master sergeant who served during the Vietnam era. He is also retired as an L-3 Communications Systems test engineer. He now travels with his wife of 50 years and two cats. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican and second in command of the Senate, has joined Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in vowing to block any nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court submitted by the president, insisting the pick should be left to the next president. His Facebook page exploded with comments. To his credit, the senator got involved in the polite but very direct give-and-take. A lively sampling: Nancy Matzdorff Smith: Texans, and Americans, deserve to have a say. President Obama was elected twice by the American people. He has done his job by nominating a candidate. Now you and the rest of the senators need to do the job you were elected to do and carefully consider his candidate. John Cornyn: In 2014, voters also weighed in to give Republicans the majority in the Senate to serve as a check on the Obama administration. Nancy Matzdorff Smith: And thats why you consider every nominee the president suggests. You dont flat-out refuse to even consider him. Phil F. Wier: Yes, John Cornyn, you can say that. The American people did give the GOP the majority. They also expect that majority to work with the president to make this a better nation. Both sides were chosen by the American people to do a job. They need to get to work and do it. Karl Kielich: Sen. Cornyn, I agree that the Senate serves as a check on the presidents administration, but that check is served by having the confirmation hearing, committee vote and ultimately Senate vote for confirmation. With all due respect, sitting idle on this just adds to the disdain citizens have with how Congress operates. I would much rather see the process move forward and the nominee be rejected than for the Senate to refuse to take action. Ten months is too long to wait on this. Stephen Foote: Senator, right now you are not serving as a check; you are serving as an obstruction to the process. Serve as a check by giving the nominee a hearing and then an up-or-down vote. Rick Rjr: Give this nominee as fair a hearing as Robert Bork received. Ron Perez: Ive already sent an email to you, senator. The Senate has every right to vote yes or no on a nominee but to flat-out reject a nominee is harmful to our nation. Diane Legg Pretzer: Never approve this until after Jan 17, 2017. A good judge can wait. Matthew Lamb: I will take the wisdom of John Cornyn and the Senate majority over Obama and his decision. Leonard Wood: They have every right to flat-out reject him. And they should. This guy will help the liberals shred the Constitution once and for all. Lauren Jackson: John Cornyn, a check does not mean to completely negate everything Obama tries to accomplish. It means the citizens of this country want its elected officials to work together to represent the broad swath of beliefs, to find a middle ground and compromise. You have just admitted that the people have had their say already, twice. Do your job. Wanda S. Mullen: This action by you and others in the GOP leadership is of gross disrespect to the president of the United States (whats new there?) and therefore the United States Constitution. He is still president and is authorized to make this appointment. That the GOP has to resort to these measures is reprehensible. It is also a huge gamble in its lack of pragmatism. The 2016 general election has 24 GOP senatorial seats up for re-election. You had better hope that the voters focus is only going to be on the election of the next POTUS and not on those Senate seats, because if it is not, your problems might get worse. Have the hearing and seat Justice Garland in a timely manner. Or wait for a Democrat POTUS and get a justice who will be so liberal your tails will spin. Make that two liberal justices if a Democrat POTUS is elected. If Justice Breyer retires within the next four years it aint going to be nothin nice for the GOP. Get it done with Justice Garland and hope for the best for your party. He is a moderate. At the very best, you will have a swing vote. Michael Massey: You wonder how the GOP got stuck with Trump, yet you continue to use the same tactics. Straight, blind opposition. The business of governing and the benefit of the country take a back seat to pandering to your lowest demographic. Art Spanjer: And the so-called establishment wonders why the electorate is so agitated. You obstructed waiting for Mitt to win and have been obstructing ever since. You will politically reap what you sow. Jan Breaux: Apply the Biden rule. What was good for the Dems then should be good for the country now. The Supreme Court has had as few as six justices. Steve Scott: Texans and the American people had a say when they voted for president. They voted for the guy they wanted to pick the person to fill any Supreme Court opening that came up while he was in office. I wont answer your poorly worded poll question. [Do you agree that Texans and the American people deserve a say in the selection of the next lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court?] For the record, I didnt vote for Obama, but because of stuff like this I no longer will vote for John Cornyn either. Ill vote for people who respect the Constitution. Melody Kite: Your fellow Texans helped give the Senate a majority for reasons like this. This should not even be a question to those who voted for you. The last thing we need is one more person from the left on the court. I ask you to keep your promise and to protect and defend my freedom. No new justices. In most cases, union leadership is a relic of the past a pro-union workforce from years or even decades ago. Richard Berman Reforming unions Bill Hammond, CEO of the Texas Association of Business, is right in his March 11 column, Employee Rights Act is ripe for passage: Unions today function like the Hotel California its almost impossible to leave one. According to government data, less than 10 percent of union members ever voted for the union currently representing them. In most cases, union leadership is a relic of the past a pro-union workforce from years or even decades ago. This means that many current union employees are only unionized because of the status quo not by their own choosing. And, as Mr. Hammond explains, the Employee Rights Act would solve the problem by requiring periodic union recertification votes once a workforce has experienced substantial turnover. This provision is in no way anti-union; it merely guarantees union members have a say when it comes to their union status. Employees certainly want that say: the ERAs recertification provision is supported by almost 80 percent of working Americans, including more than 70 percent of those in union households. Labor unions should be democratic. The ERA would ensure it. Richard Berman, executive director, Center for Union Facts, Washington, D.C. Tax cuts = revenue, Part IV Brent Doty continues to insist the Bush tax cuts stimulated the economy. I remind him that the period from 2000-2007 was the slowest period of economic growth since the 1950s. It was so much smaller than the years from 1989 to 2000. Does anyone remember what happened during this period? President Clinton raised taxes on the wealthiest. This led to a strong economy. Of course, we know what the Bush tax cuts brought. These brought more inequality between Americans and ultimately did nothing to improve the wages of middle- and lower-class workers. The Bush tax cuts also led to massive debt and deficits. I wont even detail the economic collapse of 2008. I guess confirmation bias will enable people such as Mr. Doty to not see things as they really are. John Vickrey, Norman, Oklahoma n n n Regarding Trib columnist Brent Dotys continued advocacy for tax cuts: It would indeed be comforting to believe that less input results in greater output. But its simply not true. Even economist R. Glenn Hubbard, who spearheaded the drive for George W. Bushs tax cuts, now seems unwilling to defend the tax cuts he shepherded into law, according to Bruce Bartlett, whose area of expertise is supply-side economics. And Bartlett had policy-making roles under Ronald Reagan and George H.W.Bush. George W. Bushs economic advisers tried to talk him out of the cuts, according to The Fiscal Times article Bush Tax Cuts Had Little Positive Impact on Economy. No Reaganites praised the Bush plan. Its hard to find even Republican economists who will defend Bushs policies. A 2006 paper in the American Economic Review found that tax-rate reductions caused rich people to put off economic activity into the future, thereby slowing growth of the economy. After more than 30 years of supporting Republican candidates with my votes, my money and my work, I was not happy when I learned there are flaws in supply-side (trickle-down) economic theory. My own painful moment of clarity took place on a stage at Baylor University. As a local business owner and longtime political activist, I was asked to appear with a Republican senatorial candidate at a student event. While listening to him speak, I gradually faced the fact that I was on the wrong side. It was a humiliating experience that Ill never forget. But facts are facts, and opinions are only what someone believes. The opinion Doty cites that of politician Rob Portman was written during the latter Bush administration. Portman could hardly hope to achieve higher office (hes now a senator) if hed told the world that his boss was wrong. La Nelda Hughes, Robinson Hillary no felon . . . yet Regarding Margaret Turners letter of March 16, I ask her to reconsider. I never referred to our president as a felon. If she read carefully, she would have seen that I was speaking of Hillary Clinton. The phrase unindicted felon is one that some use to express their own thoughts of a person. I think the first time I heard this was when Billy Martin, then manager of the New York Yankees, referred to George Steinbrenner, owner of the Yankees, as an unindicted felon. I am sorry to have confused you. I will pray for you but not for Hillary. Sam Ralph, Hewitt EDITORS NOTE: We allow for plenty of hyperbole around here, but so far former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has not been indicted. Execute Hasan already Monuments, memorials and Purple Hearts marking the horrific 2009 mass shooting that claimed the lives of 12 soldiers and a civilian at Fort Hood are nice, but the best way to honor those killed and wounded would be for the commander-in-chief to take executive action to ensure that Nidal Hasan is executed sometime soon. William Lucky, Robinson Demolish smokestack Within the span of one week, articles in the Trib have announced McLennan Countys options to repair Themis on the courthouse roof at a cost to taxpayers of upwards of $300,000. The city of Waco has announced that it intends to fund repairs to the historic smokestack at the water treatment plant on University Parks Drive at a cost upwards of $300,000. I get the repairs to Themis. Aside from the fact that if memory serves me correctly there have already been one or two failed attempts to repair Themis for about $70,000, the courthouse does have historical value, is a wonderful example of architecture and is still in use every day. But when you talk about government only spending taxpayer funds to perform what is in the public interest or for the public good, the smokestack scores zero. Just because something is considered historic doesnt mean it has value worthy of restoration. I drove by it this morning, but it sits on city property that is fenced, gated and not accessible to the public. So there wont be any selfies and it wont ever be a tourist attraction. If the city of Waco has $300,000 of taxpayer funds burning a hole in a desk drawer, give it to the county and let this money be used to arm Themis. And demolish the smokestack! J.L. Rader, Waco ALGIERS, March 19 (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's North Africa branch has claimed responsibility for Friday's rocket-propelled grenade attack on an Algerian gas plant operated by Norway's Statoil and BP as part of its "war on the Crusader interests everywhere". The attack caused no casualties or damage but forced the facility to be closed as a precaution, though state energy company Sonatrach said Algeria's gas production had not been affected. "This operation has destroyed your claims to have defeated 'terrorism' as you like to describe it," the Islamist militant group said in a statement directed at the Algerian government and Western oil companies. "Even if your Western masters believed you were in control previously, how will you justify your position now?" Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has claimed several attacks across the region recently, including an assault on a resort in Ivory Coast on Sunday that killed 18 people it said was revenge for a French offensive against Islamist militants in the Sahel. Algeria, emerging from its own 1990s war with Islamist fighters that killed 200,000, has become an important partner in the Western campaign against Islamist militancy. The OPEC nation is also a major gas supplier to Europe. Attacks in the North African country are rarer since it ended its civil war, but al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and fighters allied with Islamic State are still active, mostly in the remote south and mountains east of Algiers. Algeria's oil and gas infrastructure is heavily protected by the army especially since the 2013 Islamist militant attack on the In Amenas gas plant, also operated by BP and Statoil, during which 40 oil workers were killed. (Reporting by Ali Abdelaty; Writing by Ahmed Aboulenein and Patrick Markey; Editing by Toby Chopra) When you buy online, you have the right to the same protections under consumer law as buying in a shop. Online shopping is at an... Waterford native, Elaine Doheny, has launched an app that allows you to be literally pampered in your own home. Elaine, from Portlaw, has been based... Rents in Waterford City have risen by 11.3% in the last year and the average rent is now 1191. In the rest of Waterford,... WATERFORD is to get a world-class centre for training in Bicycle Engineering. It will be based in Ferrybank and will serve the South East. The Bicycle... Waterford Fine Gael Senator John Cummins has described the progress which has been made on the purchase of the former Waterford Crystal site for... Its that time of year again! Summer in Waterford, with plenty of sunshine, and if you look carefully you may spot the odd artist atop... DESPITE the pressing need to do so, over half of all Irish people say they could not afford an average cost of 56,000 to... Valentines Day is a time to reflect and appreciate the relationships in our lives. However, it can also be a time to reflect on... A project led by Theatre Royal Waterford has been selected as one of the five arts projects in the country for funding from the... WHILE there is no guarantee of sunshine on the Sunny South East as we move into the autumn/winter season, revellers will nonetheless be thrilled... WATERFORD is in the running for the Best Place to Live in Ireland. The county has had 31 nominations in a competition run by a... The Greens have released costings that suggest its policy of closing down offshore detention facilities could save more than $8 billion over the next 10 years. The Parliamentary Budget Office findings suggest closing the controversial centres on Manus Island and Nauru would save $2.9233 billion over the forward estimates and $8.4745 billion over the next 10 years. The Greens say it's time to close the offshore detention camps at Manus Island and Nauru. Credit:Andrew Meares The Greens prefer holding people in community detention on the mainland while their claims for protection are assessed in Australia. "Just think of what that amount of money could be spent on," Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said. SYDNEY (Reuters) - The world's largest miner BHP Billiton expects to continue mining iron ore in western Australia's Pilbara for more than 100 years and will release a plan for its long-term future in the region on Monday, according to a company statement. BHP said it had lodged a strategic environmental assessment with the Australian and Western Australia state governments for long-term mining in the Pilbara region where it operates seven mines and will release the document on March 21. "The SEA provides greater visibility of our potential environmental footprint over the next 50 to 100 years, improving our ability, as well as the government and others in the industry, to plan for future operations," Edgar Basto, the asset president of BHP Billiton Western Australia Iron Ore, said in the statement released on Saturday. "We expect to continue to mine in the region for more than 100 years, which enables us to give back to the communities that have supported us for so long." A global oversupply of iron ore and a slowing economy in top consumer China hit iron ore markets hard in late 2015 with slumping prices, leaving some small miners struggling. And despite a recent surge in prices, partly as a result of improving outlook for Chinese steel demand, some miners do not believe the recover is sustainable. Moody's on Monday cut its rating on Fortescue Metals Group to Ba2 with a negative outlook and on Wednesday BHP's chief executive Andrew Mackenzie told a business conference in Melbourne that the industry needed to "be prepared for lower for longer" in regards to iron ore prices. (Reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Michael Perry) Support for the WA Labor opposition is higher than that for the government, a poll shows. And 61 per cent of those polled would prefer Labor Leader Mark McGowan as premier, compared to Premier Colin Barnett's 39 per cent. Public support for opposition leader Mark McGowan has skyrocketed. Credit:Philip Gostelow The ReachTEL poll questioned 1248 voters across the state on Thursday night, and showed that Labor would smash the government if an election were to be held soon, the opposition leading by 12 points on a two-party preferred basis, The Weekend West reports. The 56 per cent of the 1248 people questioned said they would vote for Labor compared to 44 per cent who supported the government. Malaysia's prime minister Najib Razak has declared he is not a crook despite refusing to explain how hundreds of millions of dollars turned up in his personal bank accounts. "I will not take the people's property, don't think I am a crook I am prime minister for the people," he told a political rally in Kuantan, a city on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. "If I had wanted to rob, I would have robbed the forest here long ago," Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said. Credit:AP Facing a growing movement aiming to remove him from office, 62 year-old Mr Najib lashed out at his critics, saying they are trying to tarnish his image while he struggled to defend people's welfare. "You already know me, I am not like what is said by people over there if I had wanted to rob, I would have robbed the forest here long ago." By Tatiana Bautzer SAO PAULO, March 19 (Reuters) - A senator accused of involvement in Brazil's biggest corruption scandal said President Dilma Rousseff and her predecessor Lula were both aware of it and tried to block prosecutors from investigating, Veja magazine said on Saturday. In an interview with Brazil's best-selling weekly news magazine, Senator Delcidio do Amaral said Rousseff's successful presidential campaigns in 2010 and 2014 were financed with money from the graft scheme. Amaral was the leader of the ruling Workers' Party (PT) in the Senate and a close Rousseff ally until he was arrested in November on charges of attempting to bribe a former executive of state-run oil company Petrobras in exchange for his silence in the investigation.. He left the party this week after agreeing a plea bargain, one of several such deals that prosecutors have used to advance their probe. Amaral's comments may increase the pressure on Rousseff, whose approval ratings have been hard hit by the worst recession in decades and who faces impeachment proceedings in Congress over separate allegations of manipulating budget accounts. Calls to request comment from the presidency were not immediately answered. A spokesman for former president Lula said Amaral was a defendant trying to get legal benefits, and that he did not have evidence of what he told the magazine. Both Rousseff and Lula have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. PETROBRAS SCANDAL According to the senator, Lula negotiated the appointment of directors at Petrobras on behalf of political parties and was aware of how the parties used their influence over the company for campaign financing via kick-backs from contractors working for the state oil firm. "Lula negotiated directly with parties the appointment of directors at Petrobras and knew how the parties used them, especially in campaign financing," Amaral told Veja, which is critical of Rousseff's left-leaning administration. "Dilma inherited and benefited from the scheme, which financed her political campaigns. Dilma also knew about everything." Story continues The scandal has plunged Brazil into a deep political crisis at a time when it is also grappling with economic recession and an epidemic of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, and preparing to host the Olympic Games in less than five months' time. Rousseff named Lula her chief of staff on Wednesday, but a Supreme Court judge ruled on Friday that he should be suspended from the new ministerial role so he can be investigated for graft. In his ruling, judge Gilmar Mendes said the appointment appeared designed to shelter Lula from prosecutors' charges of money laundering and fraud in the Petrobras case. His decision was made public shortly after Lula rallied a crowd of nearly 100,000 Workers' Party supporters in Sao Paulo, pledging the government would drag Brazil out of its recession and survive the impeachment proceedings against Rousseff. Folha de S.Paulo newspaper reported on Saturday the government would announce a 15 billion reais ($4.14 billion)package of stimulus measures on Monday. "COLD WINDS FROM CURITIBA" In the interview with Veja, Amaral said government officials had tried to derail the corruption probe, led by a task force in the southern town of Curitiba, in which dozens of top businessmen and politicians have been arrested. The senator said the former justice minister and current attorney general, Jose Eduardo Cardozo, warned the president in advance when major arrests were about to be made by police in the investigation, codenamed "Operation Car Wash". Amaral said he met with Rousseff and Cardozo every Monday to talk about the investigations and the minister used the codewords "cold winds from Curitiba" to refer to future actions within Car Wash. The senator also said he spoke with Rousseff about trying to influence judges to release businessmen from prison and that she asked the head of the Supreme Court, Ricardo Lewandowski, to water down Operation Car Wash to help the ruling coalition. "Lula and President Dilma tried in a systematic way to obstruct justice," Amaral told the magazine. Rousseff has denounced leaks from the investigation, including of taped phone conversations between her and Lula, as politically motivated, saying opponents are seeking to bring down her government. In an interview with Folha de S.Paulo, the new justice minister, Eugenio Aragao, said he would change federal police agents if he detected any leaks from the investigation. "If there is a whiff of a leak, I will change the whole team", he told the paper. ($1 = 3.6240 Brazilian reais) (Editing by Daniel Flynn and Mark Trevelyan) Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 18, 2016 | PADUCAH, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Mar. 18, 2016 | 05:24 PM | PADUCAH, KY Think you have what it takes to Beat Beethoven? Every runner and walker will have the opportunity to find out at the Paducah Symphony Orchestra's annual Beat Beethoven 5K run/walk at Noble Park today at 9:00 am. Participants in the 5K will again have the chance to line up and race the famous composer himself. Any runner who finishes before Beethoven will receive a FREE ticket to the Paducah Symphony's season ending performance of Beethovens 9th Symphony on April 16. Beat Beethoven is the PSO's unique signature fundraising event that features a competitive 5K run/walk, and new this year, a non-competitive 1 Mile Youth and Family Fun Run. The 1 Mile Fun Run is a non-competitive event for youth or family members of all ages and skills. Whether you run, walk or skip, youll want to participate in this great event. Every child (under 12) participating in the Youth and Family Fun Run will receive a medal. In addition, there will also be a Beat Beethovens Hair Contest sponsored by All Good Media. Spray your hair OR grab a wig and do the jig for your chance to win. Prizes for best Beethoven hair will be awarded to the top adult and top youth (under 12). Race day registration will be from 7:30 - 8:45 am, with the 5K run beginning at 9:00, followed by the 1 Mile Youth and Family Fun Run at 10:00 am. Race day 5K registration is $35. Youth and Family Fun Run registration is $15 (includes shirt). Don't miss this great annual event! Register now at PaducahSymphony.org. All proceeds will benefit the educational efforts of the Paducah Symphony Orchestra. For more information call 270.444.0065 or email craig@paducahsymphony.org. By Pam Spencer, City of Paducah Mar. 19, 2016 | 11:54 AM | PADUCAH, KY For many people, it's an annual tradition to conduct a thorough spring cleaning around their home. After gathering that pile of trash and other items needing proper disposal, set aside some time on Saturday, April 16 to take those items to the collection point for the Paducah-McCracken County Spring Clean Up Day. The event for Paducah and McCracken County residents will be Saturday, April 16, from 7:00 am until 2:00 pm at the Republic Services Transfer Station, 829 Burnett Street. Spring Clean Up Day is a free service, rain or shine. All residents must bring proper identification (such as a driver's license) to verify residency. Spring Clean Up Day, commonly referred to as dump day, is an opportunity to dispose of various types of solid and household hazardous waste. Accepted items include household trash, white goods (Freon-free), tires (no heavy equipment, solid, or foam-filled tires), household hazardous waste, ammunition, expired or no longer needed prescription medications, and recyclables including batteries and e-scrap. New this year is a partnership with Shred-it for document destruction services. Residents can bring sensitive documents and Shred-it will properly shred and dispose of them. No medical waste or commercial waste will be accepted. Spring Clean Up Day is held at Republic Services and on the adjacent parking lot of the Paducah Public Works facility on North 10th Street. To maintain the traffic flow, drivers need to enter from North 10th Street off Park Avenue. Traffic will then turn right onto Burnett Street to go through the drop-off line. Traffic will not be allowed to enter from North 8th or 9th Streets. Household hazardous waste items, e-scrap and batteries, ammunition, prescriptions, and documents are off-loaded last in line. Please separate your items to make the trip go quicker. Once again Paducah Power System is teaming up with Clean Earth, Inc. to encourage people to safely dispose of old, unbroken fluorescent bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs contain a small amount of mercury and are not recommended for residential curbside trash pick-up. Each family turning in unbroken fluorescent bulbs will receive two new compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL's). Paducah Power also will collect mercury-filled items. For more information, visit www.paducahky.gov or call the City of Paducah Engineering-Public Works Department at 270-444-8567. A pair of bodies discovered in Kentucky Lake this week Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. Most recently known for hosting The Great British Bake Off (and the WhatsOnStage Awards), Mel Giedroyc's stage credits include New Boy (Trafalgar Studios) and Eurobeat (Novello). She recently starred in ITV's Sound of Music Live alongside Kara Tointon, Julian Ovenden and Evelyn Hoskins. Mel is currently starring in Luce at the Southwark Playhouse. We caught up with Mel and asked her: "If you were stranded on a desert island, which five showtunes could you not live without?" 1. "Heaven On Their Minds" from Jesus Christ Superstar My favourite ever musical. I would listen to it on my record player after school every day for about three years. This song has the best bass line of all time. 2. "Gee, Officer Krupke" from West Side Story Again, it would go round and round on my record player ad infinitum after school. There wasn't much else to do in Leatherhead in the 1970s. This song gave me a love of those fast wordplay wisecracking storytelling tunes that I still love to this day. 3. "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" from Kiss Me Kate We did a school production of this and I got to play one of the gangsters who sings this song. We had fake taches, trilby hats, big suits and braces. I knew from that moment on that all I wanted to do with my life was to muck about on stage! 4. "The Time Lord Theme" from Time the Musical I worked backstage on this musical in 1986 at the Dominion Theatre. It was my first experience of working in the West End and my eighteen-year old eyes were out on stalks. Hearing this tune takes me right back there, to the Eighties. I used to love Jeff Buckley singing this on stage - he had the best thigh-length platform boots EVER. 5. "Omigod You Guys" from Legally Blonde I saw Sheridan Smith perform as Elle in the West End and I think she's just amazing. She combines brilliant comic timing with excellent acting, singing and dancing. She's one in a million and I was blown away by her. She'll be remembered as one of the true greats. LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwired - Mar 18, 2016) - In the news release, "Nevada Eye & Ear Changes Name to Nevada Eye Physicians," issued March 15, 2016 by Nevada Eye Physicians, we are advised by the company that Dr. Rudy Manthei's contact number should read "702-896-6043" rather than "702-896-6042" as originally issued. Complete corrected text follows. Nevada Eye & Ear Changes Name to Nevada Eye Physicians LAS VEGAS, NV -- March 15, 2016 -- Effective March 15, 2016, Nevada Eye & Ear changes its name to Nevada Eye Physicians. Nevada Eye Physicians is a name that the company has chosen to communicate its sole focus on eye care as both a pioneer and leader throughout Nevada. Nevada Eye Physicians has served southern Nevada communities for more than 25 years. "At Nevada Eye Physicians we are dedicated to enhancing and preserving our patients' most precious sense of sight. We decided to change our name because our sole focus is eye care," said Dr. Rudy Manthei, D.O., F.O.C.O.O., Managing partner of Nevada Eye Physicians. In conjunction with the name change, Nevada Eye Physicians has made significant investments in new technology and training. Nevada Eye Physicians is focused on providing the highest quality eye care. "Our entire team of certified eye care professionals take pride in caring for our patients' vision by combining state of the art technology with the most qualified surgeons. Treatments are based on the unique need of each patient and are delivered with compassion and respect," said Dr. Manthei. Nevada Eye Physicians plans to open its seventh location in Spring, 2016. "We're thankful for the opportunity we've had since 1987 and appreciate our patients' trust and confidence," said Dr. Manthei. "Our new location in the Centennial Hills area will be more convenient for patients who live and work in the northwest part of the valley, and we look forward to delivering them a great patient experience." ABOUT NEVADA EYE PHYSICIANS Nevada Eye Physicians, specializing in Eye Care including Ophthalmology and Optometry, Laser and Advanced IOL Cataract Surgery, Oculoplastic Surgery, Glaucoma, Diabetes, Macular Degeneration and has earned the reputation of being one of the Eye Care pioneers in the Las Vegas area. Our doctors and surgeons have been serving Southern Nevada for more than 25 years in the Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City, Pahrump, North Las Vegas and Mesquite areas. Dedicated to advanced vision correction techniques, the practice has grown to 7 locations and 12 physicians specializing in the most advanced treatment and care from Comprehensive Eye Exams to highly skilled Advanced Cataract Surgery. The 80-year-old Dalai Lama is a Nobel peace laureate who continues to be the global figurehead for Tibetans around the world (AFP Photo/Narinder Nanu) Tens of thousands of exiled Tibetans voted Sunday for a new leader tasked with sustaining their struggle for greater autonomy in the Chinese-ruled province as the Dalai Lama retreats from the political frontline. While Tibetans from across the world were geared up to vote, those in the picturesque Indian hill town of Dharamsala where the Dalai Lama lives started lining up at booths at 9:00 am (0330 GMT) to elect the next leader of the government-in-exile. One by one, hundreds including monks and nuns scribbled the names of their favourite candidates on pieces of paper and slipped them into green ballot boxes as polls were set to close around 5:00 pm. The post of prime minister in exile was a low-profile role before the 80-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader devolved power in an attempt to lessen his own totemic status and foster a democratic setup to keep Tibet's freedom movement alive after his death. While many felt voting could help their campaign against Chinese rule over their Himalayan homeland, several were sceptical given the government-in-exile's lack of effective power. "I am not sure whether the democratic system can help in Tibet's freedom struggle," said Rikten, a 28-year-old teacher who gave one name, after voting. "But its values and rights can definitely... bring more awareness on the Tibetan cause." - A lifetime in exile - The Dalai Lama announced his decision in March 2011, just days before the election of the incumbent prime minister -- or Sikyong -- Lobsang Sangay, who is standing again. The 48-year-old Harvard-educated former academic is regarded as the front-runner, having already beaten off three of the four other candidates in a first round of voting last October. Both he and his one remaining opponent, Penpa Tsering, 49, favour the "middle way" approach of the Dalai Lama that advocates seeking greater autonomy for Tibet peacefully. In all, 88,000 Tibetans in 13 countries from Australia to the United States were registered to cast ballots for a prime minister and the 44-member parliament-in-exile. Story continues Many voters, like Sangay, have lived all their lives in exile and never visited Tibet. One of the eliminated candidates, Lukar Jam Atsok, spent time as a political prisoner in China and had threatened to make waves with his more aggressive policy of advocating complete independence. On policy, there is relatively little to choose between Sangay and his remaining opponent, and opinions on the streets of Dharamsala were mixed in the run-up to Sunday's vote. Many said they would stick with Sangay. But some who voted for him in 2011 said they had been disappointed by his performance in office. "I will vote for Penpa Tsering, who has decades of experience serving in the Tibetan government in exile and in the Tibetan community. He will have more substance," said Lhadon, a 55-year-old woman who did not give her full name. Both Sangay and Tsering voted on Sunday, while Atsok cast an "empty vote" to express dissatisfaction over the election commission's move to bar his candidacy. The results from Sunday's voting are expected on April 27. - Shadow of Dalai Lama - Tsering was born in India and has served in the Tibetan parliament-in-exile based in Dharamsala for 10 years, where he is currently the speaker. Whoever prevails can expect to remain in the shadow of the Dalai Lama, a Nobel peace laureate who remains the most potent rallying point for Tibetans, both in exile and in their homeland. The Himalayan hill town has been home to him and thousands of Tibetan refugees since he fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Despite the Dalai Lama's status, many exiles said it was important to vote. "The election is really important. It is a basic right of a citizen to vote and we take this opportunity as a blessing," said Sonam, a 22-year-old Tibetan student in Nepal who did not give her full name. She expressed hope the Nepal government would allow voting to go ahead after authorities confiscated ballot boxes in 2011, apparently under pressure from neighbouring China. China has widely been seen as waiting for the Dalai Lama's death, believing that the movement for Tibetan rights will not survive without its charismatic and world-famous leader. The globe-trotting Buddhist monk raised concern among his millions of followers last year when he scrapped a tour of the United States for health reasons. Asked about Sunday's election, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Beijing had never recognised the government-in-exile and hoped other countries "will not provide any stage for Tibetan separatist activities". After launching a final push against IS in Anbar provincial capital Ramadi late last year, Iraq's security forces established full control over the city last month (AFP Photo/) (AFP/File) Baghdad (AFP) - Iraqi forces have launched a broad offensive to retake the city of Hit from the Islamic State group in the western province of Anbar, a top commander said Saturday. Led by the elite Counter-Terrorism Service, forces from the police, army and local tribal fighters were making a final push to retake Hit, 145 kilometres (90 miles) west of Baghdad. "They have begun a broad operation to liberate Hit and Kubaysa," Major General Ali Ibrahim Daboun, the head of the Al-Jazeera Operations Command, told AFP. Kubaysa is a smaller town a few miles west of Hit, a key hub along the Euphrates that the jihadists have controlled since October 2014. Daboun said Iraqi security forces and tribal fighters had retaken a cement plant west of Kubaysa and raised the Iraqi flag there. "Members of the terrorist Daesh (IS) gangs have fled back into the town centre," the head of the local council for Al-Baghdadi district, Malallah al-Obeidi, told AFP. Daboun said Iraqi aircraft and jets from the US-led international coalition were providing air support. Al-Asad military air base, which houses a large contingent of US and other foreign military advisers, lies around 35 kilometres northwest of Hit. Iraq's security forces launched a final push against IS in Anbar's provincial capital Ramadi late last year and established full control over the city last month. Aid agencies have voiced concern over the fate of an estimated 35,000 civilians who have fled Hit and its surroundings in the run-up to the latest military offensive. The International Committee of the Red Cross said late Friday that thousands of freshly displaced people were stranded in areas where very little assistance is available. The organisation said it was able to deliver aid for the first time on Friday to around 12,000 people west of Ramadi. "We don't know how they managed to survive. Repeated access is crucial in order to help the remaining thousands of people who urgently need humanitarian aid," said Katharina Ritz, head of the ICRC delegation in Iraq. IS still controls vast areas of Anbar province near the borders with Jordan and Syria, as well as the city of Fallujah, which is only 50 kilometres from Baghdad. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 19/03/2016 (2408 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. MONTREAL Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was one of many Canadians who joined millions around the world Saturday night in turning off their lights for Earth Hour. Government buildings and monuments across the country also went dim from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. local time, including Torontos CN tower, the cross on Montreals Mount Royal and Edmontons High Level bridge. Trudeau tweeted a photo of himself and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, cuddling by candlelight Saturday evening. Lights atop New York's Empire State Building, center, are dimmed on Saturday evening, March 19, 2016, as cities around the world marked the annual Earth Hour, a global movement dedicated to protecting the planet and highlighting the effects of climate change. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison) Were all on this planet together, he tweeted, hinting the upcoming federal budget would contain measures to deal climate change. Tweeting about #EarthHour is one thing. Tuesday, well put words into action with a budget that builds a clean economy for Canada. Some of Trudeaus cabinet ministers also took to social media. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna posted a series of tweets and International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland also noted the occasion. The events main organizer said the leaders support was a welcome addition to the 10th edition of the event, which was launched in Australia in 2007 as a way to draw attention to environmental issues including climate change. Seeing national, provincial and municipal leaders take part and encourage others to take part shows that Earth Hour is more than a symbolic gesture, said David Miller, CEO of WWF-Canada. Its a message to change climate change thats heard by those in positions of political power. He said a record-setting 178 countries and territories participated this year. Canadians also participated in a range of activities in cities across the country, which ranged from a stargazing event in Westmount, Que., to a low-light skate at Whistler, B.Cs Olympic Plaza. It was not immediately clear how many Canadians took part in this years Earth Hour. Toronto Hydro tweeted Saturday night that the citys electricity use dipped by 3.2 per cent, which the utility said was the equivalent of taking 36,000 homes off the grid. PowerStream, which serves nine municipalities north of Toronto, reported a 4.3 per cent drop in electricity consumption during Earth Hour. That was down slightly from the six per cent reduction achieved last year. The City of Edmonton tweeted Sunday morning that the city decreased its energy use by 2.5 per cent. While Earth Hour grew to include 7,000 cities worldwide last year, some say the event has been losing steam in recent years, at least in Canada. BC Hydro, for example, said British Columbians reduced the provincial electricity load during Earth Hour by just 0.2 per cent last year much less than the two per cent reduction recorded in 2008. Miller says critics who measure the events success in megawatt hours are missing the point. He said the events goal is to raise awareness, have fun, and celebrate recent successes such as the international co-operation shown by global leaders at the Paris climate conference. He said political leaders seem to be getting the message that Canadians care about climate change. Now we need to see it reflected in action, he said. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/03/2016 (2409 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Manitoba judge has given the green light for the family of Winnipeg homicide victim Kaila Tran to pursue a a wrongful-death lawsuit against her ex-boyfriend. Trans family have accused Drake Moslenko of being the mastermind behind the June 2012 attack. Tran was jumped outside her St. Vital apartment block and stabbed at least 31 times. Moslenko was charged with first-degree murder but the Crown dropped the charge in 2014. He has since collected $50,000 in life insurance, which was taken out by Tran, and is seeking another $55,000 from a second policy currently tied up in courts. Drake David Moslenko Lawyers acting for the Tran family appeared in court earlier this month, seeking permission to commence the unusual action that essentially seeks to have the civil court do what the criminal court didnt and find Moslenko culpable. But lawyers on behalf of Moslenko balked at the application, saying it wasnt filed within the two-year period normally required for civil action. They also claim it is without merit and wanted it dismissed. Queens Bench Justice Vic Toews released a written decision Friday finding in favour of the Tran family. I note the respondents concern that the applicant relies on hearsay evidence in order to argue the existence of these material facts. The fact that the applicant has had to rely on hearsay evidence in her affidavit is not surprising, given that the ongoing criminal proceeding arising out of the death of the deceased has restricted her ability to access that information directly, Toews wrote. It may be that the applicant will face an evidentiary burden at a civil trial of this matter which is significantly higher than the onus she must satisfy in this application, and that she may not be able to meet that evidentiary burden in that context, but that is not a relevant consideration in this application. The Tran familys lawyer, Jamie Kagan, had argued the two-year time should be waived because the lawsuit is based on new information that only came to light within the past two years. Specifically, Trans family points to recent disclosures from the Crown and police they say werent used against Moslenko in court, but implicate him. The family wrote to Manitoba Justice Minister Gord Mackintosh, demanding a judicial review into the decision to not proceed with the case against Moslenko. They are calling for Mackintosh to appoint a senior prosecutor, preferably from outside Manitoba, to review the departments handling of the case. They want the results made public. The man Moslenko allegedly hired to carry out the killing, Treyvonne Willis, was found guilty of first-degree murder last year and received a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years. He admitted to ambushing and repeatedly stabbing Tran, 27, in exchange for getting off the hook from a drug debt. Willis is appealing the verdict, claiming he gave a false confession. In their civil court affidavit, the Tran family claims the lead homicide detective assured them the charge against Moslenko would be reinstated after it was withdrawn at the preliminary hearing. They also say police and the Crown have told them about a second videotaped statement from Willis in which he directly implicates Moslenko in the killing. The taped statement was never used against him in court. Moslenkos name came up several times during the trial against Willis. Police repeatedly tried to get Willis to implicate Moslenko during a videotaped interrogation that was shown to jurors. He said he would be in danger if he started dropping names. Police suggested Moslenko arranged the hit, which Willis denied. He also said he was never told why Tran had to be killed. www.mikeoncrime.com Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/03/2016 (2409 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A judge facing impaired-driving charges is no longer with the Provincial Court of Manitoba. Michel Chartier, who was charged Sunday with impaired driving and having a blood-alcohol concentration over .08, has resigned from the provincial court, Chief Judge Ken Champagne announced Friday. Public confidence in and respect for the judiciary are essential to an effective justice system. Therefore, while the resignation of Michel Chartier from the court is regrettable, by having resigned today, he has done the honourable thing, recognizing that the charges brought against him would significantly undermine public confidence in the judiciary, Champagne said in a statement. WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Judge Michel Chartier was charged after being pulled over by Carberry RCMP. Carberry RCMP charged Chartier after pulling him over Sunday at about 1:30 p.m. on the Trans-Canada Highway, about five kilometres west of Highway 5 in the RM of North Cypress. No one was hurt in the incident, the Mounties said. Chartier was placed on administrative leave on Monday, Champagne said. Two years ago in what was believed to be a legal first in Manitoba Chartier decided not to impose a jail sentence or a criminal record on a drunk driver who hit and severely injured a motorcyclist. Instead, Chartier granted the longtime alcoholic a curative discharge and considered it in the publics best interest the accused get treatment for his alcohol addiction rather than jail time. Our courts have emphasized that denunciations and deterrence are driving principles of sentencing for the drinking driver, Chartier said in his 2014 ruling. Sometimes, effective rehabilitation can be the most effective way of keeping an individual from drinking and driving. There have been previous cases of federal and provincial court judges facing criminal charges in Manitoba and across the country. In 2011, Manitoba provincial court Judge Brian Corrin was charged with assault stemming from allegations of family violence. The charges were later stayed and Corrin returned to the bench. An Alberta provincial court judge in Edmonton pleaded guilty and was fined $1,500 for drunk driving in 2014. Whether a Manitoba provincial court judge continues to serve on the bench after being charged with a crime is up to the Judicial Council, which investigates complaints against judges under rules set out under the Provincial Court Act. The council can impose punishments ranging in severity from issuing a warning to recommending that the provincial justice minister remove the judge. Chartier was called to the bar in Manitoba in 1991 after graduating from Universite de Moncton the previous year. He focused on banking law, labour law and insurance litigation while practising at Monk Goodwin in Winnipeg and was appointed as a provincial court judge in September, 2007. For four years, from September 2009 to August 2013, Chartier served as associate chief judge. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 19/03/2016 (2408 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Local police officers will soon have a refuge from the daily traumas of their jobs as the Winnipeg Police Service, with a heightened awareness of mental-health concerns and the needs of a diverse workforce, becomes the latest police force in Canada to open a chapel. A meeting room in the new downtown police headquarters building is being converted into a multi-faith chapel for officers use. Its expected to be a space for quiet reflection, said WPS chaplaincy program co-ordinator Sgt. George Labossiere, who anticipates the chapel will be widely used among the 1,300 staff who will work out of the new headquarters, set to open in June. JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Sgt. George Labossiere, co-ordinator of the police services chaplaincy program, in the room that will be converted into a chapel. Its more based on ensuring that our members have a place to go, can connect with people, can make sure that we just dont ignore the fact that many people have spiritual needs that need to be addressed, and this room is just a small way we can offer that to our membership, he said. This is a way for the police service, which has been running its chaplaincy program since the mid-1990s, to promote the holistic health of its officers, regardless of their beliefs, Labossiere said. The fact that were dealing with crisis on a regular basis and the high stress that comes with the job, the periodic need to maybe have a quiet place to reflect, I think, is important, he said. Police Chief Devon Clunis has been open about his own Christian faith and has reached out to faith-based organizations to partner with the police on community events, such as last springs Restore our Core North End cleanup, but he wasnt the driving force behind the creation of a police chapel, Labossiere said. He said the WPS is following in the footsteps of many other police agencies in North America, including Hamilton, that already have chapels. The police service has four chaplains who meet with officers upon request. Theyll often serve as a sounding board for marital, parenting or financial concerns issues that often stem from the long hours and shift work policing entails, Labossiere said. If we dont keep our membership healthy, I think we all lose out, because we have people who cant perform their jobs, he said. Were a family, and family means supporting each other, during all times, good and bad. With increasingly high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder among law enforcement, emergency responders and medical and military professionals, chaplains can be a listening ear to pick up on the nuances of what could be a mental-health concern, said Mark Young, a Salvation Army minister who has been a volunteer chaplain for the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service for nearly 20 years. Over the years, hes seen the cumulative toll the job can take on emergency responders, who are called upon to rush into potentially traumatic situations without much warning. If youre an emergency personnel police, fire, paramedics, military how do you de-escalate that adrenaline rush thats going through your body? he said, adding he thinks the police services creation of a chapel is a good step forward. The quiet space is important. Its an outlet from a busy job that youre doing. Throughout the world today, theres a big push and surprisingly theres a big push within the church realm as well to get back to what we call sacred space. Quiet space, where you can just settle and contemplate and just rest your mind and body at the same time. Thats what I see chapel space could be utilized for. Not only in the secular world, but in the spiritual world, everyone seems to be saying we need spaces like this. katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 19/03/2016 (2408 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The cost of Winnipegs new police-headquarters project is on the rise again, but this time only by another $800,000. The 2016 capital budget, a spending blueprint for municipal construction projects, improvements and equipment purchases, calls for $290,000 to be spent this year on systems safeguards for the new downtown police headquarters and another $510,000 to be spent next year on the Smith Street complex. This $800,000 is in addition to $1.7 million already spent by the city in 2015 to repair electrical damage incurred during a 2014 rainstorm and subsequent improvements to the buildings elevator, escalator, heating and cooling systems, plumbing, parking lot, moisture barrier and the physical structure. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files The police-headquarters project is now estimated to cost up to $214.2 million, up from an estimate of $135 million in 2009. Unspent money from the 2014 police budget, initially earmarked for computer and systems upgrades, will pay for the additional improvements, according to budget documents. Nonetheless, the spending takes the total project cost up to $214.2 million, including the purchase of the former downtown Canada Post complex in 2009, the renovations undertaken by Caspian Construction, the post-rainstorm improvements and physical security barriers planned for the exterior of the building. It does not, however, include $2.1 million in information-systems upgrades slated for the new police HQ. According to budget documents, information-technology systems installed in 2014 will be replaced in 2021. The Winnipeg Police Service began moving into its new home late in 2015 and is expected to complete the transition out of the Public Safety Building on Princess Street this year. The project has suffered from delays, project-management issues detailed in a 2014 external audit and $79 million worth of cost increases. Council originally approved the project in 2009, when it was told it would cost the city $135 million. The police-HQ project also remains under investigation by the RCMP, which is looking into allegations of fraud and forgery related to construction invoices for the project. The Mounties have been investigating allegations involving contractor Caspian Construction since 2014, when they raided the firms McGillivray Boulevard offices and announced the launch of a criminal investigation. No charges have been laid, and allegations have not been proven in court. bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 18/03/2016 (2409 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Jimmy Lim was always the gentleman. So when he left the McPhillips Street Casino in the early hours of Feb. 27, it was to pick up his Buick Regal at the nearby parkade and drive to the front entrance to pick up his wife of 43 years, Shui Ling. SUPPLIED Jimmy Lim was killed on his way to pick up his wife outside McPhillips Station Casino. Shui Ling waited at the entrance. And waited. Jimmy never returned. Just moments later, as the 71-year-old Lim was pulling onto McPhillips Street, his vehicle was rammed by a 22-year-old woman who was allegedly drunk behind the wheel of a stolen car. Lim was rushed to Seven Oaks General Hospital, then transferred to Health Sciences Centre, before succumbing to his injuries that night. On Friday, Lims family members were still trying to process a tragedy that was so random and sudden. And final. Its a senseless thing, but were trying to go on, said son, Keith Lim. You feel angry, then you think about forgiveness. These are the two things that go back and forth. It keeps changing. Im still trying to process it. You get a mix of emotions. Keith and his wife Geraldine, along with their young son, were asleep when the phone rang at 2 a.m. It was a nurse calling from Seven Oaks. Keith rushed to the hospital where he was originally told his fathers injuries werent life-threatening. He breathed a sigh of relief. But not long after came the transfer to HSC. Lims heart was failing. At around 4:30 a.m., the family members were advised to say their goodbyes. Lims funeral was on Monday. After weeks of declining media requests for interviews, Lims family on Friday wanted to share the story of a man who emigrated to Canada from Taishan, China, in 1968, joining his parents and five other siblings, who landed two years prior. Coming to Canada was an opportunity to start a new life, Keith said. Lim married Shui Ling in 1973, and the couple raised two sons, Keith and Patrick, in a bungalow on Hiddleson Crescent in the Maples. He worked as an electrician at Sears for more than three decades, retiring in 2002. Keith said his father couldnt function without his mother, and vice versa. He did the finances. She raised the kids. She couldnt drive. He couldnt cook a can of soup. TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Keith Lim, son of Jimmy Lim, a 71 year old who was killed Feb. 27 on McPhillips Street. They had to rely so much on each other, Keith said. Which is why Shui Ling is still devastated by the loss of her husband. Shes still in and out (emotionally), Keith said. She wakes up in the middle of the night crying. Shes trying to be strong for the grandchildren. Ah, the grandkids. Keith said the most excruciating part of the accident is that Lim was revelling in his new role as a doting grandfather. He was happy being a grampa, Keith said. He enjoyed spoiling them. He enjoyed taking them out to eat. Just like Lim used to spoil his two boys, fixing electronics equipment in his spare time to buy them Transformers and GI Joes, and take them out every Saturday for pizza at Garbonzos. Geraldine described her father-in-law as unfailingly selfless. He was the sweetest man. A gentleman, she said. If I was going up the steps, he would always take my arm. Hence driving around on a winter night to pick up his betrothed at the front door. Geraldine said Shui Ling is haunted by what ifs? What if she had gone with him and it had taken longer to leave? What if they had left just a few minutes earlier? Meanwhile, Summer Skye Patchinose, 22, has been charged with criminal negligence causing death, driving impaired causing death, dangerous driving causing death, theft of a motor vehicle and driving while disqualified. SUPPLIED Above: Jimmy Lim and his bride, Shui Ling, in 1973. Left: The couple, especially Jimmy, doted on their grandchildren. She remains in custody. Keith said the family has read about Patchinoses history of alcohol abuse, her upbringing as a ward of CFS and a childhood exposed to drug abuse and violence. He said any expression of hatred toward the accused would not go anywhere. He (Jimmy) would be very disappointed if we went down that path. We want to honour him, Keith added. And the best way to honour him is to follow his values. Be selfless. Show compassion to others. And take care of the family he loved so much. Because, ultimately, Keith said the impact of his fathers death runs deep. Really, its six lives lost, not one, he explained. You lose a friend. You lose an uncle. Hes a brother and, of course, a grandfather. Hes a husband. And a father. Keith never got a chance to say goodbye to his dad, who was non-responsive when they entered his hospital room at HSC. Now he realizes he will miss the opportunity to ask him questions about raising a young family, a young son (Ethaniel). But there is one regret Jimmy Lims son will never have. Even though Im 40, Im still his baby boy, Keith said. When Id see him, Id give him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. Im a grown man, but I dont care. I dont regret it at all. Im glad I did that, at least, because now Ill miss it. Thats what I did when I said goodbye. I gave him a hug and a big kiss on the cheek like old times. randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @randyturner15 Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 19/03/2016 (2408 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In the current hand-wringing over the future of newspapers, a lot of commentators are simply throwing up their hands. They acknowledge the crucial role of local journalism in keeping communities healthy, then come to no real useful conclusions about how to preserve what newspapers do in the hundreds of communities they serve across Canada. A recent paper released by the Public Policy Forum on how to preserve serious journalism in Canada suggested, among other bizarre conclusions, part of the solution could lie in educating Canadians better on matters such as digital literacy and privacy protection. Dont ask me to explain these ideas. I cant. The Winnipeg Free Press has earned five National Newspaper Awards nominations. What I can do is set out some very simple changes that could help out newspapers such as the Winnipeg Free Press not handouts, not public subsidies, but public policy changes that would support journalism in Canada. They are: Put rules in place around the purchase of foreign media. Local journalism, in newspapers, TV and other outlets, used to be supported by local companies that wanted to advertise to local audiences. Those companies now increasingly use other media, such as Facebook and Google. Millions and millions are pouring out of communities across Canada and into the coffers of these American firms. Google and Facebook alone get two-thirds of digital ad dollars spent in Canada. They spend next to nothing here to support the communities from which they take the money. There are rules and measures in place to support all sorts of Canadian enterprises doing business in Canada, from dairy farmers to the aerospace industry. Why not news media? Return a share of existing government advertising to newspapers. Federal government spending on newspapers has fallen to almost nothing $357,000 in 2014-15 from 50 per cent of the ad budget a decade ago, or about $20 million. The reach of Canadian newspapers four out of five Canadians read them at least once a week hasnt changed, but theyre not the fashion of the day anymore at ad agencies. If Ottawa spent 50 per cent of its current annual ad budget on papers, it would be more than $40 million. Change tax laws to encourage newspaper ownership. Right now at the Free Press, for example, the company pays no dividends to the majority owner and shareholders. No one is taking any profit. But so long as our revenues are more than expenses, we pay income tax. Thats money we cant use to pay off our debt or reinvest in the business. How about a law that taxes newspaper earnings only when they are actually paid out to shareholders? Strengthen copyright laws so original work is protected longer. Papers such as the Free Press spend a lot on original journalism, then watch helplessly as the information is shared, reused and rewritten by others for their own purposes. If we got compensated for this, it would be a significant boost to our revenues. So thats it. Nothing expensive. No special funds. Newspapers operating in print and on digital platforms can be effective, efficient purveyors of great local journalism for a long time to come but we could use a little help. Bob Cox is the publisher of the Free Press and chairman of the Canadian Newspaper Association. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 19/03/2016 (2408 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitobas Progressive Conservatives are promising more economic development and jobs through new and existing partnerships in the provinces northern communities. Yes! North, new initiative tabled Saturday by the PCs, aims to prioritize the sustainable development of natural resources, including forestry and mining, and creating tourism opportunities to help tackle the 35 per cent unemployment rate the highest in Canada in northern Manitoba. The initiative will focus on partnerships to attract new companies to Manitobas northern regions, according to the party. MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Leader of the Opposition Brian Pallister speaks to the media after question period on the first day of the fifth session of the fortieth Manitoba Legislature Wednesday afternoon. 160224 - Wednesday, February 24, 2016 Weve listened and heard the significant challenges we face in the north, said PC Leader Brian Pallister in a prepared statement. If you care, you care about results. I want a better life for all Manitobans. Working together as partners we can achieve that. The PCs say they will establish a framework for respectful and productive consultations with Indigenous communities, including all levels of government. In a statement sent by the NDP Saturday, the party accused Pallister of focusing on tourism because they are just visiting. Brian Pallister and his Conservatives have no real plan for the north, read part of the statement. The Conservatives have spent years saying no to northern development and key job creators like Manitoba Hydro. Pallister and his team will spend their Saturday touring the North, hitting The Pas in the morning, Flin Flon in the afternoon and Thompson in the late afternoon. Pallister has promised to visit 56 of the provinces 57 constituencies during the course of campaign. The two candidates for Wisconsin's highest court, Justice Rebecca Bradley and Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg, sparred in their second debate Friday. The candidates reiterated positions on well-tread ground in the campaign, including conflicts of interest, judicial philosophy, and the merits of campaign ads from outside advocacy groups. The debate was held on the UW-Madison campus and sponsored by Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Both candidates emphasized their impartiality and a commitment to a narrowed, disciplined reading of the law. Kloppenburg, a Court of Appeals judge emphasized the years of experience she has on Bradley, questioning Bradley's rapid ascent by Gov. Scott Walker's hand, to three judicial positions in three years. Bradley highlighted her previous experience in business and technology litigation and noted voters elected her to her Milwaukee County Circuit Court position. Her experience at every level of the court system will serve her well, she said. In response to a question about whether a judge's personal life experience can or should inform how they would approach a case, Kloppenburg said life experiences can help judges understand the perspectives of the litigants, but said she removes her personal feelings from the decision making process. "Ive shown through 700-plus opinions that I apply the law to the facts in the record in a fair and impartial manner and in a focused and disciplined manner," she said. Bradley acknowledged that every judge comes to the bench with personal opinions, but said they never come into play in her decisions. "We're people. We have opinions," she said. "Once we put the robe on we set those opinions aside." In response to a question about her judgment involving her representation of a man she was romantically involved with in a divorce and custody proceeding, Bradley called the story run by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel sexist. The article, in which a legal expert said she breached no technical ethics rules, should concern women statewide, she said. "We are treated differently when we run for office," she said. Kloppenburg said the incident illustrates Bradley's judgement. "Im not interested in talking about her personal life. What is relevant is her choice, her exercise of judgment in a professional and legal situation," Kloppenburg said. The candidates differed in their treatment of the impact of campaign ads run by outside advocacy groups. The ads' accuracy, approach and their funders have increasingly become flashpoints in Supreme Court races. Bradley said the ads, "provides more information to the voters for them to consider." Kloppenburg said the ads often exploit victims' families and misrepresent the facts of a case. They are "a source of concern to people around the state, she said. Kloppenburg also called for a revision to the high court's rules on recusal, which she said were "among the weakest in the nation." Recusal rules outline when a justice should be disqualified from a case over a conflict of interest. "We should replace them," she said. "We have a subjective standard...where each justice decides for themselves whether they can be fair and objective. They should be replaced with an objective standard," she said. She also said the court should revise the rules adopted in 2005 permitting justices to rule in cases involving parties who donated to their campaign. In responding to a question about the lack of collegiality among current Supreme Court members, both candidates said they have the experience and temperament to work well with the others. "I take them at their word that they want to be collegial," Kloppenburg said. Bradley acknowledged that the court's reputation has slid from the discord and said justices understand it is an issue. "Im happy to report that I think the court is functioning very well and we are doing a great job for the people of Wisconsin," she said. "Its reputation has diminished a little ... each of the justices is well aware of that, and is working very hard to build collegiality. I am contributing a very easygoing personal demeanor and building collegiality on the court every day." Voters will head to the polls to select a candidate on April 5. will smith Netflix will pay more than $90 million for a new Will Smith film that it snagged after a two-week bidding war, according to Deadline. The movie is a cop thriller called "Bright" that contains "fantastical elements" (including orcs). Netflix will spend about $45 million to shoot the film, the same for talent, plus $3 million for the script by Max Landis, Deadline reports. This is Netflix's biggest push yet into blockbuster films. This purchase significantly outstrips the $60 million Netflix paid for Brad Pitt's "War Machine," which has not yet been released. Netflix reportedly fought off multiple other bidders, including Warner Brothers and MGM, both of whom would have given the movie a wide theatrical release. Netflix's commitment to day-and-date releases, meaning that movies are available to stream on Netflix the same day they arrive in theaters, will likely limit how many big screens show "Bright." Theater giants like Regal have publicly denounced this release policy, and Netflix's previous films have seen very limited theatrical releases. It's going to be very, very difficult for Netflix to get the major theater chains to carry its movies, FBR Capital Markets analyst Barton Crockett recently told The Los Angeles Times. But Netflix derives its value from subscriptions, and securing a possible franchise blockbuster like "Bright," along with a big name like Smith, could lure people onto the platform. The film will shoot in the fall, with David Ayer attached as the director. NOW WATCH: Why Sean Parkers plan to stream movies still in theaters for $50 could work More From Business Insider China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page Actress Jennifer Lawrence arrives at the 88th Academy Awards nominees luncheon in Beverly Hills, California in this February 8, 2016, file photo. Ryan Collins, a Pennsylvania man, has agreed to plead guilty to a felony computer hacking charge after authorities said he illegally accessed private phone and email accounts of celebrities such as Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence to leak information including nude pictures. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/Files By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Pennsylvania man has agreed to plead guilty to a felony computer hacking charge after authorities said he illegally accessed private phone and email accounts of celebrities such as Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence to leak information including nude pictures. The U.S. attorney for the Central District of California charged Ryan Collins, 36, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, according to court documents filed on Tuesday. Collins signed a plea agreement to plead guilty to a felony violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. He faces up to five years in federal prison, with a recommended prison term of 18 months and a fine of $250,000. The case has been transferred from California to the Middle District of Pennsylvania, where Collins is expected to surrender and plead guilty. He will be sentenced at a later date. While no victims were named in the court documents, Lawrence and other celebrities such as actresses Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union and model Kate Upton addressed the leak and online dissemination of their nude photos in interviews. Representatives for Lawrence, Dunst, Union and Upton did not return Reuters' requests for comment on Wednesday. Prosecutors said in court documents that between November 2012 and September 2014, Collins "knowingly, intentionally, and in furtherance of criminal and tortious acts" accessed at least 50 Apple iCloud accounts and about 72 Google Gmail accounts belonging to more than 100 people. Known as a 'phishing' scam, Collins used fraudulent email disguised to impersonate legitimate security services, such as "email.protection318@icloud.com," and requesting usernames and passwords from the victims, according to prosecutors. By doing so, Collins accessed the iCloud accounts, used for online data storage, for 18 celebrities and downloaded the backed-up data that included nude pictures and videos, court documents said. It is not the first time a suspected hacker has been charged with leaking celebrity nude photos. A Florida man was sentenced in 2012 to 10 years in prison for hacking into email accounts of Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis and Christina Aguilera to leak private information and nude photographs. A government-commissioned review of New Zealands spy agencies, released this month, recommended the removal of restrictions on their ability to spy on citizens and residents. The review, by former Labour government Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen and lawyer Dame Patsy Reddy, called for a de facto merger of the domestic agency, the Security Intelligence Service (SIS), with the external agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB). It proposed that the organisations, which together employ approximately 500 staff, be covered by the same legislation and operate out of the same building. The integration of the spy agencies would enable the GCSBs advanced technology, which includes the interception of communications via satellite and the tapping of undersea Internet cables, to be routinely used by both agencies to spy on New Zealanders for vaguely-defined national security purposes. Cullen downplayed the recommendations, telling the media on March 9: We are not proposing a vast extension of power. It was a clarification of the existing law. Prime Minister John Key, however, admitted that the proposals would increase the GCSBs powers. He flatly declared this was needed because we live in a world of changing national security requirements, a world that presents a few more risks to New Zealanders. A New Zealand Herald editorial backed the plans, seizing on the bogus war on terror used by governments internationally to introduce unprecedented police and surveillance measures. It asserted that since the end of 2014, the spectre of Isis terrorism [has prompted] all Western states to adopt stronger measures of surveillance and passport control. In reality, the proposals have nothing to do with combating terrorism. The review was released under conditions of soaring social inequality, the collaboration of New Zealand in the US-led war in Iraq and escalating threats of a US war against Russia and China. As in America, Europe and Asia, there are signs that the turn to austerity and militarism is producing a shift to the left among sections of workers and youth, including the large turnout at last months protests against the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership. The ruling elite is preparing to confront social and political opposition by erecting the foundations for a police state. Claims by Cullen and Reddy that their proposals would strengthen oversight of the spy agencies are a sham. The GCSB and SIS would be permitted to spy on anyone if they obtained a warrant from the attorney-general and a judicial commissioner. When agencies decided that an operation must be conducted urgently, they would be able to conduct warrantless surveillance for 48 hours. Spies would also be given immunities from civil and criminal liability if they broke the law during undercover operations. The GCSB currently has immunity when acting under authorisation and for any act done in good faith to obtain a warrant or authorisation. This would be extended to cover SIS agents. Immunity would also be given to anyone required to assist the agencies, such as telecommunications companies and human sources. Until a law change in 2013, the GCSB was prohibited from carrying out any surveillance on New Zealanders. This expansion of powers triggered nationwide protests by thousands of people. It followed an admission that the GCSB had illegally spied on at least 88 people, including businessman and Internet Party founder Kim Dotcom. The 2013 provisions allowed the GCSB to conduct surveillance of New Zealanders for the purposes of cyber security and to assist the police, the Defence Force and the SIS. It also allowed surveillance of anyone working for a foreign person ... government, body or organisation. According to Cullen and Reddy, however, the 2013 legislation did not go far enough because it only allowed the GCSB to spy on citizens and residents in exceptional, albeit very broadly defined, circumstances. Keys National Party government aims to legalise the indiscriminate spying, which already takes place. Whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed in 2014 that there is routine surveillance of New Zealanders by the GCSB. The information gathered can be accessed by the US National Security Agency (NSA) and other members of the Five Eyes alliancethe intelligence agencies of Australia, Britain and Canada. Opposition Labour Party leader Andrew Little immediately indicated bipartisan support. He told the March 9 Herald that the Cullen-Reddy review contained sensible recommendations in terms of having consistency in legislation and avoiding contradictions between the agencies powers. Labour had told the government we will cooperate on trying to get the best possible legislation. This underscores the fraud of Labours opposition to the 2013 legislation, which it voted against while making vague calls for a review of the GCSBs operations. As soon as the 2014 election was out of the way, Labour backed legislation allowing the SIS to conduct warrantless spying for 24 hours in emergency situations. Now it is supporting even greater powers. Successive Labour and National governments have overseen a vast expansion of the spy agencies powers and resources. They have also worked closely with Washington to integrate the GCSB into the Five Eyes alliance, as part of the overall strengthening of military and intelligence ties. Documents released by Snowden last year revealed that the agency spies on countries throughout Asia and the Pacific, including China, and shares the intelligence with the NSA. This represents a significant contribution to US imperialisms preparations for war against China. New Zealands ruling elite relies on its alliance with the US to protect its own neo-colonial interests in the Pacific and elsewhere. The Cullen-Reddy review declined to comment on the accuracy of Snowdens allegations in relation to New Zealand. At the same time, it praised the Five Eyes as by far New Zealands most valuable intelligence arrangement, giving us knowledge and capability far beyond what we could afford on our own. New legislation will be drawn up in close consultation with Washington. Key revealed that on March 14 that US National Intelligence Director James Clapper had just visited New Zealand for talks on intelligence matters, including the Cullen-Reddy review. Clapper held private discussions with both Key and Labour leader Little, who described his meeting as very friendly. Key said General Clapper was in New Zealand on his way to a Five Eyes meeting in Australia. Clapper oversees 16 US intelligence agencies, including the CIA and NSA. His visit underlines the incorporation of New Zealands spying operations into the global network operated by the US. The author also recommends: The curious career of Cheryl Gwyn, New Zealands inspector-general of intelligence and security [15 August 2015] Human rights and indigenous activists took to the streets of Tegucigalpa, Hondurass capital, Wednesday to demand explanations for the murder of Honduran indigenous rights activist Berta Caceres and a halt to the rampant killing of activists throughout the country. Since, the March 3 killing of Caceres, the Honduran government has continued to divert the blame back to the indigenous movement to cover up its own responsibility in allowing the murder to happen. Less than two weeks earlier, Nelson Garcia, a member of the organization led by Berta Caceres, was shot four times in the head and killed as he arrived at noon at his mother-in-laws house. That morning he had been helping families move their belongings out of the Rio Chiquito community, where they were being evicted by the police, military police, and army. Governing over the second poorest country in Latin America, Hondurass oligarchical elite solidified its grip on the state after a 2009 US-backed military coup overthrew the elected government of President Manuel Zelaya. It has since made clear its commitment to fully opening up the countrys resources to corporate plundering by keeping popular discontent in check with a militarized campaign of fear. To that end, it has worked to obscure the systemic character of the assassinations of leading activists, putting up a facade of defending human rights and fighting against corruption. The NGO Global Witness declared Honduras the worst country to be an ecologist, having a climate of near total impunity that contributed to the killing of 109 environmental activists between 2010 and 2015, the highest per capita rate in the world. Billy Kyte, a Global Witness campaigner, commented: Hondurans are being shot dead in broad daylight, kidnapped, or assaulted for standing in the way of their land and the companies who want to monetize it. Since 2009, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) had asked for Caceres protection, given the increased danger she was facing as a leading opponent of the 2009 coup and subsequent fraudulent elections. At the head of the Council of Indigenous and Popular Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), Caceres also led the fight against over 10 hydroelectric projects, primarily the Aguas Zarcas dam, to protect sacred and natural resource-rich lands inhabited by the Lenca, the largest indigenous population in the country. At Aguas Zarcas, the successful exposures of human rights violations made the Chinese transnational Sinohydro and the World Bank drop their funding and, thus, earned Caceres the 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize. Caceres stated that, days after the June 28 coup in 2009, concessions were given out for several rivers. According to the Goldman Prize organization, hundreds of hydroelectric and mining projects were approved, ceding about 30 percent of the countrys land through concessions. Caceres commented, Capitalism is in a state of dementia to grab all goods left in nature, precisely because it cant hold on any longer and needs to continue finishing and eating up the planet. The first president to be elected after the coup, Porfirio Lobo, reduced social spending by 20 percent, accepted $1.75 million from the US ambassador to support efforts by Honduran law enforcement and initiated an IMF structural adjustment program in return for $202 million in credits. These measures have exacerbated the countrys decades-long economic stagnation, with devastating social consequences. Since the coup, the poverty rate has soared, reaching a peak of 66.5 percent in 2012; 36 percent of the population lives in extreme poverty, including a striking seven out of ten rural households. The official unemployment rate saw a significant jump last year from 5.3 percent to 7.3 percent, and it has been estimated that close to a million young people are neither working nor studying. Impoverishment since the coup has fed rising gang membership, a 50 percent increase in the murder rate and increased numbers of children and mothers fleeing the violence to the United States. The Obama administration has continuously acted in support of the regimes violations of democratic rights, as indicated by Hillary Clintons assertion in her book Hard Choices that they worked to restore order in Honduras in a manner that would render the question of Zelaya moot. Caceres herself had condemned Clinton for legitimizing the coup. For 2016, the US government has allocated $1 billion to its Alliance for Prosperity with Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. While overseeing the intensification of deportations and raids against Central American refugees living in the US, Washington continues to be responsible for the worsening conditions fueling the flight of refugees. Last month, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandezunder the auspices of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the US embassyput into effect Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (Maccih) and its executing arm, Operation Avalanche, supposedly to win back the respect of the Honduran people and to become an essential piece in the democratic system. Instead of regaining any control in the deepening crisis of governability and lawlessness, by favoring certain organized criminal groups over others, the government has only intensified the lucrative and violent struggles between gangs and cleared the way for further corruption and impunity, leading to more violent deaths of activists. A poignant expression of the danger and sense of powerlessness felt by many is that Caceres eulogy, by coworkers in COPINH and other organizations, had been written years before her death. The National Police has blamed Caceres for rejecting their protection, allegations the IACHR and COPINH have denied. The day after the incident, the police arrested Aureliano Molina Villanueva, a COPINH member, as primary suspect, only to release him under vigilance a day later. Shortly after Nelson Garcias killing, the National Police released a statement insisting, without any evidence, that it was an isolated crime completely unrelated to the evictions that took place earlier that morning. The Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) and Amnesty International (AI) have joined the denunciations of the government for attempting to cover up its responsibility. After President Hernandez refused a meeting over Caceres murder, AI Director for the Americas, Erika Guevara-Rosas, declared that Honduran authorities say one thing and do the opposite. COPINH has blamed the government for attempting to clean its own image at the national and international levels by creating the illusion of a crime of passion or personal crime. By painting these crimes as subjective and by obscuring the objective connection between violent oppression against communities and their leaders and a greater opening to finance capital, the Honduran government is protecting its own interests which are bound up with increased militarization and US imperialist exploitation of the regions workers and resources. The Hungarian government declared a state of crisis on March 9 and completely closed its borders to refugees on the so-called Balkan route. Following the example of Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Macedonia, Hungary has announced that only people with valid passports and visas will now be permitted to enter the country. Interior Minister Sandor Pinter declared at a press conference in Budapest on Wednesday: We are declaring a state of crisis for the entire country because of migration. An additional 1,500 soldiers were mobilized and military and police took up positions along the border. While the influx of refugees is a factor, the government is reacting primarily to growing social tensions and protests within the country. It is mobilizing additional soldiers, expanding the powers of the police and intelligence agencies, and clearing the way for the permanent implementation of emergency laws. Government representatives announced plans to erect a fence along its border with Romania, although this does not lie on the so-called Balkan route. Nevertheless, they announced that provisions would be made to seal borders with south-eastern neighbours within ten days. Hungary had already built fences on its southern borders with Serbia and Croatia several months ago. The right-wing Fidesz government has been planning to implement emergency laws for some time. It wants to combat terrorism with more than 30 separate measures. According to official propaganda, the danger of terrorism comes above all from refugees. The rights of assembly and of freedom of the press will be restricted, the border will be closed long-term and the freedom of the Hungarian population to travel placed under tight restrictions. Telephone and Internet providers will be required to provide data to the state authorities and to shut off services on command. Since Victor Orban took over the government six years ago, freedom of the press has been curtailed repeatedly. Now the media will be required to publish government press releases and to censor dangerous material. Anything that the government deems unpleasant could be classified as dangerous. The intelligence agencies, which are already working to a large extent without restraints and are dominated by ultra-right forces, will receive even greater powers. The military will also be deployed long-term inside the country. Strikes can be forbidden at any time. The government can impose these measures for up to 60 days before they are debated in parliament. Orban had already announced that the rights of refugees in Hungary would be further restricted. The space allotted to refugees in internment camps should, in the future, only be as large as that allotted to prison inmates, says the draft of the legislation. In addition, aid money and integration measures will be slashed. The Helsinki Committee human rights group says that the actual aim of the measures consists in destroying the motivation of refugees who have been granted asylum to remain in Hungary. According to the draft legislation, the changes to the law will to go into effect on April 1. The implementation of a state of crisis and the planned emergency laws serve not only to repulse refugees, but are also aimed directly at the Hungarian population. The social gulf in the country and all over Europe is rapidly expanding and is leading to social protests. Workers at the online department of the food retailer Tesco are planning a strike aimed at a wage increase. The third-largest retail chain worldwide gets 80 percent of its online business, the fastest growing branch of the corporation, in Budapest, where wages are a mere pittance. The management of Tesco in Hungary says that it is prepared to raise wages slightly in Budapest and Gyor, but not in other cities and regions where, on account of high unemployment, employees have no possibility of finding another job. In addition to strikes there are frequent protests against the deep cuts to education in Hungary. In February, more than 20,000 people attended a protest in the capital before parliament for better funding for schools and better pay for teachers. At the beginning of February, there were protests in eleven Hungarian cities. The largest was in Miskolc, in the destitute eastern part of the country. It was the largest protest outside Budapest since the end of the Stalinist regime in 1989. The government has already made it clear that such protests will be suppressed by police in the future. According to the unions and opposition parties, striking teachers were sought out by police in their homes and questioned about the protests. This awakens memories of the dark chapter of Hungarian history in the 1930s and 40s, where the regime and state forces collaborated with the Nazis. Orban and his government announced that they would continue to implement severe austerity measures. According to Orban, the new draft budget that the government will present at the end of April will call for a balanced budget in 2017. Lending support to the witch-hunt mounted by Indias Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, a High Level Enquiry Committee of Delhis Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has recommended harsh discipline be imposed on 21 left-wing students for leading a protest that the government has denounced as anti-national. The Committee is recommending five of the 21 be rusticated, i.e. temporarily or permanently expelled. These include the three students who have been dragged before Indias courts on frame-up sedition chargesJNU Student Union President Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, and Anirban Bhattacharya. Last month the BJP government ordered Delhi Police and the university administration to crack down on its left-wing opponents at JNU on the pretext that anti-national slogans had been raised at a February 9 campus rally marking the third anniversary of the hanging of Mohammad Afzal Guru. A Kashmiri, Guru was framed up by Indian authorities for the December 2001 terrorist attack on Indias parliamentary complex. One of Indias most prestigious universities, JNU has long been decried by the BJP and its Hindu supremacist allies as a hotbed of leftism. The JNU administration is eager to do the governments bidding. Previously, it gave Delhi police permission to conduct raids across the campus in order to arrest Kumar and other participants in the February 9 event. Now it is seeking to ram through the recommendations of its High Level Enquiry Committee. On March 14, the JNU administration announced that the five-member enquiry committee had found the 21 guilty of violating university norms and discipline rules. It then gave them less than 36 hourstill 5 p.m. March 16to show cause, that is, to rebut the committees findings. It added that if the students failed to show cause, university authorities would presume they had nothing (to say) in (their) defence and proceed directly to imposing penalties. The anti-democratic nature of the entire procedure is underscored by the fact that the university failed to even inform the 21 what specific rules they are deemed to have violated. The JNU Teachers Association has opposed what it calls the bullying tactics of the university administration. Association General-Secretary Bikramaditya Choudhary deplored the lack of specific charges. What are the students being held guilty of? It is unacceptable. Meanwhile, five JNU academic deans have written to the vice-chancellor to refute the administrations claim that they were apprised of the enquiry committees findings at a March 14 meeting. The JNU Students Union (JNUSU) has passed a resolution condemning the enquiry report as biased and opposing the universitys demand that the 21 show cause. The accused have not even been given the entire report, despite repeated demands, said JNU Vice President Shehla Rashid Shora. They have not even been told the specific charges against them. When they dont know the crime what explanation will they give? Over the strenuous objections of the Delhi Police, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya were granted interim bail for six months Friday. They had been in prison for more than three weeks. Along with JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar, who was released on bail March 3, they face the possibility of being sentenced to life in prison if found guilty on the trumped-up sedition charges. The vendetta again the JNU students is part of a much larger BJP government drive to smear all opposition to its right-wing policies as anti-national and to promote a bellicose Hindu communalist-laced Indian nationalism. The BJP government is systematically placing Hindu nationalist ideologues in charge of the countrys universities and cultural institutions and working in tandem with the ABVP, the student wing of the fascistic Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), to target government opponents among university students and faculty across India. This authoritarian and communalist campaign points to the broader anti-working class agenda of Prime Minister Narenda Modi and his BJP. By stoking social reaction and suppressing social opposition, the Indian ruling class is seeking to divide and intimidate the working class so as to push politics far to the right. This includes both the intensification of neo-liberal socioeconomic reform and the pursuit of the Indian bourgeoisies great power ambitions through the rapid expansion of Indias military and the harnessing of India to US imperialisms anti-China pivot. Human Resources Development Minister Smriti Irani, whose responsibilities include overseeing Indias universities, has been front and center in the government campaign against the JNU students, and more generally to promote a bellicose, authoritarian nationalism. According to India Today, Irani is now working on plans to introduce military personnel on the countrys university campuses. She has urged that military officers be assigned to lecture students to instill nationalism and is also considering instructing the countrys central universities to hire retiring junior commissioned officers and soldiers as physical training instructors. Their responsibilities, reports India Today, would include inculcating a spirit of nationalism and patriotism. The foully reactionary and truly sinister direction along which Indian establishment politics is rapidly moving was exemplified by the expulsion of a member of the Maharashtra state assembly on Wednesday for desisting from saying Bhat Mata Ki Jai or Victory for Mother India. In a provocation intimately tied up with the dispute over the purported shouting of anti-national slogans at JNU, a legislator from the Shiv Sena, a Hindu supremacist party closely allied with the BJP, demanded that Waris Pathan prove his patriotism during an assembly debate by saying Victory for Mother India. When Pathan, who is a member of the Muslim communalist India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) refused, the BJP Home Minister Ranjit Patel brought forward a motion that Pathan be suspended from the assembly for the remainder of the current session. The opposition Congress Party and Nationalist Congress Party readily agreed. Significantly, when Patel suggested an apology might be sufficient, the Congress legislators brayed their disapproval. This incident underscores the utterly bogus character of the Congress Partys claims to defend the JNU students and democracyclaims that the Stalinist parliamentary parties, the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPM, are promoting. The BJP campaign of smears and repression is in part directed against the Stalinists. Communists and Jihadists at Work in JNU screams the title of a pamphlet recently authored by BJP Vice President Balbir Punj. The response of the Stalinist parties to this attack has been utterly cowardly and politically reactionary. It has been aimed not at mobilizing the working class in defence of democratic rights, but at convincing the Indian ruling class of the Stalinists loyalty and political reliability and at promoting Indian nationalism, the ideology of the Indian bourgeoisie. Speaking in parliament on the JNU issue, CPM General-Secretary Sitaram Yechury emphasised the Stalinists support for progressive nationalism. Responding to Iranis recent order that all central Indian universities prominently fly the Indian flag, Yechury declared, There will be a huge national flag in every central university. But, remember, the tri-colour (Indian flag) in our hearts is much larger. JNUSU President Kumar is a leader of the CPIs student wing, the All Indian Students Federation. On the instructions of the CPI leadership, he has repeatedly declared his loyalty to Indias constitution and faith in the courts. He has also joined with the CPM and CPI leaderships in seeking to use the events at JNU to promote closer ties with the big business Congress Party, touting it as an ally in the fight for democracy and a bulwark of secularism. Speaking to the Kolkata-based Telegraph last Sunday, Kumar said, It is simplistic to brand them (the Congress and BJP) both as capitalist bourgeois parties. Their nature is different. Not incidentally, the CPM and CPI are jointly contesting the West Bengal state assembly elections in an alliance with the Congress aimed against the BJP and the states current ruling party, the Trinamool Congress. It is the Stalinists systematic suppression of the class struggle, whose political expression has been their subordination of the working class to the Congress Partythe traditional party of government of the Indian ruling classand a host of right-wing regional and caste-ist parties that have created the conditions for the rise of the BJP and the Hindu right. More than ever, the defence of democratic rights and assertion of the social interests of the working class is bound up with its mobilisation as an independent political force, rallying all the toilers, against the Indian bourgeoisie and all its political parties. vengo shark tank Vengo Labs founding CEO Brian Shimmerlik not only had the confidence to demand that "Shark Tank" investors Kevin O'Leary and Lori Greiner adjust their joint offer before he would accept their $2 million, he had the tact to pull it off. Shimmerlik and his cofounder, Steven Bofill, left the Tank with $2 million in venture debt, to be paid over three years at 7% interest, in return for just 3% equity of their digital-vending-machine company. Before arriving on set last summer forthe taping of a Season 7 episode that premiered on Friday, Bofill told Business Insider he "never thought they'd get to a deal like that." Shimmerlik and Bofill entered the pitch room seeking $2 million in exchange for 12.5% equity. They explained how they started Vengo Labs in 2011 as a way to revolutionize the vending-machine space. Each Vengo machine is a compact, wall-mounted device that carries six products it advertises with video demonstrations and text. The intention is to create something akin to an online-shopping experience but with an immediate reward, located in places where target consumers spend time already like college dormitories. The two entrepreneurs were able to garner interest in their idea from high-profile investors in their hometown of New York City, including Gary Vaynerchuk, David Tisch, and the NYU Venture Innovation Fund. Before their "Shark Tank" appearance, they raised $3.4 million over a seed and Series A round. vengo Vengo operates by selling a unit to a vending-machine company for $2,500, breaking even, and then charges the purchaser of the unit a $20 monthly fee for access to the machine's cloud-based software and maintenance insurance. The owner of each unit can then arrange with Vengo to place their own products in the machine, as well as make use of the company's network of partners, including brands like Hershey's and skin-care company Kiehl's. Story continues Each brand is charged a monthly fee of $200 per unique product per machine per month not a cheap price, but one that Shimmerlik said comes with an attractive margin for each partner. Shimmerlik and Bofill told the Sharks that their business model would lead to $1 million in revenue in 2015, at a loss of $300,000, but that their growth would cause them to break even the next year. Mark Cuban, Daymond John, and Robert Herjavec didn't want to get involved, but O'Leary kicked off negotiations among himself, Greiner, and Shimmerlik. Here's a summary of how it played out: Kevin O'Leary: Would you like to make a debt deal? Brian Shimmerlik: We don't have any, but I'm open to it. O'Leary: I'll give you $2 million in venture debt as a three-year loan at 7% interest, and I'll get 6% equity in return for the risk. The three years will be sufficient to test proof of concept. Shimmerlik: How did you reach that 6%? O'Leary: I just asked for it. It seems fair. Lori Greiner: I like the concept, but I think the design needs work to be more appealing and useful. Shimmerlik: Kevin and Lori, would you be interested in splitting a deal? O'Leary/Greiner: Sure. Shimmerlik: We like the debt terms, but the 6% is much too high. We'll give 1%. O'Leary/Greiner: We'd be working too closely with you for just half a percent each. No way. Shimmerlik: That's my final counter. O'Leary: We can do 3% equity. Greiner: No, we should each get 2%. Let's have 4%. Shimmerlik: We've already worked with investors and we know that's below market value. O'Leary: Sharks can't be held to those same standards. We are much more involved than a typical investor and can get you tremendously valuable exposure. And you'll be getting not one Shark, but two. Shimmerlik: That's a good point. I'll make just one more counter: 2.5% equity. O'Leary/Greiner: We'll do 3.5%. Shimmerlik: That's still too much for us. My final offer is 2.5%. We'd love to work with you. O'Leary/Greiner: Our last offer is 3%. Shimmerlik: Deal. Shimmerlik told us that the negotiation process went well for him because there was mutual respect between himself and the investors rather than condescension, and that it was fun working out a deal. "I could tell O'Leary loved it," Shimmerlik said. Following their "Shark Tank" appearance, the Vengo Labs team secured an additional $2 million from Armory Square Ventures in October. Vengo is planning to use its war chest to expand its reach to 1,000 units in four cities across four continents, and expect to make $2 million in revenue this year. Shimmerlik explained that what makes the partnership with O'Leary and Greiner so appealing is not only their star power, but also their investments in a wide variety of Vengo-friendly products, like O'Leary's Bottle Breacher bottle opener. "It's wild," Shimmerlik said of the "Shark Tank" experience. "Totally." NOW WATCH: 'Shark Tank' star Robert Herjavec on the challenges standing in the way of entrepreneurs More From Business Insider Earlier this month, over four years after the murder of Ramarley Graham in his Bronx apartment, Preet Bharara, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that he would not prosecute his killer, Officer Richard Haste, on civil rights charges. Bharara claimed there was insufficient evidence to meet the high burden of proof required for a federal criminal civil rights prosecution. Graham, 18, was gunned down on February 2, 2012, in his second-floor bathroom by police who, without provocation, followed him from the street and broke into his home in the Wakefield section of the north Bronx. The teenaged Grahams killing resulted from the aggressive, and often illegal, police practices involved in stop-and-frisk on the street and of searches and intrusions into homes. Although the police altered their original version of what they claimed happened, neighborhood surveillance video cameras helped determine that narcotics unit officers on patrol chose to interpret Grahams adjusting the front of his pants as he walked as an indication that he had a gun. They radioed other officers that he had a gun. Graham is seen on video as walking, not running, at the front of his house and closing the door behind him. Two police officers shortly run up and fail to kick in the front door. One, Richard Haste, goes in the back door and up to the second floor, where he shot Graham, who was in the bathroom. Several minutes later a mob of police showed up. No gun was found. The police claimed they found a small amount of marijuana that Graham may have been trying to flush down the toilet. It is clear that police had time before confronting Graham in his home to re-think and assess what they were doing. When Grahams 58-year old grandmother, Patricia Hartley, who was present in the apartment during the killing, cried, Why did you shoot him? Haste responded, according to a statement by Grahams family, by yelling, Get the f--k away before I have to shoot you, too, and pushing her. Hartley says she was then interrogated for seven hours at the police station without an attorney. It took until June 2012 for Haste to be charged with manslaughter, and only then did the New York Police Department (NYPD) file disciplinary charges against him. The indictment was subsequently dismissed by a judge on the technicality that the prosecution had given the grand jury flawed instructions. In 2013, a second grand jury refused to indict Haste. The NYPD disciplinary investigation was postponed on the excuse that it was customary to step back while a federal civil rights investigation occurs. Yet the city settled for $3.9 million in January 2015 after a suit by the family for civil rights violations by the NYPD. The NYPD announced it would finally resume its departmental disciplinary case against Haste and two other officers. Dismissal from the NYPD is the most severe penalty option. The ultimate decision is up to Police Commissioner William Bratton. Grahams family has been steadfast in pursing justice since his death on February 2, 2012. Last week, they rallied on the steps of City Hall to demand the firing of Haste, who has been placed on modified duty by the NYPD. Haste has received $25,000 in raises over the past four years. Grahams mother, Constance Malcom, has accused Bratton of being a bald-faced liar for claiming that the NYPD had to postpone the Internal Affairs case regarding Haste because the Department of Justice (DOJ) had requested it. Malcom, Grahams father Frank Graham and other supporters who met with Bharara reported that the district attorney told them that no one from the DOJ told the NYPD to delay its investigation or to refrain from disciplining officers. Malcom, said, These officers should not be running around with a gun or badge. Theyre reckless. They murdered my son in front of my 6-year old son and also his grandmother. The latest refusal by the Obama administration to prosecute a killer cop indicates that no serious effort will come from the capitalist state to regulate itself or to lessen the number of working class youth who are murdered by police around the United States. On the contrary, the decision by Bhararas office is a signal to police departments across the country that their cops will be shielded from prosecution when they shoot unarmed youth. According to a count maintained by the Guardian, at least 223 people have been killed by the police in the US this year, a rate of nearly three deaths every day. Written and directed by Terrence Malick Terrence Malicks Knight of Cups thematically and stylistically follows in the footsteps of the filmmakers two previous efforts, The Tree of Life (2011) and To the Wonder (2012). Making use only of small slivers of dialogue, the three films are composed of hundreds of brief, elliptical (in some cases, improvisedin any event, unscripted) sequences. The central male characters (especially in To the Wonder and Knight of Cups ) wander around looking disconsolate for the most part, unsuccessfully or only tangentially interacting with their female partners. Human beings in these films seem remote from nature, from the spiritual, from each other. They long for something deeper, for more enduring relationships, but the detritus of modern existence and modern consciousness only gets in their way. The experimental character of Malicks recent filmmaking lies in its attempt to dispense with a worked out story or developed dramatic relationships and to substitute for them the capturing of the modern condition through a series of disparate, contradictory, sometimes picturesque, sometimes perverse images. The results on screen, unhappily, are almost unendurable. In Knight of Cups (named for the tarot card), Rick (Christian Bale) is a screenwriter in Los Angeles caught in some sort of existential crisis. He is being offered a deal that will make him fabulously rich. His relations with his explosive brother (Wes Bentley) and bitter elderly father (Brian Dennehy) are clearly unhappy. Equally unsatisfying, for the most part, are Ricks relations with a series of women (Imogen Poots, Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, Freida Pinto, Teresa Palmer, Isabel Lucas), some of whom he seems to pursue to take his mind off his psychic malaise. Blanchett, Ricks former wife, is a physician, who tends to the poor and seriously ill. Portman is married and becomes pregnant, with unhappy consequences. Pinto is a model, Palmer a stripper. The female characters become dangerously interchangeable at a certain point, although this may touch on one of the directors themes. By now, Malick hardly makes a secret of the mystical-religious elements in his artistic work. Priests play relatively prominent roles in both To the Wonder (in which Ben Affleck and Olga Kurylenko wander around a subdivision in a rural Oklahoma town) and Knight of Cups. In the former film, Javier Bardem plays a priest questioning his faith, and in the latter, Armin Mueller-Stahl is also a priest, who explains why God inflicts suffering, because it takes you higher out of yourself. In Knight of Cups, we hear the late John Gielgud reciting passages from John Bunyans grand Protestant religious allegory, The Pilgrims Progress (1678). Another narrator recounts portions of the Hymn of the Pearl from the 3rd-century Acts of Thomas, one of the New Testament apocrypha. (Malick is the grandson, on his fathers side, of Assyrian Christian immigrants from Syria and Lebanon.) The Hymn of the Pearl, also a religious allegory, tells of a prince in the ancient world who is sent to Egypt to retrieve a pearl from a serpent. However, he is diverted from his goal and sinks down into a deep sleep. A letter from his royal parents reminds him of his mission. He eventually snatches the pearl from the serpent and returns home in triumph There are many individually intriguing images in Knight of Cups, of movie sets, mansions, sunsets, pools, beaches, mountains, the aurora borealis, womens bodies. There are moments, between the father and his two sons, between Rick and his former wife, that ring true or threaten to ring true, that communicate something human. The scenes of lavish or orgiastic Hollywood parties and Las Vegas hotels are striking. Malick also includes the homeless in Los Angeles and what appear to be lepers. However, the separate fragments do not add up to anything intelligible in the end. They are not guided by any insightful, genuinely truthful and coherent view of reality and modern society. The viewer is pawned off instead with semi-whispered voiceovers (from Rick and other characters), or lines of dialogue, like this, Where did I go wrong? I think were not leading the lives were meant for, I spent 30 years not living life, Dreams are nice, but you cant live in them, You think when you reach a certain age things will start making sense and you find you are just as lost as before. I guess thats what damnation is, How do I begin? etc., or simple admonitions, Go, Begin. It becomes banal, tedious. The style is nourished by the content, the social ideas. It is not possible to organize the complexities of modern life in the paupers bowl of empty moral abstraction and neo-mysticism in an artistically or intellectually satisfying manner. However, to offer quasi-Christian homilies in an unvarnished fashion is also not conceivable today. Unable to confront modern-day life and concrete social realities, but unwilling simply to preach, Malick is reduced to disjointed shards. Unintentionally of course, both To the Wonder (which begins and ends at the medieval monastery of Mont Saint-Michel off Frances northwestern coast) and Knight of Cups, because of their intensely static and stagnant approach to life, end up in self-parody. One thinks to oneself toward the end of each work: Enough is enough! If I am subjected to one more shot of Affleck/Bale walking on a beach (parking lot, empty field), or engaging in silent horse-play with Kurylenko/Poots/Portman, I wont be responsible for my actions! In Knight of Cups, the modern world, for the most part, appears cold, sterile, consumed with triviality, soulless. The contradiction is that Emmanuel Lubezkis camera makes much of it look gorgeous. There is a type of intellectual charlatanry involved here. An apologist for Malick (from a French film journal) resorts to on the one hand and on the other. The silence of the film is, according to this commentator, spiritual for some, and for others a testament to the desertion of the divine. At once ecstatic and depressive. And this: The human body opens up the range of pleasures, but it is also weighed down, troubled by nostalgia for flight. Thus, on one side, the series of winged figures: mobile, unknowable women. On the other side, the underwater shots, childhood refuge or hallucinatory view of the swimming pools floor. Or: Knight of Cups celebrates these [female] beauties, the temptation of which it seems, at one moment, to condemnbut it ends up as an ode to woman-eroticism-energy. This is simply sophistry. Any amount of jumble and confusion can be justified in this manner. This same critic writes, The pervasive disdain it has met seems to us (alas) quite predictable, but unjustifiable. To borrow a phrase from Plekhanov, such people regard themselves as the sworn enemies of philistinism. Yet in fact they are totally imbued with its spirit. In any event, this much is clear: Malick is not interested in a criticism of contemporary social life, he is indeed seeking to reactivate the value of Mystery (in the words of our French critic). Martin Heidegger (about whom Malick wrote his unfinished thesis at Oxford), the Gnostics, Buddhismone can search here and there for the various deplorable influences. In the end, Malicks film does amount to a sort of subdued, indirect sermonizing. Why not simply hand out a series of Christian principles and instructions, such as these Meditations and Observations relating to the Conduct of Human Life, included in an early 18th century work by Daniel Defoe? Remember how often you have neglected the great duties of religion and virtue, and slighted the opportunities that Providence has put into your hands and then reflect seriously that, unless you resolve immediately to improve the little remains, the whole must necessarily slip away insensibly, and then you are lost beyond recovery. Let an unaffected gravity, freedom, justice, and sincerity shine through all your actions, and let no fancies and chimeras give the least check to those excellent qualities. Stand clear of rashness, and have nothing of insincerity or self-love to infect you. A little thinking will show a man the vanity and uncertainty of all sublunary [earthly] things Love your friends and forgive your enemies, and do justice to all mankind. Let peoples tongues and actions be what they will, your business is to have honour and honesty in your view. Let them rail, revile, censure, and condemn, or make you the subject of their scorn and ridicule, what does it all signify? Be not heavy in business, disturbed in conversation, nor impertinent in your thoughts. Let your judgment be right, your actions friendly, and your mind contented, and so forth. How useful is this sort of moralizing? How utterly inappropriate it seems in the face of contemporary conditions! Asia Chinese tyre factory workers protest Some 100 workers at the Korean-owned Hankook Tyre factory in Jaixing, on Chinas mid-east coast, demonstrated at the plant on March 1 against company plans to reduce the number of shifts from four to three. Local sources said the workers action was related to Hankooks decision to lay off 300 workers at the firms Jiangsu factory, which has also reduced its shifts. Hankook has manufacturing plants in Jiangsu, Jiaxing and Chongqing. It wants to establish three shifts in all factories to increase operational efficiency, a company representative told media. The company has factories in South Korea, Hungary and is expanding to Indonesia. Cambodian garment workers locked in factory More than 200 garment workers at the Singaporean-owned Bright Sky factory in Phnom Penhs Por Sen Chey district were locked inside the facility on Monday to prevent them striking. The lock-in was in response to the workers threat to walk out and protest outside the factory over job security. According to a Workers Development Union Federation representative workers were concerned that their jobs may be at risk as the factory switches from garment to handbag manufacturing. Workers want job security and adequate training. Cambodian amusement park workers protest Around 50 employees from the closed Dream Land amusement park in Phnom Penh protested outside the parks grounds on Monday to demand severance pay. Workers said management falsely told them that the park, which sits on land slated for a 133-storey tower development, would close at the end of March but it suddenly shut down at the end of February and fired all workers. A former worker said employees were seeking one months pay and a portion of their annual bonus as a severance package. India: Karnataka village bank workers strike Village bank (Grameen Bank) employees struck for 48 hours and protested in Mysore, Karnataka on March 10 in a nationwide campaign against privatisation of village banks and other demands. They also called for pension schemes, permanency for daily wage workers, an end to job outsourcing, recruitment on compassionate grounds and wage rises based on qualification. Workers are represented by the Kaveri Grameena Bank Employees Union, Kaveri Grameena Bank Officers Association, and the Kaveri Grameena Bank SC/ST Employees and Officers Welfare Association. Karnataka government secretariat workers strike Karnataka Government Secretariat Employees Union members stopped work on March 14 and protested outside the State Assembly in Bangalore with several demands. These included equal pay with Central government employees, proper facilities for women working late, filling of all vacant positions and scrapping of the national pension scheme. Protesting workers said they would escalate their action if demands were not met in the state budget. Karnataka textile mill workers strike in second week Around 2,500 textile workers at the century-old Gokak Mill in Balgaum, Karnataka have been on strike since March 10 to demand the mill management stop attempting to force them to leave their jobs. The mill, which used to employ 12,000 people, now has only 2,500 workers. The government has tried to force the workers and mill management into mediation in the labour department but workers rejected the offer saying they would resolve the issue directly with management. Management has threatened to close the mill if workers do not soon return to work. Jammu and Kashmir food distribution workers on indefinite strike Close to 1,300 Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) workers have been on indefinite strike in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, since March 1. They want wages on par with Food Corporation of India (FCI) workers. CAPD employees are only paid 150 rupees per day while FCI employees receive 450 rupees per day. Other demands include loading/unloading pay to be increased from 3 rupees per bag to 4.3 rupees per bag and reviewed every six months, and the release of wages before the 10th of each month. The Food and Allied Workers Union (J&K) members of CAPD walked out across the state for three weeks in January over the same issues. They returned to work on January 28 after a false assurance from authorities that their grievances would be solved within 15 days, which they failed to do. Workers said they will not end their current strike until all issues are resolved. Tata auto workers reject management proposal and continue strike Over 400 workers at Tata Motors Nano plant in Sanand, Gujarat have been on strike since February 22 to demand the reinstatement of 28 employees and the right to form a union. Workers this week rejected a government/Tata offer that would have allowed them to form a union but with no outside connections. Management also proposed establishment of an independent panel to probe the incidents that led to the suspension of the 28 workers, before the workers can be reinstated. Strikers are defying a March 3 decision from the state labour department that prohibited the strike, giving them until March 11 to return to work before commencing legal action. Over 280 workers were detained by police during a two-day protest outside the Collectors office on Monday. Meanwhile, management has brought in 250 scabs from its Pune plant to break the strike. Tata had hoped to produce at least 250 new model Nano hatchbacks per day in March but due to the strike production is down to 100 cars a day. Striking workers said they would take their struggle state wide after 22 central trade unions expressed support. These unions, however, have not called for concrete industrial action to support the Tata workers. Strikers have established a seven-member committee to organise the dispute. Madhya Pradesh government employees on state-wide strike At least 500,000 Madhya Pradesh state government employees held a state-wide one-day strike on March 11 with a charter of 71 demands. Their main demands were revision of pay scales as per pay commission recommendation, an increase in grade pay and interim relief. They also want pay scale grades on completion of 10 years, 20 years and 28 years of service, salary increases on January 1 and July 1, permanency for daily wage workers and ad hoc employees, and simplification of appointments on compassionate grounds. Government employees are represented by 19 recognised and 16 non-recognised employee unions with over 700,000 members. The strike was coordinated by the State Employees Union. Kerala: Container workers in Kochi port end strike Container trailer crews at Kochi port called off a five-day strike for a wage increase on Tuesday after a state government labour official agreed to their demands. The trailer crews demand for a pay rise was accepted and parking facilities assured near the Indian Oil Corporation terminal. Pay for trailer crews handling 40-foot containers will increase from 850 rupees a day to 1,050 rupees ($US15.58), while pay for crews handling 20-foot containers would rise from 640 rupees to 850 rupees. Bangladeshi jute mill workers maintain protests Workers from eight state-owned jute mills in the Khulna-Jessore region demonstrated on Monday morning blocking roads and rail tracks. The jute mill workers want the government to provide funding for the industry, pay salary arrears, establish a wage board and end privatisation of the state-owned industry. Further demands are for reinstatement of retrenched workers and the removal of corrupt mill officials. Garment workers in Dhaka protest over closed factory Hundreds of workers from the Madinaple Fashions Craft garment factory at Zamgora in the Ashulia industrial estate demonstrated on Tuesday along the Dhaka-Aricha highway outside the Rana Plaza demanding the reopening of their factory. Factory owners suspended workers and shut the factory without notice on March 7 after workers made several demands. These were implementation of minimum wages, earned leave benefits, a festival bonus increase and yearly increments. Pakistan: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa paramedics stop work Paramedics and Class IV employees of government hospitals in Hazara division in Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province stopped work on Thursday to demand a new service structure that includes a pay-scale upgrade and new health allowance. Their action followed a one-day strike by paramedics in the Mardan division on March 10. Paramedics claimed that despite promises to implement the new service structure, the government continuously failed to honour its promise. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Paramedics Association, which was coordinating the industrial action, said a strike would be held across the province on March 29 if the government continues to fail to address their demands. Karachi health workers demand wages Lady Health Workers demonstrated on March 10 outside the chief ministers house in Karachi demanding unpaid wages and other allowances. The demonstration blocked several main roads in the city. The All Pakistan Lady Health Workers Welfare Association called off the demonstration after the authorities promised to address the issue within a week. Faisalabad weavers and factory owners reach agreement Power-loom workers and factory owners have reached an agreement and resumed production in Sidhar and Rashidabad where thousands of weaving units were closed for more than one month. Factories were shut in Sidhar, Lakar Mandi, Chenchal Singhwala, Rashidabad and Jhang Road by the owners who refused to accept the workers demand for recruitment of oilmen, cleaners and loaders. The extended lockout pushed workers to the brink of starvation, forcing them to accept an agreement far short of their demands. According to the agreement signed on March 12, workers will perform oilman duties twice a week. Health and safety laws will be implemented in factories. Labour leaders will not contact workers in factories, and owners will review the salary package of the winders. Social security cards of workers whose contribution has been deposited with the social security department will be issued immediately. Factory owners will give 3,000 rupees ($US28.6) as an advance to workers and the amount will be deducted in instalments. Australia and the Pacific Australian public sector workers to strike Tens of thousands of federal public sector workers plan to hold 24-hour strikes on March 21 and 24 in their two-year dispute for new work agreements. Workers in 11 government departments will strike on Monday, while on Easter Thursday workers in Immigration, Border Protection and Agriculture will strike. Border Protection workers plan to extend strike action to include rolling stoppages at international airports. Workers in over 100 federal departments have rejected government enterprise agreement offers that would eliminate existing rights, including family-friendly conditions, in return for a two-year wage freeze and 2 percent annual pay increases over three years. This week 51 percent of staff in the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, for the third time, voted against a proposed enterprise agreement. In other departments, 85 percent of Tax Office workers rejected the government offer, 81 percent voted no from Immigration and Border Force and nearly 80 percent rejected it from the Department of Human Services. After two years of negotiations, almost 85 percent of the total federal public sector workforce of 160,000 still do not have a new enterprise agreement. The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) and other unions have reduced their original pay demand from 4 percent annual pay increases for three years to between 2.5 and 3 percent with no loss of conditions. Northern Territory LNG plant construction workers protest Around 500 construction workers from the Japanese-owned $34 billion INPEX LNG plant at Bladin Point, near Darwin, demonstrated in Darwin last Sunday outside the project construction contractors office JKC over poor safety and arduous rosters. Workers from several unions, including the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) and the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), complained that site walkways are often flooded, there was little traffic management and no buddy system, meaning workers at times work alone. Another complaint was a roster system of 28 days on and seven days off, which workers claim was straining family relations. Workers want the new industry standard recently implemented in Western Australia which is 20 days on 10 days off. Workers blame the current system for the suicide deaths of three fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) workers between 2013 and 2015. New Zealand: Auckland bus drivers implement work bans Over 100 bus drivers from Howick and Eastern Buses in Auckland, on New Zealands North Island, imposed work bans on Thursday in their dispute for a new work agreement. Drivers refused to handle cash payments for 24 hours, refuel vehicles or to drive vehicles with known faults or broken equipment. The drivers action followed three strikes in February over the dispute. The drivers are protesting their employers' attempts to remove overtime and weekend rates. A spokesman from the FIRST Union accused the company of attempting to reduce pay in order to maintain its contract with Auckland Transport. Howick and Eastern recently lost their contract in South Auckland after Auckland Transport selected Ritchies and Go Bus as the preferred tenders. Both companies pay poorer wages to their drivers. Bunnings hardware retailer suspends workers over roster dispute Hardware chain Bunnings has begun issuing suspension notices to staff members at 29 stores who have taken off their branded aprons on the job and replaced them with union stickers. Around 800 workers represented by the FIRST Union participated in national protests. The Bunning workers have been in conflict with the company over a new collective agreement since July 2015, after management demanded the right to set rostered hours, rather than come to a mutual agreement with employees on their work times. The FIRST Union has opposed any large-scale, nationwide industrial action, holding months of low-key industrial action, mostly involving protests outside Bunnings stores. This is the second part of a two-part article. Part one was posted here. In June 2015, Socialist Party (SP) General Secretary Peter Taaffe raised curbing migration as a central issue in his argument in favour of a vote to leave the European Union (EU). Citing fear and resentment that scarce resources in housing, education and the NHS will not be sufficient if a new wave of immigrants comes to Britain, he complained that even Camerons attempt to limit Polish immigration to Britain was met with a flat rejection by the Polish Prime Minister, Ewa Kopaczwhom he criticised for being only too happy to continue to export her problems In the midst of these comments, Taaffe makes a half-hearted call for common action across national boundaries, as well as within nations to stop the bosses from exploiting and gaining from divisions within the working class. But even then, he offers the consolation that this would mean, many workers would choose to return to the country they were forced to move from Taaffe writes not as a socialist, but as a vulgar advocate of trade unionism. He sees the unprecedented integration of economic life and of the working class itself not as a spur to an ever more concrete posing of the necessity for a socialist and internationalist party, but as a threat to existing national economic relations between the unions and the employersthe labour market is being flooded with cheap labour, therefore immigration must be discouraged. The SP no longer write as participants with the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) in the No2EU electoral front. The organisation appears to be defunct and to have been supplanted by Trade Unionists Against the European Union (TUAEU). The reason for this is that the RMT is well on its way to re-affiliating to the Labour Party, on the basis that Jeremy Corbyns election as leader has supposedly restored it as a political vehicle for the working class. Left out in the cold by their former allies, and with the bulk of the trade unions taking a pro-EU stance alongside Corbyn, the SP nevertheless argues that the trade unions could even now stop the Leave campaign being dominated by the reactionary right. The unions still have the chance to put themselves at the head of a working class leave campaign that could transform the situation in Britain, they write, urging that the unions take pride of place in building an independent party, with socialist policies and a clear internationalist position, to defeat pro-capitalist politicians at home as much as in Brussels. This is a political fraud. The trade unions have spent the better part of four decades imposing one defeat after another on the working class, as defenders of capitalism and advocates of the national interests of British imperialism. Divisions between the trade unions are not between left and right. Those which the SP criticises, such as Unison, argue that Britains interests are best served within the EU while those to which it is allied, such as the RMT, argue in favour of national sovereignty while opposing foreign labour for undermining the national compact they have secured with the employers. Both factions and both positions are entirely hostile to the interests of the working class. The Socialist Workers Partys (SWP) perspective is only a more disguised version of the same nationalist line and focuses on the possibility of ensuring a defeat for Cameron that they say will pave the way for the election of a Corbyn-led Labour government. It is not too late for Labours Jeremy Corbyn to shrug off the pressure from the right and launch a left-wing leave campaign. It would condemn Cameron to defeat, they write. Once again, the pro-capitalist stand of the Labour and trade union bureaucracy is treated as an unfortunate error. In a February 23 essay claiming to outline The internationalist case against the European Union, the SWPs leader, Alex Callinicos, complains, Disastrously, a section of the radical left in Britain links opposition to the EU to rejection of one of its core principles, the free movement of labour. Having done so, he manages to criticise Taaffe and the SP without once mentioning the position taken by the RMT. The only implied criticism of the trade unions is by way of an historic detour into the referendum on Britains continued membership of the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1975. Callinicos writes, The key Tory anti-Marketeer in 1975 was the racist demagogue Enoch Powell, who broke with his party over the EEC in the February 1974 general election, but the most powerful support came from left wing cabinet ministersMichael Foot, Tony Benn, Peter Shore and Barbara Castleand left-led trade unions such as the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU). The basis of this alliance was inevitably nationalist, he admits. Benn, Foot and Powell alike portrayed the EEC as a threat to the sovereignty of the British Parliament. This is readily excused with the simple assertion that for Labour left wingers, this nationalist critique mingled with the concern that restrictions on state sovereignty involved in EEC membership would prevent the pursuit of socialist policies. Callinicos readily accepts the protectionist nostrums espoused by Benn and company as socialist policies because he too is wedded to a nationalist programme. Calling for a Leave vote doesnt mean that we should simply dismiss the widespread fears that opposing the EU represents a retreat into nationalism, he states. But, Strategically the problem is that since the 1980s, but more especially as a result of the eurozone crisis, a Europe-wide neoliberal regime is being constructed. Breaking that is most likely to happen at the national level. To make successful resistance dependent on a coordinated movement at the EU level is to postpone that resistance indefinitely. Neil Davidson was until a recent split one of the SWPs leading theoreticians and still shares its essential outlook. In A socialist case for leaving the EU, he makes a more explicit nationalist argument than Callinicos, hailing the supposed reformability of the nation state, and Britain in particular, in contrast to the supra-national structures of the EU. He writes: Capitalist states are permanent structures until they are overthrown, although they can adopt different policies according to the political parties or coalitions which oversee the apparatus at any time In fact, behind the facade of continuity, the British state has been one of the most flexible and adaptive states in the history of capitalism and always concedes reforms when forced to, which is one reason why it has managed to survive for so long. Davidsons blase reference to the overthrow of capitalist states has nothing to do with the actual programme he advances. His advocacy of a Leave vote is based upon a declaration of support for the permanent structure of the state and its strengthening, which flows from his advocacy of an independent capitalist Scotland, through a negotiated constitutional break with the UK, that he hopes will follow a possible Brexit from the EU. Against the pseudo-left, the Socialist Equality Party intervenes in the referendum campaign in order to clarify the fundamental historical and programmatic issues raised by the struggle against austerity, militarism and war. This is the very opposite of utilising socialist phrases to conceal the political realities of the Leave campaign and of the trade unions in particular. The working class must secure its independence from all factions of the British bourgeoisie, based upon the adoption of a socialist and internationalist programme. The Vote Leave and Vote Remain options in this referendum are both dominated by right-wing, anti-working class, anti-migrant and pro-capitalist forces and this is not changed one iota by which camp the various representatives of the Labour and trade union bureaucracy and their organisations line up behind. The trade unions take their stand on the basis of the nation state and capitalism. The working class must seek to transcend the nationalist division of Europe and the world through socialist revolution. The United Socialist States of Europe is the only conceivable form through which the working class can exercise its own rule under conditions of the integrated character of production across the continent and globally. It cannot emerge either through the reform of the EU or as a by-product of its nationalist fracturing. It requires the conscious political unification of the working class, under the leadership of the International Committee of the Fourth International. This is the significance of the call by the Socialist Equality Party for an active boycott of the Brexit referendum. It provides a means by which the most farsighted workers and young people can declare their opposition to both the capitalist EU and the nationalist division of the continent and for a socialist alternative. Twelve hundred registered nurses (RNs) at Kaiser Permanentes Los Angeles Medical Center (LAMC) walked out March 15 on a one-week strike. The action was called by the National Nurses United (NNU), a coalition of three unions, the main component of which is the California Nurses Association (CNA), an AFL-CIO affiliate. The walk-out follows strikes and protests over the last several years against Kaiser and other profitable health care providers. The policies of these providers have resulted in lower living standards for health care workers and professionals, as well as cuts in staffing that put patients safety at risk. The nurses at the LAMC voted to join the CAN/NNU last July and are now looking for their first contract. The nurses have not seen a wage increase in six years. During that time, Kaiser has centralized a number of important specialty services in the Los Angeles location, resulting in seriously demanding shifts. LAMC is the regional center for services like Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation and for the treatment of young children with cancer. Registered Nurse (RN) Roselle Gatdula, who has worked at the Los Angeles location for seven years, complained to the media that at times she has more than 30 patients on her floor needing her assistance, while having access to only two thermometers. A major concern is understaffing. According to a press release from the CNA/NNU, coronary care unit RN Joel Briones pointed out that Kaiser LAMC prides itself on being the tertiary flagship center for the Southern California region and has expanded services here in the past few years, but it is hard to provide quality care while we are constantly short staffed. He also noted that, Our patients deserve better. With billions in profits, the nurses are insisting Kaiser settle a contract that reflects our role as patient advocates for the region. In 2014, Kaiser Permanente reported revenues of $56.4 billion and a net income of $3.1 billion, an increase of nearly 15 percent from 2013. In 2014 the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, provided an uptick in enrollment of more than 5.6 percent, or 510,000 new enrollees. Last year, net income fell to $1.9 billion, while enrollment grew by 650,000. The decline was mainly due to Wall Streets gyrations in 2015, which caused Kaisers investments to suffer a loss of $800 million. The list of nurses grievances includes a wage freeze and back wages allegedly owed to nurses for the last six years, as well as opposition to Kaisers plan to open a medical school in Pasadena. The CNA claims that the school will divert funds from patient care at the LAMC. None of the past actions or protests by the nurses unions have resolved any of the essential issues. On the contrary, nurses criticize worsening and dangerous conditions. Kaiser continues to operate during the strike, hiring temporary employees through agencies like American Mobile Traveling Nursing. However, the temporary nurses are only oriented for a brief period, at times for one day, exposing patients to risk and the nurses to blame. Last spring, the CNA called a strike as part of a maneuver aimed at recruiting thousands of dues-paying members when the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) lost official recognition at the LAMC location. In August 2015 the National Labor Relations Board certified the CNA. Now, the union has organized a stunt strike to solidify its role as main negotiator with Kaiser. The company has played along, knowing the union will not jeopardize its profits. We believe that contract negotiations should take place directly at the bargaining table and not on the street, said Kaisers statement. It promised no reprisals for the one-week strike. The CNA has deliberately called an isolated and toothless walk-out, hoping to wear down the nurses and soften them up for a rotten deal with Kaiser. Last week nurses at the Newton-Wellesley Hospital in the Boston area, members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which also belongs to the NNU, voted by more than 90 percent to strike. The strike vote is the second the nurses have taken in the past year. The union called off the first walkout. The NNU has supported Bernie Sanders campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination from early on. In April 2015, Sanders voted for HR2, known as the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, a bipartisan bill that represents a historic attack on Medicare. The bills basic goal is the slashing of Medicare spending and its reorientation toward barebones-type of coverage in the name of waste cutting. It should be noted that such a bill is perfectly in line with Kaisers business model, aimed at cutting costs in order to boost profitability: the result in both cases is reduced and inadequate health care, needless suffering and avoidable death. More broadly, the NNUs support for Sanders must be viewed within the context of the unions orientation to economic nationalism, which forms the foundation of Sanders campaign. He attacks pro-corporate trade deals like NAFTA not from the point of view of opposing big business, but as part of an effort to pit US workers against workers in other countries. The CNA/NNU strategy works in favor of corporations like Kaiser. After a week of allowing workers to let off steam, the CNA will sit down at the negotiating table and attempt to engineer a contract that will satisfy corporate needs and also maintain its dues base, which makes possible generous salaries for union officials. On Tuesday, Marc Edwards, a professor of civil engineering at Virginia Tech University and the leading expert on lead contamination in drinking water, testified before the US Congress on the ongoing crisis in Flint, Michigan. Dr. Edwards had likely read an advance copy of a report in this weeks edition of USA Today, which quoted him extensively, reporting that lead had been found in the drinking water of hundreds of schools and child care centers throughout the country. The report suggested, based on an independent analysis of government data, that as many as one-fifth of water systems in the US have dangerous levels of lead contamination. Speaking in a restrained tone before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, many of whose members were absent, Edwards described what amounts to a conspiracy by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under two presidential administrations, Republican and Democratic, to allow states and municipalities to falsify water quality testing results. EPA Regional Administrator Susan Hedman, Edwards said, aided, abetted and emboldened the unethical behavior of civil servants at the State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Referring to a case of lead contamination ten years ago in the drinking water of the nations capital, Washington DC, Edwards charged that the EPA wrote falsified scientific reports and created a climate in which anything goes across the United States, anything at all to cover up the health harm from leaded drinking water. He expressed perplexity at the willful blindness of government officials, who were unremorseful and completely unrepentant. Edwards comments and the report in USA Today are the latest in a series of revelations on the elevated lead levels present throughout the countrys water systems. Flint is not unique. Reports have pointed to lead levels higher than Flints in Cleveland, Ohio, in Jackson, Mississippi and in cities throughout Pennsylvania. Edwards could not hide his exasperation at one basic reality: If a landlord were to engage in similar practices, and through their negligence, to allow even a single child to be exposed to lead paint risk, the EPA would argue for prosecution and incarceration. Yet, the EPA has allowed entire cities to be unnecessarily exposed to elevated lead in their drinking water. Edwards comments raise a critical point: Why is no one being prosecuted for the actions that have created this situation? While various Democratic Party officials have, in an effort at damage control and blame shifting, suggested that Michigan Governor Rick Snyder should resign, no one is calling for his arrest and indictment. In testimony in the same room two days later, Snyder, whose administration covered up the poisoning of residents for at least a year, declared, Local, state and federal officialswe all failed the families of Flint. No, these officials did not fail Flint residents, as if it were a matter of miscalculations or missteps. Rather, they knowingly made decisions that have led to permanent disabilities and impairments of untold thousands of children and have been linked to at least ten deaths from an outbreak of Legionnaires Disease, then hid and doctored evidence showing that the citys water was not safe to drink. At the federal level, the EPA under the Bush and Obama administrations has allowed cities throughout the country to willfully ignore the governments own standards. The consequences of these actions are not yet known. How many people have suffered needlessly from permanent brain damage or other effects of high lead levels? How many people have died? The United States spends over a trillion dollars a year on its military, which President Obama bragged at this years State of the Union address was bigger than that of the next 10 countries combined. It is home to as many billionaires as the next five countries combined. Even as a radical expansion of the military is underway, public capital investment in transportation and water infrastructure has been slashed by 23 percent since 2003. The cuts to education, health care and other social spending are comparable. The crisis in Flint follows a pattern in which preventable catastrophes are inflicted on the population, and no one is held responsible. A hurricane can largely destroy one of the most important cities in the country, New Orleans, due to the underfunding of infrastructure, leading to more than a thousand deaths, and no one goes to jail. The banks and investors produce a financial disaster and a global economic crisis, and no one is punished. Revelations of the manipulation of exchange rates and actions to defraud people of their homes have produced at most wrist-slap penalties. The US government has launched wars based on lies, the CIA has tortured prisoners, then hacked government computers to cover it up, and again, no one is prosecuted, let alone convicted. The actions of government officials are dictated by the character of the social system that they defend, one that is based on the subordination of everything to the interests of the financial and corporate elite. That the United States is run in the interests of a criminal cabal has received yet another confirmation in the catastrophe in Flint and what it has exposed about the state of infrastructure in the country as a whole. A summit between the 28 European Union (EU) heads of government and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu produced an agreement yesterday in Brussels aimed at hermetically sealing off Europes borders to the millions of refugees fleeing war zones in the Middle East and North Africa. Unveiling the deal after two days of talks, EU Council President Donald Tusk declared it would apply to refugees arriving in Greece after March 20. Refugees arriving on the Greek islands by crossing the Aegean Sea will be returned to Turkey, following the completion of a farcical asylum procedure in Greece. In exchange, the EU pledged to accept one Syrian refugee via legal means for every Syrian sent back to Turkey from Greece. This process will commence on April 4. On top of the 3 billion offered to Turkey thus far, the EU has agreed to pay an additional 3 billion to Ankara by 2018. Turkey will also be offered the prospect of visa-free travel within the 28-state bloc for its citizens and the opening of a new chapter in negotiations over Turkish membership in the EU. The claim that the deal is aimed at securing protection for refugees according to international law is a fraud. Turkey, a state gripped by a low-level civil war, where democratic rights are trampled under foot and political opponents of the regime suppressed, is to be declared a safe country, even though it has not fully implemented the UN Refugee Convention. This makes the asylum procedure formally offered in Greece practically irrelevant, since all refugees can be rejected on the grounds that they must first seek asylum in Turkey. Moreover, Syrian refugees will only be accepted into the EU to the extent that others are prepared to risk their lives crossing the Aegean, which is patrolled by NATO warships and where well over 300 refugees have already drowned this year. Expressing the indifference of the ruling elite to the plight of the millions fleeing war and poverty, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated in a blunt message to the refugees, Whoever sets out on the dangerous route is not only risking their life, they also have no prospect of success. The deals reactionary character was expressed in the fact that even the far-right Hungarian Prime Minister, Victor Orban, whose country has been sealed off by border fences since last year, praised it for placing no obligations on individual EU member states to accept refugees. Turkish Prime Minister Davutoglu also hailed the agreement as historic. Even reports in the mass media acknowledged that the deal effectively means the abandonment of any commitment to the right to asylum. An Associated Press story noted that the EU-Turkey deal meant the outsourcing of refugee protection to Turkey. Whereas an earlier draft instructed Turkey to treat refugees in accordance with international law, the final agreement merely contained the provision that Ankara adhere to those legal standards deemed relevant. Refugees who do make it to Greece will be put to the back of the line when they return to Turkey, making it virtually impossible for them to make it to Europe legally. In an indication of what is to come, reports emerged on Friday that Turkish coastguard boats and helicopters had detained 3,000 refugees on their way to the Greek island of Lesbos. The deal agreed to unanimously by all EU governments is a blatant repudiation of the basic democratic right to asylum. In the wake of World War II and the horrific crimes of the Nazis, the capitalist powers felt compelled to establish the right to asylum as a fundamental tenet of international law. The UN Refugee Convention passed in 1951 guaranteed refugees not only the right to seek protection from war, discrimination and persecution in another country, but to be provided with access to jobs, education and social services. The EU has committed to accept a mere 72,000 refugees, under conditions where close to 3 million Syrians alone are stranded in Turkey, and up to half of Syrias population are either internally displaced or have fled to other countries. This is a return to the policies of the 1930s when the so-called democratic countries of Europe and North America accepted a token number of Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution. Greek Interior Minister Panagiotis Kouroumblis directly compared the Idomeni camp on the Macedonian border with a Nazi concentration camp. This is a modern Dachau, the result of the logic of closed borders, said the member of the Syriza-led government in Athens, which has deployed troops to detain refugees and is acting as Europes gatekeeper. Significantly, the final agreement contained the provision that when the number of 72,000 refugees is reached, the one in, one out mechanism will be suspended and no more refugees will be admitted to the EU from Turkey. In 2008, when the global financial system stood on the verge of collapse, no expense was spared to bail out the banks and investors whose actions brought the world economy to the brink of collapse. But when it comes to providing for the basic necessities of life for millions of desperate refugees, no resources are forthcoming. The catastrophic conditions that have created the mass of refugees now blocked at Europes borders are themselves the product of the actions of the imperialist powers. The NATO bombardment of Yugoslavia in 1999, the invasion of Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11, the war of aggression against Iraq in 2003, the NATO-led air war to topple the Gaddafi regime in Libya in 2011, and the ongoing regime change operation to overthrow the Assad regime in Damascusto mention only the most prominent exampleshave resulted in the destruction of entire societies. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions have been forced to flee their homes. The reliance on Turkey to block these refugees from reaching Europe will mean that they will be returned to the war zones they have sought so desperately to flee. Ankara is in the midst of a conflict with Kurdish separatists in the southeast of the country, where the Turkish army has launched a series of military operations resulting in hundreds of casualties. The Islamist government has also stepped up repression of journalists and the media, suppressing the Zaman newspaper, a publication critical of the government. Notwithstanding the public pose of unanimity, the agreement on deterring the millions fleeing war cannot disguise the fact that deep differences remain within the EU itself. The closure of borders to keep out refugees, seen most recently with the decision by Austria and its Balkan neighbours to unilaterally impose border controls, threatened to tear the EU apart. The deal was a great success for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to Die Welt. Merkel explicitly praised the deal because it embodied her demand for a European solution to the crisis. This call has nothing to do with any desire to assist refugees but is bound up with the interests of German big business to prevent the collapse of freedom of movement within the Schengen zone, from which it has been the main beneficiary over the past two decades. For its part, France is less supportive of the concessions made to Turkey. French President Francois Hollande emphasised on Friday that Ankara would have to fulfil all 72 requirements before the removal of visa restrictions for Turkish citizens to travel within the EU would be implemented, according to Reuters. Within the European working class, there is deep opposition to the sealing off of the EUs borders and the patrolling of the surrounding waters by NATO warships. Significantly, in spite of the incessant right-wing propaganda by the media and established political parties, German daily Die Welt reported the results of a poll Friday that showed 51 percent of respondents in favour of opening the border at Idomeni. There is no reflection in the political establishment of the widespread sympathy among working people for the refugees, however. The so-called left is fully on board with the anti-refugee policy. In Germany, the Left Party is backing Merkels policy, embodied in the deal with Turkey. In Greece, the Syriza government of Alexis Tsipras has joined hands with Davutoglu in upholding Fortress Europe. In the wake of five losses in five contests Tuesday, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is coming under mounting pressure from Democratic Party leaders and the media to abandon his presidential campaign and concede the Democratic nomination to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Remarks by President Obama to Democratic Party donors at a fundraiser March 11 in Austin, Texas were leaked to the New York Times Thursday and confirmed by the White House. Obama called on Democrats to begin uniting behind the partys prospective nominee, assumed to be Clinton. The Times headline went even further than the actual content of Obamas words: Obama Privately Tells Donors That Time Is Coming to Unite Behind Hillary Clinton. As quoted, however, Obama was careful not to name any names, so that White House spokesman Josh Earnest could confirm that Obama had discussed the presidential race with Democratic donors, while disavowing any explicit preference for Clinton. The Times reported, In unusually candid remarks, President Obama privately told a group of Democratic donors last Friday that Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont was nearing the point at which his campaign against Hillary Clinton would end, and that the party must soon come together to back her. The newspaper continued, Mr. Obama chose his words carefully, and did not explicitly call on Mr. Sanders to quit the race, according to those in the room. Still, those in attendance said in interviews that they took his comments as a signal to Mr. Sanders that perpetuating his campaign, which is now an uphill climb, could only help the Republicans recapture the White House. This report touched off a flurry of commentaries along the same lines, citing either Obama or unnamed high-level Democratic Party officials. Typical headlines included: Slate magazine: President Obama Gives Bernie Sanders a Subtle Push Toward the Exit The Hill: Obama privately urges Dems to rally around Clinton US News & World Report: Sanders Resists Pressure to Quit After Primary Losses Fox News: Sanders fights for life as Clinton wins another state, Obama turns screws Obama did not endorse Clinton overtly or name Sanders as the candidate who should step back in favor of the frontrunner, but the implication was clear, especially given the timing of the remarksdelivered before the March 15 Clinton primary sweep, but not made public until two days after the vote. As Slate magazine commented: Hillary Clintons five-for-five sweep of this past Tuesdays Democratic primaries turned her into her partys presumptive nominee. President Obama, though, appears to have come to that conclusion even before voting began during the Super Tuesday sequel, via the New York Times . Obama voted by absentee ballot in the Illinois primary, won narrowly by Clinton. The White House has refused to comment on which candidate he voted for, but his support for his former Secretary of State has been an open secret since last October, when Vice President Joe Biden decided not to enter the race. The Clinton campaign has been more cautious than the White House in pushing for an early end to the primary race. In part this is the unavoidable result of Clintons own history: in her unsuccessful contest with Obama in 2008, she consistently rejected suggestions that she could not overtake Obamas early lead in delegates, and she remained in the race to the very last primary and caucus. Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook even conceded, in a memo released to the press Wednesday, that upcoming contests in a series of less populous states, mostly in the West, would likely favor Sanders. But he argued Clintons lead was insurmountable, and that a string of victories by Sen. Sanders over the next few weeks would have little impact on Sec. Clintons position in the race. The upcoming contests include Arizona, Utah and Idaho March 22 and Alaska, Hawaii and Washington March 26, then a ten-day break around Easter, followed by Wisconsin April 5 and Wyoming April 9. All but Arizona and Wisconsin are caucus states, where the Sanders campaign has usually had the advantage. The drumbeat from the Democratic Party establishment and the media amounts to a demand that Sanders carry out his assigned role in the presidential election: convincing his supporters, particularly among young people, to back Clinton in the general election, despite the widespread lack of enthusiasm, and in many cases open hostility, towards her right-wing record as a defender of Wall Street and advocate of American militarism, including the Iraq War. Sanders spokesmen complained that the nomination campaign was only halfway completed, that there was still time for him to overtake Clintons lead of more than 300 convention delegates, and that millions more people should be given the opportunity to have a choice for the Democratic nomination. But more significantly, Sanders emphasized that his campaign, win or lose, was good for the Democratic Party. People want to become engaged in the political process by having vigorous primary and caucus process, he said. I think we open up the possibility of having a large voter turnout in November. That is exactly what we need. This statement demonstrates that Sanders is fully conscious of the role he plays in American politics, using socialist rhetoric and occasional calls for political revolution to attract youth and working people, only to trap them within the confines of the Democratic Party and insure that there is no political challenge to the corporate-controlled two-party system. The failure of the Conservative-led UK government to achieve its target for teacher recruitment for the fourth year in a row is symptomatic of the crisis arising from dictatorial conditions and extreme governmental pressure. Research by the National Audit Office found that over a 10-year period approximately 12 percent of newly qualified teachers left state-funded schools within one year of joining while 28 percent had left within five years. The Department for Educations (DfE) recruitment targets are not being met, with the recorded rate of vacancies and temporarily filled positions in schools doubling between 2011 and 2014. As a result, there have been cases of schools having to share staff and use unqualified teachers and support staff. This has led to further pressure on staff, with nine out of 10 saying it is generating a high level of workload. The government claims it will invest 1.3 billion up to 2020 to attract new teachers where they are most needed. However, it is now harder to recruit teachers than 12 months ago, with a survey of 900 head teachers finding that 90 percent are finding it hard to recruit. The situation is being exacerbated by teachers not just leaving the profession, but leaving the UK as well. Data from International School Consultancy (ISC) reveals that over the past year, 18,000 teachers left the UK to teach abroad. Statistics show that the number of teachers leaving the UK is on the rise. In 2013, the number was at 82,000 and during 2014-15 about 100,000 teachers left the UK. The number is more significant if you compare this with the number of teachers that achieved qualified teaching status (QTS) in universities. According to the latest figures for the 2013-14 academic year, this was at 17,001. This is leading to an enormous staffing crisis as teachers are leaving the profession in higher numbers than are being trained. The DfE responded to the staffing crisis with the same rhetoric, that it is determined to continue raising the status of the profession. The DfE claims it has given schools unprecedented freedom over staff pay, to allow them to attract the brightest and the best. However, the effect of changes of funding to school budgets has led to schools using this freedom to refuse pay progression and cut services. This has led to the demotivation of staff that feel ignored and divided by performance-related pay. The pay change has led to some schools setting unrealistic targets for teachers to achieve pay increments. In some cases, middle leaders, i.e., heads of subjects, have been told their pay depends on the performance of other colleagues in their department. The teaching unions have overseen these measures. The chief inspector of official schools inspectorate Ofsted in England, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has warned of a teacher brain drain at a time when schools across the country are already struggling to fill vacancies amid rising numbers of pupils. He said teachers are Lured by enticing offers of competitive, tax-free salaries, free accommodation and a warmer climate, teachers are taking their hard-earned qualifications to the Gulf states. This writer spoke to teachers in Cambridgeshire. One teacher had recently taken a post in Dubai. He decided to leave the UK because of his interest in travelling but also for financial reasons with international schools offering a package that pays for accommodation and flights each year. He added there was less pressure on teachers in international schools in sharp comparison to Ofsted government-set test targets. Another teacher said, The governments target driven curriculum was putting too much pressure on teachers to mark and assess. Many teachers spoken to had considered the idea of leaving the country in the past year with the main reasons for leaving being stress and unnecessary pressures. Over the past decade, the grading standards that Ofsted use has been raised and schools are under immense pressure to be outstanding. As a result, teaching leaders have strived tirelessly for an outstanding verdict, placing incredible levels of pressure on their staff. In some cases, unreasonable standards of marking and assessment have been enforced on staff in the name of showing Ofsted that they are progressing towards the outstanding rating. Consequently, teachers are showing their disgust by rejecting these conditions and leaving the profession to find employment outside the UK. Wilshaw has called in the past, and repeated again, the idea of financial incentives in the form of golden handcuffs to ensure trainees start their teaching career in areas where they are needed most. As far as Im concerned, that means Barnsley not Bangkok, Doncaster not Doha, and Kings Lynn not Kuala Lumpur. His reactionary and nationalist agenda is outlined in his damning view of international schools. He continued: Is it fair that the offspring of overseas oligarchs are directly benefiting from UK teacher training programmes at the expense of poor children in large parts of this country? Wilshaws policy is largely welcomed by teachers leaders, including headteachers, principals, deputy heads and vice-principals. They suggest the government should write off teachers university tuition fees as an incentive to keep newly qualified teachers in English state schools. Leora Cruddas, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said, The idea of golden handcuffs to keep teachers in this country for a period of time is an interesting one which deserves more examination. The fact is teachers are not in the job to make large sums of money. Their pressurized working conditions are the main reason why teachers are leaving the profession and will continue to leave the country. Ben Culverhouse, a teacher, writing in the Guardian believes the incentives will do nothing to address the real problems afflicting our education system. These words of warning come from a man [Wilshaw] who was instrumentalalong with Michael Gove [the Conservative governments former education secretary]in creating the problems in the first place. Wilshaw was instructed by Gove to raise standards not long after he took office in 2012. Culverhouse fails to mention the process has been continued since the replacement of Gove in a 2014 cabinet reshuffle, which was championed by the teachers unions and the pseudo-left Socialist Workers Party (SWP) as an outstanding day for education. The SWP called for workers to come back in the autumn [2014] prepared to step up the fight to bury everything Gove stood for. There has been no national strike action since that day. The teaching union, National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), released a toothless statement on the latest staffing crisis figures, in which General Secretary Chris Keates, said: This is another stark consequence of government policy. The public education service is haemorrhaging teachers, not just to go abroad; equal numbers are leaving teaching to go to other more financially competitive jobs in this country. But all the NASUWT has proposed in response to the governments policy is a ludicrous action short of strike action, which involves advice on what not to do in the workplace. The policies of Gove have not been buried. The government has held a consultation on workload that is not worth the paper it is printed on. The pressures that have led to an exodus of teachers continue, with no solutions offered by teachers unions. 6 years, 7 months ago QPD Paula Y. Rhodes, 66, Quincy for Trespassing at 612 Jackson cash bond - Kamden J. Mock, 21, Quincy for City of Quincy FTA - Possession of Cannabis - lodged - Sarah A. McGriff, 46, Quincy for Felony Retail Theft at K-Mart - lodged - Xavior C. St. Hill, 19, Quincy for PC Ticket on File for Retail Theft at All About Eyes, 3115 Broadway on 02/23/16 - lodged Mark A. Clay, 47, Quincy for Aggravated Battery and Domestic Battery -lodged - Michael D. Frazier, 36, St. Louis, MO for Possession of Controlled Substance (Heroin) - lodged - Ricky A. Watson, 27, Quincy for Possession of Meth,and an outstanding Adams County Warrant for FTA - Theft - lodged - Alexandria R. Scharnhorst, 22, Quincy for Improper Lane Usage and No Insurance - NTA - Tony J. Roberts, 31, 830 Van Buren for Criminal Damage to Property at 2603 N. 24th on 03-09-16. Cash bond Jennifer L. Kovacs, 22, Payson, IL for Expired Registration Sticker and Operation of an Uninsured Motor Vehicle at 8th & Broadway on 03- 18-16. NTA Joshua A. Motley, 32, Coatsburg, IL for No Valid Registration at 24th & Broadway on 03-18-16. PTC Tiffany A. Shepler, 37, Bowen, IL for Expired Registration Sticker at 22nd & Broadway on 03-18-16. PTC Kyle D. Passmore, 25, 2508 Lind for Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident at 36th & Broadway on 03-17-16. PTC Paula T. Duppong, 1005 N. 11th reported both of her unlocked vehicles were entered by an unknown suspect while parked at her residence sometime between 1630 on 03-02-16 and 1400 on 03-03-16. Four music CD's were stolen from one of her vehicles. Landon M. Huston, 513 Hampshire #524 reported his 1998 Ford Expedition was forcibly entered sometime between 02-26-16 and 02-29- 16 by an unknown suspect while parked at 1201 Maine. Entry was gained by smashing out the back window. Numerous tools were stolen from the vehicle. Lesa A. Beaver of 2503 Oak reported an unknown suspect had purchased an Apple iPhone 6 on her AT&T account at an Apple store in New York. Beaver stated the suspect then also opened up a credit card in her name and purchased over $900 in merchandise from a store in Elmhurst, NY. Casey L Clevenger (22) 2032 College for Trespassing at 1800 College. NTA Amber L Brown (43) 1301 1/2 N 12th for Operating Uninsured Vehicle and Speeding at 4th & Lind. NTA Bradley D Bowen (24) 1229 N 25th for Operating Uninsured Vehicle at 17th & Broadway. NTA Miracle Jo Howser (36) 657 Harrison for Shoplifting at 5211 Broadway. NTA Tina Wells 836 Lind reported a cell phone stolen from her residence on 3/2/16 A drilling platform is seen near Breton Island, Louisiana May 3, 2010. REUTERS/Carlos Barria By Jessica DiNapoli NEW YORK (Reuters) - Some cash-strapped U.S. oil and gas companies are considering creating an unusual layer of debt as a way of surviving the rout in oil and gas prices, according to restructuring advisors. Chesapeake Energy Corp (CHK.N) for example is considering the strategy to swap some of its roughly $9 billion debt. Severely distressed companies may issue so-called 1.5 lien debt, sandwiched between the first and second liens, to raise new capital. Investors with a stomach for risk would get a better yield than for the top debt, and have a stronger claim than junior creditors if the company filed for bankruptcy. Companies could also create a new, middle layer of debt to swap with existing bondholders, offering them the option of giving up principal to jump the queue for repayment in the event of a bankruptcy. But 1.5 liens, which often have longer maturities that help companies buy time to pay existing bondholders in full, are a sign of desperation that would anger junior creditors, restructuring experts said. Only six companies have done 1.5 lien deals over the past several years, according to Moody's Investors Service. The swap would make sense for Chesapeake because its bonds maturing in 2017 and 2018 are trading at depressed levels, analysts said. "This happens when the market kind of constricts," said John Rogers, senior vice president at Moody's. "(You) see it in deals where the company is overlevered and has a maturity coming up." However some credit rating agencies view the exchange of new 1.5 lien secured notes for existing senior unsecured and 2nd lien secured notes as a distressed exchange and a limited default depending on their definition of default. DIFFICULT STRATEGY About 40 companies, including Samson Resources Corp, which tried and failed to execute mid-layer lien deals, sought court protection from creditors last year. Roughly one-third are at a high risk of filing bankruptcy this year, according to consulting firm Deloitte. Story continues Chesapeake has said it has no plans to file for bankruptcy, and declined to comment. Chesapeake offered to swap new second liens for unsecured notes last year, but few holders of its bonds maturing in 2017 and 2018 participated. Chesapeake executives said on a February conference call that they were looking to reduce or remove those maturities. Citigroup Inc (C.N) said, in an analyst note last week, that Chesapeake may target those holders in a 1.5 lien exchange that would buy the company time until oil and gas prices recover. Senior debtholders, usually banks which have extended revolving credit lines to oil and gas companies, often balk at 1.5 lien debt which could reduce their control over the collateral, bankers and attorneys familiar with the deals said. Second lien lenders may protest because the new layer of debt would come above theirs. Companies considering such deals may have an uphill battle trying to convince investors that the new liens would be worth anything, since oil and natural gas prices have fallen so far in the past year. U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 77 percent in the past 12 months before seeing some recovery in recent weeks. Samson Resources Corp, which is owned by private equity firm KKR (KKR.N), proposed to raise new money by issuing 1.25 lien debt, and swapping out old debt into a 1.5 lien layer, before it filed for bankruptcy in September. The deal was never finalized because it would have left Samson with too much debt and the continued collapse of gas prices made it impossible. KKR did not immediately return requests for comment, and a spokesperson for Samson declined to comment. The latest announced 1.5 lien swap was completed by iron ore miner Cliffs Natural Resources Inc (CLF.N) in February. The deal cut about $300 million of debt by allowing noteholders to swap into new 1.5 lien debt for a reduction on their principal. Many recent 1.5 lien deals have been done by companies in the portfolio of private equity firm Apollo Global Management (APO.N), said John Rogers, senior vice president at Moody's. Large, sophisticated private equity firms can negotiate more room for debt in credit documents with banks, he said. Apollo took Realogy Holdings Corp (RLGY.K), a franchisor of real estate brokerages, private for about $6.65 billion in 2007, right before the housing bust. Until then, the company had never turned a profit, but in 2012 it was able to raise 1.5 lien financing and complete an initial public offering. Apollo declined to comment. (Editing by Carmel Crimmins and Richard Chang) 6 years, 7 months ago by Scott Hardy Hearing held Friday afternoon Adams County voters who weren't able to vote in Tuesday's election will still get to do so starting Monday, despite a last-minute challenge by the state of Illinois. Friday afternoon, a lawyer from the Illinois Attorney General's office appeared in an Adams County courtroom with a motion to intervene and to vacate Thursday's injunction ordering polls be open all next week. Adams County Judge Chet Vahle, who approved Thursday's injunction, denied the state's motion to vacate it. Late voting will be available next Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM, in the County Clerk's office, for those who couldn't cast their vote because ballots were not available. Some voters will need to sign an affidavit. TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- One of the nation's top environmental leaders visited Florida A&M University to see how students are working on sustainable solutions. Vice Admiral Manson Brown is the deputy administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). Students in FAMU's School of the Environment shared findings from projects they've been working on. FAMU is part of NOAA's Environmental Cooperative Science Center (ECSC) Consortium, which helps train and diversify the next generation of scientists. Brown says one of the organization's goals is to have these students join the NOAA family. "Right now, we have 12,000 scientists," he said. "Some of those scientists are mature, like me, and are going to be transitioning to retirement, and we want to make a path for these younger folks to come in and help us solve some of the nation's crises." Last year, President Obama appointed brown as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction. ATLANTA (AP) - Atlanta's airport, the world's busiest, is insisting that Uber drivers get fingerprint-based background checks to pick up passengers, but the ride-sharing service is balking at the proposed rule. Officials at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport this month said they were moving toward allowing Uber and other ride-sharing services - a reversal of its practice of banning such services from curbside pickup. But The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (bit.ly/1Wvj1WN) reports that Uber immediately objected. The San Francisco-based company said in a statement that it wouldn't be possible for Uber to operate at Atlanta's airport under the proposed rules. Airport General Manager Miguel Southwell says fingerprint background checks promote safety and should be welcomed. The newspaper reports that Uber has refused similar background checks at some other airports, but Southwell says the company complies with such requirements in Houston, Texas. Uber representatives didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press early Friday. ___ Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com DUSHANBE, March 19 (Reuters) - Tajikistan has discussed potential plane purchases with Airbus, its government said on Saturday. The Central Asian country's deputy prime minister Azim Ibrohim met Airbus CIS Vice President Silvere Delaunay who is leading a delegation of executives and experts to study the local market, the cabinet said in a statement. Ibrohim told Delaunay during the meeting in the capital Dushanbe that Tajikistan was interested in "establishing cooperation" with Airbus. The government did not provide any details of potential deals. Tajikistan's two main carriers, state-owned Tajik Air and privately-held Somon Air, do not own any Airbus jets and mostly use Boeing planes. (Reporting by Nazarali Pirnazarov; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Alexander Smith) Three Israelis were murdered in a Saturday morning suicide bombing in Istanbul that wounded at least 36 others,Turkeys deputy foreign minister confirmed on Saturday. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Israels Foreign Ministry said there were 11 wounded Israelis: two were in serious condition, two in moderate condition, six in light condition, and a wounded woman who was in surgery. A plane carrying an MDA delegation landed in Turkey after 10pm to help examine the wounded Israelis. The attack occurred on the city's famous Istiklal Street, a popular tourist destination visited by many people on weekends. Among the wounded Israelis were members of two different tour groups, which apparently met on Istiklal Street just before the attack. Photo: AP Turkish officials said that evidence suggests that the bomber may have come from Islamic State or the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). According to the official, the suicide bomber planned to detonate in another crowded spot, but became anxious upon seeing police and triggered the bomb. By evening, video circulated on social media networks showing a suspicious individual walking around before the bomb exploded. A picture was also posted that purportedly showed the terrorist. According to unconfirmed reports, the man in question, named as Savas Yldz, was linked to Islamic State. Media reports said Yldz was involved in attacks in Mersin and Adana in southern Turkey about a year ago before fleeing to Syria. On Saturday evening, Turkish authorities arrested Yldzs father. Turkish news agency Dogan reported that a blood sample had been taken for the father to compare his DNA to a body found at the scene of the bombing. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that there is information that this was an attack by a member of ISIS. But this is preliminary information. In cases like this, we cooperate with other countries intelligence agencies. He added that there was no confirmation that the attack had targeted Israelis. Video highlighting purported bomber X Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold decided to cut short his participation in the AIPAC Conference in Washington, DC, which is to begin on Saturday, and fly to Istanbul to visit the wounded. Photo: Reuters One of the murdered Israelis was named as Simha Damri, 60, of Dimona, who was in Turkey on a culinary tour with her husband, Avi, who suffered moderate wounds. He recalled the harrowing experience to Ynet: We finished breakfast and started strolling down the boulevard." He said he had approached a store window to take a picture when he heard the explosion. I was a little behind the group, he said. I couldnt see my wife. The terrorist blew up perhaps four meters away from us. I have two broken legs and a punctured lung. I can barely talk, and I dont know where my wife is. "Today's attack in Istanbul has shown us once again that the international community as a whole should act in a resolute manner against the ignoble objectives of terrorist organisations," said Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu after the bombing. "I would like to convey my condolences to the families of the Israeli citizens who lost their lives in the heinous attack which happened in Istanbul and to the people of Israel, and wish a speedy recovery to the wounded." Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on a diplomatic visit to Turkey, joined his hosts in Istanbul in condemning the bombing. One of the murdered was an Iranian national. Photo: Reuters Turkey has been on high alert for the past few days, after a bombing in its capital Ankara killed at least 37 people and wounded over 100 others on March 13. Kurdish militant organization TAK, reportedly affiliated with the PKK resistance, took responsibility for the Ankara bombing on Thursday. It warned of forthcoming attacks against Turkish forces, especially in Kurdish areas of the country's south-east. A short time after a terror attack shook Istanbul on Saturday morning, killing and wounding Israelis, Irem Atkas, a Turkish activist and director of digital communications for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, posted a shocking twee, wishing for the death of the Israelis wounded in the attack. "I hope all the wounded Israelis in the attack will die," she wrote. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The tweet provoked many critical responses on social media and was removed shortly thereafter. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the Foreign Ministry to demand a condemnation from the Turkish Foreign Ministry. A few hours after the tweet, the director of the partys womens wing tweeted that the party had begun taking steps towards dismissing the MP, adding that the opinions she expressed were not reflective of the partys positions. Hateful tweet posted by MP Atkas "We are investigating the issue with the Turkish Foreign Ministry. If the ugly and shocking statement actually was posted, we expect (the Turkish Foreign Ministry) to apologize and distance itself from the remark," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon said. Earlier in the evening, the Foreign Ministry expressed concerns that three Israelis may have been killed and confirmed that nine or ten Israelis were wounded and transferred to local hospitals. The Foreign Ministry added that at least ten Israelis were considered missing, and an MDA plane will take off for Istanbul to aid Israeli victims and bring them back to Israel. MP Irem Atkas The attack took place just after 11:00 AM on Istiklal Street in the center of Istanbul. All in all, it was reported that four people were killed and 36 wounded, most of them tourists from Israel, Ireland, Germany, Iceland, and Iran. The wave of terror roiling Israel in recent months has put Jewish-Arab relations to the test. But one Jerusalem museum is as determined as ever to meet the challenge. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter For almost 20 years, the Bible Lands Museum has sponsored encounters and cooperative activities between Jewish Israeli schools and Palestinian Muslim schools through the Image of Abraham project. Photo: Hillel Maeir/TPS Through the initiative, Jews and Arabsstudents, teachers, and parentslearn together about the role of Abraham as the common Patriarch in Judaism and Islam. Through a series of museum visits, the children participate in a rich and exciting program that encourages working together in small, mixed Arab-Jewish groups. Together, they explore the museum galleries, discover the cultures of the ancient Near East, and trace common elements in Arab and Jewish heritage. The Bible Lands Museum is built for this sort of programming because we show the shared common heritage of this region like no other institution, Amanda Weiss, the museums director and the initiator of the project told Tazpit Press Service (TPS). According to Weiss, over the years the Image of Abraham project has brought together thousands of students, teachers, and parents. Even if the first encounters are challenging, the outcome has always been successful. When the children come to the first meeting, they are always quite intrepid, they are not entirely sure what they are walking into, Weiss explained. They only know they are going to meet The Other for the very first time. The Jews are going to meet Arabs, and the Arabs are going to meet Jews. At this point, they have nothing in common that we would think that neighbors in the same city would be able to share. But they come together to learn about their shared common heritage. To facilitate a flow of communication and cooperation between the schoolchildren, all activities, lecture games and tasks in the project are conducted bilingually in Hebrew and Arabic, as not all Jewish kids speak Arabic and not all Arab kids speak Hebrew. After the initial encounter, each class of the participating school is paired with a peer Jewish or Arab class for a series of meetings. The atmosphere is one of equality and mutual respect, fostering discussions that explore common historical and even contemporary bonds. At the conclusion of the series of group visits to the museum, the programs final event is a celebration involving students, their parents, and the teachers. This program is vital for building a future in which peaceful coexistence is an option. This project encourages the participants to build personal connections with one another and overcome negative stereotypes, to understand our similarities and respect our differences, Amanda Weiss told TPS. The unique coexistence education program created by the Bible Lands Museum is now in its 19th year and brings together the Jerusalem School, a Palestinian elementary school from the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina, and the Jewish religious elementary school in the West Bank settlement of Efrata. This is first time a religious Jewish school has participated in the project alongside a Palestinian school. Some of our students are still in touch with the children of the Jerusalem School, Efrata school principal Gila Sadon told TPS. Following the project, I introduced Arabic language studies into our school curriculum, hoping to break down the language barrier between the students and facilitate more long-term communication between them. It feels wonderful to see Palestinian and Israeli kids coming together every week. Our kids never want it to end, Susan Shadid, principal of the Jerusalem School, told TPS. According to Shadid, the benefit of the project is not restricted only to the schoolchildren. Barriers are broken among the adults as well. Theres a wonderful added benefit that on the evening of the celebration, the parents are sitting together in the same room, looking at each other, meeting after their children have already developed amicable relations. Sometimes they sit together and talk and ask each other questions. Its great for families, too, Shadid explained. The principals of both the Jewish and Palestinian schools have stated several times that their students were extremely sad when the program ended and are already discussing how to continue and expand the educational encounters. Kamal Atila, spokesperson of the Ministry of Educations non-Jewish education department, attended the closing celebration as the father of one of the students from the Palestinian school. He related his thoughts to TPS. This was a very challenging and interesting encounter. Beyond the educational value of the museum sessions, there is great importance in facilitating encounters between the children of both sectors, especially during this problematic period. Personally, my daughter really enjoyed the program, and that in itself is also very important, Atila told TPS. I would call on all parents, Arab and Israeli, to take their children to the Bible Lands Museum and to participate in this project. It is an important project, and its important that people come here to see it and take part in it, Atila concluded. Five Jewish men were on Thursday indicted at the Jerusalem District Court for racially motivated aggravated assault and battery. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Ahmed Badar, 40, from Silwan was violently attacked by five Jewish youths in Jerusalem's Liberty Bell Park because of his ethnicity on March 9. Four of the accused are 17 years old, and one, Netanel Goldenberg, is 19. According to the indictment, the five assailants were returning from partying in the city center, when they passed two janitors and identified one of them as Arab. They yelled, "Death to Arabs" and continued to yell racial insults and curses as they physically attacked, throwing punches and kicking him. "I work for the Jerusalem Municipality in the city-improvement branch," Badar said. "A friend and I had started work when, suddenly, five teenagers came into the Liberty Bell Bark. Entrance to Liberty Bell Park (Photo: Shlomi Cohen) "They yelled, 'Death to Arabs! Death to Arabs!' and came up to us and taunted my friend, 'You're an Arab bastard.' He told them that he was Jewish, and then they said to me, 'You're an Arab bastard,' and they started to curse the Prophet Mohammed." According to the indictment, they beat and kicked Badar for several minutes, even after he fell to the ground. Badar's friend called for the police and an ambulance, and they transferred the victim to the hospital. "I hate Jewish racism just like I hate Arab racism," said Badar. "The feeling was completely unpleasant. It's really messed up my life." He added that he has worked alongside Jews his entire life: "I've been weddings and bar mitzvahs. I have a good, strong connection with the Jewish people." According to Badar, his attackers "must be punished. If they're not punished, it will cause greater damage. A week has passed, but this scene keeps playing over and over (in my head) all night and day. I didn't believe that such a thing could ever happen to me. Nobody would believe that such a thing could happen." Badar recounted on Thursday that it was difficult for him to move his limbs because of the attack. Moti Rafaeli, the lawyer representing Goldenberg, claimed that his client was indeed present at the scene, but he did not participate in the attack. Egypt's state-run news agency says militants attacked a checkpoint south of northern Sinai's provincial capital of el-Arish, killing eight policemen. MENA reports that the militants attacked the checkpoint Saturday. A Sinai-based Islamic State affiliate has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to a statement circulated on social media. The Associated Press could not independently verify the authenticity of the claim. The local IS affiliate has been targeting Egyptian troops in Sinai and claimed the downing of a Russian airliner last October that killed 224 people. Late at night, a boat landed on the Gaza coast. A few soldiers dressed like Palestinians debarked. They presented themselves as terrorists who had been sent from Lebanon and asked to meet the head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in the Gaza Strip. Someone brought them to him. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "We came for a work meeting," said the force's commander, and the leaders of the PFLP detailed the planned terror attacks to their guests. At a certain point, the commander signaled to his people that the time had come. The group whipped out their guns and eliminated the senior terrorist leaders in the Gaza Strip before they even knew what was happening. This daring officer was named Meir Dagan. He was the commander of the Rimon Reconnaissance Unit, which operated against terrorism in the Gaza Strip at the beginning of the 70s. "It was a life that brought you to an extremely powerful level of experiences," he said in an interview to Yedioth Ahronoth years later, in which he revealed a small amount of the operations from that time. "But you get through it, because you know that you're serving the country." Meir Dagan (Photo: GPO) And he served his country nearly all his life: as an officer in the Paratroopers Brigade in the Six-Day War; as the commander of Rimon, whose leg was injured when his jeep went over a mine, and he received a medal after jumping on a terrorist who was about to throw a grenade; as the commander of a special reconnaissance unit in the 143rd Division under Ariel Sharon during the Yom Kippur War; as the commander of 188th Armored Brigade in the First Lebanon War; as a major general in the IDF; and as the head of the Mossad, a position he held for eight years. He survived all the wars, battles and operations, but not the fight against cancer. Born on a train, raised in a transit camp Meir Huberman (Dagan) was born in January 1945 on a train en route from Siberia to Poland, from where his parents had fled the Nazi threat a few years earlier. His maternal grandfather, Ber (Dov) Erlich (Sloshny), was murdered in the Holocaust. During his years at the head of the Mossad, Dagan kept in his office a picture of his grandfather kneeling before the Nazis, shortly before they shot him. Dagan's motto for his entire defense career was thus: there will be no second Holocaust. At five years of age, he immigrated with his parents to Israel on board the refugee ship Galila. The family first lived in a transit camp, Machane Israel, not far from the Lod airport. They later settled in Bat Yam, where his parents ran a laundry service. In 1963, he was drafted into the IDF and served in the Paratroopers' reconnaissance unit. Later, when asked where he grew up, he would answer, "in the army." That's also where he changed his name from Huberman to Dagan. In November 1966, he was discharged from regular service at the rank of captain. During the Six-Day War, as a commander of a reserve company, he took part in battles in the Sinai, and, at the war's end, he was flown with his soldiers by helicopter to the Golan Heights, where he took part in its capture. Thirty-two years later, when he was a major general in reserves, and not yet the head of the Mossad, Dagan joined the campaign against a possible withdrawal from the Golan Heights. After the Six-Day War, Dagan returned to regular service in the IDF, where he was an operations officer in the el-Arish region. In 1970, at the peak of the wave of terrorism in Gaza, the then-GOC Southern Command, Ariel Sharon, tasked Dagan with creating the Rimon unit. The unit's existence was a top secret, and the stories of the undercover agents that eliminated dozens of wanted terrorists in Gaza only began to surface years later. Former soldiers told of executions in cold blood, but Dagan denied those allegations. "We always acted according to military standards," he said in one of his rare interviews. "The Rimon era was not the Wild West, where anyone could shoot anyone that he wanted to. Indeed, we never thought it permissible to eliminate women and children. But it's correct that the rules of engagement were different. There were fewer limitations." In the same interview, Dagan said, "Nobody gets excited when the IDF sends a plane with six tons of bombs to drop on Hezbollah targets, and a few civilians get killed. However, if you send a unit to Gaza for a pinpoint elimination of three terrorists, the world is up in arms. Everyone shouts and throws a fit." Dagan (center) with Yossi Ben Hanan, Chaim Nadal and Amos Yaron (Photo: Mickey Tsarfati, Bamahane) A short time after the unit's creation, Dagan was injured in both his legs after the jeep he was travelling in went over a landmine. He was hospitalized for half a year and returned to his unit with one of his legs still in a cast. In January 1971, he was leading a patrol from the Jabalia refugee camp to Gaza City when he identified two terrorists in a taxi. One of them pulled out a grenade and was about to throw it at the unit. Dagan jumped out of his car and attacked the terrorist, warning his troops at the same time. After a short struggle, Dagan managed to gain control of the terrorist and prevent him from exploding the grenade. For his actions in the incident, he was awarded the Medal of Courage. In the Yom Kippur War, Dagan fought on the southern front and was one of the first to cross the Suez Canal. Later, he made a career change and joined the Armored Corps, and during the First Lebanon War he was the commander of the 188th Armored Brigade. But even as an armored corps man, Dagan did not kick his habit of going undercover, and he travelled throughout Lebanon in local vehicles, while dressed as an Arab. "Even before my tank division went into Beirut, I already knew the city. I made secret visits there," he would tell. After the war, he was appointed the commander of the IDF's Lebanon Liaison Unit and was among the founders of the South Lebanon Army (SLA). He also commanded over the 36th Division, was the IDF chief of staff's adviser on terrorism and the intifada, and in 1992 was appointed the head of the Operations Division. In 1993, he was promoted to the rank of major general as the assistant to the head of the Operations Directorate, but retired from the military two years later because he was not made a GOC. He went on his post-military trip with his good friend Maj. Gen. (res.) Yossi Ben Hanan: They went on a jeep tour across half the world, which started in what used to be the Soviet Union, and parts of which were published in the media, including stunning photos from remote corners of the world. The adventurous trip was cut short, however, when Prime Minister Rabin was murdered. Four months later, in the midst of a wave of suicide bombings, Dagan was called to serve as Ami Ayalon's deputy at the new counterterrorism unit, established by then-prime minister Shimon Peres. When Benjamin Netanyahu was elected prime minister, Dagan was made the head of the counterterrorism unit, but resigned after the following elections that put Ehud Barak in the prime minister's seat. When asked at the time if he was interested in heading the Mossad or Shin Bet, he responded, "Nonsense. Believe me, I don't. Besides, the head of the Mossad and the head of the Shin Bet need to be younger people who view this role as the highlight of their lives. I want my small pleasures: to sit in my studio and sculpt." Explosions and mysterious accidents But a man like Dagan could not just sit at home. In 2000, he joined the Likud party, and during the 2001 elections, he served as the head of Ariel Sharon's campaign. When Sharon was elected prime minister, he established a secret mechanism to operate against terror organizations' financial sources and put Dagan at its head. On September 10, 2002, Sharon surprised many when he announced Dagan's appointment as the head of the Mossad to replace Efraim Halevy. There was quite a lot of criticism in the defense establishment on the appointment of a man with a political background to such a role, but very quickly, the critics, too, realized that Dagan was the right man at the right time. His eight years at the head of the Mossad are considered particularly successful, during which he returned the Mossad to its former glory. Dagan during First Lebanon War in 1982 (Photo: Dagan's friend, Maj. Gen. Yossi Ben Hanan) Early in his tenure, Dagan announced that from that point onwards, the Mossad would mostly deal with two issues: the Iranian nuclear program, and terrorism outside Israel's borders. We have limited resources, he said. We're not the United States. If we keep claiming we can do everything, we'll end up doing nothing. Quite a few senior terrorists died during that time in different and peculiar ways. Among them was Hezbollah's military chief, Imad Mughniyeh, who was assassinated in Damascus on February 12, 2008; senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, who was assassinated at a hotel in Dubai on January 19, 2010; and Hamas's "treasurer" Izz El-Deen Sheikh Khalil, who was assassinated in Damascus on September 25, 2004. Quite a few Iranian nuclear scientists were also killed in mysterious accidents. Israel has never claimed responsibility for these actions, but foreign sources attributed them to the Mossad, under Dagan's command. Also among the achievements attributed to the Mossad during that time (again, according to foreign sources) were repeated operations of sabotage of the Iranian nuclear project, explosions at Hezbollah weapons caches in Lebanon, thwarting the organization's revenge operations over Mughniyeh's assassination, finding Iranian arms ships, the exposure of the Syrian reactor, and a long list of operations that would remain top secret for years to come. "Dagan came with the mindset of a tank battalion commander that needs to conquer a hill," said a former Mossad official. "It's clear that not all the tanks will arrive, and it's clear that the tanks will run over some of the best soldiers, and clearly there will be glitches and an exchange of fire, but for him, as long as the tanks thundered onward and attained the target at the end, it didn't matter." Meir Dagan with former PM Ariel Sharon (Photo: Yaacov Saar) But even Dagan, the fearless warrior, was aware of the limitations of power. Already during his tenure as the head of the Mossad, he fought against Prime Minister Netanyahu and then-defense minister Barak's plan to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. "If we attack today," Dagan said, "not only will we not stop the bomb, but also create a reality in which we are solving all of the internal political problems in Iran by causing the population to stand as one behind the regime." He claimed that economic sanctions would be more effective than a military move and that Israel must continue delaying the Iranian nuclear program with ruses. Dagan was even quoted as saying that he was very concerned that after he leaves his role at the head of the Mossad, there would be no one to stop Netanyahu and Barak from going on "dangerous adventures." These comments led to harsh criticism from Netanyahu and his close associates, who accused him of trying to mount a putsch against a sitting prime minister and of causing serious damage to Israel's security. Dagan vehemently rejected the accusations, and at one opportunity said, "Had I received an order to attack Iran today, even if it contradicted my viewsI'd do it." But in another interview that he gave after his retirement, he said that if he had received an order to attack in Iran, he would have immediately submitted his resignation. After his retirement, his strong objection to a military attack on Iran turned into harsh criticism of Netanyahu's policies on all issues. In a speech he gave at Rabin Square on the eve of the last elections, Dagan said, "Israel is surrounded by enemies. They don't scare me. I'm afraid of our leadership. I fear the lack of vision, the lack of direction and determination, and a dearth of exemplary leadership. I fear hesitation and stagnation. I fearabove alla crisis of leadership. This is the most serious crisis I can remember since the creation of the state." Later in his speech, Dagan addressed Netanyahu, saying, "Where are you heading, Mr. Prime Minister? Why would you want to be responsible for our fate if you're afraid to take responsibility? Why would a man seek leadership if he doesn't want to lead? We have a leader who is fighting only one campaign: a war for his own political survival." Netanyahu and other Likud officials claimed Dagan's criticism derived from the fact that his tenure as the Mossad chief was not extended as he had asked, but Dagan revealed a letter he wrote to Netanyahu in September of 2010, in which he asked the prime minister to end his tenure at the planned date. Despite the fact he was one of his biggest critics, Dagan was consulted by Prime Minister Netanyahu on whom to appoint as the next Mossad chief, and Dagan warmly recommended Yossi Cohen. Ups and downs In 2012, Dagan was diagnosed with liver cancer. He started undergoing aggressive chemotherapy, but his disease kept progressing until he suffered liver failure. Dagan, who was 67 years old, did not meet the criteria for a liver transplant in Israel, which determined that those over the age of 65 cannot be entered the waiting list for transplant. But thanks to the intervention of then-foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, then-president Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Netanyahu, Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko agreed to allow Dagan to undergo a liver transplant at a hospital in Minsk. Dagan in IDF major general uniform (Photo: IDF Spokesperson) "I started tying up my life, saying goodbye to people," Dagan said upon his return to Israel. "It was a painful process but then, with the aid of quite a few people, I received a liver donation that saved my life. For how long, I dont know, but it's clear to me that if I hadn't received that liver donation, I would not be alive." Dagan's rehabilitation after the operation was impressive. He gained weight and started resuming business activity and traveling the world. But at a certain point the cancer returned, and spread to his lungs. In the last few months of his life, Dagan's medical condition gravely deteriorated. He was in and out of Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. Despite that, he insisted on displaying optimism. "I'm fine, I'm fine," he told his loved ones. The worst they would hear from him was the sentence, "Life has its ups and downsand today is a down day." On Thursday morning, Dagan passed away at the age of 71, leading behind his wife, Bina, three children, and seven grandchildren. Efraim Halevy, who was the Mossad chief before Dagan, said: "I met Meir recently at all kinds of gatherings with friends, and he showed tremendous interest in the Mossad's operations, even after his retirement. He didn't speak of his medical condition; it was clear his condition was unwell and that he was bravely fighting the disease. I'll remember him as a very humorous man. I'll remember him as someone who stood out in everything he did and committed daring acts beyond the horizon. People like him ensured the existence of the State of Israel." A suicide bombing in Istanbul on Saturday killed two American citizens, the White House said in a statement. "We are in close touch with Turkish authorities and reaffirm our commitment to work together with Turkey to confront the evil of terrorism," White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. A suicide bomber killed two Israelis and two other people in a busy shopping district in the heart of Istanbul, the fourth such attack in Turkey so far this year. For the past year and a half, an IDF officer with the rank of major has been quietly serving in the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations in Manhattan. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The role makes the officer responsible for collecting information for UN forces deployed in war zones around the world that are participating in, among others, battling Boko Haram in Nigeria, Al-Shabaab in Somalia, and the war in Donbass, Ukraine. Major Conricus at the UN (Photo: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe) Major Jonathan Conricus is the first Israeli officer to hold a position at the UN. He has served since November 2014, beating out officers from all over the world. The role is that of an evaluation officer, which relates to intelligence. Conricus is responsible for collecting relevant information for a number of UN forces and penning evaluations of risks in certain areas. He is responsible for the area where MONUSCO is active in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for fighting Boko Haram in northern Nigeria, for fighting al-Shabaab in Somalia, and for fighting between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine. Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said regarding Conricuss service: We are very proud of the Israeli representatives at UN institutions. Despite attempts by anti-Israel elements to boycott Israel, its citizens continue to show Israels true face to the world and to contribute to the international community in a wide range of areas. He further said that technology for protecting peacekeeping troops, professional consultation on legal matters, and major healthcare aid are only part of Israels assistance for the UNs humanitarian purposes. We are working to integrate more Israelis into the UN, and I call on more Israelis to join the campaign and become true ambassadors of Israel. Israel has in the past sent humanitarian delegations in disaster zones, such as a field hospital in post-earthquake Haiti; a police officer sent to join peacekeeping efforts in Georgia; police officers sent to Haiti for the purpose of policing and maintaining order; search and rescue teams sent t Turkey after earthquakes; a field hospital for people hurt in the earthquake and tsunami in Japan; and a field hospital in the Philippines after a typhoon. Women's History Month: Maintainer reflects on service In 1979, Margaret Thatcher was elected as the United Kingdom's prime minister and 63 Americans were taken hostage in the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran. It was the year Michael Jackson released his first solo album "Off the Wall," ESPN launched on cable television, a Sony Walkman cost $200, and a gallon of gas cost $0.86. This is also the year that Master Sgt. Kathy Wheelock joined the Air Force. March is Women's History Month and the theme this year is "Working to Form a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women in Public Service and Government." Wheelock is one of many women in the 403rd Wing and Air Force Reserve accomplishing the mission daily, setting the example through their service. When Wheelock joined the Air Force, she told her recruiter she wanted to do something fun and exciting. "And, that's how I got into law enforcement," she said. According to the Air Force Personnel Center, 19 percent of the Air Force is comprised of women. When Wheelock served in active duty during 1980s that figure was around 11 percent, according to a 1982 Military Manpower Task Force report. "It was a challenge to enter a nearly-all male career field," she said. "It was hard to break into a man's world of law enforcement, so I had to prove myself; both as a female military member and as a law enforcement specialist." She proved she could hold her own when it came to some 'interesting' situations, and she became known to be 'good cop.' During her seven years of active duty service, Wheelock married a fellow law enforcement member, Keith Wheelock assigned to the K-9 section. The couple was stationed at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, with two children and conflicting work schedules, she decided to separate from active duty in 1986. "We were both worried about not getting a joint spouse assignment," she said. "I hated leaving the service, but had to do what was right for my family." In 1995 her husband was stationed to Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, as a K-9 law enforcement specialist and retired as a master sergeant in 2003. "I missed serving; I loved wearing the uniform, and being part of the Air Force team," said Wheelock. "So, I was glad to get to come back and serve in the Air Force Reserve." She joined the 403rd Maintenance Group in 1997, serving as an information manager in the commander's support staff. She was hired as an Air Reserve Technician in 2002, a full-time civil service employee who is required to serve as an Air Force reservist in the same unit. She quickly became the NCOIC of the commander support staff. In 2010 she had an opportunity to progress in her career, so she retrained as an engine mechanic and was hired as an ART in the 403rd Propulsion Flight as the engine manager in the 403rd Maintenance Squadron. She is responsible for tracking all the inspections for the C-130J Super Hercules engines and propellers on 20 aircraft assigned to the 403rd Wing, which entails 91 propellers and 83 engines. She tracks 1,760 serial controlled items that consist of over 3,500 inspections. The aircraft has inspections that are due hourly, monthly and annually. She coordinates with the production superintendents, plans and scheduling personnel, and her boss, Senior Master Sgt. Eric H. Johnson III, to ensure the aircraft are available for their mission at all times. Johnson, the 403rd Propulsion Flight chief, said the 403d MXG is lucky to have Wheelock. The flight benefits from her experience as a security forces member, NCOIC of the CSS, and as an ART, he said. "If Kathy can't figure it out she normally can point you in the right direction," he said. "The word 'no and never' are not in her vocabulary; it's always yes, and let's figure out a way to do it." On a daily basis Wheelock spends most of her time tracking, managing and scheduling inspections, and other non-maintenance managerial duties that keep the unit running. However, she added, "If I had to do some wrench-turning, I could do that also since I am a fully qualified mechanic." Wheelock loves her job and is proud to serve, she said, adding that one of her biggest career highlights was deploying in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and Joint Task Force Horn of Africa in 2009. She wants her unit members to realize the important role they play in the accomplishing the mission, she said. "Sometimes, some people in maintenance get caught up in the day-to-day tasks and don't see how we make a difference. I remind them that what they do is important to the big picture. I tell the mechanics to tell people I am a C-130J mechanic, and that the aircraft out there is my office." Like many people, she has encountered challenges throughout her career, but, she said it's a good career option for women. "It's seems like the military is still a man's world, so as women we need to take this challenge seriously, and we need to take pride in what we do and prove ourselves as valuable military members, because it is a rewarding career," she said. After 25 years, Wheelock, has risen through the ranks and is a senior NCO and a leader in her group. She has earned several awards and decorations, various levels of Air Force recognition, and associates degrees in Information Resources Management and Aircraft Maintenance Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. She attributes her success to her family, her father who retired from the Air Force and her two brothers that retired from the Army, and followed in their path. "They were supportive of me joining the military," she said. Her husband, their three children and two grandchildren are also very supportive of her career. "Just the other day I thanked them for supporting me because some children are embarrassed that their mother wears 'combat boots,'" she said, joking. In a serious tone, she added, "My husband and children are proud of me and what I have accomplished." Since 1979, some things have changed. Michael Jackson and Margaret Thatcher have passed away, ESPN is still on cable, gas is about $1.50, for now, not many people use a Walkman today, unless they really want to, and all combat jobs are now open to women. Some things have not changed. The U.S. Air Force remains ready to combat its enemies foreign and domestic, and Wheelock is still here to serve her country and mentor the next generation of Airmen. Bowman talks Niagara on Capitol Hill The commander and members of the 914th Airlift Wing met with Congressional leadership on Capitol Hill, March 15. Col. Brian S. Bowman, along with Chief Master Sgt. Clinton J. Ronan, 914th AW command chief, and Senior Airman Darian Baines, a material management journeyman, visited as part of the Air Force Reserve Commanders' Capitol Hill Visit Program, which is designed to build long-term, face-to-face relationships with members of Congress and their staffs. "More than 75 percent of the men and women assigned to the 914th are represented by the senators and congressmen that we've met with," Bowman said. "It's important for my members to know that their voices are being heard and they are being taken care of." The program also serves as an opportunity to discuss U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserve issues affecting Western New York and the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. Although this was an eventful experience, it gave Bowman and the group the opportunity to talk to several high-ranking government officials. The Niagara team met with Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, Congressman Chris Collins, Congressman Brian Higgins and Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. With many key decision makers all in one room, the experience was exciting for Baines, the youngest member of this trip. "It was an excellent experience," said Baines, of her first visit to the District of Columbia. "It was interesting to see what happens behind the curtains. I'm looking forward to seeing what the outcome will be." "In an ever-changing climate, working side by side with our representatives has never been more important," said Bowman. "The relationships that we are continuing to foster will ensure a current, qualified, and mission-ready Air Force." New Delhi: The JNU administration has issued notices to five students asking them to explain their "position" in connection with the burning of the copies of ancient legal text Manusmriti despite the varsity administration denying permission for it. "A report dated March 9 received from the Chief Security Officer in connection with an incident that happened on March 8, 6-30 PM near Sabarmati Dhaba, has been received at the Chief Proctor's office," the notice sent by the Proctor read. "You are directed to appear before the Proctor on March 21 to explain your position in this regard. You may also bring any evidence which you wish to submit in support of your defiance," it added. Weeks after the controversial event against Afzal Guru's hanging was held on campus, five ABVP rebels joined by left-backed All India Students Association (AISA) and Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India (NSUI) burnt sections of Manusmriti text at Sabarmati Dhaba on March 8, which was also the venue of the earlier event. While three of the organisers were former ABVP office-bearers, two of them are still with the party but differ with their stand on Manusmriti. The students had also read out the allegedly "derogatory" remarks against women in the book before they burnt copies of it. The university administration had then maintained that they had denied permission for the event and the security was briefed about the same. "We had denied the permission for the event but in response the students submitted in writing that they will still go ahead with the event. We have got the programme videographed," a varsity official had said. Patna: After 450 border pillars were found missing along India`s open border with Nepal near Bihar`s east and west Champaran districts, the Sashastra Seema Bal (an armed border force) is moving to plug the gap. New pillars would be erected soon. The SSB, under the supervision and monitoring of officials of the Survey of India and Nepal Armed forces, are busy constructing the new pillars along the officially demarcated line. "During our ongoing survey that began last year, 450 border pillars were found missing with few of them badly damaged in the `no-man`s land` along the border of two neighbouring countries," Manjul Mamgai, an official of the Survey of India told IANS. There is a 18.2 metre "no-man`s land" between the two countries. But at several places, land grabbers have encroached on it. "After the survey, the SSB will clear the encroachers from the area along the border" Mamgai said. Mamgai, who is heading a team of surveyors from Dehradun, and is in Champaran at present said over telephone that new pillars would be erected soon. In all, 1870 border pillars were erected stretching to 180 km from Gandak baraj in West Champaran to Ghorasan`s Jamunia in East Champaran nearly 85 years ago. "It is serious work with responsibility because missing border pillars have already caused anxiety for concerned officials on both side of the border. The Survey of India is identifying the exact location of the pillars. Mamgai alo blamed nature`s fury, apart from land grabbers and encroachers on both sides for the plight. "Some border pillars were washed away by heavy floods and others became victim of the changing route of rivers," Mamgai said. He said officials of both countries are meeting at Birganj in Nepal on March 21 to look at the issues arising out of the missing pillars and the need to replace them. Last year it was agreed to install global positioning system (GPS) in the pillars. According to the agreement, the two countries would set up 83 control points in their vicinity across the 1,880-km border and install the GPS system in all the 8,553 boundary pillars along the border. This will ensure timely replacement of pillars if they are damaged by a natural disaster or human intervention. According to a confidential report sent by the field formations of security agencies to the Ministry of Home Affairs, a total of 1,451 border pillars were "missing" while 1,282 had been "damaged" along the Indo-Nepal border. According to official reports of the Survey of India, 1931 pillars were erected after an agreement between the two neighbours. An SSB official said the pillars are the only symbolic security structures along the fence-less border of India and Nepal which is notorious for smuggling. Bihar shares a large part of its border with Nepal, including 10 trade transit points. New Delhi: JNU which is caught in a row over an event on campus against hanging of Azal Guru, has appointed a new Registrar. Pramod Kumar, an associate professor at DU's Aurobindo College has been selected by a three-member panel to take over the position of Registrar from Bhupinder Zutshi whose tenure is coming to an end on March 31. Kumar, an alumni of JNU itself, will take charge on March 21. "I have been informed of my selection for the post and I will take charge from Monday," he told PTI. Zutshi, who was an officiating official on the post, will continue to work as a professor. In wake of the current controversy, there have been repetitive demands from students and teachers for Zutshi's removal for his alleged role in allowing police on the campus. Upping their ante against him, the varsity's teachers association had last week decided to "de-recognize" any orders from him saying that he has completed 62-years of age and hence no official communication should be addressed to him. The university had last month appointed Chintamani Mohapatra as the new Rector while AP Dimri was appointed the Chief Proctor, after his predecessor Krishan Kumar had resigned from the post. Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah inaugurated party's national executive meet on Saturday. The two-day meeting will discuss current political situation in the country and take stock of organisational issues besides fine-tuning party's strategy for the ensuing Assembly elections in five states. Elections to five state Assemblies in April-May will reportedly be part of the deliberations during which Uttar Pradesh, which will go to the polls early next year and where BJP's stakes are high, may also figure. Shah will deliver the inaugural speech while Modi will deliver the valedictory address. The "pro-poor and pro-village" budget will be at the centre of the economic resolution, they said. According to reports, the meeting comes in the backdrop of recent controversy over alleged anti-national slogans in Jawaharlal Nehru University, the death of a Dalit scholar in Hyderabad University and Jat quota agitations in Haryana. Sources said the "disinformation" campaign by Congress to "defame" the government, the Ishrat Jahan and JNU rows besides the budget features will be the key issues on the agenda, as per PTI. "The opposition, especially Congress, has been exposed in the last 20 months over a host of issues, be it returning of awards by a section of intelligentsia or JNU row where it chose to side with anti-national forces. These will come up for discussion," a party leader said. The need to inform the masses about the "pro-poor and pro-village" aspects of the budget will be stressed upon at the meeting, party sources said, adding that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will be the main speaker on the issue. The party's office-bearers will first meet and the much-larger executive will go into a huddle in the afternoon. All top party leaders, including Shah, had hit out at Congress, particularly its vice president Rahul Gandhi, over the issue at a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha convention recently. "We believe that the issue has highlighted Congress' increasing ideological hollowness and that it can take up any cause in its desperation to target the government," sources said. The recent revelations in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case will also provide ammunition to the party to attack Congress. (With agencies inputs) New Delhi: Rejecting Rajya Sabha's five amendments and opposition's appeal not to make "haste", the Lok Sabha last week passed the legislation that aims at better targeting of subsidies through the Aadhar unique identity number within hours of the Upper Housing returning it. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday defended the government's stand on the Aadhaar law and said the Lok Sabha was right in rejecting amendments pushed by the opposition in the Rajya Sabha. Here's what the Union Minister said in a Facebook post: The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial, Other Subsidies, Benefits & Services) Bill 2016 came up for consideration before the Rajya Sabha on 16th March 2016. Consistent with the spirit of democratic debate, the Congress in the Rajya Sabha suggested five amendments to the Bill, which were not accepted by the Lok Sabha. This blog explains why? (The Bill has now got Parliamentary approval). Let us try to understand the potential ramifications if those five amendments had been accepted by Lok Sabha. There has understandably been an extensive public debate on the need for the Unique Identity Number for each resident and the desirability of not compromising with the Right to Privacy. The 2010 Bill drafted by the UPA had provisions in chapter VI which led to this debate. The Bill provided for sharing of identity information with the consent of the Aadhaar number holder, or by an order of any court, or a Competent Authority, disclosing the information on the grounds of National Security. The draft Bill was criticized for making provisions which could compromise an individuals Right to Privacy. I have always strongly believed that, notwithstanding the jurisprudential debate on the Right to Privacy, it would be essential to recognize that, Privacy, is an essential aspect of personal liberty guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution. The denial of privacy must thus be based on procedure which should be fair, just and reasonable. The 2016 law, therefore, contained stringent provisions both substantially and procedurally with regard to the Right of Privacy. The core bio-metric information cannot be shared with any person even with the consent of the Aadhaar card holder. The information cannot be unlawfully shared. Instead of permitting any Court to direct production of any such information, only a Court of the District Judge or above has been given the power to order disclosure of information excluding core biometrics. National Security is the only ground on which a Competent Authority can share this information. Every decision of the Competent Authority has to be reviewed by a Committee comprising of the Cabinet Secretary, the Law Secretary and the Secretary, Information Technology before it is given effect. The period of the direction of this Competent Authority has been limited to a maximum of three months. The ground of National Security as the only ground on which the Competent Authority can share information is common to both the 2010 and 2016 laws. National Security is a well defined concept. The phrase exists in several legislations and also finds indirect reference in the Constitution in Article 19(2). National security has always been held to be an exception on account of larger public interest, wherein individuals rights give way to larger public interest.This principle is followed in most advanced liberal democracies. For example, in United Kingdom, Section 28 of Personal Data Protection Act, 1998 provides that personal data are exempt from the data protection principles on grounds of safeguarding National Security. The Congress, using its superior numbers in the Rajya Sabha, forced an amendment to replace the words National Security with the words Public Emergency or in the interest of public safety. None of these two phrases are well defined. They are vague and can be elastic. It is also not clear as to how Aadhaar information would have been used in dealing with situations of public emergency or public safety. Certainly, they would have provided a scope much wider for encroaching upon privacy than the words National Security which existed in both the 2010 and 2016 law, and would have potentially become the grounds for constitutional challenge at a later date. The proposed another amendment that the Oversight Committee to review the Competent Authoritys decision should also comprise of either the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) or the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). One is an anti-corruption authority and the other audits the governments accounts. Both have no nexus whatsoever with the issues of National Security. They, further, proposed to delete Section 57 of the 2016 law. Section 57 merely says that if under any other law the use of Aadhaar number for establishing the identity of an individual is permitted, the same law is not being over-ruled. The proposed amendment wanted all future laws to be over-ruled. Had a Money Bill started over-ruling future unknown legislations, it would have ceased to be a Money Bill. Had the amendments proposed in the Rajya Sabha had been accepted, the encroachment to the Right of Privacy would be much wider. The Oversight Committee, on issues of national security, would have consisted of either an auditor or an anti-corruption authority, and the Money Bill would have gone beyond the scope of the Money Bill. These lacunae would have pushed the Aadhaar law to the realm of unconstitutionality. Obviously, the Lok Sabha did not agree with the above suggestions, and in my view, rightly so. New Delhi: The smallest community in India, the Parsis, have never regarded themselves as minority, a "mindset" that has allowed them to emerge as a "role model" for others, Union Minister Arun Jaitley said on Saturday. Speaking at an event organised by the ministries of Minority Affairs and Culture, the Finance Minister lauded the "liberal and large-hearted" Parsis for their contribution in diverse fields. "I think what stands out is the fact that the smallest minority in India has really never felt that it is a minority. It has never regarded itself as a minority. It is this mindset that has enabled it to be, in many standards, the role model for the rest of the country," Jaitley said. Parsis came to India from Iran in somewhat adverse circumstances, Jaitley said while noting that they have preserved their culture and also exhibited the ability to reach the top whether it be industry, armed forces, legal profession, architecture or the civil services. Jaitley proposed that the town of Udvada in Gujarat, where the Parsis had landed centuries ago, should be developed as a global cultural centre. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken an initiative for developing the town when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister, he said. Union Ministers Najma Heptulla, Mahesh Sharma and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi attended the event along with eminent members of the Parsi community, including British parliamentarian Karan Bilimoria. Jaitley also noted that although the British Parliament has a Parsi member, the Indian Parliament does not. Heptulla expressed concern over the slow growth of the Parsi population. She said that while she has worked extensively for population control, with regard to Parsis, it is otherwise. She lauded the community saying the measure of its contributions is disproportionate to its size and it has never sought any favour from the government. Bilimoria said Parsis are ahead of everybody else in terms of per capita achievements but this was possible because the community prospered in India. Dehradun: Continuing its tirade against the Centre, the Congress on Saturday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has murdered the ideology of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by trying to stake claim to form the government in Uttarakhand. "Harak Singh Rawat has been associated with many parties. What he has done is incompetent. He has lost confidence of all. The way Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji had passed the bill in the Lok Sabha. the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) murdered that first in Bihar, then in Arunachal Pradesh and now they have murdered his principles in Uttarakhand," state Congress president Kishore Upadhyay told ANI. "Now, the BJP will have to think whether it will go to the Parliament to re-appeal the law made by Vajpayee ji. This is a huge insult to Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji. Narendra Modi ji wants to erase all the memories of Atal ji," he added. Upadhyay further said the Congress has absolute majority and will prove the same in the House of required. The Uttarakhand Congress chief also expressed hope that rebel party MLA Vijay Bahuguna would be back in the party fold. With the Congress Government in Uttarakhand in crisis, Chief Minister Harish Rawat earlier today asserted that the welfare of the state was his priority and added that he would tender his resignation if he was not able to prove majority. Speaking to the media here, the Chief Minister stated that the rebel MLAs should have spoken to the Speaker or the Governor separately before taking such a colossal step but added that he was ready to give time to the deflecting MLAs to accept their mistake and apologise for their actions. Issuing a challenge to the rebel MLAs, he dared them to prove their majority in the House and not `run` to New Delhi. As many as 26 BJP MLAs and nine rebel Congress legislators arrived in the national capital last night in their bid to topple the Harish Rawat-led Congress Government in Uttarakhand. A three-member delegation, comprising senior BJP leader Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Uttarakhand in-charge Shyam Jaju and party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya met Uttarakhand Governor KK Paul last night and demanded the dismissal of the Harish Rawat-led government while stating that it was in a minority. The BJP staked claim to form the government with the support of the rebel Congress MLAs. New Delhi: Patiala House Court on Friday granted bail to former Delhi University professor SAR Geelani, who was arrested on sedition charge. In his bail application, Geelani, arrested after police registered a case on February 10 against him for organising a meeting at the Press Club on February 9 to mark the death anniversary of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, said that he is in judicial custody since February 16 and no fruitful purpose will be served by keeping him jailed further. Police alleged that anti-national slogans were raised by a section of Kashmiri students during the event. Mumbai: Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh today termed as "height of nepotism" a state agency's directive to developers to open accounts only with a particular branch of private bank, where the wife of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis work. The Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), headed by Fadnavis, had issued an order on February 10, directing developers to submit details of their bank accounts with the Axis Bank's Worli branch in South Mumbai for payment of rent to eligible slum dwellers on or before February 15, 2016. "SRA in Mumbai headed by CM of Maharashtra has officially asked all SRA developers to open accounts only in Worli branch of Axis Bank," Singh tweeted. "Do you know why? Mrs Fadnavis is the Vice-President of Axis Bank! A windfall for the Axis Bank a private Bank. Height of Nepotism," he said. The former Madhya Pardesh Chief Minister's remarks came despite Fadnavis' recent clarification that no rules had been violated and the decision had no connection with his wife being an officer at the bank. The SRA order had said penalties up to Rs 5 lakh would be imposed on developers if they failed to submit the details to the private lender's branch. Congress had termed as "wrong" the condition to open accounts only with a particular bank. "The government must rethink the decision. Had the government been transparent, it would have sought applications from different banks and the eligible bank could have been appointed. Chief Minister must answer," MPCC spokesperson Sachin Sawant had said. A clarification issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) had said the previous Congress-led government itself had given permission to SRA to choose one among Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank for the task. "Axis Bank gave us a model which will be beneficial to the government and SRA will not have to pay anything for it. These are zero balance accounts and slum-dwellers will benefit from them," the CMO had said. It said the Chief Minister's wife, Amruta, is an officer with Axis Bank's corporate section and works at Lower Parel branch of the lender in Central Mumbai. "She handles back office and has no target to achieve. A defamation suit will be filed against those who are making such baseless allegations," it had said. New Delhi: In a disturbing development, Urdu writers have been asked by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) to submit that they will not be writing anything against the government or the country. Writers have been asked this in a new form which has been introduced by the NCPUL. Writers, whose books are acquired annually by NCPUL, have been asked to fill up this form, the Indian Express reported on Saturday. The council operates under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, headed by Smriti Irani. As per the report, several Urdu writers and editors have received the form over the last several months. It further seeks signatures of two witnesses from the authors. The form was originally circulated in Urdu, whose English translation reads: I son/daughter of ______ confirm that my book/magazine titled which has been approved for bulk purchase by NCPULs monetary assistance scheme does not contain anything against the policies of the government of India or the interest of the nation, does not cause disharmony of any sort between different classes of the country, and is not monetarily supported by any government or non-government institution. The NCPUL, in the form, warns that if the author fails to abide by the undertaking, then legal action can be initiated against him/her. Authors have also been warned that in such a situation, monetary assistance given to them with also be reversed. If a writer wants financial aid from the government, then of course the content cannot be against (the government). NCPUL is a government organisation and we are government employees. We will naturally protect the interests of the government, the daily quoted NCPUL director Irteza Karim as saying. The decision to add this declaration form was taken about a year ago at a meeting of the council members, which includes members of the HRD Ministry. The Home Ministry is also in the know of things, Karim said. The council has to face many problems; sometimes books written by one author are submitted under anothers name and we get embroiled in legal issues. Since we do not have the manpower to scrutinise every single line of each book, this form helps us place the onus on the authors, he added. Meanwhile, NCPUL has dubbed the news about undertakings being sought from Urdu writers as false. "A news 'Bulk Purchase Scheme of NCPUL' was published in a section of media about seeking declaration from authors who submit their books. Director, NCPUL has stated that the news item is factually incorrect. He further clarified that the form to be filled by authors is not new," a statement issued by NCUPL, carried by ANI on its Twitter account, said. Roorkee: An IIT alumnus, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar says a public life was something he never anticipated and he was pushed into the river of politics from behind but managed to "swim successfully". He used disarming sense of humour in his address to future technocrats while inaugurating IIT Roorkee's 'Cognizance 2016' on Friday, often having the students in splits. "When I came here, I was given this two-page prepared speech but then I thought since we are talking of 'Make in India', so I would have my own speech. So, guess I'll go my way, the IIT way, and talk directly the students," he said, to a loud cheer, as he spoke extempore. "It's almost like coming back to IIT-Bombay... I spent my B.Tech days at IIT and later also took up a PG course but never finished the M.Tech... But more than degree and I valued knowledge. I spent 6.5 years at IIT, I didn't spend 6.5 years for undergraduation... But I have a B.Tech degree, as my affidavit says, and not M.Tech... Someone, may file a case (against me)," he said, leaving the crowd in raptures. The minister was apparently making a reference to the row related to Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani's educational qualifications. On being a reluctant politician, he said, "Many IITians went to the US, the UK but I stuck here. Let me tell you I never anticipated joining politics. I was the one sitting by the side of the river and someone pushed me from behind into it. "But, I swam successfully, in that river and became chief minister of Goa and then the defence minister," he said, adding, "I was the general secretary of the mess and quite popular and thus got elected for three years. At least that proves that doing the mess management I learned to steer the state finances properly." Moving on to examinations, he said the current generation is "luckier" as far as engineering examinations are concerned. "Let me tell you, open book examination is the most difficult one. As you have to know where the answer lies, going through the book twice, thrice" as he asked students to inculcate, out-of-box thinking and contribute to the growth story of India. Before ending his speech, he recounted a humour-laden story of a French King and his court astrologer to reinforce his point about Make in India. New Delhi: Hours after Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khalid was released from jail on bail, his 11-year-old sister addressed students inside the varsity campus on Friday. Sarah Fatima, a student of Class VI, said that their struggle will not end "till everyone gets justice". She further called for the acquittal of Delhi University professors SAR Gilani and GN Saibaba. Sarah made the remarks while welcoming her brother Umar and Anirban Bhattacharya in the campus after they were released on bail in the sedition case. The 11-year-old addressed students at the JNU and her speech is now trending on social media. "This struggle should not end till DU professors SAR Gilani and GN Saibaba are released and all charges against them dropped," she said, while shouting slogans of "lal salaam" and "Inquilab Zindabad". "It is a moment to rejoice that Umar and Anirban have come out of jail together. But I want to tell everyone that our struggle doesn't end here. We need to continue our struggle till everyone gets justice and all charges are dropped," she said. To this, she earned loud cheers and was addressed as 'Comrade Sarah'. Umar, Anirban and JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar were arrested in connection with a sedition case over an event in favour of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru on the varsity's campus during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. DU professor Gilani is in custody in connection with a similar event at the Press Club here. Suspended DU professor GN Saibaba, accused of having Maoist links, is lodged in the central prison in Nagpur. (With PTI inputs) Ranchi: In another act of savagery, two Muslim men, who were herding their buffaloes on their way to market, were thrashed and killed by cattle-protection vigilantes in Latehar district here on Friday, a report claimed. The two men were hanged from a tree after being mercilessly beaten up by an unruly mob. As per a Times of India report, those killed were identified as Muhammad Majloom, 35, and Azad Khan alias Ibrahim, 15, who were cattle traders. Their bodies were strung up with their hands tried behind their backs and their mouths stuffed with cloth. Hindu radicals were behind the killings, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) Prakash Ram was quoted as saying by TOI. The police have, meanwhile, arrested five persons in connection with the killing. This followed the lodging of an FIR against unknown persons. The arrested persons have been identified as Mithilesh Prasad Sahu, Pramod Sahu, Manoj Kumar Sahu, Manoj Sahu (same name) and Audhesh Sao, all of whom belong to Latehar district. The killing of two men sparked outrage among the villagers who claimed that the assailants had targeted them in the past too. In Dadri case, a Muslim man was killed over rumours of beef eating. Mumbai: In a new turn in the slogan row, Opposition Congress in Maharashtra Saturday claimed it did not support the motion for suspension of AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan from the Assembly for not chanting 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and alleged ruling BJP and Shiv Sena are using the issue to deflect attention from key issues. In a virtual U-turn, Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil of Congress said the motion, adopted early this week, was moved without hearing the Opposition out. "The resolution was moved by the Treasury benches and it was passed without hearing the Opposition out. Congress has never supported the resolution at any given point of time. Our stand from the beginning is that one should be allowed to speak whatever he wants to. But if it is insulting to the nation, the person should apologise," he added. "The BJP and the Shiv Sena wanted to milk the issue for political benefits to deflect public attention from issues like drought and farmer suicides. Congress will never support this kind of politics," Vikhe-Patil said. "Initially, when the House was adjourned I was not present there and sitting in my office. I later made a statement that whatever happened is unfortunate and if the statement made by the member is correct, he should apologise," he said. Vikhe-Patil said following commotion in the House, the Speaker called all Group leaders of the parties for a meeting, where the BJP and Sena members were adamant on suspending Pathan for an entire year. The Congress MLA said when he told the Speaker that the records of proceedings should be checked before taking any action, the BJP and Sena members mellowed down. Pathan, an MLA from Byculla in Mumbai, was later suspended for the entire Budget session. Meanwhile, a senior Congress leader said the change in the party's stand on the suspension issue came after the Central leadership intervention. "The Central leadership is upset that Vikhe Patil chose to support the motion calling for suspension of Waris Pathan. A party general secretary had called him (Vikhe-Patil) and asked him explain the situation. The Central leadership strongly feels we should have kept quiet over the issue," said the Congress leader, requesting anonymity said. Peshawar: Pakistan has awarded a Christian man from a troubled tribal region citizenship in a first for a non-Muslim, officials and his family said on Saturday. Sheharyar Masih, a resident of the northwestern Khyber region bordering Afghanistan, had recently applied for citizenship after turning 18. "Sheharyar has officially been awarded citizenship and he now enjoys all rights that citizens of tribal regions enjoy," senior local official Nasir Khan told AFP. Sheharyar's father Arshad Masih said he hoped the decision would encourage the roughly 50,000 people from religious minorities in the region to apply for citizenship. Most of those people are Sikh followed by Christian and Hindu, he said. "My son will now have an opportunity to apply for government jobs or to start his own business," Arshad said, adding that minorities without domicile status did not enjoy equal rights. His son's was the first case under the recently announced policy, Arshad said. "All non-Muslims in (the tribal regions) can apply for citizenship and I may also do the same," he added. Like other minorities, Sheharyar was previously living in Khyber on a "residential certificate". Discrimination and violence against religious minorities is commonplace in Pakistan, where Muslims account for more than 90 percent of the population. Christians make up around 1.6 per cent of Pakistan's overwhelmingly Muslim population, with large settlements across major cities and around 60,000 in the capital, Islamabad. Khyber is one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal regions, which have been facing the brunt of over a decade-old war against terrorism. The military began the regional offensive in 2014 in a bid to wipe out militant bases, carrying out air strikes and using artillery, mortars and ground troops. Madhyamanchal: Britain`s Prince Harry arrived in Nepal Saturday for a five-day visit and said he hopes to "shine a spotlight" on resilience of Nepali people recovering from last year`s devastating quake. "I pay my respects to those who perished and hope to do what I can to shine a spotlight on the resilience of the Nepali people," Prince Harry said in his address at a reception held by Nepal`s government to welcome him on Saturday evening. "I want to show all those people around the world who want to help that this is a country open for business - so please come and visit again," he said. The prince will meet with survivors of last year`s devastating earthquake and Gurkha soldiers who helped in rescue efforts on his first visit to the country, which celebrates 200 years of joint relations between Nepal and Britain. Harry, 31, met Nepal`s prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli after his arrival and is scheduled to hold a meeting with the country`s first female president, Bidhya Bhandari, during the weekend. The prince is set to visit heritage sites hit by a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake last April that killed nearly 9,000 people, with the country still reeling from the after-effects. A member of the British army for 10 years before retiring in June, he served along with Gurkha soldiers in Afghanistan and will meet members of the brigade during his visit. The British army`s 2,500-strong Gurkha brigade is made up of soldiers recruited in Nepal and has been part of the military for 200 years. "I served alongside Gurkhas during my first tour of Afghanistan and I look forward to visiting the communities that have produced and supported these extraordinary soldiers," he said. The prince`s tour will also take him to Bardia National Park in western Nepal, famous for its tiger conservation efforts, according to a statement on his official website. Harry also plans to undertake a trek on the foothills of the Himalayas as well as spending a night at a Gurkha soldier`s home. "I look forward to exploring your landscapes, celebrating your culture, and I hope to make many new friends along the way," the prince said. "I cannot wait to get out and see all that this country has to offer." Following the earthquake, Nepal is desperate to revive tourism including its mountaineering industry, key revenue-earners for the impoverished Himalayan nation. "His visit is very important, and will send a positive message about Nepal to the world," said Ram Hari Adhikari, general secretary of the UK Nepal Friendship Society. Nepal, a former kingdom, has been visited by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip as well as Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Dehradun: Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker GS Kunjwal on Saturday issued notice under anti-defection law to nine rebel Congress MLAs, who have joined ranks with the principal opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Harish Rawat-led Uttarakhand government plunged into political crisis after nine Congress MLAs revolted and extended their support to the BJP. Meaanwhile, expressing confidence that the Congress government will survive the crisis, Rawat said, The rebel Congress should have spoken to the Speaker or the Governor separately, adding that We are giving time to the rebel MLAs to accept their mistake and apologise for their actions. Their conduct was wrong and if they won't accept it then action will be taken. So far, five of them have contacted me," Rawat said. Will resign if I loose majority on floor of the House, the Uttarakhand CM maintained. Lashing out at the BJP leaders for 'misusing the central machinery', he stated that the Opposition was making desperate attempts to get rid of the Congress government in the state. Issuing a challenge to the rebel MLAs, he dared them to prove their majority in the House and not 'run' to New Delhi. Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat will meet Uttarakhand Governor KK Paul at 7:30 PM this evening and apprise him of Congress' decision. Nine Congress legislators and and 26 BJP MLAs reached the national capital early Saturday. Speaking to ANI, Kailash Vijayvargiya said, 26 Uttarakhand BJP MLAs and 9 Congress lawmakers have come to Delhi and will meet BJP president Amit Shah later in the day. The BJP leader said the party is ready to form the government as well face elections in Uttarakhand. The senior BJP leader further said if the Governor does not immediately dismiss Harish Rawat's minority government, they would knock at the doors of the President. After reaching the national capital, Congress leader and former Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna said, "This government was involved in massive corruption and taking Uttarakhand to destruction," as per ANI. The rebel Congress MLAs (mostly those owing allegiance to Bahuguna) are - Harak Singh Rawat, Amrita Rawat, Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion, Shaila Rani Rawat, Pradip Batra, Subodh Uniyal, a confirmed Bahuguna loyalist, Shailendra Mohan Singhal and Umesh Sharma. Earlier on Friday, the BJP legislators along with the nine Congress rebels went to the Raj Bhavan and met governor KK Paul and sought dismissal of the state Congress government. The Harish Rawat-led government ended up with a red face as it got merely 32 votes in favour against the 36 required for the Finance Bill to be passed. The political upheaval began with the falling of the Finance Bill in the state Assembly. Harak Singh Rawat who was the top contender for the chief minister's post -- but the party high command chose Harish Rawat over him -- later resigned from the state cabinet. Dehradun: Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul on Saturday asked the Harish Rawat-led state government to prove majority in the House by March 28, even as the chief minister petitioned him to remove Attorney General Umakant Uniyal and rebel Congress minister Harak Singh Rawat. Rawat made the demands during a Cabinet meeting on Saturday to discuss the crisis. Rawat's government has been hanging precariously after nine Congress rebel MLAs withdrew their support, giving the BJP a clear lead in the Assembly. According to reports, both Attorney General Uniyal and rebel minister Rawat were removed from their posts by the government on Saturday. The Uttarakhand chief minister is likely to meet the Congress leadership in Delhi on Sunday to discuss further course of action. Rawat has claimed that five of the nine rebel MLAs are still in touch with him and may not leave the government. He said he is ready to prove his government's majority on the floor of the House. The BJP on Friday had staked claim to form the government after declaring that it had the support of 35 legislators, including nine rebel Congress MLAs. Rawat has alleged that the top brass of RSS and BJP like Vijayvargiya were making rounds of Dehradun in order to disablise his government. "We are giving time to the rebel MLAs to accept their mistake and apologise for their actions," he added. Earlier in the day, Rawat had met the speaker of the Assembly to discuss the situation and to tender an apology as the Leader of the House for the unparliamentary conduct of some party MLAs. He also met the governor later in the evening. Rostov-on-Don: A flydubai passenger jet crashed in southern Russia early Saturday, killing all 62 people on board as it tried to land in bad weather in the city of Rostov-on-Don, officials said. The Boeing 737, heading from Dubai to the southern Russian city, was reportedly making its second attempt to land at 0050 GMT when it missed the runway, erupting in a huge fireball as it crashed, leaving debris scattered across a wide area. "My whole house shook. I looked out into the yard and the sky was all red -- it was a shade of red that I have never seen," eyewitness Yana, who lives near the airport, told AFP. Russia`s Investigative Committee confirmed that all 55 passengers and seven crew members on board were killed and launched a probe into whether technical problems, pilot error or poor weather were behind the crash. "On behalf of everyone at flydubai, I would like to express the devastation we all feel in relation to this morning`s tragic event in Rostov-on-Don," flydubai chairman Ghaith Al Ghaith said in a statement. A no-frills budget carrier which is a sister firm to Emirates Airlines, flydubai is government-owned and was set up in March 2008. "We do not yet know all the details of the incident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish precisely what happened," the company said. The passengers on board flight FZ981, which took off from Dubai at 1820 GMT and was due to land at 2240 GMT, included 44 Russian nationals, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbek, the airline said. They comprised 33 women, 18 men and four children. Various sources said the pilot was from Cyprus, while crew members came from Spain and the remaining four were from Russia, Colombia, the Seychelles and Kyrgyzstan. Inside the international terminal at Rostov-on-Don airport, local residents laid flowers in front of a list of the victims, as shocked relatives tried to digest the news. "I turned on the news and for some reason thought it was a terrorist attack but it turned out to have been here right at the airport," said relative Alexander Chistyakov. "My brother was fifteen years older than me. He was a succesful surgeon in the local hospital. It is such a loss." Footage aired on local media showed a huge fireball engulfing a wide area after the plane went down. The authorities took more than an hour to get the blaze under control, the emergencies ministry said. State media later showed pictures of rescue workers combing through scattered debris in the driving snow, with the emergencies ministry saying over 700 rescuers and 100 vehicles had been deployed. Investigators confirmed that the plane`s two black boxes had been recovered. They said the plane had "skimmed the ground and broke into several pieces", with fragments of the Boeing 737 reportedly scattered up to 1.5 kilometres (one mile) from the crash site. A strong wind warning was in place and it was raining hard at the time of the crash. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the families of the victims after being briefed on the crash by his transport and emergency situations ministers, the Kremlin said. Other flights were diverted to Krasnodar airport, 300 kilometres (180 miles) south of Rostov-on-Don.Following the crash, a criminal investigation was opened to determine whether any safety regulations were violated and if negligence played any part in the disaster. "Different versions for what happened are being worked through, among them a mistake made by the crew of the plane, a technical problem onboard, difficult weather conditions and other factors," Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said in a statement. Aircraft manufacturer Boeing said in a statement that it "stands ready to provide technical assistance upon the request of government agencies conducting the investigation." Based at Dubai airport, the airline has a strong safety record, although one of its planes was hit by a bullet as it landed in Baghdad airport in January 2015, prompting multiple companies to suspend flights to the Iraqi capital. No one was hurt. Russian airports have a patchy safety history with the fatal private jet crash in 2014 that killed Total oil giant`s boss Christophe de Margerie on take-off in Moscow one of a string of incidents. The last major aviation tragedy involving Russia was in October last year, when a passenger jet on its way from Egypt`s Sharm el-Sheikh resort to Saint Petersburg was brought down by a bomb in the Sinai Peninsula. All 224 people on board, the vast majority of them Russian, were killed, with the Egyptian branch of the Islamic State group claiming responsibility for the attack. That incident saw Moscow stop flights to Egypt, cutting off one of the most popular holiday destinations for Russians. Moscow has also banned the sale of package tours to Turkey after Ankara shot down one of its jets in Syria in November. Paris: The arrest of Salah Abdeslam, the last major suspect wanted in connection with the November Paris attacks, has dealt a "major blow" to the Islamic State group in Europe, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Saturday. "The operations of the past week have enabled us to incapacitate several individuals who are clearly extremely dangerous and totally determined," Cazeneuve said after meeting with President Francois Hollande and other key cabinet ministers and security officials to follow up on Abdeslam`s arrest Friday in Brussels. Brussels: The European Union (EU) and Turkey managed to finalise their migration deal by the end of the two-day EU summit, with an aim to jointly tackle the migration crisis. "We have finally reached an agreement between the EU and Turkey. An agreement aimed at stopping the flow of irregular migration via Turkey to Europe," European Council President Donald Tusk told a press conference on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported. The EU and Turkey agreed on the endeavour to end the irregular migration from Turkey to the EU, so as to break the business model of the smugglers and avoid putting the lives of migrants at risk. Therefore, all new irregular migrants crossing from Turkey into the Greek islands as from March 20, 2016 are to be returned to Turkey, and this will take place in full accordance with EU and international law, according to a joint statement of the two parties. "It will be a temporary and extraordinary measure which is necessary to end the human suffering and restore public order," emphasised the statement. Moreover, the two parties agreed that for every Syrian being returned to Turkey from the Greek islands, another Syrian would be re-settled from Turkey to the EU. "This is a very fair and encouraging step for refugees as well as those who are looking for their futures," said Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at the press conference. Turkey vowed it would take all necessary measures to prevent new sea or land routes for illegal migration opening from Turkey to the EU, and would cooperate with neighbouring states as well as the EU to this effect. Dubai: Flydubai played down the possibility that terrorism caused the crash of one of its airliners in Russia on Saturday, killing all 62 people on board. The Dubai-based airline's chief executive Ghaith al-Ghaith described such a suggestion as "speculation". He told a news conference in Dubai that the Cypriot pilot and Spanish co-pilot each had nearly 6,000 hours of flying experience. The five other crew members were from Spain, Russia, the Seychelles, Colombia and Kyrgyzstan, he said. "The aircraft was checked on January 21," Ghaith added. The Boeing 737, which came from Dubai, was making its second attempt to land when it missed the runway in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, erupting in a fireball. Ghaith said officials from the UAE civil aviation authorities and flydubai were going to Russia to participate in the investigation. Asked if they would include explosive experts, civil aviation official Ismail al-Hosani told the same news conference: "No, there is nothing we said about (a) bomb." Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades named the pilot as Aristos Socratous, expressing his "shock and deep sorrow" over the crash. The Russian embassy in Nicosia said Socratous was 38 years old and from the southern coastal town of Limassol. Istanbul: Five people including a suicide bomber were killed and 36 wounded in an attack on a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul on Saturday, in the fourth suicide bombing to hit Turkey this year. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on part of Istiklal Street, a long pedestrian street lined with global shops and foreign consulates, a few hundred metres from an area where police buses are often parked. Two Turkish officials told Reuters evidence suggested the attacker was likely from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or the Islamic State militant group. NATO member Turkey faces security threats from both the PKK in the mainly Kurdish southeast and has also been a target for Islamist militants. One of the official said the bomber had planned to hit a more crowded spot. "The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the targeted point because they were scared of the police," the official said, declining to be named because the investigation is ongoing. Armed police sealed off the shopping street where half a dozen ambulances had gathered. Forensic teams in white suits scoured the area for evidence. Police helicopters buzzed overhead and panicked shoppers fled the area, ducking down narrow sidestreets. "My local shopkeeper told me someone had blown himself up and I walked towards the end of the street," one neighbourhood resident told Reuters. "I saw a body on the street. No one was treating him but then I saw someone who appeared to be a regular citizen trying to do something to the body. That was enough for me and I turned and went back." Istiklal Street, usually thronged with shoppers on weekends, was quieter than normal before the blast as more people are staying home after a series of deadly bombings. Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu confirmed that 36 people had been wounded and seven of those were in serious condition. Twelve of the wounded were foreigners, he said. Israel`s foreign ministry confirmed some of its citizens were among the wounded. Broadcaster NTV said six of the wounded were Israeli tourists and two others were from Iceland. "We as a nation are unfortunately now face to face with a situation of unlimited, immeasurable acts that are inhumane, defy human values and are treacherous," Muezzinoglu said. DEADLY BOMBINGS A suicide car bombing in the capital Ankara killed 37 people this month. A similar bombing in Ankara last month killed 29 people. A Kurdish militant group has claimed responsibility for both of those bombings. In January, a suicide bomber killed around 10 people, most of them German tourists, in Istanbul`s historic heart, an attack the government blamed on Islamic State. The attack brought swift condemnation from around the globe. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was on an official visit to Istanbul, described the bombing as an attack that showed "the ugly face of terrorism". France condemned the attack as "despicable and cowardly". Germany, which this week shut its embassy, consulate and schools in Ankara and Istanbul over security fears, urged tourists in Istanbul to stay in their hotels. Turkey`s Peoples` Democratic Party (HDP), a Kurdish-rooted opposition party, condemned the bombing. "Just as in the Ankara attack, this is a terrorist act that directly targets civilians," the HDP said in an e-mailed statement. "Whoever carried out this attack, it is unacceptable and inexcusable." Turkey is fighting Islamic State in neighbouring Syria and Iraq. It is also battling PKK militants in its southeast, where a 2-1/2-year ceasefire collapsed last July, triggering the worst violence since the 1990s. In its armed campaign in Turkey, the PKK has historically struck directly at the security forces and says that it does not target civilians. However, the recent bombings suggest it could be shifting tactics. The PKK is looking to carry out attacks aggressively during the Newroz spring holiday around March 21, the official said. Newroz is largely celebrated by Kurds in Turkey and has in past years seen violent clashes between demonstrators and the security forces. Jerusalem: Israel on Saturday sent two planes to Turkey to bring home citizens wounded in a suicide bombing in central Istanbul that killed four people, the emergency medical service said. Turkish media late Saturday reported that three Israelis and one Iranian were killed in the blast. "The aim of the operation is to repatriate wounded Israelis as fast as possible," a Magen David Adom spokesperson said. A foreign ministry spokesman said at least 11 Israelis were wounded in Saturday morning`s attack, including two who were in a grave condition. Broadcaster CNN-Turk named the Israelis reported killed as Simha Siman Demri, 60, Yonathan Suher, 40 and Avraham Goldman, 70. Turkey`s deputy health minister had earlier named Simha Demri as one of the four people killed in the attack that also wounded 36 people. The bombing targeted Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrian thoroughfare that is usually crowded but was still relatively quiet when the bomber struck at around 11:00 am (0900 GMT). No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but pro-government newspapers blamed it on the Islamic State (IS) group. Beijing: A Chinese journalist linked to an anonymous letter calling for President Xi Jinping's resignation has gone missing while on his way to Hong Kong, according to his lawyer and family. Nobody has been able to contact Beijing-based columnist Jia Jia, 30, since Tuesday night when he was set to board his flight from the airport here, his lawyer Yan Xin was quoted as saying by the BBC. Jia's wife has also reported him missing. The journalist is said to have warned an editor friend over publishing an anonymous letter calling for Xi's resignation. The letter appeared on a state-linked site but was swiftly taken down, said the BBC which also carried the letter on its website. It is unclear who authored the letter, which had the byline "loyal Communist Party supporters". Jia had reportedly insisted he had no connection to the letter. Hong Kong-based tabloid newspaper Apple Daily quoted Jia's wife as saying that she last spoke to him at 20:00 local time on Tuesday, and he told her he was about to board the plane to Hong Kong. Jia, who writes commentaries for the online news portal Tencent, was due to arrive at a friend's home that night, but never reached, his wife said. He also missed a lunch appointment the next day. His disappearance is believed to be linked to a lengthy letter written by "loyal Communist Party members" asking Xi - who besides being the President also heads the Communist Party and military - to quit. The letter while appreciating Xi's sweeping anti- corruption campaign in which thousands of officials were punished also accused him of promoting "personality cult, not allowing 'rash opinions of central leadership', creating a 'one voice party' method" disregarding the collective leadership principle. "We make this request out of consideration for the Party cause, out of consideration for the nation and its people and also out of consideration for your personal safety and that of your family", the letter published by a host of foreign media including the BBC said. Jerusalem: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on Saturday he had no evidence that a deadly suicide bombing in central Istanbul had targeted Israelis. Turkish media reported earlier that three Israelis and one Iranian were killed in Saturday morning`s blast. "We don`t have any confirmation that the attack targeted Israelis," Netanyahu told reporters at the foreign ministry. He added that on Sunday Israel would update its travel advice for Turkey, which hundreds of thousands of Israelis visit each year. He had not been in touch with Turkey`s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he said, but Israel was "in touch with Turkish authorities". Israeli foreign ministry director general Dore Gold cancelled a trip to the United States to travel to Istanbul on Sunday, the ministry said. On Saturday, Israel sent two planes to Turkey to bring home citizens wounded in the bombing, the emergency medical service said. "The aim of the operation is to repatriate wounded Israelis as fast as possible," a Magen David Adom spokesperson said. A foreign ministry spokesman said at least 11 Israelis were wounded in the attack, including two who were in a grave condition. Broadcaster CNN-Turk named the Israelis reported killed as Simha Siman Demri, 60, Yonathan Suher, 40 and Avraham Goldman, 70. Turkey`s deputy health minister had earlier named Simha Demri as one of the four people killed in the attack that also wounded 36 people. The attack targeted Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrian thoroughfare that is usually crowded but was still relatively quiet when the bomber struck at around 11:00 am (0900 GMT). No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but pro-government newspapers blamed it on the Islamic State (IS) group. Jerusalem: A Palestinian teenager stabbed and wounded an Israeli border guard in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday before being shot dead, Israeli police said, the latest in a series of attacks. One guard was lightly injured in the incident, which occurred near a disputed place of worship in central Hebron, and another border guard killed the assailant, police said in a statement. According to police, the Palestinian approached a checkpoint close to the site known to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque and to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs, where he was asked for identification. He then drew a knife and attacked one guard, before being chased and shot dead. Palestinian officials named the youth as 18-year-old Abdallah Ajluni. Earlier police had given his age as 17. Since October 1, a wave of violence has killed 198 Palestinians, 28 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count. Most of the Palestinians were killed while carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to the Israeli authorities. Others were shot dead during protests and clashes. Hebron, the largest city in the West Bank, has long been a source of tensions, with several hundred Israeli settlers living in the heart of the city under heavy military guard among around 200,000 Palestinians. An AFP journalist said all entrances to the old city were shut down by Israeli soldiers following Saturday`s attack. Many analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation and settlement building in the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have fed the unrest. Israel blames incitement by Palestinian leaders and media as a main cause of the violence. Brussels: Top Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam, who was captured in a dramatic raid in Brussels, was to be questioned by Belgian police Saturday ahead of his speedy transfer to France. Following his release from hospital where he was treated for a slight gunshot wound to the leg sustained during his arrest, Abdeslam was to be quizzed over his role in the November 13 massacre which killed 130 people and was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group. His arrest on Friday along with four other suspects in the gritty Molenbeek neighbourhood, was hailed by European and US leaders, with French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve saying it dealt a "major blow" to IS jihadists operating in Europe. Following the raid, French President Francois Hollande said he would push for the 26-year-old to be transferred to France as quickly as possible, and on Saturday morning he met with key cabinet ministers and security officials to discuss the next steps. "The operations of the past week have enabled us to incapacitate several individuals who are clearly extremely dangerous and totally determined," Cazeneuve said after the meeting. The aim was now "to review operations that are under way and the fight against terrorist groups in France and Europe," a member of Hollande`s entourage said. Hollande, who was in Brussels for an EU summit when the raid took place, described Abdeslam as "directly linked to the preparation, the organisation and, unfortunately, the perpetration of these attacks". Abdeslam`s capture following a four-month manhunt was hailed by the Belgian press as restoring the country`s honour, tarnished by perceived intelligence and police blunders before and after the attacks which appear increasingly to have been planned and coordinated in Brussels. "I hail the great success of Belgian security forces and compliment the high level of Belgian-French cooperation in the counter-terror fight," French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Twitter. Abdeslam, a Franco-Moroccan from Molenbeek, and an accomplice who was also wounded in the raid, were both released from hospital on Saturday, Brussels mayor Yvan Mayeur said. The only man known for sure to be still be on the run is Mohamed Abrini, who was filmed with Abdeslam two days before the attacks at a petrol station on a motorway close to Paris.Former small-time criminal Abdeslam is believed to be the last surviving member of the 10-man jihadist team that carried out the attacks on the Bataclan concert venue, restaurants, bars and the Stade de France stadium. He apparently fled by car to Brussels the day after the rampage, having refused to blow himself up, and is believed to have spent much if not all of the subsequent four months in and around the city. Prosecutors said special forces raided a house in Molenbeek on Friday because of evidence found in an operation elsewhere in Brussels on Tuesday, in which another Paris-linked suspect died in a gun battle with police. Two other suspects escaped, sparking intense speculation that one of them might have been Abdeslam. One of Abdeslam`s fingerprints was found at the scene of Tuesday`s raid, which resulted in the second operation which led to his capture.Speaking late on Friday, Hollande said it appeared that many more people were involved in the Paris attacks than originally thought. Investigators believe Abdeslam rented rooms in the Paris area to be used by the attackers and also hired one of the cars in which he drove the suicide bombers to the Stade de France. He was then supposed to blow himself up but apparently backed out and an explosives-filled suicide vest was later found in Paris in an area where mobile phone signals indicated he had been. Police believe he fled across the border the next morning. Several people have been arrested on suspicion of helping him and his fingerprints were found in December at different Brussels apartments. The ringleader of the attacks, IS member Abdelhamid Abaaoud, and attacker Bilal Hadfi, both dead, also had links to Molenbeek, which has been seen as a hotbed of Islamist radicalism for decades. Abdeslam and his brother Brahim, who blew himself up during the Paris assault, had run a bar in the area until it was shut down by the authorities a few weeks before the attacks. Brahim Abdeslam was buried discreetly in a Brussels cemetery on Thursday. Brussels: Key Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam will fight his extradition to France from Belgium where he was formally charged on Saturday with "terrorist murder" after his dramatic capture in central Brussels. French President Francois Hollande said shortly after Abdeslam's arrest yesterday that he wanted to see him transferred to France as quickly as possible to face prosecution for the deadly attacks claimed by the Islamic State group. "I can already tell you that we will oppose his extradition," Abdeslam's lawyer Sven Mary told reporters at federal police headquarters in Brussels. Legal experts said this could delay but not prevent his handover to the French authorities on a European Arrest Warrant which the European Union introduced specifically to speed up extradition cases. An investigating judge formally charged Abdeslam with "participation in terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation," a prosecutors statement said. Abdeslam's arrest in the gritty Molenbeek neighbourhood was hailed by European and US leaders, while French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said it dealt a "major blow" to IS jihadists operating in Europe. The 26-year-old Abdeslam, who had been on the run for four months, and an alleged accomplice who was captured with him were initially taken to a Brussels hospital for treatment for gunshot injuries sustained in the police raid. In Paris, Hollande met today with key cabinet ministers and security officials to discuss the next steps in the probe into the November 13 attacks that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds more. "The operations of the past week have enabled us to incapacitate several individuals who are clearly extremely dangerous and totally determined," Cazeneuve said after the meeting. The aim was now "to review operations that are under way and the fight against terrorist groups in France and Europe," a member of Hollande's entourage said. Hollande, who was in Brussels for an EU summit when the raid took place, described Abdeslam as "directly linked to the preparation, the organisation and, unfortunately, the perpetration of these attacks". Abdeslam's capture was hailed by the Belgian press as restoring the country's honour, tarnished by perceived intelligence and police blunders before and after the attacks, which appear increasingly to have been planned and coordinated in Brussels. Former small-time criminal Abdeslam is believed to be the last surviving member of the 10-man jihadist team that carried out the attacks on the Bataclan concert venue, restaurants, bars and the Stade de France stadium. Kathmandu: Britain's Prince Harry on Saturday arrived here on his maiden visit to Nepal and called on Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli to discuss bilateral cooperation. Leading a 30-member delegation, Harry landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport on a flight of Qatar Airways from Doha this afternoon, representing the British government to mark the 200th anniversary of Nepal-Britain relations. The 31-year-old, who is accompanied by British Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire, was welcomed by Minister of State for Federal Affairs and Local Development Kunti Kumari Shahi and high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Harry's five-day trip is aimed at supporting British interests in the region, according to a statement by the UK Embassy here. This is the first time that Prince Harry is visiting Nepal. British Queen Elizabeth had visited Nepal in 1961 and 1986. Prince Charles, late Princess Diana and Prince Philip have also visited Nepal. Harry will engage in various activities including observation of earthquake recovery work. He will also interact with Gurkha families, enjoy rafting, watch sunrise over the Himalayas, and visit heritage sites and national parks. Harry called on Oli at his residence in Baluwatar and discussed the Nepal-Britain bilateral cooperation. During the meeting, discussions were held on Nepal- Britain relation, according to Oli's personal secretariat. According to Prime Minister's secretariat, Harry lauded the role of Gurkha soldiers in the British Army during the meeting. He also talked about last April's earthquake in the region, which claimed over 9,000 lives. "I pay my respects to those who perished and hope to do what I can to shine a spotlight on the resilience of the Nepali people," he said. Harry, the fifth-in-line to the British throne, also encouraged people to help Nepal. "I want to show all those around the world who want to help that this country is open for business," Harry said. Harry said that Nepal "holds a special place in the imagination for so many people". Having served alongside Gurkhas in Afghanistan, the prince will visit the British Gurkha Camp in Pokhara, where he will commend the bravery and service to the Crown of an "exceptional group of soldiers". Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kamal Thapa hosted a reception in Harry's honour during the prince said he was "deeply honoured and excited to be here". Harry is scheduled to call on Nepal's first woman President Bidhya Devi Bhandari at the Presidential Office at Sheetal Niwas tomorrow. Beirut: A wave of Russian air strikes killed at least 39 civilians on Saturday in Raqa, the main stronghold of the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria, a monitoring group said. At least five children and seven women were among the dead in IS`s de facto capital in the north of the war-ravaged country, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It said the attacking aircraft were Russian. Five members of IS`s self-styled police force were also killed and 60 people were wounded, some critically, according to the monitor, which relies on a network of sources on the ground. The air raids came a day after 16 civilians were killed in strikes on the same city. "What is clear is that their goal is to try to paralyse IS and to stop it from deploying reinforcements from Raqa to the Palmyra area," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. IS seized Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Pearl of the Desert", last May. In September, satellite images confirmed that Palmyra`s famed Temple of Bel had been targeted by IS as part of a campaign to destroy pre-Islamic monuments, tombs and statues it considers idolatrous. UN experts said the main building of the temple as well as a row of columns had been destroyed. In recent weeks, Syrian troops backed by the Russian air force have been pressing an advance to try to reclaim the ancient city.On Saturday alone, at least 18 IS fighters were killed in at least 70 strikes on the Palmyra area, the Observatory said, as clashes pitted loyalist troops against jihadists on the ground. Russia, a key backer of the Syrian regime, on Monday ordered the withdrawal of most of its armed forces from Syria, but continues to strike jihadist targets, particularly around Palmyra. Senior Russian commander Sergei Rudskoi on Friday said Russian jets were flying around two dozen bombing sorties daily to back up the Syrian government`s bid to recapture Palmyra. "Government troops and patriotic forces with the support of the Russian air force are carrying out a large-scale operation to liberate Palmyra," he told journalists in Moscow. Roughly 1,800 Syrian civilians including more than 400 children have been killed in Russian air strikes since Moscow launched its aerial campaign on September 30, according to the Observatory. Moscow has denied claims that its air force has repeatedly hit civilian and non-jihadist rebel targets. More than 270,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests. An unprecedented ceasefire negotiated by Russia and the United States has largely held since February 27 but the truce does not apply to jihadists. UN mediator Staffan de Mistura has urged Damascus to make concrete proposals in the coming days on a political transition, following a week of peace talks in Geneva. But a source close to the regime said Saturday there had been "no progress" at the meetings and criticised the UN envoy for putting pressure on the Syrian government. Moscow: All sixty-two people on board a flydubai Boeing 737 were killed when the plane crashed and burst into flames as it was landing in Rostov-on-Don, in Southern Russia, on Saturday morning, officials said. The plane was making its second attempt to land in bad weather when it missed the runway, erupting in a huge fireball as it crashed and leaving debris scattered across a wide area. "flydubai regrets to confirm that flight FZ981 crashed on landing and that fatalities have been confirmed as a result of this tragic accident," the airline said on its Facebook page. Russian investigators confirmed that all 62 people on board were killed, raising the initial toll by one. "According to the initial information, there were 55 passengers and seven crew members on board. They are all dead," investigators said. The passengers were all Russian nationals, including four children, local news channel LifeNews reported, describing the crew as unspecified "foreigners". Footage shown on local media showed a huge fireball engulfing a wide area after the plane went down. The authorities took more than an hour to get the blaze under control, the emergencies ministry said. More than 500 rescuers and 60 vehicles were dispatched to the crash site, the ministry added. "The plane skimmed the ground and broke into several pieces," the investigators said, and LifeNews reported that fragments of the Boeing 737 were scattered up to 1.5 kilometres (one mile) from the crash site. A strong wind warning was in place and it was raining hard at the time of the crash, and according to LifeNews, the plane had been circling the area trying to land for two hours because of the poor weather. Other flights had been diverted to Krasnodar airport, 300 kilometres south of Rostov-on-Don. "The weather conditions were terrible, the plane was shaking terribly," a passenger on one of the diverted flights told LifeNews.A criminal investigation into the accident has been launched to determine whether any safety regulations were violated and if negligence played any part in the crash. "A possible pilot error" was among the possible causes of the crash being examined, Jeanna Terekhova, an advisor to the Russian transport ministry, told news channel Russia 24. The accident happened at 0050 GMT, according to the statement. The plane had left Dubai at 1820 GMT, flydubai confirmed. "We are putting our emergency response in place and we will be working closely with all the authorities involved. We will share as much information as possible just as soon as we can and we will provide updated information on a regular basis," Emirates-based flydubai said in a statement on its website, which had been changed to a sombre black and grey colour scheme. Boeing said they were aware of the incident. "We`re aware of reports coming out of Russia and our team is currently gathering more details," the plane manufacturer said on Twitter. Government-owned Flydubai, a no-frills sister firm to Emirates, was established in March 2008. The airline had a strong safety record, but one of its planes was hit by a bullet as it landed in Baghdad airport in January 2015, prompting multiple airlines to suspend flights to the Iraqi capital. No one was hurt. The last major aviation disaster involving Russia was in November last year, when a passenger jet on its way from Egypt`s Sharm el-Sheikh resort to Saint Petersburg was brought down by a bomb in the Sinai Peninsula. All 224 people on board, the vast majority of them Russian, were killed. The Egyptian branch of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack. Istanbul: A suicide blast ripped through a major shopping district in Istanbul on Saturday, killing at least four people less than a week after another deadly attack left 35 dead in Ankara. The sixth major bombing in Turkey since July targeted Istiklal Caddesi, a bustling two-kilometre-long pedestrian street usually thronged with shoppers, tourists and buskers but which was still relatively quiet when the bomber struck on Saturday morning. Turkish media said three Israelis and one Iranian were killed, while Washington said two US citizens were among the dead. It was not immediately clear if the two American victims had dual nationality or were additional fatalities. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed that the investigation would identify those responsible while the US condemned a "vicious attack". "We will fight with determination and perseverance until all forms of terrorism are eradicated," Davutoglu said. Deputy health minister Ahmet Baha Otuken named an Israeli man, Simha Demri, as being among the victims of the attack, in which 36 people were injured. The CNN-Turk channel said two other Israelis -- Yonathan Suher, 40 and Avraham Goldman, 70 -- were killed along with Demri, 60, and Iranian, Ali Riza Khalman, 31. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the explosion but pro-government media blamed it on the Islamic State (IS) group, which has been accused of several attacks in Turkey in recent months, including a suicide bombing near the Blue Mosque in January, in which 12 German tourists were killed. Several media outlets named the alleged perpetrator of Saturday`s attack as Savas Yildiz, a 33-year-old Turkish radical. ISIS was also blamed for an attack that left 103 people dead at a pro-Kurdish peace rally in Ankara in October. More recently, Kurdish rebels embroiled in a resurgent conflict with the state have also staged suicide attacks, striking Ankara twice over the past month, killing dozens of people. Of the 36 injured, Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said 12 were foreigners. Six were Israelis, two were Irish and the four others from Germany, Iceland, Iran and Dubai, his office said. CCTV footage circulated by Turkish media showed a man wearing a long coat presented as the bomber approaching a small group of people outside a local government building directly before the blast. Sahin said the government building appeared to be the intended target. A Western diplomatic source said the attacker may also have had tourists in his sights.A waiter working in a nearby restaurant told AFP he heard "a loud explosion". "When I came out, people were running in every direction, but I ran towards the blast site to see what happened," said the waiter who gave just his first name Mustafa. He described scenes of "carnage" with "people lying all about". Deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters he expected "unqualified support from those who call themselves Turkey`s friends" -- apparently referencing recent criticism in Europe of hardline President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A US State Department spokesman condemned the attack. "The United States stands in solidarity with our NATO ally Turkey in combating the common threat of terrorism," spokesman John Kirby said. United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon called for the perpetrators of "this appalling violence" to be brought to justice, while a European Union spokesperson sent a message of "continuing solidarity and support to Turkey".Turks are reeling from the increased frequency of the terror attacks that risk dealing a knockout blow to the country`s vital tourism trade. The radical Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) claimed responsibility for last weekend`s attack on a busy transport hub in Ankara that killed 35 people. TAK, which also claimed a February suicide bombing targeting troops in Ankara that killed 29 people, has ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers` Party (PKK) against which the Turkish army is engaged in a major offensive. ISIS was blamed for three of the previous five attacks, including an attack on a peace rally in Ankara in October that claimed 103 lives. On Thursday, Germany had closed its embassy in Ankara and consulate in Istanbul, citing "very serious" indications of planned attacks. The US embassy in Ankara had also warned its citizens in Turkey to avoid public gatherings ahead of Kurdish Nevruz (New Year) celebrations on Sunday and Monday, a rallying point in the past for pro-Kurdish protests. Embarrassed by accusations of security lapses, Erdogan has lashed out at journalists, activists and intellectuals who criticise his renewed battle with the PKK and the suffering it has brought to parts of southeast Turkey, calling them "accomplices" of terror. In July, the PKK resumed its three-decade-long insurgency against the Turkish state following the collapse of a shaky two-year ceasefire. The conflict has claimed some 40,000 lives. Salt Lake City: Protesters clashed with supporters of Donald Trump after he gave a speech in Utah , ending a day full of presidential candidate appearances that also saw Mitt Romney intensifying his criticism of the Republican front-runner. Hundreds of people chanted "Dump Trump" and "Mr. Hate Out of Our State" as police in riot gear blocked the entrance to the Salt Lake City building, after protesters tried to rush the door and got into dozens of screaming matches with Trump supporters who didn't make it into the venue for yesterday night's rally. Trump was in Utah to campaign ahead of Tuesday's caucuses with 40 delegates at stake. The main event Tuesday for Republicans will be the Arizona primary in which the winner will take all 58 delegates to the party's national convention in July that will choose the nominee. Trump's main rivals, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, are desperately trying to prevent the real estate mogul from accumulating the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination on the first ballot at the convention, giving added importance to each state contest. Early polling shows Cruz leading among Utah's predominantly Mormon voters, but Trump is expected to win Arizona's primary where many Republicans support his call for building a wall along the border with Mexico and mass deportations of immigrants living illegally in the US. A number of Republican officials have shown their support for Cruz in recent days while falling short of endorsing the senator, an uncompromising conservative. In his first public appearance of the campaign in Utah, Trump said he loves Mormons but had critical words for 2012 Republican presidential candidate and Utah resident Mitt Romney, who said he was supporting Cruz in the state's caucuses. "Are you sure he's a Mormon? Are we sure?" he jokingly asked his crowd at the Infinity Event Center. The announcement from Romney, the faith's most visible member, dealt a blow to Kasich as he campaigned in the heart of Mormon country. Kasich brushed off the endorsement, telling reporters yesterday in Orem that Romney is entitled to his opinion that voting for Cruz could deny Trump the Republican nomination. But the Ohio governor said the election "is not a parlor game," and he contends that he is the Republican best suited to defeat Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in November. Clinton's sweep of five state contests last Tuesday gave her a nearly insurmountable lead in delegates over Vermont Sen Bernie Sanders. New York"A facial analysis of Twitter users by researchers has shown that while US president nominee Hillary Clinton enjoys substantial female support among politicians, there is good evidence that her support among average Democratic women has fallen sharply. Researchers from University of Rochester in the US analysed the Twitter follower demographics of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. At that time, researchers noted that Trump had seven million followers and Clinton 5.7 million. They studied both candidates' followers, their user names, geographical information and each follower's number of followers to determine their influence, 'MIT Technological Review' reported. In particular, they look at each user's picture and use a machine-learning programme to determine whether it shows a male or female and to identify that person's ethnicity. Researchers found that while Clinton enjoys substantial female support among politicians, there is good evidence that her support among average Democratic women has fallen sharply. However, this does not seem to have influenced the gender balance among her supporters on Twitter - women make up 45 per cent of her followers, they said. Trump, however, has an almost identical level of support at 45 percent. "Apparently Trump's feud with Megyn Kelly has not alienated female voters," said Yu Wang from University of Rochester. Clinton's supporters are more likely to be African-American or Hispanic than Trump's, who are more likely to be white, researchers said. Trump has more very young followers, although many of them do not appear to be old enough to vote. Clinton has a stronger presence among the 18 to 40 age group, they said. United Nations: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday said that he is deeply alarmed by the surge of intolerance and "hate-driven violence" across the world, calling on the international community to speak out against "anti-Muslim bigotry" and other forms of hate. Ban, addressing a General Assembly meeting to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination here yesterday, said racial profiling and violence against communities is on the rise and blamed "extreme right-wing" political parties for fomenting divisiveness and dangerous myths. "I am deeply alarmed by a surge of intolerance, racist views and hate-driven violence around the world. Economic hardship and political opportunism are triggering increased hostility towards minorities. This is being manifested most directly in anti-refugee, anti-migrant and, in particular, anti-Muslim bigotry, attacks and violence," he said. The UN Chief also voiced concern over extreme right-wing political parties fomenting divisiveness and dangerous myths. "Even once-centrist parties have hardened their views; once-moderate countries are seeing xenophobia rise sharply; and once-sober voices have exploited fears in a dangerous echo of the darkest chapters of the last century. All of this increases the risk of societal fracture, instability and conflict," he said. Emphasising the need to stand up for rights and dignity for all "in these tumultuous times", Ban said the international community must speak out against "anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim bigotry and other forms of hate." "An assault on one minority community is an attack on all." International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on March 21, the anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre of peaceful demonstrators in South Africa in 1960. "I draw encouragement by how far we have come since that tragedy. But we have much distance still to travel in our work for equality for all," the UN chief said. For this year's observance, the global community is commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. Adopted by consensus at the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, these texts remain the most comprehensive framework for international, regional and national actions against racism. "The international community acknowledged in Durban that no country could claim to be free of racism. This remains the case today," Ban said, noting that the world has "undoubtedly come a long way" in ensuring equal rights and non-discrimination. He recalled that Member States have adopted or amended legislation to guard against racial discrimination. An International Decade for People of African Descent was proclaimed by the General Assembly and will continue through the year 2024. Civil society organisations worldwide working on racism are increasingly active and vocal. Fifteen years after the landmark document to combat racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia was adopted in Durban, Ban said he is concerned that the political will that existed then is under threat. "The collective determination that enabled such a far-reaching agreement is being undermined by political expediency," Ban added. Washington: The United States strongly condemned a suicide bombing that killed four people in central Istanbul today, calling it a "vicious terrorist attack" and vowing to stand by Turkey. "The United States stands in solidarity with our NATO ally Turkey in combating the common threat of terrorism," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. "This vicious attack is the latest in a series of indefensible violence targeting innocent people throughout Turkey -- Turkish citizens and international visitors alike." The sixth major attack in Turkey since July, the bombing targeted Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrian thoroughfare on the European side of Istanbul that is usually thronged with shoppers and strollers but was still relatively quiet when the bomber struck around 11:00 am (local time). The attack also injured dozens, less than a week after a suicide bombing by Kurdish rebels left 35 dead in Ankara. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the latest attack, which left an Israeli national among the four dead. "We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those killed and our hopes for a quick recovery for those wounded," Kirby said. "We will remain in close touch with Turkish authorities during the investigation." "These acts of terrorism only reinforce our determination to support all those across the region working to promote peace and reconciliation." Washington: Republican presidential front- runner Donald Trump has said the US has now become a "third world country" as compared to infrastructures in Dubai and China, and promised that things would change once he is elected the American President. "We have become a third world country, folks!," Trump, 69, told his supporters at an election rally at Sal Lake City in Utah, which goes to presidential primary elections on Tuesday. "If you go to places like Dubai, China, you look at the roads, at the rail roads, they have the bullet trains that go 100s of miles an hour. And if you go to New York, they're like 100 years ago," he said. Trump said the US under him would knock out the ISIS and rebuild the country. "When it comes to trade, we are going to start being smart, because our country is poor. We are going to make American so great again. It is not great now. We need education to that," he said. Reiterating that Trans Pacific Partnership is a "disastrous" trade deal, Trump said the US under him would have deal that would favor America. "It is not a question of free trading. Free trading is wonderful. The problem of free trading is that we need smart people on our side also. If I am president, I guarantee you they (Mexico) would pay (for the wall) and they would be very very happy about it," he said. Trump said his administration would negotiate great trade deal amid applause and cheer from the audience. "We are going to bring wealth back again because our country is a poor country. We have a deficit that you can not believe. We're sitting on a bubble, very dangerous bubble. We are sitting on a big fat ugly bubble. At some point unless we act quickly and smartly, it is going to explode. You need the right people. We have the wrong people now," Trump said. He promised his supporters that things would start changing fast if he is elected the president. Trump's address in Salt Lake City was the first election rally after his impressive victories in three States of Florida, Illinois and North Carolina on Tuesday. On March 22, the presidential primary is scheduled to be held in American Samoa, Utah and Arizona which have more than 100 delegates in all. Trump currently is leading the delegate count with 678. He is followed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz (423) and Ohio Governor John Kasich (143). To become the Republican nominee for the November 8 presidential elections, Trump needs 1,237 delegates. Russian law provides for a national censorwall that entertainment companies can populate with the URLs of websites they dislike, without much oversight or review (it's similar the system used in the UK in that regard). Such censorwalls are largely useless at preventing copyright infringement, since anyone hoping to download infringing material just has to type something like "How do I get around my country's censorship system?" into a search engine, to find lots of Web pages that explain, in nontechnical language, how to beat the censorship regime, using tools like VPNs, reverse proxies, and Tor. The Russian group AZAPO (Association for the Protection of Copyright on the Internet), which represents many large rightsholder groups, has petitioned Rozkomnadzor, the country's federal telcoms watchdog, to institute a system of fines for people caught discussing these technologies online, starting at $70 and ranging up to $14,500. Rozkomnadzor has declined to ban the tools themselves they have widespread applicability beyond beating censorship but they have vowed to punish people who teach others about their existence and use. I'm sure the AZAPO people will say that they only want to censor access to sites they view as illegitimate, but their own admission that blocking the sites is insufficient tells you that they aren't just about site-blocking. To achieve their goals, they'll have to ban discussions of the goals themselves, and then discussions of those discussions, and so on and on. Rightsholders face significant challenge in the 21st century. But if you're an artist, or if you're an organization purporting to be on the side of artists, then you should be against censorship and surveillance. If your business model only works if there is widespread, unaccountable surveillance and censorship, you're on the wrong side of history. "The introduction of [a system of fines] for those who promote methods for bypassing Internet blockades will enhance the effectiveness of blocking prohibited Internet resources," the group writes. At this stage the proposals suggest fines ranging from around $70 for "entrepreneurial individuals" right up to $14,500 for those operating within a legal entity but it's not yet clear how these fines will be managed or enforced. While discussion of circumvention could soon be off-limits, there's no intention of banning circumvention tools outright. Noting that they have legitimate uses, Rozkomnadzor says it simply wants to draw a line in the sand over the way they're promoted online. COPYRIGHT HOLDERS WANT TO BAN TALK ABOUT PIRACY BLOCKLIST CIRCUMVENTION [Andy/Torrentfreak] YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Cameroonian soldiers killed 20 Boko Haram fighters on Wednesday during a raid in northern Nigeria carried out by a multinational force tasked with stamping out the Islamist militants, military sources told Reuters on Thursday. Cameroon commander General Jacob Kodji said the Islamist fighters were killed in the Nigerian town of Djibrila, which is about 10 km (six miles) from the Cameroon border. A spokesman for Cameroon's Defence Ministry, Colonel Didier Badjeck, said 12 hostages were freed and munitions and armoured vehicles were seized during the operation. Boko Haram wants to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria and has waged a six-year campaign of violence to that end, killing thousands of people and displacing two million others. Boko Haram is thought to have killed around 15,000 people, according to U.S. military figures. Attacks have spilled over Nigeria's border into neighbouring countries including Cameroon, which has been the target of a stream of suicide bombings in recent months. Along with Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Benin, Cameroon has contributed troops to an 8,700-strong regional task force dedicated to fighting the group. (Reporting By Anne Mireille Nzouankeu, writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Jon Boyle) By Chris Arsenault TORONTO (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - After taking a beating from decades of logging, China's forests have begun to regenerate, but the problem of deforestation may have shifted to other nations exporting wood to the world's most populous country, researchers said on Friday. Between 2000 and 2010, about 1.2 percent of China's territory - an area larger than Portugal - experienced a significant net gain in tree cover, said the study from researchers at Michigan State University in the United States. Instead of cutting down its own trees to make products for exports, China has become one of the world's leading timber importers, potentially increasing deforestation overseas, the study said. "It is encouraging that China's forests have been recovering in the midst of its daunting environmental challenges," said Jianguo Liu, a professor of sustainability and the study's co-author. Protecting forests reduces global warming as trees suck climate-changing carbon dioxide gas out of the atmosphere. Healthy forests also protect water and soil resources, so their fate in China, a nation of 1.3 billion people has global ramifications. Based on studying NASA images and official data, researchers concluded that a government program to regenerate forests by banning logging in some areas and cracking down on illegal timber harvesting is working. About 1.6 percent of China's territory or nearly 61,000 square miles saw a significant increase in forest cover, while 14,400 square miles experienced tree loss, said the study published in the journal "Science Advances". Researchers cited Madagascar, Vietnam and Indonesia as countries that are felling forests to fulfill Chinese demand, potentially increasing climate change and hurting biodiversity in the process. "The exporting countries are suffering from deforestation," Liu wrote in an email to the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "A large proportion of the wood products imported to China have been used to make furniture for developed countries such as the USA and those in Europe," Liu wrote. Scientists need to do further studies to determine how shifting patterns of deforestation are impacting the land rights of communities who live in the world's forests, Liu said. (Reporting By Chris Arsenault; Editing by Astrid Zweynert. Please add:; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org) The US has declared that the Islamic State group's slaughter of Christians, Yazidis and Shia Muslims amounts to genocide. Secretary of State John Kerry's proclamation changes little, creating no legal obligation for the US to take any additional action. But he said he hoped the victimised groups would take some comfort in knowing the US recognises the crimes against them. "Daesh (IS) is genocidal by self-proclamation, by ideology and by actions, in what it says, what it believes and what it does," Mr Kerry said. "Daesh is also responsible for crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing directed at these same groups," he added. The declaration by America's top diplomat met a congressional deadline for a decision on the matter. Lawmakers had demanded Washington acknowledge the jihadist group is seeking to exterminate religious minorities. The US House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution this week condemning IS killings as genocide. Representative Jeff Fortenberry, the author of the House measure, commended the Secretary of State's proclamation. "The United States has now spoken with clarity and moral authority," the Nebraska lawmaker said. "I sincerely hope that the genocide designation will raise international consciousness, end the scandal of silence." It is only the second time a US administration has declared genocide was being committed during an ongoing conflict. The first was in 2004, when then-Secretary of State Colin Powell determined atrocities in Sudan's Darfur region constituted genocide. Mr Powell reached that decision amid intense lobbying from human rights groups, but only after lawyers advised him it would not obligate the US to act. Groups including the Catholic organisation Knights of Columbus had released reports last week documenting evidence which it claimed showed the legal standard for genocide had been met. In March last year, UN investigators said the self-proclaimed caliphate was trying to wipe out the Yazidis. Story continues The Simon Wiesenthal Center, which chronicles past ethnic cleansing and campaigns against bigotry, welcomed the decision to name Christians and Yazidis as victims. "We reiterate our call that the US put these two groups at the front of the line for consideration for immigration to our country and to redouble our efforts to destroy ISIS," it said. The US has been carrying out military strikes since 2014 against IS. American air strikes on the jihadists around Sinjar were credited with helping rescue tens of thousands of Yazidis, members of a pre-Islamic religious minority. The UN Convention defines genocide as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group". By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers on Thursday called for the resignations of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy on the grounds that they failed to quickly intervene in the city of Flint's contaminated drinking water crisis. Snyder, a Republican, and McCarthy, a presidential appointee, sat side by side before the House Oversight Committee as lawmakers from both parties grilled them on their response to the crisis, which has turned into a full-blown health emergency. It also has led to several lawsuits in state and federal courts, and federal and state investigations. Republicans on the committee pinned much of the blame on the EPA, which many party members want to eliminate because they feel it is too powerful. Democrats pointed fingers at Snyder and Michigan officials, suggesting that cost cutting came at the expense of public health. Several Republicans called on McCarthy to resign, but the White House said it had full confidence in her. The committee's top Democrat, Maryland's Elijah Cummings, and other Democrats said Snyder's administration was to blame for its mishandling of the crisis and called on the governor to resign. Members of the committee chastised McCarthy and Snyder. "You dont get it, You still dont get it. You just dont get it," Committee chair Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican, told McCarthy as he criticized her failure to accept blame for the crisis. Snyder did not escape unscathed. "There is no doubt in my mind that if a corporate CEO did what Governor Snyders administration has done, he would be hauled up on criminal charges," Cummings said in his opening remarks. "The board of directors would throw him out. And the shareholders would revolt." Snyder said the state has started the process of replacing the corroded pipes and has set aside tens of millions of dollars to help the recovery of Flint citizens injured or harmed by lead poisoning. Snyder has said he has no plans to resign, despite efforts in his state and nationally to recall him. U.S. President Barack Obama has said he supports McCarthy and the EPA despite calls for her resignation. Chaffetz said he would continue to investigate the cause of the Flint crisis and the response to it but that no other hearings are scheduled at present. FAILURE ADMITTED Under the direction of a state-appointed emergency manager, Flint, a mostly African-American city of 100,000 northwest of Detroit, switched water supplies to the Flint River from Detroit's water system in 2014, to save money. The corrosive river water leached lead from the city's water pipes. Lead is toxic and can damage the nervous system. Blood samples taken from children in Flint contained high levels of lead. The city switched back to the Detroit system last October. Over 200 residents from Flint traveled by bus to Washington to attend Thursday's hearing, including 10-year-old Jaylon Terry, who fidgeted in his chair in the committee room. "I've been getting constant calls every day from his teachers," said his mother, Lewenna Terry, who said the lead in his system has affected Jaylon's attention span and grades. "The teachers have noticed it's not just my son but other kids. The whole city has been poisoned." Virginia Williams, a Michigan resident who wore a T-shirt with an image of corroded pipes, said both the state and federal governments should be held accountable and that the blame game should stop now. "Replacing the pipes should be their main priority now," she told Reuters. Snyder again apologized for the states poor response to the crisis, but said the blame can be shared at all levels of government. "Let me be blunt," he said in his testimony. "We all failed the families of Flint." McCarthy also said the EPA was part of a wider system failure in response to the crisis, but said the agency could have caught the problem faster if the state had shared information and cooperated more. She accused the state's Department of Environmental Quality of "slow walking" its response, which prevented the agency from being able to "come to the rescue." "We were strong-armed. We were misled. We were kept at arm's length," she said, referring to state officials. However, Snyder said federal bureaucrats could have responded sooner if they had used common sense. Representative Matt Cartwright, a Pennsylvania Democrat, accused Snyder of apologizing too late and called on him to resign. Plausible deniability only works when it's plausible and I'm not buying that you didn't know about any of this until October 2015," he said. "You were not in a medically induced coma for a year and I've had about enough of your false contrition and your phony apologies. In the Senate, lawmakers have so far failed to reach an agreement on a $220 million funding bill to help Flint and other cities replace and repair lead pipes. Senator Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat, said she was disappointed this was not resolved before a two-week congressional recess that starts on Friday. "The children of Flint are waiting," she said. "We need a vote. We have a bipartisan bill," she said on the Senate floor. On Thursday, ratings agency Standard & Poor's lowered the outlook on Michigan's credit rating to stable from positive, citing burgeoning costs associated with Flint's water crisis and the cash-strapped Detroit Public Schools. (Additional reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit, David Shepardson and Doina Chiacu in Washington and Karen Pierog in Chicago; Editing by Matthew Lewis) (Reuters) - A self-described gang member killed a South Carolina police officer on Friday, then called his own mother before turning the gun on himself, police said. The suspect committed suicide moments after firing on officers who were trying to serve him with an arrest warrant at a house in Greenville, South Carolina, Greenville Police Chief Ken Miller told reporters. Miller said the names of the officer and the suspect would not be released pending notification of the families. "We lose, we hurt, we ache," Miller said. "In an instant, lives can change forever." The officer, whose job was to investigate gang activity, was among several serving the warrant targeting a man police said was a known and self-described gang member, Miller said. The man ran down the street and the officers chased him until the man opened fire, hitting one officer several times, Miller said. The suspect then ran a short distance, called his mother, and shot himself to death, Miller said. He had no further details on the man's phone conversation. The officer was pronounced dead at a local hospital. (Reporting by Karen Brooks in Fort Worth, Texas; Editing by James Dalgleish) Some of the Army's most experienced helicopter pilots quit after an administration error saw the Ministry of Defence demand they return thousands of pounds in overpay. Around 200 attack helicopter pilots and instructors received overpayments of up to 30,000 each and faced action to claw back the money, despite officials accepting they acted "in good faith". In a June 2014 letter, the Army warned MoD officials that 15 pilots directly cited the payment row as the deciding factor in their decision to leave the Army. The Army also raised concerns that the loss of experienced pilots and instructors risked impacting morale and had the potential to threaten frontline capabilities in Afghanistan, according to newly released documents. In the letter, senior Army figures also pointed out that the cost of training one pilot far exceeded the total 829,000 debt. At the time the document was written it took four years to train an attack helicopter pilot at a cost of 3.5m. The cost of training an instructor was 8.5m. The documents released under the Freedom of Information Act branded rules that governed how pilots' pay was calculated "complicated and contradictory". The authors of the letter added that administrators had "inconsistently interpreted" the policy over a period of "many years", with some confusion over the system arising as far back as 2002. An Army spokeswoman said the process to recover the overpay was continuing and each pilot's debt was being considered "on a case-by-case basis". She said she was not aware of any resignations linked to the debt occurring since 2014. She added: "We have apologised and explained the circumstances of the overpayments to all of those affected. "In accordance with standard Government practice, arrangements have been made to revert their pay to the correct levels and all affected personnel are now receiving the correct pay. "The overpayment of salary has resulted in an amount of debt owed by individual personnel." SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Friday that flew about 800 km (500 miles) off its east coast into the sea, South Korea's military said, days after fresh U.S. sanctions were imposed on the isolated state. South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the missile was likely a medium-range Rodong-missile. The launch comes amid heightened tension on the Korean peninsula with the North remaining defiant in the face of the U.N. Security Council sanctions imposed earlier in the month in response to a nuclear test conducted in January. The missile was launched from an area near the west coast north of the capital, Pyongyang, flying across the peninsular and into the sea off the east coast early Friday morning, the South's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It did not confirm the type of the missile. But 800 km was likely beyond the range of most short-range missiles in the North's arsenal. North Korea last test fired medium-range missiles in 2014. The North fired two short-range missiles last week into the sea off its east coast and its leader Kim Jong Un ordered more nuclear weapons test and missile tests to improve attack capability. North Korea often fires missiles at periods of tension on the Korean peninsula or when it comes under pressure to curb its defiance and abandon its weapons program. New U.S. sanctions on Pyongyang were issued on Wednesday aiming to expand U.S. blockade against the isolated state by blacklisting individuals and entities that deal with the North's economy. North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in Jan. 6 and launched a long-range rocket on Feb. 7 in defiance of existing U.N. Security Council resolutions. On Wednesday, North Korea's supreme court sentenced a visiting American student to 15 years of hard labor for crimes against the state, a punishment Washington condemned as politically motivated. (Reporting by Jack Kim and Ju-min Park; Editing by Lincoln Feast) It's a "farming adventure" involving a role reversal that has proven beneficial for Nova Scotia's Josh Oulton and the Jamaican men he employs regularly. Oulton hires temporary foreign workers from the Caribbean country for eight months every year. Some have been coming to his farm in the Annapolis Valley for a decade. This year, Oulton is learning more about where his workers come from and how they live. "It's kind of neat to be transported from our life that we know in Canada to this life, and I see that difference." Oulton says. Many of the Jamaicans hired by Oulton have their own farms back home and Oulton helps out during his visit. If yams need planting, Oulton grabs a shovel and gets to work. It's a relationship the Canadian farmer is interested in cementing. "I want to let them know that I'm loyal to them," emphasizes Oulton. Helping each other Kingsley Cockett lives in Mile Gully, Jamaica, and farms a steep valley near his home. Oulton says he's amazed by how much Cockett gets out of every inch of the land. And Cockett uses some of the techniques he learns in Nova Scotia, such as covering fields with straw to help them retain moisture. "I'm learning from him and him learn from me," says Cockett. The money Cockett earns in Nova Scotia helps pay for his children's schooling. It costs the equivalent of $100 Cdn a month per student. Sound familiar? Cockett's wife, Kadion Grant-Cockett, says she's used to her husband's annual departure. "Almost every person in our community [leaves to work]," noted Grant-Cockett. "All of the men travel, some to Canada, some to America, every lady we call ourselves the single ladies." Oulton sees parallels between his workers in Jamaica, and people in the Maritimes who travel to Alberta to find work. He says each year a handful of Nova Scotians apply for a job on his farm in the valley. But he says they often quit when work becomes available elsewhere. Story continues Oulton says he has great respect the work ethic of the men he hires. "I know how these guys lived and where they grew up, and I don't know, it's just interesting to knowand I get my hands dirty." Lending a hand Oulton has timed his trip to Jamaica to be as productive as possible. In the hills near Troy, another one of his workers, Kensley Richards, is adding a room to his house and Oulton spends two days pitching in to help with construction. For Richards, working in Canada means being able to afford certain things to bring home.Some of the stuff he's bought in Nova Scoatia has made it back to Jamaica -- including a sound system. "I have family to take care of," he said. "So I go and work and when the work is finished, you are good to come back home to family, and that is my happy wish." Future Canadian? Some of Oulton's workers would like to move to Nova Scotia permanently if they had the chance. Anthony Robinson is one of the youngest workers. "Yep there are more opportunities for my kids, educational wise," he said. "I would live in Nova Scotia, I wouldn't mind." But there's no guarantee Robinson would be granted permission to immigrate to Canada. And so for now, Robinson is grateful for the relationship he has with Oulton in Nova Scotia. "To come out here and see how we live and spend some time with us [and] with our family and friends? That's to show what kind of guy he is," says Robinson. "We respect him for that and we love him for that." French President Francois Hollande has said the capture of Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam is a major victory, but warned the fight against terrorism is not over. Europe's most wanted man was "caught alive" on Friday after being wounded in dramatic police raid in Belgium's capital Brussels. He was discharged from hospital on Saturday along with a suspected accomplice and will now face questioning and a fast-track effort to extradite him to France. "The battle against terrorism does not end tonight, even though this is a victory," Mr Hollande told a news conference in Brussels with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel after Abdeslam was apprehended. The French leader said more people were involved in the November attacks than previously thought, adding that authorities would track down everyone who in any way allowed, organised or facilitated the attacks. :: A Coward's End For Europe's Most Wanted Man He said Paris would also request Abdeslam's extradition from Belgium "as rapidly as possible". Announcing the capture, Belgium's asylum minister Theo Francken declared, "We got him". Abdeslam, 26, suffered leg injuries before being arrested during a major police operation in the Molenbeek suburb. Television footage showed armed security forces dragging a man wearing a hooded top out of a building and to a car. At least 10 shots were heard, grenades launched and police helicopters hovered overhead, while fire engines waited in the street. Footage showed masked, black-clad security forces training their weapons towards upper windows of an apartment block. White smoke could be seen rising above the building, as police with snarling dogs drove crowds in the streets back away from the scene. About three hours after Abdeslam's arrest, two blasts were heard, before a further suspect - who was still holed up - was detained. In all, Abdeslam was one of five people arrested in the series of raids, which came after a tip-off to police. Story continues Two of the suspects, including Abdeslam, were injured. Three of those arrested are being held on suspicion of sheltering Abdeslam and an accomplice. The shootout comes after Belgian authorities said that fingerprints in a Brussels apartment raided earlier this week belonged to Abdeslam. A man shot dead in that raid is believed to have been an accomplice of Abdeslam, Belgian prosecutors said on Friday. Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor Sam Kiley said that Abdeslam could prove to be "a goldmine of intelligence". Survivors of the attack at the Bataclan venue in Paris reacted to news of the arrest. Lydia Berkennou said: "I don't know why, but deep down in my heart, I knew one of them was him. "I knew because I didn't think he wouldve managed to go back to Syria I knew he was hiding somewhere." Back in November it was reported that Abdeslam had reportedly returned to Brussels with a suicide vest. A police source had told The Sunday Times of fears "there is a walking bomb" in the Belgian capital. The source said Abdeslam may have become "trapped and desperate" since fleeing the bloodshed which killed 130 people. After the Paris attacks, reports emerged of a row between Abdeslam and his brother Brahim, on the night before the massacre. One of their friends told a French documentary he heard one of the brothers telling the other that he was "not going" without money, although it is unclear whether they were fighting about going to Paris. Brahim, 31, eventually blew himself up outside a cafe, injuring 15 people, during the co-ordinated attacks. Abdeslam was also filmed outside a cafe on the night of the massacre, pointing his gun at two women hiding under outside tables. The women can be seen running for safety after Abdeslam's gun does not go off. CBC Toronto city councillor Cynthia Lai has died, her re-election campaign announced in a statement on Friday. Her death comes just days before the municipal election on Oct. 24, in which she was running to retain her seat. "It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Councillor Cynthia Lai, Ward 23, Scarborough North this afternoon. She was surrounded by family at the hospital," the statement said. Lai, who immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in the 1970s, was first elected in 2018 Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb had been appointed Work and Pensions Secretary after Iain Duncan Smith's shock resignation, David Cameron has announced. Mr Duncan Smith, who is campaigning to leave the EU, sensationally quit over changes to disability benefits he said were a "compromise too far" contained in what he described as an "indefensible" Budget. In a highly critical two-page letter to the Prime Minister resigning from the role, Mr Duncan Smith said it was wrong to cut 4.4bn in Personal Independence Payments that will affect 640,000 while introducing measures that would help higher earners. It was particularly damning of George Osborne's leadership ambition and policies saying measures the Chancellor had introduced were "distinctly political rather than in the national economic interest". :: IDS Takes Aim At Osborne's Leadership Mr Cameron responded by saying he was "puzzled and disappointed" by the Work and Pensions Secretary's decision to quit. The Prime Minister laid the decision to introduce the changes to disability benefits firmly at Mr Duncan Smith's door, saying he had agreed in Cabinet ahead of the announcement in Wednesday's Budget. Mr Cameron has now shored up his Cabinet with ministers in favour of the UK remaining in the EU including Mr Crabb and Alun Cairns, who becomes Welsh Secretary. One of Mr Duncan Smith's closest friends told Sky News the former Conservative leader had had "umpteen run-ins" with the Treasury. :: What Are Personal Independence Payments? They said: "The Treasury resents having such a senior figure in a high-spending Whitehall department like welfare. "The Treasury has wanted him out for some time. The real tension is more between Iain and George Osborne, than Iain and David Cameron." Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn welcomed Mr Duncan Smith's resignation and said: "I wonder where his conscience has been hiding for the past six years." Story continues "I think he (Duncan Smith) has done the right thing to resign, because after all this is a man who has presided over some fairly appalling policies but this latest example of cutting the Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) of a very large number of people ... is shocking," Mr Crabb grew up on a council estate and has spoken of how his mother had to make "horrible decisions" about what food and clothes she could afford. :: Those Letters: An Extraordinary Exchange Between PM And IDS That background, different from that of so many Conservative MPs, will be an advantage at the Department of Work and Pensions and may help him dodge the usual "out-of-touch" claims levelled at the Tories. Mr Crabb is seen as a rising star, although when he was appointed to Welsh Secretary it was his beard that earned more comment - he was the first Conservative Cabinet minister to have one for more than 100 years. Sky's Politics Correspondent Darren McCaffrey said Mr Crabb was seen as a "safe pair of hands" and would be someone who would not rock the boat ahead of the EU referendum. Mr Ducan Smith's departure is viewed as much about the EU vote - he is campaigning for the UK to leave - as about the disability benefits row. He will now be free to campaign without fear. His announcement, early on Friday evening, came hours after the Treasury signalled it was planning a humiliating climbdown over cuts to the Personal Independence Payments. Outraged disability groups claimed the cuts could see many of the 640,000 losing as much as 100 a week. In the face of a Tory rebellion in a Commons vote on the budget next week, Government sources said the Treasury wanted to kick the proposals "into the long grass". It is the second benefits about-turn Mr Osborne has had to take - his plans for tax credit cuts were thrown out by the House of Lords and he had to scrap the measures. Those close to Mr Duncan Smith said he had wanted to hit pension benefits universally available, even to the richest pensioners but the Treasury refused. EFE videos Buenos Aires, 21 oct (EFE).- Dar una vuelta de tuerca para hacer de las grandes ciudades un lugar mas amable donde pasar nuestros dias y contribuir a la par con el cuidado del planeta: las urbes "de 15 minutos" o "supermanzanas", con mas espacio verde y peatonal, avanzan, pese a algunas resistencias, a pasos de gigante. Un enfoque que se debate en la Cumbre Global de Alcaldes de C40, que se celebra en Buenos Aires y que busca algo asi como volver al origen, cuando los grandes nucleos urbanos eran lugares mas accesibles, con mayores vinculos entre los vecinos y con mas personas que coches. "En tiempos como los que estamos viviendo, necesitamos proximidad, contactos humanos, porque somos animales humanos y sociales. Y el lugar donde se puede pensar la ciudad, actuar, es ser un actor, no solo alguien que va a esperar o atender", expreso la alcaldesa de Paris, Anne Hidalgo, en un encuentro con los medios durante la cumbre. La politica francesa fue precisamente quien, tras su reeleccion en 2020, popularizo el concepto de "ciudad de los 15 minutos", al impulsar un proyecto con el que dar a una urbe o un barrio una vitalidad y humanidad necesarias "en estos tiempos tan duros". "La ciudadania quiere ser parte de la decision, porque es parte de la solucion. Y eso solo a este nivel muy, muy de proximidad de los 15 minutos. Porque a los 15 minutos de donde vives tienes para hacer deporte, ver comercios, una escuela para tus hijos, para trabajar", aclaro la regidora, segura de que este sistema permite fortalecer la democracia y aportar al bienestar cotidiano. En Paris, esas areas de 15 minutos se han trabajado con las escuelas como epicentro, cerrando calles en torno a ellas. El Ayuntamiento trata ahora de trabajar con los vecinos para organizar esas calles, por ejemplo, plantando arboles o colocando juegos infantiles. SUPERMANZANA DE BARCELONA En el caso de Barcelona, su modelo de "supermanzana" o "superilla" avanza hacia una ciudad mas habitable, ganando espacio verde y peatonal, reduciendo contaminacion y vehiculos privados e impulsando la economia de proximidad. Su alcaldesa, Ada Colau, fue tajante: "Estamos hablando de una ciudad que ponga las personas en el centro, algo tan basico como eso, y acabar con la barbaridad y contrasentido como era que en Barcelona el 60 % del espacio publico estuviera ocupado por los coches, mientras que solo el 10 % de los residentes utilizan el coche para desplazarse". Acabar asi, segun ella, con la ciudad "contaminada, ruidosa e injusta". "Hemos empezado a hacerlo, hay algunas resistencias pero cada vez mas la ciudadania nos pide mas y que vayamos mas rapido. Estamos transformando la ciudad con mas verde, mas transporte publico, mas carriles bici, mas espacios de calidad, y alli donde transformamos se llena de vida", afirmo Colau. Segun el Gobierno barcelones, ciudades como Berlin, Viena, Rotterdam, Bogota y Los Angeles han adoptado el modelo establecido en la capital catalana, mediante cooperacion entre ayuntamientos. "MANZANAS DE CUIDADO" DE BOGOTA En Bogota, ademas de limitar el trafico, agregar mas zonas verdes y fomentar el uso de bicicletas, el "corazon de la ciudad de proximidad son y seran", segun su alcaldesa, Claudia Lopez, las "manzanas del cuidado", que agregan un foco contra la "feminizacion de la pobreza". "Es la agrupacion a una distancia aproximada de 15 minutos de toda la infraestructura social de la que dispone Bogota, como centros culturales, deportivos, escuelas, jardines infantiles, centros de desarrollo comunitario", explico. Sitios, matizo, que estaban en general dedicados a ninos y jovenes y en los que se decidio incluir servicios que releven de la sobrecarga del cuidado a cargo de las mujeres. "Que no solamente vayan a llevar a los ninos a la escuela, o se queden esperandolos dos horas en la oficina. Que tambien pensemos en servicios para las mujeres, para reducirles su pobreza de tiempo, para que tengan tiempo para ellas", recalco, y subrayo que como "primera mujer alcaldesa" de Bogota sentia la responsabilidad de hacer algo perdurable para mujeres, jovenes y ninos de su ciudad. EL IMPULSOR Por la cumbre, la mas importante sobre ciudades y cambio climatico, tambien paso el colombiano Carlos Moreno Gomez, catedratico de la Universidad de la Sorbona, urbanista y asesor de Hidalgo, uno de los impulsores del concepto de ciudades de la proximidad. "La calidad de vida es tener nuestras necesidades sociales satisfechas con el minimo de consumo de recursos naturales y la maxima capacidad de generacion de economia y empleo y con una ciudad mucho mas vivible, porque finalmente como vecinos encontramos la humanidad que hemos perdido", agrego. "Esto no es una varita magica. Es un proyecto que demanda paciencia, coraje, presencia y darle capacidad operativa", remato. Rodrigo Garcia (c) Agencia EFE ciudad obregon mexico The war on drugs that has raged across Mexico over the past decade has led to the deaths and disappearances of hundreds of thousands of people. The human costs of the drug war and related violence are well known, but the chilling effect on Mexico's economic vitality has been harder to measure. Recent research has shown that high levels of violence in Mexico like the 7.6% increase in homicide rate the country experienced in 2015 not only have a negative impact on workers, but also prevent complex economic activities from starting and growing. "Increasingly economists are arguing that what really matters is not how much [people] participate in the market, but the particular sectors and industries in which these persons are participating," said Viridiana Rios, a scholar at Harvard and fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. "What violence is causing is killing the industries that are complex. In those regions that are very violent, complexity cannot flourish," Rios said during a presentation at the Wilson Center in January. "Those sectors that are complex require a lot of skills, like technology, like professionals, like ... software development, the aerospacial industry, the automobile industry, that require way more abilities," Rios added. Monthly rate of change homicides Mexico Mexicans are also leaving the country for higher education, in part because of violence, a trend that is depriving the country of workers with the requisite skills for advanced industries to grow. Violence has a measurable effect on economic opportunity and growth in Mexico. "An increase of 9.8% in the number of criminal organizations is enough to eliminate one economic sector," Rios wrote in a paper published in December. "Similar effects can be felt ... if gang-related violence increases by 5.4%," she said. Story continues For every increase of 10 percentage points in homicide rates in Mexico, "you see an increase in unemployment in that region of half a point," Rios said at the Wilson Center. "Unemployment currently in Mexico is 5%, so for each 10 points of increase in the homicides rates, you see half a point extra on unemployment. That's pretty significant." 'An extra cost of business' Economic sector resiliency Mexico "A violent Mexico is going to grow in industries that are naturally resilient to violence," Rios said, citing the capital-intensive electrical industry and mining, which has thrived in conflict-prone regions in the past, as sectors that can endure in the face of growing violence in Mexico. Corporations could also adapt to high levels of violence, Rios said, as they have shown that they "can internalize the cost of violence, just like one more thing in their production function." Jalisco CJNG cartel Mexico "Big companies operating in Mexico [aren't] affected that much by organized crime," Tom Wainwright, the former Mexico City reporter for The Economist and author of "Narconomics," told Business Insider. An exception may be the oil industry, which loses billions of dollars a year to oil theft. And if multinationals can operate in the face of organized violence, that doesn't mean they are immune to crime: Cartels have ransacked PepsiCo-owned trucks and extorted mining conglomerates operating in Mexico, as journalist Ioan Grillo has documented. mexico oil The retail industry and some service industries, however, could have more trouble functioning in violent environments. Businesses in the tourism industry, for example, could struggle to attract customers, and businesses catering to local consumers may find it hard to escape the influence of criminal elements. "The people that really hurt from the cartels are the small businesses. You go to a little shop in a place like Juarez, and extortion there is rife. Every business in a city like that is paying a weekly payment to the cartels," Wainwright told Business Insider. "I spoke to a barman there, he said he just looked at it as if he had an extra employee the cartel," Wainwright said. "It was about the same as employing an extra person. It's just an extra cost of business that they have to learn to deal with, and if they don't deal with it, then they pay the consequences." Economic growth rate in Mexico Divergent trends in growth related to the viability of different industries have already started to emerge in Mexico. States that are home to advanced industries like automotive and aerospace manufacturing, and border regions that benefit from trade with the US, had growth rates well above the national average in 2014. But other regions in Mexico heavily populated, underdeveloped, and poorly governed have struggled to grow in recent years. (A problem exacerbated by ongoing turmoil in the oil industry.) mexico doctor graffiti danger "These differing trends threaten to aggravate already deep economic divides, creating virtuous and vicious circles in terms of infrastructure, education, and opportunities," Shannon O'Neil, the senior fellow for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote last summer. Persistent and intense violence could solidify these trends, preventing economic development in some areas of Mexico, and if this kind of violence seeps into areas not previously affected by it, then it could have a negative effect on development there as well. As Rios' research shows, prevalent violence won't necessarily prevent some industries from operating, but it may undermine the ability of Mexicans to foster and grow complex economic activities. "Mexico could keep growing it's just that it is not going to grow where we want it," Rios said. NOW WATCH: This is how Mexican drug cartels make billions selling drugs More From Business Insider Today Colombia. Tomorrow Romania? This post has been corrected. Earlier this week, the rapper and cannabis entrepreneur Snoop Dogg posted a selfie in Bogota, Colombia. Presumably accidentally, he tagged his location as Bogata, Romania, a 2,000-person hamlet in central Europe, instead of the South American capital. (Hey, weve all done it.) Bogota or Bogota? (Instagram/@SnoopDogg) But Snoops mistake has been a boon to Romanias Bogata, whose previous international profile was rather small. Within days of the post, a Romanian media company launched Visit Bogata, an English-language site promoting the village. Touted as the best place for chillin in Romania, Bogata offers traditional gulyas stew (which looks delicious), proximity to the Ciucas waterfall, and distinction as the birthplace of the famous immunologist Iuliu Moldovan. There are no hotelsthe website advises visitors to bring a sleeping bag or ask a villager for housing. For travelers uncomfortable with this level of intimacy, TripAdvisor also lists several accommodations in surrounding Mures County. Theres no indication that Snoop has visited, or plans to visit, Romanias Bogata. But internet jokers have helpfully Photoshopped him into the hamlet. Instagram Photo CORRECTION (Mar. 18): An earlier version of this post misspelled the name of the Romanian village, Bogata. Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news. More stories from Quartz: As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ We value your privacy. Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy. Macao (AFP) - A movie about a highly-trained female assassin swept the Asian Film Awards in Macau Thursday, bagging prizes for best film, best actress and best director at the glittering ceremony. The movie took home more than half of the night's prizes -- eight out of 15 trophies -- at one of Asia's leading film awards held in the glamorous casino town in southern China. Set in the Tang Dynasty era in China, "The Assassin" is a slow-burning minimalist movie with Taiwanese megastar Shu Qi playing a skilled female assassin sent back to her home province to kill its governor, who is also the man she loves. "I'm so lucky this year," Shu, wearing a sparkling silver dress, told reporters after receiving the best actress award. "I couldn't have made it through the two years of production for 'The Assassin' without (the help of) bandages and medicine," quipped 39-year-old Shu, referring to the gruelling physical demands required for the action sequences. Chinese actress Zhou Yun grabbed best supporting actress for her performance in the film, which she said was a "surprise". "I won the award because the movie is so good, I contributed just a small part of all the impressive aspects (of the movie)," Zhou said. The film is directed by Taiwan's Hou Hsiao-hsien, who sticks to his trademark aesthetic that won him fame for previous titles "Millennium Mambo" and "The Puppetmaster". The 68-year-old, who did not attend the ceremony, is one of the most recognisable names in Taiwan's New Wave cinema. He has won a string of international awards, including best director at the Cannes Film Festival in May for "The Assassin". Though "The Assassin" dominated the night, others didn't go home empty handed. South Korean star Lee Byung-hun won best actor for his role in political thriller "The Inside Men". "Today's result is very good... I am very emotional about everybody's support," Lee told reporters. Story continues Chinese romance film "Mountains May Depart" won the award for best screenplay, while India's "Bajirao Mastani", a love story about a general and a Muslim princess, won best visual effects. Hong Kong action choreographer Yuen Wo-ping, who worked on films such as "The Matrix", "Kill Bill" and "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" was given this year's lifetime achievement award. Veteran Japanese actress Kirin Kiki was also given the prize. French actress Sophie Marceau attended the ceremony to hand out the best actress award, to Shu's delight. "I'm very happy to be on the stage to hug Sophie," best actress Shu said. The awards were organised by the Hong Kong International Film Festival and were hosted at Macau's glitzy Venetian resort this year, the show's 10th instalment. LIST OF WINNERS Best editing: Port of Call/Hong Kong Best cinematography: The Assassin/Hong Kong, China, Taiwan Best supporting actress: Zhou Yun (The Assassin)/Hong Kong, China, Taiwan Best visual effects: Bajirao Mastani/India Best sound: The Assassin/Hong Kong, China, Taiwan Best original music: The Assassin/Hong Kong, China, Taiwan Best screenplay: Mountains May Depart/France, Japan, China Best supporting actor: Asano Tadanobu (Journey to the Shore)/France, Japan Best costume design: The Throne/South Korea Best production design: The Assassin/Hong Kong, China, Taiwan Best newcomer: Jessie Li (Port of Call)/Hong Kong Best actress: Shu Qi (The Assassin)/Hong Kong, China, Taiwan Best actor: Lee Byung-hun (Inside Men)/South Korea Best director: Hou Hsiao-hsien (The Assassin)/Hong Kong, China, Taiwan Best film: The Assassin/Hong Kong, China, Taiwan Lifetime achievement award: Kirin Kiki and Yuen Wo-ping SYDNEY (Reuters) - A senior Australian government minister on Thursday called Donald Trump's campaign for the U.S. presidency "terrifying" and warned it risked casting the Republican Party into the wilderness if he wins nomination. Australian government ministers rarely make critical comments about elections in other countries, especially stalwart allies like the United States, which Australia relies on heavily for military backing in the Asia-Pacific. Australian Industry Minister Christopher Pyne, a cabinet member of the ruling conservative Liberal-National coalition, criticized the violence at recent Trump rallies and said that his rise was casting a pall over American democracy. "Now, democracy should be robust but it certainly shouldn't be violent," Pyne said in an interview on Australia's Channel Seven television network. "And I think the Donald Trump phenomenon is a real problem for the United States, making their democracy look kind of weird," he said. Republican front-runner Trump warned on Wednesday of riots if he is denied the party's presidential nomination, only days after Trump supporters and protesters clashed at a rally for the Republican in Chicago that was later scrapped. Republican Party leaders are appalled at Trump's incendiary rhetoric and reject policies such as his vow to deport 11 million illegal immigrants, temporarily ban Muslims from the United States and build a wall along the Mexican border. The party tried to play down Trump's riot comments, which have raised the temperature even more in a heated White House race. (Reporting by Matt Siegel; Editing by Michael Perry) By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's new A$50 billion ($38 billion) submarine fleet should be built entirely within Australia, ThyssenKrupp AG's shipbuilding unit said on Thursday, making the German firm the first bidder to publicly endorse domestic construction as the best option. Germany is up against Japan and France for one of the world's most lucrative defense contracts. Each was required under the terms to provide three proposals for construction - entirely overseas, entirely in Australia and a hybrid of the two. A decision on the politically sensitive contract is expected within months, ahead of an Australian national election in which the deal and the jobs it will create are expected to be a key issue for the conservative government. "An all-Australian build is the best option for Australia as it offers the most efficient and lowest-cost approach," TKMS Chairman Hans Atzpodien said in an address in Canberra. "It has become quite clear to us that Australia has the local engineering and technical skills as well as capacity to help build the new submarine fleet." Competition for the deal has been narrowing to a race between Japan and France, sources have told Reuters, with Tokyo playing up its strategic support from Washington and Paris emphasizing how its proposal would help Australia's slowing economy. This week, France sent executives from French corporate giants Airbus, BNP Paribas, Thales and dozens more to Canberra to talk up the economic benefits of its bid. TKMS is proposing to scale up its 2,000-tonne Type 214 class submarine, while Japan is offering a variant of its 4,000-tonne Soryu boats made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. France's state-controlled naval contractor DCNS has proposed a diesel-electric version of its 5,000-tonne Barracuda nuclear-powered submarine. Tokyo was initially seen as the frontrunner, due to close ties between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who was ousted in a party coup by Malcolm Turnbull last September, and perceived support from Washington to build closer ties between two key Asian allies. Australia announced in a long-awaited White Paper released last month that it would increase defense spending by nearly A$30 billion over the next 10 years in order to protect its strategic and trade interests in the Asia-Pacific region. (Reporting by Matt Siegel; Editing by Edwina Gibbs) By Alastair Macdonald and John Irish BRUSSELS/PARIS (Reuters) - The prime surviving suspect for the Nov. 13 Paris attacks planned to blow himself up at a sports stadium with fellow Islamic State militants but changed his mind, he told Belgian investigators on Saturday. The admission by Salah Abdeslam came a day after he was shot in the leg and captured during a police raid in Brussels, ending an intensive four-month manhunt. "He wanted to blow himself up at the Stade de France and ... backed out," said the lead French investigator, Francois Molins,quoting Abdeslam's statement to a magistrate in Brussels before he was transferred to a secure jail in Bruges. The gun and bomb attacks on the stadium, bars and a concert hall killed 130 people and marked the deadliest militant assault in Europe since 2004. Molins told reporters in Paris that people should treat with caution initial statements by the 26-year-old French national. But his capture and apparent urge to talk marked a major breakthrough for investigators after the trail had seemed to go cold. Abdeslam's lawyer said he admitted being in Paris during the attacks but gave no details. He told reporters his client, born and raised by Moroccan immigrants in Brussels, had cooperated with investigators but would fight extradition to France. Legal experts said his challenge was unlikely to succeed but would buy him weeks, possibly months, to prepare his defense. Belgian prosecutors charged Abdeslam and a man arrested with him with "participation in terrorist murder". Abdeslam's elder brother Brahim, with whom he used to run a bar, was among the suicide bombers. Salah's confession suggested he was the 10th man mentioned in an Islamic State claim of responsibility for the attacks, after which police found one suicide vest abandoned in garbage. Abdeslam's family, who had urged him to give himself up, said through their lawyer that they had a "sense of relief". Authorities hope the arrest may help disrupt other militant cells that Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said were certainly "out there" and planning further violence. French security services stepped up their measures at frontier crossings after a global warning from Interpol that other fugitives might try to move country. "We've won a battle against the forces of ignorance but the struggle isn't over," Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said. The case has raised tensions with France but Michel and French President Francois Hollande, who was in Brussels for an EU summit when Abdeslam was arrested, praised each other's security services. Hollande was attending an international soccer match at the Stade de France when the bombers struck. FLIGHT RISK A man using false papers in the names of Amine Choukri and Monir Ahmed Alaaj was also charged with terrorist murder. As Choukri, he was documented by German police in the city of Ulm in October when he was stopped in a car with Abdeslam. French prosecutor Molins said Abdeslam traveled widely to prepare the attacks. A third man in the house when the pair were arrested was charged with belonging to a terrorist organization. He and a woman who was present were charged with concealing criminals. Police had sought Abdeslam since he called two acquaintances in Belgium in a panic, hours after the attacks, to have them collect him and bring him home. Suspected to be as far away as Syria, it seems he was in Brussels all or most of the time. Failure to complete his mission could have limited his access to any support from Syria-based Islamic State; the chief Belgian investigator on the case said he had instead relied on a network of friends, family and neighbors with whom he had a history of drug trafficking and petty crime. Security agencies' difficulties in penetrating some Muslim communities, particularly in pursuit of Belgium's unusually high number of citizens fighting in Syria, have been a key factor in the inquiry. PARIS RELIEF As Parisians, and families of the victims, voiced relief at the arrest, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said after an emergency cabinet meeting that a trial could answer questions for those who suffered in the attacks. "Abdeslam will have to answer to French justice for his acts," he said. "It is an important blow to the terrorist organization Daesh (Islamic State) in Europe." A trickle of people came to a makeshift memorial in central Paris, near the scene of much of the bloodshed, to pay their respects. "It's really a relief," said Emilien Bouthillier, who works in the neighborhood. "I can't wait for Belgium to transfer and return him to France so he can be tried the way he should be." Friday's armed swoop came after Abdeslam's fingerprints were found at an apartment following a bloody raid on Tuesday in which an Algerian was shot dead and police officers wounded. Later, local media said, a tip-off and a tapped telephone led police to a mobile phone number used by Abdeslam and, by triangulating the device's location, established where he was. At his nearby newspaper store, a vendor named Dominique said Abdeslam had been well known and liked in the community: "He was a very nice lad before," he said. "How can things go this far?" (Additional reporting by Robin Emmott, Clement Rossignol, Hortense de Roffignac, Philip Blenkinsop and Jan Strupczewski in Brussels and Miranda Alexander-Webber in Bruges; writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Mark Trevelyan) By Anuradha Nagaraj CHENNAI, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - An investigation into the death of a teenage girl working in a spinning mill in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has raised fresh concerns over the working conditions of textile workers, especially those trapped in bonded labor. The 17-year-old girl, the daughter of farm workers, was found unconscious in her room in the Ganapathy Spinning Mills compound in Vellakoil in Tirupur district, on March 10 after failing to show up for a regular overtime shift. The cause of her death remains unknown, pending results of a post mortem investigation. However, police said they had arrested a co-worker on charges of abetment to suicide. Civil society groups are calling for a full investigation into the case, saying cases of suicides related to sexual abuse and labor exploitation in India's booming textile industry go largely unreported. A report into the girl's death by the Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union, a women-led trade union set up to represent women in the textile industry, said there were "wound marks on her body and rope impression around her neck". Repeated attempts to reach the management at the mill were unsuccessful. The teenager had worked in the textile industry - the second largest employer in India after agriculture - for nearly two years. She was paid 210 rupees (three dollars) per day, which her mother collected each month. Much of India's $42 billion-a-year textile and clothing export industry is located in western Tamil Nadu and to boost productivity and increase margins, parts of this lucrative supply chain are built on bonded labor. Mills mainly hire young girls, offering 30,000 to 60,000 rupees ($450 to $900) to their families for three years' work under so-called "Sumangali" schemes with the money paid at the end of the fixed term, in a form of bonded labor. VERBAL AND SEXUAL ABUSE A study 2014 into Tamil Nadu's textile industry by the Freedom Fund, a philanthropic initiative dedicated to ending modern slavery, and C&A Foundation found workers were also often subjected to low wages, excessive and sometimes forced overtime requirements, lack of freedom of movement as well as verbal and sexual abuse. The study said it was difficult to gauge the exact scale of the problem, but a conservative estimate suggests there may be at least 100,000 girls and young women being exploited in this way. The Thomson Reuters Foundation in February launched a new initiative with C&A Foundation aimed at raising awareness of trafficking and forced labor across South Asia. This week's women's union report said the teenage mill worker had found it difficult to cope with the work pressure. "Every day she did four hours of overtime, after completing an eight hour shift. After one year she wanted to leave, but her parents convinced her to complete the contract period," the report said. "She was sexually harassed by a male worker and had complained to her brother and the mill management." No one at the mill could be reached to comment. M.A. Britto, convener of the Campaign Against the "Camp Coolie" (Sumangali) System said such reports were common. "Mill managements try to hush these up. Often wages due to the girl are withheld and released only if the family drops the case. Or they make up stories of the girl having an affair and families are shamed into silence," he said. (Reporting by Anuradha Nagaraj, Editing by Ros Russell; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking and climate change. Visit www.trust.org) New York (AFP) - Denmark, closely followed by Switzerland, is again the happiest country in the world while crisis-torn Syria and Burundi are the most miserable, according to a global ranking released Wednesday. The 2016 World Happiness Report seeks to quantify happiness as a means of making societies healthier and more efficient. The United Nations published the first such study in 2012. As with last year, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden round out the top 10, making small or medium-sized countries in Western Europe seven of the top 10 happiest countries. Denmark, which was ranked first in the 2012 and 2013 versions of the report but lost that honor to Switzerland in 2015, now reclaims its title as happiest country on Earth. Burundi was the most miserable, followed by war-ravaged Syria, Togo, Afghanistan and six other countries in sub-Saharan Africa -- Benin, Rwanda, Guinea, Liberia, Tanzania and Madagascar as the least happy of 157 countries. The report compared data from 2005 to 2015 showing that Greece, which suffered enormously from the global recession and now faces a crippling migrant crisis, had the highest drop in happiness. The United States, where sharp polarization has been exposed in the 2016 presidential election campaign, out-ranked several Western European countries to be 13th most happy nation, up two spots from last year. Germany was 16th, Britain 23rd and France 32nd. A string of Middle Eastern kingdoms -- Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain -- out-ranked Italy, which came in at number 50, and Japan, which took the 53rd spot. China, the world's most populous country, was ranked 83rd and India, the world's largest democracy, came in at 118. The authors said six factors -- GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, social freedom, generosity and absence of corruption -- explain almost three-quarters of the variation across different countries. Story continues The report compared levels of happiness in 2005-2007, before the onset of the global recession, with 2013-2015, the most recent three-year period for which data from a Gallup World Poll is available. Of the 126 countries for which comparable data was available, 55 had significant increases in happiness and 45 had significant decreases, the report found. Among the top 20 gainers were Thailand and China, eight countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe, seven in Latin America, two in sub-Saharan Africa and Macedonia in the Balkans. The 20 largest losers of happiness included Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Yemen and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East; Japan and India in Asia; and Cyprus, Spain, Italy and Greece in Europe -- all hard hit by the economic crisis. Ukraine, where the east has been roiled by a pro-Russian insurgency since 2014, has also fallen into the group of 10 largest happiness declines. Iceland and Ireland offer the best examples of maintaining happiness in the face of economic crisis due to high degrees of social support, the report found. By Andrew R.C. Marshall THE MEKONG RIVER (Reuters) - The Lao People's Army patrol boat was custom-made in China with night-vision capability and two of the most powerful engines on this remote stretch of the Mekong River. Today, like most days, it sits idle for lack of gasoline, guarded by a single Laotian soldier in flip-flops. Even occasional patrols by boats like these, supplied by China to the Laotian army and Myanmar police, have successfully subdued the pirates who once robbed the Mekong's cargo ships with impunity since Chinese-led joint patrols began in 2011. But there has been little progress on another objective - stemming the flood of illicit drugs - exposing the limits of China's hard power in mainland Southeast Asia even as Beijing accelerates its militarization of disputed islands in the South China Sea. While attacks on Mekong shipping have tailed off, drug production and trafficking in the untamed region, known as the Golden Triangle, is booming - despite the presence of Chinese gunboats and units of Chinese armed police along the Mekong. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that Southeast Asia's trade in heroin and methamphetamine was worth $31 billion in 2013. "That's bigger than the economies of some Southeast Asian countries," says Jeremy Douglas, the UNODC's Asia-Pacific chief. "It's like having an undeclared sovereign state in your midst with no borders and lots of money." Enter another Mekong boat, looking at first glance like a pleasure cruiser filled with middle-aged tourists. In fact, they are senior police and drugs experts from four countries, among them one of China's top anti-narcotics officials, Wei Xiaojun. Arranged by the UNODC and lent further clout by Wei's involvement, their recent voyage down the Mekong was aimed at mustering the regional collaboration needed to tame the Golden Triangle. Reuters was invited to join the four-day trip from the Chinese port of Jinghong through the heart of the Golden Triangle. Wei, who is deputy secretary general of China's National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC), called drugs the "main threat" along the Mekong. "All other types of organized crime are rooted in the drug business, like human trafficking, money laundering and the illegal wildlife trade," he said. CRAZY MEDICINE China is a favorite destination for Myanmar's drugs, which are flowing through Asia in unprecedented quantities. More than 250 million methamphetamine pills, better known by their Thai name "ya ba" or "crazy medicine", were seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2013, an eight-fold increase from 2008. Seizures of "crystal meth" or "ice" - a potent, crystalline form of methamphetamine dubbed "the poor man's cocaine" - doubled during the same period. In 2015, China seized a record 36.5 tons of methamphetamine, said the UNODC, with most of the drug in pill form coming from Myanmar. Myanmar is the world's second largest producer of opium, the bulk of which ends up in China as heroin. A recent report from the NNCC raised concerns about the involvement of some Chinese military personnel in drug trafficking, and said the number of registered drug users in China rose to more than 2.3 million in 2015. Increasingly Myanmar too has a drug problem, with police last year making record-breaking busts of both ya ba and ice. This could severely test the new government of Aung San Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy party has yet to formulate drug policies, say experts. "OFF THE GRID" Many factors combine to help the Golden Triangle's drug industry prosper. The Myanmar-Laos border, which the Mekong delineates, is mostly unguarded. The terrain is rugged and hostile, with rebel armies holding sway in some areas and drugs and money-laundering flourishing in lawless enclaves on both sides of the river. Regional law enforcement agencies are often underfunded and ill-trained, and the intelligence they gather is not effectively shared with neighboring countries. In October 2011, a gang led by a Mekong pirate called Naw Kham murdered 13 Chinese sailors. He was hunted down in Laos, then taken back to China to be tried and executed. Afterwards, Chinese gunboats began patrolling further downriver, extending China's security reach far beyond its borders. This includes a riverside facility in Muang Mom in Laos, which Reuters visited, run and guarded by a 25-strong unit of Chinese People's Armed Police. China conducts monthly joint patrols with its Laotian and Myanmar counterparts, who - gasoline permitting - do additional patrols by themselves. There have been successes. In 2013, a Chinese-Laotian patrol found 580 kg (1,280 lbs) of ya ba, worth more than 100 million yuan ($15 million), hidden in a cargo ship. But more patrols were needed, said the UNODC's Douglas, and Mekong countries also needed to coordinate and share intelligence to interdict more drugs. BLACK HOLES Some areas remain intelligence black holes. Hsop Lwe, for example, is Myanmar's busiest port on the Mekong, but its government has no control over it. The port belongs to Special Region 4, a semi-autonomous enclave famous for gambling, prostitution and narcotics. To the north is Special Region 2, also controlled by heavily armed rebels. The Special Regions were "off the political grid," said Douglas, although he hoped Suu Kyi's new government would engage with and secure better access to them. The UNODC boat could not get permission to stop at Hsop Lwe, where a Chinese cargo ship was unloading SUVs as it passed. Reuters reporters also spotted unofficial Mekong ports in Laos, which this year chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Landlocked and impoverished, Laos shares a border with all the Mekong countries, which also include Vietnam and Thailand, making it an important smuggling hub for both narcotics and the chemicals that make them. From Vietnam, for example, comes tons of caffeine, used in methamphetamine production and spirited through Laos and across the Mekong in rice bags. Other lawless areas were being created by the Mekong itself. The ever-shifting river created islands where drug shipments were hidden, said Colonel Patpong Ngasantheir of the Royal Thai Army. But according to a treaty negotiated while Laos was still a French colony, these islands were deemed neutral. "We're not allowed to search them," he said. (Reporting by Andrew R.C. Marshall; Additional reporting by Jessica Macy Yu in Beijing; Editing by Alex Richardson) By Kieran Guilbert THIES, Senegal (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Surrounded and dragged in all directions by hungry, sick and desperate refugees, the newly arrived aid workers race between pregnant women and small children while negotiating with the military in an attempt to control the chaos. The soldiers threaten the aid workers and draw their rifles as fighting breaks out among the refugees and several women fall to their knees, crying and pleading for food, until the shrill blast of a whistle brings the training drill to a halt. "I forgot almost everything we learned when the simulation started - you really feel the pressure and stress," said Elisa Carlaccini, one of several United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) staff gathered at an army base in the Senegalese city of Thies. Dozens of UNHCR staff from nearly 30 countries round the world are undergoing emergency training as they prepare to be sent to join operations in a range of humanitarian crises. The refugee agency deployed more than 400 people on emergency missions last year, with unprecedented demand for reinforcements across southeastern Europe as the continent grappled with its worst migration crisis since World War Two. Since the UNHCR started its emergency training in 1989, most participants have been sent to Asia, Africa, or the Middle East. But as the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Italy and Greece since the start of 2016 has risen sharply from early 2015 levels, the UNHCR expects to send at least as many emergency aid workers to Europe as elsewhere this year. "The migration movement in Europe is a major humanitarian concern, but we are also worried about Burundi, Mozambique and South Sudan, as well as Syria, Afghanistan and even Venezuela," UNHCR senior staff development officer Peter Kessler said. "There is virtually no continent which is untouched by conflict and displacement, which is why we bring together staff from various countries around the world for this training." FROM MAPPING TO KIDNAPPING The UNHCR emergency training, which is held three to four times a year and took place in Africa for the first time last year, puts staff through 10 days of lectures and intense drills. Participants learn first aid, basic negotiating skills and how to map a site using GPS and plan a refugee camp, before using their new knowledge in various roleplay exercises. In one scenario where Nigerian refugees in a village in Cameroon have gone days without aid, team leader Alexander Novikau defuses a tense standoff between the army and suspected Boko Haram militants before calming the panicked refugees. "The training is even faster, more intense and extreme than reality," the Azerbaijan-based UNHCR protection officer said, between mouthfuls of lukewarm army rations and instant coffee. "We make decisions in seconds, when we would normally take our time to prepare for the stress of a crisis," added Novikau, who has worked in Sudan, Afghanistan and Myanmar and hopes to be sent to the front lines of an emergency in the coming months. The participants, many of whom are normally office workers and have not experienced a crisis, are kept in the dark about what to expect during the three days of roleplays and training drills, which culminate in an ambush and kidnapping scenario. While being restrained, hooded and dragged along the ground may be an ordeal for the fresh-faced UNHCR staff, many of the more hardened humanitarians have experienced worse in reality. Dakar-based Karmen Sakhr was working in a refugee camp at the Iraq-Jordan border after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 when Iranian Kurds tried to kidnap her because they felt she was favoring the Palestinian refugees living in the camp. "I got in a car to escape, but it was quickly surrounded. On one side, Iranian Kurds were pulling me by my legs, while the Palestinians were pulling me by the arms from the other side to try and protect me," Sakhr said, laughing loudly at the memory. LESSONS LEARNED In another scenario, participants spot the wreckage of a car crash and rush towards two victims who are screaming and holding their prosthetic wounds at the roadside - failing to notice signs reading 'Danger! Mines!' as they race to their aid. No explosions or bangs follow, just a wry smile and gentle chiding from UNHCR first aid coordinator Marc Desvilliers. "Three of you could have died before you even reached the injured," he said, while checking the bandages, tourniquets and splints applied to the victims - played by Senegalese soldiers. "Splints must be applied tightly, but I was able to move one with just two fingers, and some of the tourniquets are useless." The post-drill debriefs address a variety of blunders - from forgetting to lock car doors to not showing enough respect to village chiefs and failing to calm tensions between Christian and Muslim refugees. The 40 humanitarians on the course, whittled down from 400 applicants, will join UNHCR's emergency roster after completing the training, and are likely to be deployed to a crisis for two to three months within a year. "The training is vital because you learn not only about how to work in a team, but also about yourself," said Mathjis Le Rutte, UNHCR deputy regional representative for West Africa. "How will you behave and react in a crisis? How will you deal with an influx of new arrivals, or manage an angry mob?" (Reporting By Kieran Guilbert, editing by Tim Pearce. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org) By Rina Chandran MUMBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Men in India and Pakistan are joining a campaign to end female genital mutilation (FGM), adding greater heft to the movement in the deeply patriarchal Dawoodi Bohra community. Little is known about FGM in India where the ritual is carried out in great secrecy by the close-knit Shi'ite Muslim sect thought to number over 1 million. A petition to end FGM, part of a campaign led by Masooma Ranalvi, a woman who was cut as a seven-year-old, has drawn thousands of male signatories, while its companion group on Facebook has scores of men speaking out against the ritual that remains cloaked in secrecy. Men have also joined a social media campaign by Sahiyo, a campaign group in Mumbai focused on ending FGM, known as 'khatna' among the Bohras. "The community is patriarchal, so men's participation makes the campaign that much more effective," said Ranalvi, who plans to present the petition calling for a law to ban FGM in India to the Bohra high priest and the Indian government. "While women are spearheading the campaign, we also need men to be involved because decision making in the community is controlled entirely by men," she said. In Sahiyo's campaign that invites Bohras and non-Bohras to post photographs saying why they oppose FGM, one man holds a poster saying it makes him ashamed of his community, while another says it is child abuse. Another says a woman's body needs no altering and her sexual desires need no tempering. "This isn't just a woman's issue; it's a human rights issue, and men must start seeing it as such," said Ammar Karimjee, 24, a Pakistani student in Boston, who realized about five years ago that his sister had been cut as a young girl. He spoke against FGM at the United Nations last month. "When I started speaking to my friends about it, the men would say: I don't want to talk about it, or it doesn't concern me, or it's probably done for a good reason. There's a basic lack of understanding of women's bodies; you can't empathize if you don't understand," he said by phone from Boston. FGM, which can cause serious physical and psychological problems, is more commonly linked to African countries which have led international efforts to end the practice. India is not included on U.N. lists of countries affected by FGM, and little is known about the practice in South Asia. TABOO Campaigners say Dawoodi Bohras are the only Muslim community in South Asia to practice FGM, estimating that up to three quarters of Bohra girls are cut. Although it is not mentioned in the Koran, the Bohras consider khatna - the removal of part of the clitoris - a religious obligation, and debate on the subject has long been taboo. While men are all-powerful in the community, they are seldom consulted before a girl is cut, with the mother, grandmother, aunt or other female elder taking charge, said Ranalvi. This was the case with Saifuddin Suleman in Pune, near Mumbai, who said he only realized recently that he had unwittingly driven his wife and daughter to an appointment where the girl was cut. "I did so gullibly, never realizing the trauma I was putting her through," he said. "My daughter is 18 now and she asked me, why didn't you stop it? I had no answer, and asked for her forgiveness. I want this barbaric and inhuman practice to end." For Bohra men opposing long-held traditions, there is a risk of being excommunicated or boycotted socially, hurting their business and their families. Increasingly though, they have precedent on their side. The FGM practice among Indian Dawoodi Bohras hit the headlines in November when a court in Australia found two members of the diaspora community guilty of cutting two girls. A Bohra religious leader was convicted of being an accessory. Since then, Bohra communities in London, New York, Washington D.C., Florida and Orange County, California, have passed resolutions against the practice, campaigners say. "The fact that it is being banned elsewhere means things can change," said Karimjee. "It won't be easy, but the movement's gathering more steam now." (Reporting by Rina Chandran, Editing by Ros Russell.; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org to see more stories.) Seoul (AFP) - North Korea on Wednesday sentenced an American student who admitted stealing a propaganda banner from a hotel to 15 years' hard labour for subversive activities, state media said. The judgement was handed down on Otto Warmbier, a 21-year-old student from the University of Virginia, by North Korea's Supreme Court, the North's official KCNA news agency said. Observers said the harsh sentence was likely a reflection of soaring military tensions on the divided Korean peninsula following the North's nuclear test in January and long-range rocket launch a month later. The United States took a leading role in securing the resulting sanctions that the UN Security Council imposed on the North earlier this month. In recent weeks Pyongyang has maintained a daily barrage of nuclear strike threats against both Seoul and Washington, ostensibly over ongoing large-scale South Korea-US military drills that the North sees as provocative rehearsals for invasion. In announcing the jail sentence, KCNA said Warmbier had committed his offence "pursuant to the US government's hostile policy" towards North Korea. - 'Hostile acts' - Warmbier had initially been arrested in early January on charges of "hostile acts" against the state. KCNA said he was convicted under an article of the criminal code dealing with subversion. "In the course of the inquiry, the accused confessed to the serious offence," it said, without elaborating. Warmbier was arrested as he was leaving the country with a tour group. He later said he had removed a political banner from the staff-only area of the Pyongyang hotel where the group had stayed. The sentence was handed down just hours after veteran US diplomat Bill Richardson reportedly met two diplomats from North Korea's UN office in New York to press for Warmbier's release. "I urged the humanitarian release of Otto, and they agreed to convey our request," Richardson, the former governor of New Mexico, told the New York Times. Story continues In the past, North Korea has used the detention of US citizens to obtain high-profile visits from the likes of former US presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton in order to secure their release. Richardson has travelled to North Korea several times over the years on diplomatic missions that have included negotiating the freedom of arrested Americans. The United States has no diplomatic or consular relations with the North. The Swedish embassy in Pyongyang provides limited consular services to US citizens detained there. Warmbier is one of three North Americans currently detained in North Korea, which recently sentenced a 60-year-old Canadian pastor to life imprisonment with hard labour on sedition charges. The US State Department "strongly recommends against all travel" to North Korea and specifically warns of the risk of arrest. - 'College prank' - Human Rights Watch said the severe sentence was shocking given that Warmbier's alleged offence amounted to little more than a "college-style prank". "Pyongyang should recognise this student's self-admitted mistake as a misdemeanour ... release him on humanitarian grounds, and send him home," said Phil Robertson, deputy director of the rights watchdog's Asia Division. Detained foreigners are often required to make a public, officially-scripted acknowledgement of wrongdoing, and Warmbier was paraded in front of reporters and diplomats in Pyongyang last month. Footage of the carefully orchestrated event showed a sobbing Warmbier pleading to be released and saying he had made "the worst mistake of my life". Warmbier said he had been tasked with stealing the banner by a member of the Friendship United Methodist Church in Wyoming, Ohio, who wanted it "as a trophy" and offered him a used car worth $10,000 if he succeeded. Political slogans extolling the achievements of the country and its leaders and encouraging citizens to work harder and demonstrate their loyalty are pervasive in North Korea. They can be seen on the streets and in nearly every public building, as well as every work unit. Gevgelija (Macedonia) (AFP) - Macedonian soldiers trudge through torrential rain in a borderland once home to quiet vineyards, searching for migrants trying to sneak through a hole in the locked-down gate to western Europe. The voices of refugee children drift across from Greece, just the other side of barbed-wire topped fencing, where a multitude of colourful tents can be seen with clothes strung out on lines between them. "The situation is hard for us as well as them. I see the children on the other side, I hear it's difficult. I myself have two children," said Marko, 34, one of the soldiers. "But we have to do our job and protect our country." Macedonia, a non-EU and non-NATO country of two million people, has deployed its army at the border since August last year to control the influx of people on the main refugee route through the Balkans. But after countries further up the chain shut their doors to migrants over a week ago, Macedonia did the same -- and hundreds of its troops are now charged with keeping out at least 43,000 migrants massed in Greece. More than 10,000 of them, many escaping war and poverty in the Middle East and Asia, are stuck in a border camp in increasingly poor conditions, with more arriving on the coastline of Greece -- both an EU and NATO member -- every day. "It is incomprehensible to me that a small country like ours is the main defence of Europe, while Europe is not able to find somewhere for all those people who are suffering opposite us," said a 42-year-old soldier. Like several others in the army who spoke to AFP, he did not want to be named. - Desperate attempts - Under a draft EU-Turkish swap deal, for every Syrian refugee sent back from Greece, the EU would resettle one from Turkish camps. But with the controversial plan yet to be finalised, some migrants have made desperate bids to cross the Greek frontier. On Monday, three Afghans drowned trying to wade through a river and into Macedonia, while another 1,500 or so who followed them made it across the border -- only to be rounded up and sent back by the troops. Story continues "We are on duty around the clock. It's hard because we never know what could happen. When migrants rush to us, nervous, cold and hungry, tensions are high," said Milan, 29, from a mechanised infantry unit on guard. The troops, who drove AFP along the muddy border in an armoured personnel carrier, can use their weapons only "when their life is in danger", according to army spokesman Toni Janevski. But Macedonia's security forces have several times come under criticism for a heavy-handed approach at the frontier. In February, Human Rights Watch accused border guards of "brutally" beating migrants as they tried to cross illegally, and police fired tear gas at hundreds who tried to break through the fence. Some refugees said they were beaten after entering Macedonia on Monday, which officials strongly denied. The soldiers also accused the Greek side of encouraging the attempted crossings. While the migrants remain in limbo, further confrontations seem likely, with the troops reporting an increase in illegal crossings and attempts to cut through the fencing since the Balkan route closed. - 'Million-dollar question' - Exactly what will happen next is "a million-dollar question and no one knows", Macedonia's Defence Minister Zoran Jolevski told AFP, calling for a "comprehensive strategy" that involves non-EU countries including Macedonia. "I will be most happy if the situation is calm and we withdraw the army from the border fully, but it depends on the whole situation." He said Macedonia's handling of the crisis showed it was a "credible partner of the international community" and one deserving of a place in NATO -- something Greece has blocked until now due to a dispute over Macedonia's name. EU countries such as Slovenia and Hungary have sent police reinforcements to the border hotspot, while the EU in February approved 10 million euros ($11 million) to help Macedonia with the crisis. But Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov lashed out at Europe last week, telling Germany's Bild newspaper that his country had spent 25 million euros "paying for the EU's mistakes" and received "not a cent" in return. While state leaders argue, troops at the border say they are increasing their patrols to cover terrain they had thought impassable until Monday. "The migrants went through an area that's really difficult to access. We still wonder how they did it," said Janevski. Rostov-on-Don (Russia) (AFP) - A Boeing passenger jet operated by the flydubai budget airline crashed in southern Russia early Saturday, killing all 62 people on board as it tried to land in bad weather, officials said. The Boeing 737, which flew from Dubai to the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, was reportedly making its second attempt to land at 0050 GMT after circling for several hours. It missed the runway and erupted in a huge fireball as it crashed, leaving debris scattered across a wide area. "My whole house shook. I looked out into the yard and the sky was all red -- it was a shade of red that I have never seen," eyewitness Yana, who lives near the airport, told AFP. Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed that all 55 passengers and seven crew members on board were killed. It launched a probe into whether technical problems, pilot error, poor weather or a combination of problems were behind the crash. Flydubai chairman Ghaith al-Ghaith expressed "devastation" over the disaster and sought to head off any "speculation" that the crash was the result of terrorism. "We do not yet know all the details of the incident but we are working closely with the authorities to establish precisely what happened," Ghaith said in statement. A no-frills budget carrier which is a sister firm to Emirates Airlines, flydubai is government-owned and was set up in March 2008. The passengers on board flight FZ981, which took off from Dubai at 1820 GMT Friday and had been due to land at 2240 GMT, included 44 Russian nationals, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one Uzbek, the airline said. They comprised 33 women, 18 men and four children. The company said the Cypriot pilot and Spanish co-pilot each had nearly 6,000 hours of flying experience. The five other crew members were from Spain, Russia, the Seychelles, Colombia and Kyrgyzstan. - 'Such a loss' - Inside the international terminal at Rostov-on-Don airport, local residents laid flowers in front of a list of the victims, as shocked relatives tried to digest the news. Story continues "I turned on the news and for some reason thought it was a terrorist attack but it turned out to have been here right at the airport," said bereaved relative Alexander Chistyakov. "My brother was fifteen years older than me. He was a succesful surgeon in the local hospital. It is such a loss." Footage aired on local media showed a huge fireball engulfing a wide area after the plane came down. The authorities took more than an hour to get the blaze under control, the emergencies ministry said. State media later showed pictures of rescue workers combing through scattered debris in the driving snow, with the emergencies ministry saying over 850 rescuers and 170 vehicles had been deployed. Investigators said the plane's two black boxes had been recovered. The plane had "skimmed the ground and broke into several pieces", according to the investigators, with fragments of the Boeing 737 reportedly scattered up to 1.5 kilometres (one mile) from the crash site. A strong wind warning was in place and it was raining hard at the time of the crash. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the families of the victims after being briefed on the crash by his transport and emergency situations ministers, the Kremlin said. The head of Russia's aviation agency said there was no doubt about the safety of the runway or facilities at Rostov-on-Don and brushed off any blame directed at the air traffic controllers. "In accordance with international flight rules the captain of the aircraft takes the decision to land," Alexandr Neradko was quoted as saying by Russian agencies. Flights were diverted to Krasnodar airport, 300 kilometres (180 miles) south of Rostov-on-Don, with officials saying the airport would stay closed until at least Monday. - Strong airline record - Following the crash, a criminal investigation was opened to determine whether any safety regulations were violated and if negligence played any part in the disaster. "Different versions for what happened are being worked through, among them a mistake made by the crew of the plane, a technical problem onboard, difficult weather conditions and other factors," Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said in a statement. Aircraft manufacturer Boeing said in a statement that it "stands ready to provide technical assistance upon the request of government agencies conducting the investigation." Based at Dubai airport, the low-cost airline has a strong safety record, although one of its planes was hit by a bullet as it landed in Baghdad airport in January 2015, prompting multiple companies to suspend flights to the Iraqi capital. No one was hurt in that incident. Russian airports have a patchy safety history with the fatal private jet crash in 2014 that killed Total oil giant's boss Christophe de Margerie on take-off in Moscow one of a string of incidents. The last major aviation tragedy involving Russia was in October last year, when a passenger jet on its way from Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort to Saint Petersburg was brought down by a bomb in the Sinai Peninsula. All 224 people on board, the vast majority of them Russian, were killed, with the Egyptian branch of the Islamic State group claiming responsibility for the attack. That incident saw Moscow stop flights to Egypt, cutting off one of the most popular holiday destinations for Russians. Moscow has also banned the sale of package tours to Turkey after Ankara shot down one of its jets in Syria in November. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Friday announced he will vote for Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in Utah's Tuesday nominating contest, citing a desire to halt the momentum of party front-runner Donald Trump. "Today, there is a contest between Trumpism and Republicanism. Through the calculated statements of its leader, Trumpism has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence. I am repulsed by each and every one of these", Romney, the 2012 Republican Party nominee, wrote on Facebook. "The only path that remains to nominate a Republican rather than Mr. Trump is to have an open convention," he said. "At this stage, the only way we can reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many of the remaining nominating elections as possible." (Reporting by Alana Wise; editing by Clive McKeef) BEIJING (Reuters) - Ethnic Uighur militants from western China are increasing their presence in Indonesia, China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, after Indonesian security forces said they killed two Uighurs belonging to a militant network. Indonesia has launched an aggressive, military-backed, security campaign in the jungles of Sulawesi island as it battles the threat from growing domestic support for the Islamic State militant group. Indonesian police said the two men killed in a clash on Tuesday were from China's Uighur Muslim minority who had joined Indonesia's most high-profile backer of Islamic State, a militant called Santoso, in central Sulawesi. Santoso, Indonesia's most wanted man, has been on the run for more than three years. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said he had noted the reports about the shootout and was trying to find out more. "China and Indonesia are both victims of terrorism and are facing new threats from the changing international and regional counter-terrorism environment," he told a daily news briefing. "In recent years, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) terrorist forces have continued to increase their infiltration of Indonesia and have linked up with Indonesian terrorist extremist groups and have opened a transhipment route for people to participate in international terrorist activities," Lu added. "This is not only threatens China's national security but is also a real danger to Indonesia's and the region's social stability." China says the ETIM is a militant group with ties to al Qaeda and it wants to establish an independent state called East Turkestan. Lu said China and Indonesia supported and understood each other on counter-terrorism and had very good cooperation, and China was willing to increase that. Four Uighur men were jailed last year in Indonesia for attempting to join the Sulawesi-based militants. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Uighurs keen to escape unrest in their homeland of Xinjiang in western China have traveled clandestinely via Southeast Asia to Turkey. China says they often end up crossing into Syria and Iraq to fight for Islamic State militants. Hundreds of people have been killed over the past few years in resource-rich Xinjiang, on the borders of central Asia, in violence between Uighurs and ethnic majority Han Chinese. Beijing has blamed much of the violence on militants led by ETIM. Rights groups and exiles say anger at Chinese controls on the religion and culture of the Uighurs is at the root of unrest in Xinjiang, not a yearning for a separate state. China denies any repression in Xinjiang. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel) Seoul (AFP) - The US Wednesday accused North Korea of jailing an American student for political reasons and called for his immediate release after Pyongyang sentenced him to 15 years' hard labour for stealing a propaganda sign from a hotel. Otto Warmbier, a 21-year-old student from the University of Virginia, was convicted of subversive activities and sentenced by North Korea's Supreme Court, the North's official KCNA news agency said. White House spokesman Josh Earnest charged that North Korea was using US citizens as "pawns to pursue a political agenda" and urged it to free him. "We strongly encourage the North Korean government to pardon him and grant him special amnesty and immediate release," said Earnest. "The allegations for which this individual was arrested and imprisoned would not give rise to arrest or imprisonment in the United States or in just about any other country in the world." Observers said the harsh sentence was likely a reflection of soaring military tensions on the divided Korean peninsula following the North's nuclear test in January and long-range rocket launch a month later. The United States took a leading role in securing the resulting sanctions that the UN Security Council imposed on the North earlier this month. In recent weeks Pyongyang has maintained a daily barrage of nuclear strike threats against both Seoul and Washington, ostensibly over ongoing large-scale South Korea-US military drills that the North sees as provocative rehearsals for invasion. In announcing the jail sentence, KCNA said Warmbier had committed his offence "pursuant to the US government's hostile policy" towards North Korea. - 'Hostile acts' - Warmbier had initially been arrested in early January on charges of "hostile acts" against the state. KCNA said he was convicted under an article of the criminal code dealing with subversion. "In the course of the inquiry, the accused confessed to the serious offence," it said, without elaborating. Story continues Warmbier was arrested as he was leaving the country with a tour group. He later said he had removed a political banner from the staff-only area of the Pyongyang hotel where the group had stayed. The sentence was handed down just hours after veteran US diplomat Bill Richardson reportedly met two diplomats from North Korea's UN office in New York to press for Warmbier's release. In the past, North Korea has used the detention of US citizens to obtain high-profile visits from the likes of former US presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton in order to secure their release. Richardson has travelled to North Korea several times over the years on diplomatic missions that have included negotiating the freedom of arrested Americans. The United States has no diplomatic or consular relations with the North. The Swedish embassy in Pyongyang provides limited consular services to US citizens detained there. Warmbier is one of three North Americans currently detained in North Korea, which recently sentenced a 60-year-old Canadian pastor to life imprisonment with hard labour on sedition charges. The US State Department "strongly recommends against all travel" to North Korea and specifically warns of the risk of arrest. - 'College prank' - Human Rights Watch said the severe sentence was shocking given that Warmbier's alleged offence amounted to little more than a "college-style prank". "Pyongyang should recognise this student's self-admitted mistake as a misdemeanour ... release him on humanitarian grounds, and send him home," said Phil Robertson, deputy director of the rights watchdog's Asia Division. Detained foreigners are often required to make a public, officially-scripted acknowledgement of wrongdoing, and Warmbier was paraded in front of reporters and diplomats in Pyongyang last month. Footage of the carefully orchestrated event showed a sobbing Warmbier pleading to be released and saying he had made "the worst mistake of my life". Warmbier said he had been tasked with stealing the banner by a member of the Friendship United Methodist Church in Wyoming, Ohio, who wanted it "as a trophy" and offered him a used car worth $10,000 if he succeeded. Political slogans extolling the achievements of the country and its leaders and encouraging citizens to work harder and demonstrate their loyalty are pervasive in North Korea. They can be seen on the streets and in nearly every public building, as well as every work unit. (Reuters) - A 26-year-old American man who was captured by Kurdish forces in Iraq earlier this week, said he had travelled from Turkey to join Islamic State before deciding to escape, according to an interview with Kurdish television on Thursday. Two Kurdish militia officers said on Monday an American, bearded and dressed in black, had surrendered after being surrounded near the village of Golat, in northern Iraq. The mans Virginia drivers license identified him as Kweis Mohammed Jamal. In the video Kweis, looking healthy but subdued, recounted his journey from the United States to Mosul and then into the hands of the Kurdish Peshmerga. Kweis said he travelled from the United States to London in December 2015 and continued to Amsterdam and then Turkey. In Turkey he met a woman from Mosul who said she could help him get to the Iraqi city, which has been under the militant groups control since 2014. We got to know each other. She knew someone who could take us from Turkey to Syria and from Syria to Mosul, he said. After a series of car rides Kweis and the woman separated and Kweis continued with some Islamic State fighters who took him to Mosul. There he stayed in a house holding about 70 people, including foreign recruits, all of whom had to hand over their passports to the Islamic State. The group included Russians, Uzbekis, Egyptians, Pakistanis, and Moroccans. Kweis said he was the only American. Our daily life was praying, eating and learning about the religion for about eight hours, he said. I found it very, very hard to live there. After a month, he decided to leave. I didnt really support their ideology. And thats the point when I decided I needed to escape, said Kweis. He found someone to take him as far as the Turkish border, where he could make contact with the Kurds. I made a bad decision to go with the girl and go to Mosul, he said. I wasnt thinking straight and on the way there I regretted it. More than 250 Americans have joined or tried to fight with Islamic State in Syria and Iraq since 2011, according to a September 2015 bipartisan congressional taskforce report. At least 80 men and women have been charged by federal prosecutors for connections to Islamic State, and 27 have been convicted. (Reporting By Jonathan Landay; Writing by Don Durfee; Editing by Michael Perry) AFP News Pro-Russian authorities on Saturday urged residents in the southern Kherson region, which Moscow claims to have annexed, to leave the main city "immediately" in the face of Kyiv's advancing counter-offensive. It comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched 36 rockets overnight in a "massive attack" on Ukraine, following reported strikes on energy infrastructure that resulted in power outages across the country. And Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida became the latest world leader to reproach Moscow for its talk of using nuclear weapons. Kyiv's forces have been advancing along the west bank of the Dnipro river, towards the Kherson region's eponymous main city. Kherson was the first major city to fall to Moscow's troops, and retaking it would be a major prize in Ukraine's counter-offensive. In recent days, Russia has been moving residents in the region -- which Moscow claims to have annexed in September -- east to Russia, in efforts Kyiv has denounced as "deportations". "Due to the tense situation on the front, the increased danger of mass shelling of the city and the threat of terrorist attacks, all civilians must immediately leave the city and cross to the left bank" of the Dnipro river, the region's pro-Russian authorities announced on social media. A Moscow-installed official in Kherson, Kirill Stremousov, told Russian news agency Interfax on Saturday that around 25,000 people had made the crossing. Sergiy Khlan, the Ukrainian deputy head of the Kherson region, said Russians were removing property and documents from banks and the passport office as they withdrew. Ukraine's general staff said Moscow's forces had abandoned two more settlements in Kherson and were evacuating medical personnel from a third, accusing them of looting local civilians. - A 'serious threat' - Earlier Saturday, Japan's Kishida denounced Moscow's comments regarding the possible use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict. "Russia's act of threatening the use of nuclear weapons is a serious threat to the peace and security of the international community and absolutely unacceptable," he said. The 77-year period of no nuclear weapons use "must not be ended", said Kishida, speaking in Australia. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Putin has made several thinly veiled threats about his willingness to deploy tactical nuclear weapons. Earlier this month, the European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that the Russian army would be "annihilated" if Russia launched such an attack. Washington has also warned Moscow of "catastrophic" consequences should they use such weapons. Japan is the only country ever to have been hit with nuclear weapons: the US atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, which killed 140,000 people, and the second US bomb on Nagasaki, three days later, which killed 74,000 people. - 'Afraid for our lives' - At a train station in the town of Dzhankoy in the north of Crimea, a peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, Kherson residents were boarding a train for southern Russia, an AFP reporter saw Friday. "We are leaving Kherson because heavy shelling started there, we are afraid for our lives," said Valentina Yelkina, a pensioner travelling with her daughter. More than a million households in Ukraine have been left without electricity following Russian strikes on energy facilities across the country, the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidency Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on Saturday. Fresh Russian strikes targeted energy infrastructure in Ukraine's west, the national operator said earlier, with officials in several regions of the war-scarred country reporting power outages as winter approaches. Russians "carried out another missile attack on energy facilities of the main networks of Ukraine's western regions", Ukraine's energy operator Ukrenergo said on social media. "These are vile strikes on critical objects," said Zelensky. "The world can and must stop this terror." Power outages were reported in other parts of the country and local officials repeated calls to reduce energy use. Some parts of Ukraine have already cut their electricity use by up to 20 percent, according to Ukrenergo. "Saturday in Ukraine starts with a barrage of Russian missiles aimed at critical civilian infrastructure," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter. He once again urged Kyiv's allies to hasten the delivery of air defence systems. In the Russian Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, at least two civilians were killed in strikes on Saturday, according to the local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. Nearly 15,000 people were left without electricity, he added. Russia last week reported a "considerable increase" in Ukrainian fire into its territory, saying attacks had largely concentrated on Belgorod region and neighbouring regions of Bryansk and Kursk. bur-imm/jj/ah By Jack Stubbs MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich said on Friday Kiev's new government was trying to obscure its failings by pushing through a law to confiscate his alleged offshore assets. Yanukovich has been living in exile in Russia since he was ousted by mass street protests in Kiev in 2014. His departure lit the fuse for Moscow's annexation of Crimea and a separatist uprising in mainly Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine. Ukraine's parliament provisionally approved on Thursday a law allowing the government to seize what it says are offshore assets of the Kremlin-backed former president without a court order. Yanukovich has largely stayed out of public view since his ouster. "The conversations about the 'mythical billions' of Yanukovich are nothing more than an attempt by the present political losers to distract Ukrainians from the fact they have brought the country to collapse. Politically and economically," Yanukovich said in written comments to Reuters. Ukrainians have grown increasingly impatient with Kiev's new leaders for not doing enough to tackle endemic corruption. Cosy ties between politicians and business flourished under Yanukovich and the former president is widely reviled in Ukraine - both by those who opposed him in the street protests and his former supporters in the east of the country who say he abandoned them by fleeing to Russia. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk's party said the law would allow the government to seize as much as 50 billion hryvnia ($1.9 billion) worth of government bonds and use the money for social and defence spending. Yanukovich bought the bonds with money plundered from the Ukrainian state, according to lawmakers, and owns them through a intricate network of offshore companies spread across Cyprus, the Seychelles, Britain, Panama and Belize. But Yanukovich said his assets in Ukraine consisted of one private house and bank accounts with less than 29 million hryvnia ($1.09 million), which have already been confiscated by state authorities. A letter from Ukraine's general prosecutor, a copy of which was provided to Reuters, confirmed that he had no bank accounts abroad, the former president added. Yanukovich said the law was being promoted by corrupt officials known for illegally seizing private assets, a practice known as "raiding". "If the law is accepted, top officials will be able to confiscate anything they want from any Ukrainian, without proof of guilt or a court order," he said. (Reporting by Jack Stubbs; Editing by Mark Heinrich) By Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran will likely escape new United Nations sanctions, though the U.N. Security Council could issue a public reprimand for recent launches of what Western officials described as ballistic missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, diplomats said. Council diplomats said the case for sanctions was weak, hinging on interpretation of ambiguous language in a resolution adopted by the 15-member body last July, part of an historic deal to curb Iran's nuclear work. International sanctions on Tehran were lifted in January under the nuclear deal brokered by Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the United States. Diplomats said all six countries agreed the ballistic missile tests do not violate the core agreement. However, the Security Council resolution "calls upon" Iran to refrain for up to eight years from activity, including launches, related to ballistic missiles designed with the capability of delivering nuclear weapons. Key powers agree that request is not legally binding and cannot be enforced under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which deals with sanctions and authorization of military force. But Western nations, which view the language as a ban, say there is a political obligation on Iran to comply. Britain said the missile launches show Iran's "blatant disregard" for the resolution, while France said it was "a case of non-compliance." The United States initially deemed the tests a violation, but has softened that stance, calling Iran "in defiance" of the resolution. Russia, which has Security Council veto power, says Iran has not violated the resolution. Russia opposes new U.N. sanctions, but acknowledged that if the missiles were proven capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, it could be suggested Tehran has not been "respectful" of the council. "A call is different from a ban, so legally you cannot violate a call, you can comply with a call or you can ignore the call, but you cannot violate a call," Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said on Monday. "The legal distinction is there." Laura Rockwood, former chief of the legal department at the International Atomic Energy Agency and now head of the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-proliferation, said of the U.N. resolution: "This was probably a classic case of language negotiated with 'constructive ambiguity' in mind." In a 2010 resolution, the Security Council decided Iran "shall not" carry out activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons - a clear, legal ban. The United States agreed to soften the language on ballistic missiles in the July resolution, largely because Russia and China insisted, diplomats said. "When you look at your hand, and you can't even bluff ... you fold," said a U.S. official. Despite Russia's opposition to new sanctions, the United States has vowed to continue pushing for U.N. Security Council action on the ballistic missile tests. Instead of sanctions, the council could decide to issue a statement rebuking Iran, not only for the missile tests, but for threatening another state. The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' missile battery said the missiles tested were designed to be able to hit U.S. ally Israel. The United States condemned the remarks and Russia said countries should not threaten each other. Churkin also argued the U.N. resolution required a heavy burden of proof that the ballistic missiles were "designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons." The United States and its European allies are expected to make a technical case to the council about how Iran failed to abide by the U.N. resolution. "These were designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons. This merits a council response," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, told reporters on Monday. According to the International Missile Control Regime, ballistic missiles are considered nuclear capable if they have a range of at least 300 km and can carry a payload of up to 500 kg. Mark Fitzpatrick of the International Institute for Strategic Studies said he did not believe Iran's missile launches were a violation of the "ambiguous" resolution because the "missiles in question can't be proven to have been designed to deliver nuclear weapons." Iranian officials, including pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani, insist Tehran's missile programme does not violate the nuclear deal or the U.N. resolution. "With Russia and China on Iran's side, there will be no resolutions, sanctions or any action against Iran over its missile or aerospace programs," said a senior official in Tehran, speaking on condition of anonymity. Now that sanctions on Tehran had been lifted, the official said Western countries were keen to do business in Iran. "Iran is not being seen as a danger any more even for the Western countries," the official said. "Iran is like a gold mine for them. They need us and we need them. So, why endanger this situation?" (Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed in Washington, Parisa Hafezi in Ankara and John Irish in Paris; Editing by David Gregorio) With the main challenger airlifted from jail to a Paris hospital and an opposition boycott, President Mahamadou Issoufou seems certain to win re-election on Sunday in Niger, one of the world's poorest countries. Sunday's second-round ballot is the first-ever run-off in this vast African nation of some 18 million people which is increasingly facing jihadist attacks. It pits the 64-year-old Issoufou, a former mining engineer nicknamed "the Lion", against former ally Hama Amadou, 66, known as "the Phoenix" for his ability to make political comebacks. Amadou has been forced to campaign from behind bars after being detained on November 14 on baby-trafficking charges he says are bogus and aimed at keeping him out of the race. Then just days before the vote, he was evacuated from prison and flown to Paris for medical treatment, with the government saying he was suffering from an unspecified "chronic ailment." On Friday, Amadou's doctor said his condition was getting better but added that he would have to remain under observation for "at least 10 days." "His health is improving and currently his condition is not life-threatening," said Luc Karsenty, a doctor at the American Hospital in the chic western Paris suburb of Neuilly. The hasty evacuation has created a tense atmosphere in the country, which has suffered from several military coups and has only had a multi-party democracy since 1990. The run-up to the first-round vote was marred by violence between supporters of the rival camps, the arrest of several leading political personalities and the government's announcement that it had foiled a coup bid. - Unfair treatment - Issoufou, who is seeking a second term in office, took a solid lead with 48.4 percent in the initial vote on February 21, way ahead of Amadou, who scored 17.7 percent. During the campaign, Issoufou, who took office in 2011, repeatedly pledged to bring prosperity to this dirt poor but uranium-rich country and prevent further jihadist attacks in its vast remote northern deserts and from Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists to the south. Just three days before the vote, Niger suffered two jihadist attacks -- one in the west claimed by Al-Qaeda's north African affiliate which killed three gendarmes and another by Boko Haram in which a senior army officer died. Although Amadou, a former parliamentary speaker, backed Issoufou in 2011, he shifted into opposition in 2013. His supporters accuse Issoufou's regime of bad governance, saying it has failed to eradicate poverty in the country. But a clear-cut victory appears assured for Issoufou, who missed winning an absolute majority in the first round by just 75,000 votes. He has managed to secure the support of former deputy cabinet head Ibrahim Yacouba and two other low polling candidates from the initial round. The opposition has alleged fraud in the first round, claiming "unfair treatment between the two candidates" and has raised fears of Sunday's vote ending with a Stalinesque result. - Opposition demands new vote - On Thursday, the opposition coalition said it would not recognise the results and called for "a political transition" to pave the way for "democratic, free, legitimate, transparent and honest" elections. The declaration drew scorn from the regime. "We don't need their recognition," said Mohamed Bazoum, a minister without portfolio and key figure in the Issoufou regime. "They are not united. Some of them even tried to get Hama Amadou to withdraw." Amadou's imprisonment since November in the town of Filingue, about 180 kilometres (112 miles) from the capital Niamey, took a dramatic turn recently with the government saying he was in poor health and suffering from eye problems. Amadou was supposed to be evacuated from prison to a hospital in Niamey but the government said it could not do so as the helicopter due to airlift him had broken down. But the official version on Amadou's ailment changed with the government saying he was suffering from an unspecified "chronic ailment" and he was evacuated on Wednesday to Paris for medical treatment. By Nick Tattersall and Orhan Coskun ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed himself and four others in a central Istanbul shopping and tourism district on Saturday, wounding at least 36 people in the fourth such attack in Turkey this year. The blast sent panicked shoppers scurrying into side alleys off Istiklal Street, a long pedestrian avenue lined with international stores and foreign consulates, a few hundred metres from an area where police buses are often stationed. The attack will raise further questions about NATO member Turkey's ability to protect itself against a spillover of violence from the war in neighbouring Syria. Turkey faces threats from Kurdish militants, whose insurgency has spread from the largely Kurdish southeast and who Ankara sees as closely linked to a Kurdish militia in Syria, and from Islamic State fighters, who have also recently targeted it. Germany shut down its diplomatic missions and schools on Thursday, citing a specific threat. Meanwhile, U.S. and other European embassies had warned their citizens to be vigilant ahead of Newroz celebrations this weekend, a spring festival largely marked by Kurds which has turned violent in the past. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, which two senior officials said could have been carried out by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), fighting for Kurdish autonomy in the southeast, or by an Islamic State militant. Both groups have targeted Turkey in recent months. A PKK offshoot claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings in the capital Ankara over the past month, which killed a total of 66 people. Islamic State was blamed for a suicide bombing in Istanbul in January which killed at least 12 German tourists. One of the officials said the bomber had planned to hit a more crowded location but was deterred by the police presence. "The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the target point because they were scared of the police," the official said, declining to be named as the investigation is ongoing. Another official said investigations were focusing on three possible suspects, all of them male and two of them from the southern city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border. There was no further confirmation of this. Armed police sealed off the shopping street where half a dozen ambulances had gathered. Forensic teams in white suits searched for evidence as police helicopters buzzed overhead. "I saw a body on the street. No one was treating him but then I saw someone who appeared to be a regular citizen trying to do something to the body. That was enough for me and I turned and went back," one resident told Reuters. Istiklal Street, usually thronged with shoppers at weekends, was quieter than normal as more people are staying home after a series of deadly bombings. Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu confirmed that 36 people had been wounded, seven of those were in serious condition and at least 12 of them were foreigners. Three Israeli citizens may be among those killed and 11 were injured, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said, adding Israel was sending a plane to bring back some wounded. Turkish officials said one Iranian and one Israeli were among the dead. Ireland said "a number" of Irish were hurt, while broadcaster NTV said two Icelandic citizens were also injured. INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION Turkey is still in shock from a suicide car bombing last Sunday at a crowded transport hub in the capital Ankara which killed 37 people and a similar bombing in Ankara last month in which 29 died. A PKK offshoot claimed responsibility for both. However, the Istanbul suicide bombing, which killed German tourists in January, struck at its historic heart and was blamed by the government on Islamic State. The latest attack brought widespread condemnation. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on an official visit to Istanbul, said it showed "the ugly face of terrorism", while France condemned it as "despicable and cowardly". NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg described the attack as "another terrorist outrage against innocent civilians and ally Turkey" on Twitter, while Germany urged tourists in Istanbul to stay in their hotels. Turkey's Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a Kurdish-rooted opposition party, condemned the bombing. "Just as in the Ankara attack, this is a terrorist act that directly targets civilians," the HDP said in an e-mail. Turkey is a member of the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. It is also battling the PKK in its own southeast, where a 2-1/2-year ceasefire collapsed last July, triggering the worst violence since the 1990s. In its armed campaign in Turkey, the PKK has historically struck directly at the security forces and says it does not target civilians. However, recent bombings suggest it could be shifting tactics. One of the Turkish officials said the PKK was looking to carry out attacks during the Newroz holiday. The PKK's umbrella group said in a statement its movement opposed targeting civilians and condemned attacks on them. At the height of the PKK insurgency in the 1990s, the Newroz festival often saw clashes between Kurdish protesters and security forces. (Additional reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley, Asli Kandemir, Humeyra Pamuk and Daren Butler in Istanbul, John Irish in Paris, Paris Hafezi in Ankara, Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem, Hans-Edzard Busemann in Berlin; Padraic Halpin in Dublin; Writing by David Dolan and Nick Tattersall; Editing by Tom Heneghan and Alexander Smith) The Saudi-led coalition bombing Yemen for one year has caused the vast majority of civilian deaths in the conflict, the UN rights chief said Friday, warning international crimes may have been committed. During its campaign against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen there have been repeated criticisms that coalition air strikes have not done enough to avoid non-military targets. Rights groups have also raised concerns about civilian casualties caused by the Huthi rebels, but United Nations human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said the coalition bore the greatest responsibility. "Looking at the figures, it would seem that the coalition is responsible for twice as many civilian casualties as all other forces put together, virtually all as a result of air strikes," Zeid said in a statement. "We are possibly looking at the commission of international crimes by members of the coalition." That could include war crimes but an investigation would need to be conducted, Zeid's spokesman said. His office said it had tallied just under 9,000 civilian casualties, including 3,218 killed, since the coalition on March 26 last year intervened to support President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after rebels seized large parts of Yemen including the capital Sanaa. The Huthis are allied with elite troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Zeid voiced particular alarm at two air strikes on a market this week in northern Yemen's rebel-held Hajja province. The UN children's agency on Thursday put the death toll from those strikes at 119, and Zeid's office said Friday that 106 of those killed in the crowded market were civilians, including 24 children. - 'Repeated failure' - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon demanded an investigation into the incident, one of the deadliest yet in the war. During an exclusive interview on Wednesday the coalition spokesman, Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri, told AFP the strikes targeted "a militia gathering", the term he uses to describe Huthis. Assiri said an independent panel was being formed nationally to examine charges of possible abuses against civilians in the war. The alliance says it does not aim at civilians, and that targeting is verified many times to ensure non-combatants will not be killed. Zeid's office condemned "the repeated failure of the coalition forces to take effective actions to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, and to publish transparent, independent investigations into those that have already occurred." Assiri said the coalition itself has investigated various incidents and some of the findings have been released. The latest controversy comes with the coalition "in the end of the major combat phase", according to Assiri, who said security stabilisation and then reconstruction would follow. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Thursday that "we would welcome and do welcome" Assiri's comment about an end to major operations. "We have expressed our concerns about the loss of innocent life in Yemen. The violence there that is plaguing that country has caught too many innocent civilians in the crossfire," Earnest said. - 'Horrific costs' - While the United States has provided logistical and intelligence support to the coalition, the White House has privately expressed anger about the loss of civilian lives. US support includes targeting assistance, which officials say makes strikes less indiscriminate. "The Yemen operation I think by all accounts has produced horrific costs and tangled the United States in this conflict," said Frederic Wehrey of the Middle East Programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. There may now be "the start of a recalibration" but the proof will lie in what happens on the ground, he said. "They've done these announcements before," Wehrey told AFP. Last April, Saudi Arabia announced an end to its initial air strikes in Yemen, dubbed "Decisive Storm", and a Saudi newspaper proclaimed "Mission Accomplished". But the war has continued, with coalition forces providing training, equipment and guidance to Yemen's army, backed by the coalition air support, Assiri said. Anti-rebel forces have retaken territory, including much of the south, but have failed to dislodge the Shiite Huthi rebels from Sanaa or to completely remove them from the country's third city Taez where intense battles continue. Mustafa Alani, of the independent Gulf Research Centre, said that although fighting is not necessarily going to finish by March 26 "the operation is basically reaching its end". He said the coalition was keen "not to go beyond that psychological date." The human gut is a complex and amazing system, and the more we learn about it, the more amazed we are. It turns out By Anthony Boadle and Leonardo Goy BRASILIA (Reuters) - Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in as chief of staff to his successor Dilma Rousseff on Thursday as a judge sought to block his appointment and Congress began proceedings to impeach her in a deepening political crisis. Police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of opposition demonstrators who clashed with Lula's leftist supporters outside the presidential palace where he was sworn in, while ministers and corruption investigators traded barbs throughout the day. Spontaneous protests also blocked major avenues in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, spurred by anger that Lula's appointment will shield the former president from prosecutors who charged him with money laundering and fraud as part of a sweeping graft probe centered on state-run oil company Petrobras . Only Brazil's Supreme Court has jurisdiction in cases against ministers. Shortly after the swearing-in ceremony, a federal judge in Brasilia issued an injunction against Lula's appointment on the grounds it blocked "the free exercise of justice." Attorney General Jose Eduardo Cardozo vowed to appeal the injunction against Lula joining the government, which he called the decision of a partisan judge. The standoff inflamed tensions that are already running high between Brazil's executive and judiciary branches, as the Petrobras probe reaches Rousseff's inner circle and hangs over a congressional impeachment committee named on Thursday. Calls for Rousseff's impeachment have centered on allegations, unrelated to Petrobras, that she broke budget rules to boost spending as she campaigned for re-election in 2014. A 65-member impeachment committee in the lower house of Congress will now study if there are grounds to try her in the Senate. Rousseff and Lula have both denied any wrongdoing. Deliberations could drag on for months on the impeachment committee. Seats were spread among all parties in the lower house of Congress, but the key roles of committee president and rapporteur were given to close allies of Speaker Eduardo Cunha, a sworn political enemy of the president. Brazil's benchmark stock index <.BVSP> rallied 6.6 percent, the biggest daily jump in seven years, and the Brazilian real firmed 2.3 percent as the political crisis increased bets that Rousseff's ouster could bring a more market-friendly administration to power. The real's 10 percent gain so far this month led the central bank to scale back its currency intervention. Rousseff appointed her mentor, who remains one of Brazil's most influential politicians six years after leaving office, in an effort to fight impeachment and win back working-class supporters amid the worst economic recession in decades. The corruption probe, however, has weakened Lula's sway in Congress and there are growing signs that Rousseff's main coalition partner is ready to abandon the unpopular government. "UNDERGROUND WAR" As Rousseff swore Lula into office, she strongly criticized the release on Wednesday of a taped telephone conversation between them that was made public by Sergio Moro, the crusading federal judge overseeing the Petrobras investigation. Moro, the public face of the biggest graft probe in Brazilian history, said the tape showed they had discussed influencing prosecutors and courts to protect Lula, who leaves Moro's jurisdiction by joining the government. "Convulsing Brazilian society with lies, with reprehensible practices violates constitutional rights and as well as the rights of citizens," said Rousseff, who called the recording illegal and anti-democratic. Judiciary associations and prosecutors working with Moro sprang to his defense, repudiating what they called efforts to intimidate him and his team of investigators. "Those telephone conversations provide evidence of obstructing the investigation, part of a treacherous underground war waged in the shadows, far from the courts," wrote 13 federal prosecutors on Moro's task force in a public statement. Moro said in a court filing released on Wednesday that the taped telephone conversations did not provide proof that Lula and Rousseff were interfering with his investigation. He said, however, that he released the recordings because citizens had a right to know how they were being governed. One recording, made public by the court, included Rousseff offering to send Lula a copy of his appointment urgently "in case it was necessary" - a possible reference to the ministerial post providing him with immediate immunity from arrest. Brazil's biggest-ever corruption probe, which centers on bribes and political kickbacks at Petrobras, has convicted dozens of powerful executives and politicians while recovering 2.9 billion reais ($795 million) in stolen money. Prosecutors accuse Lula of concealing ownership of an oceanfront apartment that was built and furnished by one of the Petrobras contractors in the graft scheme. The widening bribery scandal has divided Rousseff's fractious coalition and moved the PMDB party, the largest in Congress, closer to breaking with her government. Vice President Michel Temer, leader of the PMDB, did not attend the swearing-in of Lula because Rousseff appointed a lawmaker from his party as civil aviation minister, Temer's aides said. A PMDB convention on Saturday banned its members from taking new posts in her government. (Additional reporting by Caroline Stauffer and Maria Carolina Marcello; Editing by Daniel Flynn, Brad Haynes and Tom Brown) By Jack Stubbs MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich said on Friday Kiev's new government was trying to obscure its failings by pushing through a law to confiscate his alleged offshore assets. Yanukovich has been living in exile in Russia since he was ousted by mass street protests in Kiev in 2014. His departure lit the fuse for Moscow's annexation of Crimea and a separatist uprising in mainly Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine. Ukraine's parliament provisionally approved on Thursday a law allowing the government to seize what it says are offshore assets of the Kremlin-backed former president without a court order. Yanukovich has largely stayed out of public view since his ouster. "The conversations about the 'mythical billions' of Yanukovich are nothing more than an attempt by the present political losers to distract Ukrainians from the fact they have brought the country to collapse. Politically and economically," Yanukovich said in written comments to Reuters. Ukrainians have grown increasingly impatient with Kiev's new leaders for not doing enough to tackle endemic corruption. Cosy ties between politicians and business flourished under Yanukovich and the former president is widely reviled in Ukraine - both by those who opposed him in the street protests and his former supporters in the east of the country who say he abandoned them by fleeing to Russia. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk's party said the law would allow the government to seize as much as 50 billion hryvnia (1.3 billion pounds) worth of government bonds and use the money for social and defence spending. Yanukovich bought the bonds with money plundered from the Ukrainian state, according to lawmakers, and owns them through a intricate network of offshore companies spread across Cyprus, the Seychelles, Britain, Panama and Belize. But Yanukovich said his assets in Ukraine consisted of one private house and bank accounts with less than 29 million hryvnia, which have already been confiscated by state authorities. A letter from Ukraine's general prosecutor, a copy of which was provided to Reuters, confirmed that he had no bank accounts abroad, the former president added. Yanukovich said the law was being promoted by corrupt officials known for illegally seizing private assets, a practice known as "raiding". "If the law is accepted, top officials will be able to confiscate anything they want from any Ukrainian, without proof of guilt or a court order," he said. (Reporting by Jack Stubbs; Editing by Mark Heinrich) RIYADH (Reuters) - The spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition battling the Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen has been quoted as saying major fighting in the country is drawing towards a close, one year after the military campaign began. Fighting on two of the main battlefronts in Yemen, along the border with Saudi Arabia and in the city of Taiz, has calmed this month following mediation by local tribes and there have been secret talks in Saudi Arabia towards finding a resolution. Saudi TV channel al-Arabiya quoted the spokesman, Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asseri, as saying on Thursday that "the major fighting in Yemen is nearing an end ... (and) the next phase is a stage of restoring stability and reconstructing the country". Arabiya gave no further details and Asseri could not be immediately reached for comment. The Saudi-led coalition began its military campaign a year ago with the aim of preventing the Houthi group and forces loyal to Yemen's ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh from taking control of the country. It also aims to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power in the capital Sanaa. Asseri and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir have in recent days said that any peace talks can only take place between Hadi and the Houthis, and through the U.N. special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. Asseri announced last April that the coalition's initial operation had ended, saying it had "neutralised most of the military capabilities of the Houthi militias and their allies that represented a threat to Yemen and neighbouring countries". However, the fighting then intensified as the coalition added small numbers of ground troops to support Yemeni fighters, backed by an increasingly heavy air campaign. The coalition retook Yemen's second city, Aden, from the Houthis and Saleh's forces in July, the northeastern town of Marib in September and the small northwestern port of Midi this year. Bitter fighting in Taiz since the autumn calmed somewhat this month and a Houthi siege of the city ended. Near-daily attacks on Saudi border positions have gone on for months, killing hundreds of the kingdom's soldiers and civilian residents of frontier regions. More than 6,000 Yemenis, about half of them civilians, have been killed in the fighting and airstrikes over the past year, the United Nations says. Millions more have been displaced. (Reporting By Angus McDowall; Editing by Gareth Jones) By Joel Schectman and Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama imposed sweeping new sanctions on North Korea on Wednesday intended to further isolate the country's leadership after recent actions by Pyongyang that have been seen by Washington and its allies as provocative. The executive order freezes any property of the North Korean government in the United States and prohibits exportation of goods from the United States to North Korea. It also allows the U.S. government to blacklist any individuals, whether or not they are U.S. citizens, who deal with major sectors of North Korea's economy. Experts said the measures vastly expanded the U.S. blockade against Pyongyang. North Korea conducted a nuclear test on Jan. 6, and a Feb. 7 rocket launch that the United States and its allies said employed banned ballistic missile technology. Pyongyang said it was a peaceful satellite launch. "The U.S. and the global community will not tolerate North Korea's illicit nuclear and ballistic missile activities, and we will continue to impose costs on North Korea until it comes into compliance with its international obligations," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. Despite decades of tensions, the United States has not had a comprehensive trade ban against North Korea of the kind enacted against Myanmar and Iran. Americans were allowed to make limited sales to North Korea, although in practice such trade was tiny. U.S. officials had believed a blanket trade ban would be ineffective without a stronger commitment from China, North Korea's largest trading partner. But with China signing on to new U.N. sanctions earlier this month, that obstacle has been removed, experts said. "North Korean sanctions are finally getting serious," said Peter Harrell, a former senior State Department official who worked on sanctions. The new sanctions threaten to ban from the global financial system anyone, even Europeans and Asians, who does business with broad swaths of Pyongyang's economy, including its financial, mining and transportation sectors. The so-called secondary sanctions will compel banks to freeze the assets of anyone who breaks the blockade, potentially squeezing out North Korea's business ties in China and Myanmar. "It's going to be very hard for North Korea to move money anywhere in the world," said Harrell, now with the Center for a New American Security. (Additional reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by James Dalgleish and Peter Cooney) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia has withdrawn most of its strike aircraft from Syria, the U.S. military said on Friday, adding that Russia had also not carried out air strikes in the north of the country this week. "They still have helicopters and some transport aircraft. But what we've seen is that the majority of Russian strike aircraft have left Syria," Colonel Patrick Ryder, a spokesman at the U.S. military's Central Command, told Pentagon reporters. Ryder initially said the United States had not seen Russia carrying out any air strikes in recent days but later clarified that applied only to northern Syria. "While we've seen no Russian airstrikes in the northern areas of Syria this week, it appears the Russians have conducted some airstrikes after all in southern Syria in the vicinity of Palmyra in support of the Syrian regime," Ryder said. (This version of the story was officially corrected to say no more air strikes in northern Syria as opposed to entire country) (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) By Paul Taylor BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A deal between the European Union and Turkey meant to curb the flow of migrants into Europe in return for financial and political rewards could unravel within months because neither side looks able to deliver on its commitments. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and European Council President Donald Tusk wore relieved smiles on Friday as they sealed a pact for Ankara to take back all migrants and refugees who cross to Greece in exchange for more money, faster visa-free travel for Turks and slightly accelerated EU membership talks. But for Turkey to halt the flow of migrants to Europe will require a major redeployment of its security apparatus to shut down a lucrative people-smuggling business at a time when President Tayyip Erdogan has more pressing priorities. With impeccable timing, Turkish authorities announced they had detained 3,000 would-be migrants on Friday, but Greek officials say Ankara has done little to stop the flow since November, when the EU and Turkey made a first deal. Yet Erdogan is more focused on extending his presidential powers, fighting Kurdish militants and preventing spillover from Syria's civil war. For Greece to be able to process and send back those migrants who continue to reach its islands would require a transformation of its threadbare asylum and justice systems with scant resources and uncertain EU assistance. The European Court of Human rights considers Athens' system so poor that it ruled that sending migrants back there from other European countries was inhumane. Yet the new arrangements are supposed to start from Sunday, with the first returns set for April 4. One EU diplomat said that was like expecting Greece to turn itself into the Netherlands over a weekend. For the EU to resettle, as promised, thousands of legal Syrian refugees directly from Turkey - one for each Syrian returned from the Greek islands - will require most member states to take in more refugees than they have been willing to share out so far. In the current climate of anti-immigration populism in many countries, that may be a tall order. The joint statement did not spell out who would return potentially unwilling migrants from Greece to Turkey, a task that may fall to the EU's Frontex border agency under the critical gaze of the media and humanitarian groups. Greek officials say they are worried it could turn violent. Images of Afghans, Iraqis or Syrians being removed against their will could lead to an international outcry. In a foretaste, rights group Amnesty International posted a harrowing picture of refugees cowering behind barbed wire outside the EU summit center with the slogan "Don't trade refugees. Stop the deal!" LOGISTICAL CHALLENGE Greece already faces a huge logistical challenge with 43,000 migrants bottled up in the economically ravaged country since its northern neighbors shut their borders, and more continuing to arrive daily, albeit at a slower pace. And all this is before the summer weather and calmer seas that facilitated last year's mass influx. For the EU to give Turks visa-free travel by the end of June also requires a leap of faith, since Ankara has so far met fewer than half of the 72 conditions. European officials stress the ball is in Turkey's court to pass the necessary laws and change its visa regime with other, notably Muslim countries. The EU managed to sidestep a potential stumbling block over Cyprus by agreeing to limit Turkey's progress in snail's pace membership negotiations to one policy area - budget - which Nicosia has not blocked. That got around a standoff over Ankara's refusal to open Turkish ports and airports to Cypriot traffic. A late addition to the agreement also reminds Ankara of its commitments to the Turkey-EU customs union under which it should open its ports. If both sides are lucky, the vexed Cyprus issue may not impinge on the migration deal for months, leaving time for peace talks now under way that may lead to the reunification of the east Mediterranean island after more than 40 years of division. EU leaders desperate to stop the chaotic migration flow were willing to suspend their disbelief and swallow legal qualms - at least in public - because they had no better alternative. But they have few illusions. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the deal's co-architect, said there were bound to be setbacks and big legal challenges but she hoped the deal had "irreversible momentum". Tusk, who chaired the summit, said the deal was the best the EU could do for now. "A piece of something is better than a piece of nothing," he said. "There are many bits of this deal that clearly don't add up," a senior EU official acknowledged. "Much of the details will be left to be worked out at lower level later on." The optimistic version, voiced by Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, is that some "intelligent synchronization" can be found between the Cyprus peace process and Turkey's migration deal. Critics say that is just EU wishful thinking. 'NO BETTER PLAN' Some experts believe Turkish leaders don't expect the EU to keep its word on visas, refugee resettlement or the membership talks and are planning to turn a predictable failure to domestic political advantage. "Davutoglu and Erdogan know perfectly well that neither side will deliver," said Michael Leigh, senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund think-tank and a former director-general of the EU's enlargement department. "What Erdogan wants is a constitutional power change ... so he will present it at the right moment as a European betrayal and call a vote to get more powers," Leigh said. At most, he said, the EU could fulfill the financial part of the bargain if Germany pays the lion's share of the extra 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion) Ankara was promised to support Syrian refugees in Turkey. Sidelined by Merkel when she drafted the outline deal with Davutoglu last week, French President Francois Hollande made clear he would hold Turkey to meeting EU visa standards in full. "Visas can only be liberalized if all the conditions are met and I remind you there are 72 of them," Hollande told reporters. A French diplomat said Turkey had only fulfilled 10 benchmarks fully so far and another 26 were under way. EU diplomats are skeptical that Ankara will be able to meet all the required benchmarks in time, but such is the urgent need to get the migration crisis under control that they would rather clinch a deal now and deal with shortcomings later. "It's difficult but everyone has an interest in trying to make this work and no one has a better plan," a senior EU diplomat said. ($1 = 0.8872 euros) (Writing by Paul Taylor; Editing by Pravin Char) Modified On Apr 02, 2016 12:43 PM By Nabeel for Hyundai Creta 2015-2020 The Hyundai Creta has been a huge success for the Korean automaker in not only the Indian market but internationally too. The product otherwise known as the ix25 will soon be exported to a total of 92 countries. The SUV is only manufactured in India and China, and is only exported from Indian shores. Currently, the domestic demand is so high that Hyundai is only able to manage exports to a few regions. Recently, the Creta was spotted testing in Brazil, which showed that Hyundai is keen on expanding the Cretas market. The demand in India for the Creta has been so high that Hyundai has to constantly increase its production numbers to reduce the waiting period. Recently, as the Creta crossed the one lac bookings milestone, Hyundai had to increase the production from 10,000 to about 12,50013,000 units per month. The recently launched Vitara Brezza, though it belongs to a different segment, poses a threat to the Korean SUV. However, only time will tell if our speculation is right. The India-made Creta is currently exported to more than 44 nations, including countries in South East Asia, South America, Africa and the Middle East. Hyundai has also sent some units to the US for testing. Watch Expert Review of Hyundai Creta 1.6 VTVT (Petrol ) Also Read: Hyundai Creta Gets over 1 Lac Bookings Read More on : Hyundai Creta Fundamental Forecast for the Australian Dollar: Neutral Australian Dollar soars to nine-month high after dovish FOMC outcome Pre-holiday liquidity drain, corrective flows may weigh on Aussie Dollar US and Eurozone news-flow may influence AUD alongside risk trends Are FXCM traders buying or selling AUD/USD, and what does that mean for you? Find out here ! The Australian Dollar enters a period of relative quiet after back-to-back weeks of intense event risk. Prices jumped to the highest level in close to nine months last week in the wake of the FOMC monetary policy announcement, which saw policymakers deliver a more dovish tone than markets anticipated. Chair Janet Yellen and company highlighted a precarious global environment and trimmed their 2016 rate hike outlook to just 50bps, down from 100bps estimated in December. Looking ahead, a lull in high-profile event risk on the domestic and the external fronts offers prices the opportunity to consolidate recent volatility. The upcoming week will also be shortened by closures for the Good Friday holiday across most major exchanges. This is likely to bring ebbing liquidity in the second part of the week. While thin trading conditions may make for even more restrained activity, it could likewise amplify kneejerk price swings in the event that an unexpected headline of significance crosses the wires. With that in mind, traders may look to trim exposure ahead of the drain in the first part of the week. This could bring an unwinding of long-AUD bets, driving a retracement downward. A handful of US activity indicators are due to cross the wires. The Durable Goods Orders report takes top billing, with readings on existing and new Home Sales also on tap. The preliminary set of March Eurozone PMIs is also set for release. Taken together, the outcomes may inform the outlook on global economic growth and thereby influence risk appetite trends. Soft results may feed into concerns about slowing growth and undermine sentiment, weighing on the cycle-sensitive Aussie. Indeed, the correlation between the currency and the S&P 500 stock index a benchmark for market-wide risk trends remains elevated at 0.92 on rolling 20-day studies. Alternatively, upbeat outcomes may yield the opposite dynamic. . March 20, 2016 will be remembered as a milestone in history for its massive protest of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) at its annual conference in Washington DC which this year will be a presidential election rally for the twin parties of war and fascism, the Democrat-Republicans, both 100% pro-Israel at all levels of office with Democrat Clinton and Republican Trump scheduled to address this fascist, racist, anti-Communist, anti-Palestinian, war-promoting gang. On the same day, Democrat, CIA-Family member lame-duck Pres Obama will be visiting Cuba, the first visit by a US president in office to Cuba since Calvin Coolidge did so in 1928. Cubas January 1, 1959 revolution has much to teach us. March 20, 2016 will be remembered as a milestone in history for its massive protest of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) at its annual conference in Washington DC which this year will be a presidential election rally for the twin parties of war and fascism, the Democrat-Republicans, both 100% pro-Israel at all levels of office with Democrat Clinton and Republican Trump scheduled to address this fascist, racist, anti-Communist, anti-Palestinian war-promoting gang. On the same day, Democrat, CIA-Family member lame-duck Pres Obama will be visiting Cuba, the first visit by a US president in office to Cuba since Calvin Coolidge did so in 1928. Cubas January 1, 1959 revolution has much to teach us.Buses are being chartered from New York City, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Columbus and Dearborn to Washington, DC. This protest marks the official beginning of a new era of struggle that was unthinkable a generation ago (30 years) and was just coming together 16 years ago. It is not to be missed by anyone who wants an end to the US-Israel worldwide war machine that exists to maximize the profits of the capitalist class, the greatest profits being in munitions and oil. Whether you can be there in person or assist in any way, you can help make history. The ANSWER Coalition ( http://www.answercoalition.org ) and Al-Awda, the Palestinian Right to Return Coalition ( https://www.facebook.com/events/1647286998884566/ ) are among the organizers.The Cuban Revolution has advanced the needs and interests of the workingclass so far ahead of the standard of living in the United States despite the US embargo, effectively a blockade commenced by the Democrat-Republicans in 1960, one year after the revolution, that the cries on the part of the Democrat-Republican Parties for more human rights in Cuba when the American human rights record would make Hitler proud, are despicable hypocrisy. A good article describing the highlights of Cubas advances, despite the blockade and the loss of the Soviet Union in 1991, is Human Rights Hypocrisy: US Criticizes Cuba by Marjorie Cohn, 3/18/16 at http://www.globalresearch.ca/human-rights-hypocrisy-us-criticizes-cuba/5515069 . Cohn, a former president of the National Lawyers Guild, and deputy secretary general of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers, has some very important comparisons that can only be achieved by a society that ELIMINATES the private profit system and ALWAYS puts butter before guns, UNLIKE SANDERS, CLINTON AND TRUMP, ALL OF WHOM ARE PRO-ISRAEL AND SUPPORT THE ENTIRE WAR MACHINE INCLUDING NAZI UKRAINE.Marjorie Cohn states:HealthcareUnlike in the United States, healthcare is considered a right in Cuba. Universal healthcare is free to all. Cuba has the highest ratio of doctors to patients in the world at 6.7 per 1,000 people. The 2014 infant mortality rate was 4.2 per 1,000 live births one of the lowest in the world.Healthcare in Cuba emphasizes prevention, rather than relying only on medicine, partly due to the limited access to medicines occasioned by the US blockade. In 2014, the Lancet Journal said, If the accomplishments of Cuba could be reproduced across a broad range of poor and middle-income countries the health of the worlds population would be transformed. Cuba has developed pioneering medicines to treat and prevent lung cancer, and prevent diabetic amputations. Because of the blockade, however, we in the United States cannot take advantage of them.EducationFree education is a universal right up to and including higher education. Cuba spends a larger proportion of its GDP on education than any other country in the world. Mobile teachers are deployed to homes if children are unable to attend school. Many schools provide free morning and after-school care for working parents who have no extended family. It is free to train to be a doctor in Cuba. There are 22 medical schools in Cuba, up from only 3 in 1959 before the Cuban Revolution.ElectionsElections to Cubas national parliament (the National Assembly) take place every five years and elections to regional Municipal Assemblies every 2.5 years. Delegates to the National Assembly then elect the Council of State, which in turn appoints the Council of Ministers from which the President is elected.As of 2018 (the date of the next general election in Cuba), there will be a limit of no more than two five-year terms for all senior elected positions, including the President. Anyone can be nominated to be a candidate. It is not required that one be a member of the Communist Party (CP). No money can be spent promoting candidates and no political parties (including the CP) are permitted to campaign during elections. Military personnel are not on duty at polling stations; school children guard the ballot boxes.Labor RightsCuban law guarantees the right to voluntarily form and join trade unions. Unions are legally independent and financially autonomous, independent of the CP and the state, funded by members subscriptions. Workers rights protected by unions include a written contract, a 40-44-hour week, and 30 days paid annual leave in the state sector.Unions have the right to stop work they consider dangerous. They have the right to participate in company management, to receive management information, to office space and materials, and to facility time for representatives. Union agreement is required for lay-offs, changes in patterns of working hours, overtime, and the annual safety report. Unions also have a political role in Cuba and have a constitutional right to be consulted about employment law. They also have the right to propose new laws to the National Assembly.WomenWomen make up the majority of Cuban judges, attorneys, lawyers, scientists, technical workers, public health workers and professionals. Cuba is ranked first in Save the Childrens Lesser Developed Countries Mothers Index. With over 48% women MPs, Cuba has the third highest percentage of female parliamentarians in the world. Women receive 9 months of full salary during paid maternity leave, followed by 3 months at 75% of full salary. The government subsidizes abortion and family planning, places a high value on pre-natal care, and offers maternity housing to women before giving birth.Life ExpectancyIn 2013, the World Health Organization listed life expectancy for women in Cuba at 80; the figure was 77 for men. The probability of dying between ages 15 and 60 years per 1,000 people in the population was 115 for men and 73 for women in Cuba.During the same period, life expectancy for women in the United States was 81 for women and 76 for men. The probability of dying between 15 and 60 per 1,000 people was 128 for men and 76 for women in the United States.Death PenaltyA study by Cornell Law School found no one under sentence of death in Cuba and no one on death row in October 2015. On December 28, 2010, Cubas Supreme Court commuted the death sentence of Cubas last remaining death row inmate, a Cuban-American convicted of a murder carried out during a 1994 terrorist invasion of the island. No new death sentences are known to have been imposed since that time.By contrast, as of January 1, 2016, 2,949 people were on death row in state facilities in the United States. And 62 were on federal death row as of March 16, 2016, according to Death Penalty Information.Sustainable DevelopmentIn 2016, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), a leading global environmental organization, found that Cuba was the only country in the world to have achieved sustainable development. Jonathan Loh, one of the authors of the WWF report, said, Cuba has reached a good level of development according to United Nations criteria, thanks to its high literacy level and a very high life expectancy, while the ecological footprint is not large since it is a country with low energy consumption._______________________________________________________In the US, there are 2.5 physicians per 1,000 people. The US infant mortality is 5.9 per 1,000 births. Life expectancy for black males is 72 and for black females is 78, which is generally true for the entire workingclass, the 80% of Americans who sell our labor for less than $80,000 a year because we have an insurance profiteering medical system instead of socialized medicine, guaranteeing free medical care to all from cradle to grave. In this respect with our high infant mortality and low expectancy and in regard to the lack of federally mandated paid vacations and maternity leave, and the continued existence of the death penalty, the United States is the most backward country in the industrialized world. Obamacare, passed by a Democratic-majority House and Senate and signed by a Democratic President, is Republican Romneys insurance profiteering scheme gone national that has not improved healthcare, and the expansion of the Medicaid program for the poor that came with it could have passed independently and with Republican support, as it has in the past. As you can see by all the other advances Cuba has made, the United States, led by the Democrat-Republicans, is left in the dust.The solution is to support the only parties are for socialized medicine, free education for all from pre-school through university, free child care, oppose the death penalty, support the Palestinian liberation struggle, and support applying all of the advances Cuba has made to US society, namely Peace & Freedom Party and the Green Party. You cannot achieve anything by voting for pro-Israel, pro-Nazi Ukraine warmongers Sanders, Clinton and Trump. We cannot have guns and butter. Sanders is just a sheepdog for the Democrats to make sure you never vote Red (socialist) or Green which is why he claims to speak for the workingclass on domestic issues but his pro-war votes demonstrate that he puts guns before butter, the same as Clinton and Trump. Clintons sales pitch for her campaign is that she uses clean language, unlike Trump, to achieve the same fascist, warmongering goals to maximize the profits of the capitalist class. There can be no end to police killings or all the other grievances in this society until you decide to vote Peace & Freedom Party or Green Party and put the Democrat-Republican Parties in the dustbin of history, while there is still humanity and the earth to be saved.You can register online at:For more information, see http://www.votepsl.org/ (Gloria LaRiva for President) (Be sure to read her serious socialist program.)and http://www.jill2016.com/ (Jill Stein for President) Richmond activists kick off renter protection signature gathering campaign on SaturdayBy Lynda Carson - March 18, 2016Richmond - On Saturday March 19th, it will be a big day for the coalition group Fair and Affordable Richmond, as they start their signature gathering campaign to place their Rent Control and Just Cause Eviction Protection ballot measure http://tinyurl.com/h7o2lxe on the November ballot. The Coalition will have until June to gather 4,198 signatures to place the measure on the November ballot.Community members involved in the renter protection campaign http://tinyurl.com/zskrl6l will be meeting at Nevin Community Center, 598 Nevin Ave, Richmond, CA 94801, on Saturday morning, March 19, at 11am.Volunteers are welcome to join the movement and signature gathering campaign, to support the Rent Control and Just Cause Eviction Protection ballot measure for the November ballot.Richmond Councilwoman Gayle Mclaughlin said, Rent increases have reached a crisis level and we are doing something about it in Richmond. We welcome volunteers to join us gathering signatures for a ballot measure in November to stabilize rents and stop the displacement that occurs from skyrocketing rents."The average monthly rent in Richmond is $1,172, http://tinyurl.com/je74bly , and the rents just keep getting higher, and higher. Rent control and just cause eviction protections are a reasonable way to protect Richmonds communities from unreasonable rent increases and unjust evictions, while at the same time allowing the landlords to have a fair return on their investments. It is a win, win, situation for landlords and tenants.A recent poll commissioned by Fair and Affordable Richmond shows that nearly two thirds of voters would vote today to enact rent control and just cause eviction protections. Richmond voters understood that similar limits on evictions and unreasonable rent increases have helped to prevent thousands of middle-class and low-income people from losing their homes, making communities safer and more stable for everyone, and they think the City of Richmond should have such protections.The Fair and Affordable Richmond Coalition http://tinyurl.com/zp3d7wb is made up of local elected officials, renters, homeowners, local community activists and labor. Coalition members, local renters and landlords will speak about the vital nature of the Rent Control and Just Cause Eviction Protection ballot measure. Members of the Coalition and volunteers will begin going door to door with petitions gathering signatures.Dan Harper, Organizing Director for Tenants Together said, We have reached a very exciting time in the fight for rent control in Richmond. This coming Saturday March 19th marks the kick off our campaign to collect signatures and put rent control and just cause protections on the ballot in November. Richmond renters, homeowners and allies will be gathering at the Nevin Center for a rally and mobilization at 11am. To get rent control on the ballot we will need to collect thousands of signatures and we will need your help! There will be a short rally and lunch followed by a training on how to properly collect signatures and talk to voters. Then we will go out into the community and be done by 2pm. As tenants and people of color get pushed further away from bay area cities, winning rent control is key to keeping people in their homes. Join us Saturday at 11am and be part of this historic moment! Housing is a human right!According to a release from the Fair and Affordable Richmond Coalition, The proposed ballot measure would establish a rent board that would set annual limits on rent increases for the City of Richmond, as well as provide a process for tenants to appeal rent increases http://tinyurl.com/jtaae5m . Richmond renters, living in units built before 1995, would be protected from outrageous increases in rent and evictions for reasons that are without cause. Additionally, the ordinance would cap rent increases at 1 percent to 3 percent a year, in addition to relocation compensation for renters that have been evicted unjustly.The Fair and Affordable Richmond Coalition is made up of Tenants Together http://www.tenantstogether.org/ , Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Richmond Progressive Alliance http://tinyurl.com/zl9poxk , SEIU 1021, AFSCME Local 3299, California Nurses Association, Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Building Blocks for Kids Richmond Collaborative, Centro Latino Cuscatlaan, Eviction Defense Center, Iron Triangle Neighborhood Council and Urban Habitat.Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com This Week in Palestine, March 18th, 2015 by IMEMC Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, http://www.imemc.org , for March 12, to the 18, 2016. Listen now: Copy the code below to embed this audio into a web page: This week six Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire, in the meantime Israels government announces its takeover of more Palestinian lands in Jerusalem. These stories, and more, coming up, stay tuned. The Nonviolence Report Lets begin our weekly report as usual with the nonviolent activities organized in the West Bank. many residents were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMCs Majd Batjali with the details : In Kufer Kadum village in northern West Bank, many residents were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest there. Troops later stormed the village and fired tear gas into residents homes Meanwhile in the villages of Bilin and Nilin, in central West Bank, Israeli soldiers attacked the protesters as soon as they reached the gate in the wall that separates local farmers from their lands. Many protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation and were treated by field medics at both locations. At the nearby al Nabi Saleh village, troops attacked protesters at the village entrance. Israeli soldiers fired several rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at protesters and nearby homes. Many residents suffered effects of tear gas inhalation as a result. For IMEMC News this Majd Batjali. The Political Report Israeli occupation authorities confiscated more Palestinian lands this week, Palestinians see the move as a slap to the French peace initiative: IMEMCs Rami Al Meghari has more: Top Palestinian negotiator Sa'eb Eriqat, denounced this week latest Israeli confiscation of about 600 acres of Palestinian lands from the West Bank city of Jericho, which falls under Palestinian Authority's jurisdiction. Eriqat dubbed the move as an Israeli slap to recent French thoughts for resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, following PA's call for holding an international peace conference. He considered the confiscation of land one more obstacle on the path of Palestinian aspiration for a statehood on occupied Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. For few years now, peace talks between the two sides have been on a halt, after the PA has objected to settlement activities on lands, owned by Palestinians, in both West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem. On a related note, member of Palestine's Liberation Organisation's executive committee, Hanan Ashrawi, emphasized on the need for new international tactics to push the peace process forward. She called on international players, especially the European Union, to set a timetable for reaching peace in the region, leading eventually to a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders. United Nations General Assembly, had earlier recognized a Palestinian sate on those borders, including the West Bank , East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip. For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza. The West Bank and Gaza Report Six Palestinian civilians were killed this week by Israeli attacks targeting Palestinian communities in Gaza and the West Bank. IMEMCs Ghassan Bannoura reports: Israeli soldiers killed Monday, three Palestinians in two separate incidents, in the al-Baqa area, in the southern West Bank city of Hebron. The Israeli army said four soldiers were mildly wounded in the two attacks that took place nearly 30 minutes apart. The military claimed that its soldiers killed two armed Palestinians, after they opened fire on soldiers waiting at the bus stop," in Keryat Arba illegal colony, in Hebron city. The two have been identified as Qassem Jaber, 31, and Amir al-Juneidi, 22, from Hebron city. Approximately thirty minutes later, another Palestinian, identified as Yousef Tarayra, 18, was killed after the soldiers claimed he tried to ram them with his car. Palestinian medics rushed to the scene but the army closed the area and prevented them from approaching the wounded Palestinians, who eventually bled to death. Moreover, a young man died, Tuesday, of serious wounds he suffered two weeks ago after Israeli soldiers invaded the Qalandia refugee camp, north of occupied Jerusalem, Palestinian medical sources reported. The sources said that Nahed Mteir, 24, was shot with a live Israeli army bullet, in his neck, and remained in a very serious condition until his death. Also this week, Israeli forces conducted at least 88 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank including occupied East Jerusalem. During these invasions, Israeli troops kidnapped at least 74 Palestinian civilians, including six children. In Gaza, Israeli war plans attack on Saturday left two killed siblings and wounded 6 others, including 2 siblings of the killed ones. Fighter jets targeted a training site for the Al Qassam brigads the armed wing of Hamas in northern Gaza. The attack cased damage to site and nearby homes sustained damage resulting in the death of Issa Abu Khousa, 6 and his brother Yasin, 9. His 12 year old brother and 2 year old sister were also injured in the attack. Later in the Week, Israeli soldiers attack Palestinian farmers near the southern and northern borders of the Gaza strip with Israel, forcing them to leave. Such attacks were reported on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday of this week, local Palestinian sources reported. For IMEMC News this is Ghassan Bannoura. Conclusion And thats all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for March 12, to the 18, 2016. From the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www-dot-imemc-dot-org, This weeks report has been brought to you by George Rishmawi and me Eman Abedraboo- Bannoura. California Natural Resources Secretary John Laird responded to the news that the Westlands Water District, the largest agricultural water district in California and longtime proponent of the tunnels, used Enron accounting to mislead investors about a $77 million bond sale, resulting in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over civil charges. He described the news as "disturbing" - and then admitted that "it (the California Water Fix to build the Delta Tunnels) wont move ahead unless people, it pencils out for people and they sign up and they pay. Photo of Secretary John Laird courtesy of the California Natural Resources Agency. Is Brown Administration Official Admitting Delta Tunnels Plan Is Collapsing?by Dan BacherIn the video from a recent hearing in the California Legislature, it appears that a Brown administration official is admitting that financial support for Governor Browns controversial Delta Tunnels Plan is rapidly collapsing.On March 11, Secretary of Natural Resources John Laird spoke on behalf of the administration during a hearing in San Francisco by the Senate Select Committee on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta entitled, Pending Delta Decisions and their Potential Economic and Other Impacts on San Francisco & the Bay Area."Laird responded to the news that the Westlands Water District , the largest agricultural water district in California and longtime proponent of the tunnels, used Enron accounting to mislead investors about a $77 million bond sale, resulting in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over civil charges. He described the news as "disturbing" - and then admitted that "it (the California Water Fix to build the Delta Tunnels) wont move ahead unless people, it pencils out for people and they sign up and they pay.Westlands agreed to pay $125,000 to settle the charges, making it only the second municipal issuer to pay a financial penalty in an SEC enforcement action. The districts general manager Thomas Birmingham agreed to pay a penalty of $50,000 and former assistant general manager Louie David Ciapponi agreed to pay a penalty of $20,000 to settle the charges against them.It is disturbing, said Laird during the hearing. Its disturbing to us. We found out about it just as you did, from the press reports of the SEC decision.And, overall, this is, as you say, a beneficiary pays project, where the beneficiaries themselves have to decide to do it, Laird continued. [I]t really depends totally on their ability and their willingness to pay for the project. And I think it is totally clear that the urban users have the financial wherewithal to do it.I think the real question is how does it pencil out in the agricultural regions? But the Governor has been really clear. Its beneficiary pays and thats what it takes to go ahead and I think its just a law of economics that it wont move ahead unless people, it pencils out for people and they sign up and they pay," he concluded.Senator Wolk made the full hearing available to view online. Lairds comments come up about 1:04 on the hearing video: http://sd03.senate.ca.gov/news/2016-03-11-select-committee-sacramento-san-joaquin-delta You can read the SEC decision here: http://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2016/33-10053.pdf Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director of Restore the Delta (RTD), responded to Lairds comments, noting that financing the tunnels will be difficult even for wealthy urban water agencies.Paying for the tunnels in a drought, when water revenue sales are low, will be difficult even for wealthy urban water agencies, she said. What will make it even worse is when their agricultural partners begin to miss payments. Even this year, El Nino has not eradicated the drought. Dry is becoming the new norm. The tunnels are not the solution for water reliability, noted Barrigan-Parrilla.Several experts testified at the hearing that the Water Fix, a controversial proposal to build two huge tunnels to divert water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and the Bay Estuary for use by corporate agribusiness interests, would have a disastrous impact on the Bay Areas environment and economy, including the regions tourism and fishing industries.Californias world class economy relies on the sustainability of the states own natural water conveyance system, the entire San Francisco Bay Delta system, said Senator Wolk in a statement. In fact, two-thirds of Californians and millions of acres of farmland rely on the Delta for its water supply. Yet the connection between pending Delta policy decisions, specifically the Delta Tunnels proposal, and the State of Californiaits ecosystem and economyis often lost, overlooked or completely ignored.The hearing finished off with the question of What, then, is Plan B? marking a starting point to explore viable alternatives that will not damage the integrity of the Delta economy and ecosystem, Wolks Office noted.Lairds comment comes as opposition to the Tunnels by ratepayers in Southern California, the Livermore Valley and Santa Clara Valley is mushrooming. Faced with massive opposition to the Delta Tunnels by ratepayers packing a hearing room in Livermore on Wednesday night, the Zone 7 Water Agency Board, a State Water Project contractor, rejected a request to pass a resolution supporting Governor Browns Delta Tunnels (WaterFix) project. ( http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_29649995/tri-valley-water-supplier-wont-endorse-states-delta Board members noted the lack of key information including environmental impacts, costs, and willingness of agricultural contractors to pay their share, according to Restore the Delta.The construction of the Delta Tunnels would hasten the extinction of winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, Delta and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish species, as well as imperil the salmon and steelhead runs on the Trinity and Klamath rivers. It would cost taxpayers and ratepayers up to $67 billion and not create one drop of new water.The California Water Fix Plan to build the Delta Tunnels makes no financial, economic, environmental or scientific sense. When will Governor Jerry Brown finally admit that the tunnels proposal is doomed to fail and withdraw all support for the plan? Louisiana Derby 2016 Features Mo Tom on Kentucky Derby Trail: The 103rd running of the Grade II TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby offers a $1,000,000 purse, awards 170 Kentucky Derby points (split 100-40-20-10) and has attracted a field of 11 3-year-old colts to travel its 1 1/8 miles over Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots main track on Saturday, March 26. Won by the likes of Kentucky Derby winner Grindstone, Preakness Stakes winner Master Derby and Preakness and Belmont Stakes-romping champion 3-year-old Risen Star, the major Triple Crown trail prep has a distinct local flavor in 2016. Tom Amoss-conditioned Mo Tom, who will attempt to give his New Orleans native and 11-time Fair Grounds champion trainer his first victory in the tracks marquee event, flies the colors of the Benson Family of New Orleans Saints ownerships G M B Racing and has been established as the 5-2 morning-line favorite. To be ridden by Corey Lanerie from post six, the son of Uncle Mo won the Grade III $200,000 Lecomte Stakes stylishly in January before a turbulent trip cost him any chance at victory last out in the Grade II $400,000 Risen Star Stakes. Since finishing third in that Feb. 20 event, the late-running $150,000 Keeneland yearling purchase has trained forwardly over the local surface, including a half-mile work on Mar. 5 in 47.80. The Bensons will not have to look far at the beginning of the race to see their rooting interests, as their Dallas Stewart-trained Toms Ready (15-1) breaks directly to the outside of Mo Tom in post seven under Brian Hernandez, Jr. Winless since breaking his maiden in late September, the son of More Than Ready has placed in a pair of stakes behind Mo Tom, including the Lecomte, and will look to improve upon a seventh-place finish last out in the Risen Star. Another of Louisianas prominent families will be represented in the Pelican States premier horse race with a serious contender in Evelyn Benoits who races as Brittlyn Stable Forevamo (10-1), from the barn of New Orleans native and Breeders Cup Classic-winning conditioner Al Stall, Jr. Drawing the outside post 11, the son of Uncle Mo will try to do one better than his runner-up finish in the Risen Star, while continuing the upward trajectory of his last few efforts. Louisiana native Colby Hernandez, currently second in the local standings, has the mount. Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farms Gun Runner second choice at 3-1 on the morning line also has improved with each start for trainer Steve Asmussen, including a win last out in the Risen Star to kick off his sophomore campaign. The good-looking chestnut son of Candy Ride signaled his readiness with a bullet five-furlong move in 1:00.60 on Mar. 14 and will be ridden once again by meet-leading jockey Florent Geroux from the rail. St. Elias Stable and MeB Racing Stables Dominick Schettino-trained Greenpointcrusader, the beaten lukewarm favorite two back in the Grade I $2,000,000 Breeders Cup Juvenile, leads a three-pronged ship-in attack from South Florida. An easy winner of the Grade I $500,000 Champagne Stakes as a juvenile, the classy son of Bernardini has not raced since kicking off his campaign on Jan. 30 with a game second to divisional co-leader Mohaymen in the Grade II $350,000 Holy Bull Stakes. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez has the mount from the two-hole on the 7-2 morning-line third choice. Harrell Ventures Todd Pletcher-trained Battery (10-1) and Kenneth and Sarah Ramseys Mike Maker-trained Uncle Walter (20-1) whose conditioners have collectively won four of the last six Louisiana Derbies must be taken seriously in this spot. Battery, a son of Bernardini, is the only contestant with a race and victory over the nine-furlong trip, doing so last out in allowance company at Gulfstream Park. Javier Castellano retains the mount on the improving sort from post three. Uncle Walter showed promise when third in the Lecomte, beaten only three lengths in his third lifetime start. Beaten more than 40 lengths to last in the Risen Star, in what is presumed a non-effort, the bay colt quelled any doubts of his connections with a bullet five-furlong work on Mar. 15 in 1:00.60 at his Gulfstream base. Robby Albarado picks up the mount from post eight. Invading from the north will be the Oaklawn Park-based duo of Steve Landers Racings Brad Cox-trained Dazzling Gem (12-1) and Conquest Stables Mark Casse-conditioned Conquest Windycity (15-1). Dazzling Gem was slated to compete in the Grade II $900,000 Rebel Stakes on Mar. 19, but missed a work with a minor foot abscess and returned to the tab on Mar. 15 with a bullet five-furlong drill in 1:00.60 in advance of his contingency excursion to New Orleans. Raced only twice, the bay colt won both events in two-turn Oaklawn trials and has shown improvement for a barn that is batting 35% at the Fair Grounds meet. Shaun Bridgmohan, who flew up from his Fair Grounds base to ride Dazzling Gem in each of his wins, reconnects with him on his home oval from post nine. Conquest Windycity was an $800,000 OBS March 2015 purchase who hails from a stamina-rich family and races from the same barn as beaten Risen Star favorite Airoforce. By Tiznow out of a full-sister to Grade II winner Jump Start, the dark bay colt was a visually pleasing winner over Grade I-placed Rated R Superstar in a one-mile Oaklawn allowance last out. Since that Feb. 19 run, the promising winner of his last two has worked a pair of bullets at said Hot Springs track, including a five-furlong move in 59.80 on Mar. 5. Joe Rocco, Jr., who was aboard for his victory last out, rides again from post four. Rounding out the Louisiana Derby is a pair of Risen Star also-rans who have each shown vast improvement since turning three. Frank Mancaris Roger Brueggemann-trained Candy My Boy (15-1) broke from the outside post 11 in said Feb. 20 event and set a wicked tempo before giving in begrudgingly to lose by 2 lengths in fourth. A speedy two-time meet winner who broke his maiden three back on New Years Eve over well-regarded Creator and returned 18 days later to defeat Forevamo in allowance company, the son of Candy Ride hails from a barn that has struck at 27% during the meet and won three of its previous 10 attempts in graded stakes. Francisco Torres, who was aboard for his Jan. 18 allowance victory, returns to ride from post five. Lloyd Madison Farms Zapperini (20-1) closed from last in the Risen Star to finish fifth of 11, beaten 9 lengths at odds of 47-1. One of only four competitors with a victory over the surface, the lightly raced son of Ghostzapper won a two-turn Fair Grounds maiden one race prior on Jan. 21 before stepping up considerably in class in the Risen Star for trainer Greg Foley. Julien Leparoux picks up the mount from post 10. Source: Michael Adolphson, Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Louisiana Derby 2016 Post Positions & Odds Race 10 5:12 PM CT 1 Gun Runner 3-1 Geroux/Asmussen 2 Greenpointcrusader 7-2 Velazquez/Schettino 3 Battery 10-1 Castellano/Pletcher 4 Conquest Windycity 15-1 Rocco, Jr./Casse 5 Candy My Boy 15-1 Torres/Brueggemann 6 Mo Tom 5-2 Lanerie/Amoss 7 Toms Ready 15-1 Hernandez, Jr./Stewart 8 Uncle Walter 20-1 Albarado/Maker 9 Dazzling Gem 12-1 Bridgmohan/Cox 10 Zapperini 20-1 Leparoux/Foley 11 Forevamo 10-1 Hernandez/Stall, Jr. SAN DIEGO, CA (March 18, 2016) (Press Release) In another case of reported unintended acceleration, CaseyGerry has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of a nine-year-old Temecula boy whose father, Matthew Pusateri, 29, was killed on New Years Eve 2015 when the Toyota Solara in which he was a passenger was struck violently from behind by a 2015 Toyota Yaris. According to CaseyGerry attorney David S. Casey Jr., the lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court against Toyota Motor Corporation and other Toyota entities as well as Avis Rent a Car and the Yaris driver - and seeks damages for the young plaintiff for the wrongful death of his father, who along with three others in the car, died instantly on impact.The driver of the Yaris - who was driving east on I-10 near Ontario in San Bernardino County - exited the freeway on the Vineyard Ave. off ramp, then slammed suddenly into the Toyota Solara, said Casey Jr. She maintains that her rented Yaris suddenly and inexplicably accelerated to 100 mph, and she was unable to stop or even slow the out-of-control vehicle. En route to Las Vegas with family, the drivers seven-year-old grandson also died as a result of this tragic crash.According to Casey, some Toyota vehicles are alleged to have been defectively designed, manufactured and sold, with certain models sometimes accelerating without driver input - causing injuries and deaths.Five people died in this horrific accident, a terrible tragedy for all those involved, said Casey Jr. We are deeply saddened by the significant loss suffered by these families.Casey Gerry was established in 1947, and is the oldest plaintiffs law firm in San Diego. The firms 15 attorneys practice in numerous areas, including serious personal injury, product liability, pharmaceutical, mass tort and class action litigation. Headquartered at 110 Laurel St. in the Bankers Hill neighborhood of San Diego, the firm also has an office in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Calif. For more information, visit www.caseygerry.com. Porter Ranch, CA Even though SoCalGas has notified Even though SoCalGas has notified Porter Ranch gas leak victims who were relocated that they have to move back home by the March 17 deadline, Judy Ly and her family dont believe its safe. I think its just a matter of time until another well leaks, and we have risked enough of our health, says Judy. And we plan on selling our home, even at a loss. SoCalGas made the decision for us. Although the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) has already extended the deadline for relocated residents to move back to their homes, the Los Angeles City Attorneys office is asking for an extension of the temporary housing program, which meantand a kitchenette at an Extended Stay America for Judy, her husband Brandon, their 20-year-old son and three dogs.At least Judy and her family had a kitchenette. SoCalGas offered the Katz family a one-bedroom hotel without a kitchen. They knew we have five kids and two dogs, said Christine Katz. How can seven of us fit into one room? How can I feed my kids without a kitchen? (Attorney R. Rex Parris, who has filed a Porter Ranch gas leak lawsuit on behalf of victims, said that Families need a house, not a hotel room. He arranged a house for the Katz family to temporarily relocate.)Judy and her family experienced health problems possibly stemming from a gas leak at the end of September, but they didnt connect the dots until November. Her husband noticed a strange odor before SoCalGas confirmed the massive methane gas leak on October 23. Brandon came home from work and thought Id left the stove on, Judy says. Our dogs were getting sick - throwing up and diarrhea. And my son got sick.Some time in November I started to feel lethargic and Id often wake up with migraine. I started popping Advils before I got out of bed. Brandon was worried about Judy - although her cancer was in remission, he didnt want her to get stressed out and get sick again. Staying in the house was making her worse so Judy went to her parents home in Burbank on weekends, but she felt guilty leaving Brandon, her son and the dogs behind.Living arrangements changed when they attended a Porter Ranch house meeting and found out that people were being relocated. At that church gathering, only one person in a crowd of hundreds put up her hand when asked if we knew about the SoCalGas wells.Brandon called SoCalGas to relocate but there was a long waiting list. He called again and told them Judy was in remission from cancer, the leak was making her sick and theyd better find a way to get us on top of that list. A week later they were in the one-room hotel. Judy told SoCalGas the conditions were unacceptable so they moved to a Marriot, without a kitchen, without a Christmas tree. Judy gained 10 lbs.We went back home but it didnt feel safe, and it didnt feel like home anymore, Judy says, her voice shaky, so we checked into the Sheraton at Universal. I loved living at Porter Ranch - it was secure and safe. But no one told us that we were sitting on those wells.We were, we are, so pissed off. We are the BP oil spill, we are the ducks. You just cant see the oil on us. I believe this problem isnt over - what if another well leaks? We know our property value has taken a bit hit, but even at a loss, we plan on moving. Brandon offered our house to SoCalGas, which was a gesture of anger and frustration. Were all on an emotional roller coaster: weve been angry and sad, and displaced.Here is a SoCalGas Letter to Relocated Residents, dated March 16, 2016.The letter informs relocated residents that if the temporary relocation program is not extended at the March 18 hearing, SoCalGas will continue to reimburse for relocation expenses through Monday, March 21, 2016, at hotel check-out time to provide residents a weekend to transition home. Whatever happens in court, SoCalGas will continue to provide dedicated customer service to residents of communities surrounding Aliso Canyon. Our dedicated Customer Resource Center will remain open; 100 SoCalGas community liaisons will continue to assist residents who relocated as well as those who remained at home; SoCalGas will continue to provide residue and home cleaning assessments; and we will continue to work tirelessly to process all remaining reimbursement checks.SoCalGas also understands that a big part of the return home is ensuring that residents feel comfortable doing so. In response to concerns from residents and to provide additional reassurance about indoor air quality, the company is completing independent indoor air screening for methane and mercaptans at a sampling of households near the storage facility. SoCalGas will share the results of that screening with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health by the end of this week.SoCalGas is also assessing and cleaning reported residue on the exterior and interior of more than 200 homes and has completed cleaning at four public parks, private schools, and community playgrounds. The White Sox have outrighted lefty Zach Phillips, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago was among those to report (via Twitter). Phillips rejected an assignment to Triple-A and elected free agency. Chicago had added the 29-year-old southpaw to its 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He spent last year at Triple-A for the organization after coming back over from Japan, working to a 3.13 ERA over 5 2/3 innings with 10.5 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9. Phillips has made 19 total big league appearances over parts of three seasons, but hasnt cracked the majors since 2013. This is not optical illusion! Meet the first in the world hand-woven car that was made by Ojo Obaniyi, a Nigerian artisan. This 40-year-old resident of Ibadan has applied his skill in weaving in an unusually creative way to advertise his business - raffia palm cane weaving services. Obaniyi has covered the interior and exterior of his Volkswagen pickup with raffia palm cane, including the entire car body, the wheel caps, chairs, steering wheel and dashboard. Before creating hand-woven car he has practiced the craft for 20 years. "I wanted to prove a point that it is not only the educated elite that can make positive changes in society. We, the artisans, also have talents to effect a change and make a positive impact in the society," Obaniyi says. "That is why I decided that I too must do something that will make people to recognize me and to know me across the whole world." "I decided prove to the world that African and indeed the entire black race have very talented people." Ibadan (where Obaniyi is from) is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area by population in Nigeria. Here there are a lot of raffia palm cane weavers. But only Ojo Obaniyi due to his car has managed to attract the global attention of the whole Internet. Source: Legit.ng - INEC suspends election in eight local government areas in Rivers due to irregularities - INEC REC, Aniedi Ikoiwak says results deemed to be fair will be announced at later time - Official results awaited in 15 out of the 23 local government areas. Legit.ng brings you live coverage of the Rivers rerun election. Check out our coverage below. The political arena in Rivers state is thickening as the March 19 legislative rerun elections takes centre stage today, March 19. The election will see key political figures in the state slog it out for a place at the National Assembly, House of Representatives and state assembly. Hours to the rerun elections, tension has been at high degrees. But security has been heightened as only just on Thursday, March 17, the Nigerian Army lost two of its men in a shootout with hoodlums in Abonemma area of the state. However, all appears set for the exercise as all sensitive materials for the polls have been delivered at the state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Port Harcourt. Sorting and distribution have been done at the different senatorial zones and constituencies in all 23 local government areas in the state and the INEC has recruited the services of 24,930 adhoc staff, 379 collation officers and 37 returning officers for the elections. The rerun legislative election will be held in the three Senatorial Districts, 12 House of Representatives Seats and 22 of the 32 state assembly seats. Accreditation and voting will take place simultaneously from 8am-2pm while collation of results at the polling unit will commence when the last voter on the queue has voted. 11.00pm: INEC has cancelled results in two more local government areas, Etche and Asaritoru local government areas of Rivers state. The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Aniedi Ikoiwak said that the reason for the cancellation was due to irregularities at the affected local government areas of the state. The electoral umpire further notes violence, snatching of ballot boxes, noncompliance to electoral law as part of the cancellation. INEC says it is reviewing the rest of the process in the re-run polls 4.30pm: INEC REC says results on social media should be disregarded as only INEC or its designated officials can do so. 4.10pm: Voting gradually winding down across polling units as unofficial results trickle in. Legit.ng reporter on ground heads straight to INEC's office as we await the official results. Results are being expected in 19 out of the 23 local government areas. 3.52pm: INEC REC, Aniedi Ikoiwak says results deemed to be fair will be announced at later time. 3.35pm: Very low turnout at Rumuokuta Girls School ward 13 Obio Akpor. Counting of votes set to commence. 2.53pm: Persons caught in Bori, Khana local government area with fake police/military uniforms, cash and weapons. 2.37pm: Accreditation and voting has ended in Ward 16, polling units 001-006. Counting in progress 2.28pm: Counting of votes ongoing at the Anglican Cathedral Phalga LGA as accreditation and voting have been completed. 2.20pm: News reaching Legit.ng has it that INEC has postponed elections in Bonny, Gokhana, Khana, Andoni, Tai and Eleme LGAs due to irregularities. However voting and accreditation has ended in some polling units across the state. Counting to commence soon. 2.00pm: An agent of the Peoples Democratic Party, one Mr Tambari Ntoti, has been reportedly shot dead in the course of the ongoing rerun election in rivers state. The deceased agent, Ntoti until his death was representing Nonwa In Tai Local Government Area, Ward 3. Reacting to his death, the PDP said the killing of Ntoti was perpetrated by supporters of the All Progressives Congress. 1.43pm: A 14-seater bus has been burnt in Eleme local government area. Some residents blamed the action on some political thugs while others said that the violence was caused by some cultists from a neighboring community. 1.40pm: Sorting of Materials at Unit 5, ward 9, Ikwerre local government area is currently ongoing. 1.20pm: There are unconfirmed reports that buildings are being burned, vehicles trashed in Alode, Eleme LGA. 1.13pm: Three fake soldiers have been arrested in Ogoni. 1.00pm: Asari Dokubo live in Abalama but voting yet to commence. 12.56pm: In Phalga Ward 16 polling unit 002, card reader has been identified to have network issues, thus accreditation halted. 12.50pm: No polling officials or materials in Kono. Voters are waiting at designated polling units 12.45pm: Hrm King Ogbule Of Abua/Odual Casts his vote in his polling unit. 12.40pm: INEC refutes allegations of fake result sheets. A statement from INEC reads: "Attention of INEC has been drawn to allegations that Fake Result sheets are being deployed for election in Akuku-Toru, Tai & Bonny LGAs. The Allegations are untrue and they should be discountenanced. Voters are advised to come out and Exercise their franchise peacefully. However, Result sheets with BAR CODES and Serial Number are valid. Remember: Voting starts & ends until the last person accredited has voted." 12.35pm Voting has commenced at polling unit 32/22/06/006 & 07 and voters turnout has been impressive. Accreditation and Voting also ongoing at polling unit 32/22/04/032, PH LGA. Security personnel present at both units. 12.30pm: Nigeria's Minister of transport Rotimi Amaechi cast his vote at unit 14, Ward 8, Ubima, in Ikwerre LGA. 12.20pm: Officials or election materials yet to arrive Ward 10, Gokana LGA. Voters waiting anxiously while election for House of Reps in Wards 16, 18 and 19, Obia/Akpor LGA has been stalled due to unavailability of materials. 12.17pm: INEC officials and election materials have arrived at polling unit 32/15/10/013, Obio/Akpor LGA 12.15pm: Governor Wike arrives at Obio Akpor Ward 9 Unit 7 amid tight security. He does his accreditation and cast his votes shortly after. Wike said: I am impressed with the security arrangement for the election. Most people have boycotted because of fake result sheets. I think that INEC is not prepared for the election. If they are not ready, they shouldnt be telling people that they are ready. 12.oopm: Election materials yet to arrive polling unit 32/22/07/043, PH VII Ward, PH LGA. 11.53am: Election materials have not left Khana LGA but there is heavy security presence and many mini buses loaded with materials and agents. 11.45am: Protest ongoing in Nonwa (Tai) LGA. Young men no fewer than 100 in number are protesting non-arrival of materials. The army and police are managing the situation but another protesting crowd is marching some two kilometres away. 11.30am: In Eleme LGA, late arrival of materials and personnel have been reported. As a result election materials have been snatched as there is inadequate security. Political party agents are individually reviewing and countersigning tabulation sheets. 11.26am In polling unit 32/22/07/020, PH LGA, no election material or INEC officials have been reported and there is a low voters turnout. 11.20am: Reports in some quarters have it that sporadic shooting in Korokoro in Tai LGA is currently ongoing. 11.14am: Materials for Wards 15 and 16 just left the state Primary school Ozuoba to different units in Ozuoba, Rumukwachi, Ogbogoro and Rumukparale 11.10am No incident form at polling unit 32/23/05/001, Tai LGA and the card reader has reportedly stopped working. 11.08am: In polling unit 32/15/15/016 Choba, Obio/Akpor local government area, INEC officials have just arrived. Accreditation and voting to commence soon 11.05am: Ward 3, Unit 14 in Emohua LGA, materials have arrived and accreditation will soon commence. 11.00am: Senator George Sekibo casts his vote in Ward 2 , Ogu/Bolo local government area and speaks about the peaceful exercise in his unit. Also Hon. Evan checked for his name, accredited and voted peacefully in Ward 1 Unit 6, Ogu/Bolo local government area. Senator George Sekibo speaking to newsmen Hon Evan checking for his name 10.47am: In Andoni LGA, INEC has directed its agent and adhoc staff to return all materials to council secretariat due to protest from political parties as a result error in printing ( result sheet). As of now no election is taking place in Andoni local government area. The election has been suspended in the LGA. 10.40am: Accreditation and voting underway at Obio Akpor Ward 9 Unit 7. This is Governor Nyesom Wike's unit and heavy security presence have been reported around his fathers home, Rumuepirikom in Obio/Akpor LGA. 10.33am: Officials or election materials yet to arrive PU 32/09/04/004, Ebubu Ward, Eleme local government area while sensitive election materials not given to polling officials deployed to Phalga Ward 1 Units 8 - 10 and 15. 10.30am: Electoral materials yet to arrive all the polling units at Onne Ward, Eleme local government area but party agents and voters are present. INEC officials or election materials are also yet to arrive polling unit 32/12/13/007, Gokana local government area. 10.23am: Voting has commenced in OYIGBO LGA,unit 7, ward 7 and the senatorial booklet is 12*1230 per booklet, like wise House of reps booklet. 10.20am Accreditation and voting ongoing at PU 32/22/07/030, PH LGA. Heavy presence of security personnel. 10.10am: Destruction of result sheets by irritated mob at Bonny local government area has been observed. According to the mob, the result sheets were "fake". 09.57am: Voter turnout generally low across polling units as observed by Legit.ng's reporter on ground. 09.50am: Voting commences at Ward 3,Unit 3 OPOBO/NKORO LGA 09.45am: Voting in progress in Unit 1, Ward 3 Ahoada East local government area. 09.42am: Election aterials just arrived for units 2, 10 and 11, Ward 1, Omuma local government area. 09.40am: Peaceful accreditation and voting currently ongoing in polling unit 1, ward 6 Akuku-Toru local government area. 09.38am: Accreditation and voting has commenced at Polling units 32/22/02/013 - 019, Orogbum, Port Harcourt local government. 09.37am: Polling materials and officials just arrived at Phalga Ward 1 polling units 9 and 10. 09.35am: Election materials yet to be distributed at Obio Akpor Wards 9 - 11 (Rumueme). Heavy presence of the military at strategic points 09.32am: Accreditation and voting going on now at ward 1 polling unit 16, EMOHUA local government area. 09.32am: Election in progress in ward 1 unit 17, Emohua local government area. 09.30am: In polling unit 32/15/10/013, Obio/Akpor local government area, INEC officials are yet to arrive but security and party agents have arrived. 09.25am: Distribution of election materials also on-going in Omoku, ONELGA. 09.23am: Distribution of materials has commenced in Bori, Khana local government area 9.15am: Voting commences at Polling unit 004, Ward 1 Ikwerre local government area. 9.05am: Polling materials and officials have left the INEC Head quarter and have arrived at local government collation centres but yet to be distributed to most Polling units. 9.ooam: 12 House of Representatives Seats and 22 state assembly seats are also up for grabs. Rivers Rerun Election in House Of Representatives Rivers Rerun Election in State House Of Assembly 8.44am: At polling unit 43/07 Port Harcourt local government area, INEC officials are yet to arrive but security and party agents are present. Election will be held in three Senatorial Districts. Rivers rerun election for Senate 8.ooam: Heavy military officers have arrived at the Port Harcourt for the rerun election. Source: Legit.ng What Governor-Elect Adeleke will do to Oyetolas newly-employed 12,000 workers, Osun PDP reveals The Osun State PDP revealed the newly-employed of 12,000 workers of various cadres by Governor Gboyega Oyetola will be sacked when Ademola Adeleke takes over. Thank you for reading The Cascadia Advocate, the Northwest Progressive Institutes journal of world, national, and local politics. Founded in March of 2004, The Cascadia Advocate has been helping people throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond make sense of current events with rigorous analysis and thought-provoking commentary for more than fifteen years. The Cascadia Advocate is funded by readers like you and trusted sponsors. We dont run ads or publish content in exchange for money. Help us keep The Cascadia Advocate editorially independent and freely available to all by becoming a member of the Northwest Progressive Institute today. Or make a donation to sustain our essential research and advocacy journalism. Your contribution will allow us to continue bringing you features like Last Week In Congress, live coverage of events like Netroots Nation or the Democratic National Convention, and reviews of books and documentary films. Become an NPI member Make a one-time donation On February 23, President Obama announced plans to close the notorious military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Whether he'll be able to is a hot political question. Now, Joe Roman, a conservation biologist at the University of Vermont, and James Kraska, professor of law at the U.S. Naval War College, are asking the next question: what to do with Gitmo after the detainees are gone? Their answer: transform the naval base into a marine research center and international peace park. The new proposal was published in Science, one of the world's top academic journals, on March 17, days before the U.S. President's trip to Cuba. Woods Hole South "Guantanamo could become the Woods Hole of the Caribbean," says Roman, referring to the famous U.S. ocean science center. "This could be a powerful way for the Obama administration to achieve the president's 2008 campaign promise to close the prison--while protecting a de facto nature reserve and some of the most important coral reefs in the world." Kraska sees advantages for the U.S. military as well. "Our view is that the proposal looks down range to what might be possible or beneficial for the natural environment and for the Pentagon," he notes. The Department of Defense faces an "overhang of base infrastructure," Kraska says, meaning that it may need to trim its operations and will likely be exploring which military installations to close. "The naval base at GTMO is a prime candidate" for closure, Kraska notes, "and could generate positive externalities"--like repurposing the navy facility into a research station for the benefit of marine conservation. advertisement "This model, designed to attract both sides, could unite Cuba and the United States in joint management, rather than serve as a wedge between them," the two scholars write, "while helping meet the challenges of climate change, mass extinction and declining coral reefs." Roman and Kraska's op-ed notes that Cuba has more than three thousand miles of coastline, including some of the most pristine mangrove wetlands, seagrass beds, and tropical forests in the region. Perhaps as "an accidental Eden," Roman says--because of Cuba's years of political and economic isolation-- and mostly from Cuba's determined conservation efforts over the last few decades, the nation's coral reefs, fish diversity, and marine life are "unparalleled in the Caribbean." "As U.S. involvement in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq winds down," the researchers write, "and detainees are released or subject to criminal trial, perhaps the most compelling raison d'etre for the Pentagon to possess the base disappears." And the base's other missions--like antidrug operations or search-and-rescue work--could move to the naval station at Key West, Florida, only 90 miles away. A third path Some U.S. politicians have recently called for the prison to remain open indefinitely. In contrast, the Cuban government has considered the U.S. presence in Guantanamo illegal since the 1960s--and has refused to cash the annual rent check of $4,085, part of an agreement that stretches back to the 1903 Cuban-American Treaty of Relations. advertisement Joe Roman--an expert on ocean ecosystems in UVM's Gund Institute for Ecological Economics and Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources--and James Kraska--professor and research director for the Stockton Center for the Study of International Law at the U.S. Naval War College--call their proposal a third path. "The Obama administration has made it clear that diplomatic relations with Cuba and the transfer of detainees do not mean that it is willing to discuss the return of the Guantanamo base to Cuba anytime soon," they write. But an international peace park and research station on this land would be in both countries' interest, they argue. Rebooting Gitmo, to become a research center, could give global recognition to Cuba's "conservation efforts and strong stance on climate change," they write, while "providing financial support, up-to-date facilities for environmental work" and an opportunity to train Cuba's upcoming scientists and students--all building scientific dialogue and goodwill between the two nations. "Cuba has great conservation scientists," Roman says. "They just don't have money or equipment." Now what? In February 1903, the United States leased 45 square miles of land and water at Guantanamo Bay for use as a coaling station for its naval ships. Today, more than a half-century after the Cuban Revolution, in an era of newly thawing diplomatic relations, the area contains rare tropical dry forests, as well as mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds--and habitats for many species, from grandillo trees to spiny lobsters. "With a reduced U.S. footprint at Guantanamo," Roman and Kraska write, "most of the land and sea could be given to threatened Cuban manatees and hawksbill sea turtles"--while the existing buildings could be converted to labs and meeting rooms, partly powered by four large wind turbines already in place. "The future of Cuba is very uncertain," says Roman. The influx of US tourism dollars and business investment, could turn Cuba into another Cancun, Mexico, with "high-rise hotels as far as the eye can see," Roman says. Or the island nation could pursue a more "sustainable, eco-friendly path," he says, building on strong traditions of environmental protection, and complementing its world-leading expertise in urban and low-input agriculture. Roman and Kraska believe a new purpose for the naval base could help Cuba continue on the green path. "For the next generation," they write, "the name Guantanamo could become associated with redemption and efforts to preserve and repair the environment and international relationships." What began as a very prickly sort of predicament for one unlucky little goat later turned into the happiest of endings - thanks to officers who went above and beyond to make sure that he too was protected and served. It all started a few weeks ago when Deputy Matt Ford, from the Pima County Sheriff's Department in Arizona, was dispatched to help an animal in distress. Thats when he found the very young goat - just a kid, really. Not only had he gotten lost, his misadventure nearly proved fatal after he fell into a cactus. Fortunately, Ford was there to help. Gift Article Share Over the weekend, President Obama weighed in on one of the pressing issues in the campaign for the Republican nomination to succeed him in the White House. No, not how to stop Donald Trump but whether the wine that bears his name is any good. Has anybody bought that wine? I want to know what that wine tastes like, Obama said at a Democratic Party fundraiser in Dallas on Saturday. I mean, come on. You know thats like some $5 wine. They slap a label on it. They charge you $50 and say its the greatest wine ever. As those of us who live near the winery know, though, the real shame about Trump Winery is not that its wines are not good. Its that some of them actually are but these days, their association with the GOP frontrunner is likely to keep them off wine lists they otherwise belong on. Advertisement I work in the restaurant business in Charlottesville, Va., and though Im a short distance from the winery and the restaurants where I work feature Virginia wines, I make a conscious decision not to carry the Trump brand. While the election might take over your dinner conversation, a welcome table is not one that pours liquid politics down your throat. (For the same reason, if other candidates got into the beverage industry, I wouldnt be serving Clinton Chardonnay, Bernie Beer, or Cruztraminer, either.) President Obama took aim at Donald Trump and the Republican party at a fundraiser in Austin, Tex., where he described the Republican campaign as ranging from "school yard" taunts to scenes from "the home shopping network." (Video: Reuters) Those Trump wines Obama was joking about, however, have a longer history in this area. In 1999, the first vineyards went in the ground as Kluge Estate and set the tone for what would later become Trump Winery. For a greatly discounted price, in 2011, the Trumps bought the winery and its property from local socialite and entrepreneur Patricia Kluge after her business collapsed. Under the Kluge name, the vineyards wines have been served at the White House and even at Chelsea Clintons wedding rehearsal dinner. Advertisement The basic infrastructure remained intact, including the core management staff, and business continued. Trumps son Eric Trump supervises the winery now. Labels evolved from Kluge to Trump to todays all-capital-letters TRUMP, in a font that evokes U.S. currency. Wines that had been earnest explorations into Virginia viticulture are now the red power ties of East Coast wine. Trump Winery is one of the few estate wineries in the area focusing on growing their own fruit as opposed to buying it from neighbors. Its an operation headed up by a serious winemaker, Jonathan Wheeler. Wheeler makes a full spectrum of wines: sparkling, white, rose, red and dessert wines. He has a vast tract of 200 vineyard acres to play with, and he stands in a key position to influence the direction of the entire region. Wheelers focus on sparkling wines is particularly interesting. In Virginia, winemakers can usually count on fruit that comes in early, because it will get to the winery before mid-harvest rains and hurricanes have a chance to wreak havoc. To keep acidity in most sparkling wines of the world, grapes destined for bubbly are harvested earlier than others. This makes sparkling wine a practical choice in Virginias climate. Sparkling wine, though, can be difficult to make, and it usually needs more aging than a still white wine. Wheeler diverts some cool-microclimate vineyard blocks to the bubbly, and this part of his production is one of his most promising contributions to Virginia wine. The sparkling Blanc de Noir made from a cooler pinot noir site is one of the best wines to come out of the Trump operation. Advertisement Its not the only wine that might catch your interest in a blind tasting, though. The recently bottled 2015 Chardonnay and Viognier currently available for sale come from one of the greatest Virginia white wine vintages in recent memory. Winemakers throughout the Monticello American Viticultural Area are excited about 2015 white grapes, which enjoyed a near-perfect growing season. We did get rains in 2015, but they came just after the start of the red harvest. Wheeler made his Chardonnay in steel and oak, and its a balanced example of the vintage. The Viognier is a classic example of that varietal, too. The reds are Bordeaux-style blends, usually based on a majority of Merlot, which does well in Virginia as an early ripener. They are lush, bold reds that have a little bit of aging potential, but you would mostly want to drink them on release. Wheeler also makes a unique dessert wine from fortified Chardonnay, aged in old Bourbon barrels. Advertisement Ive been watching and tasting from a distance for quite some time. On taste alone, there are a few bottlings that Id like to support, but Im sure Obama would agree: the intense branding makes the stuff hard to swallow. Some of that hesitation predates Trumps involvement in politics. As a general rule, I disdain wine brands. When the strength of a wines brand eclipses the actual product, the focus goes away from the wine itself, onto the brand and what that brand represents. Branding is easy, if you know how to do it. Winemaking is hard work, especially in Virginia, and it changes year by year. When a branded winery experiences mass popularity, the wine and the hard work of the winery team become disembodied from the brand, in this case reduced to a side note as the wines meaning becomes less about Virginia terroir and more about Trump. Does it matter why someone drinks a wine? Is it a shame that much of this carefully grown and made wine will be consumed in symbolic solidarity by fervent supporters of a candidate who, ironically, does not drink alcohol? Will Virginias special 2015 white wine vintage be appreciated at all in the frenzy of 2016? Advertisement Trump Winery is certainly doing fine without my business (several wines are sold out), and I am doing fine without them in my wine program. But as these wines switch gears from beverage to propaganda, I worry that what could be an important part of Virginias emerging wine legacy will be lost. A century from now, how will Trumps politics have impacted Virginias wine trade? Objectively, I want to appreciate some of these wines. Unfortunately, now that the label talks so loudly, whats in the bottle has lost its voice. Read more: GiftOutline Gift Article Dear Heloise: I know your husband is a plumber, and you have mentioned in your column that the only thing that should be flushed down the toilet is toilet paper. My husband flushes facial tissue, paper towels, cat hair balls, cat hair and who knows what else down the toilet. When I told him what I had read, he said that hes always done it, and that it hasnt been a problem yet. Maybe if he sees it in print, he will change this bad habit. Thank you! A Dover, N.H., Fan A Dover, N.H., Fan: I usually try not to get in the middle of a discussion between husband and wife, but on this one I will. My husband is a retired plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractor, and he built our house. We and waste-management engineers agree on this: Do flush only human waste and toilet paper. Do not flush anything else! All of the items mentioned may be flushable, which means they go through the toilet, but they dont just go away. They go through (or not) the plumbing system, then either into your septic system or out to the main sewer system. Your husband may never have had a problem, but millions have. Plus, its costing millions of dollars to unclog, keep free-flowing and remove all of the items that people flush. The toilet is meant for one thing. Its not a catchall for trash! To flush or not to flush thats the question. Dear Readers: Yvonne G. emailed a picture of her faithful companion, Koby, celebrating his 16th birthday; hes a pug who has been by her side since he was 2 1/ 2 . To see Koby, visit Heloise.com. Dear Heloise: We use the dishwasher only twice a week. I sprinkle in some baking soda to absorb the moisture and odors in between. It really helps. Bobbie B., Augusta, Maine Bobbie B.: Great hint! Baking soda is a safe, cheap workhorse. It can work on almost everything. For more hints and family recipes, order my pamphlet. Visit Heloise.com, or send a long, stamped (71 cents), self-addressed envelope and $5 to: Heloise/Baking Soda, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Baking soda makes a great nonabrasive polisher. Sprinkle some on a damp sponge to clean the kitchen sink and nonstick pans. Dear Heloise: I was disturbed by your answer to Robert C., who has his wife blindly follow their GPS while driving to a mystery date location for dinner. We live in a world where drivers are dangerously distracted by their electronic devices. Following GPS commands also can be distracting, especially if you dont know your destination. Douglas M., Bolivar, Ohio Douglas M.: So you mean that no one should use a talking GPS device? Dear Heloise: I use a silverware tray in the bathroom drawer as a great way to stay organized. Sandy L., Black Forest, Colo. Heloises column appears six days a week at washingtonpost.com/advice. Send a hint to Heloise , P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Tex. 78279-5000, or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com. A jury in Florida found that Gawker Media, the owner of a popular celebrity and news site, invaded the privacy of the former pro wrestler known as Hulk Hogan by posting excerpts of a sex tape involving him, and awarded him $115 million in damages. Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, sued Gawker in 2012, claiming harm when the site posted a brief video of him having sex with Heather Cole, then the wife of Tampa radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge Clem. The video came from a surveillance camera that Clem had installed in his bedroom. A six-person jury four women and two men in St. Petersburg on Friday found for the 62-year-old Hogan and awarded him $55 million in compensatory damages plus an additional $60 million for emotional distress. The mustachioed and heavily muscled Hogan became famous as a pro wrestling character in the 1980s. Clem had been one of his close friends. During closing remarks, Hogans attorney, Kenneth Turkel, sought to portray Hogan as a regular family guy who was hurt by Gawkers actions. Gawkers defense team, meanwhile, challenged those arguments during the two-week trial, saying Hogan acknowledged on the tape that he knew he was being recorded and later bragged about his sexual prowess. The websites attorneys also said Gawkers publication of the video was protected under the First Amendment and that awarding Hogan a victory would enable celebrities and public figures to punish the press for reporting things they didnt like. What the plaintiff asks you to do is easy: to feel sympathy for Mr. Bollea, to muster your dislike and disdain for Gawker, Gawker attorney Michael Sullivan told the jury Friday. What we ask you to do is harder, very hard, but ultimately, it is right. In his closing remarks, Sullivan also said that Gawkers then-editor, A.J. Daulerio, had acted legally and without malice an argument the jury rejected. He didnt just post a 30-minute sex tape, unedited without commentary, the lawyer said. Instead, he posted nine seconds of blurry sexual activity from a 30-minute sex tape. Nine seconds. The rest of that one-minute-and-41-second tape was conversation that directly complemented his commentary, making the point of the ordinariness of celebrity sex tapes. Thats not the sensational prying that would remove it from the realm of protected speech related to a matter of public concern. He also said Hogan never sought therapy for his purported emotional distress. Gawker signaled it would appeal the decision, saying in a statement before the jurys verdict was returned that the jury was unable to consider recently unsealed documents related to the case. It may be necessary for the Appeals Court to resolve this case, the statement said. Cole said during the trial that her then-husband had urged her to have sex with Hogan as part of their open marriage. Clem did not testify. Jurors werent shown the video during the trial but were permitted to see it during deliberations. Gawkers appeal will probably turn on a series of sealed documents that were not introduced at trial. In a separate ruling this week, an appeals court overturned a previous ruling that had kept the document confidential. Gawker described those records as important evidence that the jury should have been able to see. The unsealed documents include text messages between Hogan and Clem, Clems deposition testimony, and a settlement agreement between Hogan and Clem that involved a $5,000 payment by Hogan. Hogan sobbed after the jurys verdict was released. Given key evidence and the most important witness were both improperly withheld from this jury, we all knew the appeals court will need to resolve the case, Gawker founder Nick Denton said in his statement. He added: I am confident that we would have prevailed at trial if we had been allowed to present the full case to the jury. Thats why we feel very positive about the appeal that we have already begun preparing, as we expect to win this case ultimately. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowsers choice to lead the Districts public psychiatric institution had only one other hospital stint on his resume: chief executive of a hospital on an Indian reservation where emergency services were halted because they posed a risk to patients, according to federal and tribal officials. James Edward Kyle, 50, who took over as chief executive of St. Elizabeths Hospital in Southeast Washington on March 2, also was found unqualified for a job at the University of the District of Columbia after regulators discovered he lacked the proper credentials, according to records kept by the Districts Board of Nursing. My previous experience, military service, and training as a health care executive have prepared me for this job, Kyle wrote in an email to The Washington Post. Im excited about the opportunity to build on the work that has taken place. We are focused on delivering high quality care at Saint Elizabeths Hospital. When she selected Kyle for the $171,000-a-year job at St. Elizabeths last month, Bowser sang his praises. Dr. Kyle is a nationally board certified health care executive with over thirty years of experience in the medical field, the mayor said in a news release. Its unclear how the mayor was counting, but Kyles resume shows 10 years in the health field. He is not a physician. He earned a doctorate in leadership from Charisma University a school in the British West Indies that is not accredited in the United States and was unable to get recognition in the Philippines, where it was founded. According to his resume, LinkedIn page and city officials, Kyle served in the U.S. Army for nine years and worked as a manager for a nursing agency and as a professor and diversity officer at a for-profit online university. He also worked for a year as a nurse recruiter at a Veterans Affairs health center in San Francisco. Tanya Royster, director of the D.C. Department of Behavioral Health, said Kyle was the best choice for St. Elizabeths because of his varied background and vision for engaging with the community. Ive been impressed with what hes done in the first couple of weeks that hes been there, she said. The staff are united behind him; the staff are engaged. But she acknowledged there was dissent among the hospitals 700 employees. Unfortunately, people are bitter, angry and disappointed that they did not assume leadership, Royster said. Bowsers spokesman declined to say why the mayor selected him. Kyle replaced Beth Gouse, who had worked at the hospital for 20 years. Absent from the hiring announcement was the fact that Kyle was named R.N. director of nursing for the University of the District of Columbia non-credit programs. At a September 2013 meeting of the citys Board of Nursing, which regulates health-care providers in the District, the board found that Kyles work experience did not meet requirements for the job and notified UDC officials, according to records. Officials at UDC did not respond to inquiries, and it was unclear if Kyle had spent any time on the job. Royster said she did not know the particulars of Kyles time at UDC but said it was irrelevant. Kyles only experience at the helm of a hospital was four months, starting in July 2015, as chief executive of an Indian Health Service facility serving the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in Rosebud, S.D. The Indian Health Service is part of the federal Department of Health and Human Services. That hospital is at risk of losing federal Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements after a series of discoveries made public in December by Rep. Kristi L. Noem (R-S.D.), including that an unattended woman gave birth on the floor and that surgical equipment was hand-washed, according to the congresswomans office. Noem said at the time that the incidents took place in recent weeks. Royster said Kyle wasnt responsible for the longtime problems at Rosebud. She said she was under the impression he left in January because members of the local health board preferred a Native American leader. Board officials disputed this and said they never saw Kyle again after he left the job in November. Rosebud Sioux leaders reached by The Post said they had high hopes for Kyle, but he clashed with staff and gave false assurances about the hospitals preparedness for a review by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. When Kathleen Wooden Knife, a tribal representative, asked Kyle if the hospital was ready for a CMS review, she said he assured her it would pass without any problem. Kyle left in November, right before federal officials inspected the hospital and shut down the emergency room, saying it posed an immediate risk to patients. This month, the hospital received a two-month extension to improve conditions before officials stop paying Medicare and Medicaid claims submitted by providers there. Kyle just up and left, and left us high and dry, said William Bear Shield, another Rosebud Sioux. The hospitals troubles started before Kyles arrival. I dont know they got any worse, added Bear Shield. I could definitely tell you nothing got better while he was here. Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report. The newly hatched bald eagle is shown in its nest Friday at the National Arboretum. The other egg is expected to hatch over the weekend. (Courtesy of D.C. DOEE/American Eagle Foundation) In a country deeply divided in its politics, the birth Friday of a bald eagle, the national bird , managed to unite quite a few people. Tens of thousands tuned in to watch the birth via a live video stream from the National Arboretum. And many are still watching, hoping to catch a glimpse of the baby while awaiting the hatching of a second eaglet, which is expected this weekend. The solar-powered cameras and equipment system near the nest in a tulip poplar tree on the 400-acre property in Northeast Washington gave office workers, schoolchildren and bird lovers both near and far a close-up view of the four-foot-wide by two-foot-deep nest. Viewers saw the first cracks in the shell Wednesday evening. Then, on Friday morning, the itty, bitty beak, as one viewer called it, poked through the shell, followed by gray, soft feathers. Then poof! The mother bald eagle carefully pulled back the shell, and a new eaglet came into the world at 8:27 a.m. Eastern time. [Its hatched! Live cam shows baby bald eagle is born at the National Arboretum] One of two baby bald eagles at the U.S. National Arboretum finally hatched. Here's the moment on camera. (American Eagle Foundation) Its amazing, said Daniel Rauch, a wildlife biologist at the Districts Department of Energy and Environment. Bald eagles are our national symbol. Theyre charismatic animals, and seeing one born in the wild like this is very unique. The cameras offered a front-row seat to nature for those more accustomed to using their laptops and mobile devices for watching YouTube videos. Over the past week, the mother eagle, known as the First Lady, got up off the eggs to rearrange twigs and grass in the nest and rotate the eggs, her white feathers blowing in the breeze. Dad, a.k.a. Mr. President, also helped keeping the eggs warm and bringing home food: fresh fish. After the birth, Mama fed bits of fish to a wobbly-headed eaglet. People are getting a fantastic window into their world, Rauch said. Its an awesome chance to view nature as it happens. This is real reality TV. Viewers from as far away as the Netherlands watched and weighed in on social media as the eaglet hatching unfolded. Tina Camporeale wrote: Forget about Trump, start watching this, its much more interesting. Angela Leonard-Soll, wrote: Cant stop watching! And Tim DeFelice called the live-streaming The Truman Show for Eagles! The First Lady and Mr. President began a nest at the arboretum in 2014. Last summer, the pair saw the birth of one eaglet. (Initially, officials said more than one eaglet had hatched, but after reviewing photographs and observations by arboretum staff members and D.C. eagle biologists, they reversed themselves.) [Mr. President and the First Lady nest at National Arboretum On Feb. 10, the First Lady laid one egg and then another on Feb. 14. Eagles have a roughly 35-day incubation period, so the first one hatched right on the money, said Julia Cecere, a spokeswoman for the American Eagle Foundation in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. One of the eagles at the National Arboretum brought a fish back to the nest. (National Arboretum) The popularity of the impending births gave a boost to the foundation, a small nonprofit organization that has tracked the arboretum eagles. The group touted that it hit 100,000 likes on its Facebook page from people interested in the arrival of the eaglets. News that the hatching had started was trending on Twitter at one point. Friday morning, there were 50,000 viewers on the live stream at the same time at one point, Cecere said. And the birth got a shout-out on national morning talk shows. For now, the new eaglet is named DC2, because the pair of bald eagles had another eaglet last year at the arboretum. The second eaglet, which has been named DC3, is expected to hatch possibly as early as Sunday. The public soon will have a chance to come up with official names for the eaglets. The bald eagles setting up their nest at the arboretum was a big deal, because it was the first nest spotted there since 1947. Having eaglets there and being able to watch the hatching live is even more rare, experts said. Ive been doing this for 13 years, and Ive never seen this, Rauch said. We know the entire saga of this pair, he said. From the time they paired up together, through their courtship, building a nest, and now weve been able to see them hatch their egg and care for it. The draw of watching the eagles is similar to the popularity of the live cameras on the giant pandas and the young cub at the National Zoo, animal experts said. And watching them online puts some people as close as theyll get to the great outdoors. [Video shows baby giant panda Bei Bei goes outside] Theyre symbols of conservation having worked, Rauch said of pandas and eagles and the publics obsession with hearing and watching them in their habitats. Bald eagle pairs in the U.S. dropped to fewer than 500 in the 1960s but have since recovered, and now there are more than 10,000 pairs in the country, biologists said. Bald eagles were removed from the endangered species list in 2007, but there are strict federal rules protecting them. It was a challenge to install cameras and other equipment near the nest to watch the pair of bald eagles at the arboretum. Workers had to run a half-mile of fiber-optic cable to the control box about 200 feet from the tree. The system gets power from a large solar array that was designed, built and staffed by the Alfred State Colleges School of Applied Technologies in Wellsville, N.Y. Wildlife specialists also were involved, to reduce disturbance to the eagles. In the spring, experts plan to take blood samples from eaglets at nest sites in the arboretum and in the D.C. area. Each eaglet is expected to get a leg band for identification. [Bald eagles are starting to flourish again but hold the confetti] Ed Clark, president and founder of the Wildlife Center of Virginia, said often people find themselves drawn to watching the eagle cam until darkness hits and then again as the sun rises. Watching it, he said, just gives us something inspiring. Maybe it gives us hope that the world isnt entirely going to hell in a handbasket, he said. The bald eagle nest live stream can be seen at dceaglecam.eagles.org. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, seen here delivering his 2016 State of the State address, does not approve of a transportation-scoring bill the House passed Saturday. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post) Marylands House of Delegates on Saturday approved a bill that would require the state to rate transportation plans before deciding which projects to fund, a reaction to last years decision by Gov. Larry Hogan (R) to shift more money toward highway projects in rural parts of the state. The measure, sponsored by Del. Pamela G. Beidle (D-Anne Arundel), would allow lower-ranked plans to win approval ahead of those that score higher, but the administration would have to justify such decisions. The legislation passed 84 to 51, largely along party lines. The decision came during a weekend session the House convened to address a backlog of legislative proposals before Mondays crossover day, by which all bills must pass out of at least one chamber to have the best chance of becoming law. The House also approved a bill that would provide generous scholarships to poor students who fulfill a pledge to graduate from high school and pursue higher education. The measure, which passed 88 to 44, was part of a legislative package House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) recently backed as a way to spur a renaissance in Baltimore, where riots erupted last year after Freddie Gray died of injuries he suffered in police custody. [Major state funding proposed for Baltimore revival package] Additionally, the House overwhelmingly approved two tax-relief measures: One would eliminate the corporate tax on overseas earnings that have been taxed by foreign governments, and the other would expand a tax credit for the working poor, similar to a plan Hogan proposed earlier this year. Lawmakers debated the transportation bill for more than an hour before voting. Supporters said the measure would improve transparency in the decision-making process, while opponents argued that it would diminish the power of local input and create a system that favors urban areas and mass-transit projects. Its a usurpation of local authority, said Del. Haven N. Shoemaker Jr. (R-Carroll). Its not right, and I would submit that its balderdash. Del. Brooke E. Lierman (D-Baltimore) said local input would not be affected at all by this bill, adding that the states transportation secretary would still consult with lawmakers and local officials before making decisions. The governors office released a graph this month showing that Montgomery County would have received 96 percent of the states transportation funding if the scoring system were in place this year. Del. Maggie L. McIntosh (D-Baltimore), speaking at a hearing on the bill this month, questioned the accuracy of the administrations mock scoring and stressed that the legislation would not bind the state to funding the highest-ranked projects. Hogan upset many Democrats last year when he rejected plans for the $3 billion Red Line light-rail project through Baltimore while approving the similarly expensive Purple Line for the Washington suburbs. He insisted that the Red Line would be a waste of money, saying its fatal flaw was the need for a $1 billion tunnel beneath the city. Critics accused the governor of spiking the Baltimore-oriented project for political reasons to send more money to parts of the state that helped him win the 2014 election. [Md. Democrats transportation agenda] Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer said Saturday that the governors latest transportation plan was incredibly balanced, addressing critical transportation projects in every jurisdiction while also boosting funding for local roads by more than $230 million. Mayer also criticized the scoring bill, saying it would create an incredibly unbalanced plan based on a formula developed behind closed doors and without real public input. The legislation would require the state to rate transportation proposals based on eight factors, including cost-effectiveness, return on investment, environmental stewardship, safety and community vitality. REGION Balmy week could give way to snow Not only was Friday a windy day, the kind for which March is known, but Saturday and Sunday may see a bit of snow in the region, exemplifying the fickleness of early spring and of weather in general. The District government announced Friday that it would deploy its snow team Saturday at 9 p.m. It said snow might fall occasionally Saturday night through Sunday night. Any accumulation would be slight, the announcement said, but motorists were asked to be careful, especially during Mondays rush hour. Snow this late in the season is not unheard of, but this March has been relatively balmy and has appeared far more reminiscent of spring than of winter. Fridays temperatures were well above normal, and the month has averaged about nine degrees above normal. Martin Weil THE DISTRICT No foul play in death of Metro passenger No signs of foul play were detected in the death of a man who was found unresponsive Thursday night on a Blue Line train in Northwest Washington, a Metro spokesman said. The man was found about 8 p.m. on the train at the Foggy Bottom station. He died at a hospital, according to police. The death did not appear suspicious, authorities said. Peter Hermann and Dana Hedgpeth 3rd suspect arrested in fatal stabbing D.C. police Thursday arrested a third suspect in connection with a fatal stabbing in December in the Langston-Carver neighborhood of Northeast Washington. Charles Edward McRae, 50, has been charged with first-degree murder while armed. Police allege that McRae and two others were involved in the killing of Lenard Wills, 50, of Northwest Washington, who was stabbed about 8:20 p.m. on Dec. 21 in an apartment in the 700 block of 24th Street NE. Peter Hermann VIRGINIA Ex-campaign treasurer sentenced A former campaign treasurer to Virginia Senate Minority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) was sentenced Friday to 56 months in prison for three fraud schemes totalling $1.4 million, including $653,000 embezzled from Saslaw. In October, Linda Diane Wallis, 51, who also went by the name Lynn Wallis Miller, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before Judge T.S. Ellis III in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. Wallis admitted writing 73 checks without the knowledge or permission of the lawmaker or his campaign. The checks were written to two fake entities that Wallis set up with a conspirator. Wallis admitted that the pair also used the same entities to take $368,400 from her husbands employer, a logistics company in Dulles. Separately, Wallis admitted commingling with the couples personal funds $482,000 raised from colleges and a Hungarian businessman for a charity. Spencer S. Hsu William B. Bader with his wife, Gretta. (Courtesy of the Bader family/Courtesy of the Bader family) William B. Bader, who held high-ranking foreign-policy positions with several federal agencies and who, as a Senate staff member, helped investigate CIA abuses and events surrounding the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, died March 15 at a care facility in Sykesville, Md. He was 84. He had complications from Alzheimers disease, said a son, Christopher Bader. While working for Sen. J. William Fulbright (D-Ark.) in the late 1960s, Dr. Bader was among the first people to cast doubt on the official reasons given by the Defense Department and the White House for escalating U.S. military involvement in Vietnam. On Aug. 4, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson went on national television to announce that the U.S. military was taking action against repeated acts of violence by North Vietnamese forces. According to the Defense Department, Navy ships had come under fire on two occasions in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam. The first attack, on Aug. 2, was on the destroyer USS Maddox. Two days later, defense officials said the Maddox and a second destroyer, the USS Turner Joy, had come under automatic weapons fire and torpedo attacks. The Maddox fired hundreds of shells during the nighttime incident, and U.S. jets were dispatched from a nearby aircraft carrier. Johnson used the episodes as justification for the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which was passed by Congress on Aug. 7, 1964. The resolution authorized the president to take all necessary measures to protect U.S. interests and led to a decade-long military engagement in Vietnam that claimed about 58,000 American lives. Dr. Bader, a onetime naval intelligence officer who worked at the CIA and State Department early in his career, was a member of Fulbrights staff in 1967, when he began to examine Navy documents concerning the Gulf of Tonkin incidents. There was no doubt that the Maddox had exchanged fire with a North Vietnamese vessel on Aug. 2, 1964. But Dr. Bader helped raise questions about the second attack, finding no evidence that it had taken place. Fulbright, an early critic of the Vietnam War, charged then-Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara with misrepresenting evidence about the supposed assaults. Fulbright suggested that the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution had been passed under false pretenses. Many documents related to the episode were not declassifed until 2005 and 2006, when the doubts voiced by Fulbright and Dr. Bader almost 40 years earlier were confirmed. A 2008 article in Naval History magazine, written by Navy officer Pat Paterson, concluded that high government officials distorted facts and deceived the American public about the Gulf of Tonkin incidents. One of the Navy pilots sent out from the USS Ticonderoga to attack North Vietnamese vessels was James B. Stockdale, who later became a vice admiral and the 1992 running mate of independent presidential candidate H. Ross Perot. In his 1984 autobiography, Stockdale was clear about what he saw: I had the best seat in the house to watch that event and our destroyers were just shooting at phantom targets . . . there was nothing there but black water and American firepower. William Banks Bader was born Sept. 8, 1931, in Atlantic City, where his grandfather had been mayor in the 1920s. After Dr. Baders father was killed in an automobile accident in 1934, the family moved to Los Angeles. Dr. Bader graduated from Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., in 1953. He then studied in Europe on a Fulbright fellowship an international academic program sponsored by the senator he would later work for. He served in the Navy from 1955 to 1958, received a doctorate in history from Princeton University in 1964, then worked for the CIA and the State Department for a few years. He published a book, Austria Between East and West, in 1966. In the mid-1970s, Dr. Bader was on the staff of a Senate investigative committee led by Frank Church (D-Idaho). In that role, Dr. Bader helped expose a variety of unsavory practices by the CIA, including attempts to topple governments and assassinate foreign leaders. Dr. Bader later worked at the Defense Department before returning to the Senate as chief of staff of the Foreign Relations Committee from 1979 to 1981. He then spent 10 years with SRI International, a research firm and government contractor. He was president of the Eurasia Foundation in Washington from 1992 to 1995 and, over the years, lectured at many universities. He was an assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs from 1999 to 2001. Dr. Bader lived for many years in Alexandria, Va., and was a member of the Cosmos Club and Western Presbyterian Church in the District. His wife of 60 years, sculptor Gretta Lange Bader, died in 2014. Survivors include four children, Christopher Bader of Medford, Mass., Katharine Bader of Durham, N.C., John Bader of Kensington, Md., and Diedrich Bader of West Hollywood, Calif., an actor in the cast of the HBO series Veep; a brother; and six grandchildren. In 1998, Dr. Bader spoke at a ceremony in Fayetteville, Ark., honoring Fulbright, his onetime mentor. He recalled how the Fulbright fellowship had helped shape his life and those of countless other young people. None of us had ever been out of the country, he said. We learned, we saw and we were changed. An Arlington man was killed early Saturday when the motorcycle he was driving skidded into a curb on a ramp leading to I-395 in Alexandria, Virginia State Police said. Altankhuyag Saintur, 26, was driving a 2014 Yamaha XB-1600 east on Route 236 about 12:10 a.m., state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said in a news release. As he entered the ramp leading to I-395 north near Landmark Mall, the motorcycle skidded, ran off the right side of the road and struck a curb, throwing Saintur from the bike. Saintur was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital where he died later Saturday, police said. No one else was injured in the accident. A Northern Virginia man admitted Friday in federal court that he spent months plotting to travel to Syria so he could become a fighter with the Islamic State. Joseph Hassan Farrokh, 28, of Woodbridge, unknowingly discussed his plans with FBI informants all along, prosecutors said. He was arrested in January at Richmond International Airport as he was about to board a flight for the first leg of his trip. During a hearing in federal court in Alexandria, Farrokh pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to the terrorist organization. Farrokh, who was recently married, was expressionless as U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga told him that he could face up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release. Do you understand the consequences of pleading guilty? the judge asked. Yes, sir, Farrokh responded. Farrokhs father and two female family members sat silently as marshals escorted Farrokh out of the courtroom. He will remain in custody until his sentencing, scheduled for July 15. Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan, a 25-year-old friend who drove Farrokh to the airport, also was arrested in January. Elhassan has been charged with aiding and abetting Farrokh. Farrokh and Elhassan are among 80 people from across the country who have been charged by federal prosecutors for crimes related to the Islamic State. [The Islamic States suspected inroads into America] Prosecutors said that Farrokh and Elhassan were lured by the terrorist groups exhaustive recruitment effort in the United States. Its not clear how the two men showed up on the FBIs radar, but prosecutors said that Farrokh had repeatedly expressed interest in fighting for the Islamic State, at one point saying, Allah made me for jihad. An affidavit signed by U.S. Secret Service Agent Walter T. Johnson Jr. says that Farrokh was born in Pennsylvania and had been living in Woodbridge since July 2015. Elhassan, a Sudanese native who came to the United States legally in 2012, also lived in Woodbridge, the affidavit says. [Va. man accused of planning to join the Islamic State in Syria] At Farrokhs wedding reception in August, Elhassan introduced Farrokh to a person they believed was engaged in jihad outside the United States, according to the affidavit. What Elhassan didnt realize was that it was an informant, Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis Fitzpatrick said in court. Over the following months, Farrokh met with that informant and two others to discuss how he could travel to Syria to join the fighting, prosecutors said. The informants told him to send them copies of his passport and drivers license and fill out a visa application to enter Jordan. Throughout the process, Farrokh seemed to have reservations. He questioned whether he could trust the informants and worried that he would be arrested for talking with them about his plans. In a November meeting with informants in Springfield, the FBI recorded Farrokh saying he thought he could go to jail for following the informants instructions to swear an oath to the Islamic State, according to the affidavit. In December, the affidavit says, Farrokh bought a plane ticket to Jordan via Chicago. Farrokhs family believed that he was flying to California and Saudi Arabia to study, according to prosecutors. These were fig leaves to conceal his desire to travel to the Islamic State, Fitzpatrick said. On Jan. 15, Elhassan picked Farrokh up in a red taxicab and drove him to a rest area outside Richmond, where Farrokh shaved his beard to appear less conspicuous, according to prosecutors. The men then went to a shopping center a mile from the airport and waited for two hours before Farrokh took a different cab the rest of the way. Farrokh was arrested by the FBI as he approached his departure gate. Stephanie McKeel, left ,practices a self defense move during a free two-hour self-defense class held at the Northeast Library on Saturday in Washington, DC. (Kate Patterson/for The Washington Post) There was once a time when Melanie Ranier followed D.C. police on Twitter. She wanted to know what crimes happened where, which streets to avoid, who to keep an eye out for. But she doesnt anymore. It was too scary. Too many of the crimes were happening close to her house near the H Street corridor. There were so many incidents, said Ranier, 34, who works for a U.S. Senate committee. Its alarming . . . wed check every day and there would be another incident a block from our house. One woman, she said, was attacked with a brick near Raniers house. So Ranier attended a self-defense seminar Saturday aimed at Capitol Hill residents concerned about mounting reports of crime in the community. With spring underway, and the most crime-ridden months upon us, some residents want to feel better prepared. In the two-hour session, they learned how to target the most vulnerable parts of an attackers body and quickly find others for help. The class, which attracted six women of diverse ages, represents just one more way community members, rattled by an uptick in robberies last year, are altering their behavior and changing their routines. Some residents are walking their dogs only during daylight hours. Others say they now drive to grocery stores in other parts of town rather than walk to a nearby neighborhood market. Ranier says she drives to Capitol Hill or takes a cab home if its after dark. Once, she said, a man she described as very large followed her for blocks, saying he wanted to walk her home. He left only after Ranier asked a driver idling at a stoplight for help. There has been an increase in crime, she said. Its an indisputable fact. Between November 2014 and November 2015, unarmed robberies increased from 35 to 43 on the streets around Capitol Hill, Stanton Park and Eastern Market. The surge was even more significant for armed robberies, which more than doubled, from 11 to 24. Complaints and concerns have flooded Internet mailing lists, email chains and social media. I caught armed robbery on video in front of my home on Capitol Hill; alerted police to it but they never called back, one man said last October on Twitter. Saturday night Halloween on Capitol Hill festive? a woman tweeted . More like dangerous, w/ robbery reported 2 blks away & sirens blaring everywhere. So a few weeks ago, the branch manager of the Northeast Neighborhood Library, Heather Petsche, decided to do something about it. She brought in a self-defense instructor named Lauren Taylor, who has spent decades teaching women to defend themselves against gender-based violence. Despite the increase in robberies, the reality of violence, Taylor said, is that for women and girls, the vast majority of attacks are by people we know. So she dedicated most of the class to handling scenarios women are most likely to encounter domestic violence and dangerous encounters at parties. (Taylor is also a Washington Post employee.) If someone tries to mug you, she said, its best to give the person whatever object theyre seeking, then slowly back away without turning away until youve reached a safe distance from the thief. You have to think about the probability that someone trying to rob you has a weapon, said fellow instructor Tia Goodson. The teachers also advised yelling Stop! repeatedly and in ascending volume if the person approaching doesnt heed the warning. If the person continues, swing back one leg, then place both arms, bent at the elbow and palms facing out, in front of your body ready to strike if necessary. At the end of the class, Ranier said she felt more confident that she would know what to do in an unsafe situation. I was a little nervous and didnt know what to expect, but Im glad I did it, she said. I feel stronger. Peter Hermann contributed to this report. Residents who see rats the most in their homes and neighborhoods are significantly more likely to suffer from sadness, anxiety and other depressive symptoms, according to a new study. (Erik S. Lesser/European Pressphoto Agency) Do rats make you sad? Researchers have found a psychological toll in some people. Theyre beady-eyed, bald-tailed and thriving in the citys trash-strewn alleys and vacant houses. Many in Baltimore would agree that seeing rats regularly is annoying. But for some, the rodents constant presence can also be depressing. Residents who see rats the most in their neighborhoods and their homes are significantly more likely to suffer from sadness, anxiety and other depressive symptoms, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This study provides very strong evidence that rats are an underappreciated stressor that affects how people feel about their lives in low-income neighborhoods, said Danielle German, an assistant professor in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society who led the study. German said researchers trying to understand the main stressors in low-income neighborhoods were surprised to learn that rats and trash were repeatedly cited as top public health concerns of people who were living in areas that were also affected by crime, street-level drug-dealing, and vacant and deteriorating housing. About half the 448 residents interviewed in 2010 and 2011 reported seeing rats on their block at least weekly. More than a third said they saw them daily. About 13 percent said they saw rats inside their homes. Researchers found that those who considered the rats a big problem were 72 percent more likely to experience depressive symptoms than those who lived in similar neighborhoods where rats were not a big problem. German said the findings could change the way public health and other officials frame the conversation about rats, usually considered a nuisance and a vector for disease more than a depressive force. That misses what it feels like to be a resident of a neighborhood where you see rats every day, she said. Since the study was conducted, German said, the city has taken some steps that might help. Chief among them is a $10 million plan to distribute sturdy trash cans with lids to every resident, which began in recent weeks. In Baltimores Belair-Edison neighborhood, where cans were passed out more than a year ago under a pilot program, the impact was swift, Sadie Gooch said. The 70-year-old resident said she used to see rats every day. Now she cant remember the last time one scurried through her yard. Gooch said neighbors embraced the cans, which have cleared many blocks of trash. The lids fit tight, she said, so the rats dont go looking for food or shelter. I didnt like going out my back door at night because of the rats, and now Im not scared to sit out there, she said. I dont know about rats making people sad and anxious, but they scared me. Now, she said, bulk trash and dog feces are neighborhood problems, but the rats arent as interested in that refuse. It was such feedback and a 25 percent drop in calls about rats from Belair-Edison and Greater Mondawmin, another neighborhood with a pilot program, that led Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to roll out the trash-can program citywide, spokesman Howard Libit said. The city has stepped up other rat-control efforts, such as treating rat habitats proactively, rather than waiting for calls. More workers have been added to the rat-control ranks, too. The citys rat budget for fiscal 2016 was just under $1.1 million and included 16 workers, up from nearly $619,000 and eight workers the year before, according to the Department of Public Works. Libit said the measures were born largely of concern about public health and the fact that most people absolutely hate rats. Reducing rats is something we want to do for the people who live in neighborhoods where they are prevalent, he said. They are disgusting. If there were also psychological benefits, he said, that would be great. Cohn is a staff writer for the Baltimore Sun. Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld, left, announces that subway service will be shut down for a full day so the agency can conduct emergency safety inspections. At center is D.C. Council member and Metro board chairman Jack Evans. (Evan Vucci/AP) With a new boss running Metro a general manager untainted by the agencys long history of mistakes and a new board chairman who is far more assertive than his recent predecessors about the unconscionable lack of dedicated public funding for subway operations, you have to wonder: Was Wednesdays unprecedented safety-related shutdown of Metrorail just a one-off startling event or a hint of further remarkable, disruptive steps to come? For a beleaguered transit agency chronically addled by inertia as it labors to make a course change for the better an organization guided less by nimble management over the years than by an ever-growing mountain of pricey consultants reports will last weeks stunning decisiveness eventually seem, well, not so stunning? Will drastic action become the new Metro normal? If nothing else, the surprising shutdown, and what the boss and the board chairman had to say about it, announced a fresh style of leadership, a break from the static past. 1 of 32 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Photos: What Washington looks like during the Metro shutdown View Photos Service was canceled across the entire rail system for safety checks of electric cables after a fire in a tunnel Monday. Caption Service was canceled across the entire rail system, March 16, for safety checks of electric cables after a fire in a tunnel. March 16, 2016 Near the closed Farragut West Metro station in Washington, commuters stand in line to board a bus heading toward Ballston, Va. Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue. General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld, in his fourth month as Metros chief executive, was mostly applauded (but also jeered) for summarily halting the regions busiest form of public transportation for 24 hours, to allow inspectors to search for dangerously deteriorated power cables along 100 miles of subterranean tracks. [The Metrorail shutdown was all about electricity.] Since the birth of Metrorail, 40 years ago this month, the agency had never before ordered a subway closure on a fair-weather workday. Hundreds of thousands of regular riders, given only half a days notice, had to scramble for travel alternatives. That could be a sign of a new approach that transit agencies are going to take, said Robert Puentes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institutions Metropolitan Policy Program. Comparing Wiedefelds shutdown decree to the Chicago Transit Authoritys decision to close about 10 miles of its subway for five months of rebuilding in 2013, Puentes said, These may be the kinds of extraordinary steps that are needed. Puentes said of Wiedefeld: Because hes a relatively new GM, hes able to take this extraordinary step, which really highlighted the problem. . . . This became national news, and if that was part of the calculation, it was a pretty shrewd move. . . . It sends a strong signal that these kinds of things are going to be happening in the next few years. [For a new Metro general manager, the honeymoon is brief.] Passengers average about 712,000 trips each weekday on Metrorail. Asked whether long-suffering riders will witness other extreme measures as he works to revive an agency plagued by financial woes, safety and service breakdowns, infrastructure attrition, and mismanagement, Wiedefeld replied, I hope not. But he wouldnt rule it out. The key is that we create the kind of culture, the kind of organization, so we dont get to this point, he said Wednesday, pausing for an interview on a hectic morning for the agency, with 22 inspection crews fanned out across the idle rail network. Its basically about making [sound] decisions day to day, he said. That prevents you from having to make these kinds of decisions, like shuttering the nations second-busiest subway. A career transportation manager, Wiedefeld is a former head of the Maryland Transit Administration and chief executive of Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport. His retired Metro predecessor, Richard Sarles, was a seemingly reluctant public figure, a manager rooted in the arcana of nuts-and-bolts engineering. Wiedefeld is a more animated presence. But he has no extensive technical training. When Im here a hundred days, and I find something, I cant just go on, business as usual, he said. He was referring to a tunnel fire about 4:30 a.m. Monday, before the subway opened, that raised urgent concerns about the safety of the systems 600 jumper cables, a type of heavy-duty electrical line. It starts with me, he said of his swift, emphatic response. But thats what we have to basically get the culture to be. [Metro delays caused by cable problem similar to last years fatal smoke incident] In addition to inspecting the 600 jumper cables, the tunnel crews also checked the condition of hundreds of heavy, elbow-shaped connection assemblies, called boots, that are used where power lines are attached to one another. The workers found fire hazards, mainly involving damaged or worn-out insulation, in 26 locations. If Wiedefeld, in closing the subway, also was sending a message to the public that Metro needs more significant and predictable funding from local jurisdictions to avoid future mass inconveniences, he wasnt alone in doing so. [It just feels like the system is crumbling.] D.C. Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), who joined Metros governing board early last year and became chairman two months ago, stood with Wiedefeld at press briefings before and during the shutdown, endorsing the general managers decision. Evanss two immediate predecessors, Mortimer Downey and Tom Downs, are longtime transportation technocrats acclimated to the glacial processes of public administration, each more comfortable with planning documents than news cameras. By contrast, Evans is a media-savvy politician who seizes every chance, often on TV, to cajole Washington-area officials to boost their investments in the transit system. Having lost two campaigns for D.C. mayor, in 1998 and 2014, Evans has made himself mayor of the subway instead. This was evident last week, when he repeatedly linked the shutdown to the regions hesitancy to fully do its part to support Metro. Its very important that everyone remember what happened today, and everyone participate in investing in our future, he told reporters Wednesday, after Wiedefeld had discussed the inspections that were underway, including locations where poorly maintained high-voltage wires, shorn of insulation because of age and wear, posed a fire hazard in tunnels. We need to establish a dedicated funding source, Evans declared. When the transit system was younger, the issue of dedicated funding was a frequent topic of debate. But the idea, fraught with political complications, never went anywhere, and discussions eventually faded until Evans started banging his fist. Here I stand, 25 years later, he said at one of Wiedefelds briefings. And no progress has been made on the issue. That is unconscionable. [Jack Evans wants to be a public face of Metro.] He said of the shutdown, Were sorry this had to happen, that it has come to this. Advocates for Metro have complained that the agency, in paying for daily operations, suffers a unique financial disadvantage among major U.S. transit systems because it lacks a significant, dedicated source of money, such as a portion of a sales or gas tax. But local politicians fear that proposing higher taxes would anger voters. Instead, Metro must seek annual operating subsidies from the District, Maryland and Virginia. The jurisdictions, which are chipping in $845 million this year, were reluctant to boost their contributions next year, despite Metros rising costs. Partly as a result, the agency set its next operating budget at $1.74 billion, down 3 percent from this year. Metro budgets a similar sum for annual capital projects, helped by federal funds. Evans has pledged to lead a battle to persuade Congress to provide a dedicated stream of funding for Metro operations, in addition to the capital-improvements money. He and other local leaders, including U.S. Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), argue that Congress has an obligation to do so because Metro ferries many thousands of federal employees and visitors to the capital city. Metro is us, Evans said. We are Metro, all of us. As for Wiedefeld, asked whether Wednesdays drama also was meant as a message to complacent transit workers that theres a new sheriff in town, he said: It wasnt a designed message. It is how I manage. So they will understand that. His shutdown order contrasts sharply with what happened a year ago, not long after Sarles retired, when Metro was under interim leadership and federal safety officials issued a public warning about the jumper cables. On Jan. 12, 2015, an electrical malfunction ignited a fire on tracks near Metros LEnfant Plaza station, filling a tunnel with smoke. Scores of passengers on a stalled train were sickened and one died of respiratory failure. Early in an investigation that is still not complete, the National Transportation Safety Board said the meltdown involved jumper cables. The panel urged Metro to perform a system-wide inspection of the cables. [Scores of riders were sickened, one fatally, on a smoke-filled train.] In a March 2015 memo to Metro board members, the agencys since-departed chief engineer outlined what he planned to do in the following weeks, including: Provide an engineering and operations report on all . . . jumper cables in tunnel sections for condition and installation. Note: Metro personnel will conduct inspections, looking for wear and tear on cables and assess the condition of cable installations. How careful those promised inspections were is a mystery at the moment, at least publicly. Theres a whole lot more I have to do to find out how we got to this position, Wiedefeld said. But clearly, last year, Metros top brass didnt think the cable situation was urgent enough to warrant drastic measures. Then came Mondays electrical fire in a tunnel near the McPherson Square station. Although it occurred about a half-hour before the subways 5 a.m. opening, there were major delays on three rail lines throughout the day and evening while repairs were made and Metro tried to determine the cause of the meltdown. It turned out to be malfunctioning jumper cables frighteningly similar to what precipitated the LEnfant Plaza tragedy. Officials said they were fortunate that the subway hadnt yet opened Monday morning. The smoke near the McPherson Square station was as thick and widespread as the noxious fumes near LEnfant Plaza, maybe more so. This time, Metro reacted quickly. Late Tuesday, moments after Wiedefeld broke the news of the impending shutdown, a reporter, sounding incredulous, asked, Theres no way this can be held off to the weekend? And the general manager replied: From where I sit, the safety of the public and my employees is paramount. So to risk that, I just cannot. Which might ring familiar to John Porcari, a former Maryland transportation secretary who worked closely with Wiedefeld in Maryland a decade ago. He really means it about safety, Porcari said. He literally stays awake nights thinking about safety. Wednesday afternoon, in announcing that the subway would reopen the next morning, Wiedefeld described the damaged jumper cables that inspectors had fixed or replaced. Three sets of cables (near the McPherson Square, Farragut West and Potomac Avenue stations) were in such bad shape, with exposed high-voltage wires, that Metro would not have run trains over them if officials had been aware of the problems. Show-stoppers, the inspectors dubbed those cables. Overall, the 26 places with faulty cables and boots were along the most heavily traveled stretch of the rail system, between the Rosslyn and Stadium-Armory stations, where trains on the Orange, Blue and Silver lines share tracks beneath downtown Washington. In the interview Wednesday, while untold thousands of straphangers were relying instead on cars, buses, bikes and walking shoes, Wiedefeld vowed to get to the bottom of what happened with last years jumper cable inspections as soon as he can find the time. Right now, Im focusing on the immediate issues at hand, he said. I have a very stressful situation going on. . . Its a huge thing were dealing with. He said, Ive got a lot on my mind. Mary Pat Flaherty contributed to this report. In the labyrinth of bus routes, rail lines and commuter arteries that make up a city map, identifying areas that lack sufficient services can be difficult. But a new U.S. Transportation Department initiative would help pinpoint these transit deserts. Then, planners say, urban and suburban pockets with substandard train and bus service or those lacking any transit could be better connected to a citys grid. Transit desert is a very simple way of saying, Lets look at where and how much service we provide versus what the potential [is], said Andrew Owen, director of the University of Minnesotas Accessibility Observatory. Even in a place like Kansas, if you look at the transit system in a small city there yes, there is some transit now we have an opportunity to map out where and how the transit service is compared to other things, he said. Under the initiative, planners would use the information to help persuade policymakers to improve public transportation in underserved communities. And in some cases, years of painstaking research on how transit can better serve cities could be reduced to mere months. Commuters board buses at the New Carrollton Metro station. Metro has expressed interest in the National Transit Map project. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post) Thats the goal of the National Transit Map, a nationwide effort to cull data from transit agencies into a comprehensive feed for anyone to use. [Transportation Dept.: More about the National Transit Map project] A one-stop shop for transit wonks, if you will. For example, a software developer could morph the code into a real-life map; a researcher could compare transit access in Omaha to that in Richmond; or a transit agency could weigh whether its bus timetables sync with other systems in its region. Several Washington-area transit agencies, including Metro, MARC and VRE, have expressed interest in joining the project. A spokesman for the Fairfax Connector bus system said the service is excited to participate. All the agencies have readily available the necessary data sets, called GTFS feeds. And coders say little is required of those agencies participating. GTFS is the same format that was originally developed to deliver schedule information to Googles transit apps, the same data that shows up on your smartphone when youre trying to figure out how long youll have to wait for the next subway train. (The G originally stood for Google, but the acronym is now General Transit Feed Specification.) In the eyes of planners, the simplified data set is more than just a commuting tool; its a critical component of the nations infrastructure. Daniel Morgan, chief data officer for the Transportation Department, calls the map a snapshot of transit service in America at a point in time. Almost like a transportation census. And, he says, it could have important implications for the countrys most transit-starved areas. He says its a simple map with temporal dimension: stops, routes and schedule information. Transit sort of breathes throughout the day, and if you think of it sort of as a respiratory system, youll be able to animate how transit increases during the day and decreases during the nighttime, Morgan said. For example, on paper, a neighborhood might appear in a bustling section of a city. That doesnt tell you anything about whether its residents are well served by the citys bus system. For example, if they do have service, is it frequent enough to serve their needs? The question is: How well is our system taking people to where they need to go? said Carlos Monje, acting undersecretary for policy at the Transportation Department. The data is good not only for individual users, but for people who are trying to hold their system accountable. Developers say the initiative is a long-overdue addition to the countrys transit infrastructure. Data is the fundamental currency thats driving our transportation system and will drive our transportation system going forward, said Kevin Webb, a longtime software engineer and now entrepreneur-in-residence at Google-backed Sidewalk Labs, an urban-innovation company. Really, weve been focused on infrastructure, and thats not where the future is going to be. In a lot of places, weve really overbuilt the roads. Were going to figure out ways to better optimize and utilize the systems we have. Adie Tomer, a fellow with the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program, could have used the aid of a National Transit Map seven years ago, when he was conducting his study, Where the Jobs Are: Employer Access to Labor by Transit. The research, conducted with a team of researchers and released in 2012, found that more than three-fourths of all jobs in the countrys 100 largest metropolitan areas are in neighborhoods with transit service. [Brookings Institution: Missed Opportunity: 100 Metropolitan Profiles] And it presented a striking dichotomy: Both the San Jose and Richmond metropolitan areas offer transit service to more than 97 percent of city jobs, but transit access to the suburbs represented a huge disparity. In San Jose, whose transit routes extend well past the core of the city, 84 percent of suburban jobs are accessible via transit. In Richmond, however, the number is only 29 percent. Atlanta; Grand Rapids, Mich.; and McAllen, Tex., all exhibited similar contrasts between urban and suburban transportation. The implications of the study were vast, influencing conversations among planners and researchers about how metro areas should be constructed and how transit should be mapped out to best suit communities. Tomer says jurisdictions used Brookingss statistics or created their own versions of the study to serve as performance benchmarks. But another important legacy of the project may be the map itself. The study required three years of research, including data gathering and manually inputting data sets submitted by transit companies via paper records. In Tomers office, he said, sits a box of paper schedules collecting dust, from places such as Omaha and Milford, Conn., which did not have digital transit schedules at the time. Tomer says Brookings recommended that the federal government begin aggregating GTFS-like data at the conclusion of its research. No lobbying was conducted it was a simple recommendation, a selfish one. A National Transit Map could have shaved 12 months off his three-year project. Theres no euphemism for the permanent back pain that I have for sitting in a chair from so long coding, Tomer said. Its really easy to understand where roads go, how fast they travel and where they connect, he said. You know, transits a different beast. To better understand how regional economies function on kind of a daily basis, there needed to be an elegant way to kind of understand transit. For folks outside of transit agencies and their peers at metropolitan transit agencies, what this does is incredible. The Transportation Department will begin collecting data from transit agencies on March 31. It expects to put out the first National Transit Map this summer. Smithsonian research zoologist Anna J. Phillips is helping to sort through the recently acquired National Parasite Collection that had been maintained by the Agriculture Department. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post) Anna J. Phillips picked up the old glass jar filled with alcohol and wads of cotton, and she read the label describing the tangled object inside. Oh, she said, this is taenia saginata. A tapeworm, collected from the intestine of an anonymous person in the District on April 4, 1911. Its 21 feet, she said. A really great specimen. Before her at the Smithsonian Institutions Museum Support Center were arrayed hundreds of jars and test tubes, some more than a century old, filled with parasites. Tapeworms, roundworms, flatworms and deer liver flukes. Pinworms, thorny-headed worms, thin-necked bladderworms and one large jar of nematodes, with the unfortunate rat they afflicted. Everything was dead and pickled. Nothings infectious, Phillips had said earlier. I promise. And all were part of the countrys historic National Parasite Collection. Yes, there is such a thing. One of the largest in the world, although now in some disarray, the collection has just been acquired by the Smithsonian from the Agriculture Department, where it resided for more than 80 years in the basement of a small brick building in Beltsville, Md. Phillips, a research zoologist, and colleague Bill Moser, who coordinated the collection transfer, are sorting through the specimens that the government began collecting in 1892. There are a total of about 20 million parasites in fluid lots at the support center in suburban Maryland and on dry slides at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington. We still are finding out whats in here, Phillips said as she stood among the shelves of fluid specimens last month. Its so much. We didnt get a grasp on it when youre moving massive amounts. Its all officially here, she said. But its going to take years to . . . get everything how we want it, to bring it up to Smithsonian standards. The collection has long been used by scientists studying livestock and wildlife infections and by other experts studying food-borne pathogens and emerging infectious diseases, she said. And for years, it has been a collaboration between the Smithsonian and the Agriculture Department, said Steven Shafer, an associate administrator with the departments Agricultural Research Service. The collection had been based at the Smithsonian until it was moved to Beltsville in 1936, he said. Since then, he said, the collection has grown to the point where it was bursting at the seams. It finally got to the point that we felt that for the safety of the collection . . . it would be best to put it back in the hands of the Smithsonian, he said. The move, which cost the department about $100,000, also brings the collection closer to other Smithsonian holdings, and it allows experts to modernize how it is maintained. It remains open and accessible to scientists. Last month, it looked its age. Some of the fluid specimens were in dusty Mason jars decades old. Some containers were sealed with deteriorating cork. Many of the jars held numerous test tubes stopped up with cotton. Shafer said he did not know if any of the specimens had been damaged or had deteriorated over time. Whether or not any of the specimens were lost over the years youre talking 20 million specimens or more I cant believe that some werent, he said. But it would be a very small number, because that, to a curator, is a catastrophic failure, he said. The collection was moved in stages last year and in 2014. It includes specimens large, small and deadly, such as the plasmodium parasite that causes malaria. One label on a jar read: 29 lots of parasites of reptiles and amphibians . . . boa constrictor 1, alligator 1 . . . frogs 9. Another read: Parasites of yellow headed blackbird. There were also fleas and lice external or ectoparasites. And internal or endoparasites, like tapeworms. They are among the biggest. They have no brains, eyes or mouths but they can infect humans, cattle, birds, snakes and fish, Phillips said. She has a large jar in the natural history museum that contains several tapeworms between 15 and 30 feet long that she removed from the intestine of a dead dolphin in 2014. Sealed with a rubber gasket, it looks like a jar full of pasta. Tapeworms are acquired when a person or animal eats infected food. A worm latches on to the inside of the intestine with its scolex, which is not a mouth but a gripping tool, and absorbs nutrients through the segments of its body. But these worms didnt kill the dolphin. The tapeworms were not a problem for it, she said. There were other things going on. Phillips is easy on parasites. Most of the time, parasites arent causing major harm to their hosts, she said. Theyre taking a little bit, what they need. . . . They can even be beautiful. . . . They have these really amazing morphological structures that are really pretty. Yet magnified under a powerful microscope, they can appear frightening, with their hooks, suckers and spines. Parasites have plagued human beings for thousands of years, going back to ancient Egypt and China, and they still cause such maladies as river blindness and elephantiasis. Last year, malaria killed 438,000 people around the world according to the World Health Organization, and the 2015 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was awarded to three scientists for their work on parasitic infections, including malaria. Other strides have been made, too. We are on the verge of eradicating Guinea worm, Phillips said. This is a long, thin water-borne parasite that can be more than two feet long. It produces itchy, burning skin sores from which the worm protrudes and can be gradually extracted. It is an ancient ailment. Some scholars think that the torment of fiery serpents described in the Old Testaments book of Numbers may have been Guinea worms. As recently as the 1980s, it was infecting hundreds of thousands of people a year. Phillips said. Now, with adequate water filters, there are only a few dozen cases, she said. The National Parasite Collection is not the work of any one person, Phillips said. Theres been a series of people who have valued this and cared for it. Theres this huge field of parasitology researchers out there that are contributing to this, she said. All the work that theyre doing, with all of their papers and their fieldwork, all thats getting sent here. This is the basis for a lot of the knowledge of parasitology in the world, she said. A lot of this tracks back to these specimens. I received my new S7 Edge on Tuesday the 8th. Moving from an iPhone 6s Plus. Love the phone. Feels great in your hand. Would have enjoyed sticking with it, but.... Last night when I got on my flight from Atlanta, I went to turn the phone off and found that the on/off button no longer worked. I then tried the volume up button, it works, but the volume down button doesn't. Haven't dropped it. In fact it's still pristine. I went online this morning with Verizon and was instructed to go a company store and exchange it. Over lunch I went to Verizon and was told that they don't have 'any' in stock and aren't expecting any until early next month. To be fair it's because I have the infamous Silver S7 Edge. I asked, what I was supposed to do in the meantime. Could I get a loaner? No, rather abruptly, I was told to call Samsung. I called Samsung and was on hold for 22 minutes and 35 seconds until a CS representative came on the line. I was told that I could send it in for repair. I replied that it's only 9 days old, I want it replaced. She said the only way to get a replacement is to see my service provider. Samsung will only repair. So, since I'm in my 14 day window and I haven't sold my iPhone yet, I'm returning it tomorrow and reactivating my 6S plus. Sorry, I tried to switch, but I'm quite sure that I would have gotten a more satisfactory response with Apple in a timely manner. Bad service from Verizon, worse from Samsung. I should also add that I have 4 cell phone lines, 3 iPad lines, home phone and jet pack from Verizon. Obviously they don't care about how much $$$ I spend with them monthly. Regarding the March 13 news article Obama expected to grant clemency to offenders from the war-on-drugs era: The road following imprisonment is not an easy one. I know because I have walked it. When I was granted clemency more than 18 years ago by then-New York Gov. George Pataki (R) after serving 12 years in prison, I found that returning to the real world was frightening and unbelievably difficult. Freedom smacked me in the face swiftly, and it was quite overpowering. As the gate of the prison opened and I walked out a free man, I should have been the happiest person alive. But I wasnt. My main concern was the question that every prisoner facing release thinks about: Will I be able to survive life on the outside? I had no idea that I was being set up to fail when I reentered society. This was because of the many legal and social roadblocks that hindered my ability to successfully reenter the real world. My hat is off to President Obama. It is up to our political leaders to find solutions that will aid with the release of prisoners and create therapeutic solutions to the problems associated with reentry. If not, the road to recidivism will continue to fuel the mass incarceration of Americans. Anthony Papa, New York TWO YEARS after its illegal annexation by Russia, the Crimean Peninsula is one of the most isolated, poor and literally dark places in Europe. The economy is ruined: Power lines from Ukraine were severed in November, cutting off electricity to Crimeas 2 million people, and Russian authorities have so far managed only a partial restoration. Imports from Ukraine are banned, medicines are in short supply and the once bustling tourist trade is moribund. The only thriving industry in this severed Ukrainian province is repression: disappearances, political prosecutions and other legal and physical attacks on anyone questioning the Russian occupation. All but a few governments still recognize Crimea as part of Ukraine. But anyone who does so in the territory itself is subject to arrest, prosecution and up to five years imprisonment. A man who flew a Ukrainian flag over his house, Vladimir Baluh, was convicted last month, according to Crimean human rights activists we spoke to. Other Ukrainian citizens are being prosecuted by Russian prosecutors for participation in the anti-government demonstrations that brought down the Ukrainian government in Kiev in 2014, on the basis of testimony from pro-Russian security force personnel who later took refuge on the peninsula. In gross violation of international law, a number of political suspects, including well-known filmmaker Oleg Sentsov , have been transported across the border to Russia for trial and imprisonment. The most severe repression is reserved for Crimeas Tatar minority, some 300,000 people, most of them Muslims, who were deported from the region by Joseph Stalin and allowed to return only in the 1980s. Three present or former top leaders of the communitys self-government organization, the Majlis, have been charged with crimes; two are in exile and the third is imprisoned. Last month, a Russian prosecutor asked a court to ban the Majlis as an extremist organization, an act that would criminalize 2,300 members of the Tatar elite. In classic KGB style, Russian authorities are establishing a new Tatar organization under their control and have launched a new Tatar television station to replace the independent one that was shut down. Other measures are aimed at forcing Crimeans to live as Russian citizens. Young men are being drafted into the armed forces and threatened with arrest if they do not report for service. Russian passports are now needed to obtain medical care and other social services. Meanwhile, thousands of officials, security force members and other settlers have been brought into the province from Russia. The anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putins proclaimed annexation of Crimea last week prompted a few speeches at the United Nations, including by U.S. ambassador Samantha Power. Russias attempted annexation of Crimea, she said, is not a one-time violation of Ukraines sovereignty, but rather represents an ongoing, continuous violation, one that persists for every day that Russia continues to occupy the peninsula. Ms. Power warned against getting used to a new normal in which that aggression is tacitly accepted. Unfortunately, much of Europe already appears headed in that direction, with pressure mounting for the lifting of European Union sanctions. Crimeans surely will continue to suffer from Mr. Putins invasion; ensuring that his regime also does so will require U.S. steadfastness, and some vigorous diplomacy in the coming months. The March 1 editorial An assault on democratic values stated that a number of authoritarian rulers, including Adolf Hitler, achieved power through the ballot box. That is not quite the case. The Nazis never received more than 37 percent of the popular vote in any free national election. In the 1932 election, Paul von Hindenburg handily beat Hitler and remained president of Germany. Hitler came to power in 1933 as German chancellor, an appointed position, only after Hindenburg asked him to form a coalition government, which he was able to. Hitler achieved the ultimate power as German fuhrer (leader) only after Hindenburgs death in 1934 and legislative action of the German Reichstag, which was controlled by the Nazis. A vote on the transfer of power did, however, receive 90 percent support from the public, due in part to intimidation and fear of communists. Julian Klazkin, Bethesda While in the U.S. Coast Guard, I was the unit safety supervisor for my ship. I was dubbed Safety Steve. During that time it was not uncommon to have stand-downs where everything stopped so we could discuss safety or other issues after a mishap or a series of mishaps. This was disruptive. But it was less disruptive than letting the problem continue. The March 16 editorial Metro is a national embarrassment lamented: What about the people traveling between the closure announcement and the actual closure? This wasnt a high-risk situation. This was a case in which two accidents (one fatal) occurred within a relatively short period of time. Of course an accident could happen in those hours before closure, but you weigh that unlikely circumstance against the impact of immediate closure. What would the editorial board have said if Metro had closed immediately? Im not looking at Metro with rose-colored glasses. But I am willing to give the new leadership space to operate and be graded. Im a Metro commuter who is passionate about safety and smart spending. Lets give the new team room to get it right. Steve Ellis, Washington As a lifelong Washington resident and a Metrorail rider since its launch, I was appalled that the editorial board belittled the tough decision to shut down Metro for a systemwide inspection [Metro is a national embarrassment, editorial, March 16]. In Paul J. Wiedefeld, we finally have a Metro chief who takes safety seriously and who made a hard choice to shut down our troubled subway because of real safety problems. The editorial sniffed at his decision to shut down Wednesday and not Tuesday. Time was needed to assemble the hundreds of additional personnel, including inspectors, who would be required. The shutdown, while sudden, did necessitate planning. The inspection uncovered two dozen dangerously frayed cables. Mr. Wiedefeld and Metro deserve praise, not ridicule, for making a serious effort to address Metros deteriorating infrastructure. Stephen Chapman, Washington The March 16 editorial Metro is a national embarrassment noted that the Metro system is an amateur operation that has been terribly managed. But it is hard to manage ones way out of deep structural problems. Metros performance is constrained by a bloated and indifferent board and a shared regional authority governance model that diffuses responsibility. The lack of accountability in this system is frustrating. No one can be punished at the ballot box for failed performance. Other subway systems have jurisdictional accountability. Because the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is composed of two states, the District and the federal government, it should be held accountable for daily operations by the highest level of government in our federalist system the Federal Transit Administration and, ultimately, the president. George M. Guess, Potomac Mary Walker, a Civil War doctor and the only woman to be awarded the Medal of Honor, in a photo from around 1911. (Library of Congress) It was wonderful that KidsPost brought the fascinating and accomplished life of Mary Walker to the attention of young readers in the March 9 article A big honor for a woman who showed courage. Her courage and contributions to medicine and human rights were appropriately acknowledged when she received the Medal of Honor, this nations highest military honor, which recognizes personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty. A venerable local institution is co-named in her honor and exemplifies the courage and commitment that were her hallmarks. Whitman-Walker Health (formerly Whitman-Walker Clinic) was named for her and another person who distinguished himself during the Civil War, poet Walt Whitman. For nearly 40 years, Whitman-Walker has provided health care to Washington-area lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents and those with HIV. At a time when HIV-infected individuals were shunned by their families and communities and discriminated against, Whitman-Walker led the nation in giving care and comfort to thousands of local residents. Walkers legacy lives on in this important institution, today serving the needs of 40,000 individuals annually. It is important to note that the legacy of this remarkable woman lives on not only in history but also in the daily lives of so many Washingtonians. David Messing, Washington The writer is a former chair of the board of directors of Whitman-Walker Health. Chris W. Cox is executive director of the National Rifle Associations Institute for Legislative Action. Last month, Second Amendment advocates and other patriotic Americans were shocked by the news of the sudden passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. His death was a tragedy for our Constitution and our country. For supporters of the Second Amendment, his death could result in the end of individual gun ownership in the United States. In 2008, the Supreme Court answered the question of whether individual citizens have a right to own a firearm in their homes for self-defense. It was Scalia who wrote the majority opinion in that case, District of Columbia v. Heller. That landmark decision made clear that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms. Shockingly, the decision was only 5 to 4. Two years later, in McDonald v. Chicago, Scalia joined Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.s opinion holding that that individual right is fundamental and applies to all Americans regardless of where they live. Once again, the decision was 5 to 4. With Scalias tragic passing, there is no longer a majority of support for Heller and McDonald among the justices. Four justices believe law-abiding Americans have the right to own a gun for self-defense, including handguns. Four justices do not. The math is simple and frightening. So its no exaggeration to say that the future of gun ownership hangs in the balance. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for example, was unequivocal in a speech to the Harvard Club in the District, saying that she looked forward to a day when a future court overturns Heller. The men and women of the National Rifle Association will not sit idly by and watch that happen. The truth is that President Obama has lost all trust and credibility when it comes to law-abiding gun owners. During his two presidential campaigns, Obama repeatedly paid lip service to gun owners. But during his presidency, he has made his contempt for the Second Amendment unmistakably clear. When Congress refused to pass his gun-control proposals, he said they behaved shamefully and pledged to act without them. In addition, he has called his inability to enact nationwide gun control the biggest frustration of his presidency. Perhaps most revealing of his true intentions, Obama praised the gun confiscation policies of Great Britain and Australia policies that forced their citizens to surrender lawfully owned firearms to the government for destruction, on pain of imprisonment if they refused. Obama has already nominated two Supreme Court justices who oppose our fundamental individual right to own firearms safely and responsibly. The NRA knows better than to expect anything different with his third choice. On Wednesday, he nominated Judge Merrick Garland, a member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to replace Scalia on the Supreme Court. From upholding a federal registry of law-abiding gun owners derived from the instant-background-check system created by the Brady Bill to siding with the District government by voting for a do-over in a Second Amendment decision that invalidated the D.C. handgun ban exactly what the Supreme Court rightfully struck down in Heller Garland has proved, the NRA believes, he does not support the Second Amendment. If Garland joins Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan on the court, we believe they will overturn Heller and McDonald at the first opportunity. While claiming to support Heller during her Senate confirmation hearings, Sotomayor wasted no time in trying to overturn that historic decision. Kagan spent her time in the Clinton White House pushing for gun control. Breyer has made his opposition to Heller and McDonald abundantly clear through his dissents in those cases. And as mentioned previously, Ginsburg publicly spoke about her desire for a future court to overturn Heller. Make no mistake about it: We believe this would mean the end of the fundamental, individual right of law-abiding Americans to own firearms for self-defense in their homes. The overwhelming majority of Americans support their right to own a firearm for self-defense. Therefore, the NRA strongly opposes the nomination of Garland to the Supreme Court. Nothing less than the future of our Second Amendment freedom is at stake. PRINCE GEORGES County police have struggled this week to come to grips with the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting of one of their own. First, there was incredulity about an unprovoked attack on a police station by an assailant who supposedly wanted to end his own life. There was disbelief and anger that he was allegedly abetted by his two brothers who recorded the assault on their phones. This is about nothing, Police Chief Henry P. Stawinski III lamented. Then came the terrible discovery that it was another police officer who fired the fatal bullet in the three minutes of chaos that was Sundays gun battle. Officer Jacai Colson, who would have been 29 on Thursday, is rightly being mourned as a hero. He was off-duty and in street clothes when he arrived at the police station in Landover just as alleged assailant Michael Ford started shooting wildly, hitting vehicles and pinning down officers. Officer Colson, a four-year veteran of the force, did not hesitate in responding; he was one of four officers who fired their weapons as they tried to stop the shooting. Later investigation revealed he had been shot by a fellow officer who mistook him for an assailant. The shooting was deliberate but without malice, Chief Stawinski said. It is a credit to the authorities who have been forthright with the public about the details, a practice that should continue as the States Attorneys Office conducts its review of the shooting. Such independent reviews are routine with police-involved shootings. One question that officials will inevitably confront is whether race played an implicit role in the tragedy. Officer Colson was black; according to officials, the officer who shot him was white. When the question came up at a news conference, Chief Stawinski said he was uncomfortable with the notion that bias would be introduced to the conversation, later adding, In those split seconds when lives are in danger and officers are engaging a deadly threat, there simply isnt time to bring any biases into it. Hindsight is a luxury that no officer has in the midst of an ambush. An article on Vox took those comments to task for not understanding the role that subconscious bias can play in split-second decisions. Responsibility for the death of this promising young officer falls squarely on those who instigated and abetted a mindless attack on police. Nonetheless, the department should consider whether any changes in training or department practices could make a future such calamity less likely. Averting tragedies is important not only to save lives and spare families the loss of loved ones but also to spare other officers the terrible pain of having accidently killed a fellow officer. Jessica Gregg is medical director for substance use disorders at Central City Concern in Portland, Ore., and an associate professor of medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. Addiction has long been medicines unwanted stepchild. Doctors didnt understand it, didnt know how to treat it and felt helpless in the face of the wreckage it brought to their patients lives. As a result, while providers addressed the consequences of addiction endocarditis, liver failure, seizures, overdose they rarely treated the disease itself. That mysterious task has been left to others: counselors, peers in recovery and 12-step programs. But this is changing. There is now a general consensus in medicine that addiction is best understood as a chronic disease that can be treated with pharmacological interventions. Providers now have access to an array of medications that reduce cravings and addictive behaviors. As a result, doctors in increasing numbers are seeking training in addiction management and are willing to assume responsibility for treatment of this complicated disease. This is all to the good. And yet. That attention may come at a price. The medical profession has a long, undistinguished history of turning its gaze to particular conditions , assuming its own competence and then dismissing the hard-won expertise of other disciplines. Think, for instance, of the marginalization of midwives as doctors assumed management of pregnancy. With addiction, as doctors grow interested in the disease, there has been increased criticism of traditional approaches, particularly medicines old ally, the 12 steps. The criticism is not entirely unfounded. As an intervention based on anonymity and welcome to all comers, 12-step groups are virtually impossible to study in a controlled way. Consequently, no rigorous experimental data exists demonstrating that 12-step interventions, in and of themselves, can be credited for any participants successes. Further, 12-step programs dont work for everyone. They are a specific intervention with a particular philosophy. Many credit them with saving their lives. Others find them less useful or even harmful. Finally, many 12-step programs rely on a definition of abstinence that precludes the use of medication to treat addiction. Thus, individuals who would benefit from a medication may be dissuaded from its use, with potentially lethal results. But it is critical that doctors pause before righteously pushing the 12 steps aside to make way for a brave new era of medically driven solutions an era of addicts as patients and doctors as cure. The 12 steps exist because during decades of medical neglect, people struggling with addiction learned to look to themselves and to their peers for solutions. In 12-step programs, addicts learn that they can name their disease, admit the problems it causes and find community in overcoming it every day. According to adherents, sincerely working the steps is both intensely difficult and transformative. No magic pills or elixirs can take the place of that work, they say. And they are correct. Pills wont cure addiction. They help, yes, and at the right time with the right person, they can be lifesaving. But the most effective treatment for any chronic disease involves much more than medication. These diseases are not resolved with a clinic visit or cured with a prescription. Rather, chronic disease outcomes improve most when the individuals suffering have the motivation, skills and confidence to monitor and manage their symptoms, and when the clinician plays a relatively minor role in disease management. Outcomes are even more robust when this self-management occurs within social networks that support individuals as they learn those skills. Those using the 12 steps are highly engaged in the management of their disease. Furthermore, they learn to manage their illness in an intensely supportive context, a variable that may be even more important for addiction than for other chronic illnesses. Evidence suggests that rats and humans alike are more likely to become and stay addicted when their social networks are limited. Individuals in 12-step programs can attend groups daily, or even multiple times a day, and in each group they can find support in their search for sobriety. My point isnt that everyone struggling with addiction will recover with the 12 steps. Nor is it that 12-step groups succeed because they offer training in chronic disease management. Rather, it is that the 12 steps work for many people, and it would be arrogant and shortsighted to dismiss that success. It is imperative that, in the drive to provide our neglected stepchild with the newest medical bells and whistles, clinicians do not undermine the extraordinarily engaged community and powerful tools built by recovering individuals during the decades our backs were turned. Nancy Hanks is a Teach for America alumna who now serves as chief of elementary schools in Madison, Wis. (Photo by Marcia Standiford) Regarding the March 14 Metro article The meeting that changed a principals views on discipline: Principal Nancy Hankss goal in revamping school discipline policies is admirable, but she is working in a system that was never designed to accommodate diversity of thinking or behavior. Traditional schooling is based on a model designed to produce obedient and identical factory workers and clerks for the Industrial Revolution. Sugata Mitra of Newcastle University links this form of schooling to the social aims of the Age of Empires, but the old empires are no longer with us. Peter Gray of Boston College advances a different model, one that has succeeded with students from a wide range of backgrounds and abilities: student-led education in which childrens innate learning instincts can flourish through play and responsibility is encouraged through democratic governance. Such systems can be found at alternative schools such as Sudbury Valley in Massachusetts, which operate at around half the per-pupil cost of a typical school. Daniel Fuller, Portland, Ore. A huge pat on the back to Nancy Hanks, who has arrived at a very difficult decision to rethink the largely popular zero-tolerance rules for discipline that have permeated our national K-12 public school systems. Her decision was based on very real and hard experiences. There is no substitute for old-fashioned leadership, and she has embraced its essence by giving students a fairer chance through interventions and restorative practices before suspension or expulsion. Yes, her decision carries risks, but if it keeps even one student, regardless of color, from entering the school-to-prison pipeline, it undoubtedly will help others as well. Ms. Hanks, as a retired combat Marine, I would follow you anywhere, maam! Steve Crittenden, Stafford Cause of Otto Warmbier's death after he was released by North Korea may never be knownDan Sewell, THE ASSOCIATED PRESSFirst posted: Wednesday, September 27, 2017 06:51 PM EDT | Updated: Wednesday, September 27, 2017 06:56 PM EDTCINCINNATI A coroner said Wednesday her office could not determine what led to the fatal brain damage of a young Ohio man detained in North Korea for more than a year.While the parents of 22-year-old Otto Warmbier and President Donald Trump have accused the North Korean government of torturing him, Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco said evidence has led to no scientific facts to solve Warmbiers mysterious death.We dont know what happened to him, and this is the bottom line, she said. The cause of the death may never be known, she added.A coroners report dated Sept. 11 shows the cause of death for the University of Virginia student as complications from brain-damaging oxygen deprivation through an unknown insult more than a year prior to death. The medical term for his condition was called chronic anoxic/ischemic encephalopathy. The manner of death was listed as undetermined.While Warmbiers family declined an autopsy, Sammarco said her office used extensive medical scanning and imaging for a virtual autopsy and that nothing more would have been gained by doing an autopsy so long after his brain damage occurred.Warmbiers parents told a Fox News TV show Tuesday that North Korea tortured and destroyed him. Trump tweeted afterward: Otto was tortured beyond belief by North Korea. Trumps tweet added to a series of recent accusations and heated exchanges between his administration and North Korean officials.North Korea has denied mistreating Warmbier, sentenced to 15 years of hard labour in March 2016 for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster two months earlier. North Korea has claimed Warmbier fell into a coma that resulted from botulism and a sleeping pill.Sammarco agreed with University of Cincinnati Health system doctors who treated Warmbier and said they found no evidence of botulism or evidence of fractures or healing fractures that might point to beatings. She said a forensic dentist agreed with her conclusion there was no evidence of trauma to Warmbiers teeth.Fred Warmbier said on TV that his sons mouth looked like someone had taken a pair of pliers and rearranged his bottom teeth.Sammarco said Warmbiers body, including his skin, was in surprisingly good condition for someone who had reportedly been bedridden for more than a year, indicating he received regular care. Her offices report said his body appeared well-nourished. There were multiple scars and bruises, some apparently stemming from medical procedures.He died in Cincinnati in June 2017, less than a week after his return to the U.S. Sammarco said Warmbier was put on comfort care measures, such as removing a feeding tube.The parents on Tuesday, for the first time, described the condition his family found him in when they went aboard an air ambulance that arrived June 13 in Cincinnati. His father said he was making an involuntary, inhuman sound, staring blankly into space jerking violently, and was blind and deaf with his head shaved.UC Health doctors said in June that Warmbier was in a state of unresponsive wakefulness and had suffered a severe neurological injury of uncertain cause.His father didnt respond immediately Wednesday to requests for comment.AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard in Washington contributed to this report. Mark and Jackie Barden are plaintiffs in the case Soto et. al v. Bushmaster. Our son, our sweet little Daniel, was just 7 when he was murdered in his first-grade classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012. We are among the 10 families suing the manufacturer, distributor and retail seller of the assault rifle that took 26 lives in less than five minutes on that terrible day. We write in response to Sen. Bernie Sanderss comments about our lawsuit at the recent Democratic presidential debate in Michigan. Sanders suggested that the point of our case is to hold Remington Arms Co. liable simply because one of its guns was used to commit mass murder. With all due respect, this is simplistic and wrong. This case is about a particular weapon, Remingtons Bushmaster AR-15, and its sale to a particular market: civilians. It is not about handguns or hunting rifles, and the success of our lawsuit would not mean the end of firearm manufacturing in this country, as Sanders warned. This case is about the AR-15 because the AR-15 is not an ordinary weapon; it was designed and manufactured for the military to increase casualties in combat. The AR-15 is to guns what a tank is to cars: uniquely deadly and suitable for specialized use only. We have never suggested that Remington should be held liable simply for manufacturing the AR-15. In fact, we believe that Remington and other manufacturers production of the AR-15 is essential for our armed forces and law enforcement. But Remington is responsible for its calculated choice to sell that same weapon to the public, and for emphasizing the military and assaultive capacities of the weapon in its marketing to civilians. Indeed, Remington promotes the AR-15s capacity to inflict mass casualities. It markets its AR-15s with images of soldiers and SWAT teams; it dubs various models the patrolman and the adaptive combat rifle and declares that they are as mission-adaptable as you are; it encourages the notion that the AR-15 is a weapon that bestows power and glory upon those who wield it. Advertising copy for Remingtons AR-15s has included the following: Consider your man card reissued, and Forces of opposition, bow down. You are single-handedly outnumbered. Of course, causing forces of opposition to bow down is exactly what the AR-15 was engineered to do in combat. But history has shown us, time and again, that it is innocent civilians in malls and movie theaters, and children in their classrooms, who have been made to bow down to the singular power of a gunman wielding an AR-15. This is not a theoretical dispute. The last thing our sweet little Daniel would have seen in his short, beautiful life was the long barrel of a ferocious rifle designed to kill the enemy in war. The last thing Daniels tender little body would have felt were bullets expelled from that AR-15 traveling at greater than 3,000 feet per second a speed designed to pierce body armor in the war zones of Fallujah. Sanders has spent decades tirelessly advocating for greater corporate responsibility, which is why we cannot fathom his support of companies that recklessly market and profit from the sale of combat weapons to civilians and then shrug their shoulders when the next tragedy occurs, leaving ordinary families and communities to pick up the pieces. Remington and the other defendants choices allowed an elementary school to be transformed into a battlefield. Our case seeks nothing more than fair accountability for those choices. EVIDENCE IS mounting that the mosquito-borne Zika virus is a potentially serious health threat. While symptoms are typically mild, the consequences can be severe, such as microcephaly in infants born to women with the virus. The condition is characterized by a small head and damaged brain. According to Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, an NIH-funded study showed that the virus can infect and kill human neural progenitor cells that give rise to the cerebral cortex, a crucial portion of the brain. Another study, involving women diagnosed with Zika during their pregnancies in Rio de Janeiro, suggests the attack rate is disturbingly high, and microcephaly is just one of many risks. So far, Central and South America have been hardest hit, but the United States Gulf Coast is vulnerable, too. There is no quick fix. The virus is primarily transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito, the species that also spreads the dengue and chikungunya viruses. The most direct response is vector control, or fighting the disease-carrying mosquito population. But spraying pesticide can be labor-intensive and difficult. As Post reporters Nick Miroff and Brady Dennis pointed out, a much-heralded international effort in the 1940s and 1950s eliminated Aedes aegypti from 18 countries in Central and South America, but that success was reversed by years of fading political will and rapid urbanization. The crowded, poverty-stricken sections of cities in Latin America are a perfect setting for Zikas spread. The mosquitoes breed in small amounts of water and hide in the shadows of homes. Many of the most vulnerable people to Zika infections are the poor, who have less protection in screens or air conditioning. In the United States, mosquito control is the responsibility of a crazy-quilt of local districts, which may not be up to the task of battling a major outbreak. Aside from spraying, there are other approaches, such as irradiating male mosquitoes to sterilize them, leading a population of insects eventually to die off. And the age of genetic engineering has brought new possibilities: The tiny building blocks of life can be manipulated to impede the disease. So far, laboratory trials have shown that genetic material can be altered to suppress mosquito populations or make them less likely to ferry disease. More recent science has suggested that a mosquito gene drive could be created that would pass down to generations of mosquitoes the characteristic of resisting a disease such as malaria. This technique has enormous implications for entire ecosystems, and research ought to be carried out with the utmost care. It may not be the answer to this epidemic, but it is important to explore. Would the world be worse off if Aedes aegypti were genetically altered, now and forever? A lot of human babies might have a better chance to be born healthy. The Republican Partys incoherent response to the Supreme Court vacancy is a partisan reflex in search of a justifying principle. The multiplicity of Republican rationalizations for their refusal to even consider Merrick B. Garland radiates insincerity. Republicans instantly responded to Antonin Scalias death by proclaiming that no nominee, however admirable in temperament, intellect and experience, would be accorded a hearing. They say their obduracy is right: Because they have a right to be obdurate, there being no explicit constitutional proscription against this. Or because President Obamas demonstrated contempt for the Constitutions explicit text and for implicit constitutional manners justifies Republicans reciprocating with contempt for his Supreme Court choice, regardless of its merits. Or because, 24 years ago, then-Sen. Joe Biden he is not often cited by Republicans seeking validation suggested that a presidents right to nominate judges somehow expires, or becomes attenuated, in a political season, sometime after the midterm elections during a second presidential term. The Fix's Amber Phillips breaks down three ways the Merrick Garland nomination could play out. Which do you think is most likely? (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) Or because if a Republican president tried to fill a court vacancy during his eighth year, Democrats would behave the way Republicans are behaving. In their tossed salad of situational ethics, the Republicans most contradictory and least conservative self-justification is: The courts supposedly fragile legitimacy is endangered unless the electorate speaks before a vacancy is filled. The preposterous premise is that the court will be politicized unless vacancies are left vacant until a political campaign registers public opinion about, say, Chevron deference. This legal doctrine actually is germane to Garland. He is the most important member (chief judge) of the nations second-most important court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the importance of which derives primarily from its caseload of regulatory challenges. There Garland has practiced what too many conservatives have preached deference in the name of judicial restraint toward Congress, and toward the executive branch and its appendages in administering congressional enactments. Named for a 1984 case, Chevron deference unleashes the regulatory state by saying that agencies charged with administering statutes are entitled to deference when they interpret supposedly ambiguous statutory language. In his record of deference, Garland resembles two justices nominated by presidents George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, respectively Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and, even more, Scalia, who seems to be more revered than read by many conservatives. Garlands reluctance to restrict the administrative states discretion would represent continuity in the chair he would fill. Furthermore, Garlands deference is also expressed in respect for precedents, which include the 2008 Heller decision. In it, the court (with Scalia writing for the majority) affirmed that the Second Amendment protects an individuals right to bear arms. Of the past 25 justices confirmed, beginning with Dwight Eisenhowers 1954 nomination of Earl Warren as chief justice, Garland, 63, is the second-oldest nominee. (Lewis Powell was 64 when Richard Nixon selected him in 1971.) The average age of the 25 was 53. So Obamas reach into the future through Garland is apt to be more limited than it would be with a younger nominee. Republicans who vow to deny Garland a hearing and who pledge to support Donald Trump if he is their partys nominee are saying: Democracy somehow requires that this vacancy on a non-majoritarian institution must be filled only after voters have had their say through the election of the next president. And constitutional values will be served if the vacancy is filled not by Garland but by someone chosen by President Trump, a stupendously uninformed dilettante who thinks judges sign what he refers to as bills. There is every reason to think that Trump understands none of the issues pertinent to the Supreme Courts role in the American regime, and there is no reason to doubt that he would bring to the selection of justices what he brings to all matters arrogance leavened by frivolousness. Trumps multiplying Republican apologists do not deny the self-evident that he is as clueless regarding everything as he is about the nuclear triad. These invertebrate Republicans assume that as president he would surround himself with people unlike himself wise and temperate advisers. So, we should wager everything on the hope that the man who says his number one foreign policy adviser is myself (because I have a very good brain) will succumb to humility and rely on people who actually know things. If Republicans really think that either their front-runner or the Democrats would nominate someone superior to Garland, it would be amusing to hear them try to explain why they do. Read more from George F. Wills archive or follow him on Facebook. Yang Jianli is founder and president of Initiatives for China. Fang Zheng is president of Chinese Democracy Education Foundation. Zhou Fengsuo is founder of Humanitarian China. By now, many people who remain haunted by the horrific slaughter of protesters in 1989 in Tiananmen Square have expressed shock and disgust at Donald Trumps outrageous characterization of that tragic event. During the March 10 Republican presidential debate, Trump said that it was a strong, powerful government that [reacted] with strength. And then they kept down the riot. Though he hastened to add that he wasnt endorsing the crackdown, it was too late: In one breath, he both smeared the students peaceful protest as a riot and characterized their murder as an illustration of strong leadership. Even Trumps most outlandish and crudest previous exclamations did not prepare us for such an astonishing mischaracterization of the Tiananmen massacre, which has become the iconic symbol of Chinas brutal repression of its people. The Tiananmen demonstrations lasted from April 15 to June 4, 1989. Millions of Chinese citizens participated in many cities, as the protest grew spontaneously. Participants organized peacefully and sought dialogue with senior officials. The social order of Beijing was functioning well. But it all ended with a massacre ordered by Chinese leaders. We three, who were lucky enough to have survived, still wrestle with the vivid memory of the brothers and sisters we saw mowed down by tanks and machine guns and who were left lying in the streets. One of us (Fang Zheng) lost both his legs when a tank ran over them. The other two of us (Yang Jianli and Zhou Fengsuo) narrowly escaped injury but later spent years in harsh imprisonment. We witnessed the slaughter with our own eyes. Trumps callous dismissal of the tragedy, and his apparent esteem for Beijings butchers, left us speechless, in pain and in tears. But beyond the details of the Tiananmen massacre, Trump has reminded us of a larger lesson. It is that the strong leadership he so admires, if untethered from a firm moral compass, can wreak terrible havoc upon innocent victims. Here is another example of what strong but immoral leadership can do. The U.N. Committee Against Torture recently issued a devastating report on Chinas glaring violation of its obligations under the Convention Against Torture, to which China is a party. In addition to Chinas widespread use of torture today, the committee noted its continued refusal to fulfill its duty under the convention to fully investigate the torture of protesters arrested and imprisoned after Tiananmen, to punish the perpetrators and to offer compensation to victims or their families. Trump often extols power. He cares only about winners, but not, it seems, about whether they win by trampling rights and denying justice. His embracing the strength of political winners around the world, without regard to moral standards, sends a terrible message to the American people and to the world dictators who would happily welcome his like-minded company if he became president. If that happened, the human rights situation in many parts of the world would be further imperiled. This will not make America great. Its happened before. The Republican establishment, recognizing the danger that the bigoted, demagogic candidate posed to the party, roundly opposed his election. On Election Day, however, the candidate captured a majority of the white vote. It was no fluke, as his odious views were well known. He had even once held elected office. A column I wrote almost 25 years ago refreshed my memory. The candidate was David Duke, an ex-Klansman, neo-Nazi and former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives who ran for governor of Louisiana in 1991 and lost by a landslide to Democrat Edwin Edwards, thanks to a phenomenal black turnout. Then, as now with Donald Trumps campaign, Duke wooed economically discontented and politically alienated white voters by playing to their fears and resentments. Dukes supporters believed back then that the quality of their lives financial situation, job security, personal safety was no better than when President George H.W. Bush took office in 1989, maybe even worse. As a result, they were frustrated, insecure, angry and ready to blame someone. So they gravitated to Duke, a man they believed would vanquish their foes. The remarkable thing about the Dukies, as some of his supporters described themselves, is that they hardly resembled the caricature that might have been drawn of people who openly sympathized with a racist and anti-Semite. I was in the midst of a large gathering of Dukies on election eve 1991 in a packed, smoke-filled American Legion Hall in the nearly all-white Metairie, La., House district that Duke had represented. I was also among Dukes crowd the next day at his election night rally in Baton Rouge. They resembled the enthusiastic white women and men who attend Trumps rallies. Dukes supporters were in their 20s, 30s and 40s, along with many senior citizens, more of them wearing jackets and ties and dresses than cowboy boots and jeans. As with those in todays Trump crowds, Dukies attention and emotions were riveted on their candidate and against the devils he excoriated: criminals who rape, rob and steal; politicians who only want more government and taxes; the liberal news media that try to tell them what to think. A few of Dukes 1991 themes echo today. Said Duke, Our environment is being threatened by massive immigration. Sound familiar? Duke on his trade policy and what he would say to the Japanese: If you no buy our rice, we no buy your cars. Is this where Trump gets it? Duke on values and religious freedom: I believe that Christianity is the underpinning of this country. . . . And if we lose its underpinning, I think were going to lose the foundations of America. A similar message is being delivered by at least one top Trump supporter. Warming up the crowd this week before Trumps appearance in Hickory, N.C., Pastor Mark Burns said: Bernie Sanders . . . doesnt believe in God. How in the world are we going to let Bernie I mean, really? Listen, Bernie gotta get saved. He gotta meet Jesus. He gotta have a coming-to-Jesus meeting. Donald Trump, the outrageous, is no original. David Duke first trod this path. But Trump is taking his campaign to places Duke never dreamed of. Duke thought he knew what was bugging white America. White nationalism was his answer. Trump knows what the United States needs. His answer: Donald Trump. Trumps aim seems not to be just the Republican presidential nomination. He clearly wants to be an American ruler, above political party, Washington politics and the demands of democratic compromise. Popularity and admiration will bind him to his followers. Hes so sure of his followers many, many millions of people, as he puts it that he predicts riots if his path to capturing the nomination is blocked by the GOP establishment. Trump feeds off a zealotry born out of his promise to reawaken America and restore the countrys greatness. He promises to make his followers strong, instill them with pride, give them hope and make American power dominant in the world. That kind of thing, too, we have seen before. From der Spiegel: There was the impact of the expanded Fuhrer cult on Hitler himself. . . . He became, so it was said, more dismissive than earlier of the slightest criticism, more convinced of his own infallibility. His speeches started to develop a more pronounced messianic tone. He saw himself . . . as chosen by Providence. When, following the successful Rhineland coup, he remarked, in one of his election speeches: I follow the path assigned to me by Providence with the instinctive sureness of a sleepwalker, it was more than a piece of campaign rhetoric. Hitler truly believed it. He increasingly felt infallible. It has happened before. Read more from Colbert Kings archive. Ted Gup is an author and a journalism professor at Emerson College. Last week, a university governing board declared that the time-honored seal of Harvard Law School must be retired because it is tied to that of a slave-holding family that funded the schools first professorship more than 200 years ago. With that decision, Harvard is about to slide down what lawyers like to call the slippery slope, which could produce a wave of both comic and dangerous results. I say this having steeped myself in the universitys archives over the past decade, focusing on issues of racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia and other expressions of prejudice. I fear that if the university is bent on expunging all major remnants of what is today seen as morally repugnant, nothing will be left of Harvard as we know it. House names, professorships, busts and portraits will have to be removed, for if Harvard has been home to many great minds, it has also been home to many closed ones like other American institutions. If this is followed to its logical conclusion, Harvard will undergo nothing short of total self-renunciation. Consider this much-abbreviated litany of offenses: The Dudleian Lecture is given annually at the Harvard School of Divinity, but its roots are darkened by virulent anti-Catholicism. Paul Dudley, chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court, in 1750 bequeathed funds for a series of four rotating lecture topics. One of those was to be an attack on the pope and Catholicism, representing widespread suspicions of the church at that time. That oration was for the purpose of exposing the idolatry of the Romish Church, their tyranny, usurpations, damnable heresies, fatal errors, abominable superstitions. Fearing that it might lose the bequest if it did not comply, Harvard hosted anti-Catholic harangues for nearly 150 years. Only at the dawn of the 20th century did it liberate itself from such odious terms, but the name remains and the lectureship enjoys a lofty place on the Divinity Schools calendar. Must it now be changed? Or what of the endowed chair named for Richard Pearson Strong? Strongs research into tropical diseases doubtless saved lives but it also took lives in a particularly gruesome way. In 1906, as part of experiments with inmates in the Philippines Bilibid Prison, Strong administered doses of various dread diseases, cigarettes being the inducement for participation. One of these experiments in pursuit of a vaccine went terribly awry after he injected 24 prisoners with cholera tainted with plague. Thirteen died. Seven years later, when Strong was appointed a professor, Harvard hailed his efforts at overcoming conditions which made life in the tropics almost impossible for white men and dangerous and enervating even to natives. And what of Clarence James Gamble, grandson of the founder of Procter & Gamble, and the professorship in economics and demography that carries his name? The official Harvard entry on Gamble describes him as a man with a mission for using his considerable wealth and intellectual expertise for the good of mankind. But Gambles mission was not so pure. In 1947, he helped found the Human Betterment League, which promoted involuntary sterilizations, targeting societys most vulnerable epileptics, the feeble-minded and others deemed undesirable. Then theres the professorship of literature named for Ernest Bernbaum, a literary scholar. But he was also director of the School for Anti-Suffrage Speakers, which helped lead the opposition to women voting. In 1916, just four years before ratification of the 19th Amendment, Bernbaum remained an oft-cited authority on why women were wholly unsuited for politics and the ballot. And can Harvard Law School make peace with the Oliver Wendell Holmes Lectures? These honor the Supreme Court justice who authored the 1927 Buck v. Bell decision that led to the sterilization of epileptics, the feeble-minded and, like Carrie Buck herself, the poor who were neither epileptic nor feeble-minded. A New York Times reviewer recently called it one of the ugliest cases in the courts history and cited Holmess notorious declaration that three generations of imbeciles are enough. And the Perkins Professorship of Astronomy and Mathematics, named for James Perkins Jr., who died in 1822? Then-Harvard President Josiah Quincy III said he was formed on the noblest and purest model of professional uprightness, but Perkins made much of his fortune trading in slaves and shipping opium to China. And what of Shaler Hall, named for Nathaniel Shaler, a celebrated professor who, in 1890, wrote the African is not as good material as either of the original stocks; that it has not the vital energy and the character required for the uses of the state. The African and European races must remain distinct in blood? A recent University of Alabama anthropology course named Shaler one of the most influential racists in American history. And how can the Lowell House survive modern scrutiny? What of then-Harvard President Abbott Lawrence Lowells Secret Court, which in 1920 prosecuted students suspected of being gay, banished them not only from campus but also from the city of Cambridge and hounded some of them for years? What of Lowells efforts to impose a quota on the number of Jewish students? And wasnt the familys wealth derived from mills that relied on slave-picked cotton? Or Eliot House? Harvards president Charles W. Eliot may have helped catapult Harvard into the first ranks, but he was also a segregationist. And Stoughton Hall, named for a judge of the Salem witch trials? And . . . And . . . There is no end to Harvards offenders or Yales or Princetons or, for that matter, most American institutions with a history. Few entities can withstand the scrutiny of the modern conscience, and physically disassembling the artifacts of the past, attacking its symbols and its ghosts, is a fools errand no matter how lofty the cause. It illuminates little and is a feel-good distraction that comes at the expense of todays very real crises. And picking and choosing which ancient offenses warrant purging creates the danger of prioritizing one historically disadvantaged group over another, inadvertently importing into our own age the very toxins of bigotry that activists now seek to condemn. We can endlessly denounce the long-departed and disavow the already-discredited, but to what end? What we should do instead is devote ourselves to living our lives in a way that allows our descendants to take pride in the history we leave behind. Here's a look at some of Merrick Garland's high profile work on the Oklahoma City bombing investigation. Here's a look at some of Merrick Garland's high profile work on the Oklahoma City bombing investigation. Top left: Nicholas Kamm/Getty; background: Bill Waugh/AP Before Merrick Garland was announced as President Obamas nominee to the Supreme Court, he was a prosecutor and the linchpin in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing investigation and ultimate convictions of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. Before Merrick Garland was announced as President Obamas nominee to the Supreme Court, he was a prosecutor and the linchpin in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing investigation and ultimate convictions of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. Before Merrick Garland was announced as President Obamas nominee to the Supreme Court, he was a prosecutor and the linchpin in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing investigation and ultimate convictions of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. To get a real feel for a judge, a theory goes, look not at the majority opinions he writes, which must encompass the views of others, but when he writes for himself in dissent. Dissents allow a judge his own voice and the chance to deliver an unvarnished verdict on the law to call out the legalistic argle-bargle of hopelessly misguided colleagues the way Justice Antonin Scalia did, or advise Congress to cure a particularly unwise ruling, as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has done. Judge Merrick Garland respectfully disagrees. [Garlands instinct for the middle could put him in courts most influential spot] A look at the record of dissents from the judge whom President Obama has nominated to take Scalias place on the court reveals the same caution, technical proficiency, restraint and reliance on precedent that are hallmarks of his majority opinions. President Obama is nominating Merrick Garland to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. He introduces himself in this White House video. (White House) Moreover, he has written remarkably few less than one a year during his nearly two decades on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and apparently none since becoming chief judge in 2013. I think he always sounds the same, said Aaron L. Nielson, a law professor at Brigham Young University who closely follows the decisions of the D.C. Circuit. Most of the time, he is very even-toned, not aggressive. A representative sample: Reasonable minds can differ about what is reasonable, and I certainly understand my colleagues reservations, Garland wrote in Northeast Beverage Corp. v. National Labor Relations Board in 2009. But I am unable to conclude that the Boards application of Section 7 to the facts of this case was unreasonable. Perhaps his feistiest exchange with a colleague was in a disagreement with a man with whom he aspires to argue once again Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. Then a D.C. Circuit colleague, Roberts wrote a majority opinion about the False Claims Act that drew Garlands ire. That was a little bit fiery, isnt the right adjective engaged, said Nielson, who clerked for another judge on the D.C. Circuit and later for Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. In general, Garlands dissents reinforce what is apparent from his majority opinions that he is deferential to federal agencies, protective of press freedom, more open than some of his colleagues to a broader definition of what constitutes criminal behavior. The Fix's Amber Phillips breaks down three ways the Merrick Garland nomination could play out. Which do you think is most likely? (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) The dissents affirm his position on the courts left he most often disagrees when one of the courts conservatives is writing the majority opinion. The exception is on law-and-order cases, where he has parted ways with liberal colleagues who have overturned convictions. That position seems in line with his former role as a federal prosecutor. In Valdes v. United States, the full circuit court in 2007 overturned the conviction of Nelson Valdes, a detective for the D.C. police department. Valdes was the target of a sting operation in which he was paid in cash to search police databases to supply otherwise publicly available information. The majority of the judges said the actions did not constitute an official act to which the bribery statute applied. A guy walks into a bar, Garlands dissent begins, referring to the shady aspects of the agents solicitation of Valdes. The bottom line, Garland concluded: A jury convicted the detective of accepting an illegal gratuity to put it bluntly, a payoff. Today, the court reverses the conviction on the ground that accepting such a gratuity does not constitute a crime. Because the courts decision is wrong, and because it undermines the prosecution of public corruption, I respectfully dissent. His disagreement with Roberts was over whether former Amtrak employee Edward Totten could go forward with a whistleblower claim that two companies had delivered defective rail cars to the railway. The False Claims Act is the governments primary litigation tool in guarding against fraud. But Roberts and another judge on the panel said that the language of the act covers only bills presented to the government, and Amtrak is not the government. Garland countered that the government gave Amtrak the money that paid for the railcars. Such a tight reading of the statute would leave vast sums of government money unprotected, he said. The two dueled, in the language of lawyers. Roberts: The dissent literally begins and ends with legislative history. We will end as we began, too, but with the statutory language. Garland: The court counters the payment to the defendants was not a payment by the government since Amtrak a government grantee rather than the government itself wrote the check. The implications of the courts argument are breathtaking. The two even sparred over which side the inestimable Judge Henry J. Friendly, a famous circuit judge for whom both clerked, would take. In Judge Friendlys view, this court would do pretty well to read the statute to mean what Congress said it meant, Garland wrote. Interestingly, Robertss decision was sharply questioned at his Supreme Court confirmation hearing in 2005 by Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), who is now chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and taking a hard stand against allowing a hearing for Garland. Im happy to concede that it was among the more difficult cases Ive had over the past two years, Roberts told Grassley. Any time Judge Garland disagrees, you know youre in a difficult area. And the function of his dissent, to make us focus on what we were deciding and to make sure that we felt we were doing the right thing, I think was well-served. In 2005, Garland objected when the full court reviewed a three-judge panels decision that reporters must divulge their sources in a privacy lawsuit filed by nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee, who alleged that federal agencies leaked defamatory information about him. Unless potential sources are confident that compelled disclosure is unlikely, they will be reluctant to disclose any confidential information to reporters, Garland wrote, referencing earlier court decisions. And if our case law has that consequence, it will undermine the Founders intention to protect the press so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people. As Obama pointed out when he introduced Garland to the nation Wednesday, the D.C. Circuit is often referred to as the nations second-highest court because it deals with important questions about government, campaign-finance law and regulations. The audience for its decisions is composed of government officials, lawyers and other judges. It is relatively removed from controversial issues such as abortion, the death penalty and affirmative action that crowd the dockets of other courts. The language of its opinions is more technical and muted. Garlands dissent from a court decision that shielded private military contractors at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq from lawsuits had a bit more bite. The plaintiffs in these cases allege that they were beaten, electrocuted, raped, subjected to attacks by dogs, and otherwise abused by private contractors working as interpreters and interrogators at Abu Ghraib prison, Garland wrote. He objected to the breadth of the protective cloak [the court] has cast over the activities of private contractors. Alice Crites contributed to this report. Lawmakers gather along with lobbying groups for a press conference in 2014 to discuss a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United ruling. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post) Two days before Christmas, a trust called DE First Holdings was quietly formed in Delaware, where corporations are required to reveal little about their workings. A day later, the entity dropped $1 million into a super PAC with ties to Jersey City, N.J., Mayor Steven Fulop, a Democrat considering a gubernatorial bid. The trust, whose owner remains unknown, is part of a growing cadre of mystery outfits financing big-money super PACs. Many were formed just days or weeks before making six- or seven-figure contributions an arrangement that election law experts say violates a long-standing federal ban on straw donors. But the individuals behind the ghost corporations appear to face little risk of reprisal from a deeply polarized Federal Election Commission, which recently deadlocked on whether to even investigate such cases. Advocates for stronger campaign-finance enforcement fear there will be even more pop-up limited liability corporations (LLCs) funneling money into independent groups, making it difficult to discern the identities of wealthy players seeking to influence this years presidential and congressional contests. The 2016 campaign has already seen the highest rate of corporate donations since the Supreme Court unleashed such spending with its 2010 Citizens United v. FEC decision. One out of every eight dollars collected by super PACs this election cycle have come from corporate coffers, including millions flowing from opaque and hard-to-trace entities, according to a Washington Post analysis of federal campaign finance filings. So far, 680 companies have given at least $10,000 to a super PAC this cycle, together contributing nearly $68 million through Jan. 31, The Post found. Their donations made up 12 percent of the $549 million raised by such groups, which can accept unlimited donations. That means corporations are on track to far exceed the $86 million they gave to super PACs in the entire 2012 presidential cycle, when such donations totaled 10 percent of the money raised by such groups, according to data from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. [The FEC just made it easier for super PAC donors to hide their identities] Many corporate givers this cycle are well-established hedge funds, energy companies and real estate firms. But a significant share of the money is coming from newly formed LLCs with cryptic names that offer few clues about their backers. Among the new players is Children of Israel LLC, a company formed in California last June by Shaofen Lisa Gao, a real estate agent in Cupertino, Calif., whose Happy Realty firm helps Chinese buyers find homes in Silicon Valley. On a form filed with the secretary of states office in September, Gao listed Children of Israels type of business as Donations, according to a document found by a researcher for End Citizens United, a Democratic PAC that supports candidates in favor of stricter campaign-finance rules. Weeks after being formed, Children of Israel gave $50,000 to Pursuing Americas Greatness, a super PAC supporting the presidential bid of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, FEC records show. In November, the LLC gave the pro-Huckabee group $100,000. And this January, it donated $250,000 to Stand for Truth, a super PAC backing Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. Gao who has no history of making political contributions in California or at the federal level did not respond to repeated calls and emails seeking comment. Valerie Martin, a senior adviser to End Citizens United, said the blatant admission by the company that its purpose is to make contributions underscores the degree to which donors feel emboldened to hide behind such entities. This goes to the heart of whats really wrong with the system and how its broken, she said. I think it really bothers Americans that people want to influence elections without fingerprints. Federal law requires political committees to confirm that a donation is legal before accepting it. Eric Lycan, the attorney for the pro-Cruz Stand For Truth, declined to address specific donations but said in a statement that the super PAC at all times complied with the law and investigated any potentially illegal contributions. Contributions from an LLC to a super PAC are legal and permissible, and the fact standing alone that a contribution came from an LLC would not be reason to return the contribution, he added. The Little Rock-based treasurer for the pro-Huckabee super PAC did not respond to a request for comment about whether the group vetted Children of Israel. [Ted Cruz is running a well-organized campaign. His super PACs not so much.] Some donors who have given through LLCs this year said they did so out of convenience rather than any effort to mask their identities. Frank VanderSloot, the chief executive of an Idaho nutritional-supplement company, said he used two corporations he owns to give $175,000 to a super PAC supporting Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida in December because the group needed immediate donations to make its year-end deadline. Its where I had the cash, said VanderSloot, who also gave the super PAC $150,000 in his own name. These LLCs have been around forever they are working operations. It takes 12 seconds to see my name. It doesnt take any great sleuthing. In other cases, it is much harder to pin down who is behind entities contributing large sums to super PACs. Little is known about Tread Standard LLC, which gave $150,000 to a super PAC supporting former Florida governor Jeb Bush last June, weeks after an incorporation service set the company up in Delaware. Equally elusive is Decor Services LLC, which was incorporated in Delaware by a paralegal in a Milwaukee law firm in January two weeks before donating $250,000 to a super PAC backing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. One of the largest mystery donations this cycle came from DE First Holdings, the trust that gave $1 million to Coalition for Progress, the super PAC allied with Fulop. Neither a spokeswoman for Fulop nor Bari Mattes, the Democratic fundraiser who runs the group, responded to requests for comment. Several campaign finance watchdog groups have filed complaints with the FEC against the recent pop-up LLCs, but the chances of the agencys looking into the cases appear slim. Last month, the agency closed a nearly five-year-old complaint about a limited liability company allegedly used to mask a donors identity unable to even agree whether it merited investigation. The LLC had been set up in Delaware shortly before making a $1 million donation to a super PAC supporting then-Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. A Romney associate later came forward to acknowledge he was the source of the donation. The FECs inability to come to a decision creates incentives for people to take some risks, on the theory that even if some liability materializes, it may not be that serious, said Bob Bauer, a veteran Democratic campaign-finance lawyer. It is inconceivable to me that they wouldnt have taken the opportunity to clarify that at a very basic level, a donor cannot set up a LLC for the purpose of making contributions through the LLC and defeating the disclosure requirements, he added. [How much money is behind each campaign?] Jan Baran, a longtime Republican election-law attorney, agreed that there is a need for the commission to weigh in, noting that the FEC has not issued any new rules regarding corporate donations since the Citizens United ruling made such spending permissible. The agency is just not providing any legal guidance on what the rules are in the aftermath of all these momentous court decisions, he said. Thats the job of the FEC, and it hasnt done its job. FEC Chairman Matthew Petersen, a Republican appointee to the panel, did not respond to a request for comment. Ellen Weintraub, one of two Democrats on the FECs six-member panel, warned that donors who try to hide behind shell corporations should not assume there will be no repercussions. The regulation is pretty darn clear, and I think there is potential criminal liability for people who are just flouting a plain-English restriction, she said. I dont think people ought to take as much comfort as they seem to from the FECs apparent inability to muster four votes to enforce the law. Alice Crites contributed to this report. Donald Trump supporters leave a Jan. 30 rally at the Dubuque Regional Airpor in Iowat. Trump came in second in the states Feb. 1 caucuses. Jan. 30, 2016 Donald Trump supporters leave a Jan. 30 rally at the Dubuque Regional Airpor in Iowat. Trump came in second in the states Feb. 1 caucuses. Linda Davidson/The Washington Post Long-brewing storms have made the 2016 campaign a turbulent one, but it would be wrong to reduce the national mood to one emotion. Long-brewing storms have made the 2016 campaign a turbulent one, but it would be wrong to reduce the national mood to one emotion. A prospective general election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton could significantly alter which states are in play this fall and heighten more than in any recent election the racial, class and gender divisions within the national electorate. After successive campaigns in which President Obama expanded the Democrats electoral map options by focusing on fast-growing and increasingly diverse states, a 2016 race between Clinton and Trump could devolve principally into a pitched battle for the Rust Belt. With a focus on trade issues and by tapping anti-establishment anger, Trump would seek to energize white working-class Americans, who Republicans believe have been on the sidelines in recent elections in substantial numbers. Trump would also attempt to peel away voters who have backed Democrats, a potentially harder task. At the same time, Clinton could find Trump a powerful energizing force on her behalf among African Americans and Latinos, which could help to offset the absence of Obama on the ticket after two elections that drew huge minority turnout. That could put off-limits to Trump some states with large Hispanic populations where Republicans have competed intensely in recent elections. Although polls give Clinton a solid advantage over Trump in a general election, many Democrats remain wary because of what one party strategist called the unpredictability of Trump. As one former member of Obamas campaign team put it, I feel like in some ways my brain has to think differently than it ever has. Democrats will assess the landscape in several ways: which states are likely to be in play, which of those are different from past elections, and which voting groups present particular problems. They expect to update their analyses constantly, given how quickly Trump can have an impact on events. A Washington Post-ABC News poll from earlier this month showed stark divides among those backing Trump and Clinton. Overall, the former secretary of state led 50 to 41 percent among registered voters. Trump led 49 to 40 percent among white voters, while Clinton led 73 to 19 among non-whites. Trump led by five points among men, and Clinton was up by 21 among women. Trump led by 24 points among whites without college degrees, while Clinton led by 15 among whites with degrees. Many Republicans fear that numbers like those could doom the party to defeat in the fall, and they remain hopeful that they can stop Trump in the primaries or at a contested convention. But some Democrats worry that polling data about Trump could provide a false sense of security because voters might be reluctant to acknowledge that they intend to back him. Party strategists and independent analysts have just begun to explore in-depth the contours of a Trump vs. Clinton election, examining in particular how the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate might affect the preferences of specific voter blocs. More difficult to assess, but no less important, is how a Trump-Clinton contest would affect turnout among those groups. The main conclusion to date is that a Trump nomination would test theories among some Republicans about the potential strength and power of the white vote to change the electorate and give the GOP the White House. Given what is known, Trump would appear to have no choice but to center his energies on states in the industrial and upper Midwest. The eventual conclusions of party strategists about Trumps possible route to victory will affect critical choices for both campaigns as they decide where to invest tens of millions of dollars in resources for television ads, where to deploy their most extensive voter mobilization and get-out-the vote operations, and where the nominees will concentrate their campaign travel in the fall. View Graphic Southern dominance does not mean Trump and Clinton will win everywhere The Midwests blue wall Ruy Teixeira, a senior fellow at the progressive Center for American Progress, said Trumps only path to victory lies in a spike of white working-class support. . . . Its trying to break apart the heartland part of the blue wall, with less emphasis on the rest of the country. The blue wall is a term coined by journalist Ronald Brownstein of Atlantic Media and refers to the 18 states plus the District of Columbia that Democrats have won in the past six elections. Those states add up to 242 electoral votes, giving Democrats a foundation and therefore several combinations of other states to get to 270. Among the 18 states that have been in Democratic hands since the 1992 election are Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Along with Ohio and Iowa, those heartland states are likely to be the most intensely contested battlegrounds in the country if a Trump-Clinton race materializes. All those states have higher concentrations of white voters, including larger percentages of older, white working-class voters, than many of the states in faster-growing areas that Obama looked to in his two campaigns. If he drives big turnout increases with white voters, especially with white male voters, that has the potential to change the map, said a veteran of Obamas campaigns, who spoke anonymously in order to share current analysis of the fall campaign. Steve Schmidt, a Republican strategist and veteran of past presidential campaigns, said Trumps overall general election strength is unpredictable at this point, in part because Trump could campaign as a different candidate from the one on display throughout the primaries. But he said that what Trump has shown to date is an ability to surprise his opponents and offer crosscutting messages to draw support. To be successful as a Republican candidate you have to be the equivalent of a neutron bomb, Schmidt said. Hes a neutron bomb. Donald Trump has been disruptive in the way Uber has been disruptive in the taxi industry. No one expects a totally different electoral map in a Trump-Clinton campaign, given the hardening of red-blue divisions. Analysts say that nearly all the same states that have been fought over in recent elections will remain potential targets, especially at the start of the general election. Ohio, Florida and likely Virginia in particular will be fought over until the very end of the election. On the other hand, states such as Nevada, New Mexico and possibly Colorado could see less competition unless Trump can overcome his extraordinarily high negative ratings within the Hispanic community. The two pairs of presidential campaigns since the beginning of the 21st century proved to be remarkably static in terms of the number of battleground states and whether they voted Republican or Democratic. Those campaigns collectively also highlight the shrinking number of truly contested states. In 2000, there were 12 such states decided by fewer than five points. By 2012, there were just four. The 2000 and 2004 campaigns produced close finishes in the electoral college, with Republicans winning both with fewer than 290 electoral votes. The 2004 campaign was a virtual rerun of 2000, with just three states shifting to the other party: Iowa and New Mexico in the direction of the Republicans and New Hampshire to the Democrats. Obamas 2008 campaign changed the map, with nine states that had supported then-president George W. Bush in 2004 backing the Democratic nominee. The 2012 campaign, like 2004, reinforced the status quo. By the end of the campaign, there were only a handful of real battlegrounds and just two states shifted from 2008: Indiana and North Carolina. Both moved in the direction of the Republicans. William Frey, a demographer and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said that if Trump were to carry Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and either New Hampshire or Minnesota, he would not need some of the traditional Southern battlegrounds. Frey hastened to add that such a sweep of the Midwest appears highly unlikely. Nonetheless, he said that path through the Midwest would hold the keys to victory for Republicans if the New York businessman is their nominee. Separate wells of support What makes the coming campaign so intriguing is that Trumps and Clintons demographic strengths are near-mirror opposites. He has drawn significant support among white working-class voters during his march toward the Republican nomination, especially white men. Clinton has drawn sizable support among minority voters, particularly African Americans, in her contest against Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Trumps strength among men is offset by his weakness among women. Clinton has at times struggled to attract younger women in her battle with Sanders, but few doubt she would have a significant advantage in a general election campaign against Trump. Similarly, Trumps support among white voters without college degrees could be offset by the prospect of similarly strong support among whites with college degrees a growing force in the Democratic coalition. The focus on white working-class voters will not negate the key role minority voters could play in the outcome next November. I think that energy underneath the wings of the minority community could be as strong as it was for Barack Obama, only this time against Donald Trump, Frey said. One Democratic strategist said that on the basis of preliminary analysis of poll data, Trumps vote share among Hispanics could be lower than Mitt Romneys 27 percent share in 2012 and that his margin among African Americans could be nearly as low as Romneys. A recent Washington Post-Univision poll of Hispanic voters showed Trump currently doing worse than Romney, trailing Clinton in a hypothetical general election by 73 to 16 percent. Republican Schmidt, however, warned Democrats that Trump could prove more appealing to minority voters, especially African Americans, than they assume. Hes an asymmetric threat, Schmidt said. He fits into none of the conventions. He has a completely unorthodox style. When Donald Trump entered the presidential race, Laurie Towers liked how he was able to channel many Americans anger and frustration. But as the primary season ramped up, Towers, who is Mormon, increasingly found herself turned off by Trump. We have values and standards that he doesnt hold dear, Towers said of herself and other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As Trump continues to gain support from nearly every demographic that makes up the Republican voting base, primary results show that he is lagging behind with a small group: Mormon voters. Trump suffered some of his biggest losses to date in counties with large Mormon populations during the Idaho primary. In Idahos heavily Mormon Madison County, Trump captured less than 8 percent of the vote, and he pulled in less than 20 percent in other southern Idaho counties that have large LDS populations. Tuesdays caucuses here in Utah will tell whether Trumps brash demeanor, controversial statements and occasional cursing will play well among a large group of Mormon voters who pride themselves on decorum. About 62 percent of Utahs population is Mormon. 1 of 53 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz on the campaign trail View Photos The Texas Republican was the first major presidential candidate to formally declare a bid. Caption Looking back at the Texas senators presidential bid. May 3, 2016 Sen. Ted Cruz speaks with his wife, Heidi, by his side during a primary night campaign event in Indianapolis. Cruz ended his presidential campaign, eliminating the biggest impediment to Donald Trumps march to the Republican nomination. Darron Cummings/AP Wait 1 second to continue. Meanwhile, the campaign of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), who has made religious liberty a cornerstone of his campaign, is expecting to do well here. He campaigned in the state Saturday with host Glenn Beck and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who are both Mormon. Ohio Gov. John Kasich held a rally Friday in St. George, a heavily Mormon city in the states southwest corner. Kasich toured an LDS facility in December and met with church leaders. Its a new phenomenon. Weve never seen this before, where Republicans go against what the church says, Matt Miles, a professor of political science at Brigham Young University in Idaho, said of Trump. This is our first real test of it. Trumps proposal to bar Muslims from entering the United States has particularly troubled many Mormons, whose founders fled west to practice their faith and who value religious liberty. The thing that really does concern LDS people is the religious tolerance thing. The outright Muslim ban strikes home in a state that has a population thats been persecuted over the years, said Chuck Warren, a Republican strategist here. Thats real. For others, its a moral issue. Ive got to have a president that isnt a playboy, and Ive got to have a president who isnt liable to say things I cant have repeated in my own home because its too embarrassing, said Stan Lockhart, a Mormon who chaired the now-defunct campaign of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in Utah. At a rally in Salt Lake City on Friday, Trump lavished praise on Mormons. View Graphic Tracking the race to the Republican nomination Theyre amazing people, and its an honor to be with you tonight, those of you that are Mormons, Trump said, noting he has employed Mormons who constantly give to the church. An honor. I love you. But Trump also questioned the faith of former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who is Mormon: Hes a choke artist, I cant believe. Are you sure hes a Mormon? Are we sure? [Trump goes after Romney in Utah: Are you sure he's a Mormon?] Cruz blasted Trumps comments Saturday, telling reporters here it is disgraceful to call into question the faith of another. In Provo, where Brigham Young University is located, Beck spoke at a rally organized by a super PAC that supports Cruz. Beck made a direct appeal to Mormons, who believe in a prophecy that the Constitution will one day hang by a thread. That book spells out in great detail what things look like before the Lord comes back, Beck said of Mormon text. As he spoke, a woman shouted out, I believe! Someone in the crowd held a sign reading, Mormons for Cruz. Beck, who converted to Mormonism in 2000, said the words in the Constitution are sacred, and it comes with a sacred responsibility. Prepare for a time of miracles, Beck said. And get out Tuesday and be a part of it. Cruz, who seeks to amass delegates to try to catch up to Trump, needs not only to win Utah, but to win it big. Any candidate who gets more than 50 percent of the vote collects all of Utahs 40 delegates. Romney said he will caucus for Cruz as a way to stop Trump and urged those in Utah to do the same. Cruz repeatedly told audiences that a vote for Kasich, who could cut into Cruzs delegate count, is a vote for Trump. [Romney urges voters to choose Cruz in Utah and 'future contests with eye on delegates] Both Cruz and Trump are immigration hard-liners, a stance that may turn off some Mormons who did mission trips overseas. Utahans are not scared of free trade, Warren said. The state also led the nation in job growth last year, and its unemployment rate is at 3.4 percent. Theyre not scared of immigration. Theyre not scared of cultural differences because everybody has an experience living overseas, working with the people. But not all Mormons are writing off Trump. Dennis Garrett, 67, a practicing Mormon and a former bishop, said during a Trump rally in Salt Lake City on Friday evening that he was behind Trump from the moment he announced his candidacy. Garrett said that growing up in Missouri, his parents spoke their plain opinion about things, which he thinks Trump does, as well, adding that Trumps tough talk on foreign policy is also appealing. I know a lot of Mormons that are for Trump, he said. Jose A. DelReal in Salt Lake City contributed to this report. Will the last Swede leaving Sweden please turn out the lights. The city of Ostersund in central Sweden has decided to cancel its participation in Saturdays Earth Hour because of the increased rape risk when streets are dark.Earth Hour is an annual event where people turn off electricity for one hour to conserve energy. Ostersund usually turns off its street lighting, but has decided to keep it lit due to a spree of sexual assaults The city recently told women to not walk the streets alone because their safety couldnt be guaranteed.Earth Hour is a good and important arrangement, but this year we chose to keep the streets lit because of the recent events, county chair AnnSofie Andersson told public broadcaster SVT Wednesday.Fourteen cases of sexual assault have been reported in Ostersund since January. The attacks are carried out by both young immigrant gangs and lone-wolf perpetrators , according to descriptions from the victims.We at the police thinks this is very wise and that the city has made a good decision, said police chief Stephen Jerand told SVT. Light creates safety and falls in line with our collective efforts to enhance safety during these conditions. Republican Presidential candidate Ted Cruz stands along the United States border with Mexico as he speaks to Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels and Arizona State representative David Gowan near Douglas, Arizona. (Sam Mircovich/Reuters) Sen. Ted Cruz toured the Southern border Friday, accusing federal officials of lax enforcement and challenging Donald Trumps views on immigration. Cruz was driven along the border at a remote ranch here that was studded with sagebrush and mesquite trees. Clad in sunglasses, jeans and cowboy boots, he stood by a low fence separating the countries. My 5-year-old could climb this in about three seconds, he said. Theres no barrier at all a couple miles down, Cruz said, looking along a dirt road. Cruzs trip here is a way for him to project toughness on immigration as he tries to take on Trump ahead of this states presidential primary Tuesday. Trump, who is leading in polls here, has made immigration his signature issue, vowing to build a wall along the border and make Mexico pay for its construction. 1 of 53 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz on the campaign trail View Photos The Texas Republican was the first major presidential candidate to formally declare a bid. Caption Looking back at the Texas senators presidential bid. May 3, 2016 Sen. Ted Cruz speaks with his wife, Heidi, by his side during a primary night campaign event in Indianapolis. Cruz ended his presidential campaign, eliminating the biggest impediment to Donald Trumps march to the Republican nomination. Darron Cummings/AP Wait 1 second to continue. Here in Arizona, Trump has been endorsed by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, an immigration hard-liner, and former governor Jan Brewer (R). This state has been at the center of the countrys battles over illegal immigration, and it is no surprise that the issue is playing such a prominent role in its presidential primary. Brewer signed a bill in 2010 that required the police to determine the immigration status of someone who is arrested or detained if the person is suspected of being in the country illegally; the Supreme Court struck down parts of the law. In July, Trump held an immigration-focused rally here at which he said undocumented immigrants flow in like water. Cruz has long taken a tough stance on illegal immigration, and he has spent the past few years criticizing a failed immigration reform bill that would have granted undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship, something he calls amnesty. But he has significantly sharpened his tone on immigration since Trump came into the race for the Republican presidential nomination, stating in February that if he is elected president, he will find and deport the 11 million people thought to be living in the country illegally. [Cruz: As president I will find, deport undocumented immigrants] Cruz continued to paint Trump as taking an expedient view of immigration, accusing him of hardening his stance when he decided to run for president after bankrolling senators who sponsored the failed immigration bill. Cruz was briefed at the border by Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels and Arizona House Speaker David Gowan (R), who told Cruz about drug smuggling across the border and a shootout at one crossing. A helicopter hovered overhead. Whats the volume of traffic you see coming across here? Cruz asked Dannels. View Graphic Tracking the race to the Republican nomination Its constant. Its constant, Dannels said. The group was directly across the border from Agua Prieta, Mexico. Cruz was also joined by ranchers from the area and by Steve Ronnebeck, an Arizona man whose son was killed, allegedly by an undocumented immigrant. This is a national security crisis. And its a crisis that the federal government is refusing to do its job and solve, Cruz told reporters, standing behind a lectern anchored in the dirt, the Chiricahua Mountains visible behind him. Cruz was flanked by former Texas governor Rick Perry and local law enforcement personnel and ranchers clad in cowboy hats. Cruz said he thinks the federal government should be working in concert with local law enforcement to secure the border. Cruz was supposed to make a trip to the border last July with Trump, when the two were on good terms and Cruz was drafting behind the real estate tycoon in an attempt to inherit his voters, but he could not make it because he had to be in Washington for votes in the Senate. [Ted Cruz invited Donald Trump on a roadtrip to the U.S.-Mexico border] At the time, Cruz effusively praised Trump for bringing the issue of illegal immigration to the fore and brushed off caustic comments that Trump had made about illegal Mexican migrants. [Ted Cruz continues to defend Donald Trump on immigration] Cruz wants to strengthen border security, increasing the number of troops that patrol the border, as well as build a fence and increase the number of aircraft patrols along the frontier. He unveiled an immigration plan in November that calls for new limits on legal immigration a shift from his previous position and a crackdown on illegal immigration. Cruz also has called for an end to sanctuary cities and has said he does not think undocumented immigrants should get legal status. [Ted Cruz unveils immigration plan on Marco Rubios home turf] President Obama tells us the borders secure. Well, I invite him to move the White House down to the Southern border. Lets see how secure it is, said Cruz, who has long criticized President Obamas executive actions on immigration, vowing to repeal them if he becomes president. I think most Americans, when we look at immigration, follow a very basic principle: Legal good, illegal bad, Cruz said. Utah also holds a caucus Tuesday, and Cruz thanked former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who has a home in Utah, for saying he will caucus for Cruz as a way to stop Trump. Listen, in my book, when someone says, Im voting for you, and I encourage everyone else to vote for you, thats pretty darn good, and Ill take that and take that happily, Cruz said. He also responded to a tweet from Trump that said, Mormons dont like LIARS. Now Im sure the LDS community appreciates Donald Trumps advice on how to practice their faith, Cruz said. I somehow suspect that advice is not grounded in years of study of the faith. President Obama and his family are traveling to Cuba. Here are some highlights of the agenda. (Jason Aldag/The Washington Post) President Obama and his family are traveling to Cuba. Here are some highlights of the agenda. (Jason Aldag/The Washington Post) President Obamas arrival in Cuba on Sunday will provide the most vivid manifestation yet of the foreign policy he has championed since taking office more than seven years ago: a world in which the United States sets aside historic feuds to broker a more stable global order. But after he leaves Tuesday afternoon, island residents will still be coping with many of the same problems that they have faced for decades: a faltering economy; a strict, one-party political system with little tolerance for dissent; and emigration of talented professionals. [Did you or your family immigrate from Cuba? Tell us what you brought] As Obama with hundreds of staffers, reporters, business leaders and members of Congress in tow works at repairing more than a half-century of enmity between the United States and the small but defiant adversary 90 miles from its shores, the administration is betting it will lead ordinary Cubans to do extraordinary things, in the words of Ben Rhodes, White House deputy national security adviser. We believe that by opening up space . . . for exchange, dialogue, connectivity, commercial opening, entrepreneurship, exchanges with civil society, that will help empower the Cuban people to live better lives, Rhodes told reporters Wednesday. They will be more connected not just with the United States but with the wider world, he said. Here are a few key moments in the diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Cuba. (Jason Aldag/The Washington Post) In Havana, there was palpable excitement in the streets, many of them newly paved for Obamas arrival. In the weeks leading up to the visit, the city has had an unprecedented makeover, with government-dispatched work crews painting over worn-out building facades and patching potholes. [Treasury eases restrictions on travel to Cuba] An extensive shutdown of the citys main thoroughfares is planned for the first familys visit, adding to the aura of something big and unprecedented. I never thought I would see this in my lifetime, said Manuel Pino, 44, a barber who on Friday morning recorded a video on his cellphone of Obamas armored limousine making a practice run around the tight corners of a gas station near his house. The guy deserves recognition for this, Pino said of the trip. I think it took a lot of courage. [Lobbyists descend on Havana for Obamas historic Cuba trip] But normalization is a two-way process, and in the 15 months since Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced that the countries would reestablish ties, official Cuba has been somewhat less speedy than the United States to implement changes. Since re-establishing diplomatic ties with Cuba, the U.S. has made it easier for Americans to travel to the island nation. Here is what you need to know about changes that make it easier to visit Cuba. (Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post) The arrival of the first sitting U.S. president in Havana since 1928 without a battleship, as Obama quipped the other day still represents a threat to the Cuban power structure. For a country whose modern history was forged in rebellion, first against Spain and later the United States, fierce resistance remains to the idea that a more powerful nation might dictate the terms of Cubas path forward. Everything is changing in Cuba, said Carlos Alzugaray, a retired diplomat and professor at the University of Havana. But its changing according to Cuban terms or at least according to terms set by the communist government. The result has been a mixed picture of progress. Long-term political prisoners now number in the low dozens greatly reduced from years past according to human rights activists. Opposition demonstrations, once rare events with few participants, are now regular, well-attended occurrences. But many protests are interrupted by security services, and there has been a sharp increase in short-term detentions, lasting a few hours or days. Internet access, once reserved for the politically privileged, has increased through state establishment of public hotspots, but it remains spotty and restricted. There are a few blogs frequently blocked by the government and limited access to international media outlets. All authorized newspapers, radio and television on the island are government-owned. [Obama tries comedy to woo Cuban people] Most Cuban citizens who can afford it can now travel abroad relatively freely. But the number of those fleeing to the United States has soared in recent months because many fear a crackdown at home or a U.S. decision to end their unique access to permanent legal status. State control over the economy has eased a loosening that may have more to do with Cubas poor economic state than it does with any genuine political shift by the government. Roughly a quarter of Cubas labor force no longer works for the state, with many employed by a private sector that is prospering despite strict government controls. American investment is still prohibited by the ongoing U.S. embargo, and businesses in countries without such restrictions have been reluctant to put money into Cuba. Many in the steady stream of U.S. business representatives who have made their way to Cuba since Obama began lifting restrictions on exports to certain sectors have been disappointed by Cubas lack of eagerness to deal. Change in Cuba in inexorable. But theres no Arab Spring in Cuba. Its not 1989 Prague, said Julia Sweig, a senior research fellow at the University of Texass Lyndon B. Johnson School of Foreign Affairs, who has been visiting Cuba since 1984. When it comes to the public debate in Cuba, she added, theres far less fear and theres less censorship, but major political reforms remain unrealized. Some speculate that major changes will take place after February 2018, when Raul Castro is to step down; others predict that the political structure will remain in place indefinitely under new leadership. But it is clear that the Cuban president is hoping to be the bridge between the strict communist society his brother Fidels revolution brought about and the hybrid it has become. [Obamas goal for Cuba trip: Become a source of support] The Cuban Revolution is his brothers legacy, and what happens after . . . is his, said Dan Restrepo, Obamas top Latin America adviser in his first term and now a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. His calculus is he thinks he can control the genie, Restrepo said of Raul Castro. Obamas decision to visit Havana has been sharply criticized by opponents of normalization, especially within the Republican Party. Donald Trump, the only GOP presidential candidate to offer support, has said he was fine with rapprochement, although he says he could have forged a better deal with Cuba. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) denounced the trip in a statement Thursday. Cubas government, he said, remains a regime that provides safe harbor to terrorists and fugitives. Ryan added that he did not think Obama will bring up the need for reform during his visit, even though the White House has pledged to do so. Instead, he is set to announce new commercial deals . . . that will legitimize and strengthen the communist government, Ryan said. But American and Cuban officials are betting that there is enough support in both their countries to sustain the policy shift, even if the next president has a different philosophy. Yanetsi Azahares, 28, owner of the Gelato House, a high-end ice cream cafe on the Havana waterfront, said she was already thinking about the visits impact on Cuban tourism. I think a lot of Americans are going to see that hes welcome here and realize they will be welcome, too, she said. Nick Miroff in Havana contributed to this report. Read more: In Argentina, Obama will cheer on South Americas shift away from the left Obamas Cuba trip raises profile, but not prospects of lifting embargo in Congress Prosecutors mysterious death transfixes Argentines ahead of Obama visit Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world A suicide bombing at a popular shopping area in Istanbul that killed at least five people, including two Americans, and wounded dozens more Saturday, according to media reports. The Turkish interior minister identified the bomber as a militant with ties to the Islamic State, the Associated Press reported Sunday. The blast targeted Istiklal Street, a major thoroughfare lined with international shopping outlets and restaurants that bustles with foreign tourists on weekends. Five people had been confirmed dead and at least 36 wounded, including 12 foreign nationals, the Hurriyet Daily News reported, citing comments from Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu. The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms todays terrorist attack in Istanbul, Ned Price, a National Security Council spokesman, said in a statement released by the White House. Two American citizens were among those killed in this heinous attack. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of those killed, and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured. Price said that the United States remains steadfast in its support of Turkey and that the Obama administration is working with Turkish authorities. These repeated acts of terrorism in Turkey must come to an end, he said. The two Americans killed were dual nationals and also held Israeli citizenship. Emmanuel Nahshon, a spokesman for Israels Foreign Ministry, said one of the victims was a 60-year-old woman. The two were part of a group of 14 Israeli tourists on a culinary tour and had just finished eating breakfast. Eleven other Israelis were injured in the attack, some of them critically, Nahshon said. The Dogan news agency, a private Turkish media outlet, reported that the wounded also included citizens of Germany, Iran and Ireland. There were no immediate claims of responsibility, but Israeli media reported that the bomber had been identified as a Turkish national, Sabash Yildiz, 33, who was believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State. Turkish armed forces have been waging cross-border strikes in Syria against the Islamic State, which has carried out bombings in Turkey in recent months. One of the Islamic State attacks killed more than 100 people at a Kurdish peace rally in the capital, Ankara, in October. And the Islamic State was blamed for a suicide bombing in January that killed 10 people, including German tourists, in Istanbul. Suspicion in the bombing had also fallen on Kurdish separatists who are waging a war in southeastern Turkey. That conflict has also been spilling over into urban areas, with bombings targeting Turkish soldiers and civilians in recent weeks. Kurdish militants claimed responsibility for a car bomb last week that struck a square of shops and restaurants in the capital, Ankara, killing at least 37 people. And the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, asserted responsibility for an attack Feb. 17 in Ankara that killed 28 Turkish soldiers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday night that Israel had decided to send two emergency planes with medical teams and supplies to Istanbul to help treat the wounded and fly them back to Israel. We are looking into the possibility that this terror attack was aimed at Israelis, Netanyahu said at a news conference in Jerusalem. He said that he had not spoken to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan since the attack but that the two governments were in contact and working together to enable Israeli teams to reach the area and assist the injured. Turkeys prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, said in a message to Israel that the attack has shown us once again that the international community as a whole should act in a resolute manner against the ignoble objectives of terrorist organizations. He expressed his condolences to the victims families. Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report. Eglash reported from Jerusalem. Special forces police use water cannons on March 18, 2016, to clear Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo of protesters denouncing the appointment of former president Lula to a ministerial position. (Victor Moriyama/Getty Images) With Brazils president and her predecessor embroiled in a growing corruption scandal, supporters of the governing Workers Party took to the streets in defiant rallies Friday. President Dilma Rousseffs mentor, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, gave a passionate speech while a huge crowd chanted his name in Sao Paulo. Lula, as he is known here, was one of Brazils most popular leaders when he left office in 2011. But he and Rousseff have been drawn into an investigation into billions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks on contracts at state-run oil company Petrobras. On Friday, Rousseff said that aggressive tactics being used in the corruption investigation are threatening civil rights. It is important we dont go back in history, she said in a clear allusion to the dictatorship that ruled Brazil for two decades until 1985. Rousseff also faces an impeachment process based on accusations that she broke fiscal-responsibility laws, as well as an electoral-court investigation into whether her 2014 election campaign was funded with illicit money. Pro-government demonstrators rallied in all of Brazils 26 states on Friday, with anti-government demonstrations staged in eight states. In Sao Paulo, tens of thousands of government supporters had flooded the streets by 6 p.m. With Brazils president and her predecessor embroiled in a growing corruption scandal, supporters of the governing Workers Party took to the streets in rallies Friday and were joined by sympathizers arguing that recent escalations in the investigation threaten their young democracy. Correction: An earlier version of this video said that Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff is under investigation. She is not. Her predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is. (Whitney Leaming,Thomas Johnson/The Washington Post) As the scandal expands, Lulas legacy as the successful, well- regarded president whose social programs helped more than 30 million Brazilians emerge from poverty is at risk of being destroyed. Charges have been filed against him for money laundering and misrepresentation over a seaside apartment that investigators say was renovated for him by construction companies involved in the Petrobras scandal though a judge needs to accept them. He also is being investigated in connection with repairs at a country estate. He denies the allegations. The left-leaning party that Lula helped found is hanging on to power by a thread. On Sunday, at least half a million anti-government protesters poured into the streets of Sao Paulos landmark Paulista Avenue demanding Rousseffs impeachment and Lulas imprisonment. On Friday, 95,000 people flooded the same street to defend them, turning it into a sea of Workers Party red. On Wednesday, Rousseff nominated Lula for a top cabinet post, a move widely seen as a bid to shield the former union leader against arrest. Making him a minister means he could be investigated only by the Supreme Court. Rousseff insisted that she was appointing Lula for his political abilities. Sergio Moro, a crusading federal judge whose corruption investigations into Petrobras have led to the arrests of dozens of top political and business figures, responded to Lulas appointment by releasing wiretap recordings of conversations the former president held with Rousseff and other left-wing politicians in recent weeks. Prosecutors say the talks showed Lula was trying to interfere with the investigations. On Friday, Rousseff attacked the use of wiretaps. This is something illicit, she said. Moro denied that allegation. The release of the conversations prompted angry street protests across the country on both sides of the issue. On Thursday night, riot police used stun grenades and tear gas on about 8,000 protesters outside the National Congress in Brasilia. Two federal judges suspended Lulas nomination as a minister, but their rulings were overturned. Then, on Friday, a Supreme Court judge suspended his nomination again a decision that needs to be ratified by the whole court. Unionists and members of the Workers Party demonstrate in support of former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in downtown Sao Paulo. (Nelson Almeida/AFP/Getty Images) Protesters in Sao Paulo on Friday saw the release of the wire taps as an attack on democracy. This was absurd, said Lucas Leonidas, 20. We have to defend democracy. Lula led the crowd in a chant of There will not be a coup. Though significant, numbers in Fridays demonstrations were less than on March 13. But they showed the Workers Party is not going to relinquish power easily, said Paulo Baia, a professor of political science at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. They will fight until the end, he said. It reinforces the political polarization of the country. Could this lead to WAR in Europe? Apocalyptic, yes. But even if conflict can be avoided, MAX HASTINGS says unchecked mass migration will make Europe unrecognisable By Max Hastings For The Daily Mail 19 March 2016Daily MailLast week in Washington, I met an old friend who is one of the smartest strategy wonks I know. His business is crystal ball-gazing.During our conversation, he offered some speculations about what could happen to our world over the next decade or two which made my hair stand on end.He predicts that the seismic turbulence in the Middle East will continue, and indeed worsen, unless or until the West is willing to commit stabilisation forces to the region. He calculates that an army of the order of magnitude of 450,000 men would be necessary, to have any chance of success.In the absence of such an effort for which he admits the political will does not exist on either side of the Atlantic, and is unlikely to do so in the future he believes that the tidal wave of migration to Europe from the Middle East and Africa will continue, with consequences much greater and graver than any national leader has yet acknowledged.He suggested that war within our continent is not impossible before the middle of the century, as southern European nations are swamped by incomers, and Greece stands first in line to become a failed state.We can defer for a moment the question of whether my friends most frightening scenarios are likely to be fulfilled.What was sobering about our conversation is that here was an uncommonly well-informed man who believes that the earthquakes shaking the Middle East, together with the scale of economic migration from Africa, could undo all our comfortable assumptions about the stability of the society in which we live, including our confidence that Europe has turned its back on war for ever.The most obvious lesson of history is that events and threats always take us by surprise.Consider the shocks we have experienced in modern times. Almost nobody expected the Irish Troubles; the Argentine invasion of the Falklands; the collapse of the Soviet Union; the dramatic rise of Muslim extremism; the 9/11 attacks in New York and 7/7 bombings in London; the global banking disaster of 2007-8; the break up of the Middle East that began with the 2003 Iraq invasion.I never cease to be amazed by the continuing willingness of institutions all over the world to pay fat fees for speeches from the American academic Francis Fukuyama, who in 1992 published a ridiculous best-seller entitled The End Of History, which proclaimed that liberal democracy and free-market capitalism were now triumphant and unassailable, having shown their superiority to all alternatives.Everything that has happened since shows that Fukuyama was as wrong as could be. Across large swathes of the globe, authoritarian regimes flourish like the green bay tree. Democracy has never looked rockier, even in the United States.My think-tank friend in Washington observed last week: Democracy only works where there is a broad consensus about the distribution of wealth and power. And it is because this consensus faces unprecedented stresses in consequence of migration in Europe, that he believes some factions may resort to violence, even outright war.It seems foolish to dismiss this warning out of hand. The threat posed by mass population movement is huge and intractable, and it is hard to have much faith in the deal struck yesterday between the EU and Turkey which seeks to halt the huge numbers reaching the shores of Greece.What it will actually mean is that 77 million Turks will have the right to travel all the way to Calais unhindered should they so wish.Tens of millions of people in Africa, too, aspire to move to Europe in search of a better life, and huge numbers are already crossing the Mediterranean via Libya, Algeria and Tunisia.The entire Middle East is in a ferment, and it is impossible to see any reason why peace should be restored any time soon. This week, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russias forces are beginning to withdraw from Syria, where their aircraft have been conducting a murderous bombing campaign against rebels fighting the Kremlins client, President Bashir Assad.Western governments are pondering the implications of this surprise move. British analysts think Putin judges that his air strikes have put Assad in a position to negotiate from relative strength. Yet whether he stays in power or goes, it is hard to believe that Syria will again function as a single state.Most likely it will fragment as Libya has fragmented, with rival factions continuing to contest territory. There are no good guys in Syria, which makes it hard to anticipate an end to the violence which has driven millions to quit their homes.There are signs that the Kurds and Iraqis are making headway in the struggle against Islamic State which, sooner or later, will probably collapse. Yet such is the fervour of Muslim extremism across the region that some successor movement is sure to arise, with terrorist branches making mayhem in the West.Meanwhile, the Saudis and Iranians are fiercely fighting each other through proxy forces in Yemen, while Turkeys stability is under threat from millions of Syrian refugees on its soil, from Kurdish separatist violence, and from the erratic governance of its own despotic leader, President Erdogan.Arguably the most sinister symptom of this vast regions troubles is the flight of money.I attended a bankers meeting this week at which much of the gossip was about the desperate flight of the rich, together with their money, from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and in lesser degree the UAE. Many of those able to liquidate assets and move them to Europe or America are doing so. They fear for the stability of local regimes, and also anticipate more inter-state wars.Strife will continue, and spread across the Middle East. There is no single, over-arching course of action open to the U.S. or Nato governments that can resolve this alarming state of affairs. It can only be addressed piecemeal, through local diplomatic initiatives and modest military assistance.For instance, though the West cannot promise the Kurds the independent state they crave in northern Iraq, it can at least provide them with sufficient military aid to resist ISIS, while at the same time seeking to persuade the Turks to stop bombing Kurdish forces.For their part, the U.S. and European governments are doing their best to avert a military showdown between Iran and Saudi Arabia.They must also face up to the need to bargain with Russia for a dirty deal that will at least curb the violence in Syria, and drive back the forces of ISIS, even if the odious Assad continues for a time to crow on his dunghill.None of this amounts to a solution, which does not exist, but it may at least help to contain the chain of crises.We should recognise that the old state borders of most of the embattled countries, notably including Iraq and Libya, are almost certainly defunct. They will fragment into statelets dominated by the local tribe or warlord.Moreover, it is hard to see any course of action that can stem the flow of migrants to the West, the foremost concern for most of the people who inhabit our continent. Only a proportion of the incomers are fleeing from the immediate consequences of violence. A far larger number, according to every survey conducted in Europe, come from places where there is no war. They simply seek better lives.The physical difficulties of preventing them from coming are immense. When they are plucked from sinking boats in the Mediterranean, human rights law and the cynical attitude of North African governments make it almost impossible to return them to their ports of embarkation.The people on these odysseys are driven by motivations and passions more intense than most of us can imagine. They see our societies offering a wealth and security unimaginable in their homelands. They embrace the most desperate dangers to reach our shores.At present, the governments of Europe have no credible and coherent policies for checking or halting the flood, beyond creating some frail fences on the Eastern margins.Mass migration now poses the gravest threat to Europes stability and tranquillity since the end of the Cold War, and arguably since 1945.Unless it is checked, over the coming decades it promises to change the character and make-up of all our societies on a scale to make past immigration seem trivial.One policy to which David Camerons government is rightly committed is to work to ameliorate the conditions of refugees and economic migrants in their own countries, or at least nearby. Britain is a generous donor to the UNs international refugee programmes.It would be naive to imagine that aid alone can stem the migration tide, but it can help.Those of us bitterly critical of Camerons insistence on ring-fencing the foreign aid budget might feel better if our money was directed squarely and explicitly to countries from which the principal refugee flow is coming, both in Africa and the Middle East.Of course, the West cannot aspire to enable Nigerians, Ethiopians or Afghans to enjoy the standard of living that exists in west London.But we must do everything in our power to diminish the incentives for migration. Fences and border controls at Calais will not suffice.None of the answers is easy. This crisis can only grow in the months and years ahead. Leaving the EU may well help Britain to control its borders, but will not alone solve this historic problem.The principal charge against Europes leaders today is that none of them, including David Cameron, has begun to come clean with us about the enormity of the challenge.Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared a towering figure until August, when she made her disastrous unilateral commitment to open her countrys doors.Today some EU members, especially in the east, are striving to reverse the consequences of this policy, and to stem the flow. They are achieving only limited success: it is frightening to behold the numbers of newcomers pouring into Greece and Italy.I have no doubt that after reading all this, a spokesman for the compassion industry would demand: where is your human sympathy for the millions suffering terribly in their own societies? Fair enough. My words sound harsh. But I would in turn ask that spokesman: where should human sympathy stop?We are witnessing the beginning and it is only the beginning of a game-changing shift of populations, which if it continues unchecked will over the next half-century change all our societies for ever.Maybe our childrens generation will be content to live with such a transformation. Maybe we can avoid the wars my friend in Washington fears. But our politicians should at least be telling the nation just how profound the coming upheaval threatens to be. People spend time in Aleppo Public Park on the government-held side of the city, left, and the remains of a market in the rebel-held old city of Aleppo. (Photos by Lorenzo Tugnoli/For The Washington Post) Five years of conflict have torn Syria apart. And nowhere is that more stark than in its most populous city, Aleppo, where front lines carve through neighborhoods and slice it in two. It is a city of sharply contrasting halves, and one side clearly appears to have the upper hand. In a park on the government-held side, families picnic while children line up to buy balloons and popcorn. A few miles away, on a sprawling university campus, thousands of students attend class. Downtown, the citys cinema plays the latest Hollywood films. In the evenings, the restaurants fill. War brings death and discomfort, but life continues here with a surprising degree of normality. Its a far cry from the images of Aleppo the world has seen during Syrias war: the rubble-filled streets, the carcasses of buildings, lifeless bodies being dragged out of piles of detritus after airstrikes. But that is the rebel-held side. There, the mishmash of armed groups in control are almost entirely encircled and were brutally bombarded before a recent cease-fire brought some relief. Sitting right on the battle lines, the old city of Aleppo is in tatters. The 13th-century citadel that rises above its now scorched markets with their famed vaulted ceilings is a Syrian army base. [In Damascus, Syrians celebrate Putin as their hero. Will they miss him?] Pro-government forces, meanwhile, are advancing around the city, which had a prewar population approaching 3 million. They have been bolstered by recent Russian airstrikes that have allowed them to take the initiative and are pushing outward to secure the single road that serves as the lifeline for the government-held side the only way in or out. Getting there required official permission, and reporters are accompanied by government minders. Access is restricted to government-held areas, providing a limited view of life here. In addition to the bureaucratic hurdles are the practical ones, with the road sometimes cut because of attacks. The drive from Damascus, the Syrian capital, to Aleppo on a trip this month necessitated a circuitous route, veering out east toward Raqqa to avoid rebel-held areas on the main highway. What was once a four-hour journey took double that. Near the town of Khanaser, 30 miles southeast of Aleppo, the al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra controls ground on one side of the road, and the Islamic State controls the other. Last month, three truck bombs attacked a checkpoint here. Both groups advanced from the surrounding hills, soldiers said. But over the past year, the road has largely been open, and residents of government-held Aleppo say living conditions are improving. After more than three months without water, the supply was reconnected to most areas this month. There is still no electricity, with power available only through generators. At the park, the dull thud of explosions in the distance and the groups of men in military uniforms are among the few clues to the devastation that is so near. [Inside Syrias war: I went to three cities. This is what I saw.] The skyline of Aleppo, Syria. (Lorenzo Tugnoli/For The Washington Post) The war in Syria has a sectarian tone, as a largely Sunni insurgency fights President Bashar al-Assads Alawite regime, backed by Shiite forces from Lebanon, Iraq and Iran. But rifts also fall along lines of class and clan. In Aleppo, a majority Sunni city and the powerhouse of Syrias industry, many of the wealthier neighborhoods in the west stood with the regime, as rebels swept in to control poorer areas. [How the Syrian revolt went so horribly, tragically wrong] In Foresta cafe in the citys well-to-do al-Azizia neighborhood, David Guettas No Money No Love blasts out as 25-year-old Hadeel Kasabji enjoys an evening with her family. She said the lack of electricity is a struggle. Now we have to think about these things, the necessities of life, she said. Farther down the road, at the al-Zahraa cinema, 50 people file out of a screening of London Has Fallen, an action film starring Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman about a terrorist attack that leaves the British capital in ruins. Its difficult to live here, Rafi Balaban, 31, said as he left the screening. Its not a normal life. His wife, Noror, said she has tried to persuade him to leave, like the many who have emigrated for new lives in Europe and elsewhere in the region. The Syrian uprising was late to reach Aleppo, and for the first year of the rebellion, it was largely immune from the protests and violence that erupted elsewhere. When large-scale demonstrations reached the citys university four years ago, there was a crackdown and mass arrests. Now Kamal Khoudary, the universitys vice president, dismisses the unrest as the work of students supporting terrorist groups. He said troublemakers left of their own volition. Women gather on steps outside of the University of Aleppo. (Lorenzo Tugnoli/For The Washington Post) Today, campus life continues, under the ever-present stare of portraits of Assad. The number of students has shrunk from 160,000 before the war to 120,000 today, Khoudary said. Some still come from abroad to study, from Sudan, Chad, Lebanon and Iraq, he said. The university has seen its share of violence in the past few years. There have been car bombs in the square outside and a rocket attack on campus. A month ago, a mortar round hit student housing, where 35,000 displaced Syrians from the area live, killing a woman and her child. It fell in the room next to Samira Hamids. The 50-year-old is from the Sukkari neighborhood, on the rebel-held side of the city officials say half a million Syrians have sought refuge on the government side of town. Hamid came with 13 members of her extended family. I always think about my home, she said. Im so tired. Somebody told me my house was destroyed completely, but I dont know. She stroked a cat she had taken in, a replacement for the family pet she had to leave behind. [A mini world war rages in the fields of Aleppo] Part of the city is in ruins, other areas are bustling. People walk in tranquil parks, university students attend class and markets are busy. Heres a look at the improving life in government-held Aleppo. (Jason Aldag/Lorenzo Tugnoli for The Washington Post) Nearby, a school supported by the United Nations serves displaced children in two shifts. A clinic also for the displaced appears well stocked, though the government has been accused of obstructing efforts to get international aid to rebel-held areas. Most medicines we can get, said Mehdi Aktaa, who works at the clinic. Aleppo is famed for its pharmaceutical trade, and many of the supplies here are still made locally, even though most of the factories now lie behind rebel lines. As with other essential industries, murky agreements between the government and rebels keep the factories running. The terrorist groups take a tax or fee for transferring the medicines here, Aktaa said. It is just one part of an inevitable ebb and flow between rebel and Islamic State areas and government-held Aleppo. The citys bus station is a crossroads in the war. Buses leave for Islamic State-held al-Bab and rebel-held al-Shaar. Many passengers are too afraid to speak. Some are government employees who continue to be paid despite living in opposition-held areas. They travel every month to collect their salaries before returning. Brig. Gen. Sami Shiha, a retired army general from Aleppo, thinks that negotiations rather than a military offensive will be the end for the battered rebels in the city. In the past few weeks, weve sent strong messages to all these terrorist groups to lay down their guns and enter reconciliation, he said. We also send the invitation to these groups to turn to fight [the Islamic State]. Sheik Sharif Martini, a tribal leader from Aleppo who has been involved in negotiations, said that although Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State should be fought, other groups have started opening up to talks. All this can be solved with money, he said. People sit in Foresta cafe in Aleppos al-Azizia neighborhood. (Lorenzo Tugnoli/For The Washington Post) Children play in a park in Aleppos Midan neighborhood, part of the city that is divided by a front line. (Lorenzo Tugnoli/For The Washington Post) The wide boulevards in the center of government-held Aleppo show little sign of war. But nearer the fighting, a cease-fire brokered by Moscow and Washington has brought some respite from mortar shells and other projectiles launched across the front lines. Improvised bombs made from cooking-gas containers had caused destruction. Hagop Tchouroukian, an Armenian shopkeeper, lost his home when a homemade bomb struck two years ago, killing a woman and two children in his building in the Midan neighborhood. He has moved elsewhere but returns to the area every day to work in his shop. His 4-year-old twins play in the street, something that would not have been possible before the cease-fire, he said. Before the truce, two or three mortar shells fell every day. Now there have just been one or two in the past two weeks, he said. But the cease-fire is not without its violations. Just a mile north from where the children play, rebels are attacking the Kurdish neighborhood of Sheik Maqsoud. Meanwhile, two miles south, a government airstrike killed at least five people in Salhin. Susan al-Allawi, 19, a university student, said she often thinks of what is happening on the other side of the lines. Her family is from rebel-held al-Shaar but fled four years ago. Her former neighbors said the familys house is still standing, but the situation is desperate. Its a thousand times better here; you cant even compare it, she said. A girl stands in a room that has a portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hanging on the wall. (Lorenzo Tugnoli/For The Washington Post) Read more: 8 stories to read if you want to understand the Syrian conflict Syrian rebels are losing Aleppo and perhaps also the war Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Inside Syrias war: I went to three cities. This is what I saw. This is a clip from The Middle Easts newest comedy show, SNL Arabia. But unlike its New York-based parent, the show has a daunting task: finding comedic inspiration in a region plagued by war and Islamic State violence. (SNL Arabia) This is a clip from The Middle Easts newest comedy show, SNL Arabia. But unlike its New York-based parent, the show has a daunting task: finding comedic inspiration in a region plagued by war and Islamic State violence. (SNL Arabia) The marquee lights and stage set look familiar, as does the band that opened before the comedy sketch began: A nuclear plant manager is trying to cover up an accident as an employee with an oversized, conical head deadpans that shes healthy, drawing laughter from the audience. When the skit ends, the actors freeze and shout out in unison. Its Saturday Night Live in Arabic! Welcome to the Middle Easts newest comedy show, launched across the region last month and, of course, modeled after its famed U.S. counterpart. Theres all the usual stuff: celebrity guests, news anchors who parody current events, musical performances and skits with edgy social commentary. But unlike its New York-based parent, SNL Arabia has a daunting task: finding comedic inspiration in a region plagued by war and Islamic State violence. And dont expect the shows comedians to impersonate Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi and other Arab leaders or poke fun at their policies or rhetoric. These days, political satire could easily shut down the show and even result in a jail sentence. Egyptian comedians rehearse a comedy sketch about Satan's family. The Arabic version of Saturday Night Live recently was launched in Cairo, and has its own comedic challenges. (David Degner/For The Washington Post) We are doing SNL without politics. Its like youve lost a leg out of two, said George Azmi, one of the shows head writers, adding that sex and religion are also taboo subjects. We are trying to tread softly as we go. [Egyptian writer caught up in governments expanding crackdown] The arrival of SNL Arabia comes as cultural repression is deepening in Egypt and other parts of the region. In Saudi Arabia, blogger Raif Badawi is serving a 10-year sentence for insulting Islam on his website. In Bahrain, the government has jailed journalists on what human rights groups describe as flimsy charges. Turkish authorities seized control of the nations largest newspaper earlier this month. In Egypt, no comedian has forgotten what happened to Bassem Youssef, a popular satirist. Known as Egypts Jon Stewart, his version of the The Daily Show was shut down two years ago the same month Sissi entered office. Youssef once mocked Sissi, the former army general who overthrew Egypts Islamist president in 2013 and consolidated power in a landslide electoral victory the following year. Declaring the political climate too dangerous to continue his show, Youssef left Egypt and eventually moved to the United States. You dont know exactly what will put you behind bars, said Amr Salama, the shows director. There are other SNL franchises in Spain, Italy and Germany, as well as in China and South Korea. The Arabic version reaches audiences across the Middle East and North Africa. Even as they strive to create a uniquely Middle Eastern version of the show, the producers and comedians seek to preserve SNLs 40-plus-year history and legendary status. Last year, some traveled to New York to meet with the U.S. staff and learn about the shows production. The producers regularly consult with their American counterparts. The Arabic version of SNL has the same biting skits about life. But doesn't discuss politics or religion. (David Degner/For The Washington Post) Open auditions were held in Cairo, and the 12 members of the all-Egyptian cast who were selected range in age from late teens to mid-30s. They include two comedians from Youssefs show, Khaled Mansour and Shady Alfons, who have so far steered clear of saying anything too provocative. The show which appears on OSN, a private Dubai-based satellite service in the Middle East whose shows are uncensored is taped at one of Egypts oldest studios, not far from the famed pyramids of Giza. Each week, two shows are produced with a quarter of the staff of the original show, forcing workers to put in long hours each week. But the program, while taped in front of an audience, is not broadcast live. One reason is to avoid getting into trouble. In Egypt and in the whole Middle East, we have to make sure everything is censored and everything matches the policy of the channel, Salama said. So they have time to edit and take out whatever they want. In Egypt, its very hard to find any comedy show thats broadcast live. In the first episode, a new Egyptian minister of happiness vows to get rid of songs by two popular musicians, deeming them too sad. The skit was inspired by a real-life minister of happiness in the United Arab Emirates, a position that was announced last month. [The UAE created a minister of happiness. But what does that even mean?] Another episode poked fun at Egyptian society. In one sketch, an exterminator gets rid of a rat only by offering him a hefty payment. And a talking vending machine taunts ordinary Egyptians but becomes obsequious when a group of policemen arrive to buy soda the closest to anything provocative on the show. Some in the audience said the absence of anything politicized was a welcome escape from an economic crisis, security concerns and government crackdowns. Politics is something we have to endure every day in and out, said Ahmed Youssri, 33, an editor. Its nice to get away from that. Others said Egypts era of political satire was over. Theres no point in doing political satire after Bassem Youssef, said Israa Medhat, 28, a government employee. The way he covered politics and kept people informed cannot be replicated. Faced with such creative limitations, the producers and comedians of SNL Arabia dont see their goal as being a catalyst for change but surviving in todays restrictive environment without tarnishing the legacy of the original show. The best achievement we can look for, Salama said, is that nobody says we ruined SNL. Read more: Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world Lawyers representing a Tampa businesswoman suing the federal government over the investigation that led to the 2012 resignation of former CIA director and retired general David H. Petraeus said they want to pull out of her case, citing irreconcilable differences with their client, court filings showed Friday. Jill Kelley and her husband, Scott, filed suit in June 2013 under the Privacy Act, alleging that the FBI, the Defense Department and unnamed government officials improperly leaked their names to the news media amid a federal investigation that led Petraeus to resign and admit that hed had an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. Petraeus pleaded guilty last year to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified material that he gave the biographer. The Kelleys are asking for damages and an apology from the government. In a major setback to the case, the Kelleys nine-attorney team wrote in court documents made public Friday that they want to withdraw from the case, although they do not offer specifics. [Motion for leave to withdraw as counsel] Then-CIA Director David H. Petraeus testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington in February 2012. Petraeus resigned that year because of an extramarital affair. (Cliff Owen/AP) A sentence supporting the request was redacted in court files, but it was accompanied by a citation of the D.C. bars rules of professional conduct that a lawyers statement of irreconcilable differences with a client should ordinarily be accepted as a reason to withdraw. A lawyer shall withdraw from a representation if the representation will result in violation of the rules of professional conduct or other law, wrote Guy S. Neal of the Sidley Austin law firm in Washington, which represented the Kelleys with the Richmond-based Sands Anderson law firm. A trial date on the lawsuit has not but set, but Neal asked the court to find that the attorneys withdrawal would neither delay the process nor harm either side. In a statement, Jill Kelley called the motion unfortunate, adding: As you can see they have not obtained our consent. We intend to have the justice system sort this out, and believe that our rights will be ultimately vindicated. In an interview, Kelly added that it was truly unfortunate that both monetary and governmental pressures have forced our counsel to file a motion to withdraw. Kelleys attorneys did not respond to requests for comment. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment. Paula Broadwell, author of the David H. Petraeus biography "All In," in January 2012. (T. Ortega Gaines/AP) Separately, the New York Posts Page Six column reported Wednesday that Kelley plans a tell-all book, titled Collateral Damage. [Judge allows lawsuit to proceed on Privacy Act claim ] The dispute between Kelley and her lawyers is the latest twist in a case that has provoked sharp exchanges in the court and intense publicity out of it. Kelley has accused government officials of improperly releasing information about her while investigating threatening anonymous emails that the Kelleys received. The email investigation led to Broadwell, a former Army officer and Petraeuss biographer, who was having an extramarital affair with him. Attorneys with the Justice Department have argued that the Kelleys are conducting a wide-ranging fishing expedition removed from the legal issues central to the lawsuit while pursuing an unsupported and far-fetched theory that the FBI investigation was based on a prurient interest in the Kelleys personal lives. Both sides in the case have requested that many of their court filings remain sealed. However, in September, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson cautioned the Kelleys side against using the court as a means to facilitate a public relations campaign after their legal team disclosed in a public court filing that it sought to subpoena nine journalists about information on Kelley. [Jill Kelley, Tampa socialite involved in Petraeus case, subpoenas journalists] Jackson has set a March 24 deadline for the Kelleys to retain new attorneys, say whether they will fight their lawyers request to withdraw, or pursue the case without lawyers and represent themselves. The disruption of the Kelleys legal team comes with the approach of a May 20 hearing set by Jackson as a cut-off date for discovery in the case. Court records indicate that retired Marine general John R. Allen, former defense secretary Leon E. Panetta, former Pentagon chief of staff Jeremy B. Bash and George E. Little, a former spokesman for the CIA, have been deposed. The U.S. military has stepped up investigations of high-ranking officers for sexual assault, records show, curtailing its traditional deference toward senior leaders as it cracks down on sex crimes. Since September, the armed forces have court-martialed or filed sexual-assault charges against four colonels from the Air Force, Army and Marines. In addition, a Navy captain was found guilty of abusive sexual contact during an administrative hearing. Historically, it has been extremely rare for senior military officers to face courts-martial. Leaders suspected of wrongdoing are usually dealt with behind the scenes, with offenders receiving private reprimands or removal from command with a minimum of public explanation. Theres not a lot of transparency when it comes to senior- officer misconduct, said Don Christensen, a former chief prosecutor for the Air Force who now is president of Protect Our Defenders, a group that advocates for victims of sex crimes in the military. They dont like the American public knowing whats going on, so they drag their heels in getting information out. That has gradually changed as the Defense Department under pressure from Congress and the White House has revamped its policies to prevent sexual assault and to hold perpetrators accountable. [In the war against sexual assault, the Army keeps shooting itself in the foot] During the federal fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 116 officers of all stripes were court-martialed, discharged or received some sort of punishment after they were criminally investigated for sexual assault. That was more than double the number from three years earlier, according to Defense Department figures. Of last years cases, eight were against senior officers holding a rank equivalent to colonel or Navy captain or higher. While that figure may seem small, it represented a fourfold increase from 2012. Overall, the vast majority of troops investigated for sexual assault are enlisted personnel, who accounted for 94 percent of all cases last year. In the active-duty military, enlisted troops outnumber officers by a ratio of 4.6 to 1. But high-ranking leaders are finding they no are longer off- limits as allegations of cringe-worthy behavior increasingly come to light in military courtrooms and public records. This month, during a court-martial at Fort McNair in Washington, an Army colonel who worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl and taking photos of her nude. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. In February, the Marine Corps charged the commander of its Wounded Warrior Regiment with sexually assaulting a female corporal, violating protective orders and other misconduct. Capt. Brian Sorenson, commanding officer of the guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio. (US NAVY PHOTO) In January, at a disciplinary hearing, the Navy found the former captain of a guided missile cruiser guilty of abusive sexual contact and sexual harassment. An investigative report chronicled in embarrassing detail how he got drunk with crew members at a Virginia bar and brazenly pressured a junior officer to have sex with him to advance her career. In December, the Air Force charged a colonel at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado with raping or assaulting four victims, committing adultery with four other women, and taking photographs of himself in uniform at his office with his genitals exposed. [Air Force captain dissents from military sexual assault policy, and commanders take note] Pentagon officials say the rash of cases is evidence that senior officers will be held to the same standards as everyone else in uniform. Weve made it abundantly clear that this is not tolerable, said Nathan Galbreath, senior executive adviser for the Pentagons Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. The numbers suggest that people are reporting when they see the officers appointed above [committing a crime], and they really do expect that their bosses walk the walk and talk the talk. A scene from a training video The unofficial taboo against putting senior leaders on trial in sex-abuse cases was shattered three years ago when the Army prosecuted Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair on charges of forcible sodomy, adultery and other offenses. It was only the third time in 60 years that the Army had court-martialed a general for any type of offense. Prosecutors ended up dropping most of the charges and cutting a plea deal that spared Sinclair jail time. But the spectacle of a general sitting in the dock as witnesses testified about his volatile affair with a junior officer captivated the military. Since then, the Defense Department has tried to reassure lawmakers, the public and its own troops that it takes sex-assault allegations seriously. It has expanded awareness training, bolstered support for victims and required command-level review of all investigations. [Sexually suggestive relationship ends career of Air Force general who ran air war] There are signs that the training is starting to pay off. Crew members from the U.S.S. Anzio, a guided missile cruiser, blew the whistle on their commanding officer for sexual misconduct last year, leading to his removal from the ship and his probable ouster from the Navy. According to a Navy investigative report, the Anzios captain, Brian K. Sorenson, got drunk Aug. 30 at a pub party in Yorktown, Va., and began to make advances toward a female sailor who needed his approval to become certified as a surface warfare officer. The sailor told investigators that Sorenson asked her how many people she had slept with, whether she liked having sex with women and whether she would let him have anal sex with her. Her account was buttressed by an eyewitness who said he overheard the captain saying, Does anal interest you? At some point, he also grabbed the woman on the buttocks and told her to report to his quarters on the Anzio the next morning, where he again pressured her to have sex, the Navy investigation found. Crew members quickly intervened at the pub, with one telling investigators that the situation resembled a scene from one of the Navys Sexual Assault Bystander Intervention Videos. The ships executive officer grabbed the captain, and the party ended. During the van ride back to the ship, however, an intoxicated Sorenson kept acting out and asked the male driver if he liked anal, according to the investigation. As rumors spread on the ship about the captains behavior, crew members revolted. Other officers confronted the captain in the ships wardroom and demanded an outside investigation. Sorenson apologized to the officers for his conduct the night before, according to the Navys investigative report. But he also blamed them for not intervening sooner. He said it was our fault for letting him drink too much, an unidentified officer told investigators. After an administrative hearing in January, Sorenson was found guilty of sexual harassment, abusive sexual contact and conduct unbecoming an officer, Navy officials said. He faces discharge proceedings from the Navy. In an interview with Navy investigators, Sorenson admitted to drinking that night but declined to answer questions about whether he pressured the female subordinate for sex. His attorney, Greg McCormack of Virginia Beach, did not return phone calls seeking comment. Six counts of adultery Other cases indicate that military investigators are pursuing evidence more aggressively than they may have in the past, regardless of the rank of their target. During a court-martial at Fort McNair last week, Army Col. James C. Laughrey, a career intelligence official, pleaded guilty to child pornography charges and abusive sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl. According to court documents, his actions started in 2009 and came to light years later only by chance. The victim, then a young adult, took a polygraph test during a job interview with an intelligence agency and was asked if she had ever been the victim of a crime. The woman divulged the abuse but didnt want to cooperate with an investigation or press charges against Laughrey, according to his defense attorney, Haytham Faraj. The intelligence agency nevertheless reported the matter to the Army, which found corroborating evidence on Laughreys computer. Frankly, they harassed her, Faraj said, calling the case an abusive government investigation. Laughrey admitted to his actions in court. When asked by the judge why he did it, he replied: Your honor, I cannot give you a good answer for that. I do not understand or defend why I did it. Under the military justice system, senior officers are responsible for deciding whether individuals under their command should be prosecuted. Some lawmakers and advocacy groups are pushing to strip commanders of that power and to give it instead to uniformed prosecutors. The Pentagon has resisted such proposals, saying they would undermine command authority. When senior officers themselves are charged with sexual assault, it makes it appear as if the fox was guarding the henhouse, said Christensen, the president of Protect Our Defenders, which has lobbied Congress to change the law. He cited the case of Col. Eugene Marcus Caughey, formerly the vice commander of the Air Forces 51st Space Wing. In December, Caughey was charged with rape, assault and other charges in a case involving four women in Colorado, where he served at Schriever Air Force Base. According to charging documents, Caughey raped one woman as he held her against the wall and floor, groped women on two other occasions, and violated an order from a two-star general to stay away from another victim. In addition, the married colonel is charged with six counts of adultery a crime in the military for allegedly having consensual sex with four other women, according to the documents. A preliminary hearing was held Friday to determine whether Caughey will face court-martial. A decision is pending. His attorney, Ryan Coward, declined to comment. Hiding public records In other cases, even after charges have been filed against senior officers, the armed forces still cling to their old habit of trying to shield commanders from public embarrassment. In November, the Air Force announced in a news release that Col. David S. Cockrum, former commander of the 51st Medical Group at Osan Air Base in South Korea, had been charged with sexual assault. The Air Force said he had been previously relieved of command for fraternization and unprofessional relationships but gave no other details. When The Washington Post requested public records in the case against Cockrum, the leadership of the 7th Air Force, which oversees operations in South Korea, at first refused, citing a need to protect the rights of Col. Cockrum and the integrity of ongoing legal proceedings. After repeated appeals, however, Air Force officials released documents showing that Cockrum had been charged with sexually assaulting men in two separate incidents in South Korea in 2014. He also had been charged with conduct unbecoming an officer. Cockrums court-martial is scheduled for April 11. His military attorney did not respond to requests for comment placed through the Air Force. The Marine Corps filed criminal sex-abuse charges on Feb. 12 against Col. T. Shane Tomko, the former commander of its Wounded Warrior Regiment in Quantico, Va. The Marines kept the charges a secret, making no public announcement about the case. In response to a query from The Post last month, Marine officials at the Pentagon confirmed that Tomko had been charged with abusive sexual contact, obstruction of justice, illegal possession of steroids and other crimes. Officials also revealed that Tomko had been relieved as commander a year earlier because of a loss of confidence in his leadership. But they would not provide other details or release public records in the case. According to a copy of Tomkos charging documents, seen by a Post reporter, the colonel was accused of sexually assaulting a female Marine corporal in October 2014 by forcibly kissing her on the mouth. He later referred to her as a hot intriguing dyke who makes me wish I were a woman, according to the documents. Tomko faces a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 23 to determine if he will be court-martialed. His military defense attorney, Marine Col. Stephen Newman, declined to comment. Documents filed in civilian court show that Tomko has also been investigated by the Marines on allegations of sexually assaulting other women after he took charge of the Wounded Warrior Regiment in July 2014. As commander, he was responsible for overseeing battalions across the country that care for wounded and injured Marines. According to a lawsuit filed against him in Circuit Court in Prince William County, Va., Tomko allegedly got drunk during a official trip to London in September 2014 and assaulted a civilian woman who worked for him by shov[ing] his face into her breasts. Tomko denied the allegation in court filings and noted that the woman had also filed an administrative discrimination complaint against him with the federal government. The woman withdrew the lawsuit in January. In an interview, the woman said she dismissed the lawsuit because her discrimination complaint was subsequently upheld. (The Post has a policy of not identifying victims of sexual abuse.) She also said that Tomko had been disciplined but not charged criminally by the Marines last year for sexually assaulting her in London, as well as for a separate incident involving another female civilian working for the Wounded Warrior Regiment. The Marines, she added, were slow to pursue her complaint against Tomko and dragged the case out. Hes the commander, thats why it went on so long, she said. Hes the kind of guy everyone loves. Julie Tate contributed to this report. Correction: An earlier version of this report had the wrong first name for the lawyer representing Col. Eugene Marcus Caughey. His name is Ryan Coward. Iraqi government forces gesture from their vehicles in the village of Mohammadi, a few miles north of Hit, in Iraq's western province of Anbar on Friday. (Moadh Al-Dulaimi/AFP/Getty Images) A U.S. Marine was killed near the front line with the Islamic State in northern Iraq on Saturday, becoming the second combat casualty of the war against the militants, according to the U.S. military and Iraqi officials. The Marine died when Islamic State militants fired rockets into a small U.S. base in Makhmour, a front-line town controlled by Kurdish peshmerga forces on the outskirts of the region of Kurdistan, U.S. officials said. Several other Marines also were injured in the rocket attack, according to a Pentagon statement. An earlier statement had not specified which branch of the military had been involved. A senior Iraqi army officer in Makhmour said two rockets landed about 8:20 a.m. Saturday on the U.S. camp, a small, closely guarded facility where American advisers have been based for several months helping Iraqi army and peshmerga forces battle Islamic State fighters nearby and preparing for an offensive to recapture the key Iraqi city of Mosul. [Pentagon: Iraqi units move into Kurdistan in prep for battle of Mosul] The death reminds us of the risks our men and women in uniform face every day, the Pentagon statement said. Our thoughts and prayers are with the service members involved, their families and their coalition teammates who will continue the fight against ISIL with resolve and determination, it added, using an acronym to refer to the Islamic State. U.S. officials did not specify the precise role of the Americans serving on the base. But elite Marine Raiders are deployed in Iraq with a mission similar to that of the Special Operations forces there. The base lies within a larger peshmerga facility and next to an Iraqi army base on the outskirts of Makhmour, a town 30 miles south of Irbil, the Kurdish regional capital, which the Islamic State seized briefly in 2014. Makhmour is expected to become a major focus of any offensive to retake Mosul, and Iraqi army reinforcements have begun arriving there in recent weeks in preparation. The Iraqi officer said that mortar and rocket fire frequently hit the Iraqi army base, making it unclear whether the attack that killed the Marine was targeting the Americans. Brett McGurk, the U.S. special envoy to the coalition formed to fight the Islamic State, last week declined to predict when the offensive might take place, but he said it had effectively begun, with operations elsewhere aimed at severing supply routes and isolating the city. Its already started. . . . Its a slow, steady squeeze, he told a forum at the American University of Iraq at Sulaymaniyah. He indicated that a full-scale offensive may take time. Its going to be a long campaign, he said. The first U.S. combat casualty in the 19-month-old campaign came in October, during a Special Operations raid to free prisoners of the Islamic State in the northern Iraqi town of Hawijah. The military identified the slain soldier as Master Sgt. Joshua L. Wheeler, 39, of Roland, Okla. Salim reported from Baghdad. Dan Lamothe in Washington contributed to this report. Read more: Islamic State captive in Iraq may provide intelligence on chemical weapons capability How the war in Iraq is haunting the 2016 presidential contest Music videos and mortars: What the frontline near the ISIS stronghold of Mosul looks like Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world At least 62 passengers and crew have died after a FlyDubai plane crashed during second attempt landing in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Saturday early morning. The flight was en route from Dubai and crashed during its second landing approach, allegedly due to bad weather conditions. The plane's pilot circled the airport, waiting for the weather to clear before making a second attempt to land, but the aircraft's tail had clipped the runway. State media reported winds of 97 kph (60 mph) at the time of the crash. Russian investigative committee said the aircraft hit the ground and broke into pieces. According to preliminary data, there were 55 passengers aboard and 7 crew members. They all died. Dubai Media Office said 44 of the passengers were Russian, eight were Ukrainian, two were Indian and one was from Uzbekistan. The crash site is 800 feet (243 meters) from the airport runway. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims, state news agency Tass reported. Dubai's government media office posted a statement of sympathy on Twitter. "UAE offers its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the Russian government and people for the tragic accident of flydubai," it said. UNWTO is deeply saddened by the news of the accident of Flydubai flight FZ981 in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. On behalf of the international tourism community, UNWTO expresses its sympathies and condolences to the families and friends of the victims. It was with great sorrow that we heard the news of this tragedy and express our heartfelt solidarity with the families and friends of the passengers at this most difficult time, said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. At least five people have been killed and 36 more wounded after a suicide bomb attack hit Istanbuls main shopping street of Istiklal street. It is the fourth such attack in Turkey this year. The blast sent panicked shoppers scurrying into side alleys off Istiklal Street. Turkish Health Ministry explained that twelve foreigner people were injured during the blast. The ministry announced that six Israeli, one Icelandic, one German, one from Dubai, one Iranian and two Irish people were wounded during the attack. UNWTO strongly condemns attack in Istanbul UNWTO released a statement following todays terrorist attack in Istanbul. The announcement is as follows. UNWTO is deeply shocked by the tragic attack perpetrated in Istanbul, Turkey. On behalf of the entire international tourism community, UNWTO expresses its heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims and to the Turkish people in this difficult moment. "On behalf of the entire international tourism community, UNWTO conveys its heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims and expresses its full solidarity with the people and the Government of Turkey said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. This tragic event reminds us once more that we are facing a global threat that requires a firm and coordinated response by all governments and the international community. Turkey is a leading tourism destination and we are confident it will continue to be so; it is time to stand by Turkey in facing this challenge he added. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who is in the Chinese capital for an economic forum, posted a photo of himself and five others running through Tiananmen Square on Friday, with the gate to the Forbidden City imperial palace in the background. The picture has received over 280,000 likes and reactions, shared by over 5900 times, and viewed by millions. Zuckerberg who is a favorite personality among the Chinese public, despite Facebook being banned in the country alongside other overseas social media platforms, presented his love for the country in yet another way. In 2014, he conducted his entire 30-minute Q&A at Tsinghua University in China in Mandarin. On the Chinese Lunar New Year, he also shared a video in which he speaks in Chinese. In September 2015, he spoke entirely in Chinese during his meeting with President Xi Jinping of China. His wife's family speaks Chinese, and it also helps him understand Chinese culture. On last Friday, Zuckerberg said in his post, It's great to be back in Beijing! I kicked off my visit with a run through Tiananmen Square, past the Forbidden City and over to the Temple of Heaven. This also marks 100 miles in A Year of Running. Thanks to everyone who has been running with me -- both in person and around the world! Zuckerberg could be one of the best tourism ambassadors for Republic of China and in return government pay him just by lifting the ban on Facebook in the country. DES MOINES Republicans are hoping the third time is the charm as they assemble a slate of candidates for the 2016 election cycle aimed at retaking control of the Iowa Senate and breaking a narrow 26-24 majority grip that Democrats for the past six legislative sessions. But Democrats say they like their chances at the close of the 2016 filing period of thwarting another GOP effort to have full control of the Statehouse and give six-term Gov. Terry Branstad his first Republican Legislature since the 1997-98 biennium. I think the prospects are very bright, said Senate GOP leader Bill Dix of Shell Rock, who has 13 incumbents seeking re-election and has recruited challengers in 12 districts currently in Democratic control. Voter registrations among Republicans are on the rise, he said, after a 2016 caucus cycle that attracted 17 GOP presidential candidates to Iowa and electors are looking to shake up the status quo a change he hopes carries to a legislative chamber in Democrats hands since 2007. With good candidates and the attitudes of voters that its time for a change, were very optimistic that 2016 could be a positive outcome for Republicans, Dix said. Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, shrugged off GOP election spin, saying the change message may cut the other way at a Statehouse where Republicans hold sway in the Iowa House by a 57-43 margin and Branstad has increasingly taken unilateral action to close state institutions and privatize Medicaid services. Gronstal said he believes Democrats support for bolstering education, championing the middle class and protecting Iowas health-care delivery system will play well with voters, but legislative outcomes come down to candidate recruitment and grassroots efforts in races historically decided by fewer than 5,000 votes statewide. Its harder for Republicans in a presidential year when turnout is higher, said Gronstal, who has three Republicans vying to challenge him in his Council Bluffs district this fall. I think weve got great candidates out there and that is mostly what this is about. It is typically six or eight key races (that decide Senate control) and, at this point in the process, you dont know which ones are key. Sen. Dick Dearden, D-Des Moines, is the only incumbent senator not filing to run again in a district where his daughter is one of two candidates seeking to replace him in a district that leans heavily Democratic. Republicans fielded candidates in 23 of the 25 seats to be contested in 2016, while Democrats have candidates in 18 districts. On the Iowa House side, House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, said 49 or 57 GOP incumbents are seeking re-election the most in at least a decade. In addition, weve had a great recruiting year, she added. I think weve got a great opportunity to grow our majority. Im super excited about our team this year. House Democratic leader Mark Smith of Marshalltown was every bit as excited as he looks at those eight GOP retirements. Four of those districts were carried by President Barack Obama in 2012, he noted. That year, House Democrats picked up seven seats. A seven-seat gain this year would create a 50-50 tie in the House. But when you add Republicans disastrous policies on education, Medicaid, mental health and closing the mental health institutes, it looks even better for us, Smith said. Among the places he hopes to pick up seats are in House 95, which includes parts of northern and eastern Linn County and southern Buchanan County. Retired school administrator Richard Whitehead, a Democrat, will face Republican Louis Zumbach. He also hopes to defeat GOP incumbents in House 60, a Cedar Falls-Waterloo district where Gary Kroeger will challenge GOP Rep. Walt Rogers, and House 92 in Scott County where Ken Krumwiede will challenge Rep. Ross Paustian. This years slate of legislative candidates included two returning entries: former House member Mark Lofgren, R-Muscatine, challenging incumbent Sen. Chris Brase, D-Muscatine, in Senate District 46, and Anamosa Republican Andy McKean who previously served in both the House and Senate involved in a three-way primary to succeed retiring Rep. Brian Moore, R-Bellevue, in House District 58. Partisan groups inside and outside Iowa have targeted Iowas Senate races in 2016, but Gronstal said a significant flow of outside money into the state four years ago failed to knock Democrats out of control. Branstad told a GOP prayer breakfast at the start of this years legislative session his party has the strongest slate of Senate candidates its ever had to go along with having Iowas record-holding vote getter Sen. Chuck Grassley at the top of the 2016 ballot. Thats good news for all of you because Chuck Grassley wins and he wins big, Branstad told the GOP legislators in attendance. If I were the Senate majority leader, Id be shaking in my boots because he can see the tidal wave coming his way. Pointing to Grassley is akin to whistling in the cemetery for Iowa Republicans nervous about how their presidential nominating process will play out, Gronstal noted, but he downplayed idle speculation and coattail effects in legislative races where one party has prevailed or lost ground opposite to how their presidential candidates fared with voters. It doesnt really depend on the top of the ticket, he said. It depends on recruiting good candidates and running good campaigns at the grassroots level and Id say most history suggests Democrats are superior at that in particular in presidential years. If a political party has no candidate on the ballot after the June 7 primary, it may select a nominee at a legislative district convention with party precinct committee members serving as delegates. Modifiers are probably the most frequently tested concept on the GMAT. Here are a bunch of 700 level questions on Modifiers, that sure is going to make us take the shovel and dig the dirt! Bonus : Every attempt at a question will get you a kudo (However, only 1 kudo per day). So let's get on it people! : Every attempt at a question will get you a kudo (However, only 1 kudo per day). So let's get on it people! aviation officials said that conditions on the runway at the time of the emergency landing was acceptable searches for alternative investment opportunities are being conducted by shareholders of the nations leading manufacturing companies. powerful back legs with long feet distinguish kangaroos from other large mammals. the interiors of the newest models are so luxurious that they sell it is possible to determine how much effort ought to be devoted to each of a companys products in order to meet its goals in both the short and long terms. the textbook's chapter on genetics is surprisingly tentative, which leads the fossils of a large scaly creature resembling both a fish and a land-animal provide evidence of property taxes last year were raised by an eleven percent increase by the county government. a substantial period of time must be spent with the operating physician by the patient to become fully aware of the pros and cons of undergoing a surgical procedure. encounter native crocodiles lurking in the shallows, whose eyes and noses are peaking out 1. 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Many daring vacationers who participate in guided boat tours on the Tarcoles Riverfrom thesurface of the murky water. encounter native crocodiles lurking in the shallows,whose eyes and noses are peaking out encountered native crocodiles lurking in the shallows, whose eyes and noses peak out had encountered native crocodiles lurking in the shallows, whose eyes and noses peak out encounter native crocodiles lurking in the shallows,with eyes and noses peaking out encounter native crocodiles lurking in the shallows,with eyes and noses that are peaking out_________________ Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Thank you for your support! We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today A teacher at a South Bronx middle school was fined $300 for showing her eighth grade students a video of an ISIS terrorist beheading a journalist, allegedly telling them, This is whats going on in the real world. The incident occurred in October 2014 at the South Bronx Academy for Applied Media, according to the Department of Education. The Post reports that the teacher, 26-year veteran Alexiss Nazario, showed the students the clip in a technology class during a lesson about Iraq and ISISwhile the actual beheading was blacked out, students told investigators the video showed the man's severed head atop his chest. "Im scared at what I just saw. Ms. Nazario showed a beheading video and I was really scared," one student told school staffers, according to investigators. Another student told investigators, "It was gross." Students also said Nazario told them, "This is whats going on in the real world.," while the video played. Nazario initially told investigators the students had chosen the video, but later admitted she had played it in error. She told the Post, "I was scrolling looking for a specific video. I clicked on the wrong thing. It was a mistake. It was an error. I freaked out. I had no idea that was playing." The DOE says they initially wanted to fire Nazario, who was reassigned immediately following the incident. In the end, though, Nazario admitted she'd made a mistake by neither previewing the video nor getting permission to show it, and thanks to her previously spotless record she was fined only $300. "This teacher demonstrated a complete lack of judgment, and this incident betrayed our schools' promise to provide a safe and supportive environment," DOE spokesperson Devora Kaye told us in a statement. "We sought to terminate this teacher's employment on the recommendation of the Special Commissioner of Investigation, and ultimately followed the decision of the independent arbitrator." The Associated Supermarket on West 14th Street and 8th Avenue is one of the lone surviving low-cost grocery stores in its area, as Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and other pricier markets have popped up in recent years. But the supermarket's landlord recently upped the rent from $32,000 a month to over $100,000 a month, which would force the market to close in May when its lease is up. Chelsea and Greenwich Village locals don't want to see that happen, and yesterday, they protested with elected officials outside the offices of of Pan Am Equities, Inc., the store's landlords. This follows last week's rally outside the market itself at 255 West 14th Street, during which Assembly Member Richard Gottfried argued that "Manhattan residents can't stand idly by while our neighborhoods become the urban equivalent of gated communities." Elected officials say that they've repeatedly asked the Manocherian family, which owns Pan Am and controls at least 85 buildings in Manhattan, to participate in a conversation about the store's future. While the Manocherians are under no legal obligation to charge a more reasonable rent, the electeds would like to see them negotiate a new lease "in good faith." "Pan Am Equities is demanding a truly unreasonable rent increase, leaving the store owners no choice but to close," Council Member Corey Johnson said. "We're asking the Manocherian family to consider the effect that this closure will have on their fellow New Yorkers. We are asking them to come to the table and negotiate a new lease with the store owner in good faith. No one should be forced to travel long distances to buy food, particularly seniors who are living on fixed incomes." Dozens of concerned residents marched outside of Pan Am's offices at 18 East 50th Street, chanting, "save our supermarket," "feed not greed," and "negotiate the real estate." DNAinfo reports that West 30th Street resident Miguelina Figueroa carried an orange poster that read, "We Need Food Access," and said that if the supermarket closes, she'd have to take the bus or train to buy food, as the Gristedes and Whole Foods near her home are out of her price range. And Nancy Bogen, 83, said that both she and her 92-year-old husband were crushed by the news that the market might close. "My husband walks therehe carries things back in both hands," she told DNAinfo. "Theres nothing [else] within walking distance of our house." Pan Am Equities reportedly refused to speak with Johnson, who attempted to talk with the property managers yesterday. They similarly did not return our request for comment. In addition to Johnson, Public Advocate Letitia James, State Senator Brad Hoylman, and Assembly Member Deborah Glick were present at yesterday's protest. As one resident wrote to the Daily News, Associated provides phone-in services and delivers groceries to customers' doors at a low price: "If this store closes, we will be forced to pay high prices and most of our folks are low income. I am low income and disabled and it will hit me really hard in the wallet." "This city is not for poor people, its for rich people, Chelsea resident Cesar Castillo told CBS2. Advocates for the supermarket have launched a petition, which had 539 supporters as of Saturday. Community efforts like this have worked in the past: in February, Washington Heights locals convinced the landlord of an Associated supermarket there to renegotiate a rent increase and prevent a Walgreens from moving into the store. An Upper West Side housing nonprofit wants to build 280 new affordable units on West 108th Street, replacing three city-owned parking garages. This has enraged locals who say they resent having to choose between affordable housing and affordable parking. The proposal from the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing (WSFSSH) would raze the three garages and the Valley Lodge Transitional Shelter on 108th between Amsterdam and Columbus. In its place, the organization would build two taller residential buildings that would include an expanded Valley Lodge shelter, supportive housing, and affordable housing, according to Community Board 7. There wouldn't be any market-rate units on site: to be eligible, families or individuals would have to make 60 percent of area median income or less. As DNAinfo reports, the city would sell the garages to WSFSSH for just one dollar. Those garages are currently are home to 675 subsidized parking spots, and, according to a study of parking in the area, their day rates are about 50 percent cheaper than other garages in the local vicinity. "What do you do with 375 cars or whatever it is, plus the other ones, which comes out to 600 and changewhat do you do with them, and the people who come to look for parking during the day who work here?" demanded local resident Rafael Padron. And some were a bit more dramatic in forecasting how the neighborhood would be affected by this dip in parking to make way for more housing: Upper West Sider Mimi Torchin said that "there will be fights on the street...600 or 700 new cars on the street and nowhere to put them will cause violence." When the proposal first came before CB7, board members wanted to know whether it'd be possible to build parking under the new affordable housing units, so that they wouldn't have to choose between the two. But that same study found that just 118 parking spots could fit in below-grade parking there, and it would cost upwards of $17 million, making it a questionable investment. The proposal is still in its early stages. Since it includes a zoning variance, it has to go through a lengthy review process that likely won't start until the fall, according to DNAinfo. And ultimately, the community board's vote is just advisory. As things currently stand, there are a handful of local residents who see the need for more affordable housing as more pressing than the need to preserve parking: David Vassar opined that "affordable housing easily trumps cheap parking," and Julie Hertzog insisted that "parking is not a righthousing is a right." Culture Shooting for Double XL was a liberating experience for Huma Though Huma has mentioned multiple times, in jest, that this was the best prep she ever had to do for a role since she got to eat everything she wante... Gov. Steve Bullock will reimburse the state for travel using the state-owned plane that coincided with campaign events, going back to the start of his term. Bullock will pay $2,671.84, according to a press release sent Friday afternoon. The governor's legal counsel has advised the governor can use state-owned aircraft to fly to a location and attend a campaign event as long as he is also attending official state events on the same day. Attendance at campaign events or other nonofficial events must be ancillary to the official business. When the governor attends ancillary campaign events, the state must be reimbursed for any increased cost associated with the aircraft as a result of the attendance. The new policy the governor adopted and retroactive to the start of his term will refund the state, though the release said increased costs to the state are very rare due to the fixed costs associated with the trips. The governor is paying the state back for costs from 21 trips. The state plane costs $500 an hour to operate, according to a Bullock spokeswoman. That works out to Bullock paying back an average of $127.23 per trip. Former governors from both parties have also paid part of the costs in similar situations. Increased costs due to campaign or non-official stops could come from things like paying for the pilot's time waiting on the ground during the event. Republicans have criticized Bullock's use of the plane, including a recent trip to Billings where he made peanut butter sandwiches for the homeless and then attended a campaign fundraiser. He also did a TV interview that day. Similar business trips capped by campaign fundraisers also took place in Bozeman and Missoula. "Its simply wrong for Governor Bullock to campaign on the taxpayers dime, and he should reimburse Montanans in-full for the campaign leg of his trips just like other Governors have done," Shane Scanlon, Montana GOP spokesman, said in an email. "This pattern of scheduling questionable official state events to justify using the State plane to attend fundraisers is an abuse of power." In an email to The Billings Gazette, Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl said he suspected the policy requiring the governor to travel with security was part of any decision to use a government plane or vehicle and beyond normal analysis of public resource use. State law generally prohibits the use of public resources for political purposes. Bullocks legal advisors said there was nothing wrong with the governors use of the plane. Like the previous administration, Gov. Bullock uses the plane to serve the people of Montana in an efficient manner that adheres to the law, Andy Huff, Bullocks chief legal counsel, told The Gazette. Bullock spokesman Tim Crowe said the Missoula trip as well as trips to Bozeman and Billings, which included campaign events, were for official government business first and foremost. Since March 1, Bullock has taken 11 flights in the state plane, counting individual legs of trips between Helena, Glendive, Havre, Great Falls and Bozeman. The dates of the trips Bullock is reimbursing the state for are April 29, 2014, May 14, 2014, May 22, 2014, Nov. 4, 2014, Aug. 20, 2015, Nov. 10, 2015, Oct. 7, 2015, Oct. 14, 2015, Nov. 2, 2015, Nov. 7, 2015, Nov. 17, 2015, Nov. 18, 2015, Jan. 12, 2016, Jan. 14, 2016, Feb. 3, 2016, Feb. 9, 2016, Feb. 10, 2016, Feb. 16, 2016, Feb. 25, 2016, March 3, 2016 and March 4, 2016. By Melanie Nakashian The sexual orientation of Edgar Nahapetyan first became a hot topic in his village when he was 18 the age at which every male in Armenia is required to join the army. Edgar, like any other openly gay young man, was exempted from service on account of being considered mentally ill. Now, the same gossip has made life in his village of Dalarik, located near the Turkish border, into a literal nightmare since the 25-year-olds appearance on Armenias most popular talk show, Kisabac Lusamutner (Half-Opened Windows). Edgar first approached the show in January with the hope that it could raise awareness about his inability to find a job. Every single LGBT person in Armenia has the same problem, he said, because of the biased approach of the employers. While homosexuality in Armenia has technically been legal since 2003, there is no law protecting LGBTQ people from any kind of discrimination. The show did not go as Edgar had expected. Since airing on February 19 of this year, Dalarik has become unbearable for both him and his mother, Goharik. She felt it was necessary to leave her job as a baker and move to her sisters village at least until the situation will calm down. I need to get away from this village in order to save my life, said Edgar, who continued to live in Daralik until the second week of March when he found a job in Yerevan. His job search was facilitated by PINK Armenia (Public Information and Need of Knowledge), the countrys only NGO focused on LGBTQ rights. He is one of 10 whose job search has been assisted by PINK so far this year, compared to the 20 they helped with the same issue in all of 2015. Several guest experts were invited to appear in the program, including sexologist Vrezh Shahramanyan, lawyer Garik Galikyan, psychologist Mariam Mehrabyan, artist Sargis Mikayelyan, medical doctor Vardan Hambardzumyan and PINK President Nvard Margaryan. Psychologist Mariam Mehrabyan and artist Sargis Mikayelyan Only the latter two were LGBTQ-friendly. PINK Executive Director Mamikon Hovsepyan explained that the other four are recurring guests on Kisabac Lusamutner. They are there cooperating with the show, he said. They are there to make money, to make a spectacle. They dont care about the guest. During the program, psychologist Mehrabyan said that Edgars homosexuality could be reversed, claiming she had successfully done so in other cases. Artist Mikayelyan made homophobic jokes and threatened to break the head of the person who will give [Edgar] a job because he does not want Edgar walking the same Yerevan streets as his 11-year-old child. There was a lot of violation of the law in the show itself, said Doctor Hambardzumyan. In particular, Hambardzumyan referred to the following hate speech of lawyer Galikyan: If there are institutions, organizations that will try to support people like [Edgar], who will try to do propaganda in this country for us to accept [homosexuality], I always, always, and always fought against them, I fight and will fight! Whenever I see them, I will smash them, trample them, and yes they must be burnt Lawyer Garik Gailkyan Galikyans diatribe was met with applause from the in-studio audience. PINK President Margaryan noted that Galikyans behavior violated the Code of Advocates Ethics, which states that lawyers are obligated to defend human rights. PINK, New Humanitarian Generation NGO and the Anti-Discrimination Coalition filed a joint complaint against him to the Chamber of Advocates. But the Chambers response skirted the issue, and instead explained why homosexuality is supposedly against Christianity and Armenias new Constitution that effectively bans same-sex marriage. Hambardzumyan also argued that certain comments of his were strategically cut out of the episode that went to air. After sexologist Shahramanyan claimed that homosexuality was a treatable disorder known as ego-dystonic homosexuality, Hambardzumyan had responded to explain that this disorder was removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) nearly three decades ago in 1987. This [response] was the most important point, he said, and they cut it." According to Edgar, questions of his intimate sexual relationships were also raised against his will. We had an agreement. We talked before the show and I said I did not want to talk about my sex life. But they did. This issue also angered Edgars friends and relatives, who otherwise supported his appearance on the show. Hovsepyan explained that people, especially from villages, are attracted to Kisabac Lusamutner because it provides false hope that their problems will be solved. He described one episode that only made it appear as if a homeless person was being given a home, while another episode brought on a victim of domestic violence as well as her abuser who became violent on air. Though Edgars episode was not the first time Kisabac Lusamutner had invited PINK to their show, it was the first time they accepted because they knew how Edgar would be victimized, said Hovsepyan. PINK President Nvard Margaryan It will also be the last time they accept such an invite unless the show accepts PINKs conditions in return: all guest experts must be chosen by PINK, and the discussion cannot be edited. If you say something smart, they cut it. They do not want to show their mistakes, Hovsepyan said. He also described how the shows security personnel commonly threaten audience members with violence if they dare record with their own devices. Edgar recounted his initial reasoning for approaching Kisabac Lusamutner, in line with Hovsepyans comments: I decided to let society know about my problem, and I was thinking that maybe it would help me find work. He now wishes he could take it all back. I am regretting a lot, he said. I should not have done this. While it was already difficult to live in Dalarik prior the show, it got to the point that Edgar felt his safety was in question. I cannot say for sure that [people in Dalarik] are going to beat me, but after the show, I dont feel safe there, he said. It has become impossible to live there. I imagine now the only solution is to go to the city to live and work. Edgar went on several job interviews in Yerevan looking for work as a cleaner, in a hotel, or at a zoo. In his previous interview experiences, potential employers would mock his mannerisms and never call him back. This time, largely thanks to PINKs assistance, it wasnt long before he received and accepted an offer as a cleaner at a hotel restaurant. Edgar described the mentality of a village as being significantly different from that of Yerevan, which he considers to be more tolerant. I know that there are other gay people in my village, but they are afraid to talk about it. But Im brave and I dont want to stay in the closet, because Im doing nothing wrong. Being gay is not a shameful thing. Yet while Edgar may feel safer in the city, Margaryan explained that the mentality towards LGBTQ is not so different in Yerevan compared to the rest of Armenia. In fact, on February 15, just four days prior to the airing of the episode, five LGBTQ activists were beaten in the streets of central Yerevan by a group of three unidentified people. Two of the victims were PINK staff members. The attackers clearly targeted the group based on physical appearance, cursing with homophobic slurs. When the primary victim, a transgender woman named Karabina, admitted herself to Yerevans N1 Hospital the following day, she faced further discrimination by the hospitals andrologist who wanted to check her blood for a perversion or deviance. Several PINK staff members met with officials from the Ministry of Health to discuss the issue on March 10. According to Hovsepyan, the officials seemed surprised by the number of people supporting Karabina. They also responded inconsistently, first saying that the issue was not their concern and then claiming there was no discrimination according to the hospitals cameras before knowing that Karabina had also recorded the interaction. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for March 21. Hovsepyan pointed out that the perceived safety in Yerevan comes not from a difference in mentality, but from the anonymity that comes with a larger environment. Some people actually prefer to go to Russia because it is bigger, even though they have these terrible laws, such as the propaganda law. In a small place, everybody knows everything and stereotypes are stronger. It is unclear whether Edgar will be assured this anonymity in Yerevan, as many people on the street have already recognized him from the show. The only law addressing general discrimination in Armenia fails to mention either sexual orientation or gender identity. The vaguely written article states that, everyone, regardless of race, sex, language, belief are equal before the law. Hovsepyan argued that this, as well as the 2013 gender equality law, do not protect anybody and exist only to prove to the EU that we have [such laws]. The government would never run awareness campaigns about discrimination, he said, thus leaving room for people to be brainwashed by pro-Russian, misinformation campaigns. He also noted that though there are some new anti-discrimination initiatives in the works, they rely on the ideals of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Edgar expressed his desire for a change in the general attitude of Armenians so that those in the LGBTQ community may someday be accepted as normal people. I hope this change will come in the 22nd century, because I dont believe that something will change in the 21st century in Armenia. Top photo: Edgar Nahapetyan and his mother Goharik (Melanie Nakashian is currently living in Yerevan. She is from New York and has been involved with various international political, media and environmental organizations.) YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. All the 62 passengers of Boeing 737-800 that crashed at 3:50 am of March 19 at Rostov-on-Don airport have died. The preliminary list of the victims is promulgated where there are no names of Armenians. It is known that 55 passengers were Russians, air crew members were representatives of other nationalities. The plane was owned by Fly Dubai airline and was on the flight from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don. The Boeing 737-800 fell to pieces during the second attempt to land, Armenpress reports, citing TASS, the Russian Emergencies Ministrys Southern Regional Centers chief Igor Oder said. "The aircraft completely fell apart at the start of the runway," Oder said during a video conference held by the Russian emergencies minister. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia had informed earlier that the Consulate General of Armenia in Rostov-on-Don was inquiring about the existence of Armenian citizens among the victims. But later, when the names of the victims became known, spokesperson of MFA Armenia Tigran Balayan confirmed that there are no names of Armenians among the victims. We express our condolences to the friends and relatives of the victims, Balayan mentioned. YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh Republic hails the call of Personal Representative to the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyks to adhere to the ceasefire regime. The announcement provided by the NKR Defense Ministry to Armenpress mentions about this. We state that the Defense Army of NKR has taken unilateral measures of trust building and de-escalating the situation during the entire period of the confrontation and is ready to remain faithful to its position also during the period mentioned by the Personal Representative to the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office. At the same time we expected to find a clear point in the announcement of the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan about their readiness to preserve the ceasefire regime and not to take provocative measures, NKR Defense Ministrys statements reads. Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, Personal Representative to the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office conducted a monitoring exercise on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan as part of his mandate on March 17, after which he left for Tbilisi. I received information from both sides on recent developments on the border, and listened to their concerns. Both sides highlighted the proximity of villages to the front lines, and that civilians have suffered greatly from ceasefire violations as a particular concern. Reads the statement issued by the office of the Personal Representative to the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Personal Representative Kasprzyk said: In light of the upcoming Nowruz Bayram and Easter holidays, I call on the sides to strictly adhere to the ceasefire and to avoid any action on the line of contact or on the border that could lead to an increase in tensions. PORTLAND, Pa. (AP) A flotilla of rafts and inner tubes has been collecting dust in the former Portland Outfitter for six years. The river adventurers they were intended for start their trips in Poconos resorts upstream of this sleepy Delaware River borough. Instead, the kayakers and canoists come ashore here only long enough to dry off before heading back. It's frustrating to see an economic opportunity float by just out of reach, said Mayor Lance Prator, the borough's most vocal cheerleader. He's convinced that if an investor or two sticks around long enough, they'll come to appreciate the river town's scenic beauty. "In 30 seconds, you can drive through the town," he said. "You've got to stop and smell the roses. You've got to stop and smell Portland." Tourists soon may set their sights on Portland and other riverside communities between Easton and Hancock, N.Y., under a geotourism project steered by the National Parks Conservation Association and National Geographic. The Scenic, Wild Delaware River project is attempting to unify business leaders and tourism promoters surrounding the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River national parks that touch nine counties in three states. Using an interactive website designed by National Geographic, the program intends to attract wealthy travelers seeking authentic experiences such as local festivals, historical sites and outdoor recreation without disrupting the culture or geography that make the region unique. "We're all about geography, and our mission is to inspire people to care about the planet," said James Dion, National Geographic's sustainable tourism program director. Their main tool, at least to start, will be the Scenic, Wild Delaware River website. Thanks to a $645,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation, organizers have two years to get the program up and running. If it gets results, businesses and tourism officials can look to fund the program on their own or find other marketing opportunities for the region, said Bryan Cope, Northampton County's open space coordinator and a member of the project's stewardship committee. So far, enthusiasm has exceeded expectations. The committee received 700 nominations for businesses, activities and events when it was hoping for 300. The website will carry the National Geographic brand and, in turn, the National Geographic website will promote the program, along with about 10 others it has launched, some with the National Parks Conservation Association. Carl Wilgus, president of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, witnessed the partnership's efforts at Yellowstone National Park when he was a state tourism director in Idaho in the 1980s. While the park needed no help luring tourists, the communities on its fringes did. That's where the program was focused, he said, on boosting those economies. The programs rely on local people sharing their stories and experiences on the website. Places and activities that can't be found anywhere else traditional foods, family-owned venues, rare geology, unique history are highlighted. Rather than send a tourist to yet another McDonald's, the site tries to point would-be tourists to a local favorite with a colorful history and a signature dish. People now can go to the Scenic, Wild Delaware River website and nominate their favorite spots. The project's most prominent attraction is the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the 70,000-acre park that spans five counties in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In 2014, its scenic views, trails and boating activities drew a little more than 4 million visitors, who pumped $194 million into the local economy and supported more than 2,000 jobs, according to the National Parks Conservation Association. The park serves as an important cog in the local economy, but there may be room for growth, Wilgus said. While one-third of the jobs in the Poconos rely on the $3 billion tourism industry, the region's hotel rooms average a 60 percent occupancy rate. A huge chunk of that is tied to the Pocono Raceway and ski resorts, but the natural beauty of the park, the Delaware River and the Appalachian Trail could attract another subset of tourists, Wilgus said. The goal isn't to just bring more people into the main attractions, but to showcase the hidden gems of the region, Wilgus said. The quiet, scenic spots would lose their allure if crammed full of tourists, and establishments off the beaten trail would still be left on the margins. Instead, the hope is to market the entire region and promote some favorite destinations that have otherwise been overlooked. "Shame on us if we don't represent those smaller, underserved businesses and tell their story. In many ways, those are the more compelling stories," Wilgus said. The main question is how effective the project will be. It's not a question with an easy answer, said Michael Stershic, president of Discover Lehigh Valley. While his tourism organization has worked to promote individual outdoor locations such as Hawk Mountain, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and the Trexler Nature Preserve, there hasn't been an effort to market the region as a destination for people looking to get in touch with nature, he said. There's little data about how many people already visit the region for its outdoor recreation, which makes it hard to set benchmarks that will determine if the website is reaching its target audience. "The best we can do is to figure that a certain percentage of those who visit the site will become visitors and work backward from there. You will probably spend more money to measure this thing than to implement it," Stershic said. It's a question that other geotourism programs have pondered. The Heart of the Continent program, which markets northeast Minnesota and the southern border of Ontario, Canada, has been active for a year, and program leaders haven't found a way to measure its success, said Mary Somnis, tourism and marketing official with the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board, a Minnesota development agency. That hasn't weakened enthusiasm for the project, though. Anecdotal accounts from business owners point toward progress, and the project has improved relations within the tourism industry, Somnis said. The Heart of the Continent website has banded together people divided by terrain and international borders with a common purpose. The fact that they're still willing to pay for the website a year later is a good indication, she said. "We're happy that we're doing this. Everyone involved believes it's a winning proposition. It's a great partnership," Somnis said. Stershic and Wilgus see similar developments here. The river, which has served as a line of demarcation for state agencies, economic development groups and municipalities, can now draw people together for a common purpose. Ironically, the river that Portland is pinning its hopes to is the same one that devastated its small Main Street during three consecutive years of flooding in the mid 2000s. The floods sank staples such as Kramer's Hardware and the Portland Diner, establishments that the borough's 516 residents depended on. Years later, many of the Main Street shops are still boarded up, even though the borough and interstate agencies have taken steps to reduce the risk of future floods. The aging, blue-collar community once had no need to lure visitors. They came naturally on the railroad that cut through town and the covered bridge that area farmers used to drive cattle to and from New Jersey. While flooding has washed away the covered bridge and much of the borough's history, remnants remain, including the recently restored Portland Pokey a 19th-century structure that once held the council's chambers and a one-room jail cell. Portland's forebears left another gift the anchors of the old covered bridge, which now support a pedestrian bridge offering majestic views of the Delaware Water Gap. And despite its economic troubles, the borough remains home to Duckloe & Bros., which has been making Windsor chairs on the banks of the Delaware River since before the Civil War. With such assets, Prator believes Portland can become a popular weekend destination for antiquers and day-hikers. With its access to the river, nearby trails, Interstate 80 and scenic country roads, the borough has what it takes, Prator believes, to become a magnet such as New Hope or Frenchtown, downstream communities with thriving business districts. "We're living with a gold mine in our backyard. It's time we started using it," he said. Prator hasn't called for a massive redevelopment that would reshape the borough. He believes a few new businesses to cater to the hikers and kayakers already moving through the area would make a world of difference. Open a bed and breakfast. Add a restaurant that's open past 3 p.m. Start another canoe rental shop. His wish list won't make Portland an international destination, but it could draw enough outdoors enthusiasts to buoy the borough's economy. "This building should be the hub of activity in Portland," Prator said, staring through the window of Portland Outfitters at the dust-covered rafts. "Instead, it's sitting here vacant." ___ Online: ___ State Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley and state Appeals Court Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg each said on Friday their judicial experience topped the others in another debate that again focused on each others political ties and Bradleys past. During the debate in Vilas Hall at UW-Madison, the candidates in the April 5 election for state Supreme Court justice declined to comment on rulings on voter ID and same-sex marriage from the state and U.S. Supreme Courts, saying the matters could come before them on the states highest court. Each said their experience as judges made them voters better pick. Bradley pointed out that Kloppenburg has never served as a trial court judge an experience she said provided her with valuable experience understanding how her decisions directly affect the people involved. When I was a trial court judge, I was called upon to make significant decisions decisions like protecting children from abusive and dangerous homes, locking up people who were sticking guns in peoples faces while they were carjacking them, ensuring that children can be adopted in safe and loving families, Bradley said, adding that Kloppenburgs only judicial experience is on the state Appeals Court. Im not somebody who just read documents and wrote opinions. Kloppenburg in response pointed out that Bradley has been appointed by Gov. Scott Walker three times in as many years to judgeships and is backed by conservative groups. I have a proven track record as an independent and fair Court of Appeals judge who has issued hundreds of opinions in three-and-a-half years that show I approach every case with an open mind, she said. Both argued they would be the impartial justice and the other would not. While officially nonpartisan, the Supreme Court race in Wisconsin draws heavy spending from outside groups tied to political ideologies and special interests. The candidates were asked if they had decided a case that is inconsistent with political views of their supporters, as evidence of their ability to remain impartial. Bradley said a recent decision that dealt with Fourth Amendment search and seizure matters had been mistakenly reported that the Wisconsin Supreme Court had ruled that the police could enter somebodys home without a warrant for any reason. This angered people who might describe themselves as Libertarian, it angered some conservatives, but once I got the opportunity to explain it to people or when others explained the details of this, of that case, they was less concerned about what the Wisconsin Supreme Court did, said Bradley. Kloppenburg pointed to a decision in which she ruled against the Wisconsin Professional Police Association when the group sued the Wisconsin Counties Association alleging open records law violations. I am never thinking about the political views of my supporters who run the gamut of political spectrum when I decide a case, she said. The debate, moderated by Wisconsin Public Televisions Frederica Freyberg and Wisconsin Public Radios Shawn Johnson, was the second since the unearthing earlier this month of Bradleys controversial college-era writings that compared gay people to degenerate drug addicts and one in which she supported a scholars suggestion that women could be partially responsible for date rape. Bradley has apologized repeatedly, and did so again on Friday, for making anti-gay comments written in 1992 and published in the student newspaper at Marquette University, where she attended college as an undergraduate student. Kloppenburg said during the debate she didnt see evidence of a shift in attitude on Bradleys behalf given her ties to conservative groups. Bradley said she found it concerning that Kloppenburg thinks that people cant change, especially in their youth. Fridays debate also came after the publication of an article last week in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about Bradley representing a man she once dated in a child placement case. Bradley has repeatedly blasted the legitimacy of the article, calling it a vile piece of garbage, in part because the article identified Bradleys relationship as an extramarital affair because she was still legally married, though separated for some time. Though a judge in the case ruled she could continue representing the man and legal experts told the Journal Sentinel she did not commit any ethics violation, Kloppenburg said Bradleys decision to represent a person with whom she was romantically involved speaks to her judgment. Bradley said Friday that the Journal Sentinel absolutely crossed the line in printing the story and that it was sexist because women are treated differently when running for office. Kloppenburg said Friday she has no interest in talking about Bradleys personal life but that her judgment in representing the man was relevant to the race. Bradley said it is perfectly normal for lawyers to help out friends and family members in family law matters and in other matters. Imperial Valley News Center U.S. Energy Secretary Moniz and Chinese Atomic Energy Authority Open New Nuclear Security Training Facility Beijing, China - Today, U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, accompanied by senior officials from the Department of Energys National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA), the Department of Defense, and a host of international VIPs, participated with the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) to commission Chinas new nuclear security Center of Excellence (COE). The COE will address Chinas domestic nuclear security training requirements, provide a forum for bilateral and regional best practice exchanges, and serve as a venue for demonstrating advanced technologies related to nuclear security. The COE is a major achievement for China in advance of the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit. This Center of Excellence is a world-class facility for Chinese, regional, and international nuclear security training and technical exchanges. The Department of Energy partnership with China on this effort has been exemplary and we look forward to continued engagement on nuclear security best practices, said Secretary Moniz. The United States works bilaterally with partner countries and international organizations to enhance the security of nuclear materials worldwide. Protection of nuclear materials is a key pillar of President Obamas nuclear security agenda. The NNSA Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN) supports this strategy by working with international partners to improve their capacity to secure nuclear material. This is achieved through support for: regulations and oversight; enhanced nuclear security culture; best practices training, training centers and technical exchanges; and select upgrades to facility security and accounting systems. DNN and CAEA have a long-term collaboration that has supported more than 50 training and technical exchanges on nuclear security best practices. These trainings form the basis for continued collaboration on developing indigenous Chinese curriculum for the COE. Beyond China, DNN is actively engaged with current and planned COEs in Japan, Republic of Korea, and Kazakhstan. DNN works closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as well as bilaterally with over 21 partner countries across Asia, Africa and the Americas. Another win for renewable energy in California Imperial, California - The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors approved a lease agreement with Controlled Thermal Resources today that will allow for the development of a new centralized geothermal power plant in the Salton Sea Known Geothermal Resource Area located in Southern California. Once built, the new facility is expected to produce up to 250* megawatts of renewable energy per year and has the capacity to expand operations to 375 megawatts in future phases. On-ground drilling is expected to commence by the last quarter of 2016 with the power plant expected to be operational by 2020. The development schedule for this project will coincide with Californias renewable portfolio standard requirement that 50 percent of all energy procured by utilities must be derived from renewable resources by 2030. Controlled Thermal Resources CEO, Rod Colwell praised the action saying the agreement with the Imperial Irrigation District signals a new era for geothermal energy production in the region. Geothermal power has the capacity to provide baseload electricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is fast becoming directly competitive with conventional fossil fuel plants, Colwell said. Under the agreement, Controlled Thermal Resources will lease approximately 1,880 acres of district-owned land for as many as 50 years, assuming specific development milestones are met. In return, the district will receive rent and generation royalties. We will be developing the worlds first technology to provide utility grade energy that is clean, safe and economically viable, with or without government incentives or subsidies, Colwell said. With the worlds focus now firmly set on renewable energy targets, projects like this one are imperative. According to reports from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Outlook 2015, geothermal energy offers the highest baseload (24 /7) power supply capacity in the renewable resource sector. Geothermal energy is reported to produce power at 92 percent capacity compared to wind (38 percent capacity), solar (25 percent capacity), conventional coal (85 percent capacity) and advanced nuclear (90 percent capacity). Imperial Irrigation District General Manager Kevin Kelley said the agreement falls in line with efforts made by the district to facilitate public-private partnerships that will drive renewable energy growth in the region, The Salton Sea represents one of the most abundant and underutilized sources of renewable energy in the state, including one of the most prolific geothermal areas of the world. Imperial Irrigation District recently teamed up with Imperial County to launch the Salton Sea Restoration and Renewable Energy Initiative, which calls for restoration and habitat creation as a means to avert a public health crisis while at the same time promoting development of renewable energy in the Salton Sea region. * One megawatt is enough energy to power approximately 750 homes. About Controlled Thermal Resources (US) Inc. www.cthermal.com Controlled Thermal Resources (US) Inc. is a multi-faceted Electricity Generation and Minerals Extraction Corporation that is developing a diverse Utility Scale Renewable Energy & Extraction Project located at the Salton Sea, Southern California, USA. CTR operate in the United States and Australia. About Imperial Irrigation District www.iid.com The third largest public power provider in California, IID manages more than 1,000 MW of energy derived from a diverse portfolio of resources, including solar, geothermal, biomass small hydro and natural gas. YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. ANCA Board Member Raffi Hamparian will succeed longtime ANCA leader Ken Hachikian. As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Committee, Hachikian will continue his tenure on the national board and expand his portfolio of community responsibilities. I welcome this new opportunity to serve the Armenian American community and build bridges that will strengthen the Armenian Nation, shared Raffi Hamparian. When we work together, when we dream together, when we unite for a common purpose there is nothing the ANCA cannot achieve. I look forward to working with the brilliant, loving and positive individuals in our community who want to bolster the Armenian Cause, added Hamparian. Hachikian welcomed Raffi to the helm of the ANCA National Board, stating, Its been an honor to help lead our national efforts, along with Raffi and the rest of our national board and staff for the past 15 years. I am honored to have had this opportunity and deeply grateful that I will continue to work with this capable team and our grassroots network across America to protect our homeland, promote our heritage, and realize our rights. Born in New York City and raised in New Jersey, Raffi Hamparian is a graduate of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, where he also earned a Masters Degree in International Relations. Raffi has worked for a number of members of Congress, most recently as the chief foreign affairs aide for former New Jersey Congressman Steven R. Rothman. He currently serves as the Director of Federal Affairs for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Raffi is a lifelong Armenian American political activist, having begun his activism as a proud member of the Armenian Youth Federation. He is a resident of Pasadena, California, where he lives with his wife Dr. Mireille Hamparian and their children: Areni, Zabelle, Meghri and Saro. YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. RF Investigative Committee has revealed two major causes for the crash of Boeing 737-800 owned by Fly Dubai air line. Armenpress reports, citing Lifenews that the first cause is technical malfunctioning and the second is the possible mistake of the pilots under complicated weather conditions. Meteorologists say that unprecedented bad weather condition was registered in that area during the crash. Wind speed exceeded 100 km/h. According to experts, it can be the reason why the plane could not land from the first attempt. As refers to the compensation to the families of the victims, lawyer Igor Trunov mentioned that the owner of the airline is in the area of Montreal Convention which provides for 2 types of reimbursement. It generally provides for 22 million ruble reimbursement for the family of each of the victims. But the case can be processesed also in tune with international insurance laws which provide for reimbursement from $1-3 million. Besides, in the words of the lawyer, the relatives of the victims can file a lawsuit against the owner or the producer of the plane. All the 62 passengers of Boeing 737-800 that crashed at 3:50 am of March 19 at Rostov-on-Don airport have died. The preliminary list of the victims is promulgated where there are no names of Armenians. It is known that 55 passengers were Russians, air crew members were representatives of other nationalities. Ukraine MFA informed that 7 of the passengers were Ukrainians. The plane was owned by Fly Dubai airline and was on the flight from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don. In a bid to provide impetus to women education, Haryana government has decided to open 17 new colleges for women from the coming academic session. By India Today Web Desk: Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Friday, March 18 that to ensure that women did not have to travel far for higher education the Haryana government would set up colleges for girls within 20 kilometres of villages, towns and cities in the state. According to The Indian Express, the CM while speaking during the Question Hour of the ongoing Budget Session said that as part of the initiative, 17 new colleges for just women would be started from the coming academic session. advertisement Haryana Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma also informed the House about governments decision to set up an educational institute in the name of Captain Pawan Kumar, who died while fighting terrorists in Pampore last month. MLA Prem Lata had raised the demand for the educational institute and said that villagers there wanted an educational institute in the memory of the martyr, and that they had promised to provide land free of cost. Irrigation Minister O P Dhankar said that since Capt Pawan Kumar was unmarried, and that his family members do not want a job, an institute should be set up in his his memory. The government was also planning to set up a university at Lakhnaur Sahib in Ambala district to be named after Guru Gobind Singh. Check: Rajasthan govt: Hoisting Tricolour to be mandatory at all government colleges, universities Click here to get more education news. Get latest updates on exam notifications and scholarships across India and abroad here . --- ENDS --- A Delhi court today granted bail to former Delhi University professor SAR Geelani in connection with sedition case, a day after it granted bail to JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bahttacharya, who were booked under the similar charges. By India Today Web Desk: A Delhi court today granted bail to former Delhi University professor SAR Geelani in connection with sedition case, a day after it granted bail to JNU students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bahttacharya, who were booked under the similar charges. Geelani was arrested on February 16 under sedition charges for organizing a meeting at Press Club in Delhi on February 9 to commemorate death anniversary of Afzal Guru. advertisement Police had registered FIR taking suo motu cognizance of media clips of the incident and had accused Geelani for spreading hatred by calling Parliament convicts, Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat martyrs during the event. Geeliani in his bail application said he was in judicial custody since February 16 and no fruitful purpose would be served by keeping him in custody further. He also said that he had co-operated in the investigation and there was no evidence against him. Geelani's counsel, Satish Tamta called the event a meeting of intellectuals and claimed that there was no evidence that proves Geelani's involvement in anti-India sloganeering. "There was nothing in the event which led to any violence as there was nothing that could be called incitement," Tamta said,. He also pointed out that as per the Supreme Court order, shouting slogans merely doesn't amount to offence under section 124-A(Sedition) of IPC. However, Delhi Police had opposed the bail plea saying the event was "an attack on the soul of India" and it was "contempt of court." "The incident was in the continuation of what had happened in JNU a day earlier. As per the statements of Press Club of India officials, anti-India slogans were shouted and Geelani was also involved in it. Geelani had violated the law of the land and the offence was grave," the prosecution said. Geelani was arrested in connection with the 2001 Parliament attack case but was acquitted for "need of evidence" by Delhi High Court in October 2003, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in August 2005. Geelani's earlier bail plea was rejected by magisterial court on February 19. ALSO READ: JNU row: Ex-DU lecturer SAR Geelani, booked for sedition charges, sent to judicial custody Geelani, Omar on same page on JNU issues, caution against harassing Kashmiri students --- ENDS --- Day 2 of the ongoing Amazon India Fashion Week autumn/winter 2016 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was led by veteran designers, who proved their creative spirit in praiseworthy collections. By Radhika Bhalla/Mail Today: Day 2 of the ongoing Amazon India Fashion Week autumn/winter 2016 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was led by veteran designers, who proved their creative spirit in praiseworthy collections. Delhi-based designer Rajesh Pratap Singh presented a glimmer of a show, as he lent his Midas touch to a collection reflecting the warmth of molten gold. The garments were perfectly constructed, as seen in the collared cotton dresses with gold blotches, metallic surfaced de-constructed frocks and pant-suits, maxi skirts and statement coats. While the collection could have turned out to be garish, Singh steered it by the helm towards softer elegance. Models sashayed down the ramp to remixed tunes of David Bowie hits, and the shimmery eyeshadow and overdrawn eyebrows added to the futuristic feel. Day 2 of the AIFW was led by veteran designers. (Photos by: K Asif) advertisement Mumbai-based designer Anita Dongre presented 'Earth Song' - a collection devoted to sustainable fashion with her brand, Grassroot. Set against a runway covered with foliage, the show blended traditional techniques like block printing, kantha, dabbu and shibori with modern silhouettes. Bomber jackets, crop tops, skirts with slits, jumpsuits and flowy jackets kept the style contemporary and fresh. The make-up echoed this feel, as Elton J Fernandez, official makeup artist, Maybelline New York explained, "The skin was very simple with highlighter on the face, contoured cheekbones, and a dark kajal. The eyebrows were filled in with a pencil like the Fashion Brow Duo by Maybelline New York, and we constructed little bows into the hair and sprayed it with blue, as the colour of the show was Indigo." A model in an Anita Dongre ensemble. Meanwhile, Rimzim Dadu took an artistic approach to handling fabric, as electric blue shirts and sari pallus resembled moulded abstract forms, sleeveless tops came with rips and a white-to-black ombre maxi skirt showcased the fluidity of movement. Malini Ramani continued with her sexy-meets-tribal style of fitted maxi dresses, shirts, trousers and even saris in shades like olive green, gold and cream. Meanwhile, designer Nikasha also played with some bohemian flair in a smartly crafted collection of saris with off-shoulder blouses, dhoti pants with angrakha style shirts, and bright red trousers, kurtis and skirts. Shriya Saran walked for Kanika Saluja's label' Anaikka in a black and gold sari, with a shimmery gold plunging blouse and a metallic cast headgear. In contrast to the gothic elements of Saluja's show, Samant Chauhan celebrated the soft and feminine influences of a mlange of influences. --- ENDS --- The Bengaluru Police today arrested 6 members of a notorious Irani gang, accused of robbing jewellery from elderly women, by posing as cops. By Aravind Gowda: The Bengaluru Police today arrested 6 members of a notorious Irani gang, accused of robbing jewellery from elderly women, by posing as cops. The cops are still on the lookout for four others who are absconding. According to the police, disguised as cops, Yasir Ali and Tekki Ali from Thane and Hasheem Dhara Jaffrey Irani, S K Hassan, Sajjath and Sadique Ali from Guntakal in Andhra Pradesh, would approach elderly women and take their jewellery, on the pretext of keeping them safe. The gang would leave Bengaluru soon thereafter. advertisement More than a dozen cases have been registered against the group in Bengaluru. Following a probe, which began six months ago, police managed to nab the accused involved in the robbery. While six of them have been arrested, police are still on the lookout for the remaining four. --- ENDS --- The BJP made it clear that the government cannot be formed in the state on the basis of conditions. By Kumar Vikram: The deadlock over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir continued with the BJP refusing to come under the pressure tactics of its coalition partner Peoples Democratic Party. The saffron party made it clear that the government cannot be formed in the state on the basis of conditions. On Friday, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, party's pointsman in the state, went on record to say that the stalemate that existed earlier continued and conditions cannot be the basis for government formation. "There is no progress. As far as we are concerned there is no change in conditions that existed when Mufti Mohammad Sayeed sahab was the chief minister. The only change is that Mufti saheb is no longer there and it was for PDP to appoint a new leader and carry on," he said. advertisement Replying to questions on the meeting between Mehbooba Mufti and Amit Shah, Madhav said there is no change in the party stand. "We have told them that a new government should be formed on the basis on conditions that existed earlier. PDP with 27 MLAs and BJP with 25 members had formed an alliance on March 1 last year with Sayeed as the chief minister. Both the sides had formed an Agenda of Alliance which sought to address internal and external dimension of the state." Mehbooba has been in Delhi for last couple of weeks and had met BJP chief Shah on Thursday. The meeting went on for about half an hour and sources claimed that she put forward new demands, including return of at least two power projects to Jammu and Kashmir from the National Hydro-electric Power Corporation (NHPC), two smart cities for the state - Jammu and Srinagar, vacation of land under Army occupation apart from a few others. Sources said that Shah listened to her demands but did not react. He said he would talk on the matter after consulting with other senior leaders and government. Asked about the new demands put forward by the PDP chief, Madhav on Friday said in clear terms that whatever fresh has to be done will be taken up after government formation. "The first thing is that no new demand is acceptable to us and the second thing is that if there are new demands then it can be taken up once a new government takes over. A state government always has a right to make demands to the Centre. A government cannot be formed on the basis of conditions," he said. When asked if a new government will be formed, he said, "I cannot say because the stalemate that existed earlier continues." Governor's rule was imposed in the state on January 8 after Mehbooba decided against taking over the reins after her father's death. Invoking late Mufti Sayeed, Madhav said he did not have any demand as the chief minister and did not ask for anything more. "Unfortunately, he passed away. Where Mufti sahab left, we should move ahead from there," he said. advertisement BJP sources said that the party is serious on the government formation in the state and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had also talked about this saying, "We want that the three regions of the J&K are developed very fast," in reply to a question during the Budget debate in the Lok Sabha on Monday. ALSO READMehbooba Mufti hints at conditions for realliance with BJP --- ENDS --- YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. Members of the Congressional Armenian Issues Caucus met with the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills. The members in attendance were Co-Chairs Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.) and Robert Dold (R-Ill.), and Congressmen David Cicilline (D-RI), Tony Cardenas (D-CA) and David Valadao (R-CA). Armenpress reports, citing Asbarez, the discussion focused on expanding the economic partnership between the United States and Armenia particularly in the tourism sector, the escalating violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and development and humanitarian aid. I am thankful that Ambassador Mills took the time to discuss the future of the U.S.-Armenia relationship, said Pallone. It is crucial we maintain strong ties with Armenia and empower American diplomacy through continued U.S. assistance and engagement. Given recent events, continued U.S. support in the region is critically important. Meeting with Ambassador Mills was a great chance to learn more about what the United States can do to support Armenias goals, said Dold. Going forward, I hope that the Armenian Issues Caucus can continue to work with the Ambassador to take positive steps in our partnership with Armenia. The Dalit Mahagarjana Gherao of the BJP proved to be an embarrassing flop in Agra, when the party failed to gather the requisite number of workers in order to march on the MG Road and tackle with the police barricading and water cannons. In face of the lack of manpower, the protest march stopped a kilometre from the District Magistrate's office and turned into a sit-in at Subash Park. (Photo courtesy: Sameer) By Siraj Qureshi: Ever since VHP leader Arun Mahore was murdered in Agra on 25th February, the issue has been making rounds from the streets of Agra to the Parliament, led by the Union MoS for HRD and Agra MP Ram Shankar Katheria. Although all accused in this murder have been arrested by the police and sent to jail and Mahore's family has received financial aid of Rs 15 lakhs from the UP Government, the BJP is refusing to let this issue settle down so soon. On Friday, the minister led hundreds of BJP workers out on the streets of Agra in protest of the murder and presented a memorandum to the Additional district magistrate, causing the entire city to come to a grinding halt, with the city's lifeline MG Road completely blocked. advertisement However, this 'Dalit Mahagarjana Gherao' of the BJP proved to be an embarrassing flop, when the party failed to gather the requisite number of workers in order to march on the MG Road and tackle with the police barricading and water cannons. In face of the lack of manpower, the protest march stopped a kilometre from the District Magistrate's office and turned into a sit-in at Subash Park, where the Addl. District Magistrate (City) Rajesh Srivastava and SP City accepted the memorandum and assured that the BJP's demands will be considered seriously. On Friday, Union MoS for HRD and Agra MP Ram Shankar Katheria led hundreds of BJP workers out on the streets of Agra to protest the murder of VHP leader Arun Mahore. (Photo courtesy: Sameer) Even the party's junior leaders could be seen commenting on the low strength of workers that turned up for the protest march and claimed that this entire exercise of stopping the march at Subash Park had been pre-meditated by the party's top leadership in consultation with the district administration. Addressing the media after the sit-in ended, minister Katheria said that whenever his partyfolk were killed, he will not hesitate from giving fiery speeches. Attacking the Samajwadi Party government, Katheria said that the UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is a kid (Abhi Bachcha Hai), while he criticized BSP Supremo Mayawati as "Dalit Voton ki Saudagar". Answering a question, Katheria said that the BJP had always protected and promoted Mayawati as she had showed some promise as a Dalit leader. She was saved by BJP leader Brahmadutt Dwivedi when the Samajwadi Party had planned to burn her in the guest house she was staying. She made government twice with the help of the BJP, but she never returned the favour by acknowledging what BJP did for her and began trading into Dalit votes. Addressing the media after the sit-in ended, MP Ram Shankar Katheria said that whenever his partyfolk were killed, he will not hesitate from giving fiery speeches. (Photo courtesy: Sameer) Addressing the media after the sit-in ended, MP Ram Shankar Katheria said that whenever his partyfolk were killed, he will not hesitate from giving fiery speeches. (Photo courtesy: Sameer) Katheria asked that it was understandable that Hindus were not safe in Pakistan as it was an Islamic country, but why wasn't the Hindu feeling safe in India? In light of the criminal cases filed against four Hindu leaders in the provocative speech incident on 8th March, the leaders present at the sit-in appeared very careful in choosing their words as each and every words was being videographed by the police. advertisement While the BJP was protesting against the allegedly cow slaughter linked murder of Arun Mahore, the social media in Agra was filled with images of an alleged beef party given by three foreign students inside the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan campus of the city. Taking prompt action, City Magistrate Rekha S Chauhan and Addl. SP Anurag Vats reached the KHS campus and met the registrar Chadrakant Tripathi, who denied having knowledge of any such incident in the campus. He said that the students had already left the institute campus for 10-day Holi vacations and the three foreign students could only be interrogated when the three students in the pictures returned to the hostel. ALSO READ: Agra hate speech: 3 booked, Katheria's name missing from police complaint --- ENDS --- Hrithik and Kangana's dating rumours have been doing the rounds for quite some time now. Hrithik and Kangana's relationship took an ugly turn, after they slammed each other with legal notices. By India Today Web Desk: Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut's spat has taken an ugly turn, after they slammed each other with legal notices. The murky details of their relationship have become the talk of the town. The legal battle started when Kangana referred to him as "silly ex" in an interview. ALSO READ: Hrithik's statements are nothing but efforts to gain public sympathy, says Kangana's lawyer advertisement ALSO READ: Proposal in Paris to Rebound Relationship, 10 shocking revelations According to a report in Deccan Chronicle, Hrithik Roshan's father Rakesh Roshan had urged his son to send a legal notice. Reportedly, Rakesh and Rajesh Roshan were at an award ceremony with Hrithik Roshan, when media bombarded Hrithik with the questions of Kangana's silly ex remark. And that's when Hrithik took Rakesh's advice and he gave a nod at Hrithik's decision of sending the Queen actor a legal notice. Reportedly, Hrithik Roshan had called up Kangana on the night when she gave the interview. Before taking legal action, he warned Kangana to clear her stance and that if she wouldn't clear it, he would take a legal action. Meanwhile, Kangana's lawyer has also claimed that the statements made by the Dhoom 2 actor are just to "gain public sympathy". Kangana's lawyer has also asked that why is Hrithik reacting on her comment, when the former didn't refer to his name at all. Hrithik and Kangana's dating rumours have been doing the rounds for quite some time now. They started dating when they were working together on Krrish 3. Hrithik had also proposed Kangana in Paris on Valentine's Day in 2014, but just after a month of the proposal Hrithik stopped communicating with the Rangoon actor. And this is when Ranaut confronted him and things went downhill. From once-in-love to sending each other legal notices, Hrithik and Kangana have taken their fight on to a different level altogether. --- ENDS --- Iron Fist 2016, which is held every two years, had president Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the audience. By Mail Today: Coping up with falling numbers of fighter jets, the Indian Air Force on Friday literally set the vast dusty stretch of Pokhran in Rajasthan on fire showcasing its capability to drop ordnance. Iron Fist 2016, which is held every two years, had president Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the audience. They witnessed IAF's ability to strike the enemy in the day, dawn and dusk. advertisement The IAF put together a compliment of 180 aircraft from fighters to transporters and helicopters to demonstrate their ability to execute various aspects of air combat. Through their courageous manoeuvre, fighter pilots showed transformationof the Air Force, air defence and combat skills of its personnel in carrying out multi-faceted operations. The grand event began with the showing IAF's journey over eight decades, with the aircraft of 1930s era - Tiger Moth. Then came a superb fly past by seven aircraft including MiG and Sukhoi. It was followed by tactical maneuver by a team of four 'Surya Kiran' aircraft. The sound of precision based bombings at simulated targets by Mirage-2000, Sukhoi 30, MiG-27 and Jaguar astounded all audience. From top of the line Su-30 MKI fighters to Mirage 2000 and Jaguars - the array of fighters took part in the live fire demonstration. The homemade Light Combat Aircraft Tejas displayed its twin role ability by firing a laser guided bomb followed by an air to air missile. For the first time, the air defence system of the Akash missile was displayed. Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, Chairman Chief of Staff Committee and the Chief of the Air Staff said that the IAF moves ahead on its transformation path despite certain constraints, maintaining a high combat potential for meeting challenges. "The IAF has flagged concerns about the shortage of fighter jets and the process for the acquisition of 36 French Rafale fighter aircraft is still underway. The government is hopeful that the deal will be sealed through," he said. The IAF for the first time has publicly accepted that the current force levels are inadequate to handle the two-front operation as enshrined in the new doctrine of the armed forces. ALSO READ IAF fears for security of Rajokri airbase on Delhi-Gurgaon border --- ENDS --- Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone were last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani. The epic love story has bagged as many as five awards at the the second edition of the Times Of India Film Awards (TOIFA). As Deepika was in Toronto for her shoot, Ranveer accepted the award on her behalf. By India Today Web Desk: Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone have been inseparable since they have started dating each other. They have in fact set relationship goals for many couples. And in between all the news related to B-Town break-ups, this is one couple that is restoring our faith in love. ALSO READ: Deepika finally uses the B-word for Ranveer. Yes, you read it right! advertisement ALSO READ: I want to see a happy ending in which Deepika and I live together happily ever after, says Ranveer Singh Ranveer and Deepika were last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani. The epic love story has bagged as many as five awards at the the second edition of the Times Of India Film Awards (TOIFA). As Deepika was in Toronto for her shoot, Ranveer accepted the award on her behalf. The Gunday actor also had a message for his ladylove, "The better half of this award is not here but I will convey the message and love to her. I have the most beautiful woman by my side and with her I can conquer the world." Not just this, Ranveer even took to Twitter to say thanks to Deepika. He wrote, "Koi Shaq ?!?! ?? thank you @deepikapadukone for always making me look good (sic)." This is not the first time, Ranveer has praised the Tamasha actor in front of everyone. Earlier, when Deepika was given Woman of the Year award, Ranveer in his speech had said, "I am really really proud of her. She is a lovely girl. She is so humble in spite of her staggering success." Reportedly, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh will soon be coming together for an Sanjay Leela Bhansali film again. Meanwhile, Ranveer is shooting for Aditya Chopra's Befikre and Deepika is all set to entice her fans with her Hollywood debut XXX The Return Of Xander Cage. --- ENDS --- Flydubai Flight 981 had traveled from Dubai to Rostov-on-Don with 62 people aboard crashed in Southern Russia killing all on board including 6 crew members. By Reuters: All 62 people aboard a passenger jet flying from Dubai to southern Russia were killed when their plane crashed on its second attempt to land at Rostov-on-Don airport on Saturday, Russian officials said. | See photos Russia's emergencies ministry said the aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 operated by Dubai-based budget carrier Flydubai, crashed at 03:50 (0030 GMT). Most of those aboard were Russian. advertisement "The aircraft hit the ground and broke into pieces," the Investigative Committee of Russia said in a statement on its website. "According to preliminary data, there were 55 passengers aboard and 7 crew members. They all died." The plane's wing hit the ground on its second landing attempt and burst into flames, the Rostov region emergency ministry said in a statement. The region's governor, Vasily Golubev, said bad weather - strong, gusting wind in the Rostov area - was the primary line of investigation for the crash, but Zhanna Terekohova, an adviser to the Russian transport minister, said pilot error could also be a factor. The plane came down inside the airport's perimeter, about 250 metres (yards) short of the start of the runway. Grainy pictures from a security camera pointing towards the airport, which were broadcast on Russian television, showed a large explosion at ground level, with flames and sparks leaping high into the air. A representative of Rostov's emergency ministry said at a briefing that flight recorders have not yet been recovered. "We are doing all we can to gather information as quickly as possible. At this moment our thoughts and prayers are with our passengers and our crew who were on board the aircraft," Flydubai said in a statement. "We will do everything we can to help those who have been affected by this accident," said the carrier, which is owned by the Dubai government. Six of the crew were non-Russians, Russian emergency ministry said in a statement on it website, but it did not reveal the citizenship of the crew or passengers aboard. Governor Golubev said on state television that there were seven children aboard. --- ENDS --- Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said there was nothing wrong if the legislators received some small gifts. An MLA with his gifts at the Bihar Assembly on Friday. Photo: Sonu Kishan By Giridhar Jha: It's raining gifts for the legislators in Bihar. Different government departments in the state have begun giving away presents - ranging from microwave ovens to suitcases - to them one after another as a token of appreciation of their work as people's representatives in the House. On Friday, it was the turn of the education department to distribute microwave ovens worth Rs 30 lakh to the members of both Houses of the state legislature. advertisement The tradition of giving away token gifts to the legislators had started many years ago. Earlier, each legislator used to receive dairies, watches or briefcases as token gifts every year during the Budget Session. But now, they are getting much more "useful" consumer durable items. Education Minister Ashok Kumar Choudhary said the tradition of giving gifts had been going on for several years. "This time we have gifted microwave ovens to them to help them heat up their food," he said. Choudhary said the legislators had been getting dairies, bags, watches, etc in the past but now they were being given useful items. The minister said certain profitable institutions under the education department had been giving gifts to the legislators. Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said there was nothing wrong if the legislators received some small gifts. He said that legislators were not crorepatis in a poor state. BJP spokesman Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said the Nitish Kumar government was giving away gifts to the legislators at a time when it should actually be providing gifts to the 11 crore people of the state. ALSO READ Modi-Nitish sink differences, share stage for Bihar's development --- ENDS --- FlyDubai flight FZ981 was from its way to Rostov-on-Don from Dubai when it crashed on its second attempt to land at Rostov-on-Don airport. By India Today Web Desk: Two Indians were among the 62 people who were killed in a plane crash in South Russia today. FlyDubai flight FZ981 was from its way to Rostov-on-Don from Dubai when it crashed on its second attempt to land at Rostov-on-Don airport. According to reports, those killed in the crash include 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one person from Uzbekistan. | See photos advertisement The names of the Indians in the list put out by Russian authorities are: Anju Kathirvel Aiyappan and Mohan Shyam, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. "Our mission is checking with the local university and Indian nationals for confirmation," he told PTI. Seven crew members were also among those killed in the crash at Rostov-on-Don. Six of the crew were non-Russians, Russian emergency ministry said in a statement on it's website. "The aircraft hit the ground and broke into pieces," the Investigative Committee of Russia said in a statement on its website. "According to preliminary data, there were 55 passengers aboard and 7 crew members. They all died." The plane's wing hit the ground on its second landing attempt and burst into flames, the Rostov region emergency ministry said in a statement. The region's governor, Vasily Golubev, said bad weather - strong, gusting wind in the Rostov area - was the primary line of investigation for the crash, but Zhanna Terekohova, an adviser to the Russian transport minister, said pilot error could also be a factor. The plane came down inside the airport's perimeter, about 250 metres (yards) short of the start of the runway. Grainy pictures from a security camera pointing towards the airport, which were broadcast on Russian television, showed a large explosion at ground level, with flames and sparks leaping high into the air. A representative of Rostov's emergency ministry said at a briefing that flight recorders have not yet been recovered. The Investigative Committee of Russia said on Saturday that it is looking into a pilot error or a technical failure as the most likely causes for the plane crash that killed 62 in southern Russia, Russian news agencies reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that assistance to the relatives of those killed in a plane crash in southern Russia was the priority, local news agencies cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying. "The head of the state said that now the main thing is to work with the families and the loved ones of those who had died," Peskov was quoted as saying. advertisement Also Read: Russian passenger jet crashes with 62 people on board --- ENDS --- The Harish Rawat government in Uttarakhand is facing its biggest threat so far with 9 Congress MLAs joining hands with the Oppsition BJP to form government in the state. CM Rawat has, however, maintained that he still has the majority and will prove it in the Assembly if needed. By India Today Web Desk: The Harish Rawat government in Uttarakhand is facing its biggest threat so far with 9 Congress MLAs joining hands with the Oppsition BJP to form government in the state. CM Rawat has, however, maintained that he still has the majority and will prove it in the Assembly if needed. "They (rebel MLAs) should have spoken to the Speaker or the Governor separately. We are giving time to the rebel MLAs to accept their mistake and apologise for their actions. 4-5 rebel MLAs are in touch with us now. I am giving a chance to the rebel MLAs to accept their mistake," Rawat said. advertisement Latest developments: Rawat said he will resign from his post if he fails to win the floor test in Assembly. "We have full majority. All our members are in tact. The figures being touted (about the government's strengh being reduced) are totally wrong," he told reporters. Rawat also claimed that he was in touch with 5 of the 9 rebel MLAs. "The ruckus that the BJP created after the adjournment and those who supported it was wrong," he said. Speaker GS Kunjwal has issued notice under anti-defection law to the 9 rebel Congress MLAs. Congress chief whip has given a letter to the Speaker asking him to revoke the membership of the 9 MLAs for breaking the whip in the House. The Speaker has said that the letter has been received and notice will be sent to the MLAs and due procedure will be followed. Earlier in the day, Rawat met Parliamentary Affairs Mininister Indira Hridayesh and Assembly Speaker GS Kunjwal in Dehradun. The leaders later also met Governor K K Paul to discuss the present political crisis. On Friday night 27 BJP legislators alongwith the 9 Congress MLAs met Governor KK Paul staking claim to form the government in Uttarakhand. On Friday, the 9 rebel Congress MLAs joined the opposition BJP in the state Assembly to demand a division of votes on the finance bill. However, Speaker Kunjwal rejected the demand leading to huge uproar in the House. BJP lawmakers and the rebel Congress MLAs staged a protest inside the Assembly following which the Speaker adjourned the proceedings till March 28. Ministers Harak Singh Rawat and Mantri Prasad Nithani even came to blows during the chaos. 35 BJP MLAs have reached Delhi and will be meeting party president Amit Shah in the evening today. BJP's Kailash Vijayvargiya said that his party is ready to form the government as well as to contest election. Former Chief Minister Vijay Bahugana, who was removed from the post by the Congress in 2014, has said that "the chief minister (Harish Rawat) should resign on moral grounds." In the 70-member Uttarakhand Assembly, Rawat has a thin majority. While the Congress has 36 MLAs, the BJP has 28. The Congress government is heavily dependent on independent MLAs for stability of its government. Also Read Uttarakhand crisis: 9 Congress MLAs rebel, BJP stakes claim to form govt --- ENDS --- The Uttarakhand Cabinet today expelled Rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat from the party for his alleged involvement in anti-party activities. By India Today Web Desk: The Uttarakhand Cabinet today expelled Rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat from the party for his alleged involvement in anti-party activities. The decision to expel the MLA comes in the aftermath of the Cabinet meeting which was held in Dehradun today. Speaking on the issue, Chief Minister Harish Rawat said, "Harak Singh's conduct is against the party." Rawat may meet Governor K K Paul at 7:30 pm today. advertisement The political crisis in Uttarakhand escalated on Saturday with BJP, claiming the support of rebel Congress MLAs, stepping up efforts to dislodge Chief Minister Harish Rawat who asserted that he was ready to prove his majority in the Assembly. On a day of claims and counter-claims by BJP and the Congress, Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal said the "anti-defection law is in place and whoever is found guilty of violating it will have to be acted against". "All Congress MLAs voted with the government when the previous bill was passed in the Assembly and nobody had challenged the bill. Even the BJP accepts the voice vote," he said. Asked about BJP's no-confidence notice against him, Kunjwal said,"We will see when it comes in the Assembly. Members of the legislative Assembly will discuss and decide if the no-confidence notice is valid or not". Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul asks Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove majority in the House by March 28 Chief Minister Harish Rawat meets Governor KK Paul at Raj Bhawan "I met him to convey the political situation in the state," Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat after meeting Governor Uttarakhand BJP MLAs to meet party top brass with Congress rebels in Delhi today: Reports Harish Rawat to meet Congress top leadership in Delhi on Sunday, to apprise them about current political crisis Rebel Congress leader Harak Singh claims he has support of 13 members, 1 member may join in a day or two BJP rubbished allegations of indulging in horse-trading in Uttarakhand where 9 Congress legislators revolted against CM Rawat Hitting back at the BJP, Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah of seeking to destabilise non-BJP governments through lure of money and political power. "The duo of Modi and Shah are infamous for forcible eviction of elected governments in this country. Elected government are being destabilised by a sinister conspiracy. After Arunachal Pradesh, it is Uttarakhand," Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala Surjewala told reporters in New Delhi. advertisement In Dehradun, BJP intensified efforts to dislodge the Rawat government, claiming it has majority in Uttarakhand Assembly and should be invited to form the government as the incumbent Congress dispensation has been reduced to a minority. "The Harish Rawat government has lost majority. Today BJP has the numbers with the support of rebel Congress MLAs to form a new government in Uttarakhand," Shyam Jaju, the state in-charge of BJP, said. Jaju said the party is willing to present the MLAs whose support it enjoys before President Pranab Mukherjee and insisted that Rawat should immediately resign given the loss of majority. Nine rebel Congress MLAs have reached Delhi and are in touch with BJP leaders, he said. Accusing BJP of misrepresenting facts, Rawat asserted that he still enjoys a majority in the Uttarakhand Assembly and was ready to prove it on the floor of the House. "Those who are saying they have support of 35 MLAs are misrepresenting facts.I am confident that I still have a majority in the Assembly and can prove it on the floor of the House," he told reporters after emerging from a meeting with Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal. advertisement Rawat said that five of nine rebel Congress MLAs were in touch with him. Rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat. The rebel MLAs included, Congress has a strength of 36 MLAs in the 70-member Assembly. The ruling party also has the support of six members of the Progressive Democratic Front. The BJP has 28 MLAs. Rawat rubbished BJP's claims that it had the support of 35 MLAs including nine rebel Congress MLAs. Rawat said at least five of those MLAs have made it clear that "they are still with the party and continue to be members of the Congress Legislature Party." He said the disgruntled MLAs should accept that they have made a mistake in backing BJP's bid at power. A three-member BJP delegation of former chief minister and MP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, Jaju and general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya met Governor KK Paul last night after the simmering discontent within a section of Congress legislature came to the fore. Amidst chaos in the Assembly, nine Congress rebels joined BJP in demanding a division of votes on the state's annual budget, which could have led to the government's fall. Rebel Congress MLAs seen raising anti-government slogans along with BJP were mostly those owing allegiance to former chief minister and MLA Vijay Bahuguna. The other eight were Harak Singh Rawat, Amrita Rawat, Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion, Shaila Rani Rawat, Pradip Batra, Subodh Uniyal, a confirmed Bahuguna loyalist, Shailendra Mohan Singhal and Umesh Sharma. advertisement Surjewala said BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) was resorting to such actions in the backdrop of poll debacle in Delhi followed by in Bihar which has "convinced" the ruling party at the Centre that it would not come to power in any state through popular vote. "Is this the Modi culture of politics of transparency and accountability to lure away legislators...bypassing all constitutional norms?" he said. Commenting on what transpired at his meeting with the Speaker, Rawat said he had gone to him to tender an apology as the Leader of the House for the "unparliamentary conduct of some party MLAs", who rushed into the well after adjournment of the day's proceedings and sat on a dharna along with BJP MLAs there. Admitting that Congress MLAs had flouted the party whip by sitting on a dharna along with opposition members, he said they were liable to be acted against in accordance with the Constitutional provisions. The Chief Minister said he was hurt by the behaviour of rebel party MLAs including Harak Singh Rawat and Vijay Bahuguna. ALSO READ: Harish Rawat on Uttarakhand crisis: In touch with some rebel MLAs, ready to prove majority --- ENDS --- YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan sent a condolence telegram to the President of the Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of the air crash of Boeing 737-800 that claimed lives of 62 people. As Armenpress was informed from the Department of Public Relations and Mass Media of Republic of Armenia Presidents Office, the President of Armenia expressed deepest condolence on the occasion of the air crash and conveyed words of solidarity to the friends and relatives of the victims. Interact, CHSs community service club, has 5 officers who take trips to the Rotary meetings held at the library. President Tammy Sasco, Vice President Riley Eubanks, Secretary Tatum Copsy, Treasurer Macie Bennett, and Sergeant of Arms Colton Butler, along with this years foreign exchange student Aldo Gutierrez-Jimenez make monthly trips to explain what theyve accomplished within the school. My favorite part about visiting the meetings is listening to the different speakers Rotary has each time. My favorite so far has been Mayor Combs, who explained his plans for our community, said Treasurer Macie Bennett. For those who dont know, Rotary is an organization of business and professional people united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. Charlestons Rotary Club does many services for its community. The members volunteer for communities at home and abroad to support education and job training, provide clean water, help combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, and do what they can to eradicate polio. Rotary hosts many events in Charleston to raise funds for service projects. A few Rotary sponsored events are the EIU Homecoming Pancake Breakfast, NCAA Tournament Pool, A 4th of July Booth, Coles County Air Show, and the Rotary Heart Scan Comedy Night. CHSs Interact, sponsored by Rotary, is doing everything they can to help out. Interact is assisting Rotarians at the Rotary Pancake Breakfast on April 2. They are also working together at Douglas Hart sometime this month. The entire Interact Club and Rotary will have a dinner together on April 5, where they will meet and explain to each other what they do within their own clubs. Interact will also present at a Rotary meeting all of their accomplishments during the 2015-16 school year. The work that Rotary does for our community is very much appreciated, and Interact looks forward to walking in their footsteps. MATTOON (JG-TC) -- Coles County nonprofit organizations are encouraged to send a list of their needs to the JG-TC for publication late this month. Each group should include its full name, address and phone number; and a short list of items needed, such as food, cash, volunteers, paper goods and more. Lists should be emailed to Editor Penny Weaver at pweaver@jg-tc.com. The information will be compiled and printed in the Saturday, March 26, edition of the newspaper. The deadline to send data to the paper is noon on Friday, March 25. Contact Weaver via email or at 217-238-6863 with questions. WEST MIAMI, Fla. -- It was not supposed to end like this for Marco Rubio. Eleven months ago, he launched his presidential campaign in front of Miami's Freedom Tower, the Ellis Island for his and other Cuban families. In his rapid rise, young Rubio had been a darling of both the tea party movement and the conservative intelligentsia -- the Republicans' best hope of attracting nonwhite voters. But then came vulgar Donald Trump. Rubio was savaged on everything from immigration to his height. On Tuesday night, Rubio, his campaign fading, lost his home state of Florida to the bigoted demagogue who makes scapegoats of foreigners and minorities. Bowing to the inevitable, Rubio ended his candidacy. By the time Rubio's campaign bus rolled to its final pre-primary stop -- an outdoor basketball court here where he played as a boy -- only a couple-hundred supporters were on hand, nearly equaled by the number of journalists on death watch. When Rubio spoke, the sound system failed, so he delivered his valedictory with a bullhorn. Rubio's voice sounded tinny, but his words were rich with nostalgia as he recalled knocking on doors when he ran for city commissioner here. "In between sips of sweet Cuban coffee, I heard the stories of their youth, of the dreams they lost," he said. "That has carried me every single day throughout this campaign, knowing that my worst days are better than some of the best days that many people in this community have had." These are not the best days for Rubio, or for anybody who cares about American democracy. The 44-year-old made mistakes during his campaign: freezing in the New Hampshire debate, failing to take on Trump earlier, then finally attacking Trump by joking about genitalia. Yet he finished honorably. He spoke reflectively Monday about Trump's brutal transformation of politics. This message should have been delivered much earlier, but it deserves to be heard even now. "Leadership is not about going to an angry and frustrated people and saying you should be even angrier and more frustrated, and you should be angry and frustrated at each other," Rubio told a gym full of Christian college students in West Palm Beach. "That's called demagoguery. And it's dangerous." It leads, he said, to "where we are today, a nation where people literally hate each other because they're voting for different candidates. ... And it leaves us incapable of solving problems." Trump tore up the norms of decency that remained in American politics, and Rubio expressed puzzlement that it worked. "My whole life I've been told being humble is a virtue, and now being humble is a weakness and being vain and self-absorbed is somehow a virtue," he said. "My whole life I've been told no matter how you feel about someone, you respect everyone because we are all children of the same God -- and now being respectful to one another is considered political correctness." Rubio voiced regret for his own role in the vulgarity, saying he "felt terrible" about it. Such remorse separates Rubio from Trump, who seems to have no shame as he blurts obscenities, delivers insults and winks at violence. "There are people, I know, who like this stuff because he says what they want to be able to say, [but] presidents can't say whatever they want to say," Rubio told the students, mentioning the harm to America's reputation that Trump has already done. "We're not a Third World country. We're the United States of America." That's the welcoming country to which Rubio's parents immigrated, settling among the shoe-box homes here in Cuban West Miami. "Everywhere I go I tell the story of this community of people, many of whom lost their country in their youth," Rubio said in his boyhood park, his kids beside him in the bed of his Dodge pickup. He spoke, in English, then in Spanish, with the requisite optimism, telling supporters he looked forward to moving his "caja china" -- Cuban barbecue -- to the White House. But Rubio's speech to his modest band had the ring of a farewell. "I will always be a son of this community. I will always carry with me the hopes and dreams of generations that made possible the dreams of mine," he said. His candidacy, he said, "was possible because you and I happen to live in the one place on Earth where even the son of a bartender and a maid from West Miami can be president." The Lincoln North Star boys and girls teams both posted runner-up finishes in the Kearney Invite at Cushing Fieldhouse on the University of Nebraska-Kearney campus. Tasneem Ali and Diana Lado won the 800 meters and mile, respectively, and Olivia Berks won the 55 hurdles for the Gators. The North Star girls 1,600 relay team also finished first, and Brooke Horner won the high jump. The Gator boys distance crew also had a good day. Nate Pierce won the 800 and Andru Hansen was second in the mile. North Star also added a title in the boys 3,200 relay, while Trevin Ball (55 hurdles), Mason Austin (long jump) and Austin Church (shot put) all added runner-up finishes. Kearney rolled to both team titles. * BULLDOG INVITE: Lincoln Christian junior Ashlyn Power won the 60- and 200-meter dashes as the Crusaders finished fifth in the Prairie Division at Concordia University in Seward. Power won the 60 in 8.4 seconds. Taytem Coleman added a win in the 800. The Crusaders boys also finished fifth. Nathaniel Sauberan won the 60 meters, Alex Schriener won the long jump and added a second in the 200. YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS.Canadian government has expanded the list of sanctions against Russia. Armenpress reports, the website of the Global Affairs of Canada informs about this. In order to maintain the efficacy of existing sanctions until Russia fully complies with its international obligations with respect to Ukraine, the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations have been amended to list 10 additional entities and two additional individuals in Schedule 1 that are subject to an asset freeze and dealings prohibition. The Russia Regulations have also been amended to expand the category of entities that may be subject to sanctions under Schedule 1. In addition, the Special Economic Measures (Ukraine) Regulations have been amended to list four additional entities and three additional individuals that are subject to an asset freeze and dealings prohibition. Sanctions are more effective when applied in coordination with partners. Canadas new measures align with recent actions taken by the United States and the European Union, reads the statement of Global Affairs of Canada. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] and the city of Ferguson, Missouri, filed a settlement agreement [text, PDF] on Thursday to conclude a lawsuit [complaint, PDF] brought by the federal government last month. The settlement proposes an overhaul of the Ferguson police force and municipal court system. In a statement [press release], Attorney General Loretta Lynch said, [t]he filing of this agreement marks the beginning of a process that the citizens of Ferguson have long awaitedthe process of ensuring that they receive the rights and protections guaranteed to every American under the law. City officials originally rejected the agreement, but were ultimately persuaded by a letter from the leader of the DOJs Civil Rights Division, Vanita Gupta. Gupta assured city officials that the financial burden of the reform implementation was initially overstated. Lynch first announced the lawsuit [JURIST report] alleging unjust policing in February. It was filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri [official website]. Included in the lawsuit are allegations that the police department and municipal court interfere with citizens First Amendment right to free expression, prosecute and resolve municipal charges in a manner which violates due process and equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment, and engage in discriminatory law enforcement conduct against African Americans in violation of both the Fourteenth Amendment and federal law. Ferguson gained international attention after the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown and the subsequent trial [JURIST report]. The response to the shooting set off massive protests and social unrest that cost millions of dollars. The French Senate on Thursday adopted a different version of a constitutional amendment [press release, in French] that would deprive French citizenship or rights attached to it from dual nationals convicted of terrorism, essentially blocking the measure. For the amendment to pass, the National Assembly and the Senate must agree [WP report] on the same text of the legislation and both chambers of Parliament [must] approve it by a three-fifths majority. The procedure must start over or be abandoned because the Senate approved a different version [changes, in French] than the one that the National Assembly approved last month, namely, that the defendant hold another nationality in addition to French citizenship to avoid statelessness. The vote [Le Monde report, in French] was 186-150 with 8 abstentions to adopt the article that the deprivation of nationality be reserved for only binational defendants. Earlier this month, JURIST Guest Columnist Dr. Sandra Mantu of Radboud University, discussed [JURIST op-ed] the Constitutional law to Protect the Nation in which a person could be deprived of French nationality or of the rights attached to it if her or she has been condemned for a crime or offense that constitutes a serious violation of the nations life. The proposed amendments [JURIST report] were a response to the terrorist attacks on Paris in November, which left nearly 130 dead. Organized in three teams, terrorists reportedly connected to the Islamic State (IS) [JURIST backgrounder] perpetrated attacks on six different targets in and around Paris. A UN rights expert commented that the attacks may amount to crimes against humanity [JURIST report]. [JURIST] The Georgia state legislature [official website] on Thursday approved a bill [text, PDF] to allow faith-based establishments, including churches, schools and other organizations, to refuse service or employment to same-sex couples based on their religious beliefs. While groups such as the Georgia Baptist Mission Board [advocacy website] see the bill as a First Amendment victory, opponents argue [CNN report] that the bill promotes discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Currently more than 400 businesses, including large corporations such as Microsoft and Virgin Atlantic, stand against the bill and could threaten Georgias status as a leading business state. The bill must still be signed by Governor Nathan Deal [official profile], who has recently implied that he has sympathies for the LGBT community. The Georgia legislature plans [Reuters report] to conclude their session regarding the bill next week. LGBT rights, as well as freedom of religious practice, remain controversial issues in the US. At least nineteen states have enacted some variety of religious freedom laws, most modeled after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act [text] signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1993. The Kentucky Senate on Tuesday approved a bill [JURIST report] allowing businesses to refuse service to gays and lesbians based upon their religious beliefs. Last Friday Missouri lawmakers approved a proposal [JURIST report] to provide similar religious protections to individuals and businesses in opposition to gay marriage. Following the US Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges [JURIST report] in June, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis refused to issue [JURIST report] marriage licenses, arguing that her Christian faith should exempt her from issuing the licenses to same-sex couples. Also in June North Carolina lawmakers passed SB 2, a law that permits magistrates to refuse to perform same-sex marriages on religious grounds, overriding a veto [JURIST reports] by Governor Pat McCrory. [JURIST] The Dusseldorf District Court [official website, in German] ruled on Wednesday that Apple products infringe upon video streaming patents belonging to the Kudeleski Group [official website], a Swiss security company. In 2014 Kudeleski filed [press release] three patent suits against Apple concerning various products including iOS mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, and iPod), Apple TV, App Store, and OS X-based personal computers. Apple currently faces [Reuters report] a fine of 250,000 per violation and will be subject to injunction once Kudeleski posts security. If Apple does not seek a licensing deal with Kudeleski, the company may be forced to disable the violating streaming services or pull their products from German stores. Though Apple has filed two nullity cases in a Munich court to invalidate the patents, the German district court stated that success is unlikely. An oral hearing for nullification may be held early in 2017. Apple also faces a similar patent case filed [complaint, PDF] by Kudeleski in the US, which is currently pending. Earlier this month a judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York denied a Department of Justice (DOJ) request to order Apple to disable the security of an iPhone that was seized during a drug investigation. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein has urged authorities [JURIST report] to understand that a ruling against Apple in the US would set precedent worldwide and make it impossible for Apple or any other major IT company to safeguard their clients privacy anywhere in the world. In February Apple filed [JURIST report] a brief in the US District Court for the Central District of California in opposition of the US governments request for the company to unlock the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter, Syed Rizwan Farook. Counsel for Apple called the case unprecedented after the DOJ filed [JURIST report] a motion to compel Apple to unlock the encrypted iPhone. In response to the legal conflict, Apple asked [JURIST report] the US government to create a panel of experts to discuss issues of security versus privacy. These developments came after Apple refused the initial court order to assist the government in unlocking the iPhone. The court order required [JURIST report] Apple to supply software to the FBI to disable a self-destruct feature that erases phone data after 10 failed attempts to enter the phones password. Environmental law firm ClientEarth filed [press release] a lawsuit on Friday against the government of the UK for its alleged failure to combat illegal air pollution. The law firm filed papers stating that the UK experiences 40,000 early deaths from air pollution every year and that the government is in breach of a Supreme Court order to clean up air quality, having failed once against to take appropriate action in the face of this public health crisis. ClientEarth filed the suit at the High Court in London, named the UK Environment Secretary as the defendant, and named ministers from Scotland and Wales, the Mayor of London, and the Department for Transport as interested parties in the case. Last year, the Supreme Court held [judgement, PDF] in favor of ClientEarth and ordered the government to submit new air quality plans to bring down air pollution. The new lawsuit asks [Guardian report] the court to strike down those plans and to order the government to create new ones. The law firm says [Reuters report] that the first plans were inadequate to decrease nitrogen dioxide emissions. In the US last month, more than 200 members of Congress filed [JURIST report] an amici curiae brief in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, challenging the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over regulations on carbon dioxide emissions. Also last month, the US Supreme Court ordered [JURIST report] that the Obama administration delay enforcement of the Clean Power Plan (CPP) pending a resolution to legal challenges. The request to block the implementation of the CPP was made in late January, with states insisting [JURIST report] that the plans implementation would create a burden on states. In June the Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] 5-4 that the EPA could not make regulations regarding the toxic emissions of power plants without considering costs. [JURIST] UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and UN High Commissioner Zeid Raad Al Hussein [official profiles] on Friday expressed concern [statement, text] over increased violence and rights violations in Burundi, and called for an inclusive political dialogue to end the 11-year struggle. Speaking to the council about his trip to Burundi last month, the Secretary General stated, I cannot stress enough the profound humanitarian consequences that political unrest, violence and impunity carry for the population. Addressing the UN Security Council, the UN officials laid out a plan for the East African Community (EAC), the African Union (AU) [official websites] and the UN to work together as mediators, and called on the Burundi government to summon the necessary courage and confidence to open the political process. Violence in Burundi began in the wake of President Pierre Nkurunzizas announcement that he would seek a third term of office, which he was voted into [JURIST report] in July. In January, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report stating that Burundian authorities barred entry into Burundi to independent rights experts dispatched by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate violations in the nation. Also in January, Zeid Raad Al Hussein warned [JURIST report] of increasing violence in Burundi. In December, the UN Human Rights Council approved [JURIST report] a resolution to dispatch experts to investigate human rights violations in Burundi, condemning violence in the country, use of excessive force by officials and restrictions on freedoms. In November the UN Security Council unanimously adopted [JURIST report] a resolution condemning the political violence and killings currently afflicting Burundi. [JURIST] A Northern Virginia man pleaded guilty [statement of facts, PDF] Friday to attempting to provide the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) [BBC backgrounder] with material support and to attempting to join the terror organization. Joseph Hassan Farrokh was arrested at Logan International Airport in January after he inadvertently discussed his plans to join ISIS with an FBI informant. Farrokh was arrested with Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan, with whom Farrokh spoke openly with about plans to join ISIS. By pleading guilty in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia [official website] and accepting [press release] a plea agreement [text], Farrokh faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release. ISIS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and simply the Islamic State (IS), has been accused of war crimes on a massive scale in Iraq and Syria. Earlier this week, US Secretary of State John Kerry, in a speech at the State Department, declared [JURIST report] that the Islamic State is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control, including Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims. Shortly before, the US House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution [JURIST report] denouncing the actions of IS as genocide and calling for the establishment of international and domestic tribunals by UN member states. In December Amnesty International said that the Islamic State is in possession of a large and lethal arsenal [JURIST report] due to decades of reckless arms trading and the poorly regulated international flow of weapons into Iraq. In November IS claimed responsibility [JURIST report] for a series of coordinated attacks in Paris that killed more than 120 individuals. YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. There are 12 foreign citizens among the injured from the blast that occurred in Istiklal Street of Istanbul on March 19, Armenpress reports, citing Anadolu agency, Mehmet Muezzinoglu, Minister of Health of Turkey, announced. He said that all the victims are citizens of Turkey. 36 people were injured as a result of the blast. The condition of 7 of them is critical, and 4 of the injured are now being operated, the Turkish Minister said. The Governor of Istanbul Vasip Sahin has told the media that 5 people have died as a result of the explosion, including the suicide bomber. CNN Turk had informed earlier that 10 of the injured were police officers. Turkish authorities have announced that supposedly the suicide bomber had links with Kurdish groups. Identical terror act occurred in the Turkish capital of Ankara on March 13, which claimed lives of 37 people. Three terror acts occurred in Ankara during the last 5 months. British Prince Harry to arrive here on Saturday British Prince Henry Charles Albert David 'Harry' is arriving in Kathmandu on Saturday, undertaking his five-day-long official tour of Nepal. 141 schools told to close The Lamjung District Education Office (DEO) has ordered closure of 141 schools, citing inadequate number of students. British Prince Harry arrives in Kathmandu (in photos) Prince Henry of Wales 'Harry' has arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday for his five-day-long official tour of Nepal. Building an art movement Artists attempting to push the boundaries of their craft typically find themselves preaching to the converted, which in the long term creates an arts community that is insular and self-congratulatory Cotton industry in Nepalgunj catches fire Property worth Rs10 million was gutted when Balaji Cotton Industry caught fire in Nepalgunj on Saturday morning. Green Climate Readiness Programme launched The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) signed a new project on Friday to support the Government of Nepal (GoN) in strengthening its national capacities NA takes valuable advice on disaster preparedness The Multinational Planning Augmentation Team Tempest (MPAT) Express-28 workshop, a consortium of military officials from 18 countries, concluded in Kathmandu on Friday, making numerous recommendations to Nepal government and Nepal Army (NA) on disaster preparedness. Prithvi Man Shrestha is a political reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering the governance-related issues including corruption and irregularities in the government machinery. Before joining The Kathmandu Post in 2009, he worked at nepalnews.com and Rising Nepal primarily covering the issues of political and economic affairs for three years. Police start direct supervision of LPG distribution Nepal Police has started direct supervision of supply and distribution of cooking gas amid complaints that consumers have not been able to buy LPG cylinders despite improved imports. Reclaiming possibilities Students are getting educated out of their creative capacities. School curricula have very little space where students can make meaningful connections with their personal lives. Creativity and learning are innate to humans. But if the process is not engaging, if the emphasis is skewed YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. The capture of a suspect in the 2015 Paris attacks is "a major blow" to the Islamic State (IS) group in Europe, France's interior minister has said. Armenpress reports citing BBC, Bernard Cazeneuve said security forces had managed to "incapacitate several individuals who are clearly extremely dangerous and totally determined". France is seeking suspect Salah Abdeslam's extradition from Belgium. He was wounded and arrested in a dramatic raid in Brussels on Friday after four months on the run. Some 130 people were killed and dozens wounded in multiple attacks in Paris on 13 November. IS said it carried out the shootings and bombings. Senior security officials both in France and Belgium are meeting to assess the situation. Abdeslam, a 26-year-old French national born in Brussels, had lived in the Molenbeek district of the Belgian capital before the Paris attacks. He is believed to have returned to Belgium immediately after the attacks, in which his brother Brahim blew himself up. Security scheme proposed for Upper Karnali Investment Board Nepal (IBN) has proposed setting up an integrated security mechanism at the National Security Council to protect the property of the under-construction Upper Karnali Hydropower Project which has been repeatedly attacked by vandals. The council is chaired by the prime minister. Tarai forces draw Chinas attention to their agendas The Madhes-based parties have submitted a letter to Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Wu Chuntai in an effort to draw Beijings attention toward the Madhes Movement. The parties, which have been demanding greater autonomy for the plains, have also sought Chinas support for the agendas of the agitating Madhesi and Janajati communities. UK Prince Harry arriving today British Prince Harry will land in Kathmandu on Saturday on his five-day official tour of Nepal. Violence takes centre stage in HRC Commending Nepals adoption of a majority of the recommendations made during the 23rd Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session last November, the National Human Rights Commission has urged the government to investigate into rights violations during the Tarai unrest in keeping with its commitment to the UN Human Rights Council of safeguarding human rights. Wont play one neighbour against other Two days before embarking on a weeklong official visit of China, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Friday said Nepal would not play any neighbouring country against another. The DeKalb Central school district has received a $75,000 Digital Learning Grant from the Indiana Department of Education. The districts technology team, from left, consists of Nick Payton, Amy Neal, Amy Norton and Kelly Hudson. Hulk Hogan may have earned his biggest victory in or out of the ring on Friday when a St. Petersburg, Florida jury awarded him $115 million in his invasion of privacy lawsuit against Gawker Media, which published clips of a 2012 sex tape he made with the wife of one of his friends. The professional wrestling and reality TV superstar sued the company that same year, seeking damages for defamation, loss of privacy and emotional pain. The jury, made up of four men and two women, deliberated for six hours before reaching its verdict. Gawker founder and CEO Nick Denton and A.J. Daulerio, who was the sites editor-in-chief at the time, were both found personally liable in the case. Upon hearing the decision, Hogan (whose real name is Terry Bollea) began to cry. Gawker and its lawyers apparently anticipated the verdict and has been preparing an appeal, believing that was the companys best chance at winning. Denton said as much in a statement issued shortly after the jury announced its decision. Statement from @gawker founder: on to the appeals court pic.twitter.com/VXGzeqXTP8 Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) March 18, 2016 The key evidence Denton referred to in his statement were unsealed court records that included text messages between Hogan and Todd Alan Clem (known as shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge) whose wife was in the sex tape with Hogan Clems testimony during his deposition, what FBI investigators were told by Gawker, and a $5,000 settlement agreement between Hogan and Clem. However, Florida Circuit Judge Pamela Campbell ruled before the trial that the evidence couldnt be used in the trial, a decision seen as working in Hogans favor. The sex tape in question was not shown to jurors, other than the one-minute, 41-second excerpt which Gawker published. Obviously, some of those funds will now be used toward the appeal, which could take a few years to complete. Gawker will first move for new trial and judgment notwithstanding verdict & ready appeal to Florida district court of appeal Wendy Thurm (@hangingsliders) March 19, 2016 Denton, Daulerio and former Gawker managing editor Emma Carmichael argued during their testimony that the Hogan sex tape footage was a public matter open to journalistic coverage and not an example of gratuitous voyeurism. Hogan attorney Kenneth Turkel countered during closing arguments that this wasnt journalism by Gawker, but morbid and sensational prying. In particular, he cited a 2013 Hollywood Reporter interview with Denton in which the Gawker founder said invasion of privacy has incredibly positive effects on society. Having to potentially pay out $100 million was viewed as a crippling development for Gawker, which had taken steps in recent months to seek outside investors and sell a minority stake in the company. Not only were the funds necessary for Gawkers defense in the Hogan trial, but the investment provides capital for video and e-commerce ventures as the site has shifted its focus from New York media and gossip to politics. As reported by CNNs Tom Kludt, the $115 million awarded to Hogan breaks down to $55 million for economic injuries and $60 million for emotional distress. Amazingly, Hogan could be getting even more from the jury, as punitive damages have yet to be decided. The jury will meet again next week to consider that argument. Were coming back on Monday for the rest of it, Hogans attorney David Houston told reporters outside the courtroom. Hogan was seeking $100 million in his original lawsuit. [New York Times] I think Islam hates us, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump confidently asserted. I have many images in my head that say its true. Here are two: Muslims praising Allah as they pilot airplanes into the Twin Towers and, secondly, Muslims shouting death to America as they burn our flags in the streets of the Middle East. I had no knowledge of Islam or personal experience of Muslims to challenge these images. I knew next to nothing about Islam. I not only had no friends who are Muslims, I didnt even count any among my acquaintances. I have been uneasy about this for many years. About 10 years ago, I bought a book titled Islam for Dummies. I put it in a stack of books on my floor titled in my head read soon. Soon happened two months ago. I learned in the book that jihad typically translated as holy war in the West basically means striving or struggle. The greatest jihad in the Quran is that of the heart against the nafs, ones lower nature. Also there is the jihad of the hand causing one to engage in action to achieve justice. Last comes jihad of the sword the military struggle on behalf of God. Clearly some Muslims go to this last understanding of jihad. Before we judge all Muslims, however, we Christians need to look at our own Bible and own history. The Bible reports many incidences of Gods people waging war on behalf of God. In our own Christian history, we have the Crusades. We really dont have to go back that far. When we invaded Iraq, I heard some Christians assert that it was Gods will that we do this. Certainly not all Christians, but more than a few. In this war, tens of thousands of Muslims were killed. For these Christians, was it their version of a holy war? Still one month ago, I had more knowledge of Islam, but no Muslim friends. After a presentation by a guest Muslim to our La Crosse Interfaith Justice and Peace Network, I became a part of a group to support our Muslim neighbors from the fallout locally over Trumps policy to keep Muslims out of our country. I now know six Muslims who Im proud to say are my friends. I know some may think it is too soon to assert this, but I am confident that its not. I find them caring, thoughtful, peaceful and compassionate U.S. citizens who deeply care about what effect Islamophobia will have on their children and how they will be treated. Our group received a letter from the Greater La Crosse Muslim Community addressed to their Dear Christian Brothers and Sisters. In it, they thank us for our continued love and friendship. They state that their greatest fear is the effect that the (anti-Muslim) rhetoric may have on our relationship with our community, our beloved neighbors and our efforts to make this a better place to live for all Being part of this community has been an honor for all of us, and we are blessed to call it our home. In the letter they also remind themselves of Muhammads eternal and universal promise in 628 A.D. to a delegation from St. Catherines monastery that as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them and will defend them. Except for Native Americans, we are all immigrants or descendants of immigrants. Most of us have experiences of discrimination in our family narrative. In mine, there is the story of a cross being burned in the front yard of my Catholic grandfather who came from Italy. If you have such a story, I invite you to reflect deeply about it. From it, you may find empathy and compassion for our Muslim neighbors. If you want to know more about the source of anti-Muslim rhetoric, we invite you to attend a presentation by Cory Saylor, titled The Rise of Islamophobia in the U.S., from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Monday, April 4, in Room 1309 of Centennial Hall on the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse campus. He will give a presentation for about 50 minutes, using the remaining time for questions and answers. What do we want the current image, or symbol, of the United States to be? Is it the Statue of Liberty or Trump Tower? Is it open hands or closed walls? Is it generosity or greed? Is it humility or arrogance? We have to decide. PLEASE NOTE! Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate! All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited! (One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!) It all started when some Flagstaff members of Rotary took a cultural exchange trip to Bangladesh in 2013. Two years later, as a result of that trip, 193 orphans and women in Bangladesh have skills that got them jobs and the possibility for a better life. I think everyone is very proud because we had a hand in this very successful project, said Tonya Watson, Ph.D., Rotary District 5510 governor-elect and past president of Rotary Club of Flagstaff. Watson was among the Flagstaff Rotarians who made that cultural exchange trip in 2013. The small group spent five weeks in Bangladesh visiting Rotary clubs and the humanitarian projects that interested them. Rotary International, which supports clubs around the world, has about 1.2 million members, and the service organization brings together business and community leaders dedicated to providing humanitarian service and to advancing goodwill and peace across the globe. Watson said one of the Rotary projects her exchange group visited was an orphanage in Dhaka, which had been started by a Bangladeshi Rotary club in 1994. We visited it and one of the things they approached me about was help with funding to train some of the orphans, especially the girls, Watson said. She added that to be female in Bangladesh is a disadvantage when it comes to securing livelihood for families. She took the information back to the Flagstaff Rotary Club, and soon, she had $9,000 in donations that the club was able to receive matching funds from Rotary that grew to $43,000. And $43,000 goes a long way in Bangladesh, Watson said. The funding helped renovate an unused part of the orphanage that had been used for storage. Electricity and running water were added. Walls were painted. The funding also helped with the purchase of new sewing machine equipment to train orphans and destitute women from a nearby village. Bangladesh, Watson said, is the second-largest producer of garments next to China. The funding also helped pay for two professional trainers. During a 16-month period, Rotarians in Bangladesh offered four different classes to 50 people in each class. Of the 200 who entered the training, 193 graduated, and local Rotarians helped the graduates with job placement. The best part of all, Watson said. One hundred ninety-three are employed today in safe, well-run factories. According to Watson, who personally toured the facilities, in Bangladesh, a fully employed garment worker can support a household of five people. That means that nearly a thousand lives were touched by the project. This is a very big deal, she added. Watson said that the project completed in January with a commitment from the orphanage authority that the project would be sustained for at least five more years at its own cost. The hope is the project will last longer. Rotary member Meredith Potts, who is the executive director of the Flagstaff International Relief Effort, said the Flagstaff clubs next international project will be in Mongolia. A much larger project, the Mongolian effort will attempt to conduct a liver cancer screening and prevention campaign for a whole province. The budget will be three times the size of the Bangladesh project. The Bangladesh project was made possible locally with the help of Rotary clubs in Flagstaff, Winslow, Payson and the northern Arizona district. Abe Feder, Rotarys northern Arizona district governor when the project began, said, Rotarians from two countries, the United States and Bangladesh, have come together to fund and create this vocational project that will train both men and women and will affect the economic status of generations to come. For more information about the Rotary Club of Flagstaff, visit www.flagstaffrotary.org. The Rotary International website is www.rotary.org. The U.S. government is dealing with an epidemic of opioid use. Americans make up about 4.6 percent of the worlds population, but consume 80 percent of the worlds opioid supply. That information comes from the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. Opioids offer strong pain relief. But they are addictive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Taking too many or too much can be fatal. Forty Americans die every day from opioid prescription drug overdoses, said the CDC. This week, the center released new guidelines for relieving pain. It calls on family doctors to consider other pain relief options before prescribing opioids. Options should include high doses of anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Ibuprofen and aspirin, the CDC said. When doctors believe severe pain requires opioids, they should prescribe the lowest possible dosage, the CDC said. And patients should be told to exercise and take other steps that could get them off opioids, the agency said. CDC Director Tom Friedman said: Overprescribing opioids -- largely for chronic pain -- is a key driver of Americas drug-overdose epidemic. The CDC is not acting alone. President Barack Obama in February proposed $1.1 billion to increase treatment options for people addicted to opioids. And the U.S. Senate recently voted 94-1 to fund treatment programs. The U.S. presidential candidates have been asked about the problem at town halls and debates. The issue often came up in the first primary state of New Hampshire. New Hampshire has one of the highest opioid addiction rates in the United States. We can't be here in New Hampshire and not talk about the addiction problem, said Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at a town hall meeting. Not talk about the fact that there have been more deaths by overdoses than car crashes in this state. Republican candidate Donald Trump also spoke about opioid addiction during a New Hampshire rally. We are going to try and help the young people, and the old people, and the middle-age people, and everybody that got addicted, he said. The data show the problem of opioid addiction is growing. This is from a 2016 report prepared by the American Society of Addiction Medicine: Four of every five heroin users start by misusing prescription painkillers. 94 percent of people in treatment for opioid addiction said they turned to heroin because prescription opioids were far more expensive and harder to obtain. In 2012, doctors wrote 260 million opioid prescriptions enough to give every U.S. adult a bottle full of pills. Im Kathleen Struck. Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or share your views on our Facebook Page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story epidemic n. a situation in which a disease or problem spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people opioids n. a pain reduction drug that is very addictive addictive adj. causing a strong and harmful need to regularly have or do something prescription n. a written message from a doctor that officially tells someone to use a medicine. guidelines n. advice on how something should be done option n. something that can be chosen dosage n. the amount of a medicine, drug, or vitamin that should be taken chronic adj. continuing pain over a long period of time Military pressure against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq has cost the terrorist group 22 percent of its territory in the past 15 months. About half of the loss has happened since the beginning of this year. The monitoring group IHS said the militants are, in its words, increasingly isolated and being perceived as in decline. IHS said the terrorists have been pushed back in northern Syria between Raqqa -- claimed by the Islamic State -- and the Turkish border. Airstrikes by Russia and a coalition led by the United States have freed important border crossings. Kurdish and Sunni fighters have supported that coalition. The Islamic State terrorist group controls only a small area of Syria, where it smuggles supplies and fighters from Turkey. At the same time, pro-government forces in Iraq also regained territory. The army -- and Sunni and Shiite militias -- took back control of Ramadi. Iraq also plans to try to retake Mosul in the north. The militants have held the city for more than a year and a half. The international community has noted the need for a unified fight against the Islamic State militants. It says if the Syrian government and rebels sign a peace agreement, their armies and weapons can be used in the fight against the IS militants. Between 250,000 and 470,000 people have died in Syria -- and millions have fled the country -- in the past five years. There has been little progress to end the countrys civil war. UN-led peace talks were held in Geneva, Switzerland this week. Im Anne Ball. VOANews.com reported on this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story isolated adj. separate from others perceive v. to notice or become aware of (something) smuggle v. to move (someone or something) from one country into another illegally and secretly militia n. a group of people who are not part of the armed forces of a country but are trained like soldiers From Washington, this is VOA News. Im Steve Karesh reporting. Three policemen have been killed in an attack on security forces in Niger, near the border with Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mali. Niger's Ministry of Defense made the statement on public TV on Thursday. In an earlier attack, three members of Niger's defense forces were wounded and five suicide bombers were killed on Wednesday in an ambush in the Diffa region that authorities have blamed on Boko Haram. The attacks come just before Niger voters go to the polls on Sunday for a presidential runoff. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says the "tide of migrants" seeking refuge in Turkey and the European Union is not an issue for bargaining, but an issue of humanitarian values. He made the comments Friday before sitting down with European Union leaders to work out a deal for transferring tens of thousands of migrants from the EU to Turkey. "For us, for Turkey the refugee issue is not an issue of bargaining, but an issue of value -- humanitarian values as well as European values. Turkey has received 2.7 million refugees without any significant assistance from anybody." In a deal met with criticism by human rights advocates, the EU is expected to promise Turkey limited visa-free travel and an accelerated path to EU membership. A U.S. military spokesman is dismissing Taliban claims that they shot down a NATO aircraft. The spokesman said that a helicopter made a 'hard landing' in southern Afghanistan on Friday. All personnel on board were recovered with no casualties. He later added that the incident is under investigation. It happened in the restive Helmand province, where hundreds of U.S. troops have recently arrived. This is VOA. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Newscast TV n. short for television ambush n. a surprise attack region n. area authorities n. officials polls n. voting centers presidential runoff n. an election involving the two top candidates for president tide n. the flow of the oceans water as water levels rise or fall migrant n. people who go from one place to another, usually for economic reasons bargaining n. negotiations over the terms of an agreement transferring n. movement; transport significant adj. very important or major advocate n. supporter; activist accelerated adj. of or related to moving faster or speeding up aircraft n. an airplane or other vehicle that flies on board phrase in or on a train, airplane or other vehicle casualty n. someone who is hurt or killed during an accident, war or attack restive adj. showing nervousness or a lack of patience We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. Kit Metzger at Flying M Ranch isnt the only Coconino County rancher to find cattle lying dead on their land with parts of their bodies missing. And mutilations arent the only possible cause of the strange incisions and body part removals. Thats the message from Lt. Randy Servis, a regional supervisor with the Arizona Department of Agricultures animal service division. Servis has been investigating suspected cow mutilations around the county for more than two decades. The cases on Metzgers ranch resemble a rash of cases he investigated in the early 1990s, Servis said. Over three years Servis, who was a ranch deputy for the Coconino County Sheriffs Office at the time, helped investigate about 100 cases of suspected cattle mutilations and determined 20 or 30 of them to be human-caused. Those cattle had several features in common that Servis said indicates they were cut by a human hand. First, there is a lack of blood on the ground and in the carcass, which wouldnt be the case if other animals were picking at and eating at the dead cow, Servis said. Second, one or more organs have been removed with clean, circular cuts unlikely to be caused by scavengers. Lastly, a piece of the face lip, nose, cheek or something else has been removed from the head of animal, Servis said. Many other times, though, humans have nothing to do with what seems like unnatural incisions in a cow, Servis said. Scavengers tend to enter a carcass via the softest areas of the animal like the anus, eyes, udder or vagina, which explains why those areas would seem to be carved out of the animal, he said. As a dead cows hide dries out it contracts and distorts, which can make teeth or claw marks appear less visible and more like a sharp cut made by a person, he said. Bruce Higgins, a retired land management planner on the Kaibab National Forest, said those facts and others make him doubt that humans are responsible for any of the suspected mutilations. I would think if this was something regular or some cult or something that somebody would have been caught in the past 36 years, said Higgins, who investigated a suspected cow mutilation in New Mexico in 1979 and has done research on the issue. Servis was reluctant to speculate about why no suspects have been apprehended in similar cases. Just because there is no suspect doesnt mean a crime hasnt been committed, he said. Other people are welcome to think what they think but they didnt investigate the crime. The case Higgins investigated was in New Mexicos Santa Fe National Forest. Vultures were on the cow when he found it, Higgins said, suggesting they were responsible for the odd intrusions into the carcass. Turkey vultures have weak bills. They cant just tear into a carcass so they go for eyes, anus, penis, he said. The birds also tend to encircle the spot they are feeding on so they end up creating more or less round openings, Higgins said. That New Mexico case was one of hundreds of others across the West, Midwest and Plains in the 1970s that attracted wide media attention and were investigated by the FBI. The issues are similar to those officials are dealing with today. Documents from the Albuquerque-area cases state that officials considered the possibility of both predatory activity and human-caused mutilations, though no suspects were found and the FBIs investigation was closed at the end of 1979. Another 1975 memo about mutilations in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota reported that state veterinarians contend dead animals were eaten by other animals or varmints, believed to be foxes due to their sharp side teeth, which were described as shearing teeth like scissors. NOT THE ONLY ONE In the 1990s, Servis said the calls about suspected cattle mutilations came from ranchers all around Flagstaff, from one near Ebert Mountain along Highway 180 to another out Lake Mary Road. It was ranchers saying we have a carcass that doesnt look right, he said. Many of the cattle that were suspected to have been cut by humans had been found within 24 hours, which meant scavengers wouldnt have had time to find them yet, he said. One of those investigations in particular gave a clue to how one bull and possibly other animals are killed. The animal had been dead only about six hours when Servis and others found it. Investigators tested the body for chemicals and determined the cow was anesthetized. An analysis of the carcass revealed a dart mark where the chemicals were likely injected, as well as evidence of a needle that was injected into the animals carotid artery in order to make the animal bleed to death, Servis said. The bulls carcass had little blood left in it when it was found and the fluid was likely collected because there was little on the ground around the animal, Servis said. The characteristics of the case are consistent with literature available to law enforcement about these events, he said. RECENT CASES The reports he received from Flying M Ranch about suspected cattle mutilations in 2014 and again in 2015 were the first Servis had heard about the issue since the 1990s. Servis has been the primary investigating agent on those cases. He has worked with the ranch for about 30 years and now makes regular visits to Flying M to conduct cattle inspections as part of his job with the Department of Agriculture. A few elements of the Flying M cows deaths make Servis suspect they were mutilated by humans. The female cow was found soon after she died and had no signs of scavenging but was missing her anus, vagina and udder, he said. The udder also appeared to be hastily removed with jagged cuts and a large chunk of hide on the belly removed as well, he said. A male bull found a few weeks later had part of its nose and upper lip removed as well as its scrotum, anus and penis. Servis is sure everything but the anus was the work of humans. There were cut marks visible in the hide, he said. Plus, scavengers dont tend to remove hide off of a cows face, he said. Metzger added that she sees the work of scavengers on her cattle often and knows those signs well. These, on the other hand, were straight lines and there was no evidence of blood, footprints or signs of the animals entrails being dragged off, she said. I have seen plenty of animals that have been scavenged on and this looks entirely different, Metzger said. I have never ever seen a scavenger eat like that. While the Forest Service and the Coconino County Sheriffs Office are aware of the investigations, they have only served in support roles, officials with both agencies said. From our understanding, there has been a slight increase over the past summer of these cases, but we dont track the numbers exactly, Coconino National Forest Spokesman Brady Smith wrote in an email. A look back at life and what we can remember is the love we share in our relationships. Our entire lives revolve around nothing but our families, close friends and maybe some co-workers. But just sometimes, there are people at the far end of the world whom we might have met during the course of time, who become an integral part of our lives. Every relationship, be it of any nature, runs on love and as and when, two people meet; they become a part of each others life journey. Even in the fast-paced lives we live, it is the quality time we spend with our parents, children, spouse, childhood friends or neighbors, that ultimately helps us build stronger bonds and enhance our living. Materialistic gains do not and cannot give us the joie de vivre that our lives and relationships need. Just like our bodies need blood to function, our relationships are fuelled by love. This could be a relationship with a person we like to meet or even a place that intrigues and fascinates us. When two people cross paths, and tread some of their lives together, they become companions for life, even though they may not be physically together always. The two people are then bonded by pure love and memories that are for a lifetime! In their attempt to spread the message of how a relationship is formed and fuelled by love, British Airways has come up with a heartwarming video based on a true story that will melt your heart. Watch a young UK-based cabin crew member bond with an ordinary elderly Indian woman (a very relatable grandmotherly figure) in her maiden trip to India, creating endless memories to resonate with her on all her future flights and shaping a story of care, thoughtfulness, attachment and forever love. This is a sponsored post. Kabir Edmund Helminski is the director of the Threshold Society and has been working within the Mevlevi tradition of Sufism for about thirty years. Kabir who has translated many volumes of Sufi literature, including numerous works of Rumi, and is the author of two books, Sufism: Living Presence and A Sufi Way to Mindfulness and the Essential Self was present at the World Sufi Forum and spoke to Firstpost about his journey from being a Catholic to a follower of Sufism and Islam. In popular discourse there are so many distortions regarding Islam. This, to an extent, is because of the violent acts of extremism and terrorism attributed to it. How can this be corrected? It is finally a time to raise a banner of Sufism for people to see and for Sufis to learn how to communicate better about what their values are. There is also an urgent need for us to address the distortions of Islam that have come through the actions of extremists, who are often manipulated for political purposes and are often proxies ignorant and motivated by their rage. They are victims too and they do not understand Islam. They have received one-dimensional and misinterpreted views of Islam. There are many such ideas. If you look at what Salafis have to say. They have lot of external details, but in terms of anything for the spiritual life of humanity, they have very little to offer. Sufism, on the other hand, has such a rich treasury of wisdom and it is so diverse. But at the same time, it is so unified and coherent. At centre of all the great Sufi writers' conscience there is something very divine because Islam itself, if properly understood, has a very harmonious message. When I meet Sufis from India, Bosnia, Malaysia, and Russia or in California, we meet on the same page. I dont need an external authority to control our thoughts and beliefs. There is a very natural unity because of a very deep coherence and this is beautiful. You can find universal brotherhood. Many Muslims today surprise me as they are reaching out to different communities and faiths, and welcoming them. This is the original Islam. Because originally, Islam was a radical inter-faith movement and people do not know this as they do not know the history. In the beginning, Islam spread like wildfire in its first 100 years. It spread to most unknown parts of the world from Europe to Asia, because it integrated in itself Christian sects, Judaism and Zoroastrian sects, and said that if you believe in the divine, if you want to live a just life and you are not going to be subject to untamed passion and religious privileges, then you are one of us. It was an inclusive inter-faith movement. We can get back to that now and say that we are one as a humanity. The diversity in culture and religion is part of the divine plan. This is Quranic. God's plan is not to have monopoly on truth. Muslims understand this today. There is so much in Islam that can attract people to live a life of compassion and love, and still, the youth drift towards organisations like the Islamic State (IS). Why is it happening? How can it be stopped? It is a tiny population in a world where civil society is destroyed; where children are growing without traditional Islamic values and beautiful traditions of Islamic culture. They have become nihilistic. There is a similar phenomenon in Central America today, I expect it has no religious justification. You think IS is about Islam? No. It was rather consciously modelled on a secret communist police structure and then has an overall Islamic link. So it is nihilistic and is totally opposed to Islam. It has just the packaging of Islam and people mistake packaging for essence. Most of the religions have customs that perpetuate gender discrimination; one among them being disallowing women form certain places of worship. Dargahs are places where people from all faiths are allowed. But at some places, they too restrict the entry of women. Why does Sufism that is so accommodating allow this? This is a cultural phenomenon and not intrinsic to Islam. There is nothing in Islam that supports it. It is a cultural phenomenon particularly in South Asia and the Arab world, but in other places, it is not quite like this. There is a certain kind of Islam that is spreading the fundamentalist Islam that is puritanical and misogynistic that has spread with the wealth of the Arab Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia. But it is not intrinsic to Islam and one day we will get rid of this. Please tell us about your journey through Sufism and Islam. Well, I was a seeker, born as a Catholic, experimented with Buddhism but eventually found Sufism as a beautifully integrated spirituality in which you live a practical useful life and at the same time, you are like a monk in everyday life as you are remembering your God. It is such a beautiful way of integrating the highest spiritual consciousness with a practical life. So it is a very experiential path that does not need much belief: You just live it and I feel westerners are very open and receptive to it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Spoke about Islam and Sufism at length at the inaugural function. To what extent do you agree with the points he made? The points he made were beautiful, clear and very positive, and it gave me a lot of hope not just for the India, but for the whole world. It is heartening to see that a leader of his magnitude was able to speak all these spiritual truths publicly and give this message to the Muslim community and the Sufi community. This was a historic event in the history of Sufism. It was remarkable. Shopping centres are reaping the benefits of having more specialty shops and less focus on department stores, which has seen turnover reach the $1 billion mark, says Shopping Centre News. The journal, seen as the industry bellwether, says in its annual Big Guns survey, that this year shows three centres exceeding the $1 billion mark, Chadstone, Westfield Sydney and Westfield Bondi Junction. Crowds at Chadstone Shopping Centre, which is performing strongly. Credit:Paul Jeffers Seven out of the Top 10 centres exceed the $900-million mark. Michael Lloyd, SCN's publisher, predicts that by 2020, all Top 10 Big Guns will have a moving annual turnover (MAT) over the $1 billion and within 10 years, he says, the $2-billion mark will have been cracked. We at the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project, a non-profit located here in Flagstaff, read with interest the editorial of Feb. 26, 2016 published in these pages and entitled Top predator release requires more public education. Our mission since we were established in 2004 has been to restore wolves to the Grand Canyon region by building public support for recovery through education and outreach. We would argue that there is significant public support already in the region, in part due to the efforts of our organization and others, and that that support is based on knowledge of the benefits wolves bring to ecosystems. A survey conducted in 2008 by Research and Polling Inc. found that 76 percent of respondents in Arizona agreed with the statement Wolves are of benefit to the West and help the balance of nature. While it is true that many of us wolf-supporters are passionate about restoring wolves to the region, it is a passion that comes from listening to what science can tell us about the vital importance of top predators to healthy, balanced landscapes. Each year since 2005 the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project has done extensive outreach in the region through school and public presentations and tabling at local events in Flagstaff and at the Grand Canyon. Last year alone we reached approximately 20,000 people through our education and outreach programs. We have an informed public, ready and willing to have wild wolves back in our region. The wolf hearing that the US Fish and Wildlife Service recently held in Pinetop was well attended and those speaking were overwhelmingly in support of pending wolf releases, as they have been at every opportunity to address our federal and state officials. In addition, a poll conducted in 2013 of Arizona voters by Tulchin Research found that more than 7 in 10, 72 percent, supported restoring wolves to suitable habitat in northern Arizona. We agree with the authors that public officials need to tone down the rhetoric, and, we would add, stick to the science. We take exception, however, to the authors go slow approach. The public accepts wolves and wants to see them recover. In addition, it has been 18 years since the Mexican wolf was reintroduced to Arizona and the population has struggled to gain a secure future. The first-step target of 100 wolves restored to the wild in Arizona and New Mexico set in 1982 was finally met just last year, 33 years later, only to fall below that number this year. Because of delays in new releases, the population of wild Mexican wolves is now unacceptably inbred according to experts. All Mexican wolves alive today are the descendants of just seven Mexican wolves that remained to start the captive breeding program. These factors contribute to the species becoming increasingly highly endangered. It is foolhardy to continue to delay releases and risk extinction, so narrowly avoided before. Now is the time for more releases. A cruise ship rescued 18 Cuban migrants off the Florida coast Friday morning, ending a dangerous voyage in which the migrants said nine other travelers died, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The migrants were picked up just west of Marco Island by Royal Caribbeans Brilliance of the Seas, which was bound for Cozumel, Mexico. The migrants, who said they had been at sea for 22 days, were to be treated for severe dehydration at that port of call, the Coast Guard said. The cruise ship reached land Saturday morning. Coast Guard officials said they had not yet been able to confirm the information about the deaths of the nine migrants. "Unfortunately, tragedy is all too common when taking to the sea in homemade vessels with no safety or navigation equipment," Coast Guard Captain Mark Gordon said in a statement. Gordon is in charge of enforcement for the guard's 7th District, which includes Miami. More attempts Illegal crossing attempts have risen steadily since U.S. and Cuban leaders announced efforts to renew diplomatic relations in December 2014, the Coast Guard said. Since the October 1 start of the fiscal year, 2,420 Cubans have attempted illegal crossings, the Coast Guard estimated, citing measures such as landings as well as interdictions in the Florida Straits, Caribbean and Atlantic. In February alone, 269 Cuban migrants tried to reach U.S. shores. While the United States turns back most migrants who arrive illegally, the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Law grants special privileges to Cubans fleeing the communist nation. Those who reach dry land in the United States are allowed to stay. Those who are intercepted at sea are returned to Cuba. Rumor on policy The increased attempts stem in part from a rumor that the U.S. will repeal this wet foot, dry foot policy, Coast Guard Petty Officer Mark Barney told VOA. But the Coast Guard statement emphasized immigration policies have not changed. Barney also said relatively calm seas have encouraged recent attempts at migration: The better the weather, the higher the flow. On Friday, the Coast Guard repatriated 42 Cuban migrants who had been interdicted in the Florida Straits earlier in the week. They were returned to Bahia de Cabanas, Cuba. The deal struck Friday between the European Union and Turkey to try to end the flow of migrants to Europe, does not say what should happen to the tens of thousands of refugees stuck in Greece. There are fears of a surge of migrant arrivals over the weekend before the restrictions come into force. Dawn at Piraeus port in Athens and the overnight ferry from Lesbos Island pulls into its berth. On deck, many of the passengers are taking in their first sight of mainland Europe. Invariably the migrants ambitions are to reach Western Europe. But with borders to the north closed, they may be too late. Muhammad was a lawyer in Syria but fled his home last month along with his sister and mother. The trip has cost him $6,000. His home is now a tent on the dockside. Im very sad. Now Im very sad. The situation is very complicated. And I dont know what I will do, if still Macedonia closes the border, he said. The deal struck Friday between the European Union and Turkey does not stipulate what should happen to the more than 46,000 refugees currently stuck in Greece. The new arrivals are not permitted to stay at the port but are put on buses and taken to refugee camps around Athens. Afghan national Faridoon says he fled his home after receiving death threats from the Taliban, because he worked with US armed forces in the country. I know the condition here but if it wasnt about, if my life wasnt in danger, I wouldnt leave my country in the first place, he said. Few of the refugees want to stay in Greece and Athens can barely afford to care for them. Volunteers are filling that gap for now. But a future home for these stranded, desperate people will have to be found soon. Early on a Friday afternoon, hundreds of people flock to Elston Avenue on this city's northwest side as the Islamic call to prayer resounds in the air. This section of North Elston lies in the 40th District of the Illinois General Assembly and is one of the state's most ethnically diverse areas. The district is home to three mosques. One, on Elston, is the Muslim Community Center, or MCC, where Saif Mazhar works and prays. Mazhar is not an immigrant he was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs but he doesn't always feel accepted. "I guess people look at me differently," he tells a VOA reporter inside the MCC's sprawling worship space. "Like if I was to go to like a store or restaurant, I kind of sometimes put my head down a little bit, so people don't look at me in, like, a terroristic way, or 'he looks like a terrorist,' you know?" The scenario is all too familiar to Imam Kamil Mufti of the Islamic Foundation of Peoria, a city about 100 miles southwest of Chicago. And it's getting worse. "The comments are coming, like 'all Muslims are terrorists,' or that Muslims celebrate 9/11," the anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States September 11, 2001, Mufti explains. "Or, 'Muslims are going to blow something up.'" Some of the most heartbreaking episodes occur among children at school, Mufti says. "It's not like regular bullying. It does something to people at a psychological level." Election season Islamophobia is a growing problem, Mufti says, and he blames that on the U.S. presidential campaign: "What numbers, statistics and polls tell us is that Islamophobia does not even peak after a terrorist criminal act. It peaks around election season." This election season has been filled with controversial comments directed at Muslims. Republican front-runner Donald Trump has called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States. Trump also said he would consider shutting down some U.S. mosques. "I don't think a lot of people understand what that rhetoric does to children, does to grownups, to women who choose to wear the headscarf and dress in more apparent religious garb," Mufti explains from his Peoria office. "There's a lot of fear because of the rhetoric, which is coming from top down." John Arena, an alderman in Chicago's 40th District, is worried, too. "We're having a conversation nationally about religion, about race, in some of the most divisive terms I've ever seen in my time watching politics," he says. Saif Mazhar's bigger concern is that harsh language encourages harsh hardens attitudes and encourages encourages more corrosive language and possibly actions. "I think the people that were kind of hidden are kind of outspoken now," he says. "They are talking more about it and I think he is influencing the minds of other Americans." Mosque open house Rather than sit quietly and allow such comments to go unchallenged, Imam Mufti decided to do something about it. In early March, Mufti opened the doors to the Islamic Foundation of Peoria facility for an interfaith event titled "Know Islam, Know Peace." It featured speakers from different religions from the Central Illinois Interfaith Alliance. Trump "said that if mosques are open, and Muslims have nothing to hide, why don't they open them?" Mufti says with disbelief. "That simply is not true! It defies facts. And I think this is the loudest way I could think of to send that message." Speakers touched on themes of tolerance, peace and respect. One of them, Illinois State Representative Jehan Gordon-Booth, said her Christian mother gave her a Muslim name to honor Jehan Sadat, wife of slain Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. "We don't have to compromise what we believe to show admiration and love for us all," she told hundreds gathered in the gymnasium. The event an overflow crowd, mostly of non-Muslims. Organizers offered a video live stream of the event to those who could not fit into the gym. "Mosques are not unwelcome places, they are not closed places, they are very open places and what essentially Muslims do in mosques is pray, play, socialize and have fun," Mufti explained. Friday prayers Back in Chicago, the large open space inside the Muslim Community Center is rapidly filling as the time for Friday prayers draws near. The surrounding hallways become just as packed as the prayer space. The crowded worship service hints at the size of Illinois' Muslim American population. Of the state's 12.8 million residents, more than 400,000 identified as Muslim, the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies reported in 2010. Their ranks are growing. The Pew Research Center earlier this year estimated the United States had approximately 3.3 million Muslims, about 1 percent of the population. The center predicts Muslims, the world's fastest-growing religious group, could equal the number of Christians worldwide by 2050. As Saif Mazhar prepares to settle in for Friday prayers, he says he hopes that visitors walk away with an understanding not only of his religion but of U.S. members of the faith. "We're all American, and we love America. And we're part of America." It is well-established among the gravitas-blessed male punditocracy that Hillary Clinton yells too much. She yells when shes happy. She yells when shes trying to make her voice louder. She yells when shes mad, which seems like always because she yells so much. She probably even yells when she drops something heavy on her foot. (The correct reaction is to choke back the undignified scream and punch a wall, a nearby tree or your closest golfing buddy.) Yell, yell, yell. Why cant she dial it down a few notches, say those of us man-pundits who are learned in the art of yelltiquette. Allow me to mansplain. Yelling was developed in England during the Middle Ages as a way for noblemen (there were only men at that time, women hadnt been invented yet) to be heard over the wailing of peasants. It evolved into a primary form of male communication used to express anger, outrage, sadness, joy, glee, merriment, pain and bliss. There was a great deal of yelling in the Middle Ages. Once women came along, some tried to raise their voices to be heard over the yelling of men. Thats when the phrase not ladylike was coined, by men, and a sensible and totally fair societal precedent was set: Men yelling = good and assertive. Women yelling (or raising their voices anywhere near the yell range, a decibel level determined by nearby men) = bad and unbecoming. And the rest, as I might yell if I want to, IS HISTORY!!! This should lend some perspective to the reaction many men had to Clintons victory speech in the wake of Tuesdays presidential primary wins. Fox News host Howard Kurtz tweeted: Hillary shouting her speech. She has the floor; a more conversational tone might be better for connecting with folks at home. I dont know what Clinton expects. Any right-thinking man knows that if a female candidate raises her voice in any way, its an expression of anger. Its like when a mother has the nerve to cheer for her child from the sideline of a game we all know shes just angry that she isnt the dad, who is presumably awesome and also on the sideline doing some perfectly appropriate yelling. You dont hear Clintons Democratic opponent Bernie Sanders or GOP frontrunner Donald Trump yelling, do you? No. They are merely gravitas-ing and expressing their anger in a manppropriate manner. I say that if Clinton wants to occasionally raise her voice or shout out to rally her supporters, she should do it in the privacy of her own home, assuming Bill gives her the all-clear. Because there is nothing more insulting to strong, in-no-way-threatened men than a woman who raises her voice. If we let that happen, we might hear her. And that could really shake up the order weve tried so hard to preserve. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will deploy a team of 70 observers led by former Guinean Prime Minister Kabine Komara, to monitor Benins presidential runoff poll on Sunday. The regional bloc said observers will be deployed in all the 12 departments of the country to monitor all pre-electoral, electoral and post-electoral operations, and to compile a report on the conduct of the election in the west-African nation. The presidential runoff poll will be contested between incumbent Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou and businessman Patrice Talon who respectively came first and second during the first round of the presidential elections on March 13, 2016. Benin was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to make the transition from dictatorship to multi-party democracy. The country produces cotton but its economy is flagging, in part because falling oil prices have hit its giant neighbor Nigeria. In power since 2006, incumbent President Thomas Boni Yayi is stepping down after two terms to comply with a constitutional term limit and solidify tiny Benins reputation as the giant of democracy in tumultuous West Africa. He has tried to position himself as a mediator in regional crises, including last years short-lived coup in Burkina Faso. via @learyreports The U.S. Senate passed legislation Thursday night to address the Zika virus, which continues to pop up in Florida. The legislation "would add the Zika virus to the Food and Drug Administrations Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher Program," according to a release from Sen. Bill Nelson's office. "When a company develops an FDA-approved treatment for one of the diseases on the priority list, it receives a voucher to fast-track the approval process for another drug of its choice. Adding the Zika virus to FDAs priority list creates an incentive for drug makers to accelerate their search for a cure." Four new cases of the virus were reported in Florida on Thursday. The bill was introduced by Sen. Al Franken and Nelson is among a handful of co-sponsors. It was approved by unanimous consent. We need to figure out a way to stop the spread of this virus sooner rather than later, Nelson said. This bill creates an incentive for drug makers to develop a vaccine as quickly as possible. There is a similar bill in the House. --ALEX LEARY, Tampa Bay Times During the recent parliamentary uproar regarding the apparent worship of the demon Mahishasur within the territory of the Peoples Democratic Republic of JNU, the word blasphemy" was thrown around quite a bit by many of the contestants. Blasphemy" is a term unfamiliar to the Indian legal and constitutional landscape, perhaps because the Indian judiciary has long emphasized the inclusive and plural nature of Hinduism, which makes a concept such as blasphemy incoherent. The Indian Penal Code (IPC) does have a provision, however, that can be reasonably approximated to an anti-blasphemy law: Section 295A of the IPC penalizes insulting the religion or religious beliefs of any class of citizens, if such insult is offered with the deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of that class. Like many of the other speech-based offences in the IPC (some of which we have considered in previous essays in this series), the origins of Section 295A lie in the colonial period, and were driven by colonial logic. At the risk of oversimplification, for many years, it was the express aim of the British to consolidate their rule by creating divisions between the religious communities of the subcontinent. Matters came to a head in north India in the 1920s, which saw sustained violence between Hindus and Muslims, ostensibly occasioned by the publication of tracts such as Rangeela Rasool, which mocked the Prophet Mohammed. The existing penal laws did not cover tracts that insulted or mocked religious figureheads, and this was perceived to be a serious lacuna. As scholar Neeti Nair records, it was with a view to control such religiously triggered violence, while assuring religious communities that their sentiments" were going to be protected, that Section 295A was drafted. Even at the time, the drafting committee voiced its doubts about the wide wording of the section, and predicted that it might come to be used to target not just the scurrilous scribbler", but also religious dissent and critique. History has proven those fears justified. Like the provisions of sedition and obscenity, which we have discussed in previous columns, Section 295A was also challenged in the early years of the Supreme Court, and like the other provisions, upheld by a court that very evidently privileged social order over civil liberties. In Ramji Lal Modi vs State of UP, decided in 1957, the editor of a cow-protection magazine had been booked under Section 295A, and he took his case all the way up to the Supreme Court, while challenging the constitutionality of the section itself. His argument was very simple. Article 19(2) of the Constitution only allowed for reasonable restrictions upon the freedom of speech in the interests of public order. Section 295A, however, cast its net much wider, by criminalizing all speech that was intended to outrage religious feelings. While, admittedly, there could be times when outraged religious freedom could cause public disorder, this was not necessarily true of every instance. In technical terms, this is called over-breadth": Section 295A was so broad that it covered speech that the state could legitimately regulate under the Constitution (i.e., speech causing public disorder) and speech that it couldnt (i.e., mere religious insult with no public disorder). The court got around this argument by engaging in a few linguistic contortions. It noted that the term in the interests of" was of very wide import (wider, for instance, than the phrase for the maintenance of"). This allowed the state wide leeway to gauge what kind of speech might threaten public order, and make laws regulating it accordingly. Any speech that might have a tendency" to lead to public disorder could be proscribed and penalized. The court then held that Section 295A did not cover all forms of religious insult, but only intentional insults. And it was the calculated tendency" of intentional insults to lead to public disorder. Therefore, the section was constitutional. In technical terms, this is known as a legal fiction"that is, the court assumes that a certain state of affairs exists for legal purposes, whether or not it actually does. The legal fiction in Ramji Lal Modis case was that an intentional insult offered up to religion would necessarily tend" to cause public disorder. Whether the constitutional right to free speech can be restricted on the basis of unproven assumptions, of course, is a different question altogether. Over the years, however, the link between Section 295A and public order has been gradually eroded. For instance, in a 2007 judgement called Baragur Ramachandrappa vs State of Karnataka, the Supreme Court upheld a ban on a historical-fictional retelling of the life of Basaveshwara, noting that no person has a right to impinge on the feelings of others on the premise that his right to freedom of speech remains unrestricted and unfettered. It cannot be ignored that India is a country with vast disparities in language, culture and religion and unwarranted and malicious criticism or interference in the faith of others cannot be accepted". If the original logic of 295Aand the basis on which the Supreme Court in the Ramji Lal Modi case upheld its constitutionalitywas public order, then in the Baragur Ramachandrappa verdict, it did a sharp volte-face, and more or less echoed the language of an unvarnished blasphemy law: what was being punished was not the effect of speech upon public order, but its allegedly anti-religious content. At this point, therefore, there is considerable conclusion about what Section 295A is really about. The controversy over Wendy Doniger, for instance, which involved 295A, was framed entirely in terms of causing religious offence, and not in the language of public order. Furthermore, the Supreme Courts jurisprudence on public order has also undergone widespread changes since the time of Ramji Lal Modi. In fact, merely three years after Modi, in Superintendent, Central Prison, Fatehagarh vs Ram Manohar Lohia, the Supreme Court emphasized that the state would have to show a close degree of proximity between the speech and public disorder, if it wanted to regulate it. In the Lohia case, a law criminalizing the act of asking people not to pay taxes was struck down, and the states argument that instigating people against paying taxes might prove to be a spark" that could one day cause a revolution was dismissed by the court for being a far-fetched" or hypothetical" consideration. Most recently, in Shreya Singhal vs Union of India, the Supreme Court held that only incitement" to violence could be prohibited under the public order ground, and even advocacy (of revolution, etc.) was permitted. Under a standard as strict as that of incitement", it is difficult to see how the language of Section 295A, which was upheld in the Modi case on the basis of a broad and vague tendency" test, remains within the scope of Article 19(2). In the present climate, however, it is as difficult to imagine the court reconsidering the constitutionality of the blasphemy" law, as it is to imagine it rethinking obscenity or sedition. Gautam Bhatia is a New Delhi-based lawyer. His book, Offend, Shock, or Disturb: Free Speech Under the Indian Constitution is available on Amazon. Case Studies is a series that looks at why we have the laws that we have and what it means to change them. Comments are welcome at feedback@livemint.com Topics Born in Nashik in 1883, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar is one of the most controversial figures in the history of the Indian Independence movement. His fraught relationship with the Congress party and Mahatma Gandhi, and his conceptualization of the idea of Hindutva and Hindu nationalism, lends him perennial relevance in Indian politics. However, as in the case of many other contemporaneous leaders, debates on Savarkar are often shallow because the bulk of his writing was in his mother tongue, Marathi. These essays have rarely been translated. In this first of a new series of translated journalism for Mint on Sunday, we publish translated excerpts from Savarkars speeches, interviews and essays. These provide insights into Savarkar, who died in 1966, as a modernist, a rationalist and a strong supporter of social reform. We would like to thank Ranjit Savarkar of the Savarkar Smarak in Mumbai, for giving us the permission to translate the originals. On film In this undated interview to a Marathi journalist that has been republished in a book of his essays, Vividha Lekh, or Various Essays, Savarkar spoke about the virtues of modern cinema. The movies are one of the beautiful gifts of the 20th century. This is the machine age. We are surrounded by things that have been made with the help of machines. The world of entertainment cannot be an exception to this rule. Please understand that I refuse to condemn the advances made in technology. I would like modern machines to spread rapidly so that the whole of humanity is happier." I dislike any restrictions on the innovative spirit of the human mind. That is because modern progress and modern culture have emerged out of innovation. The very essence of the progress made by humanity over the past many years in science and knowledge can be found in contemporary cinema. There is no better example of the use of modern technology than the movies, and that is why I will never back any restrictions on them." These remarks by Veer Savarkar are a stinging answer to the contempt with which Mahatma Gandhi has spoken about movies. When I asked Savarkar whether he was implicitly criticizing Gandhi, he asked me: Is there anything common between Gandhi and me?" I saw my first silent movie when I was a student in London, and I liked it immensely. I have seen some talkies as well, but not too many." I doubt the theatre can compete with the movies. It will barely survive in a corner just as the folk arts barely survive in our villages today. But its best days are behind it." There is no need to feel bad about this. What is the use of the wooden plough in the age of the tractor? The wooden plough will be used only where there are no tractors. I deeply oppose the charkha philosophy of going back to nature." Films are even superior to novels. However well written be the biographies of national heroes such as Shivaji, Pratap or Ranjit, there is no doubt their stories will be more enjoyable and impactful on the screen." Films can even be used to educate our youth. We see life reflected very well on screen. It is better to borrow a good thing rather than have nothing at all. But one should neither blindly copy the work of others." As in all other fields, it is essential that our people are nationalists in the field of cinema as well. Everything else comes after that. The film industry too should believe that it will do everything possible for the progress of the entire nation." Our movies should focus on the positives of the country, keep aside the negatives and have pride in its victories. There is no value in making movies on national defeat or on our failings. These should be forgotten. Our youth should be inspired by movies that focus on the positive side of things." On the Constitution of free India In his presidential address to the annual session of the Hindu Mahasabha held in Calcutta in 1939, Savarkar spoke about how Hindus and Muslims could bury their historical differences in a common Hindustani constitutional state. The National Constitution of Hindustan: The Hindu Sanghanists Party aims to base the future constitution of Hindustan on the broad principle that all citizens should have equal rights and obligations irrespective of caste or creed, race or religion, provided they avow and owe an exclusive and devoted allegiance to the Hindustani State. The fundamental rights of liberty of speech, liberty of conscience, of worship, of association, etc., will be enjoyed by all citizens alike. Whatever restrictions will be imposed on them in the interest of the public peace and order of National emergency will not be based on any religious or racial considerations alone but on common National grounds. No attitude can be more National even in the territorial sense than this and it is this attitude in general which is expressed in substance by the curt formula one man one vote. This will make it clear that the conception of a Hindu Nation is in no way inconsistent with the development of a common Indian Nation, a united Hindustani State in which all sects and sections, races and religions, castes and creeds, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Anglo-Indians, etc., could be harmoniously welded together into a political State on terms of perfect equality. But as practical politics require it, and as the Hindu Sanghanists want to relieve our non-Hindu countrymen of even a ghost of suspicion, we are prepared to emphasize that the legitimate rights of minorities with regard to their religion, culture and language will be expressly guaranteed: on one condition only that the equal rights of the majority also must not in any case be encroached upon or abrogated. Every minority may have separate schools to train up their children in their own tongue, their own religious or cultural institutions and can receive Government help also for these, but always in proportion to the taxes they pay into the common Exchequer. The same principle must, of course, hold good in case of the majority too. On Muslims and modernization At the very end of a sharp essay on the religious idiocies of the Hindus and Muslims, published in the May 1935 issue of the magazine Manohar, Savarkar asked Indian Muslims to for the sake of their humanity" learn from Turkey under Kemal Ataturk. Just as it is my duty to repeatedly tell the Hindu nation to abandon its silly religious customs, observances and opinions in this age of science, so I will also tell Muslim society, which is an inevitable part of the Hindustani nation, that it should abandon as quickly as possible its troublesome habits as well as religious fanaticism for its own goodnot as a favour to the Hindus, not because the Hindus are scared of your religious aggression, but because these practices are a blot on your humanity, and especially because you will be crushed in the age of science if you cling on to an outdated culture. You should abandon the belief that not even a word in the Quran can be questioned because it is the eternal message of God, even as you maintain respect for the Quran. But the norms that seemed attractive to an oppressed but backward people in Arabia at a time of civil strife should not be accepted as eternal; accept the habit of sticking to only that which is relevant in the modern age... Oh Muslims, just think what the Europeans reduced you to after they escaped from the clutches of the Bible, to master the sciences that are beneficial for our times. You were pushed out of Spain, you were subjected to massacres, you were crushed in Austria, Hungary, Serbia and Bulgaria. Your control over Mughal India was snatched away. They are ruling you in Arabia, Mesopotamia, Iraq and Syria. Just as our yagnyas, prayers, Vedas, holy books, penances, curses could not harm the Europeans, so too will your Quran, martyrdoms, namaaz, religious lockets will make no difference to them. Just as the maulvis sent armies to war in the belief that the men who fought under the banner of Allah would never lose, so did our pundits peacefully sit back to repeat the name of Rama a million times. But none of this prevented the Europeans, with their advanced weapons; they not only decimated the Muslim armies, but they even toyed with the fallen flag of Allah. And that is why Kemal Ataturk has broken the bonds of all religious laws that have kept the Turkish nation backward. He has borrowed civil law, criminal law and military law from Switzerland, France and Germany, to replace the rules in the Quran. The literal meaning of what is said in the Quran no longer matters. The only question today is what is essential for national advancement in the light of modern science. Turkey can hold its own against Europe today because Kemal has given primacy to modern science in his nation. If Turkey had remained bound within the covers of the Quran, as it was during the reign of Kemal Sultan or the Khalifa, then the Turks would still be licking the boots of the Europeans, as the Indian Muslims are doing today. If they want to advance as the Turks have done, Indian Muslims should abandon the religious fanaticism that has been nurtured over a thousand years, and accept modern science. On the age of machines Savarkar often called on his supporters to welcome the age of the modern machine. Here, in an essay published in the magazine Kirloskar, and republished in a book of his essays on the scientific approach, he argued that India would continue to lag behind Europe as long as its leaders believed in superstition rather than science. It was 200 years ago that Europe entered the era that our country is now entering. This means we are two centuries behind Europe. We are entering what economists describe as the age of the machine. The spread of machines some 200 years ago in Europe challenged traditional beliefs and habits. There were fears that humanity would lose its essence in the machine age, religion would be undermined, humans would begin to act like machines, our bodies would shrivel and the prosperity that was promised with the use of machines would itself be destroyed. Men would be reduced to being paupers rather than eating well. Such shrill warnings were spread across Europe by a class that stuck to tradition and religious naivete. The reason machines are not more widely used by our people is because of the religious beliefs in our society. Europe too did not accept machines 200 years ago because of the power of Christian religious beliefs. There was a massive earthquake in Lisbon in the 18th century. The religious leaders of Europe preached to the people that the earthquake was the result of the Protestant perfidy against the religious beliefs of the Roman Catholics. It was a punishment because Protestant marriage ceremonies were led by women, Protestant priests were allowed to marry, the words of the Pope are not considered infallible. It was in reaction to these reasons that the people decided to protect themselves against future earthquakes by trying to finish off the Protestants. Such naive people were incapable of even understanding that there were physical explanations for earthquakes, let alone trying to use seismology to design machines that could perhaps help them predict the risk of an earthquake. Europe could truly embrace the machine age only when its religious beliefs were demolished by the scientific approach. But in India, even someone as influential as Gandhiji swears by his inner voice" to say that the Bihar earthquake is a punishment for the caste system. And that he is still waiting for his inner voice to tell him why Quetta was rocked by an earthquake. And then there are Shankaracharya and other religious leaders who swear by the religious books that the earthquake was caused by attempts to do away with the caste system. What can one say about the religious naivete of the ordinary people in a country when its prominent leaders hold such views? Europe is in the year 1936 while we are in the year 1736. On the unpopular tasks of the social reformer In the same collection of essays on the scientific approach, where he also mocked those whose religious sentiments get hurt very easily, Savarkar wrote about how the true social reformer has to accept unpopularity. And that is why any reformer who seeks to root out harmful social practices or preach new truths has first of all to compromise his popularity. That is what Jesus meant when he told the majority who opposed him: Ye build sepulchres unto those whom your fathers stoned to death!" Jesus, Buddha and Mohammad are today the gods and prophets of millions of people, but look at how they were treated by their contemporaries. Jesus was killed. Buddha had to face a murderous attack. Mohammad had to flee, was injured in battle, was condemned as a traitor. So, reformers who rock the boat, who become unpopular, who disturb the social balance, who hurt religious sentiments, who turn their back on majority opinion, who think rationallyall these reformers face the inevitable consequences of their actions. Every reformer has had to face these challenges. This is because social reformby definition rooting out any evil social custommeans taking on the persistent social beliefs of the majority. And the reformer who pits himself against the religious practices of millions will be the most unpopular. And the man who has made popularity his business will give in to the popular will out of fear, but who wants to do some good, will eventually be overcome by his fear, will leave the road to social and religious reform. A true social or religious reformer should only be driven by the desire to do good. As far as I am concerned, so that I am not torn about the choice between popularity and public good, I have this stamped on my mind: Varam Janahitam Dhyeyam Kevala Na Janstuti (It is best to think only of the welfare of people, not praise them). On untouchability Savarkar was a strong opponent of the caste system. He repeatedly argued that what the religious books say about untouchability is irrelevant. The social practice was unfit for a modern society. In his collection of essays on breaking the caste system, he welcomed the constitutional provision that made untouchability a crime. Untouchability is abolished and its practice in any form is forbidden The enforcement of any disability arising out of Untouchability shall be an offence punishable in accordance with law" Article 17 of the Indian Constitution It was a golden day for all humankind and Hindu Sanghatan when the Constituent Assembly unanimously took this decision. These words should now be carved on some eternal pillar like the Ashoka Pillar, so important are they. This historic decision should be seen as the success of the hundreds of saints, social reformers and political leaders who worked so hard over the centuries to break the shackles of untouchability. The practice of untouchability is now not just an evil that has to be criticized but a crime that will be punished. Citizens are now not just been advised to abandon the practice of untouchability, but have been told that it is against the law to practise it. Article 17 of the Indian Constitution has used the word untouchability in the singular. There should have been an explanatory note in the interests of clarity. After all, there could be instances when untouchability has to be practised for medical or personal reasons. These may not be damaging to society. Of course, Article 17 is meant to deal with only that untouchability that men and women have to face if they are born into a particular caste... Besides untouchability, social cleavages and hierarchies of all types have been frowned upon. These practices may not be punishable but will be looked down upon. This is implicit in Article 17, given the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution and in its preamble. And later, in the sections about fundamental rights, it is clearly stated that no citizen of the Indian state will be discriminated against on the basis of religion, race, caste, gender or place of birth. They are all equal under the law. In this way, the Constitution has taken the wrecking ball to the edifice of social discrimination. On revolution In 1952, Savarkar went to Pune to announce the closure of Abhinav Bharat, the revolutionary outfit that he had set up as a student to fight for independence. In a public speech, he said that revolutionary organizations have no place in a constitutional state, echoing the views of his friend B.R. Ambedkar. The end of the age of revolution and the coming of swarajya means that our primary national duty in the new age is to abandon the methods of rebellion so that constructive and lawful politics will gain primacy. To overthrow foreign rule, we had to inevitably have secret societies, armed revolt, terrorism, civil disobedience; these were holy. But if we stick to these methods after we have got our freedom, then the damage we will inflict will be worse that what even are enemies can do... The establishment of swarajya does not mean that Ramrajya will follow immediately. (After explaining how 200 years of colonial rule had damaged India, Savarkar says) ...it is our duty as citizens to support our national government that we should at least for some time bear whatever pain lies ahead. So that the national government gets time to address important questions. We should support the government with our hard work and patience. There is a lot of criticism of the mistakes the government has made... The people have still decided to hand power to the Congress. They have not snatched power from you. It is only fair to point out that had the difficult task of setting matters right not been given to the Congress, but to the socialists, communists or Hindutva parties, they too would have made similar mistakes, either because of inexperience or the lust for power. Comments are welcome at feedback@livemint.com Topics Just before noon on Thursday, James Browar pushed out of a Starbucks on Eighth Avenue near Times Square, laden with news that was simultaneously getting worse and more urgent by the minute. No bathroom, announced Mr. Browar, 20, who came from New Jersey for the St. Patricks Day Parade. What? asked Lydia Piazza, who also made the trip. I asked if it was for paying customers, Mr. Browar said. They said theres no bathroom whatsoever. He told a stranger, I must have walked three-quarters of a mile. That doesnt seem very far. New York City, after all, is one of the most public-bathroom-resistant places in the world, and few days in the year would make even the most hospitable restaurant less likely to throw open its restrooms than St. Patricks. But forget that. The natives have mapped out the facilities, like rock climbers knowing where to drive their anchors. There were, however, nearly 57 million tourists throughout 2014, many of them not used to our ways. Arrests made during this years St. Patrick Day festivities were down from a year earlier, a Butte-Silver Bow police official said. There were 22 arrests made between 7:15 a.m. Thursday and 3 a.m. Friday, comparing favorably with arrest numbers in the low 30s each of the past two years. Of this year's arrests, seven were for driving under the influence, five were for disorderly conduct, and one was for indecent exposure, Sheriff Ed Lester said. Were happy with that and a little bit surprised, because last year St. Patricks Day fell on a Tuesday, he said. Law enforcement had expected the crowds to swell, along with potential arrests, due to the holiday falling closer to the weekend. The seven DUI arrests were made by the Montana Highway Patrols special DUI enforcement unit. The Safety Enforcement Traffic Team comprised of troopers who specialize in high-risk driving enforcement. The MHP assisted Butte police with patrolling streets and highways during the Irish holiday that typically sees a lot of drinking. Lester said the number of DUI arrests was not surprising given the number of people imbibing yesterday. Between 22 and 24 police officers were on patrol from 3 p.m. Thursday until bars closed at 2 a.m. Friday. They worked alongside MHP officers to assist employees at the citys bars at their request to start the shutdown process at 12:30 a.m. Its a great assistance to us to have the relationship we with the Highway Patrol, because they take care of a lot of the traffic issues and the DUI issues surrounding the celebration, Lester said. We can focus pretty much on the disorderly conduct and altercations that break out sometimes later in the night. Foot patrols implemented about a decade ago during the festive celebration have kept arrests at bay and down from historic highs of more than 100. Visibility prevents many of the issues law enforcement used to see prior to instituting foot patrols, the sheriff said. When officers see a disturbance, they are able to quickly respond and diffuse a potentially dangerous situation. If an arrest is made, transport units ensure individuals are transported before a situation escalates. MHP SETT spokesman Sgt. Philip Freed said six troopers patrolled the Butte area from 5 p.m. Thursday through 3 a.m. Friday. Of the 48 traffic stops, the citations that were issued or arrests made included six speeding offenses, four wanted individuals, 22 seatbelt infractions and 11 uninsured drivers. A host of warnings were also issued ranging from speed to equipment violations, Freed said. Lester said the snow, wind and cold temperatures led to a decrease in partygoers from Butte as well as those traveling from outside the region. In previous years, large crowds would force Main Street to be blocked off between Park and Broadway streets. There was never a time where the traffic was even compromised at all yesterday. That part of the crowd was way less than we sometimes see, but I attribute that to the weather, Lester said. Despite the wintry weather and smaller crowds, police dispatch received nearly 150 calls for service from 8 a.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. Friday a nearly 60-call increase over a 24-hour period from Friday to Saturday the previous week. The sheriff said DUI officers would patrol through the weekend, as he anticipates the celebrating to continue. With the number of arrests down and foot patrols making a difference, Lester said this years festivities were a success. Overall, I thought everybody was pretty well-behaved, given the number of people who were celebrating, and I thought it was a great success, he said. A former Helena Public Schools student allegedly raped by a mentor in the now-defunct Wakina Sky after-school program is suing the school district for negligence. First filed in Cascade County District Court in August 2015 and later transferred to Lewis and Clark County District Court, the suit accuses the school district of being negligent in its oversight of Wakina Sky Learning Circle, a nonprofit that provided its own after-school learning program for Native American youth. For several years, the school district had acted as a fiscal agent for federal grant money to Wakina Sky. The suit states that beginning in 2001, when the plaintiff was 9 years old, he was sexually assaulted by William Augustus Henness, a mentor at Wakina Sky. It also states that Henness was assigned as the plaintiffs Big Brother in the Helena Big Brothers Big Sisters program, and that the plaintiff was continually assaulted and molested by Henness for a decade. The plaintiff named Henness, Wakina Sky Learning Circle and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Helena (and affiliates) as defendants in earlier lawsuits dating back to 2013. In 2011, Henness was charged in Lewis and Clark County District Court with three felony counts of sexual intercourse without consent. However, the sexual assaults occurred multiple times from 2001 to 2011, the document states. Henness pleaded guilty to sexual intercourse without consent and sexual assault and was sentenced to the Montana Department of Corrections in August 2012 to 20 years with 16 suspended on each count. He was released on parole Jan. 22 of this year. We are still trying to understand why they think the school district has a duty (here)," said the school districts attorney Dave Dalthorp with the law firm Jackson, Murdo & Grant, P.C. It was an after-school program run by Wakina Sky with their staff and volunteers, he said. All of this happened way before I was here, said school district Superintendent Kent Kultgen, who was hired by the district in 2012. To Kultgens knowledge, no Wakina Sky programs ever took place on school property or involved the school district. The district states in its answer to the complaint that Henness was not an employee or volunteer of the school district, and the district had never heard about the abuse until the school district was recently named as a defendant. The district's involvement was solely a fiscal arrangement to pass through federal funds, Kultgen said. However, the plaintiffs attorney, Dan Flaherty, with Flaherty Law Office in Great Falls, said thats going to be the hotly contested issue. The complaint alleges that the school district had various oversight and managerial duties over Wakina pertaining to students' safety and security. Helena Public School District received grant money for its oversight of Wakina Sky. The lawsuit also alleges the school district had a duty to use reasonable care in the investigation, participation, and oversight of adults who applied to become Wakina mentors and who had substantial and regular interaction with minor children. There are a lot of requirements and paperwork that go with federal grants, which will be the focus of his initial discovery efforts, Flaherty said. The school district, in its answer to the complaint, denies that it had any duty to oversee Wakina Skys program and do background checks on its people. Now were going through paperwork and trying to find people who remember things from 15 years ago, Dalthorp said. During the discovery stage, which the case is just entering, both parties exchange written information requests and get answers and documents back from the other side, said Dalthorp. Then we go and take depositions to try to figure out if there is any validity to the allegations. So far, no deposition dates have been set. During the discovery process, each side gets to do their own investigation, Flaherty said. Thats how we get on the same page. ... I hope the parties will be able to sit down and discuss things and resolve what happened in the past. Theres a lot to work through. Suits against the other parties, Wakina Sky and Big Brothers Big Sisters, have been dismissed for agreement within the parties, Flaherty said. In recent years, Wakina Sky Learning Circle was administratively dissolved by the Montana Secretary of State's office after it failed to file its 2013 annual paperwork with the state. A call and phone message to a former Wakina Sky board member asking for comment were not returned. Big Brothers Big Sisters Executive Director Colleen Brady said she became aware of the case when she was hired in 2012. Evidently when we became aware of the situation the board took very quick action and the matter was resolved. Child protection is our top priority. I know Big Brothers Big Sisters was very proactive on cooperating with authorities, she said. All of our employees are background checked by the human resource department, Kultgen said of school district protocols. All volunteers in the schools who are unsupervised when working with children are also background checked, he said. The attorneys for Michael Goguen, a venture capitalist and philanthropist who lives in Whitefish part-time, have filed a response to a lawsuit that claims their client sexually and physically abused a woman during a relationship that lasted more than a decade. In a cross-complaint filed in San Mateo County, California, Goguen argues that Amber Baptistes lawsuit amounts to extortion and denies all claims of the alleged abuse. Baptiste filed her suit against Goguen on March 8, alleging that he broke a contract in which he promised to pay her $40 million in exchange for her silence. In the suit, Baptistes lawyers claim she was brought to the country by human traffickers at the age of 15 and met Goguen in a Texas strip club in 2001. He allegedly began to pay her living expenses and other costs in exchange for a sexual relationship. Her lawsuit includes a series of graphic alleged sexual and violent acts that Baptiste claims Goguen forced her to perform in the years following their meeting. In a statement, one of Goguens attorneys, Diane Doolittle, said her client is eager to fight the defamatory and outlandish allegations Baptiste put forward. This lawsuit is a vile collection of lies and a transparent attempt to destroy the reputation and good name of Mr. Goguen, she said We look forward to our day in court, where facts trump lies. The cross-complaint said Baptiste used the lawsuit to incite a media firestorm against Goguen while protecting her from being sued for defamation. Consumed by anger, obsession and jealousy that her decade-long, mutually consensual love affair with Mr. Goguen had ended, Ms. Baptiste hatched a plan to get her vengeance, the cross-complaint says. It includes selected text messages sent from Baptiste and says she also sent him hundreds of provocative photographs and erotic emails, in an attempt to seduce him. Goguen is well known in the Flathead Valley for his philanthropic donations, including $10 million to create the Whitefish Trail. He also funds Two Bear Air, a search-and-rescue organization that operates across the northwest United States. Goguen is also the owner of Flathead companies including Caseys Bar and PROOF Research. Two years ago, Goguen made a $2 million donation that pays for Montanas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including paying for a full-time detective in both Missoula and Kalispell. Sequoia Capital, the venture capital firm where Goguen was a managing partner, announced shortly after Baptistes lawsuit was filed that Goguen had left the company. In a statement, Goguen said his departure allows him to focus fully on clearing my name and vigorously pursuing justice. Bruce Van Dalsem, one of Goguens lawyers, said the narrative laid out in Baptistes suit conflates time a bit and leads people to believe she was younger than she was when she and Goguen first met. Van Dalsem said Baptiste was born in late 1980 and was 22 years old when they first met, which he said was in early 2002. The relationship between them continued until January 2014, when Goguens attorneys claim Baptiste began to threaten to publicly disclose accusations of abuse against her. According to the cross-complaint, faced with the potential that Baptiste would use these "false allegations" against him, Goguen felt he had no choice but to pay her the $40 million she was requesting. As part of a settlement agreement, which his lawyers refer to as an extortion agreement, Baptiste allegedly promised to stay away from Goguen. In reality, the only thing that Ms. Baptiste was unhappy about with their relationship was that Mr. Goguen did not requite her forever and unconditional love and did not want to see her as much as she wanted to see him, Goguens attorneys wrote in their court filing. In short, she is a woman scorned and, if she is a victim of anything, it is of her own delusions. Goguen's lawyers claim Baptiste began to harass him again after the first $10 million payment, including threatening to send him to jail if he did not pay the rest faster. Goguen instead decided to cease paying her, telling her that she had broken tenets of their agreement. Baptistes lawsuit seeks the remaining payments as well as other damages, while Goguens cross-complaint is asking for a finding that Baptiste had broken the agreement and that his first payment be returned, among other claims. Enough is enough. Mr. Goguen is no longer willing to accede to Ms. Baptistes threats, whatever the consequences, his attorneys wrote in the cross-complaint. The Jefferson River, named by Lewis and Clark after our third president, is an essential segment of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, administered by the National Park Service. Our organization, the Jefferson River Canoe Trail, promotes stewardship of the river and a vision for the future. With tremendous public support, we proudly acquired a beautiful 4.3-acre property near Three Forks for a public floater camp and walk-in fishing access site. After all our hard work to buy the campsite, we were horrified to learn of SRI River Holdings land swap proposal that would eliminate an existing campsite on the upper Jefferson near Twin Bridges. The 80-acre campsite on state land is known as Beaver Chew because Meriwether Lewis left a note for William Clark at the confluence of the Big Hole and Beaverhead rivers, but a beaver cut it down, and Clark led the canoes up the wrong fork, leading to a near fatal accident for one of the crew. The expedition camped at the confluence to dry their gear. Today, the public campsite near the confluence serves floaters coming down either river. Public lands are few and far between along the Jefferson River, and no other site offers such a rich and lush riparian ecosystem with extensive cottonwood woodlands, open meadows, and abundant wildlife as Beaver Chew. The next available campsite is 25 miles downstream. Strangely, Beaver Chew isnt the primary target of the land swap proposal, but was apparently tacked on as a matter of bookkeeping. The upland trade would exchange 528 acres of flat, dry state land for 750 acres of nicer SRI land in the Highlands, with good wildlife and recreation potential. We support that part of the trade, as do local sporting and access groups. The problem is that the land trade was drafted to be contingent on the river bottom portion of the trade, trading away Beaver Chew on the Jefferson River for acreage on the Big Hole. It is the equivalent of two homeowners agreeing to swap houses, contingent on burning the neighbors house down the street. We fully support the upland trade; just dont dismantle the Jefferson River Canoe Trail to do it! -- Thomas J. Elpel of Pony is president of the Jefferson River Canoe Trail Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. Visit www.JeffersonRiver.org to learn more about Beaver Chew, the land swap proposal, and our vision to sustain the Montana traditions of open space and open access. Gov. Steve Bullock will reimburse the state for travel using the state-owned plane that coincided with campaign events, going back to the start of his term. Bullock will pay $2,671.84, according to a press release sent Friday afternoon. The governor's legal counsel has advised the governor can use state-owned aircraft to fly to a location and attend a campaign event as long as he is also attending official state events on the same day. Attendance at campaign events or other nonofficial events must be ancillary to the official business. When the governor attends ancillary campaign events, the state must be reimbursed for any increased cost associated with the aircraft as a result of the attendance. The new policy the governor adopted and retroactive to the start of his term will refund the state, though the release said increased costs to the state are very rare due to the fixed costs associated with the trips. The governor is paying the state back for costs from 21 trips. The state plane costs $500 an hour to operate, according to a Bullock spokeswoman. That works out to Bullock paying back an average of $127.23 per trip. Former governors from both parties have also paid part of the costs in similar situations. Increased costs due to campaign or non-official stops could come from things like paying for the pilot's time waiting on the ground during the event. Republicans have criticized Bullock's use of the plane, including a recent trip to Billings where he made peanut butter sandwiches for the homeless and then attended a campaign fundraiser. He also did a TV interview that day. Similar business trips capped by campaign fundraisers also took place in Bozeman and Missoula. "Its simply wrong for Governor Bullock to campaign on the taxpayers dime, and he should reimburse Montanans in-full for the campaign leg of his trips just like other Governors have done," Shane Scanlon, Montana GOP spokesman, said in an email. "This pattern of scheduling questionable official state events to justify using the State plane to attend fundraisers is an abuse of power. I would also hope that when Bullocks traveling from Helena to Butte, Bozeman, and Missoula he seriously considers driving instead of charging Montanans $1,650/hour for his plane trips." In an email to The Billings Gazette, Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl said he suspected the policy requiring the governor to travel with security was part of any decision to use a government plane or vehicle and beyond normal analysis of public resource use. State law generally prohibits the use of public resources for political purposes. Bullocks legal advisors said there was nothing wrong with the governors use of the plane. Like the previous administration, Gov. Bullock uses the plane to serve the people of Montana in an efficient manner that adheres to the law, Andy Huff, Bullocks chief legal counsel, told The Gazette. Bullock spokesman Tim Crowe said the Missoula trip as well as trips to Bozeman and Billings, which included campaign events, were for official government business first and foremost. Since March 1, Bullock has taken 11 flights in the state plane, counting individual legs of trips between Helena, Glendive, Havre, Great Falls and Bozeman. The dates of the trips Bullock is reimbursing the state for are April 29, 2014; May 14, 2014; May 22, 2014; Nov. 4, 2014; Aug. 20, 2015; Nov. 10, 2015; Oct. 7, 2015; Oct. 14, 2015; Nov. 2, 2015; Nov. 7, 2015; Nov. 17, 2015; Nov. 18, 2015; Jan. 12, 2016; Jan. 14, 2016; Feb. 3, 2016; Feb. 9, 2016; Feb. 10, 2016; Feb. 16, 2016; Feb. 25, 2016; March 3, 2016; and March 4, 2016. A vacant and dilapidated two-story Victorian house at 7 W. Woolman St. that was the subject of a two-year historic-preservation dispute was demolished Friday. The action came despite the protests of a neighboring property owner who said his concerns for the safety of his house were disregarded. The house, one of Butte's oldest, was built on ground that was once part of the Original Mine yard. It was one of three original historic houses on the block, just west of North Main Street. It has been owned for some years by Tom Regan, who has been trying for two years to get a permit to demolish it. The house next door, 15 W. Woolman, was purchased in 2009 and restored by Robert Renouard, an architect and member of a longtime Butte family who now lives in Seattle and works for the King County, Washington, planning department. Renouard bemoaned the fact that the house next to his had been allowed to fall into disrepair but maintained that it could have been restored. But Butte-Silver Bow Historical Preservation Officer Mary McCormick disagreed Friday. "Seeing a building with such a great history come down is so very sad. After 30 years of neglect, however, it could not be saved." Renouard said he was particularly worried about the effect of the demolition on the stability of his house, since "due to the neglect," the soil between the houses was very soft and he has been forced to buttress the east wall of his house. The tear-down was complete Friday afternoon, although the debris of the house remained on the lot. The west foundation wall the one closest to Renouard's house was left intact, and County Public Works Director Dave Schultz said the demolition plan was to compact the soil on the lot toward that wall so that it would remain stable. There was no visible damage to Renouard's house Friday. Schultz and Planning Director Jon Sesso both said that Butte-Silver Bow building official Mike Nasheim went far beyond what was usually required for such a demolition by requiring Regan to take out liability insurance so that if some damage to Renouard's house occurred during the demolition, it would be covered. Renouard objected to the hand-written demolition plan Regan submitted, calling it "vague scribbles with no technical information whatsoever." McCormick said, "Certainly the demolition plan isnt a formal-looking document. I know, however, that Mike Nasheim was very diligent in his review and worked with the contractor directly to address potential concerns. Additionally, he put time and effort into ensuring that the contractor had the appropriate insurance in place. Mike takes his responsibilities seriously, including strict and consistent adherence to municipal codes." "There's only so far we want to go into a dispute between neighbors," Sesso said. "Mr. Renouard was not going to be satisfied regardless of what he was given. But we made clear to Mr. Regan that all eyes would be on this. ... Mike (Nasheim) did everything he could, without the cooperation of the neighboring property owner, to assure this demolition would be done efficiently and without harm to the adjacent property. And we made sure the insurance was there. "Even the car Mr. Renouard won't move was protected to the extent that any damage to it from the demolition would be covered." In an email on which Renouard was copied, Nasheim wrote Friday, "After more than two weeks of gathering and verifying materials I ... interpreted that the information received by the Butte-Silver Bow Building Department is adequate to allow this demolition to be completed." Chief Executive Matt Vincent said he had met with Renouard over his concerns previously but that he had faith in the work of Nasheim, Schultz and McCormick. "That's what we pay them for," he said. "I wish we could have found a way to do something better. I don't think you're going to find anyone who wouldn't have hoped for more from that property, but ... in that condition, it was a public safety hazard, much more of a threat standing than it is now." In a letter to the county a year ago, Renouard accused Regan of deliberately letting the property "rot so its value as a contributing historic structure would be moot." Reached Friday in Seattle, Renouard said he was very shaken by the demolition. "We love Butte, and we love our house," he said. He said he is very concerned that problems from the neighboring property will continue to impact his house. "My east wall has begun to pull away over the last few years, I believe due to water issues from the adjacent house," he said. Now I'm told everything is okay. It's so willy-nilly. What were the requirements? How much compaction will there be? I'm an architect, and I know these details matter. "The county allowed all this without proper documentation. They're more interested in helping him than they are in helping me, when I'm trying to be a responsible property owner." He said that he "would consider" buying the vacant lot but didn't know if that would turn out to be possible. "When you have three historic houses left on a block, and one of them is taken, you lose much more than a third of what was there." U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, on Friday clarified his position on President Obama's nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court. "The Congressman believes that the President has the Constitutional right to put forth a nominee for the Supreme Court," said his communications director, Heather Swift. "He also believes the Senate should also embrace its constitutional right to advise on any nominee." A press release issued by Zinke's office after the nomination earlier this week, headlined "Zinke on SCOTUS nominee," began with the following statement: "President Obama has a history of writing his own rules and ignoring the laws he doesn't like. This is clearly beyond his constitutional authority, and I have voted every chance possible to stop him in his tracks. Montana Attorney General Tim Fox has brought cases forward at every opportunity to stop Obama's Clean Power Plan, WOTUS, and executive amnesty. With this administration's onerous rules looming in the courts, the severity of the nomination before us can't be overstated. "My colleagues in the Senate have a unique opportunity before them. To the Senate I say: Fully embrace your job. Fully embrace the Constitution and proactively define the criteria for who should fill Justice Scalia's shoes. They are big shoes to fill, but America did not give us the congressional majority to do small things." After a Montana Standard editorial on Friday criticized Zinke for characterizing the nomination as beyond Obama's constitutional authority, Swift issued the clarification. She added Friday, "This does not mean that Rep. Zinke supports Judge Garland's nomination, but he agrees the President has the right to nominate." Zinke drew up his own list of criteria, saying he thinks any Supreme Court nominee "should possess: "Unconditional respect for the Constitution and its original intent, knowing decisions must be based upon what is written in the text; "Belief that the Second Amendment guarantees all law-abiding citizens the right to bear arms and that the government may not infringe on that right; "Belief in the separation and balance of power between the executive, legislative and judicial branches, and that no one branch or person is above this; "Belief that the president cannot unilaterally create laws or force agencies to ignore laws." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the Senate will not hold hearings or vote on Obama's nomination of Garland. McConnell and many other Republican Senators, including Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, have said they will not even meet with Garland. Sixteen soups are a lot to choose from. Guests of the Empty Bowls Soup Luncheon on Tuesday can try as many of the locally made soups as they want, and vote on the best. The luncheon, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Classics, is the annual fundraiser for the Beatrice Backpack Program, which provides 100 Beatrice school children and their families in need with food on the weekends. Varieties of soup to be served by local restaurants and volunteer groups include potato, chicken noodle, ham and bean, hot and sour, beef noodle, minestrone, mulligatawny, chicken tortilla, mushroom bisque and black bean soups. Last year, we had just over 300 people show up, which was a record, said Patty Kaufman, a co-founder of the Beatrice Backpack Program. We hope to do that again this year. ... Were really excited for it. Also served will be cinnamon rolls homemade by Beatrice Public Schools Director of Food Service Peggy Johnson, cakes from Sunrise Bakery and relish trays from local grocery stores. No one should go away hungry, Kaufman said. Organizers ask for a donation of $25 from each attendee. Tickets were available at local banks and the Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce, but guests may arrive and pay at the door. Each guest will also be sent home with a handmade pottery bowl. Kaufman said the bowls were made and donated by Beatrice High School students (280 bowls) Southeast Community College students (40 bowls), Patrick McKinney of Flowing Stone Art Gallery (40 bowls), and Ervin Dixon of Cedar Creek Pottery. The fundraising this year has been awesome, Kaufman said. Kaufman said 14 local businesses and groups are the major sponsors of the luncheon, donating $1,000 each. It costs us about $35,000 for one year to purchase the food and do the fruit and milk vouchers and everything else, Kaufman said. Well raise about $32,000 to $34,000. Kaufman said the group cannot grow the program at this time due to limited storage space. Proceeds from the luncheon will fund the 2016 2017 round of the Beatrice Backpack Program. Each Friday of the school year, 100 backpacks of food are sent home to the same 100 families. The families are on free and reduced lunch and are determined by BPS administrators, Kaufman said. She said about half of BPS families qualify and take advantage of the free and reduced lunch program. It is a very wide problem in our community, Kaufman said. We have children that need help with food at home. Originally, the program provided 25 backpacks of food. The luncheon will include a presentation about the program, including words from Scott Young of Food Bank of Lincoln, from which Beatrice Backpack Program buys its food. Kaufman said the Beatrice program and its fundraising luncheon was modeled after the Food Bank of Lincolns Backpack Program. DES MOINES, Iowa Brandon Van Zandt, of Wilton, has been named to the honor roll at AIB College of Business for the 2015-2016 winter term, having attained a grade point average of 3.0 to 3.49 for the term. Michael Husar, and Kristy Ruse, both of Muscatine, have been named to the deans list at AIB College of Business for the 2015-2016 winter term, having attained a grade point average of 3.5 to 3.79 for the term. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy MUSCATINE, Iowa Muscatine City Council members exchanged a series of emails beginning Feb. 29, which may be a violation of Iowa Code. According to Iowa Public Information Board Deputy Director Margaret Johnson, in a conversation with the Journal, when advising city councils she always says, Contact the mayor directly, dont do reply all. Johnson said that in some cases, emails like the ones the Muscatine City Council exchanged constitute engaging in government business without informing the public, which is a violation of Iowa Code 21.8. If an event occurs as a result of the emails in the meeting with no discussion, the public may become confused. The reason this needs to be conducted in public is for the public to assist the council in making decisions, Johnson said, stating that public assistance on council matters should not be taken lightly. On the Iowa Public Information Boards website, in response to the question, If a majority of the members of a board are communicating online at the same time, would that constitute a public meeting? it states, that under Iowa code 21.8, Electronic Meetings, emails among all council members at the same time does constitute a public meeting. Keep in mind the Legislature's mandate that 'the basis and rationale of governmental decisions, as well as those decisions themselves,' should be accessible to the people. Members of governmental bodies should be cautious about discussing public business among themselves extensively outside of public meetings. Citizens become frustrated when they feel they are being shut out of the decision-making process by public officials they suspect are conducting government business and striking deals outside of the public eye, according to the IPIB website. Councilman Scott Natvig, although he responded privately to the mayor, made it clear that he would influence the council meeting if his suggestion was not included on the agenda for March 3. Since I will not be at this week's meeting, Natvig stated in his email, I will talk to another Councilman and suggest that, if she [his board appointment suggestion] does not make the agenda, the appointments be tabled or pulled from the consent agenda for modification. During the March 3 meeting, Councilman Tom Spread moved to remove board appointments from the consent agenda, after he and Councilman Rehwaldt sent the council group emails, making the appointments up for a vote individually, rather than being approved with other business. Although Councilman Philip Fitzgerald moved to approve the appointment of Sue Johannsen to the Board of Water, Electric, and Communications Trustees for Muscatine Power & Water, and the motion was seconded by Bob Bynum, the council did not vote on the motion and second. Councilman Tom Spread interrupted the vote and moved the appointment be tabled until a later date, and Councilman Allen Harvey seconded, which the council voted unanimously to approve. These actions left the first motion and second without a vote to either approve, deny, or otherwise close the vote. Although the mayor and Brandy Olson spoke about their positions on board assignments, the council members held no discussion. Their emails stated their opinions prior to the meeting. In interviews with the Journal, both council members Spread and Tom Rehwaldt said that they understand the Iowa code, and are careful not to violate it. They also said the opinions they expressed in their emails have not changed. The Journal is filing an informal complaint with the Iowa Public Information Board. AMES, Iowa Healthy soil can lead to better crop yields, reduce the need for chemical inputs and have positive impacts on water quality. Farmers perspectives on soil health is a focus of the 2015 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll. Interest in the topic of soil health has been on the rise in Iowa and the Corn Belt region in recent years, but little was previously known about farmers familiarity with the concept. The 2015 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll was designed to gauge farmers beliefs about potential benefits of soil health, their soil health knowledge and management capacity and their assessments of landlords knowledge about soil health practices. Research efforts to understand what makes soil healthy are have increased in recent years, and conservation groups like the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service have made soil health a central part of their programs for farmers, said J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr., associate professor of sociology and extension sociologist for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Understanding what farmers know and think about soil health can help guide the development of research and extension programs on the topic. Farmers were presented a series of survey items about the potential benefits of soil health, their knowledge of soil health and capacity to manage for improved soil health, and the amount of attention the press and fellow farmers were paying to soil health. They were asked to rate their level of agreement or disagreement with each item on a five-point scale, ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). Not surprisingly, most farmers viewed healthy soils as beneficial; 93 percent agreed that healthy soil can lead to increased crop yields, 77 percent agreed that healthy soils can reduce vulnerability to drought conditions and 75 percent agreed that healthy soils can reduce crop input needs. Farmers also expressed some concerns about the impacts of production practices on soil health. Eighty-four percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they were concerned about the impact of compaction on soil health and 70 percent had concerns about the impact of pesticides on soil health. The survey also gauged farmers knowledge of soil health and their confidence in their capacity to improve the health of the soils they farm. Most respondents - 72 percent - indicated they had given more thought to soil health in recent years, and 76 percent reported that they had taken steps to improve the quality of their soil. While about 70 percent felt that they have a good understanding of the concept of soil health, and two-thirds agreed that they know how to manage for improved soil health, only 54 percent indicated that they have an effective soil health management plan. Iowa farmers are paying more attention to soil health, and report that they are taking steps to improve it, Arbuckle said. That said, most farmers would like to learn more about how to manage for soil health, and there was a lot of uncertainty about the effectiveness of current management. I think theres a demand for more research-based information on soil health. Most respondents indicated that they have noticed more discussion of soil health in the farm press, with 80 percent noticing a spike in information on the topic. Despite this jump in attention to the subject in the press, only 46 percent of farmers noticed more discussion among fellow farmers. Because more than half of Iowa farmland is rented, the survey also asked farmers to assess their landlords awareness and knowledge of soil health. The reviews were mixed, with 28 percent agreeing that landlords know what farming practices can improve soil health while 27 percent disagreed. Twenty-two percent of respondents agreed that landlords have a good understanding of soil health while 29 percent disagreed. Almost half of farmers selected uncertain when asked whether their landlords know about the concept of soil health and how to improve it, said Arbuckle. Those results suggest that a lot of farmers havent talked about soil health with their landlords. The Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll has been in existence since 1982, surveying Iowa farmers on issues of importance to agricultural stakeholders. It is the longest-running survey of its kind in the nation. You wouldnt expect to see issues locally like legislative bodies blocking an executive branchs nominations akin to the antics in Washington, D.C. And you wouldnt expect an email controversy to draw the ire of local public officials. But thats what appears to be happening with the Muscatine City Council. The council recently tabled, effectively blocking, a board appointment, accusing the mayor of playing partisan politics and repaying political favors. Ironically, it seems to be a case of the pot calling the kettle black. When Mayor Diane Broderson attempted to nominate people to sit on local boards and committees, the city council seemingly abruptly blocked that. The Muscatine Journal later learned there was an extensive email discussion prior to the March 3 meeting. The email chain started when Broderson sent a list of her nominations to all council members. Several council members protested the nominations by hitting Reply All on the email. That means they were having a discussion about city business essentially behind closed doors. The council could have found some redemption if they had recreated the discussion by sharing those sentiments during the public, open meeting. A couple council members told the Journal that they believe the email exchange should be public record. Thats a great attitude, but how can the public ask to view it without knowing it exists? We applaud the mayor for proactively bringing this to our attention. The email exchange, we believe, is an ethical violation and is skirting legal violations. We ran the scenario past the Iowa Newspaper Foundation and Iowa Public Information board both agreed there was a potential violation there and urged us to file a complaint. The spirit of the Iowa Code regarding this, we all agreed, was that these discussions should be public. Everything the city council does aside from certain legal and personnel matters should be conducted in a public forum. Remember, the council members are elected to oversee a budget of your tax dollars. But the email controversy is only one half of the problem. The council accused the mayor of selecting only Democrats or members of unions for her appointments and repaying political favors. Councilman Tom Rehwaldt wrote in one of his emails that Muscatine has a long long history of non partisan city government. I want it to stay that way. (sic) Then why are they taking the time to check party affiliation of the nominees? Others seemed frustrated with the process. Councilman Tom Spread wrote, It appears as though you have not in any way consulted with the City Administrator. Is that the case? If not, why not? The Muscatine City Code (Title 2: Boards & Commissions http://muscatineiowa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/12135) does not require the mayor to consult with the city administrator for appointments. Scott Natvig was perturbed Broderson didnt select his recommendation and suggested he would oppose the nomination to the Planning & Zoning Commission if his selection was not the nominee. Natvig wrote to the mayor only: Since I will not be at this week's meeting, I will talk to another Councilman and suggest that, if she does not make the agenda, the appointments be tabled or pulled from the consent agenda for modification. For each of the boards, commissions and committees, the city code states that The Mayor, with the approval of the Council, shall appoint members and does not say anything about taking recommendations from the council nor consulting with the city administrator. Though, the council does have the right to deny these nominations, we reiterate that it should be done in a public forum. In a different email to the mayor only, Natvig urged the mayor to continue deviating from what the city code mandates: in the past 6 years, almost all appointment candidates have been suggested by current/outgoing board/committee members themselves, which have then consequently been reviewed by Mayor/Administrator and then approved by Council we haven't had any issues with that type of sequence that doesn't at all mean you can't deviate from past practice and add your own candidates but, to me, starting by asking the current/outgoing members for suggestions is still a wise strategy. What Natvig describes is a courtesy, but not a requirement. What Broderson has done is not unusual practice compared to other cities. The Journal urges the council to be more open with the public in its discussions and review its own ordinances on how to conduct business in addition to state laws. This is Muscatine, Iowa, not Washington, D.C. The city council in the heart of the Midwest shouldnt be acting like the party extremists on Capitol Hill. The Journal regrets that the mayor allowed these reply-to-all emails to continue. However, we also applaud the mayor for bringing her arguments stated in emails to the public meeting and sharing this issue with the Journal. This is the type of transparency that is needed. Muscatine Journal Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes [] Academic textbooks are expensive and the cost of textbooks globally has continued to rise alarmingly even as other educational resources have become relatively cheaper. For students, open educational resources should make more sense certainly financially. But, globally, the uptake of such resources is low. There are not nearly enough relevant local open-source textbooks in countries like South Africa, where I work at a university. Where they do exist, academics and students barely know about them. So how do students access the resources they need? We investigated this as part of a larger research project across six countries: Argentina, Brazil, India, Poland, South Africa and the US. How do students access resources like books? Do they consider copyright and what do they think about it? Do they pirate learning materials? How do they make sense of what they do? This study concentrated on students at one of South Africas top research-intensive universities. We compiled a survey that was answered by 1,001 students and conducted six focus groups with students across three professional disciplines. These disciplines were chosen because students were likely to be prescribed textbooks. What we found Here are a few key findings from the survey: students are accessing learning resources in both print and digital forms its not a case of either/or; they are accessing these resources both legally and illegally without necessarily knowing the difference. Many gave contradictory answers when asked what percentage of their resources were downloaded legally and illegally; and notably, only a fifth of students said that all their resources were legally obtained. The comment we all pirate was made several times. It also emerged that accessing learning resources through a variety of sites requires a certain measure of expertise. Students admire their peers who know where to ferret out such resources, and such knowledge is unevenly spread. In this sense the notion of a homogenous student body whose members are all natural digital natives is challenged. Principled pragmatism Another interesting part of the study was what it revealed about students attitudes to their own practices and actions. Many made a joke of their piracy or distanced themselves in an amused fashion by shifting responsibility to others or to the technology itself. For instance, some joked: Its Googles fault. They also displayed a matter-of-fact pragmatism. For many, it is a matter of principle, with one saying: Is it unethical to want to be educated or is it unethical to charge so much [for textbooks]? Others believe that they are doing the right thing: even though in my head I know its wrong, its just a technical thing. Substantively speaking, its the right thing to do, one explained. Another said: I am not worried about the consequences of illegal downloading. [Im] worried about graduating. The respondents also made a distinction between downloading textbooks and other media forms, particularly music and books. They consider the educational aspect central and feel the pursuit of education justifies their actions. As one said: Its about access to education: it is huge! Its the future of our country. An important distinction was also made between plagiarism and copyright. Plagiarism was considered unethical and risky, while copyright appeared to be less of an issue. Said one student: Copyright it does not even seem like an issue any more I copy everything But it almost seems like it isnt copyrighted, it almost seems like its free for everyone. There was also a glimmer of an alternative perspective. Some students acknowledged the existence and value of open, free content, but did not know where to access it. They also said more of it is needed. A grey zone These quotes are just a taster. The students voices are articulate on matters of principle, plagiarism, piracy and access to textbooks and other academic resources. They raise critical issues for new models of publishing, for digital literacies and for open scholarship. Through the literature review and the findings of this study, it is clear that there is a grey zone in the access of learning and academic resources that is now simply part of normal life in a new communication and information order. The full paper, Student Practices in Copyright Culture: Accessing Learning Resources is in press in Learning Media and Technology and will be online here soon. The manuscript is also available. This article was adapted from a post on the authors personal blog. Laura Czerniewicz, Associate Professor, Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching, University of Cape Town This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. More on piracy Top 10 most pirated movies this week Pirating BitTorrent users beware anti-piracy group gets permission to collect your IP address